Hard Evidence (15 page)

Outside in the empty street, Delaney could feel the
heat bunching his shirt uncomfortably under his
jacket. He ran the palm of his hand across his forehead,
wiping the sweat away, and closed his eyes.
He opened them again as Bonner came up to him.
'They've gone.' He sighed wearily and flicked a
cigarette into his mouth.

'Sorry, boss.'

Sally Cartwright came out of the house, shutting
her mobile. 'A squad car is on its way to Morgan's
house.'

Delaney nodded bleakly. 'Time to break out the
raincoats.'

Bonner squinted up at the clear sky. 'Guv?'

'This is going to turn into a real shit storm.'

Jenny Morgan sat in the back of her father's car,
watching his face in the rear-view mirror. She had
never seen him so angry. The vein on the side of his
neck was throbbing like a purple worm, and sweat
was pouring off his furrowed forehead, staining his
shirt. He gripped the steering wheel hard in his
massive fists as if he was going to wrench the whole
column out. She wanted to know where he was
taking her, but she didn't dare ask.

At White City police station, the temperature in
interview room one was no less cool. Candy
Morgan took the cup of coffee that Sally handed
her and smiled nervously as Delaney sat opposite
her. She took a sip of the coffee and sat back in the
chair, wrapping her arms around herself. She was
shivering as though she was cold, but Delaney
knew it was just the by-product of adrenalin
kicking in. That and her memories. 'How long had
you been speaking with her on the internet?' he
asked gently.

'About two months.'

'And how did that happen?'

Candy looked down at the table, tracing her
finger in small circles on the smooth wood.

'I'd been getting therapy.'

'Go on.' Delaney's tone was far from
sympathetic.

Candy looked up at him, challenging. 'I guess
you know my history.'

'Some of it. What's written in your records.'

'So I had some issues.'

'Yeah, I'd say you had some issues.'

'And I was dealing with them.' She shrugged.
'Trying to deal with them.'

'What's this got to do with Jenny?'

'It made me remember my childhood, what
happened to me. And it made me think of Jenny
and what would happen to her, and I wanted to
stop it.'

Sally leant forward. 'So how did you make
contact with her on the internet?'

'There are sites. Schoolroom contacts. Networking.
It's not hard to track down someone if
they are using their real name. And Jenny was.'

'But you didn't tell her who you were?'

'Not at first, no. I wanted to build her trust.'

Delaney loosened his collar. 'And what makes
you think there was abuse?'

'She told me what was happening. I recognised
the signs.'

'What signs?'

Candy looked away. 'I could see the way things
were going. That's why I had to do something.
Before it was too late.'

'What do you mean by too late, Candy?'

'I told you. He's a sick man.'

'You burned him?'

Candy snapped her head back up and met his
gaze. 'That's right.'

'With a steam hose.'

'And I'd do it again in a heartbeat.'

'He must have really hurt you.'

Candy leaned forward. 'I tell you this much. If
he's hurt that little girl, I'll finish the job. I don't
care if you get to him first. He's not safe in prison.
Not from me.'

Delaney looked at the feral anger in her eyes
and didn't doubt it. 'Like I said earlier. Nobody's
making any judgements here.'

Candy slammed her hand down on the table. 'I
made a judgement!'

'Candy.'

'My father abused him and Jake. And because
of that I guess Howard felt it was all right to abuse
me. An old family tradition.' She looked at Sally.
'My mother died in a car accident; the brakes
failed, they told me. I was twelve and Howard was
twenty-four and it started the night of her funeral.'

'The abuse?'

'Kissing and cuddling and little games . . .' She
broke off, swallowing the disgust that was rising
in her throat.

Sally spoke soothingly. 'It's all right Candy. You
don't have to say any more. Not right now.'

'Yes I do.'

They waited.

'Kissing and cuddling, just like Jenny told me he
had started doing with her. And eventually . . .'
She looked up at Delaney and smiled icily. 'And
eventually he started fucking me. He got me
pregnant.'

'What did you do?'

'What could I do?'

Delaney shrugged; again he had no answers for
her.

