“Who do you think put the images there? Jasper Parker?” I said.
“Mr Parker said he never saw the game until Mr Castle gave it to him recently. Mr Parker sent us a copy of the game that he received so that we could test it. There were no subliminal messages. Also, I mentioned your surprise about Mr Castle agreeing to sell the game to a Japanese company. Mr Parker was surprised too when he got Mr Castle’s email to confirm the sale.”
“Email? I though they had meetings via video call,” I said.
“Apparently they usually do, but this communication came through email,” DI Clarke replied.
“That means anyone could have sent it,” I pointed out. “Someone could have been waiting for Mark to die, and then hacked into his emails and sold the game to Jasper Parker.”
DI Clarke gave a little smile, “You’ve got an active imagination, Ms Blake. I thought of that too. I asked Mr Parker to give me the account number of where he transferred the two million pounds to.”
“Two million pounds! What was that for?” I said a little too loudly.
“That was just the signing fee for the sale of the game. Mr Parker was due to send another ten million once the deal had gone through. I advised him not to take the deal any further. He wasn’t happy about that,” DI Clarke said.
We were both quiet for a while as we thought about the amount of money involved.
“Oh! I’ve remembered something that Mark told me. I told you that he asked me to look at the game, didn’t I? He said he usually has someone else to look at his games. I got the impression that he didn’t trust his usual contact anymore. Perhaps Mark suspected someone was trying to steal his game.”
“That’s interesting. If someone had access to the game, or to his computer, they could have put the subliminal text and audio in without Mr Castle suspecting. We’ll have to look into that. Thank you, Ms Blake, you’ve been most helpful,” DI Clarke said. He got to his feet and opened the office door for me.
A furious looking Jasper Parker was on the other side.
He glared at me and said, “I want a word with you! You interfering witch!”
Chapter 14
Jasper launched into a full verbal attack.
“I’ve heard that you’ve been accusing me of murdering Mark Castle! How dare you? I could sue you for that. And what’s this about putting evil pictures and sounds inside his game? First of all, I wouldn’t even know how to do that. And secondly, Mark never showed his game to anyone whilst he was still working on it, only those few in his precious testing group!”
I stood back a little, Jasper was practically spitting venom on me.
“And furthermore ...”
“That’s enough, Mr Parker,” DI Clarke stepped forward. “Ms Blake was just acting like a concerned citizen, I’m sure she didn’t mean you any harm.”
I did mean him some harm, I thought to myself.
Jasper wasn’t finished, “I caught her taking photos of me in the middle of Leeds. Can’t you charge her for that?”
“You were supposed to be in London! And what were you doing meeting Annabel Castle?” I interrupted.
Jasper folded his arms and said, “I don’t have to answer that.”
DI Clarke studied him for a moment and then said, “Actually, I’d like to know the answer to that.”
“I’ve a good mind to phone my solicitor!” Jasper threatened.
DI Clarke replied, “Go ahead, we’ll wait.”
Jasper gave a resigned sigh. “Alright, I’ve been in Leeds for the last week, not London. I was trying to persuade Mark to sell his game to one of the companies I’d lined up. He kept refusing so I thought I’d move closer and try to persuade him personally. I was planning to turn up on his doorstep, before he got himself killed.”
“And what about Annabel Castle? How well do you know her?” I asked.
DI Clarke frowned at me. “I’m respectfully asking you to be quiet, Ms Blake.”
“I’d spoken to Annabel on the phone after she found out about Mark’s death. She told me that she would likely be the beneficiary of Mark’s will so I ... well ... this is a bit embarrassing.”
“You thought you’d get on her good side so that she’d sell Mark’s game to you?” I suggested.
Jasper looked at the floor and muttered, “A man’s got to make a living.”
DI Clarke looked at me, “Does that satisfy you?”
“For now,” I said. I still didn’t trust Jasper Parker.
The inspector turned to Jasper and said, “You mentioned the testing group that Mr Castle used, do you know how we could find them? We’d like to question them.”
Jasper shrugged, “I think those computer geeks were scattered around the World. I’m sure there will be something on Mark’s computer.”
“We’ve got people working on his computer now. Did you want to speak to me, Mr Parker? Or did you just come here to shout at Ms Blake?”
Jasper looked uncomfortable. “No, I’ll be on my way now.”
He turned and walked away.
DI Clarke warned me, “Watch out for men like him, he’s the kind to sue you for everything and anything at the drop of a hat. You should keep your opinions to yourself.”
“I’ll try,” I said. But I wasn’t going to stop until I’d found out who was responsible for Mark’s death.
Chapter 15
I was busy with work for the next few days and I didn’t have much time to think about Mark, although I was hoping that DI Clarke would be making progress.
It was late on Tuesday night when the inspector called at my house. I was surprised to see that he had two uniformed officers with him.
I opened my front door wide and invited them in.
DI Clarke looked grim. He said, “Julia Blake, I have reason to believe that you were involved in the death of Mark Castle. I’d like you to accompany us to the police station to help us with our enquiries.”
I was so shocked that I actually collapsed onto the floor.
