by Emily Selby
'Yes. I've been worrying about Michelle a little. I know she's already busy with her hair and beauty salon. I'm not a business person and have no idea how these things work. It sounds like a good idea. I know that Michelle is a hard-working woman, but I don't know Olivia at all.'
Trish opened her mouth to say something, but unfortunately, the waitress arrived with the drinks.
'I got you a long black coffee Trish. I hope you’re okay with this.'
'Oh, that's so kind of you. Thank you,' Trish said and smiled. 'You remembered what I like.'
'There are a few of us coffee lovers in the club.'
They waited for the waitress to disappear.
'So, is this what you wanted to talk to me about? Or your back?' Trish asked, her voice softer.
She stirred her coffee.
'Both,' Katie said with relief. 'I thought that you, as a businesswoman and someone in the similar niche, would have a view.'
Trish lifted her head and looked at Katie carefully.
'Are you asking me about the business or Olivia?'
Katie shifted in the chair and moistened her lips. She should have prepared for this conversation better. Obviously, her usual beating around the bush and fishing for information strategies weren’t working with Trish.
'Erh...' Katie hesitated. Dang it! Go for it Katie! 'Probably more your opinion on Olivia.'
Trisha's lips curved upwards.
'Ah, good old gossip. All right, if you want some. Olivia may have a lot of good intentions. She is a woman on a mission, and she has a big heart, but I don't think she has enough strength to pull off the business idea successfully.'
'What do you mean?'
'She is too soft. On top of that, her hubby has too much influence over her. Maybe by herself she’d be alright, but with him in the picture, it's unpredictable. As you may know, he's not been particularly successful, but that doesn't stop him giving people advice on how they can improve their businesses.'
Katie suppressed the urge to ask if Alex Gibson had given Trish any business advice.
'I thought she was a smart and successful woman,' Katie prompted.
'Yes, she's got the skills and the right attitude. People, women in particular, love working with her. I just think she’s not a business-minded person, and she’s not very good at choosing men in her life.'
That was an interesting comment.
'I don't know Alex at all,” Katie said. 'I haven't seen him around much. He must be quite a private person.'
Heat flashed in Trisha's eyes.
'Private person, my eye. He doesn't go out much that's true. He's always too stressed to do things around house, or to go and get a job, but he's never too stressed to go out and play video games with his mates.'
'Mates?'
'Well, one at least.'
'You know the one?'
'Sadly, yes.' Trish snorted. Her chin jittered. Katie's question must have hit too close to home.
Katie chewed on her lower lip. She ran out of ideas how to steer the conversation to find the right information. She stirred her drink with the straw and sipped on it. Maybe being direct was the best strategy?
'Do you know he's disappeared? Overnight.'
Trish's lips parted. Her face paled.
'Who?'
'Alex, of course. Did anyone else disappear?' Katie went with her hunch.
Trish blinked and looked away.
'Rob...' she whispered. 'Or maybe he hasn't,' she added and looked back at Katie. Two hard lines appeared between her nose and her mouth.
'Your boyfriend?'
'My ex-boyfriend. We've split.'
'I’m so sorry to hear that. When did you split?'
'Last week. After an argument indirectly involving Alex Gibson.'
'What happened? Was Alex interfering in your relationship?'
Trish's jaw tensed,
'I caught him talking Rob into going away for a while.'
More interesting news.
'Where and when did Rob disappear? Do you think they may have gone away together?'
'Wouldn't be surprised. They've been spending a lot of time together lately. I made a joke about Rob cheating on me with Alex,' she said and gave a short sharp laugh, but her eyes stayed cold.
Katie’s stomach clenched. She was becoming uncomfortable. Something in the story made her unsettled.
'When did you say he left?'
'I last saw him on Friday. He was meant to do a job for Dorothy Ravencroft on Saturday morning, but he didn’t turn up.' She paused. 'Dorothy texted me on Saturday asking if I'd seen him. I was very angry with him after our argument on Friday night, so I just replied that I didn't.'
Katie made a mental note to contact Dorothy.
'And you haven't heard from him since Friday?'
'That's right.'
'Have you tried contacting him?'
Trish closed her eyes and nodded. When she looked again at Katie, there were tears in her eyes.
'Call me stupid,' she said her voice soft and trembling. 'I tried calling him yesterday. I had second thoughts about our relationship and wanted to talk it through. You see, we've been together for five years. And I reached the point when I think either we get over it to get married or we should part ways.'
Katie touched Trish's hand and smiled at her.
'Relationships are hard work. It's constant, but it needs both partners to come to the party. It can't be one person's work. Do you think he would want to work on your relationship?'
Trish wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, careful to avoid smudging her make-up.
'I'm very mixed up about it. The fact he's not responded to my messages makes me wonder if it’s really worth it.'
'I'm sorry for you hearache,' Katie said, patting Trish's hand. 'What happen when you rang him?'
'The call just bounced off. His phone was switched off without an answering machine.'
Interesting. Both Rob and Alex were now missing with their mobile phones switched off.
