by M A Comley
Kayli thumped her thigh. “Damn, I know we had an inkling that was going to be the case. However, the reality hurts when it hits.”
“What’s that?” Dave said, barging through the doors on his crutches.
“The DNA is a no-go for Young.”
“Shit. Umm... that’s nothing compared to what I’ve just heard downstairs.”
Kayli blew out a breath and perched on the desk behind her. “Okay, I know I’m not going to like the sound of this. What have you heard?”
“I was walking through the reception area when I heard the desk sergeant mention the name Young. I stopped to wait and see what the outcome was.”
She gestured with her hand for him to hurry up. “Come on, Dave. Get to the point, man.”
“Well, apparently it was the hospital ringing to inform us that Mrs. Young took a tumble down the stairs last night. She’s in hospital with a broken hip.”
“Damn, shit and blast! Oh, fuck! That’s all we frigging need,” Kayli replied, rubbing the back of her neck.
“Not good news, eh?” Dave replied.
Kayli let out a frustrated breath. “We should have released him last night. The onus lies on my shoulders—no one else’s. Got that?”
Dave shook his head. “It’s hardly your fault, boss. You were just following procedures,” he stated, trying to make her feel better.
“Thanks, Dave, but I know that’s bullshit.” She looked up at the clock on the wall. At twenty past eight, it would be too soon to catch the DCI. “I’ll need to see Davis at nine, make her aware of this before she hears it from someone else. Right... thinking caps on, guys. First of all, I need to sanction Young’s release. I’ll organise a patrol car to take him to the hospital to be with his mother, to make amends for screwing up. I can see me getting pulled over the coals for this.”
“Nonsense. You’re overthinking this, boss,” Dave said, dropping into his chair.
“I wish I had your faith. I’ll be in my office until nine. I’m sure I’ll get summoned then anyway.” She heaved herself off the desk and walked over to the vending machine. “Anyone else wants to join me in drowning their sorrows in a cup of coffee?”
Both Dave and Donna nodded, no hint of a smile on either of their faces.
“Hey, guys, there’s no need for you to feel glum. Your necks will be safe. I can assure you of that.”
“Look, if you go down for this, then we go with you, not that I can foresee you getting into bother for carrying out procedures,” Dave insisted, placing his hands on his head and leaning back in his chair.
Kayli distributed the coffee and went into her office. She picked up the phone and rang reception. “Ray? It’s DI Bright. Dave’s just informed me about Young’s mother. We better set him free. The DNA results have come back proving his innocence anyway.”
“Very well, ma’am. I’ll action that request immediately.”
“Thanks, Ray. Look, as a goodwill gesture, can you organise a lift to the hospital for him?”
“Of course I can.”
“Thanks. If he starts kicking up a fuss, give me a shout, and I’ll come down and speak to him.”
“I’m sure everything will be fine, ma’am. Leave it with me.”
Kayli ended the call and took a long swig of her coffee. Looking at the post that had miraculously appeared overnight on her already-cluttered desk, she groaned. “Why do they heap so much crap on us? How are we supposed to rid the streets of criminals if we have to contend with this dross day in, day out?” Receiving no answer from above, she ripped open the first letter, scanned the contents, sorted it, and moved on to the next.
Five minutes later, her landline rang. “Hello. DI Bright. How can I help?”
“Sorry, ma’am. It’s Ray on reception. Would you mind coming down for a moment? Mr. Young is insisting on having a word with you.”
Kayli groaned. “I thought he might. I’m on my way.”
She pushed back her chair and rushed through the incident room and down the stairs. In reception, she found Young pacing, his face flushed with anger.
“You wanted to see me, Mr. Young?”
He laughed. “You swan in here as if everything is okay. Yes, I demanded to see you. I want to make it perfectly clear why I intend coming after you for inept policing, Inspector. Right from the outset, I categorically told you that I had nothing to do with Sarah’s death, but you chose to ignore me. The upshot of that is that you took me away from caring for my dying mother—now look what’s happened. She’s writhing around in pain in the hospital. She wouldn’t have been in this predicament had I been there looking after her. I blame you for the extra suffering she’s incurred, and I won’t let this rest until you’re at least demoted.”
