Matt sighed wearily. “We need to get this checked out by the police up there straight away. If it checks out, Bella will be pleased that the lad is safe, but I doubt she’ll be happy that he’s been taken so far away. If Bella does volunteer information about her past, what then, sir?”
“Nothing we can do about that. But she must be made aware of how dangerous it could be for her.”
* * *
Matt and Lily pulled up outside Bella’s house.
“We’ll tell her about the boy. Depending on her reaction, we’ll broach the subject of her past. I’m not going to push her, though. She is an intelligent woman. The boy might be with his father, but she will want him back, so we’re in with a chance. We’ll just have to go carefully. She is going to be upset about that woman’s death. Whatever she tells us has to be voluntary, on her own terms.”
“So she didn’t make Parker up, sir? He isn’t simply a name she’s pulled out of a hat? There are no maintenance payments, remember.”
Matt looked out of the windscreen, lost in thought. “We’ll see how she reacts. Gabe Parker may be a false name, but that doesn’t mean the boy isn’t with his father, or that his father doesn’t work on the rigs. It might explain why we can’t find him or the false phone number. If she told us the real name of Oliver’s father, it would give us a clue as to her real identity.”
Lily smiled. “This is turning into a cracking case. I’ve been in CID for exactly six months, and all the other cases I’ve worked on have been robberies. Work, but boring, if you get my drift. Up till I started working with you, I was beginning to think it wasn’t for me, that I wasn’t fitting in. Anything really meaty went elsewhere.”
Matt grinned back. “You thought the job wasn’t challenging enough for you? Well, this case has put paid to that. And don’t worry about not fitting in. I’m still finding my feet too, Lily.”
“Surely not, sir. You’re an old hand.”
“It’s not so much the job, it’s more my background. People make judgements. They decide things about me based on how and where I live.”
“You can hardly blame them, sir. It’s a huge house. You must be worth a bob or two.”
“I’m not. The house is a constant drain. Once we open it up and hopefully the money starts rolling in, then maybe we’ll see.”
“I think it’s lush. I’d love to live in a place like that. And to think you’ve given up the chance to run the estate full-time to come back here! Are you happy with that decision, sir?”
Coming out of the blue like that, the question threw Matt for a moment. “I think so. But I didn’t expect to get stuck in so deep, so fast. Things have changed since I last worked at the Huddersfield station. The team, for a start. There are new faces, new ideas. This is a complex case. We just have to hope we find all the pieces we need, and put them together correctly.”
She nodded. “Like a jigsaw puzzle. That’s how I feel, sir. This case has made me feel differently about the job. When I came here, I watched DI Carlisle’s team working on the ‘Mr Apology’ case and I wished I could have a piece of it.”
“If we get this right, Lily, there’s hope for both of us.”
* * *
When Bella opened the front door, all she said was, “Oliver?”
Matt nodded, smiling. “There have been developments, but before we can confirm they’re positive, we need your help.”
Her face lit up as if it had been switched on. “You’ve found him! What is it you need to know. When can I see him? Are you sure he’s okay?” Alison came and stood beside Bella.
“We’d like to talk to you alone, Bella.”
“I’ll leave you to it,” said Alison. “Got to nip out and do some shopping anyway. Glad he’s okay. Good luck.” She patted Bella on the shoulder and ran down the front steps.
“Don’t keep me in suspense. Where is he? I’ve been going crazy worrying about him.”
“My colleague, DI Carlisle, received a letter this morning allegedly from Oliver’s dad, Gabe Parker. It was him who took the boy. He wrote that since he had been denied access, he took matters into his own hands. The pair of them are staying in Stornoway.”
Bella’s face fell. All her elation vanished, and her eyes, cloudy with disappointment, moved from one detective to the other.
“I’d like you to look at the letter and tell me if you recognise the handwriting as Parker’s.”
Bella took the slip of paper from Brindle, glanced it then nodded.
“It’s okay. We know it’s a helluva distance, but the Stornoway police are on it. They will pick Oliver up and he will be brought home to where he belongs.”
“Is this some kind of joke?”
Her reaction puzzled Matt. “Absolutely not. Gabe Parker wrote in the letter that the two of you had been arguing about Oliver. So, as a last resort, he snatched the boy and ran. It was very wrong of him, he admitted, but at least we now know that your son is safe.”
But Bella still looked unhappy. “Safe? With Gabe? You do not know him like I do.”
“Why don’t you ring him? He’ll confirm what we’ve told you,” Lily suggested.
“I can’t.” Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
Matt looked at her. “Bella, is it possible that Gabe Parker isn’t the real name of Oliver’s father?”
The look she threw back was icy. “Of course, that’s his name. Do you think I’d lie about something so important?”
Matt was confused. Bella Richards should have been overjoyed. “We did try to contact him ourselves, but the number you gave us for Gabe Parker does not exist. Since he took Oliver, he must have changed his mobile, dumped the old one.”
“Yes . . . that’ll be it.” She spoke in a whisper, her face a picture of abject misery.
Matt didn’t understand. She now knew that Oliver was safe. In most cases of child abduction, the outcome was so very different.
