No Hiding Place: An edge of your seat mystery/thriller. (DI Sally Parker thrillers Book 2)

by M A Comley

  “Oh, dear, how unfortunate.”

  “I don’t think it’s a coincidence, either. My money is on it being intentional, but before I go after the suspects, I need the fact verified by your good self. I know your hands are tied until you have the corpse in your possession, but as soon as you know, will you get someone to ring me?”

  “Of course, even if I have to leave the PM suite myself, you will have that information ASAP. Intentional, you say? And the suspects you have in mind?”

  “Yep. All members of the Whiting family. It has to be one of them, doesn’t it?”

  “Do you think we missed something with the first murder?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe. I’m getting this niggling doubt that maybe if I’d done a better job in solving Gemma’s murder, Kathy wouldn’t have lost her life.”

  “That’s being daft. How could you have known this would happen? If your assumption concerning that family is right, then the culprit is one cagey bugger. If you’re intent on apportioning blame for Kathy’s case, then you should put some of that blame at our door, Sally. We’re the ones who struggled to find the evidence you needed to arrest the murderer. That is how it works, isn’t it?”

  Sally smiled. He is such a nice man. “Thank you, Simon. Those few words have just chased away several doubts running through my mind. I appreciate your kindness.”

  “Not at all. No point in apportioning blame where it’s not needed. Let me breathe fire on some people down at the hospital and get you the info you need.”

  “You’re an angel. Thank you.” Sally hung up, finished off the paperwork she’d started, then rejoined her team. Everyone had their heads down, researching the family. “Found out anything of interest, Jack?”

  “Nothing at all so far, boss. How do you want to play this? Are you going to ring the suspects and call them in or go round there and personally invite them to pop in to see us?”

  “You think the culprit is going to do a runner, I take it?”

  “The thought had occurred to me. The thing that’s bugging me is why we should take the risk. You know, if the person killed Gemma and has seemingly got away with the crime, then what on earth makes someone purposefully go out and kill in exactly the same way? Surely they’d realise what suspicions that would raise, wouldn’t they?”

  Sally hitched up a shoulder. “Your guess is as good as mine. It only takes the minutest detail to freak a murderer out. In this case, I believe Kathy revealing her pregnancy, if that’s what she did, was the trigger. Right, if nothing has shown up here, I say we head out and begin rounding them up. Let’s start with Colin and Leona Whiting.”

  Jack rushed down the stairs of the station, trying hard to keep up with Sally’s determined stride. “Hey, slow down, boss.”

  “Out of breath? Shame on you, Bullet.” She laughed, intentionally using his ex-army nickname to enforce her point of him being unfit. She could sense him mimicking her and quickly turned to catch him in the act. “Something wrong with your nose, Jack? It’s all screwed up.”

  He gave a slight cough and clutched the tip of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “I have an itch, thought I was going to sneeze there for a moment.”

  “Hmm… I believe you.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sally and Jack arrived at Colin Whiting’s home at almost four o’clock. He was outside the property, rinsing off his car with a hosepipe. He seemed surprised to see them, and not in a good way, either.

  “Hello, Mr. Whiting. You seem anxious to see us. Have we come at a bad time?”

  He threw the hosepipe aside and strode towards the outside tap to switch off the flowing water. “Any time you show up here, Inspector, is bad timing. What now? Someone else hit me with a harassment charge, have they?”

  “Remind me to check into that when we get back to the station, Sergeant,” Sally said, winking at her partner. “Actually, I’m here to deliver you and your wife an invitation.”

  He frowned and leaned back against the wall. “What are you frigging on about?”

  “Is your wife at home? I think it best if we discuss this with both of you at the same time.”

  “She is. She’s been under a huge amount of stress lately, Inspector. Please bear that in mind before you drop any bombshells on us.”

  Sally’s interest was piqued. “Has she? I’m sorry to hear that. May I ask why?”

  “If you must know, we’re in the process of having counselling and are about to start our first course of fertility treatment.”

