Truth or Die

by Katerina Diamond

  ‘That’s horrible. Why would anyone do that?’ Abbey asked.

  ‘If we can just interview the person who attacked you—’ Adrian tried.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. I have put that all behind me and I don’t want to talk about it ever again.’ Abbey was clearly upset by the conversation.

  ‘Maybe Parker has gone after that person – it’s possible he figured it out, isn’t it?’ Adrian pushed.

  Imogen put her hand on his arm, a gentle reminder that pressing Abbey for this information was likely to push her away. Not to mention the fact that forcing a rape victim to share that information felt completely wrong. She hoped he understood without her having to spell it out.

  ‘He wouldn’t do that without speaking to me first. I’m telling you, there is something wrong. I have a bad feeling that something has happened to Parker.’

  ‘You don’t think he can take care of himself?’ Adrian said.

  ‘I don’t know what he is up against. Doesn’t sound like you do either,’ Abbey said.

  She was right about that.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Adrian and Imogen were the last ones to the team briefing. Adrian was still stuffing the last of a Belgian bun into his mouth when he walked into the room; Kapoor looked at him disapprovingly and continued talking.

  ‘We have three hours until we have to release Finn Blackwell. Please tell me you have something we can keep him here on.’

  ‘We have looked through a lot of the data on the professors’ computers, but there is still loads to go through. So far, he hasn’t told us anything that we didn’t know already. As confused as he is, he has managed to avoid implicating himself,’ Imogen said.

  ‘We found a few more images of Russ Beacham on social media. We are trying to identify the locations in the photos, because maybe that’s where he will be. People generally tend to hide out in places they already know,’ Adrian said.

  ‘Do they?’ DCI Kapoor said sarcastically before rolling her eyes.

  They had been going through emails and photos all day, trying to tie anything to Finn Blackwell, because all they had at the moment was that he knew Russ and Caitlin. That wasn’t nearly enough to keep him in custody. They had no evidence that he was anything to do with the game, apart from the fact that he had been caught drink-driving and done for a minor drunk and disorderly in the city centre.

  ‘We’ll keep checking,’ Imogen said.

  ‘What about the car?’ DCI Kapoor asked.

  ‘I got in touch with transport,’ Gary began. ‘There was a ticket issued for the Beachams’ car for illegally parking near the Watts’ house on the morning of her death. Making the probability of it being a murder even more likely.’

  ‘So, he is still in the city most likely,’ Adrian added.

  ‘Maybe he’s sticking around to take care of Finn Blackwell. Finn seemed genuinely scared of him,’ Imogen said.

  ‘Did forensics place anyone else at the scene?’ DCI Kapoor asked.

  ‘Only the grandfather, who contaminated it massively by trying to get her out of the bath and slipping over in there. They processed his clothes and the scene, but there was nothing to indicate anyone else had been there. Water in crime scenes is always a nightmare, as you know. A lot of evidence was destroyed. Nothing we can do about that now though,’ Adrian said.

  DI Walsh spoke next. ‘Russ Beacham also has some sealed psychological evaluations from the last twelve months.’

  ‘His mother never mentioned those,’ Adrian said.

  ‘I spoke to a teacher at his sixth-form college and she said he was quite isolated during his A levels. Worked hard but didn’t really have any friends. Not particularly outspoken or even that noticeable in any way. He was never really late and always turned up, just wanted to get into uni. She said he was smart but really struggled in exams. He didn’t get the grades he would have got had they been based on his overall performance and not just on the day of exam results,’ DI Walsh said.

  ‘I think we need to look back over any fatalities of university-age kids over the last ten years at least. Maybe even minor crimes, too. See if we can’t work out how long it’s been going on for,’ Adrian said.

  ‘I could try to get that information together, but it might take some time,’ Gary said.

  ‘I can do it,’ Adrian chipped in, aware that Gary was still a bit on the frosty side towards him. ‘We might be able to get some information on who the lecturers were once we have some student names, and then we can cross-reference and see if there are any overlaps. Maybe we can find the final puppetmaster that way.’

