by Joy Ellis
Nikki suddenly braked, then swung the car round. ‘Sod getting the drugs back to base, they are safe enough with us. We’re half way to the fen already, and there’s no time like the present. Radio control and tell them what we’re doing. We’ll go renew your acquaintanceship with that desolate dump that was once RAF Flaxton Mere right now.’ She grinned at him. ‘You never know, you might find another medal.’
* * *
As it turned out, there was nothing to see, just a deep hole in the ground with some blue and white cordoning tape fixed around it.
A mud-splattered police car sat silently at the end of the track that led to the sea-bank, and two bored-looking uniformed officers stood close to the shaft, to protect the scene and make sure that no other poor sod fell down it. Not that anyone would, because no one in their right mind would go there in the first place.
‘I’d forgotten just what a desolate bog this part of the fen is.’ Nikki looked out over the dreary marshland. ‘There are places along this stretch where you never hear a bird sing. Something to do with the air currents, they kind of swallow up sound. It can be quite disturbing if you happen to be out here alone.’
Niall kicked at some loose shingle and watched as it splashed into a deep puddle. ‘It’s a different world, isn’t it, ma’am? Really weird.’ He grimaced. ‘And so are the locals. Half of them belong in the Middle Ages. They thrive on superstition.’ He looked around. ‘And who can blame them? Look at this place!’
‘I used to think it was beautiful, all mysterious and otherworldly.’ Nikki drew in a deep breath. ‘Now, I’m not sure. Apart from the silent thing, the marsh along this stretch of the coast has always had a bad reputation.’ She stared away from the lagoons of dark water and across to where the gloomy hulk of the old deserted control tower sat brooding over the bleak landscape. Even on a bright sunny day, the ruined building had a sinister feel to it. ‘I’m amazed that so many of the old structures are still standing. I would have thought most of the old WWII watch offices had been demolished.’
‘You’re right, but this place is in pretty good nick, isn’t it?’ He looked around, eyes narrowed in the sunlight. ‘There are still engine sheds and ammunition stores. Yvonne was telling me that the owner of Flaxton Mere has laid on water and electricity to some of the old hangars and he lets them out to small traders as business units.’
‘For small, read dodgy,’ added Nikki. ‘No one with a reputable business would operate from a cesspit like this.’ She frowned. ‘Maybe we should pay them an unannounced visit. I’m willing to bet there won’t be a legit man among them.’
‘Yvonne would really like that, ma’am. She’s been on about it for months, but as there have been no actual complaints about the place, the sergeant said it would be a waste of resources.’
‘We’ll see about that, shall we? Do you know who the owner is, Niall?’
‘As far as I can recall, it’s a bloke by the name of Shine. Karl Shine. He bought it from the military a few years ago.’
‘With what intention?’
‘Don’t rightly know, ma’am, but I know a woman who will.’ He grinned. ‘I suggest you consult the oracle WPC Collins. If she knows as much as she usually does about the locals, then she’ll tell you everything about Shine, from his taste in wine to his star sign.’
‘I’ll do that, although I’m not sure I care too much about his position in the zodiac. And right now, I see little point in hanging around here.’ Nikki shook her head. ‘What the hell was a guy, loaded with thousands of pounds’ worth of drugs, doing out here in this wilderness?’
‘Sorry, ma’am.’ Niall shrugged. ‘Ask me one on sport.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘What is it with you?’ The desk sergeant looked at DI Joseph Easter and threw his hands in the air. ‘If I got a chance to get out of here, I’d stay out. Aren’t you off duty for a few days?’
Joseph grinned. ‘I am, but my daughter has discovered the Greenborough shopping centre, so I thought I’d just check in, see if anything exciting is happening.’
The sergeant pointed to the door. ‘Ask your boss.’
‘Ma’am?’ Joseph stepped forward as Nikki and Niall hurried into the foyer.
‘Go home! You’re on leave!’ called out Nikki.
‘And so are you, or you should be,’ returned Joseph, so that only she could hear. ‘Hell, Nikki, you’ve got a funeral to organise.’ He looked at her with concern in his eyes. ‘So what is so important that you are rushing around like a mad thing?’
‘Nothing for you to worry about. You have a daughter and several years to catch up on. So go.’