  “I see. Well, I hope that all works out for you. Shall we go in?” Sally asked.

  Whiting huffed disapprovingly and grudgingly led the way into the house. “Leona, love, we have visitors.”

  Sally heard Leona’s heels cross the wooden kitchen floor, then she appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a tea towel. Her smile swiftly disappeared when she recognised Sally and Jack. She turned and quickly walked back into the kitchen. Uninvited, Sally chased after her. She found Leona sitting at the kitchen table, her head buried in her hands, sobbing.

  Sally raced across the room and stopped inches from the woman. “Leona, what’s wrong?”

  “Why? Why are you here to hassle us again?”

  “Sorry? Hassle you? What gives you that impression? I haven’t even said hello to you yet.”

  “You being in our home can only mean one thing, Inspector. You can deny it all you like, but I know where this is leading. I’m not stupid.”

  “Then I must be. I have no idea why you’re reacting like this unless… you’re guilty of something. Are you, Leona?”

  Her head rose, and Sally saw confusion along with tears swimming in her eyes. “Are you telling me you’re not here to arrest Colin?”

  “Should I be?” Sally countered, raising an eyebrow.

  “I just presumed you’ve finally come to arrest him for Gemma’s murder. I know it’s been months since we last saw you, but I’m also aware that you rarely leave a case unsolved.”

  “That’s true.” Sally looked over her shoulder at Colin, who was staring back at her in puzzlement. “Why don’t you take a seat next to your wife, Colin?”

  Jack followed the man into the room and stood alongside Sally. “I take it you haven’t heard the news today then?”

  “News? What news?” Colin demanded.

  “From Mark or your mother, about Kathy.”

  The couple glanced at each other and shook their heads.

  “No. What about Kathy?” Colin asked.

  “She was attacked last night at the family home.”

  “What?” Colin asked, his back rigid.

  “Is she all right?” Leona had the decency to ask after a long pause.

  “No. I’m afraid she lost her life after she was rushed into hospital. The injuries she sustained were too much for her body to recover from.”

  The couple held hands. “How terrible,” Leona said, shaking her head. “Poor Mark, he must be devastated. How did it happen? You said her injuries were too much. What kind of injuries?”

  “Mainly to the head. Similar to the way Gemma died. Only this time, the incident took place inside the residence, not outside the home,” Sally informed them, trying to gauge their reactions to the news.

  Leona seemed genuinely shocked, but Colin appeared to be keeping his emotions in check.

  “Similar injuries, you say? Who was at home when the incident happened? Do you know, Inspector?” Colin asked, his eyes shrinking into slits.

  “Your mother and your niece, Colin.” She intentionally withheld the fact that an alleged burglary had taken place.

  Colin uncurled his hands from his wife’s. “And Mark? Where was he?”

  “At work.”

  “All right. Why don’t we cut to the chase, Inspector? Why are you really here? I take it’s not just to tell us about Kathy.”

  Sally smiled tautly. “Yes, you’re right. I’m here to ask both you and your wife to accompany us to the station for questioning.”


  “May I ask why?” Colin asked, clear anger rising in his tone.

  Sally shrugged. “Because a second major crime has been committed concerning a member of your family. Is that a strong enough reason, Mr. Whiting?”

  His eyes blazed with fury. “You believe we have something to do with Kathy’s death, the same way you accused us—or me—of killing Gemma? You’re bloody insane, woman. What proof do you have?”

  Sally held up her hands. “Whoa, now hold fire on bombarding me with accusations, Colin. All I’ve asked you to do is accompany us to the station for questioning. My reasoning behind that request is so that we can question you separately. Hopefully, that would help to prove your innocence. However, your overreaction is doing nothing but filling me with suspicion. Perhaps you have something to hide and are worried that you’ll buckle during questioning?”

  “No, you’re wrong. I have nothing to hide, Inspector. Everything has to be cloak and dagger all the time with you, doesn’t it?”

