Frozen Minds: A murder mystery set deep in Wales (DI Winter Meadows Book 2)

by Cheryl Rees-Price

  ‘We’ll leave you in peace now,’ Meadows said. ‘I hope you feel better soon.’

  As Edris thanked them for the tea and stood to leave, Meadows noticed Leah visibly relax.

  * * *

  ‘Did you get anything from Cillian when you were making the tea?’ Meadows inquired as he started the engine and turned up the heating.

  ‘Nothing much. They’ve been together six years and both enjoy working at Bethesda. I found him a little guarded. I take it you had a nose around upstairs. Find anything interesting?’

  ‘I think Leah’s ill, and not just a cold. There was a pile of prescription tablets in the bathroom. I had a quick look at the bedrooms, looks as if they sleep in separate rooms. There was a single bed in each, clearly a “his and hers”.’

  ‘Maybe he snores.’ Edris grinned.

  ‘No, it’s more than that. There’s something not quite right about those two. A young couple in separate rooms, yet they seem to be in love. He’s very protective of her and you can tell by the way she looks at him that she adores him. Cillian is agitated by something. He looks like he’s trying to hold his temper in. And I think that she’s frightened.’

  ‘Of Cillian?’

  ‘I don’t know. She knows more than she’s telling us. She could be protecting him.’

  ‘Or they could be in it together,’ Edris said.

  ‘But why? We need to do a bit more digging on Alan Whitby. Let’s hope Paskin has found some discrepancy in his finances.’

  When they arrived back at the station the team were still working despite the late hour. Meadows gathered them together for an update and exchange of information.

  ‘Blackwell, how did you get on with Alex Henson?’

  ‘Just some scrawny kid, came up with some bullshit story of how he was acting on Alan’s orders.’

  ‘We had the same story from Rhys Owens,’ said Edris.

  Blackwell raised his eyebrows. ‘Do you think there’s something in it?’

  ‘Could be. Did he mention a visit from a family member of one of the residents?’

  ‘Yeah, he did. Some girl called Anna, supposedly came around asking questions. There’s no mention of an Anna in any of the files.’

  ‘Owens had exactly the same story. No reason for them to make it up. It’s worth following up. Any family member who visited Bethesda House would know the layout of the place. If Alan Whitby was abusing the residents, then that would be a strong enough motive to kill him. How did you get on with Steven?’

  ‘No luck there, he was having a bad day so I’ll try again first thing in the morning. I want to get there before Miles. Arrogant sod, that one. He claims he was away for an extended weekend and drove straight back to work on Tuesday morning. I’ve asked Traffic to check it out. If he’s telling the truth then he would’ve been picked up on camera.’

  ‘Good. I’m sure he was listening at the door when we interviewed Kevin. He went scuttling into Jane’s office when we left the room.’

  ‘Do you want me to dig a little into his background?’

  ‘Yes. I think that’ll be a worthwhile exercise.’ Meadows turned his attention to Valentine and Paskin. ‘How did you two get on at the home?’

  ‘It was hard going, Nicole is non-verbal, and Vanessa, well…’ Paskin shrugged her shoulders.

  ‘She’s quite a character,’ Valentine added. ‘I got my nails painted.’ She held up her hand to show bright pink nail varnish covering both her nails and fingers.

  ‘Very pretty.’ Edris grinned.

  ‘It seems she went to bed and slept through the night. She’s a very heavy sleeper and as she sleeps on the first floor I doubt she would’ve heard anything.’

  ‘Nicole’s support worker, Danielle, was home all Monday night. She lives with her parents. I checked with them, all seems above board,’ Paskin said.

  ‘Cillian is Vanessa’s support worker, he told us you had already spoken to him.’

  Valentine looked at Edris.

  ‘Yes, we have.’

  ‘What did you make of Jane Pritchard?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘A bit of a bitch,’ Paskin said, grinning.

  ‘I think that’s a fair assessment,’ Meadows said.

  ‘I’ve been going through Alan’s financial records,’ Paskin said. ‘He’s been paying in large sums of cash over the last two years.’

  ‘How large?’

  ‘It varies. The first payment was five thousand, then another three, then anything up from five hundred. The last payment was six weeks ago.’

