‘I know what I’ll call them.’ Sarah declared. James and Ruby looked up.
‘Go on.’ James said impatiently.
‘Angel Cupcakes by Sarah Codd.’ Sarah said formally.
‘Angel Cupcakes by Sarah Codd.’ James repeated with his eyebrows slightly raised. Sarah was using her maiden name again. ‘I like it! And it’s very apt on the angel front anyhow.’
‘Why so?’ Ruby said.
‘Oh just that it ties in with the whole heavenly comment.’ Sarah replied quickly, giving James a look. He understood immediately that she didn’t want Ruby to know about Edward.
‘Right, I’ll go grab some more coffee!’ Sarah said and James jumped up, offering to help too.
‘Are you ok with this?’ James asked.
‘I’m more than ok with it.’ Sarah reassured him. ‘But don’t mess it up, James. She’s my best friend and I’ve only just got her back. I don’t want to lose her again because she’s a broken heart courtesy of you!’
‘If anyone is likely to get a broken heart this time, it’s me. I’ve fallen for her. Hard.’ James confessed.
‘You can’t tell her about Edward.’
‘I know.’ James replied. ‘But one day you will have to. You can’t keep hiding who you are from everyone who loves you.’
‘I can’t risk losing everyone I love either!’ Sarah replied. ‘I’m not strong enough to deal with the looks of horror on their faces when they find out. What if they don’t believe me?’
‘Don’t tar everyone with Mam and Dad’s brush,’ James told her. ‘And for what it’s worth, you are stronger than you think you are.’
‘So Angel Cupcakes is a good idea?’ Sarah asked.
James nodded in agreement. ‘When you think about it, angels brought Ruby and I together too. Good old Eddy!’ he ended jubilantly! ‘I’d kiss him if I could see him right now!’
‘Funny that just as you said that, Edward disappeared!’ Sarah said laughing.
They both started to laugh then and once they started it seemed hard to stop. It was so good to see James looking so happy.
Ruby walked into the kitchen and walked over to James and into his embrace, smiling as she saw them both laughing.
Despite feeling genuinely happy for them, Sarah felt a slight stab of what she recognised as jealousy as she watched them together; their bodies seemed to mould into each other’s perfectly. They were obviously very much in love already and all of a sudden Sarah felt lonely. She hadn’t felt that intimate touch of a man in a long time and realised she may never again. She quickly shook the feeling off. This wasn’t the time to get all maudlin. She didn’t want to ruin a happy moment by being selfish.
‘Are you sure about going back to your maiden name?’ James asked with concern through mouthfuls of chocolate icing. ‘It’s a big step.’
‘I know.’ Sarah replied, ‘But this is a new beginning for me. It feels right that I go back to being Codd again. I stopped being a Lawler when Paul left me I suppose. That name belongs with my marriage, in the past. My solicitor said I needed to decide if I was going to keep the name or not. Well, the decision has just been made.’
James walked over to his sister and gave her a hug. ‘I’m proud of you, sis. You’re doing brilliantly through this whole mess. I don’t think I’d be able to cope as well as you have.’
Sarah smiled at her brother, grateful for his kind words. It meant a lot to her, gave her the strength to carry on.
Just then his mobile beeped and he broke away from Sarah. He walked outside to take the call, returning a few minutes later.
‘Got to go. Sorry about eating and running, but that was the Seafield Hotel. Finally one of the staff who is working tonight remembers Rachel and Wickham. I’m going to go interview them quickly before they disappear again.’
Ruby quickly jumped up. ‘Oh is this the case you are helping the Gardaí with? We better go quickly, that’s a big breakthrough! Sarah seriously, those cupcakes are amazing. They’ll be a huge success, I just know it.’
Sarah hugged them both warmly as they left, ‘I’m just so happy for you both!’
Chapter Twenty Three
James was having a pint with Roger. He needed to find a way to persuade him that Mal was a suspect, without giving Sarah away.
‘So let me get this straight.’ Roger said a little sharply. ‘You have been playing Sherlock Holmes based on a hunch?’