“We’ll get him back. The Stornoway police will visit the address on the letter. Even if he isn’t there, they cannot leave the island. The local police and the ferry company have been alerted. It is only a matter of time before Oliver is returned to you.”
“He’s not a parcel!” she screamed. “If I thought for one moment he was actually there, I’d go myself.” She paused, and then sobbed, “But he isn’t.”
“How can you know that? We have no reason to disbelieve Gabe Parker. Otherwise why did he write to us at all?”
Bella Richards seemed to be struggling. Matt had the distinct impression that she was on the verge of saying something, but biting back the words.
She took a deep breath. “He’ll run. He’ll take Oliver and disappear before they get to him. Gabe is clever. He has plenty of contacts on the rigs. He’ll have it all worked out. The letter was reassurance, that’s all. You forget, I know him of old.”
“Then he will be pursued. We won’t give up.” Matt decided they wouldn’t get any further. “Primarily we came to tell you the good news, but I need to ask you something else. Who is this woman?” Matt showed Bella a photo of Agnes Harvey.
Bella took it from him and studied it for a few seconds. “I’ve no idea. Why? Is she important? Does she have anything to do with Oliver’s disappearance?”
She sounded matter of fact. But there was an odd look on her face, and she’d gone very pale. Matt had the feeling that Bella Richards was desperately trying to keep her emotions in check.
“As far as we know, she has nothing to do with Oliver’s disappearance. I’m asking because Agnes Harvey was murdered last night — like Alan Fisher.” Matt watched Bella Richards closely. She showed no discernible reaction to the news. “Are you sure you don’t know her?”
Bella shrugged. “Maybe she knew Alan, or his wife, Anna. Why don’t you go and ask her? I’ve no idea who this woman is.”
They were getting nowhere. “I’m asking you about her, Bella, because she had a photograph of your son Oliver on her sideboard. Have you any idea why that would be?”
�
�Look, DI Brindle. Gabe, Oliver’s father, has family. I don’t know them, I never did. Perhaps she’s related to him. Why don’t you go to Scotland, arrest him for what he’s done and ask? But I can’t help you with this.”
Matt looked at her. “We can find no record of you or Oliver prior to two years ago.”
She was quick to respond. “So you say. I’ve moved house. It’ll be some admin error, that’s all.”
“That makes Gabe Parker all the more intriguing. Given he is Oliver’s father, he does go back a lot further in your life.”
“So — what are you getting at?”
“People you know are dying, Ms Richards. Alan Fisher, and now Agnes Harvey. Perhaps that’s why Gabe decided to take Oliver. To keep both himself and the boy safe.”
“That’s utter nonsense. Alan was murdered by a serial killer. It had nothing to do with me or my past. And I don’t know this woman.” She thrust the photo at Matt and turned on her heel.
The two detectives followed her into the sitting room. “We know you have secrets, Ms Richards. We suspect that there is a lot about you and your life that you haven’t revealed to us. I think it would help us to know more about your background.”
She met his gaze. Her eyes were full of unspoken questions. “What do you think I am, some sort of spy?”
“No. I think you are in the witness protection programme.”
The silence in the room almost hummed. Bella’s expression didn’t change. She was good, Matt gave her that. He went on. “And I am becoming increasingly afraid that whoever you are hiding from has something to do with Alan Fisher’s death, and Oliver’s disappearance.”
Bella stared at him, impassive, and appeared to consider this. “Gabe has Oliver. Now that I think about it, I’m sure you are right. He will be safe with Gabe. But you’re wrong about my past.”
* * *
Bella watched the car pull away from the house. She watched it until it had turned out of the street and onto the main road. She was shaking. Her heart was breaking in two. As soon as the car finally disappeared, she flopped onto the sofa, clutched a cushion and wept.
Someone was playing a cruel game with her. Olly was not with Gabe Parker. How could he be? Gabe Parker did not exist. And now Agnes, her beloved aunt, was dead. How had that happened? Who knew enough about her and her life to find the very people she was closest to and destroy them? Whoever it was, they had left her with no one. No Alan, no Olly, and no Auntie Agnes to run to when things got hard.
Bella needed help, now more than ever. But not the sort of help DI Brindle could give her. Because of how things were, she could not even bury Agnes. The poor woman had no one else. There would be only neighbours and a few friends at her funeral. Bella would have to skulk around after dark when nobody was about, to leave flowers on her grave.
From the look on that detective’s face, he had guessed she was lying to them. But there was no way Bella could admit to having any connection with Agnes, or deny her fictional relationship with the non-existent Gabe Parker. She would pay with her life.
Chapter 16
Day 11
After another haunted, sleepless night, the first thing Bella did that morning was to find out what Alison had planned for the day. Bella needed time alone. She had a phone call to make and it was imperative that no one heard it.
“I’m checking in with my guv’nor this morning,” Alison confirmed. “I’ll be gone an hour tops. While I’m at the station, I’ll ask if there is any news. The police in Stornoway should have an update by now.”
