by Joy Ellis
* * *
Jackman had barely set foot in the CID room when he heard his name called out.
The gravelly voice belonged to the superintendent’s office manager. ‘Sorry, sir, but can you go upstairs? Immediately.’
When he reached the super’s office, Ruth Crooke was waiting in the corridor.
‘Listen,’ she said urgently. ‘I know you are not going to like what my visitor has to say, but I’m asking you to run with it, okay? And just remember, your present cases involve a missing girl and a dead girl. Hold that thought.’ She then turned and without waiting for a reply, pushed her door open and marched in.
Standing by the window was a tall ramrod of a man wearing a chief superintendent’s uniform. Jackman recognised him instantly. Cade worked out of one of the neighbouring divisions, and had the reputation of being a slimy bastard that it was best not to cross if you valued your career prospects.
‘This is Detective Inspector Rowan Jackman, James.’
The super gave a tight smile.
‘Chief Superintendent Cade here has a problem over in the Harlan Marshes area. A young woman has gone missing and both of their CID teams are tied up on another serious crime. He needs our help. Well, yours to be precise.’
Jackman wasn’t too sure what he was supposed to say. Just yesterday, he had been given a high priority, get-us-out-of-the–shit-before-it-hits-the-fan job, something to work alongside the death of Shauna Kelly. Now he was being asked to forget about that and save another station’s bacon because of their workload?
Words failed him. Then he drew himself up and said, ‘Sorry, ma’am, but as you know, my caseload is not exactly light either. You will have to give it to another team. Even DI Feltham has enough staff to cope with that.’
Cade interrupted. ‘Ah, but I’d really appreciate it if you could spare me just a little of your precious time, DI Jackman?’ he said with a reptilian hiss.
Jackman looked at the super for help. ‘Ma’am? My priority case?’
‘I’m going to suggest that you get your team to put the wheels into motion on that. There’s a lot of preparation they can be getting on with.’
‘And Shauna Kelly?’
‘The same. You are still waiting for forensic confirmation as to whether it is a tragic accident or something else, aren’t you? So, let your team keep working on the basic prep. Meanwhile, you and DS Evans go over to Harlan Marsh and make some enquiries.’
‘It may be nothing, Jackman.’ Cade smiled. ‘The girl does have previous for running away, in which case you will be back before you know it. But while I am certain that is the case, she is the daughter of a local businessman, and a generous benefactor to the police charities, so I promised him that I’d send him our best officers, if you catch my drift?’
He did. Ten-to-one this “benefactor” was a golfing buddy with a funny handshake, someone who took a locked case with him when he went out for the evening.
His teeth jammed together in anger, but he bit back his reply when he saw the super’s expression. It was clear and concise.
Just you dare, Jackman!
‘Thank you, Rowan. I knew I could count on you.’ Ruth dismissed him with a flick of her head and a glance towards the door.
‘My pleasure, I’m sure.’ And Jackman made his escape.
The first person he met as he stepped off the last stair was Marie. It was all he could do to hold back until they reached his office.
Safe inside, he let rip. ‘I don’t believe it! We have more work than we’ve ever had and the super wants us wet-nursing Harlan Marsh! What a damned cheek! Wasting our time because they have serious ongoing cases. Whatever it is, I bet our canteen staff could handle it quicker and more efficiently.’
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Marie, almost shaking with suppressed laughter at his outburst.
‘And it’s no laughing matter! They have no right playing the Lodge brother’s card when the missing kid has probably just bunked off to Sheffield for the weekend to see some boyband.’
He ranted on for several minutes before the futility of it hit him. They had no option but to comply, so best to get it over with as fast as possible. At least it was only a twenty-minute drive away.
He sat down, his anger burnt off like morning dew in the sun. It had suddenly dawned on him that Harlan Marsh was only a few miles from where Kenya Black had supposedly been sighted for that last time. It was also very close to Allenby Creek. Maybe he and Marie should take a detour on their way back, and have a look at the place for themselves.
