Her Last Mistake - Detective Gina Harte Series 06 (2020)

by Kovach, Carla

  ‘Is there anything else you can tell us?’

  He shook his head. ‘I left the park late that evening, probably around midnight and then I came home. Kerry wasn’t here so I went to bed and that’s it. Look, I really do have to go to work.’

  ‘Just one more question. On the night after your wedding ceremony in Crete, did you notice anyone talking to Holly? Lilly reported hearing Holly talking to someone either in person or on the phone in the early hours of the following morning, telling this person that she can’t keep this to herself.’

  He shrugged his shoulders and gazed into the fireplace for a few seconds before looking back up. ‘I have no idea what that was about. I don’t remember anything being odd or out of place. I was a bit drunk though. It was my wedding night and the wine had been flowing freely all day long.’ Gina watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Is that it?’

  ‘Unless you have anything else to tell us.’ Gina knew that, since a murder had occurred in the council park in recent years, they had installed a CCTV camera to the car park. If he was where he said he was, his car would show up. ‘Here’s my card. If you remember anything that might help or you think of anything else, please call me straight away.’

  He went to speak but closed his mouth again. ‘Did you want to tell me something?’

  ‘No.’ He shook his head and smiled as he placed her card in his pocket before doing his tie up. ‘I just need to get to work.’

  ‘Thank you. We’ll be in touch,’ Gina said as they left.

  ‘What did you make of him?’ Gina opened the car door and got in.

  Jacob pulled a sweet from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. ‘I think he’s concealing something. He seemed a little nervous. I mean, who spends all evening sitting in a park on their own? How old is he?’

  ‘Late twenties. If we gave him the benefit of the doubt, what did he have to think about that made all those hours pass so easily on a park bench? One other thing, the park is about a thirty-minute walk to Francesca Carter’s house. If his car does show up on CCTV, there is still a chance he could have got to her house, murdered her and walked all the way back. When we get the CCTV, we need to use the car registrations to find out who else was at the park while he was there. If these joggers and dog walkers didn’t see him, we have to consider him a person of interest, that’s for definite. We could do with finding the owner of the Red Setter. Give the council a quick call. Tell them we need yesterday’s CCTV, then we’ll head over to Lilly Hill’s house.’

  Chapter Forty-Three

  As he gripped her around the neck, she emitted a choking noise not like any of the others she’d made before, but he couldn’t stop. He imagined her to be the other one as his clutches tightened. It’s no longer about self-preservation. It’s more for pure enjoyment. The police were going around in circles and it had been hilarious to watch.

  About the other one – he’d been watching her and the more he thought about what he’d do to her, the more turned on he got. He liked a bit of variation and she was different. As he yelled out with pleasure, she pushed him away, giving him the look he hated to see. He’d overstepped the mark this time. She wasn’t happy with him, he knew that much. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered as he rolled off her. She ignored him and grabbed her dressing gown. ‘Look, I said I’m sorry.’ She wasn’t going to ignore him – how dare she? That’s not how all this worked.

  ‘Keep your voice down or you’re going to be even more sorry.’ She kneeled on the bed and placed her index finger across his lips before swiping the back of her hand across his face. ‘Don’t you ever grip me like that again.’

  A tingle flushed through his body. Now was the wrong time to say that he’d actually enjoyed her slap. He loved it when she got angry. It was a side of her that their friends never saw and he felt privileged that she’d put on this show, just for him. She tied up her robe, covering her nakedness. For now, she would get on with things and he’d go about his day. Work beckoned and he didn’t have long to get onto his scheduled plans – he was now officially in a rush. He’d smooth things over with her later. He always did.

  She stared at her reflection in the wall to ceiling mirrored wardrobe as she rubbed her neck. Maybe he’d gripped her a bit too hard. She pulled out a silk scarf and wrapped it expertly around her neck and posed, taking in the look from all angles. Holly was so far in the past now. A distant memory. Francesca would also be nothing more than a memory soon. He hated the way such beautiful memories faded within no time.

