Dead Lucky

by Matt Brolly

  As two nurses entered the room, Lambert called out. ‘Who was he, Eustace?’

  ‘I don’t know, Lambert. You need to tell Prue. Prue McKenzie,’ said Sackville, his voice a whisper as one of the nurses pulled a mask over his mouth and Lambert reluctantly left the room.

  Chapter 5

  ‘You must be doing something right. I’ve just received my first complaint about you.’

  Lambert was sitting in Tillman’s office, the blinds pulled down. ‘Let me guess, Dr Patel?’

  Tillman nodded. ‘Was it worth it?’

  ‘Unless he’s an Oscar level actor, then we can rule out Eustace Sackville. Directly, at least.’

  Tillman, who was leaning back on his swivel chair, raised his eyebrows.

  ‘But I do think there was something he wasn’t telling me.’

  Tillman’s chair groaned as he pulled himself upright. ‘You think he arranged it somehow?’

  ‘No, but I’m not ruling anything out yet. Why are we working on this, sir? Even if it’s not a routine murder it’s not really our department.’

  ‘I told you, lots of interested parties on this one. You were requested. It seems your work on the Souljacker business has made you something of a celebrity. It needs to be contained though. I don’t want it leaking to the press.’

  ‘Really? Have you informed the uniforms guarding his room?’

  ‘Yes, and the friends you’ve been making at the hospital.’

  ‘Sackville’s a journalist.’

  ‘No press,’ interrupted Tillman.

  ‘Whatever you say. What is my team on this?’

  ‘You’ll be the SIO and head our team. We’ll use outside help where necessary. You’ll be needing this.’ Tillman handed him a policy book.

  Lambert smirked. Tillman was not renowned for following the rules. When they’d been part of The Group, the majority of the investigations had been so secretive that there was little or no record of them.

  ‘You can laugh, but there is a lot of attention on this so do it right.’

  Lambert left the room, still confused as to the importance given to the case. His team were assembled in the office, studying their laptops and case notes. Kennedy approached. ‘How did it go with Mr Sackville?’

  He relayed the conversation, noticing how intently Kennedy listened, her wide green eyes rarely diverting from his. ‘Shall I get everyone together?’ she asked.

  Lambert nodded.

  It was strange to head up a team after so long. Lambert stood in front of the six-strong team and called for silence. The team stared back at him, their faces a mixture of apathy and curiosity. He told them about his meeting with Sackville.

  ‘What do we have in the way of family members?’ he asked the room in general.

  ‘It’s a weird one, sir,’ said Kennedy. ‘There doesn’t seem to be anyone in the way of immediate family. Both sets of parents have long since passed away. Both Mr and Mrs Sackville are only children. They married twenty-five years ago but are childless.’

  Lambert paused. ‘That might be relevant. Close friends, colleagues?’

  ‘I’ve arranged a meeting with the editor of Sackville’s paper for this morning,’ said Kennedy.

  ‘Good. Let’s find out what he was working on. Get to know his colleagues. What about our victim?’

  A young DC, the newest member of the team, Steve Devlin got to his feet. ‘Mrs Sackville worked as a librarian,’ he said. ‘Dulwich Library. I’m planning to head over there after this, sir.’

  ‘Give that to Kennedy,’ said Lambert, noting the look of disappointment on Devlin’s face. ‘Sackville gave me the name “Prue McKenzie” when we talked. Kennedy, find out who she is. Get her thoughts on what happened. If Sackville’s recollection is correct then we seem to have a killer who’s not scared to take his time. Why did he make Eustace watch?’ asked Lambert, thinking aloud.

  ‘It’s not that uncommon,’ said Kennedy. ‘Could be a power thing. Gets off on having his handiwork observed.’

  ‘Let’s check on The System for any similar cases where someone was forced to witness another’s murder.’

  ‘Why the wrists?’ asked Devlin.

  ‘Good point. The cause of death was two vertical incisions, one to each wrist. The autopsy may give us more. It was a long, slow death. Sackville seemed to think that was the killer’s intention. Again, that might be significant.’

  ‘It’s reminiscent of suicide obviously,’ said Kennedy.