  ‘Right. Matt, see if you can get access to those psychological evaluations. Gary, keep doing what you’re doing. DS Grey and DS Miles, keep looking for connections between the three students. If you don’t find anything in the next couple of hours, then you need to let Blackwell go. I’ve got to make a statement to the press in the morning, so it would be good to actually have some progress to report. I’m going home now, but run any developments past DI Walsh until I get back,’ DCI Kapoor said. They all stood up as the DCI left and then followed her out.

  Adrian stood back and waited for Matt Walsh to leave before grabbing Gary’s arm.

  ‘Gary, can I have a word?’ Adrian pulled Gary to one side.

  ‘Uh-oh,’ Gary said.

  ‘Have you found anything on the computers that could link back to Parker?’

  ‘I’m not hiding evidence from the DCI, if that’s what you’re after,’ Gary huffed.

  ‘No, God, of course not,’ Adrian said hurriedly.

  ‘Then what?’

  ‘It seems his wife is worried that something bad has happened to him.’

  ‘Aside from what I showed you earlier on the VT, I don’t know about that. The professors obviously know it’s not one of their guys on the tapes, but whether they knew who he was is another story. To be honest, I have no idea what pertains to him and what doesn’t. Finding Russ Beacham before he kills anyone else has to be a priority right now.’

  ‘That’s the plan.’

  ‘Well, if he is as good as you say he is, then if we look for Russ Beacham, we might find him anyway. He might know where Russ is; he could be with him right now.’

  ‘Good point,’ Adrian said.

  ‘Anyway, I better get on with it,’ Gary said.

  ‘Are we all right?’

  ‘I’m just very uncomfortable with lying. I’m not annoyed at you though. I completely understand why you made the decisions you did.’

  ‘I’m sorry we put you in this position.’

  Adrian wasn’t lying. He was sorry he had put himself in this position too. Although he didn’t think he had been wrong, the fact remained that there would be a strain on their friendship until Parker stopped actively killing people, and probably for a while after that, too. Every single death that happened from this point on was Adrian’s fault. That wasn’t an easy thing to live with. Adrian knew though that back in that moment when he decided to let Parker go at the end of the museum case, he had made the right call and that it hadn’t even felt like a decision at all at the time.

  ‘It’ll all work out in the end. One way or another,’ Gary said before leaving the room.

  One decision, that’s all it had been. One decision to not go after one person and look at everything that had happened since. More people had died and that blood was on Adrian’s hands. Why hadn’t Parker stayed away? Why hadn’t he got on with his life and just left well alone? There was no way this was going to end well for Adrian, and he couldn’t take Gary and Imogen down with him. He had to sort this out. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he would think of something. He just hoped that whatever it was didn’t make things worse.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  There was less than an hour left before they had to let Finn Blackwell go. Adrian wanted to talk to him alone and see if he could get through to him. If he could get him to tell them where Russ Beacham was before Parker found him,
then maybe he could stop any more bloodshed. Finn must know more than he was letting on; there was just something about him that seemed dishonest. Especially after what Scott Woodlaw had told them about his violent outburst. Adrian didn’t know whether it was gut instinct, experience or subtle micro-expressions that gave away when someone was lying, probably a combination of all three, but after years on the job you just get a feel for those things.

  Finn Blackwell was lying and Adrian didn’t know how he knew that, but he was. This was what happened when you lied. You had to lie again in order to cover up the first lie, then again and again until you were in a hole so deep you couldn’t see a way out of it. Adrian hoped that he would learn from this experience if he got through it; although learning from his mistakes was never his strong suit.

  His biggest problem now was Imogen. There was no way she would let him try to fix this on his own. He knew she felt equally responsible, but she wasn’t; she had gone along with his decision, but she hadn’t made it. He hadn’t given her the choice. Now she was stuck with the consequences, too. That just didn’t sit right with Adrian.

