Two Wrongs (Detective Inspector Ross Reed Book 1) (6 page)

“Be with you in a minute, mate.” A faceless voice said.

Reed didn’t feel the need to reply. As he stood looking around, he really didn’t understand why most garages had their interior walls painted white of all colours. Surely the fumes and oil were always going to win that particular battle.

“What can we do for you?” The voice spoke again, this time accompanied by a face. A face covered in grease, no older than 30. The square jaw and perfectly kept, short, spiky hair fitted in just right with the gym toned torso that was on show from the rolled down overalls. 

“I’m Detective Inspector Reed. I’m looking for David Jones.”

“That’s me.” Jones admitted with a concerned look on his face.

“I was hoping you could spare me a few minutes regarding the night Carmella Chapman went missing?”

“Yes. Sure. I’ll take an early break.”

“Is there somewhere we could take a seat?” Reed asked.

“Yeah, sorry, you’ve got me all worried. I’m not thinking straight, this way.”

Jones led the way to a small office at the back of the garage. On the short walk to the office, he obviously felt the need to untie his overalls from around his waist and put them up over his shoulders and onto his arms. After he buttoned them up, they covered his whole body like they were designed to. Reed could only presume that he done this because of the present company-the garage was stuffy with lingering car fumes making the air feel thicker and warmer than it was outside so Reed wasn’t surprised that Jones had rolled his overalls down.

The office itself was windowless, fashioned from sheets of plasterboard to gain some privacy from the main workshop. There were sheets of paper pinned to every available space, a rail of key hooks, some occupied, some not. They sat on the only two chairs available.

“Like I said, there’s nothing to worry about, just a few questions. Did you know Carmella well?”

“Not really. We had a couple of mutual friends, spoke now and again.”

“Was Lee Gulliver a mutual friend?”

Jones lowered his head, just for a moment. He scratched at his ankle before returning eye contact. Reed took this to be a sign that maybe they weren’t friends, or at the very least, Jones needed to get the following words correct.

“Not anymore. We used to be. We were in the same year at school and we used to hang out sometimes.”

“I understand.” Reed said honestly, thinking of the friends he had lost contact with over the years. “You were very quick in telling the police that Carmella had left the club with Lee. Did you have any reason to be worried for her safety?”

“I saw on the news that she had gone missing and remembered them leaving together, that’s all. I mean, he drives like a madman in that car of his, they could have ended up in a ditch or something.”

“So you have no reason to believe he would intentionally harm her?”

“I s’pose not. Not kill her anyway!” Jones was now wearing the look of someone who was dying to say something, almost willing Reed to drag it out of him. A bit like a child trying to hold on to a secret, he was fidgeting too.

“I get the impression you’re holding something back?”

“It’s just an opinion.”

“Opinions are welcome, and confidential.”

Jones bowed his head, scratching at what was probably an imaginary itch on his ankle again. He took a deep breath but rather than go into the rant Reed was expecting, he slowly exhaled. “He likes to think he’s a bit of a ladies’ man. I say ladies’ man, it’s more like girls.” Jones now sat back in his chair. Reed just waited.

“He’s 32 and Carmella was 17. That’s nearly double her age. There have been others too, which I’m sure weren’t even that old!” Jones continued. “I just don’t think, personally, that it’s right, that’s all.”

“What others?” Reed asked.

“I don’t know. Like I said, we aren’t close anymore.” Jones answered. His tone suggesting he was starting to doubt his own theories.

“‘Anymore’? Meaning you were close once?”

“Look, the truth is we were best friends until he tried making a move on my sister. It was a time when she wouldn’t have been legal, if you see what I mean?”

“That’s why you aren’t friends anymore?

“Basically yeah, he’s a borderline paedophile if you ask me.”

DC Plumridge entered the office sounding out of breath and his cheeks were glowing red. Reed had been talking to DS Tyler about his visit to Butler’s Garage and his chat with David Jones last night. When Plumridge saw the look on his superior’s face, he was quick to apologise for barging in.

“Sorry sir.” He managed to puff out, waving a piece of paper around as way of conversation until he could catch his breath and speak for real. “I’ve got the results back from the speed cameras you asked for. Guess who they picked up?”

“Mr. Gulliver?” Tyler asked, taking the surprise-factor away from Plumridge, along with the joy of doing so away from Reed.

“Yeah, but . . .” Plumridge had a reserve surprise which he struggled to get the air in his lungs to say. “Does Nic Anderson ring any bells?”

“No.” Came the mutual reply from Tyler and Reed. Plumridge’s breathing went up a notch again.

“He’s a convicted sex attacker, relocated to Thetford from up north four years ago for his own safety. We got him speeding too.”

The lack of excitement from his audience shot him back down to earth.

“Can you get me his records please? As quick as you can.” Reed requested.

“Yes sir. I’ll do it now.”

