Night Train

by Ted Tayler

  “The resolution wasn’t great anyway, guv,” said Blessing. “It gets even more blurred if we concentrate on a tiny part of the original school photo. Look.”

  Gus had to agree. No wonder the search routines weren’t giving meaningful results.

  “Did you and Neil use the same search parameters?” he asked.

  “We agreed that as Sally Kendall was a home bird, she’d live within a twenty-mile radius of Pontyclun, guv,” said Blessing. “It took longer to find her because Crickhowell is forty miles away.”

  “So, Neil’s social media searches only extended twenty miles from Pontyclun?”

  “No, guv, Sally had zero social media presence. I checked for photos of her in any capacity. That’s why I hit on a newspaper advert for her estate agency that featured staff members by name. Neil trawled for Alexa or Lexie, with Kendall or Prosser as a surname, and found nothing on Twitter and Facebook. According to his notes, Neil also looked at the other popular sites too, without luck.”

  “Do you have any idea where else we might check?” asked Gus.

  “There are adult services adverts we could look at, guv,” said Blessing.

  “As a young copper in Salisbury, I saw women looking for business on street corners and moved them on,” said Gus. “We cleared their cards from telephone boxes too, if we received complaints from shocked senior citizens.”

  “You can find whatever you’re looking for online now, guv,” said Blessing, “and check the reviews before you buy. My father would have a fit if he knew what I’ve had to deal with since I’ve been a detective.”

  “I’ll get us a coffee, Blessing. I can’t help, I’m afraid,” said Gus. “You know better than me where to look. Sorry, if that came out wrong.”

  Gus went to the restroom while Blessing made a start. He returned five minutes later with their drinks. Blessing was concentrating so hard on her screen that Gus didn’t want to interrupt her.

  “Your coffee will get cold, Blessing,” he said ten minutes later.

  “No luck, guv, and that could be good news. Nobody called Lexie or Alexa is advertising anywhere across South Wales. I’ve checked ads for massages in the comfort of your home, the lot.”

  “You might have stumbled on something there, Blessing,” said Gus. “We had a case in Swindon that centred on a massage parlour. None of the girls used their proper names; they chose something exotic. I’ll call Neil and ask him to press Sammy Prosser on Lexie’s whereabouts and what she does for a living.”

  Gus called Neil.

  “Hi there, guv. We’re just crossing the Severn Bridge. Have you found anything?”

  “Not really, Neil. We’re wondering whether Lexie is working in adult entertainment, or at a massage parlour using an assumed name. Tread carefully with her mother. They could have lived separate lives for some time.”

  “Got it, guv,” said Neil.

  He ended the call and tutted. As if Sally hadn’t suffered enough.

  CHAPTER 12

  On the Welsh side of the Bridge, Luke and Neil were soon entering the bustling small town of Crickhowell. Luke negotiated the narrow streets and found Oakfield Drive. As he parked the car, Neil nudged his elbow.

  “That’s four curtains that have twitched already, Luke. Sammy Prosser can’t get many visitors.”

  Luke knocked on the front door. Sammy Prosser answered at once and stepped back to allow them to enter.

  “Come into the living room,” she said. “How did you find me?”

  “We asked people at the rugby club, at Ivor Park, and in the shops where you worked,” said Luke. “Nobody had a clue where you were. Yesterday, one of your former colleagues sent us photos from a Christmas party just before you left the village. That helped us find you. The change of name and hairstyle might fool the locals, but we soon realised you were Sally Kendall.”

  “We’ve identified the men we suspect murdered your husband,” said Neil. “They’ll get arrested in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. You needn’t hide away any longer, Sally. Neither does Alexa. I’m sure you want to call your daughter to give her the good news.”

  “I prefer Sammy,” she replied, “and Alexa and I don’t talk these days.”

  “That’s a shame. When did Alexa tell you about the dogs?” asked Luke.

  “The day after the police discovered Ivan’s body,” said Sammy.

  “Tell us about that weekend,” said Luke.

