The Birthday: An absolutely gripping crime thriller (Detective Natalie Ward Book 1)

by Carol Wyer

  Natalie released a low growl of disapproval. ‘I ought to have been notified as soon the girl disappeared.’

  ‘Miscommunication. I’ve already expressed my anger.’ Aileen sounded as riled as Natalie felt. ‘Natalie, I’ll level with you. I’m extremely concerned for the safety of all young girls in the Uptown area, especially those that attend the same school. I’m going to have to call a press conference for later today and issue a statement to calm the public, and I don’t have a clue what to tell them. Are we dealing with a killer who’s targeting schoolgirls?’

  ‘Rainey was also at the birthday party when Ava Sawyer went missing.’

  ‘Do you think this is to do with Ava’s party, then?’

  ‘It seems increasingly likely. At the moment, we’re examining every angle. There must be other factors that link these girls.’

  ‘You sure you should be looking elsewhere? It seems quite a coincidence Audrey Briggs and Rainey Kilburn attended that party and now both are dead.’

  ‘I completely agree with you but we really ought to explore other possibilities too. I’ve been in a similar situation where we’ve focused on only one suspect and one direction and overlooked the bigger picture.’

  Aileen took a moment before she responded. ‘You’re in charge of the investigation, Natalie; however, if I were you, I wouldn’t ignore the strong possibility these deaths are connected to that event.’

  ‘I shan’t. We’ll be going back over what happened that day and looking for connections. I just have an inkling we ought to keep an open mind and ensure we’re not overlooking a different reason these girls have been targeted. I’d hate for another child, who wasn’t at that party, to be taken because we missed some vital clue.’

  There was a brief pause as Aileen digested her words. Her musical voice was cautious. ‘I understand. And if this is unrelated to the birthday party, I don’t want the public panicking, but by the same token, they must be vigilant and ensure their children are not outside alone and vulnerable.’

  Natalie understood the subtext of her words. Like her, Aileen was fearful they had a child serial killer in their midst.

  Rainey’s body was positioned at the base of a tree, some distance from the path known as Monks Walk. Over a white school blouse and skirt she wore a yellow dress, identical to the one found on Audrey.

  ‘Similar ligature,’ pointed out Ben Hargreaves, his long fingers hovering over the red mark around her neck.

  ‘Was she strangled with the same object as Audrey?’ Natalie asked.

  ‘Initial examination would suggest so. I’ll have to confirm it.’

  Natalie noted the lipstick on the girl’s lips. It was the same colour as Audrey had been wearing. Mike and his team were searching the area, inching their way across the grass and along the path. She joined him. His forehead was lined and his eyes looked heavy with tiredness.

  ‘They’re connected, aren’t they?’ he asked.

  ‘Looks that way: the dress, lipstick, strangulation, both attended the same school and both were at the party at Uptown Craft Centre.’

  ‘I had trouble looking at her,’ he said. ‘She reminded me too much of Thea.’

  Rosy-cheeked Thea, with thick, black, wavy hair like her mother’s and freckles sprinkled across a slightly turned-up nose. Natalie understood his dismay. She wanted to reach out and touch his arm to comfort him, but she daren’t in case her actions were misinterpreted. Instead she looked away at the open-handed sculpture, an artist’s representation of peace, and waited for him to speak again.

  ‘We found her school bag.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘It was propped against the foot of a bench. There are some schoolbooks inside with her name in them and a glazed clay object. Looks like a cat.’ His words grew thick and he cleared his throat with a small cough.

  ‘It wasn’t abandoned, then, or thrown down?’

  ‘Definitely propped upright.’

  ‘Maybe Rainey stopped at the bench and placed it there.’

  ‘We checked for fingerprints. Only found Rainey’s on it.’

  ‘Then it’s unlikely the killer took it from her and rested it there. I wonder why he left it behind,’ Natalie mused more to herself than Mike.

  ‘Can’t answer that. Maybe he forgot about it or didn’t know it was there or got startled and ran off, leaving it behind.’

  ‘You’re right. Could be any of those.’