‘Something like that, mate. I’ve done some digging around that guy I told you about, Wickham, and I have some suspicions I think you need to hear.’ James said.
‘I thought I told you to back off this whole hunch thing?’ Roger said with more than a little annoyance.
‘Rachel Finch was my niece’s school teacher. And my sister’s kids were devastated when Rachel died. It was upsetting; I just wanted to help make it right.’ James said truthfully.
‘That I get.’ Roger said. ‘And I’d say every parent of every child from Rachel’s class felt the same. But I don’t have any of them sitting in a pub with me telling me they’ve been having a go at solving a murder!’
‘Fair point.’ James acknowledged. ‘Hey, I’m a frustrated private investigator! Shoot me!’ He tried to add some humour to the situation. Roger was a mate; he couldn’t stay mad at him for long.
‘Right, start at the beginning.’
‘It started at the funeral. I was in the bar at the Ballyaislinn Hotel and was chatting to some friends and we were joined by a guy there. It’s hard to explain, but there was just something off about him.’ James replied.
‘How do you mean off?’ Roger replied.
‘I just didn’t trust him, I suppose.’ James replied. ‘I can’t put my finger on it, but there was something about him that made me feel uncomfortable.’
‘Ok, so what brought you from not liking a guy to making him a murder suspect?’ Roger continued.
‘I know that this sounds crazy.’ James replied. ‘His wife Marie joined us at the bar and it was her that actually made me suspicious. She was good friends with Rachel apparently but they had a falling out and there was something about the way she spoke about Rachel and her husband, that made me think that there was more to their story.’
‘Why not ring and tell me that straight away?’ Roger replied.
‘Would you have listened?’
There wasn’t a reply to that so James continued. ‘I decided to follow up on it. I went to see Marie and spoke to her. And she admitted that she thought they had been having an affair. And listen to this, Roger, this guy Mal is really messed up. She had bruises on her face and head, which she’d tried to cover up with make-up; she’s terrified of him.’
Roger was deep in thought listening to this, picking up a beer mat and twirling it in his hand over and over.
‘The fact that he knocks about his missus makes him a dickhead, but it doesn’t make him a murderer.’ Roger replied. ‘I need more.’
James picked up his pint, took one mouthful and put it down again. He wanted a drink, yet he didn’t; he needed a clear head. ‘I know for definite that Mal and Rachel were having an affair now. I’ve found his second phone, a pay-as-you-go. I bet there’s a number you have been trying to trace from Rachel Finch’s phone records?’ James received a nod of acknowledgement from Roger on that one.
‘It’s Mal’s second phone. Marie told me that he’s never at home. She hardly sees him he’s out so late every night. And when I asked her about the night Rachel was murdered she admitted that he came home very late and that he had gone to the barn and she followed him there and saw him at the log pile. Doesn’t that sound strange?’
James knew he was treading on thin ice here. It was actually Sarah’s dream that told them about the late night visit to the log pile not Marie, but he couldn’t say that to him.
‘Would she be willing to make a statement?’ Roger asked sitting up, finally throwing the beer mat down.
‘I don’t know.’ James answered truthfully. ‘She’s terrified of him.
But listen, this guy is a predator. He’s up and down to Dublin all the time going to speed-dating events. His poor wife is at home worried sick as he’s out till all hours. He’s dangerous. He needs to be stopped. What if he does something to Marie next?’ James said passionately.
‘Hold on a second.’ Roger said putting his hand on his friends shoulder. ‘We don’t know that he has any intention of hurting Marie any further; let’s not get ahead of ourselves.’
He took out a pen and started writing down some facts in his diary.
‘OK, so far you know that Rachel and Mal were having an affair. And that he is a creep who is sleeping around and is also fond of his fists. That’s convinced me to go to Sarge.’
‘I’ve more for you.’ James said with a small smile of pride.
‘I’m nearly afraid to ask. Please don’t tell me you’ve gone and arrested him on my behalf? Should I just go and put my feet up?’ he added a little sarcastically.
