by M A Comley
Her husband handed her a tissue. “Oh, Jesus, I can’t get my head around this,” he whispered. “What about Jackie’s parents, have they been told yet?”
“Not yet. We came here first. Do you know them well?”
“Of course we do. They’re an important part of our extended family. They live on the estate. Bought a bungalow a few doors down because we get on so well together. I’m going to give them a call, they should be here, listening to what you have to say.”
Katy wasn’t too sure that was a good idea at first, but after a few seconds’ deliberation, she nodded, “I agree. Would you mind ringing them, Mr Ody?”
He squeezed his wife’s shoulder. “Will you be all right, love, for a moment? They have a right to know.”
“Yes, go. Don’t ring them, go and get them.”
“Would that be okay?” Mr Ody asked.
“I think it would probably work out better. Do you want my partner to go with you?”
He stood and walked over to the door. “I don’t need babysitting. I won’t be long.”
“Donald, don’t take your foul mood out on the inspector.” Mrs Ody wagged her finger at her husband.
“I’m not. I’m allowed to be upset. I apologise if I came across abrupt, I’ve just heard my son has been killed. I’m not sure what the correct protocol is in such circumstances.”
“You don’t have to apologise to me, sir.” Katy smiled to reassure him.
He left the room. Mrs Ody continued to cry.
“Can I get you a cup of tea, Mrs Ody?” Katy asked.
“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind. Where would we Brits be without a cup of tea to cure us, eh?”
Charlie placed a hand on Katy’s arm. “I’ll get it.”
“Thanks, Charlie. You’re a good ‘un.”
Charlie closed the door behind her. Katy smiled at the woman, who was wiping her nose and eyes on a tissue.
“Does the pain ever get any easier? My heart feels like it’s being torn out of my chest.”
“It’ll take a while to get used to not having them around. I’m so sorry to have to break such dreadful news to you, it’s never easy finding the right words.”
“I’m sure. Oh God, Vanessa is going to be distraught. Jackie was their only child, they adored her. Not saying we didn’t adore Chris… oh, ignore me, I’m not making any sense.” She stared across the room to the cabinet on top of which was a wedding photo of Chris and Jackie, and the tears started up again.
Charlie came back into the room carrying a tray with a mug of tea, a jug of milk and a sugar bowl. “I should have asked if you wanted milk and sugar.”
“Thank you, just milk, please.”
Charlie poured the milk into the mug and handed it to Mrs Ody, then she retook her seat next to Katy. “I didn’t make us one.”
Katy smiled. “It’s fine.”
They heard voices in the hallway and the door burst open. A woman and a man entered the room behind Mr Ody.
“This is… sorry, I’ve forgotten your names,” Mr Ody, said, halting his introductions.
Katy stood and extended a hand to the couple who appeared to be perplexed by the situation. “I’m DI Katy Foster and this is my partner, DS Charlie Simpkins. Thank you for joining us. Please, take a seat.” She motioned for Charlie to join her so the couple could take their places on the sofa.
“We’re Vanessa and Zac Collins. Why are you here?” Zac asked as he and his wife lowered themselves onto the sofa.
It was understandable that Mr Ody had chosen not to fill the couple in on the short trip to the house. “It’s with a very heavy heart I have to tell you that both Jackie and Christopher lost their lives today. I’m so sorry.”
Vanessa and Zac stared at each other and then faced Fiona and Donald. “Is this true?” Zac asked, his voice straining a touch.
Mr and Mrs Ody both nodded. “Yes, it’s true. Let me get you both a drink,” Fiona said.
“I don’t want a drink. I want my bloody daughter back,” Vanessa shouted.
Her husband pulled her towards him, nestled her head on his chest and stroked her hair to soothe her. “There, there, love. We’ll get through this. We’re tough enough to cope with anything, remember?”
“Not this. When I said that earlier, I wasn’t expecting to hear this. Oh, God, my poor child… gone, without us ever saying goodbye a final time.”
