DI Sally Parker Thrillers Box Set, page 26
part #1 of DI Sally Parker Series
Colin mumbled an apology then turned back to gaze out the window again. Jack shrugged at Sally, unsure whether to force the man to take a seat and listen or not.
“Please, take a seat, Mr. Whiting. There are a few questions I’d like to ask you,” Sally ordered.
Colin glanced sharply over his shoulder. “Me? Why do you want to ask me questions?”
“It’s what we do during an investigation, Mr. Whiting—question people. Please take a seat. I don’t particularly like talking to a person’s back.”
He huffed out an impatient breath and reclaimed his seat next to his wife. Sally watched the reaction between the husband and wife for a moment as Mrs. Whiting stroked the back of her husband’s hand, only for him to pull it out of her reach.
“Perhaps you can tell me if Gemma ever confided in either of you?”
“Confided? About what?” Leona asked, her fingers twisting the fabric of her trousers on her thigh.
“Perhaps she intimated that she feared someone. Did she ever say that she felt her life was in danger at all?”
Colin frowned. “No. Is that what you think? That someone has been stalking her?”
“We’re merely trying to build a picture, Colin. So far, your brother and Gemma’s mother have given us a few leads to chase up.”
Colin’s hand touched the right side of his face, then he coughed to clear his throat. “Maybe you could make us all a coffee, darling?” he asked his wife.
She scowled at him, but when she looked at Sally, her scowl quickly vanished. “Excuse my manners, Inspector. My husband’s right; I should’ve offered you a drink. Tea or coffee?”
“We’ll both have a coffee. Milk with one sugar, thank you,” Sally replied, looking at Jack for his approval. He nodded his acceptance.
Leona left the room and closed the living room door behind her. Sally winked at Jack and said to Colin, “Is there a reason you just asked your wife to leave the room, Mr. Whiting?”
His cheeks reddened, and his shaking hand scratched the side of his face before he buried his head in his hands. Sally and Jack glanced at each other, and she gave him a knowing nod. Sally changed seats and sat on the sofa beside Colin. “What is it, Colin? You can tell us,” she urged softly.
His head hung low, and he shook it. “I can’t believe she’s dead.”
“Yes, it’s a tragedy. When was the last time you saw Gemma?”
“A few weeks ago.”
“At the family barbecue?” Sally enquired.
His eyes narrowed when he looked her way, and his hands clenched together. “It might have been.”
“Either it was, or it wasn’t, Colin. Which is it?”
“Yes,” he mumbled.
“Right, do you want to tell me what went on that day?”
“Mark and Gemma invited everyone to their place for a family barbecue. We had the usual burgers and hotdogs and a few chicken wings. I can’t remember what drinks were on offer. I stuck to cans of lager, if that helps.”
The glint that had appeared in his eye unnerved Sally. He’s toying with me. I’ll let him play for a second or two, if that’s what he wants. Sally smiled. “Sounds like fun. I love a good barbecue myself, especially in the height of summer. Don’t you, Jack?”
“Can’t beat it, boss. Nothing like a good old family barbecue to while away a Sunday afternoon. Not keen on me doing all the work, though. That’s the only downside to barbecues in my house.”
“Oh, I thought men were usually in their element, tossing bangers around and setting fire to the burgers. How about you, Colin?”
He shrugged and replied, “I don’t go in for all that cooking lark myself, with or without a barbecue to hand.”
Sally inclined her head. “But you’re a baker, aren’t you?”
“Precisely. I cook for a living. I don’t intend partaking in it during my leisure time, as well.”
“I see. I suppose I can appreciate your line of thinking there. I always thought men reacted differently when cooking on a barbecue. Maybe you’re the exception…”
“Is there a point you’re trying to make with all this drivel, Inspector?” he asked, expelling an impatient breath.
“Well, what I’m leading up to is this: a little birdie told us this morning that at this very barbecue, you were seen having some kind of confrontation with the deceased. Would you care to enlighten us about that?”
