Bayliss & Calladine Box Set

by Helen H. Durrant

  “Give her a bit longer — she’ll be fine, I promise you.”

  “Okay, but if she’s still here tomorrow then it’s up to you. Got it?”

  “We’ll speak in the morning then.”

  Calladine put his mobile back in his jacket pocket and rubbed his neck. “Women! Always on my back, the bloody lot of them.”

  “Things heavy at work, my eye,” Ruth scoffed. “Doesn’t stop you chasing after Amaris does it? Lydia took care of you when you were ill — you owe her. At the very least she deserves more than the fobbing off that you’ve got planned.”

  “Perhaps I’ll speak to her later on in the week. I’ll leave her be for now.”

  “Wimp!” she retorted. “So who’s going to interview the North lad?”

  “Me and you, I reckon.”

  “Give me a couple of ticks to get straight.”

  “Take your time — they’ve only just left to bring him in.”

  Calladine poured himself a coffee from the pot in his office. Zoe was right and so was Ruth. He’d have to come clean sooner or later. He didn’t love Lydia, and probably never had. He’d been infatuated, flattered by her attention. He could see that now and he wanted out. Now Amaris Dean . . . the very thought of her set his nerve ends tingling. He’d have to see how that went.

  He downed the lukewarm liquid and went out into the main office. There were two incident boards directly in his line of vision — two dead men on one, and on the other, the two missing girls. They should be spending their time looking for the kids, who might still be alive. He didn’t want to think about what their parents were going through. On the positive side, despite what he might think of the man personally, Greco seemed like a smart cop. He was certainly more likely to find them than Thorpe was.

  “Guv!” Ruth called out. “Jayden North — he didn’t just do Doctor Ahmed’s car. It seems he went on a bit of a spree and did about six of them in the ‘Doctors only’ car park.” She handed him a copy of the charge sheet. “It’s entirely likely that he’s telling the truth and he’d no idea who the cars belonged to, and he really was simply looking for drugs.”

  She was probably right. Another dead end then.

  “What do you want to do?”

  “He’s been interviewed once this week already, and he’s out on bail until he goes back to court,” he said looking at the sheet again. “A lot of stuff was found on him but no drugs. He took a laptop, a phone and some cash. I don’t think it’ll get us anywhere but I’ll have a word anyway.” He thought for a moment. “I can do this on my own so would you make arrangements to take Doctor Hurst to Ahmed’s house?” With that he left the office.

  Rocco and Imogen were bringing a sheepish-looking Jayden North into the building as Calladine went down the corridor.

  “Soft interview room,” he instructed them. “Are you okay, Jayden? How are you doing — getting things sorted for Albert’s send-off?”

  “Me dad’s seeing to it,” he mumbled. “He’s emptying the place. Council want the flat back quick.”

  Calladine led the way into the small room and indicated for Jayden to sit on one of the upholstered chairs.

  “Imogen, you stay here with me. Rocco, go up to the office. Ruth wants you to go with her to meet Doctor Hurst.”

  “Sorry to drag you in, lad.” He smiled at him.

  Imogen stood at the back wondering why the inspector was being so friendly.

  “I know you’re waiting to go to court for the car robbery and that you’ll have your say then, but I have a couple of questions, if that’s okay?”

  The boy shrugged. His eyes were fixed on his empty hands lying in his lap.

  “Did you know that one of the cars belonged to a Doctor Tariq Ahmed?”

  He shook his head.

  “I’m asking because Doctor Ahmed was murdered earlier this week.”

  At that Jayden North’s head sprang up and his eyes filled with fear as he regarded the detective. “You can’t pin that on me. I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t even know whose car I was robbing.”

  Calladine shook his head, opened his mouth to reassure the boy, but he butted in.

  “You won’t make it stick. You lot can never make anything stick against us Norths. Look at all that stuff with Uncle Albert — didn’t make that stick, did you? Evidence or not you still didn’t have enough to stitch him up for murder!”

