“This gives us a time,” said Mo. “What time did you leave the house?”
Rhodri pulled his notebook out of his pocket. “Nine twenty-six, Sarge.”
Mo nodded. He turned back to the screen.
“That was when I thought I saw someone,” Rhodri said.
Mo nodded acknowledgement but kept his eyes on the screen.
After Rhodri’s car disappeared, the house’s front door opened.
Jenson stood in the doorway then turned, disturbed by a movement on the edge of the screen.
“Yes, I was right. I did see someone,” Rhodri said. “See? He’s looking the same way.”
“Yeah.” Mo held his breath.
A woman came into shot. She was mid-height, with short dark hair. She wore blue trousers and a purple jacket.
“Who’s she?” breathed Connie.
“No idea,” said Mo. He looked at Rhodri, who shook his head.
Mo flicked his gaze towards the door to the corridor. Someone was passing, their footsteps loud. He heard a door open and close again.
Onscreen, the woman approached Jenson. She was shouting at him. Her eyes were wide and her mouth moved fast. She waved her arms at him. Jenson put his own arms up as if in self-defence.
“Who is she?” said Mo.
“One of his students?” asked Connie.
“Or a housemate?” said Rhodri.
Mo heard the door along the corridor slam again. It was the door to their own office. Whoever had gone in there wasn’t happy. He should go and find out who it was.
He turned towards the door to the break room just as it opened. Zoe stood there, staring at the TV screen.
“What’s this?” she said.
“Rhodri got camera footage from the night of Jenson’s murder,” said Connie.
“It’s from just after I left,” said Rhodri. “That woman’s having a go at him.”
“She is.”
“We don’t know who she is,” said Mo.
“I do,” said Zoe.
All three of them turned to her. She nodded. “I saw her today. She was with Kayla.”
Chapter Ninety-Two
Kayla went back to her desk. It was possible that the lock had broken, that it was an accident.
But Lin had been behaving weirdly, and so had Gina. That detective had cautioned her, she clearly believed Kayla was guilty of something.
This was no coincidence.
Whoever had locked her in was pretty dumb. She still had her phone with her, after all.
She went back to her desk and pulled it out of her rucksack.
Who to call?
She ran through the list of people she would normally call on in a crisis: Lin and Jenson. Not much of a list. Jenson was dead, and Lin might be the one responsible for this.
She had Gina’s number. But Gina had been with Lin. What if the two of them had done this together? Kayla shuddered at the memory of Gina guiding her across campus. She’d made out she was being friendly, just a sisterly hand on the arm. But Kayla had felt like she was being taken hostage.
And now here she was, locked in.
She had that detective’s number. But she clearly thought Kayla was guilty of something. She wouldn’t have cautioned her otherwise.
Kayla took a deep breath and scrolled through her contacts. She had to find out what was going on. She had to face up to what was happening, what had been happening since the moment they’d found Laurence. Maybe since the moment Laurence had tried to rape her.
She gritted her teeth and dialled.
Chapter Ninety-Three
“Who is she, then? What’s her name?” Mo asked.
Zoe stared at the screen. “She was with Kayla and Lin earlier today. There was a group of them. I saw them walking Kayla out of her lectures and across campus, when we were all on that phone call.”
“So she’s a friend of Kayla’s?” Connie asked.
Zoe shook her head. “Or maybe Lin’s. I can’t be sure.” She turned to Connie. “OK Connie, I want you to get onto your mate at the university. Show her this photo, see if she can find a match.”
“She hasn’t exactly got facial recognition software, boss,” said Connie.
“No.” Zoe sighed. “We’ll show it to the Boulton Hall warden as well. And to Kayla.”
“Not Lin?” asked Mo.
Zoe narrowed her eyes at the image on screen. “I saw the way Lin was looking at this woman and at Kayla earlier. I don’t want to ask her just yet.”
“Yeah,” added Connie. “I ran into her earlier. She really wasn’t in the mood for talking.”
“I can run her through the system,” said Rhodri. “You never know, we might have arrested her sometime.”
“Good thinking. OK, you take care of that. Mo, you call the warden. I’ve got someone I need to speak to.”
Mo frowned. “Someone who can identify this woman?”
Zoe didn’t meet his eye. “Something else. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Mo looked back at her, eyes narrowed. He would be wondering what she was playing at. They were about to identify a new suspect in a double murder, and the boss was checking out? But she couldn’t share what she had with him.
She glanced at him. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.” She turned and left the room.
She hurried out of the building, anxious to get this over with. The person she needed to see should be at home. As she pulled out of her parking spot, she spotted Mo in the rear view mirror. She braked hard.
Mo ran round the car and banged on her window. He made a winding motion for her to lower the window.
“Trust me, Mo,” she said. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“What’s going on, Zo?”
She grimaced at the use of the nickname. The two of them had been friends for almost twenty years. He’d been there at the birth of her son. But she couldn’t burden him with this.
“You hid stuff from me when we were working the Jackson murder, boss. Please don’t do it again.”
“You don’t have to call me boss. It’s just you and me.”
