by Joy Ellis
‘No place like home, ma’am,’ muttered Jon, as he peered out of the tiny, dirty-paned window. ‘A room with a view.’
‘We have two chairs, a desk, a phone and a computer terminal, what more do you want?’ asked Kate as she looked over his shoulder and took in the crumbling red brick wall of the derelict warehouse on the opposite side of the alley.
They were stuck at the back of an old Victorian heap of a building, and suddenly their own, slightly rundown nick, was beginning to look more like the Ritz as every second passed.
‘What do you know about Harlan Marsh?’ Jon asked.
‘It’s a dead and alive hole, but it covers a huge area. I worked here for a few weeks not long after I moved up to CID, and it was the most unfriendly nick I’ve ever been in.’
‘So when they call this division the plug-hole of the marsh, they mean it?’
‘That’s the polite version. Still, if all I’ve heard about Chief Superintendent Cade is correct, maybe they deserve him.’
Anger creased Jon’s face into a mask of contempt. ‘No-one deserves Cade.’ He spat out vehemently. ‘That bastard’s a really nasty piece of work.’
‘I’m not sure that you should be speaking about a senior officer like that, Jon.’ Kate’s voice held mild reproach, but only for a moment. She was still trying to get over the shock of hearing her sergeant blast off like that. ‘Although off the record I have to agree. Most likely his officers are only such miserable sods because they have to work under him. At least we can go home when we’ve sorted this; they are stuck with him.’ She glanced across at him and asked. ‘I didn’t know that you had had dealings with Cade before?’
Jon pulled a face and looked as if he were wishing he’d kept his mouth shut. ‘It was a long while ago.’
Kate raised her eyebrows. If that was the case, it must have been pretty serious to still bother him so deeply. ‘What happened?’
It was like drawing teeth, but finally Jon said, ‘When Cade was a DI, he shafted a colleague of mine. Blighted her career and she never managed to make the grade after it.’ Bitterness clung to his words. ‘So, as you can imagine, I have no love for him.’
Kate had never heard him bad mouth another officer before, and she also knew that the aggression in his voice was about as normal as a fish climbing a tree. And that, in her book meant emotional involvement. ‘So were you close? You and this colleague?’
At first she thought Jon was going to dismiss her question, then he quietly said, ‘She was my first crew-mate, ma’am. Great girl and full of potential, until she turned down that slime-ball’s advances.’ He shrugged. ‘It wouldn’t happen now; Cade wouldn’t have dared, for fear of a sexual harassment charge, but back then a young police-woman didn’t stand a chance against a senior officer like him.’
She desperately wanted to delve deeper, but decided that now was not the time and just nodded and took it no further. Not that she’d leave it alone for too long. His fury at the mention of Cade had made it quite clear to her that Jon had never forgotten his old crew-mate, and the anger he had felt at the time had not diluted over the years. There was a story there that she was very interested to know about, when the time was right.
A knock at the door dispelled her thoughts.
‘I’m your liaison officer, ma’am. PC Gary Pritchard. Pleased to meet you.’ An older man entered the tiny room and held out his hand. It was a small gesture, but nevertheless both warm and sincere.
They all shook hands, then Kate’s eyes narrowed and she said, ‘Have we met before, constable?’
‘I was seconded to your area to help out on the Red House Farm murder, ma’am. I’m surprised you remembered me.’
‘I do actually. I always remember good coppers, and you were polite, helpful and remarkably efficient, considering that you were working way out of your comfort zone for a different division.’
Pritchard looked down and Jon noticed a flush creeping across the man’s face.
‘Glad to have been a help, ma’am,’ he murmured, apparently talking to his boots. ‘That was a nasty case, that one. All those deaths under one roof.’
‘Still, we eventually caught the intruder who killed them. Thank God.’ Kate frowned, ‘That was the second of three terrible investigations in this area.’
‘Yes, ma’am. Years before Harlan Marsh had to deal with the Mulberry shootings, when Simeon Mulberry shot his wife then himself, in front of his children. Then you had the massacre of the farm workers at Red House Farm, and then there was that tragedy at Dovegate Lane.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘What a world we live in.’
