A Killer's Calling: Incite to Murder 1

by John Stuart Owen

  I’ve got to speak to Matt. After umpteen attempts to call him she gave up . . . Dammit! Where the hell are you?

  Chapter 41

  Orla paced the floor as she turned over in her mind how best to move forward with their investigation. The sound of the doorbell broke through her train of thought and the sight of her pals brought some welcome relief.

  ‘Gosh! Is it that time already? Where are the boys?’

  ‘They went to Villa Park.’

  ‘Oh, I forgot they were going out . . . but I thought they wanted to watch a game of football!’

  Ignoring the jibe, Bette and Freda pushed on through the door clutching their shopping bags. ‘You’re going to love what we’ve found . . . you’re going to wish you had come with us.’

  Orla was trying to lift her spirits in line with her pals bubbling excitement but her thoughts were still on the morning’s brush with Kevin Crystal. Bette was busy unpacking her bargain finds but Freda noticed immediately that the normally bright, happy Orla was somehow missing. ‘What’s up kid?’

  Orla looked up into Freda’s enquiring gaze. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Oh come on Orla! Something’s troubling you. What is it?’

  ‘I’m sorry if I seem a bit distant Freda; it’s just that I got a bit of a shock this morning and I can’t stop thinking about it.’

  Bette had latched onto the exchange. ‘Well, what was it Orla? What on earth happened?’

  ‘It was nothing really, it’s just that I went into town today in the hope of accidentally on purpose bumping into someone, it’s to do with this case I’ve been working on, and well, I was spotted by someone else and he gave me a fright.’

  ‘But today was your day off wasn’t it?’

  ‘Well yes it was, but I had this idea . . . and it was a good idea, to meet up with this person; I thought I could get her to confide in me, but I got it wrong.’

  ‘And what about Detective Matt Black; where was he? Did he know what you were about?’

  ‘No . . . He had plans for the weekend and I just thought I could move our investigation on a bit.’

  ‘Out to impress our Matt were we?’ A smile flickered across Bette’s face turning into a wicked grin as she made eyes at Freda.

  Immediately defensive, Orla spouted forth, ‘No of course not! I’m not out to impress anyone. Anyway we don’t have the sort of relationship that needs either one of us to impress the other. We just get on with the job.’

  Orla’s denial was picked on immediately. ‘I think we’ve got a bit of a crush on our Matt haven’t we? Hold on . . . are you blushing Orla? Freda, look, she’s blushing!’

  ‘No I am not, I know what you are like, you’d love to think that there was something going on with Matt and me but there isn’t. He’s not my type and anyway, he’s obsessed with this Catherine woman, his old flame.’

  ‘Do I detect some bitterness there?’ Bette threw her head back laughing. ‘We are only joshing with you Orla. What do you fancy doing tonight? We thought the guys could meet up with us at Touchwood, we would get in a movie, and then finish up with a meal at Nando’s.’

  ‘Sounds great; but it depends on the movie?’

  Freda agreed. ‘You’re right. If it was just us it would be easy, but we’ve got Max and Harry to worry about. We’re going to have to watch something that they will enjoy, so I suppose we’ve only got one choice. The new “Toy Story” is on and it’s in 3D.’

  Nods were exchanged and the plan for the evening was set.

  Chapter 42

  Matt nosed his car out of the Dundas estate and into the quiet lane. His head was pounding; heavy drinking was a pursuit that he had given up long ago for good reason.

  He had shared a breakfast with Mirabelle, Tom being dead to the world, and had been pleasantly surprised how at ease he had felt discussing some of the personal issues that had befallen him this last couple of years. Catherine had featured prominently.

  Yes! His decision to offload his problems onto Tom and Mirabelle had been the right one. At least he now had a chance to move forward in his pursuit of Kevin Crystal.

  It had been a while since he had enjoyed a quiet Sunday drive in the country and as he motored home along the Oxfordshire lanes, he found the tranquil surroundings began to clear his senses and that feel-good factor that had been in short supply started to emerge. A small convenience store appeared ahead and he pulled over. He leant across and opened the glove-box to retrieve his wallet and as he did so his BlackBerry fell to the floor.

