Insidious Intent

  He was about to start the engine and drive away when his phone rang. Paula, he saw. She was his friend, he reminded himself. So he answered. ‘Hi, Paula.’

  ‘Tony, they’ve called the surveillance off.’

  ‘You’re kidding.’ He felt his heart contract. While there were watchers on Elton’s back, Carol knew there was no need for her to step up to the plate; any move he made would be picked up and pounced on. Chances were it would remove any need for her to act.

  ‘No, Peter Trevithick from the CPS came round and reviewed the case file and advised Brandon that the surveillance wasn’t justified. So all bets are off after this evening’s shift. It’s a nightmare.’

  ‘What’s Carol saying?’

  ‘That’s the thing. She’s convinced he’s going to a wedding tomorrow. It’s the pattern, you see.’

  ‘Yeah. The Saturday after he kills, he acquires his next victim. So what’s she got planned?’

  ‘She’s going to follow him, and as soon as he makes a move on a single woman, we’re going to arrest him.’

  ‘We?’

  Paula sighed. ‘Yeah, she wants me on it with her. Two cars, so he doesn’t spot the tail. And so I can be there with her for the arrest.’

  No. She wants you there to make the arrest after she kills him. ‘I need to be there with you, Paula.’

  ‘How come she hasn’t got you on board with this? Are you two not speaking, or what?’

  He didn’t want to burden Paula with the truth. ‘We had an argument. You know how touchy she’s been since she quit the booze.’

  ‘Right. Anyway, the reason I rang is that I agree with you. You should be there. We’ll need your advice to make sure it doesn’t all go tits-up.’

  ‘What’s the arrangement?’

  ‘Six a.m., stake-out. She’s in the lead car, I’ll be a couple of streets away ready to tuck in behind her. I thought you could ride with me? In the back seat so it’s not so obvious?’

  ‘Of course. This is crazy, you know.’

  ‘I know, but she’s determined he’s not going to kill anybody else. So can you be at ours at half past five? I’ll have the coffee on.’

  He didn’t have to think twice. This was probably the only chance he would get to save Carol from herself. He couldn’t live with himself if he stood by while she destroyed herself. ‘I’ll be there. How’s Torin, by the way?’

  ‘Getting better. Thanks for what you did. I owe you. Actually, we all do. You’re a star, Tony. Carol doesn’t know how lucky she is to have you in her corner.’

  Tony started the engine and with one last look at his mother’s house, he drove off. He had a terrible feeling that something very bad was coming his way. Something that would be impossible to sidestep even if he wanted to.

  70

  T

  ony huddled in the back seat of Elinor’s car. Paula had chosen it because it was more nondescript than her own personal car. ‘How in the name of God does Torin get in here?’ he grumbled as he tried to find an unobtrusive position. Every way he turned, the contents of one pocket or another of his purple anorak dug into part of his body.

  ‘With difficulty.’ Paula yanked a dark blue beret over her blonde hair and put on her driving glasses. It worked for Elton, Tony thought. It might work for them if their target caught sight of her. ‘OK, so Carol’s borrowed Kevin’s Stella’s car, which is a silver Toyota Prius —’

  ‘Borrowed,’ Tony exclaimed. ‘Not hired, Paula, borrowed. Elton lives by advertising contracts. He must have car dealers on his books. People he’s got a long-standing relationship with. Men who will lend him wheels with a nod and a wink. That’s why Karim couldn’t find a car-hire firm who’d rented him a vehicle. He borrows a different car every time, that’ll be how it goes.’

  Paula groaned. ‘Of course. He’s exactly the type who has a boys’ network. I bet you’re right. Anyway, his block’s got underground parking and she’s set up down the street. We’re going to be one street over at six a.m., just to be sure. But you’re going to have to be quiet because we’ll have an open phoneline on speaker. With us not having radio cars.’

  ‘You won’t know I’m here.’

  ‘It’s not me you have to worry about.’

  A couple of minutes before six, they were in position, sipping strong coffee and eating bacon sandwiches. One thing about working with cops was that you were never short of comfort food and coffee, Tony thought. He’d lost count of the number of times he and Carol had sat hunched over a curry in their favourite Indian restaurant in Temple Fields, discussing cases and colleagues. He wondered whether they’d ever do that again.

