by Emily Selby
'Hang on, I never said that!' A harsh, suspicious pitch crept into his voice.
'But he said so.'
'To you?'
'Yes, actually to me. I met him at Linda's.' She gave him a brief summary of the conversation. 'So, he was at the crime scene, he had a motive, he had the means to poison Keith's coffee. And you let him go.'
'You're not making this conversation any easier, Katie. There is some logic to it, if you’d only let me explain it to you.'
'Okay, but hurry up, I'm freezing out here.' She mumbled, glancing through the light-filled window at Julia putting aside an alarmingly large pile of craft supplies. She was not taking all of that home!
'His phone was in the grass, near the Starrs' house. This is where it must have slipped out of his pocket. The battery was dead when we found it but luckily, it’s been dry for the last couple of days, so once we charged it up, I was able to check some of the stuff on his phone. There was a message sent shortly after Keith left the house. The vicar deleted it, but he told us it was Jane pleading him to help free her from her plight. He said they’d exchanged a few messages in the last couple of weeks. She was becoming increasingly anxious. Apparently, Keith was becoming more and more possessive towards her. It looks like her insisting on finding a job might have been a trigger.'
'You didn't find any messages like that on her phone?'
'No, and this is where it gets interesting. Reverend Sparrow didn't have any record of the messages he sent. He didn't have her number saved or anything, she asked him not to. What’s more, he’s been deleting any communication with her out of guilt. But he showed us a call he made to her; one she never answered, after she was arrested. It was made to a different number.'
'Interesting. So, she has a second phone?'
'Or just a second SIM card she uses with the same phone.'
'I wonder where she keeps it.'
'Me too. We've searched her house and her personal possessions quite thoroughly.'
'Has she been arrested?'
'To quickly answer your question: no. Nothing's changed in that respect. Having a platonic friendship with your vicar is not a crime.'
'What about inciting someone to commit a crime?'
'You mean like she pushed the vicar to lace Keith's coffee with poison?'
'Yes, exactly.'
'But Edward Sparrow didn't do it. He had his phone on him, with a fitness-tracking app that uses GPS. So, his phone was tracking him and revealed that he indeed was around the café earlier, at about 7.25, shortly after the owner opened it - probably hiding the newspaper rack. After that, he went into hiding. Around 7.32 he left his position behind the fence and bolted out of the site, crossed the road and jogged along the stream towards the big tree. He stopped by the tree at 7.33 and stayed there until 7.35 am, huffing and panting as he is not very fit. Then he walked along the stream, breathing deeply and counting to fifty. He reached the Starrs' house at around 7.40, which is when the guys from the van spotted him. At the time Keith walked out with his coffee, Edward was huffing and puffing behind the tree, but Edward didn't see him. At the time Keith went back inside to look for the magazine rack, Edward was walking towards Jane Starr's house, intending to talk to her.
'You seem to be pretty sure about it.'
'Yes, because of his phone.'
'How do you know he didn't drop the phone and go back to the café to add the poison.'
'Because, according to the evidence, the poison must have been added to Keith's coffee between 7.34 and 7.38. That's when Sparrow's phone was in his pocket, recording him walking along.'
'He might have had an accomplice walking with his phone.'
An annoyed sigh.
'Wouldn't you or someone else have seen this accomplice or Edward? Because the problem with this case is that all the timings are very close to one another, lined up in a neat sequence. Even if the vicar ran back to the café, added the poison and ran back, he couldn't have reached the spot where he was seen by the window fitters by 7.40. We've checked the timings, and all possible scenarios. His actions fit perfectly into the narrow window of time he describes and his phone confirms. Otherwise, he would have been seen either by you, leaving the Starrs' house, or the walking ladies.
'Bother! It's complicated!'
'As you can see. I don't think the vicar did it.'
'My gut is telling me...' she started and paused to check it. Doubt tugged at her stomach again, but she couldn't put her finger on anything. It had something to do with the vicar, but Jack's hard evidence and cold logic just spoiled her hunch.
