Definitely Dead

by Kate Bendelow

  Connor groaned and Elaine let out a peal of raucous laughter as the phone rang. Shaking her head at Chris, Maya recognised the internal number as being the lab and she reached across to answer it.

  ‘Is that SOCO’s answer to Scooby Doo?’ said Ewan.

  Maya laughed. ‘It certainly is. Hi, Ewan, take it you’ve got news about the suicide note?’

  ‘Yes, I treated it with ninhydrin, which enhanced several fingerprints. I photographed them and passed them on to Sue in the fingerprint unit. She’s loaded them onto the fingerprint database and has just let me know that one of the marks has been identified as Celeste Warren. No joy with the other set though.’

  ‘But there’s definitely two sets of prints on the note?’

  ‘Yep, which is what we were hoping for. Unfortunately, though, we’re no further to knowing who the other set belongs to, I’m afraid. Whoever it is, we’ve not got their prints on the database, so I can’t identify them. Sorry, mate.’

  ‘Bugger. Oh well, never mind. Thanks for trying anyway, Ewan. I really, really appreciate it.’

  Maya hung up feeling deflated but curious that there was a second set of prints on the note. Her instincts had been right. Elaine, who appeared to have heard Maya’s side of the conversation, looked at her inquisitively. ‘What are you up to?’ she asked with a wry smile.

  ‘Nothing,’ Maya replied a little too quickly, aware that she had a defensive edge to her voice.

  ‘Really?’ Elaine leaned towards her conspiratorially and lowered her voice. ‘Spill.’

  Maya sighed. She had hoped that examining Celeste Warren’s suicide note would be something that would stay between her and Ewan, but Elaine’s interest was clearly piqued, and she wasn’t going to give up on finding out what the conversation had been about. Maya quickly and quietly explained, hoping no one else would overhear the conversation. If Kym found out, she was sure there would be hell to pay.

  ‘Well, don’t dismiss your sudden death theory too quickly,’ said Elaine. ‘According to the rumour mill, Aiden Donnelly is on the missing list. If you’re right that there’s someone going around bumping off our most notorious criminals, then I expect Donnelly’s body to pop up somewhere very, very soon.’

  Maya didn’t have a chance to reply or question Elaine about Donnelly’s disappearance as Kym swept into the office.

  ‘Everyone well?’ she asked rhetorically. ‘I’ve just had Andy on the phone, he’s going to be off for a few days. Nothing you all need to concern yourself with, he has just cited personal problems. Amanda, could you update the rota please to show him absent and let me know if anyone is interested in overtime to cover his shifts.’

  Kym headed into her office as the others looked at each other questioningly.

  ‘Personal problems, eh? More like a fucking personality problem,’ said Elaine.

  ‘Oh well, I could do with the overtime. Put me down for his weekend shift please, Amanda,’ called Chris, ‘That’s unless anyone else wants it?’

  Elaine leant across the desk towards Maya. ‘You should put your name down too, make sure you’re on duty for when Donnelly’s body turns up, then you can say “I told you so”, and be as smug as you like.’

  Maya rolled her eyes at Elaine, refusing to engage in the conversation any further. She was curious though. Donnelly was the prime target of Operation Chrysalis. From what she knew of the investigation, she was under the impression a surveillance unit had been tailing him. So where was he and how could he have just disappeared?

  69

  Spence was getting ready for the late shift at The Eagle. He should have been covering the lunchtime shift but had asked Lisa for a swap so he could see his solicitor. He had been assured that his alibi would leave him with no case to answer, yet the fly in the ointment was still the knife and bloodstained clothing that had been removed from Spence’s room.

  He gave his niece a cuddle and headed out of the house for work. He had texted Maya earlier to see if she wanted to come and join him for an hour in the pub later. He desperately hoped she would. He was longing to see her, as just the thought of her made him smile. He instinctively reached for his phone to see if she had replied when a sudden movement caught his eye.

