by P. F. Ford
On the other hand, of course, Tim Jolly’s world revolved around Jane and their three kids. Suppose he had come to believe there was something going on between Jolly and Norm? After all, they had worked together a lot, and Norm was the sort of guy who was fun to be around. What if she had told Tim what a great guy Norm was?
And then he remembered something. He quickly sorted through the CCTV disks until he found the one he wanted. He stuck it in the machine, and sorted through the traffic camera stills until he found the photo of his car. It was being driven by someone wearing a hat which hid his face, but Biddeford was right, the hat couldn’t hide the fact that the driver was something of a short-arse…
Slater sat back in his seat. He thought maybe he should give Jane a call. But then, what exactly was he going to say to her? ‘Hi Jane, do you know if your husband’s kidnapped Norman?’ And anyway, what if he was wrong?
Then he realised there was a better way that didn’t involve worrying her. He could easily check to see if Tim Jolly had flown out to Spain on Sunday. He was sure it would be a waste of time, and only prove that Tim was in Spain, but at least then he could put the idea to bed and concentrate on finding the real kidnapper.
‘And you’re absolutely sure?’ he asked down the phone, ten minutes later.
‘Absolutely 100%, no doubt whatsoever,’ came the reply. ‘No one by that name has flown out of the country in the past seven days. Of course, it’s always possible he could have crossed the channel and driven down through France, but the only way that guy could have flown to Spain is if he’s using a false passport.’
‘Oh shite,’ mumbled Slater to himself, as he cut the call and began to dial again. He tried to tell himself that Tim Jolly must have driven down to Spain, but there was a sinking feeling settling in his stomach as he dialled.
‘Hello, Boss,’ he said into the phone, a few minutes later. ‘You might want to postpone that meeting and get back here. I think I know who the kidnapper is, and you get to tell me you told me so.’
‘Don’t tell me,’ she said. ‘It’s PC Jolly’s husband. So you checked him out, then? I thought you probably would.’
‘I just kept thinking about what you said before you left,’ he said, sheepishly. ‘And what with him being a short-arse and the person who nicked my car being one as well…’
‘Aye,’ she said. ‘Sometimes two and two have to make four, even when you’d rather they didn’t. Do we know where he is?’
‘Err, no,’ he said. ‘All I know for sure is that he’s supposed to be in Spain, but he’s still in this country, somewhere.’
‘Has it occurred to you that just because he’s not in Spain, it doesn’t prove he’s a kidnapper? It could be he’s just run off or two weeks with his bit on the side?’
‘I almost wish that were true,’ said Slater, sighing. ‘But I don’t believe it any more than you do. I’m sorry. I should have listened to you earlier.’
‘We’ll have plenty of time to discuss where we went wrong when we’ve found Norman,’ she said. ‘And, by the way, I’m not one for gloating. We all tend to think it can’t be our friends who are at fault.’
‘Yeah, but I should know better. And why aren’t you chewing my balls off?’
‘What would be the point of that? We made a mistake and we both know it. Shouting at you won’t make it better, will it? What really matters is we put it right now, and we learn from it for the future.’
‘But it wasn’t we that made the mistake, it was me,’ said Slater.
‘Look, we can talk about this later,’ she said. ‘Right now I need to call the CC and tell him I’ve got to put our meeting on hold. When I get back we’d better go and have a chat with Mrs Jolly. Are you going to be alright with that? If it puts you in a difficult position, I can take someone else.’
‘No, it’s fine. I think I should be the one to go with you. I can deal with it.’
‘Good,’ said Goodnews. ‘I’ll be back in about an hour.’
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jane Jolly obviously hadn’t been expecting visitors, but the enquiring look on her face quickly changed to surprise as she swung the door open to reveal Goodnews and Slater standing on her step.
‘Good afternoon, Mrs Jolly,’ said Goodnews.
‘Please, call me Jane,’ said Jolly.
Goodnews gave a small, fleeting smile but said nothing, making Slater feel distinctly uncomfortable.
‘Don’t tell me,’ joked Jolly, awkwardly. ‘You’ve got time to kill, and you thought, “who do we know who can make us a cup of tea”.’
