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

by Joy Ellis

  Cat was dressed as a 1940s swing singer. In a scarlet off-the-shoulder dress with a figure-hugging pencil slim skirt, high heels and scarlet lipstick she looked for all the world as if she was about to break into Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B .

  ‘And where’s the rest of the Andrews Sisters?’ asked Dave.

  ‘Who?’

  He laughed and shook his head. ‘You’re not old enough to know, but oh, Catkin, you so look the part.’

  ‘Talking of looking the part,’ Cat pointed, ‘have you seen the happy couple?’

  ‘Priceless,’ said Ella. ‘It’s on my smartphone. I’m never going to let him forget this.’

  Rory and David were both dressed in US Navy uniforms. David’s was navy blue and white, and Rory’s was the typical all white, tropical uniform.

  Cat giggled. ‘They give a whole new meaning to “hallo, sailor!” don’t they? High camp or what? I keep thinking I’ve wandered onto the set of South Pacific!’

  Ben — or was it Tommy — joined them in full British khaki battledress, complete with gas mask and dummy rifle. ‘Hell, this thing doesn’t half chafe the neck!’ he said, tugging at the collar.

  ‘Don’t whine. My grandad went through a whole war wearing that! You only have to wear it for a couple of hours.’ Cat smiled at him.

  ‘Is she here yet?’ Ben looked around.

  ‘No, but hang on! There’s the Sarge!’ Dave waved to Joseph.

  ‘That’s really cool, Sarge!’ Cat cooed. ‘Very nice!’

  Joseph saluted. He’d chosen to be an RAF fighter pilot, and was wearing a dress uniform with a peaked cap, wings, and highly polished shoes.

  ‘Now I know why the girls all loved the fly boys!’ said Ella admiringly.

  ‘Okay, Joseph,’ Dave passed him a drink, ‘where is she?’

  ‘I have absolutely no idea.’

  They all looked at him. ‘What?’ Dave puffed out his cheeks. ‘She is coming, isn’t she?’

  Joseph frowned. ‘She took off immediately after the ceremony, and I haven’t heard a word from her. I had to come on my own.’ He looked around. ‘Eve’s over there. I’ll go and see if she has any idea.’

  ‘I’ll come with you.’ Dave followed Joseph across the dance floor. He still couldn’t see Nikki letting Rory down, but she’d been very much against the idea of dressing up. Sometimes you just couldn’t tell with the boss. If something really went against the grain, there was no turning her.

  Eve smiled and waved. ‘Gentlemen! My goodness, don’t you look good!’

  ‘And you too, Eve. Love the outfit.’ Dave grinned. ‘I have pictures of my mother dressed exactly like that.’ Eve wore a simple 1940s dress and jacket with a matching hat, but the style was pure vintage, and it suited her. Eve was still a very handsome woman.

  ‘Have you seen Nikki, Eve? I’m really starting to worry,’ Joseph blurted out.

  Eve raised an eyebrow. ‘I haven’t seen her, no. But,’ she reached out and squeezed Joseph’s arm, ‘don’t be mad at her. You know yourself that this is really not her kind of thing.’

  Before Joseph could answer, the Master of Ceremonies could be heard, loudly welcoming everyone to the East Enderby airfield.

  ‘As I’m sure you know, later this afternoon our beautiful Lancaster bomber will do a taxi run down the runway, so you can feel for yourselves the power of those amazing planes that defended the realm so valiantly. And Rory and David have kindly arranged that those of you who wish can ride with us.’ He paused. ‘But no fighting for the seat in the cockpit, now, or for who gets to be rear gunner!’

  There was a ripple of laughter. Dave felt sad that the boss was missing this, especially as her father had been a decorated RAF pilot.

  ‘Now, if you would like to just step outside for a moment, you can see another reason why we won the war.’

  Eve looked at Joseph and offered her arm. ‘Escort me, please, Captain?’

  ‘My pleasure, ma’am.’

  They all filed out of the building and stood outside.

  In less than a minute, they heard a loud rumbling noise. It increased in volume, and then a two-seater Spitfire could be seen approaching the airfield at speed. The guests watched as it climbed, dived, then levelled out and flew low over their heads.

  Everyone gasped, and then cheered as it banked away again.

  After a few more hair-raising acrobatics, the plane slowed and landed, taxiing to a halt close to where they all waited.

  Dave cheered and clapped madly along with the rest of them, as the pilot and co-pilot pushed back their cockpit covers and climbed out. It was a sight he’d seen a hundred times in newsreels and old films. The two fighter pilots descended to the runway, then, in full flight gear, walked side by side back towards their base. Home safe! Mission accomplished.

  He swallowed hard. It was a strangely emotional sight, and, with all his colleagues around him dressed as they would have been when those planes came back for real, it brought a lump to his throat.

