SHADOW OVER THE FENS a gripping crime thriller full of suspense

by Joy Ellis

  ‘But he did change, didn’t he? You said he lost his spark.’

  ‘Maybe I read too much into that. Cancer changes people, and Martin was a vibrant young man. A young man forced to spend the rest of his life on a crushing drug regime and following a much restricted lifestyle to the one he probably had seen for himself. Surely anyone would change?’

  ‘Of course, you’re right,’ said Joseph softly, but inside he felt that Martin’s sister’s beliefs were a long way from correct.

  The little group fell silent, then Janna suddenly stood up. ‘Liz? Did you say Kowalski?’

  The other woman nodded, then watched as Janna retrieved a briefcase from behind one of the chairs and began to strew its contents across the marble-tiled floor.

  ‘It’s here somewhere, damn it.’ Janna rummaged impatiently through reams of paperwork.

  ‘What on earth are you looking for?’ asked Elizabeth.

  ‘This!’ Janna jumped up triumphantly. ‘It has to be the same man!’ She waved a typed sheet at him. ‘Listen to this, it’s a letter of resignation from one of my staff. Linda Kowalski.’ She scanned the sheet quickly then read out the relevant part. ‘Really sorry, etc, etc, been so happy in my job, blah, blah, but, yes, this is it! But due to my brother David’s illness and I have decided to give up work to look after him. Please God he recovers and is allowed home.’ She handed him the letter and said, ‘So how many David Kowalskis do you know?’

  ‘It could be the same man,’ said Joseph. ‘If his age corresponds?’

  ‘Linda is in her fifties. She told me they are true yellowbellies, born and bred here in the Fens. The name comes via their grandfather who was a Polish immigrant.’

  ‘Well, the age may fit.’ He looked across to Elizabeth. ‘Did Martin’s friend Davey have a sister?’

  ‘Two, I think.’ She nodded slowly. ‘And another thing, I’m pretty sure he was on the last trial with Martin.’

  Joseph drew in a long breath. Then that was the man he needed to speak to, and the sooner the better. He turned to Janna. ‘Do you know why David is so ill?’

  ‘No idea, but I know he’s in intensive care at Greenborough General.’

  Joseph’s mind raced. A failed suicide maybe? He needed to get onto the hospital. ‘Could I borrow your phone book, please?’

  ‘Use the phone in the kitchen, Sergeant,’ said Janna. ‘Greenborough General’s number is on the chalk board. It’s listed between the doctor and the vet.’

  He returned to the garden room a few minutes later. ‘I need to go see them, but it could well be the same man.’ He quickly drained his coffee cup. ‘Thank you both for all this and I promise to keep you updated in what we uncover.’

  Outside in the car Joseph checked the time. Almost midnight, and without his warrant card it was useless going to the hospital. There was nothing left but to go home. He pulled his new phone from his pocket and smiled in the darkness, after he’d phoned Bryony.

  He began to punch in her number, then closed the phone again. Was this fair? They were not even what you might call an item. Yes, they were on the brink of an affair, there was no denying that, but did he have the right to start ringing her at any godforsaken hour just because it suited him?

  He slumped back in his seat and wondered what to do. Bryony had given him every indication that she wanted to take their relationship further. She would probably appreciate a call, knowing how scary everything had been of late. Joseph took a deep breath and re-dialled her number. After a moment or two he heard the voicemail cut in. Well, that settled that.

  ‘Eh, hello Bry, it’s me, Joseph. Um, well, it’s really late I know, but I just wanted you to know that I’m fine and I’m looking forward to catching up with you. I’ll ring you in the morning before you go to work.’ He paused. ‘I miss you, Bry, and I can’t wait to get all this sorted out so that we will have some time to get to know each other better. You take care. Speak soon. Bye.’

  He closed the phone and sighed. He had hoped that she would have picked up his call. She was the one bright star in all this mess right now. The one sane and solid thing for him to hold on to.

  Joseph turned the key in the ignition and prayed that Nikki Galena would find a way to stop Billy Sweet, before he destroyed everything beautiful in his life.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Nikki must have left very early, because when Joseph emerged at around six thirty, he found a short note propped against the toaster. It simply said that she hadn’t forgotten that she had promised to send him some help. He could expect someone as soon as she could arrange it, hopefully just after nine o’clock.

