The Upper Hand

by A L Fraine

  “I can’t say I disagree, but I’m not about to rub him the wrong way this early in my new job. Come on, let’s go speak with Miss Sawyer.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Walking into the interview room, Kate looked over at the slim form of Naomi, sitting on the opposite side of the table, and saw a more nervous and vulnerable version of the woman than she’d seen before.

  When she’d come in for her first interview, she’d been focused and keen to help, but this time, she did not look quite so sure.

  Kate thought calling these things interviews was something of a misnomer though. The word ‘interview’ suggested that the two sides were coming to the meeting as equals, about to discuss an exchange of ideas. But this was almost never the case.

  A better term, Kate thought, would be an interrogation. It was a more accurate term, and better described the dynamic that took place during these meetings.

  The interviewer—the police—wanted to know something, and the interviewee potentially had that info. So it was down to them to draw it out of people like Naomi.

  And that was probably why Naomi looked so nervous.

  She’d already been here. She’d already answered their questions, and yet, here she was again. It wouldn’t take a genius to guess that they wanted something more.

  If she’d lied, as they believed she had, then it was likely Naomi was nervous about revealing something she wanted to keep quiet.

  At least, that’s what Kate hoped. She hoped that Naomi had something useful or interesting to tell them. Something that might propel their case forward and lead to some kind of breakthrough.

  “Miss Sawyer, thank you for coming in today. We just have a few more questions for you regarding the death of Jordan Donaldson based on information that we have since acquired,” Nathan said. “I will be interviewing you under caution, though, meaning you do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”

  “Am I in trouble?” she asked.

  Kate got the feeling she’d had chats with the police before, chats that might have not been very friendly.

  “No,” Kate answered quickly, making sure to get that in before Nathan said anything. Right now, Naomi wasn’t in trouble, so it wasn’t a lie, but if something came up during this interrogation, then that could, of course, change.

  “So, I could leave if I wanted?”

  “Should you wish to,” Kate answered, and stole a quick glance at Nathan, who was watching Naomi intensely. “You’re not under arrest, and we can provide you with a solicitor if you like.”

  Naomi looked between them and then nodded. “No, I’m fine. Alright. How can I help?”

  Kate took her seat beside Nathan, opposite Naomi, and readied her notebook. She also opened up a laptop she’d taken from the office upstairs, and logged in, preparing a key piece of evidence.

  Looking up at Nathan, he nodded for her to begin.

  “How are you holding up?” Kate asked, choosing a soft approach to begin with, given Naomi’s clear nervousness.

  Naomi nodded. “I’m okay,” she replied with a brief smile

  “I know it’s difficult. Losing someone is never easy,” Kate sympathised.

  Naomi gave her a smile and nodded. “I just don’t understand why someone would do this to him. Jordan’s been nothing but good to people. I don’t know anyone who’d have anything against him.”

  “Oh?” Kate answered. “What about your ex, Steve?”

  Naomi seemed to come up short as she opened her mouth to answer, but no reply was forthcoming.

  “Seems to me that he might have a problem with Jordan.”

  Naomi frowned. “And why’s that?” she asked, as she seemed to overcome her surprise and regain her composure. “Why would having a job cause Steve to get jealous?”

  “Naomi. You were more than just an employee for Jordan, weren’t you?”

  “I’m quite sure I don’t know what you mean,” Naomi protested, looking somewhat scandalised.

  “You didn’t go to the office the other night just to work, did you?” Nathan asked, joining in the questioning.

  “You were there for something more… intimate,” Kate pressed.

  Naomi pulled a shocked expression. “How dare you!”

  “We know you were having an affair with Jordan, Naomi. We’ve seen the emails between you two, we have an eyewitness who saw you kissing, and then there’s the DNA evidence.”

  Naomi frowned, staring at Kate as she spoke.

  “It’s easier if you admit to it, Naomi. We know what you two were doing, and if you lie to us now, it’s just going to make us more suspicious of you. After all, why lie, unless you have something to hide?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t have anything to hide. I’m not the killer.”

  “Good, I hope not. But if you have nothing to hide, then you won’t mind being a little more forthcoming about your relationship with Jordan, and what was really going on between you two.”

  Naomi let out a dramatic sigh, as if this was the biggest inconvenience of her life, and looked to the ceiling.

  “Alright, fine. Yes, Jordan and I were seeing either other. Alright? Is that what you want to hear?”

  “That’s part of it,” Nathan answered.

  “How long had it been going on?” Kate continued.

  “A few months. We’d flirted for a while after I took the job. It was nice, you know? Brought back memories of what it had been like at school. Back before we had all these responsibilities. I don’t think either of us meant for it to go any further.”

  “But it did,” Kate stated.

  “Yeah. I was just in his office one day, going over something to do with work. I can’t remember what. A lettings agreement or something. Anyway, we got close, our hands touched, and one thing led to another…” Naomi explained, smiling at the memory.

  “But it didn’t stop there?”

  “We pulled apart fairly quickly. I guess Jordan felt guilty. I did too. I knew he was married. But it happened again not long after.”

  “Didn’t you feel bad, knowing he had a wife?”

