FIRE ON THE FENS a gripping crime thriller filled with stunning twists

by Joy Ellis

  ‘I’ve been thinking of nothing else, Inspector, and only one name surfaced.’

  ‘Which was?’

  ‘Natalie. No surname. But I definitely remember Michael speaking about a girl called Natalie. I think he had a crush on her. I came home from university one weekend, and although my dad had insisted we didn’t mention his accident, we did chat a bit more than usual. I told him about a girl I’d met that I was thinking of asking out, and he said to go for it. He’d really liked a girl called Natalie, but he left it too late, and now she was gone.’

  ‘Did he say what he meant by “gone?”’ asked Ben.

  ‘No. That was all he said, but I could tell he was pretty upset even thinking about her.’ He pulled a face. ‘Not much, is it?’

  ‘On the contrary, sir. It’s another link, and one we needed. Now we can connect your brother to the person at the very heart of this case. Thank you.’

  ‘Where are you staying?’ asked Ben. ‘Can we contact you if we need to?’

  ‘I’m in a small hotel, just off Victoria Avenue called the Salthouse. Sorry, I don’t have their card. I booked it from Riyadh. I haven’t even seen it yet.’

  ‘We’ll get the number, don’t worry, sir,’ Ben said.

  They stood up, and Nikki thanked him for coming in. ‘Jared? It might help you to know that although we are a long way from understanding what happened, we do believe that your brother sustained his original injuries in the course of saving a girl’s life. We don’t know her name, but someone who attended the fire said that Michael risked his life in that burning building to help someone else.’

  Tears welled up in Jared’s eyes. ‘Thank you, Inspector.’ He swallowed noisily. ‘Right now, I feel even worse, but I know it’ll be a big help when I finally get my head around it all.’

  Nikki watched him go. Funny how life had a habit of making saying sorry out of the question.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  ‘You’re thinking it’s this religious group, these satanists, or whatever they call themselves?’ Niall asked, looking dubious.

  ‘Luciferians. Well, what do you think? Lee made it his business to confront and assault the Blacks and their followers, and was most likely responsible for the graffiti on their home, then he gets beaten up. Bit of a no-brainer, wouldn’t you think?’

  ‘Talk about bad timing! Just when we’re stretched to capacity hunting for this Lyndon Applegarth, we might have a riot to contend with.’ He groaned. ‘And I don’t have enough officers to put any sort of watch on the Black House, and certainly not on the strength of a rumour about an ugly feeling.’

  ‘But at least we have a heads-up, don’t we? It won’t hit us like a freight train out of the blue, if something does kick off.’

  ‘Vonnie. Always the optimist.’ Niall smiled wryly. ‘But you’re right. I’ll log it, and the late shift will do what they can to keep a lid on any trouble that might be brewing.’

  Yvonne smiled to herself. She knew Niall. He was not the kind of man to walk out on a situation, despite his talk of handing it over to the night shift. ‘If you need me, I’ll be upstairs. My neighbour Ray will look after Hobo till I get home. I have a feeling the guv’nor is edging closer to this damned fire-killer. And if she is, she’ll need all the help she can get.’

  Niall nodded. He’d soon be ringing Tamsin to ask her to hold dinner tonight.

  * * *

  An hour later, Cameron Walker’s commanding officer, Chief Superintendent Owen Sims, walked through his door, along with two men Cam didn’t recognise. His heart sank. This was it.

  Cam stood to attention. ‘Sir? Gentlemen? Can I help you?’

  No one answered until the door clicked shut behind them.

  ‘Sit down, Cameron,’ said the chief super. ‘This is Warren Bell and Marcus Lander from the UK SIRENE Bureau.’

  Cam held his breath. SIRENE was the network that supported cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the EU member states, and was part of the National Crime Agency. But why were they here? They normally dealt with terrorism, people trafficking, money-laundering and other serious crimes.

  The three men pulled up chairs and sat facing him.

  ‘We are here, sir, to tell you that your concerns were acted upon. Richard Applegarth has volunteered to give us his full cooperation regarding the hunt for his son, Lyndon. And to facilitate this, he is returning to England tonight, where he will be met and escorted to his home in Cassington Village.’

