Gone to Ground

by Rachel Amphlett

  Her solicitor frowned at Kay, his yellowing moustache disguising the curled lip she knew would be aimed at her for the late night. She glared back at him, waited until Barnes had started the recording and incited the formal caution, then began.

  ‘Please state your full name and address for the record.’

  ‘Bettina Merriweather. Rosewell Cottage, Sutton Valence. Where’s my son? He’s only fifteen.’

  ‘Our uniformed officers spoke to your neighbours. Mark’s with them at the moment.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Where do you work?’

  ‘The Belvedere Hotel.’

  ‘How long have you worked there?’

  ‘Three years.’

  ‘What does your role there entail?’

  ‘I’m responsible for managing the reception staff, providing overall coordination for the corporate events, and once the wedding venue is complete, I’ll be managing that as well.’

  ‘Why don’t you use your husband’s surname?’

  ‘It was what we agreed when we got married. I liked my maiden name, and he didn’t mind.’

  ‘What’s your marriage like, Bettina?’

  ‘What?’ The woman’s jaw dropped, and she leaned back in the hard plastic seat. ‘What’s that got to do with you?’

  ‘Answer the question.’

  ‘It’s… it’s—’ The woman’s eyes welled with tears. ‘It’s crap, actually.’

  ‘Does he beat you?’

  ‘God, no.’ Bettina reached across and plucked a tissue from the box near the recording equipment and blew her nose before continuing. ‘It’s over, that’s all. Not that Derek will accept it. I’ve wanted to leave him for years, but until Mark’s old enough to look after himself, I can’t.’

  Kay said nothing and clasped her hands on the desk while she waited for the woman to continue.

  Eventually, Bettina’s shoulders slumped.

  ‘Derek is – God, how to explain? I worry what he’ll do if I leave him. I’m trapped – if I left and he did something stupid, I’d feel so guilty. I’d blame myself.’

  ‘What do you mean by “something stupid”?’ said Kay.

  A shuddering breath escaped Bettina’s lips. ‘He doesn’t like it if another man even just looks at me. If I mention any of my friends’ husbands in conversation, he loses his temper. Not that we have many friends anymore.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘He threatened one of them, about a year ago. We were at someone’s birthday party at that big pub on the High Street. One of the mums from Mark’s school. I got talking to her husband. All he did was compliment me about the earrings I was wearing. Derek overheard, walked across to where we were talking, and punched him. He and his wife – and the rest of them – haven’t spoken to us since.’

  ‘Were charges brought?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What did Derek have to say about it?’

  ‘He said the bloke deserved it, and that he didn’t want me to socialise with those sorts of people. I hardly go out now. It’s stupid – I don’t even like him touching me anymore. All we seem to do is argue. I can’t even remember why I fell for him in the first place,’ she said, and dabbed at her eyes. ‘Pathetic, isn’t it? All I wanted was to feel loved.’

  ‘Is that why you started having affairs with hotel guests?’

  Bettina gasped, dropping her hands to her lap as she stared at Kay. ‘How did you—’

  ‘It was you who deleted the guests’ names from the computer system, wasn’t it?’

  The woman choked out a sob, then nodded.

  ‘I need to you speak for the record, Bettina.’

  ‘Yes,’ she croaked. ‘It was me.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I can’t afford to lose my job. My son has to have special lessons twice a week to help with his schoolwork so he doesn’t fall behind, and Derek never makes enough to cover the costs.’

  ‘Tell me what you did.’

  Bettina sniffed, then swallowed and leaned forward, folding her arms on the desk. ‘I never slept with the men who paid by personal credit card – that would’ve raised a bloody big flag on the system. Only the ones I fancied who had their bills paid for by their employers. It didn’t matter then.’

  ‘Why blame Trudy?’

  ‘Because she’s messed up before. I’m always covering for her.’

  ‘Does Derek know about your affairs?’

  Bettina’s eyes widened. ‘He – he can’t. I’ve been so careful.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes. I mean – he’d have said something, wouldn’t he?’

