by Emily Selby
Jack took it from her hand to look closer.
'I didn't steal anything. I never even went to your flat. You kept me outside,' Sofia drawled, glaring at Katie.
'You were,' Katie replied, feeling giddy. 'Here's the proof.' She pulled the piece of resin from her pocket and passed it to Jack.
'It's not mine,' Sophia said defiantly.
'Yes, it is. I saw the matching earrings on you, and so did many other club members.'
Blood drained from Sofia's face. She pressed her lips into a thin, pale line.
'Look, the phone,' Katie said, pointing to the spilled contents of Sofia's handbag. It was strange to see the same plain phone on the floor again.
'What?' Jack looked at her incredulously.
'The phone I told you about. It's there. Check it.'
Jack picked the plain phone from the floor. 'Is this your phone, Ms Parker?'
'I refuse to answer any questions. You have no right to hold me here-'
'I'm afraid we do,' Jack cut in smoothly. He stared at her. 'We saw you assaulting Katie Redford. You are now under arrest, Ms Parker.'
Sofia's jaw dropped. Her body jittered. Heat flashed in her eyes.
Chris and Jack exchanged glances. Jack took out his phone and called the station.
Fifteen minutes later, the duty officers left the craft room with Sofia and Chris. While Jack insisted on taking Katie to the hospital for a check-up.
27
Once she was cleared at the emergency department, Katie returned to town. She headed straight back to the police station, keen to lay charges against Sofia for assault. And even keener to make sure Jack continued the murder investigation.
'You're alright?' Jack waved at her when she walked into the staff room.'
'Hey Katie, lass! So great to see you alive. Want a cuppa?' Chris called out from the coffee machine.
'Yes, please. I wanted to thank you for saving my life, guys. But what took you so long?'
'No problem. That's what we do every day,' Chris said.
Jack only smiled.
'Well, you did a good job at saving yourself, to be honest, 'Jack said. 'I saw how you broke away from her clench. If we'd be a few seconds later, this could have been a different conversation.'
'Where were you by the way? Why weren't you answering my calls?'
'Sorry, I took dad to church that morning, here in Sunnyvale. And as I listened to your second message, I realised it would be much faster if I just turned up on site. So, I ran across the square. I saw Chris' car pulling up behind the building.
'I was lucky.' Katie smiled sheepishly. 'Again.'
'Incredibly lucky,' Jack said throwing her a frigid glance.
Katie bit her lip. He could have at least acknowledged that she had tried to make it as safe as she could...
'I called you this time...'
'You did, to your credit,' Jack said, a note of reproach still in his voice.
'She didn't say much,' Katie changed the subject. 'Did you hear any of her comments on the rings and her visit to my flat?'
'Some of it. But the rings may be of help. We'll have to push her a little,' Jack said. 'She's not saying much now, either.'
Katie looked around the room. She glanced at the monitors. 'Where is she?'
'The interview room,' Jack replied, 'talking to her lawyer.'
'Has she admitted anything?'
'She's a smart one,' Jack rubbed his chin. 'She's only confirmed what she said to you about the ring. It was made by her grandfather. She wanted to have it. Something to do with a jewellery-making competition. She says she "commissioned" it'—Jack made air quotes—'from Zac. She denies any involvement in breaking into your flat, let alone Zac's death.'
Katie's heart sank. Sofia was smart. 'Are you going to still consider her as a suspect at least? What about laying assault charges against me?'
'We are. I've sent her fingerprints to the lab. Let's see if they can match them with those glove prints we took from the vials. This would be at least something.'
Well, maybe this was not all lost yet.
'What about the other phone? The plain one on the floor?' Katie asked.
'Now, this was interesting,' Jack smiled. 'When I mentioned it, she asked to call her lawyer.'
'I presume it means this wasn't just a second phone, a work phone?'
Jack pressed his lips together slightly.
'Probably not,' he said, his head jerking away.
Katie smiled and swallowed an "I told you so."
She'd leave it for when the case was closed.
More evidence.
