by Joy Ellis
‘My thoughts precisely. Now what can I do for you?’
‘Your boss asked me to find the date when George Ackroyd had his funny turn in the corner shop.’ He passed her a slip of paper. ‘One of the youngsters who works in the minimart said he was pretty sure that Gordon recognised someone going by outside. Unfortunately he didn’t see who it was.’ He folded his arms and looked down at Cat. ‘Last night I spoke to some of the other residents in that building. There’s one I think you should have a word with. The chap from the flat beneath Ackroyd’s heard raised voices. He said that Ackroyd was normally as quiet as a mouse, so this was unusual. This chap works nights but I told him to expect a call from you. His number’s on the paper with the date.’
‘Thanks, Sarge, I appreciate that. Did he say if he recognised the person Ackroyd was arguing with? Another neighbour maybe?’
‘He said it was George doing all the shouting, ma’am. The other voice was soft and sort of persistent. He didn’t know who it was, but it was definitely a woman.’
This made Cat rethink her plan. She’d start here in Greenborough, at George Ackroyd’s flat.
* * *
Before she spoke to the neighbour, Cat decided to take another look around George’s flat. The sad and barren rooms seemed to stare back at her blankly. With a sigh of relief, Cat shut the door behind her.
The neighbour’s flat was more spacious than George’s. Where his flat was bare, this one bore a strong resemblance to an indoor car boot sale.
‘Have a seat, Detective.’ The man pushed a huge pile of fishing magazines to one side, clearing a tiny space on the crowded sofa. From her perch in between a partially dismantled shredding machine and a selection of what looked like old camera lenses, Cat reminded herself to clear out her attic at the very next opportunity.
‘Did Mr Ackroyd have many visitors?’
‘Oh no, very few, considering his affliction.’
Cat cringed. What an unpleasant and old-fashioned word to use.
‘Who did visit, then?’
‘Errand boys, sometimes the doctor. There was one delivery company that used to drop parcels off. George said he ordered over the phone a fair bit.’
‘Were you friendly with him?’
‘Not really. He didn’t encourage friends, probably because of his affliction.’
Cat wished the man would stop using that word.
‘Had you ever seen a woman call on him before? You say it was a female voice that you heard arguing with him that evening?’
‘Yes, once or twice maybe. Never saw her properly. Once I heard voices, and when I looked out I just got a glimpse of her coat as she passed by. I only knew it was a woman because I smelt her perfume.’
‘Did you get a better view of her at any other time?’
‘Once, from the window. I just got a back view as she went down the street.’
‘What did she look like?’
‘Couldn’t really tell . . . Smart coat, long it was, and she was tallish. That’s all really.’
‘Hair colour?’
‘She wore one of those big floppy hats. Didn’t see her hair.’
‘Age?’
‘I’m really no good on ages, Detective, but she wasn’t a kid. She reminded me of my cousin who’s in her late thirties, early forties, I suppose.’
This was a wasted trip.
‘When you heard George shouting that day, what exactly did you hear?’
‘I’ve been thinking about that ever since I spoke to the sergeant after they took poor George away. It was just noise really, and she was really softly spoken so I have no idea what she was saying. I did hear George say something like, ‘It’s different now!’ Then there was something about children. I think I heard the word, “child.” I thought he said, “You can’t make me!” and then it went quiet. I guessed it was someone from the hospital, you know, trying to make him go out. Probably trying to help him overcome his aff—’
‘So she never shouted back at all?’ Cat interrupted before she clocked him one.
‘No. That’s why I thought she was from the clinic. She sounded very calm and in control, and she never yelled back at him. It was funny really. He was so quiet normally, I often wouldn’t know if he was in or out. Great, when you work shifts. There was only one other time I really heard him, when he had one of his funny turns in the hallway — you know, a sort of panic attack. Other than that he was the best neighbour ever.’ He looked downcast. ‘I wonder who’ll have his flat next. Some noisy bugger, I’ll bet. I won’t get another George, that’s for sure.’
