Behind the Walls: A British Crime Thriller (A DCI Pilgrim Thriller Book 4)

by A L Fraine

  “I served my early years here as a PC before becoming a detective,” Kate said.

  “Nice place?”

  “Yeah. I enjoyed my time here, anyway, but I was keen to move into detective work as soon as I could.”

  “And you got transferred to the SIU?”

  “It wasn’t the SIU back then, it was the Surrey Murder Team, and it was a bigger group of people. I got partnered with Nathan, which was something of a rite of passage as it turned out.”

  “I think you mentioned that before.”

  “Yeah, I probably have,” Kate said.

  “Remind me what happened.”

  “Nathan had been demoted after a case went wrong, and he let his conspiracy theories get a little out of hand. He stayed on the murder team, but he was shunned by them. When a rookie joined, they partnered them with Nathan to see how they got on.”

  “I take it you got on well with him,” Jon guessed.

  “I did. When they tried to move me on, I requested to stay on as his partner. Some of the other team members were idiots about it, but most were fine. I ended up joining the SIU with Nathan, so it didn’t turn out too bad.”

  “True,” Jon agreed. “And then you met me, and your life was complete.”

  Kate pulled a face. “Riiiight.”

  “DCI Pilgrim, is it?”

  Jon turned to see a short woman with black hair looking up at him. She wore a trouser suit with the familiar Police ID around her neck. “Yes, hi,” he said. “And this is DS O’Connell. We’re from Horsley Station.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m DC Mizaki. How can I help you?”

  “Well, it’s more to do with us helping you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, you took on a case today. A missing person’s case?”

  “Helen Cooper, yes.”

  “Well, we have some information for you.”

  “Okay, well, why don’t you come with me. We shouldn’t discuss this here.”

  “Of course,” Jon said, and with a smile, DC Mizaki led them through the security door and along a corridor to a side room with some sofas and a coffee machine.

  “Drink?”

  “Sure, thank you,” Jon answered.

  “Yes, thanks,” Kate said.

  Ellie busied herself with the drinks. “So, you’re on the, um, the Special Investigations Unit at Horsley, right?”

  “That’s right,” Kate said.

  “Aren’t you linked with the National Crime Agency?”

  “That’s right. We’re still part of the Surrey Police, but we have strong links to the NCA for resources and such.”

  “Must be good, knowing you have that backup and freedom.”

  “It can be helpful,” Kate agreed.

  “I’ve never been to Horsley Station, is it nice?”

  “I like it,” Kate said. “I used to work here, back when I was a PC, and if I’m honest, I prefer Horsley. It feels more purpose-built. You’ll have to pop over some time, and I’ll give you the guided tour.”

  “I’d like that, thanks,” Ellie said.

  “Have you been a Detective long?” Jon asked.

  “No, I only graduated earlier this year.”

  “How are you finding it?”

  “Yeah, it’s good. I like it. I prefer it to the work I was doing before,” she said and brought them their drinks. Jon took a sip, pleased to note the coffee was just as terrible here as it had been back up in Nottingham.

  “So, what do you have for me?”

  “Can you tell us what you know so far about Helen?”

  “Sure,” Ellie said. “Her mother, Rose, came in earlier to report her as missing. She’s not seen her for a few days, and her phone’s off, which is very unlike her, apparently.”

  “Does she live at home with her parents?”

  “That’s right,” Ellie replied. “Mrs Cooper had no idea where she could be. She was quite panicked.”

  “What about her dad? Does she have any siblings?”

  “Her dad is Robert, and her brother is Mark. They didn’t come in, though, just her mother. I thought that was a bit odd and she didn’t seem to like talking about it.”

  “Right, that’s interesting,” Jon replied.

  “Why?” Ellie asked.

  “Well,” Jon said and pulled out the purse, which was sealed inside a clear plastic bag. He handed it to Ellie. “We found that at a house on the outskirts of Redhill. It’s Helen’s purse. You can see her ID on the inside flap there.”

