Bad Sister(91)

Connie winced. She’d no idea her reputation had spread as far as Manchester.

‘How did Flint carry this out?’ she asked.

‘Obviously he had help on the outside – his dad was the one who got everything in place, linked it all up. The man had a lifetime of people who owed him favours. Or were scared to death of him. Flint didn’t know I was aware of so much, he thought I was only interested in what he could do for me.’

‘Which was?’

‘You have to understand, I was due to be released within months and I had no one. All I ever wanted was to fit in, Connie, you know? I wanted a family. I’d heard on the grapevine that Jenna had helped put away some gang members – drug-related offences. I just wanted to find her. Be some kind of family again. Anyway, she was in witness protection and the hope of finding her, slim. That was Flint’s side of the deal – get me to Jenna. And he knew the right people, had already made good contacts. A shame I was too late.’ He turned his face away from her.

‘Good contacts?’

‘Yeah. Do you know how many prison officers, police, other officials take backhanders? How many are willing to take a cut to turn a blind eye, or get you information?’

There was no need to answer. While she’d been at Baymead a number of officers had been suspended for allowing prisoners to have contraband items; a few had even got prison sentences for smuggling in drugs and mobile phones. She could certainly believe there were corrupt officers both in the prison and police service – it was a problem that had been reported to be on the rise.

The pieces of the puzzle were slowly fusing together, creating the most hideous picture, with her at its centre. She didn’t want to hear any more. It was the police’s job to wrap this up.

‘You have to tell the police this, and tell them where they can find Flint.’ She stood up and opened the door, ready to call DC Clarke upstairs.

Brett’s hands flew up. ‘No way. I’m the last person who’s going to drop someone else in the shit, send them to prison again and ruin their life, and on what evidence? My story? It’s circumstantial, Connie. Look, I’ve been there. I’m not going to be a party to it. You won’t get me to grass him up. If you want Flint for this, you’ll have to fit him up yourself.’

Connie was sure that Lindsay would come through with the hard evidence to connect Flint to the murder. Her job was to get a name, address, a place to start looking for Flint.

‘Okay, I understand that. Can you at least tell me his name, area he lives, anything?’

Brett chewed on the tip of a finger. ‘His name is Aiden Flynn.’

‘Thank you, Brett. I know you won’t tell them all you’ve told me, but you are going to have to speak with the police. They need to rule you out of the murder investigation. It’s likely that DC Clarke will want to take you in for questioning now.’

‘Whatever.’ He pushed up from the chair and stretched his arms high, his hands almost touching the ceiling. Connie got a flash of his torso, a tattoo evident on his right side. Was it a bird? She shook her head and smiled. Would she ever again look at someone with a tattoo and not immediately think they were involved with this case?

‘I’m so sorry things didn’t go the way you planned, Brett. Sorry, too, that your stepmum drew everyone into her lies. Don’t blame Jenna, she was only young herself. She was trying to protect her mum.’

Brett frowned. ‘What makes you think it was my stepmum lying?’

Perhaps she shouldn’t have said that, he’d probably be angry that Connie had been to see her.

‘Er … something she said. I was up that way, so I visited.’

‘Really? That seems to be going beyond the duty of a psychologist. I’m surprised she said anything, she never did to me.’

‘I think it was one of only a few lucid moments. She said she shouldn’t have blamed you, that it was her fault. She’d planned the fire to get the insurance money and it’d gone horribly wrong. She never meant for your dad to die, or for Jenna to have to protect her by lying to the police.’

He snorted. ‘Well, well. Right up to the end, eh?’

‘What do you mean?’

Brett scratched his head. ‘She was always going to protect her daughter over me, wasn’t she? But I’m surprised she kept it up until the end. I guess she’ll take that to her grave.’

‘Take what?’

But Brett turned and walked out without further comment.

Connie sank back into her chair, closing her eyes against the brightness of the room. A headache throbbed at her temples; she rubbed her fingertips in a circular motion with no expectation of relieving it. Too much had just happened, the pain would only get worse. Better to go home before it progressed. Clarke would take Brett into the police station. She’d ring Lindsay, let her know about the conversation she’d had with Brett, and Aiden Flynn would be found.

Maybe this part of the nightmare was coming to an end.





CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE


DI Wade


Lindsay watched as Clarke brought Brett Ellison into the station. Her overall impression of him was that he was a lanky child, unsure of himself, vulnerable. His face though, well, that told a different story – prematurely aged and hardened from his years in the system.

She’d let Clarke and Mack conduct the interview. Until they had Flint – Aiden Flynn – in custody, they didn’t have any evidence to link Brett to the murder. When Mack returned an hour later, he filled her in. Brett had told them the bare minimum about his dealings inside the prison, as Connie had warned them he would. They’d got more from her when she’d phoned in; she’d filled in some of the gaps she knew Brett was unwilling to divulge. Perhaps he’d tell them more later – if Flynn started pinning stuff on Brett, she was sure he’d talk then. Unless he wanted to go back to a YOI.