For Reasons Unknown

by Michael Wood

  From a bag she removed the ingredients for making moussaka, Jonathan’s favourite meal, onto the kitchen counter. By the time he arrived home from work it would be fully prepared and the smell floating down the stairs would be irresistible to him.

  Before the arduous task of cooking, she decided to have half an hour with the newspapers. She made herself a large mug of coffee and sat in front of the fire, which was blasting out the maximum heat possible.

  The national newspapers didn’t carry much of the story of the demolition of the Harkness house, just a photograph of the building mid-collapse and a few lines of text underneath. They didn’t seem too interested in the case being reviewed either. The three local papers were though. They had colour pictures of a bulldozer tearing through the roof, small black and white images of the house in its heyday, and passport size shots of Stefan and Miranda Harkness. There was a brief history of the case followed by a paragraph on the Detective Chief Inspector who was heading the review. On the basis of her tired-looking photo, Maun didn’t think there was any chance of the case being solved. The DCI lacked the professional grace of a serious detective.

  The three local papers all sounded the same. Maun wondered if just one person had written the story then syndicated it out to the other locals. The odd descriptive word had been changed but the body of the text was uniform.

  Carefully she cut out all three stories and went over to the sideboard in the corner of the large living room. In the cupboard was a thick red leather-covered photo album. There were very few blank pages left. The first five pages were full of pictures from her wedding day. She used to look at these photographs and smile; not any more. The further on in the book she went the fewer photographs there were; they were replaced by newspaper and magazine cuttings. Her eyes glanced at the headlines: LOCAL BUSINESSMAN KILLED ON NOTORIOUS COUNTRY ROAD; EYE WITNESS: BARRINGTON CAR WAS SPEEDING; BARRINGTON PASSENGER WAS NOT WEARING SEATBELT.

  She turned the pages quickly. She was in no mood to relive the events of more than two decades ago when her husband and his young secretary, Dawn Edwards, were tragically killed while on their way to Manchester for a meeting. She didn’t even think about it when she saw pictures of the wrecked car, or his smiling face looking out at her. She no longer felt anything for the man she had been married to for thirteen years.

  The headlines continued to scream out at her: FULL DETAILS OF BARRINGTON RELATIONSHIP WITH SECRETARY REVEALED; WAS DAWN EDWARDS PREGNANT?; MAUN BARRINGTON BRANDED A LIAR BY EDWARDS MOTHER.

  Maun closed her eyes as she flicked through the book. Although she felt nothing for her cheating husband she did not enjoy seeing her name in print. Eventually the events of her husband’s death stopped making the headlines and the cuttings of stories changed from being about her life to that of Jonathan Harkness. The original stories from when Jonathan’s parents were murdered adorned the dark pages: HUSBAND AND WIFE BUTCHERED; 11-YR-OLD SON WITNESSED PARENTS SLAYING; TEEN SON MISSING; JONATHAN MAY NEVER SPEAK AGAIN; MATTHEW FOUND! They went on and on through the book, detailing every event of the police investigation, from the false sightings of Matthew to the interviews with animal rights activists. She had it all in pristine condition; a macabre collection of the Harkness horror.

  It had been many years since she had entered a new clipping. The final one: THREE YEARS ON: WILL HARKNESS KILLERS EVER BE FOUND? read like a fitting conclusion. Since then, nothing, the case was cold after all, but now it was warming up, the hunt was on for the killer. She wondered if she would need to purchase a thicker book.

  Chapter 20

  Matilda had to trot to keep up with Ben as he stormed down the corridor; his strides long, his footfalls heavy and determined. She shook her head then rolled her eyes. This was an exercise in futility; it did not need the approval of the ACC. She had information that could lead to the identification of his dead body. It was as simple as that. Why involve a higher rank? What was his game?

  Luckily for Matilda there was a sizable gap between Ben knocking on Masterson’s door and being called to enter. She managed to catch up and regain her breath.

