Spider Trap bak-9

by Barry Maitiland

  ‘Sounds nice, if the weather holds out.’

  THIRTY

  At eight that evening,Kathy was curled up on her sofa reading the book that Tom had given her.She was conscious of the rain spattering against the window and debating whether to put on a thicker jumper when her phone rang. It was the duty officer at Scotland Yard. A woman had rung wanting to speak to her. She had seemed distraught. She gave her name as Maureen Reeves.

  Kathy rang the number and was answered straight away.‘Yes?’

  ‘Hello, is that Maureen?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m Kathy Kolla, Maureen. I understand you were trying to reach me.’

  ‘Oh, yes, thank you for ringing back.’ She spoke in a hesitant rush, veering between panic and apology.‘I wondered . . . is Tom with you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Only, he was supposed to collect Amy over two hours ago, and he hasn’t appeared. He’s not answering his phone. It isn’t like him, you see, to forget Amy. He’d have let me know. I was due to go out an hour ago …’

  ‘I haven’t seen him at all this week, Maureen, or even spoken to him.’

  ‘Oh …I thought …He’s been so down,you see.What happened, well, it was devastating, wasn’t it? So public and humiliating. I know things haven’t been going well for him during the last couple of years, but I’ve never heard him sound so, well, shell-shocked. I’ve tried the obvious people, but nobody’s heard from him. I’m worried.’

  ‘Yes.’ Kathy was becoming concerned as she listened. ‘When did you last hear from him?’

  ‘Yesterday lunchtime, on the phone. He sounded very flat, but he confirmed about tonight. I’d been worried that I couldn’t reach him and he explained he wasn’t answering the phone because the press had his numbers. He wanted to make sure they weren’t hanging around my house. He said he was looking forward to seeing Amy. He’d called once before this week to speak to her. He was worried about what people might be saying to her at school.’

  ‘All right. Something probably delayed him, Maureen, but I’ll start looking. Tell me who you’ve contacted.’ She jotted down the list of names-mutual friends,several workmates,a doctor.‘Okay, now I’ll give you my mobile number so you can reach me as soon as you hear anything.’

  She rang off, pushing down her anxiety, trying to clear her head. She began with the accident and emergency number, and while she waited for a result used her mobile to make calls to everyone she could think of-Nicole, Bren, Dot. By the time she rang Brock she’d had a negative result from A amp;E as well as all the others.

  He listened in silence,then said,‘Do you know where he lives?’

  ‘Kentish Town.’ She told him the address.

  ‘I think we’d better take a look.’

  ‘Yes, that’s what I thought.’

  ‘See you there.’

  She was the first to arrive, checking that there were no lights on in the basement flat before she rang the bells of the other flats above and on each side of Tom’s. No one had seen him that day. Brock arrived and they went down into the well, knocked a pane of glass out of the front door and opened it. There was no sign of him, and they began a rapid search, quickly coming up with a string of negatives-the mail unopened,the bed unmade,breakfast plates unwashed,a message pad blank,the absence of a diary or notebook,the answering machine switched off, and no response to dialling 1471 for the number of the last caller. There was no indication that anyone else had been in the flat recently. Then Kathy found the laptop.

  She switched it on and checked his email, nothing but junk for two days. Then she tried Recent Applications, and found that the photo album was top of the list. She opened it, then called Brock over. The most recent picture had been taken at one thirty-five p.m. that day, of a smartly dressed young woman hailing a cab. She had jet-black hair and a warm tan complexion.

  ‘Magdalen Roach,’ Brock murmured.

  Kathy clicked back through the album, pictures of Magdalen coming out of the office where she worked, in a bus queue, stepping out of her aunt’s red BMW.

  ‘He’s been stalking her,’ Kathy said. She felt shocked, catching sight of something private and obsessive, and also sad. It was as if she were being allowed a glimpse into the depth of Tom’s anger and despair at what had been done to him.

  Brock asked, ‘Do you think he wants to hurt her, pay her back?’ Kathy found she couldn’t give an answer.

  Then she was staring at the next image on the screen, a stream disappearing into the mouth of a concrete tunnel set into a grassy bank.‘Oh no.’

