Sleepwalk (19 page)

‘So Mr Williams. Have you had time to think about it or would you like to go back into your cell and await your murder trial?’

‘Aw come on Detective. You know it wasn’t me. I couldn’t hurt a fly, honest.’

‘Then if it wasn’t you Mr Williams, who was it? We’re on your patch now. You must know everything that goes on under that bridge and if you didn’t do it, you must have seen the person who did.’

Slim was not good at avoiding the truth. Even as the Inspector said it he knew that his face had gone the colour of beetroot and his eyelids had started to flicker. They did that when he was in a corner. His mother had always told him that they did but it wasn’t until after she’d died that he’d realised she was right. He could even feel the nerves twitching at the side of his eyes before they started to go and then, there was nothing he could do to stop them; flicker they would.

‘Ah…….
Now we’ve hit a nerve Mr Williams haven’t we?’ The Inspector put his face very close to Slim’s and laughed out loud, ‘Hit a nerve….. eh? D’you get it?’

Slim had always hated people who laughed at their own jokes, but most of all, he hated people who took the piss out of him and his affliction.

‘I didn’t see it…… didn’t see anything. I wasn’t there all night I told you.’

‘Your little dog Mr Williams……… what’s his name?’

‘Bits.’

‘Bits. Very good. Bits of this and that I suppose?’

‘Yes’

‘The way I see it Mr Williams, this can go one of two ways. You can sit there twitching and deny these allegations and go to trial and we’ll let the jury decide. Of course murder trials are very long drawn out processes Mr Williams. It can take months for a case to come to court; years in fact. By the time you go to trial Mr Williams Bits could well be in bits so to speak. He’ll be off and will have joined the Colonel no doubt. Of course some dogs are lucky and get re-homed within a few days. Tell me Mr Williams….. do you think he’ll be one of the lucky ones?’

Carter walked around Slim as he spoke and then came to rest in front of him. The boy’s eyes were flickering faster than ever and his face was red with anger.
Carter had found his
A
chilles
heel
.

‘Of course there is another option Mr Williams. You can tell me what you know; and you will be free to go. You can pick your dog up as soon as he’s got the ok from our veterinary surgeon; your choice. You know, whoever it is you’re trying to protect for whatever reason, ask yourself this; would they do the same for you?’

When they opened the heavy steel gates to the pound and he saw his little friend cowering in the corner of a huge wire pen, the bulging shadow of a German shepherd dog towering above him in the next pen, daring him to move he looked into his pleading hazel eyes and instantly the dog recognised him and bravely leapt forward barking excitedly, the enormous shadow to his left now a distant blur; and Slim knew he had made the right decision.

The newspaper was open on the coffee table and she was staring at the photograph. She didn’t speak; didn’t move a muscle………. just stared; a blank expression on her face, almost vacant. It was as though Ellie had seen a ghost.

‘Have you been listening to a word I’ve said Ell?’

‘Sorry?’ She closed the paper and folded it in half, then in half again; then she poked it down the side of the sofa until it was hidden from view.

‘.... About our holiday? Did you hear what I said?’

‘No. Sorry. I was miles away.’

‘John and Laura went there last year…… to the same resort. They said it was amazing. They hired a car and went all around the
Island
.’

‘Well, we could do that if you’d like.’

‘Have you driven a car abroad before? I don’t think I’d like to drive on the wrong side of the road.’

‘I can drive Abs. It doesn’t bother me. I drove in
Spain
. It was great fun. I find it easy to adapt.’

‘Well that’s because you’re a natural Ell. You’re a much better driver than me. You could probably do it with your eyes closed............’

Even as she said it Abi shuddered at the irony of her words.

‘What were you looking at………….. in the paper?’

‘What? Oh nothing important.’

‘Just think Ell, next weekend………. only a week to go and then we’ve got two weeks in the sun. God I can’t wait; just the two of us. It’ll be just what we need.’

Ellie smiled at her half-heartedly. ‘I’d better get hold of David then………. See if I can meet him with Ollie on Saturday morning instead of Sunday afternoon. What time’s our flight?’

‘You can’t see Ollie on Saturday. It’s impossible. It’s stupid. We’ll never be ready in time and we’ll end up missing our flight or something………..’

‘I have to see him Abs……….. before we go away. I……… I couldn’t bear it if I didn’t.’

They came to an agreement that they would get packed and ready to leave on Friday night so that Ellie could see her son the following morning and then Ellie phoned David.
But it wasn’t David who answered the phone
………..

‘Hello?’

Ellie didn’t speak straight away. She couldn’t.

‘Hello?’’

‘I want to speak to David.’

‘He’s not home from work yet………. Can I help?’

‘No. It’s David I want to talk to…… not you.’

‘Ok. Well can I give him a message for you?’

‘I don’t think so. I’ll speak to him myself.’

‘Ok. Can I tell him who called? Perhaps get him to call you back?’

‘It’s his wife. I’ll call later.’ Ellie slammed the phone down and went upstairs. Abi watched in amazement from the kitchen door but Ellie hadn’t even noticed; hadn’t even given her a glance and now she could hear her slamming doors and stamping around in the bedroom, then she went quiet. Abi took the newspaper, laid it on the sofa and flicked through it slowly until the page fell open and she saw the photograph. It was David’s girlfriend, Felicity Breen. The same Felicity Breen whom Ellie had just slammed the phone down on after being extremely rude to her.
Felicity Breen; m
anager of
Denton
Fairfax
……….
fi
re at her cottage
………
Saturday night
………. She read the caption over and over and then carefully folded the newspaper and put it back where she’d found it. She leaned back
into
the hardness of the little two seater settee and she didn’t move for some time.

