by JJ Franklin
‘You would say that.’
‘I warn you, Vinny, we must move very carefully right now; no giving in to your desire for revenge until I have clarified the situation. Let me find out more.’
‘I’ll be waiting ’til hell freezes over while you fart about.’
‘Farting about, as you so delicately put it, is not something I will be doing. As you can imagine, interfering with a police officer, or officers, is frowned upon. Therefore, I do not need to tell you that the heat is most definitely on and you would be advised to follow my lead and lie low for a while. Kathy Wylde will wait. She is not about to disappear. You will have your revenge.’
‘The longer I’m stuck here, the greater chance I’ll get caught.’
‘Not if you are willing to listen to my advice.’
‘Hasn’t done me much good yet.’
‘I can arrange your return to Spain, if you wish?’
Thinking of his plans for later, Vinny shook his head. ‘I’ll give it a couple more days.’
‘Wise move. I’ll be in touch later.’
Ops climbed back up the ladder and Vinny gave a vicious salute to his retreating back. The little twerp was turning out to be useless and he was glad he was taking matters into his own hands.
Chapter 61
Kathy kept herself busy, trying to ignore the idea that she was in danger. Despite this, she had found herself watching the cars as they queued behind her yesterday on the way to work and once at work, she could feel herself tense whenever a stranger came into reception.
Today, with no work to distract her, it would be harder. At first, she thought she would visit Maisie, until she considered she could be taking the danger with her. Instead, she settled for baking mince pies for the dress rehearsal tonight. Next, she got together her costume, rummaging in her sewing box to find some ribbon to liven up the straw hat. Occasionally she would go to the bay window and look up and down the road, but nothing seemed amiss.
During the afternoon, Kathy got to thinking that if this Vinny person was seeking revenge for his son, maybe it was what she deserved, a sort of rough justice. But this didn’t apply to Harry. He’d been trying to make up for what he had done, to get on and lead a useful life. And she liked him. The thought that she’d put him in harm’s way nagged at her and she resolved to make her peace with him tonight.
She could find no solace for causing Dave’s death either. From the newspaper reports and from listening to Harry, he was a disturbed young man, who had hardly been involved in Jack’s death. Just like Jack, he hadn’t deserved to die in such a terrible way. No amount of justification could make her feel better about that.
This isn’t what she set out to do. It had all seemed so black and white at the beginning. The thought struck that maybe she would have liked Jonathan James too, if she’d given him a chance. Although, remembering his cold eyes, she didn’t think so and she tried to push the thought from her mind.
Arriving at the church hall that evening, there was an air of excitement with everyone admiring each other’s costumes. Taking the mince pies through to Ida in the kitchen, she glanced towards the men to see if Harry had arrived. There was no sign of him and a flutter of panic ran through her. Had Vinny caught up with him? If anything happened to him, it would be her fault. The worry caused her to spill sugar all over the counter. Ida said nothing as she helped wipe it up.
Just as rehearsal was starting, Harry arrived in a last-minute flurry, scrambling into his costume in a corner. With everyone concentrating hard making sure their performance was unsurpassed, there was no chance to talk to him until the rehearsal was over. He seemed intent on ignoring her, but she went over to him as everyone was getting out of their costumes. ‘You were right.’
‘About what?’
‘I…I caused Dave’s death.’
Harry was silent. Kathy wondered if he had heard. He shook his head and spoke in a low voice. ‘No. That was me.’
‘You?’
‘That man in Henley Street. I told him Dave was living with his sister. If I hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t know where to find him. It was my fault.’
Kathy had the impulse to hold him, tell him it was all because of her and her crazy need for revenge. Yet getting into an argument about who carried the greater blame wouldn’t help. She patted his arm. ‘We’ll both be safe when the police catch Vinny James.’
‘That won’t be easy. The police have been looking for days. He could be anywhere – like outside right now, watching.’