  “Oh, wow, yes, that’s her. And you found this at a house in Redhill?”

  “On the outskirts, but yes. The house had been briefly rented by her brother, Mark Cooper, but he’s disappeared somewhere, around or just before Helen went missing.”

  “Hmm, that is interesting. Why were you investigating Mark?”

  “We weren’t, not directly, anyway. We have a house in Newdigate where several bodies have been found inside a wall, and our investigation led to the house in Redhill, where we found that in the basement.”

  “The basement? Okay. Has this been through Forensics?”

  Jon nodded and handed over a printed report. “Helen’s prints were found, a couple of her hairs too. That’s all, though.”

  “So, how did you end up at this house in Redhill?”

  “Via a somewhat convoluted path. The house with the bodies used to belong to a man called Duncan. He rented it out, sold it, and then briefly became a tenant at the house in Redhill.”

  “Okay. Do you think Helen is involved in these killings? Should I turn this missing person’s case over to you?”

  “No, you won’t do that,” said a voice.

  Jon looked up to see a man stood at the door, frowning as he looked in at them.

  “This is your case, Ellie, and it needs to stay that way.”

  “But, sir. If Helen is linked to these bodies…”

  “No.”

  Jon stood up. “Hi. I’m DCI Pilgrim from—”

  “I know who you are,” the man said without looking at Jon. “So this is who you ended up working with, is it Kate?”

  “Afternoon, DS Taylor,” Kate said, her voice deadpan. She didn’t look pleased to see him, and they clearly knew one another.

  “It’s DI Taylor now,” he replied. “I heard you got a promotion too.”

  Kate shrugged. “That’s right, ‘Tommy’, I did.”

  “Well done,” he said, but he didn’t sound impressed to Jon’s ears. “So you finally pulled yourself out of the shadow of Halliwell, did you?”

  “He’s a valuable member of the team, actually,” Jon said.

  “He’s a nut,” Tommy said, giving Jon the eye. “I wondered how long it would take for you to show up here and throw your weight around. You’re not in the wilds of the north anymore, Jon Pilgrim.”

  “We’re not throwing our weight around,” Jon said in protest.

  “I beg to differ. You’re interfering with the investigation of one of my officers. That’s interfering in my book. I’m not having you come here and take the case away from her just because you’re all la-di-dah and working with the NCA now.”

  “That’s got nothing to do with this,” Kate said.

  “I offered it to them,” Ellie said. “They didn’t come to take it.”

  “Don’t be naive, Mizaki. You’ll learn how these things work soon enough. These guys coming down here, from their ivory tower, as if they’re gods-gift or something, it stinks. So no, you’re not going to take this case away from Mizaki. She’s going to work it herself, and I don’t want to hear any more about it,” Tommy said as he walked to the door. He stopped as he got there and looked back. “It’s such a shame, Kate. You had promise. You were good at your job, and you’ve chosen to follow Nathan into crazy town.” He sighed. “See you around, Irish.”

  Jon watched him walk out, feeling a little shocked by his diatribe against them. He turned and looked at Kate. “Friend of yours? He seems like such a nice man.”

  “He wa
s on the murder team with us,” Kate explained. “He was always a dick, though.”

  “I’ve heard stories,” Ellie said. “From his point of view, of course.”

  “I bet. I’m sure he makes himself out to be the righteous one, and turns Nathan into some kind of dangerous psycho.”

  “Yeah, something like that. It’s fairly obvious he’s over-inflating himself, though. He does it all the time and thinks we don’t notice.”

  “And he’s your boss, right?” Jon asked.

  Ellie shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah. He’s alright… in small doses.”

  “Small doses? I think I’ve had enough of him already. I hope we’ve not caused you any problems by coming to see you.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” Ellie replied with a smile.

  “Good.”

  “Why don’t you go and talk to Helen’s parents,” Ellie suggested. “They might be able to help you, shed some light on things.”

