by Wyer, Carol
‘I didn’t encourage them! They wanted to do it. If you’re going to hold anyone responsible, then blame their families who made them feel so miserable they wanted to run away to draw attention to themselves. I’m not the guilty party in this. I didn’t drive them to their deaths.’
‘You played your part though,’ Lucy mumbled.
Duffy scowled at her.
Natalie pressed on. ‘You have absolutely no idea where Katy might be hiding?’
‘None. I was totally convinced Katy had given up on the idea and was going home.’
‘If I find out you’re lying again, you know what I’ll do?’
‘I know. I’m not lying. Believe me, if I knew anything at all, I’d tell you. I want you to find her alive.’
‘Let’s hope we do. Based on the fact you lied about the website when I asked about it the other day, I need to confirm a couple of other things with you. You went to the dentist on Monday afternoon and then went home and played video games with your nephew.’
‘Yes.’
‘And you spent Tuesday evening with Jaffrey McCarthy and other band members.’
‘That’s right. We practised in his garage until about twelve and then I drove home.’
‘Drove home from where? Where does Jaffrey live?’ asked Natalie suddenly.
Duffy’s face clouded over. ‘Bramshall. Look, you know all this already. You’ve already checked out my alibis. I didn’t have anything to do with these deaths.’
‘Then you have nothing to worry about,’ Lucy replied.
Natalie had been processing the information and gave him a cool stare. ‘You say you were near Bramshall until about twelve?’
‘That’s right.’
‘And did you pass the woodland area on your way home?’
‘I did,’ he replied warily.
‘Did you travel with a friend or alone?’
‘I was on my own.’
‘We’ll need your car registration to confirm that.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you happened to be close to where Harriet Long lived and where we found her body.’
‘I didn’t know she lived in Bramshall! I went to see Jaffrey and the band like I usually do on a Tuesday. Honestly.’
‘I’m sure we’ll be able to confirm all of that. I might also need to have somebody examine your car.’
‘What?’
‘It’s usual procedure.’
‘Hang on a sec… What’s usual about that?’
‘As I explained, you happened to be near Harriet’s house late Tuesday and you knew she’d made plans to disappear.’
‘For fuck’s sake! I didn’t have anything to do with this.’
‘Then you’ll want to make sure we eliminate you from our enquiries, won’t you? I appreciate your full cooperation. If you wouldn’t mind waiting here, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible,’ Natalie said smoothly and stood up.
In the corridor, she spoke to Murray and Lucy. ‘Leave him to stew for a bit. See if you can find his car on any cameras over in Bramshall and check the CCTV camera in Watfield again. We might spot him or Katy on it.’
‘If he’s guilty, he’s putting up a good performance. I had him pegged as a bloody idiot, not a murderer,’ said Lucy.
Natalie rubbed her chin and said, ‘I can’t make my mind up if he loved the attention from these teenagers and played to his audience or was setting them up. If it’s the former, he’s a complete halfwit; if the latter, he’s a dangerous individual. Let’s see if we can find out which.’
Twenty-Four
Thursday, 19 April – Afternoon
‘That’s him,’ said Lucy, pointing to grey trousers and shiny brogues, all that could be seen of Duffy as he stood in the street talking to someone out of shot. Natalie squinted at the screen and sighed. He’d been wearing that same outfit when she’d spoken to him the previous day. They waited for movement and both he and Katy Bywater, in her school uniform and carrying a pink sports bag, came into shot and vanished again.
‘And that’s definitely Katy,’ said Murray. He wound the footage on and a full five minutes later, Katy passed the camera again.
Natalie studied the map of the town layout on the desk. ‘She’s headed in the direction of Aldi. Try the camera in the car park and see if she actually went to buy provisions. If she did, it means she paid no attention to Duffy’s warning.’
Murray headed to his terminal to do as bid. Lucy had phoned Duffy’s fellow band members and confirmed he was on the outskirts of Bramshall, several streets away from Harriet’s house. His Toyota GT86 had passed a camera at ten past twelve, but even after blowing up the image, they could only make out Duffy in the driver’s seat and no sign of Harriet.
