Unholy Murder

Chapter Twenty-eight

Jane sat at her desk to read through the shorthand in Becky’s notebook. She felt sad thinking of the aspiring young journalist writing notes on her first major investigation, full of enthusiasm and keen to impress her editor. It reminded Jane of herself as a young detective, going over the evidence in her mind and writing down her thoughts.

‘This fax just came through for you from BT,’ the civilian indexer said, handing over four sheets of paper.

Jane put the notebook to one side and looked through the calls. She found nothing of relevance until she spotted a number she recognised. Stanley was reading through some reports in Barnes’s office when Jane walked in holding up a fax sheet.

‘There’s a two-minute call on here made from Meade’s office yesterday afternoon.’

‘What’s interesting about a bishop phoning a presbytery?’ Stanley asked.

‘The call was made at a quarter to two, just before Meade left in a cab. He phoned St Mary’s Church presbytery. Father Floridia lives there. He’s the resident priest.’

‘So, Meade phoned a priest... what’s the big deal?’

‘You are hard work at times, Stanley,’ she said.

‘Then get to the point.’

‘I’ve two thoughts here. One, Meade simply phoned Father Floridia and asked if he could speak with him at the presbytery. Two, Meade asked if he could use the presbytery to meet Becky Rogers in private.’

Stanley nodded. ‘Now you’re making sense. Do you think Father Floridia could be involved in Becky’s disappearance?’

Jane sighed. ‘I very much doubt it. Father Chris has helped me from the start of this investigation. Meade told him not to talk to me and he put his job on the line by doing so. Maybe Meade went there to discuss our investigation and see if I’d been in contact with him.’

‘Why would Meade go all the way to the presbytery when he could just as easily ask over the phone?’

‘I agree, that’s odd. However, there are a lot of prying eyes and ears in Archbishop’s House,’ Jane suggested. ‘But if Becky did go to the presbytery, I don’t believe she would have come to any harm there.’

‘You can’t be certain of that,’ Stanley said, opening the phone book and picking up the phone.

‘Who are you calling?’

He started to dial a number. ‘The presbytery. I want you to speak with Father Floridia, ask him if he’s spoken with Bishop Meade recently and gauge his reaction.’

Jane put her finger on the disconnect button. ‘I’ll do it, but face to face.’

‘Take Boon with you,’ Stanley said.

‘No. I need to go alone. I’ll know if he’s lying.’

‘Just because someone is nice, it doesn’t mean they are not dishonest. Meade being a prime example.’

‘I know that, but Father Chris isn’t like him or Malone.’

‘Sounds like you’ve got to know him well in a short space of time,’ Stanley remarked.

‘I consider him a friend,’ Jane said.

Stanley raised his eyebrows. ‘Just a friend?’

‘Yes,’ she said, frowning. ‘And I resent your insinuation.’

Jane knocked on the door of the presbytery. Father Chris opened it, looking pleased to see her.

‘Hello, Jane. What brings you to my door?’

‘I’m here in an official capacity. I need to ask you some questions about Bishop Meade.’

His smile faded. ‘You’d better come in. Is Bishop Meade not willing to talk to you?’

They walked through to the living room.

‘I’ve some bad news about Bishop Meade.’

Father Chris looked concerned. ‘Has he been arrested?’

‘Bishop Meade is dead, Chris. He hanged himself in Archbishop Malone’s office this morning.’

Chris slumped onto the sofa, a stunned expression on his face.

‘I was one of the officers who found him.’

Chris looked upwards. ‘Where were you, my God, when he needed you most?’ Then he bowed his head. ‘Eternal life grant unto him, O Lord, may perpetual light shine upon him and may he rest in peace. Amen.’ He made the sign of the cross, then looked up at Jane. ‘What is it you need to know?’

‘Did Bishop Meade phone you yesterday?’

‘Yes, he said he needed to speak with me and asked if he could come to the presbytery.’

‘Can you remember what time he called?’