  He showered and dressed, then unenthusiastically ate a couple of slices of toast and marmalade. Beside his plate sat an A4 writing pad. If he were to have some help, he couldn’t afford to waste time. He should sort out his enquiries into those that could be tackled by a civilian, in this case himself, and those that needed an official warrant card to obtain answers.

  He sipped at his mug of tea and began to get his thoughts into some sort of order. And that wasn’t easy when all he could think about was a dark-haired, elfin-faced woman; a woman who wasn’t answering her phone.

  Joseph rinsed his plate and wished vehemently that he had not stopped Bryony from ringing him. It really would do no harm for her to have his new mobile number. She was hardly likely to plague him with calls. Yes, he’d leave it on her voicemail, that would stop him worrying himself sick every time she left her phone switched off. Joseph quickly recorded his second message, then opened his notebook and began to write.

  David Kowalski was top of his list. First and foremost they must ascertain that he was the same man who had been a friend of Martin. And if he was, then why was he in hospital, and would he be in any state to talk to them.

  Next he wrote: Cold Cure Unit. Somehow they had to find out if it had been originally run by a pharmaceutical company, then see if it was still operational.

  Under that he scribbled oncology unit. Now that was really bugging him. Joseph placed the pen carefully on the pad, and hoping someone would be in early, went to find their number.

  The manager had not arrived, but the receptionist seemed eager to help. ‘There is only one other possibility, Sergeant.’ The accent was heavily Geordie. ‘Some private referrals aren’t always listed in our records. Dr Muller’s patients for example, his secretary kept a separate appointment diary.’

  Joseph felt a glimmer of hope. ‘Could I speak to Dr Muller or his secretary?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Dr Muller left six months ago. Went back to Europe, I believe, although I have no idea where.’

  The glimmer faded and went out. Joseph thanked him and hung up; he knew a dead end when he was down one.

  He sighed and found his concentration wandering from the all-important work sheet to the phone that lay on the table tantalisingly close to his right hand. He’d have thought that Bryony would have checked her mail by now, and part of him had been expecting a call. He hoped that there was nothing wrong. Maybe his dangerous situation had scared her off. It was an awful lot to ask of anyone, yet alone a new girlfriend. She didn’t seem like the type to get cold feet, but having a murderer stalking your date could send the toughest Amazon heading for the hills.

  He stared at the clock. If he hadn’t promised Nikki that he would do all he could to find out what had happened to Martin, he would have driven over to Bryony’s home, and spoken to her before she left for work. As it was, the best he could do was to ring her office. He was probably being stupid and over protective, but with Billy Sweet still out there, Bryony’s lack of communication was giving him the jitters. All he wanted was a few words to say that she was safe.

  As if on cue, his phone burst into a loud, tinny discordant tune, and he grabbed at it, his heart thumping in his throat.

  ‘Joseph? You sound weird? Something wrong?’

  His heart sank. ‘Nikki, eh, no nothing’s wrong. I just need to change the ringtone on this new phone, it scares the pants
off you when it rings.’

  ‘Oh, right. Well, just to say that Niall Farrow is on his way to you. Yvonne was my first choice, she’s more experienced, but she’s also cleverer at fending off questions as to where her crewmate is, so you have Niall, okay?’

  ‘Great. We’ll get stuck in as soon as he arrives. How are things there?’

  ‘About as busy as Christmas Eve in Tesco’s car park. It’s bedlam. Anything more from Elizabeth last night?’

  ‘Maybe. I’ll check them out and report my findings, but I was just wondering . . .’

  ‘I’m not sure I like the tone of your voice, Joseph. Don’t tell me you want more help?’

  ‘Not help exactly, just a small favour.’

  ‘And that is?’

  ‘It’s Bryony. I haven’t been able to get an answer on her phone. We agreed to talk last night but she never answered. Same thing this morning.’

