Turn to Dust

by Amphlett, Rachel

She checked her mirrors before braking, then slewed the car into a lay-by, yanked the handbrake and slapped the steering wheel.

  What the hell were they missing?

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Carys sat with her pen poised over her notebook as Kay strode to the front of the incident room and stood in front of the whiteboard, her face grim as she crossed out the tasks relating to the property searches.

  She’d heard from Gavin about the rabbit farm on his return, and was at once glad she didn’t have to go and see the poor creatures, and sorry for her colleague that the hunch he’d been so sure about had eventuated in another frustrating day for the team.

  Raising her eyes above the computer screen, she watched as her colleague sat slumped in his chair while he typed out his report, dark circles under his eyes from the late night he had had before an early morning start.

  She bit her lip and opened up a web browser, typing in the name of one of the nearby villages and enlarging the map that appeared in the results.

  The maps spread out on the table near the whiteboard were no good to her – all the mark-ups and highlights would cause a distraction and serve to embed the opinions that had been discussed since Ethan Archer’s body was discovered.

  She needed a clean slate to work from.

  At some point, she had to tell Gavin about the call she’d received this morning as well.

  Her hands had started to shake when she’d seen the number displayed on her mobile phone screen, and she’d raced out into the corridor, speaking to the man from South Wales Police in hushed tones while keeping an eye on those who passed her by in case they suspected what was going on.

  Afterwards, she couldn’t recall what had been said – words such as “congratulations”, “start date”, and “notice period” were mentioned, and she was sure she had made the appropriate noises, but as the man had ended the call and confirmed an offer letter would be emailed and posted to her by the end of the afternoon, she had at least remembered to thank him.

  Her elation at the news contrasted bitterly with the atmosphere in the incident room when she had returned to her desk, and it was then that she resolved to help her colleagues find Ethan and Shelley’s killer before leaving them.

  She swallowed, the corners of her eyes prickling, and she blinked to refocus her thoughts.

  ‘You all right?’

  Laura walked past with an armful of manila folders as she headed towards Debbie’s desk.

  Carys nodded. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’

  ‘You looked miles away there.’

  She gestured to the documents and photographs strewn across her desk. ‘Just trying to see if I can find another angle on all of this.’

  Laura smiled then moved away, and Carys breathed out.

  She couldn’t tell them – not until she’d spoken to Kay first.

  She owed her that much, and more.

  A mobile phone rang at the front of the room, and she peered over her shoulder to see Kay deep in conversation.

  The DI’s face fell as she listened, and for a fleeting moment Carys thought someone had beaten her to her news, until Kay ended the call and headed towards them.

  ‘That was Merseyside Police,’ she said. ‘They managed to trace Shelley’s mum with the information Laura gleaned from the secondary school here in Maidstone, and broke the news to her about her daughter’s death an hour ago.’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ said Gavin. ‘I can’t imagine what she’s going through.’

  Kay’s lips narrowed. ‘I’d imagine it’s going to get worse when the media get wind of the news. Our colleagues up there have provided a Family Liaison Officer for her and I’ll have Phillip liaise with him to keep her and Shelley’s stepdad up to date with our progress down here.’

  Carys watched as she hurried back to her desk as another phone began to ring persistently, and heard Kay greet the Chief Superintendent when she answered.

  Dropping her gaze back to the photographs, she tapped her finger against the back of the one she held and frowned as an idea began to form.

  She bit her lip – they had already wasted valuable time pursuing leads and conducting searches to no avail; would she be faced with the same disappointment as her colleagues if she was wrong?

  ‘Hey, Piper – got a minute?’

  ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Come and take a look at this.’

  He sighed, locked his computer screen and wandered around to where she sat.

  Holding up two of the aerial photographs, she turned to face him. ‘This rabbit farm you went to. They told you and Laura they don’t have an aircraft, right?’

  ‘Yes.’ His brow puckered. ‘I thought they might’ve been lying. That’s what I thought we might find in the outbuildings. They’re big enough.’

  She smiled, pushed back her chair, and nudged his arm. ‘I don’t think you were too far off the truth. Come on.’

  Leading the way between the desks, she crossed to where Kay sat while she tried to sort through the paperwork piling up in her in-tray.

  ‘Guv?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘When you were at the Peverells’ rabbit farm this morning, did you by any chance take a look around outside the buildings?’

  Kay’s eyes narrowed at the pair of them. ‘Why?’

  Carys put the aerial photograph on Kay’s desk and jabbed her finger at the boundary line. ‘What’s this?’

  The DI pulled the image closer, then leaned back in her chair and shrugged. ‘A trackway. It must’ve been an old bridleway or something back in the day – I had a walk along it, and it goes from the back of the building they’re using as a slaughterhouse and leads into Ditchens’ orchards. There’s just a chain separating the two properties.’

  ‘How wide is it?’ said Gavin.

  Kay cocked her head. ‘About three car lengths, I suppose. Why, what are you thinking?’

  Carys grinned.

  ‘I think someone’s using that track as a landing strip.’

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Kay shifted gears and slowed the car as the thirty-mile-an-hour speed limit signs flashed into view, then looked across at Carys who held her phone and read out directions from the maps app as they weaved through the village streets.

