by M A Comley
“Ouch! Sorry you got called out, you should have given me a shout.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s fine, no point in both of us walking around like the half-dead all day.”
“Why you? Does Patti suspect the cases are connected?”
“Yep, so do I. You’re never going to believe this…no, it can wait until the others arrive. My bacon roll, on the other hand, can’t.”
After bidding the grinning Mick a cheery good morning, they ascended the stairs to the incident room. They were the first to arrive. Charlie bought two cups of the Met’s finest Colombian coffee—well, maybe that was stretching the truth a little too much.
“Come on, don’t keep me dangling,” Charlie said, handing her a cup of steaming coffee.
“All right. Take a seat. If you don’t mind me speaking while I eat, I’ll tell you. I’m glad it wasn’t too gruesome. Saying that, it was bad enough.”
“Go on,” Charlie encouraged. She blew on her drink and then took a sip.
She went over the case and her thoughts as, one by one, the team arrived to join in the conversation.
“Did I hear right, you’ve been at another murder scene this morning, boss?” Patrick asked.
“You did. Thought I’d treat myself to a bacon roll as a reward.” She half-grinned. “Seriously, we’re going to need to start putting our heads together, thinking outside the box on this one, because up here,” she tapped her temple, “none of this is making any bloody sense to me at all.”
“We’re doing our best with the clues we’ve been given,” Karen replied. She seemed downbeat, as if all the fight in her had dissipated overnight.
“I know, that’s the frustrating part, Karen. Listen up, I’m not blaming you guys, I’m just saying we’re going to need to be clever about our thinking, see where that leads us.”
Karen and the others present nodded. Katy glanced up at the clock. It was almost nine, and they were only waiting on Graham to arrive. It was unusual for him to be late.
He burst through the door with a minute to spare. “Shit! Sorry, boss, I had a flat tyre.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re here now, get yourself a coffee and join us. We’re discussing yet another murder that’s been added to the investigation, Graham.”
“Holy crap! Really? Where?”
“Take a seat. I was just about to fill everyone in.” After she’d divulged the sequence of events that had led her to the scene a few hours earlier, she asked, “So, what are we missing, guys?”
A roomful of blank faces stared back at her.
“And we’re sure all the crimes are linked?” Charlie tapped her pen on her pad.
“I’m in Patti’s hands with the final one. She seems to believe they are, and I’m willing to take her word for that until she finds evidence to the contrary. Charlie and I will go break the news to the next of kin while you guys start to do the usual digging. See if Robin Hewitt is linked to the other men. If so, how and when? Karen, while I go over the post straining to be unleashed in my office, can you do an initial check on the victim for me, get his address, where he worked, that sort of thing?”
“On it now, boss.”
“Good. Okay, guys, get thinking hard about this investigation. I’m not saying we’ve been guilty of slacking in the past week or so, but we need to prevent the body count from escalating further, got that?”
The team nodded and got down to business. Katy gathered her greasy bag and the remainder of her coffee and stepped into her office for the first time that morning. She surveyed the post littering her desk and blew out a relieved breath. Not much, thank goodness. She paused to open the window and took in a lungful of air which set her up for the chore ahead.
Twenty minutes later, and Charlie rapped her knuckles on the doorframe. “We’ve got his details, are you nearly finished?”
Katy held up a brown envelope. “Great timing, this is the last one. Let me deal with this, and we’ll be off. One thing I forgot to mention was to get Hewitt’s plate number, see if the ANPR or CCTV can pick him up sometime before his murder. And don’t ask what time we should be looking at, cover the hours between ten and six, if you will.”
“That could take forever to source.”
“I’m aware of that. Your point is, Charlie?”
“Sorry, I was just putting it out there. I’ll get the boys on it. It might take two of them to go through the amount of data in question.”
“I was thinking along the same lines.” She opened the final letter, and Charlie left her to it. She called her partner back. “Charlie, actually, this one concerns you.”
Charlie entered the room. A deep frown had developed. “It does? Have I done something wrong?”
“Nope. Guess again.”
“You tell me. I can’t possibly think what it’s concerning. Should I be worried about it?”
“Depends. It’s notification of your place for the sergeant’s exam.”
Charlie collapsed into the chair in front of her. “Oh heck, my legs have gone all wobbly. When is it?”
“Two weeks. Are you ready for it?”
“Not really. Do you think I am?”
“Undoubtedly. You need to have faith in your abilities. You’ve slotted in well here, as if you’ve been on the force for years. You’re dedicated and willing to learn. You’ve got this, Charlie. I don’t want it to distract you from your work, though, you hear me?”
“Got it. Although I can’t promise it’s not going to be the elephant in the room at times. I think I’m up for the challenge.”
“Think? It’s a bit late for that, hon. The sooner you realise this is around the corner the better. Okay, I’m done here. Are those legs of yours working properly again?”
Charlie stood to test them. “They are.”
“Then let’s get on the road.” Katy emptied her cup of coffee then wiped her mouth.
