Pete had to bark stern words at the intercom to get the gate to open, but within a couple of minutes his tyres crunched on the gravel and they had parked in front of the large oak double doors at the front of the house. Jimmy King stood on the front doorstep. He was wearing a shirt open at the neck, but the rest of his attire was smart, with crisp pleats in his pinstriped trousers and a deep gleam to his shoes.
What are you doing here? he barked.
Good afternoon, Mr King, said Laura, stepping ahead of Pete, guessing that her diplomatic skills would be better than his. We are currently holding your son, Luke, at Blackley police station, and we just need to have a look around.
Do you have a warrant?
Do I need one? It was a clichéd question, but it usually worked.
Jimmy King paused for a moment, and then stepped forward to block Lauras way. Yes, you do, he said, before turning around and walking back into the house.
Laura and Pete exchanged looks, and before she could stop him, Pete was bounding up the steps to the front doors, large and imposing, a stone above the entrance engraved with a motto: Strength in Unity. Pete jammed his foot in just as the door was about to close.
Pete grinned. No, we dont. When Jimmy King stepped back, surprised, Pete continued, Your son is under arrest and we have the authority of an inspector to be here, so we can do it with or without your co-operation.
Which inspector?
Pete shook his head. That doesnt concern you. So its arrest or search. Which do you fancy?
Ive met bully-boys like you before, said Jimmy, his face impassive, his voice cold. You need to remember that its only a job, that youll want to go home at night and forget about it. His look hardened. I dont forget anything.
Pete glared at him. And Ive met plenty like you before, he said, and pushed past him and into the house.
Laura shook her head. She admired Petes style, but she wondered how many complaints he could fend off and stay in the job.
When they went in, Laura saw how unlike a country house it was. There were no panelled walls or dark corners, no oak beams across the ceilings. Instead, the light almost bounced its way around the house as it streamed through large windows and off the gold stripes on the wallpaper. The stairs went up out of the hall and fanned out to both sides of the house. Laura thought she saw a chaise longue at the top, below a large window that streamed light down into the hall. The rooms on either side of her were carpeted in pristine cream, and flowers adorned every spare piece of surface. It made Laura realise how much she had to do in her own home, with so many boxes still unpacked and none of the rooms in colours she liked.
Laura was pulled back to the reason for the visit by Dawsons growl.
Wheres Lukes car, the blue Audi?
Jimmy King stared at them both for a few seconds, and then sat down. I thought this was a search, he said, his fingers together, steepled upwards. So find it then.
Ill show you, said a female voice from the top of the stairs.
Laura looked up and saw a woman in her late fifties, with bottle-blonde hair swept back into a tight wave. She was wearing a yellow jumper, her shirt collar up, and a string of pearls, like a woman who ached to be accepted for what she would like to be, higher up the social scale than everyone else. It was the unpleasant rise to her smile that gave her away, looking down on Laura like she was trying to sell her lucky heather.
Laura glanced towards the pictures on the wall, dominated by a family portrait: the success story with his society wife and his two perfect boys. Luke King was the youngest, and he looked nervous in the gaze of the lens. The woman at the centre of the picture, sitting on a throne-style chair, was the woman now coming down the stairs towards Laura.
Laura smiled. Thank you.
Mrs King nodded as she passed and then walked towards the back of the house, through a large kitchen full of the stainless-steel trappings that looked like they cost as much as Laura earned in a year, and then into a brick-built conservatory filled with wicker furniture and pot plants.
As they stepped into the garden, Laura saw someone watching them from the end of the lawn, a tall, dark-haired man, lean and fit in his jeans and T-shirt. But he headed off to a brick workshop tucked away into a corner as soon as he saw them. Laura watched him as he padlocked it and then headed back to where he had just been, pocketing the key as he went.
Whos that? asked Laura.
Mrs King followed her gaze and then said, Danut, our gardener and handyman.
Danut?
Hes Romanian.
Has he worked for you for long?
Started at the beginning of the summer.
As Laura watched Danut, she noticed how he avoided her gaze, how he seemed suddenly engrossed in putting his tools away.
