That Friday evening, Maggie prepared a dinner for Penny and Marius, laying the table in the dining room, not the kitchen.
Jack had spent most of the day in his office checking through files and making notes in preparation for the Monday interview, but after the elation of the Amanda Dunn interview, he had crashed back down to earth and now felt utterly exhausted. Maggie had to nudge him at the table a couple of times when he nodded off, but at least when he was conscious, and he seemed to enjoy the evening, amused to see his mother being so flirtatious and happy. He also found it a relief not to talk about, or even think about, the case. Maggie made him rinse his nose well with salt water before finally sending him to bed with an ice-pack mask on. Despite feeling a bit uncomfortable, he dropped into a deep, dreamless sleep almost immediately.
Saturday was a lovely crisp, sunny day and Maggie and Jack decided to take Hannah out to Richmond Park. She was so excited at seeing the ducks that she almost fell into the big pond. Penny cooked a roast lamb for lunch, with all the trimmings, and it was only after she had served the sticky toffee pudding that Maggie asked Jack where the car was.
‘Oh, yes, been meaning to tell you,’ he said. ‘Had a big engine fault, so I’m waiting to see about exchanging it for something else, perhaps in a less conspicuous colour than pea green.’
If he’d thought Maggie would be pleased, he was wrong. ‘We paid a decent price for it. Maybe I should go back to the man we bought it from and complain,’ she suggested.
‘I wouldn’t bother,’ he said. ‘The insurance will cover the difference.’
‘What do you mean? Did you have a prang or something?’
He shrugged. ‘Kind of, don’t worry, I’m sorting it.’
Maggie decided not to push it, but she was very suspicious. Penny changed the subject by saying that Marius had suggested that she take driving lessons. Jack and Maggie were open mouthed.
‘Driving lessons?’
‘Yes, I could then do a lot more for us, like taking trips out with Hannah. I’ve got to get a provisional licence first, but I want to try. I don’t like the thought of getting stuck in a tedious routine; you only live once, don’t you?’
After their initial surprise, Maggie and Jack nodded enthusiastically. Since she had met Marius, Penny had definitely become more outgoing, and they put her forgetfulness down to her anxiety about how Jack would react to her having a ‘gentleman friend’.
When Penny had left them alone in the kitchen, they instantly looked at each other. Maggie burst out laughing.
‘Your face, Jack, when she said she wanted to have driving lessons!’
‘You looked gobsmacked too,’ Jack protested. ‘I mean, you’re the one who’s been thinking she had dementia, not me. And now, on the contrary, it turns out she’s got a new lease of life.’
‘Yeah, I know. And thanks to Marius we’ll have the hall redecorated and a new coat cupboard, too.’
She leaned in close to him and whispered.
‘Talking of a new lease of life, what would you think about taking me upstairs and ravishing me?’
Jack grinned. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the kitchen but had to put her back down on her feet to go up the stairs. They walked up arm in arm and as they reached their landing they heard the high-pitched voice of the character from the Frozen movie singing, ‘Let it go’ Hannah was trying to join in. Jack stopped in his tracks, listening.
Maggie frowned. ‘What is it? Don’t you try and back out of ravishing me. I’m all geared up now and . . .’
‘That song is from the film Frozen, isn’t it?’ Jack said, remembering Amanda telling them about the way Nadine had kept singing it.
‘Yes, it’s Hannah’s favourite. We got the DVD for her last Christmas, remember. She loves it. There’s now a sequel we need to buy her, actually. And when she’s a bit older we could maybe take her to see the musical.’ Maggie put her arms around him. ‘What is it, Jack?’
‘Nothing, nothing,’ he said, his thoughtful expression replaced by a lascivious grin as he pushed open the bedroom door. ‘Now, just be careful you don’t bash my nose . . .’
*
They were woken by the sound of the doorbell. Maggie sat up quickly, looked at the bedside clock, then flopped back onto the pillow. She dug Jack in the ribs and he leaned up on his elbow.
‘What time is it?’ he asked blearily.
‘Seven thirty on a Saturday evening! I thought it was an emergency call for me or something. Maybe Penny’s expecting the boyfriend.’
The doorbell rang again, and Jack got out of the bed and put on his boxer shorts. Maggie snuggled down and pulled the duvet closer. ‘I’m not getting up, whoever it is.’
