Dead Guilty

by Michelle Davies

  It was now a good half an hour after he’d said he’d meet her. Part of her thought she should text him to say he should stay with his mum if Patricia was upset, but she really needed to hear his take on his sister’s relationship with Declan in the light of Philip throwing doubt on his alibi.

  Maggie pondered again what had caused Philip to storm off as he had and whether the row could be smoothed over before the press conference tomorrow evening. If Patricia and Philip weren’t able to present a united front, the press would most likely focus on that rather than any plea for new information. She was certain Patricia could be persuaded to put up appearances, but would Philip?

  Still waiting for George to arrive, she checked her phone again for the umpteenth time. Jade’s disappearance was big news both there in Majorca and back home in the UK. Jasso was sticking firmly to the line that the evidence so far pointed to her going off willingly – there had been another sighting of her, this time in Palma, again in the white car. The press were speculating wildly about the man she’d apparently gone off with and had already dredged her Instagram account for pictures of her posing with men who weren’t Mason.

  She could only imagine how he, Clive and Mandy were reacting to Jade’s reputation being trashed and it bothered her that Walker wasn’t able to tell them what the British police suspected because of how Jasso would react. Then again, was it not better for them to think Jade might be okay for now, rather than fill their heads with horrifying thoughts of what might be happening to her? Perhaps, in this instance, ignorance was best.

  Maggie checked the time again and debated whether to put in a quick call to Umpire. She was feeling a bit twitchy about being alone with George and she wanted to hear her boyfriend’s voice for reassurance. But before she could call, Annika strolled up to her table.

  ‘Can I get you an appetizer while you wait?’

  ‘You read my mind. Some olives would be great, thanks. And some bread.’

  ‘Drink?’

  Maggie faltered. She could kill for an ice-cold beer but Walker’s warning about being caught drinking on the job rang in her ears.

  ‘Best not. Another sparkling water, please.’

  Annika scribbled her order down.

  ‘Any news on the girl?’ she asked.

  ‘Not yet I’m afraid.’

  ‘Do you think she’s gone off with someone else like they’re saying?’

  ‘That’s what the police here think.’

  ‘But you’re not sure, I can tell by your face.’ Annika pulled out a chair and sat down uninvited. ‘The people of Saros are scared,’ she said, keeping her voice low so the family tucking into paella on the next table couldn’t overhear. ‘They think it’s the same killer who’s come back, the one who killed Katy Pope.’

  ‘I can understand why they’re thinking that, but there’s nothing to suggest Jade’s disappearance is linked to Katy’s murder,’ said Maggie. She felt guilty lying to Annika, but she couldn’t possibly tell her what she and the others really suspected and were investigating when they shouldn’t be.

  ‘I hope not, because the town won’t recover from this a second time. It’s creating such an atmosphere of tension. People are worried Julien is going to be blamed again.’

  ‘Julien Ruiz? Do you know him?’

  Annika nodded. ‘I’ve known him since he was a young boy. His grandparents lived in Saros so he would visit them regularly. They’re dead but his great-aunt lives here still and she’s very upset.’

  ‘Is he popular, then?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You said people are worried he’s going to be blamed again.’

  ‘Well, he’s left, hasn’t he?’

  ‘That was his choice. It was not because of anything we said to him.’

  Annika stared intensely at her.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘Hey, why the serious faces, you two?’

  Maggie hadn’t noticed Declan Morris approaching the table.

  ‘Oh, it’s nothing,’ said Annika airily.

  ‘It didn’t look like nothing,’ he said, easing into the chair opposite. Maggie was annoyed – he was the person she wanted to discuss with George and now she’d have to find a way to get shot of him.

  Declan turned to Annika.

  ‘Don’t tell me you’re obsessing over my girlfriend’s murder again.’

  Maggie was surprised by his comment but Annika regarded him coolly.

  ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘I’ve heard you can’t stop discussing it with your customers.’ He glanced around the restaurant, where every table was occupied. ‘It looks like you’re doing a roaring trade off the back of it.’

