by M A Comley
“That’s right. Do you know her?”
“I’ve debated whether to ring you or not, but I believe I saw the woman with my ex-husband a few months back at a party.”
“Your ex-husband? What’s his name, Dawn?” Carla asked eagerly.
“Matthew Lindon.”
Sara and Carla stared at each other as the realisation dawned on both of them. She was right about something decent landing in their laps.
“Hi, Mrs Lindon, this is DI Sara Ramsey. We questioned the rest of your family, but I believe you were away at the beginning of last week.”
“That’s right. I only got back on Friday. Mum mentioned you were working on the case. I didn’t feel the need to ring you when I returned because I didn’t have any news for you, not regarding Nan and Granddad anyway.”
“Can you tell us more about Matthew?”
“What do you need to know? We’re not really in touch now, not since he beat me up. I’ve kept my distance from him.”
“He abused you during your marriage? Did you report it?”
“Yes, it became a daily occurrence. He changed as soon as the wedding band was slipped on his finger. Well, maybe not right away, it took a few months for him to show his true colours. My family made him feel welcome, but it just wasn’t enough for him.”
“Can you pinpoint why the abuse started?”
“Usually it was about money. He needed it, and I refused to hand over my hard-earned wages. He was in and out of work. I got the impression after a while that he saw me as some sort of meal ticket. I’ve always worked hard to achieve what I have. I refused to hand over my cash when he walked out on a job, so he beat me up. It was so bad I had to take a few days off work before the swelling went down. Makeup can cover the bruises—it can’t disguise the puffiness that follows a beating, though.”
“I see. You kicked him out, I presume, after that?”
“Yep, I couldn’t do it alone. Thankfully, a couple of my uncles and my granddad, God rest his soul, came to my rescue and persuaded him to leave.”
“And he went willingly?”
“In the end, yes.” She gasped. “Oh my God, you don’t suppose he was the one who killed my grandparents?”
“At this point we don’t know. We’ll need more to go on than what you’ve told us already. What about Dawn? Did Matthew introduce you to her?”
“No, nothing like that. We were at a party. I tried my hardest to get some time alone with her, in the ladies’ or something, you know, to try and warn her what he was like, but he stuck to her like glue. Had his hand on her arm the whole time, as if he was afraid to let her out of his sight.”
“Did she look uncomfortable in his presence?”
“Yes and no. He’s a control freak, Inspector. I regret the day I ever got involved with him. If I find out he was behind my grandparents’ murders…well, all I can say is that you better get to him first.”
“Don’t worry, I understand where you’re coming from. Now that his name has been highlighted, we’ll keep him under observation until any evidence surfaces. Whoever killed your grandparents did their very best not to leave any evidence behind, therefore it’s going to be difficult pinning their murder on him unless something substantial comes our way. That doesn’t mean to say we’re going to discount what you’re telling us.”
“I’m glad to hear that. He’s a menace to society, although to talk to him you’d think he was a decent chap. Get behind the front door with him, and that’s when his true colours show.”
“Okay, leave it with us, if you will. I appreciate you calling us. Please don’t make contact with him. I’d also advise you not telling the rest of your family, in case they decide to take matters into their own hands before we get the chance to pick him up.”
“I haven’t told them for that very reason.”
“Good. One last thing. Do you know where he lives?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t.”
“Not to worry. We’ll do some digging. As soon as I know anything further, I’ll contact you. Thanks again, Mrs Lindon.”
“It’s Mary-Ann, and I’m in the process of reverting back to my maiden name. The sooner that happens the better.”
“Speak soon.” Sara gestured for Carla to end the call. “Okay, that was interesting. Can you see what you can find out about Matthew Lindon? Let’s shake the monkey out of the tree and see if he lands on both feet. Pay special attention to any trouble he’s been in in the past.”
“Will do. This could be the break we’re looking for,” Carla said, starting up her computer.
“I said I had a feeling, didn’t I? I’ll get on to Lorraine, let her know what we’re dealing with and urge her to get a move on with the lab results. It would be good if we could link all the cases.”
“I’ll try and locate his address first. Would it be worth putting a tail on him?”
“Yep, I think that’s what we should do, if he hasn’t taken flight already. He might have done with all the press coverage on all cases now. Get his address.” Sara turned to talk to the rest of the team. “Will and Barry, will you start the surveillance? We’ll swap over during the day. Keep digging in the meantime, guys. I sense we’re almost there.”
She rushed into her office and rang Lorraine. “Hi, it’s me. Can you talk?”
“For a moment. What’s up?”
“A suspect has been highlighted in the Dawn Dawson case. I need to know if you found anything on the suitcase.”
“That’s good news. As it happens, yes. We found a partial fingerprint that my guys are running through the system.”
“What’s taking so long?”
“I know you’re eager, but we’re at the hands of technology. The system had a blip yesterday and stopped functioning most of the day. A technician worked through the night. We think we’re back on track now.”
“Great. How long are we looking at? Or is that a daft question?”
“Yep. If you give me the name, I’ll ring you as soon as we come up with something.”
