by Anita Waller
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Mouse said with a smile. ‘You’ve confirmed what we need to know. As soon as we have news we’ll be in touch.’
He picked up his coffee. ‘Then if you’ve done with me, I’ll go and chat up that beautiful lady out on reception.’
‘Feel free,’ Mouse said, and switched off the recorder. ‘Hurt her, and I’ll kill you.’
He laughed. ‘You think I don’t know that? And I promise you, I’ll never hurt her, not in any way.’
Chapter Sixteen
It didn’t take Mouse long to come up with an address for Michael Fairfax; he still lived in Scarborough, although it was on the outskirts.
She put the information into her phone, and dropped her head onto her arms, acting as a desk pillow. She knew she wasn’t well enough to be working, she wanted to sleep, and yet there was a yearning inside her to be doing what she had grown to love, the investigative side of the work at Connection.
She closed her eyes for five minutes, and then moved to give some relief to her back. Her headache was still present, but nowhere near as bad as it had been three days earlier.
She rummaged around inside her bag and produced a strip of paracetamol, popped two out of their blisters and swallowed them down with the dregs of her coffee.
Pulling up a map of Scarborough onto her screen, she checked out the address for Michael. It appeared to be on a cul-de-sac, the second building on the left. It was a detached residence, although she couldn’t tell if it was a single or double-storey home. She logged the postcode into her phone, and then sat back once again. Her aches and pains were easing slightly, and it occurred to her it might be a good idea to go out for a short walk, blow some cobwebs away.
She left her office and found Ewan deep in conversation with Doris. ‘Nan, I’m going upstairs to get a coat then out for a little walk. I’ll call and pick up some food or something at the Co-op. Do you need anything?’
Ewan took out his wallet and removed a five pound note. ‘Can you bring a couple of packets of Garibaldi, please?’ he said with a laugh. ‘I seem to have eaten most of your supplies.’
‘You’ll be okay?’ Doris couldn’t hide her worry. She’d never seen Mouse look so ill.
‘I’ll be fine. I’ll only be ten minutes, I feel as if I need some fresh air. I’ll have a coffee when I get back.’
She let herself out of the door, and Kat’s office door opened.
‘It’s like Keystone Cops in here,’ Doris remarked. ‘Doors opening, doors closing, a different door opening, I feel quite dizzy.’
Kat smiled. ‘We have a meeting in five minutes, Nan. DI Marsden is coming.’
Ewan stood. ‘Then I’ll be on my way. Thank you for your hospitality, ladies. I’ll ring you later, Doris.’
Doris watched Ewan’s car pull away, and turned to Kat. ‘Do we know why Tessa’s coming?’
‘I think she has some questions about church protocol, because she’s going to Castleton church on Sunday to interview the congregation. And she probably wants a coffee, it’s blooming freezing out there today. Is Mouse okay?’
‘She’s gone out. Said she needed some fresh air.’
‘Okay. We’ll go in my office, shall we? I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee. I hope Tessa hasn’t trodden on any toes this morning, I know she was going to see Steve Barksworth. Maybe I should have gone with her.’
‘Did you ring Zoe Williamson?’
‘I did. I’m going to see her tomorrow morning. I’m taking the service on Sunday, so couldn’t do it then, and I didn’t want to leave her until Monday. She sounded grateful that I wanted to visit her, said her vicar has a very poorly wife, and she didn’t like to trouble him. I could have cried for her. She’s lost her only child in horrific circumstances, and she doesn’t want to ask her own vicar for help because his wife is ill. I’m going for ten o’clock, so I’ll ask Mum to have Martha.’
‘Hey, I thought we had an understanding about Martha! Isn’t it my turn to have her?’
‘But you’ve only been moved in a couple of days. I thought you’d have things to do.’
‘She needs to try out her new cot. Please, Kat, bring her to me. Or do I have to kidnap her?’
Kat held up her hands. ‘I’ll bring her for about half past nine. That okay?’
Doris beamed. ‘It’s wonderful. I do miss her. And don’t rush back.’
