by Nathan Sayer
This morning, Reed and Tyler had an appointment at the Gleen factory. The bleach that was found on Carmella's and Tina's bodies had been produced here and although it could just be a coincidence, the company was in Thetford where Carmella had lived and where her body was found. Tina’s body had been found less than 14 miles away from the bleach factory.
They were meeting with Steve Garrood, the man who owned the company. Mr. Garrood had explained on the phone that he had been distraught by the news of Carmella's death; he had a son the same age and felt it was a little too close to home.
“What do we know about Mr. Garrood?” Reed asked, knowing full well that Tyler would have done some background checks.
“He's worked his way up from nothing. He started the company in 1993 after being made redundant from his job at the time. He takes an interest in the local community, sponsoring various projects and donating generously to local charities. It's not just throwing his money around either; he actually turns up and helps too. He takes disadvantaged children fishing at The Nunnery in Thetford twice a year, paying for all the equipment from his own pocket.” Tyler said.
“How do you know all this stuff?” Reed asked.
“You've just got to know the right people.”
“ You Googled it then?”
“You bet.” Tyler said, a smile creeping over her face.
Reed smiled too.
After parking the car they headed towards the reception. Reed couldn't decide what he could smell but it was overpowering, burning into his nostrils. He knew Gleen made bleach but the aroma was more like a mixture of cleaning products. There was something about it he recognised but didn't know where from.
The lady behind reception was on the phone; she raised her hand to indicate that they should wait and Reed considered what their other options were and drew a blank. The reception was large, too large for the one desk and the huge yucca plant that occupied it. The walls were a simple magnolia and the white blinds were closed to keep out the sun. It was cool inside which was a welcome relief from the heat outside. The smell Reed had smelt outside had either eased or he was getting accustomed to it.
“Sorry about that,” The receptionist now spoke, “What can I do for you?”
“I'm DS Tyler and this is DI Reed, we've got an appointment with Mr. Garrood.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to have kept you; I'll see you through right away.” She stood up and made her way across the empty floor to a closed door, her high heels echoed around the sparse room as she moved. She gave the door a single rap with her knuckles and entered without being prompted.
“The police are here.” The receptionist announced, holding the door so that Reed and Tyler could go through.
“Hi, come in. Please take a seat, I'm Steve.”
“Thank you for seeing us Mr. Garrood.” Reed started.
“You're welcome, terrible situation.” Garrood shook his head before continuing “I have a son the same age. Terrible.”
“I do hope we're not wasting your time being here as I'm not sure if you can help us really. The only reason we're here is that there was bleach found on Carmella Chapman’s body.” Reed explained.
“Yes. I was told on the phone, by you, DS Tyler, I believe.”
“Yes.” Tyler confirmed.
“We don't want to mix your name or the company's name up in this, so we'll keep it low key.” Reed added.
“Don't worry about all that. If you think it will help, you can shout it from the rooftops for all I care. I'm serious, catching whoever did this is more important than our sales.”
“Thank you.” Reed said, aware that it was nice that the man had morals but how much easier it must be when you have already made your fortune.
“So what is it you need exactly?” Garrood asked.
“We would like a full list of employees, including any temporary staff you might have had covering the last six months.” Reed answered.
“Certainly, excuse me one moment.” Garrood picked up his phone and said, “Sue, can you get me a list of all the employees we've had over the last six months, including temps.” After a few moments of silence, Garrood continued “No. Leave that and get the list. Thanks.” Then he hung up.
“Thank you, we’ll look through the names and see if there is anyone of any interest. If there is, we might need to look at shift patterns for certain individuals.”
“Just let me know if you need them.”
“Have you noticed anyone acting strangely, perhaps having more time off or maybe being a bit quiet or just acting out of character?” Tyler asked.
“I really couldn't tell you I'm afraid. I'm ashamed to say I don't know half the workforce anymore. It’s not like it used to be, there were just a few of us in the beginning and we all felt like mates... Unfortunately along with a bit of success come barriers. A few of the workers have been here from the start but I don't get down on the shop floor much nowadays.”
“Not to worry Mr. Garrood.” Reed said sympathetically. Knowing that when he was made a Detective Inspector he had lost contact with old friends that were of a lower rank. It wasn't that he didn't want to see them anymore, their paths stopped crossing and he just never had the time out of work. He barely had the time for his own family as it was.
With nothing else to be discussed, Garrood called his receptionist and instructed her to come and see the officers out. He also told her to bring the list of employees, not giving her the option of saying that it wasn't ready, probably because he had never entertained the idea that it wouldn't be. The receptionist came through the door holding a brown envelope.
She led them back through the main office and held the front door for them. The heat was a shock after being in the cool, air-conditioned office and Reed felt drops of sweat starting to form on his back almost instantly. They crossed across the car park and Tyler approached the passenger door, waiting for Reed to unlock the car, but he didn't. He had stopped a few paces short of the car and looked frozen in time. The key fob was in his hand but he was focused on something else, glaring across the car park. Tyler followed his line of vision but all she could see were more cars.
