by Joy Ellis
Jackman agreed. ‘Mr Pitt, would you recognise him again?’
‘Absolutely. I saw his face quite clearly.’
Jackman gave him a satisfied smile. ‘Then if you are up to it, we’ll get you to come back in and work with our IT experts to make up a composite likeness.’
‘I’ll go home and have a rest and take my midday medication, so maybe later this afternoon?’
Marie looked at him. ‘Only if you are well enough, sir.’
‘The word “well” doesn’t feature too often in my vocabulary right now. I have good days, like today, and not so good. I never know what it’s going to be, so the sooner I do this the better, if you see what I mean?’
Marie nodded. She understood exactly what he meant.
* * *
Marie returned to the CID office and rang around to see if there were any further developments regarding Leah’s persistent admirer.
One of the officers on observation rang her back. ‘He’s gone to ground, I reckon, Sarge. No more silly games or sightings.’
‘I’m beginning to think the police presence has scared him off.’
‘Let’s hope so, cause I’m bored rigid. There are only so many Mars bars you can eat in one shift.’
Marie thanked him and leafed through her list of people that had been interviewed. None of them seemed suspicious or obsessive. Maybe Carter was right after all. Marie closed the folder and nibbled on her bottom lip. Carter was being unusually blasé. Normally he was very cautious in his approach to a case.
Marie’s phone rang.
‘I’m not sure how much longer I can keep my niece under lock and key, Sergeant.’ The super sounded fraught. ‘She has decided that the whole thing has been blown up out of all proportion. She thinks she probably just overreacted to someone’s ham-fisted attempt to get her attention.’
‘And what do you think, ma’am?’
‘She’s the closest thing I have to a daughter, so give it a guess.’ Ruth Crooke gave an irritable sigh. ‘But even I’m wondering if we see so much bad stuff in our job that we always think the worst, especially when something threatens our nearest and dearest.’
‘And I think that because of all the bad stuff, we can’t afford to take risks.’
‘True. Any suggestions, Sergeant? If I have to play one more game of Monopoly, I think I’ll lose the will to live.’
‘What does Leah want to do?’
‘Go back to Uni. Or at least go back to her flat and sort some things out there.’
‘Why don’t I come over and pick her up? I’ll accompany her wherever she wants to go and then bring her home later. I’ll let uniform know exactly where we’re going to be. At least it would give her a break, and you too, ma’am.’
‘Where’s Carter?’
‘He’s in his office, ma’am. He can watch out for anything that comes in here and keep me updated.’
‘I suppose you’re right.’ Ruth drew in a breath. ‘I hope I don’t regret this.’
‘Her admirer is hardly likely to try anything with me on her heels, is he?’
‘Look after her, Marie.’
‘Of course I will, ma’am.’
She hung up and went to find Carter.
‘Best thing. The kid will go stir crazy shut in with her aunt all day.’ He gave her an evil grin. ‘I know I would.’
‘Why are you so laid back about this, Carter?’’
He shrugged. ‘Just don’t have your gut feeling that something is seriously wrong, I guess.’
‘Well, for once I hope you are right.’ She turned to leave. ‘I’ll keep in touch.’
She went back out to the main office and found Jackman talking to Gary Pritchard. ‘I’m off to do a spot of babysitting, or should I say, police protection duty.’ She told him about the super’s dilemma.
‘Okay. Just keep your eyes peeled, and don’t let her out of your sight.’
She threw Jackman a withering look. ‘I have done this before, you know.’
He laughed. ‘I know. It’s just that she’s a relative of a high-ranking officer, and a rather prickly one at that, so it would be prudent to be doubly cautious.’
‘Wilco.’
* * *
Robbie Melton was deep in conversation with Max.
‘So, considering all the people you’ve spoken to about Suzanne Holland, what would you say was their overall attitude to her?’
Max didn’t even stop to think. ‘Wary, mate. Dead wary.’
‘Me too. I know my “interview” with her first husband was somewhat unorthodox and totally off the record, but he seemed to be consumed with hatred for her. He said she hurt people, and he meant it.’ He chewed on the end of his pen. ‘I think what he actually meant was that she destroyed people.’
