The Whitby Murders (A Yorkshire Murder Mystery)

by J. R. Ellis

  ‘Yes, I appreciate all that,’ said Andy, ‘but this is a murder enquiry, and we need to ask you about the fact that Holgate was involved in cheating: copying someone else’s work and passing it off as his own.’

  ‘Plagiarism,’ replied Timmins in a weak voice, and then he coughed. He’d turned pale. Just the kind of thing he doesn’t want all over the papers, thought Jenkins.

  ‘Yes, well, you’re right. He was involved in malpractice.’ He paused as he read from the screen. ‘Twice, in fact. It was several years ago now. The first was a minor offence: he failed to acknowledge a source and we accepted that that could have been an oversight. The second occasion was more serious. He presented a coursework assignment which was over eighty per cent similar to that presented by another student on the same course. We have software to calculate these things.’

  ‘That other student was Mark Garner,’ said Andy, consulting the brief he’d been given by Oldroyd.

  This fact appeared to surprise Timmins again. ‘You already know that?’

  ‘Yes, because Garner is another member of the group of friends involved in the events at Whitby.’

  ‘I see.’ He looked paler still.

  Jenkins smiled. This was even worse: two students from the university!

  ‘What was the outcome of this incident?’

  Timmins consulted the screen again. ‘His assignment had to be re-submitted and he could only be awarded the lowest available pass mark. He was given a final warning: any further transgression would have meant expulsion from the course. He was lucky, especially after he tried to blame Garner. He claimed that Garner had copied from him.’

  Andy looked up. ‘Really? When we spoke to Garner about this, he said that Holgate had admitted to what he’d done, even apologised.’ He checked what his boss had written in the brief.

  ‘Not according to these records. Garner had to prove by using computer records to date his files that he’d written the material first. Holgate eventually backed down and admitted his guilt but it became very acrimonious.’

  ‘Did Garner ever threaten him?’

  ‘There’s no record of that, but he may have done so outside the official meetings. Look, sergeant, will it be necessary to make all this public? We would appreciate your discretion if at all possible.’

  Andy disliked the pleading tone and the bureaucratic mindset of the man, whose first thought was for the institution. Nevertheless, Andy tried to sound as reassuring as possible. ‘It depends on the way the investigation develops. If Garner proves to be more directly involved than we realised, then I’m afraid the evidence you’ve given me might prove important, but if we’re able to eliminate him, then I think things can remain private.’

  Timmins sighed and was clearly relieved.

  Andy had not finished. ‘Is there anything else in Holgate’s records which might be of interest?’

  Timmins went back to the screen. ‘No, I don’t think so. There are no more incidents recorded. He graduated with a poor degree: a third class. There’s no record of what he went on to do afterwards.’

  ‘Okay. We’ll need you to send a copy of that file to Inspector Granger of the Whitby police.’ Andy gave Timmins the email address. ‘As I said, the material will be treated as confidential unless it is needed as part of a prosecution and a trial. Let’s hope not.’

  Another look of alarm had crossed Timmins’s face at the prospect. ‘Indeed, sergeant,’ was all he managed to say.

  That evening Oldroyd and Deborah were having an early evening meal at the Seagull Café, a famous local eatery which served top-class fish and chips. They’d been for a walk along the East side and up to the abbey, so they felt justified in tackling the huge platefuls of battered haddock, chips and mushy peas that were now in front of them, not to mention the slices of bread and butter and the large pot of tea.

  ‘Good Lord! I’ll never manage all this!’ exclaimed Deborah as she looked at her plate. ‘But you’re not helping me out, you’ve got enough there.’ Deborah shared with Steph a concern about her partner’s weight and a desire to monitor their intake of food and alcohol.

  ‘Don’t worry, I think I’m going to struggle,’ replied Oldroyd, whose comment was belied by the way he was crunching into the crispy batter with great gusto. ‘By the way, I’ll probably get some calls from my sergeants reporting back to me, but I’ll keep them brief.’

  ‘Never mind, it’s been a fantastic day. That boat was wonderful.’ She took a drink of tea just as Oldroyd’s phone went.

