Cold Heart: Absolutely gripping serial-killer fiction

by Stephen Edger

  ‘We also have two other suspects in custody, just down the hall, and the first to confess… well, the courts are usually kinder to the one who shows remorse sooner. So, is that going to be you, Mr Phillips? Are you going to save us all a lot of time and admit your involvement?’

  The solicitor, her hair as dark as night scraped back into a bun, and her designer glasses perched on the end of her nose, leaned in and whispered into his ear.

  ‘No comment,’ Phillips offered.

  ‘You’ve already told us you knew Petr Nowakowski, and that the two of you met up a month ago. What you haven’t confirmed is why you agreed to give him the money he desperately craved. What did you get in return?’

  ‘No comment.’

  Kate suddenly sat forward. ‘Can we cut the crap, Mr Phillips? We don’t have time to slowly tease out information. I need to know what you know and where that girl is.’ She rested her hands on the table, splaying her fingers. ‘So, here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to lay all my cards on the table; I’m going to tell you everything we know, and then – if you have any sense – you’ll fill in the blanks.’

  The solicitor reached for her pen, primed to scribble notes.

  Kate took a deep breath. ‘We know you were using Neil Watkins.’

  A flicker, almost impossible to see, but Kate had spotted it.

  ‘My team are currently confiscating the computers from your offices and your home. They will check every megabyte of data until they find the proof of what you’ve been up to.’

  Phillips leaned over and whispered something into the solicitor’s ear. She covered her mouth as she whispered something back.

  ‘Watkins confessed what he’d done to Petr Nowakowski and Maria Alexandrou less than an hour ago. But we know that he wouldn’t act of his own volition; he didn’t have it in him. But oh, he was scared of someone. I saw it in his eyes: he was terrified! You see, his partner didn’t know where he’d stashed Daisy. Why was he so scared of you, Mr Phillips? What did you have over him? Or what did you threaten to do if he talked? He told me, you see, he told me he’d been told not to talk to me. Did you give him that order, Mr Phillips?’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said through gritted teeth.

  Kate slammed one of her hands against the desk. ‘A precious child’s life is at stake!’

  ‘I don’t know anything about a girl.’

  ‘Her name is Daisy, Mr Phillips. You’re a man of the world, you watch the news. You know precisely who Daisy Emerson is.’

  ‘Yes, okay, I know there is a girl missing, but it has nothing to do with me.’

  ‘Did you tell Neil to kill her?’

  ‘What? No!’

  ‘Did you tell Neil to kill and chop up Petr Nowakowski?’

  ‘No! He was a friend. I didn’t even know he was dead until you told me a moment ago. Jesus! What is all this? You think because I’m from South Africa that I’m just going to cop for something I haven’t done?’

  ‘This has nothing to do with where you were born, Mr Phillips, and everything to do with how you manipulated Neil to do your bidding.’

  ‘That’s absurd!’

  ‘What about Maria Alexandrou? Was it your idea to have her killed at the sports hall? The same sports hall that was under your supervision?’

  It was Phillips’ turn to raise his voice. ‘Are you fucking stupid? Why would I do anything to delay that project? I have sunk almost everything we have into that redevelopment. Every day we fall behind schedule I risk my company going under. If that’s your best theory then have a look at my books! You’ll see how counter-productive such an act would be!’ He rested back, straightening his blazer, and running a nervous hand through his damp hair.

  Kate continued to watch him in silence, until it became uncomfortable. ‘You haven’t denied knowing Neil Watkins.’

  ‘Yes, okay, I knew the groundsman. That doesn’t mean I was colluding with him to commit murder.’

  Kate turned to Patel. ‘You know there’s been something bothering me about Mr Phillips here since the first time we met in his office. I asked you at the time why the school had opted to use a third-party building inspector, rather than one provided by the local council. You claimed it wasn’t uncommon… but now I think I understand. Now I understand how you managed to offer the winning tender for the work; how much of a backhander did you offer to secure the project, Mr Phillips?’

  Phillips was whispering to his solicitor again.

  ‘You said yourself it was a huge stepping stone for the company, and could bring in a lot of new business for you,’ Kate said, as the hushed conversation continued. ‘And that must be the case if you’ve ploughed most of the company’s resources into it.’ She paused, chancing her luck. ‘Was Neil the middleman between you and whoever benefited from the bribe?’