  Relief washed over him. At least Applegarth hadn’t pulled strings and brought the investigation to a grinding halt. ‘And has he offered to help us with regard to his daughter Natalie?’

  ‘He claimed to be unaware of any problems, sir. He said he and his daughter were estranged, and he hadn’t seen or heard from her in years. He said this was a matter of deep sadness for both him and his wife.’

  I’ll bet it is, thought Cam.

  Lander leaned forward. ‘I’m sure we don’t have to tell you to be cautious, Superintendent. If a crime has been committed, then of course it must be pursued, but we cannot afford to make mistakes. Applegarth is a powerful man. It could be costly. Very costly.’

  Cam gritted his teeth. ‘I shall be the soul of discretion, but if I think he’s covering up a death, then he and I won’t be politely drinking tea in his country retreat, we’ll be sitting in an interview room right here in Greenborough police station.’

  ‘He’s agreed to help with our enquiries,’ Warren Bell said crisply. ‘You may accept that assistance. But be very wary of making any accusations unless you have hard evidence.’

  Which I don’t, thought Cam, Not yet. But give me a little time and we’ll see about that.

  ‘Just tread warily, Cameron,’ said Chief Superintendent Sims. ‘We don’t want you making too many waves, but probably not for the reason you are thinking.’ He glanced across to Lander.

  Lander was impassive. ‘We are on your side, Superintendent. The thing is, we can find no trace of Natalie Applegarth. Naturally, our investigation has only just begun, but we do liaise closely with mainland Europe, and the young lady in question hasn’t shown up in any border control records, neither has she legally worked anywhere. There has been no driving licence issued or any other recorded transaction — and her passport has not been used, which is of grave concern.’

  ‘We consider your suggestion that she never left this country to be valid,’ continued Bell. ‘But,’ he looked straight into Cam’s eyes, ‘we have to have cast-iron proof. And while we search for it, you will direct all your efforts toward finding the son. You must make Richard Applegarth believe that that is all we are interested in. Can you do that?’

  Cam was dumbfounded. He had expected these men to obstruct or delay, but they seemed to want to help. ‘Yes, yes, of course I can.’

  ‘We have your report,’ Lander said, ‘and we have to say that your DI Galena and her team have made pretty remarkable headway in a very short space of time. We are now taking some of the intelligence they gathered a step further. The pilot, for instance. We know where he relocated to in Portugal, and,’ he glanced at his watch, ‘I should think someone is having a chat with him as we speak. He could be the key witness, if Natalie was indeed spirited away that night.’

  ‘If he talks,’ added Bell.

  ‘We have more than one lead to follow. For instance, we know exactly where Polly and her family take their holidays. But right now, the biggest concern of all of us is this sadly unidentified target of Lyndon Applegarth. And the ball for that, Superintendent, is firmly in your court.’ Lander looked intently at Cam. ‘Applegarth will be home within the hour. I hate to tell you how to do your job, but you should get up to Cassington without delay, and strike while the iron is hot. The flight was short, so he hasn’t had much time to formulate what he’s going to say, so get in there quickly.’

  Cameron stood up. ‘Is that all, gentlemen? If so, consider me en route.’

  On their way out of the office, the chief super lightly
touched Cam’s arm. ‘Kid gloves?’

  ‘Yes, sir. I’m fully in the picture now. I know how to handle it.’

  The big man nodded. ‘Good, good. I know you’re the right man for the job, Cameron, but take care. And for heaven’s sake, find that arsonist!’

  * * *

  Joseph paced his tiny office like a beast in a cage. No one knew how to proceed, and it was getting to them all. And to make matters worse, there was unrest on the streets of Greenborough. He’d experienced that before, and it wasn’t pleasant. He sank onto his chair. There seemed to be no way to track the fifth partygoer. Why did none of those teenagers ever talk about what happened on Mischief Night? Why didn’t they keep in touch? They had shared a terrible experience, after all. All the evidence indicated that they never even knew each other in their adult lives. What were the chances of that?

