by M A Comley
“Whatever. I’m always here if you need me.” The woman went back into her house.
Charlie and Katy ran up the alley and into the small rear garden that consisted of mainly concrete with a shed tucked away in one corner. The back door was open wide.
“Did you go in?” Katy asked.
Charlie shook her head. “Nope, I thought it best not to. Want me to take a look now?”
“No. Let me put in a call to SOCO first, although I’m sorely tempted to dive straight in.” Katy rang the number and requested a SOCO team to attend the address. She was told they would take fifteen to twenty minutes to get to the location. “Okay, sod that,” she said, disconnecting the call. “I’m going in. You stay out here. I’ll take the flack if there’s any to be handed out. We need to know if this woman is lying in there injured, or worse still.”
“I agree. Want me to wait around the front for them to arrive?”
“No, stay here. I’ll shout if I need you.” Katy extracted a pair of blue plastic gloves from her pocket and entered the house. She peered around the door which led to a galley-style white kitchen. On the floor, by the sink, was a smashed plate and a child’s plastic beaker. A tea towel was strewn across the draining board which contained other crockery and glassware. Katy left the kitchen and peered into every room quickly, her heart racing as she conducted the search. Nothing, there was no sign of life anywhere. Both the woman and child were missing. Where are they? What happened here last night? First Adama is found murdered, then we come here to find his wife and child missing. Katy worked her way back through the tidy, well-decorated home to the back door where Charlie was waiting for her. “Nothing, no sign of either the wife or the child. However, there are signs of a possible struggle in the kitchen. We’ll see what SOCO have to say about it.”
“Damn, do you think someone took the woman and child? Maybe held them hostage to make the victim do something against his will?”
Katy sighed and considered the suggestion. “Who knows? We need to find another next of kin ASAP.” She slammed her clenched fist against her thigh. “Bloody hell, what the fuck is going on? Who are these people, and what have they done that has made someone so angry they’d want to destroy their lives like this? And no, I don’t think I’m overthinking things, not by a long shot.”
“It’s definitely hard to figure out with the evidence we have to hand, but you don’t need to hear me stating the obvious.”
“Too right. Jesus, come on, SOCO, make an appearance so we can bloody well get on with our investigation. Time drags when you have to be elsewhere.”
The SOCO team arrived nearly twenty minutes later. After apprising the head technician about what was going on, Katy and Charlie raced back to the car and drove to the victim’s workplace.
The receptionist at the solicitors’ office was courteous but slightly abrupt with them until Katy showed her ID. “It’s important we see whoever is in charge around here as soon as possible. I’m sorry, I won’t take no for an answer.” There, that’s told her, two can play at that game, missus.
“Of course, I’ll see if Mr Smith can squeeze you in between appointments.”
“You’re very kind,” Katy replied, fighting hard to keep the sarcasm out of her tone.
When Mr Smith appeared with the receptionist a few minutes later, he looked as hacked off as his employee. His features flushed, he strode towards them. “What’s the meaning of this visit? It’s customary to make an appointment, in case you hadn’t realised.”
“It is? I must have forgotten to read that memo when it was circulated down at the station, especially when in connection with a murder case.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Katy bit down on her tongue for fear of making the man more vexed than he already appeared to be. “It would be better if we spoke in private, sir, perhaps in your office.”
He grunted and turned on his heel, then shouted over his shoulder for them to follow him. Katy and Charlie swept past the gobsmacked receptionist and into the office Smith had entered. He gestured for them to take a seat opposite him.
Sitting upright in his chair, he placed his hands, intertwining his fingers, on the desk. “Right, I can spare you five minutes, that’s all. Therefore, I would suggest you get to the point of your visit, and swiftly.”
“I can do that, sir. No problem. We’re here about a member of your staff, he’s another solicitor, I’m led to believe.”
“Does this person have a name?” he asked, his tone clipped, bordering on tedium.
“Adama Kone.”
“Ah yes. Okay, he’s a good man. But I’m puzzled, you mentioned that you were here regarding a murder inq…”
He stopped mid-sentence, and Katy couldn’t help wondering if the penny had finally dropped.
“Please, don’t tell me he’s the victim?”
Katy nodded. “We have reason to believe that’s the case, sir.”
He flopped back in his chair, stunned by the news, and shook his head. “No, not Adama. He was such a decent chap. One of the kindest people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing.”
“My condolences. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind filling in a few blanks for us about Mr Kone.”
He bounced forward again. “Of course. What is it you need to know?”
“Presently, we know very little about him. Anything you’re willing to share with us would be a bonus and set us on the right track to begin our investigation. Has he worked here long?”
“Yes, five years. A very smart young man despite his upbringing. He was determined to make something of his life. Studied hard while working two jobs, often going without sleep. That kind of determination and willingness to succeed is very rare these days.”
“What type of law did he work in?”
