I've Been Watching You: a stunning crime thriller from The North East Police Series

by K. A. Richardson

  19th June, 1120 hours – Digital Forensics Lab, Sunderland HQ

  ‘Brown, you said his surname was, right?’ asked Ed as he looked up from his computer momentarily. At Ali’s nod, he turned back to the screen and frowned. ‘Nothing immediate popping. This is going to take some time. I’ll get back to you when I’ve looked into it further. Jacob’s great at this kind of stuff but with what’s happened at his new girlfriends house, him working on it could potentially be damaging court wise. I know a guy from way back when who might be able to help though, he’s the best there is. Legit too, obviously. I’ll get back to you when I have more.’

  Ali said thanks quietly and left the office. He’d been lost when Ed had started what looked like symbols on to the black computer screens. That’s why he does digital forensics and I don’t.

  Deciding to check in with the officers outside Ben’s, he made his way over and parked behind the marked car.

  ‘Everything OK, lads?’ he asked after tapping on the window.

  ‘Yeah, all quiet on the Western Front, sir. An old lady reported seeing a man in her garden last night when she went to the can, but there’s nothing obvious. We had a look in her garden. She was possibly just imagining it. You know how these old birds can be. Couple of handsome coppers and they’ll keep you chatting all day.’

  Ali narrowed his eyes at the cop. He was a joker, this one. Ali wasn’t familiar with him, and the other cop in the passenger seat was obviously relatively new, the sheen of enthusiasm not even dulled by the mundane task of essentially babysitting.

  ‘Nice woman that,’ said the first cop, nodding his head towards the house. ‘Keeps us supplied with coffee. Nice and easy on the eyes too. That red hair … Mmm.’

  Ali was not impressed, and it showed. He glared at the cop, and bent so he was on eye level. ‘That red hair is off limits. She is one of our own, in danger from a killer. Just keep your eyes on what’s going on out here, and try and keep your mind out of the gutter. Now, where did the old lady live? I think I’d like to have a chat with her.’

  ‘Sorry, boss. She lives in the house directly behind this one - the gardens adjoin via the rear fence.’

  Nodding once, Ali straightened and made his way round the corner to speak with the woman. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. He didn’t rate that cheeky cop’s opinion and felt the need to verify the neighbour’s story for himself. He’d committed the guy’s collar number to memory when he’d leaned forward: words would be had with his sergeant.

  He knocked at the door and waited patiently for a reply.

  Several minutes passed before it finally opened a crack, the safety chain firmly in place as a frail voice filtered through the gap. ‘If you’re selling, you’ve come to the wrong address. I’m old and don’t have money to buy.’

  ‘Not selling, ma’am. My name is Detective Inspector Alistair McKay from North East Police. I believe you had a word with my colleagues in the next street over about someone who was in your garden?’

  ‘ID, sonny. I’ll not be letting you in without it.’

  Smiling, he held his warrant card up to the gap for her to see. He didn’t see her nod in satisfaction, but he heard her slip the chain and open the door further.

  ‘Come on in, I’ll put the kettle on.’

  Ali followed her through the neat living room and into the kitchen. She gestured to the chairs around the table and he sat patiently whilst she efficiently made a pot of hot tea. Noting the milk and sugar were already on the table, he accepted the tea cup with a grin. It had been years since he’d drunk from a proper tea cup. It reminded him of his own gran.

  ‘Those other officers didn’t believe me you know. They thought I was some senile old bat. But I know what I saw. Name’s Agnes Wright by the way.’

  ‘I apologise for them. I believe you. Tell me what you saw, Agnes.’

  ‘A man, maybe late thirties, balding on the top. He was in dark clothes. I only saw him a moment, he’d climbed into my garden from the one straight behind mine. Nice old woman who lives there, with her nieces, I think. Always asks if I want milk getting. Not that I accept mind you, I get myself out to the shop every other day. Keeps my legs from seizing up with this darn rheumatism.’

  ‘Can you remember what time this was?’

  ‘Must’ve been around midnight or so. I went to bed straight after the nine o’clock news like always. Always get up around the same time, body doesn’t work like it used to.’

