SHADOW OVER THE FENS a gripping crime thriller full of suspense (19 page)

He then looked at the notes and files pertaining to Amelia, Paul and Martin, scribbling down anything that might be relevant, then cross-checking them. Dates of birth, addresses, schools, religion, hobbies, early jobs, family history. Nothing particularly linked them, except the fact that Martin’s sister had gone to school with Amelia, and that wasn’t enough.

Joseph returned to the photographs, but after thirty minutes still had found nothing. With a grunt of disapproval, he got up to stretch his legs, but as he did so he clipped the folder on Amelia Reed with his elbow, and sent pictures and reports flying across the quarry tiles.

Grabbing them back up, and trying to replace them in some semblance of order, he was struck by something he hadn’t noticed before. A forensic photograph of Amelia’s body. But it wasn’t the pale corpse that drew his eye, like iron-filings to a magnet. To one side of her, on a shelf close to the bath, was a tablet box. A plain white tablet box.

Joseph raced through to the study and scanned the picture. As soon as he had it on the screen, he zoomed in on the packet, and let out a low whistle. The enhanced picture showed a box of the same dimensions as the ones found at Knot Cottage, and the only thing on it was a small rectangular label. It was exactly the same as Martin’s.

He printed off the picture and picked up the phone. ‘Ma’am, I need a favour.’

Nikki had sounded horribly distracted, but scribbled down his request. ‘I’ll get Yvonne or Niall to go down and see what they can find, but it’ll take a while, you know what the evidence store is like.’

‘At least the store is on the premises. At Fenchester our store was twenty miles away in a secure unit.’

‘And you realise there may be nothing there. It’s not as if Paul Cousin’s death was considered a murder.’

‘I know that, ma’am. But it’s on record that there was such a furore when it happened that a lot of questions were asked, and serious enquiries were made, to cover ourselves I guess, but his medication was definitely sent for analysis.’

‘Okay, well, I’ll ring you if they find anything.’ He heard her yawn, then she said, ‘Is everything alright there?’

‘Apart from looking like Armageddon outside.’ He glanced at the window and saw diagonal splashes of rain across the glass. ‘I think we’re in for a summer storm.’

‘They can be quite spectacular out on the marsh. I’d batten down the hatches if I were you.’

‘Will do. Any idea what time you’ll be back? I have a small banquet planned, and a nice Sancerre chilling in the fridge.’

‘I can’t say, Joseph, and I’m not sure I’m that hungry, so please don’t go to a lot of trouble.’

He frowned down the phone. Generally, when you mentioned food or wine, Nikki showed considerable enthusiasm. ‘Hey! It’s no trouble,’ he said sincerely. ‘You are being good enough to put me up, the least I can do is look after you, and maybe even rekindle your culinary spirit?’

‘
Re
-kindle?’ she asked. ‘I don’t think that spark ever got ignited in the first place.’

There was at least a slight hint of amusement. ‘I’ll try to get back by seven, okay?’

‘Then go careful on the roads. This is the first rain we’ve had for weeks, so it could be slippery.’

‘Thank you, Grandmother. I’ll be sure to heed your sage advice.’ She hung up abruptly and left him wondering what was going on at the nick, and whether anyone would find what he was looking for in the evidence store.

He walked slowly back to the kitchen and began to gather up the pictures. Elizabeth had said that there was one of Amelia. From the press cuttings she had appeared tall and willowy, with a wiry strength, strong jutting jaw-line and piercing intelligent eyes. He wondered what she had looked like as a young woman. He skimmed through the names on the back, then saw
Martin, Barry, Mel, Lewis and me. Home after second term at uni.
Mel? Amelia? He looked closer.

The picture showed five friends fooling around beside a rust-bucket of a Ford Anglia. Elizabeth was easy to spot, so as Amelia was the only other girl, he quickly identified her, and even back then her appearance was striking. Joseph stared at the photograph and memories of his own uni days washed over him. This was considerably earlier of course, Martin had been fifty when he died, almost fifteen years older than him, but the dynamic of the group looked very similar.

He wondered where they were, but as he was not a local, he wasn’t sure. Then he made out a lot of other cars in the background, and saw part of a large sign, in particular the word,
Gordon
. Maybe the Gordon Peace Memorial Hospital? Joseph stared again. Funny place for kids to hang out.

