Geraldine shook her head. ‘I’m afraid you can’t see him just yet.’ She hesitated. ‘We need to find out what happened. The doctor should be with him now, and then we’ll have to examine the scene, and depending on what we find, there may be a case for further investigation. But we’ll keep you fully informed at every stage –’
‘I want to see him. He’s my husband. Where is he?’
‘Very well, but please try not to disturb him.’
‘Disturb him? What do you mean, disturb him? You just told me he’s dead.’
Geraldine hesitated. ‘Anne, I know this must be very difficult for you to hear, but we know your husband was recently the victim of several attacks, probably politically motivated. We have to explore the possibility that his death may not have been due to natural causes.’
Anne’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘You showed us an anonymous letter threatening his life. Have you given any thought to who might have sent it?’
Anne’s features twisted in dismay. ‘How should I know? I’d like to help but – where is he?’ she burst out. ‘I want to see him. I want to see David. Where is he?’
Geraldine stepped back and gestured to Anne to join her outside. There was no need to lead her down the drive. The medical examiner had completed her examination and the assessment team were conducting their preliminary review of the scene. Before anyone could confirm that the team suspected David might have been murdered, Geraldine saw that a common approach path had been established, and the area around the body was already cordoned off. A sergeant was on the phone, talking rapidly. Finishing his call, he walked over to Geraldine and brought her up to speed with what was happening. He told her there was nothing yet to suggest that David had died from anything other than natural causes. However, in view of the recent hate mail he had received, and the verbal and other threats to which he had been subjected, Eileen had insisted on scene of crime officers examining the site and a post mortem, before the body was released for burial.
In the few moments while Geraldine was listening to her colleague, she lost sight of Anne. Turning away from the constable, at first she thought Anne must have gone back inside the house, but then she caught sight of her, kneeling on the ground beside the body. Geraldine went over to her.
‘Anne,’ she said softly, ‘I’m sorry, but you need to come away from there.’
Weeping uncontrollably, Anne allowed Geraldine to help her up and accompany her back to the house where they sat down facing one another.
‘Would you like me to call someone?’ Geraldine asked.
Anne had stopped crying. Now she looked up, and stared around as though dazed. ‘Call someone?’ she repeated blankly. ‘Who should we call?’
‘Do you want someone to come and sit with you?’
Anne shook her head. ‘No, no, there’s no one I want to see. There was only David. He was everything to me. You don’t understand. How am I going to manage without him? He did everything for us, for me. He looked after me. He was my life, my whole life.’
‘Are you able to answer a few questions?’
Anne shook her head again. ‘I just want to be left alone. Please.’
‘Of course. Perhaps we can talk tomorrow.’
‘Talk? What is there to talk about?’ Anne stood up. ‘I need to make arrangements,’ she said, speaking very fast. ‘Where is he? What’s happening? We can’t just leave him lying out there. I need to call an undertaker. They’ll know what to do. You know about these things. Have you got the number of an undertaker? I want the best one in York. But will they even be open now? It’s –’ she glanced at her watch. ‘It’s the middle of the night! No one’s going to be open, are they? Or do they run a twenty-four-hour service? In any case, we need to bring him inside. We can’t leave him out there. Your people can carry him in, can’t they? But where should I put him?’
‘You don’t need to do anything just yet,’ Geraldine replied. ‘We’ll take care of everything for now. We won’t be bringing him in here. We need to take a look at him.’
‘Take a look at him? Take a look at him?’ Anne’s voice rose in a shriek. ‘What do you mean? I need to see he’s properly treated. I have to arrange a funeral, a decent send-off. I need to do that for him. I’m his wife. Oh God, how am I going to tell Jessica? With all that she’s going through.’ She began to cry.
Geraldine let her cry uninterrupted for a while and at last Anne quietened down.
‘I’ll send a constable to speak to Jessica first thing in the morning,’ Geraldine said. ‘We don’t need to wake her up, do we? Someone can go round there as soon as it’s light. You don’t need to tell her yourself, unless you want to.’
