by Joy Ellis
‘You want to talk?’
Daniel looked down at his arm and said, ‘If I agreed to go into a psychiatric hospital, would you be able to look after me?’
Guy bit on his bottom lip. ‘I have no connection with Saltern hospital, so if you went there, I’m afraid your care would be entirely up to the hospital psych team. However, I do know a smaller private hospital up on the edge of the Wolds. It’s called Banner House and the director is a friend of mine. I’m sure he would allow me to work with him on your case.’
Daniel looked hopefully at him. ‘I have money. And I know I need help.’
‘I’m not being patronising, Daniel, but that last statement is the biggest step in the whole process.’ Guy sat back and told Daniel something about his friend’s hospital and the kind of treatments that they found effective. ‘I’m not going to bullshit you that it will be easy, because it won’t, but by accepting treatment, you are already on the road to getting your life back.’
‘That’s all I want.’ Daniel looked hopefully at him, ‘My life back.’ He paused. ‘I can’t continue like this for much longer. I don’t even know who I am anymore.’
‘I do need to let the police know where you are, you do understand that, don’t you? They have half the Fenland Constabulary combing the streets looking for you.’
‘I did notice,’ said Daniel with the hint of a smile, then added, ‘There is one thing that I do know, Professor Preston. And that is, I am her son. Françoise Thayer’s lifeblood runs in my veins.’
‘Is blood something you think about often?’
Daniel frowned, his eyes narrowed, then he whispered, ‘I dream about it.’
‘Do you? Can you tell me about your dreams?’
Guy sat and listened as Daniel described the horrors of his blood-filled nights, and he began to feel uneasy. Could Daniel be affected by hematomania too? Surely that was too much of a coincidence? And this new injury? Was it possible that he had inflicted such serious damage on himself? In which case, could Daniel have been right about Françoise Thayer all along? Guy swallowed and tried to keep his expression bland. Was he really sitting here talking to the infamous murderer’s son?
His mind a jumble of thoughts, Guy tried to decide what to do. Finally he said, ‘You sit there and relax. I’m going to phone my friend about getting you admitted. I think we need to do a lot of talking, Dan, and I’ve got all the time in the world for you, okay?’
Daniel nodded. ‘And the police?’
‘They can wait a little longer.’
Guy went into the room that he was using as a temporary office and closed the door. His head was spinning. Never once had he believed Daniel’s story — until now. Excitement coursed through him. Thayer’s son? Now wouldn’t that be something! Shaking his head, he picked up the phone and dialled his colleague’s number.
Three minutes later he went back to Daniel. ‘All arranged. As soon as the police have spoken to you — as long as they don’t decide to hold you again — I’ll take you straight to Banner House and we’ll get your treatment underway. Okay?’
Daniel gave a slow nod. ‘I’m ready.’ Then he asked, ‘Are the police coming?’
Guy sat down opposite him. ‘I thought we’d talk first. They’ll be here like greased lightning when I let them know you are with me. Let me just tell you what I think about your condition, then I’ll make that call.’ He leant closer to Daniel. ‘This is how I see it . . .’
* * *
‘Forensic reports.’
Marie looked up as Jackman stopped at her desk.
‘Very interesting forensic reports actually.’ Jackman placed two printouts in front of her. ‘We may not have anything specific to tie a killer to our three victims, but we now have something concrete that links the three women.’
Marie looked at the papers. ‘Toxicology reports.’ She scanned them, then let out a gasp, ‘They all had antidepressants in their systems. And it’s the same drug, Clomipramine hydrochloride.’
‘If we can trace where they got those drugs, we’ll be hot on the heels of our killer, I’m sure of it.’
‘It has to be the hospital.’ On her fingers, Marie counted off the various connections. ‘One, Sue Bannister’s husband worked there. Two, Julia Hope was a nurse there. And three, Alison Fleet did regular charity work there, oh yes, and she had been a patient there years ago, although I realise that last one is a bit tenuous.’
‘Well, if you’re going down the hospital route, don’t forget our other line of enquiry. Daniel Kinder is their shining Sir Galahad, and his girlfriend, Skye Wynyard, is an occupational therapist.’
