Hush Hush

by Mel Sherratt

  Grace leaned forward, closer to the young woman. ‘Annie,’ she said. ‘Is there anything you can tell me about Elliott that would help me understand why this happened to him?’

  Annie shook her head, tears dripping down her face. She wiped at them furiously.

  ‘Nothing’s been going on lately that you’ve been worried about? Did Elliott say anything was on his mind?’

  ‘He’s been hanging around with Kyle Fisher,’ she said. That name again. ‘I’ve told him not to because he’s trouble. But he didn’t see him last night because he was at work till ten.’

  A nurse came over to them. ‘We can allow visitors for a few minutes. Only two at a time.’

  The women stood up. Once they had gone, Grace turned back to Len. ‘Why not run me through it all again? Elliott finished his shift at ten last night. You know this for certain?’

  He nodded.

  Grace gave him time to compose himself as he struggled to keep his tears at bay.

  ‘He’s a bit of a lad, but Elliott doted on baby Ethan.’ Len looked down at the little boy who was asleep at his feet. ‘Annie said he’d rung her when his shift finished, to say he couldn’t wait to see her. He was getting something to eat and asked her if she wanted anything. He said he’d bring her some chips.’

  ‘And that was what time?’

  ‘Ten fifteen. It’s only a twenty-minute drive from the factory to his home. They must have been waiting for him.’ He shook his head. ‘Whoever did this will be dead by the time I’ve finished with him.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Sorry. I’ve never seen injuries like them. I bet the Steeles had something to do with it.’

  Grace felt herself go cold despite the oppressive heat of the room. ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘Our families have never got on. I bet they think we’re involved in these murders.’

  ‘We can’t be certain of anything at this early stage, Mr Woodman, but do you think this could be a retaliation for something?’ she enquired gently.

  He shrugged a shoulder and looked at the floor. Grace could feel him shutting down.

  He paused, then looked up at her. ‘I don’t know what’s going on at the moment, but my family are not involved. Someone did this to my Elliott and you need to find out who.’

  ‘We’ll do our very best, Mr Woodman,’ Grace replied. ‘You have my word.’

  Moments later, Annie and Mrs Woodman came rushing back to them, having been ushered from the ward. More staff raced past them, running in the opposite direction.

  ‘All the buzzers went off on the machines and they made us come out here while they worked on him,’ Annie sobbed. ‘I think his heart has stopped.’

  FIFTY-FOUR

  Back from hospital, Grace was catching up with her team when her desk phone rang and she was summoned by the DCI. With a heavy sigh, she made her way upstairs.

  The high-ranking officers were all situated on the floor above the incident room. It was the first time she had been upstairs. Jenny’s office was half the size of their meeting room, a table that sat eight at its far end. The large TV on the wall was tuned into a news channel, its sound on mute. The wall was adorned with certificates and photos of Jenny at various points in her career.

  Nick was seated at the table, instantly making Grace assume she was in trouble.

  ‘Come, sit down.’ Jenny pointed to a chair and then sat down too. ‘What’s going on with you, Grace?’

  ‘Ma’am?’

  ‘Did I or did I not specifically ask you to stay away from the Steele family or else risk coming off this case completely?’

  Grace wasn’t going to give anything away without knowing what she was getting the blame for. It could be any number of things, given the past few days.

  ‘I’m not entirely sure what you mean,’ she offered.

  Jenny slid a piece of glossy paper towards her.

  Grace took it, embarrassment flooding through her. It was a photo of her and Eddie, sitting in his car. It had been taken last night while he was outside her house. She closed her eyes momentarily before looking back at Jenny.

  ‘I … I was off duty, Ma’am.’

  Jenny raised her eyebrows. ‘And that’s supposed to make a difference?’

  ‘I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?’ She glanced at Nick, hoping he would back her up. He said nothing, but at least he was shaking his head. ‘He’s not a suspect.’

  ‘What if he is involved in the attack on Elliott Woodman?’ Jenny said.

  Ah. Now she understood. If it was found that Eddie was involved in any way, it would give him an alibi. It would also raise questions about Grace herself too.

