Urge to Kill (1) (37 page)

For a moment, it looked as if Grant was going to leave, but then he turned at the door. ‘You wouldn’t be so happy to jump to this dyke’s tune if you knew who she was screwing.’

Grant’s voice was raised, and people in the general office were turning to look. Jenny stood, horrified that history was repeating itself. Matt put both hands on Grant’s shoulders and propelled him from the room. He pulled the office door shut behind them as he tried to control his anger.

‘Damn you. It so happens I do know. Although what it has to do with you or anyone else I can’t guess.’ Aware that he had more important matters to concentrate on, he turned to go back into the office.

Confident that he now had an audience, Grant shrugged and started making his way back to his desk. Matt had opened the office door when he heard, as he was supposed to hear, Grant’s comment to the rest of the team.

‘Wouldn’t be surprised if he and his new missus aren’t joining in.’

Grant was still grinning from his clever remark when Matt reached him, spinning him around, arm pulled back ready to deliver a right-hander. Suddenly, Matt felt himself held in a bear hug, both arms pinned to his side.

‘That’s enough, lad, I’ll deal with this.’

Through his rage, Matt recognised McRay’s voice. He had forgotten that McRay had been nicknamed Bruiser in his younger days and was surprised at the strength in his arms.

It only took a second before Matt regained his senses and his anger evaporated. He shook McRay’s arms free and turned away from Grant, glad to see that he looked shaken. McRay nodded to Grant.

‘My office, now.’

Matt headed back towards his office where Jenny was standing white faced in the doorway.

‘Sorry,’ he said, a little shamefaced.

She shrugged. ‘It was inevitable that he would cause trouble. It’s what he enjoys.’

‘Mrs Trowbridge?’

‘Not yet.’

Matt was disappointed.

‘Join Sam. I’ll ring you as soon as she comes through, or as soon as I can get hold of Harry.’

He drove fast, mostly thinking about Fluff and how she would react to Grant’s petty comments. He wished he hadn’t lost his temper, even if it was only for a moment, but it was the mention of Eppie that had sparked it. Thank God for McRay. If he hadn’t intervened, Matt could be on a charge right now. This was the old McRay, back on form. He wouldn’t let Grant get away with his trouble making.

CHAPTER 55

E
ppie eased herself up from the cold grass. The smell of damp earth clung to her. Pressing her head against the rough tombstone, she risked a peek towards the parking lot. There were only a few cars there, and she couldn’t see Clive.

Beyond the car park, she could see the house and the blue lights of the patrol car. Fluff’s car was pulled up next to the patrol car. Help was so close. Eppie wondered if she should scream and run towards them.

As she watched, Fluff came out of the house and went towards her car. It was difficult to see but Eppie was sure she was holding the notebook. Thank God she had found it. M would be safe even if it gave her no help.

Which way should she go? A welcome light from the church porch was cutting across the gloom. But if she ran towards it would highlight her.

Then Eppie heard determined footsteps on the path. A thin beam of light hit the gravestone to the side of her. Before it could swing to reach her, she doubled up and ran towards the church.

The sound of a hymn greeted her. Stepping into the church Eppie stopped. This must be the junior choir. There were about twenty, ten- to twelve-year-old boys and girls. The choirmaster was a rotund woman of about fifty.

All of them together would be no match for Clive. Eppie knew she couldn’t stay here and moved back into the porch, keeping close to the cold stone walls. She watched for any movement out there in the dark.

There was nothing. No torch, no footsteps, no movement. He could be waiting until she made a break for it. Or maybe he would think she had found help and wouldn’t be expecting her to come out. As she waited, wondering what to do, she became aware of footsteps behind her. In a burst of laughter and chatter, the youngsters were leaving. Soon the lights would be turned off leaving her alone. Using this thought to give her courage, Eppie shot out into the dark, hidden amongst the crowd. The children turned left towards the car park, so she ran up a small path leading away from the car park and to the right.

