by Dawn Brookes
‘You’re right, he hates anything gory. The only TV he ever watches are scientific documentaries and football. I have to record my crime programmes and watch them when he’s working in his study or at a Mensa evening.’
Carlos hadn’t realised Gary was a member of Mensa, but it figured. ‘That must be challenging. The crime thing, rather than the Mensa. I know how much you like a good thriller.’
Sophie smiled up at him. ‘It’s no hardship, Gary’s a wonderful husband.’
Carlos opened the front door before any more noise woke the old lady next door. He was about to tell the police to be quiet until he saw the brawny man with the familiar snake tattoo on the right side of his neck, poking its head above his loose shirt collar and overcoat. Carlos scowled, hoping this was a bad dream. His night had just got a whole lot worse.
‘Jacobi. I heard that a guy going by your name had found a body in my neck of the woods. Not many people with that, erm… surname in these parts.’
Any hope that the man in front of him might have changed evaporated when the lightly veiled anti-Semitism surfaced.
‘Masters, I didn’t know you worked in these parts.’ The man had aged a bit, but looked the same arrogant idiot he’d always been. No wonder the poor woman next door had been told her husband was AWOL. This explained everything.
‘Well, I do. DCI Masters now. Shall we do this outside or are you going to invite me in?’
Carlos stood to one side while Terry Masters brushed past, bursting into his sister’s lounge followed by a smaller round guy, also in plain clothes, who Carlos assumed was his detective sergeant. Carlos closed the front door and the door to the hallway and followed the men. Lady sensed Carlos’s distaste for Masters and stayed put, emitting a low warning growl while the insensitive man threw himself down on an armchair.
‘Jacobi, McDonald.’ A slight tilt of the head. That was all the introduction he was going to get.
Carlos and McDonald eyed each other cautiously, giving swift nods of greeting.
‘I was just telling McDonald on the way here how I’d served with a man by the name of Carlos Jacobi in the specials. Didn’t imagine it would be the same one, though. Last I heard you were working in London as some sort of pretend investigator.’
Carlos had wondered how long it would take before the next snipe came. ‘I’m just visiting my sister for the Christmas break. This is her house. Her husband and I found a body in the woods. I assume that’s what you’re here about?’ Carlos was growing impatient with the dancing around, but Masters clearly wasn’t finished.
‘Good, so you won’t be staying long, then? I don’t want amateurs poking their nose where it doesn’t belong. Know what I mean?’
‘Are you here to interview me about the body I discovered in the woods? Because if not, I’ve had a long day and would like to get to bed.’ Carlos knew from experience the sparring had only just begun and Masters would box for ages until he felt he’d won. He was doing his best to stay calm. The worst thing he could do would be to nudge Masters into a place where he might be seen to lose face, particularly in front of someone he was doing his best to impress.
‘Sergeant,’ Masters nodded at the overweight man accompanying him.
Sergeant McDonald was late forties, moustache, nicotine-stained fingers, ill-fitting clothes and dirty shoes. Probably divorced or never married, weighed up Carlos. McDonald pulled a notebook from his pocket, but couldn’t find a pen. Carlos raised an eyebrow while Masters tutted and handed one to the flushing sergeant. Poor man was probably confused at his boss’s behaviour, unless Masters always spoke to witnesses like this.
‘Yes, sir. Perhaps you could walk me through what happened this evening, Mr Jacobi.’
Carlos sighed. ‘My brother-in-law and I were taking a walk in the woods on the other side of the village with my dog when she disappeared. We heard her barking, followed her into the denser part of the trees, and she led us to the body.’
Carlos was weighing up whether DS McDonald was like his boss or had been thrown by his attitude. His tone was flat, not aggressive, but there was an edge.
‘Could you tell me what you were doing in the woods so late, Mr Jacobi?’
No-one from the police force had impressed Carlos so far this evening, which didn’t bode well for finding the killer of the next-door neighbour’s husband. If that was who Lady had found in the woods. He ran through the little he could tell them.
