by Martina Cole
Kate knew that Annie Carr’s explanation would be that there wasn’t the money to do as much as they wanted. Well, Kate would tell her that she had been there and done that. Annie’s job was to fight for that extra money and fight to get what she thought was needed, and then to get it done. That was how it had always worked, and that was never going to change. There would never be enough money to do what was needed. It was simply about making that money available in whatever way possible.
Kate looked down now at the body of Todd Richards and then, turning to Annie, she said sadly, ‘Tell that to him, Annie, and to his parents. Because do you know what? I couldn’t give a flying fuck at the moment.’
Annie didn’t answer, because she didn’t know what she was supposed to say. She had dropped the ball, and that was not good for any of them.
Chapter One Hundred and Seven
Megan McFee was her usual self, and she didn’t hide her pleasure at seeing Kate; the two women had been friends for a long time. Annie was still feeling like she was an outsider, even though rationally she knew that it was ridiculous. But Kate being back had been like a kick in the teeth for her. Everyone was treating Kate like she was special – and of course she was, because she had her creds, and she deserved her renown. It still rankled, though.
‘So what have you got for us, Megan?’
Megan McFee sighed and stifled a yawn. ‘Not a lot, to be honest. I am sure you can all smell the bleach – industrial again, so it’s strong – and it’s destroyed anything that might have been of relevance. He wasn’t tortured anyway. He died from blunt force trauma – eleven blows to the head. Probably a hammer, but I will be able to tell you more later after I have confirmed everything. He was well nourished and small for his age. Other than that, nothing of interest – at least nothing that will be of any help. Unless you find his clothes, of course. But I think whoever we are dealing with is too fucking shrewd.’
Kate nodded in agreement, Megan knew what she was talking about. Burning was the best way to get rid of evidence. They were all subdued as they left the hospital building.
She looked at Annie and said tiredly, ‘Let’s go back to mine. It’s nearest, and I’ll get Bev to knock us up some lunch.’ She handed her car keys to DC Karim and said, on a laugh, ‘I am assuming you know the address! If not, you are the only Filth this side of the water who doesn’t!’
They were all laughing as they climbed into the car.
Then Kate said seriously to them both, ‘So this kid was a friend of this Stephen Carter, yeah? What do we know about him and his family? I’m assuming that someone has been looking into them?’
Annie Carr nodded. ‘Margaret Dole is on it as we speak. She will ring if there is anything important.’
Kate nodded at her as she said, ‘Good.’
Chapter One Hundred and Eight
Danny Foster and Patrick were in his office at Kate and Patrick’s house. Patrick Kelly was well pleased – Danny had played a blinder for them all, and he said as much.
‘You thought this through, and I can’t disagree with you. It’s the answer to all our problems. I take my hat off to you, son.’
Danny laughed, because he knew that he had given them all a swerve – especially Joseph O’Loughlin. It was now common knowledge that Joseph O’Loughlin was Patrick’s son, and many of the older Faces and their wives remembered Ruby. It had started a nine-day wonder, and Patrick was pleased that it was out in the open. After all, he wasn’t bothered about the past and neither was Kate, and that was all that mattered to him. Patrick Kelly knew that it would just add to his cachet, and that could only be a good thing. And Kate accepting Joseph was basically the icing on the cake.
‘The restaurant is a goer in every way, Patrick. A good earner, and in the middle of Soho, so it is already established. All Joseph has to do is keep it running as it has been, and that will give him a nice living. I think he’ll enjoy it as well. He just has to run the place because I have put in a fuck-off manager who will make sure it doesn’t go tits up.’
Patrick nodded, satisfied. This was exactly what he wanted to hear. He loved his new-found son, but he still didn’t know him well enough to trust him with anything important. Joseph was a civilian, but he wanted to give the boy a decent earn, and that was what he was concentrating on. It wasn’t like Joseph was going to be welcomed back with open arms to his old job; they had made it quite clear that it was all over for him. Patrick was making sure that his lawyers were thrashing out a decent pay-off for the boy. After all, his bosses were the ones who wanted him gone. If it was left to fucking Joseph, he would be forced out with fuck-all, and that was not going to happen on Patrick’s watch.
‘What’s the latest on Bella?’
Danny grinned. ‘The brief I got her is shit-hot, and I have a handle on the judge she appears in front of.’
Patrick was pleased. ‘I know it isn’t fucking cheap but it looks like this will all work in our favour then, and that is the main thing. Whatever Annie Carr says, any kind of custodial sentence will not be beneficial to anyone involved, especially the kids. I know a top private place for the long-term where she will get the best that money can buy. If she sorts her head out then all to the good. If she don’t, then it ain’t a bad space to be locked up in.’
Patrick wanted to do what was best for his family. He knew that what happened to Bella would be decided by the best doctors, and he was quite happy to leave it at that. Mental illness terrified him, even though he was more than aware that a lot of the men he had dealt with over the years were more than a bit radio rental. But they were a different breed altogether, and their nuttiness could be used if need be. He wasn’t comfortable thinking about it all too closely. He had solved some problems, and that was more than enough for him.
