The Soul Killer

by Ross Greenwood

  52

  DI Barton

  Twenty minutes later, Clavell peered down at his notes with a furrowed brow. The story didn’t add up, but Rowe hardly seemed capable of extreme violence.

  ‘In summary,’ Clavell said, ‘you spoke to the victim on Boxing Day morning and argued about his music. You describe him as a horrible, homophobic person who called you a shirt-lifter to your face. In fact, he’s been the bane of your life ever since he moved in. You stayed out late that night but would rather not say where, even though what you were doing wasn’t illegal. However, you know nothing about Arnold Stone’s burial.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  Barton took over. ‘Tell us where you were. If we are able to confirm your alibi, then you’ll be ruled out as a suspect.’

  ‘I’m under suspicion now, am I? Look at me, Inspector. Do I seem the body burying type?’

  ‘I admit that you don’t fit the typical mould, but homophobia causes all manner of extreme reactions, as can loud music. Especially if it’s over a sustained period. Angry confrontations can easily escalate. You clearly aren’t telling us everything. Did he provoke you? Did he do something else to anger you? We could take you in for obstruction. Then you’d have to tell us.’

  Robin tittered. ‘Or what? You’ll fine me, or lock me up for a few weeks? I had nothing to do with his disappearance. So, there’s no need to say who I was with. You haven’t charged me. England isn’t a totalitarian state yet, I believe, and I have my rights.’

  Barton laid out the stark facts. ‘This crime could be murder. It doesn’t get more serious. Your strange behaviour makes me believe you know more than you’ve said. I agree with you completely. You seem an unlikely killer, so who are you protecting?’

  ‘I won’t say another word without legal representation.’

  ‘Fair enough. Come to the station to assist with our enquiries. You can call a solicitor there if necessary.’

  ‘You still haven’t accused me of anything. I’m not going anywhere.’

  ‘I have reason to now suspect that you’re assisting an offender. I could arrest you for that if you want, but it’s a serious offence, punishable by years in prison. Think hard now, as you don’t look like someone who would enjoy being locked up.’

  Rowe’s face whitened so fast that if he’d been a pensioner, Barton would have called an ambulance. Then Rowe crossed his arms. A minute later, Barton had cautioned him, guided him out of his house, and placed him in the back seat of the pool car. Clavell was spinning his handcuffs behind him when the door closed.

  ‘Did you want to book em, Danno?’ joked Barton.

  Clavell frowned. ‘Eh?’

  ‘Hawaii Five-O – TV police series?’

  ‘Oh, sorry, don’t watch it. I was trying to get my head around it all. Why don’t I know what to do first?’

  ‘You do. This is an unusual case, but you don’t need to worry about that at the moment. Think back to your training. Where are we now?’

  Clavell scratched his chin and then recovered. ‘A potential crime scene.’

  ‘Is there a danger to life? Civilian or police?’

  Clavell didn’t bother answering. They could both hear Robin crying.

  ‘What’s next?’

  ‘Preserve the crime scene.’

  ‘Correct. Ring Control. Get uniform here. Inner cordon off both houses and Robin’s car and get an outer cordon up the street in case someone else comes down here. It’s a dead end, so there’ll be minimal traffic. Send the landlord to fetch that phone. I’ve got no idea what’s happening but something is. Book the neighbour and her baby into a hotel for the night. Uniform will help with that, too. I’ll get CSI to do what they can with her house and she can return tomorrow. As for Rowe’s house, let’s get him back to Thorpe Wood and question him. We can arrange a search of his place and his car in the morning. We might get an unexpected break.’

  ‘What do you mean by that, sir?’

  ‘That man’s guilty of something, but I’ve got a feeling it might not be to do with our dead body.’

  Clavell nodded. ‘Either that or he’s more afraid of the person he’s protecting than he is of us.’

  53

  DI Barton

  Barton moved the meeting to ten o’clock the next morning after a fruitless discussion with Robin Rowe. There’d been no chance of the cinema with Holly the previous night. It had been near midnight when he’d arrived home and, when he’d got into bed, he’d literally got the cold shoulder. He’d muttered to himself, thinking she should understand, until he’d remembered he’d forgotten to ring her. Breakfast was an equally chilly affair.

