FIRE ON THE FENS a gripping crime thriller filled with stunning twists

by Joy Ellis

  ‘You liked them?’

  ‘Lyndon, yes. I could appreciate his love for nature, and he was a likeable guy, but I found Polly a bit intimidating. She was blunt to the point of rudeness. She had a superior, “academic” air that I never managed to penetrate, even though I’d been to university myself.’

  ‘Did they know about your plans?’

  He shook his head. ‘Oh no, and I’m sure Natalie wouldn’t have said anything without speaking to me first.’

  ‘I suppose you don’t have the uncle’s address in Geneva, do you?’ Joseph chanced.

  ‘No, sorry. But I do know he was CEO of a big fundraising organisation. Natalie was very fond of him. I think he inspired her, and lit the fuse for her own charity work. His name is Clive Applegarth.’

  ‘That’s a start.’ Nikki looked at Joseph, then nodded towards the door.

  Outside in the hallway she said, ‘Off the record, I’m going to ask Spooky to do a little private work for us. Strictly unofficial, from her personal computer at home.’

  ‘Can you ask her to do that? That’s a custodial offence if she gets caught hacking into diplomatic immunity.’ Joseph looked mildly horrified.

  ‘One, do you want another girl condemned to the flames?’

  ‘Of course not, but—’

  ‘And two, I’m not asking her to hack into anything. I want her to use perfectly legal channels, just not from the police station. I promise you I won’t be asking her to infiltrate Daddy Applegarth’s personal affairs. I would just like a few details on Natalie’s Uncle Clive.’ Nikki smiled sweetly. ‘And Spooky will love it, believe me.’

  Nikki walked back into the room. ‘We need to get back. Thank you, Leon. I know that was hard for you. Can we run you back to town?’

  ‘No thanks, DI Galena. Your mother and Wendy have kindly asked me to stay for supper, then she said she’d take me home. But thank you.’ He stood up and offered his hand. ‘This has been cathartic. I’ve had my head in the sand for far too long.’

  As they left, Nikki wondered about Leon. He was both complicated and direct at the same time. She wondered how he would really feel if they found that Natalie Applegarth had indeed died.

  * * *

  Nikki and Joseph reported in to Cam, and then decided to call it a day. The others had gone home and there was little more they could do.

  They drove home mostly in silence, then Joseph suddenly said, ‘Do you think we’re becoming a bit blasé about our relationship, now we know that Cam is so laid back about us? I’d hate to inadvertently ruin things.’

  Nikki hadn’t even considered that point. ‘Like using the same car so much?’

  ‘Yes, and generally being so . . .’

  ‘Comfortable?’ She smiled. ‘If Cam doesn’t take the job permanently, then we’ll reassess, okay? But right now, we’re fine, I know we are. And it makes perfect sense for neighbours to car share on occasions.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  ‘Sergeant Farrow? I think I’ve found what PC Collins was asking for yesterday.’ Chris Hale, a young rookie PC, stood in front of Niall’s desk. He had been given the task of sitting through hours of CCTV footage from the Greenborough streets.

  ‘Good. I’ll come and take a look,’ Niall said. He walked down to where Chris had paused the recording.

  ‘I picked up Lee Brown leaving the pool hall down Brewer Street at 10.37 p.m., Sarge. From the direction he took, I reckoned he was on his way home. Then, as he turned into Bloxham Alley, on the outskirts of the Carborough, this happens . . .’

  Niall watched as two men came out of the shadows and manhandled Lee up against a wall. The area was rundown, occupied mostly by old disused stores. There were no houses.

  One of the men delivered a vicious punch to Lee’s gut. Niall winced. They then hauled him up straight, and brought their faces close to his. Niall could see that they were shouting at him.

  Lee Brown struggled. He was no angel, Niall knew, but these two thugs outclassed him. Niall was forced to sit and watch a young man being beaten relentlessly. It wasn’t a part of his job that Niall enjoyed. Violence on this level sickened him.

  ‘This bit might be of interest, Sarge.’ Chris pointed as the two attackers stood and watched their victim writhing on the pavement. One raised a hand, as if he were about to do a high five, then the other man did the same, but instead of the usual slap, they did a strange punching motion with their fists. ‘Some kind of gangland thing?’ Chris asked.

