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  “Oh, great! Now he won’t tell us a thing. How do we find Mia with him out of it?”

  Jed went into the building, returned with a length of rope and proceeded to tie Brough’s hands behind his back. Then he gave him a brutal kicking.

  “Stop it!” Rachel screamed at him. “You’re not getting us anywhere like that.”

  “Perhaps not, but it makes me feel a helluva lot better.” He took a deep breath. “Now we find Mia.”

  “But we know there’s nothing in there, we’ve just come from the place! It’s just another storage facility.”

  “But now we know that Mia has to be here. Why else would he return? It’s a garage. Franklin did up his car in here. He was always working on the engine. He never had a ramp, so he must have had a pit.”

  “A pit? What do you mean?”

  “A hole in the ground to stand in so you can work on a vehicle from underneath. Most garages have them.”

  Rachel shivered. “You mean he’s put my girl in a hole in the ground? How are we going to find it?”

  “Shift these boxes out of the way. There’ll be a cover on the floor somewhere. It’ll have a handle to pull it open.”

  Rachel wondered how long they’d been here. Elwyn should arrive any moment now. She didn’t want him to see Jed, but what choice did she have? Without his help, she’d never have got this far.

  “Found it!” Jed shouted.

  He took hold of a ring-pull type handle and yanked on it. “Light!” he yelled.

  Rachel found the main switch on the wall and turned the electricity on. The place lit up, including a light inside the pit. And there, curled up and still, lay Mia.

  “Is she . . ?” Rachel stared down at her child. Why wasn’t she moving?

  “No. I expect he drugged her.”

  Jed got down into the pit and lifted her carefully out. He laid her on the ground and then leapt out himself. “Where’s that ambulance?”

  Rachel took off her jacket and put it over Mia. The girl was cold. She felt her pulse. It was faint. “Ring them again,” she said.

  Ignoring her, Jed picked up Mia and went outside, making for his car. “It’ll be quicker to take her ourselves.”

  “I can’t just leave Brough here on his own. He might escape.”

  She heard a car. Elwyn was pulling up. “We’ve got her!” she called. “We’re taking her to hospital, Oxford Road in Manchester. She’s alright but needs attention.”

  But Elwyn was staring at Jed. “Glad she’s safe, but what’s he doing here?”

  “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. We need to go.”

  They sped away leaving Elwyn, no doubt, with a shedload of questions. Rachel thought only of her daughter. Right now, nothing else mattered.

  Chapter Fifty-five

  Two days later

  Superintendent Harding was addressing the team. “He won’t stop talking. Alex Brough is not in the least sorry for what he did. Had you not stepped in when you did, Franklin would have ended up as fertiliser for roses. Brough’s only regret is having been caught. He claims to be terminally ill and hoped to spend his last months in his garden.”

  Amy nudged Jonny. “Obviously a psycho,” she whispered.

  “Who? Harding or Brough?” He grinned.

  “DCI King will be back tomorrow. I’m told her daughter is on the mend.” He cleared his throat. “You all did well,” he said. It sounded grudging. “It was a good outcome.” He turned on his heel and left.

  “There is stuff I don’t get, though.” Jonny turned to Elwyn. “How did the boss know where her daughter was, and who helped her with Brough? She didn’t knock him about like that on her own.”

  Elwyn looked up from his desk. “There are some things about this case, DC Farrell, that you may never be privy to. If I were you, I’d leave it at that.”

  “Something juicy, I bet,” Amy whispered. “Elwyn’s not been right since. Did you read the report? How was Jed McAteer involved? What did he have to do with it?”

  Elwyn had overheard. “He was put out at being implicated in Greyson’s murder, and he’d been hounding Rachel for an apology.” Elwyn didn’t know if that was the truth or not, but it was the only explanation that made any sense to him. “McAteer told Rachel that Franklin was a villain, and not the super clean businessman we all thought he was. He knew about Franklin’s drug dealing, and the garage, and he took Rachel there. That was a real tough day for her. All she wanted was her daughter back, and she would have accepted help from the Devil if he’d offered. Thankfully, it ended well.”

