by M A Comley
“Go home. I’ll ring you tomorrow, once I’ve spoken to your mother.”
The girls, having now calmed down, passed Katy and went back into the lounge.
“Jesus, it’s hard to contemplate what hell that woman has been living through all these years,” Charlie leaned in to whisper.
“True, but it doesn’t alter the fact that she should have spoken up sooner, Charlie. Two wrongs don’t make a right, especially where murder is concerned.”
“I hear you. So, who do you think is killing off these men?”
“Who do you think?” Katy had her suspicions, however, she wanted to hear Charlie’s take on it.
“Are all the men dead? Could it be someone else was there that night and he’s killed the others? Maybe someone threatened to expose them all.”
“While it’s a good theory, I’m inclined to believe I’ve been right all along.”
“No! You still think it’s Nadia?”
“Yep. Let’s get Amy back to the station. She can spend the night in the cell, we’ll question her tomorrow.”
“What about Nadia?”
“I need to have a word with the chief first thing in the morning. If he backs up my theory then we’ll bring her in for a taped interview.”
“What a mess.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Let’s get a wriggle on.” She glanced at her watch. It was ten minutes after midnight, which depressed her. Another night of not tucking her child up in bed.
As if reading her mind, Charlie rubbed her arm. “There will be other nights.”
“Will there? It’s been a hell of a week thus far. Come on, there’s no point in me being maudlin about this.”
They left the house, accompanied by Amy Bird, and returned to the station. The desk sergeant said he wanted a word with Katy once she was free. Thinking that Amy wasn’t about to kick up a fuss, Katy let Charlie deal with booking her in with the custody sergeant.
“All right, Ray, let me have it.”
“It’s about the car, ma’am.”
Katy’s interest piqued, swiping her weariness aside. “What about it?”
“We found it abandoned on a trading estate.”
“Bugger. Get it picked up and sent to SOCO. Let’s get the damn thing checked over, see what shows up.”
“Already actioned, I figured you’d want that.”
“Great stuff, thanks, Ray.” Katy trudged upstairs to her office, debating on the journey whether she should call Roberts or not. She decided against the idea in the end.
Charlie joined her ten minutes later.
“Coffee?” Katy asked.
“I’d love one.” Charlie flopped into her chair and placed her head in her hands.
Katy deposited the coffee on Charlie’s desk. “You look cream-crackered, love. We’ll have this and call it a day.”
“We can’t. The killer is still out there.”
“Ah, but they’ve dumped the car. Ray on the front desk has just informed me. There’s little we can do around here tonight.”
“If you’re sure. My brain is still whirling, it’s just my body that’s tired.”
“I’m sure. It even crossed my mind to give the chief a call, but I dismissed that idea pretty swiftly.”
“Maybe speaking to him in the morning will have cleared any possible doubts away.”
“Doubts? I’m not sure I have any, Charlie, do you?”
Charlie blew at the steam escaping her cup and then took a sip. “I know you’ve said all along that you believe Nadia is the guilty party, but I’m not so sure.”
“Why?”
“I just don’t feel it’s right. I can’t tell you more than that.”
“Fair enough. What we need to find out is the identity of the final member of the group.”
“That’s true. Either he’s the guilty party or he might be able to point us in the right direction. But how are we going to locate him?”
“That’s what’s bugging me. I should’ve taken some photos of the people attending Crawford’s funeral. Shame I didn’t, we might have been able to save the other men’s lives.”
“Okay, we shouldn’t blame ourselves, and there’s a way around that.”
Katy frowned and jabbed a finger at Charlie. “Nadia would know, after all, she was the one who sent out the invites for her father’s funeral. Saying that, if she’s the killer, she’s hardly likely to give us the information, is she?”
“Catch-twenty-two situation. What if she’s not the killer? If she can tell us the man’s name, maybe we’ll be able to save him before the killer strikes again.”
“But you said yourself a few seconds ago that this man could be the one killing the others off.”
“So I did. Bloody complicated working blind, with no clues or evidence to lead us, isn’t it?”
Katy nodded. “Welcome to policing á la twenty-twenty where the criminals are getting smarter, some of them at least. We also need to fathom out why it’s taken twenty-four years for the killer to make their move. Why all these years?”
“I haven’t been able to get my head around that one yet, either. Something must have triggered them off to take this destructive route.”
12
Katy arrived back at the station at eight-thirty the following morning, worn out but buzzing about what lay ahead of her that day. She chanced her luck and called in at Roberts’ office before she stepped foot into the incident room. He was already at his desk.
“I’ll check to see if he’s accepting visitors this early, Inspector,” Trisha said, surprised to see her.
“Tell him it’s important, Trisha.”
She disappeared into Roberts’ office and closed the door. She emerged from the room a few seconds later and smiled at Katy. “Come through, Inspector. Can I get you both a cup of coffee?”
“That’d be lovely, thanks, Trisha,” Sean replied. “Sit down, Katy. Is something troubling you?”
