‘See you later then,’ she said, before leaving the room.
Sarah paused outside her DI’s office as she kept her annoyance in check.Keep your feet on the ground indeed.The bloody cheek of it. It wouldn’t surprise her if Yvonne had implied she’d made the first letter up. As for the second … she would keep that to herself. Bernard saw her as broken, rather than someone who’d had the strength of character to get out of the hole she was in.What doesn’t kill you gives you coping mechanisms,Sarah thought. She would prove them all wrong. If the Midnight Man wanted her to play the game then she was ready for him. It didn’t mean he would win.
45
Today, Sarah joined her colleagues with renewed determination. She was too immersed in the case to be nervous anymore. She rested her bag on her desk. It contained a new planner which mapped out her week. A small thing, but a sign she was getting her life together. Today’s word of the day had stuck in her mind – concatenation – a chain of events. The problem was, while she was focusing on the chain of events concerning her letters, her colleagues were determined to nail Christian Abraham.
‘Good news,’ Yvonne said, her head rising from behind Gabby’s computer. ‘With the evidence stacked against Abraham I’m confident we’ll get a charge.’
‘That’s great,’ Sarah replied, taken aback as her acting sergeant updated her. It wasn’t like Yvonne to keep her in the loop.
‘Tell that to your face.’ Yvonne eyeballed her as she stood. ‘You’re not still chewing yourself up over Elsie’s journal, are you? Book it in to Property and attach it to the case if you’re so concerned.’
Sarah nodded, thin-lipped, as she waited to sit. She missed Gabby. She’d been texting her regular updates but she wanted her at the helm. She opened her drawer and pulled out a clean mug.
‘I thought you’d be happy about the arrest,’ Yvonne said, her perfectly arched brows rising. ‘Christian Abraham’s fingerprints were found in both Libby and Jahmelia’s houses, plus we’ve got his car on CCTV.’
Sarah knew about the CCTV, given she was the one who viewed it. ‘The driver was wearing a bally, wasn’t he?’ She stood with her mug in hand, unable to hold her tongue. Thanks to Richie texting her updates, she was up to speed on the case.
Yvonne nodded. ‘We found remnants of a balaclava being burned in his back yard.’
Sarah could see where she was coming from. She could testify about the fire on the day she called around. On paper, it seemed a strong case. But she could no longer equate the shy, awkward gamer she’d met with the Midnight Man. She resisted the urge to point these things out. If Yvonne was willing to make an effort, then so should she.
She undid the top button of her shirt. The office was like a furnace. It was either stuffy from the radiators pumping at full blast or freezing as winds ofGame of Thronesproportions flooded in through the open windows. She was about to walk away to make herself and Richie a cuppa when Yvonne stepped closer to her. For once, her voice was low.
‘The letter you got makes more sense, now we know who you are. And I’m sorry if I didn’t give you the warmest of welcomes. I hope we can wipe the slate clean.’
She looked at her so earnestly that Sarah forced a smile. ‘Of course.’
‘Good. Because I’ve been talking to Bernard and we’ve both agreed you should be more involved in the case. I want you to observe Abraham’s interview. So log in, check your emails, and make yourself a coffee. Richie will be interviewing in twenty minutes or so.’
‘Thanks,’ Sarah said. ‘Both agreed’, my backside, she thought as she walked to the communal kitchen. It was obvious Bernard was pulling the strings. Yvonne was only nice to her because the DI told her to be. But that was fine by Sarah. She needed all the help she could get.
Sarah followed Yvonne to the recently decorated monitor room. It wasn’t much bigger than a broom cupboard, with slate-grey carpet tiles replacing the worn-out blue. Magnolia walls brightened the windowless space, which was big enough to house a desk, computer monitor, telephone and three chairs. It wasn’t like on TV crime shows with the benefit of a two-way mirror and speakers, but it was an effective way of observing an interview from another room. A microphone and earpiece were also available, should the person monitoring wish to communicate with the officer holding the interview. Today, Richie was interviewing.
Yvonne flicked on the lights.
‘I’m surprised Gabby hasn’t been in,’ Sarah said, pulling the swivel chair back from the desk. She thought her sergeant wouldn’t be able to keep away.
‘We haven’t told her that we’ve brought him in – not yet. We don’t need her interference, she’s been a real pain in the …’ Yvonne seemed to remember her audience. ‘Anyway, we’ll update her after the interview. Hopefully we’ll have some good news then.’
A flutter of butterflies rose in Sarah’s stomach as she watched the empty interview room through the desktop computer. She wanted to be in the heart of the action, but monitoring was a step up from knocking on doors. ‘It’s a shame we couldn’t have observed him to see if he would lead us to Jahmelia.’
Yvonne didn’t disagree, but Sarah knew obtaining permission for undercover surveillance would tie them up in red tape. As Yvonne stood over her, the sweet scent of her perfume filled the air.
They watched the monitor as the interview-room door opened and Abraham was led inside. Sarah’s spirits lifted as Richie appeared with Christian.This should be interesting,she thought. In their shirts and ties, they could have both passed as police officers. But at a closer look, Richie carried himself with confidence, while Christian’s face was pale, his head bowed. Given it was such a serious offence, Sarah was surprised to discover Christian had declined free legal advice. This was a first account interview and the decision had been made for Richie to take the lead. A younger officer sat next to him and readied himself to make notes. Interviews for serious offences could go on over the course of days, provided they could get an extension past the permitted twenty-four hours. The purpose of this interview was to obtain a quick and dirty account of Jahmelia’s whereabouts. The rest would come in time. Richie began with the usual preliminaries of cautioning the suspect and ensuring he was aware of the offences he was arrested for.
‘Enjoy,’ Yvonne said, heading towards the door. ‘I’ve got an interview of my own to make. Update the system straight away if he coughs it.’ A ‘cough’ was what they called a confession, although Sarah couldn’t see that happening anytime soon.
Sarah watched as the door clicked shut.That’s some personality change.Bernard really must have gone to town on her.Perhaps she wasn’t the only one to mention her bullying behaviour. She wouldn’t put it past Richie to have had a word. Sarah relaxed in her chair, engrossed in the interview. Preliminaries over, Richie began with open questions. Each one was met with a grunt or a shake of the head.
Rolling up his shirt sleeves, Richie pinned Christian with a gaze. ‘The evidence is mounting up against you, Christian. It’s better for you if you come clean. Where is Jahmelia?’
Christian opened his mouth but seemed to think better of it and snapped it shut again. Richie wouldn’t disclose all the evidence they had against him just yet. That would come later.
‘I’ll ask you again,’ Richie pressed. ‘What have you done with Jahmelia? Because we’ve got teams of officers scouring the area. It’s better for you if you tell us where she is.’
Sarah was well versed in interview techniques, it was her favourite part of training. But she couldn’t see Yvonne unleashing her upon a suspect anytime soon. It was good to watch Richie in action. She had warmed to him since she’d got to know him, but he wasn’t making much headway with Christian yet. She watched as Richie turned his laptop. It displayed images of Christian’s car on CCTV, taken at the gated community where Libby lived.
