“What do you think?” she asked Princess the cat, who twirled herself around her legs. “I look pretty good, right?”
She picked up the fluffy cat and carried her down to the kitchen. It was 6.40 pm, almost time to leave. She kissed the cat on her forehead, leaving a red lipstick mark on the white fur, and put her down on the kitchen floor.
“I’ve left the treats Marie bought you in your bowl, and if you go out, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Princess hissed and ran out of the cat flap, leaving Renee alone. “Which doesn’t rule much out,” she muttered to herself.
She sprayed some more perfume on her neck and chest and left the house with a spring in her step. She revelled in nights like this. Groups of people, all with histories and rivalries, forced into a room together with free-flowing alcohol. It reminded her of the night she and Kevin met at a regional supermarket awards ceremony over a year ago. That was before Renee had transferred to Melwood and started working with his wife.
Renee arrived at Marie’s flat at 7 pm and took her phone from her bag. She then remembered the many messages Marie had sent her last night to which she hadn’t replied. She grimaced, put her phone in her pocket and pressed her car horn instead.
Two minutes later, Marie appeared beaming and waving. Renee returned the wave but sighed at the sight of her friend. She’d chosen an unflattering and outdated outfit, even by Marie’s standards. Her make-up was overdone and garish. Her dress was too tight around the middle and hung down to her ankles, exposing a pair of walking boots. As Marie got into the car, Renee caught a whiff of Chardonnay mingled with a sweet-scented perfume.
“You look great!”
“Thanks,” giggled Marie. “Just threw something on, didn’t want to put too much effort into a work party,” she added, as Renee raised her eyebrows.
“You’re driving,” commented Marie as they pulled away from the flats. “Are you going to leave your car there?”
“Nope,” replied Renee with a wink. “I plan on having a couple of drinks and watching others abuse the free bar. That way, I’ll be able to remember every little detail of what I see and hear!”
They arrived at the venue, a local hotel, shortly after 7.15 pm. A crowd stood on the veranda terrace, clouds of cigarette smoke billowing around them. At the main entrance, a short woman in a fitted black dress and chunky gold jewellery greeted people. Her curls remained fixed in place, even as she laughed and chatted with those arriving.
“Typical,” muttered Renee. “Looks like Gill has decided to be the official greeter. She’s pretending it’s her bloody party.”
Ahead of them, Gillian ushered two women from HR through the door. As she turned around to face Renee, her smile faded.
“Ah, Renee, Marie. I see you’re making a habit of arriving fashionably late these days,” she remarked. Her eyes met Renee’s, then moved downwards towards Marie’s.
“Through you go then,” said Gillian after a moment’s silence, gesturing towards Marie.
As Renee attempted to follow Marie, Gillian stuck out her stubby arm and blocked her way. Renee looked down in shock. Gillian looked up at Renee and lowered her voice to a whisper.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on everyone tonight, including you. I don’t want any stirring, gossiping or trouble. So, for your own good, behave!” she threatened.
Renee raised her car keys and waved them in Gillian’s face.
“Designated driver, Gillian. You won’t have any trouble from me.” She skirted around Gillian’s arm and entered the party without looking back.
The scene inside was reminiscent of a high school disco. Everyone sat in small groups at tables around the empty dance floor. The DJ was playing ‘Everybody Dance Now,’ but the only people standing were those waiting at the bar.
Marie was in the queue, looking agitated between two groups of younger people. Renee scanned the tables and spotted one close by, occupied by Jade and Ethan. They seemed to be having an intense conversation and, as he reached out to touch her arm, she recoiled.
“Hello, you two,” interrupted Renee. Jade exhaled and looked up at her, a large gin and tonic in her hand. Ethan folded his arms and sat back in his chair with a roll of the eyes.
“Ethan, get me a lemonade, and another drink for Jade, too, will you?”
Renee sat in Ethan’s vacated seat and leaned across to Jade.
“Everything OK? What was he saying?”
“We were talking about work and he said he’d been doing a lot of overtime, which is weird because I asked for some and didn’t get it. Does Gillian think I’m rubbish?”
