Dead Secret

by Noelle Holten

  ‘Ronnie’

  ‘Your name is Ronnie? What about your last name? Would it be easier for you if I wrote my questions down?’

  Ronnie shook her head and covered her mouth as she yawned. Lucy noticed her fiddle with her hearing aids.

  ‘You’re tired – in fact, you must be exhausted. How about I show you to your room?’

  Ronnie shook her head and tapped the couch.

  Lucy pointed to the stairs. ‘I have a vacant room you can use. It might be more comfortable. You can put your stuff away and I can give you something to change into.’ Lucy had been collecting donated clothing for a few months in anticipation of the haven’s opening. ‘I’ll be back in two secs.’

  She stood and went to the room she had kitted out with the donated items. Her plan had been to turn this room into a shop of sorts – the residents could purchase things with tokens. She hadn’t worked out all the details but that would come in time. She found a pair of black leggings and a sweatshirt that looked like it would fit Ronnie and walked back into the communal lounge. She handed the clothing to the young woman.

  ‘We don’t have to go up just yet. Shall I turn on the telly for a bit?’ Lucy picked up the remote and turned on the television.

  They sat in silence staring at the screen, and Lucy noticed the woman had removed the hearing aids and placed them on the side table. She put the subtitles on so that Ronnie could follow the programme, but when she turned and looked at the vacant stare in the woman’s eyes, she didn’t think she really cared what was on.

  What happened to you, Ronnie?

  Chapter Four

  DC Maggie Jamieson had been looking forward to a weekend off after having to say goodbye to Dr Kate Moloney and finalising the case against the person the papers had called ‘the Living Doll Killer’. She was mentally exhausted.

  Kate had returned to Ireland with her parents when her near-death experience of being abducted by her stalker had left her shaken. She’d asked Maggie to watch Salem, her black cat, and Maggie hoped that after having a little time away, Kate would return and start working alongside her in the Major and Organised Crime Department (MOCD). Kate’s time in the DAHU was nearing an end, and DI Rutherford was finalising a proposal for a profiler consultant within their team.

  After her shower, Maggie went downstairs and called out to the cats. Although Scrappy still wasn’t happy having another furry being in his presence, he tolerated Salem. It was nice to have an extra cat for company and Maggie toyed with the idea of adopting another, as Scrappy was getting older. Then she remembered how much time it took for a kitten to adapt and quickly dismissed the idea. She was far too busy for that level of commitment at the moment.

  Maggie tapped the tin of cat food and listened for the patter of feet. ‘There you guys are.’ Scrappy hissed at Salem as Maggie put down his bowl of food. ‘Hey! Be nice.’ She wagged her finger as she put a separate bowl down for Salem on the opposite side of the door and clicked on the kettle. As she reached in the cupboard to grab a mug, she heard her mobile ring.

  Maggie ran into the living room and unplugged the phone from the charger and saw DS Nathan Wright’s name flashing on the screen.

  ‘Oh shit.’ She swiped to answer. ‘Hey, boss.’ He hated when she called him that, so she did it anyway. ‘Don’t you have better things to do than ring me on a Saturday? You do remember you gave me the day off, right?’ She hoped he was calling for a personal rather than work-related matter.

  ‘I do, but unfortunately crime never stops and you can probably guess what’s coming next.’

  She heard him sigh down the earpiece.

  ‘Oh crap.’ Her shoulders slumped. ‘I don’t have the weekend off after all, do I?’

  ‘Good work, detective.’

  Although Nathan was trying to make light of the situation, Maggie could tell he was just as pissed off as she was. The last case had hit them all pretty hard.

  ‘When do you need me?’

  ‘As soon as you can get here. I’ll text you the address. I’m at the crime scene now. It looked like it could just be a serious assault, but the victim died before the ambulance crew arrived.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll get changed and be with you as soon as I can.’ Maggie raced upstairs and put on some comfortable clothes after seeing the address she was heading to. Chances were, after last night’s rainfall, the ground would be muddy and her work trousers weren’t going to cut it.

  Maggie’s brother was still in bed; he’d some time off and had been talking about going away on holiday soon. She hated to disturb him but needs must. She knocked gently on his door.