DI Clarke rushed forward and helped me to my feet. He had a concerned look in his eyes and softly said, “I hope this is all a misunderstanding but we have strong evidence to link you to Mr Castle’s death. Please put your coat on.”
I did so in a daze. The uniformed officers guided me towards a police car. I got in, noticing the curtains moving at my neighbours’ windows.
I was still in shock when we arrived at the police station. A man at the reception desk took my name and other details and then DI Clarke led me into a windowless room. The uniformed officers came with us. DI Clarke instructed one of them to get me a drink of water.
“Ms Blake, we are about to conduct an official interview. Do you need to have a solicitor present? We can arrange for one on your behalf if needed,” he asked.
I shook my head and tried to smile. “I’ve nothing to hide.”
The uniformed officer came back with my drink and a thick file that he handed to DI Clarke.
DI Clarke opened the file and took out some papers.
“Do you remember when we spoke a few days ago and we found out that Mr Castle had a special group of testers who would look at his game for him?”
I nodded. I was finding it hard to talk.
“We traced them. There are six people in various countries, all computer experts. We’ve worked out that Mr Castle sent a different portion of a new game to each of them. Each person would not get the game in full. He also sent different codes that each person had to work out before they could open the game. Are you following me, Ms Blake?”
Another nod from me.
“Have you heard of call forwarding?” DI Clarke asked.
“Yes, I use it to forward my calls to my dad’s telephone number so that he can take my messages,” I managed to say.
“Exactly. Well, our computer experts have found out that the six people Mark worked with on his latest game are actually one person. And this one person very cleverly managed to forward all the emails that Mark sent to their own email accoun
t. So this means that this person had the full game and that when the portions of the game were returned to Mr Castle they had the opportunity to add the subliminal programme.”
I was just about following, “So who is this one person?”
DI Clarke looked at me sadly. “We’ve traced the forwarded email account to you, Ms Blake.”
Chapter 16
“That’s impossible!” I finally managed to say. “I would have seen any peculiar emails, wouldn’t I?”
“We discovered that the emails were deleted within seconds of them arriving in your inbox. Do you ever check your deleted emails?”
“Does anybody?” I asked.
“Aside from the emails, we have been advised that you have a spare set of keys to Mr Castle’s apartment. Is that true?” DI Clarke said.
“Yes, I have spare keys to most of my clients’ homes. They give them to me for when they go on holiday, so that I can still clean for them. I keep them in a locked drawer at home. Who told you about the keys?”
DI Clarke continued, “We further understand that you had access to Mr Castle’s medication. He kept bottles in the bathroom and his bedroom, is that right?”
I nodded. “But that doesn’t mean I switched the bottles. Wouldn’t I have to get a prescription from the doctor to do that?”
“The tablets that Mr Castle took just before he died are available over the internet, not legal of course. We’re trying to trace the supplier. Can you tell us who it is?” DI Clarke gave me a searching look.
I withered under his stare. I was beginning to feel guilty even though I’d done nothing wrong.
“I don’t know what to say. I didn’t kill Mark, and I certainly didn’t put secret pictures on his game. I wouldn’t know how to. Mark had my email address on his computer. Someone could easily have seen it,” I asked.
“We know that Mr Castle died on Wednesday evening. Whoever was responsible for his death must have been in his home shortly after he died because the sales transaction of Mr Castle’s game took place the same evening. Where were you on Wednesday night?” DI Clarke asked me.
I said quietly, “At home, on my own. No witnesses.”
“The signing fee of two million pounds was wired to several bank accounts. The money from those accounts was then immediately transferred to one hundred more. It looks like the person who sold Mr Castle’s game was trying to cover their tracks. We will trace the money but it will take a bit of time. But whether we trace it before it’s all withdrawn is another matter. Do you recognise any of these account numbers?” DI Clarke pushed some papers towards me.
I had several bank accounts and I knew the numbers off by heart. I scanned the list of numbers. My bank account digits were not on the list.
Then something caught my eye. My heart almost stopped as I recognised something.
I looked up at DI Clarke. “I think I’ve been set up. And I’ve got an awful feeling that I know who killed Mark Castle.”
Chapter 17
Early the next morning I was back at Canal View Court.
I called on Steve in his office. “I’m going to give Mark’s apartment a final clean.”
He stood up, “Do you want me to open the apartment, or have you got your spare key on you?” he asked.
“I’ve got my key.” I smiled back at him.
Inside Mark’s apartment I was giving the balcony doors a good scrub when I heard the front door open.
Steve came in. “Do you need a hand with anything? Can I make you a cup of tea?”
“No, it’s okay, thanks,” I said and I carried on cleaning.
Steve hesitated, “Did the police get any further with looking into Mark’s death?”
I stopped cleaning and turned to face Steve. “They’re going to have a word with Annabel Castle. She signed for Mark’s tablets just before he died so they think she could have swapped them for the stronger type.”
Steve nodded. “She probably did.”
I clutched my cleaning cloth a bit tighter and said, “It seems that you can get those tablets on the internet, if you know what you’re looking for. Is that what you did, Steve?”
Steve looked straight at me. “What do you mean?”
