Beautiful Death (13 page)

‘Bye,’ he said, almost as a reflex as he watched her stagger beside Schlimey; the Jew was right — Aniela had no sense of fear any more. She was compliant and content as the euphoria, prompted by the drug, tricked her into intense rapture. It wouldn’t last, he was sure. ‘How long?’ he said to Schlimey’s back as they moved towards the door.

He seemed to understand. ‘Long enough to get her into the van.’

‘Then she’ll sleep?’

‘So long as she’s quiet, I don’t care.’

‘Do it while she’s sleeping, then.’

Schlimey craned his head around, gave Namzul a look of disdain. ‘She has to be alive, you idiot. I won’t be doing anything other than delivering her to —’

‘Don’t tell me!’ Namzul cut in. ‘I don’t want to know. Not who, not when, not why, not how.’

The man gave a smirk. ‘Coward,’ he murmured. ‘I’ve left the money on the bed in case you hadn’t noticed.’

He hadn’t.

10.

Jack sat in the drawing room of the Wus’ palatial, albeit somewhat garish, house in the lower end of Hadley Wood and politely sipped green tea served by a housekeeper. A couple of PCs from Bethnal Green were still with the family but understood with Jack and Cam’s arrival that Scotland Yard was officially taking over the case.

Cam cleared his throat and Jack glanced over. He nodded.

‘Mr Wu, please forgive us for putting you through this right now, but speed is the key in these situations. The faster we can compile information, the quicker we can follow the killer’s trail.’

‘It’s already as cold as my Lily, I’m sure,’ Jeffrey Wu lamented in perfect English.

‘I know how hard this is —’ Jack tried this time.

‘Do you? How can you possibly know what it is to lose this girl?’

Jack felt himself blush. It had been on the tip of his tongue to admit he knew exactly what it felt like, but Brodie saved him.

‘Mr Wu, no one can share your pain but we’re here to do everything we can to stop this killer striking again and to make sure he’s behind bars for Lily’s death as fast as we can hunt him down. We need your help to do that.’

Wu sighed. ‘Lily’s mother would probably be more help to you, but she is indisposed. You must forgive her.’

‘We understand,’ Jack said. ‘Perhaps we could ask a few questions and you could see if you can help us with them?’

Wu nodded.

Jack glanced at Cam and began. ‘When was the last time you saw Lily?’

Her father sighed. ‘Her mother saw her yesterday after she returned from the market over the river.’

‘Nine Elms?’ Jack prompted.

‘Yes, it’s where we get the flowers for the shop wholesale.’ He shrugged. ‘Lily has — had — a passion for Dutch tulips.’

Jack felt his gut twist at that comment, recalling how he and Lily had first met over a bouquet of the expensive flowers.

‘What time was that?’

‘About 7 a.m.’ He didn’t wait for Jack’s prompting. ‘They got the first round of deliveries set up, then my wife took our younger daughter to school and Lily made her first run. We didn’t see her again.’

‘Did anyone hear from her?’

‘She phoned Alys — her sister — to say she’d help her with her homework that night. Alys was worried about a big history assignment she’s working on.’ He shook his head sadly.

‘Do you have a list of the deliveries Lily had to do yesterday?’

‘Yes, my wife has them all detailed. I think the police already have that list but Lily delivered only eight, I think, from her first batch of a dozen. She didn’t make it to the Carson delivery, I’m told. I believe that was number nine on her list.’

‘That delivery was for the Royal London Hospital?’ Brodie asked.

Mr Wu nodded. ‘My wife said that would have taken her up to around lunchtime. Lily was slow on her rounds because she always stopped to talk to the patients. She was popular. Everyone liked Lily. Why would anyone do this?’ he demanded fiercely, suddenly standing up. His eyes were glistening, his fists clenched.

Jack knew through Lily that her father was not demonstrative. She had described him as serious and contained. Her mother was the affectionate one. So this display of anger was obviously rare. Jack wanted to leap up and shout just as loudly.

‘Do you know what this fucking madman has done to my daughter?’ Wu yelled.

Jack swallowed. The curse sounded odd coming from the polite, quietly spoken man’s mouth. ‘Yes, sir, I do. I’m deeply sorry.’

As if he hadn’t answered the man continued to rail at him. ‘He cut off her face. Her face! Lily! She was beautiful. She was —’

‘Dad?’ It was Alys. She stood nervously in the doorway.

Jack turned and she recognised him instantly.

‘DCI Hawksworth,’ she said, smiling through fresh tears.

Wu walked towards her, composed again. ‘Alys. Er, you know this gentleman?’

She nodded. ‘He buys flowers from us now and then.’

‘Did you know Lily?’ he asked, turning back to Jack.