Lucy shook her head and commented, ‘I know he denies any involvement but he could have hidden Harriet in the boot or on the floor in the back.’
Natalie was in agreement. They’d have to run tests on his car to see if there was any trace of Harriet’s DNA. She set about making the arrangements.
Ian was hunched over his screen, rewinding and slowing down grey footage of vehicles headed along the main road that passed the turn-off to the fly-tipping spot. He squeezed his eyes tightly and rubbed his forehead.
‘You okay?’ Murray asked.
‘Bit of a headache.’
‘Take a break for five minutes.’
‘I’ll be fine.’ He rolled his shoulders a couple of times and returned to the job at hand.
Murray’s phone rang. ‘DS Anderson… Yes… Yes, I did ask about that appointment. Oh, okay. Thank you. Twenty minutes, you say? Thanks again.’
He looked up. ‘That was the dentist’s surgery. Apparently, although the screen showed Duffy attended his appointment scheduled for four o’clock, he didn’t get there until twenty past four. That was the receptionist I spoke to. She wasn’t on duty Monday evening and mentioned to her colleague that we were checking on Duffy. Her colleague was on duty that day and actually checked Duffy in. He was late for his appointment by twenty minutes.’ He turned his attention back to the footage.
‘Oh, really? So now we have some time unaccounted for – the twenty minutes immediately after he saw Savannah. I’ll talk to him again.’
Ian wandered across with a printout on which were several red crosses. ‘I’ve sent this across to DI Kilburn. The council has provided us with the locations of business premises that have large recycle containers for waste and any individual waste bins along roads that are emptied regularly by operatives. I’ve contacted all skip hire companies and asked for information regarding their skips. I’m waiting for the last place to respond. Those we’ve located are on the map too. Only one’s been hired within a one-mile radius of Katy’s house.’
‘Good work. I just hope they don’t find her in any of those places.’
‘Natalie…’ Murray’s voice was guarded.
‘You found Katy on the CCTV at Aldi car park?’
‘Yep, and a familiar face.’
Natalie bounded across and grimaced. ‘Not Anthony Lane again?’ The image was clear and showed Anthony Lane looking directly at Katy Bywater as she headed into the store.
‘Okay. I know we’re looking into Duffy’s involvement but this man keeps showing up too. He might even be harbouring Katy. I’ll arrange a warrant to search his flat. Lucy, head over there with it, take a look and then bring him back for questioning while I talk to Duffy again.’
Natalie raced upstairs to obtain the permission she needed from Superintendent Aileen Melody. A copy of the Watfield Herald was open on her desk and she rested her palms either side of it.
‘I’m glad you’re here. I was going to let you know the Watfield Herald has printed a disturbing piece in its evening edition about the monster preying on teenage girls. They’ve drawn attention to the fact you’re heading the investigation and pointed out that as a parent of a teenage girl, you have a vested interest in finding the perpetrator.’
She slid the paper towards N
atalie, who skimmed through the article and stopped at the fifth paragraph that talked about her.
‘How dare she bring my family into this! It has nothing to do with the investigation.’
‘She thinks it has a bearing – a detective with a daughter of the same age as the missing girls, who is motivated to catch the killer. Flattering in one sense.’
‘I find it intrusive. If the killer is reading this, they’ll now be aware I have a daughter.’
‘You know this Bev Gardiner who wrote it?’
‘She’s been hanging about crime scenes. I moved her on without comment but she’s been tenacious. Must have done some research. She even managed to interview Christopher Bywater shortly after Katy went missing before we got to the scene. Goodness knows how she found out about Katy’s disappearance so quickly.’
‘Yes, that was a cock-up and should never have happened. I’ve already been questioned as to why Christopher didn’t have an officer with him at the time. We need the media behind us on this so best not to make a ruckus, although I have to admit I’m pissed off about it. I could have done without the media jumping on Katy’s disappearance and shouting about it being linked to this “Watfield Monster”. It’s blown up too quickly and the press office is under siege. I really don’t want our investigation compromised but I’ve been ordered to cooperate with the media. So, what are your thoughts?’
