by Carol Wyer
‘You’re not here, Chris, are you? My mind’s been protecting me . . . shielding me from reality, and the pills, the bloody pills, have played their part. They helped keep me in a permanent fugue state. I’ve been living in a dream since January.’ She blinked back more tears. She couldn’t cry again. Not yet. Not while she had work to do.
‘You were so brave. I don’t know how many more innocents would have died if you hadn’t acted.’ She traced the grinning face with a fingertip. ‘Oh, Chris! I can’t live completely without you. I simply can’t.’
‘I can still be here when you need me to be,’ came the reply.
Relief flooded through her. ‘I’d like that.’
She shoved the book inside the box and rammed several plastic bags on top of it, replaced it on the kitchen top, where it would be hidden in full sight, then rushed away to shower and dress. She had to take up her role as lead detective again and not arouse any suspicions.
It was quarter past six by the time she reached the station. She’d spotted William’s car in the car park so she wasn’t surprised when the desk sergeant told her DCI Chase wished to see her as soon as she arrived.
She steeled herself for the inevitable dressing-down. After all, she’d been absent and out of contact during a crucial part of the investigation. She’d stupidly given Dickson the ammunition he required to have her booted off it, and she would have to fight to remain. She pulled at her blouse, squared her shoulders and knocked at his door.
‘Come in.’
She strode in, head held high, prepared for battle, and was taken aback when William jumped to his feet and offered her a chair. ‘Ah, Kate. Sit down.’
He waited until she was seated, then rested his hands together as if in prayer, fingers in front of his lips, before speaking. ‘We might have a breakthrough on this case, but first there’s something you should know. It concerns Chris.’
‘Chris?’
‘And Edward Blancher.’
‘What about him?’ She couldn’t bring herself to say the name of the gunman who had destroyed her life and those of many others.
‘Morgan and Emma have uncovered some vital new information and brought it to my attention.’
‘New information?’ she asked, wondering why Morgan and Emma hadn’t told her directly.
‘Blancher was hired to kill Chris.’
‘And what about all those other people on the train?’
‘It appears Ian Wentworth paid for Blancher’s services. He instructed him to murder your husband.’ He craned his neck, watching for any sign she would crack.
Kate inhaled deeply through her mouth, held her breath for a couple of seconds and released it through pursed lips, steadying her increased heart rate. ‘I see.’
William continued, ‘Blancher was only supposed to target Chris, but for some unknown reason he shot everyone in the carriage.’
‘The London crime team who were investigating it never did establish why he went on the rampage, did they?’
William’s face was long, dragged down by sorrow. ‘They only established he’d undergone psychiatric treatment. I’m sorry, Kate.’
‘We should have handled the investigation. The answer lay closer to home. It should never have been passed over,’ she began.
William tried to interrupt, but she wasn’t prepared to hold back. This was further proof Dickson was involved. He’d made sure the case had been taken away from her, from anyone on the patch who would have kept her informed. In light of what they’d established, that decision made perfect sense. He’d been protecting a friend.
‘I want access to those files.’
‘Kate—’
‘I want access.’
‘I don’t think that’s a wise move. It’s a historical investigation; the perpetrator was established.’
‘Yet you have fresh evidence indicating the gunman was acting for somebody else.’
‘It doesn’t alter the outcome! Blancher was responsible for the all the deaths.’
The look he gave was fatherly concern.
‘Why was I denied access during the investigation?’
‘Why do you think? You were fragile, Kate. We were concerned about you. You were fighting to maintain a front, determined to carry on as if nothing had happened. You came back to work almost immediately, against medical advice, and anyone could see you weren’t yourself. Yes, you were courageous, resolute, professional, but very fragile. Superintendent Dickson discussed the matter with me and I backed you, told him it was better for you to be occupied at work. I know what this job means to you and it seemed cruel to part you from it when you most needed it. However, he agreed only on the understanding we kept an eye on you and monitored your behaviour, and we blocked any attempts you might make to extract information or become involved in the Euston investigation. It was for your own good. The decision about who led the enquiry wasn’t ours to make. The command came from higher up, and believe me, we challenged it, but we were told Blancher had boarded the train in London so the investigation was to be carried out by a London team.’ His voice was smooth, hands relaxed in his lap. There was no physical indication he was lying to her.
