[Kitt Hartley 04] - Death Awaits in Durham

by Helen Cox

  ‘Oh yes,’ said Grace, noticing, now that she was up close with this guy, just how much gel he had in his hair. He’d sculpted it into a quiff that looked just as cheesy as he was acting. ‘I hadn’t thought about radio as a career path before but since I started listening to your show I’ve been inspired. The campus station seems like a great starting place.’

  ‘Right on. It’s not an easy job,’ Randy said, ‘but it is rewarding.’

  ‘Oh, I’m very sure you make it look a lot easier than it really is,’ said Grace. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t won some kind of award, actually.’

  ‘I’m not sure I’m quite at award-winning level yet,’ said Randy.

  ‘You’re far too modest,’ said Grace even though she highly doubted modesty was at the top of the list of Randy’s best qualities. ‘I’ve been hearing a lot about your show, particularly how professionally you handled that awful incident when the student disappeared.’

  Randy’s grin dropped a bit. ‘Yeah, that was a ride I wasn’t expecting. But that’s the thing about live radio – you never know what’s going to happen, you always have to be prepared. People say that, and you think it’s a cliché until something like that happens.’

  ‘Some listeners who heard it said that the whole thing sounded staged, like you knew what was going to be happen, can you believe that?’ Kitt said.

  ‘Professional jealousy. When you do a good job you can always expect it. People talking rubbish like that just demonstrates how much I believe in the motto: the show must go on . . . Who said that, exactly?’

  ‘There’s no consensus about who exactly used that phrase first,’ said Kitt. ‘But generally speaking it’s thought to have originated in circuses in the 1800s. It was used as a sort of motto amongst the performers; if an animal wouldn’t behave or someone broke an arm during the trapeze act they were encouraged to keep going, hence: the show must go on.’

  Bertrand and Grace looked at Kitt in silence for a moment.

  ‘That’s . . . fascinating but actually I meant who said that the call between me and Jodie sounded staged?’ said Randy.

  ‘Oh,’ Kitt said, the brightness in her expression dimming. ‘Yes, that . . . that does make more sense.’

  ‘I can’t remember, actually, it was just some first year mouthing off during a freshers’ event. I never saw him again,’ said Grace. ‘I confess I did listen to a recording of the show.’

  ‘Oh really, and how’d you get your hands on that?’

  ‘An admiring fan has her ways,’ Grace said with a coy smile. ‘After I heard about what happened I wanted to hear how a true master manages that kind of situation. It was awful to listen to, I can’t believe how calmly you handled it. Cutting to a song like that. No wonder people thought it was staged. You handled it like a pro.’

  ‘To be honest, I’m lucky I was able to put on such an act. I don’t want to give you the impression we took that kind of event in our stride. Behind the scenes we tried to re-establish the call with Jodie and when we couldn’t we dialled 999 right away. We gave the police Jodie’s number but by that point the phone must have been in the river because it wasn’t showing a live signal. They tracked its last location and arrived down at the river less than an hour later. But it was raining like crazy that night and so the story we got was that any evidence might have been lost.’

  ‘Nothing short of tragic,’ said Kitt.

  ‘No argument from me,’ said Grace, leaning closer to Bertrand and even stooping to batting her eyelashes. ‘Though I have to admit, when I listened to the recording, I was curious about something.’

  ‘And what was that, exactly?’ Randy said with a leer.

  ‘Well, I’m sorry if you find this a bit morbid but I couldn’t help but wonder if you knew what the secret was – the secret Jodie was going to tell you on air?’

  ‘Nothing wrong with healthy curiosity up to a point,’ said Randy. ‘But no, she wouldn’t give it up. I tried every trick I knew to get her to tell me in advance but for some reason she insisted it had to be live on air. Afterwards, I realized it was because she had something so big she couldn’t risk telling me beforehand, in case – maybe she thought she was being followed or that someone was listening in. I don’t know. But what happened that night was messed up.’

  ‘Agreed,’ said Kitt. ‘But, I have a feeling an intrepid reporter like you wouldn’t just leave a story like that alone. Surely you must have done a bit of digging. If Jodie could uncover the secret on her own then someone with your research credentials would surely have no problem at all following in her footsteps.’

