‘Something like that.’
‘Okay, got it. Except what if she also volunteers her legal services at Stourbridge Community Centre. What do you say to that?’
‘Oh shit,’ Stacey said, reaching for the phone.
Ninety-One
‘Bryant, I know you want to get over to the prison, but after what Stacey just told us we need to see Nina Croft first. I get that everyone has their doubts about her involvement, as do I, but we can’t ignore that she may well have had contact with our first two victims,’ she said.
‘What about the Phelpses? There’s no connection to them or to Rubik.’
‘That we know of yet. Leave Alison on it and who knows what she’ll find.’
Bryant glanced her way as he headed towards Cradley Heath.
‘She’s growing on you, isn’t she, Alison?’ Bryant asked.
‘Like some kind of fungus, you mean?’
‘You’re warming to her. I can tell.’
‘Whatever, Bryant,’ she said, turning away.
She wasn’t sure warming was the correct word but she definitely admired the woman’s tenacity. Against all of their better judgement, Alison had felt there was something not quite right and she had found a link.
‘And what are your thoughts about Rubik?’
‘I’m thinking we need to find Duggar as soon as possible. His paws seem to be on everything.’
‘I know we ruled him out initially but right now he’s looking good for it.’
‘And could you sound any more like an American cop show?’ she asked as he parked behind the carpet shop.
‘Watched Law & Order last night,’ he said, smiling.
‘Well, don’t do it again,’ she said as they exited the car and headed along the high street.
‘Reckon she’ll offer us coffee this time?’ Kim asked as they mounted the stairs to Nina Croft’s office.
‘Unlikely,’ Bryant said, reaching her at the office door.
Kim held up her hand to knock and then decided against it. This woman needed no time to prepare.
‘Good morning, Mrs Croft, we—’
Kim stopped speaking as her gaze rested on the figure of Nina Croft behind her desk.
And the person who was sitting on the other side.
Ninety-Two
‘This kid is a real contradiction,’ Stacey said out loud.
No one answered but she continued anyway. The silence was driving her mad.
She’d been looking into Billie Styles for the last half an hour and felt she knew her very well. She was present on every social media platform and her accounts were open and accessible.
‘It’s like she used each platform differently. She took to Twitter to voice her political beliefs, Instagram to post photos of meals and kittens and Facebook to socially interact with friends.’
‘Not unusual,’ Alison said, turning. ‘Social media isn’t a reliable mirror or interpretation as it doesn’t catch everything about us. It’s only a snapshot of how we perceive ourselves.’
‘Say what?’ Stacey asked.
Penn had removed one headphone, which was now resting on the back of his head.
‘Give me three words to describe yourself,’ Alison asked her.
‘Hard-working, passionate…’
‘Not work, your personality.’
‘Fun, geeky, caring.’
Alison nodded. ‘I’d agree with that,’ she said, pressing keys on her phone.
Stacey’s phone dinged. She looked at Alison. ‘You want to be friends on Facebook?’
‘To demonstrate something.’
Stacey accepted and Alison grew quiet. As she read a brief smile touched her lips.
‘What?’ Stacey asked.
‘One minute.’
Stacey glanced at Penn who was now watching with interest.
‘Right, so over the last week you’ve shared some Aunty Acid jokes, very funny. You’ve commented on posts about data protection and GDPR, explaining how it works and you’ve shared a public appeal for a missing dog.’
‘Yeah,’ she said. She knew what she’d posted on Facebook.
‘Funny, geeky and caring. All three of your perceptions are covered and the more I scroll I find more of the same.’
‘And?’
‘You’re also moody sometimes. You sulk. Occasionally you’re envious and often you’re insecure about your weight.’
Stacey could feel the heat flooding into her face.
‘All perfectly normal feelings,’ Alison said. ‘But what I’m trying to say is that we only show on social media what we want people to see. Billie obviously felt comfortable showing different parts of herself but not all in the same place.’
‘But it’s so clearly defined,’ Stacey said, glad the focus of the conversation was off her. ‘Just look here. Just a few weeks ago on the very same day she’s causing a Twitter storm voicing her thoughts on abortion she’s posting photos of her pasta meal at the Park Lane Tavern.’
‘Where?’ Penn asked, snapping to attention.
‘Park Lane Tavern, Colley Gate. Why?’
‘Because that’s where John Duggar used to work.’
Ninety-Three
‘Fuck’s sake, King,’ Symes spat. ‘You gotta do better than that,’ he said, rubbing his jaw. The punch to the mouth had stung but gone no way to what he was really after.
‘Preece, you do it,’ he instructed. He’d asked King to oblige thinking his previous gang leader background would have meant he could throw a decent punch, but maybe the bookworm had been the better choice after all.
Preece stepped forward and rubbed his knuckles.
‘Here,’ he said. ‘This fucker’s a bit loose and you know what or who to think of when you’re doing it.’
Symes saw the rage fill his eyes and braced himself for impact.
The fist hit him exactly where he’d indicated with a force he’d not been expecting. Just give folks the right motivation, he thought, as the taste of blood filled his mouth. His acknowledgment of the pain came secondary.
