Second Thoughts

by Rebecca Zettl

  "Alright. There will be more questions about the drugs. Sit tight."

  Donny knocked on the door to Gould's office. Vanessa Pike's alibi had proven good, but Donny had had another idea. He wasn't sure if what he had so far would be enough to convince Gould but he had to try. "Come in," Gould's voice growled from within the pokey, cluttered room where he worked. The only chair in the room was occupied by Gould himself behind his desk, so Donny stood awkwardly in front of him and explained. He laid out what he had found from speaking to Vanessa Pike before turning his focus to Anais Raven. "I'm almost certain the ring Anais Raven is wearing is the same one that was taken from Isabelle Cadence. And she was implicated in connection with a fraud case in Bristol, along with her two brothers. Also, it would seem that she had prior knowledge that the victim was in danger although that last part is only hearsay."

  "Do you think there's a chance she or they were trying to run some kind of scam on Isabelle Cadence?" Gould asked a little doubtfully.

  "Yeah. I do." Donny said with confidence. "I think it could have something to do with this charity as well. Remember her father said she was having doubts? If Isabelle was getting wise to them that could be the motive for her murder."

  Gould turned the theory over in his mind. "Alright. It's possible. I'll give you some latitude to look into it. See if there's anything fishy about the charity, but if it's on the up and up, move on. We need to find out who sent her that message. Her phone is no good after its little swim, but we can get the number from the phone company."

  "Thanks," Donny went back to his own desk to get started. He pulled up the record he had found for the fraud charges in Bristol. Anais Raven's legal name was Maggie Carter. She was the sister of the two men who had been charged. They had set up a fake money management business and convinced investors to deposit money into their scheme, before simply running off with it. Maggie Carter had been charged as an accessory for referring several would be investors to her shady brothers' scheme. She had been tried and acquitted, but the others had gone to prison, and released six months ago. He wondered whether this could have anything to do with the charity that Isabelle had taken an interest in. Maybe it explained why she had begun to have doubts. The picture began to solidify in Donny's mind, a link between the psychic, who seemed to have Isabelle's ring on her finger, and a possible motive. He decided to find out whatever he could about New Dawns, the charity that Isabelle's father had mentioned. He wondered what he would find, and if it had seen Isabelle Cadence killed. He started by looking them up online. They had a very convincing looking website, full of bright colours and the smiling faces of hypothetical volunteers and beneficiaries. It proclaimed that their purpose was to assist the homeless to reskill, upskill and find employment. "Help the homeless help themselves" it said. It sounded good on the face of things, but Donny knew that it wasn't usually that straight forward. It listed an address in the city centre. Donny made a mental note to check it out. The next stop was the national charity register. He typed in the name and hit search. No results. That was strange. He tried it again. There was nothing. There were several charities with very similar names, but none with that name exactly. So they weren't a registered charity. It didn't necessarily mean they were fraudulent. They could be a new start up still getting through the registration process. Nevertheless, Donny found it suggestive in light of Isabelle's suspicions. He decided to go and check out the premises that they had listed. It turned out to be a small office space, which surprised Donny a little. Wouldn't they need a lot more space for the work they claimed to be doing? He found the third floor office in their name to be empty. He decided to have a chat with the building's management. There had been an office off to one side on the ground floor. He found a single manager on duty there, absorbed in a phone call which sounded like it was about maintenance of the second floor bathrooms. She smiled graciously and thanked him for his patience, finally hanging up after a protracted conversation. Donny introduced himself and showed his credentials. Her polished professionalism took on a nervous edge, so he got right to the point. "I wanted to ask you about the third floor tenant, New Dawns. Did you ever meet any of the staff in person?" he asked.

  "I only ever met the office manager."

  "Was either of these men the man that you met?" Donny asked, showing her the file photos of the Carter twins.

  "Yeah. This guy." She said, pointing to the photo of Paul Carter.

  How long have they been here?"

