DI Giles BoxSet

by Anna-Marie Morgan

“Is that it? I’m sorry? You’d better start talking to me, Yvonne. I’ve got to get on that phone and tell Cheshire that their number one suspect-stroke-witness in a case just happens to be one of my officers and I didn’t even know you were there. Did you go alone?”

  “No, sir.” She shifted her weight between her feet. “Dewi was with me. Well, he was in the car, waiting.”

  “So, you and Dewi were there. Well, I suppose that’s something.” He gave a heavy sigh. “I mean, you could have been at risk. Why were you meeting Corporal Whyte in the priory?”

  “He requested that location. I wanted to talk to him and he felt it was too risky at the base. He chose the time and the place.”

  “And you just went along with it. No thought to speak to me or to request proper backup. What if he’d attacked you? What if his killer had killed you too?”

  “I think his death may have been a warning to me.” Hot tears coursed down her cheeks.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Are you saying you think he was killed because he talked to you?”

  “I think it’s possible. More than likely.”

  “Here…” He handed her a clean hanky. “What did you want from him? Did he have information about Kate Nilsson?”

  She dried her eyes and blew her nose. “No. Not directly.”

  “Then what did you hope to gain?”

  “He had been friends with two of the young soldiers who died in suspicious circumstances. Deaths which Kate had been investigating before she was killed.”

  “You should have spoken to me, Yvonne. You could have told me what you were planning.”

  “You’d have stopped me.”

  He ignored the last. “And what about Thornton and Simmonds? Where were they?”

  “They didn’t know.”

  “Well, they’re just going to be cock-a-hoop about that.” He fell silent, as though all the energy had been drained from him. Or perhaps he’d lost his thread. After what seemed like an age, he added, “That’ll be all. I’m going to have a think about whether you need a vacation or a case reassignment.”

  “But-”

  “I’ll come and find you, later.”

  There was so much she wanted to say. The words just would not come. She felt as though she deserved everything she got. A young man was dead, probably because he talked to her. She needed to get her head straight. She went to find Dewi.

  As she passed colleagues, there was a hushed silence. She sensed commiseration from some and judgement from others. Perhaps she did need a break. There was still time to see her family.

  11

  Second wind

  She sat at her desk, head in hands. Most of her colleagues had gone home. Dewi had done his best to console her, but she was cloaked in despondency, and the feeling that she had let everybody down. Most of all the victims.

  DCI Llewellyn entered and shut the door behind him.

  Yvonne jumped, looking at him through half-lidded eyes.

  “I’ve spoken with Cheshire.” He perched on the edge of her desk, looking down at her, almost like he were her parent. “They’re not amused that their suspect turned out to be one of us. Luckily, they’re not dwelling on it. They’re more concerned that the CCTV appears to have been turned off. There was a power outage. Someone tampered with a service box. The footage cuts out directly after your conversation with Stephen.” He rubbed his chin. “They want to meet with you. Find out what you remember and whether you saw anyone else.”

  “Are you taking me off the case?”

  “I should.”

  Yvonne looked down at her hands.

  “But, no. I’m not taking you off the case. But please work with Thornton and Simmonds and keep them, and me, informed. Understood?”

  “Understood. Thank you.” She looked up at him.

  His eyes were soft. “I know you think they won’t be impartial, but they are supposed to be independent investigators and we have to trust that they are.”

  “I know.”

  “Go home, Yvonne. Get some rest. Don’t blame yourself for Corporal Whyte’s death. Just find his killer and do it safely.”

  She nodded and rose, to head out. She was glad of the chance to leave. She didn’t want to cry again.

  She had to refocus. Get her head and the investigation back on track. She felt determined as she walked down the corridor. She’d go back to the beginning. It irked her that she could not investigate Stephen Whyte’s death directly, but Kate Nilsson’s was a different matter. The key to whatever evil lay behind these murders lay with Kate. She felt she owed it to Private Nilsson, to know what she knew. To walk in her footsteps.

