No Hiding Place: An edge of your seat mystery/thriller. (DI Sally Parker thrillers Book 2) (19 page)

Colin nodded. “Maybe you’re
right, bro. Only the spotlight should be pointed at
you
, not
me.”

“What? Are you bloody insane? I
loved Gemma. What the hell are you insinuating?”

Sally held back for a moment,
letting the men’s war of words take shape before she tackled
anything they revealed.

“Well, she clearly didn’t love
you. Why would she have sought comfort from me if she loved you?”
Colin taunted in anger.

“The mind boggles, especially
with your past record. Do you know about the sexual harassment case
my dear brother got done for, Inspector?”

Sally nodded. “Yes, and I’ve
questioned Colin at length about his previous conviction. I would
have been foolish to ignore it. But I have to say, Mark, I was on
my way over here to ask permission to look through Gemma’s computer
and diary, if she had access to either of those two items.”

His brow furrowed. “Why?”

“I need to chase up another
piece of vital information that has come my way this afternoon. If
you refuse, I will get a warrant to remove these items if they
exist.”

“Why would I refuse? I don’t
understand. I want my wife’s murderer found as much as anyone else.
I still think it’s him,” Mark said vehemently, pointing at
Colin.

“Don’t be absurd, man. Give her
the laptop and diary. Maybe that’ll prove how much she loved
me
and not you.”

Mark charged at his brother.
Sally tried to separate them but struggled. “Joanna, get in
here!”

Joanna barged into the living
room with two uniformed officers close behind her. Sally stepped
back and ordered the PCs to pull the men apart. “Take Colin Whiting
out of the room.” Once Colin had been removed from the room, Sally
pointed at the sofa. “Sit, Mark. I need to ask you a few
questions.”

Looking bewildered, he dropped
onto the edge of the seat. “What did I do? You expect me to just
take that crap from him?”

Sally sat at the other end of
the sofa with Joanna standing by the closed door. “No, I don’t. But
fighting with him isn’t going to solve anything either, is it?
Right, now that he’s out of the room, why don’t you tell me what
it’s been like living with Gemma these last few months?”

“Hard. But that still doesn’t
mean I would go out and kill her, if that’s your next
question.”

“It wasn’t, but thanks for the
clarification. Why didn’t you tell me when we first met that your
marriage was having difficulties?”

He shrugged. “I genuinely
didn’t think we were in that much trouble. Doesn’t every
relationship go through fraught patches?”

“I suppose so. Will you give me
access to the items?”

“Of course. I have nothing, and
I mean
nothing
to hide.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate
that. Can you get the computer and diary for me now?”

Mark left the room and returned
carrying the two items a few moments later. “What is it you’re
looking for?”

“I need to check on some
information gathered today which could be crucial to the case.”

“Sounds all very secretive. Am
I allowed to know what that information is, Inspector?”

“In time, Mr. Whiting. I’ll
give you a receipt for the items. Any idea when Gemma’s funeral
will be?”

“Her body is being released to
the funeral home today. I need to go down there and arrange
everything with them. I’m not sure if I’m up to it just yet. It’s
hard to say farewell to a loved one, no matter what evidence you
might find in there to the contrary,” he said, pointing at the
personal belongings he’d just given Sally.

“I don’t doubt that. If you can
let me know, I’d like to attend the funeral, if time permits.”

“Wouldn’t your time be better
spent searching for the murderer? If you’re positive Colin is
innocent.”

“In our experience, we like to
show up at the funeral in case the killer decides to lurk. It’s not
unknown.”

“Really? Why? To gloat about
the crime he’s committed?”

“In a way. Some get a kick out
of observing the pain and suffering they’ve caused to the victim’s
family and friends.”

“That’s sick.”

Sally nodded her agreement. “It
is. Very common, unfortunately.”

He returned to his seat and
placed his head in his hands. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.
Samantha has had nightmares every night since Gemma left us. How do
you tell a five-year-old sensitive child that her mother will never
walk through the door again?”

Sally tutted. “You mean you
haven’t told her yet?”

