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

by Joy Ellis

  Nice words, thought Cameron, beautifully put. ‘And she ran away? That’s quite extreme, isn’t it?’

  ‘Natalie dreamt of improving people’s lives. She wanted to make things better for everyone, and she was passionate about causes. I think she saw my rejection of her young man as a rejection of her ideals.’

  ‘And Lyndon?’

  ‘He adored Natalie. He loved Polly too, but not like Natalie. He stayed with the family for some time after she left, but eventually made the break. He said he blamed me for causing her to leave.’

  True, thought Cameron. If Lyndon was the arsonist, he probably did blame his father, not for her absconding, but for all the subterfuge and underhand dealings surrounding her death. You can only live with lies for so long.

  ‘Lyndon was a gentle boy, good at crafts and he had an all-encompassing love for animals, trees, birds — all natural life.’ Applegarth seemed to drift into a trance as he spoke of his young son. Then he shook his head. ‘How can such a happy family, filled with love and respect, suddenly sour to a point of disintegration?’

  Keep it simple, thought Cam. ‘So, after Lyndon grew up, what did he do for a living, sir?’

  ‘He never really settled down to a proper job. One month he’d be volunteering at an elephant orphanage, and the next he’d be helping to clean beaches or dredge waterways. We never knew what he’d be doing next.’

  ‘And he never trained for anything in particular?’

  ‘He loved working with wood, so he did a stint as a trainee carpenter. Then he tried his hand at metalwork. He enjoyed that too, but it lasted as long as the carpentry. I’m ashamed to say that he became a drifter.’

  ‘But he worked in France, didn’t he?’

  ‘If he did, I don’t know what his job was. He had his allowance, so I knew he wouldn’t starve, but I know nothing about what he did or where he lived.’

  Cameron frowned. ‘But he kept in touch with his other sister, didn’t he?’

  ‘Infrequently, but he told her very little — in case she passed anything on to me, I suppose.’ Applegarth shrugged. ‘At least Polly and I still have a good relationship, thank the Lord.’

  Was that the dark lord? Cameron pushed the notion away. He needed to find where Lyndon might be staying now. ‘Sir? We know Lyndon hasn’t been here. The place was shut up and your lodge-keeper told us as much, but is there anywhere else he would go? Some other small property, maybe? Near, or in Greenborough?’

  ‘I never owned any other house. After we were forced to leave the family home in Beech Lacey, this became our only property.’

  ‘Nothing at all?’

  ‘No. We kept the plane at Greenborough Airfield, but we had no pied-à-terre there. And I hate water, so we never owned a boat or a boathouse.’ Applegarth wrinkled his brow. ‘Sorry, but I can’t think of anywhere he might go.’

  ‘No place he loved to hang out in as a kid?’ Cameron was getting desperate.

  There was a long silence. Applegarth sighed again. ‘Sorry, but nothing comes to mind.’

  ‘If I could ask you to reflect on that, sir, and phone me if you do think of anything.’ Cameron handed him his card. ‘Sir, we have to find him.’

  Applegarth rubbed his chin. ‘Well, he had a friend, a boy called, um, Arthur, I think. They used to go birdwatching together, down on the marshes. He was an odd kid, but Lyndon liked him. If Lyndon needed help, I think he’d go to Arthur.’

  ‘Do you know any more about this Arthur?’

  ‘His surname was Kent, I do know that, and he lived in one of the poorer areas of Greenborough. Rough family, as I recall. But that’s it, I’m afraid, Superintendent. And I’m very tired. Could we continue this at a later date?’

  Cam narrowed his eyes. ‘I do apologise, sir, but you can see the urgency of our situation, can’t you? Our probable killer — Lyndon, or someone else — has another victim in his sights, and we have no idea who it is. But we do know it all stems from the fire that took place ten years ago, on this very property, in the summerhouse. All the victims were kids who were present at the fire, Mr Applegarth. You saw those kids, those teenagers, and now they are all dead, bar one. And right now that one is a sitting target firmly in the killer’s cross-hairs. Doomed to die by fire. How sick is that?’

