Souls of Men

by A. R. Ashworth

  There was a rap on the door frame and Liz entered. “Greene didn’t show for his bail appearance today, and I couldn’t contact him. I was getting ready to go find him when one of the DCs out of Plaistow called. Greene’s office building went up in flames today. The fire brigade thought everyone was out, but they found a body. It looks like it might be Greene.”

  Elaine grabbed her jacket. “Let’s go.”

  It was after dark when Elaine and Liz arrived at the fire scene. They showed their warrants to the officer at the barrier and went in search of the fire brigade’s watch commander, picking their way around vehicles and over snaked fire hoses. The acrid reek of burnt wood and plastic and diesel assaulted their senses. Engines rumbled and electric generators rattled in a pulsing rhythm. Puddles reflected and amplified the flashing blue, red, and yellow lights of the emergency equipment. Firefighters scurried purposefully in and out of the building, which was brightly lit by portable flood lights. Through wisps of dissipating smoke and steam, Elaine could see dark figures moving behind the smashed windows on the upper two floors. She eventually found the watch commander giving instructions at the center of a small gaggle of firefighters. As soon as the group dispersed to carry out their tasks, Elaine introduced herself and asked about the body. The watch commander, who identified himself as John Harrison, was a burly man who stood a full head taller than Elaine. He looked preoccupied with his own responsibilities.

  Harrison nodded at Elaine’s question. “We’re still searching the building, but yeah, we found the body of a man in the second-floor office, where the fire started. From the initial survey, it looks like there was an accelerant and some kind of fuse, so we’re operating on the assumption that the fire was deliberate. The building directory shows that space is leased to a solicitor named Jackson Greene. We don’t know if it’s him or not, though. He’s badly burned. If you’re thinking suicide, I rather doubt it. There was a time delay on the igniter.”

  “I rather doubt it was suicide too. Is the forensic medical examiner here yet? Can we go in to see where the body is?”

  From his frown, Elaine could tell Harrison wouldn’t grant her request. “The medical examiner is here. The body will be out and off to autopsy in a few minutes. I don’t want anyone but the doc and my investigators in there until we’re as certain about the cause and chain of events as we can be. Besides, we’re not sure the place is safe. We’ll let you know when your people can enter the building.”

  Elaine tried again. “We’re talking about a murder investigation, and Greene is—or was—an important witness. Seeing the crime scene early is critical to . . .” She stopped when the watch commander held up his hand.

  “I understand, Chief Inspector, but this is the protocol. We’ll make sure it’s safe and work with your fire investigation team. We’ll fully inform you. We always do. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get on with it.” From the way he raised his eyebrows, Elaine was sure that he wasn’t going to budge.

  She nodded and smiled at him. “I hope you understand that I had to try. One more thing. Do you know who owns the building?”

  “It’s a bank in Liverpool. We’re still trying to get in touch with the right person. All that will be in the report you’ll get.”

  “Right. I look forward to it. And please make me copies of the CCTV discs once you’ve got them. Thanks so much.”

  As she turned away, feeling a bit put off, she saw Kumar, the medical examiner, walking from the building. She motioned to Liz, and together they intercepted him before he reached the forensic van.

  Kumar saw them coming. “Hi, Elaine. I had a feeling I might find you here. Call it pathologist’s intuition. The same feeling tells me you don’t think he died in the fire.”

  Elaine shook her head. “Did he?”

  “His body was lying face up, so I doubt it. Perhaps he was unconscious. I’ll know once I find out if there’s smoke in his lungs.”

  “What about time of death?”

  “The body is burned. The fire was called in at about five PM. So perhaps a bit before then. Beyond that, it’s autopsy first. You know the drill.”

  “Certainly do. When do you think you’ll know something?”

  Kumar thought for a few seconds. “I can’t get started until tomorrow morning. I’ll give you a call.”

  “Do you think anything can be salvaged from his office?”

