by Jack Probyn
Closing his pocketbook, Jake turned his back on Archie’s house and started towards Liam and Drew. Both senior officers were talking to a young woman who wore a light purple, skintight hoodie and jeans. She was jittery, constantly moving from side to side, and she rubbed her arms fervently. By the time Jake arrived, Liam and Drew were finishing up.
‘Please wait for one of our colleagues to take you back to the station,’ Liam said, shaking the woman’s hand and passing her one of his own business cards. Beneath it, reflecting the sunlight that was just beginning to break through the cloud, was the zero of a ten-pound note.
‘Who’s that?’ Jake asked.
‘The witness,’ Drew said.
‘Any luck?’
Drew shrugged. ‘Not much. She found them dead in that room when she realised the door had been left open. She wandered in, saw them and came straight back out again. We were the first people she called. And her alibi checks out – she showed us the emails between her and Steven about organising the viewing of a piece of his artwork. But I’ll speak with her when we get back to the station.’
Jake nodded. Then he watched Elisa wander over to a police car on the other side of the outer cordon. As she walked, her head darted from left to right and she continuously rubbed her forearm and the back of her neck furiously.
‘Is she all right? She doesn’t look it.’
‘Her?’ Liam said, stepping in Jake’s field of view. ‘No. Probably just nervous. Shock.’ He extended his hand and took Jake’s notebook from him. He leafed through the pages. ‘Any luck with the H-to-H?’
Jake shook his head. ‘Nothing useful, guv. Just some guy telling me about how he saw a little girl walking with a man. Oh, and I think he might have had a prostitute in his house when I got there.’
‘You get a lot of that here,’ Drew said, pointing to the row of houses on the street opposite. ‘And drugs. They love them. That’s the problem with these types of places, being so close to the estates. They’ve got so many distractions.’
‘Could this be drug-related?’ Jake asked, thinking aloud.
Both men looked at him perplexed.
‘You saw the bodies in there, right? No drugs have been recovered, and that certainly isn’t your typical drug kill,’ Liam began. ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll find something.’
Jake didn’t like to dismiss it straight away, but it made sense.
‘What now?’ he asked, taking the notebook back and clasping it tightly.
‘I want you to head back to the station. Help Garrison set up the MIR. You can be our eyes and ears back at HQ. Anything comes in, you let us know straight away, OK?’
‘And what about you two, sir?’
‘DS Richmond and I will be responding to your calls. We’ll take care of the interviews, don’t worry,’ Liam explained.
Jake cleared his throat before responding. ‘With all due respect, sir, if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not. I’d much rather get out there and speak to friends and family. Maybe help you as FLO. I’m not going to learn anything or develop if I’m sat behind a desk all day.’
‘Or you could go back to the station and do as you’re told,’ Drew interjected.
Just as Drew was about to continue his tirade, Liam held him back, an arm pressed against his chest.
‘I can deal with this, thanks, Drew,’ Liam said.
Jake felt his shoulders relax slightly. He had been meaning to get that off his chest. He hated doing nothing – or, at least, for it to look like he was doing nothing. He wanted to be out on the front line. Making a difference. Solving crimes.
‘I admire your tenacity, Jake,’ Liam said, holding a finger in the air. ‘You’ve got balls. I think it would be good for you to join in on some of the fun stuff. Drew, I want you to go back to the station and bring us up to speed on everything. Get one of the uniforms to take you back along with Elisa. We’ll stay here until then. Jake – would you mind going back to the gallery quickly? I just want to speak with Drew for a moment.’
‘Of course, sir. Thank you, sir.’ Jake wandered off, a smile widening on his face.
CHAPTER 6
TEST THE WATERS
There was something so harmless and inoffensive about Jake Tanner that it instantly made Drew suspicious of him. Perhaps it was the fact that he’d trusted almost no one in the fifteen years he’d been a police officer – and those people he did trust, he could count on one hand: Liam and Pete. Or perhaps it was the fact that, in his years of experience, he’d learnt to distrust the good cops, the ones who tried hard at everything they did, because they always had an ulterior motive. He had come close to being accused of being a bent cop in the past, and he would do everything in his power to make sure it didn’t happen again.
