by Emily Selby
'Incident? What incident?' Miriam's voice reached a screeching pitch. 'Is he okay?' Miriam pushed Katie's arm away and thrust herself towards her husband. Chris jumped to his feet and blocked her path.
'Sorry, Mrs Fischer, could you please, stay away for the moment. You might contaminate the evidence.”
“Evidence? Evidence of what?”
Chris ignored Miriam’s strident question and turned to face the confused man. 'Mr Fischer,' he touched Julian’s shoulder, 'let's go somewhere warm to talk. Miriam will come with us.'
But Julian Fischer remained motionless, staring at Chris with the same vacant look on his pale, long face. Chris patted him on the back.
'Come on, old chap. Let's get out of the cold, eh?' he said quietly. The older man pushed himself away from the bin and moved forward.
'This way, please,' Chris said, leading Julian Fischer gently towards the back of the building. He beckoned for Katie to bring Miriam and follow him.
Katie, her heart hammering again against her chest, made a step, grabbing Miriam's sleeve again.
'What happened?' Miriam whispered into Katie's ear.
'I found Julian with a pair of stained scissors standing over a stabbed body.'
Miriam's body stiffened. She whipped her arm from Katie's grip.
'This is not true,' she said, her voice trembling. 'Julian would have never... Who was it, anyway?'
'I've no idea. I've never seen the dead man before.'
Miriam started crying, and they marched towards the police car in a silence punctuated only by Miriam's sobs.
3
When they reached the police station, Julian and Miriam disappeared with Chris while Katie waited at reception. She considered texting Jack to check if he was attending the crime scene, but knowing he'd be very busy, she decided against it. She called Mrs O'Brien to ask whether Julia, who was having a play date with Ines, could stay with them a little longer. Fortunately, it wasn't a problem. Being a single parent had some challenges, and Katie was eternally grateful for Mrs O'Brien's support.
It could be awhile before Katie was able to leave the police station.
Thoughts swirled through Katie's head and her stomach was so twisted, she feared it might snap at any time. She had been involved in quite a few murder mysteries over the previous few months, but this was the first time she’d found someone standing over the body, potentially holding the murder weapon.
Did Julian really kill the man?
To keep herself busy and distracted she went to the staffroom and prepared two cups of tea. One could never go wrong with a cup of tea when dealing with upset people. She was about to put the steaming mugs on the tray when Chris strode into the office.
'Oh, you've made tea, thank you,' he said. 'I'll take it to them.'
'What's happening?' Katie asked anxiously.
Chris ran his hand through his strawberry blond hair. 'It's not looking too good. I've got to call the mental health team. Julian's not speaking at all, clearly distressed. He's not been doing well for some time.'
'What does it all mean?'
'I am thinking of invoking section 136 of the Mental Health Act. He has to be assessed. I have talked to your– I mean to DI Heaton,' Chris corrected himself promptly.
Katie blinked. Her curiosity took over and she ignored the unfinished comment. 'So, you are not taking him into custody? Did he do it?'
Chris spread his arms and shrugged. 'I've no idea, lass. He's not talking at all. He just sits there with a blank, frightened look on his face. DI Heaton is coming to have a word with him, but I can tell you, it won’t help. Julian needs to be in a hospital.'
'Do you think he could have done it?'
Chris sighed. 'The victim was stabbed. I understand you found Julian, I mean, Mr Fischer near the body, holding a pair of scissors?' He looked at her.
Katie nodded.
'Was there anyone else around?' Chris asked. 'I need to take the full statement from you. Sorry, I haven't had time yet, but I've been very busy trying to get Julian to a place of safety.'
'No, there was no one around. I didn't see anything or anyone suspicious around either,' Katie explained. 'Do we know who the dead man was?'
'It's been a bit messy, I need to wait for Celia to return with the photos. But when I asked Mr Fischer if he knew the victim, he shut his eyes tight and wouldn't look at me.'
The back door squeaked.
