Cry From The Grave A Thrilling Psychological Crime Mystery (Harry Briscombe Book 1)

by Carolyn Mahony

  ‘A paternity test?’ Natasha’s face drained of colour. She felt as if she was hanging onto her sanity by a thread. ‘She’s not yours, Zach. Don’t you think I’d have told you if you’d got me pregnant? It would serve no useful purpose at all to have a test. And it could destroy my marriage.’

  ‘You don’t need to tell your husband.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have to. Katie would. She’s six years old. Not some baby that we can bundle up and take for a test without her even knowing it.’

  ‘I need to know, Natasha.’

  ‘But I’m telling you the truth. Anyway …’ she looked him straight in the eye. ‘If what you say about having a low sperm count or whatever is true, then a pregnancy wouldn’t have happened with me either. Why do you think Adam and I only have one child? I have a condition that makes it extremely unlikely I’ll ever get pregnant again. It was apparently a miracle that it happened the first-time around.’

  She sounded so convincing she almost believed it herself.

  The sound of a key in the front door had them both looking in the direction of the hall.

  ‘That’s Adam – he’s come home for lunch.’ Natasha grabbed his hand. ‘Look. Where do you live? I’ll come to you. We can talk – have lunch, whatever you want – but please don’t say anything to upset things now.’

  ‘Tash?’

  ‘In here…’

  She dropped his hand, but not before he’d squeezed it back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.

  ‘All my numbers are on here. Call me. I’ve got the day off tomorrow. We could meet up then if you're free. But if I haven’t heard from you in the next couple of days…’

  ‘You will, I’ll call you tonight. I promise.’

  She turned with a brilliant smile as the door opened. ‘Babe, you’re early – we’re one extra for lunch. Let me introduce you to an old school friend of mine, Zach Baker. He’s visiting in the area and dropped by.’

  After Zach had gone, Adam looked at Natasha.

  ‘How come he looked you up?’

  ‘Saw that article in the paper apparently. And as he had a meeting in Welwyn he decided to pop over.’

  ‘So … what was he? An ex-boyfriend or something?’

  ‘God No! Nothing like that.’

  He only happened to get me pregnant.

  ‘Just someone who went to the boys’ boarding school down the road. We used to share some of our A Level classes with them.’

  Her gaze slanted away from the warning in Adam’s eyes.

  ‘Tash ... if you’re thinking about seeing this man, think very carefully about it. I can’t go on like this.’

  Natasha tossed her head. ‘I’m not as it happens, but perhaps if you were to show a bit more interest I might not need to look around.’

  ‘That hasn’t stopped you in the past, has it? Even when our sex life was good it wasn’t enough.’

  ‘You’re right, it wasn’t. All part of my personality disorder according to the shrink in the hospital. It’s not my fault!’

  She threw back her head and laughed. ‘God, he was such a patronising prig I was tempted to try it on with him. Why can’t you understand, it’s nothing personally lacking in you Adam. I’m a flirt, it’s just the way I am. It doesn’t mean anything. If I thought you could be the same I’d encourage it. But I know you can’t. If you had an affair it would be the whole champagne and roses thing and you’d probably want to leave me. Do you think I don’t know that you only stay because of Kate?’

  She stared at him, challenging him to deny it. As usual he backed down. She knew exactly what he was thinking. His daughter was the one good thing that had come out of all this.

  But if he ever found out the truth …

  ‘Remember we said we’d go over to Mum’s for supper tonight,’ Adam said, his tone cool as he picked up his jacket and headed towards the door. ‘I should be through by about five thirty if you can come and pick me up? There’s no point taking two cars.’

  ‘Fine.’ Natasha’s voice was sulky. ‘Just make sure you’re ready when I get there for a change.’

  ***

  Murray walked into the main office and looked around. It had been a long day and he was ready to head off.

  ‘Where’s Harry?’

  ‘I think he may have gone home, sir,’ someone volunteered.

  ‘No. He was in the canteen five minutes ago,’ Peterson said. ‘I saw him.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll check it out. Tell him where I am if he comes in.’

