by Emily Selby
But, she had already decided she was going to do whatever she could to find the killer. Because lives of her friends and acquaintances dependent on it.
She opened the notebook on the page with the timeline. She'd start with making a list of suspects.
She flicked the page and scribbled:
Trish
Rob
Alex
Olivia
It was a narrow circle. Two couples. And two very different couples.
Were they?
Trish wanted to get out of town. She often talked about going big with her business. In many ways she was like Olivia. But no matter how much Katie try to avoid thinking about it, Olivia had a mission to help other people, while Trish had always struck her as someone ambitious and quite self-centred. To move back to London, Trish would need a lot of money. She had complained about Rob not being able to earn more. Had she said something about him being not ambitious enough? If this were the case, then Trish teasing Rob about it, might have pushed him to... What was it? Some sort of illegal business online? Maybe the computer games Trish talked about were not entirely legal? Maybe Livermore paid Rob in bitcoin? No, the only bitcoin payment discovered was made by Rob to Livermore. Maybe Rob, like Michelle had lent money to the dead man?
The more she thought about the whole situation, the more confused she grew. Trish had been arrested, but was she the killer? She was blunt and direct, and she’d certainly hurt a lot of people, but she was not a murdering type. Rob, on the other hand... Katie sighed in exasperation. No, she should stop believing anyone and just rely on evidence.
Again!
According to the evidence she'd collected, Rob had a gun, could shoot and was capable of killing animals. But the murderer was someone far more clever than the local opinion thought of Rob. Having said that, if he'd joined forces with someone smart, like Trish, it would make sense.
Which took her back to her earlier hypothesis that Rob and Alex could have been working together. But Alex had an alibi for the evening of the murder.
Did he? Hadn't he been seen around the place shortly before Livermore’s death?
Katie flicked back to the timeline.
'There must be a gap somewhere?,' she mumbled to herself, sliding her finger along the lines scribbled a few days earlier.
So, Alex walked away to get on his bike around 8 pm. Katie had no idea whether the police had any witnesses to it. Maybe, if Rob had really been in his car nearby... But as far as she knew, there had been no other witnesses. When Alex returned to town, during the interview he happily answered the police’s questions, maybe with a bit of overconfidence at times. Despite vividly remembering her gut reaction to Alex's interrogation, Katie couldn't fault him. He behaved like a caring and loving husband towards Olivia, full of good intentions and with a new, positive outlook on life. Maybe it was all smoke and mirrors, but maybe, having been through all the police drama with his wife, Alex had indeed, reassessed his priorities in life?
Having said that, Alex could easily have the smarts and skills required to commit a crime and wipe out any trace of it. Wasn't he an IT technician once? But if he indeed, was really skilled, he wouldn't have had such difficulty in finding a job. Unless he was indeed, depressed. But he didn't appear so. At least, he hadn’t at Michelle’s house that evening.
Katie shook her head. She went over her notes again. She had never asked Jack or Chris how on Earth, Livermore had managed to enter the storage room. Did someone unlock the door for him? Or was the lock picked? How many keys were there in circulation? She got the key from Miriam, but who did she get it from?
Was it worth checking?
Katie pulled her phone out and texted Miriam. She waited for her reply, drumming her fingers on the end of her seat.
When her phone pinged, her heart jumped.
'It's the same key as for the old lock.' The message read.
Whoa...
That was an interesting piece of information. So, whoever had the key that opened the crafts room door before the change of locks, could have entered the spare room via the side door.
Katie chewed on her cheek. All her key suspects met the above criteria.
She blew out a breath. It was a mission impossible! The more she focused on evidence and logic, the less clear the picture became.
She needed to start over, with the victim. Jeff Livermore had been described as a selfish, greedy, dishonest person, who liked to take advantage of others and shift blame away from himself. He came to Sunnyvale, but it looked as though whoever met with him, didn't want him anywhere near the place. What had Linda called him? A gatecrasher...
Interesting and true...
Michelle stated she’d rather not have met with him face-to-face, and she hadn't. Olivia had been surprised to see him, and talked with him, even though she didn’t have a very good opinion of him. Trish had approached him uninvited and been burned.
But someone must have known of Livermore’s visit, met him and... helped him meet his Maker.
But why?
From what she'd learnt so far, people killed for money, to protect their dirty little secrets, to get what they wanted, or in self-defence.
What would Livermore’s murderer gain from the killing?
Money was the most obvious answer. The victim owed Michelle money. Rob made a transfer in bitcoin to Livermore's account. Olivia and Trish didn't mention any financial operations, but their interactions revolved around things Livermore knew and exchanged for money. His job, his past professional experience, the secret video games Alex and Rob allegedly tested for him.
Money then. But not any money. It must have been that strange currency - bitcoin.
Katie massaged her temples and rolled her shoulders back and forth. This whole thinking was only giving her a headache and adding to the tension in her back. She'd need to take up yoga or Pilates, seriously...
