Unholy Murder

by Lynda La Plante

  ‘How are PC Rogers and his wife?’ Salmon asked.

  ‘Absolutely devastated. They were heartbroken. When I told them where we had found Becky’s body, Mrs Rogers had a total breakdown. It was that bad I asked the police doctor to attend. He gave her some sedatives. I’m dreading telling them that Lee Holland said it was an accident.’

  ‘It’s going to be hard to prove murder in court,’ Salmon remarked.

  ‘If the post-mortem reveals injuries that are inconsistent with a fall, Holland’s screwed.’

  ‘Let’s hope it does, then. When is the post-mortem?’

  ‘Half past ten at Queen Mary’s. Will you be attending?’

  ‘Unfortunately, I’ve got a meeting at the Yard. I’ll leave it in your capable hands, DI Stanley.’

  Stanley suspected Salmon was just squeamish.

  ‘Is everyone ready for the meeting?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Good, then let’s go. I don’t expect the commissioner’s decision will go down well.’

  ‘That’s an understatement,’ Stanley mumbled.

  ‘Sorry, what did you say?’ Salmon asked.

  ‘That I’m sure the team will respect the commissioner’s decision,’ Stanley said.

  Salmon walked into a silent room of dour-looking detectives. The discovery of Becky’s body had saddened them all, and they suspected the investigation into Melissa Bailey’s murder would now be shelved after Bishop Meade’s suicide.

  ‘I’m sure you are all aware of the discovery of Becky Rogers’ body. Her death is a tragic loss to her family and everyone who knew her. Lee Holland was arrested for her murder this morning. Although he claims her death was an accident, I’m sure we all hope justice will prevail and a jury will come to the right decision. The commissioner has asked me to thank you all for your dedication and hard work investigating the death of Sister Mary.’

  There were snorts of derision and a shaking of heads round the room.

  ‘It’s Sister Melissa . . . sir,’ Boon said, unable to keep the disgust out of his voice.

  Salmon looked flustered. ‘Yes, sorry, slip of the tongue. Where was I?’

  ‘You were about to tell us the commissioner is shutting the investigation down,’ Stanley said.

  ‘Unfortunately, yes. The commissioner had our solicitors look at the evidence. They concluded that there is at present no reasonable prospect of convicting anyone for the murder of Sister Melissa. However, the investigation will be classified as a cold case and remain open, pending the discovery of any new evidence.’

  ‘There’s a stack of evidence against Bishop Meade. Not to mention the cover-up by Archbishop Malone . . . for which the commissioner is also culpable,’ Boon said.

  Salmon looked sternly at him. ‘I think solicitors have a better understanding of legal intricacies than you or me, officer. Let me assure you, this is not a cover-up. The commissioner agrees with the views of our solicitors. As from now, you can all return to your respective stations. DI Stanley, DS Tennison and DC Boon will complete the necessary reports and deal with Lee Holland.’ Salmon walked quickly out the room before anyone else could challenge him.

  ‘Looks like our hands are tied,’ Jane said to Stanley.

  ‘We may not be able to do anything about it, but I know someone who can, now he’s handed in his warrant card,’ Stanley said.

  ‘Are you going tell Barnes what’s happened?’ Jane asked.

  ‘Too right I am. He can tell the press what he likes without fear of repercussions.’

  *

  Jane found it hard to watch as Sam Pullen examined Becky’s body. She’d been to many post-mortems, but this was the first one where she’d known the victim. She thought about PC Rogers. As a coroner’s officer he would have attended hundreds of post-mortems, but the thought of his daughter lying on a cold slab being dissected would be a nightmare he had never imagined.

  Only a few days had passed since Jane had watched Becky stand her ground amongst seasoned journalists at the press conference. She’d been laughed at and ridiculed but didn’t let it bother her. Jane fondly remembered Becky irritating Barnes with her naïve questions. He did his best to ignore her, but she would not give in. And in the end she’d shown him up.

  No one spoke during the three-hour post-mortem. When it was over, Sam Pullen, Jane and Stanley went to the mortuary office to discuss her findings.

