Woman in the Water

Chapter Twenty-Two

‘What the hell happened?’ DCI Kapoor snapped at Adrian and Imogen as they sat in her office.

Imogen could see the dark line of blood under her fingernails. Even though she had scrubbed her hands, she could see it and feel it. She clenched her hands into fists and tried to forget what had just happened.

‘We were just talking and he … he just stabbed himself,’ Imogen said.

‘That’s highly unusual behaviour, isn’t it?’ DCI Kapoor seemed just as baffled as them.

‘Well, yes,’ Adrian said, nodding.

‘And there was no indication before then that he was going to do that?’

‘He was agitated, but we had just told him that his friend was dead,’ Imogen said.

‘What did he say about Simon Glover?’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘They used to work together. As soon as he brought up the old job at Corrigan Construction, his demeanour changed completely. He became jumpy and anxious. I got the impression that he killed himself to avoid having to divulge anything else. He had secrets and it was all to do with that job they had together in Exeter. Something must have gone on down there,’ Adrian said.

‘You should have brought him in for questioning. I wish we had the exact words he said on tape. He never should have had that knife,’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘With all due respect, Ma’am, we speak to people in their houses all the time; this is not something we have ever witnessed before. It’s not as if we could have anticipated he was going to do that. It came from nowhere,’ Imogen said.

‘Well, I want both of you to see the counsellor and talk this through.’

‘We’re fine,’ Imogen said, huffing.

‘Then it shouldn’t be a very long session, should it?’ DCI Kapoor replied, conversation over.

‘Yes, Ma’am,’ Adrian said.

‘What did he say then, before he died? What the hell was he hiding?’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘He gave us an envelope with a letter for Fiona Merton inside. A goodbye letter from Simon, saying he was leaving and not to worry about him. We’ve handed it to Gary to match handwriting samples. Quick also gave us a Jiffy bag that had two brand-new passports in there. They were vacuum-packed, but we got one of the forensic techs to open it. They belong to Simon and the woman from the hospital, Jane Doe, but with a false name for him, so we assume for her also.

‘There were also train tickets into London, then Eurostar tickets to Paris, France, and then a flight to Montreal, Canada. Judging by what happened to them, I would say they were running away from someone. When we asked Leon Quick about their time at Corrigan Construction and why they left, he got more and more anxious. That seemed to be the trigger for … what he did. We were in there less than ten minutes,’ Imogen said.

‘Well, brace yourselves. The family liaison officer has been speaking to the Quicks. They are obviously very distressed, said he was fine before you got there but obviously dead when you left. The parents were understandably upset by the whole thing and so the FLO is trying to make sure they are OK and also advise them against lodging a complaint, which they had mentioned. She’s very good, so I am sure it will be fine.

‘Walsh is already looking into Leon Quick to see if he has any history of mental health issues or suicidal tendencies,’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘I just don’t understand what happened. Something we asked him provoked that extreme reaction in him. He looked terrified of something. Then he picked up that knife and stabbed himself. How do you even do that? How do you push a knife into yourself like that?’ Adrian said.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ Imogen said.

‘I just don’t understand what could have been so bad that he would rather kill himself than talk about it. And kill himself like that, too. To just make that decision in that split second like that. I feel sick just thinking about it,’ Adrian said.

‘Do you think he was involved in Simon Glover’s death? Maybe he felt guilty,’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘It didn’t seem so. It wasn’t guilt, it was fear,’ Imogen said.

‘Although he wasn’t surprised, I got the impression he was genuinely upset when we told him what happened to Simon Glover. I don’t think he was involved in his death. No, he was afraid of something or someone. I imagine it’s probably connected to what happened to Glover,’ Adrian said.

‘I can’t be certain, but I think he recognised the woman as well, even though he pretended he didn’t. Our Jane Doe,’ Imogen said.

‘I don’t suppose he told you who she was before he offed himself?’

‘I’m afraid not. It wasn’t long after we showed him the photo that he took his own life,’ Adrian said.

