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  “I won’t be late,” she told Jake. She nodded at Harry, who was playing with his toys. “Don’t stand any nonsense off that one. Bottle and bed, a quick story, then leave him to it.”

  He looked up at her, frowning. “I did think we might talk tonight.”

  “We’d just be going over the same old ground, Jake. I don’t see the point. You know how I feel.”

  “The day is fast approaching when I get in the car and drive away from here with all my belongings in the boot. What will you do then, Ruth? What about me living and working in Sussex, and you doing the same up here? How do we fix that?”

  “We’re not there yet,” she said.

  “You’re going to have to face it soon. We have one huge problem.”

  Ruth was about to answer when the doorbell rang. It was Calladine.

  “Just in time to stop another blazing row,” she whispered, leading the way into the sitting room.

  “I’m off,” Ruth said. She picked up Harry and kissed him on the cheek. “Be a good boy for Daddy.”

  * * *

  Jake kept his eyes fixed on the TV screen. Calladine nodded at him, but there was no response. This was the first time he’d seen Jake like this. Ordinarily, he’d have chatted about the football, something on the news, any old thing. This just wasn’t him.

  He followed Ruth out to the car. “I think Jake sees me as the problem. He probably thinks I’m the one influencing you to stay.”

  “Don’t you flatter yourself. He knows damn well what the problem is. I don’t want to go.”

  “Because of the job?” Calladine asked.

  “Yes, but more than that. I was born in this area. I have friends here, family.” She turned and looked at him. “Why? Don’t you want me to stay? Perhaps you’d like to get rid of me. Get yourself a new partner.”

  Calladine grinned. “Now there’s an idea. One who isn’t so lippy, for a start!”

  “Sorry, Tom. I didn’t mean it. But you see how it is. Jake is moody. He wants it all his own way. I really don’t think he cares about me anymore.”

  “You’re wrong,” Calladine said. “He loves you. He just doesn’t know what to do.”

  “When did you get so wise?”

  “Around the time I got so old,” he said. “Sorry, but we have to talk tactics now.”

  “Tactics won’t work with Jake,” Ruth said.

  “No, I mean for tonight. We mix and mingle. If Erskine is there, I want you to talk to him. He doesn’t know you. Lead the conversation, talk about local events. Get the measure of the man, and see what you can shake out.”

  “Given what we know about him, that’s a big ask,” Ruth said. “I’m pretty nervous. A big function like this, it’s not my usual midweek pastime, you know.”

  “You’ll be fine, Ruth. Think of it as research. We’ll watch Erskine, note who he talks to, listen to what he says. We still have a number of questions still unanswered.”

  “We’re here,” she said. The Leesworth Hall Hotel was a vast, palatial building, right in the centre of Lowermill. “Deep breath, and in we go. Why do I feel as if we’re entering the dragon’s lair?”

  He smiled at her. “I feel the same way.”

  * * *

  Eve rushed over to them the minute they walked in. She looked relieved to see Calladine. “This is torture. After what’s been going on, it’s the last thing I wanted to do. Word has got round that my factory was involved, and everyone keeps asking me what happened. What do I tell them?”

  “Nothing. We haven’t put the case to bed yet.” Calladine bent down and kissed her cheek. “Tonight, it’s work for Ruth and me. We want to meet folk. Is Erskine here?”

  “Miles? Yes, he is. He’s over there.”

  Calladine saw the puzzled look on her face. She didn’t know about his involvement yet. “Take Ruth over and introduce her. Don’t mention that she’s CID. I’m sure that’ll come out later.”

  Calladine looked around. There was someone in particular he wanted to see tonight. And there he was, glass in hand, staring out of the large bay windows. Superintendent Angus Ford.

  Calladine made his move. “Hello, sir. Good turnout.”

  He saw the look of surprise. “I suppose your presence is down to her?” Ford nodded towards Eve.

  Calladine laughed. “If by ‘her,’ you mean my mother, then yes. A mere DI like me would hardly get an invite any other way. It looks like the crème de la crème of Leesworth are here tonight.”

