When Night Closes in (32 page)

Lainey knocked again on the door of Lowri's house but it was becoming increasingly clear that no-one was going to answer him. He had phoned her office only to be told that she had taken the day off.

‘No joy then, guv?' Ken Major was leaning against the car, his arms folded across his chest.

‘Doesn't look like it, does it, Sergeant?' Last night Lainey had followed Justin Richards as far as the main road out of town and then had promptly lost him. He was still seething with rage that he had been outwitted.

Lainey watched as Ken Major climbed into the car and listened to the crackling message on the radio. He leaned out of the driving seat and waved.

‘Guv, just had word that Perkins has got his memory back. Shall we go to the hospital and speak to him?'

‘Might as well.' Lainey looked up at the blank windows. He resisted the urge to kick in the firmly closed door. Turning away, he glanced along the street, but it was empty except for the milk float grinding its way up the incline.

‘I wonder if we'll get anything useful out of Perkins, guv?' Ken Major started the car and slipped it into gear. ‘He's a bit of a wimp but I suppose being a student he's quite intelligent.'

‘False assumption, Major,' Lainey said. ‘Some kids just have good memories.' He sounded as surly as he felt and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. Lowri Richards, she was the pivot in all this confusion. She was the one woman he could readily spend his life with; yet how could he trust her when she had lied to him so convincingly?

Lowri must know what was going on. She was linked to all the parties involved. Jon Brandon, Justin Richards and his father, Sally White and Timmy Perkins. And, of course, she had more than a nodding acquaintance with Sarah Brandon.

‘I wonder if Sarah Brandon knows more than she's been telling us,' he said, sitting upright. ‘Strange that she should swan off abroad with her husband missing.'

‘Well, can you blame her, guv? Looks like her old man was not exactly the faithful kind.'

‘Still, I think it's about time we took a little trip, Major. You're not tied up over the next week or two, are you?'

‘No, I'm not. And I wouldn't mind a couple of weeks in the sun.'

‘Don't get carried away. It would be more like a couple of days in the sun, if we can get the go-ahead at all, that is.'

‘Well, I'm all for it. I've always thought the Brandon wife a bit of a dark horse. The jealous type certainly but the kind to look after number one whatever happened.'

‘It could be that she is out in Jamaica waiting for her husband to join her,' Lainey said. ‘He might even be there with her already. Anyway, first things first, let's talk to Perkins, see what he can remember.'

Lainey had never liked hospitals. The smells, the sounds, the very paint on the wall turned his stomach. Whenever he was required to attend a post-mortem he did his best not to look too closely at the corpse. It made him only too aware of his own mortality.

‘Go and find out which ward the boy is in,' he said as he stepped through the swing doors into the reception area. Ken Major obeyed with alacrity and Lainey half smiled. The receptionist was a very pretty young woman.

Ken took a little longer over his enquiry than necessary and Lainey moved impatiently towards the double doors leading to the corridor.

‘Ward H, guv.' Ken Major caught him up. ‘Seems the boy's had other visitors already.'

Lainey stopped walking. ‘What other visitors?'

‘Mr Watson and some bloke who didn't give his name. Popular fellow, isn't he?'

Timmy Perkins's bed was near the door of the small ward. Lainey went towards him, observing the boy's swollen eyes and bandaged head. His hands were wrapped in gauze and covered with plastic bags. He looked absurdly young, with all the cockiness knocked out of him.

‘How are you feeling?' Lainey asked, seating himself on a plastic chair. ‘Had a rough time of it, by the look.'

‘I don't remember a great deal about it,' Timmy said. ‘But why are the police sending a detective inspector to make inquiries about a road accident?' His voice was thin, as though he was very tired.

‘It's not about the accident,' Lainey said. ‘Someone else has probably taken all the details of that from you already, haven't they?'

‘Yes, but knowing the police they need someone to blame for it. Well it wasn't my fault, I can tell you that much.'

‘Remarkable for a man who can't remember much about it, wouldn't you say, Sergeant?'

‘Remarkable,' Ken affirmed. He had positioned himself at the foot of the bed, arms folded across his chest, almost as if he expected Perkins to make a run for it.

