by Joy Ellis
‘Not funny, Detective.’
‘Far from it, sir.’
‘Actually I’ve been asked to come in by the chief constable.’ He smiled at her. ‘I was coming to see you anyway, you understand, but he gave me a direct order.’
Cat hadn’t been expecting good wishes from such lofty heights. ‘I appreciate it, sir.’
‘He wants me to assure you that whatever treatment you need, you’ll get. He is fully aware of your good record and your high standing within your team, and he doesn’t want you worrying any more than you have to. You’ll get the very best care, Cat, I promise.’
‘Oh, I can’t complain about my treatment, sir. They haven’t let me see my face yet, but I’m seeing the facial surgeon later today to talk about further surgery. I trust him, sir. I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.’
‘Okay, but any problems and you speak to me, alright?’ He pulled a chair up close to her bed. ‘And so, apart from your obvious injuries, how are you coping?’
‘Not too good, sir. But I’ll be fine as soon as I get out of here and back to work.’ She looked down at her heavily bandaged legs. ‘They should heal quite quickly. I was lucky that no major blood vessels were involved. They say there will be scars, but hey, I hate swimming, and thank God, mini-skirts are well out of fashion. A nice pair of jeans and I will back in the murder room in no time.’
‘You come back when the FMO says you are fit, and not before, young lady.’
‘But I’m bored already, sir,’ she said.
‘So read a book, do a crossword, chat up a doctor.’ He looked at her fondly. ‘Heal. Get well. I’m sure your team miss you very much, but they’ll want you in good shape before you get back in the saddle.’
Cat knew there would be no arguing with Rick Bainbridge. She’d save that for the DI. She had a much better chance with Nikki Galena.
‘Is there anything you want?’ asked the superintendent. ‘Joseph is coming in later, and he asked me to check with you.’
‘No. Yvonne Collins has stocked me up with toiletries and nightwear, oh, and lots of chocolate.’ She looked at him hopefully, an idea suddenly springing to mind. ‘But my iPad would be good. If I give you my door-key, do you think Joseph would mind calling in and picking it up on his way in?’
‘I’m sure he won’t mind at all.’
She eased herself closer to her locker, opened the drawer and removed her key.
‘Tell him it’s on the kitchen table, and the charger will be plugged in on the work top, next to the toaster.’ This time she did manage a half smile. ‘That would be really great, sir. Help to pass the time.’
She edged her way back into a comfortable position. The painkillers were working now and moving her legs felt less like she was sticking them in a shredder.
‘Sir? Can I ask you about the accident? Although it was far from being an accident, but you know what I mean. It had to be random, didn’t it? I mean, no one other than a few people in the office knew where we were going, and even they didn’t know whether we would call in at the bakers before or after our appointment.’
‘We think the hit was made on you because of the fact that Danny was in uniform, that’s all. It was most likely someone who hated police officers. Some kind of revenge, Cat. And for you, it was a case of very bad timing. We think you were targeted because of what you are, not who you are.’
‘So if Danny had been in civvies, it might never have happened,’ she mused.
Rick Bainbridge looked at her with a steely glint in his eyes. ‘We’ll get to the bottom of it, Cat. I guarantee that. We’ll get who hurt you, and we’ll get the answers that you need.’
Cat nodded slowly. She knew it was true. DI Nikki Galena might be juggling another murder case right now, but she would never rest until she’d put the driver of that vehicle behind bars. As far as Nikki was concerned, someone had hurt one of her family, so God help him!
* * *
Nikki stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. Joseph was seeing to the receipt of the murder weapon from Kent Police, and she had decided to try to make the list that the super had requested. She had thought it would be far from easy, but as she considered some of her past cases and old incidents, faces and names came rushing back. She began scribbling some of them down, then crossed most of them through. Okay, they were all villains and some of them were capable of a lot of very bad things, but killing police officers and threatening detectives was outside their remit. Even for the hardened criminals, it was one step too far.
