Killer Plan

by Leigh Russell

‘I’m fine, thank you. I was just saying to Sam she mustn’t come back to work before she’s ready.’

  ‘If she wants to come back at all,’ Mrs Haley replied sharply.

  ‘OK, mum, we’ve been through this. Geraldine doesn’t want to hear it.’

  Geraldine felt a flicker of doubt about her friend’s intentions. Sam had been clear about wanting to return to work. Geraldine couldn’t imagine she would allow her mother to bully her into leaving the force, but it was possible.

  Geraldine pushed back her chair and stood up. ‘Why don’t you come out here and sit with Sam?’ she suggested. ‘I’ve got to get going…’

  ‘You’ve only just arrived,’ Sam protested.

  ‘A detective’s work is never done,’ her mother said, with a hint of bitterness in her voice. ‘You sit down, Geraldine. I’ll go and put the kettle on. And then we’ll squeeze in somehow.’

  ‘Yes. I’ve had four people sitting out here before now. It’s a bit of a squash, but it can be done.’

  ‘You must have been sitting on top of each other,’ Geraldine laughed.

  ‘Anyway, the point is you must stay for a bit, at least for a cup of tea. You can’t go yet. I’ve hardly seen you.’

  When her mother had disappeared into the flat, Sam asked Geraldine how she was getting on with her investigation. Geraldine sighed and shook her head. It was hard talking about Nick, especially as he and Sam had never seen eye to eye.

  ‘Still no leads?’

  She shook her head again.

  ‘What about the wife?’

  ‘Her alibi stacks up.’

  ‘What was she doing?’

  ‘Do you really want to know?’

  ‘Of course I do.’

  ‘She was visiting an old aunt in a nursing home for the evening.’

  ‘So her aunt is giving her an alibi? Is she reliable?’

  ‘Well, no, not exactly. She’s a bit confused, you know how it can be with old people. She knew her niece had been to visit her but didn’t know when. Still, the nursing home confirmed she was there all evening.’

  ‘OK, that’s her out of the frame. Although it’s a bit convenient, isn’t it? I mean, do we know how often she went to visit this aunt?’

  It was a sharp question. Before Geraldine could answer, Sam’s mother returned with a tray of tea. They shifted along the narrow balcony so she could join them. It was awkward, but they managed. With Sam’s mother there, the conversation moved on to Sam and her injured ankle. As soon as she had finished her tea, Geraldine stood up to leave. She would have liked to talk about the investigation for longer with her colleague. It was so helpful to discuss the details with someone sympathetic who understood exactly what she was talking about.

  ‘I can’t wait for you to come back,’ she told Sam.

  ‘You and me both,’ her friend replied.

  Sam’s mother gave Geraldine a cold smile.

  ‘If she comes back,’ she repeated plaintively.

  This time, Geraldine didn’t feel the slightest doubt about it. Sam’s interest in the investigation was all the proof she needed about her colleague’s intentions. Although she wasn’t superstitious, Geraldine couldn’t help hoping the good news about Sam’s planned return would rub off on her investigation, and work like a lucky charm to bring in a result. They were certainly in desperate need of a lucky break.

  ‘I’ll show you out,’ Sam’s mother said, getting to her feet.

  ‘I’ll see her out. I’m not an invalid.’

  ‘You’re supposed to be resting.’

  ‘Mum, my ankle’s better. Stop fussing!’

  Geraldine smiled to see her competent colleague revert to a sullen teenager, irked by her mother’s attention. Despite the cross words, their mutual affection was evident.

  ‘I’ll show myself out,’ she said. ‘You two both stay here and enjoy the nice weather, while it lasts.’

  55

  A grey-haired man entered the police station and shuffled up to the desk, his face flushed and his eyes bright. The desk sergeant wondered if he was drunk. All the same, the sergeant put aside his paper and listened as the man launched into a breathless monologue. He spoke very fast, his gaunt face twisted with anxiety. He was worried about a boy who had disappeared. The sergeant sat forward when he understood that the man had come to report a missing child. It was the second such report in just over a week.

