The Red Dahlia

Chapter Twenty

Anna hated not having any toothpaste or cleanser, but washed her face and patted it dry. She would have no make-up for the morning either! Her clothes were crumpled, but she'd washed her knickers in the sink and left them over a radiator. She got into bed naked and pulled up the flannelette sheets; the pillowslip felt starched.

She could hear Lewis snoring in the room downstairs and Langton pacing up and down; everything Anna had said was going round and round in his head.

Anna couldn't sleep; the sheets made her itch. She got up and poured herself a glass of water from a decanter that resembled a specimen jar.

There was a light tap on her door.

After a moment, she heard Langton whisper, 'Are you awake? Anna? It's me.'

Anna hesitated, then wrapped the sheet around her and opened the door.

'I've just had a cold shower, they obviously turn off the hot water early.' He was wearing his shirt and a towel wrapped around his waist. 'Can I come in?'

She nodded and opened the door wider.

'Lewis sounds like a steam engine. I couldn't sleep.'

'Nor could I. I've got no drink; I can't offer you anything.'

'Can't you?'

'Oh, please.'

'Sorry, my attempt at a joke; obviously failed miserably.'

He sat on the edge of her bed; she sat in a chair by the window.

'So what do you want?' said Anna.

'Me?'

'Yes, you. Do you want to talk about the case?'

'I don't.'

'If you want me to go to bed with you, I don't think this is the right time or place.'

He patted the bedcover. 'Seems okay to me.'

'Well, not to me; for one, you've been drinking and for two, I just don't think…'

'Always thinking,' he interrupted. 'Do you ever do something without those brain cells working overtime?'

She turned away.

'Come here.' He held out his hand. 'For Chrissakes, Anna what do you want?'

'Listen, I am not someone who has a random one-night stand in a hotel.'

'But we've been to bed before.'

'You think I don't know that? I don't want to be just a convenient screw. Like you said, we've already been there.'

'Yeah I know; you didn't want it to go any further, so what's the big deal?'

'Maybe I want more.'

'Are you saying there is more?'

She shook her head. 'Why are you doing this to me?'

'Anna, what am I doing? I want to go to bed with you, hold you, make love to you.'

'Because Lewis is snoring and you can't sleep downstairs in his room?'

He got up and walked towards her. 'What if I was to tell you that for weeks, since we first started this case, I have wanted…'

She interrupted. 'You mean Professor Marshe didn't work out?'

'What?'

'Come on! You were all over her like a rash!'

'You mean you never sussed?'

'Sussed what?'

'She's gay. She's having a scene with the Commander.'

Anna was stunned; she said nothing.

'So, do we get into bed, or do I go back to Lewis and cuddle up next to him?'

Anna remained in her chair and he came closer.

'Anna, if you don't want to have sex, that's okay by me, I just want to hold you close.'

'Go back to your room. We both need to recharge our batteries and be ready for the morning.'

He turned and headed back to the door and had it half open when he turned to face her. 'If what you want is some kind of long-term commitment, then I can't give you that.'

'I know, but I can't just be a casual lay, because I really care about you. In fact, I think I might be in love with you, so you see this is far from easy.'

'In love with me?'

'Yes.'

'Well that kind of changes things, doesn't it? See you in the morning, Travis.'

She sat in the chair and wanted to cry. If he had touched her, kissed her, she would not have been able to say no. She could think of nothing that she wanted more than to have his body next to hers, flannelette sheets or not.

Langton wolfed down his breakfast without so much as glancing at her. She wondered if he had been more drunk than she thought and he'd even forgotten coming to her room.

The local police had made contact, saying there had been no movement in or out of the Hall's main gates. They had positioned a car at the rear, and had done a drive round at intervals during the night. One car was still in position some distance down the lane; when the surveillance team arrived, they would take over.

'If, as Travis suspects, Wickenham was holed up at the Hall and then had time to get the hell out, this is just a waste of time. If, on the other hand, we grill all three of them — that's Emily, Justine and the old housekeeper — and put some pressure on them to cough up exactly what might or might not have happened, we might get a result. So far, there has still been no sighting of Wickenham. Barolli and the team have questioned everyone associated with him. No one's admitting to having seen him or having any contact with him and, let me tell you, we really put the pressure on them with those photographs. The whole bunch were shitting themselves that their part in his perverted parties would be released to the press.'

