Johnny handed her his card. “If you think of anything else, you’ll let me know, won’t you?”
She nodded.
He remembered something. “Was Laila on any kind of medication? Sleeping pills, maybe?”
“Oh God, no. Laila could sleep for Britain. She’d never need sleeping pills.”
“Not even after the trauma of Patrick assaulting her?”
“She had Archie to help her get to sleep.” Karen grinned, then her face dropped as she remembered her friend was dead.
“Well, thanks for letting me know.”
He hurried out of the pub. The DCI needed to know about this.
Chapter Forty-Six
Patrick had gone up to his bedroom. Lesley faced Dennis in the living room, both of them uneasy.
“Let’s not talk about this here,” she said.
She’d forgotten that Tina Abbott was still standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “What do you want me to do, boss?” The PC asked.
“Keep an eye on him,” Lesley told her. “Keep an eye on both of them.”
“One of them’s lying,” said Dennis.
“Straight to the top of the class, Dennis,” Lesley shot back.
“There’s no need to…”
“You’re right,” said Lesley. “I’ve had a rough day. And that pair don’t make it any easier.”
He shrugged.
“So,” she continued, her voice low. “We’ve got two stories now. Both of them are trying to pin it on the other one. We need independent witnesses. Failing that, we need some decent forensics, and why don’t you have any bloody CCTV in these villages?”
Dennis smiled at her. “It’s not the big city you know, boss.”
“No, it is not.”
She turned to Tina. “PC Abbott, you stay here.”
“What d’you need me to do?”
“The usual FLO routine. Look after them, get them cups of tea, cook their dinner if you need to.”
“Ma’am?”
“OK, maybe not cook their dinner. Help them out. Pretend you’re here to look after their wellbeing. I’ll let you know if there’s anything they need updating on. And that’s a big if. I don’t want this pair knowing any more than they absolutely need to.”
She lowered her voice and took a step closer to the PC. “But what I really need you to do is watch them. I want to know if the two of them talk about Laila, or Archie. I want to know if either of them accuses the other of anything. I want to know if they argue, I want to know if they scratch their bloody nose. I’m convinced one of this pair is hiding something, and I want to know why.”
“Have we got a motive for either of them, boss?” Dennis asked.
She glanced towards the stairs. “We’ve got Patrick allegedly assaulting Laila, and who knows what impact that had on his relationship with Archie. And then there’s what the woman at Bristol University told us about the finances.”
Dennis nodded. “We need financial forensics.”
“We certainly do,” Lesley replied. “Let’s hope we can get something useful from Bournemouth University.”
She heard footsteps rattling down the staircase: Patrick.
Lesley glanced at the other two officers. “Quiet.”
Patrick opened the door from the stairs. “You still here?”
“PC Abbott is going to stay a while,” said Lesley. “She’s going to take care of you both. Make sure everything’s OK.”
“We don’t need looking after.”
“Two members of this household have lost their lives, in three days, in violent circumstances. I want to make sure you’re safe. In fact, I might put a uniformed officer outside the front door.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Patrick said. “That’s bloody ridiculous.”
Dennis cleared his throat.
“It’s not ridiculous,” Lesley said. “There could be somebody targeting this house.”
Patrick eyed her. “That’s not what you think. And we both know it.”
“I’m sorry, Mr Donnelly, but I can’t share with you the details of my thinking right now. If I have anything I need to speak to you about, I’ll be in touch.”
She left the house, anxious not to tell him any more. She wondered how much of their conversation he’d overheard.
Outside, she gestured to Dennis, “You go on ahead to the car, I’ve got a call to make.”
He nodded and headed for the car park.
She dialled her daughter’s mobile number: voicemail.
“Hey, sweetie, it’s me again. It’d be good to chat to you. I hope you got on OK at your friend’s house last night. Give me a call, yeah?”
This was the third time she’d called Sharon. It was four pm now, school was finished for the day. She’d deliberately called at times she knew Sharon had breaks. The girl always turned her phone on.
What had Terry said to her?
Lesley shook herself out. She didn’t have time to worry about this right now. She hurried along West Street, her mind buzzing.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Lesley yawned as she took a seat behind her desk. Zoe’s spare bed had been far from comfortable. It was lumpy and narrow. She didn’t think she’d slept more than five hours and she was knackered.
“OK,” she sighed. “Let’s have a quick recap, and then we’ll go home.”
Dennis had pulled the board out, aligning it at ninety degrees from her desk. Johnny and Mike sat in the chairs they’d dragged in. Johnny was slouching, his jacket almost hanging off him.
“Where’s Gail?” Lesley asked.
“She’s on her way,” Dennis said. He didn’t look too pleased about it.
“In that case, let’s get started with the witness statements. Patrick and Crystal. Both of them reckons the other one went out and could have attacked Laila.”
“I went to the Greyhound,” said Johnny. “I spoke to the landlord. He said Patrick drank three pints of Guinness. He was there till closing time. It’s possible he left and came back, but with the time it’d take to down three pints, it’s not likely. Fits with his story.”
