CRIME ON THE FENS a gripping detective thriller full of suspense (8 page)

‘Problem, ma’am?’ Joseph’s face was apprehensive.

‘More trouble on the Carborough. A group of masked yobs have torched a car.’

‘Are we required, ma’am?’

‘Not this time. Uniform has got it covered.’ Nikki looked thoughtfully at her sergeant. Was there a hint of disappointment there? Or maybe it was relief? It was hard to tell. ‘So, I think it’s time we paid a visit to Kerry Anderson’s mother and father.’

Joseph took a deep breath, then nodded resignedly. He clearly had no more liking for facing grief-stricken parents than she did.

As they got into the car, she tried to conceal the small private smile that played on her lips. So, maybe she and her strange sergeant had one thing in common after all.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The Anderson’s pride for their daughter screamed all around the small terraced house. In most rooms, photographs, diplomas, certificates and press cuttings practically replaced wallpaper. And that made the absence of the girl herself even more poignant.

Sergeant Lucy Wells, the Family Liaison Officer, had a brief word with them in the kitchen before they spoke to the parents.

‘Mr Anderson is very quiet, but I think he’s more switched on to the gravity of what’s happened than his wife. She’s a bit flaky, convinced it’s a great big mistake, and her daughter will come marching through the front door at any moment.’

‘Well, we can’t blame her for that, can we?’ said Nikki flatly.

‘Of course not, but I’m worried about her. Apparently she’s not strong at the best of times, and this has been one hell of a shock for her.’

‘I assume her doctor has seen her?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Lucy. ‘She’s got a bucket load of pills for her nerves, but I’m still keeping a close eye on her.’

‘And you have no suspicions about the father?’ asked Nikki, knowing the sad statistics about the abductor being a close family member.

‘If it’s him,’ Lucy raised an eyebrow, ‘I’ll give up my career and go cut cauliflowers for a living.’

‘Okay, well, we won’t over do the questions, but maybe they know something that could help us, even if they don’t think it’s relevant.’

In the living room, the Andersons sat close together on a floral patterned sofa. Lucy introduced them, then went to make some tea.

‘Can you tell me why Kerry is in halls of residence, when you live so close to campus, Mr Anderson?’ asked Nikki.

The man rubbed at the stubble on his chin, and sighed. ‘We argued about that, the wife and me. But it came down to the simple fact that we live on the Carborough. It’s hardly the kind of place where a youngster can get some peace and quiet to study.’

As if on call, a police siren echoed across the estate, and that was soon joined by several more.

‘That’s the norm around here, and this is the quiet part.’ He added miserably.

‘We know, Mr Anderson. Our uniforms spend as much time here as they do in their own homes, and I take your point, but I thought universities usually kept those rooms for students from out of the area?’

‘The principle, Dr Villiers was very kind. He made an exception considering her unusually high pass marks and her dedication.’

‘This can’t be happening! Not to my Kerry!’ The mouse-like woman on the sofa suddenly flared up like a re-born phoenix. ‘Who would want to hurt her? She’s a good girl!’

‘Mary, Mary.’ Hugh Anderson’s voice sounded horribly tired. He patted the woman’s shoulder gently. ‘We have to try to help these good people. They are as worried about our lass as we are. So no more outbursts, my darling, because they really don’t help.’

Mary Anderson slumped back, almost disappearing into the cushions. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘There is no need to apologise, Mrs Anderson, no need at all.’ Joseph’s voice was full of real compassion. ‘It’s us that should be sorry. We cannot begin to know what you’re going through, but if we are to find Kerry, we have to ask you to help us.’

The woman shook her head slowly from side to side. ‘I just don’t know what we can possibly tell you.’

Nikki saw that she was close to tears. ‘Well, just tell us about Kerry. Her likes, dislikes, friends, hobbies, pets, anything you can think of, just talk about her to us.’

They talked for over half an hour, and Nikki began to build up a picture of the missing girl. Kerry, it seemed, was not a social student, and although likable, she was so unusually single-minded, so totally committed to her photographic studies that they overpowered even the need for close friends, and something about that image disturbed Nikki.

Back in the car, she turned to Joseph and abruptly said, ‘Didn’t have a lot to say, did you, Sergeant?’

She felt the temperature drop a few degrees before he answered.

‘Not something I enjoy.’ His words were clipped. ‘Frankly, I’d rather face a few tooled-up thugs in a dark alley.’

I bet you would!
she thought, but said, ‘Well, at least what you did say seemed to come from the heart.’

