by Robert Innes
Seth glanced across at Harrison again, ashamed. “I told Daniel that I wanted him to sort out some break-ins. I knew the sort of lowlife that he hung around with when he wasn’t here. I said, money on the farm wasn’t coming in and I needed to make cash fast. So, I told him, he’d be able to make a few quid if he could get some of his mates to come in, rough the farm up a bit and steal some of the equipment so that I could call it in on the insurance.”
“So,” Blake replied. “Once the word has got round, the shed is built, the cameras are up, it’s finally time to put this plan into its final stages. So, the big question remains, how did you kill Daniel in a locked shed? Sorry you two, but the mystery sort of collapsed once I’d got the report from the pathologist on Daniel’s body. Because in that report, it talked about the bullets used to kill him and the fact that they were incredibly small. Which means, they had to come out of an incredibly small gun. So, once I’d worked that out, I realised there was only one way Daniel Donaldson could possibly have been killed. Is it still in the same place Seth?”
Seth sighed and nodded. Blake’s lips thinned and he walked into the living room. Harrison was too shell shocked to say anything.
“This is all your fault Seth.” Sandra snarled. “You couldn’t even do this right.”
“That’s enough out of you.” Mattison said from the doorway.
Blake returned from the living room clutching something in his hand.
“Essentially,” He said. “We have here, what is known in fiction as a classic locked room mystery. But, to be a locked room mystery, the main thing you need is a locked room.” With that, he threw what was in his hand onto the table. It landed in front of Harrison with a metal clatter. Harrison stared at the item in front of him. It was the key that normally hung on the hook in the living room.
“We looked into your army background in a bit more detail Seth. Safe to say you spent long enough in artillery to know how to conceal a gun in just about anything. And Harrison happened to mention you were a dab hand at metal work, so creating a key to secure a shed that you’ve built wouldn’t be too much of a trial - and neither would putting a gun in that key that would set itself off when you locked the door.”
Blake held up the key so that they could all see it and traced his finger along the rungs at the base of it. “It’s designed in such a way that putting this into the keyhole will set it off. Once Daniel was inside, you slammed the door shut. He can’t get out and because of the width of that shed, there’s absolutely no way he could avoid what was about to happen to him. You fire three times with it, blindly of course, which is why the bullet wounds were in completely separate areas of the body. What Harrison thought was the sound of Daniel trying to kick the door down was in fact the sound of your little gun firing.”
There was a long silence in the room. Harrison stared at the key in disbelief. All this time it had been hanging in the living room – exactly how long had it been a gun?
“So, was it planned to be that day? When it happened?” Blake asked.
“No.” Replied Sandra. “We were going to invite him round when Harrison wasn’t here. I don’t think we had a solid plan as such, just that we knew how it was going to be done. But then Harrison said that he was going to break up with Daniel and I -”
“-You realised that if that happened, then Daniel had no reason to keep quiet about what had been going on between you and his father.” Blake nodded. “I see. So, you went to find Seth, and told him that it had to happen today.”
“She told me Harrison was in danger.” Snorted Seth. “That Daniel was most likely going to go mad when Harrison told him that he didn’t want to go out with him anymore.”
Harrison finally found his voice. “So when you walked in and saw him hitting me, you didn’t want to lock him in there to stop him getting away till the police got here, you just wanted to kill him?”
Sandra leant across and tried to take a hold of Harrison’s hand. “We did it for you, sweetheart.”
“No you didn’t.” Harrison snapped, pulling his hand away from her. “You just didn’t want us to find out about you seeing someone else behind Dad’s back!”
“Excuse me,” Gardiner said. He had been stood in the far corner of the room whilst all this had been going on, looking graver by every passing minute. “So, what was that gunshot we heard when we arrived all about?”
“I’m sure you could tell us about that Sandra?” Blake asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
Sandra’s eyes narrowed and she looked at the floor. “Yes, I used the gun that Seth normally kept in the shed. He got it out of there earlier in the day. Of course the idiot messed that up when he put three bullets into him instead of one.”
“Well, it’s easily done when you’re firing blind. And you’re part of it was presumably done to make us believe that we were hearing someone being shot, when in fact it had obviously happened about twenty minutes prior to us arriving.”
The silence was confirmation enough. Harrison couldn’t hear any more anyway. He stood up and walked out the open front door.
“Harrison, wait!” Sandra cried. But he ignored her. He had no interest in hearing another word from either of them.
He ran outside, but only managed a few yards before he stopped and landed on his knees, dry sobs emanating from his chest. How could this be true? His parents were both responsible for the death of his ex-boyfriend – both of them had lied to him, manipulated him, comforted him in some way since everything had happened and all the time they knew. They knew how he had died and they’d done it for their own reasons. Deep down he had suspected Seth had to have had some involvement somehow. Nothing else had made sense. But his mother, the woman who had been a pillar of support throughout it all had been revealed to be a vindictive, violent and deceitful woman who was only interested in protecting herself, even down to not having the gumption to kill Daniel herself. His father, whilst being a cold blooded murderer had, at least to some degree, been acting on a paternal instinct to protect his son.
