by M A Comley
“Don’t worry about it. You do what you have to do to cope with your grief. Were you close to your father?”
“Sort of. Not as close as my sister has been over the years. We…how can I put this? I suppose tolerated each other, would be the truth.”
“I see. Any specific reason for the relationship being strained?”
“I couldn’t tell you. I think Nadia has always been more of a daddy’s girl than me.”
“I have to ask you something and I’m not sure how you’re going to react.”
Her cornflower-blue eyes widened in anticipation. “Sounds ominous. Go for it.”
“Were you aware that your father only had a few weeks or months to live?”
She gasped. Fresh tears seeped into her eyes, and she shook her head. “No. Bloody hell, did my sister know?”
“According to your father’s doctor, no. Although we intend chasing that up, when we get the chance.”
“What was it?”
“Stomach cancer. Why do you think your father chose to keep it a secret from you and Nadia?”
“I don’t know. How awful. You’d think he would tell us as we’re his only surviving relatives, wouldn’t you?”
“It’s hard for us to fathom out why he wouldn’t want his children to know, especially as he’d gone through chemo as well.”
“What? I can’t believe what you’re telling me. Wouldn’t my sister have known, what with her working at the hospital?”
“We need to run our findings past Nadia. I didn’t want to disrupt her shift today.”
She shook her head again. “I can’t figure this out. Why wouldn’t Nadia know about this? Dad would’ve had medicine to take, wouldn’t he? She lives with him, wouldn’t she have spotted him popping some pills? Did she care that little about him?”
Katy inclined her head and asked, “What makes you say that? Have they fallen out recently?”
Penny ran a shaking hand over her face and into her hair. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.”
Katy had a suspicion that Penny knew more than she was letting on but chose not to push her on the subject. “I’m sorry if this has come as a shock to you.”
“Why didn’t he tell us? Didn’t he love us? He couldn’t have done, right? Not to keep us in the dark like that. He just couldn’t have. Oh God, here I go again.” She searched her handbag, sitting on the seat next to her, and extracted a tissue. “I’m at a loss. I’m confused and bewildered. Maybe I’m more tired than I thought after my journey. I don’t think I can blame it all on that, though.”
“Please, try not to upset yourself. Your father must’ve had a good reason to keep his illness from you. He didn’t want to burden you both.”
“But he was my father, fathers aren’t supposed to do that, are they?”
“Men can be stubborn fools at times. Maybe he thought the chemo was going to make him better.”
“I don’t know. I’m struggling to make any sense of it. Nadia said that someone must’ve entered our house but she had a quick look around and couldn’t see any signs of a break-in. Why? There should’ve been. It’s not like Dad would’ve opened the door and let a stranger in at that time of night. I don’t think he would have anyway.”
“We’re still waiting on the report from the Scenes of Crimes Officers who are currently examining the house.”
“Let’s hope they find something to help you guys.”
“It’s rare for a criminal not to leave some form of clue behind. Maybe you can cast your mind back a few months. Over that time, has your father intimated that anything might have been wrong at home? I’m not referring to the cancer, I mean life in general. He’d possibly fallen out with someone.”
She shook her head slowly. “No, you’re asking the wrong sister. Nadia would be the one to give you a definite answer there. You think someone he knew did this to him, is that what you’re saying in a roundabout way?”
“Possibly. I can’t go into detail, I wouldn’t want to upset you more than you are now, but the way your father was killed, well, the pathologist has suggested that might be the case.”
Her eyes widened at the revelation. “Jesus, is that true? I find that hard to believe.”
“May I ask why?”
“I don’t know, maybe I felt that was the right thing to say. Perhaps I didn’t really know my father after all. You should be asking my sister all this. She’d be able to tell you like that.” She clicked her finger and thumb together.
“Maybe if your sister hadn’t chosen to go back to work so soon, we would have been able to.”
“Don’t ask. I haven’t got a clue why she insisted continuing to work. Surely her employers would understand. We’re talking about the NHS here, for God’s sake. She needs this time to grieve, we both do. I could do with her support right now. I know that and I didn’t even really know the man, not as well as she did. Sorry, I’m rambling.”
Katy smiled. “You’re doing fine. Your sister told us that your mother died when you were both very young. Does that mean your father brought both of you up on his own or did he have another girlfriend after your mother left? Or possibly a second wife?”
Her head bent low. “I don’t remember my mother. I think I was three when she died. Nadia says she remembers her a little, but not that much. And no, our father has never had a regular woman in his life since she died.”
“No one regular but the odd girlfriend, I take it?”
Penny sighed. “I think I can recall him having a few…liaisons, shall we call them. Drunken nights of sex with the odd woman. Nadia and I used to sleep in the same bed, huddled to each other when the women started screaming. At the time, we thought he was hurting them. Of course, we know better now and acknowledge that it was… I’m sure I don’t need to go into detail, you’re not silly, you can figure that part out for yourselves, can’t you?”
“I understand what you’re saying. And none of these women stuck around for more than a few days, or nights, should I say?”
