by Martina Cole
Patrick held up his hands in defeat. ‘I know! I know I should never have even asked. But Joseph feels bad – as anybody would, if this had happened to them.’
Kate sighed heavily and loudly, and Patrick knew she was really annoyed with him.
‘You might want to point out to your new-found golden boy, Patrick Kelly, that moving his fucking bird into what is, in effect, his children’s new home might be seen as a tad fucking selfish. These children have been uprooted from everything they knew, have lost their mother – even if she is a bit suspect, shall we say – and are now trying to settle in with the new granddad they didn’t even know existed until a few days ago. Now I know you very well, Patrick Kelly, and I know that, as moronic as you can be at times, you ain’t that fucking stupid. You couldn’t tell your Joseph no, so you wanted me to do it for you.’
He looked like a rabbit caught in headlights.
Kate smiled triumphantly. ‘I am absolutely right, aren’t I?’
‘Look, Kate, I wasn’t too thrilled myself at what he wanted, but he’s in shock. He feels guilty about what happened to her.’
‘I know he does, you have mentioned that enough times tonight, trying to justify all this old fanny! Well, you can tell him it is a dirty great big no. Not just from me but from his own son as well.’
Patrick Kelly knew that he had, in effect, shot himself in the foot and he decided to bow out of this situation as gracefully as possible. He was saved from further animosity by Annie Carr’s arrival, and he had never been so pleased to see anyone in his life.
Annie noticed it and guessed she had arrived at what Patrick Kelly would call ‘the right time’. As she walked through to the kitchen with Kate, she could see and feel the difference in the house. It had a completely different dynamic; it was untidy, for a start, and where once there had been a controlled quietness, there were now the sounds of televisions and chattering.
She wasn’t sure if Kate was happy with the new arrangement or not, but one thing she had observed was that Patrick Kelly was in his element. She could understand that all right; he had lost a daughter in the worst way possible, and now he had been given a second chance at a real family, so she could see what the big attraction was. Whereas Kate had had these kids thrust on her. It was one thing hosting them for a swimming party or a lunch, or even a sleepover. It was a different thing having them living under your roof. Especially given the circumstances that had brought them here. Annie Carr was glad that she had her single life at times like this, even if it felt like the price she had to pay to get on in her chosen profession.
She accepted a glass of cold white wine and, as she settled down at the kitchen table, she said carefully, ‘I am getting the distinct impression that all is not quiet on this Western Front.’
Kate started to laugh and Annie joined in, and the atmosphere was immediately lighter. Annie opened her bag and took out the files she had copied. She needed to talk this through with Kate. What she needed was a different set of eyes.
Chapter Eighty-nine
Kate was scanning the paperwork Annie had given her while listening to her as she brought her up to speed on the developments.
‘So this latest girl, Janet Cross, seems to have blossomed suddenly. Beautiful child, bless her, but she seems to have completely reinvented herself.’
Annie nodded in agreement. ‘Janet started babysitting for her mum’s friend, and she’s a bit of an airhead. She took Janet under her wing and gave her make-up lessons and, from the money Janet earned, she was amassing a new wardrobe for herself. I think the goal was to go back to school at the end of the summer as a different girl.’
Kate looked at the pictures and saw what the score was. ‘I had the same thing with Lizzy. She went from my baby girl, all legs and clumsiness, to all tits and teeth in a few months. It is so hard to be a teenager, because you look like a woman and everyone still treats you like a child. I have never had boobs in my life, but my girl went into a D cup overnight. She must have inherited them from Dan’s side of the family! But it was hard for me, seeing her dress differently, act differently. Overnight they stop confiding in you. You become the enemy.’
Annie was familiar with the story and knew better than to go there tonight. ‘With Kylie and Destiny there was a clear link, Kate. They were friends, they hung out together, and they were sort of the “popular girls” for want of a better expression. But Janet Cross doesn’t fit the profile, she wasn’t like them in any way. I am sure she aspired to be like them. But I feel that her abduction was opportunistic. I mean, according to the pathologist, the knife marks were hesitant and she was dead when the real torture started. I think there was an element of regret there. I think he took her on a whim. Then I think he wished he had left her alone.’