“What is it?” She asked.
He didn't reply. He just stood there and kept staring.
“What?” Tyler tried again.
“That car.”
Tyler felt a bout of sarcasm about cars in car parks coming to her mouth but knew from the look on her boss’s face that it wouldn’t be welcome, “Which one are you talking about?”
“Look at the back row. Is there one you recognise?”
Tyler looked to the back row. She started at the far left-hand side and slowly panned to the right, similar to a bingo player scanning the columns of their bingo card. She focused on each car for a few seconds to see if it stirred some recognition.
About three quarters of the way along, she noticed it too.
DC Plumridge was sat at the dining table at the Chapman household. Reed had asked him to find out if Carmella was wearing any jewellery on the night she was murdered, curious as to why a young girl who had dressed up for the evening and who had had her ears pierced hadn’t donned any earrings. Plumridge hated having to visit the victim’s family, it made the whole thing too real. Normally he could detach himself a little by treating it as paperwork, just a file number. He liked it when he only met the bad guys; he enjoyed seeing their faces when they were arrested.
When meeting the victim's relatives he found it hard to focus on his job. He felt so sorry for them and he knew that nothing he could say or do would bring their loved ones back or ease their suffering. As that was the only thing the families really wanted, he often wondered what the point of it all was. The conviction of the person who took their loved one away from them was only a very small consolation.
Brenda Chapman sat a tray containing mugs of tea and a biscuit barrel on the table. Plumridge couldn't help noticing she was a pretty woman. She was in her late forties; her hair was shoulder-length and was the same
colour as straw. She was slim, tall and her walk was elegant. He wondered if she could have been a model in her younger years. Despite some tasteful makeup, the red rings around her eyes showed the pain she had been suffering.
“I am very sorry to just turn up like this. There are just a few questions I need to ask.”
“It’s no trouble.” Brenda took a tissue from a box on the table and wiped her eyes. “To be honest, it's nice to be involved.”
“I wish there was more we could do. I feel useless just sitting here. I did think about offering a reward, what do you think?” Brian Chapman asked.
“It's not really for me to say, sir; you should probably speak to the Family Liaison Officer. Sometimes a reward brings its own trouble, people giving statements about any old thing in the hope that they'll hit the jackpot and that takes resources away from the real issue. On the other hand, even in terrible circumstances like these, it can be money which motivates people to come forward.”
After a short pause, Brian looked straight into Plumridge’s eyes, demanding he listen, “Money was what used to motivate me. This house, it was supposed to be our dream home. After all the years of work, building up our business, working all the hours we could just to buy this house, do it up, and then we were going to live happily ever after.” Brian looked around the room. He seemed to be looking at it with a certain amount of disgust. “Now it means nothing. All those hours I could have spent with my family instead of working, they've gone forever. Just like my little girl.” His voice broke on the last word of his sentence. He put his hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes.
Brenda put her arm around him before picking up her husband's conversation, making Plumridge feel worse with every word. “We just wanted to build a better future for all our family. Now with Carmella gone it all seems like it’s been a waste of time. I know we have Brett, and we love him very much. But Carmella will always be gone; there will always be a big hole in our lives.”
“I would give everything we own to have our daughter back, Detective.” Brian said, and Plumridge knew it was true. Unfortunately, no such deal could be struck.
“I know this is an extremely hard time for you both. If you would rather we don’t do this now, I understand.” Plumridge said, praying that they would let him leave. After a few hours he could knock off work and have a few drinks and get back to his ignorance. Reed or Mcleary could deal with this tomorrow.
“No, it's OK. Honestly.” Brian managed.
“Well it could be nothing really but we need to know if Carmella was wearing any jewellery on the night she went missing?”
Brian and Brenda shared a look. After thinking for a few moments, Brenda said, “I really can't remember.”
“Neither can I. How awful is that? We paid so little attention to our daughter ...” Brian started to cry again.
Wishing he had kept his mouth shut, Plumridge watched Brian physically shake as he wept. Brenda was more composed and took her time trying to recall the details of the last time she had seen her daughter alive. Each second that passed felt like an hour to Plumridge and he busied himself looking around the room.
“I would imagine she was wearing something.” Brenda started, “Whenever she went out she would always take pride in the way she looked. She always looked so beautiful.”
“She was so pretty.” Brian confirmed from behind his hands.
“So you think she might have been wearing jewellery?”
“I can't be certain. I could check her room if you like, see if anything is missing?”
Although Plumridge was going to suggest this at some point, he was having second thoughts; he wasn't sure he could handle being left alone with Brian, “If you wouldn't mind Mrs. Chapman.” He relented.
“Of course not.” Brenda rose from her seat; she wrapped her arms around her husband’s shoulders before kissing him on the top of his head. She half-smiled at Plumridge before leaving the room.
