At Your Door

by J. P. Carter

  ‘That’s right. Well, it was Janet who invited me to Jonas’s funeral, along with a few other people we used to knock around with.’

  ‘I can’t believe Jonas is dead,’ Sophie said. ‘He must have been in his early forties, like us.’

  ‘He was. He died within weeks of being diagnosed with a brain tumour.’

  ‘That’s awful.’

  ‘I know. It was really sad. But, look, one of the other guests at the funeral was Michael Taylor. Do you recall him?’

  ‘How could I forget? He was Bruno’s best mate.’

  ‘Exactly. Well, he asked me if I was still in touch with you and I said I hadn’t heard from you in years. He then told me that was just as well because Bruno was still looking for you, and was still going back and forth between Spain and the UK.’

  Sophie felt a shiver skitter down her spine.

  ‘Do you think he believed you?’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Well, after the service there was a wake in a nearby pub. I went along and so did Taylor, and he didn’t stop talking about you and saying that Bruno was never going to forgive you for what you did to him.’

  ‘And did he mention what happened three years ago in Southampton?’

  ‘No, he didn’t, and I’m guessing he probably doesn’t know about that. I certainly didn’t tell him.’

  ‘I don’t understand why you haven’t told me about this before now if the funeral was two days ago,’ Sophie said.

  ‘I couldn’t. Someone stole my phone from my bag while I was at the wake. I got a bit tipsy there so I didn’t realise until the following morning.’

  ‘So have you got a new phone now?’

  ‘I’ve just been to pick one up, but that’s not important. The thing is, I’m sure it must have been Taylor who pinched the old one. My bag was between us on the bench in the pub for part of the time we were talking and like an idiot I left it there while I went to the loo.’

  ‘So why not go to the police?’

  ‘There’s no point. I can’t prove it and anyway it’s not the phone I’m worried about. It’s the fact that your number is on my contacts list along with your name. And I can’t help thinking that Taylor took it to find out if I’d told him the truth about you.’

  ‘Fucking hell, Lisa.’

  ‘I know, it’s the pits, Soph.’

  ‘You’re not bloody kidding. I need to change my number.’

  ‘But don’t you see? It might already be too late. If Taylor passed it on to his old pal Bruno then there’s a chance he got someone to trace your mobile signal for him. In which case he might well know where you are.’

  Sophie thought back to the day before when she sensed she was being followed.

  ‘I’m really sorry, Soph,’ Lisa said. ‘I know I might be scaring you for no good reason. Someone else could have swiped the phone. But I thought you should know, just in case …’

  Sophie had heard enough. She severed the connection and sat there with her eyes closed as the blood drained from her face.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Just before Anna arrived at Nathan Wolf’s house, Walker phoned her with an update. The MP had been punched twice in the face, apparently, but wasn’t seriously hurt.

  ‘Robert Gregory scarpered before uniform got there,’ Walker said. ‘An alert has gone out for him and I’ve requested that when he’s collared he’s brought straight to Wandsworth so that we can grill him.’

  ‘Good thinking, Max.’

  ‘And just so you know, guv, the Yard’s Protection Command has sent a two-man unit to the house. And their boss had a spat over the phone with Nash because he said they should have been informed that an MP was a suspect in a murder investigation.’

  ‘I don’t see what it’s got to do with them.’

  ‘Well, they reckon it increased the threat level against him and, although it pains me to say it, they’ve been proved right.’

  Anna conceded the point and asked Walker if there was any news on the search warrant for Wolf’s house and whether they were able to seize his car.

  ‘It’s all just been signed off,’ Walker said. ‘But Nash doesn’t want us to move on it until he’s heard back from the Commissioner, who’s locked in a meeting with the Home Secretary. I assume they’re discussing damage limitation.’

  The clouds over London had thickened by the time Anna got to Wolf’s house and the air felt close and moist. A marked patrol car was parked outside on the road and directly behind it was a black BMW with two men inside. Anna found a space against the kerb about twenty yards further on. As she walked back along the pavement she wasn’t surprised when one of the men got out of the BMW. He introduced himself as Paul Childs, an officer with the Protection Command. He was a tall man in a suit, with a flat, square face and a neck like a tree trunk.