‘I saw a film about a woman like that once. All sweetness and light on the surface but really a cunning, evil bitch. Do you mean that kind of woman?’
‘Well, it was her who seduced him to begin with. Then she married him, took him to the cleaners, and then accused him of robbing her. So I guess the answer is yes.’
‘Was she going to do the same to the next husband, Tom Holland?’
Robbie scratched his neck with the pen. ‘If that was her plan, she hadn’t got the ball rolling yet. The pictures of them together show a happy couple.’
‘Perhaps Tom Holland was her one true love, and she turned over a new leaf when she met him?’
‘You know what they say about leopards and spots.’ He frowned. ‘And if they were so blissfully happy, why is no one telling us that?’
‘Search me. And where the hell is this half-brother that your pissed-up travel rep told you about? I’ve been trying to track a Ralph Dolan all morning, but I’m damned if I can find him.’
‘How are you spelling it?’
‘D-O-L-A-N. As you’ve written it.’ Max pointed to the memo Robbie had given him. ‘And I tried it with a E, and with two L’s as well.’
‘It’s an Irish name, I’m sure.’ Robbie remembered an old school friend. No one could spell his name correctly because it was pronounced so differently. ‘Let’s Google it.’ He clicked the mouse and pulled up variations of Dolan. ‘Here we are. I’ve got a few more suggestions for you to try. There’s Doland, Dooley, Dowling, Doolin, Doolan, O’Dooley and a whole load more.’
Max pulled a face. ‘Thanks a bunch.’
‘Sorry, but it might help to check the sex offenders register too. Harvey swore he was weird and he didn’t trust him any further than he could throw him.’ He stood up. ‘I’m going to get my head stuck into Suzanne and Tom’s financial history. If she was squirrelling away money from their accounts, maybe she did have a master plan for her beloved husband.’
‘But a bloody great storm got him first.’
Robbie couldn’t think of an answer.
* * *
Alan Pitt returned looking much more rested. Jackman hoped the treatment was working.
The worst thing about what they were about to do was that it involved Orac, and Jackman had foolishly let Marie go out with Leah. Marie was always there to act as a buffer between himself and the scary IT manager. Today he had to face her alone.
The truth was, he found her fascinating, but had no idea what to say to her.
Orla Cracken, Marie had assured him, was not the intimidating cyborg that he believed her to be. Her appearance told him otherwise.
Orac had white-blonde hair, cut in a GI Mohican style, and she wore mirror contact lenses. They glinted at him like polished steel. That alone was enough to make Jackman delegate anything IT to one of the others. The other thing was that Orac took great delight in paying him an inordinate amount of attention, which made him ten times more uncomfortable.
For Alan Pitt’s sake, Jackman took the lift down to the basement, where the IT unit was housed. He paused in the doorway, took a deep breath and entered.
‘DI Jackman! You came in person. I’m honoured.’ Orac sat in front of a bank of computer screens and flashed
those disconcerting eyes at him. ‘Please, do come in.’
Jackman swallowed and tried not to stare. How did she do it? Already he seemed to have lost the ability to speak coherently. And where did that stammer come from?
‘And you must be our witness.’ She held out a hand to Alan Pitt. ‘Mr Pitt, I’m Orla, but my friends here all call me Orac.’
Alan Pitt smiled. ‘Blake’s Seven, wasn’t it?’
‘I’m just as valuable as that supercomputer. I’m probably also just as terse, short tempered and unhelpful.’
She gave Jackman a disparaging look. He swallowed.
‘Please take a seat, Mr Pitt, and we’ll begin. It’s a simple process, and the computer does most of the work.’
‘I wondered if this might help.’ Alan passed her a head shot photo of a fair-haired man of around forty. ‘It’s my cousin. The man I saw has so many of the same features that I thought we could work from that.’
‘Clever idea, Mr Pitt.’ Orac took the picture, scanned it, and brought up the image in the identification program. ‘Now, talk to me about your man.’
