Dead Secret

by Noelle Holten

  ‘For everyone.’

  A knock on the door stopped the conversation. Sarah looked relieved that Lucy wasn’t going to steer the conversation back to her problems. The receptionist popped her head in the door.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt you both. Lucy, your PSR appointment is here. Just a heads-up, I thought I smelled alcohol on him, so you might want to see him in one of the high-risk interview rooms. He seemed a little agitated.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll be right out.’ Lucy stood. ‘Don’t keep everything bottled up, okay? You know how to reach me if you need to talk.’

  Poor Sarah. Lucy felt so helpless and guilty that she couldn’t do more for her friend. She hoped she took her advice and reached out if she needed it. Lucy knew too well what happens when you keep things hidden for too long.

  Sarah was gone by the time Lucy had finished for the day, so when she arrived back home, she texted her friend and reiterated that if she ever needed to talk, she could call her at any time. Sarah responded with a ‘thanks’ and that’s all Lucy could do for the time being. She’d try and make more of an effort to catch up with Sarah over the next little while.

  Ronnie was tucked away in her room, and Lucy was shattered. An early night, drama free, was exactly what she needed.

  Chapter Sixty

  On the train into work that morning, Maggie fidgeted in the seat – her legs were restless and her thoughts unfocused. She rubbed her hands together. She had spent the night tossing and turning, going over the last conversation she had had with Julie Noble. She was torn and when she woke, had decided that she needed to approach the subject with Nathan but worried about how he would react. He knew most of the story: Maggie and Julie had a turbulent relationship professionally, but she wanted to make it clear to him that she would never cross or blur any boundaries when it came to her job – his joke the other day made her think he wasn’t convinced of that. Journalists were not favourites amongst the police in her force.

  Stafford train station approached and a bead of sweat formed on her brow. She wiped it away – everything would be fine.

  Maggie walked the fifteen minutes to the police station at a snail’s pace. Normally she was geared up for work, but with everything up in the air – the case, her personal life – she had to drag herself in. If I don’t say anything about it, it never happened, right? Denial was not an easy pill to swallow.

  ‘Hey guys!’ She waved at Kat and Bethany before looking behind her to see if Nathan was in his office. ‘Have you seen him yet?’ She hoped he had a meeting or was busy dealing with something else.

  ‘He was just there five minutes ago.’ Bethany turned in her chair. ‘Maybe he’s with Rutherford. She stormed in here about half an hour ago. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of whatever has pissed her off today. Seems to be a regular occurrence lately.’

  ‘Thanks for the heads-up.’ Maggie took off her coat and placed it over her chair. Opening the drawer in the cabinet beneath her desk, she placed her bag inside and sat down.

  ‘What’s up with you?’ Kat called across the room. ‘You’re looking a little pale. You’re not ill, are you?’ Kat held up her fingers in the sign of the cross and laughed.

  Maggie shook her head. ‘Nope. I’m fine. Just need to speak to Nathan.’ She started up her computer.

  Kat pointed to the doorway.

  ‘Did you need to see me, Maggie?’ Nathan stood behind her.

  ‘Uh. Yeah. Do you have five minutes?’

  ‘Sure. Come through.’

  Maggie stood and tugged on her blouse; taking a deep breath, she followed Nathan into his office.

  ‘Have a seat. You’re looking a bit off this morning.’

  Nathan sat across from Maggie and frowned.

  ‘I’m fine. I just have something to speak to you about and, for once, I’m not exactly sure how to say it.’

  ‘It’s me, just spit it out,’ Nathan reassured her.

  Maggie took a deep breath. ‘Okay, well it’s kind of a weird one. I feel I need to disclose something but I’m also looking for a bit of advice.’

