by Emily Selby
'Not him then?' Katie asked as soon as Celia put the phone down.
Celia shook her head.
'No, definitely not. Someone must have set up the email address to pretend to be him. It's so easy these days, nobody checks your ID. But, interestingly, our doctor had spoken to someone about the box. He said a man contacted him to ask about it a few months ago. They didn’t discuss the contents, but our doctor admits he expected the ring to be inside. It was a bit of a family heirloom, apparently. He didn't remember the man’s name, but thinks it was Andy or Ashley. Might have used a false name, of course.'
'Having said that, the doc may be lying. He might have used the body number two and Zac to steal the ring, and then killed them both,' Katie suggested.
Celia looked at her. 'That's a neat theory. We'd need to check the doc's alibi for the day of the murder. If we could only know the exact date when the second body was strangled.'
'Strangled?'
'Yes, according to the pathologist.'
'The other option is that this Andy or Ashley person, set up an email account to pretend to be the doctor. And then he got together with some nasty criminals, who stole the ring and killed Zac and then him.'
'You've got a very creative mind, Katie,' Celia observed.
'Thanks! But I'm rubbish at supporting my crazy theories with evidence,' Katie said bitterly. She still remembered Jack Heaton's comments about this.
'Let's have a look if there’s an Andy or Ashley on the list,' Celia said and grabbed the sheet of paper again. She muttered to herself reading through the names again.
'There are two Ashleys and three Andrews, some of them are too young, so I can cross them off. I'll check the others though.'
The clock struck nine and it was time to get on with her own job. The deadline was looming. She poured herself another coffee.
'Celia, don't forget about Michel Bower's break-in. He'll be fuming if no one attends to it.'
'Getting onto it right now, sir.' Celia clicked her heels and grabbed the note Katie gave her earlier.
Katie went to her office, determined to reduce the pile on her desk by at least half before the end of her shift. She got to work.
By the time of her usual mid-morning break, the pile was visibly smaller. Katie felt quite pleased and rewarded herself with a fresh cup of coffee.
The staff room was quiet and empty. While waiting for the kettle to boil she roamed the room. Celia must have gone out, probably to see to Michael's office. Inspector Lumley wasn't in yet or was already out. Where was Jack? Was he even coming in today? And why did it matter to her?
The fax machine clicked and spat out a sheet of paper addressed to DI Heaton. Katie picked it up and walked to his cubbyhole, but she couldn't help herself glancing at the message before posting it.
The message was short. It was confirmed that the body found in the stream might have belonged to a certain individual from Midlands—Ashley Stanley.
So, this was their body number two. But what was he doing in Sunnyvale, and was there a connection to the missing ring?
Katie returned to her office keen to get on with the remaining work. The peace and quiet didn't last long.
'You must be joking! This is not possible! This has been planted!'
Katie jumped in her chair at the sound of Chris' raised voice. Chris never got angry. Who was he arguing with? She listened, holding her breath.
'Listen Chris, I'm only doing my job.'
Celia? Chris arguing with Celia? Over what?
She stood and walked to her office door.
'So, stop, because you're doing it wrong, woman. This is not possible. I know Michael very well. It must've been a mistake.'
Katie opened the door quietly, but no one noticed her. Chris, pacing the room in civilian clothes, continued to mumble something about making a huge mistake. Celia was standing in the middle of the room, her face pale, looking close to tears.
'Hey guys,' Katie said. 'What's going on?'
Celia looked at her pleadingly, opening her arms in a desperate gesture.
'Chris?' Katie turned to face him.
'What?' He stopped and glared at her.
'Why are you shouting? I can't work. Poor Celia–look at her.'
'It's her,' Chris fired back, and returned to his pacing. 'She's not doing her job properly.'
'I am,' Celia called. 'Have you considered you might be biased?'
'Me? Biased? I was a police officer when you were still running around in nappies.'
