The Red Telephone Box (DS Dave Slater Mystery Novels Book 5)

by P. F. Ford

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Slater was lying on a bed having the last stitch inserted in his split eyebrow. The nurse who was stitching him up looked up as Goodnews entered the cubicle.

  ‘Looks like someone’s come to pick you up,’ she said, returning to her work.

  Slater tried to turn his head to see who she meant, but this wasn’t a good idea.

  ‘Ow, Jesus,’ he hissed.

  ‘Well, keep your head still, silly,’ said the nurse. ‘Of course it hurts. I’m halfway through a stitch.’

  ‘Is my little soldier ready to go?’ Goodnews’ voice piped up.

  ‘He will be in minute,’ said the nurse, grinning.

  ‘My little hero,’ Goodnews said, teasingly.

  ‘You needn’t have bothered, coming to pick me up,’ said Slater, testily. ‘I’m fine. I’m sure you have better things to do than worry about me.’

  ‘Don’t kid yourself. I’m not worried about you. I just thought it might be a good idea to have you with me when Norman wakes up, as you know him and I don’t.’

  The nurse had finished stitching his head and began cleaning up.

  ‘He should be kept in for observation really,’ the nurse told Goodnews. ‘He’s had a nasty blow to his head.’

  ‘Good job it was his head and not anywhere that mattered.’

  ‘Yes, well thank you for your concern,’ said Slater, as he swung his legs off the bed and sat up.

  For a moment, the room began to spin, and he felt rather sick. Luckily, the nurse was watching him and took his arm to steady him.

  ‘I told you that would happen if you tried to get up too quickly,’ she admonished him.

  ‘Yes, alright,’ he said. ‘I’ve already got one woman picking on me. I don’t need you to start as well.’

  ‘If you do as you’re told, I won’t have to pick on you,’ warned the nurse. ‘Just take your time, and move slowly. I’m not sure you should really be leaving at all. I think it would be much better if you were kept in for observation.’

  ‘I’m fine. I need to go and find my mate. I need to know he’s alright.’

  ‘Why don’t I get a porter to take you in a wheelchair?’

  ‘Not bloody likely,’ said Slater. ‘I don’t need a wheelchair, and I’m sure the porters have better things to do than wheel me around.’

  ‘If you’ve got a wheelchair I can use, I’ll take him,’ volunteered Goodnews.

  Slater looked at her doubtfully.

  ‘You?’ he said. ‘Push me in a wheelchair? You’re having a laugh.’

  ‘Do you want to stay in overnight for observation? As your senior officer, I really ought to insist you do as the nurse says.’

  ‘Oh, I get it,’ said Slater. ‘This is you getting your own back on me for what happened earlier, isn’t it?’

  ‘What do you think, nurse?’ asked Goodnews, with a wicked smile. ‘Will you release him into my care? Or does he have to stay here?’

  The nurse looked at Slater, and then at Goodnews, quickly weighing up the situation. She gave an equally wicked smile in return before speaking.

  ‘As long as he stays in this wheelchair for at least the next half hour, and he does not leave the hospital without first coming back here so I can check him over, I suppose I can let you take him,’ she said, pointing to a wheelchair in the corner of the cubicle.

  ‘Right, you,’ said Goodnews to Slater. ‘Get your arse in that wheelchair and let’s go and see if your friend’s awake yet.’

  Slater began to protest, but it was no use.

  ‘That’s an order, Sergeant,’ she said.

  The doctor had told them they could have five minutes with Norman, but that he was quite weak from his ordeal and they shouldn’t stress him.

  Goodnews steered Slater carefully through the doorway into his room. Norman was sitting up in bed and was awake, just about. He was still rather groggy, and was as stiff as a board from being strapped to the chair for so long, but otherwise he seemed to be okay.

  As soon as Goodnews parked Slater’s chair next to Norman’s bed he was up and exchanging a pretty sloppy high five with his mate.

  ‘Hey, Norm,’ he said, quietly. ‘It’s good to see you. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Like shit,’ said Norman, huskily. ‘But I’ll live. Who’s your new partner?’

  ‘This is DI Goodnews,’ said Slater. ‘She was brought in to head the investigation.’

  ‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ said Goodnews. ‘I was beginning to get worried.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. The odds don’t get any better as the days pass, do they?’

  ‘I need to ask you some questions,’ said Goodnews. ‘Do you feel up to it now?’

  ‘How’s Tim? Did you find him?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ said Goodnews. ‘He’s locked away where he can’t do any harm. I’ll get to him later. I wanted to speak to you first.’

  ‘Be careful with him. He’s very fragile, and he’s worried sick about his kids. This isn’t what you think it is.’

  ‘So you haven’t been having an affair with his wife?’ asked Goodnews.

  Norman smiled and looked at Slater.

  ‘Is she for real?’ he asked Slater.

  ‘We have to ask,’ said Slater.

  ‘You should know better,’ Norman said indignantly. ‘If you don’t know me and Jane by now…’

  He let the sentence trail away to silence.

  ‘Tim Jolly has just kidnapped you and imprisoned you,’ said Goodnews. ‘I knew it was him the moment I set eyes on your wife and Jane Jolly. Men tend to go for the same type of woman, you know. You couldn’t get more alike than those two.’

  ‘Jeez,’ said Norman. ‘Is that the sort of logic that’s enabled you to reach DI so young? You don’t know anything about me, or Jane, or Tim, and yet you think can pass judgement and condemn all of us based on an old wives’ tale.’

  ‘So, are you saying it’s not true?’ asked Goodnews.

  ‘What did Jane say?’ asked Norman, not waiting for an answer, ‘She said it was rubbish, right?’

  ‘Well, yes,’ agreed Goodnews. ‘But if it’s rubbish, why did her husband feel the need to kidnap you?’

  ‘Because, his kids were threatened,’ said Norman. ‘That’s what I’m trying to tell you.’

  ‘Jane didn’t tell us about that,’ said Goodnews.

  ‘That’s because she doesn’t know about it. Think about it. Jane’s the strong one out of those two. If she had been threatened, she would have come straight to us, but Tim? Well, he’s the weak link. Suggesting Jane is messing around with me is using his greatest fear to turn him against me.’

  ‘His greatest fear?’ asked Goodnews.

  ‘The fear of losing his wife and his kids,’ said Slater. ‘It would be like losing his whole world.’

  ‘Well, he’s going to lose them now anyway,’ said Goodnews. ‘He’ll get put away for years for this.’

  ‘You can’t do that,’ argued Norman. ‘He did it under duress. He’s been manipulated by someone who wanted to get at me. It’s not his fault.’

  There was a short silence as they all absorbed this news.

  ‘And just so you know.’ Norman sounded pissed off now. ‘Not everyone feels the need to jump into bed with the first person who comes along. I don’t know where you come from, but where I come from you can be friends with someone of the opposite sex without having to have an affair with them. And there are still people, me and Jane included, who just wouldn’t cheat on their partner whatever happened.’

  ‘I just follow where the clues take me,’ said Goodnews, evenly. ‘When a husband harms a male friend of his wife, nine times out of ten it’s because he feels threatened by that man’s behaviour. In other words, he thinks there’s an affair going on. I’m sorry if my methods offend your sensibilities, but it’s how I get the job done. Don’t tell me you’ve never done the same.’

  Norman sat and sulked. He didn’t know who this woman was, but he didn’t like her, and he didn�
�t feel inclined to help her right now.

  ‘So,’ said Goodnews, when Norman didn’t respond. ‘Do you have any idea who’s been manipulating Tim Jolly?’

  ‘I could make you a long list of people I’ve pissed off over the years,’ said Norman, wearily. ‘But I have no idea who would be favourite to top that list and take it this far.’

  He appeared to be struggling to stay awake now, and right on cue, a nurse came into the room.

  ‘I think he needs to rest now,’ she told them. ‘He’s still quite weak.’

  ‘Just one thing, before you go,’ insisted Norman. ‘Get Jane and the kids somewhere safe before you talk to Tim. All the time he thinks they’re in danger he won’t tell you anything, but if he knows they’re safe he’ll probably talk. Whoever is behind this needs stopping before he gets to those kids.’

  Goodnews insisted on taking Slater back to A & E so the nurse could check him over before they left. She handed him over with a warning to do as he was told and that she would be back when she’d made a couple of phone calls.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ grinned the nurse, with a wink at Goodnews. ‘I’ll look after your little soldier until you get back.’