  There was a silence, and Joseph wondered what Nikki was going to say. When she did finally speak he noted concern in her voice. ‘And what are you thinking exactly?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I may be panicking unnecessarily, but he did see her. Billy Sweet saw her. Down at the river walk. And he knows that she saw him too, which could put her in grave danger, couldn’t it?’

  Another silence. This time longer.

  ‘Joseph.’ Nikki sounded tense.

  ‘What?’ He frowned at the phone. ‘Nikki, has something happened?’

  ‘Not what you’re thinking, Joseph, so don’t jump to conclusions, but there may be a good reason why Bryony hasn’t answered your calls.’

  His discomfort increased. ‘And?’

  ‘Oh shit! I’m not sure I should tell you this, but hell, you need to know. Just don’t bite my head off, okay?’

  Joseph began to feel a heady mix of concern and anger fill his mind. ‘For God’s sake, just tell me!’

  ‘I spoke to Bryony yesterday, Joseph. I needed her to give me something more of a description of your stalker.’

  Confusion blunted the growing anger. ‘But I told you, she said that she only saw a shadowy figure jump over the wall and down onto the towpath.’

  ‘I needed to hear her account, not yours, do you understand?’

  Joseph swallowed. ‘Yes, I suppose, but what did she say?’

  ‘That she never saw anything, or anybody.’

  ‘No! No, that’s wrong!’ His voice rose to almost a shout. ‘She said . . .’

  ‘I know what she said to you, but she saw how upset you were, and she wanted to give you some sort of support. She lied, Joseph. For your sake. She thought she was helping you.’

  ‘And you knew this? So why the hell didn’t you tell me last night?’ He knew he should never speak to Nikki in that way, but the anger made his headache with its burning intensity.

  ‘Because she wanted to tell you herself. She made me promise not to mention it. And I thought that was only right.’ Nikki’s voice had softened. ‘And I believed she would, Joseph. She cares about you, I’m sure of that, and I thought that she deserved the chance to explain.’

  ‘Well, she’s obviously thought better of it,’ he muttered. ‘Probably thought better of the whole damn thing and she’s dumped me. She just hasn’t found the courage to actually tell me yet.’

  ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself, Sergeant!’ barked Nikki, her voice now back to normal. ‘We know nothing for sure, and I only told you that because I thought it would help you. Think about it! If she didn’t see your killer, then he didn’t see her either. So the chances of him going after her are negligible, yes?’

  Joseph’s head was spinning. ‘I suppose, but . . .’

  ‘Look, give me her address. I’ll get someone to knock on her door. What time does she leave for work?’

  Joseph checked his watch. ‘In about fifteen minutes.’

  ‘Damn it! Oh, if it makes you happy, I’ll go myself, it’ll be quicker than trying to organise someone else.’

  He heard her chair squeak as she jumped up. He rattled off the address, then said, ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Yeah, and you really owe me, Joseph Easter. I’ll ring you when I get there.’

  Joseph stared at the phone. His hopes had been dashed. Once again, he was the only witness. No one else had ever seen that murdering bastard Sweet, unless they were being killed by him, and then they would have had the dubious pleasure of seeing those dead eyes staring through them. He shivered. The thought of Billy Sweet being the last thing you ever saw was terrifying.

  He placed the phone back on the table, then almost yelped with shock as it rang again. He grabbed it, but saw it was a message rather than a call.

  Joseph. Sorry 2 miss your calls. Mobile on the blink. Will sort it and ring tonight. Miss you 2. CU soon. Bryony xx

  His breath caught in his throat. Thank God! He saved the message then pushed the button for dial. Shit! He’d just sent Nikki flying off on a wild goose chase! He punched in her name, and heard it ring only once before she answered it.

  ‘This had better be good!’

  ‘Ma’am! It’s me! Cancel my last! I’ve just heard from her!’

  ‘You are so lucky that I’d only got as far as the car! Is she okay?’

  ‘I had a text, said her phone was malfunctioning. She sounds fine.’

  ‘Are you happy with that?’

  ‘Yeah, I’m sure it’s kosher,’ he sighed with relief. ‘Thanks anyway, Nikki. I still owe you.’

  ‘You’re so right, sunshine! Now go get your fuzzy little head around Martin Durham’s death, okay?’

