by Joy Ellis
‘I’m sure he would, ma’am. Give him my best, won’t you?’
Nikki picked up the pile of folders that contained the statistics that Joseph had been working on and the info that Dave had pulled up on the suicides, and pushed them under her arm. ‘Of course. And Dave, try to get us a photo of Sweet. Doesn’t matter if it’s old, we can always get Cat to get her techie mates to age enhance it for us.’ She paused at the door. ‘Thanks for this. I owe you.’
‘Thanks for what, ma’am?’ Dave gave her an angelic look and logged in to her computer.
* * *
‘Naturally I gave him the sanitised version, I just don’t want you to think I’ve grassed you up in any way.’ Nikki looked at Joseph hopefully.
‘I’d never think that.’ He heaved a sigh. ‘Dave is a good old boy. If I had to tell anyone, it would be him. Besides, with me in dry dock, you need someone to trust.’
Nikki opened the key box on the kitchen wall, removed a spare front-door key and handed it to Joseph. ‘Keep it. It’s always good to have someone else hold a house key. Martin always had one when . . .’ she let the rest of the sentence fade away.
‘And what on earth are we going to do about that?’ asked Joseph fretfully. ‘It was going to be tough enough with two of us, but now?’ He threw up his hands in frustration, ‘Why the devil did the super have to do this? I’m perfectly fit to work!’
‘Then work from here. Uninterrupted, and with all the free tea and coffee you can drink.’ She pointed to the folders that lay on the kitchen table. ‘Drop me back to the nick, then get back here and get your head into these.’
Joseph stared at them, then gave her a grudging smile. ‘Ah . . . the stats. So you mean I won’t be watching twenty back episodes of The Bill after all?’
‘The stats are only there if you have the heart to look at them, but those suicides really could do with some attention.’ Her face darkened. ‘I’d wager a pound to a penny that you’ll find something wrong if you look hard enough.’ She handed him his car keys. ‘The computer is all set up in the study, along with some reference books and directories that may prove useful. The Bill can wait, I think. Now, if you’d be kind enough to put on your chauffeur’s cap, I need to get back before I’m missed.’
As they walked the door, Joseph gently touched her arm. ‘I do appreciate you letting me stay here, ma’am. I’m not sure what I would have done otherwise.’
Nikki gave him a long, searching look, then said, ‘It’s okay. After all, you’re not just my sergeant, you’re my friend. And please ditch all that ‘ma’am’ stuff while you are under my roof, it makes me feel like some aged crone!’
‘I don’t think so!’ He gave her arm the slightest of squeezes before letting go. ‘But I guess we’d better crack on. Time is hardly on our side, and we both have work to do now.’ He picked up his wallet from the table and held the door open for her. ‘Your carriage awaits.’
* * *
Joseph dropped his boss off close to the gates of the nick, then retraced his journey back to Cloud Fen. The more times he did the trip the less the winding and dangerously narrow lanes seemed to bother him, and as he reached the bottom of Buckledyke Lane, he slowed down and stared across to Knot Cottage.
Martin Durham had certainly lived in an idyllic location, as long as you could cope with solitude.
He wound the window down, turned off the engine and sat looking at the tiny cottage. He tried to imagine Martin coming home, lighting the fire, and preparing his dinner. Now that was something he could relate to. The preparation of food was almost a spiritual thing to him. And it would appear that Martin had been a fellow connoisseur of vegetable slicing and the careful filleting of sea-fresh fish.
Before he had even made a conscious decision to go back into the cottage, he found himself out of the car and walking down the lane.
The door was closed, but the blue-and-white police cordoning tape had gone. Forensics had finished and the restricted access had been lifted. He tried the door, and to his surprise, it swung open. ‘Naughty! Naughty!’ he murmured, and thought that someone should have their wrists slapped for that.
He stepped inside, and was shocked to see the place almost as tidy as it had been on his first visit. SOCOs and big-foot coppers did not leave the scene in this condition, that was for sure. He moved into the kitchen, glanced out of the window, and that was when he saw the bright red MG parked around the back. A car he had seen before, in Old Bolingbroke when they had gone to interview Martin’s sister, Elizabeth.
