Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) - Lynda La Plante Page 0,45

those horrible beady eyes – and I don’t like the idea of you going to see him.’

‘He’s pertinent to the investigation.’

‘Which one? The one you’re actually getting paid to work on, or the search for your birth dad?’

‘Both.’

He leant in and kissed her. This affectionate act meant two things: ‘Don’t worry’ and ‘Stop talking’. But Maggie wasn’t going to do either. She wasn’t sure she understood Jack any more.

‘So, the fact that your birth dad is connected to some of the worst gangsters London has ever seen doesn’t bother you? Because it bothers me. And I’m sure it’d bother Ridley if he knew what you were doing.’

Jack didn’t look at Maggie because this wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have. He just kept thinking, please don’t ask me why I’m tracking Jimmy Nunn, because he honestly didn’t know the answer, he just knew that he had to do it.

Maggie talked for a while longer about how Jimmy Nunn didn’t seem to be a man worth knowing, about how Charlie should be their priority and about how she didn’t want Jack to be hurt if Jimmy turned out to be even worse than he already sounded.

‘These are dangerous people you’re mixing with now, Jack. I know that’s all part of your job, but when you’re on a case, the dangerous people stay in the office. These ones are in my home and I don’t like it. I don’t like Tony Fisher, although I do like her ‒ what’s her name? ‒ Dolly Rawlins. I think maybe I can empathise with her. Do you think perhaps she shot her husband because he was filling their spare room with his insane obsession?’

Jack suddenly laughed out loud. God, he loved Maggie! He threw both arms round her neck, pulling her head to his chest. She turned her head to the side and they both looked at his evidence wall.

‘Just be careful,’ she whispered.

*

Jack stood at the front of the squad room and led the briefing. Ridley stood just outside his office, legs wide and arms folded – he was a mix of emotions. He was pissed off with Jack’s disregard for his authority, but he was impressed with the information Jack was sharing now. As Ridley listened along with the rest of the team, he was deciding whether or not to give credit where credit was due.

Jack put a printed iPhone image of Connie up on the board.

‘Crikey!’ Anik blurted out, once again speaking before his brain had kicked into gear. ‘Look at the size of her!’

Laura threw him a stern look. ‘Nice.’

Jack began his handover. ‘Connie Stephens talked about the train robbery in exactly the same way as Ester Freeman did. She said the first they knew about it was the following morning when the police arrived. This tallies with the statements taken at the time. Nothing’s changed in 24 years.’

‘Suggesting she’s telling the truth.’ Anik was trying to redeem himself with Ridley. ‘I mean, lies are hard to remember so there’d be discrepancies in their stories if they were lying, either then or now.’

Ridley chipped in. ‘Sure. But “I never saw anything” isn’t that hard to remember.’

Anik looked disappointed in himself. He needed patting on the head every now and then, and Ridley wasn’t really a ‘patter’. Ridley just looked back at Jack, indicating that he should carry on.

‘Neither Ester nor Connie is living in a manner that suggests they’ve got thirty million lying around. Their bank accounts show nothing unusual, in fact Connie goes overdrawn at least once every month. Ester’s slightly better off, but that’s because the money she spends is Geoffrey’s. I think the original investigation was right to eliminate them as suspects.’

Anik’s mobile rang and he stepped to the side of the room to take the call.

Jack continued, ‘I’ll still track down and interview Julia Lawson and Angela Dunn, but I’d be surprised if they gave me anything different.’

Anik bounced to the front of the room.

‘Sir!’ He beamed. ‘I expanded the Missing Persons search, like you said, and my mate at Paddington Green nick just called. A lady by the name of Susan Withey reported her estranged husband missing two days ago.’ Jack went to his desk to examine his notes as Anik continued, ‘Mike Withey is the same height and build as our murder victim from Rose Cottage. And he’s an ex-copper from this station.’

Ridley unfolded his arms quickly. ‘Anik, Jack and Laura. My office.’

Without another word, he turned on his heels. On his way across the