Chapter 10: Chapter 10

NINETEEN

Elisa checked her watch; it was three thirty, only an hour and a half to go. She stepped over to the window and stared out at where the silver car had been parked a couple of days ago. Maybe Mrs Hanley was right. Whoever it was probably just pulled over for a break. She hugged herself as she recalled him watching her, at least she thought the person was a man. She couldn’t be sure, but he or whoever had really freaked her out. Whenever a car pulled up, she ran out to check it, gripping her phone just in case she needed to call for help. She wanted her phone now, it would make her feel safe, but she’d been told not to use it by Mrs Hanley.

Her bag lay under the counter and she could see her phone sticking out. Using it would be risky. She reached under the counter and grabbed a cola cube, popping it into her mouth.

Smiling, she thought of her friends, most now preparing for sixth form. She hadn’t decided what to do after the holidays; it would depend on how well she’d done in her exams. Her father wanted her to do A levels like he did, but her mother was more supportive of her love of cooking. She’d decided that an apprenticeship was for her. This job was merely a fill-in until the right position came along and she’d passed her driving test.

Her jam was much better than the cheap muck they sold here. She lifted a bit up on a broken cracker and sniffed it, before dropping it back in the cracker bowl. Her recipe had been passed from her grandparents to her mother and then to her. All they’d done at the shop was repackage a value range in fancy jars with frilly tops. She could tell. There was nothing better than helping her mother to pick damsons and make the jam, it was an experience they’d shared for as long as she could remember. They’d also regularly baked from scratch, her mum also teaching her how to decorate her creations. It was all about the sugar work and chocolate tempering. Temperature was the key to getting it perfect.

This morning her mum had dropped her off in silence. Elisa had overslept again and had to be dragged out of bed. She knew she’d pushed her mother to her limits but getting up had been hard after meeting Ethan and cruising in his car until the early hours. Her mum wasn’t happy about that either. She looked at her watch, only a few minutes had passed since she last checked the time. Her hair was looking a bit lank. She stared into the window’s reflection and fluffed it up a little. The mousy brown colour did nothing for her. Maybe going blonde was worth trying.

She heard muffled shouting coming from the office upstairs. ‘Are you okay, Mrs Hanley?’ she called. The woman was probably whining that not enough customers had come through the door again. It wouldn’t be the first time. Even she’d have expected more customers, despite it being a Monday. In fact, she’d have welcomed more customers to pass the time. She noticed how rubbish the shop was on social media, maybe she could offer to set them a Facebook page up. Even their website was one of the free versions that was barely updated. They needed offers, reasons to bring people in. She

smiled as she headed out the back, towards the stairs to the office. She would offer to set up their social media accounts right now. Maybe, if it worked, her employers would give her a bonus or a small pay rise. A good online presence would spread the word. It wouldn’t make the produce any better but it may tempt a few customers through the door. She had almost three thousand people liking her Facebook page and all she did was post food and cake photos, snapped and edited on her phone.

As she reached the halfway mark of the staircase, she heard a thud followed by silence. What if the creepy man had come back? Heart hammering, she crept up the final few stairs and the door blew open as a breeze filled the building. Mrs Hanley was bending down, her underwear showing as she lifted the cash box off the floor.

‘Can you please knock before entering?’ Mrs Hanley said as she stood and pulled her skirt down.

‘I’m sorry,’ Elisa muttered as she closed the door and rushed down the stairs. She really thought something had happened. She should’ve stayed downstairs. They’d sack her for sure now. They didn’t know the breeze had caused the door to open. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ she repeated.

She listened as the footsteps above came from the far end of the building to just above her. She needed to think of something different, take her mind off being scolded. She wanted to go home and shower, maybe watch a film or play some music so she didn’t have to face Mrs Hanley.

The pacing and shouting ended and she heard heels clicking down the stairs. Great!

Mrs Hanley entered, carrying a pile of paperwork. ‘Do you know to knock at closed doors before you enter?’

Elisa nodded. She didn’t want to contradict her and explain that the wind had blown the door open.

