He Knows Your Secrets

by Charlie Gallagher

  ‘We now know that the van with the body in the back was stolen overnight from outside a carpet place on the Park Farm Industrial Estate It was their delivery vehicle. The keys are still in their office. There’s CCTV but it wasn’t covering the van. The van type matches with the one we just saw, but we didn’t get a registration from the footage so we can’t say for certain it’s the same one.’

  ‘But is it?’

  Harry shrugged. ‘Of course it is. But, just like everything else so far, we know things that we can’t quite prove. That won’t be enough when we’re building a case.’

  ‘It won’t.’ Maddie pictured the weasel-like solicitor beside Freddie Rickman, peering over the top of his glasses with that smug and superior air. He would rub his hands at holes in the evidence like that.

  ‘I’ll go and get him in.’ Vince tugged firmly on the zip to his load vest, which had been hanging open for comfort.

  ‘We have a problem there, Vince,’ Maddie said. ‘We have eight addresses linked to him. Some residential, some listed as commercial premises. We don’t know where he is.’

  ‘Give me the list and I’ll start knocking doors and rattling cages. I’ll get him.’ Vince had stood up and was patting himself, checking his baton and cuffs were present and correct.

  ‘Sit back down, Vince,’ Harry said.

  ‘Sit down?’ Vince stopped dead to stare hard at the inspector.

  ‘We need to think this through.’

  ‘Think? What the fuck is there to think about?’

  ‘You’re angry. I get that. But at him, not at me.’ Harry got to his feet. ‘You swear like that in my presence again and I will stick you on, you understand?’ For a moment, Harry and Vince were almost squared up. But there was only ever going to be one winner. Vince backed down.

  ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Let’s have a think.’

  ‘We need to be clever.’ Harry sat himself back down and Vince reluctantly followed suit. ‘We know Rickman’s been arrested five times and released five times. He’s never been anywhere near a charge because no one will ever speak out against him. The intelligence around him says he gets his loyalty through violence or threats of violence. Right now he probably thinks he’s untouchable and I think that’s reflected in what we know. Rickman sends a known associate of his to pick up a woman he intends on never returning. He does a poor job of burning out a van after she is killed. He then ignores or just doesn’t see a CCTV sign when he talks to Kelly Dale. This is a man who isn’t even considering that we are as close to him as we are. And we wouldn’t be, we would never have gone to that building, had Maddie not identified Kelly Dale as being important.’

  ‘And when he turned up at the police station, that was a fishing trip?’ Maddie said.

  ‘It was. He wanted to see what we knew. This is not a man who doesn’t like not knowing.’

  ‘We knocked on a couple of doors that belonged to him, visited his taxi firm and asked for him by name and it drew him out. He wants to know why and how we have linked him to Holly.’

  ‘He doesn’t know about the rucksack?’

  ‘He can’t do. And it’s the only source of information that he can’t control, that he can’t silence.’

  ‘You think he thought Marlie was talking to us?’

  ‘He thinks someone is. Why not her? Either that or she’s just been around a long time and she knows the scene — and everyone knows her.’

  ‘So she was a message.’

  ‘Of course she was. Beaten to death with a hammer and left in a bin for Holly’s girlfriend to find — and with her lips cut off? She was a reminder and it worked. No one’s going to talk to us now. He’s back in control.’

  ‘What about Kelly Dale?’

  ‘That’s where we have the advantage. He can’t know how close we are or he would be more careful. She’s the most important person to find right now.’

  ‘More important than Freddie Rickman?’ Vince’s tone was aggressive. Maddie could understand why, but there was a bigger picture here.

  ‘The boss is right, Vince. Freddie needs to come in — of course he does. But without Kelly this will just be his sixth arrest and his sixth release . . .’

  Vince was on his feet again and striding to the door. He tugged it open so roughly that it clattered off the wall. Again, people outside the meeting room stopped and stared over. Maddie gestured to let them know it was nothing to worry about.

  ‘I’ll give him a moment,’ she said to Harry.