“Isn’t it terrible? They were murdered,” Mr Ody filled the silence that had descended.
“What? How? No, I don’t want you to go into great detail. I want to remember them as they were,” Zac replied.
Katy smiled. “I would never go into detail. All I can tell you is that Chris made a nine-nine-nine call to say they had found a body in the forest. It’s pure speculation on my part, but I believe the killer returned once she saw there were witnesses at the scene. Chris was holding Jackie in his arms when they died. The pathologist thinks that possibly Jackie was injured and Chris comforted her and then they both lost their lives.”
“Why do you think the killer is a woman?” Mr Ody probed.
“Chris told the nine-nine-nine operator. Also, we have a few ongoing cases at the moment, which we believe we can tie together that are also pointing at a female killer. We’ve yet to get clarification on this, but the original victim in the forest fits the MO of what we’re looking at with the other cases.”
“Why haven’t you found the woman yet?” Zac demanded.
“We’ve only been investigating the crimes for a few days. It takes time to gather all the evidence needed to locate a possible killer. Now we have three more victims to deal with which will probably hamper our efforts even more.” Katy winced at the harshness of her words as they left her mouth. “Sorry, I never meant it to come out like that. All I’m trying to say is that when another victim is found, the investigation process has to begin all over again. Such as tonight, coming here to tell you that your loved ones have died.”
“Sorry to have caused you any inconvenience, Inspector,” Zac replied stiffly.
“I can understand you being uptight, Zac, but I’m sure the inspector didn’t really mean it to come across as heartless as it sounded,” Mr Ody said in Katy’s defence.
Katy gasped. “I didn’t, I truly didn’t. I can’t apologise enough if that’s the way it came across. Can I start over?”
“Please do, you’ve made a pig’s ear of things so far,” Zac grumbled.
Katy could have kicked herself, her inexperience of handling this particular task showing its awkward head again. “I can only apologise. It’s not the easiest of duties, I can assure you.”
“Give the girl a break, Zac. She’s doing her best in a bad situation,” Vanessa said, slapping her husband gently on the arm. “Please, can you tell us what happens next? When can we see them?”
“Yes, yes, we must see them,” Fiona chimed in.
“Well, it’ll be down to the pathologist to get in touch. She’ll have to perform the obligatory post-mortems first.”
“Why?” Fiona asked. “Why do they have to be cut up? I can’t bear the thought of them being carved open.”
“It’s because of the nature of the crime, Mrs Ody. I’m sorry.”
She shook her head and clutched her husband’s hand. “Why them? Why did they have to go for a walk in the damn forest at dusk? Why not during the day like normal couples? Oh, don’t mind me, my mind is racing. I have so many bloody questions running through it right now.”
Katy offered the woman a weak smile. “That’s understandable. Did they go to the forest regularly?”
“Yes, at least twice during the week and once at the weekend. There’s a five-mile circular walk they take down there. You know, to keep fit. Well, look where that bloody got them in the end.” She bowed her head and the tears slipped down her cheeks once more.
“No one could have foreseen this happening, Fiona,” Vanessa said, softly.
“I know. It’s me being silly as usual. I’m going to miss them both so muc
h, especially with Melinda’s wedding in a few weeks. Now, we’ll have a funeral to sort out as well as the wedding. How on earth am I going to cope with that?”
Mr Ody squeezed his wife’s shoulders. “We’ll be here for you. There’s no point thinking about that now, love.” He glanced up at Katy. “Do you need to be here now? Shouldn’t you get out there on the hunt for the killer?”
“If you’re sure you no longer need us. I’ll leave you my card, be sure to ring me if you need to discuss anything you might have forgotten to ask. Again, we’re so sorry for your loss.”
Mr Ody got to his feet and took the card from Katy, then walked into the hallway. “I’ll show you out,” he called over his shoulder.
Katy smiled at the other people in the room. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I get any news regarding the killer.”