  She sighed again. “Yeah. I did. Probably not as bad as he did, but yeah, I didn’t feel good about it. I couldn’t stop myself, though. It was fun. Dangerous. I enjoyed it.”

  “Then you worked late with him one night?”

  She nodded. “It was only about two weeks after that first kiss. It became our thing. We’d meet up at the office, do a little work if it needed doing, and then spend some time together in his office.”

  “And you didn’t try to call it off?”

  “Yeah, he did. But I guess he couldn’t stop himself.”

  “And you didn’t want to stop?”

  Naomi shrugged with a thin smile. “I liked him. I liked the intimacy. He was gentle and kind, and just not at all like Steve.”

  “And yet, you lied to us about it. Why?” Nathan asked.

  Naomi seemed to deflate as her train of thought switched tracks. “Because of Steve. He never did really stop harassing me, but it did die down. I saw him around a bit. Here and there. He’d follow me…” She paused as if she had difficulty talking about it.

  “What happened between you two?” Kate asked. “You said you met Steve at school?” Kate hoped that by getting her to think about her early days with Steve, and tell the story, all the details would spill out of her.

  Naomi nodded. “We were great together at first. Steve was a beautiful young man when we first met. Full of ambition and drive to make a name for himself. He wanted to be a chef, you know. He was so good at cooking.

  “Did Jordan and Steve know each other?” Kate asked, hoping she wasn’t pushing her luck by asking the question.

  “Yeah. They did. We all kind of knew each other. I mean, I went to a different school, but we met up before and after, and in later years when we were allowed out at lunch break we’d see each othe
r then. So, yeah, they knew each other.”

  “Were they friends?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t know about that. I think Steve was a bit scared of Jordan, actually. Jordan was taller and into sports. Steve liked cooking. I think Jordan might have thought of Steve as a bit of a wimp.”

  “Did Jordan bully him?”

  “Um, no. I don’t think so. There was banter and jokes. You know, that kind of thing. We all did it, though. It was just harmless fun, no one wanted to hurt anyone.”

  “You all did it?” Nathan asked.

  “Yeah. We made fun of each other. It was just kids being kids, though.”

  “So, school came to an end, and then what?” Kate continued.

  “After school, Steve pursued his dream and became a chef. Later he bought his own restaurant and ran his own business. But it didn’t work out as he hoped it would. The business began to fail, and he turned to drink. That’s when he started to get violent. I didn’t stay long after that. We separated.”

  “But he didn’t leave you alone?” Kate asked.

  “No, he didn’t.”

  “That’s when you logged those complaints with us?”

  “That’s right,” Naomi replied. “He’d follow me, confront me, get abusive. I just wanted to get away from him.”

  “Where did you go?” Kate asked.

  “To a women’s shelter,” she answered, looking into the middle distance as she thought back. “Those were better times. He couldn’t get to me there. I was safe. He backed off eventually, but I couldn’t stay. The shelter had some arrangements with property developers so those of us that were able, could try to move on. So, that’s what I did. I got the job at Donaldson’s shortly after that.”

  “And Steve?” Nathan inquired.

  “He found me. I don’t know how. Maybe he saw me in town or something, but he confronted me a little while ago and has been making a nuisance of himself ever since.”

  “Is he violent?” Kate asked.

  “He hasn’t been since the shelter.”

  “Does he know where you live?”

  “I don’t think so. He knows where I work, though.”

  “I see,” Kate replied, suspicion in her voice. “So, he must have recognised Jordan?”

  “Yeah, maybe, I guess,” Naomi replied.

  “Do you know where Steve lives these days?”

  “Not really, no. But he looks a mess. Like, really a mess. He stinks too. I keep thinking that maybe he’s homeless.”

  “Or living in a squat or shelter?” Nathan suggested.

  Naomi nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

  “What about the occult?” Kate asked.

  “The what?” Naomi looked confused at her question, frowning at her.

  “Does Steve have any interest in the occult?”

  “What do you mean by occult?” Naomi didn’t seem any the wiser.

  “I mean like witchcraft, Paganism, ghosts?”

  “What’s that got to do with this?” Naomi replied.

  “The killer appears to have killed Jordan in a manner that suggests some occult knowledge. Has Steve ever expressed an interest in the occult?” Nathan asked.

  “Um, not that I’m aware of… No, wait. We did do some of that séance stuff back in school. You know, just silly stuff, like moving a cup around a board as we asked questions. It’s all codswallop though, isn’t it,” Naomi said.

  “So, he knew a little about the occult?” Nathan continued.

  “I don’t know. I never saw anything like that while we were married. He didn’t seem interested in that kind of thing at all.”

  “Could he have kept that interest hidden from you?”

  Naomi shrugged. “I guess if he had really wanted to.”

  “What about the affair between you and Jordan. Could he have known about that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe? I know he was watching the office. I noticed him hanging around outside a couple of times. He might have read into things.”

  “Alright,” Nathan answered.

  “You think he killed Jordan, don’t you?” Naomi accused them.

  “Someone did, and right now, the one with the biggest motive is Steve.”