He nodded approvingly as he held on to his jaw. ‘More fucking like it.’
He strode out of the cell and called out. ‘Gennard…’
‘What the?…’ Gennard called, seeing the trail of blood oozing from his mouth. ‘What the bloody hell happened?’ he asked, opening the gate. His glance towards King and Preece was met with shrugs.
‘Fell over,’ he said. ‘Clumsy bastard.’
He opened his mouth wide for the guard to take a look.
‘Jesus Christ.’
Symes’s tongue had already told him part of the tooth had been knocked out but not all of it. Perfect.
Symes watched the guard perform a rapid risk assessment. ‘Come on, Symes. That needs sorting.’
Symes held his jaw dramatically and groaned as he followed the guard to the health centre. Two inmates were sitting outside the dentist suite. The door opened as they approached.
‘Emergency,’ Gennard called out as the next in line had begun to stand.
‘Oh my goodness,’ exclaimed the young, male dentist ushering him inside.
‘Sit down, sit down,’ he instructed, as Gennard closed the door behind him. He knew the officer was just praying the tooth could be fixed, preventing an outside trip. Generated a lot of paperwork. Which was fine. Today.
Symes opened his mouth. The dentist with the name badge ‘Dennis’ placed some gauze into his mouth while he took a seat and pumped them both into position. He switched on the overhead light, removed the gauze and added the suction tube.
Symes groaned for effect.
‘Open wide,’ he instructed.
Symes obliged and tried to stop himself from smiling. The plan was going perfectly. Get punched on Marcia’s day off. Having worked at the prison for over ten years Marcia was experienced and knew all the tricks in the book. Despite being five foot nothing in socks, in her forties and a few stone overweight, Marcia was the subject of many an inmate fantasy. No one messed w
ith Marcia.
But the ‘fill-ins’ as they called Marcia’s relief staff were nowhere near as canny and made mistakes. The main one being forgetting who they were dealing with and not seeing the bigger picture.
‘Mandibular right first molar requires extraction,’ Dennis said to Gennard.
Why was he talking to the guard? It wasn’t his fucking mouth.
Gennard nodded.
Dennis turned away and reached for a syringe. ‘I’m going to inject local anaesthetic to numb the pain. You’ll feel a sting.’
Symes said nothing and had no reaction as Dennis injected his gum in three different places. Immediately he felt the numbing effect.
Gennard shuffled from one foot to the other as Dennis lined up the tools he needed for the job. Now they were getting somewhere.
Dennis stood up, moved to his left side in front of Gennard and towered over him, opening his mouth and placing the pliers ready to pull. He reached out his right hand and felt around the instrument tray. His hand retracted slowly and went into his pocket.
He felt the pressure from the pull of the tooth. Perfect.
He bolted upright, screaming with pain, sending the dentist and all his instruments crashing to the ground.
Gennard took a second to recover and instantly bent down to assist the dentist. It was all the time he needed to put his booty down inside his jeans.
‘What the hell was that?’
‘Fucking butcher,’ he cried out, cradling his jaw. ‘He’s no fucking dentist. You’re not touching me again,’ he said, swinging his legs off the seat.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Symes. Get back in the chair and let him finish…’
‘He touches me again I’ll sue; you hear me?’ Symes said. ‘I’ll wait until Marcia’s back tomorrow. My fucking choice.’
Symes headed for the door while the dentist leaned down to start collecting his tools.
Gennard hesitated for a moment, opened the door and then shook his head. ‘Okay, have it your own way but don’t go changing your mind when the anaesthetic wears off, cos that tooth is gonna hurt like hell.’
Symes stepped through the open door.
It was fine. He’d got what he’d come for.
Ninety-Four
‘What the hell was Harry Jenks doing here?’ Kim asked, once he had beaten a hasty retreat from the office.
‘I don’t have to discuss that with you,’ Nina said, loftily.
‘So, it was business?’ Kim pushed, sitting down.
‘None of your business,’ she retorted.
‘Although, I could understand if it was pleasure; Nina, if I recall you like them slimy and—’
‘What do you want, Inspector Stone?’ Nina asked, covering over a piece of paper.
‘Ah, so it was business?’ Kim said. ‘Seeking your advice on sexual harassment, I shouldn’t wonder. Has someone had the courage to report him, finally?’
Nina coloured, telling Kim she was close enough to the mark.
‘As I said, it’s none of your business. Now you didn’t come here to talk to me about Harry Jenks so…’
‘Actually, we did in a way, Nina. How do you know the man?’
‘We’ve worked together in the past.’
‘Distant or near?’ she asked.
‘Near, I suppose.’
‘Your volunteer work at Stourbridge Community Centre?’
Nina nodded.
Boy, this woman knew how to keep her cards close to her chest.
‘And how did that come about?’
‘Sorry but I don’t see what this has to do with you.’
‘You don’t strike me as the charitable type,’ Kim said, honestly.
‘You don’t know me as well as you think you do.’
‘I know that the downtrodden, disadvantaged, poor and homeless hold no appeal for you.’
‘Think what you like,’ Nina said, seeming to enjoy her confusion.
