by M A Comley
“Years ago, before I met my fiancé.”
“Ah, you’ve been married before.”
Her cheeks flared up. “I was married when I met Rufus. I went home that night and told my husband our marriage was over.”
“After one dance with Rufus you were prepared to go to such lengths?”
“That’s how deeply we fell in love.”
“I can’t imagine your husband being too impressed when he heard the news.”
She shrugged. “There was nothing he could do to change my mind. I moved out within a few days and came here to live with Rufus. My husband accepted it, sort of.”
“I need to tell you that I’m already running an investigation into two other murders in the area. We believe there is a possible link.”
She gasped. “No. Really?”
Katy nodded. “Did your fiancé know either a Grace Hunt or Colin Markham?”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not sure if he knew them but I’ve heard their names.” Her brow knitted together.
“May I ask how you know them?”
“Through my ex.”
Katy withdrew her notebook and pen. “And his name would be?”
“James Boyd.”
“And how would your ex have known Grace and Colin?”
“Through his job at Zedex.”
Katy raised her head swiftly, cricking her neck in the process. “Sorry? He works at Zedex?”
“Yes, at least I think he still does. Maybe I’m wrong about that. I haven’t been in touch with him in a while.”
“How long has it been since you last saw him?”
“A few weeks ago. Rufus and I went round there to see him. He’s been stubborn about signing the divorce papers. We implored him to get on with it as our wedding has been booked and was due to take place in a few months. Yet another job that we wanted to tick off our huge list.”
“I see, and what was his response?”
“He was angry. I’ve never seen him flare up like that before. I urged Rufus to get back in the car. He refused to leave me alone with James as he felt my ex was unstable.”
“Interesting. Can I have James’s address?”
“It’s sixty-seven Todmarsh Road. Please don’t tell me he’s the one responsible for this?”
“I can’t answer that right now. He’s definitely a person of interest as there is a possible link to all three crimes.”
“Oh God. I hope you’re wrong. If you’re not, then I’m going to carry a burden of guilt with me for the rest of my days. How dreadful. When you think you know someone and they turn out to be a killer.”
Katy raised a hand. “Let’s not get carried away with that theory just yet. I’ll need to have a word with him to determine what he knows about the events which have taken place over the past twenty-four hours. One thing, did your ex own a gun?”
“I don’t think so. Not while I was with him anyway.”
“May I ask how long you two were together?”
“Over ten years.”
“And up until you met Rufus on a night out you were happy together?”
Camilla stared off at the wall to her left. “I suppose the warning signs were there at the beginning, but I was in love and pushed them aside, chose to ignore them.”
“Warning signs? How did they manifest themselves?”
“He liked to control me. Told me who I could see and what I should wear. I suppose I rebelled and that’s why I was out with my friends that night.”
“How did you manage to get away from him for the evening?”
“I had to make out I was going on a course relating to work. He fell for it, I stayed at a friend’s house. A few of my other girlfriends joined us. They worked on me, you know, dressed me up, had a go at me for being dowdy and getting old before my time, and the rest was history. The next thing I knew, they were dragging me out for a night on the town. I got tipsy early on and sat alone for a while until they forced me to get up on the dance floor. One of the girls pointed out Rufus to me. She told me he’d had his eye on me for over an hour. I turned all giggly; it had been a while since any man had shown me any kind of attention. He was such a sweetheart. I became aware of his reputation; he didn’t hold back but he told me I was the one he’d been waiting to spend the rest of his life with. And now…he’s gone.”
Katy sighed. “Life is so tough at times. And James accepted it when you chose to leave him? Or did he kick up a fuss?” Katy asked a second time, needing to clarify things.
“No, he accepted it, even told me he was in the wrong for neglecting me over the years. I appreciated his honesty, and Rufus and I decided to move on with our lives and never to discuss him again, until the day came when we received notice from the solicitors that James was digging his heels in about signing the divorce papers. We told our solicitor we’d pay him a visit. She advised us against doing that, but we did it anyway.”
“And what kind of reception did you get?”
“I’d worked myself up into a frenzy. He opened the door. At first, he was angry to see us standing there together but accepted things for what they were and invited us in. He apologised and said work had been manic for several weeks and all he was guilty of doing was coming home at night and flaking out on the sofa. From what I could recall, he used to do that a lot every time work put too much pressure on him.”
“What was his role at Zedex?”
“He worked closely with Grace Hunt. I’ve got it somewhere in the back of my mind that he told us she might have grabbed the promotion that was due to him, but you’ll need to check I’ve got that right.”
“What’s his background? Any episodes of unstable mental health over the years?”
“No, nothing that I’m aware of. As I said earlier, he liked to control me. Maybe that’s an indication that things weren’t that good in his early life.”
“What about his parents?”
“They’re both dead. His mother died when he was a mere babe in arms, and his father was forced to bring him up on his own.”
“You’re telling me there was no female influence in his life from a very young age?”
“I suppose I am. Do you think that’s contributed to him being unstable?” She shuddered. “Oh God, to think I lived with the man, laid down beside him every night for almost ten years. Had sex with him, and all the time…”
“Try not to put yourself through the mental torture of thinking about that.”
