‘DS Macey?’
She spun around. Approaching was a smartly dressed black woman in her mid-twenties in a knee length tan overcoat and patent leather boots. As she neared she flashed a wide grin.
Holding out a hand in greeting she announced, ‘DC Summers,’ and added, ‘Lucy.’
Scarlett took her hand, ‘Good to meet you Lucy.’ She looked her over. Her immediate thoughts were how pretty she was, admiring her jet black hair set in tight braids and her flawless complexion. ‘DCI Harris said you’d be meeting me here.’
Taking away her hand Lucy said, ‘Yes I’m so excited. This is my first time on a Homicide Squad, I hardly slept last night.’ Then, her face set straight, ‘Sorry I didn’t mean it to come out like that. To be honest I’m a little bit nervous. This is a big step up for me and I apologise if my enthusiasm has come out wrong. I know you know the victim and the suspect is your partner. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.’
Scarlett studied the dark brown eyes. There was a freshness about Lucy that she was already warming to. Inwardly she laughed – a couple of years ago it would have been the type of thing she would have blustered out. She smiled, ‘Don’t worry, I understand. I’ve been in a similar situation myself. It’s good to have you on board Lucy. Now, I’m told you been acting DS the last six months?’
Lucy nodded, ‘Yes, Fulham CID.’
‘And you’re up to speed with this investigation.’
‘DCI Harris filled me in yesterday.’
‘Good. Well I want you to coordinate the house-to-house while I liaise with Task Force, who’re searching for the knife that killed her.’ Turning to the scene she continued, ‘There are six of the team doing the house-to-house. I’ve just seen a couple of my syndicate go into a house three doors down from the victim’s home. Make yourself known to them and keep me up to date if anything of interest comes up. Can you do that?’
‘Yes, sure thing.’
Scarlett checked her watch, ‘We’ll come back together here in two hours?’
Lucy took out her mobile to check the time and nodded, ‘Two hours, got that.’ With a wide grin, she pocketed her phone and marched off toward the uniformed officer protecting the cordon.
Scarlett began to gather her things out of the car before she went to speak to the Task Force Sergeant. Picking her folder off the front seat, she was about to close the car door when movement at the corner of her eye diverted her attention. Thirty yards away, at the road junction and close to a garden hedge, someone dressed in a grey hoodie and jeans was looking her way. Her initial thought was that it was a slim built man, but because the hood was pulled well over their head and a mobile phone held in front of their face, she wasn’t sure. What she was certain of was that the person was either photographing or videoing her. James Green jumped into her thoughts and a mix of nervousness coupled with anger overcame her. She looked around for Lucy for support but saw that she was already close to Tarn’s house, with her back to her, and the uniform officer guarding the cordon was facing the other way as well. Scarlett decided she had no other choice but to challenge this stranger and took a couple of steps towards them. The person instantly reacted. Scarlett increased her pace and so did they. Then, eyes firmly set on her target, she exploded into a sprint, putting in a burst across the road. The person turned and did the same, making a dash for it and disappearing from view. In the three seconds it took her to make the corner, the stranger had vanished. She stood, trying to catch any sound that might lead her to where the person had scarpered. They had to be in one of the nearby gardens but all she could hear was her own heaving chest. As she cussed, her mobile started ringing.
Forty
‘We’ve found a knife!’ It was the Task Force Sergeant.
Catching her breath, but still watching the street to see if the stranger emerged, Scarlett answered ‘Give me a minute and I’ll be with you.’ After ending the call and taking a final look around, she hurried to where task force officers had been lifting drain grates. They were half a dozen houses down from Tarn’s, next to an alleyway that looked like a short cut to the next street. Lucy Summers had joined them.
A stocky officer with a blonde crew cut was holding a kitchen knife between the finger and thumb of his gloved hand.
Scarlett eyed it. The knife was the right size and type, but whether it was the murder weapon was difficult to tell because it was covered in silt. Jubilation replaced the frustration she’d felt minutes ago. She acknowledged the find with a nod and the officer dropped it into a clear plastic evidence tube and sealed the top.
