by A L Fraine
“Oh right, yeah. You’re staying there, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Was it a good night?”
“Not bad. I’ll be glad when I have my own place, though,” Jon replied.
“I bet. Sorry I didn’t offer to have you, but there’s nowhere for you to sleep,” he replied, gesturing to the house. “Unless you want to buy a bed.”
“That’s okay. Did you not want to decorate it? Get some furniture in?”
“I don’t spend enough time here to warrant it, really. I will, one day.”
“Fair enough,” Jon replied, fully understanding Nathan’s point of view. As a single man dedicated to his job, Nathan probably didn’t see the need for more than was essential. Jon wondered if it was that nest-building instinct that some men seemed to lack that caused people like Nathan to not really bother filling their houses with furniture. “I get it.”
Jon thought back to his time alone, after Charlotte had passed, and how he’d lived back then. He wasn’t sure it compared to Nathan, given that he’d just lost his wife and had been grieving, but he remembered the mess he’d got himself into immediately following her death.
He’d lived like a slob, leaving takeaway food boxes around the place, never really tidying or washing up. He’d pulled himself out of it eventually, but for a while there, he’d been in a state.
But even after all that, as he’d started to get his life back on track and go through the house, sorting things out, he’d only really done what was needed. He kept the place clean and basically tidy, but that was it.
Like Nathan, he’d thrown himself into his work and hardly spent any time at home, so he got it. He understood why Nathan wouldn’t bother filling the rooms of the house with stuff he’d never really use.
He wondered just how many rooms were actually used. Were the others just closed up? Part of him wanted to explore the house and see, but there really wasn’t a good reason for him to do that.
“Did you hear about Abban?” Nathan asked.
“Oh, no,” Jon replied, remembering his first case as part of the SIU. “What’s happened?”
“He stood trial in Ireland and was convicted for Fiona’s murder. So he’ll return there when he’s finished his sentence here. I don’t think he’ll ever get out.”
“That’s good. So, he’s back in the UK then?”
“As far as I know, yeah. He’s at High Down Prison, over near Sutton.”
“Nice and close.”
“I bet his wife’s kicked up a storm.”
“But she was such a lovely woman,” Jon remarked with a wry smile. “So kind and gentle.”
Nathan laughed. “Oh, I know. It was just so out of character for her,” he replied sarcastically. “In all seriousness, though, I think she could have restarted The Troubles single-handedly.”
“Ain’t that the truth. Does Kate know about Abban?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Are you ready?” Jon asked as Nathan placed his breakfast utensils in the sink.
“Yep. Let’s go, Loxley.”
They were soon in the car and making their way through the spring morning into work.
“Thanks for picking me up,” Nathan remarked from the passenger seat.
“That’s okay. So, what happened?”
“Car just wouldn’t start yesterday, so I had to get it into a garage. I think it’ll be a few days.”
“No worries, I’ll be your taxi service until you get it back.”
“Thanks. So, what did you think of the Super?” Nathan asked, referring to their new boss.
“He’s a by-the-book, man, that’s for sure,” Jon remarked, thinking about his first impressions of the man. “I can see why the ACC wanted to insert him into this team.”
“Hmm. Think he’ll cause problems?”
“Oh, without a doubt,” Jon remarked. “I don’t think he likes the SIU very much.”
“Wonderful. This is going to be a fruitful relationship then.”
Jon nodded in agreement and wondered what the day would bring. They were a little early, but nothing excessive as they parked up outside the brutalist concrete building and made their way inside, up to the team's office.
Kate was already in and smiled as they walked over.
“Well, this is a turn up for the books,” she said. “It’s not often I’m in before both of you.”
“Jon picked me up,” Nathan admitted. “My car’s in the garage, so…”
“Fair enough,” she replied and looked up at Jon. “Did you hear the news?”
“About Abban? Yeah, it’s good, right?”
“Very good, yes,” she agreed.
Jon stepped over and pulled her in for a brief hug before stepping away again. They’d both agreed to keep their affections to a minimum in the office. It wasn’t appropriate, and they didn’t want to give anyone higher up any reason to split them up.
“So, what’s on the slate today? Has anything come in?”
“I don’t know. It’s all being routed through the Super for now. Speaking of which,” Kate remarked and nodded.
Turning, Jon saw DSU Ray Johnston walking over with a file in his hand.
“Here comes trouble,” Nathan remarked under his breath so the Detective Superintendent wouldn’t hear.
Jon smiled briefly before getting his expression under control.
“Pilgrim,” DSU Johnston began. “Halliwell, O’Connell.”
“Sir,” Jon replied, almost in unison with Kate and Nathan.
“Here you go,” the DSU continued, handing Jon a file. “Looks like we have a body that was found this morning. It’s been assigned to us, so you need to go and check it out.”
Jon took the file and opened it up, scanning the contents. “Found in Silent Pool?”
“Oh, really?” Kate replied, sounding surprised. “That’s a lovely place… usually.”
“You know it?” Jon asked.
“Yeah, it’s very well known,” she admitted.
“Off you go then, you two,” the Super said. “And remember, I want regular updates. I want to know where you are and what you’re doing at all times, okay?”