“I'm sorry, Detective. I just miss her so much.”
“Don't be sorry, I understand.”
Brian finally released his face from his arms, “How could someone do this? I thank God she wasn't... well you know, interfered with, but... I could understand it more you know? It seems someone killed her for nothing. Nothing.”
Plumridge couldn't think of anything to say. He wished he could, the silence was excruciating.
“Why do you want to know about Carmella's jewellery, if you don't mind me asking?” Brian enquired.
“We don't know if it's anything yet. We just thought the same as your wife. She might not have had any on, but if she did, we need to know.”
“Makes sense. Do you think someone took something from her?” Brian asked. His eyes were dry now but still looked red raw. There was a slight change to just a few seconds ago, his eyes had a slight sparkling of hope.
“I really can't say until we know she was wearing any, sir.”
“No of course not, I'm sorry.”
“We won’t hide anything from you Mr. Chapman. At the same time we don't want to give you any false hope. I do hope you understand.”
“I do.”
Luckily it was only a couple of minutes before Brenda came back in to the room. She didn't speak straight away. Plumridge didn't force her to. She looked puzzled.
“I can't be sure, but I think there is a pair of earrings missing. Brian, can you remember those stud earrings she kept wearing; we didn't know where they came from?”
“The ones she said were a present?”
“Yes, I can't find them. They could be somewhere I suppose but Carmella was very tidy, liked things organised. I can't see them in her jewellery box.”
Plumridge's heart started to beat a little faster. He tried to keep his voice steady, “Do you think you could give me a description, just in case?”
“Sure, they were just a basic stud really. Mainly gold, but they had a green stone in them. Me and Brian couldn't decide if they were really cheap or really expensive. We didn't tell Carmella that, of course. She was pleased with them and that's all that mattered.”
Plumridge made a note of this. “You say they were a gift, do you know who gave them to her?”
“Sorry, I don't, I never asked.” Brenda said, “We teased her about them but didn't push it.”
Plumridge thought about asking Brian if he had any idea, but given the vacant look on his face, he doubted he knew what day it was. “I don't suppose you would have a photo of Carmella wearing them, would you?”
“I really can't say. I don't think we have any recent photos, she only had them a few weeks.”
“Not to worry Mrs. Chapman. You've both been very helpful. Like I say, it might be nothing anyway. Thank you for your time, if the earrings do turn up, could you just let us know please?”
“Yes of course, thanks for coming round. It's nice to talk to someone.” Brenda gave a reserved smile as she finished her sentence. Plumridge couldn't help but think that what Brenda really meant, was that it was nice for someone to talk back. Plumridge could well believe that Brian sat there with a blank look on his face for hours on end.
Brian stayed where he was. Brenda saw Plumridge out. When he reached his car he decided it was time for a quick drink. He would buy a newspaper so he could read the sports section. He wanted to get back to his mundane feelings, not these real ones he was feeling right now.
Reed and Tyler had gone straight back to Steve Garrood's office, not stopping at reception to explain why.
“Yes, he's worked here since he left school.”
“Can we go and see him please?” Reed asked.
“Sure, is it to do with Carmella?”
“Maybe, I don't know yet.”
“I think he's working on dispatch these days, I'll take you over.”
They made their way across the car park in a quick walk. Then Garrood led them into a drab looking building through an open roller-shutter door. Various people in hard hats and fluorescent jackets began to look busy as they noticed t
he boss enter their workspace.
One person in the distance really picked up the pace. After taking a double-take at the three people heading his way, he turned and made his way to the right hand side of the room. He moved with purpose and the figure disappeared behind some boxes.
“Sir.” Tyler nodded in the man’s direction.
Reed pointed Tyler back towards the main door and headed for a walkway through some stacked boxes which were about halfway down the whole unit. The man in question would have to pass this gap if he was heading for the main door. Garrood carried on to his original destination which seemed to be a small office at the back, unaware of what was going on. Reed was about twenty metres from the far wall that he was aiming for when there was a flash, not a light, but something resembling a human as it sprinted past the walkway.
“Tyler!” Reed shouted. Then he set off after his quarry. As soon as he turned the corner, he could see the man heading for the main exit. Reed wasn't slow, he went to the gym a couple of times a week, tried to keep himself fit, but even at this early stage of the chase the gap between the two men was getting bigger. Reed had been sweating before he had started running, now the extra effort to run was causing it to pour from him, and he could feel his shirt sticking to his back.
“Tyler!” Reed tried again, desperation creeping into his voice.
The man was nearing the end of the boxes and then it would be only another few metres before he would be out of the factory. Reed was feeling slow and out of breath. Then, rather slowly but very carefully, a pallet truck was pushed out from behind the stack of boxes. The man was running so fast he had no time to adjust his stride. He managed to avoid the first fork, but no such luck with the second. He continued his run in midair before crashing hard to the floor. He didn't attempt to get up. He just rolled around holding his knee.