Scarlett said, ‘Well done, that certainly looks like what we’re looking for. Great find. Give it to one of the forensic team, will you, but do further checks in the other drains just to make sure there are no others.’ Turning to Lucy she said ‘If that is the murder weapon, this alleyway could be where our perp ran. Let’s check out where it leads and see what we find. We just might get lucky.’
They had just reached the hedge-lined alley when Scarlett’s phone rang again. She fished it of her pocket and viewed the caller ID. It wasn’t a number she recognised but she answered anyway. Before she had time to speak, Tarn’s voice said her name. She nervously eyed Lucy who was looking at her questioningly, and said, ‘Got to take this call,’ before moving back into the street and out of earshot. Keeping Lucy in her line of sight she said into her phone, ‘You shouldn’t be calling me.’ She avoided saying her partner’s name and though her voice was firm it was also enough for Lucy not to hear. ‘What number is this?’
‘It’s my dad’s,’ Tarn answered. ‘They seized mine last night.’
‘We shouldn’t be having this conversation.’
‘I know and I’m sorry, but I can’t just do nothing. They think I killed Trish and I didn’t. I need to talk with someone and you’re the only person I can trust.’
‘I could get in a whole heap of shit for just taking this call.’
‘I know and I’m sorry, but you’re the only person I can talk to.’
‘You’re off limits, you know that.’
‘Just ten minutes please.’
Scarlett still had her eye on Lucy, who was watching her. She was doing her best to hide the concern she was feeling by smiling every few seconds. For a few seconds, silence reigned as Scarlett’s mind went into overdrive. This was her friend and colleague but he was also a suspect in his wife’s murder.
‘Please Scarlett, ten minutes is all I ask.’
Tarn’s insistence dragged back her thoughts. ‘Jesus, Tarn you could get me the sack.’ Scarlett thought quickly, ‘Look, give me half an hour. I’ll make some excuse and see you at the coffee bar where we were the other day. But not outside! I can’t risk being seen with you. Go upstairs, I’ll see you there. And make sure you’re not followed.’
Forty-one
Telling Lucy that something important had cropped up, but not elaborating further, she left her to check out the alleyway, and to keep in touch with the search team and house-to-house detectives until she got back. Then, driving as fast as the traffic would allow, she headed to the coffee house. Tarn was waiting in the upstairs seating area, hunched forward on one of the leather sofas, cradling a mug of milky coffee. He looked up and smiled weakly as she approached.
Scarlett couldn’t miss the dramatic change to his appearance: he looked like a down-and-out; his complexion was sallow, hair unkempt and he was sporting several day’s growth. The T-shirt he wore was creased. As she plonked herself down on the sofa opposite she couldn’t help but think that he looked a total wreck.
He dipped his chin to another mug of coffee on the low table that separated them. ‘I got you a cappuccino,’ he said.
She set down her bag and reached for her drink. ‘Thank you.’ She studied his face as she took a sip, wondering if this was a bad move. She hoped to God the boss wasn’t going to find out.
‘Thank you for agreeing to see me Scarlett. I know this could get you into serious trouble.’
It was
like he’d read her mind. She put down her coffee. It was lukewarm and she didn’t really feel like drinking it. ‘Look Tarn, I’ll be completely honest, I’m not comfortable with this. Diane Harris has warned us to steer clear of you and I’ve left the scene to come here.’ She decided not to tell him that she’d left her new partner in charge. That would be really rubbing salt into his wounds. ‘If I’m found out I’ll be off the enquiry.’
‘I know, and I’m really grateful to you.’ He set down his mug. ‘Look I know you need to get back so I’ll get straight to the point. I got a phone call this morning from someone who works with Trish at the school who’d heard what had happened.’
Scarlett’s eyes widened, ‘Oh yes. And?’
‘I made some enquiries.’
Screwing up her face she replied, ‘You’re out of order Tarn. You know that at this stage you’re a suspect. This could jeopardise the investigation.’
‘Please, just hear me out.’ Conscious of his raised voice, he looked around quickly. There were four women at the other end of the room but they didn’t glance his way. He continued in a lower tone, ‘It’s not how it sounds. The person who rang me is the one who tipped me off about Trish in the first place. When I told you about a friend of mine seeing Trish with the head in the pub that time, I wasn’t entirely being honest. The person who gave me that info is a teacher at Trish’s school. Her name’s Sara Bailey.’ He stopped for a moment and then continued, ‘She rung me at mum and dad’s this morning when she couldn’t get me on my mobile. Their number is down as an emergency contact. They’d just been told about what happened to Trish. She obviously didn’t know what had happened with me.’
