by J. P. Carter
‘That’s him.’ He then tilted his head to one side, furrows texturing his forehead. ‘Do you think something bad has happened to Holly, detective? Is that why you’re asking all these questions?’
‘Her family are concerned about her, Mr Lattimer, and so are we. When was the last time you saw her?’
He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few beats as he thought about it.
‘That would have been on Tuesday,’ he said. ‘I saw her come and go a couple of times during the day because I was out front doing stuff to the car.’
‘Did you speak to her?’
‘Only to say hello and ask her if she was going on a modelling assignment. She told me she was on a day off but had things to do.’
‘And at what time did you last see her?’
‘Well, that was actually much later in the evening,’ he said. ‘I was having a smoke on my balcony about half ten when I saw her crossing the road. I didn’t notice if she’d been dropped off so she might have been. She came into the building but then about fifteen minutes later she came out again and walked off down the street.’
‘Did that not strike you as odd?’
‘Not at all. People around here are in and out at all hours. It’s a lively part of town, especially at night.’
Anna jotted down what he’d told her in her notebook and then asked him if the man named Nate had also turned up on Tuesday at any time.
‘If he did I didn’t see him,’ Lattimer said. ‘But then I was out during the early part of the evening myself.’
Anna made another note and said, ‘That’s really helpful, Mr Lattimer. Now I’d like you to tell us about the incident involving Holly’s ex-boyfriend. I believe you witnessed an altercation.’
He nodded. ‘It was early last week. I was in the kitchen when I heard shouting outside. From the window I could see Holly and she was screaming at him to leave her alone. She was clearly distressed so I hurried down to make sure she was all right.’
‘And what happened?’
‘Well, by the time I got there the bloke was sobbing like a bloody baby and begging her to take him back. But Holly was accusing him of being a stalker and threatening to call the police. I thought she was going to hit him so I stepped between them and told him in no uncertain terms to fuck off. When he refused to move I gave him a shove and told Holly to go inside. That was when he finally got the message and walked away.’
‘And then what?’
‘That was it. He buggered off and I escorted Holly to her flat. I offered to go in and make her a cup of tea because she was in a right old state and had started to cry. But she insisted she was OK and wanted to be left alone. I’d never seen her so angry or upset.’
‘How did you know the guy was her ex-boyfriend?’
‘Because he’s been here a couple of times before. The last time I saw him was four or five months ago when they were having words outside. She told me later that his name was Ross and that he couldn’t get over the fact that she’d dumped him.’
‘I see. And you mentioned to the other detectives that you think he was hanging around outside on Tuesday.’
‘That’s right. It was while I was on the balcony. There was a figure standing across the road next to the big tree. I only noticed him because he lit up a cigarette and I glimpsed his face. I’m eighty per cent sure it was him, the ex. He must have spotted me watching because he suddenly moved off and disappeared around the corner.’
‘And what time was this?’
‘About half an hour before Holly arrived home.’
Anna wound up the interview by explaining that a forensics team would soon be examining Holly’s flat, and it would therefore remain out of bounds.
‘Are you holding something back from me, officer?’ he said, but she dodged the question and asked him if he could provide them with the locations of CCTV cameras in the vicinity. He did so, and also confirmed what she had already noted, that the block itself did not have its own internal or external security cameras.
Back downstairs, Prescott and Niven had finished speaking to most of the neighbours. They had all acknowledged that they knew Holly but only as someone they’d met from time to time when entering and leaving the building.
However, there was one exception, the woman who lived on the opposite side of the corridor to Holly’s flat.
‘Her name is Pamela Steele,’ DS Prescott said. ‘And she claims she witnessed Holly being threatened on Friday of last week.’
‘I’ve seen the same bloke coming and going many times,’ Pamela Steele said when Anna asked her to repeat what she’d told DS Prescott. ‘But that was the first time I’d heard the pair of them arguing. It was during the afternoon so there was no one else around.’
Pamela was a thirtysomething shift worker at a nearby Royal Mail sorting office. She had been on first-name terms with Holly and had a clear recollection of what had happened last Friday.
‘It started out as a heated conversation and got louder the longer it went on,’ she said. ‘I was getting ready to go to work and their raised voices were carried through the walls, which are pretty thin.’
‘Could you make out what they were arguing about?’ Anna asked.
Pamela shook her head. ‘Not until it spilled over into the corridor. Before then it was a bit muffled. Holly was making the most noise and out of curiosity I looked through the peephole and saw them standing in her doorway. She was yelling at him to go and he was telling her to calm down and grow up.’
‘You told Detective Prescott that you heard him threaten her.’
‘That was after she pushed him out the door. I saw him jab a finger at her and tell her that he wouldn’t let her get away with it and that if she didn’t take the money, then she’d regret it. They were his exact words. I know because it was quite shocking.’
‘And how did Holly respond?’
‘She slammed the door in his face and he walked off.’
‘Did you speak to her about it afterwards?’
‘Of course not. It was none of my business, and besides, I went to work shortly after and I haven’t seen her since.’
Anna took out her phone and showed her a photo of Nathan Wolf.