  Her concern seemed to grow with the question. "They rented the space out about four weeks ago, but they haven't been here the last few days. Actually, I've been trying to get in touch with them about some maintenance work that needs doing in their suite but I haven't been able to reach them. What is this about please?"

  "It's possible that New Dawns was not a legitimate charity. I need to talk to anyone who was involved with it." He offered the partial explanation, unwilling to go into more detail until he was certain. "If you do manage to get in touch with them please let me know." He handed her a card and thanked her before excusing himself. Donny wasn't terribly surprised by what she had told him. This was looking more and more like a scam. It was classic. Set up an office that looks the part, use it as a front to convince the victims, and bail once the deal was done or your cover was blown. In this case he suspected that it was the latter. It also presented a significant motive for Isabelle's murder. Time to have a serious chat with Paul, Joseph and Maggie Carter. But first, he needed to go back to the station and update Gould. He felt sure this would be more than enough to convince him. He found Gould in his office, tracing the number that had texted Isabelle. "Well," Gould began ponderously, "There were several numbers that texted Isabelle that night. Most of them belonged to her friends, but one of them hasn't been accounted for yet. We're trying to get a name out of the phone company for that one. There's no way to be sure which one sent her that message unless we can resurrect the phone."

  "I've had some luck." Donny began once Gould was finished and laid out what he had found on New Dawns.

  "Sounds promising. The fact that they've cleared out the office doesn't though. Either they're planning to do a bunk or they already have." He surmised.

  Donny was inclined to agree. "We need to find them as soon as possible."

  "Agreed." Gould said. "What's the listed address?"

  Donny looked it up. The last address on file had been recorded while they were on parole, which had expired. "The last known address for them is in Bristol." He told Gould. "But their sister lives nearby. She has a business as a 'psychic'. Calls herself Anais Raven. Maybe she can tell us where they are."

  Gould snorted. "Well it's a starting point. Let's go." He dragged his girth out from behind the desk and followed Donny out towards the car. They arrived at the address where Alice had found Anais Raven the day before and entered the tacky, incense scented foyer to the psychic's house and practice, heralded by the tinkling of the bell on the door. A statuesque woman, with dark hair and dark eyes swept out from the rear of the house, her flowing patterned dress billowing around her ankles. "You must be Anais Raven," Gould began, introducing himself and Donny. "Or is it Maggie Carter?"

  The woman blanched, folding her arms defensively. "What is this about?"

  "We're investigating the murder of Isabelle Cadence. We need you to come down to the station and answer a few questions." Gould told her.

  The psychic's face paled even further. "I don't know anything about that."

  "You sent her a text message, asking her to meet you in the location where she was killed. She went there to meet you. At this stage you can either come down to the station and cooperate voluntarily, or we can arrest you."

  Reluctantly, she grabbed her handbag and jacket and followed the two officers out to their car.

  ***

  The elevator pinged softly and the doors slid noiselessly open on the third floor of the office building. Exiting the elevator, Alice looked around with surprise. The other third f
loor tenant was here, some software company that had a small office there. The tenancy where she had expected to find New Dawns was completely empty. She peered in through the glass frontage just to be sure, before returning to the ground floor building management office. The plump blonde woman inside looked bored out of her skull, but brightened when Alice knocked on the door. Whether it was a practiced customer service manner or she was just pleased to have a distraction Alice couldn't tell.

  "Hi, hey sorry to bother you," Alice said, as she entered the office with the cheerful blonde building manager. "I was looking for the tenants on the third floor. New Dawns?"

  "Are you with the police?"

  Alice was taken aback by the question. "No. I'm here with the Daily Bulletin. Have the police been here, asking about New Dawns?" Intrigued, Alice took a seat in front of the woman's desk without invitation. The building manager didn't seem to mind and leaned in with a conspiratorial air. "Are they under investigation?" Alice pressed.

