DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 (60 page)

‘Has someone contacted Ryan?’ Jessica asked.

Martin nodded, wincing painfully and no longer trying to hide it. ‘I think he’s on his way.’

‘Right . . .’

‘I’ll deal with him,’ Martin added.

Jessica felt as if he had been a step ahead of her at every stage of their conversation. She was going to say she would hang around to speak to Ryan, in order to make it clear there should be no
form of retaliation.

‘He’s going to have to let us deal with things,’ she said.

‘I know. I’ll talk to him. He’ll listen to me.’

Jessica stared into the man’s eyes and saw that he meant it. With a small nod, she stood, Rowlands following her lead. ‘Can you give us a minute, Dave?’ Jessica asked, not
looking at the constable.

Rowlands ummed for a few moments and then touched her gently in the small of her back to let her know he would be outside and available if she needed anything.

As he left, Jessica continued to hold Martin’s eyes. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

‘Go on.’

‘As I’m sure you can understand, with everything that has been going on, we have been looking into a few things from your past.’

Martin said nothing, his face not changing.

‘That pub you burned down with Alfie inside wasn’t the first building you set fire to, was it?’

He continued to stay silent, holding Jessica’s eye and licking his lips.

‘How many places?’ Jessica asked.

Martin winced, his eye flickering shut, before opening again. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’

Jessica broke eye contact, sitting back in her chair and staring at the ceiling. ‘I wanted to believe you when we were in the back of that van. I wanted to think people could change and do
good things after bad ones.’

‘What really excites you?’ Martin asked. The question took Jessica by surprise and the room suddenly felt heavy with menace. Before she could think of a reply, Martin continued,
‘Maybe it’s chocolate, maybe it’s rollercoasters? Perhaps you like driving really fast? I have no idea. We’re all different but for me . . . I find enjoyment from other
things.’

His voice had cleared again and Jessica wondered if the slurred speech from before was either put on, or a figment of her imagination.

She didn’t reply straight away, wondering if he had anything else to add. ‘Are you saying you like setting fire to things?’ she asked after the pause.

Martin said nothing, shuffling in his bed and attempting to roll over. ‘I think I’d like to get some sleep now.’

Rowlands knew her well enough not to ask why Jessica had wanted to talk to Martin by herself. Instead, as they exited the hospital, he turned his phone back on and made a call.
Jessica got the gist of the conversation from his half.

‘Jason not having much luck?’ she asked as they arrived at the car.

‘No. He says Anthony was too drunk to talk when they first went round. They’ve been letting him sober up and they’re going to have another go soon. Are we going back to the
station?’ Rowlands asked, starting the engine.

‘Not yet. I need you to take me somewhere but we have only been to the hospital if anyone asks.’ At first Jessica thought he was going to query why but he simply asked for the
address.

Despite the way she ribbed him, Jessica knew it was moments like this that showed her how good a colleague and friend Rowlands was. He had left her alone without knowing why and then agreed to
drive her somewhere simply because she had asked.

She didn’t know the area they were heading to but told the constable to keep driving past the house after she had spotted it and then pull up at the end of the road.

‘Are you okay to wait here?’ she asked.

‘Are you sure you’re going to be all right?’

‘I’ll be five minutes.’

Jessica got out of the vehicle and walked towards the house. She double-checked the number on a piece of paper and folded it back into her pocket.

The car with the number plate Andrew had noted down was parked on the road directly outside the house. Jessica walked along the pathway and knocked on the door.

A scowling young woman soon answered, her long blonde hair tied into a loose ponytail. Her baggy jogging bottoms and matching top would have made it look as if she had just got up, except for
the thick layer of make-up. She eyed Jessica up and down, casually holding a cigarette in her free hand. ‘Who are you?’ she asked harshly.

‘Morning, Lara, how are you?’

The woman’s eyebrows arched further in annoyance. ‘How do you know my name?’

Jessica hadn’t known it for sure but, from Andrew’s description and the fact the address matched, it seemed a fair bet.

‘A lucky guess. I’m clever like that. I’m Detective Sergeant Daniel. Can I have a few minutes?’

Lara screwed her face up further, causing a heavy line to appear on her forehead. ‘You’re police? What do you want?’

