by Emily Selby
'Hatred can live on for years after someone's death,' Katie said, thinking back to the lengthy discussion on human nature she had with Jack the previous Saturday. Despite their different approach to processing information about people, they both agreed on many points concerning so-called "human nature".
'Not that I can imagine Erin Blackburn hating anyone,' Katie added, pushing her memories of the dinner date with Jack and the accompanying warm tingling in her chest aside. 'She's such a quiet, gentle girl.' Katie paused. Should she call Erin gentle? Fair enough, she was polite, quiet and always putting other people's needs before her own. Did it equal "gentle"?
'I don't know Archie's daughter all that well,' Mrs Weatherspoon replied. 'He wasn't a very involved father even when they were still together.'
'Work?'
'Yes, as the building inspector, he often had to work away from home. On top of that, his jobs would often take longer than normal because of, you know...'
'His rituals?' Katie prompted.
'That's right,' Mrs Weatherspoon said eagerly.
'So why did they split up?'
'Oh, I don't want to gossip,' Mrs Weatherspoon said reluctantly.
'It's a m- a police investigation,' Katie said and corrected herself immediately. 'I promise not to repeat it to anyone except the lead inspector.'
Hopefully, this would help.
'I can't think this is of any importance,' Mrs Weatherspoon continued, still reluctantly, 'but they broke up a long time ago. Erin hadn’t even taken her A-levels. I remember him trying to get involved and help her during the time of the exams. It didn't work well. I think he was far too focused on the detail.'
Katie steadied her breath. This conversation was becoming quite difficult. Sometimes Mrs Weatherspoon was too keen to share valuable information, and when it came to answering questions she didn't want to answer, the conversation turned into a "squeezing blood from a stone" session.
'When they split, was it acrimonious?' she tried again.
'If you have to know,' the elderly woman said with a note of annoyance in her voice, 'it wasn't at all friendly. Although, it seems to have settled after he moved out. A couple of years later, Louise, his ex-wife asked him to help with a shed renovation project. He was happy to be involved again. I remember my husband believing they were going to get back together. But then the tragedy happened...'
'The fire in the shed?'
'Yes. Poor Louise.'
And back to the fire in the shed.
She'd have to find out whether the incident was of any relevance.
Another question that still bothered Katie.
'You said he didn't like doctors. Did he ever go to his GP?'
'A few months ago, he received a letter inviting him for a routine check-up. I’d never seen him so nervous. He didn't want to go and was concerned the doctor would ask him about his rituals as well. He came to talk to me about it. I encouraged him to go and see his doctor, telling him Richard would definitely have advised it. I think Richard was one of the few people Archie Blackburn really trusted.'
'Did he go to the doctor in the end?'
'Yes, he did, and he came back looking quite positive. He said it went well and the doctor offered him help with his rituals and anxiety. Told me she was very nice and he was going to think about this new treatment and get back to her. He went to see her again, returned with a prescription but never filled it in. After reading about the medicine, he told me he didn't like the sound of it. He went to see her again, a few weeks before his birthday but came back extremely upset. Kept walking round and round in his room, all day. I thought he was going to wear out the carpet completely. And this is when he wrote that letter.'
Katie pricked her ears. Was it when something bad happened during the consultation so that the surgery directed Archie to see a different doctor?
'What letter?'
"Oh, a letter to the doctor's surgery. But he asked me to hold on to it, until he decided what he wanted to do with it.'
'I think you need to show it to the police...'
'Do you think it's necessary, dear?' Mrs Weatherspoon asked, anxiety seeping into her voice. 'I get palpitations just thinking about talking to them. My sister needs me, and I really don't want to return to Sunnyvale just to give them the letter. Could you do it for me?'
'Of course. Where do you keep it?'
'It's in the box on the mantelpiece, where I keep the bills. You can tell the inspector I've authorised you to do so.'
'Are you sure you want me to rummage through your affairs?' Katie asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable about the idea.
