DARK HOUSES a gripping detective thriller full of suspense

by Helen H. Durrant

  Within five minutes George got back to her.

  “Ainsworth Engineering. You were right, it was a robbery. One of the office staff working late was coshed over the head so they had CSI round and they gave it the works.”

  “From the Duggan?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks, George. I’ll be back later.”

  Grace went straight to Roxy Atkins’s office.

  “They are in with Tasha at the moment,” Roxy said.

  “Greco and Speedy. It’s okay. I need a word with you first.”

  “First, I must tell you what I’ve got.” She moved over to her computer. “That photo you gave me — the image of the sitting room at Percival Street.”

  Grace nodded.

  “There were no fingerprints, but we did find something else — pollen. Pollen from a pink lily.”

  “The killer gave Suzy a bouquet. Greco was going on about it. I was with him when he went to the florists to find out who’d sent it.”

  “And did he? Find out?”

  “It was bought and paid for in the name of Neville Dakin — so no, we didn’t, not really.”

  “It’s something to think about anyway. What did you want a word about?”

  “A fortnight ago a team from here attended a break-in.” Grace showed her the address in her notepad. “I’d like to know who was on the forensic team that went out on that night.”

  “Is it important?”

  “Yes. I think one of them is our killer.”

  Roxy Atkins looked at her, open-mouthed. “Surely not. You must have that wrong. Our people are all thoroughly checked.”

  “I’m looking for someone who hasn’t been here long. If he hasn’t spun you a pack of lies, he’s worked in Carlisle, the South Coast and Nottingham. Does that ring any bells?”

  “The latest additions to the team here are me and Mark Brough. I came here from Liverpool, where I’d worked for the last five years. Mark came to us highly qualified and with excellent references, as I recall. I’ll check his file. But I think you must have this wrong. Mark is charming. Your colleague certainly thinks so. They are on the verge of arranging a date, so he told me.” She winked.

  Trust Scarlett! Grace waited while Roxy checked his work file on the computer.

  “Mark was on the Ainsworth Engineering job that night,” she confirmed. Her face was serious. “And you’re right. He’s worked in all the places you mentioned. Are you sure you’ve not made a mistake?”

  Grace felt sick. “There is no mistake, Roxy. I have Suzy’s phone. He texted her. He used that job as the reason why they couldn’t meet that day. Where is he now?”

  “With the team doing the PM.”

  “I need to see him.”

  “You can’t go in there,” Roxy said. “It’s Suzy Greco’s PM they are doing.”

  Grace felt sick. “Suzy . . . she didn’t make it. I didn’t know. No one at the hospital said anything to me. Greco will be in bits.” She looked at Roxy. “He’s not actually in there? Mark Brough?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” She felt the room swirl. “I want to go in. Let me onto the viewing platform.”

  “Are you okay? You’ve gone grey.”

  “Are you surprised? That man is some piece of work. He must truly believe he’s untouchable.” Grace was furious. She had all the pieces now to pin this where it belonged. And that was what she was going to do. The pollen came from the flowers he had given Suzy. He had the right background. What she had to do now was bring it all together by proving that he’d made those phone calls and written those texts to Suzy.

  Roxy led the way and unlocked the door that led into the morgue. “Tasha said I wasn’t to let any of your team in here. Greco specifically asked.”

  “If I’m right, he won’t mind, believe me.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Surprise him,” Grace said. “He’s caused enough pain. Now it ends. Ring the station for me. Get the troops here.”

  Her legs felt wobbly. Grace could see Suzy’s body, pale and lifeless on the slab. She didn’t want to look and she didn’t want to listen to the clatter of stainless steel or the slosh of internal organs.

  Natasha Barrington was logging the injuries one by one. No one noticed Grace come in. They were all intent on the job. Mark Brough was taking the samples as Natasha handed them to him, and the camera flashed at regular intervals.

