A Christmas Shadow, page 14
“Do you think Fortescue could have killed her, Chief? Maybe she threatened to tell his wife and he panicked? The basement of La Dolce Vita could have been where they met. It’s not a very romantic place, is it? They couldn’t very well have used Anna’s flat, not with Marjorie Prentis being so close. She would be bound to have noticed something. Hang on though, wasn’t Fortescue at the hospital with the dean on Sunday night?”
“Yes, he was,” said Shadow, “he was there until eleven o’clock and according to the dean, when he returned home, he took a sleeping pill.”
Jimmy’s shoulders sank in disappointment.
“Then I guess it can’t be him, Chief. It’s a shame for us, but it would have broken the dean’s heart to lose him.”
*
They had barely set foot back in the station when Tom came hurrying towards them.
“The chief constable called for you, Chief. She said to tell you she’s emailed you and expects a response within the hour.”
“Why can’t she just ask me to ring her back like a normal person?” muttered Shadow.
“To be fair, I think by now she’s probably realised that doesn’t work, Chief,” replied Jimmy as he trotted up the stairs after his boss. The two of them arrived at Shadow’s office and he went through the unfamiliar procedure of turning on his computer and checking his emails. There at the top of an extensive list, marked urgent, was the one from Chief Constable Maxwell. Shadow opened it and quickly scanned the contents.
“She’s heard that we’ve been asking about the Sacra Corona Unita and David Smith, ‘a known associate of a prominent Albanian criminal’ as she puts it. She wants a video conference between her, us and Inspector Grabowski tomorrow morning. She’s expecting a full briefing apparently.”
“Why is she suddenly so interested? She’s never asked us to have a video conference before,” asked Jimmy.
Shadow began half-heartedly typing his response using only his index finger.
“If there’s any chance of North Yorkshire Police being connected to a major investigation the chief constable will want to make sure she’s involved. She’s an ambitious lady. I expect she’d like to move to a larger force at some point and having her name connected to the National Crime Agency won’t do her any harm. It sounds very much as though we shall have to hand the case over to Inspector Grabowski and her team.”
Having pressed send, Shadow rose to his feet and collected his jacket from the back of his chair.
“Can I leave you to prepare for the meeting, Sergeant?”
Jimmy looked at him in surprise. “You want me to brief Inspector Grabowski and Chief Constable Maxwell?”
“Why not? You know the case as well as I do, and more importantly, you know all the jargon the chief constable likes to hear. Besides, I’m having lunch with Luca. He’s going back to Italy this evening.”
“Sure. No problem, Chief,” replied Jimmy, but his expression had become unusually serious and he couldn’t quite look Shadow in the eye.
“Is there something you want to say, Sergeant?” asked Shadow.
Jimmy sighed heavily, putting down the pen, then picking it up again. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking, Chief.”
“What about?”
“Luca. I mean he seems really nice, but we don’t know a lot about him. It was his wine that started all this off and it was him who told us about Barbara and her father. You first phoned him on his mobile. We assumed he was at home, but for all we know he could have already been in the country. Maybe he is connected to criminals back in Italy. Then, you mentioned the case of the ghost walk guys. They were killed out of revenge. What happens if Luca still holds a grudge about what happened to his sister after all? Maybe he wants to get at you somehow or thinks you won’t suspect him because of his connection to Luisa. I don’t know, but you don’t really know him, and you’ve accepted everything he’s told you…” Jimmy trailed off and glanced anxiously at his boss. “I’m really sorry if I’ve overstepped the mark. Are you angry, Chief?”
Shadow stared silently at the younger man for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
“No, I’m just a little surprised. I’m not used to you being more suspicious than me. Maybe we really have been working together too long. For what it’s worth, I don’t think Luca is involved, but you are right: it’s possible my judgement is clouded. Check with the airlines and find out what flight he was on.”
“Yes, Chief,” replied Jimmy, looking relieved as Shadow turned and left the office.
