SHADOW OVER THE FENS a gripping crime thriller full of suspense

by Joy Ellis

  ‘I put it to you, Inspector, that there was a marked similarity! I find it very worrying to have two men murdered in this town, who both resemble a man who has upset one of my officers.’ Walker slowly blinked his hooded eyelids.

  ‘Surely you can’t think that Joseph has anything to do with these deaths?’

  ‘The killings were carried out by a military-trained assassin. Sergeant Easter, as I believe you already know, has a military background. And thinking about it, he was also in the vicinity of the first murder, in fact he is the only person identified on the railway station’s CCTV around the time of death.’

  ‘You, sir, are accusing Joseph of double murder?’

  ‘No, I’m not, but I’m going to have to suspend him pending further enquiries.’

  ‘What!’ She jumped up.

  ‘Nikki, please.’ The super stood up, his eyes begging Nikki to calm down. ‘Just hear us out.’

  She flopped backward like a rag doll, and stared up at Rick Bainbridge. This wasn’t happening. ‘Suspension?’ was all she could say.

  He looked sadly at her. ‘For his own sake, until we are satisfied that Joseph is in no way involved in all this, he must be relieved of his duties.’

  ‘Involved?’ Nikki’s voice was husky.

  ‘Joseph has to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. We have to rule out that he has not suffered more trauma than we suspected.’

  ‘Sir, I know I’m no shrink, but Joseph is not capable of something like that, and he is perfectly well-balanced.’ Her temper was rising again, and it was getting hard to hold it back. ‘God! Just because he cried after he’d fallen headlong over a horribly mutilated man, you all seem to think he’s a fruitcake! I’m telling you, anyone would have cried, I would and you would! It was a natural reaction. There’s nothing wrong with Joseph’s brain.’

  ‘It’s not his brain we are talking about, Nikki. It’s his mind. And you know that.’

  She did. And she knew an awful lot more than the super or the bloody chief, but for the time being, she needed to keep that very close to her chest.

  A heavy silence descended over them, then the super said, ‘He’s still staying with you, isn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ she muttered. ‘For as long as he wants.’

  ‘Then I’ll come over and see him this evening. I’ll explain everything, and we are all just going to have to work doubly hard to sort this out.’

  ‘This will devastate him, sir. After all he’s been through, he’s a bloody hero, and this is what happens. Great force we work for, I don’t think!’

  The tall, bird-like man at the window coughed loudly. ‘I am still here, Inspector. And I suggest you save your vitriolic comments for the mess room.’ He held her gaze fixedly. ‘Or the sergeant may not be the only one in hot water.’

  Nikki bit her tongue and decided that if anyone ever wanted to murder the chief, she’d probably go find them a suitable weapon. But then again, she didn’t want to get thrown off the case, for Joseph’s sake she had to find the killer. Which meant it was time for humble pie, no matter how sick it made her feel.

  ‘I’m sorry, sir. It’s just the shock. Sergeant Easter is a damned good officer, and all this seems surreal, but I shouldn’t have lost my temper, I realise that.’

  ‘Apology accepted.’ Then he added, in a pompous tone, ‘On this occasion.’

  ‘Thank you, sir.’ She looked down, trying hard not to follow it up with “You self-opinionated, arrogant git.” ‘May I go, sir? I need to get my head round this.’

  The super nodded. ‘I’ll see you tonight. Around seven,’ he paused, ‘and Nikki, I’d appreciate it if you left it to me to break the news to Joseph. Correct procedure and all that?’

  ‘Oh, you’re welcome, sir.’

  * * *

  Having spoken to Janna Hepburn-Lowe and finally getting something positive out of her, Joseph felt better about his enforced sick leave. Maybe he really could put the time to good use, and perhaps it was safer for everyone else if he kept a low profile until someone got a handle on Billy Sweet.

  He made himself a coffee, and as he stirred in a spoonful of sugar, admitted to himself that he was having difficulty even thinking about what had happened the night before in Salmon Park Gardens.

  He took his coffee to the study, placed it on the desk and pulled a music album from Nikki’s CD rack. As the melodic strains of Coldplay wafted around the small room, he tried to fathom what had caused his ridiculously over-emotional reaction to what had happened. Sure it had been a shock, but he’d seen far worse on the battlefield and not turned into a blubbering bag of jelly.

