by Mari Hannah
He still owned a home here.
Seeing how upset Frankie was, Kyra sat down opposite. ‘Listen,’ she said. ‘I want us to be mates but I can’t break a confidence if he’s not ready to share.’
Frankie looked up. ‘You mean you won’t.’
‘That’s hardly fair, Frankie. If the shoe was on the other foot—’
‘Yeah, you’re right. I’m angry with him, not you. It was unfair to ask, I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t give it another thought. You care about him. I care about him. We all do, except Connor, and he doesn’t count. My advice is, don’t push David too hard, too early. He’ll get there in his own time.’
‘He’s had time.’
‘Frankie, I don’t know if you’re aware but David and I keep in touch. He just buried his brother. Can’t you cut him some slack?’
‘Oh, believe me, I have.’
Kyra took a moment, sensitive to Frankie’s feelings. She chose her words carefully. ‘Is this affecting his ability to do his job? Because if it is—’
‘No!’ The lie came easily. ‘He’s a brilliant boss. I love working with him.’
‘There you go then.’ Kyra smiled. ‘Would it make you feel any better if I told you that he’s done nothing but talk about you since he went home to the frozen north. If it’s any consolation, he thinks the world of you.’
‘He’s got a funny way of showing it.’
‘What did you expect, transparency? He’s a bloke. They think they can handle things even when they can’t.’
Frankie laughed.
By the time David returned, the atmosphere he’d left on the way out had vanished. The female detectives were down to business, getting on with their work as if nothing untoward had taken place. Hours later, Kyra got up to leave, offering Frankie a lift to a hotel of her choosing. David told her that was unnecessary and suggested she could stay at his place. Frankie declined. He wasn’t talking. Well, two could play at that game. Besides, she had a mind to make a call, the purpose of which he wasn’t going to like.
61
Monday, the fourth of July really felt like Independence Day in the Northumbria incident room. Morale was up. The forensics lab had completed their analysis of the wrench and found microscopic traces of green fabric in the worm screw which matched to the tool board in Dixon’s shed. Stone and Oliver had caught an early train and were thrilled to hear the news, their opposing views on how to handle Ben consigned to the backburner . . .
For now.
Frankie rang the Marine Unit underwater search team to let them know, then Mitchell updated them in Stone’s office. Neither Curtis nor Parker denied being in London when Kat Irwin met her death, though both claimed they hadn’t seen her. Kyra was checking their alibis in London and Northumbria detectives were left kicking their heels, waiting on results.
The hiatus was frustrating.
Mindful of Kyra’s well-meaning advice not to lean on David too heavily, Frankie made up her mind not to broach his difficulties head on. Alex Parker was the link between murders at either end of the country. If he froze again, this wealthy woman might notice his paralysis – if she hadn’t already done so. An indirect approach was called for.
‘While we’re marking time,’ she said, ‘Alex needs to be seen. I could go on my own if you like. I’m not being unkind, David. I can see it’s difficult for you to be around her for reasons I don’t really understand, so I want you to know that I can take that on if you don’t think you can hack it.’
He looked unsure, not angry.
‘As SIO you now have other responsibilities,’ she added. ‘It won’t look odd if I turf up there on my own.’
‘And your reason for seeing her?’
‘She’s the common denominator in all of this: mother to Daniel; employer to Justine; sister to Kat.’
He didn’t argue.
Alex was at home, grieving for her sister, saying she was worried for her own safety and that of her son. It was a lovely, sunny morning. She led Frankie out on to the rear patio and seemed pleased to have someone to talk to . . . Initially, at any rate. Tea was offered and politely refused. The marquee was gone, everything back to normal, the garden awash with colour: hydrangeas, rock roses and hibiscus all in full bloom. In due course, Frankie steered the conversation to Tim. He was not around, a bonus she’d hoped for but hadn’t expected; this was her chance to talk to his wife off the record. It threw her slightly. She needed to think on her feet.
‘Is that why you’re here?’ Alex said. ‘To quiz me about my husband? You don’t like him much, do you, DS Oliver?’
