Origami, Odium and Old Sins (Paper Crafts Club Mystery Book 7)

by Emily Selby

  Katie enlarged the area until she could see the individual properties. A row of small parcels lined a street leading to a reserve. The red dot was placed on a corner plot, adjacent to the reserve. A shot of adrenaline rushed through her system. She wiped her hands on her jeans and clicked the street view.

  It took a couple of seconds to load. She grabbed the mouse, keen to see the area from various perspectives. She found a piece of bush that looked familiar.

  Katie ran back to the staffroom. Where the heck had they filed the Hamish threatening letter?

  Katie scanned the room. Wasn't there a cardboard box?

  'A cardboard box with the evidence,' Katie croaked. 'It was here.'

  Celia glanced at her. 'Do you need any help?'

  'Yes please,' Katie said and explained what she was after. Celia, surprisingly, stood up and strode to the filing cabinet. She unlocked the bottom drawer and pulled out a box.

  'This one?' she asked simply.

  'Yes.'

  'Have a look through.' Celia put the box on the desk.

  Katie approached her carefully, still unsure if this was happening for real. She opened the box and quickly located the plastic sleeve containing the enlarged photo.

  'Thanks, Celia,' she said, finally finding her voice.

  She grabbed the document and rushed back to her office, leaving the door open. Celia followed her, but Katie didn't mind. Her excitement was blunting her usual wariness.

  She held the photo up to the screen, examining the details.

  'It's a match!' she exclaimed.

  'Hey, you're right. It is.' Celia's voice joined in. Katie glanced over her shoulder. The young woman's eyes were fixed on the images, but her face was beaming. 'I think it's the same place, but what does it mean?' Celia asked, looking at her.

  'I've no idea,' Katie replied truthfully. 'But I think the New Zealand police need to search the reserve for the box.'

  'We have to let DI Heaton know,' Celia said and straightened. 'I'll go and see if he's free to talk.'

  She left, and by the time Katie double- and triple-checked her findings, she was back, and with Jack at her side.

  'What did you find?' he asked.

  Katie moved aside, holding out the plastic folder with the photo. Her voice was stuck in her pulsing throat, so she nodded her head to the screen, hoping Jack would get the message.

  Fortunately, he didn't need an explanation. He picked the photo from Katie's hand and held it against the screen.

  'It does look similar,' he mumbled. 'What's the address?'

  Katie pointed at the map's search bar. Jack nodded. Five large steps later he was in the staffroom, on the phone, to what sounded like New Zealand police.

  Katie sat at her desk, her hands resting on her thighs, breathing steadily and counting to ten several times. She was cool, calm and collected when Jack re-entered her office a few minutes later.

  'Thanks, Katie,' he said. 'They said the house has been recently reported as a suspected former methamphetamine lab.'

  'That's what Amanda's mum said. They'll search the grounds?'

  'They most certainly will. But we probably need to wait until the evening for results. No doubt they’ll prefer to do it in the daylight. How did you arrive at your conclusion?'

  She told him about the chat with Amanda's mum.

  Jack listened, shaking his head more and more vigorously. 'That's not how you've arrived at your conclusion,' he said. 'It’s been a much longer process,' he added promptly, before she opened her mouth to protest. 'You've connected the dots when we still couldn't see them. I'm so happy you've decided to put your natural talents to a wider use. I think you'll be a great police officer, whichever specialty you decide to pursue.'

  'I'll definitely go into forensics,' she replied. 'What's happening with Hamish and Adam?'

  'We're negotiating the next steps. These two travelling Kiwis will need to return to their beautiful country. Particularly, if their police find the box.'

  'But what about Amanda's death?' Katie asked anxiously.

  'It's all complicated, because we don't have any proof, apart from the letter, which, in itself is not enough, according to the interviews we’ve conducted. Hamish and Adam continue to deny their involvement in her death. Their lawyers have the barman's statement they were in the pub, and that's on top of the CCTV evidence we have. I honestly don't know if we can make a solid case against them.'