  “Nothing of the sort. As I’ve already stated, we need to question you separately.” She glanced at her watch. “We’re wasting time. If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get the questioning completed by the end of today. Shall we go?”

  Colin scoffed. “You’re incredible. You haven’t even asked if we have an alibi for the time the incident occurred. Is my brother being pulled in, too? My mother, what about her? She was at the scene, according to what you told us.” Frustrated, he threw his arms up in the air.

  “My husband does have a point, Inspector,” Leona said, her eyes pleading with Sally.

  “He does. But then, so do I. Okay, put it this way, if neither of you have anything to hide, then what’s the harm in humouring me?”

  “Because it encroaches on our basic human rights, for one thing,” Colin bit back. He pointed at Sally. “Here’s a novel suggestion: There are two of you and two of us. Why don’t you question us here, in different rooms? How’s that?” He looked up at the clock on the wall. “I have to be at work in forty-five minutes, so I don’t have time to drive all the way to the station and get to work before my shift begins.”

  Sally turned to look at Jack. “Is that all right with you, Sergeant?” She knew he didn’t enjoy questioning suspects.

  Jack nodded. “If that’s how you want to play it, boss.”

  “I’m a reasonable person, Mr. Whiting. This time, I will do as you’ve requested. I’ll question your wife while Jack questions you. Fair enough?”

  “Fine by me. Go easy on Leona, though. She’s had a shock and has been under a lot of personal pressure lately.” He touched the back of Leona’s hand and lovingly pecked her on the cheek.

  “I will; don’t worry. We’ll take the lounge, okay?” Sally smiled at Leona and led the way back through the house. Sally closed the door once Leona had entered the lounge. Leona sat on the sofa while Sally settled into the armchair, her notebook and pen ready for action.

  “Can you tell me where you were between five and six yesterday evening, Leona?”

  She thought over the question for only a second before she replied, “Here. Around that time, I was preparing dinner for a friend of mine.”

  “I’ll need the name and contact details for that friend before I leave. And your husband? Where was he?”

  “Of course. Colin had already left for work. That was around four forty-five, I believe.”

  “I see. Can you tell me when you last visited Kathy and Mark’s home?”

  “About a month ago. You’re testing my memory there, Inspector. Yes, a month to five weeks ago. We haven’t really been getting on since the news came out about Gemma’s baby…”

  “That must have come as a huge shock to you.”

  “It did. But Colin and I have worked through our differences and successfully come out the other side, unscathed and eager to get on with starting a family of our own.” At the mention of starting a family, Leona’s face lit up.

  “How are things going with the fertility programme?” Sally asked, softening towards the woman.

  “Slowly. It all takes time. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’ll only be a few months before they tell us we’re expecting our first child. I’m trying to keep my enthusiasm restrained. I’ve had to deal with far too many disappointments since we started trying for a baby.”

  “I understand. It’s always better to err on the side of caution in these matters. Were you aware that Kathy was pregnant?”

  Leona’s eyes widened in surprise, and her hand swept over her face. “No! Oh God, how dreadful.” Then she gasped as if realising the enormity of the situation. “Gemma was pregnant when she lost her life, too. How devastating for Mark to have to deal with yet two more funerals in such a short space of time.”

  “Indeed. Can you tell me what Kathy and Mark’s relationship was like? Was there any cause for concern there, do you think?”

  She shook her head slowly. “I wouldn’t like to say. As I’ve told you already, we’ve kept our distance since Gemma’s death and the wedding. You don’t think…?”

  “Don’t think what, Leona?”

  “That Mark did this?”

  “Well, it’s certainly something we need to look into in light of Gemma’s case still being open. Do you seriously think he would be capable of killing his wives?”

  “I have no idea. It does seem strange that both women have died from similar injuries and within months of each other. Even the fact that they were both pregnant can’t be ignored, can it?”