Without delay, he quietly retraced his footsteps, through the lounge and back to the front door, where he proceeded to ring the bell.
‘Yes?’ An upstairs window had opened and a face looked out.
He held up his warrant card for the woman to see. ‘DS Joseph Easter’ He squinted in the sunlight. ‘Would I be right in thinking that you are Janna Hepburn-Lowe?’
The window closed with a slam, and he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
‘May I come in?’ He didn’t wait for an answer, but strode past her into the lounge. ‘My! You’ve not wasted time getting the place tidied, have you?’
The woman must have been in her forties, but her white-blonde hair, cut in a short messy style made her look years younger. She wore jeans and a bright green T-shirt with the logo ‘I Support Tree Love’ emblazoned across the front, and much as he would have loved to make a comment, he diplomatically decided against it.
‘Martin would have hated his cottage being left in that state. Sorry, but I thought you lot had finished?’
‘Us lot have, miss. It was me that wanted another look.’
‘Ms, actually, and don’t let me stop you. I’m nearly finished anyway.’ She threw him an accusatory look. ‘This was somebody’s home you know, it was left in an appalling state. And that was apart from what the burglar did.’
‘It was the intruder who trashed the place, Ms Hepburn-Lowe. I saw what he did.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Any idea what he was looking for?’
‘What do you mean?’ The woman stiffened. ‘It was just some thug seeing what he could find after he’d heard that Martin was dead, wasn’t it?’
‘Was it?’ asked Joseph. ‘I certainly don’t think so, and nor do you. Where is Elizabeth Durham?’
‘She’s gone to the tip, if you must know. Taken Martin’s broken and damaged belongings.’ She returned his stare with a look that reflected both hostility and fear. ‘And I wouldn’t bother to wait for her, she’ll be ages. There was rather a lot of stuff ruined.’
‘So, did you find what you were looking for?’ he asked amiably.
‘I think you’d better go,’ she said grittily.
‘And I think you’d better start telling me the truth. Or maybe your Elizabeth will get a call saying that you’re down at the police station helping us with our enquiries. We take a dim view of people who waste police time.’
The woman blanched, and Joseph hated himself for being so hard, but he knew that something was amiss, and pussy-footing around would get him nowhere.
Janna suddenly lost all her aggression, and she sounded exhausted when she said. ‘We found nothing.’
Joseph also softened his tone. ‘Was it something very important? Something that could help us discover why he died like that?’
‘Whoever broke in must have thought that, that’s for sure.’ Janna pointed to a seat. ‘Come and sit down.’ She followed him in and flopped into a high-backed armchair. ‘I don’t know much, I’m afraid. You’ll really have to speak to Elizabeth.’ She leaned forward, and stared at him earnestly. ‘All I can say is that we think they were looking for paperwork regarding something that happened a very long time ago. Long before he came to live here.’
‘What was he involved in, do you know?’
Janna shook her head. ‘Martin wasn’t involved in anything, Detective Sergeant. He was a good man. I just know something happened, but neither Elizabeth or Martin would ever say what it was.’ She looked at him ear
nestly. ‘I’m not even sure if Elizabeth knows much. I suspect Martin never told her everything, but she may know more than I do. And that’s all I can honestly tell you.’
‘Well, I do appreciate that, but I’ll have to see Elizabeth. Will she really be ages?’ He smiled at her.
‘’Fraid so. That was actually the truth. I said I’d meet her back at home. She was going on somewhere after the dump.’
‘When you see her, would you get her to ring my boss straightaway please?’ He gave her the number for the station.
Janna took the card and nodded. ‘Elizabeth’s already had one message to ring the DI, but we needed to get out here and see for ourselves first. Sorry about that.’ She walked him to the door, then said, ‘He was killed, wasn’t he? I don’t know how they did it, but he was killed.’
