by Joy Ellis
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Carolyn Chambers was nothing like Nikki had expected. She was taller than Nikki by almost a foot, an aging Amazon. Even if Dr Chambers was pushing sixty, she was exactly the sort of person Nikki would like to have with her when she interviewed Oliver Kirton. She exuded strength, but not in the physical sense. What flowed from the doctor was the fortitude of a wise woman or a high priestess.
She held out her hand. ‘I do hope I’ve not kept you waiting, Detective Inspector. My last patient took a little longer than I had anticipated.’
Her voice was deep and calming, and her handshake firm and reassuring. Lucky patients, thought Nikki, who had come across more than her fair share of loony mental health practitioners in her time.
‘Not at all. I expect you’d like a few moments alone with Mr Brant before we start the interview?’
‘That would be appreciated. Thank you.’
Nikki led the way down the stairs. ‘I’ll have a word with the custody sergeant. He’ll get Mr Brant brought to an interview room. He was pretty upset, Dr Chambers. That’s why I terminated the last interview. I’m afraid he didn’t take to me at all. He said it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk, but he couldn’t. I guessed there had been some deeply upsetting incident in his life that prevented him speaking freely.’
‘You are very astute, Inspector. As soon as I’ve had a word with him, I’m sure he will allow me to talk on his behalf.’ She gave Nikki a sympathetic smile. ‘Once you hear his story, I’m sure you will understand.’
Nikki nodded. ‘I hope so, or I’m afraid he could be in a lot of trouble. Ah, Sergeant Jones. This is Dr Chambers from Needham Hall Hospital. She’s here to speak to Paul Brant.’
As soon as doctor and patient had been allocated a room, Nikki called Joseph and WPC Jessie Nightingale to be on hand for the second session. It wasn’t long before the doctor emerged and said that Mr Brant had given his consent to her speaking on his behalf, and was happy to help them with their enquiries.
After the usual formalities, Nikki began the interview.
‘We have in our possession taped evidence showing you following Helen Brook on at least three occasions, Mr Brant. You have admitted wanting to talk to her about something. Can you tell us what that was about, please?’
Paul gave his doctor a beseeching look, and nodded.
Dr Chambers sat back. She looked at the three police officers and said, ‘Paul Brant has agreed that I tell you about his previous medical history, in order for you to understand why he was trying to talk to Miss Brook. You will then also appreciate why it was so difficult for him. About eighteen months ago, Paul’s wife, Amy, was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease. It was rapid in its onset and, sadly, it was terminal. Initially, Paul left his job to care for her, but because of financial difficulties, he had to take part-time work, leaving his mother looking after Amy until he came home.’ Carolyn Chambers looked at her patient and gently touched his hand. ‘Are you all right with this, Paul?’
He nodded.
‘On the day of the Blackmoor Cross accident, Paul’s mother fell asleep watching the television. Amy managed to reach her medication, and took a fatal overdose. When Paul arrived home, his mother was still asleep, and his wife was dead. He blamed himself. He convinced his mother that Amy was just sleeping, and sent her home. He then lay on the bed with his wife for a while, before pulling on his jacket and walking out.’
Nikki began to realise where this was going. She felt more than a little queasy.
‘Paul was suffering from a form of dissociative amnesia. He couldn’t handle what had happened, so he just blanked it out. But he walked straight into another nightmare when that building collapsed.’
Nikki closed her eyes and sighed. ‘You were in that basement with Helen. You talked to her. You tried to keep her conscious, to keep her alive?’
Paul wrung his hands together and stared at Nikki. ‘I thought she was dead, like Amy! I managed to get free and crawl over to her, but she wasn’t breathing. I’m sure she wasn’t breathing!’
‘Steady, Paul. It’s all right, really.’ The doctor looked at Nikki. ‘This is very upsetting for him. He’s come to terms with his wife’s death. He now knows he wasn’t to blame, but this isn’t easy for him.’
‘I understand, Dr Chambers.’ She turned to Paul Brant. ‘Would you like a break? Maybe a coffee or a tea?’
