by S A Tameez
“His father walking out on us hasn’t been easy for him… easy for either of us.”
“Yes, he mentioned,”
“He told you about his father walking out?” she sounded surprised.
“Yes, he told me how much it affected him.”
“Oh,” she said and then paused for a moment, “It’s just that he has never spoken about that to anyone.”
“He told me why he came here last year – I know why you’re worried about him.”
“You’re a smart girl,” the woman said.
Sarah smiled and then stood up.
“Erm, sorry, I really should head back home.”
“Of course,” The woman returned the smile, “He’s not like other boys, Norman. He’s special.”
“I’m sure he is,” Sarah said and turned to walk away.
“Sarah,” she called. Sarah glanced back, “Be careful.” Her bottom lip quivered again as she said the strange parting comment.
Sarah didn’t respond and walked as fast as she could. Shivers ran through her, and there was only one person she could think to call. She removed her phone and searched through her recently dialled numbers.
Part 2
Chapter 17
“Call Keith and tell him we have a possible suspect,” Nick instructed Zoe as he drove back to London. “IC1 male, dark hair with white streaks, last seen wearing dark clothes.”
“Shall I mention that he’s the George Clooney type?” She smiled and called the office.
The drive back to the station seemed a lot shorter than on the way there – though it took them the same amount of time. Nick could feel a rush of excitement as he approached the Sergeant’s desk.
“Keith, any updates?” Nick asked, feeling short of breath.
“I have notified the Indexers and they are reviewing CCTV footage,” Keith said.
“Great,” Nick removed the picture of the watch from his jacket pocket and placed it on the desk. “This is the watch the suspect was wearing – not sure if it will help.”
“I’ll get copies made and get them circulating – anything will be helpful right now.”
“Thanks.” He then turned to Zoe, “You mind filling Keith in with all the details?”
“Of course,” she responded.
“Oh, and Harold wants to see you.” He raised his eyebrows, “Just as a heads up, the Press is all over this and he wants you to give a statement.”
“Great! Like there weren’t more important things to do around here.”
“Nick,” Harold said, “Before you give me an update, we need to do a Press Release on the situation. We need to give them something before they start making things up.”
“We have a suspect. A witness saw a man near where the body was found. He was wearing a watch we believe may belong to Vanesa Holmes, the Sailor’s first victim.”
“We’re giving that to the press?”
“No, I don’t think that will be a good idea. But, as you said, we need to give them something. We can tell them we have a suspect but can’t release more details at this time.”
“OK. I will leave that with you. Keep me posted.”
“Thanks.”
Nick sat back at his desk and removed his shoes under the table. His feet were burning, reminding him that he should get his bloods checked. Before he could think of anything else, the phone on his desk rang.
No rest for the wicked.
“Nick Bailey,” he answered.
“Nick, we’ve got something on CCTV,” Marcus said, “We’re not sure what to make of it yet but—”
“I’ll be right there,” Nick said as he tucked his aching feet back into his shoes.
He walked into the dark room where two uniformed officers were reviewing CCTV footage and Marcus was leaning over them, glaring at the screens. The light from the screens was overwhelming and Nick had the urge to turn the lights on.
“Must you guys have the lights off. Bloody light will kill off your eyeballs!”
“You don’t like the cinema experience?”
“This isn’t cinema experience – it’s torture. Anyway, what we got?” Nick cut to the chase.
“We’ve traced Sarah Fowler’s steps and have footage of her getting on the tube, getting out at Monument Station. We lost sight of her for a while and then cameras picked her up at St Dunstan's Hill.” He pointed to a blurry figure. The rain made it hard to see her face clearly.
“She was stood outside the old church, talking on the phone for a little while. And then she leaves. We have no sight of her after that.”
“OK,” Nick said, “anything else?”
“Yes,” he put his hand on the officer sat in front of him, “Fast forward 8 minutes,”
The footage showed a white Range Rover pull up to where she was stood. It waited there for a few minutes before driving off.
“We’re not sure what to make of it but something about it caught my eye.”
“Can we get the plates?”
“Already sent the footage to the Indexers and they are enhancing the footage to see if we can get the plates,”
“Don’t worry about that,” the officer sat in front said, “I just looked through camera footage and picked up the reg,” He pointed at the screen and zoomed in.
“Good-man!” Nick said and scribbled it on a piece of paper.
“You really should carry your notebook,” Marcus said.
“I will… when I find it,” He folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket. “Can you get a search done on the plates. And any update on the Forensics report?”
“Yes, Keith just called and said he’s got the report.
“Brilliant, can you get someone to run it to my desk, thanks.”
“Nick,” Zoe called as he walked towards his office, “Here’s the Forensics report,” She handed him a brown envelope.
“Thanks. You had a look at it?”
“Every word,”
“Why am I not surprised.”
He sat at his desk and skimmed through the report.
“Blue jersey style top,” Zoe said. “That’s what she made of the fibres.”
“Ok, that’s interesting.”
