by M A Comley
“Wow, he’s given us a whole month to solve it? That’s generous of him,” her partner Jack Blackman said, his tone laced with sarcasm.
“Yep, possible extension might be considered if we’re close to cracking the case. I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one, though.” Sally grabbed a cup of coffee from the vending machine and walked into the office, closing the door behind her.
The next few hours consisted of her mostly shaking her head and making copious notes. She finally emerged from her office to consult her team. “Gather around, ladies and gents.” As she spoke, she entered the details of the case and pinned the relevant photos onto the incident board. “Okay, this is what we have. Our victim is thirty-year-old Aisha Thomas. She was a talented music teacher at the local comprehensive school. Here’s the interesting fact about this case: she was also married to one of our own.”
The team began to murmur. “Is the husband still a copper now, boss?” Detective Constable Jordan Reid asked.
“That’s something we’ll need to check on, Jordan. Do that for me after this meeting. He’ll need to be questioned.”
Jordan made a note on his pad.
“Obvious question if I may, boss,” Joanna said. “You say it’s a cold case... why are we investigating it now?”
“I’m coming to that, Joanna. On the evening of the killing, according to the report, the husband, Patrick Thomas, came home from work at around seven, saw his wife’s bag on the kitchen worktop, and went upstairs to look for her. His wife was supposed to be going out with friends that evening, so he presumed she was getting ready. When he walked into the bedroom, he found her lying on the carpet. Her throat had been sliced open, and there was blood all around her. He ended up with blood on his hands as he tried to save her, but it was too late.”
“Do you think that was set up as a distraction for the investigating officers, boss?” Joanna asked.
“That’s what we need to find out. Instinct always kicks in at times like these. I defy anyone in this room who, upon discovering a loved one with a fatal wound, would not offer any form of assistance.”
Several team members nodded their agreement.
“That being said, we still shouldn’t discount the fact he’s a possible suspect. I’ll know more once I’ve interviewed him. It’ll be interesting to see if he moved on with his life quickly or is still left in limbo after all these years. Going back to the question of why this case has been presented to us, well, the two main suspects were believed to be burglars ransacking the neighbourhood around that time. Their bodies were discovered recently in a shallow grave on a building site on the edge of Thetford Forest.”
Jack shook his head and shrugged. “You’ve lost me. I’m still not seeing where this is leading, boss.”
“It’s complex, so bear with me. Once the forensic evidence results came back and matched to their names, this case was highlighted as being unsolved. The victim, Aisha Thomas had a bite mark on her arm, presumably left by her murderer. That bite mark was compared to the dental records of the burglars, but instead of coming back positive, both men were instantly exonerated.”
“Ah, I see. What about the husband? Could he have bitten his wife? Maybe during a sex session?” Jack asked.
“That’s yet another thing we have to delve into.”
Joanna raised her hand to speak, and Sally nodded for her to go ahead. “Were there any other suspects at the time of the crime, boss?”
“Not really. Once they discounted the husband, the investigating officers turned their attention to the two burglars. Now that has been disproven, we’re going to have to start from scratch again.”
“Ten years later? What if people have moved away from the area?” Jack asked.
“Then we’ll just have to track them down, Jack. That’s never been a problem for us before. We can call on other forces to help us out on that, I suppose. Like I’ve stated already, we’ve been given a limited time to solve this case. We’ll be reliant on others lending a hand.”
“So, where do you want us to begin, boss?” Joanna asked with a frown.
It was the first time her team had been asked to deal with a cold case, and she could tell by the questions they were asking that they were already out of their depth. “Let’s get one thing straight: we should forget this is a cold case. Let’s treat it as a new case; it’ll be less restricting for us. So, let’s start from the beginning. I’ll leave the file on the desk for you all to look at. There’s a list of people Aisha was associated to in there. We need to go through that list meticulously. Obviously, the first person I need to speak with will be the husband. We’ll work through the list together and make notes on the board if anything crops up linked to the case. Let’s see if we can wrap this up sooner than the DCI expects. Let’s get cracking team. Keep me up to date with things as the investigation progresses.”
The team got back to work as Sally finished off adding a few notes to the incident board. Seconds later, Jordan appeared beside her.
“Boss, Patrick Thomas is still a serving constable at this station.”
“He is? Have you ever run into him?”
Jordan’s mouth turned down at the side, and he shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve come across him myself, boss. Anyway, he’s on duty at present. Do you want me to arrange a meeting with him?”
“It might be a good idea for me to chat with his immediate superior first, get a gist of what his mental state has been like since the crime took place.”
“Want me to get the sergeant on the phone for you?”
“Yep. Let me get back to my office then pass the call through. Thanks, Jordan.”
CHAPTER TWO
Sally rushed back into her office, taking her notes with her. The phone rang a few seconds later. “Hello?”
“I have Sergeant Potts on the line for you, boss.”
“Thanks, Jordan.” She paused until she heard the click of Jordan hanging up. “Hello, Sergeant Potts?”
