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

by Cheryl Rees-Price

  ‘Are you OK?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘Yes… it’s just–’

  ‘It brings it all back,’ Cillian interrupted. ‘It’s only been a week since she found Alan.’ He took hold of Leah’s hand. Meadows noticed that Leah snatched it away before she moved next to Liam who was spinning the Twister wheel.

  What’s going on with those two?

  ‘Do you think she has some connection with Bethesda?’ Jason asked as he looked at the photo.

  ‘We believe the two deaths are connected.’

  ‘I thought this was over now that Jane and Miles have been arrested. Are you saying there’s someone else involved?’ Harry asked as she took a copy of the photo from Edris.

  ‘We’re looking into that possibility. We haven’t charged Jane and Miles with Alan’s murder,’ Edris said.

  ‘We’re going to need each of you to give an account of your whereabouts last night,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Winter Man, look!’ Kevin shuffled into the room dragging a suitcase behind him. He picked up the case and held it out to Meadows.

  Meadows examined the case and smiled. It was bright pink with large white spots. ‘I don’t think I have ever seen such a magnificent suitcase!’

  ‘With snow.’ Kevin pointed to the white spots and beamed.

  ‘He chose it himself, didn’t you, Kevin,’ Gemma said.

  ‘And now we put in our clothes,’ Kevin said with a grin.

  ‘Not yet, in nine days.’

  ‘Nine days, nine days!’ Kevin jumped up and down waving his hands.

  ‘Shut up, Kevin,’ Liam yelled and put his hands over his ears.

  ‘Kevin, can you look at this photo for me?’ Meadows asked. ‘Have you seen this lady? Maybe outside.’

  Kevin held the photo close to his face his eyes narrowing in concentration.

  ‘No. Do you want to come on holiday with me?’

  ‘I would love to come, Kevin, but I have to work.’

  ‘Poor Winter Man.’ Kevin frowned.

  ‘Don’t worry about me, you can show me photos when you get back.’ Meadows turned to the rest of the group. ‘As I was saying, we need you all to account for your movements last night.’

  ‘Surely you don’t think any of us is involved?’ Harry said.

  ‘I’m afraid we have to look at every possibility. You all have a connection with Alan Whitby, so yes, we have to ask so we can eliminate you from our inquiries.’

  ‘Well, I was at home last night,’ Harry said.

  ‘Alone?’ Edris asked, his eyes twinkling.

  ‘Yes, I had an early night. I’m on night duty tonight.’

  ‘I was at home,’ Danielle said. ‘I live with my parents so you can check with them.’

  ‘Same here,’ Gemma added.

  ‘We were both home all night,’ Cillian said.

  Leah nodded.

  ‘I went out to dinner with my wife, it was her birthday. Afterwards we went home and finished off a bottle of wine,’ Jason said.

  ‘Thank you.’ Meadows looked around at the group. ‘I will have an officer present overnight, it’s just a precaution. In the meantime, I would ask you all to be vigilant. If you see or hear anything out of the ordinary then please call the station–’ His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw Daisy’s name flash across the screen. ‘Excuse me one moment.’ He walked out into the hallway.

  ‘Meadows.’

  ‘Hi, I’ve finished the PM and sent samples to the lab.’

  Her voice sent a warm tingle through his chest. ‘OK, we will be with you shortly.’

  ‘I haven’t written up the report yet, but I can talk you through it now on the phone if you’re busy.’

  ‘I’d prefer to do it face to face.’

  ‘Great, I’ll see you soon.’

  Meadows walked back into the sitting room, where the game of Twister had resumed and Edris stood talking to Harry, his body angled towards her and a flirtatious smile on his face.

  ‘We have to go.’

  ‘Catch you later.’ Edris winked at Harry before following Meadows outside.

  ‘I can’t leave you alone for five minutes!’

  ‘Just passing the time,’ Edris said.

  ‘Daisy called. She’s finished the post-mortem so we need to get over there to see what she’s found.’

  Edris laughed. ‘Ah, so that’s why you’re in such a hurry.’

  ‘No, well, yes, I’m eager to see her findings.’ Meadows opened the car door and slid behind the wheel.