“Matthew Lindon. We’re putting two and two together at the moment and coming up with ten. We think it’s likely that he was behind the other murders in the area, too. He’s the ex-husband of the first victims’ granddaughter.”
“Whoa! Really?”
“Yep. We’re doing checks on him now. I hate to hurry you…”
“But you’re going to anyway. Leave it with me. I’ll have a chat with my team now, see if they can go over each of the scenes again just for you.”
“You’re an absolute legend. Thanks, Lorraine.”
Chapter 27
The rest of the morning consisted of Sara rushing in and out of her office, checking on the progress Carla was making with regards to Matthew Lindon and answering the calls coming in from the appeal.
DCI Price dropped into the incident room around midday. Sara took her into her office and brought her up to date on things.
“That’s great news. We need to make sure everything is airtight before we pick him up for questioning.”
“I know that, ma’am. I’ve got a couple of men sitting outside his property—he won’t go anywhere without us being on his tail.”
“Let’s hope the lab comes up trumps soon. I hate to say this when you’re so close, but the super has been onto me about the number of murders we have on our hands at present. He’s getting antsy and has urged me to urge you to try and hurry things along.”
Sara fell back in her chair. “Jesus! What does he expect from us? We’re doing our best in the circumstances. The first case only came to our attention at the beginning of last week. My team and I have worked our butts off in that time, attending scenes in the dead of the night—sorry, not the best choice of words. I’d like to think our efforts were more appreciated than they appear to be right now, ma’am.”
DCI Price held her hands up in front of her. “Hey, you’ve got no complaints from me. I gave him an earful, don’t you worry.” She rose from her chair and smiled. “Carry o
n doing what you’re doing. Give me a shout if I can lend a hand on anything, not that you don’t appear to have everything under control anyway.”
“A quick heads-up, my cat was at the vet’s overnight.”
DCI Price frowned. “Everything all right?”
Sara shrugged. “She appears to be better this morning, but she was poisoned. I’m not telling you because I want to use it as an excuse. I’m just stating facts.”
“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that. Perhaps she picked up something from the site you’re living on.”
“I rang the site manager, and he told me there is nothing toxic on-site Misty could have got at.”
“Are you thinking this was a deliberate act?”
“It seems that way, ma’am. Whoever did it will need police protection when I get hold of them.”
“Is Misty all right now?”
“Yes, for now. The vet is monitoring her.”
“Glad to hear it. Ring me if you need me, for anything, you hear me?”
“I will. Thanks, ma’am.”
DCI Price left the room. As soon as Sara picked up a letter that needed her urgent response, her landline rang. “Hello. DI Ramsey.”
“Sorry to trouble you, ma’am, it’s Jeff.”
Sara’s attention was instantly gripped. The desk sergeant usually only contacted her when there was something wrong. “What is it, Sergeant?”
“One of my lads just brought something to my attention, and I thought you might be interested, ma’am.”
“I’m listening. Do you want me to come down?”
“Maybe that would be for the best, ma’am. Or I could come up to see you?”
“My office is closing in on me today. I’ll be there in a jiffy.” Sara rushed around the desk and down the stairs to the reception area. “What have you got, Jeff?”
He motioned for her to step behind the counter and into the privacy of his back office. Lying on the desk was a black bag.
“I don’t understand. What am I looking at, Sergeant?”
“My lads stopped off for a late breakfast up at Dinmore woods. Someone pointed out this bag and complained that people should be shot for dumping their rubbish in such a beautiful area.”
“I agree with them. Shame on anyone dumping rubbish around here.”
“My guys took the liberty of opening the bag rather than just dumping it in the bin, hoping the contents would lead back to the culprit. They’d then go round there and read them the riot act. Anyway, when they searched through the contents, something struck a chord with one of the lads.” He pulled on a pair of latex gloves and then plucked an envelope out of the bag and showed it to her.
“Laurence Haldon? What the heck?” Sara searched her pocket and withdrew a blue glove of her own then riffled through the bag herself. “My God, this is all the paperwork that went missing from the Haldons’ residence. I’m going to rush it over to the lab, see if they can pick up any fingerprints or DNA from it. Give your lads a pat on the back from me, Sergeant.”
He beamed. “Will do, ma’am.”
Sara tied a knot in the bag and raced out of the station. On the way to the car, she dialled Carla’s mobile. “It’s me. Something has come up. I’m on my way to the lab. I’ll fill you in when I get back.”
“Sounds intriguing. Thanks for letting me know; I wondered why you rushed out of here.”
Sara tore through the lab and into Lorraine’s office. She could see her in the locker room down the hall and gave her the thumbs-up. Lorraine gestured she would be two minutes. Sara paced the office until the pathologist entered the room.
“Something wrong? I hope you’re not expecting the results fr…what’s this?” she asked, pointing at the bag sitting on her desk.
“Remember the Haldons’ daughter told me that her parents’ personal file was missing?”
Lorraine shrugged. “I can’t recall you telling me that, but go on.”
“These are all the contents of the file. I need your guys to go over them. If we can match any fingerprints found to any other DNA or evidence we have, then we can nail the bastard.”
