by M A Comley
“That was quick. I take it he couldn’t tell you much,” Patti said.
“He had his head so far up his arse I decided to walk away and leave Charlie to handle him. Tosser. He did mention that he’d seen a couple of men down here recently who seemed out of place, although he was a hundred percent sure they weren’t paedos.”
“Goodness me. No wonder you left him to it. What an absolute arsehole.”
“The world is full of them, apparently.”
“Ah, yes, so it is. Anyway, I need to crack on as the weather is up to its usual trick of trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Good luck. I was hoping to get my reports sent over to you in the next day or two but, with yet another PM to carry out, you’re going to have to be patient with me.”
“No rush. Hopefully, with what has come to light during the day, we’ll be interviewing the bastards before the day is out.”
“Good to know. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Katy returned to the path to find Charlie just wrapping things up with Banks. He glanced her way and narrowed his eyes, so she kept her distance rather than get into another argument with him. Charlie joined her a few seconds later.
“Everything all right?” Katy asked.
“Yeah, apart from him letting me have it when you left.”
Katy wrinkled her nose. “Sorry to leave you to it, Charlie, but the bloke wound me up something chronic.”
“No need to apologise. He’s gone now. What next?”
Katy began the walk back to the car. At the cordon, they disrobed and left their suits in the black bag.
“Onwards to share the unwanted news. We’ve had our fill of that shit this week, you’d think we’d be hardened to it by now, except I have butterflies taking flight at a gallop in my stomach.”
“I feel for you.”
Mindful that the time was almost two-fifteen, Katy decided it would be best to use the siren to get to their destination. However, she switched it off when they entered the adjoining road to Siaka Traore’s home. Again, the house was a small terrace that had no front garden. Katy inhaled a large breath and let it seep through her lips before she rang the bell.
“Hate it,” she murmured.
Charlie gave her an encouraging smile. “You’ve got this.”
The door opened, and a young black woman holding a baby stood on the threshold. “Hello?” She frowned and looked up and down the street and then back at them.
Katy and Charlie produced their IDs.
“Mrs Traore? Is it possible to come in and speak with you?” Katy asked.
Her frown deepened, making Katy wonder if she understood English or not. “What for?” Her accent was thick and her tone laced with uncertainty.
“We have some news that we’d rather not discuss out here.”
Horror filled Mrs Traore’s features. “What news? I don’t understand. Oh no, this is to do with my husband, isn’t it? Where is he? What’s happened to him?” Her voice strained with panic, she stumbled backwards.
Katy pushed the door open wider to gain entry and helped the woman to stay upright. “Come on, easy now. Can we go in the lounge?”
The woman nodded, then glanced down at her baby who was crying. “Hush now, sweetie. Don’t cry, Muma is here.” She moved then and walked into the first room on the right.
Katy and Charlie followed. Katy had a feeling sharing the news about the death of the woman’s husband was going to be a traumatic affair. Once they were all seated in the small room which had baby toys and blankets strewn across the carpet, Katy cleared her throat and said, “I’m sorry to have to inform you that your husband’s body was found…”
She failed to get any further because the woman let out a chilling scream that rattled Katy’s bones. She shot out of her chair and tried to prise the baby from the woman’s arms but she was having none of it; she clung on tight and rocked back and forth as the tears flowed. “My baby is dead. My sweet Siaka is dead. Oh, Tiani, what are we going to do without him?”
“I’m so very sorry. Is there someone we can call? A family member or a good friend who can come and sit with you?” Katy asked, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces for the woman and her young child.
“No, we’re all alone here. Me, Siaka and Tiani. Now he’s gone…” She sobbed and buried her face in her baby’s chest. Tiani sensed her mother’s anguish and let out another wail followed by another one until her mother raised her head and started singing a lullaby to her. The child instantly calmed down, but then her mother stopped, too choked to continue, and Tiani started wailing again.
Katy peered over her shoulder at the equipment available in the room. “Why don’t we put Tiani either on the floor or in her Moses basket?”
“Yes, okay.” Mrs Traore placed the child gently in the basket and carried it back to her seat. She positioned it on the floor beside her and rocked the child until her eyes drooped and she fell asleep. “How?” she whispered.
“We fear he was murdered. We’re waiting on the report from the post-mortem. I’m so sorry. When was the last time you saw him?”
Shaking her head, disbelief enveloping her, she said, “This morning. He had a few meetings today. Told me he would be late home this evening. I didn’t expect this.” She sniffled and wiped her running nose on the cuff of her jumper.
Charlie spotted a box of tissues on the table at the end of the room, whipped a couple out and handed them to Mrs Traore.
“Thank you. You’re very kind. I can’t believe this. My husband is never going to return, to play with his daughter, the daughter he’s longed for, waited most of his adult life to hold. We had to have fertility treatment to become pregnant. We couldn’t afford it, not really, but his desperation to have a child was… huge, and now…” Fresh tears fell onto her cheeks.
“I’m so very sorry. Are you up to talking to us? We don’t want to put you under any more pressure than is necessary.”