“Make sure you do. Don’t go burying your head in the sand on this one. I’ll be keeping you on your toes by ringing you often,” Zac warned, harshly. His wife slapped his arm again.
“Leave the poor young ladies alone. They have a tough enough job on their hands without you breathing down their necks.”
He grumbled something indecipherable and sat back with his arms folded.
“It’s okay. You have my assurance that we’ll be putting in extra hours on this one,” Katy promised them and then she and Charlie left the room to find Mr Ody standing at the front door, glancing up at the clear night sky.
“They’ll be up there now, looking down on us.”
“I’m sure. We’ll be in touch soon, Mr Ody. Sorry to have met under such circumstances.”
“Do your best to find the person concerned swiftly, for all our sakes, eh?”
“That’s the plan, sir. Goodnight.”
He closed the door gently behind them.
Katy and Charlie walked back to their cars. “What now?” Charlie rubbed her hands together to ward off the chill of the swirling wind.
Katy let out a long breath. “I can’t go home, not knowing the killer is still out there. I’m going back to the station. No pressure for you to join me though, Charlie.”
“I’ve told you before, if you’re out here, then I’m with you all the way.”
“I’m going to have to run things past AJ first. I’m also going to need to stop off and get something to eat. We haven’t eaten for nearly seven hours, have we?”
“Around that time. I’ll stop off at the chippie close to the station and catch-up with you, if you like?”
Katy opened her car door and dragged out her handbag. She flipped open her purse and took out twenty pounds. “No arguments, this one is on me. I’ll have haddock and chips.”
“Are you sure? I can buy my own.”
“Do it. It’ll make me feel better.”
“Okay, on the proviso I buy the next one.”
“Deal. Let’s go. We have lots to do.” She slipped into her seat and selected first gear.
Once she was back on the main road, heading back towards the station, she rang home. She’d rehearsed what she was about to say dozens of times, but when it came down to it, the words failed to appear. “Hi, darling. Bad news, I’m afraid.”
“More bad news, you mean. What now, Katy?” AJ sounded pissed off, and rightly so.
“I was called out to a murder scene that turned out to be three murders, not just the one. I’m sorry, AJ. I need to tackle this one and stay on the trail of the killer. You understand, don’t you?”
“I’m not some ogre, Katy, stop making me out to be one. Of course I understand your dilemma. I know how much you’d prefer being here, with us. It’s your job. It’s important to catch this person, but then again, you need your rest.”
“I know. Charlie’s with me. With both of us doing the legwork, we should have it wrapped up soon enough. I miss you and Georgie. I’m sorry for letting you down.”
He snorted. “You’ve never let us down. Do what you need to do, we’ll be here to welcome you home. Let’s hope that’s soon. Don’t work yourself into the ground, love, nothing is worth that, you hear me?”
“I hear you. Thanks for understanding. Now I know why I love you so much. Not every man would be as accepting as you when it came to the crunch. I appreciate all you do for me, AJ.”
“I know you do. You can make it up to me when you get home.”
“You have my word on that, I promise. See you soon. Give Georgie a hug from me.”
“She’s in bed. Long past her bedtime.”
“Sorry, no idea what the damn time was, not really.”
He chuckled. “Go.”
“I’m gone. Love you.”
“I love you too, it’s a good job, right?”
“It is.”
8
With their bellies full of battered fish and chips, Katy bought them both a cup of coffee, and they got to work.
“Crikey, I’m that bloody full, you’re going to have to give me a nudge now and then to make sure I don’t drop off,” Charlie complained. She flattened her hands across her distended stomach.
Katy laughed and placed the coffee on the desk in front of her. “We’ll need to keep periodically nudging each other to ensure we’re both awake, my damn eyelids are already drooping. Maybe we would have been better off sharing a portion instead of having one each.”
“Definitely a case of our eyes being bigger than our bellies.”
“Okay, let’s crack on. Why don’t we work until midnight and then call it a day?”
