The Next Girl(Detective Gina Harte #1)(36)

She pulled up outside the Jenkins residence and spotted PC Smith’s car. The living room light was on. Luke opened the door wearing his dressing gown, T-shirt and pyjama bottoms.

Heidi stood at the top of the stairs in a Disney princess nightie. ‘Dad, what’s happening?’

‘Go back to bed, sweetie, or you’ll wake Max. I’ll come up in a minute.’ Luke smiled warmly at his daughter.

The girl rubbed her eyes. ‘Can I sleep in your bed?’

‘Yes, sweetie. Max is already there so please don’t disturb him. And turn the landing light off.’ The light went off as Heidi left. ‘Kids,’ Luke said as he massaged his temples. Gina followed Luke through to the kitchen, where Smith was taking a few notes. ‘This is where he tried to get in.’ A knife lay on the worktop. ‘I was scared so I grabbed it. I didn’t know what else to do. Can I get you a coffee?’

‘That would be lovely, thank you,’ Gina replied. She’d not had a drink since the night before and a coffee would certainly perk her up. Although she’d brushed her teeth, the distant taste of wine still assaulted the back of her throat, making her nauseous. She coughed into her hand. Luke turned away and began filling the kettle.

‘So, what have we got?’ she asked Smith.

‘Nice to see you, ma’am.’ He paused. ‘Do you think this has something to do with Deborah Jenkins?’ he whispered as Luke’s back was turned. The kettle boiled away.

‘I don’t know, but we certainly can’t rule it out.’

Luke poured the coffee and handed it to her. ‘Are you okay while I check on the kids?’

Gina nodded as he left the room. She listened as he walked up the stairs. ‘Have you called forensics? I want the gate checked, the garden, the handles – every part of it.’

‘They’re on their way. I’ve managed to take an account of what happened.’

‘Can you give me an overview?’

Smith flicked back a couple of pages in his pocketbook and began squinting at his writing. ‘My mum says I should’ve been a doctor,’ he said. Gina had heard that one before. ‘Right, at approximately 3 a.m. he was awoken by the sound of the latch being slid on his gate. It is apparently a little stiff and screeches as it’s slid across.’ Smith slid an imaginary lock before continuing. ‘It was at this point he looked out of the window and came downstairs. He said he left the light off so that he’d be able to see what was happening in the garden.’

‘Sensible,’ Gina replied.

Smith turned the page in his notebook. ‘It was then he saw someone trying to open the kitchen window before heading to the back door. He was standing there.’ He pointed to the kitchen door. ‘He saw a person he described as male, wearing dark attire which included a hooded top. He couldn’t make out hair or eye colour. He said he thought the man seemed slightly taller than himself so I’m guessing five ten, eleven maybe. There’s also a small step down into the garden, so we have to take that into account also. It was at this point Luke grabbed a knife out of the top drawer. Oh, and the man was wearing gloves.’

Smith walked over to the door. ‘The perp approached the back door and tried to get in. After failing, as the door was locked, Mr Jenkins stated that the man then grabbed the plant pot that was positioned to the left of the door and was about to hurl it through the window. Mr Jenkins then came into view and held the knife up and stood close to the window. The perp scarpered out of the back gate. Mr Jenkins ran to the lounge and noticed him running across the road and down the street, towards the entrance to the close.’

‘That’s great. Thanks. I’ll have a quick word with him in a minute. When you have the report typed up, can you email me straight away?’

‘Will do, ma’am,’ he said, scribbling in his notepad.

Gina coughed again and her nose began to run. She grabbed a piece of kitchen roll from the side and caught her sneeze.

‘You still sporting that cold, ma’am?’

‘Certainly am. I think it’s easing a little though now.’

Then came the sound of Luke walking back down the stairs. He entered and poured a coffee. ‘Can I get either of you anymore?’ They both shook their heads.

‘Can we just have a chat?’ said Gina. ‘I’ve just been updated by PC Smith, so I have the initial report. We’ve got a crime scene investigator on their way also.’

‘Yes. Please come through.’ Luke led her to the lounge. The Christmas tree looked a little off balance. ‘I nearly knocked the damn thing over when I was trying to catch sight of him running off.’

The lounge was strewn with toy trucks and colouring books. Most of them had been pushed into a neat pile but some remained scattered on the floor. Gina stepped over a box of felt tips and sat on the settee. Pen and notebook in hand, she began. ‘You say you got a look at the man?’

‘Yes. I saw him, but I seem to barely be able to recall a thing. It was dark and although my eyes were accustomed to it, I remember feeling shaken, sick to my stomach. In fact, I could throw up now if I thought too hard about it. My hands were trembling and I remember hoping to scare him off with the knife. I couldn’t look him in the eye. I just wanted him to go away.’ Gina watched as Luke clutched the coffee cup with both hands and began to, very slightly, rock back and forth. ‘My children were upstairs asleep. I was scared for them. I just wanted him to go. I held the knife up at the window and he went. I wish I could remember more.’