Streetwise (30 page)

Ava was feeling the kind of exhaustion that comes from having to lie consistently. Her body felt heavy as lead. She was trying to stay focused, to keep her story simple and to not embellish it with any unnecessary detail. The same questions were being asked over and over again. It was now three o’clock in the afternoon and her head was beginning to spin.

In front of her were DI Valerie Middleton and DS Laura Higgs. Sitting to her left was a duty solicitor called Vanessa West. The woman, in her mid-twenties, although competent was not especially reassuring. Ava suspected her of being intimidated by the two senior police officers.

‘Let’s go over last night again,’ Higgs said. Her gaze, hard and nasty, bored into Ava.

Ava glanced at her solicitor. ‘Do I have to keep on doing this?’

Before Ms West had the opportunity to reply, DI Middleton said, ‘If you wouldn’t mind. Just one more time, so we’re all perfectly clear on the details.’

Ava wondered if the two officers were playing good cop, bad cop. If that was the case then Higgs definitely qualified as the latter. Ever since their first meeting on Sunday, the sergeant had been quite blatantly antagonistic, as if she had taken an instant dislike to her and was now intent on proving her guilty of anything.

‘If you wouldn’t mind,’ DI Middleton said again.

Ava, seeing that her solicitor wasn’t going to intervene, wearily embarked on her story again. ‘Okay. I was in all night, watching TV. My flatmate Tash was there with her girlfriend, Hannah. We had a pizza for dinner – mozzarella and tomato – then the two of them went down to the Fox. That was about eight o’clock. I stayed in. They got back about eleven twenty. I was just going to bed. I said goodnight and that was it.’

‘And you didn’t make or receive any phone calls during this time?’

‘No. You’ve got my mobile. You can check. And you can check the landline too.’

Higgs directed another fierce glare at her. ‘Although Chris Street could have come round to the flat while Tash and Hannah were out.’

‘He could have, but he didn’t.’

‘And you’re absolutely sure about that?’

‘Absolutely sure.’

Higgs continued to press on with her theories. ‘If Chris Street arrived at the flat before your flatmate and her friend returned from the pub, he could have hidden in your bedroom until the girls were asleep and then the two of you could have left together.’

‘He didn’t. We didn’t. And look, why would he come to me anyway? He’s got family, a father, a brother. He’d trust them more than he would trust me.’

‘But you’re his girlfriend,’ Higgs said.

And there was another can of worms that Ava didn’t want to open. No one was going to believe her if she said that they had just been pretending. It would sound ridiculous. ‘So what? You really think I’d be the first person he’d turn to?’

For all the dark, nightmarish qualities of the interview, Ava was aware of one shining ray of light. Now she knew that Jenna had been murdered last night, she was certain of Chris’s innocence. If he had killed her, then why would he have hung around to the morning before trying to make his escape? Even if he’d been worried about the Merc being stopped, he could easily have borrowed Danny’s car or his father’s to get away. He could have pulled money out of his account, driven to the airport and been 500 miles away by now.

‘And what about this morning?’ DI Middleton said.

Ava sighed before diligently repeating the reply she’d already given so many times before. ‘I went over to the Mansfield to see my dad at about eight o’clock. He’s ill. He’s got the flu. I bought some shopping for him on the way there.’

Higgs leaned forward, her eyes flashing again. ‘So you were on the high street. Are you saying you didn’t notice any activity around the green?’

‘I saw some police cars and an ambulance.’

‘And you didn’t wonder what was going on?’

Ava released another thin sigh. ‘Yes, I wondered, but this is Kellston. It’s not that unusual to see a few cops around. Anyway, I was more concerned about my dad. I went to the Mansfield, stayed with him for about ten, fifteen minutes and then started walking back towards the flat.’

‘And that’s when you got the phone call from Chris Street?’

‘Yes. He told me he didn’t need me today and that he’d see me tomorrow.’

‘And that’s all.’

‘That’s all.’

‘And how did he sound?’

Ava raised her hands. ‘Ordinary, normal. I don’t know. I was on the street. There was a lot of noise, cars going by and the rest.’

‘You didn’t think it was odd, him cancelling like that?’

‘No, not at all. Some days he doesn’t need me.’

Higgs continued to glare at her. ‘So then you decided to go clothes shopping?’

‘Why not?’

‘Except none of the clothes stores were open at that time. It can’t have been more than, what, half eight by then?’

‘Window shopping,’ Ava said. ‘I couldn’t be bothered to go back home. I thought I’d have a look in the windows first and see if there was anything I fancied.’

‘So you’re claiming that you spent all morning looking at clothes?’

‘Yes,’ Ava said. ‘Although I didn’t buy much, a few T-shirts and that was it.’

‘It appears your phone was disconnected for a couple of hours. We were trying to contact you, but couldn’t get through.’

‘Was it?’ said Ava, feigning surprise. ‘I didn’t know that. It was working fine last time I used it.’

