Bad Seed: DI Kate Fletcher Book 3 Read online

  ‘I understand that,’ Hollis replied. ‘But we want what’s best for our investigation and, when we’re talking murder, our rules apply.’

  ‘So, if we can get started,’ Kate said, trying to break the tension between the two men. She appreciated Hollis’s formality and intractability but now they were just wasting time and it looked like it could be a long day.

  ‘Of course,’ Beresford said, turning back to the door and holding it open, allowing Kate and Hollis through to the hallway.

  Chapter 13

  Beresford led them to the door of a downstairs consultation room, flicking the notification sign from ‘available’ to ‘occupied’ as he turned the handle and ushered Kate and Hollis inside. The room had obviously been rearranged for their visit. Three comfortable, low chairs had been stacked on top of each other and pushed up against a coffee table – obviously the interviews weren’t meant to be cosy. A desk dominated the space beneath the window with two plastic chairs on one side and two on the other. Beresford made a point of removing one of the chairs that faced the window and taking it out into the hallway.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ he said when he came back. ‘I’ve rearranged the room to make it more conducive to your business. If you’d like to get comfortable I’ll have Janice Hoult paged.’

  He left, closing the door firmly behind him, leaving Kate and Hollis to plan the first interview. Kate immediately went behind the desk and moved one of the chairs so that it was sitting at an angle to one of the desk’s shorter sides. She then shifted the single chair so that it was facing the one that she had just moved with no desk between them.

  ‘Where do you want me?’ Hollis asked.

  ‘Just sit there,’ she said, pointing to the chair that she’d left in place. It would enable Hollis to rest on the desk while he made notes.

  ‘What’s this?’ he asked as he plucked a buff folder from the desk. He passed it to Kate who opened it and sighed heavily. She should have expected this from somebody as organised as Beresford. The folder contained a single sheet of paper and on it, neatly typed, was a schedule for the interviews. Beresford had allowed thirty minutes per person.

  ‘It’s our schedule for the morning,’ she said, passing it to Hollis.

  ‘What should I do with it?’

  ‘Leave it in the folder and stick it over on that coffee table. I’ve got the order that we’re seeing the staff in, but we won’t be sticking to Beresford’s time limits.’

  Hollis followed her instructions and then positioned himself behind the desk. Kate checked her watch. According to Beresford’s plan they were due to see Janice Hoult at 9.30; Kate’s watch said 9.27.

  ‘Three minutes,’ she said to Hollis with a grin. ‘I bet she’s exactly on time. Can’t imagine her boss allowing tardiness.’

  At 9.29 there was a tap on the door. Hollis grinned at Kate and said, ‘Come in.’

  The woman who walked through the door glared belligerently at Kate and then at Hollis. She was tall, much taller than Kate and had her mousy blonde hair scraped back in a severe bun. Minimal make-up did little to hide the deep wrinkles around her mouth and eyes and her uniform was inadequate cover for her bulky frame. She looked like an Olympic shot-putter gone to seed.

  ‘Have a seat,’ Kate said, indicating the only vacant chair.

  Janice sat heavily as if she’d suddenly been relieved of a great weight and looked from Kate to Hollis. ‘Who’s in charge?’ she asked.

  ‘That would be me,’ Kate said, keeping her tone light. ‘I’m Detective Inspector Fletcher and this is Detective Constable Hollis. I’m sure that Mr Beresford has told you why we’re here.’

  ‘He has. And, while I’m sorry about the murdered woman, I don’t see what I can do to help. I’m very busy and I don’t really have time for what I assume is just a formality.’

  ‘Why would you assume that?’ Kate asked.

  Janice smiled, shark-like. ‘I know that Melissa Buckley was murdered. I’m assuming there was some sort of sexual assault – there usually is in these cases – so you’ll be looking for a male perpetrator. As you can see, I’m not your man.’

  Kate heard a muffled snort from Hollis but kept her eyes fixed on the woman in front of her.

