by CA Sole
Phillips held up her warrant card. She was a tall, heavy young woman with a rather stern face under yellow hair. She did not return my smile; a tough no-nonsense girl who’s narrow, blue and permanently suspicious eyes told a story of harsh experiences and hard knocks.
‘Coffee?’
‘Thank you, that’ll be welcome.’
‘Where’s Sergeant Vale today?’ I waved at a kitchen chair on my way back to the coffee machine, ‘Please sit down.’
‘Sergeant Vale has been taken off the case, he’s needed in another enquiry.’
It was obvious that was all the information he was going to impart on that subject, but it seemed that my scheming had worked. I gave Carter and Phillips the coffees I had already made for us and started on another two. I waited patiently for him to ask the questions that had to come.
‘Where were you between midnight and one last night, please?’
‘Here, with Juliet. Why do you ask?’ I gave her a quick pleading glance as I put her coffee down. She looked surprised at my reply, but said nothing.
‘Will you confirm that you were both here last night,’ Carter said to her. Phillips had taken out a notebook and was scribbling in it as we spoke.
I didn’t dare look at her again. I did mutter ‘Please’ to myself, but Juliet didn’t hesitate, ‘Yes.’
‘Watched TV?’
‘No. We just talked mostly about what Alastair’s going to do if the money isn’t recovered. We went to bed about midnight. What’s the matter?’
‘Did you reach a conclusion?’
‘No, we just went round and round in circles, I’m afraid. If there’s no chance of getting the money, then he’ll be forced into a decision, but until then I suppose procrastination will hold sway.’
Carter nodded his understanding. ‘There’s been a development on that score, but first I must tell you that Sandra Collins was murdered in her flat last night.’
‘What?’ Feigning genuine surprise is not as easy as it’s made out to be, especially when you are being scrutinised by the police. ‘How? Who? When? Oh, between twelve and one as you asked, I suppose.’
Juliet had her hand up to her open mouth, but she said nothing, her eyes wide.
‘We don’t know who yet, but I....’
‘Have to eliminate you from our enquiries,’ I finished for him.
He smiled for the first time since he’d arrived, ‘A hackneyed phrase, but apt,’ he remarked. ‘Yes, I have to do that, and I must warn you that an alibi from two people who might have the same motive will be treated with caution.’
‘Chief Inspector, I’m not sure what I feel about her death at this early stage. Good riddance certainly, but mainly regret, I think, because she hasn’t told us where the money is. Which leads on to a motive on my part: if I were going to kill her, do you really think I’d do it before the money was recovered?’
He acknowledged that, while Phillips continued to jot down notes.
Juliet came out of her shocked trance and asked softly, ‘How was she killed?’
‘We don’t know yet. There are no obvious signs, but the pathologist is working on it.’
‘How do you know she didn’t just die of a heart attack or some other natural cause?’
‘She had been sexually assaulted. I’ll spare Miss Meredith the details. I have some news for you, though. When the lads were searching the crime scene, they came across two keys, one of which appears to be from a storage locker. We think it’s possible that the money is there, and I’ll have men working on the location of that locker this morning.’
‘Fantastic! Thanks, but come on, Chief Inspector,’ I replied, ‘we’re not children and we’re heavily involved as you well know. What does “sexually assaulted” resulting in death mean?’
‘It means she had a dildo stuffed in her mouth and another double ended one in her vagina.’ Phillips was less inhibited than Carter and issued the news with force and undisguised disgust. It earned her a look of rebuke from him.
‘I can’t tell you the cause of death, I really can’t at this stage. We’ll have to wait for the pathologist.’ Carter was not going to debate the situation. He picked up his jacket, ‘Thanks for the coffee, we’ll be in touch as soon as we hear about the lockers, one way or another.’
‘What does this mean, Chief Inspector?’ asked Juliet, ‘Where does this leave us?’
‘I’ll be in touch as soon as we know something, as I said.’ Carter led the way out followed by Phillips who seemed to have mellowed slightly.