“You knew what kind to order, you said your granddad had the same kind,” I went on.
Steve took a step closer to me.“What are you trying to say, Julia?”
I moved back a bit and said, “I think you killed Mark. And that you sold his game.”
“I can’t believe you’re saying this. What proof do you have?” Steve moved even closer.
“When we were outside Mark’s door, just before we found him, you said, ‘So he is away with his fairies’. Why would you mention fairies unless you knew what Mark’s game was about?”
Steve shrugged. “It’s just a saying.”
“And that business about losing the master key, I don’t think you lost it at all. I think it was just to throw suspicion off you,” I said. I twisted the cleaning cloth as if it could give me the strength to carry on. “The police showed me a list of the bank accounts that the game money had been sent to. I recognised your number from when I’ve sent you money for recommending me to new clients.”
Steve looked at the floor as if he was considering something. Then he leapt towards me and plunged his hand down my shirt.
“A recording device, Julia? That won’t help you now,” he sneered and he ripped the device off me and threw it on the floor. He crushed it under his boot.
Then he turned back to me and gave me a little smile. “Well, you’ve turned into a right little Miss Marple, haven’t you? Yes, I did kill him. It took me months to redirect all those email addresses so that I was the only one in the select group that Mark sent his game to. I gave him lots of feedback but he never even said thank you!”
Steve began to move even closer to me. I tried to move backwards but I was already right up against the balcony doors.
“It didn’t seem fair that he should make all the money when I was giving him ideas. It used to get on my nerves seeing how he lived while I was stuck in that dingy office downstairs. It was me who was the computer genius, not him! Well, I proved it when I put those scary photos and sounds in his game,” Steve boasted.
He was so close now that I could feel his breath on my face. He had a nasty look on his face. I was terrified.
Steve unlocked the balcony door behind me.
“Using my own bank number was a stupid mistake though. I’d set up all the other accounts but I wanted a bit of ready cash immediately. My escape money. It’s a shame you worked it out Julia, now I’ll have to get rid of you,” Steve said and he grabbed my arm. “How about a trip into the canal. You’d be amazed how deep it us, you won’t survive from this height.”
I called out, “DI Clarke!”
Steve snorted, “Don’t bother calling for backup. I saw the inspector’s car on my CCTV feed. I knew what you were up to, get me to confess and then the police would come rushing in. Unfortunately, the inspector and his men are now stuck in the lift. They’ll be pressing the bell for help – but help won’t come, for them or you.”
Chapter 18
Steve pulled me out onto the balcony and towards the edge. I looked down at the canal. It seemed a long way down. My legs felt wobbly and I felt like crying.
Steve laughed. “There’s no point struggling, Julia. I’ve killed once and I’m not bothered about killing again.”
I was still clutching my cleaning cloth. I suddenly remembered my cleaning spray that I kept in my apron pocket.
I dropped the cloth, whipped out the spray and squirted a stream of the liquid into Steve’s face.
He screamed, his hands flew to his face, “You’ve blinded me!”
I ran from the balcony and into the apartment. I turned around and locked the balcony door. Steve probably had a key so I stood ready with my cleaning fluid held up like a gun, ready to fire.
“Put your weapon down!” a voice called behind me.
It
was DI Clarke.
“It’s not a weapon! It’s lemon juice!” I called back. I turned my head to look at the inspector. His coat was torn. “What happened to you?”
“We’ve had to crawl through a hole in the lift,” he said. “Lower your lemon juice, we’ll take over from here.”
“Did you hear everything? Did you get all you needed?” I asked.
I suddenly felt faint and slithered to the floor. DI Clarke ran over. He helped me up and took me over to a chair. The uniformed men that came in with him were now arresting Steve.
“I’ve never been wired up before. Did I do it right?” I said.
“Perfect. Good thinking of yours to have two wires. You can take the existing one off yourself.”
I blushed a little. The location of the second device was between me and my underwear. Literally.
“ We’ll be able to charge him with murder. Are you feeling okay, Ms Blake?” the inspector looked concerned.
I smiled. “I’m not used to such excitement! I’ll be alright in a while.”
DI Clarke and his men took Steve away. I couldn’t look at Steve, not after what he’d done.
I told DI Clarke that I’d lock the apartment up. The inspector checked me again before he left to see if I was okay.
When I was alone I looked around Mark’s home. He really was a good man and didn’t deserve to die.
I looked at my watch. I had plenty of time before my next cleaning job.
I’d only given Mark’s apartment half a clean, that wouldn’t do at all. I held up my trusty cleaning spray and then headed towards the kitchen.
As I worked I thought I’d buy one of Mark’s games on the way home. I might surprise myself and become a games expert.
I’d also be buying myself a bottle of wine. Solving a murder mystery had done nothing for my nerves.
But I knew that I would do it again – if I had to.
About the author
I’ve always loved mystery stories and used to devour Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books when I was young. When I got older I discovered Agatha Christie. Some of her plots can be confusing but her characters are so vivid and full of life, apart from the murdered ones of course. My favourite detective has to be Hercule Poirot as I love the methodical way that he solves mysteries.
Virtually Scared To Death (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 1) Page 3
