by Diane Ezzard
“So, what’s the problem then?” I asked.
“I’ve done something I regret.”
“We all do that when we’re drunk, Carmen.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’ve shopped someone to the bobbies.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And now I’m scared stiff he will come after me.”
“Why would he think it was you?”
“I’m sure he’ll know.”
“No, you’re worrying over nothing.” Just then the door knocked and opened. A man’s face popped around the side, peering at us.
“Sorry, love. Didn’t know you had company.”
“Come in, Billy.”
Billy came in and took off his coat and sat down next to Carmen. He wore a frayed woollen jumper. His appearance was dirty and dishevelled. I looked down and in his left hand, he carried a rusty looking drill.
“I’m selling this if you want first refusal.” He grinned and nodded at the electrical appliance in his hand. His smile showed off yellowed teeth with two of them missing at the front.
“No, I don’t need a drill, thanks.”
“I only want a fiver for it.” His voice rasped.
“I’ve got one, thanks all the same.”
“Too bad. Can you lend us a couple of quid, Carmen, only I’ve no booze money?”
“Stop being a skinflint. Draw it out of the bank. You can’t take it with you when you snuff it, you know.”
“I can’t get at it. I’ve lost my bloody card again, haven’t I.”
“Oh Billy, what are you like? You’d lose your head if it was loose.”
“I’ve already lost that,” he guffawed.
“Anyway, I haven’t even introduced you yet and you’re already trying to sell her your tat. Billy, meet Sophie. She’s here to help me.” Carmen pointed towards me. I took the moist hand that was placed in front of me. His handshake was weak. His red eyes and face brought an ache to my stomach. I thought about my past drinking episodes and all the bank cards and purses that I lost over the years. I didn’t want that lifestyle back. I shuddered.
Within a short space of time, Carmen’s resolve to stop drinking vanished. She decided to go to the pub with Billy instead, telling me she would stop tomorrow. That was the last time I saw her alive. Could I have done more to stop her drinking? I doubted it.
PRESENT DAY
Chapter 11
Jack
Carmen’s death sent a ripple through my body — another wasted life.
I got to Jade’s home about thirty minutes after speaking to Sophie. A police vehicle was parked outside. I breathed in that unpleasant familiar odour — the pungent remnants of skunk. Loud music came out of an upstairs window of the house next door. A woman across the road looked out from her lounge window, then drew her curtains. A small solitary rose bush stood in the front garden surrounded by weeds. I knocked, and a woman opened the door, her eyebrows raised. She was dressed in civvies, but her demeanour and stance gave away her occupation. She had that stern look, with her chest preened like a peacock and an air of suspicion. I had her sussed. She was no family member. Being an ex-copper sometimes had its benefits. I could tell my own kind a mile away.
“Is Jade in?” I asked. She nodded. “Tell her it’s Jack,” I said, looking down. My hands were in my pockets and I pushed them in towards my body and stamped my feet, shaking off the slush. I glanced at the used cigarette ends by the front door. She shouted through to Jade and I looked at her for a second. I hadn’t ever seen her down the nick, but then I hadn’t had any call to go there for a few years. She stepped aside and allowed me to pass through.
Another woman sat talking to Jade. I didn’t recognise her either. I suspected they were from the family liaison team. She nodded to acknowledge me. Neither women wore a uniform. Their look was casual, both wearing dark tops and trousers.
I scanned the lounge with its beige and brown wallpaper. The older of the two women sat alongside Jade on the brown faux-leather suite. It matched the equally dark and depressing range of brown furniture dotted about the room. There were piles of clothes strewn in the corner. Mugs of half-drunk tea littered the coffee table. Pieces of Lego and other toys were aimlessly positioned around the room, waiting for someone to trip over them. Yet, it was tidier than the last time I visited. I stumbled over a misplaced shoe and focused on Jade.
“How are you doing?” I asked. My tone was soft and low.
