DI Giles BoxSet

by Anna-Marie Morgan

  “Don't, it's fine. Intuition counts for a lot in your job.”

  “Also, men who had been financially sound, wealthy in fact, lost everything in the last six months of their lives. What if that was by design? Still feeling foolish, when I say these things out loud. I have the files for both crimes and the financial information makes for good reading, but is hard to decipher without having a financial expert to look through them.”

  There was a pause at the other end, then: “Yvonne, have you gone maverick on this?”

  “Uh huh.”

  Tasha gave a chuckle. “Why am I not surprised? Well, you might need to find yourself a friendly accountant.”?

  “And a friendly psychologist to help me sift through the case files, and tell me if I'm barking up the wrong tree...”?

  “Would you like me to come down?”

  “Could you? I mean, you likely won't be remunerated for it. My superiors won't commit any of their budget to the investigation. I can offer you food and board for as long as you're down here, of course.”

  “Well, that sounds like remuneration enough for me.”

  “Then tomorrow wouldn't be to soon. Please come when you're ready.”

  Dewi was deep in thought, chewing his pen and gazing out of the window. Yvonne walked into CID main office. “You okay, Dewi?”?

  “Yes, ma'am. I'm fine. Was just thinking.”

  “Did the results come through yet for the swab I gave you?”

  “Yes. Just got them. Where did you swab? It was definitely blood and, by the looks of it, a mix of Mrs Davies and her daughter. There may have been another profile in there, but it was too badly degraded. They even struggled to confirm the other two profiles.”?

  “I thought that might be the case. I had no way of keeping the sample cold, and the crime scene was already more than forty-eight hours old.”?

  “What are you up to?” Dewi eyed her with suspicion.

  “Well, I figured that, if I was correct, and Ben didn't kill his family and himself, then the he would have had to have been killed first. That's the only way the killer could have guaranteed carrying out his plan without incurring too much risk to himself.”?

  “Ma'am, the case is closed. Where did the swab come from, anyway?”

  “The underneath of the breakfast bar.”

  “Are you onto something? Are you going to Llewellyn?”

  “It's not enough, Dewi. It couldn't be introduced as evidence as it wasn't kept cold and I'm not SOCO personnel. The crime scene was already old and about to be cleaned. I had to swab then, or lose the chance forever. I just needed to know if I'm on the right track. The fact that there was blood on the underside of the breakfast bar tells me that my scenario is possible. I'll tell Llewellyn, but I already know what he'll say. There's no way this could be included in a file for the CPS.”

  “Llewellyn's on his way,” Dewi warned her.

  “Thanks.” Yvonne turned to face the DCI.

  “Sir, can I have a word?”

  The DCI's hair was ruffled, and it looked like he'd been rubbing his eyes. “Yes, of course. I was going to speak to you anyway. Come to my office.”?

  “Are you okay?” Yvonne enquired with genuine concern.

  “Difficult meeting with with the superintendent and the PCC.”

  Yvonne followed him down the corridor, mentally preparing for the conversation ahead. She felt guilty for approaching him when he was so obviously in need of a break. She was also afraid of how he might react.

  “So.” Llewellyn looked directly at her, once he'd closed his office door. “You go first.” His smile took her by surprise.

  “I went back to the house...before it was cleaned.”

  “Which house? The Davies house?” His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms.

  Yvonne nodded. “To the Davies house. You did tell me I could carry on investigating, until the case was officially closed.”?

  Llewellyn glanced at the door and adjusted his tie. “I said if anything came to light, we could investigate it.”?

  “Well, in my book, that's the same thing, isn't it?”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, just supposing I am right and Mr Davies did not kill his family.”

  “Yvonne, I thought we -”?

  “Just humour me a moment, please.”

  He sighed and nodded.

  “If Mr Davies didn't kill his family, someone else did. That someone would have had to have taken Ben Davies out first. There's no way he would have risked the man of the house fighting back. A man seeing his family hurt would fight back no matter the risk to himself.”?