  Nathan’s phone rang. ‘Hang on two secs. I need to take this.’ He held his hand up. ‘Hello, DS Nathan Wright speaking. What? How the hell did she get that information? Okay. Yep. I’ll do what I can.’ He slammed the phone down. ‘Shit!’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘That bloody reporter, Julie Noble, is at it again. She’s just done a story on Hastings – questioning how his team is involved in the case and whether we’re part of a cover-up relating to the wrongful conviction of Craig friggin Nolan. Fucking hell. What is it with that woman?’

  Maggie was silent.

  ‘Well, you’re taking this rather calmly. I expected I’d have to scrape you off the walls – I mean isn’t this the kind of shit that put you off her in the first place?’ Nathan eyed Maggie, waiting for an answer, and she wasn’t sure what she would say.

  ‘Uh, I guess I’m in shock? What exactly has she said and where did she get the information?’ Maggie wracked her brains trying to think if she ever let anything slip in their conversations.

  ‘I don’t know the details yet. Look, I’ve got about five minutes before I have to go and speak to Rutherford about this mess. What was it you wanted to say?’

  There was no way Maggie could tell Nathan anything now. She bit her lip. ‘It’s nothing, it can keep. Go and get this mess sorted. I’ll catch up with you later.’ She stood.

  ‘If you’re sure. Bet you’re glad you called a halt to things with her now, eh?’ He looked at his watch. ‘I really do need to get a grasp of this. The last thing we need is that reporter feeding false facts to the public … again.’ He ran his fingers through his hair.

  ‘Go. It’s fine, really.’ Maggie returned to her desk and pull out her mobile phone. Finding the number, she texted.

  WE NEED TO TALK … call me ASAP.

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Maggie wasn’t surprised that Julie Noble was taking her time to get back to her. But she could wait. Meanwhile, she’d focus her energy on speaking to Sophia Hastings’s fellow volunteers at the hospice; she also had an appointment to meet with Claire Knight.

  Kat accompanied her – dressed in black trousers, a blouse, and boots. Not the T-shirt- and jeans-wearing officer Maggie had known at the DAHU. There was also something else … ‘Where’s the sweary Kat? You seem a bit subdued.’

  Kat’s eyes widened. ‘I thought I should probably tone it down, being the newbie and all. You know, ease my way in before I let the foul mouth loose.’

  ‘I’ve already told people what you’re like, and now it seems like I was lying.’ Maggie tried to keep a serious face but couldn’t. ‘You can be yourself. There’s a time and a place for everything, you’re right – but you don’t have to change who you are.’

  ‘Thank fuck for that. It’s been a struggle.’ Kat burst out laughing. ‘This hospice we’re heading to, what are we hoping to find out?’

  It was a legitimate question, and one Maggie wasn’t sure how to answer. ‘We need to know whether Sophia shared what was going on in her home life. The family had secrets, that much is apparent after reading through the journal we found. But even that is vague.’

  Kat pulled into the driveway and parked. The hospice was a large, converted bungalow. The landscape out front was well groomed, with a few benches where those residents who were up to it could sit and enjoy the fresh air. The gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked to the front door. Maggie knocked and a middle-aged woman answered.

  ‘You must be the police. Come in. We have tea and coffee brewed if you’d like a cup.’ The woman ushered them inside.

  ‘That would be nice, thank you.’ They followed the woman through the hallway and into a living room area. Two other women sat sipping tea and acknowledged the pair when they were introduced.

  ‘Thank you for agreeing to speak with us. We just have a few questions which we hope you can answer.’ The ladies whispered amongst themselves be
fore turning to Maggie and Kat. It seemed the one who answered the door was designated the mouthpiece.

  ‘We’ll do whatever we can to help. We were all very shocked to learn of Sophia’s … death. Horrible. Do you know who’s responsible?’

  ‘We can’t really say, but our hope is that you all may be able to offer some insight.’

  More murmurs between the women. They seemed excited at the prospect that they might be able to help the police bring Sophia’s murderer to justice.

  ‘Were any of you particularly close to Mrs Hastings?’

