Clean Cut (13 page)

‘So you think Vernon Kramer is Tina’s father?’

‘I’m guessing so. Like I said, I never knew his surname, just that he was some friend of Arthur’s. She gets done up ’cos she won’t use contraceptives. I wish to Christ
I
had, but we’re good Catholics.’

‘I liked her,’ Anna said quietly. At the same time, she knew that Gail had lied about how well she had known Kramer. It was obvious that if he was the baby’s father, he would have seen her more than just the once when he had turned up with Arthur Murphy.

Anna realized Mrs Dunn had been talking and apologized. ‘I’m sorry, what did you say?’

‘I said, I think something has happened to her. The phone is not turned on, she’s not at the bungalow, I dunno where she is. I am worried sick.’

‘How long has it been since you last talked to her?’

Beryl tried to remember the exact date. It was around the time Anna had been to see Gail about the photograph.

‘She would never usually leave it this long, because I get stuff sent to me for her, you see. Because she was always moving around, I get sent her child support cheques and I post them on to her, but she’s not been in touch. I dunno whether or not to report it, and I dunno which place I should go to, you know, to file a missing person. To be honest, I don’t want anythin’ to do with the police. No disrespect, but I’ve had a few run-ins in the past and I’ve just got meself sorted.’

‘What do you want me to do?’ Anna asked.

‘Well, could you find her and tell her to contact me, just so I don’t worry, and I can send on her money.’

‘Yes, I’ll do what I can.’

The plump hand clasped Anna’s. ‘Thanks, love.’

Beryl Dunn had been married three times and had a history of prostitution going back to the 1960s. She had also served six months for running a brothel and living off immoral earnings.

Anna and Brandon discussed with Sheldon what they should do about Beryl’s request, plus the fact that the young child Tina was possibly Vernon Kramer’s.

‘Pass it over to social services and the local police station where she was last known to be in residence. That’s all we can do,’ Sheldon said. ‘She could be anywhere. They can file a missing persons report, or the mother will have to do it herself.’

Anna looked at Brandon. ‘Her kids were on an at-risk list from the last place she lived–no wonder, if that bastard Kramer fathered a child with her. I am very concerned, especially as her DSS monies have not been cashed.’

Sheldon sighed. ‘Travis, we are not a probation office, or a social service department. Like I said, just pass the report over to her local branch. If she’s gone missing, she probably had reasons.’

Anna returned to her desk, wrote up her report for their files and then contacted Gail’s local police station. She looked up as Harry Blunt leaned on her desk.

‘You worried about her?’

‘Yes, I am. It’s hard to do a moonlight with three kids, isn’t it? And it looked like they left in a big hurry.’

‘She’ll turn up when she needs money, they usually do; unless you’re worried about that Rasta she was with?’

‘I am more concerned about the Vernon Kramer link. I mean, she said she had been threatened.’

‘But he’s banged up and so is Murphy, so there’s not a lot either can do now. If they were on the loose, yeah–but not now.’

As she drove home, Anna decided that she would discuss the whole episode with Langton; she’d put it off long enough.

She was surprised that he was not there. There was no note to say where he had gone. There were two suits in her wardrobe and more shirts. She showered and got into a dressing-gown, wondering about dinner; it was now after eight. She went into the kitchen and started emptying the dishwasher, a job she hated and one Langton never did. Just then, the front door banged open.

‘You home?’ he yelled.

‘In the kitchen!’ she called back.

He walked in, clean-shaven, hair cut, but still in a tracksuit.

‘Here I am,’ he said grinning.

‘Good heavens, what brought this on?’

He walked out, calling back to her, ‘I have my appointment with the police review board.’

She followed him out of the kitchen. ‘When?’

‘Tomorrow morning.’

‘Tomorrow?’

‘Yes, I applied last week.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I didn’t get a date until today, so there was no reason to tell you. It could have been another week or month.’

‘But are you ready for it?’

Langton put his hands on his hips. ‘I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t think I was. Why, don’t you think I’m fit enough?’

‘Well, yes, I do, but surely you don’t want to rush things?’

‘I do. I want to get back to work; my insurance won’t cover much more of the treatment.’

She smiled. ‘Well, if you think it’s the right time…You are obviously the one who’d know.’

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. ‘Don’t get so worried. I know what I am doing. I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t feel up to it.’ He kissed her again, then went into the bedroom. ‘Just got to decide on which suit, so I’ll need your opinion.’