  Katie's chest tightened again. This was not fair! It looked like her friend's murder would go unpunished. Katie wiped the moisture gathering in her eyes with the back of her hand.

  'I'm sorry about it, Katie,' Jack's fingers touched her upper arm. 'Sometimes this is what happens. You have a strong feeling that this person is guilty, but if there is no evidence to support your hunch, the court won't believe you. And the Crown Prosecution Service won’t even bring a case to court'

  'I get it,' Katie croaked. 'Although, I admit, at first I thought you were just mocking my methods and demanded proof and logic to tease me.'

  'It might have looked like that, but I can assure you it never was my intention. I just wanted you to shine. You have a talent, and it has great potential, if you can harness its power.'

  'With logic and evidence?' she asked, looking straight into his eyes.

  'That's right.'

  A warm tingling filled her chest. Here was a man who wanted her to flourish as a person, and in a professional setting. It was something new to her. Her ex-husband, Barry, never supported Katie's career aspirations. He insisted she quit the law course to concentrate on being a mum, and he discouraged any attempts to even talk about her studies even after Julia started school.

  Here was a man who cared about her as a person. Here was the man!

  'Thank you, Jack,' she replied softly, gently caressing his hand with her index finger, conscious they were at work and the door to the staffroom was still open. 'I appreciate that, and I'm grateful for your support to my plan to take up my studies again. But to return to the here and now, what's next?' she asked.

  'I've got to talk to a few people that have also been involved in this case.'

  'Will you update me tonight?'

  'Just try to stop me,' he said and smiled. 'I'd like to take you to dinner tonight if possible.'

  'It is! Julia's going to her dad's tonight. Barry’s collecting her after school.'

  His face brightened. A playful sparkle appeared in his blue eyes. 'Then my plan will work out, weather permitting.'

  'What's the plan?'

  'You'll see,' he whispered into her ear. His lips brushed against her cheek and he was on his way out before she could try to conceal the stolen kiss in case Celia was watching them.

  She released her breath. However much it pained her, she had to wait until tonight for more information - and tenderness.

  34

  It was nearly 8.30 pm, when Jack phoned to tell her he was on his way.

  'Can you wait for me outside?' he asked. 'I'll be there in five minutes. Dress up warm. I hope you don't mind. It's a beautiful evening,' he said huskily.

  She didn't mind at all. The evening was, indeed, beautiful, despite a March chill in the air. The moon was large and bright, and low in the sky. Wrapped in her coat, a long scarf and a pair of gloves – she’d spent too long trying to make her copper hair behave the way she wanted it to spoil it with a hat. Ah, and she put some makeup on as well. It might be dark outside, but there would be light in the restaurant and she wanted to look her best.

  When she stepped outside her front door, Jack's silver Vauxhall was already pulling up.

  A reasonable car for a reasonable man. The man!

  Katie skipped towards Jack's car. Something was telling her this was going to be an important evening.

  'Katie!' he exclaimed, emerging from the driver's side. 'Sorry I'm late, get in, get in,' he urged her.

  'Where are we going?' she asked, climbing into the car. She wanted to lean in for a kiss, but he was obviously in a hur
ry.

  'It's a surprise,' he replied through a boyish grin. 'In the meantime, I have some news to distract you with.'

  'Are you teasing me?'

  A little, but believe me, I'm doing it to make it all easier for you.'

  Her heart flipped. A surprise, news, what else was on the horizon?'

  'Fire away, sir,' she said, trying to make it sound light.

  'I had a call from Maree Chen in Auckland,' he said getting the car rolling again. 'They found the box - a stash of methamphetamine and paraphernalia needed for making it. Also, a cache of money. Fingerprints all over it.'

  'Amanda's?' Katie asked anxiously.

  'Mainly Amanda's, but they found dabs from Hamish and Adam as well. And someone else's.'

  'Who?'

  'The missing house owner. They've also found his body.'

  Katie's jaw dropped. 'His body?'

  'Yes. Dead. Long time dead, if you don’t mind my saying so. They wrapped him in a sheet of tarpaulin, and buried it nearby.'

