by John R McKay
‘OK, go on.’
‘Well it was a typical night in the pub, to be honest. Nothing special. We all had a few drinks, the girls got up on the karaoke. Me and Mark discussed football. The usual stuff, you know.’
‘Right,’ said Lea. ‘How much did you drink?’
‘Is that relevant?’
‘Not particularly, but it might have affected what you think you saw later.’
Danny frowned. ‘OK.’
Lea looked at him and raised his eyebrows, as if to say ‘Well?’
‘I think I had about six pints. Lucy about the same amount of Bacardis. Mark and Jane would have had one more.’
‘Did you feel drunk at all?’
‘No more than usual after six pints. It’s not that many really, is it? For a Friday night.’
Lea didn’t reply. ‘What time did you leave the pub?’
‘Around midnight.’
‘Around midnight? Before or after?’
‘I’m not sure. Around.’
‘OK’, said Lea. ‘What happened then?’
‘We said our goodbyes to Mark and Jane and then headed for home. It was a clear night and it’s only a mile and a half from where we live so we thought we’d walk. Instead of getting a taxi, you know.’
‘Did anything strange happen whilst you were walking home?’
‘I’m not sure what you mean.’
‘Anything not quite right. Out of the ordinary.’
‘Apart from my girlfriend getting mowed down by a fucking maniac. No. Everything was quite fucking normal.’ Danny said sarcastically. Irritated he stood up sharply, knocking his chair over in the process and spilling hot coffee over the table. Lea jumped back, grabbing the paperwork before the coffee could ruin it.
‘I’m sorry Danny,’ said Lea. ‘I have to ask these questions.’
‘No you bloody well don’t,’ seethed Danny. ‘This has got sod all to do with what happened. How many drinks we had….. If anything strange happened….. Jesus.’
‘I’ve got to ask these questions, son. Do you need a break, or do you want to stop altogether?’
Danny picked up his chair and sat down again. ‘No I’ll be fine,’ he said. ‘Sorry. I’m all over the place at the minute. I shouldn’t have overreacted.’
‘It’s OK. All very understandable. You’re bound to be upset.’ Lea attempted to clear the spilt coffee by using the edge of a spare piece of paper to drag the liquid to the edge of the table before flicking it onto the floor.
Danny put his head in his hands and then pulled his hands down over his face. ‘I’m OK now,’ he said after a few moments.
‘Right,’ said Lea. ‘Anything at all. Anything that may have given you cause for concern prior to the incident.’
Danny thought for a moment. And then he remembered.
‘Yes, there was something,’ said Danny leaning back, ‘I’ve only remembered now. When we came out of the pub somebody shouted over to me from a car that was parked across the street.’
‘What did they shout?’
‘Just my name. I didn’t know who it was and so I shouted back asking who they were. Whoever it was had a cockney accent and I don’t really know any cockneys,’ went on Danny. ‘The car then just drove off down the street and turned right I think. Onto Wigan Road.’
Lea had stopped writing. ‘What type of car was it, can you remember?’
‘I think it was a BMW. Dark coloured. Could have been dark blue or black.’
‘Right,’ said Lea, ‘OK.’ He was deep in thought.
‘Why do you ask?’ asked Danny. ‘It wasn’t the car that hit her.’
‘I know,’ said Lea leaning forward. ‘That was a silver Ford Focus. We found it burned out in the park a couple of miles away. It was stolen from Preston that afternoon.’
‘So why are you interested in the black BMW?’ asked Danny. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘What’s your line of work?’ asked Lea, ignoring the questions.
‘I’m a journalist on the Observer.’
‘What kind of stories do you cover?’
‘The usual local stuff. Nothing of much interest to be honest,’ said Danny frowning. ‘I don’t see what this has to do with anything.’
Lea scratched his head thoughtfully. ‘OK,’ he said after a while. ‘So what happened next?’