No one reached out to grab her, but she knew she couldn’t relax. Somehow she had to get to the spa. Fluff needed help to stop Clive killing M. With no money or phone, she wasn’t sure how she could do this. The temperature was beginning to fall and she started to shiver.

The small path came out onto a street of small shops, all of which seemed to have shut up for the night. She turned left heading towards the houses and a sign, which said Kenilworth Castle.

Some of the houses had lights on promising warmth and safety. Would it be better to knock on someone’s front door, or stop one of the cars rushing by? They might think she was mad, wandering about with no coat on in the cold, and race on by or shut the door in her face.

Eppie turned as a car slowed behind her, ever fearful that it would be Clive. But the driver was waiting while the car coming the other way passed a parked van. Relieved, she took a step forward, giving a wave, but the driver kept his eyes rigidly forward refusing to notice her.

Disappointed, she stepped back on the curb, only to jump forward again as a taxi slowed on the other side of the road. In response to her frantic waving the taxi stopped. Eppie ran across the road and scrabbled in to sink back relieved in the warmth.

‘Where to?’

‘Oh. Police station. No, Heath Stone Spa please.’

‘You all right?’

‘Yes…no.’

‘Think we had better make it the Police Station then. That’s unless they have shut up for the night. Think they’re a bloody shop or something they do. Closed when the burglars and all the other buggers start work. Don’t make sense does it?’

‘No.’

‘Here. How you gonna pay me? You’ve got no purse or coat.’

‘I don’t know. I just had to get out of there.’

‘Oh like that is it. Can’t abide a man who hits a woman. But it still don’t pay my bill, Love, does it?’

‘I’m sorry.’ Eppie toyed with the idea of telling him everything and that a young girl was in danger, unless he took her to the spa, but he would probably think she was mad. Although she was now safe, M and possibly Fluff were still in danger. Maybe she could persuade him to ring the police on his radio, although it had been hard enough to get through last time. It would be best to go straight to the spa and warn M, just in case Fluff hadn’t understood her notes.

The taxi waited at the traffic lights indicating to go right. Eppie realised that they were going to pass the parking lot and slumped down in her seat.

There he was. Pulling out in front of them. He couldn’t have seen her, could he? Was he on his way to the spa?

The taxi stopped.

‘Can’t go on, Love, sorry and all that but need the money.’

Eppie knew she must do something. Inspiration struck and she leaned forward.

‘Could you take my watch as security? Please.’

She handed it over. He put on the cab light and turned it over in his hand. She knew she had won when he put it in his pocket.

CHAPTER 56

S
am was parked about a hundred yards from the house when Matt joined him.

‘Dead as a doornail here, Boss.’

A mental picture of Clive Draper’s frail mother came to Matt. ‘Don’t say that, Sam.’

As always, Sam picked up the undercurrent. ‘Why, you don’t think…?’

Matt had just filled Sam in about Clive Draper when his mobile rang.

‘Affirmative with the wheelchair. It has a squeak. Bring him in, Matt.’ Jenny’s voice sounded energised, almost excited.

‘Any news from Harry yet?’ Matt asked, trying to control the answering excitement he was feeling. This was it. At last they had a lead. Could take action.

‘No. According to the redoubtable Mrs T, he goes to his daughters on a Monday. She is pulling his next of kin form, so we are working on that.’

‘Good,’ he said, eager now to be taking some action and already starting the car.

There was no answer as Sam rang the buzzer, just an echoing silence that set Matt’s hairs on end. There was something wrong. Signalling Sam to keep ringing, he moved to look through the large bay windows. There were no lights on in the house, and at first it was difficult to see.

Eventually he could make out a figure near the fireplace. It was Mrs Draper but she appeared to be asleep. Matt was certain she didn’t have a problem with her hearing yesterday. He knocked loudly on the glass but there was no movement. Now certain Mrs Draper was in trouble, he had the right to force an entry.

