‘Just that the man who used Curtis had been killed,’ she said. ‘I didn’t even know. How can a mother not know? Why was he so frightened he couldn’t even tell me?’
Elgin took hold of her hand.
‘Sometimes it’s hard to tell your biggest secrets,’ he said. ‘Guilt…fear…anger...look this will come as a shock.’
She arched her back, leaned away from him, and looked into his eyes, her own still wet and glassy.
Elgin swallowed hard. ‘He told me.’
Jill rocked back, put the glass down and gripped the bench so hard her knuckles were white
‘He told you?’ her voice loud with shock and hurt. ‘When?’
‘Last time he was here.’
Jill jumped to attention, rage and realisation lighting a fire.
‘I’m sorry.’ Elgin instinctively stepped backwards. ‘I asked him how things were going. Didn’t get much out of him at first.’
‘Didn’t get much out of him?’ Jill shouted, clenched hands to her head.
‘Look I was just trying to help,’ Elgin was like a tightrope walker starting to wobble. ‘I just told him how much stress he was causing you.’
‘How dare you!’ Jill screamed. ‘What gives you the right?’
Elgin was falling, all right. It was only a question of the landing.
He took another two steps backwards. ‘I’ve said I’m sorry.’
Elgin felt the edges of the wall unit jab into his shoulder blades and realised he couldn’t back up any further.
He was relieved to see Jill seemed to be breathing slower, more controlled, and took a deep breath of his own.
‘That’s when he said you’d caused him a lot of problems,’ Elgin was aiming for honest but understanding. ‘He blurted it all out and made me promise not to tell you.’
He was thinking about an embrace when Jill hurled the glass towards the wall unit behind him and launched herself in the same direction, the punches starting before the glass shattered and peppered them both.
‘You bastard!’ she shouted, pummeling his chest with her fists. ‘What gives you the right to keep that from me? How do you think that makes me feel you bastard?’
He grabbed her wrists and pulled her into him, grateful it was red wine not blood dripping from his head to hands. ‘I did what the kid wanted me to do.’
He bear-hugged her, squeezed her against him. The more she squirmed, the tighter he squeezed.
‘Look I’ve said I’m sorry and I mean it,’ Elgin sensed the storm begin to blow itself out. ‘And it wasn’t as if it had just happened. It was years ago.’
Jill sighed and he felt her body relax.
‘I thought he might talk to me again about it, but if I told you, betrayed his trust, there’s no way he’d speak to me again,’ Elgin said.
Finally she made to move away and he let her, watching as she wiped her eyes, walked up to the sink, and splashed cold water on her face.
She spoke into a blue hand towel that muffled her words.
‘It’s my fault,’ she said. ‘He was just a boy and all the time that monster…’
This time the sobs came quietly and passed more quickly, Elgin watching, staying quiet.
He waited before he took her hand, his voice low.
‘You’re not to blame,’ Elgin said. ‘The only one to blame here is Scott and he’s dead now. He died a horrible death…’
She sniffed. ‘Good.’
Elgin watched her bend down at the oven, and open the door to a burst of steam.
‘God you look good in that skirt and heels,’ Elgin couldn’t help himself.
She stood up, glass dish in her hands, the towel against the hot surface.
‘Jesus John do you really think I’m interested in that now?’
‘Sorry,’ Elgin tried to look embarrassed. ‘You know me. The Martini Man…anytime, anyplace, anywhere.’
He smiled the weak, half-hearted smile a man gives a woman when he knows he’s out of his emotional depth.
‘Well don’t,’ Jill was putting the shepherd’s pie on the bench when the doorbell sounded.
‘Expecting company?’ Elgin asked.
Jill was already speed walking towards the hallway, saying: ‘It might be Curtis.’
She yanked open the front door, her next words delayed a fraction by her surprise.
‘Ed…I wasn’t expecting you.’
Chapter Twenty-Four
Harry Pullman drove south on the A1, cruise control set to 50mph. He burped loudly, filling the car with the regurgitated smell of fried fish, vinegar, and diet Pepsi.
