by Ryan Casey
Danny smiled when he saw the camera. “I knew this is what it’d come to. I knew you’d start throwing accusations at me. Just knew it.”
“Care to elaborate, Danny?”
“The camera. I knew I’d have left something that could ‘smear’ me or put me in the shit one way or another. That’s why I deleted the stuff off my hard drive. I was in the middle of putting the pictures on the computer.”
Brian took another note. “So what you’re trying to say is you deleted the pictures from your hard drive, but not the camera? Sounds to me like you went to a lot of trouble to cover these photos up, Mr. Stocks.”
Danny laughed, and Jonny opened his mouth before being interrupted.
“Not enough trouble, though, eh, seeing as we’re sat here now?”
“Mr. Stocks has a point,” Marsden said, his bald head a plum-red shade now. “If he were so desperate to cover up for something, then why would he leave a camera lying around with potentially incriminating evidence?”
“Maybe he was in too much of a hurry to get away,” Cassy suggested.
Danny closed his eyes and held his hands to his face. “And I really looked like I was trying to get away when you saw me, did I?” Tears collected in his eyes. “I didn’t want to live anymore. I deleted the pictures because I couldn’t bear to look at them. I just wanted to be back there with a spliff and to see my days out.” Danny’s eyes twinkled in Brian’s direction. Marsden stared at his hands.
“Mr. Sto–No, Danny,” Brian continued. “I appreciate what you’re saying, but you’ve got to see it from our angle and how this looks. You’re not in a good position. Where were you after eleven p.m. on 2nd January?”
Danny shook his head. “I…I was hanging out with Scott and Nicky. Smoked some new blend. And then I…” He froze. “Scott left for work. I chatted with Nicky. Not for long. Then I left.”
“New blend?”
“Cannabis. There, I said it–I smoke. Don’t pretend you didn’t already know.”
Brian noted down a reminder to mention this ‘new blend’ to Stephen Molfer. Perhaps it could help him with his little case. Not even on the drug lead and still bailing Molfer out. “What did you talk to Nicola about? Did you leave alone?”
Danny began to fidget in his chair. “Just–just stuff, y’know? Just general stuff. But we had a bit of a disagreement and…and then I left. I don’t know where she went after that.”
Brian took note as Jonny wiped his steamy glasses. “So what you’re telling us is that you and Nicola had a row, and then you left. After that, no one saw her. The following day, you try to kill yourself.” Brian threw his pen onto the desk. “You’d better have a good alibi, Danny.”
“I do.”
Brian smiled sarcastically. “Well, your grandma didn’t see you again that night, so you’d better enlighten us.”
Danny’s cheeks blushed, the first bit of colour Brian had seen in them all interview. “Turn the memory card ‘round.”
Cassy frowned. “Memory card?”
“The memory card, in the camera. Flip it over, then stick it back in.”
Marsden arched his neck over the table towards the camera to see whatever it was. McDone fiddled with the silver camera until the memory card port popped open. Bloody technology. There was a reason he hated it; it hated him. He pulled out the tiny memory card and flipped it onto its side, slotting it back into the camera with a satisfying click.
He switched it on again. New photographs. Bloody hell–double sided memory cards. Technology just got better and better.
“Those are the pictures I deleted from my computer, all right?” Danny said. “I didn’t want her to find them. Then I found out about her.”
Brian flicked through the photographs. Some portrayed another girl, blonde and naked, her nipples erect. Others showed Danny holding the camera above him and the girl, legs intertwined, sweat dripping from their bodies.
But the time-stamp proved most interesting about the pictures. All between eleven and twelve. And then they stopped, at twelve.
“This doesn’t disprove anything, Danny,” Brian said. “You can only account for your little sexual encounter until twelve o’clock, you cheating little toerag. If we call this girl now, she could tell us that you stayed with her all night, could she?”
Danny smirked. “You told me Nicola was killed some time after eleven. You asked me where I was after eleven. That’s where I was.”
“So you have a little argument with your girlfriend and then you go and cheat on her to prove a point. Do you make a habit of sleeping around, Danny? Are women all just meat to you?”
The door handle rattled. Jonny tried to rest his hand on Danny’s tense shoulder, but Danny knocked it away.
“McDone,” the voice at the door said. It was Price. Brian zoned back into the room now. Screaming and shouting in the corridor. “If I get my fucking hands on that murderer, I’ll fucking kill him, I’ll fucking kill him!”
Price lingered by the door. “The girl’s parents are here. You’d better bloody tell them what you’ve found and get them out of my police station before I let them loose on the boy myself.”
Jonny whispered something to Danny. Danny’s voice was rising, getting more het up and uncomfortable. Cassy stepped up and walked towards the door.
“Something wrong, Danny?” Brian asked.
Danny’s eyes were red. His hands shook as if a volcano inside his flesh was waiting to erupt.
Jonny Marsden stood up and eased Danny to his feet. “I think that’s enough for one day, don’t you, Detective?”
“Danny, if there’s something you have to tell us, tell us. Otherwise you’re getting thrown to the wolves whether you like it or–”
“I wasn’t cheating.”
