by Wyer, Carol
Lucy had come across people like him before – overly concerned. He pulled back a chair for her to sit down in a gentlemanly fashion and continued making tut-tutting noises. ‘We were all distraught to hear the news. Jane’s a valued employee.’
Lucy glanced at the digital picture frame on his desk that flashed up photographs one after another – a baby dressed in a white christening gown; two toddlers beaming for the camera; the same two children holding hands, both dressed in matching hats with pom-poms; one child on a bike – all of them proving Phil Howitt was a family man. He followed her gaze and confirmed her thoughts. ‘That’s Izaak and India. Izaak’s four and India almost three now. Time flies so quickly. You have any children?’
Lucy and Bethany were expecting their first baby in a few months but she wasn’t going to share that information with a man she’d never met before. ‘No.’
He moved behind the desk and sat down. ‘How may I help you?’
Lucy decided not to beat about the bush. ‘I understand you and Jane Hopkins are in a relationship.’
He steepled his forefingers and pressed them against plump, pink lips.
‘It’s not serious.’
‘But you are involved with her?’
‘I really don’t see what bearing my relationship with Jane has on your investigation, and I trust you will be discreet about whatever knowledge you’ve amassed. I may have my indiscretions but I also love my wife and family. I wouldn’t want them to be upset in any way.’
Lucy cringed inwardly. However, she wasn’t here to break up his marriage. ‘It’s important I eliminate you from our enquiries. You are connected to the victim and her mother, therefore we have to question you.’
‘I suppose so.’
‘You’ve stayed overnight at Jane’s house on a number of occasions.’
‘Is that a question or a statement?’
Lucy ignored the flippancy. ‘Have you?’
‘Yes. I spent a few nights at Jane’s.’
‘That must have been tricky to arrange without your wife becoming suspicious.’
‘Not really. There are numerous trade events and conferences that she believes I’m attending. But that’s not really any of your business. Why do you want to know if I’ve stayed at Jane’s house?’
‘When did you last see or speak to Savannah?’
‘Last week. Thursday morning. At breakfast. Before you ask, I got along well with her. She was somewhat of an introvert but there was no animosity there. We chatted a few times when I was there, but as you can imagine, I didn’t see much of her. I spent my time with Jane. I wasn’t under any impression Savannah was unhappy about the situation. Jane didn’t say anything about it and the girl was always pleasant to my face.’
‘Was Savannah aware you are married?’
‘I certainly didn’t tell her.’
‘There was one occasion when you walked in on her while she was showering.’
He removed his fingers and laughed lightly. ‘Oh, lord, yes! That was highly embarrassing – for us both. I was caught completely unawares. I apologised, of course, and backed out immediately.’
‘That’s not what Savannah told her friends. She claimed you hung about the bathroom staring at her.’
His mouth flapped open. ‘That’s preposterous! Of course I didn’t. What a ridiculous statement to have made.’
Lucy noted the large gestures that accompanied his words and eyes that scanned the room quickly. He was nervous. ‘She also gave her friends reason to believe things weren’t as comfortable between you as you have suggested.’
‘Why would she do such a thing? Was she attention-seeking? I certainly did nothing to warrant such reaction.’
‘She told her friends you often stared at her and made her feel uncomfortable.’
‘That’s utter nonsense.’
‘Did you ever proposition her in any way?’
‘For crying out loud! What do you take me for? I have a wife and two young children. I’m not some debased character who gets his rocks off staring at teenage girls.’ He ran a slim finger around the collar of his white shirt.
Lucy kept up the questioning. ‘Yesterday afternoon, you and Jane were in your office—’
‘We don’t need to discuss the intimate details but yes, we were in this office.’ He glanced at the black leather sofa behind Lucy, which she’d noted on her arrival.
‘What time did Jane leave?’
‘Almost four o’clock.’
‘And you?’
‘Not until gone five thirty. I had paperwork to complete.’