Suddenly his thoughts started to crank up again. He’d seen mention of this hospital somewhere in Paul Cousin’s notes. That was why it had rung a bell when Elizabeth had mentioned it earlier! That, and something else. But to his annoyance, the something else was still lying dormant in some closed compartment of his brain.

Whatever, it actually linked all three. Not that he should get too hopeful. The hospital served a wide area, and Martin, Paul and Amelia were locals, it stood to reason they would have attended at some point in their lives.

He turned the photo over again. There was no date on it, but that could easily be checked with Elizabeth. He sat back and smiled at the table full of old pictures. It all starts here. I’m certain of it. And if the evidence store came up trumps too, we’ve finally got a lead.

At four p.m. the phone rang.

‘You are one jammy sod, Joseph Easter! Yvonne has located a box marked Cousins in the evidence store. And guess what’s in it?’

‘Medication?’

‘Too right. And one lot of tablets is in a very familiar plain white box.’

‘Yes!’ Joseph punched the air. ‘That’s it! Now we’ve got a place to start!’

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Nikki arrived home just as the storm hit. Winds gusted straight in from the North Sea and battered against the old house, and it was all she could do to keep upright as she fought her way from the car.

She practically fell inside and slammed the door behind her, then was greeted by the most delicious smell of cooking.

‘I thought I said no trouble!’ she said, pulling off her soaking wet jacket.

‘Eat what you want, and the rest will freeze.’ Joseph grinned at her. ‘It’s the Easter version of a bloody good takeaway!’

‘You can cook Indian?’ said Nikki, half believing that if it didn’t come from the Taj takeaway, it didn’t exist.

‘Very relaxing, preparing Eastern food, all those lovely spices to grind and blend.’

‘You’re something else, you know that? Most people do a crossword, or play Sudoku to unwind; you grind spices and chop chillies.’ Nikki shook her head in amazement, and stepped out of her sodden shoes. ‘It’s certainly wild out there tonight, but it should subside when the tide turns.’

‘I’ve taken the liberty of running you a bath. I thought you’d probably get drenched.’ He turned back to the stove. ‘When you’re through, this should be just about ready.’

Nikki went upstairs and took off her wet clothes then slipped on her dressing gown. She pulled some casual slacks and a soft fleecy top from her wardrobe and went to the bathroom.

As he had said, her bath was run, and a glass of wine stood close to the taps. Standing against it was a note. It just said, ‘Relax.’

Nikki eased herself down into the silky hot water and found herself fighting back tears. She couldn’t recall anyone ever doing this for her before. Robert, her ex-husband could be called a lot of things, but thoughtful wasn’t one of them, and her few other fleeting affairs had been just that, fleeting. No time for niceties.

For a moment she hated herself for ever even dreaming that this attentive and gentle man could be so psychologically damaged that he could systematically hunt down and kill people.

She sipped the chilled wine, savoured it, and decided that Bryony was a lucky woman, a very lucky woman. She would miss Joseph when he left, and not just for his culinary skills. The old place felt like a home while he was there.

She soaked for a while, going over what the day had produced, which wasn’t much, then she allowed herself to think about Martin Durham. She couldn’t believe that Joseph had made such headway. She just wished that she could do the same with the Greenborough assassin.

Nikki stood up and wrapped herself in a thick fluffy towel before stepping out of the bath.

‘Five minutes!’ echoed up from downstairs.

‘Coming,’ she called back. She pulled on her clothes and carefully holding her wine, ran downstairs.

* * *

‘For a woman with no appetite, there’s precious left for the freezer,’ commented Joseph. ‘I’d hate to see you when you are really hungry!’

‘Not a pretty sight, believe me. But that was too good to leave, thank you.’ She paused. ‘Tell me what else you’ve found out about our suspicious deaths.’

‘Very little, I’m afraid, apart from a tenuous connection to the Gordon Peace Memorial Hospital, but even the Internet doesn’t give much info on it.’

‘There was uproar when they built the Greenborough General and forced its closure. Protest marches and everything.’

‘I keep thinking that I know something else about it, but it escapes me.’

Nikki took a mouthful of wine. ‘Can’t help you there, I’m afraid. I never needed to go there as a child, and I’ve kind of grown up with Greenborough General.’

‘It’ll come to me, no doubt. So? Was it really as bad as it sounded at work today? You seemed hairspring taut, when I spoke to you.’

