by Jo Allen
‘No. Go down towards Ullswater. I don’t know where she is now, but I think I know where she went.’
He’d already obeyed her instruction, convinced by her urgency. ‘And did the cards tell you that?’ His eyelid dropped into an uncharacteristic wink.
‘No. She did.’ Dawn couldn’t help talking, twittering on about what seemed to be inconsequential. That was how people gave up their secrets. ‘When I was talking to her she told me about this place she goes to when she wants to be alone, hidden away, where no one can find her. If she wanted to meet someone in secret, that’s surely the place she’d choose.’
‘And where is it?’
‘It’s on the Ullswater road, she said. Near Brothers Water. I don’t know the area. Do you know it?’
‘I know Brothers Water. As for the exact place, describe it to me, and I’ll find it. And in the meantime you can phone Chris – he lives nearest – and get him down to the Sumners’ house on any pretext he can think of. And then call Nicole to see if there’s any update, and tell her someone’s on their way. It’s unlikely Dawn’s still there, if she ever was. But she might be.’
While she dealt with the calls, he drove faster than she liked along the narrow lakeside road, through the villages of Watermillock and Glenridding, beneath the shadow of Helvellyn and the steep slope of Angletarn Pikes. The speed, and the calculated risks he took on the corners, gave away his concern. ‘There are two car parks at Brothers Water. Did she say which one?’
‘She said “at the end of the lake”. So coming from this direction—’
‘The first one we come to. Yes. Here it is.’
There were already cars parked, early on what Ashleigh belatedly remembered was a Bank Holiday weekend, but there was no commotion to indicate that something was wrong. ‘She said there’s a path that goes up the hill, and there’s another one. Let me think.’ Ashleigh got out of the car and closed her eyes. ‘What was it she said?’
‘I like to think you get better results as a detective if you look for evidence.’
She opened her eyes. The main path led up to the right and Jude was standing next to the wall, ten yards from it. His expression was bleak. ‘This is her car.’
She caught her breath. ‘She needn’t be here. She might have gone away with him.’
‘Ashleigh. She knows her husband will go mad with her – really mad – if he finds out she’s away. She knows he’s due back this morning. The last thing she would do is leave her car if she was going to have to come back and get it.’
‘It could have broken down.’ She was making a fool of herself. She should be rational. But somehow she couldn’t bring herself to stay on the path of reason.
‘It could, but I don’t think so. I think she’s somewhere here.’ He crossed the car park, careful to step on the clear areas, so as not to obscure any footmarks. ‘Here we go.’ He paused for a second and stared.
Fighting her foreboding, she crossed the car park to where he stood staring down at a line of footmarks in the last remains of the soft mud. A man’s footprints, overlaid by a smaller shoe with a pointed toe, went towards the wall, and none came back. ‘She wears little black boots.’
‘Like these?’
‘Yes.’
‘Just one set of footprints. If they’ve left, they’ve gone another way. If she’s here, let’s hope she’s still alive.’ Jude assessed the place where the second path led to the wall, petering out in the trees beyond. ‘I’m afraid I fear the worst. Try and do as little damage as you can.’
Ashleigh didn’t need telling. Even if Dawn was still alive there was every chance that a crime had been committed. Jude was already treating the place like a crime scene, climbing the wall with care, well away from the point that Dawn’s footsteps led them to. ‘Let’s get along there.’
‘Don’t put your hands on the wall. Here. I’ll help you down.’ He placed both hands on her waist and swung her down. ‘Now let’s see if there’s a trail.’
The footprints disappeared in the undergrowth, but what passed for the path left them only one way to go. Keeping her eyes open for anything that might later be used as evidence, Ashleigh followed Jude through the woods. The path forced them upwards into the trees, curving sharply until they were out of sight of the car park, and it was at the curve that he stopped. He said nothing.
‘Jude?’ The closeted silence of the wood was terrifying, claustrophobic. She could see nothing but his back, his left arm flung out to stop her going any further. ‘What is it?’
‘We’re too late.’