  ‘Good idea. Then you need to talk to him. I’ll call Freddie’s solicitor and invite him back in. I’ll tell him we need to clarify something from our meeting yesterday. I don’t want to spook him. I don’t think we should be out hammering doors just yet. We don’t know how he’ll react and we might be putting other people at risk. Best to keep it low key for now.’

  Maddie nodded. ‘And when he turns up we send someone other than Vince to take him to a cell.’

  ‘Which is a shame. I think it would be good for everyone if it was Vince slapping on the irons — just not good for the case.’

  Maddie thought for a moment. ‘Do you think she’s still alive, Harry? Kelly Dale, I mean? I was sitting right next to her. We had a conversation. If she had believed me . . . if she had come with me then.’

  ‘Yes, I think she’s alive. If they were going to kill her they would probably have loaded her in that van we just saw. They must have other plans for her.’

  ‘For now at least.’

  Chapter 32

  Kelly had kept her head down for as long as she could manage. The woman wasn’t moving. Kelly looked up, making sure she sipped from her cup as she did, then moved it away to project a questioning look.

  ‘Can I help?’ The woman had a large build; the brown material of her McDonald’s uniform looked to be gripping her tight. Kelly had seen her buzzing around, cleaning up tables as people left. Kelly had tried not to make eye contact with her. The restaurant had been getting steadily busier and the woman’s cheeks were now flushed from the exertion of keeping up. She now stepped out of the way of a family that seemed intent on pushing through without using any words. This put her directly opposite Kelly. Her eyes followed the family for a couple of seconds before she turned back.

  ‘Sorry, did you want me to get out of the booth for the families?’ Kelly felt like she needed to speak. ‘I know I’ve been in here a while.’

  ‘Nah, you’re alright. The thing about families is that they’ve got each other. You don’t look like you got no one.’

  Kelly gestured at the table. ‘Well, no one’s hiding under here.’

  The woman laughed, her whole body shook with it. ‘I mean you look like you ain’t got no one in the world. Work here long enough you pick up on it.’

  ‘In McDonald’s?’ Kelly said, finding a smile herself.

  ‘Honey, this is a busy place — a lot of coming and going and we don’t got the time to be waiting on tables. What did you pay for your tea, there? One pound ten? You can sit in here for two hours with a tea, put the lid on it like there’s still some left and ain’t nobody gonna bother you. That’s fifty-five pence an hour to be warm, safe and surrounded by people. Don’t think you’re the first person to take advantage of it.’

  Kelly looked down at her cup, complete with lid. It had been empty a long time. ‘I suppose not. I’m sorry, okay? I should go.’

  ‘Go? I was just gonna see if you needed another one? No charge now, honey, I don’t like seeing people sad.’ She lingered on Kelly. ‘Or bruised.’ She bit her tongue as if she considered she might have said too much.

  Kelly’s hand rose up to where her face was a little swollen. She knew there was dark shading under her right eye that she’d mostly covered with make-up. It was nothing compared to the purple bruising that stretched up her right side.

  ‘I won’t charge you nothing love. That one must be long gone by now?’ She plucked Kelly’s cup from the table and shook it to prove her point then made for the counter, disappearing
among the queues of hungry patrons.

  Kelly waited for her to disappear completely then reached into her pocket. She lifted out the crumpled piece of paper that she must have read a hundred times. Maddie. Call me. Maybe we can help each other. A mobile number was written beneath in large numbers. Her mind whirled with what she had seen, with what Freddie might do if she called that number. She hadn’t even realised she had the note. This Maddie must have slipped it in her pocket while sat next to her. There was no mention of her being a police officer. Kelly appreciated that; it showed she was thinking of her safety. But this wasn’t just about her. There were so many others at risk. Her immediate instinct on finding the note had been to throw it away, but it kept going back into her pocket. She was either going to have to call or ditch it. She couldn’t risk it being found on her.

  The phone ringing in Kelly’s pocket made her jump, breaking her from her thoughts. The subsequent jolt of pain in her side made her exhale a hiss through her teeth. The screen showed No Number. She pressed it against her ear, struggling over what to say long enough for the person calling to speak first.

