by Joy Ellis
CHAPTER NINE
Jackman had driven to Rainham Lodge to see the boys off. It was their first day back at school, and he felt sick with anxiety about what they might be facing there. But then kids could surprise you. Whatever, he felt that he should be there to add his support and let them know that their uncle was around for them.
A smiling Ella loaded them into the car, checked that they had everything they needed and waving through the open window, sailed off down the drive.
‘One small step,’ he murmured to his hollow-eyed brother.
There was no answer. James seemed almost locked-in, which wasn’t what Jackman needed right now.
‘Ella has left us croissants and coffee, so come on, brother, you need to eat.’ Jackman took his arm and gently propelled him towards the door.
In the kitchen, James sat at the table and stared blankly across the room.
Jackman heated the croissants, poured the coffee and placed the two plates and mugs on the table. ‘No arguments, James. Eat!’
James reached for the marmalade and placed a small helping beside the pastry, then picked up the glass jar and stared at it. ‘Sarah made a load of this for the local church to sell at a Macmillan charity morning.’
His voice was toneless, and Jackman wondered what on earth the doctor had prescribed. ‘I know. Ryan sold me two jars, and I probably only eat one a year!’
James didn’t reply. He didn’t touch his food. ‘This can’t be happening. What did I do that was so wrong?’
Jackman put his coffee cup down. ‘You did nothing wrong, James, so don’t go there. None of it is your fault.’
‘Then why does it feel like it is? I feel like I’m paying for some terrible sin.’
Jackman took a breath. This could be the way in. ‘James? There is something I need to tell you, and I’m going to need your help.’ He didn’t wait for a reply. ‘I believe that what happened to Sarah stemmed from an incident in her past. You have to tell me all you know about it, the thing she didn’t talk about.’
For the first time, Jackman saw a glimmer of interest in his brother’s eyes. He sensed that he had thrown James a lifeline, one that meant he wasn’t to blame after all.
‘I would, but I don’t know myself.’
Jackman stared at him. ‘What? You never asked?’
James picked a corner off his croissant and nibbled at it. ‘Quite early in our relationship, Sarah told me that something had happened to her. She was involved in something that affected her so badly that she couldn’t talk about it. She said that maybe one day she’d explain, but it might be that she’d never be able to do so. It was my choice as to whether or not we went forward or called it a day.’
‘And you chose to stick with her?’
‘I loved her, Ro. I still do. It seemed a small thing to ask, and it wasn’t the past that I was interested in, it was our future together.’
‘Weren’t you curious?’
James sipped his coffee. ‘A little, I guess. But I’d promised not to ask, and that was that. We moved on, everything was perfect, or so I thought.’
‘Sarah had a secret side to her, James. I believe someone decided to remind her of it, and it was all too much for her.’ Jackman made another pot of coffee.
‘But what on earth could she have been mixed up in? She was such a sweet girl and the best wife and mother ever.’
Jackman didn’t want to guess. He’d seen cases that would shock the life out of his brother. He knew how devious and destructive people could be. ‘Can you tell me anything at all about her? Or her family?’
James was reverently spreading Sarah’s marmalade onto his croissant. ‘Like what?’
‘Her parents? Siblings? Where she came from? Anything, really.’ Jackman was already feeling frustrated at having to wring every bit of information from his brother.
‘It’s all a bit of a grey area really. I don’t think she had any siblings, and her parents — well, I’ve never actually met them. You know yourself that they never even came to the wedding.’ James sounded apologetic and slightly embarrassed. ‘I think they moved abroad somewhere, although I’m not certain. They could be dead for all I know.’
A feeling of despondency crept over Jackman. How could he never have noticed that his own sister-in-law had no past? He tried to remember conversations they had had, but all he could recall was talk of the children and holidays. Days out. And work, of course. She did talk about her job, but had he really listened? She had been some kind of area manager for a company that supplied art and craft materials for primary schools, hence her travels around the county. She cut her hours when she had the children and finished up job sharing with another woman who also wanted a shorter working week. He wondered if the woman was a friend as well as a work colleague.
