Ugly Duckling

by Malcolm Allen

  'Mr Dunn and his hero Dog. Perhaps I'll need to pay you a visit sometime, but not yet, the times not right yet.'

  Chapter 14

  John sat in the Briefing room looking at the board, the two victim’s names written up and the info they had on each written below.

  'There's just not that much to go on' John thought to himself

  'Morning J.D your here early, Shit the bed?'

  John laughed 'Good morning Ian, how are you today? Ready for a busy day? I think we're going to make a breakthrough today, I can feel it in my bones'

  Ian stopped in his tracks and just starred at John

  'What?' John asked

  'Let me see. Its only 7:30 and you’re already here; you're cheerful which is not like you, especially at this time in the morning. Its not you're birthday, and I doubt you got laid last night after I left you. Oh my god! Should I drive you to the hospital, you must be really ill'

  'Funny fucker' John said 'I just got a really good nights sleep, and I'm feeling fine for the first time since I can remember, don’t knock it, it might not last.'

  Ian laughed and went to get them both a coffee, when he returned handing one cup to John he said

  'So, you think we're going to get a break today, any particular reason?'

  'No, I just think its time we did, and today’s the day. How did we get on with the neighbours Mr and Mrs Lovitt?

  'Wallace went to speak to them, Turns out he wasn’t at Mrs Brooms for long

  He did go there but got a phone call asking him to go into work; he’s a chef at Hungry Horace’s just around the corner from the Pig. Says he didn’t bother to tell his wife, that’s why she thought he had spent so long with Mrs Broom. We have confirmed that he was working that night from about 8 till 11:30 pm.'

  'Didn't bother to tell his wife, and she didn't think it odd that he was so long next door?'

  'It seems that's a regular occurrence, there's definitely something going on between the two of them, which confirms what Jenni told you last night'

  'Yes but Jenni said that she had promised to end the affair if William did the same so they could try again'

  John and Ian looked at each other for a moment

  'Think we need to speak to Peter Lovitt again'

  'I think you're right Ian, I think we do'

  As they left the station John handed a large brown envelope to the desk sergeant.

  'I'm expecting a profiler to call in for me today, don't know his name yet, but when he comes make my apologies and give him this envelope, it should have everything he needs, tell him I'll be in touch.'

  Ian rang the doorbell at the Lovitt house and Mrs Lovitt answered, already dressed and ready to leave,

  'Good morning Mrs Lovitt, I'm Detective Inspector Dickie and this is D.S Cripp, I wonder if we might have a word with your husband?'

  Mrs Lovitt invited them in then called up the staircase

  'Pete, the police are here to speak to you! I'm going now.'

  She turned to Ian, he'll be down in a minute, sorry I've got to go, said I'd take next doors kids to school and I'm running late. Make yourselves at home. Pete! I'm going now, the police are waiting!'

  With that she left slamming the front door behind her.

  John and Ian looked at each other, then around the hall where they had been left waiting.

  'Sorry' came a voice from the top of the stairs 'Late shift last night'

  'No problem, I'm D.I Dickie and this is D.S Cripp, we just have a few more questions relating to Mr Broom's Murder we think you might be able to help us with'

  'Yes, of course anything I can do to help, Would you like some Tea?'

  'Not for me thanks' they both said in unison

  'So how can I help?'

  'Well Mr Lovitt, we know you were in work on the night of the murder, but I'm a bit confused that you're wife didn't, she thought you were next door with Mrs Broom'

  'That's right, I got a call to go into work, it should've been my night off but they had a really busy night so I went in to help.'

  'But you didn't inform your wife' Ian Said

  'She never really pays any interest in where I am, so I just don’t bother any more'

  'What’s your relationship with Mrs Broom?' Ian asked

  'We're friends, Debbie, My wife takes her kids to school, I do a few odd jobs for her and Bill, that’s about all really'

  'Did you know that Bill was having an affair?'

