The Blackness (The Mac Maguire detective mysteries Book 4)

by Patrick C Walsh

  ‘You said ‘we’ gave Jonny the room. I take it that there’s a Mr. Aldis around?’

  ‘Oh yes but he’s not here. He’s an electrician and he works on one of the North Sea oil rigs. He won’t be home for another ten days or so.’

  ‘Okay, when you see Jonny tell him to stay at home until we call again. We need to speak to him,’ Mac said.

  Mrs. Aldis showed them out. Once outside Mac asked her where the entry was that led towards the flats. She pointed it out to them.

  Mac walked down the entry which was narrow and had two high wooden fences on either side. This led into a small car park which was more or less empty at this time of night. It was well lit and visible from the upper floors of the two storey houses on Purwell Lane. On the opposite side of the car park there was a pathway. On either side of the path there were high brick walls which curved to the left and then to the right before it ran alongside the old people’s home.

  Tommy walked on ahead and fifty yards or so later he came out onto the road opposite the flats where Natasha lived. He looked behind him but Mac was nowhere to be seen. Worried he backtracked and saw Mac standing like a statue in the path with the curving brick walls on either side.

  ‘Are you alright Mac?’ Tommy asked with some concern.

  He got no answer. Mac stood stock still.

  ‘Shall I get some help…?’

  Tommy’s words were interrupted.

  ‘It happened right here,’ Mac stated.

  Tommy looked around him.

  ‘What happened here?’

  Mac turned and looked at Tommy.

  ‘This is where she was taken.’

  Tommy looked around him. He wondered what Mac was seeing that he couldn’t.

  ‘How could you possibly know that?’ he asked.

  Mac looked at him, his eyes luminous with excitement.

  ‘Because it’s perfect.’

  Chapter Five

  At Mac’s insistence Tommy rang Dan and requested a forensics team.

  ‘You did tell him that it was urgent?’ Mac asked.

  ‘Yes, I told him,’ Tommy replied.

  ‘It hasn’t rained since Natasha went missing so that’s good.’

  Tommy hadn’t seen Mac like this before. It was as though he wasn’t quite there and his eyes were focussed on some invisible event that was happening right in front of them.

  ‘Are you sure you’re not in pain?’ Tommy asked again.

  Mac didn’t answer. He turned around and looked at the high walls.

  ‘It’s perfect,’ he whispered to himself.

  They didn’t have to wait too long before three men in white coveralls approached them from the flats.

  ‘What have we got?’ one of them asked.

  ‘Natasha Barker was abducted and I think it was from this very spot, right here in between the two curves,’ Mac said. ‘I’m hoping that you can verify that.’

  ‘Okay,’ the forensics man said. He turned to his colleagues, ‘Get the tapes up there and there. I’m sorry but I’m going to have to ask you to go back a bit.’

  Mac and Tommy backed off and stood behind the scene of crime tape watching the team do their work. They were joined by Dan and Adil shortly afterwards.

  ‘What makes you think she was taken from here?’ Dan asked, getting straight to the point.

  Mac shook his head as though trying to clear it. Tommy thought that he now looked like the old Mac once again. The Mac with the far-away eyes had been a little scary.

  ‘It’s a short cut that the kids from the college use and if I was a girl walking home at night I’d definitely go this way in order to get home as quickly as possible. The car park is overlooked by the houses on Purwell Lane so not a good idea to do it there but this is perfect. Anyone standing at that spot would be invisible from either end of the path. Natasha wouldn’t have seen him until the last second.’

  ‘Camera here!’ one of the forensics team shouted.

  Another member of the team put a small right angled ruler on the ground and took multiple photos of something. Whatever it was it was too small for Mac and Dan to see. The forensics man who had called out now picked something up using tweezers and looked at it closely before placing it carefully in a small evidence bag. He then put the bag in his kit box. He then took a swab from the box and took a sample of something from the floor.

  Dan’s curiosity got the better of him.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘What have you found?’

  The technician took his time resealing the swab and putting it away before he strolled over to the tape.

