Dead Secret

by Noelle Holten

  Maggie walked carefully to the first door and opened it. Peering inside she caught a musty smell but otherwise the cupboard was empty. ‘Nothing here,’ she called out and moved to the next door. The stench of a blocked drain filled her nostrils. She took out her flashlight and peered into the sink. ‘Looks like blood in here.’ She didn’t touch anything so as not to contaminate any evidence. ‘Clear.’ She turned to face Nathan.

  ‘All clear here too. This was the pantry I’m guessing. A few rusted and labelless tins, but empty otherwise. Let’s go through.’

  Maggie followed Nathan through to the living room. An old wooden table and a few chairs were all that furnished the room. The curtains had been drawn over. Maggie swept the room with her flashlight. On the table was a file and papers strewn about. Maggie shone the light on the notes – it was Olivia’s Social Care information. Circled was the name of her birth mother – Linda Eveleigh – and scratched out was her birth father’s name with PRISON written across it. They both noticed something on the floor at the same time and carefully approached what looked like a bloody pile of women’s clothing on the manky and stale carpet.

  Just as they were heading back out to the hall, they heard DI Rutherford call out: ‘He’s here! Get the paramedics in here now!’

  Maggie raced out the front door while Nathan ran up the stairs two by two.

  She called out to the ambulance: ‘They’ve found him. He’s alive!’ and stepped aside as the paramedics entered. She took a moment to compose herself. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she made her way back inside, not knowing what to expect.

  Maggie went upstairs and joined Kat and Nathan who stood outside one of the rooms. DI Rutherford had remained inside the room with Hastings.

  Kat was frowning.

  ‘What is it?’ Maggie looked between the pair.

  ‘Fuck. I’m not sure he’s going to make it. He could barely speak. His breathing was all … raspy. He’s covered in blood … his fucking thumb is missing, and his hand is badly infected.’ Kat gagged and shook her head. ‘I don’t have a good feeling about this.’

  ‘Well, Olivia had better hope he does survive, or she’ll be looking at another murder charge,’ DI Rutherford shouted over her shoulder as she followed the ambulance crew out. ‘Though let’s face it, I don’t think she’ll be bothered either way. Maggie, Kat, stay behind and see what else you can find out. Nathan, come with me.’

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  ‘While field officers are doing the house-to-house, let’s have another nose around here. See if we can figure out what the hell happened in this house. Can you run through what you saw when you found DCI Hastings? Every detail, please.’

  Maggie followed Kat into the room. ‘He was tied here. Looked like he was bound with some sort of wire on his ankles and wrists – each limb tied separately to a piece of the wooden chair.’

  Maggie circled the chair as she pictured Hastings sitting there.

  ‘His head was hanging down. But that contraption there was set up beside the chair, presumably to make sure he was hydrated and didn’t die before she was finished with him. But it was empty, and fuck knows how long it has been since he last had anything in him.’ Kat pointed at the water bottle crudely attached to the metal pole.

  ‘Why would someone do this to their family?’ Maggie walked to the window and looked out. She couldn’t imagine the hate that Olivia must be feeling to torture and then kill her family and anyone else who happened to be an inconvenience.

  ‘I heard how cold she was in the interview with you, Maggie. This is not someone who has any bloody understanding or emotion. The rage against her mother was just awful. I don’t even want to think what she had planned for …’ Kat couldn’t even finish the sentence and rubbed her arms.

  Maggie nodded. It was incomprehensible.

  The building was visible from the road, but not close enough that anyone would be able to see any movement. Maggie was curious as to why this particular building was chosen from the many others that they had passed on the way. ‘This place must hold some significance to Olivia. What do we know about her birth parents, other than the fact that they were abusive? I know that’s important, but I can’t help but think we’re missing something. Her Social Care file was downstairs – or at least a copy of reports from it.’

  Maggie heard some noise from the back of the house and proceeded to the window opposite. One of the forensic officers was standing beside a burned-out car and waving to his colleagues.

