The Murder House

by Michael Wood

  Matilda glanced at Ross. He was leaning against the window. He looked defeated. His face was ashen. ‘Nigel, I know where you’re coming from, I really do. I lost my husband to cancer. He had a brain tumour, just like Millie. When he died, I was devastated. I went through so many emotions, but there was nobody to blame. It was just one of those things.’

  ‘A three-year-old child dying is not one of those things,’ Nigel barked.

  ‘If she’d been run over or murdered, I’d agree with you. We can’t argue with a brain tumour. Nobody is to blame for that. I’m going to need you both to come with me. Bella, too,’ Matilda said, stepping forward.

  ‘Don’t you think Ross has suffered enough?’

  ‘Yes, I do. I have a great deal of sympathy for him. I felt all the emotions he went through too. But never once did I think about killing the doctor who diagnosed him, or who operated on him.’

  ‘We all react in different ways, DCI Darke.’

  ‘We’re police officers. We don’t take the law into our own hands.’

  ‘They were getting away with murder,’ Nigel shouted.

  ‘Millie had an aggressive brain tumour. There was nothing anyone could have done about it.’

  ‘And what about Hattie? She was my only child and they drove her to suicide.’

  Matilda shook her head. She couldn’t think of anything to say.

  ‘You heartless bitch.’ Nigel swung the baseball bat and hit Matilda on the side of her head. She dropped to the floor. She was hurt, but still conscious.

  ‘Nigel!’ Ross called out.

  Matilda crawled along the floor, trying to pick herself up. She put a hand in her coat pocket, felt for her personal radio and pressed the emergency button. She didn’t see the second swing of the bat coming, but she certainly felt it. She dropped back to the floor and stayed there.

  ‘What the fuck!’

  ‘It’s all right, Ross. Calm down. I know what I’m doing.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘I know all about Matilda. She’s a basket case, has been since her husband died. Last year, DI Hales killed himself in her house. She’s had to move. She fucked up the Carl Meagan case; his mother wrote a book about the investigation. It didn’t show Matilda in a very good light. She’s a suicide waiting to happen.’

  ‘But you’ve just hit her over the head.’

  ‘So. We’ll put her in her car and drive it off the Snake Pass or something.’

  ‘What? Nigel, no. You can’t do that.’

  ‘Ross, listen to me. There is no other way out of this. Ring my office; Bella’s in there. She can come and help.’

  ‘No,’ Ross began, backing away. ‘I shouldn’t have listened to you in the first place. I should have just gone away or did what Hattie did.’

  ‘Jesus Christ! I always knew you were soft. You’re in this up to your neck. There’s no backing away from it now. I’ve killed one detective this evening, I can kill another,’ he said, pointing the bloodstained bat at his son-in-law.

  ***

  Sitting in the front passenger seat of the Range Rover, Keith’s patience was wearing thin. What was taking Matilda so long? He always knew most police officers were corrupt, but to use him to cover up their own crime was beyond belief. He leaned back in the car and closed his eyes. When he opened them, a light was on in a downstairs corridor. He squinted while he tried to make sense of what he thought he’d seen – two men carrying a woman. Carefully, he opened the passenger door, and slipped out of the car, closing the door firmly behind him. He sneaked up to the building and cupped his hands around his eyes so he could see better through the window.

  ‘Fuck me,’ he said to himself when he saw it was Matilda Darke who was being carried. She looked dead. As the door to the main entrance opened, Keith edged around the side of the building and remained in the shadows so as not to be seen.

  ***

  Nigel Eckhart held Matilda under her arms, Ross Jonson was holding her legs. Bella Slack was trotting alongside them.

  ‘Which is her car?’ Nigel whispered loudly.

  ‘The Range Rover,’ Ross replied.

  ‘Brand new, too, judging by the number plate. How did she afford that?’ Nigel seethed. ‘Bella, check her pockets for the keys.’

  ‘Do I have to?’ she whined.

  ‘Just do it, Bella, for fuck’s sake.’

  Bella plunged her hand into Matilda’s coat pocket and picket out the personal radio. The car keys were in the other pocket. Bella opened the boot and they put Matilda inside, slamming it closed.

