Devils way, p.21
Devil's Way, page 21
‘You okay?’
He shook his head,
‘That little body in the blanket. Do you think it’s Charlie Julings? I couldn’t even see if it was a boy or a girl. How does that news reporter know? We’ve literally just seen it happen,’ he said.
‘It must be a leak. A police officer on the payroll of the news. There’s chaos back there with all those people.’
‘Could they have heard on the radio?’
‘It’s virtually impossible to listen to police radio. It’s now digital and encrypted, but these journalists…’ Kate didn’t want to start ranting about her experiences with underhand and devious members of the press. She could see that Tristan was severely shaken.
‘But the short story. How was the story right?’ Tristan said, looking at Kate.
‘I don’t know. And we need to work that out, but we must first get in contact with Jean. If the local news is already asking questions and has Charlie’s disappearance on their radar, I don’t want her to find out when she switches on the TV.’
‘And Joel,’ said Tristan. ‘He got back from his holiday last night, and we haven’t even had the chance to talk to him about the investigation.’
They passed a convoy of three police cars speeding in the other direction with lights and sirens blazing.
They were closer to Tristan’s flat. When they arrived, Tristan’s brother-in-law, Gary, and Sarah were sitting in the living room with cups of tea, watching the early morning news. Leo was dozing on Gary’s lap. They looked surprised to see Kate with Tristan.
‘Tris. I thought you’d gone to work,’ said Sarah. Then she saw his face, put her tea down on the coffee table and stood up. ‘Look at the state of you! What happened?’ She peered at him.
‘I got maced,’ he said.
‘Maced?’ she said, turning to Kate. ‘You mean pepper spray?’
‘We both got maced. I missed most of it,’ said Kate. Gary was still wearing his bedclothes, just a pair of briefs and a T-shirt, and he realised and pulled a blanket over his legs. ‘Hi, Gary.’
‘Hello, excuse me if I don’t get up,’ he said.
‘Mace? Tristan?’ said Sarah, watching as he reached for the TV remote and switched to the ITV morning news. She folded her arms. ‘Were you protesting about something?’
‘There should be a local news bulletin in five minutes,’ said Tristan to Kate.
‘Tris, you’re soaking wet! And filthy!’ said Sarah. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I need to get changed,’ he said. Tristan disappeared upstairs, and Kate was left standing awkwardly with Sarah and Gary. Kate kept her eye on the TV and saw an advert for teabags. It was a shock to be amongst domestic normality after their night of horrors.
‘Do you want to sit down?’ asked Gary, going to get up.
‘No, Gary. Kate can have a seat at the table,’ said Sarah, indicating one of the dining chairs in the corner.
‘Yeah. I’ll just perch here,’ said Kate, sitting on the edge of one of them. Sarah took Leo from Gary, and he sleepily cuddled up to her. She jiggled him on her shoulder and stared at Kate, waiting for an explanation, but Kate couldn’t bring herself to talk about what they’d just seen.
‘So… How’s business at the agency?’ asked Gary, sensing the awkwardness. He adjusted the blanket covering his lap.
‘Good, thank you,’ said Kate. They watched an advertisement for toilet cleaner in silence. The floorboards creaked above, and Kate hoped Tristan was only getting changed and not having a shower.
The advert finished, and suddenly the ITV local news headlines were playing. The stretch of road outside Danvers Farm appeared on the screen.
‘In breaking news this morning, police have uncovered the body of a young child on farmland on the edge of Dartmoor,’ said the voice-over.
‘Tristan!’ shouted Kate, leaping up, moving to the doorway and shouting up the stairs. ‘It’s the first item on the news!’
There was a clattering as Tristan came running down the stairs and into the living room, pulling on a T-shirt. Leo woke up and gave a blood-curdling scream.
Kate and Tristan moved closer to the TV screen. The news anchor went live to the same reporter they’d just seen on the road outside Danvers Farm half an hour before. She was standing in front of a police cordon, flapping in the breeze, where two uniformed police officers were stationed. Tristan turned up the volume.
