by Anita Waller
Mouse was scribbling furiously, her mind jumping to the actions she would have to take to follow the leads being suggested by their young colleague. They needed facts, and not what-ifs.
‘It’s fascinating, isn’t it?’ Luke smiled at them all. ‘This is my first real work with Connection and I’m more convinced than ever that I was right to apply for the job. The only thing that’s a bit out of control is I can’t stop thinking about it. This must be how authors feel when they’re writing crime novels. The brain never stops.’
‘And that’s just as it should be, Luke,’ Doris said. ‘This may be your first case with us, but we’ve had lots and lots of cases ranging from following people who were doing things they shouldn’t be doing, to being on interview panels for people applying for jobs, to assisting in solving murders. Kat even specialises in finding dead bodies. So welcome to our world. Just don’t go on any jaunts with Kat, anything could happen.’
‘You’ve said she finds bodies before. Are you serious? Kat?’
‘I don’t find them all,’ Kat said with a laugh. ‘But I found one a couple of months before Christmas, in Eyam churchyard. And Mouse and I found one in Hope last summer…’
Luke shook his head, almost in disbelief. ‘And DI Marsden suggested I join the police! How boring would that be, compared to this.’ He pulled his notebook towards him. ‘Anyway, I also thought about the brother, Simon. He’s sort of in the background, but he was also in the background when Adam and Danny went missing. Somebody needs to talk to him, I reckon. Just supposing he helped them…’
‘You think that’s a possibility?’ Doris found herself fascinated by Luke’s quick thought processes.
‘I do. He wasn’t just Nicola’s brother, he was Adam’s brother-in-law, and very often that relationship is a good one. Don’t forget that Debbie said Simon spent his childhood stopping Nicola killing her, so he was well aware of the volatile nature lurking inside Nicola, and if he saw the injuries on Adam, I reckon he would help him.’
Kat picked up her cup and sipped at the coffee. ‘Okay, let’s make some plans. Mouse, I assume you’ll share the Internet side with Nan, but how on earth you’ll manage to find anything, I have no idea. The first thing Adam would have done is change their names. This investigation is going to make finding Ewan Barker’s son look easy-peasy, isn’t it. Shall I take the interview with Debbie and Simon? Luke can go along for the ride, and learn how far he can go, given that we’re not police officers. How do you feel about that, Luke?’
Luke’s face turned pink. ‘Oh my god! Real work? Proper interviews? It sounds ace. Are we going now?’
Kat laughed. ‘No. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve got Martha with me. We’ll go tomorrow. Martha’s going to Meadowhall apparently, for a new outfit, so I won’t have to worry about her. Between now and then, we need to come up with some points we need answers to, so that’s this afternoon’s work, along with whatever is required of you from Mouse and Nan. We’ll put our heads together first thing tomorrow morning, then set off around ten to speak to Debbie. I’ll warn her tonight that we’ll be calling, make it sound official rather than a friendly neighbour chat. I’m not going to mention Simon, we need to interview him away from Debbie, because if he did help Adam, he won’t admit it in front of his sister.’
‘My nan says something that maybe I should remember,’ Luke said with a grin. ‘She says slowly, slowly, catchee monkey. I never really took much notice of it until now. Listening to your plans, Kat, I think I understand what she means. And when we get to Debbie’s house, I’ll keep quiet. I’ll listen and learn.’ He picked up his own cup and took a long drink. He calmed down and absorbed the rest of the comments as the three women worked through their own lists of thoughts. They mirrored his own in the main, and he felt good about that. He remembered another phrase his nan used, and he knew there were no negative nellies in his trio of ladies. It was all about getting on with it, using their own specialities to find answers. Definitely no negative nellies.
The meeting broke up, and Mouse and Doris returned to their offices, having drawn up a plan for the avenues that needed exploring, possibly deeper into the Internet than they usually went. Both of them loved this side of the work, and Luke saw no flashing lights on his small console for the rest of the afternoon. He concentrated on potential questions for Debbie Carter, and then moved on to the paperwork Doris Lester had given him.
