Lost Innocence

by M A Comley

  “It’s funny how some people can pick up on a house’s energy better than others. Hopefully, the inside of the house will prove to be free of any further remains, then you’ll be able to get on with your lives soon.”

  “No way. I’m moving out as soon as I’m able to get my personal belongings. There’s no way I could live there now. Sorry, Vera, I hate to say that after you being so kind to us the last few months.”

  Vera patted Sara’s hand. “Nonsense, lovey. I understand. I’m sure I would feel the same way you do if I were in your shoes.”

  Sally nodded. “I completely understand, too. Maybe you can give me the name of your solicitor. I’ll need to trace the deeds for the property to see who the previous owners have been over the years. According to the pathologist, the bones might have been down there as long as twenty years or more.”

  Vera gasped. “Never! Oh my. How dreadful, to think I’ve lived here all that time with a body lying mere feet away from me.”

  “You have? That’s interesting, Vera. I don’t suppose you could help us with the names of the people who have owned the house over the years?”

  The older woman chewed on her lip. “Some, possibly. I think the house was rented out for a while, so there were a lot of people who came and went within a short space of time. I’m not one of these nosy people who demand to know the ins and outs of everyone’s business, am I, Sara?”

  Sara shook her head. “I can vouch for that. Although Vera has been kind to us since we moved in, she waited until we approached her before she spoke to us. That was over a cup of milk, I seem to recall, wasn’t it?”

  “It was indeed. You felt you were failing Brian not offering him his cornflakes before he set off for work, I believe.”

  Sara blushed. “I like to take care of my man.”

  “That’s commendable,” Sally said, hopefully easing the woman’s discomfort with a smile. “Are you up to giving us a statement, Sara? We’ll need to get one each from you and your husband before the day is out.”

  “Okay. But I’m really not sure what else I can tell you other than what I’ve already said.”

  “That’s all right. We just need to make things official. Sorry to have to ask you this, Vera, but would you mind if we do that here rather than drag Sara down the station with us?”

  The older woman waved her hand in the air as if annoyed. “Get away with you. Of course I don’t mind. I’d like to help if I can.”

  “Is there another room we can use? I hate to put you out like this.”

  “You’re not. What about the kitchen? There’s a table and chairs in there. Excuse the mess. I was about to start making a cake when Sara knocked on my door.”

  “Sorry,” Sara apologised swiftly.

  “Hush now, child. Forget I mentioned it. This is far more important than baking something that will only turn to fat. ”

  Sally chuckled. The woman reminded her fondly of her own grandmother. “My gran used to say the same. It didn’t stop her making dozens of cakes over the years, though.”

  “It’s a bugger having a sweet tooth, but it’s the only vice I have at my age. So why not indulge now and again? Do you want me to stay here, or should I go in the kitchen?”

  “Perhaps Sara can go with Jack to go through her statement while I note down the names you can remember of the previous owners. How’s that?”

  Sara and Jack rose from their seats and left the room together. Sally could tell Sara was a little hesitant about what lay ahead by the speed she walked out of the room.

  Sally withdrew her notebook from her pocket and smiled at Vera. “So, can you remember the date you bought the house, Vera?”

  “I bought it in September of eighty-five. I remember it well because my daughter was born a few months after the move. My Ron—he died a couple of years back from a heart attack—was panicking because the sale took a while to go through. Damn solicitors, they do like to earn their money and hold things up when they can, don’t they?”

  “Any idea what the hold-up was, Vera?”

  “A combination of things, really. The mortgage took a while to be approved because my hubby had not long changed his job. Then there was a problem with the boundary line that was highlighted by my solicitor. It all turned out well in the end. I seem to remember it took about four months to complete.”

  “That is a long time. It must have been frustrating for you.”

  “Very. Not only for me but for the woman and her family who were desperate to move out too.”

  Sally glanced up from taking her notes. “Desperate to move out? Can you tell me why?”

  “I never did get to the bottom of why that was. Like I say, I’m not the inquisitive type. If people want to bare their soul to me, that’s up to them. I’m not one for prying into people’s business, though.”

  “I know it was a long time ago, but can you remember the woman’s name?”

  Vera pointed to her temple. “My hair might be grey, but there’s nothing wrong with my brain, dear.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. ”

  “Her name was Janet Ryland. She and her husband had three boys in their teens, I believe. What I can’t remember are the boys’ names, not that far back.”

  “That doesn’t matter. We can delve into that when we get back to the station. I don’t suppose you have a forwarding address for her?”

  “Gosh, I used to because I forwarded a lot of post to her back in the day. Once the letters dried up for her, I’m afraid I threw her address away. Let me think for a moment, see if I can conjure it up for you.” Vera stared at the flowered pattern in her carpet for a minute or two then shook her head. “I’ve failed. I’m sorry to let you down, dear.”

  “You haven’t let me down. Far from it, in fact. I’m sure we’ll be able to find her using the information you’ve already given me. Was she very old at the time?”

  “Around thirty-five to forty, I’m guessing. She must have been to have had the teenage sons.”

  “Good detective work,” Sally said, noting down the woman’s observation.