  ‘Did he do anything else?’

  ‘He did look up at my window. He didn’t see me though; I always go to the bathroom in the dark so as not to wake my eyes up. I was stood on the landing looking straight at him. The security light was on at the side of the house, that’s how I remember what he looked like. Creepy man though, very much doubt he was up to anything above board. Are the folks over the way having a problem?’

  ‘Possibly. Would you mind if I have a look in your garden?’

  ‘You wanna see if there’s footprints or the like. I watch that CSI show on the TV. American trash, really, but I do like that Grissom man. You fill your boots, sonny. The door’s unlocked.’

  Ali got to his feet and walked down the overgrown path to the fence at the back. He could clearly see where the vegetation was trampled in places. It was completely obvious that someone had been in the garden. He knew in his gut it had been the guy they were looking for. Unfortunately, though, due to the overgrowth, there was no visible footwear marks. The fence showed scuff marks on this side: he’d climbed over the fence into Ben’s garden. Heading back into the kitchen, he found Agnes where he had left her.

  ‘Agnes, it looks like the man climbed over your fence into the garden behind, then climbed back over and into yours which is when you saw him. Would you recognise him again do you think?’

  ‘Well it was dark. But I might. Is this man dangerous, Inspector? Should I be worried?’

  ‘He could be dangerous, we’re not sure yet. But if you see him again would you be able to give me a call? I’ll leave you my personal number?’

  ‘I will indeed. And I’ll make sure all my doors are locked at night. You tell that woman and her nieces to be careful. He didn’t strike me as a very nice man at all.’

  Agnes pushed out her chair and got to her feet. She was a prime example of the body failing but the mind remaining intact, and he was again reminded of his gran. She’d died years before, when he was a teenager, but he remembered her sparkling eyes, so mischievous; the cackle of her laugh – and she had laughed often. He was a little surprised to feel such overwhelming emotion. Occasionally in the job he came across people who felt familiar, but it had never been this strong before.

  ‘Agnes if you’re ever worried, or you need anything I want you to ring me, OK?’

  ‘I’ll be fine, sonny,’ she replied softly, patting his arm gently. ‘Don’t you worry about an old bat like me. You just keep those women safe.’

  Ali waited as she closed the door behind him, and smiled as he heard the click of the lock. He knew Agnes would be checking the garden every night now. It made him feel more at ease knowing someone else had Ben’s back also.

  He couldn’t stop the frown though as he approached the cops again.

  ‘For info, there is evidence in the garden that indicates someone has been in there. That old lady is as sharp as they come and it would pay you next time to listen when someone is trying to tell you about a potential killer. Don’t expect to be given this duty again, I want people here I can rely on to protect Ben, not dick around taking the piss. I’m going in to see Ben now. I expect by the time I come back out, that you’ll have your head back in the game until you’re relief turns up just after 2 p.m.’

  The chastisement was felt by both of them, and the driver had the graciousness to blush. A slating by one of the bosses was never a good thing.

  19th June, 1420 hours – Major Incident Room, Sunderland City Centre Depot

  ‘Boss, have you got a minute?’ Charlie’s voice cut throu
gh Ali’s concentration and he looked up from his policy book. The policy book was essential to every murder. It held all his notes, points of investigation and all the other information required for the enquiries to commence.

  ‘Sure, what’s up?’

  ‘We found something at the house. I wanted to speak with you first before we send the CSI in.’ Charlie took a breath, obviously whatever it was, it was big. Ali leaned forward and pulled her a chair over.

  ‘It was well hidden. We almost missed it, to be honest. It was only `cos the screen reflected off my torch light that we saw it at all. Inside the window vent above Clarice’s computer desk was a small camera, boss. We think he may have been watching her for some time before killing her. She may even have known him. We’ve left the camera where it is, didn’t want to potentially destroy evidence.’