  He glanced at the bedside clock. He was going to be late for his meeting. But first, his target may be on the move and he didn’t want to miss her. He could fit her in before he started his day. He grabbed his phone and sent his apologies. The meeting would have to be rescheduled.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Gina placed the memory stick containing the CCTV into her bag as she and Jacob prepared themselves to have an unsettling conversation with Lilly Hill, the last bridesmaid.

  Jacob eyed the street as they approached the end of terrace house. ‘So, this is it. 12 The Fallows. I have it down that Lilly and Brendan Hill live here.’

  The Fallows sat in the middle of the old Cleevesford Estate, a mixture of council and privately-owned houses. A block of flats welcomed visitors at the entrance to the street and a corner shop was located at the other end. Several teenagers leaned against a large bin outside the shop, shouting and laughing as one of their friends did a wheelie on his pushbike.

  ‘Shouldn’t they be at school?’

  ‘They look older than school age.’

  ‘I’m seriously getting old then. I thought they were about twelve.’ He knocked on the red door and waited.

  ‘O’Connor called Mrs Hill to make sure she was in so hopefully she hasn’t gone out.’ They waited a few more seconds and she opened the door. The twenty-five-year-old had one hand on the door catch and the other on the end of a blonde plait that hung like a rope over her shoulder.

  A loud crash followed by crying filled the house. ‘You best come in. Ben, what have you done?’ She picked up the crawling child and gave his teary eye a kiss. ‘He’s just learning to walk. You fell over. Didn’t you, poppet?’

  She gestured for Gina and Jacob to sit on the settee as she sat on the chair. The little boy’s intermittent screams were met by cuddles and baby talk. ‘Sorry about all the toys.’

  Gina placed the activity mat and the stuffed animals to one side. ‘That’s okay. Hello, little man.’ Gina smiled at the toddler. ‘How old is he?’

  ‘He’s one next month, aren’t you, Ben?’ The red-cheeked boy slid off his mother’s lap and began playing with his toys once again, his tears a distant memory.

  He grabbed a large blue cube and passed it to Gina. She swallowed as she thought of Gracie. Her own granddaughter was a few years older but she remembered all of her developmental stages so well. ‘Thank you.’ She smiled and took the brick. He fell onto the floor and half walked and crawled over to his toys. ‘I know you’ve heard about what happened to Francesca last night. My colleague, DC O’Connor called you.’

  She nodded and fanned a hand in front of her eyes as she forced back her tears. ‘I haven’t stopped thinking about what happened all night. The police knocked a couple of times, telling us that they’d drive-by our house now and again. Am I in any danger?’

  ‘We hope not but just to make sure, I’d like the drive-bys to continue.’

  The young woman stretched her long jumper over her knees as she leaned forward in the huge chair. ‘I don’t know if I’m being paranoid but I keep thinking someone is watching me. I’m the only other living bridesmaid from Kerry’s wedding and I keep thinking I’m going to be next and the worst of it is, I keep mulling over everything. It has to be someone we all know and for the life of me, I can’t work out who would want to kill Holly and Fran. They were both such lovely people and I’m going to miss them terribly.’ She wiped her e
yes on her sleeve. ‘Brendan had to go to work today but I wanted him to stay here with me. We’re not like Kerry and Fran. We can’t afford for him to miss a day and his manager hasn’t been so sympathetic.’

  ‘Where does he work?’

  ‘He’s an estate agent working for a company in Evesham. My maternity leave will be up soon and I’ll be back at work too.’

  ‘What is it you do?’ Gina tried to put the woman at ease with some simple questions, while Jacob scribbled a few notes down.

  ‘I’m a nurse. I’ll miss him when I’m back at work, won’t I, poppet?’

  The boy looked up, giving his mother a big smile before falling into her arms.

  ‘We already have your statement with what happened to Holly and we thank you for being so thorough. I need to ask you a few questions about Francesca. Would that be okay?’

  ‘Of course. I just want this person caught. I want to feel safe again. I want my friends to be laid to rest so that we can all mourn properly.’

