by Sally Rigby
‘I’m going back to his workplace on Monday. I’ll interview the staff again, paying particular attention to any relationships,’ Matt said.
‘There was a monthly payment on his credit card for a gym membership at Flexible Fitness,’ Ellie said. ‘When I contacted them, they said he was a regular attendee. Usually visited three times a week, but not on any specific days because of his work. Apart from Saturday, early afternoon, when he was usually there. He’d spend an hour going around various pieces of equipment. They liked him, said he was sociable, and there hadn’t been any instances of him pestering their female clients.’
‘That sounds more like the Russell Atkins I remember from school. He puts on a good front. It’ll be interesting to have more detailed information of what he’s like at work from his colleagues. What else have we got?’
‘The house-to-house hasn’t turned up anything, so far. There aren’t many residences close to the waste ground,’ Doug said.
‘What about the CCTV?’ Whitney asked.
‘Nothing out of the ordinary, so far,’ Frank said.
‘What do you call out of the ordinary?’ Whitney asked.
‘Well, there were no cars headed in that direction from the city centre which came back within half an hour.’
‘What about in the other direction? Where do the CCTV cameras start if they were coming in from the A14?’
‘That’s my next job.’
‘Good. I’m going to see Jamieson to give him an update on where we are at the moment. Carry on with what you’re doing. I want you all here tomorrow morning at seven-thirty.’
Whitney headed to Jamieson’s office. It was unusual for him to be in on a Saturday. The door was ajar, and he was sitting at his desk. She gave a gentle knock before walking in.
‘I wanted to let you know where we are with the Atkins murder. We’re investigating possible leads at the moment and believe it’s connected with him grooming young girls on SnapMate, a site for teens. We’ve found evidence on his phone and laptop. I’ve interviewed one of the girls.’
‘Is she a suspect?’ Jamieson asked.
‘No, she has an alibi.’
‘What about her parents?’
‘She lives with her mother, who was at work at the time of death. Her alibi’s being checked. We’ve also managed to track down another teenager who he’d been chatting with, and we’ll be speaking to her tomorrow. There’s a third girl we’re trying to find, too.’
‘The wife?’ Jamieson asked.
‘Forensics were at the house yesterday and didn’t turn up anything. What you do need to know is after their removal, the penis and testicles were cooked, and the victim ate them.’
‘You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s disgusting.’ His face turned grey.
‘It certainly wasn’t a pretty sight to look at,’ Whitney said.
‘Thanks for letting me know. Keep me up to date on everything. We’ve arranged a press conference this afternoon at four-thirty. I want you with me.’
Now she knew why he’d come in. He wouldn’t miss the chance of being in the public eye.
Whitney brushed her hair and smeared on some lip gloss before making her way to Jamieson’s office so they could go together to the press conference.
‘Sir,’ she said as she walked into his office.
He’d changed into his best uniform, which seemed to be fitting a little better these days. Had he been on a diet? She wasn’t going to ask him. They didn’t have that type of relationship. It was very much a put up with one another type.
He didn’t like how she’d say it as she saw it and wouldn’t kowtow to him. And she didn’t like… well, she didn’t need to go over all that again.
‘Anything else turned up since earlier?’ he asked.
‘Nothing. All we can report is his name, the fact we’re treating the death as suspicious, and he was left naked. I believe we should withhold information about the exact nature of the mutilation. We certainly don’t want to incite any copycat killers. We can say he died from suffocation, which is true.’
Jamieson nodded in agreement. ‘Okay, let’s go.’
They walked to the conference room and met Melissa, the PR officer, outside. She ushered them in and they sat behind a table. Reporters were at the front of the room and cameras at the back.
‘Thank you for coming today,’ Melissa said. ‘I’d like to hand you over to Detective Superintendent Jamieson.’
He leaned forward slightly. ‘We’re here to report the death of Mr Russell Atkins, which we are treating as suspicious. He was found on the waste ground near the old racecourse yesterday. We would ask any member of the public to come forward if they saw anything unusual in and around the area over the last two days. We’re particularly interested to know if there were any cars parked there for a short period of time. Any questions?’
‘What was the cause of death?’ a reporter asked.
‘We’re awaiting confirmation from the pathologist; however, it’s believed Mr Atkins was suffocated.’
‘Was there anything out of the ordinary at the crime scene?’ a female reporter in the front row asked.
Why had she asked that? Had someone leaked information?
‘Mr Atkins was found naked, and his body had been mutilated.’
Whitney glared at Jamieson. What happened to their agreement not to mention it?
‘Mutilated in what way?’ the reporter continued.
‘I’m not able to disclose details at the moment. I repeat, if any member of the public has any information, please contact our office. All calls are dealt with in strict confidence. Thank you very much for attending.’
Jamieson got up and Whitney followed him into the corridor. As they were walking, she turned to him.
‘I thought we were withholding the mutilation.’
‘I changed my mind. We’ve still kept confidential the exact nature of it, plus the folded clothes and the socks, so that should suffice. Knowing the body was mutilated will make people more interested in the case and convince them to contact us with any information.’
‘And possibly incite a copycat.’ Whitney was unable to hide her frustration.