  ‘That’s a lot of assumptions,’ she said calmly, despite the simmering anger she felt towards this arrogant woman. She wondered if all Beresford’s staff had to attend his own special charm school before he allowed them to work in the clinic. ‘Perhaps you can try to open your mind a little and answer some of our questions. Even if we were looking for a man it’s possible that you may have information that might lead us to him.’

  Janice cracked a tiny hint of a smile obviously approving of Kate’s manner. ‘Okay then. But I don’t have long.’

  Kate flipped open her notebook and glanced down the list of questions she’d made the previous day. Most of them were quite straightforward but she wasn’t going to let Janice get away with quick answers. Not that she had any reason yet to suspect that the woman had anything to hide, she was just irritated by her manner. ‘Have you worked here long, Ms Hoult?’

  ‘Nearly ten years.’ The response was clipped. Just enough information in the shortest space of time.

  ‘Perhaps you could talk me through your role at the clinic. I have a basic understanding of the IVF procedure but I’d like to be clear about exactly what you do.’

  ‘Is that relevant?’

  ‘Trust me, everything I ask is relevant. Every little detail could be helpful.’

  She sat back while Janice explained how she was involved in the harvesting of a woman’s eggs and the implantation of the embryos. Janice didn’t add much to Kate’s understanding but Kate could tell that she’d got the other woman rattled by the way she rushed through the process, clearly keen to get back to the real questions.

  ‘So this would be how you had contact with Melissa Buckley?’

  ‘Yes. I performed one harvest and three implantations. Each implantation was two embryos.’

  ‘Only two? I thought women usually had three or four?’

  ‘Melissa Buckley was young. The chances of an embryo being viable are much higher in younger patients. We wouldn’t want to be impregnating women with quadruplets unnecessarily.’

  ‘So you met Melissa at least four times?’

  ‘I met her exactly four times,’ Janice confirmed. ‘She would have been briefed on the procedure by Mr Beresford and counselled by Tim Matthias prior to the initial harvest.’

  ‘And Mr Buckley?’

  ‘Also four times. We encourage partners to be present.’

  ‘What impression did you get of the Buckleys?’

  Janice shook her head as though the question was meaningless. ‘They seemed like a pleasant couple. He held her hand throughout. I got the feeling that they both wanted a baby. Nothing unusual.’

  ‘You never heard them argue? They didn’t fall out at all?’

  ‘Nope. Not in my presence.’

  Kate glanced down at her list of questions. ‘Do you have children, Ms Hoult?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Kids. Do you have any?’

  ‘I don’t see—’

  ‘Please, if you could answer the question it would be very helpful,’ Kate prompted, smiling encouragingly.

  ‘I have two, both boys.’

  ‘Conceived naturally?’

  ‘I don’t… I can’t believe…’ she spluttered her face contorting with outrage. ‘Does Mr Beresford know that you’re asking these sorts of questions?’

  ‘Mr Beresford assured us that his staff would co-operate fully with our investigation. I can assure you that this question is relevant,’ Kate said, enjoying the woman’s discomfort.

  ‘Well, not that it’s anybody’s business but both my boys were conceived naturally. My husband and I were lucky.’

  ‘Do you know of any staff here who have also made use of your services?’

  Janice looked aghast. ‘Of course not. That would be highly un
ethical. If anybody working here had fertility issues they would be referred to another clinic. We can’t treat our own, it’s not allowed.’

  ‘And you wouldn’t know of anybody having such issues?’ Kate continued.

  ‘No.’

  Kate looked at Hollis who was still scribbling in his notebook. ‘Anything further to ask, DC Hollis?’

  They’d rehearsed this. Kate was to ask the general questions about the role of each member of staff and to bring up the fertility issue. Hollis was to ask the most important question almost as an afterthought to catch the interviewees off guard.

  ‘Where were you on Saturday afternoon and evening?’ Hollis asked.

  Janice Hoult was completely unphased by the question. ‘I was here until three o’clock, then I went into town to meet my husband for a bit of shopping and dinner. Saturday night is our “date night”. We ate at the Indian on the market square – we’re regulars so somebody there will be able to confirm that. We got home just before ten. The babysitter will remember that because we always get back in time for her to get home and do a bit of revision before bed.’