  ‘If you say so,’ Edris said as he clipped on his seat belt. ‘It’s about time you put yourself out there.’

  ‘I have no intention of putting myself out there.’

  Meadows switched on the stereo and turned up the volume.

  ‘What are you assaulting my ears with now?’ Edris complained.

  ‘Thin Lizzy. Music helps me think.’

  ‘No one can think with that racket, you need to update your collection.’

  ‘Nothing wrong with my collection. I also like Bob Marley and I’ve got some country music.’ Meadows pulled out into the road. ‘What would you prefer?’

  ‘If I could connect my phone I’d show you, but even the stereo is outdated.’

  ‘Cheeky sod! Maybe I should swap you with Blackwell, at least he only grunts now and again.’

  ‘I don’t think he’d like your choice of music either.’

  ‘Maybe not, I think he’s more the classical type.’

  Edris laughed. ‘Yeah, I can see him chilling out to opera. Seriously though, when were you last out on a date?’

  ‘It’s been a while. I’m out of practice.’

  ‘You haven’t tried. There is plenty on offer, I’ve seen the way women look at you. You’re a tidy-looking guy, you’re just oblivious to the signs.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Meadows laughed. ‘I wouldn’t know where to start, it’s been so long since I asked a woman out.’

  ‘It’s easy, just ask someone out for a drink.’

  ‘Someone?’ Meadows glanced at Edris.

  ‘Daisy.’

  Meadows snapped his eyes back to the road. ‘No, I’m not making a fool of myself.’

  ‘You wouldn’t, she likes you. Poor woman is just waiting for you to rip off her clothes and make love under the watchful eyes of the corpses.’

  ‘Bloody hell, there’s something seriously wrong with your imagination!’ Meadows laughed. ‘I’m not listening to you anymore, I need to get that image out of my head.’ He reached out and turned up the volume as they sped towards the hospital.

  * * *

  They found Daisy in her office, music playing as she tapped away at the keyboard. Her hair was loose and cascaded over her shoulders. Meadows was horrified as an image of Daisy removing her clothes flashed across his mind.

  Bloody Edris, he’s damaged my mind! Think about the case.

  ‘Hi.’ Daisy looked up from the screen and smiled. ‘Give me a sec and I’ll be with you.’ She finished typing and saved the document. ‘Right, I’ll take you through.’

  She stood and pulled on a gown before twisting her hair into a knot and securing it with a band.

  ‘Thanks for rushing the PM through,’ Meadows said.

  ‘I didn’t have a heavy schedule today and nothing that couldn’t be pushed back.’ She opened the door.

  ‘No date to hurry off to then?’ Edris said.

  ‘No, funnily enough the job doesn’t provide me with many dates,’ Daisy replied.

  ‘I’m sure you’re fighting them off.’ Edris turned to Meadows and winked.

  ‘You’re such a flirt,’ Daisy said. ‘I bet no woman is safe in the station.’

  ‘No woman is safe in the whole valley,’ Meadows said with a grin.

  Daisy pushed open the double doors that led into a sterile room. The atmosphere became serious. Tara lay on a metal gurney, covered up to her neck with a sheet.

  ‘There were no signs of a sexual assault,’ Daisy began.

&nbs
p; ‘At least she was spared that,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Large quantities of alcohol were found in her stomach and some in her lungs.’

  ‘Does that mean she drowned in alcohol?’ Edris asked.

  ‘That was quite possibly the intention, but she vomited and inhaled. I’ve sent off blood samples and would guess that she ingested enough to cause alcohol poisoning – perhaps sufficient enough to kill her anyway if she hadn’t choked.’

  Meadows studied Tara’s face. ‘I think she would have been a pretty woman when she was younger.’

  ‘I think you’re right.’ Daisy smiled. ‘But years of abuse have ravaged her looks. She was a heavy drinker, evidenced by cirrhosis of the liver. Other than the marks on her face there are no other signs of violence. There’s an old fracture on her right arm and a caesarean scar.’

  ‘A caesarean? According to Tara’s friends and neighbours she didn’t have any children,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Well, she was pregnant on more than one occasion. She also gave birth naturally at some time.’

