Then he pulled out into the High Street and headed off down the road towards Cherringham Bridge and the river, thinking how close they were to solving the drugs problem.
But also thinking: We’re still one break away from solving the death of Josh Owen.
37. A Call from the Blue
Sarah took out the macaroni cheese from the oven, cheese bubbling, and placed it on the table between her two children.
“Awesome,” said Daniel. “Best meal in the world!”
“Help yourselves guys,” said Sarah. “Don’t forget the salad. That’s an order by the way, Daniel.”
“Oh, Mum!” said Daniel, making an expression of mock horror. “Salad just ruins it.”
“When you’re eighteen I’ll give you the choice,” she said, smiling. “Until then, I rule.”
“Yeah – when I’m eighteen I’ll be drinking beer with it.”
“Hmm, that I can believe,” said Chloe, taking Daniel’s plate and serving him.
“You can talk,” said Daniel. “I know what you get up to.”
“No you don’t, wimp,” said Chloe.
Sarah took her seat at the end of the table and served herself, took a mouthful.
Gosh. Real life again, at last, she thought.
Even with the bickering… bliss.
Strange to think just a couple of hours ago she’d been crawling across a Cotswolds field hiding from a gang of drug dealers.
“We got any ketchup, Mum?”
“In the fridge, love.”
She watched him get up, grab the ketchup from the fridge, then return to the table and squirt his usual swirly pattern all over the macaroni cheese.
He’s been doing that since he was five years old, thought Sarah.
“Gross,” said Chloe.
“Skill,” said Daniel, sitting down again and tucking in.
As Sarah ate, she listened to her two kids throwing one-liners at each other.
Just like the old days.
How wonderful it would be this evening just to cuddle up with them on the sofa and watch a movie together.
But she knew that wasn’t going to happen. She checked her watch.
“Guys, just so you know – Jack’s coming over so leave him a bit of food, will you?”
“You working?” said Chloe.
“Yep,” said Sarah.
“You’re always working, Mum.”
“I know, love,” said Sarah. “But this stuff’s going to be over soon – and then hey, maybe we should start thinking about holiday plans – yeah?”
“Brilliant,” said Daniel.
She got up and took her plate to the sink. Then turned:
“In fact – why don’t you two do some research this evening – and let’s lock it in at the weekend. Deal?”
“Deal,” said Chloe finally smiling at her.
And Daniel, mouth full, put his thumb up.
Sarah laughed and headed to her office.
***
Jack stood next to Sarah at the whiteboard, plate in hand, eating the macaroni and cheese.
“Better than my mom’s,” he said. Sarah smiled but he saw she kept her eyes on the board…
He could see it had filled up – more photos, more index cards, more links between them.
“Allow me to introduce Mr. Marc Ross,” said Sarah, pointing to a headshot photo pinned now in the very centre of the whiteboard.
“AKA the guy from the mob. Hmm,” said Jack, stepping closer and taking in the photo.
From Ross, he could see there was now a spider’s web of lines leading to the other players on the whiteboard.
“The very same. Director of Midas Leisure. Pool hall owner, manager of various nightclubs across the Midlands. No criminal record that I could find.”
“But he’s been at the centre of a lot of tax investigations over the last few years. Nothing that stuck of course – a lot of cases just abandoned, lack of evidence. On the board of a whole ton of companies – I’ve got a list somewhere…”
“Let me guess,” said Jack. “All companies that have plenty of loose cash running through them?”
“Spot on,” said Sarah. “Lives in a manor house about ten miles out of Cherringham. I googled it – very smart place, swimming pool, paddock, lake.”
“So – clean, connected – and crooked.”
“Exactly,” said Sarah. “Oh, and he also leases the farmhouse we were at today through a small company. No direct link to him of course.”
“Clever guy,” said Jack. “Knows how to run the operation without getting his hands dirty.”
“Which means he’s going to be hard to catch – doesn’t it?”
“It does,” said Jack, “but not impossible.”
“Aha. Care to tell me more?”
“Hmm – still playing with a couple of ideas.”
“Hi Jack!” came Chloe’s voice from behind him.
Jack turned to see Chloe at the door, carrying some papers.
“Hey Chloe.”
He saw her smile and thought: Maybe she’s forgiven me for leaving?
Or for not saying I was coming back?
“Mum – we found some pretty good holiday places,” said Chloe. “You want to see the printouts?”
“That’s great, love,” said Sarah. “Put them on the desk and I’ll look at them tonight.”
Jack watched Chloe walk into the office and drop a stack of photos on Sarah’s desk.
Then she turned and looked at the whiteboard.
And stopped…
“Wow,” she said, “CSI Miami.”
“CSI Cherringham,” said Jack.
“Who’s the evil mastermind?”
“That’s just what we were figuring out,” said Sarah.
“Creepy guy,” said Chloe.
Jack saw her move over to the corner of the whiteboard, then spin round.
“Hey – why’ve you got Ted up here?” said Chloe, suddenly sounding concerned.
“You know him?” said Sarah.
“Well, yeah! He’s Kate’s boyfriend.”
