Deadly Reprisal (Detective Zoe Finch Book 5)

by Rachel McLean

“I don’t know what else to call her, boss.”

  “Fast forward to when Becca turns up.”

  He whizzed through to 8pm, when Becca came through the door.

  “Right,” said Zoe. “Now we need to work through to the time that Kayla and Lin found Laurence.”

  “About twenty minutes before, I’d reckon,” said Rhodri. “She’d need time to get to Boulton Hall. D’you think you could get close enough to shove meth down someone’s throat in a hurry?”

  “Good point,” Zoe said. She let the images wash over her, watching for the moments when Becca disappeared into the main body of the bar or through the door. Each time, she was back within a few minutes.

  “Either she was very quick, or she didn’t do it,” she said.

  “She didn’t do it, boss.”

  “You’re right.” Zoe dragged a hand through her hair. She’d known Becca MacGuire was innocent. But she had to be sure.

  Becca finally left at 1am. Half an hour after Lin and Kayla had found Laurence. The video ended fifteen minutes later.

  “Go home, Rhod. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Kayla stood outside Boulton Hall, shivering in Jenson’s thin shirt. Instead of going to her room, she’d come straight to the main entrance. She had no interest in talking to that detective again.

  She knew she couldn’t avoid it for ever, but that made no difference.

  The coward’s way, she told herself, then stomped the pavement with her foot. She wasn’t sure who she was more annoyed with: herself, Jenson or that detective. Or Laurence.

  She was more drunk than she’d thought. The streetlight above pulsed in her eyes and she felt an urge to curl up against the wall of the building. Instead, she picked up her phone.

  “Gina Lennon.”

  “It’s Kayla. We met at Boulton Hall last night. In the canteen.”

  “Kayla.” The woman paused. “What a nice surprise.”

  Kayla sniffed and pulled Jenson’s shirt tighter. The alcohol was making her feel reckless.

  “Why did you follow me today?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You followed me to the English department.”

  “I’m sorry, Kayla. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The door to the building opened behind Kayla. Two girls came out, laughing between themselves. She huddled closer to the wall.

  “I saw you. You’re not in my class.”

  “I’m really sorry, Kayla. But I can’t help you… Are you OK?”

  “I’m fine.” She was telling a lot of people that lately.

  “Would you like to come over? There’s a few of us here, chatting.”

  “You got wine?”

  “Er… coffee mainly. But yes, we’ve got some wine.”

  “Where are you?”

  Gina gave her an address in Selly Oak.

  “OK,” Kayla said. “I’ll be about half an hour.”

  “It’s dark. Are you sure you’ll be OK? It’s not safe for a woman out on her own.”

  “It’s fine. See you in a bit.”

  Kayla hung up then leaned back against the wall. Her legs felt loose and the streetlamp above her was pulsing more frequently now. It gave her a headache.

  Where was she going?

  Yes… an address in Selly Oak. She hadn’t written it down. Couldn’t remember it.

  “Kayla? What you doing out here? It’s freezing.”

  Kayla felt a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

  “Hey… it’s me. Lin. I thought we could do some filming. There’s a new exhibition over at the Barber Institute, it’s having a special opening.”

  Kayla turned to her. Lin’s eyes narrowed.

  “You look rough.”

  Kayla frowned at her. “Just a bit drunk.”

  “Here. Forget the art installation. Let’s get you to bed.”

  Kayla shook her head violently. “Not my room.”

  “We’ll go to mine then.” Lin took her elbow. Kayla let her weight fall into Lin’s hand, just slightly. It felt good.

  “Yeah,” she said to her friend. “Let’s go to your room.”

  “Good.” Lin pulled Kayla to her and supported her weight as the two of them walked inside. Kayla scanned the foyer as they passed through, anxious not to bump into that detective.

  Lin’s room was on the first floor, not far from the lift. The two women stumbled in together and crashed onto the bed. Kayla let herself slide back, her head hitting the wall.

  “Ouch.”

  “Careful, dummy.” Lin stood up and went into the bathroom. She emerged with a pint glass of water. “Drink this.”

  Kayla pulled a face.

  “Drink it.” Lin pushed it under her nose.

  Kayla took the glass and sipped. She shuffled along the bed to make room for Lin, who sat next to her.

  “What happened to make you like this?” Lin asked.

  “What d’you mean?”

  “You’re not just drunk.”

  “I had a bottle of wine. I’ll be fine.” Kayla sipped more water.

  “You seem… down.”

  “I’m not.” Kayla closed her eyes and took a longer sip. She should have stayed outside. She should have found Gina.

  “I met this woman,” she said.

  “OK.”

  “Gina. You know her?”

  Lin shrugged, her expression tight. “There’s two hundred students in Boulton Hall.”

  “I don’t think she lives here, but she was in the canteen last night. And she followed me to my lecture today.”

  Lin laughed. “Now you’re being paranoid.”

  “I saw her. I’m sure of it.”

  “Maybe she’s got the hots for you. You are kinda cute.” Lin gave Kayla a friendly shove.

  “Don’t. I’ll be sick.”

