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

by Carla Kovach

  He glanced to the side and then back. ‘So she wasn’t hurt at all?’

  ‘No, thankfully I was on my way over to speak to her before the fire reached her.’

  ‘But the house is burnt down?’

  ‘I’m afraid there has been substantial damage to your house.’

  Mr Meegan exhaled and Jacob made a couple of notes. His solicitor whispered in his ear and he cleared his throat. He barely looked as concerned as he was making out.

  ‘So moving on, I went to speak to Mrs Meegan this morning, I’m going to put some questions to you.’

  Again the solicitor whispered, her long, thin fingers hiding her mouth from the mirror behind Gina and Jacob.

  ‘Okay. I just want to help clear all this up as I didn’t hurt or kill anyone.’

  ‘Did you leave your house at all between midnight and two on the morning of Sunday the first of August?’

  ‘No. My wife already said that I was in with her all night. I had no reason to go out.’

  Gina bit her bottom lip, wanting to smile but holding back. Mrs Meegan had already dismantled his use of her as an alibi. Now onto Jordan’s murder. ‘Did you leave your house at all between one and four in the morning on Tuesday the third of August?’

  ‘No, I was at home. You’d interviewed me and the bloody residents were protesting on the path outside my house all day, making a right nuisance of themselves. I paid for my crime all those years ago and I never once murdered any one and I’m not a paedophile, but that doesn’t matter to scum like them, does it? So much for your drive-bys keeping us safe. The moment I leave to come here, to help you as requested, my wife is almost set on fire. That’s how safe we are. Those protesting bastards tried to kill us both.’

  ‘This morning, Mrs Meegan made a statement that you were out of the house at both of those times I just asked you about and that you told her not to say anything.’

  ‘No! That’s not true. She’s making it up. My wife loves a bit of drama. I have this problem with her all the time. Since her accident, she craves attention and she was angry with me for not charging her phone. We had a row, that’s all.’

  ‘The problem with your claim here, Mr Meegan, is that Mrs Meegan actually presented us with irrefutable evidence. Do you understand the charge of perverting the course of justice?’

  He nodded, a tremor forming at his fingers. Quickly burying his hands in his lap, he let out a huff sound.

  ‘For the tape, Mr Meegan nodded. He’s aware that not telling the truth or misleading us could have serious consequences.’ His solicitor tensed her shoulders and leaned in to whisper to him again, taking a few notes after. ‘I’m going to show you some photos and you’re going to explain how you got them.’ Gina opened the file and pulled out a photo of all the kids at the camp and the other one of Leah on her own. ‘See this photo, the one of the kids all together, they are all wearing the same clothes that they were wearing on Sunday morning. What a coincidence.’

  ‘What, these? I found them.’

  ‘I will now add that we have a memory stick with recordings of the same teens and many others, at different times and during different parties.’

  He slumped back and sighed. ‘That stupid cow.’ Gina knew he was referring to Mrs Meegan.

  ‘At one point, we hear your voice over the top of the film, whispering to yourself, telling one of the girls to turn around. Leah Fenmore saw you and knowing you’d go straight back to prison with a longer sentence this time had you thinking, didn’t it? With the poor girl being drunk, possibly even having taken drugs and separated from her friends, you seized your opportunity and strangled her to death. It was easy, wasn’t it? In her state, she didn’t fight back.’ Gina leaned in and stared directly into Meegan’s eyes.

  ‘No, that didn’t happen. I just took photos, that’s all.’

  ‘And you filmed, and then you killed Leah.’

  ‘I took the films but I didn’t kill her. Happy now!’ He stood and slammed his hands on the table. As he exhaled, beads of sweat dribbled past his brow.

  Gina passed him the box of tissues. ‘Sit down, Mr Meegan.’ She stared at him for a few seconds. ‘The thing is, one of the other kids saw you. Jordan Rolph.’ Gina slid a photo of Jordan wearing a rugby top. ‘You lured him to this area on the night of his murder.’ Gina pulled out a map and pointed out the location on the map. ‘An area of outstanding natural beauty, apparently. Once there, you took him by surprise and kicked him down the steps, resulting in him receiving a cracked skull that killed him. All that to cover your tracks.’

