The Half Truth

Tina stepped closer. The acrid smell of urine rose from the corner, the black-and-white- tiled doorway grubby and unloved. Four squashed cigarette ends lay next to a crumpled cigarette packet.

Tina’s mouth dried as she looked at the white box. She crouched down and picked it up. The word ‘Sobranie’ and the logo of the Russian imperial eagle emblazoned on the front made her drop the box as if her fingers had been burned.

Tina stood up, swinging around to face the street, her eyes frantically searching the pavement from left to right. Her stomach lurched and her heart pounded. The faces of the passers-by, strangers. She recognised no one.

Rain dripped from her now-soaked hair, streaking down her face. She ignored it. Thoughts of Dimitri rushed to the front of her mind. The maternal instinct to gather her child, take him home and keep him safe was overpowering. It was the stimulus she needed. Her feet responded. Only her first few steps were at a walk before she broke into a run. The urgency fuelled her.

Chapter 3

Twenty minutes later, Tina burst through the kitchen door to her parents’ home.

‘Mum! Dad! Dimitri!’ she called, letting the door slam behind her.

‘In the living room,’ came back her mother’s voice from beyond.

Tina controlled her breathing. The casualness of her mother’s voice was an instant tonic to her panic. Pam met her in the hallway. ‘You all right, love?’

Tina forced a smile. ‘Yes, I’m fine. Just pleased to finish work today and get home.’ She gave her mum a peck on the cheek. ‘Where’s Dimitri?’

‘He’s in the greenhouse with your father. They were going to do a bit of gardening, but then the rain started. I think they are sowing seeds in the seed trays now.’

Tina went to the back door and looked out at the greenhouse. There they were, standing at the bench, carefully drilling small holes and dropping seeds into each one. It was a comforting sight and brought back childhood memories to Tina of her and her dad doing exactly the same. Memories that warmed her as an adult and as a child had made her feel loved and safe. The lump that rose to her throat took her by surprise.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ asked Pam, putting a comforting arm around her daughter’s shoulder.

Tina nodded, blinking away unwanted tears. ‘Dimitri is so lucky to have such a wonderful granddad. He really is. I just wish …’ She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Pam squeezed her daughter tightly. ‘You just wish that Sasha was here to give his son these memories instead.’

‘Something like that.’ This time she didn’t blink back the tears. Her mum ushered her to the kitchen table and sat her down.

‘I hate to see you upset. I know you still miss Sasha.’

Tina took the sheet of kitchen roll her mother offered and dabbed at her eyes. Black streaks of mascara transferred onto the tissue. ‘I miss him on behalf of Dimitri, if that makes sense.’ She blew her nose and took a deep breath before continuing. ‘Dimitri doesn’t know any different and, in a way, that’s a relief. I wouldn’t want him to know the pain of losing his father.’

‘It won’t always be like this,’ said Pam. ‘One day there will be someone for Dimitri. And for you.’

‘Maybe.’ Tina knew they were on the brink of a familiar conversation. One where her mother would tell her she should get out and meet more people.

Her latest idea was Tina joining one of those online dating sites. So far Tina was resisting. She had been to a few dinner parties where match-making was definitely on the agenda. The last one had been a dinner party Fay had organised and Tina had accepted the invitation of a second date as a result. However, it hadn’t gone beyond that. Tina had made it as far as a kiss goodnight. It seemed so awkward and unnatural, not only because it wasn’t Sasha, but she was out of practice with the whole intimate kissing thing. The poor bloke must have thought he had eaten something nasty. She had muttered her apologies and practically fled into the waiting taxi.

‘Are you staying for tea?’ asked Pam, turning her attention to the oven. She opened the door and the smell of chicken casserole drifted out. Another comforting memory from Tina’s childhood. Another memory to chase away the demons of today.

‘How could I resist?’ said Tina. ‘I’ll set the table.’ She stood up, relieved that the earlier disquiet she had felt was slipping away. She was safe. Dimitri was safe. They were loved. All was well in the world.

John woke the next morning and for a moment couldn’t work out why it felt as if his head was being compressed from all sides. He groaned as he sat up. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he planted his feet on the floor.

Ah, now he remembered. The celebratory drink last night had been overdone. Still, they had good cause to celebrate.

