The Secret of Wild Boar Woods (DS Dave Slater Mystery Novels Book 6)

by P. F. Ford

  ‘That’s exactly what Norm thought,’ said Slater. ‘That’s why he spent most of the night following this up.’

  ‘And what did he find?’

  Twenty years ago, when the first of the two unsolved cases occurred in Manchester, Crump was living nearby. Ten years ago, when the second case happened in Romsey, the Crumps were living in Tinton.’

  ‘Which is just about an hour away. That’s not very far, is it?’

  ‘Right,’ said Slater.

  ‘So, d’you think that’s why Crump doesn’t look anyone in the eye? Because he’s guilty of murdering two kids?’

  ‘That’s a big leap. He could just be guilty of shoplifting, or it could simply be the case that his depression makes him feel worthless and that’s why he doesn’t look the world in the eye.’

  Darling was unconvinced.

  ‘There’s got to be more to it than that.’

  ‘But it’s all speculation without proof,’ said Slater. ‘And we’re going to have to be careful how we phrase any questions we put to him. Don’t forget we’re not supposed to know this stuff.’

  ‘But he was creeping about up at those woods. Why would anyone be up there at night?’

  ‘So you’re convinced Crump’s our killer, right?

  ‘Well, who else could it be?’

  ‘There’s always the parents,’ Slater said.

  Darling looked at him in surprise.

  ‘They have alibis,’ she said. ‘And no motives.’

  ‘They appear to have alibis,’ corrected Slater. ‘And let’s be honest – we haven’t exactly tried very hard to break either of those alibis, have we?’

  ‘No. I can’t see it. What’s the motive?’

  ‘How about desperately tired mum struggling to make ends meet, with an ungrateful daughter who makes her life hell and thinks her dad’s fantastic, even though he doesn’t appear to give a damn about her. Or there’s always the hard-up dad who isn’t paying child maintenance yet, and can’t afford to start. He’s also got the problem of a daughter who would rather spend all her time with him. If that ever happened, it would totally spoil his fun.’

  ‘No, sorry, it’s got to be Crump,’ said Darling.

  ‘Well, how about the other Crump?’ said Slater.

  ‘What? Where did that one come from?’

  ‘Think about it. She was living in the same places he was when both those earlier murders happened. She was a sales rep, and she’s now a sales director, so we know she’s mobile and she moves around the country. She’s been covering the south of England for years, so she knows her way around.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Darling. ‘So she could have had opportunity, but what’s the motive?’

  ‘I haven’t figured that one out yet,’ said Slater. ‘But then we don’t have one for Michael, do we?’

  ‘Yeah, but he’s a bloke. Statistically-’

  ‘Ha! Now you’re back on that “he’s a bloke so it must be him” thing.’

  ‘But she’s the one who suggested we look at Wild Boar Woods,’ argued Darling. ‘Why would she do that if she’s the killer?’

  ‘We don’t know if there’s anything up there yet,’ said Slater. ‘It could be a wild goose chase.’

  ‘Same question. Why would she do that?’

  ‘Perhaps it’s not a wild goose chase, maybe she wants rid of her husband.’

  ‘So why not divorce him?’ asked Darling.

  ‘She earns serious money,’ said Slater. ‘According to Norm, she has an enormous personal bank balance, and she owns a string of houses, all in her name, which she lets. If there was a divorce, he would get half.’

  Darling thought about this for moment.

  ‘No. I still say it’s him,’ she said, finally, ‘and I can’t believe you don’t think so.’

  ‘Oh, you’re probably right. I’m just trying to make sure you keep your mind open to other possibilities. Don’t forget we’re working on supposition right now. Until we have some compelling evidence against someone, we have to regard them all as possibilities.’

  ‘My gut says we’re going to find some.’ Darling manoeuvred the vehicle into the car park at Wild Boar Woods. ‘Then you’ll see I’m right.’

  ‘Let’s just see if they find anything first,’ said Slater, as he climbed from the car.

  Slater felt tired. They had spent a fruitless two hours up at the woods, before, shortly after midday, they were notified two doctors had assessed Crump as fit to continue with the interview. At that stage, the search team had found two old dog leads, a battered frisbee, and countless used condoms, but absolutely nothing that would help with their investigation.

