by D. S. Butler
Chapter Nine
Mackinnon and Charlotte left York Square after getting contact details for Ashley’s workplace and close friends, as well as her on and off again boyfriend, Noah Thorne. Kate Squires stayed with the Burrowses. She would remain with them, answering their questions, for as long as they needed her.
Mackinnon breathed a sigh of relief after they returned to the car and found they’d escaped without a ticket, despite spending far longer than the allowed thirty minutes.
It was four p.m. when they reached Wood Street Station.
“Her parents were adamant there was no one in her life who would hurt her. Do you think they’re right about it being a random killing?” Charlotte asked as they climbed the stairs, heading for DI Tyler’s briefing.
“Unlikely,” Mackinnon said. “But I suppose we can’t rule it out.”
“She works as a travel agent, so that would bring her into contact with a lot of people,” Charlotte said, frowning. “Maybe her connection with her killer was through work rather than her personal life.”
“Possible,” Mackinnon said. “We’ll definitely want to speak to her boss and colleagues.”
“We could do that next?”
“We’ll have to follow Tyler’s lead. It will be his decision as to what we do next.”
“Oh, yes. I suppose it will.”
Mackinnon thought it should have been a relief handing over responsibility to Tyler, but he felt strangely possessive over this case and reluctant to step down as acting SIO. DI Tyler could be unorthodox at times, but he was an officer who got results. Ashley Burrows’s case would be in safe hands, and Mackinnon would still be involved in the investigation, so his reluctance was odd. It was more a feeling than a logical, thought-out reaction.
Officers had already gathered in the incident room when they arrived. DI Tyler was at the front of the room standing beside a large whiteboard. He called the room to attention as Mackinnon and Charlotte entered.
Mackinnon went to the corner of the room and got himself a drink from the water tower as Tyler started to talk.
“First up, I want to say I’m very impressed with this department’s work on the Aleena Khan case. Excellent police work. Now, I’ve gathered you all here because I want you to give your focus to our new investigation. DCI Brookbank has kindly brought in more officers to help.” He nodded at two men and a woman Mackinnon recognised from the fraud squad. “We’ll go around the room and you can update me. I’m late into this investigation, but from what I’ve heard, DS Mackinnon has done a great job so far, so let’s keep it up. DC Collins, how are you getting on with the security camera footage?”
Collins slowly spun around on his chair to face the detective inspector. “I’ve managed to track our suspect on his bus journey. He embarked and returned at the same bus stop, on Mile End Road. I’ve been coordinating with the Met on the CCTV, and with any luck, I’ll be able to use the footage to track where he went after he got off the bus. We know Ashley Burrows went missing ten days ago. She was last seen at five thirty at her place of work, Flyaway Travel Agents. I’d like to follow her route using security footage, but I could really do with an extra pair of eyes.”
“DC Webb,” Tyler said, scanning the room for the officer. “I’d like you to help DC Collins with that.”
DC Webb gave a barely disguised groan. Trawling through camera footage was no one’s idea of a good time, but in this day and age, it was often vital for a conviction.
“DS Mackinnon, I understand you and DC Brown have just got back from visiting Ashley’s parents.”
Mackinnon nodded and set his paper cup on the table in front of him. “Yes, they were understandably very upset. We left Kate Squires with them acting as the FLO. They had no idea who would want to harm their daughter. According to them, everyone loved Ashley. They gave us contact details for some of Ashley’s close friends as well as her ex-boyfriend, Noah Thorne. We took a quick look at Ashley’s bedroom, and DC Brown found a diary. I think it’s worth taking a more thorough look at her bedroom in case we missed something in our quick search.”
“Interesting. Is there anything in the diary that could help our investigation?”
Charlotte held up the diary, which she’d placed inside an evidence bag. “I had a quick look through, but I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing yet.”
