The Vine Cross (The Vine Series Book 1)

by S P Dawes

  Could she risk stealing a slice, would he notice? She bit her lip as her stomach cramped. Her head throbbed, she wasn’t sure if it was from the hunger or the bruising to her jaw. She considered the fact that there wasn’t much he wouldn’t fly off the handle about. Maybe she should just risk it, but her face couldn’t take another beating so quickly after last night. She’d have to heal first, so she retreated to the living room, to find something to occupy her mind, ignoring the hunger pains before they took over her willpower.

  The station was a hive of activity, officers following up leads, sightings and the phone lines were ringing off the hook. But so far there had been no major developments. Helena Cartwell had walked out with a group of friends, the friends had gradually gone home and they had left her walking home on her own. The last sighting had been around midnight. They still had two hours to fill. She wasn’t like the others, she’d lived with her best friend, and they had shared a flat on Belmont Close, just out of town on an estate. She’d been living there for around a year. And although she had recently split with her boyfriend, there didn’t seem to be any animosity.

  Dental records had confirmed her identity. Still unexplained was the photograph of a bunch of people no one else knew. The brand had happened before death, strangled as the others had been, but they had inflicted the cut post mortem. They confirmed she had been sexually assaulted, but as yet they were still waiting on tests to give them a DNA link. Mostly, it seemed like a completely different assailant, but the markings of the killer from the other deaths couldn’t go ignored either, especially since none of those details had been made public.

  “DS Wells and DC Turner are interviewing Caitlyn Carter, the date is 17th June 2017, the time is 15.30…”

  Martin sat watching Caitlyn perspiring, refusing to make eye contact with him. She looked about as nervous as he had seen anyone look. Nerves usually equated to guilt, and that’s what they needed to get to the bottom of. How much did she know, and how much had she done to secure Hayley’s capture?

  Caitlyn had never been cautioned by the police before and she was finding the experience daunting. Especially when guilt climbed up her spine like a vine, poisoning her organs and constricting her airway. Holding her trembling hands under the table, she tried pasting a smile on her face to relay a comfort she didn’t feel. She had to get through this with no hiccups or she’d have worse problems than a cell to look forward to.

  “We have arrested you on suspicion of the abduction of Hayley Timpson, can you describe to me what has taken place?” Asked DS Wells.

  Caitlyn took in a deep breath to calm herself down. “Hayley came to me and told me she no longer wanted to be with Jesse, she asked me to help get her out, so I did.”

  “Why would she need to get away from Jesse Hallam?” Inquired DC Turner, unable to contain the amusement on his face.

  “Because she feared him, she didn’t want to see him anymore, and she was worried how he’d take it,” she answered steadily, eyeing DS Wells who was watching her intently.

  “And when did she make you aware of the fear she had for Jesse?” DC Turner asked, glancing to Martin, who sat back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest, observing Caitlyn as if he was ready to pounce.

  “That morning,” replied Caitlyn, deciding to switch her gaze to DC Turner. She could feel his hostility towards her and it was uncomfortable.

  “So, she had never told you before yesterday that she was fearful of him?” Asked Dave calmly and with a hint of sympathy.

  “She didn’t say exactly, but she showed my fiancé the marks on her back. He said it looked like someone had hurt her,” answered Caitlyn.

  “When was this?” Asked DC Turner, jumping on the fresh information, as if it held the key to the investigation.

  Martin noted the change in his demeanour and raised a brow, which made Dave slouch in his chair awkwardly.

  “A couple of weeks ago,” she answered, glancing a quick look to Martin before looking at Dave, where she felt on safer ground.

  “Hadn’t Hayley and Jesse only been seeing each other for that length of time?” Asked DS Wells.

  Caitlyn blanched, feeling stupid. She shouldn’t have brought that up, but she had thought it was a good idea to make it sound like Hayley would fear him. “I think they were trying to hide it for a time, before they made themselves public.” It was only a partial lie, she thought. “His mum and dad had an inkling something was going on before they turned up at the BBQ.”

