The Secret Dawn

by Solomon Carter

  “Oh. She mentioned it at dinner last night… she might have been exaggerating, of course. I mean, Emily loves to tell a good tale or two. But she wasn’t exaggerating, was she…?” said the girl.

  Hogarth frowned. “Where is Miss Flount now?”

  “She’s not here. Actually, I don’t know where she is,” said the girl.

  Hogarth stared at the girl, reading her for any sign of deceit. The girl opened the door and stepped back out of the way.

  “You can come in if you like – take a look for yourself.”

  And so Hogarth’s question was answered. “No, no. That won’t be necessary. But this is very important, miss. Do you have any idea where Miss Flount might have gone?”

  The girl’s eyes seemed to fix on his. She gave him a curious look and Hogarth couldn’t fathom it. Whatever she was thinking, it made him feel uncomfortable.

  “She could be with her cousin, I suppose.”

  Hogarth shook his head. “Anywhere else?”

  “Sorry,” said the girl, shaking her head. “She tells tales and keeps herself mysterious. I think she believes far too much of her own hype, if you ask me – but I didn’t tell you that.”

  Hogarth nodded and stared back, attempting to force away the girl’s strange, invasive gaze.

  “Might any of your housemates know where she is?”

  The girl shook her head. “If I don’t know, neither will they. Like I said, she keeps it all very mysterious.”

  Hogarth nodded. “Thanks anyway. If you see her, please call me. It’s extremely urgent.”

  Hogarth handed her his standard issue police business card. The girl studied it and turned it over in her hand.

  “Is Emily in any trouble?”

  “Has she been in trouble before?” said Hogarth, wishing he’d already checked.

  “Not that I know of… But I wouldn’t be surprised if she did get into trouble. She likes playing with fire, doesn’t she?” The girl’s eyes sparkled at him.

  “I don’t think I could disagree with that,” said Hogarth, starting to turn away. “Thanks for your time, miss.”

  Hogarth felt the young woman staring even as he turned his back.

  “Funny,” said the girl. Hogarth turned back to face her “Emily boasted to us that she was thinking of taking up with a policeman. Romantically, I mean. But I have to say I really didn’t imagine you’d look like that.”

  Hogarth raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Sorry? I’ve not taken up with Miss Flount or anyone else… I think you must have mistaken me for somebody else.”

  “Somebody else? You’re the first policeman I’ve seen around here since I lived here. It has to be you.”

  “Don’t get excited, miss. Sounds like another tall tale.”

  Hogarth turned away and the door shut behind him before he shook his head.

  Hogarth felt Palmer’s eyes on him as he crossed the street.

  “Don’t say a word, Sue. Honestly. I was in enough trouble already, I was hardly likely to make it any worse by having a bunk up with Emily Flount, was I?”

  “Temptation’s a dreadful business, guv,” said Palmer, with a hint of a smile.

  “I can vouch for that, but this time I’m innocent,” he said. As they reached the car, Hogarth’s phone started ringing. He took his mobile from his pocket and looked at the name on screen.

  “Simmons?” said Hogarth. He answered the call and put the phone to his ear.

  “Guv. It’s me,” said Simmons “I’ve had two witness reports in. I thought you’d want to know.”

  “Two reports. From who?”

  “A squad car doing the rounds in Rochford, and another from PCSO Rawlins on the beat in Southend.”

  “Reports of what exactly?”

  “Our Rochford sighting was a drive-by of 424 Longacre Road – just called in. The officer there is asking if you want him to go back and knock.”

  “The Dawns house. Why? What did he see?”

  “He saw a woman moving around in the front room. He said she looked busy.”

  “Busy? Eh?”

  “Yeah, I know. He didn’t exactly specify. Shall I tell him to go back and knock?”

  “No, Simmons. We don’t need any more complications than we’ve had already. We’ll head over there right now. And what did Rawlins see?”

  “She saw two women driving away from outside the GDS office in Southend. One picking up the other.”

  “Grant Dawn’s office?”

  “Yes, guv.”

  “Any descriptions of these women?”

  “One was blonde with straight hair and a fringe. She looked serious. Moody.”