'Howard had friends. An older woman. A
prostitute.' She shook her head at the memory.
'She used a coat hanger. Howard reckoned it was
just like cleaning a carburettor.'

'Do you think he would physically harm Jenny?'

Candy looked at him, her eyes wide. 'Haven't
you been listening to a fucking word I've been
saying?'

'We need to know what he might be capable of.'

Candy looked at him for a beat. 'I told you his
father was physically abusing him.'

Delaney nodded for her to continue. 'But it
wasn't just Howard; it was our mother too, and
Jake. Not just sexual abuse. Real physical abuse; I
mean, he really hurt them. All of them. Not me. I
was too young, I guess, but I saw and I remember.
And it didn't stop until I was five years old.'

'What happened to make it stop?'

'Howard happened.'

'Go on?'

'I guess he was seventeen, been out of school for
three years, not that anyone cared, and was
working with Dad in the garage.'

'And?'

'The police thought it was an accident. The jack
slipped and the car came down on his chest,
cracked his ribs, slowly crushed him to death.'

'But it wasn't an accident?'

'He brought me in and made me watch what he
did.'

'Howard?'

Candy nodded. 'He made me stay in the
corner, then called out to Dad. As he slid out
from underneath the car, Howard kicked away
the jack so that the car slammed down and
trapped him like a half-squashed beetle. He
screamed and called for help and Howard just
laughed at him.'

Sally looked at her. 'I'm sorry, Candy.'

'It took him over two hours to die, and Howard
just sat there and watched him the whole time.'

'And you didn't tell anyone?'

'I knew what would happen if I did.'

'Nobody said anything?'

'Who was there to listen? And then Mum died
and it was my turn. He saw nothing wrong in it
and he still doesn't. You see why I had to take
Jenny?'

'You should have come to us.'

'And you would have helped, would you?'

'Yes.'

'Stella told me that Jackie Malone's been
murdered. You didn't help her, did you?'

Delaney leaned forward angrily. 'What do you
know about that?'

'Working girls in London. It's a bit like the
Masons, isn't it? We both get to wear leather and
we all get to know each other's business.'

Sally looked at Delaney. 'What's she talking
about?'

Delaney shook his head dismissively. 'They
break the law, do nothing to protect themselves,
but when one of them gets hurt it's down to the
system, it's never their fault.'

'It was Jackie Malone's fault she was tied up
and murdered, was it? She did that to herself, I
suppose.'

Delaney looked away angrily. 'Let's just concentrate
on finding your niece right now, shall
we?'

Sally looked at Candy sympathetically. 'You
showed Howard in the end. You stood up to him;
that took a lot of courage.'

'I wasn't brave. I was a coward for years. A
victim because I didn't know any different. But
when I was old enough to fight back, I did. That
one time, and I wish to God I'd been brave enough
to finish the job. I wish I'd been brave enough to
kill him.'

'Maybe it's better for you that you didn't.'

'No, it's not. He's a cancer and you don't fuck
about with cancer. You cut it out. You fucking kill
it. Because Jenny isn't like me. She's sweet, she's
gentle, she's entirely vulnerable. And he's going to
put his cancer in her and destroy her just like he
destroyed me.'

Delaney looked across at her, her arms folded
tight against her chest, her nails digging into her
biceps.

'Where do you think he would have taken her,
Candy?'

'I haven't seen the bastard in fourteen years.'

Sally nodded. 'I don't blame you but anything
you can think of. It's important we find her quickly.
Your brother is clearly out of control.'

'Speak to his pet monkey.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Speak to Jake.'

Delaney stood up. 'Come on, Detective
Constable.'

They headed for the door. Candy Morgan called
after them, 'What happens to me?'

Delaney looked back at her for a moment, deciding.
'You come with us.'

Sally stood in front of him, registering her concern.
'Boss?'

'She comes with us.'

Sally recognised the tone in his voice. 'Sir.'

Candy stood and smiled gratefully at Delaney.
'Thanks.'

'You can thank me when your niece is safe.'

Fifteen minutes later, Delaney was pacing angrily
across the floor of Morgan's workshop. He
stopped and glared at Jake, who sat holding his
head in his massive hands, his forehead knotted
with concentration.