Jade’s cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes were glazed; the gin clearly wasn’t her first drink of the evening.
“Don’t take it personally,” replied Renee with a wave of the hand. “She’s a cow to everyone. I thought you had another job, anyway?”
Jade reclined in her seat with a sigh. She took another large sip of her drink, then tugged on the long sleeves of her plain pink polo neck.
Renee scanned the room again, considering her next move. Gillian remained at the entrance door, though she was staring over at her and Jade. Karen, who was wearing too much make-up and not enough clothing, was with Steve by the bar. Across the hall, Debbie and Dawn sat on their own.
Ethan and Marie arrived back at the table at the same time. Renee took her lemonade from Marie, who was also holding a full glass of white wine.
“You take my seat, Ethan; we’re going for a mingle.”
Renee left Ethan and Jade in an uncomfortable silence and worked her way around the tables, Marie in tow.
By 9 pm, the queue at the bar had grown, and the laughter and conversations were louder. The opening chords of a Cyndi Lauper song prompted a surge towards the dance floor. Renee dipped out of the crowd and sat down next to Debbie and Dawn.
“Phew,” sighed Renee as she plonked herself down with them. “Getting pretty lively now, did you two not fancy joining in?”
“We’re just fine here,” answered Debbie, with a quick, furtive glance at Dawn. “Are you OK, Renee?”
“Oh fine, but I needed a break from all the chatting and dancing. I’m happy to sit and watch for a bit,” replied Renee with a wink.
Debbie smiled but then looked away from Renee. There was something strange in Debbie’s expression and body language. She was tense, nervous and agitated about something.
“I hope you’re keeping an eye on Karen,” offered Renee, breaking the silence again.
All three of them looked at Karen, who was dancing with her eyes closed and arms outstretched. Her very full glass of red wine sloshed onto the dance floor.
Debbie sighed and rolled her eyes at the sight of her friend, and Renee noticed Marie on the dancefloor nearby. Unlike Karen, Marie had her eyes open and didn’t have a drink in hand. But she looked just as merry as she attempted to throw shapes around the dancefloor.
For the next fifteen minutes or so, Renee felt like she was watching the party in slow motion, as the laughter and music got louder.
The DJ played ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, which got all but a few stragglers onto the dancefloor. Stuart, the night shift Manager, danced with Gillian on the periphery of the group. Steve took Edith by the arm and twirled her around. Jade and Ethan swayed among a group of younger people, all smiling with drinks in their hands.
The guitar solo kicked in, and everyone jumped up and down, bumping into each other and laughing. Gerard, the Duty Manager, grabbed Marie by the arm and swung her around, sending people running to get out of the way. As he let Marie go, she hurtled across the floor and collided head-on into Karen.
Renee raised her hand to her mouth, as wine flew out of Karen’s glass and into her face. Karen awoke from her daze as Marie stumbled and fell onto her hands and knees. The music continued, though everybody had stopped dancing. In one swift movement, they all stepped away to create a circle of space around the two women. Karen stood still, her pale face, blonde hair and white dress soaked with red wine, while
Marie scrambled to get up from the floor.
Debbie and Renee stood up to peer over the crowd. Gillian shouted, ‘What’s going on?’ repeatedly from the back of the group.
Karen wiped the wine from her eyes and stared venomously at Marie.
“You stupid bitch!” she hissed, as mascara ran down both sides of her face.
“My fault, Karen,” interjected Gerard with a nervous laugh, extending his hand to help Marie up. “No harm done.”
“No bloody harm done?” shouted Karen, her eyes fixed on Marie. “I’m soaked! That cow did it on purpose. She’s got it in for me,” she slurred and swayed on the spot.
“As if I’d touch you on purpose,” shouted Marie, pink-faced after her fall.
“You should be so lucky, you fat dyke!”
There was a collective gasp from those on the inside of the circle. Renee, Debbie and Gillian all struggled to make their way through the crowd.
“You know what we all call you?” Karen continued, to a now red-faced Marie. “Mardie! Lazy Mardie,” she taunted, and she tilted her head back to laugh.
