by Joy Ellis
Nikki closed her eyes and whispered, ‘Oh, shit! But if that’s the case, where does Tamsin fit into his plan?’
‘The daughter of one of those who invaded and destroyed his life’s work? Do you have to ask?’
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
‘Okay, Joseph. We are going to work on the premise that Joshua Flower is our man. I want every detail about the Flower family for three generations dredged up and pasted on the wall. Get the brother to help if you need to.’ Nikki turned swiftly to Cat and Dave. ‘You guys help Joseph, but first find out how the evacuation of the forensics team is coming along. I’m sure Flower is out there somewhere. He just won’t be able to give it up. It’s his Shangri-La.’ Her face took on a grim resolve. ‘If he is there, then I’m willing to bet that’s where we will find Tamsin.’
* * *
Cat glared at her computer screen. ‘C’mon! You lazy sod of a machine . . .’ Then she gave a whoop of delight. ‘I knew it! She’s not his wife at all!’
‘Got something?’ A young detective constable called Pete Mitchell looked at her with raised eyebrows.
‘Something, certainly, but I’m not sure what it means. The Brewers are not married. So why pretend they are?’
‘Search me.’ Pete leafed through a heap of papers. ‘Cat, do us a favour? Help me tie this up. The sarge wanted it sorted, but now he’s asked me to get to work on the Flower family tree.’
Cat stared at the folder. ‘Ah, the dead surveyor from the underground chamber.’
‘Yes. I went back to Flaxton Mere and the man who recognised him remembered hearing him talk to Karl Shine, and apparently he had a pronounced Irish accent. I’ve put out a few feelers with the Garda and the Northern Ireland guys. All the details are in the folder. Would you have time to follow them up for me?’
‘No sweat, my friend. The Brewers’ matrimonial status can wait. I’m on it.’
An hour later, a smiling Cat sauntered over to her colleague, placed the folder on his desk and grinned broadly. ‘Mission accomplished, Pete. Meet Michael Finn from County Clare. His gorgeous good looks stirred up a lot of bad memories in the Emerald Isle. It seems your enquiries created something of a stir, as Mr Finn is well known to the authorities for an assortment of very nasty offences.’ Cat raised her eyebrows. ‘As in related to terrorism, plus robbery, unlawful violence and possession of firearms, to mention but a few. And,’ she added with considerable emphasis, ‘it appears he’s something of a genius when it comes to building construction and land surveying. He has degrees coming out of every orifice. Now what on earth was he doing wandering around Flaxton Mere?’
The young detective leaned back in his chair and raised both hands. ‘I haven’t the foggiest, but the boss will be delighted that we have an ID. So, would you like to tell her, or shall I?’
* * *
In a corner of the murder room, PC Reg Jenkins sat and stared at his notebook. Something wasn’t adding up.
‘What’s the problem?’ Dave called across the room.
Reg slapped the side of his head and almost shouted, ‘Wrong fish!’
‘Pardon?’
Reg explained. ‘Selby said he was fishing in the private lake down at Fenhouses, but he had two roach in his bag. Well, there aren’t any roach in that lake, it’s stocked with carp. I know, I fish there myself. I caught a smasher a few weeks back. I use luncheon meat for bait, and sometimes . . .’
Dave pulled a face. ‘Thanks for the tip, Reg, but what are you actually saying?’
‘That I’d like a butcher’s in his freezer. Those fish didn’t come out of that lake. In which case, where was Selby when Tamsin went missing?’
Nikki had caught the end of the conversation. ‘Get out there now, Reg. And bring him straight back if you’re not happy with what he tells you.’
* * *
‘Damn and blast it! How can they say we’re in danger! After my little tête-à-tête, security’s been so tight you can’t cough without filling in a request form signed by the chief constable. They could have let us finish up.’ Rory watched as a group of policeman lifted the last coffin into the back of the wagon.
‘Don’t blame them, mate. One, there’s a young girl missing, and two, you’re far too precious to waste.’ Stuart patted him affectionately on the shoulder.
‘We could be losing valuable evidence.’
