A Knot of Sparrows

by Cheryl Rees-Price

  ‘The way she sees it is the worst has already happened in her life. If she is involved, she is very confident that we have nothing to tie her to the murders. She knows where Donald is, and I think it’s more than a clear out of Erin’s things. She has almost stripped the house.’

  ‘I thought that too. Maybe she’s planning on running away.’

  Meadows started the engine. ‘But with who? Not Bill Jones.’

  ‘The man with the tattoo?’

  ‘Possibly, but if he was with Sarah then why was he sneaking around with Stacey?’

  ‘Unless he was with Stacey first. She threatens to tell his wife. He gets talking to Sarah and they work out a way to solve both their problems,’ Edris said.

  ‘Yes, but it would need to be someone very close to Sarah for her to trust him.’

  ‘What about a brother? Everyone here seems to be related.’

  ‘Good point. Ask Paskin to check out Sarah’s family history and her work. See if she was working the night the doctor went missing and if it would be easy to leave for a few hours unnoticed.’

  ‘Are we going to see Tomos and Ellis John next?’

  ‘I want to go to Iris Hawkins’ house first. See where the doctor was heading the night he went missing.’ Meadows pulled the car away from the pavement as Edris called Paskin.

  Bill Jones was out in the field mending a fence close to the road when they passed. He held up his hand in greeting and Meadows returned the gesture.

  ‘Looks like you made a friend,’ Edris said.

  Meadows laughed. ‘Well, I need at least one in this village seeing as someone here was happy to knock me over the head.’

  Just before the cattle grid that led onto the mountain, Meadows stopped the car at the entrance to the track that led to Iris Hawkins’ house and got out. He walked part way down the track and looked around.

  ‘You can’t see much over these hedges and the house is quite a way down.’

  ‘Good place to grab the doctor without being seen,’ Edris said.

  ‘If Iris Hawkins claims she didn’t see the doctor that night then he would have been intercepted on his way down the track. So, I’m guessing the killer parked somewhere along here and waited so the doctor would have had to get out.’

  ‘So, where’s the doctor’s car?’ Edris asked.

  ‘That’s a good question. The killer could have knocked the doctor out, put him in the boot and driven him to the church then come back later for his car.’

  ‘Bit of a walk,’ Edris said. ‘Also risky for the doctor’s car to be seen at the church. Then he would have had to get rid of the car.’

  ‘So, we are back to two of them. Easier to tackle the doctor. It would have to be someone the doctor recognised and didn’t feel any threat from, or he wouldn’t have got out of the car.’

  ‘Could be Sarah Kelly. He would have got out for a woman. He wouldn’t have felt threatened. The killer hides and as soon as the doctor is out of the car he creeps up behind and hits the doctor over the head.’

  ‘One drives the doctor to the graveyard. The other drives the doctor’s car and disposes of it. They arrange a pick-up place. It’s late and dark so no one sees,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Do you want to call on Iris Hawkins, see if she heard any cars that night?’

  ‘No, she’s elderly and I don’t want to worry her. Even if she heard the cars it won’t make any difference. You spoke to her when the doctor was reported missing?’

  ‘Yes, I believed her when she said she didn’t call out the doctor,’ Edris said.

  ‘We’ll need to trace the call.’

  ‘I already put in a request.’

  ‘Great. Okay, let’s go and see Tomos and Ellis John. See why he made a complaint about the doctor.’

  Chapter Nineteen

  J&J animal food stores was made up of three large, corrugated iron storage sheds plonked down in a field with a gravel track and parking area. Meadows and Edris entered the first one where a section had been boarded for a makeshift office. They were greeted by a man in his sixties sitting next to a mobile gas fire warming his hands. He had short cropped grey hair and friendly blue eyes. Meadows quickly scrutinised his hair and wondered if it could possibly be a wig. A very good one if it is, he thought.

  ‘Tomos John?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘No, that’s my son. Is something wrong?’

  ‘No.’ Meadows smiled. ‘You must be Ellis.’

  The man nodded.

  ‘We just need to ask you both a couple of questions.’

