“Right, get what you learned this afternoon into the Freeman Files. You’ll see there’s something for you to digest regarding Maddy Telfer. DCI Banks contacted me just as you left the office. Just when you thought you had heard everything; someone proves you wrong. At least I was proved right in my assumption that both Alan and Maddy had buried secrets.”
“About that, guv,” said Blessing. “Something else cropped up during my conversation with Bob and Elizabeth. She mentioned that Alan’s personality changed around two years before he left the Navy. His mother said he was in a dark place. When he was out of the Navy and settling into his new life in Corsham, it was as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders. He was happy again, something that was missing during those two years.”
“So, we’re talking the middle of 2002 through to the middle of 2004,” said Gus. “Interesting.”
“Is there anything you want us to concentrate on while you’re away, guv?” asked Lydia.
“Luke and Neil need to be on standby,” said Gus. “If Phil Banks and his team don’t find Kyle Ellison, I want them in Bradford sitting in on the interviews with the Forsyth family. When those get completed, they can accompany the West Yorkshire detectives to London Road. One of you should go with them to Redwing Avenue when they collect Jennifer Forsyth.”
Blessing was lost. She must have missed more than she thought. It was time to get her files updated and catch up with what Gus and the others had added.
“As for you and Blessing, Lydia,” Gus continued. “I need you to trace Yuri Kovalev. We suspect that he’s our killer. When did he arrive in the UK and when did he leave? If he’s still here, where is he? Most important, who are his employers? As soon as you hit a closed door, call DS Mercer. He’ll persuade the ACC to apply pressure in the relevant quarters.”
“Yuri Kovalev will claim diplomatic immunity, guv,” said Lydia.
“As I say, if you find you can’t pursue an enquiry because of our suspect’s nationality, don’t hesitate, fire it upstairs. Let someone on a higher paygrade earn their money. Sometimes you have to accept you’ve taken a case as far as you can. Can we prove Kovalev is our killer beyond a reasonable doubt? We have an eyewitness who saw Kovalev and Duncan arguing in a gateway to a field. Thirty minutes later, Duncan was dead. What’s Kovalev’s defence? The lady was mistaken. We Eastern Europeans look alike. So, your task, if you chose to accept it, is to confirm he was here, search for evidence that he was in Biddestone. Did he sit in the Crown's beer garden at Giddeahall without going inside to order a cold drink? Did he pay by card? If he was in and around the village for two to three weeks, where did he stay? Where did he hire that Vauxhall Zafira? Or did he rock up to second-hand car dealers in Chippenham and pay cash? Think outside the box, Lydia. Keep sticking pins in Kovalev until that field traps him on Ham Lane with no escape.”
“Got it, guv,” said Lydia.
Blessing caught Lydia’s eye. They both smiled. One thing was sure; although Gus and Alex would be hundreds of miles away from here on Monday and Tuesday, there would still be plenty to keep them occupied.
“I’ll collect you from home on Monday morning, guv,” said Alex. “Shall we say six o’clock?”
“I’ll cope,” said Gus. “Don’t forget your toothbrush.”
After the office emptied at five o’clock, Gus knew he shouldn’t hang around. There was plenty to consider about the case, but matters at home had to take precedent.
The weekend lay ahead, and six o’clock on Monday morning would arrive in the blink of an eye. As he followed Blessing Umeh to the lift, he thought her shoulders looked lower than usual.
“Congratulations, Blessing,” he said. “You performed well this week. I thought that would have put a spring in your step. Why so glum?”
When the lift reached the ground floor, Gus held the door for a while as Blessing dug a tissue from her bag and blew her nose. If this was what lay ahead this weekend, perhaps he should stop on the way home to buy a man-size box.
“Man trouble, guv,” said Blessing. “PC Smith dumped me this afternoon. I didn’t see that coming. I was hoping to see him this weekend. Now, I’ll probably drive over to visit my parents on Sunday instead. I need TLC from my mother.”
“These things are sent to try us,” said Gus. “Jackie Ferris will offer a comforting shoulder, I’m sure. What I can say is that it’s Dave Smith’s loss. I’ll see you on Wednesday morning. Take care.”
“Thanks, guv,” said Blessing. “I’ll keep busy and think pleasant thoughts. Good hunting next week.”
Gus drove back to Urchfont and considered the highs and lows affecting the members of his team. Alex and Lydia’s relationship was as solid as a rock. Neil and Melody had bounced back from a heart-breaking disappointment and now had something positive to look forward to at the end of the year. Luke and Nicky never seemed one hundred percent in sync, but somehow ironed out their differences.
As for Blessing, well, she was only twenty-one. Had he known what he wanted from life at that age? Dave Smith obviously thought of his early twenties as the time to play the field, not get tied down until he found the right person. Gus wondered whether he was looking back with rose-coloured spectacles as he swung the car
