‘What the hell are you doing?’
Jolted, he spun round to see Mrs Roberts standing right behind him, her face twisted with fury. She was out of breath but otherwise fine. So much for her legs being the next to go.
‘How dare you go traipsing around my property without my permission! Are you trying to steal from me? I should’ve guessed as much. I knew I should’ve got better references before letting you in. Right, you’ve got ten seconds to leave before I call the police . . .’
She stopped and her hand flew up to her mouth. He tried to move but it was too late. She was looking past him at the day bed and had seen everything.
‘Oh . . .’ she croaked. ‘You did this in my house?’
‘It wasn’t me,’ he said as calmly as he could, advancing towards her.
‘I’m not stupid,’ she screeched, pointing at the open doorway. ‘Oh my God, here, all this time.’ She started backing away. ‘I’m calling the police and don’t you dare try to stop me.’
The pain in his head exploded like someone had pulled a trigger and it took every bit of strength he had not to drop to his knees and howl.
‘I can’t let you do that,’ he managed.
‘Stay back, stay away from me,’ she screamed.
The pain blurred his vision again and he clutched his left hand to his forehead in a futile attempt to salve the agony. He could barely see Mrs Roberts now, but he knew she was right in front of him. He reached out with his right hand and it smacked against her collarbone. She tried to scream but it came out more like a cough and as he inched his fingers up and closed them round her throat, her veins were like gristle beneath his grip. Her bony fingers clawed at his arm to let go but he didn’t.
With just one hand he squeezed.
49
Hearing that Lesley had recognized the man in the queue as the same one she’d encountered outside Angel’s Reach had a similar effect on Umpire to a shot of adrenaline. Crowing with excitement after Maggie rang to tell him, he ordered HTCU to enhance the image of the man taken in M&S as much as they could before the press office circulated it to the media.
‘It will take a couple of hours but someone’s bound to recognize him when it’s made public,’ Maggie told Lesley afterwards as they headed upstairs to search for Rosie’s old phone.
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘He’s someone’s son and grandson. He may also have siblings, cousins, uncles and aunts, a wife, girlfriend or boyfriend, colleagues, neighbours. It’s almost impossible for a person to go through life having no connection whatso—’
‘Hey, Maggie, can I have a word?’ said a male voice.
Almost at the top of the stairs, Maggie turned to see Steve Berry at the foot of them. His appearance shocked her. His skin was pasty and his eyes hooded beneath folds of puffy skin. He looked like he hadn’t shaved for days.
‘Why don’t you start looking and I’ll join you in a minute?’ she said to Lesley. ‘I just need to talk to DC Berry.’
Lesley nodded and continued her ascent. Reaching the bottom step, Maggie detected a rank smell emanating from Steve, like his clothes were musty and needed washing.
‘No offence, Steve, but you look bloody awful.’
He dropped his voice to a whisper, even though they were alone in the entrance hall.
‘I’m in fucking serious shit.’
‘Is this because of you not telling Umpire about the laptop? I’m sorry, Steve, I didn’t want to drop you in it but you should’ve told—’
‘It’s not that,’ he gulped.
‘What is it?’ she said, her concern spiralling.
‘I’ve just heard about the mum recognizing the bloke who spoke to her yesterday, the one from the queue. The thing is, I’ve also seen him.’
Maggie swallowed hard. ‘When?’
‘On the CCTV tapes. When I went through the ones from the area on Tuesday morning, I found footage of him talking to one of the security guards by the main gate. He pulled up, they exchanged words, then he drove off. I didn’t think anything of it because he didn’t come inside Burr Way.’
‘Are you sure it was him?’
‘Absolutely. You know me – I never forget a face. He was driving a silver Peugeot 205. I meant to forward the registration to be checked but I was knackered from being up all night with Bobby and I forgot.’
‘Oh, Steve,’ she said, appalled.
