by Emily Selby
Out of those questions the last one was probably the easiest to answer. If only she could find enough courage to ask one of the officers involved in the case.
No, she didn't feel like asking the beautiful Celia with her silver bell laughter, smooth perfect face and beautiful dark curls.
Not that she didn't like her own voice, stubborn copper hair and a little-too-keen-to-blush pink complexion, but the pinch of jealousy was still bothering her.
If she could hang around long enough, she would bump into the afternoon shift, and if she remembered correctly, it was Chris' week to be on the afternoon shift.
She would wait.
18
She was right, and back in luck. She didn't have to hang around too long. Chris walked into the office half an hour earlier than expected.
'Anyone in here?' she heard him call out.
She sprang out of the door and burst into the staffroom.
'Hi, Chris,' she greeted him happily. 'It's just me. No idea where the others are. You're in early.'
'The guys have asked me to come in to help. I think they took the crying lady away.'
Katie's chest tightened. She genuinely hoped that, with Trish correcting her previous statement and suspected Rob's connection to the crime, Olivia might have been off the hook.
'But... but didn't Trish Bollard explain what she had actually heard that night?' Katie asked.
Chris' brows raised forming two dark arches on his broad, freckled forehead. He whistled. 'Mrs Well-Informed, I see.'
'Local grapevine,' Katie fired back.
'Any more gossip? Who do you think did it?'
Katie jumped at the opportunity.
'No idea, to be honest. This whole business with guns is out of my league. It's no longer the matter of stabbing someone with a fancy quilling tool or injecting poison using a dip pen. This crime requires much more than just bad intentions and a crooked character.'
'Those were all real crimes, Katie. But I get your point, lass. Shooting someone needs some skill and, of course, access to a gun.'
'The gun Jeff Livermore was shot with, was it something use in hunting?'
'I'm no expert, but I can tell you the killer used a handgun. Something that is held in the hand rather then fired from the shoulder, which is what usually happens during hunting. Why are you asking?'
'Just wondering if Rob could have handled the gun used to kill Livermore.'
'No. Rob’s gun license is for a rifle. That's a different kettle of fish. Do you suspect Rob?'
Katie thought about it for a while. 'He's gone missing, with no means of communication. He has a gun. It means he knew where to get one, maybe even illegally. He can shoot. I guess it's not easy to murder someone with one bullet. Or was there more shots?'
Chris rubbed his head. 'You're getting the hang of investigating business, lass. You're right, there was only one bullet fired. Right where it hurt most. Killed him on the spot. I agree, definitely someone who could shoot. Unless it was an accident. The only problem is, why would he do it? We haven't found any connection whatsoever between the victim and Rob Heron.'
'Ah... so you haven't. Didn't Trish tell her little story yesterday? From what I've gathered, there might well have been a connection between Rob and Jeff.'
'Why don't you tell not your favourite inspector then?'
Katie's nostrils flared. 'I told you to stop calling him my favourite inspector.'
'But I didn't. What I said was not your favourite inspector.'
'Alright, alright,' Katie flapped her hands, desperate to cover her gaffe.
'Forget it,' she said eventually.
Chris watched her for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth curving upwards. 'I may be a bloke Katie,' he said slowly, 'but I'm not blind.'
He looked at Katie as if waiting for her to say something, but she crossed her arms and glared back. She wasn't letting anyone make any assumptions about her emotional state before she decided what she wanted to do with it.
'Oh, is this a staring match?' Jack's voice cut through the tense silence in the staff room. 'Can I join in?'
Katie jumped back. This new, transformed, relaxed, even in the suit, Inspector Heaton was dangerously attractive. A curly head poked from behind his back. Celia!
'Just some friendly banter,' Katie said as lightly as she could. 'Like we do here, sometimes.'
Jack glanced at Chris, who shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets.
'I know nothing, and I'll insist I know nothing until you read me my rights,' Chris rattled off.
Celia giggled.
'Maybe there is something in the air,' she said lightly and waltzed towards her desk. 'Do you think Alex is coming?' she addressed Jack.
'Time will tell,' Jack replied.
'But what if he's depressed?' Celia carried on.
'From what I've seen around he's never looked like a happy chappy,' Chris chimed in.
'But the more recent information that we came across, doesn't really confirm it,' Celia said with an emphasis on the "we", which brought another pang of jealousy to the surface. Katie hugged herself pretending she was just pulling her cardigan closer.
'Inspector, do you think he's depressed?' Celia looked at Jack with a shadow of a smile on her luscious lips that Katie would call flirty.
'I'm not a health expert and I've never seen him. But my hunch is,' he glanced and winked at Katie, 'that he is no more depressed than my cat.'
Celia giggled. Katie’s stomach twisted. Fortunately, the bell in the reception rang and Celia rushed to answer it. When the door closed behind her, Katie took a deep breath.
'Do you have a cat, Inspector?'
'No. I don't. But if I did, it would be a stoic one.'
'I'd have a crazy one,' Chris chipped in.
'What about you, Katie?' Jack looked at her with a playful sparkle in his eyes.
Katie blinked. She was still fighting the effect of Celia's giggle. 'I've never had a cat. But if I had one, I don't know...'