'Evening, Sir. Glad you're here,' Chris said when DI Jack Heaton appeared in the door.
Katie smiled. The handsome inspector never failed to make her heart beat faster.
'Good evening, team,' Jack greeted them. He acknowledged Katie with a smile. 'Celia is coming with the camera any minute. Can you tell me what happened, Katie?'
She gave him a brief summary of her discovery.
'Do you know who the victim is?' Jack asked her.
'Afraid not. I don't think I have seen him around.'
'I'm going to talk to Mr Fischer now,' Jack said and disappeared. Chris grabbed the tray with the mugs from Katie.
'I'll get one for him,' he said taking one of the mugs and handing it back to Katie. 'That's for your friend. I think Heaton will try to talk to Mr Fischer by himself first.'
Katie wrapped her hands around the hot mug. She was dreading another conversation with Miriam. Her friend had been highly strung lately. The stress from caring for Julian, who had been refusing medical help, running the increasingly popular cafe, and lots of other things. Her decision to step down as the president of their club was inevitable and certainly the right thing to do.
And now - this. Poor Miriam had to be at the end of her tether.
Chris opened the door for Katie. She left the staffroom carrying the tea.
Katie found Miriam in the hallway by the interview room. Her friend's face was red and puffy. She’d clearly been crying all that time. Her shoulders were still shaking.
'Katie, my dear! I’m so, so frightened. I don't understand what's happened. I don't understand why Julian’s not speaking. Any idea how long this will take?'
'Let's go and sit somewhere more comfortable,' Katie said glancing at Chris who gave her a nod. 'We'll be in reception,' she said to Chris and tapped Miriam on the shoulder. 'Come on, Miriam, they'll find you when they need you. I'm sure the inspector will deal with the situation as tactfully and as promptly as possible.'
But Miriam stood as if frozen on the spot.
'Is he safe?' Miriam asked, looking at Chris.
'Absolutely,' Chris reassured her.
Katie put her arm around Miriam's shoulders and gently led her into the reception area. They sat on the chairs by the radiator, and Katie passed the steaming mug to Miriam. She wanted to say something soothing and reassuring but struggled to find the right words. She didn't understand what was happening either.
They sat in silence, punctuated by Miriam's sniffing and sipping tea.
A few minutes later the door open, and Jack strolled across the room. He was holding a piece of paper. He sat beside Miriam.
'Mrs Fischer? he asked quietly.
Miriam lifted her head and looked at him. 'Yes?'
'I have to ask this. Has your husband had any mental health problems?'
'Yes, with his memory,' Miriam replied, her voice trembling. 'For many months. But he's been refusing medical help.'
'Just as we suspected. Your husband needs to be assessed by the mental health team, by a psychiatrist.'
Miriam heaved a sigh. 'It should have happened ages ago, but they kept telling me they couldn't do it without his consent. They kept telling me, there was not enough risk to justify any actions against his will. Here's your risk now - you have it,' Miriam rattled on. 'At least he'll be assessed properly now. Shame it had to come to this,' she added, calmer.
'I'm sorry about the circumstances of this incident, Mrs Fischer,' Jack said. 'I realise how upsetting it is for him and for you. I’ll take you through to your husband in a minute, but first I'd like to ask you a ques
tion.' He opened a folded paper and passed it across. Katie glanced at the paper. It was the photo of the dead man.
'Do you know this man?' Jack asked.
Miriam inhaled sharply. It sounded like a whistle. Her face drained of blood, and her shoulder shook again. Katie rested a hand on her friend's back.
'Yes,' Miriam whispered, her voice sounding hollow. 'He’s my brother-in-law, Benjamin. He's Julian’s half-brother. He's been staying with us since Friday.'
She let out another sob.
4
Jack took Miriam back to the interview room and returned within moments. 'I need to talk to you, Katie. Are you all right?' he asked, looking at her with care in his blue eyes. 'You look pale, Katie.' He stretched his hand and touched her cheek. The warmth of his fingertips tingled her skin. A wave of tiredness mixed with sadness flooded through her. She blinked to hide the tears gathering in her eyes.
