‘And had he?’
‘No . . . he hadn’t. But why kill Mrs. Vaughan? . . .She was lovely.’
‘She must have let slip that she had seen him, setting off on his mission to deal with Sturgess. Nothing else would make sense.’
Orla had expected a complete collapse; she expected to have a hysterical woman to contend with. She got neither. It was as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Nothing was said as the enormity of what she had just heard began to sink in.
At last she spoke. ‘So! . . .What now?’
‘You can’t tell anyone what I have told you today; not even your parents. If Kevin gets a hint of what’s happening, he’ll come looking for you. We were waiting for more evidence to come to light on another crime that we know he was involved with but I think we will be arresting him within the next couple of days.’
‘I can move back with my folks.’
‘Do that Catherine . . . It will be for the best. Kevin Crystal is a very dangerous man. I’ve told you of two murders that he has committed but we know of a third.’
‘He has treated me very badly but he’s never hurt me; I’ve left him three times!’
‘Why do you keep going back?’
Catherine thought for a moment. ‘It was just the sense of failure. I wanted for my marriage to succeed so badly, but he is so self centred and seems not to care about anybody or anything.’
The more Catherine spoke, the more Orla began to feel for her, caught up in a loveless marriage that she had tried desperately to fix; she was on a hiding to nothing.
The torment that Matt must have gone through as well, in fact was still going through, knowing that his beloved Catherine was stuck with this psychopathic monster.
She had a new respect for her and began to feel ashamed that her own selfish feelings had been allowed to cloud her judgement on someone she barely knew.
‘Where is Matt?’ Catherine’s question came out of the blue.
‘He’s waiting for me in the car!’
A slight smile appeared on Catherine’s face . . . a wistful smile that said it all; Oh what might have been!
‘He wanted to speak to you himself but didn’t know how you would react.’
She mused over the words, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. Orla waited. ‘You know, I really treated him badly. He worshipped me and I let him down, but I needed more excitement in my life and when Kevin began to take an interest in me, I thought I had found what was missing. I knew immediately we were married that I had got it wrong. He just disappeared for days on end . . .no explanation . . . nothing. All I was was a bloody trophy! But I didn’t expect this. What you have told me today has shocked me to the core. Those poor people!’
A booming voice broke their concentration. ‘And which poor people are you concerned with today?’ They both turned at the same time; Kevin Crystal loomed over them.
Chapter 58
Catherine went to speak but was in shock. She coughed . . . a voice pitched high and feeble emerged. ‘I thought you were in London?’ Her pulse was racing. What has he heard?
‘There was an accident on the motorway. I was stuck for over an hour; pulled off as soon as I could. And Detective Graham . . . what brings you to our local Mall and particularly into the company of my dear wife?’
Orla had regained some composure. ‘Chance meeting actually, but we’ve had a smashing chat. Thanks for letting me bend your ear Catherine, we must do it again.’
‘Yes Orla . . . That would be nice.’
Kevin looked her over, his eyes boring down trying to unnerve her. ‘Are you still in Wellesbourne?’
‘Yes, but I think we will be out by the weekend. That case that we have been working on . . .’
‘Do you mean my case?’
‘That’s the one Kevin; well that case has been pretty well put to bed. I don’t know where I will be shipped off to . . . somewhere close I hope.’
‘What about Black?’ He couldn’t hide the contempt in his voice as he spoke.
‘Don’t know Kevin! He’s as much in the dark as we are.’
‘You didn’t answer my first question!’
‘Which one was that Kevin?’
‘The poor people you were talking about when I got here.’
Orla’s laugh hid her panic. She blurted out the first thing that could fit the bill. ‘Catherine was asking me about Ireland and I was just telling her about the potato famine; all those poor people that died.’
‘Death is always tragic . . . Isn’t that so?’
‘Indeed Kevin, indeed!’ And with that, Orla made her escape. Breathless she arrived back at the car.
Matt appeared frantic. ‘Did you get my text?’
‘What text?’
‘Crystal is here, I tried to warn you!’
