The Sleepover

by Carol Wyer

  ‘You walked along here last night?’

  ‘Yes. We came out at about seven.’

  ‘Did Albert go into the canal for a swim last night too?’

  ‘He always needs a good wash afterwards so I only let him go in once a day if the weather’s nice. No, I kept him on his lead and just walked the towpath.’

  ‘And you didn’t notice the woman’s body last night?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. I was rather engrossed in an audiobook and not paying any attention to the canal.’

  ‘Did you happen to see anybody else while you were walking along?’

  ‘I believe I did. The trouble is I can’t say whether they were male or female, young or old. I only caught a glimpse of a person. I was further up the canal at that point, headed in this direction, and by the time I reached the bench, there was no sign of anybody.’

  ‘Do you recognise this girl at all?’

  Natalie showed him the photograph of Roxy and he pursed his lips thoughtfully before saying, ‘No. I can’t recall seeing her around here. Or anywhere for that matter.’

  ‘Do you know Gavin and Kirk Lang?’

  ‘Ah, now those are familiar names. They’re the duo who bought the old cattle market for a song and transformed it into a trendy club. I’m one of the old fossils in this town who tried to oppose it. Not that it made a blind bit of difference to the outcome. I highly suspect some backhanders were given to the planning department on that one. It was a travesty. The old cattle market was part of the town’s heritage. I’m not against change, but a nightclub! Surely there were numerous other possibilities for such a magnificent building: an arts centre, a theatre; anything that would have been more beneficial to the entire community?’ He tutted. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t be ranting about such matters. It isn’t appropriate for the circumstances and I’m being deeply disrespectful. Poor woman. Do you think she committed suicide?’

  ‘We don’t know how she died yet.’

  ‘No, of course you haven’t had a chance to establish that yet. Would it be all right if I left? I’ve spoken to your officer and I’ll happily talk to you again, but Albert’s becoming fretful and requires feeding.’

  ‘Of course. Thank you for all your help. Are you sure you’re okay after such a terrible experience?’

  ‘Oh, I’m fine. Thank you for asking. I spent many years as an orthopaedic surgeon so I’m not squeamish. I’m very sorry I was too late to help this unfortunate lady.’

  ‘Had you and Albert not come by, we might not have found her for a while, so thank you again.’

  Albert tugged again at his lead, and Lyndon moved away without looking back at the body on the path. Natalie caught sight of Pinkney approaching. The two men passed on the narrow path and acknowledged each other with a brief lowering of the head.

  ‘Morning, Natalie… Lucy. Who have we got here?’

  ‘Roxy’s mother,’ said Natalie.

  ‘Really? Her mother? I’m no detective but I’d say that was very interesting – if, indeed, interesting is the right word.’

  ‘Not sure it’s interesting. It’s certainly suspicious,’ said Lucy, who was good friends with the pathologist.

  ‘“Suspicious”. See, that’s why you’re the detective and I’m merely an old sawbones.’

  ‘Sure you are. You do know a sawbones refers to a doctor or surgeon not a forensic scientist, don’t you?’ Lucy replied as Pinkney got ready to examine Cathy.

  He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. ‘Really, gosh, aren’t you terribly loquacious today?’

  Lucy gave a small grin. The light banter was purely to keep up morale. Natalie had heard the pair making similar exchanges on several other occasions.

  ‘I shall now retreat from any further verbal swordplay with my worthy adversary and examine our unfortunate victim.’ Pinkney lifted the mask that had been dangling round his neck and covered his mouth.

  The man was very likeable with his eccentric mannerisms and fashion sense. One of his most endearing qualities was his sensitivity towards all of those he examined. Natalie observed him as he knelt beside Cathy: holding her hands gently, he first patted them as if she was one of his patients he was merely comforting before checking her over for rigor mortis.

  Mike, who was squatting in front of the wooden bench, said, ‘There’s evidence of a struggle here. Come and see.’

  Natalie bent down and checked out the small markers placed in four spots where the grass had been scraped and scuffed-up patches of earth were visible, like four small troughs.