Jackman cleared his mind and took a deep breath. Yes, this unwanted trip could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. And there was always the chance that another young girl really had gone missing. He might be angry with Cade, but he wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the possible connections.
‘Better now?’ Marie asked with a grin.
‘Much better, thank you. Okay, so go tell Max, Charlie and Rosie what is happening and get them to press on. The evidence boxes will be here later this afternoon. Get them to find a home for everything, get it into some kind of order and begin setting up the investigation log. Any spare moments, they can read all they can about the original case, but tell them not, and I emphasise that, not to be influenced by anything other than proven fact. They should take no one else’s suppositions for granted. Okay?’
He handed Marie copies of the file the super had given him the day before. ‘To read and digest. We will be going back to day one when we start. We will treat the disappearance of Kenya Black as if it were a new case.’ He threw her a grim smile. ‘It won’t be easy, but I have faith that our team will find the truth regarding that little girl.’
Marie took the folders. ‘Me too. By the way, who is it that has seen fit to demand our services?’
‘Chief Superintendent Cade. He seems to think that we are the only officers in the entire force that can help him.’
‘Cade? James Cade?’
Jackman nodded. ‘Not a pleasant man, as I understand it.’ He looked at Marie and saw that she looked suddenly pale, almost haggard.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I don’t want to have anything to do with that man, sir. Could you take one of the others with you?’
Jackman sat back and stared at his sergeant. Never, in all the years they had worked together, had she reacted in this way. ‘What’s the problem, Marie?’
‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s kind of personal and really not something I want to talk about right now.’ She looked horribly uncomfortable, then seemed to pull herself together.
‘Oh well, although I’d rather have a lumbar puncture than have to walk into the same room as Cade, there could be a connection with Shauna if they have a girl missing. So forget what I just said. I’ll go and organise the troops and I’ll be ready when you are.’
As she slipped through the door, Jackman wondered why she had so neatly avoided explaining her dislike of Cade. He shrugged. He’d find out at some point. He gathered up his coat and car keys and was about to leave when the phone rang.
It was the desk sergeant. ‘Mr Asher Leyton phoned in, sir. He says you want to speak to him and he’ll be at home all morning. He’d mislaid your number so he rang the front desk.’
‘Okay, thanks. I’ll deal with it.’ Jackman had not expected to hear from Leyton. He would have put money on having to chase the man down.
Jackman muttered a curse to himself. Just as things were hotting up, they had to take a trip to the most miserable and remote spot on the planet. It was a small backwater town surrounded by acres of flat arable farmland, dykes, ditches and marsh. Harlan Marsh was considered the bottom of the pile when it came to postings.
He walked out into the CID room and gestured to Marie.
‘Ready!’ she called back.
‘Oh, Max, if the pathologist’s report on Shauna Kelly comes through, ring me immediately.’
Max gave a thumbs-up. ‘Will do, boss.’
* * *
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Jackman had decided that they should make a swift call on Asher Leyton on their way out to Harlan Marsh. He told Marie that he didn’t want the man to get cold feet and do a runner.
Asher Leyton led Jackman and Marie down a wide hallway and into a huge open-plan lounge. It was modern, tasteful, and reeked of money. Marie noted that his fiancée was not there.
‘Lynda told me that you called, DI Jackman. I’m sorry to have caused you two trips.’ He indicated for them to take a seat on an oversized ivory leather couch, while he sat in a matching leather recliner. ‘How can I help?’
Marie looked at him with interest. He wasn’t exactly what she had expected. Asher Leyton was in his mid to late twenties. He was of medium build, with thick wavy fair hair and had a rather old-fashioned appearance. Wearing beige cord trousers and a tweed check waistcoat, even his clothes looked dated. Some new retro trend she’d missed out on?
‘Mr Leyton, we have reason to believe that you were on Brewer Street, three nights ago. Can you tell us if that’s true?’ asked Jackman.
‘Most likely, Inspector. I work flexi-hours and I walk down Brewer Street to get home.’ He looked at him calmly. ‘Why? What happened?’
Marie reached into her pocket and took out a photograph of Shauna Kelly. ‘Did you see or speak to this girl, sir?’