‘Well, let’s hope this case is a simple one. Come on in PC Pritchard; although I can hardly say make yourself at home.’
He looked around apologetically. ‘Not exactly roomy, is it? This old place is pretty well ready for the wrecker’s ball. They keep promising new premises, but then they say the budget won’t stretch that far.’ He bit his lip and growled. ‘Even so, this is taking the proverbial. Shall I try to organise something a bit better, ma’am?’
‘No, we’ll cope. Hopefully this is just a flying visit. Go find another chair, if you can fit it in, then tell us all.’
As the man turned and left the room, Kate noticed Jon watching him carefully. ‘I know that look, Summerhill. Can I assume that we are not alone?’
He grinned at her and in a matter of fact voice, nodded and said, ‘PC Gary Pritchard has a woman around him.’
‘Mother? Grandmother? Spirit guide?’ Kate knew how it worked.
Jon shook his head. ‘Sister. He lost her quite recently.’ He tilted is head to one side. ‘She’s showing me something. Something in her hand.’ He squinted, and then nodded slowly. ‘It’s a green pea pod. It’s open and there are just two peas inside.’
‘Two peas in a pod,’ Kate whispered. ‘So they were very alike?’
‘Very close.’
Kate’s face softened, then she said rather gloomily, ‘You know there are times when your gift makes me feel like a voyeur. I don’t feel as if I have the right to know such intensely private things about other people.’
‘If she didn’t want us to know about her existence, ma’am, she wouldn’t be here. She loves her brother dearly and she’s very proud of him.’ Jon said quietly, then they both glanced up as Gary’s footsteps could be heard walking back up the corridor.
Gary Pritchard entered, dragging a chair with one hand, and balancing a tray holding three polystyrene cups of coffee, a pile of packets of sugar and some creamers in the other. ‘I hope you both drink coffee, and if you don’t you are out of luck, the tea here could be confused with something left behind after the tide’s gone out.’
Kate smiled. ‘Coffee’s great, thank you. So, constable, why are we here?’
‘Well, actually it’s all your fault.’ Gary gave them a conspiratorial grin. ‘Chief Superintendent Cade read the county stats regarding your incredible arrest rate, and when a friend of his hit a problem, he promised to get the best team in the area onto it. And here you are!’
‘Oh great! And are you really rushed off your feet with ‘a serious investigation’?’ asked Kate.
‘We are up to our necks, ma’am, but then we don’t have the staff levels that your division has. And what is serious to us out here in the Wop Wops may not be quite as serious as the things you deal with.’
‘Okay, you’d better give us the background of what’s occurred.’
Gary sat down, stirred his coffee and frowned. ‘The girl, Toni Clarkson, is sixteen and a right little tearaway. It seems that her father, Neil Clarkson and his wife Ellen, have spoilt her to the point of ruining a bright, if somewhat unruly, kid.’
‘And she’s run away before?’ asked Jon.
‘This is the fourth or fifth time. That is why there is no missing persons alert. We can get involved if we want to; after all, she could be classed as vulnerable because of her age. We could go public and create a real stink, but Daddy is shit-scared that we’ll find her cr
ashed out in some squat, drunk as a fart, and make him look a total fool.’
Kate’s forehead had drawn into a mass of creases. ‘So his old chum, his friend in high places, good old Chief Cade, has roped us in to sort it, ASAP?’
‘And as quietly as possible, ma’am.’
‘Well, we’ll see about that, constable.’ she snapped. ‘I’m not renowned for my diplomatic fairy feet. We’ll do what needs doing, and in whatever manner I see fit.’
Gary nodded and with a satisfied smile, said, ‘Oh, goody.’
‘Excellent,’ said Jon, ‘Nice to know that we already have an ally in the camp. So what happened this time, constable?’ He asked, taking out his notebook.
‘Yesterday, Toni had a row with her mother over something quite trivial, but it escalated into a surprising dust up. Dad stuck his oar in and grounded her. Toni, as expected, didn’t take it well, and when night fell, she bunked off out of the bedroom window.’
