A Knot of Sparrows

by Cheryl Rees-Price

  ‘Yeah, I’ve run a search of the combination but haven’t come up with much. An operating manual for a thermostat, recycling data reference and a nursery provider.’

  ‘Really useful,’ Blackwell said.

  ‘You got any better ideas?’ Edris asked.

  ‘Maybe it’s some sort of social media reference,’ Paskin said.

  ‘Could be,’ Meadows agreed. ‘It is worth looking into.’

  ‘Or it could be initials, with the 17 referring to Stacey’s age,’ Valentine suggested.

  ‘Can’t see many people whose surname starts with a V,’ Blackwell said.

  ‘Reena Valentine,’ Edris said. ‘Have you got a middle name Valentine?’

  ‘Elizabeth.’

  They all turned to look at Valentine.

  ‘Only joking. It’s Amita.’ She smiled.

  ‘I can’t see the killer being dumb enough to use his initials,’ Blackwell said.

  ‘I agree,’ Meadows said. ‘As I doubt that Stacey’s killing was random, it has to be someone who knows the area well and the footpath. They would also know that Stacey took that route.’

  ‘What about the missing doctor from Gaer Fawr?’ Edris asked.

  ‘Not this again,’ Blackwell said.

  ‘Well, it could be him: he disappears, then kills Stacey and is hiding out.’

  ‘And the motive?’ Blackwell asked.

  ‘Dunno, but it’s just a thought.’

  ‘Okay, we’re diverging too much,’ Meadows said. ‘Items found at the scene: Stacey’s handbag, phone, and clothing. Several butt ends from joints. We found a bag of weed in Stacey’s bedroom; it’s likely that she used that area of the footpath so she wouldn’t be caught smoking. Fibres and hair were found on the body and scrapings taken from under her nails. There is also the video posted online of Stacey having sex with some unknown off the footpath, the locals refer to it as the Cwm.’ He moved to his desk and the team followed and gathered around the computer. ‘Tech didn’t have too much trouble getting the video, but it will take longer to trace who posted it.’ He clicked the icon and a film started playing.

  The footage shook at first, with the subject going in and out of focus. It became steady as the person behind the camera stopped moving. Two people could be seen through the leafy frame. Stacey and a man with his back to the camera wearing joggers and a black hoodie. Stacey stood facing him, flicking her hair over her shoulder, and laughing. She then said something to the man, but the sound quality was too poor to make out any words. The man then pulled her towards his body, and they kissed. Stacey’s fingers snaked around the man’s neck and into his hair. They sank to the floor and the camera angle changed as though whoever was behind the camera had been crouching and now stood. The man fumbled with his clothes until he managed to pull down his joggers.

  ‘Are we supposed to identify him from his arse?’ Edris asked.

  ‘That’s all we’ve got,’ Meadows said as he paused the film. ‘I think you all get the idea. The man’s face is obscured the whole time.’

  ‘It looks like an older man,’ Valentine said. ‘Not someone her own age.’

  ‘I thought so too,’ Meadows said. ‘So our killer could be the one behind the camera, or the man in the video who doesn’t want to be found out. We talked to Stacey’s ex-boyfriend, Jack. He claims that she wouldn’t tell him who the other man was. The video was posted several times. It seems our camera man wanted to humiliate Stacey but wasn’t interested in the other party.’

  They moved away from the desk and back to the incident board.

  ‘Valentine, I’d like you to talk to the owner of the shop where Stacey worked. See if there were any problems over the past few weeks. Look at the CCTV footage to see if anyone came into the shop that Stacey was overly friendly with and who else was in the shop the evening she was killed.’

  ‘Paskin, could you check out all the social media. Especially look for any reference to the video.’

  ‘Blackwell, I’ll leave you to continue the investigation into the arson attack. Uniform are conducting house-to-house enquires. Edris and I will go to the school and talk to her friends. That’s all for now, thank you.’

  * * *

  Tregib School was situated seven miles from Gaer Fawr and catered for children aged between eleven and eighteen. The building was single storey, tucked away from the main road and surrounded by woodland. Meadows had rung the school before they left so a caretaker was waiting at the gates and waved them through. They were shown to Mrs Hughes’ office, headmistress of the school.