‘Fancy a beer?’
Danny laughed. He could tell when Patrick Kelly wanted a conversation over. ‘Sounds good to me, Pat.’
He knew when to let things go; it was one of the first things he had learned when he had come to work for Patrick Kelly. When to let things go and just move on to the next problem as quickly as possible. Because, as Patrick had taught him, there would always be another problem to solve. It was the nature of their particular beast.
Chapter One Hundred and Nine
Annie Carr could see how impressed DC Karim was with Kate’s home, and she hated herself for feeling irritated. It was a beautiful property, there was no denying that. Annie also knew that it wasn’t Kate’s home that she was aggravated about; it was the fact that, even though she was the SIO on the case, everyone around her was treating Kate as if she was. She was annoyed with herself for her petty-mindedness.
As they walked into the kitchen, Beverley had already made them a gorgeous lunch. She poured the coffee while Kate motioned for them both to sit down.
Beverley smiled at them all as she said, ‘You have a guest. She is in the garden. A wonderful lady, Kate – very interesting.’
Kate smiled and, picking up a slice of quiche, she said happily, ‘I am assuming it is Mary Barker Smith?’ Bev nodded, and Kate said seriously, ‘I told her to come if she had anything of interest. I’ll go and get her. Is Pat in?’
Bev nodded again. ‘Pat and Danny have been holed up in the office all morning.’
Kate went out through the double doors, waved at Mary and invited her in for lunch. She introduced her to Annie Carr and Ali Karim, and they all sat together amiably and tucked into the lunch that Beverley had provided.
‘Can I get you a nice gin and tonic, Mary?’
Mary laughed heartily, saying, ‘What do you think?’
It was a very genial gathering and when Mary was settled in with a large drink, she said to Kate, ‘I have been going through all my old notes, because you really did give me something to think about when you visited. I remembered that there were a few places that were knocked down in the eighties. It was awful – beautiful houses that should never have been allowed to be demolished – but it was when the housing b
oom was at its height. And these were properties that had the land required for the more well-heeled, I suppose you would say.
‘Anyway, a few of these properties had cellars and cold stores already in situ, so to speak. So I have made a list for you of these places, in the hope that it might be of help to you.’ She opened her handbag and, taking out a file, she placed it on the table. ‘It’s all there for your perusal. There are so many hidden places in the old properties – some go right back to the Tudors, and even before. They built to last, in the old days. You only have to look at the Tower of London!’
She laughed with delight, and they all laughed with her. Kate picked up the file and started to flip through it while Mary continued talking.
‘Look at the Carters’ house. Now that has a lot of land, and it also has a wealth of secrets hidden there. Jonny Carter built his new house, and it is beautiful, but there was a wonderful old house there originally, dating back to the fifteenth century, but it was eventually destroyed by fire unfortunately. I suspect it was an insurance job. Not that I am accusing anyone of anything! It was in terrible disrepair. But it had an amazing network of tunnels that had been built during the years of the Reformation. My husband believed that there was a smuggling ring in Grantley at some time, and the people who owned the house were involved. It was a very lucrative business, and of course it would have been the perfect hiding place outside London. It was near the sea, and they would have been camouflaged by the woodland.’
Everyone was listening to her avidly.
‘So these Carters, they have built a new property on the same plot of land, I assume?’
Mary Barker Smith nodded. ‘Oh yes, it is a wonderful house. They are a lovely family actually. The grandfather was an Italian who sold his ice cream all over the East End of London. He had a wooden bike with a cold store on the back! It is a marvellous piece of history, and it is still in beautiful condition. I was thrilled to see it, because so much gets destroyed and forgotten, you know? But they have kept it and oiled it perfectly so it still works.’
Kate looked at Annie, who had the grace to look away. Kate smiled and said to Mary Barker Smith quietly, ‘Where do they keep this piece of history? It must have been fascinating to see it, Mary.’
Mary laughed delightedly. ‘Oh, it was! And that son of theirs, he really looks after it. But as he said to me, it is a part of his heritage. And of course that is exactly what it is.’
Kate excused herself and, going out into the hallway, she rang Margaret Dole and told her to search for anything she could find about the land that the Carters’ house was built on. Kate knew that Stephen Carter had been acquainted with all the children who had been murdered. She also knew from DC Karim that he had a bad feeling about the kid – that the last time Ali had been there he had felt that this Stephen Carter was off. He couldn’t describe it; all he could say was that there was something different about the boy. He was polite, but he had felt that there was an underlying sense that the boy was laughing at them. He had no basis for that, it was just how he had felt. Kate was a great believer in hunches, and she was a great believer in following those hunches, no matter what.
She went into Patrick’s office and, smiling, she said, ‘Come on, you two, we have company, and I want to introduce you.’ Patrick sighed, and she ruffled his hair as if he was a kid. ‘Come on, you know you are a big part of my creds!’
He laughed and, getting up, he said to Danny Foster jovially, ‘See what I mean? The old ball and chain!’
Kate smiled and slapped him gently around the face. ‘Not so much of the old, Pat, OK?’
