by Michael Wood
‘DS Mills?’
‘Speaking.’
‘It’s PC Murphy. I’m sorry to wake you at this hour but I thought you should know what’s going on.’
‘PC Murphy? What’s happened?’
‘I’m on night duty and I heard screaming and shouting coming from one of the interview rooms. I went and had a look and Acting DCI Hales is interviewing Jonathan Harkness. I probably shouldn’t be calling you but I know DCI Darke is working on the case and thought she should know about it. I couldn’t find her mobile number so thought I should call you. Is that OK?’
He was talking to a broken connection. As soon as she heard who Hales was interviewing she hung up the phone and scrambled around in the dark for her trousers. She was dressed and out of the house in record time.
The green digits on the dashboard told her it was almost 2 a.m. Why was he interviewing Jonathan Harkness in the dead of night? In fact, why was he interviewing him at all?
The temperature was minus four degrees on the gauge, and her car took several attempts to start. The sodium lights from the street lighting danced on the frost. There was no other traffic about and Sian was soon on the main road heading into the city centre. While waiting at a red light she searched for Matilda’s number in her phone.
‘Hello?’ Matilda’s voice was croaky and she sounded groggy. Sian had wondered how she was coping with everything that had befallen her over the past nine months, now she knew: alcohol.
‘Matilda, it’s me, Sian. Are you lucid?’ She didn’t mean to ask that but it came out before she had time to think.
‘Lucid? Of course I am. What makes you ask that?’
‘Look, I’ve just had a call from a PC on night duty; Hales is interviewing Jonathan Harkness.’
‘What?’ Now Matilda really was lucid. Alcohol had helped calm her down after her disastrous meeting with Dr Warminster and the horror of Stephen Egan’s hit-and-run. Add to that Jonathan being constantly on her mind and worrying she was going to turn into him, an isolated recluse, and of course she needed a bottle or two of something to help her relax.
She had fallen asleep shortly after midnight. Once again she had been on the sofa and just passed out from exhaustion and drunkenness. The phone call hadn’t woken her though, her bladder had done that. She had been on her way back to the sofa when her mobile burst into life.
‘What the fuck is he doing?’ she screamed down the phone.
‘I’ve no idea. Are you coming in?’
‘Of course I am.’
‘Are you OK to drive?’
‘Just get Jonathan away from Hales and wait until I get there.’
Matilda hung up and went into the hallway to look at herself in the mirror. Would she pass for a respected member of the police force? Not with a stained shirt, knotted hair, and bags under her eyes big enough to hold a weekly shop. She ran up the stairs two at a time and turned on the cold water tap in the bathroom. She gave a sharp cry each time she splashed the icy water onto her face. It physically hurt but it did the job. She looked at her reflection once again and appeared to be better for it.
She was frantically running a brush through her tangled hair when her mobile started ringing again. She wasn’t going to answer, but saw Adele’s name as the caller. What was everyone doing awake at this time of the morning?
‘Adele?’ Matilda answered.
Adele was whispering into the phone. ‘I can’t talk for long but I really think you should get to the station right now.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘I was on call. I was here to see to a bloke in custody who was having a seizure when Hales found me. He’s asked me to conduct a rape exam on Jonathan Harkness.’
Chapter 33
Matilda pulled up in the car park of South Yorkshire Police HQ and slammed her car door closed. The noise resounded around the empty space, bouncing off the walls of the building. Not caring whether she slipped on the frost, she stormed to the back entrance and almost pulled the door off its hinges.
The station was silent. Office doors were locked, windows had closed venetian blinds, and just the strip lighting in the corridor lit up the station. It was eerie. The only sound was footsteps and the distance buzz of the lighting.
Matilda made her way straight to the MIT room. It was empty. She hit her palm down hard on the table; the sound resounded around the room.
‘Sian?’ she called out.
