by Carol Wyer
The station doors swished back and the heavy scent of pine forests rose to greet her. She circumnavigated the wet floor sign directly in front of her and headed to her office. Mike was slumped on the round settee in the corridor.
‘You’re probably the first person to ever sit on that,’ she said cheerfully. She’d been too offhand with him recently. What had happened between them was over. It had only been one night. They were now no more than work colleagues who rubbed along okay together.
‘It might look good in my new flat,’ he said with a half-smile.
‘Sure it would. You got multicoloured walls or just neon yellow?’
He chuckled and patted the seat. ‘It is a bit on the gaudy side, isn’t it?’
She raised her eyebrows in reply. ‘You waiting for me?’
‘Yes. Thought I’d come give a quick update in person. Got some news for you.’
She swiped the keypad with her pass and opened the door wide for him. He remained on the settee. She left the door open and stood in front of him.
‘Go on. What is it?’
‘It’ll keep until your team gets in. I need all the rest I can before I start again.’ Mike yawned and shook his head to wake himself up.
‘What time you get home?’
‘Home? That’s an interesting word: a place where one lives permanently as a member of a family; where the heart is.’ He paused for a second and shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Nicole is demanding the house, so I’ve moved to a motel for a few days until the apartment I’m about to rent comes free. When I say moved to a motel, I mean will move. I spent last night on the back seat of my car. There was little point going anywhere by the time I’d finished.’
‘She returned?’
‘Yesterday afternoon. Only to kick me out.’
‘You really are moving into a flat. I thought you were kidding earlier when you mentioned the settee. Was Thea with her?’
His face softened. ‘Yeah. Managed to take her out for a quick burger and chips before I was called to the crime scene at the park. Nicole hates her eating crap food but Thea loves it, so what the heck?’
‘How’s Thea taking the split?’
‘Not sure it’s registered with her yet. I told her I’d see her most weekends. She’s used to me working stupid hours anyway. I don’t suppose she’ll miss me being around too much.’
‘Tough, all the same,’ she said.
‘What about you?’
‘Me?’
‘You and David?’
‘Fine. He’s sorting himself out.’ She was saved from further conversation about her marriage by the arrival of Lucy and Murray.
‘You want any coffee before we start? I could nip out and get some,’ Natalie offered.
‘Nah. I might need a hand getting off this settee though. I seem to have run out of energy.’
‘Come on, you’ll be fine once you get going.’
No sooner had they gone into the office than Ian appeared. Natalie began the briefing immediately.
‘Okay, we’ve got a busy day. I want occupants of all vehicles passing that park entrance between four fifty p.m. and five thirty p.m. interviewed, along with everyone we can identify on those park CCTV cameras. Ian, ensure noticeboards calling for witnesses are placed by entrances. Murray, I’d like you to talk to the neighbour, Ned Coleman, who lives opposite the park entrance. I know he said he saw nothing but see if you can jog his memory or confirm his statement. He might have witnessed activity over the road and not registered it. While you’re in the vicinity, double-check the shop manager, Rod Bunting, didn’t see Audrey, even for a second, outside the shop. Find out who went into the shop at about that time and talk to them too. They might have spotted Audrey. Have we run background checks on Rod?’
‘I did,’ said Ian. ‘He seems sound enough. He lives above the shop. It used to belong to his parents. He took over the running of it after they passed away. He’s fifty-two, unmarried, and a member of the local birdwatching club. No previous convictions.’
‘Do you think she went to the park instead of the shop?’ Lucy asked.
‘At the moment, I’m leaving all options open until we find a witness. It’s reasonable to assume she didn’t go in the direction of the shop given nobody saw her cycle down the road. However, her mum said she’d never cross the road alone without using the pelican crossing, and that’s near the shop.’
Murray was next to speak. ‘What about the parents?’
‘We’ll talk to Mr and Mrs Briggs and Mr and Mrs Sawyer again. We really need to gather as much information as possible on these two girls. I believe the cases are related. Did you track down Elsa Townsend, the woman in charge of Ava Sawyer’s birthday party?’
