Their Lost Daughters (DI Jackman & DS Evans #2)(45)
He pointed to a shadowy dark square and a series of grey circles and lines. ‘This is what they were after. The archaeologists believed that there was an ancient Roman villa on the spot, and this data supports their theory. They then widened the geophys to see what else might be there, but someone pulled the plug on them, and it never happened.’
Marie felt a surge of excitement. ‘And their data actually covered part of Windrush?’
Gary picked up a batch of paperwork. ‘Yes, right up to the walls of the house on the marsh side.’
Jackman looked over Marie’s shoulder. He frowned and jabbed a finger onto one of the maps. ‘What’s this area here?’
‘Is that one of the areas that is being redeveloped?’ asked Rosie.
Jackman unfolded the plans Andy had given him. ‘No. All the renovation and new building will take place immediately in and around the house itself. The old stores and the barn area that you are looking at are bordered on this plan by a thick green line.’ He squinted at the legend in the bottom right-hand corner of the map. ‘Green box indicates Stage Three Development. Work proposed. See attached addendum.’ He unfolded the rest of the papers. ‘And no attached addendum.’
Marie drew in a breath. ‘That probably means there are no plans for that spot for the foreseeable future.’
‘Then it could be a pretty good place to hide someone,’ Jackman said. He turned to Gary. ‘Can you actually read those geo-fizzy things?’
‘Not with any accuracy, sir. We could easily be looking at the foundations of earlier structures on that site, a barn or something like that.’
‘Then we need an expert.’
‘And I believe I can help you there, dear friend.’
They all turned around. Rory Wilkinson was standing in the doorway.
‘Sorry. I’ve been earwigging on your fascinating conversation. It just so happens that I’ve an old friend at the university that knows a lot about all this. He is an archaeology student, but don’t be fooled by the “student.” He’s been on digs all over the world, and he’s doing a paper on the use of various non-invasive technologies in archaeology. His name is Ted Watchman. You’ll like him.’ Rory pulled out his phone. ‘And it will be my great pleasure to secure his services for you.’
Jackman nodded briskly. ‘Brilliant! Ask for his help and, Rory, do stress the importance. This girl is still missing, but she might just be alive.’
‘Consider it done.’ Rory talked for a few minutes, then turned to Jackman. ‘Should he meet you here, or at the site?’
‘Tell him to go directly to Windrush. We’ll meet him there.’
*
Jackman and his team arrived at the old sanatorium before their new recruit.
With a shiver, Jackman hurried back into the foyer and saw the dark figure of Micah Lee watching them from his tiny porter’s room. He seemed to be concentrating on Marie in particular, and the look on his face was one of utter hatred.
Halfway across the hall, Jackman turned and stared back at Lee. It took considerable resolve to hold a gaze of such intense loathing. Eventually Lee broke off and looked away.
Max’s phone rang as Jackman hurried over to rejoin the team. He listened and pulled a face. ‘The fire chief is trying to locate a heat-seeking camera. They share one with several other stations but it’s not on base at present. Same old story, no bloody money for anything these days. He said he’ll ring me when he finds one.’
He put away his phone. ‘Sir, with all this going on, I forgot to tell you that I contacted Stefan, the interpreter. There is one possible missing woman. Her name is Aija, Aija Ozolini. She’s not Polish, she’s Latvian, and she definitely uses a different name when she’s around English-speaking people. He’s still trying to find out what that is.’
Jackman’s heart beat faster. ‘Has she been missing long?’
‘She’s not been officially reported missing at all, but her community is definitely worried about her. And the timing fits like a glove.’
*
They wandered over to the place where the maps showed unidentified marks beneath the ground.
The area behind the storehouses consisted of flat concrete and scrubby, tired grass, surrounded by wind-blasted shrubs, brambles and weeds. Even the old barn and storerooms seemed lacking in character compared with the house, which although decrepit, was impressive in an aging Victorian Gothic style.
‘This is definitely a spot worth checking out when the prof’s mate gets here.’ Gary stared down at the geophysical map. ‘Nothing to show on the surface, though.’
They all looked around.
‘Nothing at all,’ said Rosie, sounding disappointed.
Max kicked impatiently at some loose shingle. ‘This place is bleeding miserable.’
Marie sat on a low stone wall, a little apart from the others, and stared out across the wetlands. How different the place felt from when she had been there as a young copper! There had always been an air of mystery to it, but it was a very old property, where many people had died over the course of the years. It had been a hospital too, after all. Stories about the place had been passed on, changing and being embellished, until they became part of folklore. When she was on her course, Marie had revelled in these stories, but today the place had a different feel to it. Marie was a down to earth, no-nonsense woman, but even she felt as if something dark and unwholesome had draped itself over the old building and all the land around it.