The Two Towns (The Lakeland Murders)

by J. J. Salkeld

  ‘Well thanks, anyway. I appreciate you coming in.’

  ‘It’s what I signed up for, worse luck. But what’s the kid done? It’s not like you and Ian to press the panic button. Couldn’t it have waited until the morning?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. His brother’s missing. We think this Graham lad knows where he is, or at least why he ran.’

  ‘How old is the kid?’

  ‘Fourteen. Never been in any trouble, and never done anything like this before.’

  ‘Then I’m glad I came. I hope you get what you need from your suspect, Andy.’

  ‘Cheers, doc. That’s much appreciated.’

  Hall heard his name, and turned. Jane Francis was almost running down the corridor.

  ‘I hope you didn’t mind me texting you’ said Hall. ‘But I thought you’d want to be in on this.’

  ‘Too right. Is Ray coming in as well?’

  Hall smiled. ‘No. I didn’t contact Ray. He needs his beauty sleep.’

  ‘And I don’t?’

  ‘Sorry, that wasn’t what I meant.’ For the first time since they’d met Hall looked nonplussed, embarrassed even. ‘I don’t like it when senior officers are over-familiar. I hope I didn’t give offence.’

  ‘Christ, Andy. I was only kidding. So Ian is with our boy?’

  ‘Yes. The duty solicitor arrived about five minutes ago, and the doc has finished with Graham. Ian rugby tackled him, and that had to hurt.’

  ‘Let’s hope so. But Graham is OK?’

  ‘Fine. So why don’t you and Ian take the interview? I’ll watch from next door.’

  Jane smiled broadly, and Hall couldn’t help but smile back.

  Pete Graham still had traces of antiseptic cream on the grazes on his face, but he still looked a lot better than Mr. White, whose complexion now precisely matched his name. Jane was almost tempted to apologise for getting him up, but didn’t. She made the introductions, and started the tape.

  ‘I’d like to say something, before we start’ said White, and Mann nodded assent. ‘In light of the fact that my client may choose to bring a complaint against Cumbria Constabulary in relation to his arrest I have advised him to offer ‘no comment’ answers to any questions that you might put this evening.’

  Ian Mann didn’t look at all perturbed, or even surprised.

  ‘Fair enough. I only had one question really, and it’s this. Why do you think I was there, watching you tonight, Pete?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘No? Well, I wasn’t following your mate Kennedy, or those other two lads who were with you earlier on last night. Oh, aye, I’d been watching you all evening, like. You were the absolute focus of my attention though. I only had eyes for you, as they say. And the same goes for my colleague, DC Francis here. Isn’t that right, Jane?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘Bollocks.’ White laid a hand on Graham’s arm, but he shook it off angrily. ‘Why would you lot be so interested in me? I’ve done nowt.’

  ‘You’re too modest, Pete. You’re obviously going up in the world. Anyone can see that. Sharing a car with Brian Kennedy for a whole night. That’s evidence in itself, is that. What were you talking about, eh?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘That’s fine. To tell you the truth I don’t give a shit about Kennedy, what he says or what he does. We’ll leave him to the drugs lads. You see it’s true, Pete, it’s you we’re interested in. You, and only you.’

  ‘This is all very entertaining…’ said White, but Mann held up his hand.

  ‘Let’s get to the point then, shall we? The reason that we’re so interested in you has absolutely sod all to do with your sordid drug deals, or even that girl you tried to rough up. But, while we’re on the subject, you better hope that she never comes to any harm in the future. Because if she does, guess whose door I’ll be knocking on? But no, it’s your brother we’re interested in now. That’s who we’re worried about, and it’s why we’re all sitting here in the middle of the bloody night. So all you have to do is tell us what you know about where he is, and why he ran. That’s all we really want to know.’

  ‘Who says that he wasn’t taken? Kidnapped, like?’

  ‘Well was he?’

  Graham shrugged.

  ‘Look, Pete, we know exactly what happened. You wanted your brother to get involved in your bit of business with Brian Kennedy. A bit of pushing at school, whatever. But your brother wasn’t having any, was he? And then you came on too strong, and he thought that all he could do was run. That’s what’s happened here, isn’t it?’