‘It's about the possessions Sally White left in your care,' Lainey said. ‘I believe there was a CD amongst her things?'

‘Well yes, there might have been several CDs come to that, I didn't really look.'

‘So what did you do with her things?'

‘I thought I'd told you.' Perkins rubbed his forehead. ‘Didn't I tell you I gave them all to Lowri Richards?'

Lainey leaned forward. ‘Try to think, try to remember, what did you find among her belongings, nail polish and make-up and what else?'

‘Nothing else as far as I know. Make-up for sure, Sally wouldn't move without a load of cosmetics about her person.'

‘So how come she left them with you?'

Timmy Perkins looked confused. ‘Why shouldn't she leave things at my place? We were sleeping together, you knew that already.'

‘When you called over to Miss White's house the night she disappeared why didn't you take her things back to her then?'

‘Why should I? Is it important?'

Lainey rubbed his chin, he needed a shave. ‘This CD – it was no ordinary CD, was it?'

‘Wasn't it?' Timmy closed his eyes. ‘Look, I'm tired, I don't know what you're getting at and I just want to sleep.'

‘This CD, it was written in some sort of code, wasn't it?'

Timmy sighed and opened his eyes. He leaned over and rang the bell for the nurse. She appeared almost at once.

‘I've a headache, nurse. Could I have a painkiller please?' He was like a small boy asking for sweets. The nurse plumped his pillows and Lainey watched her with interest. In his experience nurses had little time for motherly duties these days.

‘I think you'd better go, sir.' She tucked the sheet in at the sides with fierce efficiency. ‘Mr Perkins has had quite enough visitors for one day.'

‘So I understand.' Lainey got to his feet. ‘I believe Mr Watson called? Now why did you need the services of a solicitor?'

‘I'll need to claim compensation for my injuries, don't you think?'

‘All according to who caused the accident. If it was an accident,' Lainey said. ‘Come along Sergeant, we've taken up quite enough of Mr Perkins's time.'

Out in the street Lainey sighed heavily. ‘He's hiding something. Did you know his car was ransacked after the crash?'

‘Heard something about it, guv.'

‘Strange sort of vandals breaking into a car involved in such a bad crash, don't you think?'

‘It happens.' Ken opened the door of the car and climbed in. ‘No doubt given a little time the thieves would have nicked the wheels and the chassis too, if they thought they could get away with it.'

He drove for a time in silence and Lainey tried to sort out the complex tangle of events surrounding the case. Two missing persons, another almost killed. A CD containing a weird code, and Lowri Richards. It all came back to her. There was no getting away from it. Lowri must be involved up to her pretty little neck.

‘So, Lowri, now you can understand why I chose to leave Summer's Dean now, after all these years. When I became ill, I realized I wanted to live with Terence more than anything in the world.' Rhian lay against the pillows in the pretty bedroom and looked up at her daughter.

‘Mother! What exactly is wrong with you? And why didn't you tell me about your illness before this? I could have come home and looked after you!' Seeing how pale and thin Rhian had become made Lowri feel guilty. ‘I really should have spent more time with you, Mummy.' The childish word slipped out without her noticing. Rhian smiled.

‘No, not you and Charles in the same house,' she said. ‘In any case, I didn't want to upset you with all this sickness business, you have enough on your plate as it is.'

The door opened and Terence came in. Rhian held out her hand and he took it, his expression soft with love. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. Rhian smiled at him and then turned back to Lowri.

‘You are not to worry about me, these few weeks with Terence have been the happiest ones of my life. I should have left Charles years ago.'

Lowri sighed. ‘Have you seen Justin? He's popped up to London for a day or two but he'll be back soon.'

‘He never came near,' Rhian said sadly. ‘I suppose it's only to be expected. After all I left his father for another man.'

‘Still, you are Justin's mother, he should try to understand,' Lowri insisted. But then Justin had always been selfish, just like Charles. Suddenly she was very glad that she was Terence's daughter, not Charles's.

‘I'm sorry, Lowri.' It was as if he read her thoughts. ‘I know you think I let you down with the police but I never made any call asking you to meet me. It was some cruel trick to get you out of the house.'