The hall’s large windows looked out onto the parking lot and all she could see were cars, their coating of ice glistening in the light from the hall. Harry was right – anyone could be out there. Suppressing a shudder, Kathy turned back to Harry. ‘Can you stay at your gran’s?’
‘Couldn’t put her in danger. Don’t worry, I’m in a mate’s room. He’s gone home for Christmas. What about you?’
‘I’m being careful.’
Again, Kathy thought how caring Harry was. Here he was, not only thinking about her, but worrying about his gran. She wished she could make it up to him, keep him safe. ‘I’m sorry for putting you in danger, Harry.’
‘It was me…us who started it off. Besides, I’m quite enjoying trying to outfox whoever is following me.’
Unexpectedly, Kathy knew what she had to do. ‘I’ll give myself up.’
‘No. You can’t.’
Amused at his reaction, Kathy smiled. ‘I thought you’d be glad. It will keep you safe.’
‘You mustn’t do this for me.’
‘It’s what I need to do.’ She felt lighter, more at ease, and knew she was right.
‘Just wait until after the concert, please.’
Still feeling happy with her decision, Kathy nodded.
Chapter 62
Matt arrived early and went through the usual reports, including a brief note from DI Fraser thanking him for the information about the whisky. Matt hoped some good would come of it. He was about to leave his office to start the briefing when McRay appeared. McRay often appeared miserable but as he walked towards him, Matt wondered if he was ill. The man looked like he needed a chair. His stomach constricted. This was about Grant.
McRay put a hand on his arm. ‘Sorry, Matt.’
‘They’ve found him?’
All McRay could do was nod and Matt knew it was the worst possible news.
‘Where?’
‘River.’
‘Can I…?’
‘Best not.’
‘Who’s handling?’
‘It’s still North’s, Matt. And before you say anything, it’s for the best.’
A surge of anger rose to flame his face. Grant was one of the team. If he and his fellow officers had been involved from the beginning, maybe they would have found him alive.
‘Best for whom? Certainly not for Grant. It’s too bloody late for him.’
‘Matt…’
As soon as the angry words left his mouth, he regretted them. McRay was just doing his job and he would be suffering too. Matt thought of Grant’s battered face and wondered what other injuries he had sustained. If he’d stayed, would the outcome be any different or would he be dead too? If Grant’s captors hadn’t moved so fast, if Matt could have stopped him. There were a host of ifs racing around his head, and he knew he was on a useless spiral. Nothing would change the outcome.
McRay broke into his thoughts. ‘It’s no good blaming yourself, Matt.’
‘But I should have stopped him.’
‘There is something you can do for Grant.’
‘Anything.’
‘You can be the one to tell his family. He has an ex-wife and daughter. I think it should be one of our team. North Division has okayed it.’
Matt stayed silent, remembering Grant talking about the loss of his family.
‘Yes, of course, sir. Can I go alone?’
‘If that’s what you want. The Chief may want to visit later and we’ll send in a FLO if needed. I’ll get you the details.’
‘Thanks, sir.’
‘Come on, let’s tell the team.’
Matt followed McRay through to the main office. The room fell silent as they made their way to the front. It was as though everyone already sensed the dire news. He was glad when McRay held up his hand for silence, as he couldn’t trust himself to speak and keep the emotion out of his voice.
‘You will probably all realise why I want to speak to you and I’m afraid the news is bad. The body of Detective Inspector Grant was recovered from the River Leam half an hour ago.’
Matt watched the faces of his colleagues, saw the horror there, heard them gasp and hoped he wouldn’t have to stand there much longer.
Luckily, McRay kept it short. ‘The murder of this officer is being handled by North Division. I expect you to offer them every assistance. When we have the funeral arrangements, I know each one of you will want to attend. Grant was one of our own and we will give him a good send-off. If someone would like to start a collection, I believe Grant has a daughter soon to go to university and I’m sure she will be appreciative of your help in his name.’
