by M A Comley
Pete placed the cup of coffee on the table next to her, and the team pulled their chairs into position.
“We found out the victim’s name is Maria Collins. According to her ID, she’s nineteen and a student at Lauders College.”
“Is that all we have?” Pete asked.
“At the moment, yes, Pete. We’re waiting for the PM results to come back, but AJ and I visited the scene. The girl appears to have been murdered by someone on a scrambling bike. She was found half-naked and strangled with her own bra. Her clothes were strewn around the area. My assumption is the attacker hit her on the back of the head with something heavy as he drove past then dismounted the bike to carry out his brutal attack. Her body was found close to the railway track, as if he’d tried to move her. What I can’t explain is why the motorbike tracks were near the railway line, too.”
Pete shrugged. “Maybe he pulled her body towards the track using his bike.”
“It’s a possibility. My guess at this early stage is that he was possibly disturbed, either by someone nearby or possibly a train approaching. The pathologist put the time of death at between three and six a.m.”
“What about the next of kin?” Pete asked.
“That’s the next step. We need to ask the college where she was registered for her family’s details. Most students travel away from home to attend college or uni nowadays. That’s about all we have on this one at present, guys. Let’s get to work. Oh, one last thing—the victim had a love bite on her neck. We need to see if she had a regular boyfriend or not.”
Lorne dismissed the team, and they all began pounding the keys on their computers. Before long, results began coming in.
Lorne was in her office, dealing with the daily chore of sorting through her mail, when Pete stuck his head around the door. “I rang the college. She was a student there. They won’t give me the address of next of kin over the phone, which is fair enough, I suppose. The college is over in Greenwich.”
“Understandable. Let’s shoot over there now.” Lorne tore her jacket off the back of the chair and marched towards him.
Twenty minutes later, Lorne parked the car in the college car park. “Never been here, or heard of this place, before. Quite small compared to other colleges in the area. Which will probably mean that whoever is in charge will likely know the students better than at a huge uni. That could work in our favour.”
“What’s the betting they don’t give us much?” Pete grumbled.
“Ever the bloody pessimist. Hold that thought for a second or two, partner dearest.”
The young receptionist greeted them with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye. “Hello. How can I help?”
Lorne and Pete produced their warrant cards. “DI Lorne Simpkins, and this is my partner, DS Pete Childs. Is the principal available for a quick chat, please?”
“I’ll just check.” The receptionist picked up the phone beside her and punched in a number. “Miss Foster, there are a couple of police officers waiting in reception to see you... okay, I will. Thank you.” She hung up and pointed behind Lorne. “If you’d like to take a seat, she’ll be with you shortly.”
“Thanks, much appreciated.” Lorne walked over to the noticeboard and surveyed the ads on the board. Under her breath, she said, “I wonder if she lived in the halls of residence or whether she was renting a room nearby. We might strike lucky. The principal should be able to give us some insight into her relationships as well as share the next-of-kin details.”
When she heard the clicking of heels behind her, Lorne saw a smartly dressed woman in her fifties approaching them.
“Vanessa Foster. Can I help you?”
Lorne shook the woman’s outstretched hand. “Hello, I’m DI Simpkins, and this is my partner, DS Childs. Is there somewhere less public where we can chat?”
“Yes, come with me.”
The three of them walked along the long corridor to a large office at the end. Miss Foster positioned a chair next to the one in front of her desk and motioned for Lorne and Pete to sit down.
“How can I help?”
“I’m afraid I have some bad news about one of your students, a Maria Collins.”
“Oh dear, I’m not familiar with the name. What bad news?”
“Her body was found near a railway track the day before yesterday.”
The woman placed a hand on the side of her face and shook her head. “Oh my! What happened to her?”
“That’s what we intend to find out. We need to have a talk with her tutor and her classmates, if that’s okay?”
“Of course. Was she murdered?” Miss Foster asked, her voice shaking.
“Yes. I’d rather not go into the gruesome details, but someone made sure that Miss Collins couldn’t run for help.”
“Oh dear, that poor child. Do you want to question all her classmates at once? I’m not sure how things like this usually work. Sorry.”
“No, individually. But first, I need Miss Collins’s next-of-kin. They should be contacted ASAP.”
“I’ll get my secretary to find that information for you. I won’t be a minute.” Miss Foster left the room and returned a minute or so later with a piece of paper in her hand. She placed it in front of Lorne. “Her mother’s address. She’s in Norfolk.”
“Thank you. Let me place a call first, and I’ll be with you.” Lorne stepped outside the office and punched in a number. “Hello, my dear friend, long time no hear.”
“Lorne? Goodness me. How the devil are you?” DI Sally Parker asked, surprise resonating in her voice.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“Fair to middling. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“It’s a business call, sweetie. I’ve just been handed a murder case of a student. I’m at the college now, and the principal has given me the address of the girl’s mother, who lives in your neck of the woods. I was wondering—”
“If I would break the bad news to her in person rather than you having to do it over the phone. Am I right?”