“What can I say, except to give you my sincere apologies? I was merely carrying out my job, Mr. Young. Maybe if you hadn’t lied about your whereabouts from the beginning, perhaps I would have released you last night, giving you the opportunity to care for your mother. Perhaps you should look closer to home before you start striking out and blaming others, Mr. Young.”
“That’s bollocks, and you know it! I hope you’ve got a good solicitor. You’re going to need one,” he shouted.
Just then, a draught from the front door wafted through the reception area, and in walked DCI Davis. She frowned, eyeing up the situation, before her gaze landed on Kayli. “May I ask what’s going on here?”
Young stepped towards the DCI, making her retreat a little. “I’ll tell you what’s going on. This so-called inspector banged me up in a cell despite me telling her I was innocent of the crime she reckons I committed. During my stay in the cell, my frail, cancer-riddled mother fell down the stairs at home because no one was there to care for her. Who are you?”
The DCI’s shoulders arched back. “I’m DCI Davis, Inspector Bright’s senior officer.”
“Good. I’m glad I have the chance to speak to you. To warn you. There will be a charge of negligence dropping on your desk within the next few days.”
“I’ll look forward to seeing that, sir. Sorry, who are you?”
Kayli almost sniggered at the DCI’s comeback.
“I’m Gary Young. Remember that name. You’re going to be hearing a lot of it in the future. I won’t let this rest until that bitch is stripped of her rank. You hear me? All of you will rue the day you threw me in a bloody cell.”
“I’ll be sure to look out for your letter, Mr. Young. I think it’s time you left our station now, don’t you?”
“I’ve arranged for a patrol car to take you to the hospital, Mr. Young,” Kayli announced with a taut smile.
“You can stick your offer up your arse. I’ll hail a taxi instead.”
Kayli shrugged. “As you wish. Goodbye, and once again, I’m sorry regarding your mother’s accident.”
He grunted, barged past the DCI, almost spinning her a hundred and eighty degrees, and stormed out of the building.
“Well, that was a rude start to my morning. I think we should have a chat in my office ASAP, Inspector, don’t you?”
Kayli gulped. “I’ve been waiting for you to arrive, ma’am. I had every intention of bringing you up to date on the case first thing.”
“Good. Walk with me.”
The silence as they walked up the stairs and along the long corridor to the DCI’s office, was the worst form of torture Kayli could think of in the circumstances. The DCI said hello to her secretary, Fiona, before she entered her office. “Take a seat. Do you want a coffee?”
“No, thank you, ma’am. I’ve just had one,” Kayli replied, sinking into the chair in front of the DCI’s desk.
DCI Davis spent the next few minutes ignoring Kayli while she dealt with her morning post. Kayli felt her insides clench uncomfortably. She crossed and uncrossed her legs constantly until DCI Davis’s gaze eventually locked with hers.
“Now, perhaps you’d care to tell me what the hell I walked in on this morning, Inspector? Is that man innocent or guilty of killing the victi
m?”
Kayli swallowed noisily. “At the time we arrested him, everything pointed to him carrying out the crime, ma’am.”
“Everything? Care to enlighten me what you mean by that?” Davis sat back in her chair and picked up a pen which she began to tap on the pile of paperwork.
“We had proof that he was in the vicinity of the victim’s flat via ANPR cameras. He’s in the navy, ma’am, and is usually based in Plymouth, so we deemed that information to be a vital clue to the case.”
“I see. I think I would come to the same conclusion given the evidence.”
“I interviewed him with his solicitor last night. At first, he denied being anywhere near his ex-girlfriend’s flat. Which raised my suspicions and led me to throwing him in the cell overnight while we awaited the DNA results. Unfortunately, they came back this morning and were negative.”
“That is unfortunate. In that case, I can totally understand the man’s anger. Especially if his mother was seriously injured in his absence.”