‘We can’t be too late!’ How could that have happened? How could they have allowed it to? She pressed up against him, looking over his shoulder, and her fears crystallised before her. Dangling like a dummy from a tree, in jeans, a grey raincoat and the telltale black boots scuffed with mud, death confronted them. The head was obscured by an amethyst silk scarf, wound round it, but there was no doubt that it was Dawn. ‘Cut her down! She might still be alive!’
He lunged forward, taking the quickest route, reaching up and bringing his full strength to bear on the branch until it snapped and the crack broke the silence of the woods. Dawn’s body, the rope still round the neck, crashed to the earth with a thud of a dead weight. On his knees beside her, Jude reached out for a pulse. ‘God help her. Nothing. We’re far too late. Dead for a while, I’d say.’
‘What will Max say? And poor Sophie?’
‘We’ll find out soon enough.’ He got up and stepped away from the body, already reaching for his phone. ‘Usual procedures. We’ll call for help and stay with her until someone gets here to secure the scene. I’ll get Doddsy in to take charge of things here. And you and I are going to have to go down to Windermere and break the news.’
24
As mischance would have it, Jude and Ashleigh arrived at the Sumner home just in time to see Max’s Porsche turn up through the electric gates at the side of the property. Slamming the brakes on and pulling the car up on the pavement outside the gate, Jude jumped out and strode past the startled Laurie. ‘Let me know if anyone tries to give me a ticket, will you? Ashleigh, hurry up.’ And he reached the end of the path just as Max fitted the key into the lock and opened the door.
‘Satterthwaite.’ Max shook his head in irritation. ‘I know the police like to pretend they’re busy, but you could have taken five minutes to smarten up. I assume you’re coming hotfoot to tell me you’ve caught my son’s murderer, but even so. It could have waited five minutes while you had a shave.’
‘I’m afraid that’s not the news I have for you.’ There was no one in the world who enjoyed breaking bad news, least of all the news of a death, but something nagged at Jude, even as he prepared himself to shatter Max Sumner’s world for the second time in a week. This could prove as interesting as it was traumatic. ‘May we come in?’
‘If you must.’
‘Max.’ Breathless, Nicole appeared in the hallway. Behind her in the kitchen, Chris Marshall, sitting with a mug of coffee and an expression that said he was mightily glad to see his boss, pushed the mug away and stood up, shadowing the woman as far as the doorway in case he was needed. ‘We weren’t expecting you quite so soon.’
‘There was nothing to hold me in Formby, and I thought I’d be more use here. I left early. I would have been here earlier if the traffic had been a bit lighter.’ His hostile gaze rested on Chris, looking younger than his twenty-six years in scruffy jeans and a tee shirt. ‘Who’s this?’
‘This is DC Marshall, one of my officers.’
Cold fear chased the irritation from Sumner’s face. ‘Not Sophie?’
‘Sophie’s still asleep.’ Nicole lifted a nervous hand to her mouth. ‘I thought I’d better leave her there.’
‘Good. Can we go into the living room, Mr Sumner? Or is there somewhere else where we can have a word?’
Max pushed open the living room door with his foot. ‘Where’s Dawn? If it’s bad news, she’ll need to hear it. She’ll want me with her.’<
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‘I’m afraid it’s the worst possible news. It’s Dawn I need to speak to you about.’
Sumner stared at him for a moment, then walked into the living room and stood in front of the empty fireplace. ‘Go on.’
‘Perhaps you’d like to sit down.’
‘I can take bad news like a man, Satterthwaite.’
Behind him, Nicole gave way to a moan. He waited a second for Ashleigh to swoop in and comfort her, but she didn’t. ‘Ashleigh. Help Ms Underwood.’
‘Sorry.’ She’d been standing there and now she moved as if on autopilot. ‘Sit down, Ms Underwood. Let me get you a glass of water.’
Jude cleared his throat. It never got easier. Sumner had been right when he’d challenged him before. How could he possibly understand such loss when he hadn’t experienced it? ‘It’s about Dawn, Mr Sumner. I’m afraid she’s dead. Her body was discovered this morning in a wood near Brothers Water. DS O’Halloran and I have just come from the scene. She’d been hanged. I’m sorry.’
Max took three deep breaths. ‘What?’