Hes a good worker, continued Mrs King, seeing that Laura was watching him. Honest, strong, very good with his hands. She looked at Laura. Do you want to question him?
Before Laura could answer, Mrs King waved him over.
Danut, come here.
Danut stayed where he was for a moment, and then began to walk slowly along the lawn. As he got closer, Laura could sense that he was wary of them. When he came to a stop, he looked at Laura and clenched his jaw nervously.
These are two police officers, Mrs King said, and they would like to
Wheres Lukes car, the blue Audi? Pete interrupted sharply, cutting out any prompting.
Danut glanced at Mrs King, who nodded, almost imperceptibly.
The blue car is for valeting, said Danut, his English broken and heavily accented.
Where is it, though?
I just say, I took it for valeting this morning. They wax and polish and I collect soon. He raised his eyebrows. Only twelve pounds, and it come out like from showroom.
When did you take it? Pete barked.
Early. Before nine.
Who asked you to take it?
Danut looked at Mrs King again before answering. Luke. He asked. He said take it for valeting.
Mrs King looked at the floor as Laura made notes. Pete stepped away, his face screwed up with frustration. He turned round quickly. Which valeting place?
Danut shrugged. In town. Small place. I dont know street.
Pete stormed off and headed back into the house.
Where are you going? It was Mrs King, running to catch up. Laura followed.
To search your sons room. Pete began to look around him when he reached the hallway, deciding where to go. Are you going to show me where, or do I have to go through every room?
Laura saw how Mrs King looked dejected for a moment, an instant of weakness that passed in a second, and then she hurried after Pete, catching him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
Ill show you Lukes room, she said quietly. Laura noticed for the first time that the rims of Mrs Kings eyes were red, as if she had been crying, and she detected a tremor in the womans hands.
As she passed through the hallway behind the others, Laura saw that there were no other family pictures on the wall, and as she glanced into the rooms she couldnt see any in them either. There were some country views, a hillside and a lake in one, an old hunting lodge in another. It seemed like the family didnt celebrate the ordinary things, the laughs, the unexpected moments. It all seemed too orderly. She could hear Jimmy King hissing into a telephone.
Pete and Laura followed Mrs King up the stairs. As they got to the top, Laura looked out of a large window. She saw Danut staring up at the house.
What are we looking for? whispered Laura to Pete.
Last nights clothes, if we can find them, and check out the sheets and towels. Bag them and tag them.
Anything else?
Pete almost smiled. Dont forget we are missing two eyes and a tongue. They would be useful.
As Mrs King opened the door to Lukes room, she stepped to one side.
Do you want to keep an eye on us, to make sure youre happy with what were doing? asked Pete. It was partly a dig, but Laura wasnt sure Mrs King got it.
Mrs King shook her head and stepped away, looking at the floor.
No, go ahead.
They walked into a room that seemed to belong more to an adolescent than someone Lukes age. There were posters on the wall, some rock bands Laura didnt recognise, with a large television in one corner and a games console underneath, along with game boxes scattered on the floor. Next to the television was a cabinet filled with DVDs. Laura cast a quick eye over the titles, but they seemed mundane. A few slasher movies and Far East martial arts titles, but the rest were recent classics and Simpsons box sets.
They carried on looking, going through drawers and bookcases. There were computer disks and comics, and science fiction figures all around the room. They found diaries, and those were bagged up along with the computer disks. But nothing unusual.
Laura stood by the computer. It was on, a screen-saver showing a series of Star Wars images in a constant loop. She jiggled the mouse and was greeted by the welcome screen, partially obscured by the password box.
She looked over at Pete, who had his hands in a drawer.
Anything yet?
He shook his head. Nothing, but maybe he keeps things hidden.
Any sign of girlfriends in here?
Not a thing. No porno, but no photos or love letters. Youd expect one or the other.
Dont judge everyone by your standards.
Laura looked out of the window and saw Danut still looking up at her. She stopped for a moment and studied him, trying to work out his interest. He noticed her looking and turned to walk away. As he went, his head was down, his pace slow and deliberate. Laura made a mental note to find out more about him.