  A figure was crouching down behind the thick rhododendron bushes which lined the border of the quiet avenue. Although the bushes were well adapted and quite overgrown, they were not large enough to disguise Lurch’s huge bulk. Knowing he had been spotted, the man quickly got up, brushed himself down and began to stride hurriedly away through the estate.

  Spence was temporarily stunned at the sight of the giant man emerging and then disappearing off. What on earth was he doing skulking outside his sister’s house? They lived nowhere near The Eagle so he couldn’t just have been passing. It was one hell of a coincidence that he should see him here. Spence didn’t believe in coincidence. Could this man have something to do with the arrest?

  ‘Oi, hey, mate, come here a minute. I want a word.’

  Lurch glanced slightly over his shoulder before picking up his stride and disappearing out of sight. He moved surprisingly quickly for such a giant of a man.

  ‘Hey, come back!’ Spence called again. He must have heard him. He started to chase after the man and rounded the corner of the estate in no time, but there was no sign. The estate was like a maze, there was no way of knowing which direction the man had gone. And if he was in a car then it would be near impossible to spot him. Spence jogged forward, wondering which of the avenues to take his chance at searching first. Choosing the nearest one, he rounded the corner but again, there was no sign.

  He quickly doubled back and chose the second closest avenue. He picked up speed, determined to catch up with him and get some answers. He had to find him. There was no way he had just been passing. He had clearly been hiding in the garden. He recalled Bella’s nightmares and claims that a man had been looking through the window. Clearly Spence was being watched or followed, but why?

  He frantically scoured the quiet street. Nothing. His desperation mounting, he turned to retrace his steps when he encountered a flurry of movement in front of him. Lurch appeared from the middle of nowhere. His huge fist smashed into Spence’s face with such ferocity, he felt his neck crack. He dropped to the ground like a stone. Lurch leant over him, blocking out the sun. The big man’s face swam in Spence’s vision.

  ‘Maya’s number. Is it in your phone?’

  Spence was in too much pain to comprehend the question. He nodded mutely as he clutched his face. Lurch held his hand out without further comment and without question Spence handed him his phone.

  ‘Code?’ Lurch demanded.

  Spence reeled off the six numbers without protest as he tried to stand. A kick to his stomach winded him and sent him sprawling back onto the pavement. Accepting that he was no match in a fight against the big man, Spence instinctively curled into the foetal position. He hoped this would be enough to protect him from the vicious kicks Lurch continued to rain on his body.

  As Spence lay lifeless at Lurch’s feet, he pocketed the phone before running towards his parked car. Tears streamed down Lurch’s face as he pulled away and caught a final glimpse of Spence in the rear-view mirror. There was no sign of him moving.

  70

  Maya’s day had been incredibly busy. She’d spent all her shift at the local high school following an arson there. She arrived back at Beech Field tired, hot and stinking of the fire. She also unwittingly walked a trail of ash from the grooves of her work boots along the corridors of the police station.

  It was only once she was sat at the computer with a cold drink, updating her exhibits, that she had a chance to check her phone. She had received a text message from Spence letting her know he had seen his solicitor and that things were looking positive. He had invited her for a drink so they could have a proper catch-up. Her heart had lurched at the sight of his name although she was still uncertain about whether she could trust him. She replied non-committally that she was pleased f
or him but couldn’t meet for a drink as she was on call, which was a lie. She felt guilty that she was not more engaging.

  Dismissing any further thoughts of him, she concentrated on updating her paperwork. She decided to go and see if she could get access to the cleaner’s cupboard, so she could vacuum the mess up off the carpet.

  ‘I can smell you a mile off and I’m guessing it’s you that’s walked the charred remains of St Patrick’s High School throughout the nick?’ said Jack.

  ‘Afraid so,’ Maya said with a sheepish grin. ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to clean it up. I’m just going for the vac.’

  ‘You’ll be lucky. The cleaning cupboard is kept under lock and key. The only way you’re getting in there is with a wham-ram.’

  ‘Hmm, maybe I’ll just slip a note of apology under the door instead. Hey, I’m glad I’ve seen you. Is it true that Aiden Donnelly is on the missing list?’