‘She did talk to Ella a lot.’ James suddenly seemed to wake up. ‘Especially when she was suffering from postnatal depression after Miles’ birth. Ella was the only person she could tolerate around her, and I think she might have opened up to her more than she did me.’
‘Then as soon as she’s back from the school, I’ll talk to her.’ He poured his brother another coffee. ‘Are there any personal papers or photographs belonging to her anywhere?’
James frowned. ‘No. Strangely she never brought a single photo with her when we married and settled down here. That was odd, now I think about it, because she was always taking pictures of the kids, and me, and the dog and the garden and days out. She has boxes full of pictures and a massive file on the computer, but they all relate to our time here at Rainham Lodge.’
Jackman wondered what on earth had happened to make Sarah blank out her entire existence prior to meeting James. ‘Whatever happened had to be pretty serious, didn’t it?’
James nodded slowly and continued to tear small pieces from his croissant.
‘Look, I know this is the worst time for you, but I want you to try to think of anything that could help me find out what happened.’ He looked intently at his brother. ‘If I’m right, someone coerced Sarah into killing herself. Do you understand that, James? And I have to find out who that person was.’
James stopped chewing and stared back. ‘So it was nothing to do with us, with our life together?’
‘Help me out here, bro! Forget the guilt. There’s a very dangerous person out there, and I need your help badly.’
‘Okay, I’ll do my best, I promise.’
‘This is for Ryan and Miles as well, you know. They need to grow up knowing the truth about their mum, not what the papers and the media are going to make of it.’
James nodded slowly. ‘You’re right.’
‘Think, James. Was there any subject she shied away from? Any topic of conversation that she avoided? Something she couldn’t bear to watch on TV?’
James’s brow knotted in concentration. Then he said, ‘Funnily enough, there was only one time when she really looked scared, like wide-eyed fearful. And that was when I told her that my little brother, Rowan, was a policeman.’
Jackman tilted his head to one side. ‘Why?’
‘Oh, she covered it up. She said she was simply surprised, considering that both Father and I are in finance, but I knew her shock was genuine. She was frightened at the thought, I know it.’
So, whatever happened all those years ago probably involved the police. ‘Thank you, James. That’s something that I can follow up.’ Jackman’s mind started to race. She might be on their files or on the PNC. But as a victim, or a perpetrator of a crime?
* * *
Gary Pritchard and PC Kevin Stoner peered around the crowded tables of the drop-in centre. They were looking for one face in particular.
‘She comes here most weekdays, for a hot drink and a sandwich.’ Kevin went up to the serving hatch and smiled at the volunteer standing behind it. ‘Ron? Has Carrie been in today?’
Ron, big, beefy and wearing a Leicester Tigers rugby shirt, shook his head. ‘Not yet, mate. She’s been getting later and later. Recko
n it’s the arthritis catching up with her.’
Or the meths, thought Gary. He knew Carrie of old. She had been on the streets for as long as he could remember. She was a sad case, but weren’t they all? Recently both he and Kevin had noticed a decline in the old lady. Once lippy, sarcastic and argumentative, she was now almost taciturn. Even so, if you wanted to know anything about street people, Carrie was the one to ask. Whether she told you or not was another matter, but she missed nothing, and she had taken a shine to the polite, good-looking PC Kev, as she called him.
‘Speak of angels.’ Gary pointed to the entrance. Cassie, dressed in more layers of ragged clothing than he would have thought possible to get on, was fighting to get her battered trolley through the doorway.
Kevin hurried over and helped her, only to receive a short tirade about her not being helpless yet and if she wanted help, she’d ask for it. Kevin grinned at Gary, took a tenner from his wallet and went back to the counter. He handed it to Ron. ‘Give her whatever she wants, plus the change.’
‘I’m assuming you two want something?’ said Cassie, looking at Gary. ‘And not being stupid, I’m guessing it’s about the riverside death.’
