‘Byrd,’ Jo called. ‘I think we need coffee.’
‘Boss?’
Jo indicated Helen who was still prostrate on the bed.
He nodded. ‘One strong coffee coming up.’
While Byrd was opening and closing cupboards in the kitchen, Jo went into the bedroom, hugging Helen until the sobs subsided. Byrd brought in the brew and she managed to make Helen take a few gulps of coffee.
Jo stood, ‘I’m sorry but we must leave. We need to get back to the station, but I will call you later. Try not to worry. Here’s my card, please call me anytime, especially if you think of anything that might help us.’
Helen nodded and took the card. As they let themselves out of the flat, they could hear Helen, alone and once more sobbing for her lost love.
Once the door had closed behind them, Jo said, ‘I wish we could have been able to reassure her that Charlie would be found fit and well. But I refuse to out and out lie to someone.’
‘Even if it would have been a comfort and given her hope?’
‘It would have been false hope, Byrd, and that wouldn’t have been fair.’
They reached Jo’s car and clambered in. On the way back to the station Jo said, ‘We need to find out if our first girl, Alison Rudd, had a bar or pub job. There are links in there somewhere, I know there are. We just have to find them.’
‘If Charlie turns out to be our next victim.’
‘And Eddie, find out where Danial Tate’s been over the last couple of days.’
‘Really Guv?’
‘Really,’ and Jo deliberately turned away to make a point of concentrating on the traffic, ensuring there would be no further discussion on the subject.
16
Jo hurried back to the office, hoping against hope that Charlie might have been found. But just like the hope she refused to give Helen, her own hope was swiftly extinguished. There was nothing. No sightings. But there was no body. Jo decided to be thankful for small mercies.
‘We need someone to go up to the University. Let’s see if Charlie did her shift at the Union.’
Jo thought she did and that she was taken afterwards but couldn’t mention her vision.
‘And if anyone saw her leave with someone, either willingly, or against her will. We’ve a photograph of her in an approximation of the clothes she was wearing when she left the flat. Short denim skirt, Union tee-shirt and blue sweatshirt with a hood. Her partner Helen can’t remember what shoes she was wearing. She also had a small black rucksack with her. Judith, can you get those details out to the patrols ASAP and send this picture with the message. Byrd, I want you see Tate. Do we know where he is right now?’
‘Yeah, the surveillance team called in a while back. He’s gone to work at Chichester Leisure Centre.’
‘Excellent. Go and find out where he was the past couple of nights. Don’t ring first. I want him on the back foot and not on the front. Understood?’
‘Yes, Boss,’ agreed Eddie, but not with any enthusiasm.
‘Anything else I should know?’ Jo looked at Judith.
‘Yes. Bill has sent over another forensics report from the examination of Alison’s body and bandages.’
‘And?’ There was that hope again.
‘Nothing. She’d been dead too long and in a watery grave. According to Bill we didn’t stand a cat in hell’s chance of finding anything useful. And it seems he was right.’
‘Bollocks.’
‘Sorry, Guv.’
‘Alright, let’s send someone up to Alison Rudd’s school, to try and find out if she had any friends there, ones that she saw outside work. Anyone who might know what her social life was like. Can you organise that, Byrd?’
Byrd gave a stiff nod. Jo could sense she’d irritated him by telling him to go and see Daniel Tate again. She just didn’t like Tate and knew, because of her feelings, that he was the sort who could be capable of harming another human being. He exuded a feeling of menace. He didn’t seem to have any empathy for his flatmate at all. He didn’t seem to care one jot about what had happened to her. In Jo’s book that wasn’t on. So she didn’t care what Byrd thought. She had a duty not to leave any stone unturned and she was determined to do it. For Alison’s sake. Even if it meant her looking like a bloody fool at the end of it. She could live with that. The trade-off would be worth it.
ANUBIS
Anubis walked around his lair. His latest victim had been found to be a sinner, just as he thought, and she would soon be on her way to the halls of hell.