  Jack frowned. ‘Where did you hear that?’

  ‘Elaine mentioned it this morning. I assumed it was common knowledge. I thought he was under surveillance.’

  ‘Well, the budget doesn’t always stretch to twenty-four-hour surveillance. We do the best we can with the resources we’ve got. I’d rather not discuss it,’ he said quite sharply, avoiding eye contact as he spoke.

  ‘Have I said something out of turn,’ Maya asked, confused by Jack’s guarded reaction.

  ‘No offence, Maya, but I’d rather not discuss a person of interest with you.’

  ‘Oh really? And can I ask why?’

  ‘Let’s just say it’s the company you keep. Like I said, no offence.’ He still wouldn’t look her in the eye.

  ‘Oh, I see. Like that, is it? Fine. In future I can see no need for us to communicate with each other unless it’s on a strictly professional basis. And personally, I’d rather keep that to a minimum.’ She sniffed derisively before turning away from Jack and storming back to the office. To say she was fuming would be an understatement. There really was no end to the man’s sheer arrogance.

  She was suddenly struck yet again with the sickening thought that maybe Spence wasn’t as innocent as he seemed. She could be completely compromising herself by associating with him. She was even more relieved now that she had been vague with him on the phone. Although part of her was desperate to meet him and discuss the situation face to face. How had life suddenly got so complicated?

  She found the whole situation so confusing. She was torn between someone who she liked and believed was a genuinely decent person, and a seasoned detective who was clearly good at his job but was renowned for being duplicitous and arrogant. But what if it was Jack who had something to hide? It was common knowledge that someone from within the force was leaking information relating to Operation Chrysalis.

  It had to be someone who was close enough to the investigation or who had access to the police computer. And who fit that bill better than Jack Dwyer? He had been late to meet her at Celeste Warren’s because of an urgent phone call. Could he have tipped Wainwright off? Was it coincidental that his transfer to Beech Field occurred around the same time that the latest information was seemingly being leaked to the likes of Donnelly and Nowak? Perhaps he was even responsible for Spence being set up for the McCluskey stabbing.

  After all, the exhibits seized from his house had to have been planted by someone in the know. Maya racked her brains to recall the conversations between her and Jack. Had she at any point inadvertently hinted towards her relationship to Naylor? Was he responsible for setting up her early morning wake-up call? He’d been to her flat after all and knew the layout. At that moment, Maya knew she had no facts to support her theories, but one thing she did know was that Jack Dwyer was a loose cannon. He couldn’t be trusted.

  Maya grabbed her bag and car keys ready to leave when she collided in the corridor with DI Redford.

  ‘Sorry, boss. I wasn’t looking where I was going.’

  ‘No harm done. Funny I’ve seen you actually, I’ve just sent one of my lot down to custody to interview a shoplifter who was brought in earlier.’

  ‘CID for a shoplifter? I don’t understand.’

  ‘When the cops started interviewing him, he had a meltdown and started to talk about Posner.’

  ‘Our Posner. The floater we dealt with?’

  ‘Yup. He reckons he saw someone push Posner into the water while he was out of it. He was too scared and too smacked up on heroin to know what to do about it at the time, but clearly wants to talk to us now.’

  Maya’s heart was racing. She’d been right all along. Surely this meant the deaths were connected. ‘So, he was murdered?’

  ‘We’ll see what our witness has to say before we get too excited. Are you in tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Right, I’ll let you know the outcome of the interview in the morning. Goodnight.’

  Maya was gobsmacked as she processed what Redford had just told her. If someone had rolled the intoxicated Posner into the water, then no wonder there was no sign of foul play. And if Posner had been murdered, then that surely meant that the others could have been too. But who by? And why?

  71

  Maya had barely slept. She had been so consumed by what DI Redford had told her. Every instinct in her body reinforced that she had been right all along. She was confident that something had been amiss at Gorman’s house, although she still couldn’t think what it was. Likewise, the note at Celeste’s. Ewan had confirmed there was a second set of fingerprints on the note, so someone else must have been there at the time. Plus, they still had no justification for why a narcissist like Celeste would commit suicide.

