by M A Comley
“I don’t profess to know what you’re talking about, and I’m not sure I want to know what those procedures are. Poor Annabelle.”
“Giles said they’ll be making plans for the funeral in the next day or so.”
Kayli gasped. “Oh, Lordy, that’s another aspect I hadn’t thought about.”
“It’s different nowadays to when I lost the baby. Anyway, enough about that. I must go, darling. I have a cake in the oven.”
“Okay, thanks for the update, Mum. Take care. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Before Kayli could replace the phone in its docking station, there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Graeme rushed into the room, his eyes wide with excitement. “We’ve located the car, boss.”
“Paul Potts’s car?”
“Yes, it’s just over the border in South Wales.”
“And? Was he in the car?”
“That information is unknown at present as the car is in a deep ravine. They’ve called in the mountain rescue team to get the car out of there as it’s difficult to get a fire engine into the area.”
“Really? Okay, Dave and I better get over there ASAP. Get the postcode for me for the satnav, Graeme. Good work locating it.”
“I just put the feelers out, boss.” He left the office.
Kayli tidied her paperwork away and removed her jacket from the back of her chair. She joined her partner at the door to the incident room. “Have you got the directions we need?”
Dave waved the slip of paper. “I have. Should only take us an hour or so to get there, depending on the traffic, of course.”
“Brilliant. Let’s do this.”
~ ~ ~
It took them an hour and a half in the end to find the correct location as Kayli took the decision to avoid the toll road over the Severn Bridge. The road was tight and winding, quite high up compared to the other roads in the area.
Dave pointed to some vehicles parked in a slight clearing. “Looks like this is the spot we’re after.”
Kayli drew up alongside a Land Rover. “Do you want to stay here? I don’t think the ground looks very safe for someone on crutches.”
“If I have to,” Dave grumbled.
“I’ll see how it goes underfoot and give you the signal for you to join me if I think it’s suitable. How’s that?”
“Fair enough.”
Kayli hopped out and went to the boot of her car. She withdrew a pair of Wellington boots and slipped them on, then she trudged up the muddy bank to where a group of men, some in uniform, others in rescue gear, were standing. “Hi. I’m DI Kayli Bright of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary. I believe you’ve found a car that we’ve been searching for.”
A uniformed officer came towards her with an outstretched hand. “I placed the call, ma’am. Constable Edwards,” he said with a slight Welsh lilt. “We were informed to keep an eye out for the vehicle and report back to your team.”
“Thanks for contacting us. Now, what do we have?”
“The car is at the bottom, ma’am. The mountain rescue team are going to have to winch it out of the river.”
Kayli stretched out a little and looked over the edge at the car below, which was lying flat on the riverbed, half-immersed in the fast-flowing water. “Who found the car?”
“A couple of walkers, ma’am. I’ve taken a statement from them and sent them on their way. I hope that was okay?”
“Of course. I bet they were shaken up.”
“They were. Two women, it was. I’ve also placed a call to the local pathologist. He sent his team ahead, and they’re over there, ma’am, if you want to have a word with them.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.” Kayli smiled at the constable then squelched through the mud towards the two men wearing white suits. “Hi. I’m Kayli Bright, the SIO on the case. I take it they’re getting ready to winch the car up. Is it all right to do that without the pathologist being here?”
“In such a dangerous position, yes, it’s fine. The pathologist wouldn’t put his life in danger going down such a steep slope.”
“Is he going to be long?”
“Around half an hour. He was dealing with a fatal crash a few miles away.”
“We’re about to winch her up now, guys. Stand back, just in case anything should go wrong,” a burly rescue team member said.
Kayli shuffled to stand alongside the forensics technicians as the three members of the rescue team manned the winch and guided the car up the steep incline.
“Whoa! It’s going to snag on the overhanging branch,” a team member shouted. He searched around him and picked up a long branch lying on the ground. He pointed it down the bank to pin back the branch blocking the car’s path. “Okay, it’s safe to continue now.”
The winch started up again, and the car inched its way closer to them, water pouring from the door seals.
Kayli heard a rustle behind her, and she turned swiftly to find Dave huffing after his exertion to be with her. “You should have stayed in the car. It’s far too dangerous for you.”
“It’s muddy. Not too bad. The crutches didn’t sink in far. I kept to the undergrowth. I’ll keep away from the edge,” he said, straining his neck to look at the car.
Kayli gripped his arm so he could have a better view. “Not sure what we’re going to find inside.”
“The amount of water still coming out of the doors, I wouldn’t hold on to any hope of him being still alive if he’s in there.”
“I think I’d come to that conclusion myself, partner.”
He grinned sheepishly and mumbled an apology.
Within minutes, the car had ascended the incline, and the rescue team were winching it onto a secure flat area close by.
Kayli stepped towards the car tentatively. “All right if I have a look inside?” she asked the rescue team and the men from forensics.
“Just be careful.”
“That goes without saying.” Kayli slipped on a pair of latex gloves and approached the driver’s door. Peering through the mucky window, she struggled to make out if there was anything inside the vehicle. She eased the door open, and yet more water poured out. Once the small waterfall had died down, she took a step forward for a closer inspection.
