Voices, a man’s and a woman’s reached them and Tony pressed Alex close to the rough stones, flattening himself at the same time. He looked back at her, frowning, and held a finger to his lips. Alex’s scalp started its prickling act and she grimaced. She didn’t need a reminder that danger could be ahead of them.
‘You sure you didn’t hear anything?’ the man said. ‘Or read anything?’
‘I told you, no,’ the woman said. Alex was afraid she was already persuading herself this was Neve for sure. ‘I’m driving back – now – and I’ll check on the way.’
‘No, I don’t want you to leave. I need your help. You can’t pay me enough for all the extra trouble you’ve dropped on me.’
Tony reached for Alex, found her shoulder and pressed. What the man said sounded odd, but it didn’t have to be.
‘I’ve paid you plenty.’ The woman’s voice was hard and almost a snarl. ‘If you had just killed Sonia that night as we agreed we wouldn’t be in this mess. All you were told to do was deal with her and then the girl – when I said the time was right. It was too bad Percy Quillam showed up like that and we couldn’t expect it, but you didn’t think it through. Look what you’ve done. Look what has to be cleaned up because you had no control.’
‘Don’t start with me,’ the man was close to shouting, ‘I already told you that disposing of two bodies at once was impossible. It isn’t easy dragging a body to that pond. It wasn’t my fault the husband had turned up and attacked her. After that we needed Sonia alive for a few days so that – damn it, I didn’t want anyone saying the two of them had died at the same time! If Hugh is going to take the fall for Sonia, it couldn’t be that way.’
‘What is it with you and disposing of bodies in water?’ The woman sounded genuinely mystified … and mean. ‘You’ve got quite the history with watery graves. Now I know your secrets, and you’d better not push me any farther. Tell me about Wells? You still haven’t explained that one. And more water, you fool. Where’s your imagination? Tell me, did you have a good reason for what you did to Wells, too?’
‘Apart from my hating the dramatic tosser, you mean? Yes, he was upsetting Annie and at that point you and I hadn’t made a final decision what to do about her. Not for sure. But we didn’t want her going to Hugh with the truth about the letter. That would’ve given it all away, wouldn’t it?’ The man phrased that last comment as a question but it was more a statement. ‘Now, stop with the questions and come back inside with me.’
‘Don’t tell me you want sex again.’ The woman, Neve – Alex was sure of it now, didn’t sound completely opposed to the idea. ‘The first time I saw you, at that hellhole psych place, I didn’t have you pegged as a sex addict. I thought it was kind of fate that we found each other then.’
‘You have some good ideas, when you aren’t spouting your fantasies,’ he said, ‘but no, thanks anyway. We’ll save it for later. You need me and I need you – just as we decided months ago. We set it all up – partly thanks to Annie – and Sonia. Now, you know what needs to be done, and there’s more of it. It’s time.’
If only she recognized the man’s voice, Alex thought. It sounded familiar but she couldn’t place it.
‘And that,’ the woman said, ‘is all your fault for not making sure you’d done your job properly and then losing your head. And the police officer – I couldn’t believe it when I heard. How many more do you intend to kill and still think you’ll get away without consequences?’
‘Don’t start that again. I’m running out of patience with this, and with you.’ The man’s voice had become ominous. There was no reply this time.
Footfalls crunched on gravel, rushed footfalls.
‘They don’t know Miller’s not fatally wounded,’ Tony whispered and started moving forward and Alex followed – all the way to the corner of the building where he very carefully extended as little as possible of his head to see around.
His face jerked toward her and he offered his hand, which she held tightly. Quickly and quietly they moved around the corner and Alex saw that a door on the front of the building, the one nearest the farmhouse, was wide open, screening off any view of the approach to the front door.
They slipped inside the barn and Tony put an eye close to a door hinge and almost leaped back. He pushed her in front of him beside one of two cars parked inside. ‘I’m texting Bill,’ he said against her ear, and his thumbs probably moved over the keys faster than they ever had.
The passenger door on the car in front of them was slightly open, the failing light inside struggling to keep casting a thin veneer of yellow light.
