by Emily Selby
'It's not our little town,' Katie murmured, turning away to get the mugs. 'It's me. I’m the murder magnet.'
He laughed. 'I didn't want to put it that way, but indeed. How do you do it?'
'You should maybe ask me "why I do it." It's the victims' character that is the key to solving the crime, isn't it?'
'Not always,' he replied, arching his eyebrows. 'How come you're now a victim? I thought you've turned a PI.'
'PI?' she asked, carrying the mugs carefully to the table.
'Private investigator.'
'Yes, sort of. But I feel I'm the victim as in: why does it always have to be me?'
'Indeed, why? Maybe because you have a talent for finding out who's done it? I think it has a lot to do with your understanding of human nature.'
'Do you think?' she asked, trying to suppress a warm wave creeping onto her neck.
'I do, and I have evidence to support it. We've found the knife you described in the bin outside the Crafts Club, and the blade indeed might have been damaged while undoing screws or pulling out rusted nails. We didn't find any trace of the plastic snap ties on it, but I assume the blade was sharp and refined enough to make fine incisions in the plastic.'
'I guess so. It probably needed a steady hand to make a little cut, without slicing through the entire width.'
'Good point. But it still doesn't make her the murderer. She could have used the blade to do exactly the same things at her own home, or on any renovation project site.'
Katie plopped onto the chair opposite Jack. 'Yes, I suppose so. After all, she told me she often uses her tools creatively. What did you get from Joe Parker?' She pushed the plate with the pies towards him and he picked one.
'Not much,' he said and bit into the pie, adding a groan of delight which made Katie smile.
'Did he admit to meeting with Erin?'
Jack nodded, chewing. 'Very nice, your mince pies. Not too sweet. I'm not a fan of mince pies, sometimes they're so sweet it hurts my teeth.'
'My special recipe. I don't like when cakes and pies are too sweet,' Katie explained, still smiling. 'Have another.'
'Yes please, but after I've told you about Joe. So, this guy claims to have arrived from the States for the holiday season and thought: "Why don't I have a little look at the old house belonging to my family?" So, he asked a friend of a friend to recommend a building project manager, and they recommended Erin.'
Katie paused, the mug halfway to her lip. 'Hang on, there are a few gaps here. Which of the old houses belonging to his family he had in mind?'
'That's the question I asked him, and he smoothly replied he meant the one he was staying in, as the other one was still going through some legal process.'
'Ah, smooth, indeed,' Katie said and sipped on her tea. It was still too hot, and she put the mug down.
'What did he do on the 26th and 27th November?'
'Funny you should ask,' Jack replied with a sad smile. 'He was in the States. He showed me his plane tickets, and I've verified it with the airline. He was definitely on the passengers' manifest on the flight from New York to London on the 12th of December.'
Katie hunched. 'Bother! He could have still conspired with Erin,' she said hesitantly.
'He could have.' Jack heaved a sigh and reached for another pie. 'You don't mind, do you? They're delicious.'
'You’re welcome.' Katie pushed the plate towards him again. 'Have you had dinner yet?'
'No. But I've got a pizza waiting for me in the fridge. I'll be fine. Let's just get through this stuff, shall we? I've got a...' He paused and looked at her, pressing his lips as if trying not to laugh. 'A hunch, if I may say so.'
'You're practising, I see?' She smiled and a tingle warmed her chest.
'Trying. And I can tell you're trying to work on your analytical skills.'
'Yes, sir,' she replied. 'I've been reading up on it as well.'
'Really? What are you reading?'
'A book, very good, not too theoretical, but scientific.'
'I may borrow it when you finish.'
An idea popped up in Katie's mind. Christmas present! She made a mental note to look into getting a second copy tomorrow.
'Sure,' she said, a little distracted. 'But going back to the case. What did Ric say? Did he make any additional comments, or change his statement?'
'Ah, good point!' Jack said, returning the half-eaten pie to the plate. 'Mr Marino senior was very interesting. Your friend, Dorothy, attended with him. She seems to have quite an influence over him.'
'I should hope so.'
