She Did It: You think you know her - think again.

by Mel Sherratt

  ‘Don’t you think you’d be better going to the police?’ Michael asked.

  Tamara shook her head. ‘I had to drag myself here as you’re the last person I want to talk to but I’m desperate. And you, more than anyone, would know that.’

  Michael touched her hand but she moved it out of his reach. She didn’t want his pity. She needed his help.

  ‘I think Esther had something to do with Jack’s death and is manipulating the truth to her own advantage. She’s trying to put the blame on me. I need to get her to admit what she did. Can you set me up with something to record a conversation?’

  ‘Of course.’ Michael nodded. ‘You can use your phone too.’ He stood up. ‘You’ll need her to come to your flat. Can you do that?’

  Tamara balked. ‘I don’t think I dare.’

  ‘Then you will have to go to the police.’

  ‘But I’ve lied to them already, and with my record—’

  ‘You were ill.’ Michael shook his head. ‘And if she’s framing you, you could end up in prison.’

  Tamara shuddered involuntarily. Images of her room at the hospital crowded her mind. Staff watching her every minute of the day. She herself having to watch patients for fear of being attacked. Her freedom gone, doors with locks. She couldn’t go back to that.

  But could she trust herself to do this? Could she go up against Esther? If she did, she could go to the police with solid evidence and then all this would be over.

  She nodded. ‘Tell me what I need to do.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Back at home, Tamara had been amazed at the array of tiny devices Michael had shown her that could be used to record video and audio discreetly.

  ‘Are you sure that will be enough?’ she asked, as she watched him slip a wire behind the sideboard.

  Michael nodded. ‘It’s very simple to use too.’

  He tucked everything out of sight behind a photo of her and her siblings at her youngest brother’s wedding in 2012. Tamara had been happy then. Her cheeks reddened as she realised that Michael was in the frame. It had been one of her favourite photos and despite throwing away lots of relationship mementoes, she hadn’t wanted to lose this one.

  She was still amazed at how quickly Michael had come to her aid. For all she knew, he might not have wanted to see her. She had caused him emotional stress as well as damage to his property and she didn’t deserve his help. But she didn’t know the first things about surveillance and had to get this right.

  From where she was sitting on the settee, she couldn’t see the red light that symbolised the camera was recording. She got up and moved along a seat, tried again but still it wasn’t visible.

  ‘Are you certain she won’t spot it?’ she asked, still unconvinced.

  ‘It doesn’t really matter if you don’t catch her on the screen,’ he explained. ‘It will still record what you both say.’

  ‘And you think that will be good enough?’

  Michael stood up, stretching his back. ‘I don’t know, but this must be better than nothing. Then you can take it to the police.’

  Tamara nodded at him. Only three months ago, she hadn’t known Esther. And in a few short weeks, her life had changed beyond recognition. Much of it was for the better, but this could be the undoing of everything if no one believed her.

  Michael touched her arm and it was only then she realised he must have spoken to her and she hadn’t replied.

  ‘It’s set up.’ He handed her a fob. ‘All you need to do before she arrives is press this button here and you’re away.’

  ‘Thanks so much for your help,’ she said. ‘I know I don’t deserve it after—’

  He placed a finger on her lips. ‘I don’t want to hear it,’ he said. ‘I’m happy to help. You can contact her now, if you’re ready.’

  Tamara knew she wasn’t ever going to be prepared enough, but she nodded all the same. She was determined to clear her name, before it was tarnished for good.

  She picked up her phone.

  ###

  Esther’s phone beeped with an incoming message.

  I have some money. Come to my flat. 7.30 p.m. Tx

  She laughed out loud. This could be perfect.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  Carley had been out with uniform to visit Esther Smedley’s address but there had been no one home. Neighbours, when questioned, had either not seen her for a while or had seen her that morning. She hadn’t answered her phone either. She was leaving a contact card asking for her to call the station when her phone rang. It was her colleague Dan.

