But Benford shouted him down. “Afraid of what? Abuse? You call this abuse? What about the . . . on Sheila . . . with his fists . . . fifteen year-old girl . . . drugged . . . beaten and you . . . ?” He leaned over the table, swaying over Willend, who started to rise. Elaine reached out to take Benford’s arm, but he swung around, catching her on the shoulder and knocking her to the floor. Bull leapt from his chair as Benford lurched forward over the table, clutching his chest and gasping. Willend blocked Benford’s fall and shouted, “Push the goddamn alarm!”
Elaine regained her feet and stabbed her hand at the alarm button. A loud shrieking filled the room as Willend and Bull together lowered Benford’s bulk to the floor. Willend opened his collar and felt for a carotid pulse. Immediately, he began CPR. “Call an ambulance! Does he have any medication on him?” Elaine searched Benford’s pockets frantically.
The door banged open and two custody officers burst into the room, followed by Cranwell. Seeing Willend bending over Benford’s prone body, the constables immediately sprang to pull him off, but Bull prevented them.
Elaine yelled, “Leave him be; he’s a doctor. Go get the defibrillator, and call an ambulance.” She held up two medicine bottles she had found in Benford’s pockets. “Are these the ones?”
Willend glanced at them. “The smaller bottle. Give me one of those.” He squeezed open Benford’s mouth, shoved the small tablet under Benford’s tongue, and went back to CPR.
A constable arrived with the defibrillator, holding it out to Willend, who checked Benford’s carotid and held up his hand. “He’s got a pulse. But keep it handy.”
Benford’s breathing finally steadied, and he began to splutter. Elaine, kneeling on the other side of Benford, shushed him softly.
Bull and Cranwell stood to the back, stunned. A second constable pushed his way through a clutch of jail staffers who had gathered around the door and handed Willend a blanket. Willend covered the stricken detective and gestured to Bull. “Can you get those gawkers away from the door? They aren’t helping, and they’ll block the way for the medics.” He looked at Elaine. “I know it’s human nature, but I can’t tolerate it when people stand around and stare at someone who’s having problems. It only adds to the indignity of it all.”
Elaine felt her throat tighten, so she swallowed hard. “How’s he doing?”
Willend looked at her and his voice took on a gentle, supportive aspect. “You found his heart meds quickly. Now we need to keep him warm and quiet until the medics get here. If he makes it to the hospital, he has a good chance.”
He turned his attention back to Benford, opening his shirt and bending over to listen to the heart rhythm. Elaine saw nothing but a pure professional who was concerned for his patient. He had also considered Benford’s dignity during the crisis, even though Benford had been hurling foul accusations. He had given her encouragement and support when he noticed her anxiety.
Within a few minutes, the medics arrived, placed Benford on a gurney, and wheeled him away. Cranwell and Elaine took their places opposite Willend and the solicitor.
Cranwell clasped his hands in front of him on the table. “Thank you for your quick action, Dr. Willend. Do you have anything further to add?”
Willend cleared his throat and began to speak. The solicitor touched his shoulder to stop him, but Willend shrugged him off. His voice was calm and steady as he put his hands on the table and leaned forward.
“Everything I’ve told you is the truth. I have no idea how that blood came to be in the basement. I don’t know whose it is.” He turned to Elaine and continued as if he were speaking only to her.
“I have seen enough violent, needless death in my life to know that I never want to see it again. I did not kill Sheila. I could never have harmed Sheila.” He gazed intently at Elaine. “I think you know that.”
* * *
An hour later, she knocked on Cranwell’s office door. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Elaine. Come in.” Cranwell indicated the chair in front of his desk. “I talked to the hospital. Marcus is resting and appears out of immediate danger. He’ll be there at least for a few days, though. After that, he probably will stay at home. I doubt he’ll be back to work before his retirement.”
“I’m glad he’s doing well. I’ll stop by and see him later. I have to ask, sir. Who will be taking over the investigation?”
