by Emily Selby
'I've been called for another interview with the inspector. Do you know what this may be about?'
Katie pressed her fingers to her lips. This was not a moment to be open and honest or to share too much.
'It often happens. Police officers are people, like us. They forget to ask about something. Sometimes a new fact or a rumour emerges, and they need to check it out. It may be nothing.' she said, pushing the air through her tightening throat. 'Do you have anything to worry about?'
A flinch crossed Trish's pretty face. Her eyes flooded with tears. 'I-I... I might have misinterpreted what I heard the other night. Now, I'm told Olivia has been arrested. If she was arrested because of what I said... I'm so cross with myself!' She wiped the tears with her fingers. Katie noticed the lack of mascara on her long eyelashes. If Trish had been crying a lot, not wearing mascara was a good move.
'Why are you cross with yourself?'
'I don't want to be the reason why Olivia was arrested.'
'How do you know you are?'
'Because the police arrested her immediately after I spoke to them.'
'But you told them what you saw and heard, didn't you?' Katie asked. 'Didn't you, Trish?' she urged.
Trish jerked her head away.
'If you didn't, you need to tell them. You need to correct your statement. It's very important you tell the truth, Trish. Do you hear me?'
Trish shuddered and looked at Katie. Her face was pale and tense. 'I hear you, alright. I'll tell them. I can't live with the guilt.'
'What happened?' Katie risked one of her burning questions.
'Oh, since I'm going to tell them anyway, I may as well tell you. But keep it to yourself.'
'I need to warn you. I'll double check it with the Police, this is a murder investigation.'
'You don't need to remind me about that,' Trish fired back.
'Good,' Katie said, trying to sound soothing. 'I'm concerned about you and Olivia, too. So, what did you hear?'
'I was sitting in that dark parking lot, by the bins, because I-I... needed some time in peace and quiet. And then I heard steps and two voices. My first reaction was to jump back to the car, but I... needed to stay out a little longer. So, I did. I-I hid in the shadows and kept quiet. I recognised Olivia's voice, the other voice was male and unfamiliar.'
'Were they arguing?'
'Not really. They might have been before, but by the time I could hear them well enough to understand, it was a civil conversation.'
'What did they talk about?'
Trish slouched. 'That's something I might have misinterpreted, too. I was in a bit of an emotional state, after the earlier row with Rob. So, when I heard the guy talking about Alex and his friend, I realised he must have meant Rob. He said something about the boys doing a really good job with whatever they were doing. And then they walked past me, and I couldn't hear it any more. They walked a little further, and then she turned around and trotted back to her car, by the church hall. He walked to the community centre, away from the streetlight, but I could still make out his silhouette in the dark. That’s when I decided I was going to talk to him.'
'Why would you?'
'Because I had a conviction this guy was the source of the problem. You see, Rob has changed recently. He and Alex have been hanging out together since last winter. At first, they would just drink beer and watch TV, but then they started playing video games. Sometimes they would do it at our place, sometimes at Alex's, sometimes maybe somewhere else. Rob would come back looking quite excited, restless. If I asked him how was his evening with Alex, he would say: great game, we've won. At first, I thought this was nothing serious. It made him happier. He also said it made Alex happier.
'Rob has been worrying about Alex sitting at home, doing nothing, just withering away. So, I thought: "What's wrong with a little fun?" But Rob started to change. He became rude and abrupt with me when I asked question. I wondered if they'd been playing some violent games. I asked him a couple of times to show me the games, but he just said they were quite gruesome, not for girls. A few months ago, it got really bad. That’s when we started arguing again. Rob got cranky. He and Alex stayed up one night, I was trying to sleep, but they were so loud, I shouted at them, threatened them with the police and told Alex to leave. They both left, slamming the door.'
'Drugs? Alcohol?' Katie asked.
'Some alcohol, I don't know about drugs. I didn't smell anything, didn't see anything suspicious.'
'Addicted to video games?' Katie asked.