“That’s right, Inspector. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted a confidential word with you before I interview a member of your staff.”
“That sounds ominous, ma’am. May I ask who?”
Sally cleared her throat. “Constable Patrick Thomas. I’ve been instructed to investigate his wife’s murder case.”
“Blimey, after all these years? It’s probably none of my business, but can I ask why, ma’am?”
“New evidence has been uncovered, shedding doubt on the validity of the original investigation, primarily the suspects. What I really want to know is how Constable Thomas has been since his wife’s death.”
He sighed heavily. “At the time, her death hit him very hard, as you can imagine, ma’am. However, over the years, he’s learned to accept it. Always been the type to throw himself into his work to forget his woes, and who can blame him? It’s not good to wallow in self-pity over things like this. No point to it. I’m sure you’ll agree.”
“I understand. Okay, would you mind if I meet up with him today for an informal interview?”
“Not at all. Would you like me to send him along to you now, ma’am?”
“Excellent. I’ll have to do it in the interview room downstairs, where the recording equipment is. He won’t be intimidated by that, will he?”
“I shouldn’t think so, ma’am. He’ll appreciate these things have to be done properly. In ten minutes, okay?”
“Perfect, thanks, Sergeant.” Sally hung up and quickly checked through the post lying on her desk, ignoring anything not marked urgent. After dealing with a few enquiries and jotting down quick replies, she left her office and dropped by Jack’s desk. “I’m off to interview Thomas. Do you want to be in on this one?”
He stood up. “Might as well hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
“Everything all right at home, Jack?” Sally asked as they made their way downstairs.
“I take it you’re referring to how Teresa is dealing with her baby?”
Sally smiled. �
�Unless there’s anything else you’re keeping from me?”
“Nah, that’s enough to be getting on with. The baby is fine—teething, so keeping us awake most of the night. Other than that, Mary Rose is just fine.” In spite of his complaints about his grandchild, his face always lit up when he spoke about her.
“How old is she now?” Sally stepped off the bottom stair and turned the corner to the interview rooms.
“Almost two. Time flies, doesn’t it?”
Sally turned to face him. “Wow, really? That has gone quick. She’s worth it, though, right?”
“Yeah, even though I was made a grandpa far before my time.”
Sally smiled and opened the door to the interview room. Constable Thomas rose from his chair when they walked in. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Take a seat, Patrick.” She extended her hand for him to shake and sat down opposite. “I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m DI Sally Parker of CID, and this is my partner, DS Jack Blackman.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am. Have I done something wrong?”
Sally shook her head and offered a smile. “No. This is tough for me to tell you, but my team has been handed your wife’s murder case to reopen.”
His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open before he regained his composure. “Can I ask why, ma’am? It’s been ten years since...”
“We’ve uncovered new evidence which questions the original investigators’ main two suspects. I’m sorry if this will cause you any discomfort, but I’m going to have to ask you to recount the events of what happened that day.”
He puffed out his cheeks. “I haven’t thought about that side of things in years, ma’am. Of course, I think about Aisha constantly, although I try to block out the images of finding her bloody body in our bedroom.” His eyes misted up with genuine grief.
“We’re going to be working through the list of possible suspects, but I just wanted to know if you had an inkling who could be behind her death. Maybe someone you know has acted differently towards you since that day?”
“That’s like asking me if the sun ever rises in the morning, ma’am, because everyone I know acted strangely around me at the time. People do when they don’t know how to handle someone who’s grieving. It’s human nature.”
“That’s true. I suppose what I’m asking is if anyone has acted or done anything out of the ordinary towards you that really sticks out. Did anyone cut you off perhaps?”
He placed his hand around his chin and pondered her question for a moment. “Not that I can think of. I’m grateful that all my friends appeared to stick by me, if I’m honest. I’m not sure I would have treated someone the same way if the boot was on the other foot. Maybe that’s more about me being a copper and having a suspicious mind.”
Sally studied the man as he spoke. According to the notes she’d just read, he was nearing forty. He had a few grey hairs showing just above his ears. He was thin, almost to the point of emaciation. When he’d stood up to greet her, Sally’s overall impression of him was that he was still suffering emotionally and physically because of his wife’s death. Of course, guilt was a probable cause for that. He probably blamed himself for not arriving home sooner to save her—or was he guilty of actually taking his wife’s life? Her gut instinct was for the former scenario. “Did you return to work soon after the incident occurred?”
“Yes, ma’am. I had to. I was going out of my mind going over things at home.”
“Do you still live at the same address?”
“That’s right. Although, I can’t bear to go in the master bedroom anymore. I moved into the smaller spare room. I should sell up and move on, but that would mean the culprit has won. Staying in the house gives me the connection I need to be near Aisha.” He sighed and stared at the table for a second. “It was our first home together. I still feel her presence in the house. Sorry if that makes me sound a bit loopy.”
Sally smiled at him. “It doesn’t. Perhaps you should consider moving.”