Kate nodded her agreement. ‘I think your hunch is spot on, Annie. Have you had any luck with the searches? There are plenty of abandoned places around and about that could be used by the offender. He needs privacy, obviously, and somewhere that the girls’ cries and screams won’t be heard.’
Annie lit a cigarette and sighed noisily as she blew out the smoke. Kate automatically got up and opened the patio doors that led on to the garden. Now she had the kids in the house she was aware that smoking inside was not an option any more.
‘That’s the frustrating thing, Kate. We have been over every fucking inch of Grantley and the surrounding areas. There is absolutely nowhere we haven’t fucking looked. We are chasing our own arses.’
Kate could sympathise with her friend. Unlike in TV, films and books, most crimes were solved through the most mundane reasons. Someone saw something, or the person responsible fucked up. There was very rarely a big dramatic climax. It was the everyday that normally tripped them up, the mundane was often the reason for them being caught. It had been proved time and time again. The Yorkshire Ripper was caught by accident – and he had been questioned, like a lot of other lorry drivers. It was always something small, something that became crucial because the police could use it to build a case. It was all trial and error; otherwise none of these multiple murderers would ever have gone on to the second victim.
‘This is just a thought, but have you got Margaret to look through the old records from the council and the land registry, see if there are any properties with basements or something? I reckon these girls are being held locally. You said yourself that there are no tyre marks. No cars seen in the vicinity, either on CCTV or by members of the public. What you need, Annie, is to find out how these girls are being transported. That’s the key, I think. I am not ruling out a car or a van, which makes sense, but whoever this is knows how to keep off the radar. I might be putting myself out on a limb here, darling, but I think you were right when you said that it all revolves around the woodland. That is a fucking big area, and there are a lot of houses that back on to it. Plus the businesses on the industrial estates – those are all near the woods. Remember that councillor – what was her name? – she fought to keep those woods from being destroyed. It was a few years ago, and it turned out that the wood used for the Mary Rose, Henry the Eighth’s ship that sank, if I remember rightly, had come from the oak trees that grew there. That is why the woods are still so thick and still cover such a large area. She made sure that no one could destroy the habitat to build houses, or whatever.’
Annie Carr was smiling, because Kate was like a walking encyclopaedia of trivia. Only Kate would have known all that without looking it up.
‘I remember her name now! Mary Barker Smith. Do you want me to go and have a chat with her? I bet she remembers which of the older properties could have cellars et cetera. She knows everything there is to know about Grantley and the surrounding areas. She fights to stop developments that she thinks will be a blot on the landscape, to quote Tom Sharpe! She has done a lot of good, in fairness to her – stopped a lot of unnecessary buildings that would play havoc with local wildlife.
‘She also writes books on local history about the houses that were here and the p
eople who lived in them. I actually have a few of them, Patrick likes all that kind of stuff. When she argued about the Mary Rose she caused a big stir at the time, and she gathered a lot of followers.’
Kate topped their glasses up, and Annie toasted her silently.
‘I agree that we must be looking for a resident. They live locally, otherwise we would have found tyre tracks – something that we could use. Even by the shop where Destiny was found, there was literally nothing of note. Whoever had brought the body there had used the woods. Kylie was found in the woods, and Janet was found in the graveyard that leads to the woods. But, Kate, we have been over every inch. There is nothing in those woods that we haven’t searched. There are old concrete bunkers from the war – we were amazed at what was there – old houses falling down. We looked all over the industrial estates, lock-up garages. We found nothing. And the amount of blood these girls lost, wherever they were they left their fucking mark.’
Kate gulped at her wine and said seriously, ‘Then you are looking for a private property, aren’t you? Like I said earlier, get Margaret to have a look at the houses that are near or back on to the woodland. See if any have basements, cellars or anything underground. It can’t hurt, can it?’
