by Anita Waller
‘Good job I shattered his left hand and not his right, isn’t it?’ Doris said. ‘He clearly thinks it’s okay to drive with just one hand. I should have shattered his kneecap, I suppose.’
Mouse helped Kat to stand, and all three of them went downstairs. The blood from Kat’s head had stopped dripping down her face, and Mouse cleaned the wound, then dressed it. She handed over a couple of painkillers, then made Kat sit in the lounge, her feet raised on the recliner, and rest.
‘I’ll make you a cup of tea now Mouse has put you back together,’ Doris said, ‘and then we’ll talk. We might have dealt with the murdering scumbag who fooled us all, but there’s another murdering scumbag out there. Will Leon go to Brian King, do you think?’
‘I doubt it. I saw the shock on his face when I said Mouse had identified Brian as the taxi driver. He’d no idea. I imagine he’s doing lots of thinking about Brian. He’s used to total loyalty, not the disloyalty after over thirty years of friendship. He’s probably ringing somebody right now to make arrangements to have Brian sorted once and for all.’
‘You think?’ Mouse raised her eyebrows.
‘Yes, I do. I’ve learnt a lot of things about my husband today, and nothing would surprise me.’
‘So do you think we should ring Marsden now?’
Kat sighed. ‘I don’t know. My Christian beliefs say of course we should try to prevent any more deaths, but I’m not just a deacon, I’m also a human being, and I can’t help but feel that both Brian and Leon deserve everything that’s coming to them. Am I wrong? When I think of Sally Adams and Lorna Reynolds…’
The cup of tea, with just a tot of brandy in it, calmed frazzled nerves, and forced them to think logically.
It occurred to them that the crime that could cause them serious issues was the firing of the gun, and removing most of Leon’s left hand. Fortunately the blood splatter had been confined to the bed; he had helped them massively by landing in that direction, so Mouse went upstairs and stripped the bedding. She checked around and saw one tiny spot on the bedhead. Scrubbing removed it from sight and she hoped it would also defeat any technical wizardry by the police. He had saved the blood from going everywhere by clutching his arm to him, and then wrapping it in a towel which he had taken with him.
The bullet was embedded in the skirting board, in the joint where it met the floor. Mouse prised it out, washed yet more blood away and dropped the bullet into her bowl of water.
The blood from Kat’s head was a different matter, and there was a small pool on the wooden floor. It was easier than removing it from a carpet would have been, but still took some time and with no guarantee it wouldn’t be traced if the police found it necessary to check.
Mouse made the bed ready for Kat, but guessed there would be no sleep.
‘All done,’ Mouse announced a minute later, the washing machine confirming it. ‘I can’t see any more blood but I’d like you two to have a look, in case I’ve missed any. However, let’s not forget he hit you and you bled considerably, Kat. They’ve no reason to suspect the blood is Leon’s unless they actually catch him. You have fresh bedding on, so even if they find Leon and he tells this strange story of a mad pensioner shooting him, we can simply deny it. We’ll just say look for Brian King, he probably shot him. Or one of the others he’s managed to upset in his crooked lifetime. There’s bound to be many who would like to see Leon dead. Now, of course, we need to get rid of the gun.’
‘Already done. Did you find the bullet?’ Doris asked.
‘What?’
‘I said it’s already done. Don’t ask me anything else until this is over, then I’ll tell you where it is. I just need to add the bullet to it.’
Mouse handed over the tiny object. She knew it would be well hidden.
‘So now what?’ Kat said. ‘We ring Marsden?’
‘Let’s give Leon a couple more hours, because ideally I’d like him to get far away. Is his passport still here, Kat?’
She shook her head. ‘No, he leaves it in his car. He frequently nips over to Holland and France, so keeps it with him. Why did I never see it, this link to drugs? He was always going to Holland, and he knows Paris better than Bakewell.’
‘Then let’s hope he realises it’s all up for him, and legs it to Holland again. That actually will be the quickest way of getting away, Holland on the overnight ferry from Hull. Security’s nowhere near as strict on the boats as it is on planes.’
