‘That’s where I’m going next,’ Sheldon said.
‘You’ve got to go somewhere else first,’ Lowther said. When Sheldon raised his eyebrows, he added, ‘The Chief has been looking for you.’
‘What, Dixon? How long ago?’
‘A few minutes. She said to go down when you were free.’
Sheldon let out a breath and stepped out of the Incident Room. He looked along the corridor, towards the Chief Inspector’s office. It was darker down there, furthest from the entrance. He took a deep breath and set off walking. He guessed what this was about, but that just made the walk seem longer. As he got to the door, a nameplate facing him, he knocked lightly. He waited until he heard ‘yes’, and then he walked in.
The atmosphere changed immediately, from the hubbub of the station to the refined calm of a gentlemen’s club, except that the room’s occupant was a woman. He had last seen her in the corridor before, when he had brought Christina in. Her head was down, looking at some papers, her hair cut short and streaked by grey. There were paintings of hills on the walls and a wine-coloured leather chair dominated one corner, high-backed, as if it was just short of a cigar and whisky glass. Framed family pictures were on a cabinet, although Sheldon kept his focus on her as he stood in front of the desk, his hands clasped in front of him, and waited for Dixon to notice he was there.
When she did look up, Sheldon said, ‘You wanted to see me, ma’am.’
Chief Inspector Dixon pointed to the chair in front of the desk. ‘Sit down, Sheldon, please.’ Her voice sounded tired, and as he got a better look at her, he saw dark rings under her eyes and broken veins just starting to flush across her cheeks.
Sheldon did as he was asked, his legs tightly together, his hands on his knees.
Dixon leaned forward, her arms folded on the desk, and stared at Sheldon. ‘We know now that the body found last night is Billy Privett.’
Sheldon didn’t respond, except for a small stretch of his neck, his collar too tight.
‘How do you feel about that?’ Dixon said.
Sheldon gave a small cough before he spoke. ‘I don’t know, ma’am, if I’m honest. I feel for Alice’s family, because the secret of her murder may go to the grave with Billy Privett, but at the same time I feel like there is something fateful about it – that if it had to be anyone, I’m glad it was him.’
The Chief nodded and then twirled a pen slowly in her hand. ‘I want you to handle the investigation, Sheldon. I know that FMIT want it, but I’m fighting for you to keep it. The answers will come from local people, and you were very close to Alice’s case. You know all about Billy Privett.’
Sheldon licked his lips. He tasted sweat. ‘That’s why I should have it. I know about Billy, and the victim is where murder cases should start.’
‘But you need to be careful, Sheldon.’
A pause, and then, ‘What do you mean?’ His fingers gripped his knees tighter.
Dixon stared at Sheldon. ‘I’m taking a risk for you, and giving you the opportunity to redeem yourself, and to prove that this station is worth keeping open. You’re a good officer, I know that, but I don’t want a repeat of what happened when Billy Privett was a suspect.’
‘I don’t understand.’
Dixon put her pen down and put her hands together. ‘You
do
understand, and don’t make me force you from the team. Alice’s case made you ill, you know that. It was taken from you because you didn’t get anywhere. And I know what has been going on, with you and Billy Privett.’
Sheldon looked down. He rubbed his left hand with the fingers of his right.
‘Billy complained, Sheldon.’
Sheldon looked up. ‘About what?’
‘About you. You were harassing him, watching him all the time, parking on his street, following him when he went out.’
‘I didn’t do anything wrong, ma’am.’
‘Don’t take me for a fool. I know that you were doing this on your days off, just sitting in your car, watching Billy’s house. The case had stopped being yours by then.’
Sheldon brushed some lint from his knee. The room had got warmer. ‘I was just trying to find answers,’ he said eventually.
‘And did you?’
He shook his head. ‘No, I didn’t.’
The Chief smiled, although it looked forced. ‘So show everyone that I’m right. I’m fighting for you, but I’ll be watching. If I see that you are going the same way, I’ll stop everything. Keep me up to date.’
‘I thought FMIT were coming over today, ma’am.’
‘I’ve stalled them,’ she said. ‘So can you do it?’
Sheldon took a deep breath. ‘I can.’
Dixon nodded her approval. ‘Don’t forget to keep me updated,’ she said, and then pointed towards the door. The meeting was over.
