Journals, Jealousy and Jilted Sweethearts

by Emily Selby

  Jack left the carrier bag on the table and leaned back in his chair.

  'Did your husband have access to your medicine box?'

  'Of course he did. He prepared the pills for me every Sunday night. The whole box for the coming week,' Jane explained, still shaking.

  'Has he ever used any of your painkillers?'

  'Not that I know of. As I said before, he is a healthy man.'

  'Were you on good terms with your husband?' he asked her.

  'Of course, Inspector. Keith is absolutely caring and lovely.'

  'Was there any conflict between him and anyone else?'

  'Not that I know of. His parents were delighted when we moved closer to them. It was to-' Jane hesitated. Katie glanced at her. Her temples glistened, her lips were trembling. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. 'We moved to Sunnyvale to be closer to his parents, so Keith could help them run their business.'

  Jack closed his notebook.

  'Thank you, Mrs Starr. It's been very helpful. Do you have any family or friends locally?'

  'No. They're all in Leeds.'

  'We can call them for you,' Katie offered. 'Do you have the numbers?'

  'I don't want to worry them... I'm sure one once Keith is feeling better...'

  A large knot tightened around Katie's stomach. She couldn't take it any longer.

  'Jane, look at me,' she said firmly and put a free hand on Jane's arm giving it a gentle squeeze. 'Keith is dead. We need you to tell us who we can call for you. You need your family. You need somewhere to stay. The police are treating his death as suspicious, and you cannot go back to your house right now.'

  'But - but I need Keith. I need my medication.'

  'You've got it in the bag, remember? And your doctor will come to see you soon as well. I'll call your family for you if you give me their numbers.'

  'Okay,' Jane said, her voice wooden. 'Only my sister, not my parents, okay? I don't want to worry them. My phone’s in my handbag.'

  Katie glanced at Jack, seeking conformation she was allowed to do that. He nodded.

  Katie handed Jane her handbag. Jane found the mobile and fumbled through it until she found the number and pressed it.

  'Sarah, it's Jane,' she whispered into the phone. 'Can you please come over as soon as possible? Something happened to Keith and I can't go back to the house.'

  Seeing that the conversation wasn't going to progress unless someone less upset took over, Katie gently pried the phone from Jane's hand.

  A couple of minutes later she handed the phone back to Jane.

  'Your sister will be here this afternoon. Until then, you can stay here...' Katie glanced at Jack to check if this was okay with him. He nodded. 'Once your sister arrives, she'll help you find somewhere nice to stay.'

  'Will you stay with me until Sarah arrives?'

  Katie gulped. Her arm was sore and burning, and so was her throat. All she wanted was to get out of there, have a hot drink and think about what had happened.'

  She glanced at Jack, hoping he'd ask her to talk to him in another room.

  He gave her a curt nod.

  'I need to talk to you, Katie. Now.'

  Katie put her hand on Jane's shoulder. 'I can't stay with you right now, I'm sorry,' she said. 'But I'll come back to check on you soon.'

  She pulled her hand away before Jane had a chance to grab it again.

  'I'll make you a cup of tea, though.'

  4

  Jack must also have been quite keen to leave the room as he sneaked out after her.

  The staffroom was empty. Chris was with Jane in the interview room and whoever else was working that morning, must have been still out.

  'I need a coffee,' Jack said. 'It's the jetlag. Would you like some, too? '

  Katie flipped the switch on the kettle.

  'No, I've had my dose of adrenaline this morning. And I'll make a cup for Jane.'

  'Is she always like that?' Jack asked as he fiddled with the coffee machine.

  'I don't know her very well,' Katie replied, preparing cups and tea bags. 'I've only worked for them since early November. Today was my third time. They wanted me to help every other week.'

  'How long have they lived in Sunnyvale?'

  'They moved here this summer. June or July.'

  'Any local gossip?'

  Katie reached for the milk in the fridge. She cast her mind back. Apart from a brief conversation with Dorothy Ravencroft, she hadn't talked to anyone about the Starrs.

  'Not much, to be honest. But I'll ask around, for sure.'