‘As I said just now, Sergeant, we were walking the dog. I arrived up here late from London, had dinner and the dog needed exercise. My sister suggested the woods.’
‘Fine dog, that,’ said Masters, looking over at Lady who had settled herself at Carlos’s feet, keeping one eye on Masters the whole time.
‘Yes, she is, belonged to a friend of mine. Barry Tate, I’m sure you remember him.’ Carlos couldn’t resist the challenge.
A brief flicker of fear filled Masters’s eyes. ‘Yeah. Brute of a man, and a bully, McDonald. Be thankful you never met him.’
Nothing could have been further from the truth, but Carlos resisted retaliating. Instead, he took a different tack.
‘I take it you believe the body’s that of the neighbour’s husband. The one who had done a bunk – according to the local police?’
Masters’s head shot up, ‘Don’t get smart with me, Jacobi. Just stay out of my way or—’
‘Or what?’ Carlos raised his eyebrows quizzically.
‘Or I’ll have to arrest you for obstruction. We don’t know who the body belongs to yet. In the police force, we don’t make assumptions; we wait for the evidence, and then make conclusions based on fact.’
‘Touché,’ answered Carlos, smiling for the first time.
Masters stood abruptly. He had the winning hand. ‘Right, McDonald, I think we’ve got enough from Jacobi here. We may need to interview the sister and brother-in-law tomorrow. We’ll need to know their whereabouts once we establish time of death.’ He smirked.
‘Leave them out of this, Masters. Whatever gripe you have with me doesn’t involve them.’
‘I don’t know what you mean. It’s for me to decide who does and does not have anything to do with my investigation.’ Masters smirked again. ‘Goodnight, Jacobi. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else from you. Good dog,’ Masters reached down to stroke Lady, but she let out a low growl and he withdrew the hand quickly.
Carlos would have slammed the door after them if it weren’t for Sophie and Gary being in bed and it not being his own home. He felt the familiar rage that Masters always managed to bring out in him. He was furious with himself for taking the bait about Sophie and Gary; now he’d put them firmly on the man’s radar as a weak spot.
Lady snuffled his hand and he ruffled the fur on her head. ‘You didn’t like him, either. Good girl. Shows you have taste. Why did it have to be him of all people? I thought I’d never have to see his face again. At least he didn’t wake the old lady next door, that’s something.’
Carlos sat for a while, reliving the memories of a day in Basra a few years earlier. Then he rubbed his dog’s ears.
‘Nope, Lady, he hasn’t changed one little bit. Looks like it’s down to us now.’
5
Carlos slipped out of the house at 6am. He’d heard Gary get up and turn on the shower. Sophie was more of a night person, so he assumed she would be fast asleep. The morning was still and fresh, with frost turning the previous night’s rain to ice patches.
‘Come on, girl. Let’s see what we can find.’ He removed Lady’s lead once they were at the edge of the woods and broke into a jog with Lady running in and out of the trees like she had the night before. It was still dark, but he wore a head torch. He had hardly slept, mulling over his meeting with Masters all night, but now he had a plan of action.
When they got about halfway round the circuit path, Carlos stopped, waiting for Lady to join him. He put the piece of old cloth he’d removed from the crime scene the previous night to her nose.
‘I knew it was right to keep this. Lady, find.’
Lady barked and hurtled off the main path into the denser part of the woods. He followed at a brisk walking pace, not wanting to trip over again. He still had grazed hands from the night before.
It didn’t take long to arrive at the now cordoned-off area. It was just as he’d expected: police tape surrounding the scene, but no-one had been left to guard it. There was a forensics tent over to one side where someone could be sleeping, although he doubted it. Masters was living up to expectation.
Carlos approached the spot where Lady sat. His army training helped when stealth was required; he carefully avoided snapping any twigs on approach. Thankfully the ground underfoot was still damp under the canopy of trees where the frost hadn’t managed to get through. This made his task easier.
‘Good girl,’ he whispered. ‘Stay.’
