CAPTIVE ON THE FENS a gripping crime thriller full of twists

by Joy Ellis

  ‘And an old lady and a daffy lad actually live out here! What if she needed help — an ambulance or a doctor?’

  ‘Well, they do have a landline phone, so I’m told. Otherwise the “daffy lad” jumps on his bike and rides like the clappers, I guess.’

  The lanes twisted and turned alongside deep drainage ditches and fields that bled into the far horizon in a blur of green and grey.

  ‘How much further?’ Jessie queried.

  ‘Not far, I think. See that cluster of trees in the corner of that field? I’m pretty sure the lane branches off there and down to Rainer’s Gowt.’

  ‘What is a gowt?’

  ‘An old term for a water pipe that runs underground, like a sewer.’

  ‘Lovely. Fancy living in a classy address like Rainer’s Sewer!’

  ‘When they use it as a place name, it generally comes after a flood-gate — the marsh-water runs from the reens into the sea.’

  ‘What’s a reen?’

  ‘What county do you come from, Jessie?’

  ‘Dorset, and I’m sure there’s no reens there.’

  ‘It’s a ditch, a drainage channel.’ He smiled. ‘I love all the traditional stuff about the Fenlands. You’re always learning something new.’

  ‘I’ll take your word for it.’

  ‘See this stand of trees?’ He drove past a lone cluster of windblown trees and straggly undergrowth into an even narrower track. ‘They call them Devil’s Holts.’

  Jessie was half turned towards him. She seemed genuinely interested. ‘Okay, tell me why.’

  ‘Old-fashioned insurance, actually. Farmers planted them in the corner of the field to give Satan somewhere to play. The hope was that he would leave their crops alone if he had somewhere to amuse himself. There are usually three of them in a triangle, and that’s not because they’re in a corner. They formed a trinity, which would keep the Devil in check.’

  Jessie chuckled. ‘You should give lectures at the local museum in your spare time.’

  ‘What spare time?’

  ‘Ah yes, I forgot about that.’ She pointed. ‘Nigel is slowing down, I see brake lights.’

  Joseph drew alongside the Royal Mail van and wound down his window. ‘Thank you, Nigel, much appreciated.’

  The man grinned. ‘Cottage is a couple of hundred yards down the lane, behind all that scrubby hedging. Do you think you can find your way off this fen? It is the back of beyond.’

  ‘Yes, I think so. I took care to note a few landmarks on the way in.’

  ‘Don’t leave it too late. It’ll be dark soon, and I’ve seen quite a few cars winched out of these ditches in my time.’ Nigel waved but before he drove away, he called back, ‘And don’t rely on your mobile or your radio, reception out here is rubbish.’

  * * *

  Joseph had thought his beloved Knot Cottage was full of charm and character, but the Chandler home was like a tiny piece of the old Fenlands, left untouched by the passing of time.

  They found Keel turning the handle to winch water up from the well. He looked at them with evident delight — Joseph guessed that visitors were something of a pleasant novelty.

  Joseph showed him their warrant cards, told him who they were and briefly why they were there.

  ‘Better come in and take the weight, looks a bit backend-ish out here this evening.’

  Jessie glanced at Joseph and spread out her hands.

  ‘He means autumnal — misty and a chill in the air.’

  A fire was lit in the iron grate and the small, snug kitchen was warm and welcoming. Keel pulled out three wooden chairs from under an old scrubbed oak table and they sat down.

  ‘I loved her, you know.’

  Joseph nodded. ‘We had heard.’ He looked at the young man. It was difficult to guess his age, he could have been in his mid-to-late twenties, or even much younger. He was as skinny as a beanpole and had sharp, rather feminine features framed by a shock of wavy fair hair. He had a ready smile and was altogether rather likeable.

  ‘Do you want tea? I make Gran’s at five sharp, every day. She’s having her nap now but she’ll be up soon.’

  ‘We’re fine, Keel. We don’t have too long, but we need to know if there is anything you can tell us about Dina Jarvis.’

  ‘Why?’

  It wasn’t so much rude, as very direct.

  ‘We are looking at the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, Keel. We believed she had just gone away, but now we are rather worried about her.’

