Unholy Murder

by Lynda La Plante

  ‘I don’t know who murdered her, but I pray you will find the answers you seek.’

  *

  Returning to Orpington, Jane went straight to Stanley.

  ‘How’d it go with the priest?’ he asked.

  ‘Meade was with him during the time frame Becky went missing. Bottom line is, we were wrong about Meade being involved in Becky’s disappearance. If she was following up on a lead, it was with someone else.’

  ‘Was there anything in her notebook that might help us?’ Stanley asked.

  ‘I haven’t had a chance to go through it yet. I’d just started when I got the fax through from BT. I’ll go and do it now.’

  Jane opened the notebook and decided it was best to work backwards from the last shorthand entry Becky had made.

  Thomas Durham – developer – bought convent – was land and chapel deconsecrated? – did Durham bribe Meade to say it was to council planners? – did dead nun know? – tunnel under chapel – coffin found near it – maybe used to move coffin unnoticed?

  After transcribing the last entry, Jane checked the rest of the notebook for anything that might help trace Becky’s last movements. But there was nothing beyond the mention of Thomas Durham and the tunnel. Jane looked over to Boon who was sitting opposite typing a report.

  ‘Did you tell Becky Rogers about the tunnel at the convent?’

  ‘Not . . . that I recall,’ he replied hesitantly.

  ‘Read this and explain to me how you think she knew about it,’ Jane said, handing him the transcript.

  He licked his lips as he read it, then handed it back to Jane.

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said, unable to look her in the eye.

  ‘Please, Boony, don’t dig a big hole for yourself by lying to me,’ she said.

  Boon sighed. ‘We were talking about Meade being a suspect. I let slip there was a tunnel, and the coffin was found near it. She asked if I’d checked out the tunnel, and I said no.’

  ‘What about her interest in Thomas Durham? Did you tell her about him?’

  Boon looked offended. ‘No. Becky said she’d made her own inquiries about the history of the convent, the fire and the sale to Thomas Durham.’

  ‘Did she say where?’

  ‘No, but it was probably at the Bromley planning department. Becky reckoned something dodgy might have gone on between Meade and Durham over the sale of the convent. She thought Sister Melissa might have been killed because she found out about it. I told her Durham bought the land after the nuns had left, so it would be stupid of him to bury the coffin on land he was going to build on.’

  ‘Did she agree with you?’

  ‘Sort of. But she still thought it was a possibility worth exploring. I told her to leave the detective work to us or she could find herself in trouble. Becky was right about Meade, though, and now he’s probably silenced her as well.’

  ‘Meade had nothing to do with Becky’s disappearance,’ Jane said firmly. ‘We have a credible witness who spent yesterday afternoon and evening with him. I need to speak with Stanley about this,’ she said, holding up Becky’s notebook.

  ‘Are you going to tell him what I told Becky?’ Boon asked, looking worried.

  Jane felt Boon was already suffering enough emotional stress over Becky. ‘Not if I can help it,’ she said.

  ‘Thanks, sarge. Sorry I messed up.’

  ‘Don’t worry. We all make mistakes. The important thing is that we learn from them,’ she said.

  *

  Having read the transcript, Stanley handed it back to Jane.

  ‘How did Becky know about the tunnel and Thomas Durham being the developer?’ he asked.

  ‘It looks like she did some investigating of her own at the council planning department,’ Jane said. ‘She probably looked at the same documents and maps as we did.’

  ‘Her notes don’t really help us much,’ Stanley remarked.

  ‘I’m not so sure. I’m wondering if there’s something in her idea that Thomas Durham committed bribery to get the chapel and land deconsecrated.’

  ‘Well, it can’t have connected to Meade as he had nothing to do with it,’ Stanley said.

  ‘I know, but Archbishop Malone did.’

  Stanley looked bemused. ‘You seriously think he’s involved in Becky’s disappearance?’

  ‘Thomas Durham and Lee Holland lied to me from day one. I didn’t know why, but having read Becky’s notes, I think she may have inadvertently given us the answer.’

