Blood Line (16 page)

‘She also had Jonathan Hyde representing her – a good operator. Did she bring him on board herself?’ Langton asked.

‘No. She lucked in as he was the duty solicitor.’

‘Motive? What are your thoughts on that?’

‘Well, we have discussed the joint bank account and the life-insurance policy; added together it’s quite a substantial sum, around a hundred and twenty thousand, and although her business is doing well now, she’s admitted to being up to the limit on her overdraft. Somehow I don’t buy money as the motive.’

‘You checked it out? If she’s in debt, she might be getting in deeper.’

‘No, but I have been there and it looks like she’s got a good turnover and employs quite a lot of staff.’

‘Check it out.’

‘Will do. The other motive that I’ve been toying with is that perhaps Tina was having an affair with someone, and whoever that was could be implicated. But to date we’ve not found any evidence that she was seeing anyone else. We know she had quite a reputation at the local gym, but we’ve checked with all the instructors.’

‘There was a semen stain found in the master bed – right? Tina said, didn’t she, that Alan was possibly seeing someone else? So it could be his?’

‘Yes. But we also know it doesn’t match the DNA from the blood pooling. So the victim might not be Alan Rawlins. I am checking out if the semen could belong to the neighbour, Michael Phillips, who is single and very handsome.’

She hesitated because the single hair also discovered in the bed was not the right colour match for the dark, glossy-haired Phillips. She scrawled a note to remind herself to get a hair sample for DNA from Tina, plus recent photographs.

‘Any witness that saw them together?’

Anna looked up and Langton repeated the question.

‘No,’ she replied. ‘But there’s one odd thing that sort of takes away from Alan being the submissive non-confrontational type. A neighbour saw him kicking out at the wall close to their flat and punching it. This was a few days before he went missing.’

‘Or was cut up.’

‘Right.’

Langton stood up, taking out the chewed gum and dropping it into her waste-basket.

‘You know, we have a result over in Highgate – brought charges last night. Bastard’s a real psychopath, but whether or not he’ll be fit to stand trial is another matter.’

‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you. I think what you need to do is obviously get the ID of the victim ASAP and dig around into any sexual deviancy. Old Brian reckons Mr Rawlins was homosexual. One of his close friends you interviewed was gay, right?’

‘Yes, but I disagree. I don’t think Alan was gay.’

‘Well, you never know, and if he was, he maybe didn’t want it known. Anything come from Forensics from Tina Brooks’s car?’

‘No. We’re waiting on Liz to get back to us.’

‘You know what’s interesting?’

She cocked her head to one side and smiled, saying, ‘I am sure you are about to tell me.’

‘The fact that after a murder was committed close to or on the bed, someone had sex in it. Now that’s deviant . . . Look along those lines, Anna, and uppermost try to find out what happened to the body.’

‘I intend to.’

‘Good.’

He stood staring at her for a moment and then went to open the door.

‘Good work.’

‘Thank you.’

He hesitated and turned back.

‘Just one more thing. As we’re on top of this case I’ve been overseeing I was wondering if you’d like Mike Lewis transferred over to your investigation.’

‘No. I want to see how the team I’ve got pans out before bringing in anyone else.’

He gave her a small smile and opened the door.

‘Well, you know where I am.’

Anna was left irritated by his offer. As a DCI she didn’t need another one of her rank looking over her shoulder. Langton was enough.

‘By the way,’ she said, ‘you have what looks like an egg stain on your tie.’

He lifted it up and swore, walking out scratching at the stain.

Her desk phone rang. It was Edward Rawlins returning her call, very concerned about his wife giving another blood sample.

‘She was very distressed about having it done the last time. Is it necessary?’

‘Yes, I’m afraid it is.’

‘But surely you can determine whether or not it is Alan.’

‘Unfortunately the first sample taken from your wife leaked, and the genetic combination of the blood from both parents is required for examination by the scientist.’

‘I see. In that case, I suppose you have to do what you have to do, but I don’t understand why.’ He couldn’t continue. She heard him give a muffled sob.