  The older detective nodded, and she inwardly relaxed a little.

  “Problem is, Miss Carter, if you will lie; you have to have an excellent memory,” replied DS Wells, looking straight at her. Unable to hold his piercing gaze, she shifted her eyes back to Dave.

  “Where did she go?” Inquired DC Turner, compassionately.

  “She just told me to drop her off at a warehouse. She said she’d contacted someone to pick her up from there, but I’ve no idea who, she didn’t tell me.”

  “Why did she arrive at the warehouse in the back of your car?” Asked DS Wells.

  Caitlyn suddenly panicked. How did they know that? “She’s just preferred the back.” Her eyes darted from one officer to the other.

  “But we have CCTV footage of her in the front when you were at the garage on the A1,” reminded DS Wells.

  “She changed her mind.”

  “Whilst you were driving?” Asked DS Wells, unconvinced.

  “She was messing around,” said Caitlyn, shrugging.

  “I’d find it hard to believe that she’d be in such a jovial mood bearing in mind you’d just told her; her boyfriend was in hospital.” Caitlyn’s eyes widened. “You realise that lying to us now would be ill advised. I would urge you to tell us the truth and help in any way you can, especially if they have threatened you. We would take that into consideration.”

  Caitlyn scanned both detectives.

  “If you help save someone from potential harm, that would look very good alongside the charges you face, and could aid you a great deal.”

  Caitlyn looked around the room. She didn’t want to go to prison, but if she helped them, she’d be forever looking over her shoulder. “I think I will have that solicitor now.”

  “I think that’s the most sensible thing you’ve said all day,” advised Martin.

  “Dave!” Martin shouted, walking over to DC Turner in the corridor before they entered the incident room.

  Turning, he watched Martin catch up to him.

  “Why did you go and see Jesse?”

  Taken aback, Dave looked flummoxed, whiffling his shoulders as if to shake some confidence back in.

  “I…. I just went to… you know, give some support,” stammered Dave. “I can’t imagine what being on the sidelines is doing.”

  “By telling him he was in trouble?” Asked Martin sceptically. Martin had never warmed to Dave, he always had a lot to shout about. Taking praise for things his comrades did, when in fact he had minimal input, he just belonged to an efficient team.

  “I didn’t say that… exactly… just…” Martin was making him feel uncomfortable, and he knew it was obvious. “I saw a lady on a photograph that’s come up, I recognised her as a woman that Jesse had been seeing.”

  “What picture?” Martin asked, confusion marring his features.

  “The one I found on a victim,” answered Dave, taking a few extra swallows, as his throat dried up.

  “Which woman?”

  “Sorry, do I need a solicitor?” Asked Dave, trying to come across as funny, but getting frustrated with the questions being fired at him.

  “I don’t know, do you?”

  Dave shook his head, swinging the door open for incident room, walking in without looking back.

  Martin watched him scuttle back to his desk. He had a funny feeling, and he couldn’t be sure that Dave wasn’t the cause of it.

  In the incident room DCI Walker was standing in front of a whiteboard, waiting on an update. Since he’d remo
ved DI Hallam from the case, he wanted to make sure everyone was aware he was making this personal to him and he required their most efficient work pace.

  “I’ve been looking into Jesse’s record and I think I’ve come up with something interesting,” DC Harrington, a detective who had been brought in earlier, disclosed. “It seems he arrested Demy Richard’s brother for murder. From what I can gather there was a scrap outside a nightclub, that resulted in Anatoly being convicted of manslaughter.”

  “When was this?” Inquired DCI Walker.

  “A year ago, Guards found Anatoly dead in his cell within 3 weeks of his incarceration.”

  “Circumstances?” Asked DCI Walker. He didn’t remember the case, but then he had spent some time off sick the year before. It was highly likely he’d completely missed it when DCI Quibell had been holding the fort.