Lowri remained silent, not sure if he was telling the truth. The voice on the line had certainly sounded like Mr Watson's. And the attacker at the hotel had been familiar somehow. She recalled a certain scent, it reminded her of someone. Still, she might just be confused. She had blacked out, after all.

She looked at Mr Watson carefully, he was so sweet, so innocent. She must have been fooled by a very clever con man. Jon perhaps?

Her father bent over Rhian and Lowri saw the glint of tears in his eyes. ‘I know the treatment isn't very pleasant, darling, but you'll be better for it, I know you will.' Alarmed, she looked at her mother.

‘What treatment, what does the doctor say is wrong?'

‘The doctors are doing all they can, Lowri, and don't worry, I intend to be around for a long time yet.'

Lowri felt chilled. Her mother was too cheerful; her illness must be serious. Lowri took a deep breath. ‘But Mother—'

‘No buts,' Rhian said. ‘Now you two are supposed to be cheering me up, not looking at me as if I was dead already.'

‘I'm sorry, Mother.' Lowri forced a smile, her mind numb with fear.

‘We think Charles is up to his old tricks again,' Rhian said, her voice deliberately bright. ‘He's definitely engaged in something crooked and it would be nice for once to be able to prove it.' She touched Terence's hand. ‘He's tried often enough to put you out of business, hasn't he, love?'

He shrugged noncommittally. ‘But he hasn't succeeded yet, and he won't.'

‘Mr Watson,' Lowri said, ‘do you trust Mrs Jenkins? I went into reception today and saw her computer screen had a load of funny writing on it. She's not spying on us for someone, is she?'

Mr Watson shook his head. ‘I don't think so, Lowri, and I don't expect you to call me Father but how about Terence? Why don't I go and get us a coffee?' He left the room and Rhian smiled up at Lowri.

‘He's being tactful, in case we want to talk privately together.'

‘Oh, right. And do we?' Lowri frowned, fearing her mother would talk about death or wills, say things Lowri did not want to hear. Rhian shook her head.

‘No, of course not. There's nothing I can't say with Terence present, I trust him absolutely.'

Lowri heaved a sigh of relief. ‘Coming back to Mrs Jenkins, I wonder if she had some sort of secret code on the computer,' she said. ‘Perhaps a formula for some chemical that no-one's thought of inventing before?'

Rhian smiled. ‘Now you're being over-imaginative again. You always were, even as a child. The nightmares you used to have.' Rhian reached out and touched her hand. ‘The nightmares have gone away, haven't they?'

‘Yes, Mother, of course they have,' Lowri lied. ‘I'm a big girl now, remember. Still, I think Mrs Jenkins must have been up to something. Arms deals maybe, she looks big enough and ugly enough to be involved in anything!'

The door was pushed open and Mr Watson came in with a cup of coffee in each hand. ‘Nothing as dramatic, Lowri. Though it's possible our Mrs Jenkins is working with the police.' The idea seemed to worry him.

‘Surely not!' Lowri said. ‘She could have been working for Justin, of course.'

‘Justin?' Rhian said, ‘What's he got to do with anything crooked?'

‘I don't really know if he is,' Lowri said cautiously, ‘it's just that Jon Brandon, my one-time fiancé, was sending a case of software to Canada, to Justin's business address.'

Terence was silent, his fingers gently smoothing the skin of Rhian's arm. He was frowning worriedly and Lowri understood his concern.

‘I'm sorry, Justin's probably got nothing to do with Charles or with anything crooked. No doubt he just wanted some innocent software, games or something, sent out to him.'

‘That's likely,' Terence said. ‘Canada hasn't got the expertise in computer technology that we have here.'

Rhian smiled. ‘That's rather a sweeping statement for a solicitor to make, Terence!'

‘It's true, darling.'

Lowri stared at him. It was so strange to think that he was her father, and had been her mother's lover for years. Her boss, the angelic-faced respectable solicitor, and her mother had shared a passion and she was the result.

‘Why are you staring at us as if we've grown two heads?' Rhian asked, a smile turning her mouth up at the corners.

‘Just thinking,' Lowri said. ‘Well look, I'd better go.' She stood up. ‘I came here to see my sick mother and I find I've barged into a love-nest!'