SECRET CRIMES a gripping crime thriller full of suspense (22 page)

His friend nodded reassuringly. ‘It’ll be fine, John.’ Sophie rested her chin on her hands, looking across the table at this man who had been so difficult to track down. ‘I’ll also need your passport, Mr Renton. I can’t afford to leave you the opportunity to get out of the country before I’ve had a chance to eliminate you from my enquiries. It will remain safely in my possession and I’ll return it to you as soon as I can.’ She looked at him steadily. He returned her stare, sighed and handed his passport over. ‘Thank you for your co-operation,’ she said.

* * *

On their way back to the car Barry's phone rang. He spoke very little, merely listening carefully. Finally he turned to Sophie.

'That was the station. Apparently reception took three odd phone calls this morning, all from the same number. In the first two the caller hung up without speaking. In the last one a woman spoke and said she was in trouble and that she knew Sarah. She was crying and sounded terrified, but she hung up before they could ask her any more.’

'They'll be tracing the call?' Sophie asked.

He nodded. 'Should know by tomorrow morning.'

Chapter 22: Messed Up Lives

Monday morning

What was going on? Barry Marsh ran his fingers through his ginger hair as he spoke into the phone.

‘No, no one from this unit was asking those questions last month.’ He was getting more than a little annoyed at the belligerent tone of the man on the other end of the line. ‘We’re not psychic. We only start to investigate a murder once it’s happened, not before. Since we’re talking about a death that occurred last weekend, why would we have contacted you before then, before it happened? It wasn’t us, and I don’t know who it could have been . . . The call was about three weeks ago? Did you get a name? That’s great. And did he say where he was from? Okay. Leave it with me. So is it possible to answer my original question now? Can you confirm that Sarah Sheldon booked a twin room for the spring blues festival at your holiday complex?’ He listened. ‘And the other names? Shapiro, Derek or Paul? Yes? Great. Thanks for your help. We may well be back in touch.’

He replaced the handset and sat looking at it for a few seconds. Then he picked it up and dialled a Gloucester number.

* * *

‘Something interesting, ma’am.’ Barry poked his head around the open door to Sophie’s small office.

‘You too? Okay, you go first.’

‘Someone else has been asking exactly the same questions as us about Sarah Sheldon’s room bookings at the two music festivals. We already knew about her reservations, but I contacted the Hayling Island one to see if Shapiro had booked a room. They couldn’t confirm it when I spoke to them last week. The manager got quite angry. He said he was fed up with having his time wasted by people asking him the same questions. He was definite that someone claiming to be from the police had asked for that very information a few weeks ago. I double-checked with the hotel at Gloucester where Sarah and Rosemary stayed in the summer, and exactly the same thing happened. One of the receptionists remembers a call from a policeman requesting the exact information I was looking for. Both calls would have been made at the beginning of September, about five weeks ago. The Hayling Island manager even remembered a name, a DS George Smith from Portsmouth. But there’s no such officer.’

‘And whoever it was asked about the men too, not just the women?’ asked Sophie.

‘Exactly. So someone knew of their existence weeks before the festival here. And if whoever it was knew that much, he must also have known what Sarah was getting up to. Don’t you think?’

'You're right,’ Sophie said. ‘It is very odd and the implications are worrying. By the way, Rae has managed to trace where those odd calls came from yesterday. Someone called Lily Dalton. She lives in Poole, so we're just about to pay her a visit. Can you hold the fort here? We'll talk more when I get back.'

* * *

‘Was it that easy? To find me, I mean. I thought it would take ages.’ Lily looked at Sophie with a weak smile.

Lily was like a china doll. She had small, elfin features, a strawberry-blonde bob and she was wearing a neat skirt and top. She can only be about five foot two, Sophie thought. She probably fits into children’s clothes.

‘You’re on all kinds of lists, everyone is. Voters roll, council tax, the phone book. It’s not difficult for anyone to trace where you live, even if they aren’t police. And that’s the problem. If you really are in danger, then it would be all too easy for them to find you. I think it took Rae here less than ten minutes.’ Sophie paused. 'Why were you in Paul Derek's flat, Lily?'

'Brian remembered the photo on the wall, so we went to get it. Brian was in the background of the shot, and Paul had written his phone numbers and his address on the back. I was the one in the flat and I panicked when Brian phoned up from the lobby to say that someone was coming up.' Lily looked at Rae. 'He didn’t mean to hurt you. It was an accident. That’s why he didn’t come back with me in the car. He went back to see how you were and when he saw all the blood he was worried about you. I took the car out of the car park and was waiting along the road. He texted me to let me know he was going back up to the flat to check up on you. Then I saw the police cars arriving but I couldn’t get through to him in time to warn him. He left it too late to get away so you caught him.'