  Stanley leaned forward. ‘Why is this the first time you’ve mentioned speaking to Thomas Durham?’

  ‘I thought I had . . .’ she started to reply.

  ‘You only ever mentioned you’d spoken to Nick Durham. As I recall, you said he was very helpful, just upset at the site being closed.’

  Jane realised she had unintentionally put herself in a difficult situation and wondered how best to tell Stanley about Thomas Durham and Lee Holland.

  Stanley folded his arms. ‘I’m waiting for an answer, Jane.’

  She recalled her words of advice to Boon.

  ‘I was about to raise it at the meeting with Barnes when PC Rogers walked in. I should have said something earlier, but I had no evidence to support my suspicions.’

  ‘I want to hear everything, chapter and verse. And don’t try and wheedle your way out!’ Stanley said angrily.

  Jane told him about the first time she and Boon met Thomas Durham and Lee Holland, their strange behaviour, their lies about knowing each other and the argument she believed they had the morning she and Boon went to the site to arrest Barry May.

  ‘If Nick Durham and Barry May told you Thomas Durham and Lee Holland were long-standing friends, it must have been blatantly obvious they were hiding something from you. Why didn’t you interview them?’ Stanley demanded.

  ‘At first I thought they were concerned about the discovery of the coffin. I even wondered if they were involved in moving it.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you bloody well say something?’

  ‘It seemed absurd to me that they would bury a coffin on land they intended to develop. And even if they had, surely they would have moved it before the digging work began,’ Jane said defensively.

  ‘Which also suggests Becky Rogers might have been right, and she’s not even a bloody detective!’

  ‘I was also made aware that Thomas Durham suffers from a heart condition and wasn’t supposed to get involved in any of the new development work. I thought he and Holland might be acting strangely because they didn’t want Nick Durham to know his father was distressed about the discovery of the coffin.’

  ‘What fucking planet are you on, Jane? If Durham was upset about the coffin, he must have been apoplectic when he read Becky’s article in the News Shopper.’

  ‘When I met Thomas Durham, he didn’t seem that perturbed about it. He accepted we had a job to do, and the site would have to remain closed.’

  ‘Be honest, he didn’t have much choice, did he!’

  ‘I know, but . . .’

  Stanley raised his hand. ‘Hang on a minute . . . when did you meet Thomas Durham?’

  ‘I went to his house at the weekend. He lives in the convent chapel.’

  ‘Were you there on official business or pleasure?’

  ‘A bit of both, I suppose,’ she said uncomfortably. ‘Nick Durham showed me round the old chapel and crypt. Thomas came in while I was there. He said there were no coffins in the crypt when he moved in. I didn’t have any reason to doubt him after confirming the chapel and land had been deconsecrated.’

  Stanley looked squarely at Jane. ‘What is it with you and Nick Durham?’

  Jane looked him in the eye. ‘I’m seeing him . . . we’ve been out to dinner. It’s nothing serious yet, but—’

  ‘Jesus Christ, this just gets better and better. And there was me thinking it was the priest who was shagging you!’

  ‘That’s uncalled for!’ she snapped back.

  ‘If Barnes was
still here, you would be out the door with his boot up your backside.’

  ‘Why? I haven’t revealed anything about our investigation to Nick or Thomas Durham,’ Jane argued.

  ‘You can’t see the wood for the trees, can you? You seem to forget Becky Rogers is obsessed with Melissa Bailey’s murder. She told her colleagues she was going out to follow up on a lead and has vanished off the face of the Earth. Her notes clearly show an interest in Bishop Meade and Thomas Durham. We know Meade refused to speak to Becky, so where in that detective’s head of yours do you think she might have gone?’ Stanley asked scornfully.

  Jane closed her eyes and sighed as the realisation hit her. ‘To speak to Thomas Durham.’

  ‘Exactly! The Durhams stand to lose everything because of Becky’s article. No one in their right mind would want to buy a property where they thought murdered children might be buried. How would you feel if a young journalist who just lost you millions of pounds turned up on your doorstep asking questions?’

