Will to Live

by Rachel Amphlett

  ‘Any record of recent thefts from pharmacies in the area?’

  ‘Gavin’s running a search. I—’

  She turned in her seat at a knock on the door, and Gavin stepped into the room.

  ‘No reports on the system for pharmacy thefts of antidepressant drugs in the past twelve months, Sarge. Reckon our killer has his own stash of drugs?’

  ‘Must have.’

  ‘Along with a hefty proportion of the rest of the population suffering from mental illness,’ said Sharp and ran his hand over his eyes. ‘It doesn’t get any easier, this one, does it?’

  Thirty-Four

  Kay placed her hands on her hips, cast her eye over the details that had been added to the whiteboard over the past few days, and sighed.

  ‘What are you thinking?’

  She waited until Sharp joined her. ‘We have a dead woman who walked out in front of a train, despite her parents and best friend stating she had no reason to do so. Someone has killed three of her colleagues, and we don’t know why. According to the fiancé’s neighbour, they were a happy couple and got on well with everyone.’ She flung her hands up in the air. ‘What the hell am I missing, Devon?’

  ‘Have you managed to track down the fiancé?’

  ‘Not yet. He’s been a bit elusive; hasn’t returned our calls.’

  ‘Might he have something to hide, do you think?’

  Kay rubbed at her right eye. ‘I must be tired. I hadn’t even thought he might be a suspect. Christ—’

  ‘Don’t beat yourself up over it. That’s why we do this. Brainstorm. Talk it through, over and over until we get there. You’re not going to be the one who gets the breakthrough every time.’

  ‘I realise that, but even so—’ She spun on her heel and raced across the room to her desk before shoving documents aside until she found the report she wanted. She returned to where Sharp remained next to the whiteboard and waved it at him. ‘The coroner’s inquest. When we phoned the mobile number the railway company gave us, there was no response on the one for Jason Evans – I’ve got a request in for the number to be traced to find out why, but look at this. The fifth member of the work team, Peter Bailey. For some reason, he wasn’t asked to give evidence at the hearing, whereas his four colleagues were. We’ve left a message on his phone. If we’re assuming our latest victim is Jason Evans, then every one of Bailey’s colleagues who testified is now dead.’

  Sharp checked his watch. ‘All right, bring Bailey in. Get Barnes and Gavin to go and get him. Interview him formally, and see what he’s got to say for himself.’

  * * *

  As Kay entered the interview room, a man got up from one of the hard plastic seats, a look of fright in his eyes. He wore jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, the bottom of a tattoo showing under the hem of the left sleeve.

  ‘What’s all this about?’

  Kay held up her hand. ‘Please, have a seat and we’ll have a chat once we’ve completed the formalities.’

  He ran a hand through his fashionably cut black hair, and then lowered himself into the chair. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, and waited while Kay and Barnes settled into the seats opposite.

  Barnes hit the “record” button before formally cautioning Bailey as a witness, and then gestured to Kay to continue the interview.

  ‘Mr Bailey, to get us started could you tell me what happened the day that Alison Campbell was killed?’

  ‘I relive it every night,’ he said, and slumped in his chair. ‘I keep wondering if there’s something I could have done to prevent it, but I was standing too far away from her when it happened. We’d been working on that piece of track for a couple of days. It was quite a short project, only three months in total to replace some cabling in the signalling. Alison had joined the company as a graduate engineer six months before, and she fitted in really quickly. All the boys on the team looked out for her. We were devastated.’

  ‘I’ve got no knowledge of how a project like that works,’ said Kay. ‘Could you take me through how your day started?’

  He shrugged. “We all got to site before eight o’clock in the morning. Lawrence was in charge of site safety, and always insisted on the safety briefing taking place on time. We’d run through the tasks for the day, double check everyone knew what their role was. If there was a formal direction from head office, that’s when he’d communicate it to us. There wasn’t anything that day though. So, we were out on the tracks by eight-thirty.’ He paused. ‘Surely all of this is in the inquest report?’

  ‘It is, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to hear it from you because I can only learn so much from reading a report.’

  ‘Okay.’ He took a shuddering breath. ‘Well, the first part of the morning was business as usual. Rail control had closed the up line, that’s the side of the two tracks we were working on, and were running trains on the other side of the tracks. Every time a train approached, rail control would radio through a warning, which would then be relayed to the team by the lookout. That gave us time to double check that no tools or anything had dropped onto the opposite track by accident, and finish what we were doing before the two-minute warning was given to move out of the way. We got a twenty-minute break at ten-thirty, and went back to the crew room. Everything was normal. Nathan put the kettle on, we grabbed our food from the little refrigerator we’d plugged in there, and sat around chatting.’

