by M A Comley
She stopped sobbing enough to look up at Sam and ask, “What family? There’s only my daughter and she’s got her own life to lead. I wouldn’t expect her to give up her successful career on a whim and move up here to run this place. No, there’s no other option I can think of, I’m going to have to sell the farm, and quickly.”
“That would be a shame, after putting over fifty years into it, but I think it’s the right decision. No one could blame you for wanting to put your feet up after all this time, Brenda.”
“Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I deserve this, now that my future looks bleak without David to share it with.”
Sam nodded, and her heart split in two for the poor woman. She and Bob did their very best to comfort Brenda for the next couple of hours until a car drew up in the drive. Brenda craned her neck to see who it was and she physically brightened. “It’s Michelle.”
Bob rushed to open the front door. Michelle almost knocked him off his feet in her urgency to get to her mother. “Oh, Mum, I’m so sorry. This is just awful for you, for us. How are you?”
Sam stepped back, giving them room to get reacquainted. Brenda hugged her daughter tightly for a few minutes, neither of them saying another word until she finally released Michelle. “I’m better than I thought I would be, love. Thank you for driving all the way up here to be with me.”
“There was never any doubt I would come, Mum. I just had to.”
“I know, sweetheart. Let me introduce you to Inspector Cobbs and Sergeant Jones, I think it is.”
Smiling, Sam extended a hand to shake. “Pleased to meet you, Michelle. Sorry it’s under such sad circumstances.”
“Did you find him? How did he die?” Michelle asked, her breath appearing to catch in her throat.
Sam’s gaze drifted between the mother and daughter, and she sighed. “It was a suspicious death. We haven’t got an accurate picture as to how he died as yet, not until after the post-mortem has been performed this afternoon. But your father was found in Ullswater Lake.”
Michelle covered her face and wept. It was Brenda’s turn to be a source of comfort. “There, there, love. He’s gone now, no amount of tears we shed is going to bring him back. Hush now.”
Sam and Bob left the room for a few minutes to allow them to grieve in peace. “We’re going to have to make our excuses soon, we have two cases to solve,” she murmured.
“You’re not wrong. They’ll be all right now, won’t they?”
She glanced at her watch and was staggered to see what time it was. “Jesus, it’s nearly five o’clock. Not that I’m clock-watching or anything. But that’s a whole day gone and what have we got to show for it?”
“You read my mind, yet again.”
“Okay, you go wait in the car, I’ll be two minutes behind you, I promise.” She handed him her keys, and Bob left the house. Tentatively, she knocked on the door to the living room and eased it open. “Are you going to be okay? We’re going to have to leave now, if that’s all right with you?”
“Thank you for hanging around to be with me. Yes, you go, Michelle is here now.”
Sam smiled at them. “You’ve got my card; if you need anything, don’t be afraid to give me a shout. The pathologist will be in touch with you within the next day or two.”
“For what?” Michelle asked, looking first at her mother and then Sam.
“To see your father, sweetheart.” Brenda took her daughter’s hand in her own.
Michelle gasped. “Oh, God, I never thought of that. Do we have to? I’m not sure I can bring myself to see him when he’s dead. I’d prefer to remember him the way he was, full of life, always larking around.”
Brenda squeezed her daughter’s shoulder. “You don’t have to see him, but I will want to say farewell to him.”
“Of course. I’ll take you,” Michelle agreed.
“Thank you.” Brenda glanced up at Sam. “Please, don’t worry about us. I can’t thank you enough for staying with me today. I know I took you away from the investigation, I feel bad about that.”
“A few hours won’t hurt. My team are still hard at it, working behind the scenes. I’ll be in touch as the investigation progresses. I’m so sorry for your loss. For not finding David before he was killed.”
“Thank you, Inspector. We’ll speak soon. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be okay, won’t we, love?”
“Yes, I’ll be here at least a week,” Michelle added.
Sam gave them a final wave and left the house. Her emotions were in turmoil. She couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that she was deserting them when they needed her the most; however, she couldn’t catch the killer, not without being back at the station, sifting through the evidence the team had gathered in her absence. She got in the car, ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair and sighed. “Back to the station then.”
“Are you okay? Would you rather I drove back?”
“Nope. I’ll be fine. I’m just sad for Brenda and Michelle. I can’t help feeling that we’ve let them down.”
“That’s nonsense. We had no leads to go on. We have no idea who the perp is, or what his motive is.”
“I know I’m being too hard on myself. It’s been a long day, let’s see what the team has to say and then go home.”
“I’m up for that. Bloody knackered, I detest hanging around, twiddling my thumbs for a couple of hours.”
“That’s it, heap the blame on me, why don’t you?”
“I wasn’t aware that I was.”
Sam sniggered and started the engine and drove back to the station. Once there, she made the rounds, asking each member of staff what they had found, and she received the same response from everyone—nothing. Absolutely fuck all. Where the fuck do we turn next?
It was a question she didn’t have an answer to. As far as she knew, there was no evidence, DNA or clues found at the lake. Without something to go on, their hands were tied tightly behind their backs.