Joseph did not answer this time, so she continued. ‘So, regarding Kerry. Did you get the feeling that she would have sold her soul to get away from the Carborough?’

Joseph turned the key in the ignition. ‘I did. And all things considered, it’s a marvel she stayed on the straight and narrow. She had to have some special kind of strength to remain focused on getting to uni. I dread to think where she would have ended up if she’d relinquished her dream.’

Nikki nodded thoughtfully. ‘Some of the names that her parents gave us; contemporaries from junior school years, they would not mean too much to you, but I can assure you, that as young adults, they are regulars in the Custody Suite.’ She sucked in air. ‘And the name Frankie Doyle was something I never thought I’d hear from anyone in connection with Kerry Anderson.’

‘Why? Is she known to us in some way?’

‘She’s known to
me
,’ said Nikki through gritted teeth.

‘And not in a nice way, I guess?’ Joseph stared at her enquiringly.

‘She’s poison. She hurts people. Innocent people.’ Nikki stared out of the windshield. ‘And I’ve never managed to pin a bloody thing on her.’

She felt an involuntary shiver chase down her spine. Her own enquiry, the very private one that she’d successfully kept under wraps for so long, was suddenly becoming entangled with the hunt for Kerry Anderson,
and
with this bloody mask war, whatever it was.

She bit down hard on her lip and glanced across to the man sitting next to her. No matter what his reputation said about him, he was the most astute officer she’d worked with for years. He was no fool, and she’d be a fool herself to try to deceive him. The problem was just how much was she prepared to tell him. And because of his secrets, she couldn’t totally trust him. Her mind went into overdrive. She clearly needed some time to work that one out, so all she could do at present was stick to basics.

‘One thing though, one of my sources reckons Frankie Doyle’s started mixing with some very nasty people, so hopefully, she’ll get out of her depth and slip up. And I’ll be waiting.’

Joseph raised an eyebrow. ‘Then it sounds like Kerry was
very
lucky to get away from them.’

Nikki bit her lip again. ‘
If
she did.’

* * *

‘You won’t believe this, ma’am, but Archie Leonard is here to see you!’ The civilian from the front desk pounced on them as they entered the station. ‘He’s been here for ages.’

‘What the hell . . . ?’ breathed Nikki.

‘Even I’ve heard of him,’ muttered Joseph from behind. ‘The godfather of the Carborough!’

‘Well, this is a first. You’d better sit in, Sergeant. It could be interesting.’

‘Try to stop me.’

‘But first,’ Nikki pulled Joseph to one side and dropped her voice to little more than a whisper, ‘just so that you know, Archie Leonard is no mindless thug, okay? He’s been the King of the Carborough for as long as I can remember. His family have lived there since it was built, but he’s an ‘old school’ crook, if you know what I mean?’

‘What, one of the Heroes and Villains Brigade?’

‘Yeah, even when I was a rookie, he was ‘the man.’ But you knew where you stood with him. Life was like a massive game called ‘Them and Us,’ and when they won, we worked harder, and when we won, they threw up their hands and coughed to it.’

‘Surely it was never really like that? No one said, “Fair cop, officer, I’ll go quietly.” did they?’ Joseph’s eyes widened.

‘Not quite, but Archie Leonard and his two brothers earned quite a bit of respect back then.’ Nikki ran a hand through her hair. ‘Yes, they were villains, and people did get hurt, no denying that, but they never went in for violence for violence sake. They were damn clever criminals, and anyone who managed to stick a conviction on one of them was pretty well thought of.’

‘And I’ve no doubt you’ve had your moments with the Leonard family?’

‘Off and on over the years we’ve had the odd run in, but I thought you should know what kind of man Archie is before you draw any conclusions about him.’

‘Okay, I’ll bear that in mind. So, any idea why he’s here?’

‘None whatsoever, but I
do
know he won’t be behind the violence on the Carborough. That’s not his way, and he has family and friends living there.’

‘Right.’ Joseph flashed her an intrigued smile. ‘Let’s go see what the man wants, shall we?’

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

If Joseph had had any preconceptions as to what the godfather was like, they would have been blown away the moment he entered the interview room.

Archie Leonard sat at the desk, sipping black coffee. Three other empty beakers were lined up on the table in front of him. Joseph smiled inwardly at the understated indication to the inspector as to exactly how long the man had been waiting.