‘At least they borrowed a refrigerated lorry for you to keep your bodies in until you need them.’
Rory grinned for the first time in hours. ‘Oh yes, from the local supermarket! Pray that they emptied it first! Guess what your breakfast sausages have been stored with, Mrs Grimsdale!’
‘That’s more like the Rory I know and love!’ The forensic archaeologist yawned. ‘Shall we go?’
‘As soon as the boys in blue have cleared out. I want to do one last check, just to make sure we haven’t missed anything.’
* * *
‘Run that past me again, Joseph.’ Nikki gulped down a strong black coffee.
‘It’s Selby, ma’am. We’ve just heard from Castor Fen. He’s done a runner.’
‘Where was the car that we had watching him, for God’s sake?’
‘There’s a side door. It led out to a wooded area between two properties. He must have slipped out that way.’
‘Put out a call, Joseph. I want him found and deposited in our custody suite until we know what the hell is going on!’
* * *
Cat grabbed the printout from the paper tray and ran to the DI’s office.
‘Ma’am! The Flowers’ ancestors. Joshua’s father’s family were master builders who, according to RAF documents, were involved in the original construction of the proposed super-station beneath RAF Flaxton Mere.’
Nikki rubbed at her temples and thought swiftly. ‘Really! So when the war was over and the old airfield fell into disuse, Daddy takes sonny boy and shows him the secret bunkers, the underground rooms, and all that.’
‘Looks that way, ma’am. But we still keep finding inconsistencies with that damn history society. I know the professor is our prime suspect, but we thought you should see this.’ She placed some sheets of paper in front of Nikki. ‘We’re not sure if this means anything or not.’
Nikki scanned the printouts. ‘Ah, Frank Kohler’s father was not just a cabinetmaker but did a nice line in coffins too, and as he got out of Germany for political reasons, he might have used his talents to help our own war effort.’ She puffed out her cheeks. ‘Why did Kohler junior not just tell us?’
‘Probably the same reasons that the Brewers lied about being married. Skeletons in the cupboard.’
‘Yes, what is all this about the Brewers?’
‘I’m absolutely certain it’s incest. They’re brother and sister. It shouldn’t take much to prove it, but unless you say otherwise, I’ll put it on the back-burner until we have our psycho banged up.’
‘What a can of worms we’ve opened in that innocuous history society! But yes, that can wait.’ She read on, then laid the papers on her desk. ‘Anything more of interest from Professor Flower’s past?’
‘The psychologist has been through everything we managed to pull together on Joshua Flower, and he says the profile is pretty damning. There are several points that stand out — his inability to hold down a job for one thing.’
‘Mm. He admitted to Yvonne that he couldn’t settle for long.’
‘He has no real friends, either.’
‘Other than casual ones, birdwatchers and the anoraks in his club.’
Joseph entered the room and sat on the edge of her desk. ‘We’ve just picked up his home computer. IT is checking the hard drive.’
‘Good. How is the brother? He rang me this morning. He sounded grim.’
‘Pretty shaken. He can’t get his head around the fact that his brother may not be all he believed him to be. He offered to help us in any way he can, but I think he’s told us everything he knows. Poor bloke. He feels a deep loyalty to his brother, and part of him
is certain that we are going after the wrong man, but he can’t deny the obvious. Joshua’s disappeared, and if he did go off on some innocent walkabout, then his timing leaves much to be desired.’
‘Excuse me, ma’am.’ The detective with gelled hair and odd eyes peered around the door. ‘Just heard from the SOCO that went out to Flower’s car, ma’am. He’s found a sack in the boot, full of herbs.’
Nikki nodded, half to herself, half to the others. ‘Then that just about clinches it. Thank you. Tell pathology we’d appreciate a report as soon as they can.’ Nikki’s hand reached out to her ringing phone. ‘Sir? What? Yes, of course, we’re on our way.’
She almost threw the phone down and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair.
‘Joseph! Get the car! We have to get to Flaxton Mere. They’ve found Joshua Flower.’ Swiftly she turned to Cat. ‘Stay here. Keep me posted on everything that comes in. We have far too many loose ends, and I need you to be my eyes and ears here in the hub.’
