by Carol Wyer
‘I’ll get a sample from Habib’s folks to do a handwriting comparison.’ Natalie returned the note.
Aileen gave the boy on the ground one last look and departed. Natalie turned her attention once more to the tree.
‘Why would he come all this way with a length of rope and a note to hang himself?’ Ian asked.
‘It’s close to where Roxy died.’
Ian blinked several times, processing the information, then rubbed the back of his head. ‘I don’t get it. Why did he kill Roxy and her mother?’
‘I’m having difficulty understanding that too.’
‘Maybe Roxy’s death was an accident. He could have taken her along to help him torch the Langs’ house and she got trapped inside.’
‘But she was asleep, or relaxing on the settee, when the house was set on fire. She wasn’t trapped.’
Ian let out a hiss of exasperation at his own theory. ‘Yeah, of course. Oh, this is so bloody confusing.’
She walked towards the tree and studied the branches again. Habib was slightly built. He could undoubtedly have climbed the tree, yet the more she thought about the possibilities, the more certain she became that the boy hadn’t come here to kill himself. She turned at the sound of Murray’s voice. He was talking to Pinkney. Mike had turned up too and made a beeline for her.
‘I’ve spoken to Aileen. Is there some doubt over how he died?’
‘You ever climb trees as a boy?’ she asked.
‘When I was about ten. Not done it for a good few years.’
‘Me neither. I do, however, remember getting scraped a lot, trying to get up there. That tree is old and the bark is thin. If Habib scrambled up it to tie a rope over a branch, then leapt off, he’d have knocked off sections of bark from the trunk and branches. He’d have got dirty and maybe even grazed himself. He’d have hesitated for a while, getting up courage to jump… sat on the branch with a noose around his neck and then, after jumping, he’d have dangled even for a short while, kicking out. It’s a natural reflex… a survival instinct. He’d have clawed at the noose and undoubtedly knocked against the trunk. However, there’s no sign of dirt or damage on his clothes, shoes or hands, Mike. There’d have been stains, tiny particles of bark present on his skin or under his fingernails, even traces on his shoes. There’s nothing that I can see.’
‘Maybe they’re not visible to the eye. We’ll check and we’ll examine this entire area,’ he said and left her to reflect further.
Ian, who’d been listening, added his thoughts. ‘You’re right. I always got filthy when I climbed trees. The bark’s dusty with age. There’s no residue on his hands or clothes at all.’
Murray was now approaching and Natalie met him close to the teenager’s body. He shook his head in sorrow.
Pinkney was packing away his medical kit and looked up. ‘I’m done here and need to get him back to the lab. There’s a few things I’m unhappy about and need to investigate.’
‘Does that mean you don’t think he killed himself?’ asked Natalie.
‘I think there’s a very good chance he didn’t take his own life.’ Pinkney latched his medical case and then crouched by Habib again. He traced a finger gently over the dark bruising on the teenager’s neck. ‘To start with, these abrasions are inconsistent with what I’d expect in these situations.’
‘So how did he die?’ Murray had moved forward and was now bent over the body. Natalie joined him.
Pinkney replied, ‘Asphyxia.’
‘As you’d expect if he hanged himself,’ said Ian, who then apologised quickly. ‘Sorry, I was thinking out loud.’
‘That’s true but I’ve had the misfortune of coming across several hanging attempts similar to this one, and in all those cases there was evidence of an inverted V bruise from the ligature. This lad doesn’t have that V-shaped bruise. Add to that fact, the bruising sustained to the neck area is very deep in places and there are numerous abrasions. I would suggest Habib was strangled first and then this was made to look like a suicide attempt.’
Natalie dropped down. ‘Show me.’
Pinkney rolled the boy over. The bruising was dark and patterned across the nape of his neck, but as Pinkney had said, there was no V-shaped bruise. ‘There’s straight-line bruising, as you can see, and that is invariably linked to ligature strangulation. I’ll be more certain once I carry out an autopsy. I’ll arrange it immediately.’
