by Liz Mistry
Opening a bottle of water, Archie sagged onto his chair and took a long drink before speaking. ‘How is Davy?’
‘He’s fine. Asked after you, but they’re stumped with the Flynn murder.’ Nikki took a deep breath and spoke her next words in a rush. ‘That’s why we headed over to Ashton-under-Lyne, to interview the Flynns on Saturday.’
The silence following her rushed words lay heavy as Archie, eyes closed, muttered to himself, the only discernible words being “proverbials, idiots and insubordination”. Eyes still shut and in a quiet tone that affected Nikki much more than his earlier loud anger, he wafted his hand towards the door. ‘Get both the Cambridge and Ashton interviews written up. I want a full report on mah desk within the hoor … And, Malik, get the Hudson crime scene report written up, ready tae share at briefing … and you, Parekh …’ He didn’t even make eye contact with Nikki. ‘Consider yourself aff the Hudson case.’
Sajid jumped to his feet and reached the door in record speed, Nikki trailing behind. Relieved to be leaving the charged atmosphere of Archie’s office, Nikki was gutted by her boss’s next words. ‘Send Springer in. Ah need a DS ah can trust leading this case.’
Chapter 34
‘Well, that went well.’
Nikki scowled. Saj’s blasé words were belied by the way he loosened his tie and all but fell onto his seat. Standing next to him, shoulders hunched, Nikki didn’t know what to do with herself. When they’d exited Archie’s office, silence had once more fallen on the rest of the team and everyone seemed to be engrossed in their work. That they’d overheard her rollicking from the boss would ordinarily have pissed Nikki off, but today what upset her most were Archie’s parting words: “I need a DS I can trust.” Springer, really? He thought he could trust Springer more than me? That hurt, really hurt. After all they’d been through, her and Archie, and now he was throwing her on the compost heap, like a sack of potato peelings.
Sliding into her chair opposite Saj, she stared into space. Springer’s expression when her partner had told her Archie wanted to see her was one of puzzlement and Nikki didn’t want to witness the change from confusion to smug satisfaction when the other woman came out. Chest tight, Nikki tried to breathe through the tension that held her body like a vice. She was a far better detective than Springer could ever hope to be and yet here she was being side-lined. If it was any other case, it wouldn’t matter quite as much, but this one … this one was personal. This one was about her past – her family’s past and she couldn’t trust it to Springer – not when so much was at stake. Not when she had her kids to consider.
She leaned closer to Saj round the side of the monitors, and keeping her voice low said, ‘Can you believe this? Springer? I’m supposed to just let Springer take over? What the hell is Archie thinking?’
Hesitating, Saj rolled his neck and then with a sigh responded. ‘Look, Nik. I know this isn’t what you wanted. I know you find it hard to let go, but on this one Archie’s right.’
Nikki’s mouth fell open, but Saj continued speaking before she had a chance to vent. ‘No, he’s not right about Springer being better than you – that goes without saying. However, he is right about keeping you in the background on this one. You know he is. People have been murdered, Nikki, and for all we know, this bastard may have more planned. All clues lead back to you and so we need to make sure you’re out of the equation as far as documentation, witnesses and the press and public are concerned. I think Archie’s done you a favour. He hasn’t sent you home. He hasn’t banned you from the office. He hasn’t sent you to the dungeon to computerise documents from fifty years ago. No, what he’s done is protect you and the victims and their families by keeping you publicly out of the investigation. He’s done his job, yet in typical Archie style, he’s allowed you access to the ongoing investigation … okay, it’s from behind a desk – but it’s the best of a bad situation and if you just take a deep breath and stop letting your self-righteous indignation get the better of you, you’d accept that. Besides, how the hell do you think I feel? It’s not all about you, you know. How the hell am I supposed to cope with working with Springer? It’s my worst nightmare. Now crack on and help me with these reports. Last thing I want is another Archie tirade.’