The body had been removed. He made out five sets of footprints around the area where the digging had taken place. He suspected the forensics team would be back this morning to search for anything they may have missed under floodlight in the early hours. Masters was unlikely to put the team under pressure unless his senior officer was more diligent than he was.
Carlos decided to move away from the taped-off area. Concluding it would have been thoroughly searched, he started examining the perimeter. This part of the woods didn’t appear well-used; Sophie had said that apart from kids and nature lovers, most people stuck to the main path. Even the adventurous would be more likely to venture into the denser areas during the spring when birds built their nests, attracted by the woodland and nest boxes strategically placed on trees at appropriate intervals.
Carlos called Lady softly with a low hooting sound and put the cloth to her nose again.
‘Good girl. Find.’ After turning her head back towards the cordoned-off area, she understood that he wanted her to look elsewhere, so she put her busy nose to the ground and snuffled, heading off a few metres away from where they stood. He followed cautiously. After a couple of minutes, they came to another small clearing and Lady stopped in front of a pile of leaves.
‘Good girl, but shush. You deserve mega treats now and a big breakfast. Here, girl.’ He handed her a few meat treats.
Carlos found a stick and moved the leaves slowly, using the stick to separate them. They were stiff from the frost which had reached them and moved in clumps. Underneath a large cluster, he stopped prodding as he spied something black protruding out of the soil. Carlos’s heartbeat quickened as he looked around to make sure no-one was there, knowing he shouldn’t be doing this. He donned a pair of gloves and pulled gently at the soil.
‘Look at this, Lady. A wallet.’
He carefully opened it to find fifty pounds in ten-pound notes. There were a few coins in the zipper part, but more interesting were the credit cards and photo driving licence. An elderly man’s face stared back at him. The name Harold Edward Sissons sent grim shock waves through his body. Even though he had been convinced the body would turn out to be that of Sophie’s neighbour, he’d hoped not, for his sister’s sake. And for the sake of the frail-looking old lady whose image he couldn’t shake. Her staring out of the window of her picturesque country cottage haunted him.
Light broke through the trees and Carlos worried the police or forensics team might turn up any minute. After a quick shuffle around to see if anything else was hidden, he took a few photos and returned the wallet to where he’d found it, covering it again with the leaves. Any other time, he would have taken it to the lead investigating officer, but knowing Masters as he did, he knew the man would be furious. It was not an option.
‘Come on, Lady. Time to go. Any forensics team or detective worth their salt should find it.’ He hoped he was right. If not, he would have to accidentally stumble across the wallet at a later date and hand it in.
He and Lady finished running the circuit of the woods, something they hadn’t got to do the previous night.
Carlos passed the time of day with a couple of dog walkers on the green he crossed on the way out of the woods. A few people defrosting their cars waved as he passed through the village. Most of them called out, ‘Good morning.’ Gary’s car was no longer on the drive when he got back to their place.
He was still scrolling through the photos on his phone of the crime scene and the area where he’d found the wallet when he let himself in with the key Sophie had given him the night before. Lady ran in ahead. Sophie was up, buried in a long, fluffy purple dressing gown, and she greeted them both.
‘Nice run?’
‘Enlightening. We went back to your Shady Woods.’
‘I bet Gary told you the story behind the name. Some people round here won’t go in at all. They believe the name refers to odd goings-on. There’s always folklore in village life. You’d better tell me what you found over a strong coffee. Gary hardly slept; he still felt sick this morning, you know. You could have told him not to come near once you found that body, Carlos. You know how sensitive he is.’
Carlos rolled his eyes. ‘Seriously? He only got a brief glance before he ran off to throw up.’
Sophie laughed. ‘It’s not his thing. He’s a scientist. Good at putting parts together, but not good with bodies. Anyway, he said it was the smell that made him sick. Says he could still smell it this morning.’
‘It was rather rancid. But if it was the smell, what was I supposed to do? Ask the Good Lord to direct the wind in the opposite direction? He can only have got a whiff. Perhaps next time we go out, I’ll make sure he brings a mask and dark goggles.’ Carlos was more amused than irritated.