  ‘We’ll examine the dress once Ben’s finished.’

  ‘I’m done,’ said Ben, turning up beside them. ‘I’m prepared to go out on a limb and say death was through asphyxiation caused by strangulation. Body has cooled to outside temperature, suggesting she died sometime yesterday afternoon or early evening. Rigor and lividity also suggest death took place about that time. There’s some substance under her fingernails. It's difficult to identify without a microscope, but I've taken swabs and will email you the results as soon as I have them. There’s bruising along her neckline, but I’ll look at that more closely in the laboratory.’

  ‘Any signs of struggle?’

  ‘There’s some discolouration on her left wrist and upper arm. Might have been caused by somebody restraining her. I’d like to examine it more thoroughly. Again, I’ll send you my full report as soon as possible.’

  ‘If you could. This has to take priority.’

  Ben and Mike moved back in the direction of the tree. Natalie returned to the entrance to Monks Walk, where she found Lucy waiting for her.

  ‘I dropped Murray at Uptown Primary School. Ian rang us on our way here and asked me to run this past you. He uncovered something when he was going through the list of girls in the same ballet class as Audrey and thought you’d want to know immediately.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Rainey used to attend Little Stars Dance Academy,’ said Lucy. ‘She was in that class but dropped out at the beginning of this year.’

  ‘Really? Then I think we need to talk to the owners again.’

  Carlton Kennedy was alone at the school, in jeans and a mauve shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He ushered them in and looked at them quizzically.

  ‘We don’t open until later. You were lucky to catch me here.’

  ‘I won’t beat around the bush. We’ve come to ask about another of your pupils, Rainey Kilburn.’

  ‘But she isn’t one of our pupils. What I mean is she hasn’t attended a class this year. She gave up ballet. She wasn’t really cut out for it.’

  ‘But she used to attend the same classes as Ava and Audrey.’

  ‘Has something happened to her?’

  ‘I’m afraid we can’t discuss that.’

  His eyes widened. ‘Something has happened, hasn’t it?’

  ‘Can you confirm your whereabouts yesterday afternoon?’

  ‘I was here. Teaching. From three o’clock until seven.’

  ‘And Bruce?’

  ‘He was here too.’

  ‘You saw him?’

  Carlton hesitated. ‘Not until I finished the classes, but of course he was here. There was no one else to man reception. Why are you asking me these questions? Is Rainey dead?’

  ‘I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to divulge any information but I would like to ascertain your husband’s whereabouts yesterday afternoon. Where can we find him?’

  ‘I don’t know. He’d already gone out by the time I got up. He didn’t say where he was headed.’

  ‘If he returns or rings you, would you please ask him to call me?’

  ‘What’s he supposed to have done?’

  ‘If you see him, ask him to call me, please.’

  Lucy screwed up her face. ‘You reckon Bruce could be involved?’

  ‘My gut says no but my head says we have to delve deeper. All three victims attended the dance academy. Bruce knew a bit about Ava and encouraged her to go to the party at the craft centre, then turned up at the same place, the very day she disappeared. Although he said he’d left by the time the party bega
n, we have no proof that was the case or any idea of where he really went after his meeting with Mark Randle. At the time Audrey went missing, he was apparently painting stage scenery. Although Carlton claimed to have seen him in between classes, he might have gone out and returned later. The dance studio is within walking distance of both Queen’s Park and Monks Walk. The problem I have is why? Why would he kill the girls? It doesn’t make sense.’

  ‘Unless he’s psychotic and hates little girls.’

  ‘True. We need to establish his whereabouts yesterday. I’ll phone him on my way to the station. I’m calling a meeting for two p.m. Can you and Murray get back from the school by then?’

  ‘I’m sure we can.’

  Natalie nodded. ‘Right. See you later.’

  She jumped into her Audi and watched Lucy pull away in the squad car. Lucy and Murray would both check out Rainey’s movements for yesterday afternoon, which meant she could concentrate on tracking down Bruce. She tried his mobile but it rang out so she put a call into the station and asked Ian to track down Bruce’s vehicle using ANPR and safety cameras in and around Uptown.

