A Darker Place

by Rachel Amphlett

  Gavin emitted a noncommittal noise.

  ‘People cope with grief in all sorts of ways, Mrs Marchant.’ Laura gave the woman a faint smile.

  ‘I suppose so. Call me Adele, by the way.’

  She sank into one of the matching pine chairs, resting an elbow on the table as she peered up at them. ‘Have you found out who killed him yet?’

  ‘We’re following a number of leads,’ said Laura, ‘which is why we wanted to speak with you. Did Carl have any trouble at work recently?’

  Adele frowned. ‘No, not that I’m aware of. He was a model employee. Turned up well before his shift every morning, and he was happy to help out around the depot or swap routes if someone needed to take a day off. He got on well with the businesses on his usual route, too. He received more Christmas cards than any of our other delivery drivers last year.’

  ‘You mentioned about swapping routes – how often did that happen?’

  ‘Only occasionally these past few months. Of course, once we’re into the school summer holiday season it happens more regularly.’ A wistful look passed across Adele’s eyes. ‘I know Carl and his wife didn’t have kids – he mentioned it to me once, a while back – so he was always volunteering to help out over the summer. They tended to go away in September once the schools went back when it was cheaper, anyway.’

  ‘Did Carl ever mention any concerns to you about his route?’

  ‘Not at all.’ Adele sat up straighter, evidently more comfortable talking about work-related matters. ‘Occasionally we’d loan him to our Ashford depot but that’s only happened maybe once or twice this year. I don’t recall him mentioning any trouble there, though.’

  ‘Would he have come to you with any concerns?’ said Gavin.

  ‘Oh yes. We had a terrific working relationship. All my employees know they can come and talk to me about anything, any time. Open door policy and all that.’

  ‘What about Will Nivens?’ said Laura. ‘How come he was paired up with Carl when he joined the company?’

  Adele sighed, a sad smile appearing. ‘Carl was so dependable. He was a natural choice as a driver trainer. He was patient with the new ones, especially people like Will who hadn’t done multi-drops before – always willing to spend an extra week or two with them to make sure they knew what they were doing, and insisted on them calling his mobile if they had any problems once they were out and about on their own. Goodness knows how many phone calls he saved me over the years.’

  ‘And were there any issues with Will since he joined the company?’

  ‘No, nothing. Again, it was probably Carl’s influence but Will was turning out to be quite an asset to the company.’

  ‘Did Carl swap routes with anyone in the past, say, during the three to four weeks leading up to his death?’ said Gavin.

  Adele’s brow furrowed. ‘A couple of times, yes. There was a Monday or a Tuesday – I can’t remember which. Bonnie Hopkins, who usually does the Aylesford route, was off – she has a young daughter who went down with a bad cold and had to stay home from school, so Carl offered to cover for her on those days.’ She broke off, and sniffed. ‘I don’t know what we’re going to do without him.’

  ‘Did either Carl or Will ever fail one of your mandatory drug and alcohol tests?’ said Laura.

  ‘No – never.’ Adele’s eyebrows shot upwards. ‘Why?’

  ‘It’s just a routine question. Did Bonnie or Carl ever mention anything that gave them cause for concern about that route?’

  The woman’s jaw dropped. ‘Do you think Carl was killed because of his job?’

  ‘We’re looking at everything in relation to a possible motive,’ said Gavin calmly. ‘Has Bonnie said anything to you over the past couple of weeks since that may have given cause for concern in hindsight?’

  ‘No – nothing at all.’

  ‘We’d like to arrange to speak with her as soon as possible,’ said Laura, and handed over one of her business cards. ‘Could you get her contact details for me and email them over today?’

  ‘I – of course, yes.’ Adele swallowed, then rose from the table. ‘I’ll dry my hair and head over to the depot straight away. I can’t access the personnel records from my computer here, and she’ll be out and about at the moment anyway.’

  ‘We appreciate that,’ said Laura, following the woman back to the front door.

  Adele paused beside it, her hand on the latch, and turned to face them both.

