‘Ruby, what brings you to my door?’ Downes said, looking past her to the adjacent townhouses across the street. He had a right to be surprised. Ruby was well aware that several of his neighbours were senior police officers. This was her first visit to his home, and the last thing she wanted was to give them something to talk about.
‘It’s work related,’ she said. ‘Can I come in?’
Downes drew back the red varnished door, risking one last cautionary glance outside before closing it behind her. ‘You do know this is meant to be your day off, don’t you?’
Ruby threw him a wayward grin. Rest days were a memory to her, and it wasn’t going to change. Not with Doctor Tanner on the loose. More and more officers were being drafted in to help with the murder investigation, but she could not rest. Her personal connection to the case meant she was not going to squander time off by sitting at home and watching TV. ‘This is important,’ she said, slipping off her boots before entering the living room. ‘I’m not interrupting anything, am I?’
The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a smattering of chest hair. A pair of pink Mr Men socks peeped out from beneath his faded jeans.
Ruby smiled.
He caught her grin and returned it. ‘No, I was heading in myself a bit later on. A man can get fed up with his own company. Will I wet the tea?’
Ruby’s eyes fell on the family photos that graced the cream stone fireplace. Happy and smiling, they reflected better times as Downes posed for the picture with his wife. She realised he was watching her, and tore her eyes away. With the smell of vanilla scented candles and the freshly polished surfaces, it was almost as if his wife had just stepped outside. This feminine home was not what Ruby had expected at all. She smiled, trying to hide her surprise. ‘Sorry, what was that?’
‘Tea?’ Downes said, plumping up a fluffy cushion for her to sit down.
‘No, thanks, I don’t have time,’ Ruby said, enjoying the feel of the plush cream carpet between her toes. It was a huge contrast to the cheap linoleum and thin red carpet gracing her floors. And, unlike her flat, Downes’s home was spotlessly clean. ‘Sorry to come out of the blue, I didn’t want to be overheard.’ She wrung her hands, remembering her vow to keep things strictly professional from now on. ‘This isn’t about me. It’s Ash. He needs help, and I don’t know where else to turn.’
‘Right,’ Downes said, his brows furrowed. ‘What sort of trouble has he got himself into?’
‘Do you know about his wife being sectioned?’ Ruby said, hoping a potted history of his family background would present a buffer for what was to come.
Downes nodded.
‘Right. Well, he’s been suffering from depression. The last couple of years have been tough on him.’
‘He’s always laughing and joking at work,’ Downes said. ‘Did you see those posters on his wall? Jesus, there were words there I’ve never heard of in me life!’
‘He’s good at covering things up,’ Ruby said. ‘The poor guy’s been through the mill.’
‘We’ve all got our crosses to bear,’ Downes said, his gaze landing on the photograph of his wife.
It was true. Ruby had had her own share of family problems, her mum’s dementia being one of them. Moving her from their cosy shared home into Oakwood Residential Care had been tough. Now, her budget living accommodation was just within her means. She hated her flat but was happy to sacrifice her comfort if it meant her mother received better care. And she was not the only person who had been under stress: Downes had lost his wife to cancer the year before. For both, work had been a lifeline in some very choppy waters. It still was. She gave up trying to soften the blow of what was to come.
‘Well, there’s no easy way to tell you, so I’m just going to get on with it,’ she said, clearing her throat. Downes and Baker went back a long way, and she hoped he would not hang him out to dry when the going got tough. It was something their superiors had a habit of doing.
‘You know that I’ve instructed officers to come back to me with a list of April Mead’s clients?’
Downes shook his head, a low groan escaping his lips. ‘You’re not telling me that. . .’
‘Yes, I am,’ Ruby said. ‘He’s been using her services on and off for the last couple of years. Not just April either, he knew Ellie Mason and some of the others too.’
‘For feck’s sake,’ Downes said. ‘If the papers find out about this. . . Worrow’s gonna do her nut.’
‘I know,’ Ruby said, not wanting to stop in case she changed her mind. ‘And there’s more. April and Ellie used to work for the Crosby escort service. They were both fired within the last year.’
‘So there is a connection,’ Downes said. ‘Which means they’ll be scrutinising their clients even more. Did Ash use the girls when they worked for the Crosbys?’
‘Yes, apparently he booked them online. He said he didn’t know who they worked for.’ Ruby sighed. ‘It’s not good, is it?’
‘Flamin’ idiot! Why didn’t he come to me with this?’
‘I guess he thought I’d soften the blow.’
Downes began to pace, running his fingers through his hair. ‘You could look at this another way, the Crosbys are bumping off their ex-staff because they know too much. They work on discretion and have some influential names on their books.’
‘Come off it, Jack. They’re young girls. They wouldn’t have the brass neck to go up against the Crosbys.’
‘Well, they certainly won’t now. Especially not with the last one having her tongue cut out. That’s a warning to keep quiet, not a so-called fairy tale.’
