[DI Sally Parker 01.0] Wrong Place

by MA Comley

  Sally was seething inside. She hated people making a fool of her, especially prisoners. She swallowed her annoyance and showed Dorling the sketch. Instantly, she could tell that Dorling recognised the person. “Who is he?”

  He twisted his head from side to side. “I think he used to be my best friend.”

  “Does this man have a name?” Sally’s heart rate quickened.

  “Jed Liddell, if that is him. Are you telling me he’s set me up for these crimes?”

  “That’s what it looks like to me. Why would he do that, Mr. Dorling?”

  “How the effing hell would I know?” He scratched his head. “I’m asking myself the same question.”

  “Okay, let’s go back to when you ‘used to be friends.’ Can you tell me why that friendship ended?”

  “Jesus, to think I tried to kill myself because of that prick!”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “About five years ago, maybe longer.”

  A sinking feeling attacked Sally’s insides. If it’s been years, how did Liddell have access to Dorling’s semen? “Are you aware that your semen was found as DNA evidence at every murder scene, before you were locked up and after?” Dorling nodded. “How would Liddell have access to that if you haven’t laid eyes on him in years?”

  He ran a hand through his thinning hair. “He was seeing this girl, who took a liking to me. We had an affair behind his back. He kicked her out when he heard about the affair.”

  “How many years ago are we talking about here?”

  “I don’t know, about seven, I suppose.”

  “Okay, but you said you thought it had been five years or so since you last saw him…” Sally folded her arms.

  “He showed up, saying I owed him, that I’d robbed him of the one woman he’d truly been happy with. He’d planned on settling down and having children with her.”

  “And?”

  “Well, he said that he’d met someone new and they were struggling to have a family. They had attended some kind of clinic…”

  “A fertility clinic?”

  “Yes, that’s it. I couldn’t figure out where the conversation was going until he produced a pot and asked me to give him a sample of my semen.”

  “What? For what reason?”

  “He said that he didn’t want the doctors to think it was his fault that he and his new wife couldn’t have a baby. They were in the process of testing his sperm count. He shoved the pot, actually two sample pots, at me and ordered me to fill them.”

  “And you did it? Why?”

  “He said I owed him for stealing his girlfriend. You didn’t see the look in his eye. It was menacing, threatened all sorts without having to say the words.” Dorling shrugged. “It made no difference to me. If he wanted to look at a sprog made from my sperm every day of his miserable life, then why should I be bothered?”

  “What man in his right mind would seek out such a transaction from a man he hated?” she queried, trying to work out the logistics in her head. “Maybe he seized the opportunity for payback as well as using your sperm for procreation.”

  “Sounds a right nutter to me, boss,” Jack offered.

  “A nutter who must have truly worked out his audacious plan years ago, to exact revenge on the man who stole the love of his life from him.”

  “That sounds crazy,” the warden chipped in.

  “You’d be surprised what tales we hear of people working through their desperation,” she explained to Warden Mountford before turning her attention to the man in the bed. “Tell me, Dorling, have you had any contact with him since that day?”

  “No, nothing.” He pointed at the sketch lying on the bed in his lap. “That’s the first I’ve seen of him in years. Are you going to pick him up?”

  “I don’t suppose you have an address for him? Never mind, we should be able to track that down easily enough.”

  “Yeah, if he’s still using the same name.”

  Sally inclined her head. “Hmm… well, there’s every reason why he shouldn’t. Is there anything else you think we should know about the events back then?”

  “Nope. Can’t think of anything.”

  “Thank you for your time, Dorling. I will post a request for you to be exonerated of the crimes you were arrested for in the light of the information you have just shared with us.”

  Dorling rubbed his hands together in glee. “Great. Does that mean I can get out of this shithole soon? No offence, warden.”

  She nodded. “I’ll make sure that happens sooner rather than later.”

  Sally and Jack rushed out of the prison gate and hopped in the car. “Well, that was unexpected,” Sally said.

