Complete Detective Stephen Greco Box Set

by Helen H. Durrant

  Greco smiled to himself. He couldn’t help it. It was totally out of order, but he was glad that Ava had got away. Where the trafficking was concerned, she was as guilty as sin. But she was no killer. He wondered if Chambers knew her real name, if McCabe had told him. A detail like that could easily be overlooked in a complex investigation.

  Once McCabe had left, he checked the system. Forces across the country had been told to look out for her. But the person they were looking for was Ava Whitton, not Bilinski. Right or wrong, he wouldn’t tell them just yet.

  “Apparently Barton is about to cough,” was Speedy’s opener that morning. “That should have been ours.” He sat down and swung his long legs under the desk. “What about the bird? What’s she had to say for herself?”

  He meant Ava. “I’m not sure.” Greco was deliberately vague. “Grace has lost the baby,” he told him, changing the subject. “She won’t be in.”

  This silenced Speedy. Within a few minutes, Joel and Leah came in.

  Greco challenged Leah. “You took Grace to hospital yesterday. You were missing, as I recall. You knew what had happened. You might have told me.”

  “Grace told me not to, sir,” Leah replied. “It was her choice, not mine.”

  “Well, it’s done now. Grace will have some time off. We’ll have to soldier on without her.” He didn’t say more. He didn’t want to. The details of his private life were not a topic for the incident room.

  Leah smiled at him. “I’ll arrange some flowers. From all of us.”

  Greco nodded. “That’s a nice idea. I’ll give you some money.”

  The room was quiet. Greco had asked them to look through the statements and the reports from the Duggan again. He wanted to ensure they hadn’t missed anything.

  “It’s the names written across their chests — why do that? It is definitely something Barton would not do.”

  “We’ve ruled out Dominic Hill. And if we don’t think it was Barton, who does that leave, sir?” Leah asked.

  Greco sighed. “Graham Clovelly, Dave Holt, Marsh, half the youngsters that use the centre. We need to look again.”

  “We have statements from all of them, alibis as well. We have ruled those names out already,” Speedy reminded him.

  “Nevertheless, there is something we’ve missed, that we’re not seeing.”

  Speedy shrugged. “Barton. Has to be. He wanted his drugs back. It’s simple enough.”

  “No, it isn’t. He would not leave them like that.” Greco shook his head.

  “They had marker on their chests. So what?” Leah added.

  “Leah, they were drugged too,” Greco reminded her. “Barton does not anaesthetise his victims before he beats them to a pulp. He’d get nothing from them for a start.”

  Greco looked at the board again. “That has been bothering me for days.”

  “What, sir?” asked Leah.

  “The drugging of the victims. Whoever killed them wasn’t after information. He couldn’t have been. He simply wanted to make it look like a Barton execution.”

  Speedy had his head down, the Duggan reports spread out on his desk. “If we go with that, where does it leave us?”

  “The killer murdered the lads so he could keep the heroin for himself. He doesn’t need information about what they’ve done with it because he already knows,” Greco said. “If the killer is not one of the names we are already familiar with, then he was an unknown party in all this.”

  “That buggers up our investigation, sir. We’ve gone with the premise that only Craig and Vinny knew.”

  “Someone else had to be involved, Speedy. All we have to do now is find out who.”

  Speedy looked at him. “You’re talking about a third party who wanted to keep the lot for himself? Did for Craig and Vinny, and has been lying low since?”

  Greco nodded.

  “Perhaps we should look again at the community centre,” Speedy suggested. “With luck, whoever that third party is won’t yet know that the drugs have been found.”

  Greco got to his feet. “My money is on Callum Riley.”

  “The quiet twin? Why him?” Speedy asked.

  “He is all we are left with.”

  * * *

  Clovelly didn’t look too pleased to see the detectives. “Who rang you? It’s nothing. I can deal with it myself.”

  A strange greeting, Greco thought. “No one. What’s happened?”

  “A bit of a ruck between Callum and Josh over there. But it’s under control now. I’ve calmed them down.”

  “What are they fighting about?” asked Speedy.

