Crimesight

by Joy Ellis

  ‘So, who were they imitating to get your attention? Who did you think touched you?’ Kate’s mind revved up a gear. ‘Your old crew-mate?’

  His lips tightened, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

  ‘You and she were an item?’ It probably wasn’t the right time, but suddenly Kate needed to know.

  Jon’s shoulders slumped forward and he said, ‘Yes. She really understood me, and she didn’t care about the spooky stuff, she just seemed to cope with it. I was going to ask her to marry me, but all that trouble with Cade, well, it changed her.’ Old, long-buried pain wrestled its way to the surface. ‘Like a lot of coppers, she would go home and have a drink after a shift, sometimes two or three. And it gradually took hold of her. Everything started to go wrong, and she knew that she couldn’t hack the job anymore. In the end she threw in the towel, and moved away.’

  ‘Jon! I’m so sorry, I had no idea!’ Kate’s heart went out to him. ‘What’s her name?’

  ‘Valerie.’

  ‘Have you seen her since she left?’

  ‘Once or twice.’ He looked at her flatly.

  ‘But if you were so good together, surely..?’ She struggled for the right words. ‘Maybe it’s worth another try? Maybe you could help her kick the booze?’

  He shook his head slowly from side to side. ‘It’s too late, Kate. She got drunk one night, and several witnesses saw her stagger into the road. Ironically, she was hit by a police traffic car on its way to an RTC. She died before she got to hospital.’

  ‘But, you said..?’

  ‘I know, but the two occasions when I ‘saw’ her, were at her funeral, and the day we scattered her ashes.’

  The statement hung on the air.

  ‘Oh shit.’ Kate murmured. No wonder he hated Cade.

  ‘Mm, shit is about right. There are times when my gift sucks.’

  ‘And now? Is there anyone else special in your life?’

  He paused for a moment or two, and then said, ‘Maybe I’d like there to be, but my life is far from normal. It’s a lot to ask of anyone to take me on.’

  ‘The right person wouldn’t care.’ Kate said simply.

  Jon shrugged. ‘We’ll see.’ He abruptly stood up. ‘Now changing the subject, ma’am, you should know that I decided to tell Gary about my gift, and he’s fine with it.’ He looked at her knowingly. ‘I’m not the only one who sees his sister.’

  Kate’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. ‘He’s clairvoyant too?’

  ‘No, but he has very strong sensitivity, although I think he puts seeing Anne down to grief. Whatever, he accepts my ability without reservation. I thought he would.’

  ‘So, that’s why you were happy to have him as a lodger.’

  Jon nodded, ‘And now confession time is over. Another ten minutes and we’ll miss out on interviewing Broome tonight.’

  Kate stood up as well; although her head was still taking in everything she’d just been told. And she had an over-powering urge to find out more about James Cade. His reputation had always been that of an arse-hole, but there were plenty of those wearing gold braid and raking in huge salaries, but to ruin a young and promising officer? Kate’s eyes narrowed and she decided that as soon as she had some spare time, she’d do a little digging around about the venerable Chief.

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  Jon and Kate sat outside the interview room and waited for Benedict to be brought up from the Custody Suite.

  ‘Before we go in, Jon, maybe we should just cram what little information we have on Broome. What do we know?’

  Jon opened a thin file. ‘This is what Andy English came up with. And it’s not much.’ He stared at the notes. ‘Benedict owns that flash place on the waterway. He’s been there for over ten years, and his house-keeper has a small annexe. She’s been with him for the same amount of time apparently, looks after the house and cooks etc. and other than a gardener who comes in twice a week, that’s it.’

  ‘And what does Benedict Broome do for a living?’

  ‘It doesn’t say, Guv. No mention of a job.’ He read on. ‘There’s a note from PC Goode regarding parentage. He says that he’s hit the wall trying to trace them.’

  ‘Sounds like a task for our Scotty, doesn’t it? Assuming that we don’t get satisfactory answers from Broome.’ She pushed her chair under the desk. ‘I just wish Toni Clarkson had not been so heavily drugged. She may have been able to pick either him or Micah Lee out in an identity parade as the person who abducted her. As it is, all she can recall is that he had weird eyes.’