'Come on, Jake, where is he?'

'I don't know.'

Sally walked into the room. 'Her clothes are
gone.'

Delaney frowned. 'He was already prepared,
then.' He turned back to Jake and put both hands
on his shoulders. 'When did he leave, Jake? Did he
have Jenny with him?'

Jake stood up. 'I haven't seen Jenny.'

Delaney stepped forward and grabbed his
shoulders again. 'Where is he?'

Jake jerked backwards, knocking Delaney's
hands away. He was shaking like a frightened
child, the fear throbbing in his voice. 'I don't
know.'

'He doesn't know, boss.'

Delaney moved back and Jake's eyes widened
suddenly. He stepped back against the table,
clearly terrified.

'It's all right.' But then Delaney saw where Jake
Morgan was looking, and cursed. 'I told you to
stay in the car, Candy.'

Candy Morgan ignored him, fixing Jake with a
look of pure venom. 'If you know anything, you
tell him now, Jake.'

Jake backed further against the table. 'I don't
know anything, Candy. Don't hurt me.'

'Nobody's going to hurt you, Jake, I already
told you that.'

Candy stepped forward. 'I wouldn't bank on it.'

Delaney sighed. 'You can wait in the car, or I
can get the DC to take you back to the nick and
from there back to Holloway. Your call, Candy.'

Candy looked at Delaney for a moment. 'You're
part of this now, Inspector. You don't want to let
me down.' She gave Jake a last cold look and went
back to the car.

Delaney bit back a sigh of relief and turned to
Sally. 'Take this place apart. There's got to be
something here.'

He strode over to the workbench and angrily
opened the drawers, scattering their contents, his
rage barely contained. He tipped the last drawer
over the floor: pencils, screwdrivers, nails, screws,
an oil can, a chisel. Nothing that said anything
about where Morgan could have gone.

Sally took Jake by the arm and led him over to
a couple of chairs that stood against the oilstained
brick wall.

'Sit down, Jake.'

His eyes flicked nervously to the doorway.

'She's not going to hurt you. I promise.'

'She burned Howard. She burned him with the
hose.'

'She did, but she isn't going to hurt you. She was
ill, but she's better now. Do you understand that?'

Jake shook his head slowly. Nothing made sense
to him at the moment.

Sally kept her voice soft. 'When she burned
Howard it was because she was sick. But she's
better now. She's not going to hurt anyone. Not
you, and certainly not Jenny. She wants to help
Jenny. You can understand that, can't you?'

Jake nodded. 'Jenny's a good girl.'

'She is, and we need to find her.' Sally looked
across at Delaney, who was angrily reading
through bills and receipts, throwing them aside.

'I don't know where she is.'

Sally sat beside Jake and patted him reassuringly
on the leg. 'I know you want to find her as much
as we do. So think. Was there anywhere you used
to like to visit together? You, Howard and Jenny?'

'We used to go to lots of places.'

'Like where?'

'The countryside.'

'Anywhere in particular?'

'To see the cows. Horses sometimes.'

'Can you remember where that was, Jake?'

Jake nodded enthusiastically and smiled. 'It was
the fields.'

'London Fields?'

Delaney looked across as Jake shrugged. 'Just
fields, with cows in them and horses.'

Delaney raised an eyebrow at Sally and went
back to looking through the paperwork. Sally
smiled reassuringly at Jake again. 'You can't remember
any of the names?'

Jake shook his head. 'Just countryside. Jenny
would say let's go to the countryside and Howard
would drive us all.'

'To the fields with the cows and the horses?'

Jake nodded enthusiastically. 'And the river.'

'The river?'

'Yeah, we'd go all over on it. Long journeys.'

'On the river?'

'Yeah, on the big river in his barge.'

Delaney came over now. 'He's got a barge?'

Jake smiled broadly. 'He's got a Dutch barge.'

Delaney swore under his breath and looked at
Sally pointedly. 'A Dutch barge is sea-going.'

