by M A Comley
Lyn chortled. “I totally understand that. He’s a pussycat really, once you get to know him.”
Sally snorted and walked towards the outer door of the office. “I’ll have to take your word on that, Lyn. He has a tendency to bite my hand off every time I go to stroke him, metaphorically speaking of course.”
Lyn laughed, and Sally shook her head. “Christ, did I really say that out loud? I’m more stressed out than I thought. Have a good day.”
“You, too.”
Sally marched back to the incident room and headed in Joanna’s direction. “I know it’s only been a few minutes, but have you got anything useful for me?”
“A few things, boss. I’ve put them in order of priority.” Joanna handed Sally a sheet of paper just as her phone rang. “Hello, DC Tryst. How can I help?”
Sally scanned the sheet, admiring the way Joanna had prioritised the list, just as Sally would have herself. That task alone boded well for the constable’s future on the team, not that Sally had ever doubted the young woman’s capabilities in the first place. She looked up to see Joanna beaming.
“Thanks for letting me know. We’ll send a team out there immediately. Goodbye.”
“What was that?” Sally asked, cocking her head.
“Julie Smith has regained consciousness and is sitting up in bed.”
Sally dropped the list on the desk and pointed at Joanna. “Great news. You’re coming with me to the hospital.”
“Really? How fabulous. Thanks, boss.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Numerous times during the drive, Sally found herself wondering if she’d been right to invite the young detective constable to be her partner for the morning. If there had been a gold medal in the art of chatting enthusiastically about every conceivable topic under the sun, Joanna would have won it hands down. Sally nodded and voiced lots of yeses at the appropriate times, not wishing to dampen Joanna’s passion by chastising her. However, when Sally parked the car in the hospital car park, she felt obliged to guide the constable’s train of thought back to the task in hand.
“So, here’s the plan. We take things nice and slowly, okay?”
“Yes, boss. Do you want me to take notes?”
“That’s a definite requirement when you’re out in the field with me, Joanna. Leave the questions to me, too, all right?”
“Of course.” Joanna beamed at her.
“Let’s go then.” Sally led the way to the ICU and produced her warrant card for the nurse sitting at the reception desk. “The station received a call saying that Julie Smith had regained consciousness. Is she up to answering a few questions?”
The petite redhead smiled and motioned for them to take a seat, which Sally declined. “I’ll certainly ask the question for you. The doctor is examining her now.” The nurse left the desk and slipped into the room. A few minutes later, she returned with the doctor.
“My patient is still feeling very fragile, Inspector, but when I asked her if she felt up to seeing you, she swiftly agreed.”
“That’s wonderful news. How is Julie’s health, Doctor?”
“Her injuries appear to be healing rapidly. Some patients have the ability to do that. Go easy on her, all the same. Although we’ve carried out a few basic tests, we’re unsure what limits there are with her memory as yet.”
“You have my word on that, Doc.”
The doctor returned to the unit and held open the door for Sally and Joanna to join him. Julie Smith immediately looked their way. Her head was still wrapped in bandages, and the bruising on her face was even more evident than it had been the first time Sally had visited her.
Sally smiled and introduced herself and Joanna. “Hello, Julie. Daft question in the circumstances, but how are you feeling?”
Julie’s eyes fluttered shut then reopened again as she sucked in a large breath. “Glad to still be alive, I suppose.”
“That’s the ticket. Are you up to telling us what happened?”
“I can try. Not sure I’ll be much help, really. The attacker struck out at me before I realised what had gone on.”
“I understand. Did you get a good look at him? Are there any details you can give us?”
“My memory appears to be reluctant to revisit the actual attack at the moment, Inspector.”
Sally raised her hand. “There’s no rush. Take your time. Can you close your eyes for me? I’ll try and walk through the scene with you. Remember, I’m only a few steps away.”
Again, Julie inhaled a large breath and allowed her eyes to close slowly. Sally watched as a pained expression contorted the woman’s young features during the process.
“Where are you, Julie?”
“I’m walking down Chester Road. I’ve just left my friends at the pub, and no, I’m not drunk.” The briefest of smiles tugged at her lips but vanished when she took up her story once again. “He walked towards me. It was dark. I was looking down at the ground, avoiding eye contact. I shuddered. I thought it was because of the evening chill, but I think I sensed some form of danger.” Her eyes flew open.
Sally reached over and patted the back of her hand. “Take your time. There’s really no need to rush, Julie. Can I get you a glass of water?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Sally moved round the bed to the water jug and glass. She handed the young woman a half-filled glass, and Julie accepted it with a shaking hand. “Relax. The last thing I want to do is hamper your recovery. If you don’t feel able to continue today, that’s fine by me.”
“No. I want to do it—if you’re prepared to be patient with me. You need to catch this man before he hurts someone else.”
“Exactly. In your own time. So you were walking, not driving?”
Julie clung to the glass with both hands and closed her eyes once more. “That’s right. He’s much taller than me. I’m five-foot-three. He looked about six feet tall.” She sipped the water again and swallowed noisily.
“What’s he wearing?”
“Black jeans, I think. It’s hard to tell because of the dark. Yes, I think they’re black. He’s also wearing a grey hoodie.”
