by Joy Ellis
‘I’m sorry, Nikki. I should have pushed him harder when I spoke to him, and damn the warnings to tread carefully.’
‘It’s not your fault, Cam,’ said Joseph. ‘Nothing you could have said would have made a blind bit of difference.’
‘I agree,’ added Nikki. ‘So don’t beat yourself up over it. We need all the help you can give us now to find Lyndon.’
Cameron straightened up. ‘You’re right. So, as soon as Cat and Ben get back, I think we should have an impromptu campfire, don’t you? Throw everything we have into the pot and see if something of value comes out.’
‘Okay, I’ll call you when they get back.’
Nikki returned to her office. It was a horrible thing to happen, but she didn’t feel sorry for the diplomat. ‘Okay, top yourself if you must,’ she muttered, ‘but do the right thing first, and let us know who that last girl is.’ Their only hope was the chauffeur, and it appeared he used a multitude of different watering holes and could be in any one of them. She felt as if a giant hourglass was poised above her head, the sands trickling through it.
‘I’ve just heard from downstairs.’ Joseph stood in the doorway, his expression grave. ‘Niall and a couple of crews have broken up a gathering in the road next to Ferry Street. He said they were heading for the Black House.’
‘Damn and bugger! Have they contained it?’
‘Yes, this time, but he reckons the word has spread, and any thug who fancies a bit of aggro is joining in, no matter what the original cause was.’
Nikki gazed at him wearily. ‘It’s going to be one pig of a night!’
* * *
Tom sat with his feet up on the sofa and passed his sister the box of Celebrations. ‘How many times have we watched this, Ollie?’ He unpeeled a chocolate and popped it into his mouth.
Olivia smiled and shrugged. ‘Ten?’
‘And we still laugh at the bit when the baby says “arsehole!”’
Olivia chuckled. ‘It’s just so funny. Phone’s ringing, Tom.’
Tom got up and padded across the room to the walnut sideboard that held the telephone. ‘Tom Black.’
He listened, and then yelled, ‘Where? For heaven’s sake, tell me where!’
Very slowly, he set down the receiver. He didn’t want to scare Olivia, but she had to be told.
‘Ollie, that was the police. Giles has had an accident. A mob of youths attacked him as he was getting into his car. I have to go. Will you be okay?’
Olivia nodded. ‘Of course, just go! Did they say if he’s badly hurt?’
‘There’s an ambulance in attendance, but they didn’t tell me any more than that.’ Tom was hopping around on one leg trying to get his shoes on. ‘It’s way over on the other side of town.’
‘Drive carefully, Tom. I don’t want two brothers injured.’
Tom ran over and planted a kiss on his sister’s forehead. ‘Love you, Ollie. I’ll ring you as soon as I know more. Maybe you should try to get hold of Corinne, although she does turn her phone off. I’ll leave that with you.’ Then he was off, out into the darkness.
* * *
The call came through a few moments after Cat and Ben had reluctantly returned empty-handed.
‘Thank heavens you put a note through his letterbox! It’s Baker, the chauffeur. He’s on his way in. Ten minutes, tops.’ Dave put down the phone. ‘This could be it.’
It was the longest ten minutes of Nikki’s life. After an eternity of sitting and drumming her fingers, the desk sergeant informed her that her visitor was in the foyer. She and Joseph glanced at each other, and hurried from the CID room.
By the time they got downstairs, Reg Baker had already been escorted to an interview room.
‘Thank you for coming in, Mr Baker. I’m DI Nikki Galena, and this is DS Joseph Easter.’
‘What’s this all about?’
‘Sir, we think you may be able to assist us with some information that could help apprehend a murderer.’ She spoke slowly and clearly, although in her heart she just wanted to drag the name out of him and send him on his way.
‘We understand you were employed by the late Richard Applegarth, some ten years ago,’ Joseph said.
‘Late?’
‘He died today, sir.’
‘Did he?’ Baker looked confused. ‘And what’s this about a murderer?’
Nikki leaned forward. ‘We want you to cast your mind back to the fire in the summerhouse.’
Baker’s expression darkened. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘You and a man named Glass drove some of the teenagers home afterwards. Is that correct?’