  “Ew. Sorry.” Lin moved off the bed and sat in the chair at her desk. “So they question you? The cops?”

  “The police. Yes. There was a man, a detective.”

  “What kinda things he ask you?”

  “Didn’t they talk to you too?”

  “Yeah. Some woman. But I wondered if they asked us different things.”

  Kayla shrugged. She downed the last of the water and bent down to place the glass on the floor. When she pulled back up she felt dizzy.

  “I shouldn’t have drunk that bottle.”

  “They ask you about his injuries?”

  “I… yes. They asked about what I saw. I couldn’t tell them much. You’re the medic.”

  “They got any theories, you think?”

  “They’ve been talking to Jenson. They came back to talk to him again tonight. I’m supposed to be waiting for them.”

  Lin straightened. “Where? Is it the woman or the man?”

  “A man. He said he’d see me in my room.”

  “Which is why you don’t want to go there.”

  Kayla blinked in response.

  “You worried about what they’ll ask you?”

  Kayla reached to the back of her neck and rubbed it. She wanted to sleep, but didn’t want to impose on Lin.

  “I don’t know. I just… I wasn’t in the mood.”

  “You knew Laurence, didn’t you?.”

  “No, not really.” She spoke sharply, surprising both herself and Lin.

  Lin licked her lips. “I don’t mean to pry.”

  Kayla stared back at her. “Then don’t.”

  “Did he do something to you, Kayla? Like he did to Becca?”

  Kayla shuddered. “Don’t be daft.” She stood up, placing a hand on the wall. “He’ll have gone now. I’ll head home.”

  “It’s alright. Stay, Kayla. You can talk to me.”

  “Nothing to talk about.” Kayla pulled the door open. She could smell frying food from along the corridor. She put a hand to her mouth.

  “Kayla, don’t be—”

  Kayla shut the door behind her. She walked back to her room, her head heav
y.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Hey,” Zoe said when Carl answered the phone. She was sitting on her bed at home. Nicholas was downstairs, watching one of his documentaries.

  “Hey,” he replied. “I heard you saw DS Kaur.”

  “She gave me quite a grilling.”

  “Come on, Zoe. You know it was just an informal interview. You’d have been entitled to a police friend other—”

  “It’s OK, Carl. I don’t want to argue with you.”

  “Good. Nor do I.”

  “Where are you?” She lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was a crack running from above the head of the bed to the far corner.

  “I’m at home. Eating a takeaway.”

  “What kind?”

  “Curry. Lamb Jalfrezi.”

  “You don’t normally like them hot.”

  “You inspired me.”

  She relaxed into the duvet. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too.”

  She listened to him breathing.

  “No one said we couldn’t see each other,” Carl said.

  “No,” she replied.

  “So…” he said. “Could I buy you a drink?”

  “That depends.” She felt her chest tighten.

  He sighed. “On what?”

  “On whether you still think I helped Ian.”

  “Zoe. I don’t think you helped Ian.”

  “You don’t think I definitely didn’t.”

  “You know what it’s like. You have to keep all options open until you know exactly what’s—”

  “Has Ian said I was working with him?”

  “No.”

  “Has he even hinted at it?”

  “You know I can’t talk to you about what DS Osman has told us.”

  Zoe sat up. “Dammit Carl. This is me you’re talking to. I was there the first time you questioned him. I let you plant him in my team so you could keep an eye on him.”

  “The idea was for him to keep an eye on Randle, as I recall.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Which he failed to do.”

  Zoe closed her eyes. She had no doubt that Ian had been watching Detective Superintendent Randle. But what she did doubt was that he’d reported what he’d seen to Carl and his colleagues in Professional Standards.

  “I’m sorry, Carl. But I can’t see you until I know you trust me.”

  “I know.”

  “And I imagine you don’t want to see me until you can be one hundred percent sure I’m not bent.”

  “I don’t think you’re bent, Zoe. Not really.”

  “Well call your bloodhound off then.”

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  She dug her thumbnail into her palm. “I’m going to hang up now.”

  “OK. Take care, Zoe. Look after yourself.”

  “You too.” She put the phone down, her skin tingling with frustration.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The warden’s study was a large room lined with bookshelves and filled with plants. To one side was a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. Zoe sat across the mid-century-style desk from her, waiting for an answer to her question.

  “I’m not sure I can tell you that,” the warden replied. She wore jeans and a crumpled denim shirt and looked like she hadn’t slept. Her plane had only landed two hours earlier.

  “We need to know everything about your investigation into Laurence’s alleged rape of Becca. This is a murder investigation, Doctor Edwards.”

  “I’m not trying to withhold information, Inspector. I just don’t know.”

  “You have no idea who knew about your investigation?”

  “I know who should have known. But this is a tight-knit community. People talk. Things get out.”

  “Surely you would have done what you could to keep things confidential?”

  Doctor Reynolds leaned forwards, her hands clasped together on top of a desk diary. Her desk was neat, everything at right angles. “Jenson Begg knew, of course. He was the one Becca went to in the first place. He’s pretty trustworthy. But I have no idea who else Becca might have told.”

  “In her statement to me, she said she hadn’t told a soul.”