“They might have done. They showed up after the pub and left before we got up the next day. Nadia and I always remained in our bedroom until he gave us permission to leave it. When we came down for breakfast, the women had usually gone.”
“I see. Do you remember this happening often?”
“No, not really. Gosh, don’t ask me to think back, I’ve blocked out so many things from my childhood…”
Katy inclined her head. “Meaning it was bad for you?”
Penny swallowed and covered her eyes with her hands. Her shoulders jiggled. Katy glanced at Charlie and grimaced, then looked back at Penny who was clearly upset.
“I’m sorry. I can’t talk about it. I’ve locked most of it away in the box at the back of my mind. I don’t want to go back there. Please, please, don’t force me to relive the…”
“I’m sorry, Penny, I’m not forcing you to do anything. However, if there’s something we should know, it would be better for you to be open with us.”
Her hand dropped to reveal yet more tears. “It’s hard. I can’t go through that again.”
“Go through what? Are you telling us that your father…abused you?”
Penny gasped and glanced around her to see if anyone had overheard what Katy had said. “I can’t say for sure. I’ve truly blocked my childhood out. Something happened when I was small, and I can’t for the life of me tell you what it was. I used to be very withdrawn as a child, saw several psychiatrists and counsellors throughout my formative years. Maybe that’s bullshit, about the psychiatrists, I mean, they came later in life. I know I was forced to see a few counsellors when I was at school.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you think your mother’s death hit you harder than it affected Nadia? Did she go through the same tussle as a child?”
“No, I don’t think she ever melted down, not like I did.”
“Do you remember why you had the meltdown? What specific incident led to it?”
She shook her head.
“No, not now, maybe in time it will come to me.”
“What age did you leave the family home?”
“On my sixteenth birthday. I ran away to make my own life in this world. It was foolish of me, I realise that now, but at the time I thought it was the only option open to me.”
“Did Nadia try to dissuade you?” Katy asked, her heart full of sadness for the woman sitting in front of her.
“Yes, I put the plan into action months before. I tried to make her see sense and pleaded with her to come with me. She refused to leave him, said it would destroy him if we both left. I wasn’t prepared to stick around…”
“And be abused,” Katy finished off for her.
“Yes. I lived on the streets for a few years until I eventually got my shit together and found my husband. We’ve been married for five years, and I couldn’t be happier. A vast contrast to the time I spent with my father, the only other dominant male in my life thus far.”
“You had no other family members around you as you were growing up?”
“No. If there were any, they never visited the house. Maybe that was their choice. I fear it was more at my father’s request. He insisted he didn’t need anyone else, as long as he had his daughters around him and the odd whore to screw now and again.”
“Whore? Are you telling us these women were likely sex workers?”
Her shoulders nudged upwards. “I don’t know. I just presumed they were because they popped up out of nowhere and then disappeared, never to be seen a second time. Not that we ever met them, of course. I’m sorry, I’m not making any sense.”
“I think I understand what you’re saying. They were one-night stands, most of them, right?”
“Correct.”
“I’m sorry to have to press you, but can you tell us what form the abuse was?”
Penny paused, fidgeted in her seat for several moments, and then heaved out a sigh. “Like I say, I think I’ve blocked that side of my life out. All I know is that my existence with him was fraught and filled with unhappiness, that’s all I can tell you.”
“It’s okay. The last thing I want you to feel is uncomfortable answering my questions. Let’s leave it there for now. Will you be okay?”
“I think so. I’ll ring Andy in a moment, he understands me better than anyone. Always manages to say the right thing at the right time. I’m a different person to the one who used to live around here, that’s for sure.”
“And yet you’ve always remained close to Nadia, is that right?”
“Yes, we found a way of staying in contact with each other throughout our lives.”
“Did your father know she was in contact with you?”
“I think deep down he did. I don’t think he had the courage to tackle her about the situation, though.”
“Did your father ever try to get in touch with you?”
“No. As far as I was concerned, I was dead to him the second I walked out on him and Nadia.”
“Sorry to hear that, and yet here you are, why?”
“I’m here to offer my sister the support she deserves. She needs me, although by her decision to continue working, that clearly isn’t true. I’ll see when the funeral is and make my way home again. I hate this area, always have done. Scotland is where my heart lies, now more than ever.”
“Some places draw us more than others, I get that.”
“So true. Will that be all?”
“I think so. I’ll leave you my card. If you think of anything else that might help us solve your father’s case, please ring me.”
“I will. I’m sorry for divulging what I did. I’ve struggled with my feelings towards that man for most of my life. Maybe it was the relief of knowing that he has finally gone that gave me the courage to open up after all these years.”
“Maybe. I’m glad you did. It sheds a different light on what type of man he was and the likelihood of his murderer being known to him in spite of what your sister tells us. One last question, if I may? Did your father work and, if so, where?”
“Nadia mentioned something about him working at a sawmill a few years ago. I don’t know if he was still there, especially if he’d been ill lately. Again, you’d be better off asking her about that.”
