The Sleepover

by Carol Wyer

  He just can’t face going home because going home means he has to accept Roxy’s dead and he can’t do that.

  Seth shook his head in horror. ‘I didn’t see her. She didn’t come.’

  ‘Have you any idea what time you left?’

  His head drops again and he emits a quiet, ‘No.’

  ‘How often did you meet your mother at the canal?’

  ‘A few times. I can’t remember exactly.’

  ‘How did she know to find you there?’

  ‘That’s where I always go when I’m really low. Sometimes sitting by the water helps me. If I was gone too long, she’d come and find me.’

  Natalie shook her head. It was possible, but equally, he could be making it up. She certainly couldn’t ask his mother about it.

  ‘What about the others – Oliver, Charlie and Paul – do they know you go to the canal when you feel depressed?’

  ‘I don’t talk to them about it. It’s really hard. They’re so… normal! Mum knew. She tried to help me!’ He turned towards his lawyer.

  ‘I want you to think very carefully before you answer this,’ said Natalie. ‘Do you know Gavin or Kirk Lang?’

  He shook his head. ‘I don’t know them.’

  ‘Have you ever been to their house in Linnet Lane?’

  ‘Never.’

  ‘But you used to go and sit by the canal very close to their house regularly – in fact, every time you felt low.’

  His mouth flapped open. ‘I didn’t know the house existed until I drove past it yesterday. I didn’t know it was so close to the canal. That’s the truth.’ He dropped his head, sprinkling tears over his lap. ‘I didn’t kill my mum!’ he wailed.

  The lawyer interrupted the proceedings with a gruff, ‘I think it would be prudent to pause the interview to give my client a chance to recover and allow me to talk to him.’

  Natalie gave a curt nod. She had other suspects to interview and no time to waste.

  Lucy had been in the Cornwalls’ flat for well over an hour. The beat of a bass drum coming from a flat above had thudded continuously ever since she’d arrived, and in the last ten minutes a baby’s piercing cries had added to it. She marvelled at how thin the walls were and wondered how anyone here ever got any sleep or peace.

  It had taken a lot of persuasion to get Ellie to open up.

  ‘I understand how you feel. You made a promise to Roxy, but you aren’t breaking it. When you made it, she was alive and you were protecting her. She doesn’t need that protection now. You aren’t hurting her. In fact, you’d be helping her. You’d be helping us to find out what happened to her. You want us to find out how she died, don’t you?’

  Jojo Cornwall stood protectively over Ellie, hands on the girl’s thin shoulders. ‘Ellie,’ she murmured. ‘Maybe you should tell her what you know.’

  ‘I promised Roxy,’ she spluttered between sobs.

  Lucy held her peace. She’d tried everything and was now placing her trust in Ellie doing the right thing. Gradually, the words came.

  ‘She begged me not to tell anyone about it. It was her brother Seth. He used to bash her up. She got so scared of him. He’d wait until she was alone then attack her.’

  The words became thick as Ellie’s sobs intensified again.

  ‘You’re doing really well, Ellie. Did Roxy explain why she didn’t tell her mum about this?’

  ‘She wouldn’t have listened to Roxy. Seth’s really good at pretending he’s innocent; besides, he threatened her and said if she breathed a word about him to any of the family, he’d kill her, and she believed him. She told everyone she fell off her bike. Seth’s proper scary. I keep out of his way. Roxy said if he found out I knew about him, he’d probably kill me too.’

  Lucy thought it sounded a little dramatic. Megan had said Roxy was prone to being a drama queen – so had she duped her friend, or was she genuinely terrified of Seth? She needed more than hearsay.

  ‘Ellie, did Seth ever threaten you?’

  She bit her bottom lip, tears forming. ‘Yes, once. I was with Roxy at her place and only Seth was about. We were in the kitchen getting drinks and he came in, stopped, looked at me and walked straight out again without speaking. I didn’t think he’d heard me but he had and he freaked. He rushed at me and grabbed me by the throat. Roxy told him to shove off or she’d tell her mum. He let go and went away but I know he was steaming angry. That was when she told me to keep away from him.’

