Behind Closed Doors

by Susan Lewis

  ‘Piers,’ Andee said, not fully disguising her antipathy.

  ‘Good to see you, Andee,’ he told her. ‘I’m sorry about Dougie. A great shame. He’s going to be missed.’

  ‘He will be,’ she agreed. ‘So, I’m guessing we have a prepared statement.’

  Ashdown’s eyebrows arched. ‘You know, it’s your amazing powers of deduction that make you such a good detective,’ he teased.

  Thinking how happy it would make her to slap him, Andee gestured for him to go ahead and exchanged a roll of the eyes with Leo as they followed him into one of the more spacious interview rooms. Perkins, unshaven and very possibly unwashed, was already there.

  After everyone had identified themselves for the tape, and Perkins had been reminded of his rights, Ashdown started to read aloud.

  ‘“I, Gary John Perkins, am issuing this prepared statement to say that I was with Sophie Monroe on the night of August 17th. She came to my flat some time around eight thirty, upset because she’d had a row with her parents, and weirded out after being chased on the beach. She thought it was one of the wardens who’d been chasing her. She stayed for about an hour, maybe less and then said she was going to the Entertainment Centre to watch Tomasz Sikora. I left the flat just after her and went to the clubhouse too.”’ Ashdown peered over his glasses. ‘The clubhouse is the same as the Entertainment Centre,’ he informed them.

  Andee only looked at him.

  Resuming, Ashdown read, ‘“. . . went to the clubhouse too, where I had a couple of beers with whisky chasers. After the show ended I saw Sophie chatting to Tomasz Sikora. I don’t know what they were saying, because I wasn’t close enough. Just after that I went down to the underground car park and got into one of the wardens’ golf carts. I was meaning to take it out and have a bit of a laugh, but I couldn’t find any keys. I ended up falling asleep in the back of one and I didn’t leave the car park until Rafal, I don’t know his surname, but he’s a warden, woke me up and drove me out in the morning. That’s all I have to say. I will not answer any other questions you put to me.”’

  As Ashdown looked up, Andee glanced at Leo before asking Perkins, ‘Are you aware of Sophie Monroe’s age?’

  Sitting back in his chair, Perkins said, ‘No comment.’

  ‘Why would she have come to your flat after being chased on the beach?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘What did you do during the time she was there?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Did you give her any illegal substances?’

  ‘No comment.’ He was clearly enjoying this.

  ‘Did she talk about running away while she was with you?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘How well do you know Tomasz Sikora?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Did you see Sophie leave the clubhouse?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Did you tell anyone you were going down to the underground car park?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Did you speak to Tomasz Sikora when he came to get into his van?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Did you leave with Tomasz Sikora?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Why did you disappear from the campsite when you found out Sophie had been reported missing?’

  ‘No comment.’

  ‘Where is Sophie now?’

  He shrugged. ‘No comment.’

  ‘Did you know Sophie kept a diary?’

  His eyes turned wary. ‘No comment.’

  ‘Have you ever had sexual relations with Sophie?’

  ‘No comment.’

  Andee glanced at Ashdown. He surely had to know there was no way Perkins was walking out of this station today, nor would the magistrates bail him when he went before them tomorrow. He was in for the long haul, with absolutely nothing to save him, unless his lawyer did something radical and advised him to be helpful.

  It wasn’t going to happen, Andee could see that as plainly as she could see that Perkins still hadn’t connected with just how serious this was.

  In the end she got to her feet and with the tape still running, she said to Perkins, ‘I have no more questions for you, Gary, I’m simply going to tell you something that I don’t believe your lawyer has bothered to explain. No matter what you’re hiding, who you’re covering for, or where Sophie is now, the evidence in her diary is going to send you down for life,’ and having had the satisfaction of watching her words smack the smugness off his face, she left the room.

  She wasn’t surprised when Ashdown came hurrying after her.

  ‘You sounded fairly confident about that, Andee,’ he declared, joining her at the custody reception desk, ‘but as we both know you’re going to have a hard time proving those diary entries are fact.’

  ‘Tell it to the CPS,’ she advised.