Asher took the picture, and immediately smiled. ‘I certainly did.’ He handed back the photo. ‘In fact, I’ve spoken to her a couple of times recently.’
Jackman’s eyes narrowed. ‘And why would that be?’
Asher Leyton’s smile faded from his face. ‘Has something happened to her? Is that why you’re here?’
‘Do you know her by name, sir?’ asked Jackman quietly.
‘It’s something like Shona? Or Sheena? I can’t remember exactly.’ He ran long, narrow fingers nervously through his hair.
‘How do you know her, Mr Leyton?’ Jackman’s voice was getting colder by the minute.
‘I don’t know her. I’ve just talked to her on a few occasions, that’s all.’ The man almost squirmed in his chair.
‘And why would a man of your age be talking to a fourteen-year-old girl that he doesn’t know?’
‘Fourteen? Oh my God, but she looked . . . she said . . . you’ve got the wrong end of the stick, really you have.’ Asher Leyton swallowed. ‘I saw her one evening on Brewer Street. She was alone, standing on the edge of the pavement, and for a moment I thought she might be a, a . . .’
‘Prostitute?’ filled in Marie. ‘You’d know about those, wouldn’t you, Mr Leyton?’
The man’s face suffused with colour. ‘I’ve never been in trouble with anything like that! Check your records! You won’t find me on them. I have no convictions!’
‘We’ve already checked, Mr Leyton, but our patrol officers have had a quiet word with you in the past, haven’t they?’ Marie said calmly.
‘Oh Lord. But I explained all about that at the time. Those girls worry me. I talk to them, try to help them, that’s all. I’m a clean-living, honest, working man. I’m engaged to the most beauti—’
He stopped mid-sentence, and his red face paled. ‘Please tell me you haven’t mentioned this to Lynda?’
‘Your secret is safe with us, sir — unless there is anything we should know about you and Shauna Kelly?’ Marie stared coolly at him.
Asher Leyton exhaled. ‘But there’s nothing to tell. I only spoke to her because a car splashed her as it went past. She jumped back and swore at the driver, and I asked her if she was alright. She then swore at me, until I picked up the handbag she’d dropped, and offered her my handkerchief to dry herself.’
‘Quite the knight in shining armour,’ said Jackman.
Asher ignored the comment. ‘She told me she was waiting for friends and was on her way to a party. And that’s all.’ He shrugged. ‘I saw her a few days later and she smiled, so I asked her if she’d enjoyed her party. She said it was different, but no more. I assumed it had been a washout. I only saw her once after that, a few days ago. She said she was going partying again.’ He looked from Marie to Jackman. ‘Has something happened to her?’
‘I’m afraid Shauna is dead, Mr Leyton.’
Asher’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Marie was pretty sure it wasn’t faked. If it was, he was damned good.
‘Dead?’
‘I’m afraid so. Perhaps you can now appreciate why we are so interested in her recent movements.’
Asher nodded dumbly, and Marie thought he might cry. After a moment or two he said, ‘Poor little kid. She was really sweet.’ When he looked up his eyes were moist. ‘How did she die?’
‘I’m afraid we can’t say until certain formalities have been completed, sir.’ Jackman’s tone was softer and more compassionate. ‘And that is really all you know about her? Just a few passing words in the street?’
‘You have my word, Inspector. And I swear to God that I never knew she was only fourteen.’ He hung his head. ‘In this sad day and age, I wouldn’t have dreamed of speaking to a girl that young without being introduced.’
Jackman nodded to Marie, and they both stood up. ‘I’ll give you my card in case you think of anything else. Now you have my direct number, Mr Leyton.’
Leyton walked them to the door and as they left, he said, ‘About that other matter? If she heard about what happened and got the wrong idea, my fiancée would be devastated.’
‘As I said, sir, that’s not our affair. We are only interested in Shauna’s last movements.’ Marie levelled her gaze at the rather odd young man. ‘Just give those “chance meetings” some careful thought, would you? Anything she said to you may be of use to us, okay?’
Marie glimpsed the face of a very troubled soul as Asher closed the door.