Anna returned to the kitchen. ‘I’m going to cook some pasta,’ she called, then listened as she heard the shower running. She shook her head, hardly able to believe that without ever mentioning it to her, he had
applied for a fitness test. She knew it would be quite a tough one. He would have to be assessed both mentally and physically to remain in office. The Chief Medical Officer would have to certify him as ready to return to work.

She poured some water into a pan and set it on the stove to boil, then opened a packet of spaghetti and took out some tins of chopped tomatoes. She began to cut up an onion to fry with the tomatoes, slicing some garlic and herbs. By the time Langton joined her, fresh from his shower, the sauce was bubbling away and the pasta ready to be drained.

He kissed her neck. ‘Smells good.’

She turned, smiling. ‘You look good.’

‘I feel good.’

He started to open a bottle of wine. She had almost forgotten how handsome he was. He’d looked rough for so long, with his straggling hair and unshaven face; now he really did look like the old Jimmy. In fact, she had to admit that he actually looked a lot better, as he had cut down on his drinking.

He placed two wine glasses down and poured; he passed her glass over. ‘To me, for the test tomorrow!’

‘To you,’ she said, and they clinked glasses and drank. It was yet again not the right time to get into Sickert or discuss Langton’s attack.

A
nna waited until he had dressed. She knew she was going to be late for work, but this was more important. He had switched suits and changed his mind about the shirt and tie three times. As it was also to be a physical test, he packed a clean tracksuit and T-shirt. She offered to drive him but he had ordered a car and he insisted she leave, to give him time to calm down.

Langton waited until the door closed behind her before he took a double dose of painkillers. He had been upping the dosage for some considerable time; the excruciating pain that still lingered, especially in the mornings, made it necessary.

Anna waited all morning for a call; she had no idea how long the test would take. She rang his mobile, but it was turned off. She heard nothing all afternoon. She thought about contacting Lewis to see if he had heard anything, but decided against it. She eventually talked with Harry Blunt about the friend he had mentioned. She tried to sound nonchalant, wondering what kind of tests Langton would be put through if he were to go before the review board.

Harry shrugged; he wasn’t too sure. ‘Thing is, they’re
pretty hot on testing the old brain cells. Basically, if an officer has been through the mill, shot or injured badly, it can do a lot of damage upstairs. They probably do running, jumping, and a few weights for the physical, but I honestly don’t know. Is he recovered then?’

‘Just wondering,’ Anna shrugged.

‘Want me to find out?’ Harry asked.

‘No, no. I was just thinking ahead really.’ She did not want to tell any lies, but remembered her promise to Jimmy to stay silent about his progress.

‘How’s it going with him?’

‘Oh, coming along well enough to make my life a misery,’ she joked.

‘My wife does that to me every day and night. One of my kids has bad asthma and she sometimes has to deal with his attacks solo. We’ve been in and out of A&E more times than I’ve had hot dinners.’

Harry continued to talk about his son’s asthma and what a game little boy he was, and how frustrating it was because he was such a fighter. Anna smiled and nodded. Langton was a fighter all right; she just wished he would call. She, more than anyone else, knew how important it was for him to get past the police review board. The day dragged on and, driving home, she was unsure of how she would be able to deal with his rejection.

The massive bouquet of flowers was propped on his rowing machine. There was a large card attached to the stems, with her name scrawled in black felt-tipped pen. She opened the envelope. It was actually a birthday card, but he had scribbled over the message and written:
For my little red-headed nurse
. She bit her lip; it was such a simple gesture but so unexpected from him. There was
a bottle of champagne on ice in the kitchen sink. He was taking a shower; she opened the bathroom door.

‘Why didn’t you call me?’

He turned, his hair filled with soapsuds, and grabbed her, drawing her under the water jets. She tried to struggle free, but he wouldn’t let her go and he kissed her with such passion she relented and clung to him. She knew her suit would shrink and her shoes would be ruined, but it didn’t matter.

Langton had passed the physical examination and spent the afternoon with the Chief Medical Officer, who turned out to be someone he had known for years. After the test, they had gone to a bar and had a few drinks.

‘I’m back, Anna! I return to full operational duties next week!’

She couldn’t chide him about not contacting her, he was so full of energy and enthusiasm. He told her a number of times about the questions and tests he’d been put through for the psychological part, and how he’d walked through it with ease.

‘They didn’t stand a hope in hell of catching me out,’ he said. Anna caught him flick a glance towards her.

‘What do you mean by that?’ she asked.

‘Nothing.’ She could tell he wished he’d kept his mouth shut.

