The Murder House

by Michael Wood

  ‘Double Deckers,’ Rory said. ‘I remember they used to be huge when I was a kid. I can fit one into my mouth whole now.’

  ‘Nothing to do with the fact you’ve got a big gob?’ Scott shivered from behind the steering wheel.

  ‘I haven’t.’

  ‘Remember that time when you were drunk and you bet me a fiver you could fit your fist into it then you got it stuck?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ he said, laughing. ‘Did you ever give me that fiver?’

  ‘The door’s opened.’

  They both leaned forward and looked out of the windscreen at Elizabeth’s house. They saw Matilda on the doorstep. She turned back to the house, said something, then walked down the steps alone. The front door closed behind her.

  Rory opened his window as Matilda reached their car. He let in a blast of winter air and pulled his coat tighter around him.

  ‘Boss?’

  ‘He didn’t turn up,’ Matilda said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘He wasn’t there.’

  ‘But you’ve been in about half an hour.’

  ‘I know. I was talking to his sister.’

  ‘Did she explain why she lied about being at the wedding?’ Scott asked.

  ‘Yes. I’ll bring you all up to speed back at the station.’

  ‘I can’t believe he didn’t turn up. If that doesn’t point to his guilt, I don’t know what does,’ Rory said.

  Matilda didn’t say anything. She offered them a weak smile, pulled up the collar on her coat and headed back for her car.

  From behind the steering wheel, Matilda watched as Rory and Scott drove slowly past her and headed for the station. She’d blatantly lied to them. She had hand-picked her team because she knew she could trust each and every one of them. In return, they offered their total support and commitment. If Matilda believed in something, then so did they. So why had she lied to them?

  ‘You’re acting like a one-woman police force,’ she told herself. ‘You can’t solve this on your own. Let them in.’

  Unfortunately for her, the others believed in hard evidence, and everything they had pointed to Keith slaughtering Clive, Serena and Jeremy Mercer.

  All Matilda had to go on was the word of a potential triple murderer.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Elizabeth Lumb couldn’t sleep. As soon as Matilda had left, Keith went straight to bed in the spare bedroom. Elizabeth had sat in silence in the living room. Despite Matilda giving them her word she wouldn’t arrest Keith, she half expected to see a fleet of police cars come screaming up the road. They’d break the door down, charge into the house and tear it apart looking for her brother. They’d drag him out of the house kicking and screaming and shouting his innocence. All Elizabeth could think about was the mess they’d create.

  She went to bed around midnight and read half a Catherine Cookson before putting the paperback down with a sigh. It was no good. She threw back the duvet and climbed out of bed. As she made her way down the stairs, tying her dressing gown around her waist, she could hear her brother snoring lightly in the spare room. How could he possibly sleep so soundly when their lives were being systematically destroyed? She shook the thought away and headed for the kitchen.

  The curtains were wide open and while Elizabeth waited for the kettle to boil, she looked out onto the back garden. The sky was a sheet of black, pierced with an infinite number of stars and a brilliantly bright moon which shone down on the grass, causing the frost to twinkle on each blade. It was beautiful, serene, calming.

  The kettle boiled. She made herself a mug of strong tea, took the last piece of angel cake from the pantry and sat at the table. She let out a heavy sigh and tucked in.

  ‘We should have looked after him more,’ she began, her voice shattered the silence, echoing around the room. ‘He took Dad’s death harder than the rest of us. He idolized him. If we’d stepped up and took on a more parental role, Keith could have done something with his life, something respectful. Don’t you think?’ She looked to the seat next to her. It was empty. ‘I should have seen the signs.’

  ‘Who are you talking to?’ Keith asked from the doorway.

  Elizabeth let out a scream and slapped a hand on her chest. ‘You scared me half to death. What do you think you’re doing, creeping up on me like that?’

  ‘I wasn’t creeping up on you.’

  ‘Well … you should have made your presence known.’

  Keith, wearing his father’s old dressing gown, flicked the switch on the kettle and took a mug from the top cupboard. ‘Is there any more of that cake left?’