Joseph did a quick appraisal, and noted a man who would have looked totally at home in a courtroom, but not in the dock. Archie Leonard would have been the one dressed in a red robe and wearing a curled wig. He was straight-backed, good-looking in a greying, distinguished way, and had piercing, intelligent bright blue eyes.

Nikki strode into the room and straight up to Leonard.

‘Archie! How are you?’

Joseph remained close to the door and silently observed the greeting. He hadn’t been in Greenborough long, but DI Galena was giving this high ranking criminal, the warmest smile he’d seen her stony face produce since he’d met her. And just as surprising, the feeling was clearly reciprocated. Leonard had clasped her outstretched hand in a two-handed grip and was pumping her hand up and down with obvious warmth. There was history here and Joseph wondered what the hell it was.

When Leonard finally let her go, he sat back down, and drew in a deep breath. His gaze then whipped round to Joseph.

‘And you are?’

The voice was deep, and although Joseph wasn’t sure, he thought it held the slightest hint of an accent. He waited for moment, then realised that his boss wasn’t going to introduce him. ‘My name is Detective Sergeant Joseph Easter. I’m temporarily assigned to work with DI Galena, sir.’

‘Ah, Joseph A good name. My eldest boy is called Joseph, isn’t he, Nikki?’ There was an almost conspiratorial lift of a thick grey eyebrow.

The DI chose to ignore whatever that implied and simply nodded. ‘But you haven’t come here to discuss the family, have you, Archie?’

‘Actually I have.’

There was a long silence, then she said, ‘Look, I know that you’d rather eat broken glass than walk in here voluntarily, so it has to be serious. What has happened?’

The man seemed to shrink, as he said, ‘Lisa Jane’s missing.’

‘Your brother Frank’s daughter? The pretty one with the long, dark hair?’

‘
All
our girls are pretty.’ He looked at the DI reproachfully, ‘but yes, the long dark hair. My lovely Lisa Jane.’

‘How long has she been gone?’ She was clearly shocked.

‘Two days. She was going to a new club with her friends, but she never arrived.’

‘For God’s sake, Archie! Why didn’t you come to me sooner?’

The man looked excruciatingly tired. ‘
You
know how we do things, Nikki. The family wanted to sort it.’

‘I know you
never
involve the Old Bill, but Hell-fire, man, this is Lisa Jane we’re talking about.’ She swung round and looked Joseph straight in the eyes. ‘Lisa Jane Leonard. Nineteen years old. Beautiful. Dark brunette, brown eyes.’

‘Small scar below her left ear, and a tattoo of a butterfly on her right shoulder blade,’ added Archie painfully.

‘Right. So sit, Joseph, and get down what Archie has to say.’ The DI jabbed a finger at the chair next to her.

Joseph frowned. ‘Shouldn’t I put a tape in, ma’am?’

‘No, you shouldn’t.’ She looked hard at him. ‘No tapes. Just you and a pencil, okay?’

Now was not the time to argue. Joseph nodded, took out his notebook and obediently began to write.

It took very little time to note the relevant details about Lisa Jane. She had left home, all excited and dressed to party, then disappeared.

‘And you have no idea who might have taken her, if, of course that’s what has happened?’ asked the DI.

‘Of course I have enemies, but not the kind who would do this.’

Honour amongst thieves,
thought Joseph,
I wonder?

Archie Leonard continued. ‘We wondered if it had something to do with some new outfit that are haunting the Carborough. But,’ Archie raised his eyebrows and shrugged, ‘to be honest, we don’t even know if they actually exist.’

‘How so?’

‘It’s all just vague hints and rumours that
someone
is muscling in on us, but that’s not the way it works.’ He looked at the DI. ‘You know the score. The new boss declares his intention. He steals your deals, messes up your jobs and leans on your personnel. It’s the standard preliminary before the full turf war begins.’

‘And you’ve had none of this?’ asked Joseph.

‘No, Sergeant.’ Archie looked at him carefully. ‘And as you will appreciate, I have a lot of seriously heavy connections, but
no one
can give me either a name or a face.’ He shook his head. ‘It is our way to settle our own problems, but this is something I just can’t fix, and I will
not
risk my niece’s life by sticking to age old gangland rules.’

‘You know I’ll do whatever it takes to help you, Archie,’ said the DI solemnly.

‘I know. That’s why I came to you. But Nikki,’ he stared at her intently, ‘no press yet. Whatever you do, you’ll keep it low-key, won’t you?’

