Overzealous DI wanting a confession. ‘I’m sorry if you were treated badly back then.’
‘If?’ Sam laughed. ‘After I was released I was scared to leave the house. Mud sticks and the whole village was convinced that I was guilty. Then threatening letters and dog shit were posted through the door. I swear it put my mother in an early grave. Why do you have to drag it all up again? It will be just like last time, I won’t be able to come to work soon.’
Meadows felt sorry for Sam. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of prejudice but even that didn’t compare to being accused of murder. ‘You know things have changed now, technology and DNA profiling are far more advanced. There’s a good chance that this time we will catch the person responsible. Would you be willing to give a DNA sample for elimination purposes? It would be a great help. We are re-testing all the evidence but as your DNA will be present on the coat it may have contaminated some of the other evidence.’
‘I gave a sample a few years after, didn’t do much good then.’
‘Like I said, things have changed since then, this is your chance to clear your name.’
‘There’s no way I am coming to the station. The minute I’m seen the gossip will start. There will be a witch hunt again.’
‘You won’t have to come in. I can send a plain clothes officer to your home to take samples. It’s a simple procedure.’
Sam nodded. ‘As long as you don’t use it against me.’
‘Good.’ Meadows smiled. ‘Gwen remembers running from someone that day. Did you see anyone else near the mountain when you left her?’
‘No, I told the police at the time and the officer that came the other day. I saw the rugby boys coming home from the match on Turnpike Road. I never understood why they denied seeing me, unless they had something to do with it.’
‘We will be questioning them again. Is there anything else you remember from that day? Even if it seems insignificant to you. It might be important.’
‘No, I wish there was. Gwen was upset that day but she didn’t tell me why. She didn’t want to go home even though it was raining. I guess that’s a little odd.’
‘Well, thank you for talking to me.’
‘Just catch him this time, maybe then we can all have some peace.’
Meadows returned to his car. Poor bugger, so many lives ruined. I’m not giving up even if Lester closes down the investigation.
Chapter Sixteen
‘You’re spending quite a bit of time with Hippy Winter.’ Matt opened a bottle of beer and sat opposite Gwen, his eyes narrowed. The tension in the kitchen after Meadows left had sent Ariana and Alex scuttling to their bedrooms.
‘Don’t call him that.’
‘Why not? That’s what he is,’ Matt sneered.
‘He’s Detective Inspector Meadows. I think he’s done well for himself.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Matt leant forward.
‘Nothing.’
‘No, really? I know exactly what you’re implying. You think he’s better than me.’
‘I didn’t say that.’ Gwen sighed. He’s always been better than you.
‘But you think it. Maybe if I’d had the chance to go to university I’d be in a titled position and not some poxy retail manager.’
Gwen picked up the cups and dumped them in the sink. No point in arguing with him when he is in this mood. She turned on the taps and watched the water flow into the sink.
‘You stay away from him. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at him, it’s pathetic! He’s not to come into my house again. I don’t want talk in the village.’
Gwen felt anger spike at her veins. She spun around and glared at Matt. ‘How dare you! You’ve screwed every tart in the village, well, the ones who’re desperate, and you aren’t even discreet.’
Matt jumped up from his seat. ‘You ungrateful little bitch, after all I’ve done for you.’ He stepped closer until he was inches from her face. Blue jumped between them and growled but Matt ignored him. ‘Do you think anyone else would have married you? I felt sorry for you. And so what if I need to run my hands over some soft skin now and again? Any other man would run a mile from those hideous scars. I stayed with you, gave you a home and family. You can’t even hold down a job because of your fucked-up head. Even Hippy Winter ran away,’ he sneered.
Because you made him. It was on the tip of her tongue but she knew if she said anything he would take it out on Winter, probably complain to his superior officer. She ran her hand down her arm and felt the protrusion of the scar. She’d had skin grafts on her legs where chunks of flesh had been gouged out from the fall. Nothing could be done about the appearance of the thick scars from the operations. He’s right, who would want me?