“Anything?” Dave asked impatiently from behind her.
“Give me a chance. Nope, I can’t see anything in the front or the back. How strange.”
“Which probably means that he dumped the car and made his way away from here on foot.”
Kayli stood back and shrugged. “Maybe he was being followed and someone was waiting for him on the road while he dumped the car.”
“Perplexing either way. Then there’s the issue of Bob Nuttall to consider in this scenario,” Dave said.
“Maybe he was the one waiting for him. We need to get on to Graeme and tell him to focus on what else was going on with Potts’s car. Was he being followed here?”
While they were discussing the possibilities of what had happened, one of the forensics team opened the boot of the car and called over, “You might want to rethink all of that, Inspector.”
Kayli rushed towards the boot and stared down at a man’s lifeless body. “Damn.”
Kayli heard a car pull up and turned to see a man in his fifties trudging through the muddy area towards them.
He extended his hand to Kayli. “I’m the pathologist, Greg Hughes.”
“Hi. I’m the SIO in charge of the case, DI Kayli Bright, and this is my partner, DS Dave Chaplin. It’s not good news. We’ve found the owner of the vehicle—he’s the person who was reported missing—in the boot of the car.”
“That’s a shame. Let me examine the body and see if I can at least give you a cause of death.”
“I’m surmising that he couldn’t have done this himself. There’s no way he could have hidden in the boot and driven the car over the edge at the same time.”
“That would be my probable assumption from the outset,” Greg said. “May I?”
Kayli stepped back to allow him access to the vehicle. She held out her hand to hold his case for him rather than letting him place it in the nearby mud.
“Hmm… my initial assessment would say that the victim drowned.”
Kayli glanced at her partner then looked back at the pathologist. “You’re saying you think he was still alive when he went over the edge?”
“I believe so.” He moved the victim’s head slightly and pulled it forward. “He has an open wound on the back of his head.”
“Are you thinking someone whacked him from behind?” Kayli asked.
The pathologist nodded as he continued his assessment. “The space is confined, too confined for me to give you anything else at this time, Inspector. I would say that the victim was bludgeoned with a blunt object and shoved in the boot of the car, then someone either pushed the car over the edge, or more likely, drove the car and jumped out of the vehicle at the last minute before its journey into the ravine could gain momentum. I’ll know more once the post-mortem has been performed. I’ll send you my report as soon as possible.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that. I don’t suppose you can establish the time of death?”
“Not at this moment in time. It’ll be in my report,” Greg added abruptly.
Kayli could tell he was eager to get the body moved and back to the lab. “Thank you. We’ll leave you to it. We’ll visit the family members to let them know Mr. Potts has been found.”
He nodded and turned his back to dismiss her. As Kayli and Dave trudged through the mud back to the car, she heard the pathologist giving his men instructions.
“Is that where we’re heading now? To tell the family?” Dave asked as Kayli handed him a small hand towel for him to wipe the mud from the bottom of his crutches before he entered the car.
“Yep. I think we should tell Anita first, but it was her uncle who made the initial contact with us.”
“Maybe call him and ask him to be at the house when you break the news to Anita. I’m guessing she’s going to need his support. She seemed a little fragile to me when we visited her.”
“You’re right.” Kayli withdrew her phone from her pocket and rang the station. “Hi, Donna. We’ve located Paul Potts’s body inside the boot of the car.”
“Oh no. That’s dreadful. I’ll let Graeme know.”
“Okay. What I need is Samuel Potts’s phone number, if you will?”
Donna reeled off the number, and Kayli memorised it. “We’ll be back soon. Thanks, Donna.” She dialled Samuel’s number and leaned against the car while she waited for him to answer.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Mr. Potts. This is DI Kayli Bright. I have some news regarding your brother and wondered if you would meet me at his house in about an hour.”
“You’ve found him? Is he all right? Are you bringing him home, Inspector?”
“Sorry, sir. Yes, we’ve found your brother, but it’s not good news, I’m afraid. We’re on our way to let his daughter know and thought you could be there to support her. I have a feeling the news will come as a blow to her, and to you, of course.”
“Oh no! I can’t believe he’s gone. Can you give me any more details? On second thoughts, I don’t think I want to know. I’ll make my way over to be with Anita now.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate that. See you soon.”
Kayli ended the call and walked around the other side of the car to relieve Dave of the muddy towel. She held open the door for him to swing his legs into the passenger seat before she flung the towel and her muddy wellies into the boot. The journey back across the border was a quiet one, each of the detectives lost in thought about the case.
They pulled up outside Paul Potts’s home just over an hour later. Samuel was waiting at the door for them, his face ashen. Kayli shook his hand. “Good to see you again, sir. I’m sorry for your loss. Is Anita home?”
“Yes, she’s here. I haven’t said anything. However, I do think she knows something is wrong. Come in. Can I get you both a coffee?”
Kayli shook her head. “We’re fine, thank you.”
“Go through to the lounge. Anita is in there.”