‘Could you confirm that this is the man in question?’ she said.
Pamela nodded. ‘That’s him. Holly calls him Nate and he’s here quite often, but I never see them go out together.’
Anna told her they would need to speak to her again and took down the woman’s contact details before leaving the flat.
The forensics team arrived as the four detectives were conferring outside the block and Anna quickly put them in the picture.
‘It’s possible a crime was committed in the flat in question,’ she said. ‘Start off in the second bedroom and work out from there.’
She instructed Prescott to stick with them and provide them with all the information they needed.
‘Bag up all Holly’s personal stuff, including bank statements and other paperwork,’ she said. ‘And separate out the men’s things. We need to run print and DNA checks on every item.’
She then told Niven to enlist the help of a couple of uniforms and go in search of CCTV and private security cameras in the area.
‘Make a note and relay the details back to the office so we can start bringing in the footage as soon as possible,’ she said.
Anna then called the office herself and it was DC Forbes who answered. She gave her a list of instructions, which included finding out if they had managed to track down Ross Moore.
‘And make contact with the editor of the Sunday Mirror,’ she said. ‘Give him my number and tell him to call me because I need to speak to him as a matter of urgency. You can say it’s about Holly Blake.’
Anna then signalled for Walker to follow her back to the car.
‘Where to now, guv?’ he asked her.
‘It’s time we spoke to Nathan Wolf,’ she said.
‘But don’t you need to clear that with Nash?’
/>
‘I’ll do that on the way to Kensington.’
Nash had been waiting anxiously for Anna to call.
‘I’ve spoken to the Commissioner,’ he said. ‘He’s given the green light to question Wolf. But I had a job persuading him not to refer it straight up to the Home Secretary before you’ve done so. I made it clear that it would be a sure way of delaying the whole process.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ Anna said. ‘We’re on our way to his London pad now. And you need to be aware that the evidence, although circumstantial, is stacking up against him.’
She told Nash about the argument between Wolf and Holly and the threat he made.
‘That’s pretty incriminating,’ he said.
‘But that’s not all, sir. It seems the honourable Member of Parliament and his young model mistress have been using and abusing each other for quite a while.’
As she described the kinky playroom in the flat she heard Nash catch his breath and tried to imagine the look on his face.
‘The landlord also gave credence to the accusations that Nathan Wolf has been acting as a kind of sugar daddy to Holly,’ Anna said. ‘The MP viewed the flat with her and helped her move in. He even paid for all the furniture. And he’s been a regular visitor the whole time she’s lived there.’
Anna then pointed out that Holly’s ex-boyfriend, Ross Moore, was also in the frame as a suspect.
‘He’s been stalking her for ages,’ she said. ‘And the landlord is convinced he saw the guy lurking in the street in front of the block on Tuesday night. We’re doing a sweep of all the CCTV cameras in the immediate area.’
‘Well, you’re clearly on top of it,’ Nash said. ‘But update me straight after you’ve talked to Wolf, however late. And I advise you not to go in with all guns blazing, or make an arrest without irrefutable proof that he’s your man.’
‘I won’t, sir.’
Walker suggested they make a pit stop at an all-night café, which Anna was up for because she was gasping for a hot drink and her stomach was growling ferociously.
They each got a takeaway coffee and packaged sandwich and consumed them in the car while parked up somewhere in Paddington.
They were half way through it when Anna’s phone rang. The caller turned out to be the editor of the Sunday Mirror, Ralph Fleming.
‘I’ve been asked to call you about Holly Blake,’ he said.
‘Thank you, Mr Fleming,’ Anna said. ‘I really appreciate it.’
‘It’s no trouble. I happen to be working late in the office anyway.’
‘Well, I’d like you to confirm something for me if that’s OK.’
‘Fire away.’
‘Holly’s mother Rebecca has informed us that her daughter approached your paper with a view to selling her story. A story that involves a prominent Member of Parliament.’
‘That is correct, detective. In fact we’re very keen on publishing. We had a brief meeting with her last week. Terms were agreed and the wheels were put in motion. But Miss Blake then suddenly dropped out of sight.’
‘Is it true that she claimed to have been having a long-running affair with Nathan Wolf, the MP for Central Somerset?’
A pause, then: ‘What are you not telling me, detective? I’m beginning to suspect that either something has happened to Holly or the powers that be have been mobilised in order to protect Nathan Wolf’s reputation.’
‘I can’t go into the details at this stage, Mr Fleming,’ Anna said. ‘I just need you to confirm what Rebecca Blake has told us.’
‘Well, yes, that is true. We were going to approach the MP after we’d carried out the proper interview so that we knew exactly what to ask him.’
‘And can you tell me if you still intend to carry the story?’
‘Almost certainly. Why wouldn’t we? It’s a belter. We’ve yet to do the full interview, of course, but we do have a short tape recording of Holly which includes some allegations. Unless she retracts them I see no reason to bury the story. And I trust that you won’t try to pressure me into doing so.’