  Pullen referred to her notes and drawings. ‘There are multiple bruises and cuts to Becky’s body which are consistent with a fall down a stone staircase. I can’t say if she was pushed. There is also a fracture on the back of her head. This probably occurred when she landed at the bottom of the stairs and her head impacted with the floor. The impact caused an acute subdural hematoma.’

  ‘Remind me what that is,’ Stanley said.

  ‘A subdural hematoma occurs when a blood vessel in the space between the skull and the brain is damaged. Blood escapes from the vessels, leading to the formation of a blood clot that places pressure on the brain and damages it. Head injuries that cause a subdural hematoma are often severe, such as those from a fall or violent assault. An acute subdural hematoma is among the deadliest of all head injuries. Blood fills the brain area rapidly and compresses the brain tissue, which can result in unconsciousness, a coma and subsequently death.’

  ‘So, Becky died because of the fall,’ Stanley concluded.

  ‘No. The head injury may well have rendered her unconscious or in a coma, but the cause of death was drowning.’

  Jane was stunned. ‘She was still alive when Holland put her car in the lake?’

  ‘Yes. I found white froth in her nose and airways, as well as water in her stomach, which is consistent with death by drowning.’

  ‘Would Holland have known she was alive after she fell down the stairs?’ Jane asked.

  Sam shrugged. ‘It’s possible she was in a coma and he thought she was dead. If he’d checked for a pulse, she’d still have had one.’

  ‘He said he didn’t,’ Jane said.

  ‘The sad thing is, if he had – or had even bothered to call an ambulance – Becky might have survived, though she might have suffered brain damage.’

  ‘Then technically he’s guilty of gross negligence manslaughter by failing to render any form of first aid or call an ambulance,’ Jane suggested.

  *

  Before they left the mortuary, Stanley made a quick call to the office then spoke with Jane.

  ‘I just spoke to the duty sergeant. Thomas Durham is still unconscious. The doctor said he’s in a vegetative state and may have permanent brain damage. It’s too early to tell if he’ll recover or not. Nick is with him.’

  ‘I’d better go and see him. I’ll ask where his father was on Tuesday afternoon.’

  ‘I had Boon speak to him while we were at Becky’s post-mortem. I thought it would make things easier for you.’

  ‘Thanks. Was Thomas with Nick on Tuesday?’

  ‘Yes. He was in his office most of the afternoon. The receptionist confirmed it as well. Thomas left Nick’s house at about nine o’clock. He’s in the clear over Becky’s murder.’

  ‘What about the arson?’

  ‘Lee Holland will obviously be charged. If Thomas Durham makes a recovery he’ll be interviewed and charged as well,’ Stanley replied.

  ‘What about Malone?’

  ‘He told the commissioner he was shocked to discover she had been murdered.’

  ‘But he falsely signed a letter of dispensation when Melissa supposedly ran away.’

  ‘It’s not a criminal offence. Even if we told the Pope, nothing would happen to him. Besides, we won’t be allowed anywhere near Malone without the commissioner’s approval and that’s never going to happen. Are you going to tell Nick about Holland’s confessions?’

  ‘Not just now. He’s got enough to worry about as it is.’

  ‘Do you want me to wait for you?’ Stanley asked.

  ‘No, it’s OK. I’ll get a cab back to the offic
e or see if a patrol car is free.’

  ‘Sorry it’s all ended up in such a mess for you,’ Stanley said.

  ‘So am I . . . but life goes on.’

  ‘That’s the Jane I know best,’ Stanley smiled.

  *

  Thomas Durham was still in intensive care. Jane didn’t want to go onto the ward in case there was a scene with Nick. She showed one of the nurses her warrant card and asked her just to tell Nick there was a detective outside who’d like to speak to him.

  As soon as he saw her, Nick’s expression changed. He looked at her as if she was a piece of dirt.

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Can we go outside and talk in private, please?’ Jane asked, noticing a couple of nurses watching.

  ‘I don’t think we’ve got anything to talk about.’

  Jane didn’t want to get into an argument. ‘Fine, I’ll go then.’ She started to walk away.

  ‘How could you think my father was involved in that girl’s disappearance?’ he asked angrily.

  ‘We had evidence she went to the convent and wanted to speak to your father. I couldn’t just ignore it.’