He spoke between mouthfuls of egg and bacon, buttering his toast and gulping down one cup of coffee after the next.

Lewis said nothing. He wasn't eating, but consuming a lot of coffee and paracetamol tablets.

Langton wiped his plate clean and then pushed it aside. 'I've also asked Barolli to comb through back issues of any newspapers that might give us more details about the family who previously owned the place. But it was a long time ago, so we may not get a result.' He checked his watch and phoned to see if their driver had returned to take them back to the Hall. 'Okay, he'll be out front in ten minutes, so I'll go and settle the bill and see you out there.' He pushed back his chair, wiped his face with his napkin and strode out.

'I don't bloody know how he does it,' said Lewis, disgruntled. 'He had a right skinful last night but you'd never know it this morning. He's been pacing up and down, making one call after another.'

Anna spread some marmalade over her toast; she had hardly touched her eggs and bacon. 'He's got me all nervous. I mean, it was just a thought.'

'Yeah, my thoughts exactly, but let's face it, we might as well have a go. I mean, we've bugger all else on tracing the son of a bitch.'

Langton reappeared. 'Car's here, let's go!'

Anna took a last sip of her coffee and picked up her toast.

They drove in silence towards Mayerling Hall. Midway down the lane, they saw a local squad car and stopped. Langton got out and had a conversation with the driver.

'Still no movement, nobody has been near the place or left it!'

They drew up outside the house. Langton checked his watch.

'Okay, this is how we work it: we each take one of them. Separated, we might get something. Let's go!'

They were about to head towards the front door when Langton gestured that they should go via the back way, and enter through the kitchen. They made as little noise as possible as they headed down the gravel path through the gate into the back kitchen garden.

Langton paused outside the door. They could hear someone singing; it sounded like Justine. Langton rapped sharply on the door and tried the handle: it opened.

Justine was carrying a packet of cornflakes to the table; Emily had a bottle of milk in her hand; Mrs Hedges was pouring boiling water into a teapot: they all turned in surprise. Emily dropped the milk bottle in shock. It smashed on the tiled floor.

'Morning, sorry if we surprised you.'

Justine banged down the packet of cornflakes and went to get a cloth from the sink. Emily looked at her fearfully.

'It's okay, don't worry; we've got another pint. Just pick up the bottle, will you? Mind you don't cut yourself. Put it on the draining board.'

Emily did so, and then Justine tossed down a wet cloth onto the floor.

'We would like to interview you.'

'What about now?' Justine said, rinsing out the milk-soaked cloth.

'Could you please accompany Detective Inspector Lewis, Mrs Hedges?'

'Me?'

'Yes, this shouldn't take long; if Emily would like to go with Detective Travis, I'll stay here and talk to you, Justine.'

Justine threw the cloth into the sink. 'No way. You want to talk to any of us, then we want a solicitor present. You can't just barge in here.'

"Fraid we can, Miss Wickenham, we still have the valid search warrants: so, we can do this quickly and be gone, up to you, or we can take you into the station and do it there. Mrs Hedges, would you mind?'

'Stay where you are! They are just trying it on. I know the law. I have to go and see to the horses.'

'You will have to wait.'

'No I won't.' Justine faced them, hands on her hips.

'Yes you will. Now, if you want to call someone out to be with you, then go ahead, we can wait.' Langton knew they had only search warrants for one visit, so he was bluffing. It paid off.

'What do you want to know?' Justine said.

'We just need to ask some questions; it shouldn't take long.'

'Questions about what? We've been interviewed over and over again, and there is nothing else we can tell you. We don't know where he is: he has not made contact with any of us. Is that what it's about?'

'Why don't you call your solicitor, if that is what you want?' Langton said and pulled out a chair to sit down.

'It's only bloody nine o'clock!' Justine said furiously.

Langton turned to Anna and Lewis and shrugged. 'We'll just sit here and wait.'

Justine glared at them and sat down. 'We are not going anywhere. Go ahead: ask what you want to know and then leave us in peace.'