“When we called at the address yesterday, I made sure the mother wasn’t left alone. Mr. Young visited his neighbour and asked her to sit with his mother while he accompanied us to the station for questioning. I did everything by the book. I can only assume that the neighbour went about her business after a few hours and left the poor woman alone. I feel incredibly guilty about his mother taking a tumble, but there was very little I could have done to prevent it. I did my best in the circumstances. Maybe if Young had been honest with us from the outset, we wouldn’t be in this mess now.”
The DCI nodded and looked pensive. “This situation isn’t going to go away. I believe he will live up to the threats he issued downstairs. Even more so if his mother dies.”
Kayli held her head in shame. “Not sure I could have done things any differently, ma’am. My main priority was to try and get a killer off the streets ASAP. That kind of backfired on me.”
Davis banged her hand on the desk, forcing Kayli to look up at her. “I will not have self-pitying in this room, Inspector. You did your job to the best of your ability, correct?”
“Yes, of course that’s correct, ma’am.” Davis’s gaze held Kayli’s for a long time, reaching deep into her soul. “Is there an inference in there that I’m missing, ma’am?”
Davis placed her pen on the desk then started clicking the thumb and forefinger together on her right hand. “How are things at home?”
Kayli raised a finger and wagged it from side to side. “No way. I refuse to let anyone pin this on me as if I’ve been distracted with my home life.”
“Calm down. I wasn’t inferring anything of the sort. I was merely asking the question. If it makes you feel any better, if I were in your shoes, I would be frantic, going out of my mind with worry.”
“I am concerned about Mark. I’d be pretty heartless if I wasn’t. It hits me more when I’m at home. Saying that, when I’m here, I give my all to the job, the same as I’ve always done, ma’am.”
“Have you heard any news at all?”
“Nothing. My brother is dealing with the issue. He’s in constant contact with the security firm out in Afghanistan. They’re doing their best to try and find out where the bastards are keeping him—if Mark is still alive, that is—but they’ve heard nothing since he was abducted.”
Davis shook her head. “That’s appalling. I certainly feel for you, Inspector. Look, if you need time off to work through your emotions, don’t hesitate to ask me. Are you due any holiday?”
“I’ll be fine. I’d rather be here than at home. I have a couple of weeks outstanding that I need to use before the end of the year. I was hoping I could carry them over to next year if I don’t use them up.”
“We’ll see. You know how I usually feel about that type of request. Sometimes it’s hard enough squeezing five weeks holidays in, let alone carrying over any extra. You know head office’s motto on that, ‘use it or lose it’.”
“I know. It was worth a shot. Maybe if we hear some good news about Mark, I can take a few weeks off when he finally comes home.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Right, now bugger off and leave me to get on with my day.”
Kayli smiled at the DCI and rose from her chair. “Thank you, ma’am. For backing me when I need it.”
“Always. You’re an excellent copper, Inspector. Now go find the person responsible for robbing that poor woman of her young life.”
“Aye, aye, ma’am. I’m sure going to do my best. One last thing I need to bring to your attention, ma’am.”
DCI Davis frowned. “Go on.”
“Mr. Abel, the victim’s father, is a solicitor.”
“Well, that’s just put the cherry on top. Okay, thanks for the warning.”
Kayli left the room, feeling relieved that the meeting had gone better than she had anticipated. She made her way back to the incident room and called for the team’s attention. “Listen up, guys. Looks like there is a storm brewing with regard to Mr. Young. He threatened all sorts downstairs—in front of the DCI, I hasten to add. That’s where I’ve been, in her office, having the riot act read to me.”
“What? You can’t be serious?” Dave said, shaking his head in disgust.
“Deadly serious. Young is like a wounded animal, ready to lash out at anyone standing in his way. He has a right, I suppose. Although in my defence, I made sure his mother wasn’t left alone at the property when we arrested him.”
“That’s it then. No need for you to be worried. Is the chief concerned by what she heard?”
“She says she isn’t, but deep down, I’m not so sure.”
