One Left Behind: A completely gripping and addictive crime thriller with nail-biting suspense (Detective Gina Harte Book 9)

by Carla Kovach

  For a second, I see the Frank I used to know and I feel a knot in my stomach. I did love that man. I don’t anymore, I need him; but that doesn’t stop me trying to hang on to the good times before everything went wrong. They’re all I have. ‘Can I come shopping with you in the morning?’

  He nods. ‘Yes, I suppose. We’ll go together after breakfast.’ He leaves, closing my bedroom door once again. Going out is a huge win for me. I throw the blanket off me, instantly releasing the heat as I exhale slowly. I’m going out tomorrow. It doesn’t happen often but I’m going out. I peel the curtains back slightly and grab the two heavy figurines. When I hear that he’s gone, I begin my repetitions. Slowly lifting them as high as I can reach, then gradually bringing them down. I repeat this fifty times. I used to only be able to do about ten when I started but I’m improving every day. My lack of strength is keeping me a prisoner. Time to stop moping around, bathing in self-pity and fight the weakness.

  Eighteen

  Monday, 2 August

  Gina passed Jacob a coffee and they both watched the pathologist at work as Bernard examined the body of Leah Fenmore. It was never a joy to be present while the Y-incision was being made, especially with what followed. Leah Fenmore’s ribcage would be lifted off, then her organs would be removed one by one before being weighed. The saw would whirr through her skull before her brain was lifted out. Slices of this and samples of that would be taken. As far as Gina was concerned, it didn’t pay to overthink what was happening.

  The light of the stainless steel and white clinical room glinted off the scalpel that scored Leah’s chest. The pathologist finished the incision and dropped it with a clang into the metal dish.

  The greying girl’s body lay naked on the slab, all evidence of life long gone. Only a couple of days ago, she was a living, breathing girl with so much ahead of her. She’d finished her GCSEs and was probably looking forward to sixth form, college, or starting an apprenticeship like all her friends were. But someone had other plans and they took her life. Gina sipped her coffee as the scales bounced.

  Jacob looked away. ‘This part of the job is the pits.’

  ‘I know, but this is where we get to find out more, hopefully. I’m pretty sure she died of strangulation. Did you manage to contact Leah’s party friends again? I wondered if any of them were happy to speak further so that we could ask about her socks.’

  ‘Oh yes. I got onto that straight away after going through Hackett’s cab last night. Oscar Spalding’s father said we can go to theirs anytime today but he wasn’t making his son come back to the station.’

  ‘I can understand that. It’s scary to be questioned in a police station at that age. As we have the two teens that didn’t make the party coming in this afternoon, we should head there straight after here so that we make it back on time. I’m intrigued as to why they didn’t go.’

  ‘Great. I have the photo of the socks amongst others. Jennifer brought me a print from work when she finally came home last night, oh and they were emailed to you too. Three in the morning. Can you believe it?’

  ‘Sadly I can. We see three in the morning a lot more than everyone else. That hour is hell. It’s not night and it definitely doesn’t feel like morning. How is Jennifer, by the way?’

  ‘Good. She’s started cycling, which means I have too. My thighs are burning and I have a touch of saddle sore and sweaty—’

  ‘Good for you. I don’t need the details.’

  He shrugged and laughed. ‘It was better than the alternative.’

  ‘Alternative?’

  ‘Swimming. Nothing would get me into the public baths. I have childhood nightmares about ear infections and verrucas. I was a sickly child.’

  Gina chuckled before gazing back through the window. She gulped down the rest of her drink before dropping the paper cup into the waste bin. She noticed it wasn’t a mesh bin and she knew why. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had used the viewing room bin to throw up in while watching a post-mortem through the glass. The clean CSI took a burst of photos and someone else was filming each stage while the pathologist provided an intensely scientific voiceover, citing the Latin names for body parts and bones; shouting out weights and measurements.