  He showed her his ID and said, ‘You must be DCI Tate. We were told to expect you.’

  They shook hands and Anna asked him what was going on.

  ‘Uniform are inside taking a statement from Wolf and his girlfriend,’ he said. ‘But he basically told us to clear off because he doesn’t feel threatened. We’re waiting here for further instructions.’

  ‘Is he OK?’

  ‘He’s got a black eye and a sore nose but it’s not stopping him from acting like an arrogant tosser.’

  Anna smiled. ‘I take it you know he’s one of the suspects in the murder of the girl found on Barnes Common yesterday evening.’

  ‘We do now. I’m surprised this place isn’t crawling with press people.’

  ‘That’s because it’s not public knowledge yet. But it soon will be.’

  ‘Well, good luck, detective,’ Childs said. ‘Sounds to me like the kind of case where you’ll need bucket loads of it.’

  A uniformed officer answered the front door when Anna rang the bell. She showed her ID and he told her they were just wrapping up.

  ‘Mr Wolf is in the living room with his partner,’ the officer said.

  The couple were sitting apart on different sofas and the other uniformed officer was standing between them, notebook in hand. When Wolf saw Anna, he let out a heavy sigh. ‘Well, if it isn’t Detective Tate. Does this mean I can expect a visit from just about every division in the Met?’

  Anna chose to ignore the sarcasm. ‘I came as soon as I heard. How are you, Mr Wolf?’

  ‘How do you think? I’ve been attacked in my own home and accused of being a murderer.’

  His voice trembled as he spoke, and phlegm rattled in the back of his throat.

  Anna had to admit that he did look a shadow of his former self. His face was sallow and unshaven, and there was a large dark bruise beneath his left eye.

  She turned her attention to his girlfriend, who sat with her hands clasped together on her lap. Her eyes were heavy and red from where she had obviously been crying. Despite that, she was still a striking-looking woman, Anna thought, smartly dressed in a grey suit and blouse and with locks of vibrant red hair.

  ‘You must be Jennifer Rothwell,’ Anna said.

  She looked at Anna through narrowed eyes and nodded. ‘It was me who called the police. The door was open when I arrived and I saw that man attacking Nathan.’

  Anna turned back to Wolf. ‘So what happened exactly?’

  He shook his head. ‘I’ve just been through it all with these officers. And with those other two who just left.’

  ‘And you’re sure it was Rebecca Blake’s brother-in-law Robert Gregory who attacked you?’

  ‘Well, that’s who he told me he was when he turned up on the doorstep. He said he wanted to talk to me about Holly and that if I didn’t let him in he would knock on every door in the street and tell whoever answered what I had done to her.’

  ‘So why did you let him in?’ Anna said.

  ‘Like a fool I thought I’d be able to persuade him to go away, but the first thing he did was punch me in the face. Then he pushed me into the kitchen and hit me again.
He kept yelling at me to admit I’d killed Holly. I told him I had nothing to do with it and he called me a liar.’

  ‘So was it a coincidence that Miss Rothwell turned up when she did?’

  ‘I’d earlier asked her to come over so that I could tell her what was happening. The door had been left open so she came right in. That’s when Gregory stormed out, but not before warning me that if the police didn’t put me away he’d be back. Jennifer called you lot straight away.’

  Anna asked Wolf if he intended to press charges.

  ‘Damn right I do. That man was like a crazed animal. He just wouldn’t listen to me when I said I didn’t kill his niece. So I want him punished.’

  Anna asked the officers if they had got all they needed. When they said they had she told them they could go.

  When they’d left the room, Wolf said, ‘So why aren’t you going with them, Detective Tate? I’ve already told you I’m not going to answer any more questions in relation to Holly Blake without my lawyer being present. And you ought to know that I’ve told the Commissioner how you treated me last night and I’ve also made an official complaint.’

