Glancing at him, she smiled knowingly. 'OK, put that to one side and give me an answer?'
'Like you, I admire some of the things he says, and it seems he's doing his bit to save the planet but as for the rest I don't believe a word he says.'
'Why?' she asked as they left the lawn and moved onto the tarmac lane.
'There are too many coincidences, Julie Emmeret working at the garden centre and then ending up here, both places owned by Jepson, he was in the area when she vanished and then there's Rea Lomax. If whoever had been chasing Julie over the fields had backed off when she was knocked down, then we would be looking at a hit and run. Rea would have waited until the emergency services arrived and she would no doubt have told us about Draper and that would have been the end of it. Oh, we would have scratched our heads wondering how Julie had ended up there in the first place but we both know that would have remained unanswered. As it stands, we have Rea still missing along with Draper and probably Nash and they are all linked.'
'We still can't be sure of that,' Carole reminded him as they approached the gates and moved to the left through the trees.
'Come on, Carole, Rea tells her captor about Draper and gorilla man snatches him, then Nash is taken by what appears to be the same man, we know from the descriptions that it wasn't Jepson who took them. Yet Mr Softie Top described the guy to a tee, and I think Jepson is the link.'
Reaching the car, they climbed in and Lasser started the engine.
'Well, so far it's just speculation on our part, we don't even have evidence to push Jepson further.' Carole clicked the seatbelt into place. 'Even if he is responsible for taking Rea, then how are we expected to search for her when he owns thousands of acres of land?'
Lasser sighed, knowing that she was right, they needed something definite to go on and even then, even if they had something more concrete then Carole was right, Rea could be anywhere and their chances of finding her were slim to non-existent.
The headlights speared out into the trees as Lasser did a three-point turn before driving away along the lane.
'Don't forget to take me back for my car,' Carole said as she rested her head back.
'Will do,' Lasser replied as he fumbled for his cigarettes, his face set in a stoical frown of frustration.
72
Rea moved out from the cover of the trees and watched as the red lights vanished into the darkness.
Wiping a hand across her mouth she felt her heart racing as she tried to fathom why she had stayed hidden behind the trunk of the ancient oak as the lights of the Audi flared to life? Her mind was awash with doubt and uncertainty, images flashed through her brain, Jepson looking down at her, ''you're free to go'' he'd said before walking away.
All she'd had to do was dash through the trees when she heard the engine start in the darkness, but it could have been Jepson looking for her, hunting her down, breaking his word and yet somehow, she knew that hadn't been the case.
She stood on the lane in the darkness and then she started to walk, trying to push the dark thoughts from her mind and yet they wouldn't seem to shift.
Jepson had said that Julie Emmeret's heart had been full of joy until the moment Mark had slammed into her, sending her broken body into the night air to crash down on the pitted surface of Hamley Road. But how had he been able to say that with such conviction in his voice? She thought about the conversation they'd had both facing one another as they sat in the middle of the forest. Rea tried to think of her father and the pain he would be suffering, imagining the worst, his heart breaking, and she tried to hold onto that fact, knowing that she needed to see him, to end his torment.
Then his image was gone, and she was back in the forest, Jepson looking at her with disappointment as he rose to his feet, it had been as if she had failed some test, a test where she had been unaware of the rules and yet that sense of failure ate away at her as she walked.
When she came to a halt, she was unaware that she had stopped, as she stood there her mind spinning like a washing machine on fast spin, thoughts swirled and she couldn't seem to focus on any one thing apart from Jepson, he was there, a constant.
What had he wanted her for, why had he taken her in the first place?
That was the question that she couldn't get to grips with, he had told her how special the woman called Julie had been and he had hinted at a closeness that went way beyond the physical, at times she had seen the excitement in his eyes as he peered at her, as if he saw similar attributes in her that Julie had possessed.
Is that all she had been, a replacement for someone she could never be, a spur of the moment action by Jepson, hoping against hope that he had found a doppelganger for the woman he had lost? If that was the case then perhaps he had realised that his belief had been misplaced, that's why he had turned and walked into the trees, realising that he had made a mistake, Rea wasn't up to the task, but what was the task?
The questions collided and she knew there was no way to answer them, no way to be sure unless…
Slowly, she turned and looked into the darkness, her eyes were wide and staring though there was nothing to see, even the trees on either side of the lane were mere blocks of shadow.
'Don't do this,' the internal voice warned.
Rea licked her lips, she could hear the desperate warning inside and yet she couldn't seem to heed the words, and she started to walk back the way she had come, her mind still chattering with the questions that she suddenly needed to find answers to, the warning words of her conscience drowned beneath the cacophony of sound.
Within seconds she was running, and she never saw the hulking figure appear through the trees smiling in satisfaction as she vanished into the darkness.
73
Bannister headed for home, his face still marred by disbelief as he pictured Brewster tugging at the handle whilst repeating the words ''let me out'' like some crazed mantra.
Occasionally, he had thrown a look over his shoulder and Bannister had seen the terror in the reporter's eyes, blind terror without reason and in the end, he had been unable to stand it any longer and had knocked off the central locking. Brewster had thrown the door open and scrambled from the car, tears slick on his gaunt cheeks as he staggered away from the car.
