Cold Justice (40 page)

‘I’m sorry about your son. I hope they find him soon.’

‘Thank you.’

She watched him prepare her coffee.

‘Where are you from?’ he asked as he turned and smiled awkwardly.

‘Originally?’ she asked as she undid her coat, took off her bobble hat.

‘Yes.’

‘New York.’

She looked back at the door – the sand was swirling, the spray from the waves was showering down on the glass conservatory. Outside the window the furniture was being upturned.

‘Milk?’

‘Yes, please.’

Cam picked up her coffee cup and walked around the counter.

‘Where would you like to sit?’

‘Oh, over there is great, thanks.’ Lauren nodded in the direction of a table at the edge of the aisle near the door. ‘Aren’t you worried about the high tide? The sea looks pretty fierce.’ She smiled nervously. ‘Are we safe?’

Cam went back to stand by the counter. The place was empty except for Lauren. She looked outside, she was beginning to think she’d better cut the café visit short and head home while she could do so safely.

‘Don’t worry – we’ll be able to see if the sea starts coming over the road and then you can make a break for it, you’ll be fine walking up the hill,’ said Cam.

Lauren took a sip of her coffee and avoided looking at Cam. She told herself not to be silly.

‘Is it your first time in Cornwall?’ Cam asked. He came to stand by her table.

‘Yes. It’s a beautiful place.’

‘Yes, we like it, most of the time, except when we’re invaded.’

‘Invaded?’

‘Holidaymakers.’

‘Oh, I see.’

‘Yes, we have a love-hate relationship with the grockles, we call them. We love their money but we hate them.’ He smiled. ‘Sorry – I’m only joking.’ She smiled back. But the tension in both of them showed.

Lauren tried to see the man beneath. She thought how he would have been an overly pretty boy. Now his face was thin but his eyes were bright blue, his hair curly and sandy-coloured.

‘Do you live in the village?’ Lauren decided to turn the tables and ask the questions.

‘I live on the outskirts.’

‘Did you know my father-in-law, Jeremy Forbes-Wright?’

‘Yes. We all knew him.’

‘We were very grateful to the people of the village for coming to the funeral.’

He shook his head. ‘I didn’t go.’

Lauren wished she could add some personal thought regarding Jeremy’s death, his life even, but she had nothing to say on the matter.

‘Have you lived here all your life?’ she asked Cam.

‘No, I moved away for a big part of it but I’ve come back to stay. This is my home.’ The day was becoming dark with heavy rain clouds outside as the sea began creeping up the beach. With every wave, it pushed a little further and ribbons of foam plumed up into the air as it hit the car park wall.

‘Oh dear, we’d better go,’ Lauren said nervously. ‘The sea is coming right up over the road.’

‘Yes,’ Cam answered, but at the same time he was distracted, watching a yellow Fiat pull up outside. A look of panic crossed his face; Lauren followed his gaze and saw Kensa getting out of the car.

‘We better get going,’ she said looking urgently for Russell’s lead. Cam didn’t answer; he was staring at Kensa. She had opened the door and was standing in the doorway, pointing a gun at Lauren.

Sandford left for the farm. It was just him working at there today. He drove up the lane and stopped in the gateway to the crime scene. The tents were still there. He sat for a few minutes and listened to the silence, just the sweet song of a blackbird. Then he drove on and parked on the hard standing in the yard. The collie came out, excited to see him. Sandford stood by the car and looked around. Something was missing from the day. He realized that there was no one around. He called out, but didn’t get an answer, so he picked out the plank of wood he’d taken from the grave site, now wrapped in two paper bags to protect it, and he carried it up to the farm-shop store next to Marky’s workshop. He had something on his mind that needed checking. He cleared an area of shelving and opened up the crime scene bag for him to compare the planks. He took photos to show Carter and then walked back out and down towards the house again.

Brutus the stallion shoved his chest against his stable door and snorted. Bluebell shook her mane and whinnied at him. Sandford walked into the farmhouse kitchen and called out a hello. No one answered. He felt the kettle on the Aga; it was cold. Back out into the yard, he went in search of Mawgan. The cattle started mooing from the shed as they heard his footsteps approach. He looked at his watch – he was sure they should have been let out by now. He’d come from farming country originally. He knew what had to happen on farms. Brutus stamped his foot and banged his knee against his door continually. Sandford came over and looked inside his stall – he had no hay and very little water.

