Dead Sweet: A D.I. Turnbull mystery (19 page)

"I doubt it." Todd disagreed. "He didn't behave like a killer in there and his words seemed genuine to me, although I've been surprised before, I could be surprised again."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, see you later." Candace waved at Todd as she left the office. Todd's eyes watched her as she walked off, he had been surprised by the way Candace had conducted the interview, her words about hating bullies and hating the way she had been as a child had seemed so genuine to him. He wasn't sure if it was all just an act or if Candace was hiding an unhappy past. Todd also wondered why Candace had not mentioned going into Twockford Lane that morning; he would have to remind her how important any information was in the investigation of a crime.

Todd's stomach rumbled, it was nearly time for his refreshment break and as he had come to an impasse in the investigation, he decided to head for the staff canteen where he could pick up a dinner of meat and potatoes of questionable origin. He took the stairs two at a time and was pleased to see Tessa the station officer sitting at one of the canteen tables.

"Tessa my darling, how are you?"

"Hello Todd, nice to see you; are you working hard?"

"Oh you know how it is, very busy." Todd smiled.

"Me too. Are you having your refs?"

"Yes, I'm starving, what's on the menu?"

"Same old rubbish, I'm having a jacket potato, can't get food poisoning from that." Tessa laughed. "How's the bowling going?"

"Oh I haven't been since our loss; far too busy. I'll come back when I've ordered." Tessa nodded her agreement and went back to reading a magazine which she had open on the table in front of her. Todd walked along the white tables which were set out like a school dining hall. The canteen was a large room with the tables lined up in three quarters of it and a leather sofa set taking up one corner of the room, situated around a television which played pictures silently as off duty officers sat and read papers in front of it. The only other things in the room were two vending machines for people to use when the canteen was closed; one for drinks and one for snacks, although these snacks only ever seemed to consist of chocolate bars. Todd always wondered why the canteen manager never thought to stock the machine with something a bit healthier considering the need to stay fit in the business they were in. Countless requests for a granola bar or pieces of fruit fell on deaf ears and the machine stayed full of chocolate and crisps.

Todd walked up to the counter and ordered a jacket potato with tuna and cheese, he asked for a side salad and wondered how many pieces of cucumber and tomato the canteen staff would decide a salad could consist of. He had a silent wager to himself that one piece of each and a scattering of lettuce would constitute his dinner.

Taking a seat next to Tessa, he was followed minutes later by the canteen waitress who pushed a jacket potato in front of him with the scant salad that Todd had been expecting.

"Eat like kings around here don't we?" he asked Tessa.

"Well I'm the queen." Tessa laughed. "How's your investigation going? Those poor girls."

"Slowly." Todd grimaced. "Very slowly." He didn't offer any more information; it wasn't in his nature to discuss job with people un-associated to the case, even it was someone related to the job.

"You arrested someone this morning didn't you?"

"Yeah, but nothing came of it."

"Oh shame, who do you think is doing the murders then?" Tessa asked.

"If only I knew," Todd said, "Then I wouldn't be chasing my tail all the time. Anyway Tessa, I was going to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"I wondered if you would like to come out with us the next time we go Ten Pin Bowling."

"When are you going?"

"Well I don't know, when the case is over probably. It would be nice to see you out with the team." Todd actually wanted to ask Tessa out for a drink on their own, but couldn't quite pluck up the courage to take things that far so quickly. He thought if he could get Tessa to go out with all the team then they would begin to accept her as one of them and then when he finally made his move, it would be better accepted.

"Ok darling, let me know when you are going and I will see if I can fit you in to my very busy diary. I am a very sought after woman you know."

"I bet you are Tessa." Todd grinned. "With a body like that, you've got every man after you."

"You better believe it honey. There's a lot of me to go around though, so keep trying."

Todd laughed. "Oh Tessa you can always make me smile, even when I'm having a shitty day."

"Well that's good to know; glad I make your day." Tessa looked into his eyes. "Maybe I can make your night some time as well."

"Maybe you could," Todd agreed, then feeling a little embarrassed he picked up his fork and stabbed it into his one piece of cucumber. "For now though I'll just eat this food of the gods," he said sticking it into his mouth. "Juicy." He voiced to Tessa's laughter. They ate their meals in companionable silence and then Todd got up to leave.