  ‘I’ll need phone numbers for your husband and the babysitter.’

  Janice retrieved her mobile phone from the pocket of her tunic and read out the numbers.

  ‘Is that all?’ she asked as Hollis made a note of the information.

  ‘For now,’ Kate said.

  Janice Hoult nodded once as though satisfied with the way she had handled the interview and then left.

  ‘Well?’ Hollis asked as Janice closed the door behind her.

  ‘Can’t see it,’ Kate said. The woman had seemed brisk and professional and she had what appeared to be a strong alibi. Kate also didn’t feel convinced that a woman could be behind the brutal attack on Melissa Buckley but her training and her instincts were sometimes in conflict and she was aware of the need to keep an open mind. Perhaps it was prejudice or possibly intuition but, when she pictured the injuries inflicted on Melissa, she imagined a male perpetrator filled with hatred.

  ‘Who’s next?’ she asked Hollis.

  ‘Tim Matthias, the therapist. I doubt he’ll tell us much – patient confidentiality and all that.’

  Hollis was right. Kate didn’t expect the therapist to give much away about the Buckleys’ personal circumstances. She was about to suggest that they focus on the man rather than his role but a knock on the door prevented her from speaking.

  ‘Come in,’ Kate called and an imposing figure stepped into the room. Tanned and bald, Tim Matthias was slightly taller than average and his perfectly tailored grey suit did little to disguise his muscular legs and broad chest.

  ‘Have a seat,’ she said, gesturing to the chair opposite her own. Hollis introduced them both and explained his role while Matthias settled himself in his seat, one ankle on the opposite knee, hands loosely resting on his thighs. He undid the button on his suit jacket, revealing a luxurious blue lining.

  ‘How long have you been here, Mr Matthias?’

  ‘Nearly two years. I moved up from a private clinic in Staffordshire. I wanted to do more in the NHS rather than only treating private patients.’

  Very worthy, Kate thought. Bet the new job didn’t come with a pay cut, though.

  ‘So this position was a sideways step?’

  ‘Promotion actually,’ Matthias admitted. ‘I’m the senior counsellor here.’

  Not so noble after all. ‘Can you explain your role at the clinic?’ Kate asked.

  Matthias smiled at her, revealing teeth that were either naturally perfect or expensively capped. The smile deepened the wrinkles around his eyes and Kate realised that he was older than she’d first imagined and rather attractive when he wasn’t frowning. He gave her an outline of his duties and where his role fit into the IVF process. All very precise and clinical.

  ‘How well did you know Melissa Buckley?’

  ‘As well as I know any of my clients,’ Matthias responded. ‘Obviously we develop a therapeutic relationship over a period of weeks or months.’

  ‘And her husband, Ryan?’

  ‘Much the same. I always saw them together. Some couples prefer individual sessions but the Buckleys opted to see me together.’

  ‘So you never saw either of them on their own?’ Kate asked.

  ‘No. They both attended every appointment,’ Matthias said slowly and deliberately as though explaining to a small child. Kate ignored his patronising tone. He seemed very composed, self-contained and at ease with the situation and Kate didn’t want him to feel like he had the upper hand.

  ‘Where were you on Saturday?’ she asked, instead of waiting for Hollis to jump in. Kate wanted to unbalance him; to challenge his obvious equilibrium.

  ‘I was at home for much of the day. I probably went for a run and then spent time in the garden or working on the house.’ He was completely unruffled by her question, leaving Kate wondering if Janice Hoult had briefed him when they passed in the corridor.

  ‘Alone?’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘Do you live alone?’ Kate said slowly, mimicking his earlier tone.

  ‘Yes. So there’s nobody to verify my movements on Saturday.’

  ‘And you were at home all day?’

  Matthias thought for a second. ‘Not all day. In the afternoon I volunteer at a local youth group, The Dropzone. I do a bit of counselling with teenagers.’

  Matthias had been in no hurry to reveal this verifiable part of his alibi and again, Kate felt like he was teasing her. There was something very controlled about his tone and his body language and she got the distinct feeling that he was drip feeding her the information she requested.