  ‘Andy. Sorry to wake you, but I need to take the car.’

  She heard him groan.

  ‘Uh, yeah, no problem. It’s your car to be fair. I’m off today anyway. I thought you were too?’

  ‘So did I, but someone had other plans. Have to head out to a crime scene. I’ve fed the cats and I’ll let Scrappy out before I go. I think Salem is in Kate’s … I mean the spare bedroom.’

  ‘Okay. Catch you later.’ He rolled over.

  She closed the door and jogged down the stairs. Maggie unlocked the cat flap and called out to Scrappy. ‘Time to go now. You have three seconds before I lock it again, Scrapps.’ She tapped her foot on the floor. She swore her cat understood her, as he came bolting from the living room and out the flap at record speed and locked the flap after him.

  Maggie grabbed the car keys from the bowl on the table, threw on her coat, and headed out the door.

  Chapter Five

  Maggie arrived at the scene, pulling up behind the string of cars that were gathered at the location. She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath as she looked around at the property. There was something familiar about the area. Directly in front of her was a large grey building. It looked like rented offices – the kind where different companies were in and out every other week. She took out her phone and texted Nathan.

  I’m here. Where is everyone?

  Her phone rang.

  ‘Hey. You have to walk behind the building. There’s a small wooded area. You’ll see it when you walk around.’

  Nathan sounded breathless.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Yeah. I tripped over a big branch. After the storm last night there’s a few littered on the ground, so watch where you’re going.’

  ‘See you in a minute then.’ Maggie disconnected the call and walked around the side of the building. Nathan was right, branches littered the ground. She could see the crime scene tent in the distance. She jogged over to the crime scene manager and signed herself in.

  ‘Where can I get a forensic suit?’ She hadn’t spotted the vehicle until the officer pointed it out on the far left of the lot. Maggie nodded a ‘thanks’ to him and made her way over. Once kitted out, she followed the path towards the tent, making sure not to disturb anything on the way, as well as keeping an eye out for anything she might trip over; the last thing she wanted was to find herself face down in the muddy grass.

  The crime scene tent was set up just on the edge of where the grass met the wooded area. The mix of wet leaves and mud wafted a stale smell in the air. Maggie stepped into the tent and headed over to Nathan.

  ‘What do we have then?’ She looked at the body on the ground. Dr Fiona Blake’s forensic assistant, Charlie, was holding the victim on his side, while the doctor looked to be examining a wound on the back of the victim’s head.

  Nathan leaned in and whispered. ‘Unidentified male. Dr Blake was just about to turn him back over.’

  ‘Nice of you to join us, DC Jamieson.’ There was a curtness in her voice. Dr Blake’s assistant lay out a sheet of plastic and Dr Blake then proceeded to turn the victim over, carefully laying him down on the sheet.

  Maggie ignored the hint of sarcasm in the pathologist’s voice. Dr Blake hadn’t been the same with her since Maggie had briefly identified one of the forensic team as a person of interest in the Living Doll Killer
case, without even so much as a heads-up to the pathologist. Maggie refused to rise to the bait this time, believing if she ignored the pathologist’s jibes, she’d eventually grow tired and things would get back to normal.

  ‘Thanks, Fiona. Good to see you.’ Maggie smiled as she kept things friendly.

  She looked down at their victim now that he was on his back. Another wound could be seen where his hairline started – the left side of his forehead. His face was covered in cuts and bruises and there were four marks on his left cheek.

  ‘What are those?’ Maggie pointed at the four black dots on the victim’s cheek. If the dots were joined, they would form a right-angle triangle. Maggie made a mental note of the image.

  ‘Some sort of ink marker or pen, I’d say, as there are a few smudges. As for what it means,’ she shrugged, ‘your guess would be as good as mine. Looks like he could be between sixteen and twenty-four years old. Other than the gash here,’ she pointed to his forehead, ‘there don’t seem to be any deep wounds on his face, just the superficial cuts, some swelling, and bruises …’ She looked into his eyes with her penlight. ‘No petechial haemorrhaging. Don’t take this as gospel, but as he died just before the ambulance arrived, I suspect we’ll find that the blows to the head is the cause of death – a slow internal bleed perhaps. I’ll know more when I get him back to the lab.’ Dr Blake checked the victim’s pockets. ‘Nothing here to help with your ID, I’m afraid. Do you need anything else from me or can I make a move?’ She looked past Maggie, directly at Nathan.

