FORGOTTEN VICTIM an absolutely gripping crime mystery with a massive twist (Detective Rachel King Thrillers Book 4)

by HELEN H. DURRANT

  “No, not Ray, someone a lot more dangerous who doesn’t give a damn who he hurts.”

  The fourth man. A man who knew Siddall, Pearce and Wellburn, and wielded enough power to make them do his bidding. A man who was so insanely jealous of Gordon Swan he’d been willing to kill him. Shawcross?

  “A name, Andy,” Rachel said. “Give me a name and we’ll arrest him within the hour.”

  “He’ll walk. He has money and power. You’d never make the charges stick. You haven’t got enough evidence. I speak to you and I’m dead, and the same goes for Ray. Leave us alone. You’ll get nothing from either of us.”

  * * *

  The description Siddall had given was a perfect match for what they knew about Shawcross. But to move the case forward, they needed evidence, badly. Without it, they would never get it past the CPS.

  “Get Flora Swan on the phone for me, would you?” Rachel asked Stella. “I’ll be in my office.”

  Leaving Elwyn going through their interview with Siddall and Jonny’s interview with Healey, Rachel sat at her desk, her head in her hands. The three men were guilty of something, but murder? She wasn’t sure. And if Swan’s murder had been down to them, where was the money? Because they certainly hadn’t benefitted from it.

  Her office phone rang. It was Flora Swan.

  “Mrs Swan, I need your help. Try as I might, I can find no evidence against the suspects we’re holding for your husband’s murder. Is there anything you can tell me that might help?” Rachel asked.

  “Gordon got what he deserved. I won’t pretend, we’d not been close for ages. He wanted her, he’d even bought her a ring. I never saw it, but I found the receipt in his pocket — Tiffany. Must have cost the old fool a fortune.”

  Rachel recalled the box found in the tunnel. “You’re sure you don’t have a name?”

  “No. I had no desire then to find out and I haven’t now.” She was silent for a few moments. “But there was something. I’d forgotten all about it. Me and Gordon were in the middle of a blazing row one evening and his mobile rang. It was her. He became anxious, said he had to go out. His fancy woman had a daughter and she’d got herself drunk and needed picking up. He said he was going out to help find Millie.”

  Chapter Fifty-four

  “We’ll speak to Millie. If Swan’s girlfriend was her mother, then he was planning to divorce his wife and marry Vanessa Shawcross — or Fenwick, as she was calling herself then. They might have been divorced, but Shawcross wouldn’t have been happy with that,” Rachel said.

  Elwyn nodded. “You’re right. Mathew Shawcross is a jealous man. Despite the divorce, he has never relinquished control of his ex-wife and daughter.”

  “Who can we convince to speak to us first? Pearce or Siddall?” Rachel asked Elwyn

  “Siddall might not look it but he’s a hard nut. Pearce has a reputation for using his fists. If you ask me, they’re just about even.”

  “Ray Pearce,” Rachel decided. “You and me, Elwyn. Cards on the table time. We’ll tell him what we know, see if that loosens his tongue. Stella, have him brought up and stick him in interview room three, and get the duty solicitor here quick.”

  “Ma’am,” Amy said, “the last burner phone number was used to call one other mobile apart from the ones belonging to Pearce and Siddall.”

  “Who did it belong to?” Rachel asked.

  “Millie Shawcross, ma’am. The call was made on Saturday.”

  Rachel turned to Jonny. “Bring her in, and make sure she’s got that phone with her. Amy, go with him. Right, come on, Elwyn. Let’s get this done with.”

  * * *

  “You and me both know who’s responsible for killing Swan and Wellburn, and injuring you. And now I know why,” Rachel began.

  Andy Siddall said nothing.

  “Mathew Shawcross was eaten up with jealousy because his wife was planning to marry Gordon Swan. He concocted a plan to lure Swan to Redhill Terrace. When he got him there, he shot him and stole his money, and then got clean away down that tunnel that leads back to the mill. The police were stumped, no one saw anyone other than Swan enter that house, and they couldn’t figure it out.”

  “Very clever, but you’ve got no proof. And without that, you’ve got nothing, only theories,” Siddall said.