‘No, I didn’t get it but he got us! I was talking to Catherine; he caught us together . . . talking.’
‘Oh God! What did he hear?’
‘Nothing really . . . I don’t think!’
Matt was plainly worried. ‘I think he saw me! He drove past me but was looking the other way so we had no eye contact. But he could have seen me before he looked away . . . we have to assume he saw me. Damn! . . . He’ll put two and two together! How did you get on with Catherine? Did you learn anything? Was she aware that he was up to no good?’
‘She was great; had no idea what he was up to and took it much better than I thought she would. I felt very sorry for her; he has treated her abominably.’
‘How did he manage to get away to deal with Sturgess?’
‘He made her a drink, Baileys I think she said, and must have drugged it.’
‘That sounds about right. What about Ruth Vaughan?’
‘It seems he had to nip back to see if he had left his dressing gown in the bathroom. She said he was away a good five minutes.’
‘We can’t hang around now! I want him in custody today . . . Let’s go! We need to tell Cornish that we are making this arrest today. While I was waiting for you, I came up with a plan to entrap him.’
‘Oh dear!’ . . . Orla had immediate concerns.
‘Don’t worry, it’ll be fine! Who are you calling?’
‘Catherine . . . I want to see if she is all right. I’m calling “La Senza”.’
A quick flurry of words followed before she ended the call. ‘She didn’t return from her break!’
Matt stiffened as the words hit home. ‘We have to move on this Orla . . . God I hope we are not going to be too late.’
‘So what’s this plan that you’ve come up with?’
‘I’m still working on the detail . . . but I’ll have it sorted before we see Cornish.’
Leek Wooton had never seemed more welcome. The PA looked up in surprise as Matt strode into view. ‘Detective Inspector Black! . . .’
‘We need to see the Chief immediately. . . .Is he available?’
‘It’s as well you are here. I was just about to call you; he wants to see you. Go straight in.’
Chief Inspector Cornish looked up as they entered. ‘That was quick!’
‘Sir, we need to move on this Crystal case today. I need to make the arrest but I need to organise some back-up. Ideally’ . . . he looked back to see Orla in his shadow . .
‘Ideally, we need support from the Operation’s Task Force. We aren’t looking for a small army; just a couple of guys will do it. I expect to meet some resistance and need to know that we can handle whatever occurs.’
‘I see detective . . . but before I get onto that . . . in your absence, we have also been busy on this case and have found just what you have been looking for . . . some proof to incriminate your Mr. Crystal. It seems some evidence has been tampered with! The bicycle spoke that was used in the first killing has disappeared; but we found it in the body of Mr. Parker, the third victim. Not only that but the only person who had access to the evidence room at the relevant times, was Kevin Crystal.’
‘What an idiot! . . .
What a bloody idiot!’ Matt was at a loss to make a more measured response.’
‘He must have thought he would have had time to replace the missing spoke . . . but of course he lost his free pass!’
The Chief Inspector peered over his glasses. ‘Yes Detective Graham . . . that was our conclusion. I have no problem now with going ahead with this arrest. There is nothing that the CPS can stall us on. . . . So back to your wish list detective.’
‘Sir, as well as the OTF guys, we are going to need someone that knows Crystal by sight; someone from the old team. Detective Frayne would be ideal. We need him in an unmarked car as an observer.’
‘Noted!’
‘And we need to draw a Taser from the armoury!’
Cornish hesitated. ‘I don’t see the need for that detective; the OTF unit will be well equipped with that sort of gear.’
‘I realise that Sir, but we . . . Detective Graham and myself will be making the arrest. The OTF will only be there to back us up.’
The Chief Inspector took a deep breath. ‘Are you both cleared for Taser usage?’
‘Yes Sir we are.’
He thought hard before relenting. ‘In this instance I’ll allow it! Collect it from the armoury on your way out. Right . . . I’ll see to it that your back-up crew will be at your Wellesbourne base within the hour. They will know nothing of the operation so you can brief them all, there and then. Where are you going to make the arrest?’