  “But Ben Davies had his family's blood on the front of his shirt. That wouldn't have been the case if he died first...unless, you're trying to tell me the blood was planted?”?

  “Maybe it sounds far-fetched, but yes. That's exactly what I think happened.”

  “Is there anything in the forensics reports to support what you're suggesting?” The DCI angled his head to one side.

  “Not in the official SOCO reports, no sir.”

  “Right...”

  “I have done tests of my own, though, sir.” Yvonne pulled a face as though straining to get the words out. “?When I went back to the house, I took a swab kit, on a hunch. I drew the swab along the underside of the breakfast bar, where Ben Davies died.”

  “Could you see blood stains there?”

  “Nothing really obvious, just a slight discolouration of the oak. Could have been from anything but, if my thinking was correct, then the killer would have had to spray blood from the family onto Ben Davies' shirt. I felt that that would have to leave a trace, however slight, on the underside of the breakfast bar. The killer would have had to be under there, to spray Ben Davies' shirt front, and it would have been hard for him to control a fine mist.”

  “I don't see it. Fine mist? Blood that's been hanging around, even for a minute or two, would be too thick to spray a fine mist. Wouldn't it?”?

  “Yes, but I suspect the killer mixed in a little water from the bathroom.”

  “Anything to corroborate that?”

  “Maybe. In the forensics report they mention one blood spot, around the size of a five-pence piece. It was watery, as though the killer had washed at some point. Except, there were no traces of blood in the plug-hole. Could it have fallen from a small container?”?

  “I see what you're saying, but I thought the forensic report supported the pathologists' conclusion that it was murder-suicide?”?

  “They did. But they make no mention of the underside of the breakfast bar. As far as I can see, they didn't swab it.”?

  “So you gave them a sample.”

  “Yes. I did.” Yvonne held her hand up, as the DCI looked more interested. “?One problem, sir: I was in a race against time to swab it before the cleaners moved in. I didn't keep the sample cold, and I had a conversation with Ben's neighbour prior it getting it back here, to be sent off.”

  “Oh no...”

  “I thought it a long shot, and I wasn't really expecting it to lead to results. In any event, by then it possibly made little difference as the scene was already three days old. Some DNA degradation was inevitable. In fact, we were lucky it wasn't all degraded.”

  “What was the result?” The DCI asked the question but Yvonne could tell that he already felt the evidence to be of little value.

  “They confirmed the presence of blood, and of Mrs Davies and her little girl's DNA. There was a partial profile which could have been that of the boy, but it was too degraded to prove absolutely.”?

  “But that DNA could just have easily gotten there in sweat from their fingers?”

  “That's right, sir. We can't rule out sweat being in the mix.”

  “I see...” The DCI was about to turn away.

  “The blood droplet in the bathroom sink contained DNA from every family member apart from Ben Davies, in amounts consistent with it being a mixture of their blood. It didn't drip off the father because it would h
ave contained his DNA.”?

  “I thought the boy's DNA was absent.”

  “From the breakfast bar, not from the sink droplet.”

  “You've given me a lot to think about, Yvonne. I'm not sure we can use your swab-test as an argument for investigating the case further. We certainly couldn't introduce it in evidence. You would be destroyed in any court.”?

  “I understand that, but it gives a reason to keep digging.”

  “The Super is on my back. But I promise to think about it.”

  “Thank you, sir”

  The DCI turned on his heel.

  “Err...I thought you wanted to speak to me, sir?”

  He turned back. “Oh yes, the rape case. How's that coming along?”

  “It's with forensics at the moment. No DNA, but they do have a single fibre, taken from the girl's underwear.”?

  “Did they manage to get a better clarity for the CCTV footage?”

  “No, sir.”

  “So, it hasn't advanced much.”

  “My team are on the case, sir. They're knocking on doors. Asking around. I'm still optimistic.”