Baker stared at the table. He seemed to be struggling in the horns of a dilemma.
‘Did you drive anyone home, Mr Baker?’ Joseph kept his tone reasonable, but there was an edge to it. ‘This is very important.’
Baker raised his head. ‘You say he’s dead? Applegarth is dead?’
‘Yes, sir, irrefutably dead.’ Nikki spoke through gritted teeth.
‘When we were asked to leave, we were told never to talk about the fire. Or anything connected to it.’ Baker looked thoroughly miserable. ‘He paid for our silence. But if he’s dead, does that apply?’
‘All bets are off, sir. You are free to talk. In fact, you have to talk. A woman’s life may depend on it.’ Nikki fixed him with a stare. ‘Who did you take home and where did you take them?’
‘I remember that night like it was yesterday. I took a lad to his mum and dad’s place, in Rain Bridge Lane. I remember it clearly, because my sister lived down there for a while.’
Nikki wrote down the name Jez Bedford on a sheet of paper.
‘And then I took a lass with lovely long auburn-ginger hair somewhere, let me think . . . oh yes, it was to her sister, they lived in London Road.’
Clary, wrote Nikki. ‘Did you take anyone else, and have you any idea who Mr Glass took?’
‘Ernie only took one kid home. A rather rough-looking lad, but it was quite a way out, on some farm I think. I don’t know where, I’m afraid.’
‘Ronnie,’ said Joseph. Nikki wrote this down. ‘So, with Michael taken to hospital, that leaves only one.’
Together they stared at Reg Baker, willing him to speak. ‘The last teenager? Where did you take her?’
‘Oh, that one was easy. She was the last one I dropped off before the trip back home. It was to a lovely old house in Ferry Street. I remember it perfectly. It was called the Black House.’
Nikki’s mouth dropped open. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Oh yes. She said it had been their family home for generations.’
‘Corinne? Or Olivia?’ Nikki whispered. Her head spun.
‘They called her Ollie, if that helps. The other kids, they called her Ollie.’
* * *
The sound of sirens tore the evening apart, and the streets were lit up by blue lights that flashed like lightning. Two cars sped towards the Black House. Nikki and Joseph, along with Yvonne were in one, and Cat, Ben and Dave followed closely behind them. Behind them were more marked police cars, pulled away from keeping the peace on the streets.
With a screech of brakes, Nikki pulled up in front of the Black House. She flung herself out of the car, and caught the smell of smoke in the air. ‘He’s already torched it! Get fire and rescue!’
‘Already done!’ said a voice. ‘They’re on their way!’
Nikki looked down a wide alleyway running along the side of the property, and saw that the back of the old house was on fire.
Despite the noise surrounding her, Nikki’s world was silent. Things moved in slow motion.
Some fifty yards away, silhouetted against the flames, Nikki saw a man hurrying away from the scene. He gave a quick glance back. Nikki was sure it was Lyndon Applegarth.
‘Cat! Ben! He’s there! Get him!’ Nikki shouted.
They sped off in pursuit, and Yvonne grabbed her arm. ‘Ma’am! The last time I was in that house there were oxygen cylinders! I think the girl, Olivia,
has severe asthma!’
‘Oh hell!’ Nikki had read enough about fire by now to know that oxygen wasn’t combustible, but it was an accelerant. If one of those containers were to rupture, the ensuing blast would be deadly.
They ran to the front of the property, just in time to see Niall grab a heavy enforcer from one of his colleagues and swing it at the front door. It took three strikes for the lock and hinges to shatter. Niall threw down the enforcer and with a glance at Joseph, plunged forward.
‘Niall! No! Think of Tamsin!’ Joseph grabbed his arm. ‘Think of my daughter, son, please! Don’t go in there.’
Joseph whispered something inaudible, and to Nikki’s utter horror, pushed Niall aside and ran into the house himself.
‘Joseph!’ Nikki screamed. ‘Joseph!’
For a moment she stood rooted to the spot. Then she moved toward the door.
‘Nikki! No! You can’t! He doesn’t want you following him.’ Niall took hold of her, and gripped her tightly. ‘He said to trust him. He knows what to do.’