  “Well, the SOCOs will know better, but it looked pretty bad. All the papers are burned. And there was a charred lump of plastic on the desk. It could have been a laptop, if that’s what you’re after.”

  “Right. Let me know when you start the autopsy. And thanks.”

  Liz spoke up once they were back at Elaine’s car.

  “You think he was murdered first, then they burned the office to destroy evidence?”

  “I won’t speculate about the murder. Kumar will tell us. They burned the office to slow us down and get rid of his files and laptop.” Elaine reversed her car and slowly maneuvered around two emergency vehicles. “Maybe he kept some backup disks at his flat. We need to get there and seal it off, if Srecko’s people haven’t been there first. Call Bull. Tell him to meet us there with some uniforms. Then call forensics and get them on the way.”

  Elaine had barely pulled the car onto the street when Liz shouted, “Stop, Chief!”

  Elaine slammed on the brakes. “What?”

  Liz pointed to an ambulance parked at the side of the road. “Up there. I know it’s dark, but I thought I saw him.”

  “Who? Nilo?” Elaine craned her neck forward and peered into the gloom. She briefly distinguished a familiar human form slipping behind a gaggle of spectators. No. It can’t be.

  She reached into a pocket of her jacket and retrieved a small flashlight. As they slowly cruised past the gawkers, she lowered the car window and shone the flashlight on the edges of the crowd. She reflected that there was nothing like a disaster to bring out the neighborhood. People of all ages were milling about. Several stood at the blue cordon, mutely watching the firefighters go about their business. Others gathered in small groups, talking and smoking cigarettes. A few shouted their annoyance when she played the light over them.

  “I thought it was Jenkins,” Liz said. “Maybe. It’s dark. I can’t be sure.”

  “If it was, he’s not here now.” Elaine was sure it had been Jenkins. She raised the window and accelerated up the street.

  Twenty minutes later, Elaine stood in front of Greene’s basement flat, staring at the half-open door with its splintered post. The strong, smoky smell of whisky wafted out to them. She and Liz pulled on their gloves and entered cautiously behind Bull, who insisted on taking the lead. Once inside, they saw the floor of the sitting room was covered with glass from broken bottles and smashed picture frames. Books had been pulled from shelves. Tables and chairs were turned over, their cushions slashed open. The two bedrooms and the bath showed the same chaotic disarray.

  Would Jenkins have had time to do this? Elaine kept the thought to herself. Instead, she said, “Crap. Whoever the cousins used, they were pretty thorough. Let’s hope whoever did this left some prints. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Bull, call SOCO and have them get someone over here. Then get one of the night duty detectives over here to supervise. Make sure they call us if they find anything. Computer disks, records, and the like. Once you’ve briefed them, you can go home too. No point spending more overtime on this mess.”

  THIRTY-SIX

  The streets were surprisingly empty, so Elaine made good time on the way to her flat. The more she thought, the angrier she became. She had no doubt the cousins were behind Greene’s death and the fire. Even if Nilo were smart enough to have planned the fire, he couldn’t have done it by himself. Had Jenkins helped him, or was it some other Srecko muscle?

  Greene’s death was a setback. The sleazy lawyer’s demise didn’t cripple the case, but his testimony against Nilo about the assault on Katya would have made it easier. The good news was that the cousins were fe
eling threatened. Greene’s death and the fire were signals that they were actively defending themselves. It made it more likely that they would make a mistake by doing something that she and her team could act on. Once she had found out what Kumar had to say, she would pay them a surprise visit and twist them a bit more. With any luck, they’d figure that Nilo wasn’t worth the trouble and they would give him up. Elaine felt herself fading and realized she needed some food, so she stopped at a Pret A Manger and picked up a sandwich and fruit salad.

  Later, she sat at her kitchen table, munching. Scratch purred contentedly at his bowl while she picked at the salad. She always ate the melon first and the strawberries last. Takeout had become a habit, as it usually did in the middle of an investigation. The population of containers in her fridge and rubbish bin was growing. Oh well, no one else would see them.