  Applegarth’s voice shook. ‘I have no idea who they were! I never even knew their names, except for the boy who was burnt — Michael it was — and I did follow his progress. I even offered his parents some financial assistance, but they turned it down. As for the others, as soon as we saw they were unharmed, I gave them a dressing down for being so foolish, then my chauffeur and my caretaker ferried them home.’ He paused. ‘You really think she’s in mortal danger? Possibly from my son?’

  ‘We do. We’re sure of it.’

  Richard Applegarth visibly deflated. ‘I need to rest, Superintendent. You have my word that I’ll ring you if I think of anything else.’

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, Cameron sat in his car staring blankly out of the windscreen. ‘He knows,’ he whispered. Applegarth had given himself away with a single word: she. “You really think she is in mortal danger?” Cameron had said four out of the five were dead. He hadn’t specified how many were men and how many women. And even if Applegarth had looked up the deaths on the Internet, which Cameron didn’t think he had, the way he said she sounded as if he had a particular person in mind.

  ‘He knows who the next victim is,’ Cam muttered to himself, ‘and he had the chance to tell me, but he didn’t. This man is up to his neck in lies, and if he can’t give me a simple name, then he’s covering up something far more sinister.’

  He pulled his phone from his pocket and rang Chief Superintendent Sims.

  * * *

  ‘Is Yvonne in?’ Nikki called out.

  ‘Here, ma’am!’ Yvonne hurried across to the office. ‘Can I help?’

  ‘I’ve just had a call from the super. Do you know a family called Kent? An Arthur Kent in particular. Lived here in Greenborough around ten years back.’

  Yvonne closed her eyes for a moment. ‘Let me see . . . Yes, Bob and Sharon Kent. They had just the one son, Arthur. The lad was lacking something, if you know what I mean. Learning difficulties. Nothing too bad, but it made him a bit strange.’ She looked at the ceiling. ‘Eleven, Kings Court, just outside the Carborough, and they still live there, though I think Arthur moved out some years ago.’

  Nikki never ceased to be amazed by Vonnie’s almost total recall of the Greenborough residents. ‘Any convictions?’

  ‘No. Poor family, but decent. Arthur had his collar felt a few times, but nothing serious.’

  ‘Yvonne? Go and see them, will you? Find out where Arthur is. Cameron Walker thinks that Lyndon was pretty friendly with him, way back. Maybe he’s gone to ground with an old friend.’ She paused. ‘And if you do find Arthur, don’t go in alone, okay? Lyndon could just be with him.’

  ‘Wilco, ma’am. Show me attending.’ Yvonne hurried off.

  Nikki watched her go. She had the feeling that something was about to happen. She just hoped it wasn’t another deadly inferno. Nikki felt as helpless as she ever had, except for that terrible time when she couldn’t help her own daughter. It didn’t get any worse than that.

  ‘Guv?’ Cat said.

  Cat Cullen broke into her dark thoughts. ‘I’ve been thinking. After you told us about what the super said, you know, about those kids being driven home after the fire? Have we tried to talk to his old chauffeur, or the caretaker? If they drove them home, they might remember their addresses. And even if they’d moved, someone would probably know who’d lived there before.’

  Nikki thought for a moment. ‘Ah, I get it. We knock Michael off the list. He went to hospital. The drivers took the kids to four separate addresses, so we eliminate those of Clary, Jeremy and Ronnie, and we should be left with our anonymous partygoer.’

  ‘And bingo!’ Cat grinned. ‘Okay, I know it’s a long shot. We might not locate the dri
vers, they could be dead for all we know. But is it worth a try, guv?’

  ‘It certainly is. I’ll ask Cameron if he can trace who was in Applegarth’s employ at that time. He’s got some rather useful buddies working with him at present. Then you and Ben can go jog their collective memories.’

  ‘Let’s hope they have good ones. It is ten years, after all.’

  ‘Sure, but some things stick, and it would have been a pretty memorable evening, with fire tenders and ambulances and heaven knows what all going on. I’d remember, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Well, yes, I would. Fingers crossed for a bit of luck, huh?’

  ‘Right. Oh, and well done to think of that, Cat. It could just lead us to our final victim.’

  Cat walked away, her grin broadening. Nikki smiled too. Even after all the years they’d worked together, Cat was still hugely proud when her boss praised her.

  Nikki’s phone rang. ‘Leon? How can I help?’