  ‘Had you heard from Francesca since the wedding reception?’ Gina moved a small toy from under her bottom and shuffled back a little into the soft settee. She almost placed her hand on a patch of dried up milk on the arm of the settee.

  ‘We’d spoken on the phone. She’d been fed up that she had to go back to work after what had happened and I suppose she just called to vent about that. We spoke about Holly and how much we’d miss her. We didn’t meet up in person after the reception, but then again, we didn’t meet up too often anyway. Occasionally, we would all meet up for a wine and nibbles night at Kerry’s house or somewhere local, but that was it.’

  ‘We found a receipt for Piccolo’s restaurant dated Saturday the eleventh of April amongst Francesca’s belongings and her husband Charlie Carter didn’t go there with her. Was Francesca seeing anyone that you know of?’

  Lilly smiled and let out a nervous laugh. ‘No, definitely not. Let me check my diary. Bear with me.’ She leaned over and pulled out her phone and scrolled. ‘That’s one of the things having a child is good for, you always know where you were and when. Kerry, Holly, Fran and I were at Piccolo’s. We go out every couple of months for a few snacks and drinks, normally on a Saturday lunchtime. We shared a couple of platters, if I remember rightly.’ She paused and opened her mouth as she thought. ‘Oh, I know Charlie wouldn’t have known that time.’

  Gina placed her elbow on the arm of the settee waiting for her to continue. The little boy slipped off his mother’s lap and toddled over to Jacob, the legs of his dungarees dragging behind him where the poppers had come apart. Jacob awkwardly smiled.

  ‘He’d tried to cut her spending down and she didn’t want him to know. We all take it in turns to pay and it had been Fran’s turn. They weren’t short of money, he was just a bit tight so I guess she felt she needed to hide the spend from him. She was in no way having any kind of affair though. She loved Charlie – went on about him all the time.’

  That cleared up one mystery. Gina crossed that note from her list.

  ‘Can you tell me a little about Francesca and Charlie’s relationship?’

  ‘As I said, they were close. She’d never lie about the big things. It was just lunch. He was a saver, she was a spender. That’s all. I never worried about her or him, not like I do Kerry.’

  Gina arched her brows. ‘In what way do you worry about Kerry?’

  ‘I don’t want her to know I’ve been talking about her. I shouldn’t have said anything.’

  ‘It may help with the case.’

  ‘It’s nothing to do with the case.’

  ‘It may not help us directly but it’ll give us a better picture of everyone.’

  Her shoulders dropped. ‘It’s not a biggie. We were all just worried as to how much of a player Ed comes across as. Brendan gets angry when he sees him. Kerry never notices, but he has this way about him that has women flocking towards him. He’s charming and over complimentary. He flirts a lot and he’s good-looking, I get that. But in my view, it’s not on. He says how much he loves Kerry and that’s she’s his everything. I just don’t feel he comes across as genuine, but that’s more my opinion. I don’t want Kerry to know that came from me. She wouldn’t be too happy. She moans about him sometimes, but if anyone were to say a bad word against him she’d give them what for. She’d give me what for.’

  ‘Thank you. Moving onto you and your safety. Has a community officer come by to talk about home security?’

  ‘Not yet. I’m not sure if we need that. The garden gate has a lock on it and all our doors are double lockable.’

  ‘When you open the door to anyone, can you keep your chain on? Any worries at all, call us straight away, even if you think you’re just being silly or that it might be nothing. We need to put your safety first given what’s happened to your friends. Best still, do you have any relatives you can stay with for a short while?’

  She shook her head. ‘No. We do but Brendan said we’re not being scared out of our own home even after—’

  ‘After what?’

  ‘It’s stupid. I feel stupid. It was nothing.’

  Gina leaned forward as Jacob played pass the brick back and forth with a dribble-mouthed Ben.

