Two Victims

by Helen H. Durrant

  “Rung your girls?”

  “You drive and I’ll give it another go,” she said.

  Mia was at school, but Rachel finally got through to Megan.

  “You went off sharpish. I wanted a word,” Megan said. “Me and Mia had a right set-to last night. You need to have a word with her.”

  “Why? What’s up?”

  “Belinda saw her in Poynton Park, talking to a strange man. Belinda knows everyone around here and she said he wasn’t local. I asked Mia, but she clammed up and wouldn’t tell me anything. And she’s got an expensive-looking necklace. It’s not one of yours and she won’t tell me where it came from. I’m worried about her, Mum. I’ve no idea what she’s got herself into.”

  As if she didn’t have enough to think about. “Is Mia at school?”

  “Yes. Will you be here when she gets home?”

  Given the state of play with the current case, that was a big ask. “I’ll do my best. Just try and keep the peace until I do get there. I’ll sort it out, don’t worry.”

  “Problem?” Elwyn asked.

  “Isn’t there always?” Rachel said wearily. She didn’t have the energy to give him the details.

  * * *

  The Lovatts lived in a neat semi on a new estate in Collyhurst, on the outskirts of the city.

  “The car’s in the drive,” Elwyn said.

  “Good. Save us coming back.” Rachel wasn’t in the best of moods. She needed this pair’s help, but what she really wanted was to throw the book at them.

  They’d been seen. The detectives were only halfway up the path when a young woman opened the door.

  “You’re the police? I’ve been expecting you.” She beckoned them inside. “Go straight through.”

  “You know why we’re here?” Rachel began. “You made a complaint, I understand.”

  “I certainly did. That woman took our money and we got nothing in return. It has to be a scam. She could be doing this to lots of other couples. You need to warn people.”

  The cheek of the woman! Rachel could barely believe it. All that bothered her was losing the money. She seemed quite at ease with the fact that she’d handed it over for the purchase of a baby.

  “You were buying a baby,” Rachel said. “Did you not see anything wrong with that?”

  From the astonished look on Rosemary Lovatt’s face, she obviously didn’t.

  “No. We had a surrogate, all perfectly above board. That’s what Agnes told us. She promised us that everything we were doing was lawful and that she’d helped people like us many times before.”

  “It wasn’t lawful. The girls did not want to be pregnant but they were too far gone to do anything about it. Agnes was their last resort. She took the infants and sold them to people like you. The girls got very little out of the deal.”

  Rosemary Lovatt obviously didn’t believe her. “That can’t be right. Agnes said the money would be used to look after the girls during the pregnancy. Our surrogate was sickly and couldn’t work. The money paid her rent and expenses.”

  “How much did you give her?” Rachel asked.

  “Twenty thousand pounds.”

  That was some scam Agnes had going. Rachel wondered how many times she’d done this. “Some of the girls Agnes used were living on the streets. At least one is dead — murdered. There is no way that was legal!” Rachel was losing it.

  Elwyn cleared his throat. “Shall we take a break?”

  “I’m fine,” Rachel said impatiently. “Who else did you meet, apart from Agnes?”

  “No one.”

  “Not even your so-called surrogate? Didn’t you think that odd?”

  “Agnes said she’d arrange it, but then she disappeared.”

  Rachel shook her head. “Agnes was murdered. It seems that someone didn’t think very much of her business.”

  “You can’t believe me and my husband had anything to do with that! We’re angry, yes. We’ve lost a lot of money, but we’d never harm anyone.”

  “Agnes and a young girl have lost their lives,” Rachel said. “Our priority is to find their killer. Did you try to phone Agnes?”

  “Lots of times. I kept asking how things were going, if the baby was doing alright. I was worried because the surrogate wasn’t well.”

  “You rang her mobile?”

  “Usually, and once or twice I rang her home.”

  “We’ll check your phone data,” Rachel said.

  “Check what you like, we’ve nothing to hide.”

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  On their way back to the station, Rachel went over her notes. “Amy looked at Agnes’s bank records when she was doing the background search. How come there was no sign of the money? The woman must have made a fortune these last few years.”

