‘So you did pay Mr Solomon?’ Watt shifted further out of his seat and clasped his hands together, pen tangled in his fingers. His eyes narrowed. ‘Do you want to explain what you mean?’
‘Naomi isn’t the one on trial here,’ Annabel interjected.
‘No one’s on trial yet.’
‘My sister should be getting support and help. The people who tried to kill her should be the ones in a tight spot.’ Annabel put a protective arm around Naomi’s shoulder. ‘I can’t just sit here while you grill Naomi when she’s the victim.’
Bailey examined the palms of his hands.
Watt said, ‘We’re conducting an investigation here. Everyone’s innocent until proven guilty. We have to be objective. We have to ask questions. We have to uncover motives. All we know for sure at the moment is that Naomi allegedly disappeared from a cruise ship in the Caribbean. A search and rescue team involving dozens of police tried to find her, and then she turns up alive and well in England.’
‘Because she never left the country.’
‘Someone did. Naomi’s passport was used. Lorie Taylor’s passport was used too. It’s becoming apparent that only one girl left the country and used both passports.’
‘It wasn’t me,’ Naomi said.
‘Lorie Taylor used those same words only this morning. She also gave us permission to search her flat. We did and found nothing of yours in there, not your clothes or your passport, nothing that could link her to your statement. Don’t you find that unusual?’
‘No. I went to her flat and took everything that belonged to me.’
‘When?’
‘Sunday. The same night that Dan brought her to the cemetery.’
‘But Lorie wasn’t to know that. She hadn’t been home at all.’ A long pause. ‘Sounds like you and Dan had everything worked out.’
‘We had to work things out. We found ourselves in a mess thanks to Nathan and Lorie. I found my necklace at the flat –’
‘Which you entered without permission?’ Watt glared at her through his grey eyes. His skin was a kind of grey colour too. ‘And you took her car without permission too, so I’m told?’
Annabel leant forward. ‘What are you saying here? That Naomi faked her own death and wants to frame her husband? For what?’ Annabel said firmly, eyes set on Watt.
‘I’m saying that we’re being told two entirely different accounts about what actually happened, so we’re in the process of sifting through the statements and the evidence, of which, so far, there is little. Money is always a possible motive. A story like this sells. Revenge is a clearer motive.’
Annabel was becoming flustered. ‘The only person who was going to make money from this marriage was Nathan.’
‘And how would he know that? How would he know that he was going to receive a huge cheque for a wedding present?’ He shifted his eyes from Annabel to Naomi. ‘Did you know about the money in advance, Naomi?’
Naomi shook her head and looked at Annabel, who said, ‘It shouldn’t be difficult to prove what happened.’
‘Said with no experience of the law at all.’
Naomi said, ‘Don’t let Nathan mess with your head. He’s a compulsive liar and he’s manipulative.’
‘Well, thank you for the tips, ladies,’ Watt said. ‘I’ve been in the force for almost thirty years, since before anyone in this room was born.’ He paused to eye Naomi and Annabel. ‘So I think I’m qualified to handle my job.’ He looked directly at Naomi again. ‘Nathan’s claiming that you’re mentally unstable. He’s suggested a medical assessment rather than pressing charges.’
‘That slimy git,’ Annabel said.
Bailey said, ‘Naomi, during the two weeks when you say you were detained with Dan Stone, did you see anyone who could confirm you were where you say you were?’
Naomi wiped her eyes with both hands and it came to her in a flood that there were no witnesses at all, no one except Dan to confirm her story. ‘No. Lorie came to the house like I told you.’
‘Clearly, she was there,’ DC Watt said. ‘We’ve already questioned the owner of the cottage and shown him pictures of the two of you. He was certain that the girl he saw was Lorie, which backs her story. Where were you when the owner, Mr Jim Price, came to fix the tap?’
Naomi paused as she mentally rehearsed her line. It sounded ridiculous, like a story from Narnia. ‘I was in the wardrobe.’
His eyebrows raised again. ‘In the wardrobe?’
‘Yes. Hiding from Lorie, so she didn’t know I was alive.’