  ‘I’d be upset, but it doesn’t mean I’d kill them,’ Jane replied.

  ‘We both know it doesn’t take a lot to send people over the edge and lash out. One punch, one stab and a life can be over.’

  Jane knew she’d messed up and it was pointless arguing. ‘Are you going to interview Thomas Durham?’

  ‘You’ve met him on three occasions and been to his house. You’re best placed to search his premises, arrest and interview him . . . with Boon.’

  Jane was stunned. ‘I don’t think that would be appropriate under the circumstances.’

  ‘If you don’t like it, then go back to the Bromley office and deal with the simple everyday crimes.’

  ‘Do you not think there’s a conflict of interest if I arrest Durham?’

  ‘No. Not now you’ve told me what you know. Unless, of course, you think your boyfriend Nick might be involved in Becky’s disappearance?’ Stanley said.

  ‘As far as I’m aware he was in his office all afternoon, then he spent the night at mine. I didn’t get the impression he’d just murdered or kidnapped anyone,’ Jane retorted.

  ‘We need to confirm his exact movements for the afternoon Becky went missing,’ Stanley said. ‘So I’ll interview him. Due to your unfortunate relationship with Nick Durham we need to do things by the book when we search his father’s place. I want you to type up a search warrant for Thomas Durham’s house. Get it signed by the on-call magistrate, then come straight back here. While you’re doing that I’ll get as many uniformed officers as I can to help you search the grounds. I also want inquiries made at every flat to see if anyone else saw Becky or her car.’

  ‘Should I get DS Johnson involved as well? He could look for any traces of blood or hairs matching Becky’s.’

  Stanley nodded. ‘For what it’s worth, I hope we’re wrong – not just for Becky’s sake, but yours as well.’

  There was a knock on the door and Boon entered holding some papers. He looked at Jane.

  ‘These were just faxed over from the diocesan archivist.’

  She looked through them. ‘There’s a document headed “Durham Building Company Ltd”, giving a quote for repair work to the chapel roof. There’s also an invoice for the work done, both signed by Thomas Durham and dated a year before Melissa went missing. There are other quotes and invoices from the same company for repair work over a two-year period . . . again before Melissa went missing. There’s also a report on the fire damage and an estimated cost of repair to the buildings.’

  ‘Jesus Christ! If he did all this work on the convent back then and kept quiet about it, he’s also a potential suspect for Melissa’s murder!’ Stanley exclaimed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  The magistrate asked a few questions about the investigation, signed the warrant and Jane returned to the incident room shortly after the six o’clock news broadcast about Becky Rogers’ disappearance.

  Once again the detectives were busy on the phones, gathering information from members of the public who had called in. Jane noticed Lloyd Johnson putting up some photographs of the foxglove seeds and silver birch slivers on the wall.

  ‘How’s it going?’ she asked him.

  ‘I was at the convent earlier with the fire investigator,’ he said. ‘You were right about it being arson. It’s bloody amazing what they can tell from burnt-out buildings, even years later. He could tell from the burn damage where it started and how it tracked from one building to the next.’

  ‘So where and how did it start?’ Jane asked.

  ‘In the bakery. The fire investigator examined a rusty old paraffin heater which was still in there. The screwcap on the oil container was missing and there were three separate seats of fire in the bakery. He reckons whoever committed the arson poured the oil out in three locations then set light to each one individually.’

  ‘Thanks, Lloyd. It’s good to know I got something right.’

  ‘You seem a bit down . . . something up?’

  ‘Stanley’s pissed off with me.’

  ‘What have you done now?’ Lloyd asked.

  Jane sighed. ‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.’

  *

  Jane knocked on Stanley’s door and went in.

  ‘Any sightings of Becky?’ she asked apprehensively and showed him the search warrant.

  Stanley nodded. ‘It looks like she went to the convent on Tuesday afternoon. An elderly couple who live in one of the flats phoned in. They were on their way out at a quarter past two when they saw a young woman getting out of a red Citroën 2CV near the main entrance. The description matches Becky and the clothing fits with what her colleagues say she wore to work on Tuesday.’