  ‘Right, me and Ross will go in this. Bella, you follow us in yours.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘I don’t know. The Snake Pass might be a bit dodgy at this time of night. Ross?’

  ‘Ladybower Reservoir or maybe Derwent,’ Ross suggested.

  ‘It’s a bit far out.’

  ‘It’s closer than the Snake Pass.’

  ‘True. OK. We’ll head for Ladybower. We could get a few rocks in her pockets, make it look like she jumped in.’

  ‘Nigel, is this the right thing to do?’ Bella cried.

  He stepped forward and held her by the shoulders. ‘There’s no other way. It’s for Hattie and Millie. Just think about those two.’ He kissed her firmly on the lips.

  Bella stood back, shivering in her uniform, minus the jacket, and watched as Nigel reversed Matilda’s car out of the visitor’s space, turned left out of the car park and headed for the Derbyshire countryside.

  Bella dug around in her pockets for her car keys and ran over to the Nissan in the corner.

  Keith Lumb stepped out from the shadows. With a rock in his hand from the ornamental garden, he grabbed Bella by the shoulder and spun her around. She cried out and cowered when she saw the rock looming over her.

  ‘Give me your keys,’ he said.

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘Keys. Now!’ he screamed in her face.

  She quickly handed them over.

  He snatched the handcuffs from her utility belt and dragged her over to the railings by the main entrance, where he secured her to them. He took her personal radio, and the one that belonged to Matilda, before running back to the Nissan and setting off in the same direction as Nigel and Ross.

  ***

  ‘What the fuck is going on?’ ACC Masterson asked as she stormed into the control room.

  ‘Hello? Can anyone hear me?’

  Valerie’s question wasn’t answered, as she was interrupted by the unusual call coming over the radio.

  ‘Who is this? This is a secured police channel,’ Kesinka said.

  ‘DCI Matilda Darke has been attacked and kidnapped. They’ve dumped her in her own car and are heading for Ladybower Reservoir.’

  ‘Who is this?’

  ‘My name is Keith Lumb. I’m wanted for the Mercer murders but I didn’t do it. There are two detectives in Barnsley who have attacked DCI Darke.’

  Valerie ushered Kesinka to move so she could talk to Keith.

  ‘This is ACC Masterson; how do you know all this?’

  ‘I was with Matil … DCI Darke this evening. She went into the police station at Barnsley. She didn’t say why. She was in there for about half an hour. Two detectives carried her out. I don’t know if she’s dead or just unconscious, but it doesn’t look good. There’s a woman officer called Bella who I’ve handcuffed to the railings outside Barnsley station.’

  ‘Where are you now?’

  ‘I’ve no bloody idea,’ Keith said.

  ‘That’s OK. We can track you with the radio.’ She turned to Sergeant Bowler. ‘Trace the radio and get armed response to Ladybower. I want this car followed too. No sirens and keep well back until we know the situation. Keith are you still there?’ she said into the radio.

  ‘Of course I’m still bloody here.’

  ‘Can you still see DCI Darke’s car.’

  ‘Yes. Just about. I heard one of the detectives tell this Bella woman to follow them. I’m in her car. It’s a
dark green Nissan. I’m keeping well back. I don’t want them to see it’s me driving.’

  ‘This bloke would make a good copper,’ Kesinka said.

  ‘Stay well back, Keith, but keep us updated.’ She stepped back from the console and ran her fingers through her hair. ‘I can’t believe this. I’ve got a DCI kidnapped, two detectives looking for somewhere to dump her body and a petty criminal, who’s wanted for murder, in pursuit. You couldn’t make this up.’

  ***

  Scott, Christian and Sian had been listening to the whole exchanged over the radio in the HMET suite. Scott grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Sian called out.

  ‘We’re closer to Derbyshire than they are. We can be at Ladybower before them.’

  ‘Good thinking,’ Christian said, grabbing his coat.

  ‘Wait for me,’ Sian said, following.

  With Scott driving, Christian in the front passenger seat, and Sian in the back, they headed for the outskirts of Sheffield at speed. Sian called the ACC and told her what they were doing.