“Sir,” Kate replied.
“Will do,” Jon added.
3
“So tell me about Silent Pool,” Jon said as he drove west towards Guildford, navigating his way through the morning traffic.
“It’s a local beauty spot,” Kate replied. “There’s a couple of small lakes there, that are open to the public. It’s a lovely spot, actually. I’ve been there a few times. I think it’s meant to be haunted, though.”
“Haunted?” Jon asked, intrigued.
“Yeah, I think there’s meant to be the ghost of a woman who appears on the water or something.”
“Oh, sounds lovely.”
“There’s a gin distillery there too,” Kate added.
“I’ve never really got into gin, much.”
“Oh, it’s nice. I’ll have to introduce you to it. There are some lovely ones.”
“Alright, you’re on,” Jon replied as he turned left at a traffic light and headed south.
“So how was your first night at Rachel’s?”
“Yeah, not bad,” Jon replied. “She’s looking after me.”
“Good. It’s really nice of her to offer.”
“I know. I had thought Nathan might, but I saw the inside of his place today when I picked him up.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s a little minimalist, isn’t it?”
“Just a bit,” Jon agreed. “I’d have needed to buy myself a bed to stay there.”
“I keep telling him to sort it out. Take a week off and get some furniture in, but he never listens.”
“I don’t think you’re going to change his ways at this point,” Jon remarked.
“Probably not. It needs a woman’s touch,” Kate replied. “I could do some wonderful things with the space he has.”
“I have to say, I wasn’t expecting him to live in such a
modern place. That was a bit of a surprise.”
“I know what you mean. I had the same reaction when I saw it. He just bought it, though, it wasn’t his design or anything.”
“I see,” Jon remarked, nodding.
Continuing south, they got a lovely view of the Surrey Downs as they passed by Newlands Corner before heading down the hill close to the quaint chocolate box villages of Shere and Albury. But before they got there, a rough gravel car park on the left filled with police vehicles came into view.
“Here we go,” Kate remarked as he pulled in and they held up their warrant cards to the duty officer. Getting out, Jon admired the leafy green scenery and quiet atmosphere, even with the road right beside them. He wasn’t sure how someone could have murderous thoughts in such a tranquil setting.
But, here they were.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favourite northerner,” Sergeant Louis Dyson said as he walked over. “And my favourite Irish woman.”
“You charmer,” Kate remarked as they quickly pulled on their forensic coveralls. “What do you want?”
“Nothing. Just being nice.”
“Nice? You?” Kate remarked and looked over at Jon. “I think he’s up to something.”
“We’re on to you, Dyson,” Jon replied, giving him a look.
“Whatever. So, it looks like we have a murder on our hands today,” Dyson continued. “Body was found early this morning by a walker who called it in. The usual deal.”
“It’s always the dog walkers,” Kate remarked.
“Dogs should come with a warning,” Jon added. “May lead to the discovery of a murder victim.”
“Hell of a selling point,” Kate replied.
“Who’s here?” Jon asked.
“The FME and the CSM are on-site with forensics. Photography’s underway,” Dyson replied.
“Fair enough,” Jon replied as they turned away from the road and started up a dirt track lined with police tape, marking the way they were allowed to walk, which took them along a wide arc before turning in towards the murder scene.
“Any footprints?”
“Plenty,” Dyson replied. “This place gets busy though, so I don’t know if we’ll be able to narrow it down and find the killer.”
As they got closer, they followed the path marked out and stepped over some metal stepping plates forensics had put down before reaching the scene. The body of a young woman lay on the side of the lake, her face pallid and vacant, devoid of life. A photographer stepped carefully around her, taking photos.
Nearby, the Forensic Medical Examiner Pat Chambers stood with the Crime Scene Manager Sheridan Lane. Other forensic officers worked nearby, looking carefully through the undergrowth and over the ground near the body. They’d move in once the photographer was done. Looking out over the water, Jon noticed a couple of police divers in the water too, face down, doing sweeps of the lake.
“Pat, Sheridan,” Jon said in greeting.
“Hey guys,” Kate added.
“Hi,” Sheridan replied.
“Good morning,” Patrick said. “Quite a warm one today, don’t you think? I was just saying to Sheridan here, looks like we’re in for a warm spell.”
“Is that right?” Jon replied, amused at the attempt to initiate a casual chat.
“Oh yes. Makes for a nice trip out to a beauty spot like this, apart from our dearly departed friend here, of course.”
Jon raised his eyebrows at Patrick’s comments, but it was an attitude he’d come across before and wasn’t much of a surprise. In a job as dark and filled with pain and misery as theirs could be, they often tried to find the positives in whatever situation they found themselves in.
“It is a lovely place, although I bet it’s a little eerie at night,” Jon admitted.
“Oh yes. It’s haunted, you know,” Pat continued, suddenly passionate. “By a woodcutter’s daughter who was drowned by King John, or so the legend goes. Just imagine it, being here at midnight and seeing the spectral woman out over the water. Chilling, don’t you think?”
“Pant soilingly so,” Jon admitted, much to Kate’s amusement. “But what about this latest victim of violence?”