  ‘Ha, I can prove I didn’t do it. I wasn’t there.’ He prodded the map. ‘Yes, I left my wife alone and I’m sorry I lied but I knew how it was going to go. You lot hate me already.’

  ‘Mr Meegan, we just want the truth.’

  ‘I drove way out of the area where no one knows me and I checked into a hotel for the night. It all got too much and I needed to be away from all the people outside. I thought they’d kill me and that my wife would be safer on her own. They don’t hate her. I’m the real target.’

  ‘Okay, so where were you?’

  ‘The Splendid Hotel in Worcester. There were security cameras in the car park and I parked at the front. I checked in after driving around for a while and I stayed there all night. You have to call them.’

  ‘Don’t worry, we will.’ Gina slammed the file shut and the solicitor began once again gesturing and whispering with Meegan. If CCTV could prove he was at that hotel all night, then her theory would be blown out of the water. ‘In the meantime, we’ll be bringing charges against you for the recordings and photos.’

  ‘As you can see, my client is innocent of murder.’

  ‘That has yet to be verified but I’ll let you know when we’ve been in touch with the hotel and received the recordings.’

  ‘When they come through, I’d like to request bail for my client.’ She tapped her long red nails on the desk and smiled.

  ‘I’ll keep you informed.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘What if I can help you?’ Meegan was clutching at straws, Gina could see desperation all over his face.

  ‘You saw something while you were there, didn’t you?’ That was the next line of enquiry and she’d humour him for now even though she hadn’t spoken to the hotel as yet.

  ‘Can you put a word in for me, if I help you? I didn’t hurt anyone after all.’

  Gina furrowed her brow. ‘I beg to differ. Filming people doing private things does hurt them. How about you help me because a sixteen-year-old girl was strangled to death and a boy was kicked down some steps to his death. Their parents and friends will never see them again and they are devastated, as you can imagine. There is a very dangerous person out there and they might kill again. Do the right thing, Mr Meegan.’

  ‘I have to think about myself too, damn it!’

  ‘I’ll mention that you were cooperative to the CPS. That’s all I can do.’

  The solicitor nodded to him.

  ‘Okay, I didn’t see anything but I heard something. Someone else was shuffling around behind me but they were too far away and the foliage was thick. Not to mention it was the middle of the night. They must have stayed hidden. I caught a flash of what could have been black or grey material, maybe a T-shirt or knitwear but, as I say, it was night. The stars and moon don’t give much light in that part of the woods, what with all the tall trees. That spooked me so I left and went home. I thought one of the kids had seen me and I just wanted to get away. I hurried back, locked the patio doors and went straight to bed.’

  A description of the black material found at the scene of Jordan’s murder was springing to the forefront of her mind. First things first, she had to properly eliminate Meegan. ‘Do you wear dentures or have any missing teeth?’

  He scrunched up his nose. ‘Yeah, all my wisdom teeth gave me trouble and they’re gone and three from the bottom row.’ He opened his mouth and pulled out his false three, spit stringing from the plastic plate
.

  They were the wrong teeth to match the bite mark on Leah’s breast and she wanted him to hurry and put them back in before she heaved. ‘Okay, thank you. Interview terminated at fourteen twenty-five.’ She glanced at the man as he and his solicitor began to talk about Mrs Meegan and his house. He turned to her and stared for a second too long, then looked away quickly. There were still layers to peel back when it came to Meegan. She checked her watch, Lara Blakely would be waiting and she didn’t want to keep the woman any longer than she had to.

  As they left Meegan and his solicitor talking, Briggs came out of the side room. ‘Damn, we may be back at square one. I can tell there’s more.’ Jacob nodded in agreement.

  ‘And me, sir. I just need to work out what that is. Do you know if forensics have scoured his cottage yet? I know it was in a mess and drenched last time I asked.’

