Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(74)

Inside the cottage Willis could hear Lauren tapping on her keyboard. The sound came from the lounge.

‘Lauren? You okay? Sorry I’ve been so long; we need to try and get around to take a statement from all those people at Jeremy’s funeral. What are you doing, working?’

‘I’m doing what you suggested – I’m researching the land all around here and looking for possible places where Samuel could be. I don’t understand why the search parties are not looking for him down here in the village.’

‘We have helicopters out and searches in the remote areas around the cliff. We are searching, I promise. We need to handle this community with kid gloves, Lauren. The harder we squeeze them, the more tightly knitted they become. But we are making cracks in their armour. They are beginning to turn on one another. We will get the truth.’

‘What about Kensa, what about what she said? She seemed so certain that she’d seen Samuel.’

‘We’re looking into it all. Kensa has been sectioned a few times.’

‘I suspect she never even got counselling for what she went through. Since I found that out about Kensa it explains a lot about Toby. I can see how frightened he is now of being accused of anything. He’ll say anything to get himself out of trouble. He says he blocked it out, that he never remembered it at all. But it makes me feel that I don’t know him at all. If he did that to another human being, could he harm Samuel?’

‘Did you know about his close friendship with his workmate, Gareth?’

She shook her head. ‘I feel like he couldn’t confide anything in me.’

‘Lauren, why don’t you get your coat? You can bring your phone and continue researching. You can get out and have a bit of a walk while we’re talking to people? Bring Russell.’

Outside in the car, Carter was on the phone. He looked at Willis as she came out with Lauren.

‘Lauren’s coming along for the ride.’

‘Okay, no problem. As long as you don’t mind waiting around a bit?’

‘No, that’s all I’m doing at the house anyway.’

They drove past the field where Kensa’s caravan was and up over the brow of the hill. The farmland stretched down towards the sea to the left and to the right the road wound round, fenced in by high hedges as thick as the lanes they bordered. Occasionally gateways opened up and then the countryside spread out in hills.

‘There’s a sign for Stokes’ farm on the left,’ Willis said as they passed a small crossroads where the road turned right into the nearby market town of Wadebridge or on to a fishing village along the coast. ‘We go down this way – I want to go back to the farm.’

They took the track and Willis looked back at Lauren to see her with a map spread out on her lap.

‘This is the cottage where Marky and Jago live.’

They pulled up outside a white-painted workman’s cottage. To the right of it was a dumping ground for cars and farm vehicles.

Lauren got out of the car. ‘Is it okay if I have a wander?’ She held the folded map in one hand and Russell’s lead in the other.

Willis turned to Lauren. ‘Fine, see you back here in about thirty minutes? If we’re out early I’ll phone you.’

Lauren nodded as she set off up the lane.

The door to the cottage opened and Marky stood stripped to his waist.

‘Sorry, were you showering?’ said Carter. ‘Can we have a word?’ Marky stepped back from the door.

Carter looked at the machines waiting for repair beside the house. ‘So, which one do you drive? You starting a collection of old farm machinery?’

‘I drive the Suzuki jeep,’ Marky replied. He didn’t look happy. ‘The rest I look after for the farm.’

‘Which one has this space?’ Willis asked as they stood in front of a car-sized gap and different tyre prints.

‘That’s Mawgan’s car, she parks it here sometimes.’

‘Where is it now?’

‘I really don’t know.’

‘Has she asked you to look for it?’ asked Willis.

‘No.’

‘Mind if we come in?’ Carter asked as they followed Marky back into the house. Inside the cottage it was dark and smelled of unwashed boys mixed with the ripe smell of farm.

‘Are you going to open the shop again today?’ asked Carter.

He shook his head. ‘This time of year – most of my time is spent making and mending surfboards.’

Carter looked at Marky as he began searching through the washing pile. He saw a rolled note coming out of a pair of trousers. Marky hastily covered it up.

‘You must get on well with the Stokes family to rent a cottage and a workshop space from them?’

‘I help mend the farm machinery in exchange for renting the workshop. Jago’s just moved in with me.’

‘You’re a mechanic then as well – very impressive.’

‘Look, we already spoke this morning? I need to get on.’

‘Yes, and then we spoke with Jago. Perhaps you have too? Did he just phone?’

‘Yes.’

‘I bet. You want to get your stories right, I expect.’

‘We don’t have any stories.’

‘What about the fact that you sat in a service station for half an hour. The same service station where an item of Samuel Forbes-Wright’s clothes was found.’