At Your Door

by J. P. Carter

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Before Theo began his confession, he repositioned himself so that he could see his wife through the patio windows. She was standing in the garden, a plume of smoke rising above her head.

  ‘You should know that I’m deeply ashamed of myself, especially in view of what’s happened,’ he said. ‘I can’t really explain why I decided to cheat on Rebecca. It just happened, and I can only think that it was because when it started I was in a bad place.’

  ‘Can you explain what you mean by that?’ Anna asked him.

  He wiped perspiration from his forehead. ‘At the time my wife and I were going through a difficult patch. Her job and the hours she was devoting to the Mayoral campaign meant that we were seeing very little of each other. I began to imagine what life would be like if she won the election and it scared me.

  ‘I raised my concerns with her once, but she dismissed them out of hand. I started to hope that she would give up on it or lose so that our marriage could return to how it was before she got it into her head that she wanted to be in charge of London.’

  He paused, glanced nervously into the garden and then sighed.

  ‘I met Charlene at the end of a particularly bad week on the home front,’ he went on. ‘Her mother was a client of mine and on that day we’d won a court case on her behalf. The family invited me out for drinks at the Savoy in London and Charlene was there. After downing a few glasses of wine we began to flirt with one another. At the end of the evening she gave me her phone number and told me to call her if I fancied taking her out. I had no intention of doing so, but three days later I had a row with Rebecca and I was so pissed off that I rang Charlene. We met up, had a great time, and it carried on from there. I’d go to her place and sometimes to the King’s Head to meet her.’

  ‘And that’s what you did on Tuesday night,’ Anna said.

  He nodded. ‘Correct. When I’d established that Holly wasn’t in or refusing to answer her door I was in no mood to go straight home, so I went to see Charlene. But I couldn’t relax. I told her about Holly and that we needed to cool it for a while. She got cross with me and I just couldn’t face a full-blown argument so I walked out.’

  ‘And where did you go?’

  ‘I strolled around aimlessly for a while, then hailed a taxi and came straight home.’

  ‘We’ll be checking CCTV again, Mr Blake,’ Anna said. ‘So for your sake I hope you’ve told us the truth this time.’

  ‘I have, and I’m sorry I’ve caused you to waste your time. But please understand that although I admit to being a bad husband I am not a murderer. I loved Holly and her death has left a huge hole in my heart.’

  ‘But it’s true, isn’t it, that your feelings for her were not reciprocated? She continued to bear a serious grudge against you for breaking up her parents’ marriage.’

  ‘Not at all. Rebecca told you that she eventually came around and—’

  ‘I recall exactly what your wife said, Mr Blake, but that doesn’t mean I believe it. I’ve since been told that it was never a case of domestic bliss in your household. Holly continued to have a problem with you up until the day she died.’

  ‘Are you seriously giving credence to what Nathan Wolf said? She didn’t tell him that she hated me. It was a lie.’

  ‘But it wasn’t just him she told,’ Anna said. ‘She also confided in Ross Moore. He heard the same story – that you tried it on with your own stepdaughter.’

  ‘But it’s bollocks. I—’

  ‘Please don’t tell another lie, Mr Blake. We already know that you haven’t been a faithful husband. So if you did act inappropriately towards Holly some years ago – and that was one of the reasons she was uncomfortable with you – then for heaven’s sake own up to it. It doesn’t appear to be relevant to what’s happened and I give you my word that I won’t mention it to your wife.’

  He began to speak, but stopped short of forming the first word and turned his head again to look at Rebecca through the window.

  After a long pause, he said, ‘OK, I admit it. I made a terrible mistake in a moment of madness. Holly didn’t make it up. We were at home alone one night and sharing a bottle of wine. I got the wrong end of the stick and thought she was up for it. She was mortified and furious when I kissed her and I’ve regretted it ever since. I had no choice but to deny it because it would have been the end of my marriage.

