by J. R. Ellis
‘Let’s go round the church; stay together,’ whispered Ben.
They explored the dark path by the church entrance and then moved slowly around towards the graveyard.
Suddenly Louise exclaimed in a loud stage whisper: ‘Over there! Look! Someone’s sitting on a gravestone; right in the corner.’ The others looked over to where she was pointing. It was difficult to pick out in the gloom, but there was a figure dressed in black sitting with its back to them. It was very still.
‘Shit! Is that him?’ said Ben. He called out. ‘Dom? Is that you? It’s us. We’re here.’
The figure stood up and turned towards them. It was too far off for them to make out any features, but the face was white and apparently made up like Dracula. As they watched, an arm came up slowly and waved at them, but then the figure turned and walked rapidly towards a gate out of the graveyard and quickly disappeared from view.
‘Dom! Is that you? Wait!’ shouted Jack and he ran across the graveyard in pursuit of the strange figure. The others went over to where it had been sitting.
‘That was creepy as hell,’ said Maggie. ‘The way his arm came up. I don’t like this at all. Oh God, what’s that?’
There were things lying on the gravestone. Louise picked them up as Jack returned out of breath.
‘I couldn’t see anyone,’ Jack said. ‘There are paths off into the fields. He could have gone anywhere. What have you got there?’
‘This is Dominic’s watch; I recognise it. So it was him. And this’ – Louise was holding something round with a papery skin; a piece of vegetation – ‘looks like garlic.’
‘Garlic! He really has gone mad.’
‘Maybe, but he could also be sending us a message. He’s telling us that it is really him by leaving his watch. And this’ – she held it up – ‘is what is used to deter vampires, isn’t it?’
Jack shrugged his shoulders. ‘Yes. But I don’t get it. What have vampires got to do with Andrea’s death and Dom’s disappearance? And why couldn’t he speak to us instead of leaving stupid stuff like that?’
Louise looked over the deserted graveyard and up at the clouds racing across the sky. She shuddered.
‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘The whole thing just seems to get weirder.’
‘Well, I must admit it’s getting a bit more interesting, sir.’ Inspector Granger smiled at Oldroyd. ‘But I’m not sure where it leaves us.’
Steph and Oldroyd were in Alice Granger’s office as the three of them assessed the new information in the case. They were drinking the good coffee from the inspector’s coffee machine and eating chocolate brownies that Steph had allowed Oldroyd to indulge in on this occasion. Due to his and Andy’s struggles with their weight, all cakes and biscuits had been banned from his office in Harrogate. Steph supervised this. Granger had been informed about the true nature of the sarcophagus at the escape room and Oldroyd had given her an account of what had happened to Louise and the others the night before. Louise had called him early in the morning and told him about the strange encounter at the abbey church. His first instinct had been to be angry with her for taking such a risk, but she persuaded him that it was not really dangerous as there were four of them. He’d made her promise to inform him immediately if further messages came from Dominic.
‘As far as the sarcophagus is concerned . . .’ began Oldroyd, who paused to enjoy his brownie. He glanced at Steph as he bit the crumbly, cakey chocolate treat and she raised an eyebrow. He was revelling in a break from the strict regime. ‘It could have been used by the assailant, Dominic Holgate, to hide in, instead of going through the door onto the street. If that’s what happened, it means that he somehow knew about the sarcophagus and that the attack was planned.’
‘And later on he left the building through that door?’
‘Presumably.’
‘I’m wondering why bother? If you’re going to go out of the building later anyway, what do you gain by hiding in there for a while? In fact, later on people are on the lookout and it’s harder.’
‘I agree, but I’ll be very interested in what forensics have to say about that stain.’
‘You really think it’s blood?’
‘My instincts say yes, but it could have been there a long time and may have nothing to do with this case. If it’s more recent, it could be that Holgate cut himself when he stabbed the victim. We could prove that he did hide in there. In itself that might not take us very far, but I find it difficult to accept that the sarcophagus illusion just happens to be in the next room to the murder.’