‘But we’ll know because of what we’ve omitted.’
‘That’s not the point. We’re putting ideas in people’s heads.’
‘I made my decision,’ he said.
‘Your call,’ she muttered, annoyed he’d made it without paying any attention to what was going on with the rest of the investigation.
He turned to her. ‘Yes, it is my call.’
They got to the stairs, and she left him, seething all the way to the incident room. Once more, he’d managed to wind her up. But she’d have to put it on the back burner and get on with the case. Jamieson wasn’t going anywhere until he managed to wrangle a promotion.
Chapter Ten
‘Guv, I’ve got something,’ Frank said when Whitney walked into the incident room the following morning.
What the hell was Frank doing in before her? It had to be a first. Especially on a Sunday.
She hurried over to his desk. ‘What?’
‘I spotted a car on the Leicester Road at six in the evening on Thursday, and the same car returning four hours later. I managed to see the number plate, and the car belongs to Tina Church, Rebecca’s mum.’
Whitney’s heart pumped in her chest. This could be the lead they were looking for. Tina Church had said she’d been at work on Thursday night.
‘I thought you checked her alibi yesterday,’ she said, locking eyes with him.
Frank averted his gaze. ‘Sorry, guv. It slipped my mind. I was so busy on the CCTV.’
‘Well, do it now. Pronto. I’ll get Ellie to arrange for her to come down to the station.’
She resisted the urge to haul him over the coals, as his attitude to work had improved over the last few months. Ever since Tiffany’s abduction. The episode had shaken him. He’d known her daughter since she was a young girl.
She h
eaded to Ellie’s desk. ‘Could you phone Tina Church and ask her to come into the station today at eleven?’
‘Will do.’
‘Also, the other girl who Atkins was grooming. Amy Bond. Where does she live?’ Whitney continued.
‘Lenchester,’ Ellie said.
‘Lenchester? Why on earth would he be shitting on his own doorstep?’
‘Perhaps he didn’t realise that’s where she came from,’ Ellie said.
‘Get in touch with her parents and see if they can bring her in tomorrow after school for an interview. Don’t say it’s related to the death of Russell Atkins. Say we’re speaking to a lot of young women who might have known someone via an online site. If they ask anything else, plead ignorance and say you’re phoning on my behalf.’
‘I’ll do it now,’ Ellie said.
She went back to her office and pulled the door shut. She keyed George’s number into her phone. It went straight to voicemail.
‘Hey, it’s Whitney. Sorry to bother you, and good luck for your presentation tomorrow. One of the other girls Atkins was grooming, Amy Bond, is coming in tomorrow afternoon around four-ish. It would be good if you could be here to observe the interview. But no pressure.’ Whitney laughed. ‘More importantly, Tina Church’s car was seen on CCTV heading in on the Leicester Road and returning four hours later. Tina is Rebecca’s mum. We’re arranging for her to come in this afternoon at two. Anyway, good luck. I know you’re going to kill it.’
Whitney headed back into the incident room. She stopped at Frank’s desk.
‘Did you contact Four Square about Tina Church?’
‘Yes, guv. They said she wasn’t working on Thursday. It was her day off.’
‘Nice one. Start doing a background check on her.’
She walked over to Ellie. ‘Did you speak to Tina Church?’
‘Yes. She wanted to know why we had to speak to her and not Rebecca.’
‘What did you tell her?’
‘I said there were things about the case we felt she needed to know, but they weren’t appropriate for Rebecca. She accepted my answer and will be here at eleven.’
‘Good response. Well done.’ The young officer shrugged, but Whitney could tell she appreciated the praise.
Before going back to her office, she went to the station cafeteria and grabbed a coffee and roll, as she’d missed breakfast. She took advantage of her spare hour to complete some paperwork and was glad when, at five minutes past eleven, she received a call to say Tina Church had arrived. She went downstairs to the station’s reception area.
‘Mrs Church. Thank you for coming in,’ she said as she approached the woman.
‘Call me Tina.’
They walked to one of the interview rooms and went inside.
‘Can I get you a drink? Tea, coffee, or something cold?’
‘Coffee would be good. Milk, no sugar.’
‘Leave it with me. I’ll be back in a moment.’
Whitney headed to the incident room, hoping to find Matt there. He was. She walked over to his desk.
‘I’m with Tina Church. Could you bring us two coffees, both milk, no sugar, and also stay for the interview? Bring the file with you.’
‘Yes, guv,’ Matt replied.
Before returning to the interview room, Whitney popped into the adjacent office so she could look through the one-way mirror at Tina Church. She was staring into a compact mirror, adjusting her hair and putting on some lipstick. She was an attractive woman, with dark hair cut into a short bob. A bit too heavily made-up for Whitney’s liking. She was medium height and build. Would she be able to lift his body and place it at the dump site? She could’ve dragged him. The ground was so wet and muddy any tracks would have disappeared.
She went back into the interview room. ‘Coffee will be here shortly,’ she said, smiling.
‘What do you want to talk to me about? I had to lie to Rebecca and say I was meeting a friend, so she didn’t realise I was coming here,’ Tina said.
