by Lisa Stone
To whom it may concern. By the time you find this I will be long gone. I’ve had enough of my life. Please inform Belsize Nursing Home. My mother is a patient there. She won’t understand I’m dead, but the staff need to know. Colin Weaver
Beth stopped and looked at the letter of resignation and then back again at the suicide note. Something was wrong. She placed them side by side. The handwriting looked different. The style of the letter formation wasn’t the same. True, the suicide note had been written in blue biro and the letter of resignation in black ink, but apart from that the actual handwriting was strikingly different. The shape of the letters, the pressure used, the slope of the words. She didn’t need a forensic handwriting analyst to tell her these two letters weren’t written by the same person.
‘Matt,’ she said, standing and going round to his desk. ‘What do you make of this?’ She placed the two letters side by side on his desk. ‘This is the suicide note we found in Colin Weaver’s flat, and this is his letter of resignation. The handwriting is completely different.’
Matt looked at the letters. ‘Perhaps he was pissed when he wrote one,’ he joked.
‘Seriously, Matt, pissed or not, and allowing for the fact that different pens were used, the writing just isn’t the same, is it?’
‘No. They do look very different. That one’, he said, tapping the letter of resignation, ‘reminds me of the way my gran writes. The slant forwards, the thin lines, all the letters perfectly formed with a loop in the L. I think it’s the way they were taught at school back then.’
Beth nodded thoughtfully. ‘You’re right. It’s quite spidery – like an elderly person has written it – while the handwriting in the suicide note is firmer, heavier, more pronounced. The letters are rounder. Pity I don’t have another sample of Weaver’s handwriting to compare it to.’
‘I suppose if he was upset and his hand was trembling when he wrote his letter of resignation it could look like that,’ Matt said.
‘Maybe.’
‘Does it matter?’ Matt asked. ‘The case is closed.’
‘Probably not.’
Beth returned to her desk and looked again at the two letters, deep in thought. She had other things she should be getting on with, but this was really odd. She couldn’t just file the letter away and get on with something else. It would play on her mind. In her line of work, she was trained to ask questions and seek answers. There must be a reason for the discrepancy in the handwriting, beyond Matt’s suggestions that Colin was pissed or upset. The only person who would know for certain why they were different was Colin Weaver, the person who wrote them.
Tapping the keyboard of her computer, Beth found the number for Sleaseford Prison, where Weaver was serving his sentence, and entered it into her desk phone. ‘Detective Constable Beth Mayes,’ she said. ‘Calling from Coleshaw Police Station.’ Matt glanced up. ‘Can I speak to the governor, Malcolm Wiles, please?’
‘I’ll see if he is in his office,’ the operator said. ‘What is it in connection with?’
‘Colin Weaver. He’s a prisoner there.’
Matt rounded his eyes.
‘I’m connecting you now.’
The governor came on the line, ‘Malcolm Wiles speaking.’
‘Good afternoon, it’s DC Beth Mayes here. Thank you for making time to speak to me. I’m tying up a few loose ends on the Leila Smith abduction case. A letter has arrived that was purportedly sent by Colin Weaver, but I have doubts about its authenticity. Would it be possible to speak to him?’ Beth knew her request was unusual.
‘All mail is checked before it leaves the prison,’ Malcolm Wiles said.
‘This letter isn’t recent. It was sent last year, in November, but got lost in the post. It would be really helpful if I could speak to him.’
‘I can ask Mr Weaver if he’s happy to talk to you, but you know he has the right to refuse?’
‘Yes, I appreciate that. Thank you.’
‘I’ll call you back if he agrees. What number can we reach you on?’
Beth gave him the number of her work mobile, thanked him again and set her phone on her desk. Matt was still looking at her, now with a smile.
‘You’ve got a cheek,’ he said. ‘I bet Weaver won’t talk to you.’
Beth shrugged. ‘It’s worth a go.’
