Unholy Murder

by Lynda La Plante

  ‘Whose were they?’

  ‘Lee Holland’s. I thought I best let you know ASAP in case Holland tries to do a runner.’

  Jane swung her feet out of bed and perched on the edge. ‘My God, the two of them were involved in Becky’s murder.’

  ‘It looks that way. Durham might have committed the murder and got Holland to help him clear up the mess.’

  ‘What’s Holland’s previous?’ Jane asked.

  ‘He’s got a conviction for Actual Bodily Harm in 1972. He broke a bloke’s nose after he drove into the back of Holland’s car.’

  ‘Can you ring Stanley while I get dressed. Tell him I’ll be in the incident room in half an hour.’

  *

  Stanley, Jane and Boon parked up a street away from Lee Holland’s house, along with four uniformed officers in a marked police van. Stanley told two of the officers to cover the back of the premises and two to join him.

  ‘Boony, you can have the pleasure of nicking Holland,’ Stanley told him.

  ‘Thanks, guv,’ Boon said.

  ‘How is your leg this morning?’ Jane asked.

  ‘Still sore, but it hasn’t affected my ability to kick a door in if I have to,’ Boon said.

  ‘Good, because I don’t intend to announce our arrival,’ Stanley said.

  Once the uniformed officers radioed that they were around the back, Boon ran at the door, jumped in the air and kicked it open. Lee Holland was in the hallway tying a luggage label to a large suitcase. He casually slipped the tag into his jacket pocket.

  ‘Going anywhere nice, Lee?’ Stanley asked him.

  ‘No. I’m taking a load of old clothes to the charity shop,’ Lee said nervously.

  ‘Bit early for that, isn’t it?’ Stanley remarked. He nodded to Boon.

  ‘Lee Holland, I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Rebecca Rogers. You do not have to say anything unless you wish to do so, but what you say may be given in evidence,’ Boon said as he handcuffed Lee.

  ‘I swear I didn’t kill her. It was an accident,’ Lee said.

  ‘Is your wife upstairs?’ Stanley asked.

  ‘I’m single,’ he said.

  They took him through to the living room and made him sit in an armchair. Stanley said he wanted a word with Jane and Boon and they all went into the hallway.

  ‘It’s better you interview him here, Jane, if he’s willing to talk, which it appears he is. If we take him back to the station and he requests a solicitor, we could end up with a no-comment interview. Boony, make sure you write every question and answer in your pocketbook. Get him to sign every page if he confesses. I’ll tell the uniformed officers they can go. I’ll search the house.’

  Jane and Boon returned to the living room.

  ‘Would you like a drink, Lee?’ Jane asked him.

  ‘Could I have a glass of water, please?’ he sniffed.

  Boon went to the kitchen and got Lee a glass of water.

  ‘We need to keep you here while we search the house. Are you willing to answer some questions without a solicitor?’

  ‘OK. Can I have a tissue, please. There’s some in a box over there.’

  Boon handed him the box and Jane said it was OK to undo the handcuffs as she wanted him to be more at ease. She doubted he’d try and escape as he’d be no match for Boon. Lee blew his nose and wiped the tears from his eyes.

  ‘I’d like you to tell me what happened to Becky and who else was involved in her death,’ Jane said.

  ‘It was only me. Tom had nothing to do with it.’

  ‘I take it Tom is Thomas Durham?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘Were you at Tom’s house on Tuesday afternoon?’

  ‘Yes. I was fixing the wall in his wine cellar.’

  ‘Where was Tom?’

  ‘He got fed up with the banging as I knocked some of the bricks out. He said he was going to Nick’s house for some peace and quiet and took Bella with him.’

  ‘Is that the truth or are you just trying to protect Tom?’

  ‘I swear it’s the truth.’

  ‘Tell me about Becky Rogers.’

  ‘I was in the kitchen making a coffee when I heard a knock at the door. I opened it and this young girl was there. I said, “Can I help you?” and she just walked in. I didn’t have clue who she was. At first, I thought she might be the daughter of one of the residents and wanted to speak with Tom. I asked her who she was. She said she was a reporter, her name was Becky and she’d like to speak to me about the sale of the convent and the coffin that was found on the building site.’