Sheldon didn’t say anything as he left, and once he got outside, he leant back against the wall and closed his eyes.
He stayed like that for a few seconds, listening to the chatter filtering down from the Incident Room, and then pushed away from the wall. He ran his fingers around his collar. It felt damp from perspiration.
It was time to take control.
Charlie looked out of his window. The kids in black had gone, as had Ted and the press. He had watched as Amelia gave her quote, and since then, the street had returned to normal.
Donia was in the corner of the room, reading files, just to get a taste of what being a criminal lawyer was all about. It’s the files that earn the money, not what happens in court. That’s just a sideshow. Playing out, Charlie called it, when he got to have some fun. The real work was done in the office, clocking up billable hours reading police statements.
Charlie turned round quickly and caught Donia looking at him. Her eyes darted back to her file, and he saw a flush jump into her cheeks. He was going to say something, but she was only going to be with him for a week. There was no point in making friends.
He left his office and went towards Amelia’s, leaning against the doorframe once he got there. Amelia was looking at her desk, a dictation machine in her hand, but she wasn’t saying anything into it.
It was a few seconds before she noticed him.
When she looked up, he said, ‘What’s going on?’
She shook her head. ‘Nothing,’ she said, but it came out too quickly.
‘Come on, Amelia. You’re staring into space. Our office was burgled, and it was your room they went through, not mine. And your two goons in suits were hanging around outside.’
‘Goons?’
‘Those clients of yours. They were coming out as I came in, except they didn’t seem keen on moving on.’
Amelia leaned back in her chair and sighed. She looked tired. Charlie detected some vulnerability he didn’t normally see. ‘I’ve told you, it’s nothing.’
He stared at her, and she held his stare. He was aware of Linda, the receptionist and secretary, becoming suddenly interested in her computer screen, and so he stepped into the room and closed the door.
‘It’s my business too,’ Charlie said. ‘We’re partners, remember, and I don’t normally see you like this.’
‘I didn’t know you did caring.’
‘And I didn’t know you did vulnerable, so come on, Amelia, what’s going on? Are there bills we haven’t paid or something?’
That made Amelia smile. She considered Charlie for a few seconds, and then shook her head. ‘It’s nothing to worry about, like I’ve said.’
Charlie wasn’t convinced, but if Amelia didn’t want to tell, he knew that was the end of the discussion.
‘If we have a problem, I need to know,’ he said. ‘Promise me you’ll tell me.’
She nodded, and then said, ‘What are you doing for the rest of the day?’
‘I’ve got a couple of trials to prepare for, and I need to brief counsel on something, but then I’m going for a drink.’
‘On a Monday?’
‘Monday in a pub is better than a Monday sitting at home.’
Amelia smiled with more warmth this time, and he returned it. ‘I mean it,’ he said. ‘I can’t help you with any personal stuff, but if it’s about work, share it.’
Charlie went back into the reception area, and saw Donia duck back into his room, as if she had been eavesdropping in the doorway. He looked at Linda, who just shrugged.
Something about Donia wasn’t right.
Sheldon drove quickly to Ted Kenyon’s house, accompanied by Tracey. Christina had given a statement and made her own way home.
‘How are we going to play this?’ Tracey said.
Sheldon thought about that for a moment. He had a history with Ted, because Ted blamed his team, including Sheldon himself, for his daughter’s killer still being free. Ted had been angry with Billy Privett at first, but as Billy kept his secrets, Ted had turned on the police. Had it gone full circle and Ted taken the ultimate revenge?
‘We have to treat him as a suspect,’ he said.
‘Are we bringing him in?’
‘No, not yet, unless we find something.’
Sheldon’s mood darkened during the trip along the edges of Oulton until he turned into a street lined by hedgerows, with large detached stone houses set high from the road, sitting at the top of terraced lawns, the borders awash with colour. It was pretty, a bit of old Lancashire charm, and it was those qualities that had propelled Alice’s story into the public consciousness. Ted had grafted for what he had, to give his daughter the best chances in life – until her life had been taken away by someone who most people thought didn’t deserve his wealth.
Sheldon thought back to the drive he had made a year earlier, to tell the Kenyon family that Alice had drowned in Billy’s pool.