‘But, sir, you’ve said to Andy and me several times in the past that coincidences do happen and they’re not as unlikely as people think,’ said Steph.
‘You’re right and I might be on the wrong track completely. We’ll see.’
‘This business last night,’ said Granger, moving on. ‘I’m sure you’ve emphasised to your daughter and the others that what they did was very risky.’
‘I have and they won’t do it again.’
‘Good. The whole thing is very odd though, isn’t it? Apparently he arranges to meet them and then as soon as they see him he disappears, leaving the suspect’s watch and some garlic. What do you think’s going on?’
‘It doesn’t make much sense. They didn’t get close enough to see his face, which from a distance seemed to be made up to look like a vampire, or hear his voice, so there’s no proof it was actually him.’
‘I presume the watch was designed to convince them that it was him?’
‘I would have thought so.’
‘What about the garlic?’
Oldroyd raised his arms in a gesture of incomprehension. ‘We all know that in the legend, garlic is supposed to deter vampires. Is it some kind of cryptic clue?’
‘It would be consistent with the meeting point up on the dark hill above the town and in a graveyard. As if someone’s trying to create a gothic atmosphere for some reason,’ suggested Steph.
‘A clue to what?’ asked Granger. ‘It’s Goth Weekend here and the murder took place in a Dracula-themed escape room . . . But apart from that I’m not sure how all this vampire stuff is really relevant.’
‘Maybe it was significant that he murdered her in that escape room while they were both dressed up in gothic costumes, ma’am,’ replied Steph.
There was a pause. No one could add anything to that suggestion.
‘I take it you’ve had no information about where Holgate might be?’ asked Oldroyd.
Granger shook her head. ‘No, and it’s not what I would have expected given that I understand he didn’t know the area so he wouldn’t have had any hiding places ready. I thought he would have been spotted by now, especially if he’s in a distressed state.’
‘Unless he had an accomplice, ma’am,’ offered Steph.
‘Yes, but we’ve no evidence of that yet, have we?’
‘No, ma’am, but I agree with DC Oldroyd that things appear to be getting more complicated.’
Granger continued. ‘We’ve spoken to the woman running the escape room, Elaine Pesku. She’s Romanian; she confirmed the account given by the others. She missed the action as she’d gone to the toilet. She encountered Louise and the escape-room actor, and then dialled 999. She told us all about that spare room and confirmed there was no other way out. The owner, Hugh Preston, told her he was going to convert that room into part of the game.’
‘How long has she been working there?’
‘She said for just over six months. We can’t confirm that, or the business with the sarcophagus, until we find the owner . . . which we haven’t done yet. The only other person present was the actor playing the part of Dracula.’ She looked at her notes: ‘Philip Owen. Again, he confirmed the story that everyone else told us. His job was to add to the tension by following the players through the rooms. As soon as he knew something was wrong he went in to help them. He went back to reception with Louise and then got the first aid kit. But it was too late.’ She put down her notes. ‘There are no
inconsistencies in the witness accounts. I’ve got forensics onto that sarcophagus thing, and the blood stain. Other than that, we’ll just have to wait until we find Holgate or see if he texts again. If he does, and tries to arrange another meeting, we’ll be ready for him this time.’
‘Good,’ said Oldroyd. ‘In the meantime, if it’s all right with you, we’ll go back to Leeds with Louise and have a look at this flat that the victim had. There might be something interesting there. Maybe you could get the Met to look at the flat they shared in Tower Hamlets.’
‘Yes, I will. Also we’ve examined the victim’s phone, which was in her bag at the escape room reception, but there was nothing unusual in the messages or recorded calls to suggest what was going to happen.’
Granger smiled at Oldroyd. ‘By the way, sir; I remember how you used to give murders acronyms like MOTA: Malignancy of Time and Place, for an unfortunate victim of a serial killer. How would you describe this one?’
‘Oh yes, I still like to do that. If we confirm that it was Holgate and the case is closed then depending on the circumstances, it could be an “O” for Othello. He killed the person he loved. In this case it seems it was done in anger and not out of jealousy as in the play, but, like the Moor, he seems to have immediately regretted it. However, if it turns out that there’s more to it than meets the eye, then I’ll say it’s NRTJ.’