‘Right, well, it’s too late to do anything else today. At least we got the passports; although the chances of us finding out where they came from are pretty slim. Go and write up your reports about what happened, then tomorrow morning go to Corrigan Construction. Maybe you can find out something more,’ DCI Kapoor said.

‘Thank you, Ma’am,’ Imogen said and stood up.

They left DCI Kapoor’s office and went back to their desks. Still shocked. The anguish on Leon’s face played over in Imogen’s mind. The DCI was right; he never should have had that knife. This case got more complicated with every passing moment.

Imogen pulled up the report form onscreen and stared for a moment, unsure where to start.

‘We’ve got two dead bodies and a missing woman,’ Adrian said, breaking Imogen’s trance.

‘But at least we have a lead. Something happened at their last job; you could see it in his eyes. I’ve never seen anyone go from mildly uncomfortable to such extreme agitation so quickly. He was beside himself. Was he distressed about something he had seen? Was he afraid of someone? Whatever it is, the answers are at that construction company.’

‘He was fine when we got there, a little on edge maybe. I just don’t understand what happened,’ Adrian said. ‘Maybe we need to look at why he moved back in with his parents, too? Did he lose his flat, or did he choose to move back home to look after his mother, like he claimed? Was it a financial decision or something else?’

‘We definitely don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle at this point,’ Imogen said, staring at her hands again.

‘Are you OK?’ Adrian said.

‘I just … I don’t understand how anyone could do that. That wasn’t a cry for help. The force he stabbed himself with, he wanted out.’

‘It was crazy.’

‘What could be that bad that he would rather end his life than talk to us about it? He was terrified.’

‘We’ll get the answers eventually. At least we have someone else to work on,’ Adrian said.

‘Where the hell is that woman?’ Imogen said.

In all this, that was the part Imogen had the most trouble understanding. Neither Jane Doe nor Leon Quick would speak. She risked her own life by leaving the hospital to avoid any questioning and Quick ended his for the same reason. Who were these people and how were they connected?

‘Gary said he checked MisPers against her photo; there was no one matching her description reported missing.’

‘How is that possible? Does she not have a mother or father? We assumed she was married, but maybe the ring was something else.’

Adrian leaned closer to Imogen and lowered his voice. ‘Stay at mine tonight? I don’t think either of us want to be alone right now.’

‘You’re not wrong.’

She stayed at his most nights; in fact, she rarely went home. After a couple of months seeing each other in secret, they were on the brink of being in a serious relationship, she could feel it. It was exciting but at the same time, as usual, it came with a whole host of other complications. She hadn’t felt this way about anyone before. It wasn’t the crazy-making irrational lust she usually felt for someone when she thought she was in love with them. It was something much calmer, much more grounded and dependable. Was this the real deal? Did he even feel the same? Adrian was the kind of person who said what was on his mind and she still wasn’t sure how he felt.

Imogen started typing, filling out the fields on the form as succinctly as possible. Before she had joined the police, she didn’t fully understand how different people react under pressure and she had seen all sorts of things before – but this? This was a new one on her. More than anything, she wanted to know what had caused Leon Quick to do that to himself. The worst thing was accepting that she might never find out.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The head office of Corrigan Construction was in Matford Business Park just outside Exeter city centre. The building itself was more substantial than Adrian was expecting. A large red-brick-and-grey structure the length of several houses, with windows stretched across the front so you could see the staff inside at their desks. The lobby was a wide-open space with a high glass ceiling and a reception desk in the centre. The walls were a dark slate grey and the wall facing the entrance had an enormous painting on it, which must have been over twelve foot square.

Adrian stared at the painting as they both approached the desk, a contemporary swirl of reds and browns; even with his non-existent knowledge of art he could tell this was an expensive piece and not just something off the rack. He turned to the young woman behind the counter, who looked up and smiled. The smile dropped when Adrian held up his warrant card.

