by Jade Winters
Chapter Eighteen
The following two days were like a walking daydream. Physically, Ashley had gone through the motions of her daily activities. The local news had featured the hit and run story, but no one had come forward with information and no new leads had emerged. The collision investigator had informed her that they couldn’t tell the make of the car from the glass at the scene. It was one piece of bad news after another.
At night her mind was taken up with thoughts of Nathan, his plight, and how she could help him. All she had so far was a pile of pornographic pictures. She didn’t know what to make of it and she wouldn’t until she spoke with Nathan and heard all the details first hand.
When she arrived at work for her morning shift, Steve informed her Colleen wanted to see her straight away. As soon as Ashley sat down in front of the desk in Colleen’s office, warning bells went off so loud in her head that she expected the two detectives facing her to have heard them. Ripley, sitting across from her next to Colleen, looked pleased to see her, which jump-started her suspicions immediately.
The glare from the rare winter sunlight bore through the glass window straight into her eyes. She shielded them with her hand.
“You must be wondering why I called you in.” Colleen vaguely waved a hand in the air.
Ashley said nothing. She was mentally preparing herself for what she knew was coming. Colleen picked up a pile of papers on her desk and rifled through them.
Ripley leaned across the table and peered into Ashley’s eyes. “We wanted to be the ones to tell you before you heard it through the grapevine.” He smiled his cold smile, and continued quickly, “Your brother has been charged with the murder of Emily Hill.”
Ashley was distracted by a clunking of the radiator. It sounded like there was a woodpecker inside the metal trying to get out.
“Ashley?”
She heard Colleen call her from what seemed far away. This couldn’t be happening. She looked across at Colleen and saw her mouth moving, but she couldn’t make sense of the words. There was a buzzing in her ears that drowned out all outside noise. She glanced at Ripley, who’d stood up and moved to the back wall. He seemed to have found something interesting out of the window. She still couldn’t make sense of it. Her brother charged with murder. Nathan and murder? The two words did not go together.
She shook her head, more to bring herself back to the moment than to convey disbelief at what she’d just been told.
“What evidence do you have on him?”
Colleen looked to Ripley and he gave a slight nod of his head. “He lied about being at the victim’s home. Forensics found blood and fingerprints at the scene. That’s why we were holding him – we were waiting to see if they were a match. They were.”
“He’ll be arraigned overnight and taken to the magistrate’s court in the morning,” Ripley interjected, a little too cheerfully.
I hate this man! “Has he got clean underwear?” Ashley murmured.
Colleen looked at her as if she’d lost her senses. Ashley had spoken the words mindlessly. It was just the sort of thing her mother would have said.
“I know this must be very upsetting, Ashley,” Colleen said, without much warmth. “Take a few days off. Dale can deal with the Connor case on his own. Go home and be with your family.”
Ashley blinked away the tears welling in her eyes and met Colleen’s gaze. “It isn’t that easy. You have part of my family locked away downstairs.”
Ashley stood and walked towards the door. She felt she should turn around and say something to defend her brother, but she knew it was pointless. This was out of their hands now. She was the only one that could save him.
Once outside the office, she leaned against the wall, her head tilted back as she looked up at the ceiling. What was she going to tell her parents? Her mother had called non-stop enquiring about Nathan’s whereabouts. Of course, she’d lied and said she was sure he was busy with work. Such an excuse wasn’t going to do much good now. Once he was taken to court, the press would get wind of the whole story and, therefore, so would her parents. It was time to let them know the truth. Maybe it would be a good idea to take a few days off after all – if she was going to get to the bottom of this mystery she could use the free time to do some legwork.
Chapter Nineteen
Less than twenty four hours later, Ashley arrived at Harlow Magistrates Court. She had barely slept. Coffee had been her constant companion throughout the night. Her mind had been in overdrive, trying to make sense of the evidence that Colleen said they had on Nathan. As of yet she still couldn’t put it all together. If he killed someone, would he be that stupid to leave his DNA behind? If he had lied, why had he lied? Ashley could only think that there must have been a very good reason for it. Or so she tried to convince herself.
The dozen or so people standing outside the court’s entrance were mostly smokers or people chatting on their mobile phones. Ashley caught sight of Dale leaning against the wall of the building, staring down at his feet. She hurried over to him.
“Is Nathan here yet?” She handed Dale one of the two coffees she held in her hands.
“The van arrived about half an hour ago.” He gave a nod of thanks as he pushed himself off the wall and took the drink.
“Do you know who his solicitor is?”
“No. It will be the duty one, no doubt,” he said, following Ashley into the courthouse. “Wait here. I’ll go and find out what’s going on.”
Ashley took a seat on a nearby bench and sipped her coffee. She was emotionally and physically drained. She leaned back against the wall behind her and tried not to nod off, but the hum of people’s voices as they went about their day was hypnotic. She stood up and paced the floor to keep herself alert. Dale came trotting up to her five minutes later.
“Come on, I found him. He’s in court one.”