The shower refreshed him, the coffee kick started his brain, the toast tamped down the queasiness and the Anadin relieved the pressure in his head. As he picked up his car keys from the sideboard, he noticed the brown envelope Brogan had given him the night before. He scooped it up; something to look over while he had his third coffee of the day at HQ.

The rest of the team seemed to be suffering slightly from the previous evening’s excesses too. A day of paperwork and no running around catching the bad guys wouldn’t go amiss. John settled at his desk.

‘Did you sort it with Maxine?’ he asked as Martin slid into his seat opposite him.

‘Yeah, all good,’ said Martin. He nodded at the photos in John’s hand. ‘Anything of interest.’

John studied the first one. It was a close-up of a man’s shoulders and top half of his torso. The victim’s throat had been cut. John passed it over to Martin.

‘It appears he didn’t die from natural causes,’ he said. ‘Slashed throat. Jagged edges to the wound, cut from right to left, I’d say.’

‘From someone facing him, as opposed to behind him – assuming they are right-handed,’ said Martin.

‘Yep, the jagged skin means the neck was loose as opposed to being taut when someone’s head is pulled from behind.’

‘Asleep?’

‘Probably. Unless there are other signs of injury, meaning he put up a fight. Probably didn’t know a thing about it.’ John passed over another photograph. ‘Otritsala.’

Martin shrugged. ‘You what?’

‘The eight-pointed stars, tattooed on each collar bone,’ said John. ‘A sign of defiance. Medals that existed before the Russian revolution and used now to signify defiance to the Soviet regime.’

‘So this is a Russian?’

‘Yep. Prison tattoos mostly.’ John slid another photograph over. ‘Dagger with three drops of blood. That’s typical of a murderer, the drops of blood reflecting the number of killings he’s carried out. Could be that this fella was a hired assassin.’

‘He’s got a Swastika too,’ said Martin, looking more closely at the photo.

‘Doesn’t mean he’s a right-wing sympathiser or a Nazi. It’s used as a sign of rebellion to authority. Some prisons have had these tattoos forcibly removed from their inmates.’

‘And I suppose the SOS on his forearm doesn’t mean Save Our Souls either,’ said Martin.

‘Spasite Ot Syda. Save me from judgement. Amongst other things.’ John stopped. The next picture knocked the air from his lungs.

‘You all right?’ said Martin.

John looked slowly up at his colleague. ‘This Russian was part of the Porboski gang.’

Martin sat up in his seat, his face alert. ‘You sure?’

‘See that tattoo on the inside of the upper arm. A dollar sign and that elaborate letter, which looks like a squared-off “n”? The dollar sign means he’s a safe-cracker. That letter in Russian is a “P” and stands for the gang he’s affiliated to.’

‘Where did these photos come from? Have you got one of the face?’

John looked at the final photo. Another close-up of the chest. ‘No. Just the arms and torso.’

‘What are the Porboski gang doing back in the UK?’ said Martin.

‘No idea, but whatever it is, you know it’s not good.’ John took a moment to compose himself. The usual rush of guilt and anger swept over him. Images of his ex-partner, Neil, fought their way to the front of his mind. Images he usually managed to keep filed away in a drawer marked ‘too close to home to think about’, this time refused to be catalogued and archived so readily.

John could feel a dark cloud forming around him, waiting to smother him, to suck away the oxygen, leaving him gasping for breath. John’s hand closed in a fist as the mental battle threatened to erupt. He was a good fighter. He could see off the attack. It seemed like minutes, but John knew from past experience it was merely one or two seconds. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. Today’s battle won. John looked down at his clenched fist and unfurled his fingers. The photograph now crumpled and scrunched.

John eyed his partner of five years across the desk. Martin understood. He had seen this happen before. He knew the reasons. John looked for accusation in the other man’s eyes. There was none, although he felt sure his own screamed with guilt.

John stood up, gathering the photos together. ‘Where’s Brogan? We need to speak to CID. They seem to have found one of our Most Wanted. Just got to work out which one.’

CID couldn’t shed much light on the identity of the Russian. He had been found down by the docks in a disused warehouse.

‘Looks like he had been camping out. Used one of the old offices. Had a camp bed and camping stove. Nothing in the way of personal belongings,’ said the CID Officer, Carter. ‘Someone had tried to set fire to his stuff. Did a good job, mostly. There were a few charred remains left.’

