Read DS Jessica Daniel series: Think of the Children / Playing with Fire / Thicker Than Water – Books 4–6 for Free Online Page A

that would fit it either. The secretary read us the guy’s address but . . .’
    ‘. . . it doesn’t exist.’ Jessica finished the constable’s sentence with a slight wince as he nodded to confirm she was right. Izzy had walked around the vehicle and
heard the final part of the conversation.
    ‘So who pays for the land, then? Isn’t it like fifty quid a year or something?’ she asked.
    ‘Er, yeah. How do you know that?’ Rowlands replied.
    ‘My dad used to keep a plot. I think he just went there to get some peace to be honest.’
    Rowlands gave her a ‘don’t blame him’ look, adding, ‘The secretary says it’s forty-eight quid a year. He checked his files and said Harrison paid in cash. He
reckons the society are trying to get people to switch to direct debits and the like but a lot of their members are older and will only deal in cash.’
    Jessica spoke next. ‘So does he know who this Harrison guy is?’
    ‘Apparently not. He says some people pay direct to the council, others post him cheques and so on. He’s looking into it now but I think we’ll have to visit him.’
    Jessica was wary of what they might find at plot sixty-one. She was only too familiar with the horrors people could commit when their identity was known, so the thought of what someone could
have been up to when it wouldn’t be traced back to them was something she didn’t want to anticipate.
    With little else to say, Rowlands and Jessica led their small party through the gate. The patches were numbered sensibly in rows of ten, becoming larger as the land widened. Some of the plots
proudly displayed their numbers either on a shed or attached to a piece of wood hammered into the ground. The patches became bigger still as they moved deeper into the site, a few gardeners tending
their plants nearby. The presence of men and women in suits and police coats was undoubtedly out of the ordinary and the few who were around watched them edge through the site.
    Jessica tried her best not to step on anyone’s plants as Rowlands led them along a path that cut through a selection of plots. She saw a large ‘5’ painted onto the side of a
shed and looked up ahead to see where they were going. Plot sixty-one seemed to be unmarked, the land itself relatively untended, while the wooden shed was somewhat larger than the ones close to
it. Someone had fitted guttering to the roof, which allowed water to run onto the pathway as opposed to falling on the soil.
    Taking the key from Rowlands, Jessica pressed the side of the shed. It felt thick and unmoving. She looked to see if there were any windows but there seemed to be no way in other than the door,
which was secured with a heavy metal padlock. She slid the key into the lock with ease, turning it until it made a solid click, then opened the latch, taking a deep breath before pulling the door
open.
    The hinges creaked as Jessica stepped around the swinging door and crossed the threshold. For the second day running no one had thought about the light situation. Jessica asked Rowlands if
he’d brought a torch but he pulled a face and held his hands up open-palmed. Jessica waved him and Izzy into the hut then asked everyone to clear away from the entrance in order to let as
much light in as possible.
    Her footsteps echoing off the creaking wooden floor, Jessica surveyed the gloomy interior, noticing a metal desk pushed up against the wall opposite the door with a swivel chair underneath.
Despite the poor light, she could see yellow foam spilling out of the backrest. A gas canister and small portable stove were in another corner. From what she could see, there wasn’t anything
pinned to the walls and, apart from flecks of dried soil, very little else of note.
    ‘See anything?’ Jessica asked. The other two officers answered ‘no’ at the same time. Jessica wheeled the chair out from under the desk and sat on it.
‘Something’s not right about this place,’ she commented. Rowlands was