“Oh, well, it’s probably data protection or something.” Suzanne’s sudden anxiety seemed to have disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. “He’s been fired.”
Simmonds wasn’t supposed to care, he wasn’t supposed to know anything about the man, but he couldn’t disguise his surprise at this detail, and the casual manner in which Suzanne revealed it.
“What, I thought…”
“What?” Suzanne shrugged.
“I thought that he was a manager there, high up like?”
“He was. But he’s such an absolute loser, he went and got himself sacked, which is a really, really difficult thing to do when you’re as high up the ladder as Graham was. He was earning over a hundred grand a year, and now he’s earning nothing. And instead of looking for another job, he’s gone off to Thailand to take his mind off things.”
“Wow.”
“Ha, yes, wow indeed, bloody hell.”
“So, when did he go?”
“Oh, a few weeks ago, maybe a month. I don’t care, I’m glad to see the back of him to tell you the truth Dan. He used to beat me you know. What a big hard man, beating up a five-foot-five, eight stone woman, who is scared of breaking a nail. He’s a bastard, and I hope his plane crashes on the way home!” Suzanne had worked herself up, and Simmonds was feeling quite embarrassed.
“Right, well, so I’m sorry to hear about that. I suppose I’d better go across and speak to the lady across the road.” Simmonds looked at his notebook. “Rachel Birdsworth. It sounds as though she will be best placed to help me.”
Suzanne looked sad, as though she had more to say about her husband, more to get off her chest, but Simmonds certainly didn’t want to become a shoulder to cry on. He had heard enough, in fact, more than enough to take back to Miller. The thought delighted him, things had turned around nicely and Simmonds was now thinking about nothing more than getting back to HQ and filing his report for DCI Miller. Suddenly, Suzanne, and all of her flirty attractiveness had become second-best. He had been in the house for less than ten minutes and he’d cracked the case. This was incredible. Miller was going to be over-the-moon, and Simmonds just wanted to get back there as soon as possible and cash in his chips.
“Well, listen, I’m really sorry to trouble you, and, well, it sounds as though you could do without him if he abuses you. You do know there is support out there for people who are trapped in abusive relationships, I could refer you for help…”
“No, I don’t want to be put in a bed-sit in a different town. I’ve thought about it, Dan, but no. I’m okay. I’ll roll with the punches, if you see what I mean.” Suzanne tried to pull back her carefree, breezy attitude that Simmonds had first warmed too, but this depressing talk about her husband had seemingly upset her more than she wanted to let on.
“Well,” Simmonds drained his cup. “I’ll have to get on, I’ve got about five people I need to talk to about this bloody crash.”
“Of course. Well, thanks, it’s been nice to talk to you Dan. If you’re ever in the area again, pop by, see if my awful husband survived his flight home!” Suzanne smiled but that flirty confidence had gone now, and Simmonds saw that she was really quite a lonely, vulnerable person behind the expensive make-up, the skimpy clothes and the sexy bravado.
“You know something, speaking off the record, not as a policeman, but as a normal person… you’re worth so much more than that. Truly, you should get yourself away from him. He sounds like a really nasty piece of work from what you’ve said. Now I shouldn’t say this, it’s not my business. But you’re a lovely young woman. No man has the right to hurt you. Look, I’d better be off. Nice to meet you.”
“Thanks Dan. Thank you very much.” Suzanne stepped across to where the policeman was standing and stood on her tip-toes and gave him a very light kiss on the cheek. “You’re a lovely man, Dan. Thank you.”
Simmonds waved to Suzanne as she stood at her door. He crossed the road to pay a visit to Rachel Birdsworth, who had apparently been driving the vehicle when it was seen near a fictitious road incident. Suzanne went inside her house after she saw him press the doorbell. There was no answer and PC Simmonds was reluctant to stay around, he had all of the information he required about the missing person – there was absolutely no need to add any delay. He walked down the sloping driveway, and across the road to his car.
Within seconds, the Astra police car was cruising off down the road, and Simmonds was laughing at how easy it had been to get the full story in less than a quarter of an hour.
