Dead Sweet: A D.I. Turnbull mystery

by Sally O'Brien

  "I don't know. I had seen it on a documentary, I thought it would be fun, I was just experimenting. I've never done anything like that before."

  Todd looked at Candace, who looked disbelievingly at Malcolm.

  "Really, I haven't," Malcolm insisted. "It was just talk on a computer; it doesn't feel real when you say it online. I don't think I could ever actually do something like that."

  "What about the chocolate bars in your briefcase?"

  "Look at the size of me," Malcolm indicated his body which was indeed very fat. "You don't get like this by eating lettuce you know. I've got a problem. I eat too much. I haven't got a job and I leave the house to get away from my bully of a father. I spend the whole sorry day sitting on benches watching girls and eating chocolate. That's my life. That's the life I have." He began to cry once more and held his head in his hands.

  "Tell me Malcolm, why didn't you allow me to take a DNA sample from you when I came to see you at your house before?" Todd asked. "If you knew you were innocent of the murders, it would have exonerated you immediately; you wouldn't be sitting here now. Malcolm looked ashamedly at the floor.

  "No comment." He said.

  "Come on Malcolm, it's a bit late to be going no comment, you've told us everything else. Your DNA is at the lab as we speak, they are checking it for me right now against the semen found on the dead girl's body. Tell me why you wouldn't give me a DNA sample before." Malcolm remained quiet. Todd slammed the table with the palm of his hand. "Tell me Malcolm."

  "I was outside Vixen's house on the day you were talking about." Malcom whispered.

  "Sorry Malcom, I can't hear you. Speak up for the tape please."

  "I was outside Vixen's house. I was in the bushes, I had a..."

  "What did you have Malcolm?"

  "A wank, ok, I had a wank. I flicked it at her window." He gave a little laugh. "Sounds like nothing compared to murder doesn't it? When you came to see me about the calls and stuff and then asked me for DNA I thought you would arrest me for wanking outside her house. I didn't want my mum to know what I'd been doing."

  "Where were you this morning?" Todd asked.

  "I was on the High Street again; only up the road from the police station. I sit on the bench outside the church. There are stairs there which girls sit on and when the wind blows I can see right up their skirts. There must be CCTV there; that will prove I was there." Malcom said triumphantly. "Yes, CCTV will prove I was in Olinsbury and there is no way that I was killing anyone."

  The solicitor began to pack up his paperwork. "May I suggest that we have a break for further evidence gathering and so I can have a consultation with my client?" he asked.

  "Yes," said Todd, "This interview is concluded at 17:23 hours." He turned off the tapes and then led Malcolm Chadwell and his solicitor from the interview room. He placed Malcolm into a cell, let the solicitor out with promise of a call back when next required and then went upstairs to his office with Candace.

  "What was all that about in the interview?" he asked Candace.

  "What?"

  "The whole bullying thing; you being a little fat girl. Is all that true?"

  Candace laughed, "No, I was just trying to psych him out. Get down to his level; I've never been fat."

  "You sounded so genuine, I believed every word you said." Todd told her.

  "Yeah should have been an actress," Candace laughed again. "Worked though didn't it?"

  "It certainly did. Now can you go down to the council offices and get that CCTV for me please Candy? I need you to check it for Malcolm Chadwell and see if you can verify his story.

  "Yes Guv."

  "I am going to sit here and cry because I seem to be back at square one."

  "It doesn't mean he's not the murderer Guv, his DNA could still come back positive."

  "I doubt it." Todd disagreed. "He didn't behave like a killer in there and his words seemed genuine to me, although I've been surprised before, I could be surprised again."

  "Yeah, I know what you mean, see you later." Candace waved at Todd as she left the office. Todd's eyes watched her as she walked off, he had been surprised by the way Candace had conducted the interview, her words about hating bullies and hating the way she had been as a child had seemed so genuine to him. He wasn't sure if it was all just an act or if Candace was hiding an unhappy past. Todd also wondered why Candace had not mentioned going into Twockford Lane that morning; he would have to remind her how important any information was in the investigation of a crime.

