It was Rexton. ‘Hello, Sir,’ he said ignoring Fraser and almost dropping the box on his desk, ‘Your case file.’
‘Next time, Sergeant, please knock before you enter, you never know who I have in here.’
‘Sorry, Sir, but I thought it was urgent.’
‘It is, Sergeant, but that doesn’t stop you knocking.’
‘Very well, Sir, I’ll remember that in future. Can I be of any further help, Sir?’
Fraser coughed and squirmed in his chair.
‘No, Sergeant Rexton, I’m sure Colin and I can manage.’
‘Fine, Sir, you know where I am should you need something.’ He turned, military style, and marched the short distance to the door which he left ajar.
Fraser got up and slammed it shut. ‘What a bloody moron that man is, his skin is thicker than a rhino’s arse. Come to think of it, he looks rather like one as well. Did you see his shoes and trousers, Guv? Just like I said weren’t they. And the hair from his nostrils, if it gets much longer he’ll need it perming. He got a quick promotion through his military red cap service and hasn’t seen the street since. Just as well, he wouldn’t know where to go if he found it.’
Deckman laughed again as he slid the statements provided by Trish Lister across the desk top. ‘Calm down, Colin, he’s not worth getting worked up about. Can you and Bob get these statements verified although, knowing how Miss Lister used to operate, I am sure they are spot on. Then Bob can get on his computer and conjure up as much information as possible on Star Boats and its directors.’
‘Right, Guv, straight away. Alright for me to take the case notes, no doubt you’ve decided to pop home for lunch today?’
‘Now who’s the mind reader?’ Deckman phoned home. ‘Hi, Jens, is there enough in the oven for an extra plate? Great, home in ten minutes.’
*
Jenny Deckman knew her husband must have had a difficult morning; the only time he ever went home for lunch. She prepared a snack and poured a measure of his favourite Scotch over two cubes of ice.
‘Hi, darling,’ she said planting a firm kiss on his lips, ‘this is a pleasant surprise, I can’t think of the last time I had the pleasure of your company for lunch. Do you want to talk about it before or after we eat?’
‘Sorry, Jens, am I that predictable?’
‘Yes, darling, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t think I want you to change. There’s a glass on the table and I’ll be with you in a minute.’ She checked how the quiche was progressing, returned to the living room and sat on the arm of the chair. ‘What’s gone wrong, darling?’ She ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head.
‘Remember a couple of years ago there was the murder of the young housewife, Victoria Campbell, and her husband received a life sentence?’
Jens nodded.
‘Well, I had a meeting with Jackie Salter, Victoria’s sister, two or three weeks ago and I read a letter she had received from Michael Campbell, the jailed husband, pleading his innocence. This letter was special, Jens, and the moment I read it I knew then there had to be a good chance of it being true. I didn’t want to believe it and sent her away for more evidence, not believing for one moment that she would get it. I’ve been stewing on this ever since, I cannot get it off my mind.’
‘Thank goodness for that, at least now I know what has been wrong with you lately. I was beginning to think you’d had enough of us. Even the boys noticed.’
‘Sorry, Jens, I tried to hide it, but obviously I didn’t make a very good job of doing so. Well, this morning, Miss Salter returned with a private investigator, Trish Lister.’
‘I remember you talking of a Trish Grant, but not Lister.’
‘Same person, changed her name after her husband ran off.’
‘Thought she’d become an alcoholic. That’s the story I’d heard anyway.’
‘She had, but it seems, with the help of Jackie, she is back on form. She has come up with new information regarding the case and it could mean Michael was not the murderer. Trish has even provided me with a new suspect. We are checking out what she’s given us before we proceed further. Jens, this is something I’ve been dreading all my career. I cannot believe I allowed myself to make such a mistake. I failed to do what I have always insisted my officers do. No matter how obvious things might seem, always check for the not so obvious. I didn’t on this occasion.’