She dismissed the team, thanking them for all their hard work. Morale was low with all of them. Members of the public didn’t have a clue how these kinds of cases affected the police on a daily basis. They had the impression that coppers were just doing their job, when the opposite was true. Being a copper was a vocation, not simply a career, to most coppers she knew, anyway.
Bob grumbled a goodnight to her; he was the last to leave. She switched off the lights to the incident room and closed the door behind her. DCI Armstrong was descending the stairs ahead of her. He heard her footsteps behind him, stopped and turned halfway down.
“Ah, Inspector. Calling it a day as well, I see.”
“Yes, sir. It’s been a bugger of a day.”
“How so?”
“Another victim showed up dead, the man who had been abducted.”
He shook his head and his eyes bore into hers. “Did you do your best to find him?”
Sam was taken aback by his question. “Of course we did.”
“Then your conscience should be clear.”
“Oh, it is, sir, perfectly clear. It’s still upsetting to think that another person has lost their life. His wife and daughter are distraught. We had to spend two hours with his wife while the daughter drove up from Manchester to be with her.”
“You have gone above and beyond, as I’m sure you’ll continue to do during the rest of the investigation. Do you have anyone in mind for a suspect yet?”
“No. My team are digging daily and coming up with blanks by the end of the day.”
“They need to dig harder, then, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Perhaps. I want to assure you, we’re all doing our very best.”
“Yes, yes. I don’t doubt that. I must fly, Mrs Armstrong and I are having guests for dinner this evening. She’s already rung me half a dozen times during the course of the day. I’ve got instructions to pick up a list of urgent groceries on the way home.”
“Enjoy your evening, sir.”
“I’m sure we will, once Kathy has stopped stressing. The
kids are staying with my mother-in-law for the night.”
“It’s good to have some adult time with your wife now and again.”
“It is. Have a good evening, Inspector, try to find the time to relax yourself this evening, if you can.”
Sam smiled and nodded, watched him shoot down the remaining stairs ahead of her and then let out a guttural moan when she realised what hell she was going home to. She was in dire need of a long soak in a relaxing bath, but the likelihood of getting one was tantamount to her jetting off on holiday to Barbados while Chris finished off the renovations all by himself. I can dream!
7
Sam’s exhaustion had reached another level by the time she arrived at work the next morning. Her evening had been spent clearing up the further mess Chris had made at the cottage and then trawling the internet again for the second night on the trot, trying to choose a kitchen they both liked. She had her heart set on an oak shaker style whereas Chris was determined to go for a more contemporary look. The evening had ended in an almighty argument. She marched up to bed at ten, leaving him drowning his sorrows with a four-pack of lager he’d picked up on his way home. She hated him drinking. It happened far too often for her liking. Having an evening drink had become the norm, rather than a luxury a few nights a week.
She wasn’t much of a drinker, she had always been able to go months without a drop touching her lips; that’s why she struggled to make sense of people setting off on a weekend to purposely get bladdered. If that was all they had to look forward to in life, she pitied them.
“I said good morning, boss.” Bob nudged her.
“Jesus, sorry, I was deep in thought there. Didn’t mean to ignore you.”
“Is everything all right?”
She exhaled a shuddering breath and nodded. “Hey, I’m fine. I should be asking you that. How’s things?”
“I asked first,” her partner insisted.
“Ignore me, I’m tired, that’s all.”
“You look as though you only got a few hours’ sleep last night.”
“That would be on the generous side. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Now, are you going to answer my question?”
He shrugged and looked away. She thought she spotted a little glint in his eye before he turned his head. “Go on, spill the beans.”
“Abigail came home last night. We took your advice and sorted things out like adults over a nice meal at our local pub.”
She smiled, genuinely pleased for him. “That’s great news. I’m delighted things are working out for you.”
“It’s early days yet. We’ve both agreed there are two parents in the house, not one. I’ve promised her I’ll have more input in the way things are run in the future.”
“Oh shit, I sense Abigail is going to regret putting such an agreement in place. What about Milly? How do things stand with the ‘devil teenager’? Your words, not mine, I recall.”
“We’re going to sit down this evening with Milly and try to work things out as a family. Neither of us wants to have slanging matches with our daughter and I’m sure all the arguing leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, too.”
“I’m sure you’ll all work out what’s best for the three of you going forward.”
He held his crossed fingers up. “So, now that’s out of the way, are you going to tell me what’s wrong with you?”
“The usual. I go home expecting to put my feet up for a rest and end up getting stuck into the renovations. I’m bored already and we’ve only been at it a couple of days.”
“I still can’t believe Chris didn’t run it past you first before he started ripping things out.”
“I know. Maybe he has a death wish.”
Bob chuckled. “Seriously though, how have you managed to keep your cool?”
She shrugged. “Not sure I have. We had a massive row last night. He turned to drink and ended up sleeping in the spare room.”
“Shit, sorry to hear that.”
“We’ll be fine. It’s not the first time and I doubt it’s going to be the last. Anyway, that isn’t the reason I didn’t sleep well.”
