Shame the Devil, page 18
Neeraj said, ‘If Laura Grieve died just before all this started, then it’s possible she could have been the first victim.’
Denning was thinking about this. ‘If she’d been murdered, we’d have known about it. If the MO was the same, or even similar, to the other murders then HOLMES 2 would have that information. There’s no record of anyone with that name or fitting her description having been stabbed to death.’
He was aware that Neeraj was looking at him.
‘But you have doubts, boss?’
Denning was thinking. ‘It would make sense. If she resigned because she took the blame for what happened, then she would be the obvious person to go after. But…’ He was thinking about things as he indicated and turned on to Fulham High Road and past the turn-off for Thomas Blake Primary School. Denning couldn’t help contrasting the happy faces of the children at Terri’s Tots with those at Rachel Atherton’s school. He knew where Jake would have been happiest. ‘If that is what all this is about,’ Denning continued, ‘then why go after the others too? If Laura Grieve was responsible, killing her should have been enough.’
Neeraj didn’t answer; just crunched on a mint.
Chapter Forty
Marion Haynes was in her early eighties. Her hands were gnarled with arthritis and her face lined with age and wisdom. Laughter lines, Molly thought, except Marion Haynes hadn’t done much laughing since the day two-and-a-half years ago when, coming home from her weekly shop at Sainsbury’s, she’d accidentally knocked down and killed a child.
She’d peered cautiously at Molly, having opened her front door a tiny crack, and only let her in after she’d phoned the number the detective gave her and had it confirmed she was who she said she was.
‘Can’t be too careful,’ she’d said. Molly had agreed, though she silently resented having to waste time standing on a doorstep when she was in the middle of a murder investigation.
Molly was sitting in the frilly living room now, admiring the pretty ornaments that Mrs Haynes clearly liked to collect: Royal Doulton figurines of ladies in long frocks and men in top hats. They were dotted around the place, occupying pride of place on the mantelpiece, as well as a glass-fronted display cabinet that occupied most of one wall. She imagined Marion got few visitors and was glad of the company, so she accepted the offer of a cup of tea. A few minutes later, Mrs Haynes appeared with a teapot, two cups and a plate full of cakes.
‘I’ve tried so hard to put it out of my mind,’ she said. ‘But it’s always there. I see the little boy’s face all the time. I often wonder what would have happened to him if he’d lived. Would he become a doctor or a singer. Or a policeman…’
She was looking at Molly when she spoke, but her eyes focused on something else. An image that had been burned into her memory and would stubbornly remain there for ever more. ‘I appreciate it’s difficult for you, Mrs Haynes,’ Molly said, ‘and I’m so sorry to have to bring it all back again.’
‘It was terrible. He just ran out from nowhere. I tried to stop in time, but I just couldn’t avoid him. It was terrible,’ she repeated, just in case there was any doubt about the severity of what had happened. ‘I’ve always been a good driver; a careful driver. My late husband always used to say I drove like a little old lady long before I became one.’ The ghost of a smile flitted over her face at the mention of her husband. Molly thought it was both sweet and sad at the same time. ‘I’d never even had any points on my licence,’ Mrs Haynes continued. ‘Or a parking ticket or anything. I haven’t driven since. I do miss it though. I felt like I gave up some of my independence when I stopped driving. But under the circumstances…’
Molly could see she was still distraught over the accident. What could she say? Any attempt at reassurance would feel like an empty platitude. However, she had to offer up some words of comfort.
‘It’s important that you know nobody blames you. The police report said there was nothing you could have done and totally absolves you of any culpability. You mustn’t blame yourself.’
Mrs Haynes attempted a weak smile. ‘My family all said the same thing to me at the time. But still… Whichever way you look at it, I killed a child.’ She twisted her arthritic hands together in her lap. ‘I wrote to the boy’s parents and apologised, but I never heard back from them. Unsurprising perhaps. I expect they blamed me.’
Molly wanted to reach over and hug her. ‘I’m sure they didn’t. Or if they did at the time, it was because they were angry and ripped apart by grief. They can’t possibly blame you now.’
‘Thank you. You’re very kind. But none of this makes me feel any better and I’m still not sure why you think this is relevant now. Has something happened?’
Molly told her about the recent murders, deliberately trying to underplay the worst of it so as not to alarm her. ‘But I do have to ask, has anything happened recently to make you feel worried or concerned?’
‘No. Nothing at all. Do you really think someone is going to come after me because I killed that child?’
‘I honestly don’t know. It’s possible somebody is going after the people who were involved but we can’t confirm that at this stage.’ She paused, looking over at the elderly woman; sitting in her armchair, sewing by her side, her favourite tea set on display. She was still wracked with guilt. Why would someone want to murder her over that? But Molly had been a police officer long enough to know that nice, decent people were murdered all the time, either just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or simply because somebody took it upon themselves to end another’s life for reasons that made sense in their head and in no one else’s. ‘I’ll give you my card,’ she said. ‘If you feel vulnerable, give me a call and we can arrange police protection for you.’
