by Ford, P. F.
‘Oh, great. Someone we haven’t even considered yet. That’s all we need.’
‘It could just be from the guy who services the van,’ said Slater. ‘So don’t hold your breath. Anyway, what’s the verdict? Is he guilty? We seem to have plenty of circumstantial evidence but nothing concrete. And he’s still denying it.’
‘I’m a bit more convinced than you are,’ said Norman. ‘And I’d love for an arsehole like him to be guilty of something, but, if I’m honest, I’d like to be a whole lot more convinced.’
‘It’s not beyond reasonable doubt, is it?’
‘We’d have to be pretty lucky, I think.’
They both stared gloomily into space, contemplating their next move.
‘Okay. So let’s start by taking a look at why we think it’s not him,’ said Slater.
‘The pathologist suggested she was killed with an upward thrust,’ said Norman. ‘That suggests the killer is small. Rossiter is over six feet tall.’
‘He couldn’t have had sex with her at lunchtime on the day she died. He was up in London. There’s just no way it could have been him. And, anyway, John Hollis has admitted it was him, and he has no reason to lie that I can see.’
‘And why would Rossiter buy condoms, and then leave them in the van for us to find?’ asked Norman. ‘Our theory said he bought them to avoid leaving any DNA, but that theory doesn’t work now, does it?’
‘We know he bought the condoms. But why? I can’t figure out where they come into it. Or, are they just a red herring?’
‘Maybe some women insist on it,’ said Norman. ‘They can’t all be happy to risk an infection.’
‘Okay,’ said Slater. ‘But why leave them in the van? I mean, anyone could have found them. You’d have to be pretty stupid, right?’
‘Yeah,’ said Norman. ‘He’s an arrogant bugger, and he’s got some questionable morals, but he ain’t stupid.’
‘And then there’s the thing with the mobile phones,’ said Slater. ‘He would know they would link him to Diana and make him a suspect.’
‘You’re right. He woulda got rid of both of them, especially Diana’s. I mean, hiding it in the sock drawer? Nah. I don’t buy it. He would have dumped it. It’s all a bit too convenient, isn’t it?’
‘Alright,’ said Slater. ‘So we’re agreed it’s all way too obvious. So the next question is, who would want to set him up?’
‘This could be a long list,’ said Norman. ‘He’s not exactly Mr Popularity, is he? You could probably start with everyone at Rochester & Dorset.’
‘Good point,’ conceded Slater, with a smile. ‘But let’s try to focus on those we know would have an axe to grind.’
‘Well, Ian Woods, for one. The guy wrecked his marriage.’
‘True,’ agreed Slater. ‘But he has an alibi for the time of the murder. And how could he plant stuff in Rossiter’s sock drawer, or in his office desk?’
‘Maybe he had an accomplice.’
‘Rossiter’s wife? I think she’s a more likely candidate to be the killer than an accomplice. First she denied Rossiter had affairs, then she changed her story and claimed they had an agreement as long as he kept it away from home. And we know Rossiter and Diana weren’t just doing it close to home, they were actually doing it in her home.’
‘But she also said she didn’t believe Diana was like that,’ said Norman.
‘Yeah, right,’ said Slater. ‘D’you think she was telling the truth about that?’
‘She’s been way too cool about the whole situation. I’m not sure she’s told us the truth about anything so far. She’s also small enough to have caused the stab wound that killed Diana, and she would have access to Rossiter’s credit cards.’
‘The more we talk about her, the more I see her as a suspect,’ said Slater. ‘But we should also consider Frosty Knickers, shouldn’t we? I get the impression she spends a lot of time clearing up behind Rossiter, and she’s definitely pissed off with having to do it. Perhaps she’s had enough and decided to get rid of the problem once and for all.’
‘She’d certainly have the opportunity to get at his desk, and the van,’ agreed Norman. ‘She’s also small enough to be the killer.’
‘Yes, but how would she get into his sock drawer?’
‘What if she was working with Angela Rossiter?’
‘That’s another possibility,’ agreed Slater, wearily. ‘Or are we looking for a conspiracy where there isn’t one?’