‘Oh my God!’ she whispered. ‘My Joseph!’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Joseph moved quickly and carefully through the ground floor rooms. In the kitchen he grabbed a towel, soaked it under the cold tap and wrapped the wet material around his face. The big conservatory was ablaze, but he could see that it was empty, so he hurried on. He came upon an oxygen cylinder on a trolley close to a window in the hall. He thrust the window open and hauled the cylinder into the garden, as far as the heavy weight would allow. At least now it wouldn’t add to the blaze.
If the girl was ill, she was probably in a bedroom, but he had to check downstairs first. And where was the rest of the family? Giles, Corinne and Tom? And why hadn’t they dialled 999? He shook his head and hurried on, no time for questions now.
He made his way back into the hall as the smoke built up. Suddenly he wasn’t alone. John Carson stood on one side of him, with Yvonne on the other.
There was no point in telling them to get out. He had seen the determined look in their eyes, and there was no time to argue.
‘Upstairs!’ he shouted.
‘Keep as low down as possible!’ John called out. ‘Be aware of what is going on behind you too. Don’t get trapped, okay? The fire crews will be here in a minute, but let’s try to find the girl.’
The three of them fought their way upstairs, trying to keep together, but they were fighting a losing battle with the smoke and the growing heat.
One big bedroom was already a conflagration. Burning drapes writhed and fell like living things. Furniture crackled and burnt fiercely, and flames rolled over the ceiling.
John leapt forward and closed the door. He coughed, and choked out an instruction to close all doors if there was no one in the room.
Joseph’s eyes stung and his chest felt as if it was clamped in a vice. He pushed a door back and found a small shower room. ‘Grab this, Vonnie!’ He threw a soaked towel at her, then plunged another into water for John to wrap around his mouth and nose.
In the fourth bedroom, they found Olivia lying on the floor.
Vonnie dashed forward, ripped off her towel, and wrapped it round Olivia’s face.
Olivia’s hands and feet were tied, and her chest was heaving. She was struggling to breathe. Joseph knew there was no time to try to free her. He had to get her out, at once. ‘John! Try to clear me a way out of here! Vonnie, get downstairs and tell the others we have her, and we’re bringing her down. But we need help! They’ll need breathing apparatus. John? Where the fuck are those fire engines?’
He wasn’t sure he could do this, but he had to try.
Yvonne hurled herself out of the room. Joseph bent down, gathered up Olivia and put her over his shoulder. She wasn’t too heavy, but he had a staircase to descend. ‘I’ve got you,’ he whispered, and immediately broke into a fit of coughing.
He stepped out into the hallway, to be confronted by a wall of fire stretched across the landing.
John appeared from the flames, and threw a soaking wet curtain over them. ‘Run! It’s just a few steps, and you’ll be through it! The stairs are still passable. Run, Joseph!’
With dry, cracked lips, Joseph uttered a prayer and ran.
Somehow he got through, but knew that without the wet curtain protecting them, they would have suffered serious burns. Tiny fires were springing up everywhere, and now hungry tongues of flame were even licking the banister rails.
With legs shaking under Olivia’s weight, Joseph plunged forward, determined not to let this mad arsonist claim his final victim. He lurched forward down the stairs, and as he reached the last step, the firefighters stormed in. ‘John’s still in there!’ he choked.
And then he was outside, into the autumn night and merciful fresh air.
He thought the cheer was just the roar of the fire, then Olivia was snatched from him and rushed into the back of a waiting ambulance. He was pulled away from danger, and a blanket thrown around his shoulders. He slipped to the ground. Then a paramedic was giving him oxygen, and suddenly, bursting through the crowd of helpers and onlookers, was Nikki.
She dropped down on her knees beside him and clasped his hand. ‘Joseph? Oh, dear God! I thought . . . are you all right?’
He nodded and pulled the oxygen mask from his face. ‘Okay,’ he rasped. ‘I’m okay. Where’s Vonnie?’
‘She’s with another paramedic. She’s pretty shaken. Shock, I think.’
‘She was amazing.’
‘Put that back on. You need to get your oxygen levels back up.’ The paramedic placed the mask over his mouth and nose. ‘This is serious, you know. There’ll be time to chat later.’