  ‘Oh shit! Looks like they found something outside.’ Maggie didn’t wait for Kat to respond and rushed out of the room, bounding down the stairs without thinking about anything but what the forensic officers had found.

  Out back, she headed towards the group of people. ‘What did you find?’ She looked down to where the officer was pointing. A small car, similar in shape to Sophia Hasting’s, was burned out. And there was a body inside.

  ‘Bloody hell.’

  ‘What is it?’ Kat leaned over and caught her breath. ‘Shit – I’m guessing that is not the remains of a large animal?’

  The forensic officer smiled. ‘’fraid not. Just called Dr Blake. She’s going to contact a forensic anthropologist – not much flesh remaining, so they can fight amongst themselves.’ Maggie nodded. ‘I’ll radio DI Rutherford. See what she wants us to do.’

  Maggie walked away from the area and radioed in to the station.

  ‘Hey, guv. The crime scene folks have found a body in a burned-out car; they’ve called out a forensic anthropologist to attend with Dr Blake. Not sure if it is linked to this case or not – what do you want us to do?’

  ‘Could this day get any worse? Well, you’re not going to learn much more there. Come back here, as we’re going to have a briefing before we release any further information. Was there anything with the body to help identify it?’

  ‘Not that I could see. Pretty much burned to the bone; there was some bloody clothing in the house – so forensics may get something off that. Kat and I will make our way back.’ Maggie’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She looked at the screen. ‘Okay, guv. We’ll see you shortly.’

  ‘Hey. How are you?’

  ‘Tell me it isn’t true. Ronnie – I mean Olivia – murdered her family. I can’t believe I fell for her act,’ Lucy stammered.

  ‘How did you find out … never mind. No one could have known. She had everyone fooled. Someone will be around to talk to you, if they haven’t been all ready.’

  ‘I was speaking to someone at the DAHU. Word travels fast when it comes to an officer being harmed. Of course, I’ll talk to whoever you need me to.’

  ‘Would first thing in the morning be better for you? I can let them know. Whatever works best.’

  ‘Vicki’s been released and said she would be here tomorrow, so she’d also be able to help, as she had her reservations about Ronnie from the start. I just didn’t see any of it. First Mark – and now … what a mess, Maggie.’

  ‘Don’t blame yourself. If anything changes, I’ll call – and seriously, Olivia had this planned out for some time, that’s apparent. The fact that none of us saw what was right in front of us is no surprise.’

  ‘Thanks. I’m going to stop by the hospital now and see if there are any changes to Mark’s condition. What happened with her father? I can’t believe I didn’t ask …’

  ‘He’s on his way to the hospital.’ Kat was heading towards her. ‘I’ve got to go now. We’ll speak soon.’ Maggie signalled to Kat. ‘The guv wants us back at the station for a briefing.’

  ‘I’ll drive.’

  Maggie didn’t know what to focus on as they drove back to the station. Maggie could see Kat had wanted to ask her something but for some reason she was holding back. ‘Something on your mind? You’re biting your top lip pretty hard.’

  Kat turned. ‘Is it that obvious? I just wondered what other secrets are in Hastings’s family. What would drive someone to those lengths and why the hell did the DCI keep that fro
m everyone?’

  ‘Well, Bethany might dig up more from Olivia’s phone and the laptop. I was talking to Lucy when we were at the scene. At some point, her statement will have to be taken. Olivia stayed under her roof all this time. I got the impression that Lucy was feeling guilty, especially with Mark in the hospital now too. They were growing close so this must have hit her really hard.’

  ‘I went to see him the other day. Still no change. Though he wasn’t getting any worse, so that’s something.’ Kat’s voice caught on the last few words. She had worked closely with Mark, but Maggie admired how professional she remained throughout this whole ordeal.

  ‘Right! Olivia likes to play games. How about after the briefing we finish off the interview? We have a few tricks up our sleeve too.’