An old Passat. Alex didn’t need to make sure it was the right color, but she thought it was some shade of red.
A stench all but overwhelmed her.
She looked at the empty passenger seat, only it wasn’t empty. Jean-clad legs, twisted sideways, were part of the man who had slid sideways in his seat.
Tony ducked his head in time with Alex.
The man’s face was streaked with thin rivulets of blood turned near black.
She didn’t need to get closer to know the glassy eyes had belonged to Harvey Peale.
THIRTY-FIVE
The pace at the parish hall had not let up. All around Bill he felt a fresh determination to break the case. This had been intensifying since news of the attack on Jillian Miller worked its way around.
He had eventually called them all together and emphasized the importance of trying to evade any questions on the subject from the media. Once the attacker knew Miller wasn’t dead, she would be in danger again. She was being guarded at the hospital.
One of the contacts had been substantial and, if it checked out as he thought it would, it cleared up some queries. Percy Quillam’s solicitor had called, asking for Bill. He told a fragmented story of Quillam calling him the night Sonia went missing. Percy said he was in the house with her – hidden, listening to a conversation with a female he didn’t recognize. Who knew what part the man had played in Sonia’s disappearance? The solicitor said Percy told him he probably needed to change his will, that Sonia told the other woman he wasn’t Elyan’s father. Apparently, he’d been distraught. Bill was almost certain the person with Sonia had been Annie making the visit she now admitted to.
‘What do you think, guv?’ Longlegs asked, coming to Bill’s desk and pointing at photos spread there.
‘Sergeant Miller has seen these and she doesn’t know if they’re of her attacker because she didn’t see him – or her. Neither do we but we’ll identify this man one way or another. He was driving Annie’s car.’
His mobile rang and he saw Hugh’s name. ‘What?’ he said as he picked up. ‘Have you got anything? And where are you?’
‘Outside,’ Hugh said. ‘I heard something that’s probably nothing, but it could be deadly serious.’
As he cut off, a text came in. Bill glanced at the time it was sent. ‘Five minutes ago. Mobile service is so slow out here.’ He read the text from Tony and spun around. ‘Armed response. Now. Going to Lower Slaughter. They’ll get right there. I want you four’ – he counted off the first four officers at the desks – ‘follow us in two cars. No lights. No sirens. Listen to your radios.’
THIRTY-SIX
The quiet inside and outside the barn made Alex’s eardrums prickle. ‘Poor Carrie,’ she whispered, but Tony touched her lips and glanced around.
He looked toward the other parked car and leaned across the Passat’s bonnet to see better, moved behind her and back to see the rear. ‘Mercedes,’ he mouthed. ‘Rental.’
‘Sonia’s.’ She almost forgot to keep her voice very low. Dear God, what had happened here? What was going on inside that farmhouse?
A front door to the barn swung open with force.
Framed there, the sunlight behind them, were Neve Rhys – and Saul Wilson – from the Gentlemen Bikers Club – as Hugh had told them he was called. Their faces were shadowed.
Neve stepped inside, just inside, a gun in her hand an
d trained on them. ‘You two,’ she said, her voice clear and higher than normal. ‘I might have known it would be you sneaking around. What do you want?’
Neither of them answered.
‘It doesn’t matter. You’ve interfered, and you’ve signed your own death warrants. All Hugh had to do was sign the intent letter to sell the distillery, but he wouldn’t do it. For months I asked him, but he kept on refusing. I came to this nowhere place to give him one more chance. Now he’s going to pay more than I could hope for. He’s got everyone here fooled.’ A sneer entered her tone. ‘You don’t know him. I deserve that business for what he did to my father.’
‘Neve,’ Saul said, and Alex didn’t miss that he kept a hand in a windbreaker pocket. ‘Neve, let’s get this done.’
She waved the gun back and forth between Tony and Alex. ‘Has he ever said he was engaged to be married? Of course not. Well, he was – to me – and I should have gone ahead with the marriage as planned. It would have been easier than being with his useless cousin. At least Hugh had the control.’