  The kettle switched itself off as the water boiled. Katie filled the cups.

  'That would be appreciated, as always,' he said. 'I'll talk to you when you get back from the tea trolley service. Please don't stay there too long.'

  Katie chuckled.

  'Are you longing to see me?' she asked before she realised what just left her mouth. Her cheeks burnt, and the heat quickly spread down to her neck.

  A sparkle appeared in Jack's blue eyes and the corner of his mouth arched upwards.

  'Well, to be perfectly honest, I do. But for now, I just want to get on with the investigation,' he said in his smooth baritone.

  Katie buckled her knees to prevent them from turning cotton candy again.

  'And I want to help poor, upset Jane.' Katie put a cup on the tray. Jane didn't take milk or sugar in her tea. 'I bet Chris isn't very happy staying with her. Do you have anybody else so you can release him?'

  'Chris needs to learn how to cope with crying women,' Jack replied. 'Hasn't he had to deal with any in his life?'

  'No, he's been quite lucky,' Chris's voice cut in from the door. Jack and Katie snapped their heads in his direction. 'He is happily married to a happy-go-lucky girl and has two boys,' Chris carried on. 'Any chance of a cuppa for an emotionally exhausted cop?'

  'Jack's making some coffee, or you can make yourself some tea,' Katie replied holding the tray and carefully strolling towards the door.

  'Is she on her own?' Jack asked, a note of alarm in his voice.

  'No, I pulled Constable Rebecca Boris in with her. She just returned from patrol.'

  'Well, as long as she's got someone with her, I'm not fussed,' Jack said and opened the door for Katie. "And while you’re here, can you please ring the doctor’s surgery and check when they are coming. Mrs Starr looks like she needs some medical attention.'

  'I'll do that, sir.'

  Keen to avoid another wrestling match with Jane and discharge the duty of presenting her version of the morning’s events, Katie passed the tray to Rebecca and reassured Jane she would be back later, all just by the door. Once done, she sneaked back into the staffroom.

  Chris was on the phone talking to the doctor apparently, while Jack was sitting at the desk, with a steaming cup in front of him and his notebook open.

  Katie grabbed her cup from the counter.

  'Ready?' he asked her.

  'Yes. I've already reported some of the details.' Katie briefly explained the situation with Jane's shopping. 'What else would you like to know?'

  'I understand you were at the house at 7.30 and left a few minutes later?'

  'Probably a couple of minutes,' Katie corrected.

  'You then returned about 8.05. Did you notice anything or anyone suspicious around the place?'

  'No. I didn't pay much attention, to be honest. I was keen to get the card from Jane and collect her shopping before the rush hour.'

  'Which way did you drive in?'

  'When I arrived the first time, I drove through the new estate.' Katie paused to recall the name. 'I mean, Sunny Meadows. It was still quite grey outside. I probably should have seen Mr Starr walking to the café, but to be honest, I didn't pay much attention. The road bends quite sharply there and I concentrated on the road rather than the sides.'

  Jack nodded.

  'Anything or anyone unusual on the road.'

  Katie shook her head. 'When I left for the supermarket, I drove right ahead,
towards the Meadowbank Road, which is a sort of a back way. And I returned from the same direction. If you remember, there isn't that much along Stream Drive between the Starrs' house and Meadowbank Road. I didn't see any cars until I reached Meadowbank Road.'

  'I see. You first saw him on the sofa, dead?'

  'That's right.'

  'Was there anything different about her and the house?'

  Katie chewed on her lip. 'Not that I can think of. She seemed a little short of breath when she opened the door for me, but then, walking is an effort for her,' she replied and paused. 'Do you know already how he died? He looked quite...' she didn't finish her thought not knowing how to express it. Saying "quite dead" didn't sound right.

  'We need an autopsy and a formal forensics report. I wanted to talk to her before the worst of the jetlag hits me, so I didn't stay at the scene too long. I need to go back there once the team have secured everything. Anyhow, from what I've got so far I think he must have died about between 8:15 and 8.30.'

  'His lips were purple,' Katie said slowly, shuddering at the image of Keith Starr's lifeless body. 'How do you think he died? With the emphasis on your opinion now.'

