On Cold Ground (Detective Karen Hart)

by D. S. Butler

  ‘I have to take your phone,’ Leo said, holding out a hand.

  ‘No,’ Karen said, rummaging around in her bag for the phone Harinder had returned to her less than an hour ago, planning to call for help.

  But Leo leaned forward and pulled something from beneath the seat. When Karen turned to look, her breath caught in her throat. She was staring down the barrel of a gun.

  ‘Where did you get that?’

  ‘A raid a couple of years ago. Didn’t submit it as evidence. I thought it might come in handy at some point.’

  ‘You’re working for Churchill, aren’t you? You’re corrupt. Just like Freeman.’

  Leo didn’t answer. ‘Give me your phone. I’m serious, Karen, give it to me.’

  With shaking hands, she held out the phone Harinder had just returned.

  She was acutely aware of the other phone she had in her coat pocket – the phone Morgan had given her. Leo didn’t know she had it.

  He took his hand off the wheel to grab it and then pulled his own phone from his jacket, keeping the gun trained on Karen. He nudged the steering wheel with his knees as the car strayed towards the middle of the road. As they passed the junction to Heath Lane, he lowered the window. Icy wind blew snow into the car, and he slowed and threw both phones on to the snowy verge.

  ‘That’s better,’ he said.

  ‘You put the spyware on my phone,’ Karen said. ‘You’ve been listening to my conversations.’

  ‘I had to.’

  ‘How long have you been spying on me?’

  ‘Not long. A couple of days. Wasn’t hard. You shouldn’t leave your phone on your desk.’

  ‘It’s locked with a passcode.’

  ‘Which is the year of your daughter’s birth. Not very hard to guess.’

  He kept the gun pointed at Karen, but focused on the road as the snow tumbled down around the car. It was impossible to see more than a couple of metres ahead.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Karen asked.

  ‘Nowhere,’ he said. ‘I’m just driving to give us a chance to talk.’

  ‘What is there to talk about?’

  ‘A lot. You need to understand.’

  Was he going to try to turn her? Did he think she wouldn’t run to report him as soon as the gun wasn’t pointed her way?

  Whatever he said, she would go along with it. Whatever it took, she would try to stay alive. She would deal with the aftermath later.

  ‘I had no idea it was you,’ Karen said. ‘I mean Churchill, yeah. I had him pegged from the start, but not you, Leo. Why?’

  ‘No choice,’ he said. ‘I did something stupid when I was a young constable. Helped myself to a bag of coke during a house raid. My partner found out and threatened to report me. But he stepped in. I thought he was trying to help me at first. My career would have been destroyed, and I’d have probably ended up going to prison, and you know how fellow prisoners love cops in jail.’ His upper lip curled. ‘I’d have done anything to stay out of prison. And they threatened my family. That’s always a popular one. Just when you think you don’t care anymore, that you’re going to turn yourself in, that’s when the new threat comes, targeting the people you love. And then what do you do? They’ve got you then, haven’t they?’

  ‘They threatened your wife?’

  He nodded. ‘Yeah, and my daughter. I ended up telling my wife that I didn’t love her anymore, that they were both holding me back. I told her I didn’t want to see my daughter again. I did all that to keep them safe. Can you imagine having to do the things I did just to keep them safe?’

  ‘No, I can’t,’ Karen said softly. ‘So it wasn’t your fault, Leo. I mean, if you explained how you were coerced, how you were put under unfair pressure, and your family was threatened. That’s going to help you if you come forward. If you talk—’

  Leo smiled. ‘That’s not going to happen, Karen.’

  ‘Why not? Come on. You know they’re after the big guns. All right, you’ll probably serve a couple of years, but they’ll want the ringleader. They want the killer. They want Churchill.’ Leo said nothing. The silence weighed heavily in the car, and then Karen said quietly, ‘Unless . . . you killed them.’

  ‘Yes, I killed them.’

  ‘You killed Anthony?’ Karen’s mouth was so dry she could barely get the words out.

  ‘Yes, I killed all three of them.’

  ‘But why? What did he ever do to you? What did any of them do?’

  ‘It wasn’t what they did to me personally,’ Leo said. ‘None of it was personal. I just did what I was told.’