'I'm not questioning your professional capacity,' Celia said her voice trembling. 'I'm simply trying to say that Michael is your friend. And of course, you will defend your friend.'
'What happened with Michael? Anything to do with that break-in?' Katie addressed Chris.
Chris glared at Celia. 'Ask her,' he said through clenched teeth.
'What's going on, Celia?'
'I have just come back from Michael's office,' Celia sighed. 'I found two empty vials of phenobarbital there.' Celia held up a clear plastic evidence bag.
'Phenobarbital? Where did I hear that name?' Katie tried to cast her mind back.
'The guy on the roof was killed using this drug,' Celia prompted. The silence that followed was so thick Katie could have sliced it with a knife. She folded her arms. Michael Bower?
'Were these in his office?'
'No. We found them in the flower bed by the entrance.'
'Where anyone could have easily planted them,' Chris added.
'Exactly. This could have been the main reason why we found them only today.'
'So why are you dragging Michael into the case?' Chris demanded, curling his fingers into fists.
'I think I'll leave that decision to Inspector Heaton,' Celia said calmly. 'I'd better send this evidence to the forensic team,' she added and walked out of the room.
'Michael's got nothing to do with this thing,' Chris called out at the closed door. He shoved his fists into his jeans pockets and walked out of the staff room without looking at Katie.
Katie stood in the middle of the room for a couple of minutes, breathing slowly. She was confused. Chris shouting at Celia? Michael being implicated in Zac Greenberg's murder? Michelle was right to insist they added Michael to their suspect list. But did Michael really have a reason to kill Zac, or steal the ring, or even-implicate Katie? And with Michael coming into the picture, would Kevin be released?
She wanted nothing more than to chat with someone who could help her see these things clearer. Maybe Jack?
But Jack was out of the office all morning.
Just as Katie was getting ready to go home at the end of her busy morning, Celia popped her head around the door.
'I thought you might want to know this,' she said wiggling her eyebrows. 'Good news! Kevin Webb is being released.'
Katie's heart made a little flip.
'That's what I hoped!' She clasped her hands together. 'What changed Jack's mind about him?'
'Lack of clear forensics and now, the new evidence, I suppose.'
'New evidence against Michael?'
Celia shrugged. 'Maybe it's against Michael, maybe not.' She sighed. 'But it looks as though someone has planted the vials while Kevin was in the cells.'
'Kevin might have had an accomplice.'
'Good thinking! I see you’re becoming suspicious of everyone and everything. Inspector Heaton didn't have enough evidence against Kevin anyway. The guy just refused to do a job for Zac. There was some shouting between them but nothing more.'
'What about Kevin's alibi?'
'It was pretty shady. Apparently, he was out with his mates drinking. There were all too drunk to remember any of the details. But a lot of people don't have ironclad alibis.'
'Any fingerprints on the vials?'
'It's too early to be sure, but apparently there are a few glove prints.'
'What are glove prints?'
'Prints left by someone wearing gloves.'
'I thought the point of wearing gl
oves was not to leave any prints,' Katie asked, surprised.
'It's not always the case. Even with gloves on, a person can leave prints, and these days, it may be enough to identify who it was.'
'It looks like this crime was committed by a smart criminal,' Katie commented and thought back to Barry's comment about Zac being too stupid to conceive a burglary plan. He might have guts to do it, but not the brains. Whoever was at work here, was smart. Smarter than Kevin, she had to admit, no matter how much she liked her friend. Probably as smart as Michael. He was a successful businessman, he must have devised and executed many plans. Plus, didn't he have a law degree? His two older children were both at university, one finishing law, the other studying architecture. Did Michael have the brains to plan a crime like this? Very likely. Did he have the guts to commit it? Katie wasn't sure. What if Chris was right? After all, he knew his friend...
'Is Chris in yet? she asked.
Celia shook her head. 'He's not due in until after lunchtime.' She folded her arms. 'I think he seriously should consider keeping away from this case. I need to talk to Inspector Lumley about it.'