  Valerie Masterson sat behind her large desk. She had an iPhone in one hand and was frantically smashing a cordless mouse onto the pad next to the wireless keyboard. When she saw who her visitors were she put down the phone.

  ‘Have you ever noticed how computers seem to freeze when you need them the most? Bloody thing!’

  ‘You know,’ Ben Hales began before Matilda could chime in, ‘there is something to be said for turning it off and back on again. That seems to work for me almost every time. Shall I get someone from IT to come and take a look at it?’

  ‘Don’t bother I’ve already called. They’re sending someone up. So,’ she said, giving up on the computer and pushing the keyboard to one side, ‘to what do I owe the pleasure?’

  Matilda quickly jumped in before Ben, and gave Masterson a brief rundown of recent events; how Matthew Harkness was missing toes due to frostbite when he disappeared and how a dead body recently discovered also had toes missing.

  ‘It sounds like the past meets the present,’ Masterson said. ‘How do you want to play this?’

  ‘I want to bring this Jonathan in,’ Hales jumped in.

  ‘Hang on a minute,’ Matilda called out, eager to protect Jonathan from Hales and his bully-boy tactics. ‘You’ve not met him, I have. Jonathan is extremely fragile. I think we need to take the softly-softly approach.’ She couldn’t see him, as they were standing side by side, but Matilda was sure Ben was rolling his eyes. ‘I suggest I go and see him again. I’ll take Rory. We’ll mention that a body has been found and get Jonathan to ID him. If it’s Matthew then we bring Jonathan back here and question him.’

  Masterson shrugged. ‘Sounds good to me.’

  ‘If the body is Matthew, I want in on the interview,’ Ben said.

  ‘Of course. It’s your case Ben. This Jonathan Harkness, Matilda, is he depressive? Does he have a mental health problem?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I did ask but he wasn’t very forthcoming. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was depressed or had some kind of mental impairment. He is taking medication for depression though.’

  Their eyes locked. They seemed to be reading each other’s minds. If anybody could recognize the signs of severe depression it was someone who had been through it.

  ‘OK, here’s what you’re going to do; Matilda, go and see Jonathan, get him to ID and bring him back here if the body is that of his brother. However, we need to tread carefully. If he ends up being a material witness it’s not going to look good in court if he’s been mistreated here. Matilda, you’ll act as a go-between. Ben, anything you need from Jonathan, you go through Matilda. Understand?’

  The sudden change in Ben’s appearance was palpable. He clenched his fists, his face turned red and, if possible, steam would have come out of his ears. He agreed through gritted teeth and left the room, taking long strides once again. Matilda waited where she was in front of Masterson’s desk, her hands behind her back; they were clammy and itching. She blinked when the door slammed.

  ‘I don’t think he’s too keen on me being back at work.’

  Masterson smiled. ‘He’s a man, they’re not very adaptable. He’ll get used to it. How are things anyway?’

  ‘They’re good. I’m getting there.’ She smiled an awkward smile; it was bitter and cold.

  ‘Good. Anything you need, you know where to find me.’

  ‘Thanks.’ How about getting that tosser to move his prick-mobile from my parking space?

  Matilda eventually caught up with Ben back in the Murder Room. This time, she didn’t hesitate; she pulled open the door with force and marched in.

  ‘I want a word with you,’ she called out. ‘In private,’ she added when she realized everyone in the room was staring at her.

  ‘Of course. Let’s go into my office,’ he said, over-emphasizing ‘my’ to let her know he’d taken over her old office.

  She took a deep brea
th and followed him, taking heavy strides. She slammed the door behind her with her foot. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ She tried to keep her voice down but it didn’t work, she was fuming. This was hardly going to be a private conversation either; they could still be heard by the others in the main part of the large open-plan office.

  ‘There’s absolutely nothing wrong with me.’

  His demeanour was quieter and more relaxed. He had a slight smile on his lips that infuriated Matilda. He was doing this on purpose, trying to get a rise out of her, make her snap and lash out, maybe even slap him.

  ‘You stormed out of the ACC’s office like a child. Do you have a problem with me?’

