Dark Water: A gripping serial killer thriller

by Robert Bryndza

  A look passed between Erika and John. Peterson went on,

  ‘Peter Michaels was interviewed in 1990, along with all the residents of the half way house, and like Marksman, he had an alibi for 7th August 1990. However, he was never placed under surveillance in the weeks after Jessica disappeared. He wasn’t seen to have any interest in her, nor was he seen in or around her house.’

  ‘How did you track him down?’ asked Erika.

  ‘Trevor Marksman invested his compensation from the CPS in property, and he’s done well out of it. His company Marksman Ltd is listed as having assets of five million. There is one other person in the Ltd partnership, and that’s Joel Michaels. They live together.’

  ‘It’s a long shot,’ said John.

  ‘Sometimes all you need is a long shot,’ replied Erika.

  40

  It was late when Erika called Marsh from her office at Bromley South. She’d let most of her team go, only John, Moss and Peterson stayed behind working.

  ‘Erika, I told you about going near to Trevor Marksman,’ said Marsh. ‘Even if you do find something, the whole of the last investigation was compromised.’

  ‘Sir, I don’t want to bring in Marksman. I want to bring in Joel Michaels. He was ruled out of the last investigation, and we didn’t know the link between him and Trevor…’

  ‘I thought you had this Bob Jennings in the frame, the guy who was squatting by Hayes Quarry?’

  ‘Yes he is still a suspect, but there isn’t so much urgency, with him being dead. This afternoon we located the septic tank behind the cottage by the quarry. It’s under tons of earth and roots, but there’s a team going over first thing tomorrow to clear it. I also heard back from Rosemary Hooley. She says she lent Bob Jennings a petrol powered generator during the summer of 1990. Apparently he wanted one so he could have a fridge and ice cream at the cottage. She also found out he was keeping the generator in the basement, and they had a row about it. This could link in with why Jessica had high levels of lead petrol in her bones… Sir this could be connected, I don’t know, we could be looking at a paedophile ring.’

  Marsh was silent on the end of the phone for a moment,

  ‘When do you want to do this?’

  ‘I want to do it tonight. Element of surprise. I want to let him sweat in a cell until tomorrow morning.’

  ‘This sounds like it’s getting personal, Erika. You have to realise that Trevor Marksman is now a very wealthy man, and I presume that he will have a good lawyer on hand to help out his friend.’

  ‘Sir, I’m not being personal. I’m angry from having to watch hours of video showing convicted paedophiles being thrown parties, taken on trips out to the sea side, and all of the video Marksman took of Jessica Collins, and several other local children. I’m angry that she is just a pile of bones, and somewhere out there whoever did this is running free. I want to question this man. That’s all, and I have evidence to support my suspicions….’

  Marsh was silent on the phone for a moment.

  ‘Okay. You’ve got the go-ahead, but you do this tomorrow morning, when you’ve slept and we can prepare. Okay?’

  ‘Yes, Sir thank you.’

  41

  Erika arrived home just after nine, when she opened the front door. Lenka was in the hallway. Erika started to speak, but she put her finger to her lips.

  ‘The kids are asleep,’ she whispered. ‘It’s so late. Where were you?’

  ‘At work,’ whispered Erika sloughing off her shoes and putting down her bag.

  ‘Is everything okay?’

  Erika nodded.

  ‘You left at seven this morning!’

  Erika pulled off her coat. ‘I usually work like this.’

  ‘What did Mark have to say about that?’

  ‘Lenka, can you let me get inside the door!’

  ‘Shhh! I’ve only just got them settled.’

  Erika peered through to the living room where the resting forms of the kids were asleep on the sofa bed.

  ‘Lenka, my computer is nearly dead, and the charger is in there,’ she whispered.

  ‘What does it look like?’

  ‘What do you mean. It’s a charger?’ Hissed Erika. She went to go into the living room, but Lenka held her back.

  ‘No. You’ll wake them up. Karolina has been really upset all day, and I’ve only just got them to sleep.’