  The sergeant interrupted urgently. ‘Tell me about the missing boy. He’s been gone since Saturday you say. How old is he?’

  In the silence that followed, he was aware of tension growing in his neck and shoulders. He knew that every individual deserved equal consideration, but crimes against children worried him more than anything else. He had two kids himself. Observing the man’s distress, he could barely control his impatience.

  ‘He’s...’ The man screwed up his eyes as he worked it out. ‘I was twenty-nine when he was born, so he’s thirty-eight or thirty-nine. Does that make a difference?’

  The desk sergeant put down his pen and sighed. This wasn’t about a missing child at all. It was just some bloke who had gone on a bender. Nodding to show he was still listening, he allowed his attention to wander while the man continued his account of his missing son’s movements. He was becoming increasingly agitated.

  The sergeant waited for an opportunity to interrupt. ‘I’m very sorry you’ve been upset like this, sir, but you wouldn’t believe the number of reports like this we receive, and they all turn out fine in the end. I’m sure he’ll be home soon. There’s nothing to stop a grown man in his thirties from taking a break now and then, and no harm done.’

  Words intended to reassure the man only seemed to provoke him.

  ‘I don’t think you understand. I haven’t been able to get hold of him since Saturday, and it’s Tuesday. That’s four days.’

  ‘Let’s get down some details. What’s your name, first of all?’

  ‘Joe Henry Wright, Wright with a W.’

  ‘And your son’s name?’

  ‘Robert Wright. Everyone calls him Rob.’

  Carefully the sergeant went through his questions, writing down a detailed description of the missing man.

  ‘If you can bring in a recent photograph of your son, that would be helpful. Have you tried contacting his friends?’

  Joe nodded miserably. ‘I’ve gone through everyone I can think of. I don’t know what else to do.’

  ‘We’ll do what we can to find him, but you know it’s not against the law for your son to go away for the weekend. We can’t interfere in private matters…’

  The man glared at him miserably. ‘I told you, there’s no way Rob would go off without telling me where he was.’

  ‘Well, leave it with us, sir,’ the sergeant replied patiently. ‘We’ll see what we can do.’

  ‘You don’t understand. I don’t think you’re listening.’ Joe’s narrow lips trembled and his voice rose in pitch. His face, already flushed, turned a darker shade of pink. ‘The point is, his mother’s not well. She’s in hospital, really ill.’ He leaned forward and lowered his voice. ‘It’s terminal. The end could come at any time. Rob knows that. He would never go away without making sure I could contact him, because what if something happens?’ He sounded close to tears. ‘I’m on my way to see her now. What if she asks for him and I still can’t get hold of him? I know he would never do that to us, abandon her like that. Something must have happened to him. You’ve got to find him before it’s too late.’

  The desk sergeant picked up his pen again.

  ‘I’m sorry about your wife, sir, and I do see that the situation must be very distressing for you. Now, let me check those details, and if you can give me a list of all his known contacts, then we’ll see what we can do to help.’

  Having noted down as much information as he could, he looked up and gave Joe a reassuring smile.

  ‘I assure you we’ll do our best to find your son, Mr Wright.’

  ‘You’d better do more than just w
rite down a few names, you’d better bloody well find him.’ Joe stood there for a moment, staring at him. ‘So, what are you going to do about it?’

  ‘Leave it with us, sir. I suggest you go on home, and please do give us a call as soon as he turns up.’

  ‘I’m telling you, there’s no way he’s going to return, just like that. Something must have happened to him. He wouldn’t go off like that, not with his mother being so ill.’ His voice quavered. ‘He visits the hospital every day, and now – not a sign of him since Saturday. I just can’t get hold of him.’

