by Carol Wyer
‘You can see how upset she is. She can’t help you. Let her go to her room.’
Lucy acquiesced. ‘Okay. Hattie, do you want somebody to go with you?’
Hattie shook her head, lips tightly pressed together.
‘I’ll come and talk to you in a minute in your room. Would that be better for you?’ said Lucy.
Hattie managed a brief nod then got to her feet and swayed slightly; she steadied herself by putting one hand on the table.
‘You sure you’re all right?’ asked Lucy.
‘Yes.’ Her voice, thick with emotion, belied the truth.
‘I’ll go with you,’ said Fran, who put an arm around the woman’s waist.
Lucy watched as they left the room, Hattie’s head bowed low and Fran murmuring reassurances to her. After they left, Lucy turned to Lennox. ‘Who else shares the house with you?’ she asked.
Lennox ran a hand through his thick mop of hair. ‘Only Ryan Hausmann. He’s out at the moment.’
‘Any idea where he might be?’
‘No idea at all.’
‘Have you got a phone number for him?’
Lennox nodded. ‘I’ll ring him.’ He scrolled through his contact list, touched the screen and held the mobile to his ear. After a moment he said, ‘He’s not answering. Do you want his number?’
‘Yes, please.’
Lennox read out Ryan’s number for Ian, who jotted it down.
Fran reappeared, slid onto a chair and folded her arms.
‘Do you know where we might find Ryan?’ The question was aimed at Fran, who looked puzzled.
‘Sorry, no.’
Lucy picked up on the shift in attitude. Now that the news had sunk in, both students were more docile; even prickly Fran had the grace to tone down her attitude. Lennox plucked at his beard absent-mindedly, possibly still trying to work out how Gemma had died from an acid attack.
‘Was Gemma in a relationship?’ Lucy asked Fran.
‘I didn’t talk to her very often. I don’t know if she was or wasn’t.’
‘How does that work, then? You all live in the same house but don’t know anything about each other?’ asked Ian. He was met with blank looks.
Fran answered with, ‘We didn’t choose to live with each other. The university authorities allocated rooms to us. In fact, my best mate lives in a different house altogether. We’re a random selection of students of all ages, studying different subjects, who might bump into each other in the kitchen or sitting room. Sometimes, like this evening, if there’s a few of us about, we’ll order a takeaway or watch telly together, but apart from that we lead separate lives. This is only somewhere we sleep and work.’
‘I see. You didn’t talk much to Gemma?’
‘No. We didn’t avoid each other or anything, but I’m taking French and she’s reading German and Russian. Apart from both studying languages, we didn’t have a lot else in common.’ Fran’s dark eyes flashed.
‘Did she mention being concerned about anyone following her?’ asked Lucy.
‘No,’ said Fran.
Lennox shook his head.
‘Did she get along with everyone here?’
‘Yes,’ said Fran without any hesitation.
Lennox agreed, ‘Definitely.’
‘Did she have any friends – male or female – that came back to the house?’
Lennox spoke. ‘I never saw anyone with her apart from her mum.’
‘Sasha was nearly always around here: in the kitchen, in Gemma’s room, waiting in the sitting room for her to come back from lectures,’ explained Fran. ‘She was here so frequently, I used to wonder why Gemma ever left home.’ Lucy detected a bitterness in the girl’s voice even though it appeared to be a throwaway comment. Fran rolled up the sleeves on her jumper to reveal heavily tattooed arms and continued talking. ‘Gemma got on well with Hattie. Hattie might know more than us.’
‘Did either of you see Gemma today?’
‘No.’ There were more shakes of heads.
Lucy decided to end it there and talk to Hattie. ‘Which room is Hattie in?’
‘First floor. Second room on the left.’
‘And Gemma’s?’
‘Next to Hattie’s,’ said Lennox. ‘Her name is on the door.’
‘I’d like to take a look at Gemma’s room.’
‘Sure, but it’s probably locked. We all have individual keys to our bedrooms.’
‘Do you have any spare keys?’