‘And you chose not to tell her,’ Scarlett butted in.
‘Look please don’t give me the evils Scarlett, I don’t need them. What would you have said in the circumstances – oh please don’t talk to me I’m on bail because they think I’ve killed my wife?’
Scarlett took a deep breath, ‘You’re being facetious Tarn. You know what I mean.’
He sighed, ‘Look her phone call took me by surprise. Believe me I didn’t ask any questions. She asked me how I was and said they were all really upset. Then she told me Adam hadn’t come in this morning and asked if he’d been arrested.’
‘Adam?’
‘Adam Witton. That’s the head’s name. The one who’s been seeing Trish. Have you arrested him?’
Scarlett shook her head. ‘No one’s been arrested. We’re still processing the scene.’ She stopped from telling him at what stage the investigation was at. ‘Did she say anything else?’
‘No, she just reiterated how sorry everyone was and if I needed anything I could ring her. I told her someone would be coming to the school at some stage and asked her if she was willing to tell you what she’d told me about Trish.’
‘And is she?’
He nodded. ‘More than willing. She’s got no time for Adam at all. She says he’s a creep.’
‘What does she mean by that?’
‘I didn’t tell you this before because it wasn’t relevant, but now Trish has been killed it is.’ He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Adam Witton first tried it on with Sara. It’s the reason she rang me about Trish in the first place – she was concerned for her. Sara had been acting as Deputy Head before Adam got the job, and when he was appointed she spent some time with him showing him the procedures and introducing him to staff etcetera. Apparently within weeks he confided in Sara that he hadn’t got a good marriage and his wife was mentally ill. Sara said she spent quite a bit of time chatting with him after school because she felt sorry for him, and one evening he asked if she fancied a drink. They went to the pub, and he gave her this sob story about him having no home life – his career was his life – but it got a bit too much for her so suggested they call it a night. He said he’d walk her so far home and then get a taxi, but while they were walking back to her place he tried to kiss her and she had to push him away. She tried to play it down after, at school, but things weren’t the same after that – he gave her the cold shoulder, sidelining her from the Ofsted visit, and that’s when she noticed he was spending a lot of time with Trish.’ Tarn frowned, ‘Sara tried to warn Trish about him, and Trish denied anything was going on, but when she saw them together in the pub she rang me to warn me about him.’ He broke off again. ‘It looks as though Trish fell for his spiel and this how their relationship developed. You know the rest from our conversations.’
His eyes started to water. ‘Gosh what a mess. I’m sorry for you Tarn.’
Tight-lipped he said, ‘A big fucking mess Scarlett, but I didn’t kill her. I swear. I went round last night to try and sort it out. I got angry with her and she told me I didn’t make her happy any more and Adam was more a man than me. Sure I fucking lost it when she said that, but I didn’t touch her. Fuck me, I wanted to, but I punched the wall instead and left.’ He shook his head, ‘I’m telling you as a friend Scarlett, Trish was alive when I left. I didn’t kill her.’
‘So what are you thinking? Adam Witton?’
‘I can only think of him. Especially with Sara telling me he’s not turned up at school this morning. It certainly looks suspicious, don’t you think? It’s something you can follow up. Have you got anything from the neighbours? Surely they saw someone other than me. That street is not exactly busy – it’s not a short cut or anything.’
Scarlett took a deep breath, ‘You know I can’t tell you what evidence we’ve got Tarn. That’s unfair.’
Tarn nodded, ‘Yes I know. I didn’t mean it like that. It was a comment, not a question. At least I’ve given you another starting point.’
‘When I get back to the nick I’ll ring the school and make arrangements to see this Sara Bailey. In the meantime, you avoid talking to her any more. I’ll make it look to the gaffer as though I’ve come by this information from my enquiries.’