  ‘Did they see her again?’

  ‘No, but her car was still there when they returned home at six o’clock. They said it wasn’t there the following morning. This is not looking good. I’ve called in the Special Patrol Group and dog section to help with the search. I’m going to speak with PC Rogers, let him know what’s happening. I understand that you’re in an awkward position. If you don’t want to be part of the search and arrest team then—’

  ‘No, I want to do it,’ she said firmly. ‘You were right. I should have interviewed Thomas Durham as soon as I suspected he was lying. If I had, then maybe right now Becky Rogers would be sitting in the comfort of her home writing her investigative journal.’

  ‘You can’t change what’s happened, Jane, but you can make a difference to how it ends.’

  ‘I’ll do my best,’ Jane said.

  ‘We’ve all made mistakes on this investigation,’ Stanley said, ‘me and Tony Barnes included. The reality is, it’s you and Boon who have uncovered the vital evidence. You should both be proud of that.’

  ‘Is Boon coming on the search?’

  Stanley nodded. ‘I spoke with him while you were out. I told him we think Becky went to Thomas Durham’s house and you were getting a search warrant. He was pretty cut up, but he’s still hoping we might find her alive and being held against her will.’

  ‘If we find her body there it might be too much for him,’ Jane said.

  ‘If Boony wants to go I’m not going to stand in his way. Finding out what’s happened to Becky might even be cathartic for him.’

  Stanley opened his briefcase and took out a clear plastic property bag. He removed a rag doll and handed it to Jane. The doll had button eyes, smiling red felt lips and yellow yarn hair. It was dressed in a pink floral dress, red apron and red shoes.

  ‘This was on Becky’s bed. Her flatmate said her mother made it for her fifth birthday. I took it in case we needed a scent for the police dogs during a search,’ he said with a grim look.

  Jane recalled the rag doll her parents had bought her when she was a toddler. She felt close to tears thinking of Becky hugging the doll and talking to it when she felt downhearted. Jane held the doll close to her chest and whispered, ‘I’m sorry, Becky.’

  *

  By seven there were thirty uniform
ed officers, two dog handlers, twelve detectives and a van full of search equipment on their way to the old convent in a convoy of vehicles, with Jane and Boon in the lead. Prior to leaving the station, Stanley and Jane briefed everyone regarding the exterior search parameters and inquiries to be made with all the residents. Stanley decided that if Becky’s body was discovered in the old chapel, the search of the woods, land and lake could stop, and be continued in daylight if necessary.

  Arriving at the convent, Jane was relieved that neither of Nick’s cars was there. She sent two officers round to the rear of the chapel, even though she doubted Thomas Durham would try and escape out of the back. Boon pressed the intercom for Flat 10, the residence of the couple who had seen the red Citroën 2CV and a young woman matching Becky’s description.

  The woman pressed the door release to let them in. Jane, Boon, Stanley, two detectives and a dog handler went into the chapel. Jane knocked on Thomas Durham’s door while the others stood to the side.

  ‘Hello, Jane. Come in. Is Nick with you?’ Durham asked when he saw her.

  ‘This is not a social visit, Mr Durham,’ Jane said.

  He noticed the other officers. ‘I can see that. What on earth is going on?’

  ‘We are investigating the disappearance of Becky Rogers,’ she said.

  ‘Who is Becky Rogers?’ Durham asked.

  ‘If you’d like to let us in, I’ll explain further,’ Jane said.

  Durham frowned. ‘No. You can speak on my doorstep.’

  ‘I have a warrant to search your property. If needs be, I can force entry,’ Jane said firmly.

  He opened the door, and they all went through to the living room. Boon switched the TV off and Durham picked up a cup of coffee from the table.

  ‘So, what’s this all about?’ he asked, taking a sip.

  Jane handed Durham a copy of the warrant. ‘Becky Rogers is a reporter for the Bromley News Shopper. She wrote the article about the discovery of the coffin and the murdered nun—’

  He interrupted gruffly. ‘I read the article, but I never looked at who wrote it.’