  By the time she came back for him, he had been formally released, with a warning to go home and rest, but there was no way he was going to miss out on the end of this case, so he conveniently forgot to tell Goodnews that bit.

  ‘Right,’ she said, pulling away from the hospital car park. ‘I’ve spoken to Jane Jolly and arranged for her and her kids to be taken to a hotel for the night and for two uniforms to guard their room. We’ll assess the full extent of the risk when we’ve spoken to her husband. If needs be, she can be moved to a safe house tomorrow.’

  ‘D’you think it might be a good idea to get Jane to come in and speak to her husband?’

  ‘That’s already arranged,’ said Goodnews. ‘I’ve told her the situation, and that she might, or might not get to see him, depending on how it goes.’

  ‘And she was alright with that?’ asked Slater.

  ‘Not really. But she’ll just have to accept this is my show and we do things my way. Do you have a problem with that?’

  ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘You’re the boss. I’m not sure I’d know what was the right thing to do in this situation. It’s not one that I ever expected to have to face.’

  ‘Ha!’ Goodnews sounded amused. ‘It’s not exactly a text book situation, is it? But I’m glad you’re happy with me being the boss, because I’ve decided I’m going to have DC Biddeford assist me with the interview.’

  This was a bit of a blow to Slater. He had fully expected to be alongside Goodnews for the rest of this case.

  ‘Oh,’ he said, unable to hide his disappointment.

  ‘Don’t look like that,’ she said. ‘I’ve got important stuff for you to do. For a start, I want you to get hold of Tim Jolly’s mobile phone. Let’s see if we can’t find out who’s behind all this.

  ‘I also want you to observe the interview, and I need you to speak to Jane when she arrives. You know her better than anyone else so I think it’s best if you talk to her when she gets here.

  ‘I’m not sure Biddeford’s ready to handle that situation the way I want it done. He’s probably great at being a blunt instrument, but that’s not what I want for Jane. She’s going to need handling with kid gloves. I know I can trust you to do it right.’

  Slater wasn’t sure if he was happy with that or not, but then considered who would be the better person to handle Jane when she arrived. Goodnews had been correct in her assessment of Biddeford. He could be insensitive at times and Jane was definitely going to need support. Yeah, he thought, Goodnews was right. He was the best man for that job.

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I think you’re right about Jane. She is going to need support, and I know I can do that better than Steve.’

  Goodnews nodded her head.

  ‘Good. I’ll tell you something else. She’s going to need support for quite some time. This is going to be one hell of a test for their marriage.’

  ‘It’ll never be the same, that’s for sure,’ Slater said, gloomily.

  Tim Jolly had been carrying his mobile phone when he had been brought in to the station, and it was amongst the possessions taken from him before he was placed in a cell. Slater signed for the phone and took it with him up to the observation suite. On the way, he collected a notepad and a pen, and then finally a cup of coffee, before he settled himself. He knew he would have plenty of time to check out the phone before the interview started.

  ‘Right, then Tim,’ he muttered, as he made himself comfortable. ‘Let’s see who’s been winding you up.’

  ‘Now then, Mr Jolly.’ Goodnews eyed Tim Jolly across the table in the interview room. ‘I’m DI Goodnews, and this is DC Biddeford.’

  Tim Jolly looked nervously from Goodnews to Biddeford. Biddeford gave him an evil grin. The duty solicitor, sat alongside Jolly, gave an annoyed cough and Goodnews saw Biddeford drop his grin.

  ‘I know him,’ said Jolly. ‘He’s the one who jumped on me and dumped me in cow shit.’

  ‘Yes,’ chipped in the solicitor. ‘Was that really necessary? It’s not as if my client was going to outrun the officer, was it?’

  ‘The suspect took flight,’ said Goodnews. ‘He didn’t stop when requested, so the officer rugby tackled him. It was a cow field. It was almost inevitable there would be cow dung everywhere. You’re surely not suggesting my officer chose the spot deliberately? He got covered too, you know.’

  The solicitor didn’t reply.