  “I need to rearrange the pool team. We’ve a match tonight. I’ve lost Craig and Vinny, remember. Callum wants the chance, but Josh has always been a much better player.”

  Greco waited, then asked, “Does Callum usually lose his cool? It’s not the impression his mother gave us.”

  “He’s upset, grieving for his brother. He won’t have meant anything by it, just lost it in a fit of temper. This is an emotional time for the lad.”

  “Tell us what he did, Graham,” asked Speedy.

  “Callum went for Josh. Took his pool cue and would have lamped him with it if I hadn’t grabbed it first. Not like Callum at all. He’s been a lot edgier since Craig.”

  That was reasonable enough. What happened was bound to have upset the lad. “Can I have a word with them?” Greco asked.

  Clovelly nodded. “But don’t go on about the row. Like I said, I’ll deal with it.”

  Clovelly gathered the lads together. Callum Riley stood apart from the others, a scowl on his face.

  “The haul of drugs stolen by Craig and Vinny has been found and is now safe in our hands.” Greco looked around at the faces, gauging reactions. But no one appeared particularly interested, or asked any questions about the find. The revelation was a non-event as far as they were concerned.

  Clovelly smiled. “I for one am pleased about that. If that stuff had hit the streets, we would have had one huge problem.”

  “You know where Craig was, then? When he got himself killed?”

  The question came from Callum Riley.

  “We will know the answer to that soon,” Greco replied. This wasn’t the place to discuss it. Callum no doubt had his reasons for wanting to know exactly what happened to his brother, but the other lads didn’t need it thrusting down their throats.

  “Is it somewhere nearby?”

  He was Craig’s twin, it was natural for him to be curious. But there was something about the lad’s demeanour that bothered Greco. He looked shifty. It was more than just having got into a fight. He was nervous, scared even. His eyes constantly darted from one detective to the other.

  “Were you there, Callum?”

  The question appeared to have stunned the lad. Greco wasn’t even sure why he’d asked it. If he didn’t know his methods better, he’d have put it down to gut instinct.

  “No! I was here, you know that.” He backed away slightly. “I can’t believe you are still asking me that. I have a cast-iron alibi. I had nothing to do with Craig’s death.”

  He spoke with conviction. So why was Greco so suspicious? Of all the youngsters who came here, Callum was the one Craig would have trusted. Nonetheless, Greco had thought all along that the lad must know more than he was saying. But why would he not tell them?

  “Okay, thank you for your time.” Greco told the group. The youngsters dispersed and he turned to Speedy. “Do we have Callum Riley’s fingerprints?”

  “I’m not sure, sir,” he replied. “I’ll check with the Duggan. He was never questioned formally. The prints on the jewellery taken from Ava Whitton’s house were hers, plus Craig and Vinny’s. There were no others. And his alibi was fine. If fingerprints were taken, it’ll have been for elimination purposes.”

  Greco frowned. “Those packets containing the heroin. Tell the Duggan to rush the prints through on those, will you?”

  Suddenly there was a crash. Callum Riley had smashed his cue down
on the pool table, breaking it in two, and was threatening Josh with the thicker half.

  Speedy darted forward. “Stop that! What’s your problem?” He grabbed Callum by the arm and shook him. “You need to calm down, pal. If you hit him, you’ll be in a heap of trouble.”

  Callum wriggled free. “Get lost, copper. Leave me be.”

  Clovelly hurried towards them. “I don’t know what’s got into him. He is never like this. Callum! You’d better go home. Your mother needs help with the funeral arrangements. And don’t forget her prescription.” He turned to Greco. “You don’t need him, do you?”

  Greco shook his head.

  “He was on his way to the chemists when he got sidetracked and ended up here. Desperate to get into the team, he is. But I have to say, his game has improved. He must have been practising.”

  “Is his mother ill?”

  “She’s living on her nerves at the moment. Needs something to help her sleep I shouldn’t wonder. Then there are her daily injections to organise.”

  “Can I take this?” Greco picked up the half cue that Callum had brandished at Josh. “Who else has used it?”