This time, Goodnews didn’t even manage a half-smile.
‘I wonder if DS Slater and I might come in and ask you a few questions, Mrs Jolly?’
‘Questions?’ asked Jolly, looking at Slater now. ‘What sort of questions? Have I done something wrong?’
‘We just need some help,’ said Slater. ‘We think you might be able to…’
He left the sentence unfinished. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Jolly so flustered before and he wasn’t enjoying being the reason for her discomfort.
‘You’d better come in,’ said Jolly. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’
She led the way inside, leaving Slater and Goodnews to follow. Goodnews gave Slater a hostile look to remind him she was taking the lead here. He nodded his understanding.
Jolly clattered around in the kitchen making tea while they waited in her lounge. It was a nice, clean, spacious room. The smell of fresh paint indicated it had been recently decorated.
There were numerous photographs of the Jolly family scattered around the room. Goodnews stepped across to have a close look at a photograph of Tim Jolly.
‘Please, sit down,’ said Jolly, bustling in with three mugs of tea.
She handed out the teas, and then sat down opposite Slater and Goodnews.
‘This is a nice house, you have,’ said Goodnews. ‘And all these photographs. You must be very proud of your family.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Jolly, but she looked uneasy. ‘Yes, I am.’
‘Is your husband the decorator?’ asked Goodnews, indicating the pristine condition of the decor.
‘That’s right,’ Jolly said, smiling fondly. ‘He finished it just before he went away.’
‘He’s away?’ said Goodnews. ‘Where’s he gone? Anywhere nice?’
Jolly looked enquiringly at Slater.
‘Why is she asking me this?’ she asked him. ‘I’ve already told you where Tim’s gone.’
‘Do you know where he is?’ asked Goodnews, before Slater had a chance to speak.
‘He’s in Madrid,’ said Jolly, testily.
‘Are you sure about that?’
‘He left on Sunday. He was meeting up with some friends. They’ve gone to a football tournament.’
‘Where did he fly from?’
‘Gatwick,’ snapped Jolly. ‘I took him there myself, me and the kids. We left him right outside the terminal.’
‘So you didn’t see him actually get on a flight?’ persisted Goodnews.
‘Well, no,’ said Jolly. ‘It was Sunday evening. I needed to get the kids back and off to bed. They had school the next day. Look, what’s this all about. Has something happened to Tim? Has he been involved in an accident?’
‘No,’ said Goodnews. ‘That’s not what’s happened.’
She turned to Slater.
‘You’d better tell her.’
‘Tell me what?’ said Jolly.
‘I’m sorry, Jane,’ said Slater. ‘But Tim didn’t board a flight to Spain. I checked. He hasn’t flown off anywhere.’
‘But that can’t be right,’ said Jolly, looking confused. ‘Of course he flew off to Spain. I saw him go off into the terminal. Where else would he have gone?’
‘We were rather hoping you might be able to tell us that,’ said Goodnews.
Jolly looked utterly perplexed.
‘But where would he have gone?’ she asked. ‘And why wouldn’t he have told me?’ She was clear
ly struggling to come to terms with the fact her husband had lied to her.
Slater couldn’t remember feeling so uncomfortable. He regarded Jane Jolly as much more than just a colleague; she had become a good friend, and he was finding it difficult to see her in such distress. He looked pleadingly at Goodnews.
‘I know this must come as a terrible shock,’ said Goodnews, ‘but we’re concerned that Tim might have something to do with DS Norman’s disappearance.’
‘But that’s ridiculous,’ said Jolly, shaking her head fiercely. ‘Tim wouldn’t do anything like that. He likes Norm.’
‘So, they know each other?’ asked Goodnews.
‘Yes, of course. Norm’s been round for dinner a couple of times.’
Goodnews glanced at Slater.
‘And how did Tim feel about you asking Norman to dinner?’ asked Goodnews.
‘He was fine about it, in fact it was his idea,’ said Jolly. ‘I had told him about Norm being on his own and he said he’d like to meet him.’
‘Oh,’ said Goodnews. ‘Does he invite all your colleagues round for dinner? Has he invited DS Slater?’