  10

  Yvonne opened her door to a beaming Tasha, complete with two large suitcases, two bottles of wine, and a large bunch of yellow lilies.

  The DI beamed back. At last an ally. A co-conspirator. Someone to really bounce ideas off, and someone whose opinion she'd trust, even if that opinion was that she was wrong about the whole thing. They hugged, and she helped carry the cases into the room she'd prepared with fresh linen. They returned to the kitchen to put the lilies in water and pour two glasses of wine. The smell of basil and garlic wafted everywhere, from the lasagne in the oven.

  “Something smells amazing.” Tasha sniffed the air.

  The DI laughed. “I can always rely on you to enjoy my cooking.”

  “I've missed it.” Tasha pulled a face before taking a wandering around the spacious kitchen, with its high ceiling. She stopped at the montage wall.

  “Wow. You really have gone maverick, haven't you?”

  “I have to admit this isn't your usual montage.”

  They both now stared at the flow chart and photographs from the Davies family crime scene.

  Tasha stood with her head angled to one side. “An emotive scene.”

  Yvonne nodded.

  “These photographs are yours.” It was a statement of fact. Tasha turned to the DI. “You took these.”?

  “How did you know?”

  “They're not matter-of-fact crime scene photos. The person who took these was feeling emotional. The close-ups of personal effects. These are not clinical pictures cataloguing deaths. They tell a story. The bodies may be absent from the smears of blood, but I feel as though they are still there.”

  “I went back to the scene before it was cleared.”

  “The mum was rising when she was attacked?”

  “Yes, I believe so. He killed her and then calmly tucked her back in bed.”

  “And your superiors think this was a husband showing care, and maybe remorse?”

  “Yes. That's exactly what they think.”

  “But you don't.”

  “The killer took the children's favourite things from their arms before killing them.”

  “You're sure about that?”

  “Pretty sure, yes. Look at the shelf.” Yvonne pointed to the relevant photo. “?There they are: cwtch blankets and teddy bears. All removed and placed on the shelf. Why? Then the killer takes their lives and calmly tucks them up in their beds. I believe those two actions are in complete conflict.”

  “I agree. However, if it was the father, and he was suicidal, he wouldn't be thinking rationally.”

  “I know that...”

  “Do you have pictures from the other crime scene you told me about? The Maesbury case?”

  “I do. They are going up next. I have the file on the kitchen island. I have to return it as soon as I can. Officially, I'm off the case. We're not pursuing anything.”?

  “You said you went back to the Davies scene. What were your thoughts?”

  “Come with me tomorrow. I'll take you through it.”

  The house, now completely devoid of furnishings, echoed eerily. The DI led the way in and Tasha followed behind, armed with Yvonne's photographs.

  “There was no sign of forced entry and no forensic traces, other than those of the family.” Instead of going straight upstairs, the DI took Tasha through to the kitchen. “?If I'm right, Ben Davies knew their killer. He let him in. A late night caller. The visit had probably been prearranged – perhaps a secret business deal.”

  “Okay, I'm with you so far.”

  “So, Ben Davies lets the killer in and they discuss their business.”

  “What about the gun? How did the killer get Ben's gun, without him knowing about it?”

  “Made some pretext? Getting a glass of water? Going to the toilet?”

  “All gun cabinets are locked. They can't legally be otherwise. How'd the killer get the key?”

  “Maybe he gets Ben to fetch the gun.”

  “What reason would he give?”

  “Wanting to see it? Compare with one of his own? I can only speculate at the moment. But let's say Ben gets the gun and gives it to the killer to hold. Killer shoots him in the face, while he's sat at the breakfast bar. I think dad died first. My colleagues think mum died first.”?

  “Ben was found in here, slumped on the island.” Tasha held up the crime scene photo, as she walked to the breakfast bar.

  Yvonne demonstrated the position. “He was folded over, like this, his belly back from the island top and his head slumped on his forearms. If I'm right, the killer came back after he had killed the rest of the family and sprayed their blood onto the front of Mr Davies, where he lay slumped.”

