by Jay Nadal
Shah remained silent and stared at the table; embarrassment robbed him of his voice.
“We launched a press appeal several days ago online and through local TV. You must have seen them?”
He offered the slightest of nods.
“Mr Shah, you’re not doing yourself any favours here. You’re being interviewed in connection with the rape and murder of Linda Allen. That’s a serious matter. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Of course, he does. I made him come here. My husband hung onto that stuff just to satisfy his own perverted curiosity. He makes me sick. He tosses off over stuff like this. Shoes, underwear, stockings, and porn mags. It’s not the first time I found him doing this. He needs to be locked up,” Minu spat with venom.
Scott held out a hand to calm Mrs Shah.
Shah spoke with a soft voice. “I can’t help myself.”
Surges of excitement raced through Scott. Was this the man they had been looking for? Could he be responsible for the deaths of Linda Allen and Daisy Callaghan?
“Where did you get these items from?” Scott asked, pointing towards the evidence bags.
“From some filthy married woman, no doubt!” Minu shouted, as she took a swing for her husband.
Mike leant over the table and grabbed her arm in flight. She glared at him in return.
“Mrs Shah, if you continue to interrupt this interview, you will be removed. We are interested in what your husband has to say now, not you.”
Minu sat back in her chair, a heavy scowl on her face as she stared down the officers.
Scott returned his attention to Shah, waiting for him to speak.
“I…I cycle every morning.”
“Cycle? Is that what you call it? I bet you just take your precious bike round to some tart, and…” Minu screamed.
“Mrs Shah,” Scott shouted. “If you carry on, I’ll have you removed from this room. Do…I…Make…Myself…Clear?”
Scott’s fiery glare extinguished the woman’s wrath for the time being, as she folded her arms across her chest and looked away in defiance.
Shah continued without averting his gaze. “I’ve got a sixteen-mile circuit I follow. As I was coming back on my return leg, I saw what looked like a bag of rubbish in the middle of the road. I pulled over to the side, and because there were no cars on the road at that time of the morning, I went to have a look.”
“Carry on.”
“Those things were in the bag. One shoe was wet and dirty, so I left it there. The other two things I just put in my rucksack and took them home with me.”
“And what did you do with them when you took them home?”
Shah flushed with embarrassment and took a sip of water to quench his dry throat. “I get off playing with this stuff. My wife…and I aren’t that adventurous.”
Scott looked across at Minu, who by now had placed a hand over her face. Silent tears trickled down her cheeks. “There’s a big difference between adventurous and sick,” she muttered.
“Were there any other items?”
Shah nodded. “Silver short skirt. But it was dirty, wet and muddy. I think cars must have driven over it a few times. The heel had broken off the other shoe.”
Mike and Scott exchanged a glance. Shah had discovered the rest of Linda Allen’s missing items.
Scott placed a small map on the table and asked Shah to identify the location. He’d arrange for officers to sweep the location immediately.
“Did you see anything else? Another vehicle parked close by, people walking, anything?”
Shah shook his head. “I did look around, but the place was deserted. I figured someone had thrown it away.”
Mike interrupted, firmness in his voice. “Do you think a woman is going to go home without a skirt, underwear or shoes?”
Shah bowed his head as he realised how pathetic he sounded.
“No doubt you saw our press appeal, and we’ve had dozens of officers searching open land looking for these missing items, but you chose to ignore it. Even though you knew we desperately needed to find them? You were happy to withhold vital information from us?”
“Yes, Inspector.”
“He would have kept them if I had not caught him,” Minu interrupted. “I told him I wanted him out the house. I have put up with this for too long. He thought he could hide all this stuff from me. If our community finds out what he’s like, the shame it would bring upon us is unimaginable. I was worried for my safety in case he had killed her.”
“Did you know Linda Allen?”
“No.”
“Did you know Daisy Callaghan?”
Shah looked to Scott in puzzlement. “Who’s that?”
“Another victim we believe killed by the same person.” Scott thought about Linda’s affair with a married man and baby Leo. Shah wasn’t the man because of his ethnicity.
“I swear I don’t know her.”
“I’ll ask you only once, have you been to Cardiff in the past twelve months?”
Shah held out his hands in defence. “No. I’ve never been there.”
“Where were you on Sunday evening between six p.m. and midnight?”
Shah thought for a moment. “I met a colleague about six-thirty p.m., and we went for a drink.”
“And where was that?”
“At The Stag pub.”
The information piqued Scott’s interest. The Stag pub was less than a hundred yards from The Greys Pub. Shah confirmed that he was there until around eight-thirty p.m., and after that made his way home. However, his wife contradicted him by saying that Shah hadn’t returned until nearer eleven p.m. Shah said he took a long drive home but couldn’t recall his exact route.
Scott laid out the bait. “You see, Mr Shah, I think you left the pub, and when you saw Linda Allen dressed in those heels…” Scott tapped the evidence bag, “you followed her, attacked her, raped her and then dumped her body. And by further means of self-gratification, took these items as souvenirs.”