Renee had almost reached the centre as Marie stepped forward and shoved Karen forcefully on the shoulder. Karen stumbled but regained her composure. She reached out an arm and slapped Marie hard around the face.
The crowd gave another collective gasp and suddenly, things seemed to speed up again. Steve broke through the crowd and grabbed Karen’s waist, restraining her. Gerard did the same to Marie and dragged her back through the circle of people. The crowd dispersed, eagerly discussing what had happened.
Renee reached Marie and relieved a mortified Gerard from his duties. On the other side of the room, Steve passed Karen over to Debbie with an angry look on his face.
“Come on, Marie,” giggled Renee, as she grabbed her shell-shocked friend by the arm, “time to leave!”
As they reached the door, Renee caught sight of Gillian, Debbie and Karen a few metres ahead. Gillian had both hands on her hips and a thunderous expression on her face.
“Why should I leave,” slurred Karen.
“I’ll tell you why,” hissed Gillian, who had turned purple with rage. “Because you have both disgraced our department and ruined this party.”
They actually made it, thought Renee, but for once she bit her lip.
“Yesterday,” mumbled Karen, as she grabbed Debbie for support, “Mardie said I killed them, Janice and Caitlin.”
“Did not,” sulked Marie. Renee grabbed hold of her friend, who now looked and sounded like an overgrown toddler.
“Enough!” shouted Gillian. “I do not want to hear any more about this! You are both too drunk. We will deal with this tomorrow. You’ll both be lucky not to get fired.”
Debbie tugged Karen towards the door, and Gillian held her hand up to stop Renee and Marie. Once Debbie’s car engine started, Gillian lowered her hand with a sigh. Renee hauled Marie towards the door and stopped as they reached Gillian.
“And you thought I was the one to watch,” said Renee, with a smile.
“Get out of my sight,” replied Gillian through gritted teeth. She glared at her so fiercely that Renee dropped her gaze, taken aback. She rushed out of the door, dragging Marie along with her.
She shoved Marie into the passenger seat and got into the car. She reached into her bag for her phone and sent a quick message to Kevin.
Sorry I’ve not been in touch. Good luck with G tonight. It all kicked off at the party between Marie and Karen, and she is livid! Never seen her so angry! X
The reply, as usual, came straight away.
Oh great. Don’t suppose you fancy eloping with me in the next 30 mins? I hope you’re ok, Ren. I miss you.
Renee felt something strange in her stomach, like a flutter. Her heart was beating faster than usual. Her face felt very hot, as she imagined a life far away from this one. A life where she and Kevin were happy together, free from Gillian and Melwood.
She wasn’t quite sure how long she sat in the car, for once lost for words, as her thumb hovered over the keypad. But at some point, Marie broke the spell by leaning forward and vomiting profusely onto the floor of the car.
14: Edith’s Tale
Monday 22nd October 2018 - Vincent
DCI Vincent Okafor stretched his legs onto the top of his desk, rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. He’d been awake all night at the police station on the graveyard shift. He’d used the quiet time to review the research into local gangs that pushed drugs.
He’d focussed on South Croydon and the surrounding areas: Homestead, Melwood and the New Grange estate. Thanks to some newly acquired informants, he was progressing well. On the wall in front of him were four faces; Jack Dimont and his three very similar-looking sons.
All evidence so far pointed to the Dimonts as the primary drug pushers in the south of the borough. Local businesses fronted the operation - the Dimonts owned a car wash, a garage, and a few beauty salons.
Okafor was confident that further investigation would unveil all sorts of wrongdoing. Money laundering, drug dealing, and maybe even human trafficking or modern slavery.
Of course, Jack Dimont wasn’t the top dog; more likely a middleman in a much larger operation. But Okafor was keen to test how much information Jack would trade in exchange for a reduced sentence. He was optimistic; his new sources had also informed him that Jack was struggling to keep rival sellers off his turf.
