Cold as Ice

by Lee Weeks

  ‘I have to go.’ Carter stood, took his buzzing phone from his pocket and looked at the message on the screen. ‘I would say I hear my conscience screaming in my ear but it’s actually Robbo – just got a message he wants to see me. Have fun.’

  Robbo was on his own in his office when Carter walked in. Pam and the other two researchers had gone home.

  He looked up as Carter entered.

  ‘I was double-checking the timeline of events. I thought it looked familiar – check out his address.’ He showed Carter a piece of paper. ‘Remember the man who was there when the boys discovered Emily Styles’ body?’

  Carter looked at it and squinted for a few seconds as he thought about it.

  ‘You’re kidding me?’

  Carter parked up outside Gerald Foster’s house and watched for a few minutes from the street. The place looked unlived-in; it was dark but Foster’s van was in the driveway. It was just gone ten. He rang Robbo again.

  ‘Any news of the hit-and-run driver who killed Niall Manson?’

  ‘None.’

  ‘I’m tempted to get a forensic team over here to check out Foster’s van.’

  ‘Discreet for now,’ answered Robbo. ‘If he is Hawk the main thing is to get Danielle back. We scare him off we could blow it. He hasn’t done anything wrong that we can book him for.’

  ‘He’s connected to two parts of this inquiry.’

  ‘Could just be coincidence.’

  ‘There’s no such thing as coincidence. I’m sure I learnt that from you!’

  Carter walked up the drive and as he did so he took a good look at Foster’s van as best he could in the light from the streetlights. Even in this light he could see it had been recently repaired – there was fresh paint and a new bumper. Carter took out his phone and photographed the repair work. The flash lit up the night. Foster appeared from around the side of the house.

  ‘Can I help you?’ he said frostily as he stood watching.

  Carter walked around the van.

  ‘A fair bit of damage on the bumpers?’

  ‘It’s a works van. It doesn’t have to look pretty. What can I do for you, Officer? Have you found Danielle?’

  ‘Not yet. I believe you were there when the young woman’s body was pulled from the canal? Can we talk about it? Can I come in?’ Gerald Foster grunted and opened the front door, led the way inside the house. He flicked on a light in the hallway. Carter followed him in. ‘It must have been pretty horrible.’

  It was dark and cold inside. Not exactly homely in here. Carter was thinking how there was no way Foster had been in the front of the house for a good while. He peered into the rooms either side as they walked through to the back of the house. It had a forgotten feel and smell. Foster put the light on in the kitchen.

  ‘The lad found her. I was just there.’

  ‘What were you doing there?’

  Foster looked at Carter with contempt. ‘What do you think I was doing there? Do you think I always hang about canals in the hope some body will float to the surface? I was working. I was making my way to the Canal Museum to start my tour. I show people around. I told you I’m a guide.’

  ‘Of course. I remember. I didn’t realize you were also an expert on the canal system in London.’

  ‘Yes. I normally show people around, take them up the canal on a barge, but it’s been impossible for weeks. I like to do a job properly; I like to be thorough. I can walk people up the towpath instead so I like to think of as many interesting facts relating to that as I can. I wanted to take a look at the ice.’

  ‘So you were with people when the boys were playing on the ice?’

  ‘No, the weather meant people cancelled. I was merely checking on things. I saw the boys larking about. Bloody hooligans; should have been at school. I shouted at them to stop throwing rocks on the ice.’

  ‘They didn’t listen, obviously.’

  ‘No, then one of the little bastards got pushed on the ice. I thought for a moment I was going to have jump in if the ice cracked.’

  ‘Would you have?’

  ‘No. But there’s a lifebuoy. I might have thrown that for him. If he was lucky.’

  ‘Sensible. Did you suspect anything was in the canal there?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You told my colleague, Detective Willis, that you know every inch of the canal; maybe something had caught your eye in the last week or so?’ Foster shook his head and stuck his hands further into his pockets as he stared hard at Carter.

  ‘No. Is that where you think Danielle is? Is that what this is about? You think I had something to do with that young woman’s murder and that I have even more to do with my own daughter going missing?’