'That's what I thought. I talked to Olivia about it. After all, it included Alex as well, and she's a professional. I thought she would know how to talk to people with this sort of problem.'
'What did she say?'
'Oh, she was just nice... syrupy nice. And all sympathetic. She gave me a phone number for gambling addicts to ring,'
'Was it helpful?'
Trish shrugged. 'I didn't care to ring. I was hoping for something a little more tangible from her.'
'Like slapping her husband on the head and telling him to stop steering your partner off the right path?'
Trish sniffed. 'Yeah, something like that. She also denied that Alex had any problems. She told me a teary story about poor Alex being traumatised and depressed and struggling to find work. I should have felt sorry for the guy, but I only got more and more frustrated with her syrupy voice. So, I snapped. I think I might have even told her. You know, I can be a bit too blunt at times.'
Katie nodded, pressing her lips together. That was honest enough without being cruel. 'Is this when you fell out with her?'
'Oh, that was just a cherry on the cake. I think she's infatuated with him. She's... and he's a... I don't know,' Trish threw her arms wide in an exasperated gesture and blew out a breath.
'What did you tell Jeff Livermore?'
'I confronted him about the video games. I told him to stop talking people into playing addictive games.'
'What did he do?'
'He eyed me up and down. He was leering me.' She shuddered. 'I was so uncomfortable standing next to him.'
'He was like that with women,' Katie commented, remembering Michelle's story.
'Disgusting. He just laughed in my face. "Listen, darling", he told me. "The boys are grown up. It's not dangerous, just a little fun. Let your man have some fun, and maybe if you're good, he'll let you join in." He laughed, so I ran back to my car.'
Katie flinched. A wave of nausea riled to her throat. She gagged. 'Oh, what a swine...'
'Exactly. I really can't feel sorry he's dead.'
'But you didn't kill him, did you?' Katie asked, leaning across the table, looking intently into Trish's green eyes.
'No, I didn't. I don't have a gun.'
Katie gulped. A sudden thought crossed her mind. 'But Rob does.'
Trish's eyes widened, her nostrils flared. 'What are you insinuating?'
'Just making a comment.'
'He's got a shotgun to hunt with. I don't know what this obnoxious guy was killed with, but as far as I'm aware, Rob and his gun were gone from my apartment on Friday.'
'He's disappeared with his gun?'
'Yeah, his gun, his hunting jacket, the rucksack, the whole shebang.'
'Gone hunting?'
'Very likely.'
Katie sat back and kneaded her right shoulder. The pain started to become more prominent again.
'Your back playing up again?' Trish asked, watching her carefully.'
'Unfortunately.'
'Have you tried-'
'No, not yet. I'll start tonight.'
'Make sure you do it. I think it's stress, Katie. Although cleaning jobs are not helping. Ideally, you should try Pilates or yoga. You're more than welcome to try my classes for free.'
'Oh, thank you. That's very generous of you. When I've got time, I'll come.'
'Assuming, I don't end up in prison.' She let out a bitter laugh.
'That's not funny, Trish.'
'I know. I've tried crying
about it, but it didn't help.'
'You need to tell the police everything.'
'Don't worry, I will. 'Trish glanced at her watch. 'Oh, gosh, it's nearly time. I'd better get going.' She rose from her seat and picked up her jacket from the chair. 'Thanks for listening.'
'No problem. Take care!'
Katie watched Trish walk away, thinking about what she had just learnt. Trish seemed determined to be honest with the police this time around. But Katie didn't trust anyone anymore. She'd double check with Jack the next morning.
'Hi Katie, ready for the meeting.' Ally's voice cut through her thoughts. 'We're sitting at the back of the room. Since we're all here, we can start a bit earlier, if you don't mind.'
Katie nodded and clambered to her feet. 'No, I don't mind at all.'
16
The impromptu Paper Crafts Club board meeting ended promptly. Katie was impressed by Ally Baker's leadership - well organised, prepared, factual and most of all succinct. A real pleasure to work with. Katie couldn't help noticing the stark contrast with how Miriam had been functioning since the deterioration in her husband's health.
