Body in the Woods (Carlos Jacobi Book 1) Read online

  ‘She’s had an antibiotic injection and there’s a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Mr Mahud suggested no more rusty springs and a few days’ rest. He also presented you with a nice bill.’

  ‘As if rest’s going to happen.’ Carlos ruffled his beloved dog’s fur. ‘Good girl. Best girl.’ His jaw dropped open when he checked the bill Sophie handed him. ‘I’m in the wrong job.’

  Gary took over. ‘He couldn’t stitch the wound. He said puncture wounds are best left unstitched because there’s a risk of abscess developing beneath. He’s packed it with a hydrogel. We need to pack it each day and take her back if there’s any sign of infection.’

  ‘Thanks, guys.’

  ‘How’s things?’ Gary asked. ‘There’s a host of police cars in the road. Thank Heavens we live at the end of the village, but it won’t be long before news gets around.’

  Carlos tilted his head towards the kitchen and lowered his voice.

  ‘Meg’s in a bad way. She’s shut down. Shock, I think. Can you call a doctor?’

  Gary grimaced. ‘I could do with seeing one myself. I’ll give them a ring.’

  ‘Caroline’s in your snug, calling her husband. Meg and Harold had a son.’

  Sophie gasped. ‘And is that who you believe the skeleton belongs to?’

  Carlos nodded grimly.

  ‘Size and clothes fit the picture. He was twelve.’

  Sophie’s hand went to her mouth. Eyes wide, shaking her head, she rushed to the kitchen.

  ‘I’ll check on Meg.’

  Gary called 111 and, after a lengthy time waiting to be put through and a call-back, he turned to Carlos who was mulling over what Caroline had revealed.

  ‘It won’t be our local doctor, I’m afraid. They have an out-of-hours system so we could get anyone. I’ve explained the urgency. A doctor will visit. No idea when.’

  ‘I’ll check whether Caroline’s finished on the phone. Can I leave you and Sophie to see to Meg?’ Not waiting for an answer, Carlos continued, ‘There’s no point me trying to question her. If a DCI Masters turns up, come and get me. I don’t want him anywhere near Meg in her state.’

  Gary stared down at his hands. ‘I’ll stay in here and wait for the doctor. No use me going in there. I wouldn’t know what to say.’

  ‘Good idea. I take it you’ll be all right? I’ll leave Lady with you, if that helps.’

  Gary looked down at the dog lying on his rug.

  ‘Thanks. I’d like that. I’ll study the sheet the vet gave us.’

  Carlos felt that would be the best thing for his brother-in-law to do, as he’d met with more unpredictability than he could handle. Gary would be safer with something practical and scientific to distract his mind. Moving to the kitchen to retrieve the second round of coffees he’d poured earlier, Carlos carried them through to the snug. He gently knocked and poked his head around the door before entering.

  Caroline was sitting in an armchair. She jolted upright and composed herself. The rigidity he’d noticed when they met returned.

  ‘Can I come in?’

  ‘Of course. It’s your house. I just needed some time alone.’

  Carlos didn’t correct her on the house thing and handed her a coffee.

  ‘Would you like something stronger?’

  ‘I would, if you don’t mind. Do you have brandy?’

  ‘I’ll ask.’ Carlos went back to Gary, who happened to be pouring himself one.

  ‘Could you pour two more of those?’

  With brandies in hand, Carlos returned to the snug. He handed Caroline the larger one and sat down in one of the armchairs nearby.

  ‘Is your husband coming down?’

  ‘No. We have children. I don’t want them knowing anything about this. It’s traumatic enough.’

  ‘How old are your children?’

  ‘Nine and seven. The in-laws are staying. I think I might have told you that before. Aiden will tell the children Mother’s not well. When I return, meeting their grandmother for the first time will detract attention away from my having been away. They often speak on the phone when he’s not around – when he wasn’t around – but now they can meet her face-to-face.’

  Carlos wasn’t certain Meg would be in any fit state to travel anytime soon, but Caroline had cheered up considerably at the prospect. Now wasn’t the time to burst any bubbles.

