He crossed his fingers as he thought about Hetty Lewinton lying in her hospital bed.
‘Yes, they were quite bad unfortunately and caused brain damage and memory loss in a lot of the mice. Some were so badly damaged that didn’t even remember how to eat. Unfortunately for the lab it looked like the drug was going to be a non-starter but Rika said they were trying to find similar compounds that might not have the same disastrous side effects.’
Mac said a little prayer for Hetty.
‘Did you see anyone else when you were at the lab?’
‘No it was very late, it was just Rika and me. I must remember to contact her and see how she is,’ the professor said with another smile.
Mac thought that more had gone on between the professor and this Rika than just looking at mice. Then another thought struck him.
‘You still have her number?’ he asked excitedly.
‘Yes, somewhere. Maggie?’ he called loudly.
The secretary came back in. She looked like she’d just lunched on lemons.
‘Can you see if we have contact details for a Rika somebody. Wait, yes. Rika Kovacs, that’s the name.’
She left to do her duty.
‘Anything else you can tell us Professor, perhaps about the lab where Rika worked?’
‘Sorry can’t remember its name or anything or even exactly where it was. Rika drove. There was something she said though about the guy who ran the lab though, he was English, a tall Englishman, Rika said. She didn’t like him though, not sure why.’
‘She didn’t give a name?’ Mac asked hopefully.
The professor shook his head.
‘Sorry, if she did I don’t remember it.’
The secretary came back with a post-it note with a phone number on it and gave them a look which told them it was time to leave.
Tommy gave the professor a card.
‘Call me if you remember anything else.’
The secretary accompanied them to the door, making sure they actually left, and gave them the thinnest of smiles as she closed the door behind them.
‘God, she’s a bundle of laughs,’ Tommy said.
‘Ring the number,’ Mac said excitedly.
Tommy did. All he got was a Hungarian woman at the other end who couldn’t speak English.
‘What now?’
‘Get me Martin,’ Mac ordered.
Tommy rang the number and handed the phone over.
‘Martin, this is top priority. We have a name for a woman in Budapest, Rika Kovacs, and a phone number.’
Mac gave him the number.
‘She used to be a graduate student. I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got to go on. This woman worked at the lab in Budapest that developed the hibernation drug. Can you get onto your friend Maria and see if she can track her down. Tell Dan we’re on our way back.’
Mac looked at his watch as they drove off. It was coming up to five. He felt a familiar tingle of excitement; the investigation had reached the tipping point. With a bit of luck they should know before long exactly who the tall Englishman was. Even though Tommy used the siren it was gone six by the time they got back to the station.
The incident room was buzzing when they got there, all the team busily doing things. Mac could sense the same excitement in the air he’d felt himself earlier.
‘Okay team!’ Dan shouted as he stood by the white board. ‘Now that Mac and Tommy are back let’s catch up. Martin.’
Martin reluctantly took Dan’s place.
In a low voice he said, ‘Mac provided me with a name and phone number of a woman in Budapest who said she’d worked at a lab that had developed a hibernation drug. The phone number was a dud unfortunately as she no longer lives at that address. However my friend Maria managed to get the phone numbers and addresses of three Rika Kovacs who used to be graduate students at the Faculty of Science at the university. Kovacs is a common name there. She tried all the numbers and only one of the women spoke English. She confirmed that she’d worked at a lab and had met Professor Moran. She’s awaiting our call now.’
‘Okay let’s see what she’s got to say,’ Dan said.
Mac crossed his fingers and said another little prayer. The whole case might hang on what happened in the next few minutes.
‘Hello is that Miss Kovacs?’ Dan asked.
Dan had the call on speaker and the whole team crowded around.
‘It is. Who am I talking to?’
‘My name is Detective Inspector Dan Carter of the Bedfordshire Police in England. I believe you might have some information that could be crucial to a criminal case we’re investigating.’
‘Yes the police woman said it was about the lab where I used to work in, is that correct?’
