Tell No Lies

by Tell No Lies (retail) (epub)

  ‘Is that what happened? Were you offered something in return for killing Jackson Hobbs?’

  ‘No comment.’

  Gill grinned. ‘Or maybe a threat was made. You’ve a GBH conviction; you know about violence, don’t you?’

  The solicitor frowned. ‘Is this relevant?’

  ‘I’d say so. I’d say it proves your client is a man who’s prone to vicious assaults when crossed. Just the sort of person you’d want to take an enemy out for you,’ said Gill.

  ‘The GBH was… The bloke hit me first. I pushed him, swung a punch… Next thing I knew, he was on the ground, and I kicked him. I don’t…’ Jacob’s voice was choked. ‘I lost it. I’d never done anything like it before, never even been in a fight. I still can’t believe I did it.’

  ‘And yet you did.’ Gill stared at Jacob again. ‘Who is it? Who are you willing to shoulder a life sentence for?’

  ‘What did they promise you?’ Somerville asked again.

  ‘Or who did they threaten?’ Gill paused. ‘You’ve got a young daughter, haven’t you? Did they say they’d come after her?’

  Jacob blinked, but didn’t speak. Caelan could see the indecision in his face, the urge to confess fighting the fear of what would happen if he did.

  ‘Who else?’ Gill went on. ‘Did they say they’d kill your mum? Your nan? Your dog?’

  ‘We can protect them, Aaron. We can protect you.’ Somerville met Jacob’s eyes. ‘Help us understand what happened. Your family will be safe, there’ll be no repercussions.’

  ‘I really think—’ the solicitor began.

  ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Jacob’s chin was up, defiance, fear and tears in his eyes.

  ‘Then tell us,’ Somerville urged.

  ‘Who are you working for?’ Gill had softened his tone, his eyes on Jacob’s.

  ‘I can’t tell you.’ It was a whimper.

  ‘Let me remind you that you’re looking at the rest of your life in jail, Aaron. This is your chance to do yourself a favour. You were coerced, forced to kill Hobbs. Tell us what happened, and we can help.’

  Gill didn’t move. Somerville was silent. In the observation room, Achebe folded his arms.

  ‘Keep pushing,’ he muttered. ‘It was the mention of his daughter that got to him. Use it.’

  Aaron Jacob’s hands were over his face, sobs choking him.

  ‘I can’t tell you, because I don’t know,’ he managed to say. Somerville and Gill stared at him, uncomprehending. Sitting beside Caelan, Achebe groaned.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Gill demanded.

  Jacob stared at them, his cheeks wet, his eyes puffy. ‘I spoke to my girlfriend on the phone, and she said my cousin wanted to talk to me urgently. I called him. He said someone had pushed an envelope through his door. Inside was a photo of my daughter in her paddling pool.’ He gulped. ‘There was a note. It said… it said I had to get rid of Jackson Hobbs, otherwise they’d take her and sell her. Said they knew people who’d pay thousands for a pretty little blonde girl.’

  In the observation room, Achebe said, ‘Jesus. Fuckers.’

  ‘If anything was going to work…’ Caelan felt sick. Whoever was behind this, they had chosen their target with hideous efficiency. Aaron Jacob, locked away, powerless, would have felt he had no choice but to do as he was ordered. Caelan knew only too well that there were people around who would follow up such a threat without thinking twice.

  ‘I knew I had to do it,’ Jacob whispered. ‘I wasn’t going to be there to protect her. She’s three, for fuck’s sake. A baby. I had no choice.’

  ‘You had this conversation on the phone, while you were in prison?’ said Gill, showing no emotion. ‘No one heard you, none of the staff were listening in?’

  Jacob snorted. ‘You think they’ve the time? That place has half the staff it should have. Listening to our calls isn’t exactly a priority.’

  Gill said, ‘The conversation wasn’t recorded either, then? Handy for you.’

  Jacob pressed his lips together, ignoring the comment, though his eyes were blazing.

  ‘All right, Aaron.’ Somerville exchanged a glance with Gill. ‘Thank you for telling us. I assume your cousin was told to destroy the note and the photograph?’

  A nod. ‘He had to burn them as soon as he’d read the note. And he did, or so he said.’

  ‘What’s your cousin’s name?’ Achebe prompted his officers. He was becoming restless. ‘We can find out, but it’ll be quicker if he tells us.’

