by Michael Wood
‘Not yet,’ Matilda replied with a hint of a smile. ‘Mr Ridgeway, does anyone know about you using this app?’
‘No,’ he said, looking up at Scott.
‘Does anyone among your circle of friends or family know about your sexuality?’
‘No.’
‘Are you ashamed?’
‘DCI Darke, please?’
‘How do you think your parents would react to knowing about you being gay? You’re their only child yet they don’t seem very warm and loving parents.’
‘My parents.’ Oliver’s face twitched and he started to stutter. ‘My p-parents are hard-working people. They’ve done a lot for me over the years.’
‘And all they want is for their only child to get married to a lovely woman, settle down and start a family. But that’s not what you want, is it?’
‘DCI Darke, I think we’re deviating from the purpose of this interview,’ Hilary intervened.
‘Mr Ridgeway, were you frightened of your father-in-law?’
‘What? No.’
‘Our investigations have uncovered that he was quite a violent man, quick to temper. If he found out you were gay, cheating on his wife, or even if you called off the wedding to his daughter, he wouldn’t have allowed you to simply walk away, would he?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I’m guessing Mr Mercer would have enacted some form of punishment. His daughter would have been distraught, naturally.’
‘I wasn’t scared of him.’
‘Did you arrange for Clive Mercer, Serena Mercer and Jeremy Mercer to be murdered?’ Matilda asked firmly.
‘No.’
‘Did you arrange for Clive Mercer to be murdered but now, after finding out two other people were killed in the attack, you’re ashamed at the destruction you’ve caused?’ Matilda almost shouted.
‘No,’ he said, a tear falling down his face.
Matilda rifled through the file once again and brought out a photograph of Keith Lumb. She placed it in front of Oliver. ‘For the benefit of the recording, I’m showing Mr Ridgeway a photograph of Keith Lumb. Do you know this man?’
He glanced at it, frowned, and turned away. ‘No.’
‘Take a longer look.’
He did and repeated his answer.
‘Are you sure?’
‘My client has already told you twice he has no idea who this man is.’
‘This is Keith Lumb. He’s known to police as a petty criminal. He’s committed a few burglaries, driven without any insurance, drunk and disorderly, nothing earth shattering. However, his DNA is all over the Mercer household. He’s currently on the run. We’re trying to trace him in connection with three savage murders. Unfortunately, that doesn’t sit well with me. Every police officer we have spoken to about Keith has said he is not the type of person to commit murder. So, if he is the killer, the question is, why?’
‘Isn’t that a question to put to this Keith Lumb and not my client who has no knowledge of him?’ Hilary asked.
‘Yes it is. And as soon as we trace Keith, we will be asking him that. We’ll also be showing him Oliver’s photograph and asking if he knows him. I’m guessing he will. Now, Mr Ridgeway, do you know Keith Lumb? Before you answer that question, please bear in mind you have already lied about the contents of your mobile phone.’
‘I don’t know who he is,’ he said, pushing the photograph away.
Matilda audibly breathed in. ‘I’m disappointed. You’re in a position to end the suffering your wife and your niece are going through yet you continue to lie.’
‘You have no evidence my client is lying.’
‘Let’s talk about the assault on your wife last night.’
‘I didn’t assault my wife.’
‘She claims you came to bed angry. She could feel the rage coming from you. You asked her for sex and when she said she was too upset you forced yourself upon her.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘You don’t like being told no, do you, Mr Ridgeway?’
‘I didn’t …’
‘It’s a sad fact that a lot of women seem to marry their fathers. Clive Mercer was a domineering, violent man and Leah seems to have followed in her mother’s footsteps and married a man exactly like that.’
‘No.’
‘We’ve already uncovered evidence of Clive being violent towards Serena and now we have evidence of you attacking your wife.’
‘I didn’t attack my wife,’ he stated loudly.
‘Mr Ridgeway, I am charging you with assaulting your wife. You will go to magistrates’ court tomorrow morning and I will be requesting we keep you in custody while investigations into the murders of your in-laws are ongoing.’