He knew that, despite her dismissive tone, she was glad he was there. ‘Tamsin’s meeting me here when she’s finished in town.’ Joseph’s face creased into a frown. ‘So while I wait, tell me what’s going on.’
Nikki gave him a brief rundown, and held up the fat bag of assorted drugs.
Joseph drew in a breath. ‘Oh my! I don’t think he’ll get away with “for personal use only” as an excuse, do you? And you think the injured man is that missing dealer, Anson Taylor?’
‘My gut says no, but I’m about to ring his sister and get her to take a look at him.’ Nikki went into her office, found the woman’s number and punched it into the phone.
‘Are we still on for dinner at your place?’ she asked as she waited for a reply.
‘All prepared, and Tamsin’s really looking forward to seeing you again. I think she’s quite excited about tonight.’
‘Really?’ Nikki grinned suspiciously. ‘Dinner with two old-fogey coppers? Are you sure about that?’ Her smile faded as she turned her attention to the phone. ‘Stephanie Taylor? Ah, it’s DI Galena here, of Greenborough CID. I’m sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you might be able to help us?’
Joseph listened as Nikki explained what had happened, while keeping one eye on the office door for his daughter. He got the feeling that Tamsin had actually arranged to meet him here in order to “accidentally” bump into Niall Farrow again. Joseph knew that the two had kept in touch after getting thrown together in a dangerous situation a while back, and although Tamsin hotly denied it, Joseph smelt romance in the air. And, he had to admit that his daughter was really making an effort this time to heal the old wounds and the rift between them. It certainly wasn’t plain sailing. In fact, for the last two days, from dawn to dusk, they had been tiptoeing around each other. The expression “walking on eggshells” had never sounded so right. But then this was a big thing. And Joseph knew that if he wanted to win back his daughter’s love, he had to get it right this time, because there would be no second chances.
Nikki thanked the woman and promised to send a car round to take her to the hospital. Then she looked at Joseph incredulously. ‘Well, that’s a turn up for the books. I was wrong. It seems that Anson does have a home-made tattoo after all. I’m glad that WPC Yvonne Collins is already in ITU. She’ll escort Stephanie in, and we’ll just have to take it from there.’
Joseph nodded. ‘Can’t do any more. So, how are the funeral arrangements going? Is there anything I can help with?’
‘To be honest, Joseph, there’s not much to do.’ Nikki exhaled. ‘My dad had everything sorted eons ago. He had even paid for the funeral. I’ve put an obituary in the Telegraph and the local papers, booked the Garden Restaurant in town for afterwards . . .’ Nikki raised her eyebrows. ‘And I spent hours last night chasing down relatives I’ve never even met, and his old RAF cronies. So much for a small, quiet service, I’m beginning to think he had more mates than a lottery winner!’
Joseph suddenly thought about his conversation with Nikki immediately after the old man had died. In his last coherent sentence he had told her to find someone called Eve. ‘No mention of an Eve, I suppose?’
Nikki’s face clouded. ‘Funnily enough, there was one old guy, a man called Tug Owen, or Squadron Leader Anthony Blake-Owen to be absolutely correct. I seem to recall meeting him years ago. He was a great buddy of my fathe
r, and Dad had left a request that I pass on all his medals and RAF memorabilia to Tug. I mentioned the name Eve, and I swear he knew about her, but he clammed up tighter than a duck’s backside.’ Her frown deepened. ‘I wish I had a bit more free time for all that, but I guess it’ll have to wait.’
Joseph noticed Nikki’s worried expression and decided to make a suggestion. ‘I’ve been thinking. While you’re busy here, perhaps Tamsin and I could do a bit of sleuthing for you? You said that your father had a lot of photo albums and letters stored in your attic? Perhaps, if you’ve no objection to us nosing through them, we might find a clue to Eve’s identity.’
Nikki nodded vigorously. ‘If you’re sure? That would be great. I was going to ask you if you’d mind getting the boxes down for me.’
‘No problem. How about after dinner tonight we all go back to your place for coffee? I’ll do it then.’ He looked at her and bit his lip. ‘And to be honest, it would be doing me a favour too. It’s pretty hard going, trying to put years of hurt behind you. It could just work as a bonding exercise, and at very least the distraction might help to fill some of the strained silences.’
