by Carol Wyer
Bruce wouldn’t meet Natalie’s eyes when they entered the interview room. He shuffled in his seat uncomfortably. Natalie slipped into a seat opposite and introduced Murray, who drew up a third seat and set it next to Natalie.
‘Carlton said I had to talk to you. I really didn’t want to. I have nothing to say that will further your investigations.’
‘It’s probably best if we decide that.’ Natalie wasn’t in the mood to be messed about. ‘Two young girls are dead. Both attended your dance school. Consequently, you’re a person of interest. I’d like to hear what you have to say. You have a younger sister, Josephine, don’t you?’
‘Yes. What’s that got to do with this?’
‘Carlton said something about you getting along with Ava because she reminded you of your sister.’
He heaved a sigh and raised his chin. ‘Carlton was right. Ava was like Josephine.’
‘He also told me Ava would sometimes come and talk to you rather than continue with her ballet class. Why was that?’
‘She’d lose patience with dancing. The second it became too difficult for her, she’d get so angry with herself she had to walk out to calm down. Some people thought she was sulking or moody but it was more a cry for help. Ava struggled to be herself.’
Murray snorted. ‘That’s quite an analysis. You’re not a child psychiatrist and she was only five years old. Lots of kids that age get huffy at times. What made you think she had such issues?’
Startled by the sudden hostility, Bruce faced Murray. ‘Because she behaved exactly like Jo. Every time Jo couldn’t manage something – her spellings, to perform a somersault, to sing, anything that she felt she should be able to do but couldn’t – she’d race off and shut herself away in her bedroom and cry. Ava didn’t cry. She hid.’
‘I find it odd you’d know so much about a little girl who wasn’t a relative. It seems to me you assumed Ava was like your sister.’ Murray looked steadily at Bruce.
‘You misunderstand me. I didn’t know her. I didn’t try and analyse her. The first time she and I met, she was hiding under my desk. I was about to take a class of teenagers and had returned to the office to pick up a CD I needed. Ava was sat there, legs crossed, arms folded and refusing to speak. I had to scrabble under the table and join her before she’d tell me what was wrong. That’s how she reminded me of Josephine. I’d been under the table with her many times, helping to sort out her problems and listening to her. I was her big brother. Turned out somebody in the changing room had been spiteful about Ava’s dancing and she’d run off to hide. I managed to coax her to the class before she was missed.’
‘What a good brother you must have been. Didn’t your sister have friends to talk to or your mum?’ Murray maintained his sneer.
‘My mother didn’t have time for tantrums or histrionics. I helped Jo and yes, I’d like to think I was and still am a decent brother.’ Bruce spoke less confidently. Murray’s bad cop routine was working. He was gradually unnerving the man into saying more.
‘Ava developed a trust in you,’ Natalie said, offering a smile, playing her role of the more understanding cop. ‘She must have looked at you as a big brother figure.’
He nodded. ‘Maybe. Beatrice was quite often late collecting her daughter and she’d be the last one to leave so I’d often chat to her. She was quite inquisitive and asked about a postcard I had from Russia, from my sister. I told her about Jo and how she’d struggled to learn to dance but became a top ballerina with the Royal Ballet and now travels all over the world. Ava became really interested in her. She wanted to be a ballerina one day too. She asked lots of questions about Jo and I was happy to talk about her.’
‘You were close to your sister, then?’ asked Murray, folding his arms.
‘Yes.’
Murray glowered. ‘Do you speak to her much now?’
‘She’s away a lot and I’m occupied with the dance school. We don’t get to see much of each other.’
‘I understand you spoke to Ava the day before she disappeared. What about?’ Natalie asked.
‘She was upset and didn’t want to go to class that day. Beatrice dropped her off as usual and left her there, but Ava asked Carlton to be excused and stayed in reception with me instead. She sat and kicked the chair legs for ages, staring at the wall. In the end, I asked if she wanted to talk about it. Told her Jo would often confide in me and I wouldn’t tell anyone.’
Murray let out a snort.