‘So it’ll be okay if I go and do some shopping after I’ve been to Castleton?’
‘Too right it will. Martha and I will be fine.’
‘Thank you,’ Kat said, and leaned forward to kiss Doris. ‘You’re a star. And don’t forget we’re taking you out Sunday evening. We’ll go in Carl’s car, we can get all six of us in that, and it now has a child seat as a permanent fixture.’
‘Martha’s going with us?’
‘She is. I can’t leave her out of Mummy’s engagement celebrations, can I.’
The door opened and Mouse, Tessa and Hannah walked in, Hannah carrying shopping bags. She dumped them behind the reception desk.
‘She’s not well enough to be carrying them,’ she said, staring at Doris and Kat accusingly.
‘Whoa, in our defence,’ Doris said, ‘we didn’t know she was doing a monthly shop. We sent her for two packets of garibaldi biscuits and some cheese to restock her fridge.’
‘Well, I’ll take them upstairs for you before I go, Mouse.’ Hannah helped Mouse off with her coat, and Mouse smiled weakly. More a grimace.
‘That’s knackered me,’ she said. ‘I need caffeine.’
They sat around the desk, coffee in front of them, and Tessa finished telling her story of seeing Steve Barksworth.
‘He was really nice, but he didn’t half jump down my throat when I said I would go in before the service started on Sunday morning to question any early arrivals.’
‘Good Lord,’ Kat said, ‘you can’t do that! The church spire would probably fall off. That time before the service starts is used for either setting things up for the service, or for quiet contemplation and private prayer. I bet it’s a mainly elderly congregation, and they’ll do what they’ve done all their lives, have half an hour of peace with God before the service starts.’
‘I know that now,’ Tessa said. ‘Barksworth said a very definite “No” when I made my suggestion. And then he explained everything you’ve said. I felt as though I’d committed an unforgivable sin.’
‘You had.’ Kat tried not to smile.
‘Tell it like it is, Kat, why don’t you.’ Tessa looked a bit put out. ‘So is there anything else I need to know?’
‘Yes. I’m assuming Steve will be telling them about you needing to talk to them while he’s giving out the notices. Tell him he must stress that nobody can leave until you’ve spoken with them, because there’s always a couple of people who can’t get out fast enough.’
‘I’ve already been pre-warned about one of them, Clarice somebody or other, I think he said. I’ll grab her first, then she can go. I will have a policeman on the door though, I need to speak with them all. It may be that one little meek and mild old lady who noticed something, or can come up with a name – it’s so important I get them all, and ideally get a list of regular attendees who, for one reason or another, aren’t there.’
Tessa leaned forward and picked up her coffee. ‘Anything exciting happening here?’
‘We’ve a lot of work on, mainly background checking of people wanting top jobs, but I’m off to Scarborough on Monday,’ Mouse said.
Doris looked surprised. ‘And I’ll be going with her to do the driving.’
‘I’ll be fine, Nan,’ Mouse said. ‘Surely I’ll be better by then.’
‘I don’t want you going to a strange house on your own. I’m assuming it’s to see this Michael Fairfax?’
‘It is. I’ve not really had a chance to discuss it with you two yet, I’ve only recently confirmed where he lives. I won’t be going until the middle of the afternoon, catch him as he comes home from work.’
> ‘You’re not letting him know you’re going?’ Tessa asked.
Mouse shook her head. ‘No, I don’t want to give him the chance to say he doesn’t want to know. We don’t know what his mother’s been telling him all these years, about his father. I need to speak with him, to put our client’s side.’
‘You’re probably right.’ Tessa sighed. ‘I forget you can’t go blundering in and demand he speaks with you. I could, but it’s not advisable you do that.’ She finished with a smile. ‘Softly softly catchee monkey. But your nan is right. Don’t go on your own. You don’t know this man, you know nothing of his life…’
The smile on Mouse’s face said a lot. ‘Okay, maybe you know all about him, but you can’t tell from a computer whether he’s a psycho or not.’