“It’s more than interesting.” She rummaged through the paperwork. “Vivian and Marcus interviewed her friend Melisa Maddison this morning after she landed at Heathrow.” She put the statement in front of him. “She mentioned a guy from their university who always wore a faded blue hooded top. Norman Hyde.”
“Coincidence?”
“She said he was always staring at her in class and believed he stalked her.”
“Why didn’t she report him before?”
“She said she wanted to, but Sarah wouldn’t let her and said he was harmless.”
“Do we have an address for Mr Hyde?”
“Working on it now. I have sent a couple of uniforms to UCL to request the address.”
“Good,” he leaned back in his chair and held his stomach. It was growling like a starving animal. “You fancy grabbing a quick bite before—” His desk phone stopped him mid-sentence, “Too late!”
He answered the phone.
“Nick Bailey,”
“We’ve got the owner details of the Range Rover,” Marcus said.
“That was quick!”
“There’s no point hanging around.”
“Quite right.”
“You’re never going to believe this, “Marcus continued, “The vehicle is registered to a car dealership right near the victim’s home address.”
Coincidence? I think not.
“Also… the dealership belongs to the victim’s uncle, Michael Fowler.”
“And the plot thickens,” Nick grinned. He could see Zoe’s face lighting up with anxiety.
Nick hunted for a pen,
“Give me the address for the dealership,”
Zoe handed him a pen, and he began scribbling.
“What’s going on?” Zoe asked as he hung up and grabbed his coat.
&nb
sp; “We spotted a white Range Rover suspiciously close to where Sarah Fowler was last seen. We ran the plates, and the car is registered to a car dealership owned by the victim’s uncle.”
“You think he has something to do with the murder?”
“No idea but it will be nice to hear why he was there on the night his niece went missing.”
He peered at his phone to check the time but immediately noticed two missed calls from Stacey.
Shit.
He tried to remember their last conversation – was he supposed to get her something, Terry’s Chocolate or something else? His mind went blank.
“Nick,” Harold’s voice emerged from behind him, “Press release has been scheduled for tomorrow morning – 11am. You OK with that?”
“Sure,” he said with confidence he didn’t have. Might as well stick a broom up my arse and I can sweep the floor as I’m dragged around all over this shit show!
Nick despised talking to the press, especially concerning something as sensitive as this. They had a way of manipulating everything.
“Good man,” Harold swigged his cup and headed back to his office.
“Sounds like fun,” Zoe remarked as they approached the staircase.
“Well, it isn’t. Believe me.”
“I believe you, but I don’t think you have Harold convinced.”
“He knows exactly how thrilled I am. Two things I love about this job – the press and the paperwork!”
The drive to the dealership was quick. Zoe remained quiet the entire way. Which was a relief as their most recent conversations were awkward. She took a breath in a couple of times as if she were about to say something but remained silent.
“Here it is,” Nick said in relief as he pulled into a yard full of gleaming cars.
“And there’s a white Range Rover,” Zoe pointed out.
“Well spotted”, Nick pulled up beside it, and they both got out and inspected the plates to confirm it was the right vehicle. “It’s the right one,” Nick nodded. “Let’s go in and pay Mr Fowler a visit.”
As they approached the large glass double doors, they saw a man staring at them.
“Michael Fowler,” Nick opened the door, “I’m DS Nick Kn—” but before he finished his sentence, the man ran towards a door at the back of the room.
“Stop!” Zoe shouted and ran after him.
When Nick and Zoe had entered the yard, he noticed it only had one exit, which meant that would be the direction the man would head to get out – at least that’s what he hoped. He turned back and ran out of the door they entered from and almost immediately heard footsteps approaching fast from the side of the building. He waited at the edge of the wall and braced himself. He knew there was only one way this could go right and several ways it could go wrong.
He took a deep breath, leapt out and grappled with the man to get him to the ground. Zoe was only seconds behind and helped get him on the floor with his hands behind his back.
“Mr Fowler, I presume,” Nick gasped.
“Get off me!”
“Michael Fowler, I’m arresting you on suspicion of the kidnap and murder of Sarah Fowler. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court.”
“What the hell are you talking about?! I didn’t kill my own niece you morons!”
“Why’d you run when you saw us?” Zoe asked while trying to secure the handcuffs on his wrist.
“The motor. I saw ya looking at the white Range Rover – it’s a ringer. And I could tell you were the old bill soon as I saw ya.”
Nick and Zoe looked at each other, not knowing what to make of his story.
“We’re taking you in for questioning,” Nick said, “Now, do you promise to behave?”
Chapter 18
“Let’s go over this again, Mr Fowler,” Nick said as they sat in the warm interview room.
Look, I’m not sure why we’re going over this again and again?”
“We need to get the details right to verify where you were on the night Sarah went missing.” Zoe said impatiently, “I am sure you appreciate that, right?”
“I’ll tell you what I’d appreciate; I’d appreciate it a lot if you’d find my niece’s killer instead of harassing me!”
“That’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” Nick said.