Cat thanked him and left. In the car she made a note to check with his doctor as to whether he was receiving any form of therapy at home. She frowned. Whoever this woman was, she had probably been the last person to see George Ackroyd alive.
* * *
The team got back to Galena’s Grotto, as they had nicknamed their office, at one o’clock. It took another half hour for Cat to tell them everything she had found out. Nikki asked the others how they had fared.
Ben looked despondent. ‘Bad news, ma’am. Millie did arrive at Heathrow, and took a cab to a hotel close to Kings Cross Station. She stayed for one night, then checked out and walked to the station. I have her on CCTV checking the departures board, and then she disappeared.’ He let out a loud sigh. ‘I’ve checked every single place in Greenborough where she could have stayed. Started with the closest places to where her father lived, and then moved outwards, and no one has seen her. I have nowhere else to take this.’
‘You’ve done well to get this far.’ Nikki screwed up her face in concern. ‘But I fear for her, don’t you?’
They nodded.
‘Has anyone got any good news?’
Nikki looked at their faces. Things were not going well.
‘I could be wrong, ma’am,’ Dave frowned, ‘but I think our Briar Patch ladies have been warned off talking to us. Yvonne and I met with nothing but, “Sorry, she’s out of the office today”, or “Oh, you’ve just missed her.” We’ve had no success with interviews at all.’
Nikki nodded. ‘Same with us. Although Joseph and I do have one interview tonight. We are having dinner with Rosemary Allsop.’
Dave grinned. ‘Getting desperate, aren’t we? Imagine having to have dinner with all of them!’
‘Desperate is the word alright.’
The team fell silent. Only Cat was making any headway, and she was working alone and on a different case.
Nikki looked across to Joseph, who had seemed pensive since they got back to the office. She hoped it wasn’t the ghost of Laura retuning to haunt him. He returned her gaze, and she saw that it was a work thing. Joseph was having one of his Eureka moments.
‘Want to share?’
He puffed out his cheeks. ‘Not sure I’m ready. It sounds insane, even to me.’
‘Just throw it at us, and then we’ll take a vote on your sanity.’
‘I keep thinking about how nothing in Quintin Eaudyke is as it seems.’
‘Please, Joseph! We are working the Prospero case!’
‘Bear with me.’ Joseph stood up and began pacing the floor. ‘I am convinced that Gordon Hammond wasn’t the Beast of Quintin Eaudyke. And from the mental state of the surviving victims, I think the Beast is still around.’
Cat sat bolt upright. ‘They are still so afraid because they are still under threat?’
‘Exactly. But if they aren’t scared of Gordon, who are they afraid of? At first I thought that maybe Gordon was protecting his best friend. But what if he was actually protecting his daughter?’
They were all silent while this sunk in. Eventually Nikki said, ‘Are you suggesting that the person who terrorised the children and killed the animals was his own daughter, Avril!’
‘I do. Think about it. If Gordon didn’t do all those terrible things, why did he take the blame for so long? Because he was desperate to protect someone. Someone he loved? And . . .’
‘And everyone said he doted on her,’ Nikki finished the
sentence. ‘You really believe that a young girl could commit all those atrocities?’
‘We know it’s possible. But worse than that. I think Avril is right here in Greenborough.’
‘Fu—’ Nikki coughed. ‘What makes you think that, Joseph?’ But she knew what his answer would be.
‘Because she’s started killing people.’
Nikki’s heart began hammering in her chest.
‘Rory suggested that both Maddie Prospero and Louise Lawson could have been killed by a woman.’ Dave’s voice was almost a whisper.
‘And that it was possible for a woman to have murdered Gordon Hammond,’ Ben added. ‘But to kill your own father?’
Nikki swallowed hard. ‘We really need to think this through before we get carried away.’
‘Ma’am?’ Cat raised her hand. ‘George Ackroyd’s neighbour says the last person to talk to George before he killed himself was a woman. I’ve checked with his GP and no one from the clinic had visited him for months. Do you think . . . ?’
Nikki’s mind was overflowing. Ideas were pouring in and threatening to drown her. ‘Wait. Is there any known connection between Prospero and Lawson, and the Hammonds or Quintin Eaudyke?’