He shook his head and looked
her in the eye. “I can’t. I’ve gone part-time at work so that I can
be here more for her. Mum does her best to help out. She keeps
telling me that I should grow some balls—to ‘man up,’ if you
like—and tell her. It’s easier said than done, though.”

“I’m sorry that you find
yourself in such an untenable position, but you’re going to have to
tell her sooner or later. She has a right to know the truth.”

“What? That someone killed her
beautiful mother intentionally? Can you imagine how you would react
if you heard those words at her young age?”

“I can’t. But for both your
sakes, you need to sit her down and tell her the truth so that you
can get on with your lives. You’ve said that you’ve gone part-time.
Do you mind telling me how you can afford to do that, Mark?”

“The insurance money.”

Sally and Joanna exchanged
shocked glances but said nothing. That piece of news put Mark
Whiting further in the frame for being a major suspect.

“I see. What about the house?
Is that paid for now?”

“Yes, the mortgage will be paid
off as part of the life insurance package. We’re secure in that
respect. Are there any more questions, Inspector? I’d like to see
how my child is after the upset Colin caused her earlier.”

“One last question, if I
may?”

“Of course.”

Sally smiled. “Going back to
the state of your marriage—were things between you serious enough
that either of you had mentioned the
D
word?”

“Divorce? No, never.
Personally, I didn’t think things were that bad at all. Has someone
told you otherwise? Did Colin suggest that?”

“No. I was simply asking the
question. Maybe reading Gemma’s personal notes will uncover more
than we’re expecting. Good luck telling Samantha about her mother’s
death.”

“Thank you. What will happen
about Colin?”

“I’ll get my boys to escort him
off the premises and warn him of his future conduct. Although I
doubt you’ll be able to prevent him showing up at the funeral.
Maybe it would be better if you tried to sort things out
beforehand.”

“By that, I take it you think
he’s innocent?”

Sally acquiesced. “I really
don’t believe he’s guilty of anything more than falling in love
with the wrong person. Sorry if that’s not what you want to hear
right now.” She patted the laptop and diary. “Let’s keep thinking
that way until we find proof otherwise. I honestly don’t think he’s
guilty of killing Gemma. There’s no clear indication of any
evidence at the scene suggesting he carried out the attack.”

“Do you have any evidence
linking any suspects to the crime scene, Inspector?” he asked, hope
lingering in his tired eyes.

“No. It’s all rather puzzling
at present. We’ll keep digging until we find something. I can
assure you of that.”

“Please keep me informed.”

“Of course, if you’ll try and
stay out of trouble as far as your brother is concerned.”

“I will.”

Sally, Joanna, and Mark walked
through the house to the kitchen. Yvette was sitting at the kitchen
table, feeding her granddaughter triangle sandwiches. Sally’s heart
skipped a few beats as she studied the girl sadly. Her eyes drifted
up to Yvette’s. The woman smiled tautly at Sally, and she couldn’t
tell if it was the grandmother’s way of holding back threatening
tears or what. Either way, she smiled and exited the back door with
Joanna.

Outside, Colin Whiting was
resting against the back door of his car, with his arms crossed.
“Am I in trouble?”

Sally marched up to him and
pointed. “Pull any smartarse stunts like that in the future, and
without hesitation, I’ll whisk you off to the police cells and bang
you up for the night.”

“Whoa, what the heck did I
do?”

“It really is pointless talking
to you, isn’t it, Mr. Whiting? Everyone else is in the wrong, bar
you. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“All I know, Inspector, is that
their marriage was on the rocks, hence her seeking solace in my
arms. What more is there to say?”

“Tell me, are you convinced
that Gemma was about to leave Mark for you? Is that it?”

“Maybe.” He shrugged
nonchalantly.

Sally snorted. “I think I have
recently found out something that majorly disputes that, but
please, do continue to live in your dream world. You seem to take
pleasure in that.”

“Well, don’t stop there,” he
ordered, his eyes bulging like a bullfrog’s.

“Actually, I think I’ll do just
that. Always good for an investigating officer to have something up
her sleeve she can whip out when least expected. Enjoy the rest of
your day, Colin. I’m sure I’ll be in touch with you again
soon.”