  ‘It’s the least I can do, isn’t it? I’d do anything to find out who killed Carl and Will. They were such lovely blokes – they didn’t deserve to die like that.’

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Kay popped the top of her ballpoint pen as her team assembled in front of the whiteboard, a mid-afternoon sun speckling the desks and carpet with thin streaks of light.

  Their murmured conversations were tinged with frustration, and she felt an underlying sense that the days were slipping away from them without a single suspect in Carl Taylor’s death.

  Aaron Stewart hovered at the fringes of the group wearing a fresh shirt, his head bowed as he listened to something Debbie was saying beside him.

  Kay admired the constable for his dedication to the role he had been thrust into. He had turned up five minutes ago telling her he wanted to be as up to date as possible before heading back to Helen Taylor’s house for another shift as Family Liaison Officer.

  ‘Let’s start with the drugs Aaron found last night,’ she said, raising her voice over the throng.

  The team fell silent as all eyes turned to the constable.

  ‘Charlie and Patrick didn’t find anything else in the garden over the course of this morning,’ he said. ‘The package of drugs found in the drain outside the kitchen window has been logged into evidence and Debbie’s arranged for a sample to be sent to the lab to check its grade. That’ll give us a better idea of its value.’

  ‘What about prints?’ said Gavin, leaning forward in his chair to better see Aaron. ‘Anything?’

  ‘Patrick found a latent print that matches Carl’s but that’s all. They unwrapped the package once they got it to the lab this morning, but whoever packed it was careful,’ said the constable. ‘Harriet reports they couldn’t get any other prints off of it.’

  Kay tapped her pen against her notebook as she listened. ‘Has anyone in the Serious Crimes Directorate reported a quantity of drugs going missing from anyone they’ve got under surveillance?’

  ‘There isn’t anything on the system, guv,’ said Debbie, ‘but I’ll give headquarters a call after this to find out if any new reports have come in within the past twenty-four hours.’

  ‘Do that, please – and ask them if they’re aware of any sort of threats about retribution, things like that.’ Kay turned to the whiteboard and tapped the photographs Aaron had taken while the package of cocaine was still on Helen Taylor’s kitchen worktop the night before. ‘From what everyone’s been telling us about Carl Taylor, he doesn’t come across as a drug dealer, does he?’

  ‘It’s always the quiet ones, guv,’ Barnes said.

  ‘True.’ She turned, her gaze seeking out Laura. ‘Have you heard back from Adele Marchant? Wasn’t she going to give you the contact details for a work colleague of Carl’s?’

  ‘Yes, guv.’ The detective constable rose from her seat at the far side of the cluster of chairs so everyone could see her. ‘I’m heading off after the briefing with Gavin to go and speak to Bonnie Hopkins – Carl covered her route a couple of weeks ago. Adele told us she delivers to the Aylesford area, so we’ll ask her for a better idea of what that entails and whether she’s aware of any issues Carl might’ve been having.’

  ‘Good, okay.’ Kay waited until Laura had returned to her seat, then looked up from her notes. ‘Lucas carried out Will Nivens’ post mortem today. He’s recorded the same cause of death as Carl Taylor but also noted traces of carbon dioxide poisoning in Will’s lungs.’

  ‘What caused that, guv?’ said Phillip.

  �
��Will was in the back of that truck longer than Carl, and given that he was younger he probably survived for longer. Unfortunately, Lucas says that left him exposed to a deteriorating atmosphere. Those trucks are sealed units – they have to be, to keep the cold air in. Will was running out of air. The cold killed him, but he wasn’t far off from suffocating to death.’

  A silence followed her words, broken only by a couple of murmured curses before she cleared her throat and continued.

  ‘Gavin – a task for you in the morning. While we’re working through Carl’s different delivery routes these past few weeks, we need to focus on where those drugs might’ve come from. Obviously being a delivery driver means that Carl could be the perfect person to transport drugs from one place to the other, so we need to find out how that could be done. Simon Thomas at the fleet depot says that as soon as the drivers leave there each morning they go over to a cold chain distribution warehouse where the trucks are loaded. I want you to head over there to see what their security measures are like.’

