DEAD & BURIED a gripping crime thriller full of twists

by Helen H. Durrant

  Calladine said nothing. Costello sat down.

  He was a heavy man with broad shoulders. Although he was in his late sixties he had a full head of dark hair. His face was deeply lined and tanned and his eyes were small and piercing. Those vivid blue eyes would miss nothing. He was wearing a dark suit with a silk scarf around his neck instead of a tie. It was warm in the room. Costello unwound the scarf and tossed it on the table where it lay like a puddle of spilt cream.

  Calladine had met the man before so he knew what to expect. He saw his DC’s eyes widen with surprise. Costello had a very realistic tattoo of a serpent slithering up his neck. It was wide and done in the blackest ink. It appeared to crawl out from under the collar of his shirt and its body coiled around his carotid artery. But it was the snake’s head that had caused Rocco to start. It seemed to rest against his jawline, mouth open about to strike, with teeth dripping venom and forked tongue extended.

  “What’s this about?”

  Costello’s voice was gruff, deep — and he had a broad Manchester accent.

  “I believe you were a friend of Emily Blackwell, or Emily Mason as you would have known her then.”

  “Yeah, I knew Em. We knocked around together back in the day.”

  “You also knew Carol Rhodes?”

  “Did I?” A cold smile. “What is this, a walk down memory lane?”

  “Emily has been murdered and we can’t find Carol.”

  “I heard about Em. I’m very sorry. I’ll do what I can to help. Look out for the boy. But Carol?”

  “Do you know what happened to her?”

  “No. You’re talking years ago.”

  “You were close, I think.”

  Those strange eyes met Calladine’s. “She was the love of my life. I loved the bones of that girl, always have.”

  Calladine was taken aback at this. “So what happened?”

  “Her parents,” he said simply. “They didn’t approve of me. They poisoned her mind. Suddenly she was gone and I never found out where.”

  “Couldn’t Emily help?”

  “She’d no idea either. Carol disappeared and cut all ties with Leesdon.”

  “She was pregnant at the time. Did you ever wonder what happened to her child?”

  Costello’s eyes moved from one detective to the other. “Who told you that crap? Carol was never pregnant. She only ever went out with me. We were kids. We never even . . . you know . . .”

  Calladine sighed. All rubbish. Nothing but a string of lies. What Costello said sounded plausible, but none of it was true.

  “You have been paying Emily an amount of money each month for years. Why?”

  The advisor leaned towards Costello and whispered something.

  “It’s okay, Malcolm,” he said. “You really have done your homework, Inspector. You must have rummaged around in my business accounts to come up with that one. I’d watch my step if I were you.”

  Calladine could have told him that Jet Holdings was a limited company and therefore its accounts were in the public domain. But he didn’t.

  “I gave Em that money because she was strapped,” said Costello. “She had the kid to raise and a waster of a husband. She was a mate — well, she had been in the past. It was no big deal. I’m a generous man.”

  Who was he trying to kid?

  Rocco was scribbling away in his notebook.

  “Do you know what Emily used that money for?”

  Costello shrugged. “Rent. To put food on the table. I didn’t tell her what to do with it.”

  “It may surprise you to know that she spent a good part of it on flowers.” Calladine paused, waiting for a reaction. But there wasn’t one. Costello’s face remained impassive. “What do you think about that?”

  “Fair enough. She was free to use it for anything she wanted.”

  “Did you and Carol ever go up to Clough Cottage?”

  Costello’s eyes narrowed. He flexed his fingers. Calladine sensed that for two pins he’d deck him. He’d known very well what went on up there.

  “Now, why would we do that? What are you getting at, Inspector?”

  “Nothing in particular. But given Carol’s condition . . .”

  Without warning Costello banged his large fist on the coffee table, sending the cups jumping to the floor. His eyes held Calladine’s. “Carol was not pregnant! Have I made myself clear?”

  Calladine returned his look. “Odd that. We got the information about the pregnancy from Carol herself.”