  ‘Thank you for seeing us,’ Meadows said.

  ‘I’m happy to help in any way I can. We’ve all been shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Stacey’s death. Please, take a seat.’ Mrs Hughes sat down behind a desk. She was a tall slim woman with sharp features and a pleasant smile. ‘We’re organising counselling for any of the pupils that knew Stacey well. We’re also talking to the whole school about being extra vigilant. Do you think there is a risk of this happening again?’

  ‘We are treating it as an isolated incident at the moment, but our advice would be to avoid secluded areas for the time being.’ Meadows sat and Edris pulled a chair closer to the desk and took out his notebook. ‘I don’t think you should be overly concerned for the safety of the pupils,’ Meadows added.

  ‘That’s good to hear. Of course we have very good security at the school.’

  ‘What can you tell us about Stacey?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘She was a lovely girl, a good student and popular among her peers.’

  ‘Had there been any problems recently? A drop in grades? Anything that would be cause for concern?’

  ‘No, not recently.’ Mrs Hughes straightened her shoulders and adjusted her cardigan. ‘About a year ago there was an allegation of bullying.’

  ‘Did Stacey make the allegation?’

  ‘No, the complaint was made against her and a couple of the other girls.’

  ‘Would that be Alisha Morgan and Shannon Dugan?’ Edris asked.

  Mrs Hughes raised her eyebrows. ‘Yes, how did you know?’

  ‘Their names came up in our enquiries,’ Edris said.

  ‘So Stacey and her friends were bullying other pupils?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘One girl in particular: Erin Kelly. Sadly, Erin took her own life.’

  ‘It must have been a sustained campaign of bullying. Poor girl,’ Meadows said.

  ‘We have a very strict policy on bullying here, and I can’t say I saw any evidence of bullying, but this was a serious allegation made by Erin’s mother, Sarah, after Erin’s death. I spoke to the girls along with their parents. The girls were upset by Erin’s death. To be fair I don’t think they should have been held accountable. There is always a bit of rivalry between teenage girls and – how shall I put it – bitchiness? I think poor Erin must have had some deep-rooted problems to do what she did. It was all very unpleasant at the time. Sarah came to the office on several occasions demanding that there should be some punishment for the girls. I don’t blame her, she was distraught. Eventually things calmed down.’

  ‘What about Erin’s father?’

  ‘He wasn’t around. Sarah raised Erin on her own. I can’t see that what happened to Erin would have any bearing on Stacey’s death.’

  ‘We’re trying to build a picture of Stacey’s life and we need to look at anything, no matter how small, that would make someone want to hurt Stacey.’

  ‘I see, well, there’s not much more I can tell you. I had a quick chat with all of Stacey’s teachers before you arrived. There was nothing out of the ordinary these past weeks and no cause for concern.’

  ‘You’ve been very helpful, thank you,’ Meadows said. ‘We would like to talk to Shannon and Alisha if they are in today.’

  ‘Yes, both girls are in. I’ll show you to the staffroom. It’ll be more comfortable for the girls to talk to you there. My office can be a little intimidating.’ Mrs Hughes smiled as she stood.

  The
staffroom was two doors down from the office and was empty when they entered.

  ‘Please, help yourselves to tea or coffee,’ Mrs Hughes said. ‘I’ll just check the girls’ timetables and fetch them; it shouldn’t take long.’

  ‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ Edris asked.

  ‘No, but you go ahead.’ Meadows sat down in one of the padded blue chairs and watched as Edris made himself a cup of coffee from the percolator. ‘I think it may be worth a visit to Sarah Kelly. Erin’s father would have a motive for killing Stacey.’

  ‘But it doesn’t sound like he’s in the picture,’ Edris said as he stirred the coffee.

  ‘Doesn’t mean he isn’t in the background somewhere. We need to find out if he had any contact with Erin.’

  Edris plonked down on a chair and took a sip of his coffee. ‘Erin died over a year ago. If Stacey’s murder is for revenge, why wait?’

  ‘I guess grief can eat at you over time. Then there’s the man in the video and the one filming. Erin’s father could have been stalking Stacey. Waiting for the opportunity.’