‘Did anyone see you between Jane leaving and you departing?’
‘No. My personal assistant, Maisie, was off yesterday, and as you can see, I’m on the top floor. Nobody comes up here unless they need to speak to me.’
‘Not even when you left?’
‘Again, no. I always use the back staircase that leads directly to the staff car park at the side of the warehouse, and you’ll notice there are no windows overlooking it. Most of the employees were either in the warehouse or the shop, which is accessed by the public car park to the front of this building. Nobody would have seen me.’
‘They might have seen you leave in your car.’
‘Only if they happened to be in the car park at the time and that’s highly unlikely. They’d have been inside. The place doesn’t shut until eight.’
‘What time did you get home?’
‘I didn’t go straight home. I changed into my running gear in the office and then drove to Jubilee Park where I jogged for almost an hour. After that, I went home.’
Jubilee Park was five miles outside Watfield – a huge expanse with numerous jogging routes, popular with serious athletes training for marathons and die-hard running enthusiasts.
‘Did you see many people on your route?’
‘One or two. I didn’t pay them much attention. I had my music turned up and my mind was elsewhere.’
‘Can your wife vouch for you returning home at about six thirty, then?’
His face wrinkled apologetically and he gave a small shrug. ‘Unfortunately, she can’t. She and the children stayed over at my mother-in-law’s last night. She lives in York. I’m expecting them back later today.’
‘Did anyone spot you arriving at your house – a neighbour perhaps?’
‘Not that I noticed. You can’t think I’m involved in any way, can you? I absolutely had nothing to do with Savannah’s death. Jane said she disappeared on her way home from Watfield Secondary and I was here then, right until five thirty.’
‘We believe Savannah was meeting somebody and she was murdered later – around eleven. As you have no alibi for that time, we need to confirm your whereabouts.’
He stood up abruptly and pressed his fingertips to his head. ‘No. No. This isn’t right. I had nothing to do with it. There are some cameras along the road. Maybe you could search for my car on them. That would vindicate me, wouldn’t it?’
‘You better give me the route you took and approximate times you made the journey, and I’ll also need to take a DNA sample from you.’
‘You can’t possibly believe I killed her.’
‘As I explained, we have to eliminate anyone who knew the victim.’
‘I suppose so. Look, about earlier. I don’t want to seem heartless. Jane and I… it’s complicated.’
‘I’m sure it is, sir.’
‘No. It really is. Jane works for me and, well, she can be quite persuasive.’
‘That isn’t any of my business. I’m only interested in your movements from yesterday afternoon onwards. Were you in contact with Savannah at all?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Do you have her mobile number?’
‘Erm, no.’
‘You seem uncertain.’
‘I definitely don’t have it. Why would I have her number? I’ve told you everything I know. I’m not responsible for her death.’
‘But with nobody to confirm your whe
reabouts, we have to prove where you were and establish you did not meet with Savannah or that you weren’t in the vicinity of her house yesterday.’
He lifted his fingers again, rubbed at his neck. ‘I might have driven past the house.’
Lucy remained poker-faced. ‘What time would this have been?’
‘Late. Elevenish. Jane rang me as soon as the police started hunting for Savannah. She was obviously distressed and asked if I’d visit her – give her moral support. I told her it wasn’t a good idea to draw attention to our relationship. In truth, I though Savannah had just gone off with friends or was in a mood and would return. Jane kept calling me, so in the end, I went around to comfort her, but when I saw the police activity near the park, I drove away.’
‘What made you think Savannah had taken off with friends? From what I gather, she didn’t have many friends.’
‘She could be a little moody at times. I don’t claim to understand teenage girls. I assumed – wrongly as it happened – that she was with friends and would come home. Sadly, she hasn’t.’
‘Earlier you said she was an introverted girl who was pleasant to your face. Now you are suggesting she was moody.’
‘Teenagers are capable of being both pleasant and moody at times,’ he snapped.