Soon the white paper was full of hastily written and scratched out words. But although the name Stephen Cox was still central, clear and underlined, Nikki was surprised to see that three other major players had crept into her top ten of cop-hating suspects. She looked at them carefully. Strangely, none of them were actual criminals. ‘Well, well. Windsor Morton, Jeremy Bow and William French. There was a time when you guys had us quaking in our boots.’
She frowned. Each one of them, for very different reasons, had caused mayhem in Greenborough, and although it had been some time since she’d heard their names mentioned, Nikki knew that they could all fit the bill.
William French blamed them for his father being murdered whilst on the witness protection programme.
Jeremy Bow blamed them for his teenage son’s death after a high-speed chase.
Windsor Morton believed that the police had falsified evidence against his daughter and son-in-law, resulting in their going down for murder.
Nikki sucked in air. Were they still as bitter and full of hatred as they had been, even if they had not been seen around for some while? With a little grunt of annoyance, she pulled out her phone and selected the number for Cyn City. All three needed checking out, but right now her money was on Stephen Cox. He was still her numero uno and he was the one she’d start with.
‘I’m afraid she’s with her accountant right now.’ Cynthia’s assistant sounded more like a big company PA than a dodgy club receptionist. ‘Can I get her to ring you?’
‘Would it be possible for you to interrupt her and ask her just one question for me?’
There was a short pause, then the voice said, ‘I suppose I could.’
‘Tell her it’s DI Galena, and ask her if she’s seen our mutual friend again. She’ll know what I mean.’
Nikki waited for a while, then a voice that she recognised came on the phone.
‘Hello, Inspector, Cynthia here. In answer to your question, I haven’t seen him. I’ve asked around, just a few people who I trust, and there have been no sightings of him since he visited us the other night.’
Nikki thanked her, then added, ‘If you could continue to keep an ear to the ground for me, I’d be grateful.’
‘I will. I’m secretly hoping that he was just passing through and now, like the vermin he is, he’s crawled back into his hole again. I don’t want my clients upset by the likes of Stephen Cox.’
And that, thought Nikki, sums him up a treat. Even crooks don’t want to associate with him. But right now Nikki wanted to know exactly where that particular hole was, so that when the time came, she could set her rat trap.
‘Ma’am?’
She looked up to see Yvonne and Niall in her doorway. Yvonne clasped a coffee mug in her hand. ‘You look like you need this, guv.’ She placed it on Nikki’s desk.
‘Life-saver.’ She looked up at them. ‘So how did you get on at Waterside Quay?’
‘What, apart from having to physically drag our Niall away from the place?’ Yvonne grinned. ‘He’s decided he’s going to give up the Police force and learn about big tractors, then maybe he can live in a place like that.’
Niall shook his head. ‘It looked like a film set, ma’am.’ He spoke dreamily.
‘Yeah, a horror movie, and it even had the obligatory bloodstains and brain matter on the floor and up the wall,’ said Yvonne. ‘But we’ve been over the place with a fine-tooth comb, guv. We’ve spoken to her neighbours and security, but they are as
puzzled as we are. According to them, it couldn’t have happened.’
Niall dragged himself away from his dreams and added, ‘So we contacted the security company who installed the lock system. We went over to their offices just outside town, and they were all running round like headless chickens.’
‘The system is supposed to be fail-safe, and we got the feeling they are looking for a scapegoat to stick the blame on. We’ve got the name of the guy they’ve brought in to find the error, but he has nothing to tell us yet.’ Yvonne placed a business card on Nikki’s desk. ‘He’ll contact you immediately when he finds the gremlin.’ She glanced at the card. ‘His name is Alan Brady and right now, he is one very busy and very worried man.’
‘Okay. Well, that’s about as far as you can go with that.’ Nikki stared thoughtfully at Yvonne. ‘Would you two mind doing a bit of off the record sleuthing for me?’
‘Your wish is our command, ma’am.’ Yvonne looked back with interest.