The team moved away so the body bag and stretcher could be moved into position. Mike was back and had caught the tail end of the conversation.
Natalie had several requests for him. ‘I need you to examine that tree and this area in particular. If Habib didn’t commit suicide, we need to establish how the perpetrator managed to string him up. The boy weighed approximately ten stone, and if he was already dead, that’s quite a dead weight to carry up a tree. How did the killer manage to do that, let alone create the scene so it looked like Habib had killed himself? It can’t have been easy. There must be some evidence here to help us.’
‘We’ll do what we can. For what it’s worth, I don’t think the perp could have hauled a body up the tree easily. They must have used some form of pulley or propped Habib up on some steps or a chair somehow.’
‘Then there’s a possibility we’re dealing with more than one killer,’ Natalie replied. ‘Ian, arrange canvassing in the area again. Somebody might have spotted Habib last night. He looks to me as if he was dressed for a night out. Maybe he was picked up somewhere else and brought here, so see if anyone noticed any vehicles parked up around here. Murray, you and I are going to visit Habib’s parents, then Tucker Henderson.’
Twenty-Five
Tuesday, 3 July – Early Afternoon
The serious-looking woman in her thirties who opened the door screwed up her face on seeing Natalie and Murray on the doorstep.
Natalie spoke as she flashed her ID card. ‘I’m DI Ward and this is DS Anderson. Would it be possible to talk to Mr Omar Malik, please?’
‘He’s having his lunch.’
‘Are you Mr Malik’s sister, Fatima?’
‘I might be. Why?’
‘We understand Mr Omar Malik lives here with you.’
‘What’s this about?’
‘Would you mind if we came inside?’
The woman understood something in Natalie’s tone and showed them into a small, untidy kitchen, where a man dressed in overalls had a sandwich in one hand and was scrolling through messages on his mobile phone with the other. He put down his food immediately when Natalie and Murray entered and craned his neck to look up at them. He had the same high cheekbones as his son but the remainder of his face was covered by a thick beard and moustache.
‘Mr Malik, I’m afraid I have some bad news regarding your son, Habib.’
The man bit his lip then asked hoarsely, ‘What’s happened?’
‘I’m very sorry indeed. He’s dead,’ Natalie said.
Fatima’s hands flew to her mouth and she released a loud gasp. Omar nodded to himself and spoke again. ‘How did he die?’
‘We aren’t sure yet.’
The man looked at his phone. ‘I’ve been trying to reach him. I sent three text messages. I thought he was with his friends. You say you don’t know how he died but you must have some idea. I need to know.’
‘I’m really very sorry. He was found hanging from a tree but we are looking into his death. We don’t have any answers yet. I understand this is a dreadful time for you, but we really need to ask you a few questions.’
‘Hanging? You think he killed himself? No. Impossible. He wouldn’t do that.’ The man balled his fists and pressed them to his lips, eyes now moist.
‘We’re investigating his death as suspicious, sir,’ Natalie said.
‘Yes, suspicious. He wouldn’t take his own life. Not my son!’ His voice rose and Fatima rushed to his side. He pushed off the hand she placed on his arm. ‘He wouldn’t, would he?’ His question was aimed at his sister, whose head shook from side to
side.
‘We’ve arranged for an officer to come and help you through this and she’ll be here soon, but in the meantime we must ask you some questions.’
‘What questions?’ His head snapped up as he spoke.
‘About your son, sir. Can I ask you how well he knew Roxanne Curtis? You might know her as Roxy.’
‘I know her. I’ve come across all the family at one time or another. Two of them – Charlie and Seth – they’re bullies. They set on Habib back in 2014, when he was only thirteen. They hurt him badly. Kicked and bruised him and he couldn’t walk properly. He wouldn’t tell me what had happened at first, and when he did, both my late wife and I wanted to press charges, but Habib begged us not to. They’re a despicable family. Habib avoided Roxy. She was frequently around these parts, hanging about like a bad smell, but he didn’t like her. She’s untrustworthy – deeply untrustworthy. I can imagine that you think everyone who lives on this estate is a junkie or a criminal, but not all of us are. Some of us are here because this is where we have been housed. We can’t afford to move away and we stay away from trouble: the drug addicts, the alcohol abusers and the louts who steal and fight. We live our lives like decent folk, raise our kids and behave like civilised humans. Habib was a good boy. He kept out of harm’s way and away from people like Roxy Curtis.’ His voice was thick with emotion.