  She phoned Kim as soon as she arrived home. She spoke to them all: her sister, her mum and the children. She felt better for it. She listened as they told her about their Christmas celebrations and New Year’s resolutions. It was good to talk to them. Ground herself. She made another promise to be back with them soon, and this time, she was going to keep it.

  The manilla folder was back. So were Dick and Harry. Dewi ran up two flights of stairs to find the DI, waving the yellow folder in his hand.

  Her eyes lit up and she ran to meet him. Dewi put it on the table and the two of them stared at it, like a Christmas present they were afraid to open, in case the contents were a disappointment.

  “Let’s do it.” Yvonne grabbed the folder and pulled out the papers.

  “Resumés?” She handed Dewi the top one. “These are copies of the personnel files of Kevin McEwan, Helen Reynolds and Tom Rendon.” The DI began flicking through. “Looks like we have their whole career, from induction through to their deaths.”

  Dewi pursed his lips. “How on earth had Kate Nilsson got her hands on these?”

  “Quite. More importantly, why did she need them?” Yvonne continued flicking through Kevin’s file, just as Dick and Harry entered the room.

  “See? Told you we’d get it back to you ASAP.” Simmonds looked pleased with himself. “It had to have clearance. Those files are MOD property and confidential.”

  “Very little has been redacted.” The DI’s eyes narrowed.

  Thornton crossed over to stand behind Yvonne. “Well, they wouldn’t hide anything they didn’t need to.” He smiled. “I knew you’d be pleased about that.”

  Yvonne couldn’t help her feelings. The lack of redaction increased her suspicion. “Can we hang onto these for a while?” She closed the pages she was reading. She didn’t want to study them in front of the RMP officers. No matter what the DCI said.

  “You can have them for a couple of weeks. After that, the ministry will want them destroyed, which they will do themselves.”

  “Destroyed?” Dewi looked wide-eyed at them.

  “These have been printed from the digital files. It’s not clear who printed them, but they are surplus to requirements and shouldn’t exist.” He gave Dewi a ‘hello’ sort of a look.

  Dewi looked away. Yvonne could see that his clenched knuckles were white.

  “We don’t keep paper copies of personnel files much these days.” Thornton appeared to want to make up for his colleague’s lack of sensitivity. “All records are digital. Private Nilsson somehow obtained printouts. That is being investigated, as we speak. In the meantime, because they had been in Kate’s possession, they have been returned to you. But I must ask that you keep access to these files limited.”

  Yvonne nodded, grateful and surprised that she had received them back, at all.

  They were, once more, on their way to Chester. Yvonne dreaded having to face Cheshire police. She knew she would feel foolish, throughout. It would also delay her speaking again with Sergeants Callaghan and Jones, and meeting the regimental-sergeant, Major Robert Wyn-Thomas, the most senior-ranked NCO.

  It felt strange, and plain wrong, to be on the other side of the interview table. The two detectives from Cheshire gave the date and names for the tape. Yvonne felt sick.

  They made her a cup of tea and she sipped i
t rapidly.

  “So, Detective Inspector Giles, tell us how you came to know Corporal Stephen Whyte.”

  Yvonne sighed. “Am I seriously on your suspect list?”

  “You’re not very high up the list, if that’s any consolation.” The older detective eyed her and she sensed an empathy.

  “But you were the last known person to see him alive.” The younger detective’s demeanour was firmer, perhaps suspecting she may be corrupt.

  “Corporal Whyte asked to meet me there. As you know, I was investigating the death of one of his army colleagues, Kate Nilsson. She was killed while out for a run, near her family home.”

  “You thought he had information about the murder? Why not pull him in for questioning? Why not refer him to us?”

  “Kate was looking into suspicious deaths at the barracks.” Yvonne’s eyes lingered on the rolled-up sleeves of the younger detective. “Something is scaring soldiers at that barracks. Corporal Whyte wanted to meet me off base. He chose the time and the venue. I don’t know why he chose the priory.”