‘Unconfirmed reports are coming in that the body of a small child has been found wrapped in a blanket and buried in a shallow grave in woodland on the property,’ the reporter said to the camera. The screen cut to a wide-angle shot of the farmhouse, where a small stretcher was being carried to a black van. ‘The police were apparently acting on a tip-off from a private detective working on another case in the area. We’ll have more updates soon.’
Sarah and Gary were trying to quiet down Leo, but they stopped when they heard the part about the private detective.
‘Tristan, do you have something to do with this?’ asked Sarah, passing the screaming Leo over to Gary. He immediately stopped crying.
‘I can’t talk about it,’ he said. Sarah came close and put her hand under his chin. ‘And you were maced? Were you trespassing?’
‘Sarah. We’re fine,’ said Kate.
‘I’m talking to my brother if you don’t mind,’ said Sarah, folding her arms. She looked back at the TV, where there was now a story about the water mains being dug up in an Exeter car park. ‘I’m still waiting for an explanation, Tristan.’
He turned to her.
‘Sarah. You’re always welcome to stay here, but please don’t talk to Kate like that. We can’t discuss this. We’ve got important work to do. And the last time I checked, this was my flat.’
Sarah opened and closed her mouth and then went into the kitchen.
‘Sorry, Gary, it’s not a good time,’ said Tristan.
Gary nodded, gathered up the blanket to cover his modesty, and carried Leo into the kitchen, closing the door. Tristan turned back to Kate.
‘I don’t know if Jean and Joel have a police liaison officer after all this time, but they shouldn’t hear this from the TV news.’
‘Agreed. We might have to be the ones who break the news. Let’s get cleaned up and arrange to meet them,’ said Kate.
44
Joel Mansfield ran a pub on the edge of a village called Belstone, on the south side of Dartmoor. It was a giant granite building perched at the top of a narrow road which seemed to fall away to the open moors where sheep grazed in the hot sunshine. When Kate and Tristan arrived, the tables outside the pub were already busy with people drinking under umbrellas. When they went inside, the bar was calm and quiet. The air was musty and smelt of beer, and the ghosts of cigarettes, smoked many years ago.
A couple of young women were working behind the bar, and their oversized T-shirts were rolled up at the sleeves. There was a television on the wall, but it was switched off. Kate recognised Joel from the newspaper photos, but he was now much heavier set, with a tan, and his dark hair was thinning on top. He was in the middle of changing a beer barrel. He heaved it in place with a clink, then caught his breath when he saw them.
Kate went to say hello, but he cut her off.
‘The yard round the back is quiet, and there’s shade. Let’s talk there. Do you want a drink?’ he said. They both asked for coffee – they’d been awake all night – but Kate still felt like she was running on adrenalin. Joel told one of the young girls to bring them coffee, and then he opened the hatch in the bar. Kate and Tristan followed him to a small garden-cum-yard which looked straight out onto a graveyard for the church opposite. It was cool in the shade, and they sat at an old picnic table.
Joel lit up a cigarette.
‘What do you think the chances are... that it’s Charlie?’ he said, his voice dropping an octave and becoming hoarse. Kate saw how the grief and pain moved across his face over the loss of his son.
‘We don’t know. The police will need to do DNA tests,’ said Kate.
‘It didn’t look like him? Because of all that time buried in the ground?’
Kate didn’t know how to answer that. She shook her head.
‘Have the police been in contact?’ she said.
‘Nope. I’ve only heard from you.’ He flicked ash onto the ground. ‘You know, I wanted to hire a private detective. I thought about it, but you guys charge the earth,’ he said, sitting back and folding his arms. ‘How can Jean afford to pay you?’ His voice became hostile as he mentioned her name.
‘Savings, I think,’ said Kate.
There was a cool breeze in the courtyard, sheltered under the branches of the tall oak trees. The long grass shifted between the stones of the graveyard opposite. One of the young girls brought out three small coffee cups on a tray. Joel sat back, rubbing his face. The girl saw the tension, and after placing the cups in front of them, she hurried off.
‘Savings... Saved from what is the question...’ he muttered. ‘Why did you decide to dig at that farm?’