  DCI Cox entered the incident room with two seconds to spare. She’d requested an immediate update in her office, but Barton hadn’t wanted to have to repeat himself. Zander, Clavell, Whitlam, Malik, and two junior detectives were present: Ewing and Zelensky. Zander had affectionately nicknamed them the EZ (ee-zee) Crew as they worked well together. The HOLMES operator also attended.

  ‘Right, ladies and gentlemen. This is what we know. Arnold Stone went missing last Christmas, assumed vanished with debts owing. He was a person with additional needs. I believe that’s the correct way of saying it nowadays. The details are on the file, so please read it. The only suspect at this point is Robin Rowe. His nervous behaviour makes me uneasy. He knows what’s going on, or he’s done something else dodgy. CSI are on the scene searching his house and garden. Sergeant Strange is present, so I’ll update her later. Let’s roll some ideas around. What do you think?’

  Zander spoke first. ‘It sounds like the guy in custody is protecting someone. Charge him with murder. Explain the Peterborough Ditch Murders case to him.’

  Barton surveyed the younger officers in the room and wondered if they would know the details of the case and the implications. ‘Refresh our memories on that, please.’

  ‘Joanna Dennehy murdered three men in the city and tried to kill two others in 2013. She received life with no parole. Two men assisted her. One man helped select the victims and received nineteen years. They found the other only guilty of perverting the course of justice and two counts of preventing lawful and decent burial. His sentence: fourteen years.’

  ‘I agree, that should shake him up. Whatever he’s done, it’s unlikely he’s the dominant force. Yes, Clavell?’

  ‘I thought about it last night. The victim only disappeared six months ago. With the right authorisation, which I think is Superintendent for over ninety days, we can check the Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. If there was an argument and a kill at the home address, then the body had to be transported to the allotment. If his car went all the way to Wisbech, it will have triggered the cameras en route.’

  Zelensky, who hadn’t been out of uniform for long, put her hand up. Barton pointed at her. ‘The fact he’s been to Wisbech and back doesn’t mean he drove there to bury a body.’

  Clavell gave her a hard look. ‘No, but it proves he has been there. At the moment, Robin has been refusing to give us details but is answering questions. I believe that if we ask him a simple question about his movements, we might get him to deny it. If he does, and we know he’s been there, we’ll also know he’s a liar.’

  Barton smiled as Zander raised his eyes next to Clavell.

  ‘Good work, all of you. Clavell, that’s your idea, so that’s your task. Use Zelensky for any legwork. Perhaps we can also request a cadaver dog for the car and he may then crack. Zander, we’ll have a further chat with Mr Rowe.’ He pointed at Ewing. ‘Get down to Strange at the scene, and keep your radios on. We might need to be quick when Rowe breaks. If his car has been to the scene, then get CSI to examine it.’

  ‘Malik, check HOLMES and the PNC with the operator here to see if Rowe or Stone turn up on any other cases. Whitlam, visit the girl at the hotel and check out the background of this ex of hers. If you ring Strange, she’ll let you know when she can return to the property.’

  ‘Actually, sir, I need to talk to you and
DCI Cox.’

  Malik let out a small cheer. ‘Whitlam’s the Compost Heap Killer.’

  The cheers died down at Whitlam’s serious face.

  ‘Does it need to be right away?’ asked Cox.

  ‘Yes, ma’am. I have a confession to make.’

  54

  The Soul Killer

  I follow them into interview room two. They sit opposite me. Cox scowls, whereas Barton seems more puzzled. I’ve noticed she’s been in a worse mood than usual of late.

  Cox leans forward. ‘What is this?’

  ‘There was an investigation a while back where I knew something, but I didn’t mention it.’

  Both pairs of eyes harden.

  ‘Which case?’ says Barton.

  ‘The man who drowned in the rowing lake.’

  ‘Okay,’ says Barton. ‘I recall you talking to us about that. He was your girlfriend’s sister’s husband?’ He speaks the last few words slowly, then clicks his fingers. ‘That’s right. I remember. You were going to ask her to marry you.’