  ‘If you had bothered to speak to me, I could have told you where he was. But oh no, you were so hellbent on arresting him, it didn’t even cross your mind. You don’t care about me . . . you just used me because you wanted to know more about my father.’

  ‘That’s not true, Nick. I do care about you.’

  ‘Well, I don’t give a fuck about you! You are a devious bitch who can’t be trusted . . . just like my ex-wife. I never want to see you again,’ he said, raising his voice.

  ‘I’m genuinely sorry about your father, Nick.’

  ‘Sorry! You are responsible for the state he’s in. I’ll never forgive you for as long as I live!’ He turned and walked away.

  *

  As she stared out of the cab window, Jane knew there was no way back with Nick. In some ways she wondered if it was for the best, as he’d clearly not got over what his wife had done to him. She recalled his reaction to seeing Father Chris kiss her and suspected Nick had in fact been spying on her a few nights ago. It seemed that underneath his charming façade there lurked a jealous, possessive man who would question where she’d been every time she had to work late.

  The cab dropped Jane off at the police station. As she walked through the reception-desk door, the duty sergeant handed her a small envelope with her name on it.

  ‘A member of the public dropped this off for you earlier. He said it was important and asked that I made sure you got it.’

  ‘Did he say who he was?’

  ‘His name was Chris. He said he was a friend of yours.’

  Jane thanked the sergeant and tucked the letter in her pocket.

  ‘Is it OK if I have a quick word with Lee Holland? I just need to tell him we will be interviewing him later.’

  ‘No problem,’ the sergeant said. He unclipped the cell key from his belt and handed it to her. ‘I just gave him a copy of the Sun. There’s an article in it about Becky Rogers’ disappearance and a photo of her. I thought the evil bastard might like to read it.’

  *

  Holland was sitting in his cell looking sorry for himself. The newspaper had been screwed up and thrown on the floor.

  ‘Becky Rogers’ post-mortem has been completed. Are you still happy to be interviewed without a solicitor?’

  ‘I asked to speak to one earlier. He said I wasn’t to speak to you.’

  ‘That’s fine by me. Just so you know, Becky drowned. She was still alive when you put her in the lake.’

  Lee looked stunned. ‘No . . . no . . . you’re lying. She was dead . . . she wasn’t moving.’

  ‘She was in a coma. There’s part of me that thinks you knew that, and having pushed her down the stairs you needed to finish her off by dumping her in the lake.’

  Lee shook his head. ‘I honestly thought she was dead.’

  ‘If you’d bothered to check for a pulse, you’d have found one. Becky had a chance of surviving if you’d bothered to call an ambulance, but you didn’t. Your actions ultimately led to her death.’ Jane slammed the door shut as she left the cell. As she passed an empty interview room, she went in, sat at the desk, and opened Father Chris’s letter.

  My dearest Jane,

  I know you will keep what you are about to read to yourself. However, for reasons that will become obvious, please destroy this letter once you have read it.

  As you know, Bishop Robert Meade asked me to take his confession on Tuesday afternoon. I want you to know, as God is my witness, I believe everything he told me to be the truth.

  Robert and Sister Melissa fell in love and had a brief sexual relationship. He knew what they were doing was against their vows and feared, if caught, they would be excommunicated. He also thought the Mother Superior had become suspicious of them. For both their sakes, he decided to end the relationship and arranged to meet Melissa at midnight by the outbuildings tunnel to tell her.

  As Robert waited, he heard the voices of women arguing in the crypt and wondered if Melissa had been caught trying to sneak out to meet him. As he walked towards the crypt, he heard a muffled voice shouting to be let out. He thought it sounded like Melissa and looked through the keyhole of the crypt door. He saw the Mother Superior and Sister Margaret, who was holding her cincture in her hand, leaning over a metal coffin trying to hold the lid down. Then a muffled voice shouted, ‘I am going to tell the bishop what you’ve done!’ The Mother Superior pushed Sister Margaret to one side and opened the coffin lid. Robert saw Melissa sit up as Mother Adele shouted, ‘No, you won’t!’ and stabbed her in the back of the neck with a small knife. Melissa screamed, her eyes closed, and she fell back in the coffin. Then Mother Adele closed the lid.