“I’m fine.” Her appearance looked dishevelled, her hair unbrushed, but her manner seemed surprisingly upbeat. I knew the team would have broken the news to her about her mum’s death with tact and compassion. Grief had its own way of impacting on people. I’d seen enough reactions in my years as a police officer. Jade’s face and body were devoid of any signs of stress or upset.
Dressed in a cerise pink tracksuit and trainers, she looked in stark contrast to her surroundings and more ready for a trip to the gym. From her deadpan reaction, it was as if she’d been told her mother would be late back from the dentist. The reality was Carmen’s body was battered to a pulp and left on waste ground. I watched her, waiting for a flicker of an eyelid or something that would show some emotion. Nothing came.
“Jack tried to help Mam. Is he okay to stay?” she asked the officer.
“If that’s what you want,” the officer sat with Jade replied. She smiled at me with a warmth that looked genuine.
“We’ve been filling Jade in with some of the details of her mum’s death. I’m Vicky.” She held out her hand to shake mine, and I reciprocated. She looked like an experienced cop. With the indentation on her brow and deep laughter lines, I guessed she was in her fifties. Her curly brown hairstyle looked more reminiscent of the eighties or nineties.
I explained who I was and told her I had been helping the family after bumping into Jade on an unrelated case. I didn’t mention I used to work at the Bury station. The other officer had gone through into the kitchen to make us drinks, so I introduced myself formally when she returned.
“Hi, I’m Jack North, a PI.”
“Lesley.” She shook my hand. “Ex-bobby, are you, Jack?”
“That’s right. Is it that obvious?”
“You can tell a copper a mile off,” she laughed. “I don’t think we ever lose those sullen standoffish mannerisms.” The corners of my mouth drooped. I’d always considered myself warm and friendly but maybe I came across as distant sometimes. I didn’t know any family liaison officers on the force, but I watched as Vicky casually questioned Jade. This wasn’t just a friendly chat. I knew they’d been trained to interrogate as well. We finished our drinks. Vicky continued to ask Jade about her mum’s routine.
“Do you want to help me clear these away, Jack?” Lesley asked. She was tall, getting on for six feet and had the build of a rugby player. Something in her manner made me suspect her preference was for women. I followed her into the kitchen thinking she could probably hold her own with any man, physically.
“So, what has Jade been told so far and has anything been kept from her?” If I blagged them, they may think I knew more than I did. I was familiar with how FLOs worked and treating family members with sensitivity was key. She looked at me, considering her words.
“Until the initial forensics come back, we’re keeping the extent of the horrific crime from her.”
“Has anything significant come to light?”
“Carmen was brutally murdered. Her body was found behind a wall by the path near the hospital. The guys who attended the scene have described it as one of the most violent crimes they have seen.” I shook my head and took the sponge off the drainer. Squeezing the washing up liquid into the warm water, I began cleaning the mugs. Lesley picked up a tea towel and dried the pots as I placed them on the drainer. I glanced sideways at her. Her expression was blank.
“They said Carmen must have put up a lot of resistance. There were obvious signs of a struggle before she was overpowered. Whoever attacked her would have been heavily bloodstained
. Because of where the body was found, it is likely her attacker knew her.” I nodded. “Now that Carmen’s brother, Pete, has been told, there will be an appeal to the public for information.” I frowned. In the brief time that I had known Carmen and Jade, no one had mentioned Pete’s name before.
“Where does Pete live? Is he local?”
“One of our officers has gone to Forest Bank to let him know.”
“He’s in the nick?”
“Yeah, he’s on a five year stretch for possession of a firearm.”
“Oh, I see. Neither Jade nor Carmen told me much about him. Do you know the details around his incarceration?”
“I do,” she laughed. “He held up an off-licence. He was half cut at the time and he didn’t have a gun in his pocket. By all accounts, he pretended he did, so he could get more booze. He has a drink problem, but it didn’t help his case. He still got charged with a firearms offence, even though he was only pretending to carry a gun, the bloody idiot.”