  ‘This to do with that quack?’

  ‘Dr Rowlands? Yes.’

  ‘I see, I heard you’d been around talking to people. I hope you’re not going to drag us off to the police station like you did with Bible Bill.’ He smiled. ‘Anyway, I can’t really tell you anything and neither can Tomos. We haven’t been to Gaer Fawr surgery since… well, not for a long time.’

  ‘Why is that?’ Edris asked.

  ‘Bloody useless doctor, that’s why.’

  ‘You and your son made a complaint to the GMC about the doctor,’ Meadows said.

  Ellis looked down and rubbed his hands down his thighs, then sighed. ‘Yeah, you best talk to him about that.’

  Meadows got the impression that the subject was upsetting Ellis. ‘Okay, can you tell us where we can find your son?’

  ‘End unit.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  They left the warmth of the office and saw Anthony Evans pulling up in a Land Rover. He jumped out and approached them. ‘Have you got any news?’

  ‘No, I’m sorry. As soon as we do have news I promise we will let you know. I’m sure Brianna has been keeping you informed,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Not really. I don’t see the point of her hanging around when she could be out looking for Stacey’s killer, or is she there to spy on us?’

  ‘Brianna is a family liaison officer and is there to help you in any way she can,’ Edris said.

  ‘She’s been very good to us, it’s just I don’t know what to do. I feel helpless.’

  Meadows felt sorry for Anthony and understood that to him it looked like they were making little progress. ‘Just be there for your family.’

  ‘That’s just it, I can’t bear to be around them all day, watching my wife sit there like a zombie. She doesn’t eat and hardly sleeps. She’s lost all interest in life. I have to work. The farm won’t look after itself, but it just gives me more time to think. I look at everyone in a different light now. Always thinking it could be one of them that killed Stacey.’ Anthony looked over at the three storage units. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘We’re just following a line of enquiry,’ Edris said.

  ‘For Stacey? Or are you now concentrating your efforts on finding out who killed Dr Rowlands?’

  ‘There are certain aspects of the case we can’t discuss but I assure you we are doing everything in our power to find Stacey’s killer.’

  ‘As long as you’re not putting him first. Dr Rowlands was a waste of space. I doubt you’ll find many that have a good word to say about him.’

  ‘I understand you had a problem with him?’ Edris said.

  ‘You’ve been listening to gossip about Cloe and him. That was years ago. I forgave my wife. I was working all hours and that slimy bastard knew how to play on a woman’s emotions.’

  ‘Were you patients of Dr Rowlands?’

  ‘Yeah, I wanted to move to another doctor, but it was more fun to watch his embarrassment every time I went in to see him. I never let Cloe go alone.’

  ‘What about Stacey? Did she see Dr Rowlands alone?’ Edris asked.

  Anthony’s eyes narrowed. ‘Do you think he came on to my daughter?’

  ‘We’re just checking for any connection,’ Meadows said.

  ‘She wouldn’t have had anything to do with him. She knew I didn’t like him, but she didn’t know about the affair. I guess someone could have told her but that would be all the more reason to stay away from him.’
Anthony’s eyes widened. ‘You think it’s the same person? The same man that killed the doctor attacked my daughter? I know what he did to her, he–’ Anthony’s voice broke.

  ‘We don’t know that for certain,’ Meadows said. ‘As I explained there are certain aspects of the case we can’t discuss with you, but we are looking into any connection between the two cases. You will be informed of our progress.’

  ‘Just catch the bastard.’ Anthony walked away.

  ‘I wish I had some news for him,’ Meadows said as they walked towards the end building.

  As they entered the unit they saw a man dressed in jeans and a hoodie. He was around six foot with a solid build and shaven head. He was picking up sacks of animal feed two at a time and stacking them.

  Looks strong enough to dig a grave and move a body, and he could disguise himself with a wig, Meadows thought.

  ‘Tomos John?’ Meadows asked.

  The man threw down a sack and turned to face Meadows. ‘Yeah.’

  ‘DI Meadows and DC Edris. Is there some place we can talk?’