'Speaking of work, have you managed to dig anything on her previous employment?'
'That's why I couldn't answer your second call. I couldn't get off the phone with my secret informant,' he said, still not quite looking at her.
Katie took a deep breath and bit her upper lip. She had to be diplomatic, even though she wanted to rub it in. 'Anything useful?' she asked as casually as she could.
'Yep. When she worked in an addiction facility earlier this year, medications went missing from the hospital pharmacy. Actually quite a few things. One of the residents was caught red handed. Interestingly, he admitted to stealing some stuff, but he denied taking other things. Among those he didn't admit to were vials of phenobarbital. As the pharmacist on duty when the drugs went missing, Sophia was one of the key suspects. She was very helpful with the investigations, subtly implying other people's involvement but never accusing anyone outright.'
'Interesting strategy. I can see a pattern here,' Katie said slowly, thinking back to the interview she typed up. 'All those subtle hints at Michael, Ash Stanley, Zuza... '
'Yeah,' Jack said.
'Maybe this was when she started planning the murder,' Katie said as casually as she could. 'This happened just before she moved to Sunnyvale, right?'
'It looks so,' Jack replied.
'Good stuff, Katie,' Chris joined in. He raised his mug like a glass of wine. 'Good hunches!'
'Thank you, Chris,' Katie smiled with all her heart, eyes, and all the other internal organs. She’d been dying to make a comment about hunches, and since Chris had started it...
'Speaking of hunches, Inspector,' she said, controlling her voice for smugness, 'do you see, hunches can be useful? They may not carry much weight in terms of evidence, but if one follows a trail, one may find something.'
Chris snorted into his coffee. 'One may find something. I love when you speak oh-so-posh.' He winked at her.
Jack glowered at her, tensing his jaw muscles. 'Okay, okay, folks. Rub it in.' He made "come on in" gestures at them. 'I'll give you twenty seconds, no more. Tell me how you told me so.'
Katie smiled. Her stomach turned a little warm and fuzzy again. Probably some more butterflies hatching. It was good to see he could admit to his weaknesses and hopefully learn from them. It was even better to see he had a sense of humour. She found it a very attractive trait. 'Good to see you're learning to expand your toolbox, but I'll wait until I have more evidence, Inspector. Then, I'll rub it in.'
'Good to see you're expanding your toolbox as well, Katie,' Jack smiled at her. 'I think I owe you a few favours for those tips,' he added. 'How about I buy you lunch?'
Lunch with the drop-dead gorgeous, amusing DI Jack Heaton? Katie's knees turned cotton-candy again.
'Lunch and coffee?' Chris chipped in. 'Am I invited, too, or is it a date?'
Katie froze. Her heart skipped a beat. Even though, she was all for going out for lunch with Jack, she wasn't ready to admit publicly it was a date.
Chris glanced at her and flinched. 'Oh, sorry. Forget it. I've never said anything. I'm busy. I've got things to do, people to see... I didn't even hear what you said.'
Jack smiled. 'What do you say, private detective and hunch-master, Katie Redford?'
Katie pulled herself together to give it a thought. She wanted it badly, and at the same time, she was terrified. 'I say, "thank you, Inspector". I'd like to take up this
offer, but once we have more evidence-'
'So, you can rub it in while we're eating,' he cut in with a cocked eyebrow.
Katie blinked. 'That wasn't quite what I was thinking,' she said. She appreciated he was offering her a nice way of saving face. It would be a date, but it wouldn't. 'I just wanted to make sure I don't miss any updates. Plus, if I was wrong in any of my hunches, I'd like to hear it, so I can correct my approach in future. If there is ever a... Oh, you know what I mean,' she said and smiled at him.
'This should be sometime next week then. I'll be mostly back at the headquarters, but still popping in to wrap up this case. How about I'll give you a call when I have some news and we set time and date?'
'Great idea,' she said, pressing her hands to her chest. More butterflies were trying to work their way up and down and sideways.