  ‘Holly never forgave me and I’ve never forgiven myself. But I swear that despite what she thought of me I grew to love her like she was my own daughter. And I would never have harmed her in any way.’

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Sophie had to keep telling herself that she wasn’t overreacting. The threats they faced were real, so she had no choice but to do what she was doing.

  Her priority now was to keep Alice safe, and the only sure way to achieve that was to flee.

  Again.

  She’d spent forty-five minutes in the travel agent’s after seeing Alice settled in the hairdresser’s close by, where she had her hair cut short and coloured.

  Sophie had booked an all-inclusive holiday for the two of them in Spain. She’d chosen a resort hotel in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava, more than 450 miles from where they used to live in Puerto de Mazarron.

  She’d paid by credit card and the deal included return flights that she knew they might not use.

  Now they were on their way back to the flat, after a late lunch in their favourite deli. With Alice’s blessing they had put on hold shopping for her new winter coat and backpack. There were things to do, arrangements to make. They had to be at Heathrow airport by five p.m. tomorrow for a flight that was scheduled to leave at seven. So booking a taxi was on Sophie’s list of things to do.

  She also intended to email a letter of resignation to the cleaning company she did work for. But she wasn’t going to tell them or anyone else where they were going. The reason she was keeping Alice in the dark was because she knew she’d want to tell her friends.

  Sophie had to assume that Detective Anna Tate’s private investigator would try to find out where they had gone. Or the woman might even do it herself using police resources.

  And who could blame her? Sophie found it impossible not to feel some compassion for Alice’s birth mother. After ten years searching for her daughter she was closer than she knew to finding her.

  But Sophie could not allow guilt or sympathy to cloud her judgement. Alice had a new mother now. Someone who loved her unreservedly. Someone who had been with her since she was two years old. Someone who was prepared to do whatever it took to protect her.

  And to keep her.

  Sophie was as sure as she could be that nobody followed them back to the flat.

  She stopped several times to look around and even left the busy High Street to walk along a near-deserted residential road. Thankfully she didn’t see any familiar faces or shadowy figures lurking in doorways.

  Even so her body was tight with tension when she finally closed the front door behind them.

  She had taken a huge step by booking the trip to Spain and there was no turning back now. She needed to banish any doubts and trust her instincts. Every sinew in her body told her it was the right thing to do, that any other course of action would be grossly irresponsible.

  ‘Shall I start packing?’ Alice said, her eyes still sparkling with excitement.

  ‘Of course, sweetheart. I’ll come and give you a hand in a bit.’

  ‘But I need to know if we’re going somewhere warm or cold so I know what clothes to take.’

  Sophie laughed. ‘It’ll be hot and sunny.’

  ‘Goody.’

  Alice was on cloud nine, what with the upcoming holiday and the pixie-style haircut that was all the rage among her school friends. Sophie was surprised how much it suited her round face, and how it made her appear older, which had to be a good thing because she looked less like the Chloe Tate age progression image. The same applied to Alice’s passport photo, the one James ha
d updated four years ago, which she now suspected was another forgery. She was eight when that one was taken and it bore little resemblance to how she looked now.

  As Alice went into her bedroom, Sophie poured herself a glass of wine in the hope that it would help her to relax. But panic continued to churn in her belly, and she could almost hear the steady thud of her own heart.

  It was hard to believe that this time tomorrow they would be at Heathrow waiting to board the plane that would take them to another new life. Just a few days ago she could never have imagined that they would be in this situation. It had taken three years to convince herself that the past was buried and would not come back to haunt her again. But it had, and this time she had more than just her estranged husband to worry about.

  Thinking about Bruno Perez prompted her to take out her phone and call Lisa. When her friend answered it sounded like she was outside because there was a lot of background noise.

  ‘Can you speak?’ Sophie asked her.

  ‘Yes, I can. I’m in a mall but I can hear you clearly enough.’

  ‘Good, because I want to apologise for putting the phone down on you yesterday.’