  ‘No comment. No com-ment.’

  ‘Sergeant Mann…’ White began slowly, but stopped at a look from Mann.

  ‘Look, Pete, here’s how it is. You help us now, help us find your brother, and you walk out of here in ten minutes. No further action. How does that sound?’

  Graham thought for a moment.

  ‘What if I don’t know owt that would help you find Johnny?’

  ‘The offer stands. Tell us all you know, answer our questions honestly, and you’ll be away. Christ, I’ll even have you taken home in a nice warm police car. How’s that?’

  ‘What about something to eat on the way home? I’m starving.’

  ‘Sure. If somewhere’s open. I’ll even treat you.’ Mann pulled his wallet from his back pocket, and put a ten pound note down on his pad. ‘Now, about Johnny. Did he run? That’s all we need to know.’

  ‘Aye. But not because of what you said, like. Not exactly.’

  ‘All right. But you asked him to do something that he didn’t want to do?’

  ‘I was just a messenger, that’s all.’

  ‘OK, and when did he leave home? Was it Wednesday night or Thursday morning?’

  ‘Dunno. Ask my mum.’

  ‘We have, Pete, and she can’t help. Or she won’t, we don’t know which. She told one of my colleagues that she was totally out of it on Wednesday night, by about ten she thinks.’

  ‘Aye, that sounds about right.’

  ‘All right. So when do you think he left?’

  ‘Probably in the morning. Thursday, like. When we spoke on the phone at about eleven he was still at home.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Aye, I think so. Aye, I’m sure.’

  ‘Good, that’s useful. So here’s where you can really help us, and your brother. Where might he have gone?’

  ‘Dunno.’

  ‘How about friends?’

  ‘No. I tried those.’

  Mann nodded, but didn’t comment.

  ‘All right then, is there anyone else? Relations? Out of the area, perhaps?’

  ‘No. Mum doesn’t get on with any of them. Says they’re all stuck up twats, like.’

  ‘How about your dad?’

  ‘Mine, or Johnny’s? Either way he won’t be there. His dad fucked off years ago.’

  ‘And how about yours?’

  ‘Dead. An overdose when I was three.’ Jane thought he said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  ‘So you can’t help us?’

  ‘Honestly, mate, I can’t.’

  ‘And you haven’t heard from Johnny?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘How about your mum? Has he contacted her?’

  ‘No. He wouldn’t do that.’

  Mann was about to ask why, and then he realised that he already knew the answer.

  ‘Christ. Your mum is involved in whatever you wanted Johnny to do. That’s right, isn’t it?’

  Graham hesitated. ‘Like I said, Johnny wouldn’t get in touch with our mum. But that’s all I’m saying. Listen, can I get that lift home now?’

  ‘Aye, you can. But if you think of anything that might help us find your brother you tell us, or tell Mr. White and he’ll pass it on to us. So you don’t need to worry about incriminating yourself, OK? You can make sure that doesn’t happen, can’t you, Mr. White?’

  ‘Yes’ said White gloomily, ‘I expect I can.’

  Th
e three officers stood in the CID kitchen, cradling their cups of tea. There was no-one else around, so they didn’t bother going to Hall’s office.

  ‘Let’s all get off home, and get a bit of kip’ said Hall. ‘But before we do let’s divvy up the tasks. Ian, you and Ray get round to the school as soon as the staff are in, and get the name and address of every kid that Johnny is even remotely friendly with. Then I want each and every door knocked on, and if necessary track the parents down at work. I’ll make sure you get all the uniformed support you need. But we need to know if any of his mates have seen him, or if Johnny talked about anywhere that he likes to retreat to. Christ knows he must need somewhere, with a family like that. And Jane, you and me will go through his computer, his phone and anything that was recovered from his room. Before we go home I’ll call HQ and get the computer and phone shipped back down to us here. The bloody tech team have been sod all use anyway. Right, is there anything I’ve missed?’