Tarn reached across and touched the back of Scarlett’s hand, ‘This is fucking crucifying me Scarlett. My wife’s been murdered and I can’t even see my kids because I’m being treated as a suspect. Do you know what that’s like? Even my fucking mum and dad are looking at me suspiciously.’ Suppressing a sob, he wiped a tear from his eye. ‘Please get them Scarlett. Get whoever killed Trish, won’t you? For me.’
Forty-two
Scarlett decided Tarn’s information was far too important to leave for that evening’s briefing and so she rang the incident room, concocting a story that the deputy head at Trish’s school had rang her direct, asked to see her urgently and she was on her way over there now. Then she turned off her phone and drove back to Brentford, to the school where Trish worked.
At reception, Scarlett learned Sara Bailey was filling in again as Deputy Head, and within minutes she saw the teacher coming along the corridor. A little on the plump side, Sara was a pretty woman with long dark hair, in her late thirties, who looked anxious.
‘This is really shocking news. Everyone is devastated about Trish. She was a lovely person,’ she said. Pointing down the corridor, she added, ‘We can talk in the staff room.’
Neither woman spoke as they made their way to the staff room. The only sounds were muted voices of children coming from nearby classrooms.
The staff room was empty. Closing the door behind them, Sara asked, ‘Can I get you a drink?’
Scarlett shook her head. ‘To be honest I should be back at the scene. I’m here because Tarn has told me you rang him this morning...’
‘Yes, to offer him our condolences...’ Interrupted Sara, offering a seat to Scarlett, ‘And just to let him know we’re here for him, if he needs anything. But I guess he’s got all the support he needs from his family and work.’
Scarlett felt a knot in her stomach. She wasn’t about to tell Sara he was currently their only suspect and suspended from work. She said, ‘He’s taking a few days out at the moment, so he can sort things.’
‘Yes, I guess he needs to. I can’t imagine what he’s going through.
I know they have two young children. This really is so shocking.’
There was a couple of seconds silence, almost as if they were honouring the memory of Trish. She broke the quiet by saying, ‘Tarn told me you rang him to tell him about Trish and the head...’
‘Adam Witton. Yes,’ she broke into Scarlett’s sentence again. Her mouth tightened momentarily, ‘It was a real dilemma for me. Has Tarn told you about the time Adam tried it on with me not long after he was appointed?’
Scarlett nodded.
‘We spent quite a bit of time together when he first started six months ago, you know, showing him how the school functioned, introducing him to staff, blah-de-blah. Then one evening he started telling me about his personal life – that his wife had a few mental health issues. I thought he just wanted to get things off his chest and needed someone to talk through his problems, so when he asked me if I’d go to the pub with him for a drink I didn’t see anything wrong in it. Even when he offered to walk me part of the way home, we were chatting so I didn’t think anything of it. So when he tried to kiss me it took me completely by surprise. He tried to make light of it when I asked him what he was doing. And he apologised and said he’d read my signals all wrong. Afterwards I did get to thinking about it, and I came to the conclusion that he had been spinning me a yarn, to make me feel sorry for him, hoping I’d fall for it. After that I was guarded and professional around him, and it was a couple of weeks later when I spotted he was spending quite a bit of time with Trish and noticed there seemed to be a little closeness between them. I’ve known Trish a long time – we’re good friends as well as colleagues – and so one evening after school, when there was only me and her, I told her that I noticed her and Adam were spending a lot of time together. She laughed it off by saying there wasn’t anything going on between them, if that was what I was thinking – she was just helping him with the Ofsted visit. Then I saw them together in the pub having a drink. You could see by their body language it was more than a drink together.’ Pausing a moment and locking eyes with Scarlett she added, ‘It wasn’t by accident I caught them. Because of what had happened to me with Adam I kept a close watch on the pair, and I noticed that on a couple of occasions they were making an excuse to hang back after everyone had gone home, and so one evening I parked up on the street outside and waited for them to come out, and that’s when I saw Adam and Trish get into his car and I followed them to the pub.’ She took in a deep breath. ‘I spent a good few days mulling things over what I’d seen before I finally decided to ring Tarn. And I didn’t ring him to stir things up between them, or cause damage to their marriage, but because of what I’d found out had gone on at his other school. I was concerned for Trish.’
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