Murder in the Fens: An utterly gripping English cozy mystery novel (A Tara Thorpe Mystery Book 4)

by Clare Chase

  He and Shona had come up with a wonderful article the previous year. It highlighted a crazy theory Tara had been following and threw the nauseating ‘special relationship’ she and Blake clearly had into sharp focus. As Tara’s former colleague, Shona had revelled in the results as much as he had.

  But that high point had come just before the fall. An old friend of Tara’s – with some inexplicable sense of loyalty to her – had caught him out. Seen him drinking with – and recorded him talking to – Shona’s editor, Giles Troy. Thorpe’s spy – Paul Kemp, an ex-cop no less, who’d left the force under a cloud – had handed the evidence over to Blake. And that had been that. Umpteen disciplinary meetings later, Patrick’s patience with the force had run out. It had felt good to resign – a form of revenge. They deserved to be without him.

  He’d planned to make Tara pay personally, too. He’d had an angle to pursue, and the promise of hard cash from Giles Troy if he came up with the goods. But it hadn’t been as straightforward as he’d hoped…

  A moment earlier, Patrick and Shona had seen various cars turn up at the station. The idea that Thorpe might be in one of them twisted a knife in what was still an open wound.

  Shona had had her eyes on the activity across Parker’s Piece too, but now she turned towards him. ‘They’ll be in there for ages. The murder of a young student will keep them up into the night.’

  ‘You’re sure it’s murder?’

  She smiled her cat-like smile. ‘The official statement said the death was being treated as suspicious. How often does that sort of announcement get downgraded? Besides,’ she ran her tongue over her bottom lip, making the gloss there glisten, ‘I managed to grab a quick word with a young PC earlier, who’s clearly in the know.’

  ‘And who clearly doesn’t know you!’

  She stroked his cheek with a long-nailed finger. ‘It’s not my fault if he was… too revealing when we spoke. People often are. I don’t know what comes over them.’

  He wasn’t going to flatter her ego by showing his jealousy. He knew her tactics of old. He peered again at the station. For a moment he had the urge to walk over there. He’d like them to see him as they entered the building, to make them feel uncomfortable. But would his appearance have that effect? Or was he insignificant to them now? The thought made his heart rate ramp up.

  If only he hadn’t failed in his plans to get back at Tara. Giles Troy had been excited at the prospect at first, and invited him in to Not Now’s offices for some ‘cosy chats’. Patrick suppressed a shudder. There was nothing cosy about Giles. He was the sort of man who was your best friend until he wasn’t – and at that point you’d better watch your back. Patrick had been busy setting up his new business, but he’d spent all his free time on the Tara project – slowly, bit by bit, he’d been sure he could get what he needed. But the results hadn’t come, and Troy had started to treat him with contempt.

  How dare he? He must know what a difficult task their project was.

  ‘Darling,’ Shona sipped her gin and tonic, ‘the look in your eye. Thinking about Tara and Blake?’

  Back in the spring, he’d hinted to Shona that he and Giles had plans to get even with them, but he’d never shared the details. He’d wanted to keep something for himself. The moment you told Shona about anything it felt as though she owned it. And if it was sensitive information then it felt as though she owned you, too.

  Giles had approved of him keeping the crux of the matter secret. He’d told Patrick he was monitoring Shona’s performance. He was curious to see how she’d do, now she no longer had a contact inside the police. Privately, Patrick thought most of Shona’s success in the last couple of years had been down to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if Giles came to see that too, and eased her out of her comfy job before long.

  What a back-stabbing lot they were!

  And now, he was very glad he’d played his cards close to his chest. At least Shona wasn’t aware of how he’d failed.

  ‘Tara and Blake don’t bother me,’ he said at last, tearing his eyes away from the station.

  ‘But you had something up your sleeve, didn’t you?’ Under the table, Shona had slipped off one stiletto shoe and was now rubbing her stockinged foot against his inner leg. ‘You hinted you’d cooked up some way of getting your own back. But you’ve been mighty quiet about it ever since.’

  He jacked up a smile, and hoped it looked convincing. ‘That’s all in hand. It’ll take time – it’s quite… complex.’ Hopefully she’d forget about it if he kept fobbing her off.

  ‘Ooh – you’re full of mystery! Go on, let me in on the secret!’

  She could beg all she liked; he was keeping the washed-up project to himself. ‘My lips are sealed.’

  Shona’s eyebrows arched and she pouted. ‘You used to be willing to tell. What have I done wrong?’

  It was good to have the upper hand for once – even if there was no real secret that was worthy of her interest. ‘When I’ve got what I need to move forward you’ll know all about it, believe me.’

  He had a nasty feeling that she saw right through him. But what was the worst she could do?

  Eleven

  Tara called Bella Chadwick as soon as she got Blake’s message. The news that she’d gone to Stuart Gilmour’s college to try to track him down made her pulse quicken. Was there something going on between Bella and Julie’s ex? Either a relationship, or some other connection she’d kept quiet? It wasn’t her only omission; she’d said nothing about Stuart being suspended. But that might not be relevant, of course, and there was no particular reason she should have. She managed to get the girl straight away. Five minutes later, with Bella’s latest words fresh in her head, she was ready to join the briefing.