  ‘I’m sorry, DI Galena. I know I shouldn’t bother you when you’re so busy, but is there any news? I’m worried sick about this murderer, and desperate to know about my Natalie. I’ve done nothing but think about all the things that could have happened to her. It’s torture.’

  Nikki took a breath. ‘We are getting closer to finding out what happened, but this is no easy case, Leon. I promise to let you know as soon as we have any positive news.’ A thought struck her. ‘Leon? Did Natalie drink? Or take recreational drugs?’

  ‘Natalie? No way! She rarely drank anything, and was dead set against any kind of drug. I actually saw her confiscate cannabis from a friend’s bag and hide it until she could destroy it. It was her bête noir.’

  ‘Thank you, Leon, and please, try not to worry too much. I will find you the truth.’

  Nikki ended the call, frowning. ‘Joseph, we need to brainstorm!’

  Joseph looked up from a conversation with Ben. He loped over. ‘You have a conundrum, I can tell by your expression.’

  ‘You’re so right.’

  She opened a file and laid out several sheets of paper across her desk. ‘John Carson’s written report on everything his friend, the other fire investigator, told him about the summerhouse fire. With,’ she passed him another sheet of paper, ‘a diagram of the summerhouse prior to being incinerated.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Five teenagers, seemingly let into the summerhouse by Natalie. Two were students. Clary was studying art, and Jez, we are told, was doing a degree in social work. Ronnie was just a farm worker. Then there’s our mystery person, who we know nothing about. Michael was a layabout and was said to be out of work at the time. And then we have Natalie.’

  Joseph looked up. ‘You say that as if she’s different to the others.’

  ‘She is. She didn’t drink and she hated drugs.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Yes. Oh.’ She stared at the diagram. ‘Bottles and cans were found strewn around this area, the main body of the summerhouse. But here,’ she jabbed a finger at a smaller space at the far end of the long building, ‘is where they found packets of legal highs.’

  ‘What is that room?’

  ‘I think the Applegarth kids used it to chill out and listen to music. It had a sofa, a divan kind of thing, and some bookshelves. It was a sort of den, I guess, somewhere to hide if you wanted some peace.’

  Joseph frowned. ‘I’m not quite sure where that mind of yours is taking us, Nikki.’

  ‘Nor am I. Yet. But think about it. Five kids are getting slowly rat-arsed. One has bought some NPS. It’s Mischief Night and they’re looking for kicks. We can only guess they meet Natalie, and we have it on record from Jared Porter, Michael’s brother, that Michael fancied a girl called Natalie. So . . .’

  ‘Natalie hates drugs in any form, so she . . .’ Joseph thought for a moment, ‘so she decides to get them off the streets, to somewhere they can have a drink and party a bit but away from the bars and clubs? Something like that?’

  ‘Something like that, yes. We may never know for sure, but as all the drugs were in the little den, I’m thinking she spirited them away and hid them. Leon told me she had history of doing just that.’

  Joseph picked up the report. ‘I wonder . . .’ He flipped through the pages, then shook his head. ‘Nothing here.’

  ‘What?’ asked Nikki.

  ‘I was wondering if the packets they found were empty or full.’

  Nikki phoned John and asked him.

  ‘I’ll speak to my friend. I’ll get back to you.’ John rang off.

  A few moments later, he called back. ‘Andy said they were unopened. Does that help in some way?’

  ‘Just another tiny piece in a bloody great jigsaw, John, but thank you.’ She hung up. ‘She hid them. Natalie took them from the others and hid them.’

  ‘And that suggests a chilling hypothesis, doesn’t it?’ said Joseph grimly.

  ‘That none of this need have happened. Natalie was never taking drugs in the first place, and she was trying to prevent the others from using them. Someone, an Applegarth family member, made a serious error of judgement about that young woman.’

  Joseph leaned back in his chair. ‘Problem is, this is all guesswork. Not a shred of real evidence.’

  ‘True, but it is helping us to see more clearly,’ Nikki said. ‘And when this case is over, a certain gent in high office is going to have some very tricky questions to answer.’

  The phone rang again. ‘Ma’am? Cross Arthur off your list. He’s up county working with a cousin. He’s been there for months apparently.’

