Prima Facie

by Netta Newbound

  He’d left the details of the night’s events on Cal’s desk, and knew Cal would inform the rest of the team. But he had some loose ends he needed to tie up, and he also wanted to check up on Sally. Then he planned to have a bit of time off with his family.

  He showered and got dressed feeling more human than he had in days. As he opened the front door, two official-looking women walked down the path towards him.

  “Mr Stanley?” said the older of the two. She had a pinched, thin face. Her brown hair was heavily streaked with grey and pulled into a tight knot. She wore an unflattering, pale-yellow trouser suit.

  “Yes.”

  “Cordelia Brampton, Social Services. This is my colleague Debra Meadows.”

  The younger woman smiled, her face softened making her appear much friendlier and more approachable than her companion.

  “This isn’t a good time, I’m afraid. My wife had a baby last night and he’s six weeks prem.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. We won’t keep you long. It’s your wife we need to speak to, anyway. When will she be home?”

  “I can’t say. Hopefully in the next few days, but that’s purely a guess.” He smiled at the harsh-looking one, trying to get on her good side.

  “But you do know why we’re here?” she said.

  “My boss received some information yesterday about how Mary, my wife’s niece, may well be the daughter she put up for adoption years ago.” He shook his head as though he disbelieved the whole thing.

  “Yes, that’s correct. This is a very delicate situation, as I’m sure you can imagine. May we come in for a moment?”

  He glanced at his watch before nodding. “If you’re quick. I also had several homicides last night and need to head back to the station.”

  “Oh, are you investigating them?” the younger woman said, in awe. “We were just listening to it on the radio on the way over.”

  “Yes, I am. Awful business.” He beckoned them in and led them through to the lounge. Quickly picking up the plate from the floor beside the sofa and folding the blanket, he smiled apologetically.

  The women sat side by side on one of the sofas and he perched on the arm of the chair. “So what will happen if there’s any truth in the allegation?”

  “We’re not certain. It will depend greatly on how your wife feels about the situation. She gave the child up for adoption for reasons other than being too young, I believe?”

  “Yes. That’s correct. But Mary is part of our family now, and we’d like it to remain that way.”

  They both nodded.

  “Well, that certainly makes our decision easier right now. If you’re agreeable to Mary remaining with you while the investigation is conducted, we’re happy to approve it.”

  “Of course we are. Mary will be devastated if she discovers there’s a chance Judith and Andrew may not be her parents. She’s been through so much as it is. We’d prefer she’s not told any of this unless we find it’s true. I mean, nobody even knows where this information came from in the first place. It could be a load of old codswallop for all we know.”

  “Yes, it could, but where children are concerned, we’ve got no choice but to look into each and every claim.”

  “Of course, I understand that. But I just want to stress to you how damaging this could be for Mary. She lost her mother and then found out her father, a man she adored, was on the run for murdering three people.” He paused, hoping his words were striking a chord with them.

  The younger woman hung off his every word, and tears filled her eyes.

  Her friend didn’t show any emotion. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. That must have been terrible for her.”

  “Yeah, but that wasn’t all. When, months later, her father was eventually caught, he escaped and snatched Mary. In his crazed state, he locked her in a wardrobe before he was fatally struck by a car. We found her in the nick of time. She was in a terrible state.”

  “We’ve read the file, Mr Stanley. And, believe me, we don’t want the child to suffer any more than you do,” the older woman said.

  “I know. But I just want to reiterate, Mary is part of our family now. We love her and she loves us. If this information holds any truth whatsoever, she would still be in her rightful place, with us.”

  “Duly noted, sir. But unfortunately we don’t make those decisions. We’ll keep you informed of any developments in the meantime. That’s all we can do.” She got to her feet, and her young colleague followed suit.

  He walked them to the door. “Thanks. I appreciate you’re in a delicate position.”

  The older woman handed him her card. “We’ll need to speak to Amanda. Please call us as soon as she feels up to it.”