  “Yeah, but it hasn’t really got us anywhere. The odds are the guy has probably changed his name. How are we going to find him?”

  “That’s where the general public come in, hopefully. Let’s not give up on him still using his own name just yet. Back to the station pronto, I think.” She thought about the tasks she’d set her team and realised she’d forgotten to send someone to Amanda’s place of work. “Change of plan. We’re close to the supermarket. I think we’ll drop in there first.”

  “For what? We ain’t got time to do your personal shopping, boss. We have a murderer on the loose.” Jack laughed.

  Sally shook her head, took one hand off the steering wheel, and bashed her partner in the thigh. “Idiot, the supermarket where Amanda works. We should interview the manager and the staff. See if anyone saw this man hanging around or if they know him, right?”

  “Agreed.”

  After parking the car, Sally and Jack walked in the entrance of the supermarket. They approached the young girl in the kiosk, flashed their IDs, and asked to speak to the manager. The girl put a call out on the Tannoy, and a few moments later, a rotund, short-legged man appeared beside them.

  “Mr. Davis, the police are here to see you,” the girl behind the kiosk informed him.

  Again, Sally and Jack produced their IDs. The man raised his glasses and studied their identification. He turned. “Walk this way to my office, if you will.”

  Once in the office, he invited them to take a seat. “How can I help?”

  Sally frowned. “You mean you have no idea why we’re here?”

  “No, none whatsoever. Please enlighten me.”

  Sally exhaled a large breath. “It’s about a member of your staff, Amanda Collins. She was attacked on Sunday night and is in hospital.”

  “Ah, yes, sorry to be so vague. A member of staff mentioned they saw an ambulance in the area. I’m up to my eyes in stocktaking at present. I have my area manager breathing down my neck. He’s due here any moment, and…”

  Sally raised her hand to stop the man’s chuntering. “Yes, we all have our problems, Mr. Davis. Some are far greater than others. I wondered if it would be possible to question your staff and you, of course, regarding Miss Collins’s last shift. She was attacked directly after she left work, which leads us to believe that her assailant might have targeted her.”

  “Oh, my! How dreadful. Of course, we’ll do anything to help with your enquiries. So this man is still on the loose, I take it?”

  “He is at present, yes. Although we do have an ID for the man now, thanks to Amanda’s keen eye. He’s a Mr. Jed Liddell.”

  She showed him the sketch, and the man’s eyes almost popped out of his head and landed on his paperwork. “What? Are you kidding me?” He fell back in his chair, and his mouth dropped open.

  Sally swiftly exchanged glances with Jack. “Are you saying you know him?”

  “I should do. He’s my bloody area manager.”

  “What? Do you have his address?” She swallowed her mounting excitement. Wow, this could be the break we’ve been waiting for!

  “You’d have to get in touch with head office for that. I have his phone number, if that will help.”

  “Fantastic. Hang on—you said you were in panic mode because the area manager is due.”

  �
�That’s right. He could show up at any second. There’s no telling with him. Often he says he’s visiting but then changes his mind at the last minute. Actually, between you and me, he’s the worst one I’ve had. At least with the others, you knew where you stood with them.”

  “Interesting. Is he local?”

  “I believe so. Tends to keep himself to himself. Very offhand if you try and start a personal conversation with him. I don’t bother much now.”

  Sally nodded. “Where is he now? Do you happen to know if he’s visiting another store in the area before he comes here?”

  “We’re not privy to their itinerary. Their reasoning behind their elusive behaviour is to always try and keep the managers on their toes.”

  “Okay, it was worth a try. If you could get me his phone number, mobile and landline, if you have them, that will help us a lot,” Sally told the manager. While Mr. Davis searched through the notebook on his desk, Sally said to Jack quietly, “Get on to Joanna, tell her to search for a home address for Liddell.”

  Jack left the room to place the call.

  “Ah, finally. I knew it was tucked away in here somewhere.” Mr. Davis jotted down the number and passed it across the desk to Sally.