Nikki sat back and held out her glass for a top-up. ‘It was about as shitty as it gets. Victim number three was so freaked out about what had nearly happened that he was all but useless. He’d spent time with sodding Snaz, but his description was rubbish. Then he begged us to let him stay in the cells, just in case his attacker was waiting to finish him off.’

‘I bet the custody sergeant liked that.’

‘We found an out of town relative that was prepared to take him, until it’s safe to go home.’

‘And I wonder when that will be?’ muttered Joseph morosely.

For a moment Nikki felt angry, then sadness took over. For all his brave front, his fancy cooking, and his commitment to finding out what had happened to Martin, Joseph was hurting. Hurting and scared about what was going to happen next.

‘I’m doing my best, honestly, Joseph.’

‘I know. And don’t think I don’t appreciate it,’ he said miserably. He ran his hand through his hair. ‘It’s just that I’ve never felt so frustrated, so totally helpless.’ He gave her a dark look. ‘Well, actually I have, just once, and that was all to do with Billy Sweet. He really does have a knack for screwing up my life.’

Nikki didn’t like his sombre mood and decided to change the subject. ‘Have you spoken to Bryony today?’

‘Not yet.’ He drank his wine and stared into the glass. ‘I tried earlier but her phone was switched off. Busy at work I guess. I’ll ring her later.’

Nikki hoped that Bryony would do as she’d said and tell Joseph that she hadn’t seen his stalker. She frowned to herself when she considered how Joseph would take that news. He was hanging onto Bryony’s status as an eyewitness to keep himself sane. She sipped her drink and thought it best not to predict his reaction but just to deal with it when it happened. ‘So, I guess it’s time to discuss where we go next with Martin Durham.’ She looked across at Joseph and raised her glass. ‘Well done, by the way. That was astute of you to spot that medication box in the forensic photo of Amelia.’ ‘Thanks. Oh, but you must look at this.’ Joseph got up and left the room, returning a few moments later with a photograph.

Nikki stared at it, then smiled when she saw a grinning and happy young Martin Durham. ‘Just look at you, not a care in the world,’ she whispered.

Joseph leaned over her shoulder and pointed to the sign. ‘And this
has
to be what links them, Nikki. The hospital. Those tablets must have originated from there.’

‘But the hospital has long gone, so who is sending them out now?’

‘That is going to be my next line of enquiry. There has to be a paper chain, and if I can trace it back, I’ll find the source.’ Joseph bit his lip anxiously. ‘As long as my recently imposed civilian capacity allows me to.’

Nikki stared at him. ‘So what if I allocated you some help? In the form of either Niall or Yvonne?’

Joseph straightened up. ‘Would you? That would be great!’

‘Well, let’s face it, if we weren’t hunting down our killer, Martin’s case would be active. It would have a whole team of officers asking questions, not just one constable.’ She smiled at him. ‘Yes, I’ll sort that. We just have to keep shtum over precisely what they are doing, okay?’

Joseph grinned. ‘Well, I’d be the last one to argue with that.’ His face grew serious. ‘But please don’t put your neck too far onto the block for me, Nikki. I know how close to the wind you’re sailing by even letting me proceed with this investigation, no matter how covertly.’

‘Oh, don’t worry too much on that score. I’ll be discreet, but with my reputation, it’s pretty well expected of me!’ She leaned back in her chair and stared at the photograph. ‘Are there any more like this?’

Joseph shrugged. ‘I’ll get the box. Some of them may mean more to you than me.’

For half an hour they sorted through the old pictures. Some of the ones taken on Cloud Fen made Nikki feel quite nostalgic.

‘Look at this.’ Joseph brought her back to the present. ‘Tell me what you see.’

Nikki stared at the dog-eared picture. Once again the five friends hung around the old car, and initially Nikki thought they were consecutive shots, then she noticed subtle differences.

‘There are fewer leaves on that tree, and the girls have light jackets on. This was taken at the same spot, close the hospital, but at a different time of year.’

‘So they met there, or drove there on a regular basis.’ Joseph frowned. ‘But why?’

‘A sick friend?’ Nikki ventured. ‘When Hannah was first ill, I practically lived at the hospital.’

‘Maybe.’ Joseph didn’t look convinced. ‘Would you have any objections if I gave Martin’s sister a ring?’

‘None at all. She’s bound to recall what they were doing.’

