Frozen Grave

Chapter 51

The police officers drove back to London in two cars and Ebony left Carter and Tucker at Carter’s flat. Tucker was staying the night there. Cabrina opened the door and invited her in for some supper. Willis declined. It was late.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

Carter and Tucker talked deep into the night as they finished off a bottle of whisky. Carter was suffering the most when they walked into Robbo’s office the next morning.

‘Come in, Tucker. How does it feel to be back?’ Robbo stood and shook Tucker’s hand as he walked into the office.

‘It feels… interesting.’ Tucker smiled. He shook hands with Pam and Hector. He smiled at Willis, who was already in the office.

‘Okay, well, let’s get this meeting started,’ said Carter. ‘Robbo, can you talk us through the timeline of events?’

He drew up a chair for Tucker and one for himself. Hector stopped working at his PC, to join in the meeting.

Robbo wheeled his whiteboard forward, took a marker and drew three circles, each linked to the other, then put a name in each:

‘All three women were having a sexual relationship with JJ Ellerman. All killed in different ways. So far, the only lead we have is the homeless man, Toffee, who is currently in an induced coma. We know Toffee had money on him and we know he witnessed the attack on Olivia Grantham because he said so.’

‘So do we think Ellerman has a connection to Toffee? Why did he choose him for the mission?’ asked Tucker.

‘We’ve looked into Toffee’s past. He was a highflyer but he has no connection to Ellerman’s past or the people in it.’

‘Someone was watching him, watching 22 Parade Street, and singled Toffee out as someone they could do business with,’ said Carter.

‘They must have talked to him first. They must have trusted him,’ Tucker added.

‘Or known his weakness. Drink is what he lives for,’ said Willis.

‘But he liked to be seen as something of an intellectual in his lucid moments,’ said Carter. ‘He knew he was brighter than your average rough sleeper. If I had to choose someone to lure Olivia Grantham to her death, I’d probably have chosen someone trustworthy, someone who sounded right for the job.’

‘So did someone pick him specifically? Does the area count then? They could have had a connection to the area,’ said Tucker. ‘Or to the hostel… Faith and Light? What do we know about it?’

‘Run by a man called Simon Smith.’

‘What do we know about him?’

‘Rich kid, who went off the rails and whose parents are stinking wealthy but like to throw the odd charitable crust the peasants’ way – they seem to be using their son as a kind of experiment. He comes out of rehab and, instead of giving him a cushy number running one of their many other businesses like holiday complexes in Sardinia or glamping holidays in Italy, they make him run a homeless shelter in the East End. Can a parent really want to set their own kid up to fail?’ Instinctively, Carter looked across at Willis.

‘Does Simon Smith have any connection to Olivia Grantham or JJ Ellerman?’ asked Tucker.

‘I’m looking into it now,’ answered Pam. ‘But not so far.’

‘If Ellerman has paid someone or is our murderer, what is the motive?’ asked Tucker.

‘Money,’ answered Carter. ‘He has claimed to be buying Spanish property for renovation and he gets the women to invest. They wise up and ask for their money back.’ He passed Tucker a photo of Ellerman with a yacht behind him. ‘Why do these women find Ellerman so attractive? I don’t get it.’ Carter shook his head. ‘These women could do so much better than him – he’s just an ageing bullshitter who likes to flash the cash and sponges off women when it dries up.’

‘So far, the only thing we know for certain that these women have in common is JJ Ellerman,’ said Robbo.

‘We don’t know if they knew one another.’

‘No. But it’s unlikely,’ said Carter. ‘Pam?’

‘Yes. I have talked to all of the women now and, out of every one on the list, only Dr Harding says she knew one of the others and that was Olivia Grantham. None of the others were on that sex site. I can’t see how they would have met.’

‘Unless through Ellerman,’ said Tucker.

‘We have requested phone records for the dead women. They should be through to us soon and then we’ll be able to answer that,’ replied Robbo.

‘I still don’t understand how Ellerman manages to con all these women,’ said Carter.

‘Because he’s good at giving them what they want,’ said Tucker. ‘He researches them before he meets them. After all, he knows exactly what they’re looking for from the dating sites. He just becomes that.’

‘Plus, he keeps them hanging on,’ Pam chipped in. ‘If your whole relationship is based on a once-a-week meeting, of course it can last for a year or more because you’re never going to get to the point where it’s boring or where it’s confrontational.’ Tucker studied the photos of Ellerman.

Pam continued: ‘He makes it clear from the start that he is married, so none of the women can complain about that.’

‘And he uses his son as a con,’ said Tucker. ‘His dead son.’