“All right. Give the diary to Evie.” Tyler nodded at Yvonne Charlesworth, one of the police support staff Mackinnon had worked with many times. She was a hard worker and extremely thorough, the perfect choice to go carefully through the diary, looking for important evidence.
Charlotte walked over to Evie to give her the diary somewhat reluctantly. He knew she got on well with Evie and respected her, but Charlotte’s natural curiosity made her want to be the one to read the diary.
“Thank you, DC Brown. I’d like you and DS Mackinnon to go to Flyaway Travel Agents after the briefing. Talk to her boss and the rest of the staff. Find out if something happened at work recently that struck them as odd. We need to find out as much as we can about Ashley’s life. It’s just after four, and the travel agents shuts at five thirty, so you should have time. When you’re done there, I’d like you to go and speak to Noah Thorne.”
Tyler wrapped up the meeting by assigning further tasks, and as the officers filed out of the room, he approached Mackinnon and Charlotte.
“Thanks for covering, Jack.”
“Not a problem. How are you feeling now?”
“Still a little shaky. I can’t stomach anything but water. Other than that, I’m tickety-boo,” Tyler said wryly.
“I hope it’s not contagious,” Charlotte said. “It could be a stomach virus.”
Tyler shook his head slowly. “No, I can promise you it wasn’t that.”
“How can you be so sure?” Charlotte asked, not looking convinced and keeping her distance.
Tyler sighed heavily. “If I tell you, you keep it to yourselves, understood?”
Mackinnon and Charlotte nodded.
“Last night I thought it would be a good idea to cook Janice dinner.”
“Janice? Brookbank’s new assistant?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes. Anyway, I really put the effort in. Got a Nigella Lawson cookbook and everything. I’d been shopping and remembered everything for the recipe apart from the prawns, but then I remembered I had some in the freezer. I put them on the draining board to defrost… for a few hours.”
“That wasn’t a good idea in this heat,” Mackinnon said.
“Yes, I realise that now. Anyway, that’s how I got sick. And I also managed to give Janice food poisoning, so I think I have royally screwed up that fledgling relationship.”
“She might soften towards you after she’s feeling better,” Charlotte said.
“Maybe,” Tyler said glumly. “But I don’t like my chances.” He glanced at his watch. “Anyway, enough about my depressing love life. You two better get to the travel agents.”
Flyaway Travel Agents was on the corner of White Horse Road and Wakeling Street. It was within walking distance of York Square, and Mackinnon wondered if Ashley had usually walked to work alone. He made a mental note to ask Kate Squires later.
Flyaway Travel was printed in large yellow letters on a blue sign above the door. An A3-sized poster was in the window, listing bargain flights, and there were tempting pictures of white sandy beaches, blue skies, turquoise seas and palm trees hanging in the window too.
Mackinnon and Charlotte stepped inside the small office. On the right, there were four separate desks, only two were occupied. Each desk was approximately two foot behind the one in front.
The heat was stifling as the sun shone directly in the large window.
A tall woman got up from the furthest desk and made her way towards them. “Detectives?”
Charlotte had called ahead so the manager was expecting their visit. They introduced themselves and showed ID.
“I’m Heather Brooke, the manager here.” She gave
them a broad smile, but there were tears in her eyes.
She had a deep tan, and Mackinnon wondered if she took advantage of the frequent holiday deals or if her tan was out of a bottle.
She tucked her dark hair behind her ears. “I was so sorry to hear about Ashley. She was a lovely girl.”
The other woman in the office kept sneaking glances their way but didn’t introduce herself.
“Is there somewhere we could talk?” Mackinnon asked.
“It’s probably best if we talk here, if that’s okay with you? There is a small kitchen and toilet at the back of the office, but nowhere really we could sit and talk in private.” She gestured to the other woman. “This is Sadie Griffith. She was close to Ashley, so you’ll probably want to talk to her too.”
Sadie didn’t make eye-contact and fidgeted in her seat.
Heather sat back down behind her desk and Mackinnon and Charlotte sat in front of it.
