by Emily Selby
But if she was going to do this, she needed a better back-up plan. She rang Jack again and left him another message, this time telling him she was going to have to talk to Sofia about the piece of jewellery at the club.
And since she didn't want to do anything stupid or dangerous, she also called Chris.
'I'm sorry to bother you on Sunday morning, Chris,' Katie said quickly as soon as he answered his phone. 'I've tried Jack but he's not answering his phone.'
'What are you up to, lass?'
'On the surface, nothing dangerous-just going to pick up my craft box from the club room in the community centre, but someone is already here.' She paused, not sure how to explain herself. 'Jack disagrees with my theory, but she's my prime suspect.'
'Hang on, I'm not really following. Suspect in what?'
Katie hesitated. She could be more open with Chris. He should understand. 'In both murders, I think, she-' Katie gasped. Sofia must have caught her sight because her head jerked. She straightened her back and jumped forward like a tigress preparing for an attack. She strode across the room to the door.
'Oh, sorry, got to go. She's spotted me. Please come quickly!'
She dropped the call and slipped her phone into her pocket.
'What are you doing here, Katie? You gave me a fright!' Sofia called out the moment she opened the door.
Katie jumped back. The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose in unison. Oh, no - the paint-peeling shrill!
'I-I... just wanted to pick up some craft supplies to work on when my daughter is back. Can I...'
Sofia threw her an icy dagger kind of a glance.
'Now? You really need it now?' she said in an equally icy voice.
Katie's hands turned clammy. She cleared her tight throat.
'Yes, if you don't mind. I'm here now. I'll sneak in and out, I don't want to disturb you.' Katie moved to the side trying to squeeze past Sofia. But she firmly stood in the doorway.
'Actually, you already did.' A hint of threat crept into her voice. She raised her arms and spread them as if to block Katie. Katie ducked under Sofia's arm and skipped forward.
'You-you... Stop!' The anxiety-filled screech drilled into Katie ears. Katie rushed toward the bench.
'I'm not going to steal anything from you. I've got the right to be here,' Katie babbled. A milky white stone glimmered by the machine.
'Ah, so this is what you're working on,' Katie called out.
'Don't touch it,' Sofia hissed and reached out to grab the stone. But it was a fraction of a second too late. Katie closed her fingers on the cold, textured surface.
Sofia's hand hit Katie's forearm.
'Give that back.' Her voice raised by an octave and turned into the piercing shrill again. Katie shuddered as a wave of prickly goosebumps covered her skin again. She steadied her breath.
'No way!' Katie fired back. She grabbed the piece of jewellery and pulled it from the workbench.
'I said, give it back,' Sofia yelled, her hands now hovering in the air, aiming for Katie's neck.
'No!'Katie jumped back and with her free hand grabbed the first thing she could feel behind her back. It's not yours.'
'Give it back to me you...!'Sophia jumped at her. Her fingers grabbing Katie's neck.
Katie pushed back, shoving the handbag she'd grabbed from the table into Sofia's stomach. Sofia groaned and doubled over. Her hands slid off Katie's neck. The contents of the handbag spilled on the floor.
'You-!' Sofia growled pounced at her again, her fingers splayed like claws. Katie skipped to the side. Although her heart was pumping hard, her head was clear.
'Is this how you killed Zac? Strangled him first?'
'I didn't kill Zac,' she screamed and jumped. Her fingers tightened around Katie's throat.
'You killed him,' Katie croaked and grabbed at Sofia's wrists. She pushed her nails into Sofia's flesh. She loosened the grip. Where was Chris? Was he coming? How much time did it take to get here from his place? She had to play for time. Get her to talk. But how?
'Stole the ring,' Katie wheezed. 'Left some traces.'
'No, I didn't. Never leave any traces. I'm smart,' Sofia growled. 'My ring. Give it back.' Her fingers tightened on Katie's throat again. The world twirled. Katie wobbled. She wheezed a breath in. With a last surge of will she took a swing. Her arm went over Sofia's arms half circle, and dived between them, cutting the grip.