  “Sabine Dawn!” said Hogarth. “What about the other woman?”

  “No description there, guv. All Rawlins could say was that she had darker hair.”

  “And the car?”

  “Rawlins said it was a white hatchback. A new looking thing too.”

  “White?”

  “That’s all, guv.”

  “How long apart were these sightings, Simmons?”

  “Rawlins called in five minutes ago. But the Rochford call came in just now.”

  “Then they could relate to the same thing. Okay, Simmons. Keep on it. Any more sightings, then let me know.” Hogarth hung up.

  “Back to Longacre Road,” said Hogarth. “Busy? How would you define busy?’ he asked.

  “Being very active?” said Palmer.

  “Hmmmm… And probably doing something that shouldn’t be done. We’d best move.”

  They got into the car. Hogarth cut a wide U-turn across the street, much to the chagrin of the oncoming traffic. He looked in the rear-view mirror and saw the driver behind him flicking a vicious V-sign. Hogarth raised his hand and gave him a friendly wave. All was fair in love and war.

  ***

  Twelve minutes later, Hogarth’s car pulled up onto the brick-paved driveway of 424 Longacre Road. There was Emily Flount’s white Fiat 500 parked beside Sabine Dawn’s own BMW. Hogarth jumped out, slammed his car door, walked to the front bay window and peered inside. The living room been ransacked yet again, but it was worse than before. The sofas had been turned upside down, or stood on their side, cushions unceremoniously thrown around the room. The DVD cases were spread all over the floor, and even the large prints from the walls laid on the floor, face down, some removed from their frames. Palmer joined his side.

  “What the hell happened in there?” she said.

  “I’ve seen this before – and it looks like we’re in luck,” said Hogarth, pointing to the car. “That Fiat 500 belongs to Emily Flount. Sabine Dawn should be in there too.”

  “The car’s white… the same as Rawlins saw.”

  Hogarth chewed his lip and kept quiet. He wanted to get into the house.

  He moved to the big front door and planted his ear against the glossy painted wood. For a moment he heard nothing but his own heartbeat, but the quiet was soon broken by the sound of furniture groaning as it was scraped against the wooden floor. Flount was somewhere in there, somewhere unseen. Hogarth hit the doorbell, bent down and opened the letterbox.

  “Mrs Dawn?!” he called. “Are you in there? Are you alright?!”

  No answer. The house fell silent again, but Hogarth knew someone had heard him. He changed tack.

  “Emily! Miss Flount!” he called. “I know you’re in there, so open up!”

  Still no answer.

  Hogarth hammered on the door with his fists. He opened the letterbox and hollered louder still.

  “Miss Flount, unless you open this door, I’ll be forced to break it down and I’ll have you charged! This is extremely serious. Now come down here and let me in.”

  “If she’s the killer, that’s not going to work,” said Palmer.

  “If she’s the killer we’re going in anyway,” muttered Hogarth.

  Hogarth turned his ear to the letterbox. The silence lasted a moment longer before he heard the gentle clip of heels on wood. He hoped to see Sabine Dawn c
oming down the stairs, but when a figure emerged from the stairwell, he saw it was the lithe, dark-haired figure of Emily Flount. When Flount opened the door to face him, she stood back and looked at them both. There was no sign of her earlier predatory interest in him. Shame. He’d known it was a lie, but Hogarth had found it flattering all the same. Flount looked testy and irritable, as if they had interrupted her flow.

  “What are you doing in there?” said Hogarth.

  “Don’t play dumb, Inspector. You already know what I’m doing.”

  “Where’s Sabine Dawn?” said Hogarth.

  Flount frowned then broke into a smile. “You think I could do this again if sulky Sabine was still here?”

  Hogarth shook his head as Flount walked off down the hallway. He stepped into the house and turned to Palmer to explain.

  “Last time I came here Miss Flount here was busy ransacking the house to look for her cousin’s cash. A very touching scene, considering her cousin’s wife was grieving for her husband – and she knew he wasn’t dead.”

  Emily Flount turned back.

  “I don’t have to apologise to you,” she said. “Sabine will get by without the money, in fact Sabine hardly seems to care about anything at all.”