While Joseph was in the study, Nikki piled up the plates and began to load the dishwasher. Thunder was rumbling ominously over the marsh, and the lights suddenly flickered a few times.

‘Oh great,’ she muttered, and began to rummage around in the cupboard beneath the sink. Power cuts were not unusual on the fen and she always kept a couple of battery-powered storm lanterns at the ready. ‘The perfect end to a sodding awful day.’

Nikki checked the lanterns were working, then went through to the study to close the computer down. Joseph sat at her desk, staring thoughtfully at the photo. ‘Any joy?’

‘Oh, I think so,’ said Joseph softly. ‘In fact we may have just stumbled on a real lead.’ He looked up at her. ‘Elizabeth said that as students they were all feeling the pinch financially.’

‘Nothing new there then.’

Joseph raised his eyebrows. ‘Just remember the timescale. We are talking about the early seventies. To get some extra cash, Martin, Elizabeth and their friends signed up with a clinic run by the hospital.’

‘What sort of clinic?’

‘Common cold cure trials and sleep studies, apparently.’

Nikki let out a low whistle.

‘And
that
is why the Gordon Peace Memorial rang bells. Do you ever recall reading about the Porton Down experiments?’

Nikki frowned and tried to think. All she could recall was that Porton Down had been, and probably still was, a government and military research centre testing biological and chemical weapons. ‘Nerve gas, wasn’t it? Sarin and CS gas were developed there, weren’t they?’

‘They certainly were, but I was thinking about the allegations made about unethical human experimentation.’ Joseph’s voice had taken on a very different timbre, and it was one that Nikki recognised from when they first met. He sounded enthusiastic and eager to get to the truth. ‘The thing was, Porton Down worked loosely in collaboration with a CCU that was located at Harvard Hospital to the west of Salisbury. But they weren’t the only ones experimenting. There was another centre in the east of England. Here to be precise, at the Gordon Peace Common Cold Unit!’ He looked at her intently. ‘That’s why the name rang a bell! They were investigated way back in the 50s, but whatever went wrong was overshadowed by the more documented one about Porton Down and the national servicemen who had been conned into taking part in something that they didn’t understand. You remember? They were given extra pay and extra days leave if they volunteered for testing drugs for the common cold, except some of them were tested with nerve agents.’

‘And one died, didn’t he?’ Vague memories were returning to Nikki. Her face screwed up in confusion. ‘But surely you’re not suggesting that those kids were caught up in some dreadful experiment right here in Greenborough? This was years later.’

‘The trials didn’t stop. Elizabeth Durham has just told me that lots of the students went through them in the 70s, but some, Martin and Amelia included, volunteered for several, and whatever tests they were, they had nothing to do with colds.’

‘And she didn’t?’

‘No, she said that some of her friends felt quite strongly about doing their bit for medical science, but she wasn’t comfortable in the role of a guinea-pig.’

‘Did she say what the other trials were about?’

‘She has no idea. Apparently Martin and Amelia were really cagey about what it involved. Then her brother was diagnosed with cancer and they forgot all about the trials.’

Nikki took a long shaky breath. ‘I don’t like where this is going.’

‘Nor do I if we find ourselves up against the MOD.’ Joseph set his jaw. ‘We just have to hope there’s no connection to the military and whatever was going on in that unit was a privately funded trial.’

An ominous rumble of thunder added gravity to his words, and Nikki shivered. Martin Durham, Amelia Reed, Paul Cousins, and who else? Three known deaths, all fairly recent, and connected by sinister medication and an experiment that took place decades ago. She struggled to get her head around it. ‘We need to know everything we can about those trials. We should go see Elizabeth Durham.’ Nikki regarded Joseph seriously. ‘Tonight.’

‘In this?’ Joseph’s eyes were wide. ‘We’ll be lucky to get as far as the main road without calling the coastguard!’

Lightning flickered around the room and a deafening crack of thunder made Nikki jump. ‘Jesus! It’s right overhead.’ She leaned across the desk and pulled one of the storm lanterns closer. ‘If this keeps up, ten to one we lose the bloody power.’ She thumped her fist down and cursed. ‘Damn it! I really need to talk to Martin’s sister. She’s our only link to what happened to him.’

‘Talk to her on the phone.’ Joseph lifted the handset and offered it to her. ‘Ask her to dig out everything she can about the CCU, and I’ll go out there first thing in the morning and see her.’