Silent Graves Read online

  Silent Graves

  Sally Rigby

  Copyright © 2020 by Sally Rigby

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This story is a work of fiction. All names, characters, organisations or places, events and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, alive or dead, events or locals is almost entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Emma Mitchell of @ Creating Perfection.

  Cover Design by Stuart Bache of Books Covered

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Read more about Cavendish & Walker

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

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  Chapter 1

  ‘Morning, guv,’ the sergeant on the front desk called out as Detective Chief Inspector Whitney Walker walked through the revolving doors into the spacious entrance lobby of the brand spanking new, state-of-the-art, ten-storey glass and concrete building which had been purpose-built for the Lenchester police force. It was situated on the edge of the city and had taken several years to complete. The building had been heralded as the best designed purpose-built station in the country. She’d reserve judgement on that.

  Whitney and her team had only just moved in from their old Victorian station after a restructure and merger with Willsden, a force previously based thirty miles away. It had been a difficult time as each officer had to reapply for their positions. Whitney had lost some of her team and gained officers she’d never met before. Not only did she have a new building to navigate, she had a new team to build, too.

  ‘Hi, Ted,’ Whitney replied, flashing a smile in his direction, glad to see a familiar face from the old station.

  ‘You’re early.’

  ‘You know me, I need a coffee before the day starts.’ She grinned and hurried towards the ground-floor cafeteria, situated to the left of the large reception area. To the right, the wide corridor led to ten interview rooms, all with their own observation areas. No expense had been spared. In the basement was the custody suite and holding cells. On paper, it certainly beat what they’d had in the past. But where was the heart? It was cold and characterless.

  After buying her coffee to go, she took the lift to the fifth floor and headed along the corridor to her new office, which she’d moved into over the weekend. It was square with a fancy, maple coloured adjustable desk that could be used both for sitting and standing. She also had a glass coffee table with four black low-level swivel chairs around it. Through the large, internal window she could see the incident room where her team would work. She closed the blind, so she wasn’t visible and sat behind her desk with her hands wrapped around her cup. She was about to take a sip, when there was a knock at the door.

  ‘Come in,’ she called, biting back a moan.

  The door opened, and Detective Constable Ellie Naylor stood there, her hands clenched by her side. What was wrong?

  ‘Hello, guv.’

  ‘Come in, Ellie.’

  She hadn’t expected anyone to be in at seven-thirty in the morning. She’d come in early to settle herself before everyone else arrived, in particular the ‘new’ officers, who she hadn’t yet met. She thought it wise to have her caffeine fix first, as she didn’t want to be cranky and get off on the wrong foot.

  ‘Are you busy?’

  ‘Not too busy to speak to you.’ She placed her cup on the desk and gestured for Ellie to sit on a chair in front of her.

  Ellie fidgeted before opening her mouth to speak. ‘DCI Masters has sent me an email saying he’s put in a request to have me moved to his team.’

  ‘What?’ Whitney spluttered. ‘Under whose authority?’

  The officer was the best researcher she’d come across in all her years on the force. She’d been placed on secondment with Whitney’s team three years ago, and they’d managed to keep her. It had taken all Whitney’s persuasive powers and some, but she wasn’t giving her up. Their impressive clear-up rate was, in no small part, due to Ellie’s online expertise. What was extraordinary about Ellie was that she had no idea how good she really was.

  ‘I think he was sounding me out as it wasn’t a direct order.’

  ‘Too right it wasn’t. What did you say?’

  Her fists clenched into tight balls. How dare he try to steal any member of her team without even speaking to her first? Not that it would have made any difference. She wouldn’t give anyone over to that weasel.

  ‘I haven’t replied.’

  ‘Good. Don’t. Forward the email to me and I’ll deal with it.’ She paused. ‘I’m assuming you do want to stay with me?’ She’d better check, although she knew the answer.

  ‘Yes, guv. I’d hate to go anywhere else.’

  ‘Ditto. I can’t do without you.’

  The officer smiled. ‘Thanks, guv.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’

  Fortunately, after the merger, Whitney had retained her position, as DCI heading up a serious crime squad, as had Ellie, Frank and Doug. But they did have two new people joining them. A sergeant to replace Matt, who’d moved to a smaller force with less pressure, so he could spend more time at home with his newborn baby, and a detective constable to replace Sue, who had moved to the West Mercia force.

  Hopefully, the newly configured team could accommodate Dr Georgina Cavendish, a forensic psychologist who’d worked with them on several murder cases when the need arose. Whitney had no idea whether there’d be a budget for George to continue working with them, or if the new detective superintendent would terminate their relationship, but she’d soon find out.

