Jack Rutherford and Amanda Lacey Box Set

by Linda Coles

  She must have been stood a while, because she felt Jack by her side.

  “I’ll sort it, you get the coffee.”

  Chapter Forty

  Jack kicked the vending machine for a second time. “Damn thing,” he cursed. “You never do what you say you'll do.” The Kit Kat still hadn’t shaken loose.

  Raj was approaching the machine, counting change into the palm of his hand. “Playing up again, is it?”

  “It seems you can buy one item, but the second one always gets stuck—and the second one is my Kit Kat.”

  “Always the way. I find if you whack it just here with the heel of your hand rather than your foot, it works just fine.” Jack raised his eyebrows. “Trial and error,” Raj answered, “but trust me: the heel of your hand, right there.” He pointed just below the coin slot.

  Jack gave it a whack and his Kit Kat fell down into the tray below. “Well, blow me down,” he said. “What do you know.”

  “Like I said,” said Raj. “Trial and error.”

  Jack stood aside so that Raj could get his purchase and watched as the first item came free with ease, but his packet of salt and vinegar crisps required the help of a thump from Raj’s palm before the packet fell free from the machine. Raj turned and gave Jack a ‘told you so’ look. Satisfied they each had what they’d come for, they headed back to the squad room.

  Amanda was on the phone, frowning and evidently deep in conversation with somebody, as Jack approached her desk. She waved for him to stay until she’d finished the call. Who she was talking to he’d no idea, but from the look on her face, something was afoot. He waited patiently like a schoolboy standing outside the headmaster’s door.

  At last, she finished her call and sat back in her chair. She stayed silent for a moment, obviously pondering whatever the caller had told her. Eventually she turned towards Jack and said, “You're never going to believe what I’m about to tell you.”

  “Oh? Try me.” He pushed her Mars bar across the desk to her, but she ignored it—a bad sign. Clearly something serious had happened. He pulled a chair from a nearby empty desk and sat down opposite her, their knees almost touching.

  He waited. And waited some more.

  Finally, she turned towards him and locked eyes with him as she delivered the news.

  “They’ve found a body.”

  “Right.”

  She took a deep breath before starting the sentence again. “They found a body, and it’s in Gordon's old backyard. They were using a digger, and they've dug up a body.”

  It took a moment for Jack to realise exactly what Amanda was telling him. A body had been dug up in her father-in-law's old garden. Not good.

  “Holy shit.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Well, I guess we’d better head over there and see what's what.”

  “I guess we’d better,” she said, gathering her bag and car keys as though she were on autopilot.

  Jack followed her uneasily out and down the corridor.

  The late morning sunshine was warm on their shoulders as they slipped inside Amanda's car. Jack wound his window down as they pulled out of the car park; there was no need for air-conditioning just yet. She still hadn't said much, so Jack didn't fill the empty space with conversation. He figured her brain was working overtime about how this could all turn out. It wasn't every day a body was dug up in the garden of the house your father-in-law had just vacated. And what about Ruth?

  Traffic moved relatively freely as they headed south onto the bypass, towards Caterham and a house Amanda had visited many times in the past. Not only had it been her father-in-law’s house; it also wasn't the first time they'd both been there in connection with a crime. Jack wondered if it was anything to do with Des Walker, a missing landscaper they’d been searching for a couple of years ago. They'd interviewed Madeline Simpson, the lady of the house, about his disappearance, and while Jack hadn’t thought there was anything to it, Amanda hadn't been as certain.

  When Madeline Simpson had died in an accident a short time later, the investigating officers had been forced to put Walker's disappearance down to his simply going AWOL. He’d owed money, he was an adult, and he was entitled to leave town any time he liked and not tell a soul. And that's what Jack thought had happened.

  With news of a body being dug up, however, he knew he might have to change his thinking.

  “Are you thinking of the landscaper?” Jack enquired.

  “I'm trying not to think about the landscaper. There is no reason to think it's him. That could just be a coincidence.”

  “We know they don't exist, not in our game.”

  “Alright, then. I'm hoping that we’re wrong, that the Simpsons had nothing to do with this.”

  “I hear you. Let's wait and see.”

  They drove the rest of the journey in silence, each thinking of possibilities but neither voicing their thoughts. As they pulled into Oakwood Rise and headed to Gordon Simpson's old house, they could see the earthmoving equipment, along with a group of men taking an early lunch. They’d obviously downed tools at their find.

  Jack and Amanda got out of the car and approached the gathering, and a man with a sunburnt face wearing a yellow hardhat stood and greeted the two of them.

  “Phil Springer,” the man said, introducing himself.

  Jack took out his warrant card and flashed it. “Detective Jack Rutherford, and this is Detective Amanda Lacey. Are you in charge, Mr Springer?”

  “I am, yes. It was me that found the body.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Not much to tell, really. I was digging the earth out for the pool, shifting the earth into the truck, and the next minute I could see what appeared to be a long bone sticking out of a pair of jeans, or the remains of a pair of jeans. I put the digger bucket down, had a closer snoop, and nothing has been touched since. Thought I'd better call you lot.”