'I think yours would be a well organised, neat and have all the proper manners,' Jack said smoothly.
'Ay, Inspector. Totally agree!' Chris chimed in.
'Interesting,' Jack said, his eyes still drilling through Katie. 'Speaking of interesting, what's wrong with Celia today? She's been behaving strangely towards me ever since I walked in. Have you noticed anything?'
Should she tell him?
'Like she's laughing at your jokes, sir?’ Chris added with a corner of his mouth arching upwards.
'Yeah, even the ones that aren't funny.'
'I think she may have a soft spot for you,' Chris carried on.
'Me? I must be at least ten years older than her.'
And none less hot, Katie thought and pressed her hand to her mouth in case the atmosphere of candid chat loosened her usual self-restraint.
Katie shrugged. 'Every person to their tastes,' she said instead. 'But I agree with Chris.'
'Hey, it's one of your hunches, right? Or do you have any evidence to support it?' Jack glanced at her again, and again with the same expression.
Oh, the cheek! She wasn't going to hold back this time!
'I'd say the fact she giggled at your cat joke is a piece of evidence.'
'Was it that bad?' he asked. A flinch of incredulity crossed his face. And then, as if by magic, a hint of comprehension crept into his eyes. He slapped himself on the forehead.
'Oh, I think I need to learn how to pick up on these cues... and keep my interactions with her on the professional level.'
The brick in the pit of Katie’s stomach dissolved immediately, exploding into hundreds of butterflies.
19
With Julia at a play date with her best friend, Ines, Katie had the afternoon and evening to herself. She popped in to see Michelle on the way home from the station. Last night Michelle called, quite stressed, asking if Katie could help at the salon. Without her laptop and the booking system available, Michelle struggled to keep her hair and beauty busi
ness organised. Everything had to be done manually and by phone. Today, she had to do a stock take and reorder supplies. Katie was not only happy to help her friend, but also relieved to have something to focus her too 'warm and fuzzy' mind on.
Butterflies and mushy brain- she kept coming up with all those expressions to avoid calling it what it was.
Michelle greeted her warmly.
'I've prepared whatever I could find in hard copies. It's all on the desk. Would you mind going through the cupboards to check what's there. Replace anything that has less than two items left. It's probably going to be too much for some of the products, but given the circumstances, I don't care.
'Maybe-'
'Don't worry, Katie. It's not really worth it. I've got my hands full this afternoon. Please do whatever you can. By the way, one of the ladies coming in tonight might be looking for a little of domestic help. I've told her about you, and she wants to meet you. There will be a great opportunity.'
'Nice coincidence!'
Michelle chuckled. 'I think I might have helped that fairy a little bit. I rebooked Mrs Weatherspoon around the time I knew you were coming, and she didn't mind.'
This was great news.
The afternoon rolled on. Katie quickly got the hang of the task. The hardest part was checking and copying the names of some products. How on Earth did the manufacturers come up with such fancy, foreign names?
The brief chat with Mrs Weatherspoon was pleasant and resulted in Katie being invited to have a look at what the elderly lady needed help with the following day. Just a bit of cleaning, ironing, taking the dog for a walk.
Katie was busy putting bottles and jars onto shelves when her mobile buzzed.
'Andy Lumley here.' Katie heard when she answered. The low, rumbling voice of the chief policeman at the Sunnyvale station made the hairs on the back of her neck lift. What did he want from her at this time of day?
'Hello, Inspector,' Katie replied. 'How can I help?'
'Yes, yes... we need your help. It’s just that Heaton, has an interview you need to type up. An urgent one.'
Katie's heart skipped a beat. Was it an interview with Alex Gibson? She couldn't think of any other in the pipeline.
'Would you like me to come and type it up tonight?'
'If you can, it would be great.'
'When do you need me to come?'
'Are you free now?'
Katie looked at the neatly arranged stock and paperwork. She still had a few dozen items to put back in the cupboard.
'Need about thirty minutes, sir.'
'Great. Will pay you overtime, of course,' he said and disconnected.
She didn't even have a chance to thank him. Her boss was known for his succinctness, to the point of being economical with words. She was used to it.
With her heart beating hard, Katie finished her task and left the list of supplies on Michelle's desk.
'Do you want me to order them for you?' she called out and waved at Michelle who had just closed the door behind her last client.
Katie finished her little job at Michelle's salon and drove back to the station.
The tape was waiting for her in her cubbyhole in the staffroom. This was the second time Jack had used the recorder and asked her to transcribe. The previous time had been during the investigation into Zach Greenberg's murder over a month earlier, and it allowed Katie to gain insight into information she wouldn't have otherwise accessed. So even though it meant she was to spend her evening at work, she was looking forward to the task.
With a fresh cup of tea by her side, the headset on, Katie pressed the 'Play' button on the machine. Although she had a suspicion what it was about, her heart still accelerated when she heard Jack making the formal introductions at the beginning of the tape.
Alex Gibson was back in town.
Transcribing the interview went much better than the one she did before. She switched smoothly between listening and typing and making notes to self for her own investigation.