  ‘They’ve been there all day but we have safety issues. Part of the hall ceiling and the stairs have been burnt through which is why it’s going to take longer. I’ve asked them to update us as soon as they find anything. They confirm that an accelerant was used and they found a bright green petrol can that had been thrown in the bushes out the back. It looks like our arsonist left something behind. I just hope we can get a fingerprint or something else that might help.’

  ‘That sounds like good work. I’ll speak to Lara Blakely now, see what she has to say.’

  ‘Great, but first, get someone to check his alibi with the hotel. They may be able to email the CCTV files. There is a chance that Meegan is lying about ever being there, which again would put him straight back in the prime suspect frame.’

  Gina hoped that would be the case, otherwise it was back to the board. Two murders, no suspects. Her head began to throb. The fear of another murder was real.

  Gina looked up and saw Nick, the desk sergeant, leading Pete Bloxwich through. ‘I got a call saying you lot wanted to speak to me about the case and as I was lurking about in your car park waiting for the next press release, thought I’d pop in. Got some juicy information about the case? The public are dying to know more. They lap this kind of thing up.’ He grinned.

  Gina checked her watch and turned to Nick. ‘Can you tell Lara that we’ll be with her soon? Apologise for keeping her waiting.’ She led Pete down the corridor. ‘This way, Mr Bloxwich.’

  Forty-Eight

  The man sat on the plastic chair, slapping his lips as he chewed gum. The mint scent filled the tiny hot room. His cool blue shirt fell over his jeans. ‘So, what have you got for me?’

  ‘Mr Bloxwich—’

  ‘Call me Pete.’

  ‘Pete. This is a voluntary interview which means you can leave at any time.’

  ‘What? I thought you wanted to talk about the Meegans?’

  ‘We do, that is correct.’

  ‘Well, what’s that got to do with me?’

  Jacob began recording and introduced everyone in the room, stating the time too.

  ‘Why are you interviewing me about the Meegans?’ His smile had now gone and he rubbed a hand over his stubbly chin.

  ‘You were seen at the scene not long before an arson attack was committed on the Meegans’ cottage so we need you to tell us about your moves yesterday.’

  ‘You think I did it!’

  ‘We also have a report that you were harassing Mrs Meegan, shouting through her letter box not long before the attack.’

  ‘I dropped my card through her door. Said it was best if she told her story so that the public didn’t draw their own conclusions, then I left.’

  Gina leaned in. ‘She said that you accused her of getting off on hurting kids. I mean you of all people should know what it means, brandishing those sort of accusations without any evidence. You can see how it looks. Within a couple of hours, someone has set her house alight. She could have died.’

  ‘But it wasn’t me.’

  ‘So tell me how your day panned out, times and everything.’ Gina leaned back and folded her arms.

  Pete checked his watch and huffed. ‘I was hanging around until it started raining, you know, I was talking to the protesters. There was a woman, really angry she was. Blakely, I think her name was. She gave me a quote. Something on the lines of not wanting paedophiles living amongst our children and I agreed with her. Who wants these people in our neighbourhoods?’

  ‘Isn’t your reporting meant to be objective?’

  He shrugged. ‘Well, Mrs Meegan didn’t want to talk so I guess it was always going to be one-sided. I can’t make people tell their story.’

  ‘What time was this?’

  He shrugged. ‘Don’t know. When it rained, I followed them to the community centre where we carried on talking.’

  ‘Did you go back to the Meegans’ cottage?’

  ‘No… I mean, I went to get my car and went back to the office.’

  ‘What time was this?’

  ‘I don’t know. Maybe one.’

  Gina watched as Jacob noted that down.

  ‘I didn’t do this. Yes, I was angry, who wouldn’t be? I mean the man spies on women. I have a wife and daughter. People like him sicken me but I’m not the only one who thinks like this. I must say, the Blakely woman was going for it large. If she wasn’t firing stones at the windows and shouting, she was telling me how much this type of person should die. You should speak to her. Now, do you have any updates for me to report as I have to get back to the office? If that’s it and you’re not arresting me, I’m going.’