‘Shouldn’t have gone for large cod,’ another small belch hot on the heels of its big brother.
‘Can’t we go any quicker?’ Dean said, tetchy. ‘And that stinks.’
Harry told him the road was heavy with speed cameras, last thing they wanted was a careless ticket, the police finding out where they’d been once Skinner was dead and the murder squad was busy.
‘Why would they look up here?’ Dean said. ‘Mat just told us nobody knows he’s got the caravan.’
‘They’ll know when we give them a tip-off.’
Dean swiveled sharply in the passenger seat and stared at his uncle, an unspoken ‘what?’ in his wide open eyes.
Harry pulled out to overtake a slow moving lorry, waited until he was passed before talking again.
‘You might have plenty ambition but you’ll have to start using your loaf if you want to be a shark in the same pool as the Skinners,’ Harry said. ‘Time to shape up.’
Dean swallowed the rebuke, shuffled in his seat, gazed out of the passenger window at the passing fields. He knew he was missing something.
Harry glanced his way. ‘Do you seriously think we’re going to go into business with that washed-up head banger? He’ll lose the lot in six months. If he kills his dad and his brothers someone else will move in, take him out. I don’t care who he’s got on his side. Those with a bit of nous will be in Luke’s camp. We side with Mat we’ll be fucked.’
Dean gave it some thought, realised it made sense.
He turned to face Harry. ‘So what do we do?’
Harry had been thinking on the hoof since Mat dropped his offer, figured it would all need fine tuning, but reckoned the way forward was pretty clear.
‘We might sit back and let Mat take care of his dad, let him tell us who he’s got on his side,’ Harry said. ‘Then we go to Luke, tell him the deal Mat offered us, tell him where the caravan is and leave him to sort Mat out. Hopefully we’ll get cut in, nowhere near what Mat’s offering but it’ll be a much safer bet.’
Dean had to confess he was impressed. ‘You fly twat.’
‘Self-preservation Deano, self-preservation,’ Harry smiled. ‘And of course a chance to move up in the world.’
They passed the turn off for Alnwick, drove half a mile in silence, their respective cogs turning as fast as the wheels.
‘What about John Elgin?’ Dean broke it. ‘He wants that tape but you never even mentioned it to Mat.’
Harry judged it hadn’t been the time or the place.
He told Dean: ‘That’s the least of our worries at the minute. We’re playing for high stakes here. If we can pull this off we’ll negotiate with Luke for the tape. We’ve already got Elgin in our pocket. He’ll not be bothered who we’re in bed with as long as he gets the tape. I’m sure Luke will be ok with it.’
He adjusted the climate control before continuing, the powerful car becoming stuffy and over warm.
‘Remember, we’ll have saved Luke’s life, saved Mark’s life, and told them who killed their father,’ Harry said. ‘Then with Elgin grateful for the tape, all the planning shit will sail through.’
Harry was liking it more and more.
They would be loyal to Skinner’s memory, loyal to Luke and the family, loyal to John Elgin.
‘Everyone’s going to love us,’ he beamed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
‘Can I have a quick word
,’ Ed said.
‘Well it’s not really convenient,’ Jill told him, bending forward, using both hands to brush the front of her skirt.
Make-up, tight skirt, stilettos. No shit it’s not…and feel free to look up. Your blushes are burning my legs.
‘It won’t take long.’ Ed side stepped her and walked into the house. ‘I just want to tell you about Curtis.’
Ed was following the smell of food when he found John Elgin in the kitchen.
‘Mr. Elgin. How are you?’
Short of being naked and tied to the table, Elgin couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable.
Ed held out his arm and shook Elgin’s limp hand. ‘Whelan. Ed Whelan. Detective Sergeant.’
Ed glanced at the broken glass, the still intact stem a crystal icicle in a sea of what he presumed was red wine.
‘This was the policeman I was telling you about,’ Jill had caught up.
Elgin was pulling himself together, one authority figure meeting another, mano a mano.
‘The one who fancied you?’ he spoke to Jill but looked at Ed.