  “But you talked to him.”

  “I did.”

  “What did he say to you?”

  Yvonne paused. Could she trust them? “He said he doubted the findings of the inquests into previous deaths at the base.”

  “Our force was fully involved in investigations. The findings by both ourselves, and the army, were thorough and comprehensive. No foul-play was detected. You’re wasting your time if you think you’ll find any different.”

  “I didn’t say that was what I was trying to do.”

  “So, what were you doing questioning him?”

  “Kate Nilsson’s death was not suicide.”

  “We could have provided back-up. We could have helped protect you and Corporal Whyte.”

  Yvonne doubted that. She doubted it very much. Since Corporal Whyte was killed away from the priory, and brought back there. She was sure it was done to ward her off. “So, am I really a suspect? Or are you getting revenge because I didn’t consult with you?”

  “Did you see anyone else? Anyone at all, in the area?”

  She pursed her lips. “No. No-one. I was feeling on edge and would have been aware. I heard people in the far distance. I heard a dog barking. I saw no-one. That is, until my DS arrived and I maced him in the face.”

  The younger detective stifled a laugh.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “I was anxious.”

  “So, you knew the situation could be a dangerous one.”

  “I suffer with anxiety. I have occasional panic attacks. Dark places always have me on edge.”

  “So what happened after you maced your DS in the face?”

  “I took him to the hospital.”

  “So, there’ll be witnesses to that.”

  “Quite a few. I think we amused the hospital staff that evening.”

  More smirks from the younger detective. “You were feeling nervous, weren’t you?”

  “Well, meeting him like that - in the dark. I bet you’d have been on edge, too.”

  “Without back-up, I would.”

  The older detective interjected. “Look, did you see anyone near the cameras? Anyone climbing up anywhere, anything like that?”

  “No.”

  “Would you have seen anyone if they were there?”

  “Yes. No. Don’t know.” She shook her head, self-doubt creeping back. Perhaps she had missed something.

  The older detective pushed his chair back. “You’re free to go.”

  “That’s it? Am I still a suspect?”

  “No. You never were. Not really.”

  “Then why all this?”

  “You took risks with yours and the victim’s safety.”

  “I feel terrible about Stephen’s death. I regret not having had the area staked out.” She sighed heavily. “Perhaps we should have given him a lift back to the base.”

  They nodded, and the younger detective smiled at her. “Remind me never to go on an op with you, if you have mace in your pocket.”

  Was that supposed to make her feel better? She smiled weakly, but inside she was furious. Someone was pulling the strings. They had manipulated her and taken the life of another victim. She’d been set up and humiliated, and the puppet-master was still at large.

  As she walked down the corridor, away from the two detectives, that anger morphed into steely determination. Her footfall became stronger and more regular. As she left the building, and the winter sun lit her face, she knew exactly what she would do. She’d bring in Tashsa. She’d somehow get Tasha into Dale.

  12

  Tasha comes on board

  Yvonne’s breath curled and twisted in the frosted air, as she and Dewi walked the path towards the Nilsson’s home in Llydiart. Frost clothed the hedgerows and fields in ephemeral white. It had the beauty of snow, without the complications.

  Her rap on the front door was loud and firm. Lars had some explaining to do.

  Lars opened the door, surprised at finding the two detectives at his door again. They hadn’t phoned. His expression quickly turned to expectation.

  “Anything?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

  Yvonne shook her head. “Not yet.”

  The corners of Lars’ mouth turned down.

  “We’ve come to ask you a few more questions, Lars.” Her eyes searched his face.

  “Questions about what? My wife is asleep upstairs, we’ll have to keep our voices down.” He took them through to the kitchen and pulled up chairs next to the Aga.

  Yvonne pulled out her notebook. “Lars, you said Kate had been looking into suicides at the base.”

  “Yes…”

  “Did you ask her to do that?”

