by Alex Clare
‘Well, he was right in front of me.’ She took a noisy breath. ‘Keith’s all right. Quiet except when he’s talking about his family.’ For the first time, Jade smiled. ‘You’d think his grandson played football for England the way he goes on about him.’
‘And how long between him going upstairs and when you knew something was wrong?’
‘Like minutes? It wasn’t long. After he went, the band started playing something what was done on Superstar Seeker last week and I said to Sophie, I like this song and it was still playing when the bloke run in from outside.’
‘Did you see anyone else going up or downstairs?’
‘I wasn’t there. You’d better ask Sophie.’ The girl bit down hard on her gum.
There seemed to be little point in further questions. ‘OK, thank you, Jade.’ Robyn shifted the files across. ‘Could you send your colleague in, please?’
‘Yeah. But you need to find out who done it because otherwise no one’ll want to stay at the hotel any more. We learned about this, all about how you build reputation and how easy it is to lose it. Shazia and me had to do a presentation on it for one of the modules.’ Tears started again.
‘Right. Thank you.’ As the door swung closed after Jade, Robyn stood up to stretch. There was a discreet double-tap on the door. Taking advantage of the excuse to move, Robyn stepped forward to let the person in.
Sophie stood outside. Her uniform still had ironed creases. ‘Are you ready for me, officer?’
‘Yes, please sit down. This won’t take long.’
‘Take as long as you need, officer. I finished at two but I wanted to stay and see if I could help.’ Sophie sat down, keeping her back straight, ankles crossed. ‘Oh and you may be interested to know that the majority of guests have left the ballroom.’
‘Thank you.’ Robyn matched the woman’s small smile. ‘Now could you think back to earlier this afternoon? You were on the reception desk between two and around two-thirty, I understand?’
‘Poor Keith, we are all so worried about him.’
Robyn made a mental note of the passion in the voice. ‘Were you busy?’
‘The kitchen was struggling. All spare staff had to help, Lawrence asked me to stay on and cover the desk.’ Folding her hands in her lap, Sophie blinked a couple of times. ‘Let’s see. Out front, it was all quite quiet. I booked a taxi to the air force memorial for the retired couple in 106. I remember because while they were at the desk, the clock chimed the hour and the gentleman commented how it reminded him of his grandfather’s house. Which is nice, isn’t it?’ When she smiled, her shoulders lifted and she angled her head, pausing for a second, as if she was expecting someone to take a picture. ‘Then the music started and they weren’t very happy because they hadn’t known about the wedding when they booked. They went up to their room and the next thing, the ballroom doors opened.’
‘Go on.’
‘Suddenly there were lots of people. Some went outside, for a cigarette, I suppose.’ She smiled again with the same simper. ‘Others made phone calls or went upstairs. And then the phone rang with a Christmas enquiry, so I had to check dates and prices and that must have been ten minutes when I wasn’t looking at anything else.’
‘Did you see anyone acting in a strange way at any time?’
‘A woman with a big hat seemed to be a bit tipsy.’ Sophie shook her head. ‘And she wasn’t the only one.’
‘Anything else?’
‘Now, let’s think.’ The corners of the woman’s mouth turned down. ‘Just as I put the phone down, this scruffy man turned up and started leaving boxes all over the place.’ Sophie’s nose wrinkled. ‘He was very rude when I told him to move them but I’m not sure he understood much English. Keith was going to speak to him, he’s such a dear man.’
Beneath the desk, Robyn clenched and unclenched her hands.
‘As I’m sure Jade’s told you, someone then came running in from outside and we called an ambulance. It’s really not right.’ Sophie’s lips were pressed together.
‘No. That’s why we’re asking these questions.’
‘He shouldn’t have married her. This is what they do.’
After a second of trying to work this out, Robyn gave up. ‘Who do you mean?’
‘The Pakis, of course.’ Sophie rolled her eyes. ‘They chuck people off balconies if they’re gay like you or a woman who doesn’t do what she’s told.’
Robyn swallowed. After she’d blinked, the woman was still in front of her with her satisfied smile. ‘Are you saying you believe the young woman was thrown deliberately from the balcony?’
