Imogen waited in the briefing room for the others to arrive. She had been feeling increasingly alone since Adrian hadn’t been at work – her relationships with the other people at the station highlighted for what they weren’t. She was worried about Adrian almost constantly. Sick with the feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling her. She always knew when she was being lied to.
But Adrian wasn’t like other people. He had more hang-ups and complexes than anyone she had ever met before, so this could all just be a side of him she had never seen before. She was already too dependent on him. They bounced off of each other well and without his voice there, she seemed unsure where to look next in terms of the case. She found herself having conversations with him in her head, but when she saw him, he never seemed to want to talk about the case.
The doors opened before she had a chance to wallow any further. Matt Walsh, Gary Tunney and DCI Kapoor all sat down and waited for Imogen to start.
‘We’ve got nothing, basically. Nothing concrete, anyway. Lots of hearsay but no actual evidence of any wrongdoing. I am still trying to find Clive Osborne, but it’s like he disappeared off the face of the earth,’ Imogen said.
‘Angela Corrigan had nothing else useful to say about him, then?’ DCI Kapoor said.
‘Just that they were meant to leave together and he never showed up. No one reported him missing,’ Imogen said.
‘Three guesses why,’ Walsh said.
‘Well, the old Corrigan Construction head office in Shropshire has been levelled and turned into a car park about three years ago. If anyone was buried around there they would have been found; the car park goes underground for three levels,’ Gary offered.
‘What about their previous residence?’ DCI Kapoor said.
‘The owners are away in New York on holiday at the moment. They come back in a couple of weeks. We don’t have enough to compel a search warrant at this point, so we just have to wait,’ Walsh said.
‘No one else has access?’ DCI Kapoor said.
‘No. I spoke to the owner, asked him if there was anything unusual about the sale, and he told me the Corrigans were very eager to sell. Took way below the asking price and moved out before the sale was even properly completed. Allowed the Parkins to make alterations before they even got in there,’ Walsh said.
‘Why do we think that is?’ DCI Kapoor said.
‘They obviously needed to get out of town. Well, Reece Corrigan did,’ Imogen said.
‘What do we think is at the house?’ DCI Kapoor said.
‘I don’t know. I wouldn’t put anything past Corrigan, though. From what we have learned from employees and other acquaintances, he is a dangerous man,’ Walsh said.
‘The last time Clive Osborne used his debit card was in the newsagent’s about a block away from that house. No trace of him after that,’ Gary said.
‘So, he went to visit them at home and then disappeared?’ Imogen said.
They were all thinking the same thing. Osborne most likely fell foul of Corrigan’s temper. Maybe he did turn up to take Angela away. Maybe Reece found Osborne before he got to her. Imogen felt a pang of sympathy for Angela again. All these years thinking that he had abandoned her when he hadn’t at all. Still, speculation wasn’t enough – they needed proof.
‘Maybe he’s still there,’ Kapoor said ominously. ‘When can we gain access to the house, then?’
‘I already thought of that. I spoke to the owner and he said he would try and take an earlier flight. He is being very cooperative and has consented to a full search when he gets back even without a warrant,’ Walsh said.
‘Unusual,’ Imogen said.
‘His wife is a copper, so I guess that has something to do with it. Also, he said that Reece Corrigan gave him the heebie-jeebies. His word, not mine. Considering we have no probable cause at this point, it’s the best we can hope for,’ Gary said.
‘The body could be anywhere, though. How many jobs have they worked on since Clive Osborne disappeared?’ Imogen said.
‘Almost five hundred,’ Gary chimed in helpfully. ‘If you count the small jobs, as well.’
‘Brilliant,’ DCI Kapoor said. ‘Which one of you is going to head up there for the search?’
‘I think we should both go, when the Parkins get back. DS Grey and I,’ DI Walsh said.
‘So, Osborne has never been reported as a missing person?’ DCI Kapoor asked.
‘He isn’t in the system, no,’ Imogen said. It was the first thing she had checked.
‘That’s a bit strange, isn’t it? How long since anyone has seen him?’ DCI Kapoor said.
‘The Corrigans moved down here shortly after the last time he was seen, around ten years ago. As Gary said, there has been no activity on any of his bank accounts or credit cards. He has money in the bank, too. It hasn’t been touched in over ten years,’ Imogen said.
‘See if you can speak to a member of his family and find out why he wasn’t reported missing,’ DCI Kapoor said.
‘I’ll try and find someone,’ Gary said.
‘Let’s hope the search of the house turns something up because, as it stands, I don’t see how we can stop this man. The lack of people willing to speak out against him is staggering. There must be someone,’ DCI Kapoor said, frustrated.
‘Simon Glover’s sister called and asked about picking up the remains yesterday,’ Imogen said.
She hated the word ‘remains’; it sounded almost like ‘leftovers’, as though it was nothing more than the bits no one had any use for anymore.
‘Unfortunately, that can’t happen until this investigation is over. Any news from Jimmy Chilton yet? Do you think he’ll come through with any information?’
‘No news yet, Ma’am. He seems to be on the edge at the moment. I get the feeling that this has all got a lot more serious than he was prepared for. I don’t think he thought murder was on the cards. I do believe that he has absolutely no power. I get the impression Corrigan keeps him around because he is weak and compliant. I think he will come through if we give him time,’ Imogen said.
‘Time is rarely ever on our side with men like Corrigan. OK, let’s get on with it, then,’ DCI Kapoor said with a heavy sigh.
They all felt heavy with this investigation. Reece Corrigan was obviously a complete scumbag but, unfortunately, you couldn’t put all of that before a judge. With Angela unwilling to testify and everyone else claiming they suspected things but never actually saw him do anything, it really did seem like he was going to get away with it.
Imogen felt like she had to get Corrigan to prove Adrian wrong. Not to shove it in his face, but to give him peace of mind and show that the system can work. They needed to get this case behind them for so many reasons and as long as Reece was literally getting away with murder, the chances of them being able to move forwards and get past this knot in their relationship were slim.