  In his mind he saw again the carnage caused by a roadside bomb, then he saw his friend Gerry get ripped in two by a pressure mine. Terrible things, but things a career soldier learned to cope with. But last night had been too weird to explain, and so had his behaviour afterwards. In truth, there were parts he didn’t remember too well, but the medics had given him a sedative, so perhaps that would explain the blank bits.

  He flopped down at Nikki’s desk, and pulled the files towards him. Maybe he shouldn’t even try to analyse his actions. Stress did funny things, and he’d sure been stressed of late.

  He opened one of the statistics files, and turned to the computer. As he had uninterrupted time to kill, he’d get the stats put to bed first. That would keep the super happy, and then he would be able to throw all his energies into working on the Martin Durham case. He allowed himself a small smile, but he’d do all that, after he’d phoned Bryony.

  He tapped her number into the desk phone and waited. Maybe it was his imagination, but he was certain that his heart rate had risen. After half a dozen rings, she answered, and her relief at hearing him for herself flooded down the phone.

  ‘Joseph! I was worried sick! I didn’t know what to think.’

  ‘I’m so sorry. I would have contacted you if I could, you do know that, don’t you?’

  ‘Of course, that’s why I was so frightened. I knew that you were not the type to just ignore me. I knew something must have happened. And thank your boss for me, would you? Her call was much appreciated, although she didn’t tell me much other than you were okay and would contact me when you could.’

  ‘I’m not surprised, Bry. She couldn’t have said more, there had been another murder, and I was the one to find the body.’

  He heard a soft gasp from the other end.

  ‘I’m fine though, honestly,’ he lied.

  ‘Was it anything to do with your stalker?’ Her voice was low, as if she didn’t want to be overheard.

  ‘It may have been, Bry. I think he killed the man that I found, but I have no proof. Still, at least you saw him. Up until now it’s just been me, but you being there last night will make all the difference. Now I know that I’m not going mad!’ He passed the receiver to the other hand and leaned back in the chair. ‘The thing is, I want to see you, really I do, but until I’ve found out what this is about, I dare not. Do you understand what I’m saying?’

  ‘Sadly I do.’ She gave a little humourless laugh. ‘Just my luck! I meet the most gorgeous bloke, and for once he’s not gay or married, he doesn’t work on an oil rig, and he doesn’t suffer from halitosis or Saint Vitus Dance, but he’s still about as inaccessible as a nun’s knickers!’

  Joseph laughed. And it felt good. ‘Sorry. But I will make it up to you, I promise.’

  ‘You’d better. Now, are you sure we couldn’t meet somewhere? Somewhere where no one knows either of us? Just for a coffee, maybe?’

  Every inch of him yearned to say yes, but there was no way he would risk Bryony crossing paths with Billy Sweet again. He shivered. ‘Absolutely not.’

  ‘Oh well, worth a try. But I can ring you, can’t I?’

  Joseph hadn’t told her where he was, or that his blood-covered mobile was sitting in a laboratory in a sealed bag. ‘Best I ring you for a day or so, Bry. My phone got damaged and I haven’t had time to organise a new one. I’ll ring you on a landline, un
til I’m up and running again.’

  ‘Then I guess that will have to do, but if you don’t ring, I may have to get myself arrested, just to get to see you.’

  ‘I’ll ring. I promise. Bryony, I can’t wait to see you again. You’re very special, you know.’

  ‘So are you, Joseph. Ring me tonight?’

  ‘Try to stop me.’

  It had been hard to hang up. And he had been right about his heart rate, because his pulse was racing. With a shaky laugh at himself, he finished his coffee, and returned to the super’s statistics with renewed vigour.

  * * *

  As the end of the day approached, Nikki was strung out like a high wire. There was no news from Cat, Dave was embroiled in his hunt for Sweet and with no Joseph to bounce ideas off, she felt completely exasperated. And she dreaded going home.

