Broken Bones: A gripping serial killer thriller (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 7)

by Angela Marsons

  ‘That’s the one,’ she said.

  He whistled on the other end of the phone. ‘You wouldn’t have thought that, would you?’

  No she certainly wouldn’t. Suddenly she remembered what Kai Lord had said about not everyone being what they seemed. Had he been talking about Donna?

  ‘I’ll get digging once I’ve updated you. I missed your calls ’cos I was on the phone,’ he explained. ‘I spent a couple of hours trying to track this bloody BMW through company records and I was getting nowhere,’ he said. The BMW was the car that had pulled up alongside the young girl; the car that Kim had scared away.

  ‘So I turned into angry dad,’ he continued.

  ‘Into what?’

  ‘I called the Head Office of the pharmaceutical company shouting and screaming that one of their cars had just cut me up on the motorway and caused me to crash. I threatened them with criminal action and a civil case for my whiplash injury and the trauma to my child.’

  ‘Your child?’ Kim chuckled.

  ‘Hey, boss, don’t laugh. Rupert was very upset by it all. Anyway I demanded the name of the driver so that I could pursue a case against the individual.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘The rest was easy.’

  ‘Penn, tell me you got me an address.’

  ‘Well, err, yeah,’ he said, as though it was a no-brainer.

  ‘His name is Jeremy Templeton. The house is rented and a very nice house it is too.’

  She listened to the address and ended the call.

  ‘Come on, Bryant,’ she said, interrupting his call. ‘Your salad is going to have to wait.’

  This was a man she was dying to meet.

  Oh yes, her stomach was fizzing now.

  FIFTY-TWO

  ‘What does he do again?’ Bryant asked.

  ‘Regional Manager for a pharmaceutical company. Covers anything south of Wakefield.’

  ‘Pays well, then,’ Bryant said, crunching up the gravel drive. He took care to avoid ice-filled potholes that would not have troubled the tyres of a four-by-four.

  The property was a converted barn on the outskirts of the affluent Kinver.

  ‘How much?’ Bryant asked.

  ‘Around two thousand a month,’ Kim guessed.

  Bryant whistled. ‘Can you imagine shelling out that each month just for rent?’

  Kim shook her head. It was an amount of money that was way above their pay scales combined.

  ‘And just for one person, too,’ she said, spying the BMW that had crawled past them the other night.

  The door was opened by a man close to Kim’s own height. There was a new iPhone clamped to his ear, and he held up one finger to ask them to wait. He turned his back but not before Kim saw the frown that drew his fair eyebrows together.

  Bryant’s expression mirrored her own surprise.

  His plain black trousers reflected the price tag that was evident in the impeccable tailoring. The expensive clothing, while smart and professional, did nothing to hide the athletic build beneath.

  ‘Maria, I’ve already told you, I haven’t been on the motorway this morning, I’ve been working from home.’

  Kim coughed lightly.

  ‘Look, I’ve got to go but I’ll see you in a couple of days, okay.’

  Kim heard the change in his tone on the last few words.

  The softening and the hint of promise in his voice told her Jeremy Templeton was sleeping with Maria, and she’d be willing to bet Maria wasn’t his wife. His smile was manufactured but disarming all the same. She could imagine there was a queue of women lining up around the corner to sleep with him.

  ‘Mr Templeton,’ she said, stepping forward. ‘My name is Detective Inspector Stone and this is my colleague, Detective Sergeant Bryant. May we come in?’

  If Bryant felt any surprise at the softness of her tone he didn’t show it.

  Templeton’s eyes met hers and held for a second. Interest flickered as he stood aside. ‘Of course.’

  ‘First door to your left,’ he said, as she came to a halt in the hallway.

  Kim stepped into one of the most spectacular rooms she had ever seen. Brown leather sofas dotted around a wood-burning fire. A plush neutral carpet removed the starkness from the pine floor and added warmth. Roof beams drew the eye to an upper level gallery fronted by a glass balustrade.

  ‘Thank you for seeing us, Mr Templeton. We won’t take up much of your time. You are clearly very busy,’ she said, indicating the open laptop and the paperwork scattered on the sofa nearest to the fire.