‘Caught you out? That’s what you said–that they didn’t stand a hope in hell of catching you out.’

‘For Chrissakes! I just meant they didn’t suss that my knee is not in as good a shape as it should be.’

‘What did they make you do?’

He sighed with impatience. ‘Run on a treadmill, rowing machine, monitored my heart, et cetera, et cetera.’

‘And it hurt?’

‘Of course it bloody did! But you tell me how often I am gonna need to row over a river to catch someone.’ He laughed.

She took a deep breath. ‘I want to talk to you.’

‘Just drop this, Anna, please. Let’s finish the champagne and go to bed.’

‘It’s not about the review. It’s something I should have told you about weeks ago, but I didn’t. The time was never right, and then—’

‘You want me to leave?’

The look on his face made her want to wrap him in her arms. ‘No, of course I don’t.’

‘Well what is it? Is it something I’ve done?’

‘
No
. Now just shut up for a minute and let me tell you. It’s connected in a way to the case I’ve been on. It’s about this guy called Sickert.’

‘Who the hell is he?’

‘Please don’t interrupt me, just listen.’

Langton poured more champagne and then sat with the glass held loosely in his hands as Anna gave him a short summation of the reasons why they had interviewed Gail Sickert, about the photograph and how Anna had returned to the bungalow to see her again. At this point, she got up and opened a drawer, taking out her small tape recorder, and returned to sit opposite him. He put his feet up on the coffee-table and sipped the champagne. He was listening, but he also yawned.

Anna continued talking quietly, not looking at him. She described how she had hurried back to her car as Sickert drew up in his truck.

‘This is what he shouted at me. It’s quite hard to hear everything, but listen.’

She then pressed Play on the tape. Langton leaned
forwards. She watched him as it got to the point when Sickert threatened her. The tape stopped. He leaned back and gestured for her to replay it. She did; then he drained the glass of champagne and placed it down on the coffee-table.

‘Describe him,’ he said quietly.

Anna did so, and he nodded his head.

‘Anyone in your team opened their mouths about us? Me?’

‘No, I’ve asked, and neither Arthur Murphy nor Vernon Kramer could have known about our relationship.’

‘This Sickert got a record?’

‘No, I only just found out his Christian name yesterday–it’s Joseph–but there’s nothing on him on the database.’

‘You tell me why you think he said what he said.’

Anna shrugged. ‘Well, it could have just been a blind threat–you know, coincidence–and I would have sort of accepted it, until—’

‘Until what?’

‘Well, they’ve disappeared, and in a hurry–that’s Gail, her three kids and Sickert. Yesterday her mother called and asked to speak to me; she wouldn’t come into the station, so I met her in a café. She’s worried about Gail and her kids as she’s made no contact. We’ve reported it to the local cop shop, but whether or not social services will help trace her, we don’t know. Her mother wanted me to file a missing person’s report, which you know I can’t do. She said she forwards on Gail’s child-support cheques from Newcastle, where she herself lives, and as she’s had no contact, she’s been unable to send them.’

Langton remained silent.

‘She had no money, the place was a shithole, and they owed rent. The kids had been on the risk-lists of a number of social services from Newcastle to London. Gail herself had taken out a restraining order against her brother Arthur Murphy; he had molested her when she was a kid.’

‘But he’s banged up, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, since his arrest. The trial’s due and it’s very unlikely he’ll be out in under twelve years. Vernon got eighteen months for his part in hiding out Murphy and, as he broke his parole, he will serve out the rest of his sentence: maybe two years. It’s all so murky. Vernon is the father of Gail’s youngest child, but she found out he was going after her elder daughter, so she kicked him out. She must have met Vernon through her brother–he’s got a record for being a sex offender, it’s so sick–anyway, at some point after her husband had left her, she then met up with Sickert–maybe via them, I wouldn’t know–but it had to be within the last year or so; the little girl is still in nappies and looks about eighteen months old. Obviously, the local caps will report back to us if they find any connection to our murder enquiry, because it is worrying that Gail has not contacted her mother for her money…’

Langton remained silent again as Anna trailed off. She reached over to touch his arm, but he withdrew it.

‘I was going to tell you so many times, and then…You know, it could all be coincidence, what he said to me. What do you think?’

‘Not sure,’ he said flatly.

Anna got up and opened her briefcase; she took out the file of the newspaper clippings she’d taken from his flat.

‘I also wanted to talk to you about these.’ She placed the file down in front of him, but didn’t open it; instead, she went on to tell him about her talks with both Lewis and Barolli.