‘We’ve got our own plans,’ Saul said. He put a hand on Neve’s shoulder but she shrugged him off. ‘Listen to me. Keep the gun on them and wait. The timing will be everything. If the two in the house hear more gunshots, they won’t buy my excuses this time and getting them out here will be more difficult. If Perry happens to be coming around from the last shot you gave him, he could be trouble, too. Let me go get them and I’ll be right back.’ Looking at her for seconds first, he left the barn and his running footsteps seemed loud.
‘This will work. Don’t move,’ she snapped when Tony shifted a foot. The gun settled in his direction. ‘As we leave, we’ll text Hugh from your phone. Something vague like you’ve found Sonia and Annie and figured everything out. Tell him where you are. Perfect. A bit later, not too much later, we’ll alert the police. Very neat. You see, Hugh has a vicious side you never knew about. Really vicious. He won’t be able to talk his way out of this mess and Birnam Bricht will finally be mine once Perry follows all of you to hell.’
The woman could make a credible insanity plea, Tony thought. He’d never understood how killers who planned their crimes could be considered unfit to stand trial – for any reason.
He wanted to look at Alex but kept his eyes on Neve and his expression nervous enough to please her.
‘They’ve found him, guv,’ Longlegs said beside him. He glanced behind Bill at Hugh who was riding with them because he knew the area best. Bill nodded for Longlegs to continue.
He read from his phone. ‘Saul Wilson, brother of Scott Zachary Wilson. Juvenile record. Nothing in recent years that we know. Early teens he had a penchant for setting fires. Liked to pick on sleeping homeless people. Give them a turn, a hot turn. Never got more than probation. No significant injuries. No deaths. Too hard to prove. They tried to get him for helping his brother chuck their dead parents into the water from a bridge. Didn’t stick because big brother wouldn’t budge. Baby brother had nothing to do with it, according to him.’
Bill drove faster. ‘And he was driving Annie’s Mini on the day of the fire.’
‘That makes sense,’ Hugh put in. ‘He wouldn’t know it was my vehicle at Green Friday that day. And he could have set the fire at Radhika’s. But, why? As a diversion? This is the turn for Lower Slaughter coming up.’
Various pieces started to fit together in Bill’s mind. Looking at Longlegs he clarified, ‘Saul and Zack’s parents’ bodies were dumped in water and over the past week we have pulled two bodies from that chute. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.’ Meeting Hugh’s eyes in the rear-view mirror, he said, ‘I think Saul was hoping to distract the SOCO team from diving that afternoon. Perhaps hoping Wells would sink so far into the chute he wouldn’t be found.’
The sounds of sobbing preceded Saul’s return into the barn. Holding his hand, it was Annie who cried and held back as he pulled her along. His other arm was around Sonia Quillam’s waist, half-dragging her with them.
‘Shut up,’ Neve all but screamed and Alex felt her own eyes sting. She was useless, she couldn’t help Annie and there was obviously something wrong with her.
Barely conscious, Sonia sagged in Saul’s arm. Barefoot, she wore a filthy pair of men’s pajamas. If her greasy hair weren’t scraped back from her bruised and scratched face, Alex wasn’t certain she would recognize her.
‘Still not saying anything?’ Neve said, waggling the gun again. ‘Isn’t Sonia one of your friends? And Annie?’
‘They are,’ Tony said. Alex screwed up her eyes and waited for the impact of bullets.
Neve laughed. ‘Sonia doesn’t hold her drugs well,’ she said.
Saul pulled Annie beside Sonia. ‘Hold her up,’ he told her. ‘Shake her and she’ll walk – more or less. Take her over there with them. I’ve got to help Neve here.’
By the time Annie had urged and dragged the shuffling Sonia close to Tony and Alex, the two women were practically crawling, and Alex tensed, expecting Tony to help them. But he knew what that would bring as well as Alex did and held his ground. Their only hope was that Bill had received Tony’s text and was on his way; she hoped with others. They might be shot anyway. The certainty turned Alex cold to her bones. Her skin was crawling and clammy.
With Sonia at her feet, Annie got up to walk back and Saul said, his voice without inflection, ‘Stay where you are, Annie.’ She didn’t protest, or cry out, just let her arms fall to her sides.