'I do trust you, Katie. Besides, there is nothing of value there.'
'How about you ring the inspector and tell him about the letter yourself. This way he can ask you any questions he may have about it. I'd be happy to take them the letter, though. Is there anything else you think you may have forgotten to tell the police?'
After another pause she answered.
'You see, Katie,' she said reluctantly. 'I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I sort of learned to ignore Archie's rituals. All the repetition, opening and closing of doors, handles that break off because his rechecking. Bottles of hand sanitiser everywhere. Even the dishes. He's lived with us, with me, for the past fifteen years. I've learnt to live with him and his quirks. I don't know what else might be of use or help. But if at any point the police would like to know any more about Archie, please give me a ring. Just be mindful I might not be able to talk in front of my sister. I don't want to upset her.'
Katie reassured Mrs Weatherspoon she would only talk to her whenever it was comfortable for her. She bid her good night and hung up.
Apparently, Archie Blackburn was a man without friends or enemies leading a boring, repetitive, highly ritualised life. Who might have wanted him dead?
Was the letter to the surgery of any relevance?
Katie waved her hand as if to dispel the questions swirling in her head. She needed to talk it through with the leading inspector.
Tomorrow.
8
Woken by a squall of rain and wind, Katie crawled out of bed and shuffled, yawning, to the kitchen. She prepared her coffee and a simple breakfast for Julia, throwing glances at the window as if it could help to turn the raindrops into snowflakes.
Even when you're old, you don't stop hoping for a white Christmas.
With caffeine in her system, she dug out her old investigative notebook and sat staring at an empty page.
Not much to write down, I'm afraid...
She didn't have enough real information. Jack, it seemed, was not convinced it was a murder. Not yet. Having observed him during the previous investigations, Katie was convinced his scepticism was just a phase. But he was not on the same page with her. Yet.
Which didn't make her own sleuthing easier. On the contrary.
Katie nibbled on the end of her pen. As far as Katie was concerned, Mr Blackburn’s death was arranged to appear like an accident. Someone cut the ties and loosened the bricks to "help" the hatch fall when Archie pulled the ceiling flap down.
Maybe even, Katie paused and relaxed her jaw, the killer had known about Archie's tendency to open and close doors several times. Wasn't that how the brass knob fell off the cupboard door? Oh, what a perfect way to murder someone using his own hands.
This was the gist of it - technically speaking, it was Archie Blackburn's own hands that killed him, by pulling the hatch cover hook too many times.
So, Archie Blackburn must have been murdered by someone who knew him extremely well, and someone who had enough of an understanding how various building elements work.
Katie pulled the pen out of her mouth and wrote down her hypothesis.
Good start!
Her heart accelerated, pushing her body into a higher energy mode and clearing away at least some of the morning mist from her brain.
Moreover, the person who staged the accident must have known that Archie was due to visit the old house.
Katie drew three circles intersecting in the middle: knows Archie well; has building/construction knowledge; knew of Blackburn’s "off-the-books job". If she could put names of the people who matched these three categories, she might be able to identify the killer.
What a simple and beautiful solution! If only she'd known the names...
Katie poured herself another coffee - maybe it would help?
Steaming mug in hand, she returned to the drawing.
Who knew Archie's quirks well? Mrs Weatherspoon for sure. Erin - very likely. His ex-wife. But as Mrs Blackburn was dead, Katie could cross her off. Who else?
Katie shook her head and moved onto the second circle.
Building/construction knowledge: Archie's friends and colleagues from his previous work. Mrs Weatherspoon? She might have been a seamstress in her youth, but her husband had worked as a foreman for the Bowers' company. Mrs Weatherspoon might have learnt from her husband. Katie couldn't quite cross her client off the list, but the elderly, frail lady was a most unlikely suspect.
Erin Blackburn - Katie paused, thinking about the young woman she knew from the Paper Crafts Club. Wasn't she some sort of project manager in the construction industry? Katie vaguely recalled Erin saying something about a large oil rig project she was keen to take on. Erin probably had enough understanding of construction and engineering to have set up the so-called 'accident'.