For a moment Nikki glared at Saj, who, tapping away on his keyboard, ignored her. She hated it when he was right. Poor Saj wasn’t going to find it easy adjusting to working with another DS and Springer wasn’t going to be easy for him. Folding her arms over her chest, she slumped in her chair. How the hell was she going to manage to stay in the office? A quick glance around at the four beige walls and the rows of desks filled with officers who were better on computers than she was, filled her with dread. Biting her lip, she considered her options. She would be able to offer her unique insight into the case – after all the missives had been sent to her, hadn’t they? She might, with Sajid’s assistance, be able to direct the investigation in the way she wanted and, when she was out of the office, in her own time of course, she could use her own resources. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Archie’s door opened and DS Springer, Archie trailing behind her, walked into the middle of the room, clearing her throat. ‘Just to let you know that I am Senior Investigating Officer on the case of the man, Gerry Hudson, discovered this morning. Information has come to light that may link this investigation with the murder of Peggy Dyson. I would like you …’ she pointed at DC Anwar ‘… to collate everything we have on the Dyson case ready for a briefing at 4 p.m. Today. In the meantime, I am heading over to the crime scene to view it for myself. All reports from door to doors et cetera should be ready for the briefing. Clear?’
All the time Springer spoke, she had avoided looking in Nikki’s direction. Now, she straightened her spine, looked straight at Nikki and with an abrupt nod, walked out of the room, leaving, for the third time that day, a stunned silence behind.
Chapter 35
After dropping Isaac off near the café, Lalita had driven to her own work. As she approached Tyersal Library, she found herself slowing the car. Glancing round, she looked for any suspicious characters, before indicating and turning into the car park. Instead of driving to her usual parking spot at the back, Lalita had eased the car into one of the bays nearest the entrance to the library. She was being overly cautious, yet she couldn’t shake the sense that she was under threat. No matter how much she berated herself for her stupidity, Lalita was nervous.
During her shift, Lalita had been distracted, so much so that her manager had pulled her to the side. ‘You okay, Lalita? You look a little tense.’
Lalita had smiled and waved off the other woman’s concerns, determined to ignore the knot of anxiety that had lodged in her tummy. ‘I’m fine. Just tired.’
Still, she couldn’t help herself studying any visitors she hadn’t seen before. Did they look likely to have put a mildly threatening note under her windscreen wiper? When she found herself scrutinising an 80-year-old who was returning his wife’s books, she gave herself a mental shake. Come on, Lalita, get a grip.
When the end of her half-day shift arrived, Lalita was reluctant to leave the safety of the library and stayed on returning books to shelves until her manager pointed out the time. Lalita had no choice now but to return to her car. With her heart thurrumping, car keys in her hand, one protruding between her middle and index fingers like Nikita had shown her, she forced herself to straighten her shoulders and walk smartly to her car. Seeing the windscreen was bare, Lalita collapsed into the driver’s seat, relief flooding through her. With a laugh, she inserted the key in the ignition and edged out of the bay. What an idiot. Of course it was just kids pratting about. Who else could it have been?
Relaxed, and feeling ever so slightly foolish, she switched the radio on to Bradford Asian Network and sang along to some of her favourite Hindi songs as she drove home. The sun was out, the sky was blue and she looked forward to preparing a meal for her and Isaac to share. It was so good to have someone to cook fo
r. Although she frequently cooked for both Nikita and Anika’s families, having someone to share a meal with at her own table in her own house was special.
As usual, she pulled into the small parking space Marcus had created for her in her backyard and was soon indoors, throwing open windows to let the late summer’s warmth heat up the house. Stopping only to flick the kettle on, she walked through the hallway, meaning to go upstairs and change into something more comfortable. A pile of mail lay on the doormat and, humming to herself, Lalita picked it up and began to sift through it. Bill, bill, flyer … and Oh my God! The unopened letters fell to the rug as Lalita clutched the scrap of paper, her eyes glued to the words as if to memorise them, when in truth they were already tattooed into her brain. I Am Watching You.