  ‘Those are shoes marks. Cathy’s wearing wedged sandals, and although they’ve been in water, there are still traces of mud on the heels. I think she was sat on the bench and attacked from behind. These marks,’ he pointed out two of the longer gouges, ‘are roughly the same length and commensurate with somebody digging in their heels. The others are from repeated movements.’

  ‘She was trying to escape.’ Natalie pictured Cathy struggling to loosen whatever was around her neck, her feet kicking wildly.

  ‘The signs definitely point in that direction. We’ve also discovered fibres under her fingernails.’

  ‘From the toy cat?’

  ‘Unlikely. They’re not black.’

  ‘Could they have come from whatever was used to strangle her, then?’ Natalie asked.

  ‘Possibly so. That’s supposition at this stage, but to my mind, it’s looking increasingly like she was murdered.’

  Natalie looked from the bench to the water and back again. ‘According to the man who found her, she was more or less in line with this bench. Could her assailant have pushed her into the water while she was alive?’

  ‘If that had been the case, we’d have probably found some signs of resistance, but there’s nothing. The evidence is here around the bench. I think she was killed here.’

  ‘So, you agree that she could have been thrown in?’

  ‘I’d say that’s the most likely scenario.’

  ‘Have you located a purse, phone or handbag?’

  ‘Not around here although it might be somewhere in the canal.’

  Natalie walked up and down for a few metres in either direction, eyes scanning the water, but she couldn’t spot anything. The other forensic officers were combing the bushes and grassed banks, searching for any evidence. She halted again beside Mike. ‘Maybe the killer took it with him. I suppose it could have been a random mugging.’

  ‘Sure, it could have been, but I can tell by your face that you think that wasn’t the case.’

  ‘You know me too well,’ she said drily and spun on her heel. ‘I’m going to break the news to her family. Find her bag and phone for me please.’

  ‘Will do.’

  Natalie hovered close to Pinkney, who looked up. ‘I know. You want an answer. I can’t be completely sure until I’ve examined her thoroughly but I reckon she died of asphyxiation due to strangulation.’

  ‘Thanks, Pinkney. That’s what I needed to hear. Lucy, come with me. We have some questioning to do.’

  Paul had his arms around Charlie, whose shoulders trembled violently as he sobbed. Paul wasn’t in a much better state. His face was lined and his cheeks soaked with tears. Both had collapsed at the news that Cathy was dead. Tanya Granger was with them and another colleague, a male liaison officer who was sitting with a dazed Seth, who kept shaking his head and repeating, ‘No.’ Seth glared at Natalie as if she’d murdered his mother.

  ‘What are you doing about it?’ he asked.

  ‘Everything we can, Seth.’

  ‘Like what? First Roxy and now Mum. You’re bloody useless.’

  ‘Mate, that’ll do,’ said Paul, quietly.

  Seth marched across the room and stood in front of his stepfather, who had to lift his head to meet the young man’s gaze. ‘You can’t tell me what to do,’ he hissed, raising a finger and pointing it at Paul.

  Paul’s eyes flashed. ‘Drop the attitude.’

  ‘Fuck you!’ Seth stalked out of the room. Paul hugg
ed Charlie more tightly and said no more.

  Natalie knew all their movements from the day before but had to ask them again to state where they’d been after Cathy had left. ‘Paul, you received a text message from Cathy at seven twenty. Could you show me it, please?’

  He pulled away from Charlie, who flopped down in a heap, covering his face with his hands. Paul reached into his pocket and extracted a mobile, which he handed to Natalie, then sat next to the boy. Natalie flicked through the messages he’d sent Cathy that day and the night before and found the one from her that he’d mentioned. He’d been true to his word.

  Hi, sweetie. Staying over with Megan. Really can’t face coming home yet. I’m sorry. Look after the boys, will you? See you all tomorrow. Love you x

  It was brief and to the point. Why she’d lied to Paul was still a mystery.

  ‘You were on your own after Cathy left, weren’t you?’

  ‘Erm, yes, for a while. Charlie came in about nine and we watched telly.’

  ‘What did you do during the time Cathy left and Charlie came home?’