  ‘Kell! Nice to see you’ve been waiting by your phone.’ It was Benny. The voice and the laughter were instantly distinctive.

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Oh, you know, just to chat. I wanted to thank you for the show last night. I watched it all. You looked like you were having fun, though, to be honest. Maybe you should be thanking me.’

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘No need to be like that! It ain’t about what I want. You’re working again tonight. Eight p.m. I suggest you be early. It’s Canterbury so you need to get your arse over there.’

  ‘Eight? Why so late?’

  ‘You lost the right to ask questions, Kell. Don’t forget that.’ Benny’s tone was noticeably different. There was no more laughter.

  ‘Why so late? It’s never been so late.’

  ‘What did I just say?’ Benny hissed. ‘Just fucking be there or God help you, Kell — you and that little bitch you’re so attached to.’

  The phone was silenced. Kelly couldn’t drop it on the table fast enough. A shadow appeared over it and a McDonald’s cup next to it.

  ‘You be careful now, honey. This cup is hot. Just like that phone, eh?’ The large woman chuckled again. Kelly turned her attention to the handwritten note that was still lying on the table. She ripped it twice then screwed it up in a tight fist. She’d known the phone was going to ring, known she was going to be asked to work again, but now she had a place and a time. It was real. And so was the threat. Kelly’s eye scanned the restaurant to find a bin. She suddenly felt a desperate need to distance herself from the police officer’s phone number in her hand.

  The woman sat down opposite her, her bulk nudging the table and she waited in silence. Finally Kelly acknowledged her.

  ‘Hey.’

  ‘Sugar?’ The woman gestured at the tea and Kelly shook her head. ‘There someone I can call? Family? Friends, maybe?’

  Kelly sucked in a breath and waited for it to steady enough to speak without breaking down. ‘You know what, I don’t think there is. They’re all gone.’

  ‘Gone?’ The woman leaned in like she was trying to hold onto Kelly’s attention. She was looking at her intently, her face a picture of concern.

  ‘Just gone.’ Kelly managed finally.

  ‘Why would they just go and leave you like that?’

  Kelly flickered a smile now. She could taste a hint of salt on her lips. She hadn’t felt the tear run down her swollen face. ‘So I could be free,’ she said. ‘So I could be happy.’

  * * *

  Maddie hesitated at the door. She looked back to her left, to where she could see Harry a short distance away. He was just outside, still holding the communal door open while he faced towards the window of the flat registered to Kelly Dale’s mother. He looked back at her and gave a thumbs up. He had it covered. Maddie didn’t think Kelly would go out of the window — she didn’t really know what to expect — but the last thing she wanted was to get this close and lose her. She was already kicking herself for not doing more the previous night when she had been sitting right next to her.

  She knocked on the door and waited. Nothing. She knocked again, this time stepping forward to push her ear against the wood before sliding her hand down the door as she bent to try and see through the letterbox.

  ‘Can I help you?’ A woman’s voice — instantly bolshy.

  ‘Ah, I’m looking for someone. She was living here until recently, I wondered if she still was.’

  ‘No one lives here now. He with you?’ The woman was in her sixties maybe. She gestured towards Harry.

  ‘Yes. That’s Detective Inspector Harry Blaker. I’m Detective Sergeant Maddie Ives. Are you a neighbour here?’

  ‘The police?’ Her tone softened.

  ‘The police. We’re looking for Kelly. I know she was here, I know her mother—’

  ‘She’s dead.’

  ‘I saw that. Some of my colleagues came out. I read their notes. That’s how I know Kelly was here at the time.’

  ‘She was. I saw your lot come and go. They left just after they took Eileen away. I went to see Kelly the next morning, took her some breakfast. Saw to it she had a meal at least. We were good friends, her mother and me. A bit of a partnership, really! We liked to cause trouble.’

  ‘I bet.’

  ‘She’s a good girl. Kelly, I mean. This has been difficult, as you can imagine. She’s had a rough few days.’