  'Gill mentioned it, but I didn't really want to get involved, extra marital affairs are not really my thing'

  'Really?' Ian said surprised by the answer

  Just then there was the sound of the back door opening and closing,

  'Pete, its Gilly, she’s taken the kids, are you upstairs? I'm coming to get you'

  'Morning Mrs Broom, Nice to see you're bearing up so well'

  She was just about to go upstairs, her dressing gown lay on the floor in the hallway and she was wearing a tight fitting Basque and stockings.

  'Perhaps you'd like to come and join us' John Said picking up the dressing gown and handing it to her.

  She sat next to Peter both looking slightly embarrassed.

  'Now, this is nice isn’t it?' John said 'so you were saying extra marital affairs weren’t your thing Mr Lovitt.'

  Peter shuffled uncomfortably in his seat

  'You see we know that you two are having an affair, we have also been told that you Mrs Broom had told your husband that you were going to finish it'

  Peter looked at Gill

  'No that’s not true' she said

  'You told your husband that you would finish this affair if he finished his affair, for the sake of the kids'

  'That's not true!' she protested. ‘He’d had so many affairs I've lost count, Even if he finished that one there would be another, and another'

  'Why didn't you leave him?'

  'Where would I go? Some scrubby old bedsit somewhere? What about the Kids? The only way I could keep the house and Kids is if he went off with some tart he'd picked up'

  'Or he was dead' Ian said.

  There was a long pause, until John eventually said

  'What time did you finish work that night Peter?'

  'It would have been about 11:30'

  'And where did you go then?'

  'I went to Gill's for an hour then came home'

  'How did you get to work?'

  'I took the car, parked it in Madeira Road and Walked down'

  'Madeira Road?'

  'Yes'

  'And walked to your work from there?'

  'Yes'

  'Did you walk the same way back, after work?'

  They all sat and looked at each other, Peter and Gill just beginning to realise the implication.

  'Mr Lovitt, what’s your relationship with Jeremy Green?'

  'Who's Jeremy Green' Peter said

  Neither John or Ian Answered

  'Oh, he's the other one that got murdered. Now hang on, what are you trying to say? That I murdered Bill and this other one, is that what you're saying?

  'Did you?'

  'Don't be so bloody ridiculous of course I didn't, I've told you, I had to go to work and then I went to Gill's for an hour and came home'

  'He was with me before he went to work and he came to see me after, in between he was working, why don't you check with them?' Gillian said

  'We already have, but that still leaves the time you left work and walked to your car, either passing, or crossing Horseshoe common. You've got to see it from my point of view, you weren’t telling the truth, right up till Mrs Broom let herself in through the back door, and I'm still not sure that either of you are being honest, but I'm going to find out. Peter Lovitt and Gillian Broom, I'm arresting you both in connection with the murder of William Broom. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."

  Gillian go
with D.S Cripp and put some clothes on I'll wait here with Peter.

  Within 25 minutes Gillian and Peter were taken to the station booked in and sat in separate interview rooms awaiting the arrival of their lawyers.

  'I told you this was going to be a good day' John was saying 'He's got to be good for this and if we can find a link between him and Jeremy Green case closed.'

  'Can’t help feeling you're being a bit optimistic J.D. At the moment there is no link to Green and what about DNA?'

  'We won’t get the result from that yet, but if we can get a confession to Brooms murder we'll charge them with that and then find the link to Green.'

  John’s internal phone buzzed.

  'Yes. OK, good we'll be there now.' he listened for a while 'get that information to Elizabeth Collingsworth. Thanks.' he replaced the receiver.

  'Right, let’s go, the lawyers are here, and they found the CCTV of Broom at McDonalds that should help Liz,'

  John entered the interview room with Ian just behind him, they sat opposite Gillian Broom and the tape was started, after the preliminary introduction, who was present and the time, were said out loud for the benefit of the tape. The interview began.

  John. 'Gillian, I just want to say I don't think you killed your husband. I think somehow you've become involved in something that got way out of hand, you didn't really want him killed did you?'