*
He had arranged to meet Luca for lunch on Florence. Luca may have been a little surprised when Shadow told him he still lived on the narrow boat, but he was keen to see his sister’s last home. He had insisted on providing lunch and came laden down with cold meats, olives, focaccia and wine from Catania’s.
“It is good of you to make time to see me when you are so busy,” he said as he filled Shadow’s glass.
“Not at all. I’ve enjoyed you being here, and besides it looks like the case I was working on may soon be handed to another team.”
Luca raised his own glass in a toast. “To you, Chief Inspector Shadow. Luisa would be very proud of you achieving such a high rank.”
Shadow shifted in embarrassment. “It’s probably due to her that I am a chief inspector. When I lost her, work was all I had to think about.”
“Why did you not stay in London? Surely that would have been the best thing for your career.”
“Too many memories,” replied Shadow simply.
Luca glanced around the boat. “This place looks exactly as it did in the photos Luisa sent home, although there would have been more flowers if she were still here.” He pointed to one of the few cushions on the sofa. “I even remember my mother sending that cushion cover over. If I may say so, my friend, it seems like you brought all your memories with you. Perhaps it is time to move on.”
Shadow stared at the younger man for a few seconds, but the anger and irritation he used to feel when anyone suggested something similar didn’t materialise.
“Perhaps you are right,” he conceded, taking another sip of wine.
*
Luca was taking a flight from Leeds Bradford Airport back to Italy that evening. After lunch, Shadow accompanied him to his hotel, which took longer than expected as Luca insisted on calling into several shops along the way to do some Christmas shopping. It was growing dark when Shadow finally loaded him, his suitcase, several bulging shopping bags and an oversized teddy bear into a taxi. With a final promise to keep in touch, Shadow waved him off. He watched as the taxi pulled away, then he turned up the collar of his coat and headed down towards the Minster. He’d decided it was time to pay Simon Fortescue a visit.
*
Shadow was a little surprised when the dean herself opened the front door of the Deanery.
“Good evening, Chief Inspector. This is a nice surprise. Or should I be worried?”
“Not at all, but I hoped to have a word with Mr Fortescue,” said Shadow as he stepped into the large hallway.
“It’s nothing I can help you with?”
“I’m afraid not. It’s regarding his voluntary work at the library. We are investigating the death of a young woman who attending his readings,” explained Shadow, closely watching the dean’s reaction.
“Oh, how awful. Not the young woman you recovered from the river? I read about it in the paper.”
Shadow nodded.
“Such a tragedy. I’m sure Simon will do anything he can to assist you. Come though into the drawing room, Chief Inspector. He shouldn’t be too long. He was at the faculty’s Christmas drinks, but he texted a few minutes ago to say he’s on his way.”
Shadow followed her into an elegantly proportioned room with a polished wooden floor and a roaring open fire. There was a large Christmas tree in front of the French doors with countless presents stacked beneath. The dean gestured to one of the large sofas, scattered with tapestry cushions. Shadow took a seat while Clarissa moved over to the oak sideboard where there was a silver tray holding several bottles and glasses.
“Will you join me in a sherry while you wait, Chief Inspector?” she asked.
“Thank you,” replied Shadow, glancing around the room. “How are you settling in?”
“It’s beginning to feel like home. Mainly thanks to Simon. I’m afraid I tend to leave all the unpacking and so forth to him. It’s been the same since I was ordained. Whenever I moved to a new parish, I’m so busy adapting to the job, poor Simon is left to sort things out on the home front as it were. It may be for the best; he has a much better eye for interior design than me, but I’m not sure it’s what he bargained for when we married thirty years ago.”
“How did the two of you meet?”
“At university. We were both members of the drama society.”
“Did you want to act too?”
