by Anita Waller
‘So what will you need?’ Kat’s discomfort was showing in her voice.
‘A black belt,’ Mouse said quietly.
‘And we don’t need to buy one,’ Doris spoke equally quietly, although pride in her granddaughter showed in the way she looked at Mouse.
‘You have a black belt?’ Kat’s surprise showed in the way she raised her eyebrows.
Mouse smiled. ‘I do. I’ve been attending karate lessons ever since I could walk. Mum and Dad wanted me to be able to protect myself. I don’t think they ever thought for a minute that it would be from a bullet, but I’m getting the use of my shoulder back, and while I think I would struggle at the moment if any attack came, give me a couple of weeks and I’ll be as good as I ever was. Which is bloody good.’
‘Mouse Walters, you’re an amazing woman,’ Kat said. ‘Can I learn?’
Mouse laughed aloud. ‘Of course you can learn, but you’d never use what you’d learnt. You’re too nice, Kat, you’d probably say a prayer for your assailant before you lifted an arm.’
Kat sighed. ‘Am I really so obviously useless?’
‘No, you’re the brains of this outfit. You’re the thinker.’
With Leon’s arrival, the three women relocated downstairs. Nothing was said about what they had discovered, and they opted for pizza for their evening meal, to save anyone having to cook.
Sitting out on the patio listening to the trickling water and the evening sounds of the village, they felt at peace.
‘I’m going to the funeral tomorrow,’ Leon casually remarked.
‘So are Mouse and I,’ Kat just as casually answered.
‘What?’
‘We’re going. Mouse needs to view the mourners, see if she recognises anyone, a stance, a way of walking, anything at all she can pass on to the police. We have to give it a go, Leon, whether you agree or not. There are five people dead now, two of them children. Doris will stay here, she needs to rest. We’ll only be away an hour or so, she’ll be fine.’
Leon wasn’t convinced he liked this attitude coming from his wife. ‘I don’t think you should go. What if the killer is there, he’ll see Beth and know she’s with you.’ He was steadfastly refusing to call her Mouse.
‘No he won’t. We won’t be together during the service and interment, and afterwards Mouse will come back here using the path at the side of the stream. I’ll come home using the main road.’
‘I’m not happy.’ His eyes flashed at his wife, and she smiled.
‘I knew you wouldn’t be, but it’s my decision, Leon, so forget it. I’ll have you there anyway, won’t I? You’ll be my protector. Stop worrying, it’s just an exercise really in trying to see a stranger who could have killed the poor man. Mouse and I know we’re not likely to see him, because we don’t really think he would be that stupid. He’ll know there’ll be a police presence, so that makes it safe, I reckon.’
‘Let’s hope he thinks like that. He’s not that bright, he’s had three goes at killing Beth, and he must be feeling desperate. Don’t you realise he thinks she can identify him.’ He looked directly at Mouse. ‘Can you?’
‘Not yet. And that’s the truth, Leon, but what’s also the truth is that I think I’ve seen him before. I thought it when Anthony and I got into that blessed taxi, and I couldn’t put my finger on who he was then. But I will remember, one day.’
Leon sighed. ‘You three women scare me. Can I trust you to leave this to the police, and not go investigating this yourself?’
They nodded, their faces serious.
He hoped he could believe them.
20
The skies were cloudy, but the weather forecast had showed no rain was imminent. It was warm, and as Kat headed for the church, she was thankful she’d worn her ordinary clothes.
She saw several people as she walked down the main road, and they all asked if she was taking the service. They knew of the part she had played in finding the body, and she had to explain several times why she wasn’t officiating, before reaching the sanctuary of the church.
She quickly changed into her clerical garb, and then moved outside, to direct people into the church, keeping her eyes open for strangers. She didn’t really expect to suddenly see a man who she could categorise as a murderer, but she felt she had to inspect every male there.
That included her husband. He looked delicious, and well worth inspecting. ‘Well, Mr Rowe, you scrub up nicely if you don’t mind my saying so.’ She reached up and kissed him.’
