by Carla Kovach
‘Why Aimee?’
Sweat beads fell into his eyes. His large nostrils widened as he exhaled. ‘She was just like the others. I thought she was different, then again, I thought Jade was different.’
‘Richard Leason, did you kill Jade?’
He grinned and let out a laugh. ‘Enough of the talking.’
‘Did you know your sister, Diane, has been rushed to hospital this morning?’
‘Do I look like I care?’ He began to fumble in his pocket for his keys, momentarily bringing the hand that held the wood down by his side. Had Gina been closer to him, she’d have dived at him, brought him down, but by the time she’d have managed to move towards him, he’d have guessed what she was up to.
It was too late. They were all at the back of the building and he was right next to the door. ‘Don’t chase me and she gets to live.’ As he slammed the door, Gina ran towards it and was stopped by a loud crash against the door. She heard a scream she recognised, it was PC Smith. Then a car engine revved up and wheels spun before whizzing off. Smith pushed the door open and yelped as the piece of jagged wood stuck out from his neck. ‘Ambulance now,’ she yelled into her phone. ‘Two victims, one is PC Smith. Stab wound to the neck. Another, young woman, unconscious, wound to the head.’ She sat on the road, next to Smith as Jacob and O’Connor tended to Aimee.
‘Sorry, guv. I messed up,’ Smith gargled, little specs of blood hitting her own neck.
‘Shh, help is on its way. You saved her.’
He let out a little smile. ‘I poked him in the eyes as we were fighting,’ he mumbled as he drifted out of consciousness.
‘She’s alive, guv.’ Jacob removed his jacket, rolling it up and placing it under Aimee’s head. Aimee began to thrash as she incoherently rambled.
Smith lay in Gina’s arms, bleeding out. He’d obviously been lurking outside as they were talking, listening to everything, and he’d taken it upon himself to tackle Richard. He’d saved Aimee though. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she gripped her colleague. ‘Smith, stay with me.’ She gave him a little slap but the blood from his neck continued to pump out, covering her wrists and her lap. Sirens filled the air and an ambulance sped up to her. She moved out of the way, allowing the paramedics to take over as she sobbed against a wall, kicking it over and over again. Richard had escaped.
‘Guv.’ PC Kapoor ran across the car park, her hair flapping out of her ponytail. ‘We need to get to Cleevesford High Street now. He’s already taken the bus stop out.’ Kapoor took a few deep breaths before staring as the paramedics attended to Smith. ‘Smith, Smith,’ she cried.
‘Stay with him,’ Gina yelled as she wiped her bloody hands on her trousers. She and Jacob ran for the car, leaving their bleeding colleague in the hands of the ambulance service. O’Connor almost fell into the back of the car as they pulled away. She was going after Richard.
Seventy
Jacob sped through the industrial estate, heading towards the High Street with the sirens on. Cars parted. They reached a small traffic jam. Driving along the pavement for a few meters, they were soon back on the road. Gina spotted the bus stop. One side had been caved in and a huddle of people stood around, watching. There appeared to be no injuries. Uniform were already tracking Richard Leason in their marked police car. She needed to be the one on the scene to make the arrest. He was hers.
‘He’s racing up King Street in his van.’
‘Turn left, we can block him off at the end of the road.’
They almost tipped in the car as Jacob took the sharp turn.
‘There, pull up in the middle of the road.’ She grabbed the radio. ‘We’re at the far end of King Street, blocking the road. Get out.’ She yelled. O’Connor fled out of the back door, followed by Jacob. Just as Gina stumbled out of the passenger side, Richard rounded the bend and crashed into the side of their car. His car spun and skidded along the road, finally stopping up a grassy bank.
Gina stumbled across the road, snatching his keys out of the ignition as she wrestled Richard out of his car. His strength still astounded her. ‘Richard Leason, I’m arresting you for the murder of Jade Ashmore, the kidnapping and assault of Aimee Prowse, assault of Sophie Dobbins and the attempted murder of a police officer.’ The attempted murder charge was one she really hoped wouldn’t be changed to murder and Samantha was at the back of her mind. That one could wait until she’d had the chance to interview him. She swallowed as an image of Smith’s bleeding neck filled her mind.