Alex Gibson came back to town following the message he received from his wife. He claimed he was very concerned about her well-being. He was appalled, and he emphasised it several times in his tirade, that her family had not been called and she’d been left in the cells by herself.
Jack stated that she had access to legal advice and moved on swiftly to his questions.
'When did you leave Sunnyvale?' Jack asked.
'Sometime about 1 or 2 am on Sunday.'
'Why did you go?
'I've had the trip planned for a while. I've been depressed for many months, because I've not been able to find a job. I had a period off sick, with stress and anxiety following an incident with an angry customer.'
'Have you had any treatment for any of these problems, Mr Gibson?'
Here came the question...
'My employer offered me counselling, but after a discussion with my wife, I didn't think it was suitable. I was going to seek help, but I haven't. My wife has been incredibly supportive and tried to push me to seek help, but I didn't listen to her. Now I think she was right. I need help. I came back home to support her but also to get treatment for myself.'
'Where did you go?'
'Does it matter?' Alex’s voice had a sharp edge to it.
'It would help our investigation,' Jack replied calmly.
'I went to visit my family back in the Midlands.'
'Did you stay with any of your family? Can anybody confirm it?'
'Unfortunately, this may not be possible, Inspector. I stayed in a summerhouse belonging to my aunt. But it's in the middle of the Peak District National Park, quite isolated. I'm not sure if anybody saw me there. But I can give you the address.'
'That would be very helpful,' Jack replied still very calm and polite.
Katie wondered about the comment that Olivia had made a while ago about posting something for Alex to a PO Box in Newcastle. Maybe Alex was going to pick the item up on the way. But Newcastle was not really on the way between Sunnyvale in Cumbria and the Peak District. Katie paused the tape and checked the map on her mobile phone. Okay, going from Sunnyvale to the Peak District via Newcastle might have not been the wisest choice, but it wasn't particularly suspicious.
She pressed "play" again. Jack took the address from Alex.
'Why did you have your phone off?'
'Poor network coverage. I got the message from my wife only yesterday while shopping for supplies in the nearby village.'
'Can you tell me why you went away?'
'As I told you earlier, Inspector, I had some heavy thinking to do,' Alex replied calmly. 'It was the culmination of many weeks of stress. My wife, as you may already know, started working on a new business idea. She seemed to be flourishing professionally. Everything she touches turns into gold. Although I was happy with her success, it still hurt me deeply. I felt useless and hopeless. I didn't want to be a burden to her anymore, so I went away to pull myself together. I knew she was going to be busy with the new business venture.'
'But you didn't tell your wife where you were going?'
'I did tell why I was going away. We talked about it before at length. I didn't want her to know where I was going because I didn't want anyone to disturb me. You see, she would have asked family members to pop in and check on me, and I didn't want that. I wanted to be by myself, relying only on myself. It was a sort of test I wanted to put myself through. You see, inspector, I used to be independent and self-reliant. Unfortunately, my life has not been all roses for me lately. But I am determined to turn it around now.'
'What are you thinking of doing?' Jack asked.
Katie thought she heard a sarcastic note in his voice. She was definitely becoming too suspicious and cynical...
'I had an idea for an online business, to create some income and rebuild my self-esteem. But I also want to get into shape. I want to start running and weightlifting again. I want to get well, to get my depression under control.'
'I hope you get help you need, Mr Gibso
n. Now, can you tell me about your movements on Saturday, 11th November, from about 7 pm.?'
After a little hesitation, Alex answered with, 'At 7 pm, I was home, watching TV and waiting for my wife. I knew she'd be tired after the whole day at the fete, so I made a simple dinner. She called me around 7.30 saying she'd forgotten her presentation, and she needed it that evening. I'm not really sure what it was. But she was meeting with Michelle Webb, at Michelle's home. My wife has been working with Mrs Webb on a new business idea. So, Olivia rang me and asked me to bring the presentation, which was on a USB memory stick. She left it in an envelope on the kitchen table. I grabbed the envelope and rushed to the community centre where she told me she was.'
'What time did you get there?'
'It took me a while. As my wife was using our only vehicle, I had to use the bike. I believe I arrived a little before eight o'clock. I went around the building twice, checking all the doors but they were locked. I was just contemplating ringing her, when I saw Michelle and approached her. She said she hadn't seen Olivia at the centre, but she was expecting her at her place very soon. I told her about the envelope and she offered to take to Olivia for me. I left immediately. It was very cold outside, and I was keen to get back home, into the warmth.'
Alex was basically confirming what Katie had known from Michelle's report and partially Olivia's account as well.
'When you were at the community centre, did you hear or see anything unusual?'
'I don't recall, Inspector. What sort of unusual things?'
'People walking around, talking.'
'This wouldn't be unusual. I'm sure you know it was the day of the church fair.'
'I also happen to know that it was a very quiet evening because everybody had gone home, and it was dark around the building,' Jack replied, definitely adding a note of sarcasm to his voice.
There was a pause. Katie wondered if Alex was processing the information.
'I didn't see anything or anyone unexpected. But I did see some familiar cars around.'
'Did you notice whose cars they were?'
'I did, Inspector. Because one of them was actually not supposed to be there.'