‘Well, what else can it have been?’ The woman smoothed a wrinkle in her skirt. ‘You said earlier there had been some sort of sex, so the obvious thing is it is one of these honour killings. And the women are just as bad as the men. You hear of mothers killing their own daughters if they’ve brought disgrace on the family in any way.’
A part of Robyn wanted to be offended but another wondered how far the woman’s smug certainty stretched. Compared to the casual phobia of the shop girls earlier, this was a professional at work. Robyn took a deep breath for a final question. ‘Do you have any evidence that the bride’s family being of Indian origin had an influence in the girl’s fall?’
‘Haven’t you been listening? This is what Pakis do. Unless the girl decided she couldn’t face being sewn into a burka and decided to commit suicide?’
‘I have no more questions.’ Robyn was relieved to see Sophie leave. She had a further flick through a couple of files then sought the fresher air of the lobby. An Indian couple hurried across, dragging a screaming child by the hand.
The manager appeared from somewhere. ‘Ah, officer, I wanted a word. You may not know that some of your people arrived to examine room 108 a short while ago. I just wanted to check whether they are going to clear up after themselves. We only have two family rooms and both are booked for tomorrow night.’ His hands went to his tie, then dropped again.
A little ashamed of how much she was enjoying his suppressed annoyance, Robyn smiled. ‘I’m sure you have an excellent team of cleaners.’
Lawrence tutted. ‘Of course. We were supposed to be full tonight and tomorrow, we have lots of guests who are coming for the Loveless festival, including some very distinguished academics.’ He brought his hands together, almost as if he were praying. ‘When it’s so busy we really cannot afford to have rooms out of use.’
‘We will let you know when we are finished.’ Robyn opened her handbag, reaching for her notebook. ‘You didn’t give me your full details. I’ll take them now.’
It was hard to tell in the dim light but Robyn thought she saw a momentary flush cross Lawrence’s face.
‘Very well officer, if we must.’
While Robyn was writing, the sound of a step made her look up. Chloe was standing behind Lawrence, bouncing on the soles of her feet. ‘Guv, we’ve got something.’
Making it clear the manager could not come with them, Robyn followed Chloe who crossed the hall and into the ballroom. ‘We ended up in here because that lounge was a bit small and people could at least see things were being done.’ On the stage at the far end, a man coiled cables, using one of the two gilt-covered thrones to stack them on. Garlands were piled in a heap in one corner. The hall was almost empty, just one table of white guests who appeared to be working their way through the leftover booze. Lorraine sat at a paper-covered sideboard tapping a message into her phone. Pairs of waiters were moving back and forth through the room clearing the tables to bare wood before lifting off the tops and rolling them away.
‘Oy, matey.’ One of the remaining guests called out to a waiter. ‘Can you get some music on?’ There were shrieks of laughter from his companions.
‘What have you found?’ Robyn leant on the back of a chair.
Lorraine looked up. ‘We’ve got details for all of the guests but one of the ushers is missing. Nobody knows where he is. There were three of them and one has vanished.’<
br />
‘Interesting. I’ve just been hearing about the ushers causing problems in the morning. Do you know which one?’
‘Name of Newman, Guv, Jake Newman.’
‘When was he last seen?’
‘We haven’t been able to pin that down yet. We know he was here around two o’clock because all of the ushers and bridesmaids took part in some big set-piece first dance with the bride and groom. Everything relaxed a bit then because the formal part of the wedding was over. We haven’t got a confirmed sighting after about ten past two but it seems a reasonable guess it’s his suit in room 108.’ Lorraine closed her notebook.
‘Why would he take off his clothes?’ Chloe’s eyes opened wide. ‘Oh.’
‘But if his suit is in the room, what’s he wearing now?’ Robyn gripped the chair back. ‘Have we got people looking for him?’
‘Uniform are doing a full search of the hotel, Guv. We’ve tried his mobile – it’s switched off.’
‘Hi.’ Donna stuck her head around the door. ‘We’ve finished the search. Newman is definitely not in the building. And, we’ve got someone who says he arrived in his van this morning and it’s not in the car park now.’
‘Good work.’ Robyn smiled, feeling her skin complain at the movement. ‘Chloe, can you get the alert out? Anything else I need to know about?’
