Hunting the Silence: The Yorkshire Murders (DI Haskell & Quinn Crime Thriller Series Book 4)

by Bilinda P Sheehan

  "I'm not sure I want to appeal to him, Harriet. I just want answers."

  "And you'll catch more flies with honey," Harriet quipped back. "Look, you asked my opinion and I'm simply giving it to you."

  Drew nodded. "I'll take it under advisement." There was a clipped tone to his voice that made Harriet uncomfortable. She'd obviously said something wrong when she hadn't agreed with him on DI Appleton, but if he couldn't see the truth, then it wasn't her problem. Of course, for Harriet, that was easier said than done. She hadn't wanted to cause friction between them. It was the last thing she wanted, and yet here they were.

  "Good," she said, sharing a tight smile with him as the tension in the hall mounted.

  "Fine." Without another word, Drew turned on his heel and strode away, leaving her to stare after him.

  She hadn't meant to cause friction between them, but her time as a psychologist had taught her in most cases the road to Hell was paved with good intentions.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Drew had mulled over Harriet's concerns regarding Melissa, but as he settled in next to his fellow DI, he felt certain he'd made the right choice. Harriet didn't know everything. And she was only human, and people made mistakes. She'd obviously made a mistake where Melissa was concerned. As far as Drew was concerned, there was no other officer he'd rather have by his side in the interview.

  He settled back in his seat and studied Taylor's hunched over form. The grey tracksuit he wore only served to highlight the dark bruising around his neck, and the fluorescent lights overhead washed him out; making him appear pasty and unhealthy.

  "Feel like telling us where Oliver Poole is?" Melissa's question cut straight to heart of the matter, and Drew shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  "I didn't do nothing to the lad," Taylor mumbled, keeping his head down, gaze trained on the table in front of him.

  "We know you had an inappropriate relationship," Melissa interjected before Drew could even open his mouth to respond. "Do you really expect us to believe you don't know anything when he's mysteriously upped and disappeared?"

  "I don't care what you lot believe," Taylor said, finally lifting his gaze. He fixed Drew with a rage filled glare. "I told you already. I don't know where he is. As for what happened, that's in the past. I never touched him then and I definitely haven't done anything to him now neither."

  Melissa scoffed. Drew sat up a little straighter. "Help us to understand, Taylor. Why did Oliver single you out as a friend in the first place?"

  "He was a quiet lad, and I remembered being that age. I remember how tough it was when others picked on you and there wasn't anything you could do about it. I felt sorry for the boy, but that was all."

  "Taylor, we know that's not true. There's more to this story that you're not telling us." DI Appleton cut in. "You're not fooling anyone with this act you've got going."

  "I knew this was a waste of time," Taylor said. "You lot are never going to believe anything I tell you, so why should I tell you anything. You're just going to screw me over like you always do." There was an edge to Taylor's voice that Drew recognised. He was a man with nothing left to lose as far as he was concerned, because he'd already lost everything worth having. A man on the edge like that was dangerous, and if he did have something to do with Oliver's disappearance, then it would end in only one way.

  "Taylor, we want to hear your side of things," Drew started to say, but Taylor shook his head.

  “I didn’t kill that boy.”

  “Who said anything about murder?” Drew asked.

  “It’s what you’re all thinking,” Taylor said, brushing his hand over his face nervously.

  A knock on the door stopped Drew before he could finish. Pushing back from his seat, he allowed Melissa to make a note of the time they'd suspended the interview for the benefit of the recordings. Crossing the floor, he pulled open the door and came face to face with Maz.

  The young DS' expression was haunted, and the sinking feeling Drew had been getting in his gut only got worse.

  "What is it?"

  "Can I have a word in the hall?" Maz asked, keeping his gaze studiously fixed on a point on the floor.

  The tone of Maz's voice caused the tiny hairs on the back of Drew’s neck to stand to attention. He closed the door softly and turned toward his DS, before the detective sergeant could even utter the words, Drew knew the truth.

  "They've found a body."

  "Oh god," Harriet's utterance reached him, he hadn’t noticed her come into the hall and from the corner of his eye he watched as she placed her hand over her mouth.

  "Is it the Poole boy?" Drew's voice was rigid and unyielding.

  "We don't have confirmation yet," Maz said.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The moment the word had come that a body had been found, the place had erupted into a hive of activity.

  But now that they were out here in the woods, Harriet couldn't help but feel utterly useless. Drew's expression was practically unreadable, but Harriet had grown accustomed to his almost chameleon like ability to hide his true emotions. And she could tell from the grim set of his jaw that he was affected by the discovery.

  “Forensics have said the body matches the description we have on file of the young boy.” The glimmer of hope that ignited in the centre of Harriet’s chest quickly guttered and was finally quenched as Maz’s words sank in.

  "Who found the body?" Drew's voice was clipped with an emotion Harriet couldn't quite pinpoint.

  "The local community had arranged for searches of the area."

  "Please tell me it wasn't a member of the family who found him?" Harriet jammed her hand into the pocket of her coat, clenching her fingers tight enough to cut off the circulation.

