Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(94)

‘Pascoe, we need to know what investigation was made into the disappearance of Ella Simmons in 2000.’

‘Yes, I brought the file on it.’ He stood and went to the corner of the room where he’d put his belongings brought over from Penhaligon police station. ‘I’ve made you both a copy.’ He handed them out. ‘Raymonds was in charge, of course. That means we cannot be sure of any real investigation. It looks thorough, on the surface; they had a possible sighting of her hitching up on the dual carriageway.’

After five minutes’ reading Carter sat back in his seat and shook his head in disbelief. Willis glanced up at him and spread out the pages from the file. She picked up the photo of Ella.

‘I don’t think she ever left here,’ said Willis.

Carter looked at her and felt a chill reach down his spine.

‘Right, that house gets pulled apart,’ he said. ‘We need to know which parts of it have been redone and at what time. We’ll rip up floorboards to get samples.’

‘Will this find Samuel?’ asked Pascoe.

Carter sat back in his chair to think.

‘If we think Kensa took Samuel then we give her what she wants to get him back.’

‘Which is?’ asked Pascoe.

Willis answered: ‘Justice.’





Chapter 41


Raymonds drove into Penhaligon to see the bank about the life insurance he’d taken out on Martin Stokes and then he phoned Towan.

In the background Raymonds could hear a squeal of a piglet and the grunt of a large sow. He heard Towan’s breathing as he walked outside to talk in private.

‘How far have the forensics got?’ Raymonds asked.

‘They’ve been through the house, cordoned off Dad’s room with tape.’

‘How are you holding up?’

‘Just waiting to go down to the village for the police interview this evening.’

‘The best thing is for you to say nothing.’

‘I’m relying on you to bail me out if they should try and pin Dad’s death on me.’

‘They have no evidence. Besides, there was everybody coming through there at that time and the rain has begun to flood the lower lane. Soon any scrap of evidence they did have will be washed away.’

‘What do you think they’ll ask me?’

‘They’ll ask you about your relationship with the old man. Everyone knows that was pretty testing at times. It’s no good lying and saying it was good.’

‘There’s more people than me with good reason to kill him.’

‘Yes, that’s the main thing to keep in your head.’

‘Except they’ve not been inside with GBH before, and I have.’

‘While you’re up at the house you need to keep searching for your dad’s ledger. The old man was tight with money. Every penny was traceable from the farm. Somewhere there’s a list of men who stayed at Kellis House and what they paid your dad for, what service they got. It won’t take much to work it out, then we can make a few phone calls and get some more money in. We buy the house and the empire continues. It’s a real shame Martin won’t be here to reap the benefit. He must have really pissed someone off to make them do that to him. You need to have a word with Mawgan. I think she could have stolen the contacts book.’

‘I’ll get it off her if she has.’

On his way back Raymonds drove round to the village and as he passed the shops he slowed right down so that he could check on who was where. The Surfshack was closed again. People would think Marky was taking the piss. This was his chance to make something of himself. Useless piece of shit.

He parked up behind it. There were four police cars in the car park. He watched them knock at the farm shop, which was closed.

Raymonds crossed over and asked the officers if they would like him to open up for them, as he had keys to all the shops in the street. As he talked to them in the middle of the road he glanced across to Mary-Jane sipping tea behind her desk. He smiled. She averted her eyes from him and he smiled to himself. Those nails of hers . . . he watched them tap against one another on the desk – sharp as claws digging into his back. He finished talking to the police officers and walked along to Mary-Jane’s shop. She was decorating the window. She turned her back on him and he stood there looking at it for a few minutes. Her slim frame would break beneath him. Her sharp tongue would slice into his flesh, if he let it. She waited. She knew he was watching. He coughed, moved on. He walked down to Cam’s café.

‘Espresso, and make it a double.’ Raymonds watched Cam prepare his coffee. ‘Did you hear about Martin Stokes?’ he said almost under his breath.

‘Yes. The police came in earlier.’

‘Thought they must have.’ Raymonds held eye contact for a few seconds and then sniffed loudly as he picked up his coffee and took it across to the window seat. ‘When I allowed you back here, Cam, it was because I respected you. There was something I admired in the way you coped with everything when you were young. You moved away and that took guts too. Okay, it didn’t work out so well for you, but you’re not a quitter and you came back and set up this. What a great place you have here, Cam.’

Cam nodded but he didn’t smile.

‘You’re getting stronger here by the day. How’s it been going?’