  ‘Not sure, but good lad for noticing it. That could help, if we can find out who uses that sign.’

  Niall had seen a lot of different gangland signature hand signs, but he didn’t recognise this one. ‘Print me off a couple of stills of those two guys, Chris, both their faces and that hand thing they did, and if you can, get them enhanced, okay?’

  Chris nodded. ‘I’ll do it now, Sarge.’

  Niall went back to his desk. He was pretty sure these two weren’t local. He had spent years on the streets and still recalled most of their villains. They might not even have been British. There was something about them that just didn’t fit with the Fens. And that strange gesture. He hoped Vonnie would get back soon. Without her to confer with, he felt as if his right arm was missing.

  He sighed. He’d better hurry up and get used to it. Vonnie would be retiring soon. Things changed, he knew, nothing stayed the same forever. But that didn’t stop him missing their time together on the streets. They were very different, but they’d made a great team, and he still felt like a shit for breaking up that partnership.

  Come on, Farrow, he told himself, get a grip, and he pulled out his phone and rang her. ‘Vonnie? Got some pictures of your villain taking a beating. Are you free to come back to base?’

  * * *

  When she received Nikki’s call, Spooky told her techies that she’d be going out for a while, and left the station.

  Five minutes later, she was sitting on a bench in a tiny garden close to the banks of the Westland River. After another few minutes, Nikki sat down beside her.

  ‘This is unorthodox.’ Spooky grinned and ran her hand through her dark, shaggy hair.

  ‘More than you know.’

  Spooky looked at Nikki’s grave expression and wondered what was so terribly wrong. ‘Alright, how can I help?’ She listened with growing concern as Nikki explained. ‘So you think another woman is in danger, but you can’t use the usual channels to carry out your enquiries?’

  ‘Exactly. I need to trace the whereabouts of three members of the Applegarth family. A woman named Polly, a man called Lyndon, and their uncle. I really need to speak to the uncle, but I don’t know how to get in touch with him, not without bringing Armageddon down on my head.’

  ‘His name?’

  ‘Clive Applegarth. Used to live in Geneva and as far as we know, still does. Brother to diplomat Richard Applegarth, hence the problem.’

  ‘Leave it with me,’ Spooky said. ‘I have a secure laptop at home, with some brilliant software. I’ll do a little ferreting and report back to you.’

  Nikki touched her arm. ‘Nothing illegal, Spooky, and I mean that. I shouldn’t even be asking you to do this. I’m sure there’ll be something in the public domain that can lead us to the Applegarths. The uncle is a fundraiser, so it seems logical to start with him. We just can’t do it from HQ. You don’t have to do it either, and I mean that.’

  Spooky shrugged. ‘How do you think I’d feel if another woman died, and I could have helped?’

  ‘As bad as me, I guess.’ Nikki gave her arm a squeeze. ‘But be careful, won’t you?’

  ‘Oh, Nikki! There’s a wealth of stuff out there if you know where and how to look. Plus I know how to search without being spied on.’ Spooky stood up. ‘I’ll go now. I can be home and back to the station before you’ve ordered your second coffee of the day, how’s that?’

  ‘If you can find anything that might help us, I’ll be in your debt forever.’

  Spooky had never seen Nikki look
so worried.

  * * *

  On her way to the police station, Yvonne saw a vehicle she recognised pulling out of Ferry Street. Billie Seager. The sight of his “Graffiti Cleaning and Removal Company” van set alarm bells ringing.

  She waved him down.

  ‘Haven’t been to the Black House by any chance, have you, Billie?’ she said.

  ‘Spot on, Vonnie. Little shits did a smashing job of redecorating that lovely old house.’

  ‘When did it happen?’

  ‘Night before last. They found it when they got up. We did a lot of work on it yesterday but there was still a bit of ghosting, so I came back this morning to sort it.’ He smiled at her cheerfully.

  Yvonne knew the culprit wasn’t Lee, unless he’d done it before getting attacked. Possible, she supposed. ‘Maybe I should pop in and see if they want to report it.’

  ‘I told them to call you guys, but they said they didn’t want any more hassle. They just wanted it gone.’

  ‘Okay, well, thanks Billie. Give my love to the wife.’