  ‘She didn’t run away. She’s still here. Well, she was until a while ago.’ He looked sad enough to cry.

  ‘Oh dear.’ A tall, rotund woman was standing in the doorway that led through to the stairs, leaning heavily on a walking frame. ‘Is he telling you all that rubbish about his lost love again?’ She smiled. ‘I’m Mary Chandler, and who are you?’

  Joseph jumped up and introduced Jessie and himself. ‘It’s our fault, Mrs Chandler. We came to ask Keel what he can tell us about Dina.’

  She eased herself into a winged armchair close to the fire. ‘Then prepare yourself for a long night. He goes on a bit.’

  Joseph turned to Keel. ‘You said she never left. What do you think happened to her?’

  ‘I don’t like to say in front of my gran.’ He hung his head and twisted his hands in his lap.

  ‘Don’t mind me. I’ve been on this earth long enough that nothing shocks me.’ Mary picked up a ball of crochet yarn and a hook and began to work.

  ‘She was beautiful, and she could sing and she could dance, and then that city man in the big car did something to her, and then she didn’t laugh anymore.’

  Jessie frowned. ‘When was this, Keel?’

  ‘The day before.’

  ‘Before what? Before she disappeared?’

  ‘She didn’t disappear.’

  ‘So where is she?’

  He gave a little shrug. ‘I don’t know. I still look for her though.’

  Joseph liked riddles, but not at the moment. ‘Okay, tell us when you last saw her.’

  Keel stared at the floor, then looked up and grinned. ‘I need my diary. You can read it if you want. That will tell you everything.’ He jumped up, ran out, and they heard him pounding up the steep wooden staircase.

  The old lady put her crochet down and looked at them intently. ‘He saw something.’ She rubbed her gnarled hands in front of the fire. ‘I’m just not sure what exactly. He came home one evening in such a state. He was fair messed up he was. And cry! Like a baby! I do know that somewhere in that mixed-up brain of his is the answer to all your questions.’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘He’s just a bit difficult to fathom though.’

  ‘Did you know Dina?’

  ‘Oh no, me duck, I don’t go out. I’ve never slept one night away from my bed right here.’ She smiled again, showing more gaps than teeth. ‘But even out here you get to hear things from those who come and go.’

  ‘What do you think happened?’

  ‘I think someone took something precious from Dina Jarvis, something she would never have given them. And afterwards, they killed her and took her to the marsh.’

  Joseph glanced at Jessie and saw her face turn pale.

  ‘I’ve got it!’ Keel raced into the room like an excited five-year-old. ‘As you are the police, you can borrow it. I want it back though. Should I get you to sign something to say you have it?’

  ‘No, we’ll be very careful with it, and it’s very kind of you, Keel. It’s a very responsible thing to do, to help the police with their enquiries.’

  The man-boy instantly grew in stature.

  ‘We should go, Sarge.’ Jessie was looking out of the window.

  ‘Aye, soon be darklings. Better get off the fen lanes, as you’re not used to them.’ The old lady nodded to herself. ‘The twilight plays games with your eyes out here. So take care, you young people.’

  ‘We’ll see you again when we bring your diary back, and thank you for your help.’

  In the c
ar, Joseph flicked open the dog-eared book and gasped.

  It was a mass of words and pictures, sketches and cartoons. Each page was crammed with intricate writings and drawings. He turned it towards Jessie, and exhaled. ‘We really need to look at this very carefully indeed.’

  ‘Mr Policeman!’

  Joseph wound down his window and saw Keel’s face close to his own.

  ‘I used to hear her singing, out close to the marsh, somewhere near Carter’s Fen. Then a few months ago, she stopped.’ He flashed that oddly sweet smile. ‘I just thought you should know.’ Then he ran back into the cottage and slammed the door.

  * * *

  While Cat was speaking to her boss, Ben asked the paramedic if he could give them a minute alone. He pulled the door to, and looked at the weary, haggard expression of the missing policeman. He wanted to be excited — after all, this man was practically a legend, but the empty look in Hildred’s eyes worried him. So he placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. ‘Freddie must have threatened you with something pretty damned awful for you to stay in hiding all this time.’ He paused. ‘You had some serious evidence on him, didn’t you?’