  Lucy was curious as to the catalyst for the sudden angry outburst. Had he been offended? ‘What exactly did you say about him to make him so angry?

  The girl lowered her gaze, ‘That he ran off when he saw me in the kitchen cos pussy scared him and he was probably gay.’

  ‘Did Roxy tell you he was gay?’

  The girl gave a quiet, ‘No. He isn’t. I was only joking. I stayed away from their house after that. Roxy always came here. Seth hurt her a few times and she always came and hid here afterwards. She knew she was safe here.’

  Her mother’s mouth was a thin line of disapproval, but sorrow made her shoulders slump. She stroked her daughter’s hair, her eyes on Lucy. ‘I’m sorry Ellie didn’t speak up before.’

  ‘Roxy was her best friend and she’d made a promise. It’s understandable she didn’t want to go back on her word. Ellie, did Seth ever hit Roxy’s mum?’

  She nodded miserably. ‘Roxy told me he lashed out at her a few times, bruised her face once. I think Mrs Curtis hit him back when he was younger, but when he got older she was scared of him. He could fly off the handle very quickly.’

  ‘I’m going to call my boss and pass this on. Is that okay?’

  Ellie sniffed and nodded.

  ‘Thank you, Ellie. It’ll help us.’

  She headed outside to call it in. The baby’s cries had intensified and could be clearly heard on the landing. Below, a gang of youths was jeering and shouting, egging on two motorcycle riders who were racing around the car park, engines revving loudly. A dog was going ballistic at the noise, adding its loud barks to the kerfuffle, and Lucy edged towards the stairwell to make her call, grateful she didn’t have to live in a hellhole like this.

  Nineteen

  Monday, 2 July – Late Evening

  The hands on the clock on the interview room wall indicated it was a few minutes after nine. Natalie had spent the last twenty minutes attempting to extract information from Kirk Lang, who insisted he’d never met or heard of Cathy Curtis. His lawyer was only marginally less intimidating to look at than Kirk. The pair looked like gym buddies with their matching wide shoulders and thick necks. Kirk hadn’t recognised the photograph of Cathy, and he’d left the interview room with a disdainful expression on his face and the words, ‘I’m not too impressed with your investigating methods. If all you’re going to do is keep hauling us back in, you’ll not make any progress at all.’

  Gavin Lang was next to be interviewed, with the same lawyer present, and doubts were swirling in her mind. So far, she’d only succeeded in pissing off one of the victims of the arson attack, had a potential suspect who insisted on his innocence, and had no evidence to lead her to Roxy and Cathy’s murderer.

  Lucy had left a message for her. Seth had apparently attacked his sister on numerous occasions, broken her elbow among other injuries and even threatened to kill her should she speak out about him. Natalie had challenged Seth but he had denied it, claiming it simply wasn’t true. He hadn’t deliberately hurt Roxy. Roxy was an out-and-out liar.

  Natalie was bone-weary. She’d been on her feet all day, and apart from the recent takeaway, hastily consumed with a bottle of water, she hadn’t eaten. Ian had left the interview room to go to the toilet, and she leant back in her seat and stretched her arms above her. She could do with calling it a night yet she still had to carry on. Cathy had been to Extravaganza and Gavin had shown interest in her. It was a link she wasn’t going to ignore. She yawned loudly then forced herself up onto her feet, tucked her blouse back into her skirt and braced herself
for the next interview.

  The overhead lights crackled like dry paper and she wondered how many hours of her life she’d spent in rooms like this, dealing with criminals and innocents, going over and over facts until she was able to find a hole in somebody’s alibi or statement. The answer was too many. She ought to be at home with her kids, being a mother, and still there were people to interview. She should also talk to Paul Sadler and Charlie Curtis to find out who was lying. Was it Seth or Roxy? She plodded to the door, aware of her little toe now pressing hard against the inside of her shoe, causing needle-prick pains each time she placed her foot on the ground. She eased her swollen foot out and rubbed the tender area, wincing. Outside, raised voices drifted closer towards her. She forced her foot back into the shoe and opened the door to find Ian restraining a young man with cropped hair and bright blue eyes – an identical colour to Cathy’s. One look at his face told her who he was.

