Craig,
I have left you. You hurt me every day and you know that you do, deep down, no matter what you tell yourself.
And we lost our baby because of you. And you know that too. No amount of taking it out on me will change that. You killed your unborn child. OUR unborn child and I think you meant to.
I’m not sorry. This is not my fault and I won’t be back.
You need to know that.
Grace.
Ian sucked in air. She had done it. He folded the paper and put it back carefully. His hands balled into fists but he resisted punching the air. He’d done enough of that for one day. His mind suddenly made sense of the note. Her unborn child? She had been pregnant. His hand rose to his mouth and he suppressed a sob. She’d lost it. He took a moment to peer around the room. All the beatings, all the stress, all that his daughter had been through in this house. He’d barely had a clue.
He moved back down the stairs and slipped out the front door that he’d left open. He felt sure Craig hadn’t been home yet. Maybe he had done the decent thing and gone to the police station? Ian snorted in contempt. He shook his head. That man had never done a decent thing in his entire life.
He got back to his car and caught his reflection in the window. His left eye was all but swollen closed, his cheeks were puffy and his nose looked out of shape. He would go home and clean himself up. Grace might even be waiting for him. She would be furious with him at first, not just that he put himself in danger and got himself hurt, but for his intentions too. She didn’t believe in violence as a way to solve problems. He had always been so proud of her principles.
He could still hear sirens. It sounded like they had multiplied. There had to have been an accident up on the main road. He’d take the back way home. Despite his aching shoulder and his throbbing face, he drove away with a smile and a lighter heart. Finally, his daughter was safe. She was safe and she was free.
Chapter 22
Maddie read her statement back over. A police officer’s statement is always so dry, so devoid of any emotion. This one detailed the discovery of a teenage boy, his life snuffed out in his own bath having expressed his fear and foreboding when he was in police custody just twenty-four hours earlier. But it read as a list of cold facts and observations in strict chronological order. Nothing more. All the feeling, the human emotions — they were all stripped out, as things police officers weren’t allowed to take into account or even have.
At least it was finished.
It hadn’t been easy. Maddie felt like she needed to put in every detail of her interaction with Toby when he was in custody. She knew it would count as a ‘death in police contact’, a label that was automatically assigned to any death in which the deceased had been in contact with police in any manner in the twenty-four hours that preceded their death. It meant referral to an independent investigative body and a whole lot of questions. There would be a poring over the details — every one — to establish if she could have done anything more to prevent his death. She wasn’t worried. She would be prepared at least — she intended on poring over the exact same things just as soon as she could. She would be doing it to console herself that she wasn’t in some way responsible for Toby Routledge’s death, doing it so she could live with herself. The independent investigation would have a different motivation: they would be looking to ascribe blame, even if there were none to find. Maybe this was why police officer’s statements were so devoid of any human emotion — they were too busy covering their arse.
As part of her preparation, Maddie wanted to go down to custody. She knew that all areas of the custody suites were picked up on CCTV — sound and vision. She wanted to be sure that her conversation with Toby through his cell hatch had been captured. She knew she had tried to get him to talk, for his sake, but she wanted to see it again herself. She wanted to be sure.
Custody was eerily quiet. This was rare: even if it was 3 a.m. it would often be a hive of activity; at least something would be going on. There was no one in the back office, so she walked through to the desk where prisoners were booked in, usually the busiest part. There was no one there either. She could see down one of the long corridors lined with cell doors. She was looking for the standard officer pacing the corridor, doing checks and answering buzzers, moving prisoners to see their solicitor or to be brought to the desk to be charged. There was nothing. Everything seemed to have stopped. Then Maddie heard movement to her left and walked towards it. A floor-to-ceiling cupboard door was open and the posterior of a well-built woman stuck out from where she was bent over. Beyond her was a stack of blankets.
‘Hey!’ Maddie said.
The woman straightened and turned. Her outfit was all in one and navy blue. An upside-down watch hung from her top pocket and she had a pen tucked behind her ear. Maddie recognised her as the custody nurse.
‘Hey!’ she said back.
‘Where is everyone?’ Maddie asked.
‘The skipper’s here somewhere. All the officers got called out. There’s been another explosion — like in the tunnel, I think. Didn’t you hear?’ The woman eyed her as if she should know already.
‘No. I was . . . I had to finish something so I locked myself away. Only for an hour, though . . .’ She felt like she needed to explain. The nurse still looked at her expectantly. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll come back down. It was nothing urgent. I should go and see if I’m needed for anything.’
‘I guess you should.’ The woman gave a curt smile and turned back to her cupboard.
Maddie’s next stop was Major Crime. Harry’s desk was empty, but he bustled in as she was on her way back out. The rest of the Major Crime detectives were elsewhere.
‘How’s it going?’ Maddie said.
‘It never rains . . .’ he mumbled back. He approached his desk but didn’t sit. He pulled a ringing phone from his pocket, pressed a button that silenced it and put it back in the same pocket. He looked up and beyond Maddie and she turned to see Chief Inspector Julian Lowe walking towards them both. He swept past her and greeted Harry.
‘Sir,’ Harry snapped back.