  “Where is she?” said Hogarth.

  “Sabine? I told you she’s not here,” said Emily.

  “You’re in serious trouble as it is, Miss Flount, so stop playing games. You were seen collecting Sabine from outside the GDS office on Alexandra Street, Southend, not much more than twenty minutes ago.”

  Flount shook her long hair. “That wasn’t me. I’ve been here for the best part of an hour, wasting my damn time working on Grant’s latest puzzle. I still don’t know where he’s hidden it. I’ve had enough of all this searching.”

  Hogarth frowned.

  “You’re lying, Emily. I’ll ask you again. Where is she? Your car was seen, picking her up on Alexandra Street.”

  “Are you mad? I wasn’t there. I was here. Come on. It takes time to make a royal mess like this. Look. You know I have a key to get in here. And you know Sabine really doesn’t care what I do at the moment. So unless you’ve got something else to say, I’d rather you left me to get on with what I’m doing. I don’t think I’m even halfway done.”

  “Did you hear what I just said?” snapped Hogarth. “Sabine was spotted getting into a white car in Southend. Grant Dawn’s gone missing, looking for her, because he sees the risks you seem oblivious of! Someone tried to sabotage his car to kill him – Brett Reville’s dead, and now Sabine’s gone missing too. They could both be in serious danger. If you know anything about it you need—"

  “What could I know about it?” she said, with a defensive shrug and eyes wide.

  Hogarth narrowed his eyes.

  “Brett Reville was found dead in his Ford Ranger pickup truck. One of your microfine pen needle wrappers was also found in the footwell of his car.”

  Emily Flount’s eyes flickered in surprise. She blushed and her mouth opened, searching for the right words.

  “I… I’ve been in his car. I won’t deny that. But you’ve seen how he keeps it. That pickup truck is thirty grand’s worth of motorcar and he uses it like a dustbin.”

  “Past tense, Emily. The man’s dead, remember. You’ve been in his car. When?”

  “Oh. Not for a little while.”

  “When – exactly?”

  “A week back. Maybe more.”

  Hogarth allowed the cynicism to show on his face.

  The woman’s face flushed more deeply, but Hogarth didn’t allow her time to speak.

  “So not yesterday afternoon then?”

  “No!” she snapped.

  “You’re the kind of woman who only shows interest in someone for a reason, Miss Flount. We both know that. You’re the type who always has an ulterior motive.”

  “How dare you?!” she said.

  “I dare because it’s true. What did you think you could get from Brett Reville, eh? Or was it his good looks you were interested in?”

  “As if,” said Emily, swishing her hair. “He offered me a lift, and I used the chance to have a little chat with him. That was all. We didn’t speak very speak often. We didn’t work closely, you see. I had no need to work with him. I worked for Grant, did the photoshoots and the Insta-posts away from the office. But a girl always knows when a man looks at her in a certain way.”

  “And this was a week ago? Not last weekend?”

  The woman’s face tightened. “I didn’t see him at all last weekend. Get this, Inspector, Brett really wasn’t my type.”

  “But then, neither am I, Miss Flount.”

  Flount’s mouth formed the briefest smile. “For you, I might have made an exception.”

  Hogarth shook his head. “You went for a drive with him. What did you talk about?”

  “I let Brett do most of the talking. It’s safer that way. I knew he was with Yvette. I didn’t want the poor wallflower thinking I was going to make a play for her man. And I didn’t want him spinning it, either. So he talked.”

  “And?”

  “He talked about the future of the company, GDS. Said it might not always be Grant’s. But he said he’d like to keep a place there for me, if I was interested.”

  “And what did you say to that?”

  “I kept a poker face. I didn’t want him thinking he was going to get anything from me besides a social media package, if you know what I mean. I let him drop his hint and played dumb. I said I’d like to continue to work for the firm, no matter who was in charge. Then he dropped me back in town and gave me a smile. His smile was the worst part of it all. Poor Yvette. Her boyfriend was a toad.”

  Palmer nodded as if she agreed. Hogarth kept his eyes hard and stared into Flount’s eyes. She met his gaze evenly.

  “You haven’t mentioned opening one of your insulin packs or injecting. Why?”