They stopped by Karen’s desk on the way out to collect the latest victim’s address and a brief rundown of his life, all that Karen had managed to find within the last thirty minutes anyway.
The residential close was eerily quiet.
Katy switched off the engine. “Here we go.” She puffed out her cheeks and hopped out of the vehicle.
They approached the small terraced house in a block of five, on the relatively new estate. The sound of nearby reversing beepers highlighted that the area was still part of a building site. Katy rang the bell.
A few seconds later, a man in his thirties with a long fringe covering half his face opened the door. He had a tiny puppy in his arms. “Hello, can I help?”
“Nicky Wyatt?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Katy held up her warrant card and introduced them. “May we come in and speak with you for a few moments?”
“Oh no, this is about Robin, isn’t it? I’ve had a dreadful feeling all night that something’s happened to him, I’ve barely slept.”
Katy smiled faintly. “It would be better if we spoke inside, sir.”
“You’d better come in. I’ll just put Mr Pip in his basket. Go through to the lounge, I won’t be long.”
Katy and Charlie made themselves comfortable on the tan twin-seat leather sofa. Nicky joined them a few minutes later.
“Okay, give it to me straight, what’s happened?”
“I’m afraid Robin Hewitt’s body was found a few hours ago.”
The man stared at them, no reaction whatsoever for a good few seconds until Katy’s words sank in, then he placed his hands on either side of his face and screamed.
The noise was deafening in the snug room.
“Are you all right?” Katy asked, her nerves shattering into tiny pieces.
“All right? All right? I’ll never be all right again. He was my life. I adored him. We were born to be together, and now…I’ll never see his smiling face. Feel his arms around me to comfort me when I’m upset. Oh fuck, I think I’m going to pass out. I can’t catch my breath.” He clutched a hand to his chest.
“I’ll fetch you a glass of water.” Charlie raced out of the room and returned within seconds. She handed him the glass.
Nicky sipped his drink whilst shaking his head. “Bloody hell. How? Was it a car accident? I told him to get the thing serviced, it’s been rattling for weeks. Would he listen to me? No, and now…”
“Please, try to calm down. It wasn’t an accident. I’m sorry to have to inform you that Robin died in suspicious circumstances.”
“Suspicious, in what way?”
“He was murdered.”
Another scream flew out of the man’s mouth. The cacophony battered Katy’s ears. She resisted the temptation to cover them to block out the confounded racket. She’d met some off-the-wall reactions over the years, but this was the first time she’s been faced with anything of this magnitude.
“No. Because he was gay? Is that it? Some fucker took an instant dislike to him because of his effeminate ways or possibly how he spoke and killed him for it? What kind of sick and disturbed world are we living in? People no longer have the freedom or choice in this life.”
“You believe he was killed because he was gay?” Katy was floored by the suggestion.
Could that be the link between all the murders, that the other men were gay? But surely not, Dale Peters was married.
“Why not? Most people can’t accept it when people’s preferences change.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Can you enlighten us?”
He sighed and let out a shuddering breath. “He used to be married…to a woman until we met. Our love was strong from the moment we first laid eyes on each other.”
“Oh, I see. How long was he married?”
“About twenty years, maybe longer, I wasn’t that interested in what went on in his life before I came along. We had a secure, loving relationship.”
“But he was married when he started seeing you?”
“Yes, what does that have to do with anything? No, you don’t think that bitch knocked him off, do you?”
“Bitch? Are you possibly referring to the woman who shared his life with him all those years?”
“Yeah, whatever you want to call it. She was livid when he asked her to set him free.”
Katy inclined her head. “For a divorce, you mean?”
“Yes. That’s right. She threatened all sorts.”
“Do you have her name and address handy?”
“Oh yes, as if I’m likely to forget that.”
“Did they have any children together?” Katy asked as Nicky searched through the coffee table drawer for something.
“No. She couldn’t have them. They even tried IVF when they were a few years younger. All that money wasted because each month her body rejected the eggs.”
Katy neither liked nor appreciated the way Nicky was portraying the ex-wife. She felt he was being unfairly harsher than was necessary. “That’s a shame. Are you telling me that she lashed out and blatantly threatened you guys?”
“Not in so many words, but there was no doubting her disgust. I wouldn’t put it past her to have a hand in this. Here you go, do you want to copy it?”
Charlie took the notebook from him, jotted down the information and handed it back to him. “Thanks, I think I’ve deciphered it correctly.”
Nicky tutted. “Want me to read it out to you?”
“If you wouldn’t mind, just to be on the safe side,” Charlie replied.
“Laila Hewitt, forty-seven Forrester Road, Whitechapel. She got the house, and he walked away with nothing. He did all that to be with me. Why? Because we loved each other.”
“He took nothing, no furniture?”
“That’s right. I advised him not to take anything, to let her have it all because of the damn fuss she was kicking up about him coming out.”
“You thought her reaction to the situation was over the top?”
“I should say so. She saw us holding hands in a restaurant once, stormed up to us, slapped him around the face and spat in his dinner, she was so incensed. He had to restrain me. I wanted to pull her fucking hair out and shove her capped teeth down her throat. Why are people always so bitter come the end of their relationships? Why can’t they just remember the good times and move on?”