‘It is my intention to lure him to the Wellesbourne Office and make the arrest there. We don’t currently know his whereabouts but at least that way, we can ensure that there are no members of the public to concern ourselves with.’
‘Excellent. . . Well you’d better get on with it . . . Good Luck! Oh by the way, I know I’ve asked you before, but do you happen to know a “high up” by the name of Dundas?’
Matt shook his head. ‘No I don’t think so! Why do you ask?’
‘It’s just that he has been taking a lot of interest in this case. . . .Never mind, we will remain in the dark if that is their bidding!’
Chapter 59
The twenty minute drive to Wellesbourne was done in less than fifteen. ‘I’m going to park around the back, out of the way . . . we need to keep the front uncluttered.’ Matt’s mind was in overdrive as he went through the plan for the umpteenth time. ‘We can’t try to locate Crystal until we are all in place. If he got here early it would be a disaster!’
‘Matt! . . . Slow down. We know what we are about. It’s going to be fine. You’re right we need to be in place; the rest will unfold as planned. God, there’s enough of us!’
‘Sorry Orla. It’s just that we have somehow got to keep Catherine clear of any rough-stuff that might happen. I don’t want her anywhere near here.’
Charlie Frayne appeared in the doorway. ‘Hiya! I’m here! I don’t know why I’m here, but there must be a good reason. Cornish fairly threw me out of the place.’
‘Charlie, we are waiting for a couple of guys from the OTF. As soon as they get here, I’ll fill you in with the details. Orla, have you got a small box? I need a small box!’
‘How about this? It’s got some print cartridges in but they can go.’
‘Perfect!’ To her surprise, he dropped a pair of handcuffs into the box and quickly sealed it with cellotape. ‘I need some brown paper!’
‘Nothing here! I'll check downstairs.’ She was back in a minute. ‘There you go!’
Matt was pleased with his finished product. ‘A present for Mr. Crystal!’ He beamed with pleasure as he placed it centrally on the desk.
Orla smiled as she turned away. What is he about?
Heavy footfalls on the stairs had them all look up as two useful looking police officers appeared. ‘DI Black!’
‘Yes that’s me. . . . “OTF”. . . Right?’
‘That’s us! Can’t believe you’ve got trouble out here in the sticks; What’s up?’
Introductions were quickly dealt with and Matt sounded out the plan. Each knew the significance of their role; nothing would be left to chance.
‘I can’t believe that we are going to arrest Kevin Crystal!’
‘Believe it Charlie, but you don’t know the half! OK Orla, let’s start the ball rolling. . . Call the house at Warwick Gates.’
The phone rang. . . Orla shook her head. ‘Nothing!’
‘OK. . . . Let’s go for his mobile!’ Matt was tense. Two rings later, a voice answered.
‘Crystal!’
‘Kevin, this is Orla Graham.’
‘Detective Orla, what a surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure?’
‘I’ve got a small package here with your name on it!’
‘I’ve known that for a while Orla. . . . I’m amazed it took you so long to realize it!’
‘It’s a small box . . . actually!’
‘There you go. . . putting yourself down.’
‘It’s addressed to DI Crystal . . . which is technically not you!’
A moments silence followed before Kevin answered. ‘Where’s it from?’
‘It came through the internal post . . . hold on, I’ll have a look. Here we are it’s from the Evidence Room at Leek Wooton.’ Orla winked at Matt as they waited. ‘What do you want me to do with it?’ She could hear his breathing falter. ‘Shall I send it back?’
His unfinished business with the Evidence Room had unsettled him. ‘No . . . no, I’ll come and collect it.’
Orla was grinning as she spoke. ‘I’m in Wellesbourne; I’ll be here for an hour, otherwise it goes back.’
‘No, please wait, I’ll be there. I’m in town at the moment and I have to go home to collect something, but I’m on my way.’ And with that he rang off.