Kate explained the link with the short story, Maureen Cook and the social worker, Anna.
‘Did you ever have contact with Anna Treadwell?’ asked Kate. Joel shook his head and lit up another cigarette.
‘No. I can remember Jean and Becky bitching about her. But then again, there seemed to be a different woman every week who’d crossed them.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘They loved to bitch, and gossip, and tear people down. There was Jean’s neighbour in the flat above her. Friends of Becky’s who’d slighted her. My sister, mother, and the woman who worked in the shop down the road. And, of course, there was Declan. Jesus, Declan was always a hot topic. What had he done this time?’ he said. ‘My point is that someone had always pissed them off, and they never seemed to do anything about it. They never talked to the person who’d upset them. They’d just get caught up in this negative bitch-fest between themselves.’
‘But Anna Treadwell was different. She was a social worker. Were you ever worried she would pursue a case to remove Charlie from your care?’ asked Kate.
He shook his head.
‘I think they rubbed her up the wrong way, and she took a bit of pleasure in making them sweat,’ he said.
‘Are you and Jean in contact?’ asked Tristan. Joel looked at the glowing tip of his cigarette through exhausted eyes.
‘We weren’t, but I rang her. She’s coming over.’ Joel glanced at his watch. ‘She should be here soon. The one thing about Jean, as much as we disliked each other, I know she loved Charlie, and Charlie loved her. That week when we went camping at Devil’s Way, he was so excited to sleep in a tent with her.’ He smiled at the memory. ‘And kids can’t fake liking people, not when they’re that little… Jean would let him eat sweets before bed. That drove Becky mad. Becky always blamed Jean for all the fillings she had in her teeth. I used to think that Jean messed up so much in her life that she took looking after Charlie seriously.’
‘Do you mind telling us what happened when Charlie went missing?’ asked Tristan.
‘We left Jean with Charlie at Devil’s Way. I’d got a last-minute gig that day, and it was good money. It was twenty miles away on the outskirts of Newton Abbot. It was a pretty big festival on farmland overlooking the sea. Me and Becky got some food, watched a couple of the other bands, then I did my set at 3pm and came offstage half an hour later. We stayed for a few drinks after, much longer than I thought we would. But there were some promoters there, and I felt pressured to socialise with them, which could have led to more work… We set off back to Devil’s Way at six, stopped to buy some food, and got back about seven-thirty.’
‘Did Jean have a mobile phone? Was Becky in contact with her?’ asked Kate. He nodded.
‘Jean encouraged us to stay later. She said her and Charlie were having a whale of a time swimming and playing. When we got back, we made a fire and had a barbecue.’
‘Did you know that Declan Connoly came to visit that night?’
He nodded.
‘And I know that Jean tried to get rid of him. I wish she’d come and told me. I’d have stuck my boot up his backside and kicked him far away.’
‘What time did Jean raise the alarm that Charlie was missing?’
‘Don’t you know all of this already?’
Kate smiled.
‘Sorry. We’re not trying to catch you out. It’s just that sometimes, people can recount things that other people have forgotten.’
‘Becky went to check on him at ten-fifteen. That’s when she saw he was missing. Jean came back, and we started looking. I thought at first they were being over-dramatic, but as the time wore on, and we couldn’t find him, it dawned on me that this was…’ He took a deep breath. ‘Serious. Then at four in the morning, we called the police.’
A woman came into the small garden with two young girls, who looked to be five or six. They were wearing pink shorts and T-shirts and carrying Barbie-branded swimming towels.
‘Joel. We’re off,’ said the woman, hesitating.
‘Come,’ he said. The woman looked between Kate and Tristan. The two girls hung back at the door. ‘This is my wife, Kelly, and that’s Justine and Ruby,’ he added. He stretched out his arms, and the two girls came to him, climbing up on his lap.
Kate and Tristan introduced themselves.
‘It’s nice to meet you,’ said Kelly. She turned to Joel. ‘Are you sure we should go to the lido?’
‘Yeah. Keep things normal,’ said Joel, planting a kiss on the cheek of each girl. He hugged them tightly, and they smiled but kept curious eyes on Kate and Tristan.
