SHADOW OVER THE FENS a gripping crime thriller full of suspense

by Joy Ellis

  The super allowed her outburst to abate, then said, ‘Have you had your injuries checked out?’

  She nodded. ‘The FMO was treating a prisoner when I came here last night. It’s only bruising. It’ll pass.’

  ‘So where do you want to go from here?’

  Joseph threw her a warning glance. She needed to cool down, or the super would give the case to another team. He saw her close her eyes for a moment, and he knew that she had understood his meaning.

  ‘We’ll just continue gathering evidence for the inquest, sir.’ Her voice was calmer. ‘And as soon the sergeant and I have spoken to Martin Durham’s sister, we’ll make a careful search of Knot Cottage.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I know that I disturbed him, and I’m still not entirely sure that he found what he was looking for.’

  The super nodded. ‘Then you’d better get a man out there to keep an eye on the place. And we should watch your home too, but finances probably won’t stretch.’

  ‘There’s been an officer at Martin’s since last night, and I can take care of myself, thank you, sir,’ said Nikki, then she gave him a half grin. ‘It may have been pitch black but the intruder didn’t get away scot-free. In the scuffle I managed to grab a few strands of his hair. It’s gone to the lab for DNA testing.’

  Joseph smiled broadly. ‘Good on you, ma’am! If he’s on the database, we’ve got him.’

  ‘And even if he isn’t, if we get a suspect, we can place him at the scene of the crime. Good work.’ The super stood up and pulled a face. ‘Now, I’ve got an appointment with the auditor from hell, so if that’s all?’

  ‘Right, sir, we’ll get out to Old Bolingbroke.’

  ‘Just remember to report in later, Inspector.’

  ‘Wilco, sir.’

  * * *

  ‘I’ll drive, ma’am,’ said Joseph tactfully. ‘Help me to get a feel for the area.’

  Nikki agreed, knowing full well that he was thinking only of her, which was great because her side was killing her.

  ‘We take the main road north, out of Greenborough, and pick up the A16. I’ll direct you in as we get closer.’

  Joseph pulled out of the station yard, and slipped easily into the light traffic flow. ‘So, you know Elizabeth Durham?’

  ‘Not well. I’ve met her a few times. She came over as being a very genuine, friendly person. She and Martin were close. He told me they were inseparable during their college days.’

  Joseph slowed down at a pedestrian crossing and waved a small group of children across. ‘Students together? What did they study?’

  ‘I’m not sure really, although Elizabeth is some sort of tree person,’ said Nikki, trying to remember the full title of her chosen profession. ‘Well respected, apparently.’

  ‘I guess you’re not talking about a lumberjack or a tree hugger?’

  Nikki smiled. ‘I’m not sure about her personal habits, but she is, let me get this right, an arboriculturist. Martin called her a landscape architect.’

  ‘Funny that. There aren’t too many trees here on the Fens.’

  ‘There are where we are going. It may only be a twenty minute drive but you’ll notice a big difference in the countryside. It’s less agricultural closer to the Wolds. Lots more trees.’

  ‘And you say she lives with her partner. What does he do?’

  ‘She. Her partner is Janna Hepburn-Lowe.’

  Joseph threw her a swift glance, then returned his eyes to the road. ‘From the Hepburn-Lowe family?’

  ‘Yup. They’ve been together for years.’ Nikki groaned and tried to ease herself into a more comfortable position. ‘Do try to avoid bloody manhole covers, Joseph. My ribs feel like they’ve been kicked by a horse!’

  ‘Sorry. Go on.’

  ‘Janna’s another nature lover. She owns a massive garden centre quite close to where they live.’ She tilted her head to one side. ‘And it wasn’t Daddy’s millions that provided it either. Janna actually worked there as a kid, Saturday job or something. Loved it so much she finished up buying it when the original owners retired.’

  ‘Good for her,’ said Joseph, then his face clouded over. ‘But I guess that rules out financial worries on Martin’s part. If he was in debt and his sister loved him, she’d hardly let him get suicidal over money troubles. Not when your partner is loaded.’

  ‘Exactly.’ She pointed to a large sign. ‘Get in the right hand lane, right at the roundabout, and you’re on the road to the A16, okay?’

