Behind Closed Doors (35 page)

Juliette Rainsford was something of a surprise.

Caro Sumner, who had been watching the DVD recording of the interview with Juliette from Rob Jefferson’s office, beckoned Lou over when she saw her coming into the briefing room. ‘Watch this,’ she said.

The computer screen showed the interview room from two angles. The main image was of a young woman wearing a pink turtle-neck sweater which hugged a slender waist, a long, slim purple scarf draped casually around her neck. Her dark hair was long, and loose, twisted over one shoulder. Her arms were crossed but she was leaning back in her seat.

‘Who’s that?’ Lou asked.

‘It’s Juliette,’ Caro answered.

‘She’s not what I expected.’

‘Me neither. I suggested to DI Jefferson that he might need an appropriate adult for her. He asked me why. I said that Clive and Annie had always given me the impression that she had some learning difficulties. Then he showed me this. Listen.’

Caro turned up the volume on the speaker so that they could both hear what was being said. Lou shut the office door to avoid disrupting the incident room outside.

‘… they don’t go out very often,’ Juliette was saying, in a calm, even voice. ‘Maybe once every few months. They usually call it their “date night”, which always makes me laugh; I mean, it’s not as though they’re teenagers. This one was because Dad wanted to cheer Mum up, though. She’d been in a bit of a state, you know, with the burglary.’

‘You didn’t mind them going out, and leaving you alone?’

‘They wanted me to go with them but I told them I’d rather stay in. I was looking forward to a bit of peace, to be honest. Mum had been crying all day.’

Caro turned the sound down again. ‘See what I mean?’

‘Clive and Annie went to great lengths to keep her away from us,’ Lou said. ‘That makes me really curious to know why.’

‘Maybe they just wanted to protect her,’ Caro said, ‘having lost one daughter. Anyway, I’ve still got my concerns about her. She was in a bit of a state when she came in, crying and upset. Then she calmed down, and she’s been stable ever since. It might be the shock of finding her parents like that.’

‘You interviewed her at the time of the abduction, Caro,’ Lou said. ‘Was she like this then?’

‘She was upset, in tears most of the time. We went really easy on her because she was thirteen when Scarlett went missing. If you’d asked me then if she was vulnerable, I would have said yes. When we weren’t interviewing her she was always reading some book or other. She never voluntarily interacted with anyone.’

‘She seems quite relaxed about everything now, doesn’t she? Considering she’s just found her parents dead?’

‘Quite.’

Sam was watching Scarlett’s face.

It had been a while since she’d had to deliver a death message, and this one had been more dramatic than any she’d previously had to impart. Not a road traffic accident, not a heart attack at work: Scarlett’s parents had been brutally attacked. Sam had no idea how Scarlett might react, so she had taken her out to the car, which was the most private place she could find at short notice, turned to face her and told her the news.

Silence.

Scarlett’s face coloured, her mouth slightly open. Then she looked away. In a small voice, she said, ‘What about Juliette?’

‘She found them this morning. She’s fine, Scarlett. Would you like to see her?’

Scarlett nodded, turning slowly to face the windscreen. Sam waited a moment, then turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking space.

The silence as they drove the five miles into the town centre was unnerving. Sam had almost expected tears, but this time Scarlett hadn’t been tearful, or even showing any emotion other than a degree of anxiety. It had been a pity, almost, to end the discussion between them that had been going so well – the likelihood of Scarlett feeling relaxed enough to continue where they had left off was now slim.

There would come a point when they would ask Scarlett to give a statement about her time in the brothel in Briarstone.

Sam took Scarlett in via the front desk, left her to wait there and headed into the main office. And then breathed out. She phoned Lou straight away.

‘I’ve got Scarlett waiting at the front counter,’ she said. ‘I’m afraid I had to tell her.’

Lou sounded as though she was in a hurry. ‘I’m on my way,’ she said. ‘Can you meet me in the canteen?’

