Neil White - LOST SOULS

Mrs King looked at the floor as Laura made notes. Pete stepped away, his face screwed up with frustration. He turned round quickly. ‘Which valeting place?’

Danut shrugged. ‘In town. Small place. I don’t know street.’

Pete stormed off and headed back into the house.

‘Where are you going?’ It was Mrs King, running to catch up. Laura followed.

‘To search your son’s room.’ Pete began to look around him when he reached the hallway, deciding where to go. ‘Are you going to show me where, or do I have to go through every room?’

Laura saw how Mrs King looked dejected for a moment, an instant of weakness that passed in a second, and then she hurried after Pete, catching him as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

‘I’ll show you Luke’s room,’ she said quietly. Laura noticed for the first time that the rims of Mrs King’s eyes were red, as if she had been crying, and she detected a tremor in the woman’s hands.

As she passed through the hallway behind the others, Laura saw that there were no other family pictures on the wall, and as she glanced into the rooms she couldn’t see any in them either. There were some country views, a hillside and a lake in one, an old hunting lodge in another. It seemed like the family didn’t celebrate the ordinary things, the laughs, the unexpected moments. It all seemed too orderly. She could hear Jimmy King hissing into a telephone.

Pete and Laura followed Mrs King up the stairs. As they got to the top, Laura looked out of a large window. She saw Danut staring up at the house.

‘What are we looking for?’ whispered Laura to Pete.

‘Last night’s clothes, if we can find them, and check out the sheets and towels. Bag them and tag them.’

‘Anything else?’

Pete almost smiled. ‘Don’t forget we are missing two eyes and a tongue. They would be useful.’

As Mrs King opened the door to Luke’s room, she stepped to one side.

‘Do you want to keep an eye on us, to make sure you’re happy with what we’re doing?’ asked Pete. It was partly a dig, but Laura wasn’t sure Mrs King got it.

Mrs King shook her head and stepped away, looking at the floor.

‘No, go ahead.’

They walked into a room that seemed to belong more to an adolescent than someone Luke’s age. There were posters on the wall, some rock bands Laura didn’t recognise, with a large television in one corner and a games console underneath, along with game boxes scattered on the floor. Next to the television was a cabinet filled with DVDs. Laura cast a quick eye over the titles, but they seemed mundane. A few slasher movies and Far East martial arts titles, but the rest were recent classics and Simpsons box sets.

They carried on looking, going through drawers and bookcases. There were computer disks and comics, and science fiction figures all around the room. They found diaries, and those were bagged up along with the computer disks. But nothing unusual.

Laura stood by the computer. It was on, a screen-saver showing a series of Star Wars images in a constant loop. She jiggled the mouse and was greeted by the welcome screen, partially obscured by the password box.

She looked over at Pete, who had his hands in a drawer.

‘Anything yet?’

He shook his head. ‘Nothing, but maybe he keeps things hidden.’

‘Any sign of girlfriends in here?’

‘Not a thing. No porno, but no photos or love letters. You’d expect one or the other.’

‘Don’t judge everyone by your standards.’

Laura looked out of the window and saw Danut still looking up at her. She stopped for a moment and studied him, trying to work out his interest. He noticed her looking and turned to walk away. As he went, his head was down, his pace slow and deliberate. Laura made a mental note to find out more about him.

She turned around when she heard someone else come into the room. It was Jimmy King, and he had a telephone in his hand and a smirk on his face.

‘It’s your inspector,’ he said.

Laura and Pete exchanged glances before she took hold of the phone. ‘Hello. DC McGanity here.’

‘This is DI Egan.’

Laura pulled a face at Pete.

‘You have to leave the King house now,’ continued Egan.

‘But sir, you gave us consent,’ Laura protested.

‘It’s withdrawn.’

‘What about the things we’ve collected?’

‘Anything incriminating?’ When she didn’t answer immediately, he barked, ‘Leave them,’ and then the phone went silent.

Laura handed the phone back to King, who smiled at her. And she knew what it meant, that he had the power.

Pete almost knocked King into the doorframe when he walked out of the room. King glared at him angrily. Laura smiled now. She knew that the best weapon was patience. If Jimmy King’s time was due, then it would come.

I scanned the grounds with my camera, said a silent thanks for zoom lenses, and I saw why the garden looked so good. As I looked through the lens I watched a young man walk across the garden. He went towards some concrete outbuildings at the end of the lawn. When he got there, he had a look back towards the house and then slipped into a garage-type building, rectangular pale concrete, with green double doors at the front. I got some shots and then turned back to the house.

I was starting to feel stiff when I saw movement by the front of the house. I raised the camera and zoomed in. It was Laura again.

I saw Jimmy King walk with them. It seemed like he was making sure they left quickly.

I took pictures until Laura left, and then I checked my pocket for the number I had jotted down. One call to some old contacts at the local paper had got me Jimmy King’s home number.

A woman answered. She sounded terse.

‘Good morning,’ I said. ‘I’m Jack Garrett, and I’m a reporter. Do you have any comment to make on the arrest of your son?’

There was silence. And then the phone went dead.

I jumped down from the tree and started to walk back to my car, feeling pleased with myself. Even no comment is sometimes worth reporting.

As Pete swung the car into the police-station yard, he muttered, ‘Today is turning into a fuck-up.’

‘Two suspects,’ sighed Laura. ‘One we can’t find, and the other is about to walk.’

‘Bad management,’ said Pete, and he started to smile. He brought the car to a halt in front of the station and jumped out. ‘C’mon, bring your rags with you.’

Laura followed Pete towards the back entrance of the station, holding two large clear exhibit bags, one containing old valeting rags, the other filled with the tissues used to wipe clean the car interiors. It had taken a few circuits of town to find the car valeters, but then she had seen the Audi parked on the street. The owners of the firm were more than happy to help, although the way some of the valeters melted into the spray mist made her think that not all of them declared their earnings. She didn’t ask any questions. That was a fight for someone else.

Just before she got to the door, ready to swipe her way in, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she checked the display she saw that it was Jack. That made her nervous. She was on the first day of a murder investigation, and he was calling far more than usual.

‘Hello,’ she snapped.

Pete raised his eyebrows as Laura listened, and he saw how she softened during the call. She was smiling when she snapped her phone shut.

‘Good news?’

‘It was Jack,’ she said. ‘He’s bringing Bobby down to meet me after work.’

Pete winked at her. ‘Maybe the day isn’t turning out that badly.’

They walked to the Incident Room together, and they detected a sombre mood.