by Michael Wood
By the time Matilda saw natural daylight she had been in the Medico-Legal Centre for over six hours. Faith had returned to the station, probably telling everyone how Matilda had fainted during a post-mortem. A DCI collapsing at the sight of blood would be comedy gold among the uniformed officers. They were just getting over the video Rory filmed on his mobile phone last year of Matilda being lifted over floodwater by a hunky fireman.
The post-autopsy briefing was conducted in the windowless family room. The heady smell of different fragrances of air freshener, coupled with Dr Simon Browes delighting in giving Matilda all the details in glorious technicolour, made her want to vomit all over his designer shirt and tight trousers.
In the end, he summed up what Matilda had already surmised: Brian Appleby died by strangulation. The blood and skin samples under his fingernails were evidence he struggled. Unfortunately, the samples belonged to him. He had pulled at the rope as it tightened around his neck and squeezed the life out of him.
As Matilda made her way, delicately, to the car park, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Brian. Then she remembered who he was, how he had fooled Adele, and his victims. She felt sick. She needed something to eat.
A tentative knock on the glass door caused Matilda to look up from her cluttered desk.
‘Ma’am, can I have a word?’
‘Of course, Ranjeet, come on in.’
DC Ranjeet Deshwal had recently transferred from West Yorkshire Police. He was in his mid-twenties, slim with the shiniest black hair Matilda had ever seen. He wore rimless glasses and a stud in each ear. She wanted to ask him how he managed to get the knot in his tie so big but, when she looked at his neck, all she could picture was the lifeless body of Brian Appleby hanging from his ceiling.
‘DI Christian Brady is observing an interview,’ he began in a thick West Yorkshire accent. ‘He wanted me to tell you that three lads have been arrested in Gleadless for the assault on Alec Routledge. One of them has admitted it and landed his two mates in it too. They don’t know anything about Brian Appleby, though.’
‘I never thought they were linked. Thanks for telling me, Ranjeet.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘How are you settling into South Yorkshire Police?’ she asked as he was heading for the door.
He stopped in the doorway and turned around. Matilda was pretty sure his smile was fake. ‘I’m enjoying it. Great bunch of people.’ He nodded several times before leaving the office.
Matilda tried hard not to smile. A great bunch of people? Was that true? She looked through the window at the officers going about their duties. There was only Scott and Faith she knew by first name. The room was packed yet she didn’t know a single one of them. You’re to blame for that. Invite them out for a drink.
‘I’ll think about it,’ she said quietly to herself, before rolling her eyes.
Sitting in Matilda’s office, Aaron Connolly and Scott Andrews were squeezed into the small space. All three had a cup of coffee balanced somewhere on Matilda’s untidy desk and they’d raided Sian’s snack drawer. She was due back tomorrow, so someone was going to have to run to the supermarket to replenish the stolen items.
‘It turns out Brian Appleby did have kids,’ Scott said, opening a Boost. ‘Alicia is twenty-one. She’s currently on a gap year in France. George is nineteen, and, get this, he’s studying at Sheffield Hallam University.’
‘Why am I only learning this now?’ Matilda asked.
‘I only found out myself this lunchtime. Brian had an address book, but all the names were initials. I’ve been looking them up, and George Appleby lives in a shared student property on Penrhyn Road.’
‘Maybe that’s why Brian moved to Sheffield then. To be closer to his son. I think we’re going to need a word with this George. Scott, go along with Faith and bring him in.’
‘Tonight?’
Matilda looked out of the window and noticed it was dark. A glance at her phone told her it was just past eight o’clock. ‘First thing in the morning then. You can go with Sian, Scott.’
‘Will do.’
‘Who spoke to the wife?’
‘Unfortunately, I did,’ Aaron said. ‘She was very short with me and blamed me for bringing him back into her life. She practically slammed the phone down when I asked where she was on Thursday night.’
‘Did you get an answer?’