“Can you make out his physique? Is he slim, or is he carrying a little excess weight?”
“He’s very thin. If it was a girl, I’d put her at borderline anorexic.” Julie opened her eyes and looked uncertainly at Sally as if needing reassurance.
“You’re doing really well. You’ve given us a lot of information already,” Sally said, unsure whether she would be able to give the same level of detail if she’d been in the victim’s shoes.
Julie closed her eyes again and squeezed them tightly. Her grip tightened around the glass of water at the same time. “I think he growled at me. I kept my head down, didn’t want to alienate him at all. There was no one else around. No one would hear me if I cried out for help…”
“Take a breather. Don’t get stressed out, Julie.”
But Julie refused to stop. Her breath came out in short sharp bursts.
Sally glanced at the doctor, who was watching Julie’s vital signs rise on the monitor, but he seemed reluctant to intervene. Sally took that to mean he didn’t feel the patient was in any immediate danger. However, she decided to continue cautiously. “As soon as he passed, I felt his arms grip me, constricting my movements. There was an alley close by…”
“Did he take you to the alley?”
“I was in shock. Frozen in fear. My throat seized up. By then, I couldn’t cry out, then his hand covered my mouth to prevent me. He was strong, very strong. It confused me because he didn’t look as though he’d have the strength to drag me, but he did. It seemed a lifetime swept by before I could react. I kicked out, tried to trip him up. I used to be enrolled in a judo class when I was in my teens. Everything I learned in these lessons escaped me momentarily. Slowly, the moves came flooding back. I thrashed out, tried to throw him off me. I must have pissed him off, because he hurled me to the ground.”
“Is that how your head got injured, Ju
lie?”
“I think so. Wait…” She squeezed her eyes together, tighter than before.
“What is it? What do you see?”
“He beat me. Kept thumping me in the face. His hood tipped back. I can clearly see the whites of his eyes now.” She shuddered, and teardrops seeped onto her cheek.
“Can you see the colour of his hair, Julie?”
“It’s black. Tightly knitted. Oh my God, he’s black! Yes, I can see him clearly now.”
The words hit Sally as if a boxer had struck a knockout blow. It was crystal clear in that instant that Julie’s and Gemma’s attackers might not have been the same person. Gemma’s family members were at the top of their suspect list—and none of them were black. “Are you one hundred percent certain, Julie?”
“As sure as I’m going to get, Inspector. He was definitely black and painfully thin for a man, with the strength of a raging bull.”
“That really helps us a lot. What about if I sent a police artist in to see you? Do you think you’d be able to go into further detail?”
“Things are becoming clearer all the time. If you leave it until tomorrow, maybe I’ll be able to give you even more details. I can’t promise anything, though.”
Sally looked in the doctor’s direction for authorisation. He nodded his acceptance. She patted Julie’s hand again. “That’s wonderful news. Try and get some rest now. Thank you for pushing yourself to the limit in order to give us vital information. I’ll send an artist in tomorrow afternoon. How’s that?”
“Okay, hopefully, providing I don’t have a relapse in the meantime, I should be okay to give the artist a detailed description. I’ll try and jot things down if anything else comes to mind during the day. I want you to catch this man quickly. He’s a danger to other women out there, Inspector.”
“I’m sure we will arrest him soon, with your help. I hope your recuperation goes well. Thank you for your assistance. I’ll be in touch shortly.”
“I’m glad I could be helpful. Sorry I couldn’t provide you with more detail.”
“You’ve given us a great start, Julie.”
The doctor escorted Sally and Joanna off the ward. “Thank you, Doctor. I know you had your reservations back there, yet you allowed the interview to continue. I appreciate that.”
“I was keeping a watchful eye on her vitals. I’m glad she’s supplied you with enough details to arrest the attacker. Let the nurse know when the artist will be coming in, okay?”
“I will. Thank you.”
Sally and Joanna began the twisting journey through the hospital corridors back to the car. “Interesting morning’s work, eh, Joanna? Especially as I was originally told the incident took place on a country lane.”
“So it would appear, boss. You’re thinking that we’re looking for two different assailants. Am I right?”
“Spot on. There’s nothing similar in the cases at all. However, we still need to be vigilant and not become complacent. I need to make a call to the pathology department before we do anything else.”
Once settled in the car, Sally rang the lab. “Simon, it’s Sally Parker. I know it’s a bit early, but do you have any news for me?”
“Actually, I saw something on my desk with reference to your case when I came in. I’ve been in a PM for the past hour. Now where did I put it? Ah… here it is…”
Sally heard the sound of papers being shuffled, and the pathologist tutted and cursed under his breath before he came back on the line. “I hope you’re sitting down for this, Inspector.”
“I am. I’m in the car outside the hospital, which I’ll tell you about later. Hit me with it.”
“It would appear that the child Gemma was carrying belonged to Colin Whiting.”
“I had my suspicions. There’s no possibility of mistaking his DNA with his brother’s?”
“You know better than to ask that.”
“Yeah, I’m just covering all the angles, Simon.”
“May I ask why you’re at the hospital? Is it to do with the case?”
