We drove back to the caravan, sticking to the 10 mph speed limit, with Vicky in the back seat. She’d looked a bit shocked when I’d had my outburst, I didn’t want to be a problem for her. The police were becoming a nuisance, it wasn’t good for Vicky’s business, I could see that.
Vicky examined the locking mechanism from the outside, turning the rotary handle and looking for damage.
‘It looks okay from here,’ she said. ‘Alright if I go inside, luv, see if I can see anyth--’
She was halfway through the door when she stopped suddenly and let out a gasp.
‘My God, poor Len!’
I could see the shock on her face. Len was lying on the living room floor, completely still. Alex rushed over with me. We felt for signs of life.
‘Have you got a mobile, Vicky? Here, use mine. Call the police.’
As Vicky explained to the emergency services what was going on, Alex and I tried to figure out if Len was still breathing.
‘I don’t know how much more of this I can take!’ I cursed, as Alex undid the buttons on Len’s shirt to get a proper feel of his heartbeat.
‘Oh jeez!’ said Alex. ‘He’s been strangled.’
There was a red bloodied line all around Len’s neck. We’d not seen it before since it was concealed by his clothing.
‘He’s dead, Vicky. Tell them he’s dead. We need the police.’
Len was an old guy, one of those people who probably should have retired years ago. He wouldn’t have been able to put up much of a fight, poor chap.
Alex and I sat on the floor, resting, exhausted by what had happened. Vicky was being spoken to by the emergency services, her face was white, she looked like she might faint.
‘I’ll handle it, Vicky,’ I said. ‘You sit down. Can you put the kettle on, Alex? I think we could do with a cup of tea.’
I made a face to her, passing on a silent message that we needed to look after Vicky. I picked up on her phone conversation, gave my name and explained once again that Len was definitely dead. I worked through the checks that I was asked to do, but there was no bringing Len back.
Alex gasped. What was it now?
‘They strangled him with the iron lead!’ she said. ‘It’s got blood all over it!’
One thing was for sure, Vicky was seeing an entirely different side of TV personality Alex Kennedy that day.
‘I know this is bad for you, Vicky,’ I began, deciding to pre-empt the inevitable. ‘I can see it’s terrible for business. I’m sorry, but you know I’d end this if I could? I want it over too.’
Vicky squeezed my arm.
‘I know, luv, I know. Poor old Len, what did he walk in on? He should have retired ten years ago. He loved it here, said he wanted to keep working here till he died.’
There were the inevitable processes and procedures to work through. I was pleased to see that we got a visit from DCI Kate Summers. She looked as if she’d broken off whatever she’d been doing at home to join us.
‘Good evening, Mr Bailey. Twice in one day, this is becoming a habit.’
‘What do you think DCI Summers? Is it this JD guy? Did you find him in the crowd outside my house?’
‘No, he’d gone. He left when you did. We got some extra information about him, but he’s clever, he’s changing his appearance. Most people notice the big stuff, like hats and sunglasses. I think he’s changing his outfit intentionally, making sure people notice the wrong things. It’s what magicians do. Misdirection. He seems to have a good idea what he’s doing.’
That was disappointing. It wasn’t as if I lived in a huge city like London, surely they’d find him soon.
‘We pulled some CCTV footage from the nightclub. That was interesting. Nice dancing, by the way.’
‘Oh hell!’
Alex chimed in this time around.
‘Please tell me you didn’t get footage of us on those dance podiums. It will remain confidential, won’t it?’
‘There were some pretty nice moves in there,’ DCI Summers smiled. She looked much nicer when she smiled. She must have been called in from home. She probably had a hubby and kids, she hadn’t had time yet to fully adopt her hardened exterior for work. I liked her more like this.
‘Did you see JD, though?’ I asked, anxious to dwell on the important stuff.
‘Only glimpses, it was so dark in there, nothing we can use. Now, if it was you two we were looking for, we got some lovely clear footage there!’