Joseph decided not to lie. ‘Unofficially, I believe his death is suspicious, and we have to get to the bottom of it.’ He gave her his most sincere look. ‘We really do need your help.’
‘Then I’ll make sure Elizabeth phones you.’
He thanked her and walked back up the lane to his car. As he walked he rang the guv’nor on his mobile and quickly filled her in on what he’d discovered. Just before he signed off he said. ‘You’re right, ma’am. You really do get more done by working from home.’
* * *
Nikki may have liked the thought of Joseph calling Cloud Fen ‘home’ but she didn’t like the look on the Cat Cullen’s face as she approached her. ‘Okay, what’s the matter?’
Cat seemed reticent to speak, but finally said, ‘I’m a bit concerned, guv, about these murder victims? I’m supposing that you’ve noticed that they are both dead ringers, pun not intended, for the bloke you asked me to find. The bloke who was hassling the sarge?’
‘Not the sort of thing that’s easy to miss, actually.’ Nikki wondered how long it would be before she had to let all of her staff in on the full story. ‘Have we got a name for the latest victim?’
‘We think he’s David Ryan, also from the Carborough Estate, ma’am. His wife reported him missing this morning. He fits the description, so we’ve sent a car to collect her. Poor cow, she’s got two little kids.’ Cat jammed her hands into her jeans pockets, then looked up directly at Nikki. ‘Is the sarge involved in this in some way?’
‘He may be, Cat,’ said Nikki carefully. ‘But until we’re certain, I can’t say.’
‘An old case come back to haunt him?’
‘Could be.’
‘Then I’d like to help, ma’am. If there’s anything I can do, you know me, I’d rather slit my wrists than betray a confidence.’
Nikki did know that, and hated keeping those closest to her in the dark, but she had Joseph to consider.
Cat was still speaking. ‘Sergeant Easter is a pretty cool guy in my book, ma’am, and I wouldn’t like to think that he was in deep shit and I’d not helped to dig him out, so to speak.’
‘Then keep trying to find the man that Chris Forbes had been hanging around. Find me Snaz.’ She stopped. ‘But Cat, if you do, don’t you dare try to apprehend him, understand? He could be the most dangerous man you’ll ever meet.’
Cat pulled on her denim jacket. ‘Wilco, guv. I’m onto it, and this time I’ll find something.’ With a determined expression, she turned and left the room.
Nikki walked back to her office, and found Dave studying a computer printout.
‘Great timing, guv. We’ve got a picture coming through. It’s about ten years old, but it’s something.’
Nikki nodded. She was desperate to see what Billy Sweet really looked like. ‘Is it from his old regiment?’
‘No, it’s an unofficial one that I sourced from an Internet site set up by ex-military personnel. An old mate of mine used it to find an old para comrade.’
‘I can’t think that anyone sane would want to tie up with this creep. What’s he doing on a site like that?’
‘He’s not listed as a contact, guv. I was checking out his old unit, and he’s in the background of a group shot that someone posted. There’s a list of names beneath it and the computer search homed in on it.’
‘Good work, Dave. Anything from official channels?’
‘Plenty, I’m working through it now, but as you said, the trail goes decidedly chilly when he got himself discharged and went private. Oh, and before I forget, the super rang down a few minutes ago. Wants to see you.’ A whirring sound interrupted him. ‘Ah, here’s the photo now. It’s been cropped and enhanced to isolate your man.’ He took the sheet from the printer tray, looked at it, then passed it to her.
In one fleeting glance, Nikki believed everything Joseph had ever told her about Billy Sweet.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with a deeply tanned face and close-cut blond hair. He was holding what Nikki thought maybe a grenade launcher, and was wearing camouflage fatigues. He was smiling at the camera, but when Nikki looked closer, his eyes made her shudder. It was as if the flash had deadened them somehow, made them look cold and lifeless. But somehow she knew that if she ever had the misfortune to meet this man, this was exactly what she would see.
‘That’s good enough, Dave. Skip the age enhancement.’