  “Maybe she hid it,” Elwyn suggested.

  “I don’t think so. She had to have had an accomplice, Elwyn. They have the money and are possibly our killer.”

  “You don’t suspect the Lovatts?” he asked.

  “Heavens, no. That woman didn’t even realise that what they did was wrong. She truly believed that Agnes had arranged a surrogate and the money was for expenses.”

  “Back to square one it is then,” Elwyn said.

  Rachel groaned, but it looked as if they had no choice. “We look at everyone Agnes was involved with, particularly at work. It would make sense if she looked for help from someone who knew the ropes and could help with the girls. Jude has suggested we ask about patients with psoriasis. It’ll be quicker than waiting for the results from the lab.”

  “Who do we haul in first?”

  “Lorraine Hughes,” Rachel said. “I always thought she was a bit dubious. What about you?”

  Elwyn shook his head. “It’s a long shot, Rachel. Agnes’s accomplice could be anyone, and they might not even be her killer. What we’re doing now is putting names in a bag, shaking it, and then pulling them out in turn.”

  “Nonetheless, she’ll do for starters. We’ll bring the woman in and interview her properly.”

  “She won’t like it.”

  But Rachel was intent on her notes.

  * * *

  Having refused a solicitor, Lorraine Hughes sat with Rachel and Elwyn in a soft interview room.

  “We suspect that Agnes had an accomplice. Do you have any idea who that might have been?” Rachel asked.

  “Accomplice in what? I don’t even know what she’s supposed to have done,” Lorraine said. “Look, we’ve been through all this. Agnes was a colleague. I liked her. I certainly didn’t kill her.”

  “We believe that the reason Agnes was killed had something to do with those girls that used to come to the health centre. You weren’t the least bit suspicious of her? You didn’t wonder why she helped them?”

  Lorraine was adamant. “She was a good woman. Misguided perhaps, but she believed in what she was doing. I admired Agnes for that. She was a far better person than I could ever be. She worked unceasingly for those girls.”

  There was no doubting it. Lorraine Hughes meant every word of what she was saying. She seemed to believe Agnes was a good person, and had no inkling of the truth.

  Rachel smiled at her. “Thanks for coming in. We won’t need to interview you again. We will need to visit the surgery, though. We are trying to find someone Agnes knew who suffered with the skin condition psoriasis.”

  “Her sister,” Lorraine Hughes said at once. “Covered in it when she gets stressed. Terrible condition. Gives her no peace.” She put a hand to her mouth. “Oh dear, I shouldn’t have told you that. But Anthea isn’t one of our patients, so I’ve not breached confidentiality.”

  Rachel was surprised. “Anthea Moore has psoriasis?”

  “I just said so. You’ve met her. I’m surprised you didn’t notice. She has it all up her arms. It’s what makes her so bad tempered. It got Agnes down every bit as much as Anthea herself. It was why she moved out.”

  “You can go now, Lorraine, and thank you, you’ve been a great help.�
��

  “The sister,” Elwyn said as soon as the door closed behind her. “That’s a surprise.”

  “I’ll get a warrant. Stella can trawl through her finances. We might just have cracked it, Elwyn.”

  * * *

  Rachel and Elwyn pulled up outside the house in Audenshaw. Anthea Moore was off work on compassionate leave, so they expected her to be at home.

  “The warrant isn’t through yet,” Rachel said, “so we’ll take it slow. Once it is, we’ll get access to her bank accounts and do a full search of the house. That gun was never found, so she could have brought it back here.

  A tearful Anthea answered the door.

  “I’m having a moment,” she said. “It’s just beginning to hit me that I’ll never see Agnes again.”

  Rachel got straight to the point. “Can you tell us where you were the night your sister was killed?” The tears, the pretence — because that’s what it was, Rachel was certain — was getting on her nerves.

  “I . . . I was here.”

  “Can anyone vouch for that? Give you an alibi?” Elwyn asked.