‘Just a quick word . . . as I, er, said . . .’ Jessica couldn’t resist the sarcasm, thinking that was probably why it was ‘always you’ as Rowlands pointed out.

‘I ain’t done nothing.’

‘I never said you had. I just wanted to ask you about Ryan Chadwick.’

Lara looked surprised at the mention of the name. ‘Ryan? What about him?’

‘I was thinking maybe we could have a girly chat. Compare notes. You know, what do you think about Ryan? What’s he up to? Why is he having illicit meetings in the dark on bridges in
the middle of nowhere? That kind of thing.’

Jessica got the reaction she wanted. Lara’s eyes widened in amazement. She took a long drag from her cigarette before throwing what was left at her feet and putting one hand on the door.
‘What are you on about?’

‘I was wondering how you know Ryan.’

‘We’re mates.’

‘How about Sienna Todd and Molly North? Do you know them?’

Lara’s eyes rolled upwards in thought before she replied. Jessica wasn’t sure if it was because she was trying to decide what the best response might be, or because she was genuinely
trying to recall if she did know the other girls.

‘I don’t know. I sort of know the names. Maybe they’re friends of Ryan?’

It sounded plausible. ‘Are they friends of yours?’

‘No. Why are you asking?’ Lara’s demeanour had changed completely from being aggressive to hugging her arms across her chest. The absence of the cigarette had left her biting
her bottom lip. Jessica started to speak but the sound of a baby crying began somewhere behind Lara, interrupting them. The young woman half-turned, looking back to Jessica. ‘I’ve got
to go. What do you actually want?’

Jessica locked eyes with the woman but tried to sound sympathetic. ‘I want to know that you’re not involved in anything you can’t get yourself out of.’

For a moment, Jessica thought the woman was going to break but another wail from the unseen child seemed to change the woman’s mind. ‘No, I’m fine,’ she said, starting to
push the door closed. ‘I’ve got to go.’

Jessica turned and walked back towards the car, wondering if she should have asked Rowlands or someone else to handle talking to Lara. She hadn’t wanted to ask specifically about the money
but she did want to let the woman know that she knew something was going on. The one thing that both Lara and Molly had in common was the awkwardness when Ryan’s name was mentioned. She
couldn’t place what it was but it matched the uncomfortable feeling she had when she was around him.

As she sat in the car next to Rowlands, it was clear something had happened. ‘I didn’t know if I should come find you,’ he said.

‘What’s up?’

‘Jason says Anthony Thompson has confessed to attacking Martin.’

Jessica and Rowlands arrived at the police station just as Anthony Thompson was being led through the side entrance towards the cells. Jessica caught Reynolds as he was walking
across the car park.

‘What did he say?’ she asked.

The inspector seemed a little frustrated and she didn’t know if it was due to her – or because he had spent the morning with Anthony. ‘We asked where he was last night, the
usual thing. At first he said he couldn’t remember. I took a gamble and told him Martin had been attacked and he just laughed and said he enjoyed doing it.’

‘Shite. Do you believe him?’

Reynolds held open the station’s door, letting her and Rowlands enter. ‘I don’t know, that’s why we brought him in. If he repeats it on tape, we’ll have it
formally. There’s something wrong with him. At first we thought he was drunk but then he seemed fine. Sometimes he slurs his words, sometimes he’s completely clear. You never know what
you’re getting.’

It all sounded very familiar. Jessica told Rowlands she would see him soon, before following Reynolds along the corridor towards the interview room.

‘What are we going to do?’ she asked.

He stopped, shuffling into a doorway away from the main area. ‘I’m not sure you should be involved in this.’

Jessica felt stung. He had never said anything like it to her in the past. ‘Why?’

‘You’re too close, Jess. I’m not sure you even see it. Jack and I were thinking . . .’

‘You’re talking about me behind my back?’ The aggression in Jessica’s voice surprised even her.

‘No, we’re not. We know how good you are with people and at your job. But there’s something about Martin, Anthony, Ryan and these girls that seems to have affected you.
You’re connecting dots that aren’t there to be joined.’ He lowered his voice, leaning in closer. ‘You suggested using a private investigator to do our dirty work. Dirty work
we’re not even sure needed doing. Don’t you see how that all looks?’