“Thanks. Take care of yourself. I’m sorry if talking to us has brought back memories you’d rather have kept buried.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be fine once the funeral is out of the way.”
Katy reached out and shook the woman’s hand. “Our paths might cross again soon, if you’re sticking around for a few days.”
“No doubt. I hope you find the person who killed him.”
“We’re going to do our very best.”
Katy and Charlie left the hotel and returned to the car. Katy checked her phone to find she had a missed call because she’d put it on silent, not wishing to be disturbed.
She dialled Patrick’s number. “Hi, sorry, I was interviewing someone. What have you got, anything?”
“An extra sighting, boss.”
“Go on.”
“One of the neighbours opposite the Crawfords’ house spotted the hooded person coming out of the front door. They ran down a nearby alleyway.”
“What time was this, Patrick?”
“He was putting the kettle on and thinks it was around ten-fifteen but then he said it might have been five or ten minutes later, so struggled to give a definitive time.”
“So a fifteen-minute window. That sounds good to me. I think Nadia said she arrived home around ten-twenty, which means she only just missed bumping into the attacker. Any further description of the person?”
“Slight build, he thinks, and some form of athlete by the speed he took off at, according to the neighbour.”
“Okay, it’s not much but it’s more than we had. Get a statement from him, Patrick, and then if you’ve spoken to everyone you can possibly speak to, return to the station. We’re on our way back there now.”
“We’ll do that, boss. See you later.”
Katy ended the call and stared out of the windscreen for a few seconds, collecting her thoughts. “Well, that sounds promising, doesn’t it?”
“Which part?” Charlie asked. “The witness seeing a person leaving the house or were you referring to what Penny just divulged back there?”
“I suppose both. I must say, what Penny told us made my skin crawl. What about you?”
“We don’t know what we’ve got until it’s too late. Some folks should treat their parents better in my eyes, because there will always be others out there who’ve had a rough childhood and gone through major trauma at the hands of a parent.”
“That’s so true. Hearing what those girls went through definitely puts your own life into perspective. Here’s what’s bugging me about Nadia: if what Penny told us is true, that they were both abused by the father, then why, oh why, did Nadia stick around and not leave like her sister, or even with her?”
“Pass. I’ve been asking myself the very same question since Penny first raised the subject. It’s disgusting, the way he treated his kids. You have to wonder if he’d have done the same had his wife not died.”
“Exactly. Maybe her dying and leaving him to care for his daughters alone triggered something within him. I don’t know, I’m just throwing that out there, seeing if it sticks. One thing’s for sure, this case is getting more and more complex the more we dig.”
“It is that. What about Nadia and her reluctance to take time off? That kind of makes sense now, doesn’t it?”
“It does, although I’d rather get the facts from her own mouth than speculate about it.”
3
Nearly a week later, and the investigation was no further forward, not really. Yes, they had the two sightings of the person in the hoodie, but that was where that lead started and ended, much to the team’s frustration.
This was the day of the funeral. Katy hadn’t attended many attached to a case before, just the odd few with her previous partner when the
investigation appeared to be stuck in the doldrums. She’d insisted that Charlie dress in suitable attire, and here they were, parked up outside St Anne’s Church, both swathed in black, waiting for the hearse to arrive.
“Not the best day to have one, judging by the darkening clouds overhead,” Katy admitted.
“Have you ever been to one when it hasn’t poured down with rain? I don’t think I have.”
Katy cast her mind back. “Thinking about it, no, I don’t believe I have. Come on, let’s join the gathering mourners. I have to say, I’m blown away by the number of people here.”
“Former work colleagues perhaps?”
“Yep. I suppose when we visited the firm last week, they had more staff working there than I had anticipated. There’s Nadia and Penny. Let’s go and have a quick word with them before anyone else pounces on them.”
They left the vehicle and headed towards the two women. Penny smiled. She appeared to be taking the day in her stride. Nadia was busy scanning the crowd when they stopped next to her.
“Hi, Penny and Nadia. We hope you don’t mind us being here today?”
Penny shook her head. “Glad you could make it. Any news, or is this the wrong time to ask?”
“Yes, it is,” Nadia jumped in before Katy had the chance to respond.
“We can discuss the investigation later, at your leisure, Nadia, that’s no problem,” Katy suggested, giving the grieving woman the benefit of the doubt. “It’s a good turnout for your father. Are these all his colleagues from work?”
“A mixture of friends and colleagues. I went through his address book. I’m as surprised as you to see how many have shown up,” Nadia informed them.
“A popular man by all accounts,” Katy added, if only to see the sisters’ reactions.
Penny rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder at the crowd gathered behind her. “I suppose so,” she replied, a note of bitterness in her tone.
“Not today, Penny,” Nadia warned.
“What did I say? Don’t start on me, Nadia, I’ve had it with you and your bloody bossy attitude the last few days. I needn’t have come back down for this…this…farce of a funeral.”