'Piss off, you soft bastard,' Bannister had shouted into the darkness, and Brewster had done just that.
Then he had watched as the reporter fumbled the door open of the ridiculous sports car before squeezing behind the wheel, like a contortionist suffering from arthritis, seconds later, the headlights had flared and the car had driven past with Brewster hunched over the wheel, his face in total meltdown.
Bannister sighed and shook his head at the image and yet inside he knew that the reporter's hatred would grow even deeper and darker, the mask had slipped just as it had when he had fallen into the canal, the cameraman filming the whole thing as Lasser fished him from the water. It was the same thing, the terror had been there, and Brewster hated the fact that they had both seen the truth of the man.
As he drove along the darkened road, he pondered how many others had seen him in meltdown mode and each time it happened, the hatred spread through the heart of him, giving him more reason to despise the world.
'Sad little man,' he mumbled as the road narrowed and he reached the gates, waiting while they slowly swung open.
Ten minutes later, he was sitting at the kitchen table, brew in hand, cigarette on the go, but the image of Brewster was proving hard to shift. Whatever had happened in his past it still didn't give him the right to be such a bastard, hell bent on using people to try and regain the brief glory days, caring not one jot how he did it or who he damaged in the process.
His phone began to ring, and he lifted it from his pocket and checked the screen. When he saw Kelly's name flashing up at him, he smiled, the image of the horror that was Brewster vanished from his mind as he thought of his beautiful daughter.
Answering the call, he felt the woes of the day slip from his mind. 'Hello,
Kel, how are you, sweetheart?' he asked and for a brief time all was right with the world.
74
'How did the sketching go?' Lasser asked, cracking a yawn before resting his head back on the sofa.
'It went well, I've left all my stuff in the boot of the car, it's meant to be nice tomorrow so I'm going to head back up there again and do some more work,' Jackie said as she sat down by his side. 'What about you, how has your day been?' she asked.
'Frustrating,' he replied with a sigh.
'I take it you still haven't found Rea Lomax?' she asked as he slid his arm around her shoulder.
'Not yet.'
'But you're getting there, right?' she asked hopefully.
'To be honest, I have no idea, things are complicated.'
'In what way?'
He started to tell her how the day had unfolded but as soon as he mentioned the name Jepson, she looked at him in surprise and he stopped mid-sentence.
'You OK?' he asked.
'I've met Charles Jepson.'
'You have?' he asked raising an eyebrow.
'He part owns Haigh Hall, and he was there a couple of times when I was doing the portrait of the house.'
'What did you make of the guy?'
Jackie pursed her lips as she thought about the question. 'He was quite charming, I guess you would call him suave, I saw him a couple of times after that running through the grounds.'
'Mm, he likes to run that's for sure,' Lasser said as he tried to stop the frustration from showing on his face.
'Giles spoke highly of him, I remember that much.'
Lasser thought of Mr Softie Top who'd had nothing good to say about Jepson, yet he had got it wrong about the landfill site, and Jepson had delighted in putting them right on that score.
'Do you think he could be involved in some way with what happened?' Jackie asked as she rested her head against his shoulder and propped her bare feet on the coffee table.
'That's the problem, we just don't know, part of me thinks he could be, he has plenty of places he could keep Rea Lomax hidden. The man owns over forty-five thousand acres of land, stretching from here to Scotland so if he is involved then she could be anywhere, and we don't have either the evidence or the manpower to even start searching for her on land he owns.'
'But it could just as easily be someone else, right?' she asked.
Lasser sighed as he nodded. 'Yeah, that's right.'
'But you still don't like the man?'
'It isn't that, as you said, he can come across as a charmer, but there's something that just doesn't sit well with me.'
'Is it the fact that he's a multi-millionaire?' she asked with a small smile.
'I don't automatically hate anyone with money, it's what they do with it that counts.'
'That's true, though I remember Giles saying that Jepson does lots for charity.'
'So did Benedict Fripp and look how twisted that man was?'
Jackie grimaced at the mention of his name. 'I can always ask Giles, you know, pick his brains.'
'But if he thinks Jepson's a great guy then he's hardly going to tell you about any skeletons he might have in the cupboard.'
'Don't be so sure. Giles knows that if you hadn't been there on the night that Jay North turned up then he would have died, so he owes you a lot.'
Lasser stifled a yawn. 'OK, thanks, see what he has to say.'
'I'll call at the hall in the morning, I have to pass it to get to Rivington and I'll give you a call if he tells me anything of interest.'
Lasser tightened his arm on her shoulder in thanks. 'When you have all that money and it's ''old money'' then what does a man like that do to fill his time?'
'Did you ask him that?' she asked as she wiggled her painted toes.
'I did and according to him there's always plenty to keep him busy.'
'Perhaps he's telling the truth.'
Lasser felt the heat from the log burner making his eyes grow heavy. 'Well, he admitted that the family originally made money through the slave trade.'
'The ''slave trade''?' she asked in shock.