  Heads shook. ‘I can’t say any of us were.’ The women looked at each other before their spokesperson continued. ‘Sophia was a kind soul but very quiet. We knew her husband was a police officer, and her daughter was a bit of a handful, I think, but when she was here, she just smiled and got on with things. Even when she looked low, she’d paste on a smile and help with the garden or teach some of our residents how to knit.’ The woman’s eyes glistened. ‘It’s just so sad.’

  ‘Did she ever have any injuries that she couldn’t explain? Or were any of you suspicious of anything happening in her home life?’

  All three women leaned forwards as if some good gossip was coming their way.

  ‘No. Should we have?’ Again the looks amongst each other. ‘Their daughter came by once, very upset, but Sophia calmed her down and sent her away. Apparently, the girl had got into an argument with her father. But that was the only time we really had a glimpse into her life. They adopted that child, you know. She was from a broken home and quite … dramatic, shall we say. Sophia told us that underneath it all, their daughter was just looking for love and that’s what her and her husband would give her. Have you found them yet?’

  ‘We haven’t.’ These women couldn’t offer anything more than the police already knew or suspected.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt, but you said that Sophia never had any unexplained injuries when she came here. Were there ever times that she was due to volunteer but called to say she was unwell?’ Kat’s experience in the Domestic Abuse and Homicide Unit gave her the knowledge of particular questions that may add more insight to the situation.

  ‘Oh yes. She generally volunteered three days a week. There have been times where she has cancelled coming in, and she was always very apologetic. She hated to let us down. Why is that important?’

  ‘It may not be, just useful to know. Had this increased in frequency recently or was it random?’ Kat started noting down some points which she would no doubt share with the team later.

  ‘Now that you mention it – it had increased over the last year or two. I only noticed as she was even more quiet when she did return. Often just coming in, doing her work, and going home. Less social, if that makes sense.’

  ‘It does, thank you.’ Kat looked at Maggie. She was done with her questions.

  Maggie stood. ‘Thank you for the tea and your time. If we think of anything else, we may be in touch but if any of you think of anything else that you think may be significant, please feel free to call us.’ Maggie handed the woman her card.

  When they got outside, Maggie was keen to hear Kat’s thoughts. ‘Great questions. You were thinking that things have got worse in the last few years, weren’t you?’

  ‘Yes. I remembered something Lucy had told us after it all came out about Patrick. She said she’d often use her annual leave or call in sick if she had injuries she wanted to hide.’

  ‘I think our suspicions about the Hastings’s home life is spot on. Behind closed doors, that family was something other than everyone believed they were. Let’s see if Claire can tell us more about the daughter.’

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  The offices for Staffordshire’s Social Care were in the town centre. They decided to park the car back at the police station and walk to the building. On arrival they signed in at reception and waited for Claire Knight.

  When Claire had called Maggie and invited her over to talk, Maggie’d been more than intrigued about what information she had to share on DCI Hastings’s daughter, Olivia. Meechan and Rutherford had been cagey when releasing the details, but Maggie’s gut told her there was more to the story, and she couldn’t understand why her seniors seemed keen on keeping the rest of the team in the dark.

  At the reception desk, Maggie caught her breath before speaking to the older woman behind the plastic screen and realized that once this case was over, she would spend some of her time outside of work getting herself back into shape. Those stairs shouldn’t have left her breathless.

  ‘Hi. My name is DC Jamieson, and this is my colleague DC Everett. We’re here to see Claire Knight. She’s expecting us.’

  The woman smiled and pointed to the seats directly behind Maggie. ‘If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll let Mrs Knight know you’re here.’

  Maggie sat down and pulled out her mobile phone. One missed call and a message. She opened the message and rolled her eyes.

  What’s with the attitude? What have I done now? X Jules

  Maggie didn’t have time to deal with Julie now, but at least she had finally come back to her. With Kat trying to read over her shoulder not so discreetly, Maggie decided she would get back to the journalist when she was on her own. She put her phone back in her pocket, and the door to her right buzzed. They were greeted by a very serious-looking Claire Knight.