Clarissa shook her head and gave a wry smile. “No, Chief Inspector. I took part in school productions, but I was at an all girls’ school and due to my height and build, I was always cast in the male roles. By the time I reached university I knew my limits. I was mainly involved backstage. Costumes, scenery, make-up, that sort of thing. The limelight was left to shine on those with real talent like Simon.” She paused and handed Shadow his drink. “Although, there are some who say all members of the clergy are frustrated thespians. After all, every Sunday the Lord grants us a captive audience. Perhaps there is some truth in it. To your good health.”
“And yours.” Shadow raised his glass to hers. “Do you miss your life in London?” he asked.
“Not one bit, Chief Inspector.” She took a sip of her sherry. “Simon and I see a lot more of each other now I’m not chained to my computer screen for twelve hours a day, but I think sometimes he misses the city. He’s always needed excitement and glamour and I understand that.”
Before Shadow could reply the front door closed with a bang and Simon’s voice came echoing through from the hallway.
“Clarissa darling, I’m home. Where are you?”
“In here, darling,” replied the dean, rising to her feet as her husband came through the door. He stopped for a second when he saw Shadow before kissing his wife on the cheek.
“Hello, Chief Inspector. Has something happened?”
Clarissa replied before Shadow could.
“Nothing to worry about, darling. Mr Shadow wanted to ask you about Miss Novak, who attended your reading group. It’s the poor girl they found in the river. I’ll leave the two of you to chat. I’ll be in my office if you need me.” And with that she was gone. As the door closed behind his wife, Simon Fortescue, his cheeks red from coming in from the cold, crossed the room in a few paces and poured himself a large whisky before turning to look at Shadow.
“I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending I didn’t know Anna, Chief Inspector.”
“Thank you. That would certainly save us both time.”
“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” said Simon, sinking down on to the sofa opposite Shadow. “She’d tried to contact me on Sunday, but my stupid phone was broken, so on Monday morning, I went down and hung about outside the shop where she worked as a cleaner, but there was no sign of her. Then I read that you’d found a body. Who could have done such a thing? She was such a sweet girl. It broke my heart to think I might have been able to go to her aid, save her, instead of knocking myself out with a sleeping pill.”
He ran his hand across his face.
“When did you last see her?” asked Shadow, watching him closely, knowing he was dealing with a professional actor.
“On Friday at the library. That’s where I first met her. It was only my second week there. I was reading from Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. It turned out it was one of her favourite books. I looked up and there she was smiling back at me and all of a sudden it was as if the rest of the room had disappeared.” Simon took a slug of whisky. “She wanted to see me on Saturday. She was upset about something, but I couldn’t get away. On Sunday, she’d texted me a few times, but I’d left my phone in the vestry during the ceremony and then Clarissa was taken ill and in all the confusion, I left it behind and it got smashed.”
“Did your wife know about your relationship with her?” asked Shadow.
Simon took another drink before answering. “Clarissa has always been very understanding about these things.”
“So, Anna wasn’t your first extramarital affair?”
“It’s the excitement, you see,” explained Simon, as if he hadn’t heard Shadow’s question. “Life can be so dull, especially since we left London. Then to suddenly find yourself in the middle of a wonderful romance. The centre of a beautiful young woman’s world. I owe Clarissa so much…” He trailed off and knocked back the rest of his whisky, then immediately stood up and went over to the sideboard for a refill. Shadow glanced around the elegant room. Simon was right. Clarissa may no longer be earning the sort of salary she did as an accountant, but thanks to her, Simon lived in one of the best houses in the city, something that would never have been possible for a part-time lecturer at the university.
With a full glass, Simon leaned back against the sideboard and began speaking again. “You see, Chief Inspector, Clarissa doesn’t really need me. She never has. I’m only part of her supporting cast. With Anna it was different. She needed me, wanted me. I was her hero. Her leading man.” He took another drink. “We even discussed running away together. Back to Slovenia or even Italy.”
Privately, Shadow thought Simon Fortescue was a little too old to consider running away but didn’t comment.
“What was Anna worried about?” he asked instead.