  ‘Roger, ma’am.’

  Nikki shifted again, trying to keep the seatbelt away from her bruised side. ‘You know, I have a really bad feeling about all this, Joseph, and it is nothing to do with knowing Martin.’ She stared out of the car window. ‘That man who trashed Knot Cottage? He was a pro, I’m sure of it.’

  ‘Then it’s good that we have uniform watching the place until we get there. It shouldn’t be too difficult to spot your man’s modus operandi for his search, even if he tried to make it look like the super’s opportunist burglar.’

  ‘Did he get what he was after, I wonder?’ sighed Nikki.

  ‘And what could be that important?’ countered Joseph.

  Nikki sat back, and felt a steely determination creep over her. ‘I don’t know yet, Joseph. But I’m damn sure that I won’t rest until find out what the hell’s going on.’

  Joseph nodded emphatically. ‘I don’t doubt you for one minute, ma’am. And for what it’s worth, I’m with you all the way.’

  * * *

  Elizabeth Durham opened the door to them herself, and although it was a very long time since they’d last met, Nikki recognised her immediately.

  On the surface, the woman covered her grief well, but the dark-rimmed eyes, the slight tremors of the hands, and the occasional lapses in concentration, gave her sorrow away as clearly as if she were wearing widow’s weeds.

  She invited them into the lounge, a large, airy, high-ceilinged room that opened into a splendid, well-stocked garden room. ‘I still can’t believe it,’ she said, after the introductions had been made. ‘And I don’t understand.’

  ‘No one does,’ said Nikki simply. ‘We are all at a loss to know what could have caused him to do such a thing. And Elizabeth, I am so very sorry. Martin was such a good friend and neighbour.’

  She wordlessly shrugged her acceptance of the condolences, then suddenly looked exhausted and lowered herself down onto the deep cushions of the sofa. With a flourish of one hand, she indicated for them to do the same, and she watched them as they chose two chairs opposite her. ‘Can I get you some refreshments?’

  Nikki and Joseph both declined. It seemed almost too much to ask. As if that one small act of boiling a kettle might cause the floodgates to break.

  ‘When will I be able to have him back? To organise his funeral?’

  Nikki swallowed. ‘I’m afraid that depends on the coroner, Elizabeth. The inquest opens the day after tomorrow, but it will be adjourned, awaiting all the reports.’ She gave her an apologetic smile. ‘It’s a complicated case, with both witness statements and a lot of forensic reports. It will take time to prepare, and there will be a lot for him to consider.’

  ‘So it may be held up for some time?’

  Nikki chose her words carefully. ‘Maybe, or he may allow you to bury him.’

  ‘But my brother wanted to be cremated. Oh, it will be a cremation, definitely.’

  This was not going well. Elizabeth was a highly intelligent woman, but shock had blurred her normally sharp mind.

  ‘The thing is . . .’ Joseph’s soft voice had taken over. ‘The thing is, Ms Durham, that we are all very worried about Martin’s sudden decision to end his life. We need to explore every avenue to understand what happened, and until we are satisfied with our findings and a satisfactory explanation has been reached, we cannot allow Martin’s body to be cremated.’ He paused. ‘For your sake, and for your brother, we need to provide you with answers.’

  ‘The coroner may feel that you need some sort of clos
ure,’ added Nikki gently. ‘So he could grant you permission for a burial, then later, when a verdict has been reached, Martin’s wishes could be followed.’

  Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Dig him up?’

  ‘I know it sounds awful, but it’s done very discreetly, with the utmost care and compassion,’ added Joseph. ‘And please don’t concern yourself. It may never come to that.’

  ‘Where is Janna?’ asked Nikki, concerned that Elizabeth was alone.

  A small smile spread across her face. ‘She’s slipped over to the garden centre while you are here with me. She needs to tie up a few things with her manager. She’s taking some time off so that I don’t have to deal with this alone.’

  ‘That’s good.’

  ‘She’s a good person,’ said Elizabeth. ‘And she’s worried sick over me.’

  ‘Would it be too soon to ask a few questions?’ Nikki did not want to cause any more distress, but she still needed to tell Elizabeth about the break-in at Knot Cottage.