  ‘There’s no need. I know that what I told you came as a shock. I was actually going to give you a ring tonight with an update.’

  ‘An update on what?’

  ‘Well, it’s been driving me crazy wondering if I’m right in thinking that Michael Taylor swiped my old phone. So I made some calls and asked a few discreet questions about him.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And I discovered something that he didn’t let on to me at the wake. He’s actually working for Bruno these days.’

  ‘Doing what?’

  ‘He manages a warehouse for him in Peckham. As you know Bruno’s family have business interests here and in Spain and they’re fronts for shady dealings. Taylor looks after the place while Bruno’s abroad.’

  ‘But you still can’t be sure that Taylor took your phone to find out if you’ve been in touch with me.’

  ‘No, I can’t, but I did learn from a mutual friend that Bruno flew into London early this morning having spent the past month in Spain. It might well be a coincidence, but what if it’s not? What if Taylor did get your number from my phone and passed it on to Bruno and he now knows where you are?’

  Sophie felt the breath freeze in her lungs.

  ‘If I was you, Soph, I wouldn’t just assume I’m talking bollocks,’ Lisa continued. ‘I think you should alert the police or go somewhere safe for a while. And switch off your bloody phone because the signal is like a beacon. Get another mobile and a new number and then call me. In the meantime I’ll try to keep track of what Bruno and Taylor are up to.’

  Sophie closed her eyes as Lisa’s words slammed into the side of her head.

  ‘So promise me you’ll err on the side of caution,’ Lisa said. ‘If anything happens to you I know I will never forgive myself because this is my fuck-up.’

  Sophie wanted desperately to tell her friend that she had already decided to play safe by leaving the country. But instead she said simply, ‘I love you, Lisa. And I don’t blame you for anything. I’ll ring you when I can.’

  Then she ended the call and turned off her phone.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  The team were still going at it full throttle when Anna and Walker returned to HQ. Some of them were into overtime while others were anxiously hoping they’d be able to clock off as soon as their shifts came to an end.

  DCS Nash was waiting in Anna’s office and wanted to be updated before the case conference. But first he passed on a message from the Met Commissioner.

  ‘He’s becoming increasingly impatient with what he regards as a lack of progress,’ Nash said. ‘The political pressure he’s under to bring this case to a close is immense. The Home Secretary is demanding to know why Nathan Wolf is being held in custody while not being charged with Holly Blake’s murder. That situation serves to encourage wild speculation in the media and keeps the story on the front pages.’

  Anna cast her eyes towards the ceiling. This wasn’t unexpected.

  ‘If and when I’m ready to charge him I will, sir,’ she said. ‘But right now I don’t have a strong enough case.’

  ‘Are you sure about that? You have the victim’s driving licence with her blood on it, found in his home. You have him on tape threatening her. And you have a clear-cut motive. What more do you need?’

  ‘Wolf claims he doesn’t know how the licence got into his jacket pocket,’ Anna said. ‘And there’s a chance he could convince a jury that he’s telling the truth and that someone else put it there. As for the threat, well, it could be argued that he was justified in lashing out at her after she told him that she was going to destroy his reputation. We need something more to be sure of a conviction.’

  ‘What about his Range Rover? It seems iffy to me that he gave it a thorough clean just hours or days after the murder.’

  ‘You’re right about that, sir. It is bloody iffy. But a forensic examination has been carried out and there’s no evidence that a body was ever placed inside it. It’s doubtful that he would have cleaned it so thoroughly as to get rid of all trace evidence.’

  ‘But not impossible.’

  ‘For sure, but his defence team will be able to use the uncertainty as ammunition.’

  Nash shook his head. ‘So what do you intend to do then?’

  ‘I’m going to apply to keep him in custody longer pending further enquiries,’ she said. ‘I intend to interview him again, and there’s still a chance that we’ll come up with something on CCTV. But you have to bear in mind that Wolf is not the only suspect in the frame. There’s also the ex-boyfriend.’