  Gina sat up and sighed. She didn’t have enough on him but she did urgently need to speak to Lara Blakely who was waiting. Knowing that she had been so active outside Mrs Meegan’s cottage definitely put her in the frame. ‘Thank you for coming.’

  ‘That’s it! Thank you. What do I tell the public?’

  ‘Come back for the press conference later with all the other reporters.’

  As he got up, his chair fell over and he stormed out of the interview room.

  Jacob shrugged as he spoke to the tape. Gina followed the reporter along the corridor, making sure that he left. He went through to reception without looking back.

  Forty-Nine

  A quick gulp of water and Gina stepped straight into interview room one where Lara Blakely was waiting. The woman’s messy curls fell gently over her porcelain skin. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs Blakely.’

  Jacob shuffled in and sat beside Gina.

  ‘Why am I here?’

  ‘You’re a potential witness to a crime and we thank you for taking time out of your day to speak to us.’ Gina observed the woman, wondering if she might be capable of arson.

  ‘Really? I said on the phone that I didn’t see anything. I’m sorry to hear about the fire.’

  ‘We are just going to ask you a few questions. This is a voluntary interview which means that you’re here of your own accord and you can leave at any time.’

  She nodded and linked her fingers. Her white cotton summer dress fell over her knees.

  ‘Yesterday, there was a house fire on Oak Tree Walk which resulted in one of the residents ending up seriously ill in hospital. We know that you were there most of the morning. We need to know what happened and who you saw.’

  ‘Is Sandy okay?’

  ‘She’s being treated at the moment, but she has lost her home and most of the contents. We have evidence to believe that the fire was started deliberately. We also know that there was a mob of people protesting outside this house and one of them was you.’

  Lara gulped. ‘Her husband, he’d been done for spying on and recording people. I was speaking to the other residents and it seemed obvious that it was her husband who murdered Leah, and then Jordan. She was married to him, which means she had to be in on it. Why would anyone stay with a man like that? I mean he’s a convicted perv and now a murderer. We wanted him arrested so decided to protest and get the media involved.’

  ‘What time did you leave the scene?’

  ‘Wait, am I being accused of burning their
house down?’

  ‘No, Mrs Blakely, but we are interviewing everyone who was protesting. We know that emotions run high at times like this but that doesn’t excuse people taking the law into their own hands and nearly killing an innocent woman.’

  ‘She had to know it was him who murdered those kids.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘She lives with him. She knows he’s already a convicted perv and she stayed with him.’ Lara swallowed and looked into her lap. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that but I’m angry that two kids have been murdered. I do feel sorry for her, totally. She’s lost so much.’ She paused. ‘Sandy and I used to be friends at school and I saw her again this week at the supermarket. She was with him, her husband, and I guess, if I’m honest with myself, he didn’t seem like the nicest of people. I can’t remember how the conversation went but I gathered that he just wanted me to leave Sandy alone. She sneaked my card into her pocket as if she didn’t want him to see.’ Lara swallowed. ‘Then I found out on Twitter about his past and I blamed her too. I shouldn’t have done that…’

  ‘Have you ever seen Mr Meegan before?’

  ‘I wasn’t sure that I had but then I think I remember seeing a profile with his photo on it, but not the same name. He tried to friend me on Facebook but as I didn’t know him, I rejected the request. He knew who I was and that’s creepy. I also saw that he’d liked one of my daughter’s photos on Instagram. He’s a total weirdo. He’s been tracking those kids online, I’m sure… well, I think I am.’

  ‘Going back to the afternoon of the arson attack. Can you tell me who you saw in the area?’

  She shrugged. ‘I don’t really know all their names. Most were just neighbours but I remember one man, Jim, as he introduced himself. There were several others and a reporter called Pete from the Warwickshire Herald. When it started raining, we all headed over to the community centre for a hot drink as we were all soaked through, then I left. I really can’t remember the time, early afternoon I’d say.’