by Adam Croft
‘Ruby. I know this is a difficult question, and one that’s probably impossible to answer, but do you think hitting Russell knocked him down the stairs?’
Ruby shook her head slightly. ‘I don’t think so. I don’t know. I wasn’t facing him. But I didn’t think it was that hard. I think he tried to swerve it, but went too far and slipped. I didn’t even mean to hit him. Not really. It was just an instinctive reaction. I thought he was going to hurt me. I keep telling myself that. That it was self-defence. An accident. I believe that. I really do. It keeps it at bay, too, for a bit. Sometimes it flares up again and I panic. I melt down. And now, when I heard you were looking into what happened again, it got too much. I had to say something. I needed the truth to be out there.’
Caroline looked at Dexter, and they exchanged a knowing glance. Would there be any benefit in charging Ruby with anything? What good would it do? She certainly wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer. She probably hadn’t even killed Russell Speakman. Not directly. Although Caroline had always valued justice over everything else, she had to question whether that would be just in any sense of the word.
But it did help. They now knew what had happened to Russell Speakman. And they knew for certain that the Tanners hadn’t had any involvement. In Caroline’s eyes, that drastically lowered their chances of having been involved in the murder of Martin Forbes, too. It was all a highly unfortunate set of coincidences. But that didn’t leave them any closer to finding their killer. Far from it.
43
After interviewing Ruby, Dexter and Caroline stepped outside into the car park for some much-needed fresh air.
‘Not hard to see she was telling the truth there,’ Dexter said. ‘You could see how difficult it was for her.’
‘I know,’ Caroline replied. ‘Problem is it opens up a whole can of worms now. By rights, that should go through CPS and the courts. It’d be overturning the coroner’s verdict.’
‘That said accidental death, didn’t it? I don’t see how this was anything other than accidental. Slightly different circumstances, but same outcome. In any case, it’s up to us to pass it on to the CPS if we think a charge is necessary. If we’re comfortable no crime was committed… Well.’
‘No, I agree. She needed to get it off her chest. That’s the main thing. My biggest worry now is that it throws Operation Cruickshank into disarray,’ Caroline said, bracing herself against the cold, which was quickly starting to set in. ‘If Amie Tanner wasn’t involved in the death of Russell Speakman, it makes it far less likely she or Gavin were involved here, too. It was the “far too much of a coincidence” thing that was driving that. Now we don’t even have the coincidence. All we have is a brief argument between Amie and Martin at work a few days earlier. And who hasn’t had a barney at work before?’
‘We still can’t discount Gavin. Sure, it might not be linked with Speakman, but we’ve got him at the scene. Means, motive, opportunity — he’s got the lot. And there’s always the possibility Ruby’s been set up to confess.’
‘I’m not so sure,’ Caroline replied. ‘We know Gavin was at the scene where Martin’s body was found, but we’re also pretty certain he was killed elsewhere. What if he’s been set up?’
‘Set up by who?’ Dexter asked. ‘Gavin admitted to sending the emails to Martin and arranging to meet him. He told us that much.’
‘Exactly. Why would he make it so obvious and traceable? Even the forensics don’t add up. The mud on his car tyres is a match to the viaduct, but there’s nothing on his shoes.’
‘He said he didn’t get out of the car, though.’
‘If he killed Martin, he’d have to.’
‘Maybe he cleaned his shoes.’
‘On a forensically pure scale? Come off it. Why would he go to that effort to sterilise his shoes but leave his car tyres? Something doesn’t sit right here, Dex. Call it a hunch if you like, but there’s something else to this.’
‘I’m looking forward to you telling all this to Arnold.’
‘Don’t, Dex. Just don’t. The thought’s already crossed my mind more than once. How much time have we lost on this now? Christ’s sake. I can hear him now, banging on about my “condition” and how we need to work as a team, use wider resources, stop chasing hunches. He’ll have me back on medical leave.’
‘Nah, he won’t,’ Dexter said, trying to placate her. ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ve got your back. You’ll be good.’
Caroline looked at him and smiled. ‘Thanks, Dex. But seriously, don’t. It’s not worth blotting your own copy book over.’
Before Dexter could reply, the door opened and Aidan came out into the car park.
‘Guv, we’ve just had a call from Amie Tanner’s mum. She says Amie’s gone missing.’
44
Back in the warmth of the incident room, Aidan relayed what had come in through a 999 emergency call.
‘Okay, so the details as we understand them are that Amie’s mum has been at the house helping out with the kids while Gavin’s having a well-earned rest in our luxury holiday suite downstairs. She says Amie left home at her usual time this morning to go to work. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. At ten o’clock she’s not arrived at work, so work call her mobile and get no response. Lunchtime, they call her home landline and the mum picks up. Says she left for work at the usual time. So now mum’s panicking. She calls her mobile, which work have already tried, but it’s off. She said she didn’t want to cause a panic or waste police time, but the more she thought about it the more concerning it was, so eventually she picks up the phone and calls the police.’
‘Alright,’ Caroline said. ‘Speak to the network. Get cell tracking on Amie’s phone. Let’s find out where it went off grid. You’re ANPR trained, aren’t you?’