‘I didn’t think there was anything suspicious about them just talking. I shouldn’t even be on this case,’ he lamented, ‘I should still be on paternity leave. I did interview the security guard later on, but I didn’t ask him about it, it just slipped my mind. I haven’t slept in a week. Bobby’s up half the night with colic and Umpire’s got us working eighteen-hour days.’
‘Yes, because a young girl is missing,’ said Maggie reproachfully. ‘If you’re so tired you can’t do your job properly you should’ve told him.’
‘I didn’t think he’d listen. Look, the guard is a good bloke. He’s only young, twenty-one or so. I did a background PNC check on him with all the others and he was clear.’
‘Did you get the feeling they knew each other?’
‘I can’t say for sure. I need to look at the tape again, but if I do that Umpire’s going to know I’ve ballsed up. Maggie, what am I going to do? When he finds out I saw the suspect and did nothing he’s going to slay me.’ He went even paler and grabbed the top of her arm. Even through her cotton shirt she could tell his palm was sweaty. ‘You were up to your neck in it on your last case with him and he let you off the hook. How did you manage that? I need to know how to play this.’
‘Play this?’ said Maggie furiously, wrenching her arm out of his grip. ‘You don’t play anything, Steve – you tell him you screwed up and then you talk to the security guard, find out what he knows.’
‘MAGGIE!’
A panicked-looking Lesley flew down the stairs towards them holding her phone aloft.
Maggie ran to the foot of the staircase. ‘What is it?’
‘It’s Mack.’
She took the phone. ‘Mack?’
‘No, it’s me,’ said Belmar. She could hear traffic rumbling past in the background and the sound of people shouting and laughing. ‘I need you to come quick. Mack’s lost it.’
‘What do you mean, “lost it”?’
Lesley choked back a sob. Steve looked like he wanted to throw up.
‘He’s withdrawing money from cashpoints and giving it away to whoever walks by. I can’t make him stop.’
‘Where are you?’
‘Mansell High Street.’
‘Shit,’ said Maggie. ‘It’s lunchtime, there must be loads of people about.’
‘You don’t say,’ said Belmar, sounding stressed.
‘Is he manic?’
‘No, he’s deadly calm, which is scarier. It’s like he’s in a trance. You need to bring Lesley down here to see if she can get through to him. There’s a bloody great crowd gathering and someone’s bound to tip off the press.’
‘We’ll leave now.’
She hung up and passed the phone back to Lesley. Then she turned to Steve. ‘You need to tell Umpire. I can’t cover for you.’
‘I know,’ said Steve miserably. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make it right.’
50
The paramedics tucked a red blanket around Mack as they strapped him into a wheelchair. His face was waxy and partially shielded by an oxygen mask, and his eyes were closed so he was oblivious to the crowd of rubberneckers craning to watch as he was loaded into the back of the ambulance. Some were holding their mobiles aloft and Maggie wondered how many pictures of him in a state of collapse were already circulating on the Internet. The thought made her angry and she glared at two women standing nearest to her. They had the decency to look embarrassed and move away, but they were the only ones. The rest stayed put, gawping as the paramedics, one male, one female, got Mack ready for the short journey from the high street to Mansell General.
&nbs
p; The crowd had already gathered when Maggie and Lesley arrived and people were laughing in astonishment as Mack shoved fistfuls of banknotes at them. Belmar said most had declined to take the money at first, fearing it was some kind of ruse or hidden-camera stunt. But once a couple gladly accepted, others held out their hands too and some even encouraged him to keep going back to the cashpoint to withdraw more when that ran out. On the drive to Mansell, Lesley admitted to Maggie their daily cashpoint limit had been raised to £1,000 after their win and Mack had at least six debit and credit cards he could take money out on. By the time they got there, Belmar estimated he’d made up to twenty withdrawals from four different banks and a building society, taking out various amounts each time.
As Maggie waited by the ambulance, a couple of police community support officers began to disperse the crowd. Two young men in paint-splattered overalls walked past her, each holding a bundle of cash.
‘How much did you get?’ one was saying.
‘Must be at least four hundred here. Fancy one down the pub after we knock off?’