‘Yes, ma’am. I’ll keep you fully updated.’ Cat looked worried and a little sad that she wasn’t in with the action. ‘You take care out there, guv.’
Nikki looked over her shoulder and said, ‘Good God, woman, I’ve got about fifty officers with me! I’m safe as houses!’ Yet she was touched by the warmth in the younger detective’s voice.
* * *
Lights swept the fen. Shadows assumed fantastic shapes then disappeared, only to be replaced by others. The decaying ruin of the watchtower had taken on the appearance of a haunted abbey, and almost on cue, a mist began to roll in from the marsh.
Someone who had no official part in the manhunt sat hunched and low in a small hollow. Protected by a few scrubby bushes and a tangled pile of concrete debris and brambles, the figure was well hidden. ‘Please,’ the voice was a whisper, ‘let me last long enough to see this through. So much is at stake. Please?’ The last word drifted off on the night breeze and was lost in the mist.
* * *
‘This way, ma’am. The super is here already. He’s waiting for you.’ A uniformed sergeant met their car. Nikki glanced around and saw that their own men had been joined by an ambulance, the crews of two fire appliances, plus an armed unit.
Superintendent Greg Woodhall and a uniformed chief inspector stood together in the entrance to the control tower like two granite statues.
Greg placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘One of the search parties found a small storeroom that we’d missed. It seems to have housed dozens of boxes of dried herbs and lavender. When we found it, though, most of them had been emptied.’
‘You’ll see why in a minute.’ The chief’s words sounded ominous. ‘The second thing the search team found was another small chapel. That’s where we’re going now.’ He and Greg entered the building, beckoning for Nikki and Joseph to follow them.
The long corridor was filled with officers, yet it was eerily silent. They moved through a low, open door that led to a short tunnel. This opened out into a much older chamber. A cordon ribbon was tied across the opening. The chief inspector stopped. Inside, an arc lamp had been set up, its white light glaring against the pale stone of the walls. Nikki shaded her eyes and squinted. Then she gasped.
The chamber appeared to be as old as the burial crypt, although much smaller. Directly in front of her were two squat stone columns, supporting a semi-circular arch. In the centre was a raised stone platform.
Cushioned by a thick bed of herbs and dried wild flowers, lay Joshua Flower.
He was fully clothed, lying on his back, and both arms hung over the edge of the stone ledge. The slender fingers of both hands pointed gracefully downward, coated with blood from the deep lacerations in his wrists. Huge pools of it had formed around the base of the slab and spread out across the flagstones.
Nikki noted a pocket-knife, blade extended, lying just a few centimetres from the right hand.
‘My God! Pre-Raphaelite or what?’ Joseph breathed.
Nikki placed a hand on Joseph’s shoulder. ‘What now, sir?’
Greg Woodhall leaned against the wall and stared for a moment at his dust-covered shoes. ‘This place is sealed. No one comes in. I want Rory Wilkinson and Richard Foley to see this scene exactly as it is. The search team had the presence of mind to disturb nothing, and I had the paramedic go in purely to officially verify what was patently obvious. Other than that, the place is untouched, and I want it to stay that way until the pathologist and the psychologist have seen it.’ He paused. ‘We should make an official identification.’
Joseph looked at the super. ‘Surely we should wait until the body is back at the mortuary, sir? This is all rather gothic. The poor sod could have nightmares for years.’
‘No. Bring him here.’
Nikki added, ‘That’s a bit tough, isn’t it, sir?’
The superintendent gave a little shrug. ‘I think his imagination would give him more sleepless nights than seeing what really happened. Think about it. They both lived and breathed this place. Sorry, but I think it’s fitting that Simon Flower sees how his brother chose to end his life, don’t you?’
Nikki wasn’t too sure, but said, ‘Shall I go and break the news, and bring him in?’
‘Perhaps Joseph would do it, Inspector. I need you to hear what Foley has to say.’ He waited until Joseph had left, then added, ‘Frankly, I didn’t want Joseph hearing the psychologist’s profile of the madman who might just have abducted his daughter.’
