The Silent Children: A serial-killer thriller with a twist

by Carol Wyer

  She scowled at the worn-out face staring back. Look at her! A detective who prided herself on results but who couldn’t even get leverage on this case. That wasn’t usual for Robyn. She rallied herself with a shake of her shoulders, lifted her head high. Robyn Carter was not going to be thwarted by anyone or any investigation.

  She remained awake in bed long after she’d turned off the lights, Schrödinger snoozing next to her, and thought about Anthony Hawkins. While it seemed he’d died of natural causes, it was possible he’d been killed and made to appear as if he’d had a heart attack. She lifted the duvet, trying not to disturb the cat, and padded downstairs to her laptop where she ran ‘deaths made to look like heart attacks’ through several search engines, noting the results. Satisfied with her findings, she shut the machine down and returned to her room. What she really needed now was a professional opinion, and she’d get that first thing in the morning. Shearer might have thought she would flounder, but she wouldn’t. Robyn rarely failed. He should know that by now.

  Thirty-Five

  DAY SIX – SUNDAY, 19 FEBRUARY, MORNING

  * * *

  Robyn arrived at the office and called the pathologist, Harry McKenzie, before she’d even removed her coat.

  ‘Harry, I have a crazy idea to run past you. If I wanted to kill somebody and make it look like they’d had a heart attack, could I inject them with potassium chloride, emulate a heart attack and get away with the perfect crime?’

  ‘You’re not planning on doing away with anyone I know, are you?’ The chuckle was hearty.

  ‘I have reason to suspect Anthony Hawkins was murdered but I don’t know how to prove it.’

  ‘Anthony Hawkins? He isn’t one of mine.’

  ‘Edward Finch is the pathologist on his case. His report shows Hawkins died of a massive heart attack.’

  ‘Did you talk to Ed about it?’

  ‘He left early this morning for a ten-day holiday in Thailand, so I rang you.’

  ‘Oh yes, I forgot he was on leave. The answer to your question is yes, it’s possible. An injection of a potassium compound, possibly potassium chloride, can cause severe heart arrhythmias and will mimic a heart attack. We’d have to look for any high levels of potassium or test for them. Potassium chloride can be absorbed by the tissues and generally remain undiscovered.’

  ‘Who would have access to such a compound?’

  ‘People in the medical profession, mostly, although I bet you could purchase it online.’

  Robyn’s thoughts turned to Tessa and Juliet. Both were nurses but it was unlikely such a compound would be found in a fertility clinic.

  Robyn sighed. ‘So, it’s too late to establish he was murdered?’

  ‘Nil desperandum, my dear. I’ll scoot to the lab immediately and take another look at Mr Hawkins for you.’

  Robyn ended the call, and drummed her fingers on her desk thoughtfully. Potassium chloride. Was Shearer’s hunch about Hawkins’ death correct? If so, he’d be unbearably smug and Robyn would have even more of a confusing picture to handle than she already had.

  Anna called across. ‘You have a visitor – a journalist by the name of Justin Forrest. He’s downstairs. The desk sergeant put him in interview room two.’

  ‘I’m not talking to any journalists about any of the cases. Tell the sergeant to chuck him out and tell him to go through the official channels for information.’

  ‘Sergeant says he wants to talk to you about Tessa Hall. He insists on only talking to you. Says it’s very important.’

  Robyn grunted a response. She had no time to play games with the press. She stood up and took off her coat, dropping it onto the back of her chair.

  ‘Come on. We’ll find out what it is, and if he’s trying to pump us for information, we’ll get rid of him.’

  * * *

  Justin Forrest was a gangly man with loose limbs, foppish chestnut-brown hair that fell over his forehead and thick-framed glasses masking large grey eyes. He remained seated as Robyn entered, his demeanour that of somebody used to interviews and challenging situations.

  ‘DI Carter,’ she said as she pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘This is my officer, PC Anna Shamash. How can we help?’

  Forrest looked directly at her. ‘It’s more how I can help you. I’ve wrestled with my conscience for the last three days and decided I have to do what’s right, regardless of the consequences. I suspect you are looking for me. I’m a friend of Tessa’s – a good friend.’