  In the canteen, he found Harry mulling over a cup of coffee. He bought one for himself and went over to join him.

  ‘What’s up? You look about how I feel,’ he said, pulling out a chair.

  Harry snapped himself out of contemplating how he was going to stop this thing with Natasha and looked at his boss, a gleam in his eye.

  ‘Just pondering the case. You got my message?’ There was a suppressed air of excitement about him.

  ‘Yup ... what’s got your juices going? It sounded big.’

  ‘Something that’s going to put a smile on your face I hope. Our first breakthrough and I think it could be pretty significant.’ He pulled some papers out of his pocket and slapped them down on the table in front of him. ‘That’s the report from the Melbourne police. I think you’ll find it very interesting.’

  Murray picked up the papers and read them as he sipped his drink. When he’d finished he looked at Harry thoughtfully.

  ‘Seems to me this case is getting more intriguing by the minute. I distinctly remember Mr Campbell saying he didn’t know the couple.’

  ‘Yes – and Mrs Campbell said the same. Why would they lie?’

  Murray downed his coffee and stood up. ‘Well, there’s only one way to find out. We’ll go and ask them, shall we?’

  But when they called at the Campbells’ house half an hour later it was deserted.

  ‘We’ll meet back here tomorrow morning, eight fifteen, sharp.’ Murray said briskly. ‘Catch them before they head off anywhere. Could be an interesting day.’

  He looked at his watch. ‘I’ll drop you back to the station so you can pick up your car, then we might as well head off home for the night – not often we get the chance to bunk off early.’

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ‘Where are you off to today?’ Adam lifted the porridge off the stove, his look suspicious as Natasha walked into the kitchen dolled up to the nines.

  ‘London. I fancied doing a bit of shopping. Well done for getting the breakfast organised.’

  ‘I helped Daddy,’ Katie said proudly. ‘I made the toast, didn’t I daddy?’

  ‘You certainly did. And laid the table,’ he smiled, as he dished up the porridge and they all took their seats.

  ‘Will you bring me a present when you come back mummy?’

  ‘I might,’ Natasha said indulgently. ‘If you’re a good girl at school today.’

  Adam looked at her. ‘I thought you had problems with the underground and the whole crowds thing? You haven’t been up to London in over a year.’

  She sipped her coffee. ‘I’ll be fine. I really think things are getting better. I’m actually looking forward to it.’

  She wasn’t sure how convincing she sounded but her claustrophobia was a necessary evil she needed to overcome. She had the nasty premonition that her past was about to blow up in her face and she couldn’t let that happen. So, first things first, she needed to deal with Zach.

  The doorbell rang and Adam’s surprised gaze met hers.

  ‘I’ll go,’ Katie said springing up from her chair.

  ‘No, you run upstairs and brush your teeth before we leave,’ Adam said. ‘I’ll get it.’

  He moved into the hall and opened the front door.

  ‘Inspector.’

  ‘Mr Campbell. Is it all right if we come in for a moment? I have a couple of questions I’d like to clear up with you and your wife.’

  ‘Well, we’re only just finishing breakfast...’

&
nbsp; ‘We can wait,’ Murray said. ‘I’d like to get this sorted this side of the weekend if possible.’

  Adam frowned, but opened the door wider. ‘You’d better come in then.’

  In the kitchen, Murray’s gaze was drawn to Natasha Campbell, still sitting at the breakfast table. She looked stunning. There was no other word for it. She was dressed in chic brown trousers and a cream silk shirt, a wide leather belt with an ornate buckle emphasising the slightness of her waist. Her face was beautifully made up and her hair was drawn into an elegant chignon that emphasised the line of her neck and accentuated the delicate slant to her eyes. A colourful silk scarf draped tastefully over her shoulder finished the look to perfection. She looked nothing like the fragile woman he’d seen only two days previously.

  ‘Inspector.’ she greeted him. ‘And Sergeant ... Briscombe, wasn’t it? What can we do for you?’