  Sally wondered if Leona’s comment was innocent or whether she meant to throw accusations in her brother-in-law’s direction to relieve the heat from her and her husband. She wondered how Jack was getting on with Colin. “Like I say, it is something we’ll be looking into. It depends what DNA evidence comes up at the scene.”

  Leona puffed out her cheeks, and a little breath of air escaped her lips. “Well, there’s bound to be a lot pointing at Mark if the crime took place in his home.”

  “That’s true enough. It doesn’t alter the fact that there was no significant evidence found to place him at the scene of Gemma’s death. Again, let’s leave the speculation about that to the forensic team to sift through.”

  “Well, so far they haven’t done a good job, if you don’t mind me saying, regarding Gemma’s death.”

  “They’re still working on it. Something is bound to show up sooner or later. It always does, usually when the investigating officer least expects it. Maybe a telling connection will be made to Kathy’s death. Who knows at this point? We’ll be treating the crimes as separate cases until we have proof otherwise,” Sally added with a shrug.

  “So who really is in the frame here, Inspector? My husband and I have suitable alibis for the time of the attack.”

  “Well, at the moment, because of the burglary aspect to Kathy’s death—”

  “Burglary?”

  “Yes, sorry I should have told you that. Your mother-in-law thinks that Kathy disturbed someone in the house.”

  “So that’s why you aren’t linking the crimes. I see. Is there anything else you need to ask me?”

  Sally slapped her notebook shut. “No, I think we’re finished now. I appreciate you taking the time to answer the questions, given the stress you’re under.”

  Leona waved the comment away. “My husband has a tendency to overreact at times.”

  Sally smiled. “You don’t say! If you’d like to stay in here for a few minutes, I’ll just pop next door to see how my partner is getting on.”

  “Okay.”

  Sally eased the door open quietly and cocked her ear as she tiptoed along the short hallway to the kitchen. Everything seemed nice and calm between the two men. She rapped her knuckles on the door and entered the room. “Are you nearly finished?”

  Jack nodded. “Just having a chat about football, boss. I think we’re done here. Mr. Whiting has been very amenable.”

  “Glad to hear it; not about the football part,” she said, frowning. “We
’re only trying to do our job, Colin.”

  “I appreciate that, Inspector. I’ve calmed down a lot since your arrival. My wife and I really have nothing to hide. We’re regular folks just trying to live normal, stress-free lives. Although that’s proving difficult to do with our involvement in the fertility treatment, as you can imagine.”

  “So your wife has been telling me. Stick with it; I’m sure everything will turn out for the best. Right, Sergeant, we better get back to the station. Thank you again for sparing us the time in your busy schedule, Colin.”

  Both Colin and Jack left the table, and then together with Sally, they made their way towards the front door where she shook hands with Colin. “I appreciate your cooperation.”

  “I hope you find the culprit soon, Inspector,” Colin said then closed the door.

  Sally and Jack jumped in the car before either of them spoke.

  “Well, how did it go with Leona?” Jack asked, turning in his seat to face her.

  “I think we can cross her off the suspect list. What about Colin?”

  “Yeah, I’m getting the same impression. We’ll need to verify he was at work when the incident happened. If that turns out to be the case, then there’s little we can do to dispute it, is there?”

  “Damn, just a minute.” Sally shot out of the car and ran back up the path to the house.

  Colin opened the door with a worried expression on his face. “Did you forget something, Inspector?”

  “Yes. Your wife was going to supply me with her friend’s details, the lady who came to dinner last night while you were at work.”

  “Ah, yes, just a second.” He disappeared and returned with a piece of paper bearing the woman’s name, address, and phone number.

  Sally waved it and ran back to the car. “Thank you.” She threw the note at Jack when she settled behind the steering wheel. “Okay, let’s see what the others have come up with.”

  Stuart and Jordan were just getting out of their vehicle when Sally pulled into the car park. “Anything?” she asked hopefully.

  Stuart shook his head. “Nothing. No one saw any sign of strangers lurking. The neighbour next door did hear a woman scream but chose to ignore it.”