Ashley and Dale strode to the courtroom. They made their way inside quietly and took a seat on a bench at the back. She could only see the rear of Nathan’s bowed head. She dreaded to think what was going on in his mind and wished she could put a reassuring hand on his shoulder so he’d know she was there for him. She prayed the court would give him bail so she’d be able to take him home and find out what the hell was going on.
There was half an hour of cases about burglaries and theft before Nathan’s name was called. Ashley’s stomach tightened at the sound of her brother’s name, and she swallowed hard. As Nathan stood to face the magistrate, Dale took Ashley’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Can you confirm your name and address for the court?”
Ashley could scarcely hear Nathan’s response. She waited for her brother’s solicitor to stand and make a case for bail, but the woman sat beside Nathan, not saying a word. Ashley frowned. That isn’t right.
“Nathan McCoy, you have been charged with murder,” the magistrate said in a grave voice. “Due to the serious nature of this crime, it is the decision of this court that no bail will be granted and that you will be remanded into custody until the day of your trial.”
The magistrate immediately began shuffling through a stack of papers in front of him. Ashley gasped in disbelief. Nathan’s young, disinterested solicitor didn’t say a word to him as she stood and prepared to leave the courtroom. Ashley found herself on her feet without even realising she’d stood up. She sat back down quickly before the Clerk of the Court reprimanded her.
The security officers headed towards Nathan to take him down to the cells below. As if sensing her presence, Nathan turned his head around towards her as he stood up. There was nothing in his gaze – no emotion whatsoever. She’d expected to see grief, fear, anger – possibly even guilt. But the blankness in his stare filled her with more fear than she could have imagined.
“Don’t worry,” she mouthed, as she watched Nathan being led away. She got to her feet, but this time her limbs felt heavy. Her eyes followed Nathan until he was led through a door at the side of the court. The door closed. Her brother wa
s gone.
As she headed towards the exit, she caught sight of Nathan’s solicitor talking to what was apparently a client. Ashley veered towards her as Dale quickened his pace to keep up.
“Did you actually attend law school?” Ashley snapped.
“Excuse me?” Confronted by Ashley’s rage, the solicitor’s mouth hung open in confusion.
“I said…” she began, but was cut short.
With a surreptitious touch on her elbow, Dale guided Ashley towards the exit. Neither spoke until they were inside his car.
“You shouldn’t have had a go at the solicitor, Ash. It’s not her fault.” Dale started the engine and manoeuvred the car into traffic.
She turned her head sharply to face him. “Not her fault! Her job was to argue for bail, not to meekly sit by while my brother is sent to prison. Jesus, Dale, whose side are you on, anyway?”
“Don’t insult me by asking such a stupid question. There’s no way that magistrate was going to let him walk free today, even if he had a halo and a pair of wings. And you know it.”
She looked out of the window. She wouldn’t be able to visit Nathan until he’d been processed and was in the system. That meant she would have to endure yet another day of her imagination running wild about the events that took place on the night of the victim’s murder.
Tomorrow suddenly seemed like a lifetime away.
Chapter Twenty
The following morning, Ashley waited in an uncomfortable plastic chair, her arms leaning on the slightly sticky table. She sat at an awkward angle. The chair was just a little too far from the table to make resting on it comfortable, but there was nothing she could do. The table was bolted to the floor, as was the chair. Ashley wrinkled her nose as the stench of perspiration thickened the air. Visitors began arriving in streams, occupying all the available seating. She ignored the grave and persistent chatter as she tried to steady her anxious mind. What is Nathan going to tell me?
The door to the prison visiting room squeaked open and she looked up. Ashley’s eyes burnt with tears as she took in the sight of her little brother, clad in jeans and a tee-shirt with a prison officer close by his side. The officer gestured towards Ashley, and Nathan looked up for the first time. His usually tanned face was waxy and pale.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Nathan whispered as he slipped into a seat opposite her. “I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“It’s okay, Nathan. I’ve seen you looking a lot worse,” Ashley said with humour, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “How have they been treating you?”
“Pretty well. Considering. Are Mum and Dad okay?” Nathan asked, his voice rising in panic. “Do they know about–” He stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue and bowed his head.
Ashley hesitated for a moment before deciding against telling him how upset they were. Or the fact that the story of Emily Hill’s murder had made it into the national news. She needed him to be strong whilst he was imprisoned. “Everyone’s fine. I’m going to bring them to see you soon.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Nathan said after a few moments, gripping the sides of his head with his hands. “I’m so sorry for putting you through this, Sis. You know I’m innocent don’t you? I would never hurt anyone, you know I couldn’t do something like that!” He raised his head and looked at her, his face twisted in anguish.
Relief flooded Ashley. Colleen had warned her not to discuss the case with him. Ashley knew full well that if he incriminated himself she would have to report it and she could be called as a witness. Testifying against her brother was not something she would ever want to do, but she would if necessary.
Ashley looked him straight in the eye. “Nathan, there is a lot of evidence against you.”
She needed him to convince her he was innocent. She wasn’t going to make it easy for him. It was up to him to make her believe he was worth fighting for – worth possibly losing her job for.