She tried to concentrate on some other work but without success. Matt was right: the chances were Colin Weaver would refuse to speak to her, or insist his solicitor was present, and this certainly wouldn’t merit a formal interview. Anyway, there was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why his handwriting was so different. It was just that Beth couldn’t think of it.
Twenty minutes later, Beth’s mobile rang and she snatched it up. Matt looked up.
‘DC Beth Mayes speaking.’
‘Hello, Malcolm Wiles returning your call. I have Mr Weaver with me.’
‘Thank you.’
‘He has agreed to talk to you on the understanding that he may refuse to answer your questions and I remain in the room.’
‘That’s fine,’ Beth said.
Colin Weaver came on the phone and said a subdued, ‘Hello.’
‘Thank you for agreeing to talk to me. How are you?’
‘You wanted to ask me about a letter?’ he said curtly.
‘Yes, it’s nothing to worry about, but I’ve just received a copy of your letter of resignation.’
‘Why?’ he asked guardedly.
‘I requested it last year as part of our investigation, but it got lost in the post and has only just arrived. The reason I wanted to speak to you is because the handwriting in your letter of resignation appears to be very different from the suicide note you left in your flat. I wondered why.’
‘Because I didn’t write the letter of resignation,’ he replied bluntly.
‘You didn’t. Why not?’
‘It wasn’t my idea.’
‘So who wrote the letter?’
‘Doris Goodman.’
‘Mrs Goodman wrote your letter of resignation?’ Beth asked in disbelief. Matt’s eyes widened in amazement. ‘Why?’
‘Sharon told her to. She didn’t want my employers becoming suspicious and alerting the police when I didn’t show for work. The letter needed to come from Coleshaw in case the postmark on the envelope was checked. So she got Doris Goodman to write and post it.’
‘And you didn’t think to mention this when you were interviewed?’ Beth asked, meeting Matt’s gaze.
‘No. Why should I? It didn’t seem important.’
‘It would have substantiated your claim that Mrs Goodman was involved.’
‘Oh. I see. Does it matter now? It won’t help me get out of here.’
‘No, but it could help build a case against Mrs Goodman.’
There was a pause before Colin Weaver replied. ‘I don’t think I want that now. Doris got caught up in saving Leila and thought she was helping her, as I did. I’m not going to be responsible for putting her in prison at her age. It wouldn’t serve any purpose. Essentially she’s a good person.’ He cleared his throat. ‘In fact, now I come to think of it, it’s possible I wrote that letter and forgot. I was very confused and under a lot of pressure at the time. So if you were to ask me again formally who wrote my letter of resignation, I would say I did.’
‘I understand,’ Beth said.
‘Was that all you wanted?’
‘Yes, thank you.’
‘I’ll say goodbye then.’ The line went dead.
Beth slowly set down her phone and looked at Matt. ‘Mr Weaver isn’t sure if he wrote the letter of resignation or not, but he believes he did.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, really. He was confused at the time.’
Taking a sticky label from the pad on her desk, Beth stuck it on the letter and wrote: Authenticity of letter questionable. Then she placed the letter in the file, ready to be archived.
Colin Weaver was right. No useful purpose would be served by prose
cuting Doris Goodman, although they would be keeping a close eye on her in the future. If necessary, the letter could be retrieved and the handwriting analysed, but for now it would be returned to the archive. Beth’s next case awaited.
Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
Are there any clues early on to suggest that Sharon has a plan of her own in respect of Leila?
Describe the characters: Kelsey Smith, Colin Weaver, Sharon Kern and Doris Goodman. What sympathy, if any, do you have for them?
Beth Mayes and Matt Davis have appeared in other Lisa Stone thrillers. How would you describe their working relationship?
Do you think Leila is ever likely to be returned to Kelsey? Give your reasons.
Many of us are aware of a run-down area like the Hawthorn Estate. Using examples from the text, discuss how the author captures its bleakness.
