The Upper Hand

by A L Fraine

  “You like balls?” Kate quipped back at him.

  Nathan rolled his eyes. “So, I meant to ask,” Nathan said, swivelling his chair around to face her, and glancing up at the post-it note on the board. “At the crime scene yesterday, you seemed to come over a little ill, or upset. Are you squeamish at all?”

  “No, no. Nothing like that,” she replied as she cast about for an answer that didn’t involve explaining her past to him. “I… I think it was just some first day nerves, you know? Everything just built up, and a murder on my first day just made me feel a little light-headed, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Alright. As long as that’s all it is.”

  “Seriously, I’m fine. Don’t worry, it was nothing,” she insisted, but looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze at that moment while she hunted for a way to change the subject. “Any news on that photo?”

  “Actually, yes, there is. The blood tests threw up a DNA match. Mark Summers,” Nathan explained and paused as he let that information sink in.

  Kate frowned. “Mark Summers?” she asked, trying to place the name. It felt familiar. And then it clicked. “The man who was kidnapped three weeks ago?”

  Nathan smiled. “That’s him,” he replied and showed her a side-by-side comparison of the Polaroid and a photo of Mark taken in a pub looking happy and relaxed.

  “So it is. I knew I’d seen his face before. So, what’s happening with his case?”

  “The skipper has been in touch with their SIO and has arranged for them to send over what they know. We’ll do the same, but they’ll stay separate cases for now. We’ll probably bring them in on this if we find any concrete links to Mark’s whereabouts.”

  “Do you think Mark and Jordan knew one another?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve asked the officers on his case to check, so I guess we’ll find out.”

  “Are we not going to speak with Mark’s family at all?”

  “We could, but the officers on that case already have a rapport with Mark’s family, so I’m leaving that side of things up to them for now.”

  “Sure, I understand. So, more interviews today, then?”

  “That’s right. We need to talk to the people at the Estate Agency and see what shakes loose,” Nathan answered.

  Kate got up and approached the board to look at the photos tacked up of all the people who either worked at the office or had been there yesterday morning. Their names were listed beneath each photo.

  Kate’s eyes scanned over the images, lingering on Naomi Sawyer, Robyn Boyce, and Kay Seward.

  “I’m not sure I believe Naomi about her relationship with Jordan being purely professional,” Kate said as she looked at the pretty brunette’s photo.

  “Me neither. I think something’s going on there.”

  Kate nodded. “Old high school friends meeting up years later when his wife’s fallen pregnant? I’d happily bet money on them having an affair. It’s too convenient.”

  “But why lie?” Nathan asked. “If Naomi was shagging him, why wouldn’t she tell us? It only incriminates her if she’s not being honest.”

  Kate shrugged. “I’m not sure. I guess we need to keep digging.”

  “We will. I’ve got some officers trying to find Steve, Naomi’s ex.”

  “Good call. If Jordan and Naomi were having an affair, do you think Joanna knows about it?”

  “I don’t know. Probably not,” Nathan answered her.

  “I’m not so sure. I think she might have known,” Kate said.

  “Then she lied to us too.”

  Kate nodded. “So how many people do we have to speak to?”

  “Six. Kay, Hunter, Chris, Darcy, Robyn who all work at the office, and the property owner, Wilson. We’ll get statements from the two customers who were in there yesterday as well.”

  “That’s a lot to fit in. Can we get some help?”

  “Way ahead of you.”

  ***

  “Alright, thanks for helping with this,” Nathan said to DC Rachel Arthur, who had joined them at their desks.

  “No problem. I read up on the case. Makes a change and gets me out of the office,” she answered with a smile. “Good to work with you again, too.”

  “Jealous?” Nathan replied.

  Rachel smiled. “Oh, but of course. You know I do nothing but sit over there and pine for you all day long.”

  “I’d suspected as much. DI Burnham not doing it for you?”

  Rachel raised an eyebrow as she continued to smile. “Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”

  “You don’t kiss and tell then?” Nathan joked.

