“A girl is missing Spencer don’t be a prick all of your life; I’m here to help. I also know that you’ve probably checked that I had an alibi and if you want to continue arguing you’ll say something provocative, such as it’s the same person I was with when Fleming died but let’s not play today. We both know that the first twenty four hours in cases like this are vital and after forty eight the likelihood of finding Miss Mayer alive is a very slim one indeed,” John paused a second for what he had said to sink in. After taking a sip of his drink he continued, “I’ve spoken to Wills recently and I know him well enough to break him, if he did do it. What I want to know from you is why he is a suspect?” It may be more trouble than it is worth trying to appease this idiot but nothing ventured nothing gained.
The other detective stood there in what would have intimidating manner but John was not moved by the show. Spencer resigned to the fact he could not bully John answered, “I don’t want you here but as you say there is a girl missing and time is of the essence in this case. Since we’re both coppers I’ll let you off for now but only because you’ve had the balls to come and speak to me. Wills is a known offended, we’re interviewing all people in the area with a history of violence and sexual assaults. Problem is he is well known by everyone so when we went to pick him up for questioning this mob mentality came over the village. I’ve got a secure van on the way to remove him from the scene and take him for further questioning in Liverpool, since I doubt anywhere local will be safe. Somehow we’ve got to get him out of here and into that van.”
“I might be able to help with that when the time comes but I’m of the opinion that he isn’t the culprit here.”
“And how do you deduce that?”
“I don’t think he’s got it in him to abduct someone; not anymore at least. Then again he didn’t have to abduct Janine Bennett, she went willingly with him. He’s not strong enough physically or mentally now.”
Spencer smiled a look of smug satisfaction crossed his face as he crossed his arms, “He doesn’t have to be strong as an ox if he has gun. I’ve done my own checking seems Wills back there had a handgun before he went to prison. We have no idea what happened to that gun; his sister could have hidden it for all we know since it was never handed in since the new laws came in.”
John nodded, “Guess that solves one problem but why? What motive would he have?”
“The man’s got a type. Sick bastards like him need to be locked up for life, twenty five years is far too short a time.”
“Agreed but after all this time he has been out why strike now?”
“Maybe the death of his friend triggered something. He’s got urges that we can’t even comprehend. I think he’s good for this Harper and if you’re going to be belligerent over your suspicions you are free to leave,” Spencer’s tone remained stern.
With his patience wearing thin John was tempted to say something and leave when his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the caller identification. Looking up at the disapproving Spencer John said, “I need to take this call.”
The phone conversation only lasted a minute and had John slightly surprised. He was annoyed at himself more than anything. Another person who was annoyed was Spencer who had only heard the mumbled words of someone else on the line in the small room, “Am I keeping you from something more important?”
John looked at him and sighed, “No you’re not. In fact I’ve got something very important for you. Whilst I’ve been here as you know I’ve been doing a little investigation of my own. Much to the annoyance of my boss I sent some cigarette samples in for DNA testing which I found at both sites. When I spoke to Wills he said that he hadn’t seen Bailey in years and he hadn’t seen Fleming for weeks. The samples I took confirm he was lying. Obviously you won’t be able to use it as evidence in a court of law but it is proof he was at both scenes. However if you want some evidence you can use I suggest getting a good set of SOCOs here to check outside on the fencing. There is a hole in the metal where I suspect the killer got out of the immediate vicinity. On the metal I’m sure there are still a couple of strands of cloth check it against Will’s clothing and you’ll probably find a match.”
“Let me get this straight you came here and took vital clues away from two potential scenes of crimes to do an unauthorised investigation. You then sent them for your own analysis and it has proved that a suspect was at both after lying to you.”
“Yeah that pretty much sums it up,” John said shrugging as he did so.
Spencer was so incensed he grabbed John by the lapels and pinned him up against the wall, “You pompous prick; you’ve completely undermined my entire investigation. If we are to believe that Wills killed Bailey and Fleming and I still have my doubts on the matter I have nothing to use now. All it would have taken was one phone call and this could all have been avoided and we could have saved that girl’s life!”
It took a lot of self restraint for John not to react but he stood there and took the abuse before in his stern voice he replied, “Get your hands off me,” Spencer begrudgingly released him, realising he may have crossed a line, “I know that there is no way I can placate you now so I might as well tell you some home truths. If your people had done their job properly they would have taken those cigarette butts I found and had them tested but they didn’t. Worse still is that we have only just found out the information I collected, so if you had done your job then he would have been arrested, which may or may not have ensured Kirsty Mayer was safe at home today. So before you start pointing fingers, throwing people up against walls and generally being the prick I thought you were since the first time I met you, think about that, I’m giving you the best chance of getting him.”
Spencer continued to glare at him, “You need to stop insulting me Harper. How do I know you didn’t put that there and the information you have isn’t made up?”
“Stop being dense, I’ll happily send you the details of the DNA report and from them you will find out I collected the samples and sent them to be analysed before I ever met Wills. As for his clothing, when would I have had the opportunity to steal it?”
“You’ve met him before you admitted that, you could have stolen it then. You’ve gone back on my suspect list Harper.”