  ‘Last night, I thought I heard something at the back gate. Brendan went out to look but there was no one there. I thought I saw movement in the shrubbery that lines the bus route. It looked like someone was out there, standing still. It was probably someone waiting for their dog to do its business or something like that. When he went out, they’d gone; that’s if there was anyone there in the first place. I haven’t had much sleep lately. I saw a flash of white in the darkness. It could have been a carrier bag trapped in branches for all I know. It could have been anything. I was just jittery, that’s all.’

  ‘Well, if ever you’re worried again, just call us.’

  Lilly hurried over to Jacob, rescuing him from the many coloured bricks that were piling up in his lap. The child screamed as she scooped him up.

  ‘He’s okay,’ Jacob said with a smile. ‘You best have your bricks back.’ He passed Ben a brick and the boy stopped crying for a moment.

  As they tied up the conversation, Gina and Jacob said their goodbyes and headed out, back into the May sunshine. The weather was starting to change for the better. Daffodils grew in clumps on the communal patches of grass and birds tweeted from the trees. Lilly and Ben waved to them as she closed the door.

  ‘Do you think someone was hanging around, watching them, guv?’ Jacob stood beside the car.

  ‘I don’t know. What I do know is that we have two dead bridesmaids and I don’t want anything to happen to her. I’m going to up the patrols on this house. We’ll add in a patrol of the street too. If officers are checking around the back regularly, that may act as a deterrent. My biggest fear is that our perpetrator is known to her. She may let our killer straight in through the front door. This person could be trusted by all, seen as harmless. How do we guard against that?’ She grabbed her phone and dialled the incident room. ‘Wyre, it’s Harte. I want a panic alarm fitted at Lilly Hill’s house as soon as possible. Can you ask PC Kapoor to head over as soon as she can?’ She paused as Wyre spoke. ‘What? We’re on our way back now.’ She ended the call.

  ‘What was that about?’ Jacob tapped his nails on the roof of her car.

  ‘Phillip Brighton checked in as a part of his bail conditions, albeit late. He’s there now. Wyre and O’Connor are preparing for Francesca’s post-mortem so let’s hurry back.’

  ‘Was that all?’

  ‘No. The plot thickens. I’ll tell you in the car. We have a witness coming in to make a statement against Samuel Avery. It’s all happening at the moment.’

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Midday had passed and Cass had already received two calls from work. They really didn’t trust her when she’d told them that she was sick in bed with a tummy upset. Now, it was more of a bind and she’d have to face a back to work interview the next day, a company procedure she�
��d come to fear. Two sick days in a year, that’s all she’d had. She couldn’t face work and the idea of calling in with a sickie had appealed at eight in the morning. She did feel ill but it was all self-inflicted. The fried food hadn’t sat well at all but she knew it wouldn’t when she was scoffing it down.

  She tied the silky scarf in a different way. That was better. It looked far nicer in a loose bow. That’s how Kerry would wear it. Cass wore the same black trousers or leggings every day but she knew Kerry would have racks of amazing designer clothes and that wearing them would command respect as soon as she entered a room. She had to conjure up her inner Kerry and she had to do it on a budget. She did a half turn and flinched as the lights and radio went off. Heart beating like a hammer drill, she let out a laugh. The emergency button needed pressing on the meter; that was all.

  Hurrying out of the front door, she opened the cupboard and pressed. Everything came back to life. Heavy footsteps clunked up the stairs. She gazed down, trying to spot who was coming up another flight. ‘What are you doing back?’

  Elvis’s shoulders dropped. ‘You’re meant to be at work.’ He pushed past her and hurried into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Moments later, she heard the shower running. She turned the radio off and waited for him to come out and interrogate her.

  Kerry still hadn’t replied to her message. Last night, Cass had watched from the bushes as her drunken friend’s mother had helped her stagger into the car before driving her away. Then the detective had heard her, the one who’d been at the reception on the night of Holly’s murder. When she approached, Cass had held her breath until she’d got into her car and drove off with her partner. She had no reason for being in Kerry’s bushes and had no idea what to say if she’d have been caught.

  She fiddled with the white scarf and smelled it. The free sample of expensive perfume still lingered. A flowery fragrance of quality. Kerry would approve.