Gary noted that she didn’t say suicide or murder, just death. ‘We’d appreciate your help, Cassie, if you wouldn’t mind?’
‘Do I have any choice?’ she muttered.
‘There’s a free breakfast in it, and maybe a few quid for yourself.’
She sat down heavily. ‘Okay, fire away!’
Kevin leaned forward. ‘We need anything you can tell us about the man who died.’
‘Food first.’
Kevin jumped up and went to the counter, ‘Give her the works and plenty of tea.’ He returned to the table. ‘Ron’s bringing it over for you.’
Cassie rearranged some of her layers of clothing and sat back, like some elderly dowager duchess giving court. ‘We’ve seen him around all week, but he wasn’t used to the streets, you know? He was scared, very scared.’
‘Surely, if you were new to this sort of life, it would be very frightening?’ asked Kevin.
‘Not like he was, me duck. We tried to talk to him, but he was having none of it. And we saw him with a man a couple of times, and he were a stranger too, and none of us liked the look of him. Very odd, he was.’
‘How do you mean, odd?’ asked Gary, ‘In what way?’
‘Well dressed, but kind of dark, like a funeral. In his forties, I’d guess. Face like an undertaker. But it were his eyes that got you. Staring eyes, like he was on something, only you knew he wasn’t. And I could be wrong, but I’m sure he was the reason for the dead man to be so frightened.’
‘Have you seen the other man since?’
‘Nor sight nor sound. He’s gone.’
Gary glanced at Kevin and raised an eyebrow. ‘Would you recognise him again, Cassie?’
‘I’ll see him in my dreams, duck.’ She shivered. ‘Oh yes. Once seen, never forgotten, that one. And if I sees him again, I’ll be straight down that cop shop of yours and you can lock him up.’
‘Why would we want to lock him up?’ said Kevin.
‘Because pound to a penny, he’s responsible for that poor man dying.’
At that point Ron arrived with a plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes and hash browns, and a big mug of tea. ‘Courtesy of these gentlemen, Cass, and here’s the change for you.’
‘I should think so too,’ she grumbled.
But Gary noticed a twinkle in her rheumy eyes, and she didn’t hesitate to dig in. ‘So the man who died, he didn’t speak to any of you?’
‘Not one of us.’ She showered her dinner in salt and pepper and lavish quantities of tomato ketchup. ‘Tell you something though, the fear that came with him, it’s still out there, in the alleyways and the town lanes, especially after dark. None of us slept well last night.’
‘Death does leave a shadow sometimes.’
Gary looked sharply at Kevin, surprised at the depth of feeling in the young man’s words.
Cassie stopped chewing and looked at him shrewdly. ‘Nicely said, PC Kev. You’re a bit of a philosopher on the quiet, aren’t you?’
Kevin shrugged. Privately, Gary agreed with Cassie. The young officer had been right. Death did leave a shadow over a place.
Gary took a five pound note from his pocket and passed it to her. ‘If you see that man again, come and find us, and if you are worried about anything at all, we’ll help if we can.’
Outside, Gary looked at Kevin, ‘She saw a murderer, didn’t she? And she knows it.’
Kevin Stoner nodded gravely. ‘Let’s just hope he doesn’t know it too.’
* * *
Marie waited impatiently for the morning meeting to finish, so she could take a look at the CCTV footage of Sarah on the bank of the Thames.
She opened up the program on her computer and stared at the screen. She watched it through twice, and then, frame by frame, paused it. The second time she looked at one of these shots she froze it, then printed it off.
She was still staring at it when she noticed Robbie Melton looking over her shoulder. She looked up at him. ‘Rob? Look at the CCTV clip, will you? And then slow it down, and tell me if you see anything strange on it.’
She stood up and let Robbie sit in front of the monitor.
