Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(105)

Blackman looked at Balik. ‘You’re under arrest.’ She read him his rights.

Carter was called into the lounge area. Two more men were handcuffed and complaining.

‘Sir?’ A call went up from the bedroom. Carter walked into see the officer holding a small jack for a car. Outside, Willis was busy arresting a gang member who’d climbed over the balcony and was trying to make his way to the ground from there. He’d dropped ten feet and had a suspected broken ankle.

Carter came outside to join her – he looked at his watch.

‘That’s a good morning’s work. I’m going back to bed, Eb. If I hurry back, Cabrina may never realize I wasn’t there. Then I’m going to my mum’s for lunch but I’ll be in contact all the time. After what Blackman saw at the hostel we need to consider bringing Smith in for a chat.’

‘I think we should, guv, after we talk to Balik.’

‘Okay, we’ll interview him at three this afternoon and then decide about Smith.’

Carter drove home; it was just gone seven. The house was silent as he took his shoes off and crept up the stairs. He was so tired but his mind was still racing. As he passed Archie’s bedroom door, he could hear him playing in his cot. Carter crept into the bedroom; it had the lovely smell of sleep. He undressed and got in beside Cabrina. He snuggled up to her and for a moment she was irritated because he was so cold and then she sighed and turned to wrap her arms around him.

Willis arrived at work. Robbo was pleased to see her. He had laid out his Haribo in colour groups. Willis knew why. He would allow himself one from each group, every ten minutes or so.

‘Has Harding phoned you, Robbo?’

‘Yes. She wants to chat to you.’

‘Okay, I’ll phone her now.’

‘Be sure she understands she’s not to take over the running of the group. She’s only a spectator.’

‘I’ll tell her. Dr Harding?’

‘Ebony? I’m packed up, just waiting for your call then I’m hitting the road. How long does it take to get there?’

‘You have to allow four hours. Four and a half if you stop for coffee. You have a satnav?’

‘Of course. I should be there by five then. Perfect.’

‘Okay. If you run into any trouble, I’m going to be here in the office. Megan Penarth lives at the end of the village up a lane on the left. Ask in the pub if you can’t find it.’

‘Okay – will do. Now what is my objective?’

‘To observe the other women. We want the truth about their investments. We want to know what Ellerman promised them. We want to know why they’re not keen to tell us anything. But this is the first time, Doctor; the main thing is that they accept you, that they like you.’

‘Why wouldn’t they?’

‘No reason at all. In fact, you must all be quite similar types in some ways; but that’s not always a recipe for friendship, is it?’

‘I get what you’re saying.’

‘Please take care when you’re driving – the roads are icy.’

‘I had them put winter tyres on my hire car – it’s a four-wheel drive; I’ll be fine.’

‘Great. Any problems, I’m here.’

Willis came off the phone to Harding and looked across at Robbo. He was waiting to tell her something.

‘Just got word from Intel. They found evidence that someone had been signing into the Naughties site from one of the hostel’s computers.’

‘How recently?’

‘In the last week.’

‘It can’t be Toffee then.’

‘Is Smith our man?’

‘Looking possible. Smith and Ellerman together? A strange team. Is the only thing they have in common the fact that Ellerman keeps his car there?’

‘Could Smith have taken the car and driven it down to Gillian Forth’s?’

‘I don’t see why not. We need Balik to talk. We can put him in 22 Parade Street when Olivia was murdered; he had the weapon in his house. Harding saw someone matching his description attacking her car the night Lolly got killed and it’s the same instrument.’

‘Where is he now?’

‘He’s in Archway, waiting to be interviewed. Carter is coming back here at three.’

At three in the afternoon, Ellerman packed his bag in the boot of his Range Rover. He was whistling some tune that Dee didn’t recognize. Dee had said nothing as she’d watched him go through the usual ritual. Suddenly he was not interested in redecorating Craig’s room. From breakfast time on he had been coming up with reasons why he might have to leave today: this client, that client. The yachts had hit a problem in production. The client in Devon wanted clarification of this, modification of that.

‘Bye,’ Dee Ellerman said to herself as she watched him go from her place at the window in Craig’s room, standing in the middle of the mess. She watched him go then she turned on the wallpaper steamer and began stripping off the last of the paper.

Mahmet Balik sat opposite Carter and Willis. His lawyer, Chapman, was sitting beside him. Carter asked the questions. But it didn’t matter how many questions Carter asked, he got the same reply:

‘Did someone pay you to go into 22 Parade Street?’

‘No comment.’