“Yes, but I need to warn you, I will continue to break down and cry, you see, I’m expecting another child, and my hormones are all over the place. I only found out this morning, and Siaka didn’t know…” she wailed.
A lump blocked Katy’s throat. Shit! Life can be so fucking unfair. This poor woman. Katy took a breath, to allow the woman to vent her grief.
“Shall I make a drink?” Charlie asked.
“Mrs Traore, would you like a cup of tea?” Katy asked.
“Yes, that would be nice. My name is Delilah.”
Katy smiled. “Do you take sugar? I suggest you have a sweet tea, it’s supposed to help in these circumstances.”
“Yes, two sugars. Thank you.” Delilah briefly smiled at Charlie.
Her partner left the room.
Katy’s attention was drawn to the child being rocked, who by now was snoring gently. “She’s adorable. How old is Tiani?”
“Eight months. We wanted to have two children close together, and now he’ll never get to see or hold the new baby. Why was he killed?”
“I’m sorry, we’ve yet to find out what the killers’ motives are.”
“Killers? Is that one person or more than one?”
“We’re investigating several other cases that are very similar. To our knowledge there is a gang targeting black men in this community.”
Delilah gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. She shook her head over and over and then dropped her hand to speak. “We came here to escape such violence and deprivation only for him to be killed because of his colour. How wrong is that? He was a gentle man, never did anything wrong. Helped people out when they needed him. Why would anyone kill him? Is this to do with racism or was he targeted for another reason because of his colour? Am I making any sense?”
“I get what you mean. All I can tell you at this moment in time is that we’re aware of the gang and we hope to pick them up soon.”
“I don’t understand, if you’re aware of these people, why are they still roaming the streets? You’re allowing them to continue to take
lives. To kill good people, why?”
“In our defence, we’ve only just established who the possible culprits are. We’re doing our best to try and find them. CCTV footage came into our possession this morning; my team are carrying out all the necessary duties to track them down while we were called out to attend… the crime scene where we found your husband.”
Delilah nodded. “Okay, I understand now. I didn’t mean to accuse you of not doing your best. I can tell you are a kind person.”
Katy smiled. “I like to think so. I have to ask if your husband has had any problems with anyone lately.”
Delilah stared at the wall ahead of her for a few moments. “No, not that he told me. My husband was a very astute man, he sheltered me from a lot of bad things, refused to let me have the news on in the house, in case it upset me. He was very protective of me, of us, as a family.” She glanced down at Tiani and shook her head. “I’ve never known love like it. Maybe some women would feel suffocated, but not me. He adored us both. I’m devastated he won’t meet our new baby. My God, I don’t have a clue how we’re going to survive, not without Siaka.”
Katy laid a hand over Delilah’s. “We can assist you. Please, try not to worry about that. I will put you in touch with someone to help you through this painful process.”
Delilah looked her in the eye and smiled. “You are very kind. Such kindness is rare these days.”
“It’s all part of the service. I’ll give you my number before we leave, you can call me day or night if you’re unsure about anything going forward. There is always someone available to help you, you just need to know where to find them.”
The conversation paused when the door opened and Charlie entered the room. She placed Delilah’s mug of tea on the table next to her chair.
“Thank you.” She smiled at Charlie and then down at her daughter who was making gurgling noises. “She will miss him. They adored one another. My heart is broken into many pieces.”
“Is there anything we can do for you?” Katy asked, her own heart lying heavily against her ribs.
“I can’t think of anything. Can I see him? Is that possible?”
“After the post-mortem has been completed. We need to know fully what happened to him.”
Delilah shook her head. “Will I ever get used to not having him around? Not seeing his smiling face? Hearing his gentle teasing, yet kind words? The way he cuddled up to me at night as if he never wanted to let me go? He treated me like his equal, we did nearly everything together, and now he’s gone, never to return.”
Katy stared at Delilah, unable to answer her painful questions, her grief evident with every blink of her eyes and the changing expressions. “It’s going to be tough, the next few months, or even years, but you will get through this, for your children’s sakes.”
“How can you say that?” Delilah’s voice trembled with emotion as she studied Tiani. Her hand traced her daughter’s features, and a sob caught in her throat.
“It’s called life. No matter what happens to us, it has to go on if we have children to love and protect.”
“Are you a mother?”
“Yes, I have a five-year-old daughter.”
“Then you understand what I must be going through.”
“Sort of. I can’t profess to know your exact feelings as I’ve never lost my husband. But please, you mustn’t think you’re alone with what lies ahead of you.”
“It feels that way.”
“I know it does. I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to leave you soon in order to continue our investigation. Can I perhaps call either a friend or ask a neighbour to come and sit with you? I don’t think you should be alone right now.”
Delilah glanced up at the clock on the wall. “Miranda, lives opposite. She should be home from work by now.”
Without Katy saying a word, Charlie left the room again.
“Can I ask what job your husband had?”
“Yes, he was in telesales for a few different companies.”
“Ah, the main one being?”