  ‘We believe Danielle is being held against her will. There is still time for someone to release her; still time to get her home to her son Jackson. It isn’t too late.’

  ‘Why are you telling me?’

  ‘Because you’re right – it’s quite a coincidence that you were there when a friend of your daughter’s was pulled out of the canal and now your daughter goes missing. But coincidences are a rare thing in my job.’

  ‘I didn’t know she was a friend of Danielle’s?’

  ‘Yes. She was. Can I just ask you something else about your work showing people around the sites of London?’

  ‘Look, I’ve had enough. I’ve told you all I know, now please leave.’ He almost pushed Carter backwards.

  ‘One minute, Mr Foster.’ Carter didn’t move. ‘It can be here or at the station.’ Foster backed off. ‘Do you ever take people to the Heath?’

  ‘Hampstead Heath?’

  ‘Yes, you know, a tour of the parks, that kind of thing?’

  Foster bristled with irritation. ‘I have done in the past. I do private work where I drive tourists round and show them the sights. Hampstead Heath is sometimes on the list, depends what they want. Is that it? I want you to leave my property.’

  ‘When were you there last?’

  ‘In the summer.’

  ‘You haven’t been there in the last week?’

  Foster didn’t answer; he stared at Carter then waited for an explanation.

  ‘Another body was found there. I think you need to call your lawyer, Mr Foster.’

  Chapter 33

  The next morning Ebony sat in the housing office with a ticket number in her hand. Archie was asleep in the buggy. Archie had seen Ebony a few times plus he was a good baby and used to going to nursery whilst Cabrina worked for an accountancy firm, so he never minded strangers. Archie was a serious baby; very sparing with his smiles. Ebony thought he could just pass as her child. He had the look of the sun about him: Cabrina was Greek, Carter was half Italian so the mix had produced a stunning baby with a double dose of shiny black hair. Carter had told her what she needed to know to look after him for a few hours and he’d dressed him all in blue today.

  She and Archie had been waiting for an hour when her number was called. She went up to the booth. The young man waited for her to sit. He looked at her file.

  ‘You’ve been sent over to us from our Luton branch?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can I ask why?’

  ‘Just had some personal issues. I wanted to make a new start.’

  He nodded, barely interested. He just needed an answer that corresponded to a question on his form and a box that needed ticking.

  ‘Any preference where you’d like to live?’

  ‘My college is in Holloway, so I don’t mind as long as I can reach it by bus. Somewhere where there’s a park would be good.’

  ‘Where are you staying now?’

  ‘We’re sleeping on a friend’s floor.’

  Ebony knew what the file said. Robbo had shown her and it was faultless. It said she was to be given priority. The lad shrugged, looked resigned. It was no skin off his nose if she queue-jumped. Someone somehow thought she deserved it.

  He picked up a sheet of available flats.

  ‘I have s
omething I can offer you by Beacon Park in Hackney Wick. It’s a two-bedroomed apartment on the sixth floor.’ He looked at Ebony’s expression. She was mulling it over, thinking about the location. ‘There’s a lift,’ he added. ‘Can’t guarantee it works but flats are few and far between – I’d take it if I were you. It’s on a bus route to Holloway. It’s near Victoria Park – kiddies’ playground.’ She nodded.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘Do you want to take a look?’

  She shook her head. ‘No need. I’ll take it. Thanks.’

  ‘Okay.’ He left his desk and returned with an envelope. ‘Here are the keys. Here’s the address. The housing officer will be in to make sure it’s all working for you.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Ebony negotiated the heavy exit door with Archie’s buggy and stopped outside. She took out her phone as she pushed the buggy one-handed and rang Carter.

  ‘Have just secured a flat.’

  ‘Did you enrol in the classes?’

  ‘I’m on my way there now. You sure Cabrina doesn’t mind about borrowing Archie?’

  ‘Nah . . . Free childcare. Plus, it’s an outing.’

  Now Ebony knew he hadn’t asked Cabrina. ‘Not exactly an ideal activity recommended for a nine-month-old.’

  ‘He’ll love it. Buy him a Big Mac.’