  Chapter Eighty

  DCI Meechan stood at the front of the room. He was rubbing his chin as the team filed in and took their seats. ‘I’ll keep this as short as possible. DI Rutherford and I will be meeting with the press after this, so let’s run down where we’re at. I’ll share the updates I have and if any of you have anything else to add, shout out. No time for politeness.’ He paused. ‘Hastings is currently in critical condition at Stafford County Hospital. Some of the injuries he sustained were infected and they are working to stabilize him. It’s touch and go at the minute, so let’s keep positive and hope he fights through this. I’ve had a call to confirm that the burned remains found at the crime scene are indeed human – thought to be female – but they have no other information about this yet. Olivia has legal representation now and they are aware that we’ll be questioning her again. Maggie and Kat – I understand you will be doing this.’

  ‘Yes, sir. Maybe she’ll disclose who the woman in the car is. I don’t think it was a coincidence that additional remains were found,’ Maggie added. ‘Now that we know Hastings wasn’t involved, will you be updating the press, as they might want to redact half the shit they put out there.’

  ‘We’ll be sharing what we can, but yes we’ll be making it clear that we have our suspect in custody and are not looking for anyone else in relation to the murders of Tim Griffiths, Sophia Hastings, and Joe Clayton and the attempted murder of PC Mark Fielding, Vicki Wilkinson, and DCI Hastings.’ He shook his head. It was a lot for the team to take on board, but Maggie realized this would be a good closure for his records. She looked at DI Rutherford. Despite the stress, she seemed to have really come out of whatever funk she had been in. Maggie resumed focus on the case. It wouldn’t do her any good to start straying now. The interview with Olivia Hastings would be challenging.

  ‘Bethany, do you have any new information to share from Olivia’s laptop or other devices?’

  ‘She diarized everything; it’s no wonder she lashed out at Lucy when she attempted to help her with her bag. Although she password protected everything in the Dropbox she had created, and I needed the Digital Forensic team’s help with cracking them, Olivia took pictures, videos, kept notes – the lot. Looks like she knew Joe Clayton from Tim’s estate too – he dealt drugs to the kids to support his own habit and she had a load of info on you, Maggie – conversations she overheard between DCI Hasting’s and his wife – so I guess that’s why she targeted your house for the listening device.’

  ‘Bloody brilliant! We can use all that when we interview her,’ Kat jumped in.

  ‘Hmmm. Well, you could, but other than it being her Dropbox, there is nothing particular that identifies her as the person who wrote the notes or took the pictures. A clever solicitor would point that out.’ Bethany shrugged.

  ‘Well, it’s at least a start. Can you make sure Maggie and Kat have all the details in time for their interview?’ Meechan looked at his watch. ‘Unless there is anything else, let’s crack on – it’s getting late and the sooner we have something to present to the CPS and close this case, the better.’

  Chapter Eighty-One

  Maggie collected all the notes and images off Bethany and nodded to Kat. ‘You ready?’

  Kat took a deep breath. The lines across her brow told Maggie that she was nervous about this interview. The high profile of this case could make or break a detective and neither wanted to be on the receiving end of a bollocking. As they made their way down the hall, they bumped into DI Rutherford and DCI Meechan who were heading to the press conference.

  ‘We have every confidence in you both, don’t we, Abs?’ Maggie noted DI Rutherford’s blush, seemingly surprised at what appeared to be a term of affection they once shared.

  ‘Absolutely. You know exactly what needs to be done. We already have enough to charge and hold Ms Hastings, and once we have the latest forensic report back from Dr Blake’s team, we can add any additional charges. She won’t get away with this.’ DI Rutherford squeezed Maggie’s hand.

  ‘Thanks. Good luck to you both. Hopefully, the vultures will get what they need.’ Maggie carried on down the stairs with Kat in close proximity. As they neared the interview room, Maggie sensed Kat’s nerves and stopped. ‘Take a few deep breaths. Don’t forget, we have all the evidence we need. Right now, we’re just looking for Olivia to fill in some blanks, okay?’

  Kat nodded and took a few deep breaths. ‘Let’s do this.’

  They opened the door to the interview room and were greeted with a smirk.

  ‘Did you find what you were looking for then?’ Olivia lifted her eyes and stared at Maggie.