  “So, speak to us, Andy. You don’t owe Shawcross anything.”

  He held up his damaged hand. “Too bloody true I don’t. How d’you think I got this?”

  “Shawcross?” Rachel shook her head. “In that case, I don’t understand why you’re protecting him. What’s in it for you and Ray Pearce?”

  “We get to live.”

  “He shot you. I’d say the deal was well and truly over. Come on, Andy, level with us. Give us something we can use to arrest Shawcross and make the charges stick.” She waited, but he said nothing. “He won’t stop, you know. He tried to kill you once and he will try again. You’re a target and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “I talk and you get Shawcross, me and Ray will be arrested because we helped him,” Siddall said.

  “Were you there? Did you see Swan shot?”

  “No.”

  “What about Wellburn? Did you witness what happened to him?”

  “No.”

  “In that case, you’ve nothing to worry about. Help us and we’ll help you.”

  “How do I know I can trust you?” Siddall said. “Whether I speak to you or not, I’ll be okay. I plan to leave the area once I know Rita’s safe.”

  “Ray reckons she’ll drop all charges and return home to him. We can’t hold him for much longer and if Rita doesn’t see sense, they’ll be together again. You leave and what will she do the next time he thumps her one?”

  Rachel watched Siddall wrestle with this. Rita was his one weak point, he’d always done whatever he could to protect her. “Speak to us, Andy, tell us what you know. We’ll arrest Shawcross and then you’ll all be safe.”

  “Shawcross deliberately injured my hand to keep me onside. He was proving a point, that he could do much worse if he wanted. He said if I didn’t do as I was told I’d lose the use of legs next. He shot Gav because Gav objected to Swan being killed — he used to work for the man at one time.

  “Shawcross left him injured, to die alone like an animal. He told me and Ray that if we said anything, we’d get the same treatment. Ray, tough as he is, was terrified, and so was I. You have no idea what a ferocious animal Shawcross is.”

  Rachel was beginning to appreciate that now. “What happened to the money?”

  “Shawcross took it. Swan had a fortune on him. He gave me and Ray twenty grand each and said that meant we were implicated.”

  “What part did you and Ray play in it all?”

  “Ray sorted the access to the tunnel from Redhill Terrace and we both helped to clear the route. That tunnel needed digging out in parts. It must have been flooded at some time — the mud and silt made walking through it impossible. Shawcross wouldn’t tell us why he wanted it cleared.”

  “What about the night Swan was killed?” she asked.

  “Ray was in the pub and I was in hospital with my hand. Me and Shawcross had argued two days previous, and he took a lump hammer to it.”

  Rachel winced. “I want a comprehensive statement from you. I will speak to Ray and urge him to see sense too.”

  “And Shawcross?”

  “He will be arrested and questioned.”

  Siddall shook his head. “He’ll deny everything.”

  Rachel looked at him. “You’ll have to trust me, Andy. I meant it when I said we’d get him. And the charges will stick.”

  Chapter Fifty-five

  “Sorry to disturb you, Millie, but would you mind coming with us?” Jonny asked.

  “Why, Jonno? What for? I’ve done nothing wrong,” Millie said.

  Amy stifled a giggle. Jonny’d had it now, the nickname was out.

  “Can I ring Damon?” Millie asked.

  “Yes, of course, bring your
phone,” Jonny said, still red in the face. “You’re not under arrest, we just want you to answer a few questions at the station.”

  Amy could see that Millie was nervous. If they wanted her to talk to them, a friendly approach was needed. “Nice place you have,” she said. “Handy for the city.”

  Millie smiled. “It’s looking a bit more like home now I’ve got some of my own stuff about the place.”

  Amy looked around. She could see that the girl had spent money on the place. Her gaze fell on a photo adorning the mantelpiece. It showed Millie with her father and a woman she took to be her mother. “Happy families?”

  “Definitely not. When that was taken, my parents were at war and I was piggy in the middle. Believe it or not, that was taken three years ago on my dad’s forty-fifth birthday. Later that same day, me and mum left him.”