Annie was writing everything down so she didn’t forget it. ‘No, Kate, you are right. It can’t hurt. Let’s face it, we have fuck-all else.’
Kate hugged her friend tightly. ‘Listen, Annie, we’ve all been there. It never gets any easier though – that’s the real tragedy.’
They sipped their wine quietly, each immersed in their own thoughts.
Chapter Ninety
Joseph O’Loughlin was in a quandary. His company had given him compassionate leave while they worked out their next move. He understood why, even if it rankled. The scandal involving two of their employees had rocked the company. At least he was on full pay – that was something. But he was finished, his reputation was ruined – his career basically over. Still, he had bigger fish to fry at the moment, and he knew that he had to sort his life out.
Bella’s attack on Christine had been like an explosion, and he was angry with himself, because he had been aware for a long time that she was a woman on the edge. Finding Patrick Kelly had been a big part of why he had decided he couldn’t live a lie any more. His father might be a criminal – ‘a Face’, as he would put it – but he didn’t live a lie in any way, shape or form. What you saw was exactly what you got, and that had appealed to Joseph. Unfortunately, it had all backfired on him, and now he was in an impossible situation. He felt that he was drowning in guilt for what had happened to Christine, and for pushing Bella so casually over the edge.
Kate had given him the file on his wife and her previous violent behaviour and it had been an eye-opener. Bella had not had the greatest start in life, and he had pushed her to the limit. His major guilt was because of his children, who were to all intents and purposes motherless, and who he needed to be strong for. Patrick had pointed out the folly of Christine recuperating in his house with his children. He had hoped that Kate and his father could have acted as a buffer between his kids and Christine but he saw now it wasn’t viable. He realised that he was unable to think clearly, or know what he was supposed to do to make it better for everyone involved, and that included Bella.
Although Christine wouldn’t be able to go home for a little while, she had already said she was frightened to be in her flat on her own, and who could blame her? She had been through a very traumatic experience, and he was the reason that it had happened to her. She was so vulnerable right now – convinced he wasn’t going to want her any more when he saw the full extent of the damage his wife had caused to her beautiful face. Joseph had told her he didn’t care about that – it was her – Christine, the person – who he loved and he wasn’t going anywhere. They would get through this together. But deep down when he caught a glimpse of the raw, devastating injuries Bella had inflicted on his lover he wanted to weep. Things would never be the same again for them.
Joseph was torn in so many ways. His children needed him too, and he knew that they should be his priority. But he had never looked after them for a full day since they had been brought into the world. Bella had always been the main carer. He hated himself for admitting it, but they were too much for him. He couldn’t look them in the face, the guilt was overpowering him. He was so grateful that his father was happy to have the children in his home and take care of them.
He knew that his son – his Joey – was cold and distant towards him, as if he held him responsible for what had happened. And he wouldn’t blame him if he did. It was all a complete shambles. Only Amanda still treated him as she always had, but that was a disaster waiting to happen because one day she would be told the full story, and he knew that he wasn’t going to come out of it with flying colours.
The shame of it all was weighing him down, and he knew that he had to get a grip and ‘step up to the plate’, as his father so succinctly termed it, and be there for the people who needed him. It was all a fucking mess – a terrible, terrible mess.
Kate came out to the conservatory and placed a mug of coffee in his hands, and he smiled his thanks. She was a looker, even at her age; it was the bone structure, he supposed, and the fact she was slim as a wand. He envied his father his happiness with this woman. Since Patrick and Kate had come into his life, he had seen what was important – and, more to the point, what he wanted. What he wanted had not included Bella, and he had tossed her aside after a few drinks and a few dinners with his dad. Patrick and his lifestyle had made him understand what was missing in his life, and now this was the upshot.