Shah slammed his hands on the table. “No. I don’t know who she is. I just found those things. I haven’t killed anyone.”
“We’ll see about that. In the meantime, you are facing a charge of withholding vital information in connection with the rape and murder of Linda Allen. We will also take a saliva sample from you and seize your car for forensic analysis.”
Shah bowed his head. His wife sobbed.
26
Scott left the team to progress enquiries on Anil Shah. Scott’s instincts told him that this wasn’t their man, but they needed to cover every base. Abby stayed behind to oversee the process. She would arrange for swabs to be taken, Shah’s car to be impounded and taken to the station on a low-loader for examination. She instructed Mike and Raj to follow up on his movements last Sunday and identify if he had been to Cardiff in the past twelve months.
Levy’s house was a small, unassuming terraced property in the heart of Brighton. By the way Levy spoke and conducted himself, Scott had visions of it being a large detached house. He had a presence and air of authority. Having investigated Levy’s background, his character traits had been shaped by his time in the RAF, followed by several management positions in local businesses.
Levy answered the door not long after Scott had rung. He greeted Scott with a firm handshake, and the smallest of smiles. Scott saw that pain sat heavy on the man’s shoulders as he led him through to the lounge. It was a small room, with the traditional three-piece suite of the sofa, and two armchairs either side, taking central position in the room. A large TV hung above the fireplace. Scott’s eyes were drawn to the array of family portraits and photographs that crammed the ledge.
“Thank you for coming, Inspector. I thought you had forgotten about our conversation…”
Scott nearly had but would never have admitted it. He wondered whether Levy’s last statement was just that, a statement of resignation or a question.
“Yes, I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner. But as you can
imagine with our ongoing murder investigation, we’ve had our hands full.”
Levy sounded almost apologetic. “Yes, of course. Of course. A dreadful situation. And I understand that resources have to be prioritised.” His eyes dropped to the floor.
“How have you been holding up since we spoke?”
“Same as before. Every time the doorbell rings…I know I’m being foolish, but I expect it to be Becky. I imagine her rushing through the door, and me throwing my arms around her.”
“It’s not foolish at all. I imagine every parent in your situation would feel the same.” Scott felt his pain. Losing a child was difficult for any parent but losing a child and not knowing what happened to them must be a living nightmare.
“Have you any news?”
Scott needed to bend the truth. “My team have reopened her file, and we’ve been going over all the statements, checking and double-checking them. We are reviewing information relating to the last sightings of Rebecca.” Scott hated that word reviewing. It was vague and abstract and could mean so much from a mere glance to a deep dive.
Levy nodded. He glanced up towards the mantelpiece where memories of happier times had been captured in an array of silver, gold and wooden picture frames. Scott followed Levy’s eyes.
“She looked happy in them,” Scott said.
Levy nodded again. “She was…She is.” Referring to her in the past sent a thunderbolt of pain through his chest. “She always had a smile, and her laugh would reach every corner of the house. Just looking at her would fill me with so much pride and joy. She could raise a smile in me without saying a word.” He pursed his lips into a thin line; the slightest of chin wobbles an indication of how hard he was fighting to keep it together.
“Mr Levy, I’d like to just ask you a few questions, if that’s okay? The circumstances around your daughter’s disappearance are puzzling and out of character for her.”
“Of course. “The man shrugged.
“Linda Allen, I’m curious whether that name rings a bell with you. Had Rebecca ever mentioned her name?”
Levy narrowed his eyes in Scott’s direction, as if trying to second-guess Scott’s motive for asking the question. “Other than recent reports, I’m afraid not. Not that I can remember.”
“How about the name Lexi Freeman? Does that sound familiar?”
Levy’s brow lifted in recognition. “I remember Becky saying she had hung out with her a few times in local pubs and clubs. I don’t think they were tight as friends, more like social friends I guess, but her name cropped up many a time. Personally, I wasn’t too keen on her. She called around here once looking for Becky. I was immediately taken by her hard exterior. She was abrupt and agitated. Is she a person of interest?”
“Not directly. But she is living with Linda Allen’s ex-boyfriend. It’s a complicated web, but there are tenuous links between Rebecca, Linda Allen, and Lexi Freeman that I believe are worth looking into.”
Levy stiffened up and straightened his back as he listened to Scott.
“So, I’m wondering, if Rebecca had mentioned any names to you, even if in passing, that you can recall now.”
Levy looked off into the distance as if deep in thought. He chased back through his memories. He shook his head. “I’m sure she mentioned many names, including the Freeman woman. She was forever going out, and it was tough keeping up with who she was going out with, where she was going, or who she was meeting. One name seemed to blend into another.”
“I know you produced a witness statement regarding the disappearance, and I’ve read it. But would you mind recalling those events for me now?”
Levy nodded wearily. “We had breakfast as normal. She pottered about in her room for a little like she did most mornings, sorting out her hair and make-up before deciding what to do. Women do that, don’t they?”
Scott remained silent, not wishing to disrupt Levy’s train of thoughts.
