‘The next one is Romans 12:19. “Vengeance is mine,”’ Edris said. ‘Oh this doesn’t sound good. He thinks he’s some sort of avenging angel. Do you think he’s going to kill again?’
‘I think it likely,’ Meadows said. He finished writing and turned to the team. ‘This adds a complication. We now have Ryan and Jean Phillips to add to the victims. There was also the verse left on the vicar’s door and the one written on my arm. Although I feel these are warnings, I don’t think the killer will hesitate if they think we are interfering, so you all need to be careful.’
‘So, are we dealing with a serial killer?’ Valentine asked.
‘I don’t really want to use that label,’ Meadows said, ‘but we now have five victims. Something must have triggered the killer. As far as we know, the doctor was the first victim. Paskin, how did you get on with social media?’
‘Most of it was just gripes about the doctor. Nothing serious or that would indicate a threat. I tracked down the administrator of the page. Jessica Watkins, mother of two boys. I had a chat to her, she was unhappy about the doctor’s treatment of her “woman’s problems” as she put it. She agreed to take the page down. She didn’t think she was inciting hatred and said that the page was for the community to air their concerns.’
‘We still have the three complaints with the GMC,’ Valentine said.
‘Yes, Edris and I talked to Tomos John and Sarah Kelly yesterday. We still have Gemma and Rhodri Lewis to talk to.’
‘Do you still think that Sarah Kelly is involved?’ Edris asked.
‘Yes, she has good reason to harm both Stacey Evans and Dr Rowlands, also to kill Donald if he knew something. She has quit her job and packed up her house. If she isn’t involved, she knows who is, I’m sure.’
‘What about Ryan and Jean Phillips?’ Valentine asked.
‘Good question,’ Meadows said. ‘Erin Kelly was depressed, maybe she was taking drugs and Ryan was supplying her.’
‘Sarah called Tomos John after she had spoken to Donald,’ Hanes said. ‘Maybe he murdered Stacey. If Sarah Kelly is involved then she is acting with someone close to her.’
‘Tomos John was at the vicarage the night Stacey was murdered,’ Edris said.
‘Well, someone else from the church then,’ Hanes said. ‘It has to be, with all these biblical quotes.’
‘Not necessarily,’ Meadows said. ‘Not everyone that believes in God goes to church. In this case we are dealing with someone with extreme views. Someone who is taking the words in the Old Testament literally. Churches tend to preach love and forgiveness.’
‘Yeah but look at the biblical reference found on the vicar’s door. The killer obviously disagrees with what the vicar preaches so it has to be one of the parishioners,’ Edris said.
‘How many did the vicar say attended regularly?’
‘About thirty-five, then there are those who come on special occasions.’
‘Too many to bring in for questioning,’ Meadows said. ‘We need to concentrate on those with a motive.’
‘So far that’s Ellis John, the rest have an alibi. Do we bring him in for a formal interview?’
‘We still have to find the man with the tattoo,’ Meadows said. ‘It’s our only firm lead. Have we got anywhere with the local tattoo parlours?’
‘No,’ Paskin said. ‘I sent a copy to all the local parlours as far as Swansea. I’ll extend the search.’
‘Good, I still think we should concentrate our efforts on the doctor. Something happened to set the killer off. Edris, do you want to fill everyone in on the phone call made to the doctor the night he went missing?’
‘The call came in at 9.30 p.m. A call centre picked up the call as it was after surgery hours. Details were given for Iris Hawkins. Her name and address, date of birth and her medical condition. The call handler then checked the details and called Dr Rowlands as he was on duty. The caller was then called back and given the name of the doctor and the time he would attend. The number was traced to an unregistered pay as you go mobile phone. Two previous calls had been made from this number, two weeks apart. Each time for different patients and found to be a false call when the doctor arrived.’
‘From this it looks like our killer planned the attack in advance. I would imagine to check out when Dr Rowlands was on duty and maybe to watch him. Valentine, as you were working on the Ryan and Jean Phillips case with Blackwell, can you go over all the statements? See if there is a connection to Gaer Fawr and Dr Rowlands. Also, it may be worth speaking to Mary Beynon.’