Dave took it back and stared at it. ‘Fair gives you the willies, doesn’t it? He’s holding that weapon like anyone else would hold a baby, like he loves it.’
‘But his eyes are not exactly loving, are they?’
‘Straight from the freezer, ma’am.’ Dave gave a theatrical shudder. ‘There’s definitely something missing from that young man.’
‘The human part, I think. Print off a load of these, Dave, but only give them to the team. Much as I’d like to swamp the streets with them, I need a bit more proof before I go public.’ She pulled out her phone. ‘And Cat will definitely need one.’
Cat let out a little whoop of delight into her mobile. ‘Great! That will certainly help. On my way back up, ma’am.’
‘I’ve got to see the super, pick it up from Dave. And for the time being this is just between us. Good hunting.’ She closed her phone and turned to Dave. ‘Did the super say what he wanted?’
‘No, ma’am. But he sounded pretty harassed.’
‘Wonderful. I’d better get up there.’
‘Guv, how much does Cat actually know?’
‘Not nearly as much as you, although I can’t leave her in dark for much longer.’
‘Don’t worry, I won’t be gossiping. I’m too damned busy.’
* * *
When Nikki reached the super’s office, he was not alone. Standing by the window, with a sheaf of papers in his hand was Chief Superintendent Ian Walker. Not a man who had ever endeared himself to Nikki, in fact she disliked him intensely, and the feeling was probably mutual.
‘Sorry. I’ll come back later.’ She made to leave, but to her annoyance the super called her back.
‘We both need to talk to you, Nikki. Have a seat.’
She looked from one to the other, and felt a sinking feeling in her gut. Just like the old days! ‘Something wrong, sir?’
‘We don’t know. We have some serious concerns, and would like your opinion.’
The chief placed the papers on the desk, perched on it, just a few feet from her face, and stared directly at her. ‘DS Joseph Easter. I understand he’s on sick leave?’
Nikki nodded uneasily. ‘That’s correct, sir. Superintendent Bainbridge thought he might be stressed by his recent discovery of the body in Salmon Park Gardens.’
‘And what do you think about him, Inspector?’ The man’s eyes glittered like a hawk spotting a juicy plump pigeon.
‘I think he’s had a rough few days, but all things considered, I believe he is handling everything exceptionally well.’
‘So you don’t think that he may have returned to active duty too soon?’
‘Not at all. He’s functioning perfectly well. In fact, as we speak he is working from home on some statistics for the superintendent, voluntarily, of course.’ She s
miled benignly.
‘Mm.’ To Nikki’s relief, he stood up and returned to his eerie by the window.
‘Sir?’ Nikki turned to Rick Bainbridge. ‘What’s happened? Why the third degree?’
The super shook his head. ‘It’s nothing like that, Nikki. We are just worried about him. About his mental state.’
‘Look at this from our point of view,’ chipped in the human bird of prey. ‘A man who has suffered serious trauma recently returns to work, and in three days is confronted by a broken body in the river, an execution-style slaying, and then falls over a recently butchered man in the park. Do you blame us for asking his senior officer as to whether he’s holding up or not?’
Nikki gritted her teeth so tightly that her jaw ached. ‘Of course not, sir, I’m just not sure that you are listening to my opinion.’
‘There is another thing,’ said the chief, completely ignoring her comment. ‘And I’m referring to last night’s murder. I have spoken personally to both the scene-of-crime officers and the pathologist, and other than blood evidence belonging to the victim, DS Easter’s prints are the only others there. There is nothing to be found on the body, and the scene is free from any other contamination or evidence.’
Nikki’s eyes narrowed. ‘And what exactly does that mean?’
‘Think about it, Inspector. But before you do, is it true that the sergeant was upset by some man leaping in front of his stationary vehicle the other day?’
‘What on earth has that got to do with the murders?’
‘The man in question looked very much like the two dead men, didn’t he?’
Nikki heard the sound of blood rushing in her ears. She had no idea how the chief had got hold of his information, but she really didn’t like where the conversation was going. ‘There was a vague resemblance, I suppose.’