  ‘And the word of a kid who had been fed a bag full of ‘Ooblie’ won’t exactly hold water anyway.’

  ‘Exactly, so let’s go see what Mr Benedict Broome can tell us.’

  Benedict Broome was led into the interview room, but before the custody sergeant handed over his care to Kate and John, he stepped back outside and said in a low voice. ‘Keep it brief. It’s getting late for a full interview, and I ought to tell you that he’s waived his right to having a solicitor present.’

  Jon shrugged. ‘That’s his prerogative, but not advisable under these circumstances.’ As they entered the room, Jon wondered what kind of man they would find.

  For the purposes of the tape, the boss introduced herself, asked Jon and Broome to do the same, and explained the use of the tape recorder. Then she made quite sure that Broome understood the severity of his position.

  ‘I really must advise you to have a solicitor present with you, Mr Broome,’ Kate paused deliberately, ‘…considering the seriousness of the situation and the nature of the discovery beneath your property, Windrush at Roman Creek.’

  The man looked at her, full eye-to-eye contact, and said, ‘I would, Detective Chief Inspector, but I’m more than willing to answer your questions. What you have discovered is horrible, absolutely devastating. I am as shocked and overwhelmed as you, maybe more, because that place was to become a sanctuary of peace and tranquillity.’ He gave a bitter laugh. ‘What chance of peace now, when I know that some evil person has used it to commit such terrible deeds.’

  Benedict Broome was well-built, in the good food and fine wine to excess kind of way, wore very expensive clothes, and although not old, had the air of the successful businessman about him. He looked at them earnestly across the table. ‘And of course I don’t want to hold things up for you or myself. Frankly, having a solicitor present or not, I can only tell you what I know, and be assured that I will not hold back, and it will be the truth.’

  He sat back in his chair, hands folded in his lap, and Kate looked at him for a long while before she replied. He was erudite, obviously had a clear understanding of the law, and was very different to most of the ‘clients’ that passed through custody.

  ‘Very well, sir. May I ask you as to whether it has been explained to you as to why you are here today?’

  Broome confirmed that he was fully aware that an abducted young woman and a number of bodies had been discovered beneath one of the outbuildings and yard areas of Windrush, and as the legal owner, he and the people who worked for him would naturally be held and questioned.

  ‘Were you aware of tunnels beneath your property, sir?’ asked Jon.

  ‘Only by way of historical legend. All old houses like Windrush have secrets, don’t they? Priest holes, secret rooms and passages, cellars and yes, quite likely, tunnels. There is most certainly a sealed door from the main cellar, but that was cemented up long before I took possession. Given the age of the building, I’m sure that isn’t the only one.’

  Jon frowned. ‘But surely you had extensive surveys done when the plans were drawn up for your rebuilding work?’

  ‘Yes, DS Summerhill, I did. But as I understand it, the underground room that contains the bodies, is not part of my present programme. If things went well and finances allowed, then I intended to go ahead with two more stages. That area would have been Stage Three, and no plans or surveys have been undertaken yet.’ He sighed. ‘And now they never will.’
r />   ‘What is your occupation, Sir?’ Kate asked abruptly.

  ‘I’m in the financial world. I speculate the stock markets.’

  ‘So you have considerable funds at your disposal?’

  ‘I’m not poor, although there’s never enough, DCI Reynard.’ The man’s face showed the hint of a smile. ‘Especially with a money-pit the size of Windrush.’

  ‘And you really won it in a wager?’ asked Jon.

  ‘I really did.’

  ‘So you are a gambler, sir?’

  ‘I’ve already said that I play the markets; that certainly makes me a gambler.’

  Jon looked at him with interest. His voice was cultured, and his replies quick and to the point.’

  ‘And were you born around here, sir?’ Kate asked.

  ‘No, I’m not Fenland born and bred. I was born in the West Country and my family later settled in Cambridgeshire.’

  ‘And your parents?’ Jon asked, as Kate watched the man intently.

  ‘Long dead.’ he said, with no emotion in his voice. ‘They died when I was in my late teens.’