Leila has had to grow up fast and is streetwise. Discuss.
Lisa Stone thrillers are fast-paced narratives that can appear deceptively easy to write. Try writing a paragraph that could go at the end of the book after Beth has returned the file on Colin Weaver to the archive.
Enjoyed Taken? Make sure you’ve read Lisa Stone’s previous novels:
How much do you know about the couple next door?
When Emily and Ben move in next door to Dr Burman and his wife Alisha, they are keen to get to know their new neighbours. Outgoing and sociable, Emily tries to befriend the doctor’s wife, but Alisha is strangely subdued, barely leaving the house, and terrified of answering the phone.
When Emily goes missing a few weeks later, Ben is plunged into a panic. His wife has left him a note, but can she really have abandoned him for another man? Or has Emily’s curiosity about the couple next door led her straight into danger?
Click here to order a copy of The Doctor
Someone is always watching …
Derek Flint is a loner. He lives with his mother and spends his evenings watching his clients on the CCTV cameras he has installed inside their homes. He likes their companionship – even if it’s through a screen.
When a series of crimes hits Derek’s neighbourhood, DC Beth Mayes begins to suspect he’s involved. How does he know so much about the victims’ lives? Why won’t he let anyone into his office? And what is his mother hiding in that strange, lonely house?
As the crimes become more violent, Beth must race against the clock to find out who is behind the attacks. Will she uncover the truth in time? And is Derek more dangerous than even she has guessed?
Click here to order a copy of Stalker
You know your son better than anyone. Don’t you?
When critically ill Jacob Wilson is given a life-saving heart transplant, his parents are relieved that their loving son has been saved.
However, before long, his family are forced to accept that something has changed in Jacob. Their once loving son is slowly being replaced by a violent man whose mood swings leave them terrified – but is it their fault?
Jacob’s girlfriend, Rosie, is convinced the man she loves is suffering from stress. But when his moods turn on her, she begins to doubt herself – and she can only hide the bruises for so long.
When a terrible crime is committed, Jacob’s family are forced to confront their darkest fears. Has the boy they raised become a monster? Or is someone else to blame?
Click here to order a copy of The Darkness Within
Lisa Stone also writes under the name of Cathy Glass.
Don’t miss her latest book …
The true story of a 6-year-old boy with a dreadful secret.
Oskar’s school teacher raises the alarm. Oskar’s mother is abroad and he has been left in the care of ‘friends’, but has been arriving in school hungry, unkempt, and with bruises on his arms, legs and body. Experienced foster carer Cathy Glass is asked to look after him, but as the weeks pass her concerns deepen. Oskar is far too quiet for a child of six and is clearly scared of something or someone.
And who are those men parked outside his school watching him?
Click here to order a copy of Too Scared to Tell
About the Author
Lisa Stone lives in England, has 3 children, and has 36 books published under the pseudonym Cathy Glass, many of which have become best-sellers. This is her fourth Lisa Stone thriller.
Website: lisastonebooks.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
/lisastonebooks.co.uk
@LisaStoneBooks
Books by Lisa Stone
The Darkness Within
Stalker
The Doctor
Books by Cathy Glass
True stories
Cut
The Silent Cry
Daddy’s Little Princess
Nobody’s Son
Cruel to Be Kind
The Night the Angels Came
A Long Way from Home
A Baby’s Cry
The Saddest Girl in the World
Please Don’t Take My Baby
Will You Love Me?
I Miss Mummy
Saving Danny
Girl Alone
Where Has Mummy Gone?
Damaged
Hidden
Mummy Told Me Not to Tell
Another Forgotten Child
The Child Bride
Can I Let You Go?
Finding Stevie
Innocent
Too Scared to Tell
Novels based on true stories
The Girl in the Mirror
My Dad’s a Policeman
Run, Mummy, Run
Self-help guides
About Writing
Happy Kids
Happy Adults
Happy Mealtimes for Kids
About the Publisher
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