Jack resisted the desire to clear his throat. ‘Yes, Mr Wu, I have bought flowers from your shop in Chinatown several times. And you’re right, Lily was a beautiful woman. I assure you the police has put its full force behind this case. I promise we will leave no stone unturned until we have her killer behind bars.’

The father’s gaze narrowed. ‘So this is personal for you?’

Jack did not want to lie. ‘Yes, sir, it has become so. I want to catch the person who murdered your daughter.’ He held his breath, glanced at Alys, wondering if anything of this should be discussed in her presence.

‘Good!’ Wu growled. ‘I want it personal. I want someone who feels some of the pain on our behalf. Have you spoken with Chan yet? Lily’s fiancé?’

Jack had to take a slow breath. ‘I’m meeting with him tomorrow.’

‘He’s a broken man, Detective Hawksworth.’

I’ll bet he is
, Jack thought. ‘I can imagine. Have you seen him?’

‘He’s spent the last few hours here. He prescribed some sedatives for my wife, actually. She is best kept from this until she calms.’

May I speak with Alys, Mr Wu?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t want her upset any further.’

‘No, of course not, sir. Just a few questions. DI Brodie will carry on here, if that’s okay?’

Wu nodded, distracted.

‘I’ll just be in the garden for a few minutes, Cam,’ he breathed. ‘Alys, do you want to put a coat on? We might just step out for a minute into the garden. PC Grant will come with us,’ he said gesturing to the young female constable.

Alys disappeared to find something warm. Outside, the late afternoon air bit icily. Jack motioned for PC Grant to wait at the steps. He walked further down the garden to where Alys stood out of earshot.

‘How are you?’ he began.

‘I don’t know really. Numb.’

‘Thank you for handling that so well.’

She shrugged. ‘Nothing to be gained from upsetting them further. And besides, I promised Lily.’

He nodded. ‘I miss her,’ he admitted. It seemed the right thing to say.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

‘I’m so sorry, Alys’ he said.

‘No, it’s okay. We’ve got a lot of crying still to do. Mum’s in a very bad way.’

‘Is there anything you can tell me that could help, Alys? Anything at all.’

She frowned, shook her head. ‘I was away at camp so I don’t know if anything was going down. I spoke to Lily when I got back — she rang and said she had to go to the markets early but would see me after school. She seemed fine. All normal.’

‘Well, she was fine and normal when I saw her a day ago, too. We were planning to meet tonight in fact.’ He shrugged. ‘She was happy.’

‘Not happy to be marrying, though. Happy to be with you perhaps.’

He felt instantly awkward at her candour. ‘What do you know about Professor Chan?’

Alys sighed. ‘Rich, a doctor, he’s on that show that Lily hated.’ Jack nodded. He’d only heard about it, never seen it. ‘He adored Lily, but she found him hard to get on with. I never thought they were right for each other but Mum and Dad approved. The perfect match, Dad often said.’

‘Did you ever get the impression that she was scared of him?’

‘Professor Chan? No. Lily wasn’t scared of anyone. It’s not that she didn’t like him. She did, and she respected him. She used to say that he needed someone less lively than she was. She said to me once that she’d either implode from boredom or he’d explode from her noise and chatter.’

‘And yet everything she did was so elegant and sophisticated. I can understand why he loved her.’

‘Did you love her?’ She looked down. ‘Sorry.’

‘No, it’s okay. But I can’t really talk about it. If my superiors find out that Lily and I knew each other well, they’ll take me off this case. You’ll have a stranger in charge, and I don’t want that for you and your mum and dad.’

‘I want
you
to catch him and kill him!’

‘Alys, you know killing him won’t help bring Lily back. But I will catch him, that I promise you. I won’t rest until I do and that’s why it’s important I stay on this case.’

‘I understand,’ she said. ‘Anyway, I’ve told you, there’s nothing to be gained from them knowing about you, unless of course you did it.’ At his look of pain and despair, she relented. ‘You know I didn’t mean that. Lily was crazy about you, but she probably never told you.’

He felt his throat closing. ‘No, she didn’t. We tried
never to talk about life beyond the few weeks we had to share.’

‘She told me she wished she’d met you properly before our parents ever met Professor Chan.’

‘So do I,’ he admitted, but realised he needed to get their conversation back on track. ‘Alys, I need you to give a lot of thought to anything Lily has said
to you recently about work, or men she may have met, or new friends, perhaps old friends . . . absolutely anything that seems just a bit out of the
ordinary, okay?’

‘Okay.’

‘Here’s my number — you can call it any time, day or night. I don’t care how inconsequential it seems, I want to know. Because sometimes, Alys, the
biggest clues lie in the smallest, seemingly irrelevant, recollections.’

She nodded. ‘I’ll try hard to think of anything like that.’