  An audible sigh escaped from his lips as he saw the list of missed calls . . . all from Orla. He played the message but its content lacked any clue as to why she needed him so urgently. I didn’t need the message, Orla; the six missed calls were enough! The speed dial quickly made the connection.

  ‘Oh Matt, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you.’

  ‘What’s happened? Are you alright?’

  ‘Everything’s fine now, but I got a fright on Saturday, I saw Kevin Crystal but I don’t want to talk about it on the phone; I need to see you!’

  ‘Where are you at the moment?’

  ‘I’m at home.’

  ‘I’ll be there inside the hour and I can tell you what I’ve been up to; perhaps we can get some lunch.’

  ‘I’ll look forward to that; see you just now.’ Orla sat back, relieved that she had made contact. I wonder what he will say! She looked at herself in the mirror. You look a mess; that’s what he’ll say!

  Five minutes later an altogether different Orla appeared from the bathroom, she passed the same mirror and cast a sideways glance. That’ll do! She made herself a cup of coffee and paced about the flat, titivating the cushions and ornaments that were littered about. She dropped into an easy chair and surveyed the scene. That’s as good as it gets. Her coffee finished, she sat quietly with her thoughts.

  Last night had been good; they had all enjoyed the movie and Nando’s was as always a treat but last night she felt something of a spare part. She had rarely been short of male attention but her last steady had departed the scene shortly before she had been teamed up with Matt. Pressure of work on the murder case had not allowed her the luxury of developing a new romantic focus in her life. As she dreamed on, covering all the possible candidates she would consider, she found that none of them really measured up. That’s got to change! The chime of the doorbell brought her back to the present.

  ‘Thank goodness you’re here Matt.’ she moved aside to let him past. Her first instinct had been to hug him. Matt had picked up the body language as he walked in. He saw the hesitancy in her movement as she moved forwards but then backed away as he approached.

  ‘Sorry the place is in such a mess.’

  ‘What is it Orla? What happened with Crystal?’

  She drew a deep breath. ‘It was like this, I went into Leamington on Saturday morning to do a bit of shopping, and was having a cup of coffee when who should come around the corner but Kevin and Catherine.’

  ‘So they’re definitely together?’

  ‘Well yes . . . and no. Sure they were together but the relationship looked far from cosy.’ Orla went on to describe what had happened.

  ‘You’re sure he saw you? He wasn’t just pulling an awkward face in your direction?’

  ‘Matt if you had been there, if that look had been aimed at you, I promise, you would have been very unsettled. It was murderous and the knowing leer that followed, sort of said, come after me at your peril!’

  Matt had been observing Orla closely and realised that this incident with Crystal had affected her badly. He moved closer and putting his arms around her shoulders, pulled her towards him. He felt the tension in her body relax as she melted into his arms.

  Her head turned sideways, she wiped away a tear. ‘He scared me Matt; I’ve never felt so threatened in my life. God, I worked with this man! . . . we were colleagues! What the hell is he about?’

  ‘I think we know what he’s about . . . Let me tell you w
hat I’ve been up to. It is imperative that we get something more on Crystal and that trip he made to the coast with Catherine has got to be looked at. We know something went awry; we need to find out what!’

  Matt proceeded to relate to Orla, what had gone on with Tom Dundas.

  ‘So he was a big pal of your Dad’s?’

  ‘Yes they joined the force together and pretty well followed similar paths through the ranks.’

  ‘A bit like you and Kevin then!’ A slight smile appeared on Matt’s face.

  ‘Don’t even go there; he and I were never mates. Where my Dad and Tom would spend a good deal of their time off, with each other and their families, Kevin and I never exchanged any words on anything other than police business. In fact I don't think that he mixed socially with any of the other cadets or with any of the academy staff.’

  ‘So what’s the plan then, I assume there is a plan?’

  ‘Tom is going to get hold of the Inspector or whoever holds the fort at

  Llantywyn and tell them that a certain individual that we have under surveillance has spent some days in their town and we want to check up to see what he has been up to; if anything. We have a good idea what we are looking for, and with their assistance, could we look over their records for the brief period in question. What I have to do on Monday morning is tell Janet Warley that I need a few days off to settle some family business. If she agrees, I’ll tell her to let you take some time off as well. No sense on you being in the office alone, and you must be due some leave.’