‘Not at all, Mr Fleming. I can see why you’re so excited about it. For any Sunday newspaper it would be—’
‘Can I please stop you there, detective?’ he said, interrupting. ‘What’s been puzzling me is why this business is of interest to the Major Investigation Team that’s based south of the river. Well, now I think I know. You see, we’re aware that the body of a young woman has been found on Barnes Common. She’s yet to be formally identified, but I would love you to tell me that I’m wrong to make the connection between the dead girl and Holly Blake.’
Anna saw no point in lying since the story had broken much sooner than expected. By morning every paper and broadcast news operation would be following it up.
‘I really wish I could tell you that you’re wrong to make the connection, Mr Fleming,’ she said. ‘But I’m afraid I can’t.’
‘Jesus.’
‘I will, of course, require you to send me a copy of the recording you just mentioned of Holly.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Nathan Wolf’s home was a two-storey end-of-terrace property not far from the Olympia Exhibition Centre in Kensington. It was small but impressive, with a red-brick façade and a driveway on one side on which was parked a gleaming white Range Rover.
‘How much do you reckon this place is worth, guv?’ Walker said as they pulled up outside.
‘I don’t suppose you would get much change from three or four million,’ Anna replied. ‘But I could be way out. I lost track of property prices in London a long time ago.’
It was approaching midnight, but it appeared they were in luck because lights were showing through the windows both upstairs and down.
Anna didn’t know what to expect from the MP and she began to wish she’d collected some more information on him. She didn’t know, for instance, if he lived alone or with the woman he’d dumped Holly for.
There was a video bell in the centre of the door and about thirty seconds after Anna rang it a man’s voice asked her to identify herself.
She held up her warrant card. ‘I’m Detective Chief Inspector Anna Tate and I’m with the Major Investigation Team. My colleague here is Detective Inspector Max Walker. If you are Mr Nathan Wolf then we need to speak to you, sir. It’s about Holly Blake.’
‘I assume you’re referring to Rebecca Blake’s daughter.’
‘That’s correct, and I should make clear that we know you’ve been in a relationship with her and she threatened to sell her story to a tabloid newspaper.’
There was a long pause before he responded.
‘I haven’t seen her for days and she’s been refusing to take my calls,’ he said. ‘I have no idea where she is or what she’s playing at.’
‘Well, if you’ll let us in, Mr Wolf, I can tell you. There’s been a serious development that you should know about.’
When the door was opened, Anna was surprised to see that despite the hour Wolf was smartly dressed in trousers, shirt and tie. He was even wearing shoes.
‘I’ve only just arrived home from a late night in the office,’ he said, as though he felt the need to explain. ‘The new session of Parliament begins next week and there’s a lot of preparatory work to do.’
He gestured for them to come in, then walked ahead of them along a wide corridor with magnolia walls and dark, polished floorboards.
His destination was a large living room that was furnished in contemporary style with two white leather sofas, a huge glass coffee table and a drinks cabinet full of bottles of wine and spirits.
Wolf sat on one of the sofas without inviting them to be seated so Anna and Walker perched themselves on the sofa facing him.
‘Is there anyone else in the house at the moment?’ Anna asked him.
‘No, there isn’t,’ he said, his tone brusque. ‘I live alone at present. But what has that got to do with anything, detective? Given how late it is, could you please state your business? Because I have an early start i
n the morning and want to go to bed.’
It occurred to Anna that Wolf wasn’t so good-looking in the flesh. His face was broad, his features pugnacious, and there were lines around his eyes that didn’t show up in the online photos she’d seen. His hair was also lighter in colour, and there was a dusting of grey at the temples.
‘I’d like to begin by asking you when you last saw Miss Blake,’ Anna said.
He crossed one leg over the other and rolled out his bottom lip. He looked confident, bordering on arrogant.
‘It was Friday of last week if you must know,’ he replied.
‘Was that here or at the flat?’
‘The flat. She’s never been here.’
‘And am I correct in saying that you pay the rent on her flat and also supplement her income as a model?’
His eyes flared along with his nostrils.
‘With respect, Detective Tate, that is none of your bloody business. And if you’re here because the bitch has made some wild accusation against me then you had better spell it out so that I can pass it on to my lawyer. You’re obviously aware that she’s out to destroy my reputation.’
‘It’s more serious than that, Mr Wolf. And as I’ve already mentioned we do know about her plan to embarrass you through a Sunday newspaper. Understandably you were upset and angry when you found out, which is presumably why you saw fit to threaten her during an argument you had with her in her flat on Friday.’
‘What’s this?’
‘Holly’s neighbour witnessed the row and heard you tell her that if she didn’t take the money you were offering then she would regret it.’
A nuance of uncertainty flickered behind his eyes and he poked a finger under his shirt collar, which suddenly appeared to be too tight for him.
‘It wasn’t a serious bloody threat,’ he insisted. ‘So if you’re here to tell me that what I said constitutes a crime then you must be barking mad. I was just angry after she dropped her bombshell and then refused to talk to me about it. My reaction was perfectly normal in the circumstances.’
He uncrossed his legs and stood up suddenly, then thrust his jaw in Anna’s direction.
‘Surely the police have more important things to do than follow up a spurious complaint from a girl who refuses to accept that a relationship she was in is over.’