Dead Sweet: A D.I. Turnbull mystery (7 page)

"Stranger things have happened." Todd agreed, "Depends how well you play."

"Strike," Candace motioned the bowling action.

"There better be plenty of them tonight girl, come on let's stretch our legs and see what Olinsbury is up to before we get home."

-x-

18:00 hours

Todd caught a taxi to the Olinsbury bowl; it was turning into a balmy summer's evening, clear blue sky, windless and a perfect evening to get absolutely trollied. The day had been a complete waste; no one had said a word to police about Mandy Thomas. CCTV did not appear to be available on Fern Bridge and some poor sap had to spend the whole of the coming week checking out film from the three local supermarkets to see if by any chance Mandy had popped in with her would-be attacker. DNA was a possibility but it was an excruciating wait to find out; Todd had decided to leave the car and his job behind him and put all his effort into the bowling challenge and into getting drunk.

As the taxi pulled up to Olinsbury Bowl, Todd wondered how the place was still standing. It had been at Olinsbury for as long as he could remember; pre-fabricated panels of cement which made the large space that housed thirty lands of bowling. Based directly on the flight path of the Olinsbury airport, Todd could feel the building shake every time a plane flew over. To be fair, the place was a shit hole, but Todd found bowling a good way to release his frustrations. It was a way to socialise without really having to talk to anyone for long periods of time. His team and he could drink and chat about the game they played, all agreeing to the rule of not talking shop.

D.S. Candace Whelan stood at the front door looking out of the glass panels and smiling brightly as she spied Todd getting out of the taxi. She opened the door for him as he approached.

"Hi Guv," she smiled.

"Come on Candy cane, call me Todd, we're not at work now." Todd smiled back.

"Sorry Guv, I mean Todd; it's hard to know where I am, I never seem to be anywhere other than work."

"I know the feeling, are the lads here?"

"Yeah, they're already on the lane. They got number one."

"Oh fucks sake, I hate that lane." Todd had a superstition about being on an end lane. His lucky number was five so he preferred to play on that one.

"Well Handsome has just scored a Turkey." Candace informed him, "He's been winking his bollocks off at all the birds in here as well."

"Ha, I bet he doesn't score that when the match starts." Todd said knowing that three strikes in a row were highly unusual for the young officer.

They got a round of drinks in, Todd downing a quick whisky at the bar so he could catch up with the others; and then went down to the lanes. Todd had his own shoes and fourteen pound bowling ball which he had brought with him.

"Here he is." Rani, the Coroner shouted, clapping Todd on the back as he sat to change his shoes.

"Hi Rani, got anything to tell me?" Todd asked hopefully.

"Hey no job, remember?" Rani took a sip of his lemonade, "But no, nothing; sorry."

"Worth a try," Todd sniffed. "Oy Handsome I heard you scored a Turkey?"

"Yes Guv, it was supreme." Matthew swung his arm towards Todd. "Straight down the line." He pointed to the scoreboard where the three consecutive crosses proved Todd's subordinate's score.

"Well that's great, let's keep that up. I could do with a good win." Todd looked around him to see if Tessa was anywhere to be seen, he had hoped to spend some time with her outside of work. People were always different away from the station and Todd thought Tessa would be even more desirable away from the pressures of the front counter. A bell rang loudly in the hall signalling the beginning of the bowling competition. A last look around showed Todd that Tessa was nowhere to be seen. He took a swig of his cider, stretched his back, clicked his fingers and stepped up to play the first round of the evening.

-x-

21:00 hours

Three hours and twenty rounds of bowling later and Todd's back was beginning to feel the strain of the constant throw of the ball. He stretched his arms up in the air and reached over to his left to stretch the muscles on the right of his back then bent over to touch his toes.

"No need to bow," Candace appeared at the entrance to the bowling lane after having disappeared for the last ten minutes.

"Where have you been?" Todd asked her.

"Just visiting the ladies; how are we doing?"

"Pile of crap, I've been bowling like a bitch." Todd bent down to remove his bowling shoes as Matthew was about to bowl the final round of the night. Their joint score of seven hundred and eighty from a five man team was not taking them any further in the Met Police championships and Todd just wanted to hit the bar.