  ‘What, so I could disappear too? No thanks,’ said Randy. ‘Some journalists won’t stop until they get the story, no matter what it costs them, but here’s a word of advice: it’s good to be alive. Even if it means you don’t get the big break you were hoping for. Sometimes, you’ve got to know when to leave well enough alone.’

  Well, wasn’t that an interesting philosophy? Grace couldn’t help but wonder if Randy was speaking from personal experience. Had he got close to something, close to a big break, and been forced to back off by Selina?

  ‘That makes sense,’ said Grace. ‘I am generally a fan of being alive. But if you didn’t investigate it, then I’ll bet that a seasoned media star like yourself had some kind of hunch about who the secret involved, right?’

  Randy took a deep breath and looked at Kitt and Grace for a long moment. ‘Can’t help but notice that we’ve been talking for nearly ten minutes and eight of them have focused on Jodie’s disappearance. You’re not really interested in getting into radio, are you?’

  ‘What was it that gave us away?’ said Grace with a sigh.

  ‘Referring to a student DJ as a seasoned media star is a push even for my ego. What are you doing poking around Jodie’s disappearance?’ said Randy.

  ‘We’ve been hired to investigate it,’ said Kitt. ‘Our clients want the truth about what happened to Jodie and we’re very close to finding the person responsible but we need some confirmation of our hunches.’

  Randy shook his head. ‘I told the police all this a year ago. I don’t know anything about it and even if I did, like I said, blabbing about it is probably going to guarantee that I disappear just like Jodie did. And that wouldn’t exactly be a positive next step in my otherwise bright future, now, would it?’

  ‘I understand,’ said Kitt. ‘But we’re talking about the disappearance and possible murder of a young woman. It’s a matter of justice.’

  ‘These are all things I don’t want to get mixed up in. I come to work, I do the show, I go home. I’m not some justice warrior bent on ending himself early.’

  ‘Even if your help in solving such a high profile case might lead to some national media appearances?’ said Grace.

  Randy looked between Kitt and Grace for a moment, weighing up the offer. ‘All I could offer you is hypotheticals.’

  ‘All right,’ said Kitt. ‘Hypothetically, a radio host would need to at least ensure that the target of the secret was newsworthy enough to run on their show, right? A secret about the drinking antics of first-year students, for example, wouldn’t be worth their time.’

  ‘Hypothetically, yes,’ Randy said. ‘The host in question would want to make sure that the person the secret was about was worth the risk of letting someone on air without actually knowing what they’re going to say.’

  ‘So who would such a secret have to involve to warrant air time . . . you know, hypothetically?’

  ‘In my opinion, it would need to be a senior faculty member. Maybe even the most senior faculty member, hypothetically.’

  Randy looked at Kitt and Grace hard and nodded. Confirming their unspoken assumptions.

  All the air left Grace’s lungs. Berkeley. Randy was pointing them at the dean. Could that be true? Had she really been involved in this all along? The very first person they’d spoken to – after Patrick. She’d acted very strangely when they interviewed her but Selina’s motive was so much stronger th
an anything Grace could think of for Berkeley. Unless . . . was Berkeley also in on the drugs ring? Everything about her gave the impression of a strict school ma’am who wouldn’t tolerate any nonsense, but maybe that was just an act. Maybe she was in cahoots with Selina, creaming money off the top for turning a blind eye. If that was the case and Jodie was going to expose her that would definitely be the end of her career. More than that, she’d likely end up in jail. Judges didn’t look too fondly on people who corrupted young and impressionable students for their own monetary gain.

  ‘Well, thank you. That is a very interesting hypothesis, Mr Hobbs,’ said Kitt.

  ‘No problem. I think until further notice, though, it’s best that you don’t mention this conversation to anyone.’

  ‘Except the police,’ said Kitt. ‘We are expected to pass information on to them that has a chance of opening new avenues up in the case. But I don’t have to say who I heard it from until they’ve got concrete evidence.’