* * *
They had just got back to the car when Max phoned. ‘Rory Wilkinson rang, sir, he needs to talk to you. Could you give him a bell?’
Jackman thanked him, then dialled the pathologist’s number.
‘Ah, Detective Inspector, sorry to interrupt your day. Although I’m far from through with my findings on this girl, I thought you should know that I ran a few initial tests.’ He paused, then said, ‘Toxicology has shown that she had both alcohol and drugs in her system.’
‘Oh shit,’ murmured Jackman. ‘What kind of drugs?’
‘Foxy methoxy, if you know what I’m saying?’
Jackman knew very well. He’d seen all the highs, lows, comedowns and agonising aftermaths of most street drugs by now.
‘It’s a club drug, a tryptamine psychedelic.’
Rory gave a little chuckle. ‘I’m impressed! Not many detectives can quote that with such ease.’
‘I remember it because I helped to scrape a little kid off a concrete playground after he had taken one of those and “flown” off the school roof.’ Jackman said.
‘Oh dear, I’m sorry about that. I can see it would etch the word rather firmly into your memory.’ He paused. ‘I suspected something might be amiss because of the injuries to her feet — the soles to be precise. I’m sure you are aware that when a person drowns, the body assumes a facedown position, hence the awful facial injuries we sometimes see. I expected the girl to be badly battered, but on examination I also found abrasions and lacerations that are not typical of underwater trauma.’
‘To her feet?’ asked Jackman, beginning to frown.
‘Mmm, and on taking samples from the wounds, we discovered that the materials embedded in her flesh are not from the seabed. I suggest she ran barefoot over some pretty uneven ground before she went into the water.’
‘Chased?’
‘You’d need a witness to tell you the answer to that one.’
‘I cannot believe that Shauna Kelly willingly took Foxy,’ murmured Jackman.
‘But you said yourself that the mother was having trouble keeping her away from some of the wilder kids.’
‘Yes, but a few experimental drinks are what you’d almost expect with a teenager whose father has rec
ently done a runner. Her mother said her daughter was never off her head on alcohol, and she swore that Shauna had never taken drugs — in fact she was quite anti.’
‘Respectfully, Inspector, they all say that to their parents,’ said Rory gently.
‘Of course, but Liz works as a volunteer at the drop-in centre on Church Street. She would have spotted any signs of drug use a mile off.’ Jackman drew in a breath. ‘If Shauna had drugs in her system, I’ll be willing to bet that she didn’t know she’d taken them.’
‘Sadly, that is more than possible. That, or peer pressure. Oh yes, and one last thing. Just a small thing, but there were no signs of any plant material, or anything else from the seabed in her hands.’
‘Sorry, Rory, I’m not quite with you on that one.’
‘The struggle to survive, Inspector. A drowning human grabs at anything to try to save themselves. It is usually proof that they were alive when they went into the water, although there is more to it than that. I think it’s indicative that Shauna was either not fully conscious, or totally spaced out. Not a pleasant thought, I know, but I thought I should update you on that rather than leave it until the full report is ready.’
‘I appreciate it. Thank you.’ Jackman hung the phone up and stared at it. Shauna Kelly had been rebelling against her dad leaving, but she hadn’t gone completely off the rails and according to the rest of the family, the girl still loved her mother. They had always been close, and there was no hint that she blamed Liz for the father buggering off.
It didn’t make sense, and from her expression as she listened to the conversation on loudspeaker, Marie was just as baffled.
‘Shauna wasn’t like that, I’d stake my life on it.’
‘I agree. Liz is not your average mum. She has been trained to look for all the giveaway signs in a teenager. She would know, I’m certain of it.’
‘So she was drugged?’ Marie shook her head.
‘That’s my theory.’
‘And here we are, chasing around after bloody Harlan Marsh! This stinks!’ Marie was almost shouting.
‘Don’t forget, their case also involves a missing girl. We do need to check this out in case they are connected. Let’s just go and get it over with.’ He looked sideways at her, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so riled up over something.’ He paused. ‘Or is it someone?’