by Carole Pitt
'What if she's said she killed them just to get attention and hasn't actually done it? When she's questioned she might change her mind.'
Elizabeth rubbed her neck to ease the tension. 'No chance of that. She did it, and we'll prove it.'
Now the adrenaline had subsided a little, tiredness washed over Patterson. He stretched out his long legs and yawned. 'I'm taking some leave as soon this is all sorted. What about you?'
'I'll be taking time off, but not for a holiday. I'm going to find Daly.'
'I feel rotten now you've mentioned him. He's been gone so long I can't even picture him anymore.'
There was a loud bang and sounds of falling debris followed by clouds of masonry dust drifting towards them. Elizabeth pulled her cotton t-shirt over her mouth and nose then stood up. 'Christ, this is worse than a dense fog,' she said, coughing.
'Sit down until it clears,' Patterson ordered.
It took a few minutes before the dust settled and they could see again. Patterson pointed to Mitch Francis who was lowering a limp Jackie Kilmartin into the platform. There was too much peripheral noise to hear what he was saying.
They moved through the haze and waited until the platform ladder came to rest on the ground. Mitch Francis looked exhausted. 'She passed out through lack of oxygen. I've done what I can and she's breathing a lot better now. I reckon she'll probably make it.'
* * *
'The hospital won't allow any questioning until tomorrow at the earliest,' Elizabeth said. Uniforms will work a rota outside the Intensive Care unit. Until we hear her story, I'm not taking any chances. Beresford lied and he and his wife could possibly be a danger to her.'
'You mean by going to the hospital to finish her off. Come on Liz, that sort of stuff only happens in the movies.'
'I'm not taking any chances,' Elizabeth stated. 'Desperate people do desperate things.'
'I suppose it's over to Kilmartin's place next.'
'I'll drive,' Elizabeth said.
Patterson's adrenaline level had dropped almost to zero. As Elizabeth clambered into the driver's seat, he felt the first fluttering of anxiety.
Jackie Kilmartin lived on a new housing estate in Brockworth. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up outside a modern, smart semi-detached house.
'Nice place,' Patterson said.
'This estate's only been built for about two years, and it's not cheap. I'm guessing Jackie had financial problems, add that to her mental instability and it's not surprising she had to find a way out.'
'What did she have to be depressed about? Good job, posh house. She's also a very attractive woman.'
Elizabeth sighed. 'She seemed odd the very first time I interviewed her. To be more precise, she sounded completely paranoid.'
'Better go around the back,' Patterson said. He climbed over the six-foot wooden gate and unlocked it.
A young woman hanging out her washing in the next garden asked what they were doing. Elizabeth showed her ID, but didn't say why they needed access to the house. Patterson waited until the neighbour went indoors, then he fiddled with the back door. Within a few minutes, they were inside. He searched the upstairs, Elizabeth, downstairs.
'I've got her computer and a phone,' he said when he came down. 'I don't think it's her current one. Maybe they'll find another one at the hospital?'
'If she had it with her on the roof no one has found it yet. Or she dropped it trying to escape the fire. I've found credit card bills and mortgage documents and done a quick calculation. She owed nearly seventy thousand.' Elizabeth handed Patterson a letter dated the previous week. 'The building society had threatened her twice with repossession.'
'Wonder what she spent all that money on?' Patterson said.
'Maybe her computer will give us the answers to that question.'
Patterson secured the house and Elizabeth contacted the crime scene manager and gave him directions to the property. She was about to get into the Saab, when her phone rang.
After a few minutes Elizabeth ended the call. 'You're a genius. Beresford's garage contained a white Peugeot. He confirmed the vehicle belongs to his stepdaughter.'
'Did he say anything else?'
'No. Mrs Beresford was busy phoning her lawyers while Giles Beresford was drowning his sorrows.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Two days later. Tuesday June 4th
Elizabeth and Patterson had arrived at Cheltenham hospital over two hours ago and waited for half that time before a doctor allowed them to speak to Jackie Kilmartin.