  “Of course.”

  *

  He called the hospital and was told Sally had discharged herself in the early hours. Then he tried Sally’s mobile, but it went straight to voicemail. He left a message for her to call him.

  Leaving the house, he called Frances on the way to the station.

  “Hey, it’s me.”

  “You must be like the cat that got the cream this morning,” she said.

  “You’ve heard, then?”

  “Cal called me, but it’s all over the news anyway. How did it go with the DCI?”

  “Oh, shit. I meant to call you. A lot has happened since then. The DCI summoned me because Muldoon sent him the same information about Mary.”

  “Oh, no! What did you say?”

  “I told him it was a load of rubbish, but of course he had to pass the information on.”

  “Fuck! I’m so sorry, boss.”

  “But that’s not all. Amanda went into labour after I broke the news to her. She gave birth to a baby boy an hour or two later.”

  She gasped. “Oh, wow. I didn’t think she was due for ages.”

  “She wasn’t. She still had six weeks to go, but the baby’s fine. He’s in the Special Care Unit, they think he’ll be okay.”

  “Thank God for that! Did you tell Cal?”

  “To be honest, with everything else that went on last night, I didn’t think to tell him. I’m on my way in now though.”

  “So am I. I’ll meet you there. At least I can help you wrap everything up.”

  “Okay. See you soon.”

  He hung up and called Sandra.

  “Hi. It’s me. Just checking in.”

  “Adam, I was hoping you’d call. How’s Amanda and the bubs?”

  “When I left the hospital around six this morning, they were both fine. I’m heading to the station and then I’ll pop back there to check on them. Did the kids get off okay this morning?”

  “Yes, they were all little angels. Mary was a great help though. She had them up and dressed while I was making breakfast.”

  “Oh good. I don’t have a clue where my day’s going to take me. Will you be able to pick them up and take them back to yours again?”

  “Of course. I planned to anyway.”

  “You’re a Godsend. Do you know that?”

  Sandra chuckled. “Give over, you little sweet talker. Listen, I wouldn’t mind popping in to visit Amanda and the wee baby myself later, if you think she’s up to it?”

  “She’d love to see you. If you get there before me, tell her I shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Will do.”

  Except for Sandra and his mum, he’d informed nobody of the baby’s arrival. He would need to take some time out later and ring around everybody.

  Chapter 41

  A cute blue teddy and half a dozen balloons tied with blue ribbon were the first things he noticed when he walked into the office.

  He laughed, surprised Frances had arrived before him.

  “I’ll buy something special for the baby as soon as I can,” she gushed.

  “Congratulations, boss.” Cal handed him a huge cigar.

  Delighted, Adam took the fragrant sausage-shaped object from him and chewed on it like Groucho Marx. “Thanks, mate. Is it Cuban?”

  Cal nodded
. “I only buy the very best. Did you know Cuban cigars are rolled between the thighs of virgins?”

  Adam belched out a laugh. “Well, thanks for the thought—I think.” He hugged them both before taking his briefcase through to his office.

  “And what a fab result for the case.” Cal was suddenly standing behind him at the door.

  “Yeah, fantastic. Shame about Charlie Kemp and his nurse, though.”

  Cal shrugged. “I know, but at least the crazy bastard got his comeuppance.”

  “I suppose. Anyway, I plan to take a few days off now the case is closed and my son has put in an appearance.”

  “Great idea, boss.”

  Adam stepped towards his office then paused. “Oh, by the way, Cal, were the nurse’s family informed?”

  “Les and Julie went there first thing this morning. She lived with her grown up daughter.”

  “Okay, good.” He followed Cal back out into the main office. “Anybody heard from Sally today?”

  “No, nothing.”

  Adam sucked his teeth, thoughtfully. “She discharged herself earlier. I don’t suppose she would go back to her dad’s house until the place is cleaned up. The nurse bled out like a fountain. Plus the SOCO team were still at the scene when we left.”