  Unless she asked Peter to come to her flat. That would be nice. It had been too long since she had shared her bed. Especially with someone who had that much potential. She didn’t think he was working tonight.

  She should put that thought away. First things first. Once Nilo was in custody, she’d tidy the place and ask Peter to dinner.

  And that didn’t feel right either. She laughed to herself. What the hell, Lainie? What do you want?

  Elaine put down her fork. You want him. It’s not breathless whirlwind lust. You’re not a teenager. You are who you always wanted to be, and he knows it. Sooner or later, he’ll find out you can be a slob. And what good is starting something with him if you don’t give yourself a chance to work at it?

  She picked up her mobile and dialed Peter’s number. There would be time to change the sheets before he arrived.

  * * *

  Kumar was weighing Greene’s liver when Elaine arrived at the morgue the next day. He motioned her nearer to the table and began his usual dissertation about the corpse, explaining that it sometimes was difficult to ascertain the cause and time of death in a case where the body was burned, so generally the time of the fire was used. Elaine listened politely for a few minutes, as she usually did when Kumar was lecturing, then looked up at the clock on the wall as a sign that he needed to get to the point. He understood.

  “My first indication that this gentleman did not die in the fire was this.” Kumar lifted a flap of burned skin on Greene’s throat and pointed to a small grayish bone.

  Elaine had seen it before. “So the hyoid bone is broken? Manual strangulation?”

  Kumar nodded. “He was strangled, probably with hands instead of a ligature. It would take a strong pair of hands to strangle a man this size, but a ligature wouldn’t have broken it, and there’s no trauma that makes me suspect it was broken in any other way. The flesh is too burned to show bruising, but I’ll check some more. There is no smoke in his lungs, so I can safely surmise that he was dead before the fire was set.”

  Elaine nodded. “Right, then. Thanks, Doc. Let me know if you find anything else.”

  The news that was waiting for her once she was back at her office wasn’t helpful. The CCTV cameras in the lobby of the building, and their recordings, had been burned beyond retrieval. The closest street camera was too far away to give much detail, and no one they could recognize had entered the building earlier in the day. Certainly no one had entered carrying a large corpse. So Greene most likely had been killed at his office.

  Most of the detectives on the team were out interviewing Greene’s neighbors, associates, and the other tenants of the office building. She pressed the speed-dial key for Liz on her mobile.

  “Liz, find Bull, and I’ll meet the both of you in the car park at the Sreckos’ office.”

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  Low gray clouds were scudding in from the west by the time Elaine arrived at the multistory car park next to the IRG offices. Cold, wet weather was in the offing, and the wind was starting to gust through the open floors. Liz and Bull were already there, so Elaine briefed them on what she wanted them to do. Together the three marched across the drive and took the lift to the IRG offices. Bull waited by the door. Elaine and Liz flashed their warrant cards at the surprised receptionist.

  Elaine spoke first. “We would like to see Anton and Janko Srecko. Right now.”

  Elaine could see the receptionist gathering herself before she answered. Her tone was chilly. “That’s not possible. Mr. Janko is not in the office today, and Mr. Anton is busy.”

  Elaine hardened her expression. “Please tell Mr. Anton that unless he meets with us immediately, I shall proceed with my plans to obtain a search warrant for these offices. No one—no employees, clients, or visitors—shall be allowed in or out until we have questioned them.”

  The receptionist’s eyes stayed fixed on Elaine as she spoke softly into her headset. After a moment, she tilted her head toward the corridor leading to Anton’s office.

  The door to Anton’s office was open and Elaine marched through it with Liz behind her. Liz did not shut the door. Anton sat behind the desk with a cold-blooded look on his face. He didn’t speak.

  Liz sat in one of the office chairs and took out her notebook. Elaine remained standing and began speaking at Anton in a loud voice. “We are investigating the murder of Jackson Greene, and we have strong evidence that someone from your firm was directly involved and was instructed to kill him and burn his office.”