“You will. That’s what I wanted to talk about. I’ve gotten approval to make you acting DCI, so you’ll keep this case. I have it on good authority that your promotion is only a few weeks away, anyway. What’s your opinion about Willend?”
Elaine knew she needed to tread carefully. Loyalty was highly valued in any police force, so she shouldn’t be too critical of Benford. “I think he’s innocent and that we need to find a new line of enquiry as soon as possible.”
Cranwell shifted in his chair. “Do you have any plans for finding one?”
“I’m going to look over the scene and interview the dog walker again. DC Costello said he’s a retired soldier and that he’s very perceptive, so he might be worth another go. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll go over everything with the team. I’m sure we’ll find a lead to follow.”
“After what happened this afternoon, you need to find it fast.”
“You know we’re stretched thin, sir. We could use another two or three detectives.”
“I don’t have them to give you. And you’ve gone and filed a disciplinary action against Jenkins. He asked to be assigned to the case, you kick him out, and then you ask for more people. That’s not good for building confidence.”
Elaine pressed on. “I understand it doesn’t look good, sir. But Jenkins would be worse than nothing. He’d slack off and undermine me at every opportunity.”
“You might think twice about testifying against him at the hearing. The tribunal will have all the reports. It’s not the first time he’s been disciplined.”
“I have to have my say, sir. I filed the complaint.” She didn’t say that she’d be damned if she wasn’t the one to kick him off the force.
“Elaine . . .” Cranwell paused. “Fine then, do what you think is right.”
She needed to change the subject. “What about this, sir? Bull and Barker have been helping us tremendously. They’re very keen on the investigation. Can I have them full time?”
“They’re awfully young. I’m not sure they’re ready to be part of a murder investigation team.”
“I don’t see a problem there, sir. Barker was one of the first on the scene when Sheila was found, and she’s been helping with canvassing and research. She has a good head on her shoulders. Near the top of her class at police college. Bull’s been involved in the search of Willend’s house and the interviews. They’re already about as up to speed as anyone would be. The investigation will expand. If we’re going to crack it, we need more noses.”
Cranwell raised his hands in capitulation. “I’m not entirely comfortable with it, but . . . right. I’ll see to it. You can tell them to report to your incident room tomorrow.”
NINE
The dog walker’s house was two doors from the end of the street, directly across the wall from where Sheila’s body had lain. A bright light at the front gate pooled its glow in the gathering dusk, revealing an immaculate hedge and front garden. Elaine probably didn’t need to worry about tripping over any uncoiled garden hoses.
Retired Regimental Sergeant Major Bernard Alfred Higgins and his aged and friendly looking spaniel, named “Enfield” according to his statement, welcomed her at the door. After Elaine held her hand down to let Enfield have an introductory sniff, they proceeded inside Higgins’s orderly home. Higgins was tall, upright, and imposing, especially dressed as he was in his ribbed olive-colored commando jersey and serge pants. She got the impression that he dressed like that every day. A constellation of photos and plaques lining the walls testified that as a young man, Higgins had served His Majesty in North Africa, Europe, and Korea. Later in hi
s career, he had served Her Majesty in the Suez and Malaysia. His military record was apparently as spotless as his home, his clothing, and Enfield.
Sensing Higgins’s eagerness, Elaine declined the obligatory offer of tea and got straight to the point. “Thanks for seeing me, Sergeant Major. I’m DI Hope. Can you go over again what happened that morning, when you saw the body?”