  ‘No.’ He lowered his head. Clearly he did have a problem.

  ‘Why don’t I believe you? Look, I know you’ve been Acting DCI while I’ve been away, and while I’m working on the Harkness case this department is all yours. If you think I’m stepping on your toes you’re completely wrong.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘I think you do. I know you resent me coming back. You think the MIT should have been yours in the first place. When I left you couldn’t wait to get your feet under the table. Well I’m sorry to tell you this Acting DCI Hales,’ she over-pronounced the acting, ‘but I’m back and I’ll be having that desk very soon.’

  She quickly turned on her heels and made to leave the room.

  ‘Hang on a minute.’ Ben lifted himself up to his full height. ‘Your return to this department is not a forgone conclusion. I have a one hundred per cent success rate while I’ve been in charge. Can you say that?’

  There was a noticeable gasp from the rest of the Murder Room. Both Matilda and Ben suddenly realized they were being overheard. The walls of the partitioned office were very thin and they were hardly whispering. She couldn’t think of anything to say. Suddenly an image of Carl Meagan came into her head; his fluffy blond hair, his bright blue eyes, his smooth pale skin. She had failed him and his entire family.

  ‘You can’t can you? You fucked up, DCI Darke, and I don’t care what happens when you’ve finished with the Harkness case, but you’re not coming back here. Not if I have anything to do with it.’

  Matilda bit her bottom lip. She had plenty to say to Hales but was afraid of opening her mouth in case it released a flood of emotion. She tried to keep her stare cold and icy before turning and leaving the room. She wanted to slam the door, but didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d managed to get under her skin.

  The silence was tense. Nobody uttered a single word. In the end it was Aaron Connolly who broke the silence with a sneeze. Sian blessed him and the room continued to go about its business.

  ‘Sian,’ Faith called out, her voice an octave above a whisper. ‘Were they talking about Matthew Harkness?’

  ‘No, Jonathan. Why?’

  ‘Shit.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘The car park next to the nightclub where the body was found, there were five cars parked in it. I ran the registration numbers through the computer and one of them belonged to a Matthew Harkness. Do you think he could be a relation?’

  Sian rolled her eyes. ‘Matthew is the name of Jonathan’s brother.’

  Sian went over to the office and lightly tapped on the glass. She opened the door a crack and stuck her head inside. Faith leaned back in her chair as far as she could to try and hear what was being said but couldn’t.

  ‘What?’ Ben shouted, slamming his hands on the table. He practically jumped up out of his seat and barged past Sian to get to Faith. ‘How long have you been sitting on this?’

  ‘I…well. I didn’t know the name Harkness was important.’

  ‘How can you not know? Don’t they teach you anything at school any more? Twenty years ago the whole country was looking to Sheffield to find out who murdered Stefan and Miranda Harkness.’

  ‘Twenty years ago I was only four.’

  Sian sniggered and received a dirty looked from Hales.

  With shaking fingers, Faith rummaged through the mountain of paperwork on her desk. She had witness statements from workers in the nightclub and the City Hall. She had names and addresses of people who worked in the area who she had yet to contact. She couldn’t find the computer printout at all. She pulled it out from under her laptop and flicked through a couple of pages.

  ‘What am I looking at?’ Hales asked impatiently.

  ‘Silver Audi TT. It’s registered to a Matthew Harkness. He lives in Manchester.’

  ‘Have you contacted him yet?’

  ‘Not yet, I’ve been busy. He’s probably staying in one of the hotels, probably here on business.’

  ‘Or probably in the morgue. You should have given me this sooner.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know,’ she said, her head bowed.

  ‘And get your bloody desk sorted out. It’s a tip,’ he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

  Feeling like she had been told off by a strict teacher, Faith sat down in her chair and slowly began pulling the paperwork together, trying to neaten things up in an organized fashion.

