by Emily Selby
Katie chewed on her cheek. 'Okay, I can see the logic in it,' she admitted reluctantly. 'It's still ... I don't know ... hard to believe. Particularly given the stories linked with this house.' Katie thought back to the case from a couple of months ago. 'There was a tenant-in-common lease for Mr Stanley's family, if I remember well. What about them? Do you think they may be back on the scene?'
'I understand Mrs Parker has hired a lawyer to resolve the issue,' Chris said. 'Ric Marino denies having anything to do with the Stanleys. We'll get that double-checked via our channels, of course.'
Jack shot him a strange glance. 'Is this not correct, sir?' Chris asked, confusion clear on his broad, freckled face.
'Correct. I see you've checked all this information.'
'I have, sir,' Chris replied keenly. 'I'm also in the process of checking Mr Marino's alibi for the time of Blackburn’s death. It's a little complicated.'
A sudden thought crossed Katie's mind. Engrossed in considering if Dorothy had told the whole truth or not, she’d forgotten to explore the full extent of the information provided by Ric Marino.
'Hang on,' she said, looking away to focus her mind better — Jack's gaze was too distracting. 'It all started with the old van being parked on the bank across from the property where Archie died. Why are we talking about the birthday party?'
'Yeah,' Jack said. 'This is what I was hoping you could help me understand. Mr Marino was a bit too keen to shift the focus of our conversation to his meeting with the victim on the 26th, but he did admit to driving to the house on the 27th. He claims to have had a feeling something had happened to his friend. Mr Marino rang the victim and, as he was not answering, Mr Marino decided to check on him. But no one answered the door at Mrs Weatherspoon's, so he drove to the old house.'
Katie felt her eyebrows rising. 'But you said there were no incoming calls on Archie's phone except for those from Mrs Weatherspoon.'
'Exactly,' Jack replied.
'And so?' Katie asked, her suspicions confirmed.
'Ric Marino says he didn't have the victim's mobile number. He rang Mrs Weatherspoon's landline, which is how he got hold of Blackburn in the first place.'
'That should have registered on Ric Marino's phone...' Katie cut in.
'And it did,' Jack added.
'Neat, but it sounds as though there are still some bits and pieces missing,' Katie said carefully.
'Logical gaps, which is why I came to talk to you,' Jack said eagerly and shot Chris another glance. Chris shifted from foot to foot but stayed put.
'Talk to Katie, as she is the expert on things that lack logic?' Katie asked, not sure if she should treat it with tongue in cheek or feel offended...
There was a third explanation, but considering it made her even more distracted, so she forced herself to ignore the crazy butterflies in her stomach and concentrate on the case.
Jack laughed nervously. 'That’s not how I’d put it, Katie. It's more about seeing connections that logic can't account for, exactly because of those gaps.'
'Intuitive thinking?' Katie said, mentally congratulating herself on remembering at least a little from the book she’d started reading. She'd have to get back to it.
'Yes, I’ll have some of that, please,' Jack said quickly and grinned at her.
So, he wasn't trying to make fun of her.
Okay then.
'Right,' she said. 'Did Ric Marino go inside to check on Archie Blackburn?'
'This is where it gets interesting,' Jack said. 'Apparently, he drove to the old house and parked the van on the stream bank, where we found the tire marks. He took a phone call, spent some fifteen minutes on the phone. After that, he sat in his van for a while, thinking about the call. It was something to do with the business. He smoked a couple of cigarettes, which explains the butts we found.
‘When he realised it was getting dark, he turned the headlights on, saw a bike propped against that big tree and assumed it was the victim's. But there was no light in the house, from what he could see. He was a bit confused by that and would have checked the property, but he didn't have a torch with him. He decided to go back to town to buy one and was about to start his engine when he heard an approaching car. But he didn't see anything. The street ahead was empty. The noise stopped somewhere behind the Dunbars' house. He turned off his lights, thinking he might be able to see better in the dark and sat there for a minute or so. After a while, he heard the other car driving along the stream, away from him, still without lights. He quickly flicked his headlights on hoping to catch a glimpse of the "night rider,” as he called it, but the car was too far away. He could only see it was something bigger than a passenger car, probably a dark 4x4.'