  “Suicide.”

  DCI Walker breathed out heavily. That would be enough of an incentive for a family member to seek revenge; maybe this was more about Jesse than Hayley.

  “I don’t think it came up before as Demy and Anatoly have different surnames.”

  DCI Walker rolled his eyes, before adding a smile of thanks. “OK, what information do we have on Hayley?” he asked, deciding to look into Jesse’s arrest history later over a bottle of scotch.

  “She was born Hayley Baxter, has a brother and sister, both younger, Lyndsey and Darren. Her mum went missing around the time she was nine or ten, the family moved to Averham and she stayed there till she was seventeen, then she changed her name to Timpson by deed poll. We’ve found out that she fell pregnant at sixteen, but lost the baby because of a fall,” read DC Harrington from the computer screen.

  “Her dad still lives in Averham, but he says he doesn’t know where she is, but had heard that Demy was looking for her,” continued Martin.

  “What’s the link with Demy?” asked DCI Walker.

  “Apparently they were both part of some sect. They put together Hayley and Demy when she was fourteen, we believe she didn’t go into the union willingly and so they punished her,” answered Martin.

  “We can presume the baby was Demy’s?” Asked DCI Walker, looking directly at Martin, who shook his head solemnly. “Demy was in prison until three weeks ago,” DCI Walker continued, looking at the floor for a moment before raising his head to speak again. “Where are we on the drugs case?”

  “Nowhere, sir, nothing’s happened since Saturday. All the Vic's look like they were in on the game, long before this, it’s just looking like a bad batch at the minute,” answered PC Rigger.

  “Something about that just doesn’t make sense. Keep on it, something’s missing, especially if this Demy guy’s involved. He seems to be everywhere and nowhere all at the same time,” said DCI Walker.

  “Sir, there has been a picture surface.” Martin watched Dave hand the DCI a photograph. Then observed the DCI look at it, perplexed.

  “What’s this?” DCI Walker flapped it like an irritant.

  “We found the photo at the premises of the latest victim,” replied Dave.

  “Found?”

  “It was in Helena Cartwell’s bedroom, but it’s not her. We believe it’s come from one of the other victims.”

  Martin watched Dave smiling as though he expected a pat on the back.

  “Why? We still don’t have any ID’s, do we?”

  “No, but I recognised her form the photo. Jesse met her at the Christmas do,” explained Dave. Using his first name didn’t go unnoticed.

  Martin clenched his fist and tightened his jaw; his friend was being stitched up like a kipper.

  “Can I ask what you think the link is, DC Turner?” DCI Walker looked as annoyed as Martin. It was a blatant attempt to drag Jesse’s name through the mud.

  “Just thought it was interesting, sir.” Dave slumped back in his chair.

  Martin imagined if he had a microphone in his hand, he’d have dropped it.

  “Can I speak with you in my office after?” It wasn’t really a request. Dave nodded abashed, then drooped his head and slouched lower in the chair.

  “OK, back to the young women, are we any closer to identifying any others?” Asked DCI Walker.

  “Only the last one, sir,” answered Rosa.

  “Miss Carter, how did that interview go?” Inquired DCI Walker, looking straight towards Martin for the answer rather than DC Turner who he wasn’t ready to listen to yet.

  “Hiding something, she’s saying Hayley asked her to get her out of Newark because Jesse scared her. Total crap, but now she’s asking for a solicitor,” answered Martin. “So as soon as she’s got one, we’re going back in.”

  “Well crap or not, make sure it’s followed up. We can’t afford to be seen dismissing information just because it involves one of our own.” He glared the last part at Dave, as though sending him a private message.

  “I think we need to be looking for answers for why someone planted the knife under Jesse’s car,” said Martin. “This feels very personal.”

  “Yes, well, at the minute lets concentrate on airports, ports, and identifying these women. We find out what they have in common, we just might find our killer. It’s not gone unnoticed that Hayley resembles the other girls, but without knowing if they went missing for any amount of time, we can’t rule anything out,” explained DCI Walker.