Elizabeth's first reaction after seeing her lying in bed was shock. She bore little resemblance to the attractive woman she had interviewed at the start of the investigation. Kilmartin had lost weight and her face was drawn, she looked ten years older. Patterson sat quietly while Elizabeth quickly scanned her prepared notes. 'Are you ready to answer questions?' she asked her.
The woman propped up in the bed nodded; her eyes dull, her hands plucking at the sheets.
'You told Sergeant Evans that Wilson didn't buy the mask, he was given it?' Elizabeth stated.
Jackie Kilmartin's voice sounded raw from the smoke inhalation. 'He didn't steal it if that's what you'd hoped for.'
'Let's get this straight Jackie. After the lunch in honour of Morven, Wilson invited him to his office, presumably to show him the mask. You already knew about his so-called treasure and you wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation. You followed them and listened outside the door, heard an argument and saw Morven leave. Then what happened?'
Kilmartin struggled to sit up and asked for a drink of water. Patterson passed her a glass.
'I went into his office and asked why he was shouting at Morven. He was very upset because Morven wasn't interested in the mask, so I suggested he let me have a look at it. I knew that despite our feud, Keith fancied me, so I put my arms around him and gave him a hug. Afterwards he unlocked a drawer and showed it to me. It looked old, but not that special. Then he produced a fragile sheet of paper detailing its history from the beginning of the twentieth century. He said this was when his great-grandmother had inherited it from a friend. The provenance looked authentic and I asked Keith how much he thought it was worth. He said at least a quarter of a million, probably more. He wanted to sell it but was suspicious someone would rip him off over the valuation. That's why he'd wanted Morven's advice.'
'So you'd already decided to seduce Wilson to get your hands on some of the proceeds,' Patterson said.
'I was in the shit financially. It was a way out, and Keith was easy to manipulate.'
Elizabeth could see how this had all panned out. 'I'm sure he was, until he mentioned he'd also shown the mask to Jade Harper. My theory is that her intentions were similar to yours. Lure Wilson into a satisfying sexual relationship so he'd reward both of you from the proceeds of the sale. Harper was also in the shit. Her parents were pissed off with her antics and threatening to throw her out. The one thing Jade liked even more than sex was money. You waited around at Grasmere on that afternoon hoping Wilson would go home so you could steal the mask, but he didn't. Then later, you got a shock when you saw Morven had returned. Then, you bumped into Jade Harper, who you mistakenly assumed was after a brief encounter with the handsome Canadian, but she wasn't. Wilson was her target, because she'd seen a similar mask in a museum in British Columbia and had a good idea of what Wilson's was worth. What you weren't aware of was that Morven had shattered Wilson's dreams completely. He'd lied to him. Told him the mask was a fake and then walked out.'
'But it couldn't have been a fake,' Kilmartin moaned. 'Why would I have...?'
'Killed two people,' Elizabeth finished her sentence for her. 'But it wasn't a fake. Morven did a rough drawing that we passed onto an expert who knew about Nisga'a' masks. She matched with the one in the museum and agreed that Wilson's could be very valuable.'
Kilmartin remain
ed silent for a few minutes. Elizabeth's body felt wearier than ever. She wished the day was over with. 'So tell me what happened then.'
'Jade had a go at me. She went to great pains to explain what she and Wilson got up to in bed. I didn't see her after that. I was furious with Keith, but then he disappeared too so I assumed he was enjoying himself somewhere with Jade. Giles Beresford was about to leave, I stopped him in the corridor and asked if he'd give me a lift home. He was revolting towards me and refused because his wife was picking him up. Then I threatened him. I said I'd tell his wife all what he was up to. At first he laughed at me, but thought about it and said I could borrow his car. He threw me the keys and I shoved them in my pocket without checking them. I watched Morven until he reached the school gates and wondered whether or not to go home. If I hadn't seen Jade and Wilson come back together laughing their stupid heads off, I would have. When Jade left not long after Morven did, I couldn't control my feelings anymore and by the time I got back to Keith's office I was out of control.'