  “Both of them, great stuff. I’ll try his mobile first.” She dialled the number, and the call went to voicemail. She hung up and dialled the home number.

  Mr. Davis was about to say something.

  She held a finger up to her lips, indicating the manager should remain quiet during the call.

  A frantic woman answered the phone. “Where the hell are you? I’m going to the hospital. Be there!” She hung up before Sally had the chance to talk to her.

  Jack re-entered the room. She looked up at him and frowned. “Well, that was weird. I presume the woman was Mrs. Liddell. She must have thought I was her husband ringing, tore me off a strip, and said that she was on her way to the hospital.”

  “For what?” Mr. Davis asked.

  “I have no idea. It certainly sounded like an emergency to me. We should get over there, Jack, but which hospital?” She dialled the number again, but the answerphone kicked in.

  “Very strange. Okay, I have an address for the Liddells. Perhaps we can figure out what hospital is local to them from that.”

  “Great idea.” Sally punched the address into the map app on her mobile, and King’s Lynn Hospital was highlighted on the screen. “We’ll shoot over there. If Mr. Liddell shows up here, can you pretend that his wife called the store and urged him to go to the hospital when he arrived?”

  “Of course. I won’t mention you were here, I’ll just tell him to get over to the hospital at once. I hope everything turns out well for his wife.”

  “Thank you, I hope so too.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sally parked at the back of the car park, then she and Jack ran through the entrance to the accident and emergency department.

  Sally showed the receptionist her ID. “I’m looking for a Mrs. Liddell. I think she came in a few moments ago.”

  The receptionist nodded. “She did. You’ll find her in the family room just along the corridor.”

  “Thank you.”

  They found a woman pacing the hallway outside the family room.

  Sally smiled at her as she and Jack approached. “Mrs. Liddell?”

  The woman’s gaze shifted uncertainly between the two detectives. “Yes. You are?”

  “We’re DI Sally Parker and DS Jack Blackman from the Norfolk Constabulary.”

  “I don’t understand. How do you know who I am, and why are you pestering me here?”

  “Sorry, it’s not our intention to pester you. I rang you about half an hour ago, and you told me you were on your way to the hospital. Can I ask why you’re here?”

  Tears glistened in her eyes. “That was you? I thought it was Jed, my husband. It’s my son. He has kidney failure.”

  Sally’s heart sank at the news. Aware that she should proceed cautiously to avoid causing the woman further upset, she asked, “I take it you haven’t heard from your husband?”

  “No, he works away all week. Only comes home on a Friday and Saturday.”

  “I see. What job does he do?” Sally asked, intrigued to see if Jed had actually told his wife the truth about his career.

  “He’s an area manager with a supermarket in Devon.”

  “Devon? Is that right? That must be tough, dealing with a sick child on your own. Can I ask why you don’t move to Devon to be with him?”

  “My child comes first. He’s used to the doctors here. It wouldn’t be right to disrupt his life any more than was necessary.”

  “I see. Is your husband aware of how ill your son is?”

  “I don’t understand what you’re getting at? Of course he’s aware. Michael has been ill from the day he was born, near enough anyway. He’s on the donor list. The doctors tell us that he’s close to the top now, but when we have episodes such as this, we have to pray that he pulls through.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Again, I don’t understand why you’re here, Inspector, asking me about my husband and my son. Why?”

  Sally inhaled a large breath. “We’re trying to track down your husband to help us with our enquiries.”

  “Enquiries? Into what?”

  “Into a few incidents that have occurred in the area over the past few weeks,” Sally replied.

  “What kind of incidents?” The woman started to pace anxiously again.

  “I don’t want to concern you with that at this time, Mrs. Liddell.”

  “Now you’re starting to worry me. What has this got to do with my husband?”

  The door at the end of the corridor opened, and a tall, slim man with brown hair rushed in. Despite his striking resemblance to the sketch Kathy had drawn, Sally hadn’t expected a monster to be so handsome. Jack nudged Sally’s elbow. Jed Liddell stared at everyone, his feet shifting from side to side as if he were debating whether to take flight or not.