  “My old dad used to be a bobby on the beat years ago. I suppose I get those kinds of instincts from him. Lovely man, very strict in his manner. There was no messing about in his company, I can tell you. In those days, children were supposed to be seen and not heard, unlike the kids of today. I sit in my garden at times and pull my damn hair out. What is wrong with the children today? They’re so vocal. They no longer speak to each other but shout at the top of their lungs. That is when they’re not screaming or crying. And the bloody parents do little to try to dissuade them. Gosh, in my day, if my mother and father heard either me or my brother shouting in the street like an old fishwife, there would have been hell to pay. We would have been sent to our room and not allowed out for a month. The trouble with today’s kids is that there is no discipline. Why is that, do you think, dear? Do you blame the schools for doing away with the cane or the slipper?” She waved her hand in front of her again. “Don’t answer that. It was a rhetorical question.”

  “Hey, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Something has happened over the years, or not, as the case may be. I think the discipline side of things has wavered with most of today’s parents. They seem to shove the kids out after school, not caring what they’re up to. The amount of crimes that are reported because of youths misbehaving on the streets is multiplying every year. I fear we’ve gone off the track a little here. Going back to Janet Ryland, do you think her sons were well behaved?”

  Vera shook her head. “Now that I couldn’t tell you. We viewed the house several times before we bought it, but the lads were absent every time we came. She kept the house spick-and-span, so I’m thinking they were out a lot of the time, from under her feet. Don’t quote me on that one. It’s pure speculation on my part. I wouldn’t have bought the house if it was a tip, I can tell you. People took pride in their homes in those days.” Vera glanced out the window at the small terraced property across the street then pointed. “Lo
ok at that. A couple of old rusty cars on the drive and kids’ toys strewn across the front garden. That family drive me to distraction with their lack of discipline for their three kids. They’re only young. The oldest is probably seven, with the lungs of a professional opera singer. Awful, it is. If I were younger, I’d sell up in an instant. The trouble is, I wouldn’t know where to begin with any of that. My Ron used to see to that side of things in the past.” Her watery gaze drifted back to Sally. “I don’t suppose you could have a quick word with them before you leave?”

  “I will if you want me to. However, I wouldn’t want any recriminations landing on your doorstep after I’ve gone.”

  Vera shook her head. “Is that what it has come to these days? Even the coppers are too worried about upsetting people for fear of what they might do in return?”

  Sally dropped her chin to her chest. She was embarrassed to admit what she was about to say next. “I’m afraid it has. I do my bit where I can, but one word of complaint to some folks is like a red rag to a bull. My mum and dad went through hell a few years back. They own their house outright, but the houses opposite them are council-owned. A new family moved in and made my parents’ lives hell. Loud music playing at all hours. Motorbikes and cars revving their engines and even racing in the street. My dad confronted the family one day, and things got considerably worse before I intervened and spoke to someone I knew at the council. The family were moved a few months later, but they made Mum’s and Dad’s lives tough right up until the day they left.”

  “At least you managed to get rid of the yobs and their loutish behaviour in the end. ”

  “I did. But I know Mum and Dad still live on tenterhooks at times in case the family ever take umbrage and return. I installed a CCTV camera at the house for their peace of mind. It seems to have done the trick.” That wasn’t the prime reason Sally had installed the camera. She had moved back home around that time, and Darryl had sent a prison mate of his to damage her car. He’d even targeted her dog, Dex. Thankfully, the camera had caught him in the act.

  “You seem a good daughter to your parents, love. I take my hat off to you.”

  “They’re all I’ve got in this world, apart from my fiancé. Luckily, they all get on famously together. Dad and Simon are even set up in business together.” Sally couldn’t believe how relaxed and open she was being with the woman. It was totally out of character for her. She was usually a very private person on the quiet.

  “That’s nice when people get on so well like that. I do my best to get on with the neighbours. Sara and Brian are a really nice couple. I feel so bad that this has happened to them. I hope they don’t end up leaving the house now.”

  “Maybe Sara will reconsider if nothing bad shows up on the inside of the house. Perhaps she’ll be able to live with the fact that a body was buried in her back garden after all.”

  Vera inclined her head. “Would you?”

  The woman had a point, and Sally was unsure how to answer her for a moment or two. “Okay, I’ll admit I don’t think I would be able to live here, knowing that. What were the neighbours before them like?”

  “The one who sold the house to Sara and Brian? Well, David Pollett travelled around the country as a salesman. I used to keep an eye on the property during the week while he was away—only from a distance, that is. I was sad to see him move, but he decided to go and live up in Scotland. I think his firm gave him a new area to cover up there and promoted him to area manager at the same time. I was thrilled for him. Such a nice man, he was.” Vera stood and crossed the room to a small mahogany bureau in the corner. She opened a drawer, extracted a small address book and returned to her seat. “Now, I know I have a forwarding address for him as we promised to send each other a card at Christmas.”

  Sally’s spirits rose. “Excellent news. The more information you can share with us will make our job so much easier in the long run. ”

  “Here it is.” Vera passed the book over to Sally so she could jot down the address.