“Conveyancing, although he was also training to broaden his skills to become a prosecutor. He’s been working with another of my associates, Mr Oxlaide, when his own schedule has been slack. Goodness me, I can’t believe he’s gone. He had a smile that lit up several rooms at once, it was that broad. Oh my, his wife is going to be devastated, poor Gillian. Have you broken the news to her yet?”
Katy shook her head. “Here’s the thing. We called at their home before coming here, and it would seem that his wife and child are missing.”
“What? You’re not sure?”
“No, sadly. We showed up with the intention of telling Mrs Kone about her husband and found the back door open. There were signs of a struggle, and when I questioned the next door neighbour, she told me that Adama had gone out for a run and later she heard Gillian cry out. She thought nothing of it at the time, assumed they were arguing. We left SOCO at the house, trying their best to obtain any clues from the usual resources. I don’t suppose you have contact details for Mrs Kone, do you? Her phone number by any chance?”
He tapped a few keys on his computer keyboard and wrote a number down on a sheet of paper. He handed it to Katy. “We have the details of all our staff’s spouses to hand, just in case. This can be a risky business at times, as you can imagine.”
“Thank you. Which brings me to my next question. Has Adama mentioned any problems or grave concerns he may have had in say the past month or two? Either at work, with a possible client or in his personal life?”
Smith mulled over the question for a few moments, ran a finger around the inside of his collar and shrugged. “I can’t think of anything. Not to that extreme anyway. He was always telling me about little incidents he had to put up with, you know, him being black, not that he had any form of that nonsense from the staff here. They treated him as an equal, most of them looked up to him for guidance and advice. At the risk of repeating myself, he was a genuinely nice chap. It always hurt me deeply, the kind of shit he and other people of his colour needlessly have to deal with. If only people took the time to get to know people, to push their prejudices aside, the world would be a far more pleasant place to live in.” He paused to gather his thoughts and picked up his
pen to keep his hands busy. Then continued, “All this racism crap is disconcerting to say the least. We’re all the same beneath the colour of our skin. I have a theory on the issue, if you want to hear it?”
“Please, go on,” Katy replied, always eager to hear other people’s opinions on such an emotive issue.
“I believe it comes down to envy, jealousy even. Think about it, the best athletes, singers, dancers in the world are all black. At least that’s my perception. We should encourage and praise people for who they are and the talents they possess, it should never come down to colour and race, ever. Most people aren’t willing to see beyond what they see in front of them. We had a prime example of this in the summer. Look at the disgraceful incidents on social media regarding our national football team. The bastards had no right carrying out a campaign on Twitter and Facebook against the black players who they perceived to have let this country down. If those men had scored those penalties and we’d lifted the cup, today they would be national heroes. It beggars belief that a mindless minority feel the need to come out against these talented young men.”
“I wholeheartedly agree with you. I believe it’s mob mentality. These people are downright cowards who hide behind an online persona. Except, Adama was killed in Hyde Park during his run.”
“It’s all so terrible. Hard to fathom what makes people attack another human in such a vile way. Is that what you think has happened? Do you believe he was targeted because of his colour?”
“We’ve yet to establish a motive, but it’s a possibility we’re not going to be able to ignore.”
“They were such a perfect couple. They met here, she was another solicitor’s secretary. They fell in love over the filing cabinet, and everyone couldn’t have been happier for them. When they announced they were getting married, it was such a joyous occasion. We all attended the wedding which took place eighteen months ago, I believe, maybe a touch longer. You’re aware as well as I am how time flies.”
Katy nodded.
“Little Jamillia was born six months ago. Their family was complete. He was devoted to them. Gillian is due to come back to work soon as her maternity leave is over in the next week or so, I think.”
“I see, and who was going to look after the child while they both worked? The reason I’m asking is, we need to get in touch with a next of kin.”
“Ah yes, I see. Adama was going to start working from home a few days a week. Gillian was going to do the same. They would see to the child’s needs between them.”
“That would make sense. Do they have any relatives close to hand, do you know?”
“Yes, Adama’s parents, although I seem to remember that Adama said he had treated them both to a holiday down on the south coast somewhere. I can’t be more specific than that, I’m afraid.”
“It’s okay. We can possibly find them through the media in that area, unless someone else here can tell us.”
“I can ask. My associates are going to be devastated that Adama has been… murdered.” He shuddered. “Horrible word… I’ll say passed away. It still hasn’t really sunk in with me yet. Shocking. What a disgusting world we live in. A life means nothing nowadays, does it? Who has the bloody right to take someone else’s life like that? Appalling state of affairs, especially if it is to do with racism. Such a waste, he was an exceptionally talented man.”
“I can tell you thought a lot of him. I wonder if it would be possible to give me a list of his clients, maybe something useful will show up on our system.”
“As I said, he was our conveyancing solicitor. Do you really think someone with a grudge along those lines would go after him? It’s not like he put someone behind bars, that would more than likely have a detrimental effect on his future, not whether a house sale fell through or not, surely?”
“Perhaps, if we can have the details all the same. It would be better to obtain the information at the start of the investigation instead of halfway through it.”
“I understand. I’ll get my secretary on it now. Can she email the list to you later or would you rather take it with you?”