‘I’ve already taken her statement. We talked to all the family,’ Valentine said.
‘May be worth talking to her again. She’s Ella’s grandmother and lives in Gaer Fawr. She’s a member of the church and is likely to have some good friends. There may be something there. Find out how well she knew Stacey Evans and Dr Rowlands. Paskin and Hanes, talk to everyone we’ve interviewed in connection with Stacey Evans and Dr Rowlands, see if there is a connection to Ryan and Jean Phillips. Edris and I will talk to Gemma and Rhodri Lewis. We need to move fast. The killer or killers are out for vengeance and could already be planning their next move.’
Chapter Twenty-four
Meadows drove to the bottom of the cul-de-sac in Gaer Fawr and looked at the neat row of bungalows.
‘Looks like council buildings for elderly residents,’ Edris said. ‘We’ll be lucky to find a killer living here.’
As Meadows parked the car, a door to one of the bungalows opened and a lady stepped out. She was wrapped up in a coat with a scarf around her mouth and a woollen hat pulled down to her eyes.
‘Mary Beynon,’ Meadows said. ‘Interesting that she lives next door to the Lewises.’
Mary Beynon locked her door and as she turned to walk onto the pavement her eyes met with Meadows’. She stopped for a moment and a look of worry flitted across her face. Meadows stepped out of the car.
‘Hello Mary, how are you?’
‘I can’t complain,’ Mary said. ‘If you wanted to see me, you’ll have to come back. I have an appointment with the doctor.’
‘That’s okay, we were just here to see your neighbours, but Detective Valentine will call you later. We need to ask you a few more questions.’
‘I’ve already given her a statement. She came around with that other detective. I have nothing more to say. I’ll tell you the same as I told them. I can go to my grave in peace now.’
‘There have been some developments since then,’ Meadows said.
‘You mean the things that have been going on in the village? I can’t really help you there. Things happen for a reason and I put my trust in God. His wheel turns slowly but it does turn.’
‘That may be the case but it’s not for people to take the law into their own hands. If you know anything about the arson attack on Ryan and Jean Phillips’ house, you should tell us. You’re a mother yourself. Jean Ryan was protecting her son as most mothers would. Do you really think she deserved to die?’
‘My granddaughter didn’t get the chance to grow up, she didn’t deserve to die. She was just a baby.’
‘I know, and I am so sorry for what happened but if you want peace then there has to be an end to it. Ryan and Jean had a family. Would you think it right if they then took revenge for what happened to their kin? You could stop it now before anyone else dies. Jean and Ryan dying can’t bring Ella back.’
Meadows could see the pain in Mary’s watery blue eyes, and she seemed to be wrestling with her conscience. She shook her head sadly.
‘I put my trust in the law once and look what happened, besides there is nothing I can tell you that would help. I don’t blame you for what happened. You did your best and what you thought was right at the time.’ She touched Meadows’ arm. ‘You shouldn’t blame yourself.’ She turned and walked away.
‘Should we just let her go?’ Edris asked. ‘She knows something.’
‘I’m sure she does but what good is it going to do to drag her to the police stat
ion? If she does know who the killer is, she isn’t going to tell us, and we have nothing solid to tie her to the murders. She’s not a well woman and I doubt she would have the strength to kill. Come on, let’s get on with interviewing the Lewises.’
Gemma Lewis answered the door. She looked to Meadows to be in her mid-twenties. She had long dark hair, and her chocolate eyes were puffy as though she had been crying for some time. Balanced on her hip was a boy of around four years old. He had a crop of dark hair and was snuggled against his mother’s chest. A hearing aid was tucked behind his ear.
Meadows made the introductions and showed his identification. ‘I’m sorry to disturb you but we’d like to have a chat with you and your husband.’
‘Rhodri is in work. Is this about Donald?’ Fresh tears pooled in her eyes.
‘Yes, and also Doctor Rowland.’
‘I can’t believe Donald is gone.’ Gemma wiped away a tear. ‘He was a lovely boy. You better come in.’