“I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Apart from the dodgy cars, right?” Zoe said.
Mr Fowler sighed.
“You know what I meant! I admit some of the cars in my yard aren’t legit but, in this climate, a business like mine would never survive without a few under the table deals. Look, I don’t ring the cars or steal cars – I turn a blind eye to the ones that come in dirt cheap and that I know have questionable parts from other cars. You know chassis numbers don’t match and things like that.”
“Is that why Sarah called you that night?” Zoe asked. Nick could sense where she was taking the conversation – it’s exactly where he would take it had she given him a chance. “Did she know about the dodgy cars?”
“What? No, of course not.”
“Perhaps she knew about the cars and was blackmailing you?” Zoe said, “You said she was a mess – people who are in a mess tend to do strange things.”
“This is stupid!”
“Was she on drugs?” Nick asked, “I mean we know she self-harmed. Did she need money for drugs?”
“I don’t bloody know if she was on drugs!”
“You wouldn’t give her money for drugs; she would know that. So, perhaps she used your dodgy cars to blackmail you into giving her money for drugs?”
“Is that why you were there that night?” Zoe asked, “Enough was enough. You had to stop her. You couldn’t keep paying her. Was it an accident? You didn’t mean to hurt her but—"
“You’ve got this all wrong!” He shouted, “I would never hurt Sarah. She meant the world to me.” His voice then lowered, “Look, I told ya, she called me that night – she was upset, really upset. She asked me to pick her up from St Dunstan's Hill, near the old church. But by the time I got there she was gone.”
“How’d you know she was there?” Zoe asked.
“What’d you mean?”
“You said by the time you got there she was gone, indicating she was definitely there – how did you know she was definitely there?”
“I wasn’t sure, I guess. She told me she was there, so I presumed she was.” He clenched his fists, “What are you trying to say?!”
“I’m not trying to say anything,” Zoe said, “It’s just that most people would have said: when I got there, she wasn’t there.”
“This is ridiculous! You’re trying to play with my words – make me repeat the same thing over and over to try to make me slip up – I watch enough TV to know what you’re trying to do and it ain’t going to work because I had nothing to do with what happened to Sarah.”
“We’re not playing games,” Nick said, “And this isn’t a TV show. This is real, very real. That’s why we need you to cooperate. If you haven’t done anything wrong, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Nick loosened his tie, “We are trying to find the person responsible for the murder of your niece – surely you want the killer brought to justice?”
Mr Fowler nodded and released his fists.
“She was a mess, Sarah. Ever since her old man died… she wasn’t the same. I mean, she was no angel before that but when he got Cancer and died, part of her died with him. They were very close.” He fell silent and leant back the chair.
“Why did she call you that night?” Zoe asked.
“I told ya, she was distressed and wanted me to pick her up.”
“Yes, you mentioned that,” Nick asked as if he had intercepted Zoe’s thoughts, “But why did she contact you specifically and not her mother or her friends? Why you?”
“Her mother found it hard. It wasn’t easy for them both. Sarah was a Daddy’s girl. She wasn
’t all that close to her mother before and this… this just created a bigger wedge between them.”
“Had she called you to pick her up before?” Nick asked.
“Plenty of times. I’m not sure whether she needed a father figure or just someone who knew her father to talk to, but she confided in me and I wanted to help – she was my niece for goodness sake!”
“Of course,” Zoe smiled, “Did her mother know that you were picking her up and talking to her and she was confiding in you?”
“No,” His cheeks turned red, “She would never have understood it. So, I never told her, and I don’t think Sarah did either.”
“So, she can’t verify your secret conversations with your niece and presumably there are no other witnesses who could verify this either?”
“No, but it’s true!”
“I’m sure it is, Mr Fowler but all we have right now is your word and—”
“You know what,” Mr Fowler interrupted, “This is taking the piss and I have had enough! I wanted to help you because I want my niece’s killer found but you’re all full of shit! Then you wonder why no one trusts you lot. Tossers! I want my solicitor… now!”
“Mr Fowler I—”
“Solicitor, now!” He said with his eyes locked on to Nick’s. “I aint saying another bloody world without my solicitor present.” He crossed his arms and then gazed at the wall.
“I want his bank statements for the past year or two and from all his accounts,” Nick said.
“Sure,” Zoe made notes in her black notebook.
“And phone records for the last year. And get a team down to the yard and search the place and see if there is any CCTV footage in the premises.”
“OK, I’m on it.”
“Keep me posted. You can get me on my mobile – I won’t be in the office.”
“Where are you off to?”
“I’m going home – I need to see my heavily pregnant wife,” He gazed at the 6 missed calls.
Zoe smiled and then nodded before walking out of his office.
Nick drove to the local supermarket before going home. He picked up a few packs of Terry’s Chocolate Orange and a bunch of flowers. He wasn’t sure why he got the flowers, Stacey didn’t even like flowers. She’ll be happy with the Terry’s Chocolate Orange and will leave the flowers in a waterless vase until they die.