'Chris would be devastated,' Katie said thoughtfully. Chris was a great guy, reliable and trustworthy. He was a great friend, which was why Katie expected him to keep away from the investigation. He should just stay Michael's friend.
'What's Michael saying about the vials?' Katie asked
'He denies any knowledge of them. He also denies any knowledge of Zac, which I tend to believe. Zac and Michael belong in two different worlds.'
Katie nodded slowly. She agreed.
'I think Inspector Heaton will drop this trail,' Celia said.
'What about that break-in? Do you think it might have been to incriminate Michael?'
'No. Michael says that some old documents have gone missing. He can't say exactly which ones or how many. He needs to check his records.'
'Oh well, just another mystery,' Katie said trying to sound light.
Celia gave a sharp laugh.
'Yeah, just another day in Sunnyvale.'
13
Michelle's house was dark and empty when Katie arrived. A quick phone call explained everything. Michelle and the kids were all still staying at her in-laws’ and Kevin had joined them.
'Katie, you're more than welcome to stay at our place as long as you need to,' Michelle said. 'Do you need anything?'
Katie reassured her she had everything she needed. 'I've got my last cleaning gig at Willow Park tonight. I'd better make the most of it.'
'Are you thinking of working with them longer term?'
'Not sure. The team is great, and I wouldn't have to worry about finding customers. But commercial cleaning isn't really my cup of tea. Plus, I'd have to work shifts. Being a single mom doesn't fit in with it.'
'So, what can you do?'
'I've left ads around town offering cleaning and home help. But I haven't had much interest so far,' Katie said with a heavy heart. 'Having said that, I haven't paid much attention to it lately.'
'I think young families on the new housing estate may need cleaning and domestic help.'
'It would make sense, wouldn't it? I'd better go and check if my ads are still posted.'
Katie ended the call. She’d drop by the new shopping centre and check if her little ads were still on the notice board, and put a new ad up if needed. Next week she would be back to her part-time job and part-time wage. Even with the child support money from Barry, it was still quite tight for the two of them, as Katie was paying off an old loan Barry had taken out in her name. And if she really wanted to find a better place to live, she needed to start saving. Katie prepared a little note offering her cleaning and home help services. And then she rang Julia.
'I'm fine, mum,' Julia said in the way that made Katie doubt it.
'Hope you’re not too bored.'
'I finished my science assignment.'
'So how are you spending your days? Are you still with grandma?'
'Yes. But it's boring. I wish I had my computer. Grandma lets me use her laptop to play Animal Jam, but only when she is around. When will our house be available?'
'Hopefully soon, darling,' Katie said not feeling all that hopeful. 'I'm going to check on it tomorrow. On another note, how about you and grandma go to the library?'
'That's a great idea! I'll talk to her straight away.'
With an afternoon snack in form of another sandwich, a bunch of ads in her handbag, Katie left for Willow Park. She drove through town. When driving by the community centre she noticed a light on in the crafts room.
'Who is that?' Katie muttered and pulled into the car park.
She climbed out of the car and looked through the window. Indeed, there was someone there, leaning over the workbench in the far corner of the room. The silhouette didn’t look familiar. Katie pushed the handle and the door opened.
'Hello?' Katie called out
The tall slim figure turned around. 'Oh, it's you. You give me such a fright,' Sofia said.
'Oh, hello, Sofia. What are you doing here? Where did you get the key?'
'I'm working on my new jewellery project,' Sofia said flicking her dark curls back over a shoulder. 'I told you I was very keen to work on it. This machine is just sitting here gathering dust. At least someone is using it now.' She gave a sharp laugh. 'You should be thanking me otherwise this will all rust.'
Katie's heart accelerated. A wave of adrenaline rushed over her. What the heck was going on here?
'Where did you get the key from? I didn't quite catch it.'
'I've walked in. I wanted to use the room, and nobody was using it. You told me other people use it outside the normal hours.'