‘Well, why did you enter without knocking?’

Elisa shrugged as she crunched on the last of the cola cubes. She wished it was home time and her mother was outside in the car but there was still ages left. Maybe she should quit. Her fingers brushed the bottom of the tabard. She could just pull it over her head, leave it on the side and never come back.

‘Look. It doesn’t matter. Okay?’ The woman’s crow’s feet framed eyes stared at her, waiting for a response.

What she was saying was good. It doesn’t matter, she could live with that. She let go of the tabard and nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Hanley. It won’t happen again.’

‘Good. The honey looks like it needs stacking better. That’s our best seller. Make sure people can see it when they come through the door.’ The woman flicked her hair and wiggled out of the room in her stupid undersized dress. She hadn’t sold any honey since she’d started; their best seller was sweets and onion chutney.

Exhaling, she listened as Mrs Hanley went back up the stairs. Elisa would stay put for the next hour and be ready to go as soon as five o’clock came. As she headed back over to the counter she spotted a piece of paper on the floor. Mrs Hanley must have dropped it on her way out. She picked it up and began to read. It was a notice of court action from one of the suppliers along with a demand for two thousand pounds. They were in debt. If only Mrs Hanley had been a bit nicer, she would have mentioned the shop on her social media accounts for all her foodie followers to see. She may have set

them up with a spanking new Facebook page. Not now. She would stand here all day, bored, until it was time to go home.

TWENTY

The Masons lived in the type of house you see printed on the top of a biscuit tin. Gina could imagine living somewhere that quaint. They had neighbours but a high shrub wall divided the gap between them. The double-fronted detached cottage wasn’t overly huge but it had a quaint look about it. Hanging baskets provided a colourful greeting to guests of the family. The double garage to the side of the house was topped with a little roof so that it blended in with the house. She looked at her notes. Mr Dennis Mason, owner of a tree surgery business. Mrs Mason, architect for a Stratford-based firm.

The curtains twitched as Gina led the rest of the detectives and officers to the door. As she went to knock, a tall woman opened the door. Her pale pink lipstick almost made her lips blend into the skin on her face. Her icy blue eyes and white blonde hair gave her a Nordic look.

‘Mrs Mason, DI Harte. We have a section eighteen notice to search your house,’ Gina said as the woman opened the door. Mrs Mason’s brow furrowed as she dropped the hand that was holding the can opener.

‘I see you didn’t bring my son with you?’

‘Sorry.’ Gina shook her head. The woman stepped aside as she nervously scratched her hair. ‘We’ll make this as quick as

we can.’

Mr Mason stomped through, blocking the way. The tubby man stood about two inches shorter than his wife but he looked strong and muscular with shovel-like hands, which were covered in calluses. ‘Get out. My son was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and you’ve arrested him! Yes, he called me with his one call and I’ve sent him the best legal representation. Duty solicitor, my arse. He’ll be home for supper unless you find something with which to keep him, but you won’t as he’s done nought wrong.’

‘Mr Mason, could you please step out of the way? A girl is seriously injured and she’ll be lucky to survive. She happened to fall from the van your son was driving. If he’s done nothing wrong, then you don’t have anything to worry about but we need to search the house.’

‘But this is my house. Not his. He lives here but—’

‘Mr Mason, he lives here. That makes it his home too. We’ll be as quick as possible but you need to step back. PC Smith will sit with you, tell you what is happening and explain the process to you.’

He went to speak but his wife interrupted. ‘Just leave it out, Den. The sooner they get on with it, the sooner they leave and Darren can come home.’

The man shoved his hands in his work trouser pockets, huffed and reluctantly followed his wife to the kitchen.

‘Half of you upstairs, half down, Jacob, come with me. Seize any computers, phones or tablets that Darren Mason may have access too. Wyre, O’Connor, are you okay starting with the communal rooms? Make sure you go through the garage and the sheds. Bernard, follow us to Darren’s room.

Keith, go with the others.’ If there was any trace evidence that the girl has been in the house, Keith and Bernard would find it.