Elizabeth marvelled at the woman's acting ability. It was obvious she intended to play the victim right up to the end. 'You went to get the mask but it had already gone. Am I right?'
'I searched for what seemed ages, literally everywhere. Keith came back and went berserk. He grabbed hold of me and bent me over his desk. I thought he was going to strangle me so I felt behind me and picked up the nearest thing. It was the carving tool Morven had left in the lecture hall. Keith must've taken it back to his office so he could return it to him.'
'And we know the rest,' Patterson said.
Kilmartin started to cry, but Elizabeth's sympathy had run out. 'You guessed Wilson had asked Jade to take care of the mask. What did you do? Demand she give it to you?'
'I threatened her too. Jade is a very strong-willed girl. I made it plain that I'd tell everyone I'd seen her stab Keith. She was terrified and pleaded with me. Once she knew I was serious, she promised to hand the mask over. We arranged a meeting place.'
'You still had Beresford's step daughter's car. We retrieved it from his garage and all our tests prove you drove that vehicle with Jade's body in it. Did you tell Beresford or did he guess what you'd done? I think he did, otherwise why did he try and hide the vehicle?'
'I didn't tell him. The only reason he would do that is because he's in love with me.'
'And knew what you were capable of,' Patterson added.
Elizabeth found it hard to understand Jackie's lack of remorse. 'Jade had no intention of relinquishing the real mask, so she made a copy of it. We thought you were responsible for stealing the student's masks, but we discovered them at Jade's house.'
'You met up in Cresswell woods. How did you persuade her to go further, into the school grounds?' Patterson asked.
'I lied and told her Beresford wanted to see her. That he was prepared to give her money, if she kept quiet. When we got there and she realised he wasn't coming, she started to panic. I took the mask from her and knew immediately it was a fake. I couldn't understand why she thought her copy would fool me. I saw red and we fought physically, unfortunately I gripped her neck for too long.'
Kilmartin was making Elizabeth weary. 'You're implying both murders were accidents and the result of fierce arguments.'
'Of course,' she said. 'I never meant to hurt either of them.'
'Why did you send Jade's fake mask to Morven?'
'I wanted to scare him. Let him know I was coming after him too, in case he had the real mask. There was no one else more likely to have it. I was about to pay him another visit when I found out about the professor but you lot beat me to it. His heart attack had nothing to do with me. He must have realised it was a copy and not the real one.'
Patterson stood up. 'I don't agree. McAllister was also an expert. He'd taught Morven. His reaction to the fake tells us something important. That Jade's copy was a good representation of the original.'
'You can't blame me for his heart attack.'
'If he'd died I certainly would,' Elizabeth argued. 'What's more, I don't believe you intended to kill yourself, so why did you go back to Grasmere.'
'I had to wait until I knew the place would be empty. We had an extra two days tacked on to the half term holiday. There was still things I hadn't dealt with and I didn't set fire to the place, it was an accident.'
No Jackie,' Elizabeth said. 'You lit a cigarette and then forgot where you'd left it.'
'I was so stressed trying to cover my tracks. Everyone deserted me in the end. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I never found out what Jade did with the mask, and neither will you.'
Elizabeth stared at her until she turned away. Kilmartin's eyes were half-closed; a smile lingered at the corners of her mouth. A few seconds later, she was asleep.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Thursday June 6th
A black Jaguar limousine drew up slowly outside Jacob Morven's rented property in Bibury. Consular official, Geoffrey Goddard wound down the window and checked there were no onlookers before making the call. The uniformed chauffeur exited the car and opened the rear doors in readiness for his passengers.
Morven and John McAllister had already brought their luggage down from their rooms, when the phone rang. It wasn't necessary for Morven to speak. He picked up the handset and immediately replaced it. Only then did he take a final look at his temporary prison. He watched as John McAllister slipped a photograph of his long dead wife into his case.