  ‘Will do. You take care, Vonnie.’

  Yvonne watched the van drive away, turning this news over in her head. Was it coincidence that Lee’d been given a good thumping, very shortly after the Black House had been vandalised? The Blacks had both declared that they abhorred violence, but was that true? Had someone from their little coven decided to warn the louts off in language they could understand?

  Yvonne was glad Niall had asked her to check that CCTV footage. She could run her concerns past him, and see what he thought. She smiled to herself, certain he would think exactly as she had . . . that there was no such thing as coincidence.

  * * *

  Eve and Wendy sat at the kitchen table in Monks Lantern and talked over what they’d heard the night before. ‘That young man needs some definitive answers, doesn’t he?’ said Eve.

  Wendy nodded. ‘He’ll never find peace if he doesn’t.’ She stirred her drink and stared into the cup. ‘We could help, of course.’

  ‘I’d thought of that,’ Eve said, ‘but . . .’ She shrugged. She had promised Nikki that they’d keep to the garden.

  Wendy sighed. ‘I guess it comes down to a matter of conscience. If we have the capacity, which we do, shouldn’t we use it to help? I’m wondering whether Nikki and Joseph spoke so freely in front of us because they were asking for our help.’ She put down her teaspoon and looked at Eve. ‘It won’t be pleasant for us, just when we were feeling so much freer from past events, but,’ she shrugged, ‘it would only be a single phone call, and poor Leon does need answers.’

  Eve wholeheartedly agreed, though she was still anxious about Nikki. She had worried her badly on the last case, and had sworn that she would never again cause her daughter such grief.

  ‘Why don’t I make a few enquiries, Eve?’

  Eve wondered if her friend could read minds.

  ‘I could very easily make the odd call, a casual chat with an old friend, and not even mention it to you until afterwards.’

  ‘You could.’ Eve smiled slowly.

  ‘I think that would be agreeable to all concerned, don’t you?’

  ‘Absolutely. But there is one other thing.’ Eve set down her cup. ‘We are both agreed that, somehow, Natalie died on the night of the fire?’

  ‘And because drugs and drink were involved, the family hushed it up.’

  Eve drew in a breath. ‘So, if we start asking questions, we could be opening up a very nasty can of worms because, if Natalie did die, what the hell happened to her body?’

  Wendy puffed out her cheeks. ‘But, if someone in a position of trust and privilege chose to act dishonestly, he should be investigated, shouldn’t he?’

  Eve knew she was right, but she continued to hesitate. In the past, her life had been her own to do what she wished with. She had come close to death last year, and because of the close bond that she’d recently forged with her daughter, suddenly she had someone else to consider. However, right was right, and wrong was something that needed to be addressed. ‘Make your call, Wendy. And even though I know nothing about it, give David my best, won’t you?’

  With a grin, Wendy pulled her smartphone from her pocket.

  ‘David! How are you?’ She glanced up at Eve. ‘I’m sorry but we need your help again.’ She paused. ‘Thank you, I appreciate it.’ She ended the call. ‘He’s ringing back from a different line.’

  As they waited for the call, Eve wondered what on earth they had set in motion.

  * * *

  Yvonne stared at the CCTV images of the men who had attacked Lee Brown. ‘I’ve never seen either of those men before. They’re strangers to this area, no doubt about it. Vicious bastards, too.’ She squinted at the peculiar handshake and shook her head. ‘Not something I’ve come across either, but I know someone who might be able to explain it.’ She looked at Niall and raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Mickey Leonard?’

  She smiled. ‘I might just take a stroll down to the engineers where he works, and show him these.’ She waved the printouts. ‘Can I pinch them?’

  ‘Be my guest, Vonnie. The sooner we get these guys off the streets, the happier I’ll be.’

  Yvonne had to hide her smile. Niall really cared, unlike some of the others that had drifted into the job in recent years. ‘Niall? I need to run something past you. Do you remember Billie Seager?’

  ‘Graffiti Bill? Of course.’ Niall laughed. ‘Used to spray-paint any available surface right across the town, then met a girl and settled down, only to open a graffiti removal company! Great stuff that. Why?’

  ‘I saw him this morning. He had just finished cleaning up the Black House.’