‘The disappearances are related,’ said Natalie.
‘Oh shit, Natalie. We’re going to have to find something or someone pretty damn quick if we’re going to appease the public.’
‘We’ve got a potential suspect, Nick Duffield, helping us with our enquiries. He knew about the Disappear dare they were all undertaking and not only saw all three girls on the days they went missing, but he drove through Bramshall in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and passed the spot where Harriet’s body was dumped. We’re also about to interview a second potential suspect – Anthony Lane, who is on the sex offenders’ register. I need a warrant so we can check his flat in case Katy is there before we bring him in for questioning.’
‘At least I can give the press office something, then – that we are questioning two men in connection with the girls’ murders. You think either of them are responsible?’
‘I don’t want to jump the gun, Aileen. We don’t have strong enough evidence yet to convict anyone.’
‘Then find some. This article is only the beginning. We’ll have people baying for blood if we don’t start coming up with results. They won’t be patient.’
‘We’re working as hard as we can but there haven’t been enough hours in the day to sift through all the footage and information we’ve amassed.’
‘We have to be seen to be proactive, Natalie.’
‘I’m aware of that but we’re not superhuman, Aileen. We’ve limited time and resources and a huge ask: we’re not dealing with one murder here – it’s two, and now a third child in danger. There should be more officers assigned to this.’
Aileen stared into space. ‘I’ve already explained that isn’t possible. You have Forensics to assist you and MisPer are out in force trying to locate Katy. I’m fully aware of the difficulties you’re facing and know you’re giving it your all, but we need to reassure the public that we’re in control. They want to see us doing our utmost to protect them and getting results so… bring me some.’
Natalie didn’t interrupt. This didn’t sound like Aileen talking at all, and she was more convinced than ever that her super was under considerable pressure. She waited for the warrant and raced back downstairs to hand it to Lucy. Calling Ian to join her, she hastened to the interview room where Duffy was still waiting.
‘When can I leave?’ he asked as soon as they appeared.
Natalie took her time before responding. ‘This is PC Jarvis. He’ll be sitting in with us and operating the recording device. If you feel you would like a lawyer to be present, you must say so now before we begin.’
‘I don’t need a lawyer, do I?’
‘It’s up to you but I strongly advise you to get representation.’
‘No, I’ve not committed any crime. Let’s get this over with.’
‘Then we’ll begin the interview.’
Ian switched on the machine and introduced those present in the room. ‘Thursday the nineteenth of April. Interview with Nick Duffield, known as Duffy, begins at four fifteen. Those present are PC Ian Jarvis and DI Natalie Ward. For the record, note that Nick Duffield has refused a lawyer.’
‘Duffy, you saw Savannah on Monday afternoon. According to your statement, it was about three forty p.m. Does that still hold true?’
‘Yes. I think so. It was about the time I had to leave for a dentist appointment.’
‘This was the appointment you had at four p.m. that lasted a full hour.’
‘That’s right. I had a tooth prepared for a crown. There were impressions and X-rays. It took forever.’
‘We’ve spoken to the surgery.’
‘And my appointment was for four p.m., right?’
‘It was but you didn’t show until almost twenty past four. Can you explain what you were doing between three forty and four twenty?’
‘I got waylaid. I was chatting to someone I bumped into.’
‘That wouldn’t have been Savannah, would it?’
‘No. I’d already seen her. I told you.’
‘You were so busy talking you forgot what time it was?’
He shrugged. ‘As it happens, yes. I lost track of time.’
‘Who was this person that held you up?’
‘Just a girl.’
‘Another girl? A customer?’
‘Yes, she is.’
‘Another teenage girl?’
‘She’s eighteen, okay? I don’t go out with kids.’
‘You’re going out with her?’
‘Not officially.’
‘Okay, Duffy. Give us a name.’