‘Anyone she spoke about at work or someone she knew at the hospital . . . just see if any names bob up in your mind. Were there friends she met recently for lunch, perhaps a nurse or doctor she knew well . . .’ He looked back into the house. ‘I’d better go back inside. Do you need anything?’

She shook her head. ‘I’d like to see her but they won’t let me.’

‘Nor would I, Alys. Neither you nor your parents need to see her as she is now. Just remember her as she was.’

‘Have you seen her?’

‘Yes.’

‘Will you see her again?’ He didn’t know what to say, and as he hesitated she added, ‘Kiss her for me.

Tell her I’m never going to marry anyone I don’t
love.’

He nodded solemnly. ‘I’ll tell her, Alys.’

‘Can I call you to talk sometime?’

‘Any time.’

‘Thanks.’

‘A police constable is going to stay here tonight. Have you spoken with her?’

‘Yes, she’s very nice. But I don’t particularly want to talk about it to any other people.’

‘I understand. But she’s there to help if your parents need anything or want to get in touch with us. She’s around to help with your mum too.’

‘I know.’

‘Okay, I must go.’

She grabbed his arm. ‘Do you think I look like Lily?’

‘Without doubt you are sisters.’

‘And you thought she was beautiful, didn’t you?’

Lily had told him that Alys had a crush on him. He needed to tread carefully. ‘I still do. And I’m sure plenty of guys your age are desperate to take you out.’

She shrugged. ‘Dad won’t let me go out with boys yet. And now . . .’

‘He will, Alys. There’s plenty of time for that. Right now just enjoy being adored from afar.’

‘He’ll make sure I live like a nun!’

Jack shook his head. ‘I can remember my sister saying much the same thing when she was your age. Every dad is the same about his precious, beautiful girls and your father is naturally going to be especially protective of you, Alys. He won’t be able to help it and you’ll have to be extra patient with him. You don’t need to be in any hurry.’

‘I want to be able to go out, like my friends.’

‘I understand and he will too but you’ll have to approach that gently. Your mum will help you, I’m sure. Don’t rush it, listen to her wisdom and she’ll probably talk to your father on your behalf.’

Alys nodded, gave a shy smile. ‘I know, it’s just that there’s someone I really like.’

‘Ah.’

‘He works at one of the restaurants near the shop in Chinatown,’ Alys continued. ‘I see him often going to and from work.’ She shrugged. ‘We’ve spoken a few times. Lily liked him.’

Jack cleared his throat. ‘He’s working? That makes him sound a bit older than you.’

‘Nineteen,’ she said and sighed.

‘Too old!’ he said archly.

‘That’s what Lily said.’

‘What’s his name? I’m afraid I’ll have to have him arrested,’ he teased.

She didn’t want to smile but did anyway. ‘I’ll tell him.’

‘Alys?’ She looked up at him. ‘I think you’re every bit as beautiful as Lily. Don’t be in a rush — let the boys ache for you.’

He suspected she blushed, but couldn’t tell as she’d thrown her arms round him. He couldn’t put his arms around her, despite wanting to, knowing she needed him to but realising it was dangerous on too many levels. She was still a child and he could remember how much affection and comfort he’d needed when he lost the two people he loved most. Sadly, she would have to find it elsewhere or all the wrong conclusions could be drawn. He glanced at the PC and she gave a sympathetic nod.

‘Thanks, Jack,’ Alys murmured.

* * *

On the way back to Westminster, they went over what they’d learned. It wasn’t much.

‘He obviously thinks very highly of Chan,’ Cam commented.

‘He would,’ Jack growled.

‘Did the sister give you much?’

‘No, but she and Lily were really close and if we can encourage Alys to think hard enough she may give us something. She’s hurting, we need someone to stick close, offer a shoulder to cry on.’

‘What about Sarah? She’s pretty good at teasing out information.’

Jack shook his head. ‘We need her at base. What about one of the PCs, someone closer to her age, less threatening? PC Grant seemed calm and
understanding.’

‘There must be a social worker who —’

‘No, Cam, someone from inside the op would be good. They’ll know what we’re looking for.’

Cam sighed. ‘All right, I’ll have PC Grant attached to the case for the duration.’

‘Thanks.’

‘They want to see her.’

Jack didn’t need to clarify who they were or who they wanted to see. ‘They can’t. They mustn’t. They really need to remember Lily how she was. If they see her now, that’s the image they’re left with and I can assure you it’s hideous.’

‘I’ll leave that to you, chief. Chan’s adamant he’s going to see her, it seems.’

‘I’ll talk to him.’

Jack did his best to stifle a yawn but Cam caught
it and yawned as well. ‘What a day,’ he said, ‘and yours
hasn’t even finished.’