I was mildly annoyed with Alex for fixating on our performance on the dance floor. On the other hand, I could see that a video like that would go viral on YouTube or Facebook. Alex was the host of a serious current affairs show. We’d been careless.
It felt as if the questions went on forever. All three of us got the third degree. We weren’t really suspects. DCI Summers knew there was no way we’d killed Len. The cops kept pushing and pushing. Had I seen anyone other than JD? Any arguments or threats? Again, more questions about Meg and her whereabouts. We were going around in circles. The whole thing was crazy, they were clutching at straws.
There was no CCTV on the campsite, only in the slot machine areas. There was nothing to go on. The police would question holiday-makers the next day. DCI Summers agreed with Vicky that they’d set up an area in the main complex and ask if anybody had seen anything – or anyone – suspicious. But it was a holiday site, nobody knew anybody.
‘Are we free to do as we please?’ I asked DCI Summers. ‘I mean I assume we’re not suspects or anything? I want to go to Blackpool tomorrow, is that okay?’
‘More dancing, Mr Bailey?’
She smiled again.
‘Are you allowed to call me Pete, or does it have to stay formal? No, we’re going ... we want to have a night away.’
I decided not to mention the bit about Meg and the family that she may have been hiding. It wasn’t relevant to Len’s death or the death of Glenn Elliot at the house. All that stuff seemed to have nothing to do with what was going on at the campsite.
I’d be pleased to get away from everything. An overnight stay in Blackpool with Alex would remove us from the possibility that JD might run into us. It would give the police time to find him. If we were lucky, by the time we got back from Blackpool they’d have found him.
‘Yes, make sure that we have all your details and that you stay contactable. We’ll be stepping up our hunt for this JD fella, although if we can’t place him at Golden Beaches or inside your house, we’ll only be able to question him about the letters he’s been sending you. It will help if we can get a name and see if he has any form.’
‘I’d like to retrieve a couple of things from the back of the caravan, if that’s okay? Have your guys done their sweep yet? Is it alright to go in there?’
‘What is it you’re after?’ DCI Summers asked.
I wasn’t hopeful that I’d get the go-ahead.
‘A box of photos in my bedroom, they’re old family pictures. I’d like to take those with me if I can.’
DCI Summers instructed a member of her team to go through to the rear of the caravan and try to locate the box.
‘We’ll need to get them checked over, make sure there are no prints and no evidence there. I might be able to release some things to you tomorrow morning, but I can’t promise.’
A guy walked up to us wearing plastic wraps on his shoes and one of those forensics suits that you see on the TV.
‘There’s no box there, ma’am. I’ve checked everywhere. No sign of them.’
‘Are you sure?’
DCI Summers was using her ‘I take no prisoners’ voice again. I’d bet she was formidable in the office.
‘Completely, ma’am. There are no photographs in any of the rooms.’
‘Well, there’s your answer, Mr Bailey. It looks like whoever was in your static caravan took a look at those images. It sounds to me like they’re more than just holiday snaps.’
We were standing on the platform at the station. Our train was due in five minutes an
d we couldn’t believe our luck: there were no leaves on the line, no engineering works and plenty of staff to go around. We were heading for Blackpool.
It had been an interesting night. Vicky had found us a replacement static caravan to stay in and we’d made our way over there once the police had finally allowed us to leave. Our previous caravan was sealed off, a police officer assigned to watch it, and a complete cordon placed around the area.
The police would be interviewing campsite holiday-makers all through the following day, but we were free to go. DCI Summers made sure that we’d exchanged contact details and promised to let us know if there were any developments.
The story was running on all of the news outlets, but Alex and I chose to ignore it. All I cared about was finding JD. The police were onto that. I was grateful for the change in caravan location. I’d asked Vicky to keep it completely quiet; nobody knew where we were, and I thought it best to keep it that way. DCI Summers agreed.