‘I neither like or dislike,’ Frankie lied. ‘This is not a personality contest.’
‘I thought you must have an ulterior motive for coming here, above checking on my welfare. Why don’t I make it easy for you? Stop wasting your time and ask your questions. However hard they are, I won’t break, I promise you.’
‘OK, but I must warn you that what I have to say may not be what you expect or want to hear. I’m here because Detective Inspector Stone didn’t want to drag you into the station at such a difficult time.’
‘Why would he need to?’ Alex was instantly on her guard.
‘We’re talking to everyone who might have information to give us.’
Frankie had to be careful. She was there to get information, not give it. So far, she’d failed to mention the evidence they had of Tim Parker’s infidelity and it was obvious that he hadn’t told Alex of the DNA and fingerprints that proved he’d been in the au pair’s bed, or she in his. Frankie didn’t intend mentioning the paternity of Kat Irwin’s child either, even though she now had conclusive proof that Parker was the father, having rushed to compare his DNA with Ali’s.
Frankie needed an in. ‘I’m not wanting to add to your distress—’
‘Then please don’t . . .’ Alex wasn’t being spiteful. ‘Usually I’m bombproof,’ she said. ‘But even I have a limit. One more revelation will send me over the edge.’ She lit a cigarette and gave Frankie a sympathetic smile, as if she’d realised the enormity of the detective’s job. It was extremely difficult to talk to a woman whose husband was strongly suspected of murdering two women he’d had affairs with. Then there was the query over Alex Parker’s motive for wanting to get rid of Justine and her sister. Did she know about the affairs? The conversation between Stone and Kat Irwin had been playing on Frankie’s mind.
It needed further exploration.
‘Questions have arisen over a telephone conversation Kat had with DI Stone on Wednesday, June twenty-ninth.’
‘What conversation?’ Alex turned to face the detective sergeant. ‘She never mentioned it to me. Then again, there were other, more important things she failed to disclose.’ Her voice was laced with contempt. ‘Why did she call him?’
‘To ask for help.’
‘Oh please, give me the courtesy of a straight answer.’
‘She told my DI that you suspected Tim of having an affair. Is that true?’
Alex sidestepped the question deftly. ‘We’ve not been in a good place since losing the baby.’
‘With respect, that’s not what she meant. Alex, you’ve asked me to level with you and I expect the same in return. Kat specifically said that you had doubts about him while you were pregnant, not since, and that you told her about it when you were on holiday together in Majorca. She said you’d accused Tim of putting you under so much stress, it caused you to lose your child. That’s quite an allegation.’
‘I was drunk. When you’ve lost a baby, you’ll blame anyone but yourself.’
A parallel scenario jumped into Frankie’s head. Stone was blaming Ben for Luke’s death, unfairly in her opinion. Yes, Luke was on his way to see the lad in hospital. Yes, Ben had taken drugs. But he was not driving the lorry that killed his father. The teenager was feeling guilty enough without his uncle a
dding to it.
Frankie needed more from Alex Parker. ‘So, it’s not true?’
Alex avoided answering. ‘Do you have children, DS Oliver?’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘Well, joyful though it is, being pregnant does things to your head.’ She swept a rogue hair from her face. ‘My hormones were all over the place. I wasn’t thinking straight. Some women feel wonderful. Beautiful even. Some feel ghastly, fat and unattractive. It wouldn’t take a brain surgeon to work out which one I was. I was in a bad place and should never have confided in Kat. It was uncalled for and unfair on Tim. The truth is, I think that my negativity may have damaged the foetus. It was entirely my fault, not his.’
Frankie was tempted to tell her that it wasn’t, that these tragedies happen all too often and that she shouldn’t blame herself in any way. She let it go. She had to stay on track if she was to get anything from Alex before her husband returned.
‘Kat believed Tim was having an affair with Justine, didn’t she?’
Alex snapped her head around. ‘It was rubbish and I told her so.’