  Blake was at the front of the room. His eyes looked hollow, his five o’clock shadow dark against unusually pale skin. Tara took a seat next to Jez. He didn’t look like the new boy. He had an air of confidence – relaxed in his surroundings. His sidelong glance met hers for a second before Blake started to speak.

  As he relayed Agneta’s findings the room went absolutely still. She heard a sharp intake of breath and realised that it had come from DCI Fleming. Tara knew the woman cared, but she normally maintained a poker face. It went with her persistence and discipline, which Tara reckoned was driven in equal measure by the desire to help people and an absolute need to make it to the top of the tree.

  ‘I’ve been thinking about the type of container the killer might have used to imprison Julie,’ Blake said quietly. ‘The green wool under her fingernails might indicate a trunk, or hard suitcase of some kind, that had at least one bit of clothing in it.’

  Tara raised her hand. ‘The students. They’ve all been packing up to come back over this weekend. It might be someone who arrived yesterday and was in the process of unpacking. Or someone who’s been staying locally and getting packed up, ready to move over to their new college accommodation.’

  Blake nodded. ‘We haven’t got enough to arrest Stuart Gilmour but I’ve requested a warrant to search his room. Barry’s stationed outside his lodgings on Atterton Road in case he shows up there, and Sue’s briefing everyone at St Bede’s in case he goes to the college direct.’

  ‘Has Kirsty got anything extra from Sandra Cooper?’ DCI Fleming’s tone was urgent.

  DC Kirsty Crowther was acting as family liaison officer and was with Ms Cooper now. Julie’s mother was staying locally until she felt strong enough to travel home. Tara couldn’t begin to imagine her pain.

  ‘She managed to ask about Julie’s dad’ – it was Max who spoke – ‘just to rule him out. Julie did meet her father once, but the guy made it plain he didn’t want anything further to do with either of them. He ended up marrying a US citizen and he’s been living in Arizona for the last seven years. We’re checking that’s where he is now, for the record.’

  Fleming nodded. ‘What more do we have on the boyfriend?’

  It was Blake who spoke first, to relay the information he’d got
from Stuart Gilmour’s landlady.

  Jez raised a hand. ‘That also ties in with the background checks that Tara and I did.’ He glanced down at his notebook. ‘Several charges relating to direct action protests in the recent past: aggravated trespass, breach of the peace. And one for harassment.’

  Fleming raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Repeatedly doorstepping a local councillor who supported the development of a new animal testing facility on the outskirts of the city. He was in the habit of speaking to the woman’s children too – asking them if they realised how evil their mother was.’

  ‘I wonder whether he took to doorstepping Julie as well – once they’d broken up,’ Tara said. ‘We’ve got evidence that she felt threatened – or at least bothered by him. According to her tutor she complained about him to his college. But Julie’s “friend” Bella Chadwick also told us that Julie allowed him to visit her over the summer.’

  ‘What’s the story with Bella?’ Fleming must have picked up on her tone.

  Tara gave her the background, before adding in the latest details. ‘Jez found she’d been asking after Gilmour at his college this afternoon. Apparently she was agitated. I called her to ask why.’ Tara had gone in hard, knowing that Bella would be unprepared. ‘She stumbled over her words and it took her a moment to come up with a coherent story. Eventually she told me she’d been trying to contact him in case he hadn’t heard about Julie. Although they’d broken up, he’d known her well – and who would bother if she didn’t? She said it would be cruel to leave him to find out by accident. I pointed out that we’ve been trying to break the news to him all day.’

  Fleming nodded. Her slick black fringe didn’t move. She must use gel or something on it. Its fixed position increased Tara’s feeling that the woman was Teflon-coated. ‘And what’s your impression of Bella so far?’

  ‘I’d say something wasn’t quite right about her relationship with Julie. Her tutor implied as much when we spoke to him. And he called her a fantasist.’ Tara paused for a moment. ‘She dresses like her, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she deliberately arranged to stay at the same digs in Cambridge over the summer in order to be with her.’

  Megan looked up. ‘Isn’t that a bit speculative?’

  Surely that’s what Fleming had just invited her to be? But sharp retorts were out. On this case, Tara was going to keep the moral high ground by behaving like an adult. Something she hadn’t quite managed on their last major enquiry…

  ‘You’re right – I need to do more digging. I’m going to check who booked the accommodation first and I’d like to know more about how they interacted too.’

  For a split second, Tara saw the ghost of a smile cross Blake’s face. He’d probably guessed the feelings she’d damped down.

  ‘Good. Speculate some more then,’ Fleming said, which was greeted with a frown from Megan. ‘If you’re right, what do you think we have? Did she idolise Julie?’

  Tara frowned, reanalysing everything they’d learnt that day. ‘I think so. I get the impression Bella’s quite conventional. Maybe she was fascinated by Julie’s edginess, and her dedication to her causes. It was odd that she “just happened” to be watching at the time Julie went out last night too. My guess is she wanted to spend more time with her and her plans to keep her close over the summer hadn’t worked out as she’d hoped. I’m starting to wonder if she envied her too. And maybe the adoration she got from Stuart Gilmour – even if it was oppressive. Bella might feel he’s mad, bad and dangerous to know.’

