Neil sucked in his breath. ‘I’ve told you that she’s not doing that. Because the two people who, quite frankly, at this moment matter most in this room, already have that peace of mind. You, father, will just have to take it on faith. We’re going now.’
Denise looked up. ‘You … you’ll be coming back for Celia’s fortieth birthday?’
‘We’ll be back when my father decides he can apologise to Janey for the things he’s said.’
Denise nodded sadly. She walked with them to the front door, kissed Janey on the cheek. ‘Take good care of each other.’
Neil hugged her tight. ‘Goodbye, Mum. I love you.’
He drove away with tears in his eyes. ‘You know what?’ he said suddenly. ‘There’s still a couple of days of my break left. Let’s go and stay somewhere – somewhere we’ve never been before, at least not together. What do you suggest?’
‘I … I’ve never been to Oxford.’
‘Then we’re going to Oxford.’
They booked into the Macdonald Randolph hotel. In their room, Neil stowed their suitcase in the wardrobe, took off his jacket, and sat down on the bed.
‘Did you want a rest before dinner?’ Janey asked. ‘I can read while you sleep.’
‘No. I’m fine. Come over here.’
He pulled her into his lap and kissed her, hungrily, needily. She could feel a tightness in him, a tension needing release, and found herself responding with the same urgency. He worked her blouse free from her skirt, fumbled with the buttons. She helped him and he pulled the blouse from her, threw it across the room. Her bra followed. He eased her from his lap, lowering her onto the bed, and she lifted her bottom so he could take off her skirt and underwear. He stood for a moment, gazing down at her, running his fingers lightly across the light brown smudge of her pubic hair. ‘Janey …’ Then he pushed her legs apart, knelt between them, and put his mouth to her.
She cried out at the sudden burst of pleasure that rocked through her. He worked her higher and higher, holding her hard against the bed by her hips, as her hands clutched at the duvet, her cries becoming wilder and wilder …
‘Neil … Neil …’ Suddenly the urge to reach orgasm was overwhelming. She wrapped her hands in his hair, arched her back. His tongue moved faster …
‘Neil! Neil! Oh God! Oh God!’
As she quietened, relaxing back against the bed, he raised his head, locked eyes with her. He was breathing hard. ‘Ride me, Janey.’
She knelt astride him, taking him deep inside her. Her hair fell across her face and he reached out and held it back, his gaze never leaving her. His eyes were enormous, and the look she saw in them, the naked desire, the open appreciation of her body, made her dizzy with arousal. She straightened up, arching her back slightly, pushing her breasts out, and he groaned.
‘Do it, Janey. Do it to me.’
‘Yes …’
She moved herself on him, rocking her hips from side to side, enjoying the sounds this elicited from him, the low, almost feral moans. For a while she kept things gentle and slow, her body swaying sensuously, an erotic dance. The look in his eyes intensified. Then he moved his hands to her hips, pulled her down hard upon him as he thrust up into her.
‘Oh, God, Neil, that’s good …’
‘Yes …’
She started moving faster. He caressed her breasts, her shoulders, with his finger he traced a trickle of sweat down her spine and between her buttocks, then slid his finger into her arse. She gasped.
‘You like that?’
‘Oh God yes.’ An intense warmth spread through her, she was all sensation … his eyes, consuming her, wanting her so much … the feel of him inside her … both places … the raw energy of their bodies, moving together … everything building to an incredible, exhilarating rush …
‘Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God!’
‘Janey!’ His orgasm surged through him, until every nerve ending in his body was tingling. As the last wave of pleasure ebbed away, he lay back, spent, breathless, dazed.
She looked down at him, for a moment unable to speak. Then she grinned.
‘That was wild.’
He grinned too, and then they were laughing. He pulled her down beside him.
‘You’re amazing, Janey.’
‘No. We’re amazing together.’
He went to the bathroom, then made them each a drink from the mini-bar, got back in beside her. They clinked glasses.
‘To us.’