Lesley nodded. “So his alibi seems to hold up.”
“Patrick said she went out after he came home,” said Dennis.
“I know he said that,” said Lesley. “But it’s just his word against hers.”
Dennis muttered to himself.
“What?” Lesley snapped. “Tell us what you’re thinking.”
“Crystal was hiding something about the financials on that dig. There was something Archie knew, that she didn’t want getting out. So she had a motive to kill him.”
“Yeah, but what about Laila?” said Mike. “What was Crystal’s motive to kill her?”
“Perhaps Laila discovered what Archie knew about Crystal. Maybe she had to shut her up too.”
“Feels a bit excessive,” Lesley said. “I mean, it’s a university archaeological dig. It’s hardly the Crown Jewels.”
“As far as these archaeologists are concerned,” Dennis said, “What they’re looking for is the Crown Jewels. Given that’s allegedly King Stephen’s castle, maybe there could even be some Crown Jewels there.”
Lesley smirked. “It’s just a field filled with mounds of earth.”
Dennis raised an eyebrow. “Don’t knock it, boss. Archaeological digs are important around here. The stuff they discovered in Corfe Castle in 2014…”
She raised her hand. “I don’t need to know the details.” She gazed at the board. It wasn’t much help.
“So, we think Crystal might have had a motive for both murders.” Dennis grabbed a marker pen and circled Crystal’s name on the board. “And Patrick says she went out on the night of Laila’s murder. She doesn’t have an alibi for Archie’s murder.”
“Not too hasty,” Lesley said, “We’ve still got Patrick to think about.”
Mike raised a hand. “Don’t forget Laila didn’t have an alibi for Archie’s murder.”
Lesley turned to him. “You think she could have k
illed him?”
He shrugged.
“None of that makes any difference now,” Dennis said.
“Not necessarily,” said Lesley. “Just because Laila’s dead, doesn’t mean she couldn’t have killed Archie. Whoever killed Laila could have done it because she killed Archie.”
“This is Corfe Castle, boss,” Dennis said. “That kind of thing doesn’t happen here.”
She raised an eyebrow. “No assumptions, Dennis. Remember what I told you right at the beginning? We follow the evidence. We build a case. We need more than just those witness statements, more than our own hunches and assumptions about these people.”
Johnny cleared his throat. “Can I…?”
“Sorry, Johnny,” Lesley said.
“When I was in the pub, I spoke to a friend of Laila’s. Karen Dawes. She told me that Patrick assaulted Laila. Back when she started on the dig, about a month ago. He sexually assaulted her in her bedroom.”
“Raped her?” Mike asked.
“Didn’t manage to,” said Johnny. “Crystal got home in time. That was when Laila took up with Archie.”
Lesley tapped her teeth. “Crystal said she’d overheard something.”
“So Laila started sleeping with Archie just to get protection from Patrick.” Dennis whistled.
“Not the first time a vulnerable woman has had to hook up with a man to keep herself safe,” Lesley said. “Let’s not judge the girl, eh?”
“The other thing,” Johnny said, “is that Laila was definitely lying about her age. She wasn’t a graduate, she dropped out of university. That’s how Karen knew her. Crystal did say she was young.”
“Crystal told us she was nineteen,” Lesley said. “But I don’t see what difference it makes.”
“It makes a big difference when we’re looking at her character,” Dennis interrupted. “Laila lied about her age. She lied about her relationship with Archie. She lied about Patrick.”
“When did she lie about Patrick?” Lesley asked.
“She didn’t exactly tell us the whole truth, did she?”
“Would you tell the whole truth if one of your colleagues had tried to rape you?”
Dennis reddened.
“Hmm.” Lesley drummed a finger into the board. “So, we’ve got Patrick and Crystal, purely based on supposition and on their witness statements with each of them trying to pin this on the other one. But what about the evidence? What about the forensics? Where’s this bloody weapon?”
“Boss,” muttered Dennis.
Lesley waved him aside. “I need to know what the weapon was in Laila’s murder.”
Mike perked up. “I went back up to the crime scene, boss. Gail says she found remnants of iron again, just like with Archie’s murder.”
“She thinks it was the same weapon?”
“She can’t be sure right now. She’s going to do some tests in the lab. But it’s looking likely.”
“OK,” said Lesley. “Well, if that is the case, and that is an ‘if’, it means that both Archie and Laila were possibly killed by the same person using this weapon. Which may, or may not, be an archaeological artefact.”
“Have we checked if there’s anything missing?” asked Dennis.
She sighed. “We’ve been so busy out at Corfe Castle we haven’t had a chance to speak to Bournemouth University. Someone needs to get over there first thing in the morning.”
“Fine,” said Dennis. “I’ll make a call.”
“We need to know about the finances, and we need the inventory. We also need to go back to Bristol and talk to Susan again. With everything we now know about Archie, I want a proper statement from her.”
“You’re not going to get that without a lawyer present,” said Dennis.