  Jack took a deep breath and then released it.

  'Okay, you're asking me for my opinion, and it's off the record. I only saw the body briefly but both me and the Medical Examiner think he consumed a large quantity of morphine or something similar. His pupils were very narrow and he probably asphyxiated or choked on something.'

  'That's why you asked about drugs?'

  'Yes. Have you noticed anything like that around house?'

  'I've never seen anything while cleaning, and they don't appear to be that type of couple. I mean, to be more evidence-based, I haven't seen anything suspicious around the house. Fair enough, she has a couple of boxes full of medicines, including painkillers. Morphine is a pain killer, right?"

  'That's right. And according to her prescription, she has something similar in her pillbox.'

  Katie gasped.

  'Could she have given it to him when he came back complaining of a headache?'

  'To answer that question, I need autopsy results. But this stuff takes a while to kick in. Twenty - thirty minutes at least.'

  Katie tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her ear and started to twirl it.

  'If anything, it must have happened before I arrived with the shopping. So, let’s say she gave it to him at 8 am. The stuff started to work around 8.20 - 8.30,' Katie paused, with her mouth open. It fitted perfectly!

  'Wouldn't he call for help if he started to choke?'

  'Not if he was severely sedated. Or if the dose was too strong.'

  Katie covered her face with her hands. 'I just can't believe it. I was there, right behind the wall and didn't hear anything. Maybe if I'd gone to her ask if I could-'

  'Katie,' Jack interrupted her. 'Please, don't go there. You can't blame yourself for his death. You didn't have a clue what was going on. He might have been dead by the time you arrived. We need more information and the only thing you can do now is to help me find out what's happened.'

  Katie tensed her back to hold the wave of shivers flowing over her. Jack was right, the only thing she could do to help Keith Starr was to find his killer and bring him or her to justice.

  She took a deep breath and sat up straight.

  'The doctor will be here soon, she's also sending a nurse immediately,' Chris said, putting the phone down. 'Do you want me to go back to her? Or do you prefer I do something more important, such as taking samples to the lab, or collecting fingerprints, or chasing some criminals?'

  Jack gave Chris a long look. 'I can see you’re extremely keen to get out of this situation, Sergeant Fox, but I need you to help me collect some of the information if possible. We need to do door-to-door in the neighbourhood-'

  'They are the only ones living in the immediate vicinity,' Katie cut in.

  'But there are building sites. There might have been workers coming or going, or even people driving kids to school going past the café and the house. I also need to talk to the café owner. The victim’s morning cuppa was probably of some importance,' Jack added, with a note of pressure in his voice.

  A broad smile lit Chris's face. 'I'll be delighted to help, sir.'

  'But I also need someone to stay with Mrs Starr. We need to examine that medication box and her phone. But I'd rather have a medical opinion first. Can you deal with it before you jump to catching criminals?'

  'Yes, sir,' Chris sighed, deflated. 'I'll deal with it. Are we treating her as a suspect?'

  Katie tensed again. She was torn: Jane was delicate, frail, disabled by her numerous health problems - a victim rather than a murderer. But poisoning someone didn't require physical strength. And Jane, by the looks of it, might have had access to the murder weapon. Unless Keith Starr committed suicide, for some reason.

  'At the moment, I'm keeping my mind open,' Jack said simply.

  'I'll go and get her stuff, and talk to her doctor, sir,' Chris clicked his heels and walked out.

  Jack drained the rest of his coffee and put the cup on the table.

  'Changing the subject, Katie,' he said he's voice now warmer. 'Are we still good for dinner on Saturday? I'm sorry it didn't work out earlier, but I did have to take my dad to see his grandson.'

  Katie's heart fluttered.

  'I know you did,' Katie said hastily. She didn't want him to feel guilty about it. After all, she hadn't come to the Sunnyvale police do on that Monday night, after they wrapped up that mind-bending hi-tech murder case. Yes, Julia was sick, but Katie was more than happy to stay home with her daughter. Just the thought of facing officer Celia Baxter's bizarre behaviour towards her again. 'Assuming this case doesn't get in the way?' she asked.