‘What’s wrong with you?’
‘Nothing, stop poking your nose.’
‘No, come on, I’m serious. What’s wrong?’
‘Well if you really must know, I wish I could find someone worthy of my ritual. Someone who’s heart is lighter than the feather. Someone who would be on their way to meet Osiris. I have been practicing the awakening of the dead ritual.
‘What’s that when it’s at home?’
‘Well, once the weighing of the scales has been completed and the soul found to be pure, then it’s my job to awaken the soul. In Egypt the mummy is removed from the sarcophagus when it arrives at the door of the tomb and is placed upright against the wall by a priest wearing the mask of Anubis, thought to have become me.’
‘That’s a bit rich. Someone imitating you.’
‘It’s alright, it happens all the time. Anyway in order for a person's soul to survive in the afterlife it will need to have food and water. The opening of the mouth ritual was thus performed so that the person who died could eat and drink again in the afterlife and be able to see and hear as a living being.’
‘That’s pretty cool, I guess. Anyway what’s all over the walls?’
‘Those are copies of the pictures of the ceremony taken from the pyramids. I would prefer them to be etched into the walls, just as they are in the ancient tombs, but I just don’t have the time for that. Anyway it’s time you pushed off. I’m busy preparing for my next victim.’
17
As Eddie schlepped off to do her highness’ bidding, he decided to take a young detective constable with him. She needed the experience and he needed the company. Plus she was pretty good to look at.
‘Sandy, you’re with me,’ he called as he walked out of the office, not waiting for her. He’d dispatched two officers to follow up at Alison’s school.
Jill Sandy was a newbie who had joined the force, done her training at police college and then her two years in uniform on the beat. She was no push over on the streets, but at times seemed out of her depth in an office environment. She was intelligent but had yet to find her way around an investigation. It was early days and Bryant wondered if this case would be the making of her. It might be the breaking of her, of course. In fact it could mean the breaking up of the team if they couldn’t crack this one. The trouble was Eddie was afraid the Boss was clutching at straws with this Daniel Tate angle. But, to be honest, they didn’t have anything else to go on, or any other suspects in the frame.
Jill Sandy caught up with Eddie at the front door of the station, coat half off, hair all over the place and a handbag that was threatening to dump its contents on the floor.
Eddie said, ‘Hang on, Sandy, get yourself together first,’ and watched as she straightened her clothes, smoothed down her hair and zipped up her handbag.
‘Right, Sarge, sorry.’
Eddie grinned at her. ‘Come on, you, let’s get this over with.’
Driving to the leisure centre, Byrd gave her the background to Daniel Tate. ‘He’s Alison Rudd’s flatmate, but a particularly uncaring one. The Guv has taken an instant dislike to him and wants us to keep needling him.’
‘Do you think he’s our man, Sarge?’
Byrd didn’t want to be disloyal, so didn’t tell Sandy what he really thought, merely saying, ‘The jury’s still out on that one. It’s our job to check his alibi and to see how he reacts to another visit by the police.’
‘Yes, Sarge. Understood.’
&nb
sp; Byrd doubted that she did understand, but at least she was making the right noises. Once at the centre, he nodded for Sandy to introduce them at Reception. It was the same spotty youth from the other day.
She flashed her ID and said, ‘DC Sandy and DS Byrd, Chichester Police. We’d like to see Daniel Tate, please.’
‘He’s busy.’
‘Oh!’
‘With a client. Doing a 1 to 1 personal training.’
‘When will he be free?’
Byrd couldn’t take anymore and was in danger of laughing at Sandy and that would never do. Stepping forward he said, ‘Where is he?’
‘Um, the gym.’
‘Come on, Sandy,’ and he turned away and made for the stairs with Jill running after him.
At the top she said, ‘Sorry, Sarge, got that a bit wrong, didn’t I?’