  ‘No, I’ll do all I can to help.’ She visibly rallied. ‘And I’m sorry about just now, I don’t know what came over me.’ She looked at them in turn, then abruptly stood up.

  ‘First, some coffee. Why don’t you both go down to the garden room? There’s a lovely view over the gardens, and you can just see Janna’s pride and joy in the distance. I’ll fetch the drinks, and then I’ll do my best to answer your questions.’

  Nikki followed Joseph down three shallow steps, and into the big conservatory. The scent of jasmine and some other sweet, oriental flower hit her immediately. ‘This is beautiful!’ she whispered.

  ‘This is expensive!’ returned Joseph. ‘Very, very expensive.’ He pointed to a panel on the wall. ‘State-of-the-art automated blinds, automatic humidity and temperature control. Very nice indeed.’

  And the exterior of the property was like manicured parkland. ‘How the other half live,’ she breathed. ‘And I guess that is the fabled garden centre.’

  At the bottom of the rolling lawns, and on the far side of a long pasture, sunlight was glinting off a massive glass structure.

  ‘This lodge was the gatehouse for the original estate.’ Elizabeth stood at the top of the steps. ‘We added the garden room, plants being a passion for us both, and we’ve drawn up plans to build a Victorian-style orangery.’

  ‘That would be some project to undertake,’ said Joseph.

  ‘If we ever find the time. But excuse me, the coffee will be ready.’

  Nikki glanced impatiently at her watch. She wanted to talk to Elizabeth, but she needed to get back to the cottage to try to find out what had been stolen.

  ‘Black or white?’ Elizabeth placed a tray on a decorated rattan table, picked up the cafetière, and poured the coffee.

  Nikki decided that there was no time left for procrastination. She took her drink, sat in big cane chair by the window, and said, ‘When did you last see your brother?’

  ‘About a week ago. He came for supper a couple of times a month.’

  ‘And how did he seem?’

  ‘Top form.’ She sipped her drink tentatively. ‘That’s what makes it all so hard to understand. We both commented on how, oh, how happy, he seemed.’

  ‘More than usual?’

  ‘Maybe. Or perhaps he was just pleased because a paper he’d written was coming up for publication shortly.’

  ‘Oh really? On what subject?’ asked Joseph with interest.

  ‘Salt marsh ecology, management and restoration.’ She gave them a weak smile. ‘Sounds pretty heavy, doesn’t it? When Martin was younger he wanted to be a forensic botanist, but his illness put paid to that. When he recovered, he did continue to study biology and botany, and the marshes provided him with constant interest.’

  ‘I knew that he was pretty interested in the local plant life, but I had no idea he was that knowledgeable.’ Nikki was starting to wonder if she actually knew anything about Martin Durham. ‘Did he have any money worries?’

  ‘My brother was not rich, but he was financially secure, and the cottage was his, no mortgage. He had no debts either. So no, that was not the problem.’

  ‘And there is nothing that you can think of that may have been bothering him?’

  ‘I’ve gone over and over this, since the moment I heard he was dead, but there’s nothing, absolutely nothing.’

  ‘Did he mention anything to you about changing his medication?’ asked Joseph abruptly.

  Elizabeth’s hand trembled for a moment, then her jaw clenched. ‘What do you mean?’

  Nikki stared at her. Why should that question bother her?

  Joseph gave her an innocent look. ‘Sorry, but we understand that he was keen for his GP to revise his regime?’

  ‘Oh, that! Yes, I believe she had suggested new drugs were available. I’m not sure if he’d decided to go ahead though.’

  ‘And I hate to ask this,’ added Joseph, ‘but did he ever take any recreational drugs?’

  Elizabeth Durham suddenly laughed out loud. ‘Martin? That’s a joke! He was phobic about his medication! He took nothing that could upset the balance. Not even a herbal remedy. Ask anyone at the Wild Goose, he’d gone there for years, and I guarantee you, he never took one sip of alcohol in all that time, so drugs? No, Sergeant. He wouldn’t have dared!’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I had to ask,’ said Joseph quietly. ‘Because he was not acting rationally when he went to St Saviours Church.’

  ‘I should say not. He killed himself, didn’t he?’ said Elizabeth icily.