  He turned abruptly and walked away, blowing his nose noisily as he crossed the foyer. The desk sergeant watched him until he disappeared. It sounded as though Rob had run away from the stress of dealing with his mother’s illness. It was a rotten way to behave, but he didn’t entirely blame the guy. In any event, no doubt he’d show up again before long, shamefaced and full of apologies. A bloke going off for a weekend wasn’t exactly a cause for alarm. The fuss his father was making, he had thought at first that the bloke had lost a child. To be fair, he could understand the man being so emotional. His wife was dying. With a sigh, the sergeant filed his report. If the son had done a bunk, by the time they found him his mother might already be dead. He hoped the missing guy would return home in time to say goodbye.

  56

  Geraldine was annoyed with herself for agreeing to drive all the way to the mortuary. Her irritation increased as she sat waiting in a queue of traffic. She didn’t know why the young pathologist wanted to see her. All that he had told her on the phone was that another body had been found. She understood that it had turned up on her patch, but with two murder investigations on her hands, neither of which seemed to be going anywhere, she had more than enough to occupy her time. She had been tempted to refuse point blank to drive all the way to the mortuary unless the pathologist told her what this was about, but he had been so insistent, she hadn’t liked to turn him down. It was important to stay on good terms with him. Not only was Miles Fellowes good at his job, he was willing to express opinions, unofficially. Geraldine recognised that his impressions might prove to be wrong. Certainly they couldn’t be treated as any kind of proof. All the same, his instincts hadn’t let her down yet. He had given her a few useful pointers when she had been in need of leads to follow up.

  Miles’ hazel eyes lit up when he saw her. He greeted her like an old friend.

  ‘Geraldine, you’re here at last. It’s good to see you again. How are you?’

  ‘I’m fine. A bit bogged down with work right now.’

  ‘Sure.’ He gave her a sympathetic smile.

  She waited to hear his explanation of his summons, but he just turned and stared down at the body. The dead man was tall and lanky, with thinning light brown hair and cadaverous features. Lying flat out, naked, his legs and arms looked almost impossibly long. His belly was concave and his high cheek bones jutted out. Altogether he gave a bony impression that was singularly unattractive.

  ‘He looks like a walking skeleton, doesn’t he?’ the pathologist commented, as though reading her thoughts. ‘Although of course he’s not walking any more.’

  ‘Who is he?’

  Despite her annoyance at being summoned to a post mortem when she was already overstretched, Geraldine was curious. Miles had been so insistent about seeing her.

  ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ he grinned. ‘His name’s Robert Wright, Wright with a W. Mid-thirties, unemployed – although he owned a van and from the state of his hands he did building work of some sort, odd jobs maybe. The body was discovered yesterday evening, dumped in a van at the back of some gardens in Finchley. The vehicle was reported as suspicious, and when the police arrived, they opened it up. It wasn’t locked, and this is what they found.’ He pointed at the corpse. ‘Must have been quite a shock for the poor constable who looked in the van.’

  Geraldine was puzzled.

  ‘If the Homicide Assessment Team called for a post mortem, they suspect there was something unlawful about this death. There must be a team investigating what happened to him.’ She did her best to control her frustration at having her time wasted. ‘To be honest, Miles, I don’t know why you sent for me. I’ve got enough to be getting on with. This one here isn’t my case. There must be a team working on it. I wouldn’t want to interfere, even if I had the time.’

  Unfazed by her outburst, Miles smiled.

  ‘I called you straight away, because there’s something here that’s going to interest you. Trust me on this, Geraldine, you’re not going to believe it.’

  Miles’ enthusiasm was infectious. In spite of herself, Geraldine was intrigued.

  ‘Not going to believe what?’

  ‘Well for a start, there’s no doubt there was foul play of some sort here. The cause of death appears to be a fall from a considerable height resulting in several fractures. He fell backwards and the impact caused his skull to crack. He died from internal bleeding and head trauma.’

  ‘So it’s possible he sustained a fatal injury from an accidental fall and then crawled into the back of the van and died there?’ Geraldine asked, interested in spite of herself.

  ‘No, he was placed in the van – dragged in there rather clumsily – after he was already dead. And someone took the trouble to disguise the registration number of the vehicle with a neat job with duct tape.’