She turned around when she heard someone else come into the room. It was Jimmy King, and he had a telephone in his hand and a smirk on his face.
Its your inspector, he said.
Laura and Pete exchanged glances before she took hold of the phone. Hello. DC McGanity here.
This is DI Egan.
Laura pulled a face at Pete.
You have to leave the King house now, continued Egan.
But sir, you gave us consent, Laura protested.
Its withdrawn.
What about the things weve collected?
Anything incriminating? When she didnt answer immediately, he barked, Leave them, and then the phone went silent.
Laura handed the phone back to King, who smiled at her. And she knew what it meant, that he had the power.
Pete almost knocked King into the doorframe when he walked out of the room. King glared at him angrily. Laura smiled now. She knew that the best weapon was patience. If Jimmy Kings time was due, then it would come.
I scanned the grounds with my camera, said a silent thanks for zoom lenses, and I saw why the garden looked so good. As I looked through the lens I watched a young man walk across the garden. He went towards some concrete outbuildings at the end of the lawn. When he got there, he had a look back towards the house and then slipped into a garage-type building, rectangular pale concrete, with green double doors at the front. I got some shots and then turned back to the house.
I was starting to feel stiff when I saw movement by the front of the house. I raised the camera and zoomed in. It was Laura again.
I saw Jimmy King walk with them. It seemed like he was making sure they left quickly.
I took pictures until Laura left, and then I checked my pocket for the number I had jotted down. One call to some old contacts at the local paper had got me Jimmy Kings home number.
A woman answered. She sounded terse.
Good morning, I said. Im Jack Garrett, and Im a reporter. Do you have any comment to make on the arrest of your son?
There was silence. And then the phone went dead.
I jumped down from the tree and started to walk back to my car, feeling pleased with myself. Even no comment is sometimes worth reporting.
Chapter Fourteen
As Pete swung the car into the police-station yard, he muttered, Today is turning into a fuck-up.
Two suspects, sighed Laura. One we cant find, and the other is about to walk.
Bad management, said Pete, and he started to smile. He brought the car to a halt in front of the station and jumped out. Cmon, bring your rags with you.
Laura followed Pete towards the back entrance of the station, holding two large clear exhibit bags, one containing old valeting rags, the other filled with the tissues used to wipe clean the car interiors. It had taken a few circuits of town to find the car valeters, but then she had seen the Audi parked on the street. The owners of the firm were more than happy to help, although the way some of the valeters melted into the spray mist made her think that not all of them declared their earnings. She didnt ask any questions. That was a fight for someone else.
Just before she got to the door, ready to swipe her way in, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she checked the display she saw that it was Jack. That made her nervous. She was on the first day of a murder investigation, and he was calling far more than usual.
Hello, she snapped.
Pete raised his eyebrows as Laura listened, and he saw how she softened during the call. She was smiling when she snapped her phone shut.
Good news?
It was Jack, she said. Hes bringing Bobby down to meet me after work.
Pete winked at her. Maybe the day isnt turning out that badly.
They walked to the Incident Room together, and they detected a sombre mood.
Whats wrong? asked Laura.
The preliminaries have come in from the post mortem, someone said, an eager young detective.
Go on.
Jess was tortured. She was alive when she lost her eyes and tongue.
Laura took a deep breath. So more than just trophies.
Seems that way. They were taken out by something sharp, though, almost surgical. There were nicks on the bone around the eye-socket where the blade scraped it.
Laura winced. And she guessed that her time with Bobby would be briefer than shed hoped.
She hardly cried out.
The voice woke Sam up quickly. He must have fallen asleep. He looked around, scared for a moment as he wondered where he was. Then, as it came back to him, he rubbed his eyes.
He was in a cell with Luke, as they waited for Egan to decide what he was going to do. Sam could have waited outside, or even back at his office, but he knew how cops like Egan operated. He knew there were too many casual conversations with prisoners, just little asides, hints that their lawyer might be wrong.