‘Yes that’s right. We’re investigating a case here of a woman who was found in a state of profound hibernation and I believe that you know about a drug that could cause such a state. Is that right?’
There was silence at the other end for a few seconds.
‘I’m almost not surprised. I always thought he was a…,’ she hesitated over the word, ‘yes a slimy bastard, he always smiled too much.’
‘Who is ‘he’?’
‘He was the guy who owned the lab. He set it up in Hungary because it would be cheaper to run. He was looking for a breakthrough drug, something that would make him famous. For a while he thought he had it with the hibernation drug or HDE 1078 as we called it. He was so happy, already preparing for the press interviews in his head I guess, a narcissist if ever I met one. Then the bad news. Autopsies on the mice clearly showed brain damage in the memory centres. Although the drug might have been saved many people’s lives I must admit I was almost glad. I couldn’t work with him after that, he was so weird, and so I left.’
‘What’s his name?’ Dan asked.
Mac could sense the team hold its breath.
‘Jonty Hart-Tolliver.’
Mac thought it sounded like someone out of a Jeeves book.
‘Jonty Hart-Tolliver? Are you sure?’ Dan asked looking over at Martin.
Martin was already banging away at his laptop.
‘Yes of course I’m sure.’
‘Anything else you can tell me about this Jonty or the lab?’
‘Not really but there was something going on, I’m sure of it but I never found out exactly what. Jonty had a buddy, Sandor his name was, but I never found out what his role was. A translator Jonty said but I think he did a lot more than that.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Once when I worked late I saw Sandor bring a prostitute into Jonty’s office. They didn’t see me. They were disgusting, Jonty and his little pimp.’
Mac thought she was very lucky. If they’d found out she’d seen them she might not be around now to tell the story.
‘Is that Oleksandr Shevchenko you’re talking about?’
‘Yes that’s him. They made a right pair, tall and short we called them, but there was something really creepy about both of them.’
‘What was the name of the lab?’ Dan asked.
‘It was called JHT Magyarpharm but I don’t think it exists anymore.’
‘Thank you very much Miss Kovacs. If you think of anything else please let us know.’
Dan put the receiver back and punched the air.
‘Something to go on at last. Martin anything yet?’
‘There’s a Jonty Hart-Tolliver who is listed as the main shareholder for HDE Pharma UK. The company was started up just over a year ago.’
‘HDE? That’s what the drug was called wasn’t it? HDE 1078. Where is it?’ Mac asked.
‘That’s right and it looks like you were right about something else Mac,’ Martin said. ‘The company’s in Cambridge, in one of the old industrial sites that’s being redeveloped as a science park.’
‘It all fits. Okay let’s call the boss,’ Dan said.
Dan explained the new evidence to the DCS over the phone and his raised fist indicated success to the team well before he’d finished his con
versation.
‘He’s at the golf club, of course, nineteenth hole, but he said yes, we have enough to raid HDE Pharma’s premises.’
‘When are we going ahead with the raid?’ Adil asked.
Dan gave it some serious thought.
‘There’s a girl missing and God knows how much time we’ve got. I’m not waiting until morning, we go as soon as possible. Adil get the Support Unit organised and get them here as soon as they can make it. Mary can you alert forensics and let them know we’ll need a team tonight. Martin get us photos and maps of the target site. I’ll get on to Cambridge Police and get them to go to Mr. Hart-Tolliver’s house and bring him to the company’s site. Rest of you meet here in half an hour.’
‘Come on,’ Mac said to Tommy, ‘I’ve just realised we haven’t eaten since the hospital. Might be a long night, sausage and egg sandwiches are definitely in order.’
As they quickly ate their sandwiches Tommy looked excitedly at Mac and said, ‘I can’t believe it! I can’t believe we might be close to solving the case.’
‘Well we can’t count our chickens yet but I agree we could be close.’
Inside Mac felt as excited as Tommy looked. He really felt that this might be finally it.
It took them just over half an hour to make it to the science park. Half of the ‘park’ was filled with gleaming new high tech buildings while the other half consisted of neglected nineteen sixties industrial units. Some were still in use but many had windows broken and weeds growing in the brickwork where wind-blown dirt had gathered.