Marie was just about to reply when Max called across the office, ‘Boss! Your desk phone is ringing.’
Jackman hurried to his office and disappeared inside, leaving Marie pondering about the antidepressants. She knew that there was a very good reason why Alison had been self-medicating, but what about the others? What dark secrets had driven Sue and Julia to acquire little helpers that didn’t come from their GP or a respectable consultant? She opened the file on Julia Hope. Good family, no money worries or apparent debts, generally had excellent health and was known to be highly gregarious, something of a party animal. She was very popular and no one that they had spoken to knew of any serious problems in her life.
Marie grunted, closed the file and opened the one on Sue Bannister. Again, nothing leapt out at her.
‘Marie! My office.’ Marie dropped her file and went to Jackman’s office.
He had just replaced the telephone. ‘That was the Thai Police. They have located Daniel’s mother.’
‘About bloody time! Where is she?’
‘They are bringing her in from some godforsaken spot in the forest to somewhere with fairly good network coverage. They think she’ll be with them in a couple of hours and then they are going to set up a Skype video call.’
Marie gave a little whoop of relief. ‘Brilliant! At last we may get some answers about Daniel’s background.’
‘Let’s hope so. The Thai officials have booked Ruby Kinder onto an AirAsia flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok where she can get the first available flight home. Perhaps she will be able to talk some sense into her son.’
‘How long will all that take?’
Jackman pulled a face. ‘Well, it’s a couple of hours’ flight down from the north to Bangkok, then, depending on the departure time of the flight home, I reckon another twelve hours plus to London Heathrow.’
‘So we’re talking about tomorrow lunchtime, if we’re lucky,’ mused Marie.
Jackman nodded. ‘Will you give Skye a ring and tell her about Daniel’s mother? And tell her that we’ll explain about the break-in and assure her that Skye is in no way to blame.’
‘I’m on it, sir.’
Marie walked back to her desk and rang Skye Wynyard.
She answered at the first ring and straightaway asked if she could come to the station and be there for the video link. Marie agreed, and hung up. Her phone rang again immediately.
‘He’s with me, Marie. Daniel Kinder is safe with me.’
Marie exhaled air in an exhilarated little whoop. ‘Thank God for that, Guy. Is he alright?’
‘He’s injured himself, and he doesn’t know how he did it.’ Guy paused. ‘Nasty gash across his left forearm. I had to suture it for him, but there’s more good news. He’s agreed to go into Banner House Psychiatric Unit voluntarily.’
‘Has he indeed?’ Marie felt doubly relieved. Assuming he wasn’t their killer, the combination of seeing his mother again, getting some professional help, and having regular visits from Skye in a safe environment could really put Daniel back on the road to recovery. ‘That’s excellent news. Although we will have to interview him regarding the third death — if you think he’s fit enough, that is?’
There was a short silence. ‘He’s very fragile. He swings from being sensible and aware, to being severely neurotic in a matter of moments, but he knows that he can’t go on like this, and he
does want answers.’
‘Then we’ll pick him up.’
‘I was wondering if you’d like me to bring him in? Hopefully I can keep him on a stable enough level for you to talk to him. He could freak and run again if he sees blue lights outside the flat.’
Marie frowned. ‘Are you happy with that? Bringing him in alone?
‘I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t think it was for the best,’ said Guy, then added, ‘But thank you for thinking about my safety. I know why you are saying it, but Daniel is a very different animal to Terence Austin. I’ll be fine.’
Marie clamped her teeth together in irritation. She hadn’t been thinking about Austin at all, just that she didn’t want to lose Daniel Kinder again. A squad car and two officers might have been a safer bet. ‘Okay, Guy, if you honestly think it’s the best option. When are you leaving?’
‘Five minutes. So we’ll see you in fifteen.’
* * *
Evening was approaching, and as Kevin Stoner was clearing out his locker, DC Max Cohen sauntered into the changing room.
‘They’re moving him out, mate. Saw the custody sergeant saying a fond farewell.’ Max grinned at Kevin. ‘You can breathe again.’
Kevin returned the smile, more faintly. ‘Maybe we can all breathe again.’