  He rubbed forefingers across his cheekbones and under his eyes, wiping away the wet residue. ‘I kept busy. I worked on Charlie’s Yamaha.’

  ‘Is that the motorbike outside?’

  ‘That’s the one. I had to remove a nut to get to the oil leak but it was completely stuck and I couldn’t shift the bugger. Took me forever and I got fucking oil everywhere and all over myself. After I fixed it, I cleaned up the mess, had a shower and then a bite to eat, and Charlie came in soon after that.’

  ‘Did anybody see you working on the bike?’

  ‘I doubt it. If anyone was about, they might have heard me cursing it. I think I turned the air blue. It was a bitch to work on.’

  Natalie would check with the neighbours to verify that. ‘Charlie, I know this is a really difficult time but can you remind me of where you were yesterday?’

  ‘I was with Zara all day until I came home.’

  ‘I’ll need her contact details so we can confirm that,’ said Natalie.

  ‘This is such bullshit!’ he said miserably, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. He searched through his mobile for the details and passed it to Lucy, who took note of Zara’s number.

  After assuring them they would do everything possible to find out what had happened, Natalie and Lucy took their leave.

  ‘When I spoke to the boys earlier, Charlie was the one who was putting on a brave face and Seth was meekly cowering in the chair. Now, Charlie’s in tears and Seth’s full of anger and bravado,’ Lucy commented. ‘Seth could barely manage to talk to me earlier.’

  ‘He lived and worked with his mum. They could have been really close for all we know. He’s having an extreme reaction to the news. He was angry and upset and raced off when he heard about Roxy yesterday too. Let’s try next door, see if anyone there can confirm Paul was at home yesterday,’ she said.

  In sharp contrast to the suffocating gloom and misery inside the flat, outside the sun shone, warming Natalie’s face as she stood momentarily outside the gate to 114 Pine Way. A car horn blared loudly, answered by another higher-pitched honk, and traffic rumbled by on the road the other side of the flats. She and Lucy went into the yard next door – tidier than their neighbours’ yard and filled with plastic toys, a mini slide, a child’s trampoline, a red sit-on toy car and several balls – and up the steps to the front door, where they rang the bell. A woman with a toddler in her arms answered. Natalie identified herself and explained the reason for the visit.

  ‘Can you confirm seeing Paul Sadler outside yesterday evening?’

  ‘I didn’t see him but he was definitely there. It was warm so we were playing ball outside. There was all sorts of clattering and banging going on, and he let rip with some pretty foul language a few times. That was when I brought Tommy back inside. I didn’t want him to hear all the bad language.’ She jiggled the toddler on her hips to indicate that was who she meant.

  ‘Any idea what time that would have been?’

  She puzzled over the question. ‘I can’t be certain. Quarter to seven… maybe seven. It was definitely after half past six. Tommy ate his tea at quarter past six and then we went outside to play before bathtime.’

  ‘How well do you know the family next door?’

  ‘I don’t have anything to do with them. They’re an aggressive, noisy bunch, always shouting and carrying on. You can hear them through the wall most days. I stay clear of them.’

  ‘You haven’t met or spoken to Cathy?’

  ‘I’ve lived here almost a year, and in all that time, she’s never spoken to me once. I said hi to her a couple of times but she ignored me.’

  ‘And what about the daughter, Roxy?’

  ‘Same thing. Never spoken to her.’

  ‘Right then. Thank you for helping us.’

  ‘S’okay. Come on, little one. Let’s go watch PAW Patrol.’

  Standing next to the car, Lucy told Natalie about Ellie and the secret she refused to share.

  ‘We need to uncover whatever it is she knows. She wouldn’t open up to me. Maybe she’d respond better to somebody else. I thought about bringing Tanya in but then we got the call about Cathy and that sidetracked me, so I haven’t contacted Tanya.’

  ‘I agree with you. This is too important for Ellie to play around with us. If you think she’d respond better having Tanya around, then sort it out, but I think you can crack her alone. Got any idea what she’s hiding?’

  ‘Only that it is probably to do with Roxy’s injuries and how she didn’t want it to get out because it would kill her mother. Do you think, given Cathy’s now dead, she meant it literally?’

