by Mel Sherratt
‘I don’t think you have any choice in the matter,’ Eden stressed. ‘I don’t want to find you injured – or, worse, dead, Carla. It’s my job to keep you as safe as I can. Can you move into the refuge for a while?’
Carla shook her head. ‘I can’t put a burden on this place too.’
Eden groaned. ‘You’re never a burden!’
‘But if I move in here, I might bring the trouble with me. I’d rather have it at my home than unsettle the other women.’
‘But—’
‘I can’t cause them any more pain – or put them in danger,’ she cried. ‘It wouldn’t be fair. And you don’t know Ryan like I do.’ Carla told Eden about Ryan’s threats to bury her in a quarry.
‘That bastard!’ Eden wanted to kick out at something but refrained. ‘All the more reason for you to stay over for a couple of nights.’
‘He won’t leave me alone.’
‘I know, but I’d feel better if you were out of the equation for now.’
‘I can’t move again.’
Eden sighed. It must be a terrible way to live your life, always watching over your shoulder, always scared. A thought struck her as she realised this could be her future if Danny didn’t sort out his business with Jed Jackson.
‘Look, you were right to let me know,’ she said. ‘If you want to wait a little longer to be certain then that’s fine by me. I don’t like it, but I can’t make you move either. Just please be careful. Try not to be anywhere that he could get to you when you’re alone. And if at any time when you’re at home you feel like you’re in danger, you know you only need to press the call button and someone will contact the police for you. You’re a priority response for us.’
Carla nodded. ‘Thanks.’
‘And if that isn’t enough, I’ll come after the bastard myself,’ Eden growled, hoping to bring a smile to Carla’s face. ‘I can be a tiger when necessary.’
Carla laughed.
‘That’s better.’ Eden reached for her hand. ‘Right, do you have any chocolate biscuits?’
Eden’s phone went. It was a message from Jordan.
You might like to see what we have.
Chapter Forty-Five
‘What’s come in?’ asked Eden as she joined her team in the office, determined to push her private life to the back of her mind where it belonged. She looked at Jordan. ‘Your text sounded like good news, I hope?’
‘A bit of both, as usual.’ Jordan pointed to his computer screen. ‘Some forensics are in for Ramona Wilson. There doesn’t seem to be anything to link any of the other attacks in Stockleigh.’
‘Oh, for—’
Jordan held up his hand. ‘Ever heard of Declan Parry?’
Eden shook her head. ‘Should I have?’
‘Not even the Parry boot?’ He sniggered. ‘I thought you were a connoisseur of boots.’
‘Docs, maybe.’ She sat down and shook off her parka, hanging it over the back of her seat. ‘Is it a match to our footprint?’
‘The very same.’
Eden punched the air. ‘Well done, Jordan!’
‘I found it actually,’ said Phil. ‘It took a bit of digging but I sourced them last night at home.’
Eden almost raised her eyebrows in surprise but stopped herself in time when she saw Phil searching through papers on his desk. ‘Ah, here it is.’
Amy frowned. ‘I’d never heard of that make until now.’
‘It’s some designer brand that hasn’t been out long,’ Phil added. ‘The letter P on the sole of the boot was where I started. I researched online, found the pattern, found the brand. They’re only stocked in Manchester and there aren’t too many pairs sold at the moment,’ Phil passed the paper print off to Eden. ‘They also give out email receipts so I’m waiting on a list of who’s bought them recently. The tread on the sole is almost new.’
Eden glanced at him and a smile spread over her face. ‘Well done, Phil.’
Eden joined her team, who were waiting in the small interview room for a briefing.
Sean came dashing in, taking a mug of tea as quickly as his seat. ‘Let’s look at what we have so far. Eden, do you want to go through everything?’
Eden stood up and went over to the whiteboard. There were five names written in black ink with arrows linking down from them. She pointed to the first one. ‘Our attacker seems to be of medium build, tall or short if you go by three of the descriptions. He was wearing a dark hat and scarf for each attack so we don’t know what he looks like, and he never spoke to any of the victims. He disappears as quickly as he appears.