“The new case, yes. Julie Smith has regained consciousness and given us a brief description of the man who attacked her.”
“Interesting. And? Don’t leave me dangling.”
“Well, she seemed to think the man who attacked her was black, which leads me to believe that the two cases aren’t connected.”
“None of the suspects in the Whiting case are black?”
“That’s right. I don’t suppose you’ve managed to find any DNA connecting the crime scenes yet?”
“No, nothing. But then we wouldn’t if your assumption proves to be correct. Well, I must crack on. I’ll e-mail this report over to you so you have a copy on file.”
Sally hung up and placed her hands on the steering wheel. “You were expecting that result, boss. Weren’t you?”
She turned to face Joanna. “I was. Nonetheless, it’s still come as a bit of a shock. The question is, what do I do about it?”
Joanna frowned. “Arrest Colin Whiting?”
“On what charge? Getting his brother’s wife up the duff? While it’s immoral, it’s not actually an arrestable offence. Although we could bring him in for further questioning in relation to the evidence, it could be deemed as a possible motive. Sticky ground, though, considering we have no evidence placing him, or anyone else for that matter, at the scene.”
“I understand. Maybe it would have been better not finding out that snippet of information.”
“It is certainly going to hamper my line of thinking. The clue is too substantial to ignore or to confront head on.” She slapped the steering wheel with the palm of her hand. “What are we missing? Maybe I should question some of her friends again. I know they’ve already been seen, but not by me. Perhaps they can tell us how the affair started, if they were aware of it at all. Either way, I don’t want to reveal the truth to the family yet while they’re grieving.” She tutted. “There again, I do think Gemma’s mother has the right to know. Bugger, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”
“Eek… I don’t envy you, boss. Why don’t we leave it for now and see what other information comes in during the course of the day from the TV appeal?”
Sally nodded and smiled at the constable. “That makes a lot of sense, Joanna.”
The first task Sally adopted when she got back to the station was to arrange for the police artist to visit Julie Smith that afternoon. Being armed with some form of positive description of the assailant meant they could check the national computer for a match. Sally decided to appoint Jordan as the lead on Julie’s case.
By lunchtime, Sally was feeling frustrated by the lack of calls they’d received after the TV appeal. She sent Joanna out to buy sandwiches for the team, and together they spent the next few hours tracking down and talking to Gemma’s friends who were with her the night of her death. Sally looked out the window of her office. Her stomach churned when she looked over the results. Not one of Gemma’s friends could shed any light about an affair between Gemma and Colin. Isn’t that the sort of thing one confides to a best friend? Why didn’t Gemma? What does this mean?
If Gemma’s friends weren’t aware, then maybe her mother was. Sally rang Heather Lord and arranged to visit her at three o’clock that afternoon. Again, Sally took Joanna along. “Be prepared for her mother breaking down. Take notes when necessary.”
“Yes, boss.”
Heather was waiting for them on the doorstep of her home. The poor woman looked a mess. Her hair was uncombed, and the dark circles around her bloodshot eyes told Sally that the woman’s mourning had taken a toll on her ability to sleep.
Smiling weakly, Heather welcomed them into her home. “I was a little surprised to hear from you so soon, Inspector. Hopefully, you’re bringing me some good news.”
Sally sighed heavily and bit her lip. “Maybe we should take a seat first, Heather.”
“Can I get you a drink?”
Sally and Joanna declined the offer. “I do have some new
s for you. I wanted to tell you the news in person rather than over the phone. I imagine that it’s going to be somewhat difficult for you to hear.”
Heather gulped noisily. “Whatever is the matter? Do you know who robbed me of my beautiful daughter?”
“Not yet.”
“Then I don’t understand what you’re getting at, Inspector. You’re worrying me. Please, just tell me what you’ve discovered?”
“First of all, I need to ask you about your daughter’s relationship with her husband.”
“As I’ve told you already, they had their ups and downs. Is Mark the main suspect? Is that what you’re here to tell me?”
“No. I just wanted to get further insight into their marriage.”
“All I can tell you is that things have been strained in that household for a few months now—why? I have no idea. My daughter refused to tell me.”
“Why? Weren’t you close?”
“Yes, very close. Maybe she thought I’d go round there and interfere. I’ve been known to let rip on occasion.”
“And would you have?” Sally asked, tilting her head.
Heather shrugged. “A mother should always do what she can to protect her child. I’m no different in that respect.”
“I’ve asked Gemma’s friends if they knew about your daughter’s marriage difficulties, and I have to say that the news came as a shock to most of them, which strikes me as a little odd.”
“Do you tell your friends every detail of your life, Inspector? Maybe Gemma confided in Melinda more than her other friends.”
Sally winced when she thought about the huge secret she’d kept from her own good friends regarding Darryl’s abusive tendencies. Everyone had disbelieved her at first when she’d told them she’d been forced to arrest her own husband. “Maybe. I don’t think we’ve contacted Melinda. Was she out with the group the other night?”
Heather shook her head. “No. Sadly, she lost her battle against breast cancer a few months ago. She was Gemma’s best friend. I pray to God that she was waiting for Gemma to complete her journey to the other side.”