  Grace took her own phone from her pocket and rang Speedy. “Don’t talk. Just listen,” she whispered. “Go and stand outside the morgue Doctor Barrington’s working in and stop anyone who comes out. No exceptions. Stop them dead. Do you understand?”

  Now she took Suzy Greco’s phone from her bag. It was a risk. He might not even have his mobile on him. But it was worth a shot. Her finger hovered over the number. If she’d got it wrong, she was in trouble. More than that, Greco would never forgive her. Her hand was shaking. This was risky. But George had given her the details and Roxy had confirmed them. What more did she need? Grace knew she was in shock. She had to sharpen up.

  Grace pressed the number. There was a second or two of quiet and then the sharp trill of a mobile phone broke the silence in the morgue. Grace smiled with relief. He must have the mobile in his pocket. Brough was their man. It was Mark Brough who had killed the girls and Suzy Greco. She’d got him.

  “Phones are not allowed in here,” Natasha Barrington barked at her assistant.

  “My fault, I’m afraid!” Grace called out. “Mark Brough, you are under arrest for—”

  He turned round. His look made the words catch in her throat. Seconds ticked by. Everyone had frozen in place like a scene from a play. Suddenly Mark Brough darted for the exit.

  * * *

  “What are you running from?” Speedy grabbed Brough’s arm as he crashed through the door.

  “Get off! That bitch has flipped. She’s made a huge mistake. This has nothing to do with me.”

  “Speedy!” Grace called. “It’s him! He’s our killer.”

  Speedy had no idea where this came from, but Grace was rarely wrong.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes! Suzy’s phone — he called her, texted, they were seeing one another.”

  Speedy gave her a doubtful look. “Is that it?” His grip on Brough’s arm loosened.

  “No. There’s other stuff.” She nodded at the uniformed officers coming down the corridor. “Take him to the station and make sure he doesn’t go anywhere,” Grace instructed them.

  “Where’s Greco?”

  “In Doctor Barrington’s office. I said I was going for more coffee. He knows nothing of your call — or this.”

  “I’ll speak to him.”

  “You’d better have this right.” Speedy followed after her. “There is nothing in the way of forensics.”

  “Oh, there is.” She turned and smiled. “They’ve got pollen off that photo we found. And he’s done this before. Other forces will have stuff. now we have a name, we’ll nail him, Speedy. He won’t walk this time.”

  Chapter 24

  Day Six

  Speedy and Grace sat down facing Brough. He was whispering to his solicitor.

  “I suggest you save us all a lot of trouble and let me out of here now,” he said with a smile.

  So charming. He was smooth-talking and confident. He’d been kept in the cells overnight and had been cool and calm throughout. He’d engaged one of the officers in conversation. The officer said Brough had even cracked a joke or two. It made Grace feel sick.

  Brough sat back in the chair, relaxed, sipping on the coffee he’d been given.

  “I’m afraid we can’t do that, Mr Brough,” Grace replied just as smoothly. “You have been charged with several very serious offences.”

  “As I have tried to explain, you’ve got it completely wrong. And I’m not just saying that. I mean it. I have experience in this business, don’t forget. I know you have nothing. There was nothing left beh
ind. I read the notes.”

  “When you did that, Mr Brough, the notes were incomplete. The case against you was made in the final hours. During that time we found damning evidence against you.”

  His laugh became a cough and he sipped more coffee. “Okay, so I was having a fling with Suzy Greco. I texted her, rang her and saw her a few times.” He leaned forward. “But I did not kill her.”

  “Yes, you did, and not only her.” Grace put the photos of Jessie and Jenna on the desk. “You brutally murdered these two young women.”

  “You are insane! Like I said before, where is the evidence?”

  “The phone, and your background. Women have been killed in three locations you’ve worked in.”

  “Not enough. That is circumstantial — the CPS will throw it out.”

  “We are in contact with the other forces,” Speedy added. “They are looking at the evidence again, the case notes. There will be something.”

  “And of course there is the flower pollen.” Grace said.