‘We’ve got the girl Guv. They’re just signing her in; could be a while though. She isn’t making much sense.’

‘Oh wonderful. That’s just what I need; an unreliable key witness. Is Coles in yet?’

‘He’s on his way in now Sir.’

‘Have him come and see me. I want to talk to him before I question the girl.’

‘Sir.’ The constable nodded and left the room.

DI Carter was pacing back and forth across the floor in front of his desk. He didn’t like to be kept waiting and he didn’t like to keep people waiting either; and Coles was making him do both. His mind drifted from the Breen case to the Harding case and back. He wondered how many times he would have to cross the office floor before the soles of his
shiny black
station issue s
teel capped
shoes began to wear away; how many paces before he wore out the East Barton constabulary imitation terracotta vinyl floor tiles. The door opened then and a uniformed officer appeared at the corner of his eye but Carter didn’t look up; just carried on pacing back and forth.

‘Sir’

‘Coles’

‘Sorry Sir; had to get changed; got a bit messy down at the river Sir.’

‘Coles?’

‘Yes Sir?’

‘I don’t like to be kept waiting.’

‘No Sir. Sorry Sir.’

‘What did you find today Coles?’

‘Well Sir, we’re still waiting for the test results to come back from the lab on the tyre tracks but; word has it we’re looking for a two door hatch back, possibly an Escort or a Fiesta.’

‘Go on……..’

‘Well Sir, it looks as though the driver may have lost control of the vehicle momentarily. We think the colonel was standing on the river path when the driver probably misjudged the corner and the vehicle careered from the road into the clearing at the rate of approximately 20mph heading for the river. The driver must have braked at the last minute but it was too late and hit the old man killing him outright and knocking him back down the river bank. The car, we think, then reversed back under the cover of the bridge and it’s possible it stayed there for some time. Then, when it left the wasteland, it left slowly. The driver must have had time to think and calm down Sir.’

‘Coles?’

‘Yes Sir?’

‘If you don’t make it as a DC maybe you could become a PI?’

‘Sir?’

‘Until then Coles, I’ll do the thinking; you bring me the facts.’

‘Yes Sir.’

‘Get DC Peters to bring the girl up when she’s ready. That’ll be all.’

‘Yes Sir.’

Carter waited for a few more minutes and then he made his way along the corridor to the interview rooms. The light was on in room two and he went into the observation hall next door and looked through the one way glass. He liked to get a feel for his witness before he interviewed them. The girl was a mess. Her long fair hair was tangled and matted hanging in dreadlocks around her face. She was leaning back in the chair in a tom-boy fashion with one leg raised across the other and was tapping the table with her fingertips impatiently. After a few minutes she stood up and walked over to the window and parted the venetian blinds with her fingers, then realising the glass was reinforced and opaque and she couldn’t break through it or even see through it she made her way back to the chair, resumed her unladylike position and continued to tap her fingers annoyingly against the table top. Carter had seen enough and he left the obs stand and went to join her. He set the tape to record and sat down opposite her.

‘DI Carter.’ He spoke into the tape. ‘Interview with Jonquil Forbes, Sunday June 23
rd
7.45pm
. Present are DI Carter, DC Peters and Jonquil Forbes. Miss Forbes has been offered the right to counsel and for her legal representative to be present but has declined the offer.’ He looked at the girl who had stopped her finger tapping and had leaned back again and swapped her legs one over the other.

‘Miss Forbes. Can you tell us where you were on the evening of Saturday 15
th
June?’

The girl shrugged her shoulders and took a chewing gum from her pocket.

‘For the benefit of the tape Miss Forbes has just shrugged her shoulders.’ She giggled as he said this and then she saw his look of disapproval.

‘Dunno…….. around.’

‘Around where Miss Forbes?’

‘Here and there.’
It was going to be a long session
……………

‘Miss Forbes………. Jonquil; do you mind if I call you that?’ She shrugged again.

‘Jonquil, did you know Colonel Jack Harding?’

Jonquil nodded.

‘And you know that the Colonel was killed, last Saturday night?’

‘Word gets around.’

‘Indeed it does Jonquil. And word has got around about you; about the fact that you saw it happen. In your words Jonquil, ‘It’s the Colonel. He’s dead. I know who did it.’ So; come on Jonquil……… Who did it…… and how?’

The girl shuffled uncomfortably in the chair and hesitated before she spoke.

‘I…… couldn’t be sure. Sometimes I see things. People don’t know I’m there.’

‘What did you see Jonquil?’

‘I……. can’t remember ...…. can I go now?’

‘Tell us what happened and then you can go.’

The girl went quiet then and turned away. Carter did his
count to ten and then count to ten again and if another ten isn’t appropriate rip off their head and spit down their neck
routine. He got to eight on the second count before she finally spoke. Her face was quite pale now and her voice, soft.

‘Where is he?’

‘Who?’

‘Slim……… What have you done with him?’

‘Mr Williams has been helping us with our enquiries. Now, Jonquil…… are you going to tell us what you saw that night?’

‘It wasn’t him……. Slim. You’re wrong if you think that. If I were a flower tangled in thorns he would release me; or a butterfly caught in a web. He would tear down the web and set me free. His heart is pure. Slim is like a rainbow; he watches over us. When the Colonel is hungry he brings him bread. He looks out for him…… looks out for us all. He is the protector. You have to let him go.’

‘I get the picture.’
Jesus bloody Christ has been reincarnated and is living under a bridge in bloody East Barton
thought Carter…….
Praise the Lord. But she has the hots for him
……
I can use this
. ‘Problem is Jonquil, he was caught red-handed with the Colonels medal and that is a motive for murder.’