‘Thank you,’ I gasped gratefully at Juliet, ‘You have nothing to fear from lying for me, but it was a very loyal thing to do, especially without knowing what the implications would be.’
‘I want a full explanation, now!’ she answered angrily, ‘Did you have anything to do with that witch’s death? Or were you out socialising last night?’
‘Slow down, Jules. Calm down, please. I did not kill Sandra,’ I said forcefully, ‘and I wasn’t out having a good time in the pub or night club or anybody else’s bedroom, which is obviously what you think. Sit down and I’ll tell you everything. Would you like more coffee?’
I told her the whole story, everything that had happened since she left. I told her of Vale’s involvement and how I’d sent the text message to incriminate him. I only left out my true intention of revenge on Sandra. It wasn’t necessary to tell her that.
‘That double ended thing, that’s used between two women, I suppose?’ She got up and began to pace around the room.
‘It must be, although with a stretch of imagination I can see how some others would find a way to harness its attractions. I don’t know; not my scene.’
‘What to you think, Mandy or Vale?’ Juliet asked and picked some eggs out of the basket for scrambling.
‘I just don’t know,’ I put two slices of rye bread into the toaster. ‘The sexual nature of the crime could mean that it was an act of jealousy, and if she and Mandy were into each other then Mandy could have taken exception to the visits by Vale; amongst plenty of others, of course. And it could just as well have been Vale for similar reasons, or even someone else we know nothing about. Was this a lesbian murder? Surely Sandra wasn’t that way inclined? But, I suppose, given her voracious carnal appetite she might well have been bisexual. Maybe this has nothing to do with our case at all.’
‘Vale knew about the money, if that had something to do with it.’
‘So did Mandy, but I’ll bet no third party did.’ I had another thought that should have been in the frame much earlier, but a lot had been going on, ‘Just a minute, I sent that “Help” text to Vale with Sandra’s phone. That evidence will still be there on her phone and Vale’s too if he hasn’t deleted it.’
‘Remember, you sent the message shortly after she died, and a guilty Vale would know that and would know that someone else must have sent it. If it was him, I wonder if he knew someone else was in the flat when he left.’
‘If he committed the murder,’ I replied, ‘he would want to get her phone as soon as possible and destroy it to remove that evidence of his connection with her. If he didn’t kill her, he would presumably respond to the text and he’d want to preserve the phone, because that would be evidence that he was not the murderer - she’s not going to ask her killer for help. Either way he’d be in trouble, something he would not be able to avoid in any event with his DNA all over the place, but better to be accused of anything other than murder.
‘Why don’t we take Carter out for a drink? I like the man, and I think it’s reciprocated. I was thinking of doing it anyway when the case was over, but why not now?’
‘D’you think he’d come? The case isn’t over and you might still be a suspect.’
‘Maybe not. We can only try.’
A minute or two passed in silence. I couldn’t wait any longer, ‘Jules, why are you here? And why did you give me a false alibi?’
She gave me a very short smile and took a deep breath. ‘There’s only one answer. I�
��ve been lectured by Mary. She convinced me that I shouldn’t throw this relationship away. She reminded me of everything about us before you did what you did. About how good we were for each other, how we had a positive effect on other people, how much fun we had ... She said I would be daft to cut ties with you. So, I’m here to say that I want to return to being your best companion, your best friend along with Giles, so the alibi was a gut reaction to old loyalties. Wait, I haven’t finished,’ she ordered with her hand up as I opened my mouth. ‘So, that’s what I am, your best and most loyal friend, but I’m not your lover. I may never be, I just don’t know, I can’t think about it. I’ll have to come to terms with it and forgive you first, and I don’t know how long that will take.’
Then she did something I’ll never forget. She stood up, came close and kissed me hard and passionately on the lips. I started to put my arm around her, but she stood back and gave me one hell of a slap across my cheek. It knocked me sideways off my chair and it stung too; such power from such a small person! I was on one hand and my knees on the floor, picking myself up. The other hand was massaging my cheek. She stood there, looking down at me without malice and said, ‘That sums up how I feel; love and anger. I’m confused, but I’ll muddle along until it sorts itself out in my little brain.’