McRay turned to Matt and Sam, who had come to stand at Matt’s side. ‘A word in your office, Matt. You too, Sam.’ They moved towards Matt’s office as a subdued murmur broke out. As soon as the door closed, McRay turned to Sam. ‘Are you up to speed, Sam?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Good. Matt is going to give Grant’s ex-wife the news. I wanted it to be one of us, rather than a stranger. Think she lives out in the Cotswolds, Matt. I’ll get you those details so you can be on your way.’
McRay left and Sam turned to Matt. ‘You okay, Matt? Suppose that’s a daft question, isn’t it?’
All Matt could do was nod. He would be glad to get out of here for a while. The drive to see Grant’s wife would give him time to straighten things out in his head. McRay must have had that in mind. He sighed as Jane came in. Sympathy was not what he needed.
‘We’re on top of things here, Matt, so don’t rush back. Oh and I’m bloody glad we didn’t lose the two of you.’
He silently blessed her perception.
Chapter 63
Matt decided to take the long way around, wanting time to steady himself and be in the right frame of mind to support Grant’s family. Passing through busy Stratford-upon-Avon brought him to the edge of the Cotswolds and the market town of Moreton-in-Marsh. Thankful it wasn’t market day, he managed to get through the town with little delay. The Cotswold buildings, lit by the winter sun, fought hard to cheer the day. Matt almost forgot the icy roads and bitter wind. To Matt, it always seemed as if the honey-coloured limestone retained the essence of summer. He’d read somewhere that the colour came from underwater creatures, mostly sea urchins. It was hard to imagine the whole area being underwater millions of years ago. He made a note to himself to bring Eppie to the Cotswolds, one of his favourite places in the world, a place of ancient peace. A peace he needed as he anguished over the events of the last few days.
Reaching Bourton-on-the-Water, he was grateful the shop was easy to find on the main street. Matt was able to park nearby, as apart from a few hardy Christmas shoppers, not many people were choosing to brave the icy morning. The shallow River Windrush, ambling under low bridges through the middle of the village, seemed sluggish. Matt was surprised it wasn’t covered in ice.
The bowed windows of the shop were a vision. The glass ornaments on display caught and reflected the glow from Christmas lights around the window, giving Matt the feeling of being transported back to Dickens’s time. Stepping inside, a welcome blast of warmth fanned over him. Matt could see no one behind the counter, but a young girl with dark brown hair turned from rearranging some vases.
‘Can I help you?’
‘Is it possible to speak to Mrs Procter?’
‘I can get her for you.’
‘If you would please.’
‘May I give her your name?’
‘Inspector Turrell. And I’d like a word in private, please.’
The girl’s eyes widened and she smiled at him before hurrying behind the thick velvet curtain covering a doorway at the rear. While she was gone, Matt looked around, thinking how Eppie would love it here. It made him realise he hadn’t even thought of Christmas presents. Still, it didn’t seem right to be thinking of Christmas, given that he was delivering such bad news.
At a swish of the curtain, he turned to see the girl followed by a smartly dressed, composed woman of about forty, her dark haircut in a graceful bob and wearing a red silk blouse that complemented her colouring.
‘Please come through, Inspector.’
With a nod of thanks to the girl, Matt followed Mrs Procter down a corridor piled high with cartons of stock to a tiny kitchen where more boxes filled the space. Under a window reinforced with steel mesh, she indicated a small table set with two chairs.
‘Please take a seat. Can I get you a coffee, Inspector? I was just about to have one.’
‘Yes, I’d like that. Thank you, Mrs Procter.’
‘Lynne, please. Is this about the shoplifting? We haven’t had a problem lately. It’s mostly a summer thing, when the town is full of visitors.’
‘No, Mrs Procter…Lynne. I work with Grant.’ Matt made a conscious effort not to use the past tense. He wanted to break the news as gently as possible.
‘Oh.’
