NO AGE TO DIE: The release of a dangerous prisoner leads to murder (DCI John Blizzard Book 9) by John Dean (free ebook reader for android .TXT) 📗

because he was not preoccupied with trying to score points on behalf of his clients. Eric Liddle took the view that everyone wanted the same thing at the end of the day, the guilty people to be charged and the innocent people allowed to walk free.

Although Lennox had persisted in fabricating stories which the detectives knew to be false, they were happy to let him do so; proving that he was telling untruths could prove useful when the case came to court. After the best part of forty minutes, though, Blizzard decided to bring the charade to an end. Time to close the trap on Bob Lennox.

‘Look, this is getting us nowhere,’ he said. ‘You’re lying your head off and we all know it. We know you attacked Jacob Reed and we know that you murdered Glenda Rutherford and we haven’t even spoken about the small matter of kidnapping a vicar, something we will be talking to Steve Holdsworth and your son about as well. As we speak, our forensics team are going through your house…’

Eric Liddle sat forward and raised a quizzical eyebrow.

‘Yes, we have a warrant,’ said Blizzard.

Liddle nodded and sat back.

‘Why are they doing that?’ asked Lennox. He looked anxious.

‘Oh, there’s always something,’ said the inspector casually. ‘Criminals always leave us something to find.’

For the first time, Bob Lennox’s bullish facade seemed shaken.

‘You’re fishing,’ he said.

‘It would be more fun than this,’ said Blizzard. The inspector recalled contented childhood days on the riverbanks of rural Lincolnshire, trying to catch trout with his father. With a great effort, he dragged himself back into the present day. Placing his hands behind his head, he rocked backwards on his chair. ‘Oh, by the way, Jacob Reed has been very helpful.’

Lennox’s mouth gaped open. For a few seconds, he was too shocked to speak. As far as the city was concerned, Jacob Reed was still in a coma, hovering between life and death. No one knew that he had regained consciousness nor that, wracked with guilt at the lies he had told Blizzard and Colley that morning, he had decided to tell the truth.

‘You’re bluffing!’ exclaimed Lennox.

‘You wish,’ said Blizzard. ‘He remembers exactly what happened that night and he’s put you well and truly in the frame.’

Lennox searched the inspector’s eyes for a sign that he was trying to deceive him but found nothing, only blue ice. He thought for a moment then glanced at his solicitor.

‘I ain’t saying nothing more,’ he announced.

‘You don’t need to,’ said Blizzard. ‘See, we’ve just come from Jacob Reed. He remembers seeing you approaching the church just before he was attacked. That places you at the scene, Bob.’

‘I go to church some nights to pray for Danny,’ said Lennox. ‘Yeah, that’s it, Mr Blizzard, that’s what happened. I went to the church that night to pray. I loved that boy.’

‘No one doubts that. Tell me, how did you get into the church?’

‘The caretaker let me in.’

‘Well, that’s funny,’ said Blizzard with a hard edge to his voice, ‘because we reckoned you might say that so we checked with him. He didn’t let anyone in that night. In fact, he wasn’t there because it was his thirtieth wedding anniversary. He was even able to tell us what he had for his meal down the Spice Gate. A very pleasant rogan josh, was it not, Sergeant?’

‘Apparently,’ said Colley. ‘Quite spicy.’

‘I must have remembered it wrong,’ said Lennox. ‘Perhaps it was someone else. Yes, it was…’

‘Nice try, Bob,’ said Blizzard. ‘But we think you got in through the side door to the hostel. Jacob reckons that Glenda often left it unlocked. I am sure that if we try hard enough we can also place you at the church the day she was murdered. What do you think, Sergeant?’

‘Oh, aye,’ said Colley.

It was an unequal struggle to which Lennox finally surrendered and the end, when it came, was so swift that it surprised the detectives.

‘OK,’ he whispered. ‘OK. Yes, I did it. I was at the hostel that night.’

‘The night Jacob was attacked?’

Lennox nodded.

‘Why?’ asked the inspector.

‘To see Macklin,’ said Lennox. ‘Margaret said that she thought the church might be hiding him. He wasn’t there but Jacob told me that I should try to forgive him for what he did. I lost it, Mr Blizzard, listening to him talking like that. I didn’t mean to hurt him so badly, honest.’

‘And Glenda?’

‘Margaret said that she might have seen me. Said if I was arrested, the church would have got away with what happened with Macklin. I couldn’t let that happen.’ Lennox shook his head. ‘Not after what happened to my Danny. It wouldn’t have been right.’

To the detectives’ surprise, Bob Lennox began to cry. Blizzard waited for him to recover his composure then sat back with a satisfied look on his face.

‘OK, Bob,’ he said, ‘let’s have it all from the start. Every detail and I don’t want any heroics. No trying to protect anyone. I want everything there is to know.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Lennox. He leant forward, a fire in his eyes. ‘If I go down, I ain’t going alone. You can be sure of that!’

Chapter thirty-one

Sarah Allatt had just sat down at her desk at Abbey Road with her mug of tea and a sandwich, when the phone rang. The voice on the other end suggested that the caller was an elderly woman. She sounded nervous.

‘Is that the CID office?’ she asked.

‘It is, yes, I am Detective Constable Allatt. How can I help you?’

‘I do hope that I am not troubling you,’ said the woman. ‘I’ve never done anything like this before.’

‘Don’t worry about it. You are?’

‘I’d rather not give you my name,’ said the woman. ‘But I attend a church in Oxford and something has