Nikki looked almost hollow with worry.
‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured through the mask.
‘You will be, Easter, believe me! If you ever pull a stunt like that again . . .’ And Nikki began to cry.
‘And I love you too,’ he whispered, and sank back and closed his eyes, concentrating on trying to breathe.
Suddenly the questions came pouring in. He pulled off his mask. ‘John? Is John okay? And Lyndon? Did they catch him?’ He gripped Nikki’s hand tighter. ‘And Olivia! She has asthma, doesn’t she? Did she make it?’
‘Slow down! Cat and Ben caught Lyndon. Rugby-tackled him, apparently, and that was Cat, not Ben! He’s on his way to the custody suite.’
‘And John?’ Joseph asked.
‘I’ll go and find out, shall I?’
‘Please. If it hadn’t been for him, I’m sure we wouldn’t have made it across that burning landing.’
‘He’s a good man, and I’m glad he was there for you.’ She smiled at him. ‘Olivia is on her way to A&E. They have everything ready and waiting for her, okay? She’s in the best hands possible. Now I’ll go check on John.’
He watched Nikki talk to the fire crew with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He stared at the burning building. Would this fire be the one that finally claimed him?
He half-sat and looked around. Yvonne was sitting on a wall, a paramedic at her side, and Dave standing with his arm around her. She had been incredibly brave. Now the reality of what had happened was evidently hitting home.
He lifted an arm and waved to her. His arm felt like a ton weight.
She acknowledged him with a nod and a pained smile. We did it, she seemed to say. He gave her a thumbs up. Yeah, Vonnie we did it.
Nikki returned, and Joseph knew the tears in her eyes weren’t due to the smoke.
‘Tell me,’ he said.
‘He didn’t make it, Joseph.’
He hung his head. ‘If only he’d followed us out. He’d be alive now.’
‘He finished checking all the rooms, and reported to the fire crew, and then one of those cylinders blew in a room below. The floor collapsed beneath him.’
Nikki slid down and sat next to him on the pavement, and with their arms wrapped around each other, they wept for the firefighter.
CHAPTER THIRTY
>
Nikki saw Joseph and Yvonne off to hospital, and then with a heavy heart pulled her inspector’s hat firmly back on and returned to the station.
Now, she and Superintendent Cameron Walker were sitting side by side, looking across the table to Lyndon Applegarth.
No one spoke.
Then Nikki switched on the tape and got the formalities out of the way. It was hard to imagine that the man in front of her had deliberately and brutally murdered four of his contemporaries, and attempted to kill a fifth. Lyndon gave the appearance of being a gentleman, handsome in a boyish way, softly spoken and polite. He waved to old ladies because he’d been brought up to be nice to people. What had happened?
‘Lyndon, you have admitted to killing four people and attempting to kill Olivia Black. Can you tell us why?’ asked Cameron.
Lyndon looked straight at them and said, ‘Of course. They killed my sister.’
Nikki’s stomach jolted. They were finally going to learn the truth. ‘How did they do that, Lyndon?’
‘They were in the summerhouse on Mischief Night. They were drinking and taking drugs. I don’t know what started the fire, but it was an old building. I saw it from my bedroom window, but by the time I got there, it was ablaze.’ Lyndon closed his eyes for a moment. ‘And they’d already got out, all those drunken kids. They saved their own skins, Officers! And one, Michael Porter, he even risked his life to go back inside to fetch out that stupid asthmatic kid, Olivia! And they all, every one of them, left my sister, my lovely Natalie, to die!’ Now there were tears coursing down his face. ‘They got out and did nothing to save her! They deserved to die as she did, terrified, fighting for breath, and in pain.’
Nikki stared at him. ‘What happened to Natalie, Lyndon? There was no trace of her after the fire, was there?’
‘I found her.’ He wiped his nose on the back of his hand, and Nikki found herself handing him a tissue.
‘Thank you,’ he said, almost shyly. He blew his nose and went on. ‘I knew her favourite place was the snug, a little room at the end of the summerhouse. It had a narrow French window leading out to the side of the old place. I got in and found her there, lying on the couch, dead. The fire was licking all around her, but it hadn’t taken hold. It was the smoke that had killed her.’