Lisa’s scream finally came. She spun away and rolled fully over. Her stomach flashed with a searing pain and she took in more dust as she gasped, her hands and feet clawing at the ground as she tried to scramble to her feet.
With a rush of adrenalin she managed to get to her feet — just in time for the door through which she’d had seen Andy leave slam shut. There was no handle. Her fingers scrabbled over its surface, searching desperately for a grip, some way to pull it open — there was nothing. She turned on the spot and scoured the room in desperation. The upended chair was the only item — there was nothing else. She spun to the window. If she could lift that chair she reckoned it would smash through the glass. She stumbled to her knees. Her hands rested on the chair leg; it was cool to the touch. Suddenly a shadow loomed from outside the window. She turned to it as a sheet of wood was lifted by two gloved hands and bumped against the glass, covering one of the panes completely. She stumbled to the window as she heard the shrill whine of an electric drill. She hammered on the glass. Her desperation increased as another sheet of wood was lifted to cover the next pane. The light in the room was depleted. She grabbed the chair. The pain from her stomach tore through her when she tried to lift it and she was brought back to her knees. She lifted her head as the final pane was covered and she heard the whine of the drill securing it in place. The light was all but gone now and the room was sealed like a tomb.
Chapter 42
James McCall’s house was the sort of thing Maddie was expecting for the owner of a middle-sized development firm. It was large, but not overbearing and sat on its own plot behind double gates that hung open. They were at the edge of a pleasant-looking village called Bossingham, on the outskirts of Canterbury. There was a courtyard at the front that was closed in by the L-shaped property. The left side of the L looked like a recent extension and was joined to the main house by a gabled roof and the end pointing towards them was mostly glass. Maddie could see a mezzanine level on the top and a kitchen on the ground floor.
‘Nice place,’ she said.
Harry grunted his reply.
‘So he’s out of the area is he?’
‘That’s what he said on the phone. He has some business in the north of the country — apparently. I did send the night duty DC to knock on the door, just in case.’
‘You thought he was lying?’
‘Sure, why not? We get used to it, right?’
‘I suppose we do.’
‘They got his partner just before he went to bed, according to the update I’ve seen. He backed up his story but the detective who called round here wasn’t convinced either.’
Maddie took in the site as a whole. On the opposite side of the courtyard was a separate garage. It looked to be a new addition. The door was huge. She made straight for it. There was a handle in its centre. She reached for it and the whole door lifted in a smooth movement. Maddie could see the backs of a couple of cars: one looked like a sports car, small and low to the ground; the other was a large saloon. She pulled the door back down and walked back over to where Harry had his arms crossed.
‘We’re not here to carry out illegal searches, Maddie.’
Maddie shrugged. ‘I thought that might be the front door.’ She walked to a light brown front door that was half way down the new extension. There was another front door in the original part of the house but this one seemed to show more signs of use. Her knock was firm. So was the expression of the man who answered the door.
‘Can I help you?’ he said. He was of large build and wore a short-sleeved shirt with red flecks running through it, hanging over board shorts and flip-flops. His face and arms looked to have been scalded red by the sun. He looked beyond Maddie to where Harry stood.
‘Ah yes, I’m Detective Sergeant Ives. I’m here to speak with James. We have met before. If you could just tell him I’m here.’
‘Do you have an appointment?’ the man said. He fixed his attention on Maddie.
‘No.’
‘I see. Well, unfortunately Mr McCall is out of the area for a few days with his work. I can take a number if you need him to give you a call when he is back?’
‘Where did he go?’ Maddie said.
The man huffed. ‘I gave all of this information to the police last night — in the middle of the night, I might add. I’m still considering whether I should make a complaint about that. This visit doesn’t exactly appease me.’
‘Well I’m not here to appease you, sir. I’m here because we’re trying to keep a very vulnerable young lady safe from harm. James knows something about that. Did he mention her to you?’
‘A young lady? I can assure you he knows nothing about your young lady—’
‘With respect, your assurances are not what I’m here for either.’
The man hesitated. His lips twitched then his tongue ran between them. Maddie recognised the tic of a man preparing himself to lie. ‘Well, he isn’t here.’
‘So where is it he’s gone?’
The man huffed again. ‘I already told you people, Sussex somewhere.’
‘Ah, okay. He mentioned he was looking at a site out in the countryside there. Some farm, I think. Is that about right?’
‘Well, yes, that sounds about right.’
‘No trains around there. I assume he drove?’
‘Drove? Yes, he drove.’
‘His Jag?’
‘I . . .’
‘He doesn’t have any other cars registered to him is all. There’s a little Alfa Romeo sports car registered at this address. I assume that’s yours? Do you let him drive that?’
‘Yes, he can drive that. But, no. I mean, he will have taken his car.’
‘Can you get him please? It really is very important,’ Maddie said.
‘Get him?’ The man became redder still. ‘I don’t appreciate you—’
‘I don’t appreciate being lied to.’ Maddie was quick to cut in, her voice raised, ‘not with something as important as this. His car’s here, you’re a terrible liar and we don’t have the luxury of time. Get him to this door now or you will be arrested for obstruction.’