  ‘I am aware of that, Mr Wolf,’ Anna said. ‘But I thought that since Miss Rothwell is here I might as well speak to her now rather than later.’

  He shook his head again. ‘Well, I don’t think that’s appropriate in view of what’s just happened. She still—’

  ‘It’s all right, Nathan,’ Jennifer said. ‘I can speak for myself and I would rather get this over with.’

  Anna went and sat next to her on the sofa, while Wolf stood up and left the room, clearly angry with everyone but himself.

  ‘My first question is, do you know why Robert Gregory came here today, Miss Rothwell?’ Anna asked.

  She held Anna’s gaze. ‘Yes, I do. Nathan hasn’t had time to tell me everything. But I do know he’s been having an affair with a young woman who was murdered. You think he did it because he ended their relationship and she was going to sell her story to a Sunday tabloid.

  ‘But for what it’s worth I believe him when he says he didn’t do it. I realise now that he’s a lying, cheating bastard, but I know he’s not a murderer. And for your information I haven’t yet decided whether to stick by him.’

  Anna at once warmed to Jennifer Rothwell. Even though she’d been rattled to the core she was putting on a brave face. She seemed a decent, pragmatic woman who was far too good for the likes of this shameless politician.

  ‘I feel I should point out that we haven’t actually accused Mr Wolf of killing Holly Blake,’ Anna said. ‘But he’s been questioned for obvious reasons and will be questioned again.’

  ‘I don’t see how he can argue with that in the circumstances. After all, he’s got himself into this mess.’

  ‘Mr Wolf has told us that you spent the weekend with him in Devon and you came back by train on Tuesday morning. Is that correct, Miss Rothwell?’

  ‘It is. I was in the office by eleven.’

  ‘And did you hear from Mr Wolf again that day?’

  ‘We talked on the phone just before he left Bridgewater to drive back to London. That must have been about nine.’

  ‘And how did you yourself spend that evening, Miss Rothwell?’

  The muscles around her eyes tightened.

  ‘So am I a suspect as well now?’

  ‘Not at all, but it’s a question I have to ask because of your relationship with Mr Wolf.’

  Jennifer shrugged. ‘After I got in I unpacked, showered and went straight to bed. I didn’t go out again until the following morning when I went to work.’

  Anna closed her notebook. ‘I think that’s all for now, Miss Rothwell. I appreciate your cooperation.’

  Jennifer clenched her eyes shut then started to sob. At that moment Wolf came back into the room.

  ‘Nice work, detective,’ he snarled. ‘I heard what you said to her and it’s fucking out of order. Jennifer didn’t know that Holly even existed until just now. So she shouldn’t have to provide a bloody alibi.’

  ‘Calm down, Mr Wolf,’ Anna said. ‘You really need to get a handle on that temper of yours. If you’re not careful it will get you into trouble.’

  He glowered at her. ‘Are you trying to be funny?’

  Anna shook her head. ‘Not at all. Just making a point.’

  ‘Well, that’s not your job, is it? Your job is to find out who killed Holly, so I suggest you leave us alone and go and do it.’

  Anna decided not to wind him up still further by telling him that she would soon be back with a warrant to search the house.

  Instead she said a polite farewell to Jennifer and showed herself out. When she got back to the pool car she phoned Walker, who had an update for her.

  ‘The full story is now out there, guv,’ he said. ‘The press office is receiving calls from reporters asking if it’s true that Conservative MP Nathan Wolf is a suspect in the Holly Blake murder investigation.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Anna was feeling flushed and light-headed when she got back to headquarters. She needed a blast of caffeine and something to stop her stomach from rumbling like a cement mixer. The ground-floor vending machine offered a large black coffee and a cheese and pickle sandwich, which she began digging into whilst climbing the stairs.

  The office was throbbing with activity, and much of it was concentrated around the three TV monitors on the walls. What had the attention of her team was a BBC lunchtime news report on the Holly Blake murder. Anna watched as a male reporter in a suit did a piece to camera from near where the body was found on Barnes Common. Behind him officers were searching the undergrowth under a depressingly grey sky.