‘I tried to get them to explain a few things. They both took so long getting back to me, as they’re on enquiries and pretty busy, but I got the feeling that they didn’t really want to know: they felt you were putting pressure on them to trace your attacker, and…They said they couldn’t act like some kind of vigilantes, but I was stunned that, after what had happened to you, nothing seemed to be being done about trying to track the men down. Lewis was sure they would have got out of the country by now anyway.’

She wished Jimmy would say something, but he just remained silent, so she kept going.

‘When I was at your flat looking for some clean clothes, I found these newspaper cuttings. I know you’ve been collecting more whilst you’ve been here with me.’

He glared at her.

‘I wasn’t snooping about; they were in the drawer with your pyjamas.’ She waited, and then stood up. ‘For Chrissake, why don’t you say something?’

He suddenly hurled the champagne glass at the wall; it shattered, spraying the contents over the wallpaper.

‘Well, that was a reaction!’ she said angrily.

‘What the fuck do you want me to say?’ he grunted, and hauled himself to his feet, his face twisted with pain. ‘You sneak around, acting as if I was some mental retard that couldn’t deal with any of the shit you’ve just laid on me. These…these!’ He snatched up the file. ‘Just my personal research, nothing ulterior, nothing weird, just information for me to store up because of the screw-up
confronting the Met. Like Lewis, like fucking Barolli, I am not intending to act like some vigilante to get these sons of bitches, nor did I ever at any time ask them to do anything improper or against the law. All I did ask was for them to keep me updated, because it isn’t over–not for me. I am
not
going to walk away and pretend this never happened. Why do you think I’ve been pushing myself to get back on the force? I want the fucker that sliced me open, and I’ll find him–but I’m not hiring a mask and a cloak, for Chrissakes!’

‘I never said you—’

‘You never said–that is it, isn’t it? You kept all this quiet, never opened your mouth about all this.’ He wafted the file. ‘Why in God’s name didn’t you talk to me?’

‘Because the time was never right! You almost died!’

‘You think I don’t know that?’

‘Maybe what you don’t know was what the effect of your injuries did to me and to everyone who knew you. I was afraid for you.’

‘Afraid?’

‘Yes. I didn’t want to upset you.’

‘Upset me?’

‘Yes! All I wanted was for you to get better; that was all I ever wanted and if I did wrong, then I’m sorry, all right? I’m sorry I tried to protect you.’

‘Protect me from what?’

She burst into tears.

‘What the hell are you crying for?’

‘Because you make me feel as if I have done something wrong, when all I was doing, trying to do, was make sure you got well and fit.’

He stared at her, so angry that she could see the muscle in his cheek twitching. ‘I’m never going to be
fit; I’ll have this for the rest of my life.’ He pulled open his shirt to show the scar. ‘I’ll look at this every day for the rest of my life. I’ll feel the ache in my knee just as a reminder. But they never slashed my brain, Anna; they never damaged my fucking head, and for you to tiptoe around, afraid I wouldn’t be able to deal…’

Anna turned and slammed out of the room and went into the bedroom. She flung herself onto the bed face down.

He kicked open the door. ‘I haven’t finished. Don’t you walk out on me like this!’

‘
I’ve
finished!’ she shouted.

‘Have you? You mean, there isn’t anything else you felt I couldn’t cope with?’

She whipped round. ‘I tell you what I am finding hard to cope with. You are a thankless, egotistical bastard, who never thinks of anyone but yourself. I have had to put up with all your shit for how many weeks? I can’t move in my own flat, but have you heard me complain? Have you? And all I tried to do was care for you, protect you. I didn’t want to bring up anything I’ve said tonight, for one reason. I didn’t want it to worry you.’

He was about to interrupt, but she flung a pillow at him.

‘Just for one second think about
me
; think about what
I
have gone through. I doubt that you can, because all you ever really think about is yourself!’

‘Well, now I
am
thinking of you. The sooner I get out of your life is obviously going to be the best for both of us!’

‘Fine–go ahead. You do exactly what you want, like you always do.’

Langton threw his clothes into a suitcase. She watched
him for a few minutes before she walked out into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee and sat at her breakfast bar, listening to him banging around the bedroom. After about fifteen minutes, he appeared in the doorway.

‘I’ll get the rest of my stuff packed up tomorrow.’

‘Whatever you want.’

He called a taxi and chucked his set of spare keys onto the coffee-table. She looked at him as he carried his case to the front door.