  ‘Oops! Here goes,’ he said. ‘It’s Steph. Hello?’

  ‘Hello, sir. I’ve followed up on Withington as you asked. I spoke to a detective at the Leeds station and then I visited a jeweller who has a business near to where Withington had his shop near the market.’

  ‘Well done. Anything to report?’ He ate a couple of chips as he listened to her answer.

  ‘Yes,’ Steph said, ‘I think it’s worth pursuing. The view from both sources was that he was a rogue, but the police couldn’t pin anything on him. They both mentioned his son as probably being the supplier of fake and dodgy stuff and the jeweller mentioned a young woman who visited the shop and was thought to be his niece. So that was most probably Andrea.’

  ‘Interesting. That’s the connection we’re looking for. Did Andrea know too much? Did she want to pull out of whatever her involvement was and threaten to expose them? It’s not very likely, but there could at last be a motive there for someone else to want her out of the way.’

  ‘Yes, sir, and I wonder if that man Andrea was seen with in London was not someone she was having a relationship with, but her cousin, Alan Withington, arranging something with her.’

  ‘You could be right. Well done. I’ll report to Inspector Granger tomorrow and then I’ll get back to you. I’ve got some fish and chips to eat now.’

  Steph laughed. ‘Okay, then, sir. And bon appétit. By the way, I’m going to call in on Louise tomorrow.’

  ‘Thanks.’ The call ended. ‘She’s such a good person to have on my team: absolutely dedicated and reliable. Walker and I knew she was going to be good when she first joined us from school. She’s a fast learner. I think she’ll rise through the ranks.’

  ‘You’d better watch your back then, Jim,’ replied Deborah, who was nearly full although she still seemed to have a mountain of chips in front of her. ‘You need to have a good group to work with in your job, don’t you? You can’t operate alone like I can.’

  ‘No, it’s a team effort. You need more than one mind on the job. That’s why I’ve trained her and Andy to think and—’ His phone rang again. ‘Talk of the devil, here he is.’

  ‘Hello, sir . . . just to report back. I’ve been to Alpha Publishing, where Jack Ryerson works. I thought I was onto something to begin with because his boss destroyed his alibi. He wasn’t at work last Wednesday, which is what he said kept him from doing the escape room, but when I confronted him he said he was visiting a married woman he’s having an affair with. I got the details, and we’ll have to verify it, but I imagine it’s genuine. Other than that his boss gave him a good report so we’ve nothing on him at the moment, but he was an arrogant piece of work and I don’t know whether he told us the truth about his feelings for Andrea Barnes. There’s still a possible motive there, I think.’

  ‘Fine. Well done and keep going. We’ve very little on any of these people; it’s a question of probing away to see if anything turns up.’

  ‘Right, sir. I also managed to get to St Thomas’s University to follow up on Holgate and the business of him cheating.’

  ‘Good. You have been busy.’

  ‘Thanks. Something interesting turned up there too. It seems that Garner wasn’t telling the full truth to you about what happened. Apparently Holgate initially tried to blame Garner, before Garner proved he was in the clear and it all got a bit unpleasant, though there’s no record of any physical threat. I’ve got the bloke we spoke with to email a copy of Holgate’s file to Inspector Grang
er.’

  ‘Good work again!’ said Oldroyd. ‘I wonder why he kept that from us? I suppose he thought it gave him a motive to harm Holgate.’

  ‘And it does, sir, though it was a while ago. It’s a bit of a stretch to think of him spending years plotting his violent revenge over a thing like that. It didn’t do him much damage, did it?’

  ‘No, I suppose not,’ said Oldroyd, ‘but you’ll need to follow it up with him as soon as you can.’

  ‘I’ll be onto it tomorrow, sir.’

  ‘Also, Inspector Granger has arranged for you to meet with Holgate’s father. He and his wife didn’t come up to Whitby; apparently the mother is too distraught and under sedation – not surprising. He wants to meet you at the flat his son and Andrea Barnes shared. He doesn’t want you to come to the house. That would be too distressing to his wife. Granger will text you the details and while you’re in the flat give it the once over. Officers from the Met have already been in but it won’t do any harm to have another look.’