  ‘Do you have children, Mr Matthias?’

  For the first time he looked unsettled. If Janice had found time to brief him she obviously hadn’t mentioned this question.

  ‘No,’ he said, shaking his head and settling his features in an expression that Kate read as puzzled. ‘As I said, I’m single at the moment and I don’t have children from any of my previous relationships.’ His intonation suggested that he had women throwing themselves at him on a regular basis.

  ‘So it’s a conscious choice? You haven’t met the right woman yet?’

  ‘It’s a conscious choice, yes. If or when I have children I want the circumstances to be right.’

  ‘Can you give me your impression of the Buckleys?’ Kate asked. ‘How did they seem as a couple?’

  Matthias shifted position, uncrossing his legs and folding his arms across his chest. Kate could see from his body language that he wasn’t going to tell her anything of significance.

  ‘Much like any other couple who come here,’ he began. ‘Desperate but hopeful. They talk about their dreams for the future, their plans for the children that they hope to conceive. Sometimes they talk about the strain that their fertility issues put on the relationship.’

  Kate noticed that he was speaking in general terms, deliberately avoiding being specific about Ryan and Melissa.

  ‘And Melissa? What did you make of her?’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘Did she seem more or less keen than her husband?’ Kate asked. ‘More desperate?’

  ‘I really couldn’t say,’ Matthias fudged, leaving it unclear whether he didn’t know or didn’t want to comment. Kate looked over to Hollis.

  ‘Anything else?’

  ‘I think that’s all,’ Hollis replied, scanning his notes. There wasn’t much else Kate could ask. Matthias had made it clear that he wouldn’t discuss specific clients and he’d told them his movements on the day that Melissa disappeared.

  Kate stood up. ‘Thanks for your time, Mr Matthias. We’ll be in touch if there’s anything else we need to know.’

  ‘I’m sure you will,’ Matthias said as he opened the door.

  Chapter 14

  ‘Well, he was a bit odd,’ Hollis said as soon as the door had closed behind the therapist. ‘Arrogant, I thought. And that stuff about not wanting kids until the
“circumstances” are right. I hope he doesn’t tell his clients that.’

  ‘He probably just compartmentalises,’ Kate said. ‘We all do it. I’m sure some of your personal views conflict with some of the things we end up having to do as coppers.’

  ‘I suppose.’

  ‘Did he seem familiar to you?’ Kate asked. ‘There was something about him that rang a bell and I can’t work out what it was.’

  ‘Nope. And his record’s clean. Maybe you met him on another case – he might have been a witness. Easy to check later.’

  Kate wasn’t convinced. She usually had a good memory for names and faces and she was sure that she would have remembered somebody as distinctive looking as Tim Matthias. Perhaps he just reminded her of somebody.

  ‘Pauline Dorries next,’ Hollis said. ‘I’m not sure how much she’ll be able to tell us but she’s the only other employee who had consistent contact with the Buckleys.’

  Kate felt disheartened. The fertility clinic was the only feasible lead that they had but it felt very tenuous, especially after the first two interviews. These were professional people doing a job that helped others. What if she was wrong about there being a link? All they had was a wound suggestive of a caesarean section – that could mean something to any number of weirdos. It didn’t have to be connected with the clinic.

  Her mood wasn’t improved by their next interview subject. Pauline Dorries was a tiny grey-haired woman in her mid to late fifties dressed in the same type of pale blue tunic and dark trousers that Janice Hoult had been wearing. She sat down without waiting to be invited and scowled at Kate.

  ‘Well?’

  ‘You do know why you’re here?’ Kate asked.

  ‘I know it’s something to do with the body of that woman that was found on Town Fields. What I don’t know is what it’s got to do with me.’ She crossed her legs and picked a speck of fibre from the knee of her trousers.

  ‘That’s what we’re hoping to find out,’ Kate said. ‘You met Melissa and Ryan Buckley. What did you make of them?’

  Dorries shook her head. ‘I didn’t make anything of them. They were just another couple trying like hell to have a baby. I only spoke to Mrs Buckley briefly and then met her husband on a couple of other occasions.’