Cut Down To Size: A Sebastian Cork Novel

by Neal Davies

  “Good thanks, Jim. After you guys left I slept like a baby; maybe I should do this sort of thing more often!” he says with a smile.

  Jim grins for a small moment and then takes on a more serious persona. “Okay, Seb, give us a rundown of what’s unfolding here. I can’t hold these people forever, you know!”

  Sebastian sits back with his arms crossed. “We will get to them shortly, Jim, and it shouldn’t take that long.”

  Sebastian switches his attention to Paul. “Now, Paul, you may recall me saying at one of our meetings it seemed to me to be too coincidental and convenient that each time a murder was committed, Kate was away on some sort of junket. After seeing and talking to her, I found her to be the type of person who would find it more productive working at her business, rather than being overseas attending seminars that would show nothing more than she already knows.”

  “When I requested Cynthia to ring the hotel where Kate had supposedly stayed on a previous trip, I asked her to inform the clerk that she was a friend of Kate’s and that Kate had recommended the hotel to her. Fortunately, the clerk knew Kate very well and loved a good chat while he wasn’t busy. During their conversation he mentioned Kate’s son who has cerebral palsy.”

  Paul chips in, “She’s got a son?”

  Sebastian screws up the corner of his mouth in a chastising way. “Let me finish, Paul! “Anyway, when Cynthia heard this, alarm bells began going off, as they just did with you, my friend. I had filled Cynthia in on my progress the night before and as you know Kate had informed everyone that she had no family; so you can understand why Cynthia delved even further. She made a very clever decision to ring the airport and find out what name the tickets for Kate’s previous flight had been booked under and, sure enough, she was travelling with a young boy by the name of Dylan McConkey. Because the boy’s name is so rare, Cynthia said it wasn’t hard to trace the mother of the child and – surprise, surprise – both the mother, whose real name is Michelle and her son Dylan live in an apartment owned by Kate. I kept asking myself why Kate would take this other woman’s child on trips with her but the biggest problem I had was when I called to see Michelle she wasn’t there, so I rang Cynthia to do some more probing and she rapidly found the child’s grandparents.”

  Sebastian turns to Paul and then continues, “I also rang Jim and asked him to send someone to the airport to detain Kate so I could speak to her after I had spoken to Michelle. When I eventually called to see Michelle’s parents, they were more than happy to tell me how they cast her out after she fell pregnant and her no good boyfriend – whose name just happened to be Nathan Spedding – had blown town.”

  Jim slumps back in his chair and places his fingertips on the edge of his desk. “Are you kidding me? Are you talking about the same Nathan Spedding who is on our list of victims?”

  Sebastian closes his eyes and gently nods his head in the affirmative. “Yes, Jim. With all that’s been going on I haven’t had the opportunity to explain that to you and, as strange as this all sounds, it is the very same one. Anyhow, Michelle’s parents went onto tell me she was adopted by them and that they had a choice of taking both identical twins. The McConkey’s only wanted one and they believed they’d chosen the wrong child. When Michelle was brought back from the airport so I could interview her, she seemed reluctant to speak up but after finding out she was now involved in a murder investigation, she explained to me she was actually Michelle and not Kate. Once I told her what had happened to Nathan Spedding, she had no hesitation in admitting she had impersonated her sister on the overseas trips and was only too happy to cooperate.”

  Paul looks at Sebastian curiously. “But how did you know Kate was flying out yesterday?”

  “I tried to contact Kate at the gym and I was told by Max she was having a few days off to attend a seminar overseas; so I simply rang the airport and found out there had been a flight booked by Kate for that very day. I tried to contact you but you didn’t answer.”

  He looks at Paul whose mouth opens wide as he glances up to the ceiling and then back to Sebastian. “Damn battery went dead in my phone.”