Lily looked at Rae and bit her lip. Rae still had a dressing covering one side of her head and her face sported several colourful bruises.

‘She doesn’t look well. I’m really sorry about what happened. Brian didn’t mean to hurt her, I know he didn’t. He went through a bad time a few years ago when he lost his job with the police in Portsmouth, but he’s been a lot calmer for the last couple of years. I didn’t like him much then, but he’s okay now, though I’m still not sure he’s my type.’

‘Why didn’t you tell us more when you phoned us?'

Lily sighed. ‘I can’t cope on the phone. I get tense and I go to pieces, and when I get really worried and anxious my voice keeps giving out. And I haven’t slept more than a few hours since Friday, so I’m even worse than normal. I don’t think straight at the best of times and now my brain is one big, fuzzy mess. I wondered about getting away from here, maybe going to London. That way I could really disappear and hide for a while. If I’d been on the phone longer, they’d have talked me into staying, I know they would.’

‘But you have stayed,’ Sophie replied.

‘Yes, but it was my choice. I have to plan things by myself. Other people always walk all over me if I give them a chance. So I don’t give them the chance any more. That’s how I’ve learned to keep at least some control over my life.’ She looked again at Rae. ‘Are you really alright? Shouldn’t you be in hospital or something?’

‘I’m well enough to be at work. I just have to be careful, that’s all.’

Lily paused. ‘You’re a transsexual, aren’t you?’ she asked hesitantly. ‘I thought it when you first came in, and your voice has kind of confirmed it.’

Sophie became angry. ‘That’s totally irrelevant. DC Gregson is an officer in my unit and you, Ms Dalton, need to stick to what we’re here for.’

‘She’s quite protective, isn’t she?’ said Lily. ‘That’s good. I bet not everyone has been as supportive as her. You are very good, though. I can only tell cos I’ve met lots over the years — at parties though, not when they’re at work. I know the signs. It’s like a sixth sense with me.’

Sophie was ready with another rebuke, but Rae interjected. ‘It’s okay, ma’am really. I don’t mind.’ She turned back to Lily. ‘Yes, you’re right. And the DCI has been totally supportive. I love my job with her. That’s why I’m back today, even though I could have swung another few days off.’

‘You’re really lucky, you know. To have a boss who looks after you so well. I’m jealous in a way, cos I never did. I suppose that’s why I ended up in the mess I’m in.’

'I still don't fully understand how you’re involved, Lily,' Sophie said.

The reply was sharp. 'No, you wouldn't, would you? I expect people do exactly what you say. If I tell people what to do they laugh at me. It’s easier for me just to lie back and enjoy life the best I can. That’s how I met all these people. I just gave up trying to lead a respectable life, as my parents would have called it. What was the point? I’d tried to do everything right, please people just like a good girl should, but my life got into one big mess. So I started seeing men for sex. And I liked it. Not just anyone, though. It was always through people I met, at parties. It was just after that when I met Brian. He knew people who organised these parties and he got me onto their lists. That was when I lived in Portsmouth. He was a kind of protector for me. It was all good for a couple of years but then it went wrong when he got the sack from the police. That really shocked him and he got difficult, really moody and he drank too much. But we stayed in touch, even after I moved to Poole.'

'Why Poole?'

‘It’s got a good party scene and I was picking up lots of invitations. I’d make it clear that I expected something for taking part in a threesome or foursome, and I was usually treated really well. I decided that I could tap into things a bit better if I was local, so I moved here.'

'So how were you involved with what happened on Friday night?'

‘Brian texted me mid-evening on Friday to see if I was free to come down to Swanage for the night, but I was seeing another man at the time and couldn’t make it until after midnight. I drove down and picked him up. He seemed to be a bit down. I parked the car in the lane at the back of the hotel and we went in through the grounds. Brian seemed to know where he was going. I knew Paul and Sarah, but I didn’t realise they were an item until then. I’d met her a couple of times at parties. She was a bit of a live wire, always pushing the boundaries. Derek was quieter but good fun. So the four of us had a good time for a few hours, then Brian and I left at about two. Brian collected the car from the car park and followed me back to Poole and stayed for a few more days. We were shocked when we heard the news about Sarah. Neither of us knew what to do. Then we found out that Paul’s body had been found too, and that shook us, it really did. I mean, what was going on? So Brian stayed on while we talked things over. He was with me until Friday night. It wasn’t us that harmed either of them, Sarah or Paul. Please believe me. They were fine when we left them.' Lily broke off at a muffled sound outside the door of the flat. She made to stand up, but Sophie gestured for her to remain seated.