  ‘So who looked after you?’

  ‘I had help from those around me, and luckily there was money. But to a point, I looked after myself.’ He sat forward, elbows resting casually on the table between them. ‘You know the old adage, shit happens. You just have to get on and deal with these things, don’t you? I survived, that’s what counts.’

  ‘So what brought you to the Fens?’

  ‘My solicitors and I spent years trying to unravel the complexities of my family’s estate, and some while back I discovered that I owned the property in Admiralty Row. I saw it, liked it, and that was that, I re-housed the tenants and moved in.’

  He sounded so plausible, but was he? Jon wished he had Rosie’s unique intuition.

  For a moment or two there was a silence as the two police officers assimilated everything they had been told by the seemingly genuine Benedict Broome. Jon looked at his notes and wondered whether to throw in a question about singing, then decided against it. It would be too easy for Broome to lie, and at this early point, it was a card that he wasn’t quite ready to play. He looked up, and then stiffened.

  A dark shadow stood behind Benedict. A strange amorphous mass with no specific shape, that seemed to cling to the man like some Damoclean parasite.

  Jon automatically leaned back in his chair, placing as much distance as he could from the wraith.

  He took a few quick breaths and tried to analyse it. It bore no resemblance to a human being, but he knew that it was connected in some way to Benedict Broome, and whatever it was, it scared him.

  He glanced across to Kate and placed two fingers against his left temple, his way of telling her that they were not alone in the room. She gave him an imperceptible nod and pressed on with the interviewing.

  ‘Your man out at Windrush, eh, Micah Lee. He seemed rather edgy when we spoke to him. Would you know why, sir?’

  ‘Apparently Micah Lee had an accident when he was small; it left him with learning difficulties, DCI Reynard. He is a good strong manual worker, but doesn’t have much in the way of academic ability.’ He nodded rather sadly. ‘I felt sorry for him, and the job out at my property has given him something to focus on. And don’t be deceived by his appearance, he’s actually very loyal.’

  ‘Where does he live, sir?’

  ‘He lodges at a farm out near out on Fendyke Village. It’s owned by a potato farmer called Tanner. Micah does some seasonal work for him and I understand that he generally helps out around the place, when he’s not at Windrush.’

  Jon was still watching the wraith and trying to listen at the same time, when suddenly the thing grew faint and disappeared. A different atmosphere filled the room and he felt able to join in again.

  ‘Mr Broome, we need to ascertain your movements around the time when the young woman was abducted,’ he said. ‘Where were you on Friday last?’

  The man considered the question carefully. ‘In the morning I was in my office at home, I do most of my business dealings by phone, and in the afternoon I took my housekeeper to the hospital for an out-patient’s appointment. I dined alone that night as far as I can remember, then I probably made some more phone calls and retired at..,’ he paused and rubbed at his cleanly shaven chin. ‘…around eleven, I should think. All rather vague, I realize, but in general my life is not an exciting one.’

  ‘And Elizabeth Sewell? Has she been with you for long?’

  ‘She came to me a week or so after I moved in. She suffers with her nerves, I’m afraid. She’s very delicate, but the solitary nature of the job suits her, ergo, it suits me. Plus, she is an excellent cook.’

  The interview had been full of mundane answers that left one believing that apart from his propensity for gambling, Benedict Broome were the most humdrum mortal on the planet. But even without Rosie present, Jon knew that was not true.

  Kate glanced at her watch and called the interview to a halt. ‘You must get some sleep now, but there will be more questions, sir.’

  ‘Of course, DCI Reynard.’ He raised his hands resignedly. ‘I am entirely at your disposal.’

  As they left the room, Jon had a distinct feeling of relief that he was.

  ‘Emily has been identified!’ Scott almost vaulted over his desk to get to them. ‘She is the Latvian girl, Aija Ozolini. Stephan took her uncle to the hospital, and he gave us a positive.’

  ‘How’s she doing?’ asked Kate.

  ‘Not good, Guv. Touch and go. She’s still not breathing for herself.’

  ‘Well, at least she’s out of that god-damned hellhole.’ She made a mental note to make sure that young Toni Clarkson was told about Emily’s rescue at some point.