‘I’d rather not. I don’t want you to interview her and give her the impression I’ve done something wrong. I’ve been trying for ages to chat her up and we’ve only just started seeing each other.’
Natalie wasn’t going to waste any more time. ‘A name,’ she urged.
He kept silent.
‘Duffy, we need a name. Without it your alibi doesn’t hold up. With no alibi you will be in the frame for Savannah’s murder. You’ve already admitted to being in Bramshall, where Harriet lived and… where her body was found. Don’t be stupid. Give us her name.’
‘Lily Curry. She works at the shoe shop in Watfield. Can you be discreet? I don’t want to blow my chance with her.’
Natalie glared at him. Two girls had been murdered and one was still missing, and all he could think about was himself. ‘Thank you. Would you mind staying here while we check this out?’
‘Do I have a choice?’
Natalie stared him down. ‘No. You don’t.’
* * *
Anthony Lane ran his mug under cold water, placed it on the draining board then wiped his hands with a tea towel.
‘I don’t see why you have to come barging in while I’m eating. I haven’t done anything wrong.’
Lucy cast about the small kitchen. ‘I didn’t barge in. You gave me permission to enter and I see you’ve already finished your meal. This piece of paper gives me the right to search the premises, so please sit down and let me do my job.’
He sighed heavily. ‘If you must. Don’t mess anything up.’
She moved from the kitchen into the sitting room, a functional space with grey walls, large enough for a two-seater settee, a television, a square table and a dark-grey writing desk on which stood a small computer and keyboard. A large black-and-white framed photograph of the Eiffel Tower on a misty morning was mounted on one wall, and on another, the Arc de Triomphe at night. The place lacked warmth, and apart from several embroidered cushions and a large flowering cactus in a black earthenware pot, it was unwelcoming.
Behind the sitting
room was a bedroom, containing nothing more than a single bed and a tiny inbuilt wardrobe; off it was a brown-tiled shower cubicle and toilet that had seen better days. There was one remaining room: a closet-sized space, no bigger than a walk-in wardrobe, being used for storage. It was stacked high and she lifted clear-sided boxes packed with clothes that didn’t fit into the wardrobe, checked box files of old letters and bills and pulled out a head-and-shoulders portrait of a sad-faced young woman studying a daisy in her hand, then replaced it. Nobody was hiding or hidden in his flat.
‘Find what you were looking for?’ he asked, leaning against the door frame.
‘I’ll need to check the computer.’
He let out a sharp laugh. ‘Hoping you’ll find out I’ve been downloading kiddie porn?’
‘I’ll have to take it in to be checked.’
‘Sure, why not? You’ll be sadly disappointed though. There’s not much to interest you on it.’
Lucy unplugged the computer. ‘Time to go,’ she said.
He scowled at her. ‘You really have it in for me, don’t you?’
She ignored the comment and waited while he collected his coat and followed her to the door.
* * *
‘You can let Duffy go. It all checks out. Lily met up with him before his dentist appointment. She also went to Caffè Nero with him afterwards, and even commented his lips were so numb he had to drink his coffee through a straw. His mother’s confirmed he was at home at six p.m. and played video games with his nephew until one of the Missing Persons unit visited and he went out to assist in the search for Savannah. Forensics have seized his car but it’ll take some time to process it, so until they come up with something, we have to release him.’ Natalie tossed the file on the desk. It was late-afternoon and there was still no news of Katy. Anthony Lane was being awkward and resentful and had requested a lawyer, who had yet to appear, before he would speak to them.
Natalie headed downstairs to the vending machine, and as she crunched her way through the bag of salt and vinegar crisps, she went over the facts. Unless Forensics turned up something from Duffy’s car, Anthony Lane was now their only suspect. If he wasn’t the killer, she couldn’t think who else might be. She rammed the last of the crisps into her mouth and threw the bag into the bin. The action caused her thoughts to flow faster still. Bins. Rubbish. There was some reason the killer dumped the girls’ bodies in locations to do with rubbish. Once again, the idea that this was somehow related to the Alisha Kumar murder flashed through her mind, but how could she join the dots?