Katie drove through the quiet town, thinking back to the conversation with Trish, and what she'd heard. She took a turn towards the church hall. The car park between the church hall and the community hall would be probably quite busy now, which was good for Katie's idea. She parked her car close to the charity clothing bin. She climbed out and strolled around the car park area looking out for passers-by. She wondered if she could overhear a conversation and how much. But the road nearby was busy and the wind that picked up also made it more difficult. After a few attempts Katie gave up. Without having a goal in mind, she strode across the car park heading for the community centre. Maybe it was to stretch her legs. Maybe it was to check if the yellow crime scene tape was still there.
Engrossed in her thoughts, Katie didn't realise she reached the corner of the community centre until she looked up. This was where Jeff had been waiting when Trish approached him. Who had he been waiting for? Judging by Trish's story it might have been an arranged meeting. Was it the one with Michelle? Oh, yes! They were going to meet there. But the community centre had been locked by then, so Michelle walked back to her car without seeing Jeff.
Katie strolled along the narrow footpath created by hundreds of people cutting across the lawn, away from the community centre. Even in mid-November, the grass was still green. The recent rains had made the soil soft. There would have been some footprints on the path on the night of the murder. But then there were so many people here on the night of the murder it would have been hard to make sense of them all.
Michelle had met Alex Gibson somewhere around here. He'd told Michelle about the call and given her the envelope with a USB stick with her presentation. Then he'd walked away. Since Olivia had been sitting in their car, Alex must have arrived on foot or by bus or bike. Or someone may have given him a lift.
Katie straightened her back, which had begun to ache again. She couldn't make any more sense of things. She had to sit and look at the timeline again. It was time to go home.
Something on the ground caught her eye. She bent to look at it. She had to brush some soil away before she could see it... a USB stick! Silver and grey. Quite an unusual one, compared with others Katie had seen. Maybe this was how they made them these days. Was it the one Alex had given to Michelle? No, that one was in an envelope. So many gaps...
She stretched her fingers to pull the stick from the soil and stopped. Was it potentially a piece of evidence? She glanced up at the community centre building in the distance. Way too far for it to be connected to the crime scene... Someone had probably dropped it in a hurry. These things were so small and so easy to lose. But just in case, this was a piece of evidence, she'd better not damage any potential fingerprints. Katie fished a pair of tweezers and a plastic Ziploc bag from her handbag, picked the stick from the ground and put it into a plastic bag.
She was going to show it to Jack or Chris tomorrow morning. It was time to pick up Julia from school.
17
This was not Katie's day from the beginning. For starters, Julia got out of bed on the wrong side. Her long, blond hair were sticking in all directions, yet she insisted she'd combed it. The milk had no taste, the toast was burnt, even Julia's cuckoo clock couldn't get it right: first the cuckoo made the sound while still inside, then popped out and stayed there.
'Stupid bird,' Julia stuck her tongue out at the machine and fighting with the zip of her jacket.
'Julia! It's just a machine. It needs new batteries, that's all. I'll get some on the way back. I'll also check if they have anything to help transform morning grumpiness in children.'
'Mum!' Julia glared at her. She probably thought her eyes were throwing daggers. But Katie's strategy for the day was to fire back with humour, and she was going to stick to it, whether it worked or not.
Katie sneaked into the bathroom to put a little powder on her face. Powder wasn't makeup. It was to protect her skin from wind, she told herself. But while she was at it, she might as well put a little perfume behind her ears.
She applied the fragrance, just a tiny dot - not too much. Her eye caught Julia's toothbrush, and in an impulse, she touched it. It was dry...
'Julia, have you brushed your teeth?'
'Yes, mum,' Julia yelled back from the hallway.
'Are you sure?'
'Course, mum. Why do you always have to doubt what I say?'
Katie took a deep breath. She could take a little lie, but this was a right-in-your-face blatant one. She grabbed the toothbrush and marched out to the hallway.