‘God! I wish I hadn’t come around here now,’ Ruby said, slinging her handbag over her shoulder as she rose to leave. It had been a bad idea coming here. She thought of Nathan’s watch, and what Downes would say if he knew of its presence. Having discovered it planted at the murder scene, she had risked her career by hiding it in the old biscuit tin beneath the floorboards of her home. Whoever had left it at the pool had damaged the strap to make it appear as if it had fallen from his wrist. But Nathan had not worn it in years, and the leisure centre was not a place he frequented. Its appearance served to confirm just how far the killer was willing to go in order to set him up for the murders. But she had little time to dwell on it, as Downes beckoned her back to the sofa.
‘Sit down, will ya. I’m only thinking out loud.’
Ruby frowned. ‘Can’t you see? Doctor Tanner would have treated those girls. They kept regular appointments with him because they weren’t allowed to practice without a clean bill of health.’
‘We need a list of Crosby’s escorts. Do you think they’re up for it?’
‘Let me take care of that. What are we going to do about Ash?’ Ruby said.
Downes puffed out his cheeks as he exhaled. ‘With DCI Worrow heading the investigation? God, she’ll have his guts for garters!’
Ruby nodded, knowing how hot she was when it came to police integrity.
‘We can’t stop the inevitable, we can only delay it.’
‘I’m worried about Ash’s mental health,’ Ruby said. ‘His mum’s gone back home, and he’s been left all alone. If I could persuade him to accept some help, maybe it would put him on a steady footing for what lies ahead.’
‘Right,’ Downes said, thoughtfully. ‘You think he’s that bad?’
‘Yes. No. I don’t know.’ She exhaled a terse breath. ‘He said something about being worth more dead than alive, but when I asked him about it he turned it into a joke. You know what he’s like, always messing about.’
‘Hmm… Has Ash used a credit card to pay for April’s er. . . services?’
Ruby nodded.
Downes dragged his fingers through his hair. ‘What a. . .’
‘I think cockwomble is the word you’re looking for today,’ Ruby said, unable to stop the grin spreading on her face. She couldn’t help it. Black humour was how police dealt with the darkest of times.
Downes returned her smile. ‘What are we like, eh? How about a drink, a proper drink?’ he said, eyeing the decanter of whiskey. It glinted from behind the doors of the glass cabinet next to a collection of crystal ornaments. The fact it was locked away told Ruby all she needed to know.
She was not going to provide him with the excuse he needed to open it. His drinking was something that had bothered her up until recently, and the last thing she wanted was for him to slip into the abyss again.
‘No, thanks, I’ve got stuff to do. Can I use your loo before I go?’
Downes paused for the briefest of moments before nodding. ‘It’s straight upstairs.’
With its shiny chrome and dazzling tiles, the bathroom was just as immaculate as downstairs. Ruby reflected as she washed her hands – there was something not quite right about this house. It had bothered her since she came in. She opened the mirrored bathroom cabinet. To the left was an array of men’s razors, shaving foam and deodorant. But Ruby’s attention was on the right, her eyes dancing over the hair removal cream, Impulse deodorant and make-up remover. She frowned. What use would Downes have of these? The couple didn’t have any children. She touched the bristles of the pink toothbrush stiffened from lack of use. A build-up of toothpaste had accumulated on the side. A small folding hairbrush contained soft blonde hairs within the bristles, the same colour as his wife’s hair. Everything was as she’d left it over a year ago. A pang of sadness overcame her. There she was wittering on about work when he had problems of his own. She couldn’t help but peek through his bedroom door as she stepped out on the landing. Like the rest of the house, it contained what she presumed were his wife’s belongings. Clothes, shoes, they were all there… What am I doing? she thought, feeling guilty for her intrusion.
Ruby tried to appear nonchalant as Downes showed her outside. ‘I hope you didn’t mind me calling unannounced,’ she said one more time. ‘I just thought I’d pre-warn you so you can take Ash aside and have a quiet word. You know, to prepare him for what’s ahead. I’ve spoken to him about counselling, maybe you could recommend it too.’ She smiled, making a scissors motion with her fingers. ‘We could come at him from both angles, the good old pincer technique.’
But Downes looked strained. ‘You did the right thing. Speak to Luddy, have him arrange for the list of April’s clients to go directly to me. If he asks why, just say it contains sensitive information.’
‘Will do,’ Ruby said. ‘I’ll have the names of the rest of the girls on the Crosby’s books by today. That is, if they’ll let me in. I’ve been in the doghouse since you turned up.’
Downes gave her a sheepish grin. He made no effort to dissuade her this time. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’
Ruby snorted. ‘Don’t be daft! I’ll see you back in the nick. If I get anything juicy, I’ll give you a ring.’
‘Make sure you do,’ he said. ‘I don’t want any more dead bodies turning up on my patch today.’
‘Oh, and boss?’
‘Yes?’
‘I like your socks.’