‘May we come inside?’
‘Yeah. If you’re sure you want to.’
The room looked and smelled much the same as on their previous visit. Garfield again swept the sofa clear of debris and pushed open the windows to dilute the fetid atmosphere. Annie lowered herself cautiously onto the sofa, Zoe taking a seat beside her.
‘What’s this about?’
‘It’s about your son, Mr Garfield. And I’m afraid it’s bad news.’
‘Jonny? What’s the little bastard—?’ He stopped. ‘What’s happened to him?’
‘He’s dead, Mr Garfield. I’m very sorry.’
‘Dead?’ Garfield spoke the word as if the concept was new to him.
‘We believe unlawfully killed,’ Annie went on. ‘In a very similar manner to Darren Parkin.’
‘Shit!’ Garfield slammed his fist hard into the side of the armchair. ‘I told them—’
‘You told them what, Mr Garfield?’
Garfield looked up as if he’d almost forgotten the two officers were there. ‘I— It doesn’t matter. I told them to be careful.’
‘Mr Garfield,’ Annie said slowly. ‘I’ve every sympathy for your loss, and this isn’t the moment for me to pressurise you. But if you know anything that might help us find the killer of your son and of Darren Parkin, I implore you to tell us. I can’t go into the details at this point, but we have good reason to believe your son may not be the last victim.’
When Garfield finally looked up at them, Annie was surprised to see there were tears in his eyes. She’d envisaged him as the kind of would-be hard man who’d resist crying in front of a woman, even at a moment like this. He was silent for a long moment. ‘I don’t know much. All I know is that Jonny and Darren were mixed up with some pretty nasty people. They’d been tangled up in that sort of stuff for a long time. Since they were at school.’
‘What sort of stuff?’
‘You name it. Mainly drugs when they were at school. I know how they were enticed into that. But it wasn’t just soft stuff. They were dealing the hard stuff. Even to schoolmates.’
‘They never got caught?’
‘Not for that. They had a few scrapes with the law, but only for trivial stuff. No one ever laid a finger on them for the serious business.’
‘You knew about this?’ Annie tried hard to keep any note of accusation out of her tone. She wanted Garfield to keep talking.
‘Some of it. I suspected more.’ He shrugged. ‘What can I say? I was a single father. But that’s not an excuse. I was also a crap one. It was easier to turn a blind eye.’
‘And it wasn’t just drugs?’
‘One thing leads to another, doesn’t it? It was the people they were mixing with. I don’t know the details and I don’t want to. But they’d do anything that would earn them a few quid.’
‘Your son didn’t have a regular job?’ Annie said.
‘Not that I’m aware of. We weren’t in regular contact. Or much contact at all. We never exactly had a falling-out, but I wanted to steer well clear of whatever he was involved in.’
Annie decided to try another tack. ‘Your son was identified at a far-right political protest a few days ago. Were you aware that he was involved in that kind of politics?’
‘That the one where the MP was shot?’ Garfield didn’t wait for a response to his question. ‘No, I didn’t know about that. But it fits. Something where he can be the big I-am while being told what to do.’
‘You don’t share those politics?’
‘Me? Christ, no. I’m not that much of a moron. I suppose I’m still Labour if anything. I don’t think any of that lot have much interest in the likes of me. Certainly not the tinpot little fascists. But Jonny would have gone for that stuff.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Acting tough surrounded by his mates. That’s why he got caught up in all this crap. It wasn’t the money, though he developed a taste for that. He just wanted to be part of the gang, even if they were just using him.’
Annie frowned. ‘So who was using him?’
‘Early days, it was older kids at school. They were the ones who first got him and Darren caught up in bad stuff. But there were people running them, too. There are always plenty of people out there only too keen to exploit kids like Jonny and Darren.’
There was something about the way Garfield talked about the two young men that had been bothering Annie, though she hadn’t been able to pin down what it was. ‘Can I ask you about Darren’s mother?’
Garfield looked up, clearly startled by the unexpected question. ‘Darren’s mother?’
‘Did you know her?’
‘I— A little.’
