When a Killer Strikes, page 6
Ned gave Vicky a nod of the head. ‘I’m not a complete numpty.’
‘That’s debatable,’ she said as she walked in to see Elliot Black sat back in a chair opposite a uniform constable who had escorted him from the front desk. The tiredness that came with lack of sleep showed on Elliot Black’s face and he seemed so absorbed in his own thoughts that he appeared oblivious to the detectives’ entrance until they sat down and spoke directly to him. Although his red, dark-circled eyes were open, he looked haunted.
‘We’d just like to clarify your account with regard to your finding of Patti’s body,’ said Ned.
The only movement he made was his eyes which wandered slowly from one detective’s face to the other. Not again, they said.
‘It’s routine, Mr Black. Witnesses have been known to remember something they didn’t mention when they were spoken to initially, hence us going over things again,’ said Vicky.
His response was laboured. He sighed several times before answering as if he was building up energy to speak. ‘It’s being going around and around my mind all night.’ He stopped, and before he began again his eyes found the wall between the detectives and he focused on it, as if seeing it played out before him. ‘I cycled home. I put my bike at the back of the house, so I didn’t have to lock it up. I used the front door, headed straight up the steps, because I knew my mobile phone charger was on my bedside table, and when I got to the top of the steps, she was just… there!’ His eyes widened and he looked directly at Vicky. ‘I don’t know what I thought. She was so young, so beautiful.’ Tears spilled onto his cheeks, unchecked as he spoke. ‘I felt dizzy, I felt sick… I was sick. I ran to the bedroom, to the nearest phone, I had to pass her… The sight of the blood and her eyes, her staring eyes… that will stay with me all the days of my life.’
‘What happened then?’
‘I sat down on the bed. I dialled 999. The man asked me all sorts of questions. I don’t even know what I said. I felt helpless, useless. There was absolutely nothing I could do for her.’
‘Is there anything else you remember?’ asked Vicky.
Mr Black shook his head a lot slower this time.
‘Did you notice anyone else on your approach to the house?’
There was a spark. He tilted his head and moved to the edge of his seat. ‘Come to think of it, yes, yes I did. There were a couple of young lads, a few hundred yards from the house. They had green bags over their shoulders, and leaflets in their hands. They were larking around. One pushed the other onto the road.’
‘And did you have a leaflet through your letterbox?’ asked Vicky.
Elliot looked puzzled. ‘No, no, I don’t think we had, had we? You probably know better than me – all our post was taken by your officers.’
The officers continued to get background information from Elliot Black and slowly but surely he appeared to relax in their company and open up. He confirmed to them that he had moved in with Sandra Heinz when Patti was eleven, almost four years previously. However, he didn’t volunteer his previous involvement with the police.
Vicky dropped it on his toes. ‘We have records that some years ago you were cautioned for theft. Is that right?’
‘I wondered when you were going to come round to that.’ His lip turned up at one corner and he looked down at this hands that were clasped in front of him. ‘It was a just a prank.’
‘What did you steal?’
Elliot Black’s colour returned to his face in all its glory. ‘Look, it was just a stupid… It was a dare that backfired on me. It didn’t go to court. I got a caution.’ He appeared agitated but, in a curious kind of half-pleasurable way.
The detectives paused.
‘Why are we talking about that? You should be searching for Patti’s killer.’
‘We can assure you, Elliot, we are. But we have to be thorough in our approach. I’m sure you understand that?’
Grudgingly it seemed, he did, nodding his head in agreement.
‘What age would you be when the crime was committed, thirty-one?’
Again he nodded.
‘Tell us. What did you steal?’
‘You know what I stole. I stole some knickers off a washing line.’ Elliot’s shoulder’s rose and fell. He lifted his hands towards the ceiling. ‘For Christ’s sake, I told you it was a bloody prank.’
‘Does Sandra know?’ said Ned.
He gave the detective a sideways glance. ‘Does Sandra know what?’
‘You have a police caution for stealing knickers off a washing line?’
Elliot shook his bowed head. ‘No,’ he said in all but a whisper.
