Dead Memories (D.I. Kim Stone #10)(75)

‘And your wife?’ Penn asked, gently, feeling the silence of the house.

‘Died five years later. Massive stroke, so we’ve kind of muddled through, Billie and me.’

Penn had a sudden rush of sympathy for this man who had endured too much tragedy already.

‘Mr Styles, if you need someone to take you to see…’

‘Thank you but no,’ he said, shaking his head.’ I just can’t face her, knowing what was… I’m sorry but…’

‘It’s okay, Mr Styles,’ Penn said; although his heart went out to the young woman, barely conscious, lying alone in a hospital bed, he felt the misery emanating from this elderly man.

‘Is there someone I could call to come and sit with you?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m fine, son. What can I help you with?’

‘I’d like to talk to you about a friend of hers. Do you know a man named John Duggar?’

The watery blue eyes sharpened showing Penn the man’s brain was not ageing at the same rate as his body.

‘You don’t think?…’

‘Let’s just say the man is on our radar.’

‘I suppose it would… oh my goodness.’

‘Did they know each other well?’

He nodded. ‘They were together off and on for a couple of years. They met at the pub where he worked. She’d always liked tall men and this one had the added attraction of being an ex-criminal. Except he wasn’t so ex. He was still up to no good even though he’d been given the chance of a decent job. One of the reasons I didn’t like him.

‘I tried to warn her about him but she insisted he’d changed and put his past behind him. She wouldn’t listen and she was earning her own money as a dental assistant, had her own place.’

‘Sounds like she’s a very sensible girl,’ Penn noted, bringing her back into the present. She wasn’t dead.

‘That’s what made it all the stranger at first. It’s like she was blinded by his bad boy image or whatever it is they call it. And then she started to see sense.’

‘Was he ever violent with her?’

He shook his head. ‘Not that I know. He liked to try and scare her but…’

‘Sorry, but I’m not sure…’

‘Let me explain. The first time John got caught for fencing stolen goods she forgave him. Visited him in prison, stood by him and accepted he’d made a mistake. He did his time and got out. Second time he got caught she wasn’t quite so forgiving and started to see what life could be like with a career criminal. She waited until he was out and told him it was over.’

‘And how’d he take it?’

‘Well, it seemed, until Billie started hearing noises late at night and lots of hang-up phone calls.’

‘Did she report it?’ he asked, although they’d found nothing on the system.

‘She had no proof it was him and she thought if she ignored it, he’d get bored and just stop.’

‘And did he?’

‘I don’t think so. She was still getting the hang ups when we spoke a few days ago.’

Penn sat for a moment and considered what he’d just learned. The man was not given to violence. Strange given the level of death in the case they were investigating, but more interesting to him was one simple truth that stood out.

That when John Duggar was focussed on something in particular, he was not prepared to let go.





Ninety-Eight





‘Storm’s on its way,’ Bryant said, as they parked outside Winson Green. There’d been a few rumbles of thunder and the clouds were gathering. Every other person was looking to the sky expectantly.

‘It’ll probably pass,’ Kim said, heading towards the entrance.

They repeated the process imposed a couple of days earlier and cleared security. They were shown to the visitor’s centre by a sullen officer who offered no conversation en route.

The hall was more crowded than before but her gaze swept the room and easily found one man sitting alone with his head down. She didn’t need the surly guard to point him out and headed through the crowds towards the back. She kept her head held high ignoring the curious glances that never ceased to amaze her, like some kind of sixth sense that there were police officers in the building.

‘Joel Greene?’ Kim asked, sitting.

He raised his head and nodded.

‘You’re not the easiest man to find,’ she said.

‘Well, I ain’t been hiding,’ he said, looking around.

‘I’m assuming you know about your parents?’ she asked.

‘He wasn’t my dad. And yeah, I saw it on the news.’

Kim felt a sadness steel over her.

‘I’m really sorry you had to find out like that,’ Kim said.

‘Yeah, it was shit but I let Gennard know and he sent me to sort some books.’

Kim thought for a minute and then understood what he was saying. This wasn’t a place where you wore your emotions on your sleeve. Gennard had offered him a period of privacy.

‘Your last name complicated matters along with the fact that everyone told us you were away travelling,’ Kim explained.

He smiled sadly. ‘Yeah, my parents used that line every time I got stuck in here.’