  On closer examination, Murray could see she wasn’t quite as relaxed as she appeared. Her eyes were darting back and forth from him to Adam in an agitated manner and the smile that was pinned to her face looked forced.

  He pulled out his notebook. ‘I was wondering if you could help us out with something, Mrs Campbell?’ He paused staring at her keenly. ‘We were wondering why you didn’t mention the fact that the man who lived here before you, was your father?’

  ‘What?’ There was no doubting Adam Campbell’s shock. He turned to his wife, his eyes confounded. Then he swung back to Murray. ‘That’s nonsense. Whoever told you that has got their facts wrong.’

  ‘No, they haven’t actually.’ Natasha’s expression as she looked at Adam was deceptively calm. ‘It was my father’s house, Adam, as it happens. I just never told you.’

  He stared at her in disbelief. ‘But you told me he was dead. Your mother said the same.’

  Natasha’s eyes were expressionless. ‘As far as we were concerned he was dead. He was a bastard to us and it was the least he could do, to settle the house on her. As he’d already left for Australia we decided you didn’t need to know all the facts. You were touchy enough about sponging off my mother as it was.’

  Adam stared at her stunned.

  ‘I can’t believe you’d keep something like that from me. Why would you feel the need to?’

  She shrugged but made no response.

  He turned back to Murray. ‘I had no idea. Christ … not even the surname was the same.’ His eyes swung back to his wife, sharply questioning.

  ‘My parents never married,’ she said coolly. ‘His name was Lewis, my mother’s, as you know, was O’Hanlon.’

  Murray was studying her face closely. ‘So, the truth of the matter is, Mrs Campbell, you had access to this house for several years prior to your occupation of it? And therefore, potentially, you or a member of your family could have information surrounding the infant that was found here?’

  ‘I have no information for you Inspector,’ Natasha said impatiently. ‘I’ve already told you that. I haven’t a clue how that baby ended up in our garden. Maybe you need to speak to my father and stepmother about it. Nothing they’d do would surprise me.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Look, I’m sorry but was there anything else? I’ll miss my train if I don’t make a move.’

  Murray’s eyes were penetrating as he fixed them intently on her. ‘Mrs Campbell, I have to ask you this. Do you know the identity of the baby we found in your garden?’

  It was a direct question. She met his gaze full on. ‘No Inspector, I don’t.’

  ‘And you, Mr Campbell?’

  ‘Of course I bloody don’t.’

  He was still looking stunned and Murray inclined his head. He doubted they’d be getting much more out of either of them today.

  ‘You have to realise, Mrs Campbell, it doesn’t look good for you that you’ve deliberately lied during a police investigation. Obviously, we’ll be following things up with your father, but I think it very likely that I’ll need to come back and ask you some more questions and I’d be grateful if you could make sure that you’re available over the next few days. It would have been a lot more helpful if you could have advised us of these facts at the start of our investigation – as I’m sure you’re aware.’

  ‘If I’d thought they had any significance I would have done, but I don’t have any contact with my father and I prefer to keep it that way.’

  Her tone was cold, and signified, as far as she was concerned, an end to their conversation. She rose from her chair.

  ‘I need to make sure Katie’s ready for school. So, if that’s all for now, Adam will see you out.’

  Up on the landing she looked from the window as the Inspector said something to Adam before he and Harry climbed into their car. She took a steadying breath. How she’d managed to keep her cool she had no idea. Their visit had made her think of things she’d long since buried and put behind her. She didn’t want to start thinking of her father again – the things he’d done to her – the baby.

  ‘Natasha?’

  Adam was waiting for her as she came out of Katie’s bedroom. She made a show of shepherding the little girl in front of her. ‘Not now, Adam, we’re both in a rush and I really don’t want to miss my train. We can talk about it tonight. Neither of us is going anywhere.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Natasha wrapped her scarf more warmly around her neck and checked the map on her phone. It had been a long time since she’d come to the West End and she felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension as she threaded her way through the crowds, drinking in the window displays, realizing that she’d actually missed all the buzz of shopping and doing feminine things like that. But despite her therapy, the thought of going on the tube had been the one hurdle she hadn’t been able to overcome. She felt proud of herself now as she consulted her phone again and located the address she was looking for.