‘And why would you not want her to know you were alive?’
Naomi sighed. ‘Because Dan was worried about repercussions because of the gang Nathan was involved with.’
‘And by gang you mean?’
‘Some men who Nathan gambled with.’
‘Is Vincent Solomon part of this gang?’
‘Yes, he’s the leader.’
‘So, having hidden from Lorie and the rest of the world for two weeks, you then thought it was a good idea to go and see this man, alone, and offer him money?’
Naomi said nothing. She shook her head, stuck for words. Her heart was racing frantically. Watt flicked a page on his pad and positioned his pen to write.
‘What exactly were you paying him for, Naomi?’
‘Nathan owed him money.’
‘And why would you pay that debt for Nathan when he’d just supposedly plotted to have you killed?’
Naomi was speechless again. Annabel eyed her, concerned but also stuck for words.
Watt carried on. ‘And you paid Mr Solomon extra, is that right, to get revenge on your husband?’
‘Not revenge, no.’
‘Which word would you use?’
Annabel’s arm tightened around Naomi’s shoulder. Naomi said, ‘Why are you doing this to me? I’m trying to pick my life up and move forward. I’m going back to college, OK? I don’t want you here anymore. I’d like you to leave now.’
‘I don’t think you understand,’ Watt said. ‘I’m afraid it only gets worse. You’re aware that Simon Wilde went missing at the beginning of this week?’
Naomi had nothing to say.
‘Yes,’ Annabel nodded.
‘You know who he is?’
‘He’s Lorie’s ex-boyfriend.’
‘Right.’ He paused to scratch his ear again. ‘There’s been a development following our appeal on local news stations. This information hasn’t been made public yet.’
‘What development?’ Annabel asked.
‘Simon Wilde was last seen two days ago on Monday 19th September.’
‘The day after Naomi’s story broke,’ Annabel said, stroking Naomi’s hand. ‘We already know this.’
‘Of course.’ He turned his attention to his pad and returned it carefully to his top pocket. He pulled the lid off the base of his pen and covered the ballpoint, then tucked the pen beside the pad until only the thin tail of the lid was visible. ‘The last place Simon Wilde was seen was at Salford Quays, being admitted into the same block where Dan and Nathan Stone shared a flat.’
‘It’ll be Nathan’s involvement. Not Dan’s,’ Naomi said.
‘Really?’ Watt rubbed his nose. ‘Nathan was already in police custody at the time that Simon Wilde was seen entering the building. Of the two brothers, the only person in a position to admit him was Dan.’
‘Maybe Simon was visiting someone else,’ Annabel responded.
‘Well, we can’t rule anything out, but it seems like an incredible coincidence, don’t you think? Meanwhile, the police have a search warrant and the flat has been searched for evidence.’
Naomi lifted her head and found DC Watt’s eyes. ‘There is one person who saw me, apart from Dan. The guy from the cemetery the night I was abducted.’
‘Who is that person?’
‘I don’t know his name. He’s huge. Thick neck, shaven head.’
‘Where do we find him?’
Naomi lowered her voice. ‘Find Vincent Solomon, you�
�ll find him.’
‘Naomi. We’re going to have to ask you to come down to the station for further questioning.’
<><><>
‘Interview with Daniel Michael Stone, 21st September . . .’ DC Watt scratched his head and checked his watch. ‘15.32 hours. Present in the room with myself, DC Desmond Watt, is DC Pete Bailey. Dan, you’ve given us a full statement on the events leading up to the kidnapping of Naomi Stone and her safe return to her family on the night of 18th September. Now can you explain to us where you were on Monday 19th September?’
‘At home.’
‘And by home, you mean?’
‘Where I live, the flat in Salford Quays that I share with my brother, Nathan.’
‘Who wasn’t there that day because he was in police custody. Correct?’
A pause while Dan closed his eyes then opened them. ‘Yes.’
‘Tell us how you spent your time that day.’