  Ebony shook her head, couldn’t help a smile; she knew Carter was joking. She knew he loved Archie to bits but she also knew Carter had some growing up to do. Still, it left her feeling hungry; she was now obsessing about a Maccy D’s. As she hung up the phone and peered around the front of the buggy. Archie’s bright brown eyes looked back at her. Ebony was beginning to think Archie was the perfect child for her. He observed the world and occasionally demanded some attention but it was never for anything unnecessary or frivolous; he never grizzled; he never asked for something he didn’t really need. Archie smiled at Ebony.

  ‘Fancy a McFlurry?’ She shook her head; better not.

  She steered Archie’s buggy awkwardly through the revolving college doors. There was a rather tacky Christmas tree with flashing lights just inside the reception area and hanging swathes of tinsel looping down from the light fittings. She walked up to the reception desk.

  ‘I would like to talk to someone about enrolling on a teaching course please.’

  ‘Have you got an appointment?’ Ebony shook her head. ‘Okay.’ The receptionist smiled. ‘Let me see if someone’s free from student advisory to talk to you.’ She winked at the other receptionist as she pressed the extensions number on her switchboard. ‘Let’s see who we can drag out of the Christmas party.’ She smiled mischievously at Ebony as she covered the phone with one hand whilst she talked to Ebony in a stage whisper. ‘The college will be closing for Christmas in a week. We’ve all had our parties today.’ She waited for a response from Ebony but got none so she screwed up her face irritably and swivelled her chair round to the desk adjacent, with her back to Ebony as she waited for someone to answer the phone and then gave up.

  ‘First door on your left, corridor straight ahead, down there . . .’ She turned back round and waved her hand in the direction of a corridor leading off from the reception area. ‘They’re not expecting you but they’re all free.’ She smiled coldly. Ebony didn’t register it. She was too busy thinking about her cover story and about whether Archie might choose now to get restless. Plus Ebony was used to people mistaking her lack of response as rude when really it was just what it said on the tin.

  Ebony tried to redeem herself with the receptionist by overdoing the thanks and then pushed Archie past the Christmas tree and down the corridor. She followed the noise coming from a busy office on her left.

  Inside, there was excitement and the smell of mulled wine hung in the air. A young woman honed in on Archie. She knelt by the buggy and breathed mulled wine and turkey dinner into his face.

  ‘You look just like your mummy,’ she cooed. Ebony smiled at the thought of what Carter would say to that.

  ‘Yan, there’s a client here.’ The young woman giggled, stood and called across the office. She winked at her colleague – ‘No peace for the wicked.’ A geeky-looking lad with glasses and what looked like a leftover attempt to grow a moustache for November smiled at her. He had a ‘just got out of bed’ look going on with his hair.

  ‘Great.’ He grinned sheepishly at Ebony. ‘You thinking of enrolling in a course?’

  ‘Yeah.’ She nodded. ‘I just really wanted to talk things through.’

  He reached out for the slip of paper and held Ebony’s gaze.

  ‘Of course. Come with me.’ His glasses were dirty. He looked at the piece of paper. ‘Ebony?’ She nodded.

  He steered her towards the far side of the room to a quiet corner booth. He sat beside her and steered Archie’s buggy in for her when it got jammed on the leg of a chair. Archie started grumbling, just enough to warrant paying attention to. The grumbling began to include a few trial screams.

  ‘If you need to feed him I can find you somewhere quiet?’ Yan asked as if breastfeeding was an everyday occurrence in his world. Only when Ebony didn’t seem to get it did the red come to his face.

  ‘I expect he’s hot.’ Ebony stood and pulled back the covers on Archie’s buggy, taking off his hat to reveal a shock of black curls.

  She also reached inside the pram cover for the bottle she’d left there.

  ‘Oh, okay. Do you want me to heat that up?’

  ‘Please,’ answered Ebony.’

  ‘No problem.’