‘We’ve checked out some CCTV but nothing is good, not even the enhanced shots. We can’t see him anywhere before he’s covered up. We can’t make him out anywhere either. Our main suspect is Aiden Daniels. Turns out he’s been posing as his brother, Scott, who we know used to work as a taxi driver and he’s been using his clean record and references.
‘We have GPS on a taxi that Aiden Daniels was working in as Scott that places him near to the scene of one of the rapes, and a witness who saw the car. We don’t know for certain that it’s him, or even if it’s definitely the same person in all attacks. And, whoever it was used a condom for each rape and wore gloves throughout.
‘So far, we’ve spoken to Daniels twice. He seems to have lost his memory about where he was or wasn’t on some of the nights in question. However, EveryDay Taxis say the taxi which he was driving that night didn’t pick up a fare, as he told us.’
‘Run me through these boots,’ said Sean.
‘We were waiting on forensics for some footprints with distinctive markings that were found at the site of Ramona Wilson’s assault, but Phil has managed to source them for us. So we have a size ten Parry Boot. They’re a designer boot – well, more of a trainer really – and they’re not too expensive but the designer is new so there haven’t been many pairs sold.’ She smiled at Phil before continuing. ‘The firm in Manchester gives optional email receipts out. They emailed us a list of purchasers through this morning but there is no Aiden or Scott Daniels.’ She turned to the board again, tapping on Aiden Daniels’ photo. ‘If it is him, he’s certainly done his homework in places.’ She pointed to the next photo of a pretty girl with short blonde hair.
‘Ella Brown. Eighteen years old – attacked and raped as she was returning home from Sparks nightclub. We also spoke to Becky Fielding, twenty-two years old, who fought off an attacker two weeks before Ella was attacked. I’m not sure if that’s linked yet, but my instinct says so.’ She pointed at the next photo. ‘Alice Clough, twenty-one, had been to London for the day. She was attacked in her front garden when a man dragged her to the ground. No sexual assault but brutally beaten.’
Eden pointed to the next name. ‘Christina Spencer. Twenty-four. She was coming home from work in the city centre when she was attacked in the multi-storey car park on Market Street. The suspect took her keys and forced her into the back seat of the car, a white Ford Fiesta.’ She pointed to a registration number. ‘Again, our man was disturbed, so we found no forensic evidence.’
‘Was he trying to get it right or just trying whoever took his fancy?’ Sean asked. ‘I’m not sure he was really thinking about this one, and maybe the first couple were opportunities too rather than, dare I say, researched? Who’s next?’ He grimaced. ‘Sorry, I made that sound like I was waiting in line to place an order for fish and chips.’
They all smiled. Sometimes making light of a situation worked wonders when they were discussing things of this nature.
‘Finally, Ramona Wilson, twenty-three. Attacked on her way home from work as she was walking along Bernard Place, where she has been staying. It was less than a five-minute walk to her front door. She was the next woman to be raped.’
‘So no positive identification for Daniels?’ asked Sean.
Eden shook her head.
‘Did you find anything solid in Manchester, Jordan?’
‘Nothing on Daniels but two women were sexually assaulted last month and one thre
e months ago.’
‘Before Daniels came back to Stockleigh?’
Jordan nodded. ‘I’m cross-referencing those cases with ours at the moment. Neither of those victims had caught a taxi recently, so I can’t link him to Manchester yet. I’m also still checking with taxi firms to see if anyone hired Scott or Aiden Daniels, but it will be a long job.’
‘I’m still going through the taxi logs too,’ added Phil. ‘All the women assaulted used EveryDay Taxis during the last three months.’
‘Can we link that to Daniels?’
‘It’s possible, but I’ve asked for more information as the drivers share the cars.’
