‘That’s just it, isn’t it?’ Shelia said, glaring at him. ‘You weren’t thinking, were you, you bloody bell-end.’ She swiped him around the back of the head.
Crowley pushed her arm away. ‘I saw a chance and I took it. If that’s an arrestable offence,’ he said, looking at Claire again, ‘then by all means, arrest me.’
A silence fell between them all.
‘I think,’ Claire said, ‘we had better have a little chat.’
*
In a small, stuffy room, Crowley sat opposite Claire and Stefan, with a battered-looking coffee table between them.
Shelia was beside him, trying to keep her face impassive.
She wasn’t sure whether to be pissed off or pleased with him. Yes, he’d gone behind her back, but at the same time he’d been following his instincts, trying to scoop the story of the year. She could hardly be too angry with him for doing something she secretly wished she’d done first.
Crowley looked a little less sure of himself right now. Shelia decided if he had enough rope, he could hang himself and leave her out of it.
‘Am I under arrest?’ he said to Claire.
‘Have you done something I should arrest you for?’
‘I never touched Rupert Knox.’ He began to fidget and picked at a scab just hidden under his hairline. ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’
Claire gestured towards the door. ‘You’re free to leave whenever you wish, as I’ve already said.’
Shelia lost her patience. ‘Shit, Adam, if you know anything, and I do mean anything, you tell them now.’
Crowley sat back in his chair, a look of disbelief on his face. ‘I don’t know what to say.’ After a few seconds he gave in and explained he had rung Rupert several times. ‘He wouldn’t respond to the notes I pushed through his letterbox requesting an interview, and he’d long since stopped answering the front door unless absolutely necessary… You’re not going to do me for harassment, are you?’
Claire paused, let him stew a moment before she changed tack. ‘The victims,’ she said. ‘Ffion, Raja, Sophie… surely you wanted their stories as much as the Knox family’s?’
Crowley swallowed hard then, reluctantly gave a short, sharp nod.
‘Have you tried to contact them?’
Crap.
He nodded and he heard Shelia sigh heavily. He didn’t bother to look at her. He knew what she would be thinking.
‘They’ve said they will talk to me. I have a meeting with them tomorrow.’
Claire exchanged a look with Stefan. Despite the advice issued to the women in the last twenty-four hours, they were going against the warnings.
Shelia’s face dropped. ‘You never told me this.’
‘Course not – you would’ve wanted in on it. It’s my exclusive.’
Shelia rounded on him, turning towards him, but she held back when she saw Claire’s face.
‘You need to be careful not to help stir up a hornet’s nest, Crowley,’ Claire said, face serious.
He nodded. ‘Yeah, yeah, of course.’
‘I’m serious.’
He scratched at his forehead, picking away part of the scab absentmindedly. He flicked it from his fingers as he gave her a hard look. ‘It’ll be done with the utmost sensitivity.’ He locked eyes with her, neither willing to look away first.
Then he caved.
‘Are we done now?’
*
As Crowley walked towards the main doors to leave the station, Shelia beside him, he felt the weight of her stare.
He stopped dead in his tracks like a petulant child. ‘What?’
‘You know what.’
He shrugged.
She raised her eyebrows.
‘All right, all right,’ he relented. ‘I’ve been stupid… There, I said it.’
She cast him a contemptuous look. ‘Something we can at least agree on.’
CHAPTER 15
It was a little after 10 am when Claire and Stefan left the station. As they got into their separate cars, Claire saying she’d follow after him, she knew the next three visits could prove difficult at best.
The press conference had gone out live, and Claire was aware that the three visits they were about to make had the potential to be emotionally charged at best.
At Tewin, not far from Welwyn, only about ten minutes behind Stefan, she caught a glimpse of the Clarksons’ house through the trees that framed the narrow country road.
She turned into their drive and parked up beside Stefan’s car, but saw it was empty.
She peered up at the large, detached house. ‘Bloody hell,’ she said. The Clarksons were certainly doing well for themselves, or rather Sean was.
