An Unfamiliar Murder (25 page)

“Get me everything you can on him. And speak to the Drugs Squad. See what
they can give you on any links with our Area,” Helen said.

“No problem.”

“OK, Rosa, please continue.”

“His association with Peacock and his friends reinforced their suspicion.
Also, prison intelligence indicated that drugs were being brought onto the
wing.” She rubbed the back of her neck, turned the page again.

“Then, one day, after a routine search of the wing, the other officer
doubled back, did another search of some of the cells. He found two
sim
cards in Peacock’s and three wrappers of cocaine in
another that Kane had missed.”

 
“So, he was befriending particular
inmates, those who could extend privileges to him on the outside?” Helen said.

Dark nodded. “
Lardell
is a Cat B prison - worst
kind for manipulation.
Wheelen
suspected that Edwards
had been bringing in drugs and
sim
cards for some
time, it was just a matter of catching him in the act. But even this wasn’t
enough to dismiss him. He seemed relieved when they actually found a legitimate
reason to get rid of him.”

“How did they catch him?” Helen asked.

 
“They have routine checks in and
out, and then do spot checks on their cars regularly. It’s all a bit honored in
the breach though, often there’s a leak and they all seem to know when and
where the spot checks will be. Well, this time they kept it quiet. Edwards was
found with 1/2oz in his locker in four wrappers, along with three
sim
cards. But in his car they found another 1/2 oz
distributed amongst another four wrappers and twenty
sim
cards. He was cute though, he used ‘

Helen nodded. Since the relaxation in the cannabis laws, that quantity of
the drug could be explained away for personal use. However, folding it into
multiple separate wrappers was a strong indication of possession with intent to
supply. “How was he receiving payment?” she asked.

“They found a notebook in his car, with many of the inmates’ girlfriends,
siblings, friends, contacts details. When they raided these inmates’ cells they
found mobile phones, drugs wrapped in the same colored papers.”

Helen furrowed her brow. “How could Kane’s charges not have come to light
earlier?”

Pemberton cut in, “
Lardell
prison is one of the
modern, privately owned ones. The Governor was away on holiday when we made our
initial enquiries and they were very cagey with their information. It took all
of my powers of persuasion to get
Rab’s
personal
records. And if he didn’t give direct evidence and wasn’t named on Kane’s case,
then they might have felt that it wasn’t relevant.”

“Fair enough. Might be worth getting the names of all of his associates
in D Wing and running them through the normal checks? I guess Peacock was
probably in charge, but it’s possible some of the other prisoners may also have
links to
Hamptonshire
.”

 
She thought for a moment, then
summarized, “So we have a man who struggled to make friends, no girlfriends
either that we know of until recently, supplying drugs and
sim
cards to prisoners in return for payment and favors through their contacts on
the outside? Free entrance to clubs, I’m assuming, women, the lot.”

“He finally got the popularity he must have craved for years,” Spencer
said.

“Then someone shops him and bursts his bubble. He doesn’t only lose his
job, but more importantly the lifestyle,” Pemberton said.

 
“Well we’ve put his face out
there,” Helen said. “Surely someone will know him, come forward? An address is
all we need.” She looked at her watch. “Tomorrow is Saturday. The papers will
be out in the morning. Are we all set up to man the phones?” Heads nodded back
at her.

“OK everyone. Let’s hope that we get a bit of luck.” As she turned to go
a phone rang in the distance, a normal everyday occurrence in the incident
room, but for some reason it turned her head.

The mumbles and movements of everybody moving back to work suddenly
stopped too.

“Yes. Yes. Great. I’ll pass that on. Thank you.” DC Spencer put the
receiver down and looked up curiously.

“What is it, Steve?”

 
“The tattooed skin that was sent
to Anna Cottrell? That was forensics. They’ve found a short, grey/black hair
attached to the back.”

“Oh?”

“It’s not human. It belongs to a dog – probably a German Shepherd.”

