A Soldier's Honour Box Set 2 (Sgt Major Crane crime thrillers Box Set)

by Wendy Cartmell

  The CO finished his walk about at Crane’s chair. Looming over him, he continued his speech. “Three - I could leave you be. Let you stay here in Aldershot. That would probably be best for your family. Best for Tina. Means you can go home every night. Watch little Daniel grow up. Help Tina with her post-natal depression. Yes, under the present circumstances, that would probably be the best all round. What do you think?

  “Yes, it would, Sir.”

  “Good, glad you agree.” A wide smile lit up his face and he patted Crane on the shoulder, nodding to himself.

  The CO returned to the chair behind his desk, his benign expression hardening. He leaned over the desk towards Crane.

  “But I have a little problem with that scenario. You see, Crane, I need someone here in Aldershot who will toe the line, obey orders. To put it bluntly, do as he is told. And I’m not sure you’re the man for that particular job. At least that’s the impression I get from Captain Edwards. What do you think? Are you the right man to stay in Aldershot, Crane?”

  Crane managed a very definite, “Yes, Sir. I am the right man for the job here in Aldershot.”

  The CO nodded his head slowly. “And you feel you can work with Captain Edwards? Obey his orders? Support him, as is expected of his Warrant Officer?”

  Crane took a deep breath and said, “Yes, Sir. I can most definitely work with Captain Edwards and obey his orders, to the letter.”

  “Good, glad you agree. Dismissed.”

  Crane marched out of the CO’s office, ramrod straight. He closed the door behind him, nodded to the Adjutant and made his way outside. Once in the car park, he lit a cigarette with shaking fingers and slumped against the wall, drained and exhausted. Yet still determined to find a way around the huge wall of silence his superiors were building.

  Chapter 26

  For two days now, Tina had been building her own wall of icy silence. A thaw was probably due, Crane reasoned, as he arrived home after work that night. At least he hoped it was and he wearily grabbed his briefcase off the back seat, locked the car and went indoors.

  Tina was on the settee with Daniel and playing with their child facilitated a cessation of hostilities. Once dinner had been eaten, they settled in the living room with cups of coffee. As Tina surfed the television channels trying to find something to watch, Crane thought he would try and find some common ground between them.

  “I was called into the CO today,” he said, aiming for casual conversation, but, of course, any mention of the CO immediately made it a serious subject.

  “The CO,” Tina exclaimed. “What on earth did he want?”

  “The same thing as you, really. He effectively ordered me to stop investigating the Carol Newton Case.”

  “And if you don’t?”

  “If I don’t, I could find myself posted somewhere else. A move none of us would like, I can guarantee that.”

  “Let me get this right,” Tina swung her legs off the settee, sitting up and taking notice. “He threatened to post you away?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Where to?”

  “Afghanistan, or maybe Cyprus. It doesn’t really matter where.”

  “But it would be somewhere Daniel and I couldn’t go.”

  “Yep.” Crane nodded to reinforce the point.

  “So you’re going to have to obey orders.” Tina paused, looking at his set face. “You are, aren’t you, Tom? For God’s sake! Think about it. You can’t leave me now,” the panic was building in Tina’s voice. “I know I’m getting better, but still ...”

  “Tina, you are better,” Crane interrupted.

  “Alright, I know I’m better, but any little thing could set me off. Tumble me down into that black depression again. And I’m afraid of that, Tom, I don’t want to go there again. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to be left on my own yet.”

  Crane moved over to join his wife. Sitting next to her and holding her hand he said, “Look, love, you are strong enough now. Look how far you’ve come. It’s just your own fear holding you back now, you do know that.”

  Tina bowed her head, allowing her shining curtain of dark hair to cover her face.

  “The doctor is pleased with you and you’re gradually coming off the tablets, so let’s not use your depression as an excuse to stop us doing something.”

  “Stop us,” Tina’s head jerked up. “Stop us,” she repeated. “Stop you, you mean. It mustn’t impact on your precious bloody job or your career.”

