by Joy Ellis
Ethan Barley stared wide eyed for a moment, then said, ‘Nic? Oh no, surely you can’t think…?’
‘I do actually.’
Kate picked her way between crushed lager cans and discarded crisp packets. ‘Sorry, Ethan, but I’m with Jon on this. I think your brother maybe more savvy than you give him credit for.’
Even in the gloom of the cellar, Kate saw Ethan blanch. ‘My father will kill him if he finds out.’
‘I hope you mean that figuratively?’
The boy said nothing.
‘I am afraid that we are going to need these keys.’ said Jon, dangling the ring on his index finger. ‘We need to seal this place up, and get a SOCO down here.’
‘Forensics?’ Ethan’s eyes were growing wider by the minute.
‘I’m sorry, but this may have been the place that Toni and Emily were brought to.’ Jon spoke the words gently, and Kate knew from the tone of his voice that although the student may have stringent views on life, there was something about the boy that he rather liked.
‘Of course.’ He stared at the floor. ‘But if you find evidence that my brother has something to do with this, he’ll be in serious trouble, won’t he?’
‘Up to his sticky-out ears, I’m afraid.’ Jon pushed his hands deep into his pockets. ‘Unless, of course, you could get him to talk to us. Then we’d be a lot more lenient with him.’
‘And Ethan, we need to know if there has been another key cut.’ Kate added. ‘Do you think you could find out for us? Meanwhile we’ll say nothing about suspecting that Nicholas may be involved.’
‘I need some air.’ The boy slowly walked back to the door and up the steps. Shoulders hunched, Ethan walked over to the low wall, the one where Jon had sat earlier when they had talked of wreckers, and sat heavily down.
Kate went over to him, and Jon hung tactfully back in order to give his boss a few moments with Ethan Barley.
Kate adopted the same tone that she used with her teenage sons. ‘We could be wrong. But we have to find out what’s going on, you realise this, don’t you, Ethan?’
He nodded. ‘I’ll help, for my family’s sake, and for Toni and the other girl.’ He looked Kate full in the eyes. ‘Is this Emily in real danger?’
‘What do you think, Ethan? According to Toni, she was drugged and dragged away, to God knows where. She hasn’t been seen since. It doesn’t get much more dangerous than that.’
The boy bit his lip and stared at the ground. ‘I’ll do all I can with Nicholas.’
It seemed there was no more to say and Kate saw Jon walking over to them.
‘I’ll call this in, ma’am, and get uniform down here. Then we’ll get Ethan home.’
Back at the vicarage, Kate gave the boy her card. ‘Any time, day or night, okay?’
He nodded and pocketed it. ‘I hope you find her.’
As they pulled away, she glanced across to Jon, ‘He’s not a bad kid, but his brother gives me the creeps.’ She paused. ‘No mention of a mother.’
‘She’s dead.’ Jon said flatly.
‘You saw her?’
‘I picked up a few vague memories. I saw a woman in the kitchen, playing with the children.’
Kate shook her head. ‘How the devil do you manage to differentiate from one world to the next?’
Jon grinned ‘Years of practise, ma’am. There is always a subtle difference between real and spirit. And regarding the Barley boys’ mother, she was clearly just an old memory left behind.’
‘Do you ever see your sister?’ The words were out before Kate had really thought about what she was asking.
‘No.’ Jon went quiet, indicated and pulled onto the road into town. After almost half a mile, he said. ‘Izzie got all hung up about my gift. She started going to séances and..,’ he hesitated. ‘…some bad people started to fill her head with dangerous ideas. In fairness, no-one knew that she had a psychological weakness, but she became obsessed with the spirit world. And if I wasn’t the way that I am, she might still be alive today, so you can see why we feel responsible.’
‘But why did she kill herself?’ Kate almost whispered.
‘She killed herself, because she wanted to be my spirit guide.’ He pushed down on the accelerator. ‘And of all the hundreds of souls that have seen since, I’ve never once seen my sister.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Thoughts of his sister’s wasted life had saddened Jon. He never spoke about her, and was surprised that he’d told Kate as much as he had. Now he was trying to take his mind off it. He’d done all he could regarding the chapel’s extra-curricula activities, plus he’d asked uniform to check the pumping station and the sanatorium for them, just in case the chapel crypt was not the venue for Toni’s second party.