Alex and I had shared a bed again. It was only for company, we both wanted it. We fell asleep with the light on. We lay down on the bed and started chatting about what had happened, then drifted off to sleep, exhausted.
We awoke shortly after 6 o’clock and decided to get up and catch an early train. If we got on the train without JD following us there – and we had no reason to suspect that he was actually tailing us all the time – we’d have two days in Blackpool. Enough time to do some research on Meg and have some fun. The police would surely have apprehended JD by then, and we could keep clear of it all.
Melissa had agreed to get the house professionally cleaned – for the second time – and to sort out new locks, front and back. She’d do that as soon as it had been released by the police. In the meantime, there was an officer stationed there all the time. They’d found that a back door key was missing. Melissa had her suspicions about who might have removed it from the estate agent’s key ring, but they were not contactable via any of the details that they had left with the estate agency.
Alex went off to get us some drinks from the coffee shop. It was a rattling regional train and we’d be lucky if we could get a seat. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I looked at the screen. It was early for a text, I assumed that it would be work or some sales nonsense. It was Becky. She’d finally replied to my message; it had taken her long enough.
Sorry I didn’t get back to you. Missed your message. Went to caravan to see you. Wtf? Hope you’re okay? Where are you now? Becky xxx
She was still keen to meet up. I got a momentary thrill from the thought of it. Then my better judgment kicked in.
Steven Terry had urged honesty and caution with women. Vicky had mentioned the stolen sheets and the fact that there was no Becky booked in on the site. Things weren’t quite right as far as Becky was concerned, I was keen to find out more about her.
Which caravan are you staying in? Are you alone? Couldn’t find you. Nobody knows where you’re staying!
Unusually, I got an almost immediate reply.
Becky is what I like to be called when I meet new blokes. Use real name for bookings. I’ll come round to your new caravan. Where is it? When does your friend leave? Want to see you again xxxxx
Okay, so she used a different name, fair enough. It never did Sting any harm. But still no mention of a caravan location. Or a real name. She was very keen to know where I was staying, though. And, once again, there was the suggestion of a second meeting.
I decided to leave off sending an immediate reply and to mull it over. Alex returned with the drinks.
‘Hope you don’t mind spending a day with a girl who’s wearing day-old knickers?’
We’d had to relocate to our new caravan without any of our possessions. DCI Summers promised to release our stuff as soon as possible, but it wouldn’t be soon enough to get a change of clothes before Blackpool.
‘My socks aren’t too pleasant either. Let’s get some new gear when we get to Blackpool, at least we were able to take shower this morning.’
‘Here’s your tea, it’s got UHT milk. Sorry, no fresh.’
Alex smiled when she saw the expression of disgust on my face as she handed me the cardboard cup.
‘At least it will distract you from my knickers.’
The train made its way into the station. It was one of those two-carriage affairs, the sort of train that’s seen better days; it was about half the size of what was really needed to serve the number of people who used it.
‘At least we’re early,’ I said to Alex, after my first slurp of the drink that claimed to be tea. ‘We’ll miss the big work rush.’
It was after seven o’ clock, there were other people boarding with us, but we managed to get a seat. I surveyed the platform once again, looking for JD. He wasn’t there. We stepped on board.
‘You grab a table seat, if you can find one. I’m going to walk up and down the train to be sure he’s not here.’
Alex knew I was jittery about JD, so she let me go ahead. There was a small ripple of excitement as she walked through the train. Her life must be punctuated by members of the public doing double-takes as they recognised her from TV.
There was no sign of JD. I did a thorough sweep. I was as certain as I could be that he wasn’t following us. Good. We could relax for a day or two. Hopefully the police would find him soon.
‘I hope you feel like a queen, travelling in this regional railways luxury?’ I smiled at Alex as I sat down opposite her. ‘Good table seat too, I’ll get a bit of leg room.’
‘No sign of him, I take it?’