Vicky put her hand on top of the paperwork that sat upon the table in between them. ‘Okay, we’ve got your clothing and footwear you were wearing at the time you found Patti’s body. But we also need a DNA sample from you and your fingerprints, for elimination purposes.’
Elliot’s mobile phone vibrated in his shirt pocket. Swiftly he retrieved it and read the type on the screen. ‘It’s Sandra. I’m sorry,’ he said, looking up. ‘I have to go.’ He stood, whipped his coat from the back of his chair and headed for the door. Vicky followed him. ‘Journalists,’ he said, as he hurried to the main entrance, ‘they’ve found out where we’re staying and won’t leave.’
‘We’ll postpone until tomorrow,’ said Vicky. ‘You go.’
‘Tomorrow? I’m telling you it’s a waste of flaming time. Yours and mine.’
‘Nevertheless we need a sample from you. And we’ll get one, one way or another.’
Vicky opened the door and he was gone in an instant.
Vicky joined Ned and they sat back in their chairs looking at each other in silence. Vicky’s bottom lip was out. ‘Well, what do you think?’
‘I’m thinking would you expect your bloke to tell you if he had a caution for thieving knickers off, of a washing line?’
Vicky nodded. ‘Why not, if it was a prank, like he says?’
‘Yeah, I thought so.’
Vicky gathered the paperwork together, picked it up and cradled it in her arms. ‘Dig into the theft he got cautioned for, will you?’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘In fact, ring the station and speak to the bobbies there, see what they say. He might have sidestepped the DNA sample and fingerprint taking for a reason. In the meantime, I’ll give Jaene a ring, she should be with Sandra.’
The house-to-house team were making good progress although the list for callbacks was getting longer by the minute.
Dylan was looking forward to the debrief. There would be a vast amount of information to be shared, and it was his job to decide what needed following up as a priority. He needed to be alert.
He took a moment to text Jen. ‘Missing you. Next briefing is at six. Don’t wait for me to eat. X’
Directly there was a response. ‘Have you a minute? I could do with a quick chat. I’m on the way back from the seeing the house… I love it! You need to see it asap. x’
‘Sorry, you know what it’s like when a job breaks. I’m meeting myself coming back. Talk later. x’
* * *
The briefing room was packed, leaving quite a few people standing. The audience fell silent as Dylan and Vicky walked in and took up their position at the front to face the crowd.
‘Initially we will be working twelve-hour shifts,’ Dylan said. A rumble of approval travelled like a wave across the room. ‘If anyone has an appointment or pre-planned event they need to attend, I am not asking you to cancel it, but I am asking you to make your respective Sergeant aware.’
‘Who the hell is going to turn down overtime?’ whispered Vicky out of the corner of her mouth, as the volume of the conversation in the room escalated and they sat on the chairs provided. ‘I’m planning on a new car out of this one.’
‘Ladies and gents. Please. We have a lot to get through. Please speak out if you have something to say, remember we work as a team on my shout.’ Dylan opened the top button of his shirt and loosed his tie. ‘We’ll go clockwise around the room.’ Dylan pointed at Sergeant Duke. ‘So do you want to kick us off, Nev? For everyone’s benefit DS Duke took a team to Patti’s school, St Martin’s, today.’
Nev, always the gent, was already standing. ‘To summarise, boss, Patti appears to be well thought of by staff and pupils alike. There are no incidents to report and Mrs Jennifer Van-Cliffe highlighted those pupils that she spent time with. Her best friends are Debbie Francis and Gail Carpenter. We managed a brief word with them both in the presence of the head teacher and they will be the subject of a home visit this evening so we can speak to them in the presence of their parents.’
‘Did either of them give you any reason to be concerned?’
‘Gail told us that Patti enjoyed teasing her mum’s partner. She didn’t go into it any further but that is something we’ll pursue this evening.’
Dylan nodded.
‘We were also told that Patti was the gym teacher’s pet. He’s Gary Bale, 28 years old, not available for us to speak to today as he was away at a conference in London. Early days as yet.’
‘Thanks. So, moving on.’
