London Noir: A gripping crime suspense thriller (Kal Medi Book 2)

by Ann Girdharry

  Kal felt Spinks’ eagle eyes resting on her and she almost smiled. They felt as piercing and alert as they’d always been.

  ‘Is that so? Well I’ve certainly been impressed by your unusual set of skills though my preference would be to tempt you over to the right side.’

  ‘The right side? I didn’t know there was one. Are you trying to recruit me, Inspector?’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. I’d be strangled by all those rules and regulations. You know me, I’m not the type who does as they’re told. But if you’re interested in finding a sadistic killer who likes to cut off women’s eyelids, and slice their abdomens to expose their organs while they bleed to death, maybe we can help each other out.’

  That caught his attention. Spinks had the connections and the seniority to swing it. He could get her what she wanted.

  ‘A woman was murdered in Montgomery Road. That’s the case I’m talking about,’ Kal said.

  ‘I’ll look into it,’ Spinks said, and Kal noted how he committed to nothing, yet didn’t choke off the possibilities either.

  Out on the water, the motor of the winch began whirring. They were pulling something up. Sophie came alongside and instinctively took Kal’s hand and part of Kal registered how small Sophie’s hand felt. And how comforting. Kal knew Sophie had pushed herself to come in order to help, and she found it unbearably touching.

  ‘Steady,’ called out one of the boatmen. A grey, shrouded object bobbed on the surface of the water, held up by the winch chain. It was a person-sized bundle. From the shoreline, Kal could make out the lead weighting tied to anchor the bundle on the bottom of the river and intended to keep it down for a very long time.

  Kal knew it would be Alesha because the Cartel would never be wrong. There would have to be scientific identification of the body and a post-mortem and a coroner’s report. For Kal, all of it was a formality. As soon as she’d held that card in her hand, she’d known the search was over. They would be able to bury Alesha and Kal could finally let her go. Her mother would be able to rest in peace.

  The motor boat ferried the bundle to shore, where it was carried up and placed on a plastic sheet. One of the team, a woman suited in full evidence-protecting clothing, knelt to open the shroud. Spinks moved closer and Kal willed herself to follow. They stopped at the edge of the plastic sheet and Spinks nodded to the woman. The weather was moving in so no sense in keeping the team, and the body, out here for longer than they needed.

  The knife ripped through the bag and all Kal saw was a mess of grey and the white of bones. She supposed that was what happened to a body when it had been in the water for months, slowly decomposing, the bacteria and organisms in the water doing their job. She felt detached, as if she watched from afar and another, clinical Kal observed events.

  Spinks indicated for the woman to cut the entire sack and it was Sophie who reacted, turning away to retch into the mud. Kal felt hollow inside. It had been a marathon to get to this point, and all her rage, all her sorrow, had been spent.

  Kal noticed a partial curve that must have been the stomach and intestine areas. Inexplicably, the curve was still intact and she could make out two ragged holes where the cavity had been punctured to allow body gases to escape. It was the mark of a professional because, even with weighting, bodies sometimes floated to the surface due to gases produced by decomposition.

  ‘The temperature of the water played its part. It meant the fats of the body created a protective layer during decay and slowed down the process in some areas,’ said the woman.

  It only took one detail. Alesha’s left hand had become detached at the wrist, the bones showing, and the ring on the middle finger was unmistakable. A red garnet from India, set in a delicate tracery of gold – one of her mother’s favourites.

  To their credit, no one had mentioned Kal’s funeral dress and she couldn’t help noticing, as she crouched, how the hem had become clogged with Thames mud. But it didn’t matter – she’d saved it for the end and she’d never be wearing it again. Kal pointed. ‘That’s my mother’s ring.’

  The woman nodded and removed the ring with a pair of tweezers. She held it out for Kal’s inspection. Kal nodded, acutely aware of Sophie staring with her mouth open.

  ‘It’s been a long road, Ms Medi,’ Spinks said. ‘Please accept my sincere condolences.’

  Kal met his gaze and then turned on her heel and walked away. DI Spinks was sensible enough not to follow. He called after her. ‘Ms Medi, can I give you a lift?’