“Now would be preferable.”
“Okay, let me see what I can sort out for you, if you’ll give me five minutes.”
“Of course. We appreciate it, thank you.”
Smith left the room.
Katy turned to Charlie who had her head down, still taking notes. “Are you okay? You’ve barely looked up from your notebook.”
Charlie faced her with tears in her eyes. “I’m not sure. If what you and Mr Smith said about the racism aspect is true, I have to say I’m appalled by the suggestion.”
Katy patted her on the knee. “Don’t go getting yourself upset about it, Charlie. We need to remain impartial. I’ve been trying to recollect if I’ve ever dealt with a racially motivated crime before. I don’t think I have. It makes my stomach clench just thinking about it. Sickens me. Saying that, we have to be resilient and maintain our British stiff upper lip and plod on. Do Adama justice by capturing the morons who carried out the attack. What I’m more concerned about is the fact that Adama’s wife and child are both missing. Where the hell are they? Are they being held hostage by the same people who killed her husband?”
“It does seem a plausible proposition. I think if the wife had made a run for it, we would have heard about that from the neighbour you spoke to.”
“Fair point. Which begs the question, why are they still holding her, if her husband is now dead?”
“You’re presuming they’ve still got her and the child. What if they’re lying dead somewhere, waiting for us to discover their bodies?”
“Another part of the puzzle that is going to chip away at us.”
“Tough for us to decide which direction we should go in,” Charlie added.
“Maybe a name will be highlighted in the system once we go through the list Smith is putting together for us.”
“Fingers crossed. He seemed genuinely upset by the news.”
“He did, which surprised me, don’t know why it should have. Maybe I’m guilty of judging the man by the austere way he greeted us.”
“Judged him by his cover, you mean?” Charlie chuckled.
“Yeah, not good to do that, as I should know from experience.” Katy jiggled her leg and peered over her shoulder a couple of times. “I wish he’d hurry up. Not sure my nerves can stand much more of being cooped up in this stuffy room.”
“I’m sure he won’t be long now.”
With that, Smith came back into the room. He returned to his seat and pushed a sheet of paper across the desk to Katy. “A full list of the clients Adama has dealt with in the last six months. Is that sufficient, or would you rather go back further than that?”
“It’ll do for now. Thank you. I know this is asking a lot at short notice, but would it be possible to have a chat with your other associates while we’re here?”
“Of course. Although I believe only Jacqueline Nixon is in her office at the moment. I can have a chat with her, see if she’s free to speak with you.”
Katy smiled and nodded. “If you wouldn’t mind.”
“All right if I prewarn her what it’s about? I think it will come as less of a shock if I tell her.”
“Yes, that might be a better idea. We’ll wait here.”
He left the room.
Katy’s leg took on a life of its own and jiggled up and down again. “More time to fill.”
“What’s that saying about patience being a virtue?”
Katy pulled a face at her partner. Luckily, the man appeared in the doorway not long after. He asked them to follow him and took them to the office on the other side of the hallway. A young woman in her thirties, her long hair tied back at the neck, was behind the desk, wiping her eyes on a tissue.
“Hello, sorry, I’m a mess. Broke down as soon as Mr Smith told me. Adama was such a sweetheart. You couldn’t wish for a kinder soul to work with.”
Katy’s heart dipped. “You have our condolences. I
f you wouldn’t mind speaking with us, I’m sure anything you tell us will help to form a better picture of what’s likely going on here.”
“I’ll do my best. Please, take a seat.”
“I’ll leave you ladies to it,” Mr Smith said and departed the room.
Jacqueline blew her nose on a clean tissue and threw it in the bin behind her. “What do you want to know?”
“How close were you to Adama?”
“Close enough, I would say.”
“Did he tell you where his parents were going on holiday?”
“South coast, I think he mentioned North Devon, but that was just in passing. Eliza and Kolo are going to be devastated when they hear the news, as we all are. Do you have any idea who could have done such a terrible thing to this kind man?”
“Not yet, clues are very thin on the ground. We’ve only just begun our investigation.”
“I understand. Please, ask me anything. I’ll do my very best to help, if I can.”
“Did Adama mention any problems he may have encountered in his personal life lately?”
“You mean trouble, as in someone being aggressive towards him?”
“Yes, anything of that nature.”
Jacqueline shook her head as she contemplated the question. “I don’t think so, no. Oh wait, he had a slight problem with a neighbour a few months ago, someone playing music too loud. He went around there, told them to pipe down and received a mouthful of abuse in return, which I seem to recall shook him up at the time. I advised him to ignore it, which he did, but then he came in one day and told me someone had keyed his car. He was mortified. The bill was over five hundred pounds to put it right. He was unsure whether to confront that same neighbour or not.”
“And what advice did you give him?”
“I told him to forget it, put it down to experience and to ring the police next time the neighbour did anything disruptive, instead of trying to deal with the matter himself. He agreed that was the best option.”
“Do you recall the neighbour’s name?”