  “So it was McAteer who beat up Brough. Why?”

  “How do I know?” Elwyn said. He too had questions about that day. He needed a word with Rachel. “Any more loose ends?” he asked Amy and Jonny.

  Jonny shrugged. “Can’t think of any. We know Franklin went to Brough’s house after he left his office. We found his car in the track at the back of the Broughs’ garden. And, of course, we now know the two of them were brothers. Brough hated Franklin because of the brutal bullying he’d subjected him to when they were kids.”

  “Makes you think, doesn’t it?” Amy shuddered. “I’m not very nice to my brother at times. Perhaps I should try harder.”

  “Brough will get what’s coming to him. Apart from his confession, we’ve got plenty of evidence — Franklin’s body for one, and forensics found his prints on the Kings’ doorbell and in Croft’s house.”

  “He’ll go away for a long time.” Jonny nodded to Amy.

  “Right,” Elwyn announced. “I’m off out for a while. Man the phones and get those reports finished. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  * * *

  “Elwyn! What a nice surprise,” Rachel said. “Come in. I’ll get you a brew.”

  He stood on the doorstep, hesitant. “I’m not sure if this is a social call or not.”

  “Problem?”

  “It’s the McAteer thing. You may have convinced Harding and the team, but not me. There are things that don’t add up. Has McAteer been hassling you?”

  Rachel laughed. “No. In the end he helped me. I wouldn’t have got Mia back without him.”

  Elwyn didn’t look convinced. “I thought he might be the reason you were so preoccupied these last few days. Officially, McAteer was pissed off at being implicated in Greyson’s murder, but we both know he wouldn’t give a damn about that. It’d be water off a duck’s back. McAteer gets the blame for lots of things and lets it go.”

  She laughed that one off too, although not very convincingly. “Come on, Elwyn, what could McAteer be hassling me about?”

  “He came here, didn’t he? It was his car you got into when Jason was doing the forensic search. You nipped off with him pretty quick then.”

  Rachel sighed. Elwyn was a stickler for detail. He would dig and dig, and finally worm his way to the truth. “Please, Elwyn. Just drop it.”

  “I can’t. He’s a villain. He’s involved in big-time crime in this city, and well you know it. So why accept his help without telling us first?”

  “I had no choice. I had to get Mia back.”

  “What made you think McAteer knew where she was?”

  “He didn’t. But he knew Franklin, and he knew about the unit and what was kept there. It was a hunch, that’s all.”

  “I still don’t get it.” He shook his head. “How could he turn up like that, just in time to save the day?”

  Elwyn was looking her straight in the eye. Here it came. She knew Elwyn. He’d have saved the best until last.

  “How did he even know Mia was missing? We hadn’t made any announcements. We’d only just found out ourselves.”

  She’d had it. The strain of these last few days had left her drained and unable to think straight. Rachel clenched her fists and closed her eyes.

  She didn’t want to see Elwyn’s face when she said this.

  “He knew because I told him.” The silence pounded inside her head. “I had no choice. I had to make sure she wasn’t with him.
” She opened her eyes and looked right back at him. “Jed McAteer is Mia’s father.”

  Elwyn’s face gave no hint of what he was thinking. Rachel busied herself making the tea, the clatter of mugs drowning out the uneasy silence. She wanted him to say something, shout, anything. His silence was unbearable.

  “Here.” She handed him a mug.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why do you think? I tell you about my relationship with Jed, and it puts our working relationship in jeopardy.”

  “I’m not that petty, Rachel. What did you think I’d do — go running to Harding? Tell tales?”

  “I’m a DCI for God’s sake. If Jed is ever involved in a crime we’re investigating, it will make things tricky. I might have to take the flak, but I wanted to spare you.”

  “No need. I’m a big boy now.”