Max flopped down on one of the locker room benches and stared at Kevin. ‘I don’t know how you did it, but you made a bloody good job of it.’
Kevin tensed. ‘What do you mean?’
Max’s grin widened. ‘Hey! Don’t be coy! The whole station should be thanking you for getting rid of that piece of shite. You’re a hero, mate!’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cohen. And I’d be grateful if you kept your mistaken ideas to yourself.’ Stoner was beginning to panic.
‘Calm down, mate. This is between you and me. I know you’re going to have to stick to whatever your story is, for the sake of keeping the gold braid happy, but I’m just saying, respect, man.’ He stood up. ‘That’s all, and you can sleep easy, I won’t be sharing my views on your part in Zane Prewett’s timely exit from Saltern. You’ve done us all a favour.’ Max clapped a hand on Kevin’s shoulder as he left. ‘As I said, man. Respect.’
Alone in the locker room, Kevin sat down heavily on the bench. If one of the detectives had been able to see straight through him, surely his bosses would too? He knew he had Inspector Jim Gilbert on his side, but even Gilbert was answerable to the higher-ups. And then another thought entered his aching head. What if Prewett put two and two together and realised what he had done? Would he and his family ever be free of Zane’s threats?
Before he could formulate an answer, the door opened again. This time it was Sergeant Cadman. ‘Ah, glad I caught you before you left, Stoner.’
Kevin began to stand up, but the sergeant waved him back, and sat down on a bench opposite him. ‘I thought you’d like to know that Prewett has been taken to Lincoln.’ He paused briefly, then went on, ‘And I’ve just got back from Prewett’s flat. We found everything we needed, if you understand what I’m saying.’
Kevin nodded, and relief flooded through him. This was the reason he’d been hanging around for the last few hours. He had not wanted to leave the station without knowing that the sergeant’s unofficial task had been completed successfully. ‘Thank you, sir. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.’
‘I’m sure, son. I reckon your life has been hell for the last few months, hasn’t it?’
He gulped back a sob. ‘Pretty much, skipper.’
Cadman sighed and shook his head. ‘I just wish you’d come to me and told me what was happening. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but I should have realised that something was going on. Like most of the others, I thought he was just a cocky, lazy bastard. It never occurred to me that he was as rotten as he was, and the devastating effect it was having on you.’
‘It’s my own fault, skip. I just didn’t have the balls to stand up to him.’ He swallowed. ‘To tell the truth, this has hit me hard. It’s made me doubt my ability to be a good copper. In fact, I’m not sure if maybe I shouldn’t rethink my choice of career.’
‘Rubbish! You’re a good lad with a bright future. When someone threatens those you love, common sense and clear thinking go out the window. If the threat had been directly to you, you’d have handled it quite differently, but Zane made you scared for your little niece, didn’t he? He was very clever, Kevin, but it’s all over now, apart from the legal stuff. And although that won’t be nice at all, I’m willing to gamble that Prewett will be going down for a long time.’
‘I’m sure he’ll invent a way to try to involve me.’
‘Maybe he will, but no one will believe a word he says. He messed up, and he only has himself to blame.’ Cadman nodded. ‘And between you and me, he has no alibi at all for the evening of the break-in. He won’t walk out of this one, I promise you.’ The sergeant stood up. ‘Now you get on home. And forget all about giving up policing. Once this is over, we’ll get you teamed up with a bloody good partner, and Zane Prewett will fade away like a bad smell.’ He halted in the doorway, ‘Or maybe you’d like to think about doing your exams to get into CID? I know for a fact that DI Jackman would support that decision.’ Cadman raised his eyebrows, ‘Think about it?’
Kevin nodded. ‘I will, skipper.’
Alone again, Kevin leaned back against the locker doors. He had thought about giving up policing not because of the damage that Zane had done to him, but the devious way he had handled it. If he was capable of setting up such a calculated and underhand scheme for dumping a fellow officer in the shit, maybe he was no better than Zane. But then he thought about Sophie. He had no doubt at all that Zane, or one of his cronies, would have actually inflicted “life-changing” harm to the child. And the thought of that made his skin crawl.