He was headed for the field. There, free-range pigs lived in corrugated huts. He could hear the sound of pigs chomping.
Pigs happy as . . .
he thought. He walked round the corner to the farrowing pens; a sow jumped up on her hind legs as he passed along the narrow walkway. The pens on either side were empty. As he glanced inside one of them, he saw something flapping. He opened the pen and went inside to take a look. A toddler’s night-time nappy had been left dirty and screwed up, thrown in the corner of the sty. It was flapping in the wind.

He walked out and up to the field. The noise of the pigs was deafening as he got to the gate. They were fighting over food in one of the huts, squealing as they bit one another to get their share.

He walked around the side of the largest of the huts and he saw legs, shattered remains of chewed shin bones.

Lauren looked towards Cam – he stood motionless behind the counter.

She looked back at the table in front of her, where Kensa had put an open photo album.

‘Look at them,’ she screeched.

‘Kensa, calm down,’ Cam said.

‘No, you betrayed me, Cam. You and Mawgan lied to me all this time.’

‘No, we wouldn’t do that. We love you, Kensa.’

‘Toby was the only one for me, still is.’

Lauren looked at Kensa. Her face was blotchy and mottled. She was wheezing as she ranted.

‘Yes. He was my first love.’

‘And you were his.’

‘Is that what he says?’ She looked at Lauren with joy.

‘Yes.’

‘Kensa…’ Cam started to speak. She stopped him as she aimed the gun at him.

‘I’ll shoot us all, Cam, I don’t have nothing left to live for now. Every dream I had is shattered. Even Misty is taken from me. My life is over. No one wants me here any more. You and Mawgan have been lying to me. You don’t care about me. You never helped me that night when I was raped. Raymonds told me you left me.’

‘That’s not true. They threw us out. Towan, Marky and Jago, they picked us up and threw us out and locked the door. We were only young. We tried everything to take you with us but you and Toby were already unconscious. We were in such a state, all of us. Marky, Jago and Towan: it was all their doing and Raymonds did nothing to stop it. I came back here to help us start again, Kensa. My life has been in ruins just like yours, just like Mawgan’s. This is our chance to start afresh. We have so much to look forward to.’

‘Not any more.’ She looked at Lauren. ‘I took your son.’

Lauren looked at Kensa to see if it could be true and not the dreams.

‘Why did you have to take him?’

‘I couldn’t help myself. I wanted a baby so bad. I’ve never carried another child since I lost mine and Toby’s. All this time I’ve been waiting for him to come back to me but he never came. I wanted something of my own. Toby owed me that. I got his address from Towan and I followed him from his house to the Observatory and then I waited in the park for him to come out. I changed my mind. I decided I would just talk to him. It didn’t feel right taking the boy. But then he left Samuel outside the music shop. I watched him through the window. He was talking to the man behind the counter. He was laughing and smiling with him and I thought how much he’d changed. I stood by the buggy looking in at the window for ages. If he had looked at me, maybe come out to talk to me, I wouldn’t have taken Samuel but, I kept looking down at the little boy, he was sleeping. I waited twenty minutes at least, just stood there by the buggy and Toby didn’t care. He didn’t even come out to check on him. I undid the boy’s belt and I carried him into the park and he never woke up. I gave him a few drops of Misty’s sedative. I changed him there and I put his suit in a carrier bag and threw it in the bin. People couldn’t see what I was carrying. I hid him under my coat. He was sleeping all the way till I laid him in the boot of the car and made him cosy and then I called Mawgan and I drove to the top of the park to pick her up.’

‘Where’s my son, Kensa?’ Lauren pleaded. ‘Please tell me. Please.’

She was shaking so much her knees gave way.

‘Your son is in the safe place and no one can ever find him.’ Kensa looked at Cam as she said it.

Lauren held her face in her hands, crippled with anguish.

Outside a scream went up as a large wave crashed across the road, and under the door a small gurgle of seawater forced its way beneath the door and inside the café. Kensa looked towards the Fiat, which had water surging up to its wheel arches.

‘Here’s a photo of Toby again. See!’

Lauren nodded, as she was trying to think of every way of coming out of the situation alive. All she could think of was that Samuel was alive and needed her.

‘He met me every day after school. He was broken up for the summer but I still had a month to go. We couldn’t help ourselves, getting hot and bothered in the dunes. We kissed for hours.’ She laughed and Lauren stared at her. ‘I didn’t need to worry, I thought, because I hadn’t started my periods. They didn’t start till a few months after I had my baby.’ She sighed. ‘I never saw him. I never held my baby. I would give anything to see a photo of him.’

