“Go on.”
“He was an associate of Ray Fallon’s. Apparently they were pretty close at one time.”
“Ray Fallon is dead, Ruth, as well you know.”
“I thought you might have a word with Marilyn, see if she remembers Erskine. If she does, she’ll help you. I’d say Marilyn Fallon is someone who’s not afraid of anything or anyone.”
* * *
Alice followed Julian Batho into his lab.
“I’m afraid we’ve been pushed for time,” he said. “I’m working flat out on what we have. It’s labour intensive work going through the rubbish from the first site. The fragment of flesh found at the second site is being tested as we speak, but it’ll take time to get the DNA results through.”
Alice winced. At least Kelly Donald had put up a fight. Just thinking about what those women must have gone through made her feel sick. Alice felt sorry for Julian. He looked very sombre. She knew a little of the story of him and DC Imogen Goode. They would have been married now if she hadn’t been brutally murdered. Julian had never really gotten over it. He coped with his grief by working himself into the ground.
“Did you find anything else of interest on the second body?”
He shook his head. “Apart from the pregnancy, nothing.”
“I’ll leave you to it. I’ll just have a word with Doc Hoyle and then I can call it a day.”
But it was proving difficult to find him. She wanted to speak to him about the contact lens, the evidence that had gone missing at the time of the Norbury case. She’d phoned his house, but he wasn’t home, nor was he at the surgery where he worked part time. She decided to try the hospital.
Leesdon Infirmary was still very busy. A number of the folk who’d taken the new drugs had had bad reactions. Doc Hoyle was there, but in A&E, and up to his eyes in it.
“Can I have a word?” Alice asked.
“It’ll have to be quick. We have an ambulance on the way in from a road traffic accident.”
“Do you remember the Norbury case? It was twenty years ago, and a woman was horrifically murdered.”
“I’ve dealt with hundreds of murders over the years, but I do vaguely remember that one. Tom talked about it recently. It was back in the days before the Duggan. There isn’t a lot I can tell you off the top of my head, particularly at the moment. Look, when I get home later, I’ll dig out my notes and ring you. Why are you interested? Is it the current killings?”
“Yes. They are like that one in every detail. What I’m interested in is any anomalies you may have made a note of.”
“Okay then. We’ll speak later.”
It was something at least. Alice thanked him.
Chapter 37
Calladine phoned the prison in West Yorkshire where Marilyn Fallon was being held and arranged to see her urgently.
“It’ll take me about an hour to get there,” he told the team. He checked his watch. “Traffic’ll be bad on the way home, but I should make it before six. I’ll give you the feedback then.” He noticed Alice’s empty desk. “Where is she?”
“Doing some research,” said Ruth. “She went to have a chat with Julian and then she was going to talk to Doc Hoyle about the contact lens that went missing.”
“Fine,” said Calladine. “You two carry on with the research into Erskine. I find it hard to believe that there’s nothing at all.”
“Well, I’ve looked thoroughly,” Ruth said. “He’s been very careful not to leave a trail. No social media, no marriage, no mentions in the papers — nothing.”
It was down to Marilyn Fallon then, and whatever she could tell him about friend Erskine. She might not be pleased to see him. Calladine had told her he’d visit regularly, but he hadn’t kept his promise. She could be forgiven for being put out. But then again, he had taken on her dog, Sam. He’d become so fond of the mutt that he’d almost forgotten it once belonged to Marilyn and Ray. Marilyn had doted on that dog. He had plenty of photos on his mobile, so hopefully a look at them and she’d soften pretty soon.
As he drove, Calladine tried to work out what might have brought Ray and Erskine together. If it had been villainy, why had Erskine walked away scot free? Yet another piece of the puzzle he needed to fit in.
* * *
The female guard ignored his greeting. “We’d have appreciated a little more notice. Marilyn’s a quiet woman, keeps herself to herself. She was in two minds whether to see you or not. On the other hand, she doesn’t get many visitors. This might do her good.”
Calladine was shown into a small visitor’s room, where Marilyn Fallon sat alone at a table.