  Sebastian hangs his head and swings it from side to side. “I had no idea that you would be the next victim. All I knew was each time the victims were killed, Kate’s plane had taken off that day and what better alibi than to be in mid-flight when a murder is committed. I was desperate and determined to stop this killer striking again so I called Jim and …”

  Jim interrupts, “I organised for Seb and a group of well-trained men to be dropped off at the bottom of the drive…”

  Sebastian cuts back in again, “And we hiked our way up to the barn for the stakeout. I felt the only way to connect the murderer to the barn was to be there during the time of the abduction, so there we were. The unmarked cars that dropped us off went back down to the highway and parked in well concealed positions awaiting our signal if the culprit should be good enough to get past us. As you and I discovered when we first went there, the road at the end of the driveway could only be accessed via the highway.”

  “I knew that the victim wouldn’t be overdosed, as they would need to suffer for emotionally hurting her. I am so angry with myself for not realising you would be the next victim, as I should have been aware that you would have to be high on the agenda because of the close connection you had with Kate. The other thing I didn’t count on was the hidden back entrance but by the time we were in position, it was too late to change the way things were set up and we were all surprised in more ways than one when the two of you emerged from behind the barn and not the route we had expected. The important thing is you’re safe and it won’t be long before we have our murderer well and truly behind bars. Now, Paul, would you like to join me in Interview Room One?”

  Paul and Sebastian rise from their seats in unison. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Seb,” Paul says eagerly.

  “Now, listen, you two. I want a full report on my desk by the end of the day and I also want this killer behind bars!” Jim states with authority as the two of them leave the room and work their way down toward their first interview.

  As they are strolling down the hallway Paul glances across at Sebastian. “We haven’t talked much about that Joe Devonport character, Seb. After what you told me on the way here about him, surely there’s a possibility he has had some involvement in this whole thing?”

  Sebastian smiles at Paul then replies proudly, “That is exceptional logic, Paul; his profile does fit that of a serial killer but there are also others who don’t fit the profile, yet have a motive.”

  Paul’s brow folds. “So, are you saying he is innocent?” he asks inquisitively.

  “No, Paul. I’m not saying he is innocent; I am simply saying that there are others to be considered and some things aren’t always what they seem.” The two men stop outside the first interview room and Sebastian holds the handle to the door. “Are you ready?” Paul tightens his lips with an acknowledging grin and nods his head in the affirmative.

  As they enter for the first interview, Paul looks sternly across to a sad face sitting timidly behind the desk and Sebastian takes a seat while he remains standing at the rear of the room. “Sorry to keep you so long; the gentleman behind me is…”

  Paul’s lips tighten. “She knows who I am; she just didn’t know I worked for the police!”

  Sebastian throws his left arm over the back of his chair as he turns to look at Paul. “No, Paul, you are very wrong! She has no idea who you are; this is Michelle, Kate’s identical twin sister.”

  “You’re kidding me, Seb!”

  Sebastian smiles at Paul and replies, “Not at all, Paul. That’s why they are called identical twins.” Sebastian swings back around, while Paul squints across at Michelle in amazement. “Okay, Michelle, we have had a brief discussion but I just need to clear a few more things up, if that is alright with you?”

  Michelle, now looking extremely anxious and with pathetic eyes, she gazes across the desk at Sebastian and
then over to Paul when answering. “I guess so.” Her hands are clasped tightly, to the point where her knuckles are turning white.

  Sebastian shifts his seat forward which makes a scraping noise on the floor and draws her attention back to him. “Alright then… perhaps you would like to tell me how you came into contact with Nathan Spedding after years of absence?”

  Michelle’s fingers shake as she rubs her brow nervously and her eyes glance mournfully downward. “I was at the airport with Dylan on one of my trips overseas. Kate told me she liked to have time to catch up on paperwork and she said that if she shut up the shop without a reasonable excuse, customers at the gym would complain. She also told me it was nice to be able to treat Dylan and me away for a break and when I said I was concerned about the expense, she told me not to worry as she could claim it on tax benefits anyway.”