  ‘Lenka, I need my charger.’

  ‘Did you eat?’

  ‘I had lunch.’

  Lenka crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, ‘You should at least eat. I cooked. You take a shower and I’ll look for your charger.’

  Erika went to protest, but Lenka pushed her into the bathroom and closed the door.

  * * *

  When she emerged from the shower, she was hit by the delicious smell of smoked meat, potato and pickle. The microwave beeped and Lenka came out with a steaming plate of Fransuzky Zemiaky, which was potato, egg, and smoked sausage, sliced very thin, stacked in a casserole dish and baked.

  ‘Oh my God. It smells delicious. Just like the one Mum used to make,’ said Erika her mouth watering.

  They came into the bedroom, which was stuffed with Eva’s buggy, a pile of nappies, and the dresser table had been converted into a changing table. Mark’s glit framed photo had been pushed to the back. His handsome face, stared back at her with its perpetual smile. Erika sat on the bed and tucked into the steaming plate of food.

  ‘My god this is amazing. Thank you.’

  ‘I went shopping,’ said Lenka. ‘It’s nice round here, but lots of different people, Indian, Black, Chinese. The kids were a bit scared by everything… Your garden is nice, and we met a couple of neighbours. A woman upstairs with two little girls, Jakub went knocking on all the doors until he found them and they came and played.’

  ‘They did? How did you talk to them?’

  ‘I know a few words in English, the mother was nice. What’s her name?’ Erika shrugged through a mouthful of food. ’You’ve lived here for five months and you don’t know your neighbours?’

  ‘I’m busy.’

  ‘What happened today with the handsome guy, Peterson?’

  ‘Nothing, really. We didn’t talk about it.’

  ‘Do you think anything will happen? He’s lovely.’

  Erika shrugged.

  ‘You could invite him over. I’d cook something…’ Erika gave her a look chewing a mouthful of the food.

  ‘I know it’s crowded and I’m sorry.’

  Erika swallowed, ‘Lenka, give it a rest.’

  ‘A man called today, to read the meter. I think that’s what he came for, I was busy with the kids in and outside, it was when the girls from upstairs were here. He left this letter,’ she said pulling it out of her pocket.

  Erika scanned it and saw it was from the letting agent, confirming that the gas certificate had to be checked and updated.

  ‘The food here is very expensive. What kind of things do you buy?’

  ‘Lenka, can you just give me a minute to breathe. I’ve had a stressful day and you’re just jabbering on!’

  From the buggy, Eva woke up and started to wail.

  ‘You woke her up,’ said Lenka squeezing past Erika and picking Eva up. ‘There, there, it’s okay. Shush, shush.’ Lenka pulled her shirt down and gave the baby her breast, but she shrieked even louder. ’Can you go and shut the living room door?’

  Erika shovelled in another mouthful of food and squeezed past, juggling her plate and came out into the hallway where she closed the living room door, and then the bedroom door against the screaming of the baby. She sat on the carpet by the front door with her plate on the floor and finished eating.

  * * *

  What couldn’t see, above her, fixed to the inside of the housing around the electricity meter was a small listening device.

  42

  Joel Michaels was arrested early the next morning at the flat he shared with Trevor Marksman. Erika, accompanied the uniform officers, along wi
th Moss, made the arrest. When they arrived at the penthouse flat, Marksman sat at a long table against one of the floor to ceiling windows, looking out at the foggy morning view of the Thames.

  When the officers produced their ID’s and told Joel Michaels he was under arrest. Marksman rose to his feet. He was dressed immaculately in powder blue slacks and a perfectly ironed white shirt buttoned up to his neck. Joel didn’t react when Erika read him his rights, and he was handcuffed and marched out.

  ‘Why? He hasn’t done anything,’ said Marksman, swaying unsteadily the raw skin around his eyes creasing in pain. ‘Take me instead.’

  ‘We’re not arresting you,’ said Erika.