  This really threw Calladine, not because of the boy’s anger, but because of what he’d said.

  “Your uncle was had up for murder?”

  “You bloody well know he was. But you lot, you made mistakes,” he smirked. “You got it wrong and he got off.”

  “When was this, Jayden?”

  “I’m not saying. I’m not saying nothing anymore. I know my rights and I want to go.” He stood up and made for the door.

  “Thanks for coming in.” Calladine nodded at Imogen to show him out.

  So Albert North had once been accused of murder. Calladine hadn’t known that, but he certainly needed to know all about it now. He wanted to know who the victim was and when the crime had occurred. He hurried back to the main office and collared Ruth before she left.

  “He’s not saying anything except that he had no idea who owned the cars he robbed. But he did get rattled when I told him that Ahmed had been murdered.”

  “Did he make the connection with his uncle? You didn’t tell him did you? Not even the press have that little snippet yet.”

  “No, of course I didn’t tell him. But Jayden was positive that even if we did think he was involved we’d never make a case of it. Apparently Albert North was once accused of murder, and he got off. What do you think? Does it ring any bells?”

  She shook her head. “Perhaps it was before my time.”

  “Not before mine though. I was here when North was the big cheese on the Hobfield. But I don’t recall him being involved in anything as serious as murder.”

  “Imogen!” he called out. “Would you check that out? See if there’s anything in North’s record that even hints at murder. Joyce might have turned up something — she was on the task earlier.”

  “What about Samantha Hurst?” He turned to Ruth. “Will she cooperate? Give a DNA sample?”

  “She was still working, sir. So we’re meeting her at Tariq Ahmed’s house in about an hour.”

  “Good. Get her talking. Once she’s back in his house she might let something slip. Try to get an insight into their relationship and what was going on in their lives. Someone was interested enough in them — well him anyway — for this to have happened at all.”

  Chapter 13

  Samantha Hurst was already waiting beside her car in the driveway.

  “I have to be back within the hour,” she told them.

  Ruth could tell from her face that she was annoyed at having to be here. She probably thought she had better things to do. Samantha Hurst was tall; she had long legs and looked elegant in a plain red wool coat with a fur collar and knee-high boots. Her hair was dark and cut into a swingy chin-length bob.

  “We’re mad busy trying to fill in all the gaps since, well, since Tariq.” Her eyes dipped and her mouth pulled into a line. Ruth couldn’t read the woman. Was that a look of emotion or irritation at the inconvenience?

  “This won’t take long,” Ruth assured her. “We’d like you to have a walk around inside. See if you can spot if anything is missing or has been moved since you were last here.”

  Ruth nodded at the uniformed PC standing on the doorstep and he unlocked the door.

  Samantha walked straight into the sitting room, giving the closed kitchen door a quick glance as they passed. “Is that where . . . ?”

  “Yes. Doctor Ahmed was murdered in there. If it’s any consolation, it would have been quick. A matter of seconds, the pathologist said.”

  “It isn’t. Any consolation, I mean. Everyone who knew him thought he was difficult: an oddball who didn’t show much emotion. But we had something, and I’ll miss him,” sh
e admitted. “We were serious about our relationship. We got on socially and professionally, and I liked him a lot.”

  “Had you been together for long?”

  “Why? What difference does that make? The time doesn’t matter . . . we had discussed a future together. Not at once — we both wanted to give it a little longer, get on with our careers first,” she disclosed. “He and I thought we had plenty of time to do anything we wanted.” She shook her head. “Now that’s all gone and I have to rethink.”

  “I’m very sorry.”

  “We were together about six months. At the beginning we used to argue about everything. Back then I really didn’t like him much at all. I couldn’t understand the way he was. Why he always seemed so cold and detached from the job. Then one day, when we were dealing with a particularly sad case, I got it. I finally understood.” She smiled grimly. “It’s a hard job, telling people they’re going to die, and with Tariq his brusque manner was his way of protecting himself from all the misery he had to inflict.”