  ‘And Prickles has been on the blower asking you to ring him on his mobile as soon as you can, Guv.’ As Scott returned to his desk, he added. ‘This trace on Broome’s background is driving me mad, every way I approach it, I get a big fat zero. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was found under a gooseberry bush instead of being born. It’s like he doesn’t exist!’

  ‘Maybe he doesn’t.’ said Jon flatly.

  Kate took a quick glance around and checked to see who was in earshot. ‘And is this to do with whatever was so interesting back in that interview room?’

  Jon smiled darkly. ‘Possibly. There was something very nasty attached to Mr Benedict Broome; something not for the faint hearted.’

  ‘What like some kind of malevolent entity?’ whispered Scott, his eyes gleaming.‘I’m not sure what it was, Scotty. It didn’t show itself clearly, but I was getting a close family vibration from it, and it was clinging to Benedict like a bad smell.’

  Kate looked at the two men and smiled inwardly. It seemed incongruous; the hi-tec wiz-kid and the sensitive go-between of the living and the dead. But the relationship worked, because she knew that Jon respected technology and welcomed its uses to speed up bringing the bad guys to justice, and Scotty had admitted to once having had a terrifying experience that he could never find a scientific answer for. And apart from mutual respect, they liked each other, which helped immensely.

  Jon perched himself on the corner of Scotty’s desk. ‘I’m picking up something very odd about that man, and if I were you I’d change the strategy for your next search, widen your horizons.’

  ‘Like how?’ Scott asked.

  Jon shrugged and yawned. ‘I’m not sure myself. I just don’t quite believe he’s the boring, middle of the road man that he professes to be.’

  Kate yawned too. ‘Damn, it’s far too late to go see Micah Lee.’ She threw him a worried look, ‘But I think we should ring Harlan Marsh and set something up for early tomorrow. He may need to have an appropriate adult with him to safeguard his interests. After what Broome told us, I’m not too sure about that man’s mental condition, he may look like a man mountain, but he could be handicapped, and I don’t want to find any of our interviews rendered inadmissible.’

  ‘Dead right
.’ muttered Jon. ‘I’ll ring Harlan Marsh now and get it sorted.’

  Kate nodded. ‘And I’ll ring Prickles.’ She opened up her phone and punched in the number for the pathologist. It took a while to connect and then the reception was too crackly to hear properly.

  ‘I’ll go above ground and ring you back!’ he yelled. ‘We need to talk.’

  A few minutes later he was back. ‘Ah, that’s better. The signal down there is a bloody nightmare.’ The pathologist sounded out of breath.

  ‘So what have you got for me?’

  ‘A few things, Kate. Some more important than others. First, and you really don’t need me to tell you this, but the time span between the murders confirm the escalating prowess of a serial killer. It seems that his kills were quite rare if we go back some ten years, but now, from the fresher condition of some of these girls, he’s starting to kill on a much more regular basis.’

  ‘So, hopefully we’ve stopped him before he goes on a spree.’

  ‘Possibly, but don’t forget that you’ve utterly destroyed his lair, Kate. He’ll hate you for that, and he may lose his control and kill again just to spite you.’

  ‘Unless I can put him away before he has the chance.’ she muttered. ‘So what else have you got?’

  ‘This is a small annoying thing.’ Prickles sniffed ‘On cataloguing the clothing, we find that your one remaining survivor had the wrong shoes with her, they wouldn’t fit her in a month of Sundays, and they don’t belong to any of the other victims either.’

  Kate told him about seeing exactly the same thing with Toni Clarkson’s footwear.

  ‘Ah, that solves that. I really hate those irritating details. So, now I can proceed to something of far more significance.’ He paused, probably for effect. ‘One of my Soco’s remarked about the amount of equipment in the underground room, and how it would be impossible to have dragged it all across the marsh and down the tunnel, so…’ He paused again. ‘I’m suspecting that the owner of Windrush will use the fact that the entrance to the underground burial chamber is on the marsh, and is common land, and hence could have been used by absolutely anyone. Am I right?’