‘She’s still a staunch pacifist, even now?’
‘Nothing like she used to be. I think she’s mellowing, but I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me for spending years clasping a Heckler and Koch HK417 rifle to my breast.’
‘She was just a kid then, Joseph. If she’s half the person you are, now that she’s all grown up, she’ll realise that the past doesn’t exist anymore, and her father is, and always was, a good man.’
Joseph felt a jolt of wistfulness. It was his greatest wish, but even though things were going pretty well, he wasn’t sure that it would happen. She had promised a year ago to spend some quality time with him, but it had never materialised. Now Tamsin was only staying with him because of a major hiccup in her travel plans with her mother. One call from Laura, and Tamsin would be jetting off again. He was on borrowed time, and he was horribly conscious of the ticking clock.
Nikki indicated towards the CID room door. ‘Speaking of angels.’
Joseph’s daughter, tall, willowy, with her father’s light brown hair and thoughtful, expressive eyes, was deep in conversation with PC Niall Farrow.
The young constable looked across to Joseph and grinned. ‘Hello, Sarge. I found this gorgeous young lady in the foyer, so thought I should escort her safely to you.’
Joseph looked at them together and decided that his suspicions were correct.
‘Guess what, Dad. Niall’s sister Ellie works for the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. And we were on a field course together after uni. How’s that for a cool coincidence? Niall says she’s studying the seals at Donna Nook, and if I’m still around, he’ll take me up there on his free day.’
‘That’s a great idea,’ said Joseph, and meant it. If nothing else, Niall could prove to be an ally and help keep Tamsin close to him.
After Niall left, Tamsin ran over to Nikki and gave her a hug. ‘Dad told me about your father, Nikki. I’m so very sorry.’
Nikki looked mildly surprised but very pleased at the girl’s thoughtfulness, and in no time they were chatting easily. Joseph watched them together and felt a stab of sadness as he thought of what Nikki was missing, with her own daughter so cruelly taken from her.
‘We should get back,’ said Joseph. ‘We’ve got a car full of shopping, and as we have a guest tonight, I have culinary tasks to attend to.’
‘And I have to get back to work.’ Nikki sighed. ‘I’ll see you both later.’
* * *
Yvonne looked up to see one of her colleagues leading an anxious-looking woman down the hospital corridor towards her. She left the busy ITU and met them outside.
Stephanie Taylor was a homely woman, probably much younger than she appeared. Her clothes were far from new, but they were clean and neatly pressed. There was nothing about her appearance that would lead you to believe she might be connected with a drug dealer, and Yvonne, who prided herself on being a pretty shrewd judge of character, felt an immediate liking for her.
‘Thank you so much for coming,’ she said gently. ‘I’m afraid he’s very poorly, so please don’t get your hopes up.’
They walked through the door and up to the bed. Yvonne placed her hand gently on Steph’s shoulder, and jumped when the woman suddenly gave a bark of laughter.
‘Pike!’
Yvonne led her quickly out of the room and went to get her a drink of water.
Stephanie sat, shaking and clasping her arms around herself. She took the glass and stared into it for a while before speaking. ‘I’m so sorry. I guess I’d psyched myself up to see my brother,’ she gave a little derisory snort, ‘and I find him lying there instead.’ She sipped the water, then took a deep breath. ‘His name is William Pike. He’s a friend of my brother and he was the first one I rang when Anson never came home. He swore he hadn’t seen him.’
Yvonne wrote down his address. ‘Have you any idea why he would have been out on the marsh at Flaxton Mere?’
‘None at all. But then Pike isn’t exactly the brightest light on the Christmas tree. He could have been up to any of a dozen hare-brained schemes.’ Steph looked up at Yvonne. ‘Do you have a brother, WPC Collins?’
‘I do. Two younger brothers.’
‘So can you appreciate how I feel? No matter how close to death Pike is, I’m still glad, because it’s not my Anson in that bed.’
Yvonne nodded, pictured her own lovely brothers, Robin and Harry, and said that yes, she understood. ‘But what about the tattoo?’
