No Hiding Place: An edge of your seat mystery/thriller. (DI Sally Parker thrillers Book 2) (18 page)

He inhaled heavily. His glare
intensified, and he tightened his arms once more.

Get out of that one, matey!

Still, he remained silent.

“What, not even a ‘no
comment’?”

His gaze continued to bore into
hers.

“Not even that, eh? Okay, then
I think I need to start searching through Gemma’s personal effects,
such as her e-mails and if she kept a diary she wrote in every day.
That kind of evidence would be hard to dispute, yes?”

“You need to do what you have
to do, Inspector. I’ll say this for the final time: I had nothing
to do with Gemma’s death, and forgive me if I’m wrong, but I
believe you are barking up the wrong tree. You have no evidence
placing me at the murder scene. How’s that for an accurate summary
of your case against me?”

Sally smiled. “You’re smart,
Mr. Whiting. But I have to tell you that even smart suspects slip
up eventually. I’d like to put this on record that when that day
arrives, I’ll take extreme pleasure in slapping the cuffs on
you.”

If she thought her comment
would trip him up and force him to reconsider, she was very much
mistaken. The glare he’d fixed on her was replaced by a smug smile
and a wink.

Realising the suspect had the
better of her, Sally drew the interview to a halt and asked Joanna
to see Colin and his solicitor out of the station while she
returned to the incident room, where she kicked out at the nearest
chair, sending it crashing into the wall.

“We have to find it… the one
clue that will nail that bastard.”

“I take it the questioning
didn’t go well, boss?” Jordan asked warily.

“No, it didn’t. There must be
something we’re missing here. I’ve just threatened Colin Whiting
that I’m going to search Gemma’s personal effects in the hope he
might show some apprehension at the prospect—he didn’t.”

“Maybe he was bluffing,” Jordan
suggested as Joanna walked into the room.

“What’s your opinion of him,
Joanna? Do you think he’s telling the truth?”

“You’d have more experience
about that than me, boss. To me, he seemed innocent, but what do I
know?” Joanna shrugged.

“Mind if I interrupt, boss?”
Stuart asked.

“Go on.”

Stuart looked down at his
notes. “While you were interviewing Colin Whiting, a Miss Nadine
Thornley called to speak to you.”

“The name sounds familiar. What
about?”

“It should. She’s one of
Gemma’s friends who went out with her that night. We haven’t got
around to speaking to her yet because she’s been working away.
She’s some kind of sales rep. I’ve got her address if you want to
drop by.”

“I take it she knows something
that she thinks we should be aware of.”

“Could be. She sounded a bit
upset on the phone. Otherwise, I would have suggested she comes to
the station to see you.”

“Sounds intriguing. Come on,
Joanna. Let’s go for a ride, see what Miss Thornley has to
say.”

Sally rang the bell to the new
block of swish apartments.

The door was opened almost
immediately by a pretty brunette wearing a concerned smile. “Are
you the police?”

“We are. I’m DI Sally Parker,
and my partner is DC Joanna Tryst. I believe you have some
information you’d like to share about Gemma Whiting, Miss
Thornley?”

“It’s Nadine.” She opened the
door to let them in. “We’ll go in the lounge.”

Once they were all seated on
the two cream leather sofas, Sally asked, “First of all, I’d like
to express my condolences. Did your friends inform you of Gemma’s
death?”

“Yes, Audrey left me a message
on my answerphone. I lost my mobile a week ago and haven’t had the
chance to replace it yet. I was devastated when I heard what had
happened. Gemma was such a lovely person. Have you arrested anyone
yet?”

“No, we’re still going through
a list of suspects. Sorry to be so blunt. My colleague said that
you might have some valuable information for us.”

“I’ve hardly slept last night
since hearing the news. Audrey said what kind of questions the
police had asked her, and I’ve been mulling things over during the
night.”

“Okay, take your time,” Sally
said once she saw the tears welling up in Nadine’s eyes.

“Melinda was one of Gemma’s
closest friends. Unfortunately, she died a few months back through
cancer.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. Tragic
news.”