'Yes, we do have an agreement that our members can use the crafts room when they need it. But you have to go through one of the three people who have the keys to get the key first.'
'As I said,' Sofia said frostily not looking at Katie, 'the door was unlocked. What's the big deal? I'm not stealing anything.'
Katie sucked in a long breath. What's the big deal? Maybe there wasn't any big deal at all? She had to get the facts right.
'Are you saying the door was open?'
'By the looks of it.' Sophia gave that sharp laugh again. A bead of cold sweat formed on Katie's lip. She wiped it with the back of her hand.
'If you care about your possessions in here, you need to make sure the door is locked properly, or get a better lock,' Sophia said, staring at Katie.
'So, you didn't have the key,' Katie half-asked half-stated.
'I didn't need the key,' Sophia replied. 'The door was unlocked. You need a better lock. You should be grateful it was me and not a thief. Although, I don't think there's anything valuable in here. Certainly, I am not going to steal anything. I just want to use the machine. You okay with that? I talked to the president last night. I paid the dues. She confirmed that members could use the room outside the meeting hours.'
Katie stepped back. She held her breath. Sofia's comments were okay on the surface. The door was unlocked - maybe Miriam forgot to lock it properly the night before, maybe someone else used the room this morning and left it like that. Sofia just wanted to use a machine no one else had used for ages. Assuming Sofia was a club member and discussed the use of the room with Miriam, it was only fair. But something about the way Sofia delivered her comments made Katie uncomfortable. She'd check with Miriam if Sofia was telling the truth.
Katie counted to three exhaling slowly. It eased the dizziness a little.
'You should have got the key from one of us. Have you told anyone the door was unlocked?'
'No, I haven't. I don't know your customs. Look, I had a spare couple of hours after work. I've had a really busy day, very stressful. I just wanted to have a look at the room on my way home. The door happened to be unlocked. My intentions are completely honourable,' Sofia said holding her hands in front of her with the palms open. 'I'm sorry about that. I am not intending to steal anything. I just want to do a littl
e work with the machine.'
Katie steadied her breath.
'I'll talk to Miriam about the lock,' she said weakly. It was hard to disagree with Sofia's arguments, but a doubt settled in her. She had to talk to Miriam. 'Okay,' she said reluctantly. 'Since you are already here, stay here. But please still lock the door after you finished.'
'I told you I don't have the key.'
'I'll leave you mine,' Katie offered. I can pick it up from you on my way from work tonight. Will you be at home?'
'I don't know. I have something to do.'
'Can you leave it with your mum?'
'I suppose I could, but Mum may be having a nap when you come.'
The Parkers weren't the easiest to catch.
'Okay, here's another idea,' Katie said calmly. 'How about you put the key through Dorothy's letterbox? I'm popping to see her on my way back from work.'
A grimace of displeasure flashed across Sophia's beautiful face. The corners of her mouth dropped, as if she’d swallowed something bitter.
'I suppose I could do that,' she said. 'Is this kosher enough?'
Katie took the key from her handbag and left it on the table.
'Yes. Thank you. I just wanted to have a look at what you were doing. If you don't mind?'
Sofia put her hands on her hips. She flicked her hair back again.
'It's a secret, she said with a smile but a hint of threat in her voice. But Katie had already made a couple of steps closer. Two pieces of jewellery shimmered in the light of the bulb over the polishing machine. She reached out to touch one of them, but Sofia's was faster. Her hand covered the items in one smooth motion.
'Don't touch,' she said, a sharp hint of anxiety turning her voice into the shrill again. 'It's a secret. I don't want anyone to know.'
The shrill notes made Katie jump back. Her backside hit the table and knocked off Sofia's handbag, which landed on the floor and its content spilled out.
'Look what you’ve done!' Sophia called out, flapping her hands.
Katie clutched the edge of the table behind her back. She shuddered and dropped to one knee to pick up the items. She grabbed the first thing she could reach. In one small jump, like a tigress, Sofia was beside her.