‘Look, Joseph, I put the hard word on your dad about Christine coming here. You must know it would be fucking lunacy. Your children need you now, not your girlfriend. Patrick knew I would gainsay it, and he wanted me to say no. He can’t refuse you anything, because of the lost time between you. Like Patrick, you are letting guilt eat away at you. Well, take it from me, it’s a fruitless occupation – guilt is an emotion that is overrated. I know that myself from personal experience.
‘You need to see to it your children go back to school next week, you need to give them a routine. Kids thrive on routine, especially when everything has fallen to shit. Of course you need to make sure that Christine is looked after too, and not left alone. So I would advise getting a nurse, or a carer of some description, in place for when she comes out. But you have to face up to your responsibilities, and one of those responsibilities is Bella. You must go and see her, and make sure that she understands that you do not blame her. You read her file, so you know she was always a bit on the dark side. Only you can put this all right. I’m happy to have the kids here – they are lovely children. But they need you now, more than Christine does because, at the end of the day, they are your flesh and blood.’ She smiled, to take the sting out of her words. ‘Lecture over, you can relax now.’
Joseph placed the mug of coffee on to the table nearby and, putting his head in his hands, he started to cry, saying over and over, ‘What have I done?’ He cried silently at first, and then his whole body started to shake with the enormity of what had happened to him and his family.
Kate pulled him into her arms and she held him close to her while he cried out all his pain and his fear. Patrick saw them from where he was sitting by the pool, and he sighed with relief. He trusted that Kate would know what to do. She always knew what was right. That was one of the reasons he loved her so much.
Chapter Ninety-one
Mary Barker Smith was in her eighties, but she looked a lot younger. Kate was impressed with the tiny woman’s sheer energy. When she had rung her to arrange an appointment earlier in the morning, the woman had insisted that she come for lunch. Kate guessed that was because she had told her that she had read and enjoyed her books and was interested in finding out more about the older houses in Grantley. As she pulled on to the woman’s drive, she admired the house and its gardens; she thought that Patrick would have lo
ved it. It wasn’t a huge property but it was old and it was well maintained, and the garden was a riot of colour.
She saw Mary Barker Smith waiting for her by the front door. It was arch-shaped and had a huge brass ring that was the knocker. Even the hinges were fantastic, and well looked after; everything shone in the summer sun.
‘Kate Burrows, I remember you from when you were on the police force here. You were an asset, I know. Good to see a woman holding her own in what was, to all intents and purposes, a man’s world. Come inside. I like a gin and tonic about now, and I am sure you would like one too.’
Kate followed her into the hallway and suppressed a smile. She sensed that Mary had already had a head start on her in the G&T department.
When they were settled on the patio, Kate sipped her drink and said genially, ‘Your garden is absolutely beautiful. All your own work?’
Mary nodded. ‘I have a gardener, of course, but I do a lot of it myself. I so enjoy the physical labour – I believe it keeps you in shape.’
Kate smiled her agreement, knowing that she was in the company of a true eccentric. ‘I think you are probably right about that. I’m not much of a gardener myself. We have a man who looks after ours.’
Mary Barker Smith grinned happily. She was like a little bird, with small hands and feet and a luxuriant head of thick chestnut hair, and her make-up was perfect. She was wearing casual trousers and a pale lemon silk shirt. She looked cool and contained, which Kate was sure she was.
‘You have a beautiful property too. I remember it before Mr Kelly bought it. His first wife was a charming woman, as I am sure you’ve heard. It’s a delightful old property, and I was thrilled to see it come back to life. It had been empty for such a long time, and of course Mr Kelly got it for a song. A wonderful investment, if I might say. My husband, God bless his soul, adored that house. The thing is, Kate – I can call you Kate? – people don’t realise just how much history is actually around them. Did you know that Grantley St Saviour’s Church can be traced back to the eleventh century? Oh, it was added on to, of course, over the years, but the crypt and some of the walls are from the original building. There is history everywhere you look, but so many people can’t see it. I love history, and I actively seek it.’