  'How did he die?'

  'A blow to the head. Blunt object.'

  Katie clasped her hands on her lap. 'Amanda's fingerprints on it, too?'

  'The tarpaulin must have been handled using gloves, but they found some glove prints and traces of DNA.'

  'DNA processing will take a while,' she whispered. 'What about the glove prints?' she asked louder.

  'It looks like they match our two Kiwi birds, but the New Zealand police want confirmation with the DNA analysis.'

  'But not Amanda's?'

  'No. Unless she left some DNA on it.'

  Katie clasped her hands tighter. Her knuckles shone white through the pale skin. She needed to learn how to detach herself emotionally from all aspects of cases, at least, if she was to become a professional.

  'Any more news from Hamish and Jittery?' she asked, pushing aside her grief.

  'They've become much more forthcoming with information when I told them what we’ve discovered.'

  'That's good news. What did they say?'

  'At the moment, they're blaming Paul Smith. The dead guy, Adam's cousin. He was a former chemistry student turned drug user and amateur manufacturer. He lived in the house next door to Amanda's mother.'

  'Was he the one who cooked the meth?'

  'Yes. Then, Hamish and Adam started dabbling in house renovations. They bought the house from Paul, under a company they'd set up for the purpose. One of a few companies, I understand, and Paul was the official owner. He moved to a different place they'd bought. From what I understand this was their modus operandi: buying houses, pretending to live there while renovating, and then selling up for a quick profit. I think this was how they avoided paying taxes, or something. To be honest, I didn't listen. The point is, they're claiming it was Paul who contaminated the place and they only tried to clean it up.'

  'But they didn't. A child died.' Katie gulped.

  'I'm afraid you're right. And ... I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Katie,' Jack said and threw her a quick glance. His eyes were dark, his forehead furrowed. Katie held her breath.

  'What?' she asked, her voice trembling.

  'Hamish says Amanda got that young family into Paul Smith's house. Hamish told her she could rent it out for less than the market value if she could find someone. So, Amanda got that family into it, telling them it was going to be cheaper, close to their cousins and next to the reserve. She clearly felt responsible for the child’s death.'

  A sob shook Katie's shoulders. She pushed her back into the seat. The seatbelt tightened across her chest.

  'She-she...' Katie's voice trailed off. She closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks.

  'I'm so sorry, Katie.' Jack's voice sounded soft, warm, and comforting.

  She felt the car pull off the road and stop. And then, Jack's hand rested on her shoulder. He wiped the moisture from her cheek.

  'I'm so sorry,' he whispered. They sat in silence for a minute.

  'Do you think that was why she died?' Katie asked once she was able to speak again. She opened her eyes. Jack's face was a few inches away. He smiled sadly at her.

  'I think she realised what happened. Hamish said that in his short conversation with Amanda on Saturday, he mentioned Paul's house and that the family was looking for its original owner. That is why she did the search, I think.'

  'And she found an article about the P-lab?'

  'And then she texted her mother.'

  Katie turned her head away. The memory of the paper origami zoo flashed in her mind. It was good that Chris had managed to get it from the crime lab undamaged. She'd have to remember to grab it from the office and pass onto Angie in the morning.

  'Amanda loved kids,' Katie said slowly. 'I guess, that was the guilt she couldn't live with - pushing a disadvantaged family with small children into a contaminated house.'

  'It makes sense now, doesn't it?' Jack said quietly.

  'So, you think it was definitely suicide?'

  'Everything points to it,' he replied. 'Hamish drove her to it, but it was Amanda's finger that pulled the trigger. There might have been more than that though. Maybe even the thought of facing an investigation into her own involvement in Hamish and Adam's operations. Maybe more contaminated houses, tax avoidance.'

  'But why going through the hassle of pretending it wasn't a suicide?' Katie protested. 'Who did it?'

  'I think it was her,' Jack replied, still very calm and soothing. 'I think she wanted to drag your attention to Hamish, knowing you'd pass it onto us. She couldn't do it openly, probably because she didn't have enough evidence. Or maybe, because she was terrified of Hamish.'