‘You’re hurting my arm,’ he yelled. Jacob stood above her, offering the man no sympathy. O’Connor was on the other side of the road still, coordinating the other officers and leading the ambulance through.
‘Mr Leason, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’ She cuffed and passed him to the uniformed officer, shaking her head. All the hurt Richard Leason had caused, and he hadn’t sustained a single injury. As for Gina, after a bit of wrestling and running, she felt like she’d been mown down by a bulldozer. Life certainly wasn’t fair. ‘Get him to the station.’
The charges weren’t all she wanted to prove. There was the matter of their missing woman, Samantha Felton; the twenty-six-year-old friend of Diane Garraway who hadn’t been seen since the year 2012. Gina needed to speak to Maggie Leason before she spoke to Richard. He could stew in a cell for an hour. She grabbed her phone and called Wyre. ‘Bring Maggie Leason into the station. We’ve arrested her husband and we need to speak to her. Also, arrange a search warrant for their house. Have you heard anything from the hospital? Smith was taken in—’
‘I heard, guv. We’re all a bit tense here. I just called. He went straight into surgery. His wife has been informed and she’s there too. One of our own, guv. It really brings it home?’ Didn’t she know it? Too many times members of her team had suffered abuse and attacks and things were getting worse with every funding cut. Murder – that had never happened to one of her team before. Her legs weakened, almost buckling. She leaned on Richard’s battered car as she regained her composure. She hadn’t called or messaged her daughter back. She’d do it later but she’d never tell her what had happened today. When she moved away the loneliness that Gina had felt was raw even though they hadn’t been close, but now, she was glad that Hannah wasn’t around to hear what had happened.
Forensics would now be going through Richard’s workshop. Her mind flashed back to the camera. Sophie reported that her attacker had taken photos of her as he chased her down. A photo of Jade and Samantha had been sent to Diane. Gina suspected that the more recent photos on his camera would be of Aimee.
Where are you, Samantha?
Seventy-One
Maggie hunched over the table in the interview room. Gina twisted her stiff ankles as she waited for the woman to compose herself. She’d just spoken to Keith who was at their house working the potential scene after the search warrant had been granted. She needed to find out exactly what Maggie knew.
She had been crying continually, wiping her nose and eyes for about the tenth time. As she went to grab another tissue, Jacob noticed that there were no tissues left. ‘It can’t be true.’ She ran her tear-sodden fingers through her short blonde hair. Her usual olive skin took on a paler tone emphasising the dark circles under her eyes.
‘He held a woman hostage in front of us, Mrs Leason, and he stabbed one of our police officers, PC Smith. He is currently receiving emergency surgery and might not make it.’ The whole room began to fill with the smell of smoke from Maggie Leason’s jumper.
She began to gasp and hyperventilate. ‘He told me it was nothing to do with him and I believed him.’
Gina quickly turned the page to the bullet points of the interview with Maggie previously. ‘You told us that your husband, Richard Leason, had come straight home soon after you did, around midnight to twelve twenty.’
The woman stared at the wall
behind Gina and tears began to run down her face. ‘I believed him when he said he had nothing to do with it. He told me they’d suspect him and that I knew he’d never do anything like that—’
‘So you lied to us.’ Gina slammed her notebook closed and pulled out a photo.
‘He promised me he didn’t do it, he promised.’
‘We found photos in the workshop and in your house amongst Richard’s belongings. Do you recognise these?’ Gina had printed out the small collection that Bernard and Keith had sent her from the workshop and the house. ‘For the benefit of the tape, I am showing Mrs Leason four photos. One of Jade Ashmore lying dead where her body was found, one of Samantha Felton and Jade Ashmore at a party a few years ago, one of Aimee Prowse being held in his workshop and one of Sophia Dobbins in the woods on the night of her attack.’
‘I recognise Jade and Aimee from the party.’ Maggie scrunched her eyes as she stared at the photos.