‘Well, no. He’s only suggested I invite Norm.’
‘Do you think maybe he had a special reason for inviting Norman?’
‘Well, yes,’ said Jolly. ‘I just told you. It was because I told him Norm was lonely.’
‘Do you talk about Norman a lot when you’re at home?’ asked Goodnews.
‘Look, am I being accused of something? Because I feel as if I am.’
‘I’m sorry if you feel that way,’ said Goodnews. ‘What I’m trying to suggest is maybe your husband felt you were getting a bit too interested in Norman. You seem to be a very close couple and his world seems to be built around you. Is it possible he felt Norman was trying to steal you away from him?’
‘No!’ said Jolly. ‘Tim knows I love him. Norm’s just a friend, that’s all.’
‘Listen, Jane,’ said Slater. ‘I know you’re finding it hard to believe, and we understand that, but Norm’s been missing for two nights now, and so far all our leads have come to nothing. It doesn’t matter how unlikely it seems to you, we think it’s possible Tim sees Norm as a rival. Why else would he miss a football tournament with his mates?’
Jolly looked at Slater as though he must be mad to suggest such a thing.
‘Has Tim ever suggested there might be something more than friendship between you and Norman?’ asked Goodnews.
‘I told him, and I’ll tell you: Norm’s just a friend. I love Tim, and I love my kids. I would never do anything to hurt any of them.’
They sat in silence for a moment, and then Slater realised what Jolly had just said. He opened his mouth to speak, but Goodnews was way ahead of him.
‘Why did you need to say that to Tim?’ she asked, gently. ‘Did he accuse you of having an affair?’
‘I told him he was being silly,’ said Jolly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. ‘It was something Norm said when he was here.’
She looked at Slater for confirmation.
‘You know what he’s like,’ she said. ‘He’s always saying flattering things, like how he should kiss my feet whenever I find some important information. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just his way.’
Goodnews looked at Slater.
‘It’s harmless,’ Slater said, nodding. ‘He doesn’t mean anything by it.’
‘It may be harmless to most of us, who understand where it’s coming from,’ said Goodnews. ‘But what if you don’t understand where it’s coming from? What if you’re a guy whose world revolves around his wife and family, and suddenly there’s someone new on the scene, and your wife keeps on talking about him? Would you think it was harmless, or would you think your world was under threat?’
Jolly was in floods of tears now.
‘You’re wrong,’ she said. ‘Tim’s such a quiet, shy guy. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.’
‘I’m sorry, Jane.’ Goodnews got to her feet and crossed over to Jane Jolly, putting her arm awkwardly around her. ‘And I really hope you’re right, and I’m wrong, but right now we’ve got nothing else to go on. You’ve got to help us.’
‘Do you have any idea where Tim might be?’ asked Slater.
Jolly shook her head.
‘I’m not sure I know anything about him anymore,’ she said, desperately.
‘The last place we think we know Norm definitely went is Little Balding,’ said Slater. ‘After that we have no idea. Does Tim have any connection to anyone there?’
‘Why would he go there?’ said Jolly.
‘We don’t know for sure, but we believe he may have been instructed to go there,’ said Goodnews. ‘We could be wrong, but we also think he’s probably being held somewhere close to Little Balding. Are you sure Tim doesn’t know anyone out there?’
‘I think he used to have an aunt who lived out that way,’ said Jolly. ‘She had a farm, I think. But that was years ago. She must have passed away before we even started going out. Or at least, he never took me out to see her, so I suppose that’s what happened.’
‘Do you know the name of the farm? Or what happened to it after she died?’ asked Goodnews.
‘No. I’m sorry.’ Jolly sniffled, her eyes watery. ‘I have no idea. I’m sure he told me he used to go and stay there when he was a little boy. He used to love it because there were lots of old buildings to play in. I think there was even an old air-raid shelter or something like that.’
They tried another five minutes of cajoling, but Jolly really couldn’t add anything more. What they had was all they were going to get.
‘Look, I’m really sorry about this,’ Goodnews told Jolly. ‘I would really have preferred to get to know you in different circumstances.’