‘Stupid, stupid, Annie,’ Neve said.
‘Not now, Neve.’ Saul took out his own gun.
Neve seemed determined to spew all the hate she had stored up, and make sure they could see how brilliant she was. ‘You did everything you were told to do for your pet convict lover,’ she said. ‘Saul told you his mad brother would keep Elyan safe from all the other big bad wolves in that sickening place and you were running out of money to pay him when you met me. Lucky you, I took over dealing with Saul.’ She giggled. ‘I’d already been there several times when you met me, you know. Sonia arranged it because the poor little woman couldn’t go herself.
‘Guess how I found my helper and lover boy?’ She waved toward Saul. ‘His brother was taking piano lessons from Elyan. Can you believe that? They came up with the notion to hit you up for protection money – for mad Artist Zack to protect Elyan from those nasty guards, or whatever they call them, and you swallowed it. I wrote the letter to you, Annie. But I’m sure Elyan would have done it himself in time. He’s sick of you turning up and crying on him.’
Annie crumpled to the ground, wrapped her arms around herself, and started sobbing and rocking back and forth.
‘For Chrissakes, Neve. Stop and let’s get out of here.’
Neve’s volume increased and she looked maniacal. ‘You thought Saul was a friend and you let him use your car that day. Did you know he used it to get rid of Giglio’s body? Would you have cared? After all, that man was drawing attention to you and the letter warned you not to bring any more unwanted attention to Elyan. Up the hill. Down the hill. Whatever the hill. Saul did it all for you and me – and himself.’
Annie’s rocking brought her close to hitting her head on the floor. She repeatedly doubled over and then threw herself back, wailing loudly now.
‘Saul was clever, too. When he saw the police and the diver going up to the watering hole – Saul’s favorite dumping place – he didn’t panic. There’s nothing like a fire to divert attention. Not everything went exactly to my plan’ – Neve cast a glare at Saul before continuing – ‘I planned it all and I’ll still get what’s coming to me in the end. But I was the one who planned it all. I paid Saul to frame Hugh.’
A shot rang out.
Neve screamed and fell to her knees. Blood welled at her left shoulder.
‘You’re coming apart,’ Saul said and took a single step backward. ‘I told you to shut up! I looked forward to sharing your whiskey money, but I’ve made a pile already. You’re too much of a liability. Throw me your keys. T
hey don’t know your car.’
Instead, Neve pointed her weapon at him, but it slipped through her fingers and she slid, moaning, all the way to the filthy floorboards.
Saul went to pick up the gun but before he could stand again, a figure in black crossed the space from the open door and took him in a headlock.
No more shots were fired.
THIRTY-SEVEN
We’re alive and we’re here and there are no other people I’d rather be with or any place I would rather be.
Alex looked around the quiet group gathered in the snug. Tony beside her, probably feeling as dirty as she did. Hugh studying his untouched coffee but managing frequent sips of his brandy. Lily and Doc James sat on the banquette, but Alex felt Lily hovering, barely able to hold back from the questions she wanted to ask – again.
‘Anyone else expect to be questioned again at any moment?’ Tony asked. He let Bogie nuzzle his fingers. ‘Intuition tells me Bill Lamb will come back to us, and soon. Questions and more questions. But he gave us more information than I expected.’
Hugh emptied his glass and reached for the bottle. ‘I’m the fool here. Charges will probably come my way. Fortunately, I don’t know enough to work out how many or exactly what they’ll be for. It’s easier this way.’
‘Don’t get ahead of yourself,’ Doc said. ‘None of you took bullets. That’s what counts.’
Hugh offered the open bottle around and poured for everyone. ‘True, Doc, but I’m going down as an obstructionist and a liar.’
‘You didn’t hurt anyone, and you tried to help,’ Alex said. ‘You were trying to protect other people. And you haven’t been arrested yet.’ She slapped her hands over her face.
Laughing with the others, Tony said, ‘That was a reassuring thing to say, love. Very kind.’
She took her hands from her glowing cheeks and laughed, too.
‘You’re not going down for anything,’ Lily said. ‘Don’t think about prison.’
More chuckles followed.
Trap Lane Page 24