'No, I'll drop it. I can't identify anything. I'm not sure what it is but something just isn’t quite right here.'
'Let me know if you figure out what it is. Is there anything else you want to know?'
'What did Jane say said regarding her liaison with the vicar?'
'She's admits to knowing Edward and having a soft spot for him. But she denies any contact with him beyond the conversations in the church and a couple of apparently coincidental meetings in a park near their old house in Leeds.'
'What about the phone number?'
'Not hers. She's adamant.'
'No...' Katie said slowly. She wanted to chew on her cheek, but her teeth started to chatter.
'Are you cold, Katie?' Jack's voice took on a soft, caring tone.
'A little. I think I'd need to go back inside soon. So, Jane’s still staying at the hotel with her sister?'
'That's right'
'Any reason why someone might have wanted to send text messages to the poor vicar pretending it's Jane?'
'Yeah, good question. She didn't say anything specific but looked at her sister - she insisted that her sister stay with her during the questioning. And her sister shot me a look. She saw me out to the lobby and said that she wouldn't be surprised if it had been Keith.'
'Ah, a little more info on Keith?'
'Just confirmation that he was a controlling man. Also, Sarah suggested the reason the Starrs moved closer to his parents wasn't quite his job. It was related to Jane's worries that with his trips to Carlisle to help his parents he had been staying away from home for prolonged periods of time.'
'If he was the controlling one, I’d have thought she’d have been relieved, right?'
'Exactly my thought. But obviously, her health required him to be with her a lot of the time. At least, I think that’s the official line. I wonder if she isn't a closet control freak.'
'She is so not!' Katie exclaimed and stopped with the last word still echoing out on the porch. The tugging in her stomach intensified. Dinnertime? Or a hunch?
'Having said that,' she continued, ignoring the sensation and thinking back to her conversation with Dorothy again. 'It takes two do that tango. I've heard someone suggesting that a chronic, debilitating illness is a form of controlling the healthy person in the relationship.'
'That's exactly the sense I got when I went to interview her parents. Her father seems to be very controlling, but when you look under the surface, you can see it's her mother and her illness that’s controlling the entire household.'
'Gee...' Katie blew out a breath and watched the white cloud dissipate in front of her. 'It's so complicated.'
'The case? Yes!'
'Yes, the case too, but I meant relationships.'
'I still believe that two mature people can figure it out as long as they want to.'
'As long as both want the same thing?'
'Indeed.'
A silence ensued and the tension between them grew. Katie felt uncomfortable with the conversation suddenly taking on a more personal angle. She wasn't prepared to dive in.
'I think I'd better go. I'm freezing, and I need to keep an eye on what Julia's doing.'
'Yes, keep warm, Katie. Don't get sick, particularly not before Saturday, okay?'
'Okay,' she replied and smiled. 'I'll be all right.'
She disconnected. Julia was waving at her through the window.
24
/>
Katie awoke startled. Someone was in her bedroom. She could hear them breathing.
Her heart stopped for a moment and then restarted galloping. A chill spread down her spine like a frosty bolt. She swallowed hard and reached to the side to grab the alarm clock from the side table.
'Mum, are you awake?' A familiar voice whispered.
'Oh my gosh. Is it you, baby?'
'Yes, your phone is ringing. I can't sleep.'
Katie lifted herself on her elbow. She listened out for a while.
'I can't hear anything.'
'Because it's stopped. I've brought it here.'
'Thank you. Just give it me and go back to bed.'
Katie grabbed the phone from Julia's soft, warm hand. She watched her daughter sneak out of her bedroom before pushing the button to see who was calling her at this time of night. Whoever it was, it was unlikely to be a conversation Katie wanted Julia to hear.
The clock showed 5.15 am. The screen lit up - five missed calls from Jack.
'Oh, Lord,' Katie groaned. 'What's wrong?' She fumbled with the buttons to get through to the call screen. It looked like there were more missed calls from another number. But by the time she got there, her phone rang again.