  Mrs. Liddell called out to him. “Jed, these people want a word with you.”

  Liddell remained where he was for a second longer then finally took flight. Jack bolted after him.

  “We need to get him. I’m sorry, Mrs. Liddell. Your husband has committed some pretty heinous crimes. I have to go after him.” Sally chased after her partner and the suspect.

  “Such as what?” She sounded alarmed as she tried to keep up with Sally.

  “Murder and the attempted murder of several women in the area.”

  “What? You’re mistaken. I know my husband wouldn’t—couldn’t do such a thing.”

  Sally and Mrs. Liddell chased after Jack and Liddell and caught up with them in the adjoining corridor. A heavily pregnant woman was swiping Jack over the head with her handbag and shouting, “Leave my husband alone, you big oaf.” Jack was trying hard to protect himself while he sat astride the squirming, cuffed Liddell on the floor.

  Mrs. Liddell froze on the spot. Sally stopped and retraced her steps to where the woman was standing. “What did she just say?” the stunned Mrs. Liddell asked.

  “He’s her husband,” Sally said, feeling as confused as the woman standing in front of her looked.

  Sally got out her mobile and called for backup, sensing the situation was about to escalate out of control. Mrs. Liddell walked up to the woman and pulled on her arm. “He’s my husband.”

  The younger woman eyed Mrs. Liddell with distaste and rubbed her belly. “He’s my husband, and we’re expecting our first child.”

  Sally wormed herself between the warring women. It didn’t take her long to figure out what was taking place. “Ladies, it would appear that Jed has lied to you both over the years. Isn’t that the case, Mr. Liddell?”

  Jack jerked the man to his feet, prompting him for a response. “Answer the inspector.”

  Jed Liddell’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He looked at Jack and said, “You can take me to the station now.”

  Sally tutted. �
�Nice of you to want to stick around and face the music. You make me sick. Ladies, count yourselves lucky. Over the past few weeks, your husband here has killed four women and attempted to kill a fifth. Those are the victims we know about. Of course, there could be more murders we’re unaware of right now. Not only that, he tried to make sure an innocent man ended up convicted for the crimes, by placing the man’s DNA at each of the crime scenes.”

  “What? Jed, tell me she’s lying,” the first Mrs. Liddell said.

  “I don’t believe you!” the pregnant Mrs. Liddell shouted.

  Jed couldn’t deny it. They had him by the short and curlies, and he knew it. His two wives glared at each other with pure hatred in their eyes. Sally whispered in Liddell’s ear, “Thought you had the best of both worlds, didn’t you? And it still wasn’t enough for you, was it?”

  He turned to her and grinned, causing a shudder to rattle down her spine, one notch at a time. Two uniformed officers joined the affray, and Sally instructed them to take Liddell into custody.

  They watched Liddell walk away nonchalantly with the officers. Sally addressed the two women, “Mrs. Liddell and Mrs. Liddell, we’ll need you to come down to the station to make a statement sometime in the next few days.”

  “Of course. I never knew. Shit! What about Michael? How on earth am I going to break this news to him?”

  Sally rubbed the woman’s arm. “I wouldn’t, not just yet.” Then she asked the other woman, “Can I ask why you were at the hospital today?”

  Tears sprang from the woman’s eyes, and she brushed them away with the back of her hand. “I was having a scan on this one. There’s every chance that he has a severe illness. They’re not sure what it is yet.”

  “I see. I’m sorry to hear that. And you live locally?” Sally asked.

  “Yes, ten minutes away.”

  The other Mrs. Liddell asked, “So when does he stay with you?”

  “Only on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. What about you?”

  “Fridays and Saturdays. When did he carry out the crimes you say he committed, Inspector?”

  “We think on Sundays and Mondays. We’ll get the full picture when we question him back at the station. I’m sorry he’s involved you in this, ladies. Please, don’t take it out on each other, not if there are children involved. They’ll be half-siblings, after all.”