  ‘I have no idea why you’re here,’ he said, tipping his head. ‘Unless it’s about some kind of misunderstanding regarding an incident on the motorway…’

  ‘No, that’s not why we’re here,’ she said, looking around. ‘A lovely home you have,’ she added.

  ‘Thank you, Inspector, but it’s not mine. It’s rented by my employers. I use it to visit my local branches around the Midlands.’ He caught her eye. ‘I’m normally here one week out of every month.’

  Kim heard the invitation in his voice and noticed that he had not looked at Bryant once. She allowed a small smile to lift her lips but lowered her eyes to the ground.

  ‘That’s good to know, Mr Templeton,’ she offered, as he sat and closed the laptop. The view between them was now unobstructed.

  ‘Jeremy, please,’ he replied with a lopsided grin. His handsome face was like a vehicle that he knew how to drive. There was a sex appeal about him that was undeniable and it was coming at her in waves.

  ‘Thank you, Jeremy. Your vehicle has come up in an investigation we’re conducting, so if we could just ask you a couple of questions I’m sure we can resolve our business.’

  ‘Please, go ahead,’ he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

  His cuff rose up slightly displaying a Bvlgari watch. Like the rest of him it was expensively tasteful. This man would never wear a Rolex.

  ‘Can you tell me what day you arrived this week?’

  Kim had dropped all reference to ‘we’. There were only the two of them in this conversation.

  ‘Yes, officer, I arrived around Sunday lunchtime. My first meeting was in Oldbury on Monday morning at seven o’clock.’

  ‘So you had no meetings on Sunday?’

  He thought for a moment. ‘No, I was here working, preparing for the early meeting.’

  ‘And for dinner?’

  He shrugged. ‘I probably threw something together.’ He tipped his head slightly. ‘It’s not much fun preparing elaborate meals for one,’ he said, asking a question.

  ‘I know exactly what you mean,’ she said, answering it.

  ‘And you didn’t leave the house again?’ she continued.

  Kim allowed their gaze to hold for a second too long. ‘You’re sure that’s what you did on Sunday night?’

  ‘I’m sure, officer.’

  She frowned slightly. ‘There must be some mistake, Jeremy. Your vehicle was seen driving through Tavistock Road at around nine o’clock.’

  ‘Aah, occasionally, the gardener, Eddie, borrows the car.’ He rolled his eyes up and to the left. ‘Wait a minute, of course, he asked to borrow the car to collect his daughter from the cinema. Yes, that was Sunday night. I remember now. The snow was quite bad and he has a front-wheel drive.’

  Kim smiled and nodded. She pushed herself forward to a standing position. ‘That explains it, Jeremy. You’ve been most helpful and I’m sorry for having disturbed you.’

  Surprised by her movement, Bryant got up from the third couch. She turned quickly, practically bumping into Jeremy Templeton. They almost banged heads. He reached out and steadied her. She chuckled.

  ‘Oops, sorry about that,’ she said.

  ‘It’s no trouble at all,’ he said, as his hands slid down her upper arms.

  ‘So, if you could just give us Eddie’s phone number to clear this away I shouldn’t need to bother you again. Well, not for this anyway.’

  ‘Of course,’
he said reaching for his wallet.

  He stopped as the wallet snapped open. He tapped the side of his head and again offered the disarming smile.

  ‘Oh my, what is wrong with me, Inspector? You have me all of a fluster. I seem to be getting my days mixed up. Of course, it was Monday night that Eddie borrowed the car.

  ‘I remember now. I did leave the house again on Sunday. I’d had a recommendation about a casino in the local area and decided to go out and try it.’ Again with the smile. ‘Being on the road so often can get quite lonely.’

  ‘A casino in Brierley Hill?’

  ‘Like I said, I don’t really know the area.’

  Kim got to the front door and turned.

  ‘Well thank you for your time, Jeremy, you’ve been very helpful.’

  His eyes caught her gaze and held. His sexuality was overpowering.