  There was a pause. Those evil eyes were now mere pinpricks. The advisor had folded his arms, waiting. “I will not tell you again. She did not have an abortion. She was never pregnant. Neither of us ever went near that batty old woman.”

  Calladine smiled. “I see.”

  “I hope you do, Inspector. For your sake.”

  Was that a threat? It certainly felt like one. “It was a long time ago. You may have forgotten. Difficult sometimes to recall every little detail.” Calladine couldn’t help himself. He was winding the man up, seeing how far he could push him. But Costello had had enough.

  “Time to go,” he told Hall. “There’s nothing more I can tell you.”

  “Can? Or won’t.” Calladine jibed.

  Costello was just about holding it together. The man’s short fuse was well documented.

  “Don’t get clever with me, Inspector. You’ve had your interview. Now leave it.”

  Hall checked his mobile, whispered something to Costello and showed him the screen

  Calladine went to open the door. “Thank you for coming in. Did you like the photos Tanya took?”

  Costello was putting on his scarf. He stopped and looked at the detective. “Who?”

  “Tanya Mallon. You hired her to take some photos of Leesdon for you. She’s done a great job. Her stuff is good.”

  “I’ve never heard of the woman. Whoever she is and whatever she’s told you — it’s all lies.”

  * * *

  Rocco collapsed back onto the sofa. “That is one scary man. And that bloody snake! I wouldn’t want him on my tail, I can tell you. And what’s with you, sir, goading him like that?”

  “I couldn’t stop myself,” Calladine told him. “And it was only a fraction of what I wanted to ask him.”

  “The questions.” Rocco waved his notepad. “You didn’t ask about the grave.”

  “Don’t worry. If he has anything to do with that grave, we’ll know shortly.”

  Birch stuck her head around the door. “How did it go?”

  “He told us nothing. The money he paid to Emily was to help out, and he hasn’t seen Carol since they were teenagers. And he insists she wasn’t pregnant.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “Not for one second.”

  “I was listening in,” she told him. “You were pushy. I wonder how wise you were to take him on.”

  “He was hiding something. Costello didn’t want to talk about Carol or the money he gave Emily.”

  “The Tanya Mallon bit was interesting. If she isn’t working for Costello, what is she doing in Leesdon?”

  “I think he was telling the truth on that one, ma’am. I’ll get some answers when she’s brought in.”

  “Those men he brought with him. Evil-looking pair. Is that how it always is with him?”

  “Costello never ventures out without protection. Even at his age and retired. He has too many enemies.”

  “This is a police station, Calladine. Surely he feels safe here?”

  “Obviously not, ma’am. You saw his bodyguards.”

  * * *

  Ruth pushed Harry in his pram down the High Street and onto the park. She sat on a bench overlooking the church. From here she could see anyone who entered the graveyard. Calladine had said sometime after two. She checked her watch. Hopefully it wouldn’t be much later. Harry would need feeding again soon.

  The grave was significant. They hadn’t discussed it but Ruth knew that Calladine was thinking along the same lines as sh
e was. It was the date it had been dug that had confirmed it.

  A limo stopped at the roadside. Ruth felt the butterflies start. This was it. Calladine’s hunch had paid off. She started to walk towards the church. There were plenty of people around. Plus she couldn’t look less like police if she tried. So why the nerves?

  There was a whole bunch of them. A tall thin man held back while the man she took to be Costello, surrounded by a group of men in suits, strode towards the grave of Doris Ludford. Ruth stopped a few yards away and tucked Harry in. She watched as Costello knelt and placed a bouquet of red roses on the grave.

  She had her phone ready. The tall thin man was speaking on his own phone with his back to her. Costello’s attention was on the grave. He appeared to be talking quietly to himself. His minders were hanging back, their eyes on the street. This was her chance. Ruth took the photo.

  She walked past the villain without giving him a second look, and back out onto the High Street. She paused for a few minutes by a bus stop and texted the photo of Costello to Calladine. Job done.