Jack dragged on his dressing gown and hurried down the stairs, stopping midway as he could see through one of the stained-glass windows in the front door. It was Ridley.
Opening the door, Jack took a step back as he was presented with a large bouquet of red roses.
‘For Maggie,’ Ridley said with a broad smile. ‘My apologies for calling unannounced but I wanted to get a few things sorted before my departure.’
‘Where are you going?’ Jack asked.
‘The Caribbean for three weeks, leaving first thing Monday. Are you going to invite me in?’
Jack opened the door wider for Ridley, then closed it behind him. He started up the stairs. ‘Give me a moment to put some clothes on.’
Halfway up the stairs he paused.
‘Actually, why don’t you follow me up and go into my office. I’ll be right with you. Maggie’s sleeping.’
Ridley left the bouquet of roses on the hall table and followed Jack up the stairs. He moved slowly, stopping once to take a deep breath before he continued. Maggie sat up when Jack entered the bedroom.
‘Who was it?’
‘Ridley,’ Jack whispered. ‘He bought you a huge bouquet of roses. I told him you were sleeping. He’s in my office so that we won’t disturb Penny if she goes into the kitchen for a cuppa.’
‘Bit odd, isn’t it? What does he want?’
Jack shrugged as he pulled on a pair of jeans.
‘He’s going on holiday for three weeks in the effing Caribbean. I dunno what he wants, but I’ll get rid of him as soon as I can.’
Maggie sat up, watching him search for a t-shirt, and then almost losing his balance as he tried to put on a trainer.
‘Do you want me to go and make coffee?’
‘No. Listen, if you make an appearance, which I don’t think you should, you didn’t know anything about the situation he was in, right?’
‘Right, “I know nuffink, guv – I’m just ’is wife, he never tells me nuffink.”’
Jack laughed. ‘You just stay put and I’ll get rid of him as soon as I can.’
‘How’s your nose? You only yelped once when you were kissing me.’
Jack tapped his nose. ‘I think I can go another round with you later tonight, so don’t move.’
She grinned. ‘I’ll be waiting.’
Jack went down to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of whisky, some glasses and the ice tray, then hurried back up the stairs to his office. Ridley still wearing his coat and woollen hat was sitting in Jack’s swivel chair, looking at the stacks of files and notebooks on his desk. He stood up as Jack came in.
‘What have you done to your face, Jack?’ Ridley asked.
‘Oh, had a run-in with the banister, almost broke my nose. It’s a lot better than it was . . .’
‘You’ve certainly got a lovely shiner there!’
‘Yeah, I’m keeping an ice pack on it whenever I can . . . I’ve got a big day coming up.’
Ridley drew up a hard-backed chair, leaving Jack to sit at his desk. He had folded his overcoat neatly placing it on the floor.
‘Here, let me get the ice out while you pour – and not too much for me.’
Ridley expertly squeezed the ice out, plopping a couple of cubes into each glass and Jack poured a double measure. They clinked them together but neither of them said ‘cheers’. They sat in silence for a moment as they drank. Ridley still looked very drawn; he had obviously lost a considerable amount of weight.
‘It’s over with the investigation, Jack . . . well, my part, anyway. The rest will be ongoing for some time, years probably; it’s a hell of a fraud they’re uncovering, quite apart from the murders. But for me, it’s “Take a holiday and keep your mouth shut.”’ He sipped at his drink.
Jack noticed that Ridley’s hand was shaking slightly. Sounding more affable than he felt, he asked, ‘So, after your sunshine break, do you know what’s going to happen?’
‘Not yet. I’ll be given details on my return, apparently. But I wanted you to know that your part in it did not go unnoticed. I’m obviously personally grateful – that goes without saying – but you won’t regret assisting with the investigation. Your involvement can never be made public, but, as I just said, it has been noted and not just by me.’
Jack shrugged. ‘I didn’t do it for that; I just wanted to help. It’s already forgotten, and you or whoever they are should have no concerns about me discussing it with anyone, if you’re worried about that. That said, personally, I do have a few questions I’d like answered, because the whole thing still doesn’t make sense to me. You put me at risk and, God help you, my wife, my daughter and my mother. Then you turn up with a bunch of roses and tell me you’re off on holiday and everything’s back to normal. But it isn’t, especially not between you and me because I don’t think I can trust you anymore.’