‘No, no,’ Anne replied. ‘I don’t – I can’t… not in the state she’s in. Oh God, this is all so awful. I can’t believe it’s happening.’ She turned to Geraldine with a wild glare. ‘You don’t really think someone did this to him, do you? How did he die? Tell me. I need to know.’
Geraldine shook her head. ‘I’m afraid we can’t say anything until the pathologist has examined him.’
‘You mean – does that mean you’re going to do an autopsy?’ Anne looked horrified. ‘No, please, you can’t. Please, don’t touch him. He’s dead. Leave him in peace. Let me bury him properly, as he is now. Please.’
Geraldine let out a faint sigh. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I know this is difficult for you, but we do need to establish what happened. The likelihood is he suffered a stroke or a coronary, but if there’s more to his death than natural causes, we have to find out.’
‘I don’t believe anyone killed him,’ Anne replied with sudden conviction in her voice. ‘Not David. You couldn’t be more wrong if that’s what you think. He wasn’t murdered, I know he wasn’t. I mean, he had political opponents, of course he did, everyone in politics does. But no one hated him, not like that, not in a personal way, and not enough to kill him. I know. I know. People like David don’t get murdered for their politics here in England. Not someone like David. Oh, I know he made out he was terribly important, but you mustn’t be taken in by that. It’s just not true. He was leader of the local council, for goodness sake. He wasn’t the president of some global corporation. Please, leave him be.’
‘I wish I could,’ Geraldine replied, ‘but the wheels are already in motion and in any case it’s not up to me. My senior officers have considered the situation carefully, and we can’t overlook what’s happened until we’re satisfied he wasn’t the victim of another attack, which turned out to be fatal. Whether accidentally as seems most likely, or deliberately, we need to be sure he wasn’t killed by his enemies.’
‘David didn’t have any enemies, not real enemies. Please, you have to leave him alone.’
‘I’m sorry. We’ll speak to your daughter first thing in the morning, and a family liaison officer will be here soon to keep you informed of what’s happening. And I’ll come and see you again tomorrow to see if there’s any other support you need.’
‘Please,’ Anne begged tearfully, ‘please don’t let them mutilate his body. Please, let me bury him intact.’
There was nothing Geraldine could say to comfort the distraught widow and she left soon afterwards, feeling wretched. Only when she climbed wearily back into her car did it strike her that she hadn’t thought about Ian once since receiving the call from the police station. There was nothing like death to take her mind off life.
18
The police station was buzzing with suppressed tension the following morning. Sipping a mug of strong coffee and picking at a plate of fried eggs on toast, Geraldine did her best to shake off her despondency. Her mood did not improve when she went to an early briefing Eileen had called and saw Ian across the room. He looked unshaven and Geraldine’s personal disappointment was immediately lost in concern for his wellbeing. She had always thought that his wife, Bev, was
self-centred. Geraldine’s opinion was not entirely unfounded, although coloured by jealousy. Bev was blonde and undeniably beautiful, with dainty elfin features that gave her a childlike appeal. Her looks contrasted with Geraldine’s strong striking features, short black hair and unfathomable dark eyes. Ian had been unable to devote himself to his wife to the exclusion of all else, and she had resented being married to a police officer dedicated to his work. Now Geraldine could only hope that he would not be cajoled into taking her back. Ian had admitted to Geraldine that he had never really loved his wife. He had been infatuated with her since they had met at school, but he had come to recognise that they had never developed a mature adult relationship. Even so, they had been together for a long time.
With a sigh, Geraldine turned her attention to what Eileen was saying.
‘SOCOs found vomit on his jacket and on the seat of his car. So it looks as though he was going out when he fell ill and collapsed. He was apparently attempting to return to the house. His wife said he was going out to the car wash and didn’t return home, but it looks like he never got there, and probably didn’t even leave the drive.’