He wrung his hands. “It was a simple misunderstanding; that’s all.”
“About what?” Sally asked.
“Something that happened between us.”
“I’m listening, Colin. We need to know what this is in reference to.”
“Why? So you can add me to your list of suspects? I’m innocent, I tell you.”
“Prove it. Tell me what the confrontation was about that day?” Sally probed.
He fell silent when Leona returned with a tray of drinks. “Is everything okay?” she asked, her eyes firmly set on her husband’s dubious posture when she placed his mug of coffee in front of him on the table.
“Fine. Everything is just dandy. Are there any biscuits in the house, Leona?”
His wife tutted, and after placing the tray of drinks on the table, she wafted out of the room again.
“I’d rather not discuss this in front of her, if you don’t mind.”
“Why? Do you have something to hide? An extramarital relationship perhaps?”
“No,” he snapped. “I’d just rather mine and Gemma’s relationship remained private.”
“Ah, but I’d rather it was out in the open, Colin. If you had a relationship with the victim that we should be aware of, then you need to be honest with us. Of course, if you’d rather we interviewed you down at the station, that’s fine by me.”
“Jesus, you’re like a bloody Rottweiler with a bone.”
“That’s true. The sooner you realise that, the better. Now what is it to be?” Sally glanced at the door when she heard Mrs. Whiting’s footsteps in the hallway.
“I’ll come down the station. If Leona found out about this, she would take a knife to my knackers.”
“Nice phraseology, Mr. Whiting. Shall we make arrangements for you to pay a visit to the station tomorrow then?”
“No, it’ll have to be sometime next week.”
Sally shook her head. “It’s either tomorrow or here and now. I have a murder investigation to conduct, with a murderer out there on the loose. I’d call that an urgent matter, wouldn’t you?”
Leona entered the room again, holding a plate of biscuits.
As Sally stood up with the intention of returning to her original seat to make room for Leona, Colin whispered, “Four o’clock, tomorrow.”
Once seated again, Sally nodded at Colin, accepting the time he’d suggested, and continued asking general questions about the family. “Maybe you can tell us what Gemma and Mark’s relationship was like?”
Leona picked up her mug and settled it between her hands. “They have their ups and downs, like we all do, I suppose. That’s right, love, isn’t it?” she asked her husband.
“More downs than ups in their case, I suspect, Leona—unlike us, of course.”
Sally wondered if he was trying to deliberately cast aspersions in his brother’s direction. “Thanks, we’ll note that down. When you say more downs than ups, are you telling me that in your eyes their marriage was in trouble?”
Leona gasped. “No. I wouldn’t put it as clear-cut as that, Inspector.”
“What about you, Colin? I’d love to hear your perceptions of your brother’s marriage. Care to divulge what you feel about it?” Sally asked, smiling.
“They love each other. Mark would do anything to ensure Gemma was happy. Yes, they had the odd spat, but I never once felt their marriage was problematic. What did Gemma’s mum say about it?”
“That’s between me and her. I don’t usually pass personal information around like that, sorry. That’s why we insist on questioning as many people as we can in cases such as this. If nothing else, it helps us to form a picture, sometimes a multi-faceted picture, of events leading up to a victim’s demise.”
“I understand that, Inspector, but surely no one in this family would ever dream of hurting Gemma. She is… I mean she was such a kind person and loved by a lot of people.” Leona took a sip from her mug.
“That’s often the case, Leona. It seems most of the cases that cross my desk are accredited to people of a nice disposition. I’d say it comes out at a seventy-five to a twenty-five percent ratio.”
“Really? That does surprise me. Can you tell us how Gemma was killed? Sorry, if you’ve already discussed it while I was out of the room.”
The woman’s obvious question heightened Sally’s suspicions towards Colin. Why hadn’t he asked the same question in his wife’s absence? Sally’s focus remained on Colin when she answered his wife, “I’d rather not go into specific details right now, as the cause of death is yet to be determined by the pathologist, who is performing the post-mortem today.”
