Woman in the Water

by Katerina Diamond

  ‘Why else would you be here?’

  Imogen took a deep breath before speaking. ‘His sister has positively identified a body we recovered from the River Exe as Simon Glover.’

  Leon shook his head and exhaled deeply before sitting on the edge of his bed. ‘What did they do to him?’

  ‘Tell us why you don’t seem surprised,’ Imogen said.

  ‘He told me. He told me this might happen the last time I spoke to him.’

  ‘He told you he might die?’ Imogen asked.

  ‘Yes. He gave me a letter to give to his sister in case anything happened. He gave me some other stuff to look after, as well. I guess you want it?’

  ‘Yes, please,’ Adrian said.

  He got up and went to his cupboard before pulling out a small correspondence envelope and an A4 Jiffy bag. He handed the envelope to Imogen. She opened it and looked at the letter, though it felt wrong to read it. There were no explanations, just an expression of love from one sibling to another. It was a goodbye letter, but there was nothing sad about it. It certainly didn’t read like a suicide note. Leon then gave Adrian the Jiffy bag.

  ‘He asked me to hold onto this for him, too. Said he was going to swing by and pick it up on Friday. He was going away for a while.’

  ‘How do you guys know each other?’ Imogen asked.

  ‘We work together.’

  ‘Fiona Merton said you worked together at your last place of employment, too. Is that where you met?’

  ‘Yes,’ Leon said, shifting his gaze uncomfortably.

  ‘And where was that?’

  ‘Corrigan Construction. In Exeter,’ he said quietly, as though he didn’t want to say the words.

  The name was familiar. Corrigan was one of the larger construction companies in the town and their vans were everywhere. They handled a lot of the redevelopments in the city and most of the roadworks. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the construction company was in Exeter. Is this a lead?

  ‘DS Grey,’ Adrian said.

  Imogen looked at him. He was holding the contents of the Jiffy bag: two spanking new passports sealed in a vacuum-packed bag. Even without opening them, Imogen knew it was possible one of the passports was Simon’s and the other belonged to Jane Doe; perhaps they were running away together, and from something, judging by what happened to them.

  ‘Did Simon have any enemies?’

  ‘No. Not really. Not before working there, anyway.’

  What does that mean?

  Imogen could sense by Leon’s increasingly agitated manner that they were skating closer to the real issue.

  ‘How come you both moved from Corrigan Construction? Did you get fired?’ Imogen said.

  ‘I had to move out of my flat and back in with my parents. My mum’s not been well and I needed a job closer to home, that was all. I was trying to help my parents out a bit. They need some building work doing around the place and I thought it best if I moved in here and did it,’ he said, scrambling for words.

  Imogen wondered if any of them were true.

  ‘And Simon?’

  ‘I just told him there was a space for him if he wanted to move and he decided to take me up on it.’

  Imogen exchanged a look with Adrian. It was clear to both of them that Leon was uncomfortable with this line of questioning. He had become evasive and couldn’t meet their gaze.

  Adrian pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed Leon a photo of the Jane Doe they had found near the spot where Simon was discovered.

  ‘Do you know this woman?’ Adrian asked.

  Imogen studied his face for a reaction. It was momentary, but it was there. He recognised her.

  ‘Sorry, no. I don’t know who she is.’

  ‘We are trying to locate this woman as we are concerned for her safety. Any information you can give us would be greatly appreciated.’

  ‘I wish I could help you, but I can’t.’ He stood and walked over to his kitchenette in the corner, flipping the switch on the kettle. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s clear to me that you aren’t telling us something,’ Imogen said. ‘I don’t know what that is, Leon, but it’s going to come out. You could save us all a lot of time and energy if you just tell us what you know.’

  ‘I can’t,’ Leon said. ‘You don’t understand. You should just drop it and walk away.’

  ‘Are you scared of someone? Is that what this is?’ Adrian said.

  ‘I’ve told you everything I can. I’m sorry. I can’t say any more.’