  ‘Who told you to do it?’

  Leo shook his head and said nothing.

  ‘Hang on, wait.’ Karen looked at him in disbelief. ‘Are you telling me that you slaughtered three people and then mutilated their bodies because someone told you to?’

  Still, he said nothing.

  ‘How did anyone make you do that? How could you be forced to mutilate a body?’

  ‘To be honest, that part was my idea.’

  Karen looked at the gun and then up at him. She was shaking with a mixture of fear and rage.

  ‘It was a distraction. A serial killer was guaranteed to attract a lot of attention, but that wasn’t the aim. I just wanted something that would cover my tracks.’

  Karen stared at him, struggling to take it in. ‘You’re The Cleanser?’

  Her eyes were wide as the truth dawned on her. She was trapped in a car with a serial killer.

  A wide smile stretched across Leo’s face.

  At Welton Hill, he turned left on to Eastfield Lane and then pulled up at the side of the road. It was dark, and the snow was heavy.

  He pointed at Karen with the gun. ‘Come on. Get out.’

  ‘Why? Where are we going?’

  ‘A walk. Down there.’ He pointed past a ditch to the fields beyond. It was a steep bit of land. The fields ended in a small copse.

  Karen wasn’t familiar with the fields here. Everything was white. She looked around for landmarks. There were lights, but it was hard to judge how far away they were.

  Why did he want to go down there? A cold shiver of dread ran along her spine that had nothing to do with the freezing cold, and everything to do with absolute terror.

  He was going to kill her.

  He planned to hide her body among the trees, so it wasn’t found for a while. It could be days before a dog walker came across it. Bile rose, stinging the back of her throat.

  ‘You don’t have to do this, Leo. We can find a way out. They’ll want the kingpin, the big man behind it. You give us Churchill, and I promise I’ll fight to make sure you get minimal jail time.’

  He grinned, his teeth as white as snow. ‘You expect me to believe that?’

  ‘Yes, I’m telling the truth. You have my word.’

  He chuckled. ‘It’s a shame it has to end like this. I enjoyed working with you. We’d have made a good team. Come on, let’s go.’

  They set off down the hill, slipping and sliding on the snow-covered grass.

  Karen’s teeth chattered. ‘All I want is Churchill! Just give me something on him, Leo, and you can go.’

  ‘You’re not in a strong bargaining position,’ he said, and then slipped, falling hard on his side.

  The gun went off and Karen ducked, scrunching into a ball, making herself as small a target as possible against the ground.

  Leo swore and got to his feet, wiping the snow from his coat and looking around. ‘Good job there was no one around to hear that, wasn’t it?’ He gestured with the gun. ‘Get up.’

  Karen gingerly got to her feet. ‘You can just run off. I won’t follow. I promise.’

  He laughed. ‘You will. It’s in your nature. You can’t help yourself.’

  ‘Please, Leo, don’t do this.’

  She was bargaining with someone who’d shown no mercy to three other victims. Her eyes swam with tears. She sniffed as the cold, biting wind battered them, and hugged her coat tightly around her body. �
��If you’re going to kill me, then at least tell me I was right about Churchill. At least give me that before I die.’

  He paused for a moment, then reached out to grab her arm, pulling her close and looking directly into her eyes.

  He said, ‘I could do better than that. I could tell you who’s behind everything.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  ‘I think you’d better start explaining,’ Sophie said as she fastened her seatbelt.

  Ray started the engine and sighed. ‘I’m not supposed to say anything. It’s more than my job’s worth.’

  ‘She’s with DC Leo Clinton. What do you know about him? Is he a danger to Karen?’

  Ray shrugged.

  ‘If she’s in danger, I need to know.’

  Ray didn’t reply. He reversed out of the parking bay, left the car park and drove along the winding road.

  They didn’t see any other vehicles. The lack of traffic was understandable due to the weather. The snow was coming down heavily.

  Sophie yanked her seatbelt so she could turn and face Ray. ‘I’m serious. I need to know.’

  She studied Ray’s profile. Had she made a mistake getting in the car with him? Was he part of the network of corrupt officers that Karen was so sure existed? How deep did all this go?

