Down in the Woods

by Gary Philpott

  Kevin looked over Jonathan’s shoulder. He gulped visibly. “Right, I think I get your drift.”

  “So be a good boy and go and help Anna down with her luggage.”

  Anna was ready and waiting when Kevin knocked on her door. She had expected to see Jonathan when she opened it, but quickly gained some idea of what was going on when she saw who it was, and how obediently he picked up her case.

  Anna very much enjoyed following Kevin down the stairs.

  “There you go. I’ve tidied the room as best I can. Sorry about the posters, but hey, I am a bloke who usually lives on his own.”

  “Is this your office?”

  “Yes. The bed is not that bad though. My mate Mark often sleeps on it when he fancies a night out in the smoke. And I’ll set you up a user account on the computer tomorrow.”

  “I cannot use a computer.”

  “You can’t use a computer? Well I best teach you then. Perhaps tomorrow we should start by writing a letter to that fella of yours. You’ll need to let him know that your address has changed.”

  Anna shuddered at the thought of a letter from Anton arriving at Kevin’s house.

  “What’s a matter babe?”

  “Anton will write to Kevin’s house. I will not be there.”

  “Well, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”

  “I was not complaining, Jonathan. I am very grateful. I am very happy to be in my new home.”

  “Well, just don’t go walking around the house in your underwear, that’s all I ask.” He put her case down in the middle of the room.

  “Why should I not do this?”

  “Why not, you ask. You’re priceless you are. Because I would have no option but to pounce on you, that’s why not.”

  Anna smiled. “You are such a nice man.”

  “So you keep saying. The bathroom is across the landing. The pink towels are yours and the blue ones are mine. A bit cliché, I know, but I thought that would keep things simple. Oh and by the computer is a menu for a Chinese take-away. Once you’ve decided on what grub you want, pop out and let me know.”

  “Thank you Jonathan, you are such a…”

  “Nice man, I know. Now get yourself settled in. The sooner you tell me what you want, the sooner I can phone the order through. I’m starving. You do like Chinese food, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I like Chinese food.”

  “Good. Right then, I will leave you to it.”

  “Jonathan.”

  “Yes?”

  “Who were those men?”

  “They are friends of mine. The less you know about them, the better.”

  “You will not get in trouble because of me, will you?”

  “No Princess. We’re doing the right thing. I am not promising anything, but I plan to have you back in Latvia before the month is out. So, there you go, you won’t be an illegal immigrant for too much longer.”

  “Thank you, you are such…”

  “Oh, bloody hell. Don’t start that again. Just unpack that bloody case.”

  “Sorry, I make you angry.”

  “Oh, you don’t make me angry babe, anything but. See you in a while.” He didn’t hang around for a reply.

  When Jonathan rang the bell the following evening, he saw the lounge curtain twitch. He waited and then he rang the bell again. He rang it at least twelve times before the door was finally pulled back.

  “Kevin is not in,” said Sofia.

  “Oh yes he is, but he’s a scumbag who gets a woman to do his dirty work for him.”

  “Okay, let’s get this over and done with. Just say whatever it is you came to say.”

  “Ten thousand pounds.”

  “What about ten thousand pounds?”

  “In cash. Forty-eight hours.”

  “What planet are you on?”

  “Do you know where I live?”

  “No, of course I don’t know where you live.”

  “Do I know where you live?”

  “Well, you’re here aren’t… What are you suggesting?”

  “I am suggesting that it might be wise for you and that sick husband of yours to have ten thousand pounds for me in forty-eight hours time.”

  “Or what?”

  “We will start with writing whore house all over your walls. The next day, your windows will mysteriously find bricks flying through them.”

  “Go away, or I will call the police.”

  “I don’t think you will, Sofia. Or do you prefer your tart’s name, Angie?”

  “Why should we give you money?”

  “Getting Anna back to Latvia is going to cost a few bob. And of course, I need a little earner for my troubles. As do the boys in the car. The ones you clocked earlier, when you were pretending to be out.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “No see about it, love. And don’t get any idea about short changing us. We will not accept a penny less than ten grand. I have a question for you, love.”

  Sofia lifted her head, but did not speak.

  “Have you any idea who dobbed Anton in?”

  She shuffled on her feet. “I don’t think anyone dobbed him in, it was just a routine check. They do that from time to time.”

  “Your body language suggests it was you. See you soon.” Jonathan turned on his heels and walked down the three steps. The door closed behind him.

  Suspecting they might call in some reinforcements, Jonathan waited an additional fifteen hours before going to collect the money. Once again, Sofia claimed Kevin was not at home.

  “You can keep the bag,” said Sofia, as she put a small holdall down on the external doormat.

  “Is it all there?”

  “Yes. Now go away.”

  “If it is all there, you won’t see me or my friends again.” He picked up the bag. “Have a good life.”

  “Just before you go.”

  “What?”

  “Tell Anna to Google ‘drunk Latvian gets fucked’, the reverse cowgirl bit is particularly good.”

  Not knowing exactly what Sofia was talking about, Jonathan did not reply. He did not like the sound of it though.