Harrison felt a hairy face gently butting the side of his face. Betty had trotted over and was now nuzzling his ear with either a desire to comfort or eat. Whichever it was, Harrison realised as he tearfully stroked her chin, it was just the two of them now.
Blake stood in the kitchen doorway, watching Sandra and Seth being led to the waiting police cars. Glancing across the yard, he saw Harrison sat against the wall staring out across the field, Betty grazing the ground next to him. Blake sighed and shook his head. This was one of the worst aspects of the job, seeing people and families trying to pick up the pieces after events like this. Sometimes the families of the perpetrator had it just as awful as the victim’s. Either way, they’d still lost someone. Having told the rest of the officers he would meet them at the station, he watched as the cars were driven away, then walked across the yard to Harrison.
Betty looked up as he approached and bleated reproachfully.
“I still don’t think she likes me.” Blake said as he knelt down.
“She’s alright.” Harrison said quietly, not looking up. “She’s just playful, that’s all. Stroke her under the chin and she’ll be in love with you.”
Blake tickled the goat softly underneath the beard then turned to Harrison. “I know this is a stupid question, but how are you feeling?”
Harrison shook his head. “I don’t know. Numb I think.”
“Makes sense. It’s not easy, what you’re going through.”
“I just can’t believe they did this to me.” Harrison murmured. “And what happens now?” He finally looked across at Blake, his face etched into a state of vulnerability and fear. “Are they going to prison?”
Blake nodded. “Yeah.” He replied gently.
“How long for?”
“That depends on what the court decides. I couldn’t tell you.”
“And when would that happen? Would I have to give evidence?”
“I expect so, yeah. Don’t worry about that now t
hough. All that matters now is making sure that you’re OK. You’ve had a lot happen to you in a short space of time. If you like, we can arrange counselling, do whatever you need.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever meet anybody like Dan before we got together. He was so different then, you know. He wasn’t anything like what he turned into. He wasn’t like my parents.”
Blake sighed. He wanted nothing more than to give him a hug. “I know.” He shuffled himself down so that he was now sat on the ground next to Harrison, looking across the fields. The sun was starting to set and the only sound that could be heard was the faint clucking of the occasional stray chicken. “Do you have anyone you can stay with?”
Harrison shook his head. “All my friends went to university years ago and I don’t really have any close family. It was just me, Mum, Dad and Daniel. I’m going to have to sell this place. I can’t afford to live here on my own.”
“Don’t fancy the life of the lone farmer then?”
Harrison gave him a small smile. “To be honest, I’ve always hated farming. Getting up at the crack of dawn just to try and keep this place from going bankrupt. It was always my Dad’s dream. Personally I’d have been happy just living in a small cottage somewhere. Apart from Betty. I’d take her with me. It sounds stupid but she’s been there for me the past few years.”
Blake stroked the goat under the chin again as it nuzzled the ground near him. “This will all get easier you know. I know right now it seems like everything’s closing in around you, but you’ll manage. Considering what you’ve put up with over these last few years, I think you’re probably one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. It’s not the same thing at all, but I know what it’s like to lose people that are important to you. Eventually, you do start to move on and live your life again. If you hated it here that much, in some ways this could work out positively for you. You just need to remain strong.”
He placed a hand on Harrison’s shoulder and gave that tight squeeze again.
Harrison looked up at him. “Thank you.” Blake smiled at him and nodded. Someone like Harrison wasn’t going to remain single for long. As soon as he put himself out there again, he would be snatched up in a heartbeat. If the circumstances were different and they had met in a bar, Blake himself would probably have been interested. He just hoped that he would be treated better than he had ever been before.
When Blake arrived back at the station, he found Patil, Mattison, Gardiner and Royale waiting for him in the meeting room.
“Ah, Blake.” Royale said as he entered. “Good work from everyone today. With the confessions, we should be able to press charges very quickly.”
Patil laughed and shook her head in disbelief. “I mean, the key. The gun was in the key. I’d never have hit on that.”
“We’re off to The Dog’s Tail, Sir.” Mattison said, pulling his coat on. “Are you coming?”
“Blake, can I have a word?” Royale said, standing in the doorway, looking a little stern.
“Yes, Sir?” Blake replied, a little concerned. He turned to Mattison. “I’ll meet you there later.”
Mattison nodded and he and Patil walked out together. Blake glanced at Gardiner who was sat in the corner, surrounded by paperwork.
“You not going to the pub, Michael?” Blake asked him as he followed Royale into the office.
“No, I’m busy.” Replied Gardiner shortly.
Blake shrugged and waited for Royale to close the door behind him.
“Have a seat.”
Blake sat and looked up expectantly at Royale.
“Well now.” Royale began, sitting down. “We’ve had you for just a few days and you manage to solve one of the most bizarre murders I think I’ve ever come across. I have to say, I’m most impressed.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Smiled Blake.