‘I am. I’ll run her reg number and see what comes back.’
‘Good work. Thanks, Aidan. If we can track down where she went missing, we can start to look at why. No accidents reported on the roads, I presume?’
‘Not that I’ve heard of. Nothing called in, anyway.’
‘Alright. That increases the chances that this was deliberate, either on her part or someone else’s. She can’t have gone far. She had to surrender her passport when she was bailed.’
‘Good point,’ Aidan replied.
‘So the two most likely outcomes here are that Amie has decided to go on the run, which would be odd seeing as we’d all but discounted her as a suspect, or that she’s been taken. That’s a whole lot more concerning, especially as she either is our killer, or the killer’s still out there. Sara, let’s have another look at the known relationships chart. Work on the assumption that whoever killed Martin Forbes has also taken Amie. Who’d want to harm them both? What are the connections? Let’s start from that point and see where it takes us.’
Sara nodded. ‘Alright.’
Aidan stood up and came back over. ‘Guv, there’s a hit from vehicle mounted ANPR about an hour ago. It picked it up on the A6003 at Preston. Looks like it’s parked up in a lay-by.’
‘Brilliant, Aidan. Thanks. Dex, get your coat back on. We’re going for a drive.’
45
Shortly after they’d arrived in the village of Preston, just a few miles south of Oakham on the road to Uppingham, Caroline saw the lay-by. It was right outside a row of houses, and presumably intended for the owners’ parking, but she immediately recognised Amie Tanner’s car. She pulled in behind it and switched off her engine.
‘No-one in it,’ Dexter said.
‘Good. Last thing I want today is to find another body.’
‘Maybe she’s visiting a friend. Does she have any connections with anyone here?’
‘I don’t know,’ Caroline replied, stepping out of her car and walking over to look at Amie’s, being careful not to touch it. ‘Call uniform down here, Dex. We’re going to need to do a door-to-door. See if any of the neighbours here saw anything. Someone must’ve done.’
As Dexter called in Caroline’s request, an eld
erly man stepped out of one of the houses and walked over to them.
‘You police?’ he called.
‘Yes, do you live here?’ Caroline asked.
‘I do. You got a badge?’
Caroline showed him her ID card.
‘Alright. Good,’ the man said. ‘I figured you was either police or criminals, the way you’re looking round the car.’
Caroline noticed he’d given a particular look in Dexter’s direction, and sincerely hoped it wasn’t connected with his race. ‘Did you see who parked it here?’ she asked him, keen to get to the point.
‘Happen I did, aye. A woman. Attractive, like. Pretty young thing.’
‘What time was this?’ Dexter asked.
‘Oooh, I reckon not long before nine. Quarter to, perhaps. Seemed odd, because most of the cars leave not long before that. Off to work, see. Bit strange to see someone arriving at that time.’
‘And did you notice what she looked like?’
‘Aye. Blonde hair. Extraordinary buttocks.’
As much as she found the man’s description distasteful, Caroline had to admit it did at least confirm it was Amie Tanner he’d seen.
‘Did you see where she went?’
‘Aye. Off with her friend.’
Caroline and Dexter exchanged a look. ‘Friend?’
‘The bloke in the other car. They both pulled in together, got out and looked at her car just like you was there, stood around for a minute or so, then she got into his car and off they went.’
‘Did she seem to go willingly or was there a struggle at all?’
‘Seemed alright to me,’ the man replied. ‘He didn’t have to bundle her in or anything, if that’s what you mean.’
‘What sort of car did they get into?’
‘Blimey, all these questions. She a wrong’un or something?’
Caroline could feel herself losing patience quickly. ‘Please just answer the questions. What sort of car was it?’
The man shrugged. ‘Dunno. I dunno cars, me. It were blue, I can tell you that. Estate, I think. You can always tell them from the side.’
‘And the man? Did you get a look at him?’
‘Not with these eyes,’ the man replied. ‘Sorry. Wasn’t really paying much attention to him, if you know what I mean.’
‘Okay. Thanks. Which way did you say they went?’
The man pointed down the road. ‘Down that way,’ he said. ‘Towards Uppingham. Maybe have a look down there.’
46
Caroline and Dexter got back into her car, glad for the warmth. They’d put out a call for local units to keep eyes open for a blue estate car, as well as sightings of Amie Tanner. Although their instinct might’ve been to head straight off in the direction of Uppingham, it had been quite some time since Amie and her abductor had left, and they could’ve been absolutely anywhere by now.
Officers were already on their way to the scene, where they’d be able to search the car properly and take an official statement from the man they’d spoken to, who’d eventually identified himself as Eric Darnforth.
‘It’s got to be someone she knows,’ Dexter said. ‘She’s not the sort of woman who’d get into a stranger’s car on a whim. She’d sooner beat him black and blue.’
‘I’ve got to agree it narrows the field somewhat,’ Caroline replied. ‘Hang on.’
Caroline got out of the car and walked back over to Amie’s. She peered through the windows, careful not to touch anything. Then she crouched down onto the floor and looked under the car before getting up and knocking on Eric Darnforth’s door.
