The Lantern Men

by Elly Griffiths

  ‘I wanted to ask you about this photograph.’ Tanya puts her photocopy down on the wicker table. Crissy puts on a pair of gold half-moon spectacles to look at it. Tanya wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they were plain glass.

  ‘We believe this was taken in July last year,’ says Tanya. ‘Do you remember the event?’

  ‘I think so,’ says Crissy. ‘We’ve had many evening gatherings on the beach.’

  ‘Can you remember anything about this specific evening? This woman, for example.’ Tanya points at Heidi. ‘Do you remember her?’

  ‘Yes, she came with Len, I think. A lovely girl. She had a beautiful aura.’

  ‘That’s Heidi Lucas, who was murdered last week,’ says Tanya. ‘So you can understand why we’re anxious to speak to anyone who knew her.’

  ‘I didn’t realise . . .’ Crissy looks shaken now. She raises her hand to her hair and Tanya notices the liver spots on the back on it. An old woman’s hand. ‘I don’t think I ever knew her name. I never realised that this was the girl . . .’

  ‘Can you remember anything that Heidi did at the barbecue? Who did she speak to? Who did she spend time with?’

  ‘She talked to Ailsa. I remember them walking down to the sea to immerse their feet in the water.’ Tanya supposes that ‘paddling’ is too mundane a word for Crissy Martin. ‘Heidi talked to me too. She’d spent some time in Germany, which is where I lived as a girl. We discussed the Black Forest and its legends.’

  ‘Speaking of legends, you talked to Dr Ruth Galloway about the Lantern Man. You said that he killed Heidi Lucas.’

  ‘I spoke to Ruth in confidence.’ Crissy is definitely rattled now.

  ‘There are no secrets in a murder inquiry,’ says Tanya. ‘Do you know who this Lantern Man is?’

  ‘No,’ says Crissy. ‘That’s the whole point. Ivor himself didn’t know his name or anything about him.’

  A likely story, thinks Tanya. She points again at the photograph. ‘What about Jenny McGuire? She was there that day too. Can you remember anything about her?’

  ‘She talked to Ivor for a while. She was one of his creative writing students. Like Ailsa. I think they were discussing a short story she had written.’

  ‘Was that the story called “The Lantern Men”?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ says Crissy. ‘I don’t teach creative writing. I just provide a safe space so that others can create.’

  ‘Did you see Heidi again after the barbecue?’

  ‘No. I told you, I didn’t even know her name. It’s so sad. She seemed a lovely soul.’

  ‘You’re very close to Leonard Jenkins and Bob Carr, aren’t you?’

  ‘I used to be.’ Crissy folds her hands in her lap, serenity restored. Tanya thinks that she detects a note of complacency in her voice. She produces the picture of Crissy with the two men. ‘Do you remember this picture being taken?’

  ‘Yes, it was the same evening.’

  ‘They’re looking at you very admiringly.’

  ‘We were very close once,’ says Crissy. ‘This was an enchanted place. We lived here so happily, me, Ivor, Bob and Leonard. Even now, it makes me happy to think of those days.’

  Tanya notes that Ailsa Britain is not in this list. She thinks that Crissy is the sort of woman who only values admiration when it comes from men. This is even true of some gay women, in Tanya’s experience.

  She shows Crissy a photograph of the pumpkin badge.

  ‘Do you recognise this?’

  ‘It’s a Hallowe’en thing, isn’t it? I don’t like Hallowe’en as a holiday. Why dwell on the darkness in life?’

  Don’t ask me, thinks Tanya. You’re the one who was married to a serial killer.

  ‘Have you seen a badge like this before?’

  ‘Maybe. Hallowe’en is so commercialised. It’s the kind of thing children wear, isn’t it? Do you have children, Detective Sergeant?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Nor do I. It’s a sadness in my life.’

  Tanya doesn’t think that she can stand much more of this. She says, ‘I won’t take up any more of your time. John Robertson works here, doesn’t he? Is it possible to talk to him?’

  ‘Why?’

  Tanya feels like telling Crissy to mind her own business but she says, ‘We’re anxious to interview everyone who was at the barbecue on July the fourth last year.’

  ‘It’s John’s day off,’ says Crissy. ‘I think he’s gone to visit his brother in Yarmouth.’

  *

  At first, Chantal Simmonds refuses to let Judy in.