  ‘Okay, Vonnie, come back to base. And thanks for clearing that up.’

  ‘No problem. By the way, Mickey Leonard’s warning about the ugly feeling on the streets is quite true.’

  Nikki nibbled on her bottom lip. ‘How so?’

  ‘There’s a distinct chill in the air, and it has nothing to do with the weather. There’s little gangs of youths gathering in alleyways all over town. It just feels ominous, and frankly, I fear for the Black House.’

  ‘Then maybe we should get uniform to direct a little attention there as night falls. They are a complete enigma, that group. I still have no idea what the hell is going on in that place, but we don’t want a war in Ferry Street. I know our boys and girls are stretched, but I’ll talk to them.’

  ‘Thank you, ma’am. I’m on my way back now.’

  Nikki hung up. ‘Arthur was a wild bloody goose chase, courtesy of Richard Applegarth. And Vonnie says she has serious concerns about marauding youths and the Black House. I need to make sure that uniform have logged her concerns.’

  Nikki called Niall. As she put the phone down, there was a sharp rap at the door, and Cameron Walker hurried in. ‘Got what you asked for, Nikki. Two names. Employees at the Applegarth house at the time of the fire.’ He thrust a memo at her. ‘Baker was the driver, and Glass was the general help and dogsbody. Both live on the outskirts of Greenborough. And one very interesting fact. Both were “retired” the day after the fire, with a very handsome golden handshake. New staff were recruited immediately. So think on that, if you will! But right now it’s time to get your team on the road to talk to them.’

  ‘Brilliant! Thanks, Cam.’ Nikki looked at Joseph, her eyes alight. ‘A break, at last.’ She ran out into the CID room. ‘Cat! Ben! You have a house call to make, and Dave, there’s one for you too. One in Frampton, and one just north of Greenborough, in Beltoft End, okay? Just come back with a name. This is our best chance yet. So go to it!’

  * * *

  Cameron stared across the desk to the chief superintendent. ‘He has to tell us, sir! He knows who this last victim is, I’d stake everything I own on the fact.’

  Owen Sims rubbed a beefy hand across his chin. ‘I have to agree, it’s looking more and more as if he has something to hide. Sacking his staff immediately after the incident! That reeks of a cover-up. And extensive searches for Natalie have proved negative.’ He drew in a long breath. ‘Okay, Cameron, I’ll take this upstairs, and notify Lander and Bell
. It’s time there was a proper, official interview, with the appropriate people. Leave this with me.’

  ‘Sir, can you emphasise the urgency? It’s critical that it’s done immediately. The fire investigator, and all the rest of us too, believe this unknown target is really on borrowed time. The murderer could strike tonight. In fact, it’s more than likely he will. He’s being hunted, and his face is everywhere. He can’t afford to wait.’

  ‘Understood.’

  Cameron left, relieved that the chief was on his side, but terrified that the wheels of justice might turn too slowly for the next victim.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  The police officers who were still out following up possible sightings of Lyndon Applegarth found themselves dispersing gatherings of angry youths. By around eight o’clock, there had been several scuffles and a couple of arrests.

  In the CID room, Nikki was agitated. Neither of the men employed by Applegarth was at home. Dave had no luck at all trying to track Glass, and Cat and Ben, having been told that Baker would probably be in the pub, were trawling round all the local public houses within a three-mile radius of his village.

  No one had gone home. There was an atmosphere of nervous anticipation throughout the station. Joseph was munching his way through a bag of crisps, something he never did, and Nikki was on her second Mars bar when a white-faced Cameron walked into the room like someone in a dream.

  ‘Cam?’ Nikki jumped up. ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘He’s dead. Applegarth is dead. Lander and Bell went to talk to him, and found him in his study, a twelve-bore shotgun beside him. Not pretty, but apparently very effective.’

  Nikki let out a groan. ‘Now he’ll never tell us who the next victim is.’ She jerked upright. ‘Was there a note?’

  Cam shook his head slowly. ‘Nothing. He took the phone call from Lander, then as far as we can tell, it was bang! Game over.’

  ‘Wicked sod! He could have told us and saved a life! Now we’re left, still scratching around looking for a missing, probably pissed, ex-chauffeur! Just wonderful!’ Nikki put her head in her hands.