  “Then we’d better take a look,” said Jack. Amanda still hadn't said anything, leaving it all to Jack. The three of them walked over to where the digger had been working, treading carefully so anything that might be important wasn't destroyed underfoot. As soon as they’d taken a look, Jack would contact the SOCO team to come out and do their bit.

  He stood looking into the hole that the digger had already excavated for the new pool. It was going to be some pool. In the jaws of the digger's bucket was what the man had described: a boot with a long bone sticking out of it and blue cloth that looked like denim. More bones and cloth were visible at the bottom of the hole.

  Jack stood and stared at them. Amanda was still deathly quiet.

  “I’m going to have to close this site down while we investigate,” Jack told Springer, “so once we've spoken to each of your men, you may as well all go home. We will remove the body; I think it's fair to say it’s a human body.”

  “And how long do you think that will be?” Phil asked. “I'm paying for the hire of this equipment, and I can't afford for it to sit idle.”

  “I'm afraid that's exactly what's going to happen, Mr Springer. That's just the way it has to be. It's inconvenient, I know, but we have a crime scene here now, and that takes priority. If I were you, I'd have a chat to your hire company. It's not your fault.” Phil Springer grunted. “Why don't you carry on with your lunch, and we’ll take a statement from each of you shortly.”

  “Right,” Springer said defeatedly. The man was obviously thinking about the added cost to his project. Not to mention the homeowners’ annoyance at their pool works stalling.

  “Have you notified the owners of the property, by chance?” asked Jack.

  “No, not yet. Do you want me to call them?”

  “Yes, please. At the very least, they'll be wanting to know why you've downed tools. I’ll need their details also, so we can speak to them too, though I doubt they have any involvement from what I can see here. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to bury a body and then have you dig it up, I'm sure. And this body has been in the g
round some time.”

  Jack watched as the man returned to his team to deliver the news, and then took his phone out and called the SOCO team.

  He also called Dr Faye Mitchell. She’d want to take a close look at this one.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Amanda still seemed to be in a world of her own, and Jack couldn't understand why. She was always so gung-ho when a new case came in. But today she was different; vacant, worried-looking. Yes, this was Gordon's old place, but why was that having such an effect on her? Maybe it was just the connection with Ruth, but again, why would that be so bad? Ruth and her father weren't responsible. And Madeline Simpson had been exonerated, even though Amanda had had a bee in her bonnet at the time, suspecting the woman was involved somehow. He took his vending-machine Kit Kat from his pocket and unwrapped it, then slipped a stick into his mouth while his thoughts circulated in his head. What could possibly have happened here? And to whom?

  If this was the landscaper, Des Walker, in the hole, this would be a very interesting coincidence. It was well known that he had had gambling debts. And the local bookie’s shop was owned by the very same Mac McAllister that Jack had been to see only a few hours ago at the prison. Jack didn't think McAllister was a murderer, but even if he had killed Walker, why would he have buried him in the garden that he was working in? Not to mention the fact that he'd never get his money back by killing the man. It was stupid and didn’t make sense. As for coincidences, Jack had never believed in them.

  He peeled the foil off the remaining sticks of Kit Kat and munched on them one by one, staring down into the red clay earth. The digger parked nearby reminded him of the giant orange one that had sat in this very same garden back then, awaiting its driver, the landscaper who had walked off the job and never come back.

  Or maybe he had.

  His stomach rumbled a little—the Kit Kat was not enough—and he wondered if Amanda wanted her Mars bar. She was standing by the group of builders and didn’t look to be doing much other than gazing around, so he headed over to have a chat with her. Three of the men stared at him as he approached. The dust from the excavation covered his shoes in a thin film, turning their formal black finish into a tan colour. It was a good job it wasn't winter; he’d need his Wellington boots. He nodded sideways at Amanda, indicating for her to follow him away from flapping ears. She took the hint and moved alongside him as they headed back towards her vehicle.

  “Something is wrong, Amanda,” Jack said. “You’re not behaving like you normally do. What gives?”

  She let out a deep sigh before replying. “It just seems… it seems so, oh, I don't know…”

  Jack filled in the blanks for her. “It just seems a bit close to home. Is that what you mean?”

  “I guess so. It’s not even my home. And I barely knew Gordon a couple of years ago; barely knew him at all.”

  Jack nodded, letting her find her words as she carried on. “He just doesn't seem the type to do something like this, and for what reason? Why would he have a body in his garden and then just wait for someone to possibly dig it up?

  “It’s most likely not Gordon, like you said. What’s the motive? Why bury someone in your own garden? And he sure as hell wouldn't have bothered moving house; he’d have stayed here forever, keeping this secret buried—literally. So that leaves the only other person who’s lived in this house in the last couple of years.”

  “Madeline Simpson.”

  They stood quietly for a few moments; they both knew Amanda’s feelings about her.

  At length, Jack spoke again. “I guess if we have an inkling of who this body might be, it won’t take long to get a name. Once we've got the dental records, identification shouldn't take too long at all. Let’s hope we have teeth in that skull still buried in there,” he said, pointing. “There’s hardly anything left of him. Or her.”

