Woman in Black (11 page)

‘No worries. Do you want to see some of my brother’s work?’

Jessica didn’t instantly clock what Charlie was asking her but then remembered he had told her his brother was an artist. She wasn’t too fussed either way but was soon glad she’d accepted. Charlie led her into a wide circular room that led out to the back garden. Lining the walls were a series of paintings she was instantly drawn to. Each one was beautifully crafted in watercolour, showing various countryside scenes.

‘They’re brilliant, aren’t they?’ Charlie sounded genuinely impressed at his brother’s work and, for the first time that day, Jessica felt something like sorrow in his voice. She guessed it was hard for him to grieve for someone he didn’t know for sure was dead and hadn’t known properly for years.

‘He was always a decent artist but I didn’t know about any of this,’ Charlie added, pointing to a scene on the wall showing a vast green field with a stone bridge crossing a stream. ‘We used to play football here when we were kids. It was converted into houses years ago but I guess he remembered it.’

Jessica walked around the room, taking time to look at each image. She had never been able to draw herself and had no interest in the art world. Her parents had visited from Cumbria a few years previously and insisted on taking her to the Tate Gallery in Liverpool. They had spent hours but she’d been bored within minutes. All she could remember was a broken men’s urinal stuck to a wall and a basketball suspended in a box, neither of which had impressed her. Her father had jokingly called her a ‘Philistine’ because of her reaction to it all but the paintings mounted around the room genuinely impressed her.

‘They’re terrific,’ she said. ‘He’s very talented.’ She had almost said ‘was very talented’ but stopped herself.

‘Pick one,’ Charlie said. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. He never wanted to sell his work because he didn’t need the money but he frequently gave pieces away when we were younger.’

Jessica thought about the offer for a few moments. ‘No, they’re absolutely beautiful but I’m not sure it would be right. I’d have nowhere to put it anyway.’

‘Okay, well, the offer’s there if you change your mind. Did you say you wanted to see the pool?’

Jessica hadn’t said that exactly but followed Charlie out of the room in any case. He walked through a large archway down a passageway that looped back around towards the rear of the building. There was a white plastic sheet covering a doorway which he moved to one side and held open for her to walk through. Jessica slid sideways past him into the unfinished room. Sunlight streamed through the small gaps where the windows should be but all it showed was a large hole in the ground. Half of the space had been concreted, the other part under a sheet similar to the one at the door.

‘I don’t know why it was started but not finished,’ Charlie said. ‘I’ve been looking for paperwork because it’s a bit silly like this. I don’t know if someone’s been paid to finish it, or if Ed changed his mind for whatever reason.’

Jessica nodded. ‘It will be good when it’s done, especially on a day like today.’

‘I’ve got to try to get to grips with the house really. There’s so much stuff and I don’t know where anything is. If I find anything else that could relate to Ed going missing, I’ve still got your number.’

Jessica thanked Charlie for his time and the photo and walked to her car. She drove down the driveway then turned left. Before she could speed up, she saw someone in the garden of the house next door. The man looked past retirement age but was happily pushing a lawnmower up and down. Jessica parked her car and walked towards him. The wall that ran around his house was around three feet tall but the garden was landscaped to run to the top of it so she had to peer up at him.

‘Hello?’ There was no answer so Jessica climbed up onto the wall and walked across the newly cut grass towards him. ‘Hi?’ The man finally glanced up as she got closer. He seemed confused, removing a pair of earplugs and stopping the machine.

‘Can I help you?’

‘Hi, sorry. I’m Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel from Manchester’s Metropolitan CID. Can I ask how long you’ve lived here?’

The man didn’t smile. ‘Twenty-odd years. Why?’

‘I was wondering how well you knew the Marks family next door.’

‘Only in passing, people keep to themselves around here.’

‘Do you know much about the two sons?’

The man shrugged, not thinking about his answer. ‘The dark-haired one was the only one who’s been living here as far as I know but I’ve not seen him in a little while. I saw someone yesterday with blond hair but I didn’t want to be seen to be sticking my nose in so haven’t been around.’