  Rachel made a zipping motion over her lips.

  “When you two love birds have finished making eyes at each other,” Kate cut in, “these are the people you’ll be interviewing, DC Arthur.”

  “She’s got the measure of us, it seems.” Rachel said to Nathan as she took the file from Kate and opened it.

  “Smart as a tack, this one,” Nathan commented.

  “I’m pretty sure that’s sharp as a tack, actually,” Kate corrected him.

  “See what I mean?” Nathan said.

  “She’ll go far, with pedantry like that,” Rachel agreed.

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Piss off yeh twats.”

  Rachel laughed. “So, which lucky souls get to enjoy my scintillating conversational skills?”

  “You’re interviewing Chris Hewitt and Darcy Bain. They’re employed at the Estate Agency that Jordan, our victim, owned. You’ve also got the two customers who were in the office that morning. We’ll do the rest.”

  “Wilco, mon capi-tan,” Rachel said with a grin. “I’ll head off now and keep you updated with anything relevant.”

  “Great, thanks,” Nathan replied as Rachel strode off. He turned to Kate. “Shall we get going?”

  ***

  “What?!” Kay said as she pulled open the door nearly thirty seconds after Kate had rung the doorbell, holding a phone to her ear. Her hair was dishevelled, and her clothing wasn’t much better. It was quite a departure from her slick, professional appearance when Kate had seen her in the office.

  She looked stressed.

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realise…” she apologised upon recognising them and seeing their warrant cards. “Um, come in,” she said, leading them inside. “Yeah, sorry, they’re here now. Thanks. Bye,” Kay said, ending the call.

  Kate glanced at Nathan, who pulled a face at her that told her he thought Kay’s appearance and demeanour were surprising. Kate bobbed her eyebrows and followed Kay inside. Noticing spotless cream carpets, Kate took a moment to give her shoes a proper shuffle on the mat and then decided to take them off anyway.

  Kay smiled, apparently pleased with Kate’s choice. Nathan did the same behind her with a grunt of annoyance.

  “Everything okay, Mrs Seward?” Kate asked as she followed Kay into her living room. Kate took a seat on the sofa, finding a gap amidst the throw cushions that took up almost the whole thing. Nathan did the same with another muttered grumble.

  “I’m fine,” Kay answered, perching on the edge of a seat opposite them and dropping her head into her hands. “Just a little stressed is all. Trying to run this business on my own from home isn’t easy. Made even harder by idiots leaving grotesque photos on my doorstep.”

  “Sorry, what?” Kate asked.

  Kay picked up an envelope from the coffee table and handed it to Nathan. “It’s what I was on the phone about. I just called the police about it when you two turned up.”

  Kate felt Nathan nudge her with his elbow. She glanced down to see him pulling the envelope open. Inside was another Polaroid, again showing Mark Summers looking beaten and starved. Below that, written on the white border, was a number and a word.

  2 Days.

  Kate nodded in acknowledgement and looked back to Kay. “This arrived today, did it?”

  “I found it on my doorstep, not ten, fifteen minutes ago. I’d not stepped outside befor
e then, so it could have been there all night.”

  “Do you have any cameras or did you hear anything?” Nathan asked, being careful about how he handled the envelope.

  “No, nothing like that. The first I knew about it was when I opened the front door this morning. Does this have anything to do with Jordan?”

  “Um, we’re not sure yet, investigations are ongoing, and I can’t talk about things in any great detail. What about the man in the photograph. Do you recognise him?”

  Kay shook her head. “No, sorry. Should I?”

  “No. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Is it from the killer? Has he been here, on my property?” Kay asked, her voice rising in pitch as the idea took root. “Am I next?”

  “Please, try not to worry. We’ll look at getting a uniformed officer placed outside your house for a day or so. Would that help?”