  An hour passed, then another. The last of the samples were neatly lined up on the far side and the pathologist began to sew Leah back up. Now devoid of her lip piercing and clothing, she looked so young and tiny. Gina looked away. Her daughter was grown up now and even had a daughter of her own, little Gracie who was now at primary school. In these circumstances, she always used to think of Hannah but the worry never ended even though they were always falling out. Before she knew it Gracie would be a teenager and those worries would start all over again. She felt her throat dry when she tried to swallow. The circle of worry never ends. Whatever Hannah wanted to discuss couldn’t be good. After all this time, speaking about her father would not do either of them any good. She glanced back as the pathologist stood back to check his work. ‘Looks like they’re finishing up.’

  ‘I think you’re right.’ Jacob stretched and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  The pathologist left the assistants to tidy up and catalogue everything then he waved, calling Gina and Jacob over to the door. He snapped his gloves off, removed his apron and scrubbed his arms to his elbows in the hand basin.

  ‘That’s our cue. Let’s find out what he has to say.’

  They hurried along the corridor and the pathologist came out. The smell of faeces, and death mixed with disinfectant spilled out, almost catching the back of Gina’s throat as she inhaled. She took a step back, trying to escape it then the pathologist closed the door on the corpse. ‘Follow me.’

  He led them to a little room with a table and chairs, and a two-seater couch where they all sat. An artificial plant and a seascape picture were the only things that brightened up the room. The tall man pushed his glasses up his nose further and loosened his tie. Gina noticed the cartoon body parts that covered it. They reminded her of the board game, Operation. ‘Okay, we’re just finishing up. I will begin working on my report later today but it will take a while as we have so many samples to get through and I need lunch first.’ He chuckled slightly, not put off at all by the job he’d been doing for years. ‘As for the toxicology report that you requested, that will take weeks but I’m sure that’s not a surprise.’ He gave a slightly goofy grin.

  ‘Definitely not a surprise.’ Gina wished there was a quicker way but there wasn’t. Toxicology always came late, quite often after they’d solved the case but it was good for the court cases that followed. She just hoped it wouldn’t be weeks before she could take Leah’s murderer off the street.

  ‘We’ll be examining her blood, urine and even hair in this process.’

  ‘Thank you. Can you tell us anything about the injuries that might have led up to her death? Anything that might help with our investigation.’

  ‘I can confirm that the cause of death was strangulation but I already told you that was the most likely cause at the scene. There was very little evidence of a struggle, in fact there was none. There was a trace of semen found on her leg that was picked up in the swabs at the scene.’

  ‘That could have got there when the condom was removed?’

  The pathologist nodded. ‘Yes. I also know that several used condoms have been found in the area and they haven’t all as yet been tested against the semen sample.’

  ‘How about the one found in the Waterside Café car park.’

  He flicked through his file. ‘Still waiting. You asked for a comparison between that and a swab that arrived at the lab late yesterday.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Gina’s stomach muscles clenched at the stale odour coming from the man. He may have scrubbed himself clean and wore protective clothing but the smell of death knew how to get into everything and now it was lining the wall of her nostrils. ‘Any indication of when they will come through?’

  The pathologist flicked through a fe
w pages in his file. ‘I’m certain you will get your answer by this afternoon.’ He began to play with the end of his tie.

  ‘That’s good. Hopefully before we have to let our suspect go.’

  ‘I’ll chase it up for you if that’s any help.’

  ‘Thank you. It’s already marked priority but anything you can do to hurry it would be much appreciated. Is there anything else?’

  He read his notes and scrunched his nose as he concentrated. ‘As I said, no signs of a struggle during intercourse or during strangulation which, as you mentioned before, could point to drugs in her system. Being strangled is an extreme act of violence where death is imminent if the victim can’t get free. I would have expected a huge struggle. There is nothing at all on her body to suggest that she made any attempt to get away. Stomach contents look to contain sugary food. I’d say sweets. Of course there is the faint bite mark on her right breast. I will be able to provide you with all the measurements. Because of the bruising, that bite mark looks like it was done recently, possibly the same night.’