  ‘Natalie Maitland wants to see someone in CID. Said she’s found something missing from her home.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll go there while I’m out.’ Carley rolled her eyes as she disconnected the call. No coffee break for her.

  When Natalie Maitland opened the door, Carley saw immediately how striking she would be when grief hadn’t overtaken her features. Her eye lids were swollen, her skin blotchy from crying and she was dressed in a black shirt and dark trousers, a sombre thing for such a beautiful woman. Her blonde hair was tied back and she wore no make-up, except a sheer lipstick, perhaps to give her a bit of colour.

  She was shown into the living room, remembering the last time she was there and Jack Maitland had been lying at the bottom of the stairs. Identical twin boys were playing with remote control monster trucks at the far end of the room.

  ‘Ethan, Henry. Can you take those out into the garden for a moment, please?’ Natalie asked. ‘There’s chocolate ice cream in the freezer, too.’

  At the mention of ice cream, the frowns that were forming turned to smiles and they raced off. Natalie held it together until they were out of the room and then her tears fell.

  ‘It’s hard not to get upset in front of them,’ she said, wiping at her eyes. ‘But I wanted to tell you something. I held a memorial for Jack this morning. I came back not long afterwards. I didn’t even want my parents to stay and look after the boys.’ Natalie played with the tissue. ‘But I was sitting at the breakfast bar with a coffee when it struck me. There’s a marble paperweight missing from the worktop. We use it when we are out in the garden. It’s in the shape of an apple. I’ve done a thorough search around but I can’t locate it.’

  Carley’s heartbeat quickened. A paperweight in the shape of an apple could be just the right object to have made the mark on Jack Maitland’s head. But unless they could find it, it didn’t prove anything.

  ‘I knew it wasn’t an accident,’ Natalie continued. ‘It’s too much of a coincidence. I take the boys away and he meets those women without telling me?’ She shook her head. ‘He would have said something to me, especially if he was preparing lunch. I’m fine with Jack meeting the women but he wouldn’t have done it at the house. He would have met them in a restaurant. They are lying.’

  ‘Why do you think that?’ Carley wanted to know why she seemed so venomous. Was it only the grief that was making her accusatory or was it something else? ‘Is there anything you can tell me about Tamara Parker-Brown or Esther Smedley?’

  ‘The security camera wasn’t on and I know that Jack wouldn’t switch it off. It’s the women themselves that I don’t trust,’ Natalie went on. ‘One of them had a mental breakdown when her fiancé left her. The other is someone I wouldn’t trust as a friend. She seems so snippy to me.’

  Carley wasn’t sure that she was hearing anything that was justified. These were the ramblings of someone who was coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Natalie needed someone to blame. But she would follow up on the paperweight when she got back to the office.

  ‘When can I bring him home to bury him?’ Natalie asked next.

  ‘When we have finished with our enquiries.’ Carley gave her a faint smile of understanding. ‘These things take time to put together. Policing is nothing like it’s portrayed on the television, where forensics is done in an hour or so. We have to take our turn along with everyone else, and things take time to analyse too.’


  ‘You don’t have any news yet?’

  Carley shook her head. ‘We have to look into everything first, and then we can release the body. Jack took quite a fall down those stairs. We need to ensure it was an accident. And for that we need to wait for the forensic evidence. But Jack did take two blows to his head so I’ll be straight on to that now that there is an object missing.’

  ‘It’s one of those women, I’m telling you.’ Natalie nodded vehemently.

  ‘Your husband could have fallen and hit his head,’ stressed Carley. ‘It would explain why his fall to the floor was so hard if he’d then been unconscious.’

  ‘She still could have pushed him. I knew there was something about her.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘That Tamara. Everyone knows what happened with her and her ex-fiancé, Michael Foster. She’s clearly unhinged. I want her arrested for perverting the course of justice. She knows more than she is saying. I bet she’s got that Esther girl to cover up for her.’

  ‘The fact we may be able to prove someone is lying doesn’t necessarily mean we have enough evidence to convict them of a crime,’ Carley reiterated. ‘We need tangible evidence to back that up. Some suspects deny they are on CCTV footage, even though the images confirm it’s obviously them.