  ‘There is another problem, Elizabeth,’ interjected Nikki. ‘Knot Cottage was broken into last night. I accosted the intruder, but sadly he got the better of me.’ She indicated to her bruised face.

  ‘Oh!’ Elizabeth’s hands flew up to her mouth. ‘How could they? Some thugs, I suppose? Looking for money for drugs! It’s always that these days, isn’t it? Oh, poor Martin, he was so particular about his home.’

  Please! Don’t worry about me! thought Nikki, but said. ‘I believe the intruder was after something in particular. Would you have any idea what that could be?’

  Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘No. He had nothing of great value.’

  ‘What about his papers, maybe the one about the salt marsh? Would it have any monetary significance?’

  She shook her head. ‘No. Years of work, yes, but it’s not about making money.’

  Nikki felt a mild sense of discomfort surrounding Martin’s sister, but pressed on. ‘So there would have been nothing of importance inside his locked desk, then?’

  ‘Nothing that I know of,’ replied Elizabeth shortly.

  ‘Well, thank you for your help,’ Nikki stood up. ‘I’m sorry if we distressed you.’

  ‘Will you keep me notified of any developments?’

  Nikki nodded. ‘Of course, and we may need to speak to you again. Right now, we are going back to Knot Cottage.’

  ‘You know Martin thought a lot of you and Hannah,’ Elizabeth said suddenly. ‘He was very upset when Robert left you, although he never liked the man, I’m afraid.’

  ‘No one in their right mind liked my ex-husband, Elizabeth,’ said Nikki with a grimace. ‘The only good thing about him was his daughter.’

  ‘And how is Hannah now?’

  ‘No change, although they are talking about sending her to a clinic in Belgium, in Liege.’ Nikki didn’t want to talk about Hannah, and stepped a little closer to the door. ‘They offer no promises, but they understand her problem better than most.’

  Elizabeth seemed to sense her discomfort, nodded sadly and changed the subject.

  ‘When do you think I will I be able to go over and clean up? I’d like to go soon. Martin would hate it to be in a mess.’

  Nikki understood what she meant. His place was always immaculate. Too immaculate, she wondered? ‘We’ll ring you.’ She took a card from her bag and handed it to Elizabeth. ‘My mobile number and direct line is on that. If you think of anything, no matter how insignifi
cant, contact me, okay?’

  * * *

  Joseph drove carefully through the gate, making sure to avoid a large uneven manhole, and onto the main road. ‘What was that all about?’

  ‘Pass. She was fine, although naturally distraught about her brother, until you mentioned the drugs, then she nearly disappeared up her own bottom. But why?’

  ‘Not sure, but I got the distinct impression that she knew exactly what was in that locked desk.’

  ‘Which is more than we bloody do,’ muttered Nikki. ‘And I’ve been wondering about his obsession for cleanliness, he’s always been that way and I never really thought much about it. Now I’m wondering if he was scared of infections. What with having to take all those tablets to keep healthy.’

  ‘Probably was,’ Joseph nodded. ‘I’m sure I would be.’

  Nikki clutched at her waist as they approached a level-crossing. ‘Shit! That’s tender!’

  ‘Then I suggest we find somewhere to grab a hot drink, a sandwich, and you take some very strong painkillers before we go on to Knot Cottage.’

  ‘I agree, and I know where we can get all that for free,’ she grimaced through the pain. ‘My kitchen.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Knot Cottage had thrown up nothing of interest. The only papers left, in a small stationery drawer in the broken desk, were some diet sheets and lists of vitamin and mineral supplements.

  Only one thing had claimed Nikki attention, and that was an old photograph. One of Martin, Hannah and herself, collecting samphire out on the marsh. Wind rippled their hair into ringlets, and tugged at their clothes. She remembered the day, and the buckets of the fleshy-leaved plant that her aunt wanted for pickling, but she couldn’t for the life of her recall who had taken the picture. It had made her feel both nostalgic and mildly confused as to why Martin had kept it.

  Now the photo sat on her desk. She rather liked it, and it would mean nothing to anyone else, so for now at least, it would stay with her.

  Joseph was sorting the paperwork they had brought back, and she was re-reading the witness statements, when he phone rang.