‘Sergeant Clegg, sir, Operational Police Support Unit. We were tasked with the house-to-house and pleased to say we’ve had approximately sixty per cent success rate. My team is back tonight on the callbacks. Everyone on the avenue appears to have known Patti, or at the very least knows about her, mainly due to the media attention surrounding her gymnastics. Saying that, sadly we haven’t yet found anyone who saw her the day she died. One thing I was made aware of is that the property opposite Colonial House has a telescope visible at the bedroom window. She may have had an admirer.’
‘That address is being visited this evening, I presume?’
‘It is, sir, yes.’
Dylan made a note in his notebook. ‘Let me know what transpires.’
‘Did anyone happen to mention seeing a couple of individuals doing a leaflet drop?’ asked Vicky.
‘Yes, a couple, but no one remembers seeing them yesterday. We were however handed a window cleaning enterprise leaflet that had been posted into a neighbouring property previously. And I’ve fed that information into the system,’ said Simon.
‘Patti’s mum’s partner, Elliot Black, tells us he saw two lads doing a leaflet drop on his way home. We’ll check with Sandra and Elliot to find out if they have a window cleaner and likewise any other callers at the house will be traced and seen as a priority.’
‘DC Wormald, you were tracking down her coach, any joy?’ asked Dylan.
‘On his way home from London today, sir, apparently at the same conference as her gym teacher. His name is Malcolm Parks, he’s thirty years of age and I’ve arranged for him to come in to see me tomorrow. I’m also going to the sports centre where she trains straight after this briefing.’
‘Our FLO, as you are probably aware, is Jaene Booth.’ Dylan nodded in the direction of Jaene who lifted her arm to identify her presence to him and the others.
‘We are in possession of Patti’s mobile phone and her laptop. The information that these two devices hold, I am hoping, will give us more information about her contacts and lifestyle to open up new lines of enquiry,’ said Dylan.
‘DC Granger and myself have had an initial interview with Elliot Black, in which he was consistent with the first account he gave to us,’ said Vicky. ‘However, since yesterday it has come to our attention that he has a caution for the theft of knickers from washing lines, and he wasn’t forthcoming with this information until he was asked about it. When asked, he didn’t deny it, instead said it was a prank. His wife is unaware.’
The few people in the room that weren’t already hanging on Vicky’s every word, now were.
‘Eight pairs of knickers, from three different washing lines, were taken by Mr Black over a period of a week. This is his only previous conviction but there were three separate victims of crime. According to the local police there were also allegations of him being a peeping tom, but we had no evidence to support the claims.’
‘Have we now got his DNA?’ asked DS Rajinder Uppal.
‘We have an appointment to take it tomorrow.’
Raj, the older and more experience detective sergeant frowned.
‘He got a telephone call from his wife, who was at home. Apparently, and Jaene can confirm this, Sandra was asking for him to return. She was upset.’
Jaene nodded.
‘So, he’s a knicker nicker,’ muttered DC Ned Granger, which triggered off a certain amount of tittering.
‘What do they have to say about Elliot Black at his place of work?’ said Dylan.
Raj raised her eyebrows. ‘The member of staff who was working with him at the time said he’d told her he was nipping home, but not what for. She tells us that she considered him to be a good boss. He’s firm but fair, although he has gained the nickname of Randy.’
DC Andy Wormald confirmed. ‘Flirts constantly with the female customers, especially young girls and apparently he’s forever making suggestive remarks to the staff. But, what they were quick to point out is that he was all talk.’
‘A bit like you, Ned old boy,’ said Vicky, with an elbow in DC Granger’s side.
‘But, seriously,’ she said. ‘It’s another day gone…’
Chapter Five
‘So, can I make an appointment to view the house again with you later today, yes?’ Jen asked excitedly. When no answer was forthcoming, she turned away from the sink, tea towel in hand, and proceeded to dry the utensils, watching Dylan at the dining table drain his coffee cup as he checked his mobile phone.
‘I’ve no idea what time I’ll get finished,’ he said eventually, without looking up. He stood, smiled at Jen, put his cup on the draining board next to her, kissed her cheek and reached out to grab his suit jacket he’d hung on the cereal cupboard doorknob.
