Dead Secret

by Noelle Holten

  ‘Tomorrow morning. Finish up there as quick as you can, we’ve a lot on today – I’ll see you when you get back.’

  ‘Okay, boss.’ Maggie ended the call and was heading back towards the deputy’s office when a young man who had been sitting in the opposite corner of the room approached her.

  ‘Are you the police?’ He tugged at one of his sleeves.

  ‘Yes. Can I help you with something?’

  ‘You here ’bout Tim? Heard he was murdered. It was all over the news.’

  ‘Did you know him?’ Maggie wondered if the student would be able to shed some light on Olivia.

  ‘Nah. I mean I seen him here a few times and at some parties, but he wasn’t really one to mix with the crowd, you know what I mean? Liked to be on his own, except for Liv. He didn’t mind her company at all.’ A sly grin formed on his face.

  ‘Liv? Do you mean Olivia Hastings?’

  He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I guess so. Don’t know her last name, just that she was called Liv. Fiery, like that hair of hers. She was a bit of a weirdo but harmless. It was her eyes – she’d stare at you for ages. Guess they weren’t bothered about talking to each other though, y’know what I mean?’ Another grin adorned his face. Maggie would forgive his assumptions because most teenage boys assumed that if a girl and boy were friends, they must be doing more than swapping anecdotes.

  ‘When was the last time you saw Olivia? Can you remember?’

  ‘Nah. Coulda been a few days ago, or maybe weeks. She’s in a few of my classes but seemed to be off a lot. She was pretty smart; probably thought she didn’t need to attend classes.’

  Maggie noted all the information down and took the young man’s details. She reached into her pocket and took out a card. ‘If you remember anything else, or if you see or hear from Olivia, give me a call on this number.’

  The boy shrugged, took the card and shoved it in his back pocket. ‘Is Liv in trouble?’

  ‘No. Not at all. It’s just important that I speak with her – so tell her to get in touch if you do hear anything, okay? Tell your friends the same. Can you do that?’

  He puffed his chest out. ‘Course.’ There was a swagger to his walk as he returned to the chair he came from. He was clearly enjoying the bit of gossip he thought he was privilege to, and Maggie had no doubt it would be spread across the campus as soon as he left the office. That’s exactly what she needed to happen.

  Maggie walked into Mr Dodd’s office as Kat was closing her notebook.

  ‘DC Jamieson, I’ve just given your colleague all the information I could at this time.’ He stood and looked as if he was ready to escort them out of the building.

  ‘One more thing.’ Maggie stopped him. ‘I was just speaking to a young man out there.’ She pointed to the reception area. ‘He suggested that Olivia may have some attendance issues. Could you tell us anything about that?’

  A strange look came over his face. ‘Uh. Well, her records indicate she was a little … troubled. I really can’t go into too much detail without her parent’s permission but yes – we’ve had to speak to Mr and Mrs Hastings a few times about Olivia’s behaviour and attendance. I’m afraid that’s all I can say about that … Now I really must get on with things. I’ll show you out now if that’s okay?’

  ‘For now. We’ll need to see all the information you have on her at some point, but we’ll get a warrant and be back for that. Thanks for your time. If Olivia does appear here or gets in contact, please make sure to be in touch immediately. Would you have any objections to us talking to a few of the students before we go?’ Maggie eyed him, knowing what his answer would be before he opened his mouth.

  Mr Dodd became flustered and sputtered out his words. ‘I think I’d need to speak with my manager first. I’m sure the students’ parents wouldn’t be too happy if you just questioned their children without their consent.’

  ‘You do realize that this is a murder investigation, right?’ Maggie clenched her fists at her side. This guy went from being fully cooperative to shifty as fuck and she didn’t like it one bit. ‘Is there something you’re afraid to share with us? If we find out that you’ve been hiding something, you could be facing some serious charges.’

  ‘How dare you! That’s enough now. I’d like you both to leave the premises immediately. I’ve been more than helpful and as I said, I can’t say any more without speaking to the Chief Executive Principal and the parents.’ Mr Dodd gestured towards the door. ‘Now if you will follow me, please.’