Drew watched Jake wander off, waiting until his colleague was out of earshot. He gave a quick recce of those around him and made sure he couldn’t be heard by anyone.
Then he shoved Liam on the arm.
‘Are you serious?’
‘What?’ Liam replied abruptly.
‘You’re going to let him get in on this? Why’s he piping up all of a sudden?’
Liam raised his finger in the air and pressed it into Drew’s chest, instantly dismissing him.
‘I’ve been forced to change the shift patterns so there’s more crossover with his and ours. And I never said he was getting in on anything. He’s just helping with our lines of enquiry. You know, the job you used to do.’
‘It’s too close to home, Liam. What if he starts getting curious and ruins everything?’
‘He won’t. I’ll make sure of it.’
‘How?’
‘You don’t need to know how.’
‘I do when it concerns me. I don’t want to get another grilling.’
‘It concerns you just as much as it does me.’
‘We came too close last time.’
‘Of all people, I think I know that the most. Trust me, all right?’
Drew stopped as a uniformed officer swaggered past them. He waited until the man had disappeared before continuing.
As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Jake, who was busy talking to a SOCO, writing notes in his pocketbook as he did so.
‘You reckon he suspects anything?’
‘No. He’s not had the time to. Besides, look at him… he’s like fucking Bambi. Innocent. He doesn’t have a fucking clue what he’s doing.’
Drew scratched his head. ‘He might have been watching us. Listening in. Reporting.’
‘Reporting to who?’
Drew shrugged and massaged his chin to calm himself down. ‘I don’t know. Anyone. The IPCC.’
‘Shut up – you’re being paranoid.’
Liam paused to observe Drew. He felt Liam’s searching eyes like needles all over his skin. Was that just an off-the-cuff remark, or did Liam know the reason behind his paranoia?
‘Have you been using again?’
‘No,’ Drew lied.
‘Because you know that if there’s anything that connects us to Steven and Jessica’s murder, then we’re both done for. All right?’
Drew held his hands in the air.
‘Relax. Relax. I’m clean, all right? It’s just…’ He pointed at Jake. ‘He’s making me on edge. For weeks he’s been hiding in the background and now a big case comes up, all of a sudden he wants in.’
‘It’s fine. Leave him with me.’
‘Can he be trusted?’ Drew asked.
‘We’ll have to test the waters. That way, we’ll find out.’
CHAPTER 7
GOLDEN SHMOLDEN
Images of Jessica Arnholt’s mangled and dismembered body lying upon the table haunted Jake. He closed his eyes in an attempt to eradicate them, but it was no use. They were permanently etched into his brain, stained in indelible ink that even the most powerful form of therapy wouldn’t remove.
Jake and Liam were stationed outside the Arnholt Gallery. They had left the SOCOs to do their job while they waited for Dr
ew to do his. It took a long time for him to get back to the station and pass on the address for Steven Arnholt’s parents. Apparently there had been an issue with the computer systems at the station and Drew had needed to wait till someone from IT fixed it for him.
‘According to the bloke it was just a case of switching it off and on again,’ Drew said on loudspeaker just as Liam ignited the engine.
‘You can be a complete tit sometimes,’ Liam said, pulling out onto the main road and swinging left.
He hung up and switched on the sirens.
Jake and Liam sat in silence for most of the journey. Not out of choice; Jake had wanted to speak with his boss – get to know him a little better – but even though Liam had taken his side with Drew, it hadn’t changed how intimidating Jake found him. That, and the fact Liam was the type of guy who would only permit someone to talk to him so long as he spoke to them first. And if anyone tried to deviate from that pattern, he would scold them for it.