  The phone rang and Paula answered it on speaker. ‘Morning, boss. You all set?’

  ‘I am. Nothing to see yet. You might as well hang up, listen to the radio or whatever. I’ll call you back when he stirs.’

  Paula ended the call. ‘So what did you guys fall out about?’

  ‘Something and nothing,’ he said. ‘We’re both of us too accustomed to our own company. I’ve been staying out at the barn a bit lately, just to give her a bit of moral support with setting up ReMIT.’

  ‘And giving up the booze,’ Paula said.

  ‘And giving up the booze. Anyway, Carol and me, we always think we play better with others than we do in reality. We need our own space, and living under the same roof… well, let’s say it wasn’t always plain sailing for either of us.’

  ‘So you’re giving each other some space?’

  He sighed and shifted his position again. ‘Yeah. Something like that.’

  ‘So no actual falling out?’

  ‘No wonder you get the interview room results you do,’ Tony teased. ‘No, no actual falling out. A difference of opinion, that’s all.’ He couldn’t tell Paula the truth, much as he longed to. It would be unfair to burden her with the knowledge. And after all, Carol might have spoken wildly. Or she might have changed her mind on reflection. Any reasonable person would.

  But maybe Carol wasn’t entirely reasonable any more. ‘You never told me the full story about Torin’s blackmailer,’ he said, trying for a deft change of subject.

  And so she did. Then they talked about Elinor’s career prospects, and the inspector’s exams that Carol was so eager for Paula to take. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I’m not sure if I want the rank.’

  ‘I don’t suppose it would make much difference in terms of your job as long as you stay with ReMIT. It would mean more money, a better pension. And that’s not something to be sniffed at.’

  She sighed. But before she could say more, her phone chirped with a text. ‘That’s interesting,’ she said, reading it. ‘It’s from Elton’s ex, Tricia. She wants me to give her a ring. Not urgent, she says.’ He could see her pulling a face in the rear-view mirror. ‘I’ll call her later, I don’t want to be in the middle of talking to her and miss the boss telling me it’s time to move.’

  ‘Use my phone,’ Tony said.

  ‘Good idea.’ Paula reached behind and he put it in her hand. She tapped in the number and they both listened to the long intermittent tone of a foreign number ringing out. Then the voicemail clicked in.

  ‘Hi, this is Tricia. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you when I’ve got decent reception.’

  ‘Hi, Tricia, this is DS McIntyre. I got your text, sorry I’ve missed you. I’ll try again later.’ She hung up. ‘Bugger.’

  ‘She did say it wasn’t urgent.’

  ‘Let’s hope she’s right.’

  It was several tedious hours, three more attempts to contact Tricia and two fat Saturday newspapers later when Carol finally called back soon after three. ‘He’s just come out of the front entrance of his block,’ she said. ‘He’s looking up the street as if he’s waiting for someone… Ah yes, here’s a cab. It’s a black Skoda, City Cabs logo… Elton’s on board… Heading south towards Kempton Road.’

  Paula waited for a gap in the traffic then swung the car round. ‘I need to get over behind you, this street doesn?
??t go that far.’ She did as she’d promised and they found themselves four cars behind Carol. ‘I can see you, boss.’

  ‘Turning left at the junction,’ Carol said.

  Soon they were on the inner ring road, heading out towards the motorway. Near the entry slip road was a string of car dealerships, and Elton’s taxi turned off on to the loop that circled past them. Tony enjoyed a moment of quiet satisfaction when Elton got out at the reception entrance of a dealership specialising in nearly new executive cars. ‘What’s he up to here?’ Carol asked.

  ‘Maybe he’s borrowing cars from clients, not hiring them,’ Paula said hesitantly, turning to poke her tongue out at him.

  Carol tutted. ‘Brilliant. Why didn’t we think of that? Of course, he’s got contacts in all sorts of areas. Good thinking, Paula.’

