by Dawson, H A
‘There is something suspicious about her,’ Imogen said. ‘She lied, and she has a poor working history. Maddie doesn’t have problems with her, though.’
‘I take it, you still haven’t learned of a connection to Maddie’s comprehensive school.’
‘No, none.’ She reeled off an explanation of her efforts. ‘None have proved worthwhile.’
‘She was the only person who checked out the website after the alterations had been made, and she had been sighted in the office with Josh. We also saw her having private conversations with him.’
‘I agree that’s suspicious,’ she said, ‘but it doesn’t prove anything. In my opinion, Jodi has more of a motive than her. She hates bullies and knows of Maddie’s past. And, if we need anything more, she is upset by Maddie’s independent approach to the business and foundation.’
‘Hmm. Earl knew how upset she was, too.’
‘Exactly.’ Twiddling the pencil between his fingers, he reflected upon the conversations. There was one common factor - all of them liked Josh. ‘Have you checked him out?’
‘No, I haven’t. I was wondering about that, especially since he’s known by his friends as Andrew.’
‘And, don’t forget the comment Jodi made about his shady past … and his job as a computer systems developer. It might be mainframe, but that doesn’t mean to say he is as ignorant of web design as Maddie claims.’
‘And he has password access to Maddie’s systems. It’s a pity we didn’t have a chance to speak to him.’
‘It was quite convenient if you ask me. Remember we saw him hanging around in the car park? I reckon he was waiting for the newspaper to arrive.’
‘It did seem that way. I’ll see what I can find out.’
They spent the next few minutes trying to learn what they could about him but found very little. No one of the right age and with the name Andrew Josh Smithson existed on the databases, and it caused a feeling a dread to tighten his gut.
‘We need to check out Emma’s brother, Andrew Anderson,’ he said.
‘I’m already onto it.’
‘Social Media?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, I’ll see if I can get his criminal records.’ He reached for the telephone. ‘Oh, and can you see if you can determine if he works in Leeds?’
After spending a few minutes on the telephone to a friend in the police force, Luke ended the call, and returned his attention to Imogen.
She spoke first. ‘There’s no trace of him on social media, nor does he work in Leeds. In fact, it appears that he’s unemployed.’
‘Okay.’ He said, grinning. ‘I’ve something better. He was convicted of murder. He’s sending me an email with his photo.’
Her jaw dropped. ‘What?’
‘He’s only been out of prison for a few months. He was involved with a gang in London and stabbed someone in cold blood. There was no apparent motive.’
‘Holy cow! It has to be the same person. We have to warn Maddie.’
He reached to the telephone. ‘I’m onto it,’ he said, and dialled her personal number.
He waited and waited, but there was no reply. Eventually, it went to voice mail. He left an urgent message, telling her they had a strong lead and demanded she returned his call.
‘Try the centre,’ Imogen said with urgency in her voice.
He dialled the number and placed the receiver to his ear. ‘It’s engaged. You don’t have Jodi’s mobile, do you?’
‘No, but I’ll see if I can find it.’
As she progressed with her task, he accessed his email inbox and waited for a photo of Andrew Anderson to arrive. When it did, his pulse quickened, his fear rising.
He opened it up. Their fears were confirmed; Josh Smithson and Andrew Anderson were the same person.
‘She’s not answering,’ Imogen said, returning the phone to her desk. ‘I’ve tried the office again too. It’s still engaged. It must be due to the publicity from the news article.’
‘That might have been his plan – so we can’t contact her.’
‘We have to go around there,’ she said. ‘We can’t take any chances with this Luke. She could be in serious danger.’
Luke nodded a thoughtful reply.
‘I doubt very much she knows his history … or in fact that he is Emma’s brother. He must really hate her.’
‘I agree. Let’s go.’
Luke drove as quickly and as safely as possible, and was due to arrived at the centre within minutes. Making the journey proved a good decision, as despite Imogen’s several attempts, she was unable to get hold of Maddie or anyone who may be able to contact her, and it increased his sense of foreboding.
Driving towards her premises, he reprimanded himself for his slowness and inaction, and questioned why they hadn’t suspected Josh at the start. However, the more he reflected upon the original interview with Maddie, the more he accepted his thought processes. Maddie had spoke highly of her new partner, and displayed only joy and pleasure at the mention of his name. There had been nothing there to cause his suspicions to rise, and accusing the partner of a loved one was not good practice.
They drove the car into the car park, and noted a few loitering individuals by the animal pens; Earl was working on one the flower borders near the start of one of the walks, and a couple of men in suits were chatting to someone out of view in the reception area.
‘It looks calm,’ he said. ‘Given the phones have been out of action, I expected to see it busier.’
‘Me too,’ Imogen said, and exited the car. ‘Let’s find Maddie.’
He grabbed his satchel from the rear, locked the car doors, and hurried after Imogen who was striding to the entrance of the centre. Maddie was nowhere within their view, and from what they had seen via the windows, she wasn’t in the office either. However, Jodi was inside talking to the two men, and her tone was one of disapproval. Although unwilling, the men complied to her request to leave, and muttering something inaudible departed to the car park.