“Right, come on.” Jonny tried to link his arm through Danny’s and squeeze him out of the other door.
“McDone.” Cassy and Price stood by the door, hesitating and mumbling to one another as the shouts of Nicola’s mother grew closer to the interview room, definitely beyond the front desk.
“What do you mean, you weren’t cheating?” Brian asked.
The duty solicitor pulled the door open and poked his head out to check the coast was clear. Danny followed with his shoulders slouched.
“Danny, tell me what–”
“I wasn’t cheating, because she was seeing someone else.” He disappeared through the door and out into the safety of the corridor.
Chapter Ten
Dealing with the newly bereaved never seemed to get any easier.
Shenice Watson threw herself at DI Price as Brian and Cassy walked out of the interview room.
“If he’s in there, I’ll fucking kill him myself,” she shouted. “I’ll fucking kill him myself!”
Brian glanced at the door where the duty solicitor and Danny had made their escape. She was seeing someone else. Who was she seeing? He needed to know.
He walked over towards Shenice Watson, held back by her husband and a police officer. His face was blank and expressionless as his wife’s reddening, manic eyes shot evil glances at everyone in her path. She was like an escaped zoo animal, desperate not to be dragged back to the cage. Apparently, anger was the second stage of grief.
“Mrs. Watson,” Brian started. “We need you to just listen–”
“I’ve done enough listening.” She launched herself free of Price’s arms and towards Brian. Her husband, half-heartedly holding his wife back, just stared into space.
Brian continued to edge closer to her. “Mrs. Watson, please, we just need to talk to you about a few things.” He raised his hand to rest it on her shoulder. She hit it away, continued to scrap at it, but her protestations grew weaker and her eyes welled up with tears. “Please, Mrs. Watson…”
Brian reached for her, and she tumbled into his arms. At first, she tried to break for the door of the interview room, but Brian pulled her head to his chest. “It’s okay, it’s okay,”
he said. Trevor Watson stared at Brian, allowing him to comfort her as she whimpered and snivelled into his uniform.
“It’s just…my girl, my baby girl…”
Cassy and Price squinted at them, hunched forward in case Shenice made another runner towards the interview room. Other than Shenice’s nonsensical whispers, complete silence radiated through the corridor.
“Shenice, it’s time we had a sit down again and speak about things, I think?” Brian said. “You go in that room there. Cassy will bring a coffee through for you. And we’ll talk. Talk about where we’re at, and what we know. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
Shenice yanked herself from Brian’s arms. For a moment, Brian thought she would make a lunge for the interview room door again, but she stumbled back towards her husband, who still hadn’t said a word.
“How’s that sound? Mr. Watson?”
“Was it him?” he asked. His sharp, cold stare seemed to gaze into Brian’s soul.
“It’s too early to–”
“We’re treating him as a witness,” Cassy interrupted. “But we’re keeping an eye on him.”
Trevor Watson snatched his wife’s hand. She reluctantly interlocked fingers with him. “Find him. Find him, and get back to us when you’ve found him. No more fucking around. Just…just find him.”
Holding hands, he and his wife lurched down the corridor, escorted by a short police officer Brian didn’t recognise.
“What about that coffee?”
“Just find him,” Trevor said, dragging his wife along. “We’ll sit down and have a coffee when you find him.”
They disappeared through the door.
Brian lowered his head into his hands as Cassy let out a huge sigh.
“Bit of good news and bad news to cut through the misery,” Price interrupted. “Bad news is Danny Stocks has an alibi. The blonde piece is named Heather Graham. Confirms that she had a one-night stand with Danny. Good news is one of the lowlifes from ‘round the Foster Road area is coming in. Keeping it anonymous. He’s due in at one o’clock.”
“Get Daniel Stocks back in that interview room as soon as possible,” Brian said, and barged past Price.
Price frowned. “I beg your pardon? Did you not just hear what I said? He has an alibi. And more importantly, someone’s coming forward with information. Could be exactly what we’re looking for.”
Brian looked Price directly in the eye. “Daniel Stocks just told me that he and Nicola Watson weren’t even together at the time of her death, because she was seeing someone else. If that doesn’t scream motive for murder to you, then I don’t know what does. Get him back in this room, and lock that half-witted solicitor in a cell for ten minutes if you have to.”
Price was initially speechless. “There’s technicalities to that. But I’ll get him back in here later. You can’t just go following your little hunches every time you get one. It’s never got you anywhere in the past. Anyway, speak to this bloke we’ve got coming in. See what he has. If he has nothing, I’ll get Stocks back for a chat. I suppose the girl could be covering for him.”
Brian bit his tongue. “Time’s he due in, again?” He tried not to sound too intrigued.
“About five minutes. One o’clock.”
A weight dropped to the bottom of Brian’s stomach. One o’clock. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
“You all right, Brian?” Cassy asked.
Brian yanked his phone from his pocket. A text from Vanessa: “Where r u? X” She’d definitely said one o’clock. He had no excuse.
“I…Cassy, you see to the bloke we have coming in.” Brian tossed his phone back into his pocket and broke into a jog down the corridor.