Katie heaved a sigh and clambered to her feet. She grabbed the laptop from the kitchen surface and opened it. It was time she did some proper research on bitcoin.
She poured herself more tea and typed a few terms into the browser. Again, she stuck to safe sites, using her favourite, trusted websites.
She read slowly, re-reading more difficult passages and referring to pictures whenever possible. While she could conceptualise crypto currencies as virtual money that left a trail when changing hands, the idea of 'mining it' was mind-boggling. The only way she could comprehend it was to think about it as a way of getting paid for making calculations, like an accountant. Or for keeping track on financial transactions, like in a bank. So far, it was clear. The idea of buying and selling something that didn't exist physically was a piece of cake compared with this.
But how did people do it? How did they trade virtual money? Where did they keep it? And how on Earth could they keep their stash secret, if every transaction made in bitcoin could be traced to its origin? According to what she'd read, all the bitcoin exchanges were pseudo-anonymous, trackable back to the owner's wallet address, and even their Internet connection. Apparently, secret transactions were impossible.
She chewed on her lip.
Cryptocurrency wallets, that was a funny thing. A virtual wallet in which to keep your virtual money?
Struck by a sudden fancy, she typed "cryptocurrency wallets" into the search box, clicked on a Wikipedia article and scrolled through it.
Yeah, so it was a digital file rather than a tangible item. Strange, that people still called it a "wallet".
As she skimmed the text, and the section on backups caught her eye.
'Mnemonic sentence,' she croaked. Her heart flipped. Wasn't it what Jack said the scribbles on the exercise booklet were?
She carried on reading. It suddenly made more sense.
She scrolled lower and flicked to the hardware. She was confused again.
'So, there are physical wallets?' she mumbled. Honestly, a physical thing to hold imaginary money in? It just sounded like stuff straight from a unicorn stable.<
br />
Annoyed, she clicked on Amazon website and typed "bitcoin wallet" in the search box. If it existed in physical form, they certainly sold it on Amazon.
She hit "Search" and after a moment, she was looking at the pictures of... smooth little black and silver boxes... The second one in the top row looked really nice.
Gee... it cost nearly a £100 and it was strangely familiar.
Katie gaped at the photo of what apparently was a cryptocurrency hardware wallet and looked uncannily like a USB stick.
A fancy USC stick, with a little window or a screen. Exactly like the one she found the other day in the grass behind the community centre.
She stiffened her back and reached out for her handbag. She’d completely forgotten all about it. She'd been so scatter-brained lately! Not like her usual self. What was happening with her?
She rummaged through her handbag until she fished the plastic bag out and put it on the table. She glanced at the photo on the website.
That's it!
It was definitely the same thing.
Who did the hardware wallet belong to? Jack should know. She'd call him.
Surprisingly, he answered immediately. He sounded rushed and as if he was somewhere outside.
'Just a quick thing, Jack. Sorry to bother you on Friday night. Are you still in Borders?'
'Yes,' he said slowly. 'What is it?'
'I think I found something important.'
'Katie, please don't do anything silly-'
'Oh, stop treating me like a child,' she snapped. 'I think it's related to your investigation. If not the murder case, then definitely the cryptocurrency transactions.'
'Did you just say cryptocurrency?' His voice had an edge to it, which she couldn't quite decipher. Disbelief?
'Yes, I'm capable of searching and learning new things. Not just gossiping,' she said and laughed, trying to lighten the tone. 'I found it a while ago and forgot about. It's a cryptocurrency wallet. One of those things to keep bitcoin.'
Silence screamed at her from the other end of the line.
'I can send you the picture if you don't believe me.'
'It's not that I don't believe you,' he sighed. 'It's... Where did you find it?'
'On the path between the community centre and the back street.'
'Why haven't you handed it to the police?'
'Because I forgot. I can do it now. I think it's important.'
'Katie, take it to the station right away.'
'I will. Do you like me to send you a picture of it?'
'You can, but I can't help much at the moment. I'm really super busy here. Actually, I shouldn't be talking to you. I should be in my car, driving.'
He disconnected. Katie watched the screen go dark, her heart accelerating, her head humming. Tension built between her shoulder blades. She was upset, but she wasn't sure what about. The fact that Jack seemed to have dismissed her discovery? That he didn’t make time to talk to her again?
The kitchen timer beeped. Katie grabbed the oven glove and pulled the steaming pie on the kitchen top.
'Julia, dinner's ready! Wash your hands and come set the table,' she called out.
She'd take this thing to the station, right after dinner. But before that she'd just take a photo of it, just in case.
29
Right after dinner, Katie and Julia were ready to go.
Katie double-checked the contents of her handbag - the plastic bag with the mysterious bitcoin wallet was still there.
At the police station it was Celia's day again.
'Got an item I found near the crime scene a few days ago,' Katie said quickly. They were all standing in the reception area, Celia behind the counter and Julia by the window. Katie was more than keen to get it over and done with as soon as she could. 'I picked it up with tweezers and kept it in a plastic bag.' She pulled the bag from her handbag.