  Maggie and Kat sat down and nodded at the man who sat beside Olivia Hastings. He reached across the table and introduced himself. ‘I’m Jack Durkin from Durkin and McManus Solicitors.’ His hand was clammy. ‘I was called in, as the other duty solicitor was not available.’

  ‘Poor you,’ Kat mumbled and turned on the recorder, reminding Olivia she was still under caution. She hadn’t had a solicitor present at the first interview, but she must have had second thoughts once she learned that her father had been found. Maggie wondered how this played into her games.

  ‘You’ll be happy to hear that we located your father and he’s doing well in hospital.’ Maggie knew that wasn’t the full truth, but she wanted to gauge the woman’s reaction.

  Olivia’s left eyebrow raised. ‘Well, that’s not true, DC Jamieson. I had you down as a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. The custody sergeant informed my solicitor of David’s condition. Tsk, tsk. Were you hoping I might break down? Cry and plead for mercy?’

  Mr Durkin shifted in his seat. Was that a look of embarrassment on his face? Maggie bet he wished he wasn’t the duty solicitor today.

  ‘We found something else of interest at the property.’ Maggie dangled the last word, hoping that Olivia would bite.

  She leaned back and crossed her arms. ‘And what would that be?’

  ‘More remains in a burned-out car. Your mother’s car, in fact – identified by the VIN. We suspect it is a female, but we’re waiting for more information from forensics; however, if you’d like to tell us more about it, it will go down well with the CPS and the courts noting your cooperation.’

  Jack Durkin leaned across and whispered into his client’s ear. Olivia responded and then looked at Maggie and Kat. She placed her head on the table and her shoulders shook.

  Was she crying?

  ‘It’s okay.’ Maggie softened, hoping that would convince the woman to open up to them. ‘Take your time.’

  They heard noises from beneath her arms, shoulders still shaking – but when she raised her head, she wasn’t crying at all. She was laughing. And now that laughter was uncontrollable.

  ‘Ms Hastings, do you really think that’s appropriate?’ Maggie waited.

  Her laughter stopped as quickly as it had started, and a cold look came over her face. Her whole demeanour changed as she growled: ‘You found her then.’

  ‘Who is it?’ Maggie leaned forwards.

  ‘The woman who gave birth to me. Fucking bitch.’ Olivia’s nostrils flared.

  ‘Your birth mother? How did you find her?’

  ‘That woman w
as no mother!’ she spat. ‘She got knocked up and gave birth to me, but other than passing me between her legs, she was nothing but another adult who used me – as a human ashtray most days. She reminded me every day what a burden I was and then let Social Services take me when her attempts to beat me to death failed.’ She paused. ‘Did you find the hole?’

  Maggie’s eyes widened. ‘What hole?’

  ‘The grave. Meant for the sperm donor who created me.’

  ‘We were told your birth father is in prison.’

  ‘Yes. The fucker was lucky because if I got my hands on him …’ She slammed her fists on the desk. ‘All the secrets and lies. David and Sophia thought they could bury them, pretend like I was their child. As if I could forget what happened to me. And then they wanted to lock me away when I got to be too much! No one has that power over me – I’m free, motherfuckers.’ She slammed her fists on the table.

  Maggie didn’t want to interrupt her, as her anger seemed to drive her to share what was behind the killings, but Olivia had stopped talking and was staring at the wall behind them.

  ‘I’m not ashamed of or sorry for anything I’ve done, you know.’ The words sounded like a script. ‘Everyone who died and those who should have died deserved what they got. Did you see what I had carved on David’s chest? One dot – FREE. That’s me now.’

  ‘What about Tim Griffiths? He was an innocent in all of this. Just wanted a friend.’

  ‘Ah – yes. Tim was a means to an end, I’m afraid.’ She shrugged.

  ‘You really are a heartless cow, aren’t you?’ Kat interrupted, and Maggie rested her hand on her arm.

  ‘My colleague is not wrong. Is there any shred of decency inside you?’ Maggie tilted her head and looked at the woman in front of them.