by M A Comley
“Let me know how you get on with Barratt.”
“Will do.”
Sally smiled, and her gaze drifted up to the whiteboard. She found herself envying Stuart and Jordan. At least their case was on the brink of being solved, while the Pickrel one was still very much in limbo.
“Penny for them?” Brian asked.
“I just feel as though we’re missing something major, and it’s bugging the life out of me what that might be.”
“If it’s any consolation, I’m feeling the same way regarding the Holly Kilpatrick case. Maybe we’re guilty of paying too much attention to the artists’ drawings.”
Sally considered his suggestion for a split second and nodded thoughtfully. “You could be right. However, if we take those out of the equation, we’re still up shit creek.”
Brian heaved out a frustrated breath and stretched his legs in front of him. “All rather puzzling. If only we had some form of DNA at our disposal. Why? Why and how has the killer been so careful?”
“If we stumble across that any time soon, Brian, I think that’ll wrap up the case,” Sally replied, narrowing her eyes on the board. The clues were hiding there somewhere. She had a strong feeling about that, but where? All the witnesses had been reinterviewed, their alibis had checked out. There was nothing else for them to do. The latest murder had occurred in a residential area, so there was no CCTV footage available for them to waste time trawling through.
Nothing.
Not even a suspect’s car they should be trying to track down.
Nothing.
“We’re off now, boss. Do you want us to report back, or shall we go straight home after we’ve visited the prison?” Stuart asked, slipping on his jacket.
“Depending on the time. If you leave there after six, call it a day and we’ll go over things in the morning. Unless you feel up to filling me in on how your visit goes tonight. No pressure on that front from me.”
“No problem. We’ll get going, and I’ll ring you this evening.” Stuart and Jordan left the room.
“Waste of time you hanging around here, Brian, why don’t you go back to your team?”
He rose from his seat and nodded. “I agree. If you’re sure. If anything comes in, will you give me a shout?”
“I’ll do that. Thanks for your help today. Keep thinking things over. Ring me if anything jars with you, day or night, okay?”
“I will. Be in touch soon, I hope.”
Sally watched him leave the room and glanced over at Joanna. “I can see the cogs churning, lady. What’s on your mind?”
Joanna leaned back and tapped her pen on her notebook. “I’m concerned about Jack, boss.”
She exhaled a breath. “In what way? Has he said something to you that he hasn’t bothered to mention to me?” she asked stiffly.
“Not that I’m aware of. Oh God, I hate to say this but…”
“You’re going to anyway. Go on, Joanna, I’d rather you air any grievances than let them fester.”
“Not a grievance as such, merely an observation, boss. Male pride comes to mind. He’s feeling left out of things because you’ve been out and about with Brian.”
She winced. “Really? Is that it, jealousy?”
“Looking at things as an outsider, yes, that’s likely the case.”
Sally sat forward, placed her elbows on her thighs and rested her chin on her fisted hands. “What is wrong with him? He’s aware how much I wanted to be involved in the new case. It was obvious Brian wasn’t going to relinquish his hold on it. We’re lucky his boss agreed to us working together, he needn’t have. As it is, we’re still going around in circles.”
“I know. You don’t have to justify your intentions to me, boss. That’s why I placed the scenario under the ‘male pride’ tab. Men are all mouth until something like this comes along.”
Sally sat back again. “It’s bollocks, isn’t it? We never create when something of this nature happens, do we?”
“We’re built differently. I mean up here.” Joanna prodded her temple.
“I suppose so. I know Jack has this underlying feeling that he shouldn’t be on the team; however, I thought he was past all that crap. Do you think he’s searching for another job, or at least another role at the station?”
Joanna shrugged. “Maybe. That didn’t work out too well for him in the past, though.”
“Any suggestions how I handle things when he returns?”
Joanna held up her hands. “Whoa, it’s not for me to tell you how to deal with your team, boss. Maybe I should’ve kept quiet about this.”
“No way. I appreciate you being so open with me. My dilemma is how to put things right, not that I think I’m in the wrong. Jack’s a good man, I’d hate to lose him, but if his heart isn’t in it…what can I do to change his mind?”
“Do you want me to have a word with him? I’d willingly do that but didn’t want to go ahead and end up stepping on your toes.”
“By all means, have a word if you will, if it’s not too much hassle for you to contend with.”
“It’s not. I’ll have a quiet chat with him tomorrow. Stick the boot in if I have to. He’s a valued part of this team and in my eyes is being downright irrational about Brian working with us right now.”
“Thanks, Joanna. You’re a treasure. I’m going to deal with the paperwork I’ve yet to finish. Give me a shout if anything crops up that you feel needs my attention.”
“Will do, boss. Actually, I’ll give Jack a ring now, see if everything is all right with him.”
“Let me know how you get on.”
Joanna reported back an hour or so later. It had taken her a little while to get in touch with Jack. He’d taken his granddaughter for a stroll at a nearby park to chill out and was feeling better after his time off.
He assured Joanna that he’d show up for work in the morning and that his mind was clearer now. Sally was relieved to hear the news and drove home feeling confident that everything would be good as far as Jack was concerned in the morning.