  More hurried whispers.

  Kate nodded for Patel to suspend the interview. ‘We’ll leave the two of you to chat,’ Kate informed them, ‘while we go and talk to the person I think will come clean first. We’ll be back, Mr Phillips.’

  *

  Ismael Vardan had surrendered his right to legal counsel, and was sipping from the plastic beaker of tea as they entered. His cheeks bore the scars of childhood acne and his chin sported a thin black goatee.

  ‘We’ve got your friend Liam Phillips next door,’ Kate began when Patel had started the recording. ‘He’s speaking with his solicitor at the moment, probably trying to work out a plea bargain. You’ve opted not to seek legal counsel, Mr Vardan. Are you sure you shouldn’t review your options?’

  Vardan glared at Kate, folding his arm, daring her to break him.

  ‘All right,’ Kate acknowledged. ‘Where’s Daisy?’

  Vardan rolled his eyes. ‘I have told you before, I don’t have a clue where she is.’

  ‘Can you tell me what she was like to teach?’

  He sighed loudly. ‘She was a good student, with a keen interest in literature, as I told you when you asked me these questions last week.’

  ‘But you knew she had a crush on you, didn’t you, Mr Vardan? You didn’t tell us that last week.’

  His shoulders tensed. ‘I wasn’t aware that—’

  ‘Bullshit!’ Kate interrupted. ‘We have emails between you and Chris Jackson confirming you were more than aware of her infatuation with you.’

  For the first time since he’d been arrested, Vardan looked uncomfortable. ‘No… well, I-I-I couldn’t be sure… I, uh—’

  ‘I forgot to mention we have Chris Jackson in custody as well,’ Kate said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. ‘He’s been here since this morning, and our IT specialists have been pouring all over his computer and emails. We found the conversations between the two of you, Mr Vardan, and, in a moment I’m going to go and interview Mr Jackson and I expect he’s just about to tell me everything I want to hear. But I thought I’d give you the chance to come clean first.’

  Vardan looked at the door, as if he was considering making a dash for it. His hand trembled as he lifted the beaker of tea to his mouth.

  ‘I’m waiting, Mr Vardan. You knew Daisy had a crush on you, didn’t you? You knew because you’ve been in that position before, haven’t you? Last time you managed to cover up what had happened, but maybe things went too far again. Did Daisy threaten to tell what had happened?’

  ‘No, nothing happened… okay, look I knew she acted differently around me, but I didn’t do anything to lead her on. School girls develop crushes on their teachers all the time, but I swear I didn’t go near her.’

  ‘What were you and Jackson discussing in your emails then? You were planning to go abroad together, weren’t you? Why?’

  ‘Chris is… Chris is a friend. That’s all.’

  Kate gave him a knowing smile. ‘It was a bit more than that, wasn’t it, Mr Vardan? Remember, we have read the emails.’

  ‘No, listen, it has nothing to do with Daisy.’

  ‘Why did he mention her in the emails
, then?’

  ‘He was just trying to wind me up! He knew what had happened in my last school, and knew that you lot would assume I was somehow involved in Daisy running off. It was playful banter, that’s all.’

  ‘Where were you for three hours on Thursday when we believe Maria Alexandrou’s body was being mutilated in the sports hall at St Bartholomew’s?’

  ‘I was reading in my classroom.’

  ‘Don’t lie to me! Your whereabouts are unaccounted for. Were you helping Neil? Is that why nobody saw you?’

  ‘Neil? The gardener?’

  ‘That’s right. He confessed his involvement in the two bloody crime scenes we discovered. He also told me he had a partner who had sworn him to secrecy. That was you, wasn’t it, Mr Vardan?’

  ‘What? No! I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  Kate sighed. ‘I’m about to go and interview Chris Jackson. If he confirms that all of you were involved, he’ll probably get a lesser sentence than the rest of you. This is your final chance, Mr Vardan. Tell me what happened.’

  His hands flew up to his eyes, as he began to gently sob.