  As the hours ticked by, she had felt more and more aggrieved by the fact that they were going to suspend Joseph, but at around four thirty when Dave went for a break, she sat alone in her office with a large sheet of white paper and a marker pen, and brainstormed everything she knew. After ten minutes, the paper was covered by scribbled words, and Nikki was beginning to feel decidedly uncomfortable. She may hate what the chief superintendent was doing, but she could see where he was coming from. He had to be very careful, and he was covering both his own and the Fenland Constabulary’s back.

  Nikki stared at the paper, and suddenly one word stood out. The name Bryony. She had seen the man who Joseph believed to be Billy. And Nikki needed to know exactly what kind of witness she would be.

  She pulled out her phone and clicked on Contacts.

  The phone answered almost immediately, and Nikki apologised if she was interrupting anything important.

  ‘Only a coffee break, although with my workload at present, a break is like gold dust. How can I help you?’

  Bryony sounded pleasant and relaxed. Far more so than the night before.

  ‘Joseph tells me that you saw a man watching him, by the river wall at 11.10 last night, is that correct?’

  The woman hesitated, before saying. ‘You know that Joseph is terrified of him?’

  ‘I do, but could you answer the question, please? What did he look like?’

  Again there was a pause, and Nikki began to get both irritated and concerned.

  ‘It was very dark, I hardly saw anything, although I think he had a hoody.’

  ‘How tall, what build?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I . . . well, oh damn it! No, Inspector, I never actually saw him.’

  ‘But you told Joseph that you did!’

  ‘Oh, I know I shouldn’t have, but he was so distressed because he was the only one to ever spot him, that . . .’ Bryony didn’t sound so relaxed now. ‘I’m sorry, I just couldn’t bear to tell him that I hadn’t seen the man for the second time.’

  ‘You really saw no one at all?’ asked Nikki, carefully enunciating every syllable.

  ‘There was no one to see, Inspector. I turned around and the path by the river wall was empty. Even if he had jumped over and dropped down onto the towpath, I’m sure I would have seen him,’ she sighed loudly. ‘I’m sorry if I did wrong, but I really like Joseph, and I hated to see him so disturbed.’

  ‘We all really like Joseph, Miss Barton, but lying won’t help him one bit.’ She knew her tone was frosty, but Bryony had just dashed her one hope of keeping Joseph out of trouble. She stared at her paper sheet, and put a thick cross through the name Bryony, her only witness to the fact that Billy Sweet even existed.

  After she hung up, she stared again at the paper. One section said, Chris Forbes, Railway station. Beale Street. No witnesses. No CCTV. Only one to see a stranger in the shadows, Joseph.

  The next section said, Man in lane by nick. No CCTV footage. Seen only by Joseph. And she had been there then, and she saw no one other than the people on the CCTV.

  Man seen at river wall, only by Joseph.

  Salmon Park Gardens. No witnesses. Only Joseph present.

  Nikki’s mouth had dried to a degree where it was almost impossible to swallow.

  She thought hard about what she knew about him.

  Joseph Easter, ex-Special Ops, suffered PTSD after a bodged operation in Africa, went on a journey of personal discovery before joining the police force. Admirable officer, makes detective sergeant then loses his DI at Fenchester and gets a temporary transfer, to a division where a bad case leaves him hospitalised.

  Nikki’s mind raced. Okay, so he’d had a tough life, but he had been fine until that man had appeared in the road in front of him.

  That was the pivotal point. Everything that had happened, happened after that.

  With a snort of disgust she grabbed the pen and looked at all the sections again.

  Fact, she scribbled, the CCTV at the nick is crap. Known black-spots, and they were exactly where Billy had stood. Fact. Joseph could have seen him.

  The station. Poorly lit and poor security. Cab was not in the same line of vision. Fact. Joseph could have seen a man in the shadows.

  The river. Bryony was obviously totally wrapped up in the gorgeous Joseph’s arms. The man could have shown himself to Joseph, then before she could stop dribbling over the sergeant and turn around, he could have vaulted the wall and run away. Not exactly fact, but possible.

  And the second murder. The assassin could have been dressed in protective gear to make his kill. There was no CCTV in that part of the gardens. Fact. Joseph could have been set up.