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Lambert. ‘But the most important thing for now is to find out as much detail about Mr and Mrs Sackville. It’s imperative we have some idea of motive.’

  ‘What are you thinking, sir?’ asked Kennedy.

  ‘From what Eustace Sackville told me, we are looking at someone professional. A killer who gained entry into the flat undetected, who had the patience and confidence to stay at the scene as Moira died. This was planned in advanced and Moira wasn’t a random target.’

  Chapter 6

  ‘Kennedy, a word,’ Tillman summoned her in just as the briefing ended. ‘Shut the door.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ said Matilda.

  ‘Sit down.’

  Matilda took a seat opposite her superior. He’d taken his jacket off and his pale blue shirt was tight against his body, as if constraining the flesh within. His head stood atop the widest shoulders she’d ever seen. He was like a prop-forward of a rugby team. Conspicuous muscle covered by a layer of fat.

  ‘Update.’

  ‘Shouldn’t you be speaking to Lambert about that, sir?’ She tilted her head, toying with him, wondering how far she could push.

  Tillman stared straight ahead. ‘As we discussed before, I want you to keep an eye on him. This is the first major case he’s headed since he came back to us. You know his past.’

  Matilda knew some of it. Lambert had been out of the force for the last two years. A few months ago he’d captured a serial killer who’d been active for over twenty years, by all accounts almost single-handed.

  ‘I’m not going to spy on him Glenn, if that’s what you want. Jesus, is that why…’

  Tillman cut her off with a wave of his hand. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous, Kennedy.’ He looked genuinely aggrieved by her comment. They sat opposite each other in awkward silence, Matilda recalling the other evening where they’d both stayed on late at the local bar. Her ludicrous invitation for him to come back to her flat, and his even more ludicrous acceptance.

  ‘I just want you to be mindful,’ he said, breaking the silence. ‘Let me know if he does anything out of the ordinary. He has a habit of doing things his own way. Just keep me updated.’

  ‘Is there anything else, sir?’ said Matilda, standing.

  Tillman rubbed his chin, a bead of sweat dripping from his brow. She wanted to ask him about the other night but it wasn’t the right place or time.

  ‘Shall we save that for another time, Matilda?’

  Matilda nodded and left his office, leaving the door ajar.

  Lambert was still in the office, sitting alone, staring intently at his computer screen, but she knew he’d clocked her leaving Tillman’s office. She walked over, noticing with surprise how fresh he looked despite being up all night waiting for Sackville to come round.

  ‘Kennedy,’ he said.

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘Anything new to tell me?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What’s your next move?’

  ‘I have an address for Prue McKenzie. I’m off to see her. I’m afraid it’ll be one of those visits. She doesn’t know about Moira’s death.’

  Lambert returned his focus to his laptop. ‘Okay, find out as much as you can.’

  ‘Potential enemies, nemesis, that sort of thing. Somebody who’d just been fined for an overdue library book…’ said Matilda, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘Anything like that,’ said Lambert, not looking away from his screen.

  She thought about Lambert as she drove to Dulwich. The rumours and whispers about him we
re legendary within the department, though he seemed to have an uneasy relationship with Tillman. They’d worked an old case together, Lambert rescuing Tillman from a hostage situation which resulted in one of the captors dying. Then there was the Souljacker case where for a time Lambert had been a suspect in a string of killings spanning twenty years.

  More than any of that, there was Lambert’s daughter. Chloe Lambert had died age nine following a road accident when Lambert had been driving. The incident had taken place three years ago and resulted in Lambert being hospitalised, forced into an induced coma. He’d never been prosecuted for his role in the accident but the unkind whispers remained that somehow he was to blame.

  Prue McKenzie lived in a semi-detached house close to Dulwich Park. Matilda pulled the car over two houses down. She knew nothing about the woman she was about to meet. As Moira Sackville had no immediate family, except for her husband, McKenzie would be the first person aside from the assigned professionals to learn of her death.

  Matilda’s shoes crunched on the loose stones of McKenzie’s driveway. A light blue BMW with this year’s licence plate took centre stage, polished to perfection. Matilda stood by the front door, took in a deep breath and rang the doorbell. She hated these types of visits, the reaction she would receive was unpredictable but never pleasant.