‘I’m gonna be tearing my hair out soon,’ said Norman. ‘Maybe they’re all in it together.’
‘A three-way conspiracy,’ said Slater, laughing. ‘Now that would be something, wouldn’t it?’
‘Okay, okay,’ said Norman with a smile. ‘Woody has an alibi, so maybe not a three-way conspiracy. Whatever it is, I think we need to look a whole lot closer at Angela Rossiter and Celia Rowntree, don’t you?’
‘Definitely,’ agreed Slater. ‘But I think we should keep Rossiter where he is for now. If someone has set him up, it’s better they think he’s still our main suspect.’
‘You still think we’re missing something, don’t you? Something was bothering you when we were at Diana’s house the other day and you never did work out what it was. How about we go back there again? Maybe it’ll come to you.’
‘It can’t do any harm, I suppose,’ said Slater. ‘But first we need to see if Jane’s found anything on the CCTV disks.’
‘I haven’t found any CCTV cameras that can help us find out who used his credit card,’ said Jolly. ‘I’ve tried just about everywhere.’
‘Damn,’ said Slater. ‘How about the CCTV discs from Rochester’s? Did you find the one we want?’
‘It’s not there. I’ve been through them all twice. The dates and letters all tally with the book, but you take a look at this.’
She handed Slater a CD. He looked at it, turned it over and looked at the other side, then handed it to Norman.
‘Right,’ he said, doubtfully, not quite sure what he was supposed to see.
‘Now look at this one,’ she said, handing him another disk.
He looked at both sides of this disc, and then passed it on to Norman. It was as he handed it to Norman, and saw the two discs side by side, that he noticed what she meant.
‘Wait a minute,’ he said. ‘That’s a brand new disc, isn’t it? The first one’s covered in scratches.’
‘Oh yeah,’ agreed Norman. ‘You can’t miss it when they’re next to each other. Let me guess which one’s been replaced. Would it be the one we’re looking for, by any chance?’
Jolly nodded her head.
‘Rossiter?’ she asked.
‘Not necessarily,’ said Slater. ‘He doesn’t have ready access to the discs and would have to risk being seen going into that room. It could just as easily be Celia Rowntree. She has access to these discs at all times.’
‘So does the receptionist,’ said Norman.
‘I don’t really see her as a killer, do you?’ said Slater. ‘And what would her motive be?’
‘She does despise Rossiter,’ Norman pointed out.
‘I think that’s a pretty universal feeling, don’t you?’ asked Slater. ‘Especially among the women who work there.’
‘I can’t argue with that,’ said Norman, with a wry smile. ‘Anyway, we’d better get down there and find out why there’s a disc missing.’
‘Right. Take Jane with you. And find out if anyone outside the company uses the van. Then bring Jane down to Diana’s house and meet me there. Maybe we need a woman’s eyes to see what we’re missing.’
‘I spoke to that frosty cow,’ said Norman, when they met up later. ‘She claims she has no idea where the disc could have gone. She says she hasn’t been near them recently and Millie Gibson is the only one who touches them.’
‘Do you think she’s lying?’ asked Slater.
‘Is the sky blue?’
‘What about Millie? What did she have to say?’
‘She says she hasn’t t
hrown any discs away, or renewed any. She says anyone could have done it, and it could have happened any time she was out of the reception area. The discs are used in strict rotation so as long as it was put back in the right order she wouldn’t even have noticed until she got to that disc.’
‘D’you believe her?’ asked Slater.
‘For sure,’ said Norman.
‘What about the van?’
‘Frosty says it’s staff only. But I thought to ask Millie the same question. According to her, Rossiter arranged for his wife to use it for her charity work. She’s used it several times, and she doesn’t even ask. She just turns up and takes it like a member of staff.’
‘Now that’s very interesting,’ said Slater. ‘If we can find a way to prove Celia Rowntree knew about that, maybe your conspiracy theory isn’t so far off the mark.’
‘It works, doesn’t it?’ agreed Norman. ‘They could easily have worked together to solve a shared problem. Diana gets bumped off, Rossiter gets put away, and the two women most affected by their bad behaviour get to live happily ever after.’