Ten minutes later they were sitting at a table in the corner in the restaurant on the top floor of the police station, coffees in front of them. There was a rumour that the canteen would be going soon, following the bar next door, which had closed down months ago. If she was honest, Sam could see that the bar had been an anachronism and there was no justification for their employers to be seen to be encouraging alcohol consumption in the workplace, but she had still been sad to see it go. The bar had been the scene of so many leaving parties, so many birthdays and retirements, it held many happy memories – as well as being a safe place to finish your shift with a pint or two, rather than the bars and pubs in town. How many other workplaces had their own bar? Not many, these days, Sam thought. So the bars in police stations across the country, and even the one at Headquarters, had gradually closed down, and now the canteens were starting to go too.

‘So tell me,’ Lou said, grimacing. ‘How did she take the news?’

‘She looked shocked,’ Sam said. ‘And then she asked about Juliette. That was about it – she’s barely said a word since then. How is Juliette? Have we got an appropriate adult for her?’

Lou smiled. ‘I’ll tell you all about that in a minute. First, though – I’ve managed to get you and Caro assigned to Rob Jefferson’s team for Clive’s murder. I’ll get you briefed properly when we have a chance, but for now I can tell you that this job is linked to Carl McVey.’

Sam nearly choked on her coffee. ‘You’re kidding? How?’

‘Shoe mark found in the garden at Russet Avenue matches the one we got from the woodland where McVey was killed. Lots more forensics on this one, too, so you never know, we might be able to clear up our job as well.’

‘Right. Is there anything in particular you want me to focus on?’

‘Get Caro involved in the interviewing. I’ve asked Rob if you can be the one in charge of the interview strategy.’

‘Scarlett’s here thinking she’s going to be meeting up with Juliette. I’m taking it that Juliette’s not under arrest? Do you think she’s up to seeing Scarlett?’

‘I would imagine so,’ Lou said. ‘I’d like to watch the camera footage when it happens. Come up to the incident room when you’re done; you can watch Juliette’s interview from this morning.’

‘Scarlett? Sorry I’ve been so long.’

In fact it had only been about twenty-five minutes; nevertheless Sam had almost expected Scarlett to have done a runner. But she was sitting on one of the chairs with her knees up, picking at the cuff of her shirt. Jo’s shirt. The front counter was mercifully quiet for a Monday morning.

‘Are you ready to see Juliette?’

Scarlett stood up awkwardly. ‘How is she?’

Sam smiled. ‘She seems very well, under the circumstances. My colleagues have been interviewing her about what happened last night, but they’re having a break for now. I’ll take you to see her.’

Sam swiped her access card at the door that led beyond the reception area to the rest of the police station, and held the door open for Scarlett. Walking down the corridor towards the interview rooms, she noticed a sudden spark of alarm cross Scarlett’s face. She was nervous. That was interesting. Sam smiled at her.

‘I’ll be right outside if you need me. Unless you want me to sit in?’

‘No, no,’ Scarlett said. ‘It’ll be okay. Thanks.’

Sam opened the door to the interview room. Inside, the girl in the pink sweater was waiting with Jan Baker, the FLO. Sam had time to take in Juliette’s expressionless blue eyes, the crossed, protective arms. She was smaller than Scarlett and Sam had a moment to consider how strange this whole meeting was. Ten years was a long time for both of them.

She stood aside. Scarlett’s face crumpled when she caught sight of her sister, and the two women rushed into an embrace. Over Juliette’s shoulder Sam saw Scarlett’s eyes, screwed tight shut, and the tears falling from them. Noticed the whiteness of Scarlett’s knuckles, her hands clenched into fists: one fist in Juliette’s hair, the other pressed into her back.

‘Sam? Are you okay?’

It had taken Sam several minutes to walk the corridor and climb the stairs between the interview room and the incident room. Her cheeks were flushed.

She nodded but Lou wasn’t convinced. She ushered her into the office and shut the door behind her. ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’

‘I’m fine,’ Sam said.

Lou waited.

Sam wiped a finger under one eye, looked at it. Composed herself, took a deep breath in. ‘It’s Scarlett. Seeing her and Juliette just kind of affected me more than I thought it would, that’s all. She’s been through such a lot, Lou. I get this – feeling – like she’s so brave, so strong, and she’s only just holding it together.’