John rolled his eyes and pushed past the man, “I would love to live in your stupid little world. Are all thick people as happy as you? Let me prove something to you,” John walked out of the kitchen passed Fowler and up to Wills, “Mister Wills have I at anytime been near your clothing on my own?”
“What? Errrr no I don’t think so.”
“Can I please have a look at your jacket Mister Wills?”
Wills looked confused but stood up, “I can’t see why not.”
John pulled on a pair of gloves from his pocket as he took the jacket Wills handed him. Holding it up in the poor light that came through from the stain glass windows even during the midday, he searched for a tear in the fabric. Unsurprisingly there were a number of rips on the outside and the lining, “Have a look at this Spencer.”
The other detective looked at the ripped jacket and then at John, “This isn’t enough for me.”
“Fine let me show you the fence,” John walked outside and to the hole he had been through only minutes before, “Spencer you see the fabric? Looks roughly the same to me and it is enough to interrogate him over. Now do you want me in there with you or not because if he is there and that girl is alive she is alone right now?”
Frank Spencer stepped close to the fence and studied the small pieces of cloth still on the metal and then debated with himself for a good minute whilst John waited. Standing as patiently as he could John was left with his thoughts. This guy is as stubborn as I am. I offered him help belatedly, I’ve insulted him repeatedly and I’ve showed that his people and himself are sloppy as hell. It would take a bigger man than me to accept I’m worth utilising but he knows that it’s only a matter of time before the media is down here in full force and he nee
ds progress on this as soon as possible. This would’ve been so much easier if Simon had just told them I was coming and they’d invited me on the Bailey case.
“Harper you’ve been a pain in my arse since I met you but like you’ve said a number of times this isn’t about you or me it’s about a young woman. Considering you’re a senior detective with a Major Incident Team I can use your help. If he took her I want to find out where Kirsty Mayer is now.”
“Then let’s get to work,” John said. He had his head bowed as they walked back towards the church and held up his hand stopping Spencer before they went inside, “I know this is not going to come naturally to you but you’re going to have to play nice cop with this guy because the last time I spoke to him I kinda pissed him off.”
“Guess we have that in common, I’ve not been the kindest of interrogators with him.”
“I doubt anyone round here would be. Right well I’ll play the good guy this time round, hopefully he was still pissed yesterday and forgot what I said to him,” John offered a weak smile to the other detective. The two of them walked into the church hall John slightly ahead, “Mister Wills I’m sorry for the delay but I did say I’d see you soon.”
Chapter Forty Seven
It was an hour before the police van was able to make its way through the crowd, John and Spencer deciding that it was not worth risking contaminating the fence to get Wills out safely. John went to the cottage showered and dressed himself in his favourite suit. On the way to the police station he rang Lewis to find out what the sister had said. Lewis had found out Wills had gone out to the pub and come in at around two o’clock blind drunk. The student had offered to help in any other way but since the detective could think of little else for him to do John had told him to just go about his business. Lewis said he would stay and work on his dissertation some more but would be close in case he was needed. John thanked him and was feeling confident when he arrived at the station.
Can’t believe it has come down to this, the first real suspect and he is the killer; I wish they were all like this one. At least now I’ll get to look at the evidence that they have collected, I suppose or some of it. There might be something there that I can use to get a confession out of Wills. I just hope that the search party finds Kirsty Mayer before he cracks; I’ve had him to breaking point and he clammed up, if he gets smart and asks for a lawyer this could get very tricky.
Three hours later the confidence John had felt entering the building had completely dissipated. Wills had not asked for a lawyer but he had remained resolute in his defiance that he knew where the Mayer woman was. He said he had been drinking all night at the Labour Club after finding fifty pounds outside his house. Calls had been made to try and confirm he had been there all night but no one could say with certainty that he had not left for a period of time. When questioned about the gun he said that he nothing about it.
John was sat at a detective’s desk running his hands through his hair; taking a break from interviewing under the insistence of Spencer who felt it best to work over Wills on his own. Interrogating someone was a very physically and mentally demanding task, but that was not why he was feeling so frustrated. He had spent days grilling people before and all it had taken was a couple pots of coffee and some takeaway food to keep him fuelled. The last two weeks and everything that they had entailed was wearing him down but he still felt he was strong enough to close the case; it was just the doubt that had gripped him.
You can’t argue with DNA it was at both scenes, but I had turned away from Wills as a suspect, hell I was even arguing that it could not have been him before I got the results. Even with that proof my gut tells me he didn’t abduct Kirsty Mayer. Whoever did could be making it look like he did just to throw us off; I mean he is an easy target. God I’m so confused by this.
His frustration rose and he smacked the desk with his left palm with enough force to shake the cup of coffee before him and instigate the falling of three pens onto the floor. No one bothered to look at the detective, accustomed as they were to the problems of the job. This is going nowhere I’ve got to get back to Hollingswood and try and help the search. I need to look at this from another angle.
John stood up to leave when a constable came over with a series of plastic evidence bags, “DI Harper?” John nodded, “DI Spencer said for me to give these to you to look at.”