  Jane and Mann both shook their heads, and the three officers stood in silence, except for the occasional sound of Ian Mann’s slurping. But they were all thinking the same thing. What were a fourteen year old’s chances, if he was sleeping rough somewhere? The nights were getting cold and long, and the days were short, wet and windy. Hall rinsed out his mug sleepily, and was about to go.

  ‘One thing’ said Jane. ‘Should we make a public appeal? Talk directly to Johnny. Tell him that there’s nothing to worry about. And ask anyone who’s seen him to get in touch?’

  ‘You’re right, Jane. I thought about sending the press office an email tonight, but nothing would happen until tomorrow anyway. So let’s see what progress we make in the morning. But if we haven’t got a solid fix on the kid by lunchtime then yes, let’s do it.’

  Jane was back in the office soon after half-six, and Ian Mann was already there. Or rather he had never gone home.

  ‘I just kipped on Andy’s meeting table’ he said. ‘I like a firm mattress, me.’

  Jane smiled. ‘How about a coffee?’

  ‘Aye, thanks. But none of that decaff shit, please.’

  ‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’

  Jane switched her work phone on while she waited for the kettle to boil. There was a message from the front desk, timed at 11.38pm the evening before, saying that Sarah Walker had called, but had left no message. She had only left a phone number, which would be texted to Jane. She checked, and there it was. On any other day Jane would have phoned back immediately, but she knew that Sarah would have to wait. But she’d call before the day was out, come what may. But not now. Certainly not now.

  Mann said that Hall wouldn’t mind her working in his office, and she was concentrating so hard that she didn’t hear him come in, about quarter of an hour later. Ray Dixon had also arrived, to Ian Mann’s considerable and inexplicable mirth, and the two of them had already left.

  ‘How can I help?’ said Hall, taking off his jacket and sitting down next to her.

  ‘Shouldn’t I be asking you that?’

  ‘This is a team game, and you’re the one at the keyboard.’

  ‘Well, I’m not getting anywhere. I can’t see anything that helps. I’ve been through his whole search history for the last week, and I can’t see anything that would help us find him. Do you think I should go back further?’

  ‘No. And we’re confident there’s nothing of interest in his phone records, texts and emails?’

  ‘I’m afraid so. I’d remember, because I’ve been through the lot.’

  ‘Don’t be afraid. That’s good, and you’ve definitely made progress.’

  ‘How so?’

  ‘You’ve moved the job on, and that’s always valuable. Every line of enquiry that we close, because it’s been exhausted, frees us up to develop a new one. And there are always fresh lines of enquiry to explore, believe me. It just needs a bit of empathy and imagination. And there’s something else as well. Something that will help us. Let’s assume that you’re right, and he didn’t do any searches when he was choosing where to go, and deciding how to get there. What would that tell us?’

  ‘That he already knew? So he already knew where he was going. He didn’t need to search.’

  ‘Exactly. And if he also didn’t need any outside help, what does that tell us?’

  Jane thought about it.

  ‘Where he was going isn’t far away from Kendal.’ Hall nodded encouragingly. ‘And he was either alone or he knew who he’d be staying with. And that he didn’t need to contact them first either.’

  ‘Yes, exactly, and if it’s the latter then Ian and Ray will find him soon enough. But we need to work on the basis that they won’t. So let’s think laterally. Has he been anywhere locally recently, with mates, with school, whatever? Somewhere that might have stuck in his mind, or appealed to him for some reason. My guess is that he made a snap decision about where to run to, so what’s the very first idea that would have popped into his head?’

  ‘I don’t know. Let me look at his calendar again.’

  ‘You do that, and I’ll make us both a brew.’

  When Hall returned he didn’t look over Jane’s shoulder, or ask how she was doing, but simply sat at his desk and started to deal with his emails. There was no point in interrupting, and he had nothing useful to add. So they both worked on, in silence, until their tea cups were as cold as the tables they stood on. He was just about to crack and ask Jane how she was doing when she spoke.

  ‘Andy, look at this.’

  He got up quickly, sat down next to her and looked at the screen.