  ‘So you’re saying she had at least two children?’ Edris asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why lie about it?’

  ‘Maybe, as she was a drinker and a drug addict, they were taken away,’ Meadows suggested.

  ‘Or they could be estranged,’ Daisy offered. ‘It happens.’

  ‘Yes, but most mothers wouldn’t hide the existence of their children. She didn’t even mention them in the will,’ Edris said.

  ‘Perhaps she felt guilty. If they were taken into care, she may have been too ashamed to tell anyone. Maybe she didn’t know where they were.’ Meadows turned to Daisy. ‘Can you let me know as soon as the blood results come back?’

  ‘Of course.’ Daisy smiled. ‘I’ll call you straight away.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Meadows’ mind was whirring with questions as he said goodbye and headed for the car.

  ‘I think one of Tara’s children may be a resident of Bethesda House,’ he said as he started the engine. ‘It makes sense. Why else leave all her money to Bethesda? Let’s get back to the station, we need to go through all the residents’ files again.’

  ‘But if you are saying one of the residents is Tara’s child, does that mean you think they left the home last night and killed her?’

  ‘No, I don’t think that at all. Think about it. Daisy said Tara had been pregnant at least twice. What if one of the children ended up in Bethesda and the other is protecting their sibling?’

  ‘Protecting them from what?’

  ‘Alan Whitby was part of the abuse. Rhys and Alex were brought to justice whereas Alan still worked there and was a threat.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Edris said. ‘The children could be anywhere, adopted, moved away or even dead.’

  ‘That’s what we need to find out.’

  * * *

  Valentine jumped up from behind her desk as soon as Meadows entered the office.

  ‘I was just about to call you,’ she said. ‘I’ve managed to track down Tara’s mother. Her name is Joan O’Leary, she’s in Riverview residential home in Cardiff.’

  She handed the details to Meadows.

  ‘It’s too late to go now, it will have to wait until morning, poor woman. Good work, Valentine. Can you see what you can find out about Tara’s father?’

  ‘Yes, I’ll get on to it.’

  Meadows called Blackwell and Paskin to join the group as Edris handed around mugs of tea.

  ‘Did you get anything more from Tara’s house?’ Meadows asked sipping his tea and taking a biscuit from the packet Edris had placed on the desk.

  ‘Not much, we’ve been through all her bank statements. She didn’t earn that much, and after bills and the insurance payments there was only pocket money left, no savings,’ Blackwell said.

  ‘She probably spent what was left over on booze,’ Edris added.

  ‘There weren’t many photographs,’ Paskin said. ‘A few of Tara and her friend Sarah and one or two that could be her mother. No old family album. Quite sad really.’

  ‘The post-mortem confirmed asphyxiation and showed large amounts of alcohol in her system. No signs of sexual assault. At some time Tara had at least two pregnancies. We need to find those children. Well, young adults now, I would imagine. I’ll put in a request for Tara’s medical records, maybe that will shed some light on things, at least give us some dates. Meanwhile I want to go through all the residents’ files, see who has an absent mother.’

  ‘You think one of her children is a resident at Bethesda?’ Paskin asked.

  ‘I think it is a strong possibility.’ Meadows thought for a moment. ‘It could also be a staff member or both. Two children, one protecting the other.’

  ‘And you think one or both of Tara’s children killed her?’ Valentine raised her eyebrows.

  ‘It’s not unheard of,’ Meadows said. ‘But why? Alan Whitby was involved in the abuse case. We know that questions were asked. Both Alex and Rhys reported a relative called Anna and the descriptions match.’

  ‘A relative that we haven’t found,’ Blackwell huffed.

  ‘Doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist. Let’s say she does exist, and her brother or sister is in Bethesda. She finds out about the abuse and takes revenge on Alan and Tara,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Why Tara?’ Valentine asked.

  ‘Because she’s the one responsible for putting her child into a home. A mother is supposed to protect her children. We need to look at all the relatives again.’

  ‘Someone would have seen this Anna going in and out of the house,’ Edris said.