‘Can deacons do that in the church grounds?’ he grinned.
‘They certainly can,’ she responded. ‘And I promise we’ll go straight home afterwards. I don’t want you worrying about us.’
‘Too right you will. I’m taking you to the house in the car, before I return to work.’
She watched as he turned his back on her, giving her no time to respond. He moved across to greet someone he knew, and she saw him shake their hand. She was seething. How dare he make her feel belittled.
The church was filling; Anthony Jackson had been a popular figure, it seemed. There were several people from the village, and she greeted them with a hand clasp. They all spoke highly of the deceased, and she thought it was even more peculiar that she hadn’t known him.
Mouse arrived and Kat outwardly ignored her. However, she kept a close eye on her as she mingled with the last of the stragglers outside the church, watching her dark hair weaving in and out of the small groups.
The hearse arrived and Kat hurried inside and joined Leon. The mourners rose to their feet, and silence descended as the coffin arrived in the doorway. It was carried in to a classical piece of music that was beautifully uplifting, the notes soaring into the top of the church interior. She couldn’t place what it was, and vowed to check the playlist.
There was a brother. His name was Ian, and he spoke of the childhood they had shared, despite the age gap of seven years, and how much he had been devastated when they heard of his death. His friends had been numerous, Ian had reported, and he knew many of them were in the church celebrating his life.
The service ended and everyone filed out to surround the newly dug grave in the churchyard.
Both Mouse and Kat held themselves back, standing on the exterior of the group surrounding the grave. Someone sobbed as the coffin was lowered, and Kat craned her neck to see who it was.
She slid her phone out of her pocket and pretended to do something to it, while surreptitiously taking a photo of the dark-haired woman. She would show it to Mouse later, she thought, along with the half a dozen or so photographs she had managed to take, for comparison with the pictures of Anthony’s friends Kat had downloaded from the Internet. The crowd slowly dispersed, and Leon appeared beside her.
‘You need to do anything in church?’ he asked.
She shook her head.
‘Then let’s get back to the car. I’ll drop you off. Beth’s already headed down to the path, and she’s okay. Nobody followed her.’
‘Thank you. You’ve been keeping an eye on her?’
‘On her more than you,’ he acknowledged. ‘I know she’s the one in danger.’
Kat nodded. ‘Then take me home. Let’s go make sure Doris is okay.’
With Leon heading back to work, the three women sat around the kitchen table talking about the funeral. Mouse admitted it had been hard; she had enjoyed Anthony’s company, he had been refreshing to be with, and she couldn’t relate that man to the body that had just been lowered into a hole in the ground.
‘And you saw nobody who jogged your memory?’ Kat asked. She had deemed it wise not to pose the question until Leon had departed.
‘Nobody at all. I didn’t imagine there would be so many people though.’
‘It’s because he was young. The younger the deceased, the larger the group of mourners. I knew there would be a good turnout.’
‘You didn’t see anything to give you cause for concern, Kat?’ Mouse asked. ‘I noticed you kept opposite me all the time s
o that between us we had it all covered.’
Kat produced her phone and passed it across to Mouse. ‘This girl was clearly upset.’
‘It’s Caroline Boldock, or Phillips, or whatever she’s really called. She’s been a friend of Anthony’s since school days, and she’s one of the group of friends who’ve kept in touch since they left. I know her through the escort agency. I thought she was a student like me, similar age, but she isn’t, she’s much older. Thirty or so.’
‘Can we speak to her, you reckon?’ Kat frowned, considering the negative possibilities to her question. Maybe Caroline Boldock wouldn’t want to speak to anyone who wasn’t police.
‘I can get her phone number,’ Mouse said.
Kat’s smile was strained. ‘Please don’t tell me how you’re going to do that. I don’t want to know. She may have some answers for us though.’
Leon walked into Brian’s office, and immediately headed for the coffee pot. Brian was on the phone, and shook his head when Leon mimed pouring him one as well.