  Sitting at the desks behind her, Aaron and Sian exchanged glances. Sian wanted to smile. Hales’s blue-eyed girl was no longer flavour of the month. She couldn’t help feeling sorry for her though. She’d give her a few minutes to compose herself then offer her a cup of tea and one of her own Tunnock’s Teacakes she kept in her bottom drawer.

  Chapter 21

  It took Matilda a matter of minutes to reach her broom cupboard of an office but the news of her public outburst with Hales had already reached Fleming.

  ‘I heard you’ve just torn a strip off our beloved Acting DCI,’ he said with a smirk on his face.

  ‘Were you eavesdropping?’

  He waved his iPhone at her. ‘It’s called instant messaging. Aaron was telling me all about it.’

  ‘There’s no wonder cases go unsolved if people are more interested in office gossip. We may as well be working in a call centre.’

  ‘Nah, this is much more fun. Are you going to give me all the gory details?’

  ‘Why don’t you log on to YouTube? Maybe Aaron filmed the whole argument and posted it online. Come on,’ she grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and walked out of the room with Rory hot on her heels.

  It would have been easier and quicker to walk from the station to Waterstones in Orchard Square but they needed the car to take Jonathan to identify the dead body. The traffic was slow and, adding in the array of one-way systems, road works, and pedestrian crossings, the simple five-minute journey turned into a twenty-minute headache.

  However, Matilda used the time to indulge Rory in her argument with Ben, which he lapped up like a secretary at a water cooler. She lost count of the number of times he said ‘I wish I’d been there’. As she was coming to the end of her story her phone beeped with a text message from Sian: I DOUBT HALES WILL TELL U BUT AN AUDI TT IN CAR PARK NEAR DEAD BODY BELONGS TO MATTHEW HARKNESS OF MANCHESTER. Matilda sent a quick reply before relaying the information to Rory.

  ‘So it looks likely the dead body is Jonathan’s brother.’

  ‘It would appear so.’

  ‘It can’t be just a coincidence can it? I mean, Matthew’s a common enough name, but is Harkness?’ Matilda asked.

  ‘I’m not sure. I had a teacher at school called Mrs Harkness. She was a real bitch.’

  ‘Did she have a son called Matthew?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘Jonathan says he didn’t know where his brother was living. I’m guessing he didn’t know he was back in Sheffield either.’

  ‘Maybe he’d come back for the demolition.’

  ‘If it was you, wouldn’t you have visited your brother too?’

  ‘Well I would, yes.’

  ‘So then what happened to get himself murdered in the few hours he was here?’ She suddenly became restless. ‘Oh this is taking forever,’ she moaned at the lack of
progress in the journey. She unbuckled her seatbelt. ‘You park up and join me. I’m going to walk the rest of the way. I can practically see the sodding shop from here.’

  The blast of hot air from inside the shop was like a warm hug and made Matilda smile. The smell of freshly ground coffee from the upstairs café was inviting too. What could be more inviting on a freezing cold day than a hot coffee and a good book? Maybe even throw in a double chocolate muffin too.

  Classic Christmas carols were quietly played throughout the store and customers talked to each other in hushed tones as they went about their book-buying business. The biography section seemed to be busy as did the crime-fiction corner. Last year she bought her husband a couple of sporting biographies and the latest John Grisham as part of their huge Christmas extravaganza. This year she didn’t have anybody special to buy for. She decided to make a point of buying Adele and Chris something expensive to thank them for all the help they’d given her this year. She’d send a card to her sister and one to her parents but that was all.

  Matilda could understand Jonathan and Matthew being separated. Like them, she and her sister Harriet were completely different people. Despite there being only two years between them they had very little in common. Matilda had been career driven since leaving school with good exam grades and from an early age knew she wanted to join the police force. Harriet, on the other hand, just wanted to fall in love with a tall handsome rich man and have children. She eventually married at the age of twenty-five, but her husband wasn’t overly tall, he certainly wasn’t handsome, and he probably would have been rich had he not married her sister. Harriet now lived in a bland suburban street in Grimsby close to the coast where she worked for three days a week in a boutique and looked after her family. Very conservative.