  Elton emerged a few minutes later and walked to the back of the lot. The car he drove away in was a dark blue Mercedes coupé. ‘You take him now,’ Carol said. ‘I’ll tuck in a few cars back.’

  They hit the motorway and soon they were racing down towards the M62. The Mercedes was cruising effortlessly in the fast lane while Paula struggled to keep up, shifting between the middle lane and the fast lane, occasionally even drifting over to the inside lane when there was little traffic around. They headed west along the M62. ‘Looks like Manchester or Liverpool,’ Paula said.

  ‘I’d guess Liverpool,’ Carol said. ‘He did Manchester last time, he won’t want to chance being spotted in the same city so soon after Eileen Walsh.’

  And she was right. They swapped lead cars again and Carol tailed him to the waterfront, where he pulled into a multi-storey car park next to the Philharmonic, a new hotel in the heart of the redeveloped docks. The dark red-brick building had once housed a massive tobacco warehouse, but only the façade remained of what had been. ‘I’m betting that’s where his target wedding is,’ Carol said. ‘Park on the street and be ready on foot for when he comes out. I’ll park up inside. If he takes the lift, I’ll take the stairs. And vice versa. Be ready.’ The call ended abruptly.

  ‘Bloody hell, where am I supposed to park round here?’ Paula grumbled.

  ‘There’s some meters back down the street,’ Tony said, pointing over his shoulder. ‘You get out, I’ll park the car and catch you up.’

  ‘I don’t —’

  ‘Just do it.’

  With a worried look over her shoulder, Paula did as he told her. Tony struggled with the unfamiliar car but managed to do a three-point turn without annoying too many other drivers. By the time he’d parked and hustled back down the street, he could see Elton cutting into the hotel entrance. Paula was a few metres behind, hanging back till she was sure he was properly inside. Then Carol emerged from the car park.

  There was no possibility of escaping her notice. Not in the purple anorak. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she demanded as soon as he came within range.

  ‘If your head’s still full of crazy ideas, what the hell is Paula doing here?’ he threw straight back at her. ‘You make her complicit, you destroy her as well as yourself.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid. She’s not complicit. She’s here to make the arrest after I stop him.’

  ‘You can’t do this, Carol.’

  ‘I will, Tony. You can’t stop me.’ She pushed past him and joined Paula at the hotel entrance. Together they walked inside.

  He thought about phoning the police. And saying what? The head of ReMIT is about to commit a murder? He could imagine the laughter in the control room. He couldn’t tell Paula because then he’d be the one making her complicit if they couldn’t stop Carol.

  There was nothing else for it. The only person who could stop Carol from destroying her life was him.

  He’d never felt less heroic.

  71

  H

  eart in mouth, Tony followed the two women up the steps and into the foyer. Blond wood and grey granite were the keynote materials, offset by receptionists in sombre dark-grey unisex Nehru jackets. Splashes of colour came from the dresses, shoes and fascinators of young women moving through on their way to another part of the hotel. The men blended in better, except for the occasional startling tie.

  A large plasma screen over to one side revealed the events of the day and their locations. The only wedding was in the first-floor Lennon & McCartney ballroom. Carol and Paula stood to one side of the screen, heads close, conferring. Nothing for it but to approach them.

  ‘What’s the plan, then?’ he asked genially as he drew close.

  ‘One that doesn’t include you,’ Carol said.

  ‘I’m the only one he hasn’t seen before,’ Tony said reasonably.

  ‘You’re not a police officer.’ Carol turned away, her face rigid with anger.

  ‘But I can observe. I can alert you when he makes a move.’

  ‘He’s got a point,’ Paula said.

  ‘Go away, Tony,’ Carol said.

  ‘Fine. See you later.’ He smiled and walked away. Up the wood and steel staircase to the first floor.

  Carol watched Tony climb the stairs with a growing sense of dismay. What the hell did he think he was playing at? This was hard enough without having to factor in whatever interfering plan he had cooked up. For there would be some plan, she knew him well enough to realise that. Her blood was already beating in her veins, her palms damp. ‘We can’t let him get in the middle of this,’ she said. ‘Come on.’