28
Katie didn’t hear from Jack again until the following Thursday. To be fair on him, she had been off work for a few days. After Julia's return home, they visited Katie’s mother for a few days. Then, they worked on the birthday cards for the church fete—no calligraphy or quilling required.
Katie also tried to sound out Julia's views about a potential move to a new place. And on Wednesday, she took her daughter out for a walk along the stream. Officially, Katie suggested they might collect some autumn leaves for Halloween cards. Unofficially, she wanted to have a look at what was available for sale. A little semi-detached house with a lovely garden and a view of the stream was just as Katie wanted. She made a mental note to talk to Chris again about getting a good deal from Michael.
Well, once this whole case was over. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take much longer.
When she returned to work on Thursday morning, she was keen to find out how the murder investigations had progressed. But Chris was off duty and Celia was working with Inspector Lumley. Katie didn't feel comfortable asking any of the other officers, so when a message came in on her phone her heart made a little flip.
"Popping to Sunnyvale this late morning. Fancy lunch?"
So, Jack hadn’t forgotten his promise!
She was going to catch up on the progress in the case. And, most importantly, no, scratch it! And as well, she was going to meet up with the dishy inspector.
A bag of butterflies exploded in her stomach. She was both excited and terrified at the same time. Where should she take him? She didn't want to attract any attention to their lunch together. It wasn't anything more than two colleagues eating out. Basically, a work lunch out. She repeated the phrase to herself before she replied to his message: a work lunch out.
She texted him back as laconically as she possibly could, given her emotional state.
"That would be good. Do you have a place in mind?"
Fortunately, DI Heaton did have something in mind. And even more fortunately, it was linked with work.
When she entered the Royal Oak, he was already there. She spotted his broad-shouldered figure leaning on the bar. Chatting with Zuza!
The police had released her. It was good to know.
'Katie, here!' Zuza waved at her.
Katie approached the bar, forcing her wobbly legs to move forward. She waved back at her friend, relieved to have something else on which to focus her attention.
'Good to see you, Zuza. And, hello Inspector,' she added as casually as her dry mouth allowed.
'Hello Katie.' Jack looked good, really good. His voice was velvety and deep. His face was fresh with just a shadow of stubble. His blue eyes smiled at her from behind his glasses. This was definitely one happy police officer.
'I have just been talking to Zuza,' he said. 'I wanted to thank her for the help with the investigation.'
'So, is she free?'
'Yes, she's free. We've caught the murderer and we have concluded our investigations.'
Katie suppressed an urge to jump and scream for joy.
'That's great news,' she said instead. 'Except maybe for the murderer.'
'Definitely,' Jack said. 'Shall we order and talk it through?'
They ordered lunch and settled into one of the booths. The booth was quiet and isolated, which gave her hope their lunch wouldn't become the talk of the town tomorrow.
'So what progress have you made, Inspector?'
'Oh dear, are we back to being official?' he asked. A hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.
'No, no,' Katie said hastily. 'I was just joking, Jack.'
'That’s a relief. I really appreciated your help. And as agreed, I wanted to give you the opportunity to rub it in. You're welcome to say, "I told you so" however many times you think is necessary.'
Katie laughed. Well, he was changing his approach. This was pretty good. Even excellent compared with Barry. If only she had time and energy for a romantic life...
But she didn't. Not yet.
Maybe once she made her mind up about the new house.
But not before. Definitely not.
'Katie?' Jack's deep voice cut through her thoughts. Her cheeks burned. He must have been talking to her all that time!
'Yes? Sorry, I was just thinking about the questions I have for you,' she blabbed, desperate to cover her embarrassment.
'What would you like to know?'
'Did you find any matches between Sofia's fingerprints and the vials or the pen?'
'No, the pen was clear, except for yours and Zuza's prints. But the glove prints were likely hers.'
'Did she admit to the crime?'
'It was hard-going at first. She denied everything and got a lawyer, but once we had the glove prints and started re-checking things, the iron-clad fortress started to crumble.'
'Her alibi?'