“Bang on. I hate to do this to you.”
“Seriously, it’s no problem. Give me the address, and I’ll get that actioned immediately.”
Lorne rattled off the address, which turned out to be half an hour’s drive from Sally’s station. “You’re a star. Will you tell the mother that I’ll be in touch shortly with any news as the case progresses?”
“I will. Good luck. Hey, we must catch up soon, too.”
“It’s been too long. Give my love to your mum and dad.”
“Love to all at that end, too, Lorne. Bye.”
Lorne hung up, relieved that her friend was willing to save her a six-hour-round-trip. She returned to the principal’s office. “All taken care of. A colleague of mine is on her way now to break the news to Miss Collins’s mother. Is there a room we can use to interview Maria’s classmates?”
“I can certainly find one, if you give me a few minutes. This is so very hard. I don’t think I’ve ever had to deal with a case like this before. May I ask where the incident occurred?”
“Of course. Maria’s body was found by the railway line at Plumstead. Do you know if she was in a relationship with anyone?”
“I don’t. I can ask her tutor, see if he knew.”
“That would be fantastic.”
Miss Foster left the room again.
“Thank goodness Sally agreed to inform the mother for me. That has just saved you a long drive, partner.”
“Me? Why would it have saved me a drive?”
“It was a joke, Pete. Never mind. Are you ready for this?”
“What? Questioning a bunch of hormonal, know-it-all students, you mean?”
Lorne laughed. “You’re hilarious how you dump everyone into certain categories. Not everyone can be slotted into a stereotypical mould, hon.”
“You wait and see—I bet you’ll be eating your words by the end of today.”
Lorne pulled a face at him as the door opened and Miss Foster re-entered the room.
“I’ve had a word with Mr. Lancaster, Maria’s tutor, who was just as shocked as I am about what has happened. He’s made the class aware that you want to question them but hasn’t indicated to them what it’s concerning.”
“You’ve been very helpful, thank you. Maybe we can interview Mr. Lancaster first?”
“Of course. I’ll sit with the class until you’ve spoken to him.”
Lorne and Pete settled behind the large teacher’s desk in a room filled with amazing artwork. “Looks like they have a bunch of talented students attending this college.”
Pete shrugged. “It’s all right if you’re into that abstract kind of stuff. I ain’t. Give me a Constable painting any day.”
Lorne looked at him and raised an interested eyebrow. “Wow, really? I didn’t have you down as an art connoisseur, Pete.”
He grunted. “A lot you know then. It’s not all about football, beer, and takeaways with me.”
“I’m impressed—something I don’t utter often when speaking about you,” Lorne added with a chuckle.
Luckily, Mr. Lancaster walked into the room before Pete could retaliate. The tutor frowned as he approached the desk and sat down.
Lorne introduced herself and her partner.
“Miss Foster said that Maria Collins has been found murdered. I’m shocked and appalled by the news,” Lancaster said, looking bewildered. “She was a very talented student.”
“It’s very sad. May I ask what you teach, Mr. Lancaster?”
“Psychology.”
“Maybe you can tell us if Maria had come to you with any problems lately. Perhaps someone had been pestering her, either within college hours or afterwards?”
“No, this has all come as a total shock. Maria was one of the nicest students I’ve ever had the privilege of teaching. The only person to ever turn her assignments in on time. Never disruptive in class. An all-round grade-A student who enjoyed her studies.”
“Do you know if she had a boyfriend?”
“Yes, there was talk amongst the class that she was seeing Jerome Tyler; one of the athletes at the college. He’s in a different class.”
Lorne motioned for Pete to take down the boy’s name. “Then we’ll need to speak to him, see if he can shed any light on why Miss Collins was walking down by the railway track in the early hours of the morning.”
“Is that where the incident happened?”
“It is. A train driver alerted the police. Did Maria have any enemies in her class? Anyone jealous of her abilities, perhaps?”
“No, I don’t believe so. As far as I know, she was extremely popular with both sexes.”
“I see. That’s helpful to know. And she had no concerns about anyone pestering her?”
“No, we wouldn’t put up with that kind of behaviour, Inspector.”
“Ah, but would you recognise the signs if a student wanted to keep any harassment issues hidden from you?”
“I’m sure I would.”
“Have any of your other female students ever mentioned anyone hanging around waiting for them after class? Anything along those lines?”
“No, not that I can think of off the top of my head. You think other students might be in danger?”
“There’s a possibility. We won’t know until we stumble across some clues. Please, try and think—has anything out of the ordinary happened around the college that you think we should be investigating?”
His mouth twisted from side to side as he thought, then he shook his head. “No, nothing is coming to mind, Inspector. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was a long shot. Maria’s death might not be connected with anyone at the college. She could have possibly just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you have nothing more to tell us, would it be okay to start interviewing your students now?”
“Of course. What about the boyfriend?”
“Yes, we’ll need to question him in time, but I’d like to see what some of her friends have to say first.”
“I understand. Do you want to start with her best friend, Amelia Dawson?”