Plumridge handed Reed the list of people caught by speed cameras in the area of where Carmella’s body had been dumped on the night she was killed. They had covered a 25 mile radius of Thetford- Reed’s simplistic thinking being that if he had just killed someone, he wouldn’t want to hang around and might miss a speed camera as he drove away, whether it had been premeditated or not.

“Well done by the way.” Reed said, offering Plumridge the praise he was desperately seeking. Satisfied, Plumridge left with the same gusto with which he had arrived.

“You’re cruel.” Tyler teased.

“What?”

“‘As quick as you can’ indeed. He’ll kill himself if he goes any quicker.”

“He loves a challenge, does Plummy.” Reed defended himself.

They both smiled at each other. Reed, feeling their eye contact lasting just a little too long, turned his attention to the list in his hand but didn’t really read it; he just scanned the words for something to do.

“No sexual assault on either girl sir.” Tyler stated, not sharing Plumridge’s excitement over Nic Anderson.

“Doesn’t mean he didn’t try I suppose, but he’s only been in the area for four years as far as we know, and Tina Westwood was killed ten years ago. It’ll be interesting to know why he was relocated here; perhaps he’s got family or friends in the area. He might have visited back then.”

“Hard to believe any family or friends would actually want him near them.”

“Maybe they don’t get a choice. I’d guess a lot of people would have been happy to see Anderson leave his northern roots and more than willing to set him up elsewhere, no matter how weak the reasoning behind it.” Reed knew that if he could shift Anderson somewhere else, he would. In fact, he’d shift a lot of people.

There were undeniable similarities between the two cases and perhaps Anderson, or someone else, had been present in the area at the time of both murders. But he still couldn’t rule out the possibility that there were two killers, not at this stage.

“Have you looked at the report I left on your desk?” Tyler asked.

“Well, I was just about to when you came in,” he said, tongue firmly in cheek. “If you’ll allow me, I’ll take a look now.”

Tyler got comfortable in her chair. “Quiet as a mouse.” She said and crossed her heart with her finger.

Reed started to study the report. It was something to do with the bleach found on Carmella’s body. That much he could work out for himself, other than that he couldn’t understand a thing it meant and he suspected Tyler knew it wouldn’t. That was probably the reason why she had come to his office in the first place. Now she was watching him try to work it out, enjoying every minute of his confusion. After looking at the report for some time, he wasn’t even sure if some of the words were English.

“What the hell does all this mean?” He finally snapped.

Tyler was up before he had even finished his sentence, making her way around his desk so she could point out what she so evidently knew and he didn’t.

“Basically it’s a list of bleach manufacturers and the ingredients they use. This bit here is what the bleach is called, then underneath is the ingredients and the percentage of their content.” Tyler explained. She looked down at Reed to assess his face for understanding. Noncommittal, she carried on anyway. “At the end of the day bleach is bleach, so in order to avoid any copyright problems each company will use a slightly different percentage of each ingredient.”

Reed was keeping up so far, faring much better than he had expected. When Tyler first leaned over him, all he noticed was how close she had gotten. She had moved right into his back to reach the papers in his hand, her contact making him feel a little uncomfortable. When she had started speaking he focused hard on her words.

“And this is relevant how?”

“We have a match on the bleach that was found on Carmella’s body. It’s the same as that found on Tina’s.” Tyler said.

“Which is what brand?” Reed asked whilst moving his finger over the sheets in front of him.

“Well that’s the interesting bit; it’s made by a company based in Thetford. A little close to home, don’t you think? I mean, it’s sold all around the country but it’s a start. The company name is Gleen.”

“It is a start.” Reed agreed, satisfied they at least had something to go on.

“Do you want me to arrange an appointment?”

“Yes. Could you chase Plummy up for me as well please, make sure he hasn’t had a heart attack whilst chasing up that file?”

“If he has, I’ll be calling you to do the mouth to mouth.”

Reed was having lunch with Kate at 1.30pm. He had booked a table at the White Hart pub in Attleborough. He didn’t know if he needed to book but it wasn’t worth the risk of turning up and there being no tables available.

Waiting in the car park he was pretty sure there hadn’t been any need to book. There were only four other cars there and some of those must have been staff. Kate had phoned to say she was running a little late. He would give her five minutes before going in alone. It was a lovely day and the sun was shining. There was a gentle breeze blowing in through the windows of the car and he was in no hurry to go indoors.

After lunch he had planned to visit Butler’s garage again to check if his car was done. David Jones had told him that it would be ready by the end of today if he could get the alternator in for the morning. Reed had warned Tyler that she might need to get a lift out here so she could drive his borrowed car back to headquarters. So that he could crowbar her help into the category of work, she was to look over Nic Anderson’s file and the speed camera data, and fill him in when she arrived.

Kate drove into the car park a little too quickly for his liking before swinging her 4x4 into the space next to him. She looked thinner just recently; she needed to slow down a little and eat more so he was pleased she had accepted his invitation. He pecked her on the cheek and asked her if she fancied eating alfresco. When she agreed, they picked an outside table that was situated under the shadow of a tree. After a couple of minutes of Kate scanning the menu inbetween text messages she was reading and typing, he went inside to order the food. Despite the lack of trade he still had to wait for a couple who couldn’t actually decide what they wanted. Rather than be polite and step aside, they took a good ten minutes to pick before paying by card; trying to pay by card that is, finally getting the pin number correct on the second attempt, with the second card.