Lesley rolled her eyes. “Don’t I flippin’ well know it.”
Dennis’s lips tightened.
“Oh, come on Dennis. Flippin’, that’s got to be OK?” She sighed. “You need to give me a list, you know. Tell me what words you’ll tolerate me saying.”
He gave her a surprised look.
She laughed. “Moving on. How did you get on with the GP’s practice, Mike?”
“The sleeping pills were Archie’s,” Mike said.
“Well, that’s something,” Lesley replied. “At least we know they were from that house.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t really help us,” Mike said.
Lesley yawned again. He had a point. Still, she would check with Gail whether the pills had been found in the search of the house, and if they had been, whose fingerprints were on them.
“It’s getting on,” she said. “Let’s all go home, fresh heads for the morning. Dennis, you and Mike head over to Bournemouth University tomorrow. I’ll go to Bristol with Johnny again.”
“Boss.”
He wasn’t objecting, thank God. Lesley shooed them away and they scuttled out of the office, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the unhelpful board.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Fiona sighed and put the phone down. “Looks like they’re not going to be able to see you today, Suze.”
Susan stared at her. To be honest, she was relieved. She hadn’t much liked the idea of going into the police station and making a statement. She had no idea what she would say to them, how she felt…
Her priority now was Millie. Millie, who was upstairs, cleaning her teeth. Susan had left her in the bathroom, after the girl had shouted at her to leave her alone. She was snappy today. Susan was worried about her.
She’d tried fussing over her, sitting with her in the living room, keeping an eye on her. Jumping every time the girl spoke. Could it be that she just needed space to herself? Maybe tomorrow, Susan would see if one of her friends might come around. A bit of normality. Would that help?
“So,” said Fiona. “They’ll be here tomorrow morning. That DCI will be at the local station. I’ll take you if you want?”
“Please,” said Susan. “What about Millie?”
“I’ll look after her.” The Family Liaison Officer stood in the doorway to the kitchen. How long had she been there?
Susan grunted. “I’d rather have a family member.”
Fiona looked at her. “What about Archie’s mum?”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“She’s not that bad.”
“She’s never liked me. And now she’s going to like me even less.”
“I don’t see why she’d do that,” said Fiona.
“You don’t understand the woman,” replied Susan.
Millie rattled down the stairs, “Where’s my nightie, Mummy?”
“You haven’t got a nightie, love. I put some pyjamas out on your bed for you, remember? You told me you were too big for a nightie now.”
“Oh…” The girl looked like Susan had just slapped her.
Susan’s stomach clenched. “I need to go up with her, Fi. I’ll see you in the morning, yeah? Maybe I’ll bring her along with me to the station.”
“You can’t do that,” said Fiona.
“No,” Susan sighed. “You’re right. OK. Will you have her, while I give them my statement?”
Fiona looked at her. “Of course. You’ll have Jacinta with you, she’ll make sure they don’t cross the line.”
Susan shrugged. “Thanks.”
Fiona leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’ll be OK here on your own?”
“I’m not on my own,” Susan said. She nodded towards the kitchen where the Family Liaison Officer had disappeared. She lowered her voice. “She never leaves. She’s spying on me, isn’t she?”
Fiona nodded. “But there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Guess not.”
Fiona smiled. “That’s something. See you in the morning.”
Susan stood in the hallway as Fiona closed the front door. Her body felt numb. OK, so Archie had been a crappy husband. He’d had affairs with God knew how many women, he was sleeping with that Laila girl who’d called her last Thursday.
But he was Millie’s dad. And he did at least turn up most weekends and pretend to be a devoted husband. What were she and Millie going to do now?
The doorbell rang.
Millie called down the stairs, “Found them Mum, can you come up?”
“Hang on a moment, sweetie.”
Susan went to the door. Fiona would have forgotten something, or maybe there was something she needed to tell her.
Tony stood on the front step. Susan looked behind her, checking for the FLO.
“What are you doing here? I told you…”
“I’m sorry, Susie,” he said. “I just couldn’t… I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I’m worried. I want to help.”
“You can help by staying away,” she hissed. “They don’t know.”
He looked over her shoulder. “Is Millie home?”
“Of course she’s home, where else would she be?”
“Mummy.” Millie appeared behind her.
Susan reached out and her daughter huddled into her embrace.
“Hey, lovey,” Tony said.
“Hi, Tony.” Millie burrowed further into Susan’s sweater.
Susan leaned over and kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”
“Will you sleep in my room tonight, please?”
“Of course.”
She turned back to Tony. “I’m sorry, but you have to go.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”
She shook her head. “Keep a low profile, is what I need you to do. I don’t want them thinking…”
“They’re not going to think anything. It’s not as if he was faithful to you, is it?”
“Tony.” She looked down at Millie.
“Sorry, love.” Tony kissed his hand and placed it on Susan’s cheek. She felt the warmth light up her skin.
“I’ll call you. I promise.”
“I know.”
The Corfe Castle Murders (Dorset Crime Book 1) Page 17