  ‘Ray?’ Her voice was calmer now, but firm.

  ‘I was asked to keep an eye on Karen. Just a bit of surveillance, that’s all.’ Ray kept his gaze on the road.

  Sophie’s mind filled with possibilities.

  DS Grace was monitoring Karen. Did she suspect Karen could be corrupt? After everything that had happened to her, how she’d suffered at the hands of corrupt officers?

  ‘But why are you following Karen? It doesn’t make sense,’ Sophie said. ‘Does DS Grace think she’s involved in the corruption somehow?’

  Ray pushed a hand through his hair. ‘I’m not very good at this undercover stuff. It’s harder than I’d expected.’

  ‘You poor thing,’ Sophie snapped. ‘Just tell me why you’ve been watching Karen.’

  ‘It was to ensure her safety. DS Grace was concerned. She wanted to know who Karen was talking to. I think she was worried Karen might try to bring down the head guy herself.’

  ‘Who’s the head guy?’

  ‘That’s the trouble,’ Ray said. ‘No one knows.’

  ‘And Leo is involved somehow?’ Sophie murmured.

  Leo Clinton. Sophie thought back. Leo had seemed harmless, especially compared to Arnie. He was so . . . normal.

  ‘I don’t know. I know he’s worked for DCI Churchill for a long time.’

  ‘Karen thought Churchill could be on the take,’ Sophie said. ‘She didn’t trust him. Do you think his whole team is in on it?’

  Ray shrugged as he braked for a corner. ‘I really don’t know. DS Grace only asked me to keep an eye on Karen, and report on who she’d been talking to and meeting with. That’s it. It wasn’t like I was on twenty-four-hour surveillance. I’m pretty new to this.’

  Sophie could tell. She sat back in the passenger seat and thought hard as Ray slowed the car again. The snow reflected the beams from the headlights and visibility was terrible.

  Maybe she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. Perhaps they’d get back to the station and both Leo and Karen would be there. She imagined Rick laughing at her for overreacting.

  But then why had Leo said his wife wanted him to pick up something for dinner if she’d left him? Sophie had never spoken to Leo about his wife. Never asked him anything about his personal life. She knew nothing about him other than he liked ham sandwiches and had worked for DCI Churchill for a few years.

  Arnie didn’t have all the answers. Maybe he’d got it wrong about Leo’s wife, or they could have reconciled.

  In a few minutes, they’d be back at Nettleham station, and then Sophie would have her answer.

  She tried Karen’s number again, but it went straight to voicemail. Then she tried the number of the phone Morgan had given Karen earlier that day. It just rang out. Maybe it was on silent? Perhaps, right now, Karen was back at the station having an important conversation with DS Grace and didn’t want to be disturbed.

  That was the most likely explanation. Sophie smoothed her skirt down over her knees. Her palms felt sweaty. She hoped Karen was safe in her meeting, but she couldn’t deny the situation was very concerning.

  Karen’s feet skidded from under her, and she fell hard on her back then tumbled a few feet down the incline. She managed to slow her fall by digging her heels in and clawing the snow with her fingers. Winded, grazed and dazed, she came to a stop at the bottom of the slope.

  Leo rushed over to her. He held out a hand, but Karen ignored it and struggled to her feet without his assistance.

  ‘So, who’s this person you’re going to give me?’ she panted. ‘Churchill is involved, isn’t he?’

  Leo grinned. ‘No, that’s the funny thing. Churchill doesn’t have anything to do with it. You were wide of the mark there.’

  She stared at him. ‘But I was so sure.’

  He grinned again. ‘Nope. Churchill’s just an obnoxious character. But they wouldn’t involve him. He’s too independent. Thinks too highly of himself. They like to get people who are vulnerable, powerless to resist.’ He shrugged.

  ‘And that’s how they got you?’ Karen said. ‘Look, Leo, why don’t we just go back to the station? You can explain it all, and we’ll listen. You’ll get a deal.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Leo said.

  ‘What’s the alternative?’ Karen asked, spreading her palms and looking up at the swirling snow. ‘You’re not going to get away with this. You’re going to be remembered as a two-time cop killer.’