‘Well I have a positive ID that Mal was with Rachel on the afternoon she was murdered. I found out that Mal withdrew money from a cash machine in Gorey that afternoon at 3pm. He then met up with Rachel in the Seafield Hotel . They had something to eat there. I’ve got the name of the barman and he is willing to come and make a formal statement. He’s only just back from a visit to his mother in Poland, hence only getting this statement last night. As it happens he’d served them quite a few times over the past few months so remembered them both clearly. And apparently Mal Wickham never left a tip; it pissed this guy off. What he didn’t know was that Rachel had been murdered.’
‘So we can thank Mr Wickham for being a tight arse for the barman remembering him.’ Roger said.
‘Have you enough to bring him in?’ James asked hopefully.
‘Assuming the phone and bank records check out as you say they do and we get a statement from the barman, then yes, I would say we can certainly bring him in for questioning. You never know he may just feel the need to get something off his chest and confess all his sins.’
‘I wouldn’t bet on it.’ James replied. ‘He’s one cool customer, this guy.’
‘I reckon we’ll be talking to Mal Wickham. You did well.’ Roger said shaking his hand. He couldn’t wait to get back to the station to tell his colleagues. They had all been waiting for a break in the case.
A few hours later, having briefed the rest of his team, Roger and his partner Johnny arrived at the farm. Parking their car up, they walked to the farmhouse and rang the bell. No answer. They saw a tractor in the distance coming towards them.
‘Reckon that’s him?’ Johnny asked.
‘Reckon so. Let’s wait for him to come to us.’
A few minutes later the tractor entered the farm yard. Sure enough it was Mal Wickham. He jumped down from the cabin and walked over to them.
‘Can I help you?’ he asked with suspicion. He did a double take when he saw the uniforms.
‘You can.’ Roger replied. ‘We’d like a chat with you about Rachel Finch.’
Mal hesitated so Roger added a bit more pressure, ‘You’ve gone a bit pale there. Something wrong?’
‘Of course not.’ Mal replied, recovering himself quickly. ‘It’s just shocking to think about poor Rachel. I’m not sure how I can help you in your investigation, but I’m happy to try.’
‘That’s very good to hear Mr Wickham; your co-operation is much appreciated. We’ve a few questions to ask you.’ Roger said to him. ‘We’ll need to bring you in to the station for some questioning.’
‘Are you arresting me?’ he asked, his voice steely.
‘No, we are not arresting you at this point.’ Roger replied. ‘We just need to ask you some questions.’
‘Is it necessary for me to come to the station?’ Mal asked. ‘I’m sure I’ve nothing I can tell you that would help in any way with your investigation, I barely knew the poor girl.’
‘All the same, we’d still like you to come in.’ Roger continued firmly.
Johnny walked over to him and grabbed his arm. ‘This way Mr Wickham.’
‘If you don’t come voluntarily, we’ll have no choice but to arrest you.’ Roger told him. ‘If that helps you make up your mind.’
‘Can I at least get changed?’ he demanded, indicating his overalls and wellies.
‘Sure. We can wait five minutes for you to change. Lead the way.’
They followed him into the house and waited as he got ready.
Soon they were back in the car and heading to the station, all the time Mal asking them why they wanted to question him, declaring he had absolutely nothing he could share with them that would be of any help.
Roger and Johnny stayed quiet and ignored his pleas of innocence.
‘My wife will come home from work and be worried as to where I am. How long will this take?’ He asked with more than a hint of annoyance in his voice.
‘Not long, Mr Wickham.’ Johnny said firmly. ‘As long as you co-operate with us, you can be finished up very quickly.’
‘I’ll do anything to help.’ He said, flashing a smile their way.
Roger kept driving, keeping his eye on the road. It was still really bad weather out there; it had started to snow again.
Roger sat down beside Johnny, opposite Mal.
‘You comfortable, need anything? Some more water?’ Roger said convivially to Mal.
‘I’m fine thanks.’ Mal responded. ‘Look I’ve been here over an hour already. Are you going to let me know exactly what it is you’ve brought me in for?’ he demanded.
‘We just have some questions to ask you. We’re going to record the interview; it’s standard practise.’ Roger said to him.