  “Ivan was quiet and withdrawn that Saturday evening. I knew something was up for weeks. I thought Ivan had another woman, but there were no signs on his body or his clothes. Then Ivan left without a word. Alexa came home around ten and said she saw her father at the station boarding the Cardiff train. He wasn’t there when I woke up the next morning. After lunch, I called the police. They didn’t seem worried because only a few hours had passed since he’d gone. I kept telling them it was out of character, but nobody listened. They turned up the next day with a policewoman with a face like a wet weekend. I knew what the detective had to say before he opened his mouth. Alexa came downstairs when she heard me cry out. After they left, she told me everything.”

  “Ivan had bought two young pups and kept them in a shed at the allotments,” said Luke.

  “Not quite,” said Sammy. “Ivan was on his window-cleaning round on a Saturday morning, and someone said they couldn’t afford to pay him. They had to get rid of their pets because money was so tight. Ivan took two pups in payment, and Alexa helped him look after them. I understood why they kept it a secret. I can’t stand dogs. They frighten me to death. I wouldn’t have had them in the house.”

  “So, they cared for the dogs for a year without your knowledge. What did Ivan intend to do with them?”

  “Alexa said her Dad reckoned the chap who handed over the pups did not understand how valuable they could be to the right buyer. Ivan planned to sell them when they were fully grown.”

  “Which would have been at around fourteen to sixteen months,” said Neil. “Did Alexa mention the travellers?”

  “Not straight away. Alexa told me someone stole the dogs from the shed and her Dad went to get them back. After the funeral, Alexa mentioned the men who kept turning up at the park when she exercised the dogs. She was scared they would come back for her. I told her not to be daft, but she said they came to the village every year. They’d recognise her eventually. My mother died in November, and I knew that was our chance to start a new life. I sold Mum’s place, changed my name and appearance, and kept out of the limelight. I thought I’d left it behind me. Then you called this morning.”

  “How did Ivan plan to get the dogs back?” asked Luke. “Did he agree on an amount?”

  “Alexa wouldn’t tell me how much that was, or how Ivan got the money,” Sammy replied. “We were broke.”

  “We believe Ivan took whatever sum they agreed to Westbury that night, thinking the men who stole his dogs would do the honourable thing and hand them over,” said Luke.

  “Ivan did it for your daughter,” said Neil. “Alexa doted on those dogs. Even if it cost Ivan the money he hoped to earn from selling them, he thought it worth it.”

  “Why did they have to kill him?” asked Sammy Prosser.

  “We may learn that in time,” said Luke. “Officers from Cardiff Central will interview his killers over the coming days. Do you have an address or contact number for Alexa? We want to speak to her. We have several questions to put to her.”

  “Alexa left home eighteen months after we moved. This place was too conservative for her. She moved from one minimum wage job to another and never stuck at anything. As soon as she hit eighteen, she moved to Bridgend and now my daughter dances for a living.”

  “In a nightclub?” asked Neil.

  “You’re a police officer. You don’t need me to draw you a picture. Ivan would be heartbroken. I’m heartbroken.”

  “We’ll find her,” said Luke. “We’re sorry you two are estranged. When my boss and I talked to people at the supermarket, they t
old us how fond they were of you. Without Dilys Morgan’s help, we would never have found you. Now any danger that existed has passed, perhaps you might be ready to get in touch again? I’m sure Dilys would like that.”

  “Maybe, but everyone would ask about Alexa. I don’t know if I could stand the shame. Is that it, then? Will you go to Bridgend to find Alexa now?”

  “Yes,” said Neil. “We can give her a message if you wish?”

  “Just tell her I love her.”

  “What Gus says is right, isn’t it?” said Luke as they drove away from Oakfield Drive.

  “Usually,” said Neil. “Which saying do you mean?”

  “Ivan died over four years ago, yet the repercussions are still echoing through his family.”

  “I’m sure there were more questions we should have asked,” said Neil.

  “I thought it kinder to ease off on the poor woman. We need to get the answers from Lexie,” said Luke. “Her mother didn’t know where the money came from, or how much it was. Lexie will know. Also, Lexie’s more likely to know how Ivan contacted the Corbett brothers to arrange the meeting.”