  Somerville asked the question. Jacob froze, pressing his lips together.

  ‘Come on, Aaron, you must have realised we’d want to talk to him,’ Gill said. ‘You need to give us a name. How do we know you’re not making all this up to save your own skin?’

  Fury darkened Jacob’s pale blue eyes. ‘How fucking dare you? You think I’d make up twisted shit like that involving my own daughter?’

  Gill shrugged. ‘I don’t know what you’d do, or what you’d say. You know we’ll be able to track this cousin down anyway. It’ll be something else the judge might look on in your favour, if you help us out again.’

  Jacob looked mutinous. The solicitor cleared his throat, spoke into his client’s ear. Jacob blew out his cheeks.

  ‘All right. First, though, I want you to promise he won’t face any charges.’

  Gill touched his index finger to his lips, looked at Somerville. She was stony-faced. ‘Tell us his name, Aaron. Last chance.’

  ‘Fine. Might as well. I’m fucked anyway.’ He pressed his hands to his cheeks. ‘Ryan Glennister.’

  ‘Where does he live?’ Somerville asked.

  ‘Don’t know. He moves around a lot. What do they call it? No fixed address.’

  ‘So which letter box did this mysterious envelope get pushed through?’ Gill placed his hands palms down on the table, leaning towards Jacob. ‘If you’re lying to us…’

  ‘I don’t know, I’m just telling you what he told me.’ Jacob’s eyes were panicked; he clearly hadn’t thought about the discrepancy with his cousin’s address. ‘Maybe he has a regular doss house. Like I said, I don’t know.’

  ‘But he does live in London?’ Gill pressed.

  Jacob blinked at him. ‘Yeah, course he does.’

  Somerville held up a hand. ‘We’ll find him, see if his story matches yours.

  In the observation room, Achebe stood. ‘I think we’ve heard enough.’

  ‘Do you believe his story?’ Caelan followed Achebe out of the room.

  ‘Yeah, I think so. He caved pretty quickly in the end.’ He rubbed his jaw. ‘You think that could be significant?’

  ‘I think he was telling the truth.’

  Achebe logged into the nearest computer. ‘Let’s see if this Ryan Glennister has a record.’

  As they waited, a uniformed officer approached.

  ‘Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve just had a call…’ She hesitated. Achebe looked up, smiled.

  ‘No problem. What is it?’

  ‘DI Hobbs’s husband is at the front desk, sir. I’m told he’s demanding to see you.’

  Now Achebe was frowning. ‘Adam? What does he want?’

  ‘Don’t know, sir, but I’m told he’s insistent.’

  ‘Okay. Will you ask them to take him to my office, please?’ The officer nodded, scurried away. Achebe turned back to the computer screen and scanned it. ‘We’ve nothing on this Ryan Glennister anyway. Jen Somerville will be straight on to the search for him when the interview’s over. We need to find him fast.’

  Caelan understood. ‘And not only because he might be able to help us. Because he’s potentially at risk now Jackson Hobbs is dead.’

  ‘Exactly. He’s a loose end, and we know how they’ve been dealt with so far.’

  She was following Achebe towards his office, wondering why Adam Waits was here, half expecting Achebe to tell her it was none of her business. In the end, though, Waits rounded a corner in front of them, closely pursued by anoth
er uniform.

  ‘Where’s my wife?’ he bellowed, barrelling towards them.

  Achebe stopped, held up both hands. ‘What are you talking about, Adam?’

  Waits stood glaring at them. ‘If she’s back at work…’

  Achebe’s face showed his incomprehension. ‘Listen, mate, there’s been a misunderstanding. I haven’t seen Liv since we came to tell her about Jackson this morning. I haven’t even spoken to her on the phone. I planned to give her a call this evening, see how she was doing, but…’ Waits was shaking his head, clearly not believing a word of it. ‘Look, let’s go into my office and talk about this, shall we?’ Achebe tried to take Waits’s arm, but the other man shrugged him off.

  ‘I just want to know where she is, that she’s safe.’ He folded his arms.

  Fear clutched at Caelan’s gut. Edmonton, she thought. Liv Hobbs had been in Edmonton.