  He held out his hand. ‘It’s been a pleasure, Inspector.’

  She looked into his eyes and then down at his hand, which she ignored. The face of the young girl, child, that had been three inches away from getting into that car flashed into her mind. This man did not need to pay for sex. He could and probably would get that anywhere. What he liked was sex with young girls.

  ‘And I can assure you that the pleasure is all yours, Mr Templeton.’

  His hand dropped to his side as she met his gaze again but this time she did nothing to hide her true feelings.

  ‘You disgust me, sir. My skin recoils at the very idea of shaking your hand. I am happy, for now, to rule you out of a murder investigation because you do not possess the bollocks for it.

  ‘You prefer to have sex with little girls, and you sicken me beyond comprehension, you disgusting piece of shit. And yes, it was me that spoiled your plans on Sunday night.’

  She stepped forward, invading his personal space.

  ‘But I’ll make you a promise right now, Mr Templeton: you touch another one of those young girls and you’ll find yourself dealing with someone your own size.’

  She pushed him in the chest, hard. ‘Do we understand each other, Mr Templeton?’

  He made no response but Kim felt she’d made her point.

  Bryant followed her to the car. She turned as Jeremy Templeton closed the front door.

  And she was sure his face held the hint of a smile.

  FIFTY-THREE

  ‘What are the odds,’ Dawson asked, as they pulled their seatbelts on, ‘that every single one of them would say the exact same thing.’

  ‘Pretty high if they’ve been fed their answers and they’re too scared to deviate from the script,’ Stacey answered.

  They had continued with their questioning and had spoken to one cowed woman after another. No amount of prompting would loosen their tongues.

  ‘Bloody productive day,’ he said, starting the engine.

  Darkness had fallen, although they hadn’t seen it in the airless, windowless room.

  ‘Hang on a minute,’ Stacey said, placing a hand on his arm. ‘Perhaps they’d be more comfortable talking to us at home, away from the business.’

  The metal gates opened and the minibus appeared.

  He turned to her with a smile. ‘Follow it?’

  Stacey nodded. ‘They have to be dropped off somewhere. We’ll nab the first one to get off the bus and see if we can get anything.’

  He waited until the vehicle had turned away from them before starting the engine and hitting the lights.

  A Ford Escort van had pulled behind it as it waited to exit the trading estate and enter the traffic on the main road.

  ‘So, what’s your gut saying now, Stace?’ he asked, as he kept pace with the traffic. He was interested if her instinct was on a par with his own.

  She thought for a minute. ‘It’s thin, Kev. Everything we’ve got is thin. We have no absolute confirmation our baby is Romanian. We’re going on a tip from Tracy Frost. We ay got no sarmale in his stomach. We’re trying to tie a plate of food to a respectable business which appears to have done nothing wrong. Our guy had horrific injuries including a recently crushed right leg. We ay got no idea how it happened and have no one here who even recognises him.’

  When she put it all together like that he had to wonder what the hell they were doing following this bloody vehicle.

  The Escort van disappeared putting them directly behind the minibus.

  ‘Thanks for the facts, Stace, but I could have got that from the board back at the nick. Tell me what your gut says.’

  ‘That there’s something not right in that place. Even I feel bloody anxious when I step in there and I’ve got nothing to be afraid of.’

  He nodded at her answer which mirrored his own feelings. ‘There’s a tension around the place. It might have nothing to do with our case but they’re bloody well hiding something.’

  ‘I mean, even this gives me the creeps,’ Stacey said, as the minibus turned off the main road. ‘Why the hell has no one been dropped off yet?’

  ‘Yeah, I know what you mean,’ Dawson agreed as he eased off, allowing some space to develop between the two vehicles.

  The minibus turned into a narrow residential street choked by cars parked on either side. It stopped in the middle of the road, blocking the street. From their view behind, Dawson watched as the factory workers stepped out of the vehicle and entered the terraced house in silent single file.

  ‘Look at them. They’re not even speaking. Just filing in like little lambs,’ he said. But that wasn’t what appeared to have caught Stacey’s attention.