“But if you’re telling me that he’s gone on a killing spree, shit, do you think I’m next?”
Katy shrugged. “Don’t worry. It might not be him. We’ll take every precaution to keep you safe. I’ll organise a safe house for you if necessary. My advice would be to pack a suitcase after we finish speaking, just to be on the safe side, in case the killer returns. I can make the arrangements while you do that.”
“Thank you so much. Shall I do it now?”
“Yes, I’ll call the station, make the arrangements. It could take a few hours to sort out for you. You’re safe, we won’t leave you alone.”
Camilla rushed out of the room, and Katy took her phone from her pocket. She rang her contact in witness protection to seek their advice first. They told her they had a property available and would arrange to pick Camilla up to take her there. Katy said that wasn’t necessary and that she would personally drop Camilla off at the station just in case the killer was hanging around and followed them out to the house. Her contact agreed. After ending the call, Katy rang the incident room to speak to Karen. She gave her colleague a brief rundown on what had gone on and asked her to carry out all the necessary checks needed on James Boyd.
Katy then went outside to see what Charlie had discovered, if anything. She placed a uniformed officer at the door and issued instructions for him not to let anyone else into the house, except for the professionals dealing with the case.
Charlie saw her, excused herself from the gentlemen she was talking to and headed towards Katy. “Any good?”
&
nbsp; Charlie nodded. “Sort of. A lot of waffle and possible conspiracy theories flying around which I had to sift through. Maybe you can take a look at what I’ve written down and tell me if I did the right thing in discounting certain information.”
“Bollocks, will I. I trust you. Give me a brief recap, and I’ll tell you what I’ve learnt from the victim’s significant other.”
“Sounds ominous. I bet your fishing trip was more lucrative than mine. One of the guys, no, make that two of them, said the killer pulled up in a blue Honda. They couldn’t give me an exact model, but I do have a partial number plate to be going on with.”
“Excellent news. Go on.”
Charlie flipped open her notebook. “They told me the driver drew up in a hurry, got out of the vehicle, took shelter behind a hedge, and then, in front of the three men, without a care in the world, he opened fire on the victim. The men took off, fearing for their lives. One of them said the killer shot at him, but the other two said he was mistaken. They admitted they couldn’t really tell because they were that intent on running away from the scene they didn’t bother looking back until the killer drove off.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“A lot of projective possible suggestions as to who the masked, oops, I forgot to tell you that bit, yes, it would appear our masked man was the culprit.”
“Okay. First of all, get in touch with base. Tell them what you’ve got on the car and get a couple of members of the team searching the ANPRs in the area, focusing around the time the incident occurred.”
Charlie nodded and stepped away. In the meantime, Katy walked over to have a brief chat with Patti.
“How’s it going?” she asked, glancing down at the body.
“I’m almost ready to shift him back to the mortuary. SOCO will hang around though. How are things at your end?”
“I’ve got the name of a possible suspect. He had a motive for each of the crimes, and yes, they’re related, that much is certain.”
“Do tell, don’t keep me in suspenders.” Patti smiled.
“Rather than repeat myself, can I wait until Charlie gets here? She’s getting the team to run a potential car and plate for the killer.”
“Rightio! It all sounds promising.”
Charlie joined them. “All actioned. Let’s hope we get something from it. Are you going to tell me what the victim’s other half said?”
“From speaking with her, I have no doubt in my mind who our prime suspect is.”
“Who?” Patti and Charlie said in unison.
“The woman’s estranged husband, James Boyd. We’ll need to corroborate which car he drives.”
“I doubt if he would use his own car, it’ll probably be stolen,” Charlie suggested.
“Okay, good point. If true, that will hamper our investigation further still. Get this, he works for Zedex, still does as far as she knows. We need to check into it. She mentioned about Grace getting promoted which I thought was odd.”
“Whoa! Seriously, was he overlooked for the promotion?”
“Possibly. Camilla is his soon-to-be ex-wife. They were waiting for the divorce to come through before they could get hitched. She and the victim, Rufus Wright, visited James a few weeks ago. I’m thinking either the promotion or the visit from his ex to do with the divorce, was the trigger that initiated the murders.”
Patti nodded slowly. “Sounds like a plausible assumption to me. Does he own a gun?”
“The wife didn’t seem to think so, but hey, with the right contacts and money to burn in his pocket, guns are easily sought on the black market, right? The guys back at the station are following up on that front now.”
“That’s true,” Charlie agreed. “What about Camilla? She won’t be safe here, will she?”
“No, my sentiments exactly. I’ve told her to pack a bag. We’ll take her back to the station and hand her over to the witness protection guys. I’ve already sounded them out and arranged possible accommodation for her.”
“I bet she’s devastated. Any clues on what his character was like during their marriage?” Charlie asked.
“He was a controller. She had to make up an excuse about going on a course at work just so she could go out with her friends.”
“At least her friends stuck by her. So many don’t in similar circumstances,” Patti replied.
“True enough. Anyway, that’s where she met Rufus, on this said night out.”
“Okay, and one thing led to another and she ended up leaving hubby, yes?” Charlie asked.