  Then, just twenty metres away, the flyers pulled off their leather flying helmets. He immediately recognised the pilot as Wendy Avery. He glanced toward the co-pilot — and saw the boss grinning at him!

  The whole party erupted into laughter and cheers as Nikki stripped off her parachute belts and shook her head disbelievingly. ‘Oh my! Did we just do that?’

  Rory and David rushed forward and hugged her.

  ‘Excuse me! Upstaged, or what!’ Rory’s eyes were wide. ‘It is our wedding, Nikki Galena!’

  ‘Sorry. I just thought if I really had to take part in this silly pantomime, I’d do it properly!’ She looked across to Wendy. ‘And all thanks to this amazing woman! Is there anything you can’t fly?’

  Wendy grinned. ‘Not much. But I’m pretty small fry compared to the woman I’ve come dressed as — Mary Ellis, of the air transport auxiliary.’

  ‘Thanks for getting me back in one piece, Wendy! But I’ve never been so scared — or exhilarated — in all my life! And all for you, Wilkinson! You bloody owe me one!’

  Joseph approached Nikki, saluted smartly, and escorted her inside.

  Dave followed them in. It was going to be a very good wedding reception, now that all of them were there.

  * * *

  After the meal, the 1940s swing band began to play. Even Nikki found herself tapping her foot.

  ‘Ladies and Gentlemen!’ the MC announced. ‘Can I invite David and Rory to take the floor for the first dance?’

  Nikki felt a stab of sadness. Here they were, her dearest friends all gathered to share this moment of happiness. It was something that could never happen for her, unless she was prepared to leave behind the job that she loved. She looked across to Joseph, and knew that he was thinking the same thing. Maybe this was a dilemma that would always haunt them. They were torn, and always would be.

  Soon the whole floor was alive with dancers, bopping, swinging and jiving.

  Nikki leaned toward Joseph. ‘I’m still bowled over by the present you gave me.’

  ‘I thought it should be yours, and the Devlins were happy to let me buy it.’

  Nikki had gone home a few days before to find a large, flat package covered in brown paper in her lounge. It was the painting by Clary Sage that had made such an impact on her.

  ‘I hoped it wouldn’t evoke memories of a bad case, but I got the feeling that you liked it on a far deeper level than that.’

  ‘I absolutely adore it, Joseph. She captured all the things I love about the Fens. And at least Olivia Black is doing well now. Her brothers took Yvonne the biggest bunch of flowers I have ever seen.’

  ‘I was relieved to hear that they had nothing to do with that vicious attack on Lee Brown. Dave followed it up after Mickey identified that strange hand sign in the CCTV. It was the signature of a Russian gang of drug dealers, wasn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, there was more to that little scrote Lee than we realised, and one hell of a warning to stay off their turf! It just coincided rather badly with
his run-in with the Luciferians.’ Nikki sipped her drink. ‘And Tom Black admits that a couple of their members did call on the Brown family, but only with the intention of paying them to back off. By then, the Russians had dealt with Lee anyway, so no more was done about it.’

  ‘And Olivia is recovering, that’s really good news.’ Joseph lightly touched an area on the side of his face that was still tender from the minor burns. ‘I’d hate to have gone through all that for nothing.’

  ‘Yvonne said Tom and Giles are more concerned about her mental state. It was the way Lyndon managed to find out about the house that scared her more than anything.’

  ‘Oh yeah, that was sneaky. He sucked up to Yvonne’s little mate, Billie Seager, for a bit of part-time work with his graffiti removal company. He vandalised the Black House, then helped Graffiti Bill to clean it up! He was there all day, used the toilet several times, had tea in the kitchen and everything.’

  ‘He admitted that he chose that night specifically, after glancing at the open appointments diary in the kitchen. He knew Giles and Corinne would be out, so only had Tom to lure away. Easy-peasy!’

  ‘Is this a private party? Or can we join you fellow RAF officers?’ Eve sat down, shortly to be followed by Wendy.

  ‘We have some news.’ Wendy sounded both excited and anxious.

  ‘This might be nothing, but then again it could be vital,’ Eve said.

  ‘Then get on with it, Mother!’

  The two women looked at each other, and then Wendy began. ‘We’ve started on our project at Monks Lantern. We’re not going to disturb anything in our graveyard after all, just do as Leon suggested, tidy it, clear it and plant it.’

  ‘Then add seats and pathways, and anyone can use it who wants some peace and quiet,’ added Eve.

  ‘And?’ Nikki knew there was more to this.

  ‘There is an overgrown patch that some of the gardening club are helping to clear. It has some very old memorials, and a couple of small vaults.’ Wendy lowered her voice. ‘One, we believe, has been vandalised. Not recently, but it has been tampered with at some point.’

  It took a moment for Nikki to understand what they were telling her. She looked at Joseph.