'Hi, Jack? What's going on?'
'Katie, so good to hear you! I was on my way to your flat to check on you. Thank God you're okay. I would have never forgiven myself... I've been worried sick! How is Julia?'
Last time Jack rang her in the middle of the night was during their first case, and it was because of a fire in her workshop. But why was he so concerned about her and Julia?'
'Julia's fine. Just went back to bed. What's wrong?' she asked, feeling the tugging in her stomach again.
'Edward Sparrow is in hospital in a serious condition. Apparently, there was something in that cake. Did you eat yours?'
'The cake? No, we had a different cake. Apple tart. Linda had left a slice of Black Forest gateau for him and gave us another thing, from the fridge. We shared it. And to be honest I had more than I should have. Julia only had a tiny piece. We're both fine.'
'I know. Black Forest gateau from Une Tasse. There was still some left on the plate in his room.'
'God... someone poisoned poor Edward?'
'Looks like it.'
'Nobody else has been affected? A lot of people ate the cake. There was only a small piece left. My goodness, Linda...' Katie's voice broke into a high-pitched shrill.
Katie covered her mouth. She didn't want to add to Julia's sleep problems.
'Linda McKay is fine. She's being checked over at the hospital, just in case.'
'But she wouldn't have eaten - shouldn't...'
'Very reluctantly and in a hush-hush voice, she told me, once her daughter was out of the room, that she did have a little slice of the apple pie, but not the other one. She doesn't like creamy cakes, she says.'
Or, it's easier to justify a slice of an apple tart than a slice of Black Forest gateau.
Katie chastised herself for the thought. She was relieved that her friend was okay.
'What about the other members of the council. They had a meeting at Linda's place last night.'
'They are all well.'
'So, Edward was deliberately targeted?'
'Expand please?'
Katie paused to think.
'What if Edward saw something or someone on the morning of the murder, even though he specifically said he didn't see anyone or anything.'
'I'm at the same crossroads. Let's just leave it for the moment. I bet you want to go back to sleep?'
Like that’s going to be possible!
'Arh... Is there anything else I can help you with at this stage?'
'Did you see anything or anyone suspicious last night at Linda's place.'
'No, not really. To be honest I was a bit surprised when Edward came out of the room to talk to me.'
'What did he say?'
'That he felt guilty... Maybe he tried to commit suicide? Maybe he took too much of the pills Linda gave him. Have you explored suicide?'
'Good consideration, sadly, highly unlikely. Linda felt very guilty about giving him her medicine, but the amount she gave him was not dangerous. Although, the doctors suspect that the combination of the pill she gave him earlier in the evening might have made the other stuff act faster. The cake was laced with a drug, which sent him into a coma. He didn't eat much though. Maybe he didn't like the taste.'
'What was in the cake?'
'Ah, that's another clue: it was Oxycodone. The same stuff that we found in Keith's system.'
'Heck. Our murderer struck again?'
'That's what I'm thinking. The same modus operandi.'
Katie chewed on her cheek. Something wasn’t quite right here.
'Are you there, Katie? Or have you gone back to sleep?'
'You think I’m going to be able to sleep after this news?'
'Good point. Sorry. I’ve had a bit of a shock. If anything had happened to you ..'
A warm tingling spread through her chest. If she wasn't sitting up in bed, she might need to lean on something.
He cares. He really does care about me.
'Katie?'
“Yes, I...'
Get a grip, girl. Time for the soppy stuff later.
'But something is bothering me here,' she managed to say, fighting against her emotions. 'I need to organise my thoughts. I’ll tell you all about it when I get to the office. Will you be there this morning?
'I'm not sure.' His voice brimmed with seriousness. 'I think we've been following the wrong trail. I need to do something about it before more people die.'
'Is Edward likely to die?'
'The doctors say his condition is stable but serious.'
'So, what are your plans for this morning?'