  Rachel watched him sip at his tea. “What are you going to do?”

  “Nothing. I certainly won’t tell anyone else. This is your mess, and I’m happy for it to stay that way.” He paused, helping himself to a biscuit from the tin. “But now I understand, and everything falls into place. That’s all I needed.” He smiled.

  Rachel didn’t know how to take that. “Okay. Anything cracks off with Jed in the future and we behave as normal. No special treatment for him or me.”

  “Agreed.”

  “What’s Brough said?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Too much. Some of the detail was sickening. And he’s confessed, so there’ll be no protracted trial.”

  That was a relief.

  “I heard from Jason earlier,” she said. “I’d asked him to find out if Alice Brough had a twin. I wanted him to check the hospital records for me. He did, and she’s been telling the truth all along. She did have a twin brother. He was called Alfie Brough.”

  “So, what happened to him?”

  “I’ve no idea,” Rachel replied. “Someone might ask Brough.”

  “Why would he tell us?”

  “You say he’s confessed to everything else. It is quite possible that he killed his son and wife as well.”

  Elwyn nodded. “You could be right. But where are they?”

  “You have no hunches?”

  She knew the look. Elwyn had an idea. “What is it?” she asked.

  “Something Harding said this morning about Brough’s rose garden. That’s where Brough was going to put his brother.”

  “It’s worth a try. Do you want to ring Jason, or should I?”

  “Does this mean you’re back?” He smiled.

  “No reason not to put my toe in the water. Providing you are okay with it, given my revelation about McAteer.”

  He gave her a sideways glance. “Get your coat. We’ll go and speak to Alice.”

  * * *

  Alice Brough didn’t seem surprised to see them. “You want to search the place again?”

  “No, Alice. This is about your brother and mother. We’ve checked out your story and now we know that you did have a twin. What bothers us is what happened to him.”

  “It’s bothered me for years, but no one has ever taken any notice.” She sighed. “Help yourselves. But there’s not an inch of this place your people haven’t already turned over.”

  “What about the rose garden?” Elwyn asked.

  Alice was silent, a strange look in her eyes. “They didn’t do any digging. But my dad would go out there and he’d be talking to himself. Weird, but I never queried it. I’d heard that some people reckon that talking to your plants makes them grow better.”

  “Our forensic people will bring some equipment and have a look. But they’ll have to do quite a bit of digging.”

  “Do what you like. I hate the bloody roses anyway. He spent most of his free time out there. Barely spoke to me.”

  “How are you doing, Alice?” Rachel asked gently. “It can’t be easy. You’re alone now and this house has some bad memories for you.”

  “You think I can’t hack it?” She stood with her hands on her hips, defiant. “I’ll be fine. I’m back at college next week. Tell Megan I’ll ring her.”

  “I will, but if you need to talk to someone, we can arrange it.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind. But I can’t get away from the fact that my dad’s insane, a serial killer. I doubt I’ll want to talk about that one for some time.”

  “A counsellor would be happy to listen to whatever you tell them. It doesn’t have to be about your dad. Don’t shut people out, Alice.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine, Mrs King. This house is paid for and there’s money enough in the bank. I’m a tough cookie. Please don’t waste your time worrying about me.”

  Epilogue

  Two days later

  “Bones under the roses? That’s just gross!” Amy declared.

  “Two skeletons buried in the garden,” Rachel told the team. “Tests are still ongoing but from their sizes, we think they are Julia and Alfie Brough.”

  “I asked him,” Elwyn said. “He laughed at me. Said they were better off without his wife. According to him, she irritated him beyond measure. Her mood went up and down and she used to hide away for days on end. During her periods of depression the kids went without food and rarely went to school.”

  Rachel frowned. “That’s no reason to kill her. Jason said Julia had numerous broken bones and both had skull fractures. It could have happened post-mortem, but we’ll never know now.”

  “Any evidence of burning?” Jonny asked.

  “Not that Jason can tell.”