  Maz shook his head. "No, the group was made up of a teacher from the school, one of the neighbours, and another local resident who just wanted to help out. They're all pretty shocked, they definitely got more than they bargained for. We’re keeping them all back for statements.”

  "What do we know about the scene so far?" Drew asked. He looked pale in the shadow of the trees that surrounded them, and Harriet found herself wondering if she wasn't the only one struggling to sleep at night.

  "Well, that's the weird bit," Maz said. He shuffled, his shiny black shoes scuffing through the leaf mould beneath their feet. "Sick bastard left him in the exact place where the other body was found."

  Silence stretched around them, and Harriet's stomach clenched uncomfortably. "Well, that's good news, right? Somebody must have seen something?"

  "We've got nothing," Maz said.

  "How is that possible?"

  Maz started to shrug, but Drew's apoplectic response cut him off mid-movement. "Don't give me that," Drew said, his voice rising over the din of their surroundings. "How could somebody get in and out without being spotted? The place has been crawling with people searching for the missing boy, not to mention the fact we were supposed to have people up here since he went missing."

  Colour suffused Maz's cheeks. "DI Appleton pulled them out of here after the arrest of John Taylor. Everyone seemed so sure it was him, and..."

  "For fuck's sake!" Drew swung around and slammed the palm of his hand against the bark of the tree.

  "Was she not supposed to do that?" Maz asked.

  "I told her I wasn't sure about him. There was something not quite right... Fuck!"

  Harriet stepped forward and started to reach for Drew, but pulled up short as she caught the ever-watchful eye of DS Arya. "He could still be involved," Harriet said. Drew responded with a rough bark of laughter that caused her to cringe.

  "You really think that? You're a lot of things, Dr Quinn, but naïve is not one of them. He’s been in hospital, he couldn’t kill Oliver and dump his body without somebody noticing he was missing from his bed."

  "I don't need to be naïve to know Mr Taylor could be working with another."

  "And you really believe that?" Drew asked, swinging around to face her. His
anger radiated from him and Harriet knew he needed a target for his rage, but she would be damned if she let him make her it.

  "What I know of this case, DI Haskell, is that it's far more complicated than you want it to be. Not everything is clear cut, and this is definitely not one of those situations where everything will get tied up into a neat little bow that gives everyone involved a happy ending. I understand that you're angry, and that you feel responsible--"

  Drew started to answer, but Harriet cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Don't interrupt me, please. How could you not feel responsible? You're a good police officer and you want to protect those in your community; it's the reason you joined the force. It's the reason you all did," she said, adding the latter to remind Drew that he worked within a team of dedicated individuals. She half expected Drew to storm off, but when he didn't, she decided to continue. Sucking down a deep breath, she plunged ahead. "I don't think it was a coincidence that Oliver went missing so soon after the discovery of the body. I'm loathe to believe it was even a coincidence that he was the one chosen to consider the fact that he was the one to find the body in the first place. It all feels too perfect, too staged."

  "So you think whoever left him here is trying to send a message?"

  "It's definitely a possibility. Further to that, I think whoever left him here is intimately familiar with the area itself."

  "Somebody local," Maz mused aloud. "No one is going to like that."

  "If this was an opportunistic predator, they would never have brought the body back here knowing the risk of discovery. Bringing the body here is a statement."

  "And what are they trying to say?"

  "Well, I don't know yet," Harriet said. "I need to see the scene. And we need to know how he died."

  "As soon as forensics are done, they've said they'll give us a preliminary report."

  "The two detectives investigating the discovery of the other body, have they been informed of this development?" Harriet could feel the germ of an idea forming in her mind, but it was far too tenuous and delicate to even think about sharing it with the others.

  "As far as I know, not yet," Maz said.

  "I think they should be brought in." Harriet fought to keep her voice emotionless as thoughts whirled in her mind. There were far too many variables, to make a pronouncement at this early stage would be reckless. But they would look to her for information, anything she could give them to help potentially move the investigation forward would be invaluable at this time. And if she was right, then taking the correct steps now would prevent further tragedy from befalling this small village.

  Maz cocked his head to the side and opened his mouth. Harriet could practically see the cogs turning in his mind, but thankfully Drew cut him off before he could form his first question.

  "You heard Dr Quinn. If she thinks the others should be informed, then do it. It won't be long before this reaches the media, and when that happens this place will be crawling in reporters desperate for the shot that'll make their career."

  Maz didn't need to be told twice by Drew, and Harriet tried to keep her smile under wraps as the younger DS scurried off to do his superior's bidding.

  "What's so funny?" Drew asked, catching her eye.

  "He really looks up to you," she said, choosing the diplomatic route.

  Drew shifted uncomfortably, his expression taking her by surprise. "That bothers you?"

  His mouth formed a moue of distaste. "Where are you going with this?"

  "Which part?"

  "Why involve the others?" His gaze searched hers, as though the answers he sought were right there in her face.

  "Drew, you need to give me time. I know you want answers, but this is too important and I don't want to get it wrong."

  "You think both cases are connected, don't you?"

  "I--"

  "Just answer that one question, Harriet. I need something from you if you want me to just go along blindly. As much as you don't want to get this wrong, neither do I. And at the end of the day, I'm the one with the duty of care."