*
* *

An hour later, Helen wandered
down to the little office, surprised to see the door closed firmly and even
more surprised when she opened it to find the room dark. George Sawford had
obviously gone home for the evening. She switched on the light and glanced at
the desk which was completely empty. Her policy log had gone with him.

Chapter Twenty-One

The gentle
hum of her phone woke Anna early. It was still dark outside. She stuck an arm
out from underneath the duvet and dragged it off the bedside table to her ear.

“Anna?”

She didn’t recognize the gravelly voice. “Yes.”

“I wonder if you can help me?”

She peeled her eyes apart and looked at the screen, it was number
withheld. “Who is this?” Sleep filled her voice.

“I’m a friend of a friend. I have some news about Ross.”

She jolted up to sitting position. “Who is this?” she repeated.

“I can’t discuss this on the phone.”

Her scalp pricked, goose bumps tumbling down her neck, through her
shoulders, spreading into her back. “Is he alive?” she breathed.

“Yes.”

Her whole body tensed. “I’ll get the police, they are here, they can help
. . .”

“No!” he interrupted urgently. “No, Anna. No police.”

Anna sat in silence for a moment.
No
police.
A wave of nausea flew over her. This man clearly had some
connection to Ross’ disappearance. “What do you want with Ross?”

“Look, I’m doing a favor for a friend. They need some assistance. If you
help me, then I’ll help you. How does that sound?”

She sat in silence again, unsure of what to say. “What do I have to do?”

“I can’t discuss it on the phone. Can you meet me, on your own?”

Anna froze. “Why?”

“So we can discuss it further?”

“How do I know that you won’t kidnap me?”

“Come on, Anna. Nobody is kidnapping anyone. I won’t hurt you, I promise.
I’m just passing on a message.” He kept repeating her name over and over again,
like somebody vying for her undivided attention. Well he had got it.

“And if I help you, I get Ross back?”

“Yes.”

“Alive?”

“Yes.”

Anna turned this over in her mind for a moment. “Prove to me that he is
still alive.”

The line went dead. Anna could feel panic making the hairs stand up on
the back of her neck. Had she gone too far? Was he telling her the truth? What
if this was the one opportunity she would have, the one chance to save Ross and
she had messed it up?

She was just about to speak when she heard another voice at the end of
the phone.

“Anna.” It was barely a whisper.

“Ross!”

The gravelly voice returned. “Convinced?”

Her heart sank deep down into her chest. “What have you done to him?” she
asked.

“He’s fine. Now are we going to meet up?”

“Please don’t hurt him.”

He ignored her response. “Do you know

Bracken Way was a disused railway line that run right through Hampton. It was often
used by dog walkers, families and cyclists over the summer months. “Yes,” she
replied faintly. It was very secluded at this time of year.
The perfect place for a murder.

“If you join it at the Keys Trading Estate entrance, walk up about half a
mile, you’ll see a bench in memorial to an Alan Thomas, who died in 1998. It’s
about twenty yards before the tunnel entrance . . . I’ll meet you there at
three o’clock.”

Anna shuddered. She remembered cycling through the tunnels with Ross in
summertime, perfectly dark apart from the odd glint of light through the old
ventilation shafts. It had been a surreal experience. She thought for a moment,
feeling brow beaten into submission. It was as if her strength were seeping out
through the pores of her skin. Well if she couldn’t save herself, she would try
to help Ross. She owed him that much. “OK.”

“You must be on your own. The people I work for are very wary. If there
is any inkling that you have informed the police, or brought somebody with you,
then you will never see Ross again.”

“How do I know that you’ll do what you say?” she asked, edgily.

“You just have to trust me. See you at three o’clock, dead. I won’t wait
around.” He rang off and she sat on the bed staring into space for a moment,
not really sure what to do next. Had she done the right thing? Should she tell
the police?

*
* *

Helen walked
in through the front of the house and carefully opened the kitchen door. It was
empty and the house was unusually quiet. There was no TV blaring out, no music
coming from upstairs, not even the sound of voices. She fixed her head onto one
side.
Where is everyone?