“Tom! You came — finally.”
She looked gaunt and pale, nothing like her old self. The Marilyn he remembered always looked as if she’d just been to the hairdresser. Perfect make-up and designer clothes were her thing. This woman looked her age. She was stooped, as if she carried all the cares of the world on her shoulders.
“Sorry, Marilyn. Work. You know how it is.”
“I know how you are.” She smiled. “How is my Sam? I hope you’re taking good care of him?”
“He wants for nothing. I have a new woman in my life — Layla. She dotes on him as much as you used to. He spends a lot of time with her when I’m at work.” He took out his mobile and showed her the images. “That’s Layla with Sam. See how they are together.”
He handed her the phone and watched as she scrolled through the pictures. A smile lit up her face.
“Another dog lover, like that lovely Lydia you used to go out with.”
Calladine wondered if Marilyn knew that Ray had had Lydia killed. Well, he wouldn’t push it. It was history now.
“Thank you for taking care of Sam. He was the one thing I could rely on in those days.” She sighed and handed back the phone. “So what do you want? I’m not stupid enough to believe that you’ve just come to say hello.”
“I’ve come to ask you about an old friend of Ray’s.”
“Not so loud, Tom. The women in here know what I did. I’ve had a lot of trouble, and I don’t want it all dragging up again. I’ve been beaten up twice, you know.”
Calladine was puzzled. “They won’t even have known Ray!”
“He was a gangster. Plenty of the women in here have menfolk who knew him. Believe me, my name was mud for a long time. I did kill him, or have you forgotten?”
He hadn’t. “Granted, it wasn’t all that clever, but nonetheless it was very brave of you.”
“Brave? Stupid, more like. He was on remand and I poisoned him. I should have thought it through. I don’t know what possessed me.”
“You’d had enough, simple as that.”
“Anyway, how can I help?”
“Do you remember a man called Miles Erskine?” Calladine asked.
Marilyn laughed. “Erskine. He’s trouble, I remember that. I dislike that man intensely. He’s a creep, even Ray said so. They did some business together from time to time. Ray tolerated him, said he was useful, but he didn’t trust him one inch. He always reckoned that one day, Miles would drop him in it.”
“So, Erskine is a villain?”
“Oh yes. Very low-key. Works quietly in the shadows, has that businessman front so no one suspects him. But Erskine’s a crook through and through.”
“Has he ever killed anyone?” Calladine was thinking about the murders.
“Possibly, but you’ll never prove it. He keeps his hands spotless. Then, of course, there’s his ace in the hole.” Marilyn smiled knowingly.
“What do you mean?”
“His partner.”
Calladine stared at her. “We’ve done our research, and we can’t find a single trace of a wife or any other woman in his life.”
“You won’t. He isn’t married, and his long-term partner is a man.”
Calladine wasn’t expecting that. “Erskine is gay?”
“Yes, which is why Ray didn’t like him.” She laughed. “You know what Ray was like, didn’t understand anything different from what he called
‘normal.’”
“I don’t understand. I had no idea that Erskine was gay.”
“You didn’t need to. You didn’t know Erskine back then, but you did know his partner. He was in CID, same as you. He wouldn’t have wanted you to know he was in a same-sex relationship, and particularly not with Erskine. No reason you should.”
“Who is this partner?”
“I don’t have a proper name. But you must know him, Tom. Ray got his nickname from you. You called him ‘Angry’ — remember? He had a short fuse. Nothing was ever right. He blamed everyone but himself when things went wrong. He got on everyone’s nerves, particularly yours. The reason you transferred from Oldston to Leesdon was partly because of him.”
“Angry?” Gradually it began to come back to him. He’d completely forgotten. He could have kicked himself. He knew very well who Marilyn was talking about. If she was right, then they had a serious problem on their hands. “Are you sure?”
“They’ve been together for years. Whoever he is, he still holds a top position. He must do, he’s saved Erskine’s bacon on more than one occasion. Erskine used to piss Ray off, always boasting about his pet policeman. He said Ray had one of his own in the family, and was an idiot for not taking advantage of it.”