  Maggie looked at Kat and moved aside so that Mr Dodd could pass. They followed him out of the college and walked over to Kat’s car. Maggie looked over her shoulder and saw him watching them, making sure they left as he instructed.

  ‘What the fuck is his problem?’ Kat took her key fob from her pocket and unlocked the car doors.

  ‘I’ve no idea what I said to get his back up. How was he before I came back into the room?’ Maggie opened the passenger door, dropped her bag in the footwell and eased into the car seat.

  ‘Fine. He didn’t offer much more than what he said when you came back, but he was pleasant enough. He did say that Olivia has been missing classes, had become slightly withdrawn and had one or two outbursts – her teachers were worried that something was going on at home, but when they asked her about it, she immediately clammed up. The college invited Hastings and his wife in, but the DCI only came once and his wife made excuses the other times, promising to talk to Olivia and apologising for any disruptions.’

  Kat backed out of the parking space and narrowly missed scraping the car beside her. ‘Can’t these wankers learn to park properly? Fucksake.’

  Maggie shook her head but kept her mouth closed about Kat’s driving. ‘Something strange has been going on and the more we find out, the more I wonder if Tim’s death and the Hastings’s disappearance are connected. Can’t be just a coincidence that Tim and Olivia were friends.’

  ‘Yeah. I was thinking the same.’ Kat stopped at the end of the driveaway. ‘Where to now?’

  ‘Nathan wants us back at the office.’

  Kat signalled left and they headed back to Stafford Police Station in silence. Maggie didn’t have a good feeling about any of this.

  Back at the station, Maggie relayed everything they had learned at the college, while Kat got the coffees in. Maggie hadn’t had a chance to drink hers at the college and was gasping. Nathan was nowhere to be seen, so Maggie started updating the system with the information they had gathered. Something about the deputy’s behaviour also concerned her and she made a note to get more of his details so she could follow up.

  Her desk phone’s sharp ringing made her jump and she snapped out of her thoughts. Looking at her watch, she hadn’t realized the day had gone by so fast.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Good – you’re back. I tried your mobile, but it went straight to answerphone. Can you come up to Hastings’s office, please?’

  Maggie let her colleagues know where she’d be and took the stairs up to their DCI’s office with speed.

  Nathan was standing by the DCI’s desk and papers were strewn on the floor. ‘How’d you get on at the college?’

  ‘We’ll have to get a warrant if we want to know anything else about Olivia Hastings. What’s going on here?’ Maggie sat down and Nathan handed her a piece of paper. Her eyes scanned the sheet and widened. ‘Adopted? Where did you find this?’

  ‘It’s why I called you in here. We got permission to search the office – hoping for something that may explain Hastings’s sudden disappearance … hence the mess. We found a small safe in the bottom drawer of that cabinet.’ He pointed to the locker on his left. ‘When we eventually got it open – those papers as well as a lot of other personal information mainly relating to Olivia. I don’t know why he kept it here, but it looks like that young woman had a very troubled background.’

  ‘Would it be worth contacting Social Services? I know someone who might be able to help.’

  ‘Yes, but
it’s late now. No one will be there. We can start on that avenue tomorrow. Press conference is at 10am. Be ready, it’s going to be a very long day.’

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Maggie had not been sleeping well and she had only meant to close her eyes for a few minutes when she got home, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and lying back. With no real leads on the Griffiths case and not knowing where DCI Hastings was, everything seemed to be at a stalemate.

  She sat up, stretched her legs, and rubbed her eyes. Scrappy lay curled up on the cushion at the opposite end. She reached across and stroked him as she thought about what she needed to do.

  Maggie could really use Kate’s expertise on the case for added insight. They had been discussing snippets of what was currently happening over calls, but Maggie felt like the investigation was going in circles. The consultant post with the MOCD was still proceeding, as DI Rutherford had assured her that the funding had been granted and set aside, but Maggie knew this would not be indefinitely and worried that Kate would not be ready before the funding was allocated elsewhere.