  There was a silence. Mark Brough stared at Grace’s impassive face.

  “What did you say?”

  “The pollen. It came from the pink lilies you bought for Suzy. The florist confirmed it. She admired your taste. They were expensive, but you know that. After all, you paid for them. But perhaps you don’t know how rare they are at this time of year. The florist in Oldston only had ten and you bought the lot. You bought them with a debit card in the name of Neville Dakin. At this time of year folk tend to buy daffodils, tulips. They’re cheaper, you see. So the assistant remembers — and she remembers you, Mr Brough.”

  “The girl there can identify you,” Speedy added. “Then of course there is Neville Dakin. He will identify you too. Not so easy to wriggle out of now, is it?”

  “Dakin’s a halfwit!” Brough exclaimed. “I can’t believe this. You’re joking, aren’t you? The reality is you’ve got nothing! I don’t make those kinds of mistakes.”

  “Yes, you do, Mr Brough. Even you can cock it up occasionally.” Speedy said.

  It was in his eyes — the disbelief that he, of all people, could make such a fundamental error.

  “You’re joking?” he said.

  Grace hunched her shoulders. “Are we, Mark? We’ve got you thinking though, haven’t we?” She leaned forward. “You remember those flowers and you remember the pollen too. I can see it in your face. You’ve messed up — time to admit what you’ve done.”

  A muscle in Brough’s face began to twitch, for the first time he looked frightened. The mask had slipped. They had him.

  “Do you want to tell us why now, Mark?” Speedy asked.

  Brough gave him a murderous look. “Police — that’s why. A waste of space the bloody lot of you.”

  “That’s an opinion, it’s not a reason to kill innocent young women or target families of those in the force.”

  “I have my reasons,” he scowled back. “The police ruined my life. I had a wife of my own once. She left me for some smart-arsed copper on his way up. Then they tried to get me sacked, the pair of them.” He paused, his face had paled at the recollection.

  “Go on, Mark, finish your story,” Speedy prompted.

  “He said I’d removed evidence from the site of murder case his team was investigating. I hadn’t, no way. I was eventually exonerated. He was hauled over the coals by his superintendent and took it out on my wife. I had tried to warn her but she wouldn’t listen. He was a bully, just like the rest of you.”

  “How, Mark? What happened to her?”

  He looked at Speedy with hate in his eyes. “She was only young. He killed her. He didn’t care, thought he could get away with it, and was right. Beat her to death, made it look like a violent break-in. He knew how to make it look kosher,” he smiled. “You people protecting the public, eh?”

  “And that’s why you do this?” Grace asked.

  “Why not? It gave me a sense of purpose. After the first two, I began to enjoy it. The force ruined my life. They should be made to pay. As for those girls — they were a bonus. They were like my wife, slappers and out for what they could get. They’re all the bloody same.”

  Grace felt sick at his twisted, stupid, hateful logic.

  Epilogue

  “Should you be here, sir?” Craig said.

  Greco sat down at his desk. “Probably not.”

  “This is not a good idea. You must have stuff to do at home.” Grace looked up from a pile of paperwork.

  “Suzy’s parents are dealing with the funeral. It’s not for another week. They want to sort her house too.” He gave a half-hearted smile. “I feel like a spare part around them. They are taking care of Matilda. They’re taking care of everything.”

  “They’re only trying to protect you,” Grace said.

  “No. They blame me. They never did like the idea of Suzy being together with a copper. Her dad always said it would get her into bother one day.”

  “Well, the good news is we got him,” Grace said. “He told us everything. In the end we couldn’t shut him up. The maniac was proud of what he’d done, of how he’d just walked away so many times.”

  “He gave us an explanation of sorts in the end,” Speedy added. “The man was driven by his demons. Makes no sense to right-minded folk, but then the likes of Mark Brough are psychopaths, so the rules go out the window.”