Ridley took another swallow of the whisky, before he carefully placed the glass back on the desk. ‘Firstly, I want you to know that when I found out the dangerous situation I had inadvertently drawn you into, my priority was the immediate protection of you and your family. Your safety was the investigation’s top priority, even before you traced Sandra’s – I mean Lorna’s – identity.’
Jack looked unimpressed. ‘So at what point did you put a tracker on my car?’
Ridley sighed. ‘OK, almost day one. I also lied about the ankle bracelet; that was also for my safety, so they always knew exactly where I was. Look, I apologise for the lies. I was not staying at the house because of the murder enquiry; it was really for medical reasons. I have been very sick. I needed treatment round the clock. The truth is, I still do.’
Jack could hardly believe it. He drained his glass and poured another one straight away, stopping himself from lashing out at Ridley. There was a long pause before Ridley continued his story.
‘The night Lorna had arranged dinner with me, she said that it was time she told me the truth, that she had used me from day one as a form of protection. But, she said that she was meeting someone important before our dinner, someone who could provide a crucial piece of evidence. I didn’t know evidence of what and she wouldn’t tell me. I believe now that her obsession with finding Anton’s killers turned into something else as she began to uncover evidence of fraud and money-laundering on a global scale. But she couldn’t stop, even though she knew the more she uncovered, the more her life was at risk.’
‘Well, she got that right,’ Jack said brutally, ‘seeing as she ended up dead in the boot of your car.’
‘Yes, yes she did,’ Ridley said.
‘Did you find out where she was murdered?’ Jack asked.
‘No, but whoever she was meeting had to be the killer, or killers. From what you found in the Pimlico flat, it was obvious that she was careful not to take any of the evidence she had gathered with her, or any personal items: handbag, passport etc. As soon as you identified her, we checked the CCTV footage in the area of the flat, but it was spotty. There’s footage of Lorna leaving the building and heading towards the main road. She was wearing a camel-hair coat, a headscarf and dark glasses but carried no briefcase, purse or anything. That was the last sighting of her alive.’
‘So, all that bullshit you fed me, about being suspected of her murder was . . . what? More lies?’
‘No, not to begin with; it was what else they eventually found inside my car that changed things.’
‘You mean beside her naked strangled body?’ Jack snapped.
Ridley sighed. ‘I understand why you’re angry. But I am trying to explain.’
‘OK, so, tell me, what did they find in your fucking car?’
Ridley slowly pulled off his woollen hat, revealing his bare scalp with just a few tufts of hair. The skin looked raw and scabbed.
‘Jesus Christ!’ Jack exclaimed.
As Ridley drank the rest of his whisky, Jack could see how drawn and drained his face was with dark shadows beneath his red-rimmed eyes.
‘I was barely alive when they found me, Jack. I’d had convulsions for two days, hardly being able to breathe, pissing and shitting myself, constantly vomiting. The only reason they reckoned I’d survived was because of my chemotherapy sessions, and the fact I’d spent so long in the shower, trying to get to my feet. By the time they got to me they had already found Lorna’s body, and my car had been towed for examination by the forensic team.’
‘You keep on referring to “they”. Who exactly are “they”?’
‘Well, at first it was just the Essex officers, as they were first to find my abandoned car, but they were replaced very quickly by the special agents.’
‘So, they were the ones at your house when I called round to see you?’
‘Yes, and more came later. Let me explain. You remember the poisoning of the Skripals using a nerve agent. The Government accused Russia of attempted murder, announcing punitive measures that included the expulsion of numerous Russian diplomats.’
‘What the hell’s that got to do with your situation?’ Jack demanded curtly.
‘I just need to explain that because Novichok is a binary chemical, which means it uses two or more ingredients that are either non-toxic or less toxic on their own, and only become active when mixed, it makes it easier to store and transport. It also makes it harder to detect. However, careless preparation can produce a non-optimal agent, with less deadly effects, and that’s what happened in my situation. It’s also the reason certain other assassination attempts have failed over the years.’
Jack was finding it hard to keep his anger under control. Early on he had suggested that perhaps Ridley had been poisoned. He had even mentioned the Skripals’ case and the use of Novichok, and Ridley had denied it. Before he could confront him about it, Ridley continued.
‘They had failed, using it on Lorna, so then they strangled her. The reason the PM didn’t discover any obvious signs of substance, or injection sites, is because it’s odourless, and can be deadly when inhaled, ingested, or simply by coming into contact with the skin. No more than one and a half minutes to kill you.’