'I'm tired and upset. I can't shake off the thought that if I'd come a little earlier I could have prevented it from happening.'
Jack's eyes glinted behind his glasses. 'Please, don't think like that, Katie. Come to the staffroom. I'll make you tea and take your statement,' he added and made an inviting gesture. 'Is Julia okay?'
'Yes, she's at her friend's place. I still need to pick her up once it's over.'
'Let's get on with it, shall we?'
He took her hand and led her towards the door. A hot blush crept over her face. She wriggled her hand out of his grasp but followed him. Despite dating Jack for over two months, she still preferred to keep their relationship secret. Particularly in their workplace.
In the staffroom, Jack put the kettle on, but Katie insisted on making the tea and suggested he could ask her questions while she was doing it.
After she repeated how she ended up by the bin at about 7.35 pm, he grabbed his notebook.
'What time did Julian leave the room?'
'I'm not sure. When I looked at the corner where he was supposed to sit, it must have been about 7.20 pm. I didn't see or hear him leave.'
'How long were you out, before you found him?'
'Maybe ten minutes. After I called Mr Bower, I stood in the dark near the entrance, thinking for a while.'
'About the house?'
'Yes.'
'What did you decide to do in the end?'
'We've agreed to meet tomorrow to view the house.'
'Let me say it again, I'm more than happy to help with the money.'
'And I’ll say it again. Thank you so much for your generous offer,' she said quickly before he could protest again. Borrowing money from friends was difficult enough, but from a boyfriend? 'I've already found the money. But back to the incident, what else would you like to know?'
'Did anyone else leave the room before you?'
'Ally Baker. Ally and I are the two candidates for the role of the club president. We were supposed to leave for the voting, but she wasn't in the room when I walked out.'
'What time did she leave the room?'
Katie chewed on her lower lip. Was Ally in the audience when Katie was presenting her plan for the club? She couldn't remember. At the time, she’d been too excited and stressed to notice.
'I'm not sure.'
'When did you last see her?'
'During her presentation. She went first and spoke very briefly. Miriam isn't one to waste time on long introductions, so we started pretty much shortly after 7 pm. I wouldn't be surprised if Ally was out by ten past seven. Are you suspecting her?'
Jack rubbed his chin, so deliciously darkened by his five-o'clock shadow.
'You can't tell me, can you?' she asked, holding back her irritation. For goodness' sake, they have worked together on so many cases, he should have learnt to trust her by now. But then, this was what he was like early in the case. He doubted every piece of information, and looked for more evidence.
Jack laughed. 'Top class mind reading as usual.'
'But you promise to share information without me having to drag it out of you with a tow truck?'
Jack pushed his glasses up on his nose. He was probably delaying, trying to come up with some sort of diplomatic response but, having learnt the way he operated, Katie had grown to accept and even like it. She definitely appreciated his ability to keep his mind open throughout the case and not be afraid to change his mind and pursue a completely different trail in view of new information.
She also admired his ability to answer the question without giving away too much, and to remain true to his principles.
'With pleasure and over a cup of tea. You may need to sweeten the deal with a piece of cake. And what do you expect in exchange for your valuable town gossip?'
Katie's heart gave a little flip.
'I'll think of something, but I need to know what trail you want me to follow.'
'Your friend, Mrs Fischer is insisting the brothers were estranged but their relationship was civil. The dead man, Benjamin Fischer, has been staying with them since last Friday, so just four days. Evidently, this was his first visit in a very long time.'
'Estranged but civil,' Katie repeated. 'She's implying Julian had no motive to want his brother dead?'
'That's right. However, she’s not offering any details.'
'If the brothers were, indeed, estranged and hadn't seen each other for a long time, this may be true. On the other hand, this depends upon why they were estranged in the first place.'
He glanced at her, arching his eyebrow. 'Could you use your secret networks to find out what happened?'