“However.” Royale leant across the desk and looked up at him seriously. “Is it true that you instructed Gardiner to make an arrest, knowing full well that he was putting cuffs on completely the wrong person?”
Blake bit his lip and looked down at the floor. “Erm, yes.”
“Well?”
“I knew that the parents were behind it all. And I figured that the quickest way to get to the truth was to…” He paused, circling his hand around to land on how best to explain himself.
Royale got there first. “Was to scare them into thinking they were getting their son sent to prison? Whilst also, I expect, frightening the living daylights out of the lad?”
Blake closed his mouth and grimaced.
“Knowing full well what he’d been through over the past few days, you put that little bit of extra pressure on him to get a quick confession? What if you hadn’t been so fortunate? And both the Baxter’s had kept quiet? What would you have done with Harrison then?”
Blake sighed. Royale was, of course, completely right. “I was sure that -”
“Not only that,” Royale continued sharply. “But you also deceived Gardiner into thinking that his own line of enquiry was completely right.” Royale continued. “And made him look and feel like a complete fool.”
Blake exhaled. Now it was being put to him like that, he felt awful. “Yes, Sir.”
Royale considered him for a moment, his moustache quivering underneath his nose. “You’re clearly an excellent officer, D.S Harte. And will be an incredibly vital component of this station in the months and, I hope, years to come. I am, in no way, taking away what you’ve achieved with this case. But we’re a team here. If you think you’ve got a culprit then you do not keep it to yourself. You do not undermine the rest of your colleagues and you do not try to act like the hero in an attempt to prove to said colleagues that you were right all along. You also do not under any circumstances repeat today’s performances and use false arrests as a means to pressure another suspect. Am I clear?”
Blake felt appropriately admonished. “Yes, Sir. Perfectly. I’m sorry.”
“Good.” Royale replied. He sighed, then chuckled, shaking his head. “I can certainly see why Gresham found you difficult. Let’s try and work together from this point onwards. Now, I’ve said my piece. Off you go. Enjoy yourself.
“Thank you, Sir.” Blake stood up and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.
An hour later, Blake was stood outside the police station with two pints in his hands. The night had well and truly drawn in by now and the station lights were beaming out of the windows in the silent street around him.
Blake walked inside and through the dark corridors back towards the meeting room. Inside he found who he was looking for. Gardiner was still sat, alone in the room, at the same desk, apparently absorbed in the same paperwork.
Blake walked up to him and placed the pint next to him. Gardiner glanced at it and then up at Blake.
“If Mohammad won’t go to the mountain.” Blake said to him.
Gardiner put his pen down and looked at the pint. “I said I was busy.”
“Well, I’ve decided, as your superior, that it’s time for you to not be busy and relax. This paperwork will still be here tomorrow.” Blake replied, leaning against the side of the desk.
There was a pregnant pause.
“And,” Blake sighed. “I wanted to apologise to you for how I treated you earlier. I got a proper dressing down by Royale and he was right. I was completely out of order. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Thank you.” Gardiner sniffed, picking up his pen and going back to his paperwork again.
“What, is that all I get?”
“What do you want?”
Blake stared at him, annoyed. “I’d like us to be able to move on. We didn’t get off to a great start, me and you.”
Gardiner merely grunted.
Blake rolled his eyes. “Alright. Have it your way.” He stood up and went to walk out the room again. He got to the door and stopped.
“You know, I know that you wanted this job. My job. And I’m sorry if you feel that I’ve stepped on your t
oes.”
“I have no opinions on your job one way or the other. I do have other things going on in my life.” Replied Gardiner brusquely.
Blake walked back into the room again. “I heard things weren’t the best for you at home at the moment.”
Gardiner’s head shot up. “How? What have you heard? Who told you that?” He snapped.
Blake shrugged. “Station gossip. You know what a place of this size can be like.”
Gardiner didn’t reply.
“Is that why you’re here so late?” Blake asked. “Because you don’t want to deal with stuff at home?”
“With all due respect, that’s absolutely none of your business.”
“Yeah, I can’t argue with that.” Blake conceded. “But you shouldn’t bottle it up. I just want to be able to help you, you don’t have to deal with it alone. Divorces are crap. They can be absolutely mentally exhausting. Nobody would think any less of you if it was having an effect on you.
Gardiner put down his pen firmly on the desk and glared across the room at Blake. “And what would you know about it? Have you been divorced?”
“Well, not exactly no. But I’ve recently gone through a pretty nasty breakup. And it hurt. And it made me feel angry at everyone around me who wasn’t going through as much crap as me.”
Gardiner gave a curt nod. “Run off with another man did she?”
“Not exactly, no.”
There was an expectant pause. Blake sighed. It was as good a time as any.
“He ran off with a woman.”
An expression of shock ran across Gardiner’s face. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” replied Blake. “That was pretty much my reaction.”
“Well.” Gardiner said, finally taking a sip of the pint Blake had brought him. “That explains a lot.”
“Like what?” Blake frowned, sitting down on the desk opposite him.