  “He insists he didn’t kill his son, says that was down to Julia. He says that one day in a fit of rage, she hit the child. Alfie fell and banged his head. Brough was distraught and so was she. That was when he lost it and killed her,” Rachel said.

  “Not that convincing,” Elwyn said.

  It had been a difficult case. Despite the timescale and the different methods of killing, one man had been responsible for all the deaths. A surprising outcome. If, at the start of it, she’d had to pin the killings on anyone, even though she hardly knew him, Rachel would never have chosen Alex Brough.

  Rachel went back to her office, Elwyn following her. “Celebration?” he asked.

  “Okay. We’ll have a quick one in the pub later. I’ll buy.”

  “Heard from your friend?” Elwyn closed the door.

  “He’s visited Mia a couple of times. He’s been very reasonable, and agreed not to say anything to Alan for the time-being.” She rolled her eyes. “But I’m not daft. He’ll drop that bombshell in time, when it suits him.”

  “Then what?”

  “Alan will be devastated. After all, he did bring her up. I’ll try and make Jed see sense, but it will need a lot of negotiation and that’s what bothers me. Do you know? He’d been seeing Mia for weeks and I knew nothing about it! He was very cautious, and always made sure she took a friend with her. He took her shopping round the Trafford Centre last month, and I never even noticed the new clothes. What sort of mother does that make me?”

  “A busy one. Don’t beat yourself up.”

  “It’s tricky though, isn’t it? Jed will want in and Mia likes him a lot. She’s not daft, the questions will come soon enough.”

  “Explaining how you got involved with one of Manchester’s most notorious villains is the biggy.”

  She sniffed. “He wasn’t a villain when we first met. We were both students.”

  “Can’t imagine you as a student.” He smiled.

  Rachel picked up the cushion from her chair and threw it at him. “Bring that stuff of yours round to ours later, if you want. I’ll make us some supper. I never asked — where are you living?”

  “I’ve got a room at my sister’s. But it’s not ideal and she wants rid of me, so I’m looking for somewhere. Marie has agreed that we sell the house and split the proceeds.”

  “If you get really stuck, there’s always mine. I’ll stick one of the girls next door with Alan.”

  “I hope that villain
never embarrasses you, Rachel. You could go far career wise, but not dragging McAteer’s shadow behind you.”

  Rachel looked at him and shook her head. “Do you think I don’t know that, Elwyn? I just have to hope that he has the good grace to keep off my patch.” She folded her arms and gave him a small smile. “On the plus side, he’ll make a damn good informant. Look at what he gave us about Franklin and the drugs. Never seen the drug squad boss so happy.”

  “I take it you’re no longer thinking of ditching the job?”

  “No. For now I’m fine with things as they are. The jitters were because of Jed and the possibility of having to deal with him, and explain it all to you.”

  “You don’t have to worry about me, Rachel. We stick together. Never forget that.” With that, Elwyn left her to it.

  Rachel was really grateful that Elwyn had taken her involvement with Jed so well. It could so easily have gone the other way. But with that knowledge came future problems that she could only guess at. She flopped down in her chair. There was a mountain of paperwork on her desk and not much time.

  “Head down, girl,” she said to herself.

  THE END

  AVAILABLE NOW BY HELEN H. DURRANT

  THE DCI GRECO BOOKS

  Book 1: DARK MURDER

  Book 2: DARK HOUSES

  Book 3: DARK TRADE

  THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES

  Book 1: DEAD WRONG

  Book 2: DEAD SILENT

  Book 3: DEAD LIST

  Book 4: DEAD LOST

  Book 5: DEAD & BURIED

  Book 6: DEAD NASTY

  Book 7: DEAD JEALOUS

  Book 8: DEAD BAD

  MATT BRINDLE

  Book 1: HIS THIRD VICTIM

  Book 2: THE OTHER VICTIM

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  THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERIES (book 3 features DI GRECO)

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