‘We’re the police, Sandy, on a murder enquiry. We don’t have time for nice. We’re not trying to foster community relations. You need to forget all you’ve learned so far in the force. Being a detective is the complete antithesis of being on the beat. Understand?’
‘Yes, Sarge,’ she puffed up the stairs.
‘Oh and you need to get your fitness up. You’re spending most of your time in a chair now, not walking several miles a day.’
‘Maybe I should get some 1 to 1 training from Daniel Tate.’
Byrd raised an eyebrow, but as a quick come back, he had to acknowledge that it wasn’t bad. There was hope for Jill Sandy yet.
Daniel Tate was getting an eye full of his client’s assets when Jill and Eddie found him in a quiet corner of the gym.
Straightening up, Tate said, ‘What the hell do you want now? Can’t you see I’m busy?’
‘Just a few moments of your time please, sir.’ Eddie said, which could be taken one of two ways. As being polite, which the client would see it as, or being sarcastic, which Tate would see it as.
‘Carry on with that. Five on each side.’
Tate left his client to her work out and walked through the double doors out of the gym, waiting for them at the top of the stairs.
‘Is this really necessary?’ he demanded of Byrd.
‘Yes. We’ve another missing girl.’
‘What’s that got to do with me?’
‘Can you account for your movements last Saturday and Sunday?’
‘Um, no not really. What can I say? It was the weekend.’
‘Where did you go?’
‘Not sure. I must have been drinking as I had a hell of a hangover on Sunday morning.’
‘Where? Who with?’
‘Can’t remember. Must have blacked out.’
‘Sunday night?’
‘Could have gone out again. Might have stayed in. Who knows? Sorry I can’t be of more help,’ and Tate left them standing there and returned to his client.
‘He’s a real piece of work, Sarge.’
‘Don’t I know it. But not liking him doesn’t mean he’s a killer.’
‘So what do we do now?’
‘Watch and learn, Sandy.’
Byrd pushed through the door, back into the gym.
Reaching Tate he said in a loud voice, ‘Daniel Tate, I am DS Byrd from Chichester Police. I need you to accompany me to the station to make a statement concerning your movements last Saturday and Sunday nights in connection with the disappearance of Charlotte Flood.’
‘What?’ Daniel Tate looked at them with disbelief.
His client had stopped her work-out and was watching with undisguised interest.
‘Are you going to come quietly, sir, or must I use force?’
By now the whole gym was watching the free show.
‘No, no, I’ll come quietly,’ and Tate stalked out of the gym, quickly followed by Byrd and Sandy.
18
Tate refused to speak during the short car journey and Byrd was glad to leave him in an interview room once they arrived at the Nick.
He rang upstairs to tell Jo they were back and hung around the corridor waiting for her. ‘I’m beginning to hate the idiot as much as you, Boss,’ Byrd confessed to Jo when she arrived.
As they walked through the door, Tate jumped to his feet. ‘Are you deliberately trying to ruin my whole life? I’ve done nothing! Why don’t you believe me?’ he shouted.
‘Because you’re a lying piece of shit,’ growled Byrd. ‘So sit down.’
‘Actually Byrd, that’s not quite right,’ Jo said.
‘Thank you, Inspector.’ Tate looked suitably smug.
‘He’s an obnoxious, lying piece of shit, who doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.’
Byrd tried hard not to laugh. ‘Thank you, Inspector,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t have put it better myself.’
‘So,’ said Jo turning to Tate, ‘have you had any more thoughts about Alison? Recalled any facts that might help us?’
‘Like what?’
‘We still haven’t found her clothes. What was she wearing when she left the flat for the last time?’
‘I’ve told you I don’t know.’
‘A skirt?’
‘No, I never saw her wear one. She always dressed in jeans.’
‘Good start. Blue jeans?’
‘No, she had some new black ones on.’
‘Oh, now we’re getting somewhere. And you know they were new because?’