  ‘We can talk here. There’s no one around,’ Tomos said. He picked up a bottle of water and took a sip. ‘I can move some sacks for you to sit on if you like.’

  ‘No, thanks. We’re alright standing,’ Meadows said. ‘Looks like heavy work.’

  ‘It’s okay. I’m used to it. Dad has had me working here since I left school.’ Tomos smiled. ‘I like working outdoors and you get to chat to the customers when they come in. So, what can I do for you?’

  ‘We’re investigating the murder of Dr Rowlands and we understand that you made a complaint to the GMC.’

  ‘Yes, I did.’

  Meadows saw the same sadness in Tomos’ eyes as his father’s when he mentioned the complaint. ‘Can you tell us what that complaint was about?’

  ‘He killed my mother,’ Tomos said.

  ‘What do you mean by that?’ Edris asked.

  ‘She was ill. She’d been complaining about a bad stomach and being sick for days and went to see Dr Rowlands. He told her she had a stomach bug, and it would clear up in a few days. The next day she was in terrible pain. She wasn’t one to complain so I knew she must have been bad to agree to call out the doctor. He came out that evening. He seemed pissed off that he had to come out. He prescribed some stronger painkillers and told her to rest and go to the surgery in a couple of days if she wasn’t any better. That night I was woken by my mother’s screams of pain. I called an ambulance. She made it to hospital, but it was too late. She had an infected gallbladder and the infection had spread. She died of sepsis.’

  ‘That must have been very distressing for you,’ Meadows said.

  ‘Distressing? You’ve no idea. Watching my mother in agony and my father holding her hand, not being able to do anything for her. He hasn’t been the same since. She should have been sent to hospital when she first saw the doctor. She would have lived if she had got help then.’

  ‘The GMC cleared Dr Rowlands of negligence. You must have felt like there was no justice for what happened to your mother,’ Edris said.

  ‘They all stick together. The coroner was on the doctor’s side.’

  ‘Did you speak to Dr Rowlands about it?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘Yeah, I went to the surgery. I told everyone there what he was like. When he came out of his office I told him straight. He as good as killed her himself.’

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘Nothing, no apology. Said he would call the police if I didn’t leave. I was banned from the surgery along with my father. Now if we need a doctor we have to go to Llandeilo.’

  ‘When was the last time you saw Dr Rowlands?’ Edris asked.

  Tomos shrugged his shoulders. ‘I dunno. I haven’t spoken to him since that day in the surgery. He was in church at Easter, I think.’

  ‘Can you tell us where you were on Monday evening, the 28th of September?’

  ‘I couldn’t tell you where I was three days ago let alone three weeks.’ Tomos laughed. ‘One day is pretty much like the next except Sundays.’

  ‘Do you work here every day?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘Six days a week.’

  ‘What do you do in the evenings?’

  ‘Sometimes Dad and me stop off for a pint. I usually cook dinner, Dad’s not so good in the kitchen. Then we watch TV.’

  ‘You’re not married? Or have a girlfriend?’

  ‘No, I tried a few dating apps. Went on a couple of dates but nothing came of it. It’s just Dad and me.’

  ‘Last Tuesday you were out.’

  ‘Yeah, film night at the vicarage.’

  ‘Did your dad go with you?’

  ‘No, he stayed at home.’

  ‘What time did you get there?’

  ‘About half eight and left at half ten.’

  ‘Do you know Stacey Evans?’ Meadows asked.

  ‘She used to come here sometimes with her father.’ Tomos picked up the bottle of water and took another drink. ‘Is that it? I should really get back to work.’

  ‘One more thing. Do you have a tattoo?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can you show us?’

  Tomos took off his hoodie and pulled up the sleeve of his T-shirt. A lily was engraved on his arm.

  ‘It was my mother’s favourite flower,’ Tomos said.

  ‘Thank you for your time,’ Meadows said. ‘We may need to speak to you again.’

  ‘Fine.’ Tomos pulled back on his hoodie then moved to pick up a sack.

  Meadows and Edris left the building and walked back to the car.