  Peacock Avenue was a quiet little cul-de-sac in Kensington. She looked at the row of pristine Mews houses and searched for No. 16.

  On the doorstep, she took a deep breath before raising her hand to ring the bell. She could deal with this. She had to deal with it. She’d managed to keep a handle on things reasonably well up to now but the police visit this morning had shaken her - and so had the expression on Adam’s face when he’d realised she’d deceived him over her father. How much worse would it be if he found out he wasn’t Katie’s father? She didn’t want to lose him. He was the one bit of security she had in her life. Without that she’d fall apart. She knew she would. She needed to deal with Zach.

  ‘Hi.’ Zach’s smile was confident as he opened the door. ‘Good to see you.’

  Her returning smile was radiant. ‘And you.’

  His house was surprisingly roomy and tidy – orderly in a masculine way. Natasha liked it. No children’s toys littering the place here.

  ‘Drink?’

  ‘Wine would be good, thanks. White if you’ve got it.’

  He poured out a glass and handed it to her. ‘Have a seat. I just need to give the casserole a stir. I’m cooking – thought it would be nicer than eating out. Then afterwards we can talk.’

  Natasha sat down on the large settee and took a sip from her drink as she looked around the elegant room. He was obviously doing well for himself. Houses in this part of London didn’t come cheap whether they were bought or rented. She noticed a large collage of photos on the wall and got up to take a look at it.

  ‘Have you spotted yourself there?’ Zach’s voice came from behind her shoulder.

  ‘No.’ She studied it more closely, then grinned. ‘Oh, there I am. I remember that day. It was an Exeat, only neither of us went home for the weekend, we went to Dorset instead.’

  ‘And you told your boyfriend you were staying at school to study for your exams.’

  Their eyes met. ‘Yes,’ Natasha admitted. ‘I’m not proud of my behaviour over that time but it was difficult with him being away at Uni.’

  Zach shrugged. ‘His loss was my gain.’ He looked at the picture of Natasha on the beach, th
en switched his gaze to her face.

  ‘You’ve hardly changed at all, unlike me.’

  ‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that. You’re looking great, but far too young to have been married and divorced.’

  ‘I met Susie my first year at Uni. I was married at twenty-two and separated at twenty-four. Not a great track record but I think her parents were more pissed off about it than we were. They spent a fortune on the wedding. I felt bad about that. I’ll certainly think twice before I leap into matrimony again.’

  He flashed her a grin and gestured back towards the seating area. ‘Come and sit down. I want to hear what you’ve been up to the last seven years.’

  ‘That must have been tough,’ he said sympathetically, after hearing about Natasha’s mother dying. ‘And quick.’

  ‘It was. I don’t know what I’d have done without Adam through that time, and then of course, I got pregnant too.’

  Surprisingly, he didn’t pick up on the subject of Katie, showing more concern over how she’d fared at the time. But later, after lunch, as they sat on the settee in front of the fire, he took her hand in his as he broached the subject.

  ‘I don’t want to cause trouble in your marriage, Tash. Well, no … actually, I’m not sure that’s true. Now I’ve met up with you again, I rather think I do.’

  His smile was winning, the expression in his eyes bringing back old memories. ‘But you have to understand this paternity thing is important to me. If Katie’s mine I have a right to know. And the way things are it might be the only crack I get at fatherhood.’

  She nodded, planting a sympathetic look on her face. ‘I can understand that Zach – of course I can. But if Katie was yours, I’d have told you. I knew you weren’t the sort of man who’d renege on his responsibilities. But she’s not yours – she’s Adam’s.’

  Her eyes were crystal clear as she told the lie. His were sceptical, a half smile playing around his mouth.

  ‘So why don’t I believe you? Perhaps it’s because the bottom line is I think she looks like me. Her hair’s a similar colour to mine – not black like yours or dark brown like your husband’s. And I’ve checked out her birth date behind the scenes. It all fits.’