“It was, to all of us,
especially Gemma. After the funeral, I noticed a change in Gemma.
Of course we were all really upset by our friend’s death, but it
appeared to hit Gemma strangely for some reason.”

“Can you enlighten us as to
how, Nadine?”

“Yes, she was hit as hard as
all of us, but she recovered swiftly. She seemed much chirpier in
herself after a few days’ grief, and I just couldn’t figure out
why, so I came right out and asked her.”

“And what was her
response?”

“She told me that it was as if
a beacon of hope had gone off in her head the minute Melinda had
passed. She assured me that she was distraught by Mel’s death, but
it had given her the strength to alter her own way of
thinking.”

“Strange. Thinking about
what?”

“She meant her marriage. I know
she and Mark haven’t really been getting along properly as man and
wife—if you know what I mean?—for a few months now.”

“I see. Did Gemma have any love
interests outside of the marriage?”

Nadine gasped and covered her
chest with her splayed-out hand. “No. She wasn’t the type to have
an affair.”

Sally glanced sideways at
Joanna, hoping that her partner wouldn’t display any reaction to
the news. She didn’t. “All right. Did she confide in you in which
way this sudden strength would reveal itself?”

“She did. She told me that she
had been applying for jobs out of the area.”

“So, you’re telling me that she
had every intention of leaving her husband?”

“Yes, it was just a matter of
time. She needed to find a way of securing her future first, before
she said farewell to her past.”

“Do you know if she was
successful in her search to find a job?”

“I got the impression she had
been, but when the realisation struck, she stopped talking about
it. Maybe she thought I’d let it slip to Mark. I wouldn’t have, but
who’s to say how people react when they’re on the verge of turning
not only their own lives upside down, but also that of those around
them. She was very protective of Samantha, wanted the transition to
be as smooth as possible to avoid upsetting her daughter too
much.”

“That’s fair enough. Can I ask
if you know what went wrong in the marriage?”

“Are you asking if Mark was
ever violent towards Gemma?”

“I suppose that’s exactly what
I meant. Was he?”

Nadine rubbed the side of her
face as she thought. “Gemma didn’t mention anything to me. When I
asked why she wasn’t willing to stick with her marriage and give it
another go, she seemed quite evasive.”

“In what way?” Sally asked.

“I can’t tell you. She never
confided in me that much, and I didn’t like to push her.”

“Interesting. Do you happen to
know where Gemma was searching for jobs? Was it her intention to
leave the area?”

“Yes. The London area, I
believe.”

“That’s quite a trek. Is there
anything else she mentioned in passing that you can recall?”

Nadine chewed her lip then
shook her head. “No, not that I can think of.”

“One last question before we
go. Did Mark’s brother, Colin, ever crop up in conversation?”

Nadine contemplated the
question a few seconds then shook her head. “Again, I don’t recall
her mentioning him, except in passing.”

“In passing?”

“You know, when he showed up at
a family gathering with his wife, that sort of thing.”

“I see. Well, you’ve been
really helpful. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. I hope you catch
the person who did this. I always thought this was a safe area to
live in, Inspector. Times really are changing, aren’t they?”

By this time, the three women
had reached the front door of the small flat. “They are,
unfortunately. Put it this way: our jobs are definitely getting
harder to conduct.”

“Good luck.”

The door closed quietly behind
Sally and Joanna.

“I think we need to drop by and
see Mark, don’t you?” Sally said.

“I think so. It’s all rather
intriguing, isn’t it?”

“You’re not wrong there,
Joanna.”

When Sally parked outside the
Whiting family home, the last thing she expected to see was Colin’s
car parked in the drive. As Sally left her vehicle, she was alarmed
to hear raised voices coming from inside the house, as well as the
distinctive sound of a woman and child screaming.

“Shit! Quick, Joanna, call for
backup.”

Sally left her partner and ran
down the side of the property to the back gate. She pushed it open
and rushed through the courtyard garden and in the door that led to
the kitchen. Following the voices, she barged into the lounge,
where the two brothers were tussling with each other. She rushed in
and eased her way between them, pushing a hand into each man’s
chest. “All right, break it up, you two.”