‘Are you still of that opinion?’ Frankie’s eyes drifted over Alex’s shoulder to the stable block and the garage beyond, next to which the au pair’s car sat on the baking gravel, redundant and unloved. She imagined Justine bombing along the winding country lanes, having fun, so full of life.
Such a waste.
‘To be honest, I don’t know,’ Alex said. ‘What’s more, I don’t care. You know why? I love my husband and, not to sound too melodramatic, I owe him my life. He rescued me from a fate worse than death and made sure that Rob understood the consequences of any approach afterwards. And if you’re suggesting what I think you are, I know, deep down, that Tim is incapable of hurting anyone.’
‘Even you?’
‘Especially me. If he went elsewhere for sex, it was entirely my fault. You could say I pushed him into it.’
Frankie tried a little harder. ‘Kat seemed to think he was capable of violence.’
‘Doesn’t surprise me – the comment, I mean.’ Alex was irked now and it showed. ‘They didn’t get along and fought like cat and dog.’
‘Did you never question why?’
‘You choose your friends, not your in-laws. Tim thought she was needy. He didn’t like her, as simple as that, a feeling that was reciprocated, if the phone call you mentioned is anything to go by.’
‘There was more to it than that, wasn’t there? Kat described Tim as a serial philanderer.’
‘Well, she’s a liar! And who could believe a thing she said? She didn’t even tell me about her daughter for three years. Three fucking years. I’ve thought about nothing else since you told me of her existence.’
‘Did Kat warn you not to marry Tim?’
‘Is that what she told you?’
Frankie nodded. ‘No different from Rob Scott,’ she said.
‘She was jealous of me.’ Alex sighed. ‘It’s a long story, DS Oliver, one that I’ve told few people. Kat went off the rails in her early twenties. So much so, my parents cut her out of their will. She didn’t even turn up at their funeral. I got everything. She resented me for it. We lost touch for many years. Eventually, I stopped trying to make contact.’
‘That must’ve been difficult.’
‘It was. As kids, we were close. She was always headstrong – a little selfish, if I’m honest. About two years ago, she turned up out of the blue. No explanation. I did wonder why she’d had a change of heart. At the time, I didn’t question it. I was happy to have her back. Lately, things had been great between us. It all makes sense now. I’d like to think that, as a mother herself, she saw the value of family. I guess I’ll never know now, will I?’ Alex paused, eyes on Frankie. ‘What else did she say?’
Frankie was so close to Rae, she found it hard to imagine not being able to speak to her, if not daily, then a couple of times a week, not to celebrate in her success or take part in her life with Andrea. Neither could she understand what it must have felt like for the two sisters to lose touch for such a lengthy period. She didn’t want to hurt Alex any more than she had already but she was there to do a job and there was still a lot to get through.
‘Was there more to the phone call?’ Alex said. ‘Please, I need to know.’
‘She told DI Stone that Tim resented Daniel.’
‘Then all I can say is that I didn’t know my sister at all. Tim loves Daniel.’
‘Then why say it?’
‘I have no idea.’ Her ambiguity was obvious.
‘Alex. I get the impression that there’s something you’re not telling me. Two people close to you have died. If there’s something you know, no matter how small, you must share it before anyone else comes to harm.’
Alex hesitated. ‘It’s nothing.’
‘Let me be the judge of that. You can’t go on living in fear. Why do you think your sister didn’t tell you about her child?’ Frankie waited. ‘Alex?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine.’
‘You’re a clever woman. I’m sure you have your theories.’
‘I had no idea I was so transparent.’ Alex looked out into the middle distance. Two rabbits were chasing one another across the lawn. In many ways, she had an idyllic lifestyle, but it was obvious that she also had doubts about her husband she wasn’t yet prepared to divulge.
Frankie changed tack. ‘Has Tim got a problem with drugs?’
‘He has it under control.’