‘To us.’ She looked into his eyes. ‘You know, what you did then – with your finger – you’ve never asked … well, to do it that way.’
‘Well that’s because I’m a big man,’ he saw her smile and grinned. ‘Fact. And you’re a tiny woman, and it would hurt you. So why would I want to do anything that you wouldn’t fully enjoy?’
‘Have you ever done it like that?’
‘Yes. In my early twenties, it seemed almost obligatory to give it a go. But it felt like something I was doing to the woman, not like – well, proper lovemaking – where we’re giving and receiving equally.’ He looked at her earnestly. ‘I’ve never done it, or wanted to do it, like that since.’
Her husband Dan had coerced her into doing it and she hadn’t enjoyed it. She had wondered if it would be better, she would like it more, with someone who truly loved her, but now she saw that consent worked both ways. ‘I’ll never ask you,’ she said.
He nodded. They fell silent, though she smoothed his hair, gave him soft kisses on his face and neck. After a while he moved so that his head rested against her breasts. She felt him trembling, and held him as he cried, understanding only too well what he had lost. Into the growing darkness she made a silent vow. This has to end.
Chapter 14
‘They knew about the abortion, Sir.’
‘They?’
‘Gordon Renfrew and his friend, Catriona Henderson. According to her, his “very close friend”. I spoke with her, too.’
‘And they admitted this to you?’
‘No. But they knew. In fact, I’m almost certain it was her who told him about it.’
‘And this gets us where?’
‘I don’t know yet. Catriona Henderson says she has an alibi for May thirteenth, that she was in Doncaster for most of that week, and that I’m welcome to check that out.’
‘Wait a minute – Catriona Henderson has an alibi? What tangent are you going off on now?’
‘I wouldn’t say it was a tangent, Sir, more a …’
‘You think, this Catriona Henderson told Renfrew about the abortion, and he was so enraged by this, wanted revenge so badly, that she followed Katie to London, and killed her – on his behalf?’
‘It’s a possibility.’
‘That’s some friendship. And you really think her capable of it?’
‘You’d have to meet her, Sir. Speak with her like I did. She’s a real piece of work. She says things designed to shock, she prides herself on being unconventional, not part of the crowd. She lives life according to her own rules, her own morals. In fact, I’d say she’s amoral. I think she’s capable of anything.’
‘And you got all this from just a few minutes’ conversation with her?’
Neil looked slightly taken aback. ‘Yes.’
Graeme regarded him with a slight smile. ‘All right. Follow up this alibi. See what it brings to light.’
***
Two days later Neil travelled north again, this time alone. He took an early train from King’s Cross, arriving in Doncaster a little after nine o’clock. According to Catriona Henderson’s manager she had stayed there for four nights, from the tenth to the fourteenth of May. The company was expanding into the north of England and Catriona had been sent to train a new employee, a young man by the name of Patrick Wells.
The Majestic was a small, upmarket hotel in the heart of the city. Neil walked through the revolving doors and felt as if he had stepped into a bygone era, pausing a moment to take in the gleaming brass fittings, oak pa
nelling and lush crimson carpet. The whole exuded an atmosphere of quiet and decorum, so that he jumped when a voice said loudly in his ear,
‘Are you the press?’
He turned to find a rather short, stout, white-haired man glaring at him.
‘Er … no. I’m Detective Chief Inspector Hammond, from London. Your manager, Mr Perkins, is expecting me.’
The man’s face broke into a smile. He put out his hand. ‘I’m Barry Perkins. How do you do? Come through into my office.’ He led the way, saying, ‘Sorry about that. We’ve got a minor celebrity staying here and the press were given strict instructions to remain outside.’
‘How very sensible of you.’
‘So,’ said Barry as they took their seats. ‘Catriona Henderson. A remarkable woman. Very remarkable. She had us all charmed, you know. Though I must say her behaviour on the Saturday morning left a lot to be desired.’
‘She definitely stayed here all four nights?’
‘Most definitely, yes.’