Gina made her way to the bedrooms. The first door she opened had to be Darren’s. There were clothes everywhere and an unmade double bed. Used cups dotted the room. It was kitted out with the best tech, including the largest television that Gina had seen in a bedroom. The stale smell of over-filled ashtray and damp towels filled her nostrils. ‘Bag those up,’ she said to Jacob as he followed.

‘The shorts?’

Bernard nodded and opened his bag.

‘And the T-shirt. They’re the clothes he was wearing in the CCTV footage and it must be our lucky day. It looks and smells like he hasn’t washed them.’ Gina looked out of his bedroom window. Not a bad view of the garden. She spotted Wyre heading towards the shed.

Jacob and Bernard began retrieving the clothes, and Gina opened his bedside drawers. Jacob continued searching through the wardrobe. The first two bedside drawers contained a mix of boxer shorts and socks. The bottom draw contained a roll up cigarette. With gloved hands, Gina picked it up and sniffed. ‘More weed.’ Jacob came over with a bag and they sealed it away. She reached towards the back of the drawer and pulled out an old Nokia mobile phone. One that didn’t take photos or access the internet. She tried to turn it on but the battery was probably flat. She passed it to Jacob to bag. As soon as they got back to the station, she wanted it analysed.

Footsteps thundered up the stairs. ‘That bitch has taken my laptop. I need it for work. How the hell am I meant to do my invoicing and access my diary? I run my whole business on that thing.’

‘Mr Mason, you will get it back.’ Gina felt a bead of sweat running down the side of her face. How dare he refer to one of her team in that manner? He was angry, she got that. Her hands trembled as she resisted the urge to argue with the man.

‘You’re not taking it.’ He ran down the stairs, the pictures jangling on their hooks as his hefty footsteps passed. Shouting and commotion followed.

‘Mr Mason, you will be arrested if you take another step towards me in that manner,’ she heard Smith saying. She ran down the stairs to see what was happening. Mr Mason’s side- parted, dark hair was now sodden with sweat. Backing down, he let out a roar as his wife guided him into the garden to calm down. Gina watched as they bickered behind the closed patio doors. He went to walk away but she dragged him back by the arm.

‘I want that laptop checked first. Maybe he just uses it for work or maybe he has something to hide.’ The man stared through the window and caught her gaze. He broke his stare and pulled a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, turning away from them as he lit up.

Officers left the house with evidence bags. If there was nothing amiss, everything would be returned in the same condition that it was taken. But Darren was holding something back and she wanted to know what that was. She wanted to know who he was arguing with at the petrol station. His dad looked hot-headed. Maybe Darren had been arguing with him that morning. If he had, Gina wanted to know what they’d argued about.

Wyre returned from the garden. ‘Anything?’ Gina asked.

She shook her head. ‘Nothing out of the ordinary. There are no signs that anyone has been kept on these premises

against their will.’

‘Guv, I’ve found a syringe in Darren’s room,’ Jacob said as he ran down the stairs with the item in a clear bag. Gina thought back to the needle marks all over the girl’s body.

‘Nice work. We need to get out of here soon.’ ‘Why, guv?’

‘We’re popping in to see Callum Besford on the way home. Darren’s friend, the one he stayed with. See if we can get a voluntary statement out of him. With any luck, he’ll let us take a look around if we ask nicely. Darren was arguing with someone that morning. I want to see where he was staying.’

‘I’ll just drop Amber a message.’ Gina could see he was disappointed. It had been a long day for them all. Gina’s phone rang. It was forensics.

‘Hello. The girl. Have you identified her from the DNA sample?’ She paused as she listened to the rest of the information. ‘Thank you.’ She smiled as she ended the call.

‘What was that about?’ ‘I’ll tell you later.’

Mr Mason gazed at her through the window once more. He was nervous about something. People always had something to hide, most of the time the things they hid were maybe just shameful or personal to them, but not illegal. What was on the Mason family laptop that he didn’t want her to see? Whatever it was, his wife didn’t know. In comparison to her husband, she looked calm. Gina smiled and placed the phone in her pocket before continuing with the search.

