Never Return

by Stephen Barnes

  “We can’t be certain about any of this without seeing for ourselves.”

  “Peter said we should leave it to the police. I think he’s right. I said I’d call them.”

  “But if we find the money we’d be saving the police a lot of trouble.”

  Paul looked at Carol. Her mischievous expression weakened his resistance to the idea. “In that case, let’s do it,” he said.

  *

  Eddie was back in his cell when Chris Hinton got the message about events at the hospital.

  “Danny has escaped,” Hinton told Evans. “Three masked men armed with handguns overpowered the guards. Gary Curtis has been shot. They’ve taken him straight to the operating theatre.”

  “How bad is it?” Evans asked, shocked by the news.

  “Not life threatening I was told. Danny and his rescuers got clean away in a stolen van. There’ll be some unbelievable shit flying in our direction as a result of this Colin.”

  “Are the others okay?” Evans asked.

  “Yes. The officers guarding Danny were taken by surprise. Gary tried to intervene. I don’t have the full details.”

  “Do you think Danny was sprung by Carl?”

  “He may have arranged it but how he knew Danny was under arrest at the hospital is a different matter.”

  “An inside job?”

  “Let’s hope not. The arrest team is already en route to Long Malden but I doubt if they’ll find Carl at home.”

  “I’ll send Marshy to the hospital. Is Garton still there?”

  “No. He’s off duty.”

  Shortly after Marsh left for the hospital, Evans took a call via the switchboard from Peter Greening.

  “Has Paul called you?” Peter asked.

  “No. Why would he do that?”

  “He called me to ask if I knew where the ice house was at Thorbury Hall. Carol thinks the money Eddie mentioned is hidden there. Paul said he’d tell you about it but I’m afraid they might try to find it themselves and they may not be the only ones who go looking.”

  “Carol didn’t tell us she knew where the money was,” Evans said.

  “I think she’d only just remembered.”

  “Eddie mentioned the ice house. Do you know where it is?”

  “It was near the west wing close to the stables. I don’t know the exact location. They demolished it when the Business School car park was enlarged years ago. I can’t see how the money could be there unless it was buried but despite that, I suspect Paul and Carol might have decided to look for it.”

  “I see. Thanks for the information Peter. We’ll follow it up.”

  *

  The treasure hunters made their way through the grounds of Thorbury Hall without attracting the attention of the search team and the SOCOs in the house. Eddie’s drugs lab had already been found and the police were scouring the house for anything else which might support the charges he would soon be facing. Another search team had been despatched to his flat.

  Paul and Carol reached the area which had once been the business school car park and began to look for some trace of the ice house.

  “The south west corner would be around here,” Paul said after identifying the far edge of the overgrown car park. Much of the tarmac was broken up and partially covered by the vegetation which was growing through it. Around the edges, plants and shrubs prevented any immediate identification of the place where the ice house had been.

  Paul began to search the area, soon finding an indication that Peter’s guess had been a good one. After delving into the evergreen shrubbery covering the edge of the car park, he could see an area of broken tarmac revealing the top of the steps which had led down to the ice house. After further scrutiny, he could see in the hole, wedged between the tarmac and the first partially exposed step, a large bag which the wild growing greenery had hidden.

  Paul turned to look at Carol who was standing at the foot of a poplar tree beyond the car park edge. “I’ve found something,” she said.

  “What is it?” Paul asked, walking towards Carol.

  “A pair of shoes under the tree.” Carol picked up the shoes and held them up to show Paul before examining them with interest. “An expensive pair of brogues. They look new.”

  “Colin Evans told me the shoes were taken from Michael’s brother after he was shot,” Paul said.

  “You think these are his shoes?”

  “It’s possible. The police obviously didn’t search here. Colin thought they’d been taken to conceal trace evidence.” Paul took one of the shoes and examined the sole. “They’d leave a distinctive footprint. Perhaps that’s what the killer was looking for.”

  “To work out where he’d been?”

  “Yes. Whoever shot him may have thought he knew where the money was but whether or not he did, no one took it,” Paul said.

  “How do you know that?” Carol asked.

  “Because it’s still here.”

  After making the revelation, Paul’s attention was drawn to the bushes at the side of the car park. They were no longer alone.

  “Still where?” a voice enquired. The man from the tunnel, now known to the police as Danny McRule was standing a few feet away, wielding a handgun. Two other men with equally menacing expressions were standing beside him.

  Danny began to walk towards Paul and Carol. “Where’s the fucking money?” he demanded.

  Paul dropped the shoe and held up his hands, stepping between Carol and Danny as he approached. Danny raised the gun a split second before another voice brought him to a halt.

  “Armed police. Drop the gun,” the voice said as two officers emerged from the vegetation. Danny turned without dropping the gun. His associates had weapons trained on the officers.

  “Just two of you?” Danny said. He walked briskly in the direction from which he and the others had arrived. “Don’t follow,” he said to the officers who had both decided not to break the stand-off.

  Danny disappeared into the undergrowth. Paul and Carol watched, not daring to move as Danny’s minders backed away from the officers without lowering their guns. Seconds later, they were gone.