The interview continued in this vein for a further twenty minutes. Although Ava couldn’t prove what she’d been doing, it couldn’t be disproved either. So long as no one had seen her driving the van, she was safe. In truth, they were more interested in what had happened last night and for that she had an alibi in Tash. Well, an alibi of sorts. There was, of course, no reason why she couldn’t have crept out of the flat in the middle of the night.

Eventually, after DI Middleton had once again explained the likely repercussions of helping a murderer to evade justice, she was told she could go. Relief flowed over her. Although she knew that she wasn’t out of the woods yet, at least she had got a temporary reprieve.

Ava pulled on her coat in the foyer of the station and made her way out of the doors. It was raining, but she didn’t care. She put up her umbrella and gulped in the cold winter air, glad to be out of the small stuffy room and away from the glare of her interrogators.
Thank God.

She had got as far as the corner of Cowan Road when she heard quick footsteps behind.

Turning, she saw DS Higgs hurrying towards her. For one terrible second, she thought a vital piece of evidence had come to light and she was about to be arrested. Her chest tightened and her pulse began to race. ‘What is it? What do you want?’

‘You don’t mind if I have a quick word, do you?’

‘Actually, I do,’ Ava snapped back. ‘You’ve had plenty of time to talk to me, over two hours in fact. And shouldn’t my solicitor be present?’

‘Oh, I don’t think your solicitor would want to hear this,’ said Higgs slyly. ‘It’s about your dad and it’s a little on the delicate side.’

Ava stared at her through the grey gloom of the afternoon. She could hear the rain, a steady patter, falling against the canopy of the umbrella. ‘What about Dad?’

‘He’s done a bit of time inside, hasn’t he?’

Ava gave a shrug. ‘What of it?’

‘Be a shame to see him banged up again. I mean, he’s getting on a bit now. It gets harder as you get older, all those long empty days stretching in front of you. Not to mention all those young bulls wanting to prove themselves. You’d be surprised how many inmates get attacked, killed even in prison.’

‘What are you trying to say?’

‘I’m saying that we know about the robbery at Finian’s. We know your father was the driver.’

Ava felt the shock like a blow to the stomach. For a second she was speechless, her thoughts racing, her heart pounding in her chest. ‘That’s not true. You’re trying to fix him up. You’re trying to get at me through him.’

‘Good try, Ava. The whole innocent act may fool some people, but it doesn’t wash with me.’

‘So why haven’t you arrested him, then?’

DS Higgs smirked at her. ‘We will – unless you’re prepared to tell us where Chris Street is. Give us his location and we may be prepared to overlook the matter. Have a think about it, love. You’ve got twenty-four hours.’

‘I can’t tell you what I don’t know.’

‘Twenty-four hours. It’s time to decide where your loyalties lie.’

Ava was still in turmoil, her head spinning, her stomach churning, as she climbed the stairs to the flat in Market Square. Higgs had issued her with an ultimatum and she didn’t think the sergeant was bluffing. They knew about her dad. They knew about the robbery. Oh Christ, what was she going to do? She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, she couldn’t condemn her father to what might be a lengthy prison sentence, on the other she felt unable to betray Chris Street.

She took out her key and put it in the lock. The truth was that she didn’t even know exactly where Chris was. He could easily have moved on from Chingford by now. But still she baulked at the idea of giving the cops even that small clue. And how much evidence did they really have against her dad? Maybe not enough to convict him. She had twenty-four hours to figure out what to do. The clock was ticking and she couldn’t even think straight.

As soon as she opened the door, Tash rushed out of the living room. ‘You’re home!’ She gave Ava a hug and then, still holding on to her arms, leaned back a little and studied her more closely. ‘Are you okay? I’ve been so worried about you. I thought they might have… What did the police say? They’ve been here too. They wanted to know all about last night. Have they found him yet? Have they found Chris Street?’

‘Hey,’ said Ava, forcing a smile as she tried to mask her fear and confusion. ‘One question at a time. And first I need to take a long hot shower. I’ve been stuck down that place for hours.’

Tash finally let go of her. ‘But they haven’t charged you with anything?’

‘Not yet,’ said Ava, shrugging out of her coat and hanging it on the peg by the door. ‘But I’m sure that won’t stop them from trying. Look, I’ll just grab that shower and then I’ll tell you all about it.’

‘I’ll make you a coffee.’

‘Haven’t we got anything stronger than that? I need a proper drink, the stronger the better.’

‘There’s some of Hannah’s Johnnie Walker left. We can finish that off.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’ Ava watched as Tash went off towards the kitchen and then she made her way wearily to the bathroom. Inside, she took off her watch, placing it on the window ledge and then she stripped off her clothes, leaving them where they fell on the floor. She turned on the tap and stepped under the powerful jets, standing motionless as the hot water flowed over and around her.

It must have been two minutes, maybe three, before her muscles finally started to relax. She raised her face and closed her eyes. The day, which had started off with a simple visit to her father, had somehow turned into a nightmare: stolen goods, a murdered woman, a man on the run for murder, a two-hour interrogation, lies, deceit and evasion.