  Chapter 19

  “I want to open the grave of Doris Ludford and Agnes Jackson, ma’am.”

  Rhona Birch looked up from the paperwork on her desk. “I hope you have a damn good reason, Calladine. First you drag Costello in here and now you want to open graves.”

  “The minute he left us Costello went to the churchyard and put flowers on the grave in question.” He showed her the photo Ruth had taken. It clearly showed Costello, as well as the inscription on the headstone.

  “You had him followed?”

  “No. I had Ruth on standby. A casual walk through town . . . a stop-off at the church.”

  “You must have suspected?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Doris Ludford was buried the day after I reckon Carol Rhodes disappeared. The grave would have been dug and ready. Ruth has spoken to the man who knows about such things. It would have been open overnight until the service the next day.”

  “What do you think happened?”

  “Carol’s abortion goes wrong. She dies at Clough Cottage and Costello buries her in that grave. He’d only have to dig a little more, put her in, then cover her. The following day in goes Doris and the grave is closed.”

  “It’s a big ask, Calladine.”

  “I think we should take the risk, ma’am. Why else would flowers have been left each week for all these years? He told me himself that he loved her. That’s why Costello went to the grave today. He couldn’t resist the opportunity.”

  “And you’re sure he’s not related to either of those women?”

  “Quite sure, ma’am.”

  She sighed. “There’ll be paperwork. And there will be the bishop to deal with. It’s consecrated ground. I’ll speak to the legal team and to McCabe, see if we can rush this. Leave it with me.”

  * * *

  Imogen shuddered. “That’s a new one for us.”

  “If Carol Rhodes is down there and she’d died at Clough Cottage, what happened to Mary Slater?”

  “That is a good question, Rocco,” Calladine said. “We’ll ask Tanya when she’s brought in.”

  Calladine’s phone rang. It was the desk sergeant to say that Tanya Mallon had arrived.

  “Imogen, do you want in on the Tanya interview?”

  Rocco had taken off his suit jacket and was downing his second coffee since the Costello interview. He’d need a while to get his head together.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll get my notes.”

  “She’s a cool one,” Calladine told her as they strode down the corridor. “This time she should be more willing to talk to us. Tanya will be aware of the significance of us knowing her true identity.”

  “Nothing back yet on her prints or DNA?”

  “There’s nothing on the system.”

  “Do you think she had anything to do with the murders, sir?”

  “I don’t think she carried them out personally, but she knows who did. We are looking for Gavin Trent and she knows him too.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “DCI King asked for a meet with Trent about the limo on the Hobfield. The next thing we know, Tanya is ringing Birch asking to speak to me. Trent had to have told her. She then spins me the yarn about the photos.”

  “But we still don’t know what this is all about.”

  “I’m hoping that after our chat with Tanya we’ll be in with a chance, Imogen.”

  “Where’ve they put her?”

  “The downstairs interview room.”

  “Tom!” It was Eliza King. “You’ve spoken to Costello! Why wasn’t I told?”

  “You didn’t miss much, believe me,” he replied. “He was scary, guarded and we got nothing.”

  “That’s not the point. This is my case.” She was angry again.

  “We only asked about Carol Rhodes. Your investigations have not been compromised.”

  “My investigations were compromised the day you lot blundered in,” she said angrily.

  “There never was any evidence against Costello. Archer has admitted as much. It was a put-up job. Although I can’t work out why anyone would bother. Do you want to speak to Tanya Mallon?”

  Eliza King nodded. “I’m not missing this one.”

  Ah well, thought Calladine. She has every right.

  * * *

  Tanya Mallon looked as if all the stuffing had been knocked out of her. Calladine was trying to work out what was different about her and then he realised — no make-up.

  “Do you want a solicitor, Mrs Mallon? We can get one for you.”

  She shook her head. “Waste of time, the lot of them.”

  Calladine made a note.