‘It’s possible, Mr Rawlins, that it might not be your son’s blood,’ Anna said gently.

‘Jesus God, this is all dreadful. I am leaving work at three today so I will be at home for when the doctor comes to take the sample, but as I said, my wife is very distressed. She doesn’t understand what is happening. I told her it was for some new medication to try and calm her.’

‘The police doctor will endeavour to make your wife feel as relaxed as possible,’ Anna assured him.

She then rang Liz Hawley to say the further sample from Mrs Rawlins would be taken late afternoon and she would have it brought up to the lab as soon as possible.

‘The fingerprint team have finally finished,’ Liz told her, ‘so I will be starting on the Luminol testing first thing in the morning.’

‘Did you find anything from Tina Brooks’s car?’

‘That’s not my department, but I’ll check for you.’

‘Thank you.’

Before she hung up, Liz asked if Anna would be bringing in any suspects’ DNA samples for a comparison with the hair and semen.

‘It’s on the cards. I’ll let you know.’

Anna replaced the phone. They would require a mouth swab and hair sample from Michael Phillips. She decided that she would handle that personally as it was imperative they either implicate or eliminate him. However, as they had no evidence against him, he would have to agree to the tests and he’d be entitled to refuse.

Anna sat with Brian Stanley at his desk and explained that he was to make further enquiries at the Body Form gym used by Tina, Alan and Michael Phillips. She was about to walk away when he held up the offending finger.

‘You know, we really need to get that crime-scene blood identified, because if it wasn’t Alan Rawlins it’s gonna shed a whole different light on our enquiry.’

‘I am aware of that and it’s in the mix for today.’

‘Another thing, we need more updated photographs of Alan Rawlins. If it isn’t his blood, then he’s missing. I’ve got onto Mispers about it and they have a couple of shots they are sending over. They were given to them by Tina Brooks, but I wondered if we had his driving licence.’

‘We don’t. We didn’t find one.’

‘Wouldn’t the DVLC hold double photographs nowadays if he had a recent new licence?’

‘I believe so.’

‘Right, I’ll check with them. And what about Tina? We should have a photo of her. It helps when looking over any CCTV we may seize.’

‘I’ll ask her to hand one over.’

‘She’s not staying at the flat until it’s given the all-clear, so do you have a contact address for her?’

‘It’s on the board, Brian.’

‘Right, thanks. Have we sniffed around for any new life-insurance policies, only the one we have been checking out was made a couple of years ago. Maybe there’s a newer one?’

‘Check it out then.’

‘It’s just that I find it odd. I mean, I’m in my forties and I haven’t got one.’

‘Nor have I, but Alan Rawlins appears to have been a particularly cautious man when it comes to money.’

‘Particularly anal if you ask me.’

Anna’s patience with Brian’s offhand derogatory remarks was wearing thin. She raised her voice to show her disapproval of his comments.

‘Just get on with it, Detective Stanley!’

‘Okay, I’ll get started.’

‘Thank you.’

Anna returned to her office. Stanley might be very experienced, but he was starting to get under her skin; however, she had to admit he was working the case. She wondered how Paul and Helen were getting on interviewing the remaining names in Rawlins’s address book. She called Paul’s mobile, but it was turned off so she sent a text message. Once that was done, she left the station to go to talk to Michael Phillips.

Paul and Helen had been criss-crossing London. A number of the names were dead ends as the people had moved or gone abroad. By mid-afternoon they had successfully interviewed six. Four had not seen or spoken to Alan for a long time and could give no indication of what might have occurred. They did all repeat what an exceptionally nice person he was; most had been to school or college with him and none appeared to be very intimate friends, but almost all of them said that after his relationship with Tina had begun they had seen very little of him. None were very enthusiastic about her, but at the same time felt that if she made Alan happy it was none of their business.

The fifth person they interviewed was a librarian called Alison Bisk. She was an attractive blonde, but the type of woman who doesn’t know how to make the best of herself. She was wearing a very plain jumper with a woollen skirt that reached her calves, and comfortable shoes. She was at first startled by their appearance at the library and then shocked when they said they were interviewing everyone who knew Alan, as he was missing.