While Raja had started to work at a dog kennels part-time, Sean was obviously doing well as an architect. Looking at this house with its contemporary feel, Claire guessed he’d probably designed it himself.
As Claire got out of the car the front door opened. A petite woman in her mid-forties stood in the doorway.
‘Are you with the other man?’ she said as Claire approached. She showed the lady her warrant card, and she stepped aside. ‘I’m the Clarksons’ housekeeper, Diana Harrow.’
‘Housekeeper?’ Claire said. ‘They got a butler, too?’
Diana cast her an odd look. ‘I help Raja out with the house, the cooking, cleaning. She gets very tired most days. The house can be too much on her own.’
Claire took in the information, but didn’t answer.
‘This way, please,’ Diana said, standing aside to let Claire pass.
Once inside, a large Doberman Pinscher bounded up towards Claire and she stood rigid, like a statue. The dog bared its teeth and gave a low growl.
‘Axel!’
Claire’s eyes rose from the dog to look at the man who had appeared in the entrance hall. He was tall with dark hair and eyes, and broad shoulders. The sleeves of his jumper were pushed up his forearms.
The dog sniffed at Claire and when the man clapped his hands together, bounded over to him. The man squatted down and the dog licked his face. ‘This is not how we treat our guests, buddy,’ he said. He looked up at Claire.
He saw the uncertainty in her eyes.
‘Sorry about that,’ he said, pushing the dog aside and straightening himself up. ‘I’m Sean, Raja’s husband.’ He grinned. ‘You must be DCI Winters.’
‘You should muzzle that thing,’ she said, her face betraying her feelings of anger.
‘What, Axel?’ Sean grinned. ‘He’s harmless.’ He took a step closer and leaned in to whisper, as if sharing a secret. ‘Unless you’re a burglar,’ he said, grinning. He stepped to one side and gestured with his arm. ‘This way.’
*
When Claire entered the living room she saw Stefan sitting rigid in a chair with another dog, a large German Shepherd, sitting opposite him, eyes staring.
‘Hendrix,’ Sean said, and the dog moved towards him. Sean opened the large French windows that led out towards an annexe at the side of the house. ‘Go see Mumma.’ The dog went outside, followed by the Doberman, much to Stefan’s visible relief.
Claire raised her eyebrows at him, after he’d closed the doors. ‘Hendrix?’
Sean smiled. ‘Raja’s got a thing for musicians.’
An icy smile pulled across her face. ‘Where is your wife?’
‘In the garden. She’ll be back in a minute.’
‘Mr Clarkson here,’ Stefan said, ‘has been filling me in on the house…’
‘And how much I have to work to run it all!’ Sean said. He grinned. ‘No rest… as the saying goes. Di’s helping Raja decorate the gym downstairs, because I just don’t have the time.’
‘There’s a downstairs?’ Claire said.
‘Basement, really, but I thought it’d be good for Raja. She can work out to her heart’s content without feeling self-conscious.’ He mimed having scars on his face, by drawing a pretend line up from the co
rners of his mouth with his fingers. ‘People tend to stare, despite the make-up.’
He gestured towards Stefan.
‘I was saying to your colleague. Don’t be alarmed by her. I know it’s hard, but please try not to stare when you meet her.’
Claire gave him the once over. If he noticed, he didn’t react. Instead, he looked past her and smiled.
When Claire and Stefan looked behind them, they saw a tall woman, with chin-length black hair, walking towards the French windows, three large dogs bounding alongside her.
As she entered the living room from outside, the Doberman and German Shepherd ran out to the hall, but the third dog, a white Siberian Husky, stayed close to Raja.
When she looked at Claire head on, Claire saw the Glasgow Smile scars running up Raja’s cheeks, and the single diagonal scar though the middle of her face.
Marking her as victim number one.
In fifteen years the scars had faded a little, appearing a dark peach colour. Claire could see they were raised and tried her hardest not to stare. Seeing photographs of all three victims’ faces all those years ago hadn’t quite prepared Claire for seeing them in the flesh.
When Raja’s eyes met hers, she looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.