Father Chris thought for a second. ‘About quarter to two, I think. Then he came here just after two.’

‘Do you know how he got here?’

‘I assume it was in a taxi cab. He asked me to call one when he was leaving.’

‘And what time was that?’

‘Just after seven. What’s this all about, Jane?’

She told Chris about Becky Rogers and her unexplained disappearance.

‘I have to ask you this, and please don’t take it the wrong way. But did Becky come here to speak with Bishop Meade?’

‘No. He never even mentioned her name while he was here. I can assure you Bishop Meade had nothing to do with her disappearance.’

‘What did Bishop Meade want to speak to you about?’

Father Chris sighed. ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you, Jane.’

‘Why not?’

There was sadness in his eyes as he looked at her. ‘Roman Catholic law forbids me disclosing what was said during a confession.’

‘Meade confessed to you?’

‘If I break the sacred seal of confession, I will be excommunicated from the Church.’

‘But this is a murder investigation. And a young woman has gone missing.’

‘That makes no difference. I can’t tell anyone what Bishop Meade said, not even the police, no matter how serious the crime is. I shouldn’t even disclose the identity of a penitent who has confessed.’

‘We know Bishop Meade lied to us. I have evidence that suggests he had been in a relationship with our victim. If he didn’t kill her, I suspect he knew who did.’

‘You have to believe me, Jane. Bishop Meade did not kill Sister Melissa.’

Jane knew only Meade could have told Father Chris her name.

‘Can you tell me who did?’

He looked forlorn as he shook his head. ‘There’s no point in continuing this conversation. My answer will always be no.’

‘Now Bishop Meade has killed himself, he will be seen as a murderer who could no longer bear his guilt. Surely you want to clear his name.’

‘I don’t want to argue with you, Jane, but I beg you to keep this conversation between the two of us.’

Jane sighed. ‘I understand your position in the eyes of the Church, but if you know who killed Sister Melissa and don’t tell me, you’re letting whoever is responsible get away with murder.’

‘I don’t know who murdered her, but I pray you will find the answers you seek.’

Returning to Orpington, Jane went straight to Stanley.

‘How’d it go with the priest?’ he asked.

‘Meade was with him during the time frame Becky went missing. Bottom line is, we were wrong about Meade being involved in Becky’s disappearance. If she was following up on a lead, it was with someone else.’

‘Was there anything in her notebook that might help us?’ Stanley asked.

‘I haven’t had a chance to go through it yet. I’d just started when I got the fax through from BT. I’ll go and do it now.’

Jane opened the notebook and decided it was best to work backwards from the last shorthand entry Becky had made.

After transcribing the last entry, Jane checked the rest of the notebook for anything that might help trace Becky’s last movements. But there was nothing beyond the mention of Thomas Durham and the tunnel. Jane looked over to Boon who was sitting opposite typing a report.

‘Did you tell Becky Rogers about the tunnel at the convent?’

‘Not... that I recall,’ he replied hesitantly.

‘Read this and explain to me how you think she knew about it,’ Jane said, handing him the transcript.

He licked his lips as he read it, then handed it back to Jane.

‘I don’t know,’ he said, unable to look her in the eye.

‘Please, Boony, don’t dig a big hole for yourself by lying to me,’ she said.

Boon sighed. ‘We were talking about Meade being a suspect. I let slip there was a tunnel, and the coffin was found near it. She asked if I’d checked out the tunnel, and I said no.’

‘What about her interest in Thomas Durham? Did you tell her about him?’

Boon looked offended. ‘No. Becky said she’d made her own inquiries about the history of the convent, the fire and the sale to Thomas Durham.’

‘Did she say where?’

‘No, but it was probably at the Bromley planning department. Becky reckoned something dodgy might have gone on between Meade and Durham over the sale of the convent. She thought Sister Melissa might have been killed because she found out about it. I told her Durham bought the land after the nuns had left, so it would be stupid of him to bury the coffin on land he was going to build on.’