She lifted her gaze to his face once more, searched for empathy in his eyes and saw emptiness. She didn’t believe him. She swallowed hard, and it was a few moments before she could speak again. ‘Do we know why Ian hired this man to kill Chris?’
‘We believe it was to silence him. Chris had stumbled across something that would have ruined Ian’s reputation and led to the man’s imprisonment. Something to do with the Maddox Club – a Gold Service there.’
‘Who provided this information?’
‘Cooper Monroe.’
William gave a résumé of what Cooper had told Emma and Morgan, and all the while, Kate absorbed the details, her eyes trained on William’s mouth as the words tumbled out, and felt nothing. She’d simply run out of emotion.
‘Do you intend removing me from the investigation?’
William made a helpless gesture with his hands. ‘There’s a conflict of interest here.’
‘I don’t see how knowing an assassin was hired by one of the victims to kill my husband is going to affect my judgement. Ian Wentworth is dead. I’m unlikely to go on some vendetta against him. William, I’ve worked hard to track down this murderer and my motivation remains the same. As it did from the off. I have to prove myself, not to you or Superintendent Dickson, but to myself. When I lost Chris, I lost everything, and I have to rebuild my life. This will help me find closure. You owe me, William. You can’t leave me to flounder again at home with no focus or reason to exist. You said yourself, when you begged me to take on this investigation, you wanted the old Kate to resurface. You told me she was only temporarily out of sight. Well, she’s here now, and she needs this.’
William began to shake his head, but she continued, calmly, voice level. ‘We’ve come too far down this line to bring in somebody new. You put me on this case because you trusted me to track down Alex Corby’s murderer – you and Superintendent Dickson both, and you still can trust me to bring the perpetrator to justice. My reputation depends on it.’
‘I don’t know, Kate. The super is worried you aren’t up to the task.’
‘And you, William, what do you think?’
‘You disappeared yesterday evening, didn’t answer your phone . . . I agree with him.’
‘I was busy doing my job, tracking down potential suspects and clearing others. I arranged for Emma and Morgan to interview Cooper and I had other important leads to follow. If we had a full team, as we should on an investigation of this magnitude, I would not have to participate in active fieldwork and would be able to orchestrate the investigation as DI. Communication is not always possible when you are doing fieldwork. You know all of this, William. Remember what it was like when you and Dad used to work together? One or both of you would be out of contact for hours at a time. Policing hasn’t changed hugely since then. The fact remains that we are clos
e to catching this person, and if you remove me, you’ll have to find a suitable replacement and start all over again. Another DI might not be so willing to operate as clandestinely.’
William bounced the tips of his fingers together silently. ‘Okay, but no more disappearing off the radar, and if I suspect for one second you are on some sort of vendetta, I’ll have you removed.’
‘Fine.’
‘Kate, you and I have history. Your dad wanted me to look out for you and I want you to know I have your best interests at heart.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I ask one thing . . . You keep me in the loop about everything.’
‘I shall.’
He dismissed her and she left. She had no intention of keeping him fully informed. What she’d discovered about Ian only served to strengthen her resolve to uncover Dickson’s role in it. Ian wouldn’t have acted alone. Of that she was sure. First, she’d speak to Cooper, and later, she’d read the journal Dan had given her. A light was on in her office, and Emma and Morgan were both inside.
‘Morning, both. There’s not much time to do a full debrief, so I’ll summarise as best I can. As you know, Xavier Durand, manager at the Maddox Club, was killed some time Monday night or early Tuesday morning. I’ve been unable to contact Raymond Maddox and I’d like MisPers involved and a trace put on his phone. I haven’t had confirmation, but it would appear that Xavier was murdered using the same sort of device, which we believe to be a choke-pear.