  Anthea’s expression quickly changed to one of annoyance. “What is this? You surely don’t imagine that I had anything to do with Agnes’s death?”

  “Did you know what she was up to? The runaway girls and the baby scam?” asked Elwyn.

  “I don’t have a clue what you’re on about.” Anthea started to scratch at her arm.

  “Giving you a hard time, is it? You won’t know, but we found flakes of skin on Agnes’s clothing. How did that happen, d’you think?” Rachel said.

  “I know what you’re trying to do. You think you can pin this on me. There’ll be a logical explanation. I didn’t kill Agnes, and you can’t prove that I did. How dare you come here and make these accusations!”

  “We’ll have a warrant very soon. Then we’ll search your house and go through your bank accounts. If we find money and any incriminating items, you’ll go down for a long time. Better you speak to us, give us your version of events,” Elwyn said.

  Anthea looked around her. She seemed to be trying to work out which way to turn.

  “I’m saying nothing. Why should I make your job any easier? You want to charge me, get the evidence.”

  Rachel went out into the hall and rang the incident room. Jonny Farrell answered. “The warrant. Have we got it yet?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Amy’s on her way over with it now and I’ve rung Dr Glover. I’m looking at her bank accounts right now. She has quite a tidy sum stashed away.”

  That would do for a start. Back in the sitting room, Anthea perched on the edge of the sofa. “You’re wasting your time. We had our differences, but I would never harm Agnes.”

  “We’re taking you to the station, Anthea. My colleagues have a warrant and they’ll soon be here to start the search.”

  “The station? What on earth for? What do you imagine I’ve got to tell you?”

  “You can try the truth,” Elwyn said.

  Anthea’s continued denials bothered Rachel. Ideally, they would like to find the gun that had been used to kill both Agnes and Jess. If it wasn’t here, and she wouldn’t talk, they might have a hard time convincing the CPS that they had a case. Flakes of skin were one thing, but Agnes came to this house regularly, so any solicitor worth his salt could explain that away easily.

  “Keep an eye on her, Elwyn. I’m going for a wander round the back.”

  Rachel had no idea what she’d find. The rear garden was small and backed onto a parking area for the residents. She saw a lawn, a flower border and a small shed. Plenty of places to hide a gun. Things would be so much simpler if Anthea simply told them the truth.

  Rachel was just about to go back inside when she spotted it. Parked against Anthea’s rear wall was a white van. She smiled and hurried back inside.

  “Who owns the white van, Anthea? The one parked against your wall?”

  “I don’t know,” she said sullenly.

  Rachel rang Jude and asked her to include the van when she did her search. She also rang Stella and asked her to find the registered owner.

  A police car arrived to take Anthea Moore away, while Rachel and Elwyn waited at the house for Jude and her people.

  Not long after Anthea had left, Stella rang back. “It’s registered to a Barry Wallwork. He lives next door to Anthea.”

  Rachel beckoned to Elwyn “We need a word with the neighbour.”

  Wallwork was a self-employed odd-job man. He invited the pair in and happily handed over the van keys when they asked for them.

  “It won’t go,” he said. “That’s why I’m not working. Anthea borrowed it last week, and since then I can’t get it into gear. She’s refusing to admit she did any damage, but it was fine before she went off with it.”

  “D’you know what she wanted it for?” Rachel asked.

  “No, but it came back in a right state. Covered in mud it was.”

  “Can I ask what you currently have in the van,” Elwyn said.

  “I’ve been clearing an attic, removing the insulation and replacing it with new stuff. Jobs like that are easy money, but now I’ll have to spend what I earned to get the van fixed.” Wallwork shook his head.

  “Some of our colleagues will be here soon. They’ll want to look at your van and take some samples. They do have a warrant,” Rachel said.

  “They can do what they want.” He paused. “Bloody woman.”

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Anthea Moore sat quietly with her solicitor in the interview room.

  “You know why we’re here,” Rachel said. “Tell us what happened the night Agnes died.”

  “I’ve already told you I had nothing to do with it, and I’ve nothing more to add.”

