THE GUILTY MAN an absolutely gripping crime mystery with a massive twist (Detectives Lennox & Wilde Thrillers Book 1)

by HELEN H. DURRANT

  Harry could hardly contain his rage. Being told about Sandy’s crime was one thing, but seeing him, knowing it was true, made his blood boil. “How the hell did you get into this in the first place? You had a good career. You had Morag, a life back home. I don’t understand why you’d risk all that.”

  Harry was seething, he simply didn’t understand the man or his motives.

  “Like you, laddie. I crossed Salton.” He smiled. “But unlike you, I chose a different way to deal with the fallout. I didn’t run away and hide, I changed my mind, took the money, did as he asked and for a while gave the man the information he wanted. But there is always someone bigger and uglier waiting in the wings. And tough as he is, Salton won’t last for ever. I was offered a job by a group operating in Europe, and a deal I couldn’t refuse.”

  “The people traffickers. You’re a right piece of work, Sandy. This isn’t you. You were never that bent.”

  “He can’t be all bad,” Jess interceded. “Lucy, the little girl, it was you that saved her, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. I found the wee lass cowering in the back of Sutton’s car. If Kamal had seen her — well, you know what he’d have done. I’m a lot of things but not a child killer, Jess. I took her to the park and let her go.”

  He turned back to Harry.

  “I don’t want us to argue, laddie. I’d really like us to part comfortable with each other.”

  “Sandy, I can’t do that.” Harry was exasperated. “You killed people. Lucy aside, you are as bad as Salton and the rest. You pretended to be my friend, but you used me. You said you came to Ryebridge to visit me, but you were here to set things up, weren’t you? You brought the entire scam to my patch. What did you expect? That I’d fall in with your plans, give you a hand? You aren’t Sandy Munroe anymore. In fact, I don’t know who the hell you are.”

  “And what about you, laddie? Who are you pretending to be?” Sandy spat this out, his eyes red and accusing.

  Harry stared at him while the seconds ticked by. “Leave us, Jessie,” he said at last.

  “No, lass, stay. You should hear this,” Sandy insisted, his eyes never leaving Harry’s.

  “Harry? What’s he talking about?” Jess said.

  Harry made an angry gesture. “It’s a load of nonsense. Take no notice.”

  “He used to have a brother. Did you know that?” Sandy said.

  Jess nodded.

  “Bet you didn’t know they were twins, identical twins at that. No one could tell them apart when they were growing up. Even their own parents had problems.” Sandy looked at Harry. “The number of times you two swapped places. Bet you can’t count them, can you, particularly when you were teens.”

  “Where’s this going?” Jess asked, looking from one to the other of them.

  “Nowhere,” Harry said flatly.

  “Harry Lennox was a CID officer on the trail of a villain called Mungo Salton. Salton was a cruel bastard. He wanted Harry in his pocket and when he refused, the villain threatened Harry’s family, set fire to their home. Their dad was killed. Dreadful business, nothing anyone could do. The place went up in seconds, a regular inferno it was.”

  “That’s enough now, Sandy. Stop,” Harry said.

  “Both young men went into that house to try to rescue their dad — Harry the detective and his twin brother, Paul. By this time the place was well alight and there was no way their father could still be alive. Nevertheless, they tried. Eventually one twin staggered out, dragging the other by the arms. The one who made it had his hands badly burned. He also had the CID warrant badge for Harry Lennox tucked into his shirt pocket. The other one died.”

  Jess didn’t understand. It was a tragic story and explained a lot about Harry, but why hide it from everyone? Grief? “So, Harry made it. It was terrible about his dad and his brother, but why make such a thing of it? Harry didn’t start the fire.”

  “No, he didn’t,” Sandy said. “Salton did. But the incident puzzled me. A warrant badge is one thing, but Harry’s work mobile was found on Paul’s body, we never got to the bottom of that one. And there was another thing, the twin who died had a scar on the back of his head. As a lad, Harry had cut his head badly when he fell out of a tree onto a pile of bricks. I know because it was me that took him to get it stitched. Nothing like that had happened to Paul.”

  Jess glanced at Harry. “Well?”

  “Well nothing. He’s lying through his teeth. Perhaps he’s trying to ruin my credibility. If you doubt my identity, Jess, check the police database. You’ll find DNA belonging to DI Harry Lennox. I’ll happily give you a fresh sample for comparison.”

  Sandy Munroe laughed. “Proves nothing, lass. Think about it.”

  Jess wasn’t sure what he meant, but she was too tired to work it out. “He’s lying, isn’t he?”

  “Yes,” said Harry. “He’s having one last try at ruining my career. Well, it won’t work. We’re leaving.”

  At the door he turned and took one last look at Sandy. “What a pity it had to end like this. I was really fond of you, you know. When I lost my dad, you took his place for a while. Good luck.”