* * *
Richard Foley, the criminal psychologist, stared thoughtfully into the chamber. Out in the main corridor, beneath lights now powered by one of the generators, both the chief inspector and the superintendent were pacing up and down.
‘Where the hell is bloody Wilkinson?’
The officer Greg spoke to looked worried. ‘We can’t find him, sir. His team and their stuff have all been moved out, but the professor and his associate are nowhere to be seen.’ He looked suitably abashed, adding, ‘Mobiles don’t work down here, and even the radios are iffy in some parts. But his car is still here, so we’ll keep looking.’
‘Dead right you will!’ The chief inspector snorted impatiently, and beckoned Nikki forward down the narrow passage to talk to the profiler.
‘First impressions, Doc?’ Greg Woodhall had his hands pushed deep into his pockets and his shoulders were hunched forward.
Richard Foley stared at the scene before him. ‘I’ve looked at every aspect of this case, and very little follows the textbook profile of a serial killer, until you look closer. Then there is a pattern, of sorts.’ He looked away from the body. ‘This is his last act: the finale.’ He turned to Nikki and the chief inspector. ‘It’s not unusual for psychopathic killers to kill themselves when they know it’s all over. It allows them to keep control over the situation, and not give in. Some like to be caught, they love the publicity and see it as a triumph. “Look, I’ve been killing for years and you never even knew. I’m so much smarter than you.” It is all about power.’ He looked back at the tableau. ‘Yes, I think he would see this as a suitable end to his work. His special place has gone. The people that he killed and “cared for” have been taken away. There is absolutely nothing left for him.’
‘What about Tamsin?’ asked Nikki, very glad that Joseph was not here, listening to the psychologist’s words.
Foley shrugged. ‘If Flower took her, he will have had a reason. It would be perfectly logical to him, but, DI Galena, this man was insane. Hence we can’t follow logical patterns of conjecture.’ He rubbed at his temple. ‘We mustn’t forget that she is the daughter of a policeman, so it might have been a gesture to get back at the police for destroying his lair, or she was his swansong. His final kill.’
The thought of Tamsin lying dead in this nightmarish underworld turned Nikki’s blood to ice. She nodded and went out for some fresh air.
‘Guv?’ Dave called from where he stood with a group of armed policemen. He spoke quickly to them, then headed in her direction. ‘I just had a cal
l from Cat. They’ve picked up Selby. The fishing trip was a cover for a meeting with a journalist. He was on his way to Peterborough when we stopped him, to clinch an exclusive with one of the nationals. So we can forget him, he was just trying to cash in on the situation. And regarding Joshua Flower — another nail in his coffin, so to speak — we already knew that his father and grandfather were builders, but apparently years ago builders often played other roles in village society, and the Flowers doubled up as the local undertaker!’
Nikki groaned. ‘Oh Sweet Jesus! He learnt everything at his father’s knee.’
Dave nodded. ‘So what happens now? We feel like a congregation where the wedding’s been called off. No one’s quite sure what to do.’
‘We are going to have to take this place apart. The clock is ticking against finding Tamsin, but she has to be here somewhere.’ She felt a pang of fear when she looked around at the size of the airfield. ‘I’m waiting for the go-ahead from top brass, then we’ll continue the search, so hold your positions until further orders.’
Dave returned to his team, and Nikki was left looking across at what had once been home to heroes — ace flyers and many other brave men. She looked up into the dark grey sky and muttered a rare prayer for the girl’s safety.
* * *
As the car drove across the fen, bringing Simon Flower to be reunited with his brother, neither Nikki nor Joseph realised that a pair of sharp, glittering eyes were following their progress. The concealed hollow was no more visible in the moonlight than it had been before the moon rose.
A figure moved, painfully flexing stiff, aching shoulder blades, and looked back towards the control tower. There was a different atmosphere about the place and the men and women who waited there. On the breeze could be heard voices, the bark of nervous laughter. Something serious had occurred in those grey, disused buildings. It would soon be time to move.