'Who contacted you before you came into the police station to get your brother to sign?'

'Mrs Hedges: she called to say that there was a ruddy army traipsing all over the house looking for Dad.'

'So you called Justine, Mrs Hedges, to say what?'

'Just what Justine said. I thought she should know about what was happening.'

'And that was enough for you to arrange to bring Emily home?'

Justine took over again. 'Yes, Mrs Hedges said Father was under arrest, and that Edward had been taken into custody. I mean, is this necessary? You met me there. You were with me when I spoke to Edward. We've been over all this!'

'Yes I know that, but why did you think that it would be safe to bring Emily back home?'

'It's bloody obvious, isn't it? You had arrested Daddy!'

'But what if we had not found enough evidence to charge him?'

'It was fucking obvious that you had!'

'Please don't swear, Miss Wickenham. If you knew there was evidence here that would warrant the arrest of your father, your pleading ignorance of what happened here was a lie.'

'I did not fucking lie!'

'But you have just stated that you knew your father would be arrested, so you had to have known he was guilty. So you are guilty of perverting the course of justice, which could implicate you as a party to murder.'

'That is not true; this is bloody ridiculous!'

Langton was at it again, bluffing her to scare her. But, as before, it was working. 'So, Mrs Hedges, what exactly did you tell Miss Wickenham when you called?'

Mrs Hedges was shaking, wringing her hands. Justine spoke for her. 'What she just said: that all the police were here and Father had been arrested. Do you want me to repeat it again?'

'But surely he was still at the house, and for you, Justine, to immediately begin to arrange to bring your sister home…'

'He'd gone by then.' Mrs Hedges had to clear her throat she was so nervous.

'Gone?'

'Yes, he'd already left. That's why I called Justine.'

'What exact time was that?'

She was now really agitated. She looked to Justine and back to Langton. 'I don't know, some time in the morning.'

'What exact time?'

'I don't know, I can't remember.'

'Leave her alone, she's done nothing wrong,' Justine said angrily and put her arm around the elderly woman.

'I would very much like to, but you see it's very important at what exact time you were informed that your father had left the house, so that it was now safe for you to bring back Emily.'

'Well, it would have been before I came to the station, just before twelve.'

'I see.'

'So this would coincide with your father disappearing?'

'Escaped I think is the word you're looking for; all this is just you lot trying to cover your tracks, because he escaped and you can't find him, so you want to interrogate us. Well, we don't know where he went, we have not been contacted by him, we do not know where the fuck he is and we don't bloody care!'

'But you must have had a pretty good idea that he wasn't coming back, otherwise why bring Emily home?'

'Because the less time she spent in that shithole of a mental institution the better.'

'Why didn't you take her to your flat?'

'Because, I have said this over and over, I had to come back here to look after the horses, so it just makes sense that Emily is here with me.'

'Even though your father could return?'

'He's not likely to is he, for Chrissakes? You've got patrol cars up and down the lane, the place has been swarming with police. Of course he's not coming back; it would be crazy if he even considered it. He is an intelligent man!'

'So you know where he is?'

'No I do not, we haven't a clue, all right? But it makes sense to anyone with half a brain that he is not coming back because he would be picked up, right?'

'So he did contact you?'

'No! Jesus Christ, how many more times. He has not called, he has not tried to speak to any one of us.'

'So where is he?'

'We don't know!'

'He has no passport, he has not cashed any money. Where do you think someone on the run could hide out for this length of time?'

'Ask some of his sicko friends; they'd hide him, just like that crowd helped Lord Lucan.'

'We have already questioned his known associates.'

'Well they would all lie through their teeth! They wouldn't want to be involved with that bastard, but he could blackmail them into helping him. Go and do your job: question them and leave us alone.'

'As I said, we already have and we are certain none helped your father escape. They are all scattered quite a distance from here, so how would he have got to them?'

'You tell me.' Justine stood with her hands on her hips.

Langton paused. He glanced to Travis and sighed. 'You see, Miss Wickenham, we have come to the conclusion that your father never left this house.'