DS Higgs loomed into her thoughts and she instinctively flinched. What the sergeant had done wasn’t legal, but she could hardly report her. Not when her dad was guilty as accused. Should she ring him, tell him about the threat? But what would that achieve? There was nothing he could do about it, other than sit and worry about when the cops might turn up. He wasn’t the type to try and make a run for it.

She squeezed a pool of shower gel into the palm of her hand and lathered every inch of her body. She felt dirty, and not just from the dust and grime of the city. There was a more subtle pollution that came from sitting in a police interview room and telling lies for two hours. She washed her hair and scrubbed her fingernails, trying to purge herself of all the horror of the day.

Eventually, when she was as clean as she would ever be, she turned off the shower. She stepped out on to the cool lino, wrapped a towel around her, brushed her teeth, put on her watch, picked up her discarded clothes and then padded to the bedroom. The light was fading fast. She glanced down at the square, at the people passing through, before pulling the curtains across and switching on the lamp.

Ten minutes later, dressed in jeans and a white long-sleeved T-shirt, she sat curled up on the sofa. The story she was telling Tash was a highly edited version of the day’s events, almost identical to the one she had told the cops. She didn’t like lying to her, but what else could she do? Sometimes the truth was a burden that shouldn’t be shared.

‘The police went to see Hannah too,’ Tash said. ‘They turned up at her office.’

‘I bet she was well pleased about that.’

‘About as pleased as she’ll be when she finds out that we’ve polished off her whisky.’

‘And very nice it is too,’ said Ava, taking another sip from her glass. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast and the malt was going straight to her head. The sensation was a pleasant one, softening the sharp scary edges of her fears and anxieties. She knew that it was only a temporary reprieve – tomorrow her problems would still be there – but even a short escape was welcome. There was only so much anyone could take in a day.

‘Do you think he did it?’ Tash asked. ‘Do you think Chris Street murdered her?’

‘No. Why should he? He wasn’t overjoyed about Jenna seeing Guy Wilder, but he wasn’t going to kill her for it.’

Tash didn’t look convinced. ‘So why’s he disappeared?’

‘Because he knows he’ll be top of the list when it comes to suspects.’ Ava gave a light shrug. ‘Well, I presume that’s the reason. From what I can gather, he was supposed to meet up with her last night. It puts him the frame, but that doesn’t mean he did it.’

‘It doesn’t mean he didn’t either.’

‘I suppose not. It just… it doesn’t seem to add up. It doesn’t feel right.’

Tash peered at her over the rim of her glass. ‘Sometimes feelings can get in the way of the truth. It’s easy to see people the way you want to see them.’

‘Do you think Lydia killed Jeremy Squires?’

Tash hesitated, mulling it over before she answered. ‘I didn’t want to, not at the beginning. I couldn’t believe she was capable. I thought I knew her, but I didn’t, not really. I only saw what she wanted me to see.’

‘You think I’m kidding myself about Chris?’

‘I’m not saying that. But you never really know what goes on in someone else’s head. He and Jenna had history. He might have only meant to threaten her, to scare her, and then…’

Ava wanted to protest his innocence, but instantly dismissed the idea. Tash might grow suspicious and start to realise that she knew more than she was saying. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

Tash glanced at her watch, leaned down and picked up her mobile from the coffee table. ‘I’ve just got to make a quick call. I was supposed to be taking some samples over to that new hat shop in Covent Garden, but I can change it, go another day.’

‘No, don’t do that. You should go. You’ve got to go.’

‘I don’t want to leave you here on her own, not when —’

‘I’ll be fine, Tash. Honestly I will. Please go. I’ll feel really bad if you don’t.’

Tash frowned at her. ‘I don’t know.’

‘You
have
to. Hey, there’s been enough bad stuff happening recently without you throwing away this opportunity as well. It won’t look good if you cancel at the last minute. They might not even agree to see you again.’

‘Do you think?’

‘Just go, will you? Oh, and brush your teeth before you leave. You don’t want to turn up stinking of whisky.’

The flat seemed unnaturally quiet after Tash had left. It was twenty past four and dark outside. Ava thought about making something to eat, but couldn’t summon the energy to get off the sofa. She poured herself another glass of whisky and gazed into the amber liquid. Drowning her sorrows in booze probably wasn’t the greatest idea, but she didn’t have a better one at the moment.

Although she tried to control them, her thoughts inevitably drifted back to Chris. That kiss. That soft shivery
meaningless
kiss. Why had she allowed it to happen? It complicated things. Confused things. It confused
her.
She sighed into the silence of the room. There were some men it was better to stay away from. Alec Harmer was one of them and she’d learned that lesson the hard way. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.

Ava lay back, closed her eyes and felt the tiredness wash over her. She hungered for release, for a chance to forget everything for a while. She turned on her side, yawned and curled up her legs. Two minutes later, she was asleep.