‘The first interviews with the guests weren’t very helpful.’ Lorraine began piling up paper. ‘They all say similar things. Shazia was enjoying the party, nothing out of the ordinary. We’ve established she was there for the first dance but no one seems to have noticed her leaving. Her parents have gone to the hospital so I’ve spoken to her aunts who said she was a good girl. I spoke to some of the other teenagers and they suggested there were some things she was worried about but typical teenage stuff, nothing that makes you think she would attempt suicide.’
Robyn turned at a bang from the occupied table, where someone had opened a bottle of champagne.
‘Why let a tragedy get in the way of a free drink?’ Chloe put her phone in her bag. ‘The alert is out, Guv.’
‘What about the guy who went into the room?’ Lorraine stood up, rolling her shoulders. ‘God, these chairs are uncomfortable.’
‘He wasn’t in the room when the sex took place.’ Robyn counted off points on her fingers. ‘If we believe his story, he was nowhere near Shazia when she went off the balcony. The reports from his colleagues are all the same, he’s a peaceful, old man and he doesn’t come across as aggressive. The forensics will confirm whether he touched her but I think we can discount him.’
5
Driven out of the ballroom by the staff wanting to finish packing away, Robyn, Lorraine and Chloe sat in the Dove Lounge. The clock on the mantelpiece, an intricate gilt fantasy, struck four.
‘Where’s Ravi?’ Robyn pulled over a coffee table and dumped the papers she’d gathered.
‘He’s gone.’ Chloe shifted in her seat. ‘Went with his family about an hour ago. He seemed a bit calmer but his sisters were in such a state, maybe he just looked better by comparison.’ She hesitated. ‘I’m worried about him, Guv.’
‘The best way we protect him is by keeping him away from the investigation.’ She let the words hang in the air for a second. ‘And we all should treat this like any other case. We can’t let emotions cloud our judgement.’ Looking first to Lorraine, then Chloe, Robyn checked for any sign of disagreement. ‘Right. Have we got everything we need? I’ve made notes on the staff list.’ She pointed at the pile of paper. ‘Have we got the hotel’s CCTV?’
‘Got the password for online access here.’ Lorraine held up her notebook.
‘Photos?’
‘I’ve got the photographer’s details – he’s going to put them all online for me on condition I don’t sell them to anyone.’ Chloe laughed. ‘Shows what he thinks of the police.’
‘I’ve got all the band’s details.’ Lorraine glanced up. ‘I know they’re good guys but I’ll check them just the same.’
‘The outside caterers have promised to send me all the details on Monday.’ Chloe looked up. ‘Is that OK? I had a nasty feeling there may be a couple of records the owner wants to, ah, tidy up first.’
‘It could be illegal working. Did you fingerprint them?’ Robyn saw Chloe bite her lip.
‘No, sorry Guv. I can go now.’ Chloe was already on her feet.
‘Pretty sure they’ve gone.’ Lorraine shifted in her seat.
‘OK, learn for next time. Call them, say you need the details earlier. Visit if you have to.’ Robyn waved at the chair for Chloe to sit. ‘What about the jogger who saw the fall? Have we spoken to him?’
‘No and it could be hard to track him down.’ Lorraine’s foot was tapping out a fast rhythm. ‘He’d gone before I arrived and nobody got his name. He should be on the lobby CCTV and I got a description from the couple he ran into but I’m not sure how much more he can tell us.’
‘OK, let’s ask Khalid for a media call for witnesses. Still, on the evidence of the porter, she jumped by herself.’ The room was cold and Robyn pushed her knees together to keep warm. ‘Which one of you spoke to the couple in 106?’
Lorraine and Chloe looked at each other. ‘Didn’t you?’ ‘I thought you –?’
‘Sorry Guv, I’ll go.’ Chloe scooted to the door.
A white shape slipped into the room, making a rustling sound as it walked. Lorraine craned over the top of her armchair.
‘Good afternoon. I’ve got those first results you wanted.’ Even in a paper suit, Dr Henrietta Brockwell gave the impression she was going to a garden party.