Suddenly, she heard a crash and the sound of laughter coming from the
garden. She crossed the kitchen and looked out of the window to see her mother,
Matthew and Robert throwing a ball to each other in the garden. The dog, who
clearly hadn’t noticed her arrival, was racing round and round them in circles,
madly trying to catch the ball at each throw. Helen stood there for a moment
watching her family, a goofy grin tickling her lips. They looked so happy.

Robert noticed her first. He put his hand up and waved. Matthew followed
his gaze and stuck up his thumb in greeting. Helen raised her own hand in utter
amazement.
That is the first time Matthew
has smiled in, well . . .
She wasn’t sure how long.

The group were gathering together now and racing towards the door, Jane
Lavery
trailing behind, lifting a couple of terracotta pots
that the hound had knocked over in its excitement. Helen braced herself for the
grand greeting from the dog, but none came. She ran down the garden and into
the kitchen alongside Robert, wagging her tail, adoring eyes not leaving his
face. It seemed that he was much more interesting than she was.

“Hi, Mum!” shouted Robert, his cheeks flushed from the exercise.

“Hi there. You all look to be enjoying yourself.”

“We are.” He looked down at the dog and rubbed her head lovingly. “Boomer’s
great, isn’t she?”

Helen smiled.

“We’re just going for a walk. Wanna come?” She looked over at Matthew as
he spoke. His own pink cheeks made him look younger.

“I just popped home to pick up some papers . . .”

“Please!” Robert shouted. His face looked so angelic she couldn’t find it
in herself to say no.

She glanced at the station clock on the wall. It was twelve o’clock. She
could call it her lunch hour. And there was nothing they could do but wait,
wait until there was a sighting of their suspect. Intelligence had been very
poor on
Hamptonshire
links with both Carl Peacock and
the other inmates on D Wing. The Drugs Squad had come up with a few possible
names but nothing that had led them to Kane. Not surprising really, prominent
figures in organized crime usually kept their tracks well covered. Plus the
phones had been depressingly quiet all morning.

Helen was totally fed up with Sawford. Having probably been up for the
best part of the night, pouring over her policy log, picking holes in her
investigation, he had come in that morning loaded with questions. She had
meticulously answered them one by one but, despite attending the morning
briefing and being informed that Edwards was their number one suspect, he had
said that he felt there were still unanswered questions from the Cottrell
family background. Perhaps he could pursue this line whilst her team were busy
tracing Kane? In the end, Helen had sent Townsend down to brief him, as the
resident ‘expert
’
on the Cottrell
family. They deserved each other.
That’ll
keep them both out of my hair for a while
, she had thought.

 
“Well, I’m sure I can spare an
hour.” She winked. “I’ll just make a quick call.”

“Yeah!” Both boys grinned at her.
This
is like the old days
, she thought to herself as she walked into the lounge
to call the office,
when I was the most
important thing in their world.
It might have been a nostalgic moment,
probably short lived, but it felt good.

Jane
Lavery
, having tidied the garden, walked
through the back door as Helen re-entered kitchen. The dog immediately rushed
over to her and she petted her head. “Good girl,” she muttered, then turned to
her daughter. “How are things?” she asked.

“Mum’s coming for a walk with us,” Robert said.

Jane
Lavery
looked at her daughter and smiled
knowingly. “What a lovely idea. Why don’t you go and get changed and I’ll make
you a quick
cuppa
before we go?”

As Helen walked back out into the hallway, she could see the local paper
had landed on the doorstep. It always came early on a Saturday. She rushed
towards it and opened it out. As promised, Kane Edwards stared back at her from
the front page, his pale eyes more striking than ever. She took a deep breath
and slowly exhaled through her mouth as she read the piece appealing for anyone
who had seen this man to come forward. She checked her watch, bit her lip.
Hopefully it was just a matter of time.

By the time she had hastily phoned Pemberton and told him she would be
out for an hour, but to ring her immediately if there was any news at all, and
walked back into the kitchen her family were all dressed up in coats and hats
ready for their walk. She lifted her coffee mug to her lips and poured it down
as quickly as the heat would allow.