‘Were you expecting anyone, Lily? It sounded as if someone stumbled against the door.’

‘No. I hardly ever get visitors midweek mornings and I don’t think any of the neighbours are in. They’ll all be out at work.’ Lily looked frightened.

Sophie went to the door, followed closely by Rae, but there was nobody there. Sophie told Rae to remain in the flat, and hurried along the corridor to the stairs. Was that the faint sound of footsteps coming from the stairwell? She heard a door bang, so she ran down the stairs two at a time. All was silent on the ground floor. She raced to the entrance doors. She heard a car starting up. Sophie ran outside and into the car park in time to see a dark blue Ford moving rapidly out of the entrance into the road. Its number plate was partly obscured. She halted, panting.

‘Blast,’ she said. ‘Fuck, bugger and blast.’

When her breathing had slowed, she made her way back up to Lily’s flat. Rae was standing at the window.

‘Did you see the car?’ Sophie asked.

Rae nodded. ‘A completely nondescript blue Ford. Could be a rental. But it was too far away to get the licence plate.’ There was concern on her face. ‘I had an awful feeling of déjà vu. Was it the right thing to do? Go after him?’

‘Possibly not, but I didn’t join the police force to be cautious about everything. Same as you.’ She turned to Lily. ‘We need to get you out of here, Lily. Can you pack enough clothes to keep you going for a few days? We’ll stay with you until a team arrives to move you to a safe house.’ Sophie nodded to Rae and left the room to arrange safe accommodation for Lily. When she returned, Sophie took a photo of John Renton out of her bag. Rae had taken it surreptitiously with a hidden camera at their meeting at Brize Norton. ‘Have you ever seen this man before, Lily?’

Lily studied the picture closely, her brow furrowed. Finally she shook her head. ‘No. I’m pretty sure I haven’t. Problem is, I’ve known so many men. But this one? He doesn’t ring any bells. Sorry.’

Sophie didn’t know whether to feel disappointment or relief. ‘It’s not a problem,’ she said. ‘It’s just someone who cropped up during our investigations. So he wasn’t a friend of Brian or Derek’s? Not as far as you know? And you haven’t met him on your own?’

‘I had big gaps of time away from Brian, so I wouldn’t know all his friends. But if you’re asking whether I’ve ever had sex with this man, then the answer’s no.’ Lily’s voice was choked. ‘I’m not a common prostitute, you know. I don’t sell myself for sex. How could you think that? I do parties and sometimes I’ve seen men, women and couples that I’ve met at the parties. That’s it.’

‘I didn’t mean to offend you, Lily. And I wasn’t implying that I thought you were a prostitute. I don’t judge people like that. I’m investigating two murders, and I have to be absolutely sure about everything. I would be failing in my job if I did any less.’

Lily regained her composure, her face once again like a china doll.

‘Do you have a job at the moment, Lily?’

‘No. I was waitressing at a café near the quayside, but it closed at the end of September. I don’t know if it’s going to open again at Easter for the summer season. The only other job I really liked was when I worked behind the counter in a cake shop. I could chat to people and have a laugh. I loved it there. But it closed when the owner moved away, and I went back to my old ways. It's easy, you see. I've been married twice and they both failed. Maybe I pick the wrong type of man to marry. The right type of man doesn’t want to marry me anyway. He just wants to have me for fun.’

Lily blew her nose loudly.

‘I noticed a few days ago that there’s a job vacancy in a café in Wareham. They sell pies and cakes,’ Sophie said. ‘Your other café experience would be useful. Why don’t you apply for it? It’s near the quayside. You’d need to drive in or get the bus. I don’t know how convenient that would be.’

Lily looked at her suspiciously. ‘Why are you telling me this? What’s in it for you?’

‘I need a spy on the inside to give me advance warning of any expected cream cake deliveries.’ Sophie laughed at the puzzled expression on Lily’s face. ‘Do I have to have a reason, Lily? Can’t you just accept it as a favour that doesn’t have a hidden motive? Anyway, it’s entirely up to you. Take it or leave it.’ She glanced at her watch, then at Rae. ‘We’ll wait until your nanny arrives to take you somewhere safe. Then we must be off.’