‘Yeah…’ said Carter. ‘That’s macabre. To keep your son alive just so that you can cheat women into bed and out of money.’

‘Ruthless, inhuman and a life built on lies – not easy to juggle so many balls in the air without dropping the lot,’ said Tucker.

‘I agree. It’s an indication of someone who can step outside social and moral normalities without flinching,’ said Robbo. ‘We know he’s an accomplished liar. He’s a dangerous man. It’s hard to know what would mean anything to him.’

‘His wife,’ said Carter. ‘Whatever bubble he exists in, she’s in the same one. All this is for her as well as him. Keeping up appearances, maintaining that massive house for just the two of them. If they sold that, they could start again somewhere, but that would signal a defeat, a failure.’

‘Plus,’ added Pam, ‘the mortgage, the remortgage – they won’t come out with a lot. But what kind of woman stays in that situation, knowing that her husband is a complete charlatan?’

‘Willis and I went to see her and she seemed almost numb, depressed. She is one of those people who’s built a wall around herself.’ Willis nodded her agreement.

‘Is she on a lot of medication?’ asked Tucker.

‘My thoughts exactly. Her pupils were black pinpoints, she was puffy around the eyes. She must be on some doctor’s repeat prescription list,’ Carter said.

‘If she’s gone too far down the medication road, she will find it hard to change her circumstances or leave.’

‘They have just the threads of a relationship left. They’re like a rotten tooth hanging on by the roots,’ Carter said.

‘So, it’s all about the money.’ Robbo went over to Pam – she handed him a folder. Robbo spread the content out on the desk.

‘Here we have the only three properties that we think Ellerman has purchased. We have some deeds that Carter found in Ellerman’s office.’

‘Good work.’ Tucker winked. ‘Is “found” a loose term?’

‘His wife left us alone in there – we took photos,’ said Willis. ‘But we needed more time to go through it all.’

‘Two of these properties are located in the centre of a large town and the other is on its outskirts. Bearing in mind that Ellerman is supposed to specialize in renovating rural farmhouses, these purchased buildings are nothing like that. One is a commercial property right in the middle of Málaga, the second is a flat in a block on the beach and the third is a large property in a touristy area towards Marbella. As far as I can see, there is no renovation to be done.’

‘You said there were texts to Olivia and Harding from a number without a contact name?’ said Tucker. ‘When you were in Ellerman’s office, did you see any evidence of spare phones?’

‘No, but he could have a wallet full of SIM cards, couldn’t he?’

‘Pam, you have the list of women narrowed down now?’

‘Yes; if we start with these then widen the net. These are the women he sees regularly. The list is getting smaller now. It did include Olivia, Gillian and Lisa. Now I have added Dr Harding because she has come back into it. Or rather, she is in both camps – the ones he sees once in a blue moon and the ones who are of interest now. We still don’t know who wrote the letter but it’s being analysed for typeface and printer-ink type. We’re waiting for the results. We have an expert looking at the language used, the length of sentences and so on. They have asked us to get a voice recording of all the women who it could possibly be, as much as we can, and then they will compare the language.’

‘Yeah – I’ve made a start on that,’ said Willis.

‘Have you dug anything up on any of the women?’ asked Tucker.

‘Yes,’ answered Pam. ‘Paula has some convictions in her past. There is some interesting history on Megan Penarth. You went to see her, didn’t you?’

‘Yes. She looks a lot like she stepped out of the cast of a King Arthur film – masses of black and silver hair. I made some enquiries at the local pub after I left her that afternoon. You know – how great it must be to have an artist living in their village, that kind of thing. They didn’t seem too keen on her. They liked her husband better, by the sound of it. He died of cancer. It was a long battle, I think. There was talk of assisted suicide.’

‘We need to go back to the village and find out more,’ said Carter. ‘We’ll go and talk to her again, and the other women. Pam, keep looking into all their pasts.’

‘I still don’t get why the killer chose the hostel to pick Toffee from. It’s got to be an area he knows well. People would have noticed a stranger hanging around, talking to the men there. He must be someone they see all the time. Did you confiscate the PCs from the hostel?’

‘Yes, they’re being examined now.’

‘When does Toffee come round?’ asked Tucker.

‘It will take a few more days, the doctors say,’ answered Carter.

‘Better double the guard on his room,’ said Robbo. ‘The gang are becoming a real problem now. Ever since the dog chewed up Balik’s grandfather.’

When they finished their meeting with Robbo and the team, Tucker, Carter and Willis headed to the canteen to get some lunch.