‘On this occasion, the killer changed their MO. They didn’t remove any eyes and their victim choked to death on a peanut taken from a bowl in the bar. What might be significant is some blood, believed to be female blood, on a paperweight, and another drop of blood on the carpet. We need to talk to Tabitha Grant, the owner of ABeClean, and one of her cleaners, Poppy Notts, to find out if either of them cut themselves while cleaning a bronze paperweight of a Sphinx in the drawing room at the Maddox Club. I’ve arranged for a uniformed officer to take DNA swabs from both, but I’d still like speak to them. It’d be quicker than waiting for the results. Any questions so far?’
Her rapid-fire round-up had rendered Morgan and Emma speechless. She gave them a couple of seconds to respond, and when they didn’t, she continued. ‘And just so you are both fully aware, I know Ian Wentworth hired Edward Blancher to kill Chris. William’s told me everything. I’d like to hear Cooper’s version of what took place first-hand, so I’ll be interviewing him.’
The tension fixing Emma’s features in place drained from her face. ‘Did he also tell you Chris had been investigating the Gold Service at the Maddox Club—?’
Kate silenced her with her hand. ‘It’s okay. He told me everything, and any blanks will be filled in when I speak to Cooper.’
Morgan shuffled uncomfortably and asked, ‘Are you still lead officer on this investigation?’
‘DCI Chase has agreed I can continue. We were tasked initially with unmasking Alex’s killer, and although it has taken us down this path, we can’t yet be sure if these deaths are linked to the atrocities that took place on the Euston train. Therefore, we carry on as we have been. I have confidence in our abilities as a team to uncover whoever killed Alex, Ian and Xavier. That is my primary goal in all of this. Right, I’d like to talk to Cooper. Morgan, will you sit in? Emma, are you happy to deal with the cleaning staff?’
Emma nodded.
‘Good. Morgan, would you please escort Cooper to an interview room? I’ll be down in a minute.’
As soon as he was out of earshot, Emma spoke to Kate. ‘I was concerned about how you’d react.’
‘To what?’
‘To the news about Chris’s death. You’ve been a little . . . odd, the last few days . . . the pills . . . the piece of cake for Chris in your bag.’
Kate cocked her head to one side. ‘I’ve been off my game. The prescribed medication was messing with my head. I didn’t grasp how badly it was affecting me until recently. I’ve ditched it and definitely won’t be taking it again. I’m already feeling more like my old self – more focused.’
‘You’ve had us worried for quite a while.’
‘Really. I’m okay.’
‘If you say so.’ Emma gave her a serious look.
Kate gave a warm smile. ‘I say so. Thanks for not mentioning the note at Ian’s cottage.’
‘I didn’t want to rattle any cages and I was sure you’d handle it the right way. Besides, Faith noticed there was a fair amount of dust on the notepad so the meeting must have taken place several months ago. Knowing what we do now, it might even have been about the Gold Service.’
The meeting that caused Ian to panic and hire an assassin to murder her husband.
Emma glanced at the time and said, ‘I’d better ring Tabitha.’
Kate left her to her work and hurried down the corridor towards the interview room to speak to Cooper. Chris was at her elbow.
‘You’re back already,’ she said. Talking to him was unhealthy, yet it was the only comfort she had, and she craved it.
‘You need support. Something about this doesn’t sit right. I’m surprised Ian came up with such an extreme way to silence me. He could have kept me quiet in so many other ways: money, blackmail, threats, roughed me up . . . but a hit man!’
‘I agree. I understand he panicked at the thought you’d find out about the dead boy, but to have come up with such an extreme solution, and alone . . . I’d have thought he’d have spoken to Xavier or somebody else about it first. Maybe even confessed to his close friends – Alex and Dickson – and asked their advice.’
