“You’ll never play cricket for Australia with a throw like that,” Chalmers had walked in the canteen, “problems?”
“When don’t we have problems?” Smith said, “It looks like I was right. We found where the rock came from. Someone had used sandpaper to clean it. The prints we found on the sandpaper weren’t Fletchers.”
“Crap,” Chalmers said.
“That’s not all,” Smith said, “we have a fifteen year old boy here who’s parents just decided to up and run and leave him by himself.”
“What’s this world coming to?” Chalmers said, “what now?”
“We start again from scratch,” Smith said, “I suppose we ought to let Fletcher go.”
“I was sure he was the one,” Chalmers said, “I thought we had him.”
“Any suggestions as to what to do now Sarge?”
“I reckon I owe you a pint,” Chalmers said, “I know a nice pub not far from here. It’s about time I educated you on the benefits of English bitter.”
The Hog’s Head was an old fashioned English pub on the outskirts of the city. Smith had driven by it before but he had never been inside. They approached the bar.
“Two pints of Theakstons please Marge,” Chalmers said to the elderly woman working behind the bar.
“Coming up,” Marge smiled.
She poured the beers and placed them on the counter.
“Are you hungry?” Chalmers said.
“I am,” Smith said, “I’m starving.”
“Then you’re in for a treat,” Chalmers said, “you have to try the steak and ale pie here.”
“Sounds disgusting,” Smith said.
He took a tentative sip of the dark liquid in his glass.
“Not bad,” he said.
“Two steak and ale pies please Marge,” Chalmers said, “we’ll be sitting at the table by the window.”
He picked up his beer and took it to the table. Smith followed him.
“I don’t normally drink,” Smith said as he sat down, “but this stuff isn’t half bad.”
“You’re a police detective,” Chalmers drained what was left in his glass, “you’ll soon learn that drinking goes with the job. Now, sup up.”
Smith forced himself to down the rest of the beer and handed Chalmers the empty glass. He realized he was feeling quite tipsy already.
Chalmers returned with two more beers.
“Cheers,” He raised the glass in the air.
“Cheers,” Smith said, “I don’t know why we’re celebrating though’ we’re not getting anywhere with this case.”
“You’ll go far,” Chalmers said, “very far. How clued up are you on the ins and outs of the Sergeants exam?’
“I haven’t thought about it much,” Smith said, “why?”
“Swot up,” Chalmers said, “nobody knows about this yet but a vacancy is about to come up. A vacancy that has your name all over it.”
“What do you mean?”
“A DS position,” Chalmers said, “I’m in line for detective inspector. About bloody time if you ask me; I’ve been a DS for donkey’s years and that means there’s a spot to be filled.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“You’re ready,” Chalmers took a long sip of beer, “you’re more ready than anybody else.”
Smith frowned even though inside he was beaming from ear to ear.
Detective sergeant, he thought, more responsibility and more money.
“Just think,” Chalmers said, “just think how old Thompson will react when you’re a DS. It took him twenty years to get that far and between you and me, he’ll be a DS when he retires.”
The steak and ale pies were placed on the table in front of them. Smith and Chalmers ate in silence.
“Well?” Chalmers said when they were finished, “what do you think?”
“Not bad at all,” Smith said.
“Not the pie, you moron,” Chalmers said, “what do you think about the DS position?”
“I’ll go for it,” Smith said, “it’s about time for a change.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Thursday 14 September 2006
Smith woke up early. His head was throbbing and his mouth felt incredibly dry. He went downstairs and drank two glasses of water in quick succession. He switched on the kettle to make some coffee then switched it off again. He felt like a run; he needed to do something to clear his head. He went back upstairs, put on his shorts, T shirt and trainers, ran back down the stairs and left the house. He ran down the road towards the park. He often used to run this route but it had been a long time since he had got any proper exercise and he could feel it. By the time he reached the park, he was so exhausted that he had to stop for a while. A young boy walked towards him. He was drinking from a can of coke. When he spotted Smith he turned round and quickly walked off in the opposite direction. Smith watched him as he threw the empty coke can into a bush at the side of the path.