  Gillian. 'No, of course not, he was the father to my children'

  John. 'But I wonder Gillian, if during the heat of the moment, you said something to Peter, you were having an affair with Peter Weren’t you?'

  Gillian. 'Yes, you know I was'

  John. 'Did you ever mention to Peter, perhaps in a moment of passion that you wish you're husband was dead?'

  Gillian. 'No! I would never have said that!'

  John. 'But you were having a passionate affair with Peter?'

  Gillian. 'Yes'

  John. 'He seems like a nice feller, you and he seem quite well matched, would you say that was a fair comment?'

  Gillian. 'Yes'

  John. 'He would do almost anything for you?'

  Gillian 'Yes, almost, but not murder, even if I had asked him too, which I didn't.'

  John. 'You see Gillian, I think that you did ask Bill to end his affair and that you would end yours with Peter, but when Peter came around that night he persuaded you there was another way'

  'No!'

  'You had told Peter, at some point, that you wished Bill was dead, and Peter told you he would kill Bill rather than loose you, with Bill out the way you didn't need to worry about where you and your children would live and you still had your lover, Peter, next door.'

  'No, No! It wasn't like that; Peter would never have done that!'

  John sat for a moment without speaking.

  'Well if it wasn’t like that Gillian, how was it? Did you and Peter plan the whole thing together; perhaps Debbie Lovitt was going to be next?'

  'That's ridiculous. No!'

  There was a knock at the door and a police officer gestured towards John.

  'Interview suspended at 11:45' John said and he and Ian left the room.

  'What is it?' John asked

  'Elizabeth Collingsworth on the phone for you sir, says it’s important.'

  John went to the phone.

  'Hello Liz, this had better be good'

  'Hello John, I'm sorry to interrupt but I thought you'd want to know this straight away. You got the CCTV of William Broom buying the McDonalds, the time stamp on the tape shows 6:17 pm. And you can see him sitting at a table eating it.'

  'I've got a feeling I'm not going to like this, but go on'

  'Well John, that means the time of death would have been no later than 10pm'

  'Are you sure Liz?'

  'Absolutely no doubt John.'

  'I knew I wasn’t going to like it, Thanks Liz'

  He put the receiver down.

  Ian was looking at John 'what is it J.D'

  'Peter Lovitt, What time did you say he was working till?'

  'It was about 11:30 pm'

  'Bollocks! We'd better let them go, time of death was about 10pm, he couldn't have done it, and without him we've got nothing on her. Fuck! And I thought it was going to be a good day!'

  'OK, I'll tell the boys to cut them loose. Then we'll go talk to Jenni Everitt'

  'Good Idea' John said, his mood lifting slightly once again.

  Chapter 15

  Jenni was lying on the bed, her vibrator and gel next to her, on her computer screen Wheeler49 was having a cigarette,

  'I needed that' she smiled at the screen

  'You seem to get better and more beautiful every time my little darling' grinned Wheeler 'but you'd better get dressed now I think D.I Dick and his little friend are about to pay you a visit'

  'How could you possibly know that?'

  But the connection was closed just as the door bell rang. Jenni wrapped a bathrobe around herself and went to the door, peering through the spyhole she could see John Dickie waiting, 'how could he have known?' she wondered as she opened the door.

  'Good Afternoon Miss Everitt, I wonder if we might have a word'

  'Yes of course, come in Inspector Dickie, we are being very formal today aren't we? Please take a seat'

  John and Ian sat on a large white leather sofa and Jenni sat opposite them in a chair with her legs tucked under her, her robe gaping slightly showing just enough cleavage to make John look, and quickly look away, she closed the robe smiling slightly at John.

  'So, how can I help?'