"Once again it's been a pleasure," he said to Tessa.

"Likewise," she agreed, going back to read her magazine.

"See you around Tessa."

"Yes Todd, see you."

Todd walked away and back down the stairs to his office, when he got there, he found a post-it note on his desk asking him to call the laboratory. He quickly dialled the number on the note and waited for an answer.

"Lab."

"Yes, hello, this is Detective Inspector Todd Turnbull, I got a message that you had called; what have you got for me?"

"Please hold on for a minute." Todd held on the phone, his heart thumping in his chest. He was hoping that the DNA sample had been tested and the results were ready.

"Hello?"

"Yes hello this is DI Turnbull."

"Ah hello Inspector, we have the results of the DNA match test."

Todd's heart thumped a little faster. "And?"

"No match. There is nil percent chance that the DNA taken from Malcolm Chadwell matches the sample taken from the crime scene."

Todd's heart stopped thumping. "Ok thank you very much."

"No problem."

Todd put the phone down and picked up his mobile, calling Candace.

"Guv?"

"How is the CCTV footage going?"

"Yeah, I've seen him on it, just where he said he was Guv, on the bench outside the church. Most of the morning."

"And I've just had the DNA results back - no match."

"Fuck."

"Yes, fuck indeed, we need to go back to where we were before; speaking to the parents. Come back in Candace and we can get ready to visit them."

"It's a bit late to be visiting parents." Candace offered.

"Not when we're trying to find their daughter's murderers it isn't," said Todd. "Get back here Candy, now."

"Yes Guv."

Todd threw his phone down onto the table, he had been certain that Malcom Chadwell had been the person he was looking for. It all made perfect sense apart from two glaringly obvious points - no match on the DNA and the fact Malcolm Chadwell had indeed been spending his life sitting in the High Street ogling poor unsuspecting girls. He felt a sense of despair which was quickly pushed out with a determination to continue on until he found the person who had killed; he still had a DNA sample and he had a girl in hospital who would come out of a coma and hopefully give him the information he was looking for. Todd was not a person who gave up easily and he was far from giving up on this case.

Friday 12
th
July 2013

19:00 hours

D.I. Todd Turnbull and D.S. Candace Whelan stood on the doorstep of quite an impressive detached house on the borders of Twockford. The smell of fresh gloss paint emanated from the window frames and front door and everything about the house appeared new and up to date.

"Someone spends a lot of time at home," Todd mused.

"Wouldn't have thought they could be bothered considering they've just lost a daughter." Candace whispered back.

"Toil stops tears." Todd said, "I think I would throw myself into something if I was going through this." They waited for a few minutes and nobody came to the front door. Todd rang the doorbell again and used the lion's head knocker.

"Can't be in." Candace opined.

"They're in, I saw someone move, probably just don't want to talk to anyone." Another minute passed and finally movement could be seen through the frosted glass of the front door panel, the door opened to reveal a woman in her late fifties, clothing and make up immaculate. She gave a questioning smile at the people before her.

"Hello Mrs Baker, I'm Detective Inspector Turnbull, do you remember me?"

"Yes, hello, how can I help you?"

"I was wondering if we could come in and discuss Penny with you; we'd really like to get a feel of her and what her life was like, it may give us some clues that help with the investigation. Do you have the time now?" Todd thought she may be going out considering her attire.

"Yes I have the time," she said quietly, opening the door wider to allow them access. As they entered the house, Todd could see that the walls inside were also freshly painted. The carpets which lined the hallway and the front room which Todd was led into, also appeared very fresh and new. Furniture gleamed and the sofa looked like it had never been sat on.

"If you would like to sit down," Mrs Baker said, "I will get you some tea."

"No tea thank you, we'd like to get on, I know it's getting late and I don't want to keep you for too long."

"Ok." Mrs Baker sat down in one of the pale lilac sofas which were in the room. Todd and Candace sat next to each other on the opposite sofa.

"My husband is upstairs, shall I go and get him?"

"It's ok Mrs Baker, we can speak to you first."

"I really don't think I can cope with this by myself, if you wait I can get him."

"That's fine, if you want to do that, then we will do that." Todd didn't want to upset her. Mrs Baker got up and went out into the hallway once more.