  He returned her look. ‘As Eve said, it could be nothing, just vandals, or . . .’

  ‘Or it could be the last piece in the Applegarth puzzle.’

  It fitted. Beech Lacey was where the family originally came from. Maybe they took their dead daughter home to rest. Nikki lifted her glass and took a long drink. ‘Mum? Wendy? Are you prepared for a little extra intervention in your “peaceful place?”’ It might include an exhumation.’

  ‘If it gives Leon an answer and allows him to move on with his life, it’s a small price to pay, don’t you think?’ said Wendy.

  Eve nodded vigorously. ‘I’ve always wanted to see an exhumation! How exciting!’

  ‘I wonder about you sometimes, Eve Anderson!’ Nikki shook her head.

  ‘You can talk!’ exclaimed Eve. ‘Who arrived at a wedding reception in a bloody Spitfire?’

  ‘Like mother, like daughter,’ muttered Joseph. He threw a helpless look at Wendy. ‘God help us!’

  THE END

  OTHER BOOKS BY JOY ELLIS

  THE BEST-SELLING NIKKI GALENA SERIES

  Book 1: CRIME ON THE FENS

  Book 2: SHADOW OVER THE FENS

  Book 3: HUNTED ON THE FENS

  Book 4: KILLER ON THE FENS

  Book 5: STALKER ON THE FENS

  Book 6: CAPTIVE ON THE FENS

  Book 7: BURIED ON THE FENS

  Book 8: THIEVES ON THE FENS

  Book 9: FIRE ON THE FENS

  JACKMAN & EVANS

  Book 1: THE MURDERER’S SON

  Book 2: THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS

  Book 3: THE FOURTH FRIEND

  Book 4: THE GUILTY ONES

  STANDALONES

  BEWARE THE PAST

  GUIDE STAR

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  The DI Nikki Galena books

  CRIME ON THE FENS

  https://www.amazon.co.uk/CRIME-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01H98SG5G/

  https://www.amazon.com/CRIME-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01H98SG5G/

  A NEW CRIME THRILLER WITH A COMPELLING DETECTIVE WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO AVENGE HER DAUGHTER

  DI Nikki Galena Book 2

  SHADOW OVER THE FENS

  https://www.amazon.co.uk/SHADOW-gripping-crime-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01HHA49SY/

  https://www.amazon.com/SHADOW-gripping-crime-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01HHA49SY/

  TWO BRUTAL KILLERS ARE LOOSE ON THE FENS BUT WHO CAN DI NIKKI GALENA TRUST?

  Detective Nikki Galena’s friend and neighbour meets a tragic end but there’s more to his death than meets the eye . . .

  And someone terrible from DS Joseph Easter’s past is back . . .

  NIKKI GALENA BOOK 3

  HUNTED ON THE FENS

  A vicious criminal is targeting DI Nikki Galena and her team. One by one he will hunt them down and destroy their lives, unless she can stop him first

  https://www.amazon.co.uk/HUNTED-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01IYIDWCM/

  https://www.amazon.com/HUNTED-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01IYIDWCM/

  JACKMAN & EVANS BOOK 1

  THE MURDERER’S SON

  https://www.amazon.co.uk/MURDERERS-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01LWY0PUJ/

  https://www.amazon.com/MURDERERS-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01LWY0PUJ/

  "What if your mother was a serial killer?"

  A BLOODY KILLER SEEMS TO HAVE RETURNED TO THE LINCOLNSHIRE FENS

  A gripping standalone crime thriller by the best-selling author of the Nikki Galena series.

  Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer.

  Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes.

  Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder.

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  Glossary of English Slang for US readers

  A & E: Accident and emergency department in a hospital

  AFO: Authorised Firearms Officer

  Aggro: Violent behaviour, aggression

  Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets

  Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)

  Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings

  A Level: exams taken between 16 and 18

  Auld Reekie: Edinburgh

  Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.

  Barm: bread roll

  Barney: argument

  Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids

  Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle

  Benefits: social security

  Bent: corrupt

  Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)

  Biscu
it: cookie

  Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town

  Bloke: guy

  Blow: cocaine

  Blower: telephone

  Blues and twos: emergency vehicles

  Bob: money

  Bobby: policeman

  Boggart: an evil spirit

  Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)

  Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead

  Bun: small cake

  Bunk: do a bunk means escape

  Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant

  Buy-to-let: Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit

  Charity Shop: thrift store

  Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket

  Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for

  Car park: parking lot

  CBeebies: kids TV

  Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments

  Chemist: pharmacy

  Chinwag: conversation

  Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food

  Chips: French fries but thicker

  CID: Criminal Investigation Department

  Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)

  Clock: punch

  Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake

  Cockney: a native of East London

  Common: an area of park land/ or lower class

  Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school

  Cop hold of: grab

  Copper: police officer

  Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit

  CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward

  Childminder: someone who looks after children for money