DARK CRIMES a gripping detective thriller full of suspense (21 page)

‘Do you check it each morning as well?’

‘No. It’s off my normal route, and the approach is very rough. But it is kept secured. I check the top gate once a week or so but, as I said, the area inside the fence doesn’t come under our responsibility. Its upkeep is still down to the mineral company.’

‘When did you check the gate last?’

‘Middle of last week, I think. Why are you interested?’ She paused. ‘Sorry, that’s a stupid question.’

‘So there shouldn’t be any possibility of illegal dumping of any kind there?’

‘No. It’s so out of the way that very few people go anywhere near it. The approach track has deteriorated badly and is full of potholes. There’s never been a problem, as far as I know, probably because free access is impossible.’

‘Can we have a look later? It seems foolish to be here and not to check.’

‘Only from the outside. I don’t have a key to the top gate, that’s easily accessible. We do have one for emergencies and for my annual check, but it’s kept in the safe at the office. It’s not our land, you see.’

Sophie nodded. The ranger went to sit in her jeep. Sophie and Marsh returned to the poolside and watched the forensic team start their work. They slit carefully down the side of the plastic, and peeled it back. The body was wrapped in an old rug, weighted down with a length of chain. It was a young woman with streaky, blonde hair. Her eyes gazed upwards. Water had not yet penetrated through the outer plastic layer which had been sealed with waterproof tape, so the corpse still looked as though it could be brought back to life, if only someone could wave a magic wand and chant the right spell.

‘We need to see the right upper arm and shoulder,’ Sophie said.

One of the team carefully loosened the thin, white, waitress’s blouse to show the tattoo on her upper right arm.

‘That’s her. Don’t do anything else other than check her body temperature. I want Benny Goodall brought in to do the rest.’ She turned to Marsh. ‘Phone Lydia and let her know.’

She went outside to speak to the diving team, who had finished their search of the immediate area with no further discoveries. They were asked to wait on site a little longer. The two detectives joined the ranger in her jeep and asked her to take them to the fenced-off section. She drove the jeep back to the road and further north for a mile. She stopped at a pull-in beside a metal five-barred gate and unlocked it. It moved easily on its hinges as she pulled it open.

‘It looks new,’ said Marsh.

‘It is. We only replaced the old timber gate two days ago. It had been here for decades and some of the wood was rotting badly. We had this one spare back at the centre, and it was an easy job to swap them over.’

‘Was the old one kept locked, Alice?’ Sophie asked.

‘Yes. We had a padlock on it, probably as old as the gate itself. This one has an intrinsic lock fitted, so it should be more secure.’

The ranger had been right about the track. The jeep bounced and swayed up the rutted path. Pebbles shot away from under the moving tyres and struck the rocky ground at the side of the path.

‘You said that the mineral company owns this track,’ Sophie said.

‘That’s right, but we have access as far as the security gate. That’s why I had the key for the bottom gate on me. It’s convenient for getting to the north end of our land, although it’s pretty rough, as you can see.’

It took ten minutes to drive to the start of the fenced area. The high, steel-mesh gate across the rough track was still in good condition, and the fitted lock holding the two gates together was still rust-free and securely locked.

Barry Marsh inspected it closely. ‘Have you opened it recently?’ he asked.

‘No, no one’s been inside for months. Someone from the mineral company checks inside once a year. If I’m free I come with them. The last time was in the spring.’

Marsh sniffed the lock. ‘Someone’s used a lubricating spray on it, and not very long ago.’

He looked at the ground immediately below the lock. There were a couple of tell-tale drips of the lubricant on the gravel. He rubbed the end of his finger in one of them, then sniffed it cautiously.

‘Yes, fairly fresh.’

‘Could someone from the mineral company have come up here without your knowledge?’ asked Sophie.

‘I suppose it was possible until two days ago when we replaced the lower gate. We haven’t sent them their copy of the key yet. It’s still lying in my in-tray at the office. So no one could have come up here since then. To be honest, I don’t see how anyone could have been up here before then. The company always phones to let us know when they want to carry out a visit, and that hasn’t been since last year.’