There was a pause and then Justine laughed and shook her head. 'Well, you bloody searched long enough! If he was here, they couldn't find him, so this is all a bit of a farce isn't it? Surely wasting your time here isn't going to help you find him? I told her; I said you'd never catch him and it's true.' Justine pointed to Anna; she then took a look at Emily who was sitting, head bowed, chewing at her nails. She went over and put her arm around her. 'It's okay, Em; don't get upset, it's all right.'

'Mrs Hedges,' Langton turned towards her. 'You were, I believe, in your bedroom throughout the search. Is that correct?'

'Yes sir, I never left; well, just to make myself a sandwich and a cup of tea. I was told to remain in my room, I never left it but for that; there were police officers here in the kitchen the whole time.'

'What did you think she did, hid him under her skirt? This is farcical!' Justine was at it again.

'Could you please take DI Travis to your room, Mrs Hedges?'

'Why?'

'We would just like to check something.'

Mrs Hedges looked at Justine who gave a shrug, smiling. 'Sure, that's okay, you take her up there. I'll carry on with breakfast.'

Anna followed Mrs Hedges out of the kitchen and up the narrow staircase, sidestepping piles of neatly folded sheets and towels. Mrs Hedges opened the door into her bedroom. 'They searched in here, twice,' she said.

'Yes I know, but I just needed to see for myself, thank you.'

Anna looked around the sparse, neat room. A low footstool stood beside her rocking chair. The single bed had an iron railing and a handmade quilt. There was an old-fashioned wardrobe and chest of drawers, plus two small cupboards either side of the bed. If anyone had tried to hide beneath it, they could very easily have been seen.

'This is the oldest part of the house, isn't it?' Anna said, with a friendly smile.

'Yes, yes it is; it looks out to the back, so it's very quiet.'

'Yes, I remember you told me how you would stay up here when the weekend parties were going on.'

'Yes.'

Mrs Hedges saw Anna looking at two sections of the wall which had been partly eased back.

'They did that, the police; it's a false wall: the panel was put up so I could hang pictures. It's thick stone behind the partitions.' Mrs Hedges pointed to an ironing board. 'I've been doing the ironing up here as the laundry room has been taken apart; it was really something for me to do.'

'Did you have much cash up here?'

'Pardon?'

'Any savings? Did you keep them up here?'

'Some, yes; never been too fond of banks. My sister was with a company that took all her savings, so I used to keep mine here.'

Anna pointed to a drawer. 'Do you still have them?'

'My money?'

'Yes, is it still safe?'

She opened the drawer and took out a biscuit tin. 'Yes, it's all here.'

'So you didn't give any money to Mr Wickenham?'

'No, no; he didn't know I had it, in any case. It was my secret, really; my wages were paid into a bank account at the local bank. This money's tips and extras the house guests would give me.'

'How much money do you have in your savings account, Mrs Hedges?'

'Oh, well, a lot.'

'Like how much?'

'I've at least seventy-two thousand pounds.'

'And you have not withdrawn any of it recently?'

'No, no, I've not been out of the house.'

'I see, thank you.'

As Anna turned to leave, Mrs Hedges caught her arm. 'Leave them be. They are blameless. Maybe now they can have some kind of life without their father.'

Anna hesitated. 'But he could walk back in here, Mrs Hedges; maybe not right now, but sometime. If he did come back, you know they would be too afraid of him not to comply with anything he wanted them to do.'

'I'm here for them and he won't come back.'

'How can you be so sure?'

Mrs Hedges wouldn't meet Anna's eyes, she looked to the floor. 'Because I'll protect them.'

'You?'

'Yes me, I've taken care of them.'

'What do you mean?'

There was a pause, as Mrs Hedges chewed at her lip. 'I meant like I always tried to do when they were children.'

'But you failed; you know what he did to Emily.'

She made no answer.

'Mrs Hedges, two young girls — perhaps even more — not much older than Wickenham's daughters were murdered in the most brutal way.'

'I know; I know that now.'

'If he did come back, you know he would have them in his power to do anything he wanted.'

Before she could answer, Langton called for Anna. She hesitated, then thanked Mrs Hedges. Together they went down the narrow staircase and into the hall. Langton was standing with Lewis.

'This is a waste of time. If the sisters know anything, they are not about to tell us. If they want to get a solicitor, we can either wait or call it quits.'