‘No, I’m sure he’s not here. Maybe you should take a walk through the train. After all, you’re the only one who’s seen him.’
‘Not sure about that, Pete. A few people have recognised me. I had to sign an autograph on a serviette while you were doing your checks. Let’s drink our tea, I’m certain he wasn’t on the platform.’
I tried to settle down. I’d been looking forward to this trip. The change of scene and location was welcome and I was keen to see what we could find out about Meg.
‘Do you think we’ll be able to make any progress without the photos?’ Alex asked, reading my thoughts.
‘Hopefully. I’ve got an area and a location from that online article. We have a place to start. I want to find out about her family set-up, if I can. We need to find someone who knew the family.’
A text came through on my mobile phone. It was Becky again, wanting to arrange a meet-up.
Hope you’re not ignoring my text? Let me know, where are you staying now? See you soon. If you thought our first night was hot, wait till you see what I have planned for next time xxxxxxxxx
I felt a slight movement in my boxers thinking about it, but I decided to ignore the message for a bit. It was tempting to fix up our next encounter there and then, but I opted for caution. I could hear Steven Terry’s voice whispering in my ear.
‘Anybody interesting?’ Alex asked. I think she sensed that it was something significant, but she didn’t push the issue.
‘No, it’s work bothering me about the murders.’
A lie. Another lie. But it was a white lie. I’d tell Alex more once I’d made up my own mind about Becky. I’d follow Steven Terry’s advice. I would tell the truth. Later.
The train journey passed quickly enough. It got busier and more packed as the journey continued, picking up more commuters along the way. We stopped chatting once we were joined at our table seat by a middle-aged couple on their way to work. Fortunately, they were too well mannered to chat to Alex, although I could see from their not-so-subtle eye movements that they’d spotted her. We sat in silence for the remainder of the trip, not wanting to have eavesdroppers on our conversation.
‘Okay, new knickers first of all!’ Alex smiled as we reunited on the platform of Blackpool station. She’d had to deal with a couple of Crime Beaters fans as she was leaving the train. I’d made myself scarce.
‘The shops will be opening now,’ I replied. ‘I can’t stay in
these socks all day, they’re actually crispy now!’
‘Nice,’ Alex laughed. ‘And to think I could have been spending the day with a Premier League footballer. They don’t wear old socks you know. You’ll have to up your game if you want to spend more time with a TV celebrity.’
Alex took my hand and we moved towards the exit. I loved the way she did that, it was so confident, so natural. Why wouldn’t I hold a friend’s hand?
I felt good about that day. I was convinced that we’d find out more about Meg. Someone in the Marton area had to know the family. We’d start with the church which was mentioned in the online article. We’d have some fun too, away from the worry of JD and what was going on at home. And we’d both buy some new underwear. Underwear first. I desperately wanted to put on a clean pair of boxers. But more important than anything, I felt as if I was finally getting closer to the truth about my wife.
Chapter Eleven
We got off the train within walking distance of the Pleasure Beach. It had been several years since I’d been to Blackpool, and I couldn’t quite remember the layout. It was a simple enough place to navigate, and we could use the trams or take a taxi if we had to. It didn’t take long to get sorted out with new socks and underwear. Alex bought herself a black I Love Blackpool T-shirt and cap, some cheap sunglasses and a five-pack of pants, so she was good to go. We located a traditional seaside café and were filling up on tea made with real milk and bacon butties in no time.
‘So, what’s the plan?’ Alex asked, supping her tea. ‘A ride on The Big One or over to Marton first?’
‘I’m not going on The Big One on a full stomach, there’s no way! How about we get the Marton visit out of the way to begin with and then have some fun. Are you fussed about where we stay tonight or shall we busk it?’
‘Busk it,’ Alex answered. ‘Let’s see where we finish up at the end of the day. I’ve never stayed in a low-budget B&B before. It might be an adventure.’
Don't Tell Meg Trilogy Box Set Page 37
