Taunting the Dead (38 page)

‘Take care of something?’

Carole nodded. ‘Shaun denied anything was going on. Then the day before yesterday, Lee Kennedy was parked outside. I was upstairs and I saw Shaun go out to him. They were arguing but I couldn’t hear about what so I went downstairs. When I got to them, they stopped. Young Kennedy got in his car and drove off. Shaun told me not to worry then, too.’ She looked at Allie, desperate for her to make sense of things for her. ‘One of those Kennedy bastards has done something to him, haven’t they?’

Allie placed a hand on the woman’s arm. ‘Let’s hope not.’ She turned to go as Carole began to cry. But as she got to the door, she stopped.

‘Carole, did Steph ever cause damage to The Orange Grove?’

Carole paused for a moment. ‘Not that I can recall,’ she sniffed. ‘She used to break the odd glass when she was drunk but that was about all. Why?’

‘No reason.’ Allie decided not to tell her of Terry’s accusations. The woman had enough to worry about with Shaun going missing. She didn’t need to make things any worse.

She needed to find Shaun.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

After Allie had left, Carole started to go over everything again. Shaun had never gone missing before. He would always ring her if he was going to be late. He’d text if he hadn’t time to ring. And since they worked so closely together, she wasn’t far from him at all times. It was so unlike him to stay out and not contact her.

She started to wonder if Terry could be involved. Surely he wouldn’t do anything to harm Shaun? It seemed too close to home after all that had gone on recently. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed possible. In the end, she rang him.

‘Shaun’s missing,’ she sobbed down the line. ‘Have you done something to him, you bastard?’

‘Missing? I haven’t done –’

‘You’ve done something to get your own back on me, haven’t you?’

‘I haven’t done anything to him. Look, shut up a minute and let me think.’

But Carole went on. ‘I reported him missing to the police this morning.’

‘What did they say? Who did you speak to?’

‘Allie Shenton’s been round. She asked me who had been to see Shaun lately. I told her he’d gone to see you. I told her about Lee Kennedy and Phil –’

‘Lee Kennedy?’ Terry forgot all about the mention of Allie or himself.

After Carole filled him in with the details, Terry disconnected the phone and felt the hairs stand up on his neck.

After ringing Kirstie, Lee called his dad again but still no answer. Fuck! Where was he? He’d have to chance it and call in at number two. But if the police were at his house already, he’d have to leg it without seeing his dad first for some cash.

Everything was quiet when he drove past. He parked in the side entry and, using the key he had to the house, opened the door and let himself in.

‘Dad?’ he shouted. ‘Dad?’ He went through to the living room, the kitchen, ran up the stairs to check the bedroom but the house was empty. He rang him again; still no answer. His shoulders sagged. Where was he? Surely he wouldn’t do a runner without him? He checked his watch. There was no time to see if he had. He’d have to pick up Kirstie and bring her back here. He could tie her up while he thought what to do next. Jumping down the last few stairs, he dropped into the cellar. He found a piece of rope and shoved it into his jacket pocket. It would have to do for now.

Kirstie was waiting for him where he’d arranged to meet her. She slid into the passenger seat.

Lee pulled her into his arms and kissed her. ‘I missed you,’ he lied.

‘I missed you too.’ She moved his hand to her breast.

‘Plenty of time for that later.’ He started the car engine. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’

On the short drive back, Lee quizzed Kirstie about Steph’s murder enquiry. What the police were up to. What they’d asked her since he’d last seen her. From what she told him, it looked like he was safe for now, at least.

He parked on the dirt track down the side of number two again. ‘I need to call at my dad’s first,’ he said. Making sure the rope in his jacket pocket was well hidden, he grabbed her hand and ran. ‘Come on. He wants to see me about something.’

‘Wait up!’ Kirstie tottered as she tried to keep up with him. ‘My heels.’

Once at the door, he opened it and stepped aside. ‘After you.’ He threw out his arm.

Kirstie giggled and tottered into the hall. Lee banged shut the door, grabbed her hand again and ran upstairs.

‘Hey!’ Kirstie protested. ‘We can’t go up there!’

He took her into the back bedroom and threw her onto the bed. She sat back up again but he pushed her down. He reached for the rope. When she saw it, Kirstie flipped.

‘What the fuck’s going on, Lee?’ She noted the cold in his eyes.