  Now it was three o’clock in the afternoon and Michael Crump, Donald Swanning, Slater, and Darling, had reconvened to continue the interview. Darling had just made the introductions for the benefit of the tape.

  ‘They tell me you’re feeling better now, Michael,’ said Slater. ‘Are you sure you’re ready to continue?’

  Crump interrupted his spectacle polishing and looked up at Slater.

  ‘Yes,’ he said, before returning his focus to the spectacles in his lap.

  ‘Do you remember you were found up at the woods?’

  ‘Wild Boar Woods,’ said Crump, without looking up. ‘I was at Wild Boar Woods.’

  ‘That’s right. Can you tell me why you were up there?’

  ‘I was looking,’ said Crump, his voice a strange monotone.

  ‘What were you looking for?’

  ‘Children.’

  Next to Slater, Darling jumped visibly. Slater made a mental note to talk to her about that kind of thing.

  ‘Which children?’

  ‘Don’t know.’

  ‘Surely there wouldn’t be any children up there at that time of the morning?’

  ‘They’re always up there,’ said Crump.

  ‘What do you mean “they’re always up there”?’

  ‘They’re hidden, but I can’t find them.’

  ‘You mean they’re hiding from you? Like hide and seek?’ asked Slater.

  ‘No, not hiding. Hidden,’ said Crump.

  ‘Hidden? Who hid them, Michael? Did you?’

  Crump looked up at Slater, and shook his head. As he did, a lone tear escaped from his left eye and slid down his cheek.

  ‘She killed my little girl.’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ said Slater, hoping his suspect wasn’t going to fall apart again. He looked at Swanning, who looked as if he might call this interview off at any minute. ‘How about we take ten minutes?’

  Swanning nodded.

  ‘I’ll get some tea brought down,’ said Slater, as he and Darling rose from their side of the table.

  They made their way out of the interview room and into the observation room, where Goodnews was staring through the window at Crump.

  ‘What do you think?’ she asked.

  ‘I think there could well be two children’s bodies buried up there somewhere,’ said Slater. ‘But, I don’t think he’s going to tell us where they are. In fact, I’m not even convinced he knows where they are.’

  ‘I think he knows exactly where they are,’ said Darling.

  ‘I think you need to press him about who killed his little girl,’ said Goodnews. ‘We’re assuming he means his wife, but it might not be that at all.’

  ‘I’m going to,’ said Slater, ‘but I want to leave it until later. Last time we spoke about that he threw a wobbly and fell apart.’

  ‘I know that, but it’s obviously what’s behind everything he does.’

  Slater sighed, causing her to look round sharply at him.

  ‘Yes, I know that,’ he said, ‘and it could well be why he’s the way he is, but he’s only just managing to keep it together. I want to find out as much as I can before I push him that close to the edge again. Pressing the nuclear button straight away might leave us no further forward, and could mean we lose him altogether. I don’t want to risk that.’

  ‘What do you think, Naomi?’ as
ked Goodnews.

  ‘I think DS Slater’s right. I think Crump knows a lot more than he’s told us so far. Push too hard now and we could end up with nothing.’

  Goodnews looked unhappy, and turned back to look at Crump through the window.

  ‘There’s something very odd about that man,’ she said. ‘It’s almost as if he’s dead inside.’

  Slater followed her gaze. He knew what she meant; he had thought the same thing himself.

  ‘So, is there anything you want me to do?’ she asked.

  ‘I think it might be worth asking the search team to step it up, and maybe widen the search area,’ said Slater. ‘I’m sure there’s something up there worth finding.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said, heading for the door. ‘I’ll do that for you. In the meantime, I’ll leave you to get on with your interview. You obviously think you know what you’re doing.’

  Slater thought about rising to the bait, but Darling punched his arm to distract him.

  ‘Cow,’ he said, once Goodnews was gone.

  ‘I agree that remark was totally uncalled for,’ said Darling. ‘But you would have been an idiot to start arguing with her. It’s just like she’s pissed off because you’ve got it all under control and she can’t direct you.’