Ed smiled: ‘A long time ago Mr. Elgin, a long time ago.’
Note to self – Jill’s a gossip.
‘Jill, can we speak in private?’ Ed said.
She told him she was okay with him speaking in front of Elgin, who nodded.
Ed said that was no problem.
‘You might want to talk Curtis into having some counselling,’ he said. ‘He’ll need to make a statement about what he saw at the garage and it’s bound to come out that Scott abused him. You know how this works. Let’s say we charge someone with Scott’s murder…we couldn’t keep something like that away from the defence.’
Jill sat down on a stool. Elgin, like Ed, remained standing.
‘Are you suggesting Curtis killed that monster?’ Her voice was ice.
‘No but a defence barrister could adopt that tack,’ Ed said. ‘And we couldn’t keep Curtis’ alleged abuse…’
‘Alleged!’ Jill shouted. ‘I can’t believe you Ed.’
‘I’m only trying to prepare you,’ Ed spread his hands. ‘I’m trying to help Curtis here, being level with both of you.’
Jill let out a long breath.
‘I know how disclosure works but right now I can’t remember the act.’
‘Criminal Proceedings and Investigations Act,’ Ed answered for her.
‘All material that might reasonably be considered capable of undermining the prosecution case or assisting the case for the accused must be disclosed. I doubt very much the CPS would withhold Curtis’ knowledge of Scott and their background.’
Jill nodded, knowing he was right, knowing it herself.
‘Look I can see you’re busy and ready to eat,’ Ed said now. ‘I’ll let myself out but think about the counselling. Nice seeing you Mr. Elgin.’
Back at his car Ed ducked behind the wheel, lungs immediately overwhelmed by the fog of cigarette smoke.
‘Bloody hell Sam, open the window.’
‘Turn the ignition on then Sherlock,’ Sam told him. ‘It’s hard without the key.’
He started the car and hit the buttons for all four windows. If there had been one to drop the windscreen he would have hit that one, too.
‘She was entertaining Councillor John Elgin,’ Ed said, playing up a rasping cough Sam chose to ignore.
‘Entertaining as in entertaining?’
Ed grinned: ‘Unless the short skirt and high heels are her scrabble uniform.’
‘Jesus.’ Sam considered another cigarette but thought she better wait a while.
‘Looks like there’d been an argument,’ Ed went on. ‘Nice looking shepherd’s pie on the bench but a broken wine glass on the floor and looking at the splatter pattern on the wall unit and floor, it hadn’t been dropped.’
Sam pictured the scene. ‘So all set with food, wine and shagging kit before something happens?’
‘Yeah and probably not long before I went in,’ Ed said. ‘The place is spotless so she’s not going to leave broken glass lying around long.’
Sam said she would never have put them together. Ed slid the car into gear, glanced in the rear-view mirror, and pulled away.
‘If Curtis knows who his mother’s entertaining it might explain how he knows which councillor the Skinners have in their pocket,’ Ed said. ‘The man’s on more committees than enough.’
He closed the windows, reached forward, and turned the fan onto full as Sam tried to take a cigarette discreetly from her pack.
‘We know Elgin’s grandson’s been abused,’ Sam said, the cigarette still half-way out of the packet. ‘Curtis just happens to be at the garage when the man who abused him is delivered for execution. Curtis’ mum and Elgin…it’s the first link we have to all three deaths.’
Ed was about to say the link wasn’t the strongest when Sam’s mobile rang and she answered with a ‘Hi Bev.’
Ed glanced at her when she’d finished.
‘All the parts shops close at lunchtime on a Saturday so we’re stalled on the headlight,’ Sam told him. ‘But a Ford Transit’s been stolen from Hartlepool and that girder you spotted at the abattoir…newly fitted.’
John Elgin sidestepped the punters in Scaramangers and ordered a large whisky on ice. His early evening plans had been ruined by Ed Whelan’s unexpected house call.
Jill had got changed into a sweatshirt and jeans as soon as Whelan left, confirmation absolute that sex was off the agenda. He had made his excuses, apologised again for not telling her about Curtis, and told her he’d call around in the next few days.