‘Only some folks from the Community Centre have turned up dead.’
Shock registered on her face. Real or manufactured Kim couldn’t tell.
‘Who?’
‘A young couple, Amy and Mark—’
‘The druggies?’ she asked with distaste.
‘What a very charitable response, which is kind of proving my point there, Nina, that you did not offer your services there for nothing.’
‘I have little patience for those unwilling to help—’
‘You have little patience for anyone who can’t pay you for your services, so what exactly do you gain from volunteering your very expensive legal services to the downtrodden?’
‘Gained, Inspector. Past tense. Your research should have told you that. I no longer offer my services.’
Kim felt the frustration growing inside her. Just one straight answer would be nice.
‘So, how long were you involved?’
‘A couple of months.’
‘Nina, I swear I’ll charge you with evading—’
‘Calm down, Inspector. It really is quite simple. You are correct that I have no interest in them or their pathetic sob stories. I couldn’t care less if they all drop dead tomorrow. I volunteered because I wanted something. They had a purpose and once they had served their purpose, I left.’
Ninety-Five
‘So, what am I supposed to do?’ Alison asked, once Penn had left the room, offering to go and speak to the relatives of Billie Styles.
Alison knew she was draining Stacey’s time but she didn’t know where else to turn.
Stacey folded her arms. ‘Well, clearly one of them is lying, and you spoke to Tom last night and he was consistent, so perhaps it’s time to talk to her,’ Stacey advised.
‘How can I? I can’t impersonate a police officer.’
‘Ask Penn to do it, he’s been impersonating a police officer for years. Boom, boom.’
‘That would have been funny if he’d been sitting there,’ Alison said, glancing at the empty dining chair.
‘And anyway,’ Stacey advised. ‘You’re only impersonating a police officer if you actually state you are one. Be creative.’
With Stacey’s encouragement, she dialled the home number for Tilly Neale. A gruff male voice answered, unnerving her. Stacey nodded encouragement.
‘May I speak to Tilly, please?’
‘Who is it?’
‘My name is Jane Lowe,’ she answered, using her middle name.
‘Til, phone,’ he called out.
She heard feet on the stairs.
‘Thanks, hun, see you later,’ and then a door closed.
‘Hello?’
‘Tilly Neale? My name is Jane Lowe and I’m just signing off some statements regarding the Beverly Wright case. May I just go through your recollection quickly? I won’t keep you long.’
‘Of course,’ she replied.
Helpful. Wary.
Alison read out key sentences and then waited for sounds of affirmation.
‘And then yourself and Tom Drury went to deep clean the toilets?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Okay, oh, hang on a second. I’m just reading Mr Drury’s statement and he said you went to the office to cash up.’
Silence. Brain churning.
‘He must… I must… one of us must have made a mistake but I’m sure we went to clean the toilets.’
‘Only Curtis said—’
‘Curtis said what? Have you spoken to him? Has he remembered anything?’
The panic in her voice set off all her alarm bells.
‘You weren’t in the toilets or the office, were you, Tilly.’
Silence.
‘I’m not a police officer but you have to tell me the truth.’
‘Oh God, I can’t. If he finds… oh no, my husband… he’ll kill…’
‘Just say it, Tilly,’ Alison urged, feeling the beads of sweat forming on her brow.
‘Okay, Curtis Swayne was with me. We were together having sex in my car.’
Alison wanted to shout
it from the rooftops. She hadn’t been wrong about Curtis.
He now had an alibi for the attack on Beverly Wright.
And now Tom Drury did not.
Ninety-Six
‘Do you believe her?’ Bryant asked once they were back in the car. ‘That Nina wanted the volunteering on her CV to get back into a decent practice?’
Kim shrugged. ‘I can kind of see it in a way. Nina Croft works better with the prestige of a law practice behind her. She likes the structure, the belonging, having a bigger name behind her. It doesn’t suit her to be out here alone. Why else would she stay with Richard Croft after all she’d learned about him?’
‘But still…’
‘Look, if we can tie her to the car fire involving the Phelpses we’ll go bring her in right now.’
‘Give Alison time, she’ll probably find something,’ he said, only half-joking. ‘And now can we please start heading towards the bloody prison?’ he asked as her phone began to ring.
Kim smiled as she held the ringing phone up in front of her face, unanswered. ‘Oh Frost, I’d love to answer you but I can’t. Boss says I can’t talk to the press and I was gonna give you an exclusive on this one but—’
‘Guv, you’ve lost it,’ Bryant chuckled as the ringing stopped.
As she returned the phone to her pocket it began to ring again.
‘Jesus, she’s persistent… aah, Stacey,’ she said, pressing the answer button. ‘Whatever it is we can’t do it,’ Kim said, glancing at her colleague. ‘The acting boss here is insisting we head over to Winson Green.’
‘Yeah,’ Stacey said breathlessly. ‘That’s exactly where I want you to go. I’ve found the Phelps’ son, Joel Greene. He hasn’t been travelling at all. He’s been in prison for just over a year.’
Ninety-Seven
Penn knocked on the door of the end terrace in Colley Gate.
Dead Memories: An addictive and gripping crime thriller Page 22