  Jolly’s clothes had been exchanged for an all-in-one paper suit, and he had been allowed to clean himself up, so he was in much better condition than when he’d arrived. Biddeford, of course, had showered and changed his clothes.

  ‘So, Tim,’ asked Goodnews. ‘Why don’t you tell us what’s been going on.’

  ‘I’ve got nothing to say,’ said Jolly.

  ‘Oh, really?’ said Goodnews. ‘So you don’t think we deserve an explanation? What about DS Norman? He thought you were friends. Don’t you think he deserves an explanation?’

  Jolly stared down at the table top in front of him and said nothing.

  ‘And then there’s Jane,’ continued Goodnews, ‘and your kids. Don’t you think they’re going to want to know why their dad’s been locked away.’

  This time Jolly heaved a huge sigh, and a tear rolled slowly down his cheek, but still he didn’t speak.

  ‘You know you were wrong, don’t you?’ said Goodnews. ‘Your wife and Norman are friends, that’s all there is to it.’

  She let Jolly think about this for a minute before she continued.

  ‘When you do this job you often get to be good mates with whoever you work with. It’s what happens when you put people in high pressure situations. They have a shared experience, so of course it makes the relationship special, but you were wrong to think it was anything more than that.’

  ‘He said they were having an affair,’ said Jolly, quietly.

  ‘Who said? Norman?’ asked Goodnews. ‘Or the man who’s been threatening your children?’

  Now Jolly looked up at her, looking confused.

  ‘I’ve spoken to DS Norman,’ she explained. ‘He says you’ve been manipulated by someone who wants to get at him.’

  ‘I want to speak to Jane,’ he said finally. ‘I’ll only talk to Jane, in private.’

  ‘Well, I’m not sure I can allow that, Mr Jolly,’ said Goodnews. ‘You don’t seem to realise how serious your situation is. I don’t think you’re in a position to start dictating what happens next.’

  ‘I won’t talk to anyone else,’ he said.

  Goodnews tried to get Tim Jolly to open up, using a combination of threats and promises, but after twenty minutes of fruitless questioning, she decided to take a break.

  ‘Is she ready?’ Goodnews asked Slater, when she joined him in the observation room. ‘Have you told her what we need?’

  ‘She
’s very wobbly,’ said Slater. ‘She says it’s like she doesn’t know who this man is. It’s not the Tim Jolly she knows.’

  ‘I understand that,’ said Goodnews. ‘But she must realise we need to know who’s behind this. They’re all in danger until we get our hands on him.’

  ‘Don’t worry. She’s in bits, but she wants her kids out of danger. She’ll do what’s needed, but she says she won’t do it on tape. She knows she doesn’t have to give evidence against her husband, and she won’t allow us to record their conversation so we can use it either.’

  ‘I’m not sure I’m happy about that,’ said Goodnews.

  ‘I don’t think we’ve got much choice. The duty solicitor is insisting we have to let her see him, and he says we can’t use anything she says as evidence. It’s not as if they’re in this together, is it? And I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be trying to smuggle in a cake with a file in it so he can escape.’

  ‘Are you sure we can trust her?’

  ‘Oh, come on,’ said Slater. ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said.

  ‘Look. We know just about nothing, right now. The worst that can happen is we still know nothing, so we’re not going to lose anything, are we? I’m sure it’s the right thing to do.’

  She looked at him for a few seconds and then seemed to come to a decision.

  ‘Alright,’ she said. ‘Let’s do it. Like you say, we’ve got precious little to go on at the moment.’

  ‘That marriage is never going to recover,’ Goodnews said, as she and Slater watched Jane Jolly enter the interview room. ‘Look at the body language. It’s like the poor girl’s meeting a complete stranger.’

  Tim Jolly had obviously been hoping for a tearful reunion, but his wife had other ideas. She kept her distance from him and made sure to put the table between them as quickly as possible. Even when he reached across the table for her hand, she shrank back from him.

  ‘A complete stranger whom she doesn’t trust,’ added Slater. ‘I know fate seems to deal lots more crappy hands than good ones, but why did this have to happen to these two?’

  ‘I’m afraid there is no rhyme or reason for these things,’ said Goodnews. ‘But I think you’re wrong about fate dealing more crappy hands. I believe it’s just the nature of our job that means we only get to hear about the crappy ones.’