‘But I didn’t kill them,’ he called out. ‘I wasn’t even in the country. I don’t know this man. Look, I’m sorry, OK? I’ve told her I’m sorry. Can I see her? I’ll tell her everything about my … sexuality. Let me explain to her.’
‘I’m sorry, Mr Ridgeway, that would be classed as interfering with a witness.’
‘She’s my wife,’ he shouted.
‘A wife you attempted to rape.’ The room fell silent at the mention of rape. Even Hilary Morrison couldn’t think of anything to say. ‘Scott.’
Scott looked at his watch. ‘Interview terminated, 11:37.’
Chapter Forty-Nine
Sitting in an interview room wearing a white paper suit, Leah Ridgeway looked every inch the victim. She had undergone a rape examination and given a statement to a specialist female police officer. Now, DC Aaron Connolly was about to enter the interview room and ask her why she was wasting their time.
He watched her from the observation room with DC Angela Tanner next to him.
‘According to the doctor, there’s no evidence of rape or any sign she’s recently had sexual intercourse,’ Angela said. She spoke softly, something she did purposely to disguise the lisp she was self-conscious about.
‘Why would you lie about being raped?’
‘I’ve absolutely no idea.’
Aaron looked back at Leah who was rocking slightly in her chair. ‘Is she on any form of medication?’
‘I don’t know,’ Angela replied, looking down at the report in front of her.
‘OK. Let’s go and see what she has to say.’
Aaron entered the interview room first with Angela Tanner following. They hadn’t even sat down before Leah jumped out of her seat.
‘Have you arrested him? Did he admit it? I bet he didn’t. The smarmy bastard. I don’t know why I agreed to marry him in the first place.’
‘Mrs Ridgeway—’ Aaron began.
‘Don’t call me that,’ Leah spat. ‘I’ll be reverting to my maiden name. I’m Leah Mercer. Call me Ms Mercer.’ She looked at the detective sergeant from the top of her eyes. She had a frightening, menacing look about her.
‘Ms Mercer, please, take a seat.’
Reluctantly, she sat.
‘Is there any chance I can have my clothes back, please?’
‘A change of clothes will be provided,’ Angela said.
‘Ms Mercer,’ Aaron began, ‘before we begin taking a formal statement, is there anything you would like to say?’
‘No.’
‘It isn’t too late to change your mind about your allegations.’
‘I don’t need to change my mind,’ she replied firmly.
‘Ms Mercer, according to the doctor who examined you, you haven’t had sexual intercourse recently at all. There is no sign of bruising or assault.’
Leah breathed in hard. She opened and closed her mouth several times as if wanting to say something but not knowing what.
Angela leaned forward and placed her hand on top of Leah’s. ‘Leah, your husband didn’t rape you, did he?’
Leah’s bottom lip wobbled. ‘He may as well have done. The way he made me feel. I feel violated. Dirty.’
‘Leah, what happened?’ Angela asked.
‘Do you know, I’ve known him for four years
,’ she said, looking into the middle distance. ‘I fancied him the moment I saw him. I thought he fancied me, too. He said he did. It turns out it’s all been a lie. Looking back, I suppose the signs were there. I guess I just didn’t want to see them.’ She was visibly shaking. She ran her fingers firmly through her knotted hair, pulling hard at it. ‘He’s been meeting men, behind my back, sleeping with them, virtual strangers. It’s disgusting. He could have caught anything. He could have infected with me all kinds of things. Wouldn’t you feel like you’d been raped?’ she asked, looking directly at Angela.
‘When did you find all this out?’ she asked.
‘Last night. I followed him. Do you know where I found him? In a car park sucking off some teenager. I don’t have a problem with him being gay. We’re all free to do as we please. But why did he get married to me?’ She started crying. ‘Why tell me he loved me? Why go through the whole charade of a wedding? Why make—’ She stopped, roughly wiped her face and ran her fingers through her hair again.
‘What was your sex life like?’ Aaron asked.
‘Trust a man to ask that question. What’s it got to do with you?’ Leah snapped.
