“Chalker says different. He told me that Jack Waddell was behind what happened that day.”
The super blanched. He was silent for some time. “Knows that for sure, does he?”
Matt nodded. “Apparently I’d stumbled into something huge. Exactly what, he wouldn’t say. But get him moved, and he’ll be more forthcoming.”
Dyson shook his head. “There is no chance of that.”
“He did say more, but it’s not good,” Matt hesitated. Talbot wasn’t going to like this. “Chalker said that Waddell was immune from investigation because he had a top copper on his payroll.”
Dyson’s face coloured up again. “The toe-rag is lying! No one in the force would give up the chance to get Waddell. Get Waddell banged to rights, and we’d sort half the crime in the north of England.”
“Nonetheless, I’d like to look at the file again, sir. Perhaps I could take another look where I think it would be beneficial.”
“Futile, lad. I know how you feel, how much you want to get the bastard who killed Paula. We all do, but Chalker is playing you. He’s not stupid. He’s picked on your one weakness, and he’s using it for his own ends. Let it go, that’s my advice.”
There was a look on Dyson’s face that Matt knew well. The super wanted the subject dropped, and there would be no persuading him.
* * *
Bradfield and Nolan Solicitors had their offices on the main route into Halifax centre. Beckwith was driving, and he pulled into the car park at the rear of the building.
“Got everything?” Beckwith asked Lily.
“All we need. A shedload of questions and a photo of ‘doorstep man.’”
Lily and he walked round the building to the front entrance.
“How’re you getting on with Brindle? Okay, is he?”
“He’s really good to work with. No side to him at all. He’s completely different to what I expected.”
“He’s some sort of posh twit, so I’ve heard. Public school.”
Lily slapped his arm. “Don’t be so rude, Ian. It was a private school on the outskirts of Leeds, nothing special. And he’s no twit either. DI Brindle is a hardworking copper, just like the rest of us. That house he lives in doesn’t reflect what he’s like at all.”
“Glad you’re happy. Sounds as if you’ve fallen on your feet. I’m not so lucky. Carlisle’s a dick. Spends as much time as he can on his backside. If I have to stay with him, I’m going nowhere, career wise.”
“I’m hoping that DI Brindle stays with us. If he does, then I want on his team permanently.”
“Sounds as if you’ve made up your mind, Lily. Put in a good word for me, will you?”
They entered the building and were shown into Guy Bradfield’s office. Bradfield looked worried. His first words were, “Is this about Robert? It just isn’t like him to disappear. We are all concerned. He was involved with that woman who was married to the villain, Chalker. A bad business that was.”
Lily and Beckwith sat down, facing him.
“You acted for Ron Chalker,” said Lily.
“I did, but make no mistake, there was never any chance he’d get off. The evidence was stacked high against him. These last couple of days have made me wonder if this isn’t some sort of revenge.”
Lily had no answer to that. As yet, the team did not know exactly how Nolan was involved in Bella’s case. “It was you personally who acted for Chalker?” Bradfield nodded. “Was Mr Nolan involved at all?”
“No. In fact I don’t think he ever met the man.”
Lily handed him the photo of ‘doorstep man.’ “Do you know who this is?”
“Yes, it’s Mark Turner. He used to work for us. Why? What is your interest in him?”
“He has been seen and photographed with Bella Richards recently. Bella is missing. We believe that this man uses the name ‘Doug’ on occasion, and that he may be responsible for the abduction of Bella, as well as her son, Oliver.”
“But isn’t the boy back now?”
Lily nodded. “Yes, but that was down to a tip-off and good detective work. So far we haven’t been so lucky with Bella — or Nolan.”
Bradfield shook his head. “Mark was a good bloke. Conscientious. He took his work seriously. I can’t believe he’d be mixed up in anything of that sort.”
“Do you know where he is now?”
“We will have his address on file. He left us just over two years ago, so I can’t promise he’ll still be there.” Bradfield swung round on his office chair and peered into his computer screen. He printed out the address and handed it to Lily. “As you see, he lives on the outskirts of Shepley.”