  ‘Drugs?’ Edris suggested.

  ‘Or blackmail.’ Meadows ran his hand through his hair as he tried to come up with a theory.

  Who would be in a position to pay that much money?

  ‘How is Bethesda financed?’

  ‘It’s a private home,’ Blackwell said. ‘The residents receive high disability payments from the government and I would imagine contributions from the family.’

  ‘We need to look into that, see who controls the finances. You better organise a warrant, I have a feeling Jane Pritchard isn’t going to give up that sort of information easily. Let’s call it a night. Tomorrow I want all the statements checked and cross referenced for inconsistencies. Both Gemma and Leah deny having seen or heard anything that night. I find that hard to believe.’

  There was a murmur of agreement, then the team gathered their coats and left.

  Meadows turned to Edris. ‘Come on, I’ll give you a lift home. Let’s just hope that the killer doesn’t get to those girls first.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  Whilst Meadows waited in front of Edris’ house, he gazed into the rear-view mirror and saw two bloodshot eyes peering back at him. He had spent the night mulling over the case as he lay in bed chasing sleep. The feeling that the case was going take a turn for the worse gnawed at his mind.

  ‘Morning.’ Edris climbed into the car with a blast of cold air. Today he wore a cream woollen jumper over black jeans. ‘I’m sure it’s colder than it was yesterday,’ he said as he fastened his seatbelt.

  ‘I thought we’d call in on my mother this morning before we go to Bethesda. She can be a good source of information. It’ll be interesting to see what is being said around the village.’

  ‘Great, I love seeing your mother. She’s wicked. It won’t be too early for her, will it?’

  ‘It’s fine, I called her to say we are on our way.’

  And give her a chance to hide the plants.

  Meadows smiled at the thought of Edris catching sight of the cannabis plants lining his mother’s kitchen window.

  * * *

  Fern Meadows flung open the door as soon as they pulled up in front of the house. She wore a rainbow Baja over faded jeans and a warm smile.

  ‘Morning, Mrs M,’ Edris called out as he walked up the path.

  Fern gave Edris a hug then stretched up to plant a kiss on Meadows’ cheek.

  ‘Come on in, boys, the kettle’s on and I’ve just finished a batch of cakes.’ Fern turned and led the way to the kitchen, her thick grey plait swinging across her back.

  ‘You must’ve been up at the crack of dawn,’ Edris said.

  ‘I’m always awake early these days. Arthritis doesn’t give me much rest.’

  ‘Perhaps you should have a holiday in the sun, it would do you good.’ Edris leaned over the kitchen counter. ‘These smell delicious.’

  ‘Oh, not those ones.’ Fern moved the plate. ‘That’s a herbal cake, bit of an acquired taste.’

  Meadows groaned inwardly as he plonked himself down in the chair.

  ‘Here, have some carrot cake.’ Fern placed a few slices on a plate and put it in the centre of the table. ‘Sit down and I’ll pour you some tea.’

  Edris grinned and shoved a slice of cake into his mouth.

  ‘So, what brings you here at this time of the morning?’

  ‘Gossip,’ Meadows said with a smile.

  ‘As if I would.’ She winked and placed the mugs on the tabl
e.

  ‘What have you heard about Alan Whitby?’

  ‘A prick by all accounts.’

  Bits of crumbs flew from Edris’ mouth as he choked on the cake.

  ‘Excuse my mother, she likes to tell it as it is,’ Meadows said. ‘Go on.’

  ‘He wasn’t well liked. Had a few affairs over the years and it seems he favoured the younger ladies.’

  ‘And his wife knew about this?’

  ‘Apparently so. Put on a show of a happy marriage. I guess she stayed with him for the daughter’s sake and now there seems to be money.’

  ‘Any talk about where the money was coming from?’

  ‘Just the usual, lottery win or a rich relative left it to him. I don’t think anyone really knows, but a lot of money has been spent. A new car, caravan and a good few holidays. Nothing like a bit of good fortune to get the tongues wagging.’

  ‘What about Jane Pritchard?’ Edris asked.

  ‘She’s married to a bus driver, Huw; he’s a nice guy. Jane grew up on a council estate, comes from a rough family. It’s good to try and change your life for the better but you shouldn’t forget where you came from.’