  ‘Or the man in the video could have been a teacher, he wouldn’t want it getting out that he was sleeping with a pupil.’

  ‘Good point.’

  The door to the staffroom opened and Mrs Hughes ushered two girls inside.

  ‘This is Shannon and Alisha, I’ve explained why you need to talk to them. Sit down, girls. Would you like me to stay?’ She turned to Meadows.

  ‘Please, if you wouldn’t mind.’

  Mrs Hughes took a seat and smoothed down her skirt. Meadows looked at the two girls. Shannon was curvaceous with her school uniform clinging tightly to her figure. Her hair was dyed the same shade of blonde as Stacey’s and the skin of her face was concealed beneath foundation. Alisha was petite with olive skin and long dark hair. Both girls were eyeing up Edris with interest.

  ‘We just need to ask you a few questions about Stacey,’ Meadows said. ‘We understand you were friends with her.’

  ‘We’ve been friends since nursery school.’ Shannon turned her attention to Meadows.

  ‘This must be very difficult for you.’ Meadows had expected the girls to be tearful, but they were composed. He wondered if Stacey had been the influencer out of the group.

  ‘I wanted to stay at home,’ Alisha said, ‘but my mum thought it best I come to school and be with my friends.’

  ‘We’re organising a candlelit vigil for Stacey this evening,’ Shannon said.

  ‘It will be in the school grounds,’ Mrs Hughes said. ‘We thought it would be good for the pupils here to have a place to pay their respects in a safe environment.’

  ‘We wanted to do it down the Cwm, but we weren’t allowed,’ Shannon said.

  ‘How was Stacey these past few weeks?’ Meadows asked. ‘We understand that she had an argument with her boyfriend, Jack.’

  The girls exchanged a look before Alisha spoke. ‘Yeah, Jack has been a dick.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘Just… you know, not speaking to her, whispering and laughing with his mates every time he passed her.’

  ‘And this was because of the video that was posted on Facebook?’

  Shannon looked at Mrs Hughes and bit her lip and Alisha found a thread on her skirt and started pulling at it.

  ‘It’s okay, girls, it’s best you tell the detectives anything you know. You’re not going to get into any trouble,’ Mrs Hughes said.

  ‘Yeah,’ Shannon said. ‘He was pissed when he saw it. Everyone saw it. Jack was really angry, he called her a slut, and his stupid mates were laughing. Stacey went to the nurse’s office and went home sick. She didn’t come to school for two days. The video kept getting posted and it was being shared.’

  ‘Did she tell you who the guy in the video was?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘No, she wouldn’t say,’ Alisha said. ‘We kept on asking her, but she said she didn’t want to get him into trouble.’

  ‘So it wasn’t someone from school?’

  ‘No. Someone older, married we think,’ Shannon said.

  ‘Why do you think that?’

  ‘She said she was bored with the boys from our year and the sex was amazing with this guy. I guess older men know what they are doing.’ Shannon glanced at Edris.

  Mrs Hughes raised her eyebrows but didn’t comment.

  ‘Do you know who took the video?’

  ‘No,’ Alisha said. ‘It looked like a fake profile. You see them all the time. Just some random pictures and no friends.’

  ‘Did Stacey suspect anyone? Someone from school?’

  ‘Well, we thought it could be fuck-a-duck, he’s always hanging around.’

  ‘Shannon!’ Mrs Hughes tutted.

  ‘And that is?’ Edris asked.

  ‘Donald Hobson. He’s in our maths class.’

  ‘Why do you think Donald posted the video?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘He’s always following and watching us,’ Alisha said. ‘Not just in school. He turns up everywhere. He probably fancied Stacey.’

  ‘Did you see Stacey on Tuesday night?’

  ‘No, she was on the bus, then she went straight home because she had work,’ Shannon said.

  ‘I don’t live in Gaer Fawr,’ Alisha said. ‘We only hang out at school and at weekends.’

  ‘Do you often use the public footpath, the Cwm, in Gaer Fawr?’

  ‘Yeah, there’s nothing much else to do. We chill in the field or down by the river,’ Shannon said.

  ‘Did Donald ever go with you?’

  ‘Hell no,’ Alisha said. ‘We’ve seen him down there creeping around.’

