The Hangman’s Hold. Michael Wood
Kean? I’ve heard you’re good friends with DCI Matilda Darke. How do you feel knowing that South Yorkshire Police were not aware there was a paedophile living on their patch? Surely if your best friend had known, she could have saved you all this heartache.’
Adele ended the call. ‘Bastard,’ she said, throwing her phone onto the seat beside her. She picked up a sofa cushion and hugged it tight to her chest. She wondered how he had managed to find out all that information about her.
‘Is your house back to normal then, Sian?’ Scott asked from the driver’s seat of the pool car.
‘Yes, thank goodness, but at the expense of these,’ she said, showing off her dry, calloused hands. ‘I used to have lovely nails.’
‘They’ll soon grow back.’
‘Yes, I’ll just get them nice for the summer and they’ll be ruined again. Stuart wants to irrigate the garden, so the house doesn’t flood if we get more heavy rain.’
Scott tried to hide his smile.
They parked in the last available space in the small car park near the main entrance to Sheffield Hallam University. Sian stepped out and took her long black coat from the back seat. The stiff breeze whipped her shoulder-length red hair. She shivered and trotted to keep up with Scott who was a good eight inches taller than her.
They were in luck; George Appleby was on campus and currently in a lecture. A heavily pregnant administrator led the way. While Sian was asking questions about the impending birth, Scott was taking in his surroundings. University seemed so long ago to the twenty-six-year-old DC. He enjoyed his time at Nottingham University. It had been liberating. Although, looking at the students now, he was probably better off where he was. He didn’t remember being so bloody miserable. Yes, they would be leaving university with three times the debt he left with, but while he was studying he didn’t care about that. He had a ball.
Sian and Scott waited in the corridor while the administrator went to collect George from a lecture hall.
‘It won’t be long until your kids are coming to uni, will it?’
‘How old do you think I am?’ Sian asked. ‘My eldest is studying for his GCSEs. There’s plenty of time before he comes here.’
‘What does he want to do?’
‘I’ve no idea. I don’t think he knows either,’ she replied, looking into the distance.
‘From an early age I knew I wanted to be a detective. I think it was Sherlock Holmes that got me interested.’
Sian smiled. ‘Real-life police work is a bit of an eye-opener, isn’t it?’
‘Just a tad.’ He smiled back. ‘Also, I don’t play the violin or smoke opium.’
The door opened, and the administrator stepped out followed by a tall skinny George Appleby. His pale pallor, his mound of unruly dull-red hair, his oversized clothes, made him appear in urgent need of a hot meal.
‘I’ll leave you to it,’ the administrator said before she waddled off down the corridor.
‘George Appleby?’ Sian asked.
‘That’s right.’ He looked nervously at the two detectives.
‘I’m DS Sian Mills from South Yorkshire Police. This is DC Andrews. We’d like to ask you a few questions about your father, if that’s OK?’
‘My father?’ he asked in wide-eyed surprise. His eyes darted nervously from side to side to make sure they weren’t overheard.
‘Yes. When was the last time you saw him?’
The nervous look was replaced with one of disgust. ‘I’ve no idea. It was years ago. Why?’
‘Do you know where he lives?’
‘Yes. He’s in Ashfield Prison,’ he said, lowering his voice.
Sian and Scott exchanged glances.
‘What’s going on?’
‘I think it would be better if we continued this conversation back at the station. This isn’t really the place.’
George Appleby sat in the interview room, guarded by PC Steve Harrison, looking up at the crime prevention posters. In the observation bay, Sian and Matilda were studying the skinny young man.
‘So, he had no idea his father was out of prison?’
‘Unless he was a very good liar,’ Sian said. ‘How do you want me to play this?’
‘Break the news that his father’s dead first, then mention he’s been living in Sheffield for over a year, see what reaction you get.’
‘What do you think? Father shows up at his digs wanting to make amends and George snaps?’ Sian asked.
‘I’m not sure. It does seem strange that Brian Appleby would move to Sheffield and not contact his son.’
‘He doesn’t look like he’s got the strength to string his father up. His arms are like twigs.’
‘A lot of students seem to be sporting the emaciated look these days. I don’t like it,’ Matilda said.
‘No. A bloke should have some meat on him. Have you seen my Stuart? Built like a rugby player with thighs to match. Lovely,’ Sian said, almost drooling.
‘OK, Sian, when you’re ready,’ Matilda nodded to the interview room.
When Sian broke the news of his father’s death, she handed George a tissue. He had his head down, but there were no tears.
‘Does my mum know?’ he asked, looking up.
‘Yes.’
‘What about Alicia?’
‘I think that’s been taken care of. George, we believe your father was murdered.’
‘Murdered? Because of what he did?’
‘We don’t know. George, your father was living here in Sheffield.’
‘What?’ He seemed more shocked by that than hearing his father had been killed.
‘He was living in Linden Avenue. Just off Meadowhead,’ Scott said.
He shrugged. ‘I’ve been drinking on Woodseats. That’s not far away, is it?’
‘No it isn’t.’
‘George, has your father tried to contact you at all?’
‘No. Never. How long has he been living up here?’
‘About a year.’
‘Bloody hell.’
‘George, did your father know you were studying in Sheffield?’
‘I’m sorry, but do you mind not calling him my father? What he did … well, he’s not my dad. I refuse to have that kind of person as my dad. To answer your question, no, he didn’t know I was studying in Sheffield. As far as I’m aware, most of the family washed their hands of him when he was found guilty. My mum, sister, aunts and uncles, nobody went to visit him.’
‘From our point of view, it seems strange that you both ended up in Sheffield,’ Sian said.
‘Well, it’s a very popular city for universities. You know, people from all over the country come here.’
‘But we don’t know why your fa— Brian moved here. Is there any link your family has to Sheffield?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘Why