“You absolute beauty!” He punched the air, and squeezed his foot a little harder against the accelerator. “Back of the net!”
END OF PART TWO
PART THREE
Chapter 26
“Holy shit. Why didn’t the policeman press the bell? What’s going on? Seriously, Suzanne, something really shady is going on.” Rachel was getting herself in a state.
“Don’t be daft. He pressed the bell. I saw him. I watched him from my door.”
“Right, come here.” Rachel stormed out of Suzanne’s house at quite a pace, and was heading across the road towards her own house, her neighbour was following orders, trailing behind her.
“Watch this.” Rachel pressed the door-bell and the familiar ding-dong sound came from within the house. “See?”
“What?”
“There’s no problem with my fucking door-bell. And I was stood in the kitchen, peeling spuds.” Rachel opened her front door and let Suzanne see how close the kitchen was to the doorbell as she ding-donged it again. “So, he hasn’t pressed it. I saw him come and stand at the door for about ten seconds before he shot off back into his police car. I was wondering what he was doing, I was trying to work out why he wasn’t knocking on or pressing the bell. Then he darted off. See what I mean? He clearly doesn’t want to speak to me, so what I want to know is, what exactly…”
“Hi mum! Alright?” Liam walked in, past his mother and their neighbour as they stood at the front door step. “Hi Suzanne!”
“Oh, shit is that the time love, God.”
“Hi Liam,”
“No, I’ve been sent home. Study leave.”
“You better not be wagging it Liam.”
“I’m not mum, it’s study leave. So, I’ll just go and do a bit of revising upstairs,” said Liam, winking as he spoke. “What’s up with you two anyway, you look like you’se have followed through.”
“Oh, nowt, just women stuff.”
“Well you’re not talking about shoes or handbags, I can tell by your faces.”
“Cheeky little shit!” said Rachel, play-thumping her son.
“Little, I’m like two foot taller than you mother. You little fart!” Rachel laughed at her son’s wise-crack, and her mind was temporarily distracted from the terror that she was sensing about the policeman.
“Hey, you’re not too big for a good hiding Liam.”
“I am, aren’t I mam?” Liam raised his fists to his mum in a jokey way and both Suzanne and Rachel laughed again at the cheeky teenager.
“Right, you – use your study time wisely, not on snapchat and all that twitter shite. I’m going over to Suzanne’s for a brew. See ya in a bit.”
“Alright, see yoh.”
Rachel kissed her son on the cheek.
“You can have one as well Suzanne, come on, don’t be shy. Let me take a photo while you do it, that can be my profile picture!”
“In your dreams!” shouted Rachel, as Suzanne smiled politely and headed away from the door.
Rachel followed her neighbour as Liam closed the door behind them. “Right, Suzanne, you need to be on the ball here.” Rachel was chattering away as they walked across the road. “I need to know absolutely everything that’s been said. Right?”
“Sure, it was quite straight forward really.” Suzanne pushed down on the door handle of her own house and opened the front door. Rachel followed her into the house, pausing to have a quick look up and down the close, before closing the door.
>
Suzanne sat at the kitchen table and tried to recall every detail of the conversation with the policeman, as Rachel made them both a cup of tea.
“Did he seem particularly interested in what you were saying, or was he just going through the motions?”
“Hard to say. He was pretty taken with my boobs, he couldn’t take his eyes off them. But he didn’t seem massively enthusiastic about the car accident that he was talking about. He was quite a dish actually.”
“So, you were up to the part about phoning Graham’s work up?”
“Yes, so, I told him about Graham being sacked…”
“Did he seem surprised? Did the information make him seem like he gave a shit?”
“Erm, well, I guess so, he looked a bit, like, you know, shocked.” Suzanne took a sip of her drink.
“Why would a copper give a shit about some total stranger saying that her husband got fired. It’s bollocks this Suzanne. Shit. What if he’s planted a bug?”
“A what?”
“A bloody listening device, you know, a bug to listen to what we are saying. Where was he sat?”