She decided to stop off at the supermarket on the way home. She rang Simon during the journey to see if he needed anything for dinner. He said he didn’t. She decided to treat them to a tub of Häagen-Dazs ice cream each. It had been a while since she’d consoled herself, sitting in front of the TV, eating a tub of ice cream.
Simon must have been watching out for her as he opened the door before she had the chance to insert her key in the lock. “Hello, you. I’ve missed you today.”
He hugged her tightly and almost took her breath away.
“Enough to want to kill me?” she asked, pulling away and laughing.
He lowered his head and kissed her.
She placed a hand against his cheek.
“I needed that after the day I’ve had. How has your day been?” he said, linking arms with her and steering her through the large hallway into the kitchen. He beamed and gestured at the large bunch of flowers sitting in a vase in the centre of the table.
“Wow, I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve this, but it’s much appreciated, love. They’re beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered against her ear.
If she hadn’t been so hungry, she would have melted into his arms and let him carry her upstairs to bed. “What’s for dinner?” She lifted the carrier bag in the air and added, “I bought ice cream.”
He laughed. “It puzzles me how the dickens you stay so slim. You’re constantly thinking about food.”
“I am not. Well, maybe, a little,” she conceded. “I needed cheering up, and ice cream must be full of good ingredients that help to put a smile on one’s face.”
“You really want me to list the ingredients and the preservatives they add to each pot? I can assure you, if I did, you’d never be tempted to eat another ice cream again.”
“Eww…no. I neeeeeed this, don’t spoil it for me.”
He laughed, kissed the tip of her nose and went to check on the contents of the oven.
She peered over his shoulder, drawn by the wonderful aroma. “What is it?”
“Moussaka. I wasn’t sure if you liked it or not, so I took a punt.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “I can’t say I’ve ever tried it. I’m willing to give it a go, it smells divine.”
“Good. Do you want a coffee or a glass of wine? I’m guessing the latter.”
“You guessed right. I’ll pour it. You’re always running around after me.”
“You’re worth running around after. I take it you’ve had another frustrating day at work?”
“Understatement of the decade. Although, two of my team members are close to solving the other case we have on the go at the moment, which is a huge relief. We’ve arranged for a warrant to be served. Your guys will probably be called in for assistance within the next few days.”
“Excellent news. Ring me when you need our help.”
Sally nodded and poured a glass of the red Bordeaux Simon had opened to allow it to breathe, discounting any likelihood that she might have opted for a coffee.
She put her glass down on the table. “How long?”
“You have time to change if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I’ll be back in a jiffy. Need to get out of this suit before we eat. I have a feeling my skirt won’t fit me after we’ve demolished that lot.”
“If there’s too much we can bung it in the freezer,” he called after her as she ran up the stairs.
“We’ll soon see about that,” she shouted back, chuckling. She rarely ever left anything he cooked; he was a superb chef. Over the past year or so, she’d tried her hardest to persuade him to enter MasterChef, but Simon refused to buckle, saying it just wasn’t for him. She tore off her suit and replaced it with a pair of black leggings and a pink T-shirt then returned downstairs.
“Will I do?” she asked, twirling on the spot in the kitchen doorway.
“You always look fabulous, no matter what you wear. Although I’d rather have you naked and barefoot all the time.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t add the word pregnant to that.”
He roared with laughter and turned his attention to serving up the dinner.
She sat at the table and noticed a large white window envelope beside her place setting. “What’s this?”
“The contract. I managed to pull a few strings and pushed it through early.”
“The house? Oh my. How early?” Thoughts of spending the next few months packing boxes flashed through her mind.
“Four weeks away. I need to check over the contract thoroughly before I send it back. We could sit down and do that together later, if you’re up to it, or would you rather tackle it at the weekend?”
“No, this evening will be fine,” she replied, hundreds of butterflies taking flight in her stomach at the same time.
“You seem a little down. Are you worried about the house?”
“No, sorry. I’m more concerned about the work ahead of us, packing all those damn boxes. It’s a daunting task on top of everything else.”
“No need for you to worry. I’ll hire a removal firm and let them deal with it all.”
“Really? They’ll do all the packing as well?”
“Of course they will.”
She shrugged. “Wow, how the other half live. I’ve never used a firm before. Dad’s always hired a van and moved my paltry belongings in the past.”
He pinched her cheek. “You’re a strange one at times. I don’t mean that in a condescending way either. Let’s eat and plan what lies ahead of us later.”
She wasn’t about to argue. In fact, she was happy to have something else other than the Pickrel case occupying her mind for the evening.
11
Earlier than anticipated, the warrant to search Donna Jarvis’s house was sitting on Sally’s desk the following morning. She called a quick meeting with the team—neither Brian nor Jack were included. She was disappointed that Jack had neglected to show up. He’d rung her on the way into work, sounding as if he was putting on a fake croaky voice. Rather than call him on it, she accepted that he was genuinely ill and told him to get in touch when he was better. Now, effectively she was two team members down, but she didn’t let Brian’s absence get in the way of what she and the rest of the team had to do.
Stuart had rung her the previous evening and given her the bare bones of how the meeting had gone with Barratt. Now, she insisted he brought the team up to speed on that.