Sofia jumped back surprise flooding her face. She tripped and fell on the floor.
Katie's knees gave way. She leant on the table.
'Stop! police! Don't move.' Two voices shouted from the door. In a few fast strides, they arrived - Jack and Chris. Jack knelt by her side while Chris jumped to stop Sofia escaping.
'Are you okay, Katie? Can you breathe?' Jack asked her, his gaze sweeping her.
'Yeah, I can breathe now,' she said, surprised to hear her voice sounding so husky. She took a few breaths, surprised by the sudden sensation of lightness in her body. She rolled her shoulders back and realised she was still holding something tightly.
'Here's the ring,' Katie said and opened her white-knuckled fist. The milky stone shimmered in her hand.
'Is it the one you found in your bedroom?' Jack asked.
'No, it's the one she stole from my flat,' Katie said, turning her head to the left, where Chris was dragging Sofia to her feet. 'It used to be a ring. Now, it's just the stone. She must have cut off the band.'
Jack took it from her hand to look closer.
'I didn't steal anything. I never even went to your flat. You kept me outside,' Sofia drawled, glaring at Katie.
'You were,' Katie replied, feeling giddy. 'Here's the proof.' She pulled the piece of resin from her pocket and passed it to Jack.
'It's not mine,' Sophia said defiantly.
'Yes, it is. I saw the matching earrings on you, and so did many other club members.'
Blood drained from Sofia's face. She pressed her lips into a thin, pale line.
'Look, the phone,' Katie said, pointing to the spilled contents of Sofia's handbag. It was strange to see the same plain phone on the floor again.
'What?' Jack looked at her incredulously.
'The phone I told you about. It's there. Check it.'
Jack picked the plain phone from the floor. 'Is this your phone, Ms Parker?'
'I refuse to answer any questions. You have no right to hold me here-'
'I'm afraid we do,' Jack cut in smoothly. He stared at her. 'We saw you assaulting Katie Redford. You are now under arrest, Ms Parker.'
Sofia's jaw dropped. Her body jittered. Heat flashed in her eyes.
Chris and Jack exchanged glances. Jack took out his phone and called the station.
Fifteen minutes later, the duty officers left the craft room with Sofia and Chris. While Jack insisted on taking Katie to the hospital for a check-up.
27
Once she was cleared at the emergency department, Katie returned to town. She headed straight back to the police station, keen to lay charges against Sofia for assault. And even keener to make sure Jack continued the murder investigation.
'You're alright?' Jack waved at her when she walked into the staff room.'
'Hey Katie, lass! So great to see you alive. Want a cuppa?' Chris called out from the coffee machine.
'Yes, please. I wanted to thank you for saving my life, guys. But what took you so long?'
'No problem. That's what we do every day,' Chris said.
Jack only smiled.
'Well, you did a good job at saving yourself, to be honest, 'Jack said. 'I saw how you broke away from her clench. If we'd be a few seconds later, this could have been a different conversation.'
'Where were you by the way? Why weren't you answering my calls?'
'Sorry, I took dad to church that morning, here in Sunnyvale. And as I listened to your second message, I realised it would be much faster if I just turned up on site. So, I ran across the square. I saw Chris' car pulling up behind the building.
/> 'I was lucky,' Katie smiled sheepishly. 'Again.'
'Incredibly lucky,' Jack said throwing her a frigid glance.
Katie bit her lip. He could have at least acknowledged that she had tried to make it as safe as she could...
'I called you this time...'
'You did, to your credit,' Jack said, a note of reproach still in his voice.
'She didn't say much,' Katie changed the subject. 'Did you hear any of her comments on the rings and her visit to my flat?'
'Some of it. But the rings may be of help. We'll have to push her a little,' Jack said. 'She's not saying much now, either.'
Katie looked around the room. She glanced at the monitors. 'Where is she?'
'The interview room,' Jack replied, 'talking to her lawyer.'
'Has she admitted anything?'