  ‘So?’ Jenny pressed.

  ‘He was waiting for me last night when I got home. Rather than make a scene, I got into his car and we had a chat.’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘Jade wants to meet up with me,’ she lied, hoping the blush she could feel rising on her cheeks wasn’t about to give her away. It was the first thing she had thought of, worried that if she mentioned Eddie was trying to turn her that she would make Jenny even more suspicious of her. ‘She’s trying to get the family together so we can all be introduced properly,’ she added. ‘I said no, of course.’

  ‘Why didn’t Jade ask you that herself?’ Jenny quizzed.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘So maybe she didn’t want to meet up with you. Maybe this was Eddie Steele getting someone to take the photo of you and him together.’

  ‘Do you think he’s a suspect?’ Grace was confused.

  ‘It’s possible anyone could be at this moment in time!’

  Grace ran a hand through her hair. ‘Can I ask you where you got this from, Ma’am?’

  Jenny looked at her. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  ‘It matters very much to me.’ Grace couldn’t help herself.

  ‘Was whoever took this photo following Eddie Steele?’ Nick finally joined in. ‘Or was someone following Grace?’

  Jenny didn’t answer the question. ‘All I’m concerned with is that you are following protocol.’ She turned to Grace. ‘I told you that I would remove you from the case if you got too close and—’

  ‘He was waiting for me! I didn’t go chasing after him.’

  ‘Not this time. But I don’t want Operation Wedgwood jeopardised because of your actions.’

  ‘I’m not a criminal!’ Grace shouted, losing control.

  ‘That’s good to hear!’ Jenny raised her voice too.

  Grace’s cheeks reddened, shocked at herself for speaking out against a senior officer. She took a moment to calm herself before speaking again.

  ‘Am I being watched, Ma’am?’ she wanted to know.

  ‘Of course not,’ Jenny replied. ‘But you should realise that nothing gets past me. You would do well to remember that.’

  ‘I must reiterate that he came to me,’ Grace insisted.

  ‘I will be watching you from now on, Grace. That will be all.’ Jenny’s tone was firm. It meant there would be no more questioning.

  Grace stood up and left the room, trying to keep her anger inside. What the hell was going on in this station? First she was accused of being a mole, and now someone was out to set her up by taking photographs. And why wouldn’t Jenny divulge where it had come from? Why the secrecy?

  She would never trust the Steele family. They wouldn’t look after her unless she joined them, and that wasn’t an option. But she was realising she could trust no one here either, not even her own team, and especially not higher management. Nick hadn’t stuck up for her in that meeting, he’d just let her take the rap.

  Whoever had passed on the information to Jenny was out to get her. It was time she started watching her back and did some digging of her own.

  Nick stayed in the room with Jenny when Grace left. He had to make his feelings known, having stayed on the periphery for too long. But Jenny beat him to it.

  ‘I told you what would happen, Nick,’ she snapped once Grace was out of hearing range.
‘She is no longer working on the case.’

  ‘I trust her.’ Nick sat forward. ‘Without her, we would be nowhere.’

  ‘We have three murder victims and no leads! I don’t see that as getting very far.’

  ‘You know what I mean,’ Nick stressed. ‘Look, I told Grace to get close to the Steele family. I thought it would help if we had someone on the inside.’

  ‘After I specifically told you not to?’ Jenny shook her head in despair. ‘It’s not a good example to set.’

  ‘I’m willing to take the rap if things go too far.’

  She tapped a finger on the photograph. ‘I think it’s beyond that now!’

  Nick picked it up and studied it. ‘How did you get it?’

  ‘It was hand-delivered – posted by an anonymous source through the Stoke News letter box.’

  Nick raised his eyebrows. ‘And you never thought to tell me first?’

  ‘Since you went against my instructions and left Grace to her own devices, why should I?’

  Nick couldn’t understand her petulance. Surely, as their DCI, Jenny should want to tell them what was happening?

  ‘Can we see on camera who it was?’ he questioned.

  She shook her head. ‘A figure in a hoodie. Who else would it be?’