“He told us that Donna had started visiting him not long after his wife’s death. At first, he thought she was showing him compassion because she was Donna’s friend, but then her demeanour changed, and her visits became more intense. He admits to having fallen for her easier than he should have.”
“They’re an item? Is that what you’re saying?” Joanna asked.
“As much as they can be with prison bars between them. I had a word with one of the officers, and he confirmed that he’d had to separate them on more than one occasion during one of her visits. She was all over him, touching his hand, his face, hugging him when she was ordered not to touch him.”
“And what was Mick’s reaction?” Sally asked, perplexed.
“The officer said he appeared uncomfortable by her overly zealous behaviour. What I forgot to mention yesterday was that when we spoke to Liz at the factory, I dug a little deeper about the two of them falling out, she told us that Donna and Lucinda had fallen out at the last Christmas party Lucinda attended.”
“Did she say what that was over?”
“Apparently, Lucinda caught Donna making eyes at Mick.”
Sally nodded. “Did she now? So there’s your motive. You definitely think Mick had nothing to do with his wife’s death? They weren’t in some kind of partnership back then?”
“I didn’t get that impression in the slightest, boss. Did you, Jordan?”
“Nope. He seems innocent enough to me,” Jordan confirmed.
Sally rose from her seat. “Okay, let’s go serve the warrant and bring her in for questioning. Joanna, will you hold the fort? I haven’t got a clue if Brian will be joining us today or not.”
“I’ll ring you if he shows up. Anything in particular you want me to do?”
“Keep going over everyone’s background, if you will? Something has to show up soon.”
“Hopefully,” Joanna replied. “Good luck.”
Sally, Jordan and Stuart arrived at the house to find it empty.
The neighbour butted her nose in when she heard them breaking down the door to gain access to the property. “’Ere…you can’t do that!”
“We can, we have a warrant. Go back inside, there’s nothing for you to see here, madam,” Sally ordered the concerned, irate neighbour.
The woman scooted back into her house and slammed the front door.
“I’ll go upstairs. Stuart, you search downstairs, and Jordan, you go out the back, see if there’s a garden shed or some sort of storage out there.”
The two men nodded. They all pulled on latex gloves and set off in different directions at the bottom of the stairs. First stop for Sally was the main bedroom. She searched the contents of the chest of drawers and the small piece of furniture that she presumed Donna used as a dressing table. All she found were lots and lots of different brands of makeup and perfumes, enough to fill a whole display cabinet at Debenhams, Sally suspected. She moved on to the bathroom. There was a wet towel lying on the floor beside the bath and an overflowing washing basket in one corner. Apart from that, the pink suite was in need of a good clean, although Sally had to admit she’d seen far worse bathrooms over the years. There was a glass cabinet above the sink. She opened the door and peered inside. Among all the cough mixtures and cold remedies, she discovered a tiny bottle hidden at the back. “Stuart, come up here a sec.”
“On my way,” he shouted back and thundered up the stairs to join her. “Have you found something?”
“I think so. Eye drops. Whether they’ll match up, I’m not sure
. They were hidden at the back. Let’s pick her up and bring her in for questioning.”
Stuart rang the station and organised for uniform to pick Donna up from the factory and take her to the station for questioning with the desk sergeant.
“Okay, our job is done here.” She popped the eye drops in an evidence bag and passed it to Stuart to fill in the label. Sally called Simon who was back at work for a few days to explain the situation and to organise for SOCO to come to the house.
They arrived back at the station as a patrol car was entering the car park. A uniformed officer got out of the car and guided the handcuffed Donna Jarvis through the main entrance.
“Want me to question her, boss?” Stuart asked, a hopeful tone to his voice.
Who was she to stand in his way of glory? “Go for it. Jordan, you sit in on the interview as well, will you?”
“Thanks, boss, we both appreciate you having the confidence in us.”
Sally shook her head, annoyed Stuart should say such a thing. She pointed a finger at him. “Listen up, if I didn’t have confidence in your abilities, neither of you would be on my team, got that?”
Stuart nodded sheepishly. “Aye, reading you loud and clear, boss, sorry. We’d better get in there.”
Sally pulled his arm. “Put her in a cell for a few minutes, it usually rattles them. You’re going to need to wait for either her solicitor or the duty solicitor to show up before you conduct the interview anyway.”
“Damn, okay, I forgot that. I’ll have a word with the sergeant, see if he can sort that out for us.”
“Be gentle, but don’t hold back. I have a feeling that once you show her the evidence found at her house, she’ll spill her guts.”
Stuart and Jordan joined Sally and Joanna a couple of hours later. They were both beaming, pleased with the outcome of the interview.
“I take it things went well?” Sally asked, leaning back in her chair.
“Yep, once she started, her mouth never stopped moving, and then the floodgates opened. She admitted to adding the eye drops to Lucinda’s cups of coffee in the canteen. She was always the one who volunteered to collect the drinks. When she stopped to pick up the sugar and cutlery for their meals, that’s when she slipped a few drops in Lucinda’s drink. She said she felt guilty when Lucinda died and regretted her actions.”