A few moments later, he paused the footage on exactly the same frame as Marie. ‘I’m not sure that she’s alone, Sarge. I’m sure there is someone behind her. I’d place a bet on it. You can’t see them, but,’ he stabbed his finger on the printout, ‘well, she looks like she’s glancing back at someone. You can tell by her anguished expression.’ He bit on his lip and stared harder at the still. ‘I suppose she could just be looking around, in case someone saw her. I should think the last thing you would want was someone calling it in and the River Patrol dragging you out before you’d finished the job. But my money’s on the first option.’
‘Exactly. It would never in a month of Sundays get past the CPS as evidence, but I’m damn sure we’re right.’
Robbie grunted. ‘This won’t help anything, except to indicate that there was foul play.’ He stood up so she could sit down again. ‘Are you convinced that there’s something sinister going on here, Sarge? Or are we reading too much into a fearful backward glance and the fact that the victim is our boss’s sister-in-law?’
Marie shook her head. ‘No, Robbie, the whole thing cries out that there’s a crime going on here. Not a straightforward one, but I think when we find out more, we’ll dig up something very nasty.’
‘And if it was coercion or some dark kind of assisted suicide, then we’re forced to consider a link with our vagrant.’
Marie nodded. ‘Any luck with identifying him yet?’
‘Charlie and Max are chasing up missing persons, and Rosie is working on a digitally enhanced image of the man showing him clean-shaven and tidy. Someone should recognise him.’
‘Gary and Kevin are talking to one or two faces they know on the streets, and I’m going to ask them to trawl around the local charity shops, the Salvation Army and anywhere he might have picked up his “street” clothes. Forensics say they are all second-hand garments, but not overly worn.’
‘Why would a man who obviously has money and takes care of his appearance, suddenly morph into a tramp? It doesn’t make sense.’
‘Gary’s just rung me with the news that he was seen with another man, well-dressed and with piercing eyes. Our wannabe vagrant was apparently terrified of him.’
Robbie groaned. ‘More puzzles! Give me a straightforward bloody murder any day.’
Marie laughed. ‘Can you wait until Jackman gets back before you wish one of those on us? We’re busy enough as it is.’
* * *
After telling Jackman how the boys got on, Ella made some tea and they sat and talked for a while. She listened to Jackman’s questions, but said she couldn’t be of any help.
‘We talked so much, but in retrospect none of it was about her pas
t. She did tell me that there had been an incident when she was younger that was difficult for her to talk about. She said that she’d even had to ask James never to ask her about it. So I let it go. You don’t want to hurt people, do you?’
‘But you would’ve liked to know, wouldn’t you?’ asked Jackman.
‘Too right. I was eaten up with curiosity. Maybe it’s my nature, born nosey, but I even Googled her name to see if I could discover what it was.’
‘I take it you had no luck?’
‘None at all, and I’m no slouch when it comes to a bit of sleuthing on the Internet.’
Jackman smiled. ‘Then you were in the right job, working for the police in forensics.’ Jackman regretted his words as soon as he said them.
‘I think I’m probably better suited to this kind of thing,’ she said.
‘Sorry, that was thoughtless of me. It’s just that you were very good at what you did. Lots of people, including Professor Rory Wilkinson, really miss you.’
‘Thanks, but I obviously don’t have the stomach for it.’ She steered the conversation back to Sarah. ‘She did mention a school friend once, although it was just a passing comment. I don’t think she realised what she had said, but I never forgot it, as it was probably the only mention she ever made of her early life.’
‘Do you recall the name?’
‘Pauline? Yes, that’s it, Pauline Grover.’
Jackman raised an eyebrow. ‘You have a good memory.’
‘You need one, working with children.’ She laughed.
Jackman thought she looked very attractive when she laughed. Hastily he dragged his attention back to the matter in hand. ‘So did you Google her too?’
‘How did you guess? Yes, I did, and again, nothing at all.’
‘I guess not everyone likes social media.’
Ella nodded. Then she looked at him and said, ‘Jackman, is there anything practical I can do to help you? I’m going to have a fair bit of spare time while the boys are at school. James has a woman who comes in to clean, so once I’ve made sure their suppers are ready and their clothes are all clean and pressed, I’m pretty free.’