‘No.’
‘Okay, well, if it’s locked, we’ll come back and take a look later.’
Lennox reached for his tray of food, prodded at it with the fork then pushed it away and stood up. ‘I’m going upstairs. I’ll show you Gemma’s room.’
They ascended the stairs to the first floor, and after pointing out Gemma’s name on her door, he disappeared up a narrow staircase. Below them the music had started up again. Ian tried the door handle. The room was locked.
Hattie’s room, next to Gemma’s, was barely large enough for the furniture in it. A cluttered, oversized desk was under the window, and a floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with textbooks and folders stood against one wall. A collage of photos of Hattie and her friends covered the space over the single bed that was rammed against the opposite wall. Hattie was resting against pillows, still wearing her dressing gown, her slender arms wrapped around her knees. Her thin face was streaked with tears. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘You were good friends with Gemma?’ Lucy asked.
‘She was a lovely girl. We got on well.’
‘Do you know her mum too?’
‘Sasha? She’s fab too.’ She let out a long groan then said, ‘Does she know about Gemma?’
‘Yes.’
‘They were very close. This will kill her.’
Lucy glanced at the titles of the books on the shelves: Sociology of Personal Life, Key Concepts in Family Studies, The Sociology of Health and Illness. ‘We’re trying to find out if Gemma brought anyone back here at all.’
‘Only Sasha.’
‘Has she had any run-ins with anyone in the house recently?’
‘No. She got on with everyone although there was a bit of an argument going on this morning between her and Lennox. They were having words in the kitchen but they shut up as soon as I went in. I asked if everything was okay and they said it was. I don’t think it was anything serious. I heard Sasha’s name mentioned a couple of times but I didn’t hear what they were arguing about. It was probably something and nothing. They get along fine normally. In fact, I thought they were starting to get it on together but Gemma laughed at that idea and said she wasn’t his type.’
‘Can you think of anyone at all who would want to harm her?’
‘No one at all.’
‘Did she talk about the other people on her course?’
‘Not really. She was very sociable but she didn’t seem to hang out with anyone in particular – she was more a social butterfly, never settling with one group or person.’
‘What did you and Gemma talk about?’
‘Life, the future, the environment, television, travel, friendships, families, boys – all sorts.’
‘You’re studying sociology?’
‘That’s right. I’m in my final year.’
‘What will you do when you get your degree?’
‘Work abroad with the VSO. Do something to help fight poverty. My dad’s a vicar in Little Beansfield. He worked in Africa years ago. I’d like to do something similar.’ Little Beansfield was a small village about fifteen miles from Samford, surrounded by agricultural land; a quiet place whose inhabitants were generally elderly farmers.
‘What about Gemma? Did she have any plans?’
‘Nothing fixed, although she wanted to travel, especially to Russia to learn about her family’s origins. She’d get really excited when she talked about that and now… she won’t be able to go. This is… shit!’ She hugged her knees tightly.
‘We’d like to see ins
ide Gemma’s room but it’s locked. Do you have a key, by any chance?’ Lucy asked. She was met with a shake of the head. Hattie was crying silent tears again. The key might well be on Gemma’s person. They’d have to get it from Forensics and come back.
‘Is there nothing you can think of that might help us? Anything she said – a concern about somebody, an awkward customer at work, somebody being bitchy about her? Anything?’
Hattie hiccoughed, struggling to fight the tears that now tumbled freely. ‘I… can’t think of… anyone. She was nice. To everyone.’
With the girl now in floods of tears, there was little more they could glean from Hattie. As they stood on the landing, Lucy said, ‘I think we should try Lennox again to see why he and Gemma were arguing.’ They ascended to the top floor and, not knowing which one was Lennox’s, tapped at both bedroom doors, but got no reply. They turned around at the sound of a voice.
‘He left a few minutes ago.’ It was Fran on the stairs, a glass of water in her hand.
‘Any idea where he went?’
‘He said he was going out for a drink. I think he’s pretty shaken up about Gemma.’