‘It was very wrong of them not to allow you to hold your baby, Kensa,’ said Lauren. She swallowed hard. Russell started barking.

‘I don’t even know what Raymonds did with him. I don’t know where he’s buried, or was he left to the animals? Was he thrown in the sea like a piece of rubbish? Sometimes I go back up there to look for him and I swear I can hear him crying.’

‘Kensa?’ Cam said. ‘You need help. You have to give the boy back now.’

Kensa turned to Lauren. ‘Do you want to see him?’

‘Yes. Where is he?’

‘If you want to see him you have to come with me now. No phones, no nothing. Just come.’

‘Where is Mawgan?’ asked Cam.

Kensa looked sheepish. ‘ I wasn’t going to hurt her. I was angry. I’m sorry. She didn’t need to run away from me.’ Kensa lifted the gun and aimed it at Cam.

‘You’re not going to shoot me, Kensa. I’ll come with you, but put the gun down.’

‘I need it. I’m not leaving it.’

Back in the house, Sandford searched the rooms as he phoned Carter.

‘There’s a man’s body, I think it’s Marky, he’s been murdered. His body is in with the pigs. I’ve found evidence that a toddler-sized child was being kept here on the farm. I would say he was here, right up to a few hours ago.’

‘Are Mawgan or Towan in the house?’ asked Carter.

‘No,’ replied Sandford. ‘There’s no sign of anyone here. But it looks like someone’s taken some items out of the gun safe – it’s been left open.’

‘Can you see what’s missing?’ asked Carter.

‘A shotgun, for sure.’

‘Eb,’ Carter said as he hung up. ‘Get hold of Pascoe and tell him he needs to get Leonard and the forensic team over to Stokes’ farm. Tell him what’s happened. And, get him to put out an alert for Mawgan and Kensa. Tell him we are keeping Raymonds in custody.’

After calling Pascoe, Willis phoned Lauren; there was no reply, and she left a message: ‘Lauren, Kensa’s gone missing. She may be headed your way. Lock all doors and stay inside.’

Another call came from Pascoe.

‘We’re following the sighting of a yellow Fiat. It’s been seen heading towards Penhal. We think it was hidden in a barn with farm machinery on the outskirts of Penhaligon.’

Carter grabbed his keys as Willis got to her feet.

‘Let’s go. We want to be ready.’

‘What about Raymonds?’

‘He can wait. Lock the door.’

Mawgan stood outside Cam’s cottage watching the yellow Fiat coming over the cliff road towards her. She thought about running, but then she saw Cam at the wheel. Kensa got out brandishing the shotgun and called to Mawgan to come over. Mawgan walked towards them. All the time she kept her eye on Kensa. When she had left her that morning she was sure there wasn’t a sane thought left in Kensa’s head. She’d threatened to skin Mawgan alive as she chased her round the house. Now, when she looked at Kensa, she saw she was beyond help or hope, but Mawgan had to try.

‘Walk towards the mine,’ Kensa said as she waved the shotgun at them.

‘Is my son there?’ asked Lauren, shouting so her voice could be heard above the sea pounding the cliff face below.

Kensa didn’t answer as she marched them down towards the mine. They stood on the side of the derelict building and the wind died right down as they sheltered outside the old ruins.

‘Kensa, stop all this now, before it’s too late.’

Kensa shook her head as she turned to look out to sea; the sun’s rays were creeping through the storm clouds. She put up a hand to shelter her eyes from the glare.

‘You’ve lied to me.’

‘No, Kensa. I’d never lie to you. We’ve shared so much, you and me.’

‘Did you know she had my son?’ Lauren asked. Mawgan nodded.

Cam shook his head and groaned, ‘Why would you do such a thing?’

‘I didn’t know until we were home. Then she gave him to me to help look after and I panicked. I didn’t know what to do with him. I moved him around the place. I promise I looked after him, kept him warm. I kept thinking I would tell the police that day but I didn’t know what would happen to us. Then my dad found him and threatened to tell Raymonds. He said he would say that Cam was involved, and that would mean the end of Cam getting his restaurant. It would mean the end of all our dreams. I couldn’t let him do that. I hit him over the head with the spade till he was dead and I stuck him on the spike. I didn’t care at that moment. I hated him so much for all the things he did to us. I went to get the boy, to give him back, but Kensa had already taken him. I’m so sorry.’ Cam was staring at Mawgan with a look of disbelief and devastation. ‘Oh my God, my poor little boy.’ Lauren looked at Kensa. ‘How could you do that to a little boy? Why did you take him?’ said Lauren. ‘You had no right.’