‘You’re the policewoman from the TV,’ Raja said. Her English was almost perfect, with only a slight hint of Ukrainian accent.
Claire nodded.
‘Knox is dead?’ she said. ‘You’re sure?’
Claire frowned.
‘We watched the press conference,’ Sean said, ‘but still Raja can’t quite believe it.’
‘I need to hear it from you,’ Raja cut in. ‘Seeing, hearing it on the television… it doesn’t feel real to me.’
Claire glanced at Stefan and gave a subtle shrug.
Her eyes returned to the broken woman in front of her. ‘He is dead, Raja.’
Raja gasped in relief at her words, and Sean gripped her hand. Her free hand was flat against her chest, as if afraid this was all some dream she had yet to wake from.
‘We need to speak with you about your whereabouts on 31st March between five and seven that evening,’ Stefan said. His eyes crossed to Sean’s. ‘Both of you.’
Both Sean and Raja paused a beat.
‘We went through this already with officers yesterday,’ Raja said.
Sean frowned, releasing his grip on Raja. ‘You can’t possibly think we had anything to do with this?’ He glanced at Claire. Her face looked hard, like stone.
Helping his wife into a nearby chair, Sean then looked back at Claire. ‘Raymond Knox had a lot of enemies,’ he said.
‘Precisely why we’re talking to everyone who was involved in the investigation fifteen years ago as a starting point,’ Claire said. ‘I apologise if it feels like we’re going over the same thing…’
‘You are going over the same thing,’ Sean said. ‘But I understand this will be our life for God knows how long.’
Claire gave him a nod and went to sit opposite Raja but the Husky growled, baring its yellow teeth, hackles rising on its back.
This dog looked more like a wolf.
‘Sixx,’ Sean said, gripping the dog’s collar. ‘That’s enough. They are not here to hurt Raja.’
Claire’s eyes met Stefan’s.
‘Diana!’ Sean called out towards the hall and Claire saw the woman appear in the doorway. Sean made her take hold of the dog’s collar. ‘Can you take all the dogs upstairs please.’
When Diana and the dogs had gone, Sean looked at Claire and Stefan’s faces and, as if reading their minds, said, ‘Since Knox…’ He broke off a moment, searching for the right words when he saw Raja flinch in the chair. ‘Since Knox did what he did,’ he said at length, ‘and Raja met me, we’ve always kept dogs.’
He leaned over the back of Raja’s chair and gripped her shoulder. She looked up and smiled at him.
‘You’ve raised them to be this aggressive?’ Claire said.
Raja shot her a look. ‘They’re my protection. They make me feel safe.’
‘Surely you understand, Chief Inspector?’ Sean said.
‘The 31st,’ Stefan said, breaking in. All eyes fell on him. ‘Where were you both?’
‘We were here… as I told the other officers yesterday,’ Sean said. ‘I took some leave from work, flew home from Dubai as soon as we heard of Knox’s impending release.’
‘Can anyone corroborate that?’ Claire said.
‘Diana was here. She gave a statement yesterday.’
‘We’ll need to speak to her again.’
Sean smiled. ‘Of course.’
‘What happened to him…’ Raja said. She stared at Claire, making sure they had eye contact. ‘I need to know… was he aware of everything that was happening to him?’ She ran her hand through the Husky’s coat as if it gave her strength.
When neither replied, Raja touched her mouth, traced fingers over her scars. ‘I’ve never experienced pain like it,’ she said. ‘Not before and never since. They say with time that the scars should fade.’ She looked at them both, fingers still pressed against her right cheek. ‘Mine haven’t. Not really.’
Stefan felt a pang of guilt in his chest, but he didn’t know why. There was nothing he could do to help Raja or any of Knox’s victims. He couldn’t take away their pain or fear.
‘Have you ever thought of cosmetic surgery?’ he said.
Raja regarded Stefan for a moment, then her face softened. ‘I decided that wasn’t for me… and my face has been cut up enough, wouldn’t you agree, Inspector?’