Jack caught Sarah’s eye – was Chloe mixed up in all this? He could see Sarah controlling her emotions, looking casual.
“So – you hang out with him?”
“Not really. Now and then, when I’m with Kate… he’ll drop by,” said Chloe, now beginning to look defensive. “He’s nice. He’s not in trouble, is he?”
Jack looked at Sarah, on the hook.
He shrugged, and getting no cue from him as to what to say, she answered:
“He might be,” said Sarah.
Jack watched Sarah’s daughter thinking things through.
“Tell you what,” said Jack. “Why don’t I go grab myself a coffee – while you two have a chat?”
“Thanks, Jack,” said Sarah. Then he saw her turn to Chloe.
“Think we’re going to have to talk, love.”
Jack saw Chloe nod, then he left the room to give them some space.
***
Jack stood on the deck in Sarah’s back garden, sipping his coffee. He knew Sarah would come out and get him when she and Chloe were through.
Nothing to do now, but take in this glorious late evening view down to the river – and figure out how to take down Marc Ross.
Then his phone rang. He took it out – didn’t recognise the number.
“Yes? Jack Brennan.”
“Ah, Mr. Brennan! Hilary Tradescant here.”
The jovial, upper-class English voice was straight out of Downton Abbey – with a heavy dose of tweed.
“Ms. Tradescant–”
“For God’s sake man, call me Hilary. Can’t abide that Mizz nonsense–”
“Hilary – thanks for calling. I guess the head got in touch with you?”
“Been in this bloody staff meeting. Not for two days of course. Though dammit, it does feel like it. No. Just got back from Norfolk. Rare bird – up on the coast – great knot – wonderful – couldn’t miss it. Gather you’ve been trying to track me down?”
>
Jack sat on one of Sarah’s big comfortable garden chairs. The timing for this call couldn’t be better.
“Well, yes,” he said. “Louise said that you might remember the pairings for the locker search that she organised a few weeks back, up at the school?”
“Yes.”
“So, er, I was wondering if you did remember?”
“Yes. As I just said – I do.”
“Ah, that’s terrific,” said Jack. “And am I correct in believing that everyone was paired up?”
“Yes,” said Hilary. “Avoids arguments, accusations and so on. Protocol for such delicate things, you see.”
“Of course,” said Jack. “So, tell me, was Tim Wilkins paired with Josh Owen?”
“Yes, he was.”
“Ah, okay.”
Jack wondered if this was going anywhere. Then:
“Um,” Hilary started. Then – for a moment – nothing.
Jack waited.
“Well, to be honest, as it turned out,” said Hilary, “they didn’t actually do the search together.”
“What?”
Jack leaned forward, listening intently.
“Josh missed most of the search, you see, because he was out on the playing fields lying on a rug sharing his lunch with Maddie Brookes. Flighty young thing that she is.”
Well, Jack thought, this is interesting.
“You saw him out there?”
“Good lord, no. But one of my spies did…”
Spies. This was even more like a Sherlock Holmes tale.
“So Hilary – when did you find out about this?”
“A couple of days later, I think.”
Jack paused, finding the right words.
“And you didn’t tell anybody?”
Another pause. Hilary the spymaster, on guard.
“Is this important, Mr. Brennan?”
“Very.”
“Oh well. As we all know, Josh died just a day or so after the search. And – discretion, valour and all – I really didn’t think that was the appropriate time to bring up the matter of what seemed to be – I don’t know – a budding attraction between Josh and Maddie.”
“Attraction?”
“I shall go out on a limb here, Mr. Brennan. Attraction – or perhaps romance. Whatever you call it, there was something brewing…”
Jack could believe that.
“Do you think Tim Wilkins knew about this?”
“Knew? I am sure he was positively seething. Every break. Every lunchtime. Watched Maddie’s every move. Watched Josh’s too. Still waters – you know?”
“I thought Tim and Josh were pals.”
“Oh, Mr. Brennan, I doubt you could be further from the truth.”
Jack stood up, his mind spinning. This was turning everything on its head.
“Hilary – you said you were still at the staff meeting?”
“Popped out for a smoke.”
A smoker too? Jack had to smile at this… old-school indeed.
“Do me a favor, would you?”
“If it’s within my powers.”
“Is Maddie Brookes at that meeting?”
“She is.”
“Well, could you – confidentially, mind – ask Louise to make sure Maddie stays behind, when the meeting is over. I need to run up to the school to talk to her.”
“Will do,” said Hilary. “I say – even without me knowing what this is all about – it is all rather exciting, isn’t it?”
Jack laughed. “Isn’t it? Very hush-hush too,” he said. “That the expression?”
“Spot on,” said Hilary.
“Goodbye, Hilary – and thanks.”
Jack clicked his phone off and slid it into his pocket.
Then he turned and headed back into the house.
Whatever Sarah had found out from Chloe – this news was something they needed to act fast on.
38. Back to School
Sarah looked over at Jack, his hands locked on the Sprite’s steering wheel, driving faster than she had ever seen him drive, up Cherringham Bridge Road.