Matilda left the room and stormed down the corridor in search of DS Mills. She eventually found her coming out of the toilets.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Matilda yelled. Her eyes were wide with anger, she was physically shaking.
‘OK, calm down.’
‘Calm down? What the fuck has Hales got to do with Jonathan Harkness? What right does he have to bring him in for questioning without running it by me first?’
‘Come with me.’ Sian tried to lead Matilda away from the middle of the corridor and into a private room where they could chat, but Matilda was seething.
‘He’s really going to pay for this,’ she continued her rant. ‘Masterson said to him…’
‘Look, Matilda just calm down all right? Come in here, now. Come on.’
Sian opened the door to the closest office she could find and turned on the lights. She had no idea who this room belonged to but they kept it very neat and tidy. She waited until Matilda sat down on a chair and showed visible signs of relaxing before she continued.
‘Here’s the situation as I understand it; I had a phone call from PC Murphy…’
‘Which one’s he?’ Matilda interrupted.
‘Er, tall, lanky, Beatles haircut, got run over by that transit on Queens Road trying to stop a robbery.’
‘Oh yes, I remember him. Go on.’
‘Well Murphy called and told me he heard shouting from one of the interview rooms. He went into the observation room and saw Hales interviewing Jonathan Harkness. He had a word with the duty sergeant who said Hales had arrested Jonathan for the murder of his brother.’
‘What?’ Matilda shouted, jumping up. Sian held out her hands to try and stop her running out of the room and hunting down Hales.
‘Wait a minute, Matilda. Sit down and let me finish.’ She waited, again, until Matilda had sat. ‘Before he rang me, Murphy was told by Hales to fetch a doctor as Jonathan needed an examination. Luckily, good old Adele Kean was downstairs tending to a man in custody who had had some form of seizure. Anyway, Hales told Adele that Jonathan said that on the night his brother was murdered Matthew was in his flat and he sexually assaulted him.’
‘What?’ Matilda shouted again, though this time not out of anger but out of horror. ‘Why didn’t Jonathan bring any of this up before?’
‘I’ve no idea.’
‘Didn’t Hales ask him that?’
‘I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him.’
‘Where are they all now?’
‘As far as I’m aware Adele is still in with Jonathan. Hales is around here somewhere.’
‘I’m going to tear that bastard limb from limb.’
This time Sian didn’t try to stop Matilda from leaving the room. She took a step to one side and followed her down the corridor. Unfortunately being a few inches taller than Sian and fuelled by rage-induced adrenaline Matilda was soon around the corner and out of sight. Sian broke into a jog. She had a feeling she was going to have to act as referee.
‘How long does a rape examination take?’
Hales was sitting in the lonely canteen with a tired-looking desk sergeant opposite him. The hours of darkness were slowly ticking away and with each minute that passed Hales knew it was getting closer to Matilda coming in and finding out he had usurped her case. He hoped he could get a confession or a new development out of Jonathan to rub in her smug self-righteous face.
‘You know how long a rape exam takes,’ the reply came.
Hales looked at his watch, again. ‘I’m not sure whether to believe this or not. Why would a man ra
pe his own brother?’
‘That’s a question for a psychologist. I’m just a semi-retired desk sergeant with Type 2 diabetes running out the clock.’ He looked up and saw Matilda storming towards the double doors of the canteen. ‘I think I’ll be heading for the bomb shelter now.’
Hales looked at him with a frown, wondering what he was talking about until he heard his name being called.
‘Hales, what the fuck is going on?’
He smiled to himself. As soon as he heard Matilda’s bark his mood lifted. He wasn’t dreading this at all. He would delight in bringing her down a peg or two.
‘Ah, Detective Chief Inspector Darke, what brings you here at such an early hour; on your way to the off-licence and thought you’d drop in to say hello?’
Matilda stopped in her tracks – she looked as though she’d been slapped in the face. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked. Her voice was quieter and shook slightly.