  Amy picked up the framed photo and studied it. Vanessa Shawcross did look pensive, but Mathew looked happy enough. And there was something else. “That Saint Christopher pendant he’s wearing. Was it a birthday present?” Amy squinted at the photo. Yes, it looked just like the Saint Christopher she’d been researching.

  “Yes, from me. He can’t have thought much of it though. Within days he’d lost it. The thing never did turn up.”

  “Where did you buy it, Amy?” Jonny asked.

  “That jewellers on Market Street, the one near the sports shop. It was gold, expensive — not that my dad was impressed.”

  Amy smiled. “Nice present. Shame to lose it.”

  They escorted Millie outside to the car.

  * * *

  Rachel suspected that Shawcross had killed Sherwin because he was threatening his daughter. She was hoping that Millie could tell her something that would help. She didn’t want the young woman on the defensive, so easy does it was the way to go.

  Rachel entered the interview room with a smile on her face. “Can we get you something, Millie? Coffee, perhaps?”

  “I’m fine, thanks. Let’s just get this done,” Millie said.

  “Could I have a look at your mobile phone?” Rachel asked.

  Without a word, Millie slid it across the table.

  Rachel flipped through the call log until she found it — an incoming call from an unknown caller on Saturday. “Who was this?”

  Millie took her phone back and looked. “My dad. He rang me from his spare mobile.”

  “Does he do that often?”

  “No, but he was out and had forgotten his own. He used an old one he found in his car.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He asked me if I was okay, said I wasn’t to worry any more about the trouble Damon had got himself into.”

  “May I keep your phone for a while?” Rachel asked.

  Millie looked doubtful. “I suppose so. Will I get it back?”

  “Yes. We won’t keep it for long.” Rachel smiled. “I’ll get someone to run you home.”

  * * *

  Back in the incident room, Rachel rang the tech department. “I’m emailing you a mobile number. I want to know what masts it pinged on Saturday afternoon — and it’s urgent, I’m afraid.”

  She turned to the team. “Shawcross killed Sherwin and then rang his daughter from his latest burner phone. If we get proof of this from the tech boys, then we’ve got him.”

  “There’s a photo in Millie’s flat of her father wearing that Saint Christopher that was found with Wellburn’s body,” Amy told her. “Jude will test Shawcross’s DNA against what they found on it.”

  “Good work, Amy, well spotted. If the DNA checks out, we can put Shawcross in that tunnel — along with Wellburn.”

  “I’ve had a call from the two officers who arrested him,” Elwyn said. “Shawcross put up a fight — raging at them with his fists, Constable Hamilton reported.”

  “In that case we’ll interview him mob-handed — you, me, two PCs and a couple more outside the door.”

  Chapter Fifty-six

  When Rachel and Elwyn entered the interview room, Shawcross was talking quietly with his solicitor. He smiled at the officers as they took their places.

  “This is a waste of time,” he said evenly. “I haven’t done anything. I have no idea why you’ve brought me here.”

  “You are here to answer questions about the murders of Gordon Swan, Billy Sherwin and the malicious wounding of Andy Siddall.” Rachel smiled.

  Shawcross said nothing, merely sat and stared at Rachel as if she was mad.

  “Tell me about Gordon Swan,” she went on. “Despite not knowing the man, you didn’t like him much, did you?”

  “As you say, I didn’t know him, therefore I had no opinion of him one way or the other. He was a bookmaker, I believe. I’ve seen his shops all over town, and in Salford.”

  “He was having an affair with your ex-wife,” Rachel said.

  He stared at her with his eyes narrowed. “You’re wrong. Vanessa wasn’t interested in him.”

  She shook her head. “Not true. They were about to become engaged.”

  Shawcross slammed his fist on the desk. “No! Vanessa and me were getting together again. What happened between us was just a blip.”

  “You were jealous. You wanted to get even, get rid of the man. That’s the truth of the matter, isn’t it?”

  “You’re wrong. This is wildly out of line. I would never harm anyone!”

  “You harmed Andy Siddall,” Rachel said. “You destroyed his hand — deliberately, he told me.”

  “He’s lying.”