  “Crikey, he’s way up in the Highlands. Not sure I can afford the time off work to pay him a visit. I’ll get the local police to go and see him. He lived next door for how long?”

  Vera frowned a little. “About five years, I think.”

  “And before he arrived?”

  “Well, that would have been my dear friend May Childs. She lived there for over forty years. Loved that house, she did. Died there in her sleep one day. Unfortunately, I was the one who found her. I had a key, you see. They all must trust me because they all ensure I have a key to the place. Anyway, I hadn’t seen her around for a day or two, thought she’d gone off to visit a relative without telling me, so I let myself in and made sure the house was all safely locked up. I found her lying in her bed. She seemed so peaceful. Broke my heart at the time, it did. We were extremely close. She died of natural causes, the post-mortem said. Her heart simply gave out.”

  “Was she very old?”

  “No more than sixty-five. No age really, not by today’s standards, is it?”

  “I suppose you’re right. That’s so sad.”

  “David was aware that May passed away in the house, but he didn’t seem to mind. They were both lovely people, and I miss them both very much. Sara is a treasure, though. Again, we’ve hit it off right away, although she works odd shifts. She’s a nurse at the hospital and tends to do the night shift most of the time. She’s got the week off this week. That’s why they started doing the work on the garden. I bet she regrets doing that now. Poor lass.”

  “Very unfortunate incident, one that will take time to get over, I’m sure. Going back to May Childs, Vera, was she married?”

  “No, she refused several offers over the years. Always told me that she was determined to remain a spinster all her life as she preferred a peaceful existence. All the relationships she’d had before, she described as being ‘volatile in nature’. She was such a gentle soul. Hard to believe someone of her demeanour could bring out the vile temper in some men. She went on the occasional date with a man, but as soon as the mask slipped and his true colours showed, she ditched him. ”

  Sally nodded. After living with someone whose gentle nature had disguised the true monster buried beneath, she understood. “I see. Did all the men accept being ditched?”

  Vera pondered the question for a few moments. “As far as I know, yes. Back in the day, you never heard about women being stalked by aggrieved men they had dumped, not like nowadays. The paper is full of women who have been stalked and badly beaten by their exes. No doubt you’ve had to deal with a few cases along those lines over the years, right?”

  “I have.” Both professionally and personally, unfortunately. “It appears to be an increasing trend, especially among the famous people, too. It’s a strange and often terrifying world we live in due to the social media aspect of our lives.”

  “I hear that a lot. Whoever invented the internet and that damn Facebook has a lot to answer for, don’t they? Yes, it’s good for looking up things, but there’s a dark side I keep hearing about that really ticks me off.” Vera shuddered. “It doesn’t bear thinking about at times. I’m glad I’m not younger and reliant on the internet to get my kicks.”

  Sally smiled. “Like you say, there are definite positives and negatives to using the internet. I must confess from a copper’s point of view we find it invaluable most of the time. The amount of crimes I used to solve in my former role as a murder squad detective where a person’s Facebook account revealed so much about the way they live their lives is nobody’s business. Now I’m working as a cold case detective, I’m forced to go about solving the case the old-fashioned way. Mostly by legwork and talking to people such as yourself. We’re superefficient at it, though—at least we have been in the past year since the team was created.”

  “That’s wonderful. I remember when my father successfully solved a case, he used to be on a high for months back then.”

  Sally smiled. “Times have changed considerably sin
ce your father’s day, I’m afraid. Because of the targets we’re forced to meet monthly, we solve one case and immediately get started on the next. Last year, my team were given one hundred and ten cold cases to reinvestigate because of a technicality that showed up at head office. We’re still trawling through those cases today, as well as having to deal with new cases that arise such as this one.”

  “Oh my goodness. That’s horrendous,” Vera said, looking genuinely appalled .

  Sally shrugged. “It is what it is with modern-day policing.”

  Jack appeared in the doorway. “Can I have a quick word, boss, please?”

  “Excuse me, Vera.” Sally followed him out into the hallway. “What’s wrong?”

  He lowered his voice. “Nothing. I’ve got all I’m going to get out of her, I reckon. I think she’s had enough right now and is asking me to call her husband.”

  “Understandable. They’re both innocent in this, Jack. Let’s not be too down on her for being affected by this. We need to take a statement from the husband, too, anyway.”

  “If he’s going to tell us the same thing, perhaps we shouldn’t call him home from work. I was thinking of sending a uniformed copper over to see him later.”

  “Makes sense to me. The couple will need to find other accommodation for the next few days while SOCO go through the house. Maybe you can arrange for them to stay elsewhere for me, too. I shouldn’t be too long with Vera.”

  “Okay, I’ll get on it now.”

  Sally returned to the lounge to find Vera standing by the window, observing her front garden, where the roses were about to bloom. “Are you all right, Vera?”

  The woman turned to face her slowly. “I suppose it’s only just sinking in now. The fact that a body has been buried next door all those years, and no one knew about it. I dread to think what that person’s family went through if they went missing. What possesses someone to bury a body in a back garden like that? They can’t possibly have an ounce of decency running through them, can they?”