‘I’m sure you’ve been filled in by whoever it was who called you. I’ve arrested Jonathan Harkness.’
‘On what grounds?’
‘I’ll admit it’s circumstantial at the moment, but I’m sure once we get him fully questioned he’ll confess.’
‘You’re wrong.’
‘I don’t think I am. I have witness statements and psychiatric reports saying he’s completely crazy and a very clever psychopath.’
The double doors to the canteen creaked open and Sian squeezed herself through the small gap she had made.
‘Oh, that’s who called you. I might have known. Thanks for your loyalty Sian.’
Sian looked at the stained floor. She hated having to take sides.
‘Why are you doing this?’ Matilda asked.
‘My job is to make sure that people are brought to book for the crimes they have committed and see that justice is served.’ He stood tall with his hands behind his back and a sense of smugness on his face.
‘You’re a bastard, do you know that? Why didn’t you bring any of this to me?’
‘You? You are joking, surely? Have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re a wreck. I don’t even know what you’re doing back here. There’s no way you can lead a team of detectives in a murder case any more. You’re finished.’
Matilda swallowed hard. ‘What’s this about a sexual assault?’ she eventually asked, her voice was brittle and quiet.
‘A complete fabrication. It’s a ploy to buy time.’
‘There could be something in it.’
‘Why would his brother rape him? What possible motive could there be? He’s lying.’
‘Jonathan Harkness is a victim in all this. Why are you treating him like a number one suspect?’
‘Because he is a number one suspect.’
‘You’re wrong.’
A PC pushed open the canteen doors, which bumped into Sian, pushing her out of the way. ‘Dr Kean has finished,’ he said before disappearing.
As Hales headed for the doors he stopped by Matilda and leaned in to whisper in her ear. ‘You reek of alcohol.’ He sniffed harder. ‘In fact, you stink of failure too. You may as well pack your desk up now.’
Adele Kean was in the incident room helping herself to a coffee. She was shattered. She spooned three heaped teaspoons of espresso instant coffee into a mug and gave a loud and wide yawn while she waited for the kettle to boil.
‘Let’s hear it then.’ Hales entered the room and didn’t hold the door open for Matilda who followed. A few seconds later Sian came in.
‘Good morning to you too. Anyone want a coffee?’
‘Nobody wants a coffee. Just tell me what you found.’
Adele could almost feel the tension radiating from Hales. She looked at Matilda, whose face was expressionless. ‘What’s going on?’
Matilda shook her head as if telling Adele not to push anything and she’d fill her in later.
‘Nothing’s going on. Come on Adele, out with it.’
‘Well, since you’ve asked so politely, Jonathan has undergone a series of tests and I’ve taken samples from him, which will have to be sent away, but there is evidence of severe anal bruising consistent with a sexual assault.’
‘Fuck!’ Hales screamed, kicking a dent into a filing cabinet. ‘You’re sure?’
‘Definitely. I also found fragments of glass in the back of his head, which, he says, came from a glass-top coffee table in his living room that his brother pushed him into.’
‘He could have done that himself,’ Hales said. ‘Have you seen Scream 4? At the end the killer…’
Matilda jumped to Jonathan’s defence. ‘I doubt he’s getting ideas from films. He doesn’t even own a TV for Christ’s sake.’
‘Freak!’
‘Did he say anything to you?’ Matilda asked Adele.
Adele frowned when she looked at her friend. Matilda’s timid voice and red eyes were worrying her. ‘He said that his brother sexually assaulted him on Monday night and that it wasn’t the first time. Matthew raped him twice when they were boys before their parents were killed.’
Chapter 34
Assistant Chief Constable Valerie Masterson did not enjoy being woken up at 7 a.m. but DS Sian Mills felt she didn’t have much choice in the matter.
As soon as it was established Jonathan wasn’t lying about his allegation an argument had erupted between Matilda and Ben. Eventually, Sian stepped in, literally, to stop them coming to blows. She told them both to calm down and move to other parts of the station, that she was going to phone the ACC and inform her of the latest developments and they were to do nothing until she arrived.