  Yan took it from her and disappeared into the rooms at the back of the office. Ebony was really glad she’d listened hard to Carter’s instructions as she took Archie out of his buggy and stripped him down. He was hot, but easily pacified. He stared at Ebony and the surroundings; he seemed to be taking it all in. She was hoping he wouldn’t suddenly think to himself: hang on a minute! One of the women stopped to talk to him and he smiled his near toothless grin back at her.

  Yan came back and Ebony didn’t have to do much beyond screw the teat on the bottle and check it as Archie grabbed with two hands and started drinking. Ebony was aware of a clock ticking in her head. Things went in one end – they came out the other after a short interval. She was quite taken aback with the fact that Carter knew a lot more than he let on about Archie’s routines. He’d shown her how to change a nappy with such precision: it was typical of Carter to have bought himself a special set that included disposable gloves and three different kinds of wipes. Ebony still didn’t feel she could do it – what if Archie started to howl and she got poop everywhere?

  ‘Let’s start with form-filling,’ said Yan as he sat back behind his desk.

  Age?’

  ‘Twenty-five.’

  ‘Ethnicity?’

  ‘Anglo-Caribbean.’

  He looked up and smiled. ‘Lucky you. Do you go to the Caribbean much?’

  She nodded. ‘I lived there for just over twelve years.’

  ‘Whereabouts?’

  ‘Kingston.’

  ‘I know it well. Whereabouts?’

  Ebony felt heat come to her face. ‘Just near the Adventist church on South Side, Manning Street?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, don’t know it. Kingston’s a great party town. What made you come over here?’

  ‘I was born here. When I had Archie, all the gang shootings in Kingston got me thinking I’d rather live back here. ‘

  He looked at her address. ‘What, in super-safe Hackney? I’d rather be in living in the sunshine any day.’

  He looked towards Archie, who was holding the bottle for himself as if he’d worked out that Ebony was probably not an expert. ‘I guess you have to think differently. The partying gets curbed for a bit.’

  ‘You’ve lived in Jamaica?’ Shit, thought Ebony.

  He nodded, grinned. ‘Lovely. Spent time there when I was young.’ Phew – when he was young. Won’t remember. She relaxed. ‘My mum was one of those hippy types,’ he said. ‘She believed in
education on the move. We travelled a lot.’

  She smiled; she could picture him on a boat, the salt spray on his glasses. Some people were funny when they opened up to her for no reason. Sometimes Ebony thought it was because she left a lot of silences in the conversation so that people thought they needed to fill the gaps with snippets about their lives. Robbo said she would make a good counsellor. Carter said she should concentrate on being a good detective and ask more questions.

  ‘You must have loved it?’

  He nodded his head. ‘Most of the time – it was a kid’s dream. No school, no restrictions. Seems a world away now. This is the stark reality of working for a living.’ Archie pushed the bottle away and struggled to sit more upright on Ebony’s lap. He pulled off his shoe and threw it across at Yan. Yan caught it with a lightning reflex.

  ‘Little boy blue has lost his shoe.’ Yan laughed and handed it back to Ebony, who struggled to put it back onto Archie’s foot, which seemed to have the ability to change size and shape at will.

  ‘Your name is interesting,’ Ebony ventured, trying to mask her incompetence. ‘It’s not very British-sounding.’

  ‘As I said, my mum loved anything foreign.’

  He looked back down at his desk and picked up his pen ready to resume filling in the remainder of the form.

  ‘What about qualifications?’ Ebony looked at him dumbly. ‘Schooling? That kind of thing?’ She’d gone blank for a second. She’d forgotten what it was she was supposed have.

  ‘I took Cape examinations – A levels basically.’

  ‘Okay, great, well that will save you some time – a year of training at least. Okay, now for a few personal details to start. Married or co-habiting with a partner?’ He kept his eyes on the page as he waited, poised to fill in the blanks.

  ‘Single parent. I live on my own.’

  ‘Okay, good.’ Ebony looked up from tickling Archie’s palm with ‘round and round the garden’.

  ‘I mean you’ll be entitled to the most help,’ he said. ‘It makes the form-filling a bit longer but it’ll be worth it.’ Archie burped loudly. Yan grinned.

  Ebony blushed. ‘Sorry. Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.’