Reed ordered rump steak as he always did when they ate out; his excuse being that they never seemed to have it home. Kate argued they never had it at home because he always had it when they were out. His wife had chosen pasta and salad but of more concern was the rose wine options and he wasn’t to just order the cheapest. When he returned with their drinks, they spoke about their days so far: Reed had been buoyed by the news about the bleach. Kate was complaining about the farmer next to her stables who had positioned his bird scarer as close as he could to the horse’s paddocks causing even the level headed ones to spook.

Reed left part of his steak after images of Carmella’s autopsy had flickered through his head. It had been a long time since they last ate out, just the two of them, and he was confused as to why he had arranged this for today of all days. There was no anniversary or birthday to celebrate; he just wanted to buy his wife lunch. He had enjoyed watching her as she had eaten. The weather was lovely and the birds were singing so he was a little disappointed when she looked up from her phone and said, “I’ll have to shoot off, I’ve got a stack of payments that need chasing, all the horses are on edge and with all things taken into account, so far today I’ve achieved bugger all!”

“I can’t tempt you into having a pudding?”

“No, I’d better not; I don’t have the time, or the figure.”

It annoyed Reed when she said things like that. She was a size six for Christ’s sake. She had always loved any kind of pudding up until recently, normally the more calories the better.

“I thought you might like the double chocolate cake?”

“Oh I’d love it. I just don’t have the time; you know what it’s like at the stables. It was lovely though.” Kate gathered her bag and phone before she kissed him on the cheek. “See you later.”

“Yep, see you later.” Reed replied, feeling the meal had been more of an inconvenience for her than it had him.

He was just finishing his glass of coke when his phone rang. The screen warned him it was Tyler.

“Sorry to disturb your meal but I’ve noticed something about the speed cameras.”

“Don’t worry about it, Kate’s just left.”

“I don’t blame her.”

“Ha bloody ha, why don’t you get over here and you can tell me face to face?”

“OK. Don’t you put yourself out will you sir? Have a drink on me.”

“Thanks. I will. A pint of their finest coke, so don’t you forget your purse.” Reed said before hanging up so he couldn’t hear her complain.

When Tyler came into the car park, Reed gave her a wave and got himself ready to go. He walked over to the car just as she was saying thanks to Plumridge who had driven her here.

“You can drive.” Reed said, throwing the keys to her.

“That’s a shame, I could get used to this, being driven around.”

“Well, if you had got here a bit sooner and bought me that drink I might have considered driving you around but that deal is closed. If I drink one more my urine will be fizzy so you can keep your money
and
you can drive.”

They got in the car and Tyler took them onto the A11 towards Thetford, explaining what she had found out from the speed camera reports.

“That’s why I asked Plumridge for a lift; I know he was in on the first interview with Lee Gulliver. Plummy confirmed the route Gulliver said he took Carmella home and it doesn’t include the speed camera he was caught on.”

“What time was he was caught speeding?” Reed asked eagerly.

“11.50pm, it’s the one thing that does add up. That time matches his statement on when they left the club. He said they left about half eleven. The club’s CCTV has them leaving at 11.23pm.”

“Where was he caught speeding?”

“The Bury Road. He didn’t take the A11 like he said. He drove straight past Thetford Common!”

“The lying little shit!”

Tyler pulled into Butler’s garage and parked the car. Neither of them moved to get out of the car.

“We know Carmella didn’t have sex but it doesn’t mean they didn’t stop off for a bit of a fondle somewhere.” Tyler suggested.

“That could well be but why bloody lie about it? And why lie about the route he took Carmella home,
if
he took her home?”

His car was ready but David Jones wasn’t in work; he had gone to the dentist. Reed wasn’t too disappointed about this. His head was spinning with the new information regarding Gulliver’s route home. Reed told Tyler to drive his borrowed car back to headquarters and book it in for him, then to check Gulliver’s earlier statement just to be absolutely sure about his version of the journey he and Carmella took home.

He also told her not to mention anything to DCI Whitehead. He wanted time to think about whether to bring Gulliver into the station or to pay him a surprise visit at home.

Reed knew that with some people the journey to a police station could get the butterflies going in their stomach and by the time the interview started they would be ready to tell all with very little probing. On the other hand, depending on each individual personality, they could use the time in the car to get a cover story ready for any line of questioning.

Reed didn’t know which approach to take with Gulliver. The one big advantage any liar had was knowledge. They knew why they were lying and more importantly they knew the truth. A surprise visit at least meant Gulliver would have to think on his feet, the only drawback being that any slip ups in his story wouldn’t be good enough for evidence in court, Gulliver could just deny it and they would have to prove it.