She stopped filling the kettle and sat down opposite him. He could see she wasn’t expecting this. Her eyes fixed on his face.
‘Grant has been working on a case. Unfortunately, he got caught up in something and was attacked.’
‘Richard’s dead, isn’t he?’
‘I’m sorry. Yes. We found him today.’
‘Found?’
‘He’d been missing for two days.’
‘Missing? Didn’t you try to find him?’
Matt hesitated. This was tapping into his own guilt, but he knew he mustn’t burden her with it. ‘Every effort was made to find him. I’m so sorry to bring you this dreadful news.’
She was silent and Matt watched her, not sure what to expect. Would she cry over her divorced husband? He was surprised when she spat out, ‘I hated him.’
Matt waited, experience telling him there was more to come.
‘I have hated him for so long. I should be laughing.’ As if she wished this were true, she wiped her hand across her eyes to brush away tears. She paused to study him before asking, ‘Did you know about Tom?’
‘Some of it, yes.’
‘It was so hard.’
‘He wouldn’t make it easy.’
‘No. You knew him well?’
‘Not until recently.’
‘He always kept things to himself. I should have realised that.’
She seemed lost in her thoughts. Matt knew he should move the conversation onto a more practical level, like next of kin and funeral arrangements, but gave her the space.
‘How did he…did he die?’
It was the question Matt hoped to avoid, and he paused, wondering how much to tell, before deciding on a cut-down version of the truth. ‘We have no post mortem report yet, but I can tell you he got into an unequal fight and was kidnapped. He was eventually found in the River Leam so he may have drowned.’
‘Was that the same fight you were in?’
Matt had forgotten his bruised eye. ‘Yes.’
‘But you got away?’
Matt squirmed. Even though he had gone through all of this with McRay and the super, receiving their assurances he’d acted wisely and couldn’t have saved Grant, he retained the sense he should have done better. He didn’
t want to justify himself to Grant’s widow while the doubt remained. ‘Yes. To get help.’ Matt paused, remembering Grant on that day. ‘It didn’t come in time.’
Lynne nodded and seemed about to say something when the girl from the shop came in.
‘Mum?’
So, this was Grant’s daughter. Matt could see the likeness now, the same hair colouring and fair complexion as her mother. He wondered how Lynne would handle this. He would need to follow her lead.
‘Not now, Melli.’
Melli glanced from her mum to Matt. ‘What is it? Mum?’
‘We’ll talk later. The inspector is just leaving.’
Matt stood in compliance, reaching for a card to pass to Lynne. There were still things they had to discuss. As he put his card in front of her, Melli seized it.
‘Warwickshire. Dad’s force. What’s going on? Is Dad okay?’
When Lynne declined to say anything, Matt stepped in.
‘Your mum will explain. Just give her a minute.’
‘Turn the sign round, Melli, please.’
At first, Matt thought she was going to refuse, and then she turned to obey. Thankful for the small breathing space, Matt turned to Lynne. ‘Would you like me to tell her?’
Lynne seemed undecided.
‘She’ll have to know.’
‘I said she could see him, before she goes to university next year. She’s been badgering me for a while, and…and I’ve put her off. Now it’s too late.’
‘What’s too late? Mum?’
Lynne put her head in her hands and burst into tears. Matt guided Melli to his seat and bent towards her.
‘I’m afraid it’s bad news, Melli. Your father has died while on duty.’
For a moment, he thought she hadn’t heard or understood him. Then she sprang up and began hitting out at her mother. Matt seized her hands, letting some of the blows fall on his chest. Already their power was lessening until she put her head against him and began sobbing. Looking down at Lynne, he could see she wasn’t badly hurt, except for a red mark on her left cheek. She rubbed at it in an absent-minded manner and Matt guessed she was in shock. Needing to ease the situation, he guided Melli back to the chair and turned to finish filling the kettle. They would both benefit from something sweet and hot.