‘Which room is yours?’
‘Same floor as Hattie and Gemma. Mine’s opposite Gemma’s and next to the bathroom.’
‘Okay, thanks. We’ll catch up with Lennox later.’
Outside the house, Lucy pulled a face. ‘What did you make of them all?’
‘An odd mix. Makes me glad I wasn’t ever a student. I’d find it hard sharing with people who weren’t into the same things as me.’
‘Yeah, me too. It reminded me of living in foster care – none of us really got on. We simply made do.’
‘I’m mindful of the need to catch this perpetrator but I don’t think much more can be achieved tonight, or rather, this morning,’ said Natalie, glancing her watch and noting it was almost one o’clock. ‘We have two clear directions to take: the housemates – especially Ryan Hausmann and Lennox Walsh, whose alibis need examining in more detail – and Chancer’s Bar. I want to know if anyone working at or visiting that bar had an issue with Gemma. Somebody targeted this girl for a reason and knew she was going to the library. Who?’
‘Hattie knew Gemma was going to the library. She would have given her a lift if she hadn’t felt ill,’ said Ian.
‘Then let’s make sure we know exactly where Hattie was at the time of the attack, and find out who was on that six forty bus at the same time as Gemma. Unless she was a random victim, someone knew her movements or followed her. Okay, see you bright and early,’ said Natalie.
Murray and Lucy left but Ian, sorting through notes, didn’t follow them. Natalie returned to her desk. She had no immediate plans to go back to her empty flat and a night of torment. Ian looked up and said casually, ‘I’m not in any hurry to go home. I’d rather go through the databases and pull together whatever I can on the housemates.’
‘If you feel up to it. I’m hanging back for a while to go through CCTV footage and see if we can confirm Lennox’s whereabouts.’
He took that as confirmation and moved to the back of the office, where he logged on to the computer and the general police database. Natalie sat in front of her own terminal and watched the footage that had been sent over from the university. Lennox’s pass had been swiped outside one of the laboratories at five past six, as he’d claimed, although it didn’t necessarily mean he’d been the person who’d swiped it, and until they could prove he’d actually been in the lab, he would remain under suspicion.
The science departments were housed over several floors in one large, glass-fronted building, in the middle of campus next to a car park, and accessed by two entrances, only one of which had an active CCTV camera. She checked the main entrance, where the camera was trained on the path leading from the car park and would reveal any comings and goings. The footage showed nothing but a grey image of the empty pathway. Minute after minute nobody came or left, but Natalie watched intently. If Lennox Walsh had left the building and walked along this path to his car, she would spot him on this footage. It would make their lives a lot easier if she could find him, but she knew life was never easy. This was going to be a long, difficult process.
Chapter Six
Saturday, 17 November – Morning
Natalie grabbed a quick shower at headquarters and changed into a blouse and underwear she’d thrown into a sports bag and left in her car. She didn’t feel especially tired even though she’d been up all night, combing through footage. She was more irritated by the fact she’d been unable to locate Lennox until he left the department at six minutes past eight that evening and strolled towards the car park. She had reasoned he might have left by the back entrance, and had tried footage taken from other CCTV cameras attached to various buildings trained on the footpath leading to the library, but not spotted him anywhere. If he had left the laboratory and attacked Gemma, he certainly hadn’t been caught on university CCTV. That nobody had yet vouched for his presence in the laboratory still left a question mark over whether or not he’d been there, but for now, she had to look elsewhere, and she’d start with the other housemates and then go to Chancer’s Bar.
Ian had stayed for almost two hours, and after gathering as much information as possible on the students living in the house on Eastview Avenue and going through statements from those who’d been inside the library at the time of the attack, he had finally left to snatch some sleep. He’d reappeared bang on seven and had been silently working since.