‘Where do they live?’ Kate asked.
‘Cameron Court. The only posh address in the whole town. They have a ground floor apartment. It’s a gated community, has around a dozen town houses and the main Court itself. That’s three storeys of executive flats. Cost a mint.’
‘And has she been seen since?’
‘She and two mates were caught on CCTV camera sitting on the steps of the War Memorial. They were drinking from a bottle that she had concealed in a bag, and the time was logged as 10.27pm.’
‘And after that?’ said Jon, scribbling notes into his pocketbook.
‘Nothing. We recognised the other two girls and had a quiet word with them. They said she got stroppy when they refused to gatecrash the local nightclub with her. After a row, she called her friends a pair of losers and said she was going “Somewhere where she would be welcome and there was plenty of booze.” That’s the last time she was seen.’
‘And did they know where she meant?’
‘They had no idea at all.’ Gary shook his head. ‘Then we were pulled off, for fear of attracting too much attention. At that point it was assumed that the Dad still believed she was just sulking and hanging out at some friend’s place.’
‘I wonder if he’s as certain about that in the cold light of day.’ muttered Kate.
Jon snapped his book shut. ‘Maybe we should go find out?’ He looked across at Gary, ‘Will you be our local tour guide, constable?’
The man rubbed at his close cut, greying beard with surprisingly slender fingers and beamed. ‘Oh yes, sergeant. Best job I’ve been given since there was break-in at the brewery on the Bainfleet Road. As long as we can take your car, that is. The duty car is off the road and we are precious short of wheels.’
‘No problem.’ Kate was about to say more, but stopped abruptly.
A tall, ramrod of a man in an immaculate uniform stood in the doorway, silently surveying them.
‘Oh, good morning, sir.’ Gary straightened up and Kate saw that his smile had disappeared. The constable turned to her and Jon. ‘Ma’am, Sergeant.., this is Chief Superintendent Cade.’
Kate recognised him instantly from pictures in the Police Gazette, and realised that his reputation as a slimy bastard was clearly well-earned.
‘Good of you to come so quickly, DCI Reynard.’ The words seeped from the man’s thin lips and Kate was reminded of a trip to the zoo when Eddie was small. The reptile house in particular sprang to mind.
‘I realise that this is probably nothing.’ Cade smiled coldly, and Kate peered at him, trying to detect a forked tongue. ‘In which case, you will be back on your own patch before you know it, but when the missing girl happens to be the daughter of a highly respected local business man, and such a generous supporter of our Police Charities, well, what could I do?’
‘The situation has already been clearly explained by Superintendent Edwards, sir.’ replied Kate sourly. ‘And whereas we will do all we can to assist you, we do have pressing cases of our own running, and we are anxious to get back to them.’ She paused. Then added a clipped, ‘Sir.’
‘Naturally. I wouldn’t expect such a talented team to be lounging around doing nothing. So..,’ he raised his eyebrows. ‘as time is obviously of the essence, I’ll let you get on. And thank you, Kate. I knew I could count on you.’
Kate felt bitterly offended that he had chosen to use her first name. It implied that they were buddies, and if he was the last man left in Lincolnshire, she wouldn’t have chosen him for a friend. Plus, he had totally ignored Jon’s presence in the tiny office, and although that may have been for the best, it was still bloody rude!
As Cade moved away from the door, Kate murmured, ‘Oh, our pleasure, I’m sure.’ She waited a second or two before adding, ‘I don’t think.’ She stared at Jon. ‘Well, he really loved you, didn’t he?’
Jon lowered his voice and growled his reply. ‘I’d have it no other way.’
Jon drove, and Kate besieged Gary with questions.
‘You know this girl, Gary. In your opinion, do we have cause for concern?’
‘Funnily enough, ma’am, for some reason, I am worried. Maybe I’m just being a bit over-sensitive, but it doesn’t feel right.’
‘How come?’
‘Well, when they told us to back off, I decided to have a quick word with her mother about Toni’s previous escapades.’
‘And?’