'Ric admitted this whole old house business came up because Joe, or as Ric calls him, Giovanni, contacted him a while back. Maybe late October. Ric was clear, Joe meant the house on Stream Drive. He wanted someone to have a look at the structural state of the building, paying particular attention to potential faults, walls with secret hiding places or other ... unusual features, as he expressed it.'
Katie gasped.
'That's right,' Jack continued. 'Joe wanted Ric to ask around and find some quiet, fastidious builders, who wouldn't mind doing a job on the side and getting paid a nice sum of money.'
'Just as I thought!'
Jack nodded, making the oh-so-familiar-now tip-of-the-hat gesture.
'Thing is, Joe is denying it. He says Ric must have misinterpreted his intentions. Claimed he meant the other house. He wanted someone to quietly assess how much it would cost to renovate the house. Joe insisted that knowing his uncle's family, who built the place, the house might not have been built according to the correct building standards. He didn't want anyone official knowing it first before he could assess and discuss the work needed with someone trustworthy.'
'Clever, isn't it?' Katie sighed.
Jack nodded.
'So, was it Ric who engaged Archie?' Katie asked.
'Yes, Ric admitted to it.' Jack paused and glanced at Katie. 'Although, it was that friend of yours who bullied him into admitting it.'
'Good on Dorothy!' Katie exclaimed.
'I wouldn't be so quick to judge it as a positive thing. I need evidence I can trust, not someone bullying a key witness into a false statement. She's a little too...' He broke off, watching Katie carefully.
The hot wave crept back onto her face, but this one wasn't a nice feeling.
'Has she told you why she has so much influence over him?' Katie asked, sheepishly.
'Blackmail?'
'No,' Katie protested. 'I would never suspect Dorothy of doing anything like. But she might have kept a little secret from the police, too. Her connection with Mr Ric Marino.'
'Ah, no,' he said, reaching for his tea. 'I think she might have alluded to it. A former relationship.'
'Yes, sort of. Ex-husband, to be precise.'
'Ah. People ... Always economical with the truth!' Jack gasped. 'You can never trust them.'
'That's unfair,' Katie protested. 'I'm sure there are people who can trust... always,' she added after a second of hesitation.
'Do you have people who you trust absolutely, Katie?' he asked, his eyes piercing her.
Katie wriggled in her chair, trying to shift the uncomfortable numbness rising in her chest.
'My friends...' she said, pushing aside all the doubts she had been battling over the past few months since she became embroiled in murder mysteries. 'Definitely Michelle. Probably Dorothy...' she said slowly. 'Well, I don't have any evidence otherwise,' she added, flashing a smile at him. 'What about you?'
'I suppose it's a bit of a professional bias, but I don't trust people. I manage risk.'
'So why are you sitting here, talking to me?' His last comment stabbed her like an icicle through the guts.
'Because my experience is telling me whatever you say is likely to be true. Also, because you see the world in a different way to me, and you’re able to connect the dots I can't even see at the time. It fascinates me as much as it annoys me at times.' He paused and bit his upper lip before pushing his glasses higher up his nose. 'Bu
t mostly because I just like talking with you. Because you have this ability to make people feel welcome and accepted and because you're a good person.'
Katie leant on the back of her chair, overwhelmed by a warm tingling spreading all over her body. 'I-I ... Don't know what to say.'
He reached out and touched her hand. Her skin burned under his warm, soft fingers.
'A simple "thank you" would be nice. And I'm not even going to suggest you reciprocate, because it'd be like your friend pushing her elbow into Ric Marinos' side to get him to tell me the full story.'
Katie smiled. Of course, she wanted to reciprocate. Sadly, she didn't know how to say it. That was another side effect of jumping to conclusions without having all the cause-and-effect analysis done.
'Thank you, Jack,' she replied. 'It's a pleasure spending time with you, although sometimes quite a painful pleasure. I mean, as in, some of your comments infuriate me, or make me feel like I haven't done my homework. Like now, I'm blabbing because I don't know how to explain why I enjoy spending time with you.'
'Good enough analysis. For now.' He added and squeezed the back of her hand ever so slightly, sending a jolt up her arm.
'Mum, can I please have some more- Oh, sorry, good evening,' Julia's voice broke the ambience in the kitchen.