The gentle swell of the Thames splashed lyrically,
rocking the barge slightly from side to side. It
was a soothing motion that at any other time, in
the hot, still, thick air of the summer's evening,
would have lulled Jenny into a gentle sleep. But
she wasn't sleeping, she was huddled against the
interior side of the boat, her legs wedged under
the table that stood against one wall. Her eyes
fixed on the still bright sunlight sparkling like a
million broken stars on the water outside the
window.

The barge seemed to rock deeper in the water
and she heard the sound of heavy work boots
walking across the wooden floor. She looked up at
the scarred face of her father and seemed to shrink
back a little into the cracked and faded leather of
the bench she was sitting on.

Howard Morgan's face creased in a smile, but
his worried darting eyes held no humour in them,
and Jenny was not reassured. She was confused,
and she was frightened.

'Where are we going?'

'I told you that when you were old enough I'd
take you away, didn't I?'

Jenny nodded her head. 'Yes.'

'Well you're old enough now.'

'Am I?'

'You're a big girl now. So I'm going to take you
away like I promised.'

He laid his hand over Jenny's small, fragile
fingers and she tightened them into a curl, the hot,
sweaty feel of her father's hand making her uncomfortable.

'What about Aunty Candy?'

Morgan drew his hand away, the anger flashing
across his face like the turn of a fast tide. 'Don't
talk about her.'

'Can't she come with us?'

'No.'

'Why?'

Morgan slammed his meaty fist on the table.
'Because I said so.' As Jenny flinched, Morgan
caught himself and smiled at his daughter. 'I'm
sorry, I shouldn't have shouted, sweetheart. I was
angry. But not at you. At her.'

'Why are you angry with her?'

'Because she took you away from us. Without
asking. She took you away and you could have
been hurt.'

'But I wasn't hurt. She said she was going to
protect me.'

'Protect you against what?'

Jenny huddled up against the window again.
'She just said she'd look after me.'

'Well I'm here now. And Daddy looks after you
the best, doesn't he?'

Jenny didn't reply for a moment, and then
nodded as she saw the darkness gathering in the
corners of her father's eyes.

'Good girl.'

Delaney pulled a piece of paper loose from a pile
of bulldog-clipped receipts and waved it at Sally
Cartwright.

'What have you got?'

He pulled out his mobile and hit a speed-dial
button as he flashed a small grin at her. 'It's a bill.
Mooring charges.'

'Way to go, boss.'

'Unless we've already missed him.' Delaney
turned his attention back to his phone. 'Bonner.
It's Delaney.'

Downriver, where the large houses on the banks
were home to the rich, the famous and the
criminally wealthy, the tide swelled, sending
eddies and currents that lifted silt from the river
bed and gently tugged at the reeds and weeds
that lined the banks. Reeds and weeds that held
all kinds of wildlife. Fishes that had been
sheltering from the hard, relentless beat of the
summer sun came closer to the surface, drawn by
the insects that crawled and danced and darted
in the air. And below, his hair snaking loose in
greasy tendrils and his eyes as milky as a dead
cod's, the head of Billy Martin was tangled in
the deep roots of the bulrushes and clinging
weed that held him close. As the surging rise
of the tidal water tried to suck him from their
tight embrace, the weeds pulled him back as
though his bloated body was a treasure that they
were loath to lose, and the fish and the crawling
things feasted on the rotting parts of his exposed
flesh.

Delaney got out of his car, Candy and Sally beside
him as he walked down the riverside path to
where Bonner and a horde of uniformed police
were gathered.

Bonner nodded to him. 'Guv.'

'What's happening?'

Bonner nodded at the barge, which was rising
higher in the water as the tide poured water back
from the North Sea and into the Thames estuary.
'Still here. Another twenty minutes he'd have had
the tide and been gone.'

'We'd have got him on the water.'

'Maybe. Just as well you found that mooring
receipt.'

Delaney waved a dismissive hand. 'That's all
down to DC Cartwright here. She managed to get
Jake to speak where we failed.'

Bonner flashed a smile at Sally. 'The gentle
touch. Is that what they call it?'

Sally wasn't amused. 'The human touch, I
believe, Sergeant.'