  ‘That might cut me a bit of slack in prison,’ he said with a wry smile.

  Karen felt numb. He was going to kill her. She was defenceless. The only thing she could do was stall for time.

  She put her hand in her coat pocket, feeling for the phone. Trying to dial without looking at the screen was ridiculously difficult, and she had no idea if she was pressing the right buttons, but she had to keep trying.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she asked as Leo waved her forward with the gun.

  He gestured in the direction of the copse. Karen had known he was leading her there. He wasn’t going to shoot her in the open, leaving a bloody mess in the snow. He’d make her walk to a secluded spot before shooting her.

  She looked around at the wide-open space, nothing but white fields and a few sparse hedgerows in the distance. The shelter the bare, stumpy branches would offer was negligible. If she made a run for it, she was as good as dead.

  He’d shoot her in the back. Then it would all be over. The only thing she could do was delay, and hope he let his guard down enough for her to risk grabbing the gun.

  Or perhaps if she delayed long enough, they’d be discovered. Someone would be looking for her by now, wouldn’t they? When she didn’t turn up to the meeting with DS Grace, she’d be missed.

  She thought about Mike. He’d be waiting for her tonight. When would he be concerned enough to call to ask the others where she was? Would Morgan have noticed, or would he now be at the pub, drinking and toasting memories of Anthony?

  A lump formed in Karen’s throat as she was overwhelmed with self-pity. How had it come to this? Why had she never suspected Leo?

  They trudged slowly towards the trees. Muscles slow and awkward from the cold.

  ‘Why did you kill Laurel Monroe and Lloyd Nelson, Leo? What did they ever do to you?’

  ‘They didn’t do anything to me. I told you, I was ordered to get rid of them.’

  ‘But why?’ Karen said. ‘What did they know? Did they witness a crime? Or had they angered a criminal gang?’

  Leo squinted back up the hill. ‘Stop delaying. Less talking, more walking.’

  He nudged her in the back with the gun, and Karen walked on towards the dark trees in the distance.

  She wouldn’t make it easy for him. She
wouldn’t kneel, close her eyes and surrender as he pressed the gun against her temple.

  When they got close enough to the trees, she would try to grab the gun. Or if grabbing the weapon wasn’t an option, she would run. Under cover of the trees, she’d have a chance – more chance than out in the open, anyway.

  ‘You said you’d give me a name.’ Karen rubbed her hands together, trying to get some feeling back into her cold fingers. ‘Who’s behind this, Leo? Who ordered you to kill them?’

  Sophie’s heart sank as she walked into the open-plan office area. DS Grace sat at Karen’s desk, her red hair falling forward as she looked down at her phone, but there was no sign of Karen.

  DS Grace looked up, smiled at Sophie, but her expression changed when she saw Ray walking through the door.

  ‘Have you seen DS Hart?’ she asked, getting to her feet.

  ‘We hoped she’d be here with you,’ Sophie said, stopping beside the desk, putting her bag down and shrugging off her coat.

  ‘She’s supposed to be. We had a meeting. She wanted to tell me something.’

  ‘Related to the corruption case?’ Sophie asked.

  ‘I can’t discuss that.’

  Sophie tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘I realise some details will be confidential, but I’m worried about Karen. Ray’s been following her.’

  Grace looked at Ray sharply.

  ‘I had to tell her something,’ he said, shifting awkwardly under Grace’s gaze. ‘She’d figured it out, and said she’d tell the whole pub if I didn’t.’

  ‘So, where is Karen?’ DS Grace asked, looking at Sophie and then at Ray. ‘You’re starting to worry me.’

  ‘She left the pub with DC Leo Clinton a few minutes before we did. She should be here by now, but Leo’s car isn’t in the car park.’

  ‘DC Leo Clinton?’ Grace said. ‘He’s part of DCI Churchill’s team, isn’t he? Is there any reason to suspect that he’s a danger to Karen?’

  ‘If you’d asked me that a few hours ago, I would have said no, but right now, I’m not sure,’ said Sophie. ‘All I know is that Karen should be here, and she isn’t. You’ve had Ray following her. I don’t understand what’s going on, and I’m not going to be happy until I speak to Karen and find out she’s okay.’