  ‘I shall, but I’m talking to you right now and I stress again . . .’

  ‘I heard what you said,’ she interrupted. ‘Now you can hear me. If you think you can persuade a jury that the diary entries are made up, all I can say to you is good luck, Mr Ashdown, because you’re going to need it.’

  ‘Andee, you’re not listening to me . . .’

  ‘No! You’re not listening to me. The only thing that’s going to save your client from a life sentence is if he tells us where Sophie is, and even then there are no guarantees.’

  ‘But he doesn’t know . . .’

  ‘Bullshit! He knows. So when you’re ready to tell me, you know where to find me,’ and leaving the custody sergeant to deal with the charge she got into the lift and took out her phone.

  ‘He’s not talking,’ she told Gould when she’d made the connection.

  ‘Where is he now?’

  ‘Being booked.’

  ‘OK, I’ll get back to you.’

  Minutes later Leo followed her into the incident room. ‘Do you believe any of the statement?’ he asked.

  ‘His timings check out,’ she replied, ‘up to the point he went down to the car park. We need to find out from the warden if he really did pass out in a golf cart.’

  ‘The warden could be in some way involved.’

  ‘Indeed, so don’t rule it out.’

  ‘Jack Trevors just told me something interesting,’ he said. ‘Apparently when Perkins was brought in he gave his address as Blue Ocean Park, but when Ashdown turned up he changed it to a flat in Kesterly that, by all accounts, Suzi Perkins has just rented.’

  Andee regarded him curiously. ‘When did she rent it?’ she asked.

  ‘Not sure, but I thought it would be worth looking into.’

  ‘Do that, because it’s sounding to me as though she was expecting him to be bailed so she needed somewhere away from the campsite for him to go. Except why on earth would she think he’d get bail? She’s got to know it was never going to happen.’

  ‘Ashdown didn’t know about the diary until he got here,’ Leo reminded her, ‘so my guess is he told her there was a chance he could get her brother out.’

  Andee was frowning hard as a sixth sense told her there was more to this. ‘Find out what you can about that flat, and about Piers Ashdown’s clients,’ she said, and leaving him to it she took herself off to CID to find Hassan Ansari, one of the DCs, sitting at her desk.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she asked as he looked up.

  ‘Pressure from on high to get these burglaries sorted over on Wermers,’ he told her. ‘Anything you can tell me I ought to know?’

  ‘Everything’s in the case notes,’ she assured him. ‘Have there been any more?’

  ‘Not on Wermers, but a couple of stores at the Mall have reported being targeted. Gould was looking for you.’

  ‘I’m looking for him. Where is he?’

  ‘Not sure now.’

  Taking out her mobile, she was about to ring him when a call came in. Seeing it was Graeme, her heart gave a pleasing flip. ‘Hi, how are you?’ she asked, going into Gould’s empty office and closing the door.


  ‘I’m good. I see from the news that you’ve got your man.’

  ‘Mm. Unfortunately he’s claiming not to know where our missing girl is, so as it stands we’re not any closer to finding her, but that’s not for public consumption. How are things your end?’

  ‘Busy, but not too busy to think about you.’

  Smiling, she said, ‘Well, I’m glad about that, because I’m finding myself thinking about you quite a lot too.’

  ‘Enough perhaps to have dinner with me tomorrow night?’

  Her heart sank.

  ‘I know, I know, I’m supposed to be giving you some space over the next couple of weeks, and if it’s a problem . . .’

  ‘I promise you, I’d love nothing more than to have dinner with you, but I’m afraid it’s not going to be possible.’

  ‘OK, I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but I do understand.’

  ‘Maybe we could meet for a drink on Sunday or Monday? Can I give you a call?’

  ‘Of course, any time. Do I have to let you go now?’

  ‘Probably. I’m in my boss’s office and he could walk in at any moment. It was good to hear from you.’

  ‘It was good to hear you too. Don’t forget to call.’

  Still smiling as she rang off, she clicked to open a new text and almost immediately wished she hadn’t.