‘It seemed the right thing to say,’ Bruce said, looking towards Natalie for approval. She gave another smile of encouragement.
‘Ava told me her best friend, Harriet, had said some stuff about her at school and everyone in her class was laughing at her. She was glad it was the holidays but she was going to have to face them at a party she didn’t want to attend.’
‘Did she say what stuff?’ Natalie asked.
‘She didn’t, only that she’d told Harriet something in secret but she’d blurted it to everyone in the class and now Ava couldn’t face them. She had to go to Harriet’s party and she didn’t want to.’
‘What advice did you give?’ Natalie asked.
‘To go to the party and face up to them, to lift her head high and ignore any jibes. They’d get bored if they couldn’t upset her.’
Murray spoke. ‘You were at Uptown Craft Centre and Farm the day she disappeared.’
‘I didn’t see her. I left before the party started.’
‘How do you know that?’ Murray persisted. ‘How do you know what time the party began?’
‘I found out afterwards. When I was searching for her with all the others. I overheard them talking about it.’
Natalie took over. ‘Carlton said you went to collect a plant, then into town to buy a card.’
Bruce looked at his nails, avoiding her gaze.
‘Didn’t they sell cards at the shop there? It was a craft centre. Surely they sold birthday cards there?’ she said.
Bruce’s eyelids fluttered. ‘I couldn’t find one I liked.’
‘So you left the centre immediately after purchasing a plant and went into Uptown itself. Is that correct?’
‘Yes.’ Again he would not meet her eyes.
‘Bruce, I’m going to ask you again. This time, think carefully before you respond and remember a little girl was snatched from the centre, taken and killed.’ She let her words sink in. ‘What time did you leave the centre?’
His words tumbled out. ‘I don’t know exactly. I was looking around the card section and ran into one of the employees, who I knew. It was his day off. We had a coffee in the café there and then I left.’
‘You didn’t tell Carlton about this meeting. Why would you keep it secret?’
‘Carlton’s prone to jealousy. Of course, he asked me if I was at the centre at the time Ava vanished, but I wasn’t. I’d left by then. The fact was, I had nothing to do with Ava’s disappearance. I was as horrified as anyone about what happened. I was one of the volunteers who helped search for her, all night and the following day. I wish I had been at the centre when it happened. I might have spotted her or whoever snatched her. I didn’t come forward because I had nothing of use to tell the police at the time, and I have nothing new to tell you. I’m not responsible for what happened.’
‘And yesterday afternoon, after Audrey left the class, what did you do?’ Natalie’s questions came faster now.
‘I remained at the dance school. I was working on the set for the Lichfield performance. I didn’t finish until late.’
‘Did anyone see you?’
‘Carlton. He dropped by while I was painting it.’
‘What time?’
‘I don’t know. I wasn’t clock-watching. He dropped by a few times, three or four, in between his classes, to see how I was getting along. He finished at eight p.m. and we went out for a curry then home.’
‘This man you had coffee with, what’s his name?’
‘Mark Randle. He worked in the greenhouses. He lives in U
ptown.’
‘Have you got a number for him?’
‘No. I deleted his contact details. I haven’t seen him for about a year. Not since Carlton and I got married.’
Natalie nodded again and sat back in her seat. It was Murray’s cue. He pushed up from his chair, hands on the table, until he was in Bruce’s face, only inches away.
‘Bull. Shit. Why would you delete his contact details?’
‘I had no reason to hang onto them. I didn’t see him much afterwards. He left the craft centre.’
Murray smiled a predator’s smile. ‘I know something about you, Bruce. Something you haven’t mentioned here today. I know about your addiction. And I asked myself why would a man with a sex addiction be friends with a five-year-old girl and, more importantly, why wouldn’t he admit to being at the craft centre and farm when that same little girl went missing? You’re holding back on us, and if you don’t come clean, we’ll charge you with perverting the course of justice or worse, and rest assured, your time in prison will be most uncomfortable.’ He sat back on his chair again.