The men withdrew a few feet and
scowled at each other.

“Thank God you arrived,” Yvette
cried out. She was holding Samantha behind her back, shielding the
child from the fighting men.

“What’s going on here?” Sally
demanded. She remained between the men in case they started to
fight again. Both of them had cuts to their faces; Mark had a split
lip, and Colin’s eyebrow was dripping blood. Neither of them would
tell her what the kerfuffle was about. She tried again. “If I have
to drag you both down to the station to get it out of you, I bloody
will. Now what’s going on?” Testosterone was emanating from the
pores of both men as they locked gazes with each other through
slits in their eyes. Yet neither one of them was willing to freely
admit to Sally why they had been fighting each other. Sally turned
to the men’s mother and inclined her head. “Yvette, are you willing
to divulge what this is about?”

“I think you should tell Colin
to leave. He’s caused enough trouble as it is.”

“I will, once I’ve heard what’s
been going on,” Sally replied harshly.

A breathless Joanna entered the
room. “Backup is on the way, boss.”

“There, did you hear that? Now,
speak.” Sally’s head swivelled between the two men, each appearing
to have calmed down a touch, if only momentarily. “Yvette, maybe it
would be better if you and Samantha left the room.”

Joanna escorted the distraught
woman and her granddaughter from the room, and Sally took a step
back to see if the two men could be trusted not to attack each
other. “Why don’t we all take a seat and calmly discuss this, like
adults? Surely you can see how much this is upsetting your mother
and Samantha?”

Mark was the first to
relinquish his angry gaze. He heaved out a breath and sat down on
the easy chair in the corner. Sally turned to face Colin. With a
raised eyebrow, she motioned for him to sit on the sofa. Then she
moved over to the fireplace, leaned against the mantelpiece, and
folded her arms. “Who wants to go first?”

Neither man responded.

“Colin, why don’t you tell me
why you’re here?”

“All I did was come round and
ask when the funeral was, and he started hitting me. I have no idea
why.”

“Is that true, Mark?” Sally
asked.

Mark Whiting’s head dropped.
His chest rose and fell rhythmically as he tried to control his
breathing. “Yes, it’s true. You’d beat the crap out of him, too, if
you’d learned what I had today.”

“Which is?” Sally looked over
at Colin, who was intently avoiding eye contact with her.

“Mum told me there was
something going on between him and Gemma. I wanted to know what she
meant by that, and he blurted out that Gemma was expecting his
bloody child. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have reacted the same way,
Inspector, if you’d been hit with that bombshell.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear the
news like this.”

His eyes widened as he stared
at Sally in disbelief. “
You
knew
?”

“Yes, the information has only
come to my attention within the last few hours. I asked Colin to
come down to the station to give me an insight into his
relationship with your wife, but didn’t get very far. I take it you
had no idea this was going on, Mark?”

He flew out of his chair and
paced the carpet in front of him. “Of course I bloody didn’t. I
knew there was something wrong with Gemma but didn’t have a clue
she was shagging my brother behind my back. I don’t know who I’m
more disgusted with—him or her! Well, it’ll have to be him because
she’s no longer here, but you get my drift. Is that why you killed
her, you cheating bastard?”

Colin’s lip curled. “You’re out
of your mind, Mark. I didn’t frigging kill her. I
loved
her…”

Mark’s arms spread out to the
side and slapped hard against his thighs. “This just gets better
and effing better.”

“Why don’t you both calm down?”
Sally intervened.

“
Calm
down! Are you
having a bloody laugh? I want him arrested.”

“For what?” Sally asked,
unfolding her arms in readiness in case things became heated once
more.

“For a start, for impregnating
my missus. And for another, that act could be deemed a motive for
killing her, couldn’t it?”

“
I’ll
do the detective
work, if you don’t mind, Mr. Whiting. For your information, having
an affair is not an arrestable offence in the eyes of the law.”

“Well, it bloody well should
be, especially when one of the adulterers has lost their life in
suspicious circumstances.”