‘No, I want to get it over with.’ He seemed a little calmer. ‘It was that article in the paper. I couldn’t believe my eyes! She was alive. Helen was alive! Then I started to remember all the things I’d said to her, about killing my wife.’ He looked exhausted, but went on. ‘I just wanted to explain, now that I was better.’
He glanced at the doctor, who added. ‘Paul spent a long while as an in-patient at Needham Hall, almost six months actually. He’s still an out-patient under my care. Go on, Paul.’
He sniffed, then continued. ‘Yes. I thought, what if she doesn’t remember what I said? Perhaps I should just let it go. But I couldn’t, just in case it haunted her, upset her. I didn’t want her to live believing she had been trapped in that basement with a murderer. That would be terrible!’
And it was, Paul, believe me, it was really terrible. Nikki pushed away the vision of Helen’s frightened face begging her to believe her about the killer in the cellar. ‘But although you followed her, with the intention of talking to her, you never actually made contact?’
‘Never. Then . . .’ He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. Tears filled his eyes. ‘Then it was too late.’
‘One last question, Mr Brant. Did you ever follow her to Tumby Fenside, the bird reserve?’
‘Uh, yes. Yes I did. But I never went close to her. I thought I might frighten her. It’s lonely out there, too lonely to accost a woman on her own. I left her walking the river path, and I went home.’
‘I think that’s enough now, don’t you?’ The doctor’s voice was gentle, but it left no room for argument.
Nikki murmured her agreement. As the others left the room, she looked at Carolyn Chambers and quietly said, ‘Can I have a word before you leave?’
Back in her office, Nikki closed the door and offered the doctor a seat. Leaning back in her own chair, she studied this woman, wondering how much she could safely tell her. After a moment of deliberation, she said, ‘I have a problem. As you know, Paul Brant was seen following Miss Brook. We know he is — how can I put it? Not exactly stable.’
‘Paul is fine, Inspector. He is improving in leaps and bounds. He is not out of control, neither is he a danger to anyone. That I promise you.’
‘Forgive me, Dr Chambers, but he doesn’t look in control. In fact, he doesn’t look as if he’s managing very well at all. Look at his clothes for a start.’
The doctor sighed. ‘I know what you’re thinking, Inspector, but honestly, this is just a setback. He had smartened himself up and was doing really well, until he saw that article. It knocked him sideways for quite a while, but he was going to deal with it. He just went about it all wrong.’
‘He terrified Helen Brook, Doctor. I know, because I was her friend, and she told me so.’
Dr Chambers closed her eyes and groaned. ‘Oh no, don’t tell me that. He was sure she hadn’t seen him, that she’d never even noticed him.’
‘Oh, she knew she was being followed. We even had a car watching her house for a time. So, Dr Chambers, you actually knew what he was doing?’ Nikki sounded more accusatory than she had intended.
Again Dr Chambers sighed. ‘This sounds dreadful in the light of what happened to Helen Brook, but yes, he told me about the article. He told me he wanted to see her to explain about the things he had said. I didn’t stop him because I believed he was doing the right thing. What I didn’t know was that he would find it so difficult to make contact with her. I never dreamed he would finish up practically stalking her. I would never have allowed it to get that stupid. I did suggest he write and make an appoin
tment, I even offered to go with him. He just said it was something that he should sort out by himself, and I honestly believed he was capable of doing it. And in his defence, I believe he would have done, had this tragedy not occurred.’
‘In your professional opinion, Dr Chambers, could Paul Brant have killed Helen Brook?’
She answered immediately. ‘Absolutely not. He’s incapable of doing such a thing.’
‘I have to tell you that he’s very vague about his whereabouts at the time of the murder, which doesn’t help him at all. But in my heart of hearts, I don’t believe he did it. I shall be letting him go.’
The doctor gave a loud sigh of relief. But Nikki had more to say. ‘However, I want your word that you will keep a close eye on that young man. And I don’t want him leaving the area. My superintendent might not see this in the same light as me. If I have to bring him back in for further questioning, then I will.’
