Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(28)

Willis opened her notebook.

‘Not in a relationship – no couple photos. Corporate, neat – very tidy. Didn’t get to know neighbours. The caretaker said she was polite, reserved.’

‘That’s right. I would say she was quiet, thoughtful. She wasn’t a big party girl – she was private, discreet, boring really. Boringly average.’

‘Average but with a dark side?’ suggested Carter.

‘There were a few specialist sex toys in her bedroom; not sure they are average,’ Willis clarified, spoiling Carter’s fun.

Harding tried not to smirk. ‘Tell me.’

Willis read from her notebook: ‘Bondage harnesses, an assortment of weapons: whips, spikes, hot-wax dispenser, clamps, needles.’

Harding raised an eyebrow. ‘Not weapons, those are toys.’

‘Does it ring a bell with you, Doctor?’ asked Carter.

She fixed Carter with a look of contempt.

‘Your point? What am I supposed to know about it?’

‘Did you know that side of her life? The side that may have led to 22 Parade Street?’

‘Okay. I will tell you what you seem so desperate to hear but none of it goes beyond this room. None of it gets written down,’ she said, looking at Willis. Willis looked at Carter; he nodded. Willis closed her notebook. ‘I tell you two and then it’s forgotten.’

‘We can’t promise you that, Doctor,’ said Willis. ‘I may not write it down but I can’t just forget it.’

Carter held up his hand.

‘We understand. Carry on.’ Willis was about to object again. Carter stopped her. ‘If we use the information then it came from an informant who can’t be named.’ He looked at Willis. She nodded reluctantly.

Harding sighed and sat back in her seat.

‘Don’t get too excited, Carter. It isn’t that sensational. I met her through an Internet site. I didn’t set out to meet her. I met a man and he introduced me to her, one thing led to another.’ She looked at Carter and waited for a reaction.

‘Swingers?’Carter asked.

‘Crudely put, yes; I suppose so. It’s a website called Naughties.’

‘We’re looking into it,’ answered Carter. ‘We know Olivia Grantham had a subscription to it. It’s a site for casual sex – is that it?’ he added.

‘Just a way of setting out your stall, that’s all. It’s an honest approach – no ties, no hang-ups. No harm done,’ Harding said with a defensive, dismissive shrug of her shoulders.

‘Sure . . . Do you still have the number for the person who introduced you to Olivia?’

‘No. It was just a man. We got on well – we met a few times after that.’

‘For sex?’

Harding took a deep breath. She had fixed her eyes on Carter throughout the conversation.

‘No, for tea . . . what do you think?’

‘What can you tell us about her?’

‘Her life was mundane on a daily basis. So, she invented an alter-ego. That one enjoyed meeting strangers for sex.’

‘Did you see her often?’

‘Not often. She soon lost her appeal. There was a lot of bravado involved. She was quite the baby inside.’ She paused. ‘Anyway – it doesn’t do to see the same person too often – you become overfamiliar with them. They start to mean something to you beyond a pleasure vehicle.’

Harding sat back in her chair.

‘How does the site work? asked Willis.

‘You pay and you get a service like everything else. You subscribe and get to study the profiles of other subscribers. What you do then is up to you. The site is a host. It’s simple. I like sex with strangers. I like as many new partners as possible.’

‘So if you like the look of someone you email them?’ asked Willis.

‘Yes. If I like someone on the site then we usually meet that same evening.’

‘Where?’

‘A hotel usually, their house or mine perhaps. A car park, anywhere you want. Whatever floats your boat.’

‘Dangerous thing to do,’ said Carter.

She shrugged. ‘That’s the point. If I met them in a bar, they would bore me within seconds. This way it lasts an evening – at least I’ve never had a problem.’

‘What would have made Olivia go into that building on Parade Street? Do you know?’

‘Because some risks are worth taking. What is it you want me to do? What do you think I can help with?’

‘We need to see how it works first; will you show me?’ Willis asked. ‘We have two bogus profiles on there now – a man and a woman. We need to know how they look to the experienced eye. We have several hits already on the female.’

Harding took her laptop out of her bag and opened it up.

‘You will have. Let me tell you – the women are few, the men are plenty,’ she said as she put in her passcode. ‘I’ll log in and show you who’s looking at who.’ She looked across at Willis and paused, finger over the keyboard. Willis drew her chair nearer. Carter stayed where he was.

‘Password. Okay – so once I’m in, I get onto my home page and see what activity there has been on it.’

‘When was the last time you logged in?’ asked Willis.