"Come on Candy Cane; let's get the next round in." Todd walked over to the other three team members and told them he was off to the bar. "Guv, don't you want to see the Turkey?" Matthew asked him, sauntering up to the balls lined up in their rack.

"Bit fucking late for that." Todd grimaced, "We'd need a whole farm of the fuckers to win now; look at that lot." Todd indicated to the group of bowlers, three lanes up who were busily high fiving each other and taking bows; obviously aware of their win against their colleagues.

"Bloody East London," Todd grimaced again, "We'll never live that down. Oh well, we were just unlucky" he said, although he knew the case was the only thing he could concentrate on at the moment. He kept picturing the lolly popping out of its fleshy bed and hearing the squelch of flesh as it was pulled out. Todd found it particularly gruesome and a very hard thing to forget. As exercise hadn't worked, it was time to turn to alcohol.

"Come on; bar." He pulled on his shoes and strode purposefully to the bar which dominated the upper deck of the bowling alley. Devoid of any pub atmosphere, it was bathed in gleaming lights and covered in 'two for one' offer posters. It was not the sort of bar you would visit to get drunk. Although it served lager in jugs and had a wide range of alcohol available, it tended to be a one stop shop offering occasional refreshment to thirsty bowlers. Todd didn't usually bother to drink whilst bowling as he nearly always had worked either straight after or the next day. Tonight, however, Todd wanted to drown out the vision of Mandy Thomas's body; the incessant crying of her boyfriend and the fear in his stomach that this investigation would lead nowhere and a killer could be free to commit more atrocities on unsuspecting young women.

"I'll get these," Todd said producing a twenty pound note from his pocket. "Candace, what would you like?"

"I'll have double vodka with diet coke. I've had enough this week and fancy getting trollied." She smoothed her hands over her slim thighs and gave a shake of her auburn hair.

"That's my girl." Todd smiled and went on to order drinks for himself; pint of cider as he couldn't stand the hoppy taste of beer and wine was not a manly enough drink for an Inspector in front of his team. Candace commandeered a table big enough to house the entire bowling team and sat down to wait for their drinks. The rest of the team joined her at the table and Todd took the drinks over to them. A lot of bowling banter was being bandied back and forth and Todd was now enjoying the release from his job as he stood and chatted with Candace about her life as a post woman before she became a copper. She regaled them with tales of things she saw through letter boxes. After a particularly raucous tale of a gangbang going on in the hallway of a terraced house she was delivering to, Todd had to rush to the toilet as the six drinks he had drunk in quick succession were now burdening his bladder.

On his way back to the bar Todd looked towards the main entrance hoping that Tessa may have made an appearance, but she was still nowhere to be seen. When he reached the table once more, Candace shuffled her body nearer to his and bent over to whisper in his direction. "S'ok, I'm here." Candace smiled. "I'm sure you can catch up with her at work. Come on let's do shots."

"Shots," Todd agreed, returning to the bar. He was a little embarrassed that Candace read him so easily and knew he had feelings for Tessa. The best way to hide his embarrassment was to cover it up with bravado and Todd ordered ten Sambuca shots as loudly as he could at the bar. All five team members downed their shots and another set appeared almost instantaneously. The next two hours were a blur for Todd; he saw the glass being raised to his mouth by his own hand and was vaguely aware of conversation, but the words were forgotten as quickly as they were spoken in his drunken stupor. When the barman finally called time on their drinking, Todd's new mission in life was to get a big fat kebab and the first cab home. He stumbled out into the humid summer night air and turned to find he was now alone except for the ever present Candace who always seemed to be at his side.

"Alright girl?" he managed to say, "How're ya getting 'ome?"

"Cab." She stumbled into Todd's arms and he pushed her back into a standing position.

"Steady, steady," he laughed. Candace threw herself back into Todd's arms and lined her head up to meet his. Todd embraced her, enjoying the warmth from another human being. Candace pushed her lips onto Todd's mouth and began to kiss him. At first Todd kissed back, but somewhere in the back of his mind alarm bells alerted him to his folly. He gently pushed her away. "I'm sorry Candy Cane, I can't do that." Todd said, "I'm your boss."