  “Billy Sherwin, the drug dealer, you shot him because he was threatening your daughter.” Rachel paused. “I see a pattern here, Mr Shawcross. I see people dying and suffering because of your uncontrollable jealousy.”

  “Wrong!” He turned to his solicitor. “Tell her, Rafe, tell her I would never do the things she’s accusing me of.”

  “Do you have evidence of my client’s guilt?” the solicitor asked. “Because if you don’t, this is just a waste of all our time.”

  Rachel swallowed. She knew they’d have to wait a while for the DNA from the Saint Christopher to be matched to that of Shawcross. But the tech people might have something on the phone. Rachel stood up, gathered her paperwork and made for the door. “I’ll give you a few minutes to consider your position.”

  Outside in the corridor, she inhaled deeply. “He’s giving nothing away, Elwyn. We need that evidence and quick. There’s no way I want Shawcross walking out of here.” She shook her head. “Even if we do get what we need, there is nothing that links him to Gordon Swan’s murder except knowledge of that tunnel and intense jealousy. Not enough. We need more.”

  “Dr Glover wants a word,” Jonny told her.

  Heart racing, Rachel dialled the lab. The right result was vital.

  “It’s good news, Rachel. The blood we found on Sherwin’s knuckles matches with the DNA we found on the Saint Christopher.”

  “So, whoever owned that pendant was in Sherwin’s flat?” Rachel asked.

  “Yes, so the pendant had to belong to the killer, not Wellburn, like we thought originally.”

  “I need the result for Shawcross quickly, Jude. I’m hoping it matches with what you’ve found.”

  “We’re working on it. I’ll be in touch. I dug out the forensic evidence from the Gordon Swan case. The bullet that killed him is a match for the ones that killed Wellburn and Sherwin.”

  “The same gun?”

  “Yes, Rachel. Finding it is high on the list.”

  “Email from communications, ma’am,” Amy said. “The call the burner phone made to Millie Shawcross on Saturday pinged a mast by Billie Sherwin’s Ardwick flat.”

  That meant Shawcross must have been there. “Has the search of his home turned up anything?” Rachel asked.

  “They’re still looking.”

  “Rachel, take a break,” Elwyn said. “You look tired. Have a bite to eat and a sit down.”

  Rachel had to admit that she didn’t feel quite right — she was dizzy for a s
tart. But there was no way she could leave yet. “Once those phones are found, get them to the lab. Jude will check for Shawcross’s DNA.”

  One of the uniforms from the interview room wanted a word with Rachel. “His solicitor isn’t happy, ma’am. He wants to know what evidence we’ve got. If there’s nothing, Shawcross wants releasing at once.”

  Rachel had heard enough. The man was a killer and he would get what was coming to him. “Elwyn, with me.”

  Rachel strode into the interview room and faced the pair. “Before the day is over, Mr Shawcross, you will be charged with murder. The evidence is building.”

  “This is ridiculous. I can’t sit around here. I need to get home.”

  “No way. You will be spending the night in the cells.”

  “On what evidence?” he asked.

  “For starters, we can prove you were in Billy Sherwin’s building the afternoon he was killed. He hit you, didn’t he? We found traces of blood on his knuckles that did not belong to him. What’s the betting that it’s a match to your DNA?”

  Rachel watched his face redden. He was barely controlling his rage. “Not only that, we found the Saint Christopher pendant your daughter bought you. It was with the body of Gavin Wellburn. Do you want me to go on?”

  The solicitor started to pack up his things. He saw the way things were going. “I’m sorry, Mathew. I’ll be back in the morning. We’ll discuss your position then.”

  “I’m innocent, Rafe. Don’t go believing her. She’s got no idea.”

  Chapter Fifty-seven

  Thursday

  Rachel took the morning off. She had her scan appointment, which was a big event for both her and Jed. The sonographer confirmed Rachel’s due date, but much to Jed’s disappointment, it was too early to tell if it was a girl or a boy. Jed wanted a boy. Rachel wasn’t bothered, but after raising two girls, she did think a boy would be a nice change.

  She’d rung the station and they confirmed all was well. Shawcross had seen his solicitor and was a lot quieter. It seemed some good advice had been doled out.