While they were talking, Jane Jolly was wandering around the kitchen.
‘Are you sure it’s in here?’ she asked Slater.
‘I can’t say for sure,’ he replied. ‘But it’s while I was in here that I felt I was missing something.’
‘So it’s a good place to start, then.’
She opened some cupboards, peered inside and closed them again. Then she did the same with some of the drawers, and it was one of these that finally caught her attention.
‘What?’ asked Slater.
‘Look at these knives,’ she said. ‘They’re real chefs’ knives. They must have cost a fortune.’
‘Yeah, but she was well known for her cooking,’ said Norman. ‘People like that tend to buy expensive stuff.’
‘That’s true enough,’ agreed Jolly, but she continued staring into the drawer. ‘Didn’t we take a knife block in as evidence?’
‘Yeah,’ said Slater. ‘The murder weapon came from it.’
‘Maybe it’s just me,’ she continued, still staring into the drawer. ‘But don’t you think it seems a bit odd to have all these top quality, very expensive chefs’ knives in the drawers and then have a cheap, run-of-the-mill knife block as well?’
‘Was it that bad?’ asked Norman. ‘I can’t really remember what it was like. But even if it was crap, perhaps she just used the crappy ones for everyday use, and kept the best ones for special occasions.’
‘But everything in this kitchen is expensive. Just look around. There’s nothing cheap anywhere else in here. In fact, there’s nothing cheap in this whole house, apart from that knife block.’
‘So, maybe someone gave it to her as a present,’ said Norman. ‘And she kept it out so she wouldn’t hurt their feelings if they came round.’
‘Somehow I don’t see Diana Woods as the type to worry about hurting someone’s feelings,’ said Jolly.
‘Ah, but don’t forget she was like two people rolled into one,’ said Norman. ‘Maybe the heartless tart wouldn’t care about hurting someone’s feelings, but then the nice, angelic Diana wouldn’t want to hurt anyone.’
‘But you’re not convinced, are you?’ said Norman.
‘No,’ Jolly said. ‘This woman does not like cheap tat in her house. She would have thrown away the cheap knife block or maybe given it to a charity shop. She certainly wouldn’t have kept it out where everyone could see it.’
Slater had been listening carefully to the exchange between Jolly and Norman. It was telling him something, but what was it? And then it came to him.
‘That’s it!’ he said. ‘Jane’s right. The knife block’s wrong. It doesn’t make any sense.’
‘And nor do you right now,’ said Norman, looking puzzled. ‘I’m lost.’
‘And I have been, too. Until now. All the time, we’ve assumed the killer came to see Diana, saw an opportunity, took a knife from the knife block, and stabbed her, right?’
‘Yeah,’ said Norman.
‘But that’s what’s wrong, isn’t it?’ said Slater. ‘When I was talking to Ian Becks earlier, he said about how the killer seemed to have made a point of wearing gloves and been really careful about not leaving a trace of evidence anywhere, all the hallmarks of a premeditated murder.’
‘But then we’re saying the killer used a knife taken from a knife block, which just happened to be in the kitchen,’ said Norman, comprehension dawning on his face. ‘Which is opportunist, and anything but premeditated.’
‘Exactly,’ said Slater. ‘Would our killer really take so much care, and then rely on a piece of luck to provide a murder weapon? It doesn’t make sense, does it? I seem to recall that knife block was brand new, or at least it looked new. So, what if the killer brought it with them?’
‘It’s an interesting idea,’ admitted Norman.
‘But why not just bring a knife?’ said Jolly. ‘Why bring the whole block?’
‘To throw us off the scent,’ said Slater. ‘Or to get rid of it. If you just took one knife from it, you’d still have the rest of the knives and the block to dispose of. This way you don’t have to dispose of it at all.’
‘So, if we could find out who bought that knife block we might just find our killer,’ said Jolly.
‘It would be a big help.’
‘Well, shopping is one thing I am quite good at,’ she said, smiling. ‘I’m pretty sure I can find out where it came from, and with any luck I might be able to prove who bought it. But first I need to see it again to make sure I know exactly what I’m looking for.’