‘Shit! No! For crying out loud. I’m not a deviant. I don’t have an addiction.’
‘You went to a sexual addiction recovery centre twice – once in 2000 and again in 2004 – and are a member of TSAHG, The Sex Addiction Help Group. So, answer me this: why were you at the centre that afternoon if not to wait for Ava to turn up to a party you encouraged her to go to? You knew if she got upset there, she’d run off. The chances were, she would get upset. She’d already told you about Harriet. Did she tell you where the party was, Bruce? Were you waiting for that very scenario so you could attack her?’
‘Jesus, no!’ Bruce ran a hand over his face, dragging it over his beard. ‘No way. I’ve never laid a finger on a child. I want children! Carlton and I want to be parents. I would never…’ His voice broke into a sob as he began to tear up.
Murray folded his arms again, his job done.
Bruce drew several breaths then spoke. ‘I had a sexual addiction. I’ve always been attracted to men not children, to adult men. When I was younger I had a ferocious sexual appetite. I knew I had to curb it. TSAHG helped me. I lapsed in 2004 but I’d just met Carlton and I wanted to get over it, for good. I checked into the clinic in 2004, followed the programme and made a full recovery. I began dating Carlton and gradually got better. I am no longer addicted. I wanted to help others who go through the same thing. Not many people understand what it’s like to have such an addiction. I signed up to be a sponsor. I was Mark Randle’s sponsor. I met him for a coffee and chat that afternoon. It was imperative nobody knew about his condition, so I didn’t tell anyone, not even Carlton. He doesn’t even know about my dependence, or about me becoming a sponsor. Look, Mark rang me that morning because he was struggling. I agreed to a quick meeting and we chose the craft centre because I had to go there that afternoon to collect a plant for my mother. That’s it. The truth.’
Natalie stared at Bruce, trying to decide if she should retain him for further questioning before deciding she had no grounds to keep him. She’d check out his alibi for Wednesday and talk to Mark Randle before she pursued this line of enquiry. She looked at Murray and raised her eyebrows. He nodded, indicating he had no further questions.
‘I think that’ll be all for the moment. You’re free to leave,’ she said.
Bruce stood immediately. ‘I absolutely had nothing to do with either death. I swear it.’
‘We’ll be in touch if we need to talk to you again.’
Back in the office, Natalie slapped her desk with the flat of her hand. ‘Crap! I thought we were onto something with him. Pull everything we can on this Mark Randle and get him here. See what he has to say for himself.’
‘I’ll do that. I’ve already done some background on The Sex Addiction Help Group,’ said Ian.
‘I’ve emailed that Etsy address and I’m waiting for a reply,’ said Lucy.
‘Good. Any news on Elsa Townsend?’ Natalie asked.
‘Nothing yet,’ Lucy replied.
‘Then we’ll have to stick at what we do have and that’s Mark. Talk to his co-workers about him. See what they thought about him. We have to interview Ava’s parents. Murray, head over to Carl Sawyer’s workshop with Lucy. There’s half an hour before closing time; you might just catch him there. I’ll try Beatrice again.’
As she marched towards the exit her phone buzzed. It was David.
‘Hey.’
‘Hi. You want me to order takeaway for later?’ His voice had a petulant edge to it.
‘If you and the kids want it, go ahead. I don’t think I’ll be back again until really late.’
‘Any idea what time?’
‘No. I told you this morning I’d be late.’
‘Rich rang to invite me out for a pint at the Golden Cup.’
‘Well, go then. The pub’s only down the road. They’re not babies. They’ll be fine for a couple of hours.’
‘Sure, just walk out and leave them to their own devices. Not exactly good parenting, is it?’
‘They’re teenagers, David.’
‘Exactly.’ He ended the call, leaving Natalie reeling. What was his problem? She shoved the phone back in her pocket and ignored the voice in her head that reminded her Olivia had been a teenager too.
Seventeen
THURSDAY, 27 APRIL – LATE AFTERNOON
Beatrice Sawyer opened the door and looked blankly at Natalie. Natalie had seen the same thousand-yard stare before on the faces of uncomprehending parents or loved ones who’d been given terrible news.