“In the very beginning, I thought about letting the house go, but the cost implications would have been too much for me to bear. I don’t make much being a constable, as you can appreciate, ma’am. It’s an expensive business to keep moving. We bought that house because it was in a nice neighbourhood—well, it was until all those burglaries started to take place.”
“I understand totally. I need to discuss the forensic evidence that has come to light. You’re aware that the murderer bit your wife’s arm?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was the one who pointed that out when the pathologist arrived at the house.”
“Well, it’s come to our attention that there is no way the two burglars in question could have killed your wife, as the bite marks don’t tally with either their skeletal remains or their dental records.”
“I don’t understand, ma’am. Skeletal remains? You mean their bodies have been discovered?”
“Yes, in a shallow grave on a building site close to the forest in Thetford.”
He scratched his head. “So that would indicate that they’ve been dead a few years. Is that right, ma’am?”
“Yes, I’ve yet to speak to the pathologist dealing with the case, but it would appear so.”
“Ah, now I understand why the case has to be reopened. I’m at a loss to think who could have killed Aisha if these men have been exonerated. But surely the investigating officer would have matched the bite mark to the dental records of these two during the case, wouldn’t he?”
“Obviously not. Otherwise, the two men would have been discounted instantly.”
“That’s unthinkable, ma’am,” he stated, looking genuinely perturbed.
“It’s deplorable. Something I’m keen to put right. Moving on, back then, did you supply a list of friends and family for the investigators to question?” Sally had seen only a few people on the list—too few, considering Aisha was a music teacher.
“I did. We didn’t really have that many friends.”
“What about family? Did Aisha come from a big family? Did she have a lot of extended family members we can speak to?”
“Aisha had a large family. She was Muslim, her parents from Pakistan. Some of them have moved away from the area, I believe. They cut me off as soon as Aisha was buried.”
“Why? Because they suspected you of killing her?”
Patrick’s gaze dropped to the table, and he shrugged. “I could never get a proper answer from them. They didn’t actually come out and say the words, but the inference was there that either they blamed me for killing her or at least blamed me for not protecting her as I should have done. Their culture is totally different to ours, ma’am. I did my best to provide for Aisha, however, it was never good enough in their eyes. They were furious that she married a Christian. Aisha didn’t care—she loved me for who I was, not for the religion I followed, but her parents simply didn’t get it. I’m not one to slag people off, ma’am, but it might be better if you spoke to them about how they felt regarding our marriage, because they barely spoke to me unless Aisha was in the room.”
“I’m sorry, Patrick. At the time, you would have needed their support to deal with your wife’s death, not their animosity.” He nodded his agreement. “It’s an avenue we will be investigating, I promise you. Can you think back to any work-related issues you might have had around that time?”
He frowned. “I’m sorry, ma’am, in what way?”
“Perhaps you made an arrest and someone threatened you? Said they were going to get retribution by harming your family, something along those lines?”
He fell silent for a while as he thought. “I’m at a loss to remember that far back, ma’am. I’m sure if there had been something around that time, it would have stuck in my mind, but there’s nothing. She was such a lovely girl, caring, compassionate, eager to help others. That’s why her death—and the way it had occurred—shook me up so much.” His hands covered his face for a few seconds before he wiped away a tear. “That image of seeing her lying th
ere with her beautiful throat cut will haunt me forever. When I close my eyes at night, it’s the last thing I see, and when I wake up in the morning, it’s the first image that fills my mind. There’s no escaping it. I can only describe it as a living nightmare. I know that sounds like a cliché, but there’s just no other way to describe it, ma’am.”
“I totally understand. I went through a horrendous personal ordeal, and it affects me in pretty much the same way. Have you had any form of counselling, Patrick?”
“They offered it to me, ma’am, but I would have felt a wuss had I accepted. I’ve learnt to cope with things myself over the years. Yes, there are good days and bad days, but on the whole, I’ve learnt how to keep my emotions in check. Even if that means I go through life on autopilot occasionally, it has been my coping mechanism over the years.”
“But how long will you give it? Before you move on with your life, I mean.”
“How long is that proverbial piece of string, ma’am? The heart doesn’t heal as quickly when someone you love dearly has been stolen from you in such a cruel way. I’ll get there one day, I guess.”
“I hope for your sake that day comes swiftly, Patrick. Can you do me a favour and try and list all Aisha’s friends and family? Just in case you forgot to mention anyone at the time of the original investigation. This isn’t an exercise of trying to trip you up, I promise. Your mind might be a little clearer than it was immediately after Aisha’s death.”
“Do you want me to do that now, ma’am, or this evening after work?”
“This evening or over the next few days will do. Maybe if you still have Aisha’s possessions, you’ll be able to lay your hand on her address book, if she had one at the time.”
He nodded, his brow furrowed. “I know where that is. I have it tucked away in a keepsake box in the wardrobe. I only looked through it the other day. It would have been our twelfth wedding anniversary this week.”
“I’m sorry. I had no idea. Let’s call this meeting to a halt then. If you can bring that information to me in my office in the next day or two, I’d appreciate it.”