  Todd's stomach rumbled, it was nearly time for his refreshment break and as he had come to an impasse in the investigation, he decided to head for the staff canteen where he could pick up a dinner of meat and potatoes of questionable origin. He took the stairs two at a time and was pleased to see Tessa the station officer sitting at one of the canteen tables.

  "Tessa my darling, how are you?"

  "Hello Todd, nice to see you; are you working hard?"

  "Oh you know how it is, very busy." Todd smiled.

  "Me too. Are you having your refs?"

  "Yes, I'm starving, what's on the menu?"

  "Same old rubbish, I'm having a jacket potato, can't get food poisoning from that." Tessa laughed. "How's the bowling going?"

  "Oh I haven't been since our loss; far too busy. I'll come back when I've ordered." Tessa nodded her agreement and went back to reading a magazine which she had open on the table in front of her. Todd walked along the white tables which were set out like a school dining hall. The canteen was a large room with the tables lined up in three quarters of it and a leather sofa set taking up one corner of the room, situated around a television which played pictures silently as off duty officers sat and read papers in front of it. The only other things in the room were two vending machines for people to use when the canteen was closed; one for drinks and one for snacks, although these snacks only ever seemed to consist of chocolate bars. Todd always wondered why the canteen manager never thought to stock the machine with something a bit healthier considering the need to stay fit in the business they were in. Countless requests for a granola bar or pieces of fruit fell on deaf ears and the machine stayed full of chocolate and crisps.

  Todd walked up to the counter and ordered a jacket potato with tuna and cheese, he asked for a side salad and wondered how many pieces of cucumber and tomato the canteen staff would decide a salad could consist of. He had a silent wager to himself that one piece of each and a scattering of lettuce would constitute his dinner.

  Taking a seat next to Tessa, he was followed minutes later by the canteen waitress who pushed a jacket potato in front of him with the scant salad that Todd had been expecting.

  "Eat like kings around here don't we?" he asked Tessa.

  "Well I'm the queen." Tessa laughed. "How's your investigation going? Those poor girls."

  "Slowly." Todd grimaced. "Very slowly." He didn't offer any more information; it wasn't in his nature to discuss job with people un-associated to the case, even it was someone related to the job.

  "You arrested someone this morning didn't you?"

  "Yeah, but nothing came of it."

  "Oh shame, who do you think is doing the murders then?" Tessa asked.

  "If only I knew," Todd said, "Then I wouldn't be chasing my tail all the time. Anyway Tessa, I was going to ask you something."

  "Yes?"

  "I wondered if you would like to come out with us the next time we go Ten Pin Bowling."

  "When are you going?"

  "Well I don't know, when the case is over probably. It would be nice to see you out with the team." Todd actually wanted to ask Tessa out for a drink on their own, but couldn't quite pluck up the courage to take things that far so quickly. He thought if he could get Tessa to go out with all the team then they would begin to accept her as one of them and then when he finally made his move, it would be better accepted.

  "Ok darling, let me know when you are going and I will see if I can fit you in to my very busy diary. I am
a very sought after woman you know."

  "I bet you are Tessa." Todd grinned. "With a body like that, you've got every man after you."

  "You better believe it honey. There's a lot of me to go around though, so keep trying."

  Todd laughed. "Oh Tessa you can always make me smile, even when I'm having a shitty day."

  "Well that's good to know; glad I make your day." Tessa looked into his eyes. "Maybe I can make your night some time as well."

  "Maybe you could," Todd agreed, then feeling a little embarrassed he picked up his fork and stabbed it into his one piece of cucumber. "For now though I'll just eat this food of the gods," he said sticking it into his mouth. "Juicy." He voiced to Tessa's laughter. They ate their meals in companionable silence and then Todd got up to leave.

  "Once again it's been a pleasure," he said to Tessa.

  "Likewise," she agreed, going back to read her magazine.

  "See you around Tessa."

  "Yes Todd, see you."

  Todd walked away and back down the stairs to his office, when he got there, he found a post-it note on his desk asking him to call the laboratory. He quickly dialled the number on the note and waited for an answer.