‘Well, this is a shit storm, Harry. Are you up to speed?’
‘Not really, sir. They’ve only just carried my murder victim out in a body bag. I know there’s been another car gone up, that’s about it.’
‘There has. I’m going to need your help. A just job, really, that’s come out of all this.’
‘I’ve been making calls all day to get resources for the Routledge murder. I’d scraped the bare minimum an hour ago. Now I’m getting nothing but calls back telling me they’ve been taken off my investigation to work your new explosion. If you take me away, sir, there’s not going to be anyone left.’
‘I know all that, Harry. No one is making decisions lightly, least of all me. This is a pretty unique set of circumstances.’
‘It is. But I know how this works. I break off for a just job and then suddenly I’m up to my hilt in the bombing investigation, I’ll never get back to Toby Routledge.’
‘You have my word, Harry, I just need you to deliver a message and then I’ll get you back to young Toby. I’ll try and get you help where I can but these bombs are taking over, as you can imagine.’
‘DS Ives is here right now, sir. She found Toby so she’s involved already. I need to keep her on-board.’
‘Fine. Assuming you have capacity, Maddie?’
Maddie nodded. She had been doing her best to stay in the background.
‘Okay then. You and DS Ives work the Toby Routledge job. You said the “m” word — we’re not considering suicide at all, then?’
‘No.’
‘I couldn’t be so lucky. Murder investigation it is, then — and I will get you back to it. I just need you for the next hour is all.’
‘What can I do in an hour that’s so important?’
‘I need you to deliver a message. To Frank Dolton.’
‘Frank Dolton? I thought this was related to the explosion?’
>
‘It is. The victim . . . It was his brother.’
* * *
Maddie got another sense of déjà vu as the white and grey stones crunched under the wheels of their car on the approach to Frank Dolton’s place of work. They didn’t know for sure that he would be there. They had talked about calling ahead to confirm, but agreed that it was best just to turn up. Men like Frank Dolton could wrap themselves in so many layers you might never get near them. They might need his staff to see their faces when they said it was urgent.
At DCI Lowe’s direction, Maddie had made a call to the Gold Command, who were running the tunnel bomb incident and who would inevitably be leading the response to this second incident. He had said she should get an understanding of the victim and of how the incident had played out before they delivered the news of his death. The person manning the phone at Gold Command must have been quite shocked when, after they’d confirmed the identity of the victim to her, she’d muttered, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’ It had needed a hurried explanation and a little bit of convincing that she was still the right person to deliver the message. She had given her assurances that she would let Harry do the talking.
When they arrived, Harry led the way in. The entrance foyer was exactly as it had been: the same faux-untidy display of magazines, the same pattern of chairs, the same feeling of clinical discomfort. Claire took a little longer to arrive this time but her expression was the same: stern and disapproving. Maddie noted that she wasn’t holding her diary — this time she wasn’t even prepared to book them an appointment.
‘Can I help you?’ she said.
‘I need to speak to Mr Dolton as a matter of urgency,’ Harry said.
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Can I take a message or a number?’
‘No,’ Harry growled.
‘Then I’m afraid I can’t help you.’
‘I’m not here for your help.’ He stepped past her and pulled the door.
‘Hey! You can’t go in there!’ Her voice took on a squeal. She stepped back out of his way, though, and glanced at Maddie. Maddie shrugged and followed. Harry was already striding up the corridor that ran through the middle. Claire ran after them, telling them she was going to call security. Maddie didn’t recall seeing any. All the eyes in the glass offices turned towards them as they swept through. Mr Dolton’s door was shut but she could see him sat behind his desk. He stood up as they approached. He looked furious.
‘What the hell? Did you just push through here? I don’t know who you people think you are! I told you, I did not wish—’
‘WE’RE NOT HERE ABOUT THAT!’ Harry’s voice was powerful when it was raised. He came back a little quieter but with no less authority. ‘We need to talk to you about a different matter. It is very serious and it will not be easy.’
Frank Dolton was still puffed up with red cheeks and still standing. He leaned forward on the desk, taking his weight through his knuckles.
‘Claire, would you give us a moment please. And this had better be good. I am a very busy man.’
‘Maybe you would like to have a seat, Mr Dolton,’ Harry said, his tone instantly softer.
Frank hesitated. His eyes never left Harry. Maddie heard Claire huff as she made her way out. Frank straightened his back and then his suit. He sat down. ‘What is this about?’
‘Your brother . . . Craig Dolton.’
‘Craig, yes.’ Frank shrugged.
‘He was killed in a vehicle explosion earlier today.’
Frank took a moment. His expression took a second or two to register surprise then he moved back in his chair as if he’d just taken a blow. His lips parted, then clamped shut again. Then he seemed to force a cough and his eyes flickered to his wristwatch. His shocked expression seemed fixed.
‘I know this is very sudden and very difficult news,’ Harry said. ‘This is always a difficult part of the job for me. Maybe we can get you a drink of water or something?’
Frank shook his head. Finally he spoke. ‘What happened?’ The arrogance and agitation were all but gone.