  ‘I’ll follow up on it – see if we can track—’

  ‘We don’t have the manpower for that. We have three dead men in the morgue.’

  There was a pause while they regrouped their thoughts.

  ‘Grace is good at what she does, Jenny,’ Nick tried again. ‘Getting under people’s skin, it’s her speciality.’

  ‘Aren’t you forgetting who is in charge here?’ she barked.

  ‘No, Ma’am. But if you won’t trust my judgement, then I won’t trust yours either,’ Nick retorted.

  ‘It will be on your head when all this goes wrong.’

  ‘It’s a chance I’m willing to take.’

  Jenny paused for a moment and then shook her head. ‘I know Grace is good at what she does, and I know we are thin on the ground, but it’s too risky.’

  ‘You’ve just been arguing we have three murdered men!’

  ‘I know that too, but we also have protocol – she’s been left to her own devices for far too long as it is.’

  ‘They are not her immediate family – they are estranged!’ Nick protested. ‘It would be different if she’d been in regular contact with them, but she hadn’t met any of them. Nor had she seen George Steele since she was twelve. That’s twenty-three years! You can’t call that family!’

  Jenny gnawed at her bottom lip. She shook her head once more.

  Nick got to his feet abruptly and left the room before he said something he might regret.

  FIFTY-FIVE

  Feeling pushed from pillar to post, Grace had been at her desk for a few minutes when Sam beckoned her over to the large TV on the wall. She pointed to the screen.

  ‘Ford Fiesta there belongs to Elliott Woodman. He leaves the car park at Deakin’s Factory, Goldenhill, at ten p.m.’ She pressed a button on the remote control to fast-forward the footage. ‘He stops off at Percy’s kebab house on High Lane, Burslem.’ She pressed the remote again. ‘Here he is getting back into his car and driving away. Check out the black 4×4 behind him.’

  ‘It’s a Range Rover Sport, isn’t it?’ Grace asked, never taking her eyes away from the screen.

  ‘Yes. It stays with him for a while, then Elliott parks up outside his home.’

  Grace recognised the scene she had visited earlier, outside the flat that Elliott Woodman shared with his girlfriend, Annie.

  ‘The next part is gruesome,’ Sam warned before pressing the play button again.

  Grace watched the vehicle pull up beside the Ford Fiesta. She gasped in horror as four figures got out and set upon Elliott Woodman. It wasn’t easy viewing as they pummelled him to the ground. There was one clear ringleader who wouldn’t stop, not until the others had dragged him away.

  ‘I want those bastards,’ she whispered. ‘We need to get the images enhanced.’

  ‘Already on it. I’m just going through the footage following the 4×4 afterwards. The driver is still covered up with a balaclava. The back windows are blacked out, so are the front, but they don’t seem to be above the legal limit.’

  ‘Who’s the Range Rover registered to?’ Grace asked, already bracing herself for the answer she knew she’d get.

  Sam paused. ‘Leon Steele.’

  Grace grimaced; so much for staying away from the family. ‘Okay, let’s bring him in.’

  ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Perry said from behind them. Alex was standing next to him.

  Grace jumped. She hadn’t heard them come over.

  ‘Yes, thanks, I do.’ A bit of tension fell away from her. She didn’t know who to trust right now, but it was imperative that she pushed her feelings to one side. She didn’t want to arrest Leon without the backup of her team. For now, her investigation into who was out to get her would have to wait.

  Nick came back on to the floor. ‘I’ve just had a call from the hospital,’ he told them. ‘Elliott Woodman didn’t make it.’

  Grace’s shoulders drooped and she kicked out at a chair.

  ‘We’re going to get lynched by the press,’ Alex remarked then turned to Grace. ‘Unless you can smooth this over with your friend, Simon, Sarge.’

  ‘Shut up, Alex,’ Perry warned.

  Grace ignored Alex while she explained to Nick that they were bringing Leon Steele in.

  Nick nodded. ‘Sam, can you start setting everything up here?’

  ‘Will do, sir.’

  Grace grabbed her coat from the back of her chair. ‘Let’s get the bastard.’