‘Sir, were you aware that Roxy was found dead in the early hours of Sunday morning, in a house fire in Armston-on-Trent?’
‘I was not aware.’ He shook his head heavily. ‘Why are you asking about her, then?’
‘Because we believe your son and Tucker Henderson were friends with her and might have known why she was in the house when it was set alight.’
He waved a hand at her. ‘This makes no sense. My son is dead and you come here asking about some girl? He wasn’t friends with her. If he was with her, it was her doing. She latched onto a few of the boys from these flats. She and her friend were often here.’
‘Which friend?’
‘I don’t know her name. A tall girl with cropped blonde hair and a bad attitude.’
Natalie thought he was possibly referring to Ellie, who matched the description. ‘What about Tucker?’
‘Tucker lives four doors away. Of course, Habib was friends with him!’
‘But Tucker has a reputation for getting into trouble,’ she insisted.
The man snorted. ‘Tucker pretends to be tougher than he is. He likes to think he’s the hard man around this block but truth is, he isn’t. He and Habib stuck together and looked out for each other. It’s wise behaviour. If you are alone on this estate, you can run into trouble. Who told you that about Tucker?’
‘It doesn’t matter, sir.’ There was no point in saying the revelation had come from Oliver and Charlie Curtis. It appeared there was some rivalry between the two families.
Natalie aimed her next question at the woman, Habib’s aunt. ‘Did you know where he was headed last night?’
‘Yes. To see Nadia, his girlfriend.’
‘What’s Nadia’s surname?’ Murray asked, notebook ready.
‘Fryxell.’
Murray threw Natalie a look of surprise. There was a sergeant named Fryxell who worked at Samford HQ.
Natalie continued. ‘How long has he been seeing Nadia?’
The woman looked over at her brother, who cleared his throat and said, ‘About three months or so.’
‘What time did he go out?’
‘Seven, I think,’ he replied.
‘Did you realise he hadn’t come home?’
‘Not until I came home, which was about an hour ago. I was working overnight,’ he replied. ‘That’s why I’ve been texting him. I was trying to find out where he was and when he’d be home.’
‘Was anyone else in the flat last night?’
Fatima replied, ‘Me, my husband and our children. We were here all night but I didn’t know Habib hadn’t come home. He hadn’t returned by the time we went to bed at ten but that wasn’t unusual. He sometimes is at Tucker’s until quite late. This morning I took the children to school and went shopping afterwards. I got back at midday and checked his room then but his bed was made and so I thought he’d got up and gone out. I never imagined for one second something terrible had happened to him.’
‘There was a note left behind at the scene,’ Natalie said. ‘We’d like to take a sample of his handwriting with us for comparison purposes.’
Fatima disappeared to Habib’s room to look for an exercise book or notes he would have written.
Omar trained sad, damp eyes on Natalie and spoke again. ‘Tell me honestly, do you think Habib killed himself?’
She shook her head. ‘No, sir. I don’t think he did.’
‘Then find whoever did this to my son.’
A liaison officer arrived at the flat soon afterwards, and leaving Omar and his sister in their care, Natalie and Murray tried Tucker’s flat one more time. This time, they were in luck. The seventeen-year-old was at home with his mother, a heavy-jowled woman in her mid-forties, with mousy hair scraped back from a round face that already bore deep frown lines – the signs of a difficult life. After breaking the news to him, they sat with him in the sitting room and asked him about Roxy.
‘Shit! For real?’ Tucker scratched at his shoulder, leaving raw marks on his bare flesh. The hooded vest he wore exposed his biceps and the elaborate design of skulls, gravestones and bones tattooed the length of his shoulders and upper arms.