‘Sometimes I wish I’d never married you. Leave if you really feel that way.’ She shoved past him, grabbed the box of Beth’s possessions, and bolted upstairs to her bedroom.
‘Bastard.’ She felt the tears trickle down her cheeks and wiped them away with the back of her hand.
There was a soft knock on the door. ‘Mum, are you OK?’ Ariana opened the door then came in gingerly and perched on the bed.
‘I’m fine, love. It’s just been a difficult day. Lots of memories.’
‘You don’t have to make excuses for him. I don’t know why you take that shit.’
‘Do you want to look through the box with me?’ Gwen desperately wanted to distract her daughter, she didn’t have the energy to try to defend Matt.
‘OK.’ Ariana opened the box and took out the T-shirt. She looked at the picture on the front. ‘Look at the hair,’ she giggled.
Gwen managed a weak smile and put her hand into the box. She pulled out a jewellery case and opened the lid. Inside were pairs of gold and silver earrings and a charm bracelet.
‘That’s pretty,’ Ariana commented.
‘Yes, it is. She was given a new charm every birthday. She wore it a lot, it used to jangle on her wrist. When she wasn’t wearing it she would put on loads of thin bangles of different colours then prance around like Madonna.’
‘Ooh, look at this.’ Ariana held up a purple jacket, the shiny fabric embossed with a paisley pattern.
‘I loved that jacket. I was so jealous when she bought it.’ Gwen took the jacket and ran her hand over the material.
‘It’s very purple,’ Ariana grinned.
‘She was trying to style herself on Prince. The thing is, I don’t think she was really into him. I had his poster on my bedroom wall and would stare at him every night before I went to sleep. Then Beth bought all his records, the posters appeared in her bedroom and then she got the jacket. It’s funny the things you get jealous of when you’re young.’
Ariana had taken a stack of records out of the box and was looking at the covers. She held one up of Prince. ‘You seriously fancied him?’ She screwed up her nose.
‘Yes, he was kind of moody and the music was just right for teenage angst.’
‘I can download all these and put it on my iPod for you to listen to if you like.’
‘That’d be great. I’m sure it would help bring back some more memories.’ She dipped her hand into the box and pulled out an exercise book. ‘Mr Ellis, Maths.’
‘He was there when you were in school?’ Ariana’s eyes widened in mock surprise.
‘Yes, I guess he must be getting on now.’
‘We call him the talking foreskin,’ Ariana giggled.
‘That’s disgusting! Now I have an awful image stuck in my mind.’ Gwen wrinkled her nose and pulled out another book. On the cover in neat handwriting Beth had written, Mr Epworth, English with a heart drawn next to the name. Gwen closed her eyes; she could smell the classroom, taste the chalk in the air …
‘Come on, try and make yourself look tempting, he’ll be here in a minute.’ Beth held out a lip gloss to Gwen. She was perched on the edge of the desk and was wriggling her skirt up to reveal her thighs.
Gwen didn’t want to put on
the lip gloss. The sun was shining through the window making the chalk dust dance through the air. It was stuffy in the classroom and she wanted to go home and change into a pair of shorts. The rest of the students had already left to catch the bus home.
‘I don’t know why you had to get us both into detention.’ She stared at Beth, hoping her friend would get the message that she wasn’t happy about playing this stupid game.
‘There’s no other way to get him on his own. He’s so hot.’ Beth sighed dramatically.
‘No he’s not. I think he’s kind of creepy.’
Beth ignored the comment and pulled off her tie before loosening the buttons of her shirt. She pulled at the fabric, revealing her cleavage.
‘You do know he touched Catrin’s arse.’ Beth ran her fingers through her hair, fanning it out over her shoulders.
‘So she says.’ So this is what it’s all about, she can’t stand the thought of Catrin getting more attention. Gwen put the top back on the lip gloss and handed it back to Beth.
‘Well, I reckon he’s definitely up for it.’ Beth crossed her legs and watched the door. ‘Aren’t you going to take your tie off?’