‘What’s that, sir?’
‘Never Rush To Judgement.’
Granger laughed and then sighed, as she faced the hard reality of police work. ‘By the way, her parents have arrived and I’ll have to speak to them. Never an easy job.’
Oldroyd agreed; he was glad at this moment not to be in charge of the case.
‘Oh shit, I’m not sure I can do this!’
Steph and Louise, wearing plastic gloves, were about to enter Andrea and Dominic’s room in the Airbnb. No one had been in there since the horrific events of Wednesday.
‘You can with my help,’ said Steph encouragingly. ‘We need to see if there’s anything in there that could be important evidence in the case and we also need to get the key for the flat in Leeds.’
‘That means going through Andrea’s things.’ Louise gave a deep sigh. ‘Okay. Let’s get it over with.’ She opened the door and they crept in slowly as if they might disturb someone in there. The curtains were drawn back and the room showed signs of having been recently inhabited. The bed was roughly made. On one side were some of Dominic’s clothes in an untidy pile, on the other a suitcase containing Andrea’s clothes. She had died in her goth costume. Louise leaned down and picked up a burgundy-coloured top. ‘I bought her this for Christmas last year. It really suited her.’ She put the top back down, sat on the bed and sobbed. Steph put her arm around her.
‘Look, just sit in that chair and I’ll ask you about things if I need to. I know this is really difficult. Can you see a handbag? She only had a small bag with her at the escape room with not much in it apart from her phone so there must be another one.’
Louise pointed. ‘It’s that brown leather bag there on that chest of drawers. She had all her keys and stuff in there and she said she was going to call at the Leeds flat before returning to London.’
Steph opened the bag and found a number of sets of keys, one of which was marked ‘Cornwall Avenue’. Louise identified them as the correct set. Steph continued with the search through wardrobes, drawers and clothing. She found supplies of a contraceptive pill and also a blister packet of capsules.
‘Do you know why she took these?’ she asked Louise, indicating the capsules.
‘I think they were for heartburn or something. She had a few stomach problems.’
On the dressing table Steph found a necklace made in silverwork with a shiny black stone at its centre. ‘That looks like Whitby jet.’
‘Yes,’ replied Louise. ‘She got that recently, I think. She was very fond of it.’
‘Did she buy it here? Or maybe someone bought it for her?’
‘I don’t know.’
Steph continued the search, but the only unusual item in the room was a small bottle, which, according to the label, contained fake blood.
‘That was for her costume,’ Louise said. ‘I think she got it from some kind of joke shop. She had this Bride of Dracula outfit that she splashed with fake blood.’ Her voice faltered. ‘She didn’t know that there would soon be real blood on it.’ She burst into tears again.
‘Okay,’ said Steph, holding a plastic bag containing a few items including the blood. ‘Just sit down. I’ll have a look through Dominic’s stuff.’
Steph sorted through some clothes and then looked into his case. Here, concealed under more clothes, she was surprised to find a gun holster. There was no gun but there was a small metal container which was clearly an ammunition box. There were some bullets inside.
Steph showed this to Louise. ‘Did you know he carried a gun?’ she asked.
Louise was shocked. ‘No. What the hell did he have that for and where did he get it?’
‘Maybe to protect himself. Did he have any reason to feel threatened?’
‘Not that I know of. I don’t know of anyone who would want to harm him. God, this whole thing just gets worse! Does this mean he’s got the gun with him now?’
‘It would seem so.’
‘Why? I don’t get it. This is all just a nightmare.’ She burst into tears again.
‘Okay,’ said Steph, putting an arm around Louise’s shoulder. ‘I think we need to go down and tell your dad.’
While Louise and Steph were upstairs, Oldroyd stood in the entrance hall and took a call from his wife, who naturally sounded very concerned.