‘We walked down the road for about half a mile and then we heard a car speeding up behind us,’ continued Danny. ‘I had time to look behind me before it hit us. It came onto the pavement and before I could do anything Lucy had pushed me into somebody’s front garden. She was walking on the road side of the pavement.’ Danny paused and took a deep breath, then blew out. After composing himself he went on. ‘I can still hear the sound of it. The noise as the car hit her. I’ll never forget it.’
He could feel the tears welling up again and the familiar pain in his stomach was starting to return.
He took another breath and continued once more. ‘It threw her down the road and left her lying there. Then it just drove off. I’ve no idea how many people were in the car, what colour it was. Don’t even bother asking me for the reg number.’
‘That’s OK, Danny,’ said Lea. ‘Like I said we found it later that night in the park.’
‘I tried to resuscitate her,’ said Danny, ignoring him. ‘I tried and tried but if I’m honest with myself I think she was probably dead before she hit the road.’ The tears were now back and in full flow, but he did not care. ‘People came out of their houses and they were so kind to me but I was just screaming and screaming. I honestly don’t remember much after that apart from being bundled into an ambulance and the rest is a blur.’
‘That’s fine mate,’ said Lea. ‘Don’t worry, I think we have enough. It’s just a formality getting a statement from you.’
Danny wiped his eyes with his hands. ‘What happens now?’ he asked.
‘Well,’ said Lea. ‘I don’t want to keep you any longer. I’ll type up your statement and bring it round to your house later for you to read through and sign. It might get to Monday if that’s OK?’ Danny nodded agreement. ‘Then the coroner will set a date for the inquest. There has to be one in situations like this. Sudden death and that. Then hopefully you can get some closure.’
‘What about the person who did this?’ asked Danny.
‘We’ll do our absolute best to catch him,’ said Lea. ‘I can promise you that.’
#
Lea was washing his hands in the station toilets when Detective Inspector Raymond walked in.
‘Hi boss,’ said Lea, looking at him through the mirror. ‘How’s your course going?’
‘Fine,’ replied Raymond. ‘Bit of a cake and arse party to be honest. A lot of back slapping and telling each other how great we all are. There are better things I could be doing on a Saturday, I can tell you.’
Lea laughed. ‘Glad I got out of it.’
‘Alright for some,’ said Raymond. He joined to Lea at the wash basins. ‘So how are you going with that hit and run?’
‘Looks pretty much straightforward boss,’ replied Lea. ‘Julie has a bit of a bee in her bonnet about a second car which after interviewing the boyfriend I think she may have a point.’
‘How do you mean?’ asked Raymond, drying his hands on a paper towel and throwing it into the bin.
Lea turned to face him. ‘Well, we viewed CCTV of the area and a black BMW was behaving a bit strange prior to the incident. It drives up and down the road and then stops opposite the pub just before the couple come out.’
‘So?’
‘Could have been nothing, but the lad confirmed that the driver shouted over to him and then drove away. It seems that the driver wasn’t local. London accent he reckons. Just shouted the lad’s name. We have footage of the car driving off a minute or so after they come out.’
‘Right… OK,’ said Raymond. ‘It’s probably nothing. Did you get a licence number?’
‘Partial. You can just make out the
first couple of letters, LF. I’ve checked and it’s a London reg.’
‘If you want my advice,’ said Raymond, ‘Don’t waste your time on this. The one who did it was driving another car. Stolen and burned out wasn’t it?’ Lea nodded. ‘Concentrate on finding who stole it, although you’ll probably be wasting your time,’ he added. ‘Tragic accident probably. The thief was more than likely a youngster who thinks he’s Lewis Hamilton or someone.’
‘You’re probably right boss,’ said Lea.
‘Julie Green,’ said Raymond, suddenly changing the subject. ‘What do you make of her?’
‘She’s young and ambitious boss,’ said Lea. ‘Very capable though. I think she’s probably destined for big things if she works hard. Pleasant girl too. Easy to get on with, you know.’
‘Good. Good,’ said Raymond. ‘You may be right. Good looking too, which doesn’t do any harm.’