  Ford snorted. “Not so sure about that. Charlatans and villains, a lot of them.”

  “Ah, I see what you mean. There’s one over there, talking to my sergeant. Miles Erskine hides it well, but he’s fast running out of luck.” Calladine intended the observation to annoy, and it worked. There was an instant response.

  “Miles is no villain! He’s a close friend of mine.”

  “Sorry, I forgot. The pair of you are a couple these days, aren’t you? Have been for decades in fact, if the gossip is correct.”

  Ford was evidently struggling to keep his temper. “I don’t see what that has to do with you or anyone else. You’d do well to keep your snide remarks to yourself, Calladine.”

  “Ordinarily I’d agree with you, sir, but you see, Miles Erskine is a person of interest in our current case.”

  “How so? What do you imagine Miles has been up to?” Ford turned and made for the bar, Calladine following.

  “Drugs, kidnap, murder . . . The list is growing.”

  Ford came to an abrupt halt. He spun round and stared at Calladine, his face red with fury.

  “How dare you!”

  Calladine stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, casually regarding his opponent. “We are within a spit of getting a confession from a young man we have in custody. We have Erskine’s car registration, a log of phone calls and texts. The DNA results from evidence we gathered at the scene will confirm it. I’m afraid things are looking bleak for your Mr Erskine.” He smiled at Ford. “You might like to give some thought to your own position, sir. We arrest Erskine and it won’t look good for you.” Calladine turned and walked away.

  He heard his mobile ring, and found a small ante-room where he could take the call.

  It was Julian Batho. “There’s been a break-in at the Duggan.”

  That wasn’t something that happened every day. Security at the Duggan was tight. It had blanket CCTV coverage and a small army of security guards.

  “Anything taken?”

  “Fortunately not. The perpetrators, two masked men, were after the evidence gathered from your two murders. They threatened one of the guards and demanded to know its whereabouts. He took them along to the store. It wasn’t there. The evidence is currently undergoing tests in my lab, and that is locked up tight.”

  “What did they do then? No one got hurt, I hope.”

  “The alarm was raised and they were arrested. The pair of them have been taken to Leesdon.”

  “Thanks for letting me know, Julian.”

  “We’ve now completed all the tests on the samples. The DNA extracted from between the teeth is not that of your victims. That means I have a complete DNA profile for your killer.”

  This was the breakthrough Calladine had been hoping for, but he wasn’t sure if Erskine’s DNA was on record. “Does it match any on the database?”

  Julian paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, Tom. No.”

  Chapter 40

  “Ruth and Miles appear to have hit it off,” Eve said with a smile. “I heard the pair of them laughing, and he’s just ordered another bottle of champagne. I think they’re out on the terrace.”

  Calladine went to join them. The two of them were sitting at a table with another couple. Erskine looked his affable best — joking, and pouring drinks for everyone.

  “Come and join us, Calladine,” he said. “You know Ruth, I believe. She’s a colleague of yours, in fact. We’ve been discussing that piece of land by the canal I’ve been after for development. She’s explained that
there’s water fowl nesting there, so I’ve got to wait. Looks like another project of mine down the tubes.”

  Calladine sat down beside Ruth. “Things bad, Mr Erskine? Is that why you’ve branched out recently?”

  “You won’t rile me, Inspector. I’m not Angus. You really shouldn’t wind him up like that. He has a short fuse, you know. He’s likely to blow a gasket.”

  “I wonder what he’ll do to protect you this time?”

  Erskine laughed. “He doesn’t need to protect me from anything. I mess up, I clean up that mess. Always have, always will. I don’t rely on others to watch my back.”

  The couple who’d been sitting with Erskine and Ruth got up and went inside. “You won’t get away with it this time,” Calladine said. “We’ve made further arrests tonight. They’ll talk, as will the two lads we already have in custody. They’ll soon see sense and tell us the lot.”

  “Rubbish. I’ve done nothing.”

  “The evidence is building. You need to watch your step.” Calladine took Ruth’s arm, and they left Erskine sitting alone at the table.