  “Hey, hey, stop it. That’s irrational and you know it. Let’s talk about this sensibly, please, love. My precious job and career, as you put it, houses us, puts food on the table and clothes on our backs and will give us a generous pension when I retire.”

  After a pause, she said, “I think you’re forgetting something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You can’t investigate the case if you are posted away, Tom. So either way, you’re screwed.”

  Crane stood and went over to get his coffee. After taking a gulp, he said, “I know, Tina. That’s what I’ve been struggling with.” He walked over to the window, parting the curtain slightly and looking out for a moment. Letting the curtain fall, he turned back to her and said, “The trouble is, I’m an investigator, Tina. An Army detective. I can’t just look the other way when an injustice is being done. When the man who has killed one, maybe two women, might get away with it, just because some high ranking officers don’t want to be exposed as manipulators and liars.”

  “I do understand, Tom, but how do you get around them?”

  “That’s the trouble, I don’t know. I feel morally compelled to expose them and their dirty secrets. I’m used to being able to cut across the chain of command. Investigate who and whatever I want. I’ve never been stone walled like this before.”

  Tina walked over to him, putting her arms around him. As Crane relaxed he said, “I’ve got to be incorruptible, Tina. Otherwise I’m no better than they are.”

  “You’ll find a way, Tom. You always do,” she whispered and pulled him close. “Just be careful. It’s not just your life you impact anymore, not now we’ve got Daniel.”

  Pulling back slightly, he kissed her then drew away. Nodding at her, he then left the room, collected his case from near the door and went to his office cum bedroom. Once there, he pulled out of his case the copies he had made of the SIB files on the two murders, glad that although everything was logged onto the REDCAP computer system, the SIB also kept their precious paper files to work with on a day to day basis. He also got out a copy he had made of the Aldershot Police file and placed them both in the bottom drawer of his desk, locking it and pocketing the key. He’d need those files to help him find a way through the cordon of lies being woven to protect a former sniper, together with still serving, and retired, high ranking officers. Until then, he’d do as they ask, stay put and shut up.

  Chapter 27

  “Morning, Crane.”

  Crane choked on his cigarette smoke as he recognised again the voice pouring out of his mobile phone.

  “What the hell do you want, this time, Foster?”

  “Why so hostile, Crane? What have I done to deserve that?”

  “Oh, nothing, really, I suppose, just threatened my family for starters,” Crane’s sarcasm was sharp enough to cut.

  “I don’t believe I threatened. If I remember rightly, we just talked about how you would feel if you lost them.”

  Just the thought of that was enough to knock the breath out of Crane. A low blow. Once again Foster was riling him and he forced himself to swallow his anger. Anger wouldn’t achieve anything and maybe he could get some clues as to where Foster was if he listened carefully. He wondered about trying to get a trace on the call, but decided he’d never make it in time - that would involve racing back to the office whilst still on the phone, getting Billy to call Anderson on the other line and for the DI to ring the police surveillance unit. Not a hope in hell that he’d make it, so he settled back against the wall to
hear what Foster wanted.

  “It would feel just like you’d had a dagger plunged into your heart, wouldn’t it?” Foster went on. “A kind of living hell, much better than killing you, I think.”

  “You seem very attached to your dagger, don’t you, Foster?” Crane said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well killing Carol Newton and then Mel Green with a dagger in the heart.”

  “Alleged killing, Crane, remember, nothing’s been proven.”

  “Yet.”

  “What? What did you say? I hope you’re not threatening me, Crane. That would make me very angry and you wouldn’t like what I do when I’m angry.”

  “Oh, you mean taking out your anger on vulnerable women you mean? Makes you feel like a man, does it? Killing unarmed women, who can’t fight back?”

  ***

  Tina emerged from their Army quarter clattering the pushchair over the lintel of the door and down the two small steps. After carefully locking the door behind her, she took a deep breath, looked around and then walked down the street. Daniel was a vision in blue again today, courtesy of his doting grandmother, who they were meeting in town for lunch.