‘And you don’t hold a key for this gate?’

‘Not on me. It’s not our property, you see. The key’s kept in a safe at the office and I take it once a year for my site check.’

‘We’ll need to get inside, Alice. I’m afraid you’ll have to get it. I’ll come with you, while Barry waits here.’

‘Okay. It’ll take us about half an hour.’

Marsh didn’t look particularly pleased about having to wait by himself in this desolate spot.

‘Could I borrow your binoculars?’ he asked. ‘I may as well have a good look round while I wait.’

The jeep was back within twenty minutes. Sophie was nursing a slight bruise on the side of her head caused by bouncing into the door after one particularly vicious lurch.

‘There’s a faint mark of tyre tracks just inside the gate,’ Marsh reported on their return. ‘But no other signs of recent access, as far as I can see. The tracks might be old indentations from years ago.’

The lock opened fairly easily, but the gates were stiff on their hinges.

Grass and weeds grew in the stony surface, but there were two or three muddier patches in the track. It was here that Marsh thought he could make out the faint imprint of vehicle tracks. The only wildlife in sight were some ragged-looking crows that flapped lazily away as their vehicle approached. A final turn brought them to a hard surface overlooking a still area of water, shadowed all around by the dark trees and a grey rock face. It looked like strong, black tea.

‘How many times have you been up here?’ asked Sophie.

‘Only a couple of times. As I said, someone from the parent mineral company does an inspection once a year, and if I’m free I come with them. It always gives me the creeps.’ Alice wrapped her arms around her midriff.

‘How do they carry out the inspection?’

‘Mainly visually. They check the vertical rock face for signs of slippage. They also poke down into the water surface with a pole.’

‘Well, let’s have a look. Try using the extending pole just here.’

Alice nodded and pulled the pole out to its full length. She walked over to the water’s edge and started to poke below the surface.

‘It’s rather deeper at the edge compared to my end of the pool, and a lot deeper in the middle. There’s no way of checking the middle without a boat or raft of some type, so they just poke around down here close to the edge. There’s never anything here, though.’

‘Let’s hope that’s still the case,’ Sophie answered.

‘What am I looking for?’ Alice asked.

‘I don’t know. Anything out of the ordinary, I suppose. Anything that shouldn’t be there.’

Alice’s arm stopped moving. ‘That’s odd, there’s something hard down there.’ She pulled the pole partly back, and prodded a few times. ‘It feels solid, maybe metallic. The pole skates across the surface.’

Barry Marsh took over and felt around the area that Alice had been probing.

‘It feels like a car.’ He looked at Sophie. ‘What are the chances of it being a red Ford Fiesta, do you think?’

He pulled out his phone and called through to the diving team at the other end of the pool.

* * *

Within an hour, the two divers drove up with their support squad and disappeared below the surface. The water was deeper here, so little could be seen. It was several minutes before one of them rose to the surface.

‘There’s a car there, but we’ve spotted something else. Can you get the sling over again?’

Sophie looked at the ranger who held her hands to her mouth.

‘There aren’t going to be any more bodies, are there?’ asked Alice. ‘I couldn’t cope with any more of those horrible bundles coming out. How can anyone do that? Really?’ She was almost weeping. ‘I don’t know if I can ever walk by that side of the pool again. How will I be able to do my job? I’ll be forever looking into it and wondering. God, this is all too awful.’

‘Go back to your jeep, Alice, please,’ Sophie said.

Minutes later, one of the divers surfaced again and signalled for the ropes to be pulled in. The grey-wrapped bundle dragged onto the bank was the right shape and weight for a body, but it had clearly been in the water for some time. The plastic was discoloured and had deteriorated badly. The taped-up edges were peeling back in places, and a brown ooze was seeping out of the gaps.

‘Get that forensics tent up quickly,’ said Sophie. ‘I don’t want this left outside any longer than necessary.’