  ‘Right on both counts.’

  The voice was dull and tired. Ben desperately wanted to fire question after question at him, but he knew it was too soon. ‘Graham? You do know I have to get you checked over at the hospital, then when we get the all-clear, you’ll be taken to a safe place for debriefing?’

  Wearily he nodded his shaggy unkempt head. ‘And psychiatrically evaluated. I know the drill. But I also need to be somewhere other than Greenborough or here. Carver will be coming after me as well as Jessie.’

  He was exhausted, so Ben decided to leave him. He patted his shoulder again, and stood up. ‘I’ll give you some space, man. We’ll talk later.’

  Graham’s hand shot out and gripped his wrist. Ben was taken back by the strength of it.

  ‘No! Stay. I need you to do something for me. Please?’

  Ben sat back down.

  Graham pushed a lock of wet hair from his forehead. ‘You seem to have worked it all out about Freddie. If you found this place, when it was supposed to be a closely guarded secret even from his own men, then you must know a lot.’

  Ben pulled a face. ‘Not really. Just the basics, but there’s one hell of a lot I don’t understand, that’s for sure.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Why you’re alive for one thing. Has it got something to do with the little girl that you saved from drowning? Susie Cavacini?’

  Graham smiled bitterly. ‘Funny, isn’t it? I saved her life, and in a weird way, she saved mine.’

  ‘Is she Freddie’s niece?’

  ‘Yes. He’s got a twisted set of values, that man. He can kill, torture, and maim, but where his own family is concerned, he plays strictly by the rules.’

  ‘And that means not killing the man who saved his brother’s kid?’

  ‘Right. He’s a real Godfather.’ The voice was stronger. Ben guessed that the original shock was wearing off and the realisation that he was no longer a prisoner was slowly dawning on him. ‘Alright, I’ll give you the story in brief, just so that you can tell the powers that be, and I’ll keep the details for later. First though, can you assure me that WPC Jessie Nightingale will be given round-the-clock protection somewhere safe?’

  ‘Cat’s just arranging that with DI Nikki Galena. She understands the situation fully, so you can rest assured that she’ll do all she needs to.’

  ‘I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have than that Rottweiler on my case.’ Graham gave a weak smile. ‘And could you ask them not to just blurt it out to Jessie that I’m alive. It’ll be one hell of a shock for her. Ask them to get my old mate Dave Harris to tell her, would you?’ He looked pained. ‘I . . . I don’t even know her situation, if you know what I mean, it’s been a very long time. Maybe she’s got someone else . . . ?’

  Ben stuck his head out of the ambulance. He was surprised that the sun was already down. ‘Cat? Graham wants you to contact your partner, Dave. He’d like him to be the one to break the news to Jessie, and to do it somewhere quiet.’

  To his surprise, Cat looked anxious, and whispered, ‘It’s not as easy as that, Ben. Jessie is out of the station at present. The DI has personally gone to find her.’

  Ben’s heart sank. That was not something he would be sharing with Graham just yet.

  ‘But I’ll ring Dave anyway, okay?’

  Ben nodded and ducked back inside the ambulance. ‘Cat is ringing him now. And for what it’s worth, I spent some time at Greenborough recently, and your Jessie was really cut up over some newspaper article about you. Her mates told me that there is certainly not another man in her life.’

  ‘Let’s just hope that’s true, shall we?’

  Ben sat back and tried not to think about the fact that Jessie Nightingale was far from safe right now. ‘So what happened, Graham?’

  Graham took a deep breath and began. ‘I was on my way to work when I got a call from an old snout of mine. He was one of Freddie’s men, not high up, but pretty much in the know about Freddie’s drug deals. It seemed Carver had badly hurt a mate of his, and it really pissed him off, so he’d decided to pay Carver back. He’d kept a diary on Freddie, details of his dealers, with times and dates, and he was ready to hand it over. I went to meet him, but someone had grassed him up. Freddie’s men were there. They shot my snout, killed him right in front of me, and took me with them.’

  ‘And brought you here?’