  ‘What do you tell him? He must be aware of your shifts, so how have you managed to fool him?’

  ‘I tell him I have to work late. I never slept with anyone on my early shifts – too many people around. We need the extra money so he’s never questioned my overtime.’

  ‘What if one of your colleagues told him?’

  ‘What? No – they wouldn’t. They don’t know what I’ve been doing, do they?’

  ‘What do you think he’d do if he found out?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I think you do.’

  Kay took a deep breath and flipped open the folder, the cover warm from the freshly printed pages inside. She extracted a photograph and spun it around to face the other woman.

  ‘Do you recognise these rings?’

  Bettina’s eyes widened before she raised a shaking hand to her mouth. She nodded.

  ‘What’s his name, Bettina?’

  Fat tears rolled down the woman’s cheeks, and she wiped at them with the palm of her hand before taking a shuddering breath.

  ‘Patrick Lenehan. I met him the other night. He said he had an early flight to Cork. He had a taxi turning up at three o’clock yesterday morning to take him to the airport.’

  ‘Which airport?’

  ‘I don’t know. I didn’t ask him.’

  ‘Which taxi company?’

  ‘Alpha Limousines. I booked it for him.’

  ‘Interview terminated at one forty-five. Barnes, with me.’

  Kay shoved her chair back and raced across to the door, then flung it open and nearly collided with Sharp as he rushed from the observation suite with Carys in tow.

  ‘We need to get onto the taxi company and find out if he was collected from the hotel,’ she said.

  ‘On to it, guv,’ said Carys, and stabbed the details into her phone.

  ‘Find out if he made that flight, too,’ Kay added. ‘It’ll be one of the airlines out of Luton.’

  Carys gave a thumbs up in reply and moved to the end of the corridor as her call was answered.

  Kay paced the tiled floor, unable to keep still. ‘I’ve gone through all the interviews that were conducted at the hotel and the craft centre, guv – how the hell did I miss that she and the archery supplier were married?’

  ‘Calm down, Kay. We all missed it, because neither of them volunteered the information. Makes you wonder how long the marriage has been over, doesn’t it?’

  ‘For her, maybe,’ said Kay, shaking her head. ‘I don’t think it is for him.’

  ‘You think her husband killed Lenehan and that’s who was found burned in the kiln?’ said Sharp, his grey eyes concerned.

  ‘I do, yes. From what she’s told us, I’m willing to bet he’s well aware of her affairs. I’m also willing to bet that rather than confront her, he’s killing the men she sleeps with.’

  ‘Guv!’

  Sergeant Hughes hurried towards her.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Thought you should know – a report of a stolen vehicle came through earlier this morning. I noticed the address when I booked in Mrs Merriweather and thought I’d seen it before. It’s a four-door silver saloon.’

  Kay took the note from his outstretched hand and ran her eyes down the page. ‘Bloody hell. She reported her car as being stolen this morning.’

  Barnes swore under his breath. ‘They share a vehicle. That’
s why he stole the pickup truck to move the bodies. She must’ve had the car to get to work.’

  ‘Kay!’ Carys raised her phone. ‘The taxi company says Lenehan was a no-show. The driver arrived on time, but when he couldn’t see Lenehan outside the hotel, he asked the night duty manager where he was. I phoned the hotel and got the number for the bloke. He remembered, because the taxi driver was fuming. Lenehan had been collected by one of those ride-sharing cars twenty minutes before.’

  ‘What sort of car?’

  ‘He’s got no idea of the make or model – it was too dark to see, but he says it was a silver four-door—’

  Kay spun around and swiped her card across the locking mechanism to the interview room, Barnes at her heels.

  The duty solicitor paused from talking to his client as Kay stormed across to the table, and Bettina’s eyes widened.

  ‘Bettina – you reported your car being stolen this morning. Why didn’t you tell us?’

  The woman’s bottom lip quivered. ‘I f-forgot. I was scared.’

  ‘Tell me what happened.’