“Thanks,” John said as he took the offerings and laid them on the desk. He went through the contents with analytical precision but there was little that perked his interest. John was surprised that Spencer was letting him see all of the evidence from the previous cases since it had nothing to do with the abduction. Guess my argument over trying to catch Wills out in another lie hit home. Still Wills knows if he keeps quiet this will all be over soon enough.
The medical examiners reports on Fleming was only interesting to note that he had slightly elevated amounts of blood pressure monitoring drugs in his system. Other than that John was struggling to gain any further information. However one of the last items to look at was the suicide note from Fleming. John had read the contents on the photo he had but it was much more emotionally powerful seeing the piece of paper. Unsealing the bag he took out the letter and looked at it closely. There was a smell coming from it and John sniffed it a couple of times to try and place the scent. It was only a faint odour but compared to the aroma of the office of sweat, hastily used deodorant, various foods and the overriding smell of coffee it stood out. Surely this hasn’t been treated with anything in a lab; so why the hell does it smell of bleach?
John took out his keys and on the chain was a small ultraviolet light. Holding it over the paper, he systematically covered every millimetre. Perfect confirmation that it is forgery, and as such I think it proves Wills didn’t do it. Bollocks.
Taking the piece of paper with him he went to the interview room. Inside Wills sat at a grey table staring up at Spencer who had removed his jacket and was beginning to sweat. The veins in his head visibly throbbing and his face red from what must have been a rather forceful verbal volley. John nodded to him as Spencer indicated on the recording that Harper had arrived and sat down on one of the chairs opposite the suspect, “Mister Wills I have a quick question.”
“If this is about the money I told you, I found it fair and square on the street. I’m sorry if you think I’m lying but it’s the truth,” Wills said his voice quieter now after repeated questioning.
“No it’s not about that Mister Wills. I was wondering whilst you were in prison did you utilise the computers inside? Technology has moved a long way since when you were first convicted did you keep up to date?”
Wills’s eyes narrowed on him, “No I never saw the point in it; old dogs and new tricks.”
“Thank you Mister Wills. Detective if you wouldn’t mind,” John said indicating the door. Frowning the other detective followed him out of the room. Sighing John handed the letter over to Spencer, “I think it is better if I go back to Hollingswood to help with the search.”
“Why are you giving me Fleming’s note? Is there something that I can use to help break him because I don’t see the point in you leaving right now?”
“You could make the man crumble to tiny pieces with that letter but I don’t think it will do you any good. That letter is a forgery, which further proves that Fleming’s death was murder. I think it’s from the public notice board in the village. When I first arrived here I noticed it was vandalised. Someone has very delicately bleached it to remove the ink. They’ve done such a good job that they made sure not to damage the original signature on it. After that they printed the words onto the clean paper from a normal computer printer. That’s why I asked Wills if he was a computer literate.”
“So someone else doctored the note or more likely he lied to you. How in hells name do you know it was bleached anyway?”
Taking out his keys again John flashed the small torch over the suicide note, “You see bleached paper glows under UV light and you can s
ee at the bottom around the signature it doesn’t glow indicating it wasn’t bleached. At Wills age becoming computer savvy isn’t a massive priority; a check of his prison record could confirm that. I’ve been round his house Spencer there isn’t a computer of any sort; someone made that piece of evidence and if like you said it was someone other than Wills, then I should be getting back to try and find them.”
Spencer continued looking down at the letter for a moment, “This doesn’t mean anything in relation to Kirsty Mayer. He’s still my chief suspect and I think we can get him to talk.”
“I think there is someone pulling the strings here Spencer; someone smart who’s planting evidence. We are getting fixated on him being the culprit, and that could be bad news for the missing girl. If anything me going back there isn’t going to do any harm, especially since Wills can keep a secret, just look at what happened to the Bennett girl.”
“That’s what I’m dreading. They never found her and can’t have that happen on my watch.”
John nodded, “Then let me help find her. Who are your other suspects? Maybe I can go back and speak to them.”
“Other than you I don’t really have anyone other than Wills. Every other person on my list has been questioned and dismissed, as have you. If it’s not Wills then I don’t know who.”
“Then pray it is him but it’s not going to hurt if I question those people again. Maybe there is something we are missing.”
A resigned look crossed Spencer’s face and he offered his hand, “I don’t like you Harper, I really don’t but thank you. I hope you can find something.”
“I’ll do my best,” John shook the man’s hand and began walking away but before he reached the end of the corridor he turned, “Spencer.”
“Yeah.”
“I still think you’re a prick.”
Chapter Forty Eight
It was approaching nine o’clock and John was sat a table in one of the corner booths of the Hollingswood Arms. The place was sombre much more quiet compared to the night before. A barmaid came over to him and offered him another drink but he waved her away. It’s a rarity I’m in a pub and not drinking. They’re scared and they want me to help solve all of this but how? My list of suspects is thrown completely open with the abduction. It just doesn’t fit and why now? I’m just going round in circles. I used to be better at this. At least now I’m working in some sort of official capacity. I just wish Simon had given me some sort of heads up before releasing that press statement saying that I was helping in the search; I nearly crashed my car in shock when I heard it on the radio.
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