Sliding onto the bottom step, one hand clutched to her throat, Lalita dropped the letter on the floor, watching it flutter down to land on top of the others, the threatening words face upwards, taunting her. Tears sprung to her eyes. The other note hadn’t been left by kids. The presence of this one proved that. Her fears hadn’t been unfounded and now, whoever was behind the note, had visited her home. Her faceless tormentor knew where she lived. Lalita jumped to her feet and flew back down the hallway to the kitchen where she slammed the windows shut and double-checked that she had locked the back door before doing a round of her home, closing curtains, checking windows and doors.
Sitting in the dark living room, she tried to control her breathing. She was safe. No one could get in. She had nothing to worry about. The one thing that was clear to her though was that there was nothing else for it: she’d have to tell Nikita now – but later. When she got back from work.
Chapter 36
The briefing started promptly at 4 p.m. Springer, standing in Nikki’s usual spot at the front, the boards ready behind her courtesy of Williams and Anwar, looked efficient and ready to lead.
Saj wheeled his chair closer to Nikki and spoke in a whisper from the corner of his mouth. ‘It’ll stay like that.’
‘Eh?’
‘Your expression. It’ll stay like that if the wind changes. And let me tell you, you do not want that as your resting bitch face.’
Nudging him sharply in the ribs, Nikki attempted to rearrange her features into a less scowly combination and tried to focus on the blah blah blah stuff that Springer was regurgitating about the crime scene and the carer and the boxes found at the scene. Her stomach gurgled and Nikki realised she’d missed lunch. Thoughts of a bacon sandwich from Lazy Bites made her wish this damn meeting was over, then she realised everyone was looking at her. ‘Sorry, what was that? I must have zoned out for a second.’
Springer’s smile was forced as she repeated her words. ‘If it’s not too much to ask, I was asking you to update the team on the possible links to the death of Peggy Dyson, one of Bradford’s rough sleepers, Liam Flynn’s abduction and subsequent murder in Cambridge and Gerry Hudson’s murder this morning.’
Ouch! The Spaniel is back in town! Despite the other woman’s hostility, Nikki detected an underlying nervousness. A frown was embedded across Springer’s forehead and her knuckles clutching her notes were white, as if her grip was excessive. Standing up, Nikki strutted to the front of the room and stood between the two boards positioned beside the one topped with the morgue photo of Gerry Hudson. One board was headed with a police photo of a scowling, mucky-faced, Peggy Dyson, presumably taken during one of her arrests for low-level disturbances or soliciting. On the other, by sharp contrast, was an image of a smiling fresh-faced Liam Flynn. Below each image were copies of the diary extracts and news clippings sent anonymously to Nikki. Pointing to the boards, Nikki, choosing her words carefully, began with a warning. ‘What I am about to reveal does not leave this room. This is all highly confidential and as such we don’t want the press to get wind of it.’
Taking a deep breath, she continued. ‘This first photo is of Peggy Dyson, a rough sleeper, drug addict and prostitute known to Bradford police. She was found with multiple stab wounds under the Forster Square arches, where she tended to spend her time, at the end of August. These …’ Nikki pointed to the clippings and extracts below ‘… were delivered to me shortly after her death, sent by an anonymous sender.’
Buoyed by the charged atmosphere in the room, Nikki momentarily forgot she wasn’t the lead investigator as she moved on to the second board. ‘This is the research student, Liam Flynn, who was abducted and then later found dead in a field outside Cambridge, earlier in the month. His cause of death was also multiple stab wounds and …’ she pointed at the extracts and news clippings beneath Liam’s image ‘… a couple of weeks ago, I was sent this. Again, they came through the post, addressed in a handwritten envelope to me at Trafalgar House. Naturally I had everything processed.’
She ignored Saj’s raised eyebrows and smirk. She wasn’t lying, she did have it processed, just not when it first arrived. ‘There were no forensic traces on either the envelope or the photocopied articles. No doubt you have all made the link between these diary extracts and the ones discovered at the Gerry Hudson scene.’
‘Where were the articles from?’ Williams had raised his arm, the words tumbling from his lips at the same time.
Nikki smiled at him. ‘The Peggy Dyson article, which was basically an obituary, was from the Bradford Chronicle and the Flynn article was from an online Manchester newspaper. Flynn as you know was born and raised in the Manchester area. And before anyone asks, there was no note. So, the only thing we have is the handwritten envelope, the diary extracts and the questions posed by the missives themselves.’