  ‘Thanks for that. Nothing more from me. What about you, Maggie?’

  Maggie shook her head. The face markings were stuck in her head. Where had she seen marks like that before?

  ‘Right then. I’ll be in contact when I know more. Bag him up, Charlie.’ Fiona directed her assistant and left them standing in the tent.

  ‘Who found him?’ Maggie scratched her chin.

  ‘Let’s step outside and let them get on with their work.’ Nathan swivelled around and walked a few feet ahead of Maggie. He stopped and turned to her. ‘A security guard was out having a fag when he said he noticed the victim on the ground. Bethany has more of the details. You can catch up with her in a moment.’ Nathan stared ahead.

  ‘What time was that? Have statements been taken?’

  ‘Who knows how long the poor kid has been there. Dr Blake may be able to shed some light on that, but he was found only a few hours ago. I got a call from DI Rutherford at about six this morning. Called you not long after I arrived. Bethany had been working the night shift and arrived with some of the field team. Last I saw her, she was taking down the statements and may still be in the building actually. I’m going to head back now. See if you can find her and, once caught up, head back to the office. Sorry to ruin your weekend plans.’

  PC Bethany Lambert rarely ventured out of the office. Her computer skills and logical thinking had her tasked mainly with working analytics alongside a civilian analyst, but it was nice to see her come out of her comfort zone now and again.

  ‘Oh shit.’ Maggie looked at her watch.

  ‘What?’ Nathan turned back.

  ‘I’m supposed to go over to Lucy’s later today. I better just message her and let her know before I get too absorbed and she thinks I’ve brushed her off.’

  ‘Right, I’ll be off now.’ Nathan walked towards his car.

  Maggie took out her phone and messaged Lucy.

  Really sorry but I’ve been called in to work so I won’t be able to drop by.

  * * *

  Speak later. X M

  Maggie headed towards the office complex when her phone beeped.

  I should have messaged you. Have a crisis of my own, but nothing to worry about. Hope it’s nothing too awful on your end. I’ll catch you up later. X Lucy

  Although Lucy’s message intrigued her, she pocketed her mobile and hoped that Bethany managed to find out more from the security guard. As selfish as it sounded, Maggie wanted this to be one of those quick cases – culprit easily identified and order restored. But nothing was ever that simple.

  Chapter Six

  When Maggie walked towards the building, she spied PC Bethany Lambert talking to a security guard through the large windows that surrounded the bottom floor. Maggie assumed he was the witness whom Nathan had told her about. She entered the building from the back door that had been propped open and walked over to the pair. She introduced herself to the man. He smiled and continued his conversation with her colleague.

  ‘As soon as I saw that kid’s head caved in, I called the ambulance. I can’t believe he died. Never been that close to a dead body before this.’ The man rubbed his forehead.

  ‘Did you notice anyone else in the area?’ Maggie was curious whether or not there had been any teenagers drinking in the woods, as it was a Friday night when the assault must have happened, and youths often gathered in the area.

  ‘Nope. I saw the claw hammer on the ground, not far from the lad. I didn’t touch it though. Figured it was probably what did the damage.’ He shuddered. ‘I don’t know what else I can tell you. Do you think he could have been in a fight or something? I wasn’t outside much last night, but I’ve heard a few fights in the past.’

  ‘It’s possible and certainly an avenue we’ll explore. Thanks so much for your time. PC Lambert will leave her details with you and we’ll be in contact if we need anything further.’ Maggie walked away and waited by the door for Bethany.

  ‘I’m shattered. I was hoping to at least get a few hours’ sleep before the next shift, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.’ Bethany sighed.

  ‘You may be able to catch a nap in the break room once we get all the info on the system.’ Maggie knew it was unlikely but sometimes a reassuring word could give you that boost of energy you needed to get through. ‘Did you get anything useful from the witnesses?’ Maggie held the door open.

