Dying Breath, page 8
part #5 of DI Kayli Bright Series
“I’m sorry. At this moment in time, there is very little doubt in my mind that this is a murder enquiry. I understand what you must be going through, but it’s really important for us to ascertain if Jess had any people with any gripes against her. Wes wasn’t very forthcoming when we visited him, so anything you can give us at this time will help the investigation.”
“I’ll do my best, if you’re willing to give me some time to push past the grief.”
“Take all the time you need. Sorry to keep harping on about their marriage, but I’m wondering if Jess ever voiced any concerns regarding it. Did she ever have any doubts about it or Wes?”
Amelia sniffled and shook her head. “No. At least I can’t think of any time she regretted her decision to marry Wes so quickly. As far as I know, they loved each other very much.”
“What about before Wes came on the scene? Jess was a very attractive lady. She must have had other boyfriends.”
“Oh, she did. The list would be endless, and I’m not sure I could name all of them now, not after all this time.”
Kayli smiled. “Sorry to pressure you, but would you try?”
She fell quiet for a few moments, narrowing her eyes as she thought. “She went out with a guy for a couple of years before she met Wes. He was called Stuart Collins. Immediately before that, I think she went out with a Bruce Dyer. I’m sorry, but I don’t have their addresses or anything else that will help. I’m hoping that I’ve remembered their names properly.”
“We’ll do some digging, so don’t worry. What about ex-girlfriends Jess might have fallen out with? Or am I barking up the wrong tree there?”
Her eyes narrowed again. “Actually… Jess used to be best friends with a woman named Deanne Mitchell, but their relationship turned nasty when Deanne had a miscarriage. She was depressed a lot of the time. Jess used to go round there frequently to ensure she was all right. I seem to remember that one day Deanne had nipped out to the supermarket, and when she came home, she found Jess in the lounge talking to her boyfriend. Deanne flew off the handle and accused them of having an affair. Jess was gobsmacked by the way Deanne treated her. She walked out of there with scratches all over her face and arms. She told me that Deanne just lost it. Even kicked her boyfriend out of the house that very day.”
“Did Jess ever get in contact with this Deanne again?”
“I don’t think so. Deanne made herself perfectly clear that she wanted nothing more to do with either of them, which suited Jess.”
Kayli tilted her head. “So you never really got to the bottom of why Deanne lost it with Jess?”
“Not really. Although Jess seemed to think it was hormone related—you know, Deanne losing the baby like that. I just think the woman used the incident as an excuse to kick her boyfriend out.”
“Are you saying that you think they weren’t getting along?”
“I don’t know the ins and outs, but I think the pregnancy was unexpected, and the boyfriend wasn’t too impressed when he heard the news. I think it put a lot of strain on their relationship. There was no reason for Deanne to take it out on Jess the way she did, though. That was just spiteful.”
“So Jess steered clear of this Deanne after that happened?”
Amelia appeared to mull the question over again before she answered, “I believe so. My sister was a lot like me in that respect—once someone does something as obscure as striking out then there really is no way back.”
“Do you have an address for Deanne? Sorry, when did this incident take place? Can you remember?”
She shrugged. “At least a couple of years ago. Sorry, no idea what her address is or was. I was appalled by her behaviour. I even urged Jess to contact the police about the incident. The woman assaulted her, for goodness’ sake, but Jess wouldn’t do it. She told me she didn’t intend on ever seeing Deanne again so she was willing to let it go.”
“Can you remember what the boyfriend’s name was?”
“Don’t quote me on this, but I think it was Alan. I haven’t got a clue what his surname is.”
“We’ll try and make a connection with him and Deanne back at the station. That’s really helpful. Anyone else?”
“Hang on…yes, I forgot to add Carl Longhurst to the list of ex-boyfriends. Jess mentioned him in passing recently. She told me that she’d seen him in town a few weeks ago. He’d left the country to work in Denmark long before Jessica met Wes. Anyway, she said it was nice to see him after all these years, and they’d had a coffee in town.”
“Is Wes aware of their meeting?”
“I don’t know, to tell you the truth. I thought Jess was going to marry Carl at one point. Maybe that’s why he took off. Perhaps the thought of settling down at such a young age scared the crap out of him.”
“We’ll ask the question if we ever catch up with him. Did Jess work?”
“No, she used to be a PA for a businessman in the city until she fell pregnant. Wes encouraged her to give up work early so that she could look after the baby before Cathy was born and after, which I thought was quite sweet.”
“Why was that so important to Wes, do you think?”
“Because back then, he used to run a nightclub, and he hated the thought of not seeing Jess, what with them working opposite shifts.”
Kayli nodded, totally understanding. “And Jess was up for that? Sitting at home all day, waiting for the baby to pop out?”