  ‘We can’t be positive but it looks like a bit of a tooth, the corner of an incisor I’d say, and it looks like there’s some blood there too.’

  ‘Is there enough for DNA?’ Adil asked.

  ‘Oh God yes but we’ll need to match it against the samples we took from the girl’s house earlier.’

  ‘How long before we get the results?’ Dan asked.

  ‘I’ll give it top priority. You should have the results sometime tomorrow morning.’

  It was clear from Dan’s face that the next five minutes would have been much more preferable.

  ‘Okay, I suppose we’ll just have to wait then,’ Dan said. ‘Come on Adil, let’s visit Mrs. Barker and see if she can confirm whether or not Natasha was likely to have used the shortcut.’

  ‘Mind if we come along?’ Mac asked. ‘I’d just like a look at where Natasha lives.’

  ‘Sure, come on.’

  PC Stella Ajunwa opened the door. She was very smartly dressed in a crisp white police blouse and skirt. She was a tall woman in her early thirties and she had a beautifully coiffured Afro hairdo which surprised Mac a bit. He hadn’t seen one for decades which he supposed meant that they were well overdue a comeback.

  ‘Any news?’ she asked anxiously.

  ‘We might have found where Natasha was abducted from but we won’t know for sure until tomorrow,’ Dan said. ‘How’s she holding up?’

  Before she could answer Mrs. Barker opened the door at the end of the hallway. She looked at the four officers and her face showed that she feared the worst.

  ‘We have no news yet I’m afraid Mrs. Barker,’ Dan said quickly.

  She almost looked relieved at Dan’s words.

  Dan continued, ‘We need to ask a few more questions, if that’s alright?’

  ‘Yes, yes of course. Please come in and sit down.’

  Mrs. Barker, a woman in her fifties, had a face that had known troubled times. She was wearing a pink dressing gown and fluffy slippers.

  ‘Would you mind if I have a look at your daughter’s bedroom?’ Mac asked.

  She led Mac and Tommy back down the hallway and opened the door for them. She didn’t go in or even look inside.

  While Dan and Adil were asking Mrs. Barker about the shortcut Mac looked about the room. It could have been any eighteen year old girl’s bedroom, painted pink with posters covering the walls, except that the posters weren’t those of boy bands but fashion models. Some were quite old, in fact one announced the new ‘A Line dress from Dior’. It looked like it was from the fifties.

  In the corner of the room there was a little work bench on which there was a sewing machine. Underneath the bench was a plastic box which seemed to be full of odds and ends of material. On the wall above the bench hand drawn sketches of clothes were tacked. Mac couldn’t comment on the designs but the sketches looked professional enough. To the left of the bench was a bookshelf. All of the books were about fashion designers, Chanel, Gaultier, Balenciaga, Cardin and more.

  It looked like Natasha was serious about her course.

  ‘Well you were right about the shortcut,’ Dan said from the hallway. ‘Mrs. Barker actually encouraged her to use it as not many people know about it.’

  ‘Unfortunately it looks like her abductor did.’

  Mac stood still for a moment. There was something somebody said. Looking at the small flat it was obvious that the Barkers w
eren’t rich but somebody said something…

  Yes he had it!

  ‘Is Julie still here?’ Mac asked.

  ‘Yes, she’s sitting with Mrs. Barker,’ Dan replied.

  Julie, a thin pretty girl with long fair hair, sat holding Mrs. Barker’s hand. She was pale and tense. Mac could see the fear in her eyes when she looked up at him.

  He introduced himself.

  ‘I believe that Kelly Harris who works at the Hen and Chickens is a friend of yours?’

  Julie nodded.

  ‘She said that Natasha was wearing a special dress last night, she thought it might have been a designer. Was it?’

  Julie shook her head.

  ‘Nat got the dress for fifteen pounds from a chain store but then she unpicked some of the seams and re-sewed them so it fitted her better. She also put a panel of black lace over the… oh the boob area, if you know what I mean. The lace cost nearly as much as the dress did.’

  ‘Kelly said it looked gorgeous.’

  ‘It did, it looked absolutely gorgeous on her,’ Julie confirmed.