  ‘Fuck it.’ Maggie threw the blanket off her and momentarily felt bad when Scrappy gave her the evil eye, but he settled back in his sleeping position soon enough.

  ‘Sorry, Scraps, things to do, people to talk to.’

  Maggie got up and went to her desk, where her laptop sat open, and returned to the living room. She sat on the chair this time, to avoid any grumbles from Scrappy, plus it gave her a nice view out of the window. Maggie turned on the TV for some background noise as she logged into her laptop. She bit her lip as she typed out the email, hoping that it would be received as it was meant and hit send. She set the laptop on the coffee table and ran her fingers through her hair.

  With her brother away, the house was quieter than usual. Maggie had lived most of her life on her own, but she’d grown accustomed to Andy’s company and, although she would never admit it to him, she’d miss him when he decided to find his own place. Her phone buzzed.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Hi Maggie! I got your email.’

  ‘Hey! How have you been?’

  ‘Fine. Better than fine, actually. Everything is falling into place.’

  ‘Ah – great, I guess.’ Maggie hoped she hid her disappointment. ‘No plans on returning here any time soon?’

  ‘Well, I was about to say that I missed work. I miss my colleagues. I even miss you a little bit.’

  Maggie smiled. ‘Phew.’ She laughed. ‘I’m not going to lie – I’m glad to hear that, but you obviously don’t want to come back too soon. You’d have a lot to sort out; a new place for one thing. Of course, you could always stay here until you found somewhere and—’

  ‘Hang on! I didn’t say I was ready to come back yet. I was offered a position at the National University of Ireland Galway to teach psychology. I’m a little torn if I am honest.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ Maggie’s shoulders slumped. She wanted to tell Kate why a better option would be her position with the police but knew that would only be for selfish reasons.

  ‘You’ve gone quiet. Is everything okay?’

  ‘I’m fine. That sounds like an interesting offer.’

  ‘You’re fooling no one, Jamieson! I haven’t accepted anything yet, but I’ve at least got that option. Thanks for not harassing me to come back – I know you’ve probably been wrestling with yourself on that. I have my parents in my ear every five minutes about taking the lecturing position. They don’t want me to go back to consulting with the police, even though I explained that the stalking had happened long before I even joined you lot.’ Kate sighed. ‘But you know parents. I will always be the little girl they need to protect. Anyway, I was surprised it took you so long to ask me about work. I’ve been following the news over there and see you have another murder case. A young man, right?’

  ‘I didn’t want to pressure you, so feel free to tell me to fuck off if you need to. I’m just stumped and thought maybe if we chatted, some of the cobwebs might clear.’

  ‘It’s late now and you sound tired – I just wanted to touch base to let you know that I’m still here and willing – if you ever had any work matters you need to discuss. When you have more information to hand, we’ll chat again. I’ll make sure I’m free.’

  ‘Sounds like a plan. But only if you’re sure. On top of the murder investigation there’s something else going on – it’s quite a sensitive case. I’ll explain why when we chat next – and if it gets too much you can just—’

  ‘Maggie. I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t ready. Just get everything together and text me the details. Speak soon.’ Kate ended the call.

  Maggie couldn’t help the smile forming on her face. She already felt the invisible grip around her neck loosen. She was looking forward to bouncing ideas off Kate – if anyone could offer objective insight, it was her.

  She yawned and when she noticed the time, she ignored her stomach grumbles and headed up to bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lucy opened the door and a big smile formed on her face. ‘Come in. What a nice surprise – I wasn’t expecting you until later.’ She moved out of the way and pointed to the living room. ‘Can I get you a coffee or anything?’

  ‘I thought I’d come by now, before work and see if you’ve had any luck with your … guest. A coffee would be great.’ PC Mark Fielding walked into the communal lounge and sat. She had given him the code for the gate, as he would be referring men and women to the haven once the refuge’s doors had officially opened and, in some cases, may escort people to the premises. Lucy held up two fingers indicating that she wouldn’t be long. The coffee was already brewing, and she wanted to ask him something.