  The hastily convened briefing had ended forty minutes ago, with the instruction that an audit of existing witness statements and evidence be undertaken before anyone approached the Peverells.

  It was going to be a late night for all of them, but Kay wanted to be sure.

  If she allowed any of her team to go back to the rabbit farm, it would alert the owners to the premise now driving the investigation given that the property had already been searched, and she didn’t want to have to explain to the Chief Superintendent a second time why time and costs had been wasted on a fruitless path of enquiry.

  Despite Sharp’s best endeavours at shielding her from the conversations taking place at Headquarters, her ears were still ringing from the reprimand she’d received earlier that afternoon.

  Instead, she’d taken it upon herself to join the team in pulling apart everything they had to date, which was why she was now driving towards the house of Luke Martin, the man who had discovered Ethan Archer’s body.

  ‘The turning’s coming up here on the right, guv – just past the infant school.’ Carys pointed through the windscreen as a low brick wall topped with metal fence palings appeared, and then enlarged the map on her phone. ‘Number sixty-three is about two hundred metres up on the left-hand side.’

  ‘Ta.’

  She found the address quickly, braking to a standstill at the kerb and peering at the house beyond a low privet hedge that framed a garden that had been landscaped to within an inch of its life, with decorative gravel where a lawn had once been and shrubs of varying heights providing a splash of colour.

  ‘They’re in,’ said Carys, and checked her notes. ‘His wife’s name is Sonia, and they’ve got no kids at home. One son at boarding school near Guildford. Luk
e’s forty-eight and runs a painting and decorating business.’

  ‘Okay. At least with no kids at home, it’ll make it a little easier turning up on the doorstep unannounced. Let’s go.’

  Kay had opted not to phone ahead to speak with Luke Martin because she wanted to gauge his reaction face-to-face – not that she believed that he had anything to hide, but she found that sitting with a witness and going over their statements provided more insight if she could watch their facial expressions.

  People gave away more than they thought with the way their eyes and hands moved, and she wanted to know if Luke’s subconscious had taken in more detail about the farm where Ethan’s body was found than was contained in his current statement.

  Leading the way up the short driveway, she heard a television through the front window, the light flickering against curtains that had been pulled almost completely shut. A gap at the top provided a view of the living room ceiling, nothing more, and she moved to the front door.

  At the sound of the bell ringing, the television was muted and she could hear the undertones of a conversation as the inhabitants wondered who was calling at this time of night. Eventually, the hallway light was switched on, a chain rattled against the wooden surface, and then the door opened and Luke Martin peered out, confusion in his eyes, and his mid-length brown hair sticking up on end as if he’d been reclining on the sofa.

  He rested a hand on the doorframe and frowned. ‘Detective––?’

  ‘Kay Hunter. We met at Dennis Maitland’s farm a few days ago. This is my colleague, DC Carys Miles. Can we come in?’

  She moved forward, not giving him a chance to come up with an excuse as a voice carried through from the living room.

  ‘Who is it, Luke?’

  ‘The police.’

  A shocked silence met his response, and then his wife appeared, her mouth open in surprise.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Shall we sit down somewhere and stop this cold air getting in?’ said Kay, aware that the front door was still open and keen to press on with the interview. ‘We’ve just got a few questions we’d like to follow up with you if that’s okay.’

  Luke blinked, then moved aside as Carys stepped over the threshold and shut the door. ‘But I gave you a statement.’

  ‘I know. We’ve been working through a number of lines of enquiry though, and so we wanted to clarify a few things.’

  ‘I suppose so – best use the kitchen; Sonia’s got her studying spread out all over the sofa.’

  His wife gave a slight shrug. ‘I’m trying to finish my degree before I hit fifty – I figured I wanted to learn something new.’

  ‘What she won’t tell you is that it’s her third degree,’ said Luke as he led the way down the hallway, a note of pride in his voice. ‘Needless to say, our son takes after her, not me.’

  ‘I understand from your statement he’s at boarding school at the moment,’ said Kay as the couple busied themselves clearing the kitchen table of interior design magazines, paint catalogues and paperwork.

  ‘Just outside Guildford,’ said Luke, closing a laptop and pushing it to one side. ‘Take a seat. Do you want a coffee or anything?’

  ‘No, that’s fine, thanks. We won’t keep you long.’ Kay waited until he and his wife sat opposite, checked that Carys was ready to take notes, and then turned her attention back to Luke. ‘The farm where you were metal detecting – how long have you known Dennis Maitland?’

  ‘About four years. I painted his kitchen, got chatting with his wife about how I liked history and things like that, and she mentioned I should ask him if I ever wanted to explore some of the land around the farm. She’d been researching the place on and off since they got married and was interested in what might be there. Me and Tom didn’t get into the metal detecting until about a year ago, and it wasn’t until now that Dennis could let us on the land. We only had a window of a few days anyway, because he was keen to plant the first of this year’s crop.’ His face fell, and he dropped his gaze to his hands. ‘I wish I’d listened to Sonia and taken up golf now.’