'Yeah, the Jepson's go back that far and to listen to the man you would think he was personally responsible for his ancestors ''despicable'' actions,' Lasser said as he fought to keep his eyes open.
'Well, I guess that could be quite a burden to carry.'
'Most people wouldn't even know what had happened in their family centuries earlier and even if they did would they really care, would they feel responsible?'
'Everyone is different and perhaps he means it, perhaps he hates what they did, and let's face it, he's living a life of wealth and privilege dating back a hell of a long time and he might see that as some kind of stigma.'
'That's exactly what he said,' Lasser replied with a sigh.
Turning slightly, she slid his tie loose and slipped her hand inside onto his warm skin. 'I've found us somewhere to stay in Ambleside and provisionally booked it for three weeks' time, is that OK?'
'That was quick but yeah, of course it's OK. What did you find?'
'It's a couple of rooms in a large house, like self-contained apartments if you like, open fire, big comfy bed and views to die for.'
Lasser sighed in contentment and closed his eyes. 'Sounds like bliss.'
'I've got some pics on the laptop; I'll show them to you tomorrow.'
Lasser suddenly shook himself as he felt sleep trying to claim him. 'I want to see them now,' he said as he slid his arm free.
Jackie looked at him and smiled. 'You're only saying that to stop yourself from falling asleep.
Grinning sheepishly, he nodded. 'Correct, but I still want to see them.'
He watched as she rose from the sofa and headed into the bedroom, then he cracked a yawn and rubbed at his tired eyes again.
75
Rea looked at the house in amazement, she had lived all her life in the town, and she had never had any idea that they had a place so huge, so impressive in the area.
She stood on the lawn in the darkness, arms by her side, the faint voice of warning diminishing in her mind.
When Jepson appeared at the front door and looked towards her, she took a deep breath and started to move across the pristine lawn, the earth beneath her feet felt soft and springy.
When she was ten feet away, she came to a stop, Jepson was smiling, his head tilted slightly.
'You came back,' he said, sounding both pleased and astonished.
'I have no idea what I'm doing here,' she replied in confusion.
Jepson moved towards her, the smile still beaming. 'Well, that's a good a place to start.'
'Start what?'
'Your education, your training,' he took hold of her elbow and led her to the huge front door.
Stepping inside, she looked around in shock.
'I know it's a little ostentatious and not to my liking, but the one thing I've learned is that you don't mess with history, you embrace it, you carry it inside always, the good and the bad.'
She looked at him, her mind still thrumming with confusion and the strange need to know more, more of everything.
Breaking eye contact she looked to the paintings on the walls, there seemed to be dozens of them, some small and others huge, depicting mainly men dressed in the clothes of the period.
'Are they all related?' she asked.
Jepson pursed his lips and nodded. 'They are, come and meet the family,' he said with a light laugh.
Rea found herself smiling as he headed over to the left and then she followed, supressing the inner voice of panic that screamed in the depths of her mind.
76
Giles Black lifted Jackie off her feet as he hugged her.
'How wonderful to see you!' his voice was deep and resonant and not for the first time she wondered what his singing voice would be like, if he could hold a tune then with a voice like that, he could have given Pavarotti a run for his money.
Placing her back on her feet, he beamed. 'My, you are looking del
icious!' he said in appreciation as he looked her up and down.
Jackie smiled as she stood in his looming shadow, the Hall almost obscured by his broad shoulders.
'How have you been keeping?' she asked.
'Well, I'm alive and that is all thanks to that man of yours,' he paused and frowned slightly, 'I take it you and the good sergeant are still an item?'
'We are.'
'Grand!' he bellowed. 'Now, what can I do for my talented lady, are you here to be our artist in residence?'
'Actually, I'm here to pick your brains.'
Giles continued to smile. 'Ah, that sounds mysterious, pick away.'
'Lord Jepson, you know him well, don't you?'
For a moment Giles looked taken aback by her question though the friendly smile remained in place. 'Well, I would hardly say I have the ear of his lordship, but we know one another and get along fine.'
Jackie nodded as she moved slightly left and looked at the Hall, the sandstone brushed with gold in the morning sun. 'What's he like?' she asked looking back up at Giles.
'Charles is a grand chap, I mean, when you have a title, you can basically do what the hell you like and believe me, I have come across some aristocrats who have done exactly that, the scoundrels.'
Jackie kept the smile from breaking out at his use of the archaic term, when she had first met Giles, she had thought he used old English speak for effect, though she had soon come to realise that words like ''scoundrel'' and even 'bounder' were all part of his normal vocabulary.
'So, he's one of the good guys?'
'Top notch fellow.'
Jackie felt the disappointment at his reply, and then he tilted his head and looked at her keenly.
'Problem?' he asked.
Shaking her head, she slipped her hands into her pockets.
'Has he approached you to do a portrait?'
'Er, no, I was asking on Lasser's behalf,' she admitted.
Giles's eyes widened in surprise. 'This is police business then?'
'Not as such, it's just a case that they are working on, and Lord Jepson's name has cropped up more than once.'
Driven by Fear (The DS Lasser Book 27) Page 25