The door opened and Matt came in holding a tray with three mugs of coffee, which he placed on the table. Whitney handed them out.
‘Are you familiar with the Imperial Hotel, near Leicester?’
‘I’m not sure. Why?’ The woman glanced at each of them, frowning.
‘Russell Atkins, the man who’d been chatting with Rebecca online, was booked in there for two nights. Only after he checked in, he disappeared and was found dead on Friday morning. He died sometime between six and ten on Thursday evening, as I mentioned to you when we were at your house. When asked what you were doing at this time, you stated you were at work.’
The woman avoided eye contact with Whitney. ‘Yes,’ she muttered.
‘We’ve checked with the supermarket, and Thursday was your evening off. Where were you, and why did you lie to us?’ Whitney asked.
‘I didn’t think it mattered.’
‘Why on earth would you think that?’ Whitney stared at the woman.
‘I didn’t want Rebecca to know where I’d been.’
‘Then you should have contacted me later and explained, instead of us finding out on our own. It doesn’t look good.’
‘I don’t see why. It’s not like I even knew the man.’
‘We don’t know that.’ She gave a frustrated sigh. ‘I repeat. Where were you on Thursday evening, when you were supposed to be at work?’
‘I’d rather not say.’ Tina stuck out her chin, going from embarrassed to belligerent in a matter of seconds.
‘It’s not an option,’ she said.
The woman was hiding something, and Whitney was quite prepared to sit it out until she found out what.
‘It had nothing to do with the murder, so I’m not prepared to say.’ Tina folded her arms tightly across her chest.
‘Your car was seen on the Leicester Road heading towards Lenchester at six on Thursday. Why?’
Tina Church paled. ‘I went to meet a friend.’ Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she slumped in the seat.
‘Where did you meet this friend?’ Whitney leaned in and locked eyes with her. She hadn’t expected the woman to cave so easily.
‘Look. I had nothing to do with the murder. Nothing. When you told me about Rebecca, I was totally stunned. But I can’t tell you who I was with. If it got out, there’d be hell to pay, and I’d lose my job.’
‘Mrs Church, I don’t care what you get up to in your spare time, but you won’t be leaving the station until you tell me who you were with, and where you went on Thursday evening. It’s not up for negotiation.’
Whitney leaned back in her chair and stared at the woman who remained silent, looking down in her lap. She sensed Matt was about to say something and nudged his foot with hers to stop him. She’d been in enough situations like this to know when there’s an ultimatum, whoever speaks first, loses. Their silence was putting pressure on Tina Church to talk.
‘If I tell you and I get sacked, then it’s on you,’ Tina finally said.
‘I can live with that.’
‘Thursday evening I was out with Jerry Porter, the manager of the supermarket. We’ve been seeing each other. No one knows, because he’s married. We met at The Crown in Mulberry village and had a meal. We left there at eight.’
‘And what did you do until ten, which is the time your car was seen driving back towards your home?’
‘What do you think?’ The woman blushed.
‘Where did you go?’
‘We were in his car. We parked in a country lane where there was no traffic.’
‘What, he couldn’t afford a room?’ The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
‘It was a spur of the moment thing,’ Tina said.
‘We’ll need to contact him and the pub to confirm your story,’ she said.
‘Why?’
‘We’ll be discreet. Providing it all fits with what you’ve told us, it won’t go any further,’ Whitney said gently, suddenly feeling sorry for the woman. It can
’t have been easy admitting what she’d been up to.
‘Thank you. May I go now?’
‘Once we’ve checked your alibi. Please write down the details.’ She handed the woman a sheet of paper.
Whitney and Matt left the interview and headed back to the incident room. Doug was sitting at his desk. ‘Tina Church is here. I want you to check her alibi for Thursday evening. Here are the details.’
‘Yes, guv.’
‘I’ll be in my office. Let me know when you’ve contacted them.’
After ten minutes, Doug poked his head around her door. ‘Everything checks out.’
‘Another lead falls by the wayside,’ she said, shaking her head.
She left her office and went to see Tina Church.
‘About time,’ the woman said as she walked into the interview room.
‘Thank you for waiting. We’ve verified your alibi and you’re now free to go.’
Whitney waited while Tina Church picked up her handbag from where she’d placed it on the floor next to her, and then showed her out of the station.
They were still no closer to solving the case than before. Damn.
Chapter Eleven
George walked into the incident room and was hit by a cacophony of sound. Groups in conversation. Shouting from one side of the office to the other. So different from the university where there was rarely more than two people per office, and it was quiet while they were working. George enjoyed the excitement of coming here. She liked the camaraderie, and the atmosphere was thrilling. But she couldn’t do it all the time; the noise would drive her crazy. She liked to be on her own, as she needed her space. Here, they were very much on top of each other. It suited Whitney, especially as she was very often the one making the most noise.
Whitney was talking with Matt over by the board, which currently displayed a picture of the victim, and three girls which George assumed were Rebecca Church, Amy Bond, and one other. She headed over to them.
‘Hey,’ Whitney exclaimed when George was close to her. ‘How was the presentation?’
‘As good as can be expected.’