  A thin, wiry woman in her mid-sixties opened the door and smiled at Matilda.

  ‘Prue McKenzie?’

  ‘Yes,’ said the woman, surprising Matilda with the deepness of her voice.

  ‘Detective Sergeant Matilda Kennedy, please may I come in?’

  The initial jovial welcome vanished in an instant, the woman’s calm appearance fading into a look of panic and dismay.

  ‘Is it Jeffrey? Dear God, tell me what’s happened. It’s not one of the children?’ The woman’s deep voice had been replaced by a high pitched squeal close to hysteria.

  ‘Let’s go inside Mrs McKenzie. It’s about your friend Moira Sackville.’ Matilda put her hand on the woman, whose body trembled.

  ‘Moira? What’s happened?’

  ‘Let’s go in.’ She followed the woman into the immaculate space of her house. All gleaming polished wood floors, and white walls adorned with original paintings. Mrs McKenzie led her through to a large living room. Two patterned sofas sat next to each other, creating an L shape.

  ‘Please take a seat, Mrs McKenzie.’

  The woman slumped in a chair like an unruly teenager.

  ‘I’m afraid Mrs Sackville died last night in her apartment.’

  McKenzie’s face drained of colour. ‘Died,’ she said, her voice a whisper. ‘How? You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t serious.’

  ‘I’m afraid we’re treating her death as suspicious,’ said Matilda, sitting down next to the woman.

  ‘Eustace?’

  ‘Mr Sackville is fine, though he has received some injuries.’

  The woman murmured, placing her hand to her mouth. ‘Injuries? Oh my God, she was murdered?’ Her shaking intensified.

  Matilda placed her hands on the woman’s shoulders, trying to calm her.

  ‘Can I get you a drink of water?’

  The woman shook her head. ‘Please, tell me what happened.’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t go into too much detail,’ said Matilda, remembering the strict instructions she’d received from Tillman about not disclosing the nature of the murder.

  ‘In other words, she’s been murdered,’ said McKenzie.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Matilda. ‘Please let me get you a drink.’

  The woman nodded towards a door. Matilda found a glass beaker in a kitchen twice the size of her flat. She let the tap run, trying to calm her own trembling hands. She returned to the woman. ‘Here you go, drink this. May I call you Prue?’

  The woman, drinking in large gulping noises, nodded.

  ‘Thanks, Prue. I need to ask you some questions. I’ll try not to take too long. I understand you were very close to Mrs Sackville.’

  The woman smiled. ‘We were like sisters,’ she said. ‘Didn’t have any other family, you see. It was just her and Eustace. They called each other orphans. Both sets of parents had died before they met each other at university. They found each other and have been together ever since. She couldn’t have children so it’s just been them, and me.’

  ‘You met Mrs Sackville at university?’

  ‘Yes, we were both studying English together. She’s a librarian.’ She went to correct the tense and Matilda placed her hand on her shoulder again.

  ‘Is there anyone I can call for you?’ asked Matilda.

  ‘It’s okay, I’ll call Jeffrey in a minute. What else do you need to know?’ Matilda was impressed by the woman’s change of tone, how she attempted to delay her own grief so she could help.

  ‘I just need to know some more details about Mrs Sackville… Moira. We don’t know much about her at the moment. Her husband is still in hospital.’

  ‘My God, is it serious?’

  ‘No, he will be okay.’

  ‘I need to visit him, is that possible?’

  Matilda wrote down the address and ward number where Eustace was staying. ‘You may want to leave it until this evening as he’s still a bit drowsy.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘What can you tell me about Moira? What sort of person was she?’

  ‘She was such a lovely woman. She’d do anything for you. I do a lot of charity work and Moira was always there to help, baking cakes, attending functions, always giving me as much support as possible. She was one of those people, you know, you could tell anything to.’

  ‘I imagine it sounds a crazy question, but did she have any enemies? Anyone who’d want to hurt her?’