  Miles paused, as though for effect. Geraldine waited. She knew he liked to rack up the dramatic impact whenever he disclosed particularly interesting or intriguing information.

  ‘We found a trace of DNA on the body.’ He lowered his voice. ‘It wasn’t his. I haven’t talked to anyone else about this yet because the lab’s only just confirmed it – at least they think they may have worked out what we’re dealing with. I wanted you to be the first to hear about it.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘First of all, they matched the DNA to someone on the data base.’

  ‘Yes? Go on!’

  By now Geraldine had realised that this body must be somehow related to the investigation she was working on, but Miles’ next words came as a shock.

  ‘To begin with they matched it to David Robinson…’

  Geraldine’s jaw dropped, and he laughed.

  ‘I thought that would surprise you.’

  Carefully he explained how the DNA had, in part at least, been such a close match to Dave’s that the lab had come up with his name straight away.

  ‘It’s only a partial match, but the body had been lying out overnight and they thought it could have been contaminated. So they were fairly certain – at least the probability was that they had identified the sample correctly.’

  The blue van body had been discovered only about a couple of miles away from Dave Robinson’s house, but the pathologist’s claim made no sense.

  ‘Dave Robinson’s dead,’ Geraldine said. ‘He’s been dead for two and a half weeks. Could his DNA be found on a dead man now? Could it have been a family member? He could have had a twin brother.’

  It was common knowledge that twins tended to run in families.

  Miles nodded. ‘That’s what I thought. So I queried it and asked them to look again. They said it was possible. Only Dave Robinson didn’t have a brother, and this time they had a closer look and discovered long telomeres…’ He broke off, seeing her expression. ‘Put simply, DNA strands are copied each time a cell divides, and the telomeres protect the ends of the strands from damage when they divide. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres become a little shorter. The younger you are, the longer the telomeres are likely to be. It’s not an exact science, and can only give an approximate indication of age, which isn’t completely reliable, but the indications are that the DNA sample found on this body, the sample that is similar to Dave Robinson’s DNA, comes from a boy who is young, maybe not yet into his teens.’

  Geraldine stared at him in sudden understanding.

  ‘Dave Robinson has ten-year-old sons,’ she whispered, horrified.


  Miles was sure the owner of the DNA had been in contact with the victim after his death.

  ‘What about before he died?’ Geraldine asked.

  ‘It’s impossible to say. But there was definitely contact after death.’

  Geraldine struggled to accept what he was saying.

  ‘So just to be clear, you’re positive the young boy was there after the man died.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How can you be sure?’

  ‘There are flecks of the boy’s dandruff on the dead man’s face and a few landed in his eye. If he’d still been alive, he would have blinked and at least washed them down inside his eyelid, but they were right there, on his iris and one on his pupil. So the boy must have been standing above the body, perhaps leaning over it, after he died. But whether or not he was there when the murder took place, well that’s for you to discover, isn’t it?’

  ‘Off the record, what do you think?’

  ‘It’s impossible to say.’

  ‘Are you telling me a ten-year-old boy was involved in this man’s death? A ten-year-old psychopath killed his father and then Robert Wright, hitting them on the head?’ Geraldine shook her head in disbelief. ‘Could a ten-year-old be strong enough to overpower grown men like that?’

  ‘Presumably he would have taken them completely by surprise.’

  ‘Even so, would he have the physical strength?’

  ‘That depends on the size and power of the boy.’

  Geraldine thought about Caroline’s twin boys. They had struck her as fairly slight. But there were two of them. The possibilities were growing more terrible by the minute.

  ‘I thought you’d be interested.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she muttered.

  Interested wasn’t the word she would have chosen to describe her feelings.

  57

  Returning to the station, Geraldine decided to investigate Robert Wright’s background. She was hoping to discover a connection between him and Dave Robinson’s family. First she wanted to question Joe Wright who had reported his son missing the previous day. She went to find the sergeant who had taken the report. When he heard what she wanted to talk about, he became instantly defensive.