‘Sorry to bother you again,’ she said as he answered, ‘but I don’t suppose you saw either of them using a mobile phone, did you?’
‘Don’t happen I did, no, love. Why’s that?’
‘Just wondered. Did either of them put anything anywhere? Throw something into bushes, perhaps? Anything else suspicious?’
‘No, not that I noticed. Like I say, they parked up, right where you are now. She got out of her car, he got out of his. They looked round hers for a bit, then got into his, sat for a minute or so then drove off.’
‘Did you see what they were doing for that minute before they drove off?’
Eric almost laughed. ‘No, no chance. Like I say, these eyes aren’t what they used to be. Plus the light’s too low that time of morning. Get all that glare off the glass, you know.’
Caroline forced a smile, said her goodbyes then headed back to her car. If nothing else, it would be a fun hour or two for whoever got to take that statement.
47
Caroline’s head was a mess. Focus was impossible. She didn’t know how much of it was down to the case itself and how much was caused by her recovery and her present mental state, but it wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for her at the best of times. It was almost the opposite of the calm before the storm: it was the fog and confusion that came before the moment of clarity which would unlock everything else. And she felt she was getting close to that point.
‘We’re halfway there anyway,’ she said as she pulled back out onto the road and headed towards Uppingham.
‘They’ll be long gone by now. They were probably heading for the A47.’
‘Probably. But I don’t think it’s them I’m looking for.’
Dexter looked across at her. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine. There’s just… Just something I need to check.’
A few minutes later, they pulled up outside the offices of Allure Design. They were met by Monique, who quickly hid her initial awkwardness and embarrassment with an over-the-top show of enthusiasm.
‘How wonderful to see you again,’ Monique said, welcoming them with a little too much energy. ‘How can I be of assistance?’
‘We just wanted to ask you a few more questions, if we may. I hope it’s not too inconvenient.’
‘No, of course. Audentes fortuna iuvat.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Fortune favours the bold.’
‘Alright, Doris. I’ll be honest, I’ve never really understood that one in English, never mind a language that doesn’t exist anymore.’ Caroline watched as Monique shrunk like a snowball in the Sahara. ‘Quick question. Is your IT chap in today? Tom Mackintosh.’
‘He’s not, I’m afraid. I can ask him to give you a call when he’s back in, though?’
Caroline smiled. ‘That’s fine. Don’t worry. He has quite a few days off, doesn’t he?’
‘Perks of the job, I guess. He’s been here a long time and things seem to work just fine. Plus he can do his job from anywhere, really. He just goes in through his VPN thingie and he’s away. He did explain it to me once, but it went well over my head.’
‘And mine, too,’ Caroline replied. ‘How long’s he been working here?’
‘Oh, easily ten years. If not more. Yes, he started a few months before me, so it must be nearly twelve years now.’
‘Is that fairly normal here? Do staff tend to stick around?’
‘Oh yes. We don’t have a high turnover in that respect. I think Amie’s probably one of our newest staff members, and she’s been here years. It was Tom who got her the job, actually.’
Caroline started to feel the cogs turn. ‘Really? Did they know each other before?’
‘Yes, from school I think. It’s a while ago, but I seem to recall he recommended her to Martin.’
‘I see. Is that normal?’
Monique shrugged. ‘What’s normal? And in any case it seems to have worked out well. Creo quia absurdum est. I think that sums this place up.’
‘I’ll have to take your word for it,’ Caroline said, trying her hardest not to look in the direction of Dexter, who was doing his best not to laugh.
‘It means “I believe because it is absurd”. It’s effectively the opposite of Occam’s razor. It’s not always the simplest or most logical solution that turns out to be right.’
The sudden hit of clarity was both invigorating and alarming. ‘Monique, do
you know where Tom is today?’
‘At home, I presume. He called in to say he wouldn’t be in the office. He’s a bit unpredictable like that, but he always does us the courtesy of letting us know, even if it is a little bit last minute.’
‘How last minute?’
‘Last night, after he’d already got home.’
Caroline shot a look at Dexter, who seemed a little slower to cotton on, but had noticed Caroline was on to something. ‘And is that normal for him?’ she asked Monique.
‘Oh yes. That holiday he had in Scotland the other week? He decided to let us know the night before. I mean, he can do his work from anywhere, really, but still.’
Caroline felt her heart hammering in her chest. All of a sudden, things were starting to make sense.
48
Caroline closed the door of her car and held her hand in the air. She needed to think and she didn’t want Dexter interrupting her train of thought unnecessarily. But it was the ringing of her phone that jolted her back to the here and now. She looked at the screen. It was Aidan.
‘Aidan. What is it?’ she said, immediately realising she’d perhaps sounded a little brusque.
‘We’ve had data back from one of the online nurseries we contacted about those roses, the Black Baccaras? There’s a small handful of people within a reasonable radius of Rutland, but only one who’s ordered repeatedly over the past few years, just before Valentine’s Day.’
‘Let me guess,’ Caroline said, rubbing her temples with her free hand. ‘Tom Mackintosh.’
‘Well, it says Thomas here, but yeah,’ Aidan replied, sounding slightly deflated.
‘He’s the IT guy from Allure Design.’