‘Dimont,’ he thought, as he rubbed his temples. He’d seen the name before, he was sure of it. An image of a short, thin, blonde-haired young woman floated into his mind - Jade Dimont, the young girl who worked at the Melwood supermarket.
His team had interviewed her in connection with the murders of her two colleagues. It’s a small world, he thought, and he made a mental note to check her relationship to Jack.
He checked the clock: 7.45 am. It was almost time to hand over to the Superintendent. With a sigh, he packed away the files and pictures of the Dimonts, then sat down to complete his handover email. A soft knock on his office door interrupted him.
“Come in,” he yawned.
“Sir,” said DS Harris as she entered the office, coffee in hand and a bemused look on her face.
“Good morning, Joanne. Unless you’re here to tell me that a major incident has occurred, in which case, piss off!” he replied with a smile and a wink.
“No major incident, sir,” she laughed. “But I thought I should tell you about an interesting phone call I received first thing this morning.”
“Go ahead, and please take a seat,” he gestured to the chair opposite his desk.
“Thank you, sir. The call was from a lady named Edith Coaker, who works at the supermarket in Melwood. She rang because I’d asked her to keep me briefed on anything unusual that happened there. She seemed well suited to the task.”
“I know the lady you mean, Joanne, and I fully agree with your assessment.”
“Well, sir, she was at a party last night, a store staff party, and it all ended in tears. Marie Webster knocked a glass of wine over Karen Goldman, and Karen slapped Marie around the face in return.”
“Right,” chuckled Okafor, as he pictured the scene in his head.
“Now here’s the interesting part, sir. Renee Beck got hold of Marie, and Deborah Gomez got Karen, you know, to take them home after it happened. But on the way out, Gillian told them all off. At that point, Karen said that Marie had started it, by accusing her of murdering Caitlin and Janice.”
“Edith heard this herself?” asked Okafor, raising his eyebrows.
“Yes, sir, she followed them all to the door, hoping to see some further fireworks. When Gillian was having a go at them, she listened from around the corner.”
“Naturally,” mused Okafor, rubbing his chin and pausing for thought.
“If what Edith says is true, then it would be good to know why Marie made that accusation, wouldn’t it, sir?”
“Quite. But first, let’s get a second opinion on events. It doesn’t quite
make sense for Marie to make the accusation and throw the first punch, so to speak.”
Okafor picked up his mobile and found the contact.
“Sir?”
“I’ve always found Gillian, the Manager, to be straight-talking and succinct. And by Edith’s account, she’s the only other witness to this claim from Karen.”
He pressed the dial button and switched to speakerphone.
“Hello,” an impatient high voice answered.
“Gillian, hello, it’s DCI Okafor here.” There was a pause at the end of the line, so he continued. “Is now a good time to speak?”
“Yes, yes, of course. It’ll have to be quick though, we have a store inspection a week today and I’m already busy preparing for it.”
“This won’t take long. I’m following up on reports of an incident at your store party last night, concerning Ms Webster and Mrs Goldman.”
Gillian exhaled heavily.
“News travels fast doesn’t it!” she tutted. “Oh, please don’t tell me they’ve pressed charges?”
“I wonder if you could share your recollections with me, Gillian. I hope not to have to bring you in for an interview, but I would like to build a picture, should one of them make an accusation.”
“It was a misunderstanding,” replied Gillian with another sigh.
“Both of them were drunk. Marie clattered into Karen on the dance floor, and a glass of wine ended up all over Karen. Karen thought Marie had done it on purpose, you see, and she called her a name. ‘Mardie,’ some people call her. Anyway, Marie pushed Karen, and then Karen slapped Marie. It got broken up, and Debbie and Renee took them home.”
“Thank you, Gillian,” said Okafor, keeping his tone light as DS Harris scribbled down the notes. “And did you speak to any of them, after the incident?”
“Yes, I did. I told Marie and Karen that they’d disgraced the department, they’d let me down, and that we’d deal with it in the morning.”
“OK,” said Okafor. “And did either of them say anything more about the conflict between them? Another reason why the fight had started?”
Killer Princesses: Gripping and gritty, a twisty and tantalising thriller... Page 10