"It's like a show home," Candace whispered to Todd. "There's no pictures anywhere, no sympathy cards; you would think the house would be covered in them."

"Could all be in a different room," Todd offered, "This is quite a big house. My sister keeps a room for best, this could be hers."

"Hmm, I still think it's strange that the house has been decorated."

"Such a cynic Candy; they could have been decorating for ages, paint smell lasts a while you know."

"Looks dodgy to me." Candace shrugged. Todd looked around the room, his eyes coming to rest on a crucifix attached to the wall above a fire place and then noticing that there were ornaments all dedicated to a God and his Jesus.

"Very religious," he mused.

Mrs Baker re-entered the room with her husband following behind. He was as immaculately dressed as Mrs Baker. Brown trousers and blazer over a well ironed shirt, with a yellow tie and polished brown shoes, he also looked ready to go to a wedding. Todd and Candace stood as he entered the room.

"What can we help you with?" Mr Baker asked gruffly.

"Mr Baker, as you know we are still looking for the man who took your daughter from you. We thought it might be helpful to really get a good look into Penny's life, it may give us some clues as to what happened to her."

"You took your time, she's been dead five days."

Todd felt a little ashamed that he hadn't revisited the Bakers since he had originally told them that Penny had been murdered. He knew that there was a family liaison officer offered to them, but they had declined saying that their God would help them.

"Yes sir, I'm sorry that I haven't been again, but our investigations have been leading us elsewhere and we have had to follow them up."

Mr Baker didn't seem convinced, he sat on the sofa indicating that everybody else should do the same.

"How can we help you?" he asked.

"We think that it is possible Penny may have known her attacker. Our investigations have led us to believe that it could be someone from her past; an old school friend, or someone she may have had a run in with."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well the other young lady who was killed, Amanda Thomas, she went to the same school as Penny; we think that may be where the connection lies."

"The connection lies with the Devil." Mrs Baker interrupted.

"Carrie, don't." Mr Baker turned to his wife and grabbed her hands, his face beseeching her to stop talking.

"It has to be said Charles; I can't keep quiet any longer, the Lord would want me to say my piece." Mrs Baker turned towards a shelf behind her and picked up a white book with a gold cross on the front. She opened the book and read from a page there.

"The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sin hold them fast." She looked up at Todd and Candace. "You see? She did this to herself; she should never have left home."

"Carrie, the officer's do not want to hear this." Mr Baker insisted.

"But it's important," Mrs Baker's eyes were wide, she returned once more to the bible before her. "Evil will slay the wicked. The foes of the righteous will be condemned. That man who murdered Penny is the Evil one and he slayed her for being wicked. She left home you know; hasn't spoken to us, turned her back on the Church."

"I'm so sorry," Mr Baker said. "She has really suffered, she is grieving."

"I completely understand," Todd said, "The loss of a daughter is one of the most painful things anyone has to go through."

"It's God's will." Mrs Baker continued, flicking through the bible to a page which had its corner turned over. "Listen. The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands." She got up from the sofa, "I need to go and clean my kitchen," she announced and walked from the room.

Mr Baker looked to the floor and then back to Todd and Candace. "Sorry," he mouthed once again. Todd felt deep pity for the parents who were going through such a hard time, but he really needed to end the conversation so he could carry on with his investigation.

"I don't want to push you Mr Baker, but we would really like to know if Penny had any school friends that you know of; people who she hung around with regularly? Best friends, school groups, anything like that?"

Mr Baker shook his head. "I'm ashamed to say we didn't really know Penny very well." He said. "My wife has always been a devout Catholic, she loves her God; I have supported her in her faith and followed her lead. I'm afraid we alienated Penny with the Faith. Penny just didn't believe in it, she fought against us many times. She would never let us into her life;
never
brought friends home or told us about her day and then she just left. Up and went, just like that and we never saw or spoke to her again." He looked around the immaculate room. "I think she cleans to seek redemption, she says cleanliness is next to godliness; we keep our house white and pure. 'Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes.'" He laughed. "Sorry, I'm doing it now."

Todd smiled, "That's ok, what about books, diaries, anything like that?"

"All gone, thrown out when Penny left; her bedroom, everything was changed. We don't keep anything the same for long around here," he indicated the walls, "They are painted every six months."

