by M A Comley
Colin walked ahead of Sally and Jack and opened the front door. He looked over his shoulder before he spoke, “I’ll drop by the station tomorrow then.”
“Four o’clock. I’ll be in reception, awaiting your arrival with anticipation, Colin. Can’t wait to hear what secrets you have to unveil.”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing major, I can assure you. But then, if it gets me off your hit list of suspects, then it’ll be worth the inconvenience of coming to the station.”
“I’ll see you at four tomorrow. Look after your wife, Colin. I think she’s suffering more than she is letting on about her infertility, by the looks of things.”
“Don’t worry, Inspector. I’m well aware of how fragile my wife is.” With that, he shut the door, putting an end to the conversation.
“Little shit!” Jack mumbled.
They hopped in the car and headed back to the station. “What was your impression of him, Jack?”
“If you must know, it was mixed.”
“Care to clarify that?”
“Well, one minute, I would have loved to bop him one on the nose, but then right at the end, when the couple were discussing their infertility, I felt like throwing a consoling arm around each of them. That must be hard, mustn’t it?”
“Wanting a baby so much that you go down the fertility route?”
“Yeah. What a comparison to Teresa, eh? Apparently, she got pregnant the first time she had sex. What are the odds of that happening?” he complained.
“Quite high, actually, if I recall a magazine article I read last year about the subject. Not that it was of any interest to me of course.” Sally wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never seen the attraction to cleaning up after a baby twenty-four-seven.”
Jack laughed. “You wouldn’t object to doing that to a puppy, of course, would you now?”
Her eyes left the traffic for a second as she turned to wink at him. “You know me so well. They don’t bawl their eyes out, either.”
“True enough. Hey, what do you think his big secret is?”
“I have no idea. I’m leaning towards him announcing that he and Gemma had some sort of affair or secretive friendship going on, that neither of them wanted to disclose to the rest of the family. Roll on tomorrow, if only to discount him from our enquiries. Shifty bugger all the same.”
“There’s something about him that didn’t sit well with me. That’s for sure,” Jack said, nodding.
“Let’s hope the others have found out more from Gemma’s friends about what went on last night than we have.”
“Me, too. Because as it stands, we’ve got very little to go on so far,” Jack agreed.
CHAPTER SIX
There was a buzz in the incident room atmosphere when Sally and Jack returned.
“What’s going on, Joanna?” Sally asked, perching her backside on the desk nearest the detective constable.
“Well, we questioned a few of Gemma’s friends—not all, as one of them is away with her work. Anyway, it would appear that Gemma acquired a new admirer at the pub last night.”
Sally raised an inquisitive eyebrow and leaned forward. “Tell me more. As in someone was pestering her?”
“That’s not how it was coming across to me, boss.”
“Hmm… that’s going to certainly be worth chasing up, all the same. How many of the women did you get around to questioning, Joanna?”
“Only two out of the three, boss. One lady in particular was keen to help.”
“Okay, make it a priority to track down the last one tomorrow. What’s the name of the lady who gave you the information? What did she say exactly?”
Sally glanced up at the clock on the wall, aware that she was asking her team to work overtime. However, none of her colleagues appeared to notice the time and went about their duties while Joanna filled her in. “Miss Audrey James said that a man was standing at the bar, eyeing up Gemma. She said she felt Gemma made up an excuse about the pub being stuffy and that she needed to get some fresh air and went outside for a while. She noticed the man leave the bar and follow her friend out of the pub.”
“I see. I don’t suppose she was that intrigued to find out what they got up to outside. The body language between the two, if they met up, that is?”
“No. She was distraught when she found out about Gemma, full of self-recriminations. She said the conversation was far too interesting amongst the group, and she didn’t even think to go after Gemma to see if she was okay.”
“How long was Gemma missing? Could she tell you that?” Sally asked, disappointed.
“She guessed it was around ten minutes.”
“Okay, what was the name of the pub again? I’ll give them a call, see if they’ve got any CCTV cameras.”
“The Red Lion at Cringleford.”
“Okay, that’s close to my parents’ home. I could drop by instead on my way over there this evening,” Sally replied, sitting upright and rubbing at her chin.
“Other than that, neither of the friends could really tell us much. They were both shocked by the news of Gemma’s death. I left a card and asked them to contact us if they think of anything else concerning last night’s events, or if they can recall any strange incidents that have taken place in Gemma’s life recently, that she confided in them.”
“Great job.” Sally clapped her hands to gain the team’s attention. “Okay, we’ve all done really well today. Let’s go home, get some rest, and start afresh in the morning at eight. All right, everyone?”
The team switched off their computers. Sally watched her colleagues file out of the incident room then dipped into her office to make a call.
“Hi, Mum. Is it okay if I visit this evening?”
“You know it is, sweetheart. You must’ve known we’d have plenty of dinner spare this evening. How does lasagne and salad sound?”
“Perfect. Just shove mine in the microwave, Mum. I’ve got a quick call to make en route. I should be with you around seven to seven thirty.”