  "Lab."

  "Yes, hello, this is Detective Inspector Todd Turnbull, I got a message that you had called; what have you got for me?"

  "Please hold on for a minute." Todd held on the phone, his heart thumping in his chest. He was hoping that the DNA sample had been tested and the results were ready.

  "Hello?"

  "Yes hello this is DI Turnbull."

  "Ah hello Inspector, we have the results of the DNA match test."

  Todd's heart thumped a little faster. "And?"

  "No match. There is nil percent chance that the DNA taken from Malcolm Chadwell matches the sample taken from the crime scene."

  Todd's heart stopped thumping. "Ok thank you very much."

  "No problem."

  Todd put the phone down and picked up his mobile, calling Candace.

  "Guv?"

  "How is the CCTV footage going?"

  "Yeah, I've seen him on it, just where he said he was Guv, on the bench outside the church. Most of the morning."

  "And I've just had the DNA results back - no match."

  "Fuck."

  "Yes, fuck indeed, we need to go back to where we were before; speaking to the parents. Come back in Candace and we can get ready to visit them."

  "It's a bit late to be visiting parents." Candace offered.

  "Not when we're trying to find their daughter's murderers it isn't," said Todd. "Get back here Candy, now."

  "Yes Guv."

  Todd threw his phone down onto the table, he had been certain that Malcom Chadwell had been the person he was looking for. It all made perfect sense apart from two glaringly obvious points - no match on the DNA and the fact Malcolm Chadwell had indeed been spending his life sitting in the High Street ogling poor unsuspecting girls. He felt a sense of despair which was quickly pushed out with a determination to continue on until he found the person who had killed; he still had a DNA sample and he had a girl in hospital who would come out of a coma and hopefully give him the information he was looking for. Todd was not a person who gave up easily and he was far from giving up on this case.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Friday 12th July 2013

  19:00 hours

  D.I. Todd Turnbull and D.S. Candace Whelan stood on the doorstep of quite an impressive detached house on the borders of Twockford. The smell of fresh gloss paint emanated from the window frames and front door and everything about the house appeared new and up to date.

  "Someone spends a lot of time at home," Todd mused.

  "Wouldn't have thought they could be bothered considering they've just lost a daughter." Candace whispered back.

  "Toil stops tears." Todd said, "I think I would throw myself into something if I was going through this." They waited for a few minutes and nobody came to the front door. Todd rang the doorbell again and used the lion's head knocker.

  "Can't be in." Candace opined.

  "They're in, I saw someone move, probably just don't want to talk to anyone." Another minute passed and finally movement could be seen through the frosted glass of the front door panel, the door opened to reveal a woman in her late fifties, clothing and make up immaculate. She gave a questioning smile at the people before her.

  "Hello Mrs Baker, I'm Detective Inspector Turnbull, do you remember me?"

  "Yes, hello, how can I help you?"

  "I was wondering if we could come in and discuss Penny with you; we'd really like to get a feel of her and what her life was like, it may give us some clues that help with the investigation. Do you have the time now?" Todd thought she may be going out considering her attire.

  "Yes I have the time," she said quietly, opening the door wider to allow them access. As they entered the house, Todd could see that the walls inside were also freshly painted. The carpets which lined the hallway and the front room which Todd was led into, also appeared very fresh and new. Furniture gleamed and the sofa looked like it had never been sat on.

  "If you would like to sit down," Mrs Baker said, "I will get you some tea."

  "No tea thank you, we'd like to get on, I know it's getting late and I don't want to keep you for too long."

  "Ok." Mrs Baker sat down in one of the pale lilac sofas which were in the room. Todd and Candace sat next to each other on the opposite sofa.

  "My husband is upstairs, shall I go and get him?"

  "It's ok Mrs Baker, we can speak to you first."

  "I really don't think I can cope with this by myself, if you wait I can get him."

  "That's fine, if you want to do that, then we will do that." Todd didn't want to upset her. Mrs Baker got up and went out into the hallway once more.

  "It's like a show home," Candace whispered to Todd. "There's no pictures anywhere, no sympathy cards; you would think the house would be covered in them."