  ‘Not immediately. They kept me prisoner for a while. Destroyed everything I had on me — my warrant card, phone, wallet, credit cards, the lot. They had my car crushed at some scrapyard Carver owned. They made me into a non-person.’ He frowned. ‘Then I had a visit from the big bastard himself. Seemed I’d been something of a problem to him, but he’d had this wonderful idea.’ He shuddered. ‘His father was becoming a serious threat to him.’

  ‘Daddy had dementia, but occasionally took pleasure in telling colourful stories about his boy?’

  Graham nodded. ‘He said I had to help take care of his father.’

  Ben tipped his head on one side. ‘And?’

  ‘If I ever tried to contact anyone from my previous life, he would take Jessie and give her to one of his goons, a man called Vic, to play with long-term. Vic is a psycho who does his really dirty jobs for him.’

  ‘Did. We found him out back. According to two more of Carver’s “employees,” Freddie had him terminated earlier today.’

  ‘So there is a God!’ Graham gave a grim smile.

  ‘But that wasn’t all, was it?’

  ‘No. He’d regularly send me photos of Jess, just to let me know that he was really watching her and to remind me of the danger she was in. Some were taken inside the police station, so that’s how I know he has an insider. Then he’d send me severed fingers, to prove he was in deadly earnest, and that if I ever tried to shop him, Jessie would also have her fingers chopped off and then she’d be turned over to Vic.’ He gave another shudder. ‘I knew he was hurting other girls, maybe even killing them, but I love Jessie! How could I . . . ? What could I do?’ His eyes filled with tears. ‘Ben? What could I have done?’ His chest heaved with sobs.

  ‘Exactly what you did, man. You protected her. That’s all you could do.’

  Graham hugged himself and stared down at the floor. His voice broke when he said, ‘Even that wasn’t enough for him. As extra insurance, Freddie set me up as having been on his payroll for years. Put a lot of money into an offshore account in my name. He promised to send anonymous “inside” information to the tabloid press about the dirty rogue copper that everyone had called a hero. He promised to destroy me and tarnish the character of every serving police officer in one go.’ He looked up, his eyes red and sore. ‘He could have done it, too. He still could!’ Graham drew the blanket tighter around him and rocked backwards and forward. ‘Then there was his father. That poor old man! It was alright at first
, then he got really sick. He was like an animal, he smeared us with faeces, he attacked us, and then he’d cry like a baby. You’d scrub and scrub your skin, but you’d always smell the shit. It was horrible . . . horrible!’

  ‘I think it’s time we went, Officer. Our patient looks pretty upset. We need to get him to hospital.’ The paramedic climbed in.

  ‘Yes, of course, but an officer has to ride with you.’ He turned to Graham and gave him a hug. ‘You’re one brave guy. I’ll see you very soon.’

  ‘Just tell DI Galena to catch that monster and never let him go, okay?’

  ‘She won’t need telling twice, believe me! Good luck, mate.’

  ‘And, Ben?’ Graham managed a small smile. ‘Don’t be too hard on Janet. She’s a good woman.’

  ‘Freddie had something over her too?’

  ‘Oh yes. But Janet was brilliant with the old guy. She taught me a lot.’ He forced a grin. ‘And if they don’t want me back in the force, at least I can get a job as a psychiatric carer, can’t I?’

  Ben shook his head as the ambulance moved away. He tried to imagine how Jessie Nightingale would react to the news, when they got hold of her. Her whole world would change all over again, that was for sure. He hoped it would be for the better, but two years was a long time. They would both be very different people now. Particularly Graham. He would be mentally scarred for life.

  He walked across to Cat. They had work to do. Whatever happened, Freddie Carver had to be caught, and he must not be allowed to use any of his bent lawyers or friends in high places to get him off. If there was any justice, this time the murdering slimeball would go down for good.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Mr Fabian ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket. He stared out of the car window and thought how much he hated this flat land with its monotonous miles of ploughed fields and meandering lanes that led nowhere.

  And the news that Fat Man Carver had just imparted did nothing to lift his spirits either. Still, he had always been an optimist and when one door closed . . . Carver paid very well, he always had, but if his brave new empire was sinking before he had even launched it, then it was time to abandon ship. No way was he going to go down with it. And he knew without asking that Mr Venables would feel the same.