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  “You followed her from the pub?”

  “No, not at all.” He shook his head. “I recall it was stifling inside that night – any night around that time – and I wanted to get some air. Tina … just happened across my path. A curious girl.”

  “Curious, how?”

  Hendry frowned, thinking hard. “Intuitive. I spoke to her… and it was almost as if she knew. I can’t explain it any better than that. She could read people. To be the type of girl she was, she would need to have that talent. I think I saw it in her eyes – as the life drained out of her – the understanding of who and what I was.”

  “And why did you choose to bury her at Branodunum?”

  He smiled. It was chilling.

  “To see if I could get away with it. Aside from the practical benefits, a sparsely populated location, freshly backfilled soil that was quick and easy to dig … I found it amusing.”

  Tom sensed Cassie tense alongside him, but she controlled herself, maintaining her composure. Hendry noticed anyway.

  “Detective Sergeant Knight, I should imagine you to have more fortitude within you.” Turning back to Tom, he shrugged. “I couldn’t leave her where she was. She would have been discovered soon enough. The heat being what it was, she would have attracted attention within a day or so. I had to be in London the next day, returning to Norfolk in the evening. It was easy enough to meet up with the others and say goodbye before returning to collect Tina and disposing of her at the dig site once everyone else had left. I even chatted with a dog walker that night when I parked the car beside the access gate. A lovely chap, had me there for fifteen minutes before he went on his way.”

  “What about Mila van der Berg?” Tom asked, putting a photograph of the girl on the table. Hendry gave it a cursory glance, screwing up his nose.

  “I’m not sure I recognise her?”

  “In The Netherlands—”

  “Oh, yes. Of course.” He paid more attention to the photograph now. “Her hair was lighter when I met her.”

  “When you killed her,” Tom said.

  “Now, now, Inspector. I don’t care for your tone,” Hendry said, sounding parental. “I will have to put you on notice for that one, particularly following on from your man like you comment before.”

  Tom was undeterred. “Did she come across you by accident as well?”

  “She had come to the park on her bicycle, as I remember. She was sitting on the grass reading a book.” His brow furrowed. “I don’t recall which book.”

  “And there are others,” Tom said. “We found the seven trophies you left for us at Alex Hart’s home.”

  “Good to know that tax-payers’ money has been well invested, Inspector. Although, I did think you weren’t going to join the dots.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Public servants … limited intelligence—”

  “We caught you, though,” Cassie said, smiling. “Perhaps we’re not quite as thick as you might have thought?”

  Hendry tilted his head to one side in acknowledgement of that fact. Now, Tom was certain he was irritated. He might be a man without a conscience, but he definitely possessed an enlarged ego; the misplaced belief in his own superiority. Hendry drew himself upright, raising his chin.

  “And I think we will end things there, Inspector Janssen, seeing as the two of you are clearly incapable of basic civility.”

  Tom smiled, maintaining eye contact with him. “No matter. We have more than enough to ensure you never see the light of day beyond a prison wall.”

  Tim Hendry was escorted back to the custody suite where he would soon be charged with murder. Tom felt only emptiness inside, despite knowing they’d taken an extremely dangerous man off the streets it still left him with a bittersweet sensation. Hendry operated in plain sight, presenting an image to the world that few could see through. These people were terrifying because they could genuinely be anyone.

  “I hope I never have to come across anyone else as cold as him again,” Cassie said, leaning against the wall behind her. Tom nodded, his phone ringing. It was Tamara.

  “Eric’s come round,” she said. He could hear the happiness in her tone. “He’s worried about all the fuss we’re making.”

  “That sounds like Eric,” Tom said, smiling at Cassie to relieve the concern on her face.

  “I think he quite likes the attention, though.”

  “Tell him from us that he can milk it for as long as he likes,” Tom said.

  “I will. How did it go with Hendry?”

  Tom glanced at Cassie. “We nailed him. It’s over.”

  The next book in the series;

  A Dark Sin

  Hidden Norfolk - Book 8

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  A Dark Sin - Preview

  Hidden Norfolk - Book 8

  Passing the larger of the two car parks, preferring the shelter from the surrounding copse of trees at the edge of the woods in the smaller one, he drove the car further down the hill, slowing to make the turn. The excited snuffling from behind the cargo net signified Bodie realised they were at their destination. He glanced in the rear view mirror.

  “That’s right, boy, we’re nearly there.”

  There were no other cars present. In the summer there would be several. He wasn’t the only local to get out for an early morning walk before the rest of the county came out to go about their daily business. The cold was keeping them home now, he was certain. The larger car park he’d just driven by had a solitary vehicle in it; not one he recognised but it was still dark, still early. Switching off the engine triggered the interior lights to burst into life, the signal for his dog to make himself ready to leap from the car. Bodie let out an excited bark.

  “All right, all right. I’m coming.”

  Cracking open the door let in a blast of freezing air and the warmth of the heated seat and steering wheel would, no doubt, soon become a distant memory. The protection from the wind offered by the trees, even though not in leaf, was still of benefit. Perhaps the path around the woods would be more pleasant rather than braving the open ground of the common up to the high point overlooking Grimston Warren Reserve. Zipping up his coat, he waggled a foot beneath the rear bumper and the electrically operated tail lift raised the boot lid. Bodie immediately made to leap from the car but his owner was ready, as always, grasping the dog’s collar firmly and reaching up to clip the lead in place.

  The dog hustled past and jumped to the ground, nosing the earth and taking in the fresh smells that accompanied a heavy frost. The mud of the car park was churned up by visiting vehicles but had subsequently frozen. The winters here could be harsh and none more so in living memory than this one. Several crows cawed to one another from the nearby trees as the inky darkness of the night sky slowly shifted towards a slate grey as dawn approached.