  “Good idea,” Jon replied, deciding he liked Ellie. She seemed whip-smart and keen to help. They needed more officers like her. “I think we’ll do that first thing tomorrow.”

  “In that case, why don’t I go with you? I’ll bring the purse to show them.”

  “I don’t want to cause you any problems with DI Taylor,” Jon said.

  “You won’t. I’ll make sure to arrange it in such a way, so he doesn’t suspect anything. It’ll be fine, you’ll see. Here, this is my number,” she said, handing Jon a card with her details on it.

  Jon did the same. “Thank you, Ellie.”

  “No problem. I’d better get back to it, anyway. I’ll show you out.”

  “Thanks.” Jon followed her through the building with Kate beside him, looking thoughtful after her encounter with Tommy. They said goodbye to Ellie and walked out, making for the car.

  “Was that a bit of a blast from the past?” Jon asked.

  “Yeah. He was always the joker, and he never liked Nathan. I’ve often wondered what happened to the guys who used to work at Horsley with us. At least I know where one of them is now. He might be a dick, but I’m glad he’s still working.”

  “Even when they treat you like that?”

  Kate shrugged. “He’s not my boss, and he was a good detective.”

  “No, he’s not your boss. Hopefully, he won’t cause too many problems.”

  “Just pull rank on him,” Kate said.

  “Aye, I might.”

  “Want a helping hand at the house tonight?” Kate asked, looking up at the early evening sky and then back at Jon.

  “Sure, why not.”

  19

  Everything hurt. Her wrists hurt, her stomach was twisted into knots that were causing agonising cramps, and her head was swimming.

  Helen had no idea what time of day it might be or anything. There were moments when she could have sworn she wasn’t even here, entombed in this wall. She was somewhere else, somewhere warm and soft and…

  But no, she wasn’t.

  There was no denying the truth of it, not anymore. As her tummy growled and twisted into another painful cramp, she knew this would be the end for her. She was going to die here, sealed up in this wall. It felt like her own stomach was either trying to eat her from the inside or just gnaw its way out of her altogether.

  She found it difficult to focus on anything for too long. Her head pounded and ached as if a hammer kept smashing against the side of her skull, and her mouth felt so dry. She had no saliva at all and hadn’t really been able to swallow for who knew how long.

  In her moments of lucidity, she knew she’d been hallucinating. She imagined herself in faraway places, free from this nightmare, and living her life, or being hugged by her mother or brother, and being told that everything was okay.

  She thought she’d heard people at one point; people moving around and talking close by. But she couldn’t be sure.

  Had she called out? Had she shouted and tried to get their attention?

  She didn’t know. Her memories were hazy, and she wasn’t even sure if what she’d heard was even real.

  Had she missed her chance? Was that it, her one hope of being found, gone?

  As the realisation hit her, she screamed. The ragged wail made her throat hurt even more than it already did, and in a fit of rage, she slammed her head against the wall once, twice, three times, before unconsciousness reared its head, as if summoned by her yell and pain.

  It rushed up and wrapped her in its pitch velvet cloak, making the world slip away again.

  She tried to hang on to reality, to keep from falling into her dreams again, but her desperate clawing for some kind of clarity did nothing to help her, and as the seconds passed, she fell once more into fitful visions.

  20

  “This is nice, don’t you think?” Jon asked as he walked out of the house with Kate the following morning. She’d stayed the night, and it felt kind of right that she was here, with him, like a proper couple, living together.

  He liked it.

  Part of him wanted to ask her to move in right there and then, but he resisted. And as he thought about it again, he realised it was probably a little too quick for him as well.

  He wasn’t even all moved in yet, although he wasn’t far off being done now. Having Kate help last night had really pushed him on. The place was starting to look a little more like home now, and he was looking forward to kitting it out with all the stuff he needed.