  Returning with two large mugs, Lucy sat opposite. ‘Nothing more – other than her name is Ronnie, and she said she’s from outside the area. She also hinted that this is repeat behaviour and she’s been involved with a refuge in the past, but she’s keeping everything else a secret so far. I was going to ask if maybe you’d speak to her? She can hear partially with her aids in but also relies on lip-reading. She still won’t tell me her last name or anything about what happened and refuses to go to the hospital, though she did let me know that she wasn’t sexually assaulted, so I guess that’s something. The large gash on her arm is healing well with no signs of infection, thankfully. The other cuts and bruises are fading too. I’m nearly one hundred per cent sure that her assault is domestic related.’ She rubbed her arms.

  Lucy was concerned. Without knowing the history of the young woman, she didn’t feel comfortable opening the refuge doors and allowing new referrals as she had planned prior to Ronnie showing up. If someone was after this woman, she didn’t want to place anyone else at risk. Vicki had contacted all the agencies they would be working with to let them know about the delay. Lucy’s thoughts had drifted, and Mark’s voice returned her to the room and conversation.

  ‘I can definitely try. Do you think she’d be willing to talk with me? Wouldn’t Sharon be a better bet?’ Sharon Bairden was the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) linked to the DAHU and a good friend. After Lucy’s own experience, Sharon had proved a good friend and ally.

  ‘Sharon’s away at the minute but I’ve left her a message. She was due to pop around before she left, but with Ronnie turning up the way she did, I just thought if you could get something from her you may be able to check against the records in the DAHU or other police areas. She can’t have travelled from too far away. She may already be known in the system – or at least her abuser might.’ A floorboard creaked and Lucy looked through the doorway. ‘We’ll soon find out.’ She gestured for Ronnie to come through.

  The woman walked into the room and stopped dead when she saw Mark. Lucy waved to get her attention. ‘It’s okay, Ronnie. This is PC Mark Fielding, but you can call him Mark. He’s a friend. Do you think it would be okay if he asked you a few questions?’

  Ronnie looked at Lucy and then back at Mark. She nodded sl
owly, and Lucy pointed to the big leather chair. ‘Have a sit there and I’ll get you a cup of tea.’ Lucy wasn’t sure whether she should leave them alone, but Mark was trained in working with both victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse, so wouldn’t push Ronnie into talking without Lucy present.

  She returned to the room five minutes later and placed the cup of tea on the side table. ‘Would you like me to stay?’

  The young woman nodded, and Lucy sat back down across from Mark. ‘Okay. I’ll just be here if you need me.’

  ‘Why don’t we start off with the easy stuff? You take your time and if you want to answer, great, but if not, that’s fine too. If you don’t understand what I’m asking, signal to me – hold your index finger up.’ Mark showed her before continuing. ‘If I am talking too fast, just put your hand up as if you’re telling me to stop … like this.’ Mark held his hand up, palm facing them. ‘Does that work for you?’

  Ronnie nodded and took her mobile phone out of her pocket. She started typing something and then looked at them – a robotic voice said, ‘Thank you.’

  Lucy smiled. She forgot to mention to Mark that Ronnie used a text-to-voice app to communicate. Ronnie smiled back at her and seemed to relax in Mark’s company.

  Mark was everything that Patrick, her ex, wasn’t. Kind, caring, patient, and decent. She hoped that he’d be able to find out more from the woman. Someone could be missing her – her parents, a sibling, maybe even a child. Lucy sat back in the chair and drank her coffee while Mark continued.

  ‘Can you tell us your last name?’

  Ronnie typed in her phone and held it out. ‘I don’t want to.’

  ‘Okay. Is that because you are afraid of someone finding out?’

  Ronnie nodded.

  ‘Can you tell us who that is?’

  Lucy looked at Mark with wide eyes. Ronnie had already said she wouldn’t disclose the name, so why was he pushing her? It seemed out of character.