Her mother chuckled. “Impossible with a salad, but I get what you mean, dear. Drive carefully, love.”
Sally hung up and smiled at Jack, who was leaning against the doorframe. “She still thinks I’m a bloody child. Last words she said were ‘Drive carefully’.”
“I guess all mothers are the same, especially when they’re related to coppers.”
“I suppose so. What are you still doing here? I thought you would’ve left with the others by now.”
Jack shrugged. “Thought I could tag along to the pub with you.”
Sally frowned. “I’m not going there to sample their finest liquid refreshments, Jack. It’s work related. It’ll be a straight in-and-out job.”
“That’s all right. I can still tag along, can’t I? I’ll follow you in my car. After we’ve obtained the info, we can go our separate ways.”
She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “What’s this really about? I’m guessing one of two things are riffling through that complex brain of yours.”
He opened his mouth, ready to object, but she raised a hand to silence him.
“Either you’re looking for an excuse not to go home, or—and this is the more likely reason springing to my mind right now—you’re trying to protect me, the way you always do when we deal with a female victim who has been attacked in mysterious circumstances.”
He held an imaginary gun to his head and pulled the trigger. “Guilty as charged on the second count, boss. Just humour me, eh?”
“All right, this will be the last time, okay? I’m aware this is a side effect from living with an abusive moron like Darryl. However, he’s out of my life and not liable to intrude on it again any time soon. Got that?”
“I know. This will be the last time, I swear.”
“It better be,” she grumbled, rising to her feet and following him out of the office.
When they arrived at the pub, at around six thirty, a few punters were at the bar and a couple of families were sitting outside in the
children’s play area, making the most of the warm evening sun. A bearded man in his forties was leaning against the bar, engrossed in a chat with some of the customers. When Sally and Jack entered the lounge bar, he approached them with a welcoming smile that showed off a few crooked and missing teeth.
“What can I get you, folks, on this fine autumnal evening? The food won’t be available until seven, as the chef had to attend a family funeral today. Finest in the area, so well worth the wait, although I might be a little biased there.” He laughed and winked.
Sally immediately warmed to his friendly nature and made a mental note to call back another time to sample the menu with her mother and father, maybe at the weekend. She produced her warrant card, and in a hushed voice, she asked, “Are you the manager or owner of this establishment?”
The man crossed his arms and nodded. “The owner. Bill Warburton. Something wrong, miss?”
“Can we talk in private? In an office perhaps?”
The man nodded. “Terence, watch the bar while I deal with these nice people, will you?”
The young man he’d spoken to was sitting on the other side of the bar. He hopped off his stool, lifted the bar flap, and stood behind the beer pumps.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to cause you any inconvenience.”
The owner waved her suggestion away. “You haven’t. He was due to start work in half an hour anyway. I’ll see him right with an extra pint after his shift.” He showed them through to a whitewashed room, stacked full of pub supplies. “Excuse the mess. We had a delivery earlier, and I just shoved them in here, out of the way. What’s this about, Inspector?”
The room was bare as far as seating options were concerned. “Well, we’re investigating the murder of one of your customers.”
“What? Who?” The man seemed shocked by the news and stumbled backwards against the wall behind him.
“A Gemma Whiting. Do you know her?”
He shook his head and frowned. “Don’t recognise the name. A lot of folks pass through these doors, though, that I can’t really put a name to. Do you have a picture?”
“Sorry, no. She was in here last night with a group of friends. Does that ring a bell?”
He clicked his fingers. “Audrey was in here last night with some friends. I haven’t met them before, so I have no idea what their names are.”
“Okay, here’s the thing. Audrey told us that Gemma went outside during the course of the evening. It’s possible that she might have met up with a man. Do you have any form of CCTV either inside the pub or surveying the exterior?”
“I do. Wow, I’ll go and check the machine, see if it was working last night. Fingers crossed, eh?” He rushed out of the room, seeming eager to help, and returned a few minutes later. He gave them the thumbs-up. “Do you want to come through to the other office and take a look?”
“Incredible news. I really wasn’t expecting that.”
Sally and Jack followed the man into an even smaller office. They all squeezed into the confined space full of shelves, storing bulging boxes of what Sally presumed to be the pub’s accounts.
“Excuse the mess. One of these days, I’ll get around to clearing up this place. You know how it is.”
“There’s no need to apologise. Is it a CD you have or video?”
“It’s a CD. I can make you a copy, if you like?”
“Let’s see what we have first, Bill.”
He ran the tape. Sally leaned in closer to the grainy picture. “Can we make it clearer at all?”
The man messed around with the contrast a little and came up trumps. The film consisted of Gemma Whiting, walking out of the pub’s back door and into the children’s play area at the rear.
“Well, she’s alone so far,” Jack pointed out.
Within seconds, a man appeared at the door of the pub, and without faltering in his stride, he marched over to where Gemma was sitting.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say that meeting was arranged. Look at her reaction—she’s smiling at him. I’m not sure I’d treat his interruption with as much grace. In fact, I would be treating him warily,” Sally said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, but then you’re a copper, boss. You have a built-in scumbag radar.”