  ‘Leon, what happened at Corrigan Construction? Why did you leave?’ Adrian said.

  ‘We just wanted a change,’ he said, leaning against the counter for support, a hint of desperation in his voice.

  ‘Come on, Leon. Tell the truth. We can take you down to the station and ask you questions there on tape, if you want. Or you can tell us right now what the issue was. Why did you leave Corrigan Construction? Did you have a problem with someone there?’ Imogen asked.

  Leon took a deep breath, then another. He was considering his options. Whatever he wasn’t telling them was weighing on him. He went to speak more than once then thought better of it each time. His eyes were glassy and bright.

  What wasn’t he telling them?

  ‘It was a nightmare,’ Leon said, tears falling.

  ‘In what way?’ Imogen said softly.

  He was on the brink of telling them – all he needed was a little push.

  Leon turned away from them, his eyes streaming. He wasn’t just crying, he was distraught.

  ‘Tell my parents I’m sorry,’ he said, his hands flat on the worktop as he breathed heavily.

  A panic attack, Imogen suspected. She was no stranger to them.

  Imogen saw the knife in his hand too late. She rushed forwards as he raised it in the air, but she couldn’t reach him in time. He plunged it into the centre of his chest and collapsed to the ground.

  What the hell was going on?

  Imogen was on the ground with him seconds later then she heard Adrian on the phone requesting an ambulance as she frantically clutched at his chest and tried to stop the blood from pouring out. He spasmed and struggled for a few seconds but no more than that. She felt his heart labour then stop. He was gone. The pained look on his face was also gone and she could see the peace wash over him.

  Imogen’s hands were covered in blood and she didn’t know what to do. She looked up at Adrian, who was on the phone but staring at the body on the floor. What was it that Leon hadn’t wanted them to know? What was he afraid of? Who was he afraid of? For all the questions Leon had answered, with this latest action he had opened up a whole load more. Too stunned to think, Imogen sat back on her heels and just watched the red stain on Leon’s shirt get bigger. Who would answer their questions now?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘What the hell happened?’ DCI Kapoor snapped at Adrian and Imogen as they sat in her office.

  Imogen could see the dark line of blood under her fingernails. Even though she had scrubbed her hands, she could see it and feel it. She clenched her hands into fists and tried to forget what had just happened.

  ‘We were just talking and he … he just stabbed himself,’ Imogen said.

  ‘That’s highly unusual behaviour, isn’t it?’ DCI Kapoor seemed just as baffled as them.

  ‘Well, yes,’ Adrian said, nodding.

  ‘And there was no indication before then that he was going to do that?’

  ‘He was agitated, but we had just told him that his friend was dead,’ Imogen said.

  ‘What did he say about Simon Glover?’ DCI Kapoor said.

  ‘They used to work together. As soon as he brought up the old job at Corrigan Construction, his demeanour changed completely. He became jumpy and anxious. I got the impression that he killed himself to avoid having to divulge anything else. He had secrets and it was all to do with that job they had together in Exeter. Something must have gone on down there,’ Adrian said.

 
‘You should have brought him in for questioning. I wish we had the exact words he said on tape. He never should have had that knife,’ DCI Kapoor said.

  ‘With all due respect, Ma’am, we speak to people in their houses all the time; this is not something we have ever witnessed before. It’s not as if we could have anticipated he was going to do that. It came from nowhere,’ Imogen said.

  ‘Well, I want both of you to see the counsellor and talk this through.’

  ‘We’re fine,’ Imogen said, huffing.

  ‘Then it shouldn’t be a very long session, should it?’ DCI Kapoor replied, conversation over.

  ‘Yes, Ma’am,’ Adrian said.

  ‘What did he say then, before he died? What the hell was he hiding?’ DCI Kapoor said.

  ‘He gave us an envelope with a letter for Fiona Merton inside. A goodbye letter from Simon, saying he was leaving and not to worry about him. We’ve handed it to Gary to match handwriting samples. Quick also gave us a Jiffy bag that had two brand-new passports in there. They were vacuum-packed, but we got one of the forensic techs to open it. They belong to Simon and the woman from the hospital, Jane Doe, but with a false name for him, so we assume for her also.

