by Emily Selby
'What?' she asked brusquely.
'Nothing. The documents never went missing. He hid them once he realised Ash Stanley was not as naïve as Michael originally hoped. Because Michael did meet with Ash Stanley. And it was on the day he took his father to that, and I quote, doollaly doctor. I'm not quite clear on what he did with the lease document. The matter is now with the fraud team. As I understand it, Michael took a photo of the lease document in a way that showed the lease was due to expire soon. He didn't fiddle with the document, but he wanted to make Stanley believe the house was worthless to convince him to sell his share.'
Katie sighed with relief. Poor Michael. She hoped he'd be out of this mess soon. And hopefully, keen to sell some more houses by the stream.
'Okay, so now onto the, "I told you so" bits. Did Sofia have a second phone?'
'Yes, you were right. It was Stanley's phone. She'd arranged to meet with Stanley. The meeting was meant to resolve the tenants-in-common agreement. Officially, that is. Unofficially, of course, she had Zac all set up to kill Stanley. The lawyer is insisting it was the generation-long grudge and all the grief and suffering the Stanleys had caused to the Marino family, but I doubt that’s the case.'
'You think she didn't really care about it?'
'No,' Jack said slowly and shuddered. 'The more I interact with her, the more I think she is a cold-bloodied sociopath. Or a wounded narcissist. Everything revolves around her and people exist only to serve her.'
A frosty chill crept down Katie’s spine, sending her body into jitters. 'She could have killed me...'
'Yes,' Jack said grimly, 'and many times over. You were incredibly lucky.'
'I was lucky to have the two of you there,' she said, trying to make it sound lighter. She was incredibly lucky indeed...
'Sofia is a dangerous person. I’m surprised she didn't come to the police attention before now. That's unusual. She's probably walked a tight line, stealing drugs from the hospital, or lying on her CV, but nothing really serious. She has also achieved quite a lot in her life. I just guess, the hidden treasure pushed her over that edge.'
'Yes, and she really wanted to win the jewellery contest. Maybe she wanted to be famous? Rich?'
'Or both.'
'Why did she use my pen?'
'I'm not entirely clear on that, either. But it looks as though it was just an opportunity she grabbed.'
'You mean, she saw Zuza using it and thought this would be a handy tool?'
'Yes, a handy tool to deliver what she wanted to deliver, with someone else's fingerprints on it.'
'Did Sofia know Zuza was Zac's girlfriend?'
'She never mentioned it, but my guess is she did. I bet this was part of her plan to direct our attention onto Zac's jealous girlfriend.'
Katie nodded. The cold-blooded logic used by Sofia was scary but believable.
'Your lunch,' the waiter announced. Katie welcomed the shift of focus. They concentrated on arranging plates and drinks on the table.
'So, what's now for you, Inspector... I mean, Jack? Will we see you at all?' she felt a pang of sadness at the thought he might not be coming to Sunnyvale any time soon.
He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose.
'I hope there are no more murders in your happy town, but you may see me very soon.'
She stared at him. He was smiling smugly.
'Now what, Inspector? Have you asked to be transferred to us?' she said exaggerating the tone to make sure he didn't get the real feeling behind it.
He shot her a piercing look, but his lips were still smiling.
'Would you want me to?' a hint of warmth edged into his voice.
Katie's knees turned to cotton-candy again. Good she was sitting! She nudged the hatching butterflies back into the place with her elbow.
'They've offered you a job with us? Seriously?' she asked, carefully omitting to address the clearly personal aspect of his question.
The corners of his mouth dropped. 'No, but they've asked me to investigate some unusual Internet activity. It seems to originate from Sunnyvale community centre.'
'Cybercrime in our community centre?'
'Maybe. It's for me to find out.'
'So, we'll see you again really soon?' she asked, this time allowing the hope to seep into her voice. 'I've enjoyed working with you, Inspector Heaton. You can be infuriating with your logic and demands for petty stuff like evidence, but it's been fun,' she said, smiling at him. 'Apart from nearly being killed, I mean.'
A smile brightened his face. His eyes glistened behind the glasses. He lent across the table and touched her hand. His warm fingers sent a tingling up her arm, right to her chest. Freeing even more butterflies.
'It's been a great pleasure working with you, Katie. I hope we can work again soon.'
She gulped.
'So, do I, Jack,' she croaked and reached out for her glass of water. 'Dang it! I forgot to tell you "I told you so."'
'You can do it next time.'
Well, she could. She had a hunch there would be a next time.
Glitter, Greed, and Gatecrashers
1
Katie Redford climbed to her feet. She picked up her car keys and her phone from the table.
'I'd better be going,' she said, addressing her friend. 'It's getting late.'
Michelle blinked and looked up at Katie, her eyes glazed with confusion.
'What were you saying, Katie? Sorry, I was thinking about my and Olivia's booth at the fete.'
Michelle had been distracted all evening. 'I just made a comment about needing to go,' Katie repeated. 'Why are you thinking about your booth? It looked great. It had a lot of interest. Boosting women's confidence with makeup and hair styling is a great idea. I overheard a few conversations by very happy customers - these women were delighted with your advice. Olivia is over the moon about it.'