They called it quits; the three returned to their patrol car. Anna had wanted to stay, but Langton's patience had worn thin. He leaned against the bonnet of the car.

'Listen, if they do know where he is, they are refusing to say. We've already run up massive costs for this waste of time, and I'm gonna have to go back and answer to the Commander: she just hit the proverbial.'

Anna folded her arms.

'What? We tried, didn't we, Lewis?'

'Yeah, that Justine is something else.'

'I'm not satisfied!'

Langton laughed.

Anna glared back at him. 'I'm not. Just come with me, the pair of you, please, it'll take a few minutes.'

Disgruntled, they returned to the house. Justine was standing in the hallway. 'You thinking of moving in, or what?'

Anna looked at her, and wasn't giving anything away. 'You can stay with us if you want, I just want to…'

'Do what the hell you like. I'm going to have my breakfast!' Justine slammed into the kitchen.

Anna looked around the hall. 'Right, we have forensic officers around the hall, we have others examining the dining room, and outside we have God knows how many officers.'

'Get on with it!' Langton snapped.

Anna walked into the drawing room. 'I am Wickenham. I get the opportunity to knock out the officer, so where do I go from here? Up the chimney? No, there's no access, so I'm desperate to get to the door where you are standing.'

'Jesus Christ, we've done all this, Anna!'

She pushed past them into the hall. 'To the right is the kitchen full of officers, to the left the front door, with even more police outside. The cellar's crawling with forensics, so, the only route he could have taken is the stairs. If he makes it to the stairs, he could maybe get to Mrs Hedges's room; it'd take no more than a couple of seconds.'

'But she was in there, and she swears…'

'Whatever she swore could be a lie. What if he did make it there and she was able to hide him?'

Langton sighed. 'Her room was searched minutes later, she was alone. This has all been checked out, Travis.'

'I know, but it's the only route he could have taken.'

'He wasn't in her bedroom: it was searched within seconds.'

'So that leaves this area.'

Anna walked to the narrow servants' stairwell. They all stood looking at the narrow staircase.

'This is also the oldest part of the original house.'

Langton looked at Lewis.

'Have these stair rods been moved?'

'I don't fucking know'

'The carpet looks as if it has been.'

Anna went down on her hands and knees, she crawled up four stairs and then hurled aside a mound of sheets and towels. She sat back on her heels and pulled at the stair rod; it came away in her hand. Bending closer, she could see an opening no more than an inch in width.

'I need some kind of jemmy to pull this open. Can you see the gap?'

'Yeah I can see it, but it's a sixteenth-century bloody staircase! Of course there's gonna be gaps!'

'This isn't just a gap. Get the entire carpet pulled back.'

Lewis and Langton peeled back the old stair carpet. Anna worked her fingers inside the gap, and the stair board opened a fraction.

'Jesus Christ, what is it?'

Anna reeled back as the stench hit her. Langton stepped in to help. The wooden slat slid sideways. She could see downward into a space no bigger than a coffin. 'It's possibly another priest hole that's been covered by the stair carpet.' Anna took out a handkerchief and covered her face.

Langton peered into the dark recess but could see nothing. He slipped his hand into the opening and recoiled. 'Get a torch: there's something wedged down there.'

Anna and Langton sat side by side on the lower stair as Lewis ran out to the car and returned with a torch.

Langton shone it into the recess. The beam of light lit up the face of Charles Wickenham, his mouth drawn back in a silent scream. His body was wedged inside the small space; his hands, still cuffed, had clawed at the stair to try and open it. The space was so small that his body pressed against the sides. Rigor mortis had made his body stiff, his fingers like claws.

Langton sat back in shock. Anna looked at the stack of sheet and towels. 'These covered the air vent.'

In the kitchen, Justine moved away from the door. 'They've found him,' she whispered.

Neither Mrs Hedges nor Emily could say a word. Justine gave a soft laugh. 'Saved us burying him. We didn't know he was there, did we?' She looked pointedly at Mrs Hedges. 'No we didn't! So just carry on as if we don't know what is happening, nobody can prove anything. We just look out for each other.'

'What if they find out what I did?'