  ‘A camera? Well that’s a game changer. I knew this guy had technical knowhow, I just knew it. I’ll call Ed to have one of his guys attend with a CSI later. See if he can’t track down an IP address for where the signal was going to. Well done for finding it. This proves that he’s organised, and of above average intelligence. Hopefully this will lead us straight to him. Charlie, put this case in your personal development record, OK? And next time the sergeants exams come up I want to see your name on the list. There’s not a lot of cops that would have seen something so discreet as a hidden camera. I’ll endorse your application and give you coaching for your interview if you need it.’

  Charlie grinned at him widely, ‘Thanks, boss. I will.’

  Before she’d even stood, Ali was punching in the number for the digital forensics team.

  After explaining the situation, he rang Kevin and arranged for a CSI to meet him and one of Ed’s team at the house at 3 p.m. Finally he felt like he had a break in the case: something that might well help him ascertain where Mitchell lived. It was a rush; he wasn’t there yet but he was a huge step closer.

  19th June, 1500 hours – Thompson residence, Sunderland

  Ali took a deep breath before knocking on the front door. Deena and Max, the technician from Ed’s team, stood a few steps behind him. He’d already phoned and spoken to Gill to advise her that he needed to attend.

  When she opened the door, he was surprised to see her with full make-up on and dressed to kill in dark green. Her green glasses had white dots on them and her hair had been styled in a fashionable up do. But behind all of the exterior primping, her eyes were red and bloodshot. She’d obviously been crying not long before they’d arrived.

  ‘Ms Thompson, my name’s Ali. We spoke on the phone earlier?’

  ‘Just Gill is fine. Please, come through. Clarice’s …’ she paused and coughed, trying to rectify the hitch of grief, ‘Clarice’s room is the second on the left down that hall. I haven’t been inside as per the request from your officer earlier.’

  Max and Deena made their way silently down the corridor, both uncomfortable. The cops dealt with family in grief. It wasn’t normal that the CSIs and technicians had that much interaction after the fact. What did one say to the people left behind anyway? It wasn’t a job they envied Ali.

  Gill led Ali to the right and into the living room. It was spick and span, nothing out of place. Clarice’s mum, Bernice sat on one end of the sofa, silently wringing her hands together. She looked like her daughter, and for a moment Ali was taken aback by the similarities. Sitting in the chair opposite the sofa, he waited a moment while Gill poured what looked suspiciously like home-made lemonade and handed him the glass before sitting beside her friend and putting a hand on her knee.

  Ali inhaled slowly. He hated this part of the job, knew his brother Alex did too. There was nothing right in talking to parents whose children had died before them. Or anyone else touched by such horror for that matter.

  ‘As I explained on the phone to Gill, when my officers were visiting this morning they have found a hidden camera in Clarice’s room that may help us with the investigation. Can you tell me who has had access to the house over the last few months, Gill?’

  ‘Nobody really. I work day shifts, and Clarice is – was at school. With the exception of her friends, there’s no one really that I recall.’

  ‘No workmen of any kind, or engineers?’

  Gill cocked her head to one side, thinking. Suddenly her eyes widened. ‘Actually there was a guy from Northumbrian Water about six weeks ago. I thought it was odd `cos he knocked at like half past six. He said there was a leak somewhere and he had to check the water pressure.’

  ‘Was he left unattended at any point?’

  ‘Not unattended, exactly, but I was on my way out of the door so Clarice said she’d deal with it. She told me he went to the bathroom while she made her tea… Oh my God. It was him wasn’t it? That man is the one who hid the camera and killed Clarice?’ Gill’s face went ashen as tears filled her eyes.

  ‘We don’t know that yet. Even if it was you weren’t to know, Gill.’

  Bernice interrupted now, her voice monotone as she glared at her friend. ‘You let that monster in the house with my girl? You let him in and left him with her, and now my baby is dead?’ Her voice broke and she got to her feet and walked out. When the front door slammed a second later, Gill winced. She didn’t move, her silent tears falling onto the carpet as she replayed her friends words over in her mind.

  ‘She’s right, this is my fault.’ Her whisper was horrified,

  Ali got to his feet, and sat beside her. ‘This is not your fault. Bernice is upset and looking for someone to blame. You just happened to be the closest person. She’ll come around. You had no way of knowing that he was doing anything untoward. I’m guessing he was in uniform and showed you ID?’

