by Joy Ellis
She shifted a little, pulling her pillow closer into her neck. So if everything in her garden was now rosy, why did she feel so unsettled?
It wasn’t the old house, even though it frequently creaked and bemoaned its advancing years. The Old Police House was her home and she loved it, so no..., she sighed softly. The fear came from within, and it concerned Jon Summerhill.
Just recently she had noticed a change in him. He seemed to possess a different sort of determination to put the bad guys away. It was harder, almost ruthless, and he didn’t seem to care a damn about his own safety. He had proved that by going after the ghosts of Jamie Durham and his killer.
Kate blinked in the darkness. Maybe she shouldn’t worry too much. Jon, for all his good looks and generally gentle disposition, was actually a very tough cookie. He was made of stern stuff, even if some of the men had him labelled as a bit of a weirdo. She’d seen him take on some of the toughest adversaries, and floor them using sheer speed and ingenuity. It did not pay to underestimate DS Jon Summerhill, as several villains had found to their cost.
But if he was troubled in some way, then she wanted to help him.
One thing was for sure, if Shauna was a murder victim, Kate needed Jon on top of his game, not going off on irresponsible ghost hunts in the middle of the night.
She closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep. The other thing that bothered her, was the fact that she had told Asher Leyton’s Barbie-doll girl-friend that they wanted to see him about an incident on Brewer Street. If he had abducted or hurt Shauna, with that information he would be on his toes and far away by dawn. She shouldn’t have put off speaking to him. Kate sighed, angry with herself for allowing her personal life to come
between her and her better judgement over a suspect.
Still, at least she could relax a little over David and the kids. She had a strong feeling that he would stick to his side of the bargain; sadly it was she who was most likely to rock the boat. She drew closer to her husband; but this time, for the whole family’s sake, she really would make an effort.
The next morning, as she drove away from the village, she marvelled at the sky-scape that filled her view. The low farmland still held on to a thick, soft carpet of diaphanous mist, and the sky itself was a heavy gunmetal grey, scattered with left over night clouds slowly making way for the dawn.
And then there was a wide rift in the iron sky that afforded her a glimpse into the fiery furnace that burnt behind it. A dazzling strip of the brightest flame orange tore the miserable greyness apart, and the scarlet orb of the sun began to rise.
She had been born here in Bomber County, on this flat and endless landscape, but she have never tired or got used to the dawns and the sunsets.
Already the anxiety of the night before had melted away and the morning found her full of resolve. Today they should know more from forensics, and then they could plan a course of action. And the first thing they would do, after a visit to Mr Curb-Crawler, would be to visit the place where Shauna had disappeared to see what Jon could pick up psychically.
She slowed down as she approached the road into the town and waited as a tractor towing a trailer full of bright green broccoli lumbered past. As she sat there, she wondered why she found it so easy to accept Jon’s affinity with another world, a place that she could neither see nor understand. Kate released the handbrake and pulled out. She had no answers. She didn’t understand electricity, or sonar, or how computers worked, but she accepted them. Perhaps because of her maternal family’s readiness to believe in a spirit world, it just seemed right to her. It was beyond her as to how she got a picture on her television screen, and she’d never tried to analyse that, so why doubt Jon and his talent.
By the time she pulled into her parking space at the station, a hint of the tension of the night before had seeped back into her mind.
She stepped from her car, took out her security card and approached the door. Another day, she thought, and wondered rather uncomfortably what it would bring.
CHAPTER NINE
She was surprised when Asher Leyton rang her at 8.45am. He sounded more intrigued than concerned, and Kate began to wonder if the CCTV footage had merely caught an innocent exchange of words, and nothing more sinister. She told him that she would call round after the morning briefing, and he had promised to wait in for her. Kate replaced the phone and immediately it rang again.
‘Kate? It’s Tommy Thorne.’
Kate drew in a quick breath. Generally she had to wait for the pathologist’s preliminary report, unless there was anything particularly unusual about the post mortem. ‘Shauna Kelly?’ She asked tentatively.