  He still didn’t have an oven or washing machine yet, though. He’d need to get onto that, but it was tough to do when working such long hours.

  “Yeah, it was.” Kate gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “I’m glad I thought to bring a change of clothes.”

  “Maybe you should keep some here, you know, just in case?”

  “Why, Jon, it’s almost as if you’re asking me to move in,” she said in a mock gasp.

  He smiled. “Mmm.”

  Kate blinked at him. “What was that?”

  “Nothing. Just… All in due course.”

  She pulled a face. “I’m messing with you, Jon. I’d say no if you asked me to move in today. That’s a little too quick for me, and I think it’s a bit quick for you, too.”

  He nodded in agreement, letting her think she was right. As they walked to the street, he glanced up and down it, wondering if he might see Ariadne or that man again. But, as far as he could tell, there was nothing. He was glad that she hadn’t turned up last night, as that might have been a little awkward.

  She never did seem to appear whenever Kate was around, so maybe Ariadne was purposely avoiding her.

  But, if that was the case, how did she know? Was she watching him somehow? He’d seen enough spy documentaries to know he should be scared and rightfully paranoid if she was taking a keen interest in him. Ariadne was a capable woman, and setting up some ways for her to keep tabs on him would be well within her means and skill set.

  With a shudder, he returned his attention to the day, joined Kate in his car, and set off through Guildford. They had a meeting to get to before they headed to the station. He was curious to see how this would play out and if it was in any way related to their case.

  Kate directed them to the Cooper household, and as they approached, Jon spotted Ellie standing by her car waiting for them.

  “She’s keen,” Jon remarked.

  “She is. I have a feeling she’s going to make a good officer.”

  “Is that your woman’s intuition talking?”

  “It’s a superpower that all women have, Jon. Didn’t you know? It’s Womb power!”

  “Of course… makes perfect sense,” Jon said with a raised eyebrow.

  “You should see what happens when a bunch of women live together, and we ‘synchronise’,” she said, giving him a look. “We become invincible.”

  “That sounds horrifying.”

  “For men.”

  Jon laughed. “Alright then
, come on, my little superhero, let’s see what your super senses make of the Coopers.”

  “Morning,” Jon said, getting out of the car.

  “Good morning.” Ellie smiled and gestured to two takeaway cups of steaming hot coffee on the roof of her car. “Two Lattes. I didn’t know what you’d like so…”

  “Aw, thanks,” Kate said, grabbing one and taking a sip before turning to Jon. “Can we keep her? Please? I’ll look after her.”

  “If she brings me coffee every morning, I’m all for it,” he replied. “Thank you, DC Mizaki.”

  “Just Ellie, please.”

  “So, I take it everything went okay, arranging this?”

  “Yes. Taylor has no idea you’re here. He might suspect something, but not because of anything I did.”

  Jon nodded. It was as good as he could expect. “Thank you. Are the Coopers expecting us?”

  She nodded. “They are. They’re primed and ready. I said we’d be there for half eight, so we’ve got a couple of minutes to kill.”

  “Just enough time to finish my coffee.”

  “Where’s your accent from?” Ellie asked.

  “Aah, you noticed, did you?” Jon asked.

  “Hard not to.”

  “I know, right?” Kate agreed. “Stands out like a sore thumb, doesn’t he?”

  “I like it. It’s, um… earthy.”

  “Earthy?” Kate said, eyebrows raised.

  “Thank you,” Jon said, turning to Kate. “You see, someone appreciates my dulcet tones.”

  “I love you despite them, not because of them.”

  “Shut it, Irish.”

  Kate stuck her tongue out.

  “Promises, promises.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Men! One-track mind.”

  Ellie chuckled.

  “To answer your question, I’m from Nottingham,” Jon said, finally.

  “Aaah. Robin Hood country,” Ellie said.

  “That’s it.”

  “I’ve never been.”

  “Count your lucky stars,” Kate teased, giving her a nudge with her elbow.

  “I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Ellie said.