  ‘You, Jackson, and Phillips,’ Kate continued, ‘you’re all in this mess up to your necks, but all I want to know right now is where Daisy is. We know about Phillips paying you to win the swimming pool contract. Whose idea was it to exchange murders? Whose idea was it to try and sell the victims’ organs to the highest bidder? Talk to me, Mr Vardan. Where the hell is Daisy?’

  An urgent knock at the door interrupted proceedings. Kate leaped from her chair and yanked the door open.

  Freeborn leaned in. ‘Ma’am, the supe wants to see you upstairs now.’

  57

  Knocking twice, Kate entered the supe’s office, but it was only when she saw who was seated across the desk from him that she understood the summons.

  ‘Mrs Watkins,’ Kate said, moving quickly over to her. ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’

  ‘How could you let my little boy die?’

  ‘I couldn’t stop him,’ Kate pleaded. ‘We were talking and then the next thing I knew he’d leaped from the edge.’

  ‘I warned you about speaking to him alone! He was a wonderful boy, but he didn’t know his own mind. You should have called me!’

  ‘There wasn’t time, Mrs Watkins. I was trying to coax him back from the edge of the cliff, but I had no idea what he was planning to do.’

  ‘What were you even doing there with him so late at night? And on your own too? Is this how the modern police operate? Threatening the life of a vulnerable man until he breaks?’

  ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, our being there had nothing to do with me. I didn’t even know he was there until I arrived.’

  Imelda eyed her cautiously.

  ‘Please, Mrs Watkins, I understand this is an impossible time for you, but if you’ll hear me out, I believe I can shed some light on what’s been going on. Please?’

  Imelda retook her seat, reaching into her handbag for a tissue and dabbing her eyes.

  Kate glanced over to the supe, who looked like he’d been getting it in the neck since before Kate arrived. He nodded for her to proceed.

  Kate sat next to Imelda, and adopted a non-threatening stance. ‘Neil had Daisy Emerson’s mobile phone, Mrs Watkins. That’s how we traced where he was.’

  Imelda blinked back tears, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘No, there must be some kind of mistake.’

  Kate fixed her with an empathetic look. ‘I’m so sorry, but it’s the truth. I have reason to believe that Neil has been the unfortunate victim in all this, and that somehow, Daisy inadvertently stumbled onto what was going on, and that it was Neil who took her—’

  ‘Absolutely preposterous! My Neil wasn’t like that. Just because he was different doesn’t make him a paedophile!’

  Kate raised her hands apologetically. ‘Nobody is accusing Neil of being a predator. If anything, I believe he took Daisy because he believed it was the only way to keep her safe.’

  ‘Ever since you met my son, you’ve been trying to pin something on him.’

  ‘It isn’t like that, Mrs Watkins. Neil was the one who told me he was trying to keep Daisy safe. I know it can’t be easy to hear, but I assure you it’s the truth. We have three men in custody who we believe may have been responsible for manipulating him.’

  Imelda’s eyes suddenly stared at Kate. ‘Three men?’

  ‘I’m not able to say much more than that for now, as we’re still investigating, but it seems like they duped Neil into carrying out activities for them and when he tried to confess what he’d done they threatened him into silence.’

  Imelda looked to the supe for confirmation, and he nodded gravely back at her.

  ‘But I don’t understand,’ Imelda continued, ‘who are these men? How did they know Neil?’

  ‘We think they met him through the school. I’m sorry, Mrs Watkins, there really isn’t any more I can say at this time.’

  Imelda dabbed at her eyes, as she continued to look at the supe. ‘I cannot believe this has happened again. He was such a sweet-natured boy. All he wanted was the best for everyone, and there are people out there who will take advantage.’ She turned back to Kate. ‘Did he… did Neil say anything before…’ her words trailed off as fresh tears filled her eyes.

  ‘I think he was very troubled at the end,’ Kate said kindly. ‘I don’t think his conscience was able to cope with what he had done, that’s why he wanted me to find him. He wanted to know that the truth would come out. Turning on Daisy’s phone was his one final act of defiance against whoever was threatening him.’ Kate paused. ‘Mrs Watkins, Neil told me that Daisy is still alive, but we haven’t been able to find her, and it seems unlikely she was being held where I found him. Can you think of anywhere Neil might have taken Daisy? Somewhere quiet, where nobody would notice him taking a fifteen-year-old girl, and somewhere where she wouldn’t be heard?’