‘Missing?’

‘Yes, Miss Bisk. If we could go somewhere more private we’d just like to ask you about your friendship with Mr Rawlins.’

They went into a small reading room, where Paul explained that they were looking into his disappearance as it was possible it could be due to foul play.

‘What do you mean?’

‘He has been missing for some considerable time and we have found things inside his flat that give cause for concern.’

‘But I haven’t seen him for maybe six or seven months.’

‘You knew him well?’

She nodded.

‘What can you tell us about him?’

She chewed her lip and then did a small nervous cough. ‘We used to go out together so I did know him very well.’

‘Tell us what you know about him.’

She sighed and then explained that she and Alan had lived together in her flat, and that at one time she had felt that their relationship would eventually lead to marriage.

‘I don’t want to say anything bad about him. You see, we were together for almost three years. He was always a very caring and loving person. He could be a bit obsessive about saving money, but he wanted to buy a place of his own – you know, he didn’t really like living at my flat. He halved the rent with me though, as well as saving for the future. It was a future I believed I would be a part of, but . . .’

She looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together and releasing them.

‘He went on a surfing holiday to Cornwall,’ she continued. ‘I couldn’t go because my holiday dates didn’t match his. I knew something was wrong when he phoned me from there.’

‘Wrong? What do you mean?’

‘Well, he sounded different – distant. He said he was having a wonderful time, but he just didn’t sound like the Alan I knew. He phoned me maybe four times, but I could feel he was different. I can’t really explain it, but I sensed it, as I was very much in love with him. Anyway, the Saturday he was due to come home I’d bought a special dinner and even though he didn’t really drink I’d got a bottle of rosé wine.’ Her eyes welled with tears.

‘Go on, Miss Bisk, please. This is very helpful.’ Helen felt for the girl; she was obviously still very hurt.

‘I was in the bath and I had my hair in rollers because I wanted to make myself look good for him when he got back, but he came home earlier than I expected. He was so tanned and his hair was very blonde and he leaned on the bathroom door and . . .’

She searched for a tissue and dabbed her eyes.

‘He was like a stranger. He said that he still loved me, but he was no longer
in
love with me and would be moving out.’

She began to rip at the tissue.

‘I was in shock. I couldn’t believe that in just two weeks he could have changed so drastically, and then there were these calls from
her
– she had the cheek to call my flat and ask to speak to him. I knew whoever it was had to be the reason he was leaving, but he wouldn’t tell me anything. It took two weeks for him to clear all his belongings and he left.’

‘When exactly was this?’

‘Four years ago.’

‘But you said you saw him a few months back.’

‘Yes. He would often stop by and see how I was, or a couple of times he came here to see me at work. He never really explained anything to me, but I knew he had moved in with that woman in Hounslow. I never went there and I never called him. It was always him that contacted me, but not for us to get back together – just to see how I was. I think he felt guilty for the way he had treated me.’

‘When you saw him, did he appear to be in good spirits?’

‘How do you mean?’

‘Well, was he depressed or moody, and did he say anything derogatory about his latest girlfriend?’

‘No. I never felt I could broach the subject with him. To be honest, I hoped he would come back, but he never even suggested it. I used to see his parents on the odd occasions at Christmastime. I’d take them a little gift. They were the sweetest people and I think they were upset at the way he had treated me. I don’t think they liked his new girlfriend.’

‘Did he ever seem angry?’

‘Oh no, Alan was such a calm person. He did dress differently, more fashionably, and he seemed more handsome, or maybe that was just me. I missed him so much and like I said, I think he did feel guilty because we had been very serious about each other. In fact, one time he asked if I wanted to start a family and I obviously said that I would, and after he had left I found . . .’

Again she started to weep. Paul and Helen waited.

‘I didn’t drive and he had started to arrange driving lessons for me. I found in a cupboard the L-plates he had bought for me. On one he had written a message about having a baby soon. I never took my test. I still don’t drive – silly, really.’

Paul got into the driving seat and looked at Helen.