Tell No Lies

by Tell No Lies (retail) (epub)

  ‘Then we can assume—’

  ‘No, we can’t,’ Somerville put in.

  ‘All right, it’s possible Bryce lured Rainey to his death, whether intentionally or not. Maybe he set up a meeting.’

  ‘Bit of a leap, isn’t it?’ Somerville looked sceptical.

  ‘Maybe, but it makes sense,’ Achebe said.

  ‘Do we know where Rainey was when he made the call?’ Caelan asked.

  ‘Only just. He was at home in Northolt, or in the area, anyway,’ Somerville told her.

  ‘And Bryce?’ Achebe wanted to know.

  ‘Also at home. Hounslow. Bryce’s SIM wasn’t used again after that call either. He probably changed them regularly, if he was up to something dodgy,’ said Somerville

  ‘What if Bryce was told to come to us, to say there was a new dealer on the scene?’ Achebe suggested.

  Caelan frowned at him. ‘Why?’

  ‘Don’t know. When you think about it, though, why would he do it otherwise? What was in it for him? We didn’t pay him for the information. He wasn’t trying to win Brownie points with us; he had no need to. Why bother?’

  ‘You’re giving me a headache.’ Somerville rubbed her eyes. ‘We have evidence proving Bryce talked to Rainey then denied knowing him, and no more.’

  There was another silence, broken by Caelan.

  ‘Then we need to go back to Ben Rainey’s family and ask them why they lied about Ben and Bryce knowing each other.’

  ‘Haven’t you just said yourself parents don’t know everything about their children’s lives?’ Achebe reminded her.

  ‘Why don’t you speak to Joseph Rainey again?’ Somerville nodded at Caelan. ‘You seem to get on well with him.’ There was no bite in her tone, but Achebe shot her a look anyway.

  Caelan smiled. ‘Worth a try. I’ll give him a call.’

  ‘And I’ll send someone to talk to Mrs Rainey. Maybe we should bring her in? She might be more open to talking if her husband’s not there.’ Achebe looked from Somerville to Caelan, then made the decision. ‘No. I’ll go and speak to her myself.’

  Caelan listened to Joseph Rainey’s phone ring, then his voicemail message. ‘Joseph’s not answering.’ Unease stirred in her belly. Achebe picked up on it in her voice.

  ‘He’ll be okay,’ he said. ‘I’ll head out there now, give him a nudge if he’s there. Get him to call you back. Aaron Jacob and Frankie Hamilton will have to wait their turn.’

  * * *

  As Caelan stepped off the bus, she saw Joseph Rainey walking towards her, his hands tucked into the front pocket of his hoody.

  ‘You’re back.’

  He said it without inflection, not sounding pleased to see her, but not irritated either.

  ‘I am,’ she agreed. ‘Is there somewhere we can walk?’

  He glanced left and right. ‘It’s just houses, maisonettes. It’s not the Lake District.’

  She laughed. ‘Thought you might want to avoid being seen with me.’

  Joseph smirked. ‘By my crew?’

  ‘Your crew?’ She smiled, realising he was laughing at her, and possibly at himself. ‘Your mates, I meant.’

  She moved away, began to walk back towards the main road, hoping he would follow. After a second, he did.

  ‘He send you?’ Joseph asked.

  ‘Who?’

  Joseph tilted his head backwards, indicating the direction he had come from. ‘The bloke who’s sitting in our living room, chatting with my mum and eating my favourite biscuits.’

  ‘DCI Achebe?’

  ‘That his name?’ He sniffed. ‘What does he want?’

  ‘It’s about the phone, Joseph.’

  He closed his eyes for a second, as if the words caused him pain. ‘Shit. I knew it. Mum’s going to kill me.’ Realising what he’d said, he coughed. ‘You know what I mean. You found something on it, then?’

  Caelan stopped walking, ignoring the question, waiting until he met her eyes. ‘Have you heard of someone called Marcus Crowley?’

  Joseph drew his eyebrows together. ‘No. Who’s he?’

  ‘Ben never mentioned him?’

  ‘No, like I said. I’ve never heard the name.’

  Caelan watched him closely as he spoke, detecting no hint of a lie, or omission.

  ‘Okay,’ she said.