His relationship with Jill had been going on for years. He enjoyed spending time with her but he was shackled to his wife; his professional reputation and the spoils that went with it more important to him than his personal life. Besides, there were always younger outlets if you were prepared to pay.
Harry Pullman passed him the drink.
‘On the house,’ he smiled. ‘Give me two minutes and I’ll come round your side of the bar.’
Elgin raised the glass and looked around at the other customers, eyes settling on a group of men at the opposite end of the bar, middle aged and laughing loudly at something the tall one had said.
Elgin knew him…Detective Superintendent Ray Reynolds. Retired.
Reynolds saw him looking, nodded in acknowledgement, and Elgin forced a smile.
There are times he frightens me more than the bloody Skinners.
Elgin looked away, downed his drink and ordered another. The slap on his back made him jump.
‘Good meeting?’ Harry said beside him, the question loaded.
‘Jesus Harry, you scared the shit out of me.’
‘Me? You’re amongst friends here.’
Elgin looked again towards Reynolds. ‘You sure about that?’
Harry followed his glance and smiled, said Reynolds was sound, that Elgin shouldn’t believe everything he might have heard.
Reynolds looked over and nodded at Harry.
‘He knows we’re talking about him,’ Elgin said, uneasy.
Harry told him to relax, told him he was getting paranoid.
‘He’s just a widower out having a few drinks with mates,’ Harry said. ‘Let me get you another.’
Elgin took the drink, his third in not many more minutes. ‘What about my proposition?’
‘Not now,’ Harry said. ‘Haven’t I told you about these walls? Tomorrow. Besides look who’s here.’
Elgin turned to see Tara walk into the bar.
Sam peered out into the darkness where the snow flurries had given way to drizzle in the headlights, listening as Ed talked it through, the oddness of repairing the van then torching it, the new girder, the strength or otherwise of the possible connections in the case.
‘You want me to lead when we get there,’ she asked now.
‘May as well,’ Ed peered through the windscreen, hating the conditions.
He kept thinking about Elgin, the man having to keep
tight hold of his bowels when Ed walked in.
‘Let’s run through it again then,’ Sam was saying. ‘What do we know?’
Ed let it roll out, see just where they stood.
‘Elgin’s grandson’s abused by Pritchard and van Dijk…Elgin’s shagging Jill Brown…Scott has abused her lad Curtis…Curtis is at the scene of Scott’s execution…Elgin’s God knows where but could be the one in Skinner’s pocket…and if he is, what’s Curtis got to worry about? Elgin could keep the Skinners on-side.’
Ed felt like a man wandering around a maze in the pitch-black at midnight.
‘Unless they find out about Curtis’ video on his phone,’ Sam said, grabbing the door handle as Ed almost missed a junction and had to turn sharply.
‘That still bothers me,’ he said, mouthing ‘oops’ in Sam’s direction. ‘Curtis just happened to be there when the man who abused him years ago is brought there to be killed.’
Like every other decent detective, Ed was no fan of coincidence.
‘He puts Dean Silvers there but that could just be bullshit,’ Sam said. ‘And I’m not sure Dean’s got it in him. The Skinners on the other hand…’
Ed said okay, they were bad news no question, but there was no connection apart from Curtis bricking it about some councillor being in a gangster’s pocket.
Ed peered out of the passenger window. Almost every house in the street was blinking and glowing, enough twinkling lights and flashing Santas to confuse a pilot.
‘Seventy-five’s on your side,’ Ed said.
Sam strained to see the numbers on the doors, counting up until she said ‘there’ and pointed at a house.
‘The one with Rudolph in the garden minus his nose bulb,’ she said.
Ed pulled up in front of an Edwardian semi-detached villa. The green gate was well oiled; the path to the front door split the well-tendered lawn.
Ed was behind Sam who shook her head slowly, another family whose Christmas would never be the same again.
She raised her fist to the oversized door and noticed the fairy lights stapled to the doorframe were switched off.
‘Here goes then.’
Dark Tides Thrillers Box Set Page 79