'Which we already know, from the tracks,' Katie said.
'That's right,' Jack continued. 'Mr Marino drove off back to town and bought a torch from a petrol station.'
'I've confirmed that,' Chris cut in smoothly.
'Good job,' Jack acknowledged without looking at Chris. 'By the time he returned to Stream Drive, the house was still dark, but the bike was gone.'
'Let me guess,' Katie said. 'It was probably in the stream by then.'
'That’s the working hypothesis. Mr Marino, however, got out of his vehicle and went to the property with his torch. The yard and the house were dark and quiet, he says, but as he walked through the yard, calling Mr Blackburn's name, he heard a squeaking in the corner of the yard. He called out and directed the light there, but he couldn't see anything or anyone. He turned back to go to the house, and thought he heard someone trying to squeeze through a hole in the fence. Again, he shone a light on the spot but couldn’t see anyone there. Although he was a bit spooked, he circled the house calling and checking through the windows. He entered the house and saw the pile of rubble on the staircase but no signs of life. After that, he backed off.'
'Without checking on his friend?'
"He thought Blackburn must have left, because the bike was gone, and the house was dark and quiet. He rang Mrs Weatherspoon's landline, again, a few more times, but no one answered. And then he got distracted by an urgent business matter.'
'Interesting,' Katie said, bitter taste creeping into her mouth. She was desperate to know why Dorothy and Ric divorced.
'Mrs Weatherspoon's landline call logs show a few incoming calls from Ric's number,' Chris offered in support.
Katie nodded at Chris. He was well prepared, no doubt, a job well done. Having said that, it didn't look as though Jack was particularly happy about Chris’ participation in this conversation.
'Mr Marino's phone log also confirms his story, including having received several calls from his office in Manchester.'
'Do you think Ric Marino is telling the truth?' Katie asked.
'If only it was as simple as believing someone or not,' Jack replied.
Yeah, show me the evidence...
'So, what do you want to do now and how can I help?' Katie asked, still confused as to the real reasons for the conversation.
'We're going to intensify the search for the missing car. Do you know anyone who drives a compact SUV, such as Nissan, Renault, in a dark colour, reasonably new, or well maintained?'
Katie thought about it. This type of vehicle was quite popular with certain mums, but the only person Katie could think of was Ally Baker. She shared her thoughts with Jack and Chris.
'I'll check around the school, sir,' Chris offered. 'Anything else?'
Jack pushed himself away from the door. 'I think that's it for now. As usual, don’t forget to let us know if you find out something of interest, Katie.'
Jack grabbed the door handle and was out before she could say what she wanted to say.
But I've got things I wanted to share!
'What the heck just happened to him ?' Chris asked once the door closed behind Jack, keeping his voice low. 'I felt like, you know, two's a company, three's a crowd. Is there anything between you two?'
A hot wave crept onto Katie's cheeks and spread down her
neck. Her self-defence mechanism whirred into the top gear. She cleared her throat. 'I did feel there was a reason he wasn't happy with you being there, but I thought,' She paused and shook her head. 'I know it sounds funny, but I thought he was somehow not happy about you being so well-prepared. Is he jealous of you doing a good job, do you think?'
Chris scratched his head.
'Honestly, I thought there was something he wanted to tell you without me being there, but now you pointed that out, I'm even more confused. Why would he be like that towards me? I'm just a sergeant...'
'You seem to be very happy about this investigation from the beginning,' Katie said, relieved that the focus shifted from the suspected relationship between her and Jack without her having to resort to a direct lie. 'Remember his comments on Monday morning? The ones about the two of us jumping to the conclusion it was a murder, and him insisting it wasn't? I wondered what that was about.'