  ‘Okay, sir.’

  ‘Good man! Bye, then.’ The call ended.

  ‘Jim, for your own good, you need to turn that phone off now,’ insisted Deborah firmly.

  ‘Yes I will.’ Oldroyd put his phone away but couldn’t resist a further comment. ‘Andy’s another one: absolutely great. Been so good since he came to us from the Met. You’re right, I’m lucky to have such a good team.’

  ‘Yes, there they are working away, while you enjoy yourself here,’ replied Deborah.

  ‘Oh, they need me to supervise them,’ said Oldroyd with a mischievous wink. ‘Anyway, talking of enjoyment, do you fancy a dessert?’

  ‘Jim! You’re not serious . . . After all that?’

  ‘Well, no, of course not,’ he replied in a tone that suggested he might well be.

  That evening Andy called Steph from his mum’s house in Croydon.

  ‘How is everyone down there, then?’ asked Steph.

  ‘Fine. Mum’s in good spirits though she seems to get a bit slower every time I see her.’

  ‘Well, she’s not getting any younger.’

  ‘No. It’s good that Clare and the kids are close. She sees a lot of them and she’s dropped some hints again about us. Can she expect any more grandkids soon? And before that will she have to buy a hat for a wedding?’

  Steph laughed. ‘Oh, bless! She only wants what she thinks will be good for us.’

  ‘Yeah. That was the way of life for her generation. Family was everything.’

  ‘So what did you say?’ asked Steph mischievously.

  ‘I just stayed non-committal as usual. It leaves her with a bit of hope without an expectation that anything’s going to happen soon.’

  ‘Good, well done. How’s the investigation going?’

  ‘Got a few leads, not that brilliant though. I got down here early afternoon and picked up the DC. It’s that bloke Jenkins again. He’s good to work with; got a good sense of humour. We went to where Jack Ryerson works and busted his account of his whereabouts on the afternoon of the murder, but it turns out he was shagging a married woman.’

  ‘Is that how you described it to the boss?’

  Andy laughed. ‘Not in so many words. Anyway, we’ve got to check his story out, but it’s probably true. Didn’t like the bloke. Bit of an arrogant sod. Still think he could have been involved somehow. Anyway, after that we went on to St Thomas’s University and that business with the copying essays was a bit more serious than that bloke Garner was letting on, so I have to follow up on him tomorrow. How about you?’

  ‘We might be onto something with this jeweller, who’s obviously a crook, and his niece, that’s the woman who was murdered, was working for him in some way. So we’ll have to see where that goes.’

  ‘Good. Anyway, I’d better go. What’re you doing tonight?’

  ‘Oh, not much – might watch a film and get an early night. How about you?’

  ‘You’ll be pleased to know that I’m staying in with Mummy . . . and we’re going to watch EastEnders.’

  ‘And tomorrow?’

  ‘Painting the town red with Jason.’

  ‘I see. Do the police know this is happening?’

  ‘No, and anyway, they’ve got far more important things to deal with.’

  ‘Well, take care. You know what he’s like.’

  ‘You don’t need to worry. I think he’s calmed down a bit; much more serious and sober.’

  Steph laughed. ‘Serious, maybe. Sober, never.’

  Andy laughed too. ‘Well, we’ll see.’

  The next day, Louise spent a listless morning at her mother’s house in Chapel Allerton, beginning to wonder if staying in Leeds was a good idea after all. Her mother was at work, and so she was alone in the house.

  She found the quiet strangely unnerving. She tried to read but couldn’t concentrate. She sent and received texts from her friends but missed being with them. The charity had been very understanding in allowing her time off, but maybe she needed to go back to London and to work after all. What could she achieve here?

  She was considering all these questions when the doorbell rang. It was Steph.

  ‘Oh, come in, it’s great to see you,’ said Louise as they went into the living room. ‘I was just about to make coffee.’