“Yep, spot on. She moved in here with him, despite Rufus being a bit of a lad with the lasses. She told me he changed instantly once they hooked up. She was the one he’d been searching for, apparently.”
“How romantic.” Patti pretended to stick her fingers down her throat.
Katy slapped her arm. “Stop mocking, these things happen, to those who believe.”
“Yeah, I’m glad I’m not one of them. Sad that he’s dead all the same. I shouldn’t mock. My mistake, sorry, ladies.”
Katy smiled and rubbed her arm. “You’re forgiven. Okay, we’re going to leave you to it, Patti, and see if Camilla is ready to make a move.”
Katy and Charlie entered the house.
There was no sign of Camilla downstairs, so Katy called out to her. “Camilla, how are things going up there?”
The house remained quiet.
Katy opened the front door and spoke to the officer on guard. “Has the lady of the house come out at all?”
“No, I haven’t moved from this spot.”
Katy and Charlie charged up the stairs. They split up at the top, searching each of the rooms off the large landing.
“Charlie, in here.”
Lying in the bath of steaming hot water was a fully clothed Camilla. Her wrists were cut to ribbons, and there was an old-fashioned-type wet razor on the floor beside the bath.
“Ring for an ambulance, Charlie. Oh shit! Not on my watch, please.”
Charlie exited the room and made the urgent call. She rejoined Katy and shared the news. “They’re going to be at least ten minutes.”
Katy’s head was swimming. “I can’t do this. You’re going to have to take over, Charlie. I’ve checked her pulse, there’s a faint one. We need to get her out of the bath.”
“I’m off now, ladies. I’ll be in touch soon,” Patti shouted from downstairs.
“No, Patti. Up here in the bathroom, you’ve got to help us.”
Patti’s footsteps bounded up the stairs, and she instantly swooped in and brushed Katy and Charlie aside. “Let me get to her. Have you rung for an ambulance?”
“Yes. There’s a faint pulse. Do your best for her, Patti.”
“Goes without saying. Help me get her out of the bath.”
The three of them struggled to lift the woman. Katy’s strength wasn’t up to much. She was relying on Charlie and Patti to do most of the heavy lifting. They placed her on the floor, and Patti set up about removing Camilla’s clothes while Charlie tied a couple of small towels around her wrists to stop the bleeding.
“Go into the bedroom, get me her nightie or pyjamas and a dressing gown. Once she’s undressed, we’re going to need to dry her, have those on standby. While she has a pulse, I can’t perform CPR on her, it’s more than I dare do. I’ll monitor her in the meantime until the paramedics arrive,” Patti said.
“Is it worth trying to bring her round?” Katy asked, her knees shaking, hampering her ability to stand upright.
“Katy, go and sit down before you sodding well fall down,” Patti ordered.
Charlie returned with Camilla’s PJs and placed them on the toilet seat and then proceeded to help Patti disrobe the woman.
Katy watched on from the doorway. “We can’t let her die. Do something, Patti.”
Patti lifted her head and glared at her. “Are you still here? I’m doing my best, give me a break. I’m used to dealing with stiffs, not live patients, remember.”
“That’s my
concern.” Katy grinned in an effort to ease the tension.
Patti shook her head and then breathed out a huge sigh. “I can hear the ambulance coming, what a relief. Hurry, Charlie, let’s get her dried off and changed.”
Camilla groaned softly.
“She’s coming around,” Katy said in a whisper.
“Camilla, can you hear me?” Patti asked, giving Camilla’s shoulder a slight shake.
Another groan, and her eyes flickered open. “What? Where?” were the only two words the dazed young woman could manage before she burst into tears. “Why did you have to save me? Why? I want to be with Rufus. Let me go…I’m begging you, just let me go.”
“We can’t do that, love. I’m sorry, we’ll get you the help you need. Hang in there,” Katy replied. Never had she felt such sympathy for a woman as she did right then.
Two paramedics, both men in their early thirties, thundered up the stairs. Charlie and Patti joined Katy in the hallway, giving the men room in the small bathroom to assist Camilla. Then one of the paramedics ran down the stairs again and brought in a stretcher which he assembled under Katy’s gaze.
She tapped the man on the shoulder and mouthed, “Is she going to be all right?”
He nodded. “She’s going to be fine, we’ll see to that.”
“Thank you. We’ll follow you, if that’s okay?”
“That’s up to you. My guess is that she’ll possibly be sedated at the other end once the doctor has checked her over. It might be wise to leave her alone for twenty-four hours.”
“Okay, I’ll do that. Which hospital?”
“St Thomas’.”
The two men eased Camilla onto the stretcher and carried her downstairs and into the vehicle.
Katy jumped in the back for a final word with her. “Stay strong, Camilla. We’ll get you through this.”
“No one will be able to get me through this…only Rufus could do that, and he’s no longer with us. I want to be with him. I belong with him.”
“I’ll drop by and see you tomorrow. Check how you’re doing, I promise.”
“No. I’d rather you stay away. You should be out there, searching for him. He’s done this, he needs to be fucking punished. I don’t want to see you again unless it’s to tell me that you’ve caught the bastard, you hear me?”