Ted Kenyon’s house was in the middle of the row, with a dark wooden bay window and a hanging basket filled with bright purple flowers next to double wooden doors. Clematis clung to a wall trellis like large tissues that fluttered in the light breeze. There was a small knot of photographers outside.
‘Should we carry on?’ Tracey said. ‘It might look bad with the cameras there.’
Sheldon shook his head. ‘Just be casual and make it look like a courtesy visit.’
He parked further along the street, just so that the reporters wouldn’t crowd round. As he climbed out of the car, he checked his pocket for the rattle of the blue pills, before marching up the sloped drive, towards the front door. Sheldon rapped on the door and waited, Tracey catching up with him.
‘They’re just killing time before the press conference,’ Sheldon said, staring at the door, ignoring the clicks from the camera lenses.
When the door opened, it was Emily, Alice’s mother. She had been less vocal than Ted, had dealt with her grief more privately, but from the shock of grey hair that had appeared since her daughter’s death, Sheldon knew that the sorrow was just as deep.
Emily’s polite smile faded. ‘I thought it was another reporter,’ she said, and folded her arms.
‘Mrs Kenyon,’ he said. ‘Can we have a word?’
‘We know about Billy Privett,’ she said, her voice quiet.
‘And that’s what we need to talk about.’
Emily frowned and stepped aside. ‘All right, come in.’
Sheldon went past her, wiping his feet as he went, Tracey behind him. Alice’s brother walked towards them along the hall. A young man, twenty years old, his hair dyed black, but the paleness of his skin told Sheldon that he had the same colouring as Alice. Bright red hair. He looked briefly at Sheldon before going upstairs.
Sheldon followed Emily into the front room. He knew he had interrupted something. There were two cups on a table, both half full, with wisps of steam coming from them. No television, no radio, no newspapers or books left open. Ted and Emily must have been talking.
He hadn’t seen Ted for a few months and Sheldon was surprised to see how he looked. Ted had gone quiet once the press caught him with that young woman, and it looked like the bad publicity had taken its toll. His skin looked more drawn, some of the colour gone, as if he didn’t get as much fresh air. He didn’t acknowledge Sheldon at first, just stared straight ahead, but when he looked up, he gestured towards the chair. ‘Sit down,’ he said, his voice terse.
Sheldon did as he was told, the leather on the large green sofa creaking as he sat down. Tracey sat further along.
Ted considered them for a moment and then said, ‘You’re going to want to know where I was last night.’
Sheldon was about to say no, that they had come just to give him the news about Billy, but he could tell from the rise of Ted’s eyebrow that he didn’t expect to be taken for a fool. He was a suspect and he knew it.
Sheldon nodded. ‘Yes, I would like to know.’
‘I was here,’ Ted said, and then pointed to the doorway. ‘Emily will confirm it, and so will Jake.’
‘You don’t know what time I’m talking about.’
‘It doesn’t matter what time,’ he said. ‘I was here. If it was early, I was watching television. If it was after midnight, I was in bed.’
‘What did you watch?’
‘Just the usual rubbish. There was a police thriller on. You know the type, where plenty of people die before the killer is caught.’
Sheldon swallowed at the dig. ‘Can anyone else verify that you were here last night?’
Ted smiled, but there was no warmth to it. ‘What, other than my family? Isn’t their word good enough?’ When Sheldon didn’t respond, Ted waved his hand towards the rest of the house. ‘Have a look round. See if you can find anything suspicious.’
Sheldon looked at Tracey, who nodded that they should, because they might not get the invite again.
They went to the kitchen first. Tracey went to the washing machine to look for bloodied clothes, but it was empty. Emily was right behind her. ‘Have you got a dryer?’ Tracey said.
Emily pointed to a door. ‘In the garage.’
‘What were you watching?’ Sheldon said.
Emily looked confused.
‘On the television,’ he said. ‘I can check the listings, to see if there were any police shows on last night. Can you remember the name?’
Emily folded her arms. ‘Like Ted said, a police drama. I forget what it was called.’
Sheldon nodded an acknowledgement that he wasn’t going to get any more information, and then he went into the garden as Tracey went to the garage.
The lawn was long and neat, with plenty of colour, as if it was tended regularly. He was looking for evidence of recent bonfires or digging, but couldn’t see anything. He walked over to the dustbins and lifted the lids, but there was nothing suspicious.