Mrs Haynes took the card from Molly and smiled at her. ‘Thank you, but I don’t think I need to be worrying about police protection at my time of life,’ she said. ‘If someone is determined to kill me for my part in that accident, then perhaps that’s what’s meant to be. It would be a lot easier than trying to live with the guilt of knowing what I’d done.’
As Molly left her house, she felt sympathy for her. At that moment, there wasn’t much else she could do.
Chapter Forty-One
Denning wasn’t sure what Maria Hallam expected from him. She’d phoned saying she needed to speak with him, but hadn’t said why. A combination of curiosity and concern had prompted him to call round. Neeraj had been tasked with uncovering the details of Laura Grieve’s death and to let Denning know immediately if there was anything suspicious.
When he’d arrived at Maria’s flat, she seemed anxious. For a second, he thought she was going to send him away.
‘Has something happened?’ he asked.
‘Tony’s been round again,’ she said quietly. ‘I know he’s up to something. He was drunk and talking all sorts of nonsense.’
Denning sat on the sofa. He could hear the children playing in another room. ‘Drunk?’
She was staring at her feet. ‘Well, maybe not drunk. But he had been drinking.’
‘Did he threaten you?’
She looked sheepish. ‘Not explicitly.’
‘What was it then?’
‘He kept talking rubbish about us getting back together soon… how he was planning something.’
‘Planning something? Planning what? To harm you?’ This all seemed very vague. He wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t being played here: a pawn in someone else’s damaged marriage; a mouse being batted between two bored cats. ‘If he didn’t threaten you, there’s little the police can do, Maria. But if you do feel in danger, perhaps you could move out for a while. Move in with a friend or family.’
She shuddered and lit up a cigarette. ‘It was the way he looked at me. I know what he’s like when he gets that look. He’s planning something, I know he is.’
‘Planning something with Declan…?’ Denning wasn’t sure what she was talking about. She didn’t appear to be making any sense. He was already regretting coming round here, especially now they seemed to actually be making some progress with the murder case.
‘No. Well, maybe. He didn’t mention Declan.’ She took a long drag on her cigarette. ‘I meant me and the kids. I’m sure he’s got something in mind for us.’
Denning could smell alcohol on her breath and wondered how much she’d had to drink. ‘If you’re telling me you believe Tony’s going to harm you and the children—’
‘You read about it, don’t you,’ she said, cutting him off. ‘Fathers killing their ex-partner, then driving off Beachy Head with the children strapped into the back of the car. Tony’s capable of it.’ Her eyes were darting between Denning, her feet, the cigarette and back to Denning. ‘He doesn’t like people saying no to him.’
‘Maria, this really isn’t my area. I’m a murder squad detective, and I’m in the middle of a murder investigation right now.’ He sighed, aware he was coming across as uncaring. ‘I can pass this over to the relevant authorities and ask them to treat it as a priority. But I can’t investigate it myself.’ He told her about their investigation, lightly sketching in the details without giving too much information away – nothing that wouldn’t be appearing in print – and how they had now established that they’d been wrong about Tony Hallam having been the intended target. How he’d been wrong about Hallam having been the intended target. ‘By rights, I shouldn’t even be here now,’ he said. But he felt bad. Here was a potentially vulnerable woman who was frightened for her family and his hands were tied. Although there a voice in his head begging him to get involved, he knew McKenna was right: he was going to have hand this one over.
‘You said you could offer us police protection,’ she insisted. ‘You said if someone was going to kill Tony then there was a chance they could come after us too.’
‘That was before we found out Tony wasn’t involved. And, even then, we couldn’t offer you protection against Tony. At least not police protection.’ He offered her what he hoped was a reassuring look. ‘We could arrange for you to have a panic button installed in your flat. It would be connected to the nearest police station. If he threatened you, there would be a couple of officers here in minutes.’
She shook her head. ‘There’s no point. A load of police turning up mob-handed would just make things worse. I can handle Tony.’
He felt sorry for her. She really did seem scared. He just wasn’t sure whether that fear was down to her ex-husband or there was something else going on here. He was certain Tony Hallam should still be in prison. The man was clearly dangerous. If what Maria was saying was true, then he was obviously still involved in criminal activities alongside Declan Meech, but proving it would be difficult. And McKenna was not going to welcome him spending time on a case that wasn’t his concern and was taking him away from investigation three murders.
‘Maria,’ he said softly, ‘I really can’t get involved personally. I appreciate your concerns about your ex-husband, but there’s nothing I can do apart from passing this on.’
He left her flat and headed down the stairwell to the area where he’d parked his car. He was on the point of getting his key out of his pocket when he was suddenly aware of a figure moving towards him from the shadows.
Chapter Forty-Two
Molly called round to see Penny Garnett at the restaurant. They had been allocated an officer to look after them, one who appeared to occupy his time sitting at a table drinking coffee, which meant he had to keep disappearing to the toilet at regular intervals.
‘He’s probably in the loo now,’ Penny said, nodding at the empty seat.
‘One of the hazards of the job,’ Molly said apologetically.