‘I came to see how you were bearing up,’ said Natalie.
‘Come in.’ Beatrice moved from the door, waiting for Natalie to enter before peering out and shutting the door. ‘There was a journalist came earlier. She wanted to know how I felt about Ava’s body being discovered at the craft centre. Dumbest question ever. I told her to fuck off.’
‘Has Tanya been back to see you?’
‘She was here yesterday for a long while. She’s coming back today. She’s nice. I like her. My mum’s here too. She went out to the shops half an hour ago. I didn’t want to go with her. I don’t want to see anyone.’ Beatrice slumped onto the settee. The television set was on, an American sitcom lighting up the screen.
‘I have some news for you regarding your daughter’s death. It’s not good. I’m very sorry to tell you that we believe Ava was strangled.’ There was no sound and then the sudden burst of canned laughter. Beatrice stared at the set, eyes unfocused.
‘We’re going back over all the statements and witnesses from when she disappeared.’
‘They didn’t find the person who took her then. What makes you think you can?’
‘There’s been an unfortunate development. Audrey Briggs was murdered yesterday afternoon. She was also strangled. There’s a possibility the same person who killed your daughter also murdered Audrey.’
‘I see.’
‘Is there anything else you can tell me, Beatrice? Ava and Audrey were friends. Did they share any secrets?’
‘None they shared with me, but I wasn’t the most attentive mother. Why would they confide in me? I was facing my own demons. I couldn’t exit the black hole I’d fallen into.’
‘Do you have a picture of the dress Ava was wearing when she went missing?’
‘I had one but it was on an old phone. I didn’t transfer it when I upgraded my phone. I snapped it the afternoon of the party. She didn’t look happy in it. Every time I looked at it, I was reminded of how I forced her to go to that wretched party and how I lost her forever. Is it important?’
‘I just wanted to get an idea of what it looked like. Did you buy or make her dress?’
‘I bought it. It came from a children’s boutique, ChicKids, in Uptown.’
‘What was it like?’
Beatrice made a motion with one hand curving over her left shoulder. ‘It had these little puffed sleeves that stopped about here.’ She held her hand near the
top of her arm. ‘It was more of a lemon colour than bright yellow, and flouncy.’
‘Flouncy?’
She swept her arms down her body and threw her hands outwards at her hips. ‘Like a ballerina skirt.’
‘Did it have a bow?’
Beatrice frowned in concentration. ‘It had a tiny bow at the base of each sleeve.’
‘Not anywhere else?’
‘No.’
Natalie made a note of the name of the shop where it had been purchased. The dress Audrey was wearing might have also come from there. ‘You had Audrey over for play dates. What did you think of her?’
Beatrice breathed in and considered the question. ‘I liked her. She smiled a lot and didn’t get upset with Ava even when she was being difficult. I’m genuinely sorry this has happened to her. It’ll be such a shock for Caroline.’
The words were without emotion. Natalie couldn’t work out if it was because Beatrice didn’t care what Caroline and her husband were going through or simply because she had no more sorrow left to share.
‘Did Caroline spend much time with you after Ava vanished?’
‘They all made a fuss of us both to start with, but once the rumours about me being an unfit mother began, she and all the others withdrew their support. Caroline was one of the first to stop visiting.’
‘That must have been hard for you.’
‘I was never one of their crowd. I wasn’t party to the coffee mornings, cosy chats outside the school gates or car-share schemes. It came as no big surprise when they began avoiding me as if by associating with me, their own children might also suddenly go missing. Caroline stopped coming around to visit shortly after Ava went. I’m sorry this has happened to them but now they’ll understand what it’s like to lose a child.’
A car pulled up on the driveway. Beatrice rose to see who it was. ‘It’s my mother. If that’s everything, I’d like you to leave now.’
‘Certainly and thank you for talking to me again.’ Natalie edged towards the door and passed a silver-haired woman with sharp features in the drive. The woman shook her head.