  Anton’s voice was even and softly pitched. “I deny that. Keep your voice down when you speak to me. You are fishing again, Inspector Hope, and it is clear that you are harassing me. No magistrate in Britain would give you a search warrant for these offices. I shall strongly protest this behavior to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and your Professional Standards department, or directorate, as you call it. I shall also contact the press. If I see or hear anything in the media about these outrageous allegations, I will file a slander suit against both you and the Metropolitan Police Service. I trust I am being clear. Now I want you to leave. Do not come back.”

  Elaine placed her hands on the desk and leaned across, her eyes locked on his. She spoke barely above a whisper. “I am not fishing. You think that your people—Nilo and someone else we haven’t identified yet—destroyed everything with the fire. You think they swept Greene’s apartment clean. But you didn’t think about the cloud, did you? You didn’t think that Greene had stored his backups and all that incriminating information out in Neverland somewhere? As we speak, our forensic people are hunting those files down. They will find them, be assured of that—everything leaves a trace—and when they do, you will be in very serious trouble, Mr. Srecko.”

  Anton stared back at her. “I told you I did not want you in here. I will not answer any of your insinuations or accusations.”

  Elaine allowed her voice to rise until she was sure it could be heard up and down the corridor. “You also realize that we are still searching for your nephew. He is a violent murderer, and we need to catch him before he kills again. If we discover that you or anyone in this company has been hiding him, you can be held accountable as an accessory.”

  Anton was impassive. “For the last time, get out of my offices.”

  Elaine motioned to Liz, and together they walked back to the foyer, where Bull stood by the door. On their way past the reception desk, Elaine noticed the picture of the blonde girl on the window sill. She stopped and indicated the picture with a nod of her head. “Lovely daughter. University?”

  The woman’s hesitant voice betrayed her uncertainty. “She is lovely, thank you. Uni is next year.”

  Elaine leaned over the desk. “I apologize for having spoken so loudly. I hope I didn’t disturb you. I know from personal experience that uni can be expensive, even with a scholarship. Here’s something to think about. What do you think would happen to your daughter’s future prospects if her mother were charged with profiting from brothel keeping, being an accessory to serious financial crimes, and possibly being an accessory to murder? I suggest you think seriously about your situation.”

  The woman look
ed shocked. “That’s outrageous! How dare you say something like that?”

  Elaine shrugged. “Easily. Based on what you do and what you must know, it’s a no-brainer. I would be happy to say it again.” She turned away and led the other two detectives out of the office.

  * * *

  Outside, the weather had turned and the wind was strong, cold, and damp, buffeting them and driving occasional raindrops into their faces. They hurried to the car park without speaking.

  Once under shelter, Elaine turned to Bull. “Did anyone try to leave while we were in there?”

  Bull nodded. “One fellow, not quite my size. Trained muscle, from the way he moved and carried himself. I stood in front of the door and told him he couldn’t leave until he told me his name and what business he had here. He stared at me for a bit and then went back down a corridor. Not the one where you were, the other one. The woman at the desk looked like she was about to bolt out of the room. Extremely frightened, I’d say.”

  “Did he talk? Say anything?”

  Bull shook his head. “No. Just glared at me.”

  “I’d wager he may not speak much English. Let’s get back to the nick and you can talk to an artist so we can build an electronic composite for him.”

  Liz spoke up. “What you said in there, about Greene’s backup files being out in the cloud. Is that true?”

  “Not exactly. I did tell Cromarty to have the digital forensics boffins do some hunting, but as far as any hard evidence that they exist, there’s nothing right now.”

  “It didn’t seem to faze him when you said that.”

  Elaine shrugged. “I was closer to him than you, and I think it did. I hope so. It’s what I intended.”

  “What do you think he’ll do? Will he go to Professional Standards and the Complaints Commission?”

  “Probably not. Right now, he needs to keep our investigation confined to the murder case. He’s sure we have the goods on Nilo, and it’s only a matter of time.” Elaine indicated her car. “Let’s get inside. It’s too bloody cold and windy out here.”