“Oh, why then?” Bob perched on the desk behind him and sipped his cup of coffee.
“I had the investigation going round and round in my head. Brenda having to deal with the loss of her husband has really got to me. I know we’re told to distance ourselves from the victims and their families for our own good, but sometimes, just sometimes, that’s so difficult to do.”
“I know. It was running through my mind on the drive home last night. Admittedly, once I got home and found Abigail there, my attention was on other things.”
“And so it should have been. I was fine all evening, preoccupied with the renos and sourcing a kitchen-…” She raised a hand when he opened his mouth to speak. “Don’t ask, nothing is sorted on what style we’re going for yet. We’re coming from different angles on that bloody issue.”
“You’ll get there. Abigail and I were at odds when we changed our bathroom. We went with her decision come the end and we love how it turned out.”
“Can you have a word with Chris for me? Tell him we women know what’s best, design-wise.”
“I’d rather not get involved if you two are having a domestic.”
“Gee, thanks for your support.”
The final member of the team, Oliver, arrived, so Sam and Bob put their conversation to rest for now.
“Okay, now we’re all here, let’s tackle what needs to be done today.” She had already brought the whiteboard up to date a few minutes earlier. “I realise the mood is going to be grim around here, none of us like losing someone who has been abducted. I need you all to keep digging for clues. We have two families now seeking justice. Not a position we like to be in, I know. Keep swapping the tasks around between you, if necessary, we’ve got to be missing something major.”
Bob sighed and crossed his arms. “We’ve looked at every angle. Maybe we should go back and speak to the families again. Perhaps they’re being lax with the information they’ve given us.”
Sam contemplated his suggestion for a moment. “Possibly, because of grief, is that what you’re referring to?”
He hitched up his shoulders. “Who knows? It’s not like we have anything else to go on, is it?”
“I agree. Okay, let me get the post out of the way first. Bob, organise the teams and we’ll hit the first victim’s family again; let’s face it, we’ve spent enough time with Brenda to know she has nothing to do with this. The same thing can’t be said about the Douglas family.” She left the team and stepped into her office, the scenery from her window distracting her for a second or two. After ten minutes of letter opening, she was losing the will to live.
Bob poked his head around the door and smiled. “How are you doing?”
“My mind is well and truly numb now.” The phone rang on her desk. She clamped a hand over her chest. “Nearly had a damn heart attack then.” She answered the call. “DI Cobbs, how—?”
“Sorry to interrupt you, ma’am, it’s Nick at reception. I’ve just received a call I think you should know about.”
“What’s up, Nick? It sounds serious.” She put the phone on speaker so her partner could hear.
“You could say that, ma’am. The postman out at Mosser has rung in, telling us that he’s found two women dead at the Chatley residence.”
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Her heart raced and tears pricked her eyes. She dug deep to keep it professional. “Is the pathologist on his way out there?”
“It’s been actioned, ma’am.”
“Okay, Bob and I will get over there right away. Thanks, Nick.” Sam was already on her feet, ready for the off. She glanced at Bob and noticed the colour had drained from his face. “Are you okay?”
“Not really. Did I hear right?”
“I feel sick, too, Bob, but it’s important for us to hold it together. Come on, let’s get our skates on.”
They raced through the incident room. Sam shouted o
ut the unwelcome news en route. “We’ll be in touch as soon as we hear any further details. Get digging, folks. Four people have lost their lives now and we’re sitting on our arses, not finding anything of value. Let’s put a halt to that.” Her tone was one of urgency and the team knew better than to answer back with wishy-washy excuses.
Outside, the rain was lashing down, adding to their sour mood. Sam opened the car doors and immediately pulled away. Bob switched on the siren to aid them. Weaving through the traffic, some of the cars hampered their progress as they panic-stopped. Eventually, she made her way out of town and drove hard and fast towards Mosser.
“Why are you rushing?” Bob clung on to his seat, his knuckles turning white.
“My need to get there quickly would account for that, do you have a problem?”
“No, I only asked. There was no need to snap my head off.”
Sam punched the steering wheel. “Sorry, admittedly, that was uncalled for. I’m pissed off with this. Why didn’t I keep someone on duty to watch over them?”
“You did your best. If Brenda was adamant she didn’t want babysitting, there was very little you could have done to change her mind. Old folks can be stubborn, dig their heels in when they think they’re being coerced into doing something against their will.”
“I know you’re right, but it still doesn’t sit comfortably with me. I let Brenda down, badly.”
“No, you didn’t. You do talk a lot of shit at times.”
Sam smirked, despite feeling like her chest was being crushed by a herd of elephants. “I’m glad you’re my partner.”
“Good. Sorry for swearing at you, it was for your own good.”
“I believe you.”
They made it out to the farm in record time; strange, considering there was no need to rush, what with the victims both being dead. Harsh, but true. Sam felt she needed to get there urgently, though.
By the look of things, Des Markham and his team had only just arrived. He was busy issuing instructions while the techs got suited and booted. Over in the corner of the yard, Sam spotted a red postal van. “Shit! The witness is still here. We’d better get his statement down and send him on his way.”