‘Sort of. I’ve been on to the local police in Southend. They’re going to send someone round to have a more in-depth chat with her. I don’t think she’s a suspect.’
‘Did Essex Police go to speak to Brian Appleby’s old neighbours?’
‘They did. None of the neighbours have been in contact with Brian since he left for Sheffield. They were glad to see him go. I think they were worried house prices would drop.’
‘OK. What about his neighbours on Linden Avenue?’
‘Faith and Ranjeet are back there with a team of uniforms. They’re trying to catch anyone who was out during the day,’ Aaron said. ‘So far, none of them are aware of Brian’s past. They thought he was the ideal neighbour.’
‘Jesus, it just shows you we have no idea who lives next door, do we?’
‘So where do we go from here?’ Aaron asked.
Matilda leaned back in her chair and blew out her cheeks. She had no idea. ‘Well let’s see if anything comes up once the son and all the neighbours have been questioned. If not, we’ll have to rely on Forensics to pull something out of the hat.’
‘I thought you might like to know,’ Aaron said, ‘the phone lines have been ringing off the hook.’
‘Oh! Witnesses?’
‘No. Since The Star printed that story about paedophiles in Sheffield, we’ve had people calling in and reporting anyone they suspect to be child molesters.’
‘Bloody hell. Aren’t people lovely?’
‘I know. The calls are going to have to be followed up though.’
‘Right,’ Matilda said. ‘I’ll have a word with Christian. We’ll put a team together. This is all we need.’
Adele Kean was doing something she hadn’t done since Chris was a baby – she was watching a soap opera. She recognized the character of Eric Pollard (just), but everyone else was a mystery to her. Wearing tracksuit bottoms and an oversized sweater, her hair uncombed and her face without make-up, she sat on the sofa staring into the distance. How could she have been so naive as to trust a stranger, especially one she had met on the Internet. Never again.
She had spent the afternoon deleting her profile on the three websites she had registered with and the apps from her mobile phone. From now on, her mobile would be just for making calls, sending texts, and playing solitaire between post-mortems. The game for the lonely. How apt.
The landline started to ring. She decided to ignore it. It would only be a company trying to get her to claim for PPI. It stopped ringing and started again almost immediately. She looked at the display – unknown number. If the caller couldn’t identify themselves, then she didn’t see why she should answer. It stopped then started again.
‘Jesus Christ,’ Adele exclaimed. She picked up the handset and pressed the green button. ‘Hello?’ she asked, an annoyance in her voice.
‘Dr Adele Kean?’
‘Yes.’
‘My name is Danny Hanson, I’m a reporter on The Star. Is it true you were on a date with a known paedophile the night before he was found murdered?’
Adele was struck dumb. She could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. She gripped the phone tight and pressed it hard against her ear.
‘Dr Kean? I’ve heard you’re good friends with DCI Matilda Darke. How do you feel knowing that South Yorkshire Police were not aware there was a paedophile living on their patch? Surely if your best friend had known, she could have saved you all this heartache.’
Adele ended the call. ‘Bastard,’ she said, throwing her phone onto the seat beside her. She picked up a sofa cushion and hugged it tight to her chest. She wondered how he had ma
naged to find out all that information about her.
Chapter Eleven
‘Is your house back to normal then, Sian?’ Scott asked from the driver’s seat of the pool car.
‘Yes, thank goodness, but at the expense of these,’ she said, showing off her dry, calloused hands. ‘I used to have lovely nails.’
‘They’ll soon grow back.’
‘Yes, I’ll just get them nice for the summer and they’ll be ruined again. Stuart wants to irrigate the garden, so the house doesn’t flood if we get more heavy rain.’
Scott tried to hide his smile.
They parked in the last available space in the small car park near the main entrance to Sheffield Hallam University. Sian stepped out and took her long black coat from the back seat. The stiff breeze whipped her shoulder-length red hair. She shivered and trotted to keep up with Scott who was a good eight inches taller than her.