Carolyn Chambers’ voice was grave. ‘I understand, Inspector. I have already made one error of judgement with Paul Brant, something that I’ve never done before, and I won’t be repeating the mistake, I assure you.’ She stood up and held out her hand to Nikki. ‘You are not wrong about Paul, Inspector Galena. He’s not bad, he’s just damaged by guilt.’
Damaged by guilt. Nikki repeated the words in her head. A strange dizziness crept over her, then she realised that Dr Chambers was still speaking. ‘So, can I wait for him? I’ll see he gets home safely. I know you have your job to do, but this will have put a great strain on him. I’d like to make sure he’s going to be all right.’
Nikki nodded. She needed to clear her head. ‘If you’d like to wait here, I’ll go get the paperwork sorted, and I’ll get someone to fetch you a coffee.’ Before she left she turned and said, ‘Paul’s very lucky to have you for a doctor.’
‘I beg to differ, Inspector. Luck has never had anything to do with Paul Brant.’
* * *
Joseph and the rest of the team were all in the CID room when Nikki walked in.
‘Shall I get that PM photo of Mr Agate over to the Willows Clinic, ma’am?’
‘Yes, but while we are all here, let’s just get up to speed on where we are right now. Any news on Andrew Gregory, DC Barnes?’
‘A camera caught his car heading towards the main Boston road, but that was yesterday, and he’s not been seen since. His mobile has not been used either, ma’am.’ Eric pulled a face. ‘He’s guilty as hell. Pity we ever let him go in the first place.’
Nikki gritted her teeth. She was tired, aware her fuse was short, so she went on, trying not to look at the young pillock sitting opposite her. ‘Anything more on his finances?’
‘Nothing to add at the moment, although we are still digging, ma’am.’
‘What about this computer that was lifted from Helen’s home?’
Joseph was about to answer, when his phone rang. Nikki heard him say, ‘Really? Norman, would you come up to the DI’s office and tell the team that? What? Right, ah, okay. See you in five.’ He flipped his mobile closed.
‘Guv, can we go up to IT? Norman’s found something pretty important on that computer. It’s too important for him to log off and walk out on the thing.’
The IT lab was on the top floor, and when the four CID officers entered they saw Norman Hebbenstall surrounded by his techno-colleagues.
Nikki felt a tremor of excitement. She badly wanted to know what Andrew Gregory was up to, and from the furore in the lab, it had to be something pretty special. ‘What have you found, Norman?’
‘Wouldn’t I like to know, ma’am! This is the most sophisticated spyware program I have ever seen. He calls it Liberator.’
‘And it’s just sitting there on Helen’s laptop, along with some “I love you” e-cards and downloaded Hits of the Sixties?’
‘Pretty much, ma’am. It’s encrypted, but the likes of us geniuses can access it easily.’
‘He must have been absolutely confident that no one knew about Helen’s computer.’
‘That’s why it’s on here, ma’am, and not the main computer from his office. Charlie here has just taken a look at that, by the way. The drive has been cleaned out, completely erased. There’s nothing left but its original factory settings.’
Nikki frowned. The technology had left her behind some years ago. ‘So, this program? What does it do?’
There was a ripple of chatter from the techies.
‘One at a time would be nice. And make it clear for a nitwit like me, please.’
Norman looked up. ‘Sergeant Easter tells me that Andrew Gregory builds security programs to protect sensitive corporate data, right? Well, there’s more to it than that. It appears that in this case his software program searches out security vulnerabilities, then he issues a patch and the user downloads it, ostensibly to sort the problems. And it does, but it also permits Andrew to access all the activity on the user’s computer.’
Nikki threw up her hands. ‘Patches? Lost already!’
Norman exhaled. ‘It’s keylogging at its finest. Well, the simplest way to explain it is that it’s like Big Brother for the Internet. It monitors and records every keystroke made. But in this case it is very clever spyware and it leaves no evidence of its presence. It’s about as good as anything I’ve ever seen, ma’am, and worth a fortune on the market.’