  Niall’s smile vanished. ‘Ah. You’re thinking Lee Brown?’

  ‘Probably. He’s pretty handy with an aerosol can. Now he’s in hospital.’ She swore she could hear the cogs whirring in Niall’s brain.

  ‘Surely not? I thought the Blacks were pacifists or something?’ His face darkened. ‘Or maybe all that spiel was just for our benefit.’

  ‘I wish I knew. That family has me well confused.’

  ‘Not like you, Vonnie. Must be a first.’

  Yvonne mumbled something unintelligible.

  ‘Want me to swan past?’ Niall looked at her hopefully. ‘Tell them I’d seen the graffiti, and wondered if they’d like to make a complaint? I’d like to get my nose in there.’

  ‘I think they’re too canny for that, my friend. A sergeant, enquiring about a bit of random property defacing? With our budgets? I don’t think so. You’d be hard pushed to get a PCSO to follow that up.’

  ‘But it’s not the first incident, is it? I could have read your report, then seen the graffiti, and being such a dedicated officer, decided to take action. I’d be able to give you the benefit of my valuable opinion on the Black family then.’

  Yvonne shrugged. ‘Okay, but I’ll bet you don’t get across the doorstep.’

  ‘You’re on.’ He held up his hand for a high five. ‘Loser buys coffee and doughnuts. Sorry I can’t afford any more than that. I have a wife and dog to support.’

  Yvonne slapped his hand. ‘Get yer money ready.’

  * * *

  Spooky walked into the office, her face a tapestry of frustration and pique.

  ‘Not good news, I’m afraid.’ She plonked herself down into a chair. ‘For starters, Clive Applegarth, the uncle, is dead. He died of septicaemia after some kind of lung infection. That’s a matter of common knowledge and it was posted on the net by a big charity organisation. Lyndon’s sister, Polly Applegarth, now Polly Favre, is still living in Geneva. She’s a statistician, married with one child. She has a job as an analyst for a technology company. I found all that on LinkedIn.’ She ran her hand through her hair. ‘And that is that. No more. No mention anywhere of Natalie or Lyndon. It’s as if they went into hiding after the fire happened.’

  ‘That’s not exactly awful, Spooks.’ Nikki smiled at her. ‘Polly is a good lead, and if she’s
putting herself out there on social media, we can probably find out more.’

  Spooky glowered at her. ‘Thanks for being nice to me, but we both know you need a hell of a lot more than that.’ She scratched her cheek. ‘There are other ways, Nikki. I could—’

  ‘No! Definitely not. This is too sensitive. We’ll find another route to get to Natalie. Don’t worry, and thank you for what you have discovered. At least we won’t be busting a gut looking for a dead man. And we know Polly is alive and settled with her own family. Maybe Lyndon did what Natalie always thought he would, and buggered off to some rainforest to chase rare bugs.’

  But Spooky looked grim. ‘And Natalie? Personally, I think she didn’t go anywhere that night. Certainly not to Switzerland. Young people these days live through technology. They spend their lives glued to their smartphones. Natalie and Lyndon have left no footprint anywhere, and that’s strange.’ Spooky gave Nikki a despairing look. ‘I have a very strong feeling that something happened, not only to Natalie, but to Lyndon too. He’s not even thirty yet, son of a diplomat, well-off and apparently good-looking, and he might just as well not exist.’

  ‘The trouble is,’ Nikki said, ‘we can’t use proper police channels, or illegal ones either. We can’t even find out if they boarded a flight to Geneva that night. We’re totally stuffed.’

  ‘So, you’ve been banned from contacting Applegarth himself, and the only people that could have told us what really happened that night, that is, the kids at the party, are all dead.’ Spooky muttered a curse.

  ‘Bar one, and as we don’t know who she is, that’s about as helpful as a chocolate poker,’ Nikki grumbled.

  ‘I’m sorry, Nikki. I feel I’ve let you down.’

  ‘Don’t be daft. That’s just how it goes with police work. You follow a lead, it dries up. You chase another one, same thing happens. But then you get a lucky break. Let’s just hope this one appears before another woman dies.’

  Spooky stood up. ‘I won’t give up. If I think of something else, I’ll try again and don’t worry, I’ll do it from home.’