  “I see. Underneath all that top medic veneer, he was really a softie.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, but he wasn’t the man our colleagues at work thought of him as.”

  “Mrs Hurst, can I ask about your movements on the night he was killed?”

  Ruth had to ask, but as Samantha Hurst turned and regarded her closely for a few moments, she saw the incredulity on her face. “You think I could have done that to him?” Her voice faltered.

  “You were here, we know that. But what I need from you is a timeline. I need to know when you arrived, when you left, and where you went afterwards. Also, would you be prepared to do a DNA test?”

  She shook her head. “A little over the top if you ask me. Anyway I can clear up the question of my whereabouts very simply.” She shrugged. “I came to give him something, stayed about half an hour, long enough for a coffee and a sandwich, and then I went back to the hospital. What time was he killed?”

  “Sometime after nine.”

  “In that case I can put your mind at rest. From seven forty-five to gone ten that night I was in theatre. You can check the rota, and there are at least a dozen witnesses to back me up.”

  Ruth was relieved. That meant Calladine could relax. His half-sister was not the murderer.

  Rocco had stayed in the background. He was taking notes. Ruth would get him to check Samantha’s alibi once they got back to the nick.

  “It all seems much as it always is.” Samantha Hurst walked around the room. “He has a safe in his bedroom. You should check that.” She turned to face the detective, catching her off guard. “You’re staring. What’s wrong?”

  Ruth shook her head, trying to make light of it. What could she say? She had been staring; the woman was Calladine’s sister. Now she felt embarrassed. “Nothing,” she replied hastily.

  The doctor gave a smile and a nod but she had been right, Ruth had been looking for resemblances between her boss and his half-sister. She had the same dark hair, although his was now rapidly turning to grey. She also had the angular features, particularly the cheekbones. They must get that from their mother, she thought with a smile.

  “Do you have children?” Ruth asked.

  “Why? What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “I just wondered . . .” Ruth felt foolish for asking something so personal.

  “But yes, I have a teenage son. Callum. You?”

  “No, not yet,” Ruth answered. “You’ve got your hands full, then.”

  “He’s a good boy. To date he’s not given me any cause for concern. He wasn’t all that keen on Tariq though. Wouldn’t talk to him or go out anywhere with us.”

  “Why was that?”

  “He had some weird notion that he was betraying his dad. Richard Hurst and I might be separated, but he’s still very much a part of Callum’s life.”

  “I’ll go upstairs and check the safe,” Rocco interrupted. “Where is it?”

  “It’s in the master bedroom at the bottom of the large wardrobe.”

  “Odd place for a safe.”

  “Apparently it was there when Tariq bought the place, and it was far too heavy to move — so he used it. He kept a little money and some family jewellery in it, he kept the key in the teapot in the kitchen.”

  Minutes later Rocco was back. “It’s all fine up there; nothing untoward with the safe.”

  “It doesn’t look like anything was taken then,” Samantha said. “But I can’t understand why anyone would want to kill Tariq.” She turned to have a last look around and walked towards a coffee table by the window. “The tickets have gone,” she said suddenly, tapping the shiny surface. “That’s what I brought round — two tickets for the art exhibition at the community centre on Friday. We were planning to go together. You can see from the walls that Tariq was something of a collector.”

  “Are you sure you put them there? Perhaps the doctor moved them,” Ruth suggested. “Have a closer look, in the sideboard and the cupboards perhaps.”

  “He wouldn’t move them because I told him not to. I didn’t want him to lose them.”

  “I’ll make a note of it,” said Rocco.

  “I can offer you something even more useful, Detective Constable. The tickets are all numbered and I made a note of ours,” she said, looking inside her handbag. “I lost a pair of very pricey West End theatre tickets once, and ever since then I write down the details in case it happens again.” She took out a notebook, ripped out a page and handed it to Ruth. “There. If anyone is foolish enough to use them, you’ll have got the evil bastard who killed Tariq.”

