by M A Comley
“Ha, easy to say now she’s been caught. If she thought that much of Mick, how could she let him be tried for his wife’s murder? The logic buried in people’s minds astounds me at times. Okay, let’s get the case wrapped up. I’ll get on to the CPS, tell them what you guys have unearthed and get the ball rolling on Barratt’s release. Congratulations both of you, you nailed it.” She high-fived them both, delighted for all of them.
“Thanks, boss, it feels good knowing that our work will be setting an innocent man free,” Stuart replied.
Sally beamed, content that at least one of their ongoing cases had been solved.
Later that evening, after celebrating with a glass of wine, Simon and Sally were snuggled up on the couch, the TV off, making plans surrounding the move.
“Have you decided what you’re going to do with this place yet?”
Simon smiled. “I’m going to keep it. We should achieve a high rent on this one. I won’t let it out to just any old Tom, Dick or Harry, though. And no, that’s not me being snobby. This place should attract a quality renter.”
Sally had her doubts. Had they lived in the heart of London, then yes, she would be inclined to agree with him. This was sleepy Norfolk, not the bustling capital. However, the commute from London appeared to be attracting more and more business people to take a punt on the area.
“You’re quiet. What are your thoughts on it?” Simon asked.
Her mobile ringing on the table beside her put an end to their conversation. “It’s Brian, I should get this. Do you mind?”
“Go right ahead. Want a top-up?”
“I’d love one.” She tapped the button and said, “Brian, hi. You’re not still at work, are you?”
“Yep. Umm…I apologise for calling so late, thought you’d want to hear this first-hand.”
Something in his tone made her sit up. She placed her hand over her glass, preventing Simon from pouring extra wine in it. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. What’s going on?”
“I was called out to a scene this evening, another attempted break-in…” His voice trailed off.
“Okay, I’m not liking where this is leading. What are you saying? No, don’t tell me you’ve gone and caught the bastard?”
“Yes, boss. Umm…I think you need to come out here and see for yourself.”
“Shit! I can’t believe it. This is excellent news. I’m heading out the door now. Give me your location.”
He gave her the postcode of the address where he was, his tone subdued.
“I should be there in ten minutes. Don’t move.”
“I won’t. We’re not going anywhere. Drive carefully.” Brian ended the call.
“Oh God, sorry, Simon,” she called as she ran towards the car and pressed the key fob. “Duty calls. Brian has arrested a suspect. I have to go. You understand, don’t you?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me. Be aware of how much you’ve drunk tonight. Even one glass can alter your reactions and thinking.”
“I’ll be fine. Anxious to see who the bastard is. Brian was very cagey and refused to tell me. I’ll ring you when I can.” She waved and slipped behind the steering wheel.
During the journey, the witnesses’ faces ran through her mind. She tried to pluck a guilty name out of the mix but couldn’t.
When she arrived, the street was lit up with flashing blue lights. She spotted Brian standing at the end of the road, anxiously pacing the area awaiting her arrival, or so she presumed, unless something had gone drastically wrong.
She parked and shot out of the car. He rushed to meet her.
“Who is it?”
Brian shook his head. “You’ll see for yourself soon enough.” He held up an evidence bag, the contents of which was a latex mask. “He was wearing this.”
Sally shook her head. “Hence the reason the culprit hadn’t aged.”
They upped their pace and crossed the road to the patrol car. Brian appeared to be intent on getting in her way of viewing the suspect which only heightened her anxiety.
Once they reached the car, Brian yanked open the rear door and motioned for her to peer inside the vehicle.
She gasped and took a step back. “Jesus, you!”
The man grinned back through the bruises and cuts on his face. “You never suspected a thing, did you? I had you fooled from the very first day. Even that Falkirk had no idea. He was such a dickhead, it was easy to fool him.”
Sally stared aghast at Louie Pickrel.
She shook her head and turned to Brian. “Bloody hell. Has he hurt anyone?”
“The father caught him entering the child’s room. He heard a noise outside the house and dragged Pickrel out of the window as he tried to climb through it. They had a scuffle, the father won. He pinned Pickrel down on the ground and called the neighbour for help. The neighbour rang nine-nine-nine and assisted the father in keeping Pickrel secured. I ordered the father to get checked over at the hospital. He had a few cuts and a suspected broken nose.”
“Bloody hell. He’s to be admired for hanging on to him. Jesus, what in God’s name is Anna going to say?” She glanced back inside the car and witnessed a deranged smile pull Pickrel’s lips apart.
“It’s been joyful seeing her suffer all these years,” he stated in a weird singsong kind of voice.
“That’s why you killed your own sister? To put your own mother through hell? What kind of perverse excuse for a human being are you?”
His eyes had turned black, matching the evil twist to his mouth. Looking at him made her skin crawl. How the hell Anna was going to cope when she learned the news deeply concerned her. She was aware she needed to inform the mother right away before the camera crews she’d seen arriving had a chance to set up. “Get him out of here, Brian. This mob will have a bloody field day if they see him.”