  'Are you suspect again?' he asked with a smile playing on his lips.

  'Are you asking me, Inspector?' she fired back. 'How would I know? I haven't touched him, I mean, I did but he was already dead, and not in the way that you...'

  'Well, you know I don't trust people, I manage risk, but assuming you are not a suspect in this investigation, are we still good for dinner on Saturday?'

  Oh, he wanted a clear answer, she'd give him one!

  'Yes, sir. I'm sorry I couldn't come to that evening in the pub...

  “No worries, I wasn’t in there for long. I had to go back home because of tiredness. I hope Julia doesn't get sick again.'

  'Even if she’s at death’s door, her dad will take care of her. She's at her dad's place this weekend.'

  'Sounds like a perfect day for a date,' he said and grabbed his jacket and his favourite black briefcase.

  'Now, I have to do some work. In the meantime, I'm sure you've got plenty to do, but when you've got a second, can you check the current gossip, please?'

  'Will do, sir,' she replied making a tiny gesture of salute to her forehead, once Jack couldn't see her.

  Even though she was still employed only as a clerk, it had sort of become customary that she got involved in the murder investigations in Sunnyvale police station. She didn't mind it at all.

  5

  Once Jack was out of the staffroom, Katie grabbed her tea and went to the windowless room called her office. She sat at her desk and sipped her tea.

  Jack had asked her to collect some information, but what sort of information? Who from? What on?

  Obviously, she should start by finding out more about the victim. As Keith and Jane were quite new to Sunnyvale, they hadn’t developed many social connections locally. The only person Katie remembered ever mentioning them to her was, Dorothy Ravenscroft. Dorothy was usually well-informed and Katie decided to start her investigation with her friend from the Paper Crafts Club.

  But what was she going to tell her? Over the past couple of months Katie had been involved in a number of murder mysteries. She’d quickly learned that 'winging it' didn’t work with everybody, and Dorothy was one of the ones it failed with. Katie collected her thoughts. Well, the murde
r, if this was the case, would soon become the talk of the town, including the fact it was that Katie found the body – again.

  She didn't have anything to lose.

  She keyed Dorothy's number into her phone. Dorothy didn't answer, but she called back a few seconds after Katie's screen went dark.

  'How are you, Katie?' Dorothy greeted her, sounding a little short of breath. 'Sorry I missed your call. I'm at work, slowly getting back into it.'

  'You’ll never guess, but I found another body,' Katie said, jumping straight into her story.'

  'You're kidding, right?'

  'No, never when it when death is involved.'

  'You've been a bit of a magnet for various corpses turning up in our quiet town. Who is it this time?'

  'Dare to guess? You said you're quite good at mind reading and premonitions.'

  'Hum...' Dorothy paused. 'Can you give me a clue? Is it one of your clients again?'

  The first murder mystery Katie came across had been that of her best cleaning client, Phyllis Dunbar.

  'Actually, yes.'

  'Wow. You found Mrs Weatherspoon's missing lodger, or rather his body?" Dorothy exclaimed.

  'I didn't know Mrs Weatherspoon had a lodger,' Katie said, confused. 'I've never seen anyone around. Mrs Weatherspoon hasn't said anything about having a lodger. Although that spare locked room would make sense now.'

  'You've never seen him because he's missing. But never mind. Obviously, it's not him. Is this the couple who lives on the new estate? What's the name? The woman who looks like a water nymph a breath of wind would knock over and her jealous, control-freak husband?'

  Katie winced. This was exactly her first impression of Keith and Jane Starr.

  'Yeah,' she said slowly.

  'Did he kill her? I knew it was going to happen one day. He was so possessive of her.' Dorothy's voice brimmed with tension.

  'Strange we both thought the same way,' Katie said. 'But you're wrong. It was his body I found, not hers.'

  There was a silence on the other end of the line.

  'What you think, Dorothy?' Katie asked her friend anxiously.

  'That's a surprise,' Dorothy said and paused. 'Did she murder him? What did she do? And how? I've seen her in the church a few times. She seems so weak and barely capable of walking. She's always holding onto his arm.'