TWENTY-ONE

Jacob leaned against the car window as they headed towards Winyates in Redditch. Gina steered into the shopping centre car park and spotted the flats that surrounded the small shopping area.

‘How are things going with Amber?’ she asked.

‘Really good, I think. We get on so well and the biggie, she still hasn’t dumped me. It’s been three months now. Apart from Beth, she’s the longest. Any good-looking men on your horizon?’

She let out a comedy laugh as they stepped out of the car, heading up the ramp towards the flats above the shops. An old bike was secured to the railing. Gina doubted anyone would pinch it, given its rusty condition and flat tyres. A large spider dangled from a cobweb that reached all the way from the handlebars to the saddle.

As they waited for an answer at Callum Besford’s flat, a group of six youths kicked a ball and supped energy drinks below, shouting obscenities. She knocked on the door again and inhaled the smell of fresh paint.

‘Hello,’ the young man said as he opened it. He was wearing a T-shirt with a designer tear on the shoulder. He removed his glasses and pulled his jeans further up his super

skinny waist. There was someone he reminded her of. His facial features matched that of a young Clark Kent in the original Superman films. He looked to be in his early twenties.

‘DI Harte and DS Driscoll. May we come in and speak with you?’

‘Of course. Is it about what the kids did the other week? I had to repaint the door.’

‘No. We need to speak to you about Darren Mason.’

‘Oh. He told me the police had contacted his dad about his van being in the area where that girl was found.’ He led them in through the hall of a small flat. They passed a basic kitchen, one worktop and an old-fashioned cupboard with sliding wooden doors. Washing-up filled the sink and there was a smell of fried food in the air. The sitting room was tiny and overlooked a chip shop. That was where the smell was coming from. Gina’s stomach rumbled as she and Jacob sat on the old brown settee.

Callum pulled a wooden chair from against the wall and sat opposite them. ‘About the other incident. I know the kids were cautioned but things are becoming unbearable here. I’m gay, my neighbour is from Pakistan and he is lovely. The kids never leave us alone. It’s not all the kids, most are okay. It’s just the one group. They run up and down the ramp at all hours with their spray cans screaming homophobic and racist slurs. I’m trying to get out of here. Just need to save a bit more money. We were going to wait until Darren finished his degree before we officially move in together.’

‘That was one of my questions. Are you and Darren in a relationship?’

‘Yes. Look, I haven’t heard from him all day. I’m worried, especially with the way things are around here. I went for a walk around the car park, looking for his van. I was relieved when I couldn’t see it. I thought he’d been attacked or something, not that he can’t look after himself, he can… I just worry. He never ignores my calls and his phone is turned off.’

‘We have Darren at the station while we conduct our enquiries. He’s perfectly safe and you can rest assured, he’s all in one piece. I’m sure he’ll call you as soon as he’s able.’

‘Phew.’ The man leaned forward, clasped his arms around his legs as if hugging them.

‘Can you tell us how Darren was on the morning of Saturday the fourteenth of July? He said he stayed here.’

‘That’s right. He stays a lot and even goes to uni from here. He left really early, said something about trimming a tree in Cleevesford. Said he’d be back in the afternoon and he was. We hung out here until evening and someone tagged him in a news post on Facebook, something about the van. I didn’t take much notice but Darren kept going on about it, but we soon forgot.’

Jacob began making notes and Gina leaned forward, partly so that she didn’t have to sit on the sticky patch behind her. She sniffed her hand hoping it wasn’t anything sinister, and was relived to discover it was golden syrup. ‘Let’s go back to that morning. What time did Darren get up?’

‘It was early, I know that much. He wanted to make a start before it got too hot. I think it was before six. He threw his clothes on and left.’

‘Did you speak?’

Callum sat up and looked away. ‘A bit.’

‘What about?’

‘Him and his family, well, his dad.’ ‘Could you tell us more?’