‘What if I’m right about Ryan?’

‘What if you’re not, Jess? What do you think he’s been up to? Burning down houses? Attacking his own dad? Killing girls and make it seem like they’ve done it themselves?
How far are you going to go?’

Jessica couldn’t meet the inspector’s eyes. She knew he was saying things for her own good but he didn’t know the half of it. He hadn’t seen the doodles she had been
given by Aidan. He didn’t know she had gone behind his back and got Andrew to follow Ryan anyway. He hadn’t been there when she had followed and slapped the teenager. She tried to
steady her voice. ‘Let me sit in with Anthony. You talk, I’ll listen.’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because I know you, Jess. I know you won’t be able to stay quiet and it’s not as if I can turn around and tell you to stop once we’re in there.’

‘Trust me.’

Reynolds sighed, staring at the ceiling before shaking his head slightly and affectionately resting an arm on Jessica’s shoulder. ‘Fine – let’s go.’

As they readied the interview room, the two officers barely spoke. Jessica knew the inspector had been as delicate and discreet as he could. In previous years, she might have flown into a rage,
storming up to the chief inspector’s office to find out what the problem was. She had largely moved past that but his words hurt more than they angered her.

An officer knocked on the door to say that Anthony was refusing his right to speak to a solicitor and seemed content to sit quietly in the cells. Reynolds told the officer he may as well bring
the man upstairs in that case.

Jessica couldn’t remember feeling nervous ahead of an interview but, as she sat slightly behind Reynolds in a position that felt unfamiliar, she could feel a twinge in her stomach.
‘Are you all right?’ the inspector asked, sensing her unease.

‘I’m fine.’

‘You don’t have to stay silent. If you’ve got something to mention, just say it.’

Before Jessica could think of anything appreciative, there was a knock on the door and Anthony Thompson was led into the room. He looked almost the same as the other times Jessica had met him,
his matted hair hanging untidily around his shoulders, but his face was even redder than on the earlier occasions. She saw him smirk slightly before realising he was being filmed.

Reynolds ran through the initial details from the previous night, asking Anthony where he was. Jessica immediately began to feel edgy when he wouldn’t be more specific than
‘town’.

After a frustrating series of exchanges, Reynolds eventually moved onto the questions Jessica would have started with. ‘What happened as you were returning home?’ he asked.

Anthony grinned, showing his discoloured yellow teeth. ‘You know what happened. You told me. I beat him into hospital.’

‘Who?’

‘You know. Him.’

Jessica could feel the inspector tensing. In her own mind, she was counting to ten.

‘Martin Chadwick?’ Reynolds persisted.

‘Yes.’

‘So you beat him up?’

‘Yes.’

‘What exactly did you do to him? Did you punch him? Kick him? Hit him with a weapon?’

‘All of them.’

‘What kind of weapon?’

Anthony scratched his head, as if thinking. He stuck out his bottom lip before smiling again. ‘I don’t remember. You tell me.’

Jessica knew they were wasting their time. Anthony hadn’t attacked anyone, he was simply enjoying hearing the details of how Martin had been attacked.

‘Did you hit him from the front or the back?’ she asked.

If Reynolds was annoyed, he didn’t flinch.

‘I don’t remember.’

Jessica was going to speak again but the inspector beat her to it. His voice was raised and frustrated. ‘Answer the question. You’ve got a fifty per cent chance of getting it right.
Front or back?’

Anthony pushed his chair back, leaning into it. ‘Front. I caved that fucker’s head right in.’

Reynolds looked to Jessica and raised his eyebrows before turning back to Anthony. ‘You do know we could charge you with wasting police time?’

The man shrugged. ‘Do it.’

Jessica knew it wouldn’t happen, largely because they were already in a battle of sorts with the media. Considering the coverage Martin’s original release from prison had generated,
the last thing they wanted was everything being blown up further by charging Anthony.

Reynolds shunted his chair backwards with a noisy scrape. He announced formally that the interview was over, adding dismissively: ‘Go home, Mr Thompson.’

Jessica watched the man turn from Reynolds to stare at her. It didn’t seem as if he was going to move. She reached across and stopped the tape recording.