‘Jesus Christ, I don’t know whether I can believe what you’re telling me.’
‘Please, let me explain. On the night we were to meet, it was bitterly cold, and I was wearing gloves. Thankfully when the forensic team eventually got to work on the car, they were all wearing forensic suits and masks, so they were protected.
‘They discovered a minuscule residue of Novichok on my steering wheel. When that was confirmed, as you can imagine, all hell broke loose. By this time I had already got you involved, but they assured me that because the mixture that had been used was non-lethal, you were in no danger. At the same time, they began to monitor you. I had been medically protected inside a bubble supplying me with oxygen and heart monitors as they stripped down my house for any other substance. They didn’t find anything, and I also had good security cameras, so anyone seen entering my house would have been caught. However, if what had happened to me had gone public, there would have been mass hysteria, hence the covert nature of the operation.’
Jack sat in total shock, shaking his head at the level of danger Ridley had exposed him to, as well as his wife and child.
‘Jack, please believe me, before you met with me, I knew nothing about the Novichok. But we were getting nowhere on identifying Lorna Elliot, so I took a gamble and brought you in. I meant it when I said I have never known another detective with your abilities. And my faith in you proved justified. As soon as we knew who she was, and with what you found in the Pimlico flat, everything moved very fast.’
Jack shook his head wearily, then proffered the bottle of whisky to Ridley. Again, Ridley’s hand shook as he held out his empty glass for a refill.
‘Did you ever suspect that Lorna was lying to you?’ Jack asked.
Ridley shook his head. ‘No, and even if she was just using me at the start, I believe at the end she did have genuine feelings for me. But that last phone call was probably the only time I really heard her being honest. I had a gut feeling something was wrong: everything was different, the tone of her voice, her anxiety level. She must have suspected they were onto her, but I just thought she wanted to end the relationship. I loved her, Jack.’ He sighed deeply. ‘I’m glad I have been able to spend this time with you and tell you the truth. At times you’ve felt like a son to me, Jack, and I’ve hated deceiving you.’
Jack decided that it was time for Ridley to leave. He had heard enough and he just wanted him out of his sight. He was just about to encourage him to do so when Ridley nodded to the stack of files and, after a brief hesitation, Jack told him about the Rodney Middleton case. He kept it as brief as he could, though he deliberately didn’t play down his own part in bringing it all to a head. Ridley was a good listener, never interrupting, as Jack explained how the case had turned into a real horror story with an as yet unknown number of young girls murdered. Once he had started, he found he couldn’t stop, showing Ridley the photographs, explaining the forensic evidence and detailing the incredible lengths to which the teams had gone to accumulate all the evidence, finishing up with his account of Amanda Dunn’s interview.
Ridley nodded thoughtfully. ‘Very impressive, Jack. But the question is: will it be enough?’
*
Maggie had dressed and gone in to see Hannah and Penny. They had all crept down the stairs so as not to disturb Jack in his office. They had some tea and sandwiches and as it was now Hannah’s bedtime, they went back upstairs to bathe her and read stories.
It was now almost 9.30 p.m. and Maggie was standing outside Jack’s office door. She could hear Jack talking, so she went back downstairs to put the bouquet of roses into a vase.
She thought about offering them coffee and sandwiches but decided against it. Instead, she went and washed her hair, put some rollers in, and ran a bath with some perfumed oils. She lay in the warm scented water, thinking of their afternoon of lovemaking and smiling contentedly. But after a while she started to worry about why Ridley was still there and what they were talking about. After she’d got out of the bath, they still seemed to be at it, so she got into bed and picked up a novel she had been attempting to read for months, but after a few pages she fell asleep.
*
Jack was listening intently to Ridley’s advice on how to handle Rodney Middleton.
Ridley impressed on Jack that he was dealing with a very intelligent psychopath, and it was going to be up to Jack to find a crack in his egotistical, narcissistic defences.
Ridley glanced through a file, then tapped it with his index finger.
‘Use this; come out of left field with it. He won’t be expecting it. He is being questioned about the three victims you have identified through their DNA; bring this up when he is least expecting it and then use his reaction. I believe this is the key.’
Ridley paused and went back to Jack’s notebook. He took a pen and underlined some of Jack’s handwritten notes.
Jack waited until he was finished. ‘Going back to the beginning, can I ask you why you wanted me to double check the Rodney Middleton case in the first place. That’s what started the whole ball rolling.’