  * * *

  “Why the missing kids board?” Long was annoyed. He’d walked into the incident room and seen that the murder board had been shunted to one side so that the missing kids were centre stage. And to make matters worse Calladine was standing gazing at it as if he had nothing better to do. “I told you to hand the case over to Oldston. I hope you aren’t wasting time, Inspector, not when you’ve got a double murder on your hands.”

  “Isla Prideau is our responsibility. I can’t simply file the case away and trust Greco to sort it.”

  “But he will sort it. Mark my words, the man misses nothing.”

  “It’s not about what he does or doesn’t miss. The kids thing could be big. Have you considered that we could be seeing only a tiny bit of what’s really going on nationwide?”

  “You mean trafficking?”

  “Exactly. Leesworth or Oldston could be a hub. We need to look deeper because if this is trafficking then it won’t go away. They will be seasoned operators, and they’ll take some catching.”

  “Leave it to Greco, Tom. Oldston has more resources. They have the city force on the doorstep and we’ve got enough to think about.”

  “It’ll do no harm to keep the abductions live. I have a feeling that this case is going to need a lot more throwing at it than one keen detective who’s had a bit of luck recently.”

  “It’s more than luck. He’s a damn good cop. He’s been tipped to make DCI within the next couple of years. The minute there’s an opening he’ll be in.”

  “Working in an area like Oldston is very different from rural Norfolk — so we’ll see.”

  Long shook his head. Calladine was at it again. He should give him a good bollocking for insubordination or something, but the truth was he didn’t have the energy. Now he knew why the job had defeated Jones. The post of DCI in this nick was a right pig and the sooner he could ditch it and get back to normal the better. And when that happened he’d have Calladine on his side again. They had got on before— after a fashion. They had certainly never crossed swords like they had recently.

  “Perhaps I shouldn’t be so critical but I can’t help it. This is missing kids, Brad, little kids at that. They can do nothing to defend or help themselves. They need finding and the bastards that took them need locking up.”

  “It’ll happen, Tom, just give Greco time. You can’t take on the world; you’re just one
man. Besides he’s a lot younger than you.”

  He ducked as Calladine threw a small stapler at him.

  “I only hope he’s as good as you all say, because if he isn’t, it could cost those kids their lives.”

  “I know you’re concerned but we’re stuck with him. Who knows,

  he might even end up becoming our DCI. I can’t stay acting forever and now that I’ve had a taste, I wouldn’t want the job.”

  “D’you really think that’s a serious possibility?”

  “I heard a rumour, nothing more. But you have to admit, given his record, it sounds plausible. It’s quite possible that Greco could end up here at Leesdon. But heaven help us all if he does!”

  * * *

  “Sir!” Imogen called out as she came into the office. “Whatever we’ve got on North from the past isn’t held electronically. It’s on paper records, and it’s now in the archive. You know as well as I do that there’re two rooms full of the stuff. We could do with knowing when this was — even the year would help.”

  “Jayden wasn’t very forthcoming. The mere mention of murder got his back up.” He looked at Imogen. “But you might get somewhere. He might soften if you talk to him.”

  She was closer to Jayden’s age and pretty. It was worth a shot. They were working against the clock on all fronts so it couldn’t hurt.

  “Okay, I’ll have a ride around the Hobfield and see if I can track him down.”

  “Don’t go on your own. If Rocco’s not back when you leave, then take a uniform with you.”

  Calladine hurried back into his office. His phone was ringing.

  “Dad, it’s Zoe,” his daughter began. “She’s leaving. Lydia got her stuff together and she says she’s going for a train. If you don’t do something — now — then you could lose her for good.”

  On top of everything else. Just what he needed.

  “Has she said anything? Where’s she’s going, what her plans are? I thought she was staying with you. Why all the sudden rush?”

  “I’ve no idea what’s going on. She said something to Jo about a job coming up, but she didn’t say where.”

  He could do without this. He was up to his ears in police work, and what he didn’t need right now was a domestic crisis.