  Joseph ran a hand over his hair. ‘That’s all you wanted, to give me a name? See if I lied to you?’ He pulled up his hood, scowling. ‘If I knew it, I’d say so. This is my brother we’re talking about. I knew anything, I’d tell you.’

  ‘Like you did with the phone?’ Caelan couldn’t help saying. She began to walk again.

  ‘Yeah, all right. I explained about that. So who’s Marcus Crowley?’

  ‘He’s from north London.’

  Joseph shot her a glance. ‘Edmonton?’

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘Because that’s where Ben was found,’ he answered immediately.

  ‘Do you know anyone there?’

  ‘No, I don’t.’ His voice was hard, impatient. ‘Why would I? I live here, go to school around here. I don’t know anyone in north London, the East End, or anywhere else.’

  Caelan held up a hand. ‘All right, no need to snap. What about your sister?’

  ‘Miriam? You’d have to ask her. Doubt it, though. She spends most of her time in the library. Wants to be a doctor.’

  Caelan caught the grudging admiration in his tone. ‘And you?’

  ‘Dunno. Something with computers. Police, maybe, like Ben. You always need geeks, don’t you?’

  ‘More and more,’ Caelan agreed.

  ‘I know one thing, though.’ He lifted his chin, gazing around at the blocks of housing, his lip curled. ‘I won’t be staying around here once I’m working.’

  ‘You don’t like it?’

  ‘It’s a shithole, isn’t it? No opportunities, not enough houses, no space. Traffic. Everyone on top of each other. I know people—’

  He caught himself, closed his mouth.

  ‘What were you going to say?’ Caelan asked.

  Joseph looked around, lowered his voice. ‘It’s easy to get caught up in stuff, is all I’m saying. Someone was stabbed not far from here last week. A kid from my school was arrested for it. A few days before it happened, he’d shown us the knife. Started carrying when his brother got jumped, beaten up.’ He paused, shook his head. ‘I’m not stupid. I know there are people around who could offer me opportunities, ways to make money. I’m not going to take them, though.’

  ‘You’re talking about a gang?’

  His laugh was scornful. ‘Have you been speaking to my dad? That’s all he bangs on about. I don’t need you to… Like, I said, I’m not stupid.’

  ‘Can you give me any names?’

  ‘No.’ He quickened his pace. ‘No names, no specifics.’

  ‘What about Anthony Bryce?’

  He made a noise of exasperation. ‘Someone else I’ve told you I’ve never heard of. Getting boring now.’

  ‘Your brother knew him. Bryce denied they’d ever spoken after Ben was killed, then was murdered himself. If you know anything about him, Joseph, now’s the time to speak up.’

  ‘How do you know they knew each other?’ He sounded curious, not worried or concerned.

  Caelan explained what they had found on the phone. ‘If you can help…’

  Joseph said nothing. Caelan allowed the silence to grow, hoping he would fill it, but he stayed quiet. They turned into a street of semi-detached properties, some run-down, most well maintained.

  ‘You know what it’s like to grow up somewhere like this?’ Joseph spoke in a voice not much above a whisper.

  ‘Well, I lived on a council estate when I was younger, but…’

  He smiled. ‘But not like ours.’

  ‘No.’ Caelan wasn’t about to go into details.

  ‘You see, Ben was different. He had a goal, and he went for it. Unusual, around here. It’s not bad, not as rough as some places
, but still, he was a police officer. A Fed.’ Joseph grinned, though again, whether he was poking fun at her or himself, Caelan wasn’t sure.

  ‘You’ve got good parents, a stable home. It helps,’ she said.

  ‘But it’s not always enough. And if you don’t have that, the protection of a family… There are people willing to provide it.’ He glanced around again. ‘You see the kid in the distance?’

  Caelan didn’t turn her head. ‘On the bike?’

  ‘Yeah. Know what’s in his bag?’

  ‘What?’ She had a good idea.

  ‘I’m guessing it’s not his homework. He’s ten, eleven? And he’s already running errands for his older brother. Making deliveries, collecting stuff. Passing on information. No one notices a kid on a BMX.’

  ‘Except you.’

  ‘Come on, this isn’t news. People on bikes or mopeds have been stealing from people all over London, you know that. Taking stuff, or else delivering it. My mum and dad might think they can protect us. Like we’re clever, got our heads on right. We won’t get involved. But this shit is all around.’

  Caelan nodded. ‘What are you saying?’