It took only ten minutes to arrive at an image that Alan Pitt declared to be “as near as damn it.” Jackman stared at a serious-looking man wearing glasses with fashionable dark hipster frames. His long, ash-blond hair was tied back in a full ponytail. He looked vaguely like a footballer.
‘And that is all I can tell you, I’m afraid.’ Alan seemed quite sad that his session with the enigmatic Orac was coming to an end.
‘You’ve helped us a lot, Mr Pitt. It’s the first time we have had something to go on.’ Jackman was already inching towards the door. ‘Uh, and thank you, Orac. Much appreciated.’
‘Anytime, Detective Inspector. Anytime. It’s my pleasure.’
Jackman almost ran to the door.
‘Wow! She’s quite something, isn’t she?’ Alan Pitt shook his head in wonder. ‘Are those eyes for real?’
‘I’m told she is blind in one eye. She hides it with those weird lenses.’
‘She likes you, doesn’t she?’
Jackman coughed loudly and muttered something like “utter nonsense.”
Alan Pitt grinned, but wisely dropped the subject. ‘Do you think those men were involved in that woman’s disappearance, DI Jackman?’
‘Possibly. The timing fits perfectly.’
‘How will you use the EFIT picture?’
‘We’ll circulate it to all forces, get it into the local and national newspapers, and on the TV too.’
Alan Pitt exhaled. ‘I hope I’ve got it right then. I’d hate for someone to be wrongly accused because I didn’t give a good description. It was a long time ago.’
‘I think your description was excellent, sir, and we are very grateful to you.’ He stopped. ‘By the way, if you ever see that man again, maybe close to your home, please contact us immediately.’
‘Of course, but I hope that doesn’t mean you think he’s dangerous?’
‘No, I was thinking more that he might be local. If you saw him once, there’s a possibility you could see him again. He could be completely innocent, in which case we need to talk to him and eliminate him from our enquiries.’
Alan Pitt nodded. He seemed to be fighting for breath.
‘Are you alright?’
‘Get a bit breathless. I’ll be fine in a minute.’
Jackman thought Pitt looked far from fine. He waited with him, and walked him slowly out of the station. ‘Take care, sir, and thanks again.’
‘Will you let me know if you find him?’
‘We might need you to identify him, if that’s okay with you?’
Pitt nodded. Then he said, ‘Just don’t leave it too long, if you catch my drift?’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Carter looked up from his desk. Through his half open door, he watched Marie stride into the CID room. He had known her for many years, but she still made him look twice. She was one of the most striking people he had ever seen. Tall and strong, with beautiful chestnut hair and an air of absolute confidence. She lived as she rode that damn great motorbike — assured and controlled, but with a dash of daring.
But not now. He watched her talk to Robbie. Her usual energy just wasn’t there. She wasn’t lethargic, she just lacked her spark.
She looked up and gave him a brief wave.
He lifted a hand in acknowledgement. After a while she came into his office.
‘Safely home, and in a much better frame of mind.’ She flopped into the only other chair. ‘She’s a nice kid. I like her.’
‘Nothing like Ruth Crooke, thank heavens. So, no more funny goings-on in the flower beds?’
‘Nothing so far.’
‘Good.’
‘What are you working on?’
Carter pushed a pile of paperwork across the desk. ‘Oh, it’s still the Cannon case. But we are getting there. I’ll soon be looking for something else to occupy my time. I can’t see this taking more than a day to wrap up.’ And knowing that he would be moved to another case set him wondering whether Laura would visit Jackman in person, or ring him. Whatever, he hoped it would be soon.
Before he could continue, his desk phone rang.
‘She’s gone! McLean! Leah has been snatched!’
‘Ma’am?’ Carter pressed the loudspeaker button so Marie could hear the conversation.
‘Slow down! Marie delivered her back safely just now, and uniform are still on obo outside. Are you sure she’s actually been taken?’
‘I’m not bloody stupid, Detective! I’ve just got in. The French window has been forced, and there’s a broken mug on the floor of the conservatory. There are signs of a struggle, and Leah is gone. Get yourself over here, now!’