  Robert was ashamed to tell me he panicked and ran back to the presbytery. He assumed Melissa was dead and blamed himself for what had happened. At first, he didn’t know what to do, then decided he had to tell Bishop Malone. To his surprise, Malone turned up at the presbytery later that morning.

  It transpired Mother Adele had called Bishop Malone and informed him that Sister Melissa had left the convent, but prior to doing so she had confessed she was in a sexual relationship with Robert. Robert knew Mother Adele and Sister Margaret were unaware he’d witnessed Melissa’s murder and were attempting to use him as a scapegoat to cover their sins.

  Robert admitted the relationship but told Bishop Malone what had really happened to Melissa. Malone was incensed but wanted to avoid a scandal that would bring the Church into disrepute. To that end he told Robert to say nothing and in turn he would protect him and resolve the situation. Malone said he wouldn’t tell Mother Adele he knew Melissa had been murdered, but would play along with their story and sign a dispensation so it appeared Melissa had renounced her vows and left the sisterhood of her own accord.

  When Robert made his confession to me, he was a broken man and full of remorse. I had not expected him to take his own life. I can only assume he wanted to unburden himself of his sins and could no longer live with his guilt over Melissa’s death.

  My other reason for writing this letter is to tell you I have decided to leave the priesthood. It was not an easy decision but after all that has happened, I no longer feel I have chosen the right path in life.

  I called my brother in Malta. He was overjoyed to hear my voice after so many years. He had had no idea where I was or what had happened to me. We both felt guilty about the way we had treated each other and agreed to resolve our differences. He wants us to open a restaurant together in memory of our parents. Everything on the menu will be from my mother’s recipe book.

  I will never forget you, Jane. You are a wonderful woman, and I will always cherish meeting you and our friendship. If ever you are in Malta, please come to our restaurant where I will make you the best soppa tal-armla, and kwarezimal for dessert.

  With love.

  Christopher x

  Jane felt
deeply sad, knowing Chris was returning to Malta, but pleased that he valued their short time together. She wished she could have got to know him better but knew she would see him again one day. She read the letter one more time before tearing it into tiny pieces and putting it in the bin.

  Jane could only surmise what had happened to Melissa before Meade had witnessed her brutal death. It seemed Mother Adele and Sister Margaret suspected Melissa had feelings for Meade and caught her going to meet him. Whether Sister Margaret had attempted to strangle Melissa with her cincture would remain unknown. She thought Bishop Meade’s confession was credible and Malone was guilty of a cover-up, not just for the sake of the Church, but his own career as well.

  Jane sighed, knowing she could never reveal the contents of Father Chris’s letter and Archbishop Malone would yet again escape prosecution.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Jane, Stanley and Boon spent the next few days in Stanley’s office, compiling a report of the investigation for the commissioner. They had been instructed by DCS Salmon to ‘stick to the facts’, detail the interviews they had carried out and evidence they had uncovered. They were not to express any personal views as to who they thought might have been responsible for Sister Melissa Bailey’s death. When the report was completed, Salmon took it straight to the commissioner who had arranged a live press conference for nine o’clock, six hours prior to Pope John Paul II landing at Gatwick airport.

  Stanley brought a portable colour television to work so they could sit in his office and watch the press conference.

  The commissioner introduced Archbishop Malone, who was standing to one side dressed in his formal attire.

  ‘That smug smile on Malone’s face is a giveaway,’ Stanley remarked as he turned the volume up.

  The commissioner smiled. ‘This is an auspicious and historic day, with the first ever visit of a reigning Pope to the United Kingdom. With that in mind, I won’t keep you long as I know you will be wanting to get to Gatwick for Pope John Paul II’s arrival in a few hours. As you know, a coffin containing the body of a woman was unearthed at a building site in Bickley nearly two weeks ago. She has been positively identified as Sister Melissa Bailey, who lived and worked at the former Sisters of Mercy convent. It is believed she died in August 1962. Following a post-mortem, the Bromley coroner asked for a criminal investigation to be carried out. This was overseen in a meticulous manner by Detective Chief Superintendent Salmon, who compiled a report for the coroner and our solicitor’s department.’