Murray shook his head. ‘She was living in the Marbella area but she left her last known address and has fallen off the radar.’
‘Somebody must know where she is. How about her ex-husband?’
‘Barney Townsend. Want me to track him down?’
‘Can you handle that along with tracking down witnesses who might have spotted Audrey?’
‘Yep.’
She paused. There were no other questions. She nodded across to Mike. ‘Over to you.’
Mike, who’d been resting against the glass wall, cleared his throat. ‘As you know, we are yet to find the cardigan Audrey was wearing. I’ve got officers currently sweeping the whole area but it’s a thirty-acre park, and it could take some time. Given the sniffer dogs didn’t pick up on it yesterday, we’re not convinced the clothing is in situ. There’s no identifying label or washing instructions on the dress she’s wearing, so we don’t know where it was purchased.’
‘It might be home-made,’ said Lucy.
‘Indeed.’ Mike pushed himself away from the wall and moved across to Natalie’s desk, where he perched on the edge.
‘On to the child’s pushbike. We found rubber tyre marks we’re certain came from the bike near where it was dumped. Further examination leads us to believe Audrey was riding quickly and came to a sudden halt. The bike is clean with only three sets of fingerprints on it: hers and two larger partials, belonging to her parents. Her attacker either wore gloves or didn’t touch the bike. Given the way it’s been cast aside, it appears Audrey dismounted in haste and ran over the grass in the direction of the shrubs where we finally found her. We’ve uncovered two footprints that match the soles of her shoes. She was running on the balls of her feet, indicating a sprint.’
‘I thought she might be running from somebody who was hidden in the shrubs and who frightened her,’ said Natalie.
‘It appears to be the opposite. She ran towards the bushes. We’ve located fibres we believe might be from the missing cardigan caught in the branches, and there are scuffed-up areas of earth around and under the shrub where Audrey was found. It seems she was scrabbling about on all fours. I’d imagine to hide from whoever was pursuing her.’
‘Poor little soul,’ said Ian. ‘She must have been terrified.’
‘Any DNA?’ Lucy asked.
‘No, we haven’t found any. There is some news though. I received confirmation first thing this morning that the scraps of material we found on Ava’s body were made of cotton fibres and presumably came from the dress she wore that day.’
‘Like the dress Audrey wore?’
‘Similar. Audrey’s dress is made of a completely different material, a lemon-yellow chiffon.’
‘Too much of a coincidence, though, isn’t it?’ said Natalie. ‘Both in yellow party dresses – one in lemon chiffon with a pleated skirt and a bow, another in yellow cotton with puffed short sleeves.’
‘That’s for you to investigate. I can only offer forensic evidence. I’ll get back to the park and let you know as soon as there’s more.’
‘One last thing, Mike. Audrey was headed to the shops with some money – two pounds – did you find the coins near or on her body?’
‘No money at all.’
‘She might have dropped it somewhere, unless it’s
in her cardigan pocket.’
‘We’ll keep an eye out for it.’ He gave a mock salute to Natalie and headed to the door.
She caught him up. ‘Thanks for coming over in person.’
‘I wanted to,’ he said, letting his eyes rest on hers a second longer than was necessary. ‘Needed to check you were okay.’
‘Yeah. I’ll be fine. Just have to nail the bastard behind this and I’ll feel a whole lot better.’
‘You’ll get him.’
Natalie watched as he strode confidently down the corridor and disappeared down the far staircase; she hoped fervently he was right. The Olivia Chester investigation had fallen apart because they hadn’t explored every avenue. They’d concentrated on one suspect, dragging him into custody and interrogating him at length, only to discover at the eleventh hour that he was innocent. By then, the little girl had been murdered. Natalie wasn’t going to allow that to happen again. If the deaths of Ava and Audrey were somehow connected other than the birthday party, she needed to establish how quickly, and that meant looking at every possible shred of evidence and acting on every hunch.