‘I’m trying to build a picture of your relationship.’
‘I … I’m not a big fan of … you know … sex,’ she said quietly. ‘When I was at school, all the girls were talking about losing their virginity, saying how great it was. I was the last one in my class to have sex. It never really bothered me.’ Angela handed her a box of tissues. She pulled one out and wiped her nose. ‘I had this boyfriend, Damien Curry. He was always asking me when we were going to do it. Eventually, I gave in. I hated it. It was horrible. It was uncomfortable. I remember looking at Damien afterwards and he lay there with a grin on his face like it was the most magical thing ever. I just wanted him to go home so I could have a shower and cry.
‘I thought it was me, at first. You know, the first time is never the best, is it? Me and Damien did it again, but I still didn’t like it. He did, though.’ Leah was gently rocking back and forth in her seat, her fingers fiddling with the zip on her paper forensic suit. ‘We broke up. Well, teenage romances don’t last longer than a few weeks, do they? At college, I went out with a few more lads but I didn’t like it with them either. I always tried to avoid it, if possible, but, well, we all know what men are like when it comes to sex; it’s all they think about, day and night.’
Angela smiled and nodded in agreement. Aaron looked uncomfortable as he adjusted himself in his seat.
‘What about your sex life with Oliver?’ Angela asked.
‘I genuinely fell in love with Oliver the second I saw him,’ she said with a hint of a smile on her face. ‘I’d never felt like that before with anyone. I decided to be honest with him. I told him I wasn’t a fan of sex, that I didn’t really like it. He said it was fine. We cuddled, kissed, and spent nights holding each other. It was lovely. It was what I wanted. I couldn’t believe I’d found someone who was happy with the way I am. Now I know why.’
The room fell silent. Throughout her telling, Leah seemed to have calmed down slightly. Her breathing was back to normal and she didn’t have the steely, deranged look in her eye.
‘I’m sorry,’ she eventually said, turning to Aaron. ‘I shouldn’t have come here saying what I did. Oliver didn’t try to rape me and I don’t think he arranged for my family to be murdered. I was just so angry when I caught him. Will I be charged with wasting police time? I don’t mind. You can send me to prison if you like.’
‘I don’t think it will come to that,’ Angela said.
‘This is a fucking mess,’ Matilda said waiting impatiently for the kettle to boil in the HMET suite.
Aaron had filled her in on the interview with Leah. ‘I know. She was just in such a state finding her husband last night, she didn’t know what she was saying. I asked her where she’d stayed overnight and she couldn’t remember. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t just parked up somewhere and nodded off.’
‘OK,’ Matilda said, spooning three heaped teaspoons of coffee into her mug. ‘With everything going on in her life at the moment, I suppose we should expect someone with mental health problems to act out a bit. Don’t charge her with anything and release Oliver without charges too.’
‘Will do.’ Aaron smiled.
‘Hang on,’ Matilda called him back. ‘I still don’t like Oliver. Just because she’s retracting her statement doesn’t mean he’s innocent. He may have the perfect alibi but that doesn’t mean he’s not involved somehow. I still want him tailed.’
Aaron walked away, and Matilda added a fourth spoonful of coffee to her mug. If Oliver was innocent of the murders, she would have to work on Scott to convince him to press charges for his assault. There was no way she was going to let Oliver get away with anything.
Chapter Fifty
By the time Sian arrived at the mortuary, it was lunchtime. Lucy and Adele were in the pathologist’s office having a sandwich, cup of tea and a chat. Sian walked tentatively through the post-mortem suite. She had attended many autopsies in her career, and although there were never any bodies left on display, she hated her eye wandering and picking up anything she’d rather not see. Gaze fixed firmly on the office in the corner of the room, she headed for it holding her breath and didn’t breathe out until she was safely inside with the door closed.
‘You didn’t have to come down, Sian, I could have emailed you,’ Adele said, putting her tuna sandwich back in its box.
‘That’s OK. I needed to get out of the station. Between there and home I see very little daylight.’
