Cold Case

by M A Comley

  Sally glanced over at Jack again. “Can’t wait to hear that part.”

  “Anyway, as I was saying, Aisha came home from work and was chatting with me outside. I was wittering on about some student or other excelling at school; it’s what teachers do with each other, in case you’re interested. The thing is, I could tell she was in a rush, and yet she took time out of her day to stop and talk to me.”

  “Did she mention why she was in a rush?”

  “If I recall rightly, I think she told me that she was going out with a few friends.”

  “Alone or with her husband?”

  “I think she said it was a girls’ night out.” Mr. Yates suddenly became sad and withdrawn, pulling at a caught thread in his woven trousers. Then he withdrew a linen handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wiped his eyes. Sally felt her own eyes prick—her grandfather had never been without a “proper handkerchief”, and it brought the memories of him flooding back. She had cried for a whole week after he’d died, and her heart had been so painful that she’d been forced to go to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor had put it down to her being broken-hearted and said that the grief would subside eventually.

  “Are you all right, sir?” she asked quietly, crossing the room. She knelt before him and placed her hand over his.

  The man’s watery gaze met hers. “I’m all right, dear. I suppose I’ve only just realised how much I miss the poor girl. She really was one in a million. Which makes it all the more traumatic knowing that I’ll never see her again. Oh my, what am I like? She was only a neighbour, for goodness’ sake! Anyone would think she was a blood relative. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before. Maybe it’s a sign I’m getting on in life and becoming an emotional old fool.”

  Sally patted his hand. “Not at all. It’s lovely that you thought so much of her and feel very sad that she died the way she did. Did you notice anyone strange hanging around that day? Hear anything unusual going on in the garden or something like that?”

  “No, that was the first thing I tried to think about back then, but I couldn’t recall seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary. Didn’t the coppers say that two scumbag burglars killed her?”

  Sally nodded, not letting on about the new evidence. “Yes, that’s right. What about the days leading up to the incident? Do you remember anything out of the ordinary happening in the street?”

  He shook his head.

  Jack cleared his throat. “You mentioned something about another neighbour, sir? Can you tell us who you were referring to?” He had his pen poised over his notebook.

  Mr. Yates tutted, and his mouth twisted as though he was grinding his teeth. “That bastard Warren Dean. He was always having run-ins with Aisha.”

  Sally swiftly turned to face Jack, who raised an interested eyebrow as he jotted down the name. “And where did he live?” Sally asked.

  “On the other side, at number twenty-six. Nasty piece of goods, he was.”

  “Does he still live there?” Sally asked.

  “No, let me think when he moved out.” He clicked his fingers together a second time. “It wasn’t long after, if I remember rightly. I had a few choice words to say to him one day. He started mouthing off about Aisha, and I stuck up for her, said that she was worth ten of him.”

  “When did this confrontation take place? Before or after Aisha’s death?”

  “It was after as far as I can remember. I didn’t hold back, either. I know his type, always fond of bullying women, but when it comes to having an argument with a bloke, they usually back down, bloody cowards.”

  “So, he confronted her numerous times? Is that what you’re telling us, Mr. Yates?”

  “Oh, yes. I’d go so far as saying that he used to hang around outside the house waiting for her to come home some days.”

  Jack looked up from his notebook. “Oh, did he now?”

  “Yes. Of course when he saw me, he’d scarper into the house. I used to look out for the lass every night around the time she was due home. She wasn’t aware of that, however. Can’t abide bloody bullies. I used to deal with enough of them at school, came down heavy on the buggers, too, I can tell you. There’s no need for it—we’re all equals after all, ain’t we?”

  Sally nodded. “We are indeed. Thank you for caring about Aisha. Can I ask if Patrick was aware this was going on at the time?”

  “I don’t think so. Aisha swore me to secrecy; she didn’t want ‘to bother hubby with her problems’ was how she put it. I begged her to let me tell him, but she was adamant. I had to abide by her wishes.”