‘Can I help you?’ She returned her eyes to the computer screen.

‘I’m DS Miles. My colleague over there is DS Grey. We need to speak to someone about a former employee of this company.’

‘Do you have a name for this employee?’

‘Simon Glover. Do you know him?’

‘Vaguely. I saw him around. Is he in trouble?’ she said with uninterest, continuing to tap away on her keyboard.

Adrian couldn’t tell if she was actually busy, or if it was just a pretence.

‘Is there anyone here who did know him?’ Adrian asked.

‘I’m just checking out which projects he was on and which crew he worked with,’ she said as she hammered away. ‘He worked our biggest contract last year, that new multistorey in town, which means he knew most of the guys.’

‘Who is the person in charge, then?’

‘Do you mean the gaffer on site, or the head of the company?’ she asked before adding, ‘Actually, on that project it was the same person. The big boss. Mr Corrigan isn’t in just yet. Jimmy Chilton is in, though; he’s the next most senior member of staff on that project. He’s just in a meeting at the moment, but if you wait over there, I’ll get someone to call him out.’

‘Thank you.’

Imogen and Adrian moved to one side and waited as the girl on reception carried on with what she was doing. Imogen turned to face her and put her hand on her hips. No one was better at passive aggression than Imogen. When the girl looked up again and saw Imogen, she finally picked up the phone and called through to someone, rolling her eyes at the same time.

‘We’re in the wrong job. Look at this place!’ Adrian said.

‘Pretty fancy; there’s obviously a lot of money in construction,’ Imogen said.

‘I wonder who or what in this place spooked Leon Quick so much,’ Adrian said.

‘Officer?’ A man in his late forties with a scruffy peppered beard and a red baseball cap walked towards them with his hand outstretched to Adrian. ‘Jimmy Chilton. What can I do you for?’

He turned his hand to Imogen, who reluctantly shook it. Jimmy Chilton looked out of place in this grand lobby, as though he had just clocked off after a long-distance lorry trip.

‘We’re here to talk to you about two former employees of yours,’ Adrian said.

‘Two?’ Jimmy Chilton said.

He ushered them to the far corner of reception, away from the receptionist’s earshot.

‘Simon Glover and Leon Quick.’

‘Ah, right. Yes.’

‘Are you familiar with them?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘What can you tell me about them?’ Adrian asked.

‘They were often late; sometimes their work was sloppy. Spent more time chatting than working. We had to let them go.’

‘We were led to believe they both left of their own volition,’ Imogen said.

‘I don’t know where you got that information from, but it’s incorrect. They were both fired. Why do you want to know why they left?’

‘Who let them go?’ Adrian said.

‘Probably me or Reece. Reece Corrigan. We do most of the hiring and firing. I’m afraid I don’t remember exactly which one of us did the actual firing. You’d be surprised at the sheer volume of turnaround in staff within the construction industry.’

‘When was the last time you saw either Simon Glover or Leon Quick?’ Imogen said, unconvinced by his vague response.

‘Oh, it’s been months. I haven’t seen either one since they left.’

Adrian noted that Chilton hadn’t asked why they were asking questions about the two men. People usually ask, curiosity getting the better of them. It could just be that Chilton didn’t actually give a monkey’s, or maybe it was something else. Maybe he already knew.

‘What time does your boss get in?’ Imogen asked.

‘Today, he won’t be in until after lunch.’

‘We’ll need to speak to him. Could you tell us his address?’ Imogen said.

Jimmy shifted uncomfortably, his calm, collected look turning to one of unease.

‘Ruby on the desk can give it to you. I need to get back to my meeting, if that’s all?’

‘Thank you, Mr Chilton. Don’t leave town; we may need to question you again.’

Chilton nodded and walked over to the desk, instructing Ruby to give them Reece Corrigan’s address. She gave them a suspicious side-eyed look as Chilton spoke.

‘What do you make of that, then?’ Imogen asked Adrian, her eyes fixed on Chilton as he went up the stairs.