“Rachel, you’re being a bit…”
“No I’m not Suzanne. Where was he sat when you were having the conversation?”
“He was stood up, there, next to the bin cupboard. I stood there.” Suzanne pointed at the kitchen cupboards where she had made the drinks. She pointed at the spot where the policeman had stood. Rachel began feeling around, she opened the doors and pulled open the drawers.
“Rachel, for God’s sake. You’re being hysterical. He didn’t open any bloody drawers, he just stood there and drank his tea while I told him all about what a horrid bastard Graham was. He couldn’t wait to get away once I’d started!”
“Shit. You said was?”
“What? No, of course I didn’t say was! I said I hope his plane crashes on the way back from his holiday!”
“Did he ask when he was coming back?”
“No…”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m not a bloody moron Rachel. I told him that he got sacked, and decided to piss off on holiday to cheer himself up. Exactly as we’d planned Rachel. Word for word. Please stop speaking to me like I’m a child, for God’s sake!” Suzanne seemed to have blown her fuse as she reached the end of her statement.
“Okay. Sorry, sorry Suzanne. I can’t help it though, worrying…”
“I know, but just simmer down. You’re being paranoid.”
“I’m not, love. I’m really not.” Rachel stood in front of Suzanne and took hold of her shoulders. She exhaled loudly, looked at the floor and started talking slowly, quietly. “You’re in denial. Look, you need a reality check Suzanne. This copper came here to find out where Graham was. Why else would he avoid talking to the person who was driving the car? It’s a bullshit story. He just wanted to know where Graham was. And when he realises that Graham isn’t on an extended holiday in Thailand, he’ll be back, you mark my words, and we’ll be going in Styal Prison for the next ten years. We’d better have a word with Tania, and warn her that the shit is about to hit the fan.”
*****
“How did you get on?” asked Miller as he saw Simmonds walking into the SCIU office with a huge smile on his face. “By the way you’re wearing that big cheesey grin, I’m guessing it went well?”
“Oh hi, Sir, it’s case closed!”
Miller laughed out loud and extended his arm, ushering the young PC into his office.
“Game, set and match. He’s not missing at all, Sir, he’s on his jollies, he’s in Thailand, on an extended break to get over the stress of getting sacked from his job at the council.”
It sounded like the well rehearsed statement that it was. Miller couldn’t hide his pleasure at seeing the PC looking so pleased with himself.
“Cor blimey Simmonds! That’s quite a lot of information!” Miller looked delighted.
“I know!” Simmonds laughed.
“So, he’s been sacked. That would explain why they were being shy on the phone when I was asking to talk to him. What was he sacked for?” Miller looked intrigued. It wasn’t the kind of job that people generally get sacked from.
“Oh, er, she didn’t say. She just said that he’s been a dick-head.”
“Whereabouts in Thailand is he staying?”
“Oh, er, not sure.”
“When did he fly out?”
“Not sure, erm, roughly a month ago, Sir.”
“And he left the wife at home?”
“Yes, she said she’s glad. She hates his guts by the sound of it, Sir.”
“And you didn’t ask what he was sacked for?”
“No, I....” Simmonds suddenly started to realise that this wasn’t quite the FA Cup final last minute goal that he’d imagined it was. In fact, it seemed as though DCI Miller was pulling his story apart. He stood up a little straighter.
“When is he coming back?”
“Erm, I’m not sure, Sir.”
“Did you ask why the neighbours are using the car?”
“Yes, well, I mean it came up, because it was the neighbour who was driving on the day of the made-up incident.”
“And?”
“Well, she said that her neighbour was driving that day,” Simmonds coughed, trying hard to get back some confidence in his voice. This was beginning to go tits-up and both of the men knew it. “I asked if the neighbour was insured and she said yes, she laughed, you know as if to say that’s a dumb question. It was difficult, Sir, I was trying to win her trust, I didn’t, I mean I couldn’t interrogate her.”
“I didn’t ask you to… look, it’s okay, don’t worry, you’ve done…” Miller was struggling to hide his disappointment, regardless of how positive he was trying to be.