  He ran his hand over his mouth. ‘I keep trying to remember if Alison was acting any differently that morning. But she wasn’t. There was no indication that there was something wrong. Lawrence called time, and we were back out on the rails just before eleven. Sometime between five past and quarter past, I can’t remember exactly – you have to check the inquest report – we got the call from rail control that the next train was approaching. We had the doors to the electrical unit open as we were replacing one of the circuit boards. Alison seemed preoccupied getting the circuit board into place. I tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention to make sure that she’d heard the warning. She waved her hand over her shoulder at me and I told her to finish up what she was doing as we still had all day to complete the job. There was no rush. I began to check the live rail, and then Cam shouted out the two-minute warning. Alison was still working at the cabinet. I walked over to her and said, “come on, you can finish that in a minute, there won’t be another train along here until half past”. She dropped what she was doing inside, stood up and – I don’t know – it was just a look in her eye, and if I’d known then what I know now––’

  He wiped at his eyes. ‘I turned and began to move into the safe zone we’d demarcated. I thought she was following me. I was already thinking about how we’d need to move the equipment up to the next control box after this job. You know what it’s like when a train is approaching, you can hear the rails sing. Well, that started happening and then I could feel the train’s approach through the ground. It was an express one so it wasn’t hanging about. The smaller local ones would travel a bit slower, but the whole idea of the way we work is to make sure the trains are disrupted as little as possible. The train driver sounded his horn, which was a bit unusual because he would have been told we were working there and he would have known that rail control had already radioed through to us to get out of the way. Then I heard Lawrence yell and as I turned, I saw Alison lift her foot over the live rail. The train driver couldn’t do anything. She didn’t stop. She didn’t look back. She just turned around, and faced the train head-on.’

  A shocked silence filled the room.

  Bailey dropped his head, and began to sob.

  Kay stood up and moved across the room to him, crouched down and placed her hand on his knee. ‘I’m sorry, Peter. I know that was hard for you, but I had to know.’

  He nodded, sniffed, and pulled a cotton handkerchief out from his jeans pocket, then blew his nose. ‘I know.’

  Kay moved back to her chair, and picked up her notebook and pen once more as Barnes pushed a photograph acros
s the table to Bailey. ‘Peter, this is a picture of someone we’re trying to identify. Do you know this man?’

  Bailey’s eyes travelled over the photograph, and his face paled. ‘That’s Jason Evans. What happened to him?’

  ‘Jason was killed by a train two nights ago,’ said Barnes.

  ‘Peter, can you tell us where you were that night between the hours of eight o’clock in the evening and two o’clock in the morning?’

  He jerked back in his seat. ‘I was at home. Y-you can’t seriously believe I’m responsible for killing him?’

  ‘Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts?’

  His brow creased. ‘I ordered a pizza at eleven o’clock.’

  ‘We’ll need the phone number of the pizza delivery company.’

  ‘What about between eleven and two?’ said Barnes.

  ‘I-I was asleep. I mean, after I ate my pizza – I sat up and watched telly for a bit longer, then crashed out. I had to be at work by six o’clock because that’s when the delivery trucks arrive with the fresh food.’

  ‘Going back to the day of Alison’s death. You mentioned that there was no indication something was wrong with Alison that morning. The coroner’s inquest stated that the investigation focused on it being an industrial accident, but it doesn’t sound like that from what you’ve told us,’ said Kay.

  Bailey shook his head. ‘They never called me to give evidence. I was a junior engineer at the time and, I don’t know – I guess with everyone else being senior than me giving evidence, they figured I wasn’t needed. But I said all along it wasn’t an accident. She walked out in front of that train by choice.’

  ‘Have you any idea why?’

  ‘None whatsoever. It’s gone round and round my head ever since. She and her fiancé were due to get married in three months. I remember when word got around at work; a couple of the admin girls organised a morning tea to celebrate. She seemed really happy. It was only that morning that I sensed something was wrong. She seemed preoccupied, which was unusual for her. She was so studious. She only mentioned to me the previous week that her manager had put her forward for their internal management fast track system. She had everything to live for.’

  Thirty-Five

  Exhausted, Kay reached out and moved her mouse across the desk.

  The computer screen sprang to life once more, and she cast a surreptitious glance towards Gavin’s desk.

  The young constable tapped a pen against his arm, his head bowed as he turned the page of the textbook at his elbow and then scribbled another note on the pad beside him.

  ‘How are the exams going?’

  He finished writing, leaned back, and put the pen down before rubbing his hands down his face. ‘I know I shouldn’t complain,’ he said, a slight smile crossing his features as he dropped his hands into his lap. ‘After all, I’ll be working long hours like this when I’m a detective, but my head’s spinning at the moment.’

  ‘Give yourself a break. We’re in the middle of a murder investigation, and you’ve already been sitting there for an hour and a half.’ She returned the smile. ‘You’re not going to remember anything if you’re tired. When’s the next exam?’

  ‘About four weeks’ time.’

  ‘Plenty of time to learn all that.’

  ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’

  ‘Are you going to make a move?’

  ‘I think I might. I find I can concentrate on this stuff for an hour or so, and then my mind starts to wander. I don’t think I’ll achieve anything staying later.’

  Kay turned her attention back to the news website on her screen, and forced herself to read another article.

  She had to be patient. She couldn’t risk Gavin becoming suspicious and wondering why she was so keen to get him out of the incident room.

