Laura said nothing. She stood and gazed at the old wooden boat heading bravely out into the North Sea.
Marie continued to stare through the powerful binoculars. Then her euphoria faded. She squinted and tried to adjust the focus to make it clearer. It seemed as though they had jettisoned something heavy into the water. She blinked a few times, but now she wasn’t sure what she had seen.
She trained the glasses on Carter. He was staring directly at her.
‘He’s waving! He’s seen us!’
She passed the binoculars to Laura.
After a moment Laura passed them back. ‘Look again.’ There was a catch in her voice.
Marie did.
Carter stood, with his arm raised, as if he were stretching towards the two women on the far shore.
‘He’s not waving, Marie. He’s saying goodbye.’
Marie went cold. Oh no, please, no.
She felt Laura’s hand grip hers. ‘Oh God! The Eva May. She’s sinking.’
Marie swallowed. She could not move or take her eyes off the wooden lifeboat. It was still moving away from them at a steady speed, but something was terribly wrong.
Laura was right.
Marie lifted the glasses for the last time. She could hardly bear to look. They were low in the water now, but neither man made any attempt to save themselves. They sat close together, the dog beside them, and a shaft of early sunlight reflected off something in Carter’s hand. A bottle?
Marie lowered the glasses. She could have sworn they were laughing.
EPILOGUE
Marie sat down and sighed. ‘Gary’s found himself a nice little bungalow out on the edge of my village. He’s going to be moving on, Jackman. I’ll miss him.’
‘More to the point, you are going to miss his cooking.’ Jackman grinned at her.
‘Don’t worry, we’ve already arranged a regular weekly get-together, and he’s going to rustle up whatever I want.’
‘Spoilt woman.’
‘Spoilt in more ways than one. Did you hear that Robbie is going back to Spain to see Harvey Cash?’
‘Really?’
‘He’s talked to him on the phone, and he thinks Harvey’s changed since he admitted what Suzanne did to him. Robbie reckons it was a cathartic experience. He thinks that Harvey deserves a proper explanation, and maybe some help to get on top of his drinking. So, he’s taking a short holiday in Sanxenxo.’ Her smile widened. ‘And he’s asked me to go with him.’
‘That’s the best news I’ve heard in ages. Good for you.’
‘You’ll cope without us?’
‘I’ll try.’
She looked around the office. There was something different about it. She looked again and saw that the picture of Glory, Jackman’s old horse, had been moved to the wall behind the desk, and in its place hung an old and rather faded watercolour.
Intrigued, Marie went to look at it. It showed an old man, his dog beside him, pulling a salmon from a landing net in a river. ‘He looks just like Silas Breeze.’ She looked at Jackman, her head tilted slightly to one side.
‘It’s called “The Poacher,” so no wonder you made the connection.’
Three bodies had been recovered by the Underwater Search and Recovery Diving Unit. Carter McLean, Silas Breeze, and Klink the dog. The Eva May had broken up, and since she was no danger to other vessels, she had been left to lie where she was.
‘Where did the picture come from?’
Jackman took out his phone and scrolled through the received messages. He passed it to Marie.
“Please collect parcel behind seat of Land Rover. Take care of it for us.”
‘Carter?’
‘Yes. I’ll probably never find out why it was so important to him. I’m certain there is a story attached to it, but it’s a kind of bequest, so . . .’
‘Have you received the Marine Accident Investigation report yet?’
Jackman evidently didn’t want to say. ‘You won’t hurt me, you know,’ said Marie. ‘The facts will help me put this whole horrible affair into perspective, then I can file it away and move on.’
‘They discovered several places in the hull that had recently been “doctored.”’ Jackman looked thoroughly miserable. ‘He rigged it so that a series of bungs could be removed. It was a deliberate sinking.’
Marie nodded. ‘I thought I’d imagined it. So what I saw was true. They were drinking together when she went down.’
‘Confirmed by the bottle they found floating in the wreckage.’ Jackman pointed to a file that was lying on his desk. ‘Are you sure you are ready for this, Marie? It doesn’t have to be dealt with now.’
‘I think it does. Let’s put it to rest, shall we?’
‘The post-mortem confirmed that Professor Sam Page was absolutely correct. Carter did have a lesion in the temporal lobe of his brain. It may have been there for a very long time, or it could have been a result of the concussion. Whatever, it was probably inoperable. If he’d known, or if any of us had guessed, maybe . . .’
‘We can’t turn the clock back, sir. Carter made his choice. I don’t think the tumour would have affected his decision in the end.’