They masked-up for the opening of this second bundle. Even so, the smell was sickening and the sight of the corpse horrific. It was little more than a putrefying mass adhering to the skeleton.

‘Another young woman, I’d say, judging from the hair remains,’ the forensic officer said to Sophie. ‘It must have been in there for years. Is Dr Goodall on his way?’

Sophie nodded. ‘He’s just arrived at the other end. He’ll do a quick examination there, then come up for this one.’

‘Were you expecting this?’

‘The thought had occurred to me, but I was just hoping for the car.’

She looked across the surface of the dark, brooding water. This was as bad as her job got.

CHAPTER 20: The Girl on the Swing

Wednesday Afternoon

The police divers surfaced and signalled that the winch lines were secured. The crane began to winch and the cables tightened, groaned and began to move. It was several moments before the car appeared, gushing filthy water as it rose above the surface of the pool. A red Ford Fiesta. The vehicle was swung onto a low-loader truck, parked close by. Marsh looked at Sophie and nodded. They were inching closer to their elusive prey. The ranger had returned to see the raising of the car so Sophie spoke to her.

‘It links in with a crime we’ve been investigating. Barry’s been looking for that car for days now. I’m afraid you’re going to have to keep all of this to yourself, Alice. This morning’s events will all form evidence in a court case, so please don’t mention it to anyone.’

She walked across to the officer in charge of the divers. ‘Can you keep looking? There’s a possibility that our man might have dumped other stuff here, and back in the other location too. We’re not expecting any more bodies, but we have to make sure.’

She turned back to the ranger. ‘We need to find out how he managed to get keys for the gates. Can we go back to your office to talk?’

Alice nodded her agreement but didn't speak.

‘Barry, would you keep your eye on things up here? I’m going back with Alice, but I’ll call in to see the forensics at the other end of the pool on the way. Maybe we can meet back here in a couple of hours?’

The ranger drove the jeep back to the temporary tent at the first site. She remained in the vehicle while Sophie talked to Benny Goodall who was about to leave.

‘You keep creating work for me, Sophie. Don’t you think I’m busy enough?’ he said.

‘A bottle of red for you, Benny. Anyway, I’m keeping you in business. What can you tell me?’ Sophie replied.

‘This one has only been in there since last night. Absolutely no doubt, since she’s been dead for less than twenty-four hours. Strangulation. But a different method to the two from last week. This was brute strength, with hands only. I’ll have a look at the other one now. I need to get back to base for mid-afternoon, though.’

‘I’m off to the rangers’ office for a short while, but I hope to be back before you finish. It’s not nice up there, Benny.’

‘Is it ever?’

* * *

The rangers’ office was attached to an outdoor centre displaying exhibits of local wildlife, along with charts and maps of the most popular forest walks and viewpoints. Alice’s boss was waiting for them. He was a tubby middle-aged man with friendly eyes and a cheery smile. They shook hands.

‘George Panakis,’ he said. ‘From what I hear, you and Alice have had a grim morning. I’ll do anything I can to help.’

‘We need to know who has had access to the keys for the two gates, Mr Panakis. Someone has managed to dump a car and a body in the private end of the water. He could only have done that with easy access over a number of years. Are all the keys accounted for?’

‘We’ve never had a problem with lost keys. None have gone missing in the ten years that I’ve been here. We keep the key to that top gate in the safe, as Alice will already have told you. I’m mystified.’

‘Let’s do it logically. Can you make me a list of all employees over the past six years? Names and known addresses, plus dates of birth if you can. Do you have voluntary helpers, student placements, temporary workers?’

Panakis nodded.

‘They all need to be added, but keep each group separate. When was this place built?’

‘Over twenty years ago, long before my time.’

‘Any recent developments or additions to the building?’ Sophie asked.

‘The public toilets were built about eight years ago, at the same time as the staff kitchen. That was in my time.’