  Gill nodded, but Ali could see she was barely holding it together. It didn’t matter what he said now. In her mind, she let the killer inside her home.

  ‘Can you tell me what the man looked like?’

  She closed her eyes trying to remember. Later she could beat herself up all she wanted over letting him get close to Clarice, but she knew the information Ali wanted might help catch him.

  ‘Not really, we literally crossed paths on the doorstep. He was white, wearing uniform but he had a cap pulled right down over his face. I think he had a beard but I may be wrong. I’m sorry.’ Gill’s voice finally broke and she started to cry softly.

  Ali handed her a tissue from the box on the table. ‘I’ll give you a couple of minutes.’

  Making his way down the hallway towards Clarice’s room, he wondered about Bernice’s reaction. He knew that Clarice lived with Gill after getting involved with drugs in the past. Hell, he knew the whole history. But Bernice’s behaviour had thrown him off balance a little. He’d half-expected to have to break the pair apart when Bernice lost it, but she’d just stormed out. He shrugged his shoulders as he reached the bedroom door. Grief was a funny thing. Sometimes there were just no explanations.

  ‘Hey guys, what’ve we got?’

  Max placed a tiny screwdriver back in his toolkit. ‘The camera was turned off, but from what I can see he was using her own internet signal to bounce the footage to his location. We’re taking the lot back to the lab and I’ll try and trace back from there.’

  Deena chimed in, ‘The camera will be sent off for chemical enhancement, it’s small and fiddly and I don’t want to ruin any potential prints. The chem lab will be able to do it better based on the multiple surface types. While Max was looking at the laptop, I had a look through her bedside drawer. She keeps a journal but the last entry has been ripped out. I’m going to send the journal off for ESDA analysis. It should highlight the indentations on the next page which may show us what she’d written,’ added Deena. She referred to the electrostatic detection analysis that could be used to highlight indentations on flat surfaces like paper.

  ‘Great, thank you.’ Ali made his way back into the living room. Gill was still sitting where he had left her.

  ‘They’re just about done in there. Can I call anyone to come
and sit with you?’

  ‘No thank you, Inspector. I’ll call Bernice later and make peace. Though she has every reason to hate me. I think a little of it is blaming herself. She couldn’t cope when Clarice turned to drugs, with the other three kids only young she panicked. Didn’t want trouble in the house I suppose. But she loved her daughter dearly. And now she’s gone. And whilst I know you’re doing everything you can to find the man who did this, it won’t bring her back, will it?’

  ‘You did a good thing, Gill. You took Clarice in and helped her turn her life around. What happened isn’t your fault. Clarice was a very bright young lady. She was doing well at college. I know because we spoke to her tutors. None of that would have happened if you hadn’t taken her in. Try not to blame yourself. It seems to me you did a lot more for Clarice than you’ve been given credit for. It can’t have been easy getting her off drugs and away from that life.’

  ‘No I suppose it wasn’t. I love that girl like she’s my own. She was always a good girl who just got led astray. I wish I knew who her boyfriend was. She’d said she was seeing a man, but I didn’t get any details. He won’t even know what’s happened.’

  ‘How long had they been together?’

  ‘Oh I don’t know, a couple of weeks maybe. Not long. She seemed quite smitten though. I think I’d like to take a rest now, do you mind?’

  ‘Not at all. I’ll be in touch with you and Bernice shortly, OK?’

  He stood to leave just as Bernice walked back in the door, tears streaking her face. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean …’ Gill jumped to her feet and pulled her friend into a tight hug as Bernice started sobbing.

  Taking his leave by patting Gill’s arm, he left the two of them holding each other. He was glad Bernice had come back - the pair needed each other right now.

  Noticing his vehicle was the only one present, he realised Deena and Max had already left. He climbed into the car and rubbed his hands over his face. Damn he was tired, it felt like forever since he’d slept. He felt like there was something he had missed, something obvious he needed to know. But it wouldn’t come. With a sigh, he started the car and headed back to the nick.