‘I’m very sorry but he’s been identified.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Tucker, we need your help. He left behind a note saying he’d killed Roxy and her mother.’
‘That’s total bollocks! Habib couldn’t kill anyone. He couldn’t even fight! He’d run a mile in the opposite direction rather than get involved in a fight. Isn’t that right, Ma?’
‘That’s right,’ she replied, speaking to Murray, who had his notepad in his hand. ‘They’re one of the nicest families on the estate.’
‘And there’s no way he’d top himself. No way!’
His mother added her own thoughts. ‘I’ve known Habib since he and his family moved here, almost six years ago. Tucker’s right, he wouldn’t have killed himself. He’s been through a lot – bullying, torments and he even lost his mother to cancer three years ago – but he came through it.’
‘He was bullied?’ Murray asked.
Tucker nodded miserably. ‘We were in the same class at school and he was always picked on.’
His mother spoke again. ‘They’ve been inseparable for years and Tucker’s always looked out for him. One time, some little bastards almost kicked Habib to death but Tucker stepped in and saved him. Poor kid. He was always being picked on.’ It was the same story his father had told them. The Curtis boys had set on Habib.
Natalie directed her next question to Tucker. ‘What can you tell us about Roxy Curtis?’
‘What do you want to know?’
‘What was your relationship with her?’
‘I didn’t have a relationship with her. Her brothers are shitbags. They’re the ones who kicked the crap out of Habib. Called him all sorts of racist names and worse.’
‘When was the last time you saw her?’ Natalie asked.
‘She was round and about here last week. I saw her with Ellie. I can’t remember which day. They’re like groupies, trying to hang out with lads from the estate. I think she’s copped off with most of the lads here at one time or the other. Bit of a slag.’
‘Tucker!’
‘It’s true, Ma. Everyone knows it. They’re both slags. Roxy chases after everything with a dick.’ He picked nervously at a spot on his chin.
Natalie continued. ‘Did you get off with her?’
‘Only once. A couple of weeks ago in the park near her place. We shared some smokes and she and I fooled about for a while but then she cleared off back to her place and I came home with Habib.’
‘And you haven’t met up with her
since?’
He scratched the spot so hard a scarlet pinprick of blood appeared. ‘No. No way.’
Murray looked up from his notepad, pen in the air. ‘You’re saying the last time you spoke to her was two weeks ago?’
‘That’s right.’ He turned from Murray to Natalie.
‘What about last Thursday when you were seen in the hallway of the block of flats where Ellie lives?’
‘Oh yeah, shit, I forgot about that. Was that Thursday? It was only for a few minutes. We didn’t hang about. Had a cigarette and left.’
Natalie wasn’t convinced but Tucker was still talking, getting increasingly upset. ‘Shit! This is mad. Habib’s dead? He wouldn’t have committed suicide. I know he wouldn’t. He was my best mate and he’d have told me if he’d even been thinking about it. Some fucker had it in for him. It’ll have been one of the shitheads on the estate.’
His mother admonished him again but he jumped to his feet. ‘It’s true! You know what he was like. He hated confrontation, and everyone around here loves a bloody good fight. I should have been with him, then it wouldn’t have happened.’
‘Did he have run-ins with many people?’
‘Of course he did. We both did. This is the Galloway Estate! You can’t walk down the path without somebody having a go at you. Somebody’s taken it too far.’
‘Who do you think would do such a thing?’
‘There’s plenty to choose from but Roxy’s brothers have always had it in for him. Fuckers! I bet they’re behind it. I should have been with him.’
‘You couldn’t look after him twenty-four-seven. He didn’t need a bodyguard,’ said his mother quietly.
‘But he did, didn’t he? He fucking well did,’ Tucker replied. ‘Look what’s happened to him.’ He thumped the wall hard with a balled fist.
‘Pack it in! You’ll smash through the wall,’ his mother snapped.
Natalie kept talking to the boy, who stared angrily at his mother. ‘Tucker, did you see Habib yesterday?’