‘Trouble?’ Luke asked Jodi.
She nodded. ‘I’m glad Maddie’s not here. Everyone wants a piece of her.’
Fleetingly, his eyes shot to Imogen’s. ‘Is she with Josh?’
‘Yes, why?’
‘Where have they gone?’
‘I don’t know. They made the decision this morning, after …’ her voice drifted. ‘She was attacked first thing – in the woodland. Someone took her clothes, leaving her with only her underwear.’
‘How did she get back?’
‘Josh was worried and asked me to look for her. They’d just had an argument.’
‘And you found her?’
‘I did.’ A worried look passed between them. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Josh isn’t who he claims to be. His name is Andrew Anderson. He’s Emma’s brother.’
She covered her mouth with her hand.
‘Do you have any idea where he may have taken her? She’s not answering her phone, and I’m very worried, especially given his history.’
‘You mean his involvement with the London gang.’
‘I don’t know what he’s told you,’ Luke said, ‘but he was the murderer. He’s just come out of prison, and it seems he’s out for revenge. We think he blames Maddie for the downward turn in his life. Everything started to go wrong in his family after the bullying campaign against his sister.’
Colour drained from her face. ‘But he’s a lovely man. I can’t believe he’d be responsible.’
‘Jodi,’ Imogen interjected. ‘Did he say where he was taking her?’
‘No. He was very secretive about it.’
Luke ran his hand across his head, his blood pressure rising, his thoughts spinning out of control. Josh was capable of anything, anything at all.
‘Do you have the keys for her private quarters? He may have left clues in the house.’
‘Sorry, I don’t have them. Since it’s warm, they decided to leave the cat outside. At least Josh did.�
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Dismayed, he clenched his jaw. Josh knew exactly what he had been doing. He had probably been planning it for weeks, if not months or years, and if Luke needed proof, he only had to consider the article in the newspaper. The deadline for entries would have been before the awards ceremony. Everything had been premeditated.
‘Where’s Kelly?’ Imogen asked.
‘She went home sick. Shortly after Maddie left in fact.’
‘I doubt she’s involved,’ Luke said, casting a quick glance.
Imogen’s expression was one of disagreement. ‘They’ve been having secret conversations. Surely, it’s worth asking her?’
Luke agreed. They received her address from Jodi, which proved to be local, and hurried away. He hadn’t gotten very far when he spun back around.
‘Jodi,’ he called, spinning around. ‘Please warn her if she calls you. And let me know too, I’ll give you my number,’ he said, and extracted a card from his pocket.
‘Of course, but I doubt she will. We spoke before you arrived.’
‘Did she say anything at all that may point us in the right direction?’
‘The motel was a rural location, and from what she was saying there were stunning views.’ Jodi stilled. ‘Oh no. She mentioned a bridge. They were talking a walk up there.’
He thanked Jodi for her time, and darted to the car.
‘Can you use your phone to look for bridges in beauty spots?’ he asked Imogen. ‘Start close by.’
She nodded her agreement, and once inside the vehicle, extracted her phone from her pocket. Meanwhile, Luke made the short journey through the village to Kelly’s house. It was a small house in a short row. He left Imogen in the car, banged on the cottage door, and looked through the net curtains, searching for movement.
The door opened. Kelly’s surprise was evident. Wasting no time, he stated his reason for being there and demanded an explanation of her involvement with Josh. Not forthcoming, he asked again, reiterating the danger Maddie was in.
Worry formed upon her face. She folded her arms and looked to her feet.
‘I thought your job was important to you,’ he said, trying to lure her into action.
‘It is.’
‘Then why are you trying to cause Maddie’s downfall? Do you know Josh’s been in prison for murder?’
Her jaw dropped.
‘He’ll do it again, no question, and it will be on your conscience.’
‘I saw him uploading the altered website,’ she said quickly. He swore me to secrecy. I like Maddie, but he blackmailed me with my past. He knew I lied on my application form. I had no choice but to agree to his demands.’
‘Even after we told Maddie of your work history?’
‘He threatened me.’
‘Physically?’
Kelly nodded. ‘I saw him follow her into the woodland and then return with her clothes. I didn’t know what to do. In the end, I decided to go into her quarters, get her some clothes and try to track her down. I …’ her anxious expression shot between them. ‘I was sidetracked by something on his computer. It was a website of a village – Horrington. He … he caught me looking and demanded I helped him out otherwise he’d make me suffer. He told me to keep the telephone off the hook.’
‘So you did.’
‘For a while, but I …’ she paused, her eyes flitting. ‘… I was terrified of what he was going to do to her, so much so I felt physically sick.’
‘Hence you exit from work.’
She nodded. ‘I couldn’t play a part in his games.’
Luke tapped her on her upper arm, thanked her for the information, and started away. Kelly’s distressed look was visible through his eye corner as he climbed into the car, informed Imogen of their location, and turned on the engine.
‘Horrington was one of the three places I’d found,’ Imogen said.
‘Let’s just hope we’re not too late. I have a horrible feeling.’
‘Me too.’