Bella didn’t reply. She knew very well what that news would be. They wouldn’t have found Olly, and no one would recall seeing either of them anywhere. The minute Alison left, Bella went to her greenhouse and took out a rarely used mobile phone from its hiding place. She’d had it since the move to this house, and only ever used it to ring Agnes and one other person. That was James, her contact in the witness protection programme. The man who had set up her new life.
“I need to talk to you,” she told him. “Everything has changed. I think he’s found me. For the first time in two years, I am really scared. If he knows where I am, the hit could come at any time.”
Bella did not think she was overreacting. The man she was hiding from was a violent criminal who hated her.
James was reassuring. “We have no intelligence, no reason to suspect that has happened. We keep very close tabs. We would know if he’d found you.”
“Have you not seen the news?” she screamed at him. “My lover and my aunt have both been killed — shot through the head. My son is missing! What more do you need?”
The ensuing silence was punctuated only by Bella’s harsh breathing. James had to believe her. She desperately needed his help.
“Calm down, Bella. Okay, I will meet you later today. Take the train into Manchester. Meet me in the local studies room at the Central Library at two. You must not be seen. Given that your son is missing, the police will have you on their radar. Take taxis, and don’t walk anywhere. I do not want you picked up on CCTV. We don’t want anyone to know that we have met.”
Bella said nothing about the police already suspecting the truth. She’d leave that for later. But how to square such a long absence with Alison? She simply wouldn’t tell her. It was ten thirty. Bella decided to take the midday train. She rang a taxi firm and arranged to be taken to the train station. She’d have left the house by the time Alison came back.
* * *
The last time Bella had set foot in Victoria Station, she had been with Alan. Overcome with memories of that fateful day, she broke down and wept. People were staring at her, but she didn’t care. She dashed through the station and out onto the street. Bella didn’t want to look at where she and Alan had been standing then. Being here at all was painful enough.
Another taxi ride later, she was walking towards James. She had not seen or contacted him in two years, but she trusted him completely. He was the only person who knew the whole truth about her life. Two years ago, he had spirited her and Olly out of a situation that could have cost Bella her life, and left Olly with no one. She was eternally grateful for what he’d done.
He was at a table in the far corner of the local studies library, pretending to be engrossed in a book. James was the type of person who blended in. He was in his late thirties, average-looking, never smiled. In his suit, James could be any other business type having a quiet five minutes during the lunch hour. He was difficult to know. He gave nothing away. But that was his job.
Back then, when it had really mattered, he had saved her life. He’d snatched her from danger and made her safe. Up until a week ago, it had all been working perfectly. Then Alan had been killed, Olly taken and now her aunt was dead too. She had to persuade him to help her find out what had gone wrong.
“You weren’t followed?”
He was the same old James. No ‘hello.’ No ‘how are you.’ He always kept it simple, and entirely professional.
“No. I left while the policewoman was out.”
“I wasn’t thinking of the police.”
Bella felt sick. “Do you know something?”
James gave a little nod. “I’ve checked out what you told me. It does look like you could be right. I’m afraid that if he has discovered where you are, then you are in grave danger. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry for me, James. Just help me get my son back. If this is down to him, I can take comfort from the fact that whatever he might do to me, he will not harm Oliver.”
“You think he’s had the boy taken?”
Bella nodded. “That is exactly how he would punish me. Plus, he would not want Olly around when he made the hit.”
“In that case, someone must be caring for the child. Do you know anyone he might use?”
“He has a sister. Amy. She lives in Wales somewhere.”
“Surname?”
“She never married, so it’s the same as his.”
“I’ll make enquiries. We will
have to move you on, make you safe again.”
Bella swallowed. “No, James. I don’t want that again. I’ve done it once and that was enough.”
“What do you want then? Why am I here?”
“I want to see him.” She saw the look on his face. He didn’t like this at all. “I want to ask him straight out what he’s done with our son.”
He shook his head. “That is out of the question.”
“I don’t see why. It would be a simple prison visit.”
“No it wouldn’t, and you know why. He wants you dead. You gave evidence against him, and he went down for multiple murders. He isn’t getting out, Bella, and he blames you for that.”
“I want to ask him about Oliver, face to face,” she said again. “He can’t harm me if he’s in prison.”
“You cannot take the risk. Your theory that he is behind the killings might not be correct. They may have nothing to do with him. What do you do then, Bella?”
“Of course, he’s behind it,” she scoffed. “Who else would want all those closest to me dead?”
“Even so, you will give him information he will use, and you won’t even realise it. He is a clever man, Bella.”
“I’m not arguing, James. Organise this for me, or I’ll do it myself.”
He shook his head. “It won’t be easy. You are on the programme.”
Her laugh was almost a giggle. “My cover is shot anyway. What have I got to lose?”
“I’ll contact you. Keep the phone handy.”
Chapter 17
Carlisle walked over to Matt’s desk. He looked angry. “Alison Wray has been on the phone. The Richards woman has done one. What did you say to her?”
Matt wasn’t going to discuss that with Carlisle. “Is she sure?”
“Yes, and she left her mobile behind, which she never usually does.”
Matt decided to return to Bella’s house, to ask if any of the neighbours had seen or heard anything.
His Third Victim Page 8