‘Probably not.’ Jackman looked up. ‘The authorities have disregarded the letter that he left. He confessed to killing Suzanne Holland because she was an emotional and abusive bully. He was on duty when she died, and the diaries prove it. The ACC suspects it was an attempt to protect one of his friends, probably Tom Holland.’
Marie wondered. Carter had lied so much that she was no longer sure what the truth was.
‘In the light of what has happened, the investigation has been scaled right down. It has been decided that the witness statement about the two men arguing gives credence to the fact that someone attacked her and took her body away. Rory’s re-examination of the blood evidence also indicates that she died in the house. It’s also likely that her body was disposed of by person or persons unknown. As everyone who might have been a suspect is now dead, the super says we don’t have the resources to take it further at this time.’
Marie nodded. ‘I think she’s right, don’t you? Time to call it a day.’ After a moment she asked, ‘How is the super? How did she take the revelation that Carter was behind Leah’s stalking?’
Jackman pulled a face. ‘Non-committal. She told me that it was in nobody’s interest to make anything of it since Carter has died. She saw no reason to do any further damage to his reputation. And then she told me not to mention it again. Case closed.’
In the ensuing silence, Marie found herself wondering what she thought she’d seen, moments before the old lifeboat sunk. Had they been lowering something over the side, or had they simply been adjusting something on the Eva May herself? Maybe even preparing to sink her? She looked across the desk. ‘Can I ask you a question, Jackman?’
He looked at her intently. ‘Of course.’
‘Have you ever, how can I put it . . . ? Let sleeping dogs lie?’ He thought for a while. Marie suspected he was thinking of a particular occasion.
‘Yes, I have.’ He raised one eyebrow. ‘Is there anything you’d like to share?’
Marie smiled back. ‘No, nothing. Absolutely nothing.’
THE END
OTHER BOOKS BY JOY ELLIS
THE BEST-SELLING NIKKI GALENA SERIES
Book 1: CRIME ON THE FENS
Book 2: SHADOW OVER THE FENS
Book 3: HUNTED ON THE FENS
Book 4: KILLER ON THE FENS
Book 5: STALKER ON THE FENS
Book 7: BURIED ON THE FENS
JACKMAN & EVANS
Book 1: THE MURDERER’S SON
Book 2: THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS
Book 3: THE FOURTH FRIEND
The DI Nikki Galena books
CRIME ON THE FENS
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CRIME-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01H98SG5G/
https://www.amazon.com/CRIME-gripping-detective-thriller-suspens
e-ebook/dp/B01H98SG5G/
A NEW CRIME THRILLER WITH A COMPELLING DETECTIVE WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO AVENGE HER DAUGHTER
DI Nikki Galena Book 2
SHADOW OVER THE FENS
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SHADOW-gripping-crime-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01HHA49SY/
https://www.amazon.com/SHADOW-gripping-crime-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01HHA49SY/
TWO BRUTAL KILLERS ARE LOOSE ON THE FENS BUT WHO CAN DI NIKKI GALENA TRUST?
Detective Nikki Galena’s friend and neighbour meets a tragic end but there’s more to his death than meets the eye . . .
And someone terrible from DS Joseph Easter’s past is back . . .
NIKKI GALENA BOOK 3
HUNTED ON THE FENS
A vicious criminal is targeting DI Nikki Galena and her team. One by one he will hunt them down and destroy their lives, unless she can stop him first
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HUNTED-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01IYIDWCM/
https://www.amazon.com/HUNTED-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01IYIDWCM/
JACKMAN & EVANS BOOK 1
THE MURDERER’S SON
https://www.amazon.co.uk/MURDERERS-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01LWY0PUJ/
https://www.amazon.com/MURDERERS-gripping-crime-thriller-twists-ebook/dp/B01LWY0PUJ/
"What if your mother was a serial killer?"
A BLOODY KILLER SEEMS TO HAVE RETURNED TO THE LINCOLNSHIRE FENS
A gripping standalone crime thriller by the best-selling author of the Nikki Galena series.
Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer.
Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes.
Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder.
JACKMAN & EVANS BOOK 2
THEIR LOST DAUGHTERS
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XWDFRD2/
USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XWDFRD2/
TWO GIRLS GO TO A PARTY, ONLY ONE RETURNS ALIVE
Toni, the surviving teenager, is found deliriously wandering the muddy fields of the fens. She has been drugged and it’s uncertain whether she’ll survive. She says she saw her friend Emily being dragged away from the party. But no one knows who Emily is or even if she’s still alive . . .
Meanwhile the drowned body of another girl has been found on an isolated beach.
And how does this all relate to the shocking disappearance of a little girl nearly a decade ago, a crime which was never solved? The girl’s mother is putting immense pressure on the police to re-open the high-profile case.