“Where are we off to?” she asked, as they stepped out of the back door.
The modern housing estate they lived on was at the edge of town. If you turned
left at the main road at the bottom you headed back into town, turning right
led you past a grassy field which had recently lost its herd of cows, alongside
a working fir mill and then out to open countryside.

 
“The park,” Robert said, running
on ahead with the dog, Matthew close at his heels.

Helen sighed and Jane
Lavery
smiled at her. “No
matter how much they grow, they still love the park.”

Helen nodded.

“How are things at the office?”

“We’ve had a bit of a breakthrough.”

“Great.”

“Well, kind of. We have a fairly firm suspect but can’t locate him at the
moment. He seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth.”

“So you’re playing the waiting game?”

“You’ve got it. Photo’s out there, we’re just hoping and praying someone
will come forward.”

“I’m sure they will.”

“Me too. I have a good feeling about this one.” They continued in
silence, making their way back towards the town. They passed a newsagent with a
stand of Hampton Herald newspapers outside. Helen crossed her fingers in her
pocket. They just needed a little nudge.

After walking about a mile up the road they reached
Oakwall
Park, a large grassy area which included
two football pitches, a tennis court and a stretch of river at the far side.
Despite the chilling wind, the November sun had attracted many people. A group
of lads were playing one goal football at the end of the footy pitch, the young
children’s play area was teaming with toddlers and small children climbing,
swinging, racing down slides. A couple in the distance were walking a Spaniel.
It was a family afternoon in the park. Helen couldn’t remember the last time
she had done such a thing.

 
Robert and Matthew ran on ahead
and Boomer followed them, clearly enjoying her exercise. Jane and Helen
wandered along together behind, watching them. The dog ran over to the Spaniel
and they jumped around and rolled on the grass together, playing for a while.
Helen smiled. Boomer was clearly a very friendly animal.

They made their way right across to the other side of the park towards
the river. It was much quieter on this side. Robert had found a stick
underneath one of the large Oak trees and was throwing it for Boomer who was
happily retrieving it. His grandmother went over to join him.

All of a sudden she felt a presence nearby and turned to see Matthew,
running across the field to catch up with her. “Hi, Mum!” he gasped, out of
breath.

“Hi There. OK?”

“Yeah. Listen, thanks for leaflets. It looks really cool. Can I join?”
His face looked flush, happy.

Helen summoned up all her courage. And when she spoke the words, despite
the Royal Air Force Cadets, or any force for that matter, being against her
better judgment, she sounded positive, optimistic. “I think that would be a
great idea.”

“Thanks!” And then he took her completely by surprise by giving her a
huge hug right in the middle of the park. She stood still in astonishment as he
hurtled off across the field towards Robert and her mother who were now walking
back in her direction.

She waited until they had all reached her before moving on. A jogger
passed them in a hooded jacket, the wire of an iPod just visible. Then no one –
it was as if they had this part of the park to themselves. The sun felt quite
warm and Helen undid her jacket.

Matthew and Robert were now attempting to climb a tree in the distance
and Boomer ran back towards Helen and Jane and circled around them. They had
reached the river now and walked along its grassy bank. The dog went down for a
drink.

“
Boomy
,” Jane called, when she didn’t
re-appear. Nothing. “Boomer!” Still nothing. “Oh, where has she gone?”

“Don’t worry, Mum, I’ll run on ahead. Maybe she’s gone further down the
river?” Helen snatched the lead and ran off, enjoying the feeling of the
chilling wind on her face. She dropped down the bank and stopped, looking in
both directions. Nothing.

“Boomer!” She stood quietly for a moment before continuing along the
riverbank. As it wound around a bend she could just make out something in the
distance. As she got closer she could see that it was Boomer, jumping around
with a German Shepherd. She started to jog. The dog saw her now and wagged her
tail.

“Boomer, come!” The dog didn’t respond to her call, just stood wagging
its tail beside a man sitting on a bench. He reached out to stroke her head. He
looked vaguely familiar. Helen screwed her eyes up. He looked
very
familiar. Her heart skipped a beat.