‘Stephen Cox.’
Both officers stiffened.
‘Please don’t tell me he’s back?’ Yvonne said. Her face had set like hardening cement.
‘One sighting, but it was confirmed.’ Nikki lowered her voice. ‘I need to know what the word is on the streets. Can you have a word with a few of your snouts? See if they know more than we do.’
‘You got it, ma’am.’ They looked at each other soberly, then turned and left. As they did, Dave entered the room. ‘I’ve contacted as many people in Hellecroppen as I can, and they all categorically state that Magda was working alone. Only when she was at home in Holland would she collaborate with her own specialist Dutch team.’ He shook his head. ‘Not one of them knew anything about a work colleague in Britain. They are as nonplussed as we are.’
Nikki felt frustration eat its way into her. More dead ends. Still, there was one hope. She told Dave about Joseph’s idea regarding the Internet, and saw his face begin to lose its miserable expression.
‘That’s a really good point, ma’am. And for a woman with Magda’s phobias, cyberspace would be the safest place to liaise with someone. Is the sarge getting hold of the laptop now, or shall I request it?’
‘He’s already done it. And he’s asked one of the techies to lend a hand sifting through the data.’
‘Good. That will make the job a lot easier and faster.’ He pulled a face. ‘Without Cat around, I feel a bit like a fish out of water with the old computer skills.’
Cat had spent a whole year doing advanced computer studies in her spare time. She had always been something of a wizard with the keyboard and now she was fast becoming invaluable to the team. She had cut down the use of the IT techies by half, and as that particular department had been ‘civilianised’ and it cost money every time they enlisted their help, her new talent made even top brass pleased.
Nikki thought about that fact. It could be a major blessing that Cat now had another string to her bow. If her injuries precluded her going back into the field for a while, she would still have a valuable place in the team, even if she was tied to a desk.
After Dave left, Nikki found her mind wandering back to her three other candidates, three men who might still be bitter enough to wage war on the police. Each one made her feel cold inside when she remembered them.
Windsor, Bow and French. Very different animals, but all three had expressed intense emotions that had escalated rather than waned as time passed. And in each case their hatred went far deeper than organising demonstrations, setting up petitions and obtaining the services of lawyers. They had all showed a level of unbalanced animosity that had had local police officers watching over their shoulders and fearing for the safety of their loved ones.
But still, other than vile threats, nothing had ever come of their intimidating behaviour, and now Nikki wondered how many officers serving in Greenborough would even remember them.
‘William French, Jeremy Bow and Windsor Morton,’ she whispered to herself. ‘I think it’s time to make a few discreet enquiries as to whether you are still living locally, and see how you feel about a visit from the police these days.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It was almost ten in the evening when Nikki and Joseph finally arrived on the track that led up to Cloud Cottage Farm. They had agreed to go there first, collect some of Nikki’s things and check the place over before locking it up.
They had driven in convoy across the darkening fen, and Nikki had felt a growing dread as they made their way across the marsh lanes towards her home. For the first time in her life, Cloud Fen looked sinister, full of unseen menace. She had spent the whole journey worrying whether the faceless killer had returned. And if he had, what the hell would they find this time?
The famous scene from the Godfather had flashed unbidden into her mind. The horse’s severed head nestling on golden satin sheets in Jack Woltz’s bed. Suddenly it had lost its cinematic distance, and seemed all too possible.
They parked close together and Nikki looked uneasily across to her barn, dreading that the bloodied bull bars of the Barbarian would still be lurking in the shadows.
Thankfully by the time they got there, the vehicle had long since been placed on a low-loader and taken back to the police yard for forensic examination.
They crunched across the gravel, both grateful for the bright security lights. They glanced apprehensively at each other as Nikki pushed the key into the lock, but neither said a word. She couldn’t recall ever feeling so edgy, so powerless. They didn’t know who was threatening them and they didn’t know why. He had given them no indication of what he wanted from them. And the word “compensation” meant very little. Compensation for something that had happened to him? Or to someone else? Or for some kind of incident that he blamed them for?