  “I saw Ford earlier,” Ruth said. “Made me nervous as a kitten. It’s the way he looks at you. He’s weird.”

  “Ford is the one Marilyn told me about — Erskine’s partner. It’s Ford who’s been watching that villain’s back all these years. I bet it was Ford who took that lens too, all those years ago.”

  “That’s really big, Tom. You can’t do anything with the information unless you can prove it. Do you think Erskine is responsible for the Norbury killing as well?”

  “Yes, I do. I think Ford made sure of the outcome. He worked in the background on that case, as did I. But he could easily have influenced both the events and Norbury.”

  “You still need proof, Tom.”

  Calladine sighed. “I know, and it’s doing my head in.”

  “What now? Are we leaving the party?”

  “Two thugs have had a go at the Duggan. They’ve been arrested. I want to interview them as soon as I can.”

  Ruth checked her watch. “It’s nearly ten p.m., you know.”

  “You can go home if you want. I can do it without you.”

  “I’ll come. But I do feel a little overdressed for an interview.”

  Calladine laughed. “I’d say underdressed actually, given that neckline.”

  Ruth slapped his arm. “Cheeky sod. Your phone is ringing again, by the way.”

  They got into his car while he took the call. It was Alice.

  “I rang you earlier but you didn’t answer,” she said. “By the time I got home, my mobile was dead, hence the time it’s taken me to get back. It might be nothing, sir, but I can’t get it out of my head. Just after you left, Superintendent Ford came into the incident room. He asked about the cases. I told him where we were up to and he seemed particularly interested in the evidence we’d collected.”

  “And I know why,” Calladine said. “There’s been an attempted robbery at the Duggan. They were after that evidence of ours.”

  “You think that was down to Ford?” Alice said.

  “Can’t say yet, but leave it with us. With a bit of luck, we should have the whole lot wrapped up soon. Julian now has the DNA profile we so badly needed.” He ended the call and turned to Ruth. “They’re panicking, Erskine and Ford. Tonight’s botched attempt proves that.”

  “We still need someone to talk to us, Tom. A few words, and then we can haul Erskine in.”

  * * *

  The two men had been put in separate cells. Calladine checked the arresting officer’s paperwork and then had a quick peek at each of them.

  “The one in cell five, the tall, skinny one. Do we know him?”

  “Liam Rawlins, sir. Been at it for years. He’s been here before, and done time. Do anything for money that one. But these days he drinks and talks too much. I’m surprised the villains of this parish still use him.”

  “Perhaps they were desperate. Couldn’t find anyone else at short notice.” Calladine looked at Ruth. “I’ll do this with one of the uniforms. You wait in the incident room.”

  “Shout if you need help. Go in there and nail him.”

  “Right, Mr Rawlins,” Calladine began. “What were you after at the Duggan Centre?”

  “Stuff.”

  “You surprise me. They’ve nothing of value in there, nothing you can sell. Did someone put you up to it?”

  “Like who?”

  “I don’t know. Go on, surprise me.” Calladine sat back and regarded him. Liam Rawlins was rough looking, spoke in a gruff voice and coughed constantly. This could be the joker who’d threatened him on his street.

  “If you don’t talk to me, you’ll have to stay with us, I’m afraid. Now you don’t want that, do you? I’m sure you’ve got far better things to do.”

  “Look, copper, whatever this is, it’s got nowt to do with me. I was just helping out a mate. Said he had some stuff to shift.”

  “Rubbish! Someone put you up to it.” Calladine leaned forward. “A bit of a rush job. Had to be done tonight. Am I right? Do yourself a favour. Tell me who put you up to it.” Calladine watched Rawlins struggle with this.

  “He warned me off. Said if the coppers got curious, I was to keep shtum.”

  “It’s up to you, Liam, but the man who put you up to it is going down himself.”

  Rawlins coughed. “I was having a pint in the Wellington when I gets this call. Someone I do the odd job for wants me to get stuff from that lab.”

  “Name?”

  “Can’t say. It’s slipped my mind.” Rawlins said.