It took them less than ten minutes to drive to Steven’s parents’ address, a few miles down the road from the crime scene. That was a luxury Jake could appreciate – his own mum’s house was about fifteen minutes from his. Not too far in case of emergency, not so close she’d be over all the time. And that was just the way Jake liked it.
Liam slowed the car to a halt outside the Arnholts’ drive and pulled the keys out of the ignition. As they paced towards the door, Jake noticed Liam hadn’t locked the vehicle.
‘Sir,’ he said, pointing to the car.
‘We shouldn’t be here too long. I doubt they’ll be much help anyway. Plus, I mean, look at it.’ Liam fanned his arms around the vicinity; the road was littered with expensive cars and motorbikes that looked like advertisements for German engineering, ‘I can’t see anyone round here trying to rob my shitheap, can you?’
Jake shrugged.
‘I want you to lead this one, Jake. I’ll step in if there’s any issues, all right?’
‘What?’
‘You’re the one who wanted to get some experience under his belt, right?’
Jake nodded. ‘Right.’
‘Then this is all on you.’
Jake exhaled deeply as Liam knocked on the door, and together they waited. Jake stood with his hands folded in front of him by his waist, slowly breathing away the nerves. Giving death messages -- telling someone that their relative had just passed away and that they were never going to see them again – was one of the hardest parts of the job. It was a torment that he hoped he never had to endure personally. Elizabeth, his wife, had always told him that that was the one thing she dreaded every day when he was at work: the dignified ring of the doorbell, the solemn-faced police officer standing in front of her, the tenor of his voice as he informed her that Jake was dead and that she was left to raise her child – soon to be children – alone. The thought made him check his phone. He thought he’d felt it vibrate. False alarm.
As he pocketed the device, Jake chewed on his bottom lip, wondering how he should pass on the news. He knew how he’d want it: hard and fast, like ripping off a plaster. With all the facts. That way there would be no time for his mind to process the information and allow his emotions to get the better of him.
The front door opened and there, dwarfed by the white door, was Steven Arnholt’s mother. She was wearing a patterned blouse with thick black buttons. Her hair was parted down the middle and her face rouged with make-up, her fingernails matching the colours of her lips: bright pink.
‘Mrs Arnholt?’ Jake asked, flashing his warrant card.
As soon as she saw the emblem on his badge, her face dropped. Carefully, almost cautiously, she nodded.
‘May we come in?’ Jake asked.
‘Y-Yes. Of course.’ Mrs Arnholt stepped aside to allow them through. She was visibly shaking, and Jake waited in the lobby for her to close the door behind them. ‘This way p-please.’
A sound came from overhead. ‘Who is it, sweetie?’ Footsteps rushed above and then down the stairs. They stopped as soon as Jake and Liam came into view.
Jake had his ID at the ready. ‘Good afternoon, sir. We’re from Bow Green Major Investigation Team.’
‘Is this about Steven?’
‘I think it’s best if we sit down, sir.’ Jake turned to Mrs Arnholt. ‘Ma’am.’
‘Please, call me Julie. And he’s Tristan.’
Jake nodded and followed Julie into the living room. Three sofas circled the forty-inch television that hung on the wall. There was a large coffee table with a vase of lilies positioned in the middle. Jake sat down. To his left was a row of patio doors that led out to the garden. From where he sat, he could see a wooden chair swing by the back fence.
‘Can I get you both a drink?’ Julie asked as Tristan sat opposite them both. ‘Tea? Coffee?’
‘I’m fine, thank—’
‘Coffee. Please. Three sugars. Lots of milk,’ Liam said, smiling.
Jake shot him a look filled with disdain.
‘Sure,’ Julie said shyly. ‘I won’t be a moment.’
She was right. Less than a minute later she returned with three mugs on a tray. Jake was grateful to see her; the silence between the three of them had been awkward and he was beginning to run out of things to look at. Julie placed Liam’s mug in his hand and set the rest on the coffee table.