  ‘Sorry for making you wait. I just had to deal with a situation first. Come through.’ Claire held the door open as Maggie and Kat passed through and waited. They followed Claire to a small room that had a two-seater couch and a small table and chairs. There were some children’s toys piled in the corner. They sat in the comfortable area rather than the more formal interview-style setup.

  ‘How lovely to see you both, despite the circumstances.’ Claire wasn’t going to be the first to offer information, and Maggie smiled. ‘What can I do for you both?’

  ‘We’re hoping you can help us with some clarity on Olivia Hastings. Did you have a chance to look at the information I sent over?’

  Claire bit her lip before answering. ‘I did. Unfortunately, I don’t think I am going to be of much help. Olivia’s adoption records are sealed and her records with us have been closed and archived. Normally we would destroy records after six years of a case being closed, if there had been no other issues. But Olivia’s appeared to have been kept and archived due to the abuse she suffered at the hands of her birth parents.’

  ‘Can you tell us anything about her birth parents? Did they know who adopted their child? Were there other children?’

  ‘You’re placing me in an awkward position. I honestly don’t know too much, but I do know that her birth father is in prison. I don’t know where her birth mother is, and I don’t know whether they knew who adopted Olivia – though I suspect they would have been told something.’

  ‘Is there any way for us to get hold of more information without having to wait bloody ages to get them?’

  ‘Sorry, Kat, with GDPR and everything else, it’s hard enough for us to get the records for legitimate queries, let alone anything for someone who’s now an adult.’ Claire leaned forwards. ‘But I can tell you that Olivia did request access to her records when she was sixteen, if that helps.’

  ‘And was she granted that?’ Maggie wondered what prompted her to want that information.

  ‘I believe she was. But other than you two today and that request from Olivia herself, there’s been nothing – not even a letter from her birth parents to pass on when she was old enough.’

  Realising that without jumping through all the red tape they would get nothing, Maggie thanked Claire. It was getting late; a quick stop at the police station to update the records, sign out, and then home.

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  After work Maggie had thought about what she could do to relax more and get in shape. She wanted to record a list of activities, maybe outside of her comfort zone, and she’d begin researching them. ‘Have you seen my voice recorder?’ Maggi
e looked around her makeshift office and waited for Andy to respond. Her father had built her an oak desk when she was in university, and Maggie had set it up in the dining room. It was more of an office space than an office, but Maggie liked it.

  ‘No idea what you are talking about,’ Andy shouted from the kitchen.

  ‘You know – my digital recorder. I’m sure I left it on my desk here.’ Maggie was removing books and papers from the side shelves when her sleeve caught on something on the underside of the shelf. She bent down and tried to unhook it. ‘What the hell is this?’ She tugged the small object and cursed herself for ever trusting Julie Noble. In her hand she held a small recording device. No wonder Julie knew things about the case. She had obviously been listening in on her conversations with Kate. ‘That fucking sneaky bitch.’

  ‘What’s got your knickers in a twist?’ Andy wandered into the dining room, and Maggie held up the small recording device. ‘Is that a bug, like in the movies?’

  ‘That’s exactly what it is, and I know who stuck it there.’ Maggie didn’t wait for her brother to respond. She raced upstairs and grabbed her mobile from the bedside table. Her hands shook as she scrolled through to find the journalist’s number. She hit connect and tried to control her breathing.

  ‘Hey Maggie! What’s up?’

  ‘You mean you don’t already know? I knew you were sneaky, but this is pretty low even for you. What do you have to say for yourself? Is that why you’ve been making the move on me – playing with my feelings?’ A flash of her father’s face popped into her mind. He’d love this – would probably say it proved his point. Her anger grew.

  ‘Whoa. You need to calm down. What the hell are you talking about?’