‘Brilliant Orla!’ Matt couldn’t contain himself. ‘We’ve got the bastard! Right, first things first. Charlie, you are our lookout man. I need you now, to go quickly to Prospero Street, you know, where he lives. He’s on his way there now. I want you to pull into a house a few doors away on the other side of the road. If there is anyone at home, flash your badge and tell them you need their front lounge for an hour as an observation platform; and stay on the line. Go now . . . don’t hang around.’
Matt turned to the OTF guys. ‘Paul, James, before he gets here, I need you to secrete yourselves downstairs . . . there’s plenty of room and there’s no one to bother you. Wait until he climbs the stairs, block off his escape route, and make your way quietly up to us. If we are having a barney, then get up sooner. I will attempt to make an official arrest. Orla will be behind him armed with the Taser. If he has a go at me or tries to run, she will zap him, and you guys will be there by then, so we should be able to subdue him enough to get cuffs on him. Are you OK with that? Anything you need to add?’
Paul was uneasy. ‘What is it Paul?’
‘I would rather we were in position to confront him from the beginning. It’s what we do. When was the last time you used a Taser . . . in a situation?’
Matt hesitated before answering. ‘Paul, you’re right. You should be present when we make this arrest, but there are a lot of personal issues going on here that you won’t be aware of. I need to look into this bastard’s eyes as I read him his rights. He needs to know that it’s over and even more importantly, that it was me that brought him down. We can handle it, I’m sure.’
‘OK Inspector, it’s your show. We’ll be there, as and when you need us.’
The shrill ring of the phone had them all jump. Orla picked it up. ‘It’s Charlie,
he’s in position. Nice people . . . he’s in a bay window behind some curtains. What’s that Charlie . . .? There’s a Nissan Micra in the drive! God that means Catherine’s there!’
Matt moved to her side. ‘Try her mobile Orla?’
The call was picked up immediately. ‘Hello Orla; how are you?’
‘Catherine, what the hell are you doing at the house?’
‘How do you know I’m at the house?’
‘Never mind, but Kevin is
on his way there, now!’
‘Damn! He said he would be away all day. I was getting some clothes to go to my Mom’s with.’
‘ Leave now . . .this minute; you can come back later.’
‘Are you going to arrest him then? Is that why you want me to go?’
‘Yes on both counts . . . Just go!’
‘I’m gone.’
‘Charlie . . . Catherine should be leaving. Can you see her?’ Matt’s heart was pounding as he listened in.
‘Yes here she comes . . . She’s in her car. Oh! Hold on, Kevin has just driven past me . . . He’s pulled up behind her.’
‘Shit!’ Matt gasped in anguish.
‘He’s gone to speak to her . . . OK, he’s back . . . he’s reversing out. He’s letting her reverse out of the drive.’
‘Thank goodness for that.’ Matt breathed a sigh.
‘She’s driving off . . . and he’s following her. I’ve got to go . . . need to see where they are going. I’ll keep the call open.’
‘Where the hell are they going?’ Orla could sense Matt’s growing concern but could do little to calm him.
‘Charlie! Are you still there?’
‘I’m chasing down Harbury Lane at the moment. Ah! I've got them at the
lights on Oakley Wood Road. They’re going straight over, so they’re not coming to you!’
‘Any ideas Orla? What’s up there to interest them?’
‘Not a clue. We’ll just have to wait.’ Charlie’s voice returned.
‘They’ve turned into the storage unit site, you know that large yard they’ve got up here; hundreds of shipping containers, double stacked, for use as personal storage lockers. They’ve disappeared around a corner. I can’t follow them; I might run into them.’
‘Just park up and wait Charlie, but keep out of sight.’
The minutes ticked by. All at Wellesbourne were pacing the floor. ‘What the fuck’s he up to?’ No one answered.
‘Matt, It’s Charlie. Here he comes!’ The Land Rover appeared. Charlie ducked his head as the vehicle passed. ‘There’s only one vehicle; they must have dumped the Micra.’
Orla voiced her concern. ‘Why would they do that? Ask him if they were both in the Rover?’ She waited.
A Killer's Calling: Incite to Murder 1 Page 25