‘If you’d told us the truth to begin with,’ Gina pointed at the photos in turn, ‘Sophie would never have been attacked, Aimee would never have been kidnapped and PC Smith wouldn’t be undergoing surgery from which he might never wake up.’
The woman broke down. Gina needed her to break before she pushed her further on Samantha Felton. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She wiped her nose with her arm. Gina pulled a packet of tissues from her pocket and slid them across the table. ‘Thank you.’
‘This woman here, Samantha Felton, do you recognise her?’
Maggie picked up the photo and scrutinised it. She nodded as she blew her nose. ‘Yes. It was a long time ago. We were at a disco at the social club in Cleevesford. Richard was taking photos, it was his thing. He wanted to practice so that he could become a professional but he wasn’t good. I told him that and we argued. I didn’t mean to have a go but it was annoying me how he seemed to focus so much attention on her, Samantha. In many ways she reminds me of Aimee, centre of attention and highly admired by the opposite sex. I got angry and left him. I remember hearing a few days later that Samantha had vanished but thought nothing of it.’ The woman stared at the back wall again and her eyes widened. ‘No, no, it can’t be.’
‘What is it, Mrs Leason?’
‘No,’ she yelled as she began punching the table.
‘Mrs Leason, calm down and tell me what happened. Samantha has people who care about her. We need to know where she is. If you know something, now is the time to share that information. Your sister-in-law, Diane, is not only recovering in hospital, she’s worried sick about Samantha.’
‘Sister-in-law?’
‘Diane Garraway.’
She stood, the chair toppling over behind her. Placing her head against the back wall, she began to hit. ‘How could he lie to me like that?’
‘Please sit, Mrs Leason. What are you trying to say?’
She grabbed the chair, positioned it back in front of the table and sat. After a few deep breaths, she continued. ‘I didn’t know I had a sister-in-law. He told me his parents were dead and he never mentioned a sister, ever. Our whole life has been a lie.’
‘I know this is hard for you, but it’s really important. Go back to Samantha. Do you remember anything after the disco at the club?’
She slowly nodded as the colour drained from her face.
‘Are you okay? Do you need some air or a short break?’ Gina was sure the woman might faint or throw up.
She turned the chair and placed her head between her legs and held a hand up. ‘I’m okay. It’s just the shock of it all.’ After a moment, she slowly sat back up and rubbed her eyes. ‘He sent me away the next day. I went to my mother’s. He wanted to surprise me and said I’d spoil things if I didn’t leave him to finish the garden. He’d been all apologetic about our argument and I believed him. When I arrived home two days later, he’d slabbed the garden and built a beautiful shed and a pagoda at the back of the garden. I was so happy. If he has anything to do with it, Samantha might be—’ The woman darted out of the room. Gina heard her heaving in the distance.
‘Interview ended at sixteen thirty-seven. To be resumed later.’ Jacob pressed the stop button.
‘Take five and let Bernard know what we’ve just found out. I want that garden turned upside down. It’s going to be a long night. We also need to find out if Aimee or Diane are in a position to speak to us yet.’
Seventy-Two
Richard had been sitting in silence for fifteen minutes as Gina had explained what the interview with his wife had produced. She glanced at her phone. It was far too soon for Bernard to have arranged for the shed and slabs to be dug up, but she still hoped that news would arrive swiftly.
‘Richard, do you understand the charges against you?’
He nodded. His solicitor whispered in his ear. It was clear that he had no defence. Along with his capture, finding the murder weapon, then there were all the witnesses that had seen him in action earlier that day. His collection of photos had sealed his fate.
‘Why Mr Leason? Richard.’
Richard whispered to his solicitor. ‘He said it’s Mr Leason to you.’
Jacob shook his head and sighed.
It was going to be one of those interviews. ‘Mr Leason, we have secured the mallet that you attacked Aimee with. This weapon has blood on it. We are expecting the results to come through any minute. If one of those blood samples is proven to be that of Jade Ashmore, we have our evidence. You’re now wishing you cleaned it better, am I correct?’