Adrian had noticed that his behaviour wasn’t right. It was obvious just from speaking to him that Jimmy was lying and keeping secrets. He didn’t seem to be afraid in the same way that Leon Quick had been, but there was something weaselly about the man.

Adrian turned back to Imogen when Jimmy had finally disappeared from view.

‘God knows. I don’t know what’s going on anymore.’

‘Let’s go get this address and visit the big boss.’

‘Maybe he can shed some light on this situation,’ Adrian said.

‘What are the chances of that?’

Chapter Twenty-Four

I should have known better than to think I could escape, that there was any chance for me to have a normal life. I don’t even know what that is. Everything has been so twisted for so long now that I really think I am where I belong. There is no Hail Mary for me, no last-minute reprieve.

Being back home is like riding a bike with a broken seat or slipping into an uncomfortable pair of shoes that you can’t remove. I wish with every fibre of my being that I had died on that riverbank, and yet I survived and here I am, back here again. Groundhog Day.

Every day is the same, I wake up and then I pretend to be the person he wants until it’s time to go to sleep again. I may as well be a doll or a robot. I am barely human at all.

Slipping out of the hospital was easy enough; no one thought I would go. People are always underestimating me and that’s fine. I don’t really care. I wonder if I really care about anything, anymore. I used to want to get away, but now I think I have used up nine lives and not all of them were mine. This is where I belong, uncomfortable shoes and all.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Since Imogen and Adrian had started dating, things had definitely changed at work. As they drove out to Reece Corrigan’s home address, Imogen found her cheeks warming as she watched Adrian drive. She had never really thought about how attractive he was, as if the mere fact of her thinking about it might inflate his ego. He was a more cautious driver than her, didn’t seem to wander off in his own head as much as she did. He was definitely more at peace than he had been in a long time. Since his last girlfriend, Lucy, was murdered in connection with an investigation they were conducting last year.

She remembered when they’d met, how she had assumed so much about him and yet within just a few hours they were completely at ease with each other. You don’t get that every day. Imogen knew that this could get tiresome at some point. That one day she might not want to spend the day with the person she spends her nights with, but for now it was easy, it felt right. These moments together in the car were her favourite, she had no idea why.

‘Do you think the DCI knows about us?’ Imogen said.

‘No, I don’t, do you?’

‘I can’t imagine her not pulling us up on it. What would you do if she does?’

‘Then we deal with it, I guess. I’ll move, if she wants, to another department, another team or something.’

‘You would do that?’ Imogen said, taken aback by the very idea.

‘Why not? Wouldn’t you?’

‘I feel like I’m just getting settled here and don’t really want to change again. I like the way things are.’

‘I like it too, but I think I like you more. I’ve been here since I started, maybe a change would be good for me.’

‘I wouldn’t want to feel responsible for that.’

‘I know, but you wouldn’t be. I have thought about this before. After losing Lucy and now finding myself with you … I know I hadn’t been with her long, but it was the first time in a long time that I thought I was capable of a real relationship. When she died, I thought that was it for me. No more chances. Sometimes you just have to decide what you want most – and I know you’re more important to me than this job.’

‘Where would you go?’ she said, surprised that he had given this any thought at all.

‘I have no idea. Maybe I could train new recruits for a while, or maybe I could move to canine division.’

‘Dogs?’

‘What’s wrong with dogs?’

‘Nothing. You’ve just never mentioned it before.’

‘It could be time for a change, anyway. I don’t want to piss off the DCI and who knows, maybe you’ll like me even more?’

‘Not sure that’s possible.’ She smiled.

He put his hand on her knee and squeezed. This felt like an unusually mature approach to the situation from Adrian, Lord knows he wasn’t usually so level-headed and measured when dealing with matters of the heart. They had been through a lot together over the last couple of years and she had seen him at both ends of the spectrum, high and low. There was no doubt that he had grown and changed into a different person. She liked to think she was at least partially responsible for that.

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