  “They virtually dragged me out of the shower,” she complained. “Treated me like a common criminal. My hair is still wet.”

  “We know who you are,” Calladine said straight off.

  “I could have told you but I didn’t see the relevance.”

  “It’s highly relevant. We are investigating a murder, Mrs Mallon. A murder which is connected to events that happened in the past. Your past.”

  She inhaled deeply and looked at the three faces staring back at her. She smiled at Eliza King. “I like your hair. I’ve always thought red hair was so attractive.”

  “Now that really is irrelevant,” said the DCI.

  “You told us lies,” said Calladine. “You do not work for Costello. Back to the day Wayne Davey was shot. You were on the Hobfield and it had nothing to do with Costello. What were you doing there?”

  “I showed you the photos. Don’t they speak for themselves?”

  Calladine was fast becoming irritated. “The photos are not important. That isn’t why you were there.”

  She smiled. “I say it is.”

  “Do you remember living at Clough Cottage?” Imogen asked.

  Tanya regarded Imogen for a moment.

  “I remember some of it. But you have to understand I was very young. Some of my memories of that time have become mixed up over the years.”

  “Your mother. Were you aware of what she did?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Even at that young age I knew it was wrong. She disgusted me, the things she did to those girls.”

  “You saw?”

  “Sometimes,” she admitted. “I used to hide. My mother never knew.”

  “That must have been hard. Confusing for a small child.”

  Tanya nodded. “When there were no girls she was fine. She’d play with me. She wasn’t very good at motherhood though. There wasn’t much discipline. Most of the time I ran wild. But I did love her. When she disappeared, I cried for days.”

  Calladine sat back and let Imogen get on with it. She seemed to have a rapport with the woman. She’d got her talking which was more than he could do.

  “Did you know Carol Rhodes?” Imogen asked.

  Tanya Mallon’s face was expressionless, her eyes glazed. She was somewhere else. “I think it was her that last night. The night everything changed.”


  “Will you tell us what happened, Tanya?” Imogen asked gently.

  “Do they have to stay?”

  “Yes,” Imogen told her. “But speak to me. Imagine that there is only the two of us in here.”

  A few seconds passed before Tanya spoke. “There were three of them, two girls and a boy. I didn’t like him, he swore a lot. My mother was seeing to one of the girls. The Carol you’re so interested in.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “She was wearing a school uniform and had a satchel on her back. She left it on the sideboard. When things went quiet I hid it.”

  “Where did you put it, Tanya?”

  “In a special place, a hidey hole in the panelling. I looked inside. Her name was on the books.”

  “Do you know who the others were?”

  “Emily. She was kind to me that night. I was upset and she took me home with her, to a flat on the Hobfield. She gave me food and let me stay. She lived with her sister. She was kind too.”

  So Enid Mason did know more than she’d said. Why hadn’t she told them? Who was she afraid of — Costello?

  “And the boy?”

  “Vinny Costello. He had the gun.”

  Calladine interrupted. “A gun? Did he use it?”

  Tanya flashed him a look. “Yes. At first he was waving it around a lot. But then my mother got shot.” She closed her eyes. “She wasn’t up to much but she didn’t deserve to die like that. What happened to Carol — it couldn’t be helped.”

  “Did Vinny shoot your mother?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t remember clearly. I think there was a struggle. Emily was angry with him. Carol was on the kitchen table and she didn’t say anything or move.”

  “Tell me about the struggle,” said Calladine.

  “I can barely remember.”

  “Take your time. Just give it a try.”

  “I was six years old, Inspector. I was terrified. It was dark. There was a lot of shouting. It was a dreadful experience. It’s haunted me all my life. I want it to end, but it won’t until my mother’s body is found.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Costello was angry, I remember that. He kept swearing at my mother. He wanted her to fix Carol. He kept pointing that gun at her. Emily tried to take it from him but it went off. I saw my mother drop to the floor and then I ran and hid.”