  ‘All right,’ Randy said with a nod. ‘And if they do get evidence and if this hypothesis turns out to be true and you find out who was behind Jodie’s disappearance, be sure to push some media appearances my way, just as a courtesy for my consultation.’

  ‘I’m sure, if your theory ends up being correct, then that can be arranged,’ Kitt said.

  Grace’s phone buzzed.

  Apologizing, she swiped the screen.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she said, looking over at Kitt. ‘It’s a text from Cynthia. The police are going to release Patrick. Selina’s been arrested. According to Cynthia, they’ve found hard forensic evidence that suggests she killed Jodie.’

  ‘We need to get down to the station right away. I’ve no doubt Selina has played her part in this but from the sound of things she’s not the only one.’

  Twenty-Seven

  When Kitt and Grace exited Durham police station an hour later, Patrick had been released and was standing on the steps. As soon as Grace saw him, her step quickened. After a night in a police cell he looked tousled and vulnerable. The sharp October breeze ruffled his long dark hair and caused him to huddle in his coat. Grace approached, frowning into his eyes. There was an awkward moment where they stood a foot or so apart but then instinct took over and she leaned in to give him a hug.

  ‘Are you all right?’ she said, wrapping her arms tighter around him as he did the same.

  ‘Not really,’ said Patrick. ‘But I’m hoping at some point I will be. Mum not here?’

  ‘I got a text from her to say she’d already set off from Chester-le-Street and would meet us at Berkeley’s house up in Heddon-on-the-Wall,’ said Kitt.

  Patrick frowned. ‘Berkeley’s house? Why are we going there?’

  ‘I’ll . . . explain on the way,’ said Grace. ‘A lot’s happened while you’ve been inside.’

  ‘You make it sound like I’ve been locked up for twenty years, not eighteen hours,’ Patrick said.

  ‘In some ways it feels like a lot longer than eighteen hours,’ Grace said. ‘Do you know the deal with Selina? What they found that’s so incriminating? And what happened to your star witness?’

  ‘The witness thing was really weird. According to DI Thompson, initially his story was that he was out of the country when the first appeal happened a year ago. He left for a job in Sweden the day after Jodie disappeared but apparently that story didn’t totally check out and under a bit of pressure he confessed he was paid by someone to come forward. They’re trying to track down who it was now.’

  ‘We already suspected that the Grant family might have paid someone off to distract police attention from them and focus it on you,’ said Kitt. ‘From all the information we’ve collected, and the fact that the police now seem to have hard evidence against her, it looks as though Selina really is the culprit – or one of them.’

  ‘If it is the Grant family, it’s doubtful the police will find a link between them and the payment. People that rich have the resources to cover their tracks,’ said Patrick.

  ‘But if the witness folded and the police have found something they can charge Selina with, I guess this means there isn’t any evidence against you after all?’ Grace said, brightening.

  ‘No, but that doesn’t bring me much peace of mind. The drug test didn’t show anything in my system but sitting in custody I had time to think over what you said about Selina drugging us. I don’t know how she would have pulled it off a year ago when I was in my own house for the evening, but the feelings I had on Thursday night . . . they weren’t just similar to the way I felt on the night of Jodie’s disappearance, they were identical.’

  ‘But if she’s responsible for drugging you, then that surely means you’re not to blame for what happened to Jodie?’ said Grace.

  ‘It depends on if she managed to get me to do something when I was under the influence of the drugs. Those flashes of strangling Jodie have to be coming from somewhere. For all I know I’m remembering something she put me up to. She said she suffered abuse herself, maybe she’s repeating the pattern and abusing others.’

  ‘Now the police have her in custody with what must be undeniable evidence, I’m sure the truth will come to light soon enough,’ said Kitt. ‘And as for any involvement you may have had, the thing is, Patrick, even if you did do something untoward that night, you weren’t in your right mind. You were under the influence of an unknown substance and the person who administered it. So long as we can find some proof of that, a court wouldn’t hold you responsible.’