  “Nasty. Maybe she went to her apartment?”

  “I guess so. I’ll swing by later.”

  His phone rang and he ducked back into his office for his mobile.

  “Stanley, Felix here. Once again, well done wrapping up the case. This Muldoon fellow kept me busier than I’ve been in a long while.”

  “Cheers, mate. Yes, I’m aware it interrupted your golf on more than one occasion.” Adam laughed.

  “Now, now. You watch your tongue, young man, or I won’t tell you what I called about.”

  “Okay, I’ll be quiet. Go on, what is it?”

  “Can you spare me a few minutes? There’s something I want to show you.”

  Surprised, Adam scratched his head. “Yeah, but can’t you tell me over the phone?”

  “Easier to show you, if you don’t mind?”

  “Okay, I’ll come over now.”

  He walked into the main office as Ginger Dave arrived. “Well done, boss. You got him.”

  “I can’t take the credit for this one, Dave. It was down to Sally Kemp.”

  “Well, bloody good result. And what’s all this?” He tugged the ribbon causing the balloons to bounce. “Did your missus have the baby?”

  Adam smiled and nodded. “A little boy. But he’s too early and will possibly be in hospital for a while.”

  “Congratulations! Are we doing a whip-round?” he asked the others.

  Cal nodded. “Frances will be.”

  “Thanks, Dave. Right, folks, Felix has summoned me. Apparently he’s found something he wants to show me.”

  “Ooh! Can I come?” Frances jumped to her feet.

  “Be my guest. Although, are you sure? It might not be pretty.”

  “I’m fine. Come on, let’s go.”

  They found Felix in his brightly lit, stark white examination room, dressed in blue scrubs with a white plastic apron over the top. They knocked on the window.

  He spun around and pulled down his mask. His face lit up as he rushed towards them and ushered them inside excitedly.

  “So, what is it?” Adam was eager to get this over with for Frances’ sake.

  “All in good time, my boy. Come this way.” Felix peered over the wire-framed glasses that were perched on the end of his nose.

  They followed him to a table draped in a blue sheet in the centre of the room.

  “As I understand it, this man has been on the missing list for approximately one week, and in that time he’s brutally murdered seven people. Is that correct?”

  “Sounds about right,” Adam said, not in the mood for Felix’s theatrics.

  Felix folded the sheet down, unveiling the upper body of Miles Muldoon.

  Frances gasped.

  Adam glanced at her, concerned.

  She patted his arm and nodded she was okay.

  “Now, what first alerted me that something didn’t add up was the clothing which is spotlessly clean apart from his own blood spill. Having just killed two people, you’d expect him to be covered in his victims’ blood too.”

  “Maybe he got changed afterwards,” Adam said. “Sally was upstairs most of the evening, so if he was there for a while, she wouldn’t have known.”

  Felix tipped his head in agreement. “Yes. But, if this guy is so worried about cleanliness that he has to change clothing between murders, why the hell didn’t he go the whole hog and take a shower?”

  “Maybe he did,” Frances said.”

  Felix opened his eyes wide dramatically. “Let’s take a closer look, shall we?” He folded the sheet down around Muldoon's waist. “As you can tell by the state of his hands and fingernails, this man hasn’t seen a shower in a while. Not even a washcloth in my opinion. He’s filthy.”

  “Well, he has been on the run for a week, probably sleeping rough.” Adam was impatient to know where this was going.

  “I’ve taken swabs from his nails and hair, but there isn’t a single trace of blood, apart from his own, anywhere on his person and yet he’s clearly not washed.”

  “So what are you trying to say, Felix? You think he didn’t do it?”

  “I’m saying nothing of the sort. You have evidence to support the case. I only want to point out the inconsistencies.”

  “Is it possible he wore overalls and a hat?” Frances asked.

  “Anything’s possible, my dear. But did you find any such items at the crime scene?”

  “I’m not sure. I wasn’t there.” She glanced at Adam for the answer.