  ‘Do you think that’s the source of a possible smuggling operation, guv?’

  ‘We need to rule it out.’ Kay rapped her knuckles against the map on the board. ‘And if that’s not the source, then one of these places on Carl’s route could be. We need to start somewhere.’

  ‘No problem – I’ll arrange that.’

  ‘Don’t phone ahead, whatever you do. I don’t want to give someone a warning we’re interested. Just go over there first thing.’ Kay turned to the rest of the team. ‘Any other updates?’

  ‘Guv, we finally got a lead on who owned the car that Carl Taylor was found in,’ said Parker.

  All eyes turned to the uniformed constable, and Kay noticed he stood a little straighter.

  ‘What’ve you managed to find out?’ she said.

  ‘It was reported stolen last week, early on Monday morning so it must’ve been stolen on Sunday night. The owner works at Maidstone hospital – she parked her car in a communal area around the back of the flats where she lives in East Malling. When she left her flat to go and start her shift, she found her car missing.’ Parker frowned. ‘She was pretty upset when she found out what had happened to it. She told me she doesn’t want it back after Harriet’s lot have finished.’

  ‘I don’t blame her.’ Kay wrote his update on the whiteboard. ‘Any CCTV where she lives?’

  ‘There’s a camera farther along the road from the flats, and apparently the building’s management company have cameras on the stairwells and places like that. I’ll give them another call in the morning to chase it up if I don’t get anything.’

  ‘Thanks, Phillip – that’s good information. How are you getting on with the CCTV images from the antiques shop? Anything from digital forensics yet?’

  ‘Nothing yet, guv. I was going to chase up Andy after this to see how they’re getting on.’

  ‘Ask him to let me have an update by Monday, please – sooner if he can.’ Kay side-stepped away from the board so her team could see the additional notes. ‘Barnes and I interviewed Steve Luxford this morning. He’s an interesting character – doesn’t have a lot of empathy for Mike O’Connor and certainly wasn’t put off by the fact that Carl was found murdered in the front lot of the used car dealership, either.’

  ‘Do you think he could be a suspect, guv?’ said Gavin. ‘After all, it’s like he said to you – he’ll get the business for a cheaper price now, won’t he?’

  ‘It certainly moves him to the top of the list,’ Kay replied. ‘Okay, everyone. Next briefing will be tomorrow afternoon, unless anything significant comes to light in the meantime. Check the roster for weekend cover before you leave today. Let’s see what the next twenty-four hours brings us.’

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Gavin thrust his mobile phone back into his pocket and straightened the cuffs of his jacket as Laura opened the passenger seat door to the pool car, a grin on her face as she slung her handbag into the footwell.

  ‘What’re you smiling about?’ he said, releasing the handbrake and edging the car in behind a four-by-four belonging to the traffic division heading towards the security barrier.

  ‘You had a grin like the Cheshire cat on your face when I walked out the back door,’ she said, dimples in her cheeks. ‘Hot date, or what?’

  Heat rose to his face, and he concentrated on manoeuvring through the traffic instead of answering.

  ‘Come on, spill the beans. Don’t be coy.’ Laura shifted in her seat, her face eager. ‘You’ve never said whether you have a girlfriend or whatever, so what gives?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said, relenting with a sigh. ‘Been too busy, I suppose. You know what it’s like working all different shifts and then getting a phone call in the middle of the night if you’re on roster.’

  ‘So who is she?’

  ‘There’s no stopping you, is there?’

  ‘No.’ She reached out and prodded his arm. ‘And if you don’t tell me, I’ll tell Barnes. He’ll get it out of you, one way or another.’

  Gavin rolled his eyes. ‘You’re not wrong there. She’s someone I met online, that’s all. You know – one of those dating apps.’

  ‘Does she know what you do for a living?’