  ‘I believed my brother had gone missing after running away to find me all those years ago. I’ve lived with that guilt for twenty years, thinking something horrible happened to him because I didn’t fight to take him away with us. I was convinced he’d been abducted and it was all my fault. On good days, I imagined he’d turn up one day out of the blue and grin that mischievous…’ Caroline’s eyes welled up.

  ‘Did your father tell you your brother had gone after you?’

  Caroline pursed her lips, trying to control the trembling. ‘He told us Matthew cried all weekend. He said Matthew yelled at him and stormed out, saying he was going to Edinburgh. That was something that nagged me for years. Matthew was terrified of the man. We all were. I should have known he wouldn’t have shouted at him.’

  ‘Caroline, was your father violent?’

  ‘Not with his fists, no. But he undermined everything we ever did. He dominated my Mother so much that I don’t think I ever knew the real her. The closest I got to seeing her happy was when she told him about being pregnant with my brother. He coldly told her she couldn’t have another child and went off to one of his meetings. I sat with her as she stared into space, much like she’s doing now. It frightened me. Afterwards, I never saw her happy again.

  ‘I found some photos once, pictures of when she was first married. She was smiling, but even then there was no real happiness. My grandparents told me, before they died, they didn’t approve of the marriage, but they were of the belief that you made your bed and all that… Well, we certainly had to lie in it. He was hard on Matthew from the minute he was born. Matthew was always a sensitive, shy boy, more like my mother.’

  ‘Did your mother also believe Matthew came after you?’

  ‘I assumed she did. We never talked about it. Mother went into meltdown, shut down like she has now. That man put the blame on me for everything and I believed it. I’m ashamed to say, I left the next day and returned to Edinburgh. Partly because I couldn’t stand to be in that house for a moment longer, partly because I was holding down a full-time job and partly because…’

  ‘You were hoping your brother would come home?’

  Tears fell to the floor as Caroline lifted a tissue to her face. Her shoulders shook, years of torment coming to the surface.

  14

  Carlos squeezed Caroline’s shoulder and left her to cry.

  Gary was heading for the snug. ‘You said to let you know if a DCI Masters arrived. He’s here,’ he whispered.

  ‘Jacobi, I need to have words with Mrs Sissons and Mrs Winslow,’ bellowed an all too familiar voice from the hall.

  Gary was letting another person, a grey-haired man wearing an ill-fitting suit carrying a medical bag, in the front door when Carlos appeared in the hall. He led the new arrival through to the kitchen before returning to stare down the DCI.

  ‘Mrs Sissons isn’t in a fit state to be interviewed. As you can see, the doctor’s just arrived to examine her.’ Gary raised himself up to his full lanky height.

  ‘How convenient,’ Masters snarled, not taking his eyes off Carlos.

  ‘Mrs Winslow’s also out of bounds, I’m afraid,’ said Carlos.

  Caroline heard the last part of the conversation as she emerged from the snug. ‘I’ve told Carlos all I’m prepared to say for now, Chief Inspector. Perhaps you can ask him anything you need to know. Now I need to be with my mother.’

  Caroline marched through to the kitchen, leaving Masters, Carlos and Gary in a standoff. Gary returned his focus to Lady, who was delivering a low growl Masters’s way.

  Carlos compromised first. ‘Why don’t you join me thro
ugh here and I’ll tell you what I know.’

  Masters glared towards the kitchen just as Fiona arrived, dispelling the tension a little.

  ‘All sorted next door, sir. Have you found anything out, Mr Jacobi?’

  ‘I was just about to fill the chief inspector in on what I’ve discovered. Perhaps you’d like to join us?’

  ‘Don’t mind if I do. Is that okay, sir? I can take notes. It sounds a bit busy in there.’ She nodded towards the kitchen, where muffled voices could be heard. ‘Is there somewhere else we can talk?’

  Carlos gestured towards the snug. Masters nodded curtly.

  ‘Right. Lead the way. Tell us what you’ve got, Jacobi.’

  Once seated in the snug, Masters relaxed a little. Lady followed them, not willing to leave her master with this man without her being present. Fiona stroked the dog’s head, causing her to go into a happy whining frenzy.

  ‘How are you, girl? She’s the heroine of the hour, sir. Found the spot where the body was hidden and got herself injured in the process, didn’t you, girl?’ Fiona ruffled Lady’s fur again. Even Masters smiled at his ebullient sergeant crouching down on the floor, cuddling the dog.