  ‘What is that?’

  ‘I think it’s the culvert that runs under the Roach place. Tom found some information on it.’ She told him about the helicopter flight and their conversation afterwards.‘I told him it was a ridiculous idea, and he turned it into a joke.’

  The picture had been taken two days earlier, the day after his mauling in the parliamentary committee meeting.

  ‘Surely he wouldn’t try to go back in there?’ Kathy whispered.

  ‘To justify himself,’ Brock said. ‘To prove he was right and everyone else was wrong. To make amends to Michael Grant. Yes, I think he would. But how is Magdalen involved?’

  ‘Perhaps we should ask her,’ Kathy said. She closed the photo album and opened his computer address book. Magdalen’s email address and phone numbers were listed. Kathy raised her eyebrow at Brock and he nodded. She took out her phone and tapped in the mobile number. Brock watched her listen for a moment, then quickly switch off.

  ‘Not there?’

  ‘Yes, she answered, and I think I know where she is. There was the sound of a crowd in the background, and a heavy ragga number playing.’

  ‘What’s ragga?’

  ‘Dancehall reggae. I think she’s at the JOS club.’

  They heard the music from a block away. Kathy cruised slowly past the club entrance and parked on a double yellow line near the

  street corner. Brock stared at the old building, thinking of a night

  in April, twenty-four years before.

  ‘I’d better do this,’ she said.

  ‘What if Vexx’s in there? He knows you, doesn’t he? I’ll go.’

  ‘He knows us both.’

  ‘Then we’ll both go. Come on.’ Brock got out of the car and she followed.Clusters of people were standing around the entrance, smoking and appearing to be cooling off, sweat gleaming on their faces. They eyed them curiously as they walked up to two large men in suits and shaved heads at the door. Kathy was waved through but Brock was stopped with a hand on his chest.

  ‘Hey!’ Kathy laughed and slipped her arm around Brock and pressed herself against him.‘He’s mine.’

  Several watchers laughed and the men gave bleak smiles and stepped back. Brock handed over some money, and they climbed stairs towards the booming sound. At the top they were plunged into a dark space vibrating with dancing lights and figures and heat. It seemed impossible to identify anyone in here, let alone talk to them. They hesitated at the edge, trying to adjust their senses, then began to make their way slowly around the edge of the writhing crowd, Kathy half a dozen paces in front of Brock. Eventually he saw her stop and turn back to him, signalling to stay where he was. He watched her approach a couple against the wall, standing very close together, holding drinks, their faces almost touching so they could talk.

  They separated when Kathy reached them, and after a moment the man moved away. Brock watched the two women trying to communicate,with hand and body gestures supplementing shouted words, but this seemed to prove impossible, and they began to thread their way through the crowd towards the entrance, Brock following them down the crowded stairway. They stepped through the doors and stopped as Magdalen fumbled in her bag for a cigarette. She was swaying slightly and seemed clumsy in her movements. Kathy was talking to her and trying to guide her away towards the car. Suddenly the girl’s mood changed and she pulled away from Kathy and said something angry, flapping her hand in the air. Some of the p
eople standing around were watching them now. Brock hurried forward and she tottered as she turned to him. He caught her arm.

  ‘Easy now, Magdalen,’ he murmured.

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘He’s another friend of Tom’s,’ Kathy said.‘It’s okay.’

  ‘Yeah, well don’t hassle me. I just want a fag.’ She fumbled with the lighter and got it going.

  One of the bouncers at the door called out, ‘You okay, Magda?’

  ‘Yeah.’ She waved to him.‘It’s all right, Troy.’

  ‘She saw Tom here last night,’ Kathy said.

  ‘That’s right.’ A gleam of perspiration lit Magdalen’s face beneath the streetlights as she tilted her chin and blew out smoke. ‘Look, I’m sorry about what happened to him, but he tried to use me too, right?’

  Kathy nodded.

  ‘Yeah. He told me he’s goin’ to lose his job, is that right?’

  ‘Looks that way.’

  ‘Well, who wants a job like that anyway?’

  ‘Was he angry with you, last night?’

  ‘No, no. He was sweet, really. Just kinda sad. He said he still liked me.’

