Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(115)

‘We got him, Eb, well done,’ Carter radioed.

‘That’s great, guv.’ Willis rolled onto her side to try and breathe freely. She wiped the sweat and dust from her stinging eyes.

‘Your turn now, Eb, don’t hang about.’

There was the sound of the bales shifting above her, the squeak of straw sliding on straw.

‘I’m too big to make it through this last section, guv.’

‘The bales are shifting. There might be a chance then. Get ready.’

Willis looked behind her. Her exit was completely cut off now. There was nowhere to go. She grabbed the car seat and pulled it against her chest.

Carter looked around as the rope round Ebony’s waist was yanked out of Jeanie’s hands and sucked into the tunnel as bales began to tumble inside and the cracks in the structure began to widen.

‘Come on, Eb, it’s collapsing. You have to try now.’

Willis saw her chance as she crawled forward on her stomach and squeezed through. But then the gap was gone. She opened her mouth to scream as pain hit her and bales began crushing her from above, but her lungs had no space to expand. Her vision became a view of the starriest night she’d ever seen, and then there was only blackness.





Chapter 52


Carter waited for the air ambulance to take off, watching its lights disappear into the dark sky. He walked back across the field and stood in the lane outside the barn, leaning against the cold metal roof of his car as he stretched his shoulders; he’d pulled a muscle trying to get Ebony out. He’d never felt so done-in, in all his life. The exertion of pulling off the bales and dragging her from underneath, the exhilaration and relief to find her still breathing, alive, was utterly exhausting. She was unconscious when they’d stretchered her off with Samuel. Lauren and Toby went with them.

Jeanie came up behind Carter and touched his arm to make him turn round. She held out her arms and hugged him.

‘She will be all right, Dan.’

‘I bloody hope so.’

Jeanie stood back to look at him.

‘Are you okay?’

She held his face in her hands. He closed his eyes and had such an urge to kiss her out of: relief, adrenalin, gratitude, he didn’t know which. He was grateful when Pascoe came out to speak to him.

‘What shall we do with Cam Simmons?’

‘It’s late and he’s been through enough today,’ replied Carter. ‘We’ll give him a lift home.’

‘Are you headed back to interview Raymonds?’

‘Yes, he’s been in there for hours. He’s going to be madder than a wasp in a jar,’ replied Carter. ‘I’m looking forward to enlightening him on a whole host of local issues.’ He looked at Jeanie.

‘I need to drive to the hospital in Truro and see that Lauren and Toby are okay,’ she said. ‘I’ll keep you informed about Eb. They might let me see her.’

‘Give her my love. Will you stay over there?’

‘I doubt it. There’s room for me at one of the B&Bs here. I’ll text you later.’

Carter got a call from Sandford.

‘I’m back at the hotel. How’s Eb?’

‘Just taken off in the chopper. We don’t know anything yet. I’ll see you back there. I need a stiff drink after the day I’ve had. What’s happening at the farm?’

‘Leonard has taken over there now. There was a large quantity of the white stuff in some surfing bags near the body.’

‘Yeah, a little project Marky and Jago were working on. Any dealer who killed him would have taken the drugs. This was a personal matter then.’

‘There’s plenty for Leonard to look over here,’ said Sandford. ‘There was quite a fight and there are shoe prints leading to and from the field. It doesn’t seem like any attempt was made to cover it up.’

Pascoe got a lift with Carter as he handed back the police van to his colleague.

The cliff top area was still cordoned off. They had to drive the long way round to get to Cam’s cottage.

‘Thanks for your help, Cam,’ said Carter. ‘We will need a statement from you tomorrow. Will you be all right here on your own tonight?’

Pascoe interrupted.

‘I’ll come back and see you in an hour or two if that’s okay? I pass this way on my way home.’

Cam thanked him and hesitated as he was getting out of the car.

‘I want to make a full statement about the abuse I suffered as a child. I want people in this village to know that Raymonds never once intervened. He knew it went on and he allowed it to. I came back here to expose him. I came back here to try and make a life for me and Mawgan and to help Kensa. I can at least achieve part of that.’

After they left Cam, they drove down towards the beach. As they came level with the car park, Pascoe told Carter to pull over. Raymonds’ Ford Cortina was in the car park. It was crushed front and back. Towan was standing beside it smoking a cigarette.

Carter flicked the lights on in the police station as they led Towan in. He smelt of booze.

‘I’ll put him straight in the interview room,’ said Pascoe.

‘I’ll check on Raymonds,’ Carter replied.

‘Tell him I remodelled the old Silver Fox,’ Towan shouted out as he was led away by Pascoe.