  Carlos inhaled and exhaled, relieved the tension was dissipating. He related everything Caroline had told him so far. Masters, for all his stroppy attitude, listened carefully, only interrupting occasionally.

  ‘So,’ he summarised, ‘we have the body of a man found in the woods two nights ago. Now we have the skeleton of a minor who may turn out to be the late man’s son. And from what Mrs Winslow has told you, it appears her brother went missing twenty years ago while she and her mother were away for a few days, which leaves us to conclude that, in all likelihood, Harold Sissons killed the boy.’

  ‘That’s about the sum of it,’ answered Carlos wryly. ‘What we don’t know yet is whether the two deaths are connected.’

  ‘Of course they’re connected. Someone found out the man murdered his son—’

  ‘If it is his son, sir,’ Fiona interrupted.

  ‘I agree, Sergeant, but I think for now, we assume it is.’ Masters grinned; he clearly liked Fiona. Who wouldn’t? ‘Which narrows it down somewhat. It’s a shame the body was buried or we could have hoped the monster’s conscience had caught up with him and he’d killed himself. Hopefully we’ll be able to make an arrest tomorrow.’

  Carlos’s jaw dropped open. ‘How so?’

  Masters snorted. ‘The wife may have had a lover. Jealous and controlling man finds out, takes it out on the boy. The rest of this is police business, Jacobi, so I suggest you back off now. Mrs Sissons’s ex-lover, if there is one, goes to the top of the suspect list, otherwise it’s the daughter. It could seriously harm your reputation if you continue working for this family.’

  ‘Meg Sissons did not have a lover, and Mrs Winslow was in Edinburgh. No-one else could have known about the boy’s murder, otherwise it would have come out long before now.’ Carlos regretted it as soon as the anger and astonishment spilled out of his mouth, but it appeared Masters was too triumphant to notice he’d disagreed with his verdict.

  ‘Thank you for your time, Jacobi. Cook? Time to leave. We need to talk.’

  Fiona shot Carlos a worried glance, but followed her boss. An astounded Carlos sat in the armchair for some minutes, polishing off his brandy.

  Before leaving, Masters told Caroline he would need to question her and her mother the next morning. Carlos accompanied the DCI and Fiona to the door, but Masters didn’t wait. He slammed it on the way out.

  Annoyed at having the door slammed in his face, albeit shutting him inside rather than out, Carlos peered through the blinds to check whether Masters and Fiona were leaving altogether or returning next door. Masters gesticulated under the streetlight outside Meg’s house, then he jumped into his car. Tyres screeched again as the insensitive DCI left the scene.

  Fiona returned to the house next door. All the other police cars had left, along with the pathologist’s white BMW. He hoped Fiona would come back before she went home, but for now, he refocused himself on events taking place in the kitchen.

  The doctor suggested Meg have an injection of sedative. She still hadn’t spoken a word since the horrific find in the house next door.

  ‘Would you and Meg like to stay here tonight?’ Sophie asked Caroline.

  ‘That’s kind of you. I’d appreciate it if Mother could stay. I don’t think it would be good for her to go home just yet. I’d better go back next door to sleep, as well as clear up any mess left by that buffoon and his gang. I also promised I’d phone my husband again once the police had gone. He’ll be beside himself. Nothing like this has ever happened to us. I couldn’t believe someone had killed that horrible man, but now this.’ The knee began its jerking under the dining room table again as Caroline fought to maintain control.

  ‘Try not to worry. We’ll look after your mum. I’m so sorry…’ Carlos offered.

  ‘Er hum…’ The doctor coughed. ‘Shall we get the patient upstairs now?’ The man had bags under his eyes. His phone had gone off at least three times in the past fifteen minutes. Carlos sympathised. Medics had a tough life, but he felt more sympathy for the pathologist who would have been called next door, trying to piece together the last hours and cause of death of a child.

  Caroline led Meg by the hand, following Sophie upstairs to a spare bedroom. The doctor followed. Five minutes later, the medic returned. Carlos and Gary saw him out.