‘It wasn’t just you, darling, there were others involved.’
‘I was the investigating officer.’
‘Have you spoken to Joan White?’
‘Yes, she’s fine. Told me to tread carefully until I’m happy we are on the right track. She also told me she’d been involved in a similar situation. Helped a bit, but poor Michael if he is innocent.’
‘If he is innocent then I’m sure you are going to be the one to get him out. Come on, let’s have some lunch and, Terry, don’t bottle things up in future. You know I’m a good listener and we don’t want the boys upset.’
Chapter 11
It wasn’t the sound of the music that woke Jackie, but the female voice singing along with it. It was not a voice she recognised. Jackie shivered as her feet touched the cold, uncarpeted, floor in search of her slippers. She put her dressing-gown over her shoulders and went downstairs to investigate. The office door was open and Trish was dancing and dusting whilst accompanying the Beatles performing one of their major hits.
Jackie smiled. For the first time since they had met it looked as though Trish was truly happy and, hopefully, now she was over the worst. Perhaps that night in the cells had done the trick, she thought. She hoped.
‘Morning, Trish.’
A startled Trish almost fell across an office chair as she was half way through receiving her applause at the end of her rendition of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’. ‘Jackie, you seem to have the most unfortunate knack of turning up when I least expect you. Good morning to you too. Just doing a bit of cleaning.’
‘Looks more like you’re in concert with the Beatles.’
‘And you look as though you are waiting for your next customer, leaning on the doorpost like that dressed only in your nightclothes.’
‘I love you too. Shall I prepare breakfast while you wait for your fans to finish clapping?’
‘Ha, ha. Yes please for the breakfast, I’m quite peckish. Office cleaning used to be a weekly task of mine before I decided to let go of my life.’
Trish downed her duster at the first smell of coffee. ‘Couldn’t wait any longer,’ she said pouring out two cups and inhaling deeply. ‘Mmmm, that is delicious, first of the day.’
‘I wonder how many you’ll get through this morning? Not too many, I trust,’ warned Jackie.
‘Now you sound like my mother, God bless her.’
‘She was right, but I suppose it’s better than the alternative. Trish, you know my parents come home this evening. I’m not sure of the time as they are collecting Scottie, our dog, from Mum’s sister on the way from the airport. It wasn’t fair to keep him at home while they were away, what with me working and him not liking to be left alone. He loves going to the farm; he’s got a brother there and they get on so well together. I need to go and do a bit of tidying up, not that the house is really bad as I’ve been here most of the time.’
‘Can I help?’ Trish was desperate for Jackie to accept her offer. She had been dreading the return of Mr and Mrs Salter and it would happen to be today. Why not a week later, or two days even; any day except today for she knew tomorrow was going to be very difficult for her to cope with. Jackie would be preoccupied for the next day or so and she would have to rely on Mack to get her over the problem she was anticipating. Tomorrow was a day when Trish should not be left alone.
‘No , I’ll be fine and I’m sure you’ve got enough to do here. Don’t look so worried, you are going to be okay you know. Mack and I are so proud of you, Trish, the way you are now getting back to normal.’
‘I hope you’re
right. It’s down to you, and dear old Mack of course. I suppose I am a little nervous at being on my own now. We will talk won’t we?’
‘Of course we will, whenever you want to. What are you going to do for the rest of the day?’
Well, knowing your folks were returning I volunteered to do a bit more at the marina this afternoon to see if I can catch a few more part-time sailors. It will keep me occupied.’
‘A good idea, but please be careful with Star Boats, Trish.’
‘I will, don’t worry, and later I shall prepare myself for tomorrows meeting with Inspector Deckman so I have plenty to keep me occupied.’
‘Excellent. I’d like to go to the meeting with you, but I’m back to work and can’t ask for more time off. Anyway it’s you he wants to speak with. Any idea what it could be about?’