  His wife reached out and squeezed his fingers. ‘Luke won’t tell you, but he’s been having nightmares ever since he found that man’s body.’

  He blushed, and raised his chin. ‘I’ll get over it eventually.’

  ‘It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You must speak to your doctor if it’s affecting your sleep,’ said Kay. She gestured to the invoices and bills that had been pushed to one side. ‘After all, you’ve got a business to run. Our officers often find talking to someone helps.’

  Luke nodded, but said nothing.

  ‘Have you been back to the farmhouse recently? Since painting the kitchen?’ said Kay.

  ‘No – no need to, really. That day at the field was the first time I’d been back there.’

  ‘Did you see anyone else between leaving the main road and getting to the field?’

  ‘No. Dennis was working in the adjacent field, and it was just me and Tom. The track leading to the field hadn’t been used in a while, either. I thought I was going to get my vehicle stuck in the ruts before I even got there.’

  Kay recalled the way Barnes had struggled to reach the crime scene, and couldn’t argue with the man.

  ‘When you did the decorating for the Maitlands, did you see anyone else around the farm?’

  Luke frowned, and drummed his fingers on the table for a moment. ‘Only a couple of workers – I think they’d been with them for a while. They seemed friendly enough.’

  ‘Have you had any contact with Mr Maitland since the day you found the body in his field?’

  ‘He phoned to check how I was doing about three days ago, which I thought was good of him. He said he hoped I hadn’t been put off by what happened – I think his wife is still keen to find out if there’s anything of historical interest on the land.’ Luke shivered. ‘I won’t be helping her though. I’m never going back there again.’

  Chapter Forty-Six

  ‘What do you think, guv?’

  Carys peered over the roof of the pool car at her, her breath fogging in the cool air that cloaked the village.

  A light fog was beginning to appear, creating soft balls of light where streetlights shone from sporadic placements along the street.

  ‘I want to speak to Dennis Maitland again.’

  ‘Tonight?’

  ‘Yes. Jump in.’

  She twisted the key in the ignition and pulled away from the kerb while Carys fastened her seatbelt, and accelerated as she reached the main road. ‘When you spoke with Maitland, did he say anything about hearing an aircraft going overhead in the days leading up to finding Ethan’s body?’

  ‘Only that he didn’t hear one. I asked him whether he knew if his neighbours owned a light aircraft too, but he said he didn’t know.’

  Kay tapped her fingers on the wheel and kept a keen eye on the deep verges either side of the road in case a large animal decided to run out in front of the car. This time of night, she wouldn’t spot a deer until it was too late, and she’d been to enough accident scenes in her days as a police constable to know what the aftermath of an impact like that could be.

  After twenty minutes, she turned the car into the Maitlands’ farmyard, the tyres rumbling over the iron cattle grid before she braked in front of the farmhouse.

  A security light blinked to life above the front porch as she climbed from the car, but the front windows remained dark, with no sign of life.

  Rapping the brass knocker fixed to the oak panelled door, she held her breath.

  Hopefully the farmer hadn’t been in bed for long.

  Muffled footsteps sounded from the other side, followed by a muttered curse before a man’s voice called out.

  ‘Who’s there?’

  ‘Detective Inspector Kay Hunter, Kent Police.’

  A bolt shot back. Seconds later, keys jangled and the door was wrenched open.

  Dennis Maitland stared out at them, tightening t
he sash of a thick dressing gown, worn slippers on his feet and an equally fatigued expression on his face.

  ‘Detective, it’s half past eleven, and I’m due to be up in six hours. What do you want?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Mr Maitland, but I have some urgent questions that won’t wait until the morning. Can we come in?’

  ‘Hang on.’ He rummaged in the deep pockets of his dressing gown, and then placed his fingers to his ears. ‘That’s better. Hearing aids. Can’t hear properly without them.’

  ‘Then how did you––?’

  ‘I woke him to see who was at the door.’ A woman’s voice floated down the stairs before Maitland’s wife appeared, looking none too pleased. ‘We were asleep.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Kay, ‘but like I said to your husband, we’re at a critical point in our investigation.’

  ‘Liz, go and light the wood burning stove in the sitting room,’ said Maitland. ‘It’s too cold to be standing here, and the heating went off hours ago.’

  His wife rolled her eyes, then beckoned to Kay and Carys. ‘Come on, then. I’m not putting the kettle on, though – he’ll never get back to sleep if he has caffeine at this time of night.’

  Kay caught Carys’s expression as they traipsed after her, and gave a small smile.

  She knew she would annoy the Maitlands with the late visit, and if she could have waited she would, but she desperately needed some answers.

  She took a seat on the sofa the farmer’s wife indicated and waited while the woman coaxed flames to life before placing a couple of logs in the stove and closing the iron door.

  A warm glow emanated through the glass, and soon she could feel the heat filling the room.

  ‘I’ll be as brief as I can,’ she said once the Maitlands were settled in armchairs on each side of the stove. ‘When Carys here spoke to you in the days following the discovery of Mr Archer’s body in your field, you stated that you didn’t know if the landowners of the properties joining yours owned a light aircraft – is that correct?’

  Maitland frowned. ‘That’s right, yes.’