‘So…’ Tristan began. ‘What is it we can help you with, officers?’
Julie’s hand found Tristan’s on his lap and squeezed.
‘Mr and Mrs Arnholt, there’s no easy way for me to say this…’ This was it. This was the moment he delivered the devastating news that he hoped, as a parent, he would never have to receive himself. ‘Steven and Jessica were murdered last night in Steven’s gallery.’
Julie gasped in shock and threw her hands to her mouth. Tristan massaged his hands together, fighting the emotions behind his tear-filled eyes.
‘I’m terribly sorry to have to give you this news. And I know it’s a lot to take in, but there are a few questions we’d like to ask.’
Julie tried to speak, but her words were extinguished by pain and grief. On the arm of the chair beside him, Jake saw a box of tissues. He reached across and handed them to Julie.
‘Thanks,’ she said, grabbing one and dabbing her eye delicately so as not to disturb her make-up.
‘H-H-How did…’ Tristan trailed off. ‘How did it happen?’
‘I’m afraid that’s not entirely clear to us at the present moment.’ Jake reached into the breast pocket of his blazer and produced his notebook. ‘I was wondering if you could tell me about Steven and Jessica’s relationship? How long had they known each other?’
‘About… seven years or so, I think. They met on holiday in the States. Steven was out there for work. He had just sold a painting to a gallery in New York and invited us over to celebrate.’
‘So you met her there as well?’
Tristan nodded, and Jake made a note in his book.
‘And… how long have they been married for?’
‘Nearly five years,’ Julie added, clutching the tissue paper in her hands. ‘He proposed to her in New York.’
‘Nice,’ Jake said.
Beside him, Liam leant forward and placed his empty mug on the coffee table. Jake could smell the acrid stench of coffee on the man’s breath.
‘What were your first impressions of Jessica?’
‘Lovely,’ both of them replied at the same time.
‘There wasn’t a bad bone in her body. She always treated us with so much respect and kindness. We always loved having her come round – both of them!’ Julie broke into another flurry of tears. This time she cared little for her make-up and smeared it across her face. By the time she was finished, black shadows had bloomed underneath her eyes, making her look like The Joker.
‘Did Steven mention anything to you about what he was doing last night?’
Tristan shook his head. ‘The last time we spoke to him was last week or so.’
�
��Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt him? Any art deals he may have done in the past that had gone wrong or where someone didn’t get the bargain they’d hoped for?’
Tristan shook his head.
‘Did he ever mention feeling threatened by anyone? Did he ever say anything about someone following him or wanting to…?’ Jake let the sentence hang in the air, allowing Tristan and Julie to finish it for themselves.
‘No. No,’ Julie said, her words laced with turmoil. ‘No one. Nobody would want to hurt our precious Steven. He was kind and generous and loving and so helpful to everyone he met.’
Jake continued to write in his book as Julie spoke, looking up at her intermittently to demonstrate to her that he was still listening. As he scribbled, he felt his phone vibrate against his leg. He pulled the device out and stared at the screen. Nothing. Another false alarm.
‘The only trouble Steven would ever get himself into was at school when he didn’t do his work. Now he’s an adult. He doesn’t do any of those sorts of things. He’s sensible,’ Tristan added. Jake didn’t know whether Steven’s dad was being naïve on purpose, or whether that was something he truly believed, but Jake made a note of it nonetheless.
Julie grabbed for the box of tissues, realised they were all gone and stood up to get some more.
‘Julie!’ Liam said, leaning forward to grab his empty mug. ‘If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to have another coffee, if that’s all right. I’m feeling really thirsty for some reason. Same again please.’
Julie’s face contorted in shock as she slowly reached out to take the mug from Liam. Jake stared at his senior in disbelief. What was he playing at? Inviting himself another drink like that? Did he have any sense of decorum or respect?
‘Of course…’ Julie hesitated. ‘Three sugars, wasn’t it?’
