Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(43)

‘If she gives you a name then he should be easy to trace.’

‘I know – that’s what I was thinking.’

It was the most animated Carter had seen her for a while. There was an enthusiasm in her now, a spark of excitement. She saw Carter studying her.

‘I know it shouldn’t mean a lot to me, but it does. I would love to know him. He would be in his forties now.’

‘I understand – we’d all feel the same way. But you must be prepared for the fact that this could just be a lie.’

She nodded.

‘I know, but equally the lie could have been told at the very beginning. Maybe he always knew about me, always wondered. Maybe they had something more than a few weeks together. I want to see the photos.’

Carter nodded. He understood that the risk was worth taking for Willis. He also understood that her mother had played a clever hand.

Zoe Blackman called as they were coming out of the pub.

‘How’s it going?’ asked Carter as he took her call. ‘How’s Toffee?’

‘He looks worse to me but they say it’s natural for his face to swell up. I’ve left guard duty now but I’m going to call in for an update once a day.’

‘Make sure no one gets in there.’

‘Yes, sir. Someone is guarding him twenty-four hours a day. He’s safe.’

‘Has Smith been around? Are you getting anywhere with him?’

‘He has been in. He’s opening up a little but he cherry-picks the parts he tells you. He used to be in a mess and his parents bought him the hostel to run. Doesn’t make perfect sense to me. Can’t see how running the hostel is going to provide a good career move for an ex-junkie – I think it’s asking for trouble.’

‘I’ll get Pam to look into the family backgrouind. They must be über-wealthy if they are using the hostel as a tax write-off.’

‘I’m not sure you’d see the whole picture unless you’re inside that hostel. I’m trying to work my way in there somehow, or at least get my mum in there.’

‘If she succeeds – we need her to get on best terms with the volunteers and find out the relationship between Smith and Toffee.’

‘If she succeeds she’ll do what comes naturally and find out all that and more.

‘There was a young woman asking for Toffee. She called herself Martine, said she knew him from the Faith and Light hostel. I tried to talk to her but all she really wanted to do was see Toffee and she wasn’t allowed. She scarpered before I could grab her.’

‘We heard about a Martine when we went to the hostel – we need to find her – she’s one of Toffee’s protégés. She could be just scared without Toffee but instinct tells me she must have something to hide if she scarpered.’





Chapter 23


The next morning Zoe made sure she was called when Simon came into the hospital. She was there within twenty minutes. Simon looked up at her and smiled as she approached.

‘Fancy a home-made brownie?’

Simon stood and picked up his jacket. ‘Lead the way. You said the magic word: brownie.’

Zoe quickly tidied up the front seat of the Corsa and got rid of the crumbs on the seat.

‘Sorry, I never meant to let the kids eat in the car but there we go – rules, huh?’

‘I know – to be broken. Please don’t worry,’ Simon said as he got in and buckled up.

‘Okay. Hold tight . . . only kidding.’ She smiled across at him and thought how, out of the hospital environment, he looked so much more calm.

‘Your mum won’t mind us invading her like this?’

‘No, she needs something to do in the day when the kids are at school. I’m always telling her she should get a job or do some charity work or something.’

A ten-minute drive and they were outside Zoe’s house. Her mum walked past the window and saw her car pull up. She waved. Zoe could see her eyes go towards the passenger seat, checking Simon out.

At the front door she made the introductions: ‘Simon, this is my mum, Diane. Mum, I’ve been bragging about your brownies.’

‘They’d better be good then.’ Diane held the door open to let them in. ‘Come in and I’ll get some tea on. Tea or coffee, Simon?’

‘Has to be tea with brownies.’

‘Absolutely, I agree.’ Diane watched him walk past and then smiled at her daughter. Zoe gave her mum a look that said: ‘Don’t be silly – don’t even think it. I am not becoming a vicar’s wife.’

‘Please, Simon, have a seat.’ Diane put the kettle on as she watched Simon looking around the kitchen. ‘Do you mind sitting in here? It’s the warmest room.’

‘Of course not. Thanks so much for inviting me.’

‘You run the Faith and Light hostel, Zoe tells me.’

‘I do, yes. I don’t cook unless I have to but I’m a mean washer-upper.’

‘And you take the services at the multi-denominational church there?’

‘I do, sometimes. Do you go to the church near here?’

‘Yes. Or rather I did. I haven’t been for a few weeks.’

‘Months,’ corrected Zoe as she walked around the kitchen, folding her son’s clothes from the drying rail.