“One or two things I need to run past you regarding the investigation, sir,” Katy said. She sat down opposite him, her leg muscles objecting during the movement.
Trisha entered with the drinks. She placed the tray on the desk, distributed the cups and saucers then left the room.
“Go on,” Roberts said.
Katy ran through how the previous evening had panned out, the fact they were now investigating yet another murder, plus she let him know about the revelation Amy had given her.
“Bloody hell. Well, she’ll go down for perverting the course of justice, won’t she?”
“No doubt about it, sir. While I feel sorry for her, there’s no way we can sit back and ignore what she and those men did all those years ago.”
“I agree. So, are you any nearer to knowing who the killer is?”
“Charlie and I have discussed it at length and came to the conclusion that there are two possibilities.”
“Which are?”
“My prime suspect throughout, Nadia Crawford, or we have to consider the possibility that the only man of the group in question who hasn’t been murdered yet is the one responsible.”
“And that person is?”
“Your guess is as good as mine on that one.”
“What about the wife, Amy, is it?”
“Yeah, she couldn’t tell me the bloke’s name either. The only way I’m going to find out is by interviewing Nadia, but then, if she’s the killer and is on a mission, is she likely to reveal his name if she has a score to settle?”
“Shitting hell. That is a terrible sodding dilemma for you to sort out.”
“Which is why I’m laying it at your door.”
Sean tipped his head back and laughed. “Right, so if you make the wrong call the onus lands on my desk, right?”
Katy grinned and then lifted her cup to take a sip of the richly roasted Colombian coffee she wished she was privy to more often than the vending machine shit she was forced to put up with. “I’m all ears.”
“I’m sure you’ll make the right decision come
the end, Inspector.”
She replaced her cup on its saucer. “Is that it? That’s the only pearl of wisdom forthcoming from your direction?”
“Yes. I believe in you. I don’t know how many more times I have to drum that into you, Katy Foster. Do what you deem necessary, and I’ll back you all the way.” He leaned forward to retrieve his cup and winced.
“Are you okay or just seeking my sympathy?”
He pulled a face at her. “Had that been your former partner sitting there saying that, I would have expected to hear that. You’ve let me down, Katy.”
She laughed. “Maybe she’s still around poking me with a stick sometimes.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now that wouldn’t surprise me one iota. So, your next step is going to be what?”
“Well, we have Amy Bird in custody, but I’m inclined to let her stew in a cell for a few more hours. In the meantime, I think we need to pull Nadia in for an interview. I guess the reason I’m here is to ask your permission to do that.”
Sean Roberts shook his head, his face darkening. “Bollocks, you do not want my advice, Katy. Do the right thing and bring her in, if that’s what you think is needed. All I would advise is being cautious with her. Take a step back and assess all the evidence you’ve managed to gather so far, ask yourself if she’s really capable of killing all these men and why.”
“Okay. As long as you don’t come down heavy on me if things go tits up.”
“I won’t.”
Katy finished her coffee and left the room. She collected Charlie, who was just removing her jacket and placing it on the back of the chair, and they left the station.
They stopped off at Nadia’s house first, just in case she was on a day off. Receiving no answer from the address, they made their way over to the hospital. It wasn’t an ideal situation in Katy’s mind, to show up at the woman’s place of work, but what was the alternative?
Nadia was dealing with a male patient when they stepped foot on the ward.
She smiled and walked towards them carrying a bedpan. “Let me get rid of this and I’ll be with you. I’m presuming you’re here to see me.”
“We are. Take your time,” Katy replied, keeping things light, not wishing to alarm the woman in case she decided to bolt. She didn’t have the strength in her legs to run after her if the notion emerged.
Nadia returned a few minutes later. “How can I help? Do you have news about my father’s death?”
“In a way, yes. We’re going to have to ask you to come with us to the station for an interview.”
Nadia took a step back and threw a hand against her chest. “Me? Why?”
“Certain things have come to light during our investigation, and we’d like to know what your perception of them is.”
“But I can’t leave here. I’m working, and we’re short-staffed as it is.”
“It’s okay. I’ll have a word with your superior for you. Where am I likely to find her?”
“In the office around the corner.”
“I’ll be right back.” She threw Charlie a look, telling her to keep a close eye on Nadia. Charlie nodded her understanding.
Katy knocked on the office door and spoke to a plump lady in a uniform. She flashed her ID and introduced herself. “Sorry to interrupt. I know you’re short-staffed, but would it be okay if we borrowed Nadia for a few hours?”
“That’s fine. We’re actually fully staffed today, for a change.”
“Ah, okay. Thanks for your assistance. We’ll get her back soon.” Why had Nadia said they were short-staffed?
The car was filled with a mixture of tension and silence on the return trip to the station. Katy had a word with the desk sergeant, asked him to try to locate a duty solicitor to oversee the interview, putting every precaution in place to cover Katy’s back should her plan backfire.
The solicitor arrived fifteen minutes later. The four of them got acquainted in Interview Room One. Charlie started the tape and said the usual verbiage to get the proceedings underway.