Kevin sighed aloud. Well, he’d done it now. He’d just have to live with it. And he knew one thing about Zane Prewett that the others didn’t. The reason why Kevin had been able to set him up so confidently was because he knew exactly where Zane had been at the time of the break-in. Sergeant Cadman had said that he had no alibi, and he hadn’t. Well, not one he could use, because he had taken great delight in bragging to Kevin that he was shagging the wife of one of the uniformed inspectors.
Kevin smiled. He’d seen the message arranging their next liaison when he’d taken Zane’s phone and sent that text to Drew Wilson telling him that the Kinder house would be empty.
Kevin gathered up his things. Sometimes he wished that his father had chosen a different profession. Something like a bookie, or a tree-surgeon, anything that would have freed Kevin from his awful sense of right and wrong. His father had brought him up knowing all about sin. And Kevin knew that he had sinned.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
‘Where the hell is Guy Preston? They should have been here half an hour ago. Try ringing his mobile again, Marie.’ Jackman was pacing up and down his office.
‘I just did, and he’s not picking up. Something’s wrong, guv.’
‘Isn’t it just,’ growled Jackman. ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if something went right with this case?’
‘I knew I should have sent a car.’ Marie looked thoroughly miserable.
Jackman stopped pacing. ‘It’s not your fault. His justification would have convinced me too.’
‘I had a gut feeling, and I allowed Preston to persuade me. There’s no excuse, I was a prat.’
Jackman looked at the wall clock. The video link with Thailand had been pushed back an hour, as Ruby Kinder’s trip from the forest had taken longer than expected. It was now scheduled for thirty minutes’ time. He began pacing again. Uniform had ascertained that Guy Preston’s car was not outside his address and a neighbour had seen Preston and a younger man drive off almost three-quarters of an hour ago. It was only a ten-minute drive, so where the hell were they?
A knock on the door, and a familiar figure entered.
‘Guy!’ Marie sto
od up. ‘Thank God! We thought something had happened to you, but . . .’
‘Where’s Daniel Kinder?’ said Jackman.
‘I lost him.’ Guy Preston looked ruefully at Marie. ‘I’m so sorry. I should have let you deal with it.’
‘But how did it happen?’ Marie asked. ‘You left home together, didn’t you?’
Jackman suddenly realised that Preston was not his usual immaculate self. His jacket sleeves were smeared with dirt, his trousers were dusty, and his loafers were caked with mud.
‘Oh, we left okay. Then he said he felt sick.’ Guy looked furious with himself. ‘And as he’d just had his arm stitched up with no anaesthetic other than a couple of paracetamol, I believed him. I stopped. He got out the passenger side. I turned off the engine, and fool that I am, left the keys in the ignition and went round to help him.’ His anger grew. ‘He took me off guard and pushed me down a bank on the side of the Sluice road. By the time I clambered back up, he’d driven off.’ He heaved a sigh. ‘I’ve just walked here from the Blackland Sluice gates.’
Marie pulled a face. ‘And I’m guessing that your phone is in the car.’
‘Got it in one.’
‘So much for Daniel being stable,’ said Marie.
‘Actually I think he was very stable,’ Guy said. ‘Calculating and totally in control is how I’d describe him.’
Jackman chewed on the inside of his cheek. ‘So you think he planned the whole thing?’
‘I’d say so.’ Preston sank down into a chair. ‘He must have realised that you would find him if he went to A&E, so he used me to patch him up, then when he was ready, he took off — with my car. Oh yes, and with some of my clothes as well.’
‘We’d better get a shout out to traffic to stop the car,’ said Marie, opening her notebook. ‘What make of vehicle is it? And the licence number?’
‘I’ve already spoken to the desk sergeant on my way in.’ Guy shrugged. ‘He’s dealt with that side of it.’
‘Good,’ murmured Jackman. ‘They’ll soon track him.’
‘I hope so.’ Guy suddenly looked exhausted. ‘Do you know, I was certain that we were getting somewhere. He seemed so different, so honest. We talked for ages. And, strangely, he had two opportunities to make a run for it. Twice I went into my office to make phone calls, and on both occasions my car keys were sitting on the hall table. It would have been much easier to sneak out quietly, but he didn’t.’