Penny laughed. Molly could sense that she was trying to put a brave face on matters, but was more than likely unnerved by the whole situation. There was clearly a hint of strain behind the cheery smile. ‘Look, now the lunchtime rush is over, I was going to put my feet up for ten minutes and have a coffee. Why don’t you join me?’ She offered Molly a coffee on the house and the two of them sat at a table near the counter.
‘To be honest with you, I really don’t think all this is necessary. Freya and I are always very careful. We need to be. Shortly after we opened the restaurant one of our neighbours was robbed when they were cashing up at night. Since then, we’ve always taken great care with personal security. There’s CCTV in both the restaurant itself and in the alleyway out the back. We always thoroughly check the restaurant before locking up at night. And the police did a thorough security check of the immediate area when they arranged for protection.’
‘This might all come to nothing,’ Molly said. ‘And I appreciate it may seem a bit over-the-top, but we have to be careful.’
Penny smiled again. ‘I’m sorry. I know I sound like I’m being ungrateful. We do appreciate all the trouble you’ve gone to.’
Almost on cue, the police officer appeared from the direction of the toilets. A young lad, in his early twenties. Molly suspected this was all a bit tedious for him: he’d probably joined the police thinking of car chases and nicking villains. He would quickly discover just how much of the job simply involved standing – or sitting – around waiting for things to happen. He looked over at Molly and Penny and blushed his apologies. He asked if everything was OK. Molly explained why she was there.
‘Why don’t you take a break for ten minutes,’ Molly said. ‘Stretch your legs. I can look after the situation here for a bit.’
He smiled and said he would stretch his legs, and would be back as soon as he could.
‘I feel a bit sorry for him, truth be told,’ Penny said. ‘Stuck in here for hours on end. How exciting can it be to watch endless coffees being made or plates of walnut and lentil Bolognese being served. That’s today’s special, by the way,’ she said, pointing at a blackboard by the counter. ‘There’s still some left if you fancy a late lunch.’
Before Molly had a chance to politely decline the kind offer, Freya appeared from the kitchen. ‘Apologies, no more walnut and lentil Bolognese. I’ve put what was left into a doggy bag for Beckett.’
‘That’s our neighbour’s hound,’ Penny said, coming to Molly’s rescue. ‘He seems to have a preference for vegetarian food, for some strange reason.’
‘It’s probably good for him,’ Molly said, unable to imagine anything a dog would like less.
‘If you don’t mind his chronic flatulence,’ Freya added. ‘Our neighbour’s nearly ninety and swears blind he can’t smell a thing.’
Molly laughed. She enjoyed their company. And she needed to laugh after visiting Marion Haynes and seeing first-hand the blanket of self-flagellation she was living under.
‘Has Pen told you that we both think this is a major waste of time.’ Freya smiled at Molly when she spoke, but she could see she meant was she was saying.
‘This really is just a courtesy call.’
‘Look, ignore me,’ Freya said. ‘I need to finish off in the kitchen. You two enjoy your coffee and chat.’
When they were alone, Penny said, ‘She’s trying to pretend everything’s OK, but I can tell she’s worried about me.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘You really do think someone is determined to kill us? And by us, I mean everyone who was involved in what happened with Noah Daniel.’
‘Of course, it’s possible this is about something else entirely, but so far the only people who have been targeted are the staff that were on duty that day,’ Molly said quietly. ‘And Euan Livingstone, although as head teacher at the time he could be argued was ultimately to blame for authorising the trip in the first place.’
‘The trip,’ she echoed, rubbing her hand over her face. ‘It wasn’t even that…’ Molly thought she was going to say something more, but her words trailed off into silence.
‘Nobody did anything wrong,’ Molly said. ‘It was an accident, a terrible accident.’ She’d seen so many people punishing themselves over that day. And now someone else was punishing them too. As if the guilt and pain they already felt wasn’t punishment enough.
‘The park was literally less than ten minutes from the school,’ Penny said, a faraway look on her face. ‘We’d been there many times with them in the past and there was never a problem…’ She shook her head. Like Marion Haynes, it must have been painful having the whole sorry story raked over again.
‘I couldn’t cope with the guilt. I left the job the following year. Freya had been made redundant from her job as a chef in a hotel, so we thought we’d open our own restaurant. It was something we’d always talked about and we had a bit of money put away, helped by a small inheritance from Freya’s late gran.’ She gave a tinkly little laugh. ‘When we’d said “our own restaurant”, I’d imagined somewhere in the South West… Devon or Cornwall. But we didn’t get any further south than West Norwood.’
‘Any particular reason?’
‘It’s virtually on our doorstep. We live in Dulwich. This is pretty close. Plus this whole area’s on the up. It seemed like the sensible option at the time. Maybe if we had gone for Devon or Cornwall, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in now.’
‘It might be our killer’s achieved their goal now,’ Molly said, though she knew Penny Garnett was too smart to believe her.
‘Sue, Kieran, me and Laura were the staff on duty in the park that day. Euan was head. Three of them are dead. That just leaves Laura Grieve and me.’
Molly didn’t want to alarm Penny any further by mentioning what Denning had just told her about Laura Grieve having very likely been the first victim, but clearly Penny could read something in her face that gave the game away.
‘Laura…? Has something happened to her?’