‘I know that feeling.’
‘How are you doing, Lucy?’ Sian asked.
Lucy flicked back her hair. ‘I’m OK now, thanks. I think I was slightly overwhelmed.’
‘We all were. I don’t think any of us is going to forget this case in a while.’
Adele noticed Lucy’s face whiten. ‘How’s Kesinka? No lasting damage?’
‘No. She’s resting at home. She’s back at work on Monday. Not that Ranjeet is too happy about that.’
‘I like Ranjeet. He’s gorgeous,’ Lucy said. She blushed when she realized she’d said it out loud.
‘Oh, who doesn’t,’ Sian agreed. ‘He’s stunning. Soft skin and that black shiny hair.’ She shuddered. ‘I shouldn’t really. I’m old enough to be his mother.’
‘Not to mention the fact you’re married,’ Adele said with a smile.
‘A woman can look as long as she doesn’t touch.’
‘Would you let your Stuart ogle other women?’
‘He doesn’t need to. I’m all the woman he needs.’ She grinned.
‘Right then, Sian,’ Adele began, wiping her hands on a piece of kitchen towel and logging on to her computer, ‘I’ve looked up the cases you’re interested in and I can tell you there was nothing murderous about their deaths.’
‘All accidental then?’
‘Well, as you know, there are no such things as accidents, but there was nothing done deliberately that caused the deaths. They were merely unfortunate occurrences.’
‘Could they have been avoided?’
‘Absolutely,’ Adele said without hesitating. ‘Although, in the case of Margo Sanders, I’m surprised the surgeon went ahead with the operation. She was incredibly frail. If it hadn’t been for a reaction with her medication and the anaesthetic, she might not have survived the surgery anyway. We’ll never know.’
‘What about the other two?’
‘Martin Walken died of a coronary artery atheroma. That’s a collection of fat in the blood vessels. The physiological stress of being anaesthetized was too much for his heart to cope with.’
‘And the child?’
Adele pulled up the file and let out a deep sigh. ‘This is a much trickier case. She had a large tumour on her brain. It is highly likely that it would have killed her within weeks or months. The surgery was a last-ditch attempt to remove some of the tumour to make her as comfortable as possible
. However, the ET tube – the tracheal tube – stimulated the vagus nerve which caused her to suffer a massive seizure. Personally, I don’t think she should have been operated on. It was a huge risk.’
Sian looked bewildered by the medical terminology. ‘OK. So, who’s to blame here?’
‘Take your pick. Maybe the tumour wasn’t spotted early enough; maybe her parents ignored the child’s symptoms; maybe the tracheal tube was inserted incorrectly.’
‘But none of these three was killed deliberately?’
‘Murdered? No.’
‘No. I don’t mean murder. I mean … actually, I don’t know what I mean.’
‘Do you mean were they killed through negligence that could have been easily avoided if someone was doing their job correctly?’ Lucy chimed up.
They both turned to look at her.
‘Yes,’ Sian said.
Adele thought for a while. ‘Possibly. Although, in the case of the little girl, most definitely. They shouldn’t have been operating on her. Not with a tumour that aggressive.’
‘Would the parents have known this?’
‘They would have been informed of the risks. If you’re looking for a motive for murder, you’re not going to find one here. I’ll admit, on paper, it does seem that Clive Mercer was incompetent in the way he was brought before the GMC on three occasions in such a short period of time, but surgeons, anaesthetists, doctors, consultants, all the decision makers, they take enormous risks every day. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t. That’s the nature of the job.’
‘Thanks, Adele,’ Sian said, suitably placated.
‘How are you getting on with finding the killer?’ Lucy asked. She was looking down at the floor. It was obvious she wanted to know about the case without trying to spend too much time thinking of the horror of it all.
‘I have absolutely no idea, I’m afraid. This one has us completely in the dark. Anyway, thanks for your help. I’d better be heading back.’
‘Sian, how’s Scott?’ Adele asked, following her out of the office.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t seen him yet today. Why?’
‘I just wondered if he’d recovered from last night.’