‘Right boss,’ said Lea, turning towards the door.
‘Oh and another thing Jim,’ said Raymond.
‘Yes,’ said Lea turning around.
‘Take some time off. You’ve not had a holiday in God knows how long. Don’t burn yourself out. Go sit on a beach somewhere with that lovely wife of yours. These scumbags will still be here for you to catch when you get back.’
‘I would boss,’ said Lea. ‘But that lovely wife of mine left me for her fitness instructor two months ago.’
‘Shit Jim, I didn’t know,’ replied Raymond, embarrassed. Then he added: ‘Even more reason to take that holiday then, I suppose.’
CHAPTER FIVE
Danny sat at the table facing Grace. She had cooked a spaghetti bolognese and he sat looking at it, playing with the pasta with his fork, twirling it in circles then letting it fall back to the plate.
‘Come on Danny,’ said Grace. ‘You have to eat.’
‘I know mum,’ he replied, ‘and thanks for this. But I’m struggling with my appetite. I just don’t feel hungry anymore.’
‘I know son, but you need to keep up your strength.’
Danny put a forkful into his mouth and attempted to chew it. He would force himself to eat, even if it was just to keep his mother happy. He reflected on the day. After he had returned from the police station he had called Dave Johnson, his editor, and told him he would be back in work on Tuesday. He would just take the weekend and Monday off and then attempt to get back to some sort of normality and routine. Working, he hoped, would help him to achieve that. At least that is what he thought. He had cancelled the summer holiday he had booked to Gran Canaria; the travel agent very sympathetic when he explained the situation and she had offered a full refund. He had also contacted an estate agent to come and value the house the following week. He was determined to move out. He couldn’t cope with seeing all Lucy’s things. This was the house that they were supposed to spend the rest of their lives in, where they would be happy and raise children together. That dream was now well and truly over and Danny could see no other option but to move away to a different property.
‘Are you sure you want to leave here?’ asked Grace, almost reading his thoughts. ‘This house is beautiful. You’ve done so much work to it.’
‘It was mine and Lucy’s house mum,’ Danny replied. ‘She’s not here now so it can never be the same. I’m just reminded of her every waking minute. Even when I’m on the loo, it’s her things in the bathroom I’m staring at. It was her choice on the bathroom suite. Everything has her mark on it. I think I’ll go mad if I don’t sell up.’
‘I see,’ said Grace. Changing the subject she said: ‘How did it go at the police station?’
‘Well I made my statement,’ said Danny. ‘The bobby is bringing it round on Monday evening for me to sign. I made a bit of a fool of myself to be honest. Lost it for a minute or two when he was only trying to do his job.’
‘I’m sure he understood.’
‘He did,’ said Danny taking another forkful of spaghetti. Grace smiled at him. At least he was making the effort.
After a while he said: ‘I can still hear it mum. The car hitting her. I can’t get it out of my head.’
‘I know son,’ said Grace putting her fork down. ‘I know. Give it time. It might be worth going to the doctors. They may be able to put you in touch with a good bereavement counsellor. It worked for me when your dad died.’
Although Danny was not averse to the idea, he felt that this was a sign of weakness, but then he was also able to realise that at the moment he needed all the help he could get.
‘I’ll think about it,’ he said.
The telephone in the lounge began to ring. They both ignored it and waited for the answer machine to activate.
‘Hello Mr Cooke,’ said a voice that Danny recognised. It was the same man who had called trying to sell him a will service the previous day. ‘My name is Clive Brown and it’s really important that you get back to me. It’s about a will that you have been named in. I can’t explain too much on the telephone so it’s very important that you get back to me so we can arrange to meet up. My number is…..’ He left a mobile phone number and hung up.
Grace stopped eating and looked at Danny. Neither of them said anything for a moment or two and then Grace said, ‘I wonder what that was all about.’
‘God knows,’ said Danny. ‘Something I can’t be bothered with right now, that’s for certain.’
Grace raised her eyebrows, shrugged, then carried on eating.