  “I didn’t, but I’ll check the SOCO report when I get back to the office.”

  “Another thing that strikes me as odd is his feet.” Felix walked to the end of the table and lifted the sheet back to uncover Muldoon’s disgusting feet.

  Adam had a bit of a phobia about feet. He didn’t mind Amanda’s feet, or the kids’ feet. He was even partial to his own. But dirty, stinky, hairy feet gave him the heebie-jeebies. He dutifully glanced at the feet before him.

  “Look how dirty they are.” Felix lifted one leg up as if he were examining a flower. “Although he was wearing clean socks and shoes, his feet appear as though he’s been barefoot for a while, and lab tests show they are covered in urine and excrement as well as a couple of spots of his own blood.”

  “Under his socks?” Adam’s interest was suddenly piqued.

  Felix nodded when he saw the penny drop. “His undies are equally filthy.”

  Frances heaved and covered her mouth with her hands. Once she was sufficiently recovered, Felix continued.

  “His briefs and between his buttocks are caked in human waste as though he’d not wiped for a while. The build-up is disgusting.”

  “If you even think about getting his arse out now, I’ll deck you,” Frances said, causing Adam to stifle a laugh.

  Felix, eyebrows raised in surprise, shook his head and continued. “His last meal was beans on toast.” His eyes fixed on Adam’s.

  “And?”

  “Oh, the guy is living rough, can’t find a tissue to wipe his backside, yet he can take the time to cook some toast. Struck me as odd, that’s all.”

  “Felix. Thanks for this enlightening chat, but the way I see it is that Muldoon broke in to the Kemp household, killed the nurse and Mr Kemp, found some clean clothes, shoes and socks and put them on, before lying in wait for Sally to arrive.”

  “Okay. You’re the detective. I just wanted you to see it for yourself. Sometimes a report just doesn’t cut it.”

  “And I’ll take into account all of the points you raised. But I really need to be off. Coming Frances?”

  Frances couldn’t get out of the place fast enough.

  Yet something niggled at Adam. He tried to shut down his inner voice. The case was cut and dried, a few more
loose ends to tie up, then he was going to visit his wife and newborn son. End of.

  As they walked towards the exit, he suddenly stopped. “I won’t be a sec, Frances.”

  He rushed back to the examination room and tapped on the door again.

  Felix opened it.

  “Could I take a quick look at the shoes he was wearing?” Adam said.

  Felix pointed to a plastic bag and went about his business.

  Adam pulled one of the shoes out of the bag.

  The tread looked similar to that found in the soil outside Charlie Kemp’s window. “Is it alright if I take these with me?”

  Felix shrugged. “You’ll need to sign for them.”

  Chapter 42

  In the car, Adam called Sally’s phone again. It went straight to voicemail.

  “I might just fly by her place if you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all,” Frances said.

  At the apartment, they knocked and rang the bell several times, but Sally didn’t appear to be home.

  Adam shrugged and turned to walk away, but he heard a bolt sliding open behind the door.

  The door opened a few inches before the chain caught with a bang. Sally peeped through the tiny opening.

  “Oh, hi. Hang on.” She closed the door while unfastening the chain then invited them in.

  Sally looked terrible. Her normally beautiful mane of hair was wild and messy. She wore a fleecy, purple robe fastened tight at the waist.

  They followed her through to the lounge which had been completely cleaned up since their last visit.

  “Somebody’s been busy,” Adam said, glancing around. “Did you hire a cleaning company?”

  “No. I actually enjoy cleaning.” She sat down and motioned for them to do the same. “What can I do for you, detectives?” Her voice sounded flat and hoarse.

  “We’re just checking you’re alright. I called the hospital and they told me you’d discharged yourself.”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll live. No point taking up a bed when I’m not even sick.”

  “Do you have a friend or family member you might stay with for a few days?” Frances asked.

  “My only remaining family members live on The Isle of Wight.”