“I see. So, it runs in the family.”
“What’s that?”
“The drinking. Carmen liked her liquor.” We finished putting the mugs away in the cupboard, together. Lesley leaned against the sink as she continued to speak.
“Do you know Carmen’s partner?” she asked.
“Yeah, Billy. I had planned on speaking to him over a separate issue. I’ve arranged to see him tomorrow.”
“Oh?” Lesley raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, I’m working on the case of a missing schoolboy, Louie Marshall.”
“Right, and you think there’s a connection with Carmen?”
“I’m still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It’s Jade’s bloke I’m more interested in. She’s been seeing Dom Duggan. I’m not sure if she still is.”
“Bloody hell fire. I thought he was married?” Lesley blew through her teeth.
“He is, and I wouldn’t fancy Jade’s chances if his missus finds out.”
“The girl must either be nuts or desperate. Jade hasn’t got a police record but if she hangs around with him, it won’t be long before she gets one.”
“She’s probably a bit crazy. It can’t have been easy for her with a younger brother to care for most of the time because her mother was too busy drinking.”
“Yeah, Jade mentioned that.”
“What will happen to the youngster, Jonathan?”
“He’s at school now. We’ll find him a temporary home. Jade isn’t suitable to look after him. It will be safer if we get him sorted with a foster family unless any other relatives can help.” I nodded.
“Poor kid. Who’s in charge of the case?”
“It’s Detective Superintendent Colin Dobson.” The name didn’t ring any bells. Either I was getting old or I’d been out of the police force too long.
“I don’t know the name.”
“He transferred over from the Wirral.”
“Right, well, it’s just that with the work I’m doing, we may be able to do some information sharing. With my case, I’ve got a real suspicion about the Duggan brothers’ involvement and there may well be a connection with this one. We could help each other out.” She nodded.
“I’ll get you his direct line number.”
“Cheers. Oh, and just to give you the heads-up on what I know of Jade so far,” I began
“Yes?” Lesley raised her eyebrows.
“She dabbles in hard drugs. You know, Charlie, smack and other junk. Also, she doesn’t always tell the truth.”
“Oh?” I could see she was vying for me to expand, but I wasn’t in the mood for divulging all my information right now.
“Yeah, don’t believe everything she tells you. She’s street-wise, that one.”
“Where does she get her money?”
“I’d start with her dealer, Dom Duggan.” Lesley tutted.
“Did Jade get on with her mum?”
“I don’t think they had the closest of relationships, no. Jade seemed less than impressed with her mum’s drinking.”
“Have Social Services previously been involved with the family?”
“It doesn’t appear so, no. Jade did a runner a while ago. Before that, she kept the home going as best she could, looking after her younger brother until a few months back. Then, she’d got in with Dom Duggan and his cronies. She’d had enough of things at home so absconded.” She looked at me and nodded and we walked back towards the lounge where Jade and Vicky were still deep in conversation. I stood in the doorway with my feet apart and my hands in my pockets.
“Jade, sorry to interrupt.” I glanced at Vicky. She didn’t smile. “I’m gonna shoot, seeing as you’re busy right now. Is there anything you need, chuck?”
“No, I’m fine, ta.”
“Okay, I’ll call back tomorrow and see how you are. We can speak more then. Will you be home?” She nodded. I swivelled my body towards the door then cocked my head back, “Oh and Jade?”
“Yes?” her eyebrows raised.
“Stay away from that moron, Duggan. He’s no good for you.” She blinked slowly but didn’t reply. I couldn’t read Jade’s face.
I left and walked along to my car. A strong feeling came over me again, call it gut instinct. I needed to stick close to the Duggans. That wouldn’t be easy or pleasant. After everything that had happened, I would have to tread carefully. I could be in for a rough ride.