Lee cracked her hard across the face.

‘What was that for?’ she wailed.

‘I want you to shut up. Do you think you could manage that for now?’

Kirstie tried to nod through her panic.

‘Good.’ Lee pulled one of her hands up and tied her wrist to the end of the metal headboard. Then he grabbed the other and pulled it across the bed to the opposite side, intending to tie it there so that her arms were outstretched. But the rope wasn’t long enough. He cursed loudly. Not thinking straight, he tied the rope tighter around the one wrist that was fastened and added a couple of double knots. He pulled at them to reassure himself that she couldn’t slip the wrist free. She wouldn’t be able to do much with one hand, especially after he’d finished with her, anyway. He took a small clear bag from out of his jeans. It contained several sleeping pills, the ones he’d used to ensure she was out of it last Friday night. He waggled the bag in her face.

‘There are lots of things you don’t know about me, Kirstie Ryder,’ he said. ‘So I’d think about that while you keep your mouth shut.’

It was nearing mid-morning when Allie left The Orange Grove. She radioed through to Sam and picked her up outside the station. Then they headed over to Georgia Road. On the drive there, she filled Sam in with what Carole had told her.

‘We’ll visit both Kennedys,’ she said as she drove around The Potteries Way, ‘and see what they have to say.’

‘How well did Lee Kennedy know Shaun Morrison?’ Sam asked.

‘Not well at all, according to Carole.’

‘Do you think he was trying to prove himself to his dad?’

‘Possibly.’ Allie negotiated a roundabout and then changed to the left lane. ‘It could be why he was visiting Shaun so soon after Steph’s murder and straight after his dad paying a visit too.’

‘Maybe he heard his dad telling Shaun something?’

‘It’s all circumstantial, though.’ Allie sighed.

Sam turned to her suddenly. ‘You don’t think Phil Kennedy was arranging for Shaun to murder Steph?’

Allie shook her head. ‘Why would he do that?’

‘Think about it.’ Sam paused as she tried to work things out. ‘Maybe Lee heard his dad telling Shaun to do it and Lee was pissed about it. Maybe Lee thought he should have asked him. He could have killed Steph instead to prove himself to his dad. Or even followed Shaun and tried to blackmail him.’

‘You think Shaun killed Steph?’

‘Well, don’t you think it’s strange that he’s gone missing now?’

‘I suppose so, but there’s no logical connection that Shaun would kill her. And no evidence to connect either him or Lee Kennedy as being present at the scene.’

They continued in silence as they each tried to make sense of their thoughts. Allie knew Sam was on the verge of something. Damn, why wouldn’t the last piece or two of the jigsaw slot into the puzzle?

‘It’s a good theory,’ Allie added, indicating right into Georgia Road. ‘But why wouldn’t Phil kill Steph Ryder rather than get Shaun to do it for him?’

‘And what was his motive for killing Steph, or arranging to have her killed, in the first place? I reckon…’

Allie slammed on the brakes. Checking in the rear-view mirror to make sure nothing was behind her, she reversed back slightly. ‘Look.’ She pointed at a car parked a few houses away from where Lee Kennedy lived. She located her notepad and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for.
Yes
! She almost punched the air. The make and model matched: BMW 5 Series. The colour matched: midnight blue. The registration number matched.

‘That’s Shaun Morrison’s car,’ she told Sam. ‘Surely that’s not a coincidence? And it’s parked nearer to Lee Kennedy’s than to his father’s. We’ll try there first.’

Allie parked the car and they ran over to number eighteen. She pounded on the door. No reply. She banged again. Still no answer. She lifted the letterbox and peered through. She could see a narrow hallway, stairs to the right and a door at the far end. But it wasn’t the first thing she noticed. Allie could see blood. On the banister, all over the laminate flooring, on the walls here and there. And on the door handle leading to what she knew to be the kitchen. The door was ajar but she didn’t need to see anymore. She stood upright and reached for her phone.

‘There’s blood everywhere,’ she told Sam. ‘We need backup to force this door.’

‘What about round the back?’

‘No point. Every door is reinforced to keep us out. Just keep an eye out to see if those curtains twitch. I doubt Kennedy is inside but you never know.’

Fifteen minutes later two squad cars drew up, blue lights flashing. Allie and Sam stood back while a uniformed officer used a battering ram to gain access. After a few minutes, the door finally gave way. By now, some of the tenants of Georgia Road were congregating on their doorsteps.