He went home that night feeling well pleased with how the day had gone. He had been included in the discussion far more than he could ever have imagined, and he was looking forward to the next day, to watching Kat Rowe interview someone in that oh so gentle way she had, that he suspected could be quite cutting when required.
14
Tessa woke to the sound of her alarm, feeling grateful that she had slept most of the night. She had woken just after four, repeated the medication she had taken eight hours earlier, and drifted back to sleep.
The gentle ringtone on her phone pealed out. ‘Hannah? Everything okay?’
‘I’m outside. I need to come in and make toast and coffee for us.’
‘Oh. Right.’
Tessa went to let her DS in, and shivered as the arctic blast came in with Hannah. ‘You’ve never made toast and coffee for us before.’
‘First time for everything. And don’t get used to it, it’s because you’re poorly. I’m taking you into work, you’re not driving, and I’m only taking you in because I know you won’t stay at home.’ Hannah paused. ‘How are you?’
Tessa’s voice was raspy. ‘I’m feeling better than I was yesterday. I’ve actually slept. Just one slice for me, I’ve got to get it past my tonsils.’
‘No problem. Go and have your shower, you’ll feel better after that.’
Half an hour later they were finishing off the toast, and talking about murder. ‘We need to see Olivia’s parents. Thank you for doing that awful job, Hannah, having to notify them.’
‘No worries, boss. It had to be done. I don’t think Ray appreciated going with me though. It’s not one of the nicer parts of police work.’
Tessa stood. ‘I’ll have a word with him, thank him for doing it. Nice toast, by the way. Why wasn’t it burnt?’
‘I turned down the timer on the toaster. Maybe you won’t need to grumble about your bread being burnt black from now on. Now get your coat. Time to rally the troops, and solve two murders.’
The room was noisy as the team arrived in dribs and drabs, ready for instructions on what they would be doing. Computers were glowing around the room, and Ray was adding items to the whiteboard.
‘Morning, everybody,’ Tessa tried to call. Nobody heard, nobody responded.
‘Oy!’ Hannah yelled. ‘Listen up. The boss needs to speak and she can’t talk properly, so shut up.’
The room fell silent, and everyone turned towards Tessa and Hannah.
Tessa feebly held up a hand, trying to rein in the laughter. ‘I’m sorry. You’ll have to listen carefully. I’ve got a squeak instead of a voice.’ She walked over to the whiteboard and looked carefully at it.
‘Okay, we need to know these people inside out. I want our IT guys on the computers, and I want to know everything there is to know about Debbie Carter, Rob Carter even though he’s no longer on the scene and not been interviewed yet, Simon Vicars, his partner Greg Littlewood, Neil and Paula Ireland, Adam and Daniel Armstrong, although that may prove a little difficult, Harry Hardy and Frank Norman. That’s just for starters. The second murder of Olivia Fletcher will throw up a different wave of suspects. Olivia’s autopsy is scheduled for ten, maybe we’ll know more after that.’
Tessa placed a hand on her chest and tried to take a deep breath. Talking had been a massive effort. The coughing bout drained her, and Ray Charlton handed her a glass of water.
‘Go home after the autopsy, boss,’ he said. ‘You shouldn’t be here. We know what we’ve to do. Another day in bed might make all the difference.’
‘I can’t, Ray. We have to st
op this double murder becoming a serial killing spree.’
The autopsy revealed that Olivia had received a blow to the head severe enough to have caused unconsciousness. It was then relatively easy to put the ligature around her neck and asphyxiate her. The line used to strangle her matched that from around Nicola Armstrong’s neck; it had been a longer piece originally, and the cut ends were a perfect fit. It briefly occurred to Tessa that she hoped it had only been cut into two parts.
Tessa headed to Martin’s office and waited for him to join her. It was worth the wait. He took her in his arms and kissed her. ‘You sound dreadful,’ he said when they’d greeted one another.
