by Emily Selby
'Newspapers?'
'Ah, yes, I haven't told you that. He got a cup of coffee and then wanted to have a look at the local newspaper. The café owner says this was his little routine. She even put out the newspaper rack for him in the morning.'
'Interesting...' Katie tucked the rogue strand of hair behind her ear and tugged at it. 'He didn't mind the cold?'
'Apparently not. The owner often joked with him about it.'
'Keith wasn't particularly chatty with me...'
Jack chuckled. 'No offence, Katie, but maybe you weren't his type.'
'What? He was a dedicated husband!'
'So I hear. And the little banter he had with the café owner might have been simply chit-chat. He's never said anything untoward or made any inappropriate moves on her, she says. But she did wonder if he would one day...'
Katie pressed her back against the door. She swirled the content of her mug. Was this worth considering further? Had Keith been unfaithful to Jane? She'd have to think about it.
'So, he went outside with the coffee. Left it on the table, and went back into the café for the newspapers?'
'More or less. Only that the owner was sure she’d put the rack outside. They argued about it for a while. Then they looked around the café. And then the owner, just went to her handbag and dug up her own newspaper to give it to him.'
'How long did it take?'
'According to CCTV, four minutes.'
"And during this time neither of them went outside.'
'No. The owner found the rack when she was closing - it had been pushed between the big rubbish bin and the ventilator on the side of the café.'
'Strange.'
'I suspect someone must have pushed it in there.'
'A premeditated move to make Keith go inside to look for the rack, so the murderer could poison the coffee?'
'It's annoying when you make it so obvious,' he groaned.
Katie chuckled. It sounded like a compliment. 'Thank you. Let me just put it all together, then, okay?'
'Fire away.'
'Keith reached the café about what, 7.30?' Katie glanced at Jack.
'Probably. The CCTV only registers things on the inside of the café. The owner plans to have an eternal CCTV installed next week.'
'What bad luck!' Katie mumbled. 'Anyhow. Keith walks in at 7.30 and buys the coffee. He walks out with the coffee at?' she looked at Jack again.
'7.33. Presumably, he sits at the table, searches for the newspaper and returns to the café at 7.34. He goes back outside at 7.38.'
'I’m guessing at this stage, his coffee is already poisoned?'
'That's what I think, too. He must have drunk it and around 7.40 he is back inside the café complaining that the coffee tasted strange and asking for a new one. The café owner says he had drank almost everything. He had a habit of gulping down his coffee.'
'If he hadn't, he might have been still alive?' Katie asked, a sudden wave of fear coming over her. She swore to herself never to leave her drink or food unattended in a public place.
'Maybe. The owner put the cup in the sink and rinsed it. She tried to use the big machine, but it wasn't working. So, she poured him some coffee from the little machine on the side, at about 7.43.'
'What time did he leave the café?'
'Only approximate. The owner went out to check on him at 7.58 and said he wasn't there.'
'He was probably already home.'
'I think so. Given the timings, I think the drug must have kicked in around 7.55 am.'
'How long does it take to act?'
'It depends on the specific substance taken and the amount, but it usually takes less than half an hour. In most cases, people don't die this quickly. He was very unlucky. To be brutal, Keith probably choked to death on his own vomit.'
Katie shuddered. A chill went down her spine. Solving a crime might be one thing but coming to terms with the cruelty of her fellow humans was completely another.
'How did it happen?'
'Morphine and other substances like that act on several levels. They slow your breathing and also suppress your brain's ability to regulate breathing. Most people who take an overdose end up with respiratory depression. Unfortunately, on top of that, these substances often cause nausea and vomiting. And if you combine the two with the ability to breathe being compromised, death from choking becomes a real probability.'
'Is there a way to help them though?'
'Yes. There is a substance that reverts its actions. It's called Naloxone. But it needs to be given in a specific window of time.'
'So, if I'd tried to wake him up earlier we might have been able to save him?
He looked at her. "I'm sorry, Katie,' he said slowly. "We've been through that. Please don't think that way.'
A heavy stone landed in the pit of her stomach. Cold sweat appeared on her neck sticking it to her grey cardigan.
'But I can't stop thinking that way,' she croaked. Her back was pushing against the door so hard, she could feel the outline of the wood through her clothing. She really should have...
Jack crossed the floor and touched her arm.
'Katie,' he said firmly. ‘No one can predict the future or prevent all the bad things that happen in the world. You are not responsible for Keith's death. You might or might not have been able to save his life. There is no way of knowing. And there is nothing you can do about it now. Feeling guilty will not help. As I said before, the only thing that can help now is to find his murderer and bring him or her to justice.'
Katie took a deep breath. Her body was trembling. 'Is this how you deal with it?'
'More or less,' he replied and moved a little closer. She could smell the musk of his aftershave.
Katie swallowed. Her throat ached. She massaged her stomach area with her free hand. It helped relax it a little.
Jack was right, she should focus on the here and now and on what she could do to help.
'I’ll do my best,' she said, her voice barely audible. 'I'm annoyed I haven't been very successful so far. Who might have wanted him dead so badly? Who benefits from his death?'