‘Who did the building work? Can you add their names, please? If no keys have gone missing, then they must have been copied. The only alternative is that the key has come from the office of the mineral company, but I understand that they don’t hold a key for the bottom gate. Is that correct?’

Panakis nodded. ‘I’ll get our admin person involved. She’ll know where to find the records, and she’s been here longer than me. She’s only part-time, and isn’t in on a Wednesday, but I’ll give her a call and ask her to pop in. Is that okay?’

‘Of course. That list needs to be as comprehensive as possible.’

* * *

Edith George, the administrative assistant, bustled in within fifteen minutes. By then the list contained more than twenty names, but she was able to add another five almost immediately.

After another fifteen minutes, the rangers and their assistant decided that the list was as complete as it was going to be.

‘I don’t know the names of the individual builders,’ Edith said. ‘You’ll have to contact them for that.’ She looked triumphantly at the list in front of her. ‘The only people not there, as far as I know, are the young offenders.’

Alice and her boss looked perplexed.

‘Young offenders?’ queried Sophie.

‘Yes. A group of them put the fence and top gate up in the first place for the mining company when they thought they might develop the site. A group came over from Hampshire each day to put it all up and build the track.’ She looked at Panakis. ‘Oh, this was a good twelve years ago, a couple of years before you came, George. Apparently there was a government project that tried to get young offenders trained in the work environment ready for when they were released. They were working on that track for about a month. But they weren’t really a problem, as far as I remember.’

‘But they were the ones who put the fence up, and fitted the gate?’ asked Sophie.

‘Yes.’

‘And they must have had the key for the bottom gate in order to get up to where they were working?’

Edith nodded. ‘The two staff did. They borrowed it each day.’

‘They were from a Hampshire centre?’

‘Yes. Most of the lads were from the Southampton and Portsmouth area.’

* * *

Alice drove Sophie back to the second site, but returned to the rangers’ office immediately. Sophie guessed that the young woman had experienced enough shocks in one day to last a lifetime. She didn’t want her exposed to the horrors of the second corpse.

She walked into the tent as Goodall was packing up.

‘This one? Difficult to be exact, but my guess is anywhere between three and six years, judging by the state of decomposition. But I did use the word guess, as I’m sure you noted. We’ll need some experts to look at the gunk that’s living on the body residues to be any more exact, and I don’t know how possible that is. What I can say is that she was a young woman of under thirty, five feet four inches tall and probably of medium build. And she had a dislocated jaw,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘A dislocated jaw — out of alignment on the right side. I spotted it as soon as I looked at her skull.’

‘But that’s easily treated, isn’t it? People don’t normally ignore jaw dislocations.’

‘The joint area didn’t show signs of any long-term damage, so I’d guess that it hadn’t happened long before she ended up being dumped here.’

‘For pity’s sake.’

Goodall put an arm round Sophie’s shoulder. ‘He’s not a nice individual, your killer. He’s been nastier than we thought for longer than we thought. You need to catch him, Sophie.’

‘Well, thanks, Benny. As if I’m not trying hard enough.’

‘I’ll start on the full PMs once I’m back at the lab. And I promise to get the results to you as soon as I can. I’ll call you if I spot anything else unusual. Okay?’

Sophie gave him a brief, weak smile. She went over to Marsh, who was standing looking into the pool.

‘Anything else?’ she asked.

‘No, just a few things from inside the car. It’s a bit disappointing to be honest. I was hoping for some stuff from the houses. Odd.’

‘It makes me wonder a bit too, Barry. Let’s leave them to it. We’ve got a lot to think about on our way back to the office. And we haven’t had lunch yet — if you can stomach anything after all this.’

* * *

The two detectives decided that their first priority was to chase up the names of the young offenders who had erected the security fence and gate ten years previously.

Marsh drove, and Sophie phoned through to the governor’s office to warn them that she was coming. She asked for the relevant records to be made ready.

