The man’s seat creaked as he stood and walked over to the door. ‘Ah, are you from the police?’
Gina nodded as she held her identification up. ‘Yes. Mr Sale, we spoke to you earlier about the CCTV from the bus.’
‘Call me Ted. No one calls me Mr Sale.’ His bulbous nose shone red in the strip light. A faint smell of smoke wafted from his clothing as he moved back to his chair, which creaked again as he sat. ‘Take a seat.’
‘Thank you.’ Gina pulled out her notes. ‘We need footage of all routes running past Bulmore Drive from seven on Friday evening to the last bus. The same for the stop outside the Fish and Anchor.’ Although Amber was meant to be on the seven-twenty bus, there was a chance that she changed her mind, got sidetracked; even got on a bus going the opposite way. No one saw her arrive at the Fish and Anchor but that doesn’t mean she didn’t get off the bus on the road outside and go missing from there. All angles had to be covered. She made a mental note to task someone with looking into other methods of transport. Maybe Amber decided to get a taxi. It was cold that night.
‘Several routes pass that road. We had the bus that leads from Bulmore Drive to the Fish and Anchor at seven twenty. From our footage, I can see that was on time. The bus was quite busy. Then there was the bus to Stratford and another smaller bus that goes through the estates. They pull up at that stop too. It goes without saying the buses on the opposite side of the road were also running. They go to Cleevesford Town Centre, Redditch, and through the industrial estates. All the footage is on here and all routes finish up at the main bus station at the far end of Cleevesford on the Headley Road.’ He passed a portable hard drive across the table. ‘It hasn’t been chopped down. So for route 227, the cameras run all evening but are switched off when the bus is parked up. That particular bus was stationery for forty minutes for driver changeovers but was running from seven until eleven that night. It’s the same for all routes.’
She placed the hard drive in her bag. ‘Thank you. You’ve been really helpful.’
The man cleared his throat and scrunched his eyes as he read something on his computer screen. ‘Is this something to do with the woman who was found at the park this morning?’
‘We can’t say at the moment as the investigation is ongoing.’
‘Poor girl. I just heard the news on the radio before you came. I have a granddaughter just a bit younger. It’s a horrid world out there. I hope you catch whoever did this.’ Mr Sale pulled his jumper down.
Gina’s phone beeped. Both she and Wyre looked at the message from Jacob as Gina opened it.
Mr Collins, the accountancy lecturer, has information about the case. He’s with students until about three thirty but can see you after that. O’Connor and I are heading to the morgue. He said he really needs to speak to someone about a confidential talk between him and Amber Slater.
‘Thank you for everything… Ted. We’re really grateful for the footage.’ Gina headed towards the door as Wyre packed her pad into her bag and followed.
‘You’re more than welcome. If there’s anything else you need, you know where I am.’
Gina smiled and Wyre re-tucked her white shirt into her trousers where it had ridden out.
As they headed out into the misty day, a few snowflakes began to fall. Just a light flurry as the weather forecast had predicted. If it was accurate, it was set to freeze again overnight.
‘I wonder what he has to say.’ Wyre’s boots clicked on the road until they reached the car.
‘And me. I was hoping to call a briefing before we carried on but this is good, the leads are coming to us. Let’s get over there now. You never know, this may be a first. We could have this case solved by teatime.’
Back in the car Wyre pulled a salad pot from her bag and began scooping tuna up with a plastic fork. ‘Want some?’ She held a forkful up. ‘Sorry, I only have one pot and I’m famished. You’re welcome to half.’
Gina shook her head. ‘No, you enjoy your tuna. I’ll save myself for later. I have a date with a packet of dried noodles.’ That was a far cry from the fish and chips that Briggs had brought over for her the evening before so they could just chat, as friends.
As they pulled off, thicker snowflakes hit the screen. Gina was eager to hear what Mr Collins had to say.
10
The car park at The Hive in Worcester was as busy as the one at the university campus just down the road. Its golden honeycomb exterior was a landmark that everyone around these parts knew. A central hub, the library, a place for people to meet and where students worked. ‘We’ve come at a busy time. Everyone isn’t quite leaving for the day.’ Gina drove around, tailing another car, competing for the first space that becomes vacant.
‘What do you think so far, guv? The killer didn’t try to hide the body.’
Gina stared out of the window through the few snowflakes that began to settle. The wipers automatically activated, swiping them away. ‘No, she was easy to find. Face down on the bank of the lake, her face immersed in water. Looking at the stab wound, I don’t think she was drowned but I’m waiting for that to be confirmed. No time has been confirmed for the post-mortem yet; we’ll hear about that later. I think it will be tomorrow.’ She paused as the car in front nabbed the first space. A woman was packing her shopping bags in the boot as she took them from underneath a pram. ‘We’re having that space. Why don’t you use the app to pay for parking?’
Wyre smiled. ‘Will do.’
While Wyre tapped away on her phone, Gina’s thoughts went back to the lake. She shivered as she imagined their victim, Amber, trying to speak through torn lips and a pond weed-filled mouth.
‘Her body wasn’t placed with much thought. Whoever put Amber there wanted her to be found, or should I rephrase that, they didn’t care if she was found. There was no attempt to disguise her body, no trying to immerse her in deeper waters, no attempt to weigh her body down. The killer didn’t try to cover her up using branches or twigs. She wasn’t wearing the same clothing as when she left her apartment on Friday evening. Lauren said she’d left in a pink jumpsuit and heels but when we found Amber, it looked more like she was wearing a nightshirt. I wonder if she took a change of clothing with her, knowing she was going to be out all night or if this is the outfit the killer had chosen for her. So many ifs.’
‘Let’s hope some of those ifs are narrowed down by the post-mortem.’
‘Let’s hope so.’
‘What stands out the most is Amber Slater’s lips. Bernard seemed to think they might have been glued. It’s like she was being silenced. Quiet, unable to speak – that’s how the killer wanted her.’ A horn made Gina jump. The space had become free. ‘Whoops.’ She held her hand up so that the person behind could see and drove into the space. ‘Let’s see what our Mr Collins has to say. He’s her lecturer, isn’t he?’