'She's a smart one,' Jack rubbed his chin. 'She's only confirmed what she said to you about the ring. It was made by her grandfather. She wanted to have it. Something to do with a jewellery-making competition. She says she 'commissioned' it'—Jack made air quotes—'from Zac. She denies any involvement in breaking into your flat, let alone Zac's death.'
Katie's heart sank. Sofia was smart. 'Are you going to still consider her as a suspect at least? What about laying assault charges against me?'
'We are. I've sent her fingerprints to the lab. Let's see if they can match them with those glove prints we took from the vials. This would be at least something.'
Well, maybe this was not all lost yet.
'What about the other phone? The plain one on the floor?' Katie asked.
'Now, this was interesting,' Jack smiled. 'When I mentioned it, she asked to call her lawyer.'
'I presume it means this wasn't just a second phone, a work phone?'
Jack pressed his lips together slightly.
'Probably not,' he said, his head jerking away.
Katie smiled and swallowed an "I told you so."
She'd leave it for when the case was closed.
More evidence.
'Speaking of work, have you managed to dig anything on her previous employment?'
'That's why I couldn't answer your second call. I couldn't get off the phone with my secret informant,' he said, still not quite looking at her.
Katie took a deep breath and bit her upper lip. She had to be diplomatic, even though she wanted to rub it in. 'Anything useful?' she asked as casually as she could.
'Yep. When she worked in an addiction facility earlier this year, medications went missing from the hospital pharmacy. Actually quite a few things. One of the residents was caught red handed. Interestingly, he admitted to stealing some stuff, but he denied taking other things. Among those he didn't admit to were vials of phenobarbital. As the pharmacist on duty when the drugs went missing, Sophia was one of the key suspects. She was very helpful with the investigations, subtly implying other people's involvement but never accusing anyone outright.'
'Interesting strategy. I can see a pattern here,' Katie said slowly, thinking back to the interview she typed up. 'All those subtle hints at Michael, Ash Stanley, Zuza... '
'Yeah,' Jack said.
'Maybe this was when she started planning the murder,' Katie said as casually as she could. 'This happened just before she moved to Sunnyvale, right?'
'It looks so,' Jack replied.
'Good stuff, Katie,' Chris joined in. He raised his mug like a glass of wine. 'Good hunches!'
'Thank you, Chris,' Katie smiled with all her heart, eyes, and all the other internal organs. She’d been dying to make a comment about hunches, and since Chris had started it...
'Speaking of hunches, Inspector,' she said, controlling her voice for smugness, 'do you see, hunches can be useful? They may not carry much weight in terms of evidence, but if one follows a trail, one may find something.'
Chris snorted into his coffee. 'One may find something. I love when you speak oh-so-posh.' He winked at her.
Jack glowered at her, tensing his jaw muscles. 'Okay, okay, folks. Rub it in.' He made "come on in" gestures at them. 'I'll give you twenty seconds, no more. Tell me how you told me so.'
Katie smiled. Her stomach turned a little warm and fuzzy again. Probably some more butterflies hatching. It was good to see he could admit to his weaknesses and hopefully learn from them. It was even better to see he had a sense of humour. She found it a very attractive trait. 'Good to see you're learning to expand your toolbox, but I'll wait until I have more evidence, Inspector. Then, I'll rub it in.'
'Good to see you're expanding your toolbox as well, Katie,' Jack smiled at her. 'I think I owe you a few favours for those tips,' he added. 'How about I buy you lunch?'
Lunch with the drop-dead gorgeous, amusing DI Jack Heaton? Katie's knees turned cotton-candy again.
'Lunch and coffee?' Chris chipped in. 'Am I invited, too, or is it a date?'
Katie froze. Her heart skipped a beat. Even though, she was all for going out for lunch with Jack, she wasn't ready to admit publicly it was a date.
Chris glanced at her and flinched. 'Oh, sorry. Forget it. I've never said anything. I'm busy. I've got things to do, people to see... I didn't even hear what you said.'
Jack smiled. 'What do you say, private detective and hunch-master, Katie Redford?'