‘You be good. And I’ll see you later,’ Joel said.
‘Girls, you get in the car,’ said Kelly, handing Ruby the car keys. They ran off, and Kelly waited until they were out of earshot.
‘What’s happening with the farm?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know. Kate and Tristan have been telling me about their investigation. I still haven’t heard anything official from the police.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Jean will be here in a minute,’ he added to Kelly. She nodded.
‘I don’t want to be here for that. Call me as soon as you hear anything,’ she said. ‘It’s very nice to meet you,’ she added to Kate and Tristan, and then she left.
‘Has Kelly met Jean?’ asked Kate.
‘A few times, when we first got together, I tried to stay in contact with Jean, for Becky’s sake… But Jean saw her as a threat. Myself and Becky broke up about four years after Charlie went missing. And I got together with Kelly a few months after that. It was a period of turmoil, as you can imagine. Becky was deep into drugs and booze.’
‘What did you think about Jean applying to have Charlie declared deceased?’ asked Kate.
Joel hesitated and then put his hand over his mouth. He gave a sob and closed his eyes.
‘Sorry,’ he said. He scrabbled for his cigarettes and lit another with a shaking hand. ‘I never understood why Jean gave up on Charlie. I thought about petitioning for her to stop, but then Becky wanted to have a funeral, and I thought it might give her closure… It didn’t. I think that’s what sent her over the edge. I know this sounds terrible, but a part of me wants it to be him. This boy you found. I’ve given up on the idea that he’s still alive. People who take kids that young, might take them for a reason, and keep them alive for...’ His voice trailed off. ‘If that little boy is Charlie, I can put him to rest.’ He put his hand over his face.
Kate found a packet of tissues in her pocket and handed them to him. One of the young girls from behind the bar appeared in the doorway of the courtyard.
‘Boss, there’s a woman called Jean here to see you.’
‘Tell her I’ll be there in a sec,’ he said. Joel wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Come on, let’s get this over with.’
45
Jean was waiting inside with Sadie Dexter, sitting in the corner of the empty bar. She was wearing a sleeveless, baggy floral print dress. Her skinny arms looked pasty, and she had a gold watch hanging off her wrist. Sadie was wearing an army print kaftan and peering at the screen of her phone with glasses perched on the end of her nose.
Joel entered the bar in front of Kate and Tristan, and there was an awkward moment as Jean looked up from where she was sitting. He hesitated. Kate thought he might tell Jean to leave, then he went to her, and they embraced.
‘It’s him, I know it’s him,’ Jean said, her voice muffled against Joel’s shirt. He sank down in the seat next to her. Kate couldn’t fathom the roller coaster of emotions they must be feeling.
Joel and Jean continued to hug, and Sadie squeezed out from behind the chair and came over to Kate and Tristan, pulling a chunk of the kaftan material from her arse crack.
‘Maybe we should give them a minute,’ she said, indicating the door. Kate and Tristan followed her into the sunshine outside the pub.
‘How is she?’ asked Tristan.
‘Jean is a complete mess. Thank you for phoning her,’ said Sadie. ‘She would have found out from the news, which would have been bad. She’s only just been discharged from The Lawns, and she’s back at her flat, rattling around on her own.’
‘Have the police been in touch with her yet?’ asked Kate.
‘Nope. Nothing. There was a family liaison officer who worked with Jean, a woman called Pat. I tried to call her this morning because Jean still had her number in her address book, but she’s retired and gone to live in Spain. Did you think it was Charlie? When you found the body?’
‘It was impossible to tell,’ said Kate. Sadie pulled a face, which Kate thought was meant to signify horror, but with her vast thick-lensed glasses, she looked like she was gurning.
‘You found it at that farm? So close to Devil’s Way. You know, I remember seeing a news report from back then where they showed it all on the map, and I thought that farm. That farm. It was so close as the crow flies. Could it have been someone who took Charlie and then killed him and—’ She stopped herself, clearly not wanting to continue. Her phone rang. ‘Oh, this is Steve, checking in on what’s happening. If you’ll excuse me.’ She answered the call and went off around the corner.