  'Miss Everitt' John began

  'You can call me Jenni if you want, unless I'm in trouble' Jenni smiled

  Her smile is just like Sonia's John thought. 'No, I don't think your in any trouble Jenni' John continued 'Its just that last night after we'd spoken, my colleague here' pointing at Ian 'said he thought he recognised you as one of the reporters at the scene, I just wanted to clarify the situation'

  Jenni laughed 'I'm a freelance journalist' she said 'I do a bit of reporting here and there but my main interest is 19th century London, I've written a couple of pieces that got published in women's magazines, but when I saw the police activity I thought maybe this was a story that would give me the breakthrough I've been looking for, until Sergeant Cripp came over and told me to stop.'

  'I ordered him to do that, Jenni, you see after the first murder there was a lot of nonsense written about what was happening, we have to go through proper channels you see.'

  'I read that' Jenni said 'I was really annoyed. I sent them the story but they plagiarised it and added all that other nonsense, I most certainly didn't right all that stuff about cannibalism'

  'Are you sure?'

  'I can give you the original transcript if you want'

  'But you're covering this story?' John asked, knowing if she was he wouldn't be able to get to know her better till it was over.

  'Not any more, not after Bill' Tears began to fill Jenni's eyes

  'That's understandable' John said feeling a great sense of relief

  'You're very kind, your wife's a lucky lady' Jenni sobbed

  'Wife?'

  'The ring' Jenni pointed to Johns left hand

  'Oh, no. she's no longer with us, but I still wear the ring, just to remember her you know?'

  'That's really sweet' Jenni said, her robe had become loose again now just covering her nipples, John was looking and becoming aware of the growing erection he was experiencing, Jenni saw him looking but this time didn't close the robe.

  'Right so!' Ian interrupted 'we've cleared that up, unless you have anything else to add, I think we need to get back to the station, inspector'

  'Yes, your right, better get back' Ian suddenly snapped back to work, his erection subsiding.

  'If there's anything else we'll be in touch miss Everitt' Ian said as he was leaving.

  John was following Ian but stopped to face Jenni, 'Thanks again Jenni'

  'No problem' she was st
ill smiling that sweet smile at him 'perhaps we could meet for a drink, socially I mean, I'll be in the Laughing Pig tonight about 8 o’clock if you fancy it?'

  'Oh I don't know' John said 'We'll have to see'

  He caught up with Ian and walked to the car, all the while thinking about Jenni, She really did remind him of Sonia, Laughing Pig 8 o'clock, He'd be there.

  ***

  Placed on Johns phone was a yellow post it note, on it was written “Leon Wilson” and a phone number. John knew Leon; he'd used him before for profiling and although John didn't have a lot of trust in criminal profiling he trusted Leon. John picked up the phone and dialled,

  'Hello Leon its John Dickie, Sorry I wasn’t here when you called, but I trust you got everything you need.'

  'Hi John, that’s ok I was passing anyway, as for having everything I need there’s not much of it is there'

  'No I'm afraid not Leon, but that's all we've got at the moment, is there enough for you to do your thing?'

  'I've had a quick look, I'll need to look at it more and if you get anything else you must let me know, I've said to you before this isn't an exact science so the more you can give me the more accurate I can try to be'

  'OK, OK! Consider your arse covered' John laughed 'what have you got?'

  'Well, It’s a man, probably late 20s early 30s almost certainly a loner. Although to the outside world he would appear quite normal, there would be some sort of trait that people might find odd, I think he'd keep that well hidden though; it won’t be obvious, only his closest friends and family would possibly know about it. My guess would be some sort of experience in his childhood lead to this, perhaps abuse leading to the feeling that he just didn’t fit in somehow. There is a good chance that he knew the victims, at least the two that you've given me'

  'What do you mean?' inquired John

  'If these are the only two you've had John, there are going to be more somewhere, nobody goes from nothing to slashing someone's throat and disembowelling them in one step, there will be others, starting off less brutal but building up to the current level. I suggest you have a look at any unsolved murders involving a knife, if it helps I think the cut throat is the signature, there will always be evidence of a cut throat, even if that isn’t what killed them'