Buried Secrets: The Freeman Files Series: Book 11 by Ted Tayler (highly recommended books txt) 📗

for not picking it up, Neil,” said Gus. “I summarised the conversation, which allowed Blessing to complete the timeline for the shoebox. However, I didn’t include a sharp intake of breath in my summary.”

“When you told her we’d found her family, guv,” said Lydia.

“Exactly, Lydia. Mrs Telfer is anxious that her past doesn’t get resurrected.”

“That’s only natural, isn’t it, guv?” said Alex. “Kyle Ellison stalked Maddy and assaulted her.”

“Do we have a current address for Kyle Ellison?” asked Gus. “Check whether he has an alibi for Wednesday the twenty-eighth of May 2008. If he has, then we move on and let sleeping dogs lie.”

  CHAPTER 6

Gus arrived back at the bungalow just before half-past five. He parked his Focus next to Suzie’s Golf and went indoors.

“How did the interviews go?”

“Productive, for a change,” said Gus. “We uncovered information that escaped the original investigation.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound good,” said Suzie. “Who dropped the ball?”

Gus explained why it wasn’t anyone’s fault. The box had moved just before the police arrived to carry out an interview or was in the boot of the victim’s partner's car. Maddy Mills, as she was then, was never a suspect. She still wasn’t.

“You can’t say Madeleine is entirely unconnected to the murder, Gus,” said Suzie. “She may not have murdered Duncan, or arranged for someone to do it for her, but if Kyle Ellison acted in a jealous rage, then their abusive relationship was the catalyst.”

“I agree with Maddy’s assessment,” said Gus. “If Ellison still professed undying love for her, four years after she ran away from Marsden, then Chris Telfer would have become his next target.”

“So, what do you think happened?”

“I haven’t worked it out yet,” said Gus. “From the outset, I’ve struggled to explain why a bright, intelligent girl went into hiding in Chippenham. We now know her true identity. I can travel to Leeds and interview four people. Her parents, Dave and Mary Forsyth, her brother Darren, and Kyle Ellison. Perhaps that will provide the answer.”

“How significant is that missing photograph?” asked Suzie.

“Alan removed it for a reason. I mulled that over in the car as I drove home. There were four men in the photo with Alan. If we can match names from the backs of the other photos in the Duncan home, then one of those four could have been the man Wayne Phillips saw waving at Alan by the pond in the village. Now that we have the pocket diary, we can contact each of Alan’s friends and interview them. Do you know what struck me as I drove into Urchfont?”

“That low-hanging branch near the Lamb Inn?”

“No,” said Gus, “If we can still identify everyone from the other photos in the house, then one person in the Happy Valley holiday snap is making his only appearance. Wayne was right. Alan recognised the man. Who knows, maybe the old friend had put in an appearance in Biddestone earlier that same week. We’ll never know. There’s just one thing bothering me.”

“Go on,” said Suzie.

“Wayne Phillips described the man by the pond as being of medium height, and medium build, with a crewcut. He was fair-skinned, in his late thirties, or early forties. I must remember to ask Alex Hardy to check hair colour with Wayne in the morning. It doesn’t gel. Two guys in the picture who had crewcuts back then were six-footers and had dark hair. One guy would be too old, we can rule out the redhead, and the blond fellow was heavily built and fair-haired.”

“Perhaps it was the man holding the camera?” suggested Suzie.

“That could be a brilliant suggestion, Suzie,” said Gus. “We need to match faces in the photos to names in the diary. Those ex-colleagues should be able to fill in the gaps. One of them will remember whether a member of the gang took that photo, or if they grabbed a fellow tourist to take the picture.”

“I aim to please,” said Suzie.

“Those conversations could prove valuable in solving my other problem,” said Gus. “Why did Alan Duncan follow a similar path to his partner and lie low in a small firm in Corsham when he was capable of so much more.”

“Love is blind?” suggested Suzie.

“Maddy Mills lived in Chippenham for ages before she met Alan Duncan,” said Gus. “She was hiding from Kyle Ellison. Alan left the Navy in a hurry, came home, and took a nothing job which his father arranged for him. It was to fill in while his son searched for something better. Perhaps Alan Duncan had no intention of finding a better job. He was happy to remain anonymous, like Maddy. Remember how they met? They got introduced thanks to Maddy’s friend, Anna Phillips. Without her intervention, would the pair have ever met? Maddy told us she had had no social life since heading south. Alan’s parents couldn’t recall their son having a girlfriend before leaving for his officer training stint in Dartmouth. No, I think when those two got together, there was an innate recognition of a kindred spirit.”

“Does that even exist, Gus?” asked Suzie. “I thought opposites attract.”

“When I read that book by Kierkegaard after Tess’s death, it encouraged me to look for other authors who might explain my feelings. I hung onto the copy of Tess’s old book and stored it in my shed at the allotment because it somehow kept my memory of her alive. You might find several other books on similar philosophical subjects in the spare bedroom. Kindred spirits are like-minded people who experience an instant connection of love and understanding. People who share common interests, values, or world views might get described as kindred spirits. From what I read in the murder file, Maddy said that as soon as Alan Duncan arrived at Anna’s leaving party with Wayne Phillips, she was ‘immediately drawn’ to him.