  ‘Yes. You’re aware I run a lot to keep fit. I’m always jogging through the meadows. A couple of times a week at least, I would say.’

  I detect a vein throbbing on DCI Cox’s forehead. ‘Go on.’

  ‘I was running along there and heard a big splash around the time the witness in the flats said he heard one too. When I looked in the river, there was Malcolm Somerville splashing about. He slurred that he needed help. I didn’t even see the bike and assumed he’d staggered in. When I tried to save him, he lost his balance and dragged me on top of him. For a moment, I thought he was trying to drown me. When I climbed out and then pulled him up, he calmed down.’

  Barton raised an eyebrow. ‘Then what happened?’

  ‘I offered to get him to a taxi but he told me to piss off. He’d been acting strangely so when he staggered away along the path towards Thorpe Meadows and the rowing lake, I decided, screw him. I was freezing in only my running gear by that point. He lives in that direction, so I just hoped he’d experience a horrible walk home. He was a big man with a thick coat, so he wouldn’t have frozen to death. I turned around and ran off.’

  Barton twirled his pen. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

  ‘I couldn’t believe it when Annabelle reported him missing. Claudia, my partner, and her sister are incredibly close. When she rang me, I panicked and said nothing about seeing him. My first concern was preserving our relationship. If she finds out I dragged an inebriated Malcolm out of the river and didn’t help him, then she’d never forgive me. Honestly, I expected him to crawl out of a bush and turn up, so I kept quiet.’

  ‘You still had plenty of opportunities to come forward,’ stated Cox.

  ‘As time passed, I felt less able to mention it. Besides, it wouldn’t have affected the operation that much. You would have still searched the river and not the rowing lake. It was selfish. I didn’t feel like I could say anything after it had gone on so long. When he turned up, I wished I’d mentioned it. I wanted the twins to know what happened. When I spoke to you, I almost told you.’

  ‘I thought you had something else on your mind. Was this it?’

  ‘Yes. Claudia rang me for help, and I lied to her by saying I hadn’t seen him. If she found out, she would never have agreed to marry me.’

  Cox looks incredulous. ‘You asked her to get married, despite not informing anyone you were the last person to see her brother-in-law alive?’

  It’s unnecessary to act disappointed in myself. I am. I should have declared all this at the time. It would’ve seemed much more genuine.

  ‘I’m almost afraid to ask. Did she agree?’ asks Cox.

  ‘To marry me? Yes.’

  ‘Bloody hell. How do you sleep at night?’

  This is the tricky part. I need to be convincing. ‘That’s it. I don’t. Our relationship isn’t the same because my lies are poisoning it. She’s going through a traumatic time, and I can’t help. I know I should have told the truth.’

  Cox slams her hand on the table. I jump in my seat because I guess that’s what she wants, but my nerves are solid.

  ‘You underestimate the seriousness of your actions, or inactions. Why tell us now?’ says Cox.

  ‘Our engagement is heading for the rocks, anyway. I needed to report the facts and get it off my chest. Hopefully, she’ll forgive me. She knows how Malcolm acted after a few brandies. She’ll understand that he wouldn’t have accepted help from me when I found him looking stupid.’

  ‘John, what do you think of all this?’

  Barton shakes his head. ‘I wish he’d told us next week because we’ll miss him. You’re a good copper, David, but you’ve made a serious mistake. The implications are far reaching. There’s only one route we can take.’

  ‘I agree. Go home, David. We have no choice but to notify Professional Standards. I wouldn’t be surprised if you lose your job over this.’

  ‘Will you tell Claudia the truth if she asks you?’ I ask.

  Barton gasps. ‘Of course, we’ll have to. You’re in a lot of trouble. I hope for your sake you belong to the Police Federation.’

  ‘What will happen now?’

  Barton stood. ‘I’ll walk you out. You’ll need to leave your warrant card so you can’t come into the building. We’ll talk to HR and Professional Standards. They’ll want statements about everything we discussed today.’

  ‘Do you really think they’ll kick me out?’