'Yeah, she kept banging on about it all evening.'
Was there a hint of sarcasm in Michelle's voice? She was really behaving strangely.
'You're unhappy it's been so successful?' Katie asked. Despite the enthusiasm Michelle had shown for the women's confidence project since the beginning, Katie had a feeling her friend was not entirely convinced it had been a good idea.
'I am happy for Olivia and her project. It looks like a great idea. I love helping women feel better about themselves and I agree with Olivia that a lot of it comes from the self-confidence. I can see how my beauty and hairdressing experience fits into her project. But you can find so much on how to look and feel great online and for free, I am not sure if this is a viable business model.'
Ah, so that was what was bugging Michelle. She had always been a sound businesswoman, and the success of her Styles and Smiles salon was entirely the result of her hard work.
'Weren't you going to talk to someone about it?
Michelle flinched. She pressed her lips into a pale line.
'Yep,' she replied curtly. 'I was, but he didn't turn up. He had something more important to do.'
Michelle collected the dirty cups from the table and put them in the sink. Katie zipped her jacket. There was no point in pushing Michelle now. Katie would talk to her about it after the stress of the church fete was over. Next week, for instance.
'Thank you for inviting Julia to stay with you,' Katie said trying for a lighter tone.
'No problem, Katie. You know my girls love having your daughter around, and it makes more sense. Kev can take care of them while we're still busy with the fete. Do you have a lot to do tonight?'
'There are more pretty things to put on the table tomorrow morning, and I've finished the new banner, but I need to pop into the community centre to pick up a jar of glitter for Julia. She'll need it tomorrow.'
'Ah, indeed. She was very specific about it.'
'Yes,' Katie said, adding a gentle sigh. 'I hate the idea of taking it home. You can't imagine how awful glitter can be. It gets everywhere.'
'Do you still keep all your craft supplies in the com
munity centre?'
'I do. I thought about creating a craft corner in the living room, but there's just not enough room.'
'So, the recent murders have not made you change your mind.'
Katie shuddered at the memory of the recent tragic events in Sunnyvale.
'To be honest, I try not to think about it, but I've not done any paper quilling or lettering since. And if it continues, the range of crafts I'll be able to do will shrink considerably. But even after what happened, I'd still rather keep my craft boxes in the club. As I said, there’s simply not enough room at home.'
Katie left Michelle's house and drove to the community centre through the empty, sleepy little town. The residents of Sunnyvale and all invited guests were going to return to the happy celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Saint George’s church the following morning. She thought about the first day of the fete. It had been rather successful. In fact, so successful, the Paper Crafts Club sold most of the products they had set out on the stall, and she had to replenish the stock with items the club had prepared over the preceding months. Fortunately, the club members had made more items their stall could accommodate, so it was simply a matter of adding some finishing touches, hence the need for glitter. And then, shifting the box with extra products from the little spare room they were using as storage to the church hall.
Katie pulled up at the back of the community centre, near the entrance to their Club and clambered from her car. November’s chilly drizzle smudged on her face. She stifled a groan, remembering the glitter was in the spare room, not in the crafts room. Since the main entrance to the community centre was locked, she'd have to use the side door. She wasn't looking forward to walking around the dark building. The council should really have installed a street light on this side as well.
She crossed the lawn surrounding the centre, trying not to think about the mud collecting on her best shoes. She stopped by the side door and rummaged in her handbag, looking for the key. The lights on the church hall were already off. Not a surprise considering it was 9.30 pm. The nearest street lamp was across the square along the street. Even the car park on the side of the community centre was dark.
Katie shivered. She pulled her mobile from her pocket and used the flash light function to find the key and unlock the door.
She walked in and felt the wall for the light switch. What a relief! She found it and flicked it. The yellow glare filled the hallway, bouncing off the glass panes of the door leading to the main part of the building. Katie headed left down the hallway towards the spare room. Her footsteps echoed. Her best shoes made an eerie clicking. Katie hurried. She wanted this over and done with.
She reached the door and found it slightly ajar.
Someone must have forgotten to close it. With everybody being so busy during the fete, it was quite likely. Katie pushed the door. It gave way with a screech. She stepped into a dark room and flicked on the light. The cold glare of the old fluorescent lamp picked out an overturned chair lying in the middle of the room amongst a scattering of coloured papers. Oh... Someone must have tripped over and spilled the content of the box. She crossed to picked it all up. Who the heck was the last one to leave the room? Or did a cat get in here?
Katie crouched by the chair. A trail of red glitter caught her eye. She jerked her head to the right, following it. She blinked. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach clenched.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again.
A body lay in the corner by the cupboard. A tall, stocky, suit-clad body.
'Hello? Are you alright there?' Katie called out, her throat dry.
There was no reply.
She heaved herself up and took a little pace forward.
'Hello?' she repeated.
Still no reply.
Fighting her wobbly keens, she crossed to the body, stopping just a step away from it. The man lay on his front, with his arms spread out.
Katie's jerked her hand to her mouth and stifled a shout. She crouched automatically to check for a pulse but found none.