Doris looked at her two girls as they discussed hoping the thug that was Leon Rowe had escaped, and she knew they were protecting her. ‘Listen, you two, if this does go pear-shaped and I don’t get away with shooting Leon, I don’t want any heroics from either of you. You go ahead with your plans, make me proud, and I’ll do my time. I’ve not killed anybody, so it won’t be for too long, but hopefully he’ll disappear, never to be heard from again. And Kat, my love, I’m so sorry this has happened. I know you loved him and I can’t begin to imagine how you’re feeling, but we’re both here to help you through it.’
Doris made them a sandwich, forced them to eat it, and then Mouse rang DI Marsden. Mouse listened to the phone ringing out and was on the verge of putting the receiver down when Marsden answered.
‘DI Marsden.’
‘Hi, it’s Beth Walters. Are you busy?’
‘Sort of. I was just on my way out of the office to get a statement from somebody before I head out to yours in the morning.’
‘Are you too busy to come out here tonight? I think you should. There have been developments.’
‘With Leon Rowe?’
‘Definitely with Leon Rowe.’
‘I’ll be there by eight.’
Tessa disconnected the call, picked up her bag once more and went to find Hannah.
Hannah Granger was sitting patiently in the driving seat, waiting for her boss to join her.
‘Sorry, Hannah, if anybody’s expecting you home early, can you ring them and warn them you’ll be late. After we’ve seen Caroline Boldock, we’re heading to Eyam, to Leon Rowe’s house.’
‘We’re right about him, aren’t we? He’s behind all of this.’ Hannah frowned. ‘I can’t help but feel sorry for Kat Rowe though. I don’t think she’s any idea.’
‘Maybe she didn’t have, but I get the feeling that’s changed. I think tonight is the time we’ll get the answers we need. They’re pretty savvy, Kat Rowe and Beth Walters, and I think whatever we haven’t managed to tie together yet, will be bundled up in a nice little package tonight.’
33
Caroline Boldock was the first of the seven to break. Incarceration in the safe house had emphasised the need to tell the truth; her life couldn’t be lived in fear of Leon Rowe turning up with a shotgun.
Tessa and Hannah listened to her story, a simple one of teenagers celebrating a sixteenth birthday, until evil had arrived in the form of Leon Rowe and Brian King. She confirmed it was definitely them – you couldn’t miss Leon Rowe, even from the back. On that warm May night, he had worn a T-shirt, and they had all recognised him. They had known Brian King’s voice, and he was never more than a couple of feet away from Leon anyway.
Caroline repeated the words still etched into her brain, the words Craig Adams had said as he pleaded for his life while being dragged along the riverside walk. And then she confirmed the sound of the shot and the splash.
It felt cathartic to Caroline to finally speak of that night with someone other than the seven people who had witnessed it. Tessa organised her conveyance to the station for the next morning, to give her formal statement, and then sorted the instructions to get Michael Damms and Peter Swift brought in to give their statements, and for them to be told that Caroline had already divulged their part in the cover-up. Keith Lancaster in Australia could wait. And sweat.
Tessa left the safe house with a smile on her face. Now to arrest Leon Rowe and Brian King. She contacted the station to request a backup car meet her at the Eyam house, and they headed there, hopes high it was coming to an en
d.
Hannah could see how angry Tessa was, and chose to keep quiet through the tirade. It seemed that the three ladies had watched Leon Rowe go, and hadn’t told anyone.
‘But I asked you to come tonight instead of tomorrow,’ Mouse said, deliberately putting a puzzled expression on her face.
‘You didn’t exactly stress the urgency,’ Tessa replied.
‘There was no urgency, Leon had already walked out, and to be perfectly honest, DI Marsden, we were more concerned with sorting out the damage to Kat’s head.’
‘Do you need an ambulance, Mrs Rowe?’
Kat gave a weak smile. ‘No, I’ll be fine. Head wounds always bleed heavily, but the cut is relatively minor. I’ve just got a bit of a headache, that’s all. Beth and Nan sorted it, cleaned up the blood, changed the bedding – I think that’s why Leon vanished so quickly. He saw all the blood.’