She laughed at her partner’s turn of phrase. “Except where exes are concerned, eh? I’ll still take that as a compliment, Jack.” She returned her attention to the couple on the screen. “They seem to be getting along pretty well, would you say?”
Both men observing the film with her nodded their agreement.
“Do you recognise the man at all, Bill?”
“I think I’ve seen him in here once or twice. Let me get a printout and ask Terence. He’s lived in the area all his life. If anyone knows this guy, he will. I’ll be right back.” He ran the disc backwards and stopped the film at a spot where the man’s face was as clear as possible, considering the footage had been taken during the night-time.
After Bill had printed off the picture and left the room, Sally set the disc in motion again, and together she and Jack continued to voice their suspicions.
“His mannerisms aren’t really signifying any evil intent towards her, not to me anyway,” Sally said.
“Hmm… I’m thinking along the same lines. Apart from startling her initially, the more I see of the film, the more it looks like just a couple of old friends having a chat. Is he pointing out that Porsche?”
Sally peered closer at the man’s pointing finger. “It appears that way to me, Jack. We’ll ask Bill if he knows who it belongs to.”
The owner of the pub returned, beaming. “I’ve got a name for you, folks.”
Sally stood up and cocked her head. “Really? That’s fabulous news. Jack, get this down, will you?”
Her partner scrambled for his notebook and pen, poised for action.
“It’s Taylor Hew. Now that I’ve heard the name, I do recognise him as being local. He’s only stepped foot in the pub a few times, though. He lives within a ten-mile radius of here, according to Terence.”
“That’s excellent. I don’t suppose you know what car he drives?”
Bill frowned. “No, I could ask Terence.”
“In a moment.” Sally rewound the disc to where the man motioned towards the vehicle they suspected belonged to him. “Here. It looks like they are discussing this car. It’s a Porsche. Would he likely be driving one of those?”
“I’d have to ask Terence. Look, why don’t I make a copy of the disc for you, and then I’ll take over from Terence at the bar and let you have a chat with him?”
“Perfect. We really appreciate your assistance. It’s important we catch the culprit who attacked Gemma quickly. If this man is innocent, it’s just as important for us to discount him from our enquiries ASAP.”
He nodded and set about his task. Sally and Jack left the room to give him the space he needed to work. “Want to drop by this bloke’s house tonight?” Jack asked.
Sally winked at her partner. “If his place is near, we might as well.”
“Thought you might say that,” Jack grumbled good-naturedly.
“So glad I didn’t disappoint you, Jack.”
Bill walked out of the office, handed the CD case to Sally, and marched up the corridor back into the bar area. “Take a seat there, and I’ll ask Terence to join you in a sec.”
Sally and Jack waited another minute or two for the young man with spiky red hair to sit down opposite them.
“The boss tells me you want to have a quick chat about Taylor Hew.”
“That’s right. Do you know him well?” Sally asked.
Jack flipped open his notebook and began taking notes.
“I know of him. Couldn’t really say that I know him well. What’s he done?” he asked, grinning cheekily.
“We just want to have a chat with him. Do you know what car he drives?” Sally batted away the young man’s question with one of her own.
“One of those posh sporty cars. Sorry, cars aren’t
really my thing.”
“Do you think it might be a Porsche?” Jack prompted him. “Everyone knows what a Porsche looks like.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Er… not me, sorry. Not unless you tell me what colour it is. I’m good with colours. That’s about all, though.”
“The thing is, it’s hard to make out the colour of the car on the CCV footage we’ve viewed. Never mind, we’ll do a check on the database tomorrow and see what we come up with. Bill told us you thought the man was local.”
“Sort of. He’s not a regular here but pops in now and again. I can’t give you his exact address, but I know it’s around the Ketteringham area. I think I overheard him mention that he was looking at buying a property close to where he lives now, and Ketteringham came up in the conversation.”
“That’s great. I don’t suppose you happen to know where he works.”
“I think he’s one of these up-and-coming property-developer types.”
“Okay, that’s a start at least. Is he married?”
The young man shrugged and shook his head. “That, I can’t tell you.”
“Never mind. You’ve been really helpful. We’ll let you get back to work now.” All three of them rose from their seats. Sally waved at the owner of the pub and mouthed goodbye to him.
Outside Jack asked, “Do you want me to get on to control for his address?”
Sally looked at her watch. “Why not? Mum’s going to be pissed off with me being late anyway. What does another few minutes matter? Are you all right to continue?”
“Shit happens. This is important, boss. We need to chase it up ASAP.”
“I’m glad you agree. You call the station, and I’ll ring my mother.” They stood at opposite ends of Sally’s car and placed their calls. “Mum, it’s me. Sorry, I’m going to be held up.”
“That’s all right, dear. I’ll dish up ours and put yours aside for when you get here. Nothing major wrong, I hope?”
“It could be, Mum. I’ll tell you all about it later. Thanks for understanding. Sorry for messing you around. See you later.” Sally ended the call as Jack joined her.