  ‘I’m not sure. You have an exemplary record for nearly ten years. That’s got to count for something. One thing I do know is that the whole process takes ages. I don’t predict you being back at work before Christmas.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  Barton shrugs. ‘We all make mistakes. Are you feeling all right? Don’t do anything drastic. The Fed are good at looking after their own, so they might be able to save your job.’

  I shake his hand and leave. The Fed is the nickname for the Police Federation. They’re like our union, and they aren’t that good. Driving out into the harsh sunlight of what’s looking to be a very warm day, I allow myself a smile. All said, that could have gone much worse. The changing situation forced my hand. Let’s hope that Claudia is as understanding as Inspector Barton was, or the consequences for her and Annabelle will be deadly serious.

  55

  DI Barton

  Barton returned to his desk, cursing at the man’s stupidity, and more importantly his loss of manpower. Someone had stuck a note on his keyboard asking him to ring Strange.

  ‘Kelly, what’s up?’

  ‘John, it was proving a nothing search of Rowe’s property until they found a gold watch hidden in one of the cupboards.’

  ‘What’s the significance of the watch?’

  ‘Didn’t Whitlam tell you what Stone’s mother said?’

  ‘Whitlam’s been suspended.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Long story, but basically he saw Malcolm Somerville fall in the river the night he died. He didn’t help him home, and Malcolm is related to his fiancée, so he kept quiet.’

  There was a pause on the line. ‘Right. I need more coffee to connect all that. My point is that the mother said Arnold cherished this watch and never took it off. The words “My Boy” were engraved on the back of it, as they are on this watch.’

  ‘Rowe has the victim’s watch hidden in his house?’

  ‘That’s correct.’

  ‘Excellent. It’s not looking good for him. Anything else?’

  ‘No, both houses are immaculate. I’m not sure if Rowe’s a clean freak or he hoped to hide any evidence, and the other house won’t reveal much after all this time either. There’s the possibility of DNA from hoovering the carpet for hairs and skin, but that’s it. But the presence of the watch says he knows more than he’s letting on. It might even be enough to get him to confess. Perhaps he kept it as a memento.’

  ‘Yes, or maybe to sell.’

  ‘Well, he wouldn’t have made much money
. The only thing gold about this watch is the colour.’

  Barton laughed. ‘I’ve got one of those myself. Okay, come back in when you’re done. There’s no rush. Clavell is getting authorisation to check ANPR for hits from Robin Rowe’s car. If he gets it today, we’ll present all the evidence to Rowe in one blow. He’ll talk, or we arrest him for murder. We can have him in front of the magistrates before lunchtime tomorrow and locked up in the local nick by teatime.’

  ‘Still think it involves someone else?’

  ‘Without a shadow of doubt.’

  Zander was listening in. ‘A break?’

  ‘Yeah. Stone’s watch turned up in Rowe’s cupboard.’

  ‘Kerching!’

  ‘Yep, the way forward looks clear. We’ll wait until Kelly’s returned with the evidence before we talk to him again.’

  Clavell returned to the room. ‘Any joy?’ asked Barton.

  ‘I was right. Cox signed the ANPR request, but it needs a superintendent’s authorisation because it’s over ninety days.’

  ‘DCI Cox, you mean?’

  ‘Didn’t I say that? The super’s PA said he’ll be here at three. She’ll have it sorted and back to us the moment he gets in. We should have the information by five.’

  ‘Great stuff. You’re making this look easy.’

  ‘I’m finding working under you inspiring, sir. Thank you for your time explaining things to me yesterday. I appreciate it.’

  Barton ignored Zander’s look of disdain.

  ‘My pleasure. I’m sure you’ll go far.’

  Clavell hung around at the door before adding, ‘Is Whitlam off the case?’

  ‘That’s correct.’

  ‘May I ask what he’s done?’

  ‘You can ask, but I won’t tell you. I wouldn’t be surprised if the rumours had reached the canteen. Why do you ask?’

  ‘It was just the way he said he wanted to talk to you. It sounded important. When he spoke earlier, he reminded me of someone, or there was something vaguely familiar about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Thought I’d chat to him, see if I could pin it down, but it looks like it might be a while before I get the chance to do that. Professional Standards can be strict.’