Kayli led the way and eased open the door to find a terrified Anita staring back at her. “Hello, Anita. Can we come in?”
The young woman jumped out of her chair and wiped her hand on her jeans before extending it. Kayli clutched her hand and smiled at her.
“Take a seat,” Anita said.
Kayli and Dave dropped onto the sofa while Samuel chose to stand alongside his niece as she lowered herself into her father’s armchair.
Kayli sighed and looked Anita in the eye. “I’m sorry, Anita, but I’m afraid your father’s body was discovered this morning.”
Anita screamed and buried her face in her hands.
Samuel placed a comforting arm around his niece’s shoulders and asked, “Where?”
“His car was found in a deep ravine just over the border in South Wales.”
“Was it an accident? Did he drive off the road?”
Kayli shook her head. “No. It wasn’t an accident. We believe your brother was murdered when his car was pushed into the gorge.”
Samuel’s legs gave way, and he sank onto the arm of the chair his niece was sitting in and stared open-mouthed at Kayli. Anita began to rock back and forth, unable to prevent the tears cascading down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry. There was no easy way to tell you. A post-mortem will be carried out either today or tomorrow, and it will determine the cause of death, but the pathologist’s initial assessment was that Paul was bludgeoned over the head before he was thrown into the boot of his car.”
“And that’s what killed him? The blow to the head?” Samuel asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
“The pathologist believes he drowned.”
Anita wailed again. Kayli’s heart went out to the young woman. The thought of losing her own father in such a grotesque manner was very hard to fathom.
Anita dropped her hands from her face. She sniffed and raised her head to look at her uncle. “Why? Why would anyone kill him? He’s such a gentle man. Showed people only kindness. Who would want to kill him? For what reason? I can’t believe it. Not my father. I’ll never see him again.” She broke down again.
Samuel pulled her towards him, resting her head against his chest. “It’s beyond me, love. I’m sure the inspector and her team will be doing their utmost to find the person. Do you have any suspects, Inspector?”
“Maybe. We’re not sure just yet. One of the tenants at the flats used the fire escape rather than speak to us on Monday, and we’ve been trying to track him down ever since.”
“You think he did this? Which one? Not that I know all of their names,” Samuel said.
“Bob Nuttall. He rented the flat at the top of the house. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we catch up with him. Do you recall your brother ever mentioning his name in connection to anything? An argument he’d had with him, perhaps?”
Anita sniffled and nodded. “Dad was annoyed with him about not paying the rent. He told me that if Nuttall didn’t pay what he owed by the end of the week, he was going to kick him out. Would that be enough for someone to react like that and kill my father?” she said, her voice strained with emotion.
“The slightest thing can spark a person’s anger gene to explode.” Kayli didn’t feel the need to share with either of them about the vast sum of money they had discovered in Nuttall’s flat.
“Why, though? If it is him. Why would he deliberately set out to kill Paul?”
Kayli shrugged. “That’s what we’ll be asking Nuttall when we find him. Not only that—why drive all the way to Wales to get rid of your brother’s body?”
“Let’s hope you find this man soon,” Samuel said, hugging Anita to him.
Kayli rose from her seat, and Dave hoisted himself to his feet. “We’ll get back to the station now. I wanted to drop by and tell you in person and to assure you that
we’ll be doing everything we can to find the person responsible in the hope of bringing them to justice. Will you pass on our condolences to Sharon and Dylan?”
Anita glanced up and nodded. “I’ll get Uncle Samuel to ring them after you’ve gone.”
Samuel walked across the room and opened the door.
“Thanks. Take care of yourself, Anita. I’m deeply sorry for your loss,” Kayli said before she and Dave left the room. She shook Samuel’s hand at the front door. “You have my deepest sympathy, Samuel. Thank you for being here today.”
“It should be me thanking you, Inspector. At least you’ve managed to find my brother’s body before… well, you know what I mean… before it had a chance to deteriorate.”
“I’ll be in touch with you again as soon as I have any more news for you. Take care.”
He shook Dave’s hand and closed the door behind them.
“Crap! I hate breaking news like that, especially to a nice family such as this,” Dave said.
Kayli pressed the key fob to unlock the doors. “Good job you didn’t have to do it, then.” She grinned at her partner over the roof of the car before she slipped into the driver’s seat.
Dave made a face at her once he was settled in his seat. “You know what I meant. What now?”
“I think I’m going to call a press conference. Let’s rock Nuttall’s boat and plaster his picture all over the media.”
“Good idea. Can I ask why you haven’t done it before?”
Kayli started the engine. “Maybe I just needed confirmation that Potts hadn’t just decided to take off somewhere for some peace and quiet. You know what the statistics are for the number of people who go missing simply as an excuse to get away from family members.”
“I’ve got a rough idea. Let’s hope something comes of the appeal. Nuttall clearly doesn’t have any cash on him. Otherwise, he would have topped up his car, so that limits the places he can doss down, right?”
“I was thinking along the same lines. Mind you, he could be hiding out at a mate’s house.”
“True.”
CHAPTER NINE