  She told him about the interview with Ross Moore at the hospital.

  ‘He’s presented us with two other possible scenarios,’ she said. ‘Either he’s lying and he killed Holly after he got her into his car. And then out of guilt he tried to commit suicide with an overdose. Or he’s telling the truth and he saw her get into a taxi, which means she was murdered by somebody else, possibly the cab driver.’

  There were enough unanswered questions in the picture Anna had painted to get Nash to change his tune.

  ‘Very well, I accept that it’s not as straightforward as it first appeared to be,’ he said. ‘But that won’t stop the powers that be from keeping up the pressure. I’ve got to prepare an update for the Commissioner that he has to submit to the Home Secretary within the hour. The Home Sec needs it for a seven o’clock meeting with the PM at Downing Street.’

  ‘Well, I suggest you sit in on the case conference,’ Anna said. ‘I’ll be briefing the team and they’ll be providing me with whatever information has come in since this morning.’

  ‘Then let’s get on with it,’ Nash said, as he rose to his feet behind Anna’s desk.

  It was six p.m. when Anna called the team together. Before she began the briefing she rolled her shoulders in an effort to ease the tension between them.

  She began with the confessions that had been extracted from Holly’s stepfather and aunt.

  ‘The more we delve into their family the more secrets are being unearthed,’ she said. ‘And the more complicated this case is becoming.’

  She began with Theo’s admission that he had once tried it on with his stepdaughter and that was partly why she didn’t like him.

  ‘But I can’t see how it could have had any bearing on Holly’s murder,’ she said. ‘It happened three years ago and there’s no suggestion that Holly had been making an issue of it again. But let’s do some more digging into Blake. Perhaps Holly found out about his affair with Charlene and was threatening to expose it. That might well have given him a motive for killing her.’

  Anna then ran through the conversation she’d had with Freya Gregory.

  ‘She admitted that Holly told her about her affair with Nathan Wolf, but she was sworn to secrecy. She now feels partly responsible for what’s happened. I’ve agreed that we won�
�t pass this information on to her sister. And I’ve given the same undertaking to Theo Blake in regards to his affair. This is purely for Rebecca’s sake and not theirs. I’m pretty sure that both secrets will come out eventually but right now I see no point in adding to Rebecca’s woes.’

  Anna then said she wanted checks carried out on the phone records and digital footprints of the entire family, including Holly’s mother and stepfather.

  ‘We need to find out if they’re holding anything else back,’ she said.

  The detectives took it in turns to provide updates. DC Niven explained that the Nissan Micra that Ross Moore had been driving on Tuesday night had also undergone a forensic examination, but nothing linking it to Holly’s murder had been found.

  ‘And unlike Nathan Wolf’s Range Rover it hadn’t been cleaned recently,’ Niven said.

  It wasn’t conclusive proof that Holly had never been in the car – either alive or dead – but it did make it more likely that her ex had told the truth.

  DC Sweeny then said that an appeal aimed at black cab drivers would go out later in the evening.

  ‘We’re pointing out that it may have been the last journey Holly made,’ Sweeny added. ‘But it’s bound to prompt some difficult questions from the media. It will only take one reporter to ask if the taxi driver is a suspect and others will jump on it. They’ll demand to know why we’re holding Nathan Wolf in custody if we suspect Holly might have been murdered by a stranger.’

  Anna knew that today’s developments had raised the tempo of the investigation, but they’d fallen short of providing definitive answers to the outstanding questions. It meant there was still a lot of work to be done. But Anna felt a frisson of unease at the prospect of being forced by pressure from on high to charge Wolf prematurely just to end the media frenzy.

  She wasn’t as sure as others were of his guilt, despite the threat he made and the discovery of her driving licence.

  She kept thinking back to when she and Walker turned up at his house and broke the news about Holly’s body being found on the common. The shock on his face had seemed genuine and nothing he had said since then had convinced her he was lying.