  Waits pointed a finger at her. ‘She hasn’t been the same since you came to the house, telling her the accident was deliberate. Do you have any idea how worried she’s been? No, of course not. You just breeze in and fill her head full of nonsense, then go back to playing cops and robbers.’ He stared at Caelan as if seeing her for the first time. ‘Who are you, anyway?’

  Achebe had reached his office and was beckoning them inside. Waits glared at him as he stalked down the corridor.

  ‘This job is her life, you know. I know she hates being off work, and I thought…’ All at once, as he reached Achebe’s office door, Waits looked defeated. ‘I don’t know where else she would go.’ He slumped into a chair. ‘She was going to see her parents, wanted to find out if they would talk to her. According to them, she never arrived. She’s not answering her phone, none of her friends have heard from her…’

  Achebe had his mobile in his hand. ‘When did you last see her?’

  ‘This morning.’ Waits glanced at his watch. ‘Hours ago. Shit…’ He groaned. ‘Where the hell is she?’

  ‘Let’s not panic.’ Achebe sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself. ‘I’ll get an alert put out.’

  ‘She’s pregnant,’ said Waits softly. He rubbed his eyes. ‘I should have gone with her, but she didn’t want me to. I should have insisted, stayed with her.’

  Caelan realised why he had been so protective when she had visited their house. Not just because his wife had been involved in a car accident, but because of their unborn child.

  ‘Liv’s expecting a baby?’ Achebe was staring at Waits.

  ‘We only did the test at the weekend, had it confirmed by the doctor. Six weeks. I wanted her to tell you, then she had the accident, and we were so worried… We couldn’t believe it; we’ve been trying for years, had given up hope, and now…’ He swallowed, staring up at Achebe. ‘Find her. Please.’

  Caelan moved towards the door, knowing she should be out on the streets. Jackson Hobbs was dead, and now his sister was missing. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  Her eyes met Achebe’s, and she didn’t need to say where she was going to start the search.

  Edmonton.

  22

  Ryan opened his eyes, lifted his head. As agony rocketed along his battered jaw, he wished he hadn’t bothered. Where the hell was he? Someone’s living room, lying on his back on a sofa. He sat, looked around. Nice place. Huge TV hanging above the fireplace. Wooden flooring, and not cheap laminate either. Proper stuff. Not the kind of house his mates could usually afford. He had no idea how he’d come to be here, but for now, he wasn’t complaining. After Mulligan had thrown him out, he’d wandered around for a while, then met up with some friends and borrowed enough money to buy a couple of rocks. They’d ended up in a pub, then a squat with a few bottles of vodka. Then his memories of the previous evening became hazy.

  He got to his feet, head aching, mouth dry, and tottered over to the window. No clues out there; just grey sky, parked cars, and a row of terraced houses across the street.

  The house was silent. He crossed the room, stuck his head into the hallway. Nothing. In the kitchen, a similar story. He opened a couple of cupboards, all well stocked, filling his pockets with chocolate bars and crisps. He ran the tap and took a few gulps of water, then stood and listened.

  Silence.

  He swallowed, his throat still parched despite the water. Where was he? Who had brought him here? He stepped over to the back door, tried the handle. Locked, and there was no sign of the key. An ache in his stomach, damp palms. He hurried into the hallway, tried the front door. Locked.

  A thud from upstairs.

  Ryan heard himself gulp. Someone was up there, and he didn’t want to hang around to find out who it was. He moved quickly, quietly, and tried to open the nearest living room window. Locked. He let out a hiss of frustration between his teeth. Upstairs, a door opened. He heard footsteps on the landing. He ran to the second window. Locked, and no sign of the key.

  ‘Ryan?’

  It was Mulligan. Ryan froze as he strode into the living room wearing a navy towelling dressing gown.

  ‘You’re awake then. Make us a cup of tea, would you? I’ve been awake all night, entertaining one of the new girls. Punters are going to love her. She’s still upstairs, if you fancy a go.’ Mulligan began to cough, fumbling in the pocket of his robe and bringing out a packet of cigarettes. He lit one, watching Ryan as he did so. ‘What?’

  Ryan took a step backwards, sensing a trick. ‘I didn’t know where I was.’

  Mulligan snorted. ‘Nothing new there then, wee man. Pal of mine saw you last night, said you were barely standing. I thought it best to have you brought here, where I could keep an eye on you.’