  ‘That would be great,’ said Steph with a smile. She sat on a sofa and looked at the tall and well-stacked bookshelves on either side of the fireplace while Louise made the coffee. Louise returned with a cafetière of coffee, mugs, a jug of hot milk and a plate of chocolate brownies.

  ‘I’m glad you’ve come around,’ said Louise. ‘Dad said you would be calling.’ She sat down and poured the coffee. ‘I’m not feeling that good.’

  Steph raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh? Why is that?’

  Louise sighed. ‘Not sure I’ve done the right thing. I’m not sure why I’m here in Leeds.’

  Steph noted Louise’s worried expression and pale face. She was definitely not in a good place.

  ‘Isn’t it because you’re not ready to go back to London and normal life yet?’ she said. ‘I think you still feel that there’s unfinished business with what happened, so staying up here in the north not too far from Whitby is a way of staying involved. Am I right?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so. But I can’t really do anything, can I? I thought I could just stay here and somehow help you, Dad and the inspector to solve it all but that could take a long time and . . .’ She shook her head. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve really not been thinking clearly at all.’

  ‘That’s not surprising considering what you’ve been through.’ Steph drank some of her coffee.

  ‘I ought to go back soon because there is something else. I’m really worried about Ben. He went through some really traumatic stuff, especially trying to save Andrea that day. He looked exhausted and shaky when he left Whitby.’

  Steph looked at Louise with her head on one side. ‘Is there any reason why you’re especially concerned about him?’

  Louise laughed. ‘You’re very sharp. Yes, I haven’t said anything yet to Mum or Dad, so please keep it to yourself, but I really like Ben and I think he’s fond of me. That’s as far as it’s gone at the moment.’

  ‘But you’re hoping it will go further?’

  ‘Yes, and I think it will, which is another reason for going back.’ Louise drank some coffee and nibbled at a brownie. ‘How about one of these?’ She offered the plate to Steph, who, in the absence of Oldroyd and Andy, took one eagerly. She was a bit fed up of setting a good example to those two, by policing their consumption of sugary treats. It was about time they developed some self-discipline.

  She enjoyed the brownie and finished her coffee. ‘Look, take a day or two and then decide. I think you’ll benefit from the rest and I don’t think Ben will run off with someone else before you get back.’

  Louise laughed. ‘No, you’re right. I could do a bit of shopping in Leeds and see a few old school friends. It will take my mind off things.’

&n
bsp; ‘Good,’ said Steph, getting up. ‘I’d better be off, much as I’d like to spend the morning chatting to you. I’ll pop in again before you go back. You’ve got my number, haven’t you, if you want to call me?’

  ‘Yes, Dad gave it to me.’

  ‘Great. Bye for now, then. Thanks for the coffee.’

  ‘Bye.’

  Louise felt much better after Steph’s visit. She texted some of her old Leeds friends and made arrangements to see them, then she made a sandwich for lunch. She was about to go into Leeds when she heard the key turning and the front door opening. She thought her mother had come home but it turned out to be Mrs Adams, her mother’s cleaner, a cheerful, talkative and bustling woman in her fifties who lived in Hunslet.

  She reacted with surprise when she saw Louise. ‘Oh! You gave me a shock there, love. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m just spending few days here with Mum.’

  ‘Well, it’s nice to see you again. I’ve heard about what happened over in Whitby. It must have been terrible for you, losing your friends like that. I don’t know what the world’s coming to. My Terry thinks there’s too many of these computer games; all violence and people shooting each other and stuff. Anyway, it’s nice to see you. I can’t believe I won’t be seeing Andrea again.’

  ‘Andrea? Do you mean Andrea Barnes? My friend?’

  Mrs Adams was moving around as she was talking, getting cloths and buckets out of cupboards while Louise followed her around. ‘That’s right. I used to clean for her too. I worked for her aunt for donkey’s years and when she died Andrea kept me on, though I only went once a month. There was no one living there most of the time so it didn’t get dirty. It was just dust. It’s a lovely flat, isn’t it?’