  Kal ignored him, and with Sophie trotting by her side, she left the riverbank, not once looking back.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Marty lay recovering from an exhausting physiotherapy session. She gazed out of the window to where a line of trees marked a children’s area and a small boy played on the swings and she was about to drift off to sleep when Kal barged in. No knocking? And with a swing in her step? Something had changed for the better. Marty chuckled.

  ‘What’re you looking so pleased about?’ Kal said. She tossed a bag of food in Marty’s direction. ‘I got some of your favourites – I expect they’re a bit tight on the treats in this place, aren’t they?’

  Marty rolled her eyes. ‘You’re right on that one,’ she said and she flung a few cashews into her mouth.

  ‘There’s something we need to talk about,’ Kal said. ‘You know you wondered why I was soaking wet yesterday? Well, I picked up a young girl in trouble and she’s staying with me for a while.’

  Marty almost choked. ‘Oh yeah, of course, please forgive my astonishment. You must’ve undergone a complete character transformation whilst I’ve been out of it. Inhospitability being one of your strong points.’

  ‘You seem much better than when I last saw you, you’ve got your cutting tongue back.’

  ‘I’ll take that as a compliment. Actually, I’ve been up and about on the treadmill. Apparently, it’s like when they send people into space – as soon as you stop using your muscles they lose strength and actual mass, so I’ll have to work to get it back. But you know me, workout is my middle name.’

  Marty left out the bit about it hurting like hell. She’d been someone who went to sessions of kung fu and ran four times a week. Without use, her muscles hadn’t only wasted, her tendons, ligaments and muscles had drastically shortened. Stretching them felt like torture. Regaining her strength and stamina would be hard enough, but Marty felt sure getting back her old flexibility would be by far the hardest part of her recovery. Still, no need to burden Kal with all of that.

  ‘So what’s cooking with this girl?’

  ‘I almost ran Sophie over and then the woman who was sheltering Sophie gets murdered. Penny was killed and her eyelids cut off and her skin cut away to expose her organs and not in that order. I was there when it happened, and as luck would have it I got to the body and snatched a few minutes to take in evidence. Sophie was downstairs in a catatonic state and we got out together. I’m sure she knows something. She’s hiding at my place. I think someone’s trying to get to Sophie. Don’t know who and I don’t know why.’

  ‘Woah!’ Marty stopped delving into the treat bag. Kal attracted trouble like a magnet. It had been like that for as long as they’d known each other – which was a long time – fights at school, fights outside school, rubbing people up the wrong way. And now murder seemed to be becoming her friend’s speciality, and Marty didn’t like the sound of that, she didn’t like the sound of it at all. ‘How the hell did you get yourself into that? Can’t leave you alone for one second, can I?’

  Kal shrugged. ‘It just happened, I didn’t ask for it.’

  ‘Yeah sure,’ Marty said. ‘Danger just keeps running towards you, doesn’t it? How are you going to cope without me around to watch your back?’

  ‘You are around to watch my back.’

  ‘Not yet I’m not. You haven’t seen me try the stairs, and that was going down, goodness knows what I’ll be like trying to get up ‘em and I’m not exaggerating.’

 
A small silence fell. Marty didn’t want to deflate Kal and neither did she think it right to give Kal unrealistic hopes. They’d always been close – Kal getting into trouble and Marty bailing her out, smoothing things over, calming people down, but they couldn’t be the team they’d been tracking down Kal’s mother and facing real life and death risks. Not yet anyway.

  ‘Hey, don’t look so glum,’ Marty said, ‘that doesn’t mean I’m out of the picture and, amazingly, the docs seem to think I’ve got all my brain power so, even if I can’t be involved in the action, I can work on this behind the scenes. What have you found out so far?’

  Kal passed over her phone. ‘Here are my notes on Sophie’s parents. They were both killed.’

  Marty forced herself not to grimace as she pushed herself higher up the bed. She read aloud from the screen.