‘We don’t know for sure. The vehicle he was travelling in exploded. There was a police witness to the incident. Right now we are considering that it was a device of some sort that has caused the explosion, but we cannot be certain. I’m sure you can imagine that this will all take time.’
‘Device? You mean a bomb?’
‘Yes,’ Harry said.
Frank leant back into his chair. ‘Jesus! A bomb! Like the other day?’
‘You mean in the tunnel? We have no idea if the incidents are linked, but I would expect that to be a line of investigation.’
‘Craig . . . When did this happen?’
‘Around two this afternoon, sir,’ Maddie spoke up.
Frank turned to her. His eyes looked heavy but they suddenly widened a little. ‘Two p.m.?’
‘Yes. As the DI said, there was a police witness, so it was called up pretty much as it happened.’
‘Police? They were there?’
‘He had just been stopped. He was assisting us with our enquiries.’
‘Assisting . . . Was it about Grace again?’
‘You know Grace?’ Maddie couldn’t resist.
‘I’ve met her. Only a couple of times. The police were involved with them before. They argued a bit, I think.’
‘How do you think she’ll take the news?’ Maddie pressed.
‘I don’t know, really. They had their problems — what relationship doesn’t? I don’t think it was the most harmonious relationship. I think she used to wind him up — she knew how to press his buttons maybe.’
‘She pressed his buttons?’ Maddie said. She could feel her heckles rising a little. As if the tiny form of Grace would ever look to press the buttons of an eighteen stone lump.
‘Yeah. At first. But the last time I saw her he seemed to have got her in line — you know what I mean? That was a couple of months ago. He only brought her out with him when he wanted something. I guess he thought I wouldn’t want to say no to him in front of her.’
‘In line?’ Maddie said. Her anger came on stronger. Her tone must have carried something that Harry picked up on. He stepped in closer to her as Frank continued.
‘Yeah, she wouldn’t say boo to a goose, really. She barely looked at me . . . she would just lurk in the background, her tail between her legs, like a dog that’s been beaten too much — know what I mean?’
Maddie felt Harry’s arm across her midriff now. She pushed against it as she took one step forward. ‘I don’t think I do.’ Maddie’s voice shook a little with rage. Frank Dolton seemed totally oblivious. Harry interjected quickly.
‘He was with police for another matter. Nothing to do with Grace — it was all bottomed out. We will need to take some details . . . a statement covering the last time you spoke with your brother . . . anything you might know about him that could be relevant — that sort of thing. I’ll get a detective to come and see you for that. Now probably isn’t the right time.’
‘No. I’m not sure I can think straight right now.’
‘Is there anything important that you think we might need to know now?’
‘Important?’ Frank said. He lifted his hands to his head. He eyes had a glazed look as he flicked them between both detectives.
‘Anything you think might be relevant. Has Craig upset anyone recently? Does he owe any large debts that you know of or is he mixed up in anything that might explain if and why someone would choose to target him?’
Frank was shaking his head. He still held it with both hands. ‘You have to understand . . . me and my brother . . . we’ve never really been close. I don’t know much about him anymore. The only person I know he owes a lot of money to is me. The only time I heard from him was when he needed more. The last time we spoke was when he moved into one of my houses. He’s never paid a penny in rent. He seems to think that’s what brothers do. I guess I never really chased him for it.’
‘That’s your house t
hey live in?’
‘Yeah. He thinks it’s his, though, I’m sure of it. He came to me for the deposit for the place. He said he was looking to buy it but was never going to get a mortgage. He knows I’m always looking for more properties, so he asked me to buy it so he could rent it off me. He said he would struggle to pay the deposit back so that would make better sense. He didn’t even have a job then. I told him if he went out and got a job I would help him. He got something doing deliveries. I think he still works there . . . worked there, I guess. So I bought the house and he moved in. I even leant him some money for furniture. I asked for the rent and sent him an agreement to sign and return. I’ve not had replies to either.’
‘How long has he been there?’
‘Two years? I’m not sure. Probably longer.’
‘So he owes you two years rent. That is a lot of money,’ Harry said.
Frank lifted his head and sat back straighter. ‘Not to me it isn’t, Inspector, and it certainly isn’t something I’m upset about, if you’re looking for motives here, I mean?’
Harry lifted his palms as if he was backing down. ‘I’m always looking for a reason someone might harm another. I’m a murder detective. When I find out who did this, you’ll be glad I work like that.’
‘Well, I didn’t have anything to do with it.’
‘I’m sure you didn’t. And I’m sure you’ll comply fully with any further questions we might have.’
‘Of course.’
Harry pushed off the back of the chair. He hadn’t attempted to sit and now looked ready to leave. ‘Is there anyone you would like me to call for you? Anything we can do?’
‘No. Thank you.’
‘Do you still have my card?’
‘Yes.’ Frank opened his drawer. He pulled out the card Harry had left the previous day and dropped it on the table. He seemed to fix on it.
‘Okay then. If there’s anything you need from me or anything you think might be important, you can call me on that number. It doesn’t matter about the time of day and it doesn’t matter if it isn’t relevant in the end. Sometimes the smallest thing can become very significant.’
HE WILL KILL YOU an absolutely gripping crime thriller with a massive twist Page 18