‘No,’ Gwen folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in the chair.
The door opened and Mr Epworth walked in. He stopped and stared at Beth. ‘Get off that desk and put your tie back on,’ he ordered.
Beth slid off the desk. ‘Sorry, sir,’ she purred. ‘It’s hot in here.’ She sashayed to the nearest desk.
Giles turned his back and started writing on the board. ‘Gwen, I’m surprised at you,’ he called over his shoulder. ‘Defacing a desk, I thought you would have a little bit more respect for school property.’
Gwen didn’t comment, but she could feel the heat burning her cheeks. GC loves MT had been carved into the desk. Gwen had taken the blame even though it was Beth’s work. Beth had given backchat in Gwen’s defence and had landed them both in detention. Just because she fancies him I have to stay here. Gwen felt the anger stir in her stomach and clenched her fists.
Giles Epworth spun around. ‘I’m not telling you again, put on your tie!’ He glared at Beth. ‘If I have to say it one more time you can spend the rest of the week in detention with the headmaster. I have better things to do with my time.’
Gwen glanced across at Beth and she could see the colour spread over her face. She grabbed her tie and tied it into a rough knot around her neck. Gwen suppressed a smile. About time someone turned her down.
‘Start writing,’ Epworth ordered before leaving the classroom.
‘Maybe he only likes redheads.’ Gwen said.
‘Maybe he didn’t want to show his true feelings in front of you,’ Beth hissed back. ‘Next time I’ll come on my own.’
‘Mum are you OK?’ Ariana touched Gwen’s arm.
‘Yes, I’m fine, love. I was just lost in thought.’
‘So Epworth was your English teacher. What’s with the heart? Please don’t tell me you fancied him!’
‘No, Beth had a bit of a crush on him. Come on, you can’t tell me that there isn’t one teacher in the school that is attractive.’
‘They’re all gross, have you seen them? Old hairy geeks.’
Gwen forced a laugh, her mind still back in the classroom.
‘If you’re OK now I’ll go back to my room.’ Ariana placed the book back in the box and stood up.
‘I’m fine, honestly. I had better make a start on dinner.’
She watched Ariana leave the room then repacked the box. I wonder if she did go back on her own. Maybe she was seeing Epworth and that’s why she kept being pregnant a secret.
Chapter Seventeen
Meadows sat back in his chair and listened in on Edris’ conversation on the phone. They had worked the whole weekend taking calls from potential witnesses that had seen the re-construction. A majority of these calls had only reinforced what they already knew. Only a few had added to the enquiry. Saturday evening had produced three calls claiming to have seen David Collier searching for Gwen at various times of the day and one from an ex-neighbour of Sue Collier’s who claimed to have heard a heated argument involving Gwen, Sue, and David. One of the sightings was at 1.30 p.m. Why didn’t he report Gwen missing earlier? It was gone midnight before he rang the station. It’s obvious that both Sue and David Collier thought that Gwen had run away. Did David find Gwen later that day? But what would be his motive? Could David be the man that Beth was seeing? I feel like we’re getting nowhere.
Meadows tapped his pen against his notes. He noticed that Edris had finished the call.
‘Anything interesting?
‘That was a guy called Steven Powell, he says he saw Sam Morris at about 5 p.m. that afternoon. He’s sure about the time because they had just finished a rugby match.’
‘They?’
‘Yes, he was with a group of boys.’
‘That confirms Sam’s story but why didn’t he come forward at the time?’
Edris shrugged his shoulders. ‘He didn’t say.’
‘OK I think it’s worth a visit.’ The phone trilled on Meadows desk and he snatched it up. ‘DI Meadows.’
Silence on the other side.
‘Hello.’
‘Are you the detective in charge of the Bethan Hopkins case?’
‘Yes, I am. Who am I speaking with?’
‘I, erm … I don’t want to give my name.’
‘OK. Do you have some information relating to the case?’
‘Yes. Giles Epworth was on the mountain that day.’
‘You saw him.’
‘Yes.’
‘At what time was this?’
