by M A Comley
“Slipped your mind?” she asked incredulously.
He scratched his head and looked suitably embarrassed by his foul-up. “You know what it’s like, ma’am. The pressures of the job and the time restraints we’re under to meet our targets…”
Sally raised her hand as heat filled her cheeks. “Stop! Stop right there, Jarvis. You know damn well as soon as your crime escalated from a ‘normal burglary’, you should have passed it over, even if that meant you going into a few minutes of overtime. Am I right?”
“Yes, ma’am. I apologise, but it was my wedding anniversary yesterday, and the wife had booked a table at a restaurant in town and…”
Sally shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it, Jarvis. Your inability to police a case properly has probably aided a criminal’s escape. Is that fact lost on you?”
“No, ma’am. Again, I can only apologise. There have been a few spates of burglaries around that area, but we don’t have any DNA evidence pointing us in any firm direction.”
“I’m not bothered about the burglary aspect to this case, Jarvis. Are you not aware of a serious crime we investigated six months ago, concerning Mr. Whiting?”
He shook his head.
“Then let me fill you in. Mr. Whiting’s wife, Gemma Whiting, was beaten and left to die on a country road not far from the family home.”
“Shit! Sorry for my use of language. Did you catch the culprit who carried out the attack, ma’am?”
“No, unfortunately there was no DNA found at the scene, and out of the two main suspects, we couldn’t decide which one carried out the crime.”
“Two suspects, ma’am?”
“Yes. One was Mr. Mark Whiting, and the other was his brother, Colin Whiting. The case is still ongoing, and anything relating to that case—i.e., other incidents involving the family members—should have been reported to this team pronto. Now do you understand why I’m so livid?”
“Totally understand. I’m so—”
“Sorry. Yes, I know. Apologising isn’t going to help us solve these crimes, though, is it?”
The constable’s shoulders slumped.
It took Sally considerable strength not to feel sorry for him. “What’s done is done. Did Mr. Whiting happen to mention how long he’d been married to Kathy?”
“He was too devastated to really hold a conversation with me, ma’am. I thought it best not to push him for answers at the time, you know, because of his grief.”
“Because of your anniversary dinner, you mean?”
He tried to counter her accusation, but Sally raised another hand to suppress any lingering objection.
“Was Whiting alone at the hospital?”
“Yes, ma’am. When I arrived at the house, the crime scene, he was there, obviously along with his mother and his daughter. Both were extremely distraught by what had taken place. I accompanied Mr. Whiting alone to the hospital.”
“I see. So you haven’t had the chance to really question the mother then? What about the victim’s relatives? Have you contacted them?”
“No. I was planning on going back out there today to question Mr. Whiting’s mother, when time permitted. As for Mrs. Whiting’s next of kin, I think Mr. Whiting took care of that. He rang them from the hospital.”
“That one sentence tells me that you had no real intention of handing the case over to us as you previously suggested, Jarvis. You need to get your story straight, man. As for thinking someone has already done your job for you, well…” Sally had heard enough. Evidently, if she needed to know anything about the case, she would need to take control of the investigation herself. “Jack, do me a favour and escort Mr. Jarvis out of the office.”
“Yes, boss.” Jack tapped the detective on the shoulder and motioned for him to leave the office. “Come on, son.”
“You’re making me out to be the criminal here. I find that grossly unfair and offensive, if you don’t mind me saying, ma’am,” the constable blustered as he stood up, ready to follow Jack.
“I’m doing nothing of the sort. There are specific procedures in place for us to follow, which you clearly have neglected to do. I suggest you take the matter higher if you think I have misread the situation. But I think you’ll find any complaint you raise against me will be regarded as trivial, once you share how inept you’ve been in the case so far.”
Jack winked at her and left the room with the constable. She took her shoe off and threw it at the door once it was closed. Retrieving her shoe, she picked up the phone and rang the pathology department. “Simon, it’s DI Sally Parker.”
“Hello, Inspector. It’s been a few months since we last spoke. What can I do for you?”
“I’m assuming the body hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Body? Any body in particular?”
“A Mrs. Kathy Whiting.”
“Not yet. Why does that name sound familiar?”
“As in the second wife of Mr. Mark Whiting, the deceased Gemma Whiting’s husband.”
“Really? He remarried, and now the second wife is also dead?”
“That pretty much sums it up in a nutshell, Simon. I’ll need your guys to go out to the scene. This time, the murder took place inside the marital home.”
“When did this occur, Inspector?”
“Around sixish last night.”
“Okay, here’s a very obvious question for you. Why am I just hearing about this case now?”
“Precisely. Don’t ask. Put it down to incompetent policing by a constable—not on my team, I hasten to add. He’s been ripped to shreds, I can assure you. Anyway, the poor woman died from her injuries in hospital last night. Can I ask you to prioritise the PM for me?”
“Of course. I’ll get on to the hospital after our call is over and chase up the corpse. Maybe this will mean you can finally conclude Gemma’s case and bang Mark Whiting up for good.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m hoping, too. Shame we couldn’t have done it before he took another life. If he’s guilty, that is.”