  ‘Also, prosecutors not only have to prove there’s no mistaken identity, but that the suspect didn’t have an innocent reason for being at the scene. For that alone, we always make sure we have the evidence in place.’

  ‘Then get the evidence!’

  ‘I know it’s hard, Mrs Maitland, but let us do our job.’

  Carley stood up and pocketed her notebook. Once out of the house, the doubt planted itself on her. Something was happening here. Forensics would piece together so much but she was determined to do the rest.

  Because she’d remembered where she had seen the name Bethany Williams.

  ###

  Back at the station, Carley flicked through the files on her desk. She located the sheet of paper she was looking for, ran her finger down a list of names and then tapped the tip of it twice.

  Bethany Williams. Why would that name be on this list? What was the connection?

  She rang Terry to see where they were up to with forensics. He was able to send her emails over of the information she required. Everything fit into place. It was time to chat to Max.

  ‘Sir, I’ve spoken to the Maitland’s nanny who was there during the working week, the cleaner and the gardener who visit twice weekly. They all had keys to the property, but they all had alibis for where they were at the time Jack Maitland was pronounced dead. But—’ she paused for effect ‘—because we know that Esther is Bethany, her prints are on the list that came up at Ewan Smith’s address.’

  Max beckoned for her to sit down. ‘You think she’s involved with Danny Bristol and his mob?’

  ‘Well, she could have been at the party so she must know them. It doesn’t necessarily mean that she was involved in Smith’s murder but something is definitely not right.’

  ‘So, Esther’s fingerprints, as Bethany, are at our victim’s flat, and she is also one of the last two people to see Jack Maitland alive.’

  ‘She could even be involved in his death somehow, because of the connection to his father and what he did to her.’

  Max ran a hand over his chin. ‘The name isn’t familiar to me. She wasn’t known on our patch, even though she has previous.’

  ‘I also caught up with Amy Farmer,’ Carley added, looking at her notebook before continuing. ‘The GBH was in relation to an assault on a man who Esther met at a nightclub. According to her, he tried to rape her. According to him, everything was going well until she gave him a right hook and kicked six barrels of shit out of him because he’d held her hands above her head. Then she took a knife to him. Luckily, he only had cuts to his arms where he tried to fend her off. But she did break his jaw.’ She paused. ‘Oh, and another thing. Williams’ hasn’t turned up for her last probation meeting.’

  ‘Have uniform found her yet?’

  She shook her head. ‘We’ve been to her flat but she isn’t there.’

  ‘Get them back there again. We’ll break in or get a warrant if necessary. We need to bring her in.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  Esther jogged up the steps and let herself in to the main building, pressing the buzzer to alert Tamara that she was on her way up to her.

  Tamara was waiting at her front door. Esther noted the weary look, the teary eyes, the resigned droop of her shoulders.

  When Tamara disappeared to make coffee, Esther sat down in her favourite chair to undermine her. She could look out on to the street from there. A man with a dog jogged past. Traffic sounded in the distance. She had liked this flat since the moment she had stepped inside. It was such a shame her time here was to end soon.

  ‘I need to talk to you about our conversation this morning,’ Tamara said, coming in with a tray, which she slid on to the coffee table.

  Esther could feel her tense vibes emanating across the room. ‘You have some money for me?’ She got straight to the point, wanting to be out of here and on her way as soon as possible. She didn’t trust Tamara any more.

  ‘Yes, but I wanted to let you know that the police have questioned me again.’

  Esther’s eyes snapped from the window back to Tamara. ‘Here or at the station?’

  ‘They came here.’

  ‘What did they want?’

  ‘They were still quizzing me about exactly what happened.’

  ‘Weren’t you concerned, considering you have a record?’

  ‘Not in the slightest.’

  ‘You should be.’

  ‘I’m not the guilty one.’ Tamara paused. ‘Look, I need to know what happened.’