  ‘What is this? Geography homework?’

  ‘Yes, pretty much. It’s his write up of a visit the class made at the start of the term, to a damson farm in the Lyth valley. Is that nearby?’

  ‘Yes, it’s down towards Grange. Really lovely, in spring especially. So you’re thinking he might be there? It’s a bit rural, to tell the truth. What would he do for food?’

  ‘That’s just it. Look at his pictures. He took this one of a roadside stall, selling damsons and all sorts of stuff. There’s just an honesty box for people to pay for what they take. Maybe he thinks he could live off that. His essay suggests that he loved the place. He writes like a real inner-city kid, Andy. It’s as if he’s never been to places like that before.’

  ‘He probably hasn’t. And I see what you mean. The enthusiasm comes through, doesn’t it? He’s a bright lad, we know that, but I don’t think he’s faking it, just writing what he thinks his teacher wants to read. All right, Jane, I’ll buy it. Let’s get out there and take a look. I’ll call and put the dog unit on stand-by as soon as they come on duty. We recovered some of the lad’s clothing, I assume?’

  ‘Yes. I’ve got it in an evidence bag by my desk.’

  ‘Good. Just leave it on top of your desk, will you? The dogs may be able to find almost anything but old Jack, the bloke who runs the team, couldn’t locate his arse with both hands.’

  ‘Are you going to get Ian and Ray involved?’

  ‘No, not at this stage. Let’s you and me go and find this farm, have a look around, chat to the locals. We can call the dog team straight in if we find anything. But I don’t want Ian and Ray distracted. Realistically they’re still the ones with the highest chance of finding the kid. Your idea is appealing, of course it is, but the reality of policing is that following the normal procedures is what usually brings results. Perspiration, not inspiration, usually wins the day.’

  Hall drove them in his old BMW. Jane noticed that it was making an odd noise, but she didn’t like to say anything. Hall asked her how she was settling in.

  ‘Fine, thanks, Andy. People have been so friendly.’

  ‘Really? I mean good. That’s good. How well do you know the area?’

  ‘Not well at all. We came here a few times when I was a kid. Me and my mum. But we only went to the tourist places, you know. But I like walking, and I’ve got an old uni friend living in Kendal now, so I’m hoping to get out with her a bit. She’s go
t young kids, but everyone needs a bit of down-time, don’t they?’

  ‘You’ll have loads of fun, I promise you. And don’t think you won’t be able to find peace and quiet, because you will. There are lots of amazing places around here where the tourists never go. It’s amazing really. And then there are all the events that the locals keep to themselves too. Fascinating, some of them. They just sort of live pretty much as they always have, while the tourists wash over the place like a tide, leaving their cash behind as jetsam. Me, I blame Wordsworth for making the place so popular.’

  ‘And Coleridge, surely?’

  ‘We’ll let him off, shall we? The man had a pretty serious laudanum habit, after all. We can’t really hold him accountable for the invasion of the gagoule brigade.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have had you down as a liberal on drugs policy.’

  Hall smiled. ‘In comparison with some of my colleagues I am, certainly. Although it has to be said that over the past few years more senior officers seem to be coming round to my way of thinking. No-one takes any notice of me of course, but I just don’t see addicts as criminals. They’re victims first, aren’t they?’

  ‘They commit some pretty nasty crimes though, Andy. I’d say more than half of the offences at my old nick had an addiction component.’

  ‘True enough. Anyway, Coleridge was a walker too, you know. One of the first people ever to climb Skiddaw, just for the fun of it. Maybe even the first. I’ve been up a couple of times myself, and can’t say I enjoyed it all that much.’

  ‘Bad weather?’

  ‘Bad fitness. That’s what comes of sitting behind a desk all day, and then eating too many pies at night.’

  Jane’s mother had told her not to say anything if you couldn’t say something nice, and for once she actually took her mum’s advice. It was true, Hall could safely lose a stone or two.

  They turned right off the main road towards Grange, and Hall slowed down. The road was narrow, with plenty of humps, bumps and bends.