He grumbled and snatched his
car door open and jumped in. His tyres squealed when he pulled out
of the drive. Amused, Sally sniggered. “I think I’ve pissed him
off.”

Joanna opened her car door and
motioned with her head back towards the house. “She seems pretty
hacked off, too.”

Sally looked over her shoulder.
Yvette Whiting was standing at the window. Her focus remained on
Colin as he drove away until the vehicle was no longer visible.
Only then did she turn to look at Sally. The woman seemed flustered
by their attention and swiftly bustled away from the window. “Hmm…
must be hard on her, trying to referee her sons and keep her
granddaughter out of harm’s way at the same time. Then there’s the
funeral to arrange. I, for one, wouldn’t swap places with her;
that’s for sure.”

Sally sat at the spare desk
next to Joanna so that it was easier to compare notes as they
searched through Gemma’s diary and laptop. She booted up the
computer and went directly to Gemma’s ‘sent e-mails’ folder. The
last e-mail Gemma had sent was on the day of her murder. It was in
response to an e-mail from an accountancy firm in London, which had
offered her a full-time job with a very generous salary.

“Interesting. Joanna, when was
the final entry Gemma made in her diary?”

Joanna flicked through the
pages of the small diary and tapped her finger. “The day before her
death.”

“Read it out to me.”

“
Life begins again soon… if
all goes well tomorrow. There will be no stopping me… or should I
say us.”

“That’s it?” Sally asked.
Joanna nodded. “I wonder who the ‘us’ is.”

Joanna hitched a shoulder.
“Could be her daughter or maybe a man friend. Perhaps she had plans
to run off with Colin.”

Sally tutted. “I’m not so sure.
I think the relationship was one-sided. I get the impression he was
clinging to her. This image of them having an argument at the
family barbecue keeps jumping up and down, vying for attention in
my mind.”

“Perhaps the argument was about
her dumping him for another man,” Joanna offered.

“Go back to when the barbecue
occurred. See if she highlighted that incident at all. If we can
find out what that little set-to was about, maybe, just maybe,
we’ll find the break we’ve been searching for.”

Joanna hurriedly turned the
pages. “This is what she wrote on that day:
“Colin still won’t
take no for an answer. Not sure I can take much more of him
constantly hounding me. If he persists, I’ll have to tell
Leona.”

“Tell Leona what, though?”
Sally muttered thoughtfully. “That they had an affair, or the fact
he wouldn’t stop pestering her?”

“It is puzzling. Would it do
any good bringing him back in for questioning? In light of this
evidence?” Joanna asked.

“That’s just it, what do we
have really? Nothing, except proof of a lover’s tiff.”

“It does highlight that there
was an issue between Colin and Gemma though, boss.”

“Yes, but without solid
evidence, no court will entertain such inadequate findings. I’m at
a loss to know what to do next. Let’s keep trying to find something
significant to wave under Colin’s nose.” Sally’s mobile rang.
“Hello, Jack. I’ve been thinking of you all. How’s it going?”

“Hi, boss. It’s going. The baby
is hanging in there, a determined little treasure, like her mother.
However, the doctor has just informed us that he thinks we should
consider christening her in case her condition deteriorates.”

“Oh, shit! That doesn’t sound
good, Jack. How’s Teresa doing?”

“She’s walking around in a daze
right now, pacing the family waiting area, crying in fits and
starts. If I could take away the pain that’s hounding her, I would
in a heartbeat.”

“I know, it must be difficult
watching her being torn apart like that. Try and stay positive,
love. The little mite has lasted this long when the odds were
stacked against her.”

“Thanks, boss. Just what I
needed to hear, as always. How are things going with the
investigation?”

“Nice change of subject there,
partner. I get your drift. I think I’m more confused than ever
about things. At the moment, Joanna and I are ploughing through
Gemma’s diary and laptop to see if that throws up something we can
grasp. It’s all getting a little tedious. You know how these things
are. Without any evidence as such to latch on to, we’re up shit
creek.”

“What about the other girl who
was attacked? Any links there?” Jack asked.

“No. Her attacker turned out to
be black.”