  ‘He didn’t kill Jessica Collins. I promise you. He didn’t do it,’ said Marksman.

  As Erika drove back behind the police car, she played it over in her mind again, the pain in his eyes, his insistence. She almost believed him. This was when she realised that they were a couple.

  * * *

  They returned to Bromley Station, and Joel Michaels was booked and taken down to a holding cell. It soon became clear that someone had tipped off the media. A large group of press and photographers were congregating on the steps outside the main entrance of the station.

  Erika was preparing to interview Michaels when Moss came up to the incident room and said she should come downstairs. When they reached the foyer of the station, they saw that a large black people carrier was parked illegally on the double yellow lines outside, and Trevor Marksman stood outside the car, and was addressing the press.

  ‘What the hell?’ asked Erika. ‘Can we do anything about this?’

  They came to the entrance and listened.

  ‘This is once again a bullying tactic by the Metropolitan Police. It’s bad enough that one of their officers was on record as tipping off a vigilante group who put a petrol bomb through my door…’ At this point he pulled off the huge dark glasses he wore which showed the full extent of the skin grafts around his eyes. ‘I have to live with this face for the rest of my life! The death of Jessica Collins was a tragedy, but I maintain my innocence! I have an alibi and I was not responsible. Now the police have arrested my partner, a man who has stood by me for twenty-six years. He is also my full time carer. He is innocent, and this is a desperate plea from the police to intimidate me and punish me for successfully winning a case against them!’

  A voice could be heard from amongst the crowds of people and journalists who had gathered outside, and Marianne Collins appeared wearing a long winter coat, she was flanked by her daughter Laura.

  ‘Child killer!’ she shouted. ‘You lying piece of shit murderer!’

  There was a commotion as she pushed her way through the crowds to the front.

  Erika moved quickly over to the front desk and picked up a phone, ’We’ve got a situation developing outside the front entrance of the station, all officers please make their way up to the front desk.’

  When Erika came off the phone, Marianne and Trevor were engaged in a stand off. The crowd had grown and as well as the press there were several of the younger people in the crowd taking video on their phones.

  ‘You took my daughter and you killed her with your disgusting friends, and now you’re laughing at us!’

  ‘Listen to me,’ said Trevor, putting up one of his misshapen hands to try and placated her.

  ‘Don’t you tell me to listen you, never get to tell me anything! You evil bastard! You killed her, you killed my girl and you dumped her in the water!!!’ screamed Marianne.

  Laura stood silently beside her mother, as tears rolled down her face. The atmosphere changed in the crowd and Erika saw that Marianne was now wielding a large kitchen knife. The crowd scattered, spilling out into the main road amongst the traffic which was queueing at the traffic lights.

  Marianne started to slash at Trevor Marksman, gouging into the flesh of his forearms arms where he put them up to protect himself. Laura’s eyes were wide and she was now screaming at her mother to stop.

  ‘Shit!’ cried Erika, ‘Where are my uniform officers?’

  Erika and Moss dashed outside and pushed their way down the stairs. Seconds later, they were joined by six uniformed officers. They managed to grab Marianne Collins who was covered in blood, it was soaking into the front of her white blouse and daubed her left cheek.

  A young male PC, wearing an anti-stab vest managed to get hold of Marianne’s arm and twisted it so she dropped the knife. He kicked it away where another officer trapped it under his shoe.

  Marianne was now screaming, her throat sounded raw. She was knocked the ground and female PC placed her boot in her back and handcuffed her hands behind her back.

  Erika ran to Trevor Marksman, who had fallen in between the bumper and front of two cars. He lay covered in blood which pumped out of the three gaping wounds in his forearms. She could see that one was slit right down to the bone. Erika sloughed off her thin suit jacket and started to wrap it around his bleeding arms.

  ‘We need an ambulance! This man is bleeding!’ she shouted above the mayhem, crowds were gathering on both sides of the pavement, people were streaming out from the train station on the opposite side of the road, and the traffic was backing up at the main junction.