  ‘It’s not like she’s pissed off she can’t take over,’ said Slater. ‘She is pissed off she can’t take over. Thank you for backing me up on that. She was relying on you taking her side.’

  ‘Well, she got that wrong, didn’t she? If we push him over the edge now, we get nothing. It’s common sense, surely? Anyway, I thought you and her got on. How come she’s baiting you like that?’

  ‘Maybe she would prefer me to be a “yes” man.

  ‘Or maybe she’s upset you haven’t tried to get into her knickers yet.’

  Slater was shocked.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he said.

  ‘You think?’ Darling said, with a hint of a smile.

  ‘No way,’ he said, uncertainly. That couldn’t be it, surely? ‘Come on, let’s get going. We’ve got an interview to continue.’

  It was just at that moment that his mobile phone began to ring. He listened and nodded grimly.

  ‘That was Ian Becks, up at the woods,’ he said, after he hung up. ‘They’ve found what appears to be a child’s body, buried in a shallow grave. The forensic pathologist won’t commit at the moment, but her first guess is that it’s been in the ground for a long time – probably ten years or more.’

  ‘What can you tell me about the children who are hidden up at Wild Boar Wood, Michael?’ asked Slater.

  Crump looked up suspiciously at Slater, and then at Darling, but he said nothing.

  ‘Who hid the children up there?’

  ‘Can’t tell you,’ said Crump. ‘It’s a secret.’

  ‘A secret? I see. Did you hide them, Michael?’

  A flash of panic swept rapidly across Crump’s face, and then he put his head back down and began polishing his glasses yet again.

  ‘How many are hidden up there, Michael? One? Two? More than two?’

  Crump ignored Slater and polished for all he was worth.

  ‘We’ve found one of them, Michael. I got a call just before we resumed this interview. They think she’s been there for ten years or more.’

  Crump had stopped polishing now.

  ‘It is a she, isn’t it?’ asked Slater. He felt he was getting close now, and he could feel the tension oozing from Darling next to him.

  Without looking up, Crump went back to his polishing. Slater waited, but it was soon obvious Crump wasn’t going to fill the silence for him as he had hoped, so he decided to try a different approach.

  ‘Have you ever been to Manchester, Michael?’ he asked.

  ‘Used to live in Manchester,’ said Crump.

  ‘How about Romsey?’

  Crump looked up, surprised.

  ‘Don’t know that place. Never been there.’

  ‘Are you sure, Michael? Only it’s not far. About an hour’s drive. That’s not very far at all, is it?’

  ‘Don’t go that far. Only around Tinton. Never go anywhere else.’

  ‘You’re quite sure?’

  ‘Just told you. Never go far.’

  Slater looked at Darling and nodded. It was her turn.

  ‘Can I ask you some questions, Michael?’ she asked, gently.

  He looked at her, but said nothing. She smiled at him, and very slowly, he nodded his head.

  ‘D’you remember this photo?’ She slid the photo they had found in his wallet across the table.

  He looked at the photo and for the first time since they had restarted the interview he smiled. He nodded at her.

  ‘Can you tell me again who she is?’

  ‘She could have been my daughter,’ he said, sadly. ‘I always wanted a daughter like her.’

  ‘Do you know who she is?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Her name’s Linda Burgess,’ said Darling. ‘She was abducted ten years ago from outside her school in Romsey. We think it’s her body that’s been found up at Wild Boar Woods. Can you tell us how you come to have a dead girl’s photograph in your wallet, Michael?’

  Crump didn’t say anything at first, but his face became a mask of panic, and he began to shake his head from side to side, then gradually they could hear him repeating one word over and over.

  ‘No, no, no, no, no, no...’

  ‘Shall I tell you what I think, Michael?’ said Darling, raising her voice. ‘I think you took that little girl from outside her school.’

  ‘I think my client’s had enough of this now,’ said Swanning. ‘I think we should-’

  ‘Always wanted a daughter like that,’ said Crump, interrupting Swanning.