  Dad just told me you’re seeing him tomorrow night. Great news! He’s really pleased, I can tell. Love you both, Ax

  ‘The alibi’s checked out,’ Leo told her as she walked into the incident room a few minutes later. ‘The warden’s saying he did find Perkins in a golf cart on the morning of August 18th. I’m still working on who owns the apartment Suzi’s rented.’

  ‘OK,’ she responded distractedly. ‘Have you seen Gould?’

  ‘Not recently. The press office have been on. They’re asking for a statement about Perkins, and they want to know when the Monroes are going to make their appeal.’

  ‘I’ll pull together a statement,’ she replied, sitting down at her desk, ‘and let’s set up the appeal for seven.’ She checked her watch and reached for the phone to call Gavin and Heidi.

  ‘It’s Andee Lawrence,’ she said when Lauren Mitchell answered. ‘How’s everything over there?’

  ‘Not good, I’m afraid,’ Lauren replied. ‘They’ve been told the baby probably has something called Noonan syndrome.’

  ‘Oh God,’ Andee murmured worriedly. ‘Do you know what that is? Please tell me it’s not life-threatening.’

  ‘I don’t think so. As far as they know it depends on the severity of his heart defects, and they still don’t have those results. Otherwise, it means he won’t grow very tall, his eyes will be set quite wide apart – I guess we can see that already – and maybe there’ll be other deformities or malfunctions along the way. They won’t really be sure about those until he gets older.’

  ‘That’s awful,’ Andee said with feeling. How the hell would she cope if it happened to one of hers? ‘How are they taking it?’

  ‘Quite badly. Mother and baby have hardly stopped crying since they got back and Dad looks like he’s gone to a distant planet.’

  ‘OK, we’ll put the appeal off till tomorrow. Tell them I’ll be there in the morning to go over it – unless, of course, we manage to locate Sophie tonight.’

  ‘Is there any chance of that?’

  ‘I’m trying to remain hopeful. Jemma and Danny are in Bristol working with the local police, interviewing neighbours around where Perkins was found. They haven’t called anything in yet, but there’s still time.’

  ‘I’ll tell Mr Monroe that. He’ll want to know.’

  After ringing off Andee sat back in her chair and pushed her hands through her hair. Now she didn’t have to prep the Monroes tonight she had time to read through the notes that had been added to the database during the day. This would include all the social media reports and Internet rumours that had built up over the past few hours. She wondered if there was a chance she could get away by eight. Possibly, but not likely, so it wouldn’t be fair to call Graeme. She didn’t want to end up having to let him down again. Besides which, if she did find herself with a free couple of hours this evening she really ought to spend them with her mother; she’d managed no private time with her at all since Sophie’s disappearance.

  Chapter Ten

  MUMMY’S FAVOURITE THINGS:

  Sophie, liquorice; kittens; starry nights; singing; playing the guitar; daisy chains; Daddy.

  Sophie’s Favourite Things:

  Mummy, bubble gum; kittens, the beach, singing with Mummy and Daddy, making daisy chains; Daddy.

  Daddy’s Favourite Things:

  Sophie and Mummy.

  Andee could feel her heart aching as she reread the opening page of Sophie’s journal, written when she was nine years old. How safe and perfect her little world must have seemed to her then. Such a horribly stark contrast to what was happening now.

  Whatever was happening now.

  Why on earth hadn’t she made contact again? What, who, was stopping her? And why, if she’d had no intention of coming back, hadn’t she taken this diary with her? Anger with her mother for dying? Embarrassment for anyone else to see it?

  Andee had brought a copy home to read again without all the hullabaloo of the office going on around her. Her mother and Alayna were in the next room watching TV. Her mother hadn’t wanted to talk about how the disappearance of a fourteen-year-old girl was affecting her, she’d said when Andee had suggested it, unless Andee did of course. Andee didn’t; it was best to keep focused on Sophie, and try not to let her own feelings get in the way of things.

  Was she succeeding at that? How often was she seeing Penny when it should be Sophie, or her father when it should be Gavin? More often, she knew, than she’d care to admit. But was it affecting her judgement, or skewing her instincts? She didn’t think so, but how could she really tell?