She'd love to ask Trish more questions about Alex and Rob, but it didn't seem right. She wondered how to proceed. Whether what she had just learned had any connection whatsoever with the disappearance of Alex Gibson and even more – to the murder of Jeff Livermore.
She'd have to think about it. Jack wouldn't accept anything without sufficient evidence.
10
When Katie arrived for work at the police station on Monday morning, Celia greeted her with a smile.
'Hello Katie, our investigation star. What did you find out over the weekend?'
Katie tensed. Celia might be smiling, but her eyes were glinting in a way that indicated a different mood. What's happened to her?
'Not much. The local grapevine is not all that well-informed this time.' She opted for a lighter tone.
Katie pottered around the staffroom checking the mail, fax machine and putting the coffee on as normal. She was secretly glancing at Celia sitting at her desk.
'No news for our visiting Sherlock Holmes?' Celia said with a hint of what sounded like sarcasm in her voice.
Katie chewed on her lower lip. Had there been some sort of recent conflict between Celia and Jack she didn't know about?
'Not really,' Katie continued ignoring the undercurrent of tension. She didn't like conflict. It reminded her of her parents arguing, and of the final months of her marriage. She rolled back her shoulders - the knot below her neck was beginning to hurt again. Maybe she should look for Trish's leaflet.
'Do you want coffee?' she asked, watching Celia's back hunched over the keyboard.
Celia shook her head, her curly hair spilling over her shoulders.
'No, already had one. But I'm sure the lovely Inspector Heaton would be delighted to have a coffee prepared by you.'
Ouch!
Katie stiffened her shoulders once again. This stung. Was there a hint of jealousy in her voice? Katie took a deep breath. What was she supposed to do with this comment?
'It doesn't look
like he's going to be in by the time its ready,' Katie replied trying very hard to keep a neutral, light tone. 'I'm sure he is fully capable of making himself a coffee.'
'Who isn't?' A smooth, silky baritone cut in. Katie glanced at the door in time to catch Jack's broad smile and a playful sparkle in his blue eyes.
'Hi, Katie,' Jack said softly.
'And Celia,' Celia snapped.
Katie's and Jack's heads jerked like someone had cracked a whip. The warm and fuzzy feeling in the pit of Katie's stomach froze.
'And Celia,' Jack added stiffly.
A screech of a chair on the linoleum-covered floor cut through the tense silence. Celia jumped to her feet.
'Sorry,' she said, suddenly all official. 'I have something urgent to do this morning in town. Do you mind covering the phones, Katie?'
'Not at all. Happy to help,' she replied automatically.
Katie and Jack watched Celia leave the room, until the door closed behind her with a thud.
'What's happened to her?' Jack asked once the echo dispersed.
Katie had a hunch, but since she didn’t have any evidentiary support, it was pointless presenting it to DI Evidence-Only-Please.
'Maybe she's having a bad day?' she offered instead. Remembering Celia's initial remark, she pointed to the coffee machine. 'By the way, the comment about making coffee related to you. Can you make us coffee, please?'
It was a good test to see if he indeed could.
Jack blinked. He pushed his glasses up his nose.
'Of course I can. Who said I can't?'
'Just testing,' Katie said and smiled. 'Let me know when it's ready.' She backed into her office, needing time to consider how to talk to Jack about her discoveries from the weekend. She was also dying to know if there had been any progress in the investigation. Unlike the previous murders, Jack's attitude towards her seemed a little warmer. This might have Katie encouraged to talk to him, on one level, but on another, she was petrified. Ever since their quiet lunch in the pub, following the resolution of two recent murders, when Jack touched her hand lightly, Katie struggled to get the image out of her head. She’d been single for nearly a year. The wounds from her divorce were slowly healing, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for a new relationship. And in particular, a relationship with another police officer. If her feelings were correct, working closer with Jack Heaton carried a risk of growing closer to him on a personal level. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this yet.
When Jack knocked on her door couple of minutes later, she had a plan.
'Your coffee, ma’am,' he said, handing her a steaming cup.
'Thank you. How are things?'
'Depends what you mean.'
Her cheeks burned. She needed to keep things professional.
'Just asking about the investigation,' she said as matter-of-fact as she could.
'Oh that. I haven't gotten very far, I'm afraid. Do you have any gossip to share?'
'No gossip sadly,' she replied. At least it was true. 'Mr Livermore does not appear to be known in Sunnyvale.'
'On the contrary,' Jack retorted. 'At least two people had known him. And I understand you're on friendly terms with both.'
Her chin jerked.
'What are you implying?' A note of annoyance crept into her voice, much against her better judgement.
'Nothing. Just challenging your statement.'
She glanced at him defiantly.
'Evidence, Inspector?'
'Did your friend Michelle not tell you about the bank statements?'
'That was a long time ago,' she snapped back. 'Livermore made those comments, not Michelle. Besides, I looked at the timeline. It’s not possible for Michelle to have shot him.'
'Oh, so you've made a list? Will you show me?'
Katie hesitated. There was that warmer hint in his voice again. It was strange to hear. Was he truly inviting her to be part of this investigation. She stared at him. A charming, boyish grin brightened his paler-than-usual face. She went with her hunch.