'Not too bad for a... civilian,'' Celia said and, without looking at Katie, took the plastic bag. 'What is it?'
'It's a... well, you can call it a hardware wallet,' Katie said trying to sound casual about it.
'I beg your pardon?' Celia stared at Katie, disbelief clear in her brown eyes.
'I've looked it up, that's how I know what this is,' Katie explained. She couldn't quite take the credit for being so technology-savvy.
Celia shrugged and wrote a receipt for it.
'I'll pass it onto tomorrow's shift,' she said, handing the receipt to Katie. 'Sorry, we are very busy today. There was an accident on A66 again. Will have to send reinforcements.'
'No problem, Celia. Just make sure Jack gets it ASAP.'
Celia shot her a cold glance.
'I'm sure he'll be delighted to talk to you again.'
Katie ignored the comment. She was more concerned that the item ended up in the right hands. She'd been carrying it around for far too long, she felt guilty about it. At least she could breathe now.
She walked out of the police station holding Julia by the hand, and they crossed the street. The ice cream parlour opposite was still open.
'Mum, I didn't get any dessert, could we have some ice cream, please?' Julia asked pleadingly.
Katie glanced at the darkening sky. It was late, but then, it was Friday and no school the following day.
'Why not?' she replied.
'Yay!' Julia called out and skipped towards the terrace. Katie followed, restraining herself from skipping as well. Her back was burning again, and she needed something cold.
Sadly, it was a popular place, and definitely on Friday night. The only table Katie could find was in the noisiest part, close to the counter. Julia plopped on the plastic chair, keen to attack her sundae. Katie stood beside her for a while, hesitating. She was about to suggest that if they were fast enough, they could take their frozen desserts home, when she recognised the voice of one of the two women sitting at the table behind her.
'To be honest, I don't think I can do it either... Now, I can see what a mistake I've made by insisting I was strong and independent, I can't be out there telling women that being strong and independent is the way to live their lives. It's just... not right... My integrity won't let me.'
Katie glanced over her shoulder, her heart beating fast. Yes, it was Olivia! She was having a fancy drink and ice cream with... Michelle? How come there were talking again, only a couple of hours later? Were they back on the track with the business venture?
'Hello, ladies,' Katie waved at them, suddenly changing her mind about going home ASAP. 'I thought you'd finished your business meeting?'
'Oh, I went home, did some thinking and felt I had to wrap it all up with Michelle. I didn't want to wait. It was bothering me,' Olivia replied. The corners of her mouth were pointing upwards, but her eyes were sad.
Katie glanced at Michelle. Her friend's face looked tired but her almond-shaped eyes were smiling.
'So, is it a go?'
Olivia shook her head. 'Unfortunately, I don't feel I can do it either,' she replied.
Michelle moved aside, making room for Katie to join them at the table. Katie angled her chair so she could be part of the conversation and still keep an eye on Julia.
'But what about your aspirational mission?' Katie asked. Something must have happened between the chat in Michelle's kitchen and now to change Olivia's view so drastically.
'I know. I feel bad about it. But I had a long chat with Alex on the way back from Michelle's...' Olivia's voice trailed off. Tears appeared in her eyes.
So this was the reason for the change of heart... Katie braced herself for a teary story.
'He told me how important it was for him to see me vulnerable and needing him. I can't really go out there and preach something else. We're so happy now.'
Katie shook her head as if it helped clearing the fog gathering there. 'I know you said that the murder inquiry has brought you together closer as a couple. Are you saying now, that he's happy because you're not as strong a person as he thought you were?'
Olivia squ
irmed under Katie’s gaze.
'I wouldn't put it like that, but basically he says he feels like a real man again. Having his little princess to protect.'
'Ah, that...' Katie took a deep breath and counted to ten in her mind, pushing back the burning wave that tried creeping up her face. She'd spent well over a decade living with a knight who needed a delicate princess to rescue and protect, and mould whichever way he liked.
'Are you sure this is what you want?' Katie asked once her emotions were under control again.
'It's against the philosophy I support, but I think it'll be for the better. For us as a couple. That's why I can't continue with the project. Alex has done so much for our relationship, it's now my turn. He's even let me buy him new clothes.'
'I've noticed. What happened to his favourite green jumper?'
'He washed it and it shrank, I threw it away. And he didn't even protest.'
'Men can be so thoughtless when it comes to washing. They think they can just throw everything together, add a lot of washing powder and the washing fairy will come and do her job.'
'Or they believe in washing fairies coming and doing all this without the need to put the clothes in the washing machine, adding powder...'
Katie laughed, glad the topic shifted to something lighter and less personal.
'I had this top once, with sequins and lace,' Katie said. 'I must say Barry tried to be helpful. He washed it with other white things - well at least he got this part right. But he put it in with cotton, in hot water, to make extra sure it came out sparkling white. The lace crumpled, and all the sequins came off. When I told him about the mesh bag, he looked at me like I was from Mars or somewhere.'