Meadows followed Gemma into the sitting room. There were two sofas positioned in an L shape but no other furniture. Gemma settled the child on the floor with a few toys and took a seat. It was then that Meadows realised why the room had been set up in such a way. The little boy wore no shoes, and all his toes and part of his right foot was missing. Meadows eyes travelled to the child’s hands. He had only a thumb on his right hand and the little finger and ring finger was missing from his left hand.
‘It’s quite a shock when you first see him,’ Gemma said.
Meadows looked away from the child and caught Edris’ eye, he knew he would be thinking the same. The child’s missing digits matched the injuries they had seen in the post-mortem photos of the doctor.
Meadows took a seat next to Edris. ‘How old is he?’
‘He’ll be four next month.’
‘He seems to manage very well,’ Meadows said as he watched the child pick up a toy between the palms of his hand.
‘He’s very bright, aren’t you, Harry,’ Gemma said and signed with her hands. ‘He’s also deaf but is picking up sign language quicker than me. It’s just a little more complicated without fingers. So how can I help you?’
‘You and your husband made a complaint to the GMC about Dr Rowlands.’
‘Yes.’
‘Was that about Harry?’
‘Yes it was. Harry was born a normal baby. When he was fourteen months old he became unwell. We thought it was just a cold at first. When his temperature became high I took him to see Dr Rowlands. He examined Harry and told me it was just a virus and to give him paracetamol. I asked about antibiotics, but he said they would be no good. Then he went on one of his rants about how antibiotics have been abused.
‘Harry became worse as the day went on. Rhodri came home from work and called the surgery. Dr Rowlands wasn’t concerned, he tried to tell us that first-time parents were usually anxious. We ended up taking Harry to hospital. He was diagnosed with meningitis. You can see for yourself what that meant for Harry. He will never lead a normal life. He needs constant care and suffers with fits. It hasn’t been easy for us as a family. We decided it wouldn’t be fair on Harry to have another child. Anything we do has to be carefully planned.’
‘What was the outcome of the tribunal?’ Edris asked.
‘Dr Rowlands was cleared of negligence. It was decided that he couldn’t have known it was meningitis when I first took Harry to the surgery. He didn’t take our concerns seriously. If we hadn’t taken Harry to hospital he would have died. Precious time was wasted and if Dr Rowlands had prescribed antibiotics it could have made a difference.’
‘When was this?’ Meadows asked.
‘Two and a half years ago,’ Gemma said.
Harry made a noise and motioned with his hands. Gemma stood up, picked up a beaker from a shelf, and knelt down next to the child. Harry positioned the beaker between his hands and took a sip. He smiled then lifted the beaker again, but it slipped. Gemma made to grab it, but it tipped, and the liquid soaked through her sleeve.
‘Never mind,’ Gemma said and signed to Harry as she pulled up her sleeve.
Meadows saw the tattoo on her forearm and leaned forward. ‘Nice tattoo,’ he said. ‘Unusual pattern.’
‘It’s Harry’s hand print from when he was a baby, the symbols around it are Celtic. Of course, we didn’t know then what would happen. I’m so glad we had it done.’
‘Does your husband have the same one?’
‘Yes, he does. We had them done together in Cardiff, why?’
‘It looks like one I’ve seen before.’ Meadows saw Edris raise his eyebrows.
‘Where does your husband work?’ Edris asked.
‘Penlan farm.’
‘With Anthony Evans?’
‘That’s right.’
Meadows felt a tinge of excitement. This could be the first real break they had had in the case so far. ‘So you knew Stacey Evans,’ he said.
‘Yes, so sad. Poor Cloe and Anthony. Stacey used to babysit for us now and again. We don’t get out very often. My mother helps but sometimes it’s a bit too much for her. She gets herself into a state if Harry has a fit. Stacey was good with Harry.’
‘Had she babysat for you recently?’
‘Yes, a few weeks ago.’
‘And how did she seem?’
‘Fine, her usual self. Full of school gossip and the latest boyfriend.’
‘Did Rhodri get along with Stacey?’