‘Listen, I’m far from through with my findings on this girl, but I thought you should know that I ran a few initial tests.’ He paused, the said, ‘And toxicology has shown that she had alcohol and drugs in her system.’
‘Oh shit,’ murmured Kate. ‘What kind of drugs?’
‘Foxy methoxy, if you know what I’m saying?’
Kate knew. As a copper she’d found herself watching all the highs, lows, come-downs and agonising aftermath of most street drugs. ‘It’s a club drug; a triptamine psychedelic.’
‘I’m impressed, DCI Reynard.’ He gave a little chuckle. ‘Or is it one you remember particularly because of the amorphous connection to your own name?’
‘I remember it because I helped to scrape a little kid off a concrete playground after he had taken one of those and ‘flown’ off the school roof.’ she said icily.
‘Ah, well, that would etch it rather firmly into your memory, now wouldn’t it?’ The pathologist gave a little cough, possibly his version of an apology, then he continued. ‘I suspected something might be amiss because of the injuries to her feet, the soles and the under parts to be precise. I’m sure you are aware that when a person drowns, the body assumes the position of being face down, hence we sometimes see awful facial injuries, but whereas I expected the child to be badly battered, on examination I also found abrasions and lacerations that are not typical of underwater trauma.’
‘To her feet?’ asked Kate, beginning to frown.
‘Mm, and on taking samples from the wounds, we discover that the materials embedded into her flesh are not from the sea-bed. I suggest she ran bare-foot over some pretty uneven ground before she went into the water.’
‘Chased?’
‘You’d need a witness to her last moments to tell you the answer to that one.’
‘I cannot believe that Shauna Kelly willingly took Foxy,’ murmured Kate.
‘But you said yourself that the mother was having trouble keeping her away from some of the wilder kids.’
‘Yes, but a few experimental drinks are almost what you’d expect from a teenager whose father has recently done a runner. Her mother said her daughter was never off her head on alcohol, and Liz swore that Shauna had never taken drugs, in fact she was quite ante them.’
‘You know they all say that to their parents.’ said Tommy.
‘Of course, but Liz works as a volunteer at the drop-in centre on Church Street. She would have spotted the tell tale signs of drug use a mile off.’ Kate drew in a breath. ‘If Shauna had drugs in her system, I’ll be willing to bet on the fact that she didn’t know she’d taken them.’
‘More than possible. That, or peer pressure. Oh yes, and one last thing, Kate. Just a small thing, but there were no signs of any plant material or anything from the sea-bed in her hands.’
‘Sorry, Tommy, I’m not quite with you on that one.’
‘The struggle to survive. A drowning human grabs out at anything to try to save their self. It is usually proof that they were alive when they went into the water, although there is more to it than that. I think it’s indicative that Shauna was either not fully conscious, or totally spaced-out. Anyway, I thought I should update you on that rather than leave it until the full report is ready.’
‘I appreciate it. Thank you.’ Kate replaced the handset and stared at it for a while.
Shauna Kelly had simply been rebelling against her dad leaving, but she hadn’t gone completely off the rails and according to the rest of the family, the girl still loved her mother. They had always been close, and there was no hint that she blamed Liz for the father buggering off. To Kate, it didn’t make sense. She glanced at her watch. She was late for the briefing, but at least she now had something concrete to tell them.
It didn’t take long to go over the relevant details and bring the team up to speed, so she allocated duties for the day, then asked. ‘Anyone got anything else before we crack on?’
‘We’ve done two sweeps of Allenby Creek, ma’am, but found nothing of interest.’ said one of the uniformed officers, PC Andy English. ‘It’s a very remote spot. We checked all the dwellings, but the few people we spoke to haven’t seen any strangers around over the last few days.’
Kate nodded, but decided that as soon as she and Jon had spoken to Curb-Crawler Asher, they would take a drive out to Allenby Creek, and let Jon do what he did best. ‘Okay, back here at 4pm, please, and do try to bring something positive with you.’