  ‘You’ve interviewed me about a hundred times already. I’ve got nothing else to say.’

  ‘New evidence has come to light,’ says Judy.

  Chantal looks past her to Tony. ‘This is a new face,’ she says, rather rudely in Judy’s opinion.

  But Tony gives Chantal his best smile. ‘Hi. I’m Tony Zhang. Pleased to meet you.’

  Somehow this gets Judy and Tony over the threshold and into the sitting room. Chantal’s cat purrs at them from the sofa.

  ‘She sheds,’ she warns Tony, who goes to stroke the animal.

  ‘I don’t mind,’ says Tony. ‘I love cats.’

  Tony is definitely proving to be an asset. Chantal brushes imaginary cat hair off her black skirt. As usual, she is dressed rather formally: pencil skirt, silk blouse, high heels.

  ‘What’s all this about?’ she says, when they take their seats opposite her, on either side of the cat.

  Judy hands over the photograph. ‘Do you remember this being taken?’

  Chantal examines the picture for some time. Her nails are perfect too, shiny and red. ‘No,’ she says at last, ‘I can’t say I do.’

  ‘It was at a barbecue on Cley beach on July the fourth last year. Is that you next to Ivor?’

  ‘It’s not a good one of me.’

  ‘But it is you?’

  A shrug. ‘Yes.’

  ‘You told me several times that you’d never met Jenny McGuire but she was there, at the barbecue, with you.’

  ‘I must have forgotten,’ says Chantal. ‘She was rather forgettable.’

  ‘I’ve heard that she spent the evening deep in conversation with Ivor.’

  Chantal’s face is immobile but her nostrils flare slightly. ‘Who told you that? Bob? Leonard?’

  ‘Both of them.’

  ‘They were probably jealous. They both adored Ivor. Lots of repressed homosexuality in that group.’

  There’s little trace here of the lovely person and perfect relationship described by Bob Carr.

  ‘Leonard also said that you and Ivor argued that night. Was it about Jenny?’

  ‘We didn’t argue,’ says Chantal. ‘We never argued.’

  ‘Do you know this man?’ Judy points. ‘Larry Hanson?’

  ‘I met him a few times,’ says Chantal. ‘He was a potter, I think.’

  ‘What about this woman?’ Judy points. ‘Do you remember meeting her?’

  ‘Not really. She was another forgettable one.’

  ‘That’s Heidi Lucas. The woman who was found dead on Cley Marsh last week.’

  ‘Are you going to try and pin this one on Ivor too?’ says Chantal. ‘Well, good luck with that.’

  ‘What were you doing last Thursday night, Chantal?’

  Chantal examines her nails. ‘I was here. On my own. As usual.’

  ‘Funny, Bob Carr says you popped in to see him.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Chantal meets Judy’s eyes without embarrassment. ‘I was in Holt seeing some friends so I dropped in on Bob on my way home. We talked about Ivor.’

  ‘What time was this?’

  ‘About seven thirty or eight.’

  ‘Which?’

  ‘Eight.’

  So, in theory, it would be possibl
e for Chantal to have had a lovely chat about Ivor and still have killed Heidi. Unlikely though, Judy has to admit.

  Judy holds out her phone showing the Jack O’Lantern badge.

  ‘Have you seen this before?’

  Chantal takes the phone and enlarges the picture.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ she says. ‘Why?’

  Judy doesn’t answer. They don’t want the whereabouts of the badge to become public knowledge. Nobody seems to have reacted with horror at the sight of the pumpkin but maybe this too is only to be expected.

  ‘You’ve heard that we found Jenny and Nicola’s bodies,’ says Judy.

  ‘I’d heard,’ says Chantal. ‘I heard there was a third body too.’

  This news hasn’t been made public but Judy isn’t surprised that Chantal knows. The boss saw Ivor March on Saturday. It’s Wednesday now. Chantal will have had plenty of time to communicate with her boyfriend. At any rate, Judy can’t see any point in denying it.

  ‘We haven’t had a formal identification yet,’ she says, which is technically true. She hasn’t updated the files yet. Judy watches Chantal closely as she says this. As ever, Chantal is hard to read but Judy thinks that she can see several emotions crossing the carefully made-up face. And the strongest of these is anger.