‘You can carry on beating me up if it’s going to help.’ The shock of her blow had transmuted into humour, and she laughed. What a wonderful sound, one I hadn’t heard in, how long? An absolute tonic.
Carter was reluctant at first, but after a little persuasion agreed to meet us at The Mandolino. The weather had passed through and the autumn sun was warm, so we chose a table outside on the pavement. The area was not decorated and homely like the inside of course, but it was more pleasant to be in the fresh air when conditions allowed. To my left, through the window, was the table I had occupied when Sandra barged into my life. It seemed that the wheel had almost turned its full circle. The Mandolino was where it had all started, and it was here that we were about to discuss what were hopefully the closing phases. I made a silent prayer that Carter would not ask when we were going to be married. That would lead to my use of the word fiancée and bring down more trouble on my head.
A border collie, which was lying under another table, was watching us from between its front paws. I gave it an encouraging look and it wandered over to be petted, bringing back a brief sense of loss over Tina.
There weren’t many people in the restaurant at that time, so it didn’t take long for the drinks to arrive along with one of those little dishes with three compartments: one with green olives stuffed with a slice of chilli, one with green olives stuffed with a slice of garlic and one with black olives. Carter and I had a Peroni each and Juliet had a ginger beer. ‘I’m driving,’ she declared as if she were proving something to the policeman.
‘Woman’s lot, seems to be anyway, although my wife and I take turns, which I think is pretty generous on my part!’ he commented, laughing at his own expense. ‘I’ll walk home, it’s not far.’
A bus drew up at the stop across the road to let some passengers off, but there was no queue to get on this time. A red Ferrari waited in the traffic on our side of the road almost abreast of us. The driver kept blipping his engine, either loving the howl of power at his command or showing off; whatever, it was noisy.
‘Chief Inspector, is Alastair still a suspect?’ Juliet asked when the car had moved on, ‘Am I a suspect as a beneficiary in Giles’ will?’
‘Officially? We have not found Sandra Collins’ murderer yet, and we’ve not had a confession from Wiggins for the assault on Giles Collins. Both of those are still open, and Mr Forbes is still in the frame. Privately, sticking my neck out further than I should do, I don’t see either of you being guilty of anything serious - yet. Things might change, though. I still have to maintain an open mind.’
‘Fair enough,’ I replied, ‘This is mostly a social occasion because I think you and I have a mutual respect for one another, and Juliet and I are both trying to calm down after all this and thought it would be good to get an off the record opinion; if you can, of course. In that light, may we call you Jim?’
His mouth twisted into his lop sided grin. ‘Of course, Alastair,’ Still smiling he turned his head and added, ‘and Juliet.’ It seemed that he too was happy to relax for a while at least. Maybe too, he thought we might let something slip to complete his picture of the case.
‘I’ll tell you where we are,’ he began. ‘Tony Wiggins is out of hospital and safely locked up in jail.’
‘Will he get bail?’ Juliet’s concern was plain.
‘I will certainly oppose it, and it’s unlikely given the large amount of cash available to him to enable an escape, and the fact that he’s such a violent man. If he is granted bail we’ll be keeping a very close watch on him, so there’s no need for you to worry.’
‘That’s a relief, anyway. We were thinking it was probably Mandy that killed Sandra, given the type of sex toys used?’
He agreed, ‘Possibly. Forensics have examined the dildo and found traces of vaginal fluid on the end that was not inside her. It doesn’t match her DNA, so another female was involved.’ He paused and sipped his beer; a cautious drinker. ‘We’re looking for Mandy Wiggins, including at her caravan, but apparently she hasn’t been there since Tuesday, according to the receptionist.’
‘And how did Sandra die?’ asked Juliet.
‘Pathologist says it was a massive dose of pentobarbitone, injected into the abdominal cavity.’
‘Pento what?’ I asked.
‘Pentobarbitone,’ answered Juliet, ‘is a drug used by vets as an anaesthetic and also to put animals to sleep.’