Gemma frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, were they friendly?’
‘She spoke more to me. Rhodri would drop her home after she babysat but he would be back in a few minutes. If that’s what you are getting at.’
‘I’m sorry, we have to ask these questions,’ Meadows said. ‘You spoke about Donald earlier. Did you and your husband know him well?’
‘I knew him from church.’
‘You attend regularly?’
‘Yes, unless Harry has had a bad night.’
‘And your husband?’
‘Yes, he goes unless he has to work on a Sunday morning. If it’s lambing season or hay cutting then he works all week.’
‘We won’t keep you any longer. Thank you for your time,’ Meadows stood. ‘You’ve been very helpful.’
He gave a wave to Harry who waved back. Could a killer be living in this house, he thought as he left the room. And if so, was he unstable enough to hurt his own family?
Chapter Twenty-five
Meadows started the engine and pulled away from the pavement, his mind was racing. Could it be this simple, he thought, that they just stumble on the killer? If that was the case Rhodri Lewis hadn’t done much to cover his tracks.
‘I think this is our man,’ Edris said. ‘We now know he was the one having an affair with Stacey.’
‘Yes and he has motive for killing the doctor. Injuries to the doctor are identical to the child’s amputations. I’m not sure where Ryan and Jean Phillips fit in.’
‘I’m sure we’ll find out,’ Edris said.
‘We have to tread carefully. Things could get unpleasant if we arrest Rhodri at the farm in front of the Evanses. If it turns out for some reason Rhodri is not our man, he won’t stand a chance in this village.’
‘It’s got to be him.’
‘If it is him, did he act alone? He’s young and probably fit working on the farm. He could easily have overpowered Stacey but what about the doctor?’
‘I suppose if he caught the doctor by surprise…’
‘He’d still need to get the doctor to the church, kill him and bury him, then get rid of the car. That would take some time and I’m sure his wife would have noticed his absence.’
‘Unless she was in on it,’ Edris said.
‘Or he could have had help from someone else and by arresting Rhodri we could trigger his accomplice into acting.’
‘Well, that depends on who it is. If it’s Sarah Kelly, then she’s more likely to run. He was sleeping with Stacey so he could well have bee
n sleeping with Sarah.’
‘Good point. There is also Donald, Rhodri wouldn’t have known that he was hiding up the quarry. There was no phone call from Donald to Rhodri, only a call made to Sarah and the vicar. I can’t see the vicar telling his parishioners where Donald was hiding, so it has to be Sarah. She could have told Rhodri. Better get uniform to keep an eye on her,’ Meadows said.
Edris made the call as Meadows drove to Penlan farm. He was hoping that they would find Rhodri on his own and that he would come quietly.
Cloe Evans answered the door. She looked worse than the last time Meadows had seen her. She had a pasty complexion with dark circles under her eyes and didn’t look like she had washed her hair in a while.
‘Do you have news?’ she asked.
‘No, I’m sorry. We are following up on some leads. We would like to talk to Rhodri Lewis. I understand that he is working here today.’
‘Why do you want to talk to Rhodri?’
‘It’s in connection to another case. We’re hoping he may have some information for us.’
‘He’s up in the second field helping Ants with the fencing. Just follow the track.’
Meadows was pleased that Cloe didn’t want to go with them. They walked around the back of the house and onto the muddy track. Meadows did his best to stay out of the puddles, but he could still feel water seeping through his shoes and soaking his socks.
‘Ew.’ Edris’ foot sank into the mud and squelched over his shoes.
Meadows laughed. ‘It will come out in the wash.’
‘These are my best work shoes. Do you know how much they cost me?’
‘Maybe you should buy yourself a pair of wellies.’
They arrived at the second field where about twenty pigs were grunting and snuffling around the ground.
‘You got to be kidding me,’ Edris said. ‘I’m not going in there.’
‘They’re up there.’ Meadows pointed to the far side of the field where the two men were working on the fence. ‘Come on, your shoes are already muddy, a bit more won’t make a difference.’
A Knot of Sparrows Page 15