  Gary approached. ‘I’ve got a lead on a possible location for Beacham,’ he said to Imogen.

  Adrian could tell that Gary held him responsible, too, and it was doing nothing to assuage his guilt in the matter. You never know how high you hold someone’s opinion of you until it drops. Being in Gary’s bad books made Adrian feel like shit.

  ‘Where?’ Imogen stood up and grabbed her jacket, ready to go.

  ‘I was looking through the few pictures of Russ Beacham we found online and several of them take place outside the same building. After some cross-referencing and working out the date of the building, I managed to figure out where it was. It’s in Scarborough Street in town. It’s a building that used to belong to the sixth-form college that Russ went to,’ Gary said.

  ‘Used to?’

  ‘It’s scheduled for destruction, so it’s been empty for a while now – seems like a good place to hide out.’

  ‘How do we get in there?’ Imogen asked.

  ‘It’s being sold as a land prospect and so the local estate agents are in charge of the site. I’m trying to get hold of one of them to meet you guys down there. As you can imagine, it’s not easy at this time of night,’ Gary said.

  ‘Anything else that links to him?’ Imogen said.

  ‘There was a call about a disturbance out there a few days ago, but when the uniforms did a drive-by they didn’t see anything out of place.’

  ‘Sounds like a good lead,’ Adrian said.

  ‘Let’s go.’ Imogen nodded.

  ‘I’ve already spoken to DI Walsh and he said he will meet one of you guys at his car. I think he’s going a bit stir-crazy in here.’

  ‘You go. I’ll stay and see Finn Blackwell off,’ Adrian said.

  For the first time, he saw Imogen narrow her eyes and look at both him and Gary. She had noticed the tension between them.

  ‘Is something going on with you guys?’ she asked.

  ‘No,’ Gary answered quickly. ‘I’d better keep trying this estate agent.’

  Gary walked away and Imogen folded her arms, raising her eyebrows.

  ‘Spill it,’ she said to Adrian, knowing them both better than they had given her credit for.

  ‘He’s upset about lying to the DCI and I don’t think he trusts that the Parker situation won’t get us both fired.’

  ‘He’s not alone there,’ Imogen said.

  ‘If it comes down to that, I am taking the blame and I won’t have any arguments from you.’

  ‘We’ll see.’

  ‘It’s my fault. I should have taken him in when I said I would. You weren’t a part of that decision, Imogen, and so you shouldn’t take the fall for it.’

  ‘But I agreed with you and I would have made the same decision had I been there.’

  ‘I don’t think I would have made that decision if you had been there. I don’t want to get you in trouble. I’ve been such an idiot, thinking I was above it all. I get it now.’

  ‘You get that the rules are there to protect you as much as anyone else? That they aren’t just there to inconvenience us?’

  ‘I’m sorry I dragged you into this.’

  ‘I can take care of myself, Miley. You didn’t force me into anything.’

  ‘The DI is waiting for you, you’d better go,’ Adrian said, glancing at the clock.

  He could see her eyes flit to his lips and that was enough – she wanted to give him a reassuring kiss and just knowing that was reassuring in itself. He watched as she left and then looked over to the door that led to the holding cells. Finn knew more than he was letting on and Adrian was going to find out what that was.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Adrian waited outside the station around the corner and out of view from the main exit, checking that no one else was around. Finn Blackwell stepped out of the station, with a furtive glance at his surroundings before proceeding. His twenty-four hours were up and they had released him. It was dark, but Finn had a light denim jacket on, so he was easy to spot from a fair distance. Adrian waited for him to get a few hundred yards from the station before he started to follow him. Finn walked slowly, occasionally checking behind him to see if anyone was following. What was he so paranoid about? Adrian managed to stay out of sight for the time being. Finn wasn’t a particularly fast walker and so it was easy not to lose him. Although he wasn’t walking back to his halls of residence; he was going somewhere else.