“Thank you for agreeing to join us today, Nadia. We’re hoping this interview won’t take long so you’ll be able to return to work shortly.”
“Anything to help capture my father’s killer, Inspector. I have to ask, is this usually how things are done? You dragging a member of the deceased’s family in for questioning?”
“Sometimes it’s necessary to get to the nitty-gritty of a story.”
“I see. I have nothing to hide, so please, can we just get on with it?”
“Very well. First of all, I have a list of names I’d like you to look over.” She pulled a sheet of paper from the file in front of her and slid it across the desk.
“Okay, what about them?”
“Perhaps you wouldn’t mind telling me who these men are and how you know them?”
“They’re all friends of my late father. I can’t say I know them much. Although I met most of them recently when they attended my father’s funeral. You were there, I believe.”
“We were. I see. And when was the last time you saw any of these men?”
“Not since the funeral. Why? I don’t understand why you’re asking me this.”
Her gaze held Nadia’s as she said, “This week, all these men have lost their lives.”
Nadia slammed back in her seat. “What? This can’t be right. How?”
“Ah, that’s where we’re hoping you come in.”
“I don’t understand…no, you don’t think I had anything to do with their deaths, do you?” Nadia sat forward. Her head swivelled between Katy and the solicitor. “She can’t put me in the frame, can she?”
The solicitor shrugged, dipped her head and continued to take notes.
“We’ll be asking you to verify where you were on certain dates. Of course, we’ll need to confirm your alibis, especially as some other interesting news has materialised overnight.”
“Are you going to tell me what that is?”
“Not yet.” Katy then ran through the approximate times of death and asked Nadia where she was on each occasion.
“Most of those murders took place during my shifts at work. I have a rota to back me up on that, too. I swear, I had nothing to do with these deaths. I’m devastated that you should be trying to put me in the frame for these murders, especially after losing my father recently. Are you determined to push me over the edge, is that it?”
“Not at all. Talking of which, have you had any form of psychiatric evaluation done in the past?”
“I think you must be the crazy one for suggesting such a thing. No, I haven’t. Do you seriously think I would be a nurse if I had mental issues?”
“It’s been known in the past. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of the Beverley Allitt case. She was a nurse on the prowl, wasn’t she?”
“She may well have been, but you’re forgetting one thing, Inspector.” Katy tilted her head. “She killed the patients in her care.”
“Fair enough. What I was referring to was the fact that she had a mental instability and yet she fooled those around her, her work colleagues and her superiors, in order to murder those poor children.”
Nadia shook her head slowly, her gaze dropping to the table. “You’re wrong.” A tear dripped and spread across the Formica surface.
“Am I? What really happened with your father the night of his death?”
“I found him like that. He was barely conscious. I did all I could to try to save him, that’s why I was covered in his blood, no other reason, I swear that’s the truth. You’re letting the killer get away, questioning me when they’re still on the loose out there. Why aren’t you listening to me? I’m innocent.”
“Either you or your sister, I can’t remember which of you, told me that your mother was dead. How did she die?”
“I don’t remember,” she muttered, her head still low.
“You must know. I remember a lot of insignificant things which happened in my life as a four-year-old. Are you telling me you’re unable to r
ecollect a significant detail such as how your mother died?”
“I can’t. Father refused to talk about it. If you don’t believe me, ask Penny, she’ll tell you. Penny, yes, ring her, she’ll verify what I’ve told you, I’m sure she will.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be contacting your sister soon enough.”
Nadia glanced up. “Good. Maybe you’ll believe her, if you’re not prepared to believe what I’m telling you.”
“What sort of upbringing did you have with your father?”
“Why?”
“I need to get some sort of background knowledge of your relationship. If I recall rightly, your sister had a fraught one with him, and she left home at the age of sixteen, and yet you remained in the house, why?”
“I had nowhere else to go.”
“It didn’t stop your sister from leaving.”
“She’s a stronger character than me.”
“Why do you perceive yourself as being a weak character, Nadia?”
“I just am.”
“Why? What happened twenty-four years ago?”
She shook her head, and another couple of tears dripped onto the table. “I can’t…don’t force me.”
Katy faced Charlie and raised an eyebrow. She turned back to Nadia and said quietly, “What happened?”
“I can’t…remember.”
Katy slammed a fist onto the table, scaring everyone, including herself. “Tell me. I know you’re keeping something from us.”
“I’m not…I don’t want to revisit…that time.”
“Your father has abused you throughout your life, hasn’t he?”
She nodded. “Yes. I had to do what he said, if I didn’t…”
“What? What would he have done to you, Nadia?”
She sighed, and her head collapsed onto her arms. “I don’t want to…please stop this…I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m being punished for his mistake. Please, don’t do this.”
“His mistake? Which was what?”
Nadia sobbed and ignored any further questions Katy put to her for the next five minutes. In the end, the solicitor called a halt to the interview.
“She needs a break. You’re browbeating her. What good will that do, Inspector?”
“I need answers. Four men are residing in the mortuary fridge because of her. I need to find out why.”