  ‘I think you took that little girl and you tried to make her into your daughter,’ said Darling, ignoring Swanning’s attempts to interrupt her. ‘But she didn’t want you, she wanted her real mum and dad, and because she didn’t want you, I think you killed her.’

  Crump was crying now, big, fat tears streaming from his eyes.

  ‘I think we should stop!’ shouted Swanning, but his client wasn’t listening.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Crump blubbered. ‘It’s all my fault. I never meant for her to get hurt, but I couldn’t stop it from happening.’

  Darling couldn’t quite believe what he’d said. She looked at Slater in disbelief.

  ‘Are you saying you killed her, Michael?’ asked Slater.

  ‘Yes, it’s all my fault.’

  ‘I take it you’ve charged him?’ asked Goodnews, when Slater and Darling told her what Crump had said.

  ‘Yes, of course,’ said Slater. ‘I wanted to make sure we could keep him here. I think there are going to be a lot more questions yet.’

  ‘You don’t look very happy for someone who’s just solved one murder, and probably two more as well.

  ‘I’d feel a whole lot happier if I was convinced he’d done it,’ said Slater.

  Goodnews sighed, shaking her head.

  ‘But he’s admitted it!’

  ‘I think he’d admit to stealing the crown jewels if it meant we’d leave him alone and stop asking questions.’

  Goodnews turned to Darling.

  ‘What do you think, Naomi?’

  ‘I thought it was him right from the start. Nothing’s happened to change that.’

  ‘But we’ve got nothing to prove it,’ said Slater. ‘Doesn’t that worry you?’

  ‘No,’ said Darling. ‘He confessed, remember?’

  ‘There you are, then,’ said Goodnews. ‘It’s a great result, and quick too. I think this calls for a celebration. Tell everyone the drinks are on me after work.’

  ‘You don’t like it, do you?’ asked Norman, when he and Slater were alone later.

  ‘For a start, he’s only actually admitted to knowing about one death,’ said Slater. ‘The way Goodnews is celebrating you’d think he’d just confessed to being a serial killer
.’

  ‘I don’t want to rub it in, but I did tell you she wanted a quick result here, and you’ve delivered it. It’s yet another big feather in her cap, and it’s all courtesy of you.’

  ‘But even if he killed the one he’s claiming he killed, it doesn’t mean he killed Chrissy.’

  ‘But it doesn’t prove he didn’t.’

  ‘You saw the CCTV, Norm. He didn’t go anywhere near her. His alibi checks out, and she went off in the other direction. We’ve got to no evidence at all.’

  ‘So, what are you going to do?’

  Slater heaved a big sigh.

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ he said, wearily. ‘Right now I think I’d like to go and get pissed. Are you coming?’

  ‘I’d love to,’ said Norman, ‘but I’m afraid you’ll have to find your own way home tonight. I have a prior engagement. Besides, I’m not entirely sure I like some of the company you keep these days, and I’m not referring to Naomi Darling.’

  Slater gave him a wry smile, and shook his head, but he didn’t comment.

  ‘And I think you’re beginning to feel the same way,’ added Norman. ‘Even if you’re not ready to admit it yet.’

  The doors opened noisily as Darling pushed her way through.

  ‘Right,’ she said. ‘Who’s for the pub? Are you both coming?’

  ‘I am,’ said Slater, heading for the door. ‘But I need to go to the little boy’s room first, to make some space.’

  Darling pulled a face at him

  ‘Ewww. Hashtag: too much information,’ she said after him, as he disappeared through the doors. Then she turned to Norman. ‘What about you, Norm? Are you coming?’

  ‘I can’t’ he said, mysteriously. ‘I have a date with a vat of soup.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘If I told you I’d have to kill you.’

  Darling laughed.

  ‘Ah,’ she said. ‘You mean you have a hot date.’

  ‘Yeah, something like that,’ said Norman. ‘Can I ask you a favour?’

  ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘Anything.’

  ‘Keep an eye on Dave, will you? I think he may be in the mood to drink a bit more than he should, and I don’t want to see him make a fool of himself.’

  ‘Hey, he’s my partner, right? Of course I’ll look out for him. Why’s he so pissed off?’