Cold Earth

Chapter Thirty-Four

Willow didn’t waste time thinking about what had happened at Jimmy Perez’s house the evening before. There would be opportunities for that later and, besides, perhaps nothing of any importance at all had happened. She might feel dizzy with hope – giddy, as she felt when she was at the top of a cliff looking down at the waves breaking below. But she knew it would be wise to limit her expectations. Perez had promised nothing. Today she had to focus on getting the information they needed from Alison Teal’s brother. Nothing else could be decided until the case was over.

A local police officer had informed the man of his sister’s death. He’d gone along to the prison where Jono Teal was being held, with the probation officer who’d known Jono for some years. Willow talked to the probation officer first. Her name was Hazel Sharpe and she was middle-aged and tough, more cynical than most police officers Willow knew. Hazel gave the impression that nothing at all would shock her.

‘Tell me what you know about the family,’ Willow said.

Much of the information Hazel passed on they’d gleaned previously, from interviews Alison had given at the height of her popularity. It seemed the actress hadn’t exaggerated the tough childhood; the feckless parents and the informal adoption by the grandparents on the Norfolk coast still formed a part of the story.

‘I have the impression that Alison was the golden girl,’ the probation officer said. ‘Perhaps she was an actress even then, becoming what was needed to survive, the sweet little girl that her grandparents doted on. Jono was trickier to handle. Not so bright and he hated school. I think they were all relieved when he left home and joined the army as soon as he could. I think he did OK in the forces. The discipline suited him and he made good friends. He only started getting into trouble when he left.’

‘Did he keep in touch with Alison?’

‘I think they saw each other when he was on leave. Jono was scarcely literate and I can’t imagine the woman I met as a great writer, so I doubt they kept in touch by letter. It was a long time ago, before everyone used Skype or Facebook. They seemed fond enough of each other, but when Jono was still in the army they were leading very different lives.’

‘So you met Alison?’ Willow thought this was an unexpected bonus.

‘Only once, and that was a bit later, soon after Jono left the army, when I was preparing his first presentence report. He’d been picked up that first time for shoplifting and he’d said he was homeless. The court wanted an address before they’d give him bail. Alison took him in. She’d already been written out of the TV drama then, but she still saw herself as a minor celebrity. She was living a very different life from her brother. There was a flat in a swanky bit of North London. A kitchen full of gadgets, but no food in the fridge. What my Nan would call “fur coat and no knickers” style.’

‘What did you make of her?’

There was a pause. ‘It’s a long time ago and I did so many of those home visits, so it’s hard to remember details. She sticks in my mind because I’d liked that drama on the telly and I was a bit star-struck. That flat wasn’t the usual sort of place I visited through work. The first thing I noticed was that she was beautiful. Model-beautiful. More stunning than she looked on the screen. I visited in the morning and she’d just got up. No make-up and still in her dressing gown, but gorgeous all the same. And perhaps because of that I could see she might be a spoilt brat. But she’d put Jono up, hadn’t she? She didn’t have to do that. I thought she was alright.’

‘How long did Jono stay with her?’

‘I don’t know,’ Hazel said. ‘That time he was let off with a fine, which I presume his sister paid, and I didn’t have any involvement until his next court appearance. By then he’d shacked up with a woman in Bermondsey, and Alison was out of the picture.’ The probation officer paused. ‘After that his route through the criminal justice system was pretty predictable. The woman left him and he drifted into stealing again. He met up with some thugs inside and they started giving him driving jobs when he came out. That was the closest he could get to the friendships he’d found in the army, I suppose. Now he’s serving a stretch for armed robbery. It’s bloody sad.’

Willow was using Perez’s office to make the call and looked out of the window. The sea was churning and spray was blowing almost into the town. It was a long way from criminal London. ‘What’s Jono Teal like? As a man.’

Hazel paused again. ‘A bit pathetic, by the time I knew him. Likeable enough and desperate to please, but he’s never really grown up. He just seems weak these days. It’s hard to think now that he was once a soldier and fit enough for active service.’

‘I was hoping to talk to him,’ Willow said. ‘I don’t know if he’s told you, but his sister was killed. Here in Shetland. We could use some up-to-date background. Only it’s a long way for me to do a visit.’

‘I’m sure he’d cooperate. He’s always been a model prisoner. It’s the outside, when he has to make his own decisions and take responsibility for himself, that he finds hard to cope with. Besides, he’s due a parole board soon.’ The woman seemed to be thinking how much effort she was willing to put into helping Willow. ‘We could see if the prison would let you use the video-link they have for court appearances.’

‘That would be wonderful. Time’s short, though. I’d like to get it set up for today.’

The probation officer barked a short laugh. ‘Are you joking? Do you know how long anything takes these days? You need forms signed in triplicate to get a visit authorized.’ A pause. ‘But I’ll see if I can work a little miracle. Leave it with me, yeah? I know the assistant governor.’

And so, two hours later, Willow was sitting in the ops room, staring at a computer, and the shaky image of Alison Teal’s only surviving relative appeared on the screen.

Jono was, as the probation officer had explained, likeable. Charming even, in a smarmy, desperate-to-please sort of way. He knew what was expected and first of all had to tell Willow how sad he was. ‘Alis was the only relative I had left. And now that’s been taken away from me too. Do you know when the funeral will be? Only they’ve said I might get a day-release to come along.’

It was hard to believe he’d once been a soldier. He looked very skinny and grey in his prison denims and striped shirt. A middle-aged man’s face on a child’s body.

Willow said they didn’t know when his sister’s body would be released, but he’d be kept informed. ‘When did you last see Alison?’

‘She came to see me sometimes. Not regular, like, but when she could. I’d always get a visiting order to her, just in case.’