‘Edward Marks, the younger brother with darker hair, has gone missing,’ Jessica said. ‘The older brother, Charlie, is the blond one at the property now. I don’t suppose you’ve seen anything suspicious recently, have you?’

‘No, like I said, you pretty much keep to yourself around here. You try not to stick your nose into other people’s business. Every now and then there’s a bit of banging and drilling but Edward said he was building a pool or something. It’s nice to hear the other brother’s back though. I remember them as kids, running around and booting balls into my garden. It was always the dark-haired one who’d come to my door because he said the other one was too shy.’

Jessica thanked the neighbour for his time and returned to her car. As odd as the family situation seemed, everything Charlie had told her checked out. She was naturally programmed to be suspicious but at least, on this occasion, she could put those to one side and re-focus on finding January.

She hadn’t started her engine when Izzy’s name appeared on Jessica’s phone screen. She answered as quickly as she could. ‘Hi, Iz, I’m on my way back. I’ve got the picture I gave you the names from. Did you speak to Vicky?’

‘Yes, she said immediately her son was a rugby player. She insisted she’d come in to look at the picture but I’m not sure there’s any need. That’s not why I’m calling though.’

‘What’s up?’ Jessica asked.

‘Cross-checking these rugby players’ surnames have been a nightmare. I’ve got first names for just over half of them because they went to the school too. They live all over but there’s one guy who is definitely still a local. I thought you might want to visit him?’

Jessica was again impressed at the woman’s speed and accuracy of work. ‘I’ll do it this afternoon. Is Dave with you?’

‘Yes, he’s right here moaning about how hot it is.’

‘Good, tell him to keep working. I’ll come and pick you up and we’ll visit this rugby player. I think you deserve some time out of the station.’

TEN

Jessica drove back to the station mulling everything over. They now had a second connection to the rugby side as well as the school that linked the first hand to the second. She still had no idea how the woman in the black cape fitted into things – or if that person was January.

At the station Jessica parked her car and went to find Izzy. As she walked in, it was as if she was going through an invisible wall. The air felt heavy and, even though it was pretty humid outside, it was even hotter indoors. Luckily, the news hadn’t spread too far that it was her that broke the air-conditioning system. If it had, she would have been given far more dirty looks as she made her way to the canteen where the two constables were. Rowlands had a moan that he was being left to work from the station but Jessica didn’t pay his complaints too much attention.

Jessica and Izzy took a marked police car to see the rugby player. She didn’t know what she expected to get from him but there could be something buried in the past which had seemed innocuous at the time that was causing everything to happen now. Sometimes taking an actual police car as opposed to an officer’s own vehicle offered that little extra bit of encouragement for someone to talk.

Izzy was driving but happily chatting away as she followed the navigation device’s instructions. ‘How come you let me drive?’

Jessica shrugged, even though the constable wouldn’t have seen her from the driver’s seat. ‘Dunno really, going soft in my old age.’

‘Dave reckons you’re the worst driver he’s ever been in a car with.’

Jessica was outraged. ‘The cheek of it. I’ll remind him of that next time he’s complaining about being left at the station.’

‘He’s not the only one; your driving skills are legendary.’

‘Who says?’

‘Everyone. When I joined and you started giving me bits to do, one of the first things someone said to me was, “Don’t get in a car if she’s driving”.’

‘Bunch of bastards. I’m not that bad.’

‘One of the guys in uniform reckoned he was in the back seat when you mounted a kerb, did a U-turn, skidded between two cyclists and then handbraked it before jumping out of the driver’s seat to chase someone down.’

Jessica hummed in agreement. ‘That was only once and I got the guy. That was years ago.’

‘He told me someone else had a week off with whiplash.’

‘That guy was faking. He just wanted time off.’

‘A whole load of people reckon they’ve seen you take the turn into our car park on two wheels.’

‘I think they’ve been watching too many films.’

Jessica was trying her best to act outraged but all three stories sounded suspiciously close to the truth.

‘Anyway, what’s the deal with you and Dave?’ Izzy said.

‘Rowlands? What do you mean?’

‘You have that whole angsty thing going on. It’s like when you pick on someone at school because you secretly fancy them.’