Natalie hadn’t wanted to ask about his personal circumstances. His girlfriend had left him several months earlier and taken their baby girl with her. After wrestling with the option of quitting the force to win her back, he’d eventually decided to stay. Since then, he had appeared to throw himself ever deeper into his job, and judging by his appearance, it was taking its toll. However, looking at her own face in the mirror, she couldn’t comment. She was looking decidedly old, tired and worn herself. She adjusted her outfit, ensured she looked respectable for the day ahead and headed upstairs, where Ian had finally unearthed something of interest about Lennox.
‘Hattie said he and Gemma were arguing yesterday morning and Sasha’s name came up, so I’ve been looking at his social media accounts and he not only follows Sasha on Insta, but he’s liked every single one of her photos and left comments on most of them.’
‘Does he follow Gemma as well?’
‘Yes, but he hasn’t liked any of her pictures.’
‘Show me.’
Ian pulled up Sasha’s Instagram page. The photos were mainly of her and Gemma and various outfits, but more recent ones were of Sasha wearing clothes she’d made as part of her new project.
Natalie read through the comments and said, ‘They’re not outlandish but I’d say Lennox definitely fancies Sasha: “Looks terrific on you.” “You look stunning in blue.” “Very sexy!” I think we need to talk to Lennox again. What do we know about him?’
‘His mother is Jocelyn Walsh, a top interior designer for the rich and famous. She divorced Roderick Walsh, a property developer, before Lennox was born. Roderick moved to Perth, Australia, in 1999. I don’t have any more information on him. It looks like Jocelyn employed nannies to look after Lennox when he was younger then sent him to boarding school when he was eight.’
‘Eight!’ She refrained from making any further comment. Her own job had made it nigh on impossible to look after her own children, but she’d been fortunate and had David and Eric, her father-in-law, to help her out when she couldn’t be there for them. She speculated as to why Lennox would be keen on Sasha, but it wasn’t difficult to reason – the woman was gorgeous. ‘I’m not sure why he’d target the daughter of a woman he had the hots for, but given he argued with Gemma yesterday morning and later that day she was attacked, we’ll definitely pursue this angle.’
Lucy appeared with takeaway coffee for everyone. ‘Ian said you were in. Figured you could do with a caffeine pick-me-up. Murray’s on his way. He st
opped off at the bus station.’
Natalie thanked her and took the offered cup. It felt strange having people look after her needs. ‘Thought we’d try the university again. Can you and Murray get together a list of all the students on Gemma’s course and talk to them and the lecturers who taught her?’
‘Sure.’
‘Ian, you and I will try the housemates.’ She looked up at the approaching figure.
Murray strode down the corridor, shoulders swinging, like a gladiator about to take on a fight. ‘Morning, all. Did you get me a skinny soya latte?’ he asked Lucy.
‘Like fuck I did. You get your usual full-fat milk, three sugars, treble shot, heart-attack special.’
‘Excellent!’ He grabbed the cup she indicated, took a large swig then smacked his lips noisily before saying, ‘I spoke to the bus driver who was on duty last night. He remembers Gemma. She was the only person to get off at the stop near the library.’
‘Looks like we can rule out anyone on that bus then,’ said Natalie.
‘Yep. Which leaves us looking for someone who knew she was headed for the library, or a random attacker,’ Murray replied.
‘Could be either although Lennox’s alibi is still a little hazy and we discovered he was arguing with Gemma yesterday morning. We’re going to tackle him about that.’ Natalie replaced the lid on her cup and made ready to leave.
Lucy jangled her car keys at Murray. ‘Come on. Get that drink down you. We’re interviewing students.’
‘We’ll catch up later,’ said Natalie as she headed out of the office, Ian hot on her heels. Three paces along the corridor and her phone buzzed. It was her son. She spoke as she walked briskly.
‘Hi, Josh.’
‘Checking it’s still okay for tonight.’
‘Absolutely. Listen, I’m working an investigation and I’m not sure what time I’ll get in.’
There a was a lengthy pause followed by a wary, ‘Are you sure you’re okay to go back, Mum?’
‘I’m fine. I needed to return.’
‘Well… If you’re sure.’
‘I’m sure. However, it means I might be out when you come over.’