  ‘I am doing no such thing,’ said Annika haughtily, rising to her feet.

  ‘But you’re the waitress who had the lucky escape from the killer – you’re famous! The customers must lap that up.’ Declan caught Maggie’s eye and clocked her confusion. ‘Didn’t you know? A few weeks before Katy was abducted, a man tried to lure Annika into a car parked close to the marina but she managed to escape. She gave the police a description of the man, which was a bit unfortunate for me because it happened to match mine.’ Declan was trying to make a joke of it but Maggie could see the resentment simmering in his eyes.

  ‘I don’t remember hearing about a previous incident,’ she said.

  Annika flushed. ‘I – I changed my statement. I realized I was mistaken, that the man was just being overly friendly.’

  ‘Shame the police didn’t disregard it completely, though,’ Declan addressed Maggie. ‘As I said, it was extraordinarily bad luck for me that I looked exactly like the man who’d manhandled her.’

  Annika was backing away from the table now, clearly rattled.

  ‘How could I have possibly known they would use my description to go after you? I just did what I thought was right by reporting it to the police.’

  Maggie tried to ease the tension.

  ‘Any incidents of assault should always be reported,’ she said.

  ‘Besides,’ said Annika, ploughing on as though she hadn’t heard Maggie, ‘I’d never even met you then, so it’s hardly my fault you looked the same as the person I thought was trying to grab me.’

  Declan nodded thoughtfully.

  ‘True, you hadn’t met me. Silly me, I must’ve got that wrong.’

  George chose that moment to arrive and Maggie was so grateful for the interruption that she couldn’t stop herself grinning at him. The smile he returned stripped the worry and fatigue from his features.

  ‘I thought it was only going to be me and you,’ he said.

  ‘It is. Declan’s just leaving.’

  ‘Am I?’ Declan didn’t look too happy at being dismissed.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I have a few police matters I need to discuss with George in private.’

  Declan got to his feet. ‘Fine. Meet me for a beer later?’ he asked his friend.

  ‘Maybe. It depends how tired I am.’

  ‘Well, text me if you fancy it. I’ll be at my hotel.’

  As he walked away, George made a grab for the menu. ‘I’m hungry. Shall we order?’

  Maggie was suddenly floored with nerves now it was just the two of them. This is crazy, she told herself. Just do your bloody job.

  Steadying her voice, she told George about the exchange between Declan and Annika. He expressed surprise – neither he nor his parents had been made aware of any previous incident either.

  ‘Annika said she changed her statement because she’d been mistaken about the man’s intentions,’ said Maggie. ‘I think there is more to it though.’

  George smiled. ‘Do you always suspect there’s more to every situation than meets the eye?’

  ‘I do question a lot, yes,’ she said wryly.

  ‘I’d love to know what you think of me.’

  Maggie’s throat caught as she struggled for a reply that couldn’t be misconstrued as anything but professional. Luc
kily, George let her off the hook while she floundered.

  ‘Actually, don’t answer that. I think I’d rather not know.’

  A waiter came over to take their order; Annika was now nowhere to be seen. Maggie was just deciding between the chorizo salad and a tortilla omelette when her phone rang.

  ‘Where are you? I need you!’

  Patricia Pope sounded nothing like her usual self: she was panic-stricken and breathless. Maggie knocked her chair over in her haste to stand up. ‘It’s your mum,’ she mouthed to George. ‘I’m in the restaurant next door, Mrs Pope. What’s happened?’

  ‘You need to come . . . I think he’s going to kill him.’

  48

  Clive Reynolds was inches away from attacking Terry Evans and all that was stopping him was Philip’s desperate attempt to hold him back. He could feel his grip slipping from Clive’s shoulders, though, his fingers straining to the limits of their flexibility as they tried to cling on, but he knew he couldn’t let the man loose, not when his blood was up like this.

  Clive was also yelling as he aimed punches in Evans’s direction and Philip’s proximity meant his hearing was bearing the brunt of both the man’s volume and coarseness. The swear words spewing from Clive’s mouth were unbelievably explicit – one word Philip had never heard spoken aloud before, much less said himself – and it was making his task of holding the man back much harder, because his abhorrence was making him want to let go.