  ‘He does like you,’ Kathy said,‘in spite of what he had to do. He likes you a lot.’

  ‘Yeah?’ She shivered suddenly and clutched her arms across her chest. In the cold wind of the street her short glittery dress looked like no protection at all.

  ‘You’ll catch a chill,’ Kathy said.‘Let’s talk in the car,’ and before the girl could object they both steered her to the parked car and eased her in. Brock got behind the wheel and started the engine, turning up the heater.

  ‘Did he say why he came to the club last night?’

  ‘To see me, he said.’

  ‘Did he talk about his plans?’

  ‘No, I just assumed he’d be around.We talked about tonight, and I thought I might have seen him here again, but he never showed up.’

  ‘How do you mean you talked about tonight?’

  ‘Oh, about family and that. It’s St Patrick’s Day, right? The Roach family throws a big dinner-dance for all their friends. It’s traditional, year after bloody year. I hate it. I told him I’d be the only one not there.’

  ‘They hold this at home?’

  ‘No, at a hotel on the river.’

  ‘So there’s no one at home tonight?’

  She shook her head and Brock and Kathy exchanged a glance.

  Magdalen caught their look. ‘Hang on,’ she said, ‘you don’t think-Oh, Christ, no. I can’t believe-’

  ‘Did you tell anyone else about your conversation with Tom?’

  ‘No . . . Wait, yes. Teddy Vexx saw us together at the bar downstairs last night, and he asked me later what we were talking about.’

  ‘Where’s Vexx tonight?’

  ‘I dunno. Troy said he had a job on. I’d better ring my dad. If that stupid bastard-’

  ‘Better still,’ Brock said, putting the car into gear,‘let’s pay him a visit.’

  As he drove, Kathy called for back-up, and a patrol car joined them on Blackheath, leading them fast under lights and siren as far as the turn-off into Shooters Hill, where Brock overtook and led the way to the gates of The Glebe, which were open. They drove into the central courtyard where they saw a car parked askew outside Magdalen’s parents’ house, whose front door was standing open.

  ‘That’s Mum’s car,’ Magdalen said, and jumped out and ran to the house, the others following. Inside they found Magdalen’s mother Adonia kneeling beside a chair on which Spider Roach was sprawled.She was holding a glass of water and a bottle of pills.Every light in the room was on, including the garish central chandelier, and the old man looked pale and sick in the dazzling illumination. Adonia rose to her feet as they ran in, saw the uniformed men and said,‘You took your time.’

  As Magdalen ran to her mother, Brock said,‘What happened?’

  ‘We had a robbery, that’s what. Some bastard broke in here and started going through the place.’ She gestured at a cabinet with drawers hanging open.

  ‘Shut it,’ Roach croaked from his seat.

  Adonia misunderstood.‘I’ll tidy up later, Dad.’

  Kathy was sniffing the air.‘Someone’s fired a gun in here.’

  ‘I noticed a smell when I came in,’ Adonia agreed.‘I know the man was hurt. Ivor got a call from his security men and came first, then Dad wasn’t well and I brought him home.’

  ‘So where are they now?’ Brock said.

  ‘Hospital, I suppose . . .’

  ‘Shut it, you stupid cow!’ Roach’s voice lashed her like a slap, and she blinked in surprise. He had hauled himself upright and was beating the air with a claw-like hand.‘My daughter-in-law is confused. There was no burglar. Nobody’s been hurt.’

  ‘But Dad . . .’ Her voice faded as he glared at her.

  ‘You seemed to be expecting us,’Brock said.‘Did you ring for the police?’

  ‘Well, no. I assumed Ivor would have . . .’ The expression froze on Adonia’s face as she finally understood what was going on. ‘Dad’s right. I must have got it all wrong.’

  ‘Did you see him,Mum?’Magdalen cried.‘Did you see the man?’

  Her mother frowned,shook her head.‘I got it wrong.’

  ‘No you didn’t,’ Brock said. ‘Where did they go, Spider? Where did they take him?’

  Roach turned to Brock with a sneer on his mouth. Brock recognised the expression, the curl of the lip, full-blooded and terrifying once, still with the power to chill.