“Yes, it wasn’t for long anyway as Wes decided to jack the nightclub life in and tried to find a job with more suitable hours before the baby came along. That’s when he spotted an ad in the paper of someone selling a steam-cleaning business. He started off with just a steam cleaner. He used to go round to different people’s houses—it proved to be very popular, and he soon diversified after a few months. He began searching for commercial premises where he could offer the full valeting service to his customers. He employed immigrants—not illegal ones as far as I know—and turned a small car-cleaning company into a huge money-spinner.”
“Looking at their house, it’s in a good area and appeared to have undergone some recent renovations.”
“It’s a newbuild. Jess contributed to the house so they could move up the ladder. Our grandmother left a decent sum in her will for each of us. I bought this place. Up until then, I was still living at home with Mum and Dad. Jess decided to put her inheritance towards the new house. Wes was in total agreement with that. He would have been foolish to have turned down the offer.”
“Has Jess always been self-sufficient throughout the marriage?”
“She was always good at saving her money, if that’s what you’re asking? She’s savvy with money in that she doesn’t waste it on frivolous things. I suppose some would even call her tight because she used to write down the meter readings at the end of each month and tot up how much they were spending on the gas and electric.”
“Any reason she did that?”
“None as far as I know. Not sure where she picked up the habit from. Neither Mum nor Dad have ever watched the pennies as closely as she used to. I was quite surprised when she told me how much she was putting in the pot towards the new home.”
“May I ask how much?” Kayli tilted her head.
“Over a hundred grand. She even landscaped the garden. She was delighted with the result and chuffed to bits with the building firm they chose to carry out the work.”
“Do you know which firm she used?”
“Matt Fletcher is the builder’s name, but I can’t tell you the name of the firm. He’s local anyway, so it shouldn’t be that difficult to find him.”
“Excellent news. Thanks for that. How are your parents coping?”
“They’re beside themselves. They’ll be a darn sight worse once they hear that Jess was murdered. I still can’t believe it myself.”
“It must have been a shock to lose her like that. In the hospital, I mean. I’ll need to speak to them in the next few days. I don’t want to disturb them now, though.”
“I’ll let them know. Do you want me to tell them that you’re conducting a murder enquiry?”
“If you think it’ll be better coming from you.”
“I think it will. I’ll nip round there and tell them later.”
“What about Wes’s parents? Are they still alive?”
“His father died a few years ago, liver cancer. However, his mum lives in sheltered housing not far from here.”
“Okay. I think we’ve covered everything now, unless there’s anything else you think we should know.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Perhaps you should leave a card in case I remember anything once you leave and my head is a little clearer.”
“I was about to suggest the same.” Kayli slid a business card across the work surface. “Again, I’m sorry for your loss and for having to break the unsavoury news to you. I want to assure you, though, that we’ll do everything we can to find the person responsible for stripping your sister of her life.”
The three of them left their seats and walked towards the front door. On the way, Kayli’s heart squeezed when she saw a photo on the wall of the two sisters laughing together. Jess, who killed you? What secrets am I about to uncover?
CHAPTER SIX
Kayli was contemplative during the journey back to the station, prompting Dave to ask if she was okay. “I’m fine. Just wondering what we’re going to uncover in this case, if anything. Why would anyone purposefully set out to kill Jess? Did you see the photo of her with her sister? She seemed such a jolly person, so full of life, and yet now, she’s lying in the cold store cabinet at the mortuary, awaiting her funeral. There really doesn’t seem to be any justice in the world when an innocent life such as hers is lost.”
“I’ll second that. What’s your take on what we’ve heard so far? I mean, who is top of your suspect list?”
“I knew what you were getting at. Honestly? I’m torn at the moment. Until we do more digging, I don’t think the pieces will slot into place anytime soon. I don’t want to sit back on this case. I want whoever did this to Jess to be punished sooner rather than later. I’m guessing that person is unhinged in some way.”
“Unhinged?” Dave replied, turning to face her.
“They’d have to be to kill someone as nice as Jess. No one has said a bad word against her yet, right?”
“I suppose.”
“Okay, consider it another way, her death was intentional, premeditated even. It takes an evil mind to carry out something as bad as that. We need to find that person before they repeat the process.”
“I’m with you. But where do we start looking?”
“It’s almost five-thirty now. We’ll see what the others have found while we’ve been out and then call it a day. We’ll recap everything with the others first thing, when our brains are fresher.”
“Knowing you, you’ll be tossing and turning all night, trying to figure it out before we have that discussion.”
She smiled. “You know me so well. Doesn’t a case ever grab you by the throat, Dave?”
“Nope! I’m quite happy sitting back and letting you deal with all the angst. That’s why you’re a DI and I’m a DS.”
“Coward. If ever you feel like changing your mind about that, I’d willingly put your name forward for promotion.”
“Ha! And there was me thinking you enjoyed working alongside me.”
Kayli tutted. “Don’t twist my bloody words. That’s not what I was saying, and you damn well know it.” She thumped him in the thigh then parked in the station car park.
“I know. You’d miss my startling wit and amazing powers of deduction.”
Kayli stared at him, her mouth hanging open.
“God, I never knew you had so many fillings,” he said, tearing open the door and scrambling out of the car before she clouted him.