  “Anthea, we found the gun in your shed. We know you used your neighbour’s van to transport Agnes to that building site. Why not simply tell us the truth?”

  She gazed back at them, her eyes defiant. “You can’t prove anything. I’ve never touched that gun. It belonged to our father. Damn thing scares me to death.”

  “We have a forensic team working on evidence we’ve gathered. They’ll find your fingerprints and other DNA evidence to prove you killed your sister. It’ll go easier for you in court if you’re straight with us.”

  “You don’t understand what it was like. Agnes was not the saint everyone said, you know. She could be wicked. People thought I was the hard one, but truly, Agnes was a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Make a statement, Anthea. Tell us what happened to both Agnes and the girl, Jess Darwin.”

  “No!”

  * * *

  Later that day, the team gathered to discuss what they had.

  “Despite growing evidence of her guilt, Anthea Moore is still refusing to admit that she killed Agnes or Jess,” Rachel told them. “And believe me, we’ve really tried to prise the truth out of her. Jude Glover and her team have found fibreglass in the van from rolls of insulation belonging to the owner, and hopefully tests will prove it was the same as that on Agnes’s clothing. The gun was found in the garden shed, locked in a cupboard along with Agnes’s shoes. God knows what Anthea wanted them for. They’re doing tests on the gun to see if it’s the murder weapon, and to check if it has Anthea’s prints on it.”

  “Can we prove that Anthea was in on the baby thing with Agnes?” Jonny asked.

  “There’s a small fortune in her bank account and she can’t explain how it got there. She keeps bleating on about saving up, but she couldn’t save that much in several lifetimes. There was no inheritance to account for it either.”

  “Have we got enough to make a case, ma’am?” Amy asked.

  “Yes, Amy. Prior to this meeting, I had a word with Harding, and he reckons we’re on. Anthea wears a ring, a big hunk of fake emerald. It has a sharp edge. Jude is checking it against a cut on Agnes’s cheek. She expects to find traces of Anthea’s blood. That will put Anthea firmly at the scene of the murder.”

  “Ma’am
.” It was the custody sergeant. “The prisoner, Anthea Moore has asked to see you.”

  “Break through, d’you think? Is she about to come clean then?” Jonny asked.

  “I certainly hope so.” Rachel took hold of the paperwork, gestured for Elwyn to join her and made for the interview room. “Room three,” she told the sergeant.

  Anthea’s face was tear-stained. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I need to tell you the truth, make a clean break. It really wasn’t my fault, Agnes made me so angry at times. I swear she cared more about those girls than me. She spent a fortune on them, even helped one furnish her house.”

  Rachel presumed that was Roxanne Buckley. “Tell us what happened the night Agnes died,” she said.

  “We argued, no it was worse than that, we came to blows. I hit her, caught her face with my ring. Agnes wanted out. She told me she’d had enough. I said no, we had a good thing going. I have four couples on the books waiting for babies, that’s a lot of money. But Agnes wasn’t interested. That girl, Jess, had been the final straw. After she died, Agnes couldn’t think straight. I tried to explain that I had no choice, that I was doing us a favour. Jess threatened us with the law, so she had to die. It was either her or us. Agnes wanted to know what had happened. I explained that me and the girl had argued and how she’d refused to see reason, but Agnes still wasn’t happy. I took her to that place, the building site and showed her where the girl was. I thought it would make her understand. But I’ve never seen Agnes so angry, she was like a mad woman. I had to stop her.”

  “You shot her with your father’s gun?” Rachel asked.

  “Agnes refused to see it from my point of view. I had no choice.”

  * * *

  Rachel and Elwyn returned to the incident room. “We’ve got a full confession.” Rachel said. But she could only manage a half-hearted smile. It had been a long hard slog, and there were still matters outstanding. Knowing how Agnes and Jess had met their deaths was one thing but she’d no idea what had happened to Leonora Blake. Kenton would say nothing other than it was over. The case might be closed, but it still irked her. More troubling than anything else was the possibility that Jed had been involved in a people-trafficking operation.