‘She’s okay, Julia . . . Yes, I’m here. There’s no need to drop everything and come rushing over. We’re coming over to Leeds tomorrow . . . Yes, Louise too. We need to look at the victim’s flat . . . No, we haven’t caught the killer, but I can’t see there’s a threat to anyone else. He’s a friend of Louise’s; it looks as if it was a row that went wrong . . . Yes, terrible, isn’t it? They were a couple . . . No, it was unexpected . . . She’s had a shock but she’s fine. She’s still with her friends. Maggie. Remember her? . . . Yes, and some others . . . They’re all helping each other . . . Tom Walker’s been very understanding. I’ll have to return to Harrogate soon, but I’m hoping to get back . . . Yes, I’m helping the police here; the inspector used to work for me. Okay, I’ll probably see you Saturday.’
Oldroyd ended the call to his wife, feeling relieved. He’d found her difficult to relate to since they’d separated, though they’d always remained in touch. Clearly she wanted to see Louise, but he didn’t think her coming to Whitby would help the situation. There wasn’t much she could do and he would find her presence very off-putting. Much better for her to see Louise when they were over in Leeds. It would be the weekend so she would be off work. It was bad enough that their daughter was involved in this; he didn’t want to have to deal with any marital stuff as well.
He went back into the apartment and looked round the living room. Mark Garner, Maggie’s boyfriend, a handsome blonde-haired young man, had arrived. They were sitting together on one sofa and Maggie’s head was resting on Mark’s shoulder. Jack Ryerson, the late arrival at the doomed weekend away, was sitting in an armchair looking at his phone. Ben was in another armchair reading a magazine. They looked at Oldroyd and he felt their embarrassment at his presence but before he had time to say anything Steph and Louise returned from the bedroom and Steph showed him the holster and the ammunition box. Oldroyd examined them and then turned to the others.
‘Did any of you know that Dominic carried a gun?’
‘A gun!’ exclaimed Mark. ‘No!’
‘Why would he need a gun?’ asked Ben. He seemed to think this over for a moment. ‘Ah, but wait a minute, he once told us his uncle gave him a gun. Jack, do you remember? In the pub that time? We were talking about weird stuff people have in their attics. There must have been something on the telly, and he sai
d he had a gun hidden away.’
Jack nodded. ‘Yeah, he did. And didn’t he say his uncle was in the army, in Afghanistan or somewhere, and he’d kept some weapons when he was discharged?’
‘Yes, and that wasn’t legal so he kept the gun secret.’ Ben turned to Maggie. ‘I’m sure you were there that night, Maggie?’
‘Yes, I was,’ said Maggie. ‘He was very fond of his uncle. Didn’t he keep the gun as a memento? But why would he bring it up here? Bloody hell! Whatever next?’
‘Was there anyone who had threatened him in the past? Anyone whom he might have reason to fear?’ asked Oldroyd.
They all looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders.
‘Everyone liked Dominic; he was a nice guy, even if he had a bit of a stormy relationship with Andrea,’ said Ben.
Oldroyd frowned. This was another odd development. The gun had been there for a reason and the fact that it was out of character for Dominic to carry it suggested that he’d been expecting trouble. He knew it was illegal, but he still had the gun with him. Was Andrea’s murder connected to this? How? He hadn’t shot her, but presumably he had the gun with him now so he must have been carrying it that day. Or had he hidden it somewhere? Oldroyd didn’t know the answers but, more and more, events were suggesting that Louise was right: this was not going to be an open- and-shut case.
Andrea’s parents were brought into Granger’s office. They seemed much older and more fragile than they probably were as they shuffled in, bent over with their grief. The mother’s face was dazed and blank with the shock; the father’s tight with anger. Andrea had been their only child.
Granger expressed her condolences to them and explained what the police knew about their daughter’s death. The mother said nothing but started to weep quietly.
‘I never liked him, that Holgate,’ declared the father in a pronounced Yorkshire accent. ‘He was a smooth-talking southerner type; he never looked after her. We heard them arguing when they came to stay with us, didn’t we, Joyce?’ He turned to his wife, who nodded but remained silent. He turned back to Granger and shook his head. He wasn’t far from tears himself. ‘What can you do? You can’t tell your children who to go out with, can you?’