  “He killed the latest victim straight away, sir,” Rosa piped up.

  “No, but that one’s slightly different already, I’d rather concentrate on the others for now.”

  It wasn’t common knowledge about the differences with that body. He’d rather not divulge anything he didn’t need to right now, especially as he had suspicions about a serving officer. You could never be sure who to trust. “OK people. We need a breakthrough. I want CCTV checking again, and I want a presence, so get out there and ask questions.”

  The room erupted into noise and everyone picked their jobs and set to work.

  DCI Walker opened the door and held it, looking towards DC Turner, following him out and into his office. “Do you want to explain to me what the hell that was about?” Seethed DCI Walker, red faced.

  “I can’t shake the feeling that DI Hallam has more to do with this than what meets the eye,” explained DC Turner, standing up straight.

  “And you thought broadcasting that throughout the incident room was the best place to air it?”

  “No, sir. I should have spoken to you first.” Dave glanced down at the floor.

  “Damn right!” Shouted DCI Walker. “So why didn’t you?”

  Dave looked glum.

  “Never mind, what do you have?”

  “The picture of the girl, I remember her from the party. Jesse was all over her, but when I spoke to him today, he said he couldn’t remember her. I just thought that was weird. It was only six months ago, and she obviously went missing at some point and then wound up dead and now Hayley’s gone.”

  “Are you seriously telling me you think DI Hallam, your supervisor, has abducted Hayley and is capable of killing those women in that manner?!” DCI Walker couldn’t stop the laugh entering his voice.

  “Everyone’s capable, sir.”

  DCI Walker stepped around his desk trailing his fingers on it, while mulling over what he had just heard, and contemplating how to continue. “OK, look into what you think you know, discreetly.”

  Dave nodded, that was all he needed.

  Watching DC Turner leave, he picked up his phone from the desk. Dialling as he sat down, he leant back in the chair. “Hi, it’s me, I need a favour. I need you to look into something for me.”

  DC Hancock and DS Wells sat across from Caitlyn with their arms leant on the table, listening to her well fabricated story of a man they apparently didn’t know as well as they thought they did.

  “He’s just like a completely different man when he’s not in work.”

  Like she would know, thought Martin. They were wasting their time; he needed to be out there looking for her. He knew Jess
e wouldn’t be expecting any less than his best.

  “Hayley told me she feared him. That he made her do things she didn’t want to do and that she couldn’t see another way out other than to leave. I begged her to stop, go to the police but she wouldn’t, she just thought with him being a copper no one would take her seriously.”

  If ever anyone should be nominated for a Bafta, it was Caitlyn, thought Martin. Tears and everything.

  “So, what do you know about the robbery at the ‘Garden of Eden’?” Martin thought he should break through the narrative. He wasn’t sure he could listen to anymore crap without smelling of it. The change in subject visibly shocked Caitlyn.

  “I… I know nothing,” stuttered Caitlyn.

  She hadn’t had enough time to thread that little story of lies, thought Martin. He’d have to abuse that as much as possible without the solicitor stepping in again.

  “You know they burgled it?” Asked Martin, getting her to admit anything would feel like a tiny victory.

  “Yes, but I know nothing about it.” Her defences had gone up. Good.

  “Are you in a position where you can access keys and alarm pins, Miss Carter?”

  Caitlyn Looked towards her legal representative nervously, who agreeably stepped in.

  “Can I ask what this has to do with the case, Detective?” Asked Leyla Branch, the duty solicitor. A young woman with brunette hair tied into a bun, with black spectacles gracing the bridge of her nose, she looked the cliché part of a secretary. She was becoming a thorn in Martin’s side.

  He took a deep breath in and tried to loosen the tension in his neck. “We believe they may connect the two cases, so we would appreciate any information your client can give us,” smiled Martin, attempting to hide his contempt.