“Wait, Sir, it’s hard this, a lot harder than it sounds. I was trying to win her trust, and it was working, she started telling me about how he knocks her about. She was close to tears, Sir. It wasn’t appropriate to ask where he was staying, it wasn’t like that, Sir. I didn’t want to blow my cover. She was flirting one minute, then almost crying the next. She wasn’t obstructive, she said her husband will phone me when he gets back.” Simmonds looked crest-fallen. He began to experience a disappointing, sinking feeling, the first acceptance that he’d blown it. Miller felt for him.
“You’ve done alright. It sounds like it was tricky.” Miller tried to be as enthusiastic as possible, but the young PC had only brought him a bit of a story. There was still plenty of intrigue. Miller had so many more questions, and he was unsure of how he could pursue them.
“It was tricky, Sir. The neighbour who uses the car was there when I arrived. Straight away, she was like “is everything okay?” I got the impression she was nervous, she seemed a bit shifty. But Suzanne, the wife, God, she was as cool as a cucumber, Sir.”
“She’s quite a looker isn’t she?” Miller raised an eyebrow. “That’s what I heard anyway.”
Simmonds replied without hesitation. “Drop-dead, Sir. Footballers wife, she knows it as well. She’s absolutely…” Simmonds remembered where he was, and who he was speaking to. He began to modify his word choice mid-sentence. “…she is what you would describe as highly attractive.”
Miller laughed. “Yes, that’s what I was led to believe. Apparently, her husband is a right old turd. Your first question should have been “what first attracted you to your millionaire husband?” Miller smiled, inviting Simmonds to laugh, but the younger man was too stressed, and annoyed with himself. It wasn’t so much how he’d got on at the house, he was more annoyed with his delivery. He knew he could have presented his findings better, and it was really getting to him.
“Well, it’s been nice seeing you again today. You’ve done enough to make me suspicious that it doesn’t add up. I can feel it in my bones, there’s something not right going on up there, and all I need to do is find out if any flights have taken anyone called Graham Ashworth to anywhere in the last few months, and if they haven’t, I’ll h
ave enough reason to call this Suzanne’s bluff.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, Sir, I’ve been invited back. When I’m in the area, she said pop in and see if her bastard husband has come back yet. She said that she hopes his plane crashes on the way home!”
“Interesting. Okay, I’ll bear this in mind. I might be calling you again about this PC Simmonds.”
Miller couldn’t escape the fact that the young PC was gutted with his performance, mainly because of the ferocity of Miller’s quick fire questions that had put him on the back-foot. But Miller had done it deliberately, to see how he would cope. “You’ve done pretty good today, cheer up. Good start!” Miller tapped his hand on Simmonds’ shoulder. “Cheer up or I’ll arrest you for sulking.”
Simmonds smiled reluctantly. “Thanks Sir.”
Chapter 27
“Aw Mum! Have you farted?” Britney looked disgusted as she walked behind her mother in the kitchen. She wafted her arm, and cleared herself a pathway through the smell.
“No I have not, you cheeky cow!”
“You have, it’s rank! You need to see the doctors with that.”
“I haven’t trumped Britney, I swear down.” Rachel looked around, and seemed confused. “Oh, I just opened a packet of ham. It’s probably that.”
Britney accepted the explanation with a nod and sat herself down at the kitchen island, the posh feature which had been so exciting when the family first moved in, but had now become the central dumping ground for random items, from a broken Sat-Nav to piles of clean underwear, hair brushes and discarded shopping bags.
“What’s for tea?”
“I was doing some potato hash but I’ll have to finish that later on. I’ve got to nip out. I’m just making some butties for now.”
“Where are you going?” Britney’s eyes were locked onto her phone, her tone made it sound as though she couldn’t really care less.
“Got to nip out,” said Rachel as she spread margarine on the bread slices as fast as she could.
Neighbours From Hell : DCI Miller 2: The gripping Manchester thriller with a killer twist Page 19