‘Do I have to?’
Kate shrugged and said seriously, ‘Yes, Patrick, you do! Because I need this room, and I need you to talk to a lovely lady who knows everything that is relevant to Grantley.’
Sighing, he followed her out the door, with Danny Foster close behind him.
Chapter One Hundred and Ten
Kate, Annie and DC Karim were in Patrick’s office, digesting more than Bev’s magnificent lunch. Mary Barker Smith had given them plenty to think about.
Kate looked at Annie Carr as she said to Karim, ‘Tell me what you think is relevant about Stephen Carter?’
DC Karim felt that he was really on the spot. He looked at Annie, before saying truthfully, ‘Well, he seems to be a part of the lives of all the kids that have been murdered – even in a small way – and he was particularly close to Janet and Todd. We have looked into all the children and staff at the school, as you already know, Kate. There was something not right when we went to his house the last time. I can’t explain it, but I felt that he was laughing at us, as I said to you before. I have no foundation whatsoever for my thinking, but I still feel that he has something to do with what has happened.’
Annie sighed heavily. ‘I think he might have a point, Kate.’
‘Well, we can’t just storm in there, can we? We need a reason to get a search warrant. And if what Mary says is true, there are so many fucking different tunnels, or whatever, that we would need a blanket warrant. I have been in touch with Margaret and she is doing searches as we speak. And isn’t his father in construction? He’s probably got access to industrial bleach, right? But what I am most interested in is the antique ice-cream bike. Could you transport a body in it? Because there are no tyre tracks, nothing to say that a motorised vehicle was used, are there? Jesus fucking Christ, if you have been looking at a kid right under your noses this whole time, that will not go down too fucking well with the powers-that-be. Am I right that I read that he was helping to arrange the dead girls’ memorials? How the fuck did you not look closer at him, Annie?’
Annie Carr didn’t answer. She just opened her arms in a gesture of forgiveness, and she said honestly, ‘Look, they are a nice family, and we could find nothing in his background or his family’s background that raised any flags. Listening to the school, he’s the perfect pupil, for fuck’s sake. We were looking for a man, Kate, and you know that no one could have thought it was a kid.’
Kate shook her head slowly, saying angrily, ‘I know exactly what kids are capable of, Annie. I saw it for myself, remember? I dealt with young girls who were happily involved in paedophilia. Who were more interested in the people who were abusing them than their own families! How many fucking times have I got to remind you that in cases like this everyone is a fucking suspect?’ She pointed at DC Karim and shouted, ‘He felt there was something off, and you should have fucking listened to him. It might have gone somewhere, for crying out loud! Chances are, this won’t go anywhere. We just don’t know, do we? But it is our job to look at everyone that comes into our orbit. It is our job to follow a lead, a hunch, or a fucking trail of bread if necessary. If that is what it takes then we have to do it. You fucked up, Annie, and you fucked up big time.’
Annie Carr didn’t say anything, she just looked at Kate and shook her head in denial. ‘He comes across as a good kid, and I didn’t feel anything bad from him.’
DC Karim said supportively, ‘I have to say, Kate, that he does come across as completely plausible.’
Kate sighed. All the anger had left her, but she wasn’t happy, and that was obvious. ‘Oh, really? They all do! That is the fucking problem, Annie. No one looks like a fucking murderer. This isn’t a film or a book – this is real life, love. The scary people walk among us, as you should know better than anyone, lady!’
Annie Carr didn’t answer her. But she knew that Kate wasn’t expecting an answer. Kate was making a point.
Chapter One Hundred and Eleven
Patrick and Danny knew that there was something going down, but they didn’t mention it. They just sat in the kitchen and listened for hours as Mary Barker Smith regaled them with stories about the history around and about. Patrick Kelly was actually fascinated at the woman’s knowledge of where they all lived. She was like a walking encyclopaedia on Grantley, Essex and the importance of those places in the history of England. Even Danny was intrigued, because she had a real k
nack for telling a story and making it interesting.
Patrick knew that Kate liked Mary and that she would become a regular visitor, and he didn’t mind that. He liked her too; she was a real character, and she didn’t even realise it. He heard the children coming in from school with Bev, and he smiled contentedly. This was what he enjoyed, these days – the good life – and he knew that he should have kept as far away from the Christmas brothers as possible. He had another life now, and that was all that mattered. He had no right to fuck it up because he had lost his temper, and that was the truth of the matter.
‘Hello, kids, did you have a good day? Your dad will be back soon. Let’s get you sorted out with some tea, shall we? Want a quick swim first, though?’
They walked off with him happily, and Danny was quite content to sit with Mary Barker Smith and listen to her stories. He felt that Patrick Kelly was finally finished with their world, and he was pleased about that. He was looking forward to the future now that it was all mapped out.
He smiled at Mary and he said to her nicely, ‘Can I get you another drink?’
She gave him her empty glass as she said coquettishly, ‘A gin and tonic, please, young man.’
Danny smiled at her and, taking her empty glass, he said jovially, ‘Of course!’