‘Not sure, but I imagine he will ask me to stay on at the marina and keep an eye on the Star Boats outfit, without getting involved with them. It would certainly be more sensible than arranging for an undercover officer to be located. Another new face turning up might just be a bit hard for the Page’s to accept.’
Jackie frowned and shook her head. ‘I don’t like the sound of that, Trish, could be a bit risky.’
‘Don’t worry, I promise I’ll be a good girl and will call you as soon as I can after the meeting, okay?’
‘Thanks. What are you doing about eating?’
‘Mack has asked me out this evening. He’s picking me up at eight.’
‘Oh, Trish, I’m so pleased. You kept that quiet didn’t you? Where are you going, anywhere nice?’
‘You won’t believe this, but across the road to The Study. I’m sure he thinks I might get lost if he leaves me to find it myself. Men! Poor chap couldn’t get a relief manager at short notice so he’s going to be up and down all evening. He wanted to take me to that new Thai restaurant on the front.’
They finished breakfast in silence. Despite the good start to the day Jackie felt all was not well; she had the feeling Trish was worried about something, but was not prepared to talk about it.
*
Jackie heard the car arrive moments before her father signalled their arrival with his usual toot of the horn. She was still undecided as to whether it was a good idea to inform them of what had happened during their absence and decided to wait until the right time presented itself.
Scottie couldn’t wait for the gate to be opened; he leapt over the low wall and, ignoring the zig-zag path, bounded straight to the door where Jackie was standing and jumped into her arms. Although they were both pleased to see each other it was Scottie who did all the face licking.
‘That’s enough, Scottie, I hope Mum and Dad are as pleased to see me as you are.’
‘We are,’ said Brian Salter struggling to get the two large cases through the gate, ‘but don’t worry, we shan’t be throwing ourselves at you and licking you to death. A cuddle and a kiss will do.’
Brian Salter rested the cases on the path and allowed his wife, Margaret, to pass him; she was desperate to reach her daughter.
‘Hi, Mums, missed you. Hope it all went well?’
‘Perfect, in every way. What about you? Been a good girl?’
‘Perfect, in every way. Go on in, I’ll help Pops with the cases.’
‘Thanks, Jackie,’ said her father, ‘it really was a superb holiday, we’ve so much to tell you. You alright, didn’t miss us too much?’
‘Not too much,’ she said, her face beaming, ‘but it’s still wonderful to have you back home.’
Jackie couldn’t help but notice the change in her parents; they were relaxed and their faces didn’t show the strain that was ever present before they went on holiday. She was overjoyed and eager to find out what had brought about the change. ‘Right, you two, I can’t wait any longer for you to tell me about the Caribbean. Is it as friendly and romantic as I dream it is?’
‘It is all of that and more,’ said her mother.
‘Jackie, your mother and I had a wonderful time and we both feel such a lot better for it. We owe you so much for persuading us to make the trip. On the second day we met a lovely couple, American and a few years younger than us, who lost their eighteen years old son in a motorcycle accident a matter of weeks after we lost Victoria.’ Brian Salter moved closer to his wife on the settee, took her hand and kissed her cheek. ‘It was such a comfort, for all four of us, to be able to talk about our respective tragedies. In fact, we spent every moment we could together and even went on the same excursions just so we didn’t have to be apart. We were able to give each other support and encouragement and now we feel we are able to move forward with our lives and cope much better with the future.’
‘Oh, Mums, Pops, that is wonderful. Victoria would be so pleased.’ Jackie sat, close to tears, crosslegged on the floor with her chin resting on her mother’s knee.
Margaret Salter ruffled her daughter’s hair. ‘Now, what about you, my girl? I’ve got the clear impression you are itching to say something to us, but can’t quite decide whether the time is right. Come on, I know I’m right. I am your mother you know.’
‘Yes, Mums, you are right. There is something. Well, it’s… it’s …’
‘You’re not pregnant, are you?’ asked her mother with a look of hope on her face. She felt time was running out for her to be a grandmother.