HDE Pharma had one of the glitziest buildings on the site, all glass and steel, angles and curves. Mac looked at the site next door, an old steel fabrication firm from what he could see of the fading name painted on the wall. It clearly hadn’t been used in years. A large ‘For Sale’ sign lay flat on the ground.
The two police cars and the van containing the Support Unit parked up. They only had to wait for a couple of minutes for another police car to pull up. Three policemen and a very tall, loose limbed man with blond hair got out. The man approached the waiting group with a broad smile as though they were old friends he hadn’t seen for quite a while. He held his hand out.
Dan stepped forward and shook his hand.
‘Mr. Hart-Tolliver?’ he asked.
‘For my sins yes,’ the tall man replied. ‘How can I help the police?’
Dan introduced himself and flashed his warrant card.
‘We’d like to search your premises if that’s alright.’
Mac noticed that Jonty hesitated for a split second and the smile dropped ever so slightly. Then normal service was resumed.
‘Of course, anything I can do to help. Let me open up for you.’
He produced a set of keys and opened the main door then he walked quickly into the lobby and disarmed the burglar alarm. Dan gestured for Adil to follow him in.
As he did this Dan turned to Mac and asked, ‘What do you think?’
‘He’s our man alright notice he didn’t even ask what it was all about? I must admit I’m a bit worried though. He’s letting us look around too easily, makes me feel like he’s fairly sure we won’t find anything.’
A van pulled up in the car park and three men in white suits got out.
‘Good, forensics are here. Now we can start,’ Dan said.
Mac turned to look and he felt something click in his lower back.
‘Bugger it!’ he exclaimed as a spasm of pain gripped his back.
‘Are you alright Mac?’ Dan asked with some concern.
The colour had drained out of Mac’s face and it had suddenly become contorted.
‘Unfortunately no,’ Mac replied, angry at his body. ‘Of all the bloody times!’
Dan called Tommy over.
‘Take Mac back home, he’s in a lot of pain.’
‘No, no,’ Mac protested. ‘It might only be temporary. All I’ll need is a few minutes in the car, lying down with the seat flat. Please.’
Dan nodded at Tommy and he helped Mac stumble to the car. He adjusted the back of the seat so it was as flat as possible and Mac gratefully lay down.
‘Let me know if anything happens,’ Mac asked.
‘Of course, just rest now,’ Tommy said.
Mac lay back and was grateful when, after five or six minutes, the pain backed off a bit. He looked at his watch, it was a quarter past eight. He closed his eyes and suddenly felt very tired. He drifted off into a light sleep punctuated by bizarre dreams.
When he opened his eyes he checked his watch again. It was nearly nine. They’d obviously not found anything straight away. Water droplets covered the windscreen, it had been raining while he’d been asleep. Mac gazed idly out of the window and found his eyes had focussed on something. The car was at the edge of the car park and, from where he sat, he gazed over a strip of unkempt grass that lay between the gleaming glass building and the disused factory next door. He suddenly sat up and looked again.
Ignoring the pain he got out of the car and looked intently at the patch of grass. He was still looking when Dan arrived.
‘You were right, bloody nothing so far,’ Dan said grumpily. ‘Are you alright Mac?’
‘Can you see what I’m seeing?’ Mac asked.
‘No, what are you looking at?’
‘See just there,’ Mac pointed with his finger.
The angle of the light from the pharmaceutical building illuminated the raindrops on the blades of grass. A clear straight line could be seen cutting through the grass, a path.
‘Someone’s been going into the disused factory next door,’ Mac said.
Dan instantly lost his grumpiness and got his phone out.
‘Martin I’m looking at a disused factory to the right of HDE Pharma, looks like it was old steel fabrication factory. Can you find out who owns it? Quickly as possible please.’
Dan turned to Mac, ‘Come on let’s go and have a look.’
