Deadly Secrets (Detective Erika Foster #6)(63)

Moss shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I told him to do it fast, but he chickened out.’

‘Do you think it’s a bit weird that this woman phones him suddenly, just before Christmas, and announces that he has a son?’

‘Yes.’

‘What do you think her motivation was?’ asked Celia.

‘She wanted him to be part of Kyle’s life… Maybe she wanted some security. He told me she’s been living in Germany, and she was made redundant.’

‘But she actively withheld the information from him for six years.’

‘He almost died earlier this year. And he’s wanted kids for so long.’

‘Do you think she wanted kids? Erika?’ asked Celia, smoothing a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear and starting to clear away the breakfast things.

‘She probably still wants them.’

‘I don’t mean to be horrible, but hasn’t that boat sailed for her?’

‘I don’t know, and I don’t like talking about this.’

‘What? She’s not here.’

‘It feels disloyal. She’s a private person, and a good friend.’

‘I know that, but you can talk to me. It’s not going to go any further.’

Moss leant in and gave her a kiss. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jacob staring up at them.

‘We have a little spy,’ she said. ‘It seems that he needs another good tickling.’

Jacob shrieked in delight and ran away as Moss and Celia chased him around the kitchen table and into the living room, where they collapsed on the sofa and tickled him until he shrieked again.



* * *



When Erika came off the phone with Moss, she looked around at the gloom in Edward’s upstairs bedroom. It was just getting light outside, and through the window, the view of the snowy Yorkshire Dales was just appearing in the blue haze of dawn. The room was a shocking mess, with filthy sheets on the bed. A cracked sash window was letting in freezing gusts of air. The floor was filthy with dirt, and there were tablets scattered over the carpet beside the bed. The power was also off. She came back out onto the landing, where Isaac was just coming out of the bathroom.

‘It’s a complete mess,’ he said. ‘Damp up the walls, black mould, and it hasn’t been cleaned in a long time.’ He held up a clear plastic bag filled with prescription pills. ‘He’s got a whole medicine cabinet filled with old antibiotics, heart pills, blood thinners, statins, and there are antidepressants. It looks like he’s not been finishing the course, or not taking them regularly, because there are several half-full bottles, all repeat prescriptions.’

Erika pulled her coat around her and tried to block out the musty smell. The cottage had always been so warm and cosy. What had happened?

They had arrived late, in the darkness. They had managed to get the wood-burning stove lit, and took a sofa each for a restless night’s sleep.

‘The heating is gas-powered,’ said Erika. ‘I need to find out if the bill hasn’t been paid, or if it’s the boiler.’ They came down the small flight of stairs to the living room. It was a little cleaner here, but there were still dirty dishes over the coffee table. There was a small Christmas tree in the living room, but it was only half-decorated. They went through to the kitchen and found that the sink was overflowing with dirty dishes, and the counter littered with crumbs and scraps of food. The fridge was almost empty, with half a mouldering white loaf, and some blackening carrots in the salad drawer. They jumped as a cockroach crawled out from underneath an upturned saucepan on the draining board and scuttled along the counter.

‘Christ almighty!’ Erika cried, grabbing an old newspaper and whacking the cockroach. They both stared at the squashed body.

‘If there’s one, there could be more,’ said Isaac softly. His thin eyebrows knitted together with concern. Erika threw the newspaper down, went to the phone on the wall, and lifted the receiver.

‘Disconnected,’ she said, looking down at the plug. She put her head down and wiped her eyes. ‘He phoned me over Christmas; he said he was with neighbours and I presumed they were here. I didn’t know he had a mobile phone. I just didn’t know. When I spoke to him on Christmas morning he was confused about a few things, but he seemed fine other than that. I should have asked if he was able to look after himself.’

Isaac reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘You’re here now. We’re here now. Focus on that.’

She nodded. ‘Are you as cold as me?’

‘Colder,’ he said. ‘Let’s get some breakfast and a cup of hot tea. We’ll be able to make plans with some hot food inside us…’ He checked his watch. ‘It’s eight o’clock; visiting won’t start for a couple of hours. We can make plans.’

‘We need to get this place cleaned up, and I need to check his bills… and…’

‘Food, and hot tea,’ said Isaac. ‘Then we’ll make a plan.’





Forty-Five





Moss could see through the glass that the incident room was busy, and she took a deep breath before she went inside. Superintendent Hudson was with her, and when the officers saw Hudson enter with Moss, the room fell silent.

‘Good morning, everyone,’ said Melanie.