He stretched, pushed his chair back and called across to where Rosie sat at her computer. ‘Hot chocolate, Flower?’
She looked up and smiled. ‘I’d kill for one. Metaphorically speaking.’
Jon walked out to the vending machine, and glanced back at her. Rosie was still staring at the monitor, and idly twisting her hair into a tight corkscrew. Jon smiled. She often did that when she concentrated. As he sorted out some change, he wondered why he took it for granted how attractive she was, and considering the time they spent together, why didn’t he know more about her. He knew she was one of three girls, all in the police force, and all in different divisions, and that she had a flat over a flower shop in the High Street, end of. Not great, when she was supposed to be his colleague and his friend. Maybe he should ask her to go for a drink?
Jon straightened up, grunted and pushed the coins roughly into the machine. And maybe nothing. They had a missing girl to find, and he needed to keep his mind firmly on that, not allowing it to wander down paths where it had no business.
PC Andy English and PC Ivan Goode sat in their squad car and appraised the scene before them.
Windrush was a massive old Gothic Victorian property. It sat in overgrown parkland that bordered the marsh, and in its heyday, must have been quite something. But those times had passed.
‘Oh my,’ murmured Andy. ‘We’ll need a fortnight to check this dump thoroughly.’
Ivan didn’t answer. He was still trying to take in the full scale of the old mansion. The main building was more or less intact, but some of the peripherals; storerooms, barns and out-houses, seemed to be being demolished. Piles of rubble and stacks of old timber were heaped along the edge of the lawn, and from somewhere around the back, Ivan could see a plume of grey smoke rising from what must have been a large bonfire. ‘Well, someone is here.’ He indicated to the smoke. ‘Let’s go have a word.’
Andy nodded, then stepped out onto the weed-covered gravel drive and slammed the car door. He pulled on his hat and began to walk towards the flight of stone steps that led up to the main entrance.
A JCB stood at the foot of the steps, and Andy noticed a soft ticking sound as he passed it. ‘Engine’s cooling down. You’re right about someone being around.’
‘What are they doing with this place?’
‘No idea. I haven’t been out this way for years.’
Ivan pushed open one of two big front doors and they stepped into a huge foyer. ‘Fenland Constabulary! He called out. ‘Anyone home?’ His voice echoed across the cracked marble floor, up the rusting staircase and over the powdery plaster on the shabby high walls.
‘Must be outside.’ Andy moved back through the doors and together they walked around to the side of the house.
On what was left of an expanse of concrete patio, was a battered metal skip with a thick plank of wood resting against the lower edge. As they approached it, they saw a mountain of a man, his fat hands tightly gripping the rubber handles of a loaded builder’s wheelbarrow, stride effortlessly up the plank, and with a roar, heave upward and send the weighty contents crashing down into the dented old container. With one deft twist, he brought the cement-caked barrow back around, and down to the ground.
Sweat dripped from his bro
w, and that brow creased into a scowl of disapproval, as his eyes fell on the two policemen.
Andy fought to retain his normal calm expression as he gazed at the ugliest man he had ever seen. ‘Eh, good afternoon, Sir. Are you the owner here?’
Hostility flooded from every pore of the man’s huge frame, and a gruff ‘No’ was all he said. Then the frown deepened and he added, ‘There’s nothing here for you. This is private property.’
‘Sorry, sir, but we have a young woman missing.’ Ivan tried to look taller and tougher than he actually was, and quickly realised that he had failed. ‘We need to check all unoccupied buildings in the area and we’d like the owner’s permission to have a look around.’
Both officers saw a swift change of expression dart across the giant’s face. Andy found the emotion hard to place, but the mention of the girl had clearly affected the man in some way.
‘Oh, well, that’s different.’ He didn’t smile at them, but his anger had abated somewhat. ‘A girl, you say? Well, I’ve been out here from dawn to dusk for the past month and I’ve seen no-one.’