‘Too fucking right. Let’s call Tommo. He’s not gunna believe this.’
Lesley, who was standing beside her, let out a sob.
‘How can people be so horrible? They’re exploiting a sick man.’
An elderly woman in a purple coat, orange felt hat and sheepskin ankle boots approached them. She handed Maggie two fifty-pound notes and said sorry to Lesley.
‘I heard what you just said, love, and I shouldn’t have taken it. He wasn’t ranting like a madman though; it looked like he knew what he was doing.’ She muttered ‘Sorry’ again as she shuffled away.
‘Will he be okay?’ Lesley asked the paramedics as they finished securing Mack’s wheelchair into the back of the ambulance.
‘He looks as though he’s suffering from nervous exhaustion and we want to admit him to hospital to get him checked over,’ said the male one. ‘You can come in the ambulance with him.’
‘I can’t believe this is happening to my family,’ she said to Maggie, choking back tears. ‘It’s like watching a horror film of someone else’s life.’
‘The doctors at the hospital will look after him,’ Maggie reassured her. ‘Now, are you ready? Belmar and I will follow behind in my car.’
‘This is all Suzy Breed’s fault,’ Lesley sobbed.
Maggie was surprised. ‘Suzy Breed? Mack’s told you?’
‘Only after I forced it out of him. She’s been blackmailing him and he’s given her tens of thousands of pounds already but she’s still demanding more, even knowing what we’re going through right now. It’s no wonder he’s like this, all the pressure he’s been under. I could kill her for what she’s done.’
‘Blackmail?’ said Maggie incredulously.
‘Yes. She’s been threatening to tell me they’ve been having an affair. She’s even sent him texts to make it look like they are.’
‘You’ve seen texts from her demanding money?’
Lesley hesitated. ‘Well, not exactly. Just of her saying other stuff about meeting up. But Mack said she’s definitely been blackmailing him.’
Maggie remained impassive. Why hadn’t Mack told them about Suzy’s demands? He knew they needed to investigate everyone who had demanded money with menaces from the family. His silence made her think he’d spun Lesley a line to cover up his affair with his ex.
‘I need to tell DCI Umpire about this,’ said Maggie.
‘You do that. I want the bitch arrested.’
‘Come on, love, we’re ready for you,’ the female paramedic called out cheerily from the ambulance’s rear door. She held out her hand to help Lesley up the step.
‘I’m coming,’ said Lesley, wiping her eyes. ‘Oh – wait.’ She reached into the pocket of her raincoat and pulled out a BlackBerry handset studded with baby-pink crystals. She passed it to Maggie.
‘It’s Rosie’s old phone. I found it at the bottom of birthday box fourteen – she must have hidden it in there when she used the laptop. Do what you need to with it.’
Belmar, who had been helping to disperse the crowd, came over as Maggie slipped the phone into her jacket pocket and the two of them buffered Lesley from the crowd’s stares as she climbed into the back of the ambulance. The paramedic adjusted the mask over Mack’s face and said her name was Tracie.
‘I bet he’ll be fine once he’s had some rest. You can sit here and hold his hand if you want.’ She moved aside to let Lesley perch on a bench fastened to the interior wall next to Mack’s chair. She took his hand in hers and held it up to her lips.
‘We’ll be right behind you,’ Maggie told her.
As the ambulance pulled away – blue lights flashing but its siren silent – someone shouted Maggie’s name. She looked round to see a young woman with a mop of curly auburn hair bearing down on them.
‘Hi, I’m Jennifer Jones from the Mansell Echo,’ said the young woman hurriedly. She proffered a hand to shake, which Maggie ignored.
‘Have you got time to answer a couple of questions?’ said Jennifer.
‘No, I haven’t.’ Maggie frowned. ‘All requests need to go through the press office, you know that.’
‘Well, yes, but no one’s getting back to me,’ said Jennifer breezily. ‘Your DCI is apparently keen for us to interview the Kinnocks and I thought you might have an idea when we can do it? My editor’s on my case about it.’