Stefan stuttered. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…’
‘It’s okay,’ she said, cutting in. ‘My appearance makes people uncomfortable. It reminds them what one human can do to another.’ She smiled at him and Stefan saw that, despite the scars, she was still beautiful. ‘I don’t leave the house like this,’ she added. ‘I use cover-up make-up.’
‘Around the house she rarely bothers,’ Sean said. He gripped Raja’s hand. ‘I accept her scars.’
Claire nodded, then threw them a curveball. ‘Do you see anything of Ffion or Sophie?’
‘No,’ Sean said.
Raja stirred under his touch and looked to Claire. ‘Not so much any more.’
‘It was becoming too much for Raja,’ Sean cut in. ‘Too much of a reminder, stopping her from moving on.’
‘When was the last time you saw them?’ Stefan asked Raja.
‘The other week, I think. I passed Ffion in Welwyn when I went to do some shopping with Di.’
‘You never go to Ffion’s house?’ Claire said.
‘I haven’t been there for a few years.’
Sean put his arm around Raja then. ‘She doesn’t need to. It wasn’t healthy to dwell on the past.’
‘What about Sophie?’
‘It’s been years. Many years. She’s practically a recluse.’
Claire nodded and her eyes scanned the room. She stopped when she saw some family photographs on the wall. ‘Is that your daughter?’ she asked, gesturing to a photograph where a young girl had her arms flung around Sean.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘That’s Laura.’
‘Is she around?’
‘She’s upstairs.’
‘I’ll need to speak with her, too.’
Sean nodded. ‘Of course. I’ll get Diana to show you upstairs,’ he said, directing the offer at Stefan.
‘Thank you,’ he said and followed Sean as he left the room.
‘I hear you have agreed to speak to a journalist, Adam Crowley,’ Claire said.
Raja looked panic-stricken. ‘How can you know that?’ When Claire went to speak, Raja raised her hand. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she snapped. ‘Please, you can’t mention this to Sean.’
‘Why ever not?’
‘I don’t have his permission,’ Raja said, lowering her voice. ‘Sean has always forbidden me to speak to the press about my past,
about our lives, and I’ve always respected that.’
Claire glanced towards the living-room door. They heard footsteps coming down the stairs. ‘What’s changed now?’
Raja heard Sean drawing closer. ‘It’s time people knew the truth, what we endured. Why someone like Knox should never be given the chance of a second life.’
Sean came into the room, smiling at them both.
Claire paused, saw the look of panic in Raja’s face. She looked for something to deflect Sean before he noticed his wife’s flushed face.
She gestured to the photograph of Laura on the wall. ‘Laura’s not yours, I understand?’
Panic turned to a look of relief, but pain just as quickly replaced it in Raja’s face. ‘At the time, I never wanted children after what Knox did. That changed when I met Sean.’
He eyed Raja and nodded.
‘Babies,’ she said. ‘We wanted one of our own.’
‘We’ve tried for one,’ he said. ‘It’s just never happened for us.’ Sadness registered across his face. ‘Knox is the likely cause of that.’
‘There’s still time, surely?’ Claire said.
Raja shook her head. ‘It’s been years and nothing. I couldn’t bear to go through months of tests to find out why nothing is happening.’ Her face lowered, eyes trained on a spot on the carpet to avoid anyone’s line of vision. ‘It is what it is, I guess.’
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.
‘I’m sorry,’ Claire said.
‘It’s okay,’ Sean said. ‘We have Laura.’
Raja smiled as he rubbed her shoulder. ‘Laura’s great,’ she said. ‘I think of her as my own.’
‘I’m curious,’ Claire said. ‘Why doesn’t Laura live with her mother?’
Sean’s face grew darker then at the mention of his ex-wife. ‘Heidi was never there for Laura. As soon as Laura turned sixteen, she wanted to live with us, and that agreed with Heidi. She could carry on with her career without having to try and put her daughter first any more.’
‘What does Heidi do?’
‘Banking,’ Sean said, voice curt. He made a show of looking at his watch. ‘Is there anything else you need? If not, I have work to do.’
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