  ‘Meaning, it could belong to the murderer. Getting the bite details emailed to me would be a great help. We might get a dental record match. Is there any evidence to show that the person Leah had sex with and the person who killed her are the same person?’

  ‘At the moment, the person who left the bite mark might be different from the person who had sex with her and they both might not be the person who killed her. We will go through all of the samples thoroughly, test everything and hopefully my full report will help more but as you can appreciate there is so much work to be done still.’

  Gina slumped back a little, deflated at having nothing new to work with right now. She’d have to wait for the dental measurements and bite photos.

  ‘Oh, there is one more thing. The bite mark suggests that the biter has a missing tooth. Top row, right-hand side of the mouth, third after the incisor so you might not see the missing tooth even if the person smiled at you. It was a wide-open mouth bite. Very bizarre.’

  ‘That’s really helpful. Thank you.’

  As they wrapped up the meeting, Gina checked her watch. It was time to head to Oscar Spalding’s house to ask about the watermelon socks. She also wanted to see him for herself as she didn’t get to interview him at the station.

  She smiled as they left the building. The person who was missing a tooth had a lot to explain and she wanted them found, fast. ‘Right, to the Spalding residence.’ She checked her messages and Hannah’s name lit up the screen.

  I want the truth. No more lies.

  Gina allowed Jacob to continue ahead as she tried to call Hannah. Again, she rejected the call. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the phone. She could feel the blood draining from her face. What truth was Hannah seeking? The word murderer flashed up in her mind like a slap and she breathed out the anxiety.

  ‘You coming, guv?’

  ‘Yes, course.’ She turned away from him as she gasped. Hands trembling, she knew the truth was fighting to get out and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

  Nineteen

  Gina tried to put all thoughts of her own problems into a compartment in her mind as she tried to recall everything she’d read in Oscar Spalding’s notes. He was seventeen and gave the same story as everyone else. He was also a driver. As she drove along the carriageway, Jacob chomped away on a chocolate bar.

  Jacob screwed up his wrapper and shoved it in his pocket. ‘That’s better. My stomach was starting to rumble.’

  ‘I know how you feel.’

  ‘Sorry, guv. I should have offered you a bite.’

  ‘I’m off chocolate, at least until the smell of death no longer coats my nostrils. Okay, about Oscar. He’s a school friend of all the others that were at the party. All of them were in some classes together and I’m sure I read in the file that they all went to junior school together; so we have a lot of shared history between the teens. He lives with his father who is a war veteran, Iraq from what I read about him. Mother died when he was about nine. We managed to obtain some information from his last form teacher after the school administrator asked her to get in contact with us. Oscar got into some minor troubles there; a scuffle in PE; drawing a pair of breasts with a Sharpie on his locker; answering teachers back. He’d received a fair few detentions for not doing homework or study but he surprised his teachers with all A and B grades in his GCSEs.’

  ‘Imagine what a kid with that potential could achieve if only he applied himself better? Seems naturally gifted.’

  ‘Totally. He’s also still a suspect, we just have nothing to bring him in on. I’m hoping when forensics have analysed everything from the camp that we might have something concrete. Those kids are all covering for each other, I know it. What we need is something tangible to bring them in again.’ The satnav told Gina to take the next left. ‘Right, Oscar’s father left the army after his wife died. He doesn’t actually work now.’

  ‘So how can he afford to live here?’

  As they pulled into the road, the large double-fronted houses with huge detached garage blocks and electric-gated drives took them to another world, one that could never be achieved on a detective’s salary. ‘When I saw the address, I thought the same so I read up on them. Mr Spalding’s wife was a songwriter and her estate still pays out royalties.’

  ‘Anything I know?’

  ‘Not unless you’re into nineties hip-hop.’

  ‘I guess not, then. I was more into Britpop. Give me a bit of Oasis any day.’