  ‘No. There’s some biscuits in the barrel.’

  ‘Who were you talking to?’ he asked, pouring hot water into the mug.

  ‘Nobody,’ she said, blushing slightly.

  ‘You were. I heard you.’

  ‘I was talking to myself.’

  ‘You were talking to Ruby, weren’t you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Lizzie.’

  ‘Don’t call me Lizzie,’ she snapped.

  Keith sat in the chair opposite her. He looked at the empty chair to Elizabeth’s right, knowing that’s where Ruby would have sat. He reached out and took his sister’s hand.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. It sounded heartfelt and purposeful.

  ‘What for?’

  ‘Putting you through all this. I’ve been very selfish. I’ve never thought about others, what my actions do to other people. I’ve never once asked how you’re doing on your own. I know we’re very different, but we’re family. I should have been there for you more.’

  Elizabeth gave a weak smile. ‘Ruby meant the world to me. I know she was your sister too, but when you’re identical twins, there’s a much stronger bond. It’s almost like you’re one person but in two bodies. We tried to live a normal life, and it didn’t work.’

  ‘Do you think, if you’d found someone, like Ruby did, you’d have been able to be happy?’

  Elizabeth swallowed her emotions and shook her head. ‘We wanted to be normal, like everybody else, but, we were drawn back to each other. When she married Guy, I felt like I’d lost a limb. The day she moved out of here she said she’d made a mistake, and wanted to come back, but she couldn’t. She was married. She was round here more than she was at her new home. Guy, give him his due, he tried to understand, but, eventually, he told her to make a choice, him or me. She didn’t hesitate. She chose me.’

  ‘Do you ever hear from Guy?’

  ‘No. He came to see me the day after Ruby’s funeral.’

  ‘You never said.’

  ‘He really laid into me. He said some cruel, nasty things; blamed me for Ruby killing herself. Said I was a sick, twisted, lonely woman. Maybe he was right.’

  Keith squeezed his sister’s hand tighter. ‘He’s not right. Like you said, the bond between identical twins is too strong.’

  A tear fell down Elizabeth’s face. She turned to the empty chair. ‘All Ruby wanted was a normal life, but she couldn’t have one.’

  ‘Elizabeth,’ Keith said after a long silence, ‘the invitation from the Mercers’ wedding … there wasn’t one, was there?’

  She closed her eyes tight. When she opened them, tears streamed down her face. ‘I just wanted to be accepted by other people. I never get invited anywhere.’

  ‘What did Serena say to you?’

  ‘She said it was a private party for family and close friends only. She gave me a drink out of politeness, but it was obvious she wanted me to leave.’

  Keith went around the table and took his sister in his arms. He held her tight. ‘You should have told me you were so lonely.’

  ‘You’ve got your own life to lead. You don’t want me around.’

  ‘Some life,’ he scoffed. ‘And you’re wrong. You’re my sister. Of course I want you around.’

  ‘I’ve made a real mess of everything, haven’t I?’ she asked, wiping her nose on a battered tissue from her pocket. ‘Your DNA is all over the house and I’m p
hotographed there. The police will think we were both in on it. We both have criminal records.’

  ‘What happened with Mum was an accident,’ Keith said, squeezing his sister harder.

  ‘It wasn’t, though, was it?’ She pushed Keith away, wiped away her tears and sniffled. ‘Mummy blamed me for Ruby’s death like everyone else. She said I should have stayed away from her and Guy, let them live their own lives. I couldn’t. She didn’t understand. Nobody understood.’

  ‘Are you ready now to tell me what actually happened?’ Keith asked.

  ‘We argued. She was cruel. I mean, really horrible to me. She went out onto the balcony to get her cigarettes from the table, and I just saw red. I pushed her. We were only one floor up; I didn’t think she’d be seriously hurt,’ she sobbed. ‘It was the way she landed, apparently. I remember the doctors telling me she was unlucky the way she hit the ground.’

  ‘Oh, Elizabeth.’ Keith reached forward and took his sister’s hand. ‘Nobody blames you for what happened to Mum. I certainly don’t.’