Jude bowed his head, a gesture of contrition that could achieve nothing. ‘I can only tell you what I know.’
‘This is impossible. Not my Dawn. You must be mistaken.’
‘I’m sorry. There’s no mistake.’
Max took a slow, deep breath and turned. ‘But you’re supposed to be protecting us. How was my wife allowed to be taken from my house and murdered less than a week after we lost our son?’
‘Your men didn’t help!’ Nicole shouted at him from her seat on the sofa. ‘Where were they? What were they doing?’
He ignored her, turning the sharp focus of his gaze on Jude. His shock and grief had turned to fury. ‘You should have caught his killer before he could take my wife!’
Jude didn’t flinch. ‘There’s no evidence that Mrs Sumner went anywhere against her will. We believe she left the house yesterday evening to meet a friend and never returned.’
‘First my son and then my wife? You’ll be answering to someone for this. And you.’ Sharp as a snake, Max turned on Ashleigh, who stood holding Nicole’s glass of water. ‘You were supposed to be helping us. Dawn trusted you, and you let this happen.’
‘Yes,’ she said, breathless. ‘I’m so sorry about Dawn. I—’
‘That’s enough.’ Stepping between them, Jude shouldered Ashleigh aside. Sumner had no right to turn his aggression on her. ‘I’ve every sympathy for your loss, Mr Sumner, but my officers aren’t to blame and you’ll get nowhere by abusing them.’
‘I’ll make sure your superiors hear about it. You abused Dawn’s trust.’
There wasn’t time to count to ten. Jude contented himself with a rapid-fire five instead and hoped it would have the same effect. ‘I know you’re in shock, Mr Sumner, so I’ll overlook that remark. I’m going to repeat my earlier offer of police protection, and I hope you’re wise enough to accept it.’
‘I’m turning it down. I can trust my men.’
He hadn’t been able to trust them enough to keep Dawn safe, but Nicole had already pointed that out. Later, perhaps, Sumner would realise it for himself, and punish himself for it. ‘I’m sorry about that. If at any point you change your mind—’
Sumner composed himself. ‘My apologies. First my son, then my wife. It’s hard for a man to bear.’ His eyes glinted. ‘My first reaction is always anger. I’d like to see Dawn.’
‘You’ll be able to see her as soon as we can get her to the hospital. I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you to undertake a formal identification. I’ll leave you with DC Marshall just now. He’ll make sure he does everything he can to help you. And I’ll send a PC down to help Ms Underwood, and Sophie.’
Max nodded. It was beginning to sink in. His eyes filled with tears. ‘Who did it? That bastard Flett?’
‘We don’t know who did it. But I can promise you I’m going to do my best to find out. And perhaps we could begin by asking you and Ms Underwood to outline where you were last night?’
*
‘Let’s get back. Are you okay?’
‘Yes.’ Ashleigh got into the car beside him. ‘Just shaken. I’m sorry. I should have handled that better.’
‘It’s all right. It wasn’t pleasant.’ He slid the car into gear and pulled out in front of a marked police car that was turning in. He was glad to get out of the place. ‘So now I suppose I know why you didn’t go ahead with an FLO placing. Is that right?’
‘Only sort of. It was when my marriage was breaking down. They don’t encourage you to get into stressful situations in circumstances like that.’ She pulled down the vanity mirror and he saw her scowling at herself in annoyance. ‘I should have been able to handle it. I’ve seen far worse than that and been able to bear it. I thought of poor Dawn and it was awful. She was so trusting. And then the poor daughter. Poor Sophie. For a second I just froze.’
‘There’s a girl who’s lost her mother and her brother to violence, and a father who’s lost his wife and son. It doesn’t get much worse than that. I’d have stepped back from it myself, if I could. And you recovered quickly enough.’
‘I know it was unprofessional of me. But I was fond of Dawn.’ She blinked back a tear. ‘I really cared about her. She was so unhappy and yet she could have been so happy. She loved everybody. I was rooting for her. And now this.’