‘Whoever he is,’ murmured Joseph, his voice low and steely, ‘he has certainly succeeded in getting to us.’ He moved in front of her. ‘I’ll go in first.’
The house was quiet. There were no lights on that shouldn’t be, and nothing appeared to be out of place.
Joseph looked around suspiciously. ‘Maybe you should change the locks.’
Nikki didn’t think that would do any good. ‘I think I’d be wasting my money. If he got in once, he could do it again.’
‘I guess. I’ll check upstairs.’
He led the way and searched each room carefully.
As Nikki watched, she saw the soldier in him, still vigilant, still on duty. Every area was meticulously checked and cleared, and then he visibly relaxed.
‘All clear.’
‘For now,’ said Nikki uncomfortably. ‘But I can’t help wondering what the beast’s next move is going to be.’
‘He will tell us what he wants before long. This kind of terrorist always has an agenda and he’ll have demands to be fulfilled.’ Joseph gnawed on his lip. ‘I wonder what we are dealing with?’
‘I dread to think.’ Nikki started gathering her things together. A selection of clothes, nightwear, wash-gear, phone charger, laptop. She looked at Joseph. ‘Grab my duvet and pillow from my bed. They are all freshly laundered and it’ll save you washing and ironing after I’ve left.’
‘No way.’ Joseph shook his head. ‘That’s no problem. The guest room is always made up ready, just in case.’
Ah, his daughter, thought Nikki. The ‘just in case’ was for Tamsin, if she ever wanted to visit. Not that Nikki could remember it ever actually happening. Tamsin had gone to live with her mother after the divorce, and for years had refused to see or talk to Joseph. She blamed him for everything bad in the world. Even as a tiny child Tamsin had been a pacifist, a mender and a healer, and her father was a soldier. He killed people. And that, in Tamsin’s eyes was not acceptable. But now she was an adult, and things had apparently eased into a bearable truce. But even though Joseph had tried his hardest, they were not yet on “dropping in” terms.
She took a pair of trainers from the bottom of the wardrobe and decided not to argue with him. It was good of Joseph
to let her share his tiny cottage. She didn’t want to offend him before she’d even set foot in the place.
She bundled the shoes into a bag and suddenly realised how much she needed his company right now. It was bad enough trying to come to terms with Hannah’s death, let alone find her home besieged, and Nikki and her friends stalked by an unidentified killer. In fact, there was no one else in the whole world that she’d rather have by her side right now.
‘That should do.’ She looked around, then picked up a framed photograph of Hannah from beside her bed and pushed it into her grab bag. ‘And if I’ve forgotten anything, we are only minutes away.’
Together they went through the house again, this time checking that all the windows and doors were closed and secured. Nikki saw that a red light was flashing on her answerphone and found one new message. It was Phil Maynard telling her that he and his son had been to the station and had their fingerprints taken. Before hanging up, he offered their help if she needed anything. Nikki smiled. They were a good old fen family, not perhaps the brightest academically, but hard workers and always swift to lend a hand.
She cleared the message and looked around. ‘I guess that’s it. Time to go.’
‘I was going to ask if you had any food in the fridge that needed using up,’ Joseph grinned at her, ‘then I remembered it was Nikki Galena that I was talking to.’
‘Don’t be facetious. I cooked something last week.’ She pondered for a moment. ‘Or was it the week before? I forget.’
‘I rest my case.’ He held the door open for her. ‘And when we get to my cottage you will find homemade beef and mushroom cannelloni. I’ll get it together while you unpack your things.’ He smiled at her, a gentle, thoughtful look in his eyes. ‘Knot Cottage is yours, for as long as it takes. Help yourself to anything. Open the cupboards, look in the drawers, I have no secrets. Just make yourself at home.’
She squeezed his arm with her free hand, and they walked out into the darkness.