  They set off through the gate and on into the woods beyond, Bodie pulling as they went; keen to get moving. Once in the sanctuary of the woods and within the fenced reserve, safely away from the road, he pulled the dog back, making him sit down before releasing the lead. Dogs were supposed to be kept under control but he often chose to ignore that rule if there was hardly anyone else around. One of the car parks here was well known as a location for som
e rather salubrious night-time activities that the police didn’t seem to bother trying to stamp out, so why shouldn’t Bodie be allowed to run free?

  The dog took off along the path ahead, tail in the air and nose to the ground. He wouldn’t go too far. The trees were thinning as he approached the access to the open ground of the common, the bracing freshness of the crisp breeze gathering pace against his cheeks. They felt numb and his head was cold. Only now did he realise he wasn’t wearing his woolly hat. Glancing back through the trees towards the car park, he considered nipping back for it, envisaging it on the passenger seat where he’d left it to be warmed by the heated seat. It never worked but he still tried it most days. Maybe there needed to be weight applied on top. There’s a thought. He’d try that tomorrow.

  “Bodie!”

  He waited. The dog didn’t appear. He whistled. Still there was no reply. Muttering under his breath he carried on, quickening his pace. Who knew what the dog would be up to if he left him to his own devices and went back to the car. He was irritated to find the gate out of the woods was unlatched.

  “Bodie! Here boy!”

  An excited bark carried to him from a distance. He recognised it. Bodie must be halfway across the common. Hopefully he hadn’t come across anyone of a nervous sensibility. Most dog owners, the only people daft enough to be out here at this time in sub-zero temperatures, would be okay with Bodie; but there were others who turned their noses up at a large Doodle charging across the field towards them, particularly if they had one of those miniature dogs who were often a little skittish in the presence of a larger cousin.

  Clearing the woods, a gentle hum of early morning traffic from the distant Queen Elizabeth Way broke the silence and he scanned the gently undulating common for an overexcited hound, seeing him a few hundred metres away bounding back and forth, barking at something. With no one else in sight, the second car park sky-lined off to his right was now visible and looked empty from this distance but, admittedly, his eyes weren’t what they used to be. Bodie must have chased down a rabbit or forced a squirrel back into one of the two trees standing proudly and isolated in the centre of the reserve.

  “Bodie!”

  His shout was one born of a forlorn hope. If the animal hadn’t returned after the first round of calls, he wouldn’t do so now. In fact, the dog didn’t even look back at him which he would usually do just before ignoring the call once again. Instead, the barking continued. He hurried across the field, taking care to avoid the cow pats deposited in random places among the wild grass. A sheen of frost disguised them from the human eye in the diffused early morning light, and the cold masked the smell, but the contents beneath the surface was just as unpleasant. It was okay if wearing wellies, as he was, but it was still a pain to deal with before getting back into the car.

  Bodie must have sensed him getting nearer because the barking was growing in intensity, almost continuous now, as he approached, carefully picking his route across the uneven surface. Upon reaching the dog, panting heavily with its tongue lolling to one side as a result of his noisy efforts, he quickly reattached the lead before the dog saw fit to take off again. The dog nuzzled his hand and barked once more. He ruffled the top of the dog’s head with his free hand. Bodie whimpered.

  “What is it, boy? What’s all the fuss?”

  Looking to his left, his mouth fell open. Shielded from view on his approach, he hadn’t seen it. He hadn’t seen him. The breeze felt colder now, biting. A nearby collection of saplings were fenced off to protect their growth, and he decided to tie Bodie to one of the posts, almost tripping over the creature as he stepped forward. Cursing, he gathered himself, hurrying the two of them over to the nearest post, securing the dog in place and returning to the trees.

  The body swayed gently in the breeze, the ageing branch it hanged from occasionally creaking under the strain. The teenager’s facial expression could easily be judged as one befitting that of a deep sleep if not for the tinge of black to his lips and the noose around his neck, forcing his head to rest offset at an awkward angle. The discolouration of the boy’s skin disturbed him as he came to stand beneath the child. Not only was he understandably very pale, but his skin was blotchy with a green or bluish hue to it; in this light he wasn’t sure which. Tentatively removing his glove, he reached up, slowly placing the palm of his hand on the boy’s right leg. The body felt frozen, the skin stiff and rubbery to the touch. He had been dead for hours. The dog whimpered again but his owner didn’t hear him. He couldn’t take his eyes off the boy; what was he, fourteen, fifteen at a push, maybe?

  Easing his hand away, he slowly backed off whilst rummaging in his coat pocket for his mobile phone.

  What a waste of a young life.

  The next book in the series;

  A Dark Sin

  Hidden Norfolk - Book 8

  The Hidden Norfolk Series

  One Lost Soul

  Bury Your Past

  Kill Our Sins

  Tell No Tales

  Hear No Evil

  The Dead Call

  Kill Them Cold

  Life and Death*

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  The Dark Yorkshire Series

  Divided House

  Blacklight

  The Dogs in the Street

  Blood Money

  Fear the Past

  The Sixth Precept

  Box Sets

  Dark Yorkshire Books 1-3

  Dark Yorkshire Books 4-6

  Audiobooks

  The Hidden Norfolk Series

  One Lost Soul

  Bury Your Past

  Kill Our Sins

  The Dark Yorkshire Series

  Divided House

  Blacklight

  The Dogs in the Street

  Blood Money

  Fear the Past

  The Sixth Precept

  Audiobook Box Sets

  Dark Yorkshire Books 1-3

  Dark Yorkshire Books 4-6