  Tina was still anxious about the safety of her and Daniel, but Tom had promised her the investigation into Barry Foster had been terminated and it was ‘business as usual’ in Provost Barracks. She stopped for a moment to tidy her hair and adjusted her hair clip, before walking on, pushing Daniel in his buggy, enjoying the crisp winter air and sunshine.

  ***

  “Tina’s looking good today,” Foster changed the subject, returning once more to taunting Crane. “Those jeans are pretty sexy. I love that thin skinny jeans look, on the right person that is, don’t you, Crane?”

  Crane nearly dropped the phone in shock, having seen Tina pulling the jeans on this morning and parading herself in front of him. She was proud of the fact she had lost most of the weight she had put on from her pregnancy and had been revelling in her new figure and her new purchase.

  “You bastard,” Crane hissed, “where the hell are you?” He looked around the car park, half expecting to see Foster sitting in a parked car, but then realised he must be following Tina today, not watching Crane.

  “You sick prick, leave my family alone!” Crane shouted.

  “I fully intend to, Crane, as long as you remember your orders and leave me alone. Oh, look, it seems that Tina and Daniel are going into town today, at least that’s the way they’re heading. I wonder who she’s meeting?”

  Crane knew exactly what Tina and Daniel were doing today, but, with a great deal of effort, kept his mouth shut.

  ***

  Tina stopped at the pedestrian crossing, needing to cross the road and go to the Royal Mail collections centre at the bottom of Victoria Road. She’d ordered a couple of parenting books on-line and then she hadn’t been in when they’d been delivered. Once over the road and as she approached the library, Daniel decided he’d had enough of being in his pushchair and started to grizzle and bounce backwards and forwards against his safety straps. She pulled the buggy into the clear space by the library entrance and delved in her bag for a cup of juice.

  Hopefully that should satisfy him for a bit, she thought, as she bent over Daniel with the drink in her hand. She glanced back over her shoulder as Daniel grabbed the cup and began drinking noisily. No one was there, but she had a chill down her spine, as though she was being watched. Telling herself not to be so stupid helped and she smiled down at Daniel, who was waving his cup about, spraying juice all over the place.

  ***

  “Daniel is very cute, Crane. He has your looks and colouring don’t you think? That black curly hair is certainly distinctive. No wonder you have yours cropped so short. It would be a nightmare if left to grow. I can just imagine you with your lily white skin and afro hair,” and Foster laughed. “It seems Daniel is a bit grizzly today,” he continued. “He’s waving his juice cup around and managing to cover himself with it. Oops, he just sprayed Tina. She doesn’t seem to mind though, Crane. She’s laughing. It would be a tragedy if Daniel wasn’t able to fulfil his potential, wouldn’t it, Crane? Who knows what he might become? He might even follow his father into the Army.”

  “If you touch just one hair on his head,” Crane snarled, “I’ll kill you with my bare hands. Shooting you would be too good for you. I’d want to make you suffer.”

  “You mean you wouldn’t turn me in? That’s what you’d have to do, you know, being one of the Branch. There would be no personal satisfaction for you, from killing me, I’m afraid. You’d have to do your duty.”

  Foster was right, of course, but that didn’t help to dissipate Crane’s anger, it just infuriated him further.

  ***

  Tina shook off the drops of juice, but couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched. She rounded the corner and picked up her pace, as though trying to outrun an invisible presence. She knew it was unlikely anyone was watching her, or following her, but the thought that someone may be, refuelled her anger against Tom. She couldn’t believe it had taken two days of the silent treatment from her, before he cracked and agreed to stop the investigation into Barry Foster. She didn’t know if the security team were still in the house opposite. She presumed they had been taken off the job, but with Tom, well, no one ever really knew what he was up to. He’d gone on and on about the bloody RMP motto which he must uphold, but in the end he’d had to cave in to the pressure from his CO and Tina. She didn’t often agree with the Army, but this time she bloody did.