He slammed the back door of the car shut, allowing them some privacy to speak. “I’ll go with them. I’ve arranged for uniform to take down the statements. Can I leave the mother to you?”
“Sure. I know this is predominantly your case; however, I’d like to be there when you interview him. Would that be okay?”
“I was going to suggest the same thing. If anything, I think you should take the lead during the interview.”
She forced out a smile. “Thanks, I appreciate that. I’ll drive over to the mother’s now and meet you back at the station in an hour or so, providing she doesn’t need me to stay with her longer than anticipated. I’ll keep you informed. Be careful of this one. Keep the cuffs on him. I wouldn’t put it past him to attempt an escape. Although he looks pretty resigned to his fate from where I’m standing.”
“I’ll watch him and rip him to shreds if he tries anything.”
She nodded and returned to her car. She scrolled back on the satnav to locate Anna’s address and selected it. Her heart thundered rhythmically against her ribs during the drive. She called Simon once she hit the main road. “I can’t talk for long. You’ll never guess who the killer was.”
“Who? No, wait, let me try. One of the old neighbours?”
“You’re so far off the mark with that one. We all were. It was the bloody son all along. Louie Pickrel.”
“No way! Seriously? Why?”
“To punish his mother apparently. I’m on my way to see her now and then I’m going back to the station to interview Pickrel. Don’t wait up for me.”
“What a sick shit. Christ, that’s totally unbelievable. Be careful when you question him.”
“Don’t worry. There will be another officer in the room as well as Brian.”
“Good. I’ll leave you alone now. See you later.”
“Love you, Simon. Thanks for understanding.”
“What’s there to understand? I know how important your career is to you, and rightly so.”
She smiled and blew him a kiss. Several minutes later, she arrived at Anna’s house. Her husband opened the door. He was surprised to see her there when she introduced herself, not having met him b
efore. He welcomed her into his home and led her through to the lounge where Anna was reading a book on the sofa. She peered over her half-rim glasses at Sally and gestured for her to take a seat on the couch.
Sally inhaled and exhaled a few deep breaths, preparing herself for what lay ahead. “Hello, Anna. I have some news for you.”
Anna placed her book across the arm of her chair and sat forward, alert and ready for Sally to continue.
Crap! I wish this was down to someone else. I’m about to break this woman’s heart in two for the second time in twenty years.
“I’m listening, Inspector. Have you discovered some evidence in Millie’s case?”
“No. It’s more than that. You’re aware of the murder of another little girl the other day?”
Anna nodded. “Yes, you came and informed us about that yourself. Have you caught someone? Is that what you’re about to tell me? Please, don’t keep me waiting any longer. I’ve spent the past nineteen years of my life praying that a police officer would utter the words ‘we’ve made an arrest’. If you have, please, tell me now.”
Sally nervously ran a hand over her face. “This evening a suspect was apprehended as he tried to break into a house. We fear he was about to kill one of the children inside the property.”
She gasped. “Gosh, I’m so glad you caught him before the parents had to go through the same torment I’ve suffered over the years.”
“Who is it?” Malcolm Forbes demanded, his eyes narrowing.
“I’m sorry to have to inform you that your son, Louie, was arrested this evening.”
Anna seemed confused for a split second. She recovered quickly to ask, “What? For what? No! You’re telling me he’s the one who…?”
Sally nodded. She glanced up at Malcolm for assistance. He took the hint and moved the book from the arm of the chair and sat next to his wife to comfort her.
“He did this?” Malcolm whispered, shocked.
Anna swiftly turned to look at him. “No. Not my Louie, he wouldn’t have done such a wicked thing. Not him, there must be a mistake.”
“There’s no mistake. I’m sorry, Anna. He was found at the scene wearing a mask, intent on fooling us. That mask matched the E-FITs we have. We’ve yet to interview him, but as soon as he was arrested, he admitted that he’d killed his sister.”
Tears streamed down Anna’s face, and her shoulders shook as she sobbed out one word, “Why?”
“All I can tell you at this stage is what he’s told me so far. He said he wanted to punish you. Do you have any idea what he meant by that, Anna?”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she shook her head slowly.
Malcolm threw an arm around his wife’s shoulders and hugged her to him. “Hush now. None of this is your fault. He’s lashing out because he was caught, love.” He glanced at Sally. “How sure are you that you’ve caught the right man?”
“One hundred percent sure. I came here to tell you the second he admitted it to me.”
“Oh God. What about our son, Callum? Do you think he was intending to hurt him?” Malcolm asked, a terrified expression chasing the concern away from his features.
Anna shrugged and asked, “What about Natalie? Does she know?” She snatched a tissue from the box on the coffee table and dabbed at her eyes.
“Not yet. I came straight here.”
Malcolm shook his head continuously as the news sank in. “That poor woman. She was oblivious to the fact she was sharing her bed with a murderer. What about the child? He told us he was going to call her Millie, if it was a girl. What a sick shit! Sorry, love, I know he’s your son, but bloody hell, he must be warped to even consider doing that.”