  ‘Can I join you?’ Dave looked as fraught as Joseph felt.

  ‘By all means. Come in and share the agony,’ Joseph said grimly.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about those kids,’ Dave said.

  ‘Me too. That’s exactly what my little grey cells are working on right now.’

  Dave went and found an office chair, and jammed it up against Joseph’s desk. ‘I’ve been going over what the fire investigator told John Carson.’ He exhaled. ‘The sequence of events doesn’t fit the usual pattern. For a start, there was a delay in raising the alarm. Then the kids were taken into the main house, where they stayed for quite some time before the paramedics attended to them. Okay, the one we think was Michael Porter was hospitalised, but the others were all taken home by people attached to the Applegarth family. Isn’t that odd, Sarge? Wouldn’t you call their families and get them to come out and pick up their kids?’

  ‘Absolutely, unless there was no family or close relative. Where’s this going, Dave?’

  ‘I think intense pressure was put on those teenagers when they were taken into the Applegarth house. I think they were got at, either through intimidation or bribery, and whatever they were threatened with lasted a lifetime.’

  Joseph had been thinking along similar lines, but it was good to hear it from someone else. ‘It would’ve had to be something pretty terrifying to shut them up for ten whole years.’ He thought for a while. Was it possible? They were intelligent, educated kids. Could someone intimidate them badly enough that the fear would stain the rest of their lives? Joseph knew it was more than possible. He’d seen people before who had been terrorised into silence, spending their whole lives pretending something never happened, denying a horrible truth. ‘Let’s say that they all knew Natalie had died in the fire. Could the family have threatened them with a murder or manslaughter charge? Could they possibly have been wicked enough to tell those teenagers that if they kept their mouths shut, the body would disappear?’

  ‘There was something in the papers around that time, a rumour that Applegarth was due for some award or other, and a possible step up the diplomatic service ladder. If this drink/drug-taking party threatened all that, I’d say yes, they could have been.’ Dave nodded slowly.

  ‘And five kids lived with the guilt for the rest of their days.’

  ‘Made new lives far apart from each other,’ said Dave pensively, ‘and all tried to make up for what they’d brought to pass on Mischief Night. They turned into do-gooders, to make amends for what happened.’

  ‘A guilty conscience could do that I suppose, although I’ve often seen it go the other way, and the accused person turns into a right little shit.’ Joseph smiled faintly.

  ‘They weren’t bad kids, I don’t think. I reckon they just got drunk and acted stupidly,’ Dave said.

  ‘And paid with their lives,’ Joseph concluded. ‘I think we should see what the boss thinks of this, don’t you?’

  Dave nodded. ‘Yes, I do. It makes complete sense, though proving it, now that they’re all dead, won’t be easy.’

  ‘You can say that again, but we still need to find the arsonist, and stop him before he can get to the last target.’

  Dave carried his chair back outside. ‘We have every available officer out there, and his picture’s plastered all over town. I’m not sure what else we can do.’

  ‘Nikki has even given a statement to the press and the media. It was short and very succinct — no mention of the fires, of course. She simply urged the public to look out for Lyndon Applegarth, because we need to speak to him in connection with four unexplained deaths. The phones’ll be ringing all night, I should think.’

  ‘Then wherever he is, he must be feeling like a hunted animal by now.’ Dave grimaced. ‘And you know what wild beasts do when they are cornered?’

  Joseph knew only too well. ‘They attack.’

  * * *

  Giles Black straightened his tie and examined his reflection in the mirror. The meeting he was due to attend this evening was being held at the house of one of the other members. It was an opportunity for him to introduce a new acolyte to the group. The woman was a powerful presence in the food industry, and he had been patiently grooming her for some time now.

  He was hoping that tonight she would commit to joining them, so he was being careful about every detail. He was even going alone. His wife’s presence, and even his brother’s charm, could be a distraction from the job he needed to do. This woman could prove to be a very influential player in their game, if he made all the right noises. Their group was expanding, and he was on his way to becoming a very wealthy man, but it was essential to bring in new blood.