  Blinking, Ryan tried to make sense of this. Mulligan wouldn’t have done it out of concern for his welfare. And offering him a girl? What was his game? ‘I thought you weren’t happy with me.’

  Mulligan nodded towards Ryan’s face. ‘You mean that? You pissed me off, I lashed out. All forgotten now, though, eh?’

  Except my jaw’s killing me, Ryan thought. ‘Okay.’

  ‘Anyway, you did something right for a change. Happy days.’ Mulligan smiled. ‘Where’s my tea?’

  In the kitchen, out of sight and under the noise of the kettle coming to the boil, Ryan hurriedly shoved all the food he’d taken back into the cupboards, praying Mulligan would stay where he was. He had seen him in this mood before, and it was no less dangerous than one of his rages. Best to make his tea, and try to get out of here. Was this Mulligan’s house? He boasted of owning different properties, but Ryan had never visited any of them.

  A bellow from the other room. ‘Come on, man, I’m gasping here!’

  Ryan slopped milk into the mug. Mulligan had his phone out, jabbing at the screen. Ryan waited, holding the handle out towards Mulligan, trying to ignore the scalding heat assaulting his fingertips. Mulligan looked up, saw what was happening, and went back to his phone with a smile. Ryan swallowed. Two more seconds, he told himself. Finally, Mulligan reached out and took the cup.

  ‘Cheers, pal.’ He took a slurp. ‘Not made one for yourself?’

  ‘No. I didn’t…’

  ‘What? Didn’t dare?’ Mulligan grinned.

  ‘Didn’t like to.’

  ‘Wise man.’ They heard a knock, and Mulligan inclined his head. ‘Here’s your lift.’

  Ryan stared. ‘What?’

  ‘I’ve given you a bed for the night; now it’s time for you to leave.’ Mulligan raised his mug in a mock toast. ‘Safe travels.’

  23

  She saw him as she stepped into South Harrow Underground station. He was leaning against the wall, wearing a dark overcoat and a pair of black-framed glasses. At least he wasn’t hiding behind a newspaper with eyeholes cut into it, Caelan thought as he came towards her. She allowed him to lead her out back outside as though their meeting had been planned, neither of them speaking until they were away from the station, standing outside an estate agent’s premises. Penrith leaned towards the window as if viewing the properties on display, while Caelan hal
f turned, keeping an eye on the street.

  ‘We need to talk,’ Penrith said.

  ‘There’s me thinking you were going to buy me a coffee.’

  He rounded on her. ‘I’ve been told to bring you in.’

  Whatever Caelan had been expecting, it wasn’t this. Taking her off the case, reassigning her? ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Come on, Caelan. You’ve ruffled feathers, stuck your nose in. Stepped out of line.’

  ‘Are you going to get to the point, or keep spouting clichés at me?’ She folded her arms, her mind working. Had he been told already that Joseph Rainey was planning to do some digging? ‘Let me guess. You’ve spoken to Tim Achebe?’

  ‘I’ve heard DI Hobbs has gone AWOL, yes. Last seen in Edmonton.’ Penrith turned his head, meeting Caelan’s eyes. ‘Who told you to contact the young lad again? Rainey’s brother?’

  ‘No one told me to. Jen Somerville suggested it, but…’

  Penrith looked away, giving a sharp nod as though she had confirmed what he already knew. ‘We’ve handled this badly. You’ve handled this badly. Breezing into police stations, into the homes of people related to the case, dressed like someone who’s off to the pub. Unprofessional. Some would say downright stupid. People have noticed you.’ He tipped back his head, looking up at the sky. ‘We don’t know what’s happened to DI Hobbs, but if her disappearance is linked to your disregard for procedure, I’m not sure I’ll be able to save you.’

  Caelan forced herself to remain calm. ‘What are you talking about? Save me from what?’

  ‘You think Assistant Commissioner Beckett isn’t aware of what’s going on? She’s watching us more closely than ever. None of us is indispensable, even you, the officer she’s dragged back from leave twice when only you could save the world.’ He sniffed. ‘Didn’t work, did it? You’ve raised lots more questions, but not answered any, and now you’ve dragged a teenage boy into the mess.’

  ‘I think Joseph was dragged in when his brother was murdered, don’t you?’

  ‘And when he concealed evidence.’