  “A lot of blood sprayed backwards from Ben Davies on the floor and the wall behind.”

  “I think he had to have been standing, or sitting, at around forty-five degrees to the island top. Killer put the gun in his mouth. Must have ordered him to open it. They think he didn't die immediately. Took a few seconds.”?

  “Mrs Davies may have been woken by the gun going off, but may not have realised that was what had woken her.”? Tasha pursed her lips.

  “Yes. That's what I think. Ben wasn't in bed, and she was wondering where he was. She started getting up, to go take a look, but the killer walked in and blew her away. Then he put her back in bed, tucked her in, and then headed down the corridor to the children's room.”?

  “But he didn't kill them straight away.”

  “No. Weirdly, he removed their things from their arms, while they slept, and put them on the shelf.”

  “Why didn't the children wake up at this point?”

  “He was gentle. They may have stirred, but not opened their eyes. If my nephew and niece are anything to go by, small children can be difficult to rouse at the best of times.”?

  “So why remove the toys?”

  “Beats me. I'm still working that one out.”

  “Do you think any of the children became aware, before they died?” Tasha shuddered.

  “It's hard to say. I hope not. What I can say is that two of them were repositioned after their deaths. And tucked back up.”?

  “Then you think the killer went back downstairs and sprayed theirs and their mother's blood onto the father...”?

  Yvonne turned her soulful eyes to the door. “Come with me. I'll show you. I think he took blood from the victims, in some sort of household spray gun.”

  “An atomiser?”

  “An atomiser. He then, I believe, walked to the bathroom and added a little water.”?

  “To help it spray, otherwise the blood it too viscous.”

  “Precisely. He then returns to the kitchen and sprays, from underneath the breakfast bar on the island, onto Ben Davies' shirt-front. Except, that the atomised spray spreads a onto the underside of the breakfast bar. I know, as I swabbed it and had it tested. There was bloo
d from at least three of the other victims.”?

  “Had forensics not swabbed there, themselves?”

  “No. Well, given the scenario everyone believed they were looking at, there was no reason to think there would be blood there. All the blood was behind Ben Davies. And his shirt-front wasn't touching the island, when they found him.”?

  “Well, if you're right, we're looking for a confidence trickster. A con-artist able to convince a confident, savvy businessman to give him his gun.”?

  “He may have been a friend. What strikes me is the similarities with the Maesbury case: all victims neatly tucked up; blood smears, showing the wife and daughter had been moved after death.”?

  “And the father killed with his own gun.”

  “Right.”

  “The killer would have been planning these murders for some time.”

  “I think he may have been stalking his victims. Question is, why? What did he gain? There's no evidence of a sexual interference.”?

  “Well, none that's overt. Doesn't mean there wasn't a sexual motive. He just didn't indulge in physical intercourse. If he was stalking the family, he may have had a sexual pleasure from that, and from the killing, itself.”?

  “Both men were in major financial difficulty. All of it pretty recent. Could the killer have orchestrated that?”?

  “Have you checked out their business associates?”

  “I have a list of most of the people Ben Davies and Robert Bennett had financial dealings with. It's probably not exhaustive, and, to be honest, it's a hell of a task to go through those, alone. And, as for interviewing, how am I going to do that when I'm not supposed to be investigating the case?”

  “What about your swabs? Did they not buy you a bit of time?”

  “No. Headquarters are adamant. The case is open-and-shut, regardless of the blood on the underside of the island. It can't be used in court.”?

  Yvonne's mobile made them jump. The DI put a hand to her chest, a look of apology directed towards Tasha. “?Yvonne Giles.”

  “Ma'am, it's Dewi. Where are you?”

  “I'm with a friend who might be able to help us.”

  “Can you meet me at the station? Another family has been killed. The DCI asked if we can go over and check it out. Uniform's first assessment is it's another total wipeout perpetrated by the head of the household.”?