‘She’d shown them to me. She was all excited because she’d got some new clothes. They were only from Primark, but still.’
‘Interesting. Why was she buying them?’
‘Eh?’
‘Did she not have many clothes? Had she got some extra money, so she thought she’d treat herself? Or maybe she had a special event that she was going to?’
‘Oh I see what you mean. Um, well she seemed much happier since she started that group thing.’
‘Group thing?’
‘Yeah it was up at the University.’
Jo held her breath. Could this be the link? Why hadn’t he told them this before?
‘What group, Daniel?’
‘To be honest I’m not really sure.’
‘How do you know it was up at the University?’
‘Because I saw her there.’
‘Saw her?’
‘Yeah, several times when I was teaching up at the University gym. You know, personal trainer stuff and all that.’
Once Tate had gone, Jo gathered the team around the board. With barely controlled anger, she said, ‘Why didn’t we know Daniel Tate worked at the University gym?’
Everyone looked very sheepish, but no one was brave enough to answer.
‘Because we haven’t done the usual background checks. Correct?’
‘Yes, Guv.’
‘Sorry, Guv.’
‘Isn’t that standard procedure when we identify a suspect?’ Jo stood ramrod straight with clenched fists.
‘Yes, Boss,’ said Eddie. ‘Look, we fucked up,’ he looked around at the team. ‘Let’s put it right and do a full background check on him. It’s not possible to make everyone feel worse than they do already. What do you say, Boss?'
‘Very well,’ she agreed, but inside was still seething, annoyed with herself as much as anyone. She should have directed someone to do the job. She’d failed just as much as her team.
‘We’ve put the transcript of the interviews at Alison Rudd’s school on your desk, Boss,’ said Jill.
‘Thanks,’ and Jo turned on her heel and stalked back to her office.
Slamming the door behind her made her feel slightly better and she walked around her desk to read the information on Alison Rudd.
Jo’s first impression was that Jill Sandy had done a good job with her summary of the interview. Skills like that would stand her in good stead in any future investigations. She made a mental note to add that compliment to Sandy’s personal file.
She’d interviewed the Head Teacher and other administrative colleagues. The general consensus was that Alison had worked hard and had been well liked. San
dy had asked if Alison had had any outside hobbies or interests, but none of them knew of any and didn’t think she did. It seems she had been totally focused on work, always went the extra mile and seemed to intuitively know what was needed next. She found solutions to problems and implemented them.
It appeared their dead girl had been out to make an impression in her job and perhaps didn’t have much of a work/life balance. Jo reached for the phone and rang Jill Sandy.
‘Jill, why do you think Alison was so work focused? Did you get a sense of the reason for that?’
‘Oh, right, well, no one had a bad word to say about her. There was no gossip, no hint of slacking or scandal. The only thing I can come up with is that perhaps she was trying to atone for her previous life. We know she’d been picked up on minor drugs charges in the past. When I asked why she wasn’t a teacher like her parents, colleagues said she used to tell anyone that asked, that she’d decided a teaching career wasn’t for her. She’d preferred facts and figures.’
‘Thanks, Jill and good work.’
Jo replaced the receiver, reflecting on the fact that Alison Rudd had worked hard at turning her life around and it seemed so unfair that after all that effort she should lose it at the hands of some maniac. Jo was still sure that Daniel Tate was firmly in the frame. But one thing still niggled her. They’d not turned up any evidence that Daniel was into Egyptology, apart from those two books hidden under Alison’s bed. That was one conundrum Jo was still puzzling over.
19
The next morning Jo was woken by the ringing of her mobile. It would stop, then start again incessantly ringing and buzzing and generally making a nuisance of itself. Finally she answered it.
‘Yes?’
‘Morning, Boss,’ said the cheerful voice of Eddie Byrd. ‘Sorry to wake you, but we’ve got another one.’
‘What?’ Jo sat up in bed.
‘A second body.’
‘With bandages?’
Touching the Dead Page 6