  ‘Did you know she was the reporter who wrote the article in the News Shopper about the discovery of the coffin?’

  ‘No. Tom told me about it, but I never read it. I told her I wasn’t Mr Durham, and he was out for the afternoon, but she didn’t believe me. She wagged her finger at me, then said, “Good try, Mr Durham, but I don’t give in that easily.” I told her again I wasn’t him, just a friend of his.’

  ‘What happened next?’ she asked.

  ‘She said she’d like to see the crypt because she thought that might be how the coffin was moved to the building site. I asked her to leave, or I’d call the police. She looked around the room and saw the stairwell, then just started towards it. I got annoyed and shouted at her to leave. She just ignored me. I shouted at her again, but she just wouldn’t listen. She was a couple of steps down when, when I . . . Oh God, please forgive me . . .’ Lee started to tremble, his breathing became erratic and he put his face in his hands.

  Boon looked at Jane, worried that Lee was about to go the same way as Thomas Durham.

  ‘I know it’s hard for you, Lee, but I need you to tell us what happened,’ she said.

  He blew his nose and looked at Jane. ‘I grabbed her coat . . . I was only going to escort her out of the house. She spun round and knocked my hand away . . . then she lost her balance. She started to fall backwards . . . it was like everything was in slow motion . . . there was a look of panic in her eyes . . . she was waving her arms around to try and stay up. I tried to grab her coat to stop her falling but I didn’t get a proper hold. She slipped away from me . . . the next thing I knew she was rolling over and over down the stairs. I froze in panic, then heard the thud as she landed at the bottom. I went down. She was just lying there . . . then I saw the blood trickling across the floor by her head. I knelt down and spoke to her, but she didn’t move or say anything. I knew then she was dead.’

  Jane got him another glass of water and gave him time to compose himself before continuing. Lee’s account of what had happened was plausible but he could just as easily have lost his temper and pushed Becky down the stairs.

  ‘You said a minute ago you knew Becky was dead. How did you know that?’ Jane asked.

  ‘She wasn’t moving.’

  ‘Did you check if she had a pulse?’

  ‘No. I couldn’t bring myself to touch her at that point.’

  ‘What did you do when you thought Becky was dead?’ Jane asked.

  ‘I panicked. I thought I’d be blamed for what had happened. I was worried about Tom coming home and his heart condition if he saw a dead body in his house.’

  ‘What did you do with Becky’s body?’

  ‘Tom uses part of the crypt as a storeroom. I got an old suitcase from there and put her in it, then I put the suitcase in the boot of her car.’

  ‘How did you know which car was hers?’ Jane asked.

  ‘I took the key out of her coat pocket; it was on a key ring with a miniature 2CV on it.’

  ‘What did you do with her body and the car?’

  ‘I waited until it was dark and drove it down to the lake by the woods. I took the handbrake off and pushed the car down the slope into the water.’

  ‘I thought you were worried about Tom coming home.’

  ‘I was, but I phoned him at Nick’s. I said I’d nearly finished the wall and asked what time he’d be home. He said he
was going to have some supper with Nick so he wouldn’t be back until late.’

  ‘We found a bleach bottle in one of the outside bins. Did you use it to clean up?’

  ‘I used a towel first to clean up the blood on the floor, then put it in the case and took it out to the car. When I came back, I used the bleach and some toilet roll to make sure there was no blood left. I flushed it down the toilet and put the bleach bottle in the outside bin.’

  ‘OK, I need to ask you a few questions about your relationship with Tom.’

  Lee nodded.

  ‘When we first met, I asked you who the man with the dog was. You said you didn’t know him, and then Thomas Durham never mentioned he owned the convent and land. Was there something you were hiding from us?’

  ‘Tom was mad at me about the discovery of the coffin.’

  ‘Why was that?’