  ‘It’s okay, PC Jarvis, let him go.’

  The young man shook himself free of Ian’s hand and faced her.

  ‘I’m DI Ward and you must be Oliver Curtis.’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘I’m very sorry about your mother and sister.’

  He ignored her platitude. ‘Where’s Seth?’

  ‘He’s helping us with our enquiries.’

  ‘What have you done with him?’

  ‘He’s in a holding cell for the moment.’

  ‘Why haven’t you let him go yet?’

  ‘When we’re satisfied he had nothing to do with the deaths of your sister and mother, then we’ll release him. At the moment, we have evidence that places him at one of the crime scenes.’

  ‘He didn’t kill Mum. Can we talk?’

  Natalie opened the door wide, allowing him to enter. He strode in, head high, and took a seat. He didn’t wait for her or Ian to take up their positions. He sat confidently, hands resting on beefy thighs, back straight. This was clearly a man used to military ways and behaviour. He showed the right amount of deference, making eye contact as he spoke. ‘Seth wouldn’t have killed either of them.’

  Natalie returned to the seat she’d recently vacated. It was still warm from her body. Oliver looked a lot like Charlie, except his jaw was squarer and he had no visible tattoos. His eyes looked heavy from lack of sleep and he had a five o’clock shadow covering his chin. He continued speaking without being invited to. ‘Why is he still here?’

  ‘I’ve explained why.’

  ‘He’s not guilty of anything.’

  ‘What makes you so certain?’

  ‘He absolutely adores Mum. He’d never, ever hurt her.’

  ‘And Roxy?’

  ‘He wouldn’t hurt her either. He loved her to bits.’

  ‘We’ve been told that he harmed her on several occasions. In 2016, he even broke her elbow.’

  Oliver gave a sad shake of his head, keeping his eyes trained on Natalie. ‘I was on leave and at the flat when that happened. It was an accident. They were both at fault and he was cut up about it afterwards – really upset. In tears.’

  ‘That only points the finger of blame further in his direction. If he’s prone to explosive behaviour, he could well have attacked your sister and mother.’

  ‘He wouldn’t.’ He shook his head again to emphasise the point.

  ‘His footprints were found near a bush close to where your mother was murdered.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘By the canal in Armston.’

  Oliver nodded. ‘He goes there when he has a major freak-out. It was Mum’s idea. She read some new-age theory about water and depression, how sitting by water can help lift the mood. She found that spot and that’s where he goes when he’s feeling really bad. The footprints could have been there from ages ago.’

  ‘He admitted he was there yesterday afternoon.’

  He shrugged. ‘There you are. He wouldn’t admit it if he’d killed Mum, would he?’

  ‘How long has he had depression?’

  ‘It started after Dad left home and got worse when Seth started senior school – that would have been about 2014.’

  ‘All of you knew about his depression, even Roxy?’

  ‘We did, and when Roxy was in a bitchy mood, she’d torment him about it. That’s how she ended up with a broken elbow. She could be as bad as him at times.’

  ‘What did she say that got him so mad?’

  ‘She told him he was gay because he didn’t have a girlfriend.’

  This was the second time Seth’s sexuality had come up. ‘Is he gay?’

  ‘No, he isn’t. He’s only had one girlfriend though and she dumped him after a few dates. He hasn’t really had any success with girls since then.’

  ‘Why did she dump him?’

  ‘She went off him.’

  ‘You never talked to him about his depression?’

  He shook his head and she noted how thick and knotted his neck was. He gave a tight smile. ‘I’m not the sort of person to sit about talking about feelings. I get on with it.’

  ‘You don’t think Seth is aggressive, then?’

  ‘Not really. He can lose his temper now and again. We all can.’

  ‘Roxy told her friend she was terrified of him. She even said he’d threatened to kill her.’

  Oliver released a sigh. ‘I seriously doubt that. Roxy would say whatever she felt like to shock people.’