  “It shouldn’t take long to find her in Bridgend,” said Neil. “Even with a population of over one hundred thousand, there can’t be that many strip clubs, can there?”

  Neil was right. An hour later they sat opposite Alexa Kendall, or Satin, as the glossy photos in the foyer had styled her.

  The young woman didn’t want to talk to them, but Luke had described the alternative.

  “What time do you start work?” asked Luke.

  “Five o’clock,” she replied. “Why, were you thinking of staying?”

  “We’re on duty,” said Neil. “We’ve just come from your home in Crickhowell.”

  “What are you after, anyway?” asked Lexie.

  “We set out this week to find your father’s killers,” said Luke, “and in that regard, we’ve succeeded.”

  Lexie’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t comment.

  “Yes,” said Neil, “Vaughn and Shaun Corbett, the travellers who frightened you when they kept pestering you at Ivor Park, will soon be in custody. You have nothing to fear now.”

  “Did they ever come to the house?” asked Luke.

  “No,” said Lexie. “I only saw them at the park, or near the rugby club. They watched where I took Bubble and Squeak.”

  “Odd names for Staffordshire bull terriers,” said Luke.

  “They were a Staffie cross,” said Lexie. “Different things get thrown together. Dad thought it suited them.”

  “Why didn’t you tell your Mum on Saturday night that you knew where he’d gone and why?” asked Neil.

  “Dad said always to keep the dogs a secret from Mum. I knew he was going to do something daft after we found someone had stolen them that afternoon. But it was still a surprise to see him at the station.”

  “So, what happened?” asked Neil. “You went to take them for their exercise, and they had gone.”

  “Yeah, I ran back and found Dad. He was still collecting money from people on his round. Dad said he guessed it was those two tinkers and was going to call the number on the card.”

  “Where did the card come from?” asked Luke.

  “Those men went to the rugby club on Wednesday when Dad was cleaning their windows. The tinkers told him they wanted to buy the dogs. Dad said they weren’t for sale. They left the card under the windscreen wiper on his van and told him to call if he changed his mind.”

  “How much did they offer?” asked Luke.

  “Five hundred,” said Lexie.

  “When did your Dad call the Corbett’s,” asked Neil.

  “Two o’clock, maybe, no later. We used the public phone in the village.”

  “Where were the Corbett’s then?” asked Luke.

  “They must have been driving back to England,” said Lexie. “Dad kept shouting down the phone that he wanted the dogs back. I was crying. When Dad ran out of coins, he said they wanted one thousand pounds, and he had to fetch Bubble and Squeak.”

  “The Corbett brothers agreed to meet your Dad at Westbury station that night to hand over Bubble and Squeak in return for one thousand pounds in cash,” said Neil. “Is that right?”

  “That’s right,” said Lexie.

  “Where did the money come from?” asked Luke.

  “Dad didn’t have it. He was crying, the same as I was. He didn’t know what to do. We were desperate. I told him a secret I’d kept for years. Dad told me to go home. I’d already gone out to meet my boyfriend before he got home, so I never spoke with him again. When I saw Dad at the station, I knew that he must have persuaded the pervert to hand over enough cash to pay for the dogs. Although I was glad we would get them back, I knew once the story got out, nothing would be the same again. Then those men murdered my Dad, and it wasn’t the same again, anyway.”

  Luke thought back over the past few days, and the pieces dropped into place.

  “Dad went to have a chat with Martin Jones, didn’t he?”

  Lexie nodded.

  “Carys said you used to drop by the shop and ask your Mum for sweets or a comic when you were ten years old. Mum couldn’t afford to buy them for you after Ivan lost his job. Your family was still short of money, three or four years later, when you went to the same shop for a teen magazine, or maybe a packet of cigarettes.”

  “Mr Jones caught me shoplifting,” said Lexie. “The first and only time I’d done it. He threatened to call my parents and the police. Then he said maybe we could come to an arrangement. I didn’t know what he meant. I soon found out.”

  “How old were you?” asked Luke.