‘Why didn’t he phone her to come and help him if he was ill?’ a constable asked. ‘Or call an ambulance?’
‘His phone was found in his car.’
‘That was unlucky,’ someone said.
‘Perhaps,’ Eileen replied. ‘But let’s not start jumping to conclusions before we even know what he died of. There could be an innocent explanation, but the body has gone for a post mortem. We’ll discuss this again when we have more information. And now, what about Jason Colman?’
Ariadne shook her head. ‘We’ve been following up every possible lead and there’s still no sign of him anywhere, and we haven’t come across any mention of a stag party being held the weekend he disappeared. All of the friends we know he was in contact with have now been traced and questioned and no one has any idea where he is. There’s no sign of him on any CCTV at the airport or at any mainline station. It would be impossible to travel on public transport with a baby without leaving any trace at all, so we don’t think he can have gone anywhere by train or bus. No taxi firm has any record of a pick-up from his house or anywhere nearby, and no driver has recognised his photo as a recent fare, and his car has not been moved. If it had, we would have a sighting,’ she added, as though she was worried her team might be accused of failing to spot him. ‘We’ll widen the net, but so far there’s been no trace of him. It’s like he just disappeared.’
‘Along with the baby,’ a constable muttered.
‘Sooner or later we’ll find them,’ Eileen said. ‘Now let’s get going.’
Geraldine drove Ian to the morgue. He didn’t look at her as they set off and she hesitated, wondering whether to speak to him. After they had grown so close, it felt strange to be uncomfortable in his company, uncertain what to say to him.
At length she broached the topic that had been uppermost in her mind since Ian’s wife had returned. ‘How’s Bev?’
‘She’s tired,’ he replied tersely.
‘Is the baby sleeping through the night yet?’
‘He’s only three months old.’
Geraldine noticed his voice soften slightly when he spoke about the baby, and something seemed to tighten in her stomach. She took a deep breath.
‘I’ll take that as a “no” then.’ She paused before posing the question she really wanted to ask. ‘Have you had a paternity test?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Why not?’
‘Bev doesn’t want me to.’
Geraldine spoke sternly. ‘Ian, it’s not her decision. If she wants you to support her and the baby, you have a right to know if he’s yours or not.’
He muttered that it was none of her business.
‘So you think you can just breeze into my life, move into my flat, and then simply bugger off again whenever you fancy, without even bothering to establish whether there’s even a reason, just because that’s what Bev wants? What about what I want? Have you stopped to think about –’
‘Please, Geraldine,’ he stopped her, in an anguished tone, ‘I didn’t ask her to come back.’
‘Nor did I,’ she retorted angrily.
Geraldine did feel sorry for Ian, but he wasn’t the only person whose happiness had been snatched away by Bev’s unexpected return, waltzing back into his life as though she still had a claim on him.
‘She walked out on you, Ian,’ she reminded him. ‘She went to live with another man and told you the baby was his.’
‘I know what she did.’
After everything that had happened, Ian was back with Bev and her baby, while Geraldine was left on her own. Somehow Geraldine was being punished, although Bev was the one who had behaved badly. She drove the rest of the way in silent fury.
When they arrived at the morgue April, the blonde assistant, opened the door for them.
‘Ian,’ she smiled a welcome. ‘We haven’t seen you for a while.’ She paused, seeming to register his strained expression, and reached out to put a hand on his arm. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘Everything’s fine,’ Geraldine replied shortly, when he didn’t answer. ‘We’re here to see David Armstrong.’
She had never before objected to April’s flirting with Ian, but now it irritated her, forced as she was to conceal her own feelings.
‘Yes, yes, I know,’ Avril replied, looking slightly put out. ‘You know the way. Jonah’s expecting you.’
The pathologist, Jonah Hetherington, raised a bloody glove in greeting and grinned.
‘Two of you,’ he said, smiling at Ian and giving him a mock bow. ‘To what do I owe this honour, Detective Inspector? It must be the VIP status of our visitor here.’