  By the time the two women had climbed the stairs, Tony was handing in his purple anorak to the cloakroom. Underneath, he was wearing his best suit. It wasn’t most people’s idea of a wedding suit; it had been fashionable briefly about ten years before. But it was a suit and his tie didn’t clash with his shirt. His shoes were polished for the occasion. He’d even had a haircut. Carol couldn’t remember a time when he’d looked better. It pierced her to the heart. She knew that what she was about to do would grieve him more deeply than he’d ever be able to admit. She would be drawing a line between them forever. But high as it was, it remained a price she was willing to pay to avoid having more death on her conscience. There was no going back now. Carol drew in a sharp breath and stepped in front of him.

  He smiled again. ‘I think you and Paula are a bit under-dressed for this.’ He gestured at their smart casual outfits. ‘It’s a wedding, you know. Look, why don’t I slip in and keep an eye on Elton? We already know how he operates. Let’s wait till he’s made a move on his victim and brought her out of the reception to talk to her privately in the bar. Then you can move in on him. Because by then he’ll have given her a false name and spun her the same set of lies that we know he told the other women. The dead wife, the “let’s take it easy” line.’

  ‘It makes sense, boss,’ Paula said. ‘It’d be a lot easier to arrest him in a quiet bar rather than in the middle of a wedding reception. And do we really want to wreck some innocent couple’s wedding?’

  Carol looked from one to the other. It was hard to argue against them because it was exactly the strategy she’d have employed if she’d been considering arrest rather than the alternative. They looked at her expectantly and she made up her mind. The very circumstances that would make arrest easier would also simplify what she had in mind.

  ‘OK,’ she sighed. ‘But keep your distance. Don’t do anything to make him suspicious. And call me as soon as he makes a move on a woman. You are not a police officer, Tony. Don’t try to act like one. We’ll find a quiet corner out of the way for now.’ She watched him walk down the hallway to the ballroom. ‘Wait here,’ she told Paula, setting off after Tony.

  Carol slowed as she approached the double doors of the ballroom. They were thrown wide and she could see from the detritus on the tables that the wedding meal was over. The long drapes had been pulled over the windows and the DJ was warming up the room with the Brian Eno remix of ‘Congratulations’. She kept moving and found a ladies’ loo at the end of the hallway.

  She locked herself into a cubicle and felt inside her bag. The hand
le of the knife was still perfectly aligned to her hand. It was a six-inch rigid boning knife, one of a set she’d bought to equip the new kitchen in the barn. She’d never actually used it. Cooking wasn’t something she did very often, and when she did, it never required filleting a piece of meat. But the set had looked good in its brushed steel block and, it turned out, it was more practical than she’d ever have imagined.

  Her mouth was dry, her stomach fluttering. She hadn’t been able to keep food down since the day before and there was a dull ache at the base of her skull. But she could do this, Carol told herself. She wouldn’t think twice if she was protecting someone she cared about. Paula, say. Or Tony. Why should that be any different from the lives of strangers? Didn’t they deserve their lives as much as people who happened to be dear to her?

  Carol leaned her forehead against the cool marble wall of the cubicle. It was too late for cold feet now. It was only a matter of time before Penny Burgess brought her life crashing down around her ears and then it would be too late. She’d never get anywhere near Elton again and he would kill and kill again. How many women would he murder before he was finally caught? She couldn’t let that happen.

  She had enough on her conscience. The guilt stopped here. It was time for a good death.

  Tony ambled across the ballroom, a genial smile here, a nod of apparent recognition there, a little wave to a small child who looked startled. He leaned on the bar and ordered a pint of bitter, letting his gaze drift down the bar. There, halfway down, was Elton, jacket over his shoulder, tie loosened, drink in hand. He was talking to the man standing next to him. Probably gleaning a few details about the bride or groom to help him with his mission.

  He wasn’t the only one with a mission. Tony felt faintly sick at the thought of what was to come. However he did it, he had to stop Carol from killing this man. It would be an unsurvivable event for her, he was convinced. She had drawn on extraordinary strength to hold herself together all these years, but even Carol Jordan had to run out of sheer determination somewhere. And this, he thought, was probably the time and the place.