Katie blew out her cheeks. It was beginning to look as though Erin and Mrs Weatherspoon were key suspects, which was crazy. Tampering with the hatch required the physical strength and fitness levels Mrs Weatherspoon certainly didn't have.
Who knew about "the job", at Number 1, Stream Drive? Again, Mrs Weatherspoon, although according to her story, she only knew he had been offered something by an old friend. The old friend knew, of course. Who else? Erin? Katie resumed chewing on the pen. It would be helpful to get that information from Jack. Assuming, he would share it with her.
Katie sat back looking at her drawing again. The initial confidence, and-well, yes, pride that she found an excellent tool-evaporated as quickly as chocolates from a box left in the Sunnyvale police staffroom.
No matter how much she tried not to see it, her elderly, anxious client who had difficulty kneeling and bending due to arthritis was her suspect number 1, with Erin following a close second, the mysterious "old friend", assuming the friend was someone who worked in the construction industry as well.
Katie added "Old Friend" into all three circles. There could have been other people as well, but she didn't have enough information at this stage.
She had covered the opportunity and the means side of the investigation, at least partially. But what about the motive?
Katie sighed. She couldn't move forward with the sparse knowledge she had, and now it was time to wake Julia for breakfast.
Surprisingly, unlike during the school year, Julia was up and ready before it was time to leave the house. Granted, the holiday theatre program was far more interesting than school. And fortunately, they did more than just practice for the upcoming pantomime, otherwise, Katie would go completely bonkers from simply listening to Julia repeating her lines time and time again. "She's behind you", coupled with "Jingle Bells" had become trigger phrases for her.
Having dropped off Julia ("Don't forget about the big rehearsal today, mum. I really want you to come, please"), Katie rang Jack. If he wanted her to get the letter from Mrs Weatherspoon's living room, this was the best time to do it. All that, assuming Mrs Weatherspoon had already told Jack about the letter.
'Everything's okay?' His velvety baritone made her knees turn a little wobbly.
'Yes, I'm fine. Has Mrs Weatherspoon rung you about the letter?'
'She did. I didn't want to bother you last night.'
Katie relaxed. At least, this time, Mrs Weatherspoon followed through on her promise immediately.
'Are you okay with me bringing the letter now?'
'That would be nice.'
'Should I wear gloves when I touch it?'
'That won't be necessary, but put it in a plastic bag if you can.'
Katie disconnected the call and drove off heading for Mrs Weatherspoon's house.
She found the letter in the box, as described by the elderly lady. It was addressed in neat, spiky handwriting to the manager of the Sunnyvale Medical Centre, with the sender name on the back. A stamp was placed where it should be, an equal distance away from both edges of the envelope. She turned it in her hands a few times, but apart from the pale pencil lines under the addresses and a few dots indicating the corners of the stamp, she couldn't see anything unusual.
Of course, the envelope was opaque, and the letter sealed. Katie had no intention of opening it, but it didn't stop her from thinking up ways of accessing the content. Theoretically, only!
Ten minutes later she was back in her car driving to the station. Obviously, Sunnyvale hadn't woken up yet. The crazy pre-Christmas shopping bonanza would inevitably recommence a little later.
She drove, trying to think of ways to convince Jack to share the content of the letter with her.
9
When she reached the station, Chris and Jack were already there. Her old friend, Chris, seemed to be in good mood. He was shuffling papers on his desk, whistling quietly. Jack was staring at his laptop.
'Morning, everyone,' Katie said, walking into the staffroom. 'What's going on?'
Chris glanced at her and grinned. 'We're busy catching criminals again,' he said.
Chris was clearly happy about it.
Jack's chair screeched as he pushed it away from the desk and glanced at Chris before looking at Katie. 'Yes, we’re busy catching criminals again,' he said grimly.