‘How would we know, Nikki?’
Joseph’s voice was steady, but his next words shocked her.
‘We don’t know who Avril is, do we? She is in her late forties now, and no doubt has a new name, a new job and a new persona. She could be someone that we know. Someone we see regularly . . .’
‘Or someone that we work with.’ Nikki stood up and hurried to the door. ‘Oh, dear Lord! I have to speak to Gill Mercer and the superintendent.’
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Nikki and Joseph sat alone in the makeshift murder room, trying to make sense of Joseph’s startling theory.
Nikki had just come from the super’s office. ‘The super needs proof, evidence, something substantial to go on. Until then, we are to keep working as if they are separate cases.’
‘I would be willing to bet a large sum of money on the fact that they are connected. Wouldn’t you?’ Joseph looked at her.
‘The more I think about it, the more I believe you are right.’ Nikki stretched. ‘I think we should keep our appointment with Denise and Rosemary tonight. If anyone knows what is going on in that Briar Patch Club, it’s Rosemary Allsop. It’s up to us to glean every bit of info from her that we can.’
Before Joseph could answer, their mobiles rang simultaneously. Joseph looked at his and with a frown, turned it off.
Nikki’s display showed Denise. ‘Speak of angels.’ She switched the phone to speaker so that Joseph could hear. ‘Hi, Den, don’t tell me it’s off. We are starving!’
‘Oh no. I was just wondering if you would mind if Spooky and Bliss came along too? We’d like to celebrate her new appointment.’
‘More the merrier. I don’t think Joseph will mind being outnumbered five to one by women.’
‘No problem at all.’ Joseph was smiling.
‘Seven o’clock?’
‘Perfect. See you then.’ Nikki put her phone back into her bag. ‘That’s four members of the Briar Club in one room!’
Joseph rested his elbows on the desk. ‘I’m still thinking about Avril. What if I was wrong about her being our current murderer, but she did kill her father? Let’s say she was innocent. She was a bright girl, threatened with violence and abuse. She had seen all her friends and contemporaries tortured and turned into zombies. I’d say that at fifteen, she was more than capable of killing him. There are precedents for it.’
‘So did she do it to protect herself? Her mother? Or to avenge what happened to the other children?’ Nikki frowned.
‘I don’t think that last idea is likely,’ he said. ‘If she did it for them, she would have made sure they knew they were finally safe. But they didn’t know he was dead and they are still shit scared of something. Okay then, forgive me if this seems fanciful, but let’s take it a step further. What if the victims are as frightened of Avril as they were of Gordon? They know that she is still around. Perhaps she’s even threatened them. They know that if they talk, she is capable of doing everything that he did, and more. That would explain their silence and the fact that they still live in terror.’
Nikki grimaced. ‘Wow! That’s a scary thought. And a very big jump to make.’
Joseph looked at her through narrowed eyes. ‘Well, have you ever seen such traumatised victims, thirty years after the event? I think we need to consider every possibility, no matter how bizarre.’
‘Maybe, but stress from trauma can get worse as you get older. We don’t really know what happened to those children, do we?’ Nikki shrugged.
‘I suspect that by the end of this investigation we could be having nightmares ourselves.’
Nikki stood up. ‘I think I’ll risk a few bad dreams, if we can just get this case sewn up. Now, Denise said it’s come as you are, so shall we kill time here and go directly to her place?’
‘Suits me. I’ll pop out and get a bottle of wine, shall I?’ Joseph pushed back his chair.
‘I’ll come with you and grab a few flowers, if the shop hasn’t already closed.’ Nikki stopped. ‘I wonder if Rory is still in his crypt? I’d like to ask him again if he thinks a woman might have killed Gordon.’
Joseph picked up the phone.
‘He says to go straight there.’
* * *
‘Goodness me! How honoured I am! Spike? The red carpet if you please, and Charlie? Grab a bottle of Bollinger from the body freezer, would you? Nikki and the delectable Joseph. Welcome!’ Rory bowed so low his head almost touched the floor.