‘Thanks.’ She smiled. ‘I sound better than I feel. I’ve given the troops their orders, and I’m heading off home to bed. Hopefully by tomorrow the worst of it will be over. It’s got to be. Two bodies in less than a week, that’s scary. And apart from the location of their deaths, Chatsworth itself, we haven’t come across a link to tie them together. They don’t live in the same areas – one is Baslow, the other Bakewell – and they don’t work together. Olivia was a member of staff, and currently we don’t know what Nicola did. An Internet search had produced nothing on the woman. Interviews start in depth as soon as I’ve got a voice. I’ve enough medication to cure half the world of flu, and I’m taking it all this afternoon.’
Martin hugged her. ‘I’ll leave you to sleep. Only contact me if you need me, I won’t ring you. You need me to run you home? Please tell me you’re not driving.’
‘No, Hannah brought me. I said I’d ring her when we’d finished here.’
‘Then ring,’ he said. ‘Stop being a brave little soldier, and give in to it.’
Alison Fletcher also gave in to everything and took to her bed. Tony was changing in front of her eyes; his anger was building, and the frustration increasing because he didn’t have enough strength or movement in his legs to get out of the damn wheelchair.
Damn was always the adjective that went in front of the word wheelchair whenever Tony spoke of it. He hated it, hated the limitations it created, and he always said the day he agreed to have one was the beginning of the end for him. Then, of course, he hadn’t taken into account losing Olivia.
Alison had come to bed to wallow in her own grief, and because she couldn’t stand the way Tony’s grief was taking him. He couldn’t stay still. The wheelchair was constantly on the move, the soft swish swish of its tyres ever present as it moved backwards and forwards in the downstairs rooms. She had kept their bedroom upstairs as her own, and they had created a bedroom for Tony on the ground floor with a wet room, but she knew it had emasculated him. He felt less of a man because he had to give into his weaknesses.
Trying to sleep, she lay for a while with her eyes closed, but eventually tears opened them. Olivia had looked so beautiful on the evening of her twenty-first birthday, and now there was nothing.
Alison knew that at some point they would be called upon to identify their daughter, and she wasn’t convinced that she could be the one to do it. She needed to remember that beauty, the girl that would always be her best friend, her Olivia.
Alison edged herself wearily from the bed, and was halfway down the stairs when the doorbell pealed out its silly tune.
She opened it and saw Hannah. Silently Alison held the door back, and waved her through.
Hannah followed her through to the kitchen. Tony’s wheelchair was pulled up to the table, and he was attempting to do the crossword in the newspaper. He looked up at Hannah.
‘I can’t do it,’ he said simply. ‘I can’t do the bloody crossword I do every day of my life.’
She sat down opposite him. ‘Of course you can’t. Did Olivia used to help you?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, she used to put any words in that had the required number of letters, she didn’t even read some of the clues.’ He paused for a moment. ‘She was our life, our whole life.’
‘Then fill the crossword in with Olivia words. Start with a four-letter word and put LOVE in it. Then go from there. Don’t shut her out because she isn’t here.’
Tony lifted his head to look at Hannah. ‘Thank you.’
The kettle switched off and Alison made drinks for them.
‘Just what I needed,’ Hannah said. ‘I wasn’t going to come this morning, I intended leaving it until tomorrow when hopefully my boss will be well enough to talk to you, but I want to get the ball rolling, give her a bit of a break.’
‘What can we help with?’ Alison asked.
‘I’d like to see Olivia’s room, if that’s okay with you.’
‘It is. We had the forensic people here earlier. They dusted for fingerprints and such like, took our prints, although Tony hasn’t been upstairs for the best part of two years now, so in theory there should only be mine and Olivia’s in her room.’
Hannah nodded. ‘So tell me about Olivia.’
The parents looked at each other, and both smiled.
Alison began. ‘She was an absolute ray of sunshine. Never stopped smiling, adored her dad, and was my rock when it came to the bad days of Tony’s illness.’ Alison reached across and touched her husband’s hand. ‘He’s doing okay at the moment, but in a week’s time the pain may be overwhelming, or he’ll only have partial sight, or his arms may be like useless lumps of lead. Those were the times when Olivia stepped up to the plate and we managed Tony between us.’