“How long had Ashley been working for you?” Mackinnon asked.
Heather rifled through a drawer and pulled out a blue file. “She’d been here about eighteen months. This is her personnel file. I don’t think there’s anything useful in it but you may as well have it just in case.”
Charlotte took it and thanked her then pulled out her tablet to start making notes.
“Had Ashley been upset about anything recently?” Mackinnon asked.
“Upset?”
“Issues with her boyfriend perhaps? Or maybe troublesome customers?”
Heather blinked and looked surprised at the question. “I’d assumed it was some kind of mugging gone wrong. Are you saying she was killed by someone she knew?”
“We’re still in the early days of the investigation,” Mackinnon said. “I know it’s difficult, but we need to ask these sorts of questions.”
“I understand, but Ashley was such a sunny, happy young thing. I can’t believe anyone would want to hurt her.”
“Sadly, murder doesn’t discriminate. Even happy young things can become victims,” Charlotte said.
Mackinnon shot a surprised glance at Charlotte, but her head was bent over the tablet as she made notes.
“Right. Of course, sorry,” Heather said. “It’s just all such a shock.”
“Have you had any problems with customers recently?” Mackinnon asked trying to get the interview back on track.
“No. We haven’t had any trouble. As you can see, it’s only a small office, so I’m sure I would have noticed if Ashley was uncomfortable or having a problem with a customer.”
“Did you ever meet her boyfriend, Noah Thorne?”
“Yes, a few times. He’d sometimes meet Ashley after work, and they’d go out to dinner. I think they were on a break at the moment, though.”
“Had she been upset about that?”
“Not really. They were always breaking up and getting back together. She was too young to settle down if you ask me.”
“Do you know why they broke up this time?”
Heather thought for a moment and tapped a finger against her chin. Her nails were long and painted a bright pink. “I’m not sure what caused the breakup this time. Sadie? Do you have any idea?”
Sadie looked nervous. Mackinnon guessed she was approximately the same age as Ashley. A long, lank fringe covered her high forehead and obscured most of her eyes. Small spots covered the lower part of her cheeks.
She shrugged. “Just the usual. Noah was going out drinking too much. Ashley didn’t like it. She was a bit of a health nut.”
Heather nodded. “She was. Always eating fruit and rice and vegetables for lunch. She was a vegan. She went to the gym three nights a week too.”
“Do you know which gym she used?” Mackinnon asked.
“One on Mile End Road. Fitness First, I think,” Sadie said and chewed on her lip.
Mackinnon didn’t reply straight away. He thought Sadie looked like she had something more to tell them.
She glanced at him and then Charlotte and then finally looked down at the floor. “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
“How do you mean?”
“Just that on the surface, Ashley was happy and bubbly, but she actually had some problems.”
“What problems?”
“I don’t really feel comfortable saying. It’s like not respecting her memory or something….”
“Sadie, this is a murder investigation. Somebody killed your friend, and we’re trying to catch the person responsible. If you know something was bothering Ashley, you should tell us what it was.”
“I don’t know if it’s related to what happened. It might not even be important.”
“We won’t know until you tell us.”
Sadie chewed on her lip again and wrapped a lock of her hair around her index finger. “She’d seen the doctor recently. She hadn’t been feeling well, but the doctor wasn’t much help. He said it was all in her head.”
“She was depressed?” Mackinnon asked.
“That’s what the doctor said, but Ashley said they just write everything off as depression these days.”
“Do you know if she was taking any medication?” Mackinnon asked.
“Sorry, Ashley didn’t mention that.”
Mackinnon tried to recall if he’d seen any bottles of pills in Ashley’s bedroom and bathroom. He was sure he would have noticed something like that. But it would be worth taking a second look.
“Anyway, I just meant that Ashley seemed like she had it all, the perfect life, but she’d been pretty down recently. She’d been attending some kind of group. Counselling, probably.”
“Do you know where the group met or what they were called?”
Sadie shook her head.