  ‘Well, we don’t know that there’s any proof out there. A year on. At any rate, it doesn’t stop me feeling responsible,’ Patrick said, running a hand through his hair.

  ‘I wonder what the police found in Selina’s house,’ said Grace. ‘I thought they weren’t convinced they should go after Selina head-on anyway. Did they change their mind?’

  ‘In a way,’ said Patrick. ‘When Thompson found out the person who said they saw me by the river had been paid off, he knew the Grants would have the resources to do that. He couldn’t go at them head-on, exactly. He went to the academy and had Selina’s locker searched. I don’t know what, but they found incriminating material and then got a warrant to search her house where they apparently found even more to tie her to Jodie’s disappearance.’

  ‘Did the police mention anything else?’ asked Kitt.

  ‘No . . . why?’

  Grace and Kitt exchanged a look.

  ‘What? What is it?’

  ‘I’m about to tell you something but it’s important you do your best not to let it get your hopes up too much,’ said Grace. ‘Do you promise?’

  Patrick nodded. ‘All right.’

  ‘This afternoon, I found an envelope in my handbag. I had no idea where it came from, somebody must have slipped it in there, but in the envelope was a letter and it was written and signed by Jodie.’

  ‘You mean, she wrote it and she’s . . . alive?’

  ‘We don’t know, we . . . hope so,’ said Kitt. ‘But it’s important not to get your hopes up too far. We asked your mother to send us a sample of Jodie’s handwriting and when she did the handwriting was a match.’

  ‘Was there a date on the letter?’

  ‘No,’ said Kitt. ‘And that’s why we have to be cautious about making any rash assumptions about Jodie. The letter of course could be genuine but there’s also a chance that Jodie was forced to write it under duress, or that it is a forgery. The police are doing some DNA testing on it to find out more.’

  ‘What did the letter say, exactly?’

  ‘That Selina was behind her disappearance. And that you definitely had no part in it,’ said Grace.

  Patrick took a deep breath. ‘I’m going back in there to ask if I can read it. Maybe she’s put some clue in there that only I can decipher that will tell me where she is.’

  ‘If they let you read it, and given you’re a suspect they probably won’t, that’s probably not the best use of your time right now,’ said Kitt. ‘Even if you could fin
d Jodie from that letter and she is still alive, it wouldn’t be safe for you to go after her until everyone who was involved in her disappearance has been brought to justice.’

  ‘But, they’ve already got hard evidence against Selina. Even if she gets bailed they’ll make her wear a tracking device.’

  ‘She might not be the only one involved in what happened to Jodie,’ said Grace.

  ‘There’s a lot of evidence pointing at Selina but there’s one more loose end to tie up that might unravel this whole case,’ said Kitt.

  ‘What’s that?’ Patrick asked.

  ‘Bertrand Hobbs implied that the secret Jodie was going to expose was about Dean Berkeley.’

  ‘Not Selina?’

  ‘Bertrand didn’t even mention her. He suggested Berkeley straight away – well, after a little persuasion,’ said Grace.

  ‘So, you think Selina and Berkeley are somehow in it together?’

  ‘We need to talk to her directly and find out. If that is the case, they may have conspired to frame you, and hired that witness to come forward. We think Berkeley planted those drugs because Jodie was going to expose a drugs ring she and Selina were in on.’

  ‘I can’t believe it,’ said Patrick. ‘Berkeley’s so strict. The idea that she’d turn a blind eye to drugs trafficking, let alone partake in it, doesn’t ring true.’

  ‘Well, appearances can be deceiving and we need to be sure,’ said Kitt. ‘Mal’s already running Berkeley’s financial records now as a favour and he’ll be on his way to us shortly. She was the one who sent the letter to Jodie about her expulsion. It’s also possible that Berkeley’s behind the whole thing and she could have forged the letter from Jodie to make sure Selina took the fall for whatever plan they hatched.’

  ‘But the birthday card Cynthia sent – the handwriting was a match,’ said Grace.

  ‘If Berkeley got Selina to write a statement about the fight they had, you can guarantee she did the same to Jodie. She could have used the handwriting in that statement as a model and copied the style into the letter.’