‘It would’ve been about four, four thirty.’
‘Did you see Gwen Collier or Bethan Hopkins?’
‘I saw Gwen.’
‘Was Gwen with Giles Epworth?’
‘Not exactly … Look, I don’t really want to get involved with this.’
‘I understand but I can assure you any information you give me will be confidential. Hello? Hello?’
The dial tone buzzed in Meadows’ ear. ‘Damn!’ He replaced the receiver and recounted the conversation to Edris.
‘If the caller saw Giles Epworth then he was also on the mountain. What was he doing up there?’ Edris asked.
‘Good question. Obviously something he shouldn’t have been doing, else he would have given his name.’
‘Or he could just have a grudge against Giles Epworth.’
‘That’s a possibility. I can think of many ex-students who would like to get their own back for unfair detentions. Maybe there was more than one attacker? They could’ve been working together.’
‘Good theory, Edris, but there’s only one set of footprints unaccounted for at the scene and one DNA profile from the evidence found on Bethan’s body, other than a trace from Sam Morris, likely to have come from his coat. I still think it’s worth following up on Giles Epworth. Was there a statement from him in the original investigation?’
‘No, I would have remembered the name, he was my headmaster.’
‘OK, we’ll interview him again tomorrow. Let’s call it a day, you’ve been in all weekend. Don’t you have anything better to do with your time? A girlfriend?’
‘No … not anything serious, anyway.’
‘Well, go home and get some rest. I’ll pick you up in the morning. Blackwell and Rowena can man the phones tomorrow.’
Edris raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment. Meadows smiled back; he knew Blackwell would cause a scene but he would have to back down once Meadows pulled rank. It wasn’t something he did very often, he rarely thought of himself above others, but with Blackwell it was a different case. He smiled as he left the office.
Steven Powell lived in Ynys Melyn, a small village accessed by a bridge and with only one road leading in and back out. Meadows drove while Edris sat in the passenger seat looking at the scenery.
‘It’s like the Twilight Zone here, I bet people disappear like the Ber
muda Triangle.’
‘It’s not that bad,’ Meadows laughed. ‘It’s got a pub and a post office. What more could you want?’
‘A life,’ Edris chuckled.
‘Well, Steven Powell obviously chose to live here. He was originally from Bryn Melyn.’
‘Bloody hell, do you know everyone that lives in this area?’
‘No, but don’t forget I grew up in Bryn Bach, and the majority of the people we’ll interview in connection with this case I went to school with.’
‘Can I ask you a personal question?’
‘You can ask but I may not answer.’
‘Fair enough. Was there anything between you and Gwen Thomas?’
What’s the answer to that? There would have been if I had stayed and fought for her. I could have still gone to university and we would have found a way to work it out. I should have told her how I felt. He was aware that Edris was watching him, the silence in the car had grown uncomfortable.
‘No, there wasn’t anything between Gwen and me, we were friends, but if I’m honest I liked her very much. So what about you? You were evasive yesterday when I asked if you had a girlfriend.’
‘I’m not ready to settle down yet, there’s a few I see now and again.’
‘A few? You sound like the village tom,’ Meadows chuckled.
‘I think “man whore” is the politically correct term,’ Edris grinned. ‘It’s not like that, I don’t make any promises. They’re just friends with benefits.’
Meadows shook his head. ‘I must be getting old.’
‘Hey, don’t knock it! It makes things less complicated.’
‘I would think it made things more complicated. So that’s what you get up to in the evenings.’ Meadows glanced across at Edris who fidgeted in his seat.
‘No,’ Edris blushed. ‘I’m not on the pull every night. I still live with my parents. When I get my own place things will be different.’
‘Saints preserve us!’
‘No, I don’t mean it in that way. I’ll get myself a regular girlfriend. It would be nice to come home to someone after a day’s work, dinner on the table.’
‘I think you should stop there, you’re digging yourself a hole.’ Meadows pulled the car up in front of a row of terraced houses.
The Silent Quarry Page 12