'She lied and, as you suspected, she asked her friend to lie the first time around. She didn't arrive in Scotland on Friday night, as her ticket showed, but Saturday morning. She killed-'
'No, don't tell me!' Katie raised her hand to stop Jack. 'Let me guess how it happened, okay?'
Jack chuckled. 'Okay, Detective Hunch. Fire away!'
'She told him it was a burglary and that all she wanted was my ring. They got in. Her other ring must have broken off during the break-in. She killed him on the roof and left him there.'
Jack nodded. 'Good guess! She insists they had a heated argument. I bet her lawyer is trying to argue it wasn't premeditated, but-'
'But it must have been!' Katie protested, giddiness swirling in her head. Everything was becoming clear now. 'She stole the vials many months before that. And my pen.'
'That's what I think. This was clearly premeditated. I think she had been planning to kill Zac for many months, from when she met him, around May or so.'
'But why now?'
'I think it all started after Chiara's mother died. She left the house to Chiara, with all those bells and whistles. Chiara asked Sofia for help with getting the house back.'
'Where does Ash Stanley come into it?'
'Ah, sorry. Chiara's mother must have told Chiara about the arrangement with the Stanley family, so they got hold of Ash Stanley, trying to come to some sort of agreement first. But he wasn't keen. Once Sofia realised this was not doable, she must have conceived her plan. She chose Zac as the person to do it, and then planned to get rid of Zac.'
A heavy weight landed on Katie's shoulders. 'That's just so awful. What a heartless person. So... cruel and selfish of her! Using people like instruments to serve her purpose.' She shuddered. 'I'm so glad she'll end up in jail.'
Jack nodded. 'She's heartless, cruel and selfish, I agree.'
'So, what was she after?'
'Don't you want to try and guess?'
Katie thought for a few seconds. But the repulsion for Sofia's actions made it hard to think clearly. 'No, I don’t. Please, tell me.'
'I'm not very clear on this yet, but she keeps going back to the ring and, believe it or not, the treasure trove.'
'Hidden in the old house?'
'Apparently so. That's what she believes. From what I gathered, this might go ba
ck to those infamous debts her grandfather had with Ash Stanley's father.'
'This is getting complicated.'
'Old sins, long shadows...' Jack shrugged. 'I guess that this treasure trove was a supply of illegally acquired precious and semiprecious stones for Antonio Marino's jewellery-making business. On loan from Ash Stanley's father, but seized partially by the police.'
'Ah!' Katie's mouth gaped. 'That's something... And I can believe why she might want this, not the house and the plot.'
'I agree. Her mother’s the one who wanted the house back.'
'And Sofia wanted it for her mother?' Katie asked, hoping for a glimmer of human emotions in Sofia.
'I don't think so. Sofia might have made it look as though she cared about her mother, but in reality, she just used Chiara like she used everyone else to get what she wanted.'
'Poor Chiara,' Katie said slowly, thinking back to the woman in the wheelchair. 'She's not had a happy life. People have been mean to her all her life. And now, even her daughter, whom she loves so dearly...' Katie wiped the moisture gathering in her eyes with the back of her hand. 'So unfair to her.'
Jack nodded slowly. 'Sofia is not a good person. Although, she did tell some useful things and some of them are true. For example, killing Stanley complicated the inheritance issues and the house is now in an even messier situation. I doubt her mother will be able to get it back any time soon. Legally speaking, the agreement between Chiara's mother and Ash Stanley's father still stands. Ashley's family will inherit his share. But only after this investigation is over.'
'All she wanted was the access to the house?'
'Yes. And Ash Stanley turning up in Sunnyvale and sniffing around the house stood in her way. She already suspected Stanley of knowing about the trove, but she didn't want anyone else to know. It was hard enough to keep it quiet from Michael Bower...'
'Oh, yes, how is Michael doing?'
'He's a bunch of nerves, I think.'
'Have the missing documents been found?'
Jack laughed and shook his head. Katie's heart felt warm and fuzzy again. She pressed her hand to her stomach. Keep it under control, Katie!