  *

  The evening briefing is a rather tense affair. Judy and Tanya lead it together which means that Tanya nods annoyingly whenever Judy is speaking and tries to cut in at the earliest possible opportunity.

  ‘Leonard Jenkins didn’t admit to knowing Heidi at first,’ says Judy. ‘But when we showed him the picture he admitted that he had taken her to the barbecue. He said it was because she was “interesting and intelligent”.’

  ‘Or because Ivor March would think she was interesting and intelligent?’ says Nelson.

  ‘I did wonder about that but Leonard says that March spent the evening talking to Jenny McGuire.’

  ‘That’s what Larry Hanson said,’ says Nelson. ‘He also said that Heidi spent most of her time with Crissy and Ailsa.’

  ‘Leonard and Bob said that too. Apparently Heidi went paddling with Ailsa.’

  ‘Ailsa told me that she hardly remembered Heidi.’ Tanya jumps in. ‘Crissy Martin did though. She said that Heidi had a beautiful aura. She also claimed that she had no idea that Heidi was the woman who was killed last week.’

  ‘Of course she knew,’ says Nelson. ‘I wouldn’t trust Crissy Martin further than I could throw her.’

  ‘Which wouldn’t be very far,’ says Tanya. ‘She must weigh over eighty kilograms.’

  ‘What has that got to do with anything?’ says Judy. She doesn’t know what eighty kilograms is in stones but it annoys her when Tanya goes all ‘war on obesity’ on them.

  ‘Did anyone have anything significant to say about the barbecue?’ says Nelson.

  ‘Leonard said that Chantal was angry because Ivor spent so much time with Jenny,’ says Judy.

  ‘Crissy said that too,’ says Tanya. ‘But she said that Jenny was just asking Ivor’s advice about her short story.’

  ‘That wouldn’t take all evening,’ says Nelson. ‘I read it in ten minutes and a load of crap it was too.’

  ‘Bob Carr said that Jenny and Ivor were talking too,’ says Judy. ‘But he denied that Chantal was upset. He said that Ivor and Chantal had the perfect relationship. According to him, everyone in the group is lovely and in love with everyone else.’

  ‘But Bob and Leonard haven’t visited Ivor in prison,’ says Nelson. ‘What about the pumpkin badge? Did anybody recognise it?’

  ‘Nobody admitted to it,’ says Judy. ‘Bob said Jack O’Lantern at once though. And he’s done some prints of the lantern men. Tony and I had a look when we were at his studio. I couldn’t really make head or tail of them, lots of overlapping shapes and colours.’

  ‘I liked them,’ says Tony brightly.

  ‘Thanks for the artistic appreciation,’ says Nelson, ‘but none of this gets us anywhere. However, we do have a positive identification for the third body found at the Jolly Boatman. Judy?’

  ‘Yes,’ says Judy. ‘Dental records show that the body is that of Sofia Novak, who was aged eighteen when she disappeared in 2007. We’re still trying to trace the family. I thought I’d see Ailsa Britain again. I’m sure she knows more about Sofia than she let on.’

  ‘Good idea,’ says Nelson. ‘I’m going to see March tomorrow. I’ll push for a confession. He killed Sofia, I’m sure of it. And he must have known that we’d find her body if we dug in the grounds of the Jolly Boatman. As Tanya said, why ask for the best archaeologist if he didn’t want the bones to be found?’

  Tanya looks delighted to be quoted. Judy says, ‘The inquest on all three women is set for tomorrow. I’ll attend with DC Zhang.’

  ‘I’ll be there too,’ says Tanya quickly.

  ‘I’ll try and make it,’ says Nelson. ‘Depends how long it takes with March. Is Ruth giving evidence?’

  ‘Yes,’ says Judy. ‘Chris Stephenson too.’ She knows that the pathologist, unlike Ruth, is not one of Nelson’s extremely small group of favourite people.

  ‘Let’s hope for “unlawfully killed”,’ says Nelson. ‘That’ll help with bringing March to trial.’

  ‘His DNA isn’t on the bodies though,’ says Judy.

  ‘Not yet,’ says Nelson. ‘But something might come up. Remember Ruth found that plant last time, something that only grew in one garden in Norfolk.’

  Nelson is exaggerating, but only just.

  ‘I have a feeling that March will confess,’ says Nelson. ‘This is his moment. You know how he likes to be centre stage. He’s got a god complex.’