  ‘There were also train tickets into London, then Eurostar tickets to Paris, France, and then a flight to Montreal, Canada. Judging by what happened to them, I would say they were running away from someone. When we asked Leon Quick about their time at Corrigan Construction and why they left, he got more and more anxious. That seemed to be the trigger for … what he did. We were in there less than ten minutes,’ Imogen said.

  ‘Well, brace yourselves. The family liaison officer has been speaking to the Quicks. They are obviously very distressed, said he was fine before you got there but obviously dead when you left. The parents were understandably upset by the whole thing and so the FLO is trying to make sure they are OK and also advise them against lodging a complaint, which they had mentioned. She’s very good, so I am sure it will be fine.

  ‘Walsh is already looking into Leon Quick to see if he has any history of mental health issues or suicidal tendencies,’ DCI Kapoor said.

  ‘I just don’t understand what happened. Something we asked him provoked that extreme reaction in him. He looked terrified of something. Then he picked up that knife and stabbed himself. How do you even do that? How do you push a knife into yourself like that?’ Adrian said.

  ‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ Imogen said.

  ‘I just don’t understand what could have been so bad that he would rather kill himself than talk about it. And kill himself like that, too. To just make that decision in that split second like that. I feel sick just thinking about it,’ Adrian said.

  ‘Do you think he was involved in Simon Glover’s death? Maybe he felt guilty,’ DCI Kapoor said.

  ‘It didn’t seem so. It wasn’t guilt, it was fear,’ Imogen said.

  ‘Although he wasn’t surprised, I got the impression he was genuinely upset when we told him what happened to Simon Glover. I don’t think he was involved in his death. No, he was afraid of something or someone. I imagine it’s probably connected to what happened to Glover,’ Adrian said.

  ‘I can’t be certain, but I think he recognised the woman as well, even though he pretended he didn’t. Our Jane Doe,’ Imogen said.

  ‘I don’t suppose he told you who she was before he offed himself?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. It wasn’t long after we showed him the photo that he took his own life,’ Adrian said.

  ‘Right, well, it’s too late to do anything else today. At least we got the passports; although the chances of us finding out where they came from are pretty slim. Go and write up your reports about what happened, then tomorrow morning go to Corrigan Construction. Maybe you can find out something more,’ DCI Kapoor said.

  ‘Thank you, Ma’am,’ Imogen said and stood up.

  They left DCI Kapoor’s office and went back to their desks. Still shocked. The anguish on Leon’s face played over in Imogen’s mind. The DCI was right; he never should have had that knife. This case got more complicated with every passing moment.

  Imogen pulled up the report form onscreen and stared for a moment, unsure where to start.

  ‘We’ve got two dead bodies and a missing woman,’ Adrian said, breaking Imogen’s trance.

  ‘But at least we have a lead. Something happened at their last job; you could see it in his eyes. I’ve never seen anyone go from mildly uncomfortable to such extreme agitation so quickly. He was beside himself. Was he distressed about something he had seen? Was he afraid of someone? Whatever it is, the answers are at that construction company.’

  ‘He was fine when we got there, a little on edge maybe. I just don’t understand what happened,’ Adrian said. ‘Maybe we need to look at why he moved back in with his parents, too? Did he lose his flat, or did he choose to move back home to look after his mother, like he claimed? Was it a financial decision or something else?’

  ‘We definitely don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle at this point,’ Imogen said, staring at her hands again.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Adrian said.

  ‘I just … I don’t understand how anyone could do that. That wasn’t a cry for help. The force he stabbed himself with, he wanted out.’

  ‘It was crazy.’

  ‘What could be that bad that he would rather end his life than talk to us about it? He was terrified.’

  ‘We’ll get the answers eventually. At least we have someone else to work on,’ Adrian said.

  ‘Where the hell is that woman?’ Imogen said.