  The question was, how dangerous? And if Bella had wanted to be exactly like Julie, might she also have wanted to replace her?

  ‘Did Julie have a record?’ Fleming asked.

  Jez shook his head. ‘Nothing shows up.’

  ‘But it sounds as though she was involved in similar protests to Gilmour,’ Max said. ‘On top of what her mother told us, there’s the mask the CSIs found in her room. And her tutor seemed vaguely aware of her being politically active, too.’ He filled the team in on the details.

  Jez looked up. ‘I managed to speak to some of the people she roomed with at college last year, and some contacts from the societies she joined too. Sounds as though she was quite reserved, socially – kept herself to herself. But they noticed that Bella tended to hang around her. I got the impression Julie was ambitious. She wrote for the St Oswald’s newspaper. The guy who edits it reckons she wanted to go into journalism. I’ve recorded the various pressure groups she belonged to on file.’

  ‘If she had an eye to the future, she’d probably avoid getting caught up in anything too damaging,’ Fleming said, echoing Lucien Balfour’s thoughts.

  That fitted the DCI’s own sense of priorities, but maybe it was simply that Julie’s idea of how to promote change hadn’t matched her ex-boyfriend’s. After all, would doorstepping a councillor and harassing their children change anyone’s mind over how things should be run? Tara could imagine the action might put other people off standing for public office, but other than that, it didn’t sound likely.

  ‘Anything on the flowers that were found in Julie’s pocket? Or the cut-up heart in her bedroom?’ Blake asked.

  ‘The heart was coloured in by hand in red felt-tip on standard eighty gsm paper.’ Megan had the CSI’s report in front of her. ‘I wondered if it was something Julie had made – which had been destroyed and returned to her by a disgruntled ex.’

  ‘I checked,’ Max said, ‘but there were no felt-tips at all amongst Julie’s belongings. Kirsty asked Julie’s mother and apparently she wasn’t into drawing or crafts.’

  ‘The cuts were done quite neatly,’ Tara said. ‘You’d think someone acting in anger might have made a rougher job of it – torn the thing up or made the bits tiny, so that it could never be mended.’

  Megan frowned. ‘I suppose we can’t expect people to act like stereotypes all the time.’

  How long was it going to take for the woman to stop resenting her? Tara had ignored protocol on a previous case. It had certainly put Tara in danger, and Megan still thought she’d played fast and loose with her own safety, too. Tara had already apologised. And the third time, she’d actually meant it… more or less. ‘If someone sent her the heart, maybe Julie had never seen it before,’ she said. ‘Perhaps they cut it up neatly because they wanted her to piece it back together and get their message.’

  Megan was silent.

  ‘I looked the flowers up,’ Tara went on. ‘Anemones have several different meanings according to the site I found, so that muddies the waters. They can symbolise positive things like anticipation for the future, or be a talisman of protection against evil.’ She paused, tucking her red-gold hair behind her ear as she read her notes. It needed a cut. ‘But they can also signify forsaken love or the death of a loved one.

  ‘Or the loss of them to someone else.’ Once again, she felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck.

  ‘Do we know of any other relationships Julie had, as well as the one with Stuart?’ Fleming had been walking up and down the room, but now she paused and perched on the edge of a desk, her patent leather shoes gleaming in the overhead light.

  ‘I wondered if Balfour knows of or suspects a relationship with one of the college employees.’ Max glanced at Tara, his eyebrows raised.

  She nodded. ‘I got that impression too.’

  ‘There’s no hard evidence,’ Max went on, ‘but he was desperate to assure us nothing of the sort would ever happen. And sadly, we all know that’s not true. It wasn’t a crazy question to ask. As for Balfour, he ended up gushing.’

  ‘Any ideas who might be involved, if your hunch is right?’ Fleming asked.

  ‘We still haven’t found “John”.’ Blake was leaning against the wall at the front of the office. He looked a bit dishevelled in his beautifully cut suit, but his eyes were sharp enough.

  ‘John?’ Fleming’s questioning glance met his before he’d had the chance to carry on. She was as impatient as the DI.

  He nodded. ‘If h
e exists. Julie told her mother she was staying in Cambridge for the summer to help a professor called John with some research.’ He glanced at Tara and Max. ‘We now know Julie was working at a local restaurant whilst she stayed in Cambridge, so it’s not clear how official this other “research work” was. It’s possible she made it up. Maybe she fancied staying in town over the summer and didn’t want to hurt her mum’s feelings. She might have felt a worthy research project was a better excuse than waitressing.’

  ‘But?’ Fleming said.

  ‘From Bella’s statement,’ Blake turned to Tara and Max again, ‘it sounds as though Julie did have something extra on the go over the vacation. Something she kept to herself, and that made her miss a shift at work once – assuming that information is accurate.’

  Jez looked up. ‘One of her workmates at the restaurant gave me the same story – and the manager mentioned she seemed preoccupied. But they didn’t know what else she had planned for the summer, any more than her college contacts did.’