Asher Leyton, even if he were involved in some way with Shauna’s disappearance, had certainly not fled town.
He led Kate and Jon down a wide hallway and into a huge open-plan lounge. It was modern, tasteful, and reeked of money. Kate noted that his fiancée was not there.
‘Lynda told me that you called, DCI Reynard. I’m sorry to have caused you two trips.’ He indicated for them to take a seat on an over-sized, ivory leather couch, whilst he sat in a matching leather recliner. ‘How can I help?’
Kate looked at him with interest. He wasn’t exactly what she had expected. Asher Leyton was possibly in his mid to late twenties. He was of medium build, with thick wavy fair hair and had a rather old-fashioned appearance. Even his clothes looked dated and rather passé. She wondered if it were some new trend that she’d missed out on. Something like faux-retro?
‘Mr Leyton, we have reason to believe that you were on Brewer Street, three nights ago. Can you tell us if that’s true?’
‘Most likely, Chief Inspector. I work flexi-hours and I walk down Brewer Street to get home.’ He looked her at her calmly. ‘Why? What happened?’
Jon reached into his pocket and took out a photograph of Shauna Kelly. ‘Did you see or speak to this girl, sir?’
Asher took the picture, then immediately smiled. ‘I certainly did.’ He handed back the photo. ‘In fact I’ve spoken to her a couple of times recently.’
Kate’s eyes narrowed. ‘And why would that be?’
Asher Leyton’s smile faded from his face. ‘Has something happened to her? Is that why you’re here?’
‘Do you know her by name, sir?’ asked Jon quietly.
‘It’s something like Shona? or Sheena?’ He ran long, narrow fingers nervously through his hair. ‘I can’t remember exactly.’
‘How do you know her, Mr Leyton?’ Kate’s voice was getting colder by the minute.
‘I don’t know her.’ The man almost squirmed in his chair. ‘I’ve just talked to her on a few occasions, that’s all.’
‘And why would a man of your age be talking to a fourteen year old girl that he doesn’t know?’
‘Fourteen?’ Asher Leyton swallowed. ‘Oh my God, but she looked..., she said…’ He shook his head. ‘You’ve got the wrong end of the stick, really you have.’ He gathered himself. ‘I saw her standing on Brewer Street one evening. She was alone, standing on the edge of the pavement, and for a moment, I thought she may be a, a..,’
‘Prostitute?’ filled in Jon. ‘You’d know about those, wouldn’t you, Mr Leyton?’
The man’s face suffused with colour. ‘I’ve never been in trouble with anything like that! Check your records! You won’t find me on them. I have no convictions and no inkling to get any!’
‘We’ve already checked, Mr Leyton, but our patrol officers have had a quiet word with you, have they not?’ Kate said calmly.
‘Oh Lord, but I explained all about that at the time. Those girls worry me, I talk to them, try to help them, that’s all. I’m a clean-living, honest working man; I’m engaged to the most beauti…’ He stopped mid-sentence, and his red face paled. ‘Please tell me that you haven’t mentioned this to Lynda?’
‘Your secret is safe with us, sir, unless there is anything we should know about you and Shauna Kelly?’ Kate stared coolly at him.
Asher Leyton exhaled. ‘But there’s nothing to tell. I spoke to her only because a car splashed her as it went passed. She jumped back and swore at the driver, and I asked her if she was alright. She then swore at me, until I picked up the handbag that she’d dropped, and offered her my handkerchief to dry herself.’
‘Quite the knight in shining armour.’ said Jon with a hint of sarcasm.
Asher ignored the comment, ‘She told me she was waiting for friends and was on her way to a party. And that’s all.’ He shrugged. ‘I saw her a few days later and she smiled, so I asked her if she enjoyed her party. She said it was different, but no more. I assumed it had been a wash-out. I only saw her once more, a few days ago. She said she was going partying again.’ He looked from Kate to Jon. ‘Has something happened to her?’