  ‘Go on, sir.’

  ‘I met Tessa in early December last year, at the Goat pub in Abbots Bromley. I’d been sent along to write a piece about a quiz contest. Tessa accosted me at the bar after the quiz and asked a load of questions about my job and what it was like to be a journalist. I found her extremely engaging. She was really switched on and lively, and she was very easy to be around. I went back home with her that night, and since then, I’ve been seeing her regularly. I want you to understand that although we had a sexual relationship at first, it changed into a friendship.’

  ‘I see. And why didn’t you come forward sooner?’

  ‘Two reasons. Firstly, I’m married with children and I didn’t want my wife to find out about Tessa. We’re already having problems, and my wife finding out I had an affair will probably finish us. Secondly, I guessed I’d be a prime suspect. I knew how it might appear to you – the married lover who refuses to leave his wife for his girlfriend. They fight about it. There’s an accident. She dies. I’ve written articles about similar situations. My fingerprints are all over her house. I’ve been in contact with Tessa for two months. You were sure to track me down at some stage. I figured it was better to give myself up and let justice run its course. I haven’t committed any crime – just adultery. I certainly didn’t kill Tessa. I’m going to be completely candid here. I know I have to be. I really, really liked Tessa. She understood me and I completely got where she was coming from. We had a very good relationship – lovers and friends.’

  Robyn nodded. The man was extremely earnest. ‘Where were you on Thursday morning?’

  ‘I had to finish an article for the paper – I write for the Tamworth News – so I stayed at home until it was completed, sent it the editor and then went with my wife to the shops to buy a birthday present for my six-year-old.’

  Robyn resisted the urge to sigh. If Forrest’s alibi held up, she had lost a potential suspect.

  ‘I’ve got witnesses who can testify to me being at home. I spoke to the next-door neighbour at about six thirty when I took the dog out for his walk. I’m sure if you check the route I took with the dog, you’ll find me on CCTV footage. There are cameras all around Tamworth. When I got back, I made two Skype calls. Here, I’ve written down the times and details of those I called. One was at seven and the other was at seven forty. Those people will be able to verify I was in my home office at those times. I dropped my youngest off at school about eight fifty, so you might be able to find my car going through one of those automatic number plate points that are everywhere. I also have email correspondence sent between six thirty and ten in the morning. I typed up the article and emailed it across to my editor at eleven twenty. Do you think you’ll be able to exonerate me? I honestly didn’t kill her.’

  ‘We’ll have to check all this information first, sir.’

  His head bounced up and down eagerly. ‘Yes. I know. Please do. I really want to prove I had nothing to do with her death. I was scared rigid to start with. I didn’t want to come forward, but by hiding, I was preventing you from finding her real killer.’

  ‘That’s very true. Did Tessa contact you last week?’

  ‘I spoke to her last Monday. We arranged for me to drop by and see her on Friday. She couldn’t wait to see me. She had some “mega” news to share with me.’

  Robyn suspected the news might be that she was pregnant. ‘How did she contact you?’

  ‘The usual, by phone.’

  ‘Her mobile contained no contact details at all.’ />
  Forrest nodded. ‘She bought a new phone last week. Said she didn’t know how to set it up because it was totally different from her old Samsung. I advised her to go back to the shop where she’d bought it, and ask them to show her how to set it up.’

  Robyn spoke again. ‘Were you aware she’d closed all her social media accounts recently? Have you any idea why she’d do that?’

  ‘We spoke about that too on Monday. I’d visited her Facebook page to send her a message and found out she’d deleted her account. She said it was all part of a “great new plan” and I would have to wait until Friday to find out what that was.’

  ‘So she wasn’t concerned about anything?’

  ‘Far from it. If anything, she was the opposite. Kept saying she couldn’t wait to tell me her news.’

  ‘Did you have any idea what she might have wanted to tell you?’