They strode through the wet grass getting the bottom of their trousers wet but neither of them even noticed. The angle of the path pointed towards a little annex built on the side of the factory, possibly for offices Mac thought. As they got closer Mac’s blood started racing. For a disused site the annex had a pretty sturdy door and a massive padlock holding it shut tight.
Dan’s phone rang.
‘Yes Martin.’
‘That site, it was bought eight months ago by HDE Holdings Limited, sole director Emilia Hart-Tolliver. She’s Jonty’s wife.’
‘Thanks Martin and bloody well done.’
Dan rang off and turned to Mac.
‘It’s him alright, the site’s owned by his wife. Wait here, looks like the Support Unit will have something to do after all.’
He returned a couple of minutes later with two uniformed officers one of who was carrying what looked like a massive pair of cutters. As big as the lock was it was lying on the floor two minutes later. Dan opened the door and tried a light switch. A hall with several doors leading off it was instantly illuminated. He ran ahead opening each of the doors. Mac glanced inside as he passed them. Old desks, broken chairs and files littered the rooms.
Dan opened the last door, the door facing them at the end of the hallway, and he stopped dead.
‘We’ve found her Mac, we’ve found her,’ he said.
Chapter Twenty Three
Dan turned away from the door and leant against the wall. He looked mournfully at Mac and shook his head slowly.
‘Too late Mac,’ he said sadly.
Mac looked into the room. It was warm, Mac could see a heater in the corner but it was the bed in the centre of the room that drew his eyes. The bed was an old steel model, possibly ex-Army Mac thought, and it had been bolted to the floor. On it lay Chanelle Burdon. She had chains on her arms and legs and she was naked. Her back was arched as though is some spasm and the expression on her face, frozen by death, was etched with pain. Mac checked her pulse just in case but there was nothing.
‘Come on Mac, let
’s leave it to forensics,’ Dan said in a low voice.
As they walked out Dan angrily exclaimed, ‘Christ, I’ve seen some things but the look on that poor girl’s face!’
Mac could only agree. He followed Dan into the clean modernity of the HDE building.
‘Where is he?’ Dan asked Adil.
Mac could sense that Dan’s shock had quickly turned to an ice-cold anger.
‘Mr. Hart-Tolliver? He’s in his office. It’s that one there,’ Adil said pointing with his finger. ‘You’ve found something, haven’t you?’
‘Follow us,’ Dan ordered tersely.
Dan flung open the door and found Jonty behind his desk tapping away at his laptop.
‘Ah, DI Carter. As you haven’t found anything can I go home now? We’ve got friends for dinner and I’m already late.’
The smile widened.
‘Mr. Hart-Tolliver, you might just have to miss that dinner. We’ve just had a look in the disused factory next door and guess what we found?’
Jonty’s smile disappeared. Without the smile his face looked quite mean.
‘Take him to the station,’ Dan said to Adil. ‘And get Mary and Buddy to pick up his wife. Let’s see what she knows.’
Jonty stood up and Mac wondered if he might give them some problems but he meekly allowed the handcuffs to go on and followed Adil out of the room.
‘I wanted to catch the bastard but I’d hoped…’ Dan left the sentence hanging.
‘You’d hoped to find her alive. I know, me too.’
Mac tried to picture her pretty face but her contorted death mask was all he could see.
Just over an hour later Mac was once again seated in the interview room with Dan. On the other side of the table sat Jonty and his solicitor. Jonty wasn’t smiling.
Dan stated the time and date and then said, ‘Interview regarding the death of Chanelle Burdon. Attending DI Dan Carter, consultant ex-DCS Mac Maguire, Mr. Jonty Hart-Tolliver and Mr. Marcus Powell, solicitor for Mr. Hart-Tolliver.’
‘You can call me Jonty,’ Jonty said, the smile returning.
Dan read him his rights and then, ignoring Jonty’s request, said, ‘Mr. Hart-Tolliver what can you tell us about the death of Miss Chanelle Burdon whose body was found…’
The Body in the Boot: The first 'Mac' Maguire mystery Page 22