  Leon Steele had been in custody with his solicitor for twenty minutes when Grace and Nick headed downstairs.

  ‘Are you sure it’s the right thing for me to sit in with you for this?’ she asked. They were at the door to the interview room. ‘I don’t want to get you in any bother.’

  ‘It’s my call.’

  Grace nodded her appreciation. She wanted to hear what Leon had to say, see what had happened, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to sit quietly while she waited for answers to Nick’s questions.

  ‘That poor kid had everything to live for,’ she said. ‘And this just puts more pressure on our resources.’

  Before they went in, Nick placed a hand on Grace’s forearm. ‘Try and stay calm,’ he told her.

  She swallowed to clear her already dry throat.

  Leon was sitting down, his solicitor next to him writing away. Grace hadn’t met the woman before, but on first impressions she seemed affable as they gave each other a faint smile. In her late thirties, she couldn’t help but think the solicitor was more masculine than she’d expect Leon to go for, with short cropped hair and a cheap black suit. Then, pulling herself up for making assumptions, Grace supposed she’d be the best that money could buy regardless.

  Much to her annoyance, Leon looked relaxed as she sat down across from them.

  Once they were all seated, Nick began the proceedings.

  ‘Can you tell me where you were during the hours of 21.00 and midnight last night?’ he started.

  ‘You’ve arrested me for the assault on Elliott Woodman. I don’t have anything to do with that.’

  ‘I’m afraid Elliott Woodman died this morning of his injuries.’

  Leon’s eyes widened, and his shoulders sagged. ‘Ah, I’m sorry to hear that. He was a good kid. I liked him a lot.’

  Nick slid an image across the desk. ‘Is this your vehicle?’

  Leon looked at it. ‘Yes.’

  He slid another one over. ‘This is the same vehicle going into Dane Walk. Seconds later, Elliott Woodman was attacked.’ Nick flicked open the laptop.

  Leon watched the footage retrieved from city CCTV. He banged his fist on the table before looking away in disgust.

  Nick slid another image across the desk. ‘This is your vehicle
driving off down Dane Walk.’ He tapped the photo. ‘And this is Elliott Woodman lying beaten up on the floor. Someone either followed him home or was waiting for him, in your car, and now he’s dead.’

  ‘I wasn’t in my vehicle then,’ Leon answered, ‘if that’s what you’re getting at.’

  ‘You’re saying someone else was driving?’ Nick questioned.

  ‘That’s obvious.’ Leon’s face was poker straight. ‘Unless someone has cloned my plates.’

  ‘Would someone do that?’ Nick asked.

  ‘It’s possible.’ Leon stayed deadpan. ‘To set me up.’

  ‘So who had your vehicle?’

  ‘I have no idea. I parked it up in the gym car park and left it there. I didn’t even know it had gone missing.’

  ‘You want us to believe that you weren’t in the car?’ Grace couldn’t hold back any longer.

  ‘I’ve just said I wasn’t.’ Leon sighed.

  ‘Do you think the Woodmans are muscling in on your patch?’ Grace asked. ‘Or maybe you assume one of them is responsible for the recent spate of murders? Perhaps you wanted to send them a message that they need to stop by attacking one of their own? Only someone went too far?’

  ‘You really know nothing about loyalty, do you, Grace?’ Leon shook his head.

  ‘It’s DS Allendale to you.’

  She glanced at Nick, who gave her a small nod she took as permission to continue.

  ‘I don’t need to be loyal to anyone but myself,’ she continued. ‘You should try that, rather than be told what to do all the time.’

  ‘You are some character.’ He glared at Grace. ‘But you are definitely not a Steele. Steeles look after their own.’

  ‘Someone is dead, Leon!’ Grace reiterated. ‘I don’t have any loyalties where murder is concerned. When there has been a crime committed, I don’t care about anything but getting the suspect off the street and behind bars.’

  ‘Then you’d better get out there and look for a suspect,’ Leon stressed. ‘Yes, that’s my car, but I wasn’t driving it. Someone’s setting me up.’

  ‘How convenient. Who was driving it if you weren’t?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Because …’ Grace pushed.