‘And you witnessed her being moody on occasions?’
‘You’re taking my words out of context. I’m only telling you what I imagined to be the truth. I thought Jane was overreacting to her daughter’s disappearance and I was wrong. Okay?’
‘Could I take a look at your phone, sir, to confirm the times Jane rang you?’
He sighed dramatically and passed her a silver iPhone. She glanced through the call log. There were several calls from what she assumed to be Jane’s number from six o’clock until the early hours of the morning, and none from any other number. It appeared he was telling the truth. However, he could have made contact with Savannah using social media. ‘I’d like to take your phone back with me. I’ll have it returned as soon as possible.’
Phil frowned and got to his feet. ‘Now, hang on a minute. You have no right to confiscate it. I need it for work and there’s nothing on it that will help you with your investigation. I’ve already told you where I was. I’ve assisted you with your enquiries and I demand you return my property immediately or I shall report you to your superiors.’
His demeanour had transformed; the pleasant look had departed, replaced by a scowling mask. Why had he suddenly become so anxious about his mobile? There was only one reason Lucy could think of: there was something that might incriminate him on it. She pressed on. ‘If you feel I’ve acted inappropriately, then you’ll have to report me, but given you have no concrete alibi as to your whereabouts, you were in the vicinity at the time of Savannah’s murder and I have reasonable doubt regarding your actual relationship with Savannah, I am within my rights to examine this device. It will be returned shortly. I’d like to take your laptop too.’
‘Whoa! That’s enough now. You’re not taking it.’
‘You can’t prevent me, sir.’
‘Like hell I can’t. It’s my laptop.’
‘Sir, I insist you sit down and not prevent me from doing my job. I wouldn’t want to have to charge you.’
The eyes blazed fiercely but he stepped backwards, pressed his knuckle to his mouth momentarily and composed his features once more. ‘I had absolutely nothing to do with Savannah’s death. I want that noted. Nothing whatsoever.’
‘Understood.’ Lucy picked up the laptop and tucked it under her arm.
‘I’m still inclined to report you. I’m not happy with the way you’ve conducted your interview or with you seizing my possessions as if I were some criminal.’
‘I’m sorry you feel that way, sir. However, I’m satisfied I’ve carried out my investigations in a professional manner. I’ll see they’re returned to you as soon as possible.’
Lucy turned on her heel, heart thumping. Her intuition sensed she was onto something and she was keen to find out why he’d been so unhappy with her taking his electronic devices. She needed to get them back to the lab pronto.
Nine
Tuesday, 17 April – Afternoon
At the same time Lucy was interviewing Phil Howitt, Natalie stood outside an unassuming, two-storey brick building and rang the doorbell to number 4, a ground-floor flat. Anthony Lane, a known sex offender, in jogging bottoms and a loose, long-sleeved T-shirt, opened the door, a half-eaten piece of toast in his hand.
‘Yeah?’
Natalie held out her ID card for him to study. ‘DI Natalie Ward. I’m here about Savannah Hopkins. I’d like to ask you a few questions about yesterday and what you actually saw.’
He stuck his head out and glanced up and down the street before saying, ‘Come in.’
With the door shut behind her, Natalie couldn’t escape the aroma of toast and bacon that filled her nostrils. Anthony waved her into the kitchen and to a small square table shoved into the corner of the room. He cleared away a plate stained with tomato ketchup, chewing the remainder of his toast as he did so. Natalie waited for him to invite her to sit before pulling out a well-worn wooden chair and dropping onto its shiny surface.
Anthony joined her. He wiped crumbs from his mouth and spoke. ‘I saw her in the Aldi car park behind the main entrance, with two other girls. I don’t know what they were discussing but she suddenly threw up her arms and marched away. The other girls nudged each other and laughed.’
‘What did you do afterwards?’