‘It’s MS?’ Hannah said, her voice soft.
‘It is. But we cope.’
‘My mum has it,’ Hannah said. ‘We’re getting to a point where instead of occasional use of the wheelchair when we take her out, it’s becoming more of an indoor chair. She’s accepted it in a fashion, she’s trimmed it up with number plates and ribbons and bows, but it’s kind of like a statement to the world. I’m in this chair, so let’s make the best of it. She’s even taught herself to crochet so that she could make a really bright blanket to cover her legs.’ Hannah smiled. It had been a fun day taking her mum to pick lots of little balls of luminous wool.
‘I need to learn to crochet?’ Tony asked, and for the first time Hannah saw a tentative smile on his face.
‘Why not? Looks good on a CV,’ Hannah said, returning the smile.
They sipped their drinks, talking about Olivia, how she’d loved her job at Chatsworth, enjoyed cycling more than driving, and tended to use her bike for travelling to work every day.
‘Did she take her bike yesterday morning?’
‘She did. You’ll know it’s Olivia’s bike because underneath the saddle, on the frame, she’s tied a bright pink ribbon. Says it helps her go straight to it when she parks it in car parks.’
Hannah took out her notebook and added the description of the bike to her notes. ‘I don’t suppose you have a photo of Olivia with the bike, do you?’
‘I do,’ Alison said, and left the kitchen, leaving Hannah with Tony.
‘It’s knocked Alison for six,’ Tony said quietly. ‘I don’t know what to do.’
‘Want some advice? Talk. Talk about Olivia, about your memories, even about the future if you can begin to imagine one. Just don’t stop talking. It will get you through it, I promise. And if you think of anything at all that might help, please ring me.’ She pushed her card across to him. ‘I’m kind of in charge at the moment, although hopefully DI Marsden will be back with us tomorrow. She currently has no voice and precious little energy so she’s home and in bed.’
Alison returned with a picture. The bike was bright blue, and easy to spot with the addition of the luminous pink bow peeking out below the saddle. Hannah took out her phone, snapped the picture and forwarded it to Ray Charlton with a message.
Get everybody out on the estate and looking for this bike. Olivia Fletcher rode it to work yesterday. Please note pink bow under saddle.
15
Alison accompanied Hannah to Olivia’s room, and had to frequently wipe the tears from her eyes. ‘She kept it so tidy,’ Alison said. ‘She didn’t like mess. Can I ask you
something, DS Granger?’
‘It’s Hannah, and of course you can. I can’t always give answers because it is an ongoing investigation, but if I can, I will.’
‘Was she… was my Olivia raped?’
Hannah took a deep breath. ‘I haven’t seen the autopsy report. I can’t give you a definite answer, but I can tell you that when Olivia was found, she was fully clothed, her coat was zipped up and she even had gloves on. I don’t think she was assaulted sexually, but as yet we have found nothing to indicate why she was attacked. We haven’t found her phone, or her purse. Didn’t she take them? Are they still here?’
‘No, but I can tell you where they should be. On the back of her saddle she has a small bag. She puts them in there so that she doesn’t have to take a handbag. There’ll be a nylon coat in there as well, one that she wears when she’s helping on the cleaning side. It’s got pockets, and she puts her purse and phone in them. They’re cleaning chandeliers at the hall at the moment, and that was what she was doing. It was why she went in early. They were on the last two or three, and she wanted to get them finished.’
‘She wouldn’t have normally been starting at that time?’
‘No, usually half past eight, but she left here before six yesterday.’
Hannah was writing rapidly in her notebook. Was it just bad luck that Olivia had been in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or did somebody target her, knowing she would be going in early, and there wouldn’t be many people around?
She stood. ‘Thank you for letting me have a look at Olivia’s room, Alison. It gives me a general feel for her, and I can tell how much she was loved. If there’s anything I can do at any time, Tony has my card.’
They went downstairs, and Hannah said her goodbyes, before getting back into her car and picking up her phone.