Chapter 10
Luke placed Imogen’s pre-packaged sandwich and lidded coffee upon her desk, placed his own purchases upon his own, and sat in his swivel chair. As she thanked him, he regarded her with amusement.
‘Okay, what’s so funny?’ she asked, removing the lid from the coffee.
‘Nothing,’ he said, and averted his attention to his lunch. Yet his pleasure remained in his expression and his thoughts as he took a bite out of his prawn salad sandwich and wiped the sauce from his mouth with his paper napkin.
‘Something’s tickling you, and if I know you as well as I think, it’s probably me.’
‘You’re not always at the centre of my thoughts.’
She raised her eyebrows.
‘If you must know, it’s your choice of food and drink. You’re willing to eat a cheese mayonnaise sandwich – which is full of fat - yet you insisted on skimmed milk in your coffee.’
‘And what’s wrong with that?’
Luke was perplexed. ‘Everything. Why have cheese and full-fat mayonnaise if you’re so concerned by your weight? And skinny lattes can’t taste as good as full-fat ones. What you’re doing is illogical.’
‘It’s perfectly logical. If I have one, I won’t put on weight. If I have both, I will.’
‘I can’t see how having full-fat milk once a day in a coffee as a lunchtime treat, would do you that much harm. And if it does, take up exercise.’
‘Says the man who thinks exercise is walking to the car! Don’t think I’ve not noticed your paunch.’
He laid his hand upon his belly. ‘I do not have a paunch! It’s very slightly podgy, that’s all.’
Imogen cast him a disagreeing glance.
‘I’ll show you if you like,’ he said, and stood up and started to pull his shirt from his pants.’
‘Put it away!’ she shrieked. ‘Are you trying to put me off my lunch?’
Luke grinned. ‘So I won’t be getting a massage then?’
‘Certainly not. If you do, you’ll have to get me very, very drunk first.’
‘Jeez, thanks for the compliment.’
‘Any time.’
The lively banter continued over the course of the next half hour, and then they agreed to discuss the Maddie Watson case. He hoped they would have identified the perpetrator by the end of the day, and that they could take appropriate action. To make such an achievement, though, they needed to discuss what they had learned, and so he started by asking about their first interviewee, Kelly Matterson.
‘There is something suspicious about her,’ Imogen said. ‘She lied, and she has a poor working history. Maddie doesn’t have problems with her, though.’
‘I take it, you still haven’t learned of a connection to Maddie’s comprehensive school.’
‘No, none.’ She reeled off an explanation of her efforts. ‘None have proved worthwhile.’
‘She was the only person who checked out the website after the alterations had been made, and she had been sighted in the office with Josh. We also saw her having private conversations with him.’
‘I agree that’s suspicious,’ she said, ‘but it doesn’t prove anything. In my opinion, Jodi has more of a motive than her. She hates bullies and knows of Maddie’s past. And, if we need anything more, she is upset by Maddie’s independent approach to the business and foundation.’
‘Hmm. Earl knew how upset she was, too.’
‘Exactly.’ Twiddling the pencil between his fingers, he reflected upon the conversations. There was one common factor - all of them liked Josh. ‘Have you checked him out?’
‘No, I haven’t. I was wondering about that, especially since he’s known by his friends as Andrew.’
‘And, don’t forget the comment Jodi made about his shady past … and his job as a computer systems developer. It might be mainframe, but that doesn’t mean to say he is as ignorant of web design as Maddie claims.’
‘And he has password access to Maddie’s systems. It’s a pity we didn’t have a chance to speak to him.’
‘It was quite convenient if you ask me. Remember we saw him hanging around in the car park? I reckon he was waiting for the newspaper to arrive.’
‘It did seem that way. I’ll see what I can find out.’
They spent the next few minutes trying to learn what they could about him but found very little. No one of the right age and with the name Andrew Josh Smithson existed on the databases, and it caused a feeling a dread to tighten his gut.
‘We need to check out Emma’s brother, Andrew Anderson,’ he said.
‘I’m already onto it.’
‘Social Media?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, I’ll see if I can get his criminal records.’ He reached for the telephone. ‘Oh, and can you see if you can determine if he works in Leeds?’
After spending a few minutes on the telephone to a friend in the police force, Luke ended the call, and returned his attention to Imogen.
She spoke first. ‘There’s no trace of him on social media, nor does he work in Leeds. In fact, it appears that he’s unemployed.’
‘Okay.’ He said, grinning. ‘I’ve something better. He was convicted of murder. He’s sending me an email with his photo.’
Her jaw dropped. ‘What?’
‘He’s only been out of prison for a few months. He was involved with a gang in London and stabbed someone in cold blood. There was no apparent motive.’
‘Holy cow! It has to be the same person. We have to warn Maddie.’
He reached to the telephone. ‘I’m onto it,’ he said, and dialled her personal number.
He waited and waited, but there was no reply. Eventually, it went to voice mail. He left an urgent message, telling her they had a strong lead and demanded she returned his call.
‘Try the centre,’ Imogen said with urgency in her voice.
He dialled the number and placed the receiver to his ear. ‘It’s engaged. You don’t have Jodi’s mobile, do you?’
‘No, but I’ll see if I can find it.’