‘I went into the supermarket to do my shopping and walked home. I watched some television and then decided to go to the pub – the Spread Eagle, near the monument. On my way there, I spotted police in the pedestrian area of town and asked a copper what was going on. He told me they were looking for Savannah and I told him I’d seen her. That’s it. I described her to him and what I’d seen outside the supermarket, and they took notes.’ He bit at a ragged thumbnail, ignoring the lengthy, greasy fringe that had tumbled forwards into his eyes.
‘Did you know Savannah or her friends?’
‘I’ve seen them about town. A lot of the schoolkids from Watfield Secondary come into town once classes end. I see them milling about sometimes if I’m out and about.’
‘Are you often “out and about”?’
‘A man has to eat. I need to shop somewhere and I live near the town centre, don’t I? I work at the brewery and get in about three thirty. I tend to shop when I get in – choose something I fancy for my dinner.’ He lifted his thumb back to his lips and nibbled at some skin around the nail.
‘You understand why I’m interviewing you, don’t you?’
‘Let me take a wild guess. My past. I’m the go-to person when anything happens to children, aren’t I? I’m the supposed kiddy-fiddler that people shun and I happen to be a registered sex offender. That’s it, isn’t it? You lot never give a bloke a second chance. I never touched any of the girls, you know. I was charged for exposing myself. I never laid a finger on any of them and it all happened ten years ago.’
‘That’s a mighty big chip you’ve got on your shoulder, Anthony. I actually wanted to talk to you because you’re one of only a handful of people who recalls seeing Savannah yesterday afternoon before she went missing.’ She let her words sink in. He grunted a response.
‘Was she dressed in school uniform?’
‘Yes. They all were.’
‘Did you overhear any of their conversation?’
‘No. I was concentrating on getting a trolley from the trolley park so I didn’t hear what they said.’ He kept his eyes anchored on his thumb.
‘Were the girls still there when you came out?’
‘No, and I didn’t see them or Savannah on my way home. I walked back past the church.’
‘Anthony, I think you know more than you’re telling me.’
‘Why would I keep anything back?’
‘You tell me.’
His eyes widened to reveal flec
ks of orange in his dark irises. ‘You’re one of those officers who believes people like me should never be accepted back in society, aren’t you?’
‘There’s that chip again. No. I’m one of those officers who thinks somebody who is only buying food for one person doesn’t need a large trolley for a supermarket shop.’ She sat back in the chair and folded her arms.
‘So single people only buy small amounts, do they?’ he sneered.
‘That’s not what I’m suggesting, but you carried whatever you bought from the supermarket back home and I expect it couldn’t have weighed too heavily. You wouldn’t have used a trolley for a small amount of shopping.’
She had him on the ropes. He blinked furiously several times at being caught out. He stood up and paced to the kitchen sink. ‘I didn’t see Savannah, all right?’
‘What else did you hear or see? What were the girls talking about?’
‘I didn’t hear anything.’
‘Anthony, I can interview you at the station or you can tell me everything now and make life easier for yourself. Do you really fancy getting into my car in front of your neighbours? Tongues will wag if they see you being led away. People will assume all sorts of things about you. You don’t want that, do you?’
‘For fuck’s sake. That isn’t fair. I’ve kept my head down for years. I don’t try to annoy anybody and I’m trying to lead a normal life. I just happened to be at the supermarket—’
‘Anthony, cut the bullshit. What did you overhear the girls saying?’
Her sharp words worked. His nose wrinkled and then he spoke again. ‘All three were smoking. They’re usually around the back of the supermarket at that time. I see them hanging about most days. Savannah was angry about something; she was waving her cigarette about and shouted, “Bastard!” and then suddenly she noticed me. Anyway, she called me a pervert and I didn’t hang around long after that. I rushed into the supermarket and grabbed some cheese. While I was at the checkout, I saw her march away, like I told you. On my way out, I overheard one of the other girls say she was a stupid cow. I guessed she meant Savannah. That’s everything. Honest.’