Anwar frowned. Her Bradford accent was pronounced as she spoke. ‘If there’s no forensics or owt, why is it of interest to us right now? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the Hudson murder?’
‘Yeah, you’re right. However, it turns out that the three murders may well be linked. Cause of death is consistent with all three, although we must await confirmation of that from Dr Campbell. If the three deaths are the result of the same killer, then we have a serial killer on our hands, and as we well know from past experience, these sort of killers generally don’t stop till they’re caught. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. At this point we need to find links between the three victims. DC Malik has uploaded interviews conducted with Flynn’s contacts both in Manchester and Cambridge to the police file. Please study it carefully. We need to find out what the link between these three deaths is. Anwar has uploaded the police file on Peggy Dyson. Again you need to scrutinise it and we need to find the crossover, if it exists, between the three.’
Eager beaver Williams’ hand shot up again. ‘Could it just be someone yanking your chain, boss?’
Before Nikki could respond, Springer had jumped to her feet, clearly irked by Williams addressing Nikki as boss. Her face was flushed and her words came out as more of a plea than a bald statement. Springer was well and truly rattled. ‘I’m the boss here, Williams, and to answer your question, yes, it could be someone yanking DS Parekh’s chain, as you so eloquently put it, However, there’s an old adage about coincidences: never trust them.’
Moving closer to Nikki, in a move designed to make a statement and show who the real boss was, Springer smiled and leaned her elbow on Nikki’s shoulder. Next to Springer, Nikki looked tiny. However, her stature didn’t bother Nikki. What really irked was that Springer had had the audacity to lean on her. How dare she! It was a cheap move to show her authority, but in reality, all it did was show how insecure Springer was. When she spoke, her words were stilted. ‘Thankfully, DS Parekh has agreed to share some more information with the team, which may move the link from tenuous to suspicious.’
Easing from under Springer’s shoulder, Nikki swallowed the urge to jerk her shoulder upwards. She sighed. This was the part she was dreading, and Springer’s overt challenge had set her off kilter. Privacy was something Nikki valued above most things – privacy and loyalty. Now, circumstances beyond her control forced her to break her privacy mantra. She only
hoped that the officers before her were loyal enough to keep her revelations between them. She glanced first at Archie, who, head down, didn’t meet her eye. Her heart sped up. She was on her own – no support from her boss on this one. He was clearly still smarting from her “rogue” actions. Her gaze moved to Saj and seeing his encouraging smile and cheeky wink, made her want to hug him. She had friends in this room.
Stepping away from Springer, Nikki faced the expectant audience, hoping that her face didn’t betray the blind panic that flooded her body. Officers had been pulled in from all over to create an extended team and their presence, filling all of the space, was claustrophobic. For a second, Nikki wondered if she might just rush out past them and wash her hands of the whole damn thing – then sanity returned. She was in an ideal situation to do damage limitation and so she would just have to bite the bullet and crack on with it. ‘The fact that they were sent to me creates another link. One I’m afraid we can’t ignore. Initially, I thought it was an arbitrary thing. Some idiot who’d seen me on the news during the trafficking investigation and …’ She bit her lip. Springer might be a bitch, but Nikki had no desire to rake up the other woman’s abduction and her part in the rescue.
Setting her gaze to a spot on the wall behind the watching officers, she began, ‘Well … I’m just gonna jump in with this. I lived on Gaynor Street myself till I was about twelve. In fact, my house was the one directly opposite Gerry Hudson’s. Like many kids in the city, they weren’t particularly happy years because my mother was in an abusive relationship and suffered a great deal of trauma. Obviously we’ve moved on as a family and I would like to keep our past as low-key as possible. I hope you can respect our privacy. It is because of my link to Gaynor Street and the fact that I received the anonymous communications outlined earlier that DS Springer will be SIO on this case. Of course any information pertaining to the investigation will be shared with the necessary officers.’ Nikki paused to let her words settle. ‘So – it seems clear that we need to explore the efficacy of the diar …’