  Adrian had been following Finn Blackwell for around twenty minutes; they had gone back on themselves a couple of times and through some very small alleyways. They started to walk towards the Cowley Bridge. Finn’s pace had changed, this was clearly where he had planned to go; they were headed for his final destination. He reached the periphery of the Taddyforde estate inside the conservation area outside the lower end of town. All the houses here were well known for their architecture. Neo-Gothic, like many of the other properties in Exeter. These particular houses were built in Victorian times from local stone in the mid-nineteenth century. Knowing what Adrian knew about Finn Blackwell, he couldn’t imagine he had any family in this particular area and so maybe he was going to see someone else, someone who had something to do with the case. He hadn’t requested for anyone to be informed of his whereabouts when he was at the station and he had not asked for any legal advice either. Everything they knew about Finn Blackwell was in the very thin file they had on him at the station and that didn’t amount to much at all. His family – a single mother and sister – lived in another county and he didn’t have any familial links in Exeter. So where was he going?

  Finn stopped at a house with a roughly seven-foot wall surrounding it, then disappeared down the passage that ran alongside the building. Adrian heard the wheezing creak of a gate opening. He had gone inside.

  Adrian waited a few seconds before following Finn down the path. He peered in through the gate and saw the house. It looked to be empty, for all intents and purposes; there were no lights on. The moon lit up the grounds, which were a little on the dishevelled side; basic maintenance had been done on the garden, but nothing with pride or love. The house itself was very imposing; it had steep pitched roofs and small gables. There were two octagonal turrets that made Adrian think of a castle in a fairy story.

  The sinister feeling grew worse the closer he got to the actual property – it was almost like a low hum. Adrian was both relieved that Imogen wasn’t with him because he would be concerned for her safety, but he also kind of wished she was because he was concerned for his.

  He took a deep breath before stepping inside the gate into the garden. Luckily Finn had left the gate open, so Adrian didn’t have to worry about the noise as he squeezed himself through the gap. The house itself gave off a coldness, if that was even possible; there was a bad feeling here. It was the kind of feeling that would have made Adrian’s mother insist on getting a priest in to bless the place and clean the air. />
  After carefully inspecting the perimeter of the house, Adrian saw Russ’s silver Ford Focus tucked away under a lean-to. Was Finn meeting Russ here?

  Adrian walked until he found another door. This time, it was wide open – clearly the way Finn had entered the house. There was obviously no longer any fear of being discovered. The kitchen was huge; the moonlight poured in through the French windows that led onto the lawned back garden. The floor was black-and-white chequered tile, and there was a large wooden island in the centre of the kitchen with a knife block built into it. One of the knives was missing.

  Adrian ventured further into the house, his feeling of unease increasing as he realised there was only one way for him to go, only one more open door. He could hear whispering and a soft murmuring. The sound of a match striking followed by a soft light came from the room he was walking towards. As he leaned against the wall to look in without putting his head inside the room, he saw the arm of someone sitting in a chair, his back to him. He couldn’t tell if it was Finn or Russ. He edged forward a little more and tried to get a better look. The man was sitting in a black leather Wassily chair, but the light was too dim to make out who it was.

  Carefully, Adrian put his foot on the floorboard in front of him, holding his breath as he pressed down, hoping it wouldn’t make a sound. It didn’t, but it didn’t matter; in that same moment, something hit the back of Adrian’s head and he fell to the ground.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  After getting the address of the disused sixth-form college building from Gary, Imogen and Matt Walsh headed straight over there. It was midnight and so it had been a complete nightmare getting hold of the estate agent with the keys. Eventually they got in contact with someone and he agreed to meet. When they got there, he hadn’t arrived. So, now they were just sitting in the car outside, waiting.

  The building itself was quite small, but it had factory-style windows. A couple of the windows had been smashed and were covered in chipboard to stop any undesirables from getting in. There was a small unruly hedge in the front yard. It had been empty for over a year now, so inevitably some people had found their way inside.