  “The first time he touched me was the week after my fourteenth birthday.”

  “Does your mother know?” asked Neil.

  “I couldn’t tell her,” said Lexie. “Dad must have gone to Martin Jones that afternoon and told him that unless he handed over the money, he would tell the police what he’d done.”

  “You know we can’t ignore what you’ve told us, Lexie,” said Luke.

  “You shouldn’t have had to experience that,” said Neil.

  Lexie burst into tears and ran to the Ladies.

  “Didn’t see that coming, did we?” said Neil.

  “It seemed odd to me when Martin Jones went outside for a cigarette as soon as Carys started talking about Lexie. He’d only just come back from a break. I didn’t put two and two together until just now.”

  “What a mess,” said Neil.

  “Solving the murder case has opened up a world of hurt for Sammy and her daughter. Carys Jones has a nightmare ahead when she learns her father is a paedophile. Gus wanted to check the exact date when Gethin Hughes and Lexie got together too. Hughes swore blind Lexie was sixteen, but who knows? Were there others before him? People accused Lexie of being a wild child, but we know now that at least one person took her innocence against her will.”

  “The job she does here only perpetuates the cycle of self-loathing,” said Neil. “Lexie believes this is all she’s good for. What can we do to break the cycle?”

  Lexie soon returned from the Ladies. She’d refreshed her makeup.

  “I’m okay now,” she said. “Does Mum need to know everything?”

  “She does,” said Neil.

  “Your Mum told us to tell you she still loves you, Lexie,” said Luke. “Do you know what I think the best thing is to do? We’ll take you home. You’ll need one another in the weeks ahead as much as you did after your Dad died. Neither of you should be alone.”

  Later that afternoon, Neil called Gus as they drove away from Oakfield Drive, Crickhowell, for the second time.

  “It’s a beautiful afternoon here, Neil,” said Gus. “Suzie and I are having a picnic at the allotment. How did it go?”

  “A light shower here, guv,” said Neil. “We got everything we needed and a little more than we wanted.”

  “You’ll have to explain that one, Neil,” said Gus.

  So, while Luke drove
them through light drizzle towards the second Severn crossing, Neil did just that.

  “Is that it, done and dusted?” asked Suzie when Gus ended the call.

  “Pretty much,” said Gus. “The brothers approached Ivan and offered to buy the dogs. He refused. Three days later, when they were leaving the area to visit Uncle Jack in Westbury, they stole them. Ivan contacted the brothers and agreed on a price. The Corbett brothers met him at the station, having decided what they were going to do. They took the weapons with them. It was a premeditated murder.”

  “It sounded more than that in your conversation with Neil,” said Suzie.

  “Why spoil a lovely afternoon?” said Gus. “Monday morning will be time enough to get the grubby details into our files. Neil told me that he and Luke reunited mother and daughter this afternoon. Who needs social workers when your police officers have hearts as big as those two?”

  EPILOGUE

  Monday, 16th July 2018

  The first sixty minutes of the working day can often set the tone for the week ahead.

  As soon as the team had arrived in the office, everyone sensed today was special.

  DI Williams called Gus to confirm that Vaughn and Shaun Corbett were in custody. He listened to Gus’s summary of Saturday’s events and agreed they had enough evidence to proceed with the murder charge. His officers would also follow up on two residents of Pontyclun who’s actions contributed in part to the events of March 2014. Gus asked what happened to the dogs. Dai Williams promised to find out and let him know. The Corbett brothers had no dogs with them when apprehended.

  Gus called Eddie Sinclair in Shaftesbury, as promised, to tell him the Kendall murder case was now closed. While Eddie was telling Gus how grateful he was, Neil Davis received the forensic report on the comparison between samples collected at the roadside after Sid Dyer’s death and the Dilton Marsh site. Gus saw Neil give him a thumb’s up. Gus was about to make Eddie’s day even better.

  Alex and Lydia knew that the news they brought back with them from Rotterdam could wait. Wrapping up the Kendall case was more important. The Crime Review Team needed to concentrate on collating the information Gus Freeman wanted to deliver to the ACC.