"You
are
the boss." Candace giggled, "I'll let you boss me around any day." She leant back towards him.

"No really Candace." Todd felt himself begin to sober quickly. "Seriously, we work together and we've got a big job on. I can't get into anything like this."

"No one has to know. You know I fancy you." She persisted. "Come on, it will be fun, don't you like this?" she stepped away and displayed her perfect figure to him.

"It's not that Candace, we work together, and I couldn't even if I wanted to."

"You like Tessa don't you?" Candace accused. "I've seen you looking at her. What's she got that I haven't?"

"A big arse," Todd laughed. Candace turned her pert bottom towards him, so tight there was barely a bulge in the rear of her trousers.

"And big boobies," Todd grinned as Candace looked down at her own chest, not flat but not voluptuous either.

"Well we're all fat on the inside you know," she spat at him. "In every woman is a fat girl just waiting to burst out into the open; it's just that we don't let it." She stumbled backwards as she grabbed at her washboard stomach. "Some of us just have more self-control," she said as she fell back onto the pavement. "I can be fat." She shouted.

Todd found the whole scenario hilarious, but was very aware that he was a police inspector now in charge of a very drunk sergeant; not a good situation should the local Press get wind of it. He went to the edge of the dual carriageway which ran alongside the bowling alley and flagged down a passing taxi. Todd hauled Candace off the pavement where she was now beginning to doze and got them both in the cab, giving their addresses. He sat back, cradling Candace in his arms. Not quite the person he had attended to be taking home. Todd hoped he would catch up with Tessa at the police station and maybe ask her out for a drink. A heaving noise from Candace's direction told Todd his night was about to get a whole lot worse.

Sunday July 7
th
2013

12:00 hours

Penny Baker wandered the aisles of Big Value, shaking the few coins she held in her hand. She only had £3.60 left out of her paltry basic wage that she worked so hard for, stripping beds and washing bed bug infested sheets at the local hostel in Elisworth. Penny had lived there for a short time after life with her devoutly religious parents had become unbearable. Constant praying and forced genuflection in front of the shrine they had erected to their ersatz God, along with a heartfelt disappointment in their daughter's desire to prettify herself with makeup and immodest clothes, had brought Penny and her parents to an impasse in their fraught relationship and Penny took what she considered to be her only option which was to move away from home.

What Penny found most upsetting was her parent's relief at her decision. No argument was made and Penny could almost feel the hand of their God pushing her from their door; tales of the prodigal son ringing in her ears.

The Hostel had been a real eye opener for Penny; she hadn't realised places like those existed in Elisworth, but when she had presented herself at the council offices as eighteen and homeless, the bored council officer had pointed her in the direction of the Queens Hostel on Woodlinds Road.

Penny had arrived at the hostel and on first impressions believed she had landed on her feet. Woodlinds Road was an obviously affluent area, boasting large semi-detached houses, spaciously situated along a quiet road which faced a river bank straight from the tales of the Wind in the Willow. The Queens Hostel nestled in between the houses, cheerfully displaying its blue Hostel sign, purporting to offer bed and breakfast.

The contrast from outside to inside was scandalous; cheerful blue signs gave way to handwritten, urine stained pieces of paper sellotaped to the inner walls which were painted in a drab taupe colour. Every corridor of the ever brown Hostel was inhabited by men of differing ages and nationalities, who leered at Penny as she made her way to the room allocated to her at the table that served as a reception desk. When she mercifully reached the paper thin door which was to protect her from the gorilla like corridor dwellers, Penny had heaved a huge sigh of relief and spent the rest of the night propped against it, hoping it would provide her with extra security.

Thankfully the men who at first were subjects of fear for Penny, proved themselves to be human rather than monster; down on their luck or in a new country and trying to find work so they could support their families back home. Penny found herself amongst kindred spirits. Being the only female and the only English person in the Hostel, she had made use of her God given looks and parent driven education, offering English lessons and helping to fill out application forms etc. in a few months Penny had made many good friends, fended off just as many romantic proposals and had managed to save the money needed for a deposit on a bedsit so that she could leave the Hostel and claim her rightful housing benefit which would see her live if not in comfort, then in safety.