  She wouldn’t let George go without a fight. She’d proved invaluable to their investigations in more ways than one. Not least because she’d been the one to locate Whitney’s daughter, Tiffany, when she’d been kidnapped by a pair of psychotic twins intent on killing her. Whitney would be forever in her debt for that.

  ‘What shall I do if he contacts me again?’ Ellie asked.

  ‘He won’t. Not after I’ve spoken to him but if by chance he does, forward the email to me to deal with.’

  ‘Thanks, guv.’

  ‘Who else is in?’ she asked.

  ‘Just me.’

  ‘I’ll come through once everyone has arrived.’

  ‘What are the new people like?’ Ellie bit down on her bottom lip. ‘Sorry, guv, I shouldn’t have asked.’

  Despite
being with Whitney for three years, Ellie was sometimes reticent when talking to her.

  ‘I don’t know. I’ve yet to meet DS Chapman and DC Singh.’

  ‘I’m so pleased Frank and Doug are still here, although I’ll miss Sue and Matt. It will be strange without them.’

  Matt had taken Ellie under his wing when she’d first arrived. They’d formed a tight bond, and he’d brought the young officer out of her shell. Whitney hoped the new sergeant would appreciate Ellie in the same way the rest of them did.

  ‘I’m going to miss them too, but I’m sure the newbies will soon slot together. You go back and I’ll come through shortly.’ Whitney hoped she came across as reassuring, even though she was a little concerned about how they were all going to gel.

  ‘Okay, guv.’

  Ellie returned to the incident room and Whitney took a long drink of coffee, enjoying the warmth as it slid down her throat and the buzz she got when the caffeine kicked in.

  On her desk was a list with the names of her team. The three she knew and the two she didn’t. Her new sergeant was Brian Chapman, and the new detective constable was Meena Singh. Both of them had come from Willsden.

  Would they fit in with the rest of the team? One bad apple could change their whole dynamic. But she wasn’t going to think like that until she’d met them. It would be fine, she’d make sure of it. That was what leading a team was all about.

  She also had a new boss as Jamieson had left for another position, which she certainly wasn’t upset over. The new detective superintendent was Helen Clyde, who’d been on Whitney’s interview panel.

  It was early days, but from what Whitney had seen in the interview, the woman seemed to be straight up. It was the first time Whitney’s immediate boss would be female, and she had no idea whether that was a good thing or not.

  On the plus side, she wouldn’t have to endure any of the puffed-out chest, male superiority attitudes she’d had to suffer from so many of her superiors in the past, not counting Don Mason, who had long since retired, and who was the best boss she’d ever had. He was responsible for her career taking off as it had.

  She glanced at her watch. It was almost time to meet the team. She opened her blind and could see they were all there. She sucked in a breath, and marched through, standing beside the new electronic whiteboard. She was all for new technology, but she’d also insisted on bringing with her their old faithful whiteboard, which she’d positioned next to the unused interactive one. She liked writing things down and sticking up photos. Okay, it could all be done electronically, but doing it the old-fashioned way helped her to think.

  Did that mean she was getting old?

  She turned to face her new team.

  This room was much larger and far more spacious than her old one. There were desks with screens in the middle and at the opposite end of the room from where she stood they had a low meeting table with eight black swivel chairs around it, identical to those in her office. It was all very swish.

  ‘Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the team. Now we’ve merged and have a new super, we’re bound to attract the attention of the higher echelons.’

  ‘I’d have had my hair cut if I’d known,’ Frank said, as he patted his balding head.

  ‘Which one,’ Doug asked. ‘There aren’t many to choose from.’

  ‘You can talk with—’

  ‘Guys,’ Whitney said, glaring at them and forcing her mouth to stay flat and not laugh. The banter between the two of them was legendary, but the new members of the team didn’t know that. ‘Can we at least give the impression to our new team members that we’re a professional and hard-working set of officers?’ She allowed herself a tiny grin. The pair of them often cracked her up with their altercations.

  ‘Sorry, guv,’ they both said, in unison.

  ‘As we have some new faces here, I want you all to introduce yourselves. I’ll start. I’m Detective Chief Inspector Whitney Walker. I don’t want to be called ma’am. I’m not the queen. You call me guv. I’ve worked in Lenchester for the whole of my police career, and there isn’t much about the place I don’t know. What you see is what you get. I demand hard work and loyalty to the team and if you do that, we’re going to get on very well.’ She turned to the man sitting at a desk on her right. ‘I’m assuming you’re DS Chapman?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am. I mean, guv.’ He stood up. He was a tall, wiry man, in his late twenties, with dark blonde hair cut around his ears. He wore a dark suit, with a white shirt and patterned tie that was obviously expensive. The whole attire screamed he was going places. She doubted he would be happy staying as a sergeant for long.