  ‘Funny how he claims not to remember one day to the next, yet he remembers what time he went to the vicarage and what time he left,’ Meadows said as he started the engine. ‘It’s almost as if he knew he would need an alibi.’

  ‘His father wasn’t at the vicarage. He could have attacked Stacey. Tied her up and waited for his son to come. There has to be a margin on the time of Stacey’s death. He wouldn’t have to have kept her tied up for very long before his son turned up,’ Edris said.

  ‘I suppose if he left the vicarage a little earlier than he claimed. They both have motive to kill Dr Rowlands but what’s the motive for killing Stacey?’

  ‘Stacey pissed off a lot of people. Maybe Tomos met her on Tinder and she teased him about it.’

  ‘It’s not much of a motive,’ Meadows said. ‘We’ve still got Gemma and Rhodri Lewis to interview. Maybe something will come of that.’

  The phone rang as Meadows pulled out onto the main road. He accepted the call and Valentine’s voice filled the car.

  ‘We’ve found Donald.’

  Chapter Twenty

  He felt exhausted and all he wanted to do was to curl up under the duvet, go to sleep, and never wake up. The problem was when he slept he had the most vivid nightmares. It was getting difficult to tell what reality was. He was having doubts if he was following the right path. He had moments of clarity when he felt himself and went about his daily business, until he would hear talk in the village – a reminder of what had happened, that it was real. Then he would remember what he had been chosen to do; no matter how hard, he had to see it through.

  He pulled on his coat and put a hat on. He noticed some hair had fallen onto his shoulders. He brushed it off. He should get a new wig, he thought, but there was no point now. He left his house and breathed in the crisp air. He used to love the smell of the coming winter, now he couldn’t smell anything. He felt like the world had lost its flavour, become bland, grey, and lacking true feelings. As he walked through the village, he noticed a man was taking photos of the church and a woman was scribbling notes. He knew at once that they were from the newspaper. It was too late to try and avoid them.

  ‘Good evening,’ he said.

  ‘Hello,’ the woman said. ‘Would you mind answering a few questions?’

  ‘Not at all.’ He smiled. ‘Though I doubt there is much I can tell you.’

  The woman proceeded to ask him a ser
ies of questions while people came past and walked into the church. Most of them only stayed a few minutes. He guessed they were lighting a candle, making a show of paying their respects. Hypocrites, he thought. Most of them hadn’t stepped foot in the church other than for a wedding or funeral.

  ‘Are you afraid?’

  ‘What?’ His mind had wondered while the woman had been talking to him.

  ‘Are you afraid living in the village where already two people have been murdered?’ the woman asked.

  ‘Not at all. This is my home and I’m sure the police will catch the culprit soon.’ What he really wanted to say was that he had no reason to be afraid. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d led a good life, kept the commandments.

  ‘Thank you for talking to us,’ the woman said. ‘Do you mind if we take your photo?’

  ‘No, that’s fine.’ He forced a smile as several shots were taken. Then he left the two of them and headed to the river.

  Thankfully, there was no one on the bridge or footpath that followed the river. The light was fading, and he guessed no one wanted to be in an isolated spot in the darkness. They were all too afraid. Shame they didn’t have the same fear of God, he thought. It was like Sodom and Gomorrah in these valleys at times. Sex and money were what occupied their minds. They gave no thought to God until they needed him. Then they went flocking to the church praying for those who had been taken and praying for their own safety. Others were quick to blame a God they claimed they didn’t believe in. God’s fault when the storm flooded the village, God’s fault when there was an accident, or someone got sick and died. They didn’t see it was their own doing.

  He felt now like the weight of the world was upon him and there was not enough time to put things right. He’d done these things for the good of those who lived here, tried to show them the way. He’d even left clear messages, only the police had chosen not to share the word of God. People wouldn’t know why Stacey and the doctor had to die, or Jean and Ryan Phillips. Did it matter, he thought. Would it make a difference to the way people behaved? Two of them had been marked forever and he had left a message for the other two. He wondered if the police had seen it and made the connection. Ryan and Jean would have seen it before they died although he doubted they would have understood the meaning – Godless people, the pair of them.