He nodded at the body lying on the table.
‘Do you know the cause of death yet?’ Geraldine asked, returning Jonah’s smile.
‘He was knocked out by a combination of alcohol and pills,’ Jonah replied cheerfully, as though he was commenting on the recent good weather.
‘He was drugged? Are you sure?’ Ian asked, sounding surprised.
Jonah raised his eyebrows. ‘I wouldn’t make such a bold statement without evidence.’
‘So what’s the exact cause of death?’ Ian asked.
‘He appears to have lost consciousness and choked on his own vomit.’
Geraldine stared glumly at the corpse lying on the table like a pale walrus. The dead man’s face looked composed, as though he might open his eyes at any moment and begin to bully them all.
‘Come on, Sergeant,’ she imagined him saying. ‘Can’t you see I’m dead? And what are you doing about it? I want a full report on my cause of death by tomorrow, or I’ll be speaking to your senior officers about your lackadaisical attitude. Don’t you know who I am by now?’
‘But that’s not the whole story,’ Jonah continued. ‘The actual cause of death was not as innocent as him choking on his own vomit, unpleasant though that would undoubtedly have been. Someone wanted to make sure.’ He pointed at discolouration around the dead man’s mouth and nose. ‘Something was pressed down hard over his face to prevent him breathing. He was suffocated, although he would most likely have died anyway without medical assistance.’ He shrugged. ‘Whoever killed him might as well have left him alone. The chances of his wife coming out and finding him in time to save him were slim.’
‘Perhaps she did come out and find him,’ Geraldine said quietly.
‘Can you identify the pills he was given?’ Ian asked.
Jonah nodded. ‘It’s a common drug, cetirizine. It can be bought as an over the counter medication usually taken for allergy relief, and one of the side effects is drowsiness. He evidently ingested more than the advised dose, resulting in confusion, drowsiness, and possibly difficulty breathing.’
Geraldine thanked hi
m and Jonah smiled at her. ‘Any time. It’s always a pleasure to see you.’
Geraldine thanked him again as she said goodbye, but Ian merely grunted as he turned to leave.
‘The inspector’s in a good mood,’ Jonah hissed in a stage whisper.
Geraldine nodded but she didn’t answer. Taking the hint, Jonah didn’t pursue the topic.
‘See you again,’ he said, ‘but not here too soon, I hope. Ian, I keep telling her it would be nice to meet under other circumstances.’ He turned back to Geraldine. ‘We really have to stop meeting like this.’
‘Come on, Ian.’ Geraldine smiled at Jonah. ‘We’ve got to go. Places to visit, people to question and all that.’
19
Struggling to get the buggy down the steps outside her house, Ella cursed as the back wheels caught on the edge of a step, nearly tipping the whole damn thing over. A woman who was passing stopped and called out to her.
‘You’ve got your hands full. Do you need any help?’
Ella ignored her. She had deliberately chosen to go out just after sunset when she thought there wouldn’t be many people about and she was less likely to be observed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the woman glare at her before turning to walk up the steps of the house next door.
‘You can mind your own fucking business,’ Ella muttered.
Reaching to open her door, the woman paused and turned. ‘What’s that? Did you say something?’
‘If I did, I wasn’t talking to you,’ Ella replied without looking round.
The pushchair safely through the gate, she hurried down the road, wheels bumping over the uneven pavement. Several of the street lights were not working but she didn’t mind that. It was easier to avoid attracting attention in the dark. The last thing she wanted right now was nosy neighbours prying into her affairs. As she was passing across the badly lit space between two working street lamps, she heard footsteps behind her and involuntarily quickened her pace and, as she did so, the footsteps speeded up too as though someone wanted to keep pace with her. Without slowing down, Ella glanced over her shoulder but she couldn’t see anyone behind her. Whoever had been walking behind her must have disappeared into a house.
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