‘I take your point,’ Mouse said. ‘I was winding you up. Of course I’ll take Nan. It’s nice to be chauffeured around. And I’ll be honest, if I’m still feeling as I am today, I’ll put it off until I’m well. This has been flu, and it’s been bloody awful. I’m sure our client will understand.’
‘I’ll man the office,’ Kat said. ‘Martha can come with me to keep me company. It’ll only be for a couple of hours anyway, if you’re not going until mid-afternoon. But we’ll make all decisions Monday morning when we see how Mouse is feeling.’
‘Anything else happening in Castleton, Tessa?’ Mouse asked.
‘Yes,’ Hannah jumped in, ‘I’m allegedly working Sunday.’
There was general laughter around the table at Hannah’s disgruntled and fast response.
‘So am I,’ Tessa added. ‘Bring your Bible, you might need it for admission.’
‘Steve couldn’t help you with any names?’ Kat was curious. She liked Steve Barksworth, had met him at a couple of conferences, and had even taken two services at his church when he had been forced to miss them because of his wife’s illness. She felt sure if he could have come up with something, he would have done so.
‘No, he basically said they’re all old men in the congregation. He mentioned that Orla had connections with Hope and Bradwell churches, but she was a quiet girl who didn’t speak much to anyone except Emily. And Orla clearly didn’t speak that much to her best friend because the only name Emily could come up with was her brother, Paul.’
‘Which actually makes it sound quite unreal that she could be contemplating seducing somebody at church. She rather sounds a bit of a miss goody two-shoes, doesn’t she?’ Kat’s face was thoughtful.
‘You’re dead right, Kat,’ Tessa acknowledged. ‘Which makes it all the more difficult ferreting out who the man is. Nobody knows anything because she kept it all to herself, except for the small bit of information she released to Andy Harrison when she really had to say why she wanted to learn how to make love.’
‘What a mess.’ Doris stood to get the coffee pot to refresh their mugs. ‘And how is Marnie Harrison handling everything?’
‘She’s not. According to Nadine, her FLO, she’s in pieces. Andy isn’t there, so she’s clearly not able to even look at him, even though she knows he’s not the one who killed her daughter. It’s the sex thing, I suppose. But I really hope they work through it, it was obvious how much he loved her, and she him.’
Chapter Seventeen
Andy Harrison wasn’t feeling loved. In fact he would go so far as to say he was experiencing deep unlovement, if that indeed was a word. If it wasn’t, it should be. It described exactly his current state of mind.
His hotel room wasn’t particularly spacious, but it was particularly cheap. He’d notified Chesterfield Police Station of his change of address, saying it was temporary until things became resolved, and then had let Nadine Bond know of his whereabouts, in case Marnie needed to get in touch with him.
He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He’d also told his company he needed leave of absence until everything was sorted, and he felt that his boss had been a little bit huffy about it. She was only a stepdaughter, wasn’t she? had been his first comment. You been dipping your wick in places you shouldn’t have? had been another question, and he had terminated the call as quickly as he could.
It bothered him that maybe that’s what everyone at work was thinking, and he could do nothing to refute any of the allegations. When news of the pregnancy came out at the trial, and he knew Tessa Marsden would make damn sure there would be a trial, he would have to find another job anyway. He wouldn’t be able to face his colleagues.
He sighed and rolled over onto his side, hoping to drop off to sleep. He’d been awake, then asleep, then awake, then asleep all night long; he needed an hour to refresh him, but more to give his brain the blankness he craved. He wanted to stop thinking, to stop feeling regretful at what had happened between Orla and himself, to wish he hadn’t been ruled by his dick, and more by his head. He should have walked out of that room, locked himself in the bathroom if necessary, but he couldn’t have stayed in there all night. At some point he would have had to face Orla. For fuck’s sake, he should have said no.
He was almost at the point of sleep when he heard the ping emanating from his phone. He groaned and scrabbled behind him on the bed without opening his eyes. He located it, and then looked at what the text said by opening his right eye. It was from Marnie.