Katie pulled herself together to give it a thought. She wanted it badly, and at the same time, she was terrified. 'I say, "thank you, Inspector. I'd like to take up this offer, but once we have more evidence-"'
'So, you can rub it in while we're eating,' he cut in with a cocked eyebrow.
Katie blinked. 'That wasn't quite what I was thinking,' she said. She appreciated he was offering her a nice way of saving face. It would be a date, but it wouldn't. 'I just wanted to make sure I don't miss any updates. Plus, if I was wrong in any of my hunches, I'd like to hear it, so I can correct my approach in future. If there is ever a ... Oh, you know what I mean,' she said and smiled at him.
'This should be sometime next week then. I'll be mostly back at the headquarters, but still popping in to wrap up this case. How about I'll give you a call when I have some news and we set time and date?'
'Great idea,' she said, pressing her hands to her chest. More butterflies were trying to work their way up and down and sideways.
28
Katie didn’t hear from Jack again until the following Thursday. To be fair on him, she had been off work for a few days. After Julia's return home, they visited Katie’s mother for a few days. Then, they worked on the birthday cards for the church fete—no calligraphy or quilling required.
Katie also tried to sound out Julia's views about a potential move to a new place. And on Wednesday, she took her daughter out for a walk along the stream. Officially, Katie suggested they might collect some autumn leaves for Halloween cards. Unofficially, she wanted to have a look at what was available for sale. A little semi-detached house with a lovely garden and a view of the stream was just as Katie wanted. She made a mental note to talk to Chris again about getting a good deal from Michael.
Well, once this whole case was over. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take much longer.
When she returned to work on Thursday morning, she was keen to find out how the murder investigations had progressed. But Chris was off duty and Celia was working with Inspector Lumley. Katie didn't feel comfortable asking any of the other officers, so when a message came in on her phone her heart made a little flip.
"Popping to Sunnyvale this late morning. Fancy lunch?"
So, Jack hadn’t forgotten his promise!
She was going to catch up on the progress in the case. And, most importantly, no, scratch it! And as well, she was going to meet up with the dishy inspector.
A bag of butterflies exploded in her stomach. She was both excited and terrified at the same time. Where should she take him? She didn't want to attract any attention to their lunch together. It wasn't anything more than two colleagues eating out. Basically, a work lunch out. She repeated the phrase to herself before she replied t
o his message: a work lunch out.
She texted him back as laconically as she possibly could, given her emotional state.
"That would be good. Do you have a place in mind?"
Fortunately, DI Heaton did have something in mind. And even more fortunately, it was linked with work.
When she entered the Royal Oak, he was already there. She spotted his broad-shouldered figure leaning on the bar. Chatting with Zuza!
The police had released her. It was good to know.
'Katie, here!' Zuza waved at her.
Katie approached the bar, forcing her wobbly legs to move forward. She waved back at her friend, relieved to have something else on which to focus her attention.
'Good to see you, Zuza. And, hello Inspector,' she added as casually as her dry mouth allowed.
'Hello Katie.' Jack looked good, really good. His voice was smooth and deep. His face was fresh with just a shadow of stubble. His blue eyes smiled at her from behind his glasses. This was definitely one happy police officer.
'I have just been talking to Zuza,' he said. 'I wanted to thank her for the help with the investigation.'
'So, is she free?'
'Yes, she's free. We've caught the murderer and we have concluded our investigations.'
Katie suppressed an urge to jump and scream for joy.
'That's great news,' she said instead. 'Except maybe for the murderer.'
'Definitely,' Jack said. 'Shall we order and talk it through?'
They ordered lunch and settled into one of the booths. The booth was quiet and isolated, which gave her hope their lunch wouldn't become the talk of the town tomorrow.
'So, tell me Inspector, what progress have you made?'
'Oh dear, are we back to being official?' he asked. A hint of sadness flashed in his eyes.
'No, no,' Katie said hastily. 'I was just joking, Jack.'
'That’s a relief. I really appreciated your help. And as agreed, I wanted to give you the opportunity to rub it in. You're welcome to say, "I told you so, "however many times you think is necessary.'