Chapter 21
Next morning, Slater, Norman and Jolly were in Slater’s car, parked just around the corner from the market.
‘Are you sure you’ll be okay?’ asked Slater.
‘Of course,’ said Jolly. ‘The only problem I might have is if the guy isn’t there today. He has one of those stalls that’s here one week and gone the next. If you buy anything you never know if he’ll be there again if you have problems with it.’
‘Well, let’s hope he is there, because we need one of those knife blocks. Have you got the photos?’
‘Of course I have,’ she said, with a forced smile. ‘I have done this sort of thing before, you know.’
‘I’m sorry. Just make sure you don’t get into trouble. Any problems or doubts, you give us a call, alright? We’ll be waiting in the car.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?’ asked Norman.
‘I’m just going shopping,’ she said. ‘What could be more innocent than a girl going shopping? I just want to see if my friend bought her knife block from him, and if he recognises her I want to buy one just like hers. If I walk around with two heavies for protection we’re likely to scare the guy. I’ll be fine, honestly.’
She pushed open the car door and slipped out.
‘I’ll be ten minutes,’ she said, as she closed the door.
True to her word, it was almost exactly ten minutes later when she opened the door and slid into the back seat.
‘Look what I’ve got,’ she said, brandishing a carrier bag.
‘Oh, great,’ said Slater. ‘Well done, Jane.’
‘Is it the same one?’ asked Norman.
‘It’s exactly the same. And we’re in luck. He doesn’t sell many of them so he tends to remember who he sells them to. I asked him if my friend had bought one, because I wanted one the same as hers. I told him it would have been ten days, or maybe a fortnight ago. He described a woman to me, I showed him the photograph of Celia Rowntree, and he identified her.’
‘Brilliant,’ Slater said, smiling broadly. ‘Now we’re starting to make some sense of all this. I think it’s time we had a serious chat with Mrs Frosty Knickers, don’t you, Norm?’
‘For sure,’ said Norman, beaming back. ‘Houston, we have lift off.’
‘She doesn’t look quite so full of herself now, does she?’ said Norman, as he and Slater peered thro
ugh the observation window at Celia Rowntree.
‘How did she take it when you told her she was coming in for a chat?’ asked Slater.
‘She was the epitome of hostility when we arrived in reception,’ said Norman. ‘She told me I was wasting my time without making an appointment. Then she reeled off all this crap about how we were trespassing, and how we were violating her human rights.’
‘I bet you were so impressed.’
‘Actually, in part, it was pretty impressive, to be honest,’ said Norman, grinning. ‘And she looked so pleased with herself, I just couldn’t resist letting her ramble on and on. It’s amazing how much she can say without stopping for breath. That was the impressive part. We probably ought to contact the Guinness Book of Records.’
‘And then you got bored, I suppose.’
‘Actually it was Jane who lost interest first,’ said Norman. ‘She interrupted old Frosty to tell her she could save all the bullshit for when we got to the station. That’s when it got really entertaining. Frosty does indignity better than almost anyone I can think of. Apparently no one speaks to her like Jane did. But then Jane showed she can get pretty feisty herself.
‘You should have been there. You would have loved it, especially the bit when Jane announced, at the top of her voice, that if the stroppy cow didn’t shut up and come quietly she was going to be handcuffed and dragged out. That’s when she started screaming about her rights all over again, and how she was entitled to a solicitor.’
‘Is there a solicitor on the way?’ asked Slater.
‘Yeah.’ Norman chuckled. ‘It’s that Brian Humphreys guy from Rochester’s again. He actually came down to reception, while we were there, to see what all the noise was about. Man, he was not impressed to find another senior member of staff was being dragged into this investigation.’
‘I bet he wishes he worked anywhere but Rochester’s right now,’ said Slater, laughing.
‘Yeah, he kinda made that quite clear,’ said Norman. ‘But apparently it’s written into his contract that he has to represent senior members of staff. At least that’s what Frosty told him. I guess he never expected he would find it necessary to represent anyone for anything as serious as murder. Poor guy.’