“In this instance, if might be a very large word. Has anyone else touched the contents?”
“I don’t think so. Do your best for me. I don’t have to tell you how important this is.”
“You’re right, you don’t. Leave it with me. I’ll ring you ASAP.” Lorraine picked up the bag and walked up the hallway while Sara took off in the other direction and drove back to the station.
Chapter 28
It was a couple of fraught days before they received any definitive news they could use. The team had taken it in turns to keep Lindon under surveillance in that time. He’d ventured out once to go to the supermarket and returned home immediately. They had hoped he would leave the property at night, enabling them to catch him red-handed at another victim’s house. No such luck, which Sara had mixed feelings about—she dreaded the thought of him attempting to kill someone else.
The call from Lorraine came at eleven on Thursday of that week. Sara’s heart pumped faster during the conversation. “It’s definitely him?”
“Yes, you’re probably aware he was in trouble for a minor affray offence, so we had his fingerprints on file. The partial we took off the suitcase was a match. We also have his prints on a few sheets of paper from the bag you brought to my attention a few days ago. I’d say he’s your culprit.”
“Thanks, Lorraine. Can you email me the reports? I’ll get on to the CPS, see if they’ll accept that it’s enough to make the arrest.”
“I’m hitting the send button now.”
While she waited for the email to ping in her inbox, she raced into the incident room to inform the team. “We’ve got him. Carla, get on to Craig, tell him to keep Lindon under surveillance for the rest of the day until I can organise the arrest.” She punched the air with joy and relief.
Chapter 29
With the all-clear to make the arrest sanctioned, Sara and Carla joined up with armed police at Lindon’s residence. They hit the house early, at six a.m. on the Friday of that week. Lindon was still in bed when they broke in. He left his bed in a daze, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. Sara read him his rights and informed him why he was being arrested. She expected to hear some form of denial, but instead he grinned at her like the proverbial Cheshire cat. She was tempted to jab him in the stomach and his eyes but somehow resisted the urge to cause the man serious damage.
He was instructed to get dressed and taken to the station in the back of a secure police van. Sara decided to leave him to stew in a cell until just after lunch. “Are you ready for this?” she asked Carla.
“Yep, I can’t wait to see you tear him apart.”
Sara laughed. “Feel free to join in the fun at any time.”
“Nope, you deserve to handle this one all by yourself.”
“We’ll see.”
They made their way down the stairs and told the desk sergeant they were ready to interview Lindon.
“I’ll send him in, ma’am. His brief is here.” He motioned over to the seats in the waiting room, to a young suited gentleman.
“Hello, sir. I don’t know you, do I?”
“Charles Darley at your service. My client rang me this morning. I hope you’re sure it’s him, Inspector?”
“I am. Walk this way, and we’ll get settled.”
Sitting in the interview room, Sara felt anxious, more anxious than normal for some unknown reason.
Lindon walked arrogantly into the room a few moments later, accompanied by a heavy-set PC.
Carla said the usual verbiage for the tape before Sara took over. “Hello again, Matthew. You’re aware of the charges we’re bringing against you. Do you have anything to say regarding those charges?”
“No comment.”
Sara had a feeling he would probably go down this route. Most criminals who had a lot of evidence against them did the same. “I’m not going to beat around the bush here, I have better things t
o do with my valuable time. We can place you at the scene of Tina Haldon’s murder and that of your girlfriend, Dawn Dawson. There’s no point denying it. Also, we can link you to the first murder that took place out in Bodenham, that of Ted and Maureen Flowers, whom you were related to through marriage, I believe, at one time. What I want to know is, why? Why kill these innocent people in such a short space of time?”
He folded his arms and stared at Sara. She searched deep into his large brown eyes, seeking answers and found nothing.
He grinned broadly and said, “No comment.”
“This interview is now ended. Thank you, Mr Darley, for attending. Sorry you felt the need to advise your client to go down the ‘no comment’ route. All it does is highlight his guilt. We’ve taken your car in to be examined, Mr Lindon.”
Lindon’s eyebrow raised, and then his eyes narrowed. Sara had a feeling they were about to discover something of importance inside the vehicle, judging by his reaction.
“Take Mr Lindon back to his cell, Constable.”
They followed Lindon out the room.
Sara bid the solicitor farewell and returned to the incident room with Carla. “Did you gauge his reaction when I mentioned his car?”
“I did.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get some news on that either today or tomorrow.”
Sara left work, feeling a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Misty wrapped herself around her legs the minute she stepped into the house. She sighed, happy that things had returned to normal. Thinking her achievements needed celebrating, she took a bottle of wine from the fridge and opened it, then she withdrew a piece of steak she had been saving from the freezer and placed it in the microwave to defrost while she chopped up a few onions, peeled some mushrooms and scrubbed a potato ready to bake in its jacket. This would be the first proper meal she had cooked for herself in over a week, and she intended to enjoy it.
After her meal was cooked, eaten and she’d cleared up the kitchen, she took the rest of her wine through to the lounge to catch up on her favourite series, Shades of Blue. Halfway through the episode, her phone tinkled. She read the text message, unsure how she should feel. It was from Donald.