“Did Turner spend a lot of time in court?” Beckwith asked.
“Yes, all over — Leeds, Halifax and in Huddersfield. He also met a lot of unsavoury characters, Chalker among them. It was his job.”
“Do you recall if he ever met Bella?” Lily asked.
“I can’t say for sure. We were part of Chalker’s defence team, and Bella was giving evidence for the prosecution. A lot of the sessions were done in camera. She was terrified of repercussions as I remember.”
Lily stood up. “Thank you, Mr Bradfield. That’s very helpful.”
Bradfield opened the door for them. “Given the case you’re working on, this is serious. I sincerely hope nothing has happened to Robert. The minute you find him, or if he contacts you, please let me know at once.”
Chapter 38
Matt was writing notes on the incident board while he spoke. He had gathered the team for a review of progress. “We now know that Doug, our ‘doorstep man,’ used to work for Bradfield and Nolan, the solicitors who handled Chalker’s case.”
Matt caught Carlisle in the middle of a yawn. “Any news on Nolan?” he asked him.
Carlisle shrugged. “Nothing. Dropped out of sight. Bloke could be anywhere.”
Matt frowned. “Not good enough. We need him found. Right. Dawson. Do we believe what he’s told us?”
Carlisle shook his head. “He swears he’s not involved, so your guess is as good as mine. Personally, I’d bring him in and beat the truth out of the bastard. He’s as guilty as sin if you ask me. Look at the evidence, all those photos. There’s the proof you need. He’s been stalking the woman for weeks.”
Carlisle’s attitude was all wrong, but he had a point. “We must not forget that there are others in the frame. Nolan, for one. Until we know different, we’ll treat his disappearance as suspicious. Also, Nolan’s partner has identified Mark Turner as being the man we know as ‘Doug.’ He worked for their firm of solicitors up until two years ago. So what was he doing at Bella’s house? How does he know her, and when did they meet? Was it during the Chalker trial? We must not forget that both Caroline Sheldon and Anita Verity had an interest in the law. Both women frequented the courtrooms.” Matt looked at Carlisle. “We have found no evidence that Joel Dawson knew either Caroline or Anita. Given your prejudice against the man, perhaps you’d like to look at that again. In the meantime, Lily, Beckwith and I will take a ride out to Shepley. See if Turner still lives there.”
Carlisle smirked. “Mob-handed,”
Matt spoke slowly, as if to a child. “He shoots people. If Turner is our man, he’s dangerous.” He tapped the board. “From what we’ve got, Turner is our likeliest candidate.”
He could tell by the look on his face that Carlisle thought otherwise.
* * *
Lily drove them up the hill from New Mill towards Shepley village. “You think Turner saw Bella during Chalker’s trial, and that’s when he chose her as his next victim?”
“Yes, I do. But my theory has a flaw. Either of you spot it?” Matt turned to look at Beckwith, who sat behind him. He knew Lily was bright enough, but what about this young man? “Turner knows Bella from the time of the trial. He saw her at some stage. Lily, you said that Bella may or may not have been aware of him.” Matt looked at Lily, then Beckwith. “Got it yet?”
Beckwith shrugged. “Seems straightforw
ard enough to me. Turner could well be our man.”
But Lily was thinking. “Bella has been in the protected persons programme. So how did Turner know where to find her?”
Beckwith poked at her back. “It’s been in all the papers, div.”
Lily shook her head. “No, you’re wrong. We have photos of Turner watching her house before the news broke.”
Matt nodded. “Exactly. That means Turner knew where Bella was. He has probably known all along.”
“So who is he?”
“Who Bradfield told you he is — Mark Turner, former solicitor’s clerk. But I suspect that he has been masquerading as Bella’s contact in the protected persons programme. Despite what she believed, I doubt she was ever even in it. He could well have organised the move, her new identity, the lot, and kept up the pretence in order to isolate her.”
“That is very clever. And it worked too. Until she fell for Fisher.” Beckwith sounded impressed.
The address they had for Turner was a stone farmhouse clinging to the hillside about a mile from Shepley centre. It wasn’t entirely on its own, however. There were houses within fifty metres or so, on either side.