‘I’m afraid Shauna is dead, Mr Leyton.’
The man’s mouth dropped in surprise, and Kate was pretty sure that it wasn’t faked. If it was, he was damned good at it.
‘Dead?’
‘I’m afraid so, so you can now appreciate why we are so interested in her recent movements.’
The man nodded dumbly, and Kate thought that he was about to cry. After a moment or two he said, ‘Poor little kid. She was really sweet.’ When he looked up Kate realised she had been right, as moisture filled his eyes. ‘How did she die?’
‘I’m afraid we can’t say until certain formalities have been completed, sir,’ said Jon in a softer and more compassionate manner. ‘And that is really all you know about her? Just a few passing words in the street?’
‘You have my word, sergeant. And I swear to God that I never knew she was only fourteen.’ He hung his head. ‘In this sad day and age, I wouldn’t have dreamed of speaking un-introduced to a girl that young.’
Kate nodded to Jon, and they both stood up. ‘If you can think of anything else about her, you have my number, Mr Leyton.’
He walked them to the door, and as they made to leave he said, ‘About that other matter? If she heard about what happened and got the wrong idea, my fiancée would be devastated.’
‘As I said, sir. That’s not our affair. We are only interested in Shauna’s last movements.’ Kate levelled her gaze at the rather odd young man. ‘Just give those ‘chance meetings’ some careful thought, would you? Anything that she said to you maybe of use to us, okay?’
Kate glanced back as Asher closed the door, and she saw the face of a very troubled soul.
Not so far away from Asher Leyton’s prestigious abode, someone else was looking equally troubled.
Her small home was far from elegant, but it was clean and tidy and usually it felt warm and safe to Jasmine. But not today.
Jasmine lay on the sofa, the duvet from her bed drawn up tightly around her thin body. She was alone at last, although it had taken some time to convince her mother that she should go to work and that she was fine to look after herself. Her mother, a woman who worried about absolutely everything, had finally accepted her excuse that it was just a really bad time of the month, and after making Jasmine a warm drink and a hot water bottle, had hurried off to her job as a book-keeper at the food factory.
Jasmine stared at the blank television screen and tried to decide what she should do. She wasn’t ill, there was nothing wrong with her at all; she just couldn’t face school and more to the point, she couldn’t face her best friend, Chloe.
No matter what she tried to concentrate on, her thoughts kept going back to the party. Jasmine gave a little snort of disgust. It had been no party like she’d ever been to. She shivered and pulled the duvet ti
ghter up under her chin. The place had been horrible. It had been dark, dirty, stank of sweat and booze, and the worst thing of all, was the fact that Chloe seemed to be having the time of her life.
A tear slipped slowly from Jasmine’s eye. How could she? They had been friends since they were in baby buggies, and now, well.., she grimaced. A picture flashed up in front of her. Chloe dancing with a boy she didn’t even know. Chloe lifting up her skinny T-shirt top and thrusting her naked breast towards the gyrating boy’s open mouth.
Jasmine felt as sick now as she had then. She sipped the drink that her mother had made her and tried to forget all the other things that she had seen. Worse things. Far worse things. She placed the mug back on the table and nibbled anxiously on her bottom lip. She should tell her father, she knew she should. But how could she? He’d kill her if he thought she’d been to such a dreadful place.
More tears began to fall. It should be easy. She wasn’t a bad girl; she should simply do what she knew to be right. And she may well have done that, if it hadn’t been for the man with the horrible eyes. He had known instantly that they had gate-crashed. And then he had taken her to one side, and coldly and calmly told her what he would do if she ever breathed a word about the parties.
And Jasmine knew that he wasn’t joking. She shivered again. That should have been fine, considering that she never wanted to go back as long as she lived, but he hadn’t threatened her, had he? The terrible things he had said he would do; were to Chloe.
Jasmine broke in sobs. And Chloe wanted to go back. The man had put her number on his special list, and stupid, stupid Chloe could hardly wait for the text to tell her where the next party would be.