‘It’s not ideal, is it?’ said Jolly, bursting into tears.
‘Is there anyone we can call?’ asked Slater. ‘I’m really not happy leaving you here like this.’
‘I’ll be alright. My Mum will be here soon. She’s picking the kids up from school.’
‘Are you sure?’ asked Slater.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘You need to get off and find Norm. I’ll be fine.’
‘It’s Goodnews,’ she said into her phone as Slater headed their pool car towards Little Balding. ‘I need to speak to DC Biddeford.’
She waited while she was connected.
‘Have you managed to find anything?’ she asked.
‘You have? Good man. Tell me.’ She listened hard as Biddeford told her what he’d learnt while they had been out.
‘Aye, that’s excellent work,’ she told him. ‘Now I need you to do something else. We’re looking for a farm in or around Little Balding. It was owned by Tim Jolly’s aunt when he was a little boy, so that would have been in the 70s.
‘Apparently she died before he met Jane so look for any farm sales from 1980 onwards. And this place had an air-raid shelter, or at least we think it did. I don’t know if that will help or not but it might.’
She listened again for a few seconds.
‘Aye, you’ve got it,’ she said. ‘I want you to call me as soon as you find it. We think it’s where Norman’s being held. We’re going over there now to see if we can find someone who remembers it.’
Biddeford suggested a name over the phone.
‘Aye, Major Ray, that’s him,’ she said. ‘He’ll do for a start. Okay, I’ll speak to you later.’
She ended the call and turned to Slater.
‘Your boy Biddeford’s pretty good when he stops sucking his thumb and gets on with the job,’ she said.
‘He’s capable of being brilliant, when he puts his mind to it,’ said Slater. ‘But he resents being stuck on a computer.’
‘Then he shouldn’t be so bloody good at it,’ Goodnews replied, smiling.
‘So what’s he found?’
‘He’s managed to find a car hire company at Gatwick that hired a car to Tim Jolly on Sunday evening,’ she said. ‘And he’s got it on traffic cameras
heading out of Gatwick, and then again later going down the M3 towards sunny Hampshire.’
‘Shit,’ said Slater.
‘What do you mean, shit?’ asked Goodnews. ‘This is the first real break we’ve had towards finding Norman. Don’t you want to find him?’
‘Oh, its good news for us, alright. And, of course I want to find Norm. I’m just concerned about what it might do to Jane Jolly.’
‘That’s a shame alright,’ said Goodnews, genuinely. ‘She seems like a nice girl. But we can’t let that stop us doing what we have to do.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Slater sighed. ‘I just hope she’s strong enough to cope.’
Chapter Thirty-Four
‘Crap,’ said Slater as they walked away from Major Ray’s front door. ‘I thought he knew everything about everything around here.’
‘Don’t be too hard on the old boy,’ said Goodnews. ‘It’s not his fault he didn’t arrive here until 1998. He certainly knows everything that’s happened since then.’
‘So what do we do now?’ asked Slater, as they reached their car and climbed inside.
‘There’s no point in going back yet,’ she replied. ‘Sod’s law says Biddeford will find a likely farm as soon as we go back. We’ll out stay here for a while.’
‘How about we go back to the railway station, and walk it through again? Maybe if we do that we’ll come across a possible site.’
‘I suppose it can’t hurt,’ said Goodnews. ‘But I’m not walking all the way down past that telephone box and out into the country.’
‘Okay. I can’t argue with that. We’ll take the car,’ Slater said, smiling. ‘At least this time we have some idea what we’re looking for down these country lanes.’
‘What?’ said Goodnews, looking out at their surroundings. ‘A farm? How many do you think there are around here?’
‘Well, alright,’ said Slater. ‘I take your point. But at least we’ll be in the right area.’
‘Let’s hope,’ said Goodnews.
It was precisely 1.35pm as they stood on the platform and watched a Southampton-bound train slow down and pull to a halt with a grinding screech. The platform was only long enough to accommodate two carriages, and on this occasion, it was the last two that would carry any passengers who wished to disembark at the tiny station of Little Balding.