  ‘Yes.’ He couldn’t prevent the smile that twitched at the corner of his mouth. ‘And, surprisingly, it hasn’t put her off.’

  ‘Been on a date yet?’

  ‘First one was meant to be this weekend.’ His smile faded. ‘I’ve just called her to let her know we might have to postpone, depending on what happens with this case.’

  Laura stopped grinning, and when he glanced over she was wearing a look of concern.

  ‘How did she take it?’

  ‘Surprisingly well, actually. She said it didn’t matter, and that we could make up for it once I could find the time.’

  ‘She’s a keeper, then.’

  He laughed. ‘Christ, Hanway – we haven’t even been on a date yet. Anyway, keep it to yourself for the time being, all right? I don’t want to jinx it.’

  ‘Fair enough.’ She turned away and pointed through the windscreen. ‘Take the right-hand turn up here by the lights – Bonnie lives in Downswood.’

  Moments later, Gavin braked at the kerb outside a modest detached house with a pale stone-clad finish.

  A tidy garden led to a UPVC front door, and he raised his gaze to the alarm box set above one of the upper floor windows.

  Ringing the bell, he turned his back to the house and lowered his voice.

  ‘How’d she afford this on a delivery driver’s wage?’

  ‘Her husband’s a software engineer,’ whispered Laura, then jerked her chin at the door at the sound of a latch being released.

  A suntanned woman stood on the doorstep, her frown disappearing when Gavin held up his warrant card and made the introductions.

  ‘Come in,’ she said, ushering them over the threshold and closing the door behind them.

  Gavin heard a male voice emanating from behind a door off to one side of the hallway, the discussion growing in volume.

  ‘Sorry,’ said Bonnie. She gestured towards the back of the property. ‘Go on through to the garden – Mark, my husband, works from home and he’s in the middle of a video call about a software project with a client in Australia at the moment.’

  Laura led the way through an open-plan kitchen and dining area, then out into a rectangular garden that sloped down towards a stream.

  Gavin spotted a swing set beside an apple tree, then the wire fencing between the garden and watercourse. A small wooden shed had been painted in bright colours, and a sign on the door warned away intruders.

  ‘My youngest daughter’s cubby-house,’ said Bonnie. She smiled and gestured to a set of six chairs around a metal patio table. ‘Woe betide you if you go anywhere near it.’

  ‘Noted,’ said Gavin. He waited until they had all settled, then turned his attention back to the woman. ‘When we spoke to Adele Marchant yesterday, she said that your
daughter had been off sick from school recently and that Carl covered your shift for a couple of days.’

  ‘Yes, Emily – that’s my youngest – caught a cold and couldn’t shake it off,’ said Bonnie, plumping up a blue canvas cushion and leaning back in her chair. ‘It was about three weeks ago now. I made the decision on the Monday morning not to let her go to school as she was developing a temperature, and luckily Carl was able to do both days for me.’

  ‘Does he always cover your route if you’re not able to work?’ Laura asked, glancing up from her notebook.

  Bonnie shook her head. ‘Not always, and Emily doesn’t get sick that often but he’s – sorry, was – an absolute saint at volunteering if someone needed help.’

  She sniffed, and turned her gaze to the stream, using her fingertips to wipe away sudden tears.

  ‘Mrs Hopkins, could you tell us the area that your route covers?’ said Gavin. He waited while Laura unfolded a map from her bag and flattened it on the table. ‘Aylesford, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes.’ Bonnie sniffed, then leaned forward and pulled the map closer. ‘Most of my deliveries are out as far west as there, east to West Malling and then north of Snodland on the way back to Maidstone. That includes all the villages in between such as Burham.’

  Laura used a pencil to trace the area as Bonnie spoke. ‘And Carl would’ve covered this area while he was working your shift three weeks ago?’

  ‘Yes, that’s right. I mean, he’d only go into the village stores if there was anything to deliver that day, of course.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Laura passed the map across to Gavin and he ran his eyes over the boundary she’d drawn before lifting his gaze to Bonnie.