‘Did she agree with you?’

‘Sort of. But she still thought it was a possibility worth exploring. I told her to leave the detective work to us or she could find herself in trouble. Becky was right about Meade, though, and now he’s probably silenced her as well.’

‘Meade had nothing to do with Becky’s disappearance,’ Jane said firmly. ‘We have a credible witness who spent yesterday afternoon and evening with him. I need to speak with Stanley about this,’ she said, holding up Becky’s notebook.

‘Are you going to tell him what I told Becky?’ Boon asked, looking worried.

Jane felt Boon was already suffering enough emotional stress over Becky. ‘Not if I can help it,’ she said.

‘Thanks, sarge. Sorry I messed up.’

‘Don’t worry. We all make mistakes. The important thing is that we learn from them,’ she said.

Having read the transcript, Stanley handed it back to Jane.

‘How did Becky know about the tunnel and Thomas Durham being the developer?’ he asked.

‘It looks like she did some investigating of her own at the council planning department,’ Jane said. ‘She probably looked at the same documents and maps as we did.’

‘Her notes don’t really help us much,’ Stanley remarked.

‘I’m not so sure. I’m wondering if there’s something in her idea that Thomas Durham committed bribery to get the chapel and land deconsecrated.’

‘Well, it can’t have connected to Meade as he had nothing to do with it,’ Stanley said.

‘I know, but Archbishop Malone did.’

Stanley looked bemused. ‘You seriously think he’s involved in Becky’s disappearance?’

‘Thomas Durham and Lee Holland lied to me from day one. I didn’t know why, but having read Becky’s notes, I think she may have inadvertently given us the answer.’

Stanley leaned forward. ‘Why is this the first time you’ve mentioned speaking to Thomas Durham?’

‘I thought I had...’ she started to reply.

‘You only ever mentioned you’d spoken to Nick Durham. As I recall, you said he was very helpful, just upset at the site being closed.’

Jane realised she had unintentionally put herself in a difficult situation and wondered how best to tell Stanley about Thomas Durham and Lee Holland.

Stanley folded his arms. ‘I’m waiting for an answer, Jane.’

She recalled her words of advice to Boon.

‘I was about to raise it at the meeting with Barnes when PC Rogers walked in. I should have said something earlier, but I had no evidence to support my suspicions.’

‘I want to hear everything, chapter and verse. And don’t try and wheedle your way out!’ Stanley said angrily.

Jane told him about the first time she and Boon met Thomas Durham and Lee Holland, their strange behaviour, their lies about knowing each other and the argument she believed they had the morning she and Boon went to the site to arrest Barry May.

‘If Nick Durham and Barry May told you Thomas Durham and Lee Holland were long-standing friends, it must have been blatantly obvious they were hiding something from you. Why didn’t you interview them?’ Stanley demanded.

‘At first I thought they were concerned about the discovery of the coffin. I even wondered if they were involved in moving it.’

‘Then why didn’t you bloody well say something?’

‘It seemed absurd to me that they would bury a coffin on land they intended to develop. And even if they had, surely they would have moved it before the digging work began,’ Jane said defensively.

‘Which also suggests Becky Rogers might have been right, and she’s not even a bloody detective!’

‘I was also made aware that Thomas Durham suffers from a heart condition and wasn’t supposed to get involved in any of the new development work. I thought he and Holland might be acting strangely because they didn’t want Nick Durham to know his father was distressed about the discovery of the coffin.’

‘What fucking planet are you on, Jane? If Durham was upset about the coffin, he must have been apoplectic when he read Becky’s article in the News Shopper.’

‘When I met Thomas Durham, he didn’t seem that perturbed about it. He accepted we had a job to do, and the site would have to remain closed.’

‘Be honest, he didn’t have much choice, did he!’

‘I know, but...’

Stanley raised his hand. ‘Hang on a minute... when did you meet Thomas Durham?’

‘I went to his house at the weekend. He lives in the convent chapel.’