  ‘I’m saying, sometimes you get caught up in a web, only you don’t see it until it’s too late.’ He ran his palm over his mouth.

  ‘Are you talking about yourself?’

  ‘No. Not me. People I know. I could maybe… ask around, you know? See if anyone knows Anthony Bryce, and the other one, Crowley? If they’re so important to you.’

  Caelan was already shaking her head.

  ‘I can’t allow you to do that, Joseph.’

  He scowled. ‘Because I’m a kid.’

  ‘Because I’m paid to talk to people, to take risks. You’re not.’

  ‘Risks?’ A snort. ‘What risks?’

  Caelan looked at him, taking in the defiant eyes, the set jaw. ‘You know what I mean. These aren’t people you can approach for a chat. They’re willing to kill to get what they want.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘If I knew, I wouldn’t be standing here.’

  He scowled again, chewing on his bottom lip. ‘You do it.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Ask questions. Wouldn’t matter if it was a harmless old lady or a serial killer, you’d have to talk to them, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Yeah, because it’s my—’

  ‘Job?’ he sneered. ‘Yeah, that’s what Ben always said. What a fucking superhero. Doesn’t make him any less dead, though, does it?’ He turned away, shoulders heaving.

  ‘You want to help, I get that,’ Caelan said softly. ‘But you’re what? Fourteen? Even if you were an adult, this isn’t your job. If you can give me information now, please do. Otherwise…’

  He turned. ‘What? You’re leaving? The conversation’s over?’

  Caelan shrugged. ‘Yeah. You’ve answered my questions.’

  ‘Are you going to our house?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Why’s your boss there?’

  ‘He’s not my boss.’

  Joseph waved a hand. ‘You’re a sergeant, aren’t you? He’s a DCI.’

  She smiled. ‘Goodbye, Joseph.’

  ‘Wait a second.’ He moved towards her. ‘Don’t go that way.’

  ‘What?’ She looked at him, watching him wrap his arms around his body.

  ‘Trust me. If anyone’s seen you talking to me, if you were followed here…’

  He was alert, ready to bolt away.

  ‘What are you talking about? What have you seen?’ Caelan demanded. ‘No one followed me.’

  ‘How do you know?’

  ‘I do. Part of my training.’

  His face relaxed, his smile smug. ‘I knew it. You’re not an ordinary copper, are you? You’re Special Branch or something. That’s what changing your hair and stuff was about. You’re sniffing around, and you don’t want people to know who you are.’

  Caelan’s stomach lurched. He’d tricked her, and she’d fallen for it like an amateur. ‘I’m a detective, that’s why I’m in plain clothes. It helps if we don’t stand out a mile when we’re working.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah. Maybe you should have left your hair brown then.’

  ‘Joseph…’

  He grinned. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep my mouth shut about you. But I’ll ask around.’

  Caelan stepped close, touched his arm. Lowering her voice, she made a last attempt to reason with him. ‘Come on, Joseph. People have already died.’

  ‘Yeah, I remember.’ He blinked rapidly, refusing to look at her. ‘Wonder why? I’ll be discreet.’

  ‘Don’t. Please.’

  ‘What are you going to do, arrest me?’

  He sauntered away, clearly pleased with himself. Caelan thought about calling him back; decided there was no point. She would speak to Achebe, and hope Joseph had the sense to leave the whole mess alone.

  * * *

  Back at South Harrow police station, Tim Achebe and Jen Somerville were waiting in the incident room when Caelan arrived back.

  ‘Mrs Rainey couldn’t tell me anything,’ said Achebe.

  ‘Neither could Joseph.’

  Achebe exhaled sharply, as though he’d been punched. ‘Great. So we’ve totally wasted a couple of hours.’

  ‘And Joseph is now threatening to play detective,’ Caelan said.

  Achebe stared. ‘What?’

  She told him.

  ‘Where did he get Special Branch from?’

  ‘I’ve no idea, but it’s potentially a problem. He knows my real name. If he mentions this to anyone with connections in Edmonton…’

  Achebe groaned. ‘Fuck. What do we do?’

  ‘Other than lock him up?’

  ‘We could ask his parents to ground him,’ Somerville said.

  ‘Or we could solve the fucking case and get whoever killed his brother behind bars.’ Achebe looked at Somerville. ‘You ready to talk to Aaron Jacob again?’