‘Carefully planned, even though on each occasion she had had the most dreadful set-to with her parents.’ He paused to give Jon some directions, and then continued. ‘She had taken the time to pack a bag, and get herself to a cash machine before she left. Once she even took her passport.’ His voice was sombre. ‘That wasn’t the case this time.’
‘So she had no intention of running away?’ chipped in Jon.
‘She’s a clever and quite calculating girl, I reckon if she’d been doing a runner, she would have prepared better.’
Kate nodded, ‘So by going out of the window she was just defying her father’s curfew? Just off for a night out, sticking two fingers up at her parents?’
‘Exactly, ma’am. I’m certain that’s how it was.’
As they passed through the gates of Cameron Court, Kate felt inclined to agree with him, and for the first time, she felt a frisson of real fear for Toni Clarkson.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Neil Clarkson turned out to be nothing like Chief Superintendent Cade, and their deep concern about their wayward daughter’s disappearance was undoubtedly genuine. They admitted their faults, blamed themselves for pandering to her, and apologized repeatedly if it should turn out to be a waste of police time.
‘We lost a child, Chief Inspector. Killed in a road accident. He was only four.’ Clarkson ran his hand through his thick iron grey hair. ‘It’s wrong, I know, but Ellen and I have totally over-compensated with Toni.’
His stick-thin wife gave a sad smile. ‘And look where it’s got us. We love her with all our hearts, but she’s turning into a nightmare.’
‘One that we are not dealing with particularly well,’ added her husband wearily.
Kate felt for them. There were times when she believed that Marcus and Eddie were alien spawn, from a planet that bore no resemblance to the one in which she lived, but she loved them no less.
They took names of friends and lists of places that she frequented, but the only one that interested Kate was a recently ditched boyfriend called Ethan Barley. Hurt, rejected or angry, he may have been looking for a spot of payback.
‘What sort of boy is Ethan Barley?’ she asked.
‘He’s the son of the vicar of Fendyke Village. A student, and a bit of a rebel. We met him once and weren’t totally impressed.’ Clarkson looked at his wife.
Ellen agreed. ‘Not exactly our cup of tea. I got the impression that he was born out of time. He came over as very passionate about causes.’
‘We commented at the time that he should have been leading the Miner’s Strike, or selling copies of Che Guevara’s manual on guerrilla warfare. Frankly I sh
ould think that the student protests over tuition fees must be something of a God-send to him right now.’ Neil Clarkson shrugged. ‘Not that he was a thug or anything like that. He clearly came from a decent home and his manners were surprisingly good for such a driven young man.’
Jon asked about Toni’s personality. Was she easily led? Impressionable, etc. Her parents had laughed in unison at that one. Apparently Toni was contrary enough to pick an argument about a change in the weather, yet alone be talked into doing anything that she didn’t want to do.
Kate was just about to bring the meeting to a close when her phone rang. She excused herself, and went to the hallway to answer it.
‘Ma’am? It’s Rosie here. I’m in the A&E department of Saltfleet General Hospital. I thought you should know that a teenage girl has been admitted, and she’s in quite a bad way.’
A feeling of confusion swept over Kate. ‘Rosie? How come you’re at the hospital? And what makes you think it’s our missing girl?’ She added in a whisper so as not to alert the Clarksons.
‘I overheard a call come in about a youngster found wandering around on the outskirts of one of the fen villages. She had no ID on her and she was well out of it. Then I remembered what the Sarge told me on the phone, about you checking out another missing girl from the Harlan Marsh area. I decided to come down and take a look for myself. Can you give me a description of the girl you are looking for?’
Kate glanced at her note-book. ‘Brunette, shoulder-length hair, slim, brown eyes and wearing a yellow skinny T-shirt and boot-cut jeans.’
‘Then I think you should get over here ASAP.’
‘I’m with her parents right now.’ Kate bit her lip. ‘You say she’s in a state, can you clarify that, before I scare the shit out of her family.’
‘Battered and bruised. Query broken ribs. Nothing immediately life-threatening, although she’s pretty unstable. The medics are working on the supposition that she’s taken, or been given, a drug of some kind.’