“Excellent. Thank you. Please don’t discuss with anyone what we’ve spoken about here today.”
“I won’t. I hope you catch the person responsible for this heinous crime.”
“That’s always my intention.”
Mr. Lancaster left the room, and Pete looked over his shoulder as the door clicked. “Did he seem a little shifty to you?”
Lorne patted him on his chubby knee. “Leave the detecting to me, partner. You can cross him off your list of possible suspects.”
Over the course of the morning, Lorne and Pete questioned all the female members of the class. Those who knew Maria well informed them that her relationship with Jerome Tyler was particularly fractious at times. A few of the girls said they felt that someone had followed them a few times around the college grounds near the halls of residence, but every time they turned to see who it was, no one was there. Lorne and Pete surmised that they were dealing with a stalker issue... that was until they questioned Jerome Tyler.
CHAPTER FOUR
Puzzled, a scruffy-looking, long-haired Jerome Tyler joined Lorne and Pete at the desk. His legs seemed heavy as he walked towards them, and Lorne couldn’t tell if the young man was tired or just reluctant to speak to them.
“Hello, Jerome. I’m Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins, and this is my partner, Detective Sergeant Pete Childs. We’d like to ask you a few questions regarding your relationship with Maria Collins.”
“We’re going out together. Why?”
Lorne looked the young man in the eye. “Because, unfortunately, Maria was found murdered a few days ago.”
His eyes bulged, and he ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I don’t believe it. I know we haven’t spoken for a few days, but that’s normal. I had no idea...”
“So when was the last time you saw Maria?”
“Two days ago. We went out for a pizza together.”
“The day she was killed. Go on. Where did you go? We’ll need dates and times to back up your claim.”
His head jutted forward, and his mouth dropped open before he recovered his voice. “What? You think I did it? Are you mad?”
“No, we’re simply going over the evidence presented to us. You’ve just said that you were probably one of the last people to see her alive on that fateful day.”
“No way, man. I wouldn’t touch her. I loved her. We’ve been making plans for the future. I have a trial with Arsenal coming up. If I get the job there, I’ll be on megabucks. We’d discussed setting up home together and even starting a family.”
Lorne glanced at Pete. They were both Arsenal fans, so the news came as a shock to them.
“Were you in a sexual relationship with Maria?”
His cheeks coloured up. “Yes, why?”
“When was the last time the pair of you had intercourse?”
His head bowed in shame. “That evening, in the back of my car.”
“What time?”
“Around eleven thirty, I suppose.”
“And what time did you say goodbye that evening?”
“About twelve. Quite early compared to normal.”
Lorne nodded. “I take it you drove Maria back home after your sex session?”
“No, she said she didn’t want a lift. Said she wanted to take a leisurely stroll back home. She had a lot to think about after our little chat about our future.”
“Does that mean she was unsure whether to go ahead with the plans?” Lorne asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Beats me. It’s not a decision to take lightly, I suppose.”
“Did you notice anyone else around, possibly acting suspiciously?”
“I didn’t notice anyone. Do you really think I would have left her alone out there if I had seen anyone acting suspiciously?” He sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand.
“I guess not. Are you on drugs, Jerome?”
He stared at her, his eyes moving wil
dly from side to side before he finally answered. “No, not me. My coach would kill me.”
Lorne nodded and smiled. “That’s what I thought. Silly me.” Don’t try and pull the wool over my eyes, boy. You’re definitely on drugs.
“One thing before we finish. I’ll need a DNA sample from you, okay?”
“I don’t understand Why?”
“It’s simple, just to discount you from our enquiries. You said you and Maria had sex that evening. We believe Maria was sexually assaulted before her life was ended. We’ll be able to discount you from the DNA samples collected at the scene.”
“I see. How awful—I had no idea. Do you have any clues who would do this to Maria?”
“We’re collecting clues and evidence all the time.” Lorne held out her hand for the tube Pete had on the desk beside him containing the buccal swab testing kit. “Open your mouth, please.”
Jerome opened his mouth without hesitation and looked into Lorne’s eyes as she ran the swab around the inside of his mouth. The way he was looking at her and willing to co-operate gave Lorne the feeling that he was innocent of any involvement in the crime. She placed the swab back in the tube and handed it to Pete again.
“That’s all we need right now. Can you give us your contact details in case we have any further questions in the next few days?”
Pete swivelled his pad around and handed Jerome his pen. The young man jotted down his address and mobile number then stood up.
Lorne clicked her fingers. “Sorry, I forgot to ask, we’ve been informed that Maria resided in the halls of residence here at the college. Did you ever visit her room?”
“No, boys aren’t allowed in the girls’ wing.”
“Thank you, that’ll be all.”
The three of them left the room together. Just outside the door, a young man was standing with one foot on the wall behind him. He jumped to attention when Lorne and Pete entered the hallway.
“Are you waiting to see us?” Lorne asked, eyeing the youngster warily.
“No. I’m waiting for Jerome. We have to be at training in five minutes.”