‘You know, Tucker, this woman can eat me and you under the table,’ Carter said as they walked.

She shook her head. ‘It’s not true.’

‘You must burn it off,’ said Tucker. ‘There’s nothing on you.’

‘Athletic genes,’ she answered, and Carter looked at her and then raised an eyebrow, stopped walking. She shook her head.

‘We’ll get some lunch then hit the road,’ said Carter. ‘We have Emily Porter to see first, in Taunton, then we’ll head down to see what Megan Penarth has to say and come back up to Reading for Paula Seymour again.’

‘Can we do it all in a day?’ asked Tucker.

‘No, we’ll grab a razor and a toothbrush from somewhere on the way and we’ll get a Travelodge tonight. Is that a problem?’

‘No, absolutely not. I’ll leave the car here, pick it up next time.’

After lunch, they took Carter’s car and drove through central London. It took an hour before they joined the M4 headed towards the South West.

Two and a half hours later, at 4 p.m., the three detectives parked up in the visitors’ car park at Prince’s School in Taunton and headed into the reception area. They waited there whilst a sixth-former went to fetch Emily Porter, whose classes were just coming to an end for the day.

Carter introduced himself discreetly.

He thought that whilst Emily didn’t look surprised to see the detectives, Willis couldn’t help but compare the women on Ellerman’s list – she saw Emily like Harding: athletic and wiry, guarded and aloof.

‘Do you have a room we can use to have a chat?’ Carter asked. Emily looked towards the receptionist for approval. She nodded.

‘Um… Yes. We have a room next door we can use,’ Emily said, trying to smile, but it didn’t quite come off. ‘Tea?’

‘Yes, please.’

Emily asked the receptionist to bring tea and they went into a study to have some privacy. It was a light room, sparsely furnished, and felt like a doctor’s waiting room. Outside, it was already dark. Emily went across to pull the curtains on the two bay windows.

She strode over and sat down, bolt upright, legs to one side, slightly uncomfortable-looking in her tweed pencil skirt. Willis looked at her shoes – they were shiny court shoes – highly polished.

Willis surreptitiously switched on her recorder and placed it on the table, out of sight. She was hoping Emily would think it was her phone and not ask. They needed a sample of her voice, to see if they could match its style to the person who wrote the letter. Willis was working Emily Porter out. She was studying the way Emily held herself, the way she answered questions. Carter would start by asking her the basics so that Willis could establish a baseline of behaviour.

‘Thanks for sparing us some time, we just have a few questions for you.’

‘Yes, okay… um. Please take a seat. Tea will be coming in a few minutes.’

‘This is a great-looking school,’ said Carter. ‘Have you worked here long?’

‘Ten years.’

‘It must be very rewarding.’

‘Yes, it is.’

‘Do you have children of your own?’

‘Um… No, I don’t.’

‘I bet it puts you off when you’ve got so many here to look after. This is a boarding school, isn’t it?’

‘It’s both a day school and term-time boarding.’

‘You’re known as Mrs Porter here? Were you married at one time?’

‘Yes, I was. Um… I kept my married name. I got used to it and they already knew me as that here. I didn’t see the point in changing it back.’

‘And do you live near here in the grounds?’

‘I live in a house in the middle of Taunton.’

‘How does that work out for you? Is Taunton a lively place in the evenings?’

She smiled. ‘Lively enough for me.’

Carter looked at Willis. She held his gaze for a second, which told him she had established a normal baseline for Emily Porter. Some things would be difficult to gauge. Emily has a habit of pushing her glasses back up her nose as she talks and when she pushes them she scrunches up her face. She is nervy and abrupt and has the annoying habit of ending or beginning many of her sentences with an ‘um’. Her body is still, upright. Her legs are still. They don’t move. When she’s answering Carter she keeps her head vertical, her movements small. She reminds me of a puppet. Now Carter would see how Emily behaved when she was under stress.

He took out the letter.

‘Did you get one of these?’ He held it up for her to see.

‘Um… Yes.’ Legs clenched, knees clamped. She holds her hands tightly until she pushes up her glasses, this time adding a small grooming movement with her hand as she pushes her hair back from her face.

‘When did it arrive?’

‘Um…’ She looks up to the left. ‘I got it on the Wednesday morning when I went home to finish some marking at coffee time. I had two free periods so I went home and checked my mail.’

‘Was it a shock?’

‘Um…’ She pauses. She was thinking what she should say. ‘I would have to say – not really.’ She stares straight ahead. Her legs relax a little.

‘Did you already know about the existence of the list?’