  "Could all be in a different room," Todd offered, "This is quite a big house. My sister keeps a room for best, this could be hers."

  "Hmm, I still think it's strange that the house has been decorated."

  "Such a cynic Candy; they could have been decorating for ages, paint smell lasts a while you know."

  "Looks dodgy to me." Candace shrugged. Todd looked around the room, his eyes coming to rest on a crucifix attached to the wall above a fire place and then noticing that there were ornaments all dedicated to a God and his Jesus.

  "Very religious," he mused.

  Mrs Baker re-entered the room with her husband following behind. He was as immaculately dressed as Mrs Baker. Brown trousers and blazer over a well ironed shirt, with a yellow tie and polished brown shoes, he also looked ready to go to a wedding. Todd and Candace stood as he entered the room.

  "What can we help you with?" Mr Baker asked gruffly.

  "Mr Baker, as you know we are still looking for the man who took your daughter from you. We thought it might be helpful to really get a good look into Penny's life, it may give us some clues as to what happened to her."

  "You took your time, she's been dead five days."

  Todd felt a little ashamed that he hadn't revisited the Bakers since he had originally told them that Penny had been murdered. He knew that there was a family liaison officer offered to them, but they had declined saying that their God would help them.

  "Yes sir, I'm sorry that I haven't been again, but our investigations have been leading us elsewhere and we have had to follow them up."

  Mr Baker didn't seem convinced, he sat on the sofa indicating that everybody else should do the same.

  "How can we help you?" he asked.

  "We think that it is possible Penny may have known her attacker. Our investigations have led us to believe that it could be someone from her past; an old school friend, or someone she may have had a run in with."

  "What makes you think that?"

  "Well the other young lady who was k
illed, Amanda Thomas, she went to the same school as Penny; we think that may be where the connection lies."

  "The connection lies with the Devil." Mrs Baker interrupted.

  "Carrie, don't." Mr Baker turned to his wife and grabbed her hands, his face beseeching her to stop talking.

  "It has to be said Charles; I can't keep quiet any longer, the Lord would want me to say my piece." Mrs Baker turned towards a shelf behind her and picked up a white book with a gold cross on the front. She opened the book and read from a page there.

  "The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sin hold them fast." She looked up at Todd and Candace. "You see? She did this to herself; she should never have left home."

  "Carrie, the officer's do not want to hear this." Mr Baker insisted.

  "But it's important," Mrs Baker's eyes were wide, she returned once more to the bible before her. "Evil will slay the wicked. The foes of the righteous will be condemned. That man who murdered Penny is the Evil one and he slayed her for being wicked. She left home you know; hasn't spoken to us, turned her back on the Church."

  "I'm so sorry," Mr Baker said. "She has really suffered, she is grieving."

  "I completely understand," Todd said, "The loss of a daughter is one of the most painful things anyone has to go through."

  "It's God's will." Mrs Baker continued, flicking through the bible to a page which had its corner turned over. "Listen. The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands." She got up from the sofa, "I need to go and clean my kitchen," she announced and walked from the room.

  Mr Baker looked to the floor and then back to Todd and Candace. "Sorry," he mouthed once again. Todd felt deep pity for the parents who were going through such a hard time, but he really needed to end the conversation so he could carry on with his investigation.

  "I don't want to push you Mr Baker, but we would really like to know if Penny had any school friends that you know of; people who she hung around with regularly? Best friends, school groups, anything like that?"

  Mr Baker shook his head. "I'm ashamed to say we didn't really know Penny very well." He said. "My wife has always been a devout Catholic, she loves her God; I have supported her in her faith and followed her lead. I'm afraid we alienated Penny with the Faith. Penny just didn't believe in it, she fought against us many times. She would never let us into her life; never brought friends home or told us about her day and then she just left. Up and went, just like that and we never saw or spoke to her again." He looked around the immaculate room. "I think she cleans to seek redemption, she says cleanliness is next to godliness; we keep our house white and pure. 'Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes.'" He laughed. "Sorry, I'm doing it now."