The road would be closed at Brothers Water, so he drove back via Thirlmere, ticking off a long load of things to be done on a mental list as the silver sheet of water unrolled beside them, the thirsty brown fellside rolling down to the rocky shore. Top of the list, surely, was to make every possible effort to track down Randolph Flett and ascertain whether he’d been anywhere near Brothers Water the previous evening. ‘Okay.’ He turned left instead of right at the roundabout that would have taken him in to the office. ‘You need some time off.’
She’d recovered herself. ‘How can I take time off? That poor family—’
What was left of it. ‘No. We’ve all been doing long hours. I should have insisted on everybody taking time off, and exposing you to the stresses of dealing with Dawn and Max was probably too much.’
‘You talk as if I’m incompetent.’
‘Far from it. You’re a human being and, like the rest of us, you have your limits. I take full responsibility for what happened.’ He pulled the car up outside her door.
She shook a weary head. ‘And what about you? And Doddsy? And the others? Are you all going to take the rest of the day off, too?’
‘I’ll make sure we all get some down time. Take yours now. Be in the office bright and early tomorrow if you’re ready, and let me know if you’re not.’
25
‘Another day, another meeting. Let’s go.’ Monday lunchtime challenged them again, following on from another long, late night. That was how these investigations pulsed – a death, a frenzy of activity gathering the evidence, and then the slow grind of sifting through it, throwing ideas into the mix, trying to make sense of it. Dawn Sumner’s death, it seemed, pointed only more closely towards the prime suspect.
Jude stood up and drew a straight line down the middle of the whiteboard. Dawn Sumner, he wrote on the top of the right hand side. ‘Shall I start? The post-mortem was carried out yesterday evening. It was straightforward. Dawn Sumner was throttled and then, still alive, hanged, at some point between six and eight o’clock on Saturday evening. She died hanging, in Low Wood at Brothers Water.’ He marked it on the map, a scarlet cross, six miles as the crow flew from where her son had been killed. ‘Her scarf was wrapped around her face, but, apart from that, her body hadn’t been interfered with. I think that’s important.’ He wrote that up on the whiteboard. ‘She had her phone and her car and house keys in the pocket of her jacket. She was wearing a wedding ring, but no other jewellery. Her handbag, which she usually wore across her body, was found close by. It contained the usual. Purse, lipstick, a packet of paper tissues. A pack of tarot cards.’ He shot a quick look at Ashleigh, who was sta
ring intently at the map. ‘I don’t think that’s significant. She was interested in that sort of thing.’
‘The handbag had been taken off her.’ Chris doodled a complicated swirl on the notepad in front of him. ‘Any fingerprints?’
‘It was leather, so no. But I think we can assume it was discarded because it was in the way.’
‘No robbery, no sexual assault.’ Doddsy looked rueful. ‘So it looks like it was personal, as we might imagine. And her death and that of Greg are linked.’
‘We can be reasonably clear of her movements, up to a point. She spent yesterday at home, apart from a period in the afternoon, when her sister took her daughter Sophie down into Windermere. We don’t know where she went, but she returned after half an hour.’
‘Where was her husband?’ Doddsy sounded definitely disgruntled, though whether that was because they’d failed to catch the murderer before someone else had died or because it was already Monday morning and his weekend, spent in the office, was one he would never get back, was impossible to tell.
‘He went to Preston to attend to business, or so he said. Chris – you’ve been checking on his movements?’
‘Yes. His statement said that he was held in slow moving traffic, and there was certainly plenty of that. He attended a function in Preston yesterday evening and stayed at their home in Formby last night, confident that his wife and daughter were safe, and returned this morning.’
‘Okay. We know that Dawn left home at about half past six yesterday evening, telling her sister, Nicole Underwood, who was staying with her, that she was planning to meet someone.’
‘A man.’ Ashleigh had been watching with her chin on her hands.
‘Probably, although she wasn’t explicit. Certainly when she didn’t return, Nicole wasn’t bothered about her safety, but only about whether she would get back before her husband. We can check on CCTV at Windermere to see whether she went through the town, but I don’t know that it’s entirely necessary. I can’t think of any reason why she wouldn’t have gone straight to Brothers Water. Either way, we can be reasonably certain that she was killed almost immediately on arrival at Low Wood.’