  She pushed her chair back and let out a long shuddery sigh. It didn’t look good, and all right, she now understood why Walker was shitting hot bricks, but it was by no means cut and dried. And if Billy Sweet was the jungle guerrilla that Joseph said he was, then he would be easily clever enough to avoid cameras and witnesses. He’d survived war zones, Greenborough would be kid’s stuff.

  ‘Sorry, ma’am. Can I get on, or is it inconvenient?’

  She had been so involved in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard Dave enter. ‘Come on in.’ She folder up the paper, pushed it into her drawer and stood up. ‘All yours.’

  ‘Oh, before I start, the Salmon Park Gardens victim has been positively identified as David Ryan. His wife has also confirmed that he’s been spending some time with some new mate, a guy who seemed to just show up one day when her husband was tinkering with his car. Dead helpful, apparently, but the wife never actually saw him.’

  ‘Name?’ asked Nikki, already knowing what she would hear.

  ‘Just called him Snaz, guv. No name, no description. Ryan just told her that he was a wizard with engines.’ Dave eased behind her desk, clicked on the emails and began printing them off. ‘Ah, reams more info, I see.’

  ‘I’ll leave you to it, but don’t work too late, will you? Your lovely wife needs you even more than me.’ She walked towards the door, then heard a groan behind her.

  ‘Hold up, ma’am. I think you’ll want to see this.’ Dave’s voice was sombre. ‘It’s the copy of a death certificate. Billy Sweet is dead. Has been for four years.’

  * * *

  It had taken Nikki sometime to assimilate the bombshell that Dave had delivered, and the first thing she wanted was confirmation that the certificate was kosher.

  ‘There’s little doubt, ma’am.’ Dave produced several other documents. ‘He was involved in something on the Colombia/Ecuador border in South America. Containing marauding paramilitary groups, it says, and fighting with a small private force. A report states that Sweet died along with three others. Their Land Rover was ambushed.’ He shrugged. ‘No survivors.’

  ‘Was he flown home for burial?’

  ‘Doesn’t look like it, guv. He was estranged from his family, and not being in the army anymore, I can’t see anyone forking out a fortune to get him back, can you?’

  ‘Probably not.’ Nikki’s head was still spinning. ‘Who identified the body?’

  Dave thumbed through several sheets of paper. ‘Another ex-British army, turned soldier of for
tune, by the look of it. Ah, and it says here that his personal effects were returned to England, where they were collected some while later by a relative. His body was interred in Colombia. There’s a note of the location, some unpronounceable place outside Bogotá.’

  ‘No chance of mistaken identity, then?’

  ‘I’ll dig deeper, ma’am. But there’s an awful lot of official paperwork here, and it all looks pretty authentic.’

  ‘Try to trace the man who identified the body, Dave. Several years have passed, maybe he’s back here now. Get all the details you can, okay?’

  ‘No problem, ma’am But would tomorrow be alright? I really need to get home.’

  Nikki nodded. ‘Of course. And thanks for what you’ve done today.’

  ‘Not quite what we wanted to hear, though, ma’am.’

  ‘You can say that again.’ Nikki’s brow furrowed. ‘Where do we go from here?’

  Dave tidied the paperwork into neat piles. ‘Are you going to tell Joseph?’

  ‘Good question, but I think not. Well, not just yet, he’s got enough on his plate right now. So, Dave, keep this quiet for a bit longer, okay?’

  Dave gave her a reassuring smile, and tapped the side of his nose. ‘Mum’s the word, guv. Give him my best.’

  Alone in her office, Nikki stared at the death certificate. This changed everything. The last thing in the world that she wanted was for Chief Superintendent Walker to be right about Joseph’s state of mind. If she were honest, she’d hate him to be right about anything at all. Sadly though, most of the aces that she thought she had up her sleeve were proving to be jokers, and Walker’s case was becoming stronger by the minute. Nikki leaned back in her chair, and let out a long, audible sigh. She had rarely felt so confused, but no matter how bad she felt she needed to get home to Cloud Fen, and get there before the super. The least she could do was warn Joseph of what was to come. And procedure could go to hell.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  If she had felt bad before, now she felt like a complete shit.

  Joseph had opened the door, a satisfied grin on his face, and presented her with a completed set of revised statistics for the superintendent. And she could smell something aromatic emanating from her kitchen.