  ‘What if she doesn’t go for it?’

  ‘She has to go for it! I’m not prepared to consider any options. Can you check out some Hotels or B&B’s in the area and book us a couple of rooms for Monday and Tuesday. By the way, we will have to foot the bill ourselves; remember we are on holiday so we can’t return any expenses for the trip. As far as Llantywyn is concerned we are operating out of Oxford, so nothing will go back to Leek Wooton. I’ll give you my credit card details; you can use that for now. Tom will reimburse us from one of his special funds.’

  ‘Wow!’ Orla stood back, her mouth wide open. ‘This is all very clandestine! What happens if we get caught out?’

  ‘I don’t want to go there. As it stands and I’ve cleared it with Tom, if we don't find anything that we can use, we give all our findings over to Janet Warley and she can take it from there. But if we find something in Wales that is incriminating, then Tom will inform the powers that be, that we had to go this route, as any information fed back to Janet Warley would almost certainly reach our Mr. Crystal, jeopardising the whole investigation.’

  ‘You mentioned on the phone that we could get some lunch! What do you fancy?’

  ‘I did didn’t I.’ Matt screwed up his face. ‘Nothing very heavy; I had a bit of a session with Tom last night and to be honest I feel a bit fragile.’

  ‘Would you like me to knock something up?’

  ‘That would be great; sure you don’t mind?’

  Orla was already checking out the fridge. ‘No I don’t mind. . . I’ve plenty to choose from as long as you like it on toast. I’m sorry but I’ve hardly been in; but you know that!’

  Matt grinned. ‘Toast will be fine.’

  ‘What would you like on it? You can have eggs or’ . . . she looked a little deeper into the fridge . . . ‘or eggs.’

  ‘Two poached sounds good.’

  ‘Grab a chair and I’ll sort it out. You look like you could do with a rest.’

  ‘Thanks Orla.’ Matt settled himself into the one easy chair that made the flat look furnished. He closed his eyes; his head full of questions searching for answers.

  ‘Eggs just about ready Matt, I’ve made you coffee, looked like you needed one.’ Getting no response she looked over her shoulder; Matt was asleep.

  Oh God Matt, what the hell do I do now? She called his name but the only response she got was a soft snoring sigh. ‘Thanks Matt, thanks a lot!’ Orla settled down to her lunch. Nice to have company; beats eating alone.

  A full two hours passed before Matt stirred. He woke with a start and looked around, his eyes struggling to focus. ‘Oh, Orla . . . did I fall asleep? . . . Gosh I am sorry.’

  ‘Relax Matt; I guess it must have been quite a session! Anyway while you've been dozing, I’ve booked us in at The Grand Hotel in Llantywyn, two rooms, en suite, for Monday and Tuesday. I just hope we get the time off.’

  ‘How much . . . and how did you pay?’

  ‘Fifty eight pounds a room per night and I couldn’t pay because their machine had gone down. They will hold the rooms until six o’clock. Sounds a bit like a one horse town: it was the only place listed.’

  ‘Expensive! So I’m sure it will be fine.’ Matt eased himself out of his chair.

  ‘If you don’t mind, I’m going to make a move. Sorry about the lunch; I’ll make it up to you.’

  ‘Yes you will Mr. Black!’ She followed him to the door.

  ‘Orla, there’s no need to go to the office tomorrow morning, just pack a case and wait on my call. If it’s going to happen, we need to be away before lunch.’

  ‘I’ll see you in the morning. Good luck!’

  Chapter 43

  Orla lay on her bed watching the clock; it was exactly nine o’clock. She had opted for a casual pair of slacks with a simple T shirt. The thought of spending the whole day driving to hell and gone was not something she was looking forward to but if it was going to happen, she wanted to be comfortable. Her case, already packed was waiting by the door. It had been packed and repacked a number of times. Keep it simple, was forever at the back of her mind, but she also wanted to impress and in the quiet of the evenings, who knows where we will go!