  ‘”Sophie Kendrick, now aged seventeen. The daughter of Charlotte and Martin Kendrick. Sophie’s half-brother, Raymond, is the son of Martin Kendrick by a former wife. Martin Kendrick was a surgeon and a respected consultant at a leading London medical school. He was ten years older than his wife.” Ten years older than Charlotte, that’s quite a big age difference,’ Marty said. ‘Wouldn’t that make Charlotte closer to Raymond’s age?’

  Kal shrugged.

  ‘”Charlotte died from multiple stab wounds from a frenzied attack. Martin died from a single bullet. The knife which killed Charlotte and the gun were found at the scene, both free from prints. That husband and wife killed each other after a dispute was proposed as a theory. This wasn’t supported by the evidence though the police didn’t rule it out. Neither did they rule out the presence of a third party, never identified. An open verdict was returned on the killings.

  The couple owned a sizeable house in the Surrey countryside, “Lilac Mansions”, and they had substantial investments. Raymond and Sophie inherited the estate, it being divided equally between them, with trustees appointed for the administration of Sophie’s portion. Sophie’s share will be given to her when she reaches eighteen.” Right,’ Marty said, ‘and that’s all too long ago. We’ve got to work with the fresh events.’

  ‘I agree. The only other useful background is that Raymond set up a website to help him in his search for Sophie. This isn’t the first time she’s run off. His site describes Sophie as “vulnerable” and it also said she’d previously tried to take her own life and is a risk to herself and others.’

  Marty raised an eyebrow. ‘I can see why you left that bit out. Does she need a doctor or a specialist for support? You’ve not left her on her own, have you?’

  ‘She gets waves of fear about going out, like she’s agoraphobic, though I know she can overcome it if she has to. Today, it seemed better for her to lie low.’

  ‘Shit, you’d better look after her.’

  ‘Sophie isn’t as weak as her brother makes out. There’s something wrong inside and it makes her crumble. Thing is, if you ask me, she’s actually one hell of a strong young woman.’

  Marty frowned. ‘I know you’re an expert in psychology, only remember you’re not a psychiatrist.’

  ‘Yeah, I know, and don’t worry, I’ve thought about the risks for Sophie. I really want you to meet her and then you’ll see she’s solid enough to make up her own mind about what she does. Sophie ran away for a reason and, yes, she’s fragile, but there’s more to her than that.’

  ‘And you think there’s a link between Sophie and the killing at Montgomery?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  Marty crunched on a few more cashews. Kal wasn’t someone who liked people. In fact, she usually disliked people on principle, and that’s why her protection and warmth towards Sophie came across as strange. Kal wasn’t someone to take in strays. For Kal to have invited Sophie to stay meant the girl must be special. That was enough for Marty. Not to mention the fact that Kal was already in this up to her eyebrows and there was no way Marty was leaving Kal on her own. Not now, not ever.

  ‘Okay, I see you like her, which is odd because I can count the people you like on less than one hand.’

  ‘That’s not exactly tr…’ Kal stopped.

  Marty laughed. ‘See? I’ve told you before. I know you better than you know yourself.’

  ‘Very funny,’ Kal said, making a grab for the food bag. ‘I can tell she’s been through a hellish experience and it’s made her see the world differently. She knows a lot about people too, and some of her observations are uncanny.’

  ‘Be careful, Kal, she isn’t like you. She can’t be – you’re unique.’

  ‘I know, hey, don’t get stressed up. All I want is for Sophie to find her own strengths. If she could, it would really help her.’

  ‘Right.’ Marty didn’t take her eyes off Kal. ‘And what else aren’t you telling me?’

  ‘No flies on you, Marty. The doctors are right you haven’t lost a single cell.’ Kal dropped her voice a tad. ‘The Cartel gave me a tip-off on the location of Mum’s body. She was dragged out of the Thames a few hours ago.’

  Marty swallowed hard. She’d been unconscious all this time and unable to comfort her friend. Kal must have been going through hell. In the silence, Marty heard nurses rushing past outside and the clang of a trolley as they pushed it along at speed. She let the sound fade down the corridor. Was that the change she’d seen in Kal when she came in the room? The last instalment of Alesha’s story? If so, it hadn’t brought Kal down, it had given her back more of her old zing. Which meant Kal must have been operating at rock bottom, waiting for news. Marty realised what it cost Kal to stay in London and not run away, as she usually did, to thrash out her feelings. She swallowed hard again.

