Part 31 (1/2)

I hear tell that John Tregonwell will report upon our house to Master Thomas Cromwell very soon and I fear our community will not survive if the King has his will which our King always does. I must pray and forget.

A week later Wesley walked into Gerry Heffernan's office. Since Steve's death the place had been considerably less cheerful than Colin Bowman's mortuary. And today things were even worse. The funeral was to be held that lunchtime. And everyone would be there, from the lowest DC to the chief constable. Wesley was dreading it.

'I've been doing some digging,' he said as Heffernan looked up. The DCI looked tired. He hadn't slept, he said. And Joyce was busy visiting her mother in hospital so there was no comfort from that quarter either.

'Diane ... Neil's friend. The one who's confessed to killing Barry Ickerman.'

'What about her?'

'I've found out she was married at university to a Paul Lowe and divorced soon after. Then I looked up her maiden name. Guess what it is?'

'Surprise me,' Heffernan said wearily.

'Ickerman.'

Heffernan raised his eyebrows.

'I finally managed to trace the couple who used to run Sunacres Holiday Park at the time Barry Ickerman disappeared. I know we should have checked this out before but ...'

'We have been rather busy.'

'The couple live in Morbay now and I sent someone to have a word with them. They remembered the Ickermans: they stayed for a fortnight but the father left after about ten days. It's a long time ago but they remember the mother telling them that he was called away on business. The woman remembered him because she thought he was a bit creepy and she was glad when he left. She said the little girl was sweet though. Diane her name was.' He allowed himself a small smile of triumph.

'So Diane didn't kill a random flasher in the woods. It was her own father and her mother helped her cover it up. Poor kid.'

'Are we going to take it any further?'

Gerry Heffernan hesitated then he looked him in the eye. 'Nothing's been written down officially, has it?'

'Not yet.'

'She was only a kid and I don't think there's anything to be gained by raking it all up, do you?'

Wesley thought for a moment. Colin's postmortem was inconclusive so there was no actual evidence of murder. What would really be the point of alerting the CPS and putting Diane through the ordeal of making statements and the threat of court proceedings? Not to mention the waste of taxpayers' money. His eyes met Heffernan's in silent understanding.

'I think we can safely forget it, don't you, Gerry? Case unsolved. It won't do our clear-up rate much good but ...'

'Good man, Wes. Least said soonest mended as my old granny used to say. And I don't like men who do that to kiddies.' Heffernan examined his watch. 'Better tell everyone to be ready in five minutes.'

Wesley left the DCI's office and returned to his desk. Absentmindedly, he opened the top drawer. The travel brochure was lying there. Carca.s.sonne with its ancient walls and pepper pot towers glowing in the French suns.h.i.+ne. Pam would love it. And come the end of term she'd need a break badly. Just as he did. Life went on.

When he looked up, Gerry Heffernan was emerging from his office, his face serious above his black tie.

It was time to go.

Watch out for Kate Ellis' gripping new crime series.

featuring DI Joe Plantagenet:.

Seeking the Dead.

When Carmel Hennessy begins a new job in North Yorks.h.i.+re, she finds the historic city of Eborby gripped by fear. A killer is on the prowl who binds and asphyxiates his victims before leaving their naked bodies in isolated country churchyards. The press are calling him the Resurrection Man.