  ‘Jack fell!’ Esther snapped. ‘I’ve told you how many times but you don’t believe me. I had nothing to do with his death. It’s my word against yours at the moment and I like that. The police are veering towards you anyway as they haven’t been to see me.’

  ‘Oh!’ Tamara looked on in surprise. ‘I assumed they would have. They said they had lots to talk to you about.’

  ‘What did you tell them?’

  ‘I told them the truth, that I wasn’t there.’

  ‘You did what?’ Esther’s skin prickled.

  ‘If Jack fell down those stairs and it was an accident, then I don’t see why I should take the blame for it.’ Tamara’s tone was more cautious now. ‘No one can be held accountable if he fell, don’t you see? But talking about putting the blame on me all the time, you’ve made out that you are very guilty of something. It’s only a matter of time before the police realise that. So, I had to come clean.’

  ‘But I told you not to!’ Esther spoke through clenched teeth. ‘I won’t go back to prison.’

  ‘Prison?’ Tamara gasped. ‘You never said—’

  ‘Some bastard attacked me so I laid in to him good and proper. It was his fault.’

  Esther watched as Tamara’s eyes filled with fear. What had she to be scared about? It was all right for her. She had told the police things she shouldn’t. Her anger beginning to build, she clenched her fists as she tried to control it.

  ‘What really happened to you, Esther?’ said Tamara. ‘Why do you have such an anger towards men?’

  Esther shrugged, not lowering her guard for a moment. She wasn’t sure how to tackle this now that Tamara had spoken to the police. Now she had her doubts that her plan would work.

  Had she underestimated Tamara?

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  ‘I don’t have an anger towards men,’ Esther scoffed. ‘I think they are quite stupid actually.’

  ‘Not all of them are.’

  ‘The ones I’ve met are. Especially the men who work at Dulston Publishing. Your pathetic Oscar—’

  ‘He’s not my—’

  ‘And Ben, he’s a leech. Did he tell you he made a pass at me and I brushed him off? He’s been harassing me ever since,’
she lied, ‘but I’ve stayed silent about it.’

  ‘Ben?’ Tamara frowned. ‘I don’t believe you.’

  ‘Well, you wouldn’t, because you think that I pushed Jack down the stairs!’

  ‘Did you do that?’

  Esther looked underneath her fringe, hard eyes staring. ‘I really think you should give up on this now.’

  ‘What, the truth?’

  Esther laughed. ‘The truth is that you pushed him. I’ve been covering up for you.’

  ‘Stop lying!’ Tamara cried. ‘It’s all going to come tumbling down around you soon, if you’re not careful.’ She paused. ‘Let me help you to get out of this mess.’

  ‘How can you help me when you’re the one in trouble?’

  ‘I’m not in trouble.’ She shook her head. ‘Why don’t you tell me what really happened? Maybe I can figure out what to do, if it was an accident.’

  ‘What do you mean if it—’ Esther spotted the beam of a red light and stood up quickly. ‘You’ve planted a camera!’

  Tamara froze.

  Esther rushed over to the sideboard, knocked over the framed photograph and pulled at the wire. It came loose in her hand as the connection to the camera was lost. She gasped. Did Tamara think she had gone off her mind? What was her game?

  ‘Give me your phone.’ She held out her hand.

  ‘No! I – what for?’

  ‘You’re working with the police to get me to confess!’ She slapped the palm of her hand on her forehead. ‘Of course. Why didn’t I work this out earlier?’ She shook her head. ‘Stupid Esther.’

  Tamara seemed to have gone all nervous again. Esther grabbed her arm and pulled her up to her feet. ‘Where is your phone?’ she roared at her. She felt around Tamara’s torso.

  ‘Get off me,’ Tamara demanded.

  ‘Are you wired?’

  ‘Of course not!’

  ‘Then give me your phone.’

  ‘No!’

  Esther slapped her face. She tried to slip her fingers into the back pocket of Tamara’s trousers. But Tamara moved out of the way.