  ‘When Tom first bought the property, the chapel and the land it had been deconsecrated so he was OK to start the renovation work. He was exploring the crypt and found the coffin hidden under a tarpaulin with some other old rubbish right at the back. I helped him drag it out to the stairwell area. We suspected there was a body in it but we didn’t open it. Tom said his wife would be upset if she knew there was a dead body in the house and told me to bury it well away from the convent.’

  ‘Did Tom know he should have informed the diocese?’

  ‘We both did. Tom was worried the renovation work would have to stop and he’d need to get solicitors involved to apply for some petition thing . . . all of which would cost him more money.’

  ‘Why on earth did you bury the coffin on land you knew you were going to dig up?’ Boon asked.

  ‘I told a couple of labourers we’d been given permission by the bishop to bury the coffin down by the lake. I paid them to move it. The lazy beggars must have thought it was too far to carry and buried it near the burnt-out buildings.’

  ‘What were their names?’

  ‘I can’t remember now. I think one was called Jordan.’

  ‘Why didn’t you rebury it when you dug it up last week?’ Jane asked.

  ‘Because Dermot phoned the police while I went to tell Tom about it.’

  ‘Why the big pretence you didn’t know each other?’

  ‘Because we didn’t want anyone to find out what we’d done with the coffin. We were also worried it might affect the current building work and we’d lose thousands.’

  ‘You’re a pair of idiots. If you’d just told us the truth about the coffin none of this would have happened,’ Jane said.

  Lee sighed. ‘I know.’

  Jane decided it was time to ask Lee some crucial questions about Becky’s death.

  ‘You said earlier you were angry with Becky because she wouldn’t leave when asked.’

  ‘I was more annoyed than angry,’ he replied.

  ‘Did you lose your temper and push her down the stairs?’ Jane asked.

  Lee looked distraught. ‘No. It was all a terrible accident. If she hadn’t tried to go down to the cellar, none of it would have happened.’

  ‘Why didn’t you just call the police and say there’d been an accident?’ Boon asked.

  ‘Because I thought no one would believe me and I’d be arrested for something I didn’t do.’

  ‘Why have you packed a suitcase?’ Boon asked.

  ‘Nick phoned me late last night. He told me about Tom’s heart attack while you were searching his house. I was scared. I didn’t want to go to prison for something that wasn’t my fault. I was going to stay with a friend in Spain.’

  Boon glared at him. ‘Which conveniently happens to be a country we have no extradition treaty with.’

  ‘I swear on my life, I didn’t push her.’

  Boon shook his head. ‘I don’t believe you and I doubt a jury will either.’

  A terrified Lee looked at Jane. ‘Am I going to be charged with murder?’

  ‘That’s not for me to decide. A post-mortem is being carried out later this morning. We will interview you again after the pathologist has completed her examination of Becky’s body. There are a couple of other things I need to ask you about the convent. Did you or Thomas Durham ever do any work there prior to the purchase?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘How long have you been working with Thomas Durham?’

  ‘Since he started the company, which was about twenty-five years ago.’

  ‘What was the name of the company when he first started it?’

  ‘Thomas Durham Builders. He changed it to Thomas Durham and Son when Nick started working for him.’

  ‘I’ll ask you again, did you or Thomas Durham ever do any work at the convent prior to the purchase of the buildings and land?’

  ‘No, I told you.’

  ‘Then can you explain why we have found quotes and invoices for repair work at the convent with the letterhead Thomas Durham Builders, some of which are dated 1960, 1961 and 1962?’

  He started to look nervous. ‘I don’t know anything about them . . . honest.’

  ‘All of them are signed by Thomas Durham . . . who you worked for.’

  Lee licked his lips. ‘I suppose we might have done some work back then. Actually, come to think of it we did repair the chapel roof at one time.’

  ‘There is a quote and invoice for that job,’ Jane told him. ‘By we, do you mean yourself and Thomas Durham?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And did you do other repair work back then?’

  ‘Probably, but it was so long ago it’s hard to remember now.’

  ‘Does the name Melissa Bailey mean anything to you?’

  ‘No, should it?’

  ‘She was a sister at the convent. It was her body we found in the coffin. She was murdered during the time you and Thomas worked at the convent.’