  She hadn’t had a chance to phone Adam to tell him she planned to work late, but then she hadn’t expected Gavin to stay behind and study. She glanced up at movement from across the room.

  He was reaching under his desk, and then pulled out a bright-coloured backpack before shoving his textbook and notes into it.

  ‘You driving home?’

  ‘No – meeting some friends for a drink, so I’ll probably get the bus or a taxi afterwards.’ He shouldered the bag and made his way across to her desk. ‘You staying here for a while?’

  ‘Only for a bit. I won’t be far behind you. Go on.’

  ‘Thanks, Kay. See you tomorrow.’

  ‘See you.’

  She watched him move through the incident room, his long legs clearing the space in a few strides, and waited until he’d closed the door behind him.

  She glanced at her watch and began to count off the minutes.

  She managed two.

  Launching herself from her chair, she hurried over to Gavin’s computer and exhaled when she saw that he hadn’t logged out, and the computer screen was still displaying the icons for the various programmes they used.

  Sharp had told him before about ensuring his computer was closed down before leaving the office. Even though the cleaners would avoid the room, and Kay would lock the door when she left, they simply couldn’t afford anyone to see the progress of the investigation or tamper with any of the case notes.

  Kay sent the police officer a silent thanks for his forgetfulness on this occasion, and eased herself into his chair, her hand hovering over the mouse.

  She peered over the top of the screen to the open door. Somewhere in the building, she could hear a vacuum cleaner, and reckoned she had about fifteen minutes before anyone appeared.

  The sight of the screen beginning to dim galvanised her into action. Her fingers closed around it and she moved the tracker across the desk to prevent the computer from going into sleep mode.

  She hadn’t a clue what Gavin’s password was, and until she’d seen him yawning over his textbooks, she hadn’t even known what she was going to do.

  Now, a fleeting pulse of guilt shot through her.

  She might not get another chance to do this, not the way the investigation would enter another phase and the detectives would have to take on extra work. The team would get split up soon, delegated other tasks on top of the Lawrence Whiting case, and she might not have the incident room to herself for much longer.

  She bit her lip, before her thoughts returned to the state of the house after they’d been burgled, and the fact that someone was trying to scare her off.

  If they were afraid that she’d stumble onto something, then she had to continue. It meant there was something worth pursuing.

  But, what?

  The noise from the vacuum cleaner drew closer.

  ‘Now or never,’ she murmured.

  She clicked onto the icon on the screen for the HOLMES2 database and typed in the details for the case from memory. She swallowed, then hit the “Enter” key and twirled her ballpoint pen between her fingers while she waited for the display to refresh.

  She wanted to double check the records for the evidence, the same record she’d seen last night. She couldn’t go around pointing the finger and blaming other people, not without being absolutely sure.

  She peered over her shoulder, paranoia manifesting in goose bumps on her forearms.

  The office remained empty, and no one moved in the corridor beyond.

  She swallowed, and turned her attention back to the computer screen.

  The display refreshed, and the pen dropped from her hand.

  ‘What the hell?’

  She frowned, and peered closer, scrolling up and down the list of entries one way, then the other.

  ‘That’s impossible.’

  She pushed the mouse away and leaned back in the chair. A chill ran down her spine, but she knew it wasn’t because of the enthusiastic air conditioning.

  Someone had removed all the records relating to the gun being recorded as evidence, including the name that she’d discovered only the previous evening.

  It was as if it had never existed.

&nbs
p; Thirty-Six

  The next morning after a fitful night’s sleep, Kay slammed the car door and stalked across the car park to the secure entrance to the police station.

  She had arrived twenty minutes ago, pulled up to the security barrier as usual and swiped her security card, only for it to be rejected. By the time she had roused someone to let her through the gate, she was already five minutes late for that morning’s briefing.

  The man who had let her through the barrier had tested the card for her and had handed it back with a rueful look on his face.

  ‘You’ll have to get a new one. The electromagnetic strip on this one isn’t recognised in the system.’

  Already tired and irritable from spending the early hours of the morning tossing and turning while she went over the case in her mind, Kay had cursed under her breath before thanking him and driving through the now opened gates.

  She checked her watch. In all her years as a detective, she had never been late to a briefing unless she was out interviewing witnesses or following up another enquiry.

  She reached out and pressed the button for the intercom, and then pushed the door open as the desk sergeant released the lock for her. He held out his hand as she approached the desk.

  ‘I hear you’ve had a bit of trouble with your card. Let’s get you a new one sorted out now.’

  ‘I haven’t got time, Hughes. I’m already late for the morning briefing.’

  ‘Nothing I can do about it, sorry. You’ll need a card to get through to the offices anyway.’

  Kay groaned, handed over the now defunct card and waited while Hughes completed the documentation to issue her with a new one. She scrawled her signature across the bottom of the form he passed to her, took the card from him and then raced through the building, taking the stairs up to the incident room two at a time.

  Sharp was mid-flow when she pushed the door open. He paused, and raised an eyebrow.