  “No one. Callum bought it new just yesterday.”

  Back in the car, Greco put the broken cue into a plastic bag. “The Duggan,” he told Speedy.

  Speedy turned the car. “What’s your thinking, guv?”

  “I’m thinking young Callum is suddenly a lot edgier than he was. There is something on his mind, and I want to know what. Also his mother has daily injections. What’s the betting she’s diabetic and those injections are insulin?”

  “You think he’s our killer?”

  “Despite what the evidence is telling us, there is something not right there.” Greco phoned Joel and asked him to check the woman’s medical history.

  * * *

  “What am I looking for?” Roxy Atkins asked.

  “Prints, fresh ones. I want to know if they are a match for any on those plastic bags you’re looking at,” Greco said.

  “Ah, the stash of heroin.” She smiled. “I’ve had a DI Chambers on the phone asking about that. I was a little vague with him, but I’ll have to come clean soon.”

  “Get us the prints first, Roxy, and then he can have the lot,” Greco told her.

  “Go and get a cup of tea, the both of you. I’ll rush this through.”

  Greco didn’t feel like swigging tea. He wasn’t sure what Roxy’s tests would throw up, but despite catching Barton, they were still desperate for that break.

  Speedy put two mugs on the table. “No sugar in yours. Want a bite to eat?”

  Greco shook his head. “A result, that’s all I want. The killer of those two lads.”

  “Where d’you reckon the posh bird has gone?”

  “Ava? She can look out for herself. She will have a bolthole somewhere. I doubt we’ll hear from her again.”

  “She had a driver, a Polish chap. I went to his house yesterday. He was coerced into working for Barton and driving for Greysons. Barton would have thrown his family on the streets if he hadn’t done what he was told.”

  “We will speak to him. But he is going to be of more use to Chambers. He will have seen Barton’s operation first hand.”

  “Have you considered Martin Greyson’s part in all this?” Speedy asked.

  “Only that Ava ran rings around him. She was the one who organised the drug runs. Greyson is now Chambers’ problem, not ours.”

  Speedy looked at him. “What will you do about Grace? Are you still a couple, or what?”

  Trust Speedy. Straight to the point, no matter how painful. “I don’t know. That will be up to Grace. But I don’t think I’m top of her favourites list at the moment.”

  “Shame about the baby. We’re all sorry, sir.”

  “I just want to see an end to this case, and for things to get back to normal.”

  Just then a voice called out. “Stephen! I’ve done your tests. And, you’ll be pleased to know, I have found a match for the prints on the broken cue.”

  Greco smiled at her. “I knew it. The plastic packets the heroin was wrapped in?”

  “Yes.”

  Greco looked at Speedy. “Callum Riley, had to be. My instinct was right. Let’s go and pick him up. We now have the proof we need.”

  Roxy looked puzzled. “Who?”

  “Callum Riley, the owner of those prints,” Greco repeated.

  “I’m afraid not, Stephen. I have no idea what you had in mind, but the prints on that cue belong to Craig Riley.”

  Epilogue

  “That was a real turn-up. None of us saw that one coming.” Speedy grinned. “But at least we’ve got it sorted at last.”

  “Murdered his own twin? Then took his identity?” Leah sounded incredulous.

  “His twin, Vinny, and then Dee,” Greco said. “We came within a whisper of missing it too. If it hadn’t been for that visit to the centre this morning, we’d have been none the wiser.”

  “You did suspect Callum, sir,” Speedy reminded him.

  Greco shook his head. “But I didn’t for one minute suspect that Craig had taken his brother’s identity. I suspected the real Callum.”

  Leah smiled. “Craig had everyone fooled. But what about his mother? Didn’t she notice?”

  “Different clothes, a change of attitude and there you are. And she’s got dodgy eyesight,” Speedy reminded them. “Couldn’t keep the pretence going though, could he? Craig has a temper and in the end, it gave him away. His mother said he had a short fuse.”

  “Is it true that their DNA is the same, sir?” Joel asked.

  “Yes, but if you ask Professor Batho, I’m sure he’ll know about some complex method of determining minute differences. In the end, for our purposes, it was all down to fingerprints.”