‘Can I have a look at his clothing?’ said John. ‘And have you got a photograph of his face?’

Carter went off to collect the evidence bag.

‘It’s only clothes. The clothes he was wearing.’

‘Is it okay to take these out?’ asked John.

‘Yeah, go ahead. Forensics have been all over them.’

John inspected the clothing. ‘All labels have been cut out,’ he said. ‘But this leather jacket is quite distinctive. Have you had any luck identifying its origin?’

‘Not yet.’

The jacket was heavy in John’s hands, a black, padded three-quarter-length garment. Lined with heavy checked fabric – certainly one to keep the Russian winter at bay. John laid it out on the table and poked around in the pockets.

‘There’s nothing there,’ said Carter.

John felt the collar and gave the seam between the collar and lining a closer inspection. ‘Got a knife or pair of scissors?’

A pair of scissors was obtained and handed to John. He began snipping at the seam of the collar until an opening of about three inches had been achieved. John wriggled his fingers in, feeling from one side to the next.

‘Aha! Gotcha.’ he said. He pulled out a small grip-sealed bag, about two by five inches.

‘How did we miss that?’ said the CID officer.

‘Probably because you weren’t looking for it,’ said John opening the bag. He removed five folded twenty-pound notes and five ten-pound notes, together with three Russian notes of 5,000 roubles each. John did a quick calculation. ‘About the same worth. A little under one fifty pounds.’

‘Emergency funds,’ said Martin picking up one of the notes by the corner. ‘Don’t suppose we will get any decent prints off them. Been handled too many times.’

Carter slid over a box containing several clear-plastic evidence bags. John looked through them. The victim travelled light. Three bags with fabric remnants, a London Tube map – the kind you pick up from any underground station.

‘This looks a bit more interesting,’ said John looking at a bag containing the strap from the victim’s holdall with a flight tag still attached. Unfortunately, only a part of the digital flight code was left. ‘Have you checked this out?’

‘We think it’s a flight in from Stockholm. There’s only a partial barcode.’

‘Have you checked recent flights in?’ asked John.

‘Needle in a haystack,’ came the reply, accompanied by a shrug.

‘Who found him?’ asked John. ‘Has he been cleared of any involvement?’

‘A dock-worker. Had gone in for a crafty shut-eye. He was pretty shook up. Don’t think he had the guts for it.’

‘Did you get a photo of the victim?’ asked Martin.

Carter passed it over. ‘Recognise him?’

John and Martin both studied the face. A rounded thick-set face. Shaven head. An old scar above his left eye. A gold stud in the right ear. He didn’t look familiar to either of them.

‘Mind if we keep this?’ said John.

‘Go ahead.’

‘Right, what else have we got here?’ said John. He pulled out another bag containing the remains of a photograph.

‘Shit.’

Martin let out a long, low whistle. ‘Is that who I think it is?’

John took out the photograph, not worrying about holding the edges. Fingerprints were no longer a priority. A cold bead of sweat began its slow descent down his spine, undulating over every vertebrae. ‘Pavel Bolotnikov,’ he said, confirming Martin’s thoughts. ‘And who else was in the photograph?’ Draped over Pavel’s left shoulder was someone’s arm, the owner’s identity burned away.

‘What the fuck is that doing in there?’ said Martin.

Chapter 4

Back at HQ, John pinned the burnt photograph onto the evidence board. Underneath he pinned photographs of two men and a woman. He pointed to the first photograph and addressed his team.

‘Sasha Bolotnikov, wanted for money-laundering. Fled to Russia soon after the Moorgate robbery. Killed in a car crash within weeks of arriving.’ His team listened as he continued his commentary. ‘Pavel Bolotnikov, part of the Porboski gang, involved in the Moorgate robbery where Neil Edwards was killed. Wanted for Neil’s murder.’ He paused as he wrote on the board. ‘He too fled back to Russia afterwards.’ He moved on to the third picture. ‘Tina Bolotnikov. British passport-holder. Married Sasha Bolotnikov. Still in the UK. Living in West Sussex. And this,’ he said pointing to the photograph of the dead Russian, ‘is our unknown. A Russian gang member – Porboski gang, by the look of it, found murdered down at the docks. And this is a baggage tag, possibly from a Stockholm flight.’

‘He doesn’t look very Swedish to me,’ said Adam, one of John’s team.