  ‘But I do. The police did. That horrible detective hounded me day and night. That’s why they don’t believe us about this. It’s a complete mess, Keith.’

  ‘I think DCI Darke will get to the truth.’ He offered a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  ‘What if she doesn’t?’

  ‘Then we’re both screwed.’

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Matilda looked at herself in the mirror of the ladies’ toilets in the police station. She looked shattered. She felt worse. By the time she had got home last night, she was drained and exhausted by the weight of the investigation and the pressure she had placed upon herself. She hadn’t told anyone about Keith turning up at his sister’s house, not her team, not Valerie, and not even Adele when she called.

  She’d closed the front door behind her, keeping the crazy, insane world locked firmly outside, and headed for the sanctuary of her library. There were piles of books everywhere and empty shelves waiting to be filled. It was a mammoth task that lay ahead of her, but it was one she relished. She’d put on a pot of coffee, opened a packet of biscuits and set to work cataloguing her collection.

  The doorbell rang.

  She looked at her watch. It was almost eleven o’clock. Who would be calling so late. Fortunately, the library was at the back of the house and there were no lights on in the rooms at the front. It would look like she was out, or in bed. Unfortunately, her car was parked outside as the garage hadn’t been made secure enough yet. Shit.

  Matilda edged out into the hallway and looked towards the door. There was a looming shadow on the other side. The letterbox was lifted, and Matilda felt her heart sink.

  ‘Matilda, it’s Pat. I know it’s late but open up. It’s freezing out here.’

  She smiled with relief and headed for the door.

  ‘Why are you so frightened of answering your own door?’ Pat asked as she entered the house.

  ‘I’m not,’ she lied.

  ‘Every time I come round it’s like I have to pass a test before I’m allowed in. Or are you just trying to tell me something?’ She smiled. ‘Are we through here?’ she asked, heading for the lounge and the warmth of the fire.

  ‘Pat, what are you doing out so late?’

  ‘To cut a long story short, I’ve been at our Cheryl’s babysitting all evening while she ran her oldest up to the Children’s.’

  ‘Is he OK?’

  ‘He is now. He’s got a nut allergy and he must have eaten one without realizing. He needed an injection, that’s all. Anyway, as you’re on my way home, I thought I’d pop in seeing as you haven’t replied to my messages.’

  ‘I know. I’m sorry. It’s been one of those days.’

  ‘You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders.’

  ‘I feel it.’

  ‘Well, if you want to offer me a strong drink and unburden yourself, I don’t mind,’ she said, making herself comfortable on the sofa.

  Matilda smiled. She poured Pat a large glass of Highland Park and a small one for herself.

  ‘Fill me in on the Meagans then,’ Matilda said.

  ‘I thought you were going to be doing the talking,’ she said, smacking her lips after downing half a glass of whisky.

  ‘After the day I’ve had, I’d rather not have to relive it.’

  ‘Fair enough.’ She made herself more comfortable and filled Matilda in on Philip Meagan’s deception; how he had been behind the phone calls to Sally all along.

  ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe he would do something like that,’ Matilda said, wide-eyed.

  ‘He’s a man, isn’t he? We all know how depraved they can be.’

  ‘But to put his wife through such torment.’

  ‘To be honest, he looked slightly tormented himself. He’s lost his son and he’s close to losing his wife. He needed her to need him again. The more I think about it, the more I can see it from his point of view. I’m not denying he went about it completely the wrong way, but they did need pushing back together.’

  Matilda slumped back in her seat and blew out her cheeks. ‘Even so. It’s a rotten thing to do.’

  ‘It seems to have worked though. An hour or so after I’d left I had a call from Sally. She said Philip was taking her away to the Lakes for a long weekend and would it be OK for me to pop round when she got back.’

  ‘She’s willing to go away?’

  ‘They must have had a serious talk when she got back from the vet with Woody. I think it will do them all good.’

  Pat didn’t stay too long after that. Long enough to have a second drink, but not long enough so she was unfit to drive. She had tried to get Matilda to open up, tell her about her disastrous day, but Matilda wouldn’t budge. She filled her in on her urbexing exploits then headed for the door.