Joseph watched as his boss took a long intake of breath. ‘As I said, I’ll do what I have to, in the best way that I can. The bottom line is that we get Lisa Jane back.’ She stared at Archie for a time then said, ‘Can you tell us anything about something called Mask Wars?’

‘Ah, those damn kids! But that can’t have any bearing on my girl going missing, can it?’

‘Probably not, but it’s costing us time and manpower, and that takes us away from much more important issues, if you see what I mean?’ Her eyes never left those of the older man.

He nodded shrewdly. ‘I’ll do what I can, but those idiots in the masks listen to no one, not even me. They are just brainless waste of space kids.’ His brow drew together into deep wrinkles. ‘The base line is that one gang has them, the other doesn’t. They are a prize that they fight over. Simple and stupid as that.’

‘So where do the masks come from, Archie?’

He threw up his hands. ‘No idea, and I’ve had more pressing things on my mind to care.’

The DI smiled. ‘I know. Same here. But I need to put an end to it, before someone else gets stabbed, or dies.’

‘I suppose you do.’ Archie Leonard stood up. ‘Now I have to go, no one knows I came to see you, but I’ll see what I can find out about your masks.’ He gave her a weak smile. ‘Nikki? Find my girl? Please.’

The DI gave him her card. ‘Private mobile number. Any time, day or night. Trust me, and take care, Archie.’

* * *

After Archie Leonard had been escorted out, Joseph and his boss returned to the interview room. The DI closed the door, leaned back on it and let out a long sigh. She then stared at the floor until Joseph began to wonder if she were all right. To break the silence he said, ‘That can’t have been easy, to walk in here and ask for help.’

‘You’ve no idea!’ She walked over to one of the chairs and sank down. ‘He’s broken every underworld law there is by turning to us.’

‘So do you know anything about this mysterious new outfit?’ Joseph flopped into the chair opposite her and wished he wasn’t so out of his depth. In his own area he knew all the names, knew what was going down, but in a different manor, it was difficult and frustrating.

The DI thought for a moment, then shook her head, ‘Not much. An informant told me he’d heard rumours about a new gang. Vicious, violent and wanting a patch of their own. Maybe they are looking at the Carborough?’

‘Then surely we know exactly where to look for the girl’s abductors?’ asked Joseph in surprise.

‘There’s just one tiny problem. Just like Archie, we don’t know who they are.’ She frowned. ‘
And
as there have been no prior direct threats to him or any of his family, these shadowy newcomers really may just be myth.’ The DI bit her lip. ‘Our biggest problem right now is how we deal with it, when Archie doesn’t want Lisa Jane’s disappearance broadcast.’

Joseph shifted uncomfortably, knowing they were wasting time. ‘Well, whatever he wants or doesn’t want is irrelevant as we now have
two
girls missing. We have no choice but to work fast, do we? So what next?’

The DI leaned back in her chair and stared at him. ‘Carefully, that’s how. We don’t just rush out there like headless chickens. This is delicate stuff, Joseph. Lisa Jane is a lovely girl, but she’s still a member of a close knit gangland family.’

Joseph calmed his mind and thought about it, then realised what the media might make of it, and the hype they could splash across the tabloid press. Something that could severely hamper their enquiries into both disappearances. He looked back at the DI and saw deep concern etched on her face. ‘You like Archie Leonard, don’t you?’

For a moment he thought she was going to tell him to mind his own damned business, then she nodded.

‘Maybe
like
isn’t quite the word I’d use, but as you said before, our paths have crossed in the past. A while ago he helped me out with something,’ she shrugged, ‘and although I was able to reciprocate on another occasion, I still feel I owe him.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Whatever, he loves Lisa Jane and he’s distraught about her, and we have to do all we can to find her.’

‘Naturally. A missing girl is a missing girl, no matter what her background,’ said Joseph.

‘Of course but the politics of this could be a minefield, and I don’t want anyone telling me how to run the enquiry.’ She abruptly stood up and her face was set with a grim determination. ‘I’m going to see the super, and beg him to keep this from the press. And the longer he can sit on it, the better.’ She walked to the door, then turned back to him. ‘This may have nothing whatsoever to do with the disappearance of Kerry Anderson. Apart from this possible new gang, Archie has made a lot of enemies in his lifetime, one of them may be less honourable than he thinks and may have decided it’s payback time,’ she paused, ‘but no matter how simple that sounds, my gut says different. How say you?’

Joseph didn’t even need to think about his answer. ‘Two missing girls. Same time frame, same area location, too much of a coincidence. I believe they are connected, ma’am. My gut says the same as yours.’