'We're investigating this.'
Katie remembered her conversation with Michael Bower at the Community Centre.
'Have you talked to his parents?' She gave him a briefing on her conversation with Michael.
'Good stuff,' he praised her. 'I've arranged an interview with his parents for today. I’m also meeting with the family solicitor. I should have more information this afternoon. What else have you dug up?'
Katie considered the information she had collected so far. Should he tell Jack about Michael's comment that he would suspect Jane? No, she had no evidence to support this suspicion.
'Given that he was poisoned at the café, are you excluding Jane?' she asked.
Jack walked to the coffee machine and poured himself another cup.
'You know I like to have evidence and I don't trust anything or anyone until I'm hundred per cent sure. If you indeed walked out of the house leaving Jane in at 7.35, it leaves Jane five minutes to reach the coffee shop. It's not impossible for her to reach the place and poison his coffee. It took me about a minute of brisk walking. Although, I acknowledge that, given the report from her doctor, it would have been very difficult in her physical condition.'
Katie nodded.
'Theoretically possible but unlikely. Not in person,' he added.
Katie pondered what she just heard.
'Are you suggesting Jane might have had an accomplice?'
'Good thinking, Watson.'
'But who it could be?'
'Another good question.'
Katie chewed on her lower lip.
'Jane seems to be completely unconnected to anyone local. I think we need to look outside Sunnyvale this time around.'
He took another swig of his coffee. 'That's exactly the trail I'm pursuing right now. Once I'm done with the interviews in Carlisle, I'm driving down to Leeds to interview Jane’s parents. Her sister did
n't give much information. She lives with her own family while Jane lived with her parents until she married Keith five years ago. Actually, they lived near her parents until moving here. I wonder if there is anything in the past to suggest a new line of inquiry.'
'That sounds much more likely to bring results than me digging around in the local gossip.'
'But please continue, Katie. I think it's too early to abandon the hypothesis this was someone local. Whoever drugged Keith's coffee must have known his habits pretty well.'
'Maybe one of the builders?' Katie suggested, fighting on the inside with the thought that this might have been someone local.
'Maybe,' he said and drained the rest of his coffee.
Katie peeled her back off the door. 'We've got a paper club meeting tonight, so I'll see what I can collect there. Where's Jane?'
'She and her sister are staying in that little hotel you recommended. She's free to come and go as she pleases. I've just asked to let us know if she wants to travel anywhere.'
'I'll give them a call. They could probably do with a little bit of TLC. Being new in town.'
Jack put his laptop in his briefcase and grabbed his jacket. He pushed the chair to desk. The desk wobbled. That reminded Katie of something.
'Jack, just one thing that bothers me. I forgot to tell you about it yesterday.'
He paused looking at her with full attention.
'What is it?'
'You didn't find anything in the house?'
'No.'
'It may be nothing, but yesterday in the morning when I was waiting for the police to arrive, I left Jane on her own twice, maybe a minute or two altogether.' She told him about Jane looking for the address while out of sight and when she sent her to get a glass of water.
'And I noticed one of the floorboards was squeaky and the cabinet wobbled. This wasn't the case before.'
'In the office?' he asked.
She nodded.
He reached into his pocket and fished out his phone.
'Thanks, Katie. I'll give the forensics team a ring and ask them to check it again. I have to go now. It's going to be a long day.'
He smiled at her and walked out of the office with his phone to his ear.
'Drive safely,' she whispered to the door that closed behind him.
11
Back in her office, Katie powered up the computer and buckled down to some paid work. Her job had changed several times over the past year or so, her responsibilities having been expanded, especially in recent weeks. She was in constant learning mode, feeling as if her brain was waking up after several years of being in a coma. Maybe, one day, she would even go back to university to complete the law degree or maybe she'd even apply to join the police service?
She was engrossed in her work when a knock on her door interrupted her flow.
'Come in,' she called, lifting her head.
The door open and the strawberry blonde mane of Chris Fox appeared in the gap.
'Interesting news, Katie,' he said. 'You were right about that wobbly floorboard.'
Katie's jaw dropped. 'Did they find something?' she asked.
'Yeah, I've just come back from the house. Jack has asked me to go through it while he's sorting out the other thing.'
'To go through what?'
Chris pulled a large plastic bag from behind his jacket. He waved it in front of Katie.
Katie blinked. 'What is it? Some sort of notebook?'
'More of a journal, I suppose. Have you ever seen it around the Starr house?' He passed her the bag. Katie pinched it with two fingers and inspected the small, plain, black item inside.
'No, I don't think so. Jane worked on a scrapbooking journal in the club, but I don't think it was this one. The one in the club was prettier. This,' she flipped the bag to look at the other side, ‘is an ordinary notebook. It’s also too small, compared to the one I saw her working on in the club.' She handed the bag back to him. 'What's inside?'
'Handwritten notes, nearly daily. I'll try to read through it. Jack told me to give him a ring immediately if I find something suspicious. He said it would be faster than getting the forensic team to deal with it. Unfortunately, he can't do with himself.'
A thought flashed in her head.
'It's Jane's isn't it?'