Sinking down on to the leather sofa, Leon waited patiently for Brian to finish the call. ‘Problems?’
‘No, nothing to worry you. Did you go to the funeral?’
‘I did. He’d a lot of friends.’
Brian nodded, and bent his head to make a note in his diary. ‘So young, you see. Shame he had to die.’
Leon looked at his friend, eyebrows raised. ‘You know something?’
‘Nothing. Don’t really want to know anything either. No, it was just a passing comment. Somebody obviously thought he should die, and I for one think it might not have been a good idea. It’ll make the police investigate things they are better off not investigating.’
‘There’s no word on the streets then?’
‘Nothing that’s been passed on to me. Maybe Anthony screwed the wrong bird and the boyfriend found out. Perhaps we’re looking too deep into this, thinking there might be connections with him wanting in with us, wanting a merger.’
‘It’s not just about Jackson though. There’s been other deaths connected with it. That DI seems clueless. She’s clutching at straws. She’s interviewed Kat and I twice. All we did was find the body.’
‘Forget it, Leon. There’s nothing to link us to him. We’ve no worries.’
But Leon had worries. He had three women at home hell-bent on finding the killer, and to make sure his Kat stayed safe and alive, he couldn’t tell anybody.
He finished his coffee and stood. ‘That delivery from Rotterdam coming in tonight?’
‘That one, and the one from Paris.’
‘Paris is early?’
‘Yes, quick turnaround by the driver. He’ll be heading back again tomorrow.’
‘Good. Make sure he gets a bonus. Keep him sweet.’
Tessa Marsden walked up the stairs to her office and threw her bag down on the table. She’d been fooled, and Tessa Marsden didn’t take kindly to that.
Sitting at her desk, she counted to ten, then picked up her phone. There was no reply, and she gritted her teeth as she left a voicemail.
‘Ms Boldock, please contact DI Tessa Marsden as soon as possible. You have my number.’ And I have yours, madam, she thought as she disconnected. Only seen Anthony Jackson twice, my arse.
Caroline listened to the voicemail almost as soon as Marsden finished speaking. She had spotted the DI at the funeral, along with others she presumed were police officers from the way they hung back on the periphery of the mourners. She’d also noticed Beth Walters, but she’d kind of expected her to be there, given the circumstances of Anthony’s death.
The others sitting around the pub table were subdued: Sarah Hodgson, back in Eyam for the funeral much against her fiancé’s wishes, Michael Damms, Isla and Gerry Yardley and Peter Swift, who had already signed at least half a dozen autographs.
‘Here’s to our missing members,’ Damms said, raising his glass. ‘To Keith, Oliver and Anthony.’
They all echoed Keith, Oliver and Anthony, then replaced their glasses on the table.
‘We’re down to six now,’ Peter said, staring into his glass of Diet Coke. ‘And we’re only thirty, thirty-one. That’s a bit scary, don’t you think?’
‘I think it’s more than a bit scary that Anthony was murdered,’ Sarah said, a frown creasing her forehead.
Gerry Yardley stood. ‘What’s everybody having?’ They gave him their orders, and he headed to the bar.
Isla watched until he was out of earshot. ‘Do you think Anthony’s murder was anything to do with… you know?’
‘With Leon Rowe and Brian King? Nah, that’s long forgotten. No, we all knew what Anthony was involved with, despite his clean-cut image,’ Michael said, then decided he maybe shouldn’t say any more on that subject as he worked for the Jackson empire. ‘He probably got on the wrong side of somebody, and paid for it. It’s the girl he was with that I feel sorry for. She had never met him before that night, and ended it taking a bullet alongside him.’
‘She survived,’ said Caroline, spite evident in her voice. She’d asked the agency for any future bookings with Anthony Jackson, explaining that they were old friends from school days, and the agency had confirmed that following their second function Mr Jackson had requested that Caroline not be his escort as it made it awkward for him to act naturally around her.
‘I still think we should be on our guard,’ Isla whispered as Gerry returned to the table with a tray full of drinks. ‘When do you go back home, Sarah?’
