Steps to Heaven: A Sgt Major Crane Novel (21 page)

Billy

Standing
at
the
door
of
a
house
in
the
middle
of
Aldershot
,
Billy
tried
to
shake
the
fog
from
his
brain
.
He
was
still
dressed
in
his
dark
suit
with
his
ID
round
his
neck
,
having
just
finished
work
.
He
looked
at
the
house
with
fascination
,
but
it
was
just
an
old
Victorian
terrace
which
looked
dilapidated
,
as
did
the
rest
of
the
houses
on
the
street
.
The
small
front
gardens
were
crammed
with
bins
and
spindly
plants
struggled
to
survive
in
the
face
of
continued
neglect
.

On
one
level
he
knew
he
shouldn’t
be
there
,
but
on
another
couldn’t
make
his
legs
turn
and
walk
away
.
There
was
something
in
his
head
,
trying
to
take
over
.
It
felt
like
a
spider
was
encasing
him
in
its
web
.
Its
legs
reaching
and
probing
into
his
brain
as
it
moved
deeper
and
deeper
into
his
head
.

He
was
contacted
after
his
first
visit
to
the
Church
of
Jesus
is
King
.
He’d
taken
his
young
nephew
with
him
then
and
they
had
been
going
regularly
every
Sunday
since
.
But
for
the
life
of
him
,
he
couldn’t
remember
why
he
went
in
the
first
place
,
let
alone
taken
Shaun
with
him
.
Maybe
it
had
just
seemed
a
good
idea
at
the
time
.
Still
,
Shaun
seemed
to
enjoy
himself
,
especially
the
junior
church
sessions
and
his
sister
welcomed
the
break
.

Since
that
first
Sunday
,
each
week
he
got
a
text
message
to
go
to
a
meeting
,
sometimes
once
a
week
,
sometimes
twice
.
Always
on
different
days
of
the
week
,
at
different
times
and
different
locations
.

But
he
couldn’t
remember
what
happened
at
the
meetings
.
Nothing
at
all
.
It
was
just
a
blank
.
He
only
knew
that
he
went
and
that
he
couldn’t
stop
going
.
He
also
knew
he
couldn’t
tell
anyone
about
the
meetings
.
But
again
didn’t
know
why
.

He
shook
his
head
in
confusion
once
more
.
Sometimes
he
felt
like
he
was
going
mad
.
At
other
times
he
knew
with
absolute
certainty
that
he
was
doing
the
right
thing
by
continuing
to
go
to
the
meetings
and
not
telling
anyone
about
them
.

As
he
raised
his
hand
to
knock
,
the
door
opened
as
if
by
itself
.
Billy
peered
into
the
gloom
but
couldn’t
see
anyone
there
.
Then
a
voice
spoke
.

“
Welcome
.
Do
you
want
to
climb
the
Steps
to
Heaven
?”

“
With
the
help
of
Jesus
Christ
the
Lord
,”
Billy
replied
.

All
doubt
was
gone
now
.
He
knew
with
absolute
certainty
that
he
was
in
the
right
place
and
doing
the
right
thing
.
He
was
drawn
into
the
house
by
invisible
hands
and
went
to
take
his
rightful
place
with
the
others
.

“
Follow
the
will
of
the
Lord
,”
they
chanted
in
unison
, “
Follow
the
Steps
to
Heaven
.”

Chapter
Thirty-Five

The next morning Crane found time for a quiet word with Kim. After eliciting her co-operation, he met with Captain Edwards. They discussed the updated information about Zechariah and his request of the two SIB men in Catterick and Colchester. Edwards then turned his attention to the team.

“So
tell me Sergeant Major,” he began, relaxing back in his chair. “How’s Kim working out?”

“Very
well, sir,” Crane answered truthfully. “Solid, reliable, punctual.” Crane puts his files on the corner of Edward’s desk as it was clear he wasn’t going anywhere for a while.

“And
in terms of initiative?”