“OK. Zo.” His hands gripped the upper edge of the window. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. Is it Randle again?”
She felt her chest hollow out. “I can’t tell you, Mo. I’m sorry.” She stared ahead at the space she’d been trying to reverse out of. Hating herself, she pushed the button to raise the window.
“Zoe!”
“Sorry, Mo.” She looked over her shoulder to reverse the car, trying to ignore her colleague banging on the closed window. She hated herself for this, but she had to protect him.
She clutched the wheel as she left him behind, standing in the middle of the car park and staring after her.
Chapter Ninety-Four
Connie gripped the phone, waiting for Rhonda to get back on the line. She knew this was a long shot, but if Rhonda could access student files…
“I’m sorry, Connie. There’s no way of checking all these photos. And I can’t send them to you. Data protection. You’ll have to get a warrant.”
“Yeah.” Connie slumped in her seat. “Thanks, Rhonda.”
“Good luck.”
Connie hung up. She had just picked up her phone to call the boss when Mo walked back into the office. He was like a tiger in a cage, his body language tense.
“You OK, Sarge?” Connie put her phone down.
“I’m fine. Get on with the jobs the DI’s given you.” He slammed into Zoe’s office and hurled himself into her chair. Connie watched him through the glass. What had the boss done to piss him off? Was it to do with wherever she was going?
Connie was used to the boss leaving the office at short notice, rushing off in pursuit of a lead. It was hardly new. But this seemed different.
Where was the DI going, anyway?
Connie walked into the inner office, her footsteps slow. At the door she paused, waiting for the sarge to spot her.
“Connie. Sorry I snapped at you.”
“It’s OK. Anything I can help with?”
He shook his head. He stared at Zoe’s computer screen for a moment then stood up, his hand gripping the edge of her desk. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”
“I got nowhere with Rhonda, Sarge.”
“No big surprise there. We’ll need to make it official.”
“That’s what she said. We need a warrant.”
Mo dragged a hand through his hair. “We do. I’ll speak to DI Dawson.”
Connie’s eyes widened. “You sure about that, Sarge?”
“He’s supposed to be in charge, isn’t he? And I used to be on his team.”
“What about the DI?”
“She’s gone off to see someone. I don’t want to disturb her.”
Connie felt a chill run down the back of her neck. “OK.” She didn’t like this. She felt like a child stuck between warring parents.
She turned at a knock on the door. It was Rhodri, a bright smile painted across his face. “Good news.”
“We need it, Rhod,” Mo said. “Spill the beans.”
“I’ve got a match on the woman. We arrested her for assault two years ago, took place at a demo on campus. She got a caution.”
“If she’s on the database, why didn’t we match her prints already?” said Mo.
Rhodri shrugged. “Gloves, sarge. Not rocket science.”
“Well, who is she then?” Mo snapped. Realising what he’d done, he added, “sorry.”
“It’s OK, Sarge. Her name’s Gina Lennon. Lives in Selly Oak. Shall we go see her?”
Chapter Ninety-Five
Zoe pulled up outside the familiar house. She had no idea if he’d be in or not, but she hadn’t wanted to phone ahead.
She watched the building for a few moments, looking for signs of life. The kitchen light was on but she could see no one inside. Maybe they were at the back.
A green Ford Focus drove past and pulled in in front of the house. Ian got out, scanning the road, his eyes wild. Zoe dipped down in her seat. Her car was distinctive, but he wouldn’t be expecting her.
She was startled by a thump on the driver’s window. Not again.
She eased herself up in the seat and looked out. Ian stood outside, his face twisted in a scowl.
She opened the door and squeezed out. “Ian, I need to ask you something.”
He looked at the house then back at her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know. But…”
“What is it, Zoe? You want to get more information out of me so you can pass it on to your mates in PSD?”
“Why don’t you get in the car, Ian? I assume Alison’s in the house and I’m guessing you don’t want your neighbours overhearing this.”
He glared at her. “Alison left me.”
Her shoulders dipped. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“No thanks to you.”
“Come on, Ian. You can’t blame me for—”
“Just get on with it, eh? Than you can fuck off.” He sped round the front of the car and yanked the passenger door open. He threw himself inside and slammed the door.
Zoe eased back into the seat and closed the door. She looked out at the street: no sign of anyone watching.
“Where have you been?” she asked him.
“None of your fucking business. Just tell me what it is you want to know. And what I get in return.”
She took a deep breath. “Ian, I think you’re being manipulated. This goes higher than you, much higher, and you and I both know it.”
He stared out of the windscreen, his lips zipped tight.
“If you told PSD who you’ve been working with, who in the force, things might get easier for you.”
“Nothing I say will get my job back.”
“Yes, but the criminal charges…”
He turned to her. “My wife is with her goddamn mother, who’s dripping poison against me into her ear every day. I’ll probably not be able to see my kids. All my old mates won’t come near me. I’ve got nothing to lose. I don’t give a fuck anymore, Zoe.”