'They won't, believe me; you didn't know about it, full stop!'

Mrs Hedges started to cry. 'But I did, I did; I knew.'

Justine gripped her tightly. 'No you did not; you just put the things there because the laundry room couldn't be used, right?'

Mrs Hedges wiped her eyes, and Justine gripped her tightly. 'We're here and nobody can do anything about it, just do as I told you, and you, Em. Emily!'

Emily was pouring milk onto her cornflakes, but the bowl was already full and the milk spilled over, dripping onto the table and onto the floor.

'Emily! Look what you are doing!'

Justine snatched the bottle away from her sister and placed it back in the fridge. 'Get a cloth and clear the mess up! Do it now!'

Emily just sat with her head bowed. 'You said he was gone.'

Justine was finding it hard to contend with the weeping Mrs Hedges and now the anxious Emily She took a deep breath and put her arms around her sister. 'Shush and look at me, Em. He is never coming back, I give you my word. I cross my heart.'

The wailing of an ambulance siren made even Justine physically jump.

Emily sprang up and ran to the door. 'They're coming for me!'

'No, no! Just stay here with Mrs Hedges. For God's sake, Mrs H, pull yourself together and look after Em. Let me go and see what's going on.'

Justine went out of the kitchen and into the hall.

Langton intercepted her. 'Please stay in the kitchen, Miss Wickenham.'

'What's going on?'

'You'll know soon enough; just go back into the kitchen.'

He signalled for Anna to take Justine back into the kitchen. Mrs Hedges was scrambling some eggs, allowing Emily to help her. They both turned as Justine gestured to Anna.

'She's going to sit here with us. Do you want some scrambled eggs? We like them runny with a lot of butter.'

'No thank you, maybe a coffee.'

'I'll get it, black or white?'

'White, no sugar.'

Anna sat at the big table; milk still dripped over one end. Justine busied herself wiping down the table. 'What's going on out there?'

'We're just checking something out.'

'Was that an ambulance we just heard?'

Anna didn't answer; voices were audible in the hallway. Justine banged down a cup of coffee and went to the door. Anna asked that she remain in the kitchen.

'Why?'

'Because I am asking you to.'

'I've got to go and see to the horses; they need feeding and exercise.'

'They can wait. I'll let you know when you can go to them.'

'You don't understand, they don't wait. They get their nosebags on, they have a morning walk, then they go back into the stables; after we've mucked out, we take them out for some exercise.'

'There're still two stable boys working there, aren't there?'

'Yes, but I have to oversee what they are doing.'

'I'm sure they will do whatever is necessary.'

The two paramedics were kneeling down, trying to fathom out how they could lift the body out. Charles Wickenham's head was tilted back, his mouth gaped open. In a few hours the rigor would slacken, which might make it easier to lift the body out. They had ropes to loop beneath his armpits, but the sides of the chamber were too tight.

Langton suggested they grab him by the head and pull him up. He said if the body got in, it had to be able to come out. The stench of decomposition was overpowering. Lewis stood well back. They had tried loosening the steps above and below, but they were made of concrete.

Lewis went into the kitchen to relieve Anna, who was sitting watching Emily and Mrs Hedges finish their eggs. He took Anna aside and they whispered. After a moment, she nodded and went to Justine.

'Can I talk to you a second, in private?'

Justine shrugged. They stepped through the kitchen door and into the garden.

'We think we may possibly have discovered the body of your father.'

'No!'

'Yes, I'm afraid so. Would you be prepared to identify him?'

'Christ, why me?'

'Well, surely it would be better to ask you than your sister.'

'Well, where is he?'

'If you agree?'

'Yes, yes I'll do it, but for Chrissakes, don't let my sister know, or Mrs Hedges; she's taking care of her. She's still not right in the head, you know; she poured milk all over the table this morning.'

Anna suggested that they walk round the house and go back in via the front door to avoid questions from the kitchen.

By the time Anna and Justine entered the hall, the paramedics had managed to draw the body halfway out of the chamber. It had been quite a procedure: they had gripped hold of his hair and eased his head up, then slid a noose beneath his arms. They had managed only to get his body out up to his waist: his legs were stuck firmly. For decency's sake, a sheet had been draped over him. As Justine entered the hall with Anna, she shrieked.