  Natalie wasn’t sure. ‘If that’s the case, we need to find out sharpish what this bloody secret that’s costing lives actually is. We’ve no choice other than to try Ellie again. We’ll do it now.’

  Natalie hammered on number seventy-two’s door but got no answer. It was Boo’s mother who shouted out from her doorway, ‘There’s nobody at home.’

  Natalie and Lucy walked across to her. Natalie asked, ‘How do you know?’

  ‘I saw Ellie ten minutes ago. She was headed downstairs and she wasn’t in uniform so I guess she’s skipped off school.’

  ‘What about her mother?’

  ‘No idea where she is. Just telling you I don’t think anybody’s in. That’s all.’ She shut the door again before Natalie could respond.

  ‘Friendly,’ muttered Natalie.

  ‘At least she spoke to us.’

  ‘See if you can track down that girl, Lucy. I want to find out what she knows. No more treading lightly. Bring her in if you need to.’

  They didn’t see another soul as they descended the staircase and marched back outside and to the cars. Natalie hesitated before getting in, her head lifted towards the flat where the devastated family lived.

  ‘The neighbour said the family was aggressive. While you’re in the neighbourhood, can you try and dig up some more info on the boys? See if you can unearth anyone else who thinks they’re hotheads.’

  ‘Will do.’

  ‘I’ll get Murray to check out Seth and his claims that he was in Scarborough. See if we can pinpoint his whereabouts. If you could be back at headquarters by one thirty, we’ll catch up then and see where we are with this.’

  Natalie pulled away from the small car park and back out onto the main street. The traffic rolled past the flats as usual and a woman pushing a buggy strolled along the street, chatting animatedly into a mobile. The world was carrying on as normal, oblivious to the double tragedy that had befallen the flat above the Indian restaurant.

  There was more to this investigation than met the eye, she knew there was, but exactly what was still a mystery. She was up against it because people were lying to her and Natalie hated nothing more than lies. She squeezed her steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. God, how she hated liars!

  Fourteen

  Monday, 2 July – Aft
ernoon

  Natalie had called for a brief meeting to see what they’d found out so far. Lucy had joined them and was the first to provide input. ‘I couldn’t locate Ellie. Phone provider can’t help and she isn’t answering her mobile. It could be switched off.’

  Natalie made a tsk tsk sound of exasperation. ‘When we’re done here, head back out and try her schoolfriends. They might have an idea of where she is.’

  Lucy continued. ‘Will do. I didn’t find anyone else who thought the Curtis boys were hotheads but I spoke to Charlie’s girlfriend, Zara Walters, and Charlie was definitely with her and her family until nine last night. They all confirm Charlie was with them. According to her, he was cut up about Roxy and was reluctant to go home to face up to what had happened. I checked his mobile provider and his phone wasn’t picked up by any masts, so it appears to have been in Clearview all night.’

  Natalie put a question mark beside Charlie’s name on the board. ‘Unless he sneaked out of the house after Seth came to bed, found his mother and killed her, I’d say that takes him out of the frame. Murray, how are you getting on?’

  ‘I interviewed both of the women, Sandra Bryton and Crystal Marekova, who we spotted at the nightclub. They confirmed Roxy was scared of somebody and asked to stay at Crystal’s flat on Saturday. She told them she desperately needed a place to stay until she could work out what to do about her situation. Wouldn’t tell them any more than that but they suspected she was frightened of somebody in the family.’

  ‘Are they still at the station?’

  ‘Sandra walked out of the interview and said she didn’t know anything else, but Crystal is downstairs. I got the impression she might be willing to say more, so I left her with a cup of tea and said I’d be back.’

  ‘I’d like to meet her. She probably knows something else or she’d have left with her friend.’

  Lucy interjected with, ‘Crystal might be able to throw some light on the secret that Ellie is keeping – about Roxy’s injuries.’

  ‘If we could find Ellie, she might tell us exactly what she knows now that Cathy’s dead. We’ve got to have answers and we can’t let a fourteen-year-old screw us about. Right, where are we on Seth Curtis?’ Natalie directed the question at Murray who’d been dealing with it.