‘It’s looking likely that the evidence will come back to say all the cases are linked,’ said Sean. ‘If so, I think we need to move this to Major Crimes. I’ll have a word with the DCI and see. But in the meantime, while we’re dealing with this murder case, can you continue with things? Thanks for your work so far. There’s been some great intelligence gathering. And keep at Aiden Daniels if you think it’s him. Do any of the women have a link?’
‘Apart from all being in their early twenties and being on their way home?’ Eden shook her head. ‘None of them work together or are friends with each other. None of the victims knows any of the others. There isn’t even a link to their surnames or schools even. They’re all from different corners of the city.’ She ran a hand through her hair. ‘Nothing – and we can’t nail Daniels properly unless we have evidence. It’s so frustrating.’
‘What makes someone attack so many women in such a short space of time? It doesn’t sound feasible,’ said Jordan. ‘Although I know there’s no real answer to that.’
‘What makes a man rape a woman in the first place?’ said Amy. ‘That’s beyond me.’
‘Nothing surprises me any more,’ said Eden. ‘Let’s just make sure we get the bastard before he can strike again.’
There was a knock on the door. It was the duty sergeant.
‘Uniform have arrested Aiden Daniels,’ he said. ‘He’s in cell two.’
Chapter Forty-Six
Eden paused for a moment and took a deep breath before entering interview room one with Jordan. It would take all her professionalism to stand back and not lurch across the table and punch the man sitting across from her full in the face; to put a hand under the table, grab his balls and cause as much pain as possible. Seeing what had happened to Ramona Wilson made her blood boil, but professionally she pushed it to the back of her mind. She needed to put it in a box and not let it cloud her judgement.
While they were conducting their interview, Amy and Phil had been sent to visit EveryDay Taxis and Warbury Cars to see if they could find the boots. They didn’t have enough evidence to charge Daniels with anything related to the assaults yet, but she and her team were building it up bit by bit. She prayed they would sort it before another woman became a victim.
Aiden sat hunched forward over his drink, a plastic cup full of tea. Martin Dinnen, the duty solicitor, sat by his side. Eden had left Aiden there for several minutes to observe his reactions as she stood in the corridor watching him via the camera. He seemed cool, calm, collected, not as if he was about to get a grilling over the attacks on several women.
Finally she turned to Jordan. ‘You ready?’ she asked.
‘Yes, boss.’
They went into the room and sat across the table from the two men. Daniels wore a look of contempt. Dinnen wore a navy suit with a white pinstripe, showing a flash of his trademark red socks as he crossed one leg over the other.
Eden read Daniels his rights after pressing the record button on the machine. Jordan took notes while she led the interview.
‘Scott Daniels,’ she started, ‘or is it Aiden Daniels?’
Daniels shifted uncomfortably in his chair. ‘It’s Aiden Daniels.’
‘Why did you lie about who you were?’
‘I needed to make some cash. I knew my brother had been checked to drive a taxi so I just borrowed his stuff.’
‘Hmm, we’ll come back to that. Can you tell me where you were on the night of Friday 7 January between the hours of 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. please?’
‘I was working.’
‘Work being where?’
‘EveryDay Taxis, as you know.’
‘Were you working on Saturday morning on 21 January between the hours of 1 a.m and 2 a.m.?’
‘Yes.’
‘And on the night of Thursday 26 January between the hours of 11 p.m. and midnight?’
‘Yes.’
‘And this Saturday just gone, the twenty-eighth? Were you working between the hours of 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.?’
‘Yes, but you already know all of this.’
‘I do.’ Eden smiled. ‘But when I questioned you previously about the twenty-eighth, firstly you said that you picked up a fare at 8.20 p.m. that evening, a lone male, and dropped him off outside The Snooker Club in the high street a few minutes later. Then you said that you’d got your times wrong and you hadn’t picked up anyone outside the multi-storey car park. Can you tell me which of these is correct please?’
‘The second version.’
‘But the call logged by EveryDay Taxis said that you did pick someone up from outside the multi-storey car park. Are you now saying that you made up the fare?’
‘Yes, I was trying to make a bit of cash in hand.’