  In all this, that was the part Imogen had the most trouble understanding. Neither Jane Doe nor Leon Quick would speak. She risked her own life by leaving the hospital to avoid any questioning and Quick ended his for the same reason. Who were these people and how were they connected?

  ‘Gary said he checked MisPers against her photo; there was no one matching her description reported missing.’

  ‘How is that possible? Does she not have a mother or father? We assumed she was married, but maybe the ring was something else.’

  Adrian leaned closer to Imogen and lowered his voice. ‘Stay at mine tonight? I don’t think either of us want to be alone right now.’

  ‘You’re not wrong.’

  She stayed at his most nights; in fact, she rarely went home. After a couple of months seeing each other in secret, they were on the brink of being in a serious relationship, she could feel it. It was exciting but at the same time, as usual, it came with a whole host of other complications. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone before. It wasn’t the crazy-making irrational lust she usually felt for someone when she thought she was in love with them. It was something much calmer, much more grounded and dependable. Was this the real deal? Did he even feel the same? Adrian was the kind of person who said what was on his mind and she still wasn’t sure how he felt.

  Imogen started typing, filling out the fields on the form as succinctly as possible. Before she had joined the police, she didn’t fully understand how different people react under pressure and she had seen all sorts of things before – but this? This was a new one on her. More than anything, she wanted to know what had caused Leon Quick to do that to himself. The worst thing was accepting that she might never find out.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The head office of Corrigan Construction was in Matford Business Park just outside Exeter city centre. The building itself was more substantial than Adrian was expecting. A large red-brick-and-grey structure the length of several houses, with windows stretched across the front so you could see the staff inside at their desks. The lobby was a wide-open space with a high glass ceiling and a reception desk in the centre. The walls were a dark slate grey and the wall facing the entrance had an enormous painting on it, which must have been over twelve foot square.

  Adrian stared at the painting as they both approached the desk, a contemporary swirl of reds and browns; even with his non-existent knowle
dge of art he could tell this was an expensive piece and not just something off the rack. He turned to the young woman behind the counter, who looked up and smiled. The smile dropped when Adrian held up his warrant card.

  ‘Can I help you?’ She returned her eyes to the computer screen.

  ‘I’m DS Miles. My colleague over there is DS Grey. We need to speak to someone about a former employee of this company.’

  ‘Do you have a name for this employee?’

  ‘Simon Glover. Do you know him?’

  ‘Vaguely. I saw him around. Is he in trouble?’ she said with uninterest, continuing to tap away on her keyboard.

  Adrian couldn’t tell if she was actually busy, or if it was just a pretence.

  ‘Is there anyone here who did know him?’ Adrian asked.

  ‘I’m just checking out which projects he was on and which crew he worked with,’ she said as she hammered away. ‘He worked our biggest contract last year, that new multistorey in town, which means he knew most of the guys.’

  ‘Who is the person in charge, then?’

  ‘Do you mean the gaffer on site, or the head of the company?’ she asked before adding, ‘Actually, on that project it was the same person. The big boss. Mr Corrigan isn’t in just yet. Jimmy Chilton is in, though; he’s the next most senior member of staff on that project. He’s just in a meeting at the moment, but if you wait over there, I’ll get someone to call him out.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Imogen and Adrian moved to one side and waited as the girl on reception carried on with what she was doing. Imogen turned to face her and put her hand on her hips. No one was better at passive aggression than Imogen. When the girl looked up again and saw Imogen, she finally picked up the phone and called through to someone, rolling her eyes at the same time.

  ‘We’re in the wrong job. Look at this place!’ Adrian said.

  ‘Pretty fancy; there’s obviously a lot of money in construction,’ Imogen said.

  ‘I wonder who or what in this place spooked Leon Quick so much,’ Adrian said.

  ‘Officer?’ A man in his late forties with a scruffy peppered beard and a red baseball cap walked towards them with his hand outstretched to Adrian. ‘Jimmy Chilton. What can I do you for?’