‘You two were in the room when he hit Mrs Rowe?’
‘No,’ Mouse replied for both her and Doris. ‘I heard Kat scream. He was standing over her, and I told him to leave her alone, I needed to see to her. He went while we were looking after Kat.’
Tessa looked at the paperwork laid out on the coffee table, the files, the scribbled notes, and recognised that they probably knew as much as she did.
‘How did you get this information?’ Tessa asked.
‘Just by chatting to people. They’ll do so to us quite openly, but talking to police is another matter.’ Mouse spoke calmly.
‘No clever computer work then?’
Kat laughed. ‘I can barely switch one on.’
‘I didn’t mean you, Mrs Rowe. I meant Miss Walters.’
‘Beth and I are very competent with technology,’ Doris said, acid in her tone. ‘What exactly are you suggesting, DI Marsden? Do you want these files or not? The whole situation as we have tracked it, is notated here. The only thing that is missing is what has happened tonight. Beth’s memory was finally triggered by a visit to the Rowe distribution centre where she saw Brian King, so you now have your witness identification you have hassled her for; just take everything we have discovered. If something doesn’t match up with yours, then ours will be the correct one.’ Doris limped out of the room and went to the kitchen. Jumped up little… she turned to find Hannah following her.
‘Shall we make a pot of tea?’ Hannah smiled. ‘Take no notice of the boss, she’s not slept properly for weeks, and just when she could see the end, that damn man disappears. Come on, let me help you. I think we all need to calm down.’
Doris looked at her, then filled the kettle. ‘We didn’t realise he’d gone for quite some time, you know. We were busy cleaning the blood off Kat, and sticking her back together, then changing the bed, washing the floor, getting the blood-stained sheets in the washer. It all took time. It was only when we realised he wasn’t downstairs that we thought to check for his car. It’s gone, let’s hope for good.’
‘I’ve just had a message to say Brian King’s been picked up, so Leon’s obviously not gone there for sanctuary. Heaven only knows how Mrs Rowe will deal with the fallout from this. She’s going to need a lot of help.’
‘We’re here for her. She knows that.’
Hannah carried the tray of drinks through to the lounge, where she handed them out to everyone. Marsden was looking through the files.
‘You spoke to Peter Swift?’
Kat nodded, then winced. The movement hurt her. ‘I did. I didn’t lie to get in, told him my name, gave him my card, and just chatted with him. Offered to give communion, but he declined, saying he would wait to go to church with his partner. Nice man. Then I left. I really went to see if I could get him to say anything accidentally, but as you can see from the notes, he clammed up, so I came away.’
‘Am I okay to take all these files with me?’
‘Of course,’ Doris said. ‘That’s what they’re there for. We’ve got duplicates of everything anyway. As you would expect.’
Marsden gathered everything, then dumped it all back down before picking up her mug of tea. ‘I don’t want to fall out with you three, and thank you for all of this. But you put yourselves in danger, and that’s not good. If Leon does get in touch, I need to know immediately.’
‘Of course,’ Kat said. ‘But this is the plague village, DI Marsden, and trust me, he’ll avoid it like the plague. I know him, he’ll not risk coming back here.’
Marsden allocated four of her people to go through the files she had brought with her from Eyam, and she headed down to the interview room where Brian King, accompanied by his solicitor Olivia Jordan, was impatiently waiting.
Marsden didn’t care; she was tired, and she guessed he had no intentions of saying anything. Thank God for Caroline Boldock and her bravery in finally speaking out, and thank God that Beth Walters had recognised Brian as the taxi driver. And she had said it was purely from the angle his head was at when he was tracking a lorry in the yard. On such small actions, whole cases are resolved, she mused.
She stood at the window alongside Hannah, looking into the room. ‘Okay,’ she said, ‘I’ll take the lead. If you think I’m missing anything, jump in.’
Hannah laughed. ‘As if. I’ve sat in on dozens of interviews with you and not noticed you’ve missed anything so far.’