‘It’s just a theory at present, but we think he may have caught a connecting flight to Stockholm from Tallinn. That’s Estonia,’ said John. ‘It’s a route favoured in the past by some of the Porboski gang.’

‘What’s he doing over here?’ asked one of the team.

‘We’re not sure. Obviously a connection to the Bolotnikovs. I want all the flights in from Stockholm over the past week checked for facial recognition against this photo.’ He tapped at the board. ‘Clearly there’s some connection with the Bolotnikovs, but what that is, I’ve no idea. Yet.’

‘Wading through CCTV and facial recognition is going to take forever, especially if we don’t know when he came into the UK,’ said Adam.

‘Have you got any better suggestions?’ said John. His colleague shrunk back in his seat. ‘We’re also checking for Pavel Bolotnikov. Our unknown hasn’t come over for a sightseeing trip. It could be that Pavel is in the country and that means trouble.’

‘I want three of you to go and check out all the old stomping grounds of the Bolotnikovs and the Porboskis. The gang moved out of the UK after the Moorgate job, but they will still have contacts. People will know. Get some tongues wagging. We’re playing catch-up now and I don’t like it.’

John took a sip of his coffee as he let the information settle with his team. The Moorgate robbery was a tough subject for them all. It had been a bad day for the team.

‘What about the wife?’ asked someone.

‘Martin and I are going down to West Sussex to check things out.’ John put his cup down on the table in front of him. ‘I’m waiting for the local police to run a few checks, see what she’s been up to lately. I don’t want to scare her off if she’s got info. She may even be harbouring Pavel for all we know.’

A gentle murmur rippled out amongst his colleagues as more speculation was bounced around.

‘No one wants Pavel Bolotnikov brought to justice more than I do,’ said John picking up on the conversation. ‘If he’s here, we’re going to nail him.’

John left work early. There was someone he needed to see. Neil Edwards’ widow, Hannah. Although Neil’s murder case had never officially been closed, all leads had dried up as to where Pavel Bolotnikov was. Reports had come back from Russia that after his brother’s funeral, Pavel had disappeared off the radar. If anyone knew where he was, they weren’t talking. With no bilateral extradition treaty between the UK and Russia, any hope of co-operation from the authorities to hand Pavel over, were non-existent. Hannah Edwards needed to hear it from him himself that there had been some development in the case. John didn’t want her switching on the news and finding out or some journalist turning up on her doorstep.

John parked across the road from the village school. He watched the parents arriving and lining up outside the gates, waiting for home time. He scanned the queue, looking for the familiar fair hair of his partner’s widow.

He spotted her halfway down the line, head bent looking at her phone. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she had her gym wear on. She looked in good shape. John was pleased she seemed to be taking care of herself. There had been a time when he was worried she wasn’t bothering. After Neil’s death, her world had come to a standstill and John hadn’t been sure if it would ever start up again.

The guilt within surged, as it always did, when he saw her, but this time it receded with more ease than before. He hoped she was turning things around.

The gates opened and the parents filed into the playground. John got out of his car and leaned against the bonnet while he waited for Hannah to come back out with Ella; her and Neil’s eight-year-old daughter.

He didn’t have to wait long. As mother and daughter emerged from the crowd of navy and grey uniforms, Hannah looked up and met John’s gaze. She smiled and waved, said something to Ella, who looked over and waved too. Then they made their way across the road to John.

John kissed her on the cheek. ‘Hi, Hannah, good to see you.’ He leaned down and gave Ella a quick peck on the top of her head. ‘Hiya, Ella. How are you? That’s a nice school bag you’ve got there, is it new?’

‘Hi, John. It’s a High School Musical one.’ Proudly she held it up for John to see the picture. ‘It was a present.’

‘Wow! That looks nice. Who got you that?’

Hannah interrupted before Ella could reply. ‘You’ll have to explain to John about High School Musical and your bag some other time. I’m sure he’s really busy.’ She looked up at him. ‘Everything okay with you?’

‘Yeah, fine. Look, can I give you a lift home?’

Hannah looked uncertain. ‘It’s okay, we’re fine walking.’ She hesitated. ‘Is everything really okay?’

‘Let me take you home,’ said John. ‘I do need to speak to you, but not here.’