  She knew it was only a matter of time before he did something to blow the case wide open again, though. She knew her husband well enough to believe he would find a way around his orders.

  Arriving at the collections office, she double checked the people in the street: an elderly man with a walking stick, another mother and her son and a soldier. Tina did a double take at the soldier, but it didn’t seem to be Foster. This man had ginger hair and seemed shorter and fatter than she remembered Foster to be. She then looked into the collections office. There was a wide white counter, devoid of anything on it, or anyone behind it. She manoeuvred the push chair inside and rang the bell for assistance.

  ***

  Crane knew he should end the call and ring Tina, but he remained mesmerised by Foster’s audacity at ringing him. He could hear Foster was on the move, the sound of his boots clip clopping on the pavement.

  “What the hell are you up to, you piece of shit,” Crane said.

  “Just making sure Tina and Daniel are being attended to in the collections office. Ah, here we are, Crane. Would you like to speak to your wife?”

  “What?” Crane managed.

  He pressed the phone closer to his ear as he heard Foster say, “Good morning, Mrs Crane. How are you and Daniel today?”

  If Foster said anything else, Crane couldn’t hear it as the sound of Tina’s screaming streamed out of the phone and slammed into his ear.

  ***

  By the time Crane arrived at the collection centre, having ignored both the speed limit and the traffic lights along Queens Avenue, the police were there. Someone must have called 999 in response to Tina’s screams, he reasoned. Pushing a couple of constables out of the way, Crane reached for her, ignoring the fact she was talking to a police constable.

  “Are you and Daniel alright?” he asked, although he could see that Daniel was fine, as he was happily trying to pull a WPC’s hat off her head.

  Tina nodded against his chest, then reached up and whispered in his ear, “Just catch the bastard, Tom. I was wrong and you were right. Do whatever it takes to find him and stop him.”

  Chapter 28

  “Harry? Tom Crane, here from Aldershot.”

  “Hey, Crane. How are things? I haven’t heard from you since I covered the Olympic athletes training on Aldershot Garrison. What a time that was! Talk about giving the press lots of things to write about. My editor here at the Daily Record was beside himself with glee. We got pages a
nd pages of copy out of it. Who’d have thought such things could happen on a quiet Army garrison. Terrorists, suicide bombers...”

  “Yes, thanks, Harry, I remember it well.” Crane interrupted Harry’s recounting of the events during the summer.

  “Bet you do, you lived it, I just reported on it. Anyway, what can I do for my favourite Army investigator?”

  “I might just have a story for you, Harry.”

  “What? More killings on the garrison? The gorier the better for our readers, Crane.”

  Ignoring the taunt, Crane said, “Killings, yes, but not on the garrison. A couple of Army wives have been killed and we think the same person did it. But that’s not the whole story ...” and Crane went on to fill-in Harry Poole in on the delicate situation he found himself in. Crane was hoping a journalist from a national daily newspaper would be able to cut through the cordon of lies the Army had wrapped the truth in.

  Harry Poole had been on the garrison the whole time the athletes were there during their training for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Crane had got to know him quite well. Even though Crane normally kept well away from the press, especially investigative reporters, he had found a sense of camaraderie with Harry. Probably because the man was ex-services himself. Alright he was from the RAF, but still, beggars couldn’t be choosers and let’s face it, Harry was the only real press contact Crane had. But Crane had also decided to contact Harry for another reason. Before joining the Daily Record, he had been responsible for a couple of ground breaking investigations, when he had lifted the lid on corruption in the Government. So Crane was hoping he would be interested in an Army cover up.

  After listening to Crane’s story, Harry responded, “Well it sounds very interesting, Crane, but you haven’t really got anything to go on. Even your so called whistle-blower isn’t willing to go on record yet. And the wife’s husband, Jack Newton, he’s not likely to be a credible witness unless you can find others to corroborate his statement. I can’t just start an investigation without some hook to persuade my Editor it’s a good use of my time.”