  ‘Armed Response is on its way. I’m going to phone Elizabeth Lumb. I want to know where Keith suddenly figures in all this.’

  ‘Do we know who’s got Matilda?’ Christian asked turning around in his seat.

  ‘No. I’m guessing it’s Ross Jonson and his father-in-law, but who knows how many people are involved in this if Sergeant Slack is helping them too.’

  ‘There is going to be one hell of a shit storm when all this is sorted,’ Christian said.

  ‘Let’s just concentrate on finding DCI Darke for now,’ Scott said as he sounded the horn to clear the traffic ahead of him.

  ***

  ‘I can see the Nissan,’ Nigel said, looking through the rear-view mirror.

  ‘I can’t believe we’re doing this,’ Ross said. ‘This is wrong.’

  ‘We don’t have any choice.’

  ‘She said she’d been looking into the GMC files. Others will too. They won’t let this drop.’

  ‘We can get around that.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel. ‘Let’s concentrate on one thing at a time. Look, we can pass her death off as a suicide, that’s not a problem. I’ll be your alibi for the night of the murders. Bella will too. They’ll believe us over Keith Lumb.’

  ‘I can’t tell anymore lies.’

  ‘Do you want to go in the boot with her?’

  ‘Jesus, Nigel, what’s happened to you?’ Ross asked, looking across at his father-in-law.

  ‘They deserved it. Clive, Serena, Matilda, they all deserved what they got. There are some people in this world who should never be given positions of power because they can’t cope, while others have to fight for every little thing.’

  Nigel’s rage was growing. He was gripping the steering wheel hard; his knuckles were white and his foot was pressing the accelerator further and further to the floor.

  ***

  From the direction Nigel turned, it was obvious he was avoiding driving through Sheffield. He was taking the longer route around Penistone, along the A616 and via Glossop. The quicker way was through Sheffield then on the A57 straight through the countryside to Ladybower. Dropping back, Keith turned and headed for Sheffield. He relayed the information back to the control room telling the ACC there was no nobody tailing DCI Darke’s car.

  ***

  ‘He’s going to end up following us,’ Scott said once Sian got off the phone to the ACC.

  ‘He’s using his initiative,’ Christian said. ‘He’d make a good copper.’

  ‘Well it sounds like there’ll be at least three vacancies soon, if not more,’ Scott said.

  They were out of Sheffield now and charging through the Derbyshire countryside. It was dark outside which was a shame as the views really were gorgeous to look at. It was hardly the time for sight-seeing, however.

  ‘I hope she’s all right,’ Sian said. ‘Keith said he didn’t know if she was dead or alive.’

  ‘She’ll be fine. You know Matilda, tough as old boots,’ Christian said.

  Neither of them believed him. They were all worried for their boss.

  ‘Matilda’s believed in Keith right from the start,’ Sian said to break the silence. ‘We all went on the forensics, but she knew otherwise.’

  ‘The forensic evidence seemed planted,’ Scott said. ‘Rory went through it with Matilda at the murder house. She pointed out all the discrepancies at the murder house, but he still thought it was Keith, too.’

  ‘We can beat ourselves up about this when it’s all over. Sian, what did Elizabeth say?’

  ‘Elizabeth said that Matilda had it all worked out. She needed to buy herself some extra time to prove Keith’s innocence and figure out who the real killer was. Apparently, Keith was hiding at Elizabeth’s house but she panicked with the police outside so he went to Matilda’s.’

  ‘Bloody hell. She took a hell of a risk having him in her house. What if she’d been wrong?’ Christian shook his head in disgust.

  ‘Valerie is going to burst a vessel when she finds out.’

  ‘Let’s hope this works out for the best then. A good result is the only possible outcome for this without the shit hitting the fan.’

  Scott drove through the village of Ashopton, where he had to slow his speed. He pulled over just before Snake Road which acted as a bridge, crossing over the reservoir.

  ‘Why have you stopped?’ Sian asked from the back seat.

  ‘This road runs right alongside the reservoir. If they’re going to throw the boss in, this will be the best place to do it from.’