His large face reddened and his brow crumpled. He was trying too hard to hold back his reactions and they were all betraying him. His solicitor whispered and Richard Leason’s shoulders dropped.
‘Am I correct?’
He slammed his fist on the table, shaking it slightly. ‘I didn’t mean to kill her.’
‘Like you didn’t mean to kill Samantha Felton. We are digging up your garden as we speak, but I’ve already told you that. It’s time to come clean, tell us what you know.’
The solicitor whispered in Richard’s ear once again and Richard whispered back and sunk in the chair. ‘I wanted to get them back to my workshop, give them time to think about what they were doing. They fought back. If they’d have just calmed the hell down, they’d all still be alive. I didn’t want them to make the same mistakes in life as Diane.’ His voice trailed off and he withdrew into his own world.
Gina almost wanted to jump up and down with glee. They had everything they needed, except motive. She’d start at the beginning. ‘Why Samantha?’
He flinched as her voice brought him back to the moment. ‘Her and my bitch sister were good friends and I suppose I wanted to show her that she didn’t need Samantha, she only needed me. It didn’t take long to drag Samantha from her. I suppose I had a small fling with the woman. She reminded me of my sister when she was younger, giving it to any man around. Soon, she began to sicken me.’ A grin spread across his face.
‘What then?’
‘She needed to understand that the things she did were wrong and had consequences. Innocent people would get hurt, they always do. Sleeping around would not only hurt her, it would hurt those around her – innocents. She didn’t once think about Derek’s children when she was screwing him. She wouldn’t listen, she just kept screaming and screaming. I only wanted to shut her up.’
Why was he angry with Jade? ‘You left the photo and card for your sister to find. Why did you want her to see the photo of Jade and Samantha together all those years ago?’
‘Don’t look too hard into that. I was just screwing with her.’ He shook his head slowly and let out a little laugh. ‘The stupid cow never stopped going on about Samantha, all the bloody time – on and on. I thought I’d make her pay. If she was going to go on all the time, I was going to give her something to go on about.’ He scrunched his brow as his grin faded. ‘When I saw Jade at the Swap Fun party at Dawn’s house, it hit me hard. All those years ago, I thought Jade was different. She was like me, on the periphery of all the action, the one being h
urt. Back then, she sat there in the social club watching Noah sticking his tongue in Samantha’s ear.’
Gina glanced at the photo of Samantha and Jade at the social club. ‘Go on.’
‘I’d spent years feeling sorry for her after feeling a connection when I saw her. We’d been kindred spirits, so I thought. Then there she was at Dawn’s house, giving it all up at this party. I knew she was just like the rest. She let me down. I lost my faith in people all over again.’ He paused and wiped the sweat from his forehead. ‘I didn’t realise it would be that easy though. I thought I’d have to plan her rehabilitation for a while but then I found her walking around the streets, half cut. I finished up quickly with Dawn in that stupid caravan and went searching around the locations. It was so easy. I was prepared of course because I knew Aimee would be at the party, it was all for Aimee originally. Then Jade turned up and I can’t tell you how let-down I was. I wanted to find her, help her see that what she was doing was wrong. She had a child. I had to stop her before anyone was hurt.’
Gina swallowed. Reliving that night she saw Jade’s caved in face, using the cold pavement as a pillow. She’d love nothing more than to grab this sicko by the ear and slam his head into the table. ‘Rehabilitation? You killed her.’
‘I didn’t mean to. I didn’t think she was dead. I just wanted to stun her so that I could get her back to the workshop. I wanted to tell her how disappointed I was in her, make her realise that her child would get hurt. I guess I hit her too hard.’ He shrugged his shoulder and leaned back. A smile crept into the corners of his mouth.
The lack of emotion in Richard’s face was unnerving. A shiver ran down her spine and her hair began to uncomfortably tingle. He was enjoying telling his story and she’d let him continue. ‘We have a blood sample, left behind from the person who chased Sophie Dobbins before attacking her. I suspect it will match yours. Did she hurt you when she hit you with her shoe?’