Carter stared at Marie. This could not be happening!
Together they ran from his office. Marie hurried off to find Jackman, and Carter raced to the staff car park.
By the time he had brought the car round, Marie was waiting for him.
‘This is all wrong!’ he stammered. ‘I don’t understand.’
Marie stared at him. ‘Hell, Carter, she’s had a stalker breathing down her neck for days! We knew this might happen. Why so shocked?’
He drew in air between his teeth. He couldn’t answer her.
‘Because you got it wrong? So what? We all get it wrong sometimes. Just calm down.’
Carter’s mind was racing. He needed to get to the super’s place and see for himself.
* * *
Ruth Crooke’s house was a modest four-bedroom property. No two houses in her road were the same, but they all had long back gardens and a rear entrance out onto a narrow leafy pathway that led to a children’s recreation park.
Uniform were already there. Ruth Crooke had radioed in as soon as she realised what had happened.
‘We spoke to Leah about five minutes prior to the super turning up,’ said a breathless PC Connor Waite. ‘And we’d done a walk round of the gardens a few minutes before that. He must have been watching from somewhere, but heaven knows where.’ He looked around and shook his head. ‘We haven’t relaxed for a minute. I just don’t get it.’
‘And you never heard anything?’ Marie asked.
‘Nothing, skip.’
Marie grimaced, and turned to Carter. ‘Time to go face the music.’
* * *
The superintendent was incandescent. She began by declaring that she had made a serious error of judgement in asking Carter McLean to find the pervert who was threatening her niece.
Marie watched Carter, ready to jump in if the old animosity boiled over again. But Carter just seemed bemused.
After a while, he simply said, ‘I’ll get her back, Ruth. I swear to God, I’ll get her back.’
The super stared at him. She didn’t seem to know how to react to this. She left them and went back out to the uniformed officers in the garden.
Marie took Carter’s arm and gave it a shake. ‘Talk to me, Carter.’
He looked at her long an
d hard, apparently incapable of uttering a word.
Marie followed him out of the hall, through the lounge and towards the conservatory.
A young WPC stood at the door, blocking their entrance.
‘We’ve left the scene uncontaminated, Sarge. No one in, no one out. SOCOs are on their way.’
Marie gazed around the bright, airy room where she and Leah had so recently been chatting. She glanced at her watch. Was it only an hour ago? ‘He’s never stopped watching this house. He was just waiting for us to let our guard down. He knows an awful lot about our routines, doesn’t he?’
‘How did he force the doors without alerting Leah to the threat?’ Carter seemed to be slowly returning to earth from wherever he’d been for the last half hour.
They walked around the house, looking for something to help them. Then Marie saw Leah’s mobile phone plugged into a charger on one of the kitchen units. ‘Just as I left her she said she needed to charge her phone.’ She peered at the battery icon. ‘Not fully charged. And there’s music playing in here. If he was quick and quiet, there’s a good chance she came to plug this in, and never heard him at all.’ She exhaled loudly then clenched her fists. ‘That poor kid! I really let her down.’
‘No! You haven’t! I let her down, not you,’ Carter shouted. ‘But I’ll get her, by God. I’ll get her back by nightfall.’
Marie stepped back, shocked.
‘I’m taking the car. Get uniform to run you back, or ring Max or Charlie.’
‘Where are you going?’ Marie was beginning to be afraid.
‘I’m not sure, but I think I know someone who might just point me in the right direction.’ He swallowed, then gripped her arm. ‘Trust me, Marie. I’m going to sort this.’
Marie made to follow him, then stopped. Whatever he was going to do, he clearly didn’t want her along. For a moment she had no idea what to do. Then she pulled out her phone and called Jackman.
* * *
‘I’ve never seen him like this,’ Marie told Jackman.
Jackman knew Marie very well. He’d seen her in a dozen different frames of mind, but he’d never seen her as confused as she was now.
They were sitting in his car, waiting for the forensic team to arrive, and Marie told him of Carter’s strange reaction to Leah’s abduction.