‘So when did you last see her?’ Willow thought time must pass differently inside. Each day would be much the same as the last. She allowed him time to work things out in his head.

But the answer came more quickly than she expected. ‘It was two months ago, to the day. I remember because they gave me the date for my parole hearing.’ The grief at his sister’s death left him for a moment. ‘They say I’ve got a good chance of getting it. And I’m not going to screw things up this time.’ He paused for a moment. ‘I’m her only relative, so everything will come to me, won’t it? She owned that flat, bought it when she was still on the telly, and it must be worth a fortune, the way prices are in London.’

‘I guess it depends whether or not she made a will.’ Willow thought this wasn’t something they’d explored. Had Rogerson been Alison’s lawyer, as well as her business partner? She rather hoped this thin man would inherit. Perhaps the security of a little money would help him turn his life around. She looked at him smiling out at her from the screen. And perhaps pigs might fly. ‘How did Alison seem when you last saw her?’

‘She was really well.’ The response seemed genuine. ‘Better than she’s been for ages. Optimistic, you know. She said she was going away. She’d been given a business opportunity. It meant she had a chance to catch up with a few old friends and make some cash at the same time. She might not be able to visit for a while. But if it all worked out as she hoped, she’d be able to help me sort myself out. When I was released, like.’

‘Did she say where she was going?’

‘No.’ But Willow thought Jono was so self-absorbed that he might not have remembered. And he seemed to her completely institutionalized. His life was the routine of prison. He would find it difficult to imagine life outside.

‘Was Alison working?’ This was the big question, but she asked it lightly. ‘I mean, when she came to visit, before her big trip. I presume she must have chatted about her work.’

‘She had her own business,’ Jono said. ‘She always told me that was the way to go. I should be my own boss. She’d never liked having people telling her what to do. I didn’t have her drive, though. Alis was always the one with ambition.’

‘What kind of business had your sister set up?’ Willow was almost glad that they were separated by hundreds of miles and a dodgy video-link. She didn’t want him to see how important this was for her.

For the first time he seemed wary. ‘She was a very attractive woman. No harm in making the most of what you’ve got.’

‘Absolutely.’

‘She ran a legitimate company. Once the acting dried up, she still had to make a living.’ He paused and seemed deep in contemplation. ‘And it was a kind of acting, wasn’t it? Making men feel good about themselves. Everyone likes to be seen with a beautiful woman.’

‘So she worked as an escort. Is that what you’re saying, Jono?’ Willow wondered what Perez would make of that. The positive confirmation that the woman with the dark eyes and dark hair, who seemed to have haunted him since he’d found her body, had sold herself to men.

‘Only to decent blokes. Classy, you know – wanting some company. A bit of arm-candy at works social dos.’ He seemed very earnest in his sister’s defence. Willow wondered if he was convincing himself as well as her.

‘And she was doing well, was she, at the business she was running? She made enough to keep the wolf from the door?’

‘Eh?’

‘She earned enough to keep herself in nice clothes?’

‘She was always well turned out when she came to see me.’

Willow thought Jono had gained credibility inside, by having a visitor as glamorous as Alison. Had he told the other men she was his sister or allowed them to think she was his girlfriend?

Jono was still talking. ‘I think she might have had a bit of bother lately. Stepped on some important toes. It’s a competitive business and people have carved out their own territory.’

So perhaps that was why Alison had been seduced to Shetland, Willow thought. She’d upset some big players in London and had been told to move out for a while. Then she smiled to herself. What did she know about that sort of thing? Only what she’d seen in gangster films. Her police experience was limited to Scotland, and mostly the Highlands and Islands. There were few gangsters in Inverness or Kirkwall. ‘So Alison decided to leave the city to let things settle down?’

‘Yeah. Something like that. But that wasn’t the only reason she moved away. She had high hopes of the new venture. It had great potential. “If everything works out as I expect, you’ll be able to come and work for me, Jono. How do you fancy that? We’ll move you out of London and away from all those scrotes you’ve been mixing with.” I was looking forward to it. I thought it would be a fresh start for both of us.’ Now he seemed genuinely sad. ‘That’s not going to happen now, though, is it? No change of scene for me.’

‘Did Alison say exactly where she’d be moving, for her business?’ Willow thought it didn’t matter now. She had enough information to confirm her theory that Alison had been in partnership with Rogerson.

Jono considered for a moment. The image on the screen flickered and died and then he appeared again.

‘She told me I should pack my thermals.’ He gave a little laugh. ‘But she said it was beautiful. “It was my place of sanctuary, Jono. I always knew I’d go back.”’

That was enough for Willow. Alison had disappeared to Shetland when she’d been depressed and anxious as a young actor, and she’d decided to return to the same place recently, when things were getting uncomfortable for her in London.

Jono was looking off-camera, as if the prison officer operating the system had told him it was time to return to his cell.

‘Just one last question.’ Willow spoke quickly before the line was disconnected. ‘Did Alison mention a man called Tom to you? Tom Rogerson. Was that the person she was going to work with, when she left London?’ She knew it was a leading question, but she wasn’t a lawyer and she didn’t have much time.

‘I’ve got to go,’ Jono said. ‘I’m missing my dinner. They don’t save you any food, if you miss it.’

‘Please.’ Willow smiled. ‘I’d be very grateful.’

He thought for a moment. The need to be liked overcame his desire for his lunch. ‘She was a bit mysterious,’ he said at last. ‘I asked her for details: “Where will we live, Sis? What sort of place is it?” But she said she couldn’t trust me to keep my mouth shut. It had to stay secret.’

Suddenly the screen went dark. Willow couldn’t tell if Jono had finished speaking or if the prison officer had run out of patience and wanted his lunch too.