“Sounds good to me. Where shall we start?”
Katy stared at the whiteboard she’d brought up to date while she’d been waiting for Charlie to appear with their food. “Let’s go through the background information together. I don’t think the team have had time to really sink their teeth into anything as yet, not wishing to denigrate their efforts to date.”
“It’s been one of those weeks. The bodies have hit us hard and fast, and I don’t think any of us could have imagined being inundated with so many perplexing cases in the space of a couple of days.”
“Which is why I’m under the impression that the killer has an impeccable plan or agenda.”
Charlie nodded thoughtfully. “I think you could be right. Okay, I’m going to look through Karen’s notes.” She stood and crossed the room to Karen’s desk. “Oops, should I have asked for your permission before jumping in feet first?”
“No, it’s fine. It makes sense and I’m sure Karen won’t mind either. She’s a team player, after all. Bring her paperwork over here and we’ll both sift through it, if it’ll make you feel any better.”
Charlie grinned and nodded. “It will.”
She gathered the A4 sheets Karen had stacked neatly on one side of her desk and returned to where Katy was sitting. She split the pile in half, handing six or seven sheets of neatly written notes to Katy while she retained the others. Katy had already flicked the switch on the monitor and the computer sprang into life.
Katy proceeded to carry out a basic search for the names of the victims in the archives, the ones they had, anyway. She read through the information on the screen and paused when something important caught her attention. “Jesus. What are the odds on that?”
Charlie leaned over and stared at the screen and then back at Katy. “Bloody hell!”
Katy pointed to the information halfway down the newspaper article. “He wasn’t the only one involved in the crash, there were another three men in the vehicle when it sliced the other car in two.”
“Mother and father killed instantly on impact and the two children survived. There are bound to be other articles in here about the accident, there has to be. Charlie, why don’t you do a search on the database, see if any convictions come up?”
Charlie booted up the computer on the adjacent desk and shuffled her chair to settle behind it. It wasn’t long before she let out a low whistle. “Bloody hell, I think I’ve hit the jackpot. I’ve got pitiful convictions for four young men: Jason Davis, Nikodem Nowak, Brian Timms and Ethan Romer
o.”
Katy placed a finger against her cheek and muttered, “Hmm… okay, so no Bobby Simmonds? That’s strange.”
“What if he changed his name?” Charlie suggested thoughtfully.
“Hmm… you could be right. Hang on.” She fell silent and searched her mind for a few seconds and then snapped her fingers. “I’m mulling over the conversation we had with Simmonds’ parents. I felt something was off at the time. The way Mr Simmonds dismissed us as if he couldn’t stand the police being near them, or was that my overactive imagination at play?”
“No, you could be right. There’s one thing that doesn’t add up, there’s probably more than that really, but for now, if Bobby had changed his name, the parents would’ve been forced to do the same, wouldn’t they?”
Katy tapped her finger against her cheek. “Might be worth another visit if nothing else shows up. Something is definitely amiss here. First of all, I think we need to do all we can to find out what we know about the men. Christ, if it’s here in the archives, then the information is open to the public, that could be how the killer has got hold of the information.” Katy put her hand over the mouse and moved it. “Wait, scrolling through, I have a photo of each of the four men. However, I don’t think they’re going to be much use as the accident happened over eighteen years ago.”
Charlie left her seat and stared at the screen. “Let’s take Jason Davis first.” The pair of them viewed the man from different angles and agreed. He looked much the same except for his shorter hair.
“Okay, here’s Brian Timms, does he look familiar to you?”
Charlie tilted her head and enlarged the man’s photo using the mouse. “I’d say there was more than a passing resemblance there, yes. Wait, let’s set that aside for now, maybe there’ll be a photo of him with his parents later on which will validate our assumption.”
Katy smiled. “You’re good. Okay, let’s put him to one side. What about this man, does he look familiar to you?”
“As in the victim found in the forest earlier? No, I’m not feeling it, are you?”