  A single tear ran down one cheek.

  ‘Have you any photos of the dress?’

  ‘No, she’d only just finished it before we went out. I was going to take some photos later but then we had the argument.’

  Mac thought for a moment.

  ‘Why did you have the argument at that specific time?’

  ‘I wasn’t going to tell her until we were on our way home. I knew she wouldn’t be happy about it but then she’d have had all night to calm down and we could have spoken about it properly today. Then last night, just before nine, Adam texted me saying he was going to be in the pub in fifteen minutes. I told him to stay away as I was with Nat but he wouldn’t have it. So I had to tell her then and, of course, she exploded and then stormed off. The best of it was that Adam never turned up after all. Natasha was right, he is a shit.’

  ‘Why didn’t you mention this before?’ Dan asked.

  ‘Mention what?’ she asked, looking puzzled.

  ‘About Adam not turning up.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘It’s not important is it?’

  Dan looked at Mac. They both knew it could be more than important.

  ‘Just one last question, did Natasha make any sketches of the dress?’ Mac asked.

  Julie thought for a moment.

  ‘Yes, I’m sure she did.’

  They followed her into Natasha’s bedroom. Julie riffled through a pile of sketches.

  ‘Here,’ she said handing Mac a sheet of sketch paper. The sketch was rough and only showed the outline of the dress. It had two thin straps, a panel of lace in the front and it was tight around the waist and legs. For some reason Mac thought of Audrey Hepburn.

  ‘Is there any of the lace left that she used for the… the boob area?’ Mac asked.

  Julie went through the scrap box and pulled out a thin strip of material.

  ‘That’s all there is I’m afraid. As I said it was expensive so she must have measured it up very carefully.’

  Tommy pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket and placed the sketch and piece of material inside.

  Outside Dan rang Andy and asked him about his earlier interview with Adam Oakley.

  ‘Did he say anything about texting Julie?’

  ‘No,’ Andy replied. ‘I asked if he’d contacted Natasha or Julie yesterday. He said he hadn’t.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Dan said and ended the call.

  ‘Well either Julie Waddington or Adam Oakley is being less than truthful. I know who I’d put my money on. Come on let’s see this Adam Oakley for ourselves.’

  Dan told everyone what he wanted them to do when they got there.

  Tommy and Mac followed Dan’s car to a side street off the Cambridge Road. It was a small estate of semi-detached private houses with some bungalows mixed in. Dan’s car pulled up outside a house that had a large black BMW four by four parked outside.

  A shaven headed man with tattoos opened the door.

  ‘God not you lot again!’ he said, pulling a face. ‘You do know that we’ve already had a police visit earlier today?’

  ‘Yes we know that. I take it that you’re Mr. Oakley, Adam’s father?’ Dan asked as he showed him his warrant card.

  ‘Yes. Come in then, the neighbours will have their eyes out on stalks otherwise.’

  The house inside was thickly carpeted and had some nice furniture but all slightly over the top Mac thought.

  ‘He’s upstairs.’ Then he shouted at the top of his lungs. ‘Adam, down here now!’

  A few seconds later a young man appeared. He was dressed in a black T shirt and loose track bottoms.

  ‘Dad, why do you do that when you know I’ve got someone…’

  He stopped dead when he saw the four policemen.

  ‘Adam Oakley?’ Dan asked.

  The young man nodded. His complexion had turned pale.

  ‘I’ve already spoken to the police,’ he said nervously.

  ‘And you’ll speak to us again,’ Dan said.

  ‘What if I don’t want to?’ he said with a touch of defiance.

  ‘Then we’ll arrest you, put some handcuffs on and take you to the station,’ Dan replied. He looked straight at Mr. Oakley as he said, ‘I’m sure that the neighbours will get some nice photos, might even make the local papers, who knows?’

  Mr. Oakley started to look exasperated by the whole thing.

  ‘Oh, just talk to them and get it over with,’ he ordered.

  His son came meekly down the stairs and sat on the settee.

  ‘Can we have a look around while we’re here?’ Dan asked.