  ‘She has. She’s not in any trouble. We’re more worried about her, really. Have you seen her?’

  ‘Seen her? No. I’ve been worried about her, too. I like to make sure people are okay. You know, you’ve got to look out for each other round here. I’ve knocked on the door a couple of times, but nothing. I think she might have been in there one of the times at least. She obviously wants her space. Can’t complain about that.’

  ‘Do you think she’s in there now?’

  The woman shrugged. ‘I’ve not heard anything. She might be with her . . . girlfriend? I think that’s what she would call her.’

  ‘Girlfriend?’ Maddie played dumb.

  ‘Older woman. Me and Eileen, we thought it was all just a phase, you know. It’s all very much in these days. Young people think it’s cool, you know what I mean?’

  ‘I’m not sure I do? Do you mean same-sex relationships? You think someone does that to be cool?’

  The woman flushed. ‘No! I mean . . . each to their own of course. There’s no harm in it. But Kelly . . . her friend’s older — quite a bit, I think. You just worry about them. Kelly’s only twenty-two, this woman’s in her thirties, I think, and with a bit of a record, too — so Eil was telling me. She’d be known to you, I suppose. I don’t know what she did, though — or her name or where she lives for that matter. I don’t suppose that helps you very much. But I bet that’s where Kelly is.’

  ‘Okay then, we’ll bear that in mind.’ Maddie turned back to the door.

  ‘Her mum . . . when she was getting worse she gave me a key. Before Kelly moved in. I’ve still got it. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been trying to get hold of Kelly. I need to give it back, really. Do you want to try it?’

  Harry appeared. He was shaking his head. ‘No sign of any movement in there.’

  ‘Nothing from here, either. Our friend, here, has heard her coming and going a few times. She’s tried knocking but not got any answer and she has a key. I think we should at least do a welfare check while we’re here.’

  Harry nodded. The woman produced a bunch of keys from her pocket. She isolated one and fiddled to remove it.

  ‘Better give it one more go.’ Harry’s growl added to a suddenly tense atmosphere. Maddie hit the door harder this time but she didn’t wait anywhere near as long. She had already put the key in the lock. She pushed the door open.

  ‘Police!’ Maddie called out. She stayed on the threshold, her eyes scanning what she co
uld see for a few moments before moving forward. Harry stepped in directly behind her. He mumbled a promise to the neighbour to return the keys and pulled the door shut.

  Maddie smiled at him. ‘Poor woman was desperate to get in here.’

  ‘Of course she was.’

  ‘Pain in the arse.’

  ‘She had a key at least.’

  The door had opened straight into a small living area. A few kitchen units were built into an alcove on the right. Beyond the kitchen and on the same side of the room, a bed was pushed against the wall. It faced the window that streamed sunlight from the opposite side. There were more kitchen units and a small sink fitted around the window. The room didn’t have the size or the layout for a bed to make sense; it looked clumsy in a room where everything else seemed to have its place.

  There were signs of recent habitation: a cereal bowl was next to the sink; the water in the washing up bowl still had a wisp of white suds. Maddie dipped a finger; it was cold. A letter was laid out on the bench top as if it had been left where it was read. It was addressed to Eileen Dale. Eileen was how Maddie had found this address. Vince had been told that Kelly might have lost her mother within the last couple of days and Maddie knew that police attended the majority of deaths. She had someone at the control centre send her all the attended calls that matched the description in the area. From there, the surname was easy to spot, and she just needed to speak to the officers who had attended. One of them had had taken an account from Kelly Dale; it was only a few lines but enough to see that her mother’s death had been coming for some time.

  Maddie scanned the letter for Eileen. It was from the local housing association. They had got wind of Eileen’s demise and already sent their standard letter. The content looked generic, certainly lacking any human empathy. It stated how Langthorne District Council are aware that the tenant Eileen Dale has now vacated the property . . . It then went on to give a seven-day notice for keys to be returned and the property emptied before stating that the registered account would be charged for any outstanding rent owed to that date. It was all very cold, a stark reminder that for those on social housing, death was purely part of the process.