‘I think you’re wrong. Alex, these are mind-altering substances that have serious side effects. Taken with other medication and alcohol they’re dangerous. Even I’ve noticed a change in his behaviour in the short time I’ve known him.’ Frankie took a moment. ‘When I asked you if you were holding out on us, what did you mean when you said, “it’s nothing”?’
‘He’s in financial difficulty.’
‘Yes, I know. Curtis told me . . . there’s something else though, isn’t there?’
Alex folded her arms, on the brink of disclosure. ‘I woke up the other morning to find Tim gone. He was making a call outside our bedroom door. It was shut so I couldn’t hear what was being said, only that he was threatening someone. James, I think.’
‘Curtis?’
She nodded. ‘James had called the night before, drunk as a skunk, ranting on about dissolving the company. He wanted to throw in the towel and be done with it. Tim was furious. He believes there’s another way and, for what it’s worth, I agree with him. They had a massive row. Tim told him to do nothing until he returned from London. He tossed and turned for hours. I guess it was playing on his mind.’
‘Can you remember when this was, the phone call?’
‘It was Thursday, just before six a.m. I had an early meeting in town and wanted to beat the traffic in.’
‘Wasn’t Daniel at school?’
‘Tim said he’d drop him off.’
‘Not a good idea if he’s using.’ Frankie never hesitated if a child was at risk.
The patio door opened before Alex had a chance to respond.
62
Frankie couldn’t wait to brief Stone. She took the stairs two at a time, keen to get into the incident room and tell all. The Murder Investigation Team were taking a break as she burst through the door, a little out of breath, a lull in proceedings as detectives ate lunch, stretched their legs, nipped out for a smoke. Abbott and Mitchell were deep in conversation over Germany’s penalty misses at the weekend, the fact that they had nevertheless managed to reach the Euro semi-finals after a tournament jinx lasting fifty-four years.
An updated murder wall instantly took Frankie’s attention. Kat Irwin’s picture had been added, along with crime scene photographs. A broken line had been carefully drawn, linking the victim to Alex Parker (sister), Tim Parker (lover) and James Curtis (ex-husband); three names that w
ere similarly associated to Justine Segal (employer/lover/lover) respectively. A probable, if not glaringly obvious indication that these two offences were in some way connected.
Frankie’s eyes homed in on another broken line that banded together Timothy Parker and James Curtis. Underneath, Mitchell had written Business partners/In London, Friday, 1 July – the date of Kat Irwin’s death. Neither had a reliable alibi . . . yet. To the right of Justine’s picture, a red question mark hung over builder and handyman, Gary Hamilton. He remained on the list of suspects, similarly unable to provide police with an acceptable explanation of where he’d been the day the au pair met her death, though he claimed to have been working in Gretna with his brother. New to Frankie, perhaps the most exciting of all, yet another link, this one unbroken and written in red – stretched between Parker, Curtis, Hamilton, Kat and Justine. Beneath it, Mitch had scribbled the words: e-voke dating agency.
‘Yes!’ Frankie whispered under her breath. ‘Now we’re getting somewhere.’
‘Impressed?’ The voice had come from over her shoulder.
Frankie turned to find Stone standing behind her. He seemed pleased to see her, despite the spat over Ben’s welfare while they were in London and on the journey home.
‘There are more lines linking that lot than on my nan’s bingo card.’ He pointed at the murder wall. ‘It seems e-voke is a well-established, thrill-seeking, no-holds-barred dating agency with a wealthy international clientele – probably what seduced Justine to use it.’
‘That’s interesting. Remember Parker’s suggestion that Alex may have been sleeping with the au pair? I wonder—’
‘She’s not a member of e-voke. We checked.’
‘Right. I was thinking that, if the Parkers were that way inclined, Justine might have been a kind of live-in sexual unicorn.’
‘A what?’ Stone looked baffled.
‘You know, single female, up for anything. A bit of action, excitement, danger even. Mind you, Alex wouldn’t necessarily need to be on the site herself to enjoy the fringe benefits. Let’s face it, she has more sense than to have exposed herself (no pun intended) or to open herself up to ridicule among the county set.’
