Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(43)

‘Odd: a bully but also very creepy,’ replied Willis. ‘He had a habit of looking me over – a lot. Not something people usually do when you’re there to talk about a case of an abducted child.’

‘Fresh blood in the village,’ Carter laughed. ‘Human sacrifices and all that.’ He laughed till a coughing fit stopped him. ‘What about Towan?’

‘He’s like his dad – creepy.’

‘I have the feeling Mawgan will be getting it in the neck now from Stokes. He seemed quite surprised to hear her talk like that. Towan’s weird with his sister too – too touchy-feely,’ agreed Carter.

‘I feel sorry for Mawgan,’ Willis said as they sat staring ahead at the sky. The sun was setting behind the Penhal headland and its lion’s head silhouette was black against the wispy purple streaks of cloud and drifts of deep orange. The sky was ablaze. ‘Looks like there’s no mother on the scene.’

‘She may have lived like this her whole life,’ Carter said. ‘Do you think you’re similar?’

‘If I lived like her,’ Willis contemplated, ‘I’d be tempted to kill more than the sow.’

‘I know you would.’ Carter grinned. ‘So,’ he resumed, ‘they all had a kind of relationship going with Jeremy Forbes-Wright.’

‘Stokes as a letting agent just doesn’t work,’ added Willis. ‘Can you imagine him doing meet and greet with a bunch of foreign dignitaries?’

‘It was a personal arrangement with JFW then?’

‘Had to be. What’s his angle?’

‘I think it’s the house again, after all, we know he’s trying to buy it with Raymonds.’

‘That house must have something very special about it.’ Willis checked her phone. ‘That’s Lauren, she’s ten minutes away. What do you want her driver to do?’

‘Tell him we’ll arrange a pick-up from Penhaligon police station and then ring Pascoe for me. The driver can stay the night in Penhaligon. I don’t want to swamp the place with Met officers unless we have to. I’ll drop you at the house. I’ll go and book in at the hotel.’

‘Guv, I need to file a report about the incident today. Someone tried to kill you.’

Carter pulled up at the gate and switched off the engine.

He nodded. ‘I’ll ring Robbo when I leave you.’ Willis got her bag out of the boot.

‘I’ve got the times of everything in my notebook.’ Willis came round to talk to Carter at his window. ‘We can’t ignore it.’

‘No, but I don’t want it to get in the way of things. I don’t want it to be a distraction. But you’re right; we’ll file a report on it. We’ll start asking questions.’

Willis lingered at the driver’s side. ‘I think it’s safe to say we’re not wanted here.’

Carter shook his head and looked non-committal. ‘Could have been a local loony, Eb, who knows?’

‘Local loonies tend to hang around and laugh at you,’ she smiled.

‘Yeah, you’re right. Talk to you later, Eb.’

Willis watched Carter drive away and pulled the gate back ready for Lauren. She phoned Pascoe. He told her to send the driver down towards the car park and he’d be picked up from there.

Willis stood on the driveway, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, listening to the sounds of the countryside. There were no houses visible, no streetlights. She could not see the shops below, or the common that lay behind the house and to the back of the shops. A high wall marked the edge of the property to her left. The evergreen pines all around were an effective screen. Now that the sun had set it was just her and the house that stood eerily quiet. She knew as soon as she saw the house that it reminded her of a children’s home she had been in. And the darkness completed her memory of one home in particular – in Wales. There had been isolation there, the countryside all around. This was the same kind of darkness. She breathed in the smell of the sea to centre herself, to remind herself how far she’d come from those days.

She listened to the waves crashing on the beach below. A noise at the left side of the house drew her attention. The sound of something moving there. She strained to see what it was. As she took a few steps towards the sound and shone her phone torch into the area, the bin storage, a badger reared onto its hind legs and Willis took a step backwards. She looked around her for a stick or something to scare it off with, but headlights in the driveway were enough and it was gone.

The police driver pulled in and switched off the engine. Lauren got out of the car and seemed grateful to see Willis. Willis had a chat with the driver. He took out his bag from the car and said his goodbyes as he walked off, closing the gate behind him. Lauren stood looking at the house, her bags and the dog cage on the ground beside her.

‘Do you want a hand to bring anything in?’ Willis asked, as Lauren seemed hesitant.

No, it’s okay, thanks, I can manage.’ She looked apprehensive.

‘It has already been searched,’ Willis said, and instantly regretted the way it sounded.

Lauren nodded her understanding. She stood by her car and looked around her in a daze.

‘Not how I imagined it. It’s big – very grand, but not very pretty.’

‘It’s lovely in the day. Well, it’s less stern anyway. You brought the dog?’ Ebony was pleased to see Russell.