‘Most amusing, Rory. We all know this is not my favourite place, but I have some urgent questions for you. May I?’ Nikki said.
‘Fire away, my friend. How can I help?’
‘Gordon Hammond. Do you think he could have been murdered by a woman?’
‘Dear me, we’ve really got it in for the female of the species, haven’t we?’
‘I’m more inclined to believe it was the female who had it in for someone else in Gordon’s case.’
Rory nodded. ‘Come and meet him, Nikki. We’ll take a look and see what we have.’
The body was in another part of the laboratory, an airy room with a high ceiling. A large area was cordoned off by heavy duty clear plastic sheeting that reminded Nikki of a giant mosquito net.
Rory waved towards it. ‘This is relatively new here. It means we can keep that area free of contaminants. It’s also free of drafts, so I think you may find me there a lot during the winter months. However, our chap is over here.’ He ushered them to a large table with low overhead lighting.
The skeleton of Gordon Hammond was now laid out neatly. His arm had been straightened, and no longer grasped for the knife that had struck him.
‘I’ve photographed the skull injuries, and enhanced them.’ Rory clicked on a massive computer screen, and pointed to the damaged head. ‘From the angle of the blow, and the depth of the weapon marks, see here, the fractures and depressions in the cranium, we can deduce the approximate height of the attacker. It depends on the terrain too, things like whether there was a slope, or if the attacker was standing on something. But as we know, the area where the murder took place was level, so I think we can say around five foot seven, a little on the tall side, but not a massively unusual height for a woman.’
Nikki stared thoughtfully at the long dead corpse. ‘Were there any other indications that the assailant was a woman?’
‘Not really. But whoever stabbed Gordon knew what they were doing. The blade slid directly under the ribs at chest height, scoring them as it went but not blocked by them. I’ve seen the tips of knives snap off when they hit a rib. These wounds were intended to inflict maximum damage to the lung.’
‘So it would be rather rash to consider that a teenage girl committed this crime?’
Rory drew in a deep breath. ‘A trifle audacious perhaps, but not impossibl
e. Girls can be vicious in the extreme. It would depend on the individual — her build and her state of mind.’ He stared at the body, then back at Nikki. ‘Good Lord! You aren’t considering a connection between the cold case and the Prospero and Lawson deaths, are you? They are thirty years apart!’
‘Let’s just say that certain aspects of this investigation make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.’ She looked intently at Rory. ‘We believe that this man was wrongly accused of doing away with his daughter, and she might just be alive and well and living in Greenborough.’
‘Jesus Christ! That’s a frightening thought!’
‘It is. And somehow I have to sell this theory to both Gill Mercer and the superintendent. It’s not going to be easy.’
Rory grimaced. ‘Rather you than me. All I can say is that my experience and my gut feeling are telling me that a female killed the Lawson girl.’
On their way out, Joseph added, ‘And if something else comes to light regarding any of the three deaths, Hammond, Prospero or Lawson, that indicate a woman, can you get the findings to us, day or night?’
Rory settled his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. He nodded emphatically. ‘Of course, and, if it will help your cause, I’ll double-check all the evidence again — when I finally get through my backlog of medical and more natural demises, that is.’
As they left, they heard Rory call out. ‘Charlie, dear heart, I hate to drag you away from admiring my excellent work on poor Gordon, but when you have the time, perhaps you’d wheel out the next one for me, if you would be so kind!’
Outside, Nikki whistled. ‘Phew, that adds fuel to the fire, doesn’t it?’
Joseph nodded. He glanced at his watch. ‘We’d better go get that wine, or we’ll be late.’
They hurried towards the store. ‘Was that Laura on the phone earlier?’ said Nikki.
‘It was.’ Joseph gave her a sidelong look, ‘I quite enjoyed pressing the End Call button.’
‘I’m proud of you.’ Nikki smiled broadly.
* * *
Denise and Rosemary lived in a big airy flat above the cafe. Rosemary answered the door and led them through to the lounge. She was a tall, slender commanding woman.