  ‘Not really. Though I’d like to follow up and see if there were any call outs about fighting or youths in the area. I’ll get on that when I get back to the office. Is Kat here?’

  Maggie wondered where DC Kat Everett was too. ‘No, I haven’t seen her. She may well be at the office.’

  They both headed to their own cars, and Maggie drove to Stafford Police Station. Considering it was a Saturday, the drive into the town centre was fairly clear. Maggie parked her vehicle in the back lot of the station and made her way up to the office. DC Everett was at her desk and waved to Maggie.

  ‘Just about to make a cuppa. Do you fancy one? Nathan said to let you know there’ll be a briefing in an hour.’ Kat stood and stretched her legs.

  ‘I’d love one. Thanks. Is Bethany not back yet?’

  ‘She was here a second ago, but I think she went downstairs to talk to some of the field team.’

  Maggie nodded, and a flash of the victim popped into her head. ‘Poor kid. Any ID yet?’

  ‘Not at the minute. There’s a message on your desk. Your journalist friend wants you to call her back.’ Kat inclined her head in the direction of Maggie’s workspace.

  ‘What does she want? I swear she has a wiretap set up somewhere. How the hell does she know so quickly when something has happened?’

  Kat laughed. ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ She headed towards the kitchen, and Maggie laughed as she heard her humming some tune off-key.

  Maggie picked up her phone and dialled the number to the Stafford Gazette.

  ‘Julie Noble speaking. How can I help?’

  ‘Hi. It’s DC Jamieson. I got your message.’

  ‘Oh, so are we back to formalities now, DC Jamieson? I’ll cut to the chase, as I am sure you’re busy – any ID on the male found at Castle Bank Industrial Estate? I heard someone cracked his skull. That true?’

  After the last case, Maggie and Julie had formed a strange friendship. There had been a spark of chemistry between the two but only Julie played on that. Maggie preferred to keep things professional.

  ‘Ms Nob
le, I’m not sure why you think you have any special privileges – you know I can’t discuss the details of an ongoing investigation with you. Who told you about this anyway?’

  ‘I have my ways.’ Julie paused. ‘Look, I just want to know if you can give me a little headline – something short – do you think this was a one-off attack or the start of something more?’

  ‘Something more?’ Maggie rolled her eyes. ‘Not answering that. In fact, I think I should just end this call at this point before I say something you misconstrue and I end up in the shit. I’m sure there’ll be a press conference in due course. You’ll just have to wait.’

  ‘You’re no fun, Maggie.’

  ‘I never said I was.’ Maggie disconnected the call. The last thing she wanted was for someone to claim she was feeding the press information. With Stafford being a small area, Julie often juggled two roles – her main job as the local news reporter but she also contributed to the Stafford Gazette with features on crime in the area. Maggie knew, however, that Julie Noble was not one to give up so easily – she just hoped that she kept Maggie’s name out of anything she did report. Even mentioning that she had spoken to the reporter could be taken out of context.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Maggie spotted Nathan returning to his office. He motioned for Maggie to join him.

  ‘What’s up?’ Maggie loosened the bun in her hair. Her head was beginning to hurt.

  ‘We’ll have a briefing shortly …’ Nathan shuffled some papers on his desk. ‘I’ve just filled in DI Rutherford. She can’t get a hold of DCI Hastings, so she’s a bit frazzled. I’m giving you a heads-up that today is not the day to piss her off.’ He motioned for Maggie to sit.

  ‘What’s up with DCI Hastings? He seems to be all over the place lately. I’m not surprised the guv is losing her patience, she hasn’t had much support from him.’ Maggie pulled out a chair and sat down. Hastings had been missing work and distant recently. There had been rumours that he wanted to retire early to spend time with his family but hadn’t been allowed. Maggie’s own relationship with the DCI blew hot and cold over the years. When she had first started in the MOCD, he had been reluctant to listen to her theories, but as she proved herself with excellent conviction rates, he gave her the space she needed – for the most part. At times he had reminded her of her father. Praise didn’t come often, but when it did it was brief and awkward.