The office had turned into a hive of activity, the desire to capture the perpetrator almost tangible and etched on the faces and in the quick movements of her officers, each focused on a task. Natalie squared her shoulders and joined them, thoughts now on tracking Audrey’s movements the afternoon before. The lipstick bothered her. If Audrey hadn’t been wearing it when she’d left home, she’d either applied it after she’d left the house, or her killer had painted it on her lips. The latter seemed logical in light of the fact the girl had been dressed for a party. Could Audrey have made an excuse of going to the shop, and planned to meet somebody? It was an unlikely possibility that nevertheless required ruling out.
Natalie dragged up the details of Little Stars Dance Academy. Owned by Carlton and Bruce Kennedy, a married couple who’d opened the academy in 2006, it boasted a range of classes including hip-hop, tap and ballet, all of which were aimed at girls and boys aged three to sixteen years. She dialled the number for the school and asked for the names of the other children in Audrey’s class, only to be told she would have to turn up in person to discuss the matter with one of the owners because such information couldn’t be given out over the phone. She made an appointment for 11 a.m.
Casting an eye around the busy room, she decided she’d go it alone and talk to Audrey’s parents again. It was time to try and make connections between her and Ava.
‘Lucy, can you arrange to talk to the class teacher who taught both Ava and Audrey in 2015? If I’m not back in time, interview her yourself. We need to find out how friendly the girls were. Ava had trouble getting on with her classmates. See where Audrey fitted in. And, while you’re at it, find out anything else you can about their classmates.’
‘Will do.’ Lucy kept her eyes glued to her computer as she spoke, concentrating on scrolling through images of yellow dresses. ‘There are literally hundreds of thousands of yellow dresses for sale. I wouldn’t have thought it possible to sell that many.’
‘It might not have come from a shop.’
‘I know. Thought it worth a look online. Can’t see one like this though.’ She tapped the photograph of Audrey’s dress on her desk with her forefinger.
‘We could do with a picture of the dress Ava was wearing when she disappeared just for comparison’s sake. We’ll ask her mother when we speak to her next.’
‘Planning on doing that today?’
Natalie checked her watch. She should reach the Briggs’ before nine thirty. She’d maybe have time to interview Beatrice before going to the dance academy. Looking up to respond, she quickly pulled herself up short. She had to delegate tasks even though the desire to follow up everything herself was overpowering.
‘It would make sense if you and Murray could talk to her.’
Lucy’s head bobbed up and down. ‘Sure. We’ll sort that.’
‘Cheers. Okay, stay in touch, everyone.’
With that, she hurried towards the stairs and exit, hoping she’d made the right decision. A lot was riding on her management skills. There was no room for screw-ups.
Twelve
THURSDAY, 27 APRIL – MORNING
Caroline and Steven Briggs sat as one on the settee, hip to hip and fingers entwined as if to anchor them to the real world. Their faces showed the greatest strain. Caroline’s eyelids were swollen from crying, and Stephen’s forehead was a web of lines.
‘We were told she’d been strangled,’ said Stephen.
‘It appears that way.’ Natalie looked across at Tanya Granger, who was once again with the couple. She or one of her colleagues would stay with them and help them through the whole process of the coming days. The journalists from the evening before had been sent away but television crews were now by the railings, reporting on the search currently taking place inside the park.
Stephen swallowed heavily. ‘And she wasn’t raped.’
‘No. She wasn’t.’
He blinked back tears and fell silent.
‘I understand this is a very difficult time for you but I’d really appreciate your help. Can you tell me how friendly Audrey and Ava Sawyer were? Did Ava ever come back here to play? Did Audrey ever mention her?’
‘Our daughter is dead and you’re asking about Ava Sawyer?’ Stephen’s face was incredulous.
Caroline squeezed his hand. ‘Stephen, no. She wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.’
‘That’s right. I wouldn’t upset you. Not at such a terrible time. I’m trying to establish connections between the girls.’