Lily stared at the house. “It’s a substantial property. Lots of rooms.”
“It’s had a lot of work done,” Beckwith added. “The owner must have plenty of money.”
Lily frowned. “The blinds are all shut. Whoever’s living here obviously doesn’t want snoopers, sir. How do you want to play this?”
Matt too was looking at the house. “Ring the station, Beckwith. Get some uniform up here. Get a photograph of Turner, and get it circulated urgently. There is no guarantee the man’s at home.”
“Your gut telling you something?” Lily asked.
“No, but the half-hidden red Ford Ka poking out of the shed on that path over there is,” Matt said.
* * *
He had to sleep sometime, Bella was banking on it. But on the first night he locked her in a room on the top floor, with no way to escape. That morning she feigned sickness again, saying she had a headache and a sore throat. He gave her tea and tablets every four hours, but sooner or later he would see through her subterfuge.
“You’ve been so kind to me. I could help you,” she suggested. “I can’t lie on this sofa forever. I could tidy up, do a little cooking.”
He smiled. “I’d like that, Bella. It’d make us more of a normal couple.”
It killed her to do so, but she managed to smile back. It was vital to keep him sweet. If he lost his temper, God knows what he’d do to her.
“She is very pretty. A friend?” Bella had spotted a photo on the mantelpiece. It showed a blonde woman, of about her own age.
“That’s Kitty. She was my wife.”
Bella was surprised. He’d never said anything about having a wife, but then she’d never asked. “Where is she?”
He sighed. “Kitty was never satisfied. No matter what I did for her, it was never enough. I really tried, Bella. I did everything I could. I gave her every opportunity to do the right thing. But she drove me insane with her demands and her infidelities.”
His voice had begun to rise. Talking about his wife was evidently winding him up.
“Did she leave you?”
“No woman leaves me, Bella.” The words were hard, cold. They chilled her to the bone. “Once they come to this house, they are here for good. I like to keep all of them close.”
“Have you brought others here?”
“Yes, Bella. Apart from Kitty, there have been two others. But they weren’t right. They weren’t a patch on you. Just like with Kitty, I tried everything, but they got it all wrong. They wanted things I could not give them. In the end I had to finish it.”
What was he saying? Was he keeping them prisoner like her? Or had he killed them?
“That’s sad. You haven’t had much luck.”
Her voice was shaking, and he was staring at her again. Had he seen through her? Did he know what she was doing, that she was just trying to keep him sweet? A shiver of fear flew down her spine and she felt genuinely sick. She wanted to ask more, but she didn’t dare. If those women had been murdered, what had he done with the bodies? If she stood any chance at all of getting out of here, Bella had to convince him that she was different. She had to make him believe that she was on his side.
She smiled sweetly. “I do a mean cottage pie. If you buy the ingredients, I’ll make it for dinner later. We could open a bottle of wine. Celebrate us getting together at last.”
He leaned back and folded his arms. “I know what you’re doing, Bella. In your position, no doubt I’d do the same. But be warned. I will not be taken in easily. You can smile and bat those pretty lashes all you want, but I don’t trust you.”
“That’s a shame, because I’d like us to be friends. You have no idea how lonely it is on the program. Having to pretend to everyone you meet. Inventing stories about the past. It really is hard work. But you know all about me. I don’t have to be anyone but myself with you. You know about Ronnie and what he did. You know what I have been through.”
Mark Turner said nothing in reply, but took something from his pocket. It was the card from the bouquet of roses she’d left up on the moors. He waved it in her face. “I know all about Alan Fisher too. He was the only man for you. So what has changed, Bella? How can I trust someone who is so quick to forget the man she reckoned she loved so much?”
“I . . . I thought I loved Alan.” Her voice faltered. “But I was infatuated with him. I was flattered that he liked me and got carried away.” It killed her to say this. “What I really need is a man who understands what I’ve been through. Someone who I can be myself with. Someone like you, Mark.” Bella waited, hardly daring to breath. He was watching her, weighing up what she’d told him. He had to be convinced, he just had to be.