  “Imagine being in her situation. She’s nineteen years old. She’s just accused a fellow student of rape. If that was me, I’d want to confide in someone.”

  “She confided in Jenson.”

  “I mean a friend. Another girl.”

  Zoe nodded. The warden was right. She hoped that when Nicholas went to university, he’d have friends he could share his problems with.

  “Do you know who her friends were?”

  The warden jumped at the sound of something hitting the window. She leapt up from her chair and strode to it, thumping the glass.

  “Damn football pitch. Why they put it so close to the building…”

  Zoe looked out of the window. A group of four young men in black football kit stared back in, looking sheepish. The warden clenched her fists and walked back to the desk.

  “I was asking if you knew who her friends were,” Zoe said.

  “I don’t keep tabs on all the relationships among my students. Over time I get to know some of the groupings. But you’d have to ask Becca. Do you think one of her friends might have killed Laurence by way of revenge?”

  “We can’t rule anything out yet. I also need to talk to you about the drugs.”

  “We’ve already conducted a search of student rooms. When a drugs-related incident occurs, we have the authority to do random checks.”

  “Any joy?”

  “None. The students know to hide anything illegal before we have a chance to do the rounds.” The warden shook her head. “Or to leave it with friends off-campus.”

  “Are you aware of any dealing taking place in the Hall, or between the students?”

  “There’ll be a small amount of cannabis changing hands. We’re not too worried about that.”

  “Not worried?”

  “You’re a police officer, Detective Finch. I’m sure you take a different view of these things.”

  “I’m sure the university authorities do too.”

  “The university authorities know that it’s impossible to prevent marijuana use, and to concentrate on the harder stuff.”

  “So was there any dealing of that going on here? The harder stuff, I mean? I assume you’d have spoken to the police if you—”

  “No, Detective. There has been no dealing of Class A drugs in this building as far as I or my staff are aware. And don’t worry. I know full well what kind of penalty we’d pay if we allowed that to go on.”

  “Maximum fourteen years’ imprisonment,” Zoe said.

  The warden’s eyes flashed. “Six months as a summary offence.”

  Zoe cocked her head. “You know the law.”

  “I’m an academic. I have friends in the School of Law.”

  “You’ve asked them about the punishment for drugs offences?”

  “I talk to them about all sorts of things, Inspector. Don’t get too excited.”

  Zoe realised she was grinding her teeth. “So. You found the case against Laurence Thomms to be inconclusive.”

  “I did. Becca came to us too late. If she’d made the complaint earlier on, if she’d gone to the police and submitted to an intimate examination… it was just her word against his.”

  “In court that would be a not guilty verdict.”

  “Reasonable doubt. Yes, I know that, Inspector. But we aren’t in court. So I found the case to be inconclusive. I was planning to give Laurence a warning and I have already told Becca to accept counselling. It’s all I can do.”

  Zoe scratched her neck. She knew how hard it was to prove rape cases, especially when there was a gap between the alleged rape and the complaint.

  “OK,” she said. “So it’s quite possible that the whole of Boulton Hall could have known that Laurence might or might not have raped Becca. And you can’t say for sure if he actually
did. And as for the drugs…”

  “I’m sorry I can’t be more help.”

  I bet, Zoe thought. She knew how much the woman would want to divert scandal away from Boulton Hall. Not easy, when a student had been murdered.

  “I’ll let you know if I have any more questions.”

  The window banged again and the warden turned to it, fist raised. This time it was a bird that had hit the glass and tumbled to the ground below.

  “Oh my God.” Doctor Edwards rushed to the window. She peered down at the bird, watching it pick itself up. Eventually it shook itself out and flew away. She jerked her head up to look past it at the football players.

  Zoe made for the door, wondering how this woman, who cared more for a clumsy bird than for a dead student, had been put in charge of two hundred of them.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “How did it go with Jenson Begg last night?” Zoe asked Mo. They were in the team room: Mo, Connie and Rhodri at their desks and Zoe perched on Rhodri’s.

  “What d’you expect? He denied it all. Not taking drugs, not involved with any students. Kayla was in his room when I got there, though.”

  “Which confirms that he’s seeing her.”

  “He denied it. Said she was there for advice. Traumatised by finding Laurence’s body.”

  Rhodri laughed. “He’s a bloody bad liar.”

  “There might be restrictions on him having relationships with undergraduates,” Zoe said. “He is in a position of trust, after all.”

  “Which is why he’d lie,” said Mo. “Kayla was drunk, though. She didn’t look like she was there for counselling.”

  “Poor girl,” Connie said.

  “I asked her if I could have a chat with her, too,” Mo continued. “She said she’d be in her room, but when I got there, there was no sign of her.”

  “Maybe she’d gone out,” said Rhodri.

  “Maybe she was avoiding me.”

  “Why?” Zoe asked. “Why would Kayla not want to talk to us?”

  “She could be protecting Jenson,” Connie said. “She’d want to talk to him before Mo got to her, get their stories straight.”

  “She didn’t strike me as that calculating, when I spoke to her on Tuesday,” Mo replied. “Maybe she’s scared.”