  “Daft question coming up: did you tell the original investigating officer about the contretemps Aisha had with this Mr. Dean?”

  “I tried to, but he didn’t seem interested,” he stated, his words full of regret.

  “That’s sad. Why do you really think Mr. Dean was hounding Aisha, because she was a woman or because of the colour of her skin?”

  “Oh, he was a racist, all right. The bigoted exchanges were clear for anyone to hear. Bastard. I was looking out my window one evening, and dusk was rapidly descending, when Aisha came home from work. She parked in the road as usual, and that bastard was out there in his car. I watched him deliberately reverse into her car. She got out of her vehicle shaken up and tried to confront him, but he was vehement and tried to blame Aisha for the accident. I went running out there just as he unleashed a vile racist torrent of abuse. He didn’t see me until his horrendous speech had finished. I stood beside Aisha and stuck up for her. I told Dean that I witnessed the supposed accident and that it was no such thing. He mumbled a feeble apology and stormed into his house with his tail between his legs, vile man.”

  “When did this incident happen? Can you recall?”

  “Not long before... you know, she lost her life.”

  “Do you think he could have been responsible for her death?”

  His wide-eyed gaze met Sally’s. “He wouldn’t have, would he? No, he might have enjoyed shouting his mouth off, but I doubt that he would have had it in him to follow through on any threats he flung at her. I tried to persuade her to tell Patrick; he could’ve had a word with the weasel or got some kind of restraining order against him, but Aisha pleaded with me not to tell him. She said she’d lived her whole life surrounded by bigots such as Dean, that she was used to seeing the hatred in people’s eyes when they confronted her. Why? Why would anyone say a bad word against such a beautiful, vibrant young lady?”

  “It’s a crazy world we live in, Mr. Yates. It’s easy for people to blame a person for the failings of their fellow countrymen. Even though Aisha hadn’t lived in Pakistan, persuading people that she had nothing to do with what went on in her country would have been an impossible task. Most people are ignorant about these things. ‘Bloody-minded’, my old grandmother used to say.”

  “I fear you may be right, Inspector. To tell you the truth, I can’t wait for the time when I have to leave this cruel, twisted bloody world. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but there appears to be such a lack of compassion nowadays. Everyone has an angry gene running through them. It never used to be like that when I was a lad. It’s heartbreaking and totally disrespectful. Oh dear, sorry, you didn’t need to hear me venting like that.”

  “Nonsense, it’s better out than in. It’ll only eat away at you, otherwise. Did you ever hear Patrick and Aisha arguing?”

  He adamantly shook his head. “No, never. They were a solid couple. I tell you what I did hear through the adjoining wall.”

  Sally tilted her head. “What was that?”

  “A lot of laughter, joyful laughter. They were very much in love, Inspector.”

  “Then I think our job is done here, Mr. Yates. Unless you can give us a forwarding address for the pleasant Mr. Dean?”

  “No, I’m so sorry. I was just pleased to see the back of him when he up and left.”

  “Did he own the house, or was it rented?”

  “Not sure. I believe i
t might have been rented, only because I never saw a ‘for sale’ board go up. Can you check that?”

  “Yes, we’ll get onto the land registry, see what they can tell us.” Sally rubbed her hand over his before she stood up. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? We’ve stirred up some pretty horrendous images for you to have to contend with.”

  “I’m fine. Thank you for caring. I hope you catch the person responsible.”

  Sally shook out the pins and needles affecting her legs before she and Jack started to walk back up the hallway and out of the house. Once outside, she turned to face Mr. Yates and extended her hand to give him her card. “I promise you we will solve this case and slam this person in prison. Here are my contact details; feel free to get in touch if you think of anything else or if you ever need a chat.”

  “You’re very kind, Inspector. I’ll bear that in mind. Good luck in your quest.”

  “Thank you.”

  He gently closed the door behind them. Sally was wracked with emotion as she made her way back to the car with Jack.