  “I can see how you’d think that,” Naomi replied.

  Kate frowned. “And you don’t?”

  “Alright, yes, he was a little violent with me a couple of times, but I honestly don’t think he’d kill someone. That’s just not him, you know?”

  “Can you be sure?” Kate asked.

  “How can you be sure about anything in life? No, I can’t be sure. Maybe he’s gone full psycho, but that was not the man I knew.”

  “When you first met him, did you think he was capable of hitting you?” Nathan asked, pressing the issue.

  “Alright, no, I guess not,” Naomi conceded.

  “So how can you be sure he wouldn’t kill someone if he were pushed far enough?”

  Naomi shrugged. “No, you’re right. I guess we’ve all got it in us.”

  Nathan nodded. “Jealousy can make people do some pretty crazy things.”

  CHAPTER 20

  “Does he look the part to you?” Kate asked as they made their way back up to the team's main room. She held up her phone which had a photo of Steve Brewster on it that Naomi had texted to her.

  “What do killers look like, really? They can be anyone,” Nathan said.

  “Alright, smart arse. Do you think he did it? Do you think he killed Jordan?”

  “It’s all looking pretty damning, isn’t it?” Nathan answered as they climbed the stairs.

  Kate stopped showing the photo to Nathan and took one final look at the image. “We need to find him and quickly.”

  “We’ve got officers out there looking for him,” Nathan said.

  “I think we need to do more than that, though. He could be anywhere. It could be days before we find him. He might kill again before then.”

  “So, what do you suggest?”

  “There’s media interest in this murder, so let’s use that. Let’s get the press to work for us.”

  “You want to issue a statement to them and give them Steve’s picture?”

  “Do you have a better idea?”

  Nathan grumbled as they approached the door to their office space. “We’re checking out all the local squats and places that the homeless tend to gather. We’ve got plenty of people on the job.”

  “You know as well as I do, that we probably don’t know half the squats in this city, nor all the places where the homeless sleep,” Kate countered.

  Nathan grumbled, muttering something, but Kate couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  “You know I’m right on this. Look, I know you don’t like the press, but they do have their uses.”

  “Alright, fine. Let’s do it. We’ll issue a statement to the press and give them the photo.”

  “Who’s issuing a statement to the press?” Kate looked up to see DI Mason walking over. They’d been crossing the Murder Team’s main office, making for their desks as they talked.

  “We need to find someone. Naomi’s ex-husband, Steven Brewster. We have reason to suspect that he might be the killer, but we have no idea where he might be.”

  “None at all?”

  “We think he’s homeless, so maybe he’s in a squat somewhere.”

  “We have officers on that right now though, don’t we?” Sam asked.

  “We do, sir,” Kate replied. “But I think this might go a lot smoother and quicker if we use the press to our advantage. Someone out there will know where Steve is.”

  “I have expressed my reservations about this to DC O’Connell,” Nathan said.

  Sam looked over at Nathan. “Have you?” He seemed to consider this for a moment, and then looked back at Kate. “Well, I think you might be right, Kate. I think leveraging the press is a great idea.”

  Kate smiled at her superior officer and glanced sideways at Nathan who’d stepped back, out of Sam’s eyeline. He winked at her. />
  Had he just manipulated Sam into agreeing with her plan?

  “Thank you, sir,” Kate replied, looking back at DI Mason.

  “As it’s your idea, how about you read the statement to the press?”

  Kate’s smile dropped from her face. “Um, me sir?”

  “Why not? It’s your idea. I’m sure you can draft a statement and read it out to them.”

  Kate’s mind raced at the thought of going out there and talking to the media. She’d never done such a thing before, but she guessed now was as good a time as any. It was her idea, after all. Still, as much as she tried to rationalise it in her own mind, her body had ideas of its own as her heart rate increased and the butterflies took flight in her belly.

  “I guess so,” Kate answered, looking to Nathan for help.

  Nathan gave her a thin smile and shrugged, spreading his hands wide, palms upturned. He could have stepped in and insisted that he do it instead of her, given he’d been on the force much longer than she had, but he’d already made his own dislike for the press quite clear, and she guessed he would not be stepping up to take this off her hands.

  “Good. I think you’ll do a great job representing this department, Kate. I’ll look forward to watching it. I’ll get everything arranged for you and let you know what time you’re speaking to them. All you need to do is prepare your statement. Alright?”

  “Should I take questions?” Kate asked, feeling unsure how these things were usually handled. She’d seen enough of them on TV though, so maybe this wouldn’t be the shit-show she feared.

  “I’ll leave that up to you,” DI Mason replied with a flicker of a smile. “Go prepare your statement, I’ll be in touch shortly.”

  Kate nodded and moved towards her desk and Nathan. “He did that on purpose, didn’t he?”

  Nathan nodded. “I think so, yes. Maybe he doesn’t like you working with me, or it’s his way of getting to me.”

  “Does he think he might get you to take over for me?”

  “That could be what he’s hoping for.”

  “You’re not going to do that though, are you?” Kate asked.

  “Sorry, no. I hate these things. Besides, I’m confident you’ll do a great job of it.”