Kayli leaned over and pointed. “I’ll get you for that.”
They walked through the reception area together, past several young men slouching in the chairs along one side of the room. Kayli motioned with her head towards the men and mouthed to the desk sergeant if everything was okay. Ray nodded. Kayli and Dave continued up the stairs to the incident room and found DCI Davis waiting at the top of the stairs.
“Ah, just the person I wanted to see. Do you have a moment, Inspector?”
“I do. You go ahead, Dave. I’ll catch up with you.”
Dave smiled and nodded then he disappeared into the incident room.
“Anything wrong, ma’am?” Kayli asked, an uneasy feeling niggling at her stomach.
“No. Why do you always act as though you’ve done something wrong? All I wanted to ask was how the case is going. My take is it’ll be a tricky one, I bet.”
“I can neither deny or confirm that. It’s just too early, ma’am. I think we have a strong list of suspects to trawl through in the morning before the investigation begins in earnest. Sad that Jess lost her life so young. She was well-liked by everyone we’ve interviewed so far.”
“And what about the husband? Is he in the frame for this, Kayli?”
“I’m not confident either way after dealing with him today. His actions to date have been questionable. That could be down to his grief or something more sinister being afoot. I’ve decided to hold back any suspicions attempting to rear their head in his direction for now.”
“I’ll leave it in your capable hands. Give me a shout if you need to run anything past me.”
“I will, ma’am. I’ll be calling it a day soon.”
“Me, too. Any plans for this evening?”
“I’ll take some paperwork home with me to keep me company as Mark starts work at eight.”
She patted Kayli on the arm and offered her a sympathetic smile. “That must be tough to deal with.”
“I get waves of thinking it’s okay and others where all I want to do is snuggle up with him and forget the world we live in. I could do with a snuggle after the day I’ve had, but it ain’t gonna happen, and we’ve got to deal with it.”
“Surely there has to be a more suitable job out there for him to consider?”
“We appear to spend most of our time together scouring the situations vacant in the local newspaper. Nothing jumps out, though. He loves the job. It’s the time apart we’re both struggling with.” Trying to remain upbeat about a situation she was eager to alter, she added, “I’m sure things will get better soon.”
“I hope things work out for you both. Not an ideal situation to find yourselves in given that you’re newlyweds. Enjoy your evening. Don’t work too hard.”
“Thanks. You, too, ma’am.” Kayli watched the DCI walk down the stairs then turned to enter the incident room. She found Dave sitting at his desk, leaning back with his hands on his head, while Donna filled him in on what was written in her notes. “Hey, wait for me. What have you found out, Donna?”
“Sorry, boss. Dave was getting antsy with me, impatient bugger.”
“You don’t have to tell me what he’s like. I see enough of his bad traits when we’re out and about together.”
“Hey, when you two have quite finished talking about me as if I wasn’t in the room, can we get back to business?”
Kayli chuckled. “Go on then. What have you found out about the owner and the stables, Donna?”
“To be honest, boss, very little.”
“That’s disappointing but also good in the respect that we needn’t waste any extra time investigating that route. So are you telling me that no other accidents along this line have been reported down there?”
“Nothing in our system. Susan Lord has a clean sheet, too.”
“Good. Okay. Dave, did you bring the CCTV discs in?”
“I did. Graeme has agreed to look over them in the morning, if that’s okay?”
Kayli nodded. “I agree. I’ve had enough for one day, let’s start afresh in the morning.”
The team packed up their things and left together.
~ ~ ~
Around thirty minutes later, Kayli walked through the front door of her small semi to the tempting smell of sausages wafting into the lounge from the kitchen. She slipped off her shoes and snuck up behind her husband, who was standing at the stove. He turned around, and they shared a long kiss.
“What’s for dinner, apart from sausages?”
“SPO, as my old nan used to call it. Only in this case, it would be SPOB.”
Kayli laughed and leaned over to see what was going on behind him. Sausages and onions sizzled in a frying pan. Potatoes boiled in one pot whilst baked beans cooked in another. “S is for the sausages. P for the potatoes. O is for onions. Right?”
“Give the girl a gold star! And to bring the dish together, it should always be served with baked beans—at least when I cook it. My old gran would probably turn in her grave if she knew I’d added that to her recipe.”
“I doubt it. She’d be super proud of you for looking after your wife so well.”
He pecked her on the nose then laughed. “That’s the best thing I love about you.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re easily pleased.”
“Hey, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to prepare and cook my meals. It really means a lot. I don’t know many men who would do that for their wives.”
“It’s a partnership, love. If I was still in the army, I doubt I would have the time to tinker in the kitchen. What else am I going to do all day?”
“They broke the mould when you were born. I’m eternally grateful for your input in our marriage.”
“Stop with the mushiness. Are you hungry?”
“You bet. Dave and I were so busy interviewing people today that we missed out on lunch. Damn, he didn’t remind me, either. I owe him an apology in the morning.”