  ‘You can’t see a thing,’ Sian squinted, leaning forward. ‘It’s pitch-dark.’

  ‘We need to get a helicopter up here,’ Christian said, digging out his phone and dialling.

  ‘We need more coppers too, so we can have posts at various points along the road.’

  ‘For all we know they could have beaten us to it. The car could be sinking below the surface and we might not even know it.’

  ‘Scott, don’t.’ Sian shivered.

  Scott opened the glove compartment and took out a torch. He checked it was working then got out of the car.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘To check she’s not already drowning.’

  ‘But if they’ve not been yet, they’ll know something is dodgy.’

  ‘Shit. OK, Sian, walk with me. We can be two lovers having a stroll.’

  ‘Shouldn’t you take Christian?’

  ‘I’m not really into balding men,’ he said with a smirk.

  Sian linked arms with Scott and they set off at a slow pace along the edge of the reservoir, trying not to make it too obvious they were looking for a car sinking in the calm water.

  Behind, a Nissan screeched to a halt and Keith Lumb jumped out of the front passenger seat.

  ‘Are you the cops?’ he called out.

  Scott and Sian turned around and walked back. ‘DS Sian Mills. I’m guessing you’re the infamous Keith Lumb.’

  ‘Have you found them?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘I don’t think they wanted to risk going through Sheffield. They went via Penistone then will have probably gone around Glossop.’

  ‘You know the area pretty well,’ Scott said.

  ‘I lived in Bamford for a while, with a girlfriend, years ago.’

  Christian got out of Scott’s car and joined them. ‘A helicopter’s on its way.’

  ‘What are we doing then? Just standing around here waiting for them to dump a body in the water?’ Keith asked.

  Scott stepped forward. He was just about to open his mouth to tell Keith who was in charge here when he was lit up from behind by a pair of headlights.

  ‘That’s Matilda’s car,’ Sian said.

  They all turned and looked across Snake Road. At the other end, the Range Rover had stopped, the engine slowly ticking over.


  ‘They’ve seen us,’ Scott said.

  ‘Shit.’ Keith turned and got back in the Nissan before anyone could stop him. He turned on the ignition, slammed his foot down on the accelerator and charged, at speed, along Snake Road, the Range Rover in his sights.

  ‘What the fuck is he doing?’

  The Nissan would be no match for the Range Rover. If he tried to ram it, he would come off worse.

  ***

  ‘What the fuck is she doing?’ Nigel Eckhart said as he leaned forward looking out of the windscreen. ‘She’s driving far too fast.’

  ‘Maybe she’s panicking,’ Ross said. ‘I know how she feels.’

  ‘Shit! That’s not Bella driving.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘That’s someone else. A bloke. Fuck.’

  Nigel put the car into reverse but another car was behind him, waiting to get onto Snake Road. Another car was behind that. He had no option but to drive on and hopefully avoid the Nissan that seemed to be on a suicide mission.

  Nigel slammed his foot down and set off at speed. The tyres screeched on the dry tarmac road and echoed through the quiet night.

  A loud banging was heard from the boot. Ross turned around in his seat. He turned back to see the Nissan’s headlights blinding him. It was almost upon them.

  The Nissan showed no sign of slowing down, or of turning. It was up to the Range Rover. Nigel swore, swung the steering wheel to the left and hit the concrete barrier. It smashed through and the car plunged over the side and into the reservoir with a loud splash.

  ***

  Keith slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car. He ran to the hole in the barrier. He looked ahead as the three detectives came running towards him. Scott was already taking off his jacket, preparing to jump into the cold water.

  ‘Shit,’ Keith said to himself. He removed his jacket, stood on the edge and jumped in, diving straight under the surface and swimming for the sinking wreckage.

  Sian, Christian and Scott arrived at the broken barrier in time to see the Range Rover sink below the water. There was no sign of Keith Lumb.

  Scott jumped in, followed closely by Christian.

  It was a cold night and there was no wind. The black water looked like a sheet of glass. As Scott and Christian plunged into it and disappeared below the surface, the water soon calmed and it was as if nothing had been there to disturb it. The reservoir had swallowed them whole.