‘Did she take her meals in the restaurant?’
‘Every morning at seven o’clock sharp for her breakfast – a full cooked breakfast, and every evening at seven-thirty for her dinner.’
‘Including the Friday?’
‘She had breakfast as usual on the Friday but no, she didn’t have dinner here. She came in around eight and ordered two bottles of champagne to be sent to her room.’
‘Two?’
‘Yes. And they were both drunk, along with every other drop of alcohol in the mini-bar.’
‘By herself?’
‘That’s what I’m getting to. She also asked for her breakfast to be delivered to her room on the Saturday morning and – well, she almost didn’t get it. Tessa – the staff member who took it up – isn’t easily shocked but even for her the sight of a fully naked woman opening the door was almost too much – she nearly dropped the tray. I mean, that sort of behaviour just isn’t on, is it?’
Neil had the distinct impression that Barry Perkins was more titillated than outraged, that this incident had been the subject of much lunch room banter in the weeks that followed. This was confirmed when Barry leant forward and said with a wink, ‘Apparently she’s just as red downstairs as she is on top, if you know what I mean?’
Neil kept a straight face. ‘And there was someone with her?’
‘Yes. Tessa says there was a man asleep in the bed – and he was completely starkers as well.’
‘A man?’ This elicited a quizzical look but Neil wasn’t going to give him something else to gossip about. ‘Do you know who he was?’
‘Well – it’s obvious, isn’t it?’
‘Is it?’
‘Yes. And Miss Henderson was told when she checked out that this establishment frowns on customers bringing … prostitutes into their rooms, whatever their gender.’
‘What did Ms Henderson say to that?’
‘Apparently she laughed and said, “Well, that’s all right then, because he wasn’t a prostitute. I never pay for it.”’ He paused, then said with relish, ‘Her room was a disgrace – I had to see it for myself or I wouldn’t have believed it – wet towels all over the carpet, used condoms, empty bottles … one can only imagine …’
So it would seem that Catriona Henderson didn’t always prefer her sexual partners to “have a vagina”. More to the point, she was married … did Shona Ferris know what her wife got up to, and simply turn a blind eye? Neil focused on the main piece of information he had been given – on Friday the thirteenth, Catriona had arrived back at the hotel at eight o’clock. And Katie Campbell had been last seen a little after five. Neil had driven to Katie’s flat that morning and left from there, timing the journey very carefully. He had walked briskly, been lucky with his connections, but even so, the whole journey had taken him just over three hours. So how could Catriona have done what he suspected her of? She wouldn’t have had the time. Nevertheless, he would still have a chat with Patrick Wells, see what he had to say.
‘Thank you, Mr Perkins,’ he interrupted, ‘this has been very useful. I won’t take up any more of your time. It’s obviously very upsetting to you, having to recall such an unseemly episode.’
‘Um … yes, well … yes … I wouldn’t say, upsetting … exactly …’
Neil smiled. ‘I’ll see myself out.’
The moment he stated his business to Patrick Wells he could tell something was up. A guarded expression came into the young man’s eyes.
‘Catriona Henderson? Yes, we worked together all that week, from Tuesday to Friday. We were with each other every minute, visiting clinics, pharmacies, making ourselves known. From eight o’clock in the morning till five o’clock in the evening, every day.’
‘Including the Friday?’
‘Yes,’ Patrick said, staring fixedly at the notepad on his desk, fiddling with his pencil.
‘Are you sure?’ Neil leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. ‘Mr Wells, you do realise it is actually a crime to lie to the police, to obstruct …’
The pencil snapped in half. ‘What’s she done?’
‘Let’s just say we’d like to eliminate her from our enquiries.’
‘She … she told me not to tell anyone …’
‘Yes?’
‘On the Friday morning, she rang me up, really early, around seven o’clock. She said she wasn’t feeling very well and she’d just stay in her room all day. She said I knew enough to go out by myself, and asked me not to tell the manager, because the stupid prick didn’t believe in sick leave and would think she was skiving …’ he stopped, blushing. ‘Those were her words.’