  “Has he coughed yet?” Speedy asked.

  “More or less, but we’ll interview him again shortly. He realises that lying to us is pointless. I have told him we have evidence that he is, in fact, Craig Riley and not Callum.”

  “I wonder how long he’d been planning this little lot for?”

  “We’ll be sure to ask him, Speedy.”

  Greco led the way down the corridor to the interview room. Craig Riley was sat on a chair, his hands in his jeans pockets.

  “This is my brief,” he said with a smile. “Never had one before.”

  Greco ignored the comment. “I’d like you tell us exactly what happened that night, Craig,” Greco began. “Take your time, start at the beginning.”

  He pulled a face. “You already know. What are you making me go through it all again for? I don’t like thinking about it, upsets me.” He looked at them. “I’m not proud of what I did. It just sort of happened.”

  “That isn’t true. You must have planned it. You were prepared, the syringes, the drugs. What you did was no spur of the moment act,” Greco said.

  “We arranged to meet that night after me and Vinny stole the drugs. We had sorted a hiding place in an old mill with Dom. He wanted his payoff. It was him who gave us the tip-off about the stuff being at the bird’s place. But I wasn’t happy. I spoke to Vinny about Dom’s share. We’d taken all the risks. I told him I thought we were giving him too much. We had a bit of a ruck over that one. Too fair-minded for his own good was Vinny.”

  “When you took the drugs from the house in Handforth, what did you do with them?” Greco asked.

  “Me and Vinny split the haul and kept it with us. We dumped it at the old bloke’s later that night.”

  Speedy asked. “What was Callum doing there?”

  “I tried to persuade Vinny to cut Dom out of the deal. I wanted us to keep the gear, sell it ourselves. Vinny was dead set against that. He wanted to go with the original plan to blackmail the bird into giving us money to get it back. I didn’t want to do that. I tricked Vinny into going to the old bloke’s first. Said I wanted something I’d stashed there.”

  “What did you do next?” Greco asked.

  “Fair enough �
�� I had made plans. If Vinny had gone along with what I wanted, we would’ve got rid of Dom and everything would’ve been fine. But he didn’t. And then our Callum stuck his oar in. I was getting ready to meet up with Vinny when Callum found the bag I’d put my half of the stuff in. He was angry. Threatened to tell you lot. I couldn’t have that. I said I’d cut him in. All he had to do was come with me that night.” He hung his head and went silent for a few moments. “I didn’t want to kill them, but I had no choice. They wouldn’t listen to me. I had to do something. I couldn’t let the chance of getting all that money slip through my fingers. Callum was shouting at Vinny. Telling him what a moron he was for hanging around with me. I lost it. I stuck both of them with a syringe full of ketamine. It didn’t take long before they were both out of it. The rest you know.”

  “Why the violence on the bodies?” Speedy asked.

  “Barton, that’s his trademark, particularly the finger thing. Dom told me. I thought it would send you his way.”

  “And the names written on their chests?” Greco asked.

  Craig Riley smiled. “Had to make sure you blamed the right twin.”

  “Dee? Why her?”

  “She knew stuff. Dee guessed about us stealing from the old folk. You brought her here, spoke to her. Sooner or later, she would have said the wrong thing. I couldn’t risk that.”

  * * *

  “He made it all sound so easy,” Speedy said. “He killed the pair of them in cold blood.”

  They were back in the incident room. Greco and Speedy had related the interview details to rest of the team.

  Superintendent McCabe entered the room with a big smile on his face. “Congratulations, Stephen, to you and the team. You got there in the end. Never doubted you would.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Sorry to hear about DC Harper. She is going to be alright, isn’t she?”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Greco replied. Truthfully, he had no idea. He had tried to phone her, but she’d refused to speak to him.

  “No doubt, she will be off sick for a while. We will have to look at the caseload. Speaking of which, can I have a private word?”

  Greco took the super into his office and shut the door behind them. The DCI presumed that it must have something to do with Grace and their relationship. This was where he got the telling-off.