  Lee looked shocked. ‘We didn’t know any of the nuns. We never even spoke to them other than to say good morning.’

  ‘Did you or Thomas Durham murder Melissa Bailey?’

  ‘No! Why on earth would you think we’d do a thing like that?’

  ‘Because you both lied about knowing each other, never mentioned you’d worked at the convent and now Becky Rogers is dead.’

  Lee started shaking his head from side to side. ‘I swear I’ve told you everything.’

  ‘There’s something you’re hiding from me, Lee, and I think it’s to do with Melissa Bailey’s murder. If you’re trying to protect Thomas Durham, I can assure you you’ll only make matters worse for yourself.’

  ‘Thomas is a good man . . . he’s not a murderer,’ Lee said, putting his head in his hands.

  It suddenly dawned on Jane what he might be hiding.

  ‘Amongst the documents we recovered was a quote to repair the fire-damaged buildings. Obviously, a survey must have been done first. Did you do that survey?’

  ‘No, Thomas did it. But the diocese couldn’t afford to repair the buildings.’

  Jane could see he was getting agitated. ‘And as we all know they then sold the convent to Mr Durham.’

  ‘Yes, that’s right.’

  ‘Do you know how the fire started?’ Jane asked.

  ‘No,’ he said, nervously shaking his head.

  ‘Do you know where it started?’

  ‘Thomas said it was in the bakery.’

  ‘When did he tell you that?’

  ‘Just after he did the survey.’

  ‘The thing is, Lee, we had the bakery examined by a fire investigator. Even after all these years he was able to tell it was a case of arson. In his expert opinion, someone poured oil from a paraffin heater in three separate areas and set light to it.’ Jane noticed Lee’s eyes widen. ‘The Mother Superior and the sisters at the convent had nothing to gain by setting fire to the outbuildings – whereas you and Thomas Durham had everything to gain. So, my question is, did you set light to the bakery?’

  Lee’s lips began to tremble, and he put his head in his hands.

  ‘You wouldn’t be
in this situation if it wasn’t for Thomas Durham. Everything dishonest he’s asked you to do has now ruined your life.’

  Lee looked up at Jane. ‘Yes, I started the fire.’

  ‘Tell me Thomas Durham’s part in it all.’

  ‘The Mother Superior told Tom the diocese was concerned about the cost of the constant repair bills and she was worried they might close the convent. Thomas went behind her back and spoke with the bishop. He said if the Church ever put the convent on the market, he’d be interested in buying it. The bishop said the Church didn’t want to sell just yet, but if and when they did, he’d give Thomas first refusal.’

  ‘Was that Bishop Malone?’

  ‘Yes. We figured if the outbuildings were destroyed by fire, the Church wouldn’t repair them and it’d be forced to sell. I snuck into the bakery late at night and set light to it. Thomas then overinflated the quote to repair the buildings.’

  ‘DC Boon will read over the questions we asked and your answers,’ Jane said. ‘If there’s anything you want to add or change, then tell him before you sign his notes.’

  Jane went to see how Stanley was getting on with the search and found him in the hallway.

  ‘He’s saying Becky fell down the stairs. He’s either telling the truth or he’s a bloody good liar.’

  ‘I was listening by the door. That was a good interview, Jane. Connecting Lee and Thomas Durham to the arson was brilliant. I really thought it was Meade.’

  ‘So did I at first. It doesn’t look like they murdered Melissa Bailey. If they had, I can’t see them putting her in a coffin, then having it buried in the convent grounds. It also looks like Thomas Durham wasn’t at the house when Becky died,’ Jane added.

  ‘Holland could be covering for him. We need to speak to Nick Durham about his father’s alibi.’

  ‘I’ll do it after the post-mortem,’ Jane said.

  ‘Are you sure? I don’t mind speaking with him,’ Stanley said.

  ‘I’ve got to face Nick at some point – though I suspect he won’t want anything more to do with me,’ Jane said sadly.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Jane and Boon took Lee Holland to the charge room and booked him in, whilst Stanley informed DCS Salmon of his arrest and interview.