'From what I've seen so far. No name on it, but the couple of comments I've read referred to her pain.'
'Is it enough to arrest her?'
Chris put the bag back into the inside pocket of his jacket. 'Not unless we find something suspicious. If you ask me, I think it's unlikely she could have done it. I've seen her trying to walk to the car. Jane Starr has genuine problems with mobility. I don't think she can run.'
'I don't think so either.'
Katie's mobile rang.
Chris grabbed the door. 'I'd better be going,' he said. 'I still have a few things to sort out before I can get on with this' – he patted the notebook in his jacket pocket – 'so see you later, lass.'
'Thanks for keeping me up-to-date, Chris,' Katie said and reached to her handbag to pick up her ringing phone.
It was Jane Starr.
Katie took a deep breath. A headache started to grow at the back of head. Funny how one comment could change the mood of the day. A couple of minutes ago, she was quite looking forward to chatting with Jane now she was wondering if she was about to chat with a murderer. She pressed the free hand to her forehead and answered the call.
'Hi Jane,' she said as neutrally as she could. 'How are you today?'
'I'm trying to cope, Katie.' Jane replied her voice trembling. 'I'm glad my sister is with me.'
'How’s the hotel?'
'It's lovely. Thank you for recommending it. I was wondering if you could help us with something?'
Katie held her breath. What if she about to be asked to do something illegal? She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
'I can try,' she said. 'What do you need help with?'
'I'll pass you to my sister, okay?'
Her sister? What would Sarah want?
'Hello, Katie speaking,' she said cautiously.
'It's Sarah, Jane's sister,' a female voice explained. 'I'm sorry to bother you, I think Jane should do it, but she's pleaded me to ask you on her behalf. She's not good at asking people for help.'
Well, she'd just managed to get her sister do something for her...
She'd need to be careful about what to say.
'Yes?'
'First of all, I'm aware how much you have done for her and we're both very grateful. Jane doesn't have many friends in town. Please, feel free to say no if it's too big a favour. And we'd be happy to pay for your time.'
A knot tightened in Katie's throat.
'Oh, please, don't do that. What can I help with?'
'She's been talking about the crafts club meeting. Apparently, it's tonight. She's keen to go there. She says it will help her relax and focus on something else. She has a project, like a little memento for Keith in mind. I was wondering...' Sara's voice trailed off. 'If you could take her there...'
The knot in Katie's throat relaxed a little. She could definitely do that, assuming the police were happy about it.
'My pleasure, I can pick her up from the hotel before the meeting and drop her off afterwards. To return, we would have to be very quick because I need to pick up my daughter from her friend’s place after that.'
'I can come and collect her, it's not a problem,' Sarah rushed to add. 'Hold on, just a second.' Katie heard a few steps and the creaking of a door. 'I've just stepped out. I didn't want her to hear that. I'd love to have a bit of time to myself, to breathe and talk to my family without Jane - oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. But it's been hard with her following me everywhere. She's in the bathroom right now, and I've sneaked out to the foyer to talk to you. The outing to the meeting would be a welcome distraction for her,' she rattled on.
'Yes, I can see that,' Katie said, thinking about both sides of this situation: anxi
ous, clingy Jane and overwhelmed, overworked Sarah. 'I'll pick her up around 6:15 at the earliest. This should give you some time to relax and talk to your family. Would that be okay with you?'
'Of course it would!' Sarah exclaimed. 'It's more than I'd dare to ask, so generous of you. Do I need to give her anything to take with her?'
'I'm not sure how much she's taken from the house,' Katie said post hoping that Sarah would fill her in.
'We weren't allowed to take much. Just some clothes and a few personal items. Would that be a problem?'
'No. I think she left her scrapbooking project in the club. The machine is definitely there. If necessary, we can find her something to work on.'
'Thank you ever so much, Katie! You've saved my sanity.'
'You're very welcome. See you tonight.'
Katie disconnected. Her stomach was all twisted. She felt sorry for Jane and was certain the poor woman was incapable of harming anyone, emotionally and even less physically. But did she feel like that because Jane was innocent, or because she simply liked her? She’d faced a similar situation during the previous cases she’d been involved in, with Trish Bollard and Zuza. The torture of not knowing whether you could trust what your friends were saying was hard to cope with.
She wanted to talk to Jack about it. And actually, she probably should, if only to check that she was allowed to take Jane to the meeting.
12
Unfortunately, when she rang Jack, the call went straight to the voicemail. She hand up and popped next door. Chris was busy tucking into his sandwich. It made her stomach rumble and reminded her it would soon be time for lunch.
'Hey, Chris, can I ask you something?'
Chris jerked up his chin, which Katie interpreted as an encouragement to speak. She gave him a brief summary of the phone her conversation with Jane and her sister.
'Would it be okay if I took Jane to the Paper Crafts Club meeting tonight? It might provide her with a bit of a distraction. She's quite distressed.'
'As long as she's not leaving town, it’ll be fine. In fact, it’s a very good idea, lass. You may be able to get something out of her.'
Katie shrugged, pretending the thought hadn't crossed her mind.