  Kay nodded, her fears mollified for the time being. “Oh my, I can’t quite believe he’s gone. After all these years, it’s utter madness. I mean, who would want to kill him? Look, I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been there from the beginning when he first set it all up. I’m really not sure what we’re going to do, you know?”

  Kate offered a consolatory smile. “I understand. May we ask you a few questions?”

  “Of course. Sorry. Didn’t mean to burden you with my problems. What do you need to know?”

  “Your full name is Kay Evelyn Seward and you’re married with two children?”

  “That’s right. They’re older though, they’ve moved out.”

  “Okay. And you’ve been working at the Donaldson’s Estate Agency for eight years?”

  “From day one.” She smiled to herself. “Those were the best days when it was just the two of us. No politics, just the dream of a successful business.”

  “So, did you know Jordan was working late the night he was murdered?”

  Kay nodded. “Yes, I knew about it. He’s something of a workaholic. Always putting in extra hours and making sure everything got done when it needed to. The success of the business is mainly down to him, you know.”

  “Were you aware that Naomi Sawyer was coming in to work with him?”

  “No. But plenty of us do help out. He’s very fair about it and makes sure we get paid overtime.”

  “So, it’s not unusual for him to do that?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Were you aware of Jordan having any kind of relationship with Naomi?”

  “Nothing beyond a typical working relationship, no. Jordan was a professional businessman and a kind, gentle person. He would never do anything to hurt Jo.”

  “You mean Joanna, his wife?”

  “She’s pregnant, you know. He’d never cheat on her in her condition.”

  “We understand,” Nathan cut in. “We’re just trying to get a sense of who he was and his relationships. Most murder victims are killed by people they know, usually family or friends, so we need to be sure.”

  “I understand, but I don’t like his name being dragged through the mud. Jordan was a good man.”

  “Of course,” Nathan answered.

  “So where were you on the night in question?” Kate asked.

  “I was here, at home with my husband. We were in all night,” Kay answered.

  “We’ll need to speak to your husband, you understand?”

  “Of course, he’ll be back later.”

  Kate nodded. “We’ll send someone over to take a statement from him.”

  Kay nodded with a sigh. “That’s fine. So, when do you think we’ll be able to get back into the office?”

  CHAPTER 10

  “By the looks of things, you were right to assume the earlier deadline,” Kate said as they approached the building ahead on foot. “Now, it’s just two days.”

  Nathan gave her a troubled look.

  “He, or she, I guess, is taunting us,” Kate said.

  “Or they,” Nathan added.

  “Or they,” Kate agreed. “But why send it to Kay? Does that mean she’s next?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure what this guy’s game is yet. The taunting messages are not uncommon for a serial killer, though. Anyway, she’ll have an officer at her house for the next few days, so hopefully, that will set her mind at ease and deter the killer.”

  Kate nodded as they reached the door and pressed the buzzer beside a label with the name Hunter West written on it.

  “Hello?” said a voice over the intercom.

  “Hunter West?” Kate asked.

  “That’s right,” the man replied.

  “It’s the Police, we’re here to talk to you about Jordan Donaldson.”

  “Oh, okay, come on up,” Hunter replied. The intercom clicked off as the lock on the door buzzed open. Kate led the way in with Nathan right behind her. Hunter lived in the upstairs flat in a large detached house, and as they walked into the downstairs hallway and looked up the stairs directly in front of them, Hunter stepped out of his front door and gave them a weak smile.

  Kate smiled back and led the way up the carpeted steps. The décor was very dated and had seen better days, but she’d been in worse places.

  As she approached the top, she looked up to see Hunter watching her. His eyes flicked up from further down her body, but he showed no signs of embarrassment for having been caught checking her out.

  Kate showed him her warrant card on reaching the top of the stairs. “I’m DC O’Connell, and this is DS Halliwell. May we come in?”

  “Of course.” He moved back into his place and allowed her and Nathan inside with a brief greeting as they passed him.

  Kate found herself in a kitchen-diner that appeared to stretch to the back of the house, and stood in stark contrast to the look of the hallway outside.