‘The identity of Darren’s father seems to be a mystery. Is that right?’
There was a long silence before Garfield said, ‘I suppose so.’
‘We’ve already got Darren’s DNA on the system. Jonny seems to have escaped our attentions in the past, but I imagine if we were to check his sample against Darren’s it would give us an indication of whether they were related.’
‘I don’t understand—’
She was aware she was perhaps pushing this too far and too hard given the circumstances. ‘When we were last here, Mr Garfield, we had the sense there were things you weren’t telling us. I was just wondering whether one of those things might have been that you were Darren’s father?’
Garfield looked bewildered and initially she thought he was going to deny it. Finally he said, ‘I don’t know. It’s possible. I – had an affair with Cathy.’ He laughed. ‘Though “affair” is probably a rather grand term for it. And I wasn’t the only one. When she found out she was pregnant, let’s just say I was one of several candidates.’
‘She didn’t try to make you take responsibility for the child?’ Zoe asked.
‘She didn’t seem interested in anything from me. I was still married at the time, though it wasn’t the first time I’d played away.’ He gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Or the last. Which is why I’m no longer married. But, no, Cathy never spoke to me about it.’
‘Darren seems to have been brought up mainly by her parents,’ Zoe said.
‘Pretty much. Cathy was always a handful. Did things her own way. Didn’t take responsibility for much. A born troublemaker.’
‘Then she vanished?’
‘Got bored here, I’m guessing. She liked to stir things up and, well, you’ve met her parents. She was already up to her ears in trouble.’
‘What kind of trouble?’
‘Drugs again, mainly. But she mixed with the wrong types. My guess is she was on the game at that point. That was how she paid for the drugs. I don’t know when that would have started, but it might have been another reason why she didn’t know who Darren’s father was. She took a hell of a lot of risks.’ He shook his head. ‘Christ, it’s all such a mess, isn’t it?’
It wasn’t clear to Annie whether he was talking specifically about Cathy Parkin or life in general. Pete Garfield was a long way from the cocksure man they’d met the previous day. ‘I’m sorry. I appreciate this is a difficult time for you. We’re just trying to put together as many pieces of the jigsaw as we can. Some of them may be relevant, some won’t be. But we need all the facts we can get.’
‘Yeah, of course. I wasn’t hiding anything from you. I genuinely don’t know if I was Darren’s father, and it didn’t seem relevant when I spoke to you before.’
‘We need all the leads we can get, however tenuous. You don’t know anything about where Cathy Parkin went after she left here?’
‘She’s still around,’ Garfield said. ‘Or at least she was until fairly recently. Not here, obviously, but I’ve clocked her a couple of times in Derby. Just on the street.’
‘Did you speak to her?’
‘No. What would I say? Both times I just saw her across the street. You don’t miss her easily. She still looks pretty amazing. Same bright-red hair. Like I say, you notice her.’
‘You don’t know if
she was still in contact with Darren?’
There was another slight hesitation before Garfield responded. Another question that had caught him by surprise, Annie thought. ‘I think she might have been. I don’t know. Just some remark of Jonny’s once that gave me the impression they’d both spoken to her.’ He paused, rubbing his temples as if trying to force his brain into action. ‘I’m trying to remember what he said. It was something about a potentially good deal that Darren’s mum had put in their direction. Something that might change things for them. To be honest, I didn’t take a lot of notice. Jonny was always talking bullshit about some great deal he had in the offing.’
‘When was this?’
‘Not long ago. Couple of months, maybe. It was really only the reference to Cathy that caught my attention. To be honest, if Cathy had involved them in something, my guess is it would have been bad news.’
‘You think it’s possible it could be linked to what’s happened to them?’
Garfield stared at her, red-eyed, as if until that moment he’d forgotten about his son’s death. ‘She was bad news. She was always bad news. But I can’t believe she’d have deliberately involved them in anything – well, anything harmful. Not her own son. Not even Cathy.’ He sounded as if even he scarcely believed what he was saying.
Annie nodded. ‘Thank you for your honesty. It gives us another line to pursue. And you’ve no idea where we might find Cathy Parkin?’