It was the first time she had raised her voice to her bosses, but this was an exceptional circumstance. The investigation was at risk of being compromised and it needed to get back on track. Also, if any uniformed officers saw what was happening and the gossip mongering began who knew where it would lead; suspensions, reports, dismissals. Sian did not want that to happen, not to Matilda, even Ben Hales didn’t deserve that.
Masterson laid down the law as soon as she arrived. She wanted a briefing of the whole team and bringing up to speed on the cases. She made it clear she was not happy with the situation and she wanted to see Ben and Matilda in her office when the briefing was over.
The Murder Room was full. The entire team was assembled, as were several uniformed officers, scene of crime officers, and the crime-scene manager. The atmosphere, like the sky outside, was grim and heavy.
‘Due to recent developments it has come to my attention that the investigation into the death of Matthew Harkness, and the cold case surrounding his brother and the murder of his parents, is in danger of getting out of control. I am sure all of you are aware how high profile the Harkness case is. The press watch us constantly due to the events in Rotherham and at the Hillsborough Inquiry, but add the Harkness case into the mix and they’ve practically moved into the area. We have to do this right. I want South Yorkshire Police to be shown in a positive light for once, and inform criminals in this county that no matter how long it takes you will not get away with your crimes. Now, DS Sian Mills is going to bring us all up to speed on the investigations and we will go from there. Sian.’
Masterson stepped to one side while Sian moved up to the front of the room. She looked ahead to her colleagues, and her bosses, and suddenly felt under intense scrutiny. She had never led a briefing before and had only conversed about an investigation on an informal level. Now here she was being made head girl and watched by two DCIs and an ACC.
‘Right, well, I’ve been speaking to Manchester police and they have given Matthew Harkness’s apartment the once-over and spoken to his colleagues and neighbours. Matthew was an accountant of some description and, although based in Manchester, went several times a month to head office in London. He was a hard worker and dedicated to his career, by all accounts. Obviously the brass at head office didn’t know him on a personal level, but they describe him as professional and diligent.
‘His colleagues in Manchester, howe
ver, have a different view on things altogether.’ Sian looked down at her large notepad and skipped a few pages to find the place she needed. She stumbled over her words. ‘The, er, the female members of his team refer to him as a tosser, while the male members call him a player. He was a friendly, chatty person in the office, often the loudest in the room, oozing confidence and never missed a day’s work. He was flirty and dated many members of staff. One member of staff said he had a narcissistic personality.
‘There was one male member of staff, a Timothy Lightfoot, who knew Matthew more than the others. They went to the gym together most evenings after work and often went on mountain bike holidays together. According to Tim, Matthew was bisexual and wasn’t shy about coming forward. He had plenty of money in the bank and enjoyed spending it on designer clothes, the latest in modern technology, and taking out women, or, indeed, men.’
‘Did Matthew ever talk about his parents’ murder or his brother?’ Masterson asked from the sidelines.
It was her interruption and questioning that caused Sian to falter. She stuttered a few times before getting back on track. ‘Well his colleagues all knew of his background. They knew who his parents were, and according to Tim he played on it quite often.’
‘In what way?’
‘Well Harkness isn’t a very common name and often when he introduced himself the obvious question came up; “any relation to the famous Harkness murders?” which Matthew answered with a yes and painted himself as a victim to gain sympathy and to get himself…well, you know…’
‘Laid.’ DC Rory Fleming completed her sentence for her.
‘Well quite. His neighbours have said he kept to himself and rarely chatted to any of them. He hardly stopped to speak to them though he did contribute heavily to the upkeep of the building and maintenance of the communal garden. He was the perfect neighbour. The only complaint was the loud noises coming from his apartment from time to time.’ She coughed and consulted her pad to avoid eye contact with anyone.
‘Loud noises?’