  "The detective who was here said they're not a real charity at all." She briefly explained her encounter with Donny that morning, clearly revelling in being the keeper of the gossip. It must get boring cooped up in here alone all day, Alice supposed. "Did they mention Isabelle Cadence at all?"

  The manager gave a surprised start. "No. Does it have something to do with that girl's death?" she asked, shocked and enthralled. "I don't know." Alice said truthfully. "Did they say anything else?"

  The manager shook her head. Alice thanked her for her time and left her to get back to work. She's pulled out her phone and started typing a message. New Dawns is a fake? Sent. A moment later her phone beeped in her jacket pocket. Keep out of it. She rolled her eyes, already typing the next message. I have a job to do too you know.

  Alice shoved her phone back in her handbag and went back out to her car. Donny's message had annoyed her. Like she didn't know how to look after herself. She might not be a cop but she was a grown woman with a brain and a job to do. A job that demanded she find something that no one else had printed. She'd given Donny enough to help him along. Not only would he not help her in return, but he was trying to stop her from doing her own work. Climbing back into the car, Alice had a thought. The psychic had been there in Bristol, involved with a fake business. Now she cropped up again in Birmingham and here she was again in close proximity to a scam. She felt a flutter of excitement, realizing that there might be a connection. It seemed like far too much of a coincidence to Alice. She thought it was time she had a serious chat with Anais Raven.

  ***

  I'm serious Alice, those guys are dangerous. Stay away from them. Donny texted back, his concern mounting at her apparent flippancy. "Whenever you'd care to grace me with your presence sergeant." Gould's dry voice echoed from halfway down the hall. He stood at the door of the interview room, where Anais Raven waited inside.

  "Sorry," he slipped his phone into his pocket and followed after Gould.

  "Problem?"

  "No sir. After you," he held the door for Gould and followed him into the interview room. The stark utilitarianism of the room robbed the psychic of her mystique. Her dark hair looked oily and lank under the unforgiving florescent bulbs and her graceful red dress looked tawdry and cheap without the backdrop of her ornate shop. Gould sat down opposite the diminished woman, and Donny beside him. "Tell us about your relationship with Isabelle Cadence." Gould began.

  Anais Raven shrugged. "She was a client. She came to me to try to get in touch with her late mother. For guidance."

  "What sort of guidance?"

  "What to do with her life. She was looking for purpose. Something worthwhile to pour herself into. She wasn't the spoiled party girl people took her for you know." Her distant gaze swam over the table top, never meeting the detectives' eyes. She appeared genuinely troubled by the loss of her client.

  "You cared about her, didn't you?" Donny suggested, surprising Gould with the question.

  "Yes I did." She finally looked up and met his eye.

  "And what guidance did you give her?" Gould asked.

  "None." The psychic said. "Her mother suggested that she pursue a more selfless purpose in life."

  "Right." Gould said, his scepticism plain to see.

  "Just because you don't believe in what I do doesn't make me a charlatan." She spat.

  "A more selfless purpose, like charity?" Gould went on, ignoring the outburst.

  "Yeah, sure. Something like that." She squirmed uncomfortably at the question, obviously aware of where this was going.

  "Tell us about New Dawns."

  "I don't know anything about that." She protested.

  "Did Isabelle know that you were involved with the people who were planning to rip her off?"

  "I wasn't!"

  "Right. You were advising her to give money to charity and then there are your brothers, with a fake charity at the ready. How utterly coincidental." Gould remarked dryly.

  Anais Raven retreated into sulking silence.

  "Why are you're wearing the victim's ring?" Donny changed the theme of the questioning.

  "She gave it to me."

  "I doubt that. I was a twenty first birthday present from her father. He had it made for her."

  She hesitated, off balance after being caught in a lie. "She gave it to me during one of our sessions. I can read a person's energy from personal objects. She wears the ring every day so it was perfect. She forgot to put it back on before she left." She turned the ring around and around on her finger as she spoke. "I was going to return it to her when she came in for her next session. After she died I just wanted something to remember her by. I didn't realise it was so bloody unique. I didn't think anyone would notice."