‘Exactly. It would explain why Dickson wanted the case to be derailed.’
‘You think he was involved?’
‘Pretty certain. Aren’t you?’
‘He must have heard the screams coming from Ian’s room and been suspicious. And why didn’t he question Ian leaving early the following morning? He’s claimed to know nothing, and we can’t prove to the contrary because the only other people who knew what happened are dead. He knows more that he’s let on. I’ll get to the bottom of it.’
‘I’m proud of you, Kate. You handled yourself well in William’s office and back there in front of Morgan and Emma. They think they’ve got the old trustworthy Kate back. You hid your suspicions well. Keep them to yourself.’ His voice dropped to a whisper. ‘Someone convinced Ian to hire a hit man. He didn’t come up with that idea himself. And whoever did that is going to let Ian take the fall for it.’
‘I know, but I won’t let that happen. I’m going to make sure those involved are held accountable.’
‘That’s my girl!’
‘Are you coming into the interview room with me?’
‘You bet.’
Cooper Monroe was nursing a hot drink. Kate shut the door to the interview room and held out a hand in greeting. He accepted it and gave her a firm handshake, his calloused palm brushing against hers.
She sat down, Morgan next to her. ‘Mr Monroe, I understand you were involved in an incident at the Maddox Club back on Wednesday the second of January.’
‘I was party to a cover-up for which I accepted a hefty bribe, yes,’ he replied.
‘Did you know any of the men who ordered the Gold Service and stayed over at the club on the night of the second of January?’
‘No.’
‘A waiter told you Ian Wentworth was staying at the club?’
‘He did.’
‘Who was this waiter? Can he back up your story?’
‘I only know his first name – Christophe. It was his last week there. He was returning to France the following week, so the answer is no, he can’t back up my story. Raymond might have contact details for him.’
‘Am I right in saying, then, you didn’t know the names of the other members who stayed overnight?’
‘Yes.’
‘Would it surprise you to know Alex Corby also stayed that night?’
Cooper’s face changed in an instant. ‘Alex was there? Oh, shit! I kn
ow where you’re going with this. Look, I didn’t know who else was a guest there, okay? My job was to drive two young women and a young man to a drop-off zone at the club. Until that moment when Xavier woke me up and begged me for help, I had no interest in what went on inside the place. I did my job, earnt a little extra money for doing it, and asked no questions. That was it. I’d never even seen Alex around the club. He was my boss and my best mate’s son-in-law. You can’t honestly think I’d kill him?’
‘To our knowledge, Bradley had very little love for his son-in-law. You could have been in cahoots,’ said Kate.
Cooper slammed the mug on to the table, hands still clenched around it. ‘I did not, repeat, not, kill anyone – not the young lad, not Alex and not Ian Wentworth.’
‘Or Xavier Durand?’
‘Xavier’s dead?’
‘He is.’
Cooper let out a lengthy groan and rubbed a tattooed hand across his balding head. ‘Jesus! What a fuck-up.’
‘We’ll have to confirm your whereabouts for the days in question.’
‘Yes . . . yes. Which days?’
‘We’ll discuss the matter in a moment.’ She pushed forward a detailed sketch. ‘This is a map of the club and its surrounding area. Are you able to tell me where the body of the young man you buried is hidden?’
He leant across the table and pointed out a spot in the middle of a copse. ‘It was about there. I can show you more accurately if we go there. It’s not something you easily forget.’
‘Did you know the boy’s name?’
‘No. I didn’t engage in any conversation with them.’
‘Was there anything you remember about him? Any distinguishing features?’
‘He was only a lad – younger than my daughter. Nice-looking boy with striking hazel eyes, and . . . resigned. He weighed next to nothing.’ His face scrunched up as if it had been punched. ‘I made a monumental error helping out that piece of shit.’
‘Ian Wentworth?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you feel anger towards Ian Wentworth at the time?’
‘You bet I did, but mostly . . . mostly, I felt disgust.’