  ‘I’ve given her a strong sedative. She should sleep all night. I suggest you call her own doctor in the morning if there’s no improvement. If she’s still like this tomorrow, she’s going to need admission. She’s in a severe state of shock, poor woman.’

  ‘The police want to interview her tomorrow,’ said Carlos.

  ‘Then they will have to want. Unless she makes a miraculous recovery overnight, she’s in no fit state and will be of no use to them like this. The woman’s completely shut down. Your sister told me what had happened. First her husband, and now this.’

  ‘Thanks for your help, Doctor. Is there anything we should do if she does wake in the night?’ asked Gary.

  ‘I’ve left some pills with your wife. You can give her two of those, but I doubt you’ll need them.’ The doctor returned to his marked car, where a driver waited. Carlos heard him direct the driver to the next visit. Clearly his night was not over yet, either.

  ‘More brandy?’ asked Gary.

  Carlos nodded. Gary poured two large shots while they waited for Sophie and Caroline to come downstairs. Carlos checked his phone for messages, but no word from Fiona. Her car had left by the time they saw the doctor out. She’d have all the paperwork to complete; he couldn’t imagine Masters doing it.

  He and Gary finished their brandies and Lady settled herself at Carlos’s feet. Twenty minutes later, they heard the front door open and close.

  Sophie joined them.

  ‘Meg’s asleep. Caroline’s just gone back next door. Can you pour me one of those?’

  Sophie looked exhausted and dishevelled after the evening’s events. Gary did as she asked and poured her a brandy.

  I need to get them another bottle of this stuff if tonight’s anything to go by, Carlos thought.

  Gary joined Sophie where she had slumped down on the settee and put his arm around her. Although he was still wan himself, he had recovered enough to be of use to his wife.

  ‘Thanks for all you did tonight, you two.’

  ‘I’m only sorry now you’re involved in this, Carlo,’ Sophie used her pet name for him. ‘What if that detective’s right and someone we know killed Harold? He mentioned Caroline. Meg couldn’t have done it, although who would blame them after tonight’s disturbing discovery?’

  ‘How did you know that’s what Masters thinks?’ asked Carlos.

  ‘I’m surprised the whole street doesn’t know what he thinks. He’s hardly discreet. I heard him bragging from the kitchen how he’ll make an arrest within days.’

  ‘
Did anyone else hear?’ Carlos was surprised Caroline had opted to go back to the house she insisted she hates, although she appeared to be a woman who liked to be in control.

  ‘No. Caroline was using the bathroom upstairs because Gary was in the downstairs loo, soaking a flannel to clean Lady’s fur, and the doctor had his stethoscope in his ears, listening to Meg’s chest.’

  ‘But Caroline was down here. I saw Masters talking to her.’

  ‘She’d just come down. Carlos, she didn’t hear. I checked who was around when the loudmouth said it. Honest.’

  ‘What about Meg?’

  ‘Well, she was around, obviously, but if she did hear, she didn’t respond. Not a flicker of change crossed her face. I don’t think she was actually listening or hearing anything. She just stared into space. Funnily enough, I noticed the same vacant look yesterday when I went to stay with her before the police came. The lights were on but no-one was home, you know what I mean?’

  Gary raised his eyebrows quizzically. Sophie nudged him, giggling.

  ‘She means Meg looked vacant. It’s an expression my aunt used to use when people weren’t with it, and Sophie uses it whenever she gets the chance.’ Carlos laughed. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t heard it.’

  Gary smiled at his mischievous wife. ‘I’m pleased you can laugh at a time like this.’

  ‘Anyway, back to Meg. If she heard anything, she wouldn’t have processed it. As I said, the lights were on…’

  ‘We get it, Sofia,’ Carlos scolded her, using her real name, but nodded thoughtfully. His sister pretend-scowled, but Carlos’s thoughts were elsewhere. He didn’t have either Meg or Caroline down as the murderer of Harold Sissons. Meg was weak and frail, and Caroline lived in Edinburgh and hadn’t seen her father for twenty years. Not only that, she would have to be a good actress to have fooled him. But he couldn’t rule either out altogether. Both had motive, especially if they’d found out what had happened to Matthew Sissons, but he couldn’t see how they could have known. And there were still the goings-on at the community centre and Harold’s disagreement with Colonel Webb.