‘Oh, Sam. She’s really got to you, hasn’t she?’

‘I’m fine, honest. It’s not a problem or anything.’

‘Did she tell you anything useful for the Op Pentameter team this morning?’

‘No – I was getting to that point when she indicated she was ready to see her family, which kind of precipitated me telling her. I’m wondering now if she said that as a distraction, because the next bit is too traumatic for her to talk about.’

‘Or because that’s the part that’s going to incriminate her?’

Sam looked up. ‘Incriminate her? For what, exactly?’

Lou’s tone was even. ‘I don’t know. It’s just that she seems to be extremely successful at avoiding answering some very simple questions. She seemed afraid when we first saw her in the VVS, but we haven’t seen any evidence that she’s in danger, have we?’

‘Are you saying you think she’s lying about where she’s been all these years?’

‘I’m not saying that at all. Sam, do I need to have any concerns about you losing your objectivity?’

Sam looked away. ‘No,’ she said quietly.

‘That’s not what’s happening?’

No reply, this time.

‘Sam…’ Lou said, her tone consoling, ‘I know what you’ve been through recently. With Jo, and everything that happened. I’m aware that you’re potentially vulnerable —’

‘I’m not vulnerable at all!’ Sam said, biting back at last. ‘I’m working my backside off as I always do. If you think I’m not doing a good job, say so.’

‘It’s not that. You’re doing an amazing job. I trust you, Sam, because you know what you’re doing and you get results. I just want you to know that I care, that’s all. And you’re human, same as the rest of us.’

‘If anything, what happened to Jo has made me even more worried about getting too involved. In fact I’ve been thinking of very little else. So no, I’m not losing my objectivity. I know exactly what I’m doing.’ Sam’s cheeks were pink, and she’d not made eye contact with Lou since the word ‘concerns’ had been thrown into the conversation. ‘Can I go?’

‘Of course.’

Sam shut the door behind her firmly as she left. Lou breathed out. Sam was the closest thing she had to a best friend, but the fact remained that, on work time, Lou was Sam’s line manager, and the welfare of her officers was always her priority. In any case, there was no more time to worry about it. Lou picked up the phone and dialled Rob Jefferson’s mobile.

‘I’m heading back to the incident room,’ he told her. ‘Just been in the CCU checking on that download from the phone they found in the Volvo.’

‘Any good?’

‘Yes, Zoe’s dealing with the data now. Do you want me to come to your office?’

‘No, don’t worry, Rob. I’m in the MIR. See you there in a minute?’

Sam was sitting on the bench in the Lawrence Carroll memorial garden outside the canteen. It was less a garden and more a square of turf enclosed by a foot-high box hedge, a circular flowerbed in the centre which would be full of daffodils and tulips by spring, but which for now was bare except for the layer of rotting leaves. It wasn’t exactly private, but, short of getting in her car and driving away, there were not many options for a breath of fresh air and a five-minute think.

Not private at all, as it turned out, because a moment later Caro Sumner came out of the side door and sat down next to her.

‘I’ve hardly seen the DCI this morning,’ Caro said, by way of an introduction.

‘Everything’s gone a bit crazy again,’ Sam replied.

‘Well, it makes sense. Are you okay?’

Sam looked up. ‘Of course. Why?’

Caro gave her a gentle smile. ‘You seem a bit… preoccupied. Tell me to mind my own, if you like. But I’m a good listener.’

Sam wouldn’t have dreamed of telling Caro to ‘mind her own’, and yet she didn’t especially feel like sharing Lou’s concerns over her professionalism just yet, either. As a compromise, she said, ‘I find it hard to stay detached sometimes. Don’t you?’

‘Definitely. And I don’t always think staying detached is helpful. It’s what makes us good at our jobs.’

That was it, exactly, Sam thought. There were procedures in place, professional standards that had to be maintained, and yet that didn’t mean you weren’t allowed to care about the people you interacted with. It was by developing empathy with people that you were able to understand them, get under their skin, establish the things they were trying to hide and then persuade them to bring those things out into the open. That sort of result couldn’t be forced.