‘I’m sorry. I’ve no idea at all. I’m sure her parents wouldn’t have a clue, and I wouldn’t know where else to begin.’
‘That’s a job for us. We’ve already pressed you too hard on all this. I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr Garfield. Sincerely.’
‘It’s a shock. We weren’t close but, well, a son’s a son, isn’t he?’
‘Of course. You’re sure you’ll be okay?’
‘I’ll be fine. As fine as I ever am, anyway.’ He looked around, as if seeing the room for the first time. ‘I’m a fucking mess, aren’t I? Got nothing, going nowhere. I’ve screwed up my life from start to finish.’ He gave a faint smile. ‘But I’m still here, I suppose. That’s all I’ve got going for me. Maybe this’ll give me a kick up the backside. Or maybe not.’
‘We won’t take up any more of your time,’ Annie said. ‘If anything else occurs to you, however minor it might seem, please give us a call. I don’t know if we’ll need to talk to you again.’
‘Talk to me as much as you need,’ Garfield said. ‘It’s not like I’m busy. If I can do anything to put the bastard who did this behind bars, I’m only too happy to help.’
Chapter Thirty-Two
‘What do you think?’ Annie asked.
They were driving through the dales, heading west towards Tom Miller’s farm. The landscape was largely moorland, given over primarily to sheep-farming, the rolling hills majestic in the morning sunshine. On a day like this Annie could appreciate the reasons why she’d chosen to stay in the county.
Zoe was driving, and Annie had just finished an extended telephone debrief with Jennings, which she suspected had added little to either’s knowledge but had at least reassured Jennings some kind of progress was being made. The CSIs were still busy back at the house, but so far there was little of substance to report. Annie had followed her call to Jennings with a brief call to Sheena, who had seemed a little brighter than earlier.
‘About Garfield?’ Zoe’s eyes were fixed firmly on the road. ‘He seemed to be telling the truth this time, anyway.’
‘That was what I thought. Whether it gets us anywhere is another question.’
‘This Cathy Parkin sounds as if she’s worth tracking down. If nothing else, she might be able to give us some more insights into what Garfield and Parkin were involved in.’
‘I’ll get someone on to it. If she’s still calling herself Cathy Parkin it may not be too difficult. If she’s going by any other name, it’ll be harder. But, yes, worth a shot.’ Annie paused. ‘You still serious about offering Sheena a place to stay?’
‘Definitely, if she’s up for it. Spoke to Gary about it, and he’s fine with the idea. Think he’s quite excited about the prospect of having a celebrity about the place.’
‘She’s hardly a celebrity.’
‘She is by our standards. I told Gary that that’s fine as long as he doesn’t start blabbing about her being there.’
‘Is he likely to?’
‘Not Gary. He plays the fool sometimes, but he’s pretty switched on. And he knows when to keep schtum.’
‘He’s welcome to the bragging rights, such as they are, once it’s all over.’
‘Sheena’s up for it, is she?’
‘She is. I thought she’d resist and say it was a bit too much like running away. But this turning up almost literally on her doorstep really shook her up. So emotionally she wants to get away, and rationally she knows she might not be safe there.’
‘That’s great, then. Bring her over later this afternoon, once we’ve done.’ Zoe hesitated. ‘What about you, though? You can’t stay in that place on your own. Not if dumping the body there was intended as a message to you. You’re welcome to stay too.’
‘I don’t think that would be fair on you or Gary. I can’t expect you to take on two people, and I just think, well—’
‘That it would be awkward, you being my boss and everything.’
‘Something like that. Anyway, I’ve made the ultimate sacrifice and asked my mum if I can stay there. She’s jumped at the chance to lecture me whenever she feels like it.’
Zoe laughed. ‘Thoughts and prayers for you, then. But if it doesn’t work out…’
‘It’s all only a few days,’ Annie said. ‘If this isn’t all sorted one way or another by then, we’ll need to come up with another plan anyway.’
‘Good luck then.’ Zoe squinted at the road ahead. ‘We’re nearly there.’