‘So, this has the possibility to wreck business competitors?’
‘Absolutely. My God, can you imagine what would happen to the those companies’ share prices?’
Nikki fought to collect her jumbled thoughts. Helen’s Andrew? Toppling big businesses? This was ludicrous. He’d always been a workaholic, but some kind of super cyber-thief? Surely not!
Norman went on. ‘And another thing, ma’am. His work computer was erased by an outside source, not by a local operator.’
‘How on earth . . . ?’
‘Easy, Inspector. Send an email. Mark it urgent, put something on it that his secretary thinks is kosher, she opens it and bingo!’
‘If he was so damned clever, surely he would have built in something to protect his own files?’ asked Nikki.
‘Oh, no doubt he did, but we are talking about messing with the big boys here. There are users out there that could get into the Pentagon, if they want to. And of course, there is also the possibility that Gregory did it himself, from his own laptop or another computer.’
‘No wonder the bastard’s running.’ Eric Barnes’ supercilious tone cut in yet again.
This time Nikki spun round and hissed, ‘Detective! I’m sick to the stomach of your snide comments. If you are so damned clever, get your backside out there and bloody well find him!’
Red-faced, Barnes began to stutter a reply, then thought better of it, and left the room.
Nikki looked at Joseph. His expression said that she’d overstepped the mark. She looked at Cat, and hers said, Ace! Good for you, guv! She ignored them both.
‘Okay, Norman. Thank you for all your hard work. You’d better make sure you look after this, uh, fantastic piece of kit, if that is what you might call it?’
‘Don’t worry about that, Inspector, I’ll deal with it immediately. I’ll have to notify my boss. There is a special protocol to follow in cases like this.’
Nikki returned to the murder room. She saw that Eric Barnes’ desk was empty. Maybe he’d taken her literally. Then she saw Jessie Nightingale still at her computer and staring blankly at the screen.
‘How late were you here last night scanning those CCTV videos, Jess?’
‘Till around three o’clock, ma’am.’
‘And you were back in at half seven?’
‘More or less.’
‘Then get yourself home and get some sleep. You can’t work non-stop. This investigation has a long way to go yet.’
Jessie made a small gesture of protest, then logged off and stood up. ‘Thanks. I appreciate it, guv.’
‘What next, ma’am?’ asked Joseph.
‘We take a trip to the c
anteen. Then you get Cat to take that picture to the Willows while you run a background check on Paul Brant. Meanwhile, I’ll try to demolish the mountain of paperwork on my desk. Oh, and if I shout for a petrol can and a box of matches, please ignore me.’
* * *
Somehow Nikki managed to work uninterrupted until early evening.
‘I’ve brought you a hot drink.’ Joseph placed the mug on her desk and sat down opposite her. ‘Paul Brant seems to be whiter than white, although his breakdown was apparently something to behold. He trashed his place of work, then followed that up with a suicide attempt, hence his hospitalisation.’
‘Okay. We’ll put a big question mark over him for the time being, and concentrate on Andrew.’ Nikki leaned back in her chair, her hands clasped behind her neck. ‘Where is he? And what the devil is he up to? Hell, Joseph, we know him! We’ve had dinner with him, drunk with him, laughed with him. I just don’t see it, do you?’
Joseph sounded disappointed and rather hurt. ‘We thought we knew him. I actually liked him too. He’s a total techno-brain where his beloved computer systems are concerned, but I believe he did love Helen. I guess something too big for him to handle just got in the way.’ He yawned. ‘Oh, and that PM photo didn’t ring any bells with Sam Welland, but he said he’d ask his part-time receptionists if any of them remember a man taking the purple sage agate. Apparently they like watching people choose the crystals. It’s a long shot, but one of them might just remember who took it.’ He stood up and stretched. ‘I thought I’d give it until about ten, but you look knackered. Why don’t you get away? Take some of the advice you gave to Jessie. I’ll hold the fort here.’
‘Maybe I’ll take you up on that, Joseph, but ring me if anything happens, okay?’