‘Were you there on official business or pleasure?’

‘A bit of both, I suppose,’ she said uncomfortably. ‘Nick Durham showed me round the old chapel and crypt. Thomas came in while I was there. He said there were no coffins in the crypt when he moved in. I didn’t have any reason to doubt him after confirming the chapel and land had been deconsecrated.’

Stanley looked squarely at Jane. ‘What is it with you and Nick Durham?’

Jane looked him in the eye. ‘I’m seeing him... we’ve been out to dinner. It’s nothing serious yet, but—’

‘Jesus Christ, this just gets better and better. And there was me thinking it was the priest who was shagging you!’

‘That’s uncalled for!’ she snapped back.

‘If Barnes was still here, you would be out the door with his boot up your backside.’

‘Why? I haven’t revealed anything about our investigation to Nick or Thomas Durham,’ Jane argued.

‘You can’t see the wood for the trees, can you? You seem to forget Becky Rogers is obsessed with Melissa Bailey’s murder. She told her colleagues she was going out to follow up on a lead and has vanished off the face of the Earth. Her notes clearly show an interest in Bishop Meade and Thomas Durham. We know Meade refused to speak to Becky, so where in that detective’s head of yours do you think she might have gone?’ Stanley asked scornfully.

Jane closed her eyes and sighed as the realisation hit her. ‘To speak to Thomas Durham.’

‘Exactly! The Durhams stand to lose everything because of Becky’s article. No one in their right mind would want to buy a property where they thought murdered children might be buried. How would you feel if a young journalist who just lost you millions of pounds turned up on your doorstep asking questions?’

‘I’d be upset, but it doesn’t mean I’d kill them,’ Jane replied.

‘We both know it doesn’t take a lot to send people over the edge and lash out. One punch, one stab and a life can be over.’

Jane knew she’d messed up and it was pointless arguing. ‘Are you going to interview Thomas Durham?’

‘You’ve met him on three occasions and been to his house. You’re best placed to search his premises, arrest and interview him... with Boon.’

Jane was stunned. ‘I don’t think that would be appropriate under the circumstances.’

‘If you don’t like it, then go back to the Bromley office and deal with the simple everyday crimes.’

‘Do you not think there’s a conflict of interest if I arrest Durham?’

‘No. Not now you’ve told me what you know. Unless, of course, you think your boyfriend Nick might be involved in Becky’s disappearance?’ Stanley said.

‘As far as I’m aware he was in his office all afternoon, then he spent the night at mine. I didn’t get the impression he’d just murdered or kidnapped anyone,’ Jane retorted.

‘We need to confirm his exact movements for the afternoon Becky went missing,’ Stanley said. ‘So I’ll interview him. Due to your unfortunate relationship with Nick Durham we need to do things by the book when we search his father’s place. I want you to type up a search warrant for Thomas Durham’s house. Get it signed by the on-call magistrate, then come straight back here. While you’re doing that I’ll get as many uniformed officers as I can to help you search the grounds. I also want inquiries made at every flat to see if anyone else saw Becky or her car.’

‘Should I get DS Johnson involved as well? He could look for any traces of blood or hairs matching Becky’s.’

Stanley nodded. ‘For what it’s worth, I hope we’re wrong — not just for Becky’s sake, but yours as well.’

There was a knock on the door and Boon entered holding some papers. He looked at Jane.

‘These were just faxed over from the diocesan archivist.’

She looked through them. ‘There’s a document headed “Durham Building Company Ltd”, giving a quote for repair work to the chapel roof. There’s also an invoice for the work done, both signed by Thomas Durham and dated a year before Melissa went missing. There are other quotes and invoices from the same company for repair work over a two-year period... again before Melissa went missing. There’s also a report on the fire damage and an estimated cost of repair to the buildings.’

‘Jesus Christ! If he did all this work on the convent back then and kept quiet about it, he’s also a potential suspect for Melissa’s murder!’ Stanley exclaimed.