“My pleasure, Inspector.” It was clear that Higgins had rehearsed his speech. He pulled his frame up to its full height. “At zero-five-thirty hours, I went out to walk Enfield. I took my torch because it was still dark outside.” Higgins indicated a large four-cell torch sitting next to a stool by the door. “We proceeded through the wall and turned left. At that time, Enfield began acting agitated, whining and looking toward the rail tracks. I shone the beam of my torch there to see what had gotten his attention. I tracked the beam in a zigzag pattern, beginning at the top of the embankment. I saw nothing along the slope or in the water. However, when I shone the beam at the tracks, I saw what I took to be a bundle lying half out of the water. I could not see it properly, so I moved to the side and down to the bottom of the slope, at the water’s edge. From that vantage point, the bundle appeared to me to be a young woman. As I was no more than ten meters from her, I waded across and shone the torch on her. I have seen far too many dead people in my day, so I could tell that she was already gone. Enfield and I did not touch the body, and I saw no one else in the area. I retraced my path through the water, came back to my house, and called nine-nine-nine to report. Once I made the call, I walked back to the embankment and waited for the first officers to arrive. I did not want anyone else to disturb the body.”
“Excellent, Sergeant Major. You did exactly as you should have done. I wish more people were as conscientious and observant. Before you took Enfield out, and during the night, did you see any lights or hear any activity from the direction of the tracks?”
“No, I did not. I am very familiar with the area across the wall. Enfield and I walk there twice a day. There is still a bit of light outside. Would it help if I gave you a guided tour?”
“I would appreciate that very much. My wellies are in the car. I’ll meet you at the gate.”
While she was donning her wellies, Elaine pondered what they knew about the murder up to this point. Given the information they had gathered, they had assumed that Willend had come from the main road in his small dark MINI Cooper and had carried Sheila’s body through the wall to the tracks. Then he had turned around and left. But what if the small dark car had nothing to do with the murder? How would the body have gotten there? What if . . .
“Sergeant Major Higgins,” Elaine asked as they wove through the labyrinth gate to the grassy embankment, “how many other ways are there to get to this point on the tracks?”
“Many. There is an opening like this for each street, so the murderer could have gained entrance through any of them and walked along the tracks. Or he could have come from the other side, through those buildings.” He indicated the industrial park. “I’ve seen young hooligans do that. There are two openings in the fence along here. There are no lights over there at night, so it’s quite dark.”
Elaine considered this information. The killer could have driven down any of the streets that abutted the wall. But that meant he—or, unlikely, she—risked being seen from one of the houses while unloading the body from the boot and would have had to carry the body quite a distance before dumping it where it was found. “Can you show me the openings in the fence?”
“Of course. Follow me.” Higgins marched straight down the bank, with Elaine scrambling and slipping behind him. Together they sloshed through the water and across the tracks to the overgrown verge along the fence. Higgins shone his light along the fence until it came to rest at a point about three yards to his right. He grunted in satisfaction. It appeared that a section of the fence about three yards long had been removed then patched with a different type of wire.
“Look at this.” Higgins indicated the edges of the opening. Pieces of wire had been twisted to hold the patch in place. Elaine shook her head. This had not been in the report of the crime scene. Who the hell was supposed to have checked this out? Probably that moron Jenkins. He was notorious for slacking and filing incomplete reports, especially if he felt the job was beneath him. Sod him to hell.
“Here’s the main spot the hooligans come through. I’ve watched them unfasten the wire and carry in all sorts of rubbish. That’s how most of these washing machines and fridges have gotten here. They can open the fence, dump whatever they have, and be gone inside five minutes. I’ve tried to contact the company that manages those buildings, to see about mending the fence and installing some lights, but I get only an answering machine. They never return my calls. There are several breaks in the fence along here.”
She and Higgins examined the fence for a few minutes, but the deepening darkness made it difficult, so they squished back through the water. When they reached Elaine’s car, she opened the boot and began to de-wellie. “Thank you, Sergeant Major. And thank Enfield for me. This has been very illuminating.”
Higgins grinned. “It’s a good torch. You are quite welcome, Inspector Hope.”
Maybe a new line of enquiry was out there in that wasteland. She wanted to visit Benford at the hospital, but there was another thing she needed to check first.
* * *
Khoury’s store was open and brightly lit, so Elaine swung her car into an alley and entered the store. A small man, slightly under middle age and quite below medium height, greeted her from behind the counter.