  She bared her teeth. ‘Let’s go.’

  * * *

  Caelan followed Achebe into the observation room adjacent to the interview suite where Aaron Jacob was waiting. He sat at the small, grimy table with his head bowed. In his threadbare grey sweatshirt and jogging bottoms, cheap plimsolls on his feet, he looked like a schoolboy. It was difficult to believe he had ever been in a fight at all, much less been convicted of GBH. Beside him sat another man, wearing a suit and scrolling on his phone. His solicitor, Caelan assumed. Eventually Jacob looked up at the camera high in the corner, wiping his face with his sleeve. He was slim, pale, looked exhausted and feeble. Under the harsh light, sweat was already beading along his upper lip, Caelan noted.

  Achebe settled in a chair, and she sat beside him.

  ‘Did we hear any more about Ben Rainey’s fingerprints being found in the hotel in Hackney? Any clue why he was there?’ she asked, keeping her voice low.

  Achebe shook his head. ‘Not yet. Something else that makes no sense.’ He looked at her. ‘Maybe he just liked paying for it.’

  ‘Has Liv Hobbs been asked about it?’

  ‘Liv? Why?’

  ‘She worked at the same station as Rainey, didn’t she? Limehouse? If Rainey was into prostitutes, someone would have known.’

  ‘Not something you chat about on your tea break, though, is it?’

  ‘But you know what police stations are like. There are no secrets.’

  ‘No one’s mentioned it to Liv, and we can’t now, not after the news we gave her this morning.’ Achebe sat up, gesturing at the monitors. ‘Here we go.’

  They watched Jen Somerville clatter into the interview room, followed by the male officer Caelan had seen her with earlier, the one Joseph Rainey had taken a dislike to. The solicitor checked his watch, put his phone away. Somerville threw herself into the nearest chair, while her colleague straightened his jacket and brushed off his trousers before taking his own seat. They started the recording equipment, asked Aaron Jacob to confirm his name, address and date of birth before introducing thems
elves. Somerville’s colleague was DC Sebastian Gill. Caelan watched him run a hand over his hair as Somerville leaned towards Jacob.

  ‘Afternoon, Aaron.’ Somerville gave an insincere smile. ‘How are you doing?’

  ‘Fine,’ he mumbled.

  ‘Ready to talk to us yet?’

  ‘No comment.’

  Somerville blew out her cheeks. ‘Still like that, is it?’

  ‘Come on, Aaron.’ Gill leaned forward, elbows on the table. ‘Talk to us. What happened between you and Jackson Hobbs?’

  Aaron Jacob sniffed. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Nothing? Were you friends?’ Gill waited. ‘Aaron?’

  ‘No. I’d never spoken to him.’ Jacob glanced at his solicitor, who nodded.

  ‘Are those your clothes?’ Gill nodded towards Jacob. He scowled.

  ‘You know they’re not. Nothing’s your own in prison.’

  ‘But they’re not the clothes you put on when you got up this morning, are they?’ Gill tapped a fingernail on the table. ‘What happened to those?’

  Jacob sneered. ‘Like you don’t know. You’ve got them.’

  ‘Correct. See, it’s not so difficult, is it? We ask the questions, you give us the answers, and we’ll all be home by dinner time. Oh.’ Gill feigned a look of embarrassment. ‘Some of us will. You’ll be going back to prison – for the rest your life this time.’

  Caelan saw Jacob’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, but there was no other reaction.

  ‘Your clothes from earlier today are covered in blood, Aaron,’ Gill continued. ‘Whose is it?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Is it yours? Did you cut yourself shaving? Must have been a nasty nick.’ Pausing, Gill narrowed his eyes. ‘A man stabbed to death on your wing, and your clothes are soaked in blood. Doesn’t take Hercule Poirot to figure out what happened, does it?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know.’ Jacob sat up straighter, his eyes fixed on a spot above Gill’s head.

  ‘We’re running tests on it. Shouldn’t be long before we’re able to confirm it came from Jackson Hobbs.’

  Jacob didn’t react.

  ‘Who told you to do it, Aaron?’ Jen Somerville spoke gently. She was ignored.

  ‘We’ll find out anyway,’ said Gill. ‘We’re talking to every lowlife in the prison. Funny what people will tell you if there’s something in it for them.’