  ‘Now, girls, I don’t think you’re being fair,’ Mrs Hughes said. She turned to Meadows. ‘Donald is a little introvert, he doesn’t make friends easily. He was good friends with Erin, and he took her death hard. He’s been a bit of a lost soul since.’

  ‘A freak,’ Shannon said.

  ‘That’s enough,’ Mrs Hughes said.

  ‘Did Donald blame Stacey for Erin’s death?’ Edris asked.

  ‘Yeah, he called us all bitches,’ Alisha said.

  ‘Did he make any threats?’

  ‘No, well, he said we would all burn in hell,’ Shannon said.

  ‘Okay, thank you for talking to us,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Right, girls, you can go back to class,’ Mrs Hughes said.

  Once the girls had left, Mrs Hughes turned to Meadows. ‘That was a bit of an eye opener.’

  ‘I can imagine,’ Meadows said with a smile.

  ‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’

  ‘Yes, I’d like to talk to Donald.’

  ‘I’m afraid he isn’t in school. He hasn’t been in since Tuesday.’

  Chapter Seven

  Donald sat on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. He wore a striped dressing gown over his T-shirt and joggers, but he still felt cold. He hadn’t been able to eat or sleep since Tuesday. His stomach felt hollow. He wished he could just lie under his duvet and sleep, escape his thoughts for a few hours. It was like a film playing on repeat, he couldn’t get rid of the images or quieten his mind. It felt so crammed in his head he thought it would explode. He’d taken a walk hoping the fresh air would make him feel better, it had for a while, but the dark thoughts and feelings soon crept back, and fear covered him like a blanket of lead.

  A knock at the front door made him jump. He got up and peered through the curtains. He could see the tops of the heads of two men, he pulled back quickly not wanting to be seen. He crept to his bedroom door and opened it a few inches. Just enough so he could hear. His mother answered the door, and he heard the men introduce themselves.

  ‘We’d like to speak to Donald,’ one of them said.

  Donald felt his chest constrict, and his heart thumped unnaturally loud, pulsating in his ears. He heard his mother saying that he wasn’t well. Maybe they would go away, and he wouldn’t have to face them, he thought. But no, she was letting them in, their voices drifting into the sitt
ing room.

  ‘Donald love, can you come downstairs for a minute?’

  His mother’s words brought with them a wave of panic. He felt heat creep over his body and prickle his skin. He tore off his dressing gown and forced himself to breathe. They must be talking to everyone, he thought. Unless they had spoken to Alisha and Shannon. They would point at him, any reason to make his life hell.

  ‘They don’t know anything,’ he whispered. He found speaking out loud to himself often made him feel calmer.

  ‘Donald?’

  ‘I’m coming.’ He shuffled across the landing then took the stairs slowly. There were no voices coming from the sitting room now. When he entered he saw two men sitting on the sofa, his mother was sat in her usual armchair. All were looking at him.

  ‘Hello Donald, I’m Detective Inspector Meadows, and this is Detective Edris. I’m sorry to have got you up from bed. We just want to ask you a few questions about Stacey.’

  ‘I didn’t kill her.’ He hadn’t meant to say that. He looked from Meadows to Edris then to his mother. ‘I didn’t.’ He could feel the blood rushing to his head, he felt dizzy.

  ‘Of course you didn’t,’ his mother said. ‘Don’t get yourself worked up now. Come and sit down.’

  Donald perched on the arm of the chair where his mother sat. It wasn’t comfortable but there was nowhere else to sit, he looked down at the floor, but he could still feel the detectives’ eyes upon him.

  ‘It’s okay, Donald, you’re not in any trouble. We are talking to everyone who knew Stacey,’ Meadows said.

  Donald didn’t trust himself to speak. The room had too many people in it for his comfort. He didn’t like to feel crowded and strangers made him nervous. His mother had lit the gas fire and it felt like the flames were licking his skin.

  ‘Would you rather speak to us on your own?’ Meadows asked.

  Donald looked at his mother. She didn’t look at all worried. He decided he felt safer with her staying. She would know what to say and wouldn’t let them bully him.

  ‘No, Mum can stay.’ He brushed away the hair that had fallen into his eyes.