  “There you go Princess, a thousand pounds to spend down Oxford Street before you get on a plane back home.”

  “I cannot take this from you.”

  “It is not from me, it is from your pimpy friends.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “No, and you don’t want to either, babe. Now take it without asking any questions.”

  Anna took the money and then did not seem to know what to do with it.

  “Take it to your room and put it in your handbag. Then I want you to go shopping. You do want to look good for that fella of yours when you meet him, don’t you?”

  Anna nodded, but still looked confused.

  “No, don’t say thank you. Just take it take it through to your room and then get yourself ready. We’re going out for a meal, and I don’t mean Derek’s. How does Italian sound?”

  “I do not speak Italian.”

  “No, I didn’t mean…” He saw her trying to hold back a smile. “You little cow, I’ll have you for that.”

  “You cannot have me. Only Anton can have me.”

  “Jesus, you’ve got sex on the brain, you have. This Anton chap is such a lucky bastard.”

  “Do you have big scissors?”

  “Why?”

  “If we are going out together, I want to shorten my dress.”

  “I do have a really good pair in my bag by the door, but we haven’t got time for that.”

  “It will not take long. You cannot have me, but I can look sexy for you. I know you like this.”

  “Well, we could go to the pub afterwards. If we did, would you mind pretending to be my girlfriend?”

  “No problem. I will let you hold my hand.”

  “Thank you. You are such a nice lady.”

  Anna grinned at his little joke and walked out to the lobby.

  “This grey bag, yes?” shout
ed Anna.

  “Yes, in the compartment on the end.”

  Anna poked her head around the door and held up the scissors. “These are perfect.”

  “Of course they are. They are dress-maker’s scissors.”

  “Why do you have dress-maker’s scissors?”

  “It’s a long story, but let’s just say I have a feminine side.”

  “I will not be long.” Anna headed for her bedroom.

  Chapter 16

  Collins put the phone down and left his office in a hurry. “Okay, listen up people.”

  The open-plan office fell silent.

  “We have another body. It has been found in a small copse near a place called Abbotsley.”

  “Where?” asked DI Stuart Doyle.

  “Abbotsley. It’s near St Neots.”

  “Which is not too far from Cambridge,” stated DS Harrington.

  “Aye, and I know what you are thinking. Keep an open mind though. Being as you’ve done a lot of work over that way, I would like you to come with me. Stuart, I will feed everything back through you. I hope you did not have any major plans for tonight.”

  “I don’t have anything that can’t wait, guv. What do we know so far?”

  “It’s a woman obviously. She was naked and tied to a tree, just like the others. But here’s the good bit, she’s been there less than forty-eight hours, maybe only twenty-four. Though as usual, there is nothing obvious to identify her by.”

  “Hello DI Pearce, DCI Collins from the Met.” He held open his warrant card.

  “Good afternoon. Or should I say evening?”

  “I take it you have not identified the victim yet?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. I will take you up to the wood and talk you through what we know. We can’t use the path I’m afraid, we believe that to be the entry and exit route. We’ve found a few things here and there, but can’t yet say for sure if they are related to the crime. It’s a bit muddy I’m afraid.”

  Collins started to wish he had already put on his overshoes. He also wished Pearce would stop saying ‘I’m afraid’.

  “We have some tyre evidence back on the lane. It suggests a four-wheel drive vehicle has been parked up there sometime in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday morning’s rain would have washed the mud away if it had been laid down before about two in the afternoon. They could just be from a local farmer’s vehicle though.”

  “I assume you have checked the vehicles belonging to whoever owns this field?”

  “He’s not at home I’m afraid. He’s got animals to feed though. I’m sure he will be back soon.”

  “Could the marks have been made by a Range Rover?” asked Harrington.

  “That’s what we are thinking, yes.”

  “And does the farmer drive a Range Rover?” added Collins.

  “Yes, I’m afraid he does.”

  “Okay, tell me who found the body.”

  “Two lads out on a bike ride.” He turned and pointed back towards the lane. “They left their bikes leaning up against the barbed wire fence there. You’ll have noticed the path from there up to the wood is not exactly well used.”

  “Well, it’s not a public footpath, is it?”

  “No, it is not.”

  “Did you ask these lads why they ignored the ‘keep out’ sign?”

  “No, I’m afraid I didn’t. I am glad they did though.”

  “Shouldn’t they have been at school?”

  “No, today was a teacher training day. You would have thought they would know how to teach if they have a teaching job, wouldn’t you?”

  “I think they have to implement almost as many new initiatives as we do, only for the next politician to scrap the idea four years later.”

  “Right, careful here. We’ve cut the barbed wire, but these bushes are a bit of a bastard.”

  Collins held up his arm to shield his face and went through the hedge sideways. His eyes took a few second to adjust to the dimmer light. They then tracked a makeshift access path up to the crime scene.

  “Is there any public access point into this wood?” he asked.

  “No, it’s a private wood, on private land. The nearest public footpath is on the other side of the farm. You will have passed it on the way up. So our killer might well have chosen it for that very reason.”