  ‘I parked it outside our house as usual when I got back from the hotel the night before last. When I woke up yesterday morning, it had gone. Derek was out when I got home and didn’t come back until last night, so I didn’t see him. He was asleep when I woke up this morning and the car was still missing. He obviously hadn’t used it, so I phoned the police to report it.’ Tears streamed down the woman’s cheeks. ‘He was bloody livid when he woke up and I told him what I’d done. I’ve never seen him like that before.’

  Dread wormed its way through Kay’s body.

  ‘Bettina, where is your husband right now?’

  Fifty-Three

  Half an hour later, Kay slammed shut the door to the pool car and hurried over to where Dave Morrison and Aaron Stewart stood next to their vehicle.

  Their Kent Police-emblazoned car had beaten them there by mere minutes, its occupants out on patrol in the area when the call had been issued to arrest Derek Flinders.

  ‘Any sign of him?’

  ‘No.’

  Kay pursed her lips as Barnes joined her. ‘Had time to search the place?’

  ‘Not yet. The workshop’s locked. Should we tape it off?’

  ‘In a moment. We’ll take a look first. Give us a hand?’

  He nodded and hurried over to where his colleague was radioing in an update to the command centre, and relayed Kay’s instructions.

  ‘Any news on whether Flinders has been arrested?’

  ‘Nothing yet,’ said Carys, and handed Kay a set of protective booties. ‘I’ve asked Debbie to call my mobile in case we don’t hear it over the radio.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She took a pair of disposable gloves Barnes held out to her and slipped them on. ‘Okay. Let’s take a look.’

  She called over her shoulder. ‘Dave – can you and Aaron head around the back in case he’s here and tries to make a run for it? We’re looking for a car, too.’

  She gave them the make and model details and watched as the beams from their torches swept over the ground before them.

  When they disappeared around the corner of the building, Kay led the way to the double doors at the front, ensuring the others followed in her footsteps and kept to a demarcated path. Harriet wouldn’t thank her if they traipsed all over a potential crime scene.

  Moonlight aided their approach, the summer night sky clear from clouds, a whisper of a breeze in the trees above their heads.

  Kay tried to recall the liveliness of the surrounding area during the market and wondered what hellish events had taken place without the knowledge of those who frequented the centre.

  For she was sure this was where the three men had died.

  A shiver crawled down her spine, and she shook herself to lose the thoughts. She had to concentrate. They needed evidence, and they needed to ensure no-one else had been taken by Flinders. Bettina had assured them Patrick Lenehan was the last man she’d met with, but Kay wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

  ‘It’s locked,’ said Barnes, and pointed to a sturdy padlock that had been affixed to the metal latch. ‘Hold this.’

  Gavin took his torch while Barnes reached into his jacket pocket for his lock picks and set to work.

  In moments, he’d released the lock and pulled open the right-hand door.

  It moved with ease.

  ‘He’s kept the hinges well oiled,’ said Carys.

  ‘All right. You two keep back,’ said Barnes, taking his torch from Gavin. ‘Piper – come with me. We’ll call when it’s clear.’

  Kay knew better than to argue. Instead, she and Carys stood on the threshold and shone their torches into the gloom.

  As Barnes and Gavin moved between the workbenches and shelves, Kay tried to batten down the adrenalin that was coursing through her body.

  She had to remain calm for the sake of her team.

  Beside her, Carys fidgeted from foot to foot, unable to temper her impatience, and Kay reached out a hand to still her. Neither said anything; they were too engrossed in watching their colleagues’ progress through the workshop.

  Suddenly, Barnes’s voice carried across the void.

  ‘Can one of you find a light switch? I can’t see a bloody thing.’

  They both sprang into action, and moments later a burst of light filled the space, and Kay blinked several times to clear her line of vision.

  Barnes was on the far side of the room and switched off his torch as their eyes met.

  ‘Nothing yet,’ he said.

  ‘Keep looking.’

  ‘Guv.’

