by Carla Kovach
‘But what?’
‘It’s out of character. I’m worried about her with all that’s going on. You’ve got to admit, she looks a bit like Madison and she’s on AppyDater.’
‘You think…’ Jacob’s brows furrowed.
Gina shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Give the station a quick call, tell them to keep trying her phone, email and everything. Even Facebook and WhatsApp.’
Jacob nodded and stood on the pavement as he made the call.
In the restaurant, Lennie Dack was there to greet them.
‘DI Harte, we have people booked in for midday and I really need Jake Goodman working his socks off by then. I thought you’d be here a little earlier.’ The man smiled and accompanied her to the bar. ‘I’ll just get Jake so that you can speak to him but I don’t think he knows anything. He doesn’t have any contact with the diners at all. He’s always in the kitchen and from our CCTV you can see that the woman you were asking about didn’t even come in last Friday.’
Gina leaned on the shiny bar. ‘It’s just routine and we’ll try not to disrupt your service. Is there anywhere private we can take Mr Goodman to talk?’
‘You can use my private living quarters but, please, I really need him to be in the kitchen as soon as possible.’
It was their fault. She’d added in a visit to the hospital and other things had come up that needed addressing. She was later than she told Lennie Dack she would be. ‘We hopefully shouldn’t be long.’ She smiled warmly, hopefully putting the man at ease.
‘Thank you.’ Lennie headed through the flapping kitchen door and Jake came out a moment later. He rubbed some dark red sauce from his hands onto his white apron. Lennie led the way through the door marked ‘Private’ into a cosy living room. ‘I’ll leave you to it. If you need me, I’ll be by the bar.’ He left them alone.
Gina sat on the leather couch and motioned at the chair for Jake to sit. The sofa dipped as Jacob sat beside Gina.
‘Hopefully we won’t keep you too long but something has come to light that we need to speak to you about.’
‘I don’t know anything. I don’t even know the girl you were asking about.’
Gina took a photo of Amber from her bag and placed it on the coffee table and Jake looked away. ‘When I showed you her photo the other day, it looked like you recognised her.’
‘Well I don’t.’ His spiky brown hair shone in the light and he began to pick a spot in the crease of his nose.
‘Are you sure. Take another look at the photo.’
His stare met hers.
‘Go on.’ She pushed it further across the table.
He glanced down and rubbed his now sore nose as he began shaking his head. ‘I don’t know her but I did recognise her when she came in the last time, maybe before Christmas. She flagged up as being a local on AppyDater and I saw her profile. I even left her a smiley but she never responded. When I caught sight of her, I made sure I never came out of the kitchen because… I suppose I was embarrassed.’ His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. ‘I mean look at me and look at her. I thought I might be in with a chance but, no, she didn’t want to date me. That’s the only reason I recognised her. I’m not some oddball that likes hurting people.’
Gina knew she had to bring up his previous conviction. ‘Mr Goodman, we know you have previous.’
‘Frigging hell! That was years ago and it was stupid. I was a stupid kid. It was just a few items of clothing and I was deeply sorry and… I didn’t do anything. Do you know, the kids at school found out and picked on me for the rest of senior school? I don’t want this to all come out again. I came here for a fresh start and I didn’t hurt Amber Slater.’ The young man hunched over and began hugging his knees. ‘Please don’t tell Lennie. If anyone here knew about my stupid past, they’d think I was a freak.’
‘Where were you on Friday the twenty-second of January between six and eight in the evening?’
‘I didn’t do anything?’
‘Please, Mr Goodman. If you just tell us where you were, we can clear this up. Mr Dack sent us the schedules through and it showed that you started work at eight as you had an appointment. What appointment did you have?’
He shook his head and wailed. ‘I didn’t have an appointment. I was depressed and I couldn’t get my ass out of bed and showered. I lied. I was at home and my brother kept calling me. I did answer his call. It was the anniversary of our mum’s death. It’s only been a year and I loved my mum. She was the only person who knew me properly and she had to die. We only have our dad left and he’s a right bastard. You can check with my brother… please don’t tell Lennie. I can’t afford to lose this job and he’s been really good to me.’