  “Are you all right, boss?” he asked over the top of the car.

  “I’m not sure is the honest answer. As soon as we get back to the station, we need to start looking for Dean. Something just isn’t sitting right with me there. He sounds a cold, calculating bastard who certainly had a motive to at least be a person of interest. What do you think?”

  “Totally agree. Do you want to hang around here and see what the other neighbours have to say?”

  “I know we should, but my gut is telling me to concentrate on this guy, to make tracking him down a priority.”

  “I hear you. Maybe if the trail goes cold, we can revisit the neighbours. Not sure we should dismiss that altogether just yet, boss.”

  “You’re right. Just go with me on this one for now, Jack. Fancy a pub lunch? My treat. I need to get my emotions in check before we return to base.”

  “Why not? It’s been ages since I tucked into a ploughman’s lunch.”

  After eating their lunch and pulling apart what Mr. Yates had told them, they stopped off to pick up sandwiches for the rest of the team on the way back to the station.

  “Interesting development this morning, folks—another possible suspect highlighted by one of the neighbours. Jack is going to try and track down one of the other neighbours who had several run-ins with the victim. We believe the husband was unaware of the problems Aisha had with this man. Nasty piece of work by all accounts. It’s something we need to make a start on right away.” Sally turned to her right. “What do you have, Joanna?”

  “I’ve been making a list of all Aisha’s work colleagues at the time, to see who is still working at the school.”

  “And?”

  “Bit of luck. Looks like everyone is still there, boss.”

  Sally rubbed her hands together then stuck her thumb up. “I’m getting a good feeling about this now, team. Although the list of suspects is growing, at least we’re getting somewhere and not stagnating. Let’s try and hit every one of the buggers in the next day or so. Joanna, Jack and I are going out to have a word with Brian Falkirk, the officer who originally dealt with the case.”

  “We are? We’ve only just got back—what about tracking the neighbour down?” Jack complained.

  “Hand that over to Jordan, if you will. I was thinking it over in the car, and I believe going over to see Falkirk should definitely be our next move.

  “Do we have time for a coffee?”

  “Yep, I have to make a few quick calls anyway. Be ready for the off in fifteen, okay? Joanna, do me a favour and ring the school, ask the head if it’s all right if we drop by and see the teachers after school tomorrow.”

  “Will do.”

  “Jordan, I want everything you can find on Warren Dean by the end of tomorrow. Dig deep. Like I said before, he’s coming across as a nasty piece of work. I wouldn’t put it past him to be the culprit. Something is niggling at my gut about him.”

  The team got back to work, and Sally stopped at the vending machine to pick up a coffee before continuing to her office. She opened the window as the room felt a little stuffy now that spring had finally sprung. She couldn’t wait to get home and take Dex for a walk down by the river. She picked up the phone and dialled home. “Hi, Mum. Just checking in to see if everything is okay.”

  “I wondered when you were going to ring. We’re fine, love. Dex has been sitting by the door, pining for you, as usual. He’s too attached to you, that dog.”

  “Bless him. I’ll take him for an extra-long walk when I get home. I was ringing up to say I’ll be home around six, as usual. Anything you want me to bring in with me?”

  “Not that I can think of, love. Nice of you to grace us with your presence this evening. We’ll look forward to that.”

  “There’s no need for sarcasm, Mum. It was only one night away.”

  “Not sarcasm, dear, more like teasing. Did you have a nice time? I’m not asking you to go into detail, you understand.”

  Sally smiled and shook her head as she felt the colour rising in her cheeks. “Yes, Simon and I had a lovely meal and catch-up.”

  “Is there any chance we can meet this young man sometime soon?”

  “It’s early days yet, Mum. I wouldn’t want to scare him off.”

  Her mother grunted. “Huh! That’s charming, I must say.”

  “Don’t go getting shirty with me. You know I didn’t mean it like that. I’d rather take things slowly after what happened with Darryl.”