His huff this time was the biggest yet. He pushed the door and was out of sight. Maddie got her foot out in time to stop it closing completely. She could hear his flip-flops as they moved away. She glanced far enough into the house to see a smart, open-plan kitchen over wooden flooring.
‘Desperate to make friends today, DS Ives?’
Maddie detected the flicker of a smile from her colleague. ‘I don’t like being fobbed off. And I’ve seen enough liars in my time. It’s quite refreshing to be able to tell them for once.’
‘Be careful with that tenacity, Maddie. And when did he say he was going to some farm in Sussex?’
‘He didn’t. Just like I didn’t check what cars were registered here.’
The door was roughly pulled back open again — the same man appeared, redder than ever. ‘You’d better come in.’ He stepped back to allow them entry. Maddie didn’t need a second invitation. She walked through to the expansive kitchen. Bi-fold doors were pushed open on the other side. They led through to a shaded patio. She could see a table and chairs. Beyond that was soft seating for two overlooking a neat lawn.
‘Outside looks very pleasant,’ Maddie said, pushing her luck. She was already walking towards the table. McCall appeared from the same direction. He must have heard her.
‘Please, take a seat.’ McCall gestured at the table and chairs. ‘Can I offer you a drink?’ Maddie turned to see the man who had answered the door scowl at James.
‘No, we’re a little short on time,’ Maddie said.
‘Well, if you’ll excuse me . . .’ The man who’d answered the door made his exit.
‘Sorry. He’s angry at me and he’s right, too. I put him in a difficult situation,’ McCall said. He was flushing a little himself.
‘By asking him to lie for you?’ Maddie pressed.
‘Well, yes, I suppose so.’
‘Why w
ould you do that?’
‘Please,’ James gestured again for them to sit at the table. ‘I was just going to make myself an iced tea. Are you sure you won’t join me?’
‘This will only take a minute.’
McCall hesitated, but he sat down. Harry did the same. Maddie leant on the back of her chair.
‘So, you asked your partner to lie for you,’ Maddie said. ‘Once last night and then again today. Why would you do that?’
James looked from Maddie to the seated inspector. ‘I don’t believe we were introduced last time? Mr Blaker, here, was asking the questions as I recall.’ Maddie recognised a man who was stalling.
‘Maddie asks the questions when she’s angry,’ Harry said. ‘I try not to get in her way.’ He sat back further in his seat and crossed his arms. Maddie took it as a prompt to continue.
‘I’m looking for a young woman who we believe to be in serious danger. That’s all you need to know except that every second we are delayed is another second further away from finding her. She might already be dead, James, but if she isn’t and you don’t help . . .’
‘Dead? What is this? I thought this was about this hit and run nonsense!’
‘We have a theory. The hit and run was part of something bigger.’
‘Bigger? And you think my company is involved?’
‘Someone who works for it.’
‘Who?’
‘The list of employees you provided, the people with access to the vehicle keys — why wasn’t Andrew on it?’
‘Andrew?’
‘Your brother, James. Andrew was not on that list. He’s a partner at McCall’s. So why wasn’t he included?’
‘My brother! A partner? I mean, yes, on paper he is exactly that, but in reality I can assure you he has nothing to do with my company.’
‘He has access to those keys, though, doesn’t he?’
‘Well, yes. I mean, he can access the building so he can get to the keys in theory—’
‘In theory? There’s no theory about it, Mr McCall. He was a regular at your building at one point. He still turns up when he wants to. Does that annoy you?’
‘Annoy me? I’m trying to run a business. But what is this about him being involved—’
‘And he gets in the way.’ Maddie cut back in. She would be the one asking the questions. She didn’t have time for anything else.
‘I don’t know. I don’t have much to do with him to be honest.’
‘So you don’t get on?’
James McCall’s chair scraped the patio. He appeared to fix on something beyond Maddie. She turned to see the flushed man in the flip-flops leaning in the open doorway. He spoke.
‘You’re not considering defending him, are you? Tell them what he’s like. Tell them who he is! You don’t owe him any favours and they’re not going to leave until you do.’
Maddie turned back to James. He paced a little, his head bent as if he was thinking it through.
‘I don’t really know what you want me to tell you. We don’t get on. We never have, really. I tried, when we were younger and under each other’s feet in the family home. I always thought it was the job of the older brother to look after the younger one. That’s how it goes, right? It was never like that. He certainly didn’t need anyone looking after him. My brother is not an easy man to get along with.’
‘And now he owns half your business.’
‘And it’s rare a day goes by that I don’t regret that. Simon and I . . . well, if I had only met Simon a few years earlier he would have been the obvious choice. We could have been partners in every sense!’
Maddie turned back to the man still leaning in the doorway. ‘And you would be Simon.’
‘I would.’
‘Where is he, James?’ Maddie’s tone was a little warmer. She had gotten across the urgency now.