“Well, I can confirm she’s passed, moved on to join King John’s victim. Maybe there’ll be two ghosts here from now on.”
“You never know your luck,” Jon replied with a wry smile.
“Looks like a young woman,” Kate said, crouching down near the body.
“In her twenties, I think,” Sheridan replied. “She was stabbed in the back, but there’s no obvious signs of a struggle. But we’ll know more after the post mortem. She was found floating in the lake. We’ve pulled her out to get a better look at her, but I’d guess she’s been dead for a few hours. Maybe around midnight.”
“Do you think she died in the water or out here, and was dumped?” Jon asked as he scanned over the gravel path. “I can’t see much blood.”
“No,” Kate agreed. “I’d guess she fell in after being stabbed. Do we have the weapon?”
“Not yet,” Sheridan replied and pointed to the divers. “We’re looking, though.”
“Good,” Jon remarked.
“You can see the blood starts over here,” Sheridan continued, moving to point to a patch of ground. “And there are drips along here, to the edge of the lake.”
“So, stabbed here and stumbled this way,” Jon replied, putting two and two together.
“Yeah, looks like it,” Kate agreed.
“Do we know who she is?” Jon replied.
“We do, actually. She had ID on her, and we have her phone over there,” Sheridan added, pointing.
John noted the small white paper marker with the number eight on it beside a discarded mobile. “So, who is she?”
“Her name’s Elizabeth Lockwood, and her ID shows a London address. Look, here,” Sheridan replied, pointing to a nearby plastic bag that contained an open purse. Jon could make out the address on the ID, beside a photo of Elizabeth.
“What was she doing out here?”
“I’ll run a check on her,” Kate replied and pulled her phone out as she stepped away.
“I wonder if she’s linked to the Lockwood estate?” Patrick remarked.
“Lockwood estate?” Jon asked.
“It’s a wealthy local family. They’ve got a huge mansion just outside Shere. Harold Lockwood owns it, but his son and his wife live there too.”
“You know a lot about them,” Jon said.
“Local history is something of a hobby of mine,” Pat replied. “Might be worth looking into.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jon replied, looking back over the scene until Kate returned.
“The address is right, she lives up in London, but her parents are local. They’re just up in Clandon,” Kate explained.
“Okay, then I think her parents’ place is our first port of call.”
“I figured as much. I asked Nathan to put a request in to the MET. Asking them to swing by her place and see if anyone’s there.”
Jon nodded. “Good work. Right then, unless there’s anything else, I think we’ll get over to her parents. Maybe she was visiting them?”
“Seems likely, given how close they live,” Kate agreed.
“Alright, thanks guys,” Jon said, turning to Sheridan and Pat. “Keep us updated.”
“We will. Good luck,” Sheridan replied, before Jon turned and led Kate back to the car.
“How close is Clandon?” Jon asked.
“Five, maybe ten minutes. It’s not far. We need to go back the way we came.”
“Roger that,” Jon remarked as they pulled out of the car park and made their way back the same way they’d come. “Okay, so we have a dead girl, stabbed, and left in the lake. What do you think? First impressions?”
“Hard to say, really, without knowing more about who we’re dealing with. But there were no obvious signs of a struggle, and the fact she was stabbed in the back suggests she was either taken by surprise or knew her at
tacker, maybe?”
“Hmm. It will have been quiet. I’m not sure how easy it would be to sneak up on someone.”
“But where she was stabbed was right by the path leading away from the lake. It would have been dark there. Maybe the killer waited and surprised her when she was walking out or something.”
“Sure. We’ll have to see what forensics brings in and see if we get any clues.”
It wasn’t long before they’d driven into Clandon village and parked up outside a large country house with plenty of grounds. Other houses were spaced out along the road, but they weren’t packed in, and there was lots of space for everyone. There was a car in the driveway, but the house seemed quiet otherwise. Jon led the way up the driveway.
“They’re not short of a bob or two,” he remarked as he scanned over the property. “This is lovely.”
“It is,” Kate agreed as they approached the door and sounded the bell. It rang loud and clear inside the house, but after a few moments of waiting, it became clear that no one was coming to the door. Jon looked over at Kate.
“What do you think?
“Let’s check through the windows. You never know.”
Jon nodded and moved left to peer inside the front windows. Kate did likewise in the other direction, but the house was quiet, and there were no lights on inside.
“I think they’re out,” Kate called over to him.
“Yeah,” Jon agreed, feeling deflated.
“They’re not in.” Jon turned to see an old woman standing at the gate at the end of the driveway, holding a small dog on a lead. She was watching them intently. “Can I help you with anything?”
“Yes indeed,” Jon replied and pulled out his warrant card. “I’m DCI Pilgrim with the Surrey Police, and we’re looking to find Mr and Mrs Lockwood. Do you happen to know where they might be?”
“Oh my, are they in trouble?”
“No, no. Nothing like that,” Jon reassured her. In truth, he didn’t know if they were in trouble or not, but he didn’t want to scare her off or have her gossip in the village. “We just need to get in touch with them.”
“Well, that’s easy. They’re all at the Lockwood estate for a few days. The whole family is there. Even Lizzy is down from London for it.”