It wasn’t easy, since the house was protected against burglars, but a plant pot through one of the panes of the kitchen door soon afforded them an entrance. As they entered the living room, Matt moved to Mrs Draper’s side, lowering his voice in case she was asleep.

‘Mrs Draper, it is Inspector Turrell. We met yesterday.’ There was no response and now he could see she was dead. Her face had that dull whiteness which showed up the bruises around her thin neck.

Matt hardly needed to check but he followed the routine. She hadn’t seemed a very pleasant woman, but even so, Matt felt a certain sadness, for she had died at the hands of her own son. No one deserved that.

Sam was already calling it in and soon this whole house would become a crime scene with Jason and his team taking over. Matt and Sam had a responsibility to make sure that Clive Draper wasn’t still in the house, although Matt was sure he was long gone. It gave them the chance to find something that might tell them where he had gone. Jenny would be putting out the APB right now, but this killer was too clever to let himself be seen walking down the street. They needed something else.

Drawing on their forensic gloves, he and Sam began a quick search of the house, starting at the top. The house had three stories, and the top rooms were used for little more than storage. The light overlay of dust showed that nothing had been disturbed for a while.

They continued down to the main bedrooms on the second floor. The rooms were large. Matt was standing in the doorway of what was certainly Mrs Draper’s room when Sam gave a shout.

The excited, ‘Here, Guv,’ was what Matt had been hoping for and he hurried to the large front room. It was a tasteful, if simply furnished, room. Sam was standing by the row of built in cupboards, which took up an entire wall. At one end, besides the immaculate suits, jackets, and shirts that hung in neatly arranged rows were three garment bags. One was open, showing five empty metal hangers. On the sixth was an oversized child’s party dress in lilac with a deep purple sash. Matt heard Sam’s intake of breath.

‘Oh no. Guv, he’s on his way to do another three.’

As Sam opened the other two garment bags to reveal more dresses, Matt was already on his mobile to Jenny. He could hear the response car’s siren in the background and the conversation was difficult. She was on her way to join them but what he had to say couldn’t wait.

Clive must have known that his mother would be discovered. Even if he had been rational when he had started out on his killing spree, he had just killed his own mother. Surely, that would tip him over the edge. And he wasn’t the sort to leave the country. No, with nothing to lose, he would want to show off, show the world just how clever he was.

Matt thought back to what the professor had said. He wanted everyone to understand why he had been driven to take this action, or something like that. Maybe Clive wasn’t thinking clearly at all, but really believed that he was invincible. Sam counted the dresses in the other two bags; each contained six dresses. So maybe Clive had accepted this might be his last killing spree. Matt was certain he would want to make it count, thumb his nose at them all.

But he had taken three dresses with him. Three women were in danger.

Thank God Eppie was safe. Matt had a sudden moment of doubt. Was there anyway Clive could have found out where she was this time? He consoled himself that Fluff would be home by now and she was no fool. The siren stopped, and he could hear Jenny clearly.

‘Did I hear that right, Matt? You think he is about to commit another three?’

‘Yes. Hold on.’ Sam was trying to get his attention. Matt watched as Sam slid out a stout cardboard box from the bottom of the wardrobe and eased the lid upwards. Inside, thrown together in an untidy mess, were over a hundred model soldiers.

‘Inspector,’ Jenny demanded.

‘Sorry. Sam has just found the soldiers. We believe Clive took three dresses with him, so have to assume that he intends to kill again, Ma’am.’

‘Oh, God. Then we have got to stop him. I’m one minute away. Keep searching.’

Matt could hear the urgency in her voice and decided not to mention that they could be too late already.

Sam was pulling out other boxes that contained hair bows, lollipops, and dolls. Matt moved to go through the dressing table drawers but they yielded nothing interesting, so he continued to the bedside cabinet to pick up a small picture frame.