  ‘No problem as far as I’m concerned,’ Mr. Oakley replied. He stressed the ‘I’m’ and looked straight at his son while he said it.

  Adam didn’t say anything but he looked very uncomfortable.

  Adil went upstairs while Tommy started looking around the back of the house.

  ‘Where were you last night?’ Dan asked.

  ‘I was with some friends,’ Adam said.

  Mac noticed that he was avoiding any eye contact with Dan. Dan took a notebook and pen out.

  ‘What were their names?’

  Adam thought for too long in Mac’s opinion.

  ‘Joey Damon and Aaron McEnery,’ he eventually replied.

  ‘Do you know their addresses?’

  ‘Why would you need them?’ Adam asked nervously.

  ‘You weren’t with them at all, were you?’ Mac stated, looking at Adam’s face intently as he replied.

  ‘I was. I was…’ he looked up and saw the two policemen staring at him. He sighed. ‘I was with them but earlier on. They left about eight to go watch a match at a friend of ours. I didn’t fancy it.’

  ‘What match was that?’ Dan asked.

  ‘A Barcelona game. A friend of ours called Robby records them and we all make a date to watch it at his flat and have a few beers. We usually go to a club afterwards.’

  ‘So if you didn’t watch the match what did you do?’ Dan asked.

  ‘I walked around for a bit, I just couldn’t make my mind up what to do. Then I went into the Vic and had a drink.’

  ‘That’s the Victoria pub?’

  Adam nodded.

  ‘Is that where you texted Julie from?’ Dan asked.

  ‘I was at a loose end and fancied meeting her. So I texted her and said I was coming down to the Hen and Chickens.’

  ‘So what stopped you then?’

  ‘Well I met someone, someone I used to go to school with.’

  ‘A female someone I take it?’ Dan asked.

  ‘Yes. We hadn’t seen each other for a while and we kind of hit it off.’

  ‘So what happened then?’

  ‘We had a few drinks and a curry and then I took her here.’

  ‘She spent the whole night here?’

  ‘More than a bloody night she’s still upstairs!’ Mr. Oakley said with some disdain.

  �
��Adam can you go and get her?’ Dan asked.

  Before he could move a young woman dressed in a man’s dressing gown was being escorted down the stairs by Adil.

  She said that her name was Janie Bartlett and she confirmed Adam’s story. She also said that she’d never met Natasha.

  Shortly afterwards Tommy appeared. He shook his head. He’d found nothing.

  Dan put on his best stern face. Mac thought it was very good.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell the police officer who was here before about this?’

  Adam shrugged his shoulders, he looked very uncomfortable.

  ‘Have you told me the truth now, leaving absolutely nothing out?’

  Now both Dan and Mr. Oakley were giving him stern looks.

  ‘Yes, yes I have,’ he replied nervously.

  Dan stood up.

  ‘Okay but if I find that you’ve been lying or forgetting to tell me something I’ll be back with the handcuffs and we’ll be talking down at the station. Is that clear?’

  Adam nodded meekly.

  ‘Pity I thought he might have been good for it,’ Dan said as they walked back to their cars.

  ‘Yes ex-boyfriends usually make good suspects,’ Mac replied. ‘I’d still bear him in mind though. Get someone to thoroughly check out the girl. It’s only her word after all.’

  ‘I’ll do it myself tomorrow and visit the Victoria and the curry house too. Let’s see if they can confirm what he says.’ He looked at his watch. He was surprised to see that it was not far off ten o’clock. ‘Let’s knock it on the head for tonight. See you all at seven tomorrow.’

  Tommy drove Mac home. They got caught at the lights at the bottom of the hill again. They waited patiently as absolutely no lorries went out of the site.

  ‘Have we got anywhere today?’ Tommy asked. ‘It doesn’t feel like it.’

  ‘Oh we have. It’s often like this at the beginning. I think it’s a bit like looking at something in a microscope you have to twiddle the knob and bit by bit you bring it all into focus. We’re still twiddling at the moment.’

  ‘Do you think she’s still alive?’

  Mac made no answer.

  Tommy took that as answer enough.

  Chapter Six

  Second day missing