  'Okay,' Katie said reluctantly. 'But why did Hamish and the other one come here?'

  'They wanted to convince her to help them. She was involved in some of their earlier operations, living in some of their houses. She also helped bury the box. They wanted to recover it, but because of their legal situation they've been under close surveillance. They didn't want to get caught collecting the hidden treasure, and they didn't want to share that knowledge with anyone outside their circle. So, they tried to coerce one of their accomplices. On top of that, they thought it'd be an easy job for Amanda, as her mother lived nearby.'

  'The mother moved to a new house.'

  'I'm not sure they knew that,' Jack replied.

  Katie sat, nodding for a while. It all made sense now. 'Why was she trying to collect money then? Why did she blackmail Mr McBride?'

  'Maybe at first, she hoped to escape Hamish and Jittery, as she'd been trying to do for the past three years. I think your friend tried all the decent solutions she could think of first. But the more she tried, the more she realised there were no decent solutions, only more or less dirty. So, she chose the most honourable of them all - taking her own life.'

  'Are you saying that to help me cope with it all?' Katie asked, glancing at him. Her heart ached. On the one hand, she was fuming that her friend had been pushed to kill herself because of a bunch of greedy criminals. On the other - she was angry at Amanda for joining in with those "dark forces," and walking the fine line between legal and illegal.

  'It's easier to think, she didn't have a choice, although I still disagree...' she whispered. 'Rest in peace, Amanda Jones. I want to remember you as a good person who tried to help others.'

  'It's a lovely idea,' Jack said, cupping her chin. 'And now, let's change the mood. I've got something I wanted you to see.' He grabbed her hand. 'Let's get out.'

  A thrill ran up and down Katie's spine. 'Have we arrived?'

  'We have, indeed,' he said, his voice full of excitement. 'Hurry up, the moon won't wait.' He unbuckled her seatbelt and then his.

  'The moon?'

  'Yes, it's the full moon and it'll set in a few minutes. The sky is clear. We'll have a lovely view over the meadows and the stream.'

  Katie looked out of the window. Overwhelmed by her internal world, she'd missed the ride. Jack had driven them to Stream Drive, close to the h
ouse she was buying for her and Julia ... and Jack, if he was really up to it.

  'What a lovely surprise!' Katie called out.

  She jumped out of the car. The fresh, crisp air hit her face, drying the remnants of her tears. She inhaled, enjoying the sensation of her chest expanding without pain. He arrived by her side and put his arm around her.

  'May I?' he asked with an intensity that turned her knees into the cotton-candy state again.

  'Why, yes, of course,' she replied, letting her head fall onto his arm. He led her towards the stream. They stood like that, with the warmth of his body permeating into her, filling her with peace and calmness again. This was the right place to be. This was the right man to be with. This was the right time.

  She stood on her toes. Her lips touched his ear, the stubble on his cheek tickled her chin.

  'I'm so happy to be here with you,' she whispered.

  'And so am I, Katie,' he replied, turning his face so that their lips almost met. 'I love you,' he said.

  The butterflies exploded in her chest. There was only one thing she could say now. She closed her eyes. 'I love you, too,' she replied and let his mouth enclose her lips.

  Thank you for reading Origami, Odium, and Old Sins. I hope you enjoyed Katie’s new adventure.

  Let me and other people know what you think of the story, the characters, the mystery… by leaving a review (please, no spoilers :)).

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  Interested in the Paper Crafts Club Mystery Series and cozy mysteries in general? Join my mailing list for offers on my and other mystery books.

  Thank you

  Emily Selby

  Also by Emily Selby

  Have you read the previous books in the series?

  Book 1: Filigrees Fortunes and Foul Play

  The Paper Crafts Club Mystery Book 1

  Katie finds the body of her best cleaning client stabbed with a… quilling needle in an empty house, and ends up being one of the prime suspects. She meets DI Jack Heaton and sparks fly.