Delaney looked across at the barge, his hand
on his brow shielding his eyes from the low
glare of the sun as it flashed off the silver water
of the Thames. 'Why haven't we moved on
him?'

'Making sure he's not armed first. We didn't
want to risk anything with the girl in there.'

'So where are SO19?'

'On their way. And the coast guard and river
patrol.'

Delaney could see movement on the barge and
took Bonner's binoculars from him.

'It's Morgan.'

Through the lenses he could see Morgan clearly.
Could see the tension written in his face like a
clenched fist and saw what he was doing. He
cursed under his breath and gave the binoculars
back to Bonner.

'He's pouring petrol all over the boat.'

'Shit.'

Candy took Delaney's arm and swung him
round. 'You've got to let me go and get her.'

Delaney shook his head. 'That's not going to
happen, Candy.'

'You can't leave her in there.'

'I don't intend to.'

Bonner stepped in front of her. 'What are we
going to do, Jack?'

Delaney looked back at the boat, Morgan was
still swinging the petrol can. 'I guess someone has
to go and talk to him.'

Sally shook her head. 'We should wait here,
boss. Wait for SO19 and the hostage negotiating
team.'

'Haven't got time for that. I'm going over.'
Delaney kept his eyes fixed on Morgan as he
moved about the boat.

'He killed his father, probably killed his mother
and God knows who else. You should wait for
armed response.'

Delaney looked back at Sally. 'And what about
the girl if he torches the boat?'

'He's not going to do that, is he? Not with him
on board too.'

'From what we've heard, we know he's capable
of pretty much anything.'

Candy stood in front of Delaney. 'If you don't
go and get her, then I will.'

Delaney moved her firmly out of the way. 'You
stay here. I'm going.' He looked back at Sally.
'When SO19 arrive, you tell them to take no shot
unless I signal it.' He looked back at the sergeant.
'We clear on that, Eddie?'

Bonner nodded his head.

Sally stepped forward. 'I'm coming with you.'

'Absolutely no way.'

'Think about it. Someone needs to be there for
the girl.'

'That's why I'm going.'

'If you have to deal with Morgan, then
someone has to get her safe. You can see that,
can't you?'

Delaney considered for a moment. She was
right. If Morgan lost it, then someone had to get
the girl off.

Candy stepped up. 'Then it should be me.'

Delaney dismissed the idea. 'Absolutely not.
He's unbalanced as it is; seeing you might tip him
over the edge.' Delaney gestured at Sally. 'Come
on then. You concentrate on the girl and follow
my lead on everything, okay?'

'Sir.'

'I mean it, Constable. This is no time for heroics.'

They walked slowly over to the path and moved
towards the boat.

Inside the barge, Morgan shook the last drops
of the gasoline from the container and looked
through the window at Delaney and Sally
approaching. 'Stay away!'

'It's Inspector Delaney and Detective Constable
Cartwright. We're coming in.'

As they came down the steps into the cabin,
Morgan took a lighter from his pocket and held it
up in his left hand.

'I'll use it.'

Jenny, huddled in the corner of bench and table,
screamed as Delaney stepped quickly on to the
small deck on the front of the boat and held his
hands up.

'We're not armed, Howard. How about you put
down the lighter?'

'You've seen what I've done with the petrol.
You try and follow us, I'll torch it.'

Delaney stepped forward, down a couple of
steps into the cabin. He cast his eyes quickly
around the room. A narrow living space with a
galley kitchen and a wood-burning stove, the
wraparound bench and table that Jenny was
sitting at. A small TV on a built-in sideboard. A
DVD player with some films. Delaney recognised
one of the titles from somewhere but put the
thought aside. He slid his eyes back to Morgan as
Sally came slowly down the steps behind him.
'This isn't what you want, Howard.'

'You don't know what I want.'

'We found her for you; you can trust us. You
don't want Jenny to get hurt, do you?'

'That's why you have to let us go.'

'And how's that going to work?'

'We've done nothing wrong.'

'She's your daughter, Howard. Of course you've
done nothing wrong.'

Morgan nodded. 'It was Candy. She took her.
I'm keeping her away from her, so she can't hurt
her. I'm her dad. She should be with me.'