  She had examined that scene with Jack. Now she knew his true colours, could she really trust his judgement? He had been so quick to persuade her it was a suicide. Perhaps he had been covering his own tracks. And then there were the others – an infamous rapist, armed robber, con man, drug dealer… They had all died suddenly, within a matter of weeks. The same few weeks since Jack had transferred to Beech Field. It was all too much of a coincidence.

  Maya arrived at Beech Field early that morning and practically sprinted to DI Redford’s office. She was relieved to find him in. She couldn’t stand another moment of not knowing.

  ‘Boss, how did the interview with the shoplifter go? What did he say?’

  ‘Good morning, Maya,’ Redford replied pointedly.

  ‘Sorry, boss. Good morning.’ She hopped from foot to foot waiting eagerly.

  ‘In a nutshell, not only was he charged for shoplifting, but we’ve also considered charging him for wasting police time.’

  ‘I’m sorry?’

  ‘Yes, perhaps you should be. Once we got around to interviewing him, it was a different story. He didn’t want to talk to us. Just wanted to be charged and released. No mention of Posner or the alleged individual he had previously stated had pushed him in the water.’

  ‘Well, you said yourself he was a heroin addict. Perhaps he was rattling and just wanted to get out of here so he could get a fix. Or maybe he didn’t think he’d be taken seriously…’

  Redford eyed her stonily. ‘The bottom line is, he told us that it was all a joke. He thought it would be a good idea to wind us up after your sudden death conspiracy hit the local gutter press. Told us he and his associates had read the article and had a bloody good laugh about it.’

  Maya felt her face burning with shame and embarrassment. Her earlier elation and conviction faded quicker than the glow emitted by luminol. ‘Oh,’ was all she could manage.

  ‘“Oh” indeed. We can only hope that none of our other detainees make similar accusations. God knows the force is strapped enough without having to deploy a detective to every detainee who takes pleasure in winding us up.’

  ‘Boss, I…’

  ‘Maya, whatever you’re about to say, please don’t. I’ve got enough of a headache as it is. Now, I haven’t mentioned anything about this latest incident to Kym, but can I suggest you just keep your head down and get on with t
he job you’re paid to do.’ He waved his hand towards the door to indicate she was dismissed.

  Thoroughly chastised and deflated, Maya made a huge effort to plaster a smile on her face as she said good morning to everyone. Kym was already in and complaining about the state of the vans. She had used one the previous evening and was raging about the fact she had discovered a half-eaten chicken burger in the driver’s door pocket. Chris and Connor were the most likely suspects, but both were denying any knowledge.

  ‘Well, as nobody has had the decency to confess, you can both make sure those vans are spotless by the end of the day. I also want full stock checks done. If you’re going to act like children, I will treat you like children.’

  With Kym clearly in a bad mood, Maya decided to follow Redford’s advice and keep her head down and get on with her work.

  ‘If you two sort the vans out, I’ll go to the garage. There’s a few stolen cars waiting to be examined, so leave them with me.’

  She gathered up the paperwork for the vehicles and was about to head out until curiosity got the better of her. Despite what Redford had said, she couldn’t overlook the fact someone had claimed they’d seen Posner being pushed into the canal. What if the shoplifter had been right, but his urge for a fix had been stronger than telling the truth?

  Maya began to search the force’s database to research Posner’s background in more detail. She knew she was overstepping the mark, but with everything that was going on she was left with no choice. Knowing her luck, the truth about Naylor could still come out at any time, so she had nothing to lose. She was going to prove the deaths were suspicious before they had a chance to throw her off the force.

  The database held details of intelligence pertaining to each suspect as well as their criminal history, lists of associates, aliases, addresses and even details of any vehicles they were associated to. Maya could also read the physical descriptions, which included any identifying features such as scars or tattoos and warning markers. The warning markers included details such as whether the individual was violent, had access to firearms or if they had any contagious diseases.