  The place was well maintained with clean, modern décor and a very minimalist look to it. She felt surprised and actually quite impressed. It was clearly some kind of bachelor pad though, with the framed movie posters on the walls and the gaming controllers on the coffee table.

  Apart from possibly needing a woman’s touch, it was nice.

  “Can I get you a drink? A coffee maybe?” Hunter asked.

  “No, thanks,” Kate replied.

  “I’ll pass,” Nathan added.

  Hunter shrugged. “Suit yourselves. I was wondering when you might come to visit.”

  “We’re making our rounds, Mr West,” Kate replied.

  “Please, sit,” Hunter said, gesturing to the sofa as he took a seat. Kate noticed he was looking at her much more than at Nathan, and felt like he was undressing her with his mind.

  “And please, call me Hunter,” he continued, giving her a more suggestive one-sided smile.

  Kate took her seat beside Nathan and was already starting to get an idea of what kind of man Hunter was.

  “I’d like to just confirm a few details, and then we have a few questions about the death of Jordan Donaldson, okay?”

  “Fire away,” he replied.

  “Could you give me your full name, please?”

  Hunter answered Kate’s questions, confirming his identity and a few other details, without issue.

  “So tell me about your relationship with Jordan Donaldson?”

  “We’re mates. I joined the business about five years ago. I didn’t know him before then, but we became mates pretty quickly, really. A similar sense of humour maybe?”

  “So, you’re mates then?”

  “Yeah. We’re not shagging or anything.”

  Kate couldn’t help the slight tick of confusion at his comment, but she let it slide.

  “So tell me about your whereabouts on the night of Jordan’s death, on the seventh,” Kate asked.

  “I was with some other mates at the pub. A few of us came back here for some Fifa, and then I hit the sack.”

  “Fifa?” Kate asked, the reference passing her by.

  Hunter picked up a controller on the table and waved it at her. “Fifa 2018. Football game.”


  “I see. Okay. And your friends will confirm that for us, will they?”

  “Yep.”

  “Can I have their details please?”

  Hunter nodded and gave her a few names and numbers which they would chase up later. “They’ll get a kick out of knowing I gave their numbers to a pretty cop.”

  Kate finished scribbling in her pad and looked up, an eyebrow raised. “Will they?” she answered, her tone flat.

  “Are you single?” he asked.

  “Mr West, that is none of your business, and I would ask that you stick to answering our questions and not getting sidetracked.”

  Hunter nodded. “Yeah, alright.”

  “So, how did Mr Donaldson seem to you in the days leading up to his death? Did you notice anything strange?”

  “No, not really. He seemed quite normal to me.”

  “So, no strange behaviour? He didn’t seem stressed or worried about anything?” Nathan added.

  “No, nothing. He was fine.”

  “So, tell me about Naomi Sawyer,” Kate asked.

  “Naomi? Um, she’s a work friend. Nice girl.”

  “Was Jordan close to her?”

  “Oh. I see what you’re getting at. Yeah, Jordan liked her. They’d known each other at school, I think. Before he met Joanna. Dated for a while back then.”

  “What about more recently?” Kate asked. “Did he say anything to you about them seeing each other?”

  “We talked about her. You know, just guy stuff. He thought she was fit, and she is.”

  “And that was it? It was just talk? He never mentioned having an affair with her or anything?”

  “Nah. We just talked.”

  “Would Jordan talk with anyone else in the office about her? What about Chris? Were they close?”

  Hunter let out a short, loud laugh. “Hah! Nah, love. He wouldn’t say anything to that queer.”

  “Excuse me,” Kate answered, a little surprised at the turn of phrase.

  “Chris is a woofter. He’s gay.”

  “I’m aware of what queer means,” Kate answered him, giving him an accusatory look. She didn’t like his bigoted tone.

  “Aaah, good. Well, no. He wouldn’t talk to Chris. Chris hangs out with the girls more than with me or Jordan.”