  ‘You don’t believe she was frightened of him, then?’

  ‘Roxy wasn’t frightened of anyone. She gave as good as she got and started most of the arguments in our house.’

  ‘Yet she told strangers she’d run away because she was scared of being seriously hurt by him.’

  ‘That’s utter bullshit. Charlie mentioned he heard Mum and Roxy arguing over a boy she was seeing. She didn’t take off because she was scared of Seth. She was more likely in a strop cos she couldn’t get her own way and decided to give Mum something to worry about. She ran away twice – and one time was cos of some boy.’ His face grew serious. ‘Seth’s tried to kill himself before. Don’t keep him here. It might send him over the edge.’

  Even if Seth had lost his temper and attacked his mother, without a connection to Gavin and Kirk she had no real grounds to keep him. Moreover, she still needed to establish why Roxy was in the house in Linnet Lane, and Seth didn’t fit into that scenario at all. What was the sodding connection? Was Oliver somehow connected?

  ‘Ever heard of Gavin or Kirk Lang?’

  He pursed his lips as he thought. ‘Not until Mum mentioned them on Sunday. She said they owned the house where Roxy died.’

  ‘Have you ever been to a nightclub called Extravaganza in Armston?’

  He shook his head. ‘I’m not into that sort of thing. I don’t dance.’

  ‘What about Seth. Might he have gone?’

  He rolled his eyes. ‘No chance. He’s a loner. I can’t see him going to any clubs.’

  ‘Have you any idea why Roxy was in the Langs’ house the night it burnt down?’

  ‘I left home three years ago and kind of forgot what everyone was like, including Roxy. I haven’t a clue what made my sister tick, and we’ve all grown further apart since I left. All I know is Seth doted on Mum. He’d never have hurt her. He really, really loved her. Probably more than any of us.’

  He’d been away for three years and admitted they’d grown apart. How reliable was he, and why was he so keen to have Seth exonerated?

  ‘Does Paul know you’re here?’

  ‘Of course he does. He wanted to come with me but I talked him out of it because I thought it would be better for Seth if I came alone. He’ll probably be stressed out, and besides, Paul’s in fucking pieces at the moment.’

  Natalie studied Oliver carefully. He seemed genuine enough but she’d learnt a long time ago not to take anybody at face value. ‘How long did it take you to get here?’

  ‘About an hour. I left barracks as soon as I got the news about Mum. I headed straight to the flat and then, whe
n there was no sign of Seth, came here.’

  ‘You were on exercise today?’

  ‘That’s right. We left camp at 5 a.m. and returned at 6 p.m.’

  ‘You own a car?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Were you on duty this weekend?’

  A muscle flexed in his jaw. ‘No, we had the weekend off.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  He shrugged. ‘Went for a run, read, watched television, went for a drive. Hung about.’

  ‘What did you do Saturday night?’

  ‘Went for a drink.’

  ‘With your friends?’

  ‘Yes, we went into Nottingham and had a couple of pints and a curry.’

  ‘Your friends can attest to that?’

  ‘What are you getting at?’

  ‘I’m just checking your whereabouts for Saturday and Sunday.’

  ‘I was mostly around the barracks. Joined some of the guys in Nottingham on Saturday night for a few pints and a curry, like I said.’

  ‘Why didn’t you come home after you learnt of Roxy’s death on Sunday?’

  Her question caught him off guard. His hands clenched as he struggled to answer. ‘Mum said not to, and to be honest, I was relieved. I didn’t want to.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I couldn’t face everyone.’

  ‘But they’re your family.’

  ‘I didn’t want to, all right?’ He blinked back tears. It was the first time he’d shown emotion. He tried to speak but couldn’t. He lifted a hand to ask for a second to regain control, and when he had, she continued.

  ‘I’d like the details of those friends so we can confirm this.’

  ‘This is bloody ridiculous. I came to get Seth not to be accused of anything. I’ve lost my sister and my mum.’

  ‘I’m fully aware of the situation but we have to check everyone known to the victims. I’m afraid that includes you.’