“Definitely
getting there, sir.” Crane relaxed and crossed his legs. “She’s beginning to overcome her reserve and speak out. It’s something I’ve been encouraging.”

“Excellent.
And Staff Sergeant Williams?”

“Equally
as good,” Crane replied.

“Any
problems?” Edwards was still relaxing back in his chair, but his gaze had hardened.

“No,
sir. Why do you ask?” Crane uncrossed his legs and crossed his arms to stop him fiddling with the files on the desk.

“It’s
just that I’ve noticed he’s out of the office quite a lot at the moment. Is there a good reason for that?”

“Yes,
sir,” Crane responded, resisting the temptation to cross his fingers as the lie slid easily from his lips. “He’s being extremely helpful at the moment, especially during this difficult investigation and following up leads on other on-going investigations for me as well.”

“Very
well. As long as you’re sure?” Edwards raised his eyebrows.

“Absolutely,
sir.”

Damn,
Crane thought as he left the office. So it wasn’t just Kim that had noticed Billy’s absences. The last thing he needed right now was interference from Edwards, so he’d have to hope that Kim complies with his request.

However,
his first priority was to find out what was happening with the other SIB Investigators, so he placed a call to Harris in Catterick, who saw his local Church Elder this morning.

“Bingo!”
was Harris’ answer to Crane’s question about any visits by Zechariah to the Church.

“That’s
good then I take it?”

“Oh,
yes, sir, sorry, sir. I’ve found out that Zechariah visited our Church on the 9th of August, which was about 2 months before Fisher killed his son. He couldn’t identify him as the Church Elder was away when Zechariah preached here.”

“Excellent,
Harris, well done.”

While
he was waiting for Brown to have his meeting later that afternoon, he called Billy into the office as he wanted a report on Mrs Fisher’s computer.

“Computer,
sir?”

“Yes,
Billy, her bloody computer. Does she have one? Have you got it?”

“Sir?”
Billy’s eyes were darting from one side of his head to the other.

“Don’t
you remember, lad? I asked you a couple of days ago to ring Mrs Fisher to see if she had one. If they did you were to go and collect it. I wanted you to go so I didn’t have to meet her again.”

Billy’s
eyes were still unfocused and it was clear he didn’t recollect the request. Deciding to leave it at that, Crane told him in no uncertain terms to get out of his bloody office and get onto it right away.

Once
on his own he consulted the copy of the office log Kim printed off for him. Clearly marked for two afternoons ago was an entry logging Billy out of the office, visiting Mrs Fisher in Reading.

Feeling
the need for a cigarette, Crane went outside and leaned against his car, gazing over the playing fields where an inter-services rugby match was being played. Although he was too far away to see the actual action, the cheering of the crowds told him that the army were doing well. Either that or the navy had brought along coach loads of supporters, outnumbering those who had bothered to turn out from the camp. Pride dictated the decision that the army were winning and so turned his attention to the traffic passing up and down Queens Avenue.

A
learner driver was stationary in front of him in a queue of traffic and he could see the young man’s knuckles whitening as he gripped the steering wheel, as a drowning man would grip a life ring. Without warning the traffic started to move again, startling the driver, who kangarooed his way down the road. Crane likened the car’s progress to this investigation. Stop, start, stop, start. The whole thing seemed so drawn out, with spurts of action and activity, followed by times when the investigation seemed becalmed. But Crane thought that at last he was getting somewhere. His determination to keep the investigation alive had paid off in the end and they were closing in on Zechariah.

He
wondered whether his prey had any idea that he was being circled, could feel their closeness and was worried. He decided not, Zechariah was too egotistical to think that anyone could stop him. At least he hoped not. For he needed the action to play out. Hopefully not to the end. But close enough to it for a result. But it all hinged on Billy playing his part unwittingly. Pushing aside his fears that things may go too far before he could stop them, he reminded himself that manipulation was what he was good at. Grinding out his cigarette underfoot, he marched back into the office.