“She wouldn’t tell me. She said if she was right, it was better I didn’t know. She wanted to protect me.” His voice cracked. “I should never have taken that stupid sleeping pill. The last text I received from her on Sunday…she said that everything would be all right after Monday and that it would be a relief not to have to keep a secret. I replied that I thought that was wonderful and asked if she wanted to see me after the Advent Procession, but I never received her reply.”
“Did you manage to get your phone fixed?”
Simon opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment, there was the sound of breaking glass and a muffled scream. Shadow and Simon both sprang to their feet and dashed out of the drawing room across the hall and into the dean’s study. Clarissa was standing in front of the French doors, her hand over her mouth as she stared in horror at the shards of glass scattered over the rug by her feet.
“Darling, are you all right? What happened?” asked Simon, rushing over to his wife.
“I was sitting at my desk reading when that came flying through the door,” said Clarissa in a shaking voice. She pointed to a lump of stone lying amongst the glass.
“Did you see anybody out in the garden?” asked Shadow, using his handkerchief to stoop and retrieve it.
“No, and all the gates are locked. Whoever it was must have been standing on the city walls,” said the dean, resting her head against her husband’s shoulder.
Shadow immediately went to the French doors. They were unlocked. He stepped out into the terrace. It was dark, but the city walls were illuminated and there was no sign of anyone on the stretch that overlooked the rear gardens of the Deanery. Turning the stone over in his hand, he saw that it did indeed look like it could be a piece of loose masonry from the walls. He glanced over his shoulder. The dean’s desk was a little to the left of the French doors. There was a bright table lamp on the corner of the desk and a warm glow coming from the open fire. From outside the dean would have been clearly visible. He took a few moments to wander around the gardens deep in thought.
“You are right: the garden gates are locked and there is no sign of an intruder trying to get in. Would you like me to send a uniformed officer over?” he asked as he stepped back into the study.
“No, Chief Inspector. Thank you, but no. It was probably mischievous children playing a prank. Except for a broken pane of glass there’s no harm done.”
“Are you sure, darling?” asked Simon, who was carefully picking up the broken glass.
“Absolutely, Simon.”
“Then I’ll wish you both a good night,” replied Shadow. “I’ll show myself out.”
Chapter Nine
Down 7 (7 letters)
An ace coin is needed to buy an illicit drug
Shadow walked away from the Deanery with a hundred thoughts jostling for position in his head. As he approached the Minster, he saw George pulling on his gloves as he walked across the car park. He raised his hand in greeting when he saw Shadow.
“Evening, John. What brings you here?”
“I was paying a visit to the Deanery. Have you got time for a pint?”
“Always,” agreed George.
The Cross Keys was only a few steps away. George waved hello to several other drinkers as he went to find a table in the corner, while Shadow ordered two pints of Black Sheep. Placing the two glasses on the table, he took a seat opposite his old friend.
“So, what do you want to pick my brains about?” asked George.
“I wanted to ask you about the night of the Advent ceremony.”
George looked at him in surprise.
“Are you still looking into that business with the dean? I thought you’d have enough on your plate with that poor girl you found in the river.”
“It’s looking like we might have to hand that case over to the National Crime Agency, but I’ve been wondering if there’s a chance there could be a connection between the girl we found and what happened at the Minster,” explained Shadow a little cagily. He didn’t want to start discussing Simon’s affair with Anna in a crowded pub. “Where were you before the ceremony started? I didn’t see you until afterwards.”
“I was by the door of the vestry. That’s where all the choristers, the clergy, everyone taking part in the procession was getting ready, putting on their robes and so forth. I was making sure that nobody went in who wasn’t meant to, then when they’d all come out, I locked the door after them. Everyone involved had to leave their valuables like handbags and phones in there, you see. They used to ask for the phones to be turned off, but someone – usually one of the youngsters – would always forget. When the ceremony started, I stood by one of the emergency exits until the end, then I unlocked the door again.”