‘There’s always a first time, Hannah, and this one’s a slippery customer. Look who he’s got for a solicitor.’
They moved towards the door, and Tessa stopped for a second to survey the occupants. Within a couple of minutes, the recorder was activated and she began.
‘Mr King, I need to take you back fifteen years or so. Can you tell me where you were on the evening of the 8th of May 2002?’
‘No.’
‘Okay, is that a “no you won’t tell me”, or a “no you can’t remember”?’
‘I can’t remember. As you said, it’s fifteen years ago. And I don’t keep a diary.’
‘Then let me remind you. You walked along the riverside path in Bakewell around nine in the evening, with Leon Rowe and a young man called Craig Adams.’
‘Did I? Who’s Craig Adams?’
‘A young man who was in the same class at school as you and Mr Rowe. You actually knew him quite well. Well enough to kill him, it seems.’
Olivia Jordan held up her pen, and looked about to speak.
‘Okay, Ms Jordan, we’re not in a court of law, not yet anyway. I’m just after the truth, which, by the way, we have in the form of statements from witnesses to the events of that night.’
‘Witnesses?’ Brian King said.
Olivia reached across and touched his knee, warning him to be careful what he said.
‘There were seven witnesses. Three are now dead, and one seriously injured. Three are still alive, and they have all given statements telling the same story.’ She crossed her fingers at the lie; they still only had Caroline’s statement, but Peter and Michael were coming in later. They would be interviewed and statements taken, which she guessed would match Caroline’s. The Australian statement would be a bonus.
‘No comment.’
‘That’s a surprise. Let me jog your memory a little bit more. In the afternoon of that day, Craig Adams had tried to pay two thousand pounds to Rowe, which he owed for drugs. He was short of the full payment. We have two witnesses to that as well, so don’t waste your breath denying it. You returned at night and took Craig. The same witnesses saw this. Are you with me so far?’
‘No comment.’
‘Okay. Fortunately we don’t need your comments. You manhandled Craig Adams along that riverside walk, not knowing that initially your voices were recognised, and then the two of you were visually recognised. I have the exact words Craig used as he pleaded for his life, but it was to no avail, was it, Brian? You took him to the deepest stretch of the river and you shot him. Oh, don’t bother asking, the shot was heard, along with the splash as he went into the water.’
‘No comment.’
‘Okay, let’s move on to later that
night, to a crime that was solved pretty quickly. It was a case of arson, and right outside the shed that was burnt down was a petrol can with fingerprints on it. Those fingerprints belonged to Donald Truman, currently serving two life sentences for the murder of two girls who were inside that shed. We still have that petrol can, and there are massive improvements in testing these days. It’s already with forensics, and if either you or Rowe even breathed near that petrol can, we’ll know. We believe you gave those girls drugs in that shed, and then set up Don Truman, one of the witnesses to the abduction of Craig Adams, for the murders. That petrol can, according to a witness who fled from this country because he also knew about the abduction, was in Don’s garage. He used it to store petrol for his lawnmower. What did you do to keep Don quiet? Threaten his family? His little sister? You don’t need to answer that. We have somebody interviewing Don Truman right now, and once we reassure him that your whole operation, and you, is about to be closed down permanently, he’ll tell us everything.’
‘No comment.’
‘Okay. Let’s move on to more recent deaths. Let’s talk about Anthony Jackson. Let me tell you what I believe. I think Jackson wanted to join your outfit as a partner.’
‘I’m not a partner in any outfit.’
Tessa could sense the undercurrent in his voice. There was anger there.
‘Really? You’re not a partner in Rowe Pharmaceuticals? Or even Rowe Drug Empire?’ She smiled.
‘No.’
‘You’re not happy about that, are you, Brian? So did it make you even more unhappy when Jackson came around wanting part of the action, and you were still a lowly employee.’
‘Hardly lowly.’
‘Nevertheless, an employee.’
Tessa consulted her notes, and King shuffled uncomfortably on his chair. She ignored him.
She took out a photograph, and pushed it across to him. ‘Recognise him?’ She took out a second picture. ‘Or her?’