“Any idea?” Mackinnon asked, looking at Heather.
“No. I had no idea Ashley had been having any problems.” Heather wiped a tear away from her cheek. “It’s awful. I spent all day with her at work, but I never thought… She seemed so happy.”
Sadie twirled her hair around her finger and shook her head. “She only looked that way on the surface. She wasn’t happy. Not at all.”
Chapter Ten
It was almost five thirty when Mackinnon and Charlotte left the travel agents. The traffic around the Barbican was heavy.
At six p.m. they finally arrived at the Golden Lane Estate. Noah Thorne lived on the fifth floor of Great Arthur House.
“The yellow panels are certainly eye-catching,” Charlotte commented as they walked past flowers and shrubs growing in concrete tubs in the square beside Great Arthur House.
Mackinnon grinned. “It’s a nice estate. I lived here for a while. There is supposed to be an amazing view of St Paul’s Cathedral from the roof garden.”
“Supposed to be?”
“Yes, I never got to see it. It used to be open to residents, but it was closed after a couple of suicides.”
They looked up at the fifteen-storey building. It towered over the other buildings in the estate.
“Are the flats still all council?” Charlotte asked.
“No, quite a few of them were purchased under the Right to Buy scheme. Some are still council owned though.”
“Do we know if Noah Thorne is a council tenant?”
“He’s privately renting the flat.”
“That must cost a few bob.”
“Yes, he works in banking,” Mackinnon said, and then catching the look on Charlotte’s face added, “He’s not an investment banker. He is an administrative assistant for a banking firm.”
They took the lift to the fifth floor, sharing it with a woman carrying a grumpy toddler.
When Noah Thorne opened the door, Mackinnon quietly assessed him as Charlotte carried out the introductions. Noah was five foot seven and had small dark eyes and fluffy brown hair. His eyebrows were arched, making Mackinnon wonder whether he plucked them. It gave him the appearance of being constantly surprised.
His red-rimmed eyes and the way he folded his arms over his chest, protectively, showe
d he was emotionally fragile. He’d been affected by the news of Ashley’s death, but that didn’t mean he was innocent. It only meant he was upset. Being a murderer didn’t preclude a person from emotion. Most killers weren’t cold, calculating psychopaths. They were angry, disturbed and emotional.
“I can’t believe it,” Noah said as he let them in. “I knew something was wrong but hoped she’d be okay.”
He led them into a sitting room that looked like the domain of a single man. There were no photographs or pictures on the wall. No cushions. There was a large flat screen TV, dark brown leather sofa with matching armchair and a huge black reclining chair.
Noah sat down on the recliner, and Mackinnon and Charlotte sat on the sofa so they were facing him.
“Do you know what happened?” Noah asked. “I just spoke to her parents, but they were hazy on the details. Still in shock, I think. Understandable.”
“We are trying to find out what happened,” Mackinnon said. “We only found Ashley’s body this morning, so we’re speaking to people who knew her and trying to find out if there was anyone in Ashley’s life who could have done this.”
“Killed her? No. I don’t think so. Everyone loved Ashley.”
There it was again. Everyone loved Ashley.
“Even you? You’d broken up recently. Was there any bad feeling between you?”
Noah’s already small eyes grew smaller, and he frowned. “No. I mean, we had a few arguments and decided to take a break, but I still cared about her.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
Noah looked down at his lap. His fluffy brown hair fell forward covering his eyes. Was he trying to hide something?
“Two days before she disappeared,” he said eventually.
“Where?”
Noah sighed and ran his hands over his face. “The thing is, I know this is going to sound bad, but I waited for her after work. I just wanted to talk.”
“Why would that sound bad, Noah?”
“Because she wasn’t very happy to see me, okay?” His fists clenched in his lap. “She yelled at me to give her space…and I yelled back. You may as well know because it happened on the street, and I’m sure some busybody will tell you. I didn’t touch her. I would never hurt Ashley.”