by James Andrew
Alfred said nothing in reply, just breathed in more smoke and breathed it out slowly.
‘As to why you killed Emma, only you know the answer to that, but you do like having power over women. I should think the problem with Emma was she was too independent, and that she said no, and did it in such a way as to challenge that arrogance of yours in a way you did not like at all.’
Alfred was not yet cowed. There was even a sneer on his face. ‘You’ll never prove it.’
‘People keep telling me that. But I’m a policeman. I look for proof and here it is, Alfred. Have you seen this before?’ Then Blades took a bracelet from his pocket.
Now Alfred’s poise was shaken. He stared at the silver chain bracelet with horror. ‘How did you get that?’ he said.
‘You do recognize it, then? Yes, you would. This is Emma’s bracelet. It even has her initials on it. And the initials of her husband. It must have been one of her most precious memories of him. All that work you put into trying to divert attention from yourself. You even had poor Musgrave primed to do that for you. And all the time I wasted on Russell Parkes. You’ve been a diligent rogue at least, but you’re under arrest now, Alfred. I’m charging you with the murder of Emma Simpson. You do not have to say anything but whatever you do say will be taken down and may be used as evidence against you.’
‘But I–’ Alfred started to say. ‘How did you get hold of it?’
‘We have a warrant to search your premises, Alfred. We had a warrant to search everyone’s place. I had my theory, of course, but I wanted to be sure, which is why we invited everyone else here, to get everyone’s place done at the same time. We knew we wouldn’t have to invite you, Alfred, not after you’d heard about our little meeting, which I made sure of. You’d just be along. I was almost taken in by the theory it was the man you put so much effort into directing me to, Russell Parkes. But we didn’t find Emma’s bracelet in his place. We found it in yours.’
The look of helplessness that now lay on Duggan’s face was the most satisfying thing Blades had seen in a long time. Then Duggan looked around him for a moment as if he was considering making a bolt for it, but there were more than enough policemen in Birtleby Police Station to subdue Alfred Duggan.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
It was the end of the case and the end of the day. Blades was standing looking at the noticeboard in the meeting room. Behind him the policemen under his command waited for his attention. Mostly, of course, they waited for the chance to finish and go home. Blades’ thoughts were, for the moment, on Emma again. He had gazed at the picture of Emma smiling from beyond the grave all through this inquiry. On his wall was the most recent photograph there had been of her and it had been taken a year before her death. It showed a young woman in her prime, smiling confidently at life, with all the expectation of youth. She had tugged at his heart strings as she smiled at him through every stage of the investigation.
Beside her, on the noticeboard, there were also photographs of suitcases in situ, of the bathroom where the body had been cut up, and the parlour where the blow had been struck. There were also photographs of all the different suspects with comments marked beside them, and links drawn between them. All the things that had baffled and bemused them had been clearly displayed so that there was no mistaking what their investigation had to work its way through, and he was glad to have reached the end of it. When he turned to face his colleagues, it was with a smile on his face for the first time in a while.
The whole team was gathered there, all the sergeants and constables who’d been involved, well, most of them. Those who’d been seconded from elsewhere for the search for the body had returned to their own stations some time ago. Beer had been poured and uniformed men sat with glasses in hands and smug grins on faces. It was time to celebrate. They had earned the right to do that. Blades raised his own tankard. They were not, of course, supposed to drink beer in the station but Blades thought it did no harm to be human on occasions like this.
‘Congratulations, team,’ he said. ‘We got him!’
And a triumphant cheer was heard from all. Then some started sipping beer. All were grinning.
‘Glory be,’ Blades said as he sipped from his own. ‘And a well-earned thanks.’
There were a lot of happy faces in that room and the happiest, Blades was sure, was his own.
‘A great speech you gave our suspects at the end,’ Peacock said.
‘A well-led investigation,’ Ryan added.
‘Thank you,’ Blades said. ‘But I couldn’t have done anything without all of you.’
More grins were shared amongst them.
‘I was sure it was Parkes,’ Peacock said.
‘I wish it had been,’ Blades said. ‘That would have sorted out his powerful friends.’
Peacock laughed. ‘And made Moffat look bad.’
‘Which we wouldn’t want to do, of course.’
There was a general chuckle at that.
‘So, it wasn’t Parkes’ suitcase the body was in?’ Peacock said.
‘Oh no,’ Blades said. ‘Though we could have continued thinking that if we hadn’t turned up his own in his home. There’s one thing for sure. His case couldn’t be in two places at the same time – under his bed and in our evidence room. No. That was a tale.’
‘Where did the tip-off come from?’ Peacock asked.
‘Didn’t I say? An anonymous phone call, Duggan I expect, saying one of the cases was identical to one Parkes had bought in Houghton’s in town. And the description matched. And the time he bought it fitted in. Oh, I thought we had Parkes for the murder at that point.’
‘What made you change your mind?’ Ryan asked.
‘The report on Alfred Duggan, the one that told me about his head wound and the change in his character. All that muddled thinking coming from him, it fitted everything that had been going on. A person like that was awry enough to try to put the blame on someone else in exactly the way that Duggan was doing it. Though you’ve always got to prove suspects guilty. Which is why I was so pleased when we turned up the bracelet at his place.’
‘You didn’t send for Duggan, though?’ Ryan asked.
‘That was taking a chance,’ Peacock said. ‘He might not have turned up.’
‘Didn’t I tell you? He was being watched. If he hadn’t come in, I’d have sent for him. But I knew he’d be there. I had him worked out.’
‘Very satisfying, sir.’
‘Definitely.’
Blades sank some more beer. He turned his head to look at the noticeboard again. Emma was still there, smiling, but that grin seemed to be sharing their triumph now, and he told himself there was thanks in her eyes – though he knew there wasn’t really. He just wished there was. Photographs didn’t come to life like that.
‘Here’s to the end of that case,’ he said to his men. ‘And to no more like it.’
‘Hear, hear,’ Peacock said.
They had all had more than enough of murder.
More fiction by James Andrew
If you enjoyed THE SUITCASE MURDERER, be sure to check out the other books by James Andrew:
THE BODY UNDER THE SANDS
Two soldiers recently returned from the Great War are accused of murdering a woman near a small seaside town. They protest their innocence but are convicted on circumstantial evidence and given the death penalty. One of the soldiers begins to suspect the other as guilty. But can he betray his brother in arms who saved his life during the war?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KKGPNFS/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KKGPNFS/
DEATH WAITS FOR NO LADY
When a parlour maid finds her wealthy mistress dead, Detective Blades is called in to investigate. The lady of the house’s lifestyle having changed considerably following the death of her father, the police focus on her many apparent suitors. Which of them could have wanted her dead?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07M9Z23VK/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M9
Z23VK/
Available on Kindle, in paperback and as an audiobook.
THE RIDDLE OF THE DUNES
A woman is killed near the beach. There is little evidence. But the crime bears the hallmarks of several similar murders some time ago. The trouble is that the man supposedly responsible was sent to the gallows...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XY5GN7L/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XY5GN7L/
Available on Kindle and in paperback.
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