‘Not at the house. Let’s walk. We can go via the park.’ She didn’t wait for John to agree, but took Ella’s hand and began walking. John had no choice but to follow.

The walk to the park took only five minutes but each second lay heavier than the previous. Tension swirled around them. Only Ella was oblivious to it as she proceeded to tell John all about High School Musical. Hannah didn’t speak and as John stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye, he could see the stiffness in her face, neck and shoulders.

Once at the park, Ella happily went off on the climbing frame and slide. John and Hannah sat on the bench watching but not really looking.

‘What is it you need to tell me?’ said Hannah. Straight to the point, no messing around.

‘Just to forewarn you that there’s been some development in the Porboski case.’

‘You mean in the murder case? Neil’s murder case.’ Her voice was sharp. ‘You can say it, John. There’s no point pretending it’s just the Porboski case. At the heart of it and the all-important part is the murder of Neil. It won’t break me if you say it. I’m not going to collapse in a heap simply because you’ve mentioned his name. Or what happened to him.’

John sat forward on the bench, resting his arms on his knees, bringing his hands together. ‘Yes, you’re right. Sorry.’

‘What’s happened, then? I’m guessing you didn’t come and see me personally purely to tell me that.’

‘Off the record, we think there’s a strong possibility Pavel Bolotnikov is back in the UK. We don’t know why but I wanted to give you the heads up, just in case.’

Now she looked at him. ‘Just in case what? Are we in some sort of danger?’ Her eyes flitted to Hannah and back to John.

John placed a hand over hers. ‘No, I don’t think that at all. We’re working on tracking him down right now, but I didn’t want you to hear it from somewhere else, especially if the press get hold of it.’

‘You could have just phoned. You didn’t need to make a special trip out to the backwater of Berkshire.’

‘I wanted to see you both. See how you were doing. Do you need anything? What about Ella? Is she okay for everything?’

Hannah moved her hand away. ‘You don’t have to do this, you know.’

‘Do what?’

‘Protect me. Look out for me. For Ella.’ She turned to face him now. ‘We’re not your responsibility. No. Don’t say anything. Listen, you were Neil’s partner. I was his wife. Ella his daughter. The most awful thing happened. Neil was killed. You’ve been great to us, John, you really have and the first few months, I’m sure I would have died myself had it not been for you. And for that I am truly grateful. But, you know what? We’ve come out the other side and Ella and I are doing great. You need to look after yourself, so you can come out the other side too.’

At that point Ella skipped over. ‘Can we go home, mummy? I’m hungry.’

‘Yes, come on, let’s go.’ Hannah rose from the bench and took her daughter’s hand.

‘Is John coming?’ said Ella. ‘He can meet Dan.’

John’s eyes snapped up to look at Hannah. A look of unease swept over her face. ‘Who’s Dan?’ said John.

‘Mummy’s friend. He bought me the bag,’ said Ella, running her finger and thumb up and down the strap.

John stood up. ‘Why didn’t you just say?’ His voice was cold despite the hot ember of anger igniting inside. Was he angry that she hadn’t told him about another bloke or was he angry because she was no longer the proverbial grieving widow, which ultimately meant she didn’t need him?

‘It’s none of your business, really,’ said Hannah, she raised her eyebrows. ‘The Met, the unit, my life as a widow are in the past, John. It’s been five years now. I can’t pause time any longer. If there’s something good that’s come from Neil’s death, it’s that more than ever I value my future, Ella’s future.’

‘With this … Dan.’

‘Maybe. Who knows? But I deserve some happiness and so does Ella.’ Hannah began walking away, she paused and looked over her shoulder. ‘You should be happy for us. Neil would want us to be happy.’

John didn’t say anything. He stood and watched Hannah and Ella walk away. What was there to say? He didn’t want the burden of Neil’s memory to carry on his own. He thought it was a load he shared with Hannah. How could he have closure and move on when Neil’s killer was still out there? When John’s own guilt ravaged his mind and conscience both day and night.

Chapter 5

John had been parked up outside Tina Bolotnikov’s house for about an hour. He looked through his notes once more, impatient for the return of their target.

He wondered what she would look like after all this time. He picked up an old surveillance photo from when they were watching Sasha. A young couple, not been married very long, about eighteen months, if he remembered rightly. At the time he had been struck by their happiness; it had radiated off them. They had shared lots of happy times.