They were in luck; George Appleby was on campus and currently in a lecture. A heavily pregnant administrator led the way. While Sian was asking questions about the impending birth, Scott was taking in his surroundings. University seemed so long ago to the twenty-six-year-old DC. He enjoyed his time at Nottingham University. It had been liberating. Although, looking at the students now, he was probably better off where he was. He didn’t remember being so bloody miserable. Yes, they would be leaving university with three times the debt he left with, but while he was studying he didn’t care about that. He had a ball.
Sian and Scott waited in the corridor while the administrator went to collect George from a lecture hall.
‘It won’t be long until your kids are coming to uni, will it?’
‘How old do you think I am?’ Sian asked. ‘My eldest is studying for his GCSEs. There’s plenty of time before he comes here.’
‘What does he want to do?’
‘I’ve no idea. I don’t think he knows either,’ she replied, looking into the distance.
‘From an early age I knew I wanted to be a detective. I think it was Sherlock Holmes that got me interested.’
Sian smiled. ‘Real-life police work is a bit of an eye-opener, isn’t it?’
‘Just a tad.’ He smiled back. ‘Also, I don’t play the violin or smoke opium.’
The door opened, and the administrator stepped out followed by a tall skinny George Appleby. His pale pallor, his mound of unruly dull-red hair, his oversized clothes, made him appear in urgent need of a hot meal.
‘I’ll leave you to it,’ the administrator said before she waddled off down the corridor.
‘George Appleby?’ Sian asked.
‘That’s right.’ He looked nervously at the two detectives.
‘I’m DS Sian Mills from South Yorkshire Police. This is DC Andrews. We’d like to ask you a few questions about your father, if that’s OK?’
‘My father?’ he asked in wide-eyed surprise. His eyes darted nervously from side to side to make sure they weren’t overheard.
‘Yes. When was the last time you saw him?’
The nervous look was replaced with one of disgust. ‘I’ve no idea. It was years ago. Why?’
‘Do you know where he lives?’
‘Yes. He’s in Ashfield Prison,’ he said, lowering his voice.
Sian and Scott exchanged glances.
‘What’s going on?’
‘I think it would be better if we continued this conversation back at the station. This isn’t really the place.’
George Appleby sat in the interview room, guarded by PC Steve Harrison, looking up at the crime prevention posters. In the observation bay, Sian and Matilda were studying the skinny young man.
‘So, he had no idea his father was out of prison?’
‘Unless he was a very good liar,’ Sian said. ‘How do you want me to play this?’
‘Break the news that his father’s dead first, then mention he’s been living in Sheffield for over a year, see what reaction you get.’
‘What do you think? Father shows up at his digs wanting to make amends and George snaps?’ Sian asked.
‘I’m not sure. It does seem strange that Brian Appleby would move to Sheffield and not contact his son.’
‘He doesn’t look like he’s got the strength to string his father up. His arms are like twigs.’
‘A lot of students seem to be sporting the emaciated look these days. I don’t like it,’ Matilda said.
‘No. A bloke should have some meat on him. Have you seen my Stuart? Built like a rugby player with thighs to match. Lovely,’ Sian said, almost drooling.
‘OK, Sian, when you’re ready,’ Matilda nodded to the interview room.
When Sian broke the news of his father’s death, she handed George a tissue. He had his head down, but there were no tears.
‘Does my mum know?’ he asked, looking up.
‘Yes.’
‘What about Alicia?’
‘I think that’s been taken care of. George, we believe your father was murdered.’
‘Murdered? Because of what he did?’
‘We don’t know. George, your father was living here in Sheffield.’
‘What?’ He seemed more shocked by that than hearing his father had been killed.
‘He was living in Linden Avenue. Just off Meadowhead,’ Scott said.
He shrugged. ‘I’ve been drinking on Woodseats. That’s not far away, is it?’
‘No it isn’t.’
‘George, has your father tried to contact you at all?’
‘No. Never. How long has he been living up here?’
‘About a year.’