  “Because I’d already taken my insulin at the office. Sometimes I forget. I guess the wrapper must have slipped out of my bag into his car.”

  Hogarth nodded. Most of what she’d said stacked up and he didn’t feel the lie, but it bothered him. A new tension began spreading tightness across his chest. He grimaced.

  “What do you know about chocolates, Miss Flount. Chocolates and needles?”

  The woman made a face and swished her hair. “Now you’ve totally lost me. Brett liked chocolate. I know that much. The wrappers were all over his car.”

  Hogarth couldn’t read beyond the surface of Flount’s alluring eyes.

  “You know, I’ve been trying to fathom you ever since I met you, Miss Flount. You’ve played both sides from the very start. You helped Grant Dawn maintain his cover and at the same time you tried to get his money. You’ve watched his wife suffer and grieve and said nothing. You admit that Brett Reville hinted that he wanted to take over your cousin’s business, and yet I bet you never told Grant about it. You only ever look out for number one, don’t you, Emily? I know you like to think you’re a smart woman, an opportunist out to make sure she gets what’s coming to her, but the truth is I don’t see you that way at all. You’re a devious young woman, Miss Flount. You do whatever suits you at the time and make up your justifications as you go along.”

  “And you think you’re an angel, do you, Inspector? I’ve watched you consider every offer you’ve been made…” said Flount.

  “And I turned down every one of them,” said Hogarth. “I don’t care what you think of me. The only thing I’m concerned about is the location of Sabine and Grant Dawn. We’ll go into your excuses, later. And forensics will prove if you harmed Brett Reville. And police are still working on Grant’s Capri…”

  “I’ve already told you. I don’t know where they are – and I had nothing to do with sabotaging that car or killing Brett. All I did was keep my options open.”

  “But you’ve told me a lot of things, Miss Flount. As of right now I only want the truth.”

  Emily Flount turned away and shook her head
as if in disbelief. Hogarth carried on.

  “You already knew about the lock-up, Miss Flount. You don’t work at the office, don’t have people watching you every hour, wondering where you are. You would have had ample opportunity to carry out any sabotage. And if you had succeeded you might have gotten away with Grant’s money, without a hitch. But it didn’t work. He lived, so you got desperate.” Hogarth gestured to the mess around them. “And this is the result. This is what desperate looks like.”

  “You’re kidding me?”

  “Not at all. I had my suspicions about you from the moment you showed your hand about wanting Grant’s money, trying to co-opt me into looking for it. You are the most devious person out of all of them, except for Brett Reville. And now he’s gone, it falls to you. And after finding your insulin wrapper in the pickup truck, I thought we’d got you. But there’s one thing I keep tripping over – what you could possibly have had to gain from Brett Reville’s death…”

  “You found a wrapper? So what? I told you about that. I didn’t kill the man. I had nothing to do with his death. Brett was an ogre, but I wouldn’t have killed him!”

  Hogarth floundered in silence. Doubt started to spread from his chest. The needle wrapper was a huge pointer, it had to be. The girl had a life of using needles, and yet… he couldn’t quite force her to fit the puzzle as he saw it. It seemed there was another piece missing, but it wasn’t clear which. The motive was one. And then there was the chocolate. If she had tampered with the chocolate – and to kill Brett she must have done – then where was her opportunity. He was back at opportunity. The question nagged at him. They needed confirmation or they needed to move on. He looked at Palmer. “Sue, go and check the rest of the house, will you. See if you can find any sign of them.”

  Palmer glanced between Hogarth and the girl before she moved on down the hall, passing room after ransacked room.

  Flount tilted her head at Palmer after she’d passed. “She’s the reason you didn’t take me up on my little offer, is she?” said Emily.

  “No, Emily. Sanity is the reason I didn’t take up your offer.” But Hogarth was beginning to see any sanity had kicked in far too late.

  “As if I’d kill my own cousin. And Brett? You think I killed him with an insulin pen? Those micro-needles are sealed, pre-filled. And it’s hardly a foolproof method of murder, Inspector. He might have fallen ill. I suppose he could have even slipped into a diabetic coma… but…”