“She breezed downstairs and shouted from the bottom step she was going out for a while. I managed to come out of the study in time to catch her before she left. I asked her normal things like whether she had anything planned and how long she’d be gone. Becky replied that she was going shopping for a new outfit and some underwear, which made me blush a tad. She promised she wouldn’t be long because she had a hot date that evening…”
“That was the last time you saw her?”
Levy nodded.
“Was there anything different in her mood, or her behaviour that day?”
“No. Nothing.”
“You mentioned in your statement, that you phoned trying to find out what happened to her when she didn’t return home?”
“Hmm. I phoned a few of her friends, but no one had spoken to her that day. As you know from the witness statements, she was seen in town, but disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“Looking at her case file, the investigating team could not come up with a person of interest or suspect.”
“I know, Inspector. But something tells me that more could have been done. I know people disappear all the time, but in broad daylight, in the middle of the day? In a busy town centre? Surrounded by people and CCTV?” Frustration tinged his barrage of questions.
“I appreciate that. Officers spent hours trawling through CCTV footage taken in the town centre. They looked at recordings from taxi ranks, the bus terminus and the train station without luck. Despite a press appeal, there were no sightings of her. I can’t go into detail, but I can assure you, having reviewed the file, extensive resources were deployed to locate her.” There was that word again, review.
“Did you have your own theory regarding her disappearance?”
Levy shifted and looked across to Scott with determination in his eyes. “Becky changed in the last few months before she disappeared.”
“In what way?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but she became distant and aloof. Not in a horrible kind of way. She was still the same fun Becky, but something had changed, whether that was part of the growing up process, or something going on in her life, I don’t know.”
“Did she appear upset over anything?”
“Not as far as I know. Becky was going out just as much, but she would say less about where she was going, and who she was hanging around with. It was about the same time that that Freeman woman came on the scene. Whether that is connected or not, I’m not sure. But something about that woman bothered me. I guess it was me being the protective dad and not wanting my daughter to mix with people who might be a bad influence on her.”
Levy fell silent for a few moments. “Who am I kidding? How many parents really know what their kids get up to?” Levy shrugged.
A complex web of relationships formed in Scott’s mind. He had referred to a tenuous link earlier in the conversation, and it was nothing more than that. Nevertheless, it bothered him.
“Do you think she is connected in some way?”
“I can’t be certain,” Scott offered. “At this stage I have a murder investigation and Rebecca’s disappearance, and Lexi Freeman’s name appears in both.”
Levy shuffled forward on his chair and perched on the edge. “But you should talk to her? And if you don’t, then I will. As a family we still need answers.”
Scott tried to placate the man. “We will be, Mr Levy, I can assure you of that. And as soon as we have, if what she has to say has any relevance to Rebecca’s disappearance, then I will inform you.”
27
His visits were nothing more than a chore. His hopes for her had faded not long after he had befriended her and brought her here. Frustration gnawed away at him. Anger simmered inside him at the thought of wasted hours, and risks he’d taken.
He’d made his mind up. She was nothing more than a liability.
Heavy, slippery, and wet, he slid the grate away from the entrance to the inspection chamber and peered into the dark hole that disappeared into the earth. He glanced around to ensure he was alone before he flicked on t
he torch and descended into the blackness, taking each slippery rung of the metal ladder slow and steady.
“Wake up, you silly bitch. I’ve brought you something to eat and drink, not that you need it, or deserve it.”
Silence was his only answer.
“Did you not fucking hear me? Don’t piss me off.”
He paused a few metres above the metal inspection platform and looped one arm around a rung, whilst he shone his torch into the darkness below.
A wave of panic coursed through his veins when he saw nothing but the bedding she had lain upon.
“Fuck…”
The light from his torch swept in arcs from left to right as he searched for her. He then followed the trail of the cable. His eyes widened, his breath ragged and harsh as he navigated the final few steps as fast as he could.
Just her head remained visible, the cable still attached around her neck. He peered over the edge of the small metal, crescent-shaped platform and saw the rest of her body dangling. Her feet hovering just inches from the floor of the chamber.
He had misjudged the length of the cable. He thought he had added enough slack in case she fell over the edge of the platform. Emma was dead, eyes fixated, vacant. She was gone.
Cold and pale.
Rats scuttled to safety as the beam of light trapped them in mid-frenzy, gnawing away at her feet. He watched their black, beady eyes, sleek brown fur, with teeth like steel pincers, as they scrabbled, scurried, and climbed to evade the glare. A frantic brown wave. A seething, living, furry tsunami of terrified animals. The sight sent a shiver snaking down his spine.
“You’ve done me a favour, you fucking moron. You were nothing but a big tease. I hope it fucking hurt.”
He thumped the side of his head with the torch a few times. He hadn’t thought this through. With them being so far down, it would be impractical to heave her body back up to the surface. He knew from experience how hard it was to shift a dead body. The last thing he wanted was to be caught with a dead body in the boot of his car. He removed the keys from his rucksack and unlocked the padlock that secured the cable in place.