Langton held out his hand and drew her closer. 'Can you please look at his face and identify him? I'm sorry to ask you to do this.'

Justine held onto Langton's hand as he slowly removed the sheet. Justine stared for what seemed a very long time. 'Why is his mouth open like that?'

'We believe he suffocated; he was probably gasping for air.'

'What was he doing down there?'

'Hiding.'

'Gosh, I didn't even know this place was there. Is it another priest's hidey-hole, do you think?'

'Possibly. Is this Charles Wickenham?'

Justine stood up and cocked her head to the right and then to the left. It was so fast and so unexpected: she tried to kick her father's head. 'Yes, yes that's him. The bastard.'

Anna and Langton had to drag her back into the kitchen while the paramedics hauled the body out and put it in a body bag.

Anna stood beside Justine as she said she had something to tell them.

'They've just found Father; he was stuck in this hole by the stairs.'

Emily started to scream. Justine held her tightly. 'He's dead, Em, he's dead; he can't hurt you. It's over, it's all over now.'

Anna and Langton examined the chamber. It was hideously small, no larger than a stone coffin. The air vent, a wide strip at the top of the chamber where the wooded stair board covered it, was the exact place where all the sheets had been stacked.

'Do you think it was just an accident someone covered the air vent, or was it done on purpose?' she asked Langton.

'I don't know. If they knew it was there, maybe, but why didn't he call out?'

'If he knew the place was teeming with officers, he would have had to keep silent, then by the time we'd left, he maybe couldn't. There's hardly enough room in there even to move, and with no food or water…'

Langton shone his torch down into the chamber. They could see the scratches like claw marks on the wooded slat. 'He tried to get out; maybe the mechanism had blocked. It slides back on a spring, and it's pretty rusted.'

Anna shook her head. 'I just can't believe they didn't even hear him scratching to get out. Especially Mrs Hedges: her room is directly above the stairs.'

'Right now I don't give a shit: we've got him and it's a bloody relief to me, I don't know about you.'

Mrs Hedges swore she had no idea there was anything beneath the stairs. She was very distressed, and when asked if she had heard any sound as the staircase was directly below her bedroom, she shook her head. 'Even if I had, I wouldn't have done anything about it. All the men working here were knocking and moving things. I didn't hear anything. I had my TV on.'

She broke down in sobs. Langton went into her bedroom.

'He was almost directly below this area,' he said and moved the old rocking chair aside and tapped the floor with his foot. 'If she did know that place existed, then if she had heard anything, she'd have surely gone to check it out. But if she didn't, and no one else knew about it, not even the historical mob…'

Anna nodded and wondered if the girls knew about it.

'They weren't even here; they didn't move in until days after he was missing. By that time, he'd have suffocated.'

Anna kept on looking around the room: she knew something was different, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. 'Yeah, you're right; let's go and leave the forensic guys to do their job.'

Langton had already called McDonald. At first, he was irritated that he had been contacted and then very interested.

'Shit, you mean they found another priest hole?'

'Yeah, and our suspect was rammed into it!'

McDonald agreed he would come straight away with a couple of his team. In the meantime, they cordoned off the area as a crime scene.

The news spread like wildfire round the Incident Room. It lifted everyone's spirits. Langton issued a press release saying they were not looking for any other suspects in the Red Dahlia case or for the murder of Sharon Bilkin: Charles Wickenham's body had been discovered and foul play was not at this time being considered.

Should any evidence be discovered that more bodies had been mutilated and perhaps buried at Mayerling Hall, further enquiries would be launched. As it was, they now had enough evidence to announce that Charles Wickenham was their killer.

Closing the case was complicated and would take days: the thousands of statements and files were all to be boxed and listed. The trial of Edward Wickenham was still to come, but that would be many months down the line. He was still in custody at Brixton prison; his solicitors had applied for bail since the discovery of his father's body.

Anna returned home at eight that evening. They had the next day off, the first for weeks on end it seemed. She showered and changed into clean clothes; she wanted to get her hair cut and styled; she wanted to feel cleansed. The Red Dahlia case had clung to her, but it was at long last over.