  Matilda returned to her library but her heart was no longer in it. Philip’s deception prayed on her mind. What he did was wrong, but he had had good intentions. She couldn’t help but think the same about the Mercer case. In her eyes, Keith wasn’t the killer, yet someone was obviously willing to plant evidence to frame him so they could get away with it. To them, they had a reason for killing Clive, Serena and Jeremy.

  From the ladies’ toilets, Matilda headed for the HMET suite. From the doorway she could tell she still hadn’t received any extra staff. TDC Finn Cotton looked suitably harassed as if he’d been with the team for years rather than a few days.

  As soon as Sian spotted her, she picked up her pad and headed towards her. ‘Keith Lumb seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Uniformed officers are still outside his flat but it’s as quiet as the proverbial. We’ve had a few phone calls, but nothing we can take seriously. I’ve sent his photo to all train stations, bus stations, ports and airports.’

  ‘Good work, Sian.’ Matilda smiled but gritted her teeth. She knew exactly where Keith was and she was wasting resources she couldn’t afford looking for him. ‘Kesinka, nice to have you back. How are you feeling?’ As soon as Matilda saw the heavily pregnant DC, she headed over to her desk. Anything to change the subject.

  ‘I’m doing OK, thank you.’

  ‘You’ve been told about restricted duties?’

  ‘Yes. I’m just happy to be back at work. I don’t care if I’m making everyone coffee.’

  ‘Two sugars, Kes,’ Rory shouted.

  ‘If you need anything, let me know. Or, better still, get Rory to do it for you.’

  ‘Will do. I’m covering the control room for a few shifts. The ACC said I won’t be needed here all the time. Is that OK?’ she asked nervously.

  Matilda wanted to vent some anger, but Kesinka shouldn’t be on the receiving end. ‘That’s fine.’ She smiled coldly.

  Matilda went into her office and closed the door behind her. She hadn’t been sitting down a couple of minutes before there was a knock on the glass and Christian entered.

  ‘I’ve had the DI from Barnsley on the phone. He’s not happy
about all the uniformed officers we’re using covering Keith Lumb’s flat.’

  ‘Well I’m not happy about his officers allowing him to escape in the first place. His officers screwed up, they can pay for it. Sian,’ Matilda called out over Christian’s shoulder, ‘are we closing the door on the GMC angle?’

  Sian edged around Christian and entered the office. ‘I think so. I’ve printed off the files. They’re on your desk if you fancy glancing through them. I’ve been trying to trace the invisible man all morning. Do you think we should bring the sister in?’

  Matilda quickly looked away. She remained silent.

  ‘You know where he’s hiding, don’t you?’ Christian asked.

  Reluctantly, she nodded.

  ‘What?’ They both asked at the same time, mouths agape.

  ‘OK, calm down. Keith was at Elizabeth’s house last night. I had a good talk to both of them.’

  ‘And you left the house with a killer in there?’ Christian shouted in a loud whisper.

  ‘He’s not a killer,’ Matilda said, flustered.

  ‘You should have brought him in for questioning. We could have interviewed him formally and found out what links him with the Mercers.’

  ‘Nothing links him with the Mercers. Well, nothing concrete.’

  ‘I don’t believe this,’ Sian said, obviously annoyed. ‘Having a chat in a living room is completely different to a formal interview. Under interrogation, who knows what he would have revealed.’

  ‘I’ll go and have another word with him.’

  ‘I’m not happy about this,’ Sian said. ‘I’m sorry, Matilda, I’ve always trusted your judgement in the past, but what if you’re wrong on this? What if Keith is the killer and is just a very clever man? He could be playing you.’

  ‘If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong.’

  ‘It’s not that simple. If you’re wrong, more people could die. And if it gets out, you could lose your job.’

  The silence was palpable. Matilda looked everywhere but at the DI and DS sitting opposite her. She knew Sian was right. Sian always seemed to be right, but she had to go with her gut feeling on this, and that was telling her Keith Lumb was innocent.