  Twenty-One

  FRIDAY, 28 APRIL – AFTERNOON

  Bruce Kennedy turned up within fifteen minutes of Natalie arriving at the police station. With Murray and Lucy out of the office, she took Ian to the interview with her, determined to get to the bottom of Bruce’s whereabouts. She was shocked at the studio owner’s appearance. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair dishevelled.

  ‘I got your message,’ he said. ‘Thought it would be better if I came to the station rather than talk to you over the phone. What’s this all about?’

  Natalie waited until he was sat down. ‘We need to establish where you were yesterday afternoon.’

  He rubbed a hand over his beard and sighed. ‘I was at the dance academy.’

  ‘All afternoon?’

  ‘I went out for a while at about four.’

  ‘Where did you go?’

  ‘For a walk. Not too far. I had to clear my head.’ He let out a heavy sigh.

  ‘Can you be a little more specific, please?’

  ‘Carlton’s no fool, and following your recent visit, he worked out I was keeping something back about the day Ava went missing. He kept needling me, asking me to tell him the truth, goading me, until I had no choice but to confess. I told him about being Mark’s sponsor and of course it all came out after that: the addiction, my recovery and so on. I don’t wish to go into the finer details but suffice to say, we had an almighty row before he took the first afternoon class. As soon as it began, I had to go outside to get some air.’

  ‘Where did you go?’

  He shrugged. ‘I did a circuit around Uptown. Took the path from the academy towards the clock tower and looped back via Jasmine Avenue and St Chad’s Road.’

  Natalie looked at Ian, who knew the area better than her. He spoke up. ‘That’s about a half an hour walk which takes you past Monks Walk.’

  ‘I don’t know where you mean.’

  ‘It’s a cut-through, a garden behind the old library.’

  ‘Library? Oh, yes! The arched entrance. Yes. I walked past it.’

  Ian deferred to Natalie once more.

  ‘What time would this have been?’

  ‘I genuinely don’t know. Maybe four thirty, four forty-five. I was too upset to be aware of what time it was. I’d just told my husband I was an addict; something I’d hidden from him all this time, and I was terrified he’d leave me over it.’

  Natalie put her hands together as if in prayer and rested them in front of her lips, all the while studying Bruce’s face. Could he be telling the truth?

  ‘I’d like you to give us a DNA sample,’ she said, eventually.

  Bruce’s mouth opened. ‘Why?’

  ‘You were in the vicinity of Monks Walk at around the same time a young girl was murdered there.’

  ‘No! A girl was murdered there? Yesterday? Oh no! I had nothing to do with her death. Believe me. Take the sample. It’ll prove it wasn’t me. I didn’t use Monks Walk.’

  ‘You could easily have diverted from your route,’ Natalie offered, staring hard at Bruce.

  ‘But I didn’t.’

  ‘Can you prove otherwise?’ Natalie asked.

  ‘What are you suggesting? I went out for a walk because I was upset about a row with my husband, got it into my head to kill a girl and went in search of one? That’s crazy!’

  Natalie spoke smoothly. ‘No, we’re not suggesting that at all. We’re merely trying to establish your movements yesterday afternoon. You might have seen somebody turning into or coming out of Monks Walk.’

  ‘I don’t recall seeing anybody.’

  Natalie allowed a moment of silence before she next spoke. ‘The young girl who was murdered yesterday. She was a pupil at the dance academy. You know her. Rainey Kilburn.’

  Bruce’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my God! That’s why you wanted to speak to me. Please believe me. I would never harm a child. I went out for a walk. I’ve never set foot on Monks Walk in all the time I’ve worked in Uptown. It’s not a pathway I’m familiar with. I was deep in thought about how to handle Carlton and worried sick about what had been said. I wasn’t paying attention to anything or anybody. That’s it. I swear. Wait! I bumped into Effie Downing. She can vouch for me.’

  ‘Effie Downing?’

  ‘She runs evening yoga classes at our centre. She’s Harriet Downing’s mother.’

  ‘Harriet Downing’s mother saw you walking past Monks Walk?’