‘Bloody hell.’
‘George, did your father know you were studying in Sheffield?’
‘I’m sorry, but do you mind not calling him my father? What he did … well, he’s not my dad. I refuse to have that kind of person as my dad. To answer your question, no, he didn’t know I was studying in Sheffield. As far as I’m aware, most of the family washed their hands of him when he was found guilty. My mum, sister, aunts and uncles, nobody went to visit him.’
‘From our point of view, it seems strange that you both ended up in Sheffield,’ Sian said.
‘Well, it’s a very popular city for universities. You know, people from all over the country come here.’
‘But we don’t know why your fa— Brian moved here. Is there any link your family has to Sheffield?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘Why would he choose Sheffield?’
‘I have no idea. He was locked up in 2008. I was a child. I don’t know him at all,’ he said, nervously scratching at his wrists.
‘Is there anyone who would know about why he’d moved here?’
He shrugged again. ‘You’d need to ask my mum, but I doubt she’d know either. Maybe he made friends with someone in prison who lives here, I’m sorry. I can’t help you,’ George said, getting agitated.
‘George,’ Sian said, adjusting herself in her hard plastic seat, ‘we found this address book in your father’s – Brian’s – house. He knew where you lived.’
‘What?’
Sian pushed it across the table to George. The book was open at the As with George’s details written in neat block capitals.
‘Oh my God,’ he exclaimed. ‘How did he …? I …’
‘Did he ever come to see you?’
‘No.’
‘Did your housemates say you’d had a visitor while you were out, or did they notice someone hanging around?’
‘No,’ he replied, his face was a map of worry. ‘Do you think he was following me?’
‘I really don’t know, George. I’m sorry.’
‘This is a nightmare.’ He ran his skinny fingers through his tangled hair.
‘OK.’ Sian shifted in her seat again. ‘George, I’m only asking this for elimination purposes, but where were you on Thursday night?’
‘Last Thursday?’ he asked quickly. His eyes widened.
‘Yes.’
‘Is that when he was …?’
‘Yes.’
‘I was at home.’
‘Can anyone verify that?’
‘No, I don’t think so. I was in my room. I should have been working in the uni bar but there was a balls-up with the rota. I didn’t mind. I was shattered after working four nights in a row until the early hours. I decided to have an early night instead.’
‘How early?’
‘I don’t know. About nine o’clock, I think.’
‘Alone?’
‘Of course alone. I thought you were asking me for elimination purposes? It sounds like you’re accusing me of something.’
‘Sian,’ Matilda said through her earpiece. ‘Ask him about his feelings towards his father. Call him his father too.’
‘George, how do you feel about your dad?’
His eyes flitted from Sian to Scott and back again. He swallowed hard a couple of times. Eventually, he replied. ‘I despise him.’ He spoke with such venom and hatred that it seemed to resound off the walls.
‘Why is that?’
‘Wouldn’t you hate your dad if he raped little girls?’
‘But he’s still your father at the end of the day.’
A wave of emotions swept across George’s pale face. ‘I despise him. For what he did, I hate him. I physically hate the man. He’s not my dad. As far as I’m concerned I don’t have a dad.’
‘What do you think?’ Matilda asked Sian as they stood in the foyer of the station watching through the doors as Scott led George to the car.
‘He hates his father. Hate is a very good motive for murder.’
‘He was building himself a decent life here in Sheffield. University, new friends, finding out who he really is, and then Brian comes along to ruin it all.’
‘Do you think they were in contact?’ Sian asked. Neither of them took their eyes from the student.
‘It’s possible. Look at it from Brian’s point of view. You’ve been released from prison and practically been run out of your home. Your wife, brothers and parents want nothing to do with you. Your son, however, was only nine when you were put away. You’ve not heard from him or seen him since. Surely, you’re going to try to make amends, get him back on side.’
Sian thought for a while. ‘I think I would. If it was me. I’d want to contact my children and apologize for what I’d done.’