  “Aye, he probably did. But how would he have known about it?”

  “Are you thinking we need to interview this farmer, sir?” asked Harrington.

  “I am Chas. And not just about his Range Rover.”

  “He wouldn’t leave the body on his own land.”

  “Stranger things have happened, but probably not. A list of people who have stayed at his farm over the years might be useful though.”

  “I’m afraid that will be quite an extensive list,” said Pearce.

  “Why?” Collins stopped walking for a moment.

  “He had a stable conversion done about fifteen years ago. Converted them into studio flats for tourists.”

  “This doesn’t strike me as tourist country.” Collins started walking again.

  “You’d be surprised. A lot of city folks seem to like these parts. There’s a half decent golf course not far from here, and of course the lakes.”

  “And Cambridge,” chipped in Harrington.

  “That’s right. Cambridge is not too far away either. Quite popular with tourists, is Cambridge. This place is also quite easy to get to from the A1. I guess that is the way you came.”

  “Yes. You seem to have removed the body already.”

  “I’m afraid we had to. The pathologist was keen to get her on his slab. Given what we’ve read about these cases, we thought it wise to get blood and tissue testing done as soon as possible.”

  “Did she have fine needle marks to her neck?”

  “Oh yes, indeed she did. Who knows, maybe we managed to find this one early enough to detect what went in through those needles.”

  “She was dead, I take it?” asked Collins.

  “Oh yes, she was dead alright. That fits with the others, doesn’t it?”

  “They were both dead when they were found, but not when they were tied up. There was bruising to the flesh from the ropes. We have been working on the premise that they were drugged, tied up, and left to wake up to discover their predicament.”

  “The sick bastard. That would not be a pleasant death at all.”

  “Maybe something that happened to her might have given her a heart attack. I think we can rule out hypothermia, it’s been cool over the last couple of days, but not freezing. What state was she in?”

  “She was in a pretty good state, considering.”

  “Were her eyes still in?”

  “Yes, they were. The ants had been at her, but no evidence of crows, badgers and foxes yet. Maybe it is a good job that people around these parts still cull badgers and hunt the foxes.”

  “Ants, you say. Were there signs of the normal allergic reaction to the bites?”

  “Yes, there was.”

  “So…” Collins stroked his chin. “…she definitely was left here to die. Why so sudden though? Chas, I think I best leave the farmer to you. I want to speak to the pathologist first hand, and as soon as possible. This is the hottest trail we’ve had. We mustn’t let it cool down.” He turned to face Pearce. “What was she tied with?”

  “Good quality rope, quite thin though. I thought it looked like sailing stuff. The knots used fitted with that idea as well. The hitches and bends were typical basic sailing knots.”

  “Did Hetherington-Jones ever go sailing?”

  “No,” replied Harrington. “Well, not that I am aware of.”

  “He doesn’t own a dinghy, or a windsurfer?”

  “I don’t believe so. And I think we would know if he did.”

  “Judging by the aftermath of the forensics search, I guess she was on this side of the tree.”

  “Yes,” replied Pearce. “If she were still there, she would be staring straight at you. We h
ave some photos on a laptop back in the wagon. Would you like to see them?”

  “Yes, I would. Can I take away some copies?”

  “Yes, I might struggle to find a disc though. I’m afraid the tech boys beam them straight back to our file-server nowadays. I guess I could email them to you.”

  “Chas, do you have a stick with you?”

  “I have a few.” He reached inside his coat and in to his jacket pocket. “I think a thirty-two gig is the biggest I have on me. Will that be enough?”

  Collins looked at Pearce.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m afraid I have no idea.”

  “It should be enough. I assume we will only want a selection in the first instance?” said Harrington.

  “Aye, I doubt I will want the whole lot. Thank you, DI Pearce. I don’t think there is much more for me to see here. Those photos, along with pathology and forensic evidence is what I need. You will keep me updated with that, won’t you?”

  “That goes without saying.”

  “After we’ve had a look at the photos, could one of your uniforms run me down to the path lab? That way I can leave our car with DS Harrington.”

  “I would have thought so. We are about to have a small shift change as it happens.”

  “Can we go back along the suspected access route?”

  Pearce looked dubious.

  “We can keep to this side of the tape, but I would like an idea of what the killer, or killers, would have encountered as they carried or dragged the body up here.”

  “I think it was dragged. There are shoe scrapes at quite a number of points, as well as recent damage to the vegetation, broken stinging nettles and the like.”

  “Let me see.” Collins quickened his pace. Once they reached the police tape, he asked, “Can you show me one of these shoe scrapes?”

  “Just down here.” Pearce flanked behind Collins. “Look, there is one of the most obvious ones.”

  “Bloody hell. That could well have been made by the back of a shoe, and that by a stiletto heel. Is that what your SOCOs thought most likely?”

  “That was Kaleem’s first impression, yes. And you can probably tell, we have taken casts of this one, and a few others.”

  “Sir,” said Harrington. “Are you thinking we have a change in MO?”