Katie pulled her hand away, feeling her cheeks flush again. 'Of course, baby. You've met my daughter, Julia, haven't you?'
'I have,' Jack said, nodding to Julia. 'Detective Inspector Jack Heaton.'
'You’re from mum's work,' Julia replied, slightly dismissively. She grabbed two mince pies and disappeared as swiftly as she had appeared.
'More tea?' Katie asked to cover the awkward silence.
'No, thank you. I'll have to go soon. Do you have any more information for me? Or any more questions?'
She stood, strolled to the hallway, and returned with her jacket. 'The coin. Do you have a bag?'
He pulled an evidence bag and a pair of tweezers from his briefcase. She took them from him and a few seconds later, the fifth pence coin was in the clear bag. She passed it across.
'Will you check it for fingerprints?'
'I will,' he said and pressed his lips into a thin line, 'but I've no idea how we could pin the murder on her. She has a strong alibi. She left her dad's place about 1.30 pm and checked in at her hotel before 3 pm.'
Katie chewed on her cheek. 'Alright, I can see your point. Where was the venue?'
'Windermere.'
'Barely an hour’s drive from Sunnyvale. She could have easily checked in and made the return trip to Sunnyvale before dark.'
'Good point. Do you happen to know what car she drives?'
Katie cast her mind back. 'Hm, something silver?'
'Yes, a silver Rover 45. Definitely not a dark compact 4x4.'
'Which I would choose if I wanted to drive quickly to and from Lake District in winter,' Katie cut in smugly.
'Another good point well made. We're checking all the car rentals in the area.'
'Good. What else?'
'What do you mean?'
She stopped and looked at him, still holding her jacket. 'Who do you suspect? You've never told me.'
'Because I don't know what to think. After today's revelations, I'm inclined to dig a little deeper into Joe Parker's story and check if he could have an accomplice.'
'What about Ric as an accomplice?'
'He's a strong candidate. He knew about the job-'
'They all knew,' Katie interrupted. 'Including, of course, Erin, Mrs Weatherspoon, and the doctor, if we want to be complete.'
'Ah, so you're up-to-date with regards to the doctor?' Jack asked.
'Sort of,' Katie admitted, not too keen to disclose how much information Chris shared with her. 'Have you crossed her off your suspect list?'
'Ha! I only cross people off the list once I've found the culprit and I'm certain of it. Although it's never one-hundred per cent, just in case there are some gaps in my thinking or the evidence.
'Anyway, our dear doctor ran into a bit of a problem regarding the job Archie told her about. During the unfortunate consultation, he asked if she thought he was capable of doing a good job, given he'd been out of the workforce for many years and was still quite debilitated by his symptoms. She reports she encouraged him to try the treatment, see how it goes, and maybe test his ability to carry out complex tasks requiring attention to detail on easier things. He misinterpreted that as her giving him permission to do the job. She tried to explain she was simply offering encouragement but he took it as her showing feelings for him. Which is how the whole thing devolved in the wrong direction.'
'I see...' Katie shook her head. 'What a mess.'
What a mess to need a cover-up for...
'Not only a mess. We only have her words describing what happened. Her notes are thorough, but they were written after the event and might have been massaged. Consider an alternative scenario. Archie thinks she's encouraging him to do the job, thinking he's okay to do it. He goes, pulls on the cord or handle one time too many, the hatch falls on him, injures him severely, but not to the point of killing him. He tells his story to authorities.'
'I see,' Katie said again, a tone louder and took a sharp breath. 'The actual outcome might have been much more beneficial to our doctor.'
'Exactly,' he said quietly, stood and pulled the jacket from the chair. 'I'd better be going. And before I forget, do you still need a hammer or are you planning to use a coin or some other makeshift tool?'
"Still need it. Thanks.'
She walked him downstairs, still feeling the warmth of his fingers on the back of her hand. She'd write him a little card where she’d spell out why she enjoyed his company, and she'd slip it into the book after thinking it through.
But first, she'd have to buy another copy of the book. After seeing Jack out, she ran back to the kitchen and grabbed her phone. Fortunately, online bookstores were open 24/7 and offered next-day delivery services...