  “I know, dear. No pressure, I promise. Shall I set an extra place for dinner on Sunday?”

  “I thought you said no pressure? Let me have a word with Simon, and I’ll let you know tonight. How’s that?”

  “Very well. I’ll nip out to the shops and buy a nice piece of topside just in case. What about a syrup sponge for afters? That should go down a treat.”

  “And add a couple of inches to my waistline in the process! You’re incorrigible. Let me see what Simon has to say first before you start searching for the best recipe.” Sally knew what her mother was like—every night until Saturday, she would be frantically turning the pages of her vast selection of recipe books, looking for the best recipes to try, something completely different to the wonderful meals she usually knocked up every day for Sally and her father.

  “Okay, dear. I’ll see you in a few hours. Your father needs his lunch now.”

  “See you later.” Sally hung up, resting her hand on the phone, tempted to ring Simon to offer the invitation, but something made her hesitate. I’m being silly. Just because he’s asked me to move in with him it doesn’t mean that I should treat him any differently. She relented and dialled his number.

  “Hello, Simon Bracknall.”

  “Hi, it’s me. Just wondered how you are.” Sally cringed when the words came out. They sounded sappy even to her ear.

  “Hello, well, this is an unexpected pleasure. I’m doing well, all things considered. How are you on this wonderfully warm afternoon?”

  “Not as chipper as you, obviously. Why the good mood?”

  His voice lowered to just above a whisper. “For some reason, I have an extra spring in my step and a lightness in my heart.”

  “Oh, you do, do you? And why do you think that is?”

  “Between you and me, I spent the night with this amazing young lady and even ended up asking her to move in with me.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief that everything was the same between them, even though he hadn’t said goodbye to her before she’d left his house that morning. “Oh, is that right? Well she’d be foolish to turn you down. What did she say?” Sally bit her lip as she waited for his response.

  “I think I kind of ruined things a little. Maybe the suggestion came out of the blue and caught her on the hop. Hopefully, she won’t think bad of me trying to railroad her into doing something that she wasn’t ready to do yet.”

  “I’m sure she’ll come around, if you’re patient with her.
That’s a giant step you’ve asked her to take.”

  “I realised that on the drive into work, especially after what she’s gone through in the past with her previous partner. I was selfish really. I hope she can forgive me.”

  “I’m sure things will work out for the best. Just give her time to come around to the idea. Anyway, enough about that. What are you doing on Sunday? Any plans?”

  “Hmm... let me think. Nope, no plans as yet. Why?”

  “My mum has invited you to dinner. A beef roast and syrup sponge is on the menu if that will help sway your decision.” There was a long pause on the line. “Simon? Are you still there?”

  “I’m here. Scared shitless at the thought of meeting your folks. How are they going to react to me after knowing what you went through with your ex?”

  “Oh no, you mustn’t think that. Mum and Dad never judge people like that. You’re reading too much into it. Darryl was different.”

  “He was a charmer with them, wasn’t he? What if they think the same way about me, and it raises their suspicions?”

  Sally bounced back in her chair, feeling guilty for unburdening herself the way she had. If she hadn’t told him about Darryl, he would be feeling less insecure about meeting her parents. She tried hard to undo the damage she had caused. “I’m sorry. I’m at fault here, not you. My parents are fine. They never judge people. They might be a little cautious about meeting you, but surely that’s what every parent goes through when they meet their child’s boyfriend or girlfriend. Don’t you think your parents are going to act the same way if I ever meet them?”

  He sighed. “Oops, I suppose you’re right. Maybe we can drop in on my parents the following weekend then. How does that sound?”

  “Like a challenge to me.” She laughed.

  “They’ll love you as much as I do.”

  She took the phone away from her ear, stared at it in awe then placed it against her ear again. “You do? You’ve never told me that.”

  “Haven’t I? I thought it was obvious. You think I make a habit of inviting women to share my home with me?”