Neil regarded him thoughtfully for a few moments. ‘She was well again by the evening though, wasn’t she?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean – you were the young man in her room, weren’t you?’
‘What? How the hell do you know about that?’
Neil sucked in his breath. ‘You don’t know – that you were seen. Catriona had her breakfast delivered to her room, and the staff member who delivered it saw you in the bed – completely naked.’
Patrick’s face clouded with anger. ‘She didn’t have the decency to cover me up when she answered the door?’
‘She didn’t cover herself up.’
‘That’d be right. The fucking cow.’
‘Perhaps you’d like to tell me a bit about that night? What sort of mood she was in, for example?’
‘She rang me up just after eight, and invited me over. To celebrate a successful week, she said. I couldn’t see what was especially successful about it – it was just business, handing out our cards, making contacts, but I went. She seemed kind of exhilarated. It had been a tiring time she said, a lot of hard work, but now it was over and she could let her hair down. She gave a funny sort of laugh at that and then she opened the champagne. We drank two bottles and then we raided the mini-bar. Then … well …’
‘One thing led to another?’ Neil said drily.
‘Yes. Suddenly we were rolling around on the bed …’
‘You had sex?’
‘We had amazing sex. Every which way …’
‘Thank you. I don’t need to know the details. You do realise she’s married, she has a wife up in Glasgow?’
‘Well, I didn’t know that then. But at some point during the night I suppose I passed out, and when I woke up, it was morning, and she was sitting in the bed watching me, a cup of coffee in one hand and a croissant in the other. “Is there any of that for me?” I asked, and she said, “The best thing you can do is put on your clothes and get out.” I thought she was joking and said, “You don’t want to do it one more time for luck?” She looked down her nose at me and said, “I don’t think so.” That’s when she told me. She said, “I’m married. I have a wife. I’m a lesbian.” Well, I laughed at that. I said, “You can’t be completely a lesbian, not after the things we did together.” She got really angry then. She said, “Don’t you dare tell me what I am or am not
. And you know what, you’ve just reminded me why I prefer women. It’s all just where you can put your cock with you lot, isn’t it?” Well, I got really mad then, too. I mean, I hadn’t heard any complaints the night before. Quite the opposite. So I said, ‘Well, do you know what? If you’re a dyke, that explains why you’re so useless at giving head.” And then she threw her coffee over me. And then I left.’
‘Thank you, Mr Wells. I think that’s more than I really needed to know.’
The young man flamed bright red. ‘I’m sorry. That all just sort of … came out.’
‘Quite. Well, it sounds as if you needed to get it off your chest.’
‘It wasn’t even meant to be her, anyway.’
‘Pardon?’
‘Working with me. It was supposed to be some bloke, but his mother died suddenly so he couldn’t come. They sent Catriona instead. She seemed a bit put out by it to tell you the truth, like there was somewhere else she wanted to be. Her whole attitude towards work sucks, if you ask me. I don’t know how she’s got on so well.’
Neil raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t you? You don’t think you could … guess?’
For a moment Patrick looked confused, then understanding dawned. ‘Oh! Well … that sucks too. Look – if she has done something, none of what I’ve told you needs to come out, does it?’
Neil smiled. ‘None of the personal details you’ve divulged are of any relevance whatsoever, you can be assured of that.’
When he reported back to Graeme later that day, Neil said, ‘I asked Patrick Wells why he thought Catriona had turned on him like that, and he thought it was down to guilt – at cheating on her wife, at losing control like that. But I don’t think that’s it at all. Catriona Henderson strikes me as a woman who likes to be in control at all times. She had her fun with him and then she lost interest, as simple as that. I think she’s a manipulative, dangerous woman, but I just don’t see that she had the time. She was up to something that Friday, maybe even that whole week, but I just can’t see how murdering Katie Campbell could have been a part of that.’
The Woman in the Peacock Patterned Coat Page 16