“So – let me see if I’ve got this straight…”
He nodded.
“Josh was supposed to do the locker sweep with Tim – but didn’t?”
“Yes.”
She thought of what that meant – Tim did it on his own.
The only teacher to do so…
“Wow,” she said. “Our bird watcher has given us something really interesting.”
As Jack took the turn to the main road that led to the school, he looked over.
“Think it’s what we’ve been missing.”
“And the reason for talking to Maddie?”
“Last bit of information for your whiteboard. And who knows – maybe more surprises. Then – we’ll need a plan.” He turned to her again. “How’d things go with Chloe?”
“Good. I mean, thanks for giving us a few minutes. I think we’re both trying to figure out how – I don’t know – just how we are together.”
“Think they call it ‘autonomy’.”
She smiled at that. “You’re right. Letting go, and hoping for the best.”
“Kinda.”
She looked at him again. “But Jack, she said something, about Ted, that – maybe – is important.”
“Go on.”
“She said that Ted really is a nice guy. Cares about his music, his DJ-ing…”
“Okay.”
“And whatever nasty business his brother Rikky is into… he isn’t.”
She watched Jack slow down as they came to another curve.
“Good on Chloe.”
“She also said Ted and his brother are setting up for a rave tomorrow night.”
“Some secrets came out, hmm?”
“A few.”
“But nothing worse than you got up to at that age, I bet?”
Sarah smiled. “Possibly.”
“Don’t suppose she told you where the rave’s going to be?”
“At the quarry tomorrow night. But they’re setting up tonight.”
“Hmm.”
“Helpful?”
“Maybe. So–”
The school was now only minutes away, and Louise was hopefully keeping Maddie after the meeting.
“Think you should take the lead with Maddie? Could be delicate stuff.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Might be embarrassing. And if I miss anything…”
A big smile from Jack. “Doubt that, but I’ll jump in as needed.”
Then they sat quietly as Jack drove into the main entrance to the school.
***
Maddie stood in Louise’s office, facing Jack and Sarah.
Louise had offered to let them talk to her alone. But some instinct on Sarah’s part told her that – with whatever was about to come out – it would be best to have the head there.
And from the look in Maddie’s eyes – fear, worry? – she clearly knew something was up.
“Maddie, can you tell us about that day? What really happened, with the locker search?”
Maddie’s eyes roamed from Sarah, to Louise, then Jack, and finally back.
The eyes reflecting the idea: we may know something secret.
“Tim and Josh were supposed to do the search together after lunch. But Josh found me in the staff room and said – come on, let’s you and me take our lunch out onto the grass first… It was such a nice day – you know? So hot. Anyway, we sort of lost track of the time…”
Sarah looked at Jack, then back at Maddie.
“So Tim did the search on his own?”
Such an “on point” question. Sarah wondered if it would rattle Maddie too much.
A nod.
The truth seeping out so slowly.
“Afterwards, Tim came out to us on the grass – said not to worry, he wouldn’t get Josh into trouble for not turning up. All jokey – you know? We laughed about it.”
Now Maddie looked away, her secret revealed.
T
hen she saw Louise do something quite unexpected.
She walked over to the young teacher, and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Maddie, I want you to know that whatever is said in this room,” she looked at Sarah, and then Jack for confirmation, “will never leave it.”
And with that reassurance, Maddie turned back.
***
“We – Josh and I – enjoyed each other’s company. Little jokes we shared, chats here and there. I liked it.” She took a breath. “So did Josh.”
“Sounds harmless enough. But you were engaged to Tim?”
Another nod.
“It’s not like we’d actually done anything. Not really. Still…”
She hesitated and Sarah waited.
“I started to think – maybe I should tell Tim. You know? Tell him that maybe I wasn’t so sure about the two of us anymore. But I knew it would crush him.”
Sarah saw Jack look over to her. Maddie’s truth pouring out.
“Crush him,” said Maddie as if she was thinking aloud. “He could be so jealous.”
“Jealous? What did that look like?”
Maddie shrugged. “Always checking up on me, casual like, popping into my room after class, turning up in the staff room whenever I had a break.”
“Do you think–” Sarah paused, taking her time, “Tim suspected? How you had begun to feel about Josh?”
First, a shake of her head.
But then…
“I, um, don’t know. Maybe. Probably. But the closer I got to telling him, I think, the less careful I was to hide those chats, hide my feelings about Josh.”
Sarah nodded.
“You never told anyone?”
Maddie shook her head. “After Josh died, there was, well, no point in it, right? I mean, Josh was, Josh was–”
Then – so quickly – full out sobs, matched with a great hug from Louise holding the shuddering young woman close.
And no one said anything for a very long minute.
Then Maddie – her eyes still watery – looked back at Sarah, her voice shaky.
“You said the drugs were found in a locker?”
Sarah nodded.
She could see from Maddie’s eyes, she was thinking about this.
Then she said the one word that summarised all that they knew…
“Tim…”
Louise handed the teacher a tissue.
“When did you last see him, Maddie?” asked Sarah.
She watched Maddie wipe her eyes and blink.
Dead in the Water Page 19