  ‘Looking good, brother.’ Tom walked into his room and flopped down on the bed. ‘Think she’s in the bag?’

  ‘Pretty sure, but you never can tell with a woman like that. She’s understandably cautious, and she’s no fool.’

  ‘Play it cool, Giles. No pressure. Just reel her in gently.’

  ‘That’s the plan, bro. I shan’t ask you to wish me luck, because this is entirely about skill.’ He put on his gold cufflinks, engraved with a small fireball emblem, and shook his arm, admiring them.

  ‘Well, I’m glad to see you’re confident but not too cocky, for once.’

  ‘Fuck off, Tom!’ Giles grinned at his brother. ‘I can do without being badgered by you right now. So, what are you doing tonight?’

  ‘Nothing. I thought Ollie and I could play chess for a bit, then maybe watch some TV together. Your lovely wife is leaving us too, going to a baby shower or so she says — whatever that is.’

  ‘Some heathen thing. It’s her friend Pattie’s. You shower a new or expected baby with expensive gifts and try to outdo all the other fawning mothers.’

  ‘Sounds wonderful.’ Tom pulled a face. ‘You aren’t telling me Corinne’s getting broody, are you?’

  ‘Hardly.’ He snorted. ‘My wife is far too self-centred to want a baby stealing the limelight, or taking up all her precious time.’ Her attitude had been a disappointment to him, so he changed the subject quickly. ‘How is Olivia today? I’ve barely seen her.’

  ‘Not bad. She went out for a while today, just a trip to Café des Amis with an old friend of hers. It did her good, I think. She spends far too much time incarcerated here.’ Tom stood up and stretched. ‘I’m going to order a pizza tonight. Ollie said she fancied one, so as you guys are partying elsewhere, we are going to pig out and to hell with the calories.’

  ‘I’m working, Neanderthal, not partying,’ Giles said haughtily.

  ‘Yeah, sure. There won’t be any wine, I guess, or champagne or delicious food? No music? No beautiful women?’

  ‘And I’ll be working my butt off, trying to acquire a very special commodity for our group, as you well know, Thomas Black.’

  ‘Then happy shopping, Giles. Bring back a nice juicy bargain.’

  Giles flung a pillow at Tom’s retreating back. That’s just what I intend to do, brother, and I’m about to land a very big fish indeed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Cameron saw at once that Richard Applegarth was in the right job. He was
quietly spoken, with an air of confidence and integrity. He came over as honest, intelligent and believable. But in his time, Cameron had met many suave con men, people who, in his mother’s words, could charm the birds out of the trees.

  ‘Thank you for seeing me at such short notice, sir,’ Cameron said.

  ‘It’s the least I can do. This is a terrible business, terrible. But I still find it hard to believe that my son has anything to do with such a heinous crime,’ Appegarth said.

  Applegarth was tall and lean, with a full head of silver-grey hair cut in a neat, wavy style. He had a pale complexion, and his blue eyes matched his soft blue shirt and tie. He was every inch the elegant gentleman. He looked a bit like George Clooney.

  ‘We don’t know this for sure, sir, not yet. But your son can be placed in the area, and has been described in detail by several witnesses to these fires. We need to talk to him, at the very least to eliminate him from our enquiries.’

  ‘How can I help you, Superintendent?’

  ‘Tell me about Lyndon. What kind of man is he?’

  Applegarth lowered his eyes. ‘I can tell you what he was like, but I’m ashamed to say I haven’t seen Lyndon in several years. He went to live in France, and has had nothing to do with his family since. We had no idea he’d returned to England.’ He sighed. ‘My wife’s heart is broken.’

  The name Natalie rose to Cameron’s lips. He bit it back. ‘A family row?’

  ‘More than that. After his sister ran away ten years ago, we were a family in crisis.’

  It would be only natural to follow this up, wouldn’t it? ‘That’s awful, sir. So you have two estranged children?’

  Richard Applegarth nodded sadly. ‘Natalie. I forbade her to marry a priest. She was only nineteen, and I was certain she hadn’t thought about the long-term consequences. I thought it would stunt her life. If I’d known what would happen, I would have given my blessing immediately.’