‘Where were you yesterday evening?’
He shrugged. ‘Getting rat-arsed at home. I worked the day shift and was off last night.’
‘Were you alone?’
He wiped his nose with his arm. ‘Of course I was alone.’
Gina glanced at Jacob who was scrunching his brow. Jake Goodman may have had opportunity, however brief, for Amber’s abduction but Gina wasn’t sure. She could tell by Jacob’s expression that he felt the same and they would definitely be checking his call times with his brother. Jake’s past crime was definitely a red flag. ‘We will need you to come to the station to make a voluntary statement. We will also need your brother’s details and to see your call log to verify your movements on Friday night.’
‘My past isn’t what you think. I wasn’t obsessed with the women. Neither was I gawping at them through their windows or stalking them. You’ve got me wrong, so wrong.’ His face looked paler than before, making his newly picked spot stand out.
‘How have we got it wrong, Jake?’ Gina leaned forward and tilted her head. Whatever he was holding back, she needed to know.
‘I’m not a perv and I’m not some dangerous saddo who got off on stealing underwear for sexual kicks.’
‘It’s okay, Jake. Just tell me what you need to tell me.’
The door flung open and Lennie pointed to his watch.
Jake sat rigid to attention.
‘We’re going to need a few more minutes.’
Lennie stood with his mouth open. ‘Oh hell. I suppose I’d better don an apron.’ He shrugged and left.
Jake hurried to the door and checked to see if Lennie had gone before sitting back down. ‘I don’t know how to…’
Gina wondered if she should say something. The torn look on Jake’s face told her it was best to stay silent. Jacob remained looking down at his pad, not focusing on Jake.
‘I took the clothes for myself… to wear… and I’ve never told anyone that except my mum and she understood and helped me through my emotions and feelings. I was a teen and I couldn’t go into a shop to buy any, I just couldn’t, but I wanted them so badly. I don’t expect you to understand.’
‘Thank you for being honest with us, Jake. We’re not here to judge you in any way.’
A tear streamed down his face. ‘I didn’t know who I was or how I felt. I still don’t. It’s confusing… I…’
He took in a huge breath and sobbed.
‘I couldn’t bear to tell my father or my brother but my mother was the best and she stood by me. The only person in the world I trusted with my secret and she died.’
Jake wasn’t their killer. The best actor on earth couldn’t fake the emotions she saw before her. ‘I’m so sorry about your mother, Jake, and thank you again for sharing the truth with us.’
He shrugged. ‘It’s all going to come out now, isn’t it?’
‘We won’t be telling anyone, Jake. We will still need to check your calls with your brother, but that’s all. If you come to the station after work, we can go through that with you.’
‘You might wonder why I liked Amber enough to leave her a smiley.’
Gina leaned back. Amber was pretty and sounded outgoing, she had no problem understanding how she attracted people.
Jake stood and looked out of the window. ‘
I thought she’d accept me. In her profile she said she didn’t mind who she dated, men or women, that she sees people as people because she liked them. I thought she’d be accepting of me. That’s how I choose the people I leave smileys for. I look for people who can love a person for who they are. I can’t and don’t want to change who I am. I want someone to like me for me. Can you understand that?’
Gina nodded. At the end of the day, all everyone in life wanted was to be loved and accepted and everyone has a past. Everyone has done things and we think we know the reasons why but sometimes those reasons are the complete opposite. ‘I can understand that, Jake.’
He wiped his face with the sleeve of his arm. ‘I finish the lunch shift at four thirty after clean up. Can I head over to the station as soon as I finish?’
‘Of course. If we can just take your brother’s details in the meantime, that would be helpful. It won’t be too painful, I promise.’