Another mile brought them to the farm turn-off. Zoe pulled into the narrow lane that led to the farmyard.
They drew up in front of the farmhouse and climbed out into the chilly morning. Somewhere beyond the house, Annie could hear the sound of sheep and a faint breeze was rustling through the trees, but otherwise the morning was silent. ‘Nice place.’
‘Looks much less sinister than on my previous visit. Surprising what a bit of sunshine can do,’ Zoe said. She stepped forward and pressed the doorbell. They’d agreed that, since Miller had met Zoe previously, she should take the lead in talking to him now.
There was no immediate response to the bell, and Annie was about to conclude that Miller was out, perhaps working elsewhere on the farm. Then she saw a curtain in a window to the right of the front door flick back as someone peered out at them. A few moments later, they heard the sound of bolts being drawn back and the front door was opened. Annie raised a quizzical eyebrow to Zoe, who nodded.
Tom Miller peered out at them suspiciously. He was unshaven and looked as if he hadn’t slept. Annie thought that, even from some feet away, she could detect the smell of alcohol on his breath.
It clearly took him a second or two to place Zoe, then his gaze flicked between the two women in surprise. ‘I wasn’t expecting a return visit,’ he said. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I’m sorry to have to bother you again, Mr Miller. I just wondered if you could spare us a few minutes to answer a few more questions. This is my colleague, DI Delamere.’
Miller was silent for a moment, as if considering whether to refuse the request. ‘Yes, of course. Come in.’
He led them through into the living room. ‘Can I get you a tea or coffee? I could do with something.’
Annie nodded. ‘Thanks. Coffee for me. Just milk.’
‘Same for me. Thanks.’ Zoe lowered herself on to the sofa.
As Miller disappeared into the kitchen, Annie whispered, ‘He seems jittery.’
‘We had all the security stuff with the front door when we were here before. But that wasn’t surprising given what he’d just found. He didn’t
particularly strike me as the nervous type. But he looks awful today. As if he’s ill.’
‘Or hung-over.’ Annie fell silent as they heard Miller returning with a tray laden with mugs of coffee. He placed the tray carefully on the low table between them, then slumped down on to one of the armchairs. As he reached to pick up his own mug, Annie noticed his hands were trembling slightly.
‘What can I do for you?’ Miller asked.
‘It may seem a slightly odd question,’ Zoe said, ‘but we wondered if you could tell us about your connections with a company called Werneth Holdings.’
‘Werneth Holdings? Why?’
‘We’ve just come up against some references to them in connection with our enquiry, and we noticed that you were listed as a former director.’
Miller frowned. Annie could almost hear his mind working. ‘I don’t understand,’ he said after a moment. ‘What connection could Werneth Holdings have with your enquiry?’ He had the air of someone playing for time, Annie thought, perhaps trying to discover how much they knew.
‘I’m afraid we can’t go into any detail in respect of the enquiry, Mr Miller,’ Zoe said. ‘But we came across the company through another source and then noticed your past involvement.’
‘I still don’t see why it’s important.’
‘We’d be grateful if you could just humour us, Mr Miller,’ Annie said. ‘You’ll appreciate that in the course of an investigation we follow numerous lines of enquiry. Many of them lead nowhere but we still need to pursue them until we’re sure.’
Miller seemed to hesitate. ‘There’s not really much to tell. This goes back a few years. Werneth was set up by an acquaintance of mine. Entrepreneurial type. Much more than I am, anyway. Had his fingers in various pies. Property development. Couple of pubs. Various other bits and pieces I didn’t entirely understand. Which was part of the trouble, really. He gave me an opportunity to invest some money in the business. I had some cash available because he’d already bought a plot of land off me. My parents had obtained planning permission for residential building on it, but hadn’t done anything with it by the time my dad died, so it was worth a fair bit. I’d planned to invest the money back in the farm, but he persuaded me that I’d get a much better return if I invested some of the money back in his business. It seemed a decent punt given that farming isn’t exactly the most lucrative business at the moment. So I put the money in, took a shareholding, and in return he made me a director.’
Small Mercies Page 21