  Evans, unsurprisingly, was cowering in fear. That he hadn’t run off when Clive went for him was a surprise but, then again, where was there for him to run to? Clive’s rage had him pinned up against the exterior wall of his apartment and to flee would mean having to push past the incensed man. One of those punches was sure to meet its target if he tried.

  Perhaps if Evans hadn’t provoked Clive he wouldn’t be in this position, thought Philip uncharitably as he desperately clutched the dad’s shoulders and pleaded again for him to calm down. When they’d called at Evans’s apartment, entering Orquídea through the back way to avoid being seen, he had reacted with surprise – to have Katy Pope and Jade Reynolds’s fathers at his door was most unexpected. But when he realized they wanted him to account for his whereabouts when Jade went missing, Evans grew belligerent, telling them they had no right to treat him as a suspect and he would enjoy instructing his solicitor to pursue them for a harassment claim if they didn’t leave him alone. That had proved the last straw for Clive who, with a bellow of anguish, launched himself at the man.

  In that split-second moment Philip realized he had woefully underestimated the depth of Clive’s distress. Far from being in control of his emotions – the conclusion Philip had reached as they’d calmly hatched out their plan of action at the hotel – the man was a simmering pot of fear and torment, waiting to explode.

  ‘Clive, please, he’s not worth it,’ Philip implored, tightening his grip. ‘Don’t give him the satisfaction.’

  ‘My daughter’s missing and he thinks he can fucking stand there taking the piss out of me,’ Clive howled.

  Suddenly there were footsteps behind them and a voice calling out. Philip saw hands reach for Clive’s shoulders besides his own and glanced round to see Declan and Johnnie behind him. Philip was relieved at the additional show of strength and together they pulled the distraught man away from Evans, who bolted back inside his apartment and locked the door the moment there was enough distance between them.

  Realizing he was beaten, Clive collapsed to the floor and began sobbing. Before Philip could offer any comfort, Patricia appeared from behind them. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arm around Clive’s shoulders. To Philip’s disbelief, she was crying too. He looked over at Declan, who appeared equally flummoxed. Patricia crying was a sight neither of them was used to.

  ‘I know, I know,’ she whispered to Clive as she gently cradled him. ‘I understand.’

  Maggie and George came bowling round the corner then, panting from running. Maggie went straight over to Philip.

  ‘What’s going on? Why were you and Mr Reynolds confronting Mr Evans?’

  Philip couldn’t find the words to answer her. He was shaking from head to foot.

  ‘Okay, let me ask you another question,’ she said, and he quailed at the firmness of her voice. ‘Why did you ignore what I said about introducing yourself to Jade’s dad?’

  ‘I wanted to help,’ he said lamely. ‘I thought I could.’

  ‘I’d say you’ve achieved quite the opposite, Dad,’ said George, but not unkindly.

  Philip looked down at Clive, a man utterly broken by fear and loss, being comforted by his wife, who knew exactly what he was feeling but could say nothing that would take away his pain – and in doing so exposed her own. It was heartbreaking to watch them and Philip felt tears begin to wet his own cheeks. Johnnie squeezed his arm.

  ‘It’s okay, we know you were only trying to help,’ he murmured.

  Philip frowned at him. ‘You’ve recovered quickly. You were very drunk when I left you.’

  Johnnie didn’t reply.

  Maggie crouched down beside Patricia and Clive.

  ‘Mrs Pope, why don’t I take Mr Reynolds back to his hotel?’ she said quietly.

  Patricia gulped down another sob and shook her head.

  ‘Upstairs,’ she managed.

  ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ said Maggie warily.

  ‘Look at the poor man,’ Patricia cried. ‘I can’t send him back to his wife like this. He needs to stay strong for her sake. One of them has got to hold it together. If he goes to pieces, what will the rest of them do? They won’t be able to manage!’

  In a flash Philip knew she was talking about herself.