Jake pulled out his phone and handed it to Gina on the call log page. ‘That’s the call I made to my brother. As you can see, I was on the phone for nearly forty-five minutes while we were talking about Mum. He misses her too.’
Gina glanced at the time on the call log and held the phone up for Jacob to see. He was talking from six fifteen to nearly seven on the Friday evening. Jacob noted the number and name down. ‘May I see your AppyDater profile?’
‘Why not? You know everything else about me.’
She clicked on the AD icon and went straight into Jake’s account and his records. At no time had he used any of the names in Amber Slater’s phone. He had only messaged two other people, both men, and none of his messages or smileys were met with any interest. The photo was clearly of him. ‘Thank you for your cooperation.’
‘Didn’t have a choice really. I can’t have anyone thinking I’m a murderer but you know something, I still feel like I’m bad somehow. I think I need to spend some time finding myself properly.’
Gina felt herself getting slightly choked by the young man in front of her, and didn’t quite know what to say. ‘You’ve really helped us and we thank you.’ She smiled. ‘I don’t want to keep you any longer or Mr Dack won’t be too happy.’
The man took a deep breath and fanned the wetness around his eyes. ‘Lots to do.’ He opened the door and led the way out.
‘I need four duck and three pigeon, now,’ Lennie shouted as he threw his apron at Jake. ‘Sorry both. Duty calls and some of these lovely people are on a lunch break.’
‘Apologies for the disruption and thank you.’ Lennie ignored Jacob and began showing another group of people to their seats.
As they headed outside, Gina walked into the flurry of chunky snowflakes and noticed that they’d settled on their windscreens. ‘Well, that didn’t go as planned. If you can check out his alibi, I’d be grateful.’
‘I’ll meet you back at the station.’ Jacob ran across the car park and hurried into his car.
Gina watched as he reversed out leaving a trail in the thin layer of snow. Her phone rang.
‘Wyre, good to have you back.’
‘It was touch and go, guv. I ache like mad. O’Connor asked me to call as he’s now looking at the footage from the Angel Arms. He said he’s watched all the Tesco footage several times. Mr Collins definitely wasn’t with his wife at Tesco.’
‘Any news on Kapoor?’
‘It’s not good, guv. Her father just called. She’s not in her apartment. He said he’s really worried. He’s tried calling her many times and it’s off. Something’s wrong.’
‘I want Collins and his wife brought in. She lied to us and I want to know why. I’m heading back now. In the meantime, keep trying to contact Kapoor. She is our priority right now.’ She felt her fingers trembling and it wasn’t from the cold.
38
Theo had called all the relatives to break the news of his daughter, Amber’s, murder. Before long, the phone calls had got to be too much. He unplugged the home phone from the wall and turned off his mobile. He’d already called the police about the release of Amber’s body and they weren’t releasing it for the foreseeable. He couldn’t even organise the funeral properly. All these people sending cards and condolences were filling his head and he needed to shut them all out. The noise was too much.
He cranked the music up, wanting all his thoughts to disperse. He allowed himself to be carried away with the melody but thoughts of Amber crept back in. He’d betrayed her in every way possible and no one could ever know.
He ran to the garage, gathering up his secrets. The snow was falling faster now and landing like a pure white blanket, just waiting to be spoiled. Leaving a trail of footprints, he grabbed the old rusty shovel and grimaced as he tried to dig out a patch of earth. It was no good. The ground was too hard. He threw everything into the metal bin and ran back to the garage, grabbing the lighter fuel and a box of matches.
The stench of fuel rose. He stepped back and stared at the contents of the bin. Wondering if he was doing the right thing, he lit the match regardless and placed the lid on the bin. Smoke bellowed out of the hole in the top. Lifting it slightly, he could see everything shrivelling away as the flames licked the contents of the bin. The metal wouldn’t burn, he knew that. He’d try to dig what was left into the earth after. Maybe the ground would soften overnight. For now, he would leave it burning away.
He rubbed his chin and shivered as the snow landed on his long-sleeved jumper and began to seep through as it melted against his warmer body. There was still something else he needed to erase but it was all he had.