  Prue laughed – a short, sharp snort, a mirthless sound. ‘She was a librarian, enemies didn’t normally come with the territory. Though even in small places like that there’s politics, hierarchies, that sort of thing. She used to tell me about the pedantic people who worked there. Not all of them, mind you, just one or two. Some of the council staff who paid visits, the mad bureaucracy. She hated all those aspects. All she cared about were the books. I think that’s why she got on so well with Eustace. They both loved words.’

  ‘So she never told you of any trouble? Where she felt under physical threat?’

  ‘God no. Just petty things. No one would want to harm her, why would they?’

  ‘What about Eustace? Did you get on well with him?’

  ‘He’s a nice enough guy. I haven’t really been able to socialise much with him despite him being married to my best friend. He was, he is, how should I put it … awkward in the sort of social situations we move in.’

  The comment was meant to be harmless, throwaway, but Matilda saw a glimpse of the real Prue McKenzie in her words.

  ‘In what way, awkward?’ she asked.

  ‘My husband is a QC, you know, a barrister.’

  Matilda nodded.

  ‘So a lot of our friends are, how shall we say, from the higher echelons of society. Moira could deal with that side of things, her family were well-to-do and she was left a lot of money. Eustace doesn’t come from that sort of world and he didn’t really try to blend in.’

  ‘In what way? Was he just quiet during functions, that sort of thing?’

  ‘Yes that and, it’s sounds ludicrous, but he never put any effort into his appearance. Moira was fed up with it but she was sort of resigned.’

  ‘Would you say they had a happy marriage?’

  ‘I suppose so, but dynamics change over the years. You’ll find that when you reach our age.’

  Matilda didn’t need to reach any age to understand that. ‘Do you think Eustace could have had any enemies?’

  ‘It’s possible, given the sort of world he moved in – investigating criminals and whatnot. I didn’t really know much about his work and Moira didn’t like to share. Why do you ask?’

  ‘It’s only our first day of our investigation, we’re just looking at all
avenues at the moment.’

  The woman seemed to have regained full composure, as if the death of her closest friend was a mere shock to the system which she’d already overcome. Matilda could tell she had something further to say, but rather than ask, she waited. The painful silence was alleviated by the ticking of the antique grandfather clock and the distant sounds of builders working on the nearest loft conversion.

  ‘There was one thing,’ said McKenzie, with false reluctance, like a classic gossip. ‘I can’t believe I’m telling you this but it will come out at some point. Moira was seeing somebody. You didn’t get this information from me but it was one of the barristers at my husband’s chambers, Charles Robinson. He’s quite dashing and they met at one of my get-togethers.’

  ‘How long was this going on?’

  ‘Five years.’

  Matilda sat back in the sofa, trying to control the wave of adrenaline that had come over her.

  ‘Charles wouldn’t hurt anybody, though’

  Matilda sensed there was more. ‘Tell me about them.’

  Prue made a strange face as if sucking on a sour sweet. Matilda knew the woman couldn’t help herself. ‘Moira told me some things about him, you know, sexual things.’

  Matilda’s heart raced, desperate for the information, thinking she may have made a breakthrough so early in the case. ‘What sort of things?’ she asked, keeping her tone neutral.

  ‘Let’s just say he did things Eustace wouldn’t do. I don’t know what the term is… S and M? I asked her to stop telling me after a time, I couldn’t look Charles in the face.’

  Matilda tried not to snigger at the sourness spreading across the woman’s face. ‘It would be helpful if you can give me some more details,’ she said, gently. ‘It could really help us.’

  ‘I used to drown her out when she’d tell me things but he used to tie her up. I don’t think it was anything too serious but she was always on about ropes and ties and what have you. Once she even mentioned he’d bought a pair of handcuffs.’

  Chapter 7

  Lambert alighted from the DLR at Canary Wharf station. Towering glass structures surrounded him on every side as he walked by the river. Kennedy had called him whilst he’d been on the train but he’d yet to check his voicemail. He was still suspicious of her earlier meeting with Tillman. There was something in the way she’d left Tillman’s office which had annoyed him. If the meeting had to do with anything about the case then Lambert should have been informed. It wasn’t proper protocol and Lambert had a distinct feeling that he wasn’t yet fully trusted by his old colleague and superior, Tillman.