“I believe that it’s going to be hard for him to persuade you otherwise.”
“I’m on my way out to the house to see Whiting now.”
“I’ll send a team out when one becomes available, Inspector. Good luck, I’ll get the report back to you sharpish, once I’ve carried out the post.”
“I appreciate it, Simon.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Two cars were parked behind one another in the drive when Sally and Jack arrived at Whiting’s house.
“Looks like he’s got company,” Jack noted as they walked up the path to the front door.
Sally rang the bell.
Seconds later, Mark Whiting opened the door. He looked shocked to see them. “What are you doing here?”
“Mind if we come in for a word, Mr. Whiting? It’s in connection with the crime that was reported last night.”
Mark wrenched open the door, and it clattered against the wall. Sally and Jack followed the disgruntled man through to the kitchen. Mark sat at the kitchen table next to his mother and daughter.
“Hello, Mrs. Whiting, nice to see you again. Sorry it’s under difficult circumstances once more.”
“Inspector. This is a very sad time for all of us. Can’t your questions wait twenty-four hours?”
“I’m sorry. No, they can’t. Can I ask you and Samantha to leave the room while we have a chat with Mark?”
Yvette glared at her for a split second then shrugged reluctantly and grasped her granddaughter’s hand. “Come on, Samantha. Let’s see where Teddy’s got to, eh?”
“Yes, Grandma. I think he fell under the bed last night. I forgot to pick him up. Poor thing has been in the dark all night.”
“We’ll go and rescue him,” Yvette said as they left the room, closing the kitchen door behind them.
Sally and Jack sat down in the chairs vacated by Yvette and her granddaughter. Jack took out his notebook and pen then waited for Sally to ask the questions.
“Why don’t you tell
us what happened here last night, Mark?”
He placed his head in his hands and ran them back and forth through his short hair. His eyes looked sore, as if he’d spent the night crying. The scene didn’t really touch Sally, though—she’d been subjected to numerous displays of play-acting over the years. “I told the constable who showed up here last night.”
“Did he take down a statement?”
“No. I wouldn’t have done it anyway. My priority was getting my wife to hospital for the care she needed to keep her alive. Lot of good that did her,” Mark replied, his voice quavering a little.
“Okay, I’d like you to run through the events of last night. What time did you get home?”
“I was at work until five forty. I got home just before six o’clock.”
“Where did you find your wife?”
“In the lounge. Do you want me to show you?”
“Later. Was there anyone else in the house when you got home?”
“Yes, Mum was in the lounge. She was in shock. I found her staring at the body.”
Sally raised an eyebrow. “And yet it was you who called the police. Is that right?”
“Yes, she was too traumatised to do anything, Inspector.”
“We’ll need to speak to your mother, in that case, as she was the one who discovered your wife. Did she say how long it had been since she’d found Kathy?”
“A matter of minutes, I think. Like I say, she was too shocked to say or do anything.”
“I see. She seems okay today.”
“I suppose she’s come to terms with Kathy’s death. She’s been a tower of strength to me, caring for Samantha while I was at the hospital last night.”
“That’s what mothers do, Mark, in circumstances such as this. Why was your mother here last night? Does she live with you now?”
“No. I’m not sure why she was here, to be honest. She’s here most of the time. Never needs an excuse to pop round to see her grandchild. She’s an integral part of our family life. Both Kathy and I work full time, and Mum cares for Samantha after school most nights.”
“That’s reassuring to have childcare on tap like that. So what time did Kathy come home from work?”
“About five fifteen. She worked as a secretary at the local school. She’s never later than that.”
“Did your mother see her attacker?”
“No. She said she was in the kitchen, fixing dinner. She heard shouting and things crashing on the floor not long after Kathy returned home and then silence. Mum ran into the lounge to find Kathy lying in a pool of blood and the front door wide open.”
“Hence you thinking that a burglar had entered your home? I have to say that it’s very rare that burglars attack people, in our experience.”
“What if she disturbed him in the act? Wouldn’t he lash out before he took off?”
“Probably, but then not enough to kill someone. They usually worry about their escape before hitting attack mode. There again, we could be looking at a whole different breed of burglar here. So, you walked in a few minutes later. Is that correct?”
“Approximately five minutes later. The first thing I did was check to see if Kathy was breathing, then I rang for an ambulance. Mum was still traumatised when the paramedics turned up about ten minutes later.”
“Could you see the injuries Kathy had suffered? Or did the doctor say what injuries had occurred?”
“She was beaten around the head mostly. The blood was everywhere. I got covered when I hugged her to me. You should see the walls and the ceiling—it’s everywhere. Thank God Mum ordered Samantha to stay in her room.” He swallowed hard, and tears welled up in his eyes.
“We’ll see for ourselves soon enough. I’ve instructed a team of Scenes of Crime Officers to join us. They’ll need to search for DNA evidence, of course.”
“Of course. When can we start clearing up?”
“Seems a strange thing to ask, Mark,” Sally retorted quickly.
“I have a five-year-old daughter, Inspector. I was hoping life could return to normal swiftly for her sake. I’m sorry, maybe that was selfish of me to say that. Kathy meant the world to me. My mind is all over the place.”