He snorted his response, ‘What? You mean now? Where does he live? I have no idea! He’s always been restless, shall we say. The army was the best place for him. I really thought he might find his place in this world. He couldn’t even make that last.’
‘Tell me about his army career. What happened?’
‘He signed up. All he was interested in when he was a boy was the armed forces. He wanted to be a pilot to start with but he didn’t get the grades. The RAF in general was out for him, I never really found out why. He tried again for the army and got in on the communications side of things.’
‘Communications? Like the signals?’
‘I’m not sure. He seemed to be good at it though. When he first came on board at McCall’s we were having issues with people stealing from the sites. We were losing metal and tools hand over fist. He fitted motion cameras. They were linked up to all our phones but he would turn out if there was anything untoward. He was the best security you could ever have! For a couple of months there we had a good working relationship. I thought maybe we could build on that, get something closer to the kind of relationship two brothers should have. It didn’t happen.’
‘Why not?’
‘He lost interest, like he always does. He moved onto something else no doubt.’
‘Any idea what?’
‘He doesn’t talk to me. You should understand that. I don’t know anything and I couldn’t even suggest someone who might. I’ve never met another person who I would describe as a friend of Andy’s—’
‘Girlfriends?’
‘Definitely not.’
‘Has he ever been here?’
‘No. He wouldn’t come here. He doesn’t agree with my . . . lifestyle.’
‘Lifestyle?’
‘Simon and I. He is not someone who seems to be able to understand that a man can be in a same-sex relationship, let alone his own brother. He seemed to take it personally, to be honest — like I was doing it just to upset him.’
‘And what does he do to upset you?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘McCall’s. You’re at the table for a list of places that have grief written all over them. One of your employees has suggested this might be Andy’s way of upsetting you.’
‘Did he now? I’ve tried to play that all down . . . he’s probably right. We’re never going to exchange actual money for those sites. It’s bad enough we’re spending money on the surveys and permissions. I have no intention of buying them. They’re not feasible.’
‘You sent the information for all your potential sites. Are there any others?’
‘No. That’s everything.’
Maddie exchanged a glance with Harry. She wasn’t getting what she needed. Maybe James wasn’t the man to help. But who else?
‘Do you have a picture here?’
‘Of Andy? Sure. That one over there captured a very rare moment!’
Maddie looked towards a shelf where there were a number of photos in frames. One of them was of James McCall in a suit with his arm around the same man they’d seen in the woodland selfie. There was no doubt the phone from Lisa Simpkiss’s kitchen was his. Harry had moved a little closer to the picture. He seemed satisfied.
‘You said you don’t talk,’ he said. ‘We know he called you two days ago.’
‘Called me? Probably. He calls me a lot. I don’t answer anymore. Conversations with Andy are never pleasant. Do you think my brother ran someone down in my truck? Is that what this is all about?’
Maddie fixed back on him. ‘Do you think he’s capable of doing something like that?’
James glanced at his partner.
‘You need to tell them about him,’ Simon said. ‘They need to know.’
Maddie stayed focussed on James. He sighed heavily. ‘I do.’ His voice was quiet and his head drooped forwards. He moved back to the seat. ‘He’s always been a bit of an angry man. Not enough on its own, I know, but there’s something else with him. He seems to have a . . . fascination.’
‘A fascination?’
‘Yes. With the macabre.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘When
we were teenagers, a long time ago admittedly, I found some material in his room. It was strange stuff — it turned my stomach. Nothing terrible, really. He’d obviously found a seagull, a dead seagull, and he’d taken pictures. But it was more than just a schoolboy snapping a picture to show their mates. He had photos of it from every angle, it was up close and it was . . . oh, Christ!’
‘Tell them everything, James.’ Simon’s tone had now lost its edge; it was almost soothing.
‘It was posed.’
‘Posed?’
‘He’d moved it around. Changed its position, but not like you might mock something up for comedy. You know, I saw a sick picture of some dead livestock at school once. Some jock had put a hat on it and a fag in its mouth. High jinks — lads messing about. This wasn’t like that.’
‘What was it like?’
‘Like he was revelling in it. Like it did something to him. It was unhealthy.’
‘What else?’
‘He got into shooting. He started out beating for the gentry but then he got his own shotgun and he would just go off with it. Not on organised shoots, just whatever he could find . . . rabbits, foxes . . . all types of birds. And it was the same story. I found some more photos, some looked like people’s pets! A dog, a few cats and a shocking white bunny. I remember the blood . . . a white bunny, you can imagine. I was worried about him. I mean, that’s not normal is it?’
‘It doesn’t sound it,’ Maddie said. ‘Not to me.’
‘Not to me either. I went to our mother. I didn’t dare speak to my dad — he was a fearsome man. Our mother said she would talk to Andy about it. She took her time, but eventually she did and that was it. That was a real turning point in our relationship. I think he felt betrayed, I think he felt as if I was against him and that’s where we’ve been ever since. Him on one side, me on the other. I think everything else, Simon included, is just an excuse to hate me.’
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