Ridley nodded. ‘I had an off the record talk with a probation officer that I’d been told was handling Middleton. I’d been on good terms with her on another couple of cases, and she suggested I talk to a psychiatrist who had treated him. He was very helpful and thankfully not too worried about patient confidentiality. He told me he was going away for a lengthy well-earned break and would be uncontactable. Perhaps that’s why he opened up.’
‘Dr Donaldson? Is that who you’re talking about?’ Jack asked.
‘Yes, but, as I said, it was off the record and so I didn’t write it up, but I would have mentioned it to you, given the opportunity.’
Ridley hesitated a moment before he continuing.
‘Donaldson said that in his estimation, there was a real darkness deep inside Rodney Middleton, buried beneath a carefully constructed outer layer. Whatever had caused it, had to have occurred at a very young age. The little child, found hanging: you used that in the interview with Amanda. I’d use the same tactic with Rodney. It’s possible that both of them are child killers and that’s what unites them. They have killed and got away with it.’
Maggie woke up and saw that it was after midnight. She could still hear voices, but it sounded as though they were going downstairs. She sat up and was relieved to hear Jack laughing.
Ridley had waited until he was being shown out before pausing to use his mobile to order an Uber. Jack looked surprised and said that he had assumed Ridley was driving. Ridley smiled.
‘I did drive here, Jack, but I need to get a cab to take me home because these are yours.’ He held up a set of car keys.
‘It’s not a Mercedes, I’m afraid, but hopefully you won’t be disappointed. It’s the new electric four-door Tesla saloon, insured and in your name. You don’t need to know how I got it for you; just call it a thank you from an old friend.’
Jack took the keys and went outside to inspect it whilst they waited for the Uber to arrive. He knew it would take a bit of explaining to Maggie, but as he sat at the steering wheel, he couldn’t help grinning like a schoolboy. The interior even smelt amazing. Ridley sat in the passenger seat and looked on with an almost fatherly expression.
Jack turned to him. ‘Tell me one thing, sir. You know you said you had the house under surveillance. Did they use gas works vehicles as their cover?’
Ridley laughed. ‘Hell, no. We had officers in the house opposite, and one in a house at the rear. You have very accommodating neighbours. They thought it was something to do with the council. By the way, we also knew about your mother’s friend; we had him checked out, seems to be a very decent, hardworking chap.’
Jack was still speechless when Ridley’s Uber drew up. Ridley got out and walked to the car, moving slowly like an old man, and then bending painfully to get into the back. Ridley waved briefly, and then they were gone. Jack knew then that he might never see Ridley again, suspecting that his mention of going to the Caribbean was yet another lie. He was obviously a very sick man.
Maggie had been standing at the window, watching them. By the time Jack came back to the bedroom she was sitting up in bed.
‘I have something to tell you,’ he said, smiling.
‘I know, it’s that amazing car outside! Ridley let you have it as he’s going abroad, right?’
Jack laughed, pulling off his t-shirt.
‘You, my beloved, are always right. It’s fully insured and it’s ours; well, until he wants it back.’
Jack went into the bathroom to clean his teeth.
‘He made one major proviso about the car – no learner drivers. So Penny will have to learn in yours, I’m afraid.’ He closed the bathroom door and sighed, relieved that he wouldn’t have to tell any lies about the car. He then stared at his reflection in the wash basin mirror.
He felt a deep sadness, thinking that he’d perhaps seen the last of Ridley. Ridley was the only person he had respected and loved as much as his adopted father, and in his own way he had become a father substitute. He had been best man at his wedding, godfather to their daughter. But Ridley had told him so many lies that even when the truth had emerged, the trust had gone for good. Jack knew their relationship was over and a hard lesson had been learned: never to put so much trust in another person again.
Tears started trickling down his cheeks and he quickly splashed cold water over his face and patted it dry. He needed to stop thinking about Ridley and focus on what he had to do. Jack had all of tomorrow to prepare for Monday. Then he would be ready to take on the devil and attempt to get inside Rodney Middleton’s twisted psyche.
Jack switched off the bathroom light and went to get in bed beside Maggie. He lay next to her warm, beautiful body, which moved closer into the curve of his own. Just by being with her the sadness about Ridley lifted, and with her love entwined with his own, he was no longer alone.
He shut his eyes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.