‘Er, no. It’s just because he’s a mate and it’s fun to annoy him.’

‘That’s exactly what I mean. You joke around it but there’s this whole flirty thing going on.’

‘Flirting? Eew, he’s like a brother.’

‘Have you ever…?’

‘Ever what? Oh, God, no, of course not. Yuck. Only in his dreams.’ Jessica wasn’t comfortable with the questions but figured ducking them would make it worse.

‘You’ve never even thought about it?’

‘Get out of it. He tried it one time when I was still a DC but I sent him packing. Not my type.’

‘So you do have a type then?’

‘Yes, they have to be male and not a complete dick.’

Izzy laughed. ‘So you’ll take a partial dick as long as he’s not a complete one? That’s setting the bar pretty high.’

Jessica sniggered. ‘Why the interest?’

‘Nothing really, now I’m married I have to get my kicks from hearing about other people’s fractured relationships.’

‘If you go into marriage counselling, you should use that as your slogan.’

Although she rarely talked to anyone about relationships, Jessica found it hard not to like her colleague. As well as the constable being an excellent professional, they shared a similar type of humour. Jessica had a sudden inclination to take the woman out and get her absolutely hammered, if only to see how she acted then. Izzy was great fun to hang around with – but a little too good.

As their conversation fizzled out, Jessica checked the notepad the constable had given her. The former player they were visiting lived in the Droylsden area, around twenty minutes from the police station. Izzy had phoned and asked if the man could spare them a bit of time. He was currently working for a building firm renovating some offices around halfway between his house and their base. After checking with his boss, he told the constable he could take a late lunch and talk to them during that.

Jacob Chrisp was already waiting when they pulled onto the premises. He gave them a half-wave to indicate who he was and then started walking towards the car as Izzy parked. Jessica thought he looked as if he still had the build to play the game. He was wearing shorts and a vest with large muscled and tanned shoulders on display. There were spiralling tattoos running down the outside of both his arms and she afforded herself a small smile thinking how pitiful Rowlands’ was in comparison.

The man shook their hands and asked if they wanted to talk to him indoors. Jessica wasn’t bothered so the three of them sat on a wall next to the offices that were being cleared out. Given the clatter of furniture being removed it was a little noisy but Jessica thought that was outweighed by being able to sit in the sunshine.

‘How can I help you two ladies, then?’ Jacob said. From his tone of voice, Jessica could tell her was already looking to try it on.

Jessica slid the photo of the rugby team out of an envelope, pointing at one of the teenagers crouching down. ‘Is this you, Jacob?’

He took the picture from her, peering closely as a large grin spread on his face. ‘Yes. Wow, I’ve not seen this in years. Where did you find it?’

Jessica ignored his question. ‘Can you tell me anything about the other players?’

Jacob blew out, scratching his head. ‘Not really. We won the league this year, only lost one game. Do you know much about rugby?’

Jessica shook her head but Izzy spoke. ‘Only Union, I don’t follow League.’

The man smiled. ‘Cool, a rugby chick. Nice.’ Jessica was a little surprised her colleague was into sport but wasn’t convinced the officer would be overly impressed by being called a ‘chick’. She certainly wouldn’t have been but the constable said nothing.

Jacob pointed to a few more faces in the picture. ‘I played in the centre. This guy here played outside me and then Eddie and Liam were our two wingers.’ He had pointed to Ed Marks.

‘Can you think of anything significant away from the pitch that might have happened? I know you went to school with some of the players too.’

Jacob looked a little rattled for the first time. He handed back the picture to Jessica, screwing up his eyes. ‘How do you mean?’

‘You tell me? I’m a woman of the world; I know what groups of lads get up to.’

‘We were only eighteen or nineteen.’

Jessica raised her eyebrows and made sure she caught Jacob’s eyes. ‘Sometimes that can make it worse.’

‘I’m not sure I know what you’re getting at.’

Jessica wasn’t convinced. After having his arms open and being happy to eye them both up, he had now crossed them and was looking at the ground. ‘Two people from this photo have been hurt,’ she said. ‘We’re not sure why and we’re talking to other people in it to see if there’s a reason anyone might be able to think of.’