  “Okay, have it your way. You can take the rap for drug dealing and possibly murder. Want that, do you? Talk to me and I can help you. Refuse, and you are in the frame for a list as long as your arm.”

  “I ain’t killed anyone,” Rawlins said.

  Calladine said nothing, watching him shift uncomfortably on the chair.

  “I’m not taking the blame for anything other than the robbery tonight. And we didn’t get ‘owt. Done up like Fort Knox that place. Erskine should’ve said.”

  “Erskine? Would that be Miles Erskine?”

  Rawlins coughed again, and nodded. “Rang me. Said the job was urgent. Told me to get some samples from the lab and destroy them.”

  “He’ll be upset that you didn’t do the job, Liam. You’re going to need us to look after you for a while.”

  “Too bloody true. Erskine ain’t someone you cross.”

  “You’ll be fine. We won’t let anything happen to you.” Calladine stood up. “You will give my colleague here a comprehensive statement. Then we’ll make you comfortable for the night.” He looked at the officer. “Get him a cup of tea.”

  * * *

  Calladine returned to the incident room, jubilant. “We’ve got him! I’m about to return to that hotel and bring Erskine in.”

  “Want me to come with you?” Ruth asked.

  “No. I’ll take a couple of uniforms with me. You go home. There’ll be plenty to do in the morning.”

  “Ford won’t be pleased.”

  “Nothing he can do. We have one of Erskine’s little helpers in custody, and he’s spilling his guts. Tomorrow we’ll get a search warrant for that office of his. In the meantime, I’m going to post a uniform on guard there, just in case.”

  “What’s bothering you?”

  “The possibility that Erskine used his office phone to ring Eve. She told me there were many calls. The man isn’t infallible. He might easily have slipped up. If he did, we’ll check the dates and times of the calls against Eve’s mobile data.”

  “Are you going to tell Birch? This is going to affect Ford. She won’t be pleased if you’ve kept her in the dark.”

  Calladine checked the clock. It was getting late. “I’ll have to, I suppose. But I’ll go get Erskine first.”

  * * *

  “I thought you’d left,” Eve said. People still thronged the rooms, jostling and talking loudly.

  “Is Ersk
ine still here?” Calladine asked.

  “He’s in the bar with Angus Ford.”

  “Come on.” Calladine beckoned to the two uniformed officers and they wound their way through the partygoers.

  Calladine had to shout above the chatter. “Mr Erskine. I need you to come down to the station and answer a few questions.”

  “At this time of night? Don’t be ridiculous.” Erskine turned his back.

  “You’re joking,” Ford said. “What do you think Miles has done?”

  Calladine counted the charges on his fingers. “Drugs, kidnap, murder . . . That’ll do for starters.”

  Ford’s face turned red. “You’re testing my patience, Calladine.”

  Calladine ignored him. “Earlier this evening, there was an attempted break-in at the Duggan. One of those involved has just told me you put him up to it, Erskine.”

  “He’s lying.” Erskine’s back was still turned.

  “Nonetheless, I have questions.”

  “Can’t it wait till tomorrow?” Ford said. “Really. All this fuss on the say-so of some small-time villain.”

  “They were after the evidence gathered from the body of our second murder victim. For that reason, I can’t let it pass. I have to take what I’ve been told seriously.” Calladine waited.

  Erskine looked at Ford and nodded. “Don’t worry, Angus. My lawyer will have me out in no time.”

  Angry. Calladine recalled Ford’s look from the old days, and the name he’d given him.

  “You will speak to DCI Birch when you get to the station. Ask her to come in. I’ll have a word with her.”

  Chapter 41

  Day 8

  It had been a long night. Erskine kept insisting he’d done nothing. First thing the next morning, Calladine had a DNA swab taken from him and rushed it to Julian.

  “Rocco, take Alice and speak to Newton again. Tell him that Erskine’s in custody. Let’s see where that takes us. Has the warrant come through for the search on his premises?” Calladine said.

  Rocco nodded. “Yes, sir, we’re on it.”