Calladine felt sick. This was much worse than he’d imagined. “I need to go.” He leaned across the table and kissed her cheek. “You’ve helped a lot, Marilyn. Thank you.”
Chapter 38
It was gone six p.m. when Calladine got back to the nick, but the team were still there, all busy working.
Ruth looked up from her desk. “I hope you’ve got more than we have.”
Calladine nodded. “Marilyn was a great help. She told me stuff I never knew, and reminded me of things I’d completely forgotten. First off, Miles Erskine is gay. I wasn’t aware of that because Ray never told me, and I didn’t know Erskine back then. What’s more important though, is that his long-term partner is a member of the force. Over the years, he’s helped Erskine escape justice numerous times.”
The team looked shocked. “Do we know him?” Ruth asked.
“Yes, we do. But for the time being, I don’t want to say anything. It’s sensitive information, and I need cast-iron proof before I start throwing accusations about.”
“You think Erskine is responsible for what? The drugs, the kidnapping? The murders too?” Ruth said.
“Given that he’s being shielded, and has always had someone to watch his back, that’s a strong possibility. We do have that phone number. It connects the drugs to the murders.”
“Do you have any idea in what way Erskine was protected?” Ruth asked. “Alice asked Doc Hoyle about the lens, and he’s going to check his records when he gets home. That could be a case in point.”
“If our killer is Erskine,” Rocco said, “then whoever took the lens could be your mysterious member of the police force.”
Calladine nodded. “That’s what I was thinking.”
“Do we have enough to tackle Erskine about any of this?” Rocco asked.
“No. A few short texts that said very little. Besides, we’ve already tried that, Rocco. We need Newton to talk to us. Is he still in the cells?” Calladine asked.
“Yep, shouting his head off and making a thorough nuisance of himself.” Rocco grinned.
“Alenka Plesec was only able to give me part of the registration number of the merc that was seen on the Hobfield,” said Ruth. “It’s MTE. Erskine’s initials?”
“Again, not enough. Driving through the Hobfield Estate is not a crime,” Calladine said. “I’ll go and have another chat with Newton. See if I can talk some sense into him.”
“Want me to come?” asked Ruth.
Calladine shook his head. “No. Hope you hadn’t forgotten that we’re going out tonight. Get off home and get ready. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
“Enjoy!” Rocco said with a smirk.
“According to the boss, it’s work.” Ruth smiled. “We’re going hobnobbing with the great and good of Leesworth. See what we can find out.”
* * *
“We’ve had Joanna Fox in for questioning,” Calladine began. “You must know her. She’s close to Erskine. He got her a solicitor, but that was about it. Think about it. You all work for Erskine, obey his every word, but when it comes down to it, he doesn’t give a stuff what happens to you.”
Danny ‘Newt’ Newton looked at the floor. “Who’s Erskine?”
“Still pretending you don’t know him, eh?” Calladine smiled. “You’re trying my patience, Danny. Your mate saw sense. Now things’ll go easier for him.” Newt looked up. “He’s not afraid. He’s quite safe. No one can get to him.”
Newt grunted. “No one’s safe. What did Flake tell you anyway?”
“The truth. He told us about the man in the big car you’re always meeting up with. We now have its registration number.”
Newton’s eyes blazed with anger. “You’re lying! Flake knows nowt. You know nowt either.”
“Tell us about Erskine. What you did for him. I don’t understand why you’re so loyal to the man. If things were the other way round, he’d throw you to the wolves.”
Newton stared back at him, silent, a sullen expression on his face.
“Okay, have it your way. I’ve got to go. There’s an event on tonight. Erskine’ll be there. Shall I say hello from you?” Calladine stood up.
“When do I get out? You can’t keep me here much longer. I know my rights.”
“There’s no rush, Danny. You’ll be with us for a while yet. Those workers you used, they identified you from the photo we showed them.”
* * *
“I don’t understand why he won’t talk to us, guv,” Rocco said, frowning.