  Chapter 59

  Evans looked across at Paul and Carol. They were in the Inspector’s office having been invited to account for their behaviour.

  “How did you think you were helping?” Evans asked. “If you believed you knew where the money was hidden, you should have told us.”

  “Our obsession with the research got the better of us,” Carol said. “We really did think we were helping and after everything that’s happened, we didn’t consider the danger. We certainly wouldn’t have done it if we’d known about that man escaping.”

  “That man is Danny McRule,” Evans said. “Based on what we know about him and what we suspect, you’d both be dead now if we hadn’t turned up. Peter Greening’s tip-off may have saved your lives.”

  “We wouldn’t have kept the money,” Paul said.

  “That’s right,” Carol confirmed. “What could we have done with half a million in cash?”

  “Most people wouldn’t see that as a problem,” Evans said, unimpressed by the couple’s pleading. His comment was met with silence. “Why would Eddie tell you there was money hidden in a building which no longer exists?” he asked Carol.

  “He didn’t say where the money was. It was just an implication. But he was rambling. A lot of what he said made absolutely no sense at all.”

  “I don’t think the money really exists,” Paul said. “From what I’ve heard about Eddie, he seems like the type who’d say anything just to be mischievous.”

  “So you’re telling me the ice house doesn’t exist and neither does the money?”

  “That’s the way I see it,” Paul replied. “There’s no longer any trace of the ice house but even if there was and the money really did exist, there must have been a better place to hide it.”

  “What about the shoes?” Evans asked. “There has to be a reason why they were left at that particular locatio
n.”

  “It could just be co-incidence,” Paul suggested. “Whoever shot Michael’s brother may have known the money was hidden somewhere and took the shoes to match against footprints along the route he’d taken.”

  “And threw the shoes away after failing to find the money,” Carol added.

  “Well whatever the reason, the money’s just a side show,” Evans stated. “I reckon we’ll be able to wrap up the murder enquiry when we find Danny so take this as a final warning. If either of you do anything to obstruct or undermine our enquiries, you’ll be arrested and charged. I hope that’s clear.”

  After Paul and Carol had left, Evans was summoned to Hinton’s office. The Superintendent listened without comment to the Inspector’s account of his discussion with Paul and Carol.

  “There’s no trace of Carl at Long Malden. Same with Louise Thorbury and her daughter,” Hinton revealed. “They’re all on the wanted list.”

  “Any more news of Gary Curtis?” Evans asked.

  “He was shot in the leg. They say he’ll make a full recovery. Did you believe the story you got from Cahill and Jones?”

  “Not entirely. I think they know more about the money than they claim. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they went back.”

  “To where they found the shoes?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about Danny? There’s no trace of him so far. What do you think he’ll do?” Hinton asked.

  “If he’s desperate for funds to finance a trip abroad, he’ll still have an interest in the money. He’ll be on the lookout for a police presence at the university which means we may be able to draw him in if we keep a low profile.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “A covert operation involving plenty of guns but no uniforms,” Evans replied.

  “Would Danny really be stupid enough to think we won’t have the hall and the grounds covered?”

  “He may be desperate enough to take a chance. The one certainty is that Danny doesn’t know exactly where the money is but after what happened earlier, he’ll think he knows two people who could lead him to it.”

  “Cahill and Jones?”

  “Yes. Danny’s likely to be keeping a watch on them in the hope that they’ll lead him to the cash.”

  “And you think they might do that?”

  “It’s possible. Either one of them or both.”

  “If Danny thinks they know where the money is hidden, wouldn’t he just force them to reveal the location?”

  “Intimidating Paul and Carol would be risky for someone who needed to avoid our attention. He’d also run the risk of being misled. He’s more likely to wait for Paul or Carol to return for the money and track them to wherever it’s hidden. That’s what we should plan for.”

  “I’m not sure I like the sound of this Colin. Are you suggesting we use Cahill and Jones to draw Danny into a trap?”

  “We need to plan an operation to capture our suspect,” Evans said. “As for how we do it. That’s your call Sir,” he added.

  *

  “We’ve got three options,” Paul said to Carol when they were back at the flat. “The first is to forget the whole thing. The second is to tell Colin Evans where the money is hidden.”

  “I can guess the third,” Carol cut in. “There’s only one possible option as far as I’m concerned. We’ve missed our chance to do the right thing. It’s too late to come clean and it’s too risky to go back for the money.”

  “I guess you’re right. Are you forgetting about your project as well?”

  “I’ve lost interest in that but Peter won’t forget it. He’ll say it’s just on hold until all the fuss dies down.”

  “I wonder if the money will still be there when the fuss dies down?”

  “If it’s in that bag, it’ll be found eventually. What do you think the police will do?”

  “It’s hard to say. If they’ve got a lead on the whereabouts of their suspect, they’ll follow it up. If not, they might flood the house and grounds with officers in case he goes back for the money.”

  “He’d need to be really desperate to go back.”

  “Yeah. He’d be stupid to try it. The police are bound to have a lead on where to find him which means he’ll be looking for a place of safety.”