'If you think this might be of help,' she said
'The historical evidence tells me the information you supply is usually valuable.'
Okay, Mr Logic-and-Evidence. I have to trust your statement.
She rummaged through her handbag, fished out the notebook and handed it to him, open to the page with her timeline. He read it for a while, nodding.
'That's pretty good. It's more or less what we've come up with.'
'Does it mean you will stop suspecting my friend, Michelle?'
'It depends...'
'What on? Are my words not good enough to confirm she was at home at the time Jeff was shot?'
'Both you and Kevin confirm Michelle was at home at the suspected time of death.'
'But you need more evidence?'
'Maybe Mrs Olivia Gibson will be able to help, too,' he said, still smiling. The bell in the reception rang. Jack pointed at the door. 'I think she's just arrived.'
'Olivia? Or is it her husband?'
'I'd love to interview her husband very much, but she has some explaining to do, too.'
'I told you she was lying—'
'I told you to show me the evidence. '
Katie set her jaw.
'I'll get there,' she replied stiffly. 'Just need more time. But maybe you'll get that evidence before me?'
He turned around and grabbed the door handle.
'I shall see,' he said and walked out.
11
Katie tried hard to focus on her work. Ever since Inspector Lumley, the chief officer for Sunnyvale police station, had added new tasks to her work description, her work had shifted from mainly typing and organising paperwork to assisting police officers. Her enhanced duties included transcribing recorded interviews and liaising with other local agencies to improve the overall safety in town. The previous week, during the monthly strategic meeting, Inspector Lumley had suggested her role was about to change again. Given the recent modifications, her current main task included learning to use databased systems from collaborating agencies.
But it wasn’t the intricacies of those systems that made her task so hard this morning. On the inside, Katie was dying to learn what "explaining" Olivia Gibson had to do.
About an hour after starting work, a knock on the door pulled her out of the misery of trying to configure the new user interface.
'Come in,' she called out.
Jack walked in and closed the door, wearing his familiar ruffled expression.
'Judging by the evidence I can see you on your face,' Katie said trying to suppress a smile, 'I guess you may need some interpretation services from me.'
Jack's difficulty in deciphering the language of the Sunnyvale inhabitants had become a source of jokes. Fortunately, he didn't mind laughing at himself about it as well.
'Okay,' he said, smiling back at her. 'Non-verbal language can be considered evidence.'
'What do you need to know?'
'I thought she was protecting her husband. But now, some evidence surfaced suggesting Olivia had an argument with Livermore shortly before his death. They were overheard. We also found some tense email exchanges between her and the victim, going back several months.'
'Was he nasty to her?'
'She didn't exactly hold back either.'
'What was it about?'
'We were only able to recover some of the relevant messages. It looks like an old deal gone bad. I think she was expecting him to do something and he didn't. She complained about his ability to deliver on his promise.'
'What was the argument on Saturday about?'
'Judging by the overheard snippets, it also related to his inability to deliver on the promise.'
'What does she say?'
'She denies everything and insists the meeting was strictly in relation to their new business idea. I understand your friend Michelle's a partner?'
'Yes, she is...' Katie said, thinking about it. 'Strange, how they both ended up asking the same man-'
'Who then turned up dead not far from the place where they both met him.'
Heat spilled over Katie's face.
'Michelle didn't meet him,' she snapped.
'I only have her word for that,' he replied coolly.
'Do you ever trust anyone?'
'Sorry, Katie. My job is about collecting evidence, analysing it and managing risk. It has nothing to do with trust.'
She opened her mouth to protest but suppressed the urge. After all, he was right. It was his job. She, herself, was learning to question a lot of things she would otherwise have trusted without question.
'So, what's next?' she asked instead.
'I'd love to lay my hands on Olivia's phone and any other electronic devices she has. I need to check their contents. She insists her husband disappeared with everything except her mobile.'
'Yes, apparently, she hadn't unpacked the car boot on Saturday evening. He's gone with Michelle's laptop as well.'
'How convenient,' he said slowly. 'The other thing I'd like is to search her house.'
'How are you going to go about it?'
'I’d need a warrant, of course.'
'Are you going to arrest her?'
He nodded.
'I think I have enough evidence to do that. And maybe, when she's in the cells, her loving and caring husband will reappear on the stage.'
'What? Are you arresting her to get hold of her husband? That's unfair!' Katie gave him what she hoped was an "I'm totally appalled by your behaviour" glare.
Jack flinched.
'Katie, I may be blunt but I'm not cruel. She's suspicious enough.'
'And you have reliable evidence?' she asked, curious who was the secret informant.
He shrugged.
'Are you trying to fish for information on who framed your friend?'
'She's not my friend. Not Olivia. I know her superficially. But going back to your question, if you care to share,' she added, feeling her cheeks flushing again.
After all, she'd been caught sniffing.
'Yeah... Actually, you tell me if she's reliable, she seems to have a bone to pick with both of them.'
'Trish Bollard saw Olivia arguing with Jeff?'
He made a "tip of the hat" gesture in the air.
'You're good. How did you know?'