  ‘I can’t say I did. She gave no clues other than to say it was going to “blow my mind”. She was generally upbeat, but she was uber-excited on Monday. I even thought she might have been drinking, or taken drugs, but she laughed when I suggested it. Told me I was an old grouch and to wait until I heard what she had to tell me.’ He shifted uncomfortably on his seat. ‘Detective Inspector Carter, if possible, I’d rather you didn’t involve my wife. I never intended for my relationship with Tessa to be anything other than a fling. Tessa was in complete agreement. She said she was too young to settle down and wasn’t looking for a steady relationship. She’d been in one for several years and wanted to “let her hair down”. I cared about her but she was a wild spirit. She didn’t want to be tamed and I wasn’t the man to try to.’

  Robyn remembered Juliet Fallows had said something similar. She didn’t doubt Forrest’s sincerity, but if she required further confirmation as to his whereabouts, and had to contact his wife, she would do so. She told him as much. Forrest sank into his seat, his long frame doubled over.

  ‘I understand,’ he said. ‘But please check everything I’ve given you first. You’ll see I’m telling the truth.’

  ‘Did she talk to you about her finances?’

  ‘Not really. I know her parents were paying half her mortgage. It came up in conversation when I commented on what a nice house she had. She told me her parents were well off but she resented them helping her out. She wanted to stand on her own two feet. She said she felt beholden, and stifled by them and their demands – and being dependent on them meant she could never really be free of their hold.’

  ‘Their hold?’

  ‘They’re very pushy parents. Her mum’s a doctor. She wanted Tessa to become a doctor too, and when she didn’t make the grades, she was very disappointed. Tessa only took their help and money because it allowed her to live away from home, but she really wanted to break away from them completely – maybe even move abroad. Theirs was a complicated relationship. We had very similar upbringings. My father was a judge, and when I didn’t follow in his footsteps he turned his back on me – disowned me. She and I talked a lot about our pasts, and new beginnings. She was so encouraging about what I do. I was flattered. My wife isn’t so enthusiastic about it, and with two children to support, she wishes I had a more lucrative job rather than a vocation I enjoy. I found Tessa easy to talk to. In a way, we were more like siblings than lovers.’

  ‘Did you send her a Valentine’s card and flowers, sir?’

  Justin’s brow crinkled in surprise. ‘Heavens, no. I told you. The physical side of our relationship fizzled out quickly. We were just two misunderstood people who found solace in each other’s company.’

  ‘I see. I’ll need to take your fingerprints to identify them at the crime scene,’ said Robyn. ‘And a DNA sample.’

  Forrest looked aghast. ‘You don’t believe me? I’m still a suspect.’

  ‘It’s procedure, sir.’

  ‘Take them,’ he replied. ‘Do what you must, but keep my family out of this. I beg you.’

  Robyn left Anna to deal with Forrest. The prints would go immediately to the head of Forensics, Connor Richards, and the DNA sample would be sent to the lab to find out if Forrest was the father of Tessa Hall’s baby.

  * * *

  Robyn had sent Matt ahead to Brocton to check out Anthony Hawkins. She hoped Shearer was right. She didn’t want to waste time on a case if the man had died of natural causes, but it was her job to examine all the evidence and that’s what she’d do.

  Her first stop was at Lauren Gregson’s. Henry’s wife was looking more drawn and vacant than she had the last time Robyn had seen her. Robyn was again shown into the kitchen. It had been tidied up and cleaned. Lauren rested her back against the kitchen units. An opened envelope, addressed to Henry, was on the table.

  ‘How are you, Lauren?’

  Lauren’s lip trembled. ‘Not good.’

  ‘It will get easier. I know everyone says that and it feels like you’ll never be able to manage, but you will. Are your parents here?’

  ‘I asked them to leave me alone for a while. Mum’s doing my head in. I had a shit night and I wanted some peace.’

  ‘You’ll need your parents and friends. They’ll be there for you, Lauren. You don’t have to do this alone.’

  Lauren’s eyes filled. ‘But I am alone. I’m alone and upset and at the same time, so bloody angry. I’m furious with Henry for keeping secrets and for being where he shouldn’t have been, and with whoever killed him and stole the man I loved, and I’m so tired of it all. I want it all to go away and for things to be as they were before this happened. Most of all, I want that. I want this all to be a horrible dream and for me and Henry to be together.’