  ‘Tell us a bit about yourself.’

  Many officers in her position wouldn’t bother with the introductions, but for her it helped make the team cohesive which, in her experience, meant that cases had the potential for being solved far quicker.

  ‘I’m Brian Chapman. I worked at Willsden for six months and before that I was at the Met where I trained.’

  ‘The Met to Willsden. That’s hardly a good career move,’ Frank said.

  Trust Frank to voice what, no doubt, they were all thinking.

  ‘I moved for personal reasons,’ Brian said, his voice flat.

  ‘If you say so,’ Frank quipped.

  She was going to have to rein him in, especially as Brian was his superior officer. She was probably to blame for that as she encouraged her officers not to stand on ceremony with each other. And Matt, who had worked on the team as a DC before passing the Sergeants’ exams, was just one of the boys when they were all together.

  ‘Frank, show some respect. Not everybody wants to stay at the Met.’

  ‘Sorry, guv. I was only joking. No hard feelings,’ Frank said.

  ‘Actually, I did want to stay, guv,’ Chapman said. ‘I had to go back to Willsden, my hometown, to take care of my mother. My father died several years ago, and she’d got to the stage where she couldn’t cope on her own.’

  Whitney glanced at Frank, who was looking decidedly sheepish, which she was glad about. His mouth ran away with him sometimes. This would give him pause for thought.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ she said.

  ‘It’s fine now. She’s moved into a care facility.’

  Whitney could relate to that, as her own mother was in care. She’d needed twenty-four-seven supervision when her dementia worsened. Guilt that she wasn’t able to take care of her mum herself still plagued Whitney. Or care for her older brother, who had irreparable brain damage and was also in a care home.

  ‘Are you looking to move back to the Met, now your mother’s settled?’ Frank asked.

  The question on Whitney’s lips, but not one she could ask in front of everyone.

  ‘I haven’t yet decided. For the moment I’m happy to be here at Lenchester, which is recognised as a top force and, in particular, this is an excellent team.’

  ‘Thank you, Brian. DC Singh, your turn,’ Whitney said, looking at the other unfamiliar face.

  The officer stood. Another one taller than Whitney. But then again, most people were, as she was only five feet four inches. The officer had dark hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and a fringe. She was in her early forties, a few years older than Whitney.

  ‘Hello, everyone. I’m Meena Singh and I was at Willsden for fifteen years. I met my husband there. We were both serving officers. Me in CID and him in uniform.’

  Whitney had worked with husband and wife teams in the past. At least they weren’t working together here, as those pairings were seldom successful. ‘Did your husband come over to Lenchester as well?’

  ‘No, he decided against it and has gone to work for a security firm.’

  That pleased her as it meant no issues would be brought to work if there were problems at home.

  ‘Frank, your turn,’ Whitney said, turning to the older detective.

  ‘I’m DC Frank Taylor,’ he said, not bothering to stand. ‘I’ve been here for more years than I care to remem
ber and let me tell you, the guv’s great. We’re lucky to have her.’

  ‘Thank you, Frank,’ Whitney said, smiling.

  ‘I’ve got another couple of years before I’m due to retire,’ Frank added.

  ‘How did you manage to keep your job in the restructure, if you’re nearing the end of your time?’ Brian asked, arching an eyebrow.

  Whitney stared at him. It wasn’t an appropriate question to be asking, especially as he didn’t appear to be saying it in a light-hearted way. Getting Frank back for what he’d said before? She hoped not. She didn’t want antagonism in her team.

  ‘Because I’m good at what I do,’ Frank replied, laughing.

  At least the older officer hadn’t taken it as an insult.

  ‘You are, Frank. But I’m more inclined to think you bribed the interview panel,’ Doug said.

  ‘You’ve probably already worked out that Frank and Doug have a special relationship,’ Whitney said, looking at Brian and Meena, and shaking her head in fun. ‘You’ll get used to it. Doug, your turn.’

  ‘I’m DC Doug Baines and originally come from Leamington Spa. I’ve been working with the guv for the past five years. She operates a tight team and I’m lucky to be part of it.’

  ‘Thank you, Doug. Finally, over to you, Ellie.’

  ‘I’m DC Ellie Naylor. I’ve been on the guv’s team for three years. I echo what Frank and Doug have said about feeling lucky to be here.

  ‘I’ll interrupt here,’ Whitney said. ‘Ellie is our IT whizz, and what she doesn’t know about technology isn’t worth knowing. She’s especially good at joining the dots where no one else sees them.’