  ‘Oh, Patricia,’ he breathed. ‘You didn’t have to shoulder it all on your own. I never expected you to or asked you to.’

  His wife’s face crumpled again as she looked up at him, her eyes misty and bloodshot from crying. ‘I did, for you. Katy was such a daddy’s girl and you were destroyed by what happened and it wouldn’t have done us any good to have me falling apart too.’ Then, as though it had suddenly occurred to her she had an audience, Patricia hastily snapped to. ‘Help me get him to his feet,’ she ordered her husband. ‘Don’t just stand there like a lemon.’

  Philip did as he was told, then followed behind as his wife led Clive and the rest of them up the exterior stairs to their apartment.

  As he ascended the steps, Philip was assailed by an indescribable sadness. In that fleeting moment Patricia had allowed him a glimpse of her vulnerability. He wondered if he would ever get to see it again.

  49

  Clive didn’t stay long inside the Popes’ apartment. In fact, almost as soon as he’d crossed the threshold he became visibly uncomfortable in both the surroundings and company. Despite Patricia’s insistence that he stay for a drink at least, he said he needed to get back to Mandy and Mason, and left. Maggie got the impression he was embarrassed to have been seen crying and was the type of man who would rather extract his own teeth with pliers than admit to having feelings. Johnnie went with him, saying he should get back to his boat and adding in an aside to the others that he’d make sure Clive returned safely to his hotel as it was on the way.

  Almost immediately Philip withdrew into himself, a monosyllabic husk of the man he was. George told Maggie they’d have to leave their chat until tomorrow now, because his parents needed him, but Patricia refused to let him stay.

  ‘Your father and I need to talk alone,’ she said.

  George reluctantly stepped outside with Maggie and Declan.

  ‘I thought you’d gone back to your hotel,’ George said to Declan.

  ‘I left something in your parents’ apartment after the memorial service, so I popped back to get it. Then I heard your dad’s voice and lots of shouting, so I went to see what was going on.’ Declan shook his head. ‘That Reynolds bloke is a right thug.’

  Maggie shot him a disapproving look. ‘Why, because he’s
got a few tattoos and swears a bit? Give him a break, his daughter’s missing and he’s in a state.’ She glanced at George. ‘I don’t know what your dad was thinking, taking him to see Terry Evans,’ she said, shaking her head.

  ‘Dad meant well,’ he replied tightly.

  ‘I know, but you saw the state of Clive. He doesn’t need your dad spurring him on to conduct his own investigation.’

  Now it was George’s turn to shake his head.

  ‘You have no idea what it feels like to be in Clive’s position, but my father does. He’s actually the best person to help him deal with what he’s going through.’

  ‘I disagree. Thanks to your dad’s intervention, Clive’s even more of an emotional wreck now.’

  George regarded her for a moment.

  ‘How long have you been a family liaison officer?’

  The question wrong-footed her.

  ‘What?’

  ‘How long have you been a family liaison officer?’ he repeated.

  ‘Um, I guess nearly seven years now. But what’s that got to do with anything?’

  ‘I’m curious how long it’s been because I’m not sure you’re very good at it.’

  Maggie stared at him, speechless.

  ‘You seem to have little appreciation for how my parents are feeling right now. Can you imagine what this is doing to them? They came here to remember their daughter and now they’re plunged into this horrible, nightmarish situation where they don’t get to hold the memorial Mum’s spent months planning, the press conference might have to be cancelled and now you’re telling Dad off for showing some compassion to someone who’s going through the same thing. You’re acting as though my parents are meaningless in all this. You should be supporting them, but you haven’t been around for most of the afternoon.’

  Maggie could feel her cheeks burning.

  ‘I’m so sorry if that’s the impression I’ve given you. Of course they’re not meaningless.’

  ‘Really? It doesn’t seem like it.’

  Declan stepped between them.

  ‘Look, everyone’s a bit upset. I think you two should postpone whatever it was you were going to do until tomorrow, when you’ve calmed down, mate,’ he said to George.