  He followed her gaze. At least three of the women were carrying small foil packages.

  ‘You seeing that?’

  ‘Yep,’ he said, as his brain followed the same train of thought as hers.

  ‘The sarmale in the stomach of our victim. It could have come from bloody leftovers.’

  FIFTY-FOUR

  ‘Jesus, guv, I thought I was going to have to hose you two down in there.’

  Kim’s skin crawled at the thought of being anywhere near Templeton.

  ‘Seriously, though, it was quite disturbing watching you flirt with him.’

  Kim laughed without humour. ‘That wasn’t me flirting, Bryant. That was me fulfilling his expectation of how he feels every woman he meets will respond. It’s called distraction and without it he would have had us on a waiting list to meet with his lawyer to answer any questions. His opinion of women is so low he had to think he could fool me into believing everything he said. If not, my first mention of Sunday night would have got us on a fast track to the front door and I wouldn’t have found out what I have.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘That he is not our killer.’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’

  ‘His gratification appears to be in having some kind of power over young girls. He is many things, none of which I’d say in front of your tender ears but he prefers to leave his victims breathing.’

  Bryant was silent for a minute. ‘Do you think he’ll heed your warning?’

  Now that was another question entirely. If she’d had anything at all to charge him with she would have chanced it in a heartbeat, even if it just got him off the streets for a while but she had nothing, no complainant, no witness. And she suspected that his lawyer was of equal quality as the rest of his possessions.

  The memory of the lazy smile on his face as he had turned away was still in her mind. She wasn’t aware of having given him anything to smile about.

  ‘Where to now, guv?’ Bryant asked.

  Kim checked her watch. It was almost six and the exhumation had been confirmed for 11 p.m.

  ‘Drop me at home so I can catch up with my boy and then I’ll meet you at the crem later on.’

  She chose not to mention where she was really planning to go.

  FIFTY-FIVE

  ‘I mean it, Kev. No smart remarks or trying to matchmake. She’s here to give us advice,’ Stacey reiterated.

  Dawson rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his tonic water.
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  ‘Jesus, relax, Stace. Can’t a guy have a little fun?’

  ‘No,’ she said, flatly, looking to the door through the crowds. A pub quiz was due to start in half an hour.

  ‘She’s here,’ Stacey said, seeing the dyed blonde tight curls of the immigration officer above the melee of quiz-goers.

  ‘Fuck me, Stace,’ Dawson said, spluttering out his drink. ‘How’d you let that one get away?’

  She wondered that herself as the long-legged figure strode towards them. The tight jeans accentuated her slim figure and the white V-neck T-shirt contrasted with the ebony skin. People looked as she walked by and Stacey knew why. Devon Reed exuded sexuality and made no apology for it.

  ‘This is not the drink you promised to take me for, by the way,’ Devon said, sitting on the third stool.

  Stacey chuckled and immediately remembered what it was like to be in Devon’s company.

  ‘Hey, if she won’t take you, I will,’ Dawson said, offering her a charming smile.

  Her eyes lit up with amusement. ‘You do get that your charm is completely wasted on me, right?’

  Dawson smiled back. ‘You were worth a shot?’

  ‘I appreciate the attempt,’ she said.

  ‘Ahem,’ Stacey interjected just in case they’d forgotten she was sitting there.

  Devon turned her way and met her gaze. ‘Looking good, babe,’ she said.

  Stacey easily remembered how that soft, low voice could do things to her insides. Stacey looked away.

  ‘So, how can I help you guys?’

  Thankfully Dawson took over the conversation and gave her the background on the abandoned baby and the dead man at the canal. It offered Stacey the opportunity to recover her equilibrium. She couldn’t stop her eyes from travelling to the graceful hands as Devon knitted her fingers together beneath her chin. Or the delicate wrists sporting only a thin silver chain. She pushed away the thoughts that were dancing all over her concentration.

  She took a breath and joined the conversation as Devon opened her mouth.

  ‘It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that your guy is Romanian. We recently found forty Romanians living in a house in Lye. We have twenty-seven suspected slavery victims including women and young children.’