“Twenty-odd years to be married to someone and not realise they’re gay…it kind of blows the mind. She would’ve been left doubting her abilities as a woman. I’m only guessing that’s what would have been running through her mind, not having been in the situation myself, of course.”
“These things happen, people need to learn to adjust and let the person go. There’s no point hanging on to someone who doesn’t want to be around, is there?”
“True enough. Has Laila been in touch with either of you lately?”
“No. We haven’t heard from her in a few months, not since the decree absolute came through. She rang and shouted down the phone, ‘Good riddance!’ It was pretty clear she wouldn’t want anything more to do with Robin. He told me that was a relief, as remaining friends with her after they’d been intimate all those years would have been a nightmare for him.”
“I see. Does she work? Have anything to occupy her mind now?”
“Not sure on the latter, but no, she’s never worked a day in her life.”
“That must’ve been hard on Robin, to be the sole provider in the house.”
“Yep, my thoughts exactly. I pay my way around here. I work full-time, you’ve caught me on my day off today. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love my independence. Not her, that’s why she begged him to stay, even after he came out to her. She pleaded with him to make it work with her.”
“She sounded desperate.”
“My sentiment exactly. And desperate women are prone to doing desperate things, right?”
“Occasionally. I’d rather not cast aspersions at this stage. We’ll need to speak with her to get her side of things first.”
He stared and narrowed his eyes. “Typical, women sticking together. Don’t take my word for it, will you?”
“DC Simpkins has noted everything down in her notebook. If we have to refer back to it during our conversation with her, we will. Have either you or Robin encountered any other problems recently?”
“No. We’re careful who we mix with. The only time Robin has been out of my sight was when he attended his old friend’s funeral last week.”
Katy’s interest soared. “Funeral? The name of the person who died was?”
“Bruce Crawford.”
“And they were close, were they?”
“Many years back. They’d lost contact with each other over the years, and he was surprised when he’d received the call from Bruce Crawford’s daughter saying her father was being buried, inviting him to attend.”
“Nadia?”
“I think that was her name. Why? What does this have to do with Robin’s death?”
“It might be nothing; however, Robin’s death is the third case we’ve stumbled across where the victims all knew each other.”
“No! What are you saying?”
“That something might have gone on in the men’s history that we need to get to the bottom of. Did Robin ever speak about anything?”
“No, nothing. We were happy, content to be with each other. We focused on the good things in life instead of anything bad.”
“What was his reaction to Bruce’s death? Did you notice a change in him at all?”
His gaze drifted to the photo on the dresser by the far wall and he sighed. “I suppose looking back on it, he did seem a little subdued. I didn’t press him, put it down to him mourning an old friend and a close friendship, nothing more.”
“I see. What about a Dale Peters, did he ever mention him?”
He leaned a hand against his face and thought. “I don’t think so, it’s not a name I recognise, sorry. Why do you ask?”
“He’s the other victim I mentioned, another gentleman whose murder we’re trying to solve at this time.”
“And you think there’s a connection?”
“Yes, at least that’s our understanding. How they knew each other is the one thing we’ve yet to figure out.”
He shrugged. “Are you suggesting they were more than just friends who went out socialising together, is that it?”
Katy shrugged back. “It’s all a bit foggy, and we need to obtain a clearer image if we’re going to solve the cases.”
“Hadn’t you better get out there? Aren’t you wasting time being here?”
“I wouldn’t call it a waste of time, Nicky. It was our job to inform you of your partner’s death, which we’ve done. Are you sure there’s nothing in Robin’s past that he has revealed to you that you think would help our investigation?”
“Nope. I’d definitely be considering Laila.” He twisted a finger into his temple. “She’s always been a bit unhinged in my eyes. Worth doing an in-depth into her life.”
“We’ll definitely be doing that in the next day or two.”
“You haven’t told me how he died? I can take it, you know, the truth.”
“He was beaten with something heavy. Anything more than that, I can’t tell you, not until the post-mortem has been performed, which should take place today, all being well.”
He visibly shuddered and sucked in a breath. “Does he have to be cut open? Can’t they examine him without slicing him up?”
“The pathologist has to do it, I’m afraid. Any suspicious deaths need to be investigated thoroughly.”
“Will I be able to see him?”
“Once the PM is out of the way, the pathologist’s department will ring you to make all the necessary arrangements for you to see him. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“We’d made plans to get married next year. We were in the process of saving up to fly out to Las Vegas. Both of us have always wanted Elvis to marry us.” He held his head in his hands and sobbed.
“I’m so sorry. Is there someone you’d like me to call to come and be with you?”
“No, I’m not really one to air my feelings in public. I’ll get through this; it might take me a while. He was a wonderful man. So giving with his time, his patience was second to none, and his love knew no bounds. I shall miss him. Mr Pip and I will get through this together, though. We’re tough, resilient buggers. I think we are, yes, we are, we will survive. I’m sure we will. Is there anything else you need to ask?”