25
Friday morning also started with Julia jumping on her bed, screaming, 'Only three more sleeps to Christmas!'
But this time Katie was prepared. Well, not quite prepared, more like less surprised. She pushed her warm dreams to the side, quickly got dressed and escaped Julia’s dancing and Jingle-belling by rushing into her kitchen sanctuary.
A few minutes later and with a steaming mug of aromatic java in hand, Katie sat at the table to plan her day.
'Mum, you have to get those branches, promise? Today?'
'Promise. In fact, I'll get them before work. You can come with me, but you have to be very quick.'
'I will,' Julia yelled and ran out of the kitchen.
She was back, fully dressed, reasonably well combed, with a smudge of white stuff in the corner of her mouth, probably left deliberately to prove she brushed her teeth.
Katie drained the rest of her coffee and collected her affairs.
They reached the allotment before the morning traffic picked up.
Katie parked her car by the gate, which was open, surprisingly. Julia, full of energy, sprang ahead, skipping and singing Christmas carols.
At least she wasn't bothering anyone here. The gardens looked empty. Katie wasn’t a great fan of winter - grey, wet, marked with blurred lines of mud. She waded carefully balancing on the narrow strip of grass between two muddy grooves called Main Lane.
With Dorothy’s directions in mind, she trudged to the end of Main Lane and turned right.
'Julia, to the right,' Katie yelled.
Julia followed her instruction. The air was fresh but saturated with humidity, and the sky was a battleship grey. It didn't quite look like snow this morning. Last night, on Jack's hair, it was snow, wasn't it?
She turned sharp right, looked around, and spotted a line of fir trees at the bottom of the lane.
'Julie, come here,' she called out. Julia skipped towards her.
'Oh, good morning.' A female silhouette emerged from behind of one of the sheds to
her left.
'Morning,' Katie replied. 'We just wanted to get a few fir branches, for the real smell,' she explained, watching the woman.
Dr Jackie Burns! What a coincidence!
'We're getting our Christmas tree, too. I've got one in a big pot, I leave it on the allotment for most of the year. It's been so crazy this year, I haven't had time to get it. I've never waited this long without a Christmas tree in the house.'
'It's been crazy, indeed,' Katie said. 'We only put up our tree a couple of days ago. Just a plastic one, I’m afraid.'
'You know what, I'll get a few branches as well. For my parents,' Dr Burns said, stepping towards the gate and calling, 'I'll be back in a tick, darling. Do you need help?'
'No, I'll go and put the tree in the car,' a male voice replied from the shed.
A few seconds later a wheelbarrow with a small potted pine appeared in the shed's door, and Katie caught a glimpse of the man's face before she turned away to walk to the firs.
It was Jason, Erin's ex-boyfriend. She'd recognise his facial scars anywhere. Her heart froze for a second and when it restarted, it hammered against her chest.
Jackie Burns called Jason darling! Was she the real reason why Jason and Erin split up?
What if Dr Burns was involved in Archie's death? What about Jason?
Katie's head swirled with all sort of crazy scenarios. Her ears started humming, and she had to stop to take a few breaths.
'Are you all right?' Jackie Burns touched her arm. 'You've suddenly become pale.'
'Now, it's just a bit...'
'Of a shock?' she asked, watching Katie carefully. 'Was it because of Jason? People don't know yet. You're friends with Erin, aren't you? She's in the paper crafts club, isn't she?'
'Yes, she's in the club,' Katie replied, ignoring the question about Erin being her friend.
'I'm sorry. Erin, Jason and I have known one another for years. We went to the same school and hung around together at university. Erin's always been different. She didn't really fit. But after the incident, she changed even more. Quiet, serious, busy with a job on the side. She started working very early, when she was sixteen maybe, alongside her dad. Honestly, she was probably checking if he did his job well enough. She wanted to be a building inspector, too. She was with Jason for years, but they drifted apart. Jason and I got together only recently. We've spent a couple of weekends away. This is our first Christmas together, and we're still not sure if we should tell anyone,' Jackie continued, her voice faltering, and her eyes filled with anxiety.