‘It’s a big place, sir. She could have either sneaked in, or been brought here, and you’d not necessarily see. We do need to have a look, I’m afraid.’
‘Yes, of course, uh, I don’t suppose the owner, Mr Broome, would object.’ He brushed dirt from his meaty hands, then wiped them down his trouser legs. ‘But I’ll have to come with you. This place is not safe. And some of it is locked. I’ll need to get the keys. Oh, and you will need hard hats too. Health and safety and all that crap.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ said Andy courteously. ‘And you are..?’
The man paused. ‘Micah. I’m Micah Lee, Mr Broome’s caretaker. He don’t come here too often, so I keeps an eye on things for him.’
‘And you are doing a lot of work too.’ added Ivan looking at the site that Micah was in the process of clearing. ‘What are the plans for this place?’
‘It’s a big project, a dream really,’ mused the man. ‘But you’d better ask Mr Broome about it yourself. I’ll give you his card when we go into my office.’ He sniffed loudly. ‘Now, come with me and we’ll get those hats.’
An hour later, their shoes scuffed and their uniforms patchy and white with dust and dirt, the two policemen decided that enough was enough.
‘No-one has been here, have they?’ grumbled Ivan.
‘They’d be barking if they did,’ added Andy, rubbing plaster dust from his trouser leg. ‘This place is a death trap.’ He looked at Micah. ‘Sorry to have disturbed you, Mr Lee. Good luck with the project,’ He grimaced. ‘…I reckon you are going to need it.’
‘Oh it’ll happen, you’ll see, officer. I know it will take time, but Mr Broome will get his dream one day.’
Andy opened the door of the car and thankfully sank down into the driver’s seat. ‘I hope so, sir.’ He turned the ignition, waved, then drove down the wide driveway as swiftly as he could. ‘Bloody hell! That was one ugly son-of-a-bitch, wasn’t it?’
‘Hagrid meets the Incredible Hulk.’ Ivan swallowed. ‘I’m going to have nightmares thinking about that face, and did you see the calluses on his hands?’
‘I did, and I certainly wouldn’t want to meet him in an alley on a dark night.’
Ivan stared down at the tatty dog-eared card that he still held in his hand. ‘Shall I give this Broome bloke a bell?’
Andy slowed down at the gate-house then pulled out onto the deserted lane. ‘Not much point. I get the feeling that the big guy will probably have already contacted him about our visit.’ As he accelerated away from the desolate old property, he frowned. ‘But I will make sure the Guv’nor knows about this place. I can’t say that I’m really happy about it, are you?’
Ivan let out a whistle, ‘Want me to be honest? I’ve never felt so spooked by a place since I was a cub-scout and someone shut me in the churchyard at dusk.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘Shit scared, mate. That’s how I felt. Shit scared.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Back at the station, Kate went to check if there were any messages from forensics about the chapel.
Clive flashed a cheery grin and began to root around in the masses of untidy paperwork on his desk. He located the correct memo sheet in just a few seconds, probably quicker than the Superintendent’s Gruppenfuhrer Celia could with all her neat and efficient files. ‘The Soco rang us from the scene, Guv. She reckoned there were enough bodily fluids floating around to crash their computer’s DNA file, but unfortunately the tests take time. It will be over a week before we get the results.’
‘Sod it! How about prints?’
‘A shed load. And she’ll stick them on the database as soon as she gets back to the lab. They’ll come up instantly if they get any matches.’
‘That sounds a bit more promising. Keep me posted, will you?’
Kate went back to her office and saw Jon stand up from his desk and walk across to join her. ‘Just the man. I was wondering if we’ve ever bumped into young Nicholas Barley before, in an official capacity.’
‘He’s had his collar felt a few times.’ said Jon. ‘Unfortunately, it was nothing bad enough to warrant taking his dabs.’
‘No matter, we’ll take them anyway.’
‘I’ll get that sorted.’ said Jon. ‘By the way, can I run something past you, Guv?’
‘Fire away.’
‘Do you think Toni Clarkson would be up to going to the old chapel, to see if she remembers it as the place where the so-called party was held?’
Kate nodded. ‘I think she’s got the balls, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do. Shall I go over to the hospital and ask her?’