'Yeah, you're right. And you're right about me being sort of happy about the investigation. It's actually quite fun putting my brain cells to good use, catching real criminals, not just people who speed or drink drive.'
'Men.' Katie sighed theatrically, rolling her eyes. 'They always want to be involved in big things. It's important to keep our community safe from drunk drivers, speeding cars and burglars. But I understand your enjoyment. I share it, too,' she added.
Her phone pinged. She grabbed it from the desk.
'I'd better go and do some important work,' Chris said and opened the door.
Once he was out, she checked her phone – a text from Jack which read, 'I was just hoping to whisk you out to a lunch. But he wouldn't leave.'
Ah, that was all clear now. No professional or personal rivalry, but Jack wanting to continue with their relationship, just as he told her last Saturday. Katie almost danced a jig in her chair in delight.
She'd love to sit with him, sip a drink and chat about some more about human nature or travels, as they did during their date. But there was nowhere in Sunnyvale they could go and sit together in broad daylight without setting tongues waggling.
'How about popping in to my place for dinner or a cup of tea and some mince pies?'- she texted him back.
'Cup of tea and mice pies will be great. What time?'
Fortunately, Katie had all the ingredients for mince pies and enough time that afternoon to bake.
'How about 6 pm?'
'Great! I’ll be there.'
So, it was a date.
19
As soon as she finished her work for the day, Katie rushed home. Someone had to bake those mince pies before Jack arrived!
She’d put two 12-holes filled patty tins topped with (reasonably) neatly formed little stars when her phone rang. Dorothy, just the woman she was keen to talk to.
'Hi Dorothy,' she said, wiping her floury hands on her apron.
'I've got a bit of a problem, Katie,‘ Dorothy whispered. I can't really talk about it now. Where are you?'
'At home, baking.'
'I'm at my mum's,' Dorothy said with a strange, timid note in her voice. 'I'll be at your place in a few minutes if you don't mind.'
Of course, Katie didn't mind. Besides being curious about Dorothy's problem, she also had a range of questions herself she'd like to ask her dear friend.
A few minutes later the doorbell announced Dorothy's arrival. Katie skipped down the stairs to open the door.
'It smells nice,' Dorothy said, wiping her feet vigorously even though it was dry outside.
'Mince pies,' Katie explained.
At least it didn't need any explanations. Everybody she knew baked mince pies a few days before Christmas. Nobody needed to know who she was baking them for.
She led Dorothy into the kitchen and switched on the kettle.
'They'll be ready soon if you don't mind eating hot,' Katie said, pointing at the oven.
Dorothy plopped into the chair. 'Don't bother with mince pies for me, dear,' she waved her hand. 'I've had three at my mum's. I feel like minced pie now.'
'So, tell me what’s wrong,' Katie said, jumping right into the subject.
'I don't know where to start,' Dorothy said, wiping her forehead with the back of the hand. 'Imagine, my mother just told me Ric Marino had been staying with her for the past few days. It's the first I heard!'
'Where did you think he was staying?'
Dorothy shrugged. 'I don't know. In a hotel, or the house next door. Actually, I thought he was only visiting for the day. He never said anything about staying locally.'
'Okay,' Katie said slowly. 'What is your issue with this?' Although she asked the question, she could already see a problem the police might be interested in.
Dorothy sighed. 'To be honest, I don't know. Apart from feeling a bit betrayed by my own mother, it's hard to tell. Also ... all right, let me put it this way. I think Ric has lied to the police. He told them he hadn't had any contact with Chiara's son recently.'
Katie turned to grab two mugs from the shelf and to hide the emotions she suspected were playing on her face. It wasn't only Ric who’d lied to the police — if omission could be considered a lie.
'Did he?'
'You see, my mother overheard Ric speaking on the phone with Joe Parker. What's worse, Joe Parker is supposed to be in the States. But the conversation happened in the morning. Given the time zone difference, it would have been in the middle of the night for Joe.'
Katie dropped a teabag into each mug and added boiling water.