“So, if he’s innocent, where do we go from here?” Dave asked.
Kayli tucked a stray hair behind her ear and stared at the whiteboard, hoping to find inspiration. “We need to visit Sarah’s workplace. A few things have come to light that need further investigation. The problems she had with a certain DJ, and also what Young witnessed—the kiss that took place between Sarah and Danny Talbot.”
“Funny that he never mentioned that when we spoke to him previously,” Dave said.
“Would you mention it if I showed my appreciation of you giving me a lift by kissing you on the cheek? He probably didn’t think anything of it.”
“You’ve got a point there although we don’t know it was on the cheek.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The receptionist at the radio station greeted them with a glistening, toothy smile. “Hello there. How may I help you?”
Kayli flashed the redhead her warrant card. “We’d like to see the person in charge, if he’s available?”
“Of course. Can I tell him what your visit is in connection with?”
“The death of one of your colleagues, Sarah Abel.”
The woman’s eyes nearly dropped out of her head, and her cheeks flushed with colour. “Yes, right away. Dreadful, dreadful incident.”
The woman’s hand shook as she placed the call to a Mr. Jackson. She hung up and smiled again. “He’ll be with you in a second or two. Please, take a seat.”
“Thanks, we’ll stand. Did you know Sarah well?”
“Only in passing, really. We’ve had a few conversations over the years but nothing that in depth. Very sad that I won’t see her cheerful disposition around here anymore. She was a lovely lady, always had a cheery smile. Hard to believe that she’s no longer with us.”
“We’ve heard nothing but good things about her. You didn’t have any deep conversations about what might have been troubling her before her death then?”
“No. I wouldn’t really say we were that close.”
“That’s a shame.” Kayli made a circle with her finger and lowered her voice, “Nothing going on around here—with her male colleagues perhaps—that you can tell us about?”
The receptionist’s mouth turned down at the sides, and she shook her head. “Not that I know of. Mr. Jackson will be able to fill you in more about that when you see him.”
“Thanks.”
&nb
sp; A suited man with black hair going grey at the sides stepped out of an office and walked towards them. “I’m Harry Jackson. You wanted to see me?”
Kayli showed him her ID. “DI Kayli Bright, and this invalid is my partner, DS Dave Chaplin,” she replied, hoping to break the ice between them before she got down to the nitty-gritty questions that she had a feeling would be causing the man some discomfort.
“Pleased to meet you. Would you like to come through to my office?”
Kayli nodded, and she and Dave followed the man up the hallway. Pictures of several DJs wearing headphones, surrounded by equipment, adorned the walls. In his office, Mr. Jackson pulled another chair in front of the desk. Kayli sat down and waited for Dave to struggle into the seat beside her and ready his pen and notepad before she spoke. “Thank you for seeing us at such short notice. We really appreciate it, Mr. Jackson.”
“You’re welcome. I take it your visit here today means that you haven’t caught the person who... took Sarah’s life yet?”
Kayli shook her head. “No. Not yet. How well did you know Sarah?”
“As well as I know any of my staff, I suppose. Each of them have a particular role around the station, and if they do their job correctly, I tend to leave them to it. Only really pull them into the office if they’re underperforming.”
“By that, I take it you mean that Sarah was good at her job and you rarely had anything to do with her, right?”
“That’s correct,” he replied, sitting upright in his chair.
“Okay. Perhaps you can enlighten me about an incident that has come to our attention, involving Sarah and one of the DJs?”
His gaze drifted between her and Dave, and he chewed the inside of his mouth.
“Mr. Jackson? It would be better if you were honest with us. We could always conduct this interview down at the station if you’d rather?”
“No. Here is fine. I really don’t want to drop any of my staff in the shit, Inspector.”
“You won’t be. May I remind you that we’re conducting a murder enquiry? People’s feelings really don’t come into this. What do you know?”
His chest expanded as he inhaled a large breath, then he let it out slowly. “A few months ago, Sarah reported an incident, which I was forced to deal with.”