Smith jogged on lap of the park. His headache was gone and his mind felt much clearer. The boy he had seen earlier was nowhere in sight. Smith was about to leave the park and run home when something came to him. He remembered who the boy in the park was. It was Barry Dunn, Liam Fletcher’s step son.
Why did he turn round and walk away when he spotted me? Smith thought.
Smith’s brain started to work at a hundred miles per hour. Thoughts darted in and out of his head. He retraced his steps and came to where he remembered Barry Dunn throwing the coke into the bushes.
Why didn’t I think of this before? He thought.
He rummaged around in the bushes until he found the empty coke can. He carefully picked it up by the top and ran back up the road to his house.
Grant Webber had just arrived when Smith walked in the forensics building in the centre of the city. Webber did not look pleased to see Smith.
“Morning Webber,” Smith said, “I need you to check this for prints.”
“He handed Webber the coke can.
“What’s this all about?” Webber said, “I’ve barely got in the door’ I haven’t even had my first cup of coffee yet and you want me to check a coke can that has probably been contaminated with your own fingerprints.”
“Check the side,” Smith said, “I only picked it up by the top. Please Webber, this is important.”
Webber shook his head and marched off to his laboratory. Smith followed behind him.
Twenty minutes later, Webber was finished.
“Easy as pi,” Webber said, “the texture of the metal is a beautiful medium for us forensics geeks. I pulled some real beauties.”
“You really love your job don’t you?” Smith said.
“I do,” Webber said, “now, are you going to explain the urgency.”
“Can you check the prints against the ones you found on the sandpaper yesterday?” Smith said, “I assume you still have them?”
“I won’t even insult myself by answering that,” Webber said.
He walked over to his computer and sat down. He scanned the prints from the coke can and tapped away on the keyboard.
Smith realized his heart was beating faster than normal.
“Well?” He said.
“Give me some space,” Webber said, “I don’t like being rushed.”
“Sorry,” Smith said, “I’ve got a horrible feeling in my stomach and I’m praying I’m wrong on this one.”
“Bingo,” Webber said, “your feeling wasn’t wrong. Where did you get the coke can from? Who’s fingerprints are these?”
“That’s the sad part,” Smith was starting to feel sick, “it seems the person who killed our Geography teacher was a fifteen year old schoolboy.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Barry Dunn?” Chalmers said for the third time.
Smith had phoned him as soon as Webber had confirmed the fingerprints on the can of coke matched those on the sandpaper.
“Are you sure?” Chalmers said.
“Positive Sarge,” Smith said.
>
“How the hell did you figure this one out?”
“Pure luck,” Smith admitted, “I saw Dunn in the park this morning and he obviously wasn’t too pleased to see me. Then everything fitted together. Barry Dunn has been abused for as long as he can remember. Liam Fletcher comes along and finally Barry has some stability in his life. He feels safe. He finds out about Fletcher’s affair with Stephanie Braithwaite and panics. The one solid thing he has in his life is about to be taken away from him. I found the coke can he threw in the bushes and had it checked. The fingerprints are the same as the ones we found on the sandpaper under the rockery.”
“I don’t like this,” Chalmers said, “I don’t like this one little bit. He’s fifteen years old for Christ’s sake.”
“I know,” Smith said, “we live in a sad world.”
“Where are you?” Chalmers said.
“Still at the forensics building,” Smith said.
“I’ll get someone to bring this kid in,” Chalmers said, “I’ll see you at the station in twenty minutes.”
Half an hour later, Smith sat in Interview room two with Chalmers. Barry Dunn and his mother Lisa sat opposite them.”
“Barry,” Smith began, “do you know why you’ve been brought in here?”
Barry Dunn just stared at a crack in the wall behind Smith.
“Barry,” Chalmers said, “we need to ask you a few questions about Miss Braithwaite.”