That was a piece of news!
'Are you thinking Joe is actually somewhere in Europe? Maybe even in England?' Katie asked, checking on the mince pies. The first batch was ready to come out, so she grabbed the oven mitten.
'I think so. And I've challenged Ric about it, but he insists he did nothing wrong. He says the phone call with Joe happened after his conversation with the police.'
Katie put the steaming oven tray on the kitchen rack. Oh, they smelled delicious and looked not too bad at all. She hoped Jack appreciated her efforts.
'Did it?'
'I didn't want to push my mother, but as far as I know, Ric was interviewed this morning. The way my mother spoke about overhearing Ric's call, it must have been a couple of days ago. So, he's lying to me.'
'But why?' Katie asked, returning to her chair.
'Exactly! I think Ric lied to protect his family. He's always been like that. His family came first, blood ties and duty calls. Blood is thicker than water... It was one of the reasons we split up. He wanted to live close to his family, in Italy, but I couldn't adapt to life in a little village in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to travel the world, meet new people. Maybe I would have eventually settled and got used to living in a small place, but not at that time. I was so young.'
Aha! It sounded like a believable reason they split up.
'Has he ever lied to you?'
Dorothy lent back on the chair. She gazed through the window. Her face was pale.
'Only to protect his family. And these were mainly white lies, intended to hide his parents' caustic remarks about my crazy hairstyles, or my bright clothes that didn't suit a married woman,' she paused. 'But I suspect he's capable of hiding more important truths if the stakes are high enough.'
'Can you be more specific?'
'I wonder if Joe was somehow involved in setting up the accident which killed Archie.'
Katie moistened her lips. It was time to ask her own questions. 'Have you ever wondered whether it was Ric?'
'Yes, I have,' Dorothy replied quietly.
'Do you think he's capable of such a thing?'
'No, I don't think so. Although he's always been hot-headed, and we used to argue a lot, he's never hurt me, not physically. I must admit, he seems calmer now. Maybe it's the age, the recent losses which made him appreciate what he has more than he used to. That's what he's claiming, anyway.'
'And he's appreciating his family more, as well?'
'It would make sense, would it? Even if the fa
mily had criminal connections,' Dorothy gasped and rubbed her face.
'So, what's bothering you?'
'Ric needs money and badly. His business is not doing too well. The family back in Italy is constantly asking him for more cash. With his sense of obligation towards them, and his tendency to go after get-rich-quick-schemes, I'm concerned he might have chosen a fast but not entirely honest way to fill his wallet.'
A memory popped up in Katie's mind. 'Does he know about the legendary treasure trove apparently hidden in the old house?'
'This is exactly what I've been thinking, Katie. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Keeping things quiet, among family, asking an old friend to check on the house. An old friend with no connections, desperate to earn money and get back to work, and easy to convince to do something not quite legal. A friend who is gullible and easy to get rid of.'
Dorothy's last sentence hung in the air, in all its cruel reality. 'That's exactly what I've been wondering, too,' Katie admitted. 'But do you think Ric is capable of setting it all up?'
Dorothy threw her arms up and let them fall into her lap. 'I don't know if I can trust my knowledge of him anymore. We’ve been separated for a long time. Eighteen years.'
'People don't change much,' Katie said, remembering the lengthy conversation she had with Jack over their dinner date.
'I hope so, Katie,' Dorothy replied, staring into her mug. 'He may not be perfect, but he's basically a good person. Ric is not a murderer.'
Katie took a sip of her tea, wondering about her next step. 'What are you going to do? Are you going to talk to the police?'
'I don't know.' Dorothy lifted her head to look at Katie. Deep worry lines etched her face. 'I don't want to tell tales on him to the police. What do you think I should do?'
Katie tucked a loose strand of hair behind the ear. There was an easy answer to this question, but it had potentially grave consequences. Telling the police would definitely put her conscious to rest, probably Dorothy's as well, but should she jeopardise Dorothy's relationship with her ex-husband?