  She began to get agitated and went to make another cup of coffee. What am I doing . . . I’ll have to keep stopping on the road; that’s if we ever get started!

  She reached for the remote; as she did, her mobile rang. ‘Orla . . . Are you ready? I just got the clearance from Tom Dundas. We’ve an appointment tomorrow morning at nine o’clock sharp with Inspector Williams in Llantywyn. I’ll be with you within the hour.’

  ‘Thank goodness. What did Janet Warley say?’

  ‘She just said, OK. You’ve earned a break.’

  ‘I can’t believe it!’

  ‘Well believe it; I’ll see you shortly.’

  The hour seemed to drag as Orla waited. Her face never seemed quite right and the constant attention she gave to it, didn’t help.

  ‘Just the one case?’

  She jumped with shock as Matt appeared in the lounge. ‘God Matt you scared the . . . ! You scared me!’

  ‘You shouldn’t leave your door open.’

  ‘I know, I know! And yes that’s all I’ve got, plus my handbag of course. C’mon, Let’s go.’

  ‘Just one thing, would you drive? I’m still a bit shattered from Saturday night. The sat nav is set so you don’t have to worry about the route. Mind you I wouldn’t have gone the same way.’

  ‘Well no . . . why would you!’

  The drive was uneventful but long. A couple of rest stops helped to break the monotony but little was said as Matt attempted to recover from his exhausted state.

  ‘Wake up! . . .Matt . . . We are nearly there.’ She placed her hand on his knee and shook him softly.

  ‘I’m awake . . . been awake for a while.’

  Yea, sure you have. ‘We’ll be there in ten minutes. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Fit as a fiddle! Can’t wait to get going.’

  Orla’s attention was drawn to some activity in a large field that bordered the road. ‘Look, there on the left; a circus! It’s years since I’ve been to one . . . not since I was a kid.’ The red and white stripes of the “Big Top” came into view as they approached. ‘Oh no, I’m wrong! Look, there’s a cross; it’s an Evangelist, you know, one of those religious orders.’

  Matt couldn’t hide the smirk. ‘You were right the first time!’

  ‘What do you mean? Oh . . . I see!
A bit of a cynic are we then? You know Matt, these people do a lot of good in the world, especially in Africa. They help the poor. They help with education and you must have heard that if you buy a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but if you buy a man a fishing rod . . .’

  ‘He’ll make a fire with it!’

  Matt’s interjection brought a gasp from Orla. ‘I can’t believe you said that!’ She shook her head, half laughing, half crying.

  ‘I’ll be feeling a little cross myself if we don’t find anything down here!’ Matt was back with his worries.

  ‘Feeling a little better are we?’

  ‘Orla, we’ve got a bit of time in hand before we book into the hotel, let’s call on the garage that Kevin and Catherine bought the Land Rover from; I’m sure they’ll be there until six. We won’t have time in the morning. We’re due to meet our Inspector Williams at nine and I would like to have a little bit of knowledge up front.’

  ‘Well where is it?’

  ‘Shouldn’t be difficult to find, it’s a small town; there’s only a couple of streets.’

  Five minutes passed as they motored slowly through the town. ‘There it is, Frisbee Motors, at the end of the street, on the corner.’ Orla eased the car to a standstill. She stretched her arms out, interlocking her fingers. ‘Jeez Matt, I’m tired. We can’t make this too long.’ Matt was already out of the car. Orla struggled to her feet; she had been sitting for too long and slowly made after him.

  The showroom appeared to be deserted. Moving past the array of gleaming cars, they rounded a pillar to see a man sitting alone at a desk; he stood up as they approached. ‘Good Day, Stan Clayton at your service. What have you got your eyes on?’

  ‘Sorry to disappoint, but we are actually looking for some information. I’m Detective Black and this is Detective Graham.’ Matt took out his notebook. ‘We are trying to trace the whereabouts of certain vehicles that have been used in crimes. We need to know where they were sourced and by whom.’

  Stan Clayton moved uneasily as he looked them over. A man in his sixties, he was still sharp and alert. ‘What vehicle are you looking for?’