  Flipping on through the diary, she paused to look at various photographs stuck into old- fashioned paper corners. Most were of Sophie’s parents performing on stage, her mother with long wavy blonde hair, sometimes worn in plaits or a ponytail; her father in an assortment of jaunty hats, braces, and for a while with a beard. The Upbeats, they’d called themselves, and judging from the happy smiles and seemingly constant laughter, they’d named themselves well. There were pressed flowers glued on to some pages with their names neatly logged underneath: bluebell found in Marrin Wood; primrose from our garden; lily of the valley like the one Mummy had when she got married. There were tickets to special events such as a ride on a steam train; a trip on a riverboat; the Christmas grotto at Longleat; a visit to a petting zoo, plus many others for the various gigs her parents had performed. The shots that moved Andee the most, however, were all of Sophie, as a baby peeking out of a sling worn by her mother; riding her father’s shoulders as a toddler; fast asleep with her rag doll (Sophie aged 5 and Amelia aged 3).

  Why hadn’t she taken the rag doll?

  Because she’d intended to come back?

  Because it would appear too childish?

  There were several birthday snaps of Sophie blowing out candles and opening presents, and even more showing her taking part in her parents’ shows. Such a tiny girl in some, barely reaching her father’s knees. Andee couldn’t help smiling at the way her dear sweet face glowed with pride; she was clearly thrilled to be on stage with a microphone of her own, doing her best to keep in time with the music.

  Then there were her poems.

  My parents are really cool singers

  They perform on the stage,

  They write some of their own songs,

  We hope one will become all the rage.

  Mummy has blue eyes, Daddy has brown,

  Sophie has violet eyes

  And her head is on upside down.

  Andee could easily imagine the girlish laughter that had no doubt accompanied the silly rhyme and little drawing that went alongside it.

  Browsing on t
hrough she found many diary entries charting their day-to-day lives. Got up, went to school, had singing lesson, came home. Got up, Daddy made omelettes for breakfast, Mummy took me to school, my best friend Millie came for tea. Mummy bumped into a lady in town and knocked over her shopping. Mummy had a headache so I did the singing with Daddy, everyone said I was very good, wish Mummy could have seen us. Daddy says he really likes singing with me. Mummy’s birthday today, Daddy gave her flowers and I gave her a necklace I saved up for, she says it’s her favourite one ever and she’s going to wear it all the time. Me and Daddy got loads of applause at Pontins tonight, Daddy cried he was so happy; we wished Mummy could of been there. Mummy not very well again, I wish she’d get better.

  As the date of Jilly Monroe’s death came closer Andee decided not to carry on reading, since Sophie’s struggle to understand what was happening to her mother was already affecting her deeply. Mummy says I have to be brave because she won’t be here for much longer. I don’t want her to go away. Please Jesus, don’t take my mummy away from us. I promise I’ll go to church every Sunday and say my prayers every night.

  Closing the photocopied book, Andee put it on the seat next to her and reached for her wine. She felt overwhelmed by sadness as she considered the way Sophie, out of loneliness and despair, had eventually transferred her trust and affection from the parents who’d so tragically and blamelessly let her down, to Tomasz Sikora – another singer, another man whom she looked up to and who she’d clearly thought could make her feel safe. Towards the end of the book his scribbled name was all over the place, scripted inside love hearts, or featured alongside hers as a part of a he loves me, he loves me not game. Even when writing about other men or boys she almost always compared them to Sikora, and Sikora always came out on top.

  . . . there’s no one to beat Tomasz.

  Would love to have Tomasz’s baby.

  Really, really love T, and I know he loves me.

  Going to tell T how I feel about him. I know he’ll say I’m too young, but I don’t see how age makes a difference.

  Wish I could run away with him so we could be together and I wouldn’t have to put up with the WSM any more.

  So had Sophie talked him into taking her away? She guessed there was even a possibility she’d blackmailed him into it, though Andee was far from convinced about that. More likely, she thought, Sikora, Perkins too, had been subtly grooming her, allowing her to think they were friends when their intentions had been . . .