  ‘So she pretends to be something she’s not?’

  ‘A bit of a snob is what I hear. There’s also talk of how she got to be manager of Bethesda, if you know what I mean.’

  Edris took a sip from his mug. ‘What is this?’

  ‘Lemon and ginger. It’ll give you a bit of a boost,’ Fern said.

  ‘Have you heard any rumours about what happened to Alan?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘Just the usual crap. The residents of Bethesda shouldn’t be allowed to live so close to the community, should be locked up, that sort of thing. The general view is that one of them is responsible.’

  ‘Typical small-minded–’ Meadows began.

  ‘Now, you know what it’s like around here, but it has its good points. People look out for each other,’ Fern said.

  Meadows took a sip of his tea. The ginger spread warmth through his chest. He could imagine the community starting a petition to get Bethesda closed down.

  ‘So how are things with you, Tristan? Any new lady friends?’ Fern picked up a slice of cake.

  ‘I’ve got my eye on a couple.’ Edris grinned. ‘I met this really gorgeous girl yesterday. She works in Bethesda so I have to wait until the case is closed.’

  ‘And he’s after the young PC who is working with us at the moment.’ Meadows shook his head.

  ‘Well, he has a lot of love to give, nothing wrong with that.’ Fern winked at Edris.

  Edris’ phone trilled and he reached into his pocket. ‘Excuse me a minute. It’s Daisy,’ he said to Meadows as he left the room.

  Meadows felt a warm sensation spread through his body at the mention of her name.

  Fern raised her eyebrows. ‘Who’s Daisy?’

  ‘The pathologist.’

  ‘Pretty, is she?’ Fern’s eyes twinkled.

  ‘Don’t go there.’

  ‘Why not? I just want to see you happy.’

  ‘I am happy.’

  ‘Really?’ Fern folded her arms across her chest. ‘Did you go to the court hearing?’

  ‘No, but I’ve heard what happened. Five years.’

  ‘That’s not long considering the crime.’

  ‘No, I’m just glad it wasn’t my decision to make.’

  ‘Time to put it all behind you and move on,’ Fern said and patted his hand. ‘When was the last time you went out and had some fun?’

  ‘I’m busy.’

  ‘Not too busy to get a bit of loving.’

  Meadows’ phone vibrated in his pocket. Grateful for the distraction, he pulled it out and saw Blackwell’s name illuminated.

  ‘Meadows.’

  ‘I’m at Bethesda.’ Blackwell’s voice was barely audible over the background noise. ‘Hold on a minute.’

  Meadows could hear Blackwell moving on the other end of the line. The background noise faded to a babble.

  ‘Sorry about that. They’re all kicking off here. Someone has taken Eddy’s book from his room. The poor bugger is in a right state.’

  Meadows saw Edris walk back into the kitchen.

  ‘I’m on my way. Make sure no one leaves,’ he ordered and ended the call. ‘Sorry, we’ve got to go.’ He bent down and kissed his mother on the cheek. ‘See you soon.’

  ‘Thanks for the cake.’ Edris gave Fern a hug.

  ‘You’re welcome.’

  Fern walked them to the door and stood waving as they pulled off in the car.

  * * *

  ‘Someone has taken Eddy’s book,’ Meadows explained as he drove. ‘What’s the news from Daisy?’

  ‘Sedatives were found in Alan’s blood along with alcohol. Diazepam, about 30mg. He would have been fairly drowsy if not knocked out completely with alcohol thrown into the mix. Apparently it depends on the person’s tolerance.’

  ‘So he was drugged, hit over the head and then put into the freezer. It sounds like something went wrong. Maybe the killer miscalculated the dose and thought it would be enough to knock him out. Doesn’t sound like a heat of the moment situation does it? This had to been planned.’

  ‘Maybe he woke up when they were trying to get him in the freezer, and fought back so they hit him over the head,’ Edris said.

  ‘It’s possible, but there were no signs of defence wounds, only the scratches. So he wakes up, lunges at whoever’s in front of him – I think probably a woman – then the second person grabs the nearest object and hits him over the head.’

  ‘There were no signs of any marks on any of the women we have interviewed.’