Dan sighed. He rested his elbows on the table in front of him and put his head in his hands, pushing his fingers into his hair. He hadn’t slept properly in two days. ‘I didn’t do anything much. Read the news online. Ate a sandwich. Drank coffee. Lounged around. Tried to straighten my head and collect my thoughts. I was exhausted. My brother had been arrested. My parents were just home from the States. They’d returned when the news broke about Naomi’s disappearance. I had to talk to my mum. It was all a mess.’ He sighed again. ‘I should have been in work that day.’
‘Which is where?’
‘I’ve already told – ’
‘For the record, tell us again.’
‘The hospital. I’m doing a few months at Manchester Royal Infirmary on the children’s ward. Anyway I rang in and told them I didn’t feel so good.’
‘So you lied.’
‘It wasn’t a lie. I was in no state to work. It isn’t wise to be treating patients when you’re so tired you’re seeing double.’
‘Isn’t that part and parcel of working in the NHS?’
‘No comment,’ Dan stared at Des Watt, who stared back. The silence took hold of the room until Dan said, ‘Like I said, I didn’t go to work that day. Why any of this is relevant to Naomi – ’
‘Did you see anyone that day, at all?’
‘No.’
‘Speak to anyone?’
Dan stopped to think. ‘I rang my parents to fill them in.’ Dan shook his head. His eyes watered a bit. He blinked any suggestion of tears away. Watt waited. Dan had no more to add.
‘What time did you call them?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe half eleven. Something like that.’
‘In the morning?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you talk to Naomi Hamilton?’
‘We texted, but didn’t speak. I left her to spend time with her family.’
‘How thoughtful,’ Watt said. Dan glared at him and didn’t reply. ‘Did you see any neighbours? Go out for a walk? Nip to the shops perhaps?’
‘No.’
‘So no one can account for your movements that day?’
Dan leant back on his hard wooden chair and folded his arms. ‘Why are you –’
‘I think you know why.’
‘Of course I don’t.’
‘Just answer the original question please,’ Watt cut in coldly.
‘Which is?’
‘Can anyone account for your movements that day?’ DC Watt reiterated slowly and patronisingly, leaning across the table. ‘Anyone?’
Dan froze a moment and the room held its breath. ‘I don’t suppose so, no.’
DC Watt leaned back. His eyes shifted over to Bailey. Dan followed his gaze. Glances passed between the three of them. Watt put his elbow on the table and leant forward. ‘That’s too bad.’
‘And why is that?’ Dan said, barely a whisper.
‘Oh, I think you know exactly why.’
8
DC Des Watt was still at the station. His head throbbed behind his eyes. He should have been home by now and wished he was. Home was a terraced house on an unremarkable street in Eccles, Manchester. Insomnia had plagued Des since his divorce a decade earlier. Sleeping pills had ceased to be effective. He took them anyway. Patience was in limited supply. Energy was a thing of the past. Retirement was a sunrise on a distant horizon. Problems were an integral part of the job – a job that needed a clear mind; his felt as clear as fog. He checked his watch. Naomi Stone had failed to come in. He’d give her until the morning and then he’d be forced to arrest her. On what grounds? With what evidence? He sighed. This was the strangest case he’d ever encountered. His intuition wasn’t quite as sharp as it used to be. Little wonder when he was ready for the knacker’s yard.
A tidy tap on his shoulder had him looking behind him at his boss who’d been out all afternoon. Detective Chief Inspector Nick Dobson walked past him and expected him to follow.
‘A quick word, Des. My office.’
Des stood up, drifted past a dozen cluttered desks and entered a well-ordered transparent office through a blue door.
‘You look like crap, Des.’
Watt sat carefully in a chair, determined not to slump. ‘I’m fine.’
Dobson raised one eyebrow, one of his many talents, and half smiled. ‘I’d hate to see you when you’re not.’ He was the positive type, always happy. Always hopeful. He’d never had a wife or kids; never ruined anyone’s life and had to live with it. Watt sighed inwardly and sat still. ‘Bring me up to speed with the Stone case. What’ve we got on Nathan?’ he said in his upbeat tone.
‘Nothing. I had to let him go earlier. Same with Lorie Taylor. Both of them have to report to the station once a week. They’ve been asked to stick around locally and been warned to keep their noses clean or else.’