‘So when then?’ Jen noisily threw the kitchen utensils in the drawer one by one. ‘Tell me, have you even looked at the details of the property?’
Dylan looked sheepish. ‘Course.’
Her eyes darted down the hallway to see the brown A4 envelope which contained the information about Station House still in the same position she’d left it.
‘Really?’ Her eyebrows remained raised for a moment or two. ‘And, what do you think?’
Dylan shrugged his shoulders. ‘If you like it, I like it!’
Jen slammed the kitchen drawer shut with a flick of her hip, and looked into a familiar-face that told her she had lost him, for now, to the murder enquiry.
‘It’s not just any house. I chose this place before we met. I thought this time we were buying a home together?’
He turned quickly from her stare and stumbled as he tripped over Max, who yelped and scuttled under the table. ‘Why on earth do you have to sit there, you daft dog?’ he said, in an agitated voice.
Maisy looked up from the bowl of Weetabix. Her face held a look of concern. Max belly-crawled to lie under Maisy’s swinging legs and made a loud disconcerted moan. The little girl leaned over and stroked his soft, solid, retriever head.
Dylan’s eyes were pained. ‘Look, I’m sorry, love. I have to go.’ He side-stepped Jen to reach Maisy and his lips found her head on which he planted a kiss. His exit was swift and fast but when Jen looked again, the A4 envelope was gone.
Jen sat down next to Maisy and tried to encourage her to finish her breakfast. The room was very quiet, warm, and all of a sudden felt calm. ‘Come on, you, or you’ll be late for school,’ she said eventually with more enthusiasm than she felt. ‘And I’ll be late for work, and then that nasty Avril Summerfield-Preston will have my guts for garters!’ Jen tickled her daughter and she wriggled and chuckled in her arms.
‘She’s like a witch…’ Maisy said pulling her best witch face.
‘She is…’ said Jen with a laugh.
‘Why is daddy grumpy?’ Maisy said as they walked to school.
‘He’s just busy,’ Jen said. ‘And tired.’
‘Catching bad people?’
‘Yes, catching bad people.’
‘I don’t like it when he’s grumpy. It makes me sad,’ said Maisy showing her lip.
‘I know,’ said Jen. ‘Neither do I.’
Maisy looked up at Jen and squeezed her hand. ‘I could come and look at the house with you,’ she said. ‘That’d be fun won’t it?’
Jen’s grin was broad. ‘That sounds like a plan to me!’
* * *
Dylan was keen to hear the update from the previous evening’s enquiries. It transpired that living opposite the scene was a nineteen-year-old male by the name of Stuart Sykes. ‘He fully admitted that the telescope in his bedroom was his, for stargazing he said. The house being slightly elevated means that his bedroom window looks directly into Patti’s, and if she failed to close her curtains… well,’ said Simon Clegg.
‘And what more can you tell me about Sykes?’ said Dylan.
‘He’s unemployed. He told us that he was out walking alone on the day of the murder and couldn’t give us any evidence to corroborate where,’ said Simon.
‘And do we believe him?’
‘He was nervous and vague in the presence of his parents,’ said Simon. ‘He was sweating profusely when we asked him if he could corroborate his location at the time of the murder. So, we’ve invited him into the station to speak to us alone.’
The next update was from those officers who had been to see Patti’s friends.
‘Gail Carpenter told us, in the presence of her mum, that Patti had lots of admirers but was sure she didn’t have a boyfriend. Her older brother had taken Patti’s refusal for a date with him badly – apparently, nobody refuses a date with Mark Carpenter,’ said Vicky.
‘Their nickname for Patti’s stepdad was Eyeball, according to her friend Debbie – because he never took his eyes off her. And, in the presence of her dad, she confirmed a picture of a lad at the swimming club who Patti liked,’ said Ned.
‘Did you take the statements last night?’ said Dylan.
‘No, sir, we thought it best to give them chance overnight, to see if they remembered anything else that might assist us, so we have arranged to get them today.’