‘Tomorrow morning. Peter, why didn’t you say yes to marrying me when I asked you twenty years ago, then I wouldn’t be tied to the south?’ she said with a laugh.
‘We were only ten, Sarah,’ Peter said with a smile. ‘I needed to keep my options open.’
‘And?’ Caroline raised an eyebrow.
‘The options are now closed. I have a partner, and as soon as my playing career is over, we’ll be married. His name is Robert, but my agent feels it’s better if we don’t openly admit to being together, not yet. Not good for the image, he says.’
‘There’s a turn-up for the books.’ Michael stood and reached across the table. He extended his hand and Peter shook it. ‘Glad to hear it, Peter, and don’t forget our invitations to the wedding.’
‘My invitations will be heading your way very shortly too,’ Sarah said. ‘I’d really like it if you could navigate your way to Ross-on-Wye in late September. I realise you won’t be able to attend, Peter, because it’s a Saturday in the football season, so you’re excused, but I really need the support from the rest of you.’
They nodded their agreement and the talk was successfully steered away from Anthony Jackson’s murder, although Caroline knew, from the tone of DI Marsden’s peremptory voicemail, that she maybe hadn’t finished with it yet.
Sarah and Caroline walked back to Sarah’s car after she had said her goodbyes to the others, and drove to Caroline’s house in Sheffield.
‘You know, Caro, I never had you down for a city girl.’
‘Needs must, Sarah. It’s too expensive to buy within the Peak District, houses in Sheffield are half the price. It was a no brainer, I had to live somewhere, especially as I’m at Sheffield Uni now.’
‘Then don’t be a stranger. I’m sure Alexander won’t mind you coming to stay for a few days.’
‘That’s his name? You’ve never mentioned it since you arrived yesterday morning. You call him Alex?’
‘No, he prefers Alexander. You’ll come?’
‘I can’t really,’ Caroline explained. ‘I do an evening job that earns me quite a lot of money. It’s putting me through uni anyway. It’s taken me years to realise this is what I need, Sarah, to finish my education properly and get a career. I want to go into forensic medicine when I’m through with my degree. But in the meantime I have to earn.’
‘What do you do?’
‘I work for an escort agency. I had two jobs where I escorted Anthony, and heaven help me, Sarah, I really started to fall for him.’
21
Caroline rang Tessa Marsden a couple of minutes after waving goodbye to Sarah. She was horrified to hear the DI say she had already despatched a police car to arrest her.
‘What? But…’
‘But nothing, Ms Boldock. If I leave a message for you to ring me, I don’t mean sometime the following day. The car will be with you in about fifteen minutes.’
Caroline froze. ‘But I’m already on my way to Chesterfield,’ she lied.
Tessa smiled. Now she’d got the woman well and truly rattled, she was happy. Maybe they would get proper answers out of her this time.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. Can’t you hear the engine?’
‘I hope you’re on hands free with your phone,’ she said drily. ‘I’ll recall the squad car. You’ll be here by half past ten then, I presume?’
‘I will if I can get parked,’ Caroline said, and disconnected.
In utter panic, Caroline grabbed her bag and headed out the door. She had twenty-five minutes to get to Chesterfield, park and walk to the police station.
‘You’re awful,’ Hannah said, a grin on her face. ‘She’ll be a dithering wreck by the time she arrives.’
‘Serves her right,’ Tessa said. ‘She should have told us there was more than two nights out to her relationship with Anthony Jackson. Who knows what else she’s holding back…’
Caroline waited in the same interview room as before, but this time it was with trepidation. Marsden had sounded pissed off with her, and she didn’t know why.
She looked up as the door opened.
‘Caroline, you made it then,’ Tessa Marsden said drily.
Caroline didn’t answer. She sensed it was a statement rather than a question.
Tessa switched on the machine and logged them in. Hannah’s eyes were glued to Caroline, watching her body language. She was scared but that could be because of the threat of arrest levelled at her by the DI.