Penny had remained firm friends with Gregor, the owner of the Hostel, and he had allowed her to return there as a cleaner. Penny knew her life wasn't what everyone wished for, including herself, but at least she had achieved it on her own and had no need to return to the arms of her parents. She felt sure her constant search for a better paid job would come to fruition one day, but until then lived frugally and shoplifted regularly.

-x-

Picking up a Jamaican patty in the refrigerated section of Big Value, Penny was debating whether to spend the money in her hand or whether she could successfully secrete a patty in each bra cup. Knowing the biggest mistake a shoplifter could make is to hesitate, Penny didn't debate for very long and deftly slipped a patty in each cup; the shape of the patty blended easily with Penny's now expanded chest. She moved on through the store; a packet of chocolate covered wafers were smoothed under the waistband of Penny's jeans and a small can of tuna now inhabited each front pocket. Penny had eaten a sandwich on her way around and was just in the process of hiding the empty packaging behind the nappies when she noticed a grey suit at the end of the aisle.

Penny continued nonchalantly with what she was doing, her heart thumping and praying that the suit had not seen what she had done. She picked up a packet of nappies and read the side until the suit moved on. Feeling spooked at what Penny believed may have been a store detective, she made her way to the cashiers, grabbing a bag of apples which she paid for and then walking slowly from the store; forcing herself to not look over her shoulder, but concentrating on looking purposeful in her manner.

As Penny reached the car park exit and was just beginning to silently celebrate another successful shoplift, a tap on her shoulder alerted Penny to the fact the grey suit had followed her out of the store.

"Excuse me," the suit quietly said.

"I'm sorry." Penny began, flustered. "I'm really sorry, I'll put it all back, please I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey I'm not a store detective," the suit smiled. "I don't work there, I don't care what you've stolen."

Penny now felt very embarrassed and could feel red heat creeping up her cheeks. She really wanted to run away but fear kept her rooted to the spot she stood on.

"I'm Terry," the suit extended a hand which Penny barely touched with her fingers, giving a quick handshake.

"I'm a talent scout for a modelling agency," Terry said. "I couldn't take my eyes off you when I saw you. You are just the girl we're looking for."

Penny reached up to touch her mousy scruffy hair, being a cross between curly and straight, it was quite unmanageable so she tended to just wash and go. She patted it now in another futile attempt to tame it.

"I don't see how," Penny said.

"Hey that look is all the rage now," said Terry, "And you have a perfect figure, just look at that chest."

Penny was far too embarrassed to tell Terry that her breasts had been enhanced with pastry and jerk seasoning so kept quiet as Terry continued.

"Yes I can make sure you have lots of work and never need to shoplift again." Terry told her. "If you come to my studio I can give you loads of free makeup and perfume; we get lots of freebies from our clients."

Penny smiled, "I don't want to come home and see your puppies mate." She laughed, "I wasn't born yesterday, move on."

Terry produced a business card for Penny to look at, 'Elisworth Models' was embossed in red letters on the cream card.

"Never heard of them," Penny said, "I'm not sure I would make much of a model anyway."

"But you're so thin." Terry exclaimed, "It's just the look we need; skinny is in, we really need people like you. Look, it pays really well and all I need to do is take a few test shots to show my boss and then I can get you signed up and working as quickly as in a week."

Penny was very tempted by Terry's offer. This could be the way out of her life as she knew it. Penny knew that her parents would probably have kittens if they saw her on display in any catalogue or magazine. There was a billboard directly opposite the church her parents attended regularly; the image of their faces when they saw her on it, advertising tampons or some such product, was just delicious.

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

"Come back to the Big Value café," Terry said, "We can sit and discuss it there."

"Not bloody likely," Penny guffawed, "I've got two sausage rolls threatening to fall out of my trouser leg at any moment."

Terry gave a huge donkey like laugh; Penny heartily joined in with her new found friend and possible life saviour.

"Ok then, why don't I come to your place?" Terry suggested, "It won't take long, just a couple of pictures in different poses."

"OK sure, why not?" Penny agreed, "What have I got to lose?"