Katie pressed her hand against her mouth. She'd better not smile in case it was not intended as a joke. Obviously, some people were not happy about catching criminals.
She reached into her handbag. 'Speaking of which,' she said, pulling out the plastic bag with the letter she’d found exactly where Mrs Weatherspoon told her it would be. 'I have this for you.'
Katie handed the envelope over to Jack, who glanced at the front and the back and ripped it open with a help of a pen. He pulled out a piece of neatly folded paper and started reading it.
'Can you just read other people's letters like that?' Katy asked surprised.
'We’re investigating a suspicious death,' Jack explained without lifting his head.
Katie glanced at Chris.
'Murder,' Chris mouthed.
So, was she right?
Katie watched Jack read. His face tensed, and he drove his eyebrows together. She cleared her throat.
'Anything useful?' she asked, trying not to sound too intrusive or keen.
He folded the letter and put it back into the envelope.
'It depends on the purpose,' he said. 'Useful for what?'
'For your suspicious death investigation,' she replied. 'Or maybe even a murder,' she added quietly.
Jack's chin jerked. 'The attic hatch could have been left at it was by the previous owners. It didn't look like they cared much for the house. It was holding together on a wing and prayer, one might say. They should have put a "Danger - keep out" notice on the fence.'
'Maybe we should do that,' Katie replied. 'Once you've taken down your "Crime scene - do not enter" tape, that is.' Katie added, carefully controlling her voice for sarcasm. She did want to make a point, but she didn't want to be snotty about it.
Jack shifted in his chair. 'It says "Police line - do not cross",' he murmured.
'Yeah, that one,' Chris added and wiggled his brows.
This was getting ridiculous. Maybe Jack was a bit tired of having to constantly investigate suspicious deaths in their town, maybe he was longing for a bit of a break. But an innocent man died in a cruel and suspicious way and this was certainly enough of a reason to treat the case seriously.
'Why are you refusing to consider Archie's death a murder?' she asked Jack.
&nb
sp; 'I am not refusing,' he replied calmly. 'I'm still unconvinced. I need more evidence.'
Katie closed her eyes. Here we go again...
'Don't roll your eyes, I can see it,' Jack warned her, smiling thinly.
'I'm trying very hard not to...' she replied, opening her eyes again. 'I don't understand why you’re hesitating. What's the critical piece of evidence you still need but Chris and I don't?' she spluttered. Oh, her heart was galloping! She side-glanced at Chris to check he didn't protest.
He didn't. He raised his grey eyes, moving his stare from Katie to Jack and back to Katie.
'Remember, a... a while ago we talked about human nature, and how people don't change easily?'
'Uhm,' Katie nodded.
Three days ago, to be exact, but well played, Inspector.
'Besides the environment being conducive to accidents like that, there is also the victim. Here’s what I've heard from the few people who knew him. Archie Blackburn was an eccentric, lonely man, who tried hard to deliver on the promises he made. He was also keen on turning his life around, because it was his sixtieth birthday. He wanted to reconnect with his daughter. He wanted to return to work. He was someone who would have taken a job if asked by a friend, even if it was a dangerous place. He would have tried to deliver on a promise, even if he wasn't able to carry it through. He was known to double and triple check doors and windows. So much so, he often broke off door handles.
'So, he went to the derelict house as requested by an old friend, he pulled the hatch one time too many. Bricks fell and he died. It was tragic and unfortunate, but this interpretation fits in with his nature.'
Katie curled her hands into fists. Jack was right, but then ... he wasn't.
'And that's exactly what I've been thinking,' Katie said, ignoring the burning sensation on her cheeks. If she could only be so clear in her explanations. 'You've just put it very... logically. But my point is someone had arrived at exactly the same conclusions and decided to take advantage of Archie's nature to kill him.'
Jack stared at her for a few seconds in silence, and Katie has another flashback from the interesting conversation during their date. Only, back then, they had been both more relaxed and expressed their views with humour. This was a much more tensed exchange.