“He’s no son of mine, not if he’s guilty of killing my beautiful daughter. There’s no way back from this. I was mortified when I heard he and Natalie intended to call the baby Millie. I didn’t say anything to them, though. Maybe I was wrong not to do that. The bastard would have intentionally prolonged my punishment for years to come.”
“Christ, how could he do that to you? Hearing her name every day. Seeing the child, knowing there was a possibility it might resemble Millie. Like I said, he’s warped, and I’m glad you caught him, Inspector,” Malcolm said, his voice catching a little.
“I’m sorry it’s come as such a shock to both of you. I wanted to come and inform you myself at the earliest convenience. I’d better go now. My partner and I will be working late into the night so we can interview him ASAP.”
Malcolm squeezed Anna’s shoulders and left the arm of the chair.
Anna stared up at Sally and held out her hand. “Thank you. It might’ve taken the police nineteen years to have solved this mystery, but I knew, the first time I met you that you’d be the one to get to the truth.”
Sally shook the woman’s hand and did her hardest to hold back the tears threatening to fall. “I’m glad we got to the truth. Sorry it’s not the outcome either of us was expecting.”
“I hope they throw away the key for what he’s put me through over the years. I’ll force myself to see him one last time, in court. I want to see his face when the judge announces his sentence.”
“That’ll be a few months ahead of us yet. I’ll keep in touch, Anna.”
She nodded, and Malcolm showed her to the front door.
“Take care of her. She’s too calm right now. The raw emotions will strike when the news sinks in properly,” Sally warned.
12
Sally was exhausted. It was gone four in the morning, and Louie was intent on stringing the interview out.
He was a different man to the one she’d first met. His answers when they came were concise, measured and deliberate.
She asked the same questions for the umpteenth time. “Why? Was it envy, Louie? Were you jealous of the way your sister was treated?”
His gaze remained on her, a sneer etched into his features. Still he refused to answer the question.
“Your mother was under the impression that you loved your sister. Was it all a ruse? A sham? Were you biding your time? Had you always despised your sister? When did it first occur to you that you wanted to kill her?”
A grin developed on his evil face. His eyes boring into hers, he said proudly, “I knew the day she was born that she wouldn’t make old bones.”
“How could an innocent child cause so many damaging feelings?”
He shrugged.
“Does Natalie know? Have you ever confided in her?”
“Nope. She’s as much in the dark as the rest of you.”
“What would have happened to the child you’re expecting?”
His grin broadened. “If it’s a girl, she’ll be called Millie, to prolong my mother’s pain, and if it’s a boy, I would teach him everything I know.”
Her interest piqued. “Meaning what? How to kill?”
“Everything I know, Inspector,” he repeated.
Sally swallowed. What is he telling me, that Millie and Holly aren’t the only children he’s killed over the years? Are there more bodies out there? Other murders that remain unsolved? “There are others, aren’t there?”
His gaze became more intense, and a sparkle appeared in his black eyes.
“How many are we talking about? In this area?”
He glanced down at the table and then back up at her. He held up his hands. The only digit not extended was his right thumb.
“Nine others? Is that what you’re telling me?”
He nodded.
“For the recording, Mr Pickrel is nodding. Where?”
He smiled. “I’ve been a travelling salesman for years.”
Shit! I forgot all about that. The possibilities could be endless. How can I trust what he says? It might turn out to be yet another one of his mind games. Damn, you bastard!
“Going back to the night Millie was killed, what if the babysitter hadn’t been called away that evening? Would Millie have survived?”
“It was only a matter of time. If the opportunity had failed to
present itself that night, then another chance would have come my way soon enough. The bitch was on heat…”
“The bitch? You’re referring to your mother?”
“Of course. Bitches on heat end up sprouting more sprogs. She struggled to cope with the two she was raising. There’s no way she could’ve managed looking after another one.”
“Your mother did her best for you. She was entitled to go out and have a life of her own occasionally.”
“As long as she didn’t spread her legs. That was her downfall. Every time she met a man, she spread her legs and ended up pregnant.”
Sally didn’t respond. He was clearly delusional. As far as she could remember, Anna had gone out on a date the first time that night in possibly five years. There is no way she was willing to consider her as bad as some of the women she’d come across in her career. He was striking out, doing his best to make Anna look bad in everyone else’s eyes as well as his own.
“Why punish your mother when all she did was care for you kids?”
“To teach her a lesson.”
“A lesson?”
“She should have stuck with our father. Instead, I had to share my home with two needy women. I had to become the man of the house.”
“Ah, I understand now. You were rebelling because your childhood passed you by, that’s the real reason, isn’t it?”
“I wanted her to go through the turmoil of reliving that night for the rest of her life. She shouldn’t have been so selfish, going out on a date like that when she should’ve been caring for her children. What type of mother does that?”
“We’re going round and round in circles here. I’m going to bring this interview to an end. We’ll get some rest and begin again later.”
“If that’s what you want, Inspector. If I feel like speaking to you later.”
Sally shrugged. “We have your confession. You’ll be charged anyway.” She motioned for the constable to escort Pickrel from the room and then addressed the duty solicitor present.