“I see. Does she have to have one of those?” Leona shuddered, almost spilling the contents of her mug in the process.
“It’s procedure. A post-mortem is a vital part of the puzzle in building a case against an assailant. You’d be surprised the clues we can pick up from examining a corpse. Most pathologists call the victims ‘silent witnesses’ for that very reason. We should know more by tomorrow—that’s when our investigation will truly begin. For now, we’ll go about making general enquiries, asking friends and relatives of the deceased if they know of any recent arguments or falling-outs the victim might have had with anyone.”
Leona looked thoughtful for a moment or two. “I see. I can’t really tell you if Gemma had fallen out with anyone lately. I wasn’t that close to her, not like Colin. I suppose working odd shifts gave Colin the chance to pop over there for a chat, more than I managed anyway.”
Colin stared at his wife aghast. “Hardly, love.”
“Oh, come on. Lately I know you’ve been working a lot of overtime, but you used to pop over there quite often. He loves playing with Samantha, you see. We haven’t been blessed with children of our own.” She held her mug with one hand and reached out her other hand to touch her husband’s. “We’re going through fertility treatment now.”
Colin’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling. “Yes, love. That’s in its infancy, Inspector. We have a long way to go before they enrol us on the scheme. Plus, there’s the matter of trying to find the money to fund all the treatment, of course. Five grand is a lot of dosh for an ordinary couple like us to stumble across.”
“I understand. Have you been trying for a baby long?”
Leona’s eyes moistened. “About three years now. They’re not sure what the problem is, but Colin working different shifts to me could be the cause of it. At least that’s what the doctor seems to be suggesting.”
Colin patted his wife’s knee. “All right, love. Stop talking about it. You know how upset you get when you think about the subject.”
Leona sniffled. “You’re right. I’m sure we’ll get our own little one soon enough.”
Sally studied Colin. The caring way he patted his wife’s knee was a vast comparison to the way he’d been moments earlier when he was alone with her and Jack. The man was a real Jekyll-and-Hyde character if ever she saw one.
“I hope that works out for you both soon, Leona. Okay, I think we have enough to be going on with for now. Mr. Whiting, would you mind showing us out?”
Colin walked ahead of Sally and Jack and opened the front door. He looked over his shoulder before he spoke, “I’ll drop by the station tomorrow then.”
“Four o’clock. I’ll be in reception, awaiting your arrival with anticipation, Colin. Can’t wait to hear what secrets you have to unveil.”
He shrugged. “It’s nothing major, I can assure you. But then, if it gets me off your hit list of suspects, then it’ll be worth the inconvenience of coming to the station.”
“I’ll see you at four tomorrow. Look after your wife, Colin. I think she’s suffering more than she is letting on about her infertility, by the looks of things.”
“Don’t worry, Inspector. I’m well aware of how fragile my wife is.” With that, he shut the door, putting an end to the conversation.
“Little shit!” Jack mumbled.
They hopped in the car and headed back to the station. “What was your impression of him, Jack?”
“If you must know, it was mixed.”
“Care to clarify that?”
“Well, one minute, I would have loved to bop him one on the nose, but then right at the end, when the couple were discussing their infertility, I felt like throwing a consoling arm around each of them. That must be hard, mustn’t it?”
“Wanting a baby so much that you go down the fertility route?”
“Yeah. What a comparison to Teresa, eh? Apparently, she got pregnant the first time she had sex. What are the odds of that happening?” he complained.
“Quite high, actually, if I recall a magazine article I read last year about the subject. Not that it was of any interest to me of course.” Sally wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never seen the attraction to cleaning up after a baby twenty-four-seven.”
Jack laughed. “You wouldn’t object to doing that to a puppy, of course, would you now?”
Her eyes left the traffic for a second as she turned to wink at him. “You know me so well. They don’t bawl their eyes out, either.”
“True enough. Hey, what do you think his big secret is?”