Slamming the kitchen door, he flicked the kettle switch. He grabbed his laptop from the chair and turned it on. It was time to bury the last of the secrets.
The music came to an end and silence filled his house. Always silent. The house that rarely saw any visitors was seriously lacking life. The only people that had frequented his home were two women found on AppyDater but all that had now gone. No one could know he had the app.
He almost stumbled as he went up the stairs and lay on his bed. The pillow still smelled of the last woman’s perfume. The video footage ran through his mind as he closed his eyes. He opened up his burner phone and deleted everything relating to BearBoy. Amber telling him where to go had been the last straw. He only wanted to make sure she was making good decisions and keeping safe. His aim as a father was to protect her but he’d failed in every way possible.
Standing, he walked to the mirror. He hadn’t shaved for a couple of days, hadn’t slept and felt sick every time he thought about food. He needed to escape his own head. He pressed play on a video on his phone, one showing the bedroom he was standing in. AppyDater date number one lay on his bed, half-drunk as she peeled her clothes off and beckoned him over. He watched it again and again but his body wasn’t responding. He had no feelings at all. They were now tainted. He hadn’t meant to start dating but while using the app to keep an eye on Amber, he’d met people and had got carried away. Now, all he could think of was Amber, his only child. He should have kept his focus and not got sidetracked. He missed the little girl who used to love colouring and singing along to Disney films as a child while dressed as a princess. He’d lost her and all he wanted was to keep her safely here with him, forever.
Falling to the floor, his grief and guilt poured out. He had to go where no father should go. It was the only way. Nausea began to rise in his throat as he faced the thought of what came next.
39
Keeping her coat on, Gina burst through the incident room door. She could see that O’Connor was still examining CCTV footage. ‘Anything else?’
He shook his head. ‘Heard nothing from Kapoor.’
‘Damn.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s hard not to jump to conclusions but we need to keep trying to contact her.’
O’Connor swallowed and nodded. ‘We will.’
‘Right, what have we got?’
He paused and glanced back at the CCTV. ‘There’s nothing from the Angel Arms. They have no CC
TV on the beer garden, which is where Madison Randle said she thought she heard someone. But look at this, guv.’
She bent over to get a better look, moving slightly to avoid the reflecting strip light. ‘I recognise him.’
‘This is a couple of hours before Madison arrived at the pub and an hour before her friends Tyrone and Alice arrive. This man arrives but we don’t see him leave. I called the pub and the new landlady said that sometimes people leave out the back but it is rare. Looking at all the statements, it was pretty much common knowledge that Madison used this pub all the time and we know Amber worked there. I know this doesn’t really tell us much but it is odd given what happened there a couple of hours later.’
‘Vincent Jordan. He manages the block of flats that Amber lives in. He lives at the back. We went to see him this morning and, believe me, he’s an odd character. He couldn’t get us out of his bungalow quick enough… If he left around the back and cut through the bushes, he’d be on the lane. And Madison thought someone was following her when she’d left her great-grandmother’s place.’ Gina paused. ‘I feel like we’re getting everywhere and nowhere with this case.’
‘I wish the footage showed us more but that’s it I’m afraid.’
‘You’ve done a good job going through all this. It must have been long and tedious.’
O’Connor nodded and smiled. ‘I’ve had enough of screens for a bit so if it’s okay, I’m going to help locate Kapoor next.’
‘Please do. I just need to know she’s safe then we can relax.’
Jacob entered with a steaming cup and blew on it. The smell of tomato filled the room as he stirred the soup. ‘I’ve just called Jake Goodman’s brother and he verified that Jake was in a bit of a state on Friday night. He confirmed that it was the first anniversary of their mother’s death and he spent forty-five minutes talking him around so that he’d go to work.’
‘That backs up his phone records?’
‘I know what you’re thinking, guv. We need to confirm that both of them aren’t in this together.’ Jacob took a sip of his soup.