  Chapter 60

  Carol had shown no surprise at Paul’s decision to spend the rest of Saturday afternoon at the university. His feeling of detachment from day to day reality had fuelled an urge to re-establish control which was greater than the need for rest.

  After a couple of hours in the office marking essays and planning tutorials, the temptation to dwell once more on the money became too strong to resist. Paul’s thoughts began to merge with recollections of Peter and Carol’s project and slowly, an idea emerged.

  The skies were darkening when Paul left the building and crossed the campus car park to the lodge which was used by the maintenance staff. He knew there was usually someone on duty, even at six thirty on a Saturday evening.

  When Paul entered the lodge, Jeff Probert the head caretaker was sitting at a desk hunched over a pile of paperwork. He looked up at Paul, his expression betraying his annoyance at the interruption.

  “Afternoon Jeff,” Paul said.

  “What can I do for you young man?” Jeff asked. His imminent sixtieth birthday encouraged him to regard most people he encountered at the university as youthful and consequentially inferior.

  “I need access to the grounds for half an hour or so to conduct some research,” Paul replied.

  “Can’t be done I’m afraid,” Jeff announced. “Sorry,” he added with an undisguised lack of sincerity.

  “Why’s that? I’m working on an official university project.”

  “It’s the police. They won’t allow it while they’re searching the hall.”

  “Are they still in there?”

  “Yes. They said they’d let me know when they’d finished.”

  Just after Jeff made his announcement, a uniformed police officer appeared in the doorway and approached the desk. “All done,” he said to Jeff before dropping a large bunch of keys onto the desk.

  “Can we access the grounds now?” Jeff asked.

  “Sure. No problem,” the officer replied. He glanced at Paul before he left.

  “That was good timing,” Jeff said. “Do you want me to open the gate for you?”

  “Please. I noticed you’ve begun to repair the fences.”

  “Yes. We only started this afternoon. We haven’t touched the far side yet.”

  Jeff lent Paul a torch and let him into the grounds without expressing any interest in his research. “I hope you don’t need any help,” he said. “I’m pretty busy and at this time, I’m the only one on duty.”

  “That’s alright. I’ll manage,” Paul assured him.

  “I’ll leave the gate open for you. Let me know when you’re done,” Jeff said before Paul headed towards the west wing.

  As he progressed to his goal, Paul’s senses registered nothing to indicate any other human presence in the grounds of Thorbury Hall. The reward for his gamble was within reach. The unencumbered route to the ice house exceeded his expectations. Was this a free run to the money? He felt a rush of euphoria before a doubt encroached on his pleasure. How did the police complete their search so quickly?

  The doubt receded as he neared his destination. The light had faded into darkness, slowing his progress through the undergrowth despite the borrowed torch but soon after his admission to the grounds he was peering through the bush at the edge of the degraded Business School car park.

  The bag was still where Paul had found it earlier. He gripped the handle and pulled it from the hole. How much did half a million weigh? It seemed right. After opening the bag he reached inside. His fingers caressed the notes. The torch provided confirmation. Eddie’s ice money glowed in the light.

  With the bag over his shoulder, Paul re-traced his steps towards the gate. The urge to flee forced him to hurry down
the path, dodging the bushes, shrubs and trees which overwhelmed the once pristine grounds.

  Alert to any sign of danger, Paul shuddered at the sound of rustling leaves a short distance behind him. He turned and flashed the torch beam at the source. There was a hint of movement but his brief glance provided no certainty. His pace quickened over uneven ground. He stumbled but regained his footing, continuing his desperate escape, willing the appearance of the gate in his torch beam. But the gate did not appear. He heard the noise again. This time he made no effort to confirm his fears. Anxiety escalated into panic as he neared the fence. A raised voice behind him uttered indistinguishable words before the sound of gunshots rang in his ears.

  *

  The body had been removed from the grounds of Thorbury Hall by the time the meeting was convened by Chris Hinton. The operation hadn’t gone entirely to plan but the investigation was at least drawing to a close. All the members of the team with the exception of Gary Curtis had been called in to receive an update and to assess what was needed to achieve completion.

  “Obviously, we didn’t plan for a fatality,” Hinton stated after explaining the sequence of events to the gathering in the CID office. “But we do have some positive messages for the media. I managed to escalate the tests on Danny McRule’s gun and the shoes found by Cahill and Jones which Maxine has confirmed as Simeon’s. There was DNA on the shoes which matches the sample taken from Danny at the hospital. The gun wasn’t used for any of the murders but the DNA links him to the shooting of Simeon Gilbert.”

  “And Michael,” Evans said. “Danny may have dumped the gun he used for the murders but we know Michael and Simeon were shot with the same weapon.”

  “That’s right. We don’t have absolute proof but there may be no need to look any further than McRule for the murders of both brothers. We can also link him to the shooting of Michael Gilbert’s girlfriend through DNA found at Stoney Street.”

  “And there’s the question of what Eddie knew about the murders,” Marsh said. “Someone certainly tried to frame Tom Thorbury for Sarah’s murder. That must have been Eddie which means he knew it was being planned and that makes him an accessory.”