Can we talk? x
Doris slid the casserole into the oven, then headed for the lounge. The new Stephen King was proving irresistible, and she made herself comfortable on the settee. Pulling a lusciously soft pale-blue fleece across her legs, she picked up the book.
Five minutes later, she put the book onto the coffee table. If she read any further she knew she would have to go back and reread it. Something was nagging at her mind, and she had no idea what it was. She let her thoughts meander through everything that had happened during the day, and still nothing became obvious.
Picking up her phone, she dialled Mouse.
‘Hello sweetheart. How are you?’
‘I’m getting there, Nan, honestly. I’m over the worst. I’ll stick to the medication tomorrow, then we’ll see how I go Sunday without taking anything. If I don’t need so much as a paracetamol, we’ll head for the coast on Monday.’
And then Doris knew why she felt uneasy.
‘When you tracked Michael Fairfax down, did you also track down Helen Fairfax?’
‘No. We’re not looking for her. I might have done if Michael had been hard to find, but he wasn’t. Ewan specifically said he didn’t want to find Helen, it was simply his son he needed to meet.’
‘Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to look for her. I’m feeling uneasy. What if Michael still lives with her. We walk in there prepared to talk to him about his father, and possible inheritance issues, and Helen could be listening to every word.’
Mouse was silent.
‘You see, Nan,’ Mouse said eventually, ‘this is why I need you working with me. Why didn’t I think of that? If he’s still living in Scarborough then it’s odds on his mother is as well.’
Doris laughed. ‘Under normal circumstances you would have thought of it. Let’s not forget how poorly you’ve been this week, shall we. I’m going to start tracking her. I’ll text you instead of ringing, in case you’ve fallen asleep. Love you.’
Doris pulled her laptop towards herself and searched for the information she needed.
Thirty minutes later, she texted Mouse.
She lives next door.
A conference call between the three members of Connection was speedily set up, and discussions followed regarding the way to tackle the issue without Helen Fairfax being made aware of anything.
Having a car pull up outside her son’s house and two ladies emerge would possibly alert her to something out of the ordinary happening, and it would be a strong possibility that she would shoot around to his house, wanting to know what was going on.
They talked about maybe ringing him prior to the visit, but if he told his mother, she would probably insist on being there. Their loyalty was to the
ir client, Ewan Barker, not Helen Fairfax. Having her know they were there could prove counterproductive.
‘How about we park up nearby, and walk to his house,’ Mouse suggested. ‘At least there won’t be a car to alert her.’
‘That would certainly be better than parking outside, but what if he has a wife. If she’s there, it’s highly likely she’ll ring Helen. We really could do with knowing where he works, and see if that’s a possibility for talking to him.’ Doris sounded thoughtful.
‘Leave it with me,’ Mouse said. ‘I’ll delve deeper. I’ll leave it until tomorrow, but we’ll know everything about him by then. Helen living next door has made it so much more difficult, but it’s not insurmountable. Go to bed, you two. And good luck with your visit to Zoe tomorrow, Kat.’
They closed down their laptops, Kat grinning inanely that she had survived a conference call, her second one, without managing to disconnect the other two participants.
Saturday morning was yet another grim day, cold, dark grey and with the ever-present threat of rain. Kat walked up the path to Zoe’s house and used the door knocker to announce her arrival.
Zoe Williamson looked ill. Her hair, with its streaks of grey, was screwed up onto her head in an untidy bun, and she looked as though she hadn’t slept for weeks.
‘Come in, Reverend Rowe,’ she said. ‘I’m not very tidy, can’t seem to do anything…’
‘It’s Kat, and please don’t worry. I’m here to see you, not your house. Come on, let’s go and talk about Mandy.’
Zoe nodded without speaking and led Kat through to the lounge. ‘We’ll sit in here, it’s tidier than the kitchen.’ A small smile flashed briefly across her face. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
Zoe disappeared down the hallway, and Kat moved around the room, picking up one or two of the many photographs dotted around. Most were of Mandy, some of Mandy and Zoe.