“There’s always something to hope for, Ian. If you can get the charges against you reduced, avoid a custodial sentence…”
“What did you come here to ask me? I don’t believe you’re here to check on my welfare. You didn’t help me when you were my boss, and I don’t believe you are now.”
She pulled out her phone and thumbed to the photo Sheila had sent her. She handed it to Ian. “What do you make of this?”
“It’s Detective Superintendent Randle with some woman. So what?”
Zoe eyed him. “The woman’s name is Alina Popescu. She was the one who set off the New Street bomb.”
Ian took in a sharp breath. “What’s she doing with him?”
“That’s what I was hoping you could tell me.”
He shoved the phone back at her. “Sorry.”
“Ian, were you working for Randle? Did he give you your instructions? And how closely involved is he with Trevor Hamm?”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
She clenched a fist. “Come on, Ian.”
A silver BMW pulled up next to Ian’s car, outside the house. A heavily-built woman got out.
Ian jerked the passenger door open. “Sorry, Zoe. Can’t help you. I’ve got a meeting with my lawyer.”
Chapter Ninety-Six
Mo grabbed his coat and stuffed his phone in the inside pocket. “Come on, Connie. The boss says she wants you and me to go and talk to Gina.”
“She doesn’t want to do it herself?”
“She doesn’t want us to waste time waiting for her. Rhod, can you speak to Adi while we’re gone? I want to take a swab from Gina if she’ll let us, and it’ll be good if the forensics team are ready for us.”
“Sarge.” Rhodri picked up his phone.
Connie was at the door, an expectant look on her face. Mo smiled at her.
Ten minutes later, they pulled up in Raddlebarn Road, a few houses down from the address they had for Gina. Mo stretched out his shoulders.
“Got back pain, Sarge?”
“I need to find more time to exercise.”
“You do much of that?”
“I try and take my girls out on their bikes at the weekend.”
“Hopefully you’ll get your chance tomorrow.”
He grunted. “Hopefully.”
They got out of the car and walked to the house. Mo rang the bell. A dog started barking inside. He exchanged glances with Connie, thinking of the dog hairs they’d found on both bodies.
He heard a voice inside: a woman. She was talking to the dog, telling it to calm down. He shifted his shoulders, trying to ignore the pain running across his back.
At last the door opened. A mid-height woman with short brown hair and dark purple lipstick stood in front of them, holding a brown terrier by its collar.
“Sorry about Venus, she’s a terror for the doorbell. What d’you want?”
Mo held up his ID and introduced himself and Connie. “Gina Lennon?”
“That’s me.”
“We were hoping to ask you a few questions about Jenson Begg.”
Her gaze flicked down to the dog. “I’ll have to shut her in the back room. Come inside, wait in there.” She pointed to the room at the front of the terraced house. It was lit by the low February sun. A clump of plants in the bay window cast shadows on the walls.
Gina disappeared along the hall and Mo walked into the room. Connie took a seat in a high-backed armchair and Mo wandered the room. The walls were lined with posters of book covers: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Wide Sargasso Sea.
Gina reappeared. The dog was in the next room, barking through the wall.
“What can I do for you?”
Mo turned to her. “You studying English?”
She scanned the posters. “No. I like to read, nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“Nothing at all.” Mo stood in the centre of the room. Gina stood in the doorway, showing no sign o
f sitting down.
“Shall we sit down?” Mo suggested.
“What d’you want to know about Jenson?”
“Please.” Mo gestured to a scruffy green sofa. “Sit down.”
“If you insist.” Gina took a seat at one end. “What about you?”
Mo nodded and took the second armchair. Gina relaxed, shunting away from the corner of the sofa.
“Do you know that Jenson Begg died?” Mo asked.
“I heard about it.”
“On Wednesday night.”
She shrugged.
“Did you know Jenson?”
“By reputation. Not personally.”
“And what kind of reputation was that?”
“He assaulted my girlfriend.”
“You knew him through your girlfriend?”
She shook her head. “Knew of him, officer. It’s different.”
“Who is your girlfriend?”
“Lin Johnson. She’s a first year living in Boulton Hall. He was her tutor. He took advantage of her.”
Mo glanced at Connie: Lin hadn’t told them about this.
“So you’re saying Lin alleged that Jenson assaulted her?”
“She got away before he managed anything.” Gina bit at a fingernail and spat it out. “Bastard.”
“Did Lin raise a complaint against him?”
Gina laughed. “He was the warden’s blue-eyed boy. No, she didn’t raise a complaint. Right call, given what happened with the Laurence Thomms investigation.”
“You knew Laurence as well?” Connie asked.
Gina turned to her. “Of course not. I knew what he did, though.”
“How?” Connie’s voice was low.
“Lin told me. The whole of Boulton Hall knew it. I asked her to move in here with me, but she said she was happy there. And that her mate needed her.”
“Which mate is this?”
A shrug. “Kayla.”
Mo shared a look with Connie. He wished the boss was here: she was the one who’d seen the three students together on campus earlier.
He clenched his fists on his knees. “Did you ever meet Jenson Begg, Gina?”
Deadly Reprisal (Detective Zoe Finch Book 5) Page 27