“Why didn’t you say something before? You could have rung, arranged more meetings. You had the phone I gave you.”
“I didn’t realise that you liked me then. But now that I know you better, I see that your way is best.” She waited. His face was expressionless. He had to believe her. Bella could not keep up this pretence much longer.
Finally he smiled. “You don’t have to cook if you don’t want to. I don’t mind if you take it easy, particularly if you’re not well.”
“Having something to do might help. It would take my mind off it.”
“Okay, I’ll go down to the village in a little while, and get some shopping. But I’ll have to put you in that room again.”
She made big eyes at him. “Please don’t. I won’t leave. You can trust me now, Mark. I’m quite enjoying my time here with you. You have a beautiful home. It’s so peaceful and quiet. Life was so hectic where I was. Working took up all of my time. It’s good to be able to wind down. This is the first time I’ve rested in weeks.” Had she convinced him? Would he be taken in? She held her breath.
It worked. He smiled, and his whole face lit up. If he’d been a cat, he’d be purring right now. “Okay. I’ll just lock the front and back doors. If you go into the kitchen, be careful of the floor. I’m laying a new one and it isn’t quite finished yet. And don’t go down into the cellar.”
Chapter 39
Lily looked at Matt. They had moved further down the lane and parked in the driveway of the nearest neighbour.
“Are we waiting for backup to get here, sir?”
Before Matt could answer, Beckwith hissed, “He’s leaving! Get down, or he’ll see us.”
The three detectives ducked.
After a few minutes, Lily sat up. “He was alone in that car. If she’s in the house, now’s our chance.”
“Come on then, let’s take a look.”
They circled the building. There was one outbuilding, housing the Ford, but no others.
Beckwith hammered on the front door. “Anyone in there?”
“That’s a heavy, old door.” Matt gave it a shove with his shoulder but it didn’t budge. “If we have to
break in, it’ll take some shifting.”
Then they heard a woman’s voice. “Hello?”
The three detectives looked at each other.
“Bella!” Matt shouted. “Are you okay?”
“You have to get me out fast. He won’t be gone long.”
Beckwith pushed open the letterbox so that he could see her. “We’ll find a way in round the back. This door is too heavy.”
Matt turned to Lily. “Stay here and keep an eye out for Turner. If he comes back, bang on the door.”
He and Beckwith went round to the back of the farmhouse. There was a window they could use, but it was a fair way off the ground.
“I’ll give you a leg up, then you knock out the glass with this.” Matt handed Beckwith a large stone.
Beckwith slid through the window straight into the kitchen sink. He ran to the back door and after several hefty kicks, broke the lock and let Matt in.
Beckwith sneezed. “Weird smell in here, sir. I think it’s coming from down there.” He nodded at the door. “What do you reckon it is?”
“It looks like a cellar. Never mind that for now. Let’s get Bella out of here.”
They found her cowering behind the front door. The moment she saw Matt, she ran into his arms. “I thought he was going to kill me. I had no idea he was so dangerous. He’s mad! Please, I have to leave here. I need to see Olly.”
Matt nodded at Beckwith. “Take her out to Lily. We’ll have a look round.”
Matt made straight for the cellar. It was large, dank, and dark. He could make out a large bench with chains hanging from each corner. There was also what looked like dried blood covering the floor.
“Beckwith!” he shouted.
The DC was standing on the bottom step. “Backup are here, sir! We sent out photos of Turner. They’re all set up at the station, just waiting for a call. Plus, we’ve got things organised in case he returns here. Lily has gone with Bella. She’ll take her to a doctor and then get her to make a statement.”
Matt was kicking at sheets of tarpaulin that lay scattered across the floor. His foot hit something soft, and he winced. “I think I’ve found Nolan.” He took a pair of gloves from his pocket, put them on and carefully moved the covering to one side, revealing Robert Nolan’s body. “He must have followed Bella up here. Poor man, a bullet through the neck from the look of him. Forensics will have a field day with this little lot. Look at the wall over there. Everything you need for a do-it-yourself torture chamber.”
His Third Victim Page 18