He looked at both of them in turn and nodded. ‘We started arguing the night before and I barely slept.’ She could tell he was nervous as he was scratching his neck. ‘His dad doesn’t know about us. We’ve been together for two years and I haven’t met any of his friends. I kept telling Darren, if I meet them I’ll be on my best behaviour and I won’t embarrass him. I’m not a bad person and I’d love to be a bigger part of his life and not feel like some dirty secret. I know it’s hard though. He’s not ready to come out.’

‘I see. Did these words carry on after he left?’

‘I was really upset when he left and things got a bit heated. I suppose I hoped he’d call me to apologise. A while later, probably just before seven, he tried to call. I didn’t answer. I wasn’t playing games, it was just that I was still wound up and upset. I didn’t want him to know that I was crying. Anyway, he tried again and I answered. Things went from bad to worse. He told me that I’d never meet his parents and that’s how it had to be if I loved him. I hung up and that pissed him off because he tried to call me a few more times before finally giving up. Of course, when he got home, I forgave him as I always do. I know how hard he’s having it because I’ve been where he is now. But people accept these things once they know. Family do, friends don’t care; at least mine don’t. Darren cares though. I don’t pretend to know it all.’

‘You’ve been really helpful. Would we be able to see the call log on your phone for that morning?’ Callum handed his mobile to Jacob. He took a few photos and made a few notes.

‘I know this is a big ask but it will really help Darren and us. Does Darren share your room?’

‘Yes. He even has his own wardrobe.’

‘May we take a look?’ Gina held her breath as she waited for his answer, hoping that he’d consent to them conducting an informal search.

Callum nodded and led them to the dark bedroom. The black curtains looked like they’d been drawn all day. There were no clothes on the floor like there had been in Darren’s room at his parents’ house. Gina placed a pair of gloves over her hands and opened the wardrobe. Darren’s clothes were neatly hung and his shoes were lined up along the bottom. She felt between the clothing, in pockets, and inside the shoes before heading to the bedside tables. She slid the drawers open and found nothing of interest. There was a copy of The Lord of the Rings and a box of tissues. She flicked through the book, nothing fell out. She kneeled and looked under the bed. Again, it was as tidy as the wardrobe and the carpet was clean.

‘There really isn’t much to see in here. I keep it tidy, can’t bear clothes everywhere.’

He was right, there was nothing out of place. She spotted an old greyish stain on the pale green carpet and moved her hand away from it. Tidy but grubby, she concluded. After a quick glance behind the furniture, she gave Jacob the nod. ‘Thank you so much for your cooperation. I’ll call Redditch Police to follow up on the incident you reported.’

‘Thank you. Will I be able to see Darren soon?’

‘I’m sure he’ll call you when we’ve finished our enquiries. He’s perfectly safe though so you don’t have to worry about his welfare.’ Gina smiled. ‘May I use your bathroom?’

He nodded and held his hand out, pointing to the next door. He and Jacob headed back to the lounge. The damp room still smelled of what was probably his morning shower. Black mildew covered the whole back wall and the light looked like the wiring had become slightly exposed. She wondered how landlords had the nerve to charge for properties in this state. She made a note to let the council know. Maybe they’d conduct an inspection and force the landlord to improve the flat. She opened the bathroom cabinet. Again nothing out of the ordinary. She checked her watch. It was almost seven in the evening.

‘Right, we’ll leave you to it. Once again, thank you,’ she said when she returned to the lounge.

They left and Callum closed the door.

‘So, Darren had been arguing with Callum, that’s why he was on his phone a lot. There was nothing in that flat. Callum was totally cooperative and he seemed like a nice lad.’

‘He did,’ Jacob said as he opened the car door. ‘Briefing first thing, I suppose?’

‘Yes. I’ll check that the system’s updated with the forensic results that came back on the girl in the hospital. We have so much to talk about. In the meantime, we can only hope that the technical team get back to us before Darren Mason’s twenty- four hours is up. There’s no way we’ll get an extension on what we have so far. We need to know what was on the phone and the laptop and what had been in that syringe. Bernard will be attending to go over any updates on what he and Keith found.’