‘You think our daughter’s death has something to do with Ava’s disappearance?’
‘It might have. Ava’s body was found two days ago, Mr Briggs. I’m afraid I can’t discuss details of the investigation with you but trust me, it’s relevant.’
Caroline’s face crumpled again. Stephen’s lips trembled but his head bobbed up and down as if on a spring. Seeing his wife in tears again, he took over. ‘They were friends and in the same class at school. Ava came here quite a few times.’
‘What did Audrey tell you about Harriet Downing’s birthday party?’
‘We went over and over this when Ava disappeared. The police questioned her. Audrey was the last person to see Ava. They were playing party games in the barn. Ava was in a funny mood and hadn’t been joining in much. While the woman in charge was sorting out an argument between two boys, Ava announced she was going to the toilet. Audrey reminded her they’d been told to ask if they wanted the toilet. Ava replied she was old enough to go to the toilets on her own and she knew where they were, and then walked off. Audrey became involved in a game and then they all were sent outside to the animal enclosure where they were split into two groups. She thought Ava had returned and joined the second group of children. When they reached the stables, it was discovered she hadn’t and Audrey told them what had happened.’ He heaved a sigh at the end of his monologue.
‘And Audrey saw no more of her friend after she went to the toilets?’
‘No.’
‘I heard Ava was prone to moodiness and would sometimes walk off on her own. Did she exhibit that sort of behaviour at any time during one of her visits here?’
Stephen shrugged. ‘I wasn’t here.’
‘Once,’ said Caroline, blowing her nose before continuing. ‘She came home for tea after a dance class. Beatrice and I were going through a phase of play dates. Audrey would go to their house one week and Ava to ours the next. She was a huffy little madam at times and I could tell she was in a mood when I picked her up. Audrey was trying very hard to be friendly, bless her. They were both going to be in a small dance production and Ava had been relegated to the back row. I think that’s what needled her most, that and the fact Audrey had been chosen as lead dancer. While I was preparing the food, I overheard the girls arguing about a television programme. Shortly afterwards, Audrey came into the kitchen to fetch me. She was worried because Ava
had stormed off and she’d searched the house but Ava wasn’t anywhere to be found. We both looked and shouted for her, and then I spotted her coat had gone from the coat pegs by the front door. I became really concerned she’d run off and was going to search for her in the car. I was on the way through the side door to the garage to collect the car when I noticed the back door was slightly ajar. We found her hiding in the garden shed in a dreadful sulk. When I asked her what was wrong, she replied she was angry with Audrey for changing the television programme when she was watching it, and was teaching her a lesson.’
‘She didn’t do it again?’
‘No, although I believe she pulled similar stunts at school from what Audrey said.’
‘Did they fall out?’
‘No. Audrey was a loyal friend. She put up with Ava to the end. I think she felt sorry for her. That was Audrey. Kind-hearted.’
‘You said Audrey and Ava attended the same dance class. Was that here in Uptown?’
‘Yes, at the Little Stars Dance Academy. Audrey still goes. Went. Audrey went there.’ She blinked several times and the tears began again. ‘Sorry. I can’t…’ She pulled her hand away from her husband’s and ran from the room.
Stephen dropped his head into his hands. Tanya jumped to her feet. ‘I’ll go check she’s okay.’
Natalie stood too. ‘I’m truly sorry. Look, I’ll leave you again until you feel more able to talk to me.’
He lifted damp eyes. ‘I don’t think there’ll ever be a right time but thank you.’
Little Stars Dance Academy was situated inside a one-time grain warehouse that was four storeys high. Built in the early 1900s, it retained the original brickwork with stone dressings and nine small windows on each floor. On the ground floor there were only four windows, flanked to the left and right by what had once been two cart openings, now entrances fitted with oak doors.
Natalie chose the door marked Reception and found herself in a modern, airy office with cream seating and a water cooler, where she was greeted by the woman who’d answered her earlier phone call. Natalie offered up her credentials and was issued again with an apology.