Allie searched out latex gloves, shoe covers and batons from the officers. ‘Wait out here,’ she told them, cautious of contaminating a crime scene. ‘Don’t let anyone follow us unless we shout for backup.

Allie and Sam stepped in.

Her baton sliced through the air as Allie snapped it open and held it high. They moved forward stealthily. As she got to the living room door, the blood on the kitchen floor became more prominent. Eyes flitting everywhere, she pushed open the living room door first and peered round. ‘It’s clear,’ she said. ‘So is the kitchen from where I’m standing.’

Sam paled at the sight of the blood. ‘What the hell’s gone on in there?’ She covered her mouth with her hand and gagged.

‘Let’s check upstairs first.’ Allie backed away. ‘If anyone does come out of the kitchen, the uniforms will nab them if they make a run for it. We’ll hear them if they go out the back way. And remember, try not to walk over anything.’

Holding batons aloft, Allie and Sam went upstairs. But apart from lots more blood in the bathroom, the rooms were clear. Allie surveyed the state of the bedroom. It looked worse than some of the burglaries she’d attended. The bed was unmade, clothes on the floor, drawers open and empty. A three-drawer cabinet had been swept and cleared, she assumed of toiletries, maybe aftershave.

Allie dropped the baton to her side. What had happened here? Had there been a fight? An argument gone wrong? Had someone been taken to hospital? Or was Kennedy the victim? And if so, which one? It could just as easily be father or son.

They went back downstairs. Allie heard Sam catch her breath, a moment before she did the same. To the right was a door that led down to the cellar. There was blood on its handle. In an instant, all the horror movies she’d ever seen flashed before her eyes. Pulse pounding in her ears, Allie rested her hand on the metal knob for the briefest of moments before taking a deep breath and opening it. She gasped at the sight before her.

The body of a male lay face down at the bottom of the stairs. His neck was at a displeasing angle, the back of his head beaten to pulp, the side of his face caved in. There was more blood underneath his torso. Allie rushed down but before she got to the bottom of the stairs, she could see it was Shaun Morrison.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Although Terry hadn’t gone to bed since he’d finished off Phil Kennedy, he felt a bizarre sense of calm. Phil had had it coming to him for a long time. Not only because he’d been screwing Steph but because he’d been screwing him over, too.

It was ten thirty the next morning. He sat in the family room, looking but not seeing the rear garden. Over coffee and a cigarette, he realised there would be all hell to pay for his actions once Steve Kennedy found out that he’d killed his brother but he’d deal with the consequences later. For now, it was good riddance. Phil could have got him into a lot of trouble and he wasn’t going to let any man do that. Or woman.

His Blackberry rang. He didn’t recognise the number. ‘Yeah?’

‘I have your daughter.’

Terry felt the blood drain to his feet as the caller continued.

‘I have Kirstie and if you don’t give me what I want, I’m going to hurt her. Hurt her real bad.’

‘Lee, if that’s you, I swear to God I’ll –’

There was a pause down the line. ‘Never mind who it is. I want money and I want it fast. Ten grand. Do you hear me? I’ll ring again in two hours.’

‘Hello? HELLO!’ Terry cursed as the line went dead.

What the fuck did Lee Kennedy think he was doing with Kirstie? And how the hell had he got hold of her? She’d been home last night – or had she? She could have slipped out when he was over in Leek.

He grabbed his car keys and headed out. But as he arrived at Georgia Road ten minutes later, Terry didn’t stop. He drove straight on. There were two police cars outside number eighteen.

Allie rang the details through to the control room. She told the officers outside to cordon off the property with tape.

‘No one in or out without my say-so until the Forensics Team or DI Carter get here, okay?’

Careful of the blood in the hallway, Allie sent Sam to look upstairs while she searched through the living room. A half-drunk cup of tea, a plate with crumbs and a third of a slice of toast left on a plate were atop of a cheap, beech-effect coffee table. It looked like someone had disturbed Lee, but for what reason?

So many questions came racing into her head. Were Sam’s first thoughts heading in the right direction? Why wouldn’t Shaun have got Lee to meet him at the restaurant? Was there something else that Shaun didn’t want Carole to know? Did he really have something to do with the murder of Steph Ryder?