  Harry needed air and he was shaking again. He smiled at Jess. “Now you know.”

  “The cut-down version is he thinks you’re your twin brother, Paul, and not a detective in CID.”

  Harry took her arm and led her towards the waiting car. He shook his head ruefully. “A crazy idea. As if I could get away with that one.”

  THE END

  ALSO BY HELEN H. DURRANT

  LENNOX & WILDE

  Book 1: THE GUILTY MAN

  RACHEL KING

  Book 1: NEXT VICTIM

  Book 2: TWO VICTIMS

  Book 3: WRONG VICTIM

  Book 4: FORGOTTEN VICTIM

  THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES

  Book 1: DEAD WRONG

  Book 2: DEAD SILENT

  Book 3: DEAD LIST

  Book 4: DEAD LOST

  Book 5: DEAD & BURIED

  Book 6: DEAD NASTY

  Book 7: DEAD JEALOUS

  Book 8: DEAD BAD

  Book 9: DEAD GUILTY

  Book 10: DEAD WICKED

  THE DCI GRECO BOOKS

  Book 1: DARK MURDER

  Book 2: DARK HOUSES

  Book 3: DARK TRADE

  Book 4: DARK ANGEL

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  Glossary of English Slang for US readers

  A & E: Accident and emergency department in a hospital

  Aggro: Violent behaviour, aggression

  Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets

  Allotment: a plot of land rented by an individual for growing fruit, vegetable or flowers

  Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)

  Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings

  A Level: exams taken between 16 and 18

  Auld Reekie: Edinburgh

  Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.

  Bar: as in The Bar, the profession of barrister.

  Barm: bread roll

  Barney: argument

  Barrister: lawyer who argues in court

  Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids

  Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle

  Benefits: social security

  Bent: corrupt

  Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)

  Biscuit: cookie

  Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town

  Bloke: guy

  Blow: cocaine

  Blower: telephone

  Blues and twos: emergency vehicles

  Bob: money

  Bobby: policeman

  Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)

  Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead

  Bun: small cake

  Bunk: do a bunk means escape

  Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant

  Buy-to-let: Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit

  Caravan: Mobile home

  Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket

  Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for

  Car park: parking lot

  CBeebies: kids TV

  Charity Shop: thrift store

  Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments

  Chemist: pharmacy

  Chinwag: conversation

  Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food

  Chips: French fries but thicker

  CID: Criminal Investigation Department

  Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)

  Clock: punch

  Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake

  Cockney: a native of East London

  Common: an area of park land/ or lower class

  Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school

  Cop hold of: grab

  Copper: police officer

  Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit

  CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward

  Childminder: someone who looks after children for money

  Council: local government

  Dan Dare: hero from Eagle comic

  DC: detective constable

  Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block

  Deck: hit (verb)

  Desperate Dan: very strong comic book character

  DI: detective inspector

  Digestive biscuit: plain cookie

  Do a runner: disappear

  Do one: go away

  Doc Martens: Heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole

  Donkey’s years: long time

  Drum: house

  DS: detective sergeant

  ED: accident and emergency department of hospital

  Eagle: boys’ comic

  Early dart: to leave work early

  Eggy soldiers: strips of toast with a boiled egg

  Enforcer: police battering ram

  Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)

  Estate agent: realtor (US)

  Falklands War: war between Britain and Argentina in 1982

  Fag: cigarette

  Father Christmas: Santa Claus

  Filth: police (insulting)

  Forces: army, navy, and air force

  FMO: force medical officer

  Fried slice: fried bread

  Fuzz: police

  Garda: Irish police

  Gendarmerie: French national police force

  Geordie: from Newcastle

  Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold

  Gob: mouth/ can also mean phlegm or spit

  GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community
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br />   Graft: hard work

  Gran: grandmother

  Hancock: Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s

  Hard nut: tough person

  HGV: heavy goods vehicle, truck

  HMI: Her Majesty’s Inspector. Government-appointed inspector of educational establishments who reports on standards.

  HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents

  Home: care home for elderly or sick people

  Hoover: vacuum cleaner

  I’ll be blowed: expression of surprise

  Inne: isn’t he

  Interpol: international police organisation

  Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services

  Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, applied to any strong woman

  ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital

  Jane Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous

  JCB: a mechanical excavator

  Jerry-built: badly made

  Jungle: nickname given to migrant camp near Calais

  Lad: young man

  Lass: young woman

  Lift: elevator

  Lord Lucan: famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.

  Lorry: a truck

  Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased

  Luftwaffe: German air force

  M&S: Marks and Spencer, a food and clothes shop

  Miss Marple: detective in a series of books by Agatha Christie

  MOD: ministry of defence

  Mobile phone: cell phone

  MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area

  MRSA: A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

  Myra Hindley: famous British serial killer

  Naff: lame, not good

  Naff all: none

  National Service: compulsory UK military service, ended in 60s

  Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent curtain