‘Do I need a lawyer?’ Mal said, a line of perspiration forming on his upper lip.
‘You tell me Mal, do you need one?’ Roger retorted quickly. ‘By all means if you want a lawyer go ahead. You’re not under arrest; we’re simply here to ask you some questions. But I’m happy to suspend the interview for an hour if you want to get a lawyer organised.’
He watched him run through his options in his head. If he looked for a lawyer it might make him look like he had something to hide. On the other hand if he flew solo here it would show them he was as innocent as the day he was born.
Mal leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. ‘No, that’s fine. I don’t need one. Let’s get this over and done with.’
‘Glad we have that sorted. We’ll get going, so.’ Roger said to him giving him his brightest smile.
He hit the record button on the recorder and looking directly at Mal said, ‘This is Detective Roger McElvoy and Detective Johnny Murphy in the homicide case of Rachel Finch. It is 12.45 pm on December 4th 2012. The subject of the interview is Mr Malcolm Wickham who has just declined a lawyer.’
Roger looked at Mal and asked him. ‘For the purpose of the tape please state your name.’
‘Malcolm Wickham.’
‘Thank you. Now, tell me about your relationship with Rachel Finch.’
‘You’ve got that wrong to start with.’ Mal said smoothly. ‘She’s my wife Marie’s friend, not mine. They went to university together.’
‘When did you first meet Rachel?’ Roger asked.
‘Let me think.’ Mal replied. ‘The first time was actually at our wedding I’m pretty certain.’
‘Nice wedding, was it?’ Johnny asked.
‘Yes, as it happens it was.’ Mal responded. He wasn’t sure if Johnny was being sarcastic or genuine in his question, but he was smiling at him intently.
‘Ok, you met Rachel initially at your wedding. When did you see her again?’ Roger continued.
‘About a month or so after our honeymoon, Marie arranged to meet up with Rachel. We went for dinner and then a few drinks.’
‘And how did that go? Did you like Rachel?’ Roger continued.
‘Not particularly. She was Marie’s friend. I only went along because she asked me to.’ He shrugged his shoulders and smiled his most charming smile to them both. �
��You know what it’s like; sometimes you have to just do what your wife says!’ He actually winked at them at this point. Roger looked at Johnny and they both smiled back at Mal. Let him think they were all buddies.
‘True.’ Johnny answered him. ‘My wife certainly wears the trousers in our house.’
Roger watched Mal visibly relax. His shoulders dropped slightly and he sat back further in his chair. It was time to shake things up.
‘So is it Malcolm or Mal, which do you prefer?’ Roger asked him.
‘Most people call me Mal, or at least my friends do. You can call me Mal.’ He replied smiling again.
‘Good, that’s agreed then. So Mal, tell me something. At what point after that night out did you and Rachel Finch start sleeping together?’ Roger threw in quietly.
Mal sat up quickly, a look of shock all over his face. ‘How dare you! Rachel was Marie’s friend. I never slept with her. We were just friends. I’m a married man!’
‘That you are.’ Roger agreed. ‘But I have it on very good authority that you were more than just friends with Rachel.’
‘Friends with benefits, maybe?’ Johnny said with a wink of his own.
‘As I said, I’m a married man!’ Mal once again protested.
‘Ok. So as friends did you see much of Rachel?’ Roger asked.
‘On occasion we might bump into each other.’ Mal replied. He was sitting up now with his arms folded across his chest.
‘And did Marie know that you occasionally bumped into Rachel, as you so delicately put it?’ Johnny interjected.
Mal didn’t answer.
‘Answer the question, Mal. Was your wife aware that you saw Rachel occasionally?’ Roger said a little more loudly this time.
He hesitated, and then finally admitted. ‘No, she wasn’t. And that was only because she’d have taken it the wrong way. You know how women can be. She was very jealous of Rachel and would have gotten the wrong end of the stick.’ Mal explained.
‘Of course.’ Roger said. ‘Let’s leave your relationship with Rachel Finch to one side.’
‘I had no relationship with her!’ Mal protested. ‘I love my wife dearly.’
The Life You Left Page 20