‘How do you know that?’ I asked, realising immediately that it was a stupid question and bound to be used against me.
‘I thought that after all these years you knew all about me,’ she retorted, ‘In case you haven’t realised it, I work with animals and every so often meet the vet.’
Jim Carter watched this teasing exchange with amusement. He seemed to be thinking of past pleasures of his own. ‘Now, on the matter of the money,’ he announced.
‘Oh yes?’ Juliet exclaimed .
‘It was quite easy to find the locker actually, the key was marked with a storage company name, so all the lads had to do was find out which branch it was. There was no money in it though. It appears she was ready to travel somewhere, and as it was close to St Pancras station, it’s possible she was thinking of the Eurostar to Paris, or ... ?’ He flapped an open hand. ‘There was a large suitcase containing clothes, toiletries and so on. There was also a current passport in the name of Sandra Parsons, her maiden name. She never changed her name on marriage to Collins.
The other key is for a padlock and that could be anything, anywhere. However, if Sandra used a storage company for one bag, it’s not unlikely that she used one for the other, and we’re still searching. Logic says it must also be close to St Pancras if she wanted to make a quick getaway. It could take a long time to find it, I’m afraid.’
There was a muffled sound of a phone, and Jim dug it out from his jacket pocket. Listening intently, he regarded me steadily, frowning. ‘Yup,’ he snapped and stopped the call. ‘You didn’t tell me you’d cut out the rear window of the caravan to get in.’ The pleasant, relaxed look had left his face.
I was silent for a few seconds, and he said, ‘Well?’ with a raised eyebrow.
‘Sorry, you didn’t ask and I wasn’t going to volunteer that I broke in. It was stupid of me, I should have told you, I suppose.’ I was still stroking the collie and the owner, who was wearing a thick dirty jumper and wellies, gave me a friendly nod.
‘I warned you before about taking matters into your own hands, and I ignored it before.’ He was undoubtedly cross. Perhaps he felt I had betrayed his trust in me, or perhaps it was merely that I was meddling in his investigation. ‘Again, because your actions are perfectly understandable, even if they do muck me about, I’ll leav
e you to the mercy of the Counsel for their defence, and he or she may well have a go at you.’
‘Thanks. Sorry, it won’t happen again.’ It already had of course, in Sandra’s flat, but I was never going to admit to that.
‘Let’s hope not.’ He tapped his glass and waved at the waitress, ‘Another?’
‘Please. Thanks.’ We fell silent for a while, and I struggled to think of something to lighten the mood again, but failed. ‘I have to say I’m glad that Sergeant Vale is no longer working on this, I found him a confrontational and difficult man.’
Jim didn’t answer as the girl was on her way back to the table with the beers. He handed her some change. ‘I suppose you’ll find out at some stage,’ he said to us when she’d left, ‘Vale was sleeping with Sandra Collins, and ...’
‘What?’ Juliet and I both uttered. She thought for a minute and said, ‘That means he could have been telling her everything that was going on. It means his loose mouth could have resulted in my kidnap!’ She was flushed and angry. ‘And everything that followed!’ It was a brilliant performance.
‘I’m afraid so.’ Jim avoided our looks and stared into his beer, feeling some guilt on behalf of the force which might even have mitigated his anger at my behaviour, ‘I can do little else but apologise. Looking back, I realise there were signs, but I missed them. When we went over Sandra’s flat after her murder, evidence of his presence was everywhere. Until we found that another female had used the dildo, he was seriously considered as being guilty of the murder. He’s been suspended of course, he’s not completely cleared of murder, but even if he didn’t kill her he’ll never remain in the force.’
‘Think about it,’ Juliet said later when we were back at home, ‘If I were Sandra and was going to catch the Eurostar to some far off destination, I’d be worried about being followed. I’d store my go-away kit in a suitcase in a locker, aiming to change in the toilet and emerge a new person. I’d jump on the train immediately and reappear in France before anyone following me had worked out that I’d changed clothes.’