  Brock turned to Adonia.‘What car was Ivor driving?’

  She shrugged and turned away.

  ‘Adonia, tell me.You have to stop this.’ Getting no response, he hesitated then said,‘We found Robbie Forrest’s body.’

  She turned slowly back to him, her eyes huge with surprise. ‘Robbie?’

  ‘Yes. He was one of the three bodies we found recently, buried on the railway land behind Cockpit Lane. He died in 1981. Didn’t you know?’

  She shook her head in slow motion.

  ‘No, well, Ivor didn’t want you to know, of course.’

  ‘Shut up!’ Spider barked again.‘You keep your evil-’

  ‘Where are they?’ Brock repeated, and the old man’s mouth snapped closed.

  ‘What do you mean, about Ivor?’ Adonia said.

  ‘He murdered Robbie, shot him in the head, him and his two friends. I think you know why.’

  ‘You’re lying.’ She turned away, her hand on the gold pendant at her throat.

  ‘What car is Ivor driving?’he demanded,and when she still said nothing, he said, this time with a sigh of regret, ‘Does Magdalen know, Adonia?’

  ‘Know what?’Magdalen said.‘What is all this? Who’s Robbie Forrest?’

  ‘Nothing,’ her mother said.‘Nobody.’

  ‘Your father, Magdalen,’ Brock said, and as Adonia shook her head and began to speak he went on, ‘Six foot tall, left-handed, Jamaican.We believe he had a gold tooth.’

  Adonia looked stunned.‘What do you mean, believe?’

  ‘Part of his remains were missing. But we’ve done tests on his DNA and Magdalen’s. He was her father.’

  ‘Mum?’ Magdalen was staring in horror at her mother, whose eyes were filling with tears.

  Adonia turned to her father-in-law.‘You knew?’

  Roach glared back at her defiantly.‘You stupid bitch. A nigger! A man as black as your sin.You Greek whore!’

  ‘What are you saying?’ Magdalen cried. She grabbed Brock’s arm.‘What are you saying?’

  ‘Ivor Roach murdered your father, who was having an affair with your mother, and now he’s murdering your boyfriend Tom.’

  Magdalen gazed at him, then whispered,‘A black guy?’

  Brock nodded.

  ‘I knew. I think I’ve always known.’ She stared in horror at her mother, who was frantically turning over in her fingers the golden heart on its chain around her throat. ‘You told me he gave it to you when I was born . . .
’ She blinked as if shaking herself awake from a dream.Then she turned to Brock and said,‘I think I know where they’ve taken Tom.’

  ‘No!’ Spider roared, his rage lifting him out of his chair, but he couldn’t stop Magdalen, who went on.

  ‘There’s an old car yard . . . in Tallow Square.’

  ‘I know it,’Kathy said.‘You’ve been inside,haven’t you? You’d better come with us.You might be able to help.’

  ‘I’m coming too,’ Adonia said, and to her daughter, ‘You’ll need a coat, come on.’

  Brock gave hurried instructions to the two patrol officers to secure the house and make sure Spider didn’t use a phone, and to call for an armed response vehicle to meet them at Tallow Square. While he was talking,Kathy went after the two women.She heard them in a back room, voices raised, then they were hurrying out, pulling on their coats, and they ran to the car.

  There was no sign of the ARV when they turned into the mean little square. Magdalen pointed out Vexx’s Peugeot, and described the layout of the place.‘The entrance is down the laneway there. There’s a big old shed on this side, and beyond it what used to be the workshop.They …’she hesitated,‘store stuff there.’

  ‘Drugs?’

  ‘Yeah. There’s a regular little laboratory at the back. And they have two bloody great pitbulls. Savage, they are.’

  ‘We’ll wait till help gets here,’ Brock said.

  ‘No,’ Magdalen said. ‘They’re murdering Tom in there. I’m going in.They won’t hurt me.’She pulled open the car door,ignoring their cries.Then Adonia,too,was tumbling out of the door and chasing after her daughter.

  Kathy said,‘I’ll stop them,’ and followed, running towards the mouth of the lane. She heard the ARV skidding into the square behind her as the two women disappeared into the shadows.