‘They both had them. Blood brothers, would you believe? I nearly went mad when I saw Anson’s arm. Naturally it had been Pike’s stupid idea. As a child he used Anson as a crutch, always leant on him, copied his homework, leeched his pocket money and talked him into doing really stupid things. I detested him, but Anson acted like his big brother. I wouldn’t like to tell you how many scrapes he got that little bastard out of. Pike is a parasite. Always has been.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m sure he knows where my brother is, and if Anson’s in trouble, it will have been Pike’s fault. You can be sure of that.’ She almost spat out the last sentence.
‘Funny that he’s not known to us, given his predilection for trouble.’ Yvonne frowned. ‘The name rings a few bells, but I’m certain he doesn’t have a record.’
‘He doesn’t, but only because somehow Anson has always managed to save his skin for him.’
‘Does he have any family that we can contact?’
‘No. The mother ran off soon after he was born, and the father died a year or so ago. He does have a grandmother, from his dad’s side of the family. She lives somewhere out on the marshes, I think.’
‘And her name?’
Steph thought for a while. ‘Sorry, but he just called her Granny Pike.’
Yvonne frowned. She remembered hearing the desk sergeant take a call the day before about a missing old lady. She could have sworn the name was Pike. But whatever, it wasn’t this woman’s problem. ‘I’ll get my colleague to take you home, Miss Taylor, and in the light of everything that’s happened, I’m sure there will now be a search for your brother.’
Relief showed in her eyes, and Yvonne felt guilty. Stephanie Taylor was thinking they would be looking for her Anson out of concern for his safety. But Yvonne knew that they would most likely be looking for him as a suspect for attempted murder.
* * *
‘Steph Taylor doesn’t know the old lady’s name, just said he called her Gran, but I’m certain the missing woman from the marsh was called Pike. Could you check it for me, ma’am?’
Nikki scrolled down the report on her computer. ‘Got it. And you’re right, Yvonne. It is Pike.’ She sucked in air. ‘This just gets better and better! We have one missing drug dealer, a half-dead junkie down a hole, and now his aged granny magicked away from her home. Great!’
‘And the crew that checked out the old girl’s home said that there was b
lood at the scene,’ added Yvonne. ‘Sounds pretty iffy, doesn’t it, ma’am?’
‘Let’s just hope Pike wakes up pretty soon and gives us some answers. Has anyone arrived to take over from you? I’d like you back here. I need you to tell me all you know about the guy who owns Flaxton Mere, and then I suggest we go visit him.’
‘Yes, ma’am, my relief is already here. I’ll get on the road.’
‘Good. Report to me when you arrive.’ Nikki hung up, then saw the two other members of her team entering the CID room. ‘Over here, guys!’ she called out.
DC Cat Cullen threw her leather jacket over the back of her chair and moved quickly towards Nikki’s office.
It was hard to believe that when Nikki had taken Cat under her wing, the girl had been an outsider, on the verge of being sent back to uniform. She was undoubtedly smart, but none of the teams had wanted a maverick with a timekeeping issue. None except for Nikki, who had not only recognised something of herself in the girl, but had seen untapped talents and decided to take a risk. Even after being seriously injured, and bearing scars to prove it, Cat had ploughed straight back in, never giving Nikki less than one hundred per cent.
As the young detective entered her office, and Nikki saw the excited expression on her face, she knew, not for the first time, that her gamble had paid off — with bonuses.
Cat grinned at her and ran a slender hand through her spiky, rough-cut hair. ‘We’ve tied up that spate of fuel thefts out at Hawker’s Drove, ma’am. Got the little bastards safely in the custody suite, and enough solid evidence to make even the CPS crack a smile.’
‘Really good work. Well done both of you.’ Nikki looked at the last member to join her team and saw him swell with pride.
DC Dave Harris had been another reject that she had gathered up, and found a diamond beneath the shabby exterior. She had seen through the façade that he put up to cover a painful home life, and discovered a true, old-style bobby, with all the right values. Dave didn’t like technology. He came to his conclusions using a combination of long-term experience on the force, logic and simple intuition. He was in his fifties, heavier than he should be, and certainly no modern man, but he got results. And for some reason, he and the thoroughly modern, high-tech Cat Cullen gelled perfectly.