Kate shook her head. ‘No offence, but why not ring Harlan Marsh nick and get Gary Pritchard to do it. He seems to have a way with that kid.’
‘Good point. I’ll contact him. And I’ll ring that friend of Ethan’s too.’
Kate walked back out to the CID room and saw both Rosie and Scott gloomily looking at computer print-outs. ‘I guess from your faces, that we’ve nothing more on Emily?’
‘Sorry, Guv,’ Rosie looked up. ‘We are running out of avenues to explore.’
‘I’m beginning to wonder if that drug messed with Toni’s head.’ Scott pulled a face. ‘We could be hunting a hallucination.’
‘We can’t rule that out, but the kid is recalling more every time we speak to her.’ Kate frowned. ‘I’m sure she exists, so.., sorry guys, keep looking.’
Jon joined them, ‘Ethan’s friend isn’t answering his mobile, so I’ve left a message on voice-mail. Let’s hope he gets back to us.’
‘And Gary?’
‘He’s on his way to the hospital, ma’am, and he was certain that he could get her to visit the chapel.’
‘Excellent. We’ll meet him there, and then go back to the chapel with the Clarkson girl. If she recognises that cellar, that will tell us something definite. And we’ll talk to Toni in a little more detail about ‘Emily’.’ Kate straightened up. ‘Right, time to move. Rosie, you check our own records and see if we have anything logged here in Saltfleet about illicit parties or drinking clubs. Keep me updated on anything you unearth, and Scott, keep digging regarding mispers, and listen out for this call from Ethan Barley’s friend. Get as much as you can from him about the Emily that he chatted up in the pub, okay?’
Scott nodded. ‘Wilco.’
‘Then go to it, we have to find out what happened to Toni Clarkson, and it’s imperative that we know if there is another girl missing. We need something to corroborate Toni’s story about that beautiful girl with the long dark hair.’
‘You drive.’ Kate threw Jon her keys. ‘My phone’s ringing.’
She pulled her mobile from her bag and walked around to the passenger door.
‘DCI Reynard? I need to understand something.’
It took her a moment to recognise Ethan Barley. ‘Sure, Ethan, fire away.’
‘Can you assure me that it really would help my brother
if he spoke to you? I mean, it’s not some kind of trick on your part, is it? I know a bit about entrapment and shit like that. It does happen, so don’t tell me otherwise.’
‘I wouldn’t lie to you, Ethan. That sort of thing does go on, but not within my team, okay? If Nicholas knows something, he comes to us and he offers that information freely, it will go well for him. Likewise, if he knows something, and conceals that from me, I’ll hit him harder than a speeding lorry. Is that clear?’
For a moment she thought he had rung off, then he said, ‘Then I think he needs to talk to you.’
‘If he needs a bit of persuasion, Ethan, you can tell him we have lifted an awful lot of fingerprints from that cellar. If his are there, on a bottle maybe, and he denies knowing about the party, well, I guess your father won’t be too pleased when he sees me snap those cuffs around Baby’s skinny wrists.’ There was another silence, so she added. ‘We should get the prints back later today. Comparisons don’t take long, so as soon as we take Nicholas’s dabs, well, it could be curtains, couldn’t it?’
‘I’ll bring him down.’ Ethan sounded scared.
‘Two hours from now, Ethan, and I’ll meet you at the front desk. Okay?’
‘Yeah, okay. Oh, and forget the girl my friend chatted up, I’ve just heard from him and she was a spiky-haired blonde.’
The line went dead, and Kate closed her phone. ‘Well, I think from that conversation, we can assume that with a little arm twisting from his big brother, young Nicholas is about to get an attack of verbal diarrhoea.’
‘Perfect.’ Jon smiled. ‘That could save us a lot of leg work.’
‘And if Toni recognises the crypt, then everything could fall into place pretty quickly.’ Her voice sounded confident, but they both knew that in the real world, things rarely happened quite so conveniently.
Jon managed to talk the Clarkson’s into waiting in their BMW, while Toni was shown the chapel. They all knew that she would be far happier if her parents were not hanging onto every word she said.