  ‘The body has now been positively identified as that of twenty-three-year-old model Holly Blake,’ he was saying. ‘She was stabbed in the throat and according to an unconfirmed report she was naked when a woman walking her dog discovered the body. Police are working on the theory that the murder took place on Tuesday at a different location and her body was then left here on the common.’

  A photo of Holly appeared in which she was standing next to her mother outside the Houses of Parliament in London. The reporter’s commentary continued over it.

  ‘Holly was the daughter of well-known politician Rebecca Blake, who is the leader of Westminster Council and the Conservative candidate in the forthcoming London Mayoral elections.’

  Another shot change to a video clip of Rebecca and Theo leaving their house this morning to go to the mortuary.

  ‘Mrs Blake and her husband Theo, a prominent lawyer, are said to be devastated. They apparently hadn’t seen their daughter for several days and had not been able to contact her.’

  The reporter referred to Rebecca’s career in the Metropolitan Police and how she rose through the ranks to become an Assistant Commissioner before retiring to enter the political arena. There were photos of her in uniform and one of her shaking hands with the then Prime Minister.

  ‘There is a tragic irony in what has happened to Mrs Blake’s daughter,’ the reporter said. ‘In her bid to become Mayor she has promised that if elected she would launch a major crackdown on crime in the capital, in particular knife crime, which she’s described as an insidious epidemic.’

  The emphasis switched back to Holly, and he talked over a series of modelling photos of her, most of them taken from her Facebook page. There were a couple of sound bites from people who knew her, including the boss of her modelling agency. They all described her as a fun-loving young woman who was popular, ambitious and genuine.

  The report ended with a video clip of the outside of Holly’s block of flats in Camden. Wreaths and bunches of flowers had been laid on the grass to one side of the entrance.

  Before signing off, the reporter said, ‘The murder enquiry is being conducted by the Major Investigation Team based in Wandsworth, South London, and the officer in charge is Detective Chief Inspector Anna Tate. Just weeks ago she led the hunt for the gang who kidnapped nine children from a
nursery school in Rotherhithe, which is just eleven miles from Barnes Common.’

  The reporter handed back to the studio where a female presenter announced that in the last few minutes there had been a major development in the case.

  ‘Reports are coming in that Nathan Wolf, the Member of Parliament for Central Somerset, has been questioned in connection with Holly Blake’s murder,’ she said. ‘Police have yet to confirm whether or not this is true. Mr Wolf, who has a home in Kensington, is a widower and has been a Conservative MP for six years. There’s been widespread speculation in recent months that he’s being lined up for a ministerial position in the Government, and it’s known that he’s very highly thought of by the Prime Minister. We’ll bring you more details as and when they come in.’

  Detective Chief Superintendent Nash was back from his conference in Newcastle and determined, as usual, to impose his authority on the proceedings.

  After he’d received an update from Anna in her office, he called everyone together for a briefing.

  He stood between the whiteboards, a tall, bulky man with a short grey beard that matched the colour of his thin, receding hair.

  He began by announcing that Ross Moore had been traced to a flat in Stepney, something that Anna had only just learned herself.

  ‘I understand that officers arrived at his place minutes ago and he’s being brought in for questioning,’ Nash said.

  Nash then invited DC Sweeny to tell the team what was known about Ross Moore.

  ‘He’s aged twenty-four and currently works as a shelf stacker and general dogsbody in a local retail warehouse,’ she said. ‘According to his neighbours he moved into the flat in Stepney nine months ago. I put in a call to his employers, who say he’s a good worker but he’s been on annual leave this past week so hasn’t been in. He has a criminal record. Seven years ago he was working in a mobile phone shop when he assaulted his boss during an argument over his timekeeping. He was fined and given community service. Two years later he was done for possession of drugs and received a suspended sentence.’

  ‘So it’s not a great surprise that Holly Blake had the good sense to dump him,’ Anna said. ‘As soon as he arrives in the building have him put in an interview room and alert the duty solicitor.’