  Sebastian looks strongly into her eyes. “So, tell me what happened when you ran into Mr Spedding at the airport?

  Michelle looks at Sebastian with a folded frown and resistance in her eyes. “At first I didn’t recognise him, as he had aged and grown a beard, but he knew who I was and seemed overjoyed to see me. He told me he had never married and felt bad about abandoning us. He said he had searched for us to no avail and it may seem crazy but I actually believed him. I have cared for my son for so long I haven’t had time to have another man in my life but this was different, this was the father of my son and my first love.

  So I began seeing him secretly after that but as time passed he wanted more. He wanted our relationship out in the open and he just wouldn’t let up until we had a huge argument. He wanted me to tell Kate so there would be no more secrets but I just couldn’t. I know now I was wrong but the reason I didn’t want Kate to know was she had been a rock to both me and Dylan and I felt that Nathan and I hadn’t been seeing each other long enough to be sure that he wasn’t going to leave us stranded again. When Nathan never came back after the argument, I assumed I was right about him and he had just walked out on us the same way he did the last time. But you proved that theory wrong didn’t you!”

  Sebastian rises to his feet. “Thank you for your patience, Michelle. Now, if you can spare me a little more of your time, I would like you to wait here while we interview your sister; if you don’t mind, of course.”

  She looks at Sebastian inquisitively. “I have told you all I know; why are you detaining me?” she says impatiently.

  Sebastian shows no emotion when he replies, “No one is detaining you and you may leave now but it does seem strange that you don’t want to know who killed Nathan, doesn’t it?”

  Michelle’s face takes on a stern look, “I already know who killed Nathan; it had to be my sister. What more is there to know?”

  “It’s plausible that your sister did kill him but is it probable? I’m not sure yet. Oh, by the way, how can we be sure you were on all of those plane flights and not your sister?”

  Her eyes bounce from one side to the other at a rapid pace. “How could I have been in two places at the same time? You know where I was… and anyway, you had me detained at the airport yesterday so that proves I was going on those trips!”

  Sebastian looks deep into her nervous eyes. “It proves you were boarding a plane yesterday but it doesn’t prove you were on the flight when Nathan was murdered. Now, would you mind waiting for a little while longer, please?”

  Michelle, now looking incredibly uncomfortable, replies, “I would prefer not to but I agree it will be interesting to see who killed him.” Sebastian and Paul leave the room and walk down the corridor to the next interview room.

  ++++

  As Sebastian and Paul enter the interview room they find Kate sitting on the far side of the desk, leaning forward with her head resting on her crossed arms. The sound of the door opening brings her to attention and her disappointed eyes immediately catch Paul off guard making him feel slightly uncomfortable and creating an awkward silence, yet he still manages to return a glance back at her which is filled with unspoken questions. Sebastian takes a seat opposite, while Paul, as before remains standing by the door like a sentinel.

  Sebastian slumps back into the chair, supports his right elbow with his left hand and begins gently pinching his bottom lip. “Hello, Kate. I would assume by now you have been filled in as to why you are here,” Sebastian says as he readies himself to scrutinize every word and body movement she is about to make.

  “Yes, I have been, but everything I’ve done can be explained,” she says with some contempt. Paul remains quiet but his eyes bounce up and down from the ceiling and his facial expressions are blatantly obvious to what he is thinking. Kate’s quick to notice this and her annoyed look now turns to anger as she senses his doubts. “I wasn’t lying when I told you that my father drowned and that my mother had passed away from cancer when I was nineteen. I just chose not to tell you that before my mother died, she let me know that I’d been adopted.”

  “After some years of research to find my biological parents, I learnt I had an identical twin sister and the reasons for our adoption. I was deeply hurt to find out that our mother had placed us in an orphanage and then suicided six months later after the man that impregnated her ran off with another woman. What devastated me further was when I finally found him living at the farm house on his own; he informed me he had told her that he never wanted anything to do with me or my sister. Do you know what he said then?”