  ‘Roger! Over and out.’

  * * *

  Niall arrived ten minutes later, placed his car keys inside his hat and laid it on the kitchen table.

  ‘Before we get to work, Sarge, the team asked me to tell you how sorry we all are, and that we are all right behind you. The chief must need his head read to be standing you down like this.’ Niall flopped into one of the old pine chairs and gave Joseph a boyish grin. ‘So, whatever I can do to help, bring it on.’

  Joseph made more tea, and as he did, he carefully filled the young officer in on everything he knew about Martin Durham and the suspect ‘suicides.’

  ‘Phew.’ Niall let out a low whistle. ‘This all has a very bad feel to it, doesn’t it?’ He scratched his head. ‘One thing I can tell you is that forensics say there is no more to be gleaned from Knot Cottage. It was the work of a highly trained pro, and no evidence was obtained that would help to identify the intruder. And sorry, but the guv’nor asked me to mention that the DNA that she extracted from him during their fight came up with no match on our database.’

  ‘Damn it! We were kind of relying on that.’

  ‘That’s approximately what the DI said, only her version was more colourful.’

  Joseph shrugged. ‘Okay, so let’s adjourn to the study and see what we can find out about David Kowalski. You ring the hospital, and I’ll try to contact his sister.’

  Linda Kowalski sounded nervous on answering the phone. ‘Every time it rings I dread bad news,’ she explained.

  Joseph carefully told her why he was ringing, then waited for the woman to say that she had no idea what he was talking about. Instead, after a short pause, she simply said. ‘We need to talk, Sergeant, and the sooner the better.’

  Joseph took a sharp breath. ‘When and where?’

  ‘I’ll be leaving for the hospital soon, but we need to talk privately. Do you know the playing field next the hospital? I’ll be in a red Ford Ka. I’ll meet you in the car park.’

  Joseph lowered the phone, and looked across at Niall. ‘What have you got?’

  ‘David is critical. No chance of talking to him,’ he pulled a face. ‘Doesn’t sound good, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Then everything depends on his sister.’ He stood up. ‘We want the park next to the hospital, and separate cars may be sensible. I’ll follow you.’

  * * *

  Linda Kowalski had grey hair and the look of a woman who had spent most of her
years exposed to the elements. She smiled wanly at Joseph and he prayed that Niall’s uniform and the fact that they were sitting in a Fenland Constabulary squad car would deter her from asking to see his warrant card. ‘Why is David in hospital?’ he asked gently.

  ‘He had an allergic reaction to his medication.’ She stared at him almost angrily. ‘Although why? He’s been on the same drugs for years.’

  Joseph exhaled sharply. ‘And were they as a result of clinical trials in his youth?’

  Linda nodded grimly. ‘I was on them too; all young and fired up to do our bit. But I opted out early, and Davey, passionate to this day, continued for years.’

  ‘I hate to tell you this, but we have reason to believe that your brother’s medication was tampered with.’

  Linda suddenly grasped his wrist. ‘So do I!’

  ‘How much do you know about what went on?’ asked Joseph urgently.

  ‘Pretty well everything. And although David swore never to speak, I didn’t.’

  Joseph swung round to face Niall. ‘You have to take Miss Kowalski to the station. Directly to DI Galena, understand?’

  ‘Not before I’ve seen my brother,’ she added firmly.

  ‘You could be in serious danger, Linda. I need to get you to a place of safety.’

  ‘Fine. After I’ve seen David.’

  ‘I’ll call for another crew, Sarge,’ interjected Niall. ‘We’ll stick with Miss Kowalski, then they can keep watch on her brother while I take her back to the nick.’

  ‘Yes, do it.’

  As Niall radioed in, Joseph looked carefully at Linda Kowalski, ‘What was the last trial about? It wasn’t cold cures, was it?’

  ‘Very few of the trials were,’ she snorted distastefully. ‘Mainly they were for rheumatoid treatments, testing with gold, or sulphasalazine. The last one however . . .’ her voice dropped to a whisper, ‘. . . was for drugs that were being used to interrogate prisoners, well, foreign spies and traitors, more like. We are talking the Cold War, Sergeant.’