‘If you could arrange that, I might get some sleep. Sorry, I’m a bit crotchety this morning. You know what I’m like if I don’t get my eight hours.’
‘In that case, I’ll get the coffee. I need to give Lady breakfast anyway.’
He could already smell the percolated coffee coming from the kitchen. He poured two mugs, gave Lady some fresh water and food, and joined Sophie on a seat at the breakfast bar.
‘So, tell me, why did you go back to the woods? Presumably to take another look at the scene.’
‘I wouldn’t have felt the need if I hadn’t met the man in charge of the investigation last night. He’s bad news, Sophie.’
‘I thought I heard an edge to your voice when you answered the door. I was trying to listen, but Gary was telling me how ill he felt so we ended up watching an episode of Gilmore Girls to get him calm enough to sleep.’
Carlos’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re kidding?’
Sophie gave him a mock glare, daring him to continue, so he elected to say no more.
‘So why is the detective bad news and what did you find at the crime scene?’
‘How do you know I found anything?’ he teased.
‘The smug look on your face. You used to do that as a boy when you uncovered some secret.’
Carlos laughed. ‘You obviously know me too well. To start with, I’ll tell you about Terry Masters – he’s the DCI leading this investigation. We were on the same team in Afghanistan.’ Carlos sighed heavily, knowing it was going to hurt to recount events from that time. These were things that most ex-servicemen tucked away in the recesses of their brain like a Pandora’s box, never to be opened.
‘Go on,’ Sophie encouraged, pouring them both more coffee.
Sophie’s doorbell prevented him saying anything else.
‘Who the heck’s that? Can you get it? I’m not yet the housewife that answers the door in her dressing gown.’
‘Working on it, though,’ Carlos teased. He obediently went to the front door, hoping it wasn’t Masters carrying out the threat to interview his sister. Lady accompanied him and he could see from the shadow through the frosted glass that it was not the burly DCI.
He opened the door and immediately recognised the frail, thin face looking up at him. Meg Sissons was enveloped in a large brown coat and he noticed she was trembling.
Carlos smiled down at her. ‘Good
morning. I’m Carlos, Sophie’s brother, she’s in the kitchen. Would you like to come in?’
‘No, thank you. Please could you tell her the police found my Harold.’ Her bottom lip trembled as she stoically tried to hold herself together. ‘He’s dead. I’m expecting a chief inspector at ten. I was wondering if you and your sister could be with me. I get a little forgetful these days and…’
‘I understand. I’m sure Sophie will be there. I, erm… need to work this morning, I’m afraid.’
‘Oh? I thought you were coming up for the holidays.’ She stopped herself. ‘Sorry, that’s none of my business. I’ll see Sophie at ten. Tell her thank you.’ Mrs Sissons turned abruptly and marched with surprising vigour for one so small back down the drive and right towards her house.
Lady whined.
‘I know, girl. She didn’t notice you, but she has a lot on her mind. Come on.’
Carlos was gutted he couldn’t agree to the neighbour’s request. He told Sophie who the caller was and what she wanted, which sent his sister into frenzied activity.
‘I can’t go like this!’ She raced upstairs to get ready, much to Carlos’s amusement. Sophie might be dumpy, but she was always immaculately turned out and had exquisite dress sense. Plus, layers of makeup would need to be applied and the wavy dark hair combed into submission before she would consider leaving the house.
He sighed heavily, wishing he could go next door, but he knew how much that would rile Masters. He’d be bad enough with Sophie present, but that he might understand. Carlos’s presence would be regarded as interference.
He felt disappointment and relief in the same measure at not finishing the conversation with Sophie. He realised it was time to open up. His sister had long suspected he had suffered severe trauma during his last tour – he could tell that from the sympathetic looks whenever anyone mentioned Afghanistan, but she knew him better than to press, knowing he would tell her when he was ready, and he loved her for it.