When the Evil Waits by M Lee (top fiction books of all time txt) 📕

from his mother’s packet, sneaking off during the morning break with Mark and Terry to the bogs and inhaling their first coughs. All the time listening out for any teachers who were prowling the corridors.

His youth. A long time gone and an age away. At least, it felt like that. In truth it had been little more than twenty-five years ago. How he would like to pick that young teenager up and shake him by the collar, saying, ‘Don’t be an arse.’

But at that age, he wouldn’t have listened.

Why was he thinking about his past? Was he avoiding thinking about what had happened with Claire Trent?

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Emily Parkinson striding towards him. He tried to walk away, but she was onto him too quickly.

‘I presume you heard, Ridpath?’

‘Yeah, Turnbull was quick.’

‘Apparently, he’s been planning it for the last few days.’

‘What?’

‘The information from Police Scotland came in before Claire Trent briefed you. They kept it hidden from everyone. Too many leaks…’

‘Until they decided to leak it themselves.’ She had set him up. She didn’t want him to investigate properly, just check whether there had been any cock-ups in Turnbull’s investigation, covering her own arse.

Ridpath bit his bottom lip, keeping his thoughts to himself.

‘I rang the FLO who replaced me, DC Diana West, asking what happened to Daniel.’

In the nightmare of the case, Ridpath had forgotten about the boy.

‘She told me he was taken into care by social services. There was enough concern about his well-being to warrant a care order.’

‘No kid deserves that, to be separated from his mum and dad after he’s lost his brother. Has anybody told Mrs Carsley?’

Emily shrugged her shoulders. ‘Social services should do it.’

‘Collateral damage.’

‘What?’

‘It’s something Charlie Whitworth used to say. “In any investigation, there is always collateral damage. Our job is to limit it, so only the guilty are punished, not innocent victims.”’

‘I wish I’d worked with him more. Sounds like he thought about the job.’

‘Charlie was a thug, but a damn good copper.’

They both were silent for a moment, Ridpath inhaling the secondary smoke from the cigarettes.

‘If it’s any consolation, I managed to get some CCTV from the day of David Carsley’s abduction. The techies are looking at it now. There was nothing at the pub but I checked with Greater Manchester Transport. You know they have over 2000 CCTV cameras in the trams and on stations?’

Ridpath raised his eyebrows at the figure.

‘The guy was helpful. He’s sending me the footage from Sale Water Park station concourse for 23 July, plus he’s digging up footage from inside the cab of the first tram that morning. It stopped at the station at 6.23.’

It was time to tell her.

‘We’re off the case, Emily.’

‘What?’

‘Chrissy’s off the case too.’

There was a long pause. Emily Parkinson stepped closer to Ridpath and dropped her voice. ‘I think Michael Carsley is innocent. He shouldn’t be charged.’

‘So do I.’

‘Can’t we keep going? I mean, without the bosses knowing? Chrissy’s keen.’

Ridpath shook his head. ‘We’re off the case.’

‘So you’re going to give up?’ She raised her voice.

‘I’m tired, Emily. I can’t keep banging my head against a brick wall.’

‘So, Ridpath’s tired and an innocent man is going to jail, convicted of something he didn’t do. Murder his own son.’

‘Are you sure he didn’t do it? The evidence is damning.’

‘I’m sure. Remember I spent twelve days in that house with those people. I would have known if Michael Carsley had murdered his son.’

Ridpath checked his watch. ‘I’m tired and I’m going back to my flat, Emily. I want to call my daughter.’

He walked away.

‘Enjoy your time off, Ridpath. Some of us care about the truth a bit more.’

He stopped for a second and then carried on walking.

There was no point in answering because she was right.

Chapter 46

Emily Parkinson was left alone when Ridpath walked away.

Inside she was seething. How dare he give up just like that? Hadn’t he been the one lecturing her about responsibility and duty?

Gritting her teeth, she made a fist. Well, she wasn’t going to give up. She knew Michael Carsley was innocent despite what Turnbull, Ridpath or anybody else said.

She pulled her jacket closer around her body, suddenly feeling cold.

But where to start?

She thought for a long time before working out what she needed to do. It was the only option available to her.

Going back to the MIT floor, she tried to avoid people. Luckily Turnbull and most of his new detectives were still at Wythenshawe nick. The floor was quiet, with only Harry Makepeace tapping away in the corner and Chrissy in her section.

She sat down at the desk and logged onto her computer. The message from Greater Manchester Transport was already there with links to the footage.

On seeing her, the civilian researcher came over.

‘Where’s Ridpath? I’ve been told we’re off the case and I’m back helping Turnbull. He’s got me checking with Child Services in Scotland.’

Emily looked over her shoulder to make sure Harry Makepeace wasn’t listening. ‘I just spoke to Ridpath, he’s gone home.’

‘How’s he handling it?’

‘Not well, he wants to give up.’

Chrissy frowned. ‘But you don’t?’

Emily leant forward and whispered. ‘Michael Carsley is innocent. I know it.’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘Carry on. With or without Ridpath, for as long as I can.’

‘But how? What do we have to work on?’

‘I managed to get some CCTV footage from an ATM in Wythenshawe on the date of the abduction and a hard drive from a shop. There was a tram station close to where we parked at Jackson’s Boat…’

‘I know it well, lovely place for a quiet pint.’

‘Anyway, Ridpath had the idea to check the footage from the day when the body was found. It’s the only thing I can do right now. Have you heard from Turnbull?’

‘Only to give me the new work. I don’t know what’s happening at Wythenshawe. It’s being kept hush-hush.’

‘What are you two ladies whispering about?’ Harry Makepeace had crept up on them soundlessly.

Emily leant back in her chair. ‘We were wondering if you’d