  The satnav reminded them that they had arrived at their destination. Gina pulled up on the kerb and they got out and stood outside the intercom at the gate of 7 Nightingale Avenue and pressed the buzzer.

  ‘Hello.’ The man at the other end cleared his throat.

  ‘DI Harte and DS Driscoll. You’re expecting us. Is that Mr Spalding?’

  The buzzer sounded and the gate began to smoothly open. They walked down the tree-lined drive and came face to face with the mock Georgian mini mansion. Potted palm trees greeted them, framing the door, which was opened by Mr Spalding.

  ‘Right,’ the man spoke slowly and calmly, ‘before I take you in to see my son, I want you to know that this has all been distressing for him so keep the conversation easy or I will ask you to leave. Do you get that?’ His temples twitched as he stood straight and still, his stare bouncing between Gina and Jacob. He didn’t blink once.

  ‘Of course, Mr Spalding. Our aim isn’t to upset your son. We just need to ask a couple of questions that will help us with our investigation. Your son is a witness and we will treat him like so.’

  The man pushed the door open and stepped aside. Gina stepped on the pale slate tiles and she was instantly bedazzled by the rainbow the crystal chandelier cast on the large hall’s pale grey walls. The whirr of air conditioning was a welcome relief from the sticky heat outside. ‘If you both take a seat in the snug, I’ll get Oscar for you.’ Mr Spalding pointed to the open door of a room.

  No offer of a drink? Gina was parched. ‘Thank you.’

  They followed Mr Spalding to the room he had called the snug but it was more like a huge television room cum cinema. When the man left to get his son, Gina felt the tension seeping from her shoulders as they relaxed. The largest TV she’d ever seen was fixed to the wall. This was surrounded by built-in units containing loads of books, computer games, DVDs and even a mini fridge full of cans of pop. The window to her left was bigger than the far wall in Gina’s living room. She sat next to Jacob, sinking back. ‘This is a comfy sofa. I think I feel wood pushing through mine,’ Gina joked.

  ‘I could stay here all day.’

  She glanced around looking for photos, something that would tell her a little more about Oscar and his father, but there weren’t any. It was as if the home, although beautiful and grand, was devoid of a family. Some of the computer games still had cellophane wrappers on them.

  Footsteps padded down the hallway before Oscar entered, closely followe
d by Mr Spalding. ‘I’ve told him, if he feels uncomfortable at any time, this chat or whatever it is, is over. My son would never have had anything to do with hurting that girl in any way. I’ve brought him up to show respect.’ The vein on the side of the man’s head stood out as he clenched his mouth shut.

  Gina glanced at Jacob before smiling at Oscar.

  The boy ruffled his messy, shiny, chestnut coloured fringe. Underneath the floppy top, his hair was shaved almost to the skin. His pointed chin made him look quite delicate but she could see his muscles due to the vest top he was wearing. This delicate boy was as strong as an ox. Average height and a light tan. ‘How can I help you, ma’am; sir?’

  Gina wondered if he called his father sir. ‘Thank you for coming to the station yesterday and making a statement. Once again, we’re so sorry for your loss. I know that you and Leah were close friends so this must be distressing for you.’

  The boy clenched his teeth and pulled a chair up, placing it opposite the settee with such a precise motion, it landed exactly where he wanted it to. ‘We were all good friends. When you’ve been through both schools together, you develop a close bond, ma’am. So what can I help you with?’

  Ma’am again. Gina pulled the file from her bag and fumbled for the photo that Jacob had given to her. ‘Please take a look at this photo. Do you recognise these socks?’

  His brow furrowed and his father walked over from the door for a look. The boy glanced up at his father. ‘Sir?’

  ‘It’s okay, son. Just answer the detective.’

  ‘Yes, I think so. They belong to Leah. She was wearing them on Saturday.’ Each word he spoke was clear, precise and without any hint of an accent; not like the other teens in the group.