FOUR GIRLS. FOUR DAUGHTERS. FOUR FAMILIES WHO NEED JUSTICE AND CLOSURE.
Glossary of English Slang for US readers
A & E: Accident and emergency department in a hospital
AFO: Authorised Firearms Officer
Aggro: Violent behaviour, aggression
Air raid: an attack in which bombs are dropped from aircraft on ground targets
Anorak: nerd (it also means a waterproof jacket)
Artex: textured plaster finish for walls and ceilings
A Level: exams taken between 16 and 18
Auld Reekie: Edinburgh
Au pair: live-in childcare helper. Often a young woman.
Barm: bread roll
Barney: argument
Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids
Beemer: BMW car or motorcycle
Benefits: social security
Bent: corrupt
Bin: wastebasket (noun), or throw in rubbish (verb)
Biscuit: cookie
Blackpool Lights: gaudy illuminations in seaside town
Bloke: guy
Blow: cocaine
Blower: telephone
Blues and twos: emergency vehicles
Bob: money
Bobby: policeman
Boggart: an evil spirit
Broadsheet: quality newspaper (New York Times would be a US example)
Brown bread: rhyming slang for dead
Bun: small cake
Bunk: do a bunk means escape
Burger bar: hamburger fast-food restaurant
Buy-to-let: Buying a house/apartment to rent it out for profit
Charity Shop: thrift store
Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket
Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for
Car park: parking lot
CBeebies: kids TV
Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments
Chemist: pharmacy
Chinwag: conversation
Chippie: fast-food place selling chips and other fried food
Chips: French fries but thicker
CID: Criminal Investigation Department
Civvy Street: civilian life (as opposed to army)
Clock: punch
Cock-up: mess up, make a mistake
Cockney: a native of East London
Common: an area of park land/ or lower class
Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school
Cop hold of: grab
Copper: police officer
Coverall: coveralls, or boiler suit
CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, decide whether police cases go forward
Childminder: someone who looks after children for money
Council: local government
Dan Dare: hero from Eagle comic
Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block
Deck: hit (verb)
Desperate Dan: very strong comic book character
DI: detective inspector
Digestive biscuit: plain cookie
Do a runner: disappear
Do one: go away
Doc Martens: Heavy boots with an air-cushioned sole
Donkey’s years: long time
Drum: house
DS: detective sergeant
ED: accident and emergency department of hospital
Eagle: boys’ comic
Early dart: to leave work early
Eggy soldiers: strips of toast with a boiled egg
Enforcer: police battering ram
Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)
Estate agent: realtor (US)
Falklands War: war between Britain and Argentina in 1982
Fag: cigarette
Father Christmas: Santa Claus
Filth: police (insulting)
Forces: army, navy, and air force
FMO: force medical officer
Fried slice: fried bread
Fuzz: police
Garda: Irish police
Geordie: from Newcastle
Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold
Gob: mouth/ can also mean phlegm or spit
Gold Braid: higher ranks of the police
GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community
Graft: hard work
Gran: grandmother
Hancock: Tony Hancock, English comedian popular in 1950s
Hard nut: tough person
HGV: heavy goods vehicle, truck
Holiday rep: someone employed by travel company to look after people on vacation
HOLMES: UK police computer system used during investigation of major incidents
Home: care home for elderly or sick people
Hoover: vacuum cleaner
I’ll be blowed: expression of surprise
Inne: isn’t he
Interpol: international police organisation
Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services
Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, applied to any strong woman
ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital
Jane Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous
JCB: a mechanical excavator
Jerry-built: badly made
Lad: young man
Lass: young woman
Lift: elevator
Lord Lucan: famous aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974. Has never been found.
Lorry: a truck
Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased
Luftwaffe: German air force
M&S: Marks and Spencer, a food and clothes shop
Mispers: missing persons
Miss Marple: detective in a series of books by Agatha Christie
MOD: ministry of defence
Mobile phone: cell phone
MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area
MRSA: A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Myra Hindley: famous British serial killer
Naff: lame, not good
Naff all: none
National Service: compulsory UK military service, ended in 60s
Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent curtain
NHS: National Health Service, public health service of UK
Nick: police station (as verb: to arrest)
Nowt: nothing
Nutter: insane person
Nursery: a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale)
Old bag: old woman (insulting)
Old Bill: police
OTT: over the top
Owt: anything
PACE: Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
Pan as in flushed down: flushed down the toilet
Pants: noun: underwear adjective: bad/rubbish/terrible
Para: paratrooper
Pay-as-you-go: a cell phone you pay for calls in advance