Sally smiled reassuringly at Jenny, who was still
huddled terrified in the corner.

'You're scaring Jenny. Why don't you let her
come to me? I'll take her somewhere safe.'

Morgan shook his head and looked back at his
daughter. 'Jenny, stay where you are.'

Sally took a step forward and held her hand out
to Jenny. 'Come on, Howard, let me take her out
of here. The petrol is making her eyes sting.'

As she took another step forward, Howard
shouted at her, holding up the lighter and flicking
the flint wheel a little with his left hand. 'Stay
where you are.'

Delaney gripped Sally's arm with steel fingers,
holding her in place.

'It's okay, Howard. Nobody's going anywhere.
We just want to talk.'

'Everyone wants to talk, but what good does it
ever do?'

Delaney paused, not sure he had an answer.
'Just put the lighter down. And let Jenny come to
us.'

Morgan was emphatic. 'She stays with me.'

'Nobody's saying we will be taking her away
from you, Howard. We just need to sort everything
out.'

'You're lying.'

Sally moved a step forward and Morgan raised
the lighter again. She stopped. 'You're her father.
Of course she'll stay with you.'

'Candy took her away. You're going to let her
keep her, aren't you?'

'She shouldn't have taken her. That was wrong.'

'Are you going to send her back to prison?'

'We all need to sit down and talk about things.
We need to sort everything out.'

'She told you, didn't she? Candy told you everything.'

Delaney kept his eyes flat, neutral, but Sally
couldn't meet his gaze and Morgan nodded,
vindicated.

'That's why you're here.'

'Just come off the boat, Howard.'

'Dad, please . . .'

Morgan looked over at his terrified daughter.
'Don't worry, sweetheart. This is all going to be
for the best.'

He held the lighter out again and flicked it a
couple of times, the sparks darting out and licking
the air.

Chief Inspector Campbell slammed her car door
shut behind her and walked angrily over to where
Bonner stood with his binoculars held to his eyes.
Beside him a couple of SO19 officers were
prostrate on the ground with their rifles trained on
Morgan as he moved in and out of shot in the
window.

'What the hell's he doing in there, Bonner?'

Bonner lowered the field glasses and smiled
apologetically at his boss. 'He went in to get the
girl out.'

'He didn't wait for armed back-up? He didn't
wait for the trained hostage professionals?'

'He evaluated the situation and assessed that
there wasn't time to wait, ma'am.'

Campbell glared at him, her voice dripping with
sarcasm. 'He evaluated the situation, did he?'

'That's right, ma'am. That was his assessment.'

Campbell took the binoculars from Bonner and
trained them on the boat. 'He should never have
let the girl go in the first place.'

'That was my assessment too, ma'am.'

Campbell glared at him. 'Shut it, Bonner.'

'Morgan has poured petrol all over the boat.
Threatening to torch it. That's why he went in. To
protect the girl.'

Campbell nodded at the SO19 snipers. What's
their position?'

'They're waiting for the word.'

Campbell turned to a sniper. 'You take a shot,
is it going to set the petrol off?'

'Shouldn't do, ma'am.'

'Delaney said he'd signal if it was looking like
Morgan was going to do anything and it was safe
to take him down.'

Campbell looked at the prone officer who was
watching her. 'You don't do anything without my
say-so. Those are my officers out there.'

The rifleman nodded his head. 'Ma'am.'

Morgan flicked the lighter once again, the sparks
more visible as the sun set lower.

Delaney held his voice calm. 'Let's get off the
boat and talk, Howard. You want something, we
know that. And we want something too. And you
know what? It's the same thing. We both want
Jenny safe. We're singing from the same hymn
sheet here. Can you see that?'

Morgan snaked his tongue between his lips and
licked the corner of his mouth. He tried to
swallow some saliva but he had to strain his throat
muscles. His eyes stung with the salt of the sweat
dripping into his eyes and the petrol vapour that
was hanging like a fine mist of poison in the
overheated air of the barge.

'Jenny stays with me.'

Back on the bank, Bonner smiled as he watched
Delaney hold his hand up in a wait gesture. 'That's
his signal, ma'am.'