  Demons, Greco knew all about them. What had happened to Suzy would haunt him for the rest of his life. He couldn’t sleep without seeing the image of her hanging there in that room. He wanted to weep each time he glimpsed a photo of her, or Matilda mentioned her name. He had no idea how he was going to get over any of this.

  “You all did a great job. Grace, George, the four of you — and Scarlett. Where is she, by the way?” He sounded almost normal. But then they couldn’t see the turmoil in his head.

  “She’s gone back to Daneside,” Grace said and smiled.

  “You pieced this together with no help from me. After Suzy — I just fell apart.” He knew that sounded glib but he didn’t want to break down in front of his colleagues, understanding as they were.

  “She was your wife, you had every right to,” said Grace.

  “Ex-wife. Like you kept reminding me — and she was seeing another man.”

  “Nevertheless, you were close and she was Matilda’s mother. You really should go home. You don’t look yourself at all.”

  Greco knew he looked a mess. He’d slept in his clothes and he hadn’t shaved. He hardly recognised himself when he looked in the mirror. “I don’t do time off very well. Matilda is staying with her grandparents at Suzy’s house, so I’m back in the flat. I’ll go mad sitting on my own with nothing to do.”

  “I’m not tiptoeing around this,” Grace said firmly. “You look like crap. The DCI said you had to take time off. So you should take it. And think of Matilda. She’s just lost her mum. You don’t want her worrying about her dad too. If you don’t see her, she’ll fret.”

  “I’m thinking of moving on, actually.” He put his head in his hands.

  They stared at him in disbelief. Then they all spoke at once, all protesting.

  “Why do that? You’re settled here now,” Grace said.

  “I came to Oldston because Matilda was here with Suzy. The chances are that now she’ll go back to Norfolk with her grandparents.”

  “Speak to her. Ask the child what she wants to do. Being a single parent isn’t easy, but you will get by. I do. And I’ll lay odds she’ll want to stay with you.”

  Greco shrugged. He wasn’t sure that was even what he wanted. Work was so demanding that he’d rarely see the child. She’d grow up with no mother and a part-time father. Could he do that to her?

  “Stephen, I saw you pass my office door. Can I have a word, please?” DCI Green asked, popping his head round the corner.

  Now he’d get it from the boss too. “I’m climbing the walls at home,” he said, as they walked down the corridor.

  “But home is where you b
elong. Those aren’t just words, Stephen. I’m probably the only person here who appreciates something of what you’re going through. I lost my first wife twenty years ago — traffic accident on the M62. It was a dreadful time. I was ready to give up the lot. She left me with the twins — five years old, they were.”

  This was a revelation. Greco had had no idea.

  “You managed?”

  “Yes, I did. But don’t be misled. It was tough. After a while things settle but you’re the one left with the reality. This is no time to be putting on a brave face. I took the time off, and so should you. The job will still be here. You will have to make changes, compromise. But what matters is how you move forward with your daughter. The pair of you have to build a different life.”

  “She has her grandparents.”

  “She needs you. When Angie died, I almost made the same mistake. Her parents were only too willing to take the girls. We were in the middle of a case and I got my priorities wrong. In the end, I realised what was important and I let it go. The team coped without me, as yours did. If you don’t take the time to grieve, within weeks you’ll be a mess. I didn’t come back to work until I could see things more clearly. I made use of the system and the kindness of friends and family.”

  Greco hadn’t a clue about any of this. But then why should he? He was still getting to know Colin Green.

  They reached the DCI’s office and he gestured for Greco to sit down.

  “You should know that what you and your team did hasn’t gone unnoticed. Brough was a serial killer no one was even aware of. The forces in the locations he’d operated in suspected there was someone else, but they had no proof. He could have kept killing for a long time.”

  “And getting away with it,” Greco said with disgust. “He set Dakin up good and proper. Gave him a car and a debit card, and purchases were all made in that young man’s name.”

  “The new task force — the major incident team — has finally got the go-ahead. It will be put together within the next couple of months. You have been put forward as the DCI who should lead it.”