  ‘Except Leah, she had a bruise on her wrist.’

  Meadows took the turning to Ynys Melyn.

  ‘And Cillian doesn’t have an alibi for that night.’

  ‘No, but then we’re back to motive. Why would Leah and Cillian kill Alan?’

  ‘How about Miles and Jane?’ Edris swivelled in his seat. ‘Yeah I can see that, but again, we need a motive.’

  ‘So, do you think Harry has taken Eddy’s book for us to read?’

  ‘I doubt it, she wouldn’t inflict that much distress on him.’

  ‘Then it has to be Miles or Cillian.’

  ‘Not necessarily. Any one of the staff could have taken it, they come in early, usually before the residents are awake.’

  ‘Bit of a risk though, they would have been seen by Miles. Eddy’s room is on the first floor.’

  ‘Yes, but if Miles was in the sitting room someone could easily sneak past. Then again, with Cillian asleep Miles would have had plenty of opportunity. There’s something in that book the killer doesn’t want us to see and they are rattled. I’m sure Miles was listening to our interview with Kevin and possibly listening at Eddy’s door. He always seems to be hanging around in Jane’s office. It was Jane that made the call to Alan on the Monday evening and she gave a pretty lame excuse.’

  ‘Yeah, those two look shifty,’ Edris agreed.

  They soon arrived at Bethesda House. ‘You don’t have a clear view of the car park from the house, it’s only Eddy’s window that overlooks the area. Whoever’s inside wouldn’t notice a car pulling up unless they were watching out for it,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Then it’s just a case of entering through the cellar, it’s easy to get a spare key cut.’

  ‘Come on, we’d better get inside.’

  Blackwell was standing at the front door. As they approached, he walked towards them.

  ‘They’re going to give Eddy a sedative to calm him down,’ he said.

  ‘Poor guy.’ Meadows sighed. ‘I want this place searched. Call in Paskin and Valentine to help. Once Eddy has calmed down, we’ll make a start. Is Jane in?’

  ‘Yeah, in her office. Do you really think the book is still here?’

  ‘Yes, Matt Hanes was on guard all night, it would be too risky to try and sneak in during the night so it’s either Cillian, Miles, or one of the other staff members
when they came in this morning. The book has to be here somewhere.’

  ‘Right I’ll get onto it.’ Blackwell pulled his phone from his pocket.

  As Meadows and Edris entered the hall they could hear a high-pitched keening coming from upstairs. Meadows looked up towards the source of the noise and saw Harry coming down the stairs. She looked dishevelled and blood leaked from her bottom lip.

  ‘You’re bleeding.’ Edris stepped forward. ‘Are you OK?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ Harry smiled then winced, putting her finger to her lip. ‘Got caught by a backhander from Eddy. He didn’t mean it, he’s just in a bad way.’

  ‘Anything we can do to help?’ Edris asked.

  ‘No, I’ve given him a sedative, it should kick in soon. Poor Eddy.’

  ‘Poor you.’ Edris smiled.

  Harry gave him a coy smile and walked into the sitting room.

  ‘Come on, Romeo, let’s go and see Jane,’ Meadows said.

  As they walked towards the office they could hear a crashing sound followed by shouting from further along the corridor.

  ‘Sounds like Liam’s kicking off again,’ Meadows said as he rapped on the office door. He turned the handle before waiting for an invitation to come in.

  Jane was sat at her desk looking harassed. She quickly smiled but Meadows could see the anger bubbling below the surface.

  ‘Bad morning?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘You could say that. This really isn’t a good time. Perhaps you could come back later.’

  ‘I am fully aware of the situation, that’s why we are here. When the residents have calmed down, we will conduct a search of the premises for Eddy’s book. More officers are on their way.’

  ‘What? No, why would you want to search for Eddy’s book? It’s hardly a police matter.’

  Meadows noted Jane’s voice rising.

  ‘We believe that Eddy may have witnessed what happened here on Monday night and recorded it in his book.’

  ‘I doubt it, Eddy’s book is just full of ramblings.’

  ‘You’ve read it then?’

  ‘Well, no.’

  ‘Then you can’t possibly know what’s in there.’

  Jane’s eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t think I can authorise a search of the house, it will cause too much distress to the residents.’