'How do you feel about going home?' McAllister asked.
Relieved, apprehensive, it's been a long time. I know one thing, I won't ever come back.'
'You'll be fine the moment we get off the plane. And, better still, the heat wave continues. Temperatures have hovered aaround thirty degrees for over a week,' McAllister said, smiling.
'What about up North, is it still warm there?'
'McAllister was checking his passport. 'Mid twenties, no rain, that deck of yours might see some action this summer and when it does I hope I get an invitation.'
'The doc said no more travelling.'
'Come on, I don't call flying up to Terrace travelling,' McAllister zipped his case up and wheeled it to the front door. 'Sorry to bring the subject up but I was laying awake going over Wilson's claim about the mask. You're still sure what you saw was a fake?'
Morven looked out of the window. 'Goddard will be knocking on the door if we keep him waiting any longer.'
'You haven't answered my question Jacob.'
'What I saw was a very good fake, but then I didn't stay long enough with Wilson to hear the rest of his story. He knew he couldn't convince me.'
McAllister checked his luggage. 'Hey, that old Wolf Chief didn't want the mystery of the mask solved after all. So long ago, who knows? Do you ever wonder about that Jacob, where it ended up?'
Morven closed his briefcase and locked it with a small key. 'I've wondered for the past twenty years. I always hoped the legend had an element of truth, that the young guy the old Chief gave it to survived.'
'He probably did. By the way I've only got one carry on, what about you?' McAllister said, holding up his cabin bag.
'Just this one,' Morven pointed to a briefcase. 'From now on we'll concentrate on more findable items, except you'll have to stay home, thanks to Doctor Burgess. He's the only person I know you've taken any notice of. Finally, someone knocked some sense into your brilliant brain.'
McAllister was pale and had lost over a stone thanks to a rigid diet. For the first time since his twenties, he'd given up drinking whiskey. Morven knew the heart attack had scared the hell out of him. Considering he'd been at death's door, he'd recovered extremely well. His plan was to carry on teaching part time and lead a quieter life.
McAllister went into the kitchen. 'I've lost a pair of specs. I can't find them anywhere.'
'Come on, we haven't time. They'll probably turn up here in thr
ee hundred years time.'
The Jaguar pulled away smoothly and headed for the M40. McAllister sat in the back seat next to Goddard. Morven had elected to sit next to the driver where he could see in the wing mirror. Not that he expected anyone to follow them.
Goddard glanced at his Rolex. 'It's exactly three-thirty gentlemen. Your plane leaves at seventeen hundred hours. As both of you have diplomatic clearance we don't have to be there the statutory two hours before the flight leaves.'
'Does diplomatic clearance include waiting for us if we get stuck in traffic?' Morven asked.
'I can assure you the flight will not leave without you. I've checked the route and we should have a clear run, barring accidents,' Goddard stated.
'How do we avoid the reporters at Heathrow?' McAllister asked.
Goddard's cultured voice spoke with authority. 'We leaked a statement to all of the media informing them you were leaving tomorrow on the evening flight.'
The drive to Heathrow's terminal five went as planned. Goddard directed the driver to a private car park from where he escorted them into the airport through a VIP entrance. He suggested they do some shopping while he attended to their passports and asked them to meet him at the gate in forty-five minutes.
They wandered around the shops picking up souvenirs they didn't really want, but it made the time pass quickly. McAllister looked longingly at the bottles of Scotch until Morven dragged him away.
Morven was acutely aware of his mounting anxiety. Even with the diplomatic protection, he still kept glancing over his shoulder anticipating problems. Realistically, at this late stage it was unlikely anything could go wrong but until flight AC312 was airborne, he knew he wouldn't relax. He spotted a small bar, where only a handful of people occupied the tables.
He ordered two glasses of red wine and sat down opposite McAllister. 'A toast,' he said. 'To Canada.'