  Judy looks at him sharply. This doesn’t sound like the boss at all. He distrusts anything with the words ‘complex’ or ‘syndrome’ attached, as she knows to her cost.

  ‘What if he doesn’t confess?’ she says.

  ‘We’ll get him,’ says Nelson. ‘We’ll get him one way or another.’

  He sounds confident but, right at this moment, all Judy can hear is Cathbad’s voice.

  Ivor March didn’t kill those women.

  Chapter 25

  Ruth is always nervous before an inquest. It’s like a mini courtroom, with a witness stand and dais for the coroner. But, unlike a court, the family are usually just a few feet away, hearing you talk about putrefaction and the preservation of bones. Today there are two sets of families, the Ferrises and the McGuires. They seem to know each other, exchanging hugs and the occasional tight smile, but sit apart. The pathologist, Chris Stephenson, is at the front, smiling around the room as if he’s at a cocktail party. There are four police officers present: Judy, Tanya, Maggie the family liaison officer, and a young man Ruth doesn’t recognise. No Nelson though.

  Judy comes over to talk to Ruth.

  ‘Have you heard?’ she says. ‘We’ve got Mother Hubbard.’

  ‘Oh no.’ Phyllis Hubbard is an old-style coroner. She’s apparently an ex-solicitor but Ruth has never seen any sign of legal expertise in her rulings. Phyllis Hubbard is most notable for almost always getting the name of the deceased wrong. ‘I really hoped we’d have someone better,’ says Ruth. ‘This is such a high profile case.’

  ‘I know,’ says Judy. ‘Lots of press here. Outside too.’ The other seats in the small, panelled room are taken up with people Ruth assumes to be journalists. She spots Cathbad’s daughter Maddie in the back row, blonde head bent over her notepad.

  Judy leans closer. ‘Did you see who else is here?’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Chantal Simmonds. March’s girlfriend.’

  Ruth tries to scan the room in a casual manner. She remembers Judy pointing Chantal out to her at the excavation. Then she’d been dressed in red but today she’s entirely in black. Again, her clothes are formal, almost like fancy dress. She’s even wearing a h
at with a tiny veil.

  ‘What’s she playing at?’ says Judy. ‘I hope the families haven’t spotted her.’

  ‘This must be awful for them,’ says Ruth.

  ‘Yes, it is,’ says Judy, ‘but I’m hoping that, once this is over, we can release the bodies for burial. That will give them some closure, at least.’

  Ruth often hears people talking about closure but it always sounds a bit simplistic to her. She is still haunted by Scarlet, the child she found buried on the marshes all those years ago. God knows what the parents are still going through. Well, Maddie knows. Scarlet was her half-sister.

  The assistant coroner calls the room to order and asks everyone to stand for Mrs Phyllis Hubbard. Mother Hubbard enters, wearing a tweed suit despite the heat, her glasses on a chain around her neck. She greets the families and tells them that they are welcome to ask questions of any of the witnesses. She then expresses sympathy for the deaths of Nicole, Jane and Sonya. Judy exchanges a look with Ruth.

  Chris Stephenson is the first to give evidence. He says that he examined the three skeletons. They were of adult females with all teeth erupted and all bones fused. It was impossible to tell cause of death. No one has any questions.

  ‘Dr Ruth Galway,’ says Mrs Hubbard.

  *

  Nelson sits facing Ivor March. The photograph is on the table between them. The picture has been enlarged which gives it the blurred beauty of an Andy Warhol poster. Sofia Maria Novak. She stares up at them, dark-eyed and unafraid, reminding Nelson of all those times that he photographed his daughters and they refused to smile for the camera. How old was Sofia in this picture? Sixteen? Seventeen? By eighteen she had left home and was backpacking round Europe. Shortly afterwards she met the Lantern Men.

  For a long time Ivor March doesn’t even look at the picture. He stares at Nelson with an intensity that is obviously meant to be intimidating. Nelson isn’t scared though. He knows that he has March on the ropes.

  Eventually March looks down at the photograph. And then, it seems, he can’t look away. He stares and stares, raising one handcuffed hand to push his hair out of his eyes. Nelson says nothing. Even the prison guard stands as still as an effigy. The windowless room quivers with something that seems more than tension. Nelson almost expects to see little pluses and minuses of electricity floating in the air.