  Marianne Collins was dragged away screaming and covered in blood, just as an officer came running from the main entrance of the station with a first aid kit.

  All the time the shutters from the press cameras fired off photographs and recorded video of the chaos.

  43

  The Assistant Commissioner, Camilla Brace-Cosworthy, turned from the large television on the wall in her office. It was early the next morning, and she had just played Erika and Marsh a two minute roundup of the previous days events from the SKY News app.

  The incident outside Bromley South Station had been headline news the previous evening. It had also re-ignited interest for the press in the case. The two minute roundup was edited highlights, designed to show the maximum chaos, moving from the professional video when Trevor Marksman spoke outside Bromley station, to shaky mobile phone footage taken up-close of Marianne Collins wielding the knife, climaxing in her being handcuffed face down on the pavement and Trevor Marksman covered in blood.

  Erika shifted uncomfortably where she stood in front of the desk, she looked across at Marsh, who sat to the left of Camilla’s desk.

  ‘What part of bringing this man in quietly for questioning did you ignore?’ asked Camilla peering up at Erika over the top of her glasses. She hadn’t invited Erika to sit, which was a bad sign. ‘That was Commander Marsh’s direct order when you spoke to him about making this arrest?’

  ‘Yes Ma’am. We couldn’t have anticipated this chain of events. We believe that Marianne Collins was tipped off, just as the press were tipped off.’

  ‘I suggest you spend your time finding the leak and then plug it with ruthless force.’

  ‘My officers are looking into this with urgency.’

  ‘Where does this leave our case?’

  ‘Trevor Marksman is in hospital, he lost a great deal of blood but will make a full recovery. Due to the nature of his previous skin injuries. He will have to spend longer in hospital.’

  ‘And the suspect you have in custody?’

  ‘I spent yesterday afternoon questioning Joel Michaels… I had arrested him on the basis that he hadn’t mentioned in his original statement that he was with Trevor Matthews when he followed Jessica Collins taking video and photos.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And he informed us that he made two statements to DCI Amanda Baker, my predecess…’

  ‘I know who she is,’ interrupted Camilla.

  ‘Of course ma’am. We have his first statement on record, but we are missing documentation and evidence from the first investigation, so we are at a disadvantage. Either way, the fact he was working with Marksman, and they have a relationship is a lead. He maintains his innocence, saying that they used to go the park and take photos and video of children
and their parents to help develop their skills in photography and film making. Which, coming from him as a convicted paedophile is a load of crap, I think.’

  ‘Right. And during the search of the cottage beside Hayes Quarry, you found a tooth, but it doesn’t doesn’t match Jessica Collins.’

  ‘That’s correct.’

  ‘And there was a search conducted of the septic tank?’

  ‘That too came back with no evidence. We are checking the soil samples recovered from the plastic Jessica was wrapped in when she was placed in the water, but we won’t have results for some days.’

  ‘The man who lived in the cottage, Bob Jennings, do you have any reason to believe he was involved with Trevor Marksman or Joel Michaels?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So three weeks in to a very expensive investigation you have very little to show?’

  Erika didn’t answer and struggled to keep eye contact and not to look down at the floor.

  ‘We were planning on doing a television appeal with the Collins family,’ said Marsh speaking for the first time. ‘But I don’t think this will be something we can pursue. Marianne Collins has been released on bail, the CPS is bound to go easy on her, but the image of her wielding a knife is looming large in people’s minds…’

  ‘Yes, we want grieving mother, not knife-wielding maniac,’ agreed Camilla. She took off her glasses and chewed on one of the stems for a moment. Erika could feel the sweat trickling down her back.

  ‘You’ve been here before, several times, haven’t you, DCI Foster?’ she said.

  ‘I’ve been here once before, Ma’am,’

  ‘I’m talking metaphorically,’ she snapped. ‘You seem to lurch between brilliance and bone-headed stupidity.’