“What’s this all about?” Lisa Dunn said, “First it’s Liam and now Barry. This is police harassment.”
“Does she have to be here?” Barry glared at his mother.
“I’m afraid so,” Smith said, “it’s the law.”
“I don’t want to say anything with her in the room,” Barry said.
“Ok,” Chalmers said to Lisa Dunn, “there’s a canteen on the first floor. Ask at the front desk if you can’t find it.”
“What have you done?” Lisa asked Barry.
Barry did not say anything.
“Please Mrs Dunn,” Smith said, “you know what teenage boys are like; they get embarrassed talking about certain things in front of their parents.”
Lisa Dunn stood up and walked out the room.
“I did it all for her,” Barry said when his mother was gone, “I did it for all of us. Miss Braithwaite could have ruined everything.”
“What did you do Barry?” Smith said.
“I nearly bottled out,” Barry said, “I got so scared but then I saw them. I saw her where my Mam should’ve been. Smiling. Laughing. That’s when I had to do it.”
Barry’s bottom lip started to shake.
“Take your time Barry,” Smith said, “tell us what happened.”
“I followed him,” Barry said, “I followed Liam. I knew what was going on; I’d heard the rumours. Everybody knew about it. Miss Braithwaite was always so nice to me. I hated her.”
“What happened?” Smith asked again.
“I followed Liam,” Barry said, “I followed him to Miss Braithwaite’s house. While they were busy in the living room I crept in the back and waited upstairs. I could hear them all the time. They were laughing and talking. Laughing all the time. Liam should have been with my Mam. I saw the stone outside Briggs’ house a few days ago and took it.”
Barry stopped there; he seemed to be lost in thought.
“Go on,” Smith said.
“It was all dirty,” Barry said, “the stone, it was dirty and covered with moss and shit so I sanded it smooth.”
“Why did you do that?” Smith said.
“I don’t know,” Barry said, “I just wanted it to be clean. How did you know it was me?”
“We didn’t,” Smith said, “it was only this morning when I saw you in the park that I started to think.”
“What will they do to me?” Barry said.
“I’m not sure,” Smith said, “what happened once you were inside the house?”
“I waited for Liam to leave,” Barry said, “he was in there for ages. It was late when I heard the front door close. I waited in Miss Braithwaite’s bedroom. She came upstairs and I hid under the bed. She got in and turned off the light. It took ages for my eyes to get used to the dark. When I crept out from underneath the bed she was sitting upright on the bed with her back to me. I don’t know why she did that. Maybe she knew.”
“Knew what?” Smith said.
“Maybe she knew she had to die,” Barry said, “she was going to ruin everything. Can I have something to drink please? I haven’t talked this much in ages.”
Chalmers stood up and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water.
“Carry on,” Smith said.
“You bitch,” Barry said, “that’s what I said. You bitch. I slammed the rock down on the back of her head. Those were the last words she heard. You bitch. That’s quite sad isn’t it?”
Barry stopped talking and opened the bottle of water. He took a long drink and smiled.
“Liam said that jail isn’t too bad when you think about it,” Barry said, “he said in some ways it’s better than being out here. You don’t have to worry about nothing. Will they let me take my playstation with me?”
“I don’t think so,” Smith said, “why did you put the rock on Miss Braithwaite’s stomach?”
“I don’t know,” Barry said, “after I hit her she just lay there. I stood for ages just looking at her. She was quite pretty for a teacher. The blood soaked her hair. I lay her on her back. I just stared. Then I realized I needed to clean the rock. It was covered in blood. I washed it in the bathroom and picked it up with a towel. I don’t know why I did it but I put it on her stomach. She looked so peaceful.”
“Ok Barry,” Chalmers said, “that’s enough. We’re going to charge you and I’m afraid you’ll be held in juvenile custody.”
He stood up.
“I’ll go and fetch your mother,” he said.
“I hope they let me take my playstation with me,” Barry said.
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