  ‘Not necessarily, she could be using a different name. The residents get family visitors and they would know the layout of the house. She could also be a member of staff, regular or relief staff.’ Meadows ran his hands through his hair. ‘It could be any of them. Gemma is very close to Kevin, as is Leah to Liam and Harry to Eddy. Harry actually said to us that the residents become your family. What if one of them is family.’

  ‘It couldn’t be Gemma,’ Edris said. ‘She was working there the same time as Rhys and Alex, so she couldn’t pretend to be this Anna.’

  ‘I don’t see it myself,’ Blackwell said. ‘You’re saying one of those girls killed Alan and shoved him in the freezer. Have you seen the size of them? They’d never lift him.’

  ‘I agree, but it doesn’t mean they didn’t have help.’

  ‘I still think this is about the money. Miles and Jane killed Alan and had already arranged to have Tara killed by a third person.’

  ‘And why would they keep quiet about a third person’s involvement?’

  ‘Because we haven’t got anything on them for Alan’s murder. They’re sitting tight and hoping they only get done for the theft. Let’s face it, they’ll be out in a few years.’

  He’s got a point. Am I over-thinking this, making it more complicated?

  Meadows looked around at the team.

  ‘We still need to find Tara’s children. We’ve got nothing else to go on at the moment.’

  ‘I think it’s worth a try,’ Edris agreed.

  ‘You would,’ Blackwell barked.

  ‘Well I agree,’ Paskin said. ‘She left her money to Bethesda, didn’t talk about her children. I don’t think I’d be happy if my sister was left in the hands of abusers.’

  ‘Fine,’ Blackwell said and picked up a file before plonking himself down at his desk.

  Meadows picked up Kevin’s file and read through the notes.

  ‘Do you have the name of the social worker assigned to that resident?’ he asked Edris.

  Edris flicked through the pages. ‘Martin Hughes.’

  ‘Same here,’ Blackwell grunted.

  ‘Yep,’ Valentine and Paskin chorused.

  ‘Well he should know more about the residents and their families. See if you can get a number for him. According to Kevin’s file he has a brother that visits, there’s a mention of his father but none at all of his mother.
’

  ‘Both of Vanessa’s parents are dead,’ Valentine said.

  ‘Liam has been in care all his life,’ Blackwell added. ‘I remember from when I read the files last week. Steven’s parents are alive and still come to visit him.’

  ‘Eddy’s sister and parents visit him,’ Paskin said.

  ‘So we have at least two possibilities so far,’ Meadows said. ‘Kevin and Liam. We still need to check out the other family members to make sure there is no divorce or adoption.’

  ‘I have a number and address for Martin Hughes,’ Edris said.

  ‘Good, give him a call and tell him we are on our way. Blackwell, Paskin, you can go and see Kevin’s father and brother. See what you can find out about Kevin’s mother. Valentine, can you make a start on the other families? Check for divorces or adoptions.’ Meadows checked his watch and was surprised at the time. ‘It’s getting late, the families may get concerned if we call on them at this hour. Best not to cause any unnecessary worry. It can wait until tomorrow. I’ll let you all know if I get any information from Martin Hughes.’

  ‘I’ll check in with Bethesda before I clock off,’ Blackwell said. ‘Make sure everything’s OK.’

  The gesture surprised Meadows. ‘Thanks, that’d be great. Edris and I will interview Tara’s mother in the morning. We’ll meet back here for a briefing in the afternoon. Let me know of any developments in the meantime.’

  * * *

  Edris rang ahead, so Martin Hughes was expecting them and had the kettle boiling by the time they arrived.

  ‘Thank you for seeing us,’ Meadows said. ‘I appreciate it’s late.’

  ‘It’s no problem. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.’ He placed three mugs on the coffee table and sank down on the sofa.

  Meadows took an instant liking to Martin, with his receding ginger hair, open face and kind eyes.

  ‘How long have you worked with the residents at Bethesda House?’ Edris asked as he leaned forward and picked up a mug of tea.

  ‘About ten years, it’s not a large part of my work. I mainly work with families with young children that are having difficulties. Most of the residents are settled and are doing well. I get involved in the assessments, monthly checks to make sure their needs are being met and that they are generally happy and not showing signs of deterioration.’