Sally tilted her head. On one hand, she could understand his reasoning. On the other, she had never come across a victim’s partner openly suggesting they wanted to get their lives back to ‘normal’ immediately. It seemed very odd for him to even voice such an idea, and even odder for him to tack on the last part, which sounded as if it had been for their benefit. “I see. I can understand that.” Sally felt Jack’s eyes boring into her from the side. She tapped his foot with hers under the table and watched out of the corner of her eye as his gaze returned to his notebook.
“Will we have to move out?”
“Yes, for the time being. At least until the SOCO have completed gathering evidence. That’s not a problem, is it?”
“No. Mum will have us. Is there anything else? Only, I better go and pack a bag for Samantha and me.”
“That’s all for now, I think. Oh, wait a minute. I’ll need Kathy’s parents’ details, address, and phone number. We’ll visit them after we leave here.”
“Why? Why do you have to get them involved?”
Sally’s frown matched Mark’s. “I don’t understand why you would ask that, Mr. Whiting?”
“They’ve been through enough lately, what with losing their son in a car crash last month.”
Sally nodded as things cleared in her mind. “Ah… is that why you delayed telling them at the hospital last night?”
“Yes. I tend to put others’ feelings before my own, Inspector.”
“I’d still like their details. It’s our duty to inform the relatives about an ongoing enquiry and the direction it will take,” she stated, hoping the fib wouldn’t raise his suspicions too much.
He left the table, went over to the dresser drawer and removed a small address book. After opening it to the appropriate page, he handed the book to Jack.
“Thanks,” Jack said once he’d noted down the information.
“What’s next? Us moving out?”
“Yes, that will be the next step. I’d like a word with your mother. Do you think she’s up to it?”
“I can ask her. I’ll swap places, go and look after my daughter and send her in, if that’s okay?”
“Great stuff.”
The instant Mark left the room, Jack leaned over and said in a hushed voice, “Bit odd what he said about clearing up the mess quickly, wasn’t it?”
“You spotted that, eh? Hmm… it’s all sounding very strange to me, and I can’t put my finger on why. It’s as though Kathy’s being here was some kind of intrusion—an inconvenience, even. He seems upset enough, but we’ve seen some award-winning displays of fake emotions over the years, haven’t we?”
“We have. I’m inclined to think…” Jack stopped talking as the door eased open, then Yvette Whiting entered the room.
“Hello, Yvette. Come in. Are you up to going over the events of yesterday? I’ll make it as brief as I can.”
“If I must. Your timing could be better, Inspector. We’ve all lost someone very dear to us.”
“I know. The sooner we get the investigation underway, the more likely it is that we’ll arrest the culprit. You can appreciate that, yes?”
“I can. What do you want to know?”
“Please take a seat.”
Yvette sat opposite Sally and Jack and began twisting a tissue through her fingers that she was staring down at. “What can I tell you that Mark hasn’t already told you, Inspector?”
“We’ll see. As Mark wasn’t on the premises at the time of the incident and you were, probably a lot. Why don’t you tell us in your own words what happened?”
One of her hands brushed across her brow before she plucked up the courage to speak. “Kathy left me and Samantha in the kitchen to make a telephone call to her boss. The next thing I know, she shouted at someone, and I heard a lot of things crashing to
the ground.”
“That must have been terrifying for both you and Samantha. What did you do next?”
“It was. I was in a desperate quandary. After a few moments’ hesitation, I ran upstairs with Samantha and locked her in her room, fearing for her safety. When I came down, I rushed into the lounge to see what was going on.”
“That was brave of you. Can I ask why you didn’t stay upstairs with your granddaughter?”
She paused for a second then replied, “Because I wanted to do all I could to help Kathy.”
“That’s very admirable of you. When you entered the lounge, was the intruder still present?”
“No. I found Kathy lying on the floor.”
“Mark said that you were traumatised. Did you approach Kathy at all? To see if she was conscious?”
“No. I froze on the spot. Mark came home a little while later. He dealt with her then. Called for the ambulance, took control of the situation.”
“I can’t imagine how you must have felt, seeing your daughter-in-law’s life in the balance like that.”
“It was truly awful. I was at a loss what to do. I was so thankful when Mark came home and relieved me of the responsibility.”
“How is Samantha?”
“She keeps asking for Kathy, which is understandable.”
“Mark told us they were very close.”
“Since her real mother died, Samantha has clung to Kathy as if she were her own flesh and blood.”
“I hear that you’ve been helping out the family, too, looking after Samantha while Kathy and Mark were at work.”
Yvette looked Sally in the eye and nodded. “It’s what close families do, isn’t it, Inspector? Watch out for each other.”
“Not always. And you got on well with Kathy?”
“Of course. She was a lovely girl. Anyone who takes on a grieving man and his active five-year-old daughter must be a very special person indeed, wouldn’t you say?”
“I would. What a shame she has been snatched from the bosom of this family, especially as she was loved by you all. How on earth is Samantha going to cope now? Losing two ‘mothers’ within six months of each other?”