‘Nothing to do with me,’ snapped Maggie, irritated by the reporter’s apparent lack of sensitivity. ‘But I don’t think Mr Kinnock will be talking to anyone anytime soon, do you?’ Then she caught herself, mindful that anything she said might end up in the Echo. ‘What I mean is you need to keep trying the press office. I can’t help.’
Belmar, who had joined them, raised his hands and shrugged. ‘Me neither,’ he said.
‘How about I interview you two instead? I’m quite interested in what a family liaison officer does and I’m sure I can persuade my editor it’ll make a good background feature until the interview with the Kinnocks is sorted.’
‘We make tea,’ Maggie deadpanned. From the corner of her eye she saw Belmar smirk.
The reporter laughed nervously. ‘I’m sure there’s more to your role than that.’
‘Sometimes we make coffee too. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to go.’
Maggie stalked off. Belmar was still laughing as he caught up with her. He was wearing a soft grey lightweight raincoat over his suit and the tails billowed behind him as he walked. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a menswear advert.
‘That told her,’ he said with a chuckle.
‘She was getting on my nerves.’
‘I’ll keep trying the press office then, see what they can set up,’ Jennifer yelled to their retreating backs.
‘You do that,’ Maggie hollered back, not turning round. ‘Let’s take my car,’ she said to Belmar. ‘It’s parked at the other end of the high street. You can collect yours later.’
‘An interview’s not a bad idea,’ Belmar mused as they headed up the high street. The crowd had melted away now the ambulance had gone. ‘You could dispel some of the myths about FLOs, like the way newspapers always mention we’ve been assigned to help relatives but never explain why or what we do. It’s just a throwaway line in the final paragraph. I think the only time we get a proper mention is when we read statements out on the families’ behalf at the end of a trial.’
‘Except Gant doesn’t even like us doing that now.’
‘I didn’t know that. Since when?’
‘Do you remember that case about eighteen months ago when the student murdered his girlfriend for going off with another man on a night out and the victim’s parents complained to the press that the police seemed to think she’d asked for it? After the trial her family asked their FLO to read a statement on their behalf but he didn’t check it first and ended up standing on the steps of the court slagging off everyone from the PC who answered the 999 call to the Chief Constable. Ask DI G
ant about it – I think the officer eventually asked for a transfer to another force.’
‘Blimey, that’s harsh,’ said Belmar. ‘I still think you should do the interview though.’ A drop of rain fell on his forehead and he wiped it away.
‘Sorry, I don’t fancy being splashed across the pages of a newspaper.’
‘It’s only a local one.’
‘If it’s such a good idea, you do it,’ she snapped.
‘I was just saying,’ Belmar replied with an edge to his voice. ‘You’re being really prickly today.’
She knew he was right and apologized.
‘I didn’t get much sleep last night.’
‘Fine. I’d just rather you told me than take it out on me.’
‘Point taken. Listen, Lesley said something weird just now.’ She told him about Suzy Breed blackmailing Mack.
‘I don’t get it.’ Belmar looked puzzled. ‘His ex is trying to get money out of him and now his daughter’s missing – you’d think he’d want us to look into it. When he gave his statement to DC Renshaw about the begging letters, he was adamant he’d never pay a penny to anyone who resorted to threats.’
‘He wouldn’t be the first person to lie to cover up the fact he’s a victim of extortion,’ Maggie reasoned. ‘He could be ashamed – she’s someone he had a relationship with after all. It’s a huge betrayal.’
‘Nah, I’m not buying it. I think he would’ve said something.’
‘You think he’s lied to Lesley?’ she said.
‘He holds back on things, that’s for sure.’
‘Lying or not, it’s up to the DCI how to deal with it.’
Her car was up ahead and she fished inside her handbag for her keys. It was starting to rain quite heavily now and her Toyota’s lights blinked back welcomingly as she aimed the key fob at the car and unlocked it.
‘Do you think there was anything we could’ve done to stop him flipping out like that?’ Belmar asked.
Gone Astray Page 27