Dobson nodded. ‘What’s Nathan’s story?’
‘The very opposite of Naomi Hamilton’s. He insists he took her on honeymoon and she mysteriously vanished after a week. Everything led to the probability she’d dropped off the back of a cruise ship. You know the rest of the story. He insists she set him up to believe she’d lost her life.’
‘Why?’
‘Revenge. He had an affair with Lorie Taylor, her best friend. He thinks she wanted to punish him, and Lorie. Dan was involved. He tied Lorie up for a fortnight while Naomi apparently went through with an intricate plot to fake her own death. Then she reappears and claimed her husband plotted to have her murdered and took Lorie on honeymoon.’
‘Witnesses?’
‘This is the problem. No one saw Naomi in a fortnight except some guy in a cemetery the night of the wedding, according to Naomi and Dan.’
‘What guy?’
‘Working on that.’
‘Did Naomi call anyone?’
‘Only her mother. She managed to say Mum before she was cut off.’ Des held his hands out. ‘Tells us nothing. That call was made from Dan’s phone. Anyone could have said that one word. Could have been Lorie or Naomi. Camilla insists it was Naomi of course. Then Annabel has messages and pictures on her phone, sent from Naomi’s phone. She was having a great time etc etc.’
‘Where’s Naomi’s phone?’
‘No one knows. Lorie says Naomi has it and vice versa.’
‘Hell,’ Nick Dobson rubbed his face. ‘Which girl got on that flight?’
‘Anyone’s guess. Both girls are similar-looking. Height, weight, hair-styles, same colour eyes and hair. Whoever it was wore sunglasses and kept a very low profile at the airport. I’ve had two men trawl through hours of CCTV, which only reveals that whichever girl it was didn’t intend to be identified, which fits both stories. Of the air stewardesses on duty on that flight, there was a split between who they thought they saw. According to them, they were both on the flight. Nothing conclusive. Passport control, a guy called Mike Betts, wouldn’t even hazard a guess. He looked at me like I was an idiot and told me how many faces he examines in an average day.’
‘And the hotel, the night of the wedding?’
Watt sc
ratched his head. ‘The receptionist, Sammy Cooper, saw Naomi or Lorie leaving the hotel at around 9.30.’
‘Who did she think it was?’
‘She’s about the only witness who was sure of an identity. Got a really good look at her and was convinced it was Naomi. No one argues with the fact that Naomi went to the hotel with Nathan. The question is what happened next.’
‘So what did happen next?’
‘Nathan followed whoever it was out of the hotel. There was some shouting outside. Sammy Cooper heard a car skid away. She didn’t move from her desk. Nathan came back carrying the same girl in his arms a couple of minutes later, unless it wasn’t the same girl. Sammy Cooper finished her shift at ten and thought nothing more about it until she saw the news a week later.’
‘CCTV in the car park?’
‘Mysteriously out of order.’
Dobson straightened a pen on his desk. ‘Photos of the honeymoon?’
‘Lots of scenes of the Caribbean. A couple of pictures of Nathan. They kept themselves to themselves according to Nathan, who also said that Naomi couldn’t get enough action on the honeymoon. Naomi claims they’ve never had sex, let alone been on honeymoon. Whether or not virginity can be proven –’
‘Is doubtful,’ Dobson laced his fingers together, leant back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. ‘Where does Dan Stone come into all this? I mean, why would he get involved in dirty tricks that had nothing to do with him?’
‘Well, I could bore you with both sides of the story, which utterly contradict each other.’
‘Please do.’
Des Watt shrugged. ‘Dan’s side: he stepped in like a hero to save Naomi’s life.’
‘Why didn’t he call us and save himself the risk and the trouble?’
Watt twitched his shoulders again. ‘He said he couldn’t risk not being taken seriously. Nathan’s side – and this is ironic – he’s suspected something has been going on between Naomi and Dan for some time. Maybe not a relationship, but a close friendship.’ Watt puffed out all his breath and finally gave in to the urge to slump in his seat. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. Dan’s a junior doctor with glowing reports from all his superiors at the hospital. A straight-A student.’
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