“That’s down to Erskine and his reputation. Newton believes that if he talks, he’s a dead man.”
“This do tonight. Will Erskine be there?” Rocco asked.
“I hope so, Rocco. I hope he takes his partner along too. I can’t wait to see his face.” Calladine and Rocco went into the office to find Alice back at her desk.
“Sir!” Alice called. “I’m here because the doc got back. He’s emailing you a copy of his own log entry for the evidence thing. There was a contact lens found on one of the bodies, but it didn’t belong to the victim. It was bagged up and placed in the evidence store ready for DNA testing. But it disappeared.”
Calladine remembered the altered entry she’d shown him. “Have the tech boys been able to do anything with the one in the original log?”
“No,” she said. “The paper was too worn.”
“The doc is absolutely certain about what he told you?”
“Yes. There was quite a stink about it at the time. DCI Boyd was taken to task. The doc says it was eventually decided that the bag containing the lens was lost in transit between the lab and the evidence store.”
Calladine doubted that. After what Marilyn Fallon had told him earlier, he had a good idea who had taken the lens, and why.
“Okay, Alice, good work. Get off home now.”
“If it’s okay, sir, I’ll stay a bit longer. I want to write up my report on what the doc told me.”
“Not too late, mind.” He smiled at her. Alice was keen. Calladine liked that. She was shaping up to be a really useful member of the team.
He sat at Ruth’s desk and stared at the incident board. Miles Erskine was their main suspect. They knew he was responsible for the drugs, but could they prove it? There were a dozen or more texts on Eve’s phone but all of them short, a few words only. They had discussed the details in person. The fact that Erskine worked with someone who was party to his kidnap might not hold up either. Joanna Fox hadn’t denied her involvement, but had insisted she’d been coerced by persons unknown. Then there were the murders, including the one that Norbury had been imprisoned for. If Erskine was the killer, why wait all these years? Serial murderers didn’t kill in fits and starts like this one. One murder twenty years ago and two recentl
y — that didn’t fit any pattern Calladine had ever heard of.
He stood up. He was doing no good here. He should go home and get ready. A good lawyer would make mincemeat out of what they had. They needed a lot more.
Chapter 39
Alice was busy at her desk with the office lights dimmed. She heard the door open and looked up. Superintendent Ford was standing in the entrance. He was wearing a dark suit and a bowtie, obviously dressed to go out for the evening.
“Can I help you, sir?” Alice was nervous. She hadn’t spoken to him before.
“Calladine?”
“He’s gone now, sir.” Alice didn’t say where. She wasn’t sure why, but something stopped her.
“How is the case progressing?”
“The drugs side of things is going well. With regard to the murders, we have forensic evidence being analysed which should give us a name for whoever killed the two women.”
“Forensic evidence?”
He sounded surprised. Alice stared at him. Wasn’t that their job? What did he think they did all day? “Yes, sir, taken from the second body.”
“How did that happen? I was told the killer was careful not to leave a single trace.”
Did he sound angry? No, that couldn’t be right.
“Not this time, sir,” she said. “Our second victim fought back. She bit him. There was evidence between her teeth.”
Ford was staring at her. His lips moved. Alice got the distinct impression that he was struggling to frame a question.
“This evidence will all be at the Duggan, I expect. In the safekeeping of Professor Batho?”
“Yes, sir. The professor is working flat out in order to get the results quickly. He’s aware of how important it is.”
“Good. The team’s hard work should yield fruit very soon in that case. I’ll leave you to it. There is somewhere I have to be.” He turned and strode away.
Alice didn’t know what to make of the conversation. But one thing she did know — she didn’t like the man. She retrieved her mobile from her bag and rang Calladine. No answer. She’d try him again later.
* * *
Ruth looked in the wardrobe mirror and studied her reflection, head tilted. She supposed she’d do. The royal blue dress fitted her perfectly. A little make-up, lip gloss, her hair brushed into its usual shiny bob, and she was ready.
DEAD BAD a gripping crime mystery full of twists Page 18
