Deadly Secrets (Detective Erika Foster #6)(57)

‘You think he killed her?’ asked Ezra, her eyes wide. Erika didn’t answer.

‘Where was Ivan between 8 p.m. and 10.30 p.m.?’

‘He told me he had to do some work.’

‘On Christmas Eve?’

‘His job, his work, it never stops. He’s always having to work in the evenings and at weekends.’

‘Where were you packing?’

‘Upstairs in our bedroom.’

‘And where does Ivan work, when he’s at home?’

‘In the kitchen.’

‘Were you up and down the stairs as you were packing?’ asked Erika.

‘No. I finished what I had to do by nine. I stayed upstairs and watched TV in our bedroom.’

‘Did you see Ivan working in the kitchen between nine p.m. and ten thirty p.m.?’

‘No. I just waited upstairs… I might have fallen asleep, I was dozing. That’s around the time she was killed, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, we think so.’

‘Was there anything out of the ordinary about Ivan that night? And is there anything else you want to tell me. Was he a jealous type? Was he obsessive about who you were friends with, who you spoke to?’

‘No. Not with me, anyway…I thought it was just a silly affair. I didn’t know he was so serious about her. That he wanted a future with her. That he loved her. Perhaps he did kill her. It just goes to show, you don’t really know the people who you share your life with.’ She put out her hand and touched the blankets, pulling them up around Ivan’s chin. ‘He doesn’t deserve to wake up. Is that bad, that I think that?’ she said. Again, Erika didn’t answer.





Thirty-Nine





McGorry rang the bell of Don Walpole’s house just after 5 p.m. He was flanked by two uniformed officers, one of whom carried a portable DNA kit. The road was quiet, and the snow was melting, leaving the road with a grey slush. He leaned up and rang the bell again, hearing it chime from inside the house. He stepped back and went to the window, peering through the curtain.

‘No one in,’ he said. The two officers shifted on their feet in the cold. McGorry took out his mobile phone and tried the number they had for Don. It went straight to the answer machine. McGorry noticed an old man standing at the end of his front path a few doors down, smoking, with an ashtray balanced on the gatepost. McGorry came out of Don Walpole’s front garden and approached him.

‘Do you know the person who lives here?’ he asked. The old man took a drag of his cigarette, his whispering lips making a small ‘O’, then he exhaled, nodding.

‘That’s Don and Jeanette.’

‘Have you seen them today?’

‘They left this afternoon, about an hour or so ago. In a hurry, they were.’

‘How can you tell if someone is in a hurry? What do you mean?’

‘They was moving fast… And have you seen Jeanette? She’s a big woman. She don’t move fast.’

‘Did they say when they were coming back?’

‘What do you think this is? People don’t talk to each other. I saw them leave.’

‘Did they drive?’

He nodded.

‘Did they have any bags?’

‘No.’

‘Shit,’ said McGorry. ‘Thanks.’

As he went off, the old man lit up another cigarette, and McGorry overheard him mutter, ‘Useless bloody police; takes three of them to knock on a door.’





Forty





It was gone six when Erika left the hospital, and she realised, again, that she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day. She walked to the Starbucks across the road, and joined a long line to grab a sandwich and a cappuccino. It was very busy, and she thought about taking it back to the car, but she felt so exhausted, and it was so cold outside. She just needed ten minutes to sit down and think about the case and all the new developments. Did Ivan have motive to kill Marissa? He certainly felt guilty enough to try and top himself.

The seats were all full, mostly with kids in their twenties sitting and chatting on their phones, or working away at their computers. At the back, she found a small table, with three big easy chairs dotted around it. A young couple in their teens occupied two of the chairs, and they were holding hands and leaning across to nuzzle and kiss. Shopping bags were piled up on the third chair.

‘Excuse me,’ said Erika. ‘Can I sit here?’

The young guy was kissing the girl. He opened an eye to look at her, but carried on.

‘Hey. I’m talking to you! Could you please move your bags,’ said Erika, showing that her hands were full.

The couple broke apart and the girl said, in an infuriatingly ironic tone, ‘Um, sorry, but we’ve got, like, a friend coming.’ She turned back to kiss the young guy.

‘When is your friend coming?’

‘I don’t know. Soon.’

‘Well, until he does show up, can I please sit here?’

The girl sat back and her eyes widened in shock.

‘Look, lady, I’ve just told you my friend is coming, okay? You’re making me feel uncomfortable.’

Her condescending tone made something snap in Erika. She slammed her coffee cup and sandwich down on the table. She picked up the shopping bags and dropped them on the floor.