‘Knowing that is illegal?’ Eden paused. ‘I have you on camera at 8.20 p.m. coming out of the multi-storey car park driving a taxi.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
Eden said nothing. The truth was they weren’t certain, as the image from CCTV hadn’t shown the attacker’s face clearly enough. But it was the same registration number of the taxi he had been using that night.
‘I’m trying to establish facts – and a timeline, Mr Daniels,’ said Eden. ‘You’re saying one thing, and the proprietor of EveryDay Taxis is saying another. I need to know which one of you is telling the truth. So you say you didn’t collect a fare from outside the multi-storey car park in Market Street at 8.20 p.m. on Saturday 28 January?’
‘No, I had a cab ride out to Warbury. It was a good fare so I pocketed it, I’m ashamed to say.’
Eden nodded slightly.
‘So you lied to me about picking someone up and dropping them off in the high street?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why? Because you wanted to make some money cash in hand, off the record?’
‘Yes.’ He hung his head. ‘Sorry, but I’m a bit short. What with moving back from Manchester and—’
‘Why did you leave Stockleigh so quickly five years ago?’ she interrupted.
Eden watched him for signs of nervousness but there was nothing. No beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, no shaking of his leg, no wringing of his hands. But she could see a twitch in his left eye.
‘I’ve already told you. I took a contract working on a building site for five years. It’s finished now, so I’m back.’
‘Does Sylvia Latimer’s family know?’
His face darkened.
‘You have a record of violence, don’t you, Scott? Sorry – Aiden.’
‘It’s all in the past.’
‘Yet you tell us you pick up a man who we believe sexually assaulted a woman in the multi-storey car park, take him from the scene of the crime and don’t record the details through the cab firm you work for. And then you say you didn’t. You made it up so that you could collect another fare, and take them to where in Warbury?’
‘I can’t remember now without looking at my notebook.’
‘Is the notebook in your cab?’
Aiden shook his head. ‘The cab isn’t mine so I keep it with me.’
‘So it’s at your brother’s house in Sudbury Avenue?’
‘I think so.’ He shrugged slightly. ‘Can’t remember where I last saw it, to be honest.’
‘Oh dear, you don’t have a very good memory, do you?’ Eden tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice. ‘So to
clarify: you were working during all the times I’ve mentioned, but you were pretending to be your brother?’
‘I wasn’t pretending to be my brother. I was just using his stuff. But yes, I was working.’
‘For EveryDay Taxis?’
He nodded. ‘I’d have to check my notebook to be certain though.’
‘Which you think you might have mislaid?’
‘What is it with you?’ Aiden’s tone suddenly changed. ‘Why are you asking me the same things over and over when I keep telling you what happened?’
Martin Dinnen put a hand on Aiden’s arm and shook his head. Aiden shrugged his hand away and sat back in his chair. He folded his arms.
‘Look, I lost a notebook, that’s all,’ he said.
‘Do you work for anyone else?’ asked Eden.
‘No.’
‘Not even for a few hours for Warbury Cars?’
Eden watched him shuffle in his seat before she continued her questioning. She raised her eyebrows, hoping he wouldn’t clam up now.
‘Where were you on Thursday 2 February at approximately fifteen minutes past midnight?’ she asked.
‘I was out on a job.’
‘Yes, I checked with the owners. According to GPS, you were parked up outside the community centre on Davy Road at the time Ramona Wilson was raped.’
‘I didn’t attack her! I was on a break.’
‘It was a long break, according to Warbury Cars.’
‘I fell asleep, all right! I got a call from base asking where I was. It was my first time on nights.’
‘So what time did they ring you?’
‘I can’t remember.’
Eden sighed dramatically.
‘It’s really not going to wash with me that you can’t remember anything, Mr Daniels.’
‘Do you have any evidence to suggest that I was involved?’
‘We’re working on that right now.’
‘Well if anything happens to another woman while I’m in here, that’ll be your fault.’
‘And why would that be?’
‘Because you’re not questioning the right man yet.’