“I have no idea. I’m leaning towards him announcing that he and Gemma had some sort of affair or secretive friendship going on, that neither of them wanted to disclose to the rest of the family. Roll on tomorrow, if only to discount him from our enquiries. Shifty bugger all the same.”
“There’s something about him that didn’t sit well with me. That’s for sure,” Jack said, nodding.
“Let’s hope the others have found out more from Gemma’s friends about what went on last night than we have.”
“Me, too. Because as it stands, we’ve got very little to go on so far,” Jack agreed.
CHAPTER SIX
There was a buzz in the incident room atmosphere when Sally and Jack returned.
“What’s going on, Joanna?” Sally asked, perching her backside on the desk nearest the detective constable.
“Well, we questioned a few of Gemma’s friends—not all, as one of them is away with her work. Anyway, it would appear that Gemma acquired a new admirer at the pub last night.”
Sally raised an inquisitive eyebrow and leaned forward. “Tell me more. As in someone was pestering her?”
“That’s not how it was coming across to me, boss.”
“Hmm… that’s going to certainly be worth chasing up, all the same. How many of the women did you get around to questioning, Joanna?”
“Only two out of the three, boss. One lady in particular was keen to help.”
“Okay, make it a priority to track down the last one tomorrow. What’s the name of the lady who gave you the information? What did she say exactly?”
Sally glanced up at the clock on the wall, aware that she was asking her team to work overtime. However, none of her colleagues appeared to notice the time and went about their duties while Joanna filled her in. “Miss Audrey James said that a man was standing at the bar, eyeing up Gemma. She said she felt Gemma made up an excuse about the pub being stuffy and that she needed to get some fresh air and went outside for a while. She noticed the man leave the bar and follow her friend out of the pub.”
“I see. I don’t suppose she was that intrigued to find out what they got up to outside. The body language between the two, if they met up, that is?”
“No. She was distraught when she found out about Gemma, full of self-recriminations. She said the conversation was far too interesting amongst the group, and she didn’t even think to go after Gemma to see if she was okay.”
“How long was Gemma missing? Could she tell you that?” Sally asked, disappointed.
“She guessed it was around ten minutes.”
“Okay, what was the name of the pub again? I’ll give them a call, see if they’ve got any CCTV cameras.”
“The Red Lion at Cringleford.”
“Okay, that’s close to my parents’ home. I could drop by instead on my way over there this evening,” Sally replied, sitting upright and rubbing at her chin.
“Other than that, neither of the friends could really tell us much. They were both shocked by the news of Gemma’s death. I left a card and asked them to contact us if they think of anything else concerning last night’s events, or if they can recall any strange incidents that have taken place in Gemma’s life recently, that she confided in them.”
“Great job.” Sally clapped her hands to gain the team’s attention. “Okay, we’ve all done really well today. Let’s go home, get some rest, and start afresh in the morning at eight. All right, everyone?”
The team switched off their computers. Sally watched her colleagues file out of the incident room then dipped into her office to make a call.
“Hi, Mum. Is it okay if I visit this evening?”
“You know it is, sweetheart. You must’ve known we’d have plenty of dinner spare this evening. How does lasagne and salad sound?”
“Perfect. Just shove mine in the microwave, Mum. I’ve got a quick call to make en route. I should be with you around seven to seven thirty.”
Her mother chuckled. “Impossible with a salad, but I get what you mean, dear. Drive carefully, love.”
Sally hung up and smiled at Jack, who was leaning against the doorframe. “She still thinks I’m a bloody child. Last words she said were ‘Drive carefully’.”
“I guess all mothers are the same, especially when they’re related to coppers.”
“I suppose so. What are you still doing here? I thought you would’ve left with the others by now.”
Jack shrugged. “Thought I could tag along to the pub with you.”
Sally frowned. “I’m not going there to sample their finest liquid refreshments, Jack. It’s work related. It’ll be a straight in-and-out job.”