No wonder. A small, dark, round spot surrounded by a cloud of dots marred the back of the man's head. No blood splatter, no fragments of tissue around. If the man hadn't been bald, it would have been easy to miss.
But Katie, a part time admin clerk at the local police station, had seen similar things before, even if only in photos.
The man had been shot.
She climbed to her feet buckling her knees to prevent herself from collapsing on the floor. She dialled the emergency number with her trembling hands.
'Hello, it's Katie Redford,' she croaked to the operator. 'I'm at the community centre in the storeroom. I-I’ve just found a body. A man. I-I think he’s been shot,' she carried on automatically. She answered the questions that followed.
Over the previous couple of months, she had been involved in a number of murder investigations. She had become quite skilled at relating the essential information to the emergency services. It still didn't make it any easier.
When she disconnected, she stepped outside the room and leant against the wall. Breathing heavily, she wiped the tears gathering in her eyes.
The police should be here soon.
2
When the local police arrived, Katie couldn't shake the sense of déjà vu. Once again, her friends Sargeant Chris Fox and Constable Celia Baxter were on duty, as they had been the last time Katie discovered a murder victim.
'Found another body, lass?' Chris greeted her, his voice echoing in the empty hallway.
Katie threw him a glance, in attempt to convey her disdain for his dark humour. Chris ignored it.
'We'll need a formal report from you,' he carried on. 'Your favourite DI Jack Heaton is on the way.'
Heat flashed in Celia's dark eyes.
'His not my favourite,' Celia said in a clipped voice.
Chris glanced at Celia, confusion spreading on his broad, freckled face.
'I thought...' Chris said and paused. 'Never mind,' he added and shifted his gaze back to Katie.
Katie shrugged. Celia's unusual reactions were not really high on her priority list at that moment.
'The body’s in the storage room,' Katie informed, pointing at the door. The officers disappeared into the room.
About half an hour later the community centre filled with the forensic team, taking photos and spreading their finger printing powder. Katie wondered if they would forget about her letting her stay on the bench in the middle of it all. She was numb and wasn't sure what to think. She really wanted everything over and done with and thanked heavens Julia was on a sleepover.
'Hi Katie, how are you?'
The familiar velvety baritone pulled her out of her deliberations. Katie lifted her head to greet Inspector Jack Heaton, from the regional serious crime office, who had been visiting Sunnyvale quite often of late.
'Fancy meeting you here again,' Katie said trying to install some humour into her words. But it fell flat.
'I need to take a statement from you. Do you mind accompanying me to the police station?'
She didn't mind. On the contrary, she was happy to dash out of the building.
When they reached the police station, Katie gave Jack a brief summary of her evening at Michelle's and then her discovery in the spare room.
'Did you notice anything unusual about the place tonight?'
'It's been crazily busy all day. You may know this weekend is our church anniversary fete. We've had loads of people coming for the celebrations. A lot of unusual things about the place tonight, to be honest.'
'A lot of people?'
'Most of Sunnyvale residents, and some visitors from the nearby villages and towns. I guess, this man has come here as a guest, too?'
'Has he?' Jack looked at her curiously, as if checking for signs of recognition. Katie couldn't help noticing the dark shadow of stubble on his rugged and handsome face. If this was another murder, Jack would have to do a lot of commuting between Sunnyvale and the village where he wa
s staying with his father again. Long days and a lot of driving at various times of day and night. He must have hated Sunnyvale by now.
'If you’re wondering, I didn't recognise him from the back,' Katie said carefully. 'That's why I assumed he must be one of the guests. I didn't touch him, beside checking for the pulse.'
Jack pulled a camera from his pocket and showed her a photo. Katie winced seeing the purplish, waxy face.
'Definitely, not a local. I don’t remember seeing him at the fete today, either. You'll have to ask around. Maybe someone will know who this is.'
'No need,' Jack replied briskly and put the camera away. 'I recognised him. His name is Jeffrey Livermore. Does the name ring a bell?'
Katie shook her head. 'Never heard of him. What was he doing here?'
'That's a good question. The million-dollar question, in fact. He's not a typical village celebration attendant material. Unless he visited someone in particular.'
Katie's cheeks burned.
'I beg your pardon? We’re not a village! Sunnyvale is a town and a medium size one.'
Jack attempted a laugh.
'Sorry, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. No offence, please.' He raised his hands in apology. 'Mr Livermore has worked as a freelance employment consultant for local authorities in the country. He's a former IT specialist, who used to work with big companies. And before you ask how come I know so much about him...'
'Is this the guy you've been spying on?' Katie asked.
She suddenly remembered the comments Jack had made when they last met over a lunch, just over three weeks ago, following the conclusion of Zach Greenberg's and Ashley Stanley's murders.
'Oh, I see you remembered that,' he said, his blue eyes sparkled behind the glasses. 'Jeff is one of the people I have been keeping an eye on, but not necessarily in connection with the strange Internet activities happening in Sunnyvale. I mean, unless, his presence here is indeed a sign of his involvement. I'm sure the investigation will explain it. But what were you doing there at that time of night?'