‘No, Mums, don’t be silly. Don’t even have a boyfriend.’
‘Pity.’
‘What is it, Jackie?’ asked her father.
‘Yes, something did happen while you have been away and it was to do with Victoria. I could see you have had a super holiday and I just didn’t want to open up all the old wounds.’
‘We are fine now so I suggest you tell us before you get yourself even more worked up,’ said her mother.
‘Okay then, here goes. The day after you left I had a letter from Michael.’ She halted and waited for the reaction that didn’t come.
‘And?’ said her father.
‘Well, he said he never killed Victoria and pleaded with me to believe him. I have the letter upstairs; I’ll get it later for you to read. I have read it and re-read it so many times to see whether my feelings about it change, but they don’t. There was just something about it, I felt an honesty in the way it was written and decided I had to do something about it. I went to see DI Deckman, but he was not prepared to help. He said it was quite normal for convicted prisoners to continue pleading their innocence by writing this type of letter. He was very kind and said he would consider taking another look if there was new evidence and suggested I went to see Michael to try and get some more information. I wasn’t ready to see Michael and told him so. He then gave me the name of a private investigator who he had dealt with in the past. Well, to cut a long story short, it was difficult. She had been out of action for some months and going through a tough time. I persuaded her to help and I believe she has come up with evidence that may, just may at the moment, help prove that Michael did not murder Victoria.’
‘Oh my God. The poor boy, having to spend two years locked up for something he didn’t do.’
‘Steady on, Margaret,’ said Brian Salter, ‘Jackie said it may be the case. Have you spoken to DI Deckman about the investigator’s findings?’
‘Yes, and he has had permission to look further although the case has not officially been reopened at this stage.’
‘This investigator, what is the evidence she has found and is it genuine? What’s been wrong with her anyway?’ asked Margaret Salter.
‘Oh, Mums, don’t be so suspicious. She had the best agency in the town, according to DI Deckman, and worked with her husband until he ran off with a wealthy client and set up home with her. Trish broke down and took to the bottle. Between us, that is the landlord of The Study pub and myself, we think she is beginning to put her life back together. She is a very clever lady and found information that the police didn’t have. Like, Victoria met a lady shortly before she
died who was as identical to Victoria as she could be. Like, Victoria and her friend from the print works were followed on more than one occasion. Like, Victoria’s passport and driving licence had been stolen. Like, the other woman appears to have used Victoria’s identity to travel to Spain a short while ago. There is so much.’
‘Pretty impressive, I’d say,’ said her father.
‘Me too,’ offered her mother. ‘But I hope I never see this other woman, it would be too much for me to take. I suppose now you have the problem of finding her?’
‘We have found her. The likeness is amazing. I went all cold when I saw her, but I never got close. According to Trish you would notice the difference straight away. She said this lady has eyes as cold as ice and full of hate. She works at the marina and runs a small boat company with her father. Trish has taken on a temporary job at the marina for a few weeks to find out as much as she can. She has been wonderful.’
‘Will we meet her?’ asked her mother.
‘Of course you will, very soon. Mums, Pops, just one thing. It is very important that you speak with no one about this because, if you do, it could jeopardise Michael’s chances of release. I haven’t even told his parents because it would be so hard on them if nothing came of all this. Enough of that for now, come on you two, another cuddle please. It is wonderful to have you back home.’
*
Mack returned to his seat after the third interruption to their meal and reached across the table to take hold of Trish’s hands. ‘I’m really sorry, Trish, this is not how I had hoped it would be.’
‘It can’t be helped so don’t worry about it. There will be many more times ahead for us, I hope.’
‘Me too. Trish I need to tell you something, I learnt today that my mother will be coming out of hospital tomorrow and I have to go up to Preston for a few days.’
‘When?’
‘Tonight, as soon as I have closed.’
A Perfect Likeness Page 11