Her Perfect Family(70)

‘True. But we can’t let that rule her out. She could have a contact here we don’t know about.’ Matthew scratches the back of his head. ‘And she may be too unwell for the motive to be rational. Do we have anything more on her medical condition?’

‘Not much. There seems to be a suggestion that her Capgras Syndrome could be linked to schizophrenia but it’s a theory rather than a fact in Laura’s case. Her files say she may occasionally have hallucinations. They’ve tried a variety of treatments. Long spells at home. Then back in the clinic. But they’ve never managed to stabilise her completely. The notes say she’s been fixated recently on never having a family; she blames the fake Ed. I’m hoping to speak to her mother about that if she’ll agree. The parents are divorced now. The father’s remarried with a new family.’

‘That could be a trigger?’

‘Possibly. I’ll check the timeline.’

Matthew lets out a long, slow breath. He’s thinking of Laura standing at the perimeter of Amelie’s playground. Knowing she’s ill should make it easier for him to be tolerant but he’s struggling. He looks at Mel. Her son is still very small. Still not sleeping, apparently.

‘If it had been George. If he were older and it had been him?’ He holds Mel’s gaze.

‘I’d want blood.’ She tilts her head. ‘You don’t need to feel guilty for being mad, Matt, but I need you to harness that anger. Control it. I need to know you’re OK. To go forward, I mean? Wanting blood in theory is one thing . . .’

‘I’m not going to do anything stupid.’

‘I know.’

‘I’ve promised Sally I’m going to see this through. Fairly. Properly. Get the person behind all of this.’

‘Good. Then we’re on the same page.’

‘And what’s the latest on Alex?’

‘No more from forensics. We’ve re-checked the footage placing him at the other end of the cathedral when Gemma was shot and it seems genuine. No obvious sign of doctoring but that’s always a possibility. Also – Alex could have paid someone.’

‘That’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?’

‘I agree. It would be unusual. But let’s face it, this is a very unusual case.’ She pauses and closes her eyes. ‘I should have cancelled the final graduation, shouldn’t I?’

Matthew doesn’t answer. It’s an afternoon ceremony and they’re right up against it now. With hindsight, cancelling was probably safer, but he knows what the political pressure’s been like. The suits upstairs and the tourism chiefs all wanting signals that people are safe. That life must go on.

And then Mel’s phone goes and she lifts it from the table, mouthing, ‘Dave.’

Mel’s eyes widen immediately as she puts the phone to her ear. ‘Right. Area sealed off?’ She stands, pausing to take in the reply. ‘And SOCO there?’ Another pause. ‘Good. Take charge until I get there. Text me the address. Reckon I’ll be half an hour. I’ll get Matthew Hill to meet us there.’ She listens some more, frowning. ‘Get a photo of the wife. And her car registration on the system. Check family and friends. I want her found. Soon as.’

She ends the call and puts the phone in her pocket. Matthew’s standing, pulling a note from his wallet to leave for the drinks.

‘So?’

All the colour has drained from Mel’s face. ‘Looks like we may have found the father of Gemma’s child.’

Matthew waits, stomach tightening.

‘Professor Sam Blake. One of Gemma’s English tutors – been found dead at his home.’ She fishes her car keys from her bag as Matthew widens his eyes for more details.

‘Shot.’





CHAPTER 51


THE PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR


The pattern of the adrenaline is always the same. A surge on the journey to a crime scene and then another spike when you actually see the body. Matthew is both used to it and paradoxically surprised by it every time.

A professional gear has always seen him through – in the years he was in the force and in his new business since. But always, deep down, there’s that other less predictable response; the human response. Face to face with what one person can do to another.

By the time he’s suited and booted in the white crime-scene paraphernalia, Matthew is perhaps ten minutes behind Mel. From the hallway, he can hear her liaising with the crime-scene manager. She’s requesting backup from the same people who worked at the cathedral nine days back.

Mel glances down at the body on the floor as he takes it in for the first time.

‘Told you it was a nasty one,’ she says.

Nasty is not the word in Matthew’s head. Rage is the word. He takes in the blood and the Halloween horror of the eye socket. The person who did this was, in the moment at least, full of anger beyond anything most people could imagine.

Sam Blake has not only been shot, his head has been bludgeoned so that one side of his face is completely disfigured – the left eye socket smashed in. A truly grotesque mess.

‘Sorry. Could you step left, please?’ A SOCO holding a camera is trying not to sound impatient. Matthew moves. It’s a large bedroom, thankfully, which makes this first assessment just a little easier. From the corner of the room, Matthew glances from the body and the blood-soaked rug beneath it to the bedside cabinet which has a photograph of Sam beaming alongside a woman – presumably his wife.