  Imelda blew her nose. ‘I’m so sorry, detective, I really have no idea. I still can’t believe he had anything to do with that poor girl’s disappearance. Up to this point, I thought she was just another runaway. Are you sure he had her phone, and wasn’t given it by one of these other men?’

  ‘The way he spoke to me, he realised that what he’d done was wrong. I am truly sorry for your loss, Mrs Watkins.’

  ‘Kate,’ the supe interrupted, ‘would you mind stepping outside for a moment so Mrs Watkins can have some alone time?’

  Kate stood and followed the supe out of the room, down the corridor and into the incident room. ‘Where do we go from here, Kate?’

  ‘We know that Vardan and Jackson knew each other and as much as the teacher denies it, I can’t help thinking he was planning to instigate something with Daisy if he hadn’t already.’

  ‘What about the other man? The building inspector?’

  ‘I think Phillips used Neil to pay a bribe to Vardan to help him secure the swimming pool project at the school. Phillips has admitted he is in serious money trouble, and that makes sense.’

  But the supe was frowning. ‘Vardan is Daisy’s form tutor, isn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, sir, form tutor and English Lit teacher, I believe.’

  ‘Then I very much doubt he’s the person Phillips was bribing. He wouldn’t have had any say in which bids were accepted for contract. Mark my words, as a former school governor myself, I know that the teachers have very little sway or influence over such matters, if any at all. Did Phillips admit to paying off Vardan?’

  Kate thought back. ‘Well, no, not in so many words, but it…’ her words trailed off as an impossible idea floated to the surface. ‘Sir, would you excuse me? There’s something I need to check on.’

  ‘Very well, very well. I’ll see if a patrol car can give Mrs Watkins a ride home. We should assign a Family Liaison Officer too.’

  ‘No, wait. Can you keep Mrs Watkins in your office for now?’

  His brow furrowed. ‘Why?’

  ‘Please, sir, just trust me
. I’ll speak to you as soon as I’ve got this sussed.’

  *

  ‘What exactly are we looking for?’ DI Steve Hardy asked from the confines of his office.

  ‘I’ll know it when I see it,’ Kate replied, as he continued to recover the deleted internet history from the hard drive. ‘Have you managed to download the emails yet?’

  Hardy pointed at the printer in the far corner. ‘They should be printing as we speak.’

  Kate rose and moved across to the printer as the final page spurted out. Carrying them back to Hardy’s desk, she stifled a yawn.

  ‘My wife must think I’m having an affair,’ Hardy chuckled, glancing at the clock.

  ‘I promise I’ll let you go as soon as you’ve finished. I really do appreciate your support.’

  ‘Right,’ he said, sitting up. ‘That’s all the partitions scanned. I should warn you, a lot of this data will be fragmented, depending on what software was used to erase the original information. Think of it as a book where all the pages have been shredded. I do have software that can painstakingly find the fragments and try to stick them back together, but that’ll take time.’

  ‘Time is the one thing I don’t have.’

  ‘And you’re sure we’re allowed to extract this data? From what I understood, the suspect didn’t live at this address.’

  ‘He was staying there at the time of his death,’ Kate confirmed, ‘which means he had access to this computer, and we’re therefore within our rights to review the contents.’

  Hardy cocked a sceptical eyebrow. ‘If you say so. Okay, what terms do you want me to search for?’

  Kate looked him straight in the face. ‘Guardian Angel.’

  Hardy frowned. ‘You think the guy who jumped was the one offering Nowakowski money for his kidney?’

  ‘Humour me,’ Kate replied.

  Hardy pulled up a search window and typed the words.

  58

  THIRTEEN DAYS MISSING

  ‘Ma’am, you look awful,’ Patel said, as he entered the incident room, removing his coat and scarf. ‘Don’t tell me you were here all night?’ But he didn’t need her to confirm it. ‘Coffee?’

  Kate gave him a nod as she continued to file the pages before her. ‘I’m going to need you downstairs this morning. I’ve finally figured out what’s been going on, but whatever happens in there, I need you to back me.’