  ‘Oh no, Kal, I don’t know what to say. I wish I’d been there when you found her. I wish I’d been around to help you.’

  ‘Shut up, it’s okay, you just got back from being near-dead, remember? And it was a relief, if I’m being honest. I can move on because Mum is at peace. Without finding her, I’ve not been able to let go. Now I can because I know she’s finally out of their hands. If that makes sense.’

  Marty nodded.

  ‘Whatever’s going on with Penny’s death, I know I can make a difference. Let’s concentrate on helping Sophie, unless…’

  ‘Unless what?’

  ‘Unless you’ve had enough digging around in the underworld and dirty side of London. I mean, are you on board for this?’

  ‘Don’t be stupid, of course I’m on board. You think I’m gonna let you loose on your own? Think again. Even better, I don’t go back to my full-time job until I’m fully recovered so I can devote plenty of time.’

  ‘Great – weren’t we a great partnership?’

  Marty thought back to the Syndicate and all they’d achieved. Yes, they’d been a great team – Kal the wrong side of the law and Marty keeping where she felt comfortable, on the right side of the line.

  Kal was smiling and it was great to see her old friend bouncing back. Marty crunched on some more cashews and kept her reservations to herself. This connection between Kal and Sophie made her uncomfortable. She’d better stick close in case there was fall-out.

  ***

  Back at 701, Kal dumped the cat litter and pet tray in the hall. If that cat had killed any of Alesha’s plants with its piss, it might regret it.

  ‘I bought the supplies. Has everything been okay?’

  In the lounge, Sophie lay on the settee.

  ‘If you mean did I smash any more of your things, the answer’s “no”.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant.’

  Sophie sat up. ‘Listen, I don’t want to cramp your space. If you need some time on your own, Kal…’

  ‘It’s okay, I’m fine. I said you can stay here for as long as you need. And if you’re thinking about what happened at the Thames, it’s been a long road and now it’s time for a new day. You know, sometimes there’s nothing else to do except keep on living.’

  ‘If I’d have seen my mother like that I don’t think I’d be feeling fine.’ Sophie put
her hand to her mouth.

  ‘It’s over for Alesha and those responsible have been brought down, and because of that, I can move on. All I was waiting for was finding Mum’s body.’

  ‘Something tells me you were involved in bringing her killers down, weren’t you? And I’m sure it took you to some pretty low and desperate places. I’ve been thinking about that over and over in my mind. That’s why you’re helping me, isn’t it? That’s why there’s some kind of affinity between us? It’s because we both lost our mothers.’

  Kal didn’t want to say otherwise. Didn’t want to say it was more to do with her father and his murderous acts. More to do with atonement for his sins. More to do, as well, with this being what Kal was good at – investigating, subterfuge, digging out a murderer’s secrets – she had a nose for it.

  ‘Something like that.’

  ‘Tell me about your mother, I’d like to hear about her,’ Sophie said.

  ‘I’m not sure if I can.’

  ‘Of course you can. Tell me about the good things. What did you like best about her?’

  Kal sat beside Sophie on the settee. She’d taken down her mother’s Chinese wall hanging but she knew exactly where it had hung. She stared at the blank space on the wall.

  ‘What I admired was that she was her own person. Alesha did what she wanted with her life, which was to be a really great investigative journalist. She covered stories that meant something to other people and meant something to her. Stories that exposed corruption and exploitation and war crimes. Stories that helped the down-trodden. And Mum made it from nothing. By her own talent. With a little luck thrown in.’

  ‘She sounds a lot like you.’

  ‘I suppose, though I always thought we were very different.’

  ‘My mother didn’t have an exciting life like that,’ Sophie said. ‘She spent most of her time painting or gardening. Charlotte was a lot younger than my father and he gave her everything she wanted. Maybe he was worried about her being unhappy, though I didn’t think it at the time.’