'I have to interview every person who was at Linda McKay’s place last evening.'
'Are you keeping an eye on Edward?'
'He is in the ICU in the hospital here. The doctors are considering sending him to Carlisle for specialist care. But I've got someone with him at all times.'
'So, I won't see you this morning?'
'Unfortunately, no. If you have anything to say, you better tell me now. My experience tells me that you usually have something of relevance to report.'
Her cheeks burned. It was nice to be appreciated. Katie thought for a while.
'Okay then,' Katie said slowly, trying to wade through the thoughts swirling in her head. 'What struck me in Edward's story, assuming his version of events is correct.'
'He's in hospital, just escaped death.'
'Which he could have self-inflicted, to confuse us.'
'All right, point taken. Please carry on.'
Another nice tingling filled her chest.
'I'm not quite sure if it means anything,' Katie said and paused. 'He said clearly, he didn't see anyone. The street and the pavement were empty. He should have seen Linda and Mavis.'
'Yes, but he might have not noticed them.'
'Have you talked to Mavis yet?'
'I did. Yesterday, shortly after Linda. She basically confirmed what Linda had said, including the approximate timeline. She didn't look at her watch either. She was sitting on the bench, with her eyes closed, preoccupied with her health. Didn't hear or see anyone.'
'Yet she recovered pretty quickly, apparently.'
'Not unusual. Maybe it was just something linked with the effort and cold temperature.'
Katie hunched. The tugging of doubt, or hunger, tensed her stomach.
'I know what you're going to say, but let me ask it anyway: you don't think Jane could have done it, do you?'
'That's an interesting thought.'
'I thought you were keeping an eye on her!' A bitter taste of annoyance crept into her mouth.
'We released her, and her sister has not left her side since, except for going to the toilet.'
'Would that matter?'
'Yes, if she left her with a cake that ends up
being poisoned.'
Oh, the annoying way Jack was sharing the information with her! Was he intentionally building the tension or what?
Katie steadied her breath. 'I'm really confused now. How come Jane was anywhere near the cake?
'Someone saw Jane and Sarah at Une Tasse de Bonheur when Alistair McBride came in to get the cakes for Linda.'
'I thought Linda bought it herself.'
'She didn't have time, so she asked Mr McBride.'
'Alistair McBride, the chairman of the parish council?'
'Yes, Mr Chairman, who is incidentally also the owner of the lovely little hotel where Jane and her sister are staying. He felt sorry for them and took them out to town for a coffee at Une Tasse... They were sitting at the table while Miriam Fischer went looking for a sturdy box for it.'
'Oh dear.' Katie's heart dropped into her stomach.
'Oh, yes. And before you ask, yes, this was when Jane's sister went to the bathroom and Jane stayed at the table with the cake on the counter. Mr McBride followed Mrs Fischer to the back room, chatting about her husband's health and this distracted her, so the looking for a box took longer than it normally does.'
'Oh...' Katie's heart was heading for her heels. She rolled her shoulders a few times, collecting her thoughts. 'So, Jane had plenty of opportunity to poison the cake. Except that she couldn’t have known which slice of the cake would end up on Edward's plate. Presumably, the motive would be to silence the accomplice?'
'Or an inconvenient witness. Don't forget about that. But yes, the mechanics of it would have been quite difficult.'
'So, whoever put the drug in the cake must have known it had been set aside for Edward.'
'Agreed. Linda McKay looks much more likely a suspect given the context.'
'But why would she do that?'
'I've no idea. She seems genuinely upset. Mr Sparrow is the son of her good friends, Mr and Mrs Sparrow. She admitted she had been frustrated with his behaviour lately, but this was due to care rather than malice.'
'Yeah, that's totally like Linda,' Katie agreed. 'I think we may know exactly when it happened, but we're stuck not only with the who and how, but also why?'
'Nicely put, Inspector Hunch.'
'Have there been any more people coming forward following your announcement on the local radio?'