‘It would fit, Barry. The team leader would have had both sets of keys each day in order to get onto the site. One of the lads in the squad could have got hold of a copy somehow, and kept it all these years. That end of the pool is so cut off that it’s an ideal site for dumping things. Then just a couple of days ago, the rangers finally got round to changing the lower gate. Our man pays a visit late last night but can’t get through the new lower gate because his key no longer works. So what does he do? He’s got Shaz’s body wrapped up, all ready for disposal, but he can’t get to his planned disposal site. He decides to dump it in the nature reserve’s end of the pool.’

‘We’re in the run-up to Christmas, ma’am.’

‘That comment is too cryptic, even for me, Barry. What do you mean?’

‘We’ll have had several teams from traffic out on the roads last night, looking out for drunk drivers. Shall I contact them when we get back? See if they spotted anything unusual?’

‘Absolutely. Brilliant idea, Barry.’

* * *

The governor’s secretary was a stout, middle-aged woman who appeared to see her main task as protecting her boss from excessive demands on his time. Sophie was annoyed that nothing was ready for them when they arrived.

‘I’m running an investigation into multiple murders. I just don’t have time to go through the usual channels. Either get me the information I need or get me someone who can find it. Is that understood?’

Her voice had evidently penetrated the governor’s inner sanctum, because the door opened and a head peered out.

‘Chief Inspector?’ The man looked at his secretary. ‘I’ll take over from here, Babs. If you can just find the details that the chief inspector has asked for? And quickly, please?’

The governor ushered the two detectives into his office and introduced himself.

‘I’m Des Bartlett, the acting governor. I must apologise for the attitude of my secretary. I’ve only been in this role for a week and a half, and I’m trying to get things shaken up a bit. Babs was trained by my predecessor into thinking that her main role was a cross between a door-guard and a human filter, keeping out anyone and anything that might prove to be too demanding. I am trying to convince her otherwise. Was she trying to delay things?’

‘I could maybe understand it in normal circumstances, but I’d explained to both of you on the phone why this is so urgent. I need that list, and I need it now. I don’t want this delay causing another death.’

‘I’m sure it will appear, Chief Inspector. Would you like some tea while you wait?’

A man out of his depth, thought Sophie. He can’t see that murder doesn’t wait for the bureaucratic niceties. Assisted by a woman who thinks she’s a Rottweiler.

‘I really thought you would have the information ready for me by now, Mr Bartlett. I phoned well almost an hour ago.’

He failed to meet her stare. Sophie guessed what had happened. He’d merely asked his secretary to find the information, maybe once she’d completed the task she was working on.

‘We have two vulnerable young women out there. They know something, and our killer knows that they know it. We have to find him before he finds them. Do you understand? Normal rules and procedures don’t apply. I explained all this to you. So why leave it to your secretary? How would you feel if one of those young women was your daughter?’

Looking sheepish, Bartlett left the room.

‘Christ, people like this drive me mad,’ Sophie said to Marsh. ‘So many people bury their heads in the sand when there’s a crisis, hoping someone else will deal with it. Bartlett’s one of them. I bet he doesn’t get the permanent job.’ She sighed. ‘Although maybe he will. I don’t know what kind of person they want for this type of role.’

Marsh said nothing.

* * *

Finally they were on their way back to Swanage, with Marsh driving. Sophie looked at the list.

‘There’s an Andrew Renshaw on it, Barry. That’s the name supplied by Southampton CID in the Debbie Martinez case. It’s got to be him. So why can’t we trace him? I’ll phone Lydia.’

Pillay was waiting for them when they got back to Swanage.

‘Ma’am, I think I’ve just found something in the old records. There was a teenage lad who was in a lot of trouble in Southampton some fifteen years ago. He was called Andrew Renshaw. Arson, animal cruelty, petty theft, violent and abusive behaviour. He ended up in a young offenders’ institute. His date of birth tallies exactly.’

‘Those offences are the key signs of a psychopath in the making. But we haven’t been able to find anything else on that name, have we? Every single man with that name in Dorset and Hampshire has been checked and cleared. Yet clearly he’s the man we’re looking for.’