  He shook his head to clear his thoughts. ‘Yes. We drew level by the old library and exchanged a few words. She must have seen me walking along the road past Monks Walk. I remember now. The library clock struck once, so it’d have been four thirty. Harriet had been sent home from school because she was very upset by Audrey’s death. Effie’s mother was looking after her until Effie could get home from work. She was eager to get off, so we parted and I headed straight back to the academy. I was back at reception before the pupils began to arrive for the next class. The first came in at quarter to five.’

  ‘We’ll talk to Mrs Downing to confirm that. I’d still like to take a sample to eliminate you from our enquiries.’

  He nodded his head in agreement.

  Outside she asked Ian if it were possible for Bruce to have made the round trip in the time he stated.

  ‘It’s all viable. There are CCTV cameras on the library so we can confirm he was there at the time he said he was,’ he said.

  ‘Get onto it. First, take the DNA sample and then release him.’

  Natalie took a quick stroll outside to collect her thoughts. When she returned, Ian was in the office looking at CCTV footage. He gave her a smile as she entered. ‘I swung by the tech boys. Mark Randle’s alibi checks out. They found him on footage going into Queen’s Park and back out again two minutes later. Also, they confirmed Justine Woodman, his ex-girlfriend, entered the park ahead of him with a man, and emerged ten minutes later with the same man and a teenage boy.’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘Another suspect eliminated. Soon we’ll be left with none.’ She’d barely sat down when her phone rang. It was David.

  ‘Josh’s headmaster wants to see us as soon as possible. Josh is being suspended.’

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘He says he’ll tell us when we get there.’

  ‘Christ!’ She took a moment to process the news. ‘David, you know I can’t just drop everything. You got any idea what this is about?’

  ‘None.’

  ‘It must be some mistake. Josh is no troublemaker. Look, I can possibly manage to see the head later today, but I have a meeting in an hour. I’d never get there and back in time.’

  ‘Natalie,’ David began, ‘Josh is in trouble. This is important.’

  ‘I know. I know it is. But there’s been another murder; another girl has been found.’ She waited, hoping he’d understand. He did.

  ‘Okay. I’ll sort it.’

&nbs
p; ‘Thanks, David. If I get the chance to come home for half an hour and see Josh, I’ll do that.’

  Natalie threw down her mobile. She couldn’t think straight. What the hell had Josh been up to?

  Ian looked up. ‘Do you believe what Bruce said?’

  ‘I think so. You found him yet?’

  ‘Not yet, but even if I do, it would still be possible for him to reach Monks Walk, kill Rainey and reappear on St Chad’s Road before four thirty.’

  ‘Only if he isn’t telling us the truth and went directly to Monks Walk, rather than take the route via the clock tower.’

  Natalie slumped into her chair and drummed her fingers against the desk. ‘But why? He’d have had to stumble upon Rainey. It would have had to have been a chance killing. And then there’s the dress. Did he have it with him when he went out or did he go back later and put it on her body?’

  Ian shrugged. ‘Took a chance going back, if that were the case.’

  ‘We got no other surveillance cameras in the area to confirm his movements?’

  ‘There’s only the one by the library.’

  ‘What about the academy itself? They must have some security cameras. Maybe we could get hold of their footage and see if Bruce left the premises carrying a dress or a bag containing the dress. No. If he dressed her, he’d surely have left behind DNA or some forensic evidence, even if he was wearing gloves, and he willingly gave us a sample. He wouldn’t do that unless he was certain of his innocence, would he? This is hopeless! Have we got a number for the Downings?’

  ‘Must have. We had all the numbers from Ava Sawyer’s file,’ said Ian, turning his full attention to the CCTV footage.

  Natalie rummaged through the folder containing all the information on Ava Sawyer until she found what she was looking for. She punched out the number and waited while it rang. Effie Downing answered. Natalie introduced herself and explained she was following up some information.

  ‘Could you confirm you saw Bruce Kennedy yesterday afternoon?’

  ‘I did. I was walking home from the health food shop where I work. I ran into him near the library and had a few words with him.’