Mrs Baker re-entered the room, "We have to go to church now," she announced. "And the priest shall pray for him and for his sin, before the Lord; and he shall win his favour again for him and the sin shall be forgiven." She walked over to where her husband sat and pulled him up from the sofa. "Come on Charles, I need to pray for Penny."

"We are leaving." Todd said to Candace. "Thank you for your time, sorry once again for your loss," he said to Mr and Mrs Baker who were busily tidying the cushions on the sofa where people had sat. "I hope you find some solace in the church." Todd said.

Mrs Baker stood up tall and nodded at Todd, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid. For the Lord God is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation."

Todd bit down on an 'Amen'. He nudged Candace and indicated they should leave the house before Mr and Mrs Baker. They walked out of the front room and the front door then got into Todd's car and began to pull away from the house.

"Fucking nut job." Candace said.

"I've told you before Candy Cane, grief hits us in many ways."

"Yeah but she doesn't seem to care about her daughter, it's all about the church. Most people make shrines, leave their kid's rooms as they were, refuse to forget they existed."

"She has her Faith. In her mind Penny is with God, she is praying for her redemption, that's her shrine, that's her memory."

"Nut case." Candace reiterated. "Absolutely Fruit and Nut."

"Don't knock it," Todd said, "You may need God one day, a lot of people are re-born you know."

Candace turned on the radio in the car, to find 'What if God were one of us' playing out on air.

"Now that's just spooky." She said.

-x-

Todd and Candace's trip to Amanda Thomas's parents was more as they expected; two people grieving for their murdered daughter. Confusion, anger and pain very prevalent emotions along with a hatred of the police for not having prevented their daughter's murder and now for failing to find the killer. Todd and Candace had to work hard with Amanda's parents to ensure them they were doing everything that was necessary to find her killer. When they had asked about friends or enemies, they had once again drawn a blank; it seemed that Amanda was so intent on building her fame and fortune that she had little time for any friends, choosing to spend her time learning about the modelling industry, watching programmes about some country's 'next top model' and only left the house to visit the gym or parade herself up and down the High Street in hope of being spotted. Todd was once again getting very irritated by the lack of evidence which was presenting itself and was wondering if he was ever going to get a break in this investigation.

"I'm going to the pub after work," he told Candace, "I need to drown my sorrows and get some thinking juice inside me."

"Sounds good," Candace fluttered her eyelashes at him, "I could do with releasing some tension."

Todd decided not to continue with that line of conversation. He didn't want to get sexually involved with Candace again and had already drawn the lines for her on that situation. He made a mental note to invite some of the other people from the office so he wouldn't be left alone with her and do something he may later regret.

Todd's mobile phone rang, "Get that," he asked Candace; she picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she listened to the caller. "No he can't, he's driving, and can I help? It's Sergeant Whelan." There was a few minutes silence in the car, Candace listening intently to the caller.

"What is it?" Todd asked.

Candace shushed him, "Is it a definite match?" she asked the caller then broke out into a broad grin.

"What Candace, come on tell me." Todd hurried her.

"Thanks Rani," she pushed the button to stop the call, then turned to Todd and said, "We've got him."

-x-

Todd and Candace walked purposefully into Olinsbury Custody Suite; Rani had told Candace that there had been a match found on the DNA which had been inside Mandy Thomas's body. Ever since the discovery of the evidence, any DNA which was collected from new offenders was ran through the database in the hope a match could be found and finally they had struck gold.

"Where is the prisoner?" Todd asked Sergeant Bird who sat behind the fibre glass barrier which was mean to protect him from raging prisoners.

"He's in a cell, we went and looked for him as soon as the information was relayed by the lab. Wasn't home, but we found him in Twockford, off his head."

"Name?"

"Danny Bradford."

"Has he got any form?"

"Well looking at his sheet, he used to get in a little bit of trouble when he was younger, but nothing bad enough to have his prints and DNA taken - all minor stuff, reprimands etc., that's why he wasn't on the database. He works as an Escort now."

"An Escort? A prostitute you mean?"

"Apparently he doesn't always sleep with them, it's just taking them on dates and stuff like that."

"Still in the sex industry though, I wonder if he does porn or glamour shoots; that could be his way of getting to these girls."

"They haven't been involved in porn or glamour." Candace reminded him.