'Why then is your toothbrush dry?' she asked, holding the said brush right in Julia's face. Her heart was pumping fast. She didn't like lies...
Julia just stared at her.
'Unlike the comb, the toothbrush needs to be wetted to be used. If it's dry, it means it has not been used for at least a few hours.'
Julia's pale cheeks turned scarlet-red.
'Baby, your health depends on your hygiene and I care about both. I may turn a blind eye to some shortcoming as I appreciate your independence,' she said, drawling words out and keeping her breath steady. 'But I don't like when you lie to me. It damages my trust to you. Please, don't do this.'
Julia's mouth twitched. She bowed her head. 'Sorry, mum.'
Katie handed her the brush. 'Go and clean your teeth right now. And hurry up, otherwise we'll be late.'
Not only was she late for work, but the scene greeting her in the staffroom made her heart sink.
Jack was clad in his favourite steel-blue suit with a white shirt, but his tie was loosened. He was leaning with his back against the cabinet, his hands in his pockets, looking very relaxed. Opposite him Celia was sitting on the desk. She was wearing her usual uniform, but her dark curls where not pulled back as usual. They were spilt around her face. She was leaning forward and gesticulating vividly. She must have been telling something funny because when Katie walked in Celia's deep laughter resonated in the room.
'Good morning, everyone,' Katie said a little louder than she intended to. Her throat was tight.
Celia's head jerked towards Katie. Her eyes sent her two bullets. Katie flinched.
'Hi Katie,' she said frostily.
Oh, my... Celia was wearing lipstick!
Katie forced herself to smile. Jack pushed himself off the filing cabinet. He stood in the middle of the room his hands still jammed in his pockets.
'How are you, Katie? You look out of breath. I hope you haven't been hunting criminals...'
Katie cringed. The knot in her throat grew to such proportions it could have probably been seen from the outside. A bead of cold sweat formed on the back of her neck. She wasn't welcome in this room at this very moment.
'School run gone bad. Sorry I'm late,' she barked and strolled across the room to reach her office. She was happy to be on the other side of the door.
She sat at her desk unable to unbut
ton her jacket. Her throat was hurting. There was a large brick in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes were stinging. She blinked several times, but it only created tears. Tears were the last thing she needed. It would ruin her subtle make up.
What a stupid idea to wear make-up! What was the point of it? Celia and Jack were chatting and enjoying each other’s company. Nothing wrong with this. People who worked together, often enjoyed having a banter. Maybe even some innocent banter.
Innocent banter, my left foot...
Her heart sank even deeper. If not for the floor, it would have fallen straight to the earth's core.
Katie took a deep breath and pulled a tissue out of her pocket. She dabbed her eyes. It had been a long time since she’d cared about a man. And it was hard to admit she did care about Jack. And even more, about that stupid laugh with Celia.
All right, so she was jealous. But this was no excuse for being unprofessional at work. If she wanted to stay on the police team she had to be able to work with everybody. And Celia was part of the team.
Katie was dying to talk to Jack. She had a lot to share with him, and she was curious to know what happened with Trish's interview the previous day. She’d texted Trish in the afternoon but had yet to receive a reply. She was also worried about Olivia. Hopefully, Olivia had been eating and drinking properly, not gotten herself sick. There was also another thing that kept bugging her, but she couldn't remember. The silly feeling of wanting to talk to Jack was stronger than anything else.
Katie buried herself in her work. It was a welcome distraction.
By the time the software was up and running smoothly, she was calmer. She was also determined to keep her feelings undercover.
Just as she was ready to sneak out of her office and grab a coffee, her mobile pinged with a message from Trish.
'All good. Got warning for not telling the truth. They are looking for Rob now. Do you know a good lawyer?'
Katie was relieved to hear good news regarding Trish's situation, but the second part of their message saddened her.
Where was Rob? Was Alex with him? Was Jeff killed with Rob's gun?