  She sighed. He was right, of course he was right. She couldn't just ask him to blindly follow her without giving him something to cling to. "You're right, I think the cases are linked. But what's bothering me more, is that I think the case involving the kids who went missing twenty-one years ago is somehow connected to all of this too."

  "But why? It wouldn't make sense to take three kids twenty years ago and wait all of this time..."

  "And that's why I need time to pull the pieces together," she said.

  Drew took a moment before he nodded. "Fine, I'll buy you some time with the monk, but I can't keep him off your back for long. You know what he's like, and once he gets a bee in his bonnet, he won't stop until he has answers."

  "Thank you," Harriet said. Drew started to speak, but they were interrupted by the arrival of a SOCO dressed head to toe in the white overall Harriet had come to associate with horrific sights.

  "Are you DI Haskell?" The SOCO's serious expression was only barely visible over the mask he'd pulled down from his nose. Drew nodded briefly, his smile thin lipped and strained.

  "I'm David Farley, the crime scene manager here. We've secured the scene."

  "So soon?" Drew didn't bother to hide the surprise he evidently felt.

  "There's not much here beyond the body itself. The scene is pretty immaculate, and considering we were here only a few days ago, it's difficult to identify disturbance caused by our own team and that caused by the perpetrator. It was smart putting the body out here. Whoever it is seems to be at least superficially aware of forensic counter-measures. If you suit up, I can take you through for a quick review before the pathologist has the body removed."

  Harriet could tell from the look on Drew's face that the last thing he wanted to do was take a walk-through on a scene that belonged to a child. When Drew swallowed back his discomfort, Harriet caught a glimpse of the toll it took on him to appear so unaffected.

  "If it's possible, I'd like Dr Quinn to walk through the scene too." He glanced over at Harriet as he spoke. "The insight might prove useful to her on helping us to find the answers we need."

  The forensic manager gave her a once over before he nodded.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  A few moments later and Harriet found herself dragging on one of the uncomfortable Tyvek suits at the outer perimeter of the crime scene itself.

  "Are you a medical doctor?" The crime scene manager's question broke through the deep well of thoughts she'd tumbled head first into.

  Harriet shook her head as she dragged one plastic bootie on over her left shoe. "No. I'm a forensic psychologist. I help Drew—DI Haskell—and his team on some of their more difficult cases."

  The SOCO nodded, his blue eyes serious as he held out a box of gloves towards. "You must see a lot of crime scenes then?"

  Harriet smiled politely. "Thankfully, no. I'm much more accustomed to viewing the scene through the photographs taken. Actually getting out here to see it in person is testament to the unusual nature of the crime."

  "It's not an easy scene," he said softly. In such a simple statement he managed to convey a depth of feeling that Harriet hadn't honestly been expecting and she felt a lump form in the back of her throat.

  "I'm sorry," she said. The words felt woefully inadequate but necessary none the less.

  "Thank you," David said. "I try not to think too much beyond what we're dealing with. It's important to have some distance, I couldn't do my job without it. But there's just something about cases that involve children that makes that impossible." He smiled ruefully as he brought himself up short. "Look at me being all morose. You're clearly very good at your job, Dr Quinn."

  "What makes you say that?"

  He grinned at her. "Because five minutes in your company and I'm practically blubbering all over the place with my feelings. Next you'll ask me whether my mummy took my favourite teddy-bear away when I was very young."

  "Are you a ki
ller?" Harriet asked, her expression deadpan. The question seemed to bring David up short, and he shook his head a little more vehemently than was strictly necessary.

  "Well, no, I--"

  "Then I'm afraid I'm not much use to you," Harriet said. “I’m much more comfortable delving into a deviant mind.”

  He stared at her for a moment before he started to laugh. “You know, I’d heard you lacked a sense of humour. But that’s just not true.” He continued to laugh as he led them beyond the perimeter.

  Harriet glanced over at Drew. “I wasn’t trying to make a joke,” she said. “I’m genuinely more comfortable speaking to people with a deviant mindset.”

  “I know that,” Drew said gently. “But there’s no point trying to explain that to him. He won’t understand.”

  With a curt nod, she slipped the mask on over her face as she followed Drew along the path. If Bianca could see her now and the unintentional joke she’d just made, she’d find the entire situation hilarious. Harriet sighed, her warm breath stifled beneath the heavy mask she wore. Every time she thought she had a handle on the personalities that made up the team, she found herself confounded with another. It was definitely easier to deal with killers and psychopaths. At least with them, she knew exactly where she stood.

  Harriet paused on the embankment and took stock of her surroundings. Despite the forest itself being popular with tourists, the particular area they found themselves in seemed almost untouched by the outside world. Leaf litter covered the ground beneath her feet, and even through the protection of her mask she could detect the damp scent she associated with a forest.

  Some of the trees were bare, their branches reaching upwards so that they intertwined over head like the hands of a priest clasped together in prayer. The scene was abuzz with activity but the atmosphere that lay over it all was that of a deep, bone aching sorrow. In the deep hollow beneath her, Harriet was only too aware of the white forensic tent which had been set up to preserve as much of the scene from the elements as possible.