  Sebastian still remains emotionless and answers, “No. What?”

  “He looked at me with eyes that were as dead as the coldest corpse and said he had told my mother ‘if she didn’t get rid of us, he was finished with her.’ Can you believe that stupid woman chose him over my sister and me? And then that bastard left anyway! Exactly six months after she adopted us out, she was found dead in her bath with both her wrists slit. As far as I’m concerned the day she put us in that orphanage, she did us both a big favour anyway. If she had decided to give us up under those circumstances, then who knows what would have happened if she’d kept us.”

  “I’d heard enough from my so called father and that’s the last time I remember tears flowing down my cheeks. I told him I hated him and he stood there, towering over me, telling me to get the fuck off his property. He said I was a pathetic, weeping, little moron like my mother and then spat on me. Enough was enough, something snapped inside of me like a rigid twig. As much as I wanted to belong, I knew if I didn’t walk away and start a new life, I would end up bitter and twisted like him and her, so I left and never saw him or the property again!” she says with a lamentable look now veiling her face.

  Sebastian isn’t about to ease up on her; he leans closer toward the table and stares accusingly and directly into her eyes

  “If it is as you say it is, perhaps you can explain to me how you obtained your father’s property after his death?”

  Kate’s face screws up as she slumps back into the chair and her head begins slowly swaying from one side to the other. “Are you kidding me? What the hell are you talking about?”

  Sebastian’s determined not to remove his piercing eyes from hers. “I assure you, this is no laughing matter. Come on, Kate! You need to give us the truth.”

  Kate crosses her arms on the table and her eyes flicker around like a moth in a light. “I am telling you the truth; I never bought that bastard’s land. Why the hell would I want it?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me! We have been in touch with the local shire and you were listed as the property owner up until you sold the farm to Mike Cohen, which was just before his demise. Did he find out about the secret cellar?” he says as his glassy eyes continue to scan her every movement.

  “No! What, what secret cellar? I still have no idea what you’re talking about. I never purchased my so-calledfather’s property; I never saw him after that day!” she replies in a panicked state.

  Sebastian continues relentlessly, “We also know you were familiar with a fellow by the name of Nathan Spedding who had a close con
nection to your sister and that you and he had a fall out as well. Is that true?”

  Her panic quickly turns to anger. “Yes, I knew about Michelle and that weasel Spedding. At first, I had no idea who he was, just another salesman who had come into my shop from time to time trying to get me to buy something I didn’t need. I only put up with it because he would buy the odd drink off me but he would always be asking questions!”

  Sebastian curiously asks, “Like what?” and she continues, “Mostly about family: things like ‘did I have a big family or any siblings?’ Then one day he approached me in an angry mood and started raising his voice in my shop, telling me I was holding my sister back. And when I asked him who the hell he was, he told me, so I told him to get out of my shop and never come back. He said he never wanted to set eyes on my sister or me again. Why? Did he have something to do with these murders? Because it wouldn’t surprise me!”

  Sebastian ignores her question and continues, “Did you tell your sister what happened?”

  Kate swallows and exhales heavily through her nose. “What would be the point? It would only make her unhappy and cause problems between the both of us, so I just left it at that.”

  Sebastian probes again, “Did anyone else hear the argument?”

  Kate tilts her head slightly and then glares upward. “They could have but not as far as I’m aware. There was no one else in the shop at the time.”

  Sebastian leans forward further, places his elbows on the desk while intertwining his fingers and then rests his chin on his knuckles. “So you didn’t know that Nathan Spedding was murdered not long after your somewhat heated debate?”

  Kate’s jaw drops and her eyes bulge unnaturally. “No, of course I didn’t know; how the hell would I?”

  Sebastian slumps back into the seat again while crossing his arms. “Well, you tell me! Just give us someone who may have seen you or been with you when these murders took place.”