Chapter 12
Jack
Carmen was dead, and both Sophie and I wondered if we could have done more for her when she was alive. I made a discovery late last night after talking to Christine, Louie’s mum. Billy Palmer, Carmen’s bloke was related to her. They were second cousins. It only came out by accident because we were discussing what happened to Carmen when I phoned to update her on my progress with finding Louie.
In truth, I had made little leeway. I told her about finding another boy and I suspected there may be a connection with Louie. I was working on a hunch, though. She seemed happy to keep paying me and didn’t seem as concerned as I was, with my lack of anything concrete.
Billy Palmer’s house was only half a mile from where Carmen’s body was discovered. I doubted I would find him at home. If he wasn’t down the pub, he was probably already helping the police with their enquiries.
I parked my car up at the top of the road and walked down. There was a high stone wall which had fallen into disrepair along one side of the path. To the north, was a wooded area with a golf course next to it. There were a few gaps in the wall. This made it easy to look through and see the woods. These gaps also made access easy to that area. Bushes and trees formed a canopy over the path and much of the wall was marked with graffiti. I was near where Carmen had been found. It wasn’t difficult to tell it was a murder scene. The blue and white tape cordoned off the area.
I walked around the periphery of the sectioned-off area. A uniformed bobby stood with his eyes trained on me. His hands were behind his back. I nodded over at him. It was my lucky day. I recognised him.
“Alright Dave, how’s it going?” I went up to him and shook his hand.
“Not bad. Bit cold for this sort of thing.”
“I thought you’d moved over to the mounted unit?”
“No, I came back to the tactical dog unit. I love my dogs. I’m on my own today, though.”
“Sweet.” I nodded.
“So, what brings you to these parts, as if I couldn’t guess?”
“I was looking for Billy Palmer, Carmen’s bloke. I’m a PI now, you know.”
“Yeah, I heard. So, what do you know so far?”
“Not a lot. I thought I’d take a gander at the crime scene.” I pointed to where I guessed the body was found. “Over there was it? Is that where the discovery was made?”
“That’s right. Can you see that graffiti on the wall?” He pointed over to the wall.
“Yeah,” I strained my eyes looking over.
“Billy Palmer found her the other side of that.”
“So, B
illy found her.” I nodded.
“Well, it was his dog actually, first thing in the morning. Apparently, he was waiting for Carmen to turn up at his place the previous night and she never showed up. He said the dog had been clawing at the wall when he brought her out for her walk.” I scanned around the area. I meandered over as close as I could, without venturing past the tape. Dave pointed to a patch of vegetation beyond the wall.
“See that broken area of the wall. He found her body behind that. It was hidden by vegetation.”
“Bit gruesome, finding your girlfriend, that’s if he’s telling the truth.” I looked Dave in the eye. He nodded.
“Her jacket, shoes and bag were strewn around the place. Most of her clothing was in shreds from the frenzied attack. It had been cut and torn with a sharp, bladed implement.”
“And has the weapon been found?”
“Nope. There was no phone either.”
“Any sign of a struggle?” I asked.
“Just where the body was discovered. Nothing beyond that immediate area and nothing on the path side.”
“Why would she be coming down here?”
“It doesn’t look like she was dumped here if that’s what you mean. This was where the attack took place.”
“That’s interesting.” We both nodded. “I can’t imagine many people knowing about this pathway?”
“No, kids and dog walkers use it as a shortcut. You need knowledge of the area to know it’s here.” His lips thinned as he spoke. He put his hands in his pockets and I mirrored his stance. I looked around, up and down the path. No one else was around. I’d seen enough, for now, so I patted Dave’s shoulder.
“Good to see you, buddy and thanks for the information. It’s been useful.”
“You didn’t hear any of it from me, okay?” he tapped the side of his nose.
“Of course. My lips are sealed.” I nodded.
“You take care, Jack.”
“You too, Dave.” I walked off and turned slightly and raised my arm in a wave. He responded by putting his thumb up.