  "That was brazen of you. But they did notice." Gould commented. "And we did notice your connection to the scam your brothers were trying to run on Miss Cadence. This will go much more easily for you if you just tell us the truth."

  She fidgeted on the far side of the table, her resolve gradually weakening.

  "Why did you want to meet Isabelle on the night she was killed?" Gould demanded.

  "Who says I did?"

  "We have a witness who says that Isabelle received a message from a friend, asking to meet her shortly before she was killed. It's only a matter of time before we trace that back to you." He bluffed.

  Her face crumped; the bluff had worked. "Alright." She said softly. "alright." She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself before continuing. "I didn't know about the scam they were pulling back in Bristol. I referred those people in good faith. It wasn't until later that I realized what they were doing and it was too late. So when they got done for fraud I moved away. I didn't want anything to do with whatever they were up to." She wrung her hands on the table top, pausing to compose herself. "They were furious. Said I'd forgotten what family was about. When they got off parole they came out here to see me. But when they found out about Isabelle, they got the idea for that stupid charity scam. I wanted nothing to do with it."

  "So why did you refer Isabelle to New Dawns?"

  "I didn't want to." She said. "I'd already been talking to her about wanting to get involved with charity, to find more purpose in her life. When the twins approached her about New Dawns, I wanted to warn her off, but I couldn't." her eyes pleaded with them to believe her. "I couldn't explain why she shouldn't get involved."

  "And then something went wrong." Gould prompted.

  She nodded. "She didn't want to just give money. She wanted to get on board. Help run the charity. Promote them. She started looking too deeply into it and found out some things that she shouldn't."

  "So you lured her to a back alley and killed her to keep your secrets."

  "No!" she cried. "No. I wanted to warn her."

  "Didn't you do that already?" Donny interjected. "I'm told you gave her a psychic warning that she was in mortal danger. How did you know she was in danger?"

  "How did you know about that?" she asked in surprise.

 
; "Did you?" he pressed.

  "Yes. My brothers were getting nervous. She was digging too deeply into their business. That's why I tried to warn her, but she didn't take it seriously. That's why I wanted to meet her that night. I was going to tell her the truth about New Dawns."

  "What happened once you got to the lane?"

  She looked back down at the table, subdued again. "My brothers were there. They knew I was having second thoughts about keeping quiet. They guessed what I meant to do and they followed me."

  "What happened when they found you and Isabelle there?"

  She stared at the table, silent tears brimming over red rimmed eyes. "They shot her." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

  "Who pulled the trigger?"

  "Joe."

  "We need you to tell us how we can find them."

  "She shook her head. I've told you far too much already."

  "We can charge you with accessory to murder right now." Gould told her. "Or you can help us."

  She looked up with dark, glistening eyes flicking back and forth between Gould's stern face, and Donny's more sympathetic one. "Alright." She admitted. "I do know where they are."

  ***

  Gould pulled the car up to the curb back outside Miss Raven's own house. "If you want out of their nonsense so badly why are you hiding them?" He asked irritably, realizing that they must have been here when he and Donny had first come to question Anais Raven. If they got spooked, they could be miles away by now. "They're family," Raven admitted grudgingly after a long pause. Her soft voice and distant eyes betrayed the mixed feelings that she had about what she was doing. Her footsteps were ponderous as she led them up the neatly tended path, past the sign proclaiming her psychic practice and fumbled the front door open, finally allowing them inside. The detectives followed her through to the back room. The large parlour was fitted out with ornate furniture and more of the brick-a-brac that cluttered the front entrance. This was where she entertained her clients, Donny supposed. Ignoring the parlour, she led them over to their left, where a narrow stairway of dark wood panelling soared up the wall to an upper landing. Raven placed one foot on the lower stair and paused. "Come on, come on, we haven't got all day," Gould grumbled.