  He looked down at his feet.

  The DI glanced at Dewi, who had continued standing. Hands in pockets. Legs apart, as though ready for a sparring session.

  She continued, “I think you encouraged your daughter to delve deeper into what happened, and we,” Yvonne glanced at her DS, as he nodded affirmation, “suspect she was feeding information back to you.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “We’re not judging you. We just want to know what you know. We want you to tell us what it was she found out.”

  “Would you believe me if I told you that she closed up? Since the early weeks of her investigations, she said little. It was like she was trying to protect us. Actually, I know she was trying to protect us. She told me. She said she thought she was on to something big and didn’t want to put us in danger.”

  Yvonne rubbed her chin.

  “No, really. She gave me the impression that powerful people were involved. People who could make problems go away.”

  “Did she give you anything to go on? Anything at all?”

  Lars sighed and looked about, as though he felt eyes on him. “There’s a box,” he said, finally, “upstairs in Kate’s room. In the bottom of her wardrobe. She told me to keep it safe.”

  “May we see it?”

  “Come on, I’ll show you. But please be quiet. As I explained, my wife is sleeping.”

  Yvonne and Dewi slipped off their shoes and followed Lars upstairs.

  The box was a small one that had originally contained envelopes. Lars removed the lid. Inside, were several photographs of Kate on her own and with others. All were taken in the same street. The street could have been anywhere. In the background were shops, parked cars, and a partial sign above what appeared to be a coffee shop. The only letter legible on the partial sign was a large S. The way the photographer had taken the photo, was such that the rest of the name was missing. Both Dewi and Yvonne took turns studying the photographs, to see if they could recognise the place. They couldn’t. In one, Kate was flanked by Steven Whyte and Wayne Hedges. Arms around each other’s shoulders, they looked like they were having fun. Same street, but a night-time shot.

  “Do you know where these were taken?” Yvonne asked Lars.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t.” Lars sc
ratched his head. “It’s nowhere I’m familiar with.”

  “May we keep them a while?” Yvonne’s gaze was softer, now. This was a big thing for Lars: handing over something which his dead daughter had asked him to keep safe. Perhaps she had misjudged him.

  “Yes. Yes, of course.” Lars handed her the box. “Could I please have them back when you’ve finished?”

  Yvonne nodded. “I’ll make sure we look after them.” She gave him a warm smile and placed a reassuring hand on his elbow.

  He led them back downstairs and showed them out.

  “How on earth do we find out where those were taken?” Dewi beeped his key-fob at the car.

  “I don’t know, Dewi, but we can start by asking the team to scan the images. See what they come up with. Failing that, I could approach Wayne Hedges.” She frowned. “Though, after what happened to Stephen-”

  “We’ll start with the team.” Dewi’s nod was emphatic. “Let’s see what they come up with.”

  The drive to Aberdovey went by in a haze. Yvonne’s head was full of images and snippets of conversations. She pulled into Tasha’a yard and was greeted by the psychologist, who handed her a glass of white. She gratefully accepted it. “It’s okay to stay the night, then?”

  “Of course.” Tasha grinned. “The spare room is ready. It has an excellent view of the sea, and dinner is cooking.”

  Yvonne began to relax. Tiredness washed over her. The kind which washes over someone when they’ve had to be strong under fire, and they see a friendly face.

  A tear escaped and ran down her face.

  “Hey. Hey, what’s wrong? Come here.”

  Tasha grabbed hold of her friend and gave her a long hug. The chill of the evening air stung their faces and Tasha guided the DI inside.

  “I’m fine, It’s just so good to take a few hours out. It’s been a tough few days.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Maybe, eventually. But not now.”

  Tasha smiled. “No worries. You know I’m here, if you want to.”

  The psychologist lit candles around the room and dimmed the lights. “Come on.” She took a sip from her glass. “Let’s watch the moon on the water, while we wait for the food to finish cooking.”