  The tears fell and Robyn felt powerless to assist. Lauren brushed them away with the back of her hand. ‘I feel like the universe hates me. Henry’s test results came back yesterday and there was nothing wrong with him. What I can’t understand is why I didn’t fall pregnant. I feel so cheated. If we’d had a baby, at least I’d still have some part of him. It’s not fair.’

  ‘You really wanted a baby, didn’t you?’

  ‘More than anything. When I first saw how Henry behaved with Astra, I knew he’d make the perfect father. He was so sweet with her and really loved her. I wanted us to have a child for him to love like that. I’ve always loved children. Some women want careers or to be free agents. Me, I always wanted to be a mother and have three or four or even more children. I was an only child and I hated it. It was miserable being alone. I wanted it to be different for my kids. I wanted a happy, large family.’

  ‘You’re still young, Lauren. You still have time to get your wish.’

  Lauren sniffled noisily. ‘Maybe. I really wanted Henry’s children. I tried everything to get pregnant – I read up on what foods to eat, bought ovulation test kits, and even saw a tarot card reader. A friend suggested it was all in my head and I had a blockage. She suggested buying baby clothes and toys and it would change my subconscious – and my body would then accept it wanted to fall pregnant. None of it worked. That’s why I went to the fertility clinic. I shouldn’t have tried so hard, should I? Then it might have happened naturally.’

  She blew her nose and wiped under her eyes. ‘Sorry. I’m having a real downer.’

  ‘It’s okay.’

  ‘Did you come about Henry?’

  ‘Sort of. I wondered if either of you knew Anthony Hawkins. He lived in Brocton.’ Robyn passed Anthony’s photograph to Lauren, who studied it carefully.

  ‘He lived in the village?’

  Robyn nodded.

  ‘I’ve never seen him.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Robyn watched Lauren’s face carefully for signs she might be holding back.

  ‘I’m absolutely certain I’ve not met this man or seen him about in the village. Henry might have come across him. He knew quite a few of the locals because of his coaching.’ She uttered the words with a tinge of sadness.

  The door opened and a deep voice shouted ‘hello’.

  Lauren grimaced at Robyn. ‘My parents.�
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  ‘I’d better leave you. I’ll let you know as soon as we find anything.’

  ‘Thanks. And sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have dumped on you.’

  ‘It’s really not a problem. Take care of yourself. Trust me, this will become less painful.’

  Robyn sidled past a middle-aged couple who politely stood aside and held open the front door without asking the reason for her visit.

  * * *

  Anthony’s house, up a lane at the far end of Brocton village, was a ramshackle mess. From the outside it looked uninhabited. The wooden gate hung limply from its post and squealed in protest when Robyn walked through it on a crumbling pathway that was strewn with weeds.

  Matt was inside the dark cottage with Anthony’s brother, who introduced himself as William and left them in the outdated sitting room – covered in deep-patterned wallpaper from a bygone age – while he made a cup of tea.

  Matt was keen to talk. ‘Guv, found out something interesting. The last couple of weeks, Hawkins has been spending money like it’s going out of fashion. The neighbours two doors down said he came home in a brand new, top-of-the-range Jaguar last week. The television’s new too,’ he said, pointing at the enormous screen that filled one wall of the room. ‘His wardrobe upstairs is filled with designer clothes and there’s a bill in the kitchen for dental work – he had his teeth whitened.’

  Robyn looked up. ‘Where did he get the money for all of that?’

  ‘Hawkins told people around here an elderly aunt on his mother’s side had popped her clogs and left him her entire estate, worth a fortune.’

  ‘What does his brother say about this?’

  ‘He says he has no idea how his brother got his hands on any fortune, especially as we don’t have any aunts, or uncles for that matter,’ said William, who’d returned unheard into the room, a mug in his hand. ‘Sorry, couldn’t help overhearing. This is a small place and the walls are paper-thin. I told the sergeant here that it’s a complete mystery to me where the money came from. I stayed with Tony at Christmas and he hadn’t got two pennies to rub together then. He moaned continuously about being short of cash. I even gave him a hundred quid to get by. I’ve had to bail him out a few times the last couple of years. You’d think he’d have told me and at least returned some of the loans.’ He glowered at his mug, his rotund face crunched up.