‘I feel drained mum,’ said Danny sighing. ‘If it’s not one thing then it’s another. And I really need to pop round to Bill and Margaret’s soon.’
‘Go when you’re ready Danny. You don’t need to rush into things. I don’t know why you don’t take some more time off work. And rushing to put the house on the market too. It all seems too quick.’
‘I need to keep myself busy. I’m going crazy just sitting in the house with all Lucy’s stuff around. It’s doing me no good.’
‘OK, maybe you’re right,’ Grace said.
They ate in silence for a while.
‘You know what mum. I might give that bloke a ring tomorrow to see what it’s all about. The will fella. Probably some scam to try and get whatever insurance money they think is coming my way.’
Grace agreed. ‘Probably,’ she said. ‘Just be careful.’
#
Detective Sergeant Lea and Detective Constable Green were working late. Apart from the hit and run incident they had numerous other cases to work on which were keeping them both very busy. Julie Green wanted to clear as many as possible as she was due some leave and was off on holiday with some of her friends in just over a week’s time that she really did not want to cancel.
Julie Green had been a detective for only a few months and already loved her new position with a real passion. She had wanted to be in the police force since she was very small and had gone against her mother and father’s advice when she was a teenager when she was showing a good aptitude for drama. She had appeared in numerous amateur dramatic productions, even as the female lead in Romeo and Juliet a few years ago at the local theatre, but she had given it all up once her career in the police force had started to demand more and more of her time. She had had to make a choice and so far, she thought, she had made the correct one.
She was not short of admirers too. She wore her hair short, in a bob, and had large blue eyes which many men would comment on when they were trying to chat her up at the bars she went to with friends, in the rare downtime she had. She really had no time for a serious relationship as the demands of work, and her love of that work, meant she did not have the energy for it.
Many policemen had asked her out, but she had turned them all down. Even if she had time for a serious relationship then she was not going to have one with a colleague. Too complicated, she thought, much too complicated.
She felt comfortable with Jim Lea. Jim was the type of policeman that she liked. Old school. He knew the ropes and passed on his wisdom and experience to her willingly. He was fifte
en years her elder and had not once looked at her the way that other men did. He had been a happy go-lucky kind of bloke. That was until about eight weeks ago when his wife, Joanne, had suddenly walked out on him. Pressures of the job had caused problems in the relationship for years, he had said. He told her that he was not surprised that it had happened.
However, Jim had not let his marital problems get in the way of his work, which, she thought, was very professional and a credit to him. He was kind and compassionate and the way he dealt with the public was something she could learn from. He had the right amount of sympathy for the victims and the right amount of ire for the perpetrators.
She was sitting at her computer when Lea approached her, a cup of tea in each hand.
‘Thought I’d get you one too,’ he said placing one next to her screen. ‘What are you working on?’
She looked up. ‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘I’m looking through the CCTV again. Of the hit and run.’
‘Oh right,’ said Lea, pulling up a chair and sitting next to her. ‘Seen anything else of interest?’
‘Not really. Only what we already know. The BMW is irritating me.’
‘Don’t let it worry you,’ Lea replied. ‘I saw the boss on Saturday. Raymond. He says to concentrate on the driver of the Focus. That’s the one that killed her.’
‘I know that. But something doesn’t add up to me. I’ve read the lad’s statement. Saw it lying on your desk earlier and had a quick read. Why would the driver shout over to him then drive away? And he says he has no idea who it was.’
‘He’s very traumatised by the whole thing,’ said Lea. ‘He’s bound to be. Maybe he just can’t think who it is but he does actually know the guy. If you see what I mean.’
‘Possibly,’ said Julie, taking a sip from her cup. ‘Possibly. But I have a weird feeling about it. Something doesn’t appear right to me.’
‘You and your hunches eh?’
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Something like that.’
She swivelled round in her chair to face him, cupping her tea in both hands and blowing across the top of the cup. ‘Have forensics come back with anything from the Focus yet?’