‘That’s great, Hetty.’ Robyn indicated one of the mismatched armchairs, realising this was the first time she and the crime scene lead investigator had worked together since the start of her transition in July.
Twisting, Hetty looked down the back of her suit. ‘Hmm, maybe not.’ Pulling an upright chair from under the desk, she sat, grimy knees pressed together. ‘We’ve finished upstairs. The hotel staff don’t seem very keen on hoovering so we’ve got a lot of organic material bagged up.’ She clicked her teeth.
Robyn stiffened. When Hetty made that noise, something important was coming.
‘From the forensic traces, I have drawn the conclusion your victim was raped before she jumped.’ There was no emotion or hesitation in Hetty’s voice.
‘If I understand right, that’s two things: one, she was raped and two, we are looking at a suicide attempt rather than attempted murder?’ Robyn paused. ‘What did you find to make you so sure?’
‘The whole pattern of the room suggested violence.’ Hetty angled her head: light flashed on the lenses of her glasses. ‘As an example, the top of the chair had scratches on it, with flakes of varnish still attached showing they were recent. Potentially, fingernails would have been hard enough to make them, if someone had been gripping the chair and it was torn from their hands. See if you can get the hospital to do a swab of her fingers.’ She held up a clear plastic bag containing tiny golden beads on a slip of bright green thread. ‘We’ve also found traces of ripped fabric and things like sequins.’
‘Yes.’ Lorraine leaned forward to look. ‘Her sari was just that colour.’
‘There’s a lot of material in a sari, all folded and pinned together – I’d say someone got frustrated trying to unwrap her so just ripped at the material.’ Hetty’s hands mimed the action. ‘If you can get the clothes from the hospital, I’m sure you’ll find tearing.’
Something with squeaky wheels went past in the corridor.
‘As to being certain she jumped, we found drops of blood and traces of bare footprints on one of the balcony chairs and in the smut on the rail.’ Hetty pushed her glasses up onto her nose. ‘The most likely explanation is that she stepped up onto the rail herself.’
‘That matches what the porter described.’ Robyn felt her phone vibrate with a message. ‘He said she ran onto the balcony and when he followed her, she was already standing on the chair.’
Lorraine leaned forward. ‘Can you tell us anything about the attacker?’
‘As I said, plenty of material, the problem is going to be identifying individuals. The team are taking samples from the hotel staff for elimination but I assume you’ve already checked all their alibis?’
Talking to Dr Brockwell always reminded Robyn of being lectured by a teacher. ‘Thanks, Hetty. Anything you can give us will be important, because we are not going to get anything from the victim, at least in the short term.’
‘Shazia. She’s got a name.’ Hetty frowned.
There was another second of silence while Robyn searched for something to say. ‘Anyway, long time no see. How was Australia and your new granddaughter?’
‘They’re both beautiful.’ The suit rustled when Hetty laughed. ‘Six weeks just wasn’t enough – I didn’t want to come back to all the grey skies.’
‘You had a good trip then?’
‘Fabulous thanks, Roger. Spent the first –’
Robyn’s sharp intake of breath cut her off. For a few seconds, Hetty stared over her glasses at Robyn, as if seeing her for the first time.
‘Robyn, oh I’m sorry.’ Her hands came together on her lap. ‘Not Roger, Robyn. I’m so sorry.’
After two months of being Robyn, to be called her old name made her fists contract. She was used to seeing ‘Mr R Bailley’ on junk mail but he was beginning to feel like someone she used to know, gone and not missed. It brought back the mockery of the afternoon, the feeling people thought she was dressing up, just playing at being someone else. Robyn swallowed, determined to keep her voice normal. ‘When did you get back?’
‘Just two days ago, still got a touch of jet lag, half asleep, don’t know what I’m saying.’ Hetty was talking too fast. Behind her, Chloe walked in, her phone in her hand.
Glad of the distraction, Robyn stood up. ‘Do you two know each other? Chloe Talbot who’s acting DC now, Dr Henrietta Brockwell, head crime scene officer.’ While the greeting took place, she told herself this was no more than a mistake, they were inevitable, she should be able to deal with silly slips of the tongue. She took a deep breath. ‘OK, thanks for the update, Hetty.’