“Welcome. All of our dairy products are on sale today.”
Elaine showed her warrant card and identified herself. “Are you Hassan Khoury?”
The man looked a bit taken aback. “Yes, that’s me. How can I help you?”
“I need to know where you were last Friday night, after about eleven PM.”
“Where I was? I was here. We close the store at midnight. Why do you want to know?”
“Were any customers here during that time?”
“Yes, let me see.” He paused to reflect. “There were at least three.” He waited.
Apparently he was going to make her dredge. “And did you know them? Can you describe what happened with them?”
“I know two of them. I had one customer right at eleven. He bought only some cigarettes. I don’t know his name. Then Mrs. Connolly came in. She bought some milk and cat food. A few minutes later, Peter came in. He’s a regular. He bought his usual kebab, some salad, and some couscous. He was here for about ten or fifteen minutes. There was no one after that.”
“The sign says the store is closed.”
“My parents are up north for a week. I open the store after I finish at school. Around six o’clock. Our neighborhood regulars all know when to stop by if they need anything.”
“Can you describe the man who bought cigarettes? Have you seen him before?”
“Maybe once or twice. He’s young. Tall, dark hair, looked very fit. He has an accent. Maybe Russian. That’s all.”
Elaine considered that Mr. Khoury probably thought most people were tall. “Can you estimate how tall he would be, Mr. Khoury?”
Khoury looked at the door and thought a moment. “He was as tall as the kebab sign. Maybe a little taller.”
Elaine studied the sign and concluded the man was just under six feet. She turned back to Khoury. “Tell me about this Peter fellow. Is he a friend?”
“I don’t know if he’s a friend, but he’s more than a customer. He comes in several times a week, probably, and he always talks with us when he is here. If my daughter, Sarah, is here, he asks about her science homework. He’s a surgeon.”
“What about Mrs. Connolly? How well do you know her?”
“About the same. She is older, and I think she’s a widow. My mother would know more. She lives right around the corner, and she comes in every day. Although that night she was later than usual. I think she sai
d she had been at a concert. No, a lecture.”
“Thank you, Mr. Khoury. That’s all I need for now. Here’s my card. Please call me if you can think of anything else that happened that night or if you see the young Russian man again.”
She pointed her car in the direction of the hospital. After a few minutes, she found herself humming some song she didn’t quite recognize, but she stopped when she thought of Benford. What a day it had been.
TEN
So this is what being a DCI feels like, Elaine thought as she made her way to the incident room for the morning status meeting. It’s not much different, except I can’t wear a jersey and jeans to work—most days, anyway. There’s a daily mound of paperwork and a raft of meetings. And now I’m in the crosshairs. When I have to release Willend, the press will look for a target, and I’ll have one painted on my back.
And why did I think I wanted this? She knew the answer; she could take her own path to the truth. She was confident that something would turn up in the industrial park.
From the front of the room, she looked out at the sober faces of the investigation team. They were good coppers. Each had individual strengths. For all Marcus’s faults and old-fashioned ways, he knew how to assemble a good team. But even the best team needed a strong leader, and transitions can be difficult. It was time for her to step up.
“All right, boys and girls. Listen up. I talked to Mandie at the hospital this morning. She said the chief is doing much better, but he probably won’t be back to work before his retirement, so I’ll be acting in his place until further notice. Paula will be taking over my duties.” She waited a moment for the murmurs to die down and then proceeded. “First item, Barker, start a whip ’round for a get-well card and a gift for Marcus. Remember that he and Mandie are retiring to Jamaica. If anyone has any suggestions for the gift, let Barker know. I’ll check with Mandie about a retirement party. I suppose it depends on how Marcus is doing. And beginning today, we’ve got Bull and Barker on the team full time for the duration. Paula, you interviewed Leah and Sheila’s mum again yesterday. Tell us about it.”
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