Page 22 of Killing Mind

‘No, sir, I just…’

‘Her parents came a lot,’ he said, opening the fridge and taking the apple back out. ‘Together and separately when the girl first moved in. In fact, I thought for a while that all of them had moved in. I think mum stayed over most nights at first.’

Penn wondered why a twenty-one-year-old woman had required such close supervision in her new home.

‘I mean, if you want my opinion,’ the man offered, finally taking a bite of the apple.

Penn didn’t really but he nodded anyway.

‘I think she wasn’t all there,’ he said, tapping his temple.

Penn said nothing. He’d seen no evidence to suggest that Samantha had any kind of disability.

‘Cos, she didn’t work, had no friends and was watched closely by her parents…’

‘But surely there could be other explanations,’ Penn said, trying to keep his tone even.

‘And she clearly couldn’t keep on top of her bills.’

Penn couldn’t help frowning at the judgemental pensioner.

‘Don’t look like that. I know my stuff. She never answered the door when a man came, so she must have been hiding something.’

‘You’re assuming he was a bailiff?’ Penn asked.

‘Well he was a big burly man all dressed in black that she wouldn’t let in the front door. So, what else would he be?’

Penn wasn’t sure but he knew they needed to find out.

Twenty

Himley Lake was set in the grounds of Himley Park and was added to the grounds in 1779 by Capability Brown. At the time he redesigned the 180 acres adding waterfalls from a higher chain of smaller pools. The Ward family left Himley in the 1830s because it was too close to the Black Country. Instead they lived in great grandeur at Witley Court in Worcestershire.

Kim remembered being one of the site’s 200,000 visitors a year when Keith, her one true foster dad, had brought her on the woodland walks some Sunday mornings while Erica cooked a roast dinner. The trek had always ended with a hot drink at the log cabin café and a stop to watch the sailing club on the great lake. And that was the area she’d been told to head to.

Bryant pulled up on the car park, nestling amongst four squad cars, Keats’s van and two forensic vehicles.

Kim could see that uniformed officers were still shepherding people off the site.

The Hall itself was open to visitors from April to the end of September but the park was open all year round.

As she headed towards the lake Kim could see that the privacy tent had been erected. That would have been Keats’s first priority given the public nature of the location.

Ten metres away Inspector Plant stepped towards her. As ever his deep tan against a shock of thick white hair amazed her.

‘Park’s almost clear,’ he said, tapping his radio. ‘Just a couple being escorted from the waterfall around the other side of the house.’

She nodded. ‘You made contact?’ she asked, nodding towards the house.

‘Yes. The management are being as co-operative as they can be at the moment.’

They both knew full well that their concern for the body found would at some stage turn to concern for the running and maintenance of the site.

Inspector Plant and his team would remain at the location for the duration and would liaise with the management, who would keep the owners, Dudley Council, up to date.

She thanked him and continued towards the tent.

‘Sunbed or bottle?’ Bryant asked, as the tanned officer moved away.