Fatal Witness (Detective Erika Foster #7) (93)

‘Do come through,’ said Cilla. Erika followed her into a large living room-cum-dining room. It was stuffed with white furniture and brass fittings, and there was a huge modern concrete fireplace where a fire was crackling in the grate.

‘Ah! Detective, good evening! Can we offer you coffee?’ asked Colin. His bonhomie was as forced as Cilla’s welcome. He was next to Ray at the table, and the two men were sitting very close. Ray shifted his chair, and Erika felt like her entry into the room had broken an intimate moment.

‘Black. Thank you,’ she said.

‘Have you been in the wars?’ asked Ray, tapping a packet of cigarettes on the table and pulling one out. He stared at her as he lit his cigarette.

‘It was a silly accident, I stood on a chunk of broken glass,’ she said.

‘Please, sit down,’ said Colin, indicating the chair opposite. Ray got up and moved around the table to pull it out for her to sit. Cilla came back into the room with a china cup of black coffee on a saucer.

‘Fag?’ asked Ray, holding out the packet.

‘No thank you,’ she said.

Ray went and sat back down with Colin.

Erika checked her watch. She took out her painkillers and popped two out. Colin was watching her.

‘Sorry,’ she said, swallowing them with a gulp of the hot coffee. ‘That’s better.’

Cilla sat down next to Erika. There were the remnants of a shepherd’s pie in a dish, with smaller dishes of vegetables.

‘Are you sure we can’t tempt you?’ asked Colin, indicating the food.

‘No, thank you,’ said Erika. Her stomach was grumbling, but she wanted to get on with this and then get home.

‘I wanted to ask you all a few questions about GDA, past students and Charles Wakefield.’

They all looked at her a little imperiously. Erika went on.

‘Can I ask why Charles Wakefield left the school as caretaker?’

‘Who is he?’ asked Ray, stubbing out his cigarette and lighting another.

‘Charlie Wakefield was the caretaker for some of the student accommodation, he was in the post a few years back,’ said Cilla.

‘That’s not really my department, darling. I teach the students to dance, I don’t really get involved with their accommodation,’ said Ray.

‘But GDA is a small faculty—’ Erika said.

‘Oh, I hear that. Sometimes it’s too small,’ said Ray.

‘Wouldn’t you have heard gossip if the caretaker, Charles Wakefield, was accused of any inappropriate behaviour with a student?’

‘I never had anything to do with him, what about you?’ Ray said, turning to Colin and Cilla.

‘I was aware that he was a bit of an oddball,’ said Cilla. ‘I did overhear a few comments about him, from some of the female students, that he was a little creepy. Hanging around… but of course nothing serious. I know that on the few occasions I heard something, the young girls were speaking in jest.’

‘Can you be sure of that?’

‘I think so.’

‘Vicky was making an episode for her podcast about an intruder who broke into student halls. She didn’t mention Charles Wakefield to any of you? Ask questions?’ said Erika.

Colin and Ray shook their heads.

‘No, I’ve already told you, Vicky said nothing,’ replied Cilla. ‘And if you don’t mind me asking, what is happening with Charles Wakefield? There was such a commotion at the crematorium when those police officers took him away.’

‘He’s still in custody,’ said Erika.

Cilla, Ray, and Colin exchanged glances.

‘Do you suspect him of these murders, seriously suspect him?’ asked Ray.

‘He is of great interest to us,’ said Erika. ‘This brings me on to another question. Have any of you heard of a young woman called Lily Parkes?’

A look passed between them all. And the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

‘Yes. She was a local girl who worked at GDA for a short time, she used to help out in the scene dock,’ said Cilla. From her tone of voice, Erika got the impression that she didn’t like Lily Parkes at all.





62





‘The scene dock? What’s that?’ asked Erika. It had started to rain outside and it clattered on the roof in the silence. Ray sucked on the butt of his cigarette, squinting, and looking beadily between Cilla and Colin, almost drinking up the awkwardness.

‘The scene dock is where they make all the scenery, and get it ready for plays and shows,’ said Cilla. She looked between the two men, confused as to what was happening. ‘She came to us from the DSS, or Jobcentre, as you now say.’

‘Why isn’t there any record of her employment with the school?’ asked Erika.

‘I would have thought that there was,’ said Colin.

‘When did she work at GDA?’

Cilla looked to Colin.

‘When was it?’ she asked.

‘Back in 2009, I think. She was what you’d term work experience, we didn’t pay her. She worked a few hours a week in return for her state benefits,’ said Colin. ‘We’ve had other people do this. She was by far the youngest and least experienced.’

Ray stubbed out his cigarette in the ash tray.