‘Did I write it, you mean? No, I didn’t.’ Her shoulders rise a little. Could be anxiety, could be lying.

‘How long have you known JJ Ellerman, Mrs Porter?’

‘Um… About five years now.’

‘How did you meet?’

‘On a dating site for Christians.’

‘You are divorced?’

‘Um… Yes. My marriage only lasted two years, unfortunately. I’ve been with JJ since it ended.’

‘Five years is a long time.’

Emily’s eyes went to Willis. Willis didn’t react. She was taking notes.

‘Yes… Um.’ Emily glanced briefly at Tucker, who smiled, and then she turned back to Carter. ‘I suppose it is, um… but I wasn’t in a hurry to settle down with someone else. One marriage is enough.’ She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Willis wrote in her notes: Demeanour changed. Eyes looking up to the right. Face colouring. Hands restless in lap. Body language not corresponding to words.

‘So you never wanted anything more from Ellerman? You never thought: “This isn’t going anywhere?” Not even now, five years down the line?’

‘No. It suited us both.’

She’s lying – beginning to perspire, breathing rate increasing, fidgeting.

‘So you will be happy to continue your relationship with him?’

‘Absolutely not. Of course I can’t.’ More lies.

‘I’m sorry if this is an indelicate question, but have you invested money in any of his business schemes?’

‘Um… I’d rather not tell you about my financial arrangements, if you don’t mind. Not unless it’s absolutely necessary. Please tell me what this is about first. Is he under investigation? Surely, it isn’t illegal to do what he’s done?’

‘It’s not illegal to date several women at the same time but three of the women on this list are dead, under suspicious circumstances. And there’s the possibility of Ellerman having defrauded these dead women out of their money.’

‘Dead? Women from this list?’ Her demeanour changed slightly. She seemed more guarded, aware that she was being watched. She seemed to be able to control her reactions.

‘Yes. Um… I’m sorry to have to tell you that these women died under suspicious circumstances and we are conducting murder investigations,’ Carter said.

Willis watched Emily intently.

‘So… um… what has that got to do with JJ?’ Emily looked up from her lap, composed, her breathing rate returning to normal. ‘It seems that… um… all that the women had in common is knowing him. We know that he knows a lot of women. I understand that he has a dubious past.’

‘We think you might have met one of the women who died – Lisa Tompkins?’

‘Um… yes. I did. Once, um… just briefly. I didn’t know her before that day.’ Emily sat, covering her eyes and her forehead with one hand. ‘Why are you here today? Have you come to warn me?’

‘Yes, partly, and also to ask for your help. We would urge you not to see JJ Ellerman again, until these enquiries are resolved.’

‘When you say their deaths were suspicious, that means you are not sure they were murdered?’

‘Olivia Grantham was. She’s on the third page of the letter. Gillian Forth was – definitely, she’s on the second page. Lisa, we have yet to solve her death. Did you ever meet either of the other two women?’

‘No. Just Lisa. Once, as I told you, in the presence of the other women: Paula and Megan. Did you talk to them?’

‘Yes, and we will be doing so again, and many of the other women on this list.’ Emily pushed her glasses up on her nose several times in succession. ‘Just so that we can create an accurate picture of the events, we need to know where you were on the dates that these women died. They are Sunday the fifth, Tuesday the seventh and Saturday the eighteenth.’

‘Um… I was here in my cottage. I was here and so was JJ. He was with me.’

Carter waited. Willis paused in her note-taking.

‘You know, Mrs Porter, we will have to check out these facts and this is not a time to make hasty statements without being sure of the facts. I appreciate that you are fond of JJ Ellerman, but you do him no, or youself any favours by lying on his behalf.’

‘Maybe it’s the other women who are lying, not me. Um…’

‘When you met up with them, what was the outcome of the meeting?’

‘We talked about general things. We wanted to support one another.’

‘That wasn’t at all awkward?’

‘No.’

‘How did you leave it with the other women? What were your parting words?’

‘I can’t remember exactly.’

‘See you again? I don’t ever want to see you again?’

‘More like – we’ll wait and see what happens.’

‘What could happen?’

‘Um… I’m not sure.’

‘Let’s hope what can happen is not another murder, Mrs Porter. Our aim here is not to get anyone into trouble unnecessarily or to cause embarrassment or to expose you in any way. But serious crimes have been committed and JJ Ellerman seems to be in the middle of it all. Would you mind if I ask you what you intend to do now?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Will you be carrying on your relationship with Ellerman?’

‘No, of course not.’ Carter looked across at Willis. She was watching Emily Porter intently and she knew she was lying.