  She spun round as Aaron Stewart appeared, and he beckoned to her.

  ‘Found the car.’

  ‘Carys, with me. Lead the way, Aaron.’

  They followed him around the side of the shed to where Morrison stood, his gloved hand clutching the edge of a thick tarpaulin.

  ‘Show me,’ said Kay.

  He lifted the tarpaulin away from the hulk it covered, exposing a car licence plate.

  ‘Good. He hasn’t had time to dispose of it. Get this off and open the back.’

  She stood back while Morrison released the handle and the faint whoosh of hydraulics reached her ears as the back door to the vehicle lifted into the air.

  Morrison aimed the beam from his torch into the dark interior and let out a triumphant bark.

  ‘Look.’ He leaned in and plucked a torn piece of fabric from a metal tyre lever, holding it up to the light in his gloved hand. A bloodstain covered one edge of the material. ‘Someone was in here.’

  ‘All right,’ said Kay. ‘Seal it off.’

  The radio on Carys’s vest chirped to life, and she turned up the volume. ‘It’s Hughes.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘We’ve got him, guv,’ said the sergeant. ‘Uniform arrested him at Charing Heath. Apparently, he was trying to flag down a car for a lift, but when he realised it was police, he took off. He had to be restrained – put up a hell of a fight.’

  ‘Good work.’

  ‘Kay!’

  They all turned at the sound of Barnes’s voice, and ran back to the workshop.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ said Kay as she burst through the door.

  Barnes stood in the middle of the space, and beckoned them over. ‘Help me move the bench. There’s something under here.’

  ‘Piper, Carys – help him.’

  The two detectives crossed the room to where Barnes stood and helped him drag the workbench across the floor.

  ‘What’s going on, Ian?’

  In response, he pointed to the floor.

  ‘I’ve seen something like this before, when I was a young copper,’ he said. ‘The suspect buried his victim on some abandoned ground. We only found it because the earth had settled after it rained. It dipped like this.’

  Kay signalled to the two uniformed officers who stood hovering at the threshold. ‘Step away. Get Harriet’s team here as soon as possible. This floor is coming up. N
ow.’

  They left the building at a run, the older of the two holding his radio to his mouth as he relayed the instructions.

  ‘Do we wait for Harriet?’ said Carys.

  Kay pondered the question. If she waited, she couldn’t live with herself if another victim lay beneath the structure, waiting for someone to help.

  ‘No,’ she said eventually. ‘Let’s get these floorboards removed.’

  Gavin handed her a claw hammer. ‘Found these over on the workbench over there. It’ll make our job easier.’

  ‘These nails are new, Kay,’ said Barnes.

  ‘He’s replacing them each time,’ she said as she applied the claw to the nearest of the nails. ‘Whatever was down here wasn’t meant to get out.’

  They fell silent at her words, then crouched and worked at the nails hammered into the boards.

  One by one, the planks were removed, and a faint noise reached them.

  ‘What’s that?’ whispered Carys, then cried out.

  A swarm of flies burst from the cavity, filling the workshop, and Kay swatted at them as they came too close to her face.

  She peered at her colleagues. Each one of them looked shocked and disgusted as the insects buzzed around them before fleeing through the open doors.

  ‘Kay, look.’

  Her gaze dropped to the floorboard Gavin cradled in his lap, and Barnes swore under his breath.

  A series of scratch marks were carved into the wood, dried blood streaking across the surface that had faced the ground.

  ‘Someone was trying to escape,’ she said.

  The stench hit her next, and she took an involuntary step back from the hole that was starting to emerge in the floor.

  ‘You said it once before,’ said Carys, her eyes wide. ‘It’s fear.’

  ‘It’s death. This is where he was hiding the bodies,’ said Barnes, his voice gruff.

  ‘Ian – stay here,’ said Kay. ‘Carys, Gavin, get yourselves over to the door – no matter what happens, you stay there. We’re not going to contaminate this scene more than we have to.’

  She waited until her two colleagues were out of the way, then turned back to Barnes.