“I don’t care about the evidence. I’m innocent. I mean are you crazy? I’m your brother! I wouldn’t … I couldn’t!” He spoke in an urgent whisper. “For God’s sake, Ashley. I can’t even kill spiders. You know that.”
“There’s a big difference between killing spiders and killing people,” Ashley said. “I’ve been doing this job for a long time, and I’ve seen it all. You wouldn’t be the first person that seems harmless but easily slaughters entire families.”
“Ashley,” Nathan said, sitting back in his chair, his face twisted in sadness. “Sis,” he said, “You can’t really mean that. I saw the crime scene pictures. That poor woman was torn to pieces. What was done to her was beyond evil. I’d never do anything like that. Ever!”
“Then what the hell were your fingerprints and blood doing in her flat?” Ashley asked, her emotions getting the better of her. “If you didn’t hurt her, then why did you lie about being there and why is there evidence that puts you right at the scene of the crime?”
“I thought if I kept quiet,” Nathan said hesitantly, “if I didn’t say anything about being there, then they’d just let me go. I mean, I didn’t think I was in there long enough to leave any trace of myself, but I guess your forensic people are as good as you always say they are.”
“And that’s your reasoning?” Ashley asked, lowering her voice but feeling her anger rise. “You lied to the police, Nathan. The way they see it, if you lie and change your story once, then you’ll do it over and over again. Do you have any idea how bad this looks for you?”
“I know, I know,” he said with a groan.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d been burgled?” Ashley asked.
He waved the question away. “I suppose Mick told you that. He’s just being dramatic. Nothing was taken. I had money lying around and everything. If it was a burglary, they would have taken something, don’t you think? I must have forgotten to pull the door shut after me. It’s a bit temperamental and hard to close.”
“Maybe. So the big question is, what were you doing in her flat?” Ashley spoke through clenched teeth. “Because right now, I’m not hearing any clear answers.”
“I’ll tell you what I told your colleagues,” Nathan said, sighing heavily. “I was at a bar, just minding my own business and having a drink. Next thing I know, this woman comes up to the bar and stands right next to me. I felt her eyes on me, so I sort of look at her for a moment and try to go back to drinking my drink. She’s a really pretty young girl, so I’m wondering what the hell she wants with me, right?”
“Get to the point, Nathan,” she said, rubbing her temples with her fingers.
“Anyway, after a little while, I realise she’s like … really on edge.” He continued, “Kept looking over her shoulder, that sort of thing. Anyway, while the bartender’s serving her a drink, I decide to ask if she’s okay. It turns out she wasn’t. There was some weird guy in the bar who kept staring at her, and not in a ‘you’re hot and I want to check you out’ kind of way, either.”
“Did you get a look at this guy?” Ashley said, her gut beginning to stir.
“No. When I looked around, I couldn’t see him.”
“So what happened after she mentioned the weird guy?”
“She said she was really nervous about going home on her own,” Nathan said with a shrug. “I offered to call her a taxi and make sure she got into it. She said she didn’t really want to waste her money, and didn’t want to be on her own in a taxi, either. Then she asked if I could walk her home. So I said yes.”
“Did you not think it was a little odd that a woman gets bothered by one guy in a bar and ends up walking home with another in order to stay safe?”
“No!” Nathan said loudly. “Obviously, I’m a bit backwards for trying to help someone. Jesus Christ, Ashley, you sound exactly like your colleagues. She obviously didn’t think I looked like a murderer, which is exactly what you are implying I am! My own sister! I don’t need this!” He jumped up from his seat.
Several of the inmates looked over at them i
n response to Nathan’s loud outburst.
“Sit down and calm down, will you. Stop throwing your toys out of the pram like a baby. A woman has been killed, and if you didn’t do it, a killer is out there walking around and most probably stalking his next victim.”
Nathan held up his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He sat down again, his shoulders sagging.
Ashley dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand. “So, you eventually walk her home, right?” she asked. After he nodded, she continued, “How did you end up inside her flat?”
“I was bursting to use the toilet, so I asked if it was okay for me to use hers. She said sure, so I went through the flat to get to her bathroom. I’d had quite a lot to drink, so I might have touched the walls to keep me standing up straight. I did my thing, and when I came out, I hung around for maybe a couple of minutes, chatting small talk, and then I left.”
“Did you cut yourself while you were in her flat?”
Nathan gave her a curious look. “No, not as far as I remember. But my finger might have been bleeding.” He tore a plaster off his finger and showed her a deep gash. “I cut it the other day trying to slice an onion. You know I’m useless doing things like that. I can’t even bend it properly. The doctor thinks I may have cut a tendon,” he said ruefully.
“Well, you’d better think harder. Either it bled in her flat or it didn’t.”
He looked at her dumbfounded. “I’m telling you I can’t remember. It might have opened up again. I was pissed. I wasn’t paying that much attention. Why do I get the feeling you’re interrogating me, Sis? Aren’t you meant to be on my side?”
She gave him a sad, wry smile. “If you think this is bad, you’d better pray this case doesn’t go to trial and you’re cross-examined on the stand. I suppose the one saving grace is that the doctor can prove you had a cut before the murder. Now, where did you go when you left her flat?”
“I walked home through the back streets.”