Cassy’s eyes widened, and Price looked on the verge of exploding. “What d’you mean–?”
“I’ll be ten minutes,” Brian called. “It’s really important. Start speaking to the guy. I’ll be back soon, I swear.”
He trotted down the office stairs and out into the cold, then headed towards the city centre. He was already out of breath.
At least now he had an excuse to get some proper frigging exercise.
Chapter Eleven
Vanessa was already leaving Costa when Brian finally stumbled into the town square, out of breath and drenched in sweat. She wore her big wool coat, the one he bought her, and was looking over her shoulder and checking her phone.
“Ness,” Brian called, as loud as he could. It came out as a whimper. His heart would probably throw itself out of his chest if he ran any farther. Exercise–who needed it, anyway?
Vanessa did a double take as she saw the sweaty, chubby man pounding down the street towards her. Hooded youths whispered to each other and sniggered. Other people gave him funny looks. Vanessa’s cheeks blushed as she glanced down at her feet.
When he reached her, Brian stooped over to catch his breath. He wiped his fingers through his damp hair. “Ness, so sorry I’m late.”
Vanessa shuffled around in her handbag, trying not to make eye contact with Brian. “It’s okay; I just wanted to…to give you some forms, anyway.”
Brian’s stomach sank, especially as he’d done all this running. “Can we at least go and sit down? Have a drink?”
Vanessa continued to rustle through her leather bag, her cheeks growing pinker as she peeked up at passers-by. Brian stood beside her in a sweaty white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, leaning back as if he’d just run a marathon.
“How’s Davey? Where is he?”
“At school. He’s fine.”
Brian scratched the back of his neck. “And you, are you…?”
“I’m fine.” She pulled out a brown envelope from her bag and handed it to Brian. He grabbed it with damp palms and stuffed it under his arm.
“I’d better go, anyway,” she said. “Obviously now’s not a good time.” She turned away and signalled an oncoming bus.
“Oh, come on, Ness. Don’t be like this. I had work. It completely slipped my mind. Just this case, it’s really getting deep, and–”
“And that’s why now’s not a good time,” Vanessa said, staring into Brian’s eyes. It was the first time they’d been connected properly for a long while. But he didn’t feel that warmth he used to, back when things were good.
“Read through the forms. Get your case sorted. And then get in touch. You look a mess, Brian. I don’t want Davey seeing you like this, especially after last time.” She diverted her stare to the ground.
Irritation weaseled its way up his trachea. She’d always turn to what happened back in September–the reason he’d taken a few months off sick. Always.
“Come on, Vanessa, for God’s sakes. It was an accident. It’s just with everything going on…Davey doesn’t have to worry about anything, and you know that.”
“Your five-year-old son constantly asks me why his daddy doesn’t come home anymore,” Vanessa snapped. “You have no idea of how much shit I–we–have to put up with.”
“Ness, I’m sorry.” A lump grew in his throat. “It won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t, Brian. You need to keep on visiting the doctors, like we agreed. You need to finish your case, and you need to get yourself straight. I’m so sorry if I sound insensitive, Brian, but I can’t risk our son going through all that again. I want him to see his daddy like he used to be, not like he saw you in September.”
“Ness, I–”
“I’m sorry, Brian,” she said, and stepped onto the bus.
Brian stood in the rain and watched as the bus disappeared. He felt completely lost as avid shoppers rushed past and chavs cycled by on their BMXs outside Footlocker and McDonald’s.
He walked up the hill towards the library, heading back to the police station. Stuck outside in the rain again, with nobody for company. What an idiot. All he had to do was remember to meet her at lunchtime. That one little thing–that was all he had to remember–and he’d blown it. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He ignored t
he first three vibrations, then pulled it up to his ear without bothering to check who was calling.
“Hello?”
“The bloke she was seeing was pretty financially well off,” the male voice said. Brian’s eyes widened, and the spring in his step returned.
“What…Danny? You do realise the sort of shit you’re opening up for yourself by making this phone call, don’t you? You’d better have a good reason for this.”
“Okay, okay. I couldn’t speak before with that suit dragging me out of the room.”
“I’m sure you couldn’t. Got off nice and lightly there, didn’t you?”
“I know what it looks like, but I’m trying to help you here.”
“How did you get my number?”
“Your card. I picked one up on the way out of the station. Seriously, listen to what I have to say.”
Brian sighed and began to rush back to the station. “Right. Who was she seeing? You’d better bloody talk to me, okay?”
“I don’t know. But I found out about him that night. Yes, I know how that looks, but I didn’t fucking kill Nic, all right? I slept with a girl as a rebound. I didn’t kill Nicola. So I’m assuming she went back to his place that night.”
The words rang through Brian’s skull. He wasn’t sure what to think. “Very convenient, Danny. Very convenient. This other guy–tell me what you know about him. How long had she been seeing him? Anything, just anything.”
Danny paused before speaking again. “I don’t know, and I wish I could tell you, but I noticed she was being a bit weird. Saying she was spending more time on this charity job. I didn’t think anything of it, but now I think back, yeah. She was probably seeing someone else all that time.”