“Lombarts. I can’t remember the address. It’s not somewhere I chose to visit that often.”
“No problem, we can look it up.”
Delilah lifted her baby and cuddled her, gently cradling her in her arms and singing a lullaby. Katy struggled to hold back the tears at the touching scene. Life truly does suck at times. This poor woman, what does the future hold for her now that her husband isn’t around to protect her?
Charlie came back into the room accompanied by a petite blonde, who rushed over to Delilah and knelt on the floor beside her.
“Is it true?” Miranda whispered.
Delilah nodded and stared at Miranda. They hugged, baby Tiani chuckling with excitement between them. The women pulled apart, and Miranda tickled the baby.
Katy, knowing that Delilah was now in the safe hands of her friend, decided it was time for them to leave. She gave Delilah her card and told her she would get someone to contact her to offer any assistance she needed going forward. Delilah seemed relieved to hear that piece of news.
They showed themselves out.
Katy glanced at her watch and then dropped into the car. “Three-thirty, that leaves us thirty minutes to get there. Do me a favour, Charlie, call the station, see if the team have found out who the van and the car belong to yet.”
Katy hit the road. She listened to Charlie’s side of the conversation as well as concentrating on the traffic ahead which was chocka due to the kids coming out of school. “Why did I agree to meet him at this time of bloody day? You don’t have to answer, it was a rhetorical question. Any luck?”
“Thanks, Karen. We’ll be in touch soon.” Charlie ended the call on a sigh. “Nothing much. Both cars were registered to owners out of the area who had sold the vehicles.”
“Shit, that’s not helpful. Okay, the best thing we can do is put an alert out on both vehicles. Can you organise that for me while I wrestle with the traffic?”
Charlie placed a call to the desk sergeant. She hung up a few minutes later and expelled another sigh. “This investigation isn’t getting easier, is it?”
“Nope, you can say that again… on second thoughts, don’t you dare. All we can hope is that Koffi Bamba is about to give us some valuable information that will blow this investigation apart. Am I guilty of raising my expectations too high?”
“Who knows? We need something to hang on to, otherwise we’re going to go round the twist. What is it with this traffic at this time of the day? Don’t mothers ever walk their kids to school any longer? Don’t children have to be within a catchment area of schools? Doesn’t that mean that the schools have to be within easy reach? Or is that just a figment of my imagination?”
Katy couldn’t help but giggle. “Hey, I hear you loud and clear. In AJ’s defence, he does his very best to leave the car at home when he takes Georgie to school unless he’s on the way to price up a job.”
“Glad to see there’s at least one parent around who is considerate of the environment. It’s not rocket science, is it? I used to walk to school every day, and we lived a fair distance from my school, I seem to remember.”
“Hey, ditto. Times are a-changing, partner.”
“They’re rapidly going downhill, that’s for sure. It was a whole lot easier getting around during the lockdown with far fewer cars on the road.”
“You’re not wrong. Glad we’re over that particular period, though. We’re almost there now.”
Katy managed to find a parking space close to Teddington Lock, only because Charlie pointed out that a woman was vacating the spot. They left the car and tore across the road, weaving in and out of the slow-moving cars.
“He should be around here somewhere, although saying that, we’re a few minutes early.”
“Do you want to stick together or split up?” Charlie asked.
Katy surveyed the area where she and Koffi had agreed to meet. Nothing, he wasn’t there yet. “Let’s stick together for now. I’ll
give him until ten past four before I call him, only because the traffic is heaving and we had a job and a half getting here ourselves.”
Together they paced the area. As the minutes slowly ticked by, Katy’s gut instinct told her something was wrong. Charlie seemed to sense the same by the way her shoulders dipped. At nine minutes past four, Katy had her phone out ready to make the call. Still no sign of him. She punched in the journalist’s number. Nothing. She tried it again in case she’d dialled a wrong number but she received the same result: nothing.
“I’m not liking this one bit. His phone isn’t even ringing out.”
“Do you think the gang got wind of what he was about to do and picked him up?”
“Maybe.” Katy searched the immediate area for signs of the two vehicles they were trying to trace, but she couldn’t see either of them. Are they truly likely to turn up here?
The minutes dragged by. Finally, at four-thirty, Katy made the decision to leave. “Let’s go, this is a waste of time.”
“Did he tell you which paper he worked on?” Charlie asked.
“No, I don’t recall him telling me that. Shit! I’m such an idiot, I should have asked.”
“It’s okay. We can work around it. Want me to Google him, see what comes up? None of the team mentioned what they’d found out about him when I called in.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Charlie came up with the answer a few seconds after her search began. “London Standard. He’s the Foreign Affairs journalist on the paper.”
“Hmm… that would make sense. Give them a call, see if he’s at work, he might have been held up or something.”
Charlie dialled the number and asked the receptionist if Koffi was at his desk. She ended the call moments later. “He left at around three-thirty, said he had an important meeting to attend.”
“I’ve heard enough. Let’s get back to the station and do some more digging. I hope to God he’s okay.”
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