Unholy Murder

Chapter Fourteen

Jane was woken by the sound of someone knocking on her door. She looked at the alarm clock. It was eight o’clock.

‘Hang on, I’m just coming,’ she shouted as she got out of bed and put on her dressing gown, before hurrying downstairs to open the door.

‘Morning, Jane,’ Gerry said, holding up his toolbox in one hand and an adjustable spanner in the other. ‘Oh, sorry, have I woken you up? I can come back later.’

‘No, it’s fine. I was already awake. Please, come in,’ she said.

He looked at the tap. ‘Oh dear, it’s dripping quite badly.’

‘I’ll put the kettle on. What would you like?’ Jane said.

‘Cup of tea’s fine. Best you fill the kettle up first as I’ll have to turn the water off at the stopcock. It’s usually under the sink.’ Gerry squatted down while Jane filled the kettle.

‘It’s a bit stiff. I’ll give it a squirt of WD40 to loosen it for you.’

Jane made two cups of tea, gave Gerry his and watched as he removed the tap handle and stem.

‘As I thought, the washer’s had it.’

‘There’s a hardware shop in the high street. Shall I pop down there and get a new one?’ Jane asked.

‘I’ve got plenty in my toolbox,’ Gerry said, removing a plastic bag filled with different-sized washers.

It took him a couple of minutes to replace the washer and refit the tap. He turned on the mains supply, let some water run through the tap, then turned it off and stood back.

‘There you go, Jane. Job done,’ Gerry said looking pleased.

‘You’re a star, Gerry. How much do I owe you?’

‘Don’t worry about it. I like fixing things, and washers are two-a-penny.’

‘I’ll get you another bottle of wine then.’

‘Oh, you don’t need to do that,’ he said with a smile. ‘Anything nice planned for your day off?’

‘I’m out for dinner this evening,’ Jane told him. ‘But I need to pop into work this morning to sort a couple of things out.’

‘Going anywhere nice for dinner?

‘A restaurant called the Fantail in Farnborough Village. I’ve not been there before.’

Gerry looked impressed. ‘A special occasion?’

‘Not really. Someone I met through work invited me,’ she replied.

‘Well, he must think a lot of you if he’s taking you there. I’ve heard it’s very fancy.’ Jane now felt even more uncomfortable about accepting Nick Durham’s invitation. She wondered if she should cancel it, and instead speak with DCS Barnes and Stanley on Monday and ask for permission to officially interview Thomas Durham and Lee Holland.

Arriving at Bromley, Jane went straight to the custody room and spoke with the uniformed sergeant.

‘There’s a couple of things I need to ask Barry May. Can I have a quick word with him in his cell?’

‘If it’s related to the offences with which he’s charged, it needs to be an official interview under caution,’ he told her.

‘It’s not. It’s an off-the-record chat about some of the people he works with.’

He handed her the cell keys. ‘That’s good enough for me. You might not get much out of him, though. He’s not been very happy since DI Stanley and Boony had a polite word in his ear about using his wife as a punch bag. All I got when I offered him breakfast was “Fuck off and leave me alone.” You want an officer with you in case he kicks off?’

‘I’ll be fine, thanks.’

Jane slid the cell wicket open and looked in. Barry’s lip curled when he saw her.

‘Barry, I need to have a word with you.’

‘I’ve already admitted what I done, so just leave me alone.’

‘It’s not about anything you’ve done.’

‘You deaf or something. I don’t want to speak to you!’

‘It would be in your interest to help me.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘If the answers you give me are helpful, I’ll tell the judge dealing with your case that you made a full and frank confession and assisted my inquiries. A good word from me could mean a suspended sentence as opposed to a custodial one.’

Barry thought about it. ‘All right. What do you wanna know?’

Jane opened the cell door and went in. ‘Is Thomas Durham involved in the current redevelopment at the old convent?’

‘He’s retired, but he still pokes his nose in on the site and moans if we ain’t doing things right.’

‘Does that upset Lee Holland?’

‘Nah. Thomas and Lee go way back. They’re old mates. It’s me and Dermot he moans at.’

‘Lee’s worked for him for a long time, then?’

‘Yeah. He was a labourer first and worked his way up to site manager.’

‘Did he work on the renovation of the old convent?’ she asked.

‘He said he did.’

‘What about Dermot?’

‘No. This is his first job for the Durhams.’

‘Did Lee say he was going to phone Mr Durham about the coffin?’

‘I can’t remember exactly what he said, but he walked off towards the old convent, so I assumed he was going to speak to Mr Durham.’

‘Would that be Thomas or Nick?’

‘Thomas. He lives in the old chapel.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘What’s this all about, anyway?’

‘I’m just trying to get my head around who does what in the company. Then I’ll know who to talk to.’

‘Nick Durham runs it all now. He’s a decent guy to work for. So is Lee... most of the time.’

‘Thanks for your help, Barry.’

‘I’m really sorry for hitting Katie,’ he said suddenly.

‘Count yourself lucky she hasn’t pressed charges against you... yet,’ Jane said.

‘It won’t happen again, I swear,’ he said.

‘It had better not, because if it does, DI Stanley will come after you,’ she said. She could see the fear in Barry’s eyes. She stepped out of the cell, closed the wicket and walked back down the corridor.

Jane went to the canteen, ordered a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea then took it down to the CID office. She looked in Boon’s desk tray for his report, wanting to read the part about his conversation with Dermot and what he’d said Lee Holland did after the discovery of the coffin.

It was no surprise when she read it. Dermot said that Lee told him he was going to speak to Mr Durham and walked off towards the old convent. She recalled seeing Thomas Durham come out of the site office early on Friday morning, then telling her the site manager wasn’t very helpful and asking her ‘what’s going on’. Lee Holland had looked worried and said the man was just a nosy resident and he didn’t know his name.

It was clear that Thomas Durham and Lee Holland were trying to distance themselves from each other. And whatever they were hiding, it appeared to be connected to the discovery of the coffin. She thought about Nick Durham and wondered if he was also involved in some way. She got his phone number out of her handbag and called him.

‘Hi, it’s Jane Tennison.’

‘Please tell me you’re still on for dinner tonight,’ he said.

‘I was just wondering where and what time I should meet you?’ she said.