  “Let's hope so, but we’ve got to interview Gordon. And depending on what he says and how long this body has been in there, there could be others.”

  “Others?” enquired Jack.

  “I don't mean others buried. I mean others to interview. Gordon lived in this house with Madeline for years. I can't see there being anybody else involved. You sure as hell would know if someone had dug your garden up and buried a body in it if it wasn't you or your wife. And that's another question—how would Madeline manage to bury a body without Gordon knowing?”

  Jack grunted; it was feasible, but just barely.

  “Look at Peter and Sonia Sutcliffe,” Amanda went on. “She had no clue what he was up to. Though he said he’d wanted to confess to her. He told her himself, you know, when he was arrested. He didn’t want the police to tell her what he’d done. Poor woman.”

  “What are you going to tell Ruth, and what are you going to do about Gordon?” Jack asked.

  “We need to speak to them both, obviously, and the current homeowners.”

  “Why don’t I talk to Gordon?” offered Jack.

  “And I’ll tell Ruth,” said Amanda glumly.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  With the scene of crime officers already on their way, Amanda had no choice but to ring Ruth. She knew exactly how she would react and was dreading it. Who wouldn't be? Finding a body buried in the garden of somebody you know was bad enough, but finding one in the garden of somebody you loved was going to be doubly hard. The questions that raised their ugly heads would all need answers, and doubt could be a destructive thing. Amanda made her way to the furthest point in the yard for a little privacy for the call that she was about to make—not that anyone was within eavesdropping distance, but the seclusion gave her comfort. She dialled Ruth's number and waited for her to answer.

  “Are you missing me?” asked Ruth brightly. Amanda could imagine her at her desk, sitting back in her big cream squashy comfy chair, phone to her ear with a smile stretching across her face. She was a lucky woman to have met Ruth, she thought.

  “Always,” said Amanda. “But I'm afraid I’ve got some news for you, so I'm hoping you're sat down in your office.”

  “Yes, I am,” confirmed Ruth, worry now obvious in her voice. “Whatever has happened? You’re calling me rather than visiting, so I’m going with nothing too serious?” she asked hopefully.

  There was no point stretching things out any longer than necessary, so Amanda dived straight in. “There's been a body found in your father's garden at the old house. Jack is speaking to Gordon now to let him know, but I thought you should know too.”

  Ruth stayed absolutely silent, to the point where Amanda wondered if they'd been disconnected. She tried again. “Are you still there, Ruth? Hello?”

  “I'm here. Just a bit shocked, actually. Where was it found?”

  “Workmen were digging out for a swimming pool over on the far-right side and they came across it a couple of hours ago with their digger.”

  “How long do you think it's been there?” asked Ruth.

  “We don't know yet, but from my experience I would say somewhere between two and five years. But I can’t say for sure, until someone more qualified has had a look.”

  “Did you say Jack has called Dad already?”

  “He's doing it now; we’ll need him to come in to give a statement, since he lived in the house when the body was likely buried.”

  “You don't think Dad had something to do with this, surely?” Ruth was beginning to sound frantic; her voice wobbled slightly now. “Because I can tell you now, he isn’t involved.”

  “There’s so much we don't know right at this moment, hun, but we have to follow procedure, and the new homeowners will be interviewed in just the same way. I just thought you should know. Gordon might appreciate your support. And I’ll most likely be off the case.”

  “I'll call him. Speak to you later,” she said, and the line went dead. Amanda was left holding the phone to her ear. She stared at it in puzzlement and then slipped it back into her pocket and reversed her mind back over the conversation she'd just had. Ruth was a strong and bright
woman, and she’d taken the news in her stride, with more acceptance of the situation than Amanda would have thought. It was like she was already expecting it, somehow. She shook her head as if to dislodge such a thought: how would the woman she lived with know about a body buried in the garden of her parents’ old house? The idea was utterly ridiculous.

  She looked up to see Jack picking his way towards her, trying to keep to the patches of grass that weren't covered in loose dirt. He looked like an obsessive keeping away from cracks on the pavement. She waited until he was by her side before asking how Gordon had taken the news.

  “What did he say?”

  “Not a lot, actually,” Jack said. “He was shocked, of course. It’s not every day you get news of a dead person in the garden of your old home. He’s on his way to the station now. I said we’d meet him there and take his statement. The same with the homeowners. How did Ruth take it?”

  “Surprisingly well, but that's Ruth for you. Not much fazes her. She hung up pretty quickly, though; said she wanted to give her dad a call, so no doubt they’re chatting as we speak.”

  Car doors could be heard slamming over the other side of the hedge; the top of a silver van was just visible.

  “That’ll be SOCO,” Jack said. “The sooner they start, the sooner we can get some results. I'll go and show them through.” With that, he was gone.

  She checked her watch. It was gone one o'clock. No wonder she was hungry. She walked around to the front of the house. The SOCO team were donning their white paper suits, masks and gloves as she approached them. Jack was already briefing them on what the workmen had found, and the condition everything was in. Dr Faye Mitchell was among them, listening intently to what Jack had to say.