'I’ll definitely try.' Katie replied and paused thinking back to the scene outside the community centre. Something about that bloodstain bothered her. Something wasn't quite right.
'Did he kill him? With those scissors?' she asked.
'We need-'
'I know, we need an autopsy, but did you see the body?'
'Yes.'
'And?'
'The wound in the chest, in my opinion, was made after the victim's death. The blood was seeping from it rather than squirting, which would normally be the case in this location.'
'He was killed before being stabbed?'
'I'm definitely keen to read the post-mortem report.'
That made more sense. Katie nodded to herself. 'What's going to happen to Julian?'
'He'll be assessed under the Mental Health Act. To be honest, I don’t think he's fit to be interviewed at this stage.'
'How long will the assessment take?'
'No idea.'
'Do you think Julian killed him?'
'Katie, it’s too early to tell. A lot depends on how Benjamin Fischer died.'
'Back to the post-mortem then? When will you know?'
'I should have the preliminary report tomorrow. Oh, by the way, Mrs Fischer has asked for you to do her a favour.' He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bunch of keys. 'This assessment can take a while. She wants to accompany her husband to the hospital, and she asked if you could take the keys back to her business partner. Apparently, you'd know what to do.'
Katie grabbed the keys on a key ring with the tearoom's pink and white logo and slid it into her handbag.
'No problem, I'll pass it onto Sunita tomorrow.' Katie checked her watch.
'It's past nine, Jack. If you don't need me anymore, I'd best go to collect Julia.' She reached out and touched his cheek. The stubble tickled her fingers. 'I hope you can finish soon,' she whispered. 'Don't stay too long.'
Jack slid his hand over her fingers, sending another wave of tingling all over her hand. 'It shouldn't take long, I'm glad that Chris and Celia are helping. I'll text you when I get home unless it's too late.'
An impulse to climb on her toes and press her lips against his crossed her mind, but she pushed it aside. Not in the workplace. Not yet, if ever. After all, they needed to be professional.
'Drive safely,' she said huskily. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'
5
Wednesday morning was busy for Katie. Her role as an adm
in support for the Sunnyvale police team had recently been expanded to include liaison with other social, health and local government agencies in the area. She often had to set up meetings, prepare agendas, co-ordinate a number of things across those agencies, as was the case that morning.
She tried her best to focus on her work, but the events of the previous night were still playing on her mind. She received a message from Jack late at night, confirming his safe return home and another one that morning to let her know he was away at the mental health unit, talking to Julian Fisher's doctors. Chris was due to start his shift in the afternoon, as was Celia. All of which meant Katie had no update on the progress of Benjamin Fisher's case.
Or, should she rather think — Benjamin Fisher’s murder.
She’d have to wait until her morning break to go to Une Tasse de Bonheur - the tearoom/café run by Miriam Fischer and Sunita Patel. Of course, she wanted to pass Miriam's keys to Sunita, but she was also itching to hear the latest gossip regarding the Fischers and their guest.
If anyone knew anything about the Fischers, it would be Sunita.
Katie’s phone rang. It was Michael Bower's assistant.
'Unfortunately, Mr Bower has an urgent meeting and he won't be able to meet with you. Could we reschedule?'
Katie's heart sank. She’d been looking forward to viewing the house and discussing the details of the agreement. She was also scared that if she delayed it any further she might change her mind.
'What about tomorrow? After lunch?' she asked already feeling her stomach twisting, and the doubts raising at the back of her mind.
'That should work for Mr Bower. I'll schedule you in for 2 pm.'
Katie thanked the assistant, disconnected and entered the details into her phone scheduler so she wouldn't forget.
Katie returned to her work and, once tea break time arrived, she put a "back in 30" note on her door and jogged to her car.
Thankfully, the streets were not too busy and she arrived at the cafe within a few minutes.
Une Tasse de Bonheur was surprisingly empty. Maybe the people of Sunnyvale had not yet learned about the events of the previous night, otherwise, they would have rushed there to exchange information.
