A Fatal Verdict (6 page)

8. Alibi

The longer Terry questioned the young man, the less he believed he was telling the truth. Some facts seemed clear, and chimed with what he had found in the flat: Shelley had left a message on David’s answerphone, she had come over to see him, he had let her in, they had talked, he had been preparing a meal, she had taken her clothes off and got into the bath, and he had gone out to the local shop to buy flowers and olive oil. And someone - either Shelley herself or David, surely - had cut her wrists so she bled to death in the bath.

But the order these things happened in, and the meaning behind them, was less clear. As were David’s real emotions about his girlfriend’s death. At times he showed tears, then anger, irritation and even boredom - how could he be bored, Terry wondered, in a situation like this? Insistently, Terry probed at the parts of the story that puzzled him.

‘We found a bag in your bedroom, David, a black holdall. With women’s clothes in it, and books and magazines. Was that her bag, or yours?’

‘Oh yeah, I forgot.’ David glared across the table. ‘You’ve been in there snooping, haven’t you, without my permission.  Like a bunch of burglars, you are. Isn’t that against the law?’

‘Not when we’re investigating a suspicious death, son. We have a duty to find out what happened. Now, tell me about this bag. Is it hers, or not?’

David turned away, staring irritably at the wall. ‘Yeah, yeah, course it’s hers. She always used it.’

‘Did she bring that stuff with her, or was she packing it up to take it away?’

‘What?’ He shook his head, as if the question were irrelevant.

‘You heard. Shelley’s bag was full of clothes and books. So what was she planning to do? Spend the night with you, or go back to her room on campus?’

‘Spend the night with me, of course. That was the whole idea. I was going to make her a meal, and we’d spend the night together. That’s what we always did. Anyhow, it was a celebration.’

‘A celebration? What were you celebrating?’

‘Nothing much.’ David scowled, as if he’d been caught out somehow. ‘I hadn’t seen her for a few days, that’s all. I’d missed her.’

‘All right, so she brought the bag with her and took it into the bedroom, then you sat and talked, and had a glass of wine while you were preparing the meal. At what point did she decide to have a bath?’

David drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself. ‘Well, I said the meal would be half an hour, and she said ... she needed to relax, chill some more, so she’d have a bath while I did the cooking. That was it, really.’ He glared at Terry resentfully. ‘Okay?’

‘And so she got undressed in the living room.’

‘What?’

‘Well, that’s where her clothes were, anyway. On the floor by the sofa. So where were you exactly, while she was doing this?’

‘In the kitchen, I suppose. I don’t remember.’ There was a look on his face of anxiety mixed with contempt.

‘Is that all that happened?’

‘What do you mean, all?’ David’s eyes met his, then slithered away.

‘You didn’t feel tempted to watch her undressing? Have sex with her, perhaps?’

‘No. I was cooking a meal.’

‘I see. So she just got into the bath on her own. Taking off her clothes in the living room where people could see her from the city wall?’

‘What?’ David smirked. ‘Only a perv like you could think of that. You should get out more, copper.’

‘And before you went out shopping, Shelley was in the bath, is that right?’

‘Yeah, I suppose, yeah.’ David flexed his right hand so that the joints cracked.

‘Did you say anything to her?’

‘Say anything? Like what?’

‘I don’t know. Did you shout at her perhaps?’

‘No, of course I didn’t. Why would I?’

‘Well, did you tell her you were going out? Leaving her alone for a bit?’

‘Oh.’ He frowned. ‘Yeah, well I did, yes.’

‘What did you say?’

‘I dunno, something like ... I’m going out for a mo, Shelley, down to the shop. Something like that.’

‘And did she reply?’

‘I don’t remember. Yeah, I think she said ‘okay’, something like that. ‘Don’t be long’, maybe. You know, if only I’d come back sooner ...’ There was a sudden catch in his voice. He rubbed his wrist across his eyes, as though brushing away a tear..

‘She might have lived?’ Terry wondered how genuine the sentiment was, or whether it was all an act. David had glanced at the tape machine several times in the last few minutes, as if to be certain it was recording his performance. Now he nodded earnestly.

‘Yeah. I might have rung earlier. Those paramedics, they might have saved her.’

‘All right, so you stood outside the bathroom door and told her you were going shopping.’

‘Yes.’

‘You didn’t go into the bathroom?’

‘No. For Christ’s sake, what is this?’

Terry smiled gently. If David’s story was going to break down, it was likely to happen in the next few minutes. He felt the adrenalin surge in his throat.

‘Where was the knife at that moment, David?’

‘I believe your wife’s gone home, sir,’ Tracy said quietly.

‘But ... what about Shelley? Shelley’s body ... I want to see her.’

‘She’s at the hospital, sir. Your wife’s already been there.’

‘Yes ... yes of course. Oh my God, I’m sorry, I ... I don’t know what to do.’

‘I think you should phone Kathryn, Andrew. She’ll need you now. More than anyone.’ The young black woman, Carole, leaned forward from the sofa and took his hands. Andrew Walters gripped them fervently, looking into her eyes for comfort, then pressed one of them to his cheek. How grotesque, Tracy thought. Of course the girl was right, but to receive - to need - such advice now, at such a moment from a girl who was clearly his mistress ... how much did the man’s poor wife know about what had been going on here? As if she didn’t have enough to cope with already.

‘Yes. Yes, you’re right.’ He looked up at Tracy. ‘What time did she leave? Do you think she’ll be at home by now?’

‘I don’t know where you live, sir.’

‘Out towards Wetherby. Oh, of course, she’s got a mobile, I’ll try that first.’ With an effort he dragged a phone from his pocket, switched it on, and dialled. As he sat there, shattered, staring unseeing out of the picture window at the lake and the trees and a group of students cheerfully feeding the ducks, Tracy’s eyes met Carole’s. The question in her mind - does his wife know you’re here? - must have been written on her face, because the young woman shook her head softly and put her finger to her lips. As she did so her lover began to speak.

‘Kath? There’s a policewoman here, I’ve just heard ... it’s true then, you saw her ... oh ... oh my God ... no, of course she wouldn’t ... what was he doing there?  She said they’d broken up, didn’t she, last weekend? ... I know, I know ... you don’t think he ... Jesus Christ, Kath, did you tell the police that? What did they say? ... look, there’s one of them here, I’ll ask.’

He turned to Tracy. ‘She thinks she was murdered. By her boyfriend, David.’

‘Yes, sir, I know, she told me. We’re keeping an open mind at the moment.’

‘But - he was the only one with her, she says!’

‘Yes, sir, so it seems. We’ll investigate every possibility, of course.’

‘My God!’ Dazed, Andrew Walters turned back to the phone. ‘They say they’re investigating. Yes, I know ... where are you now? ... And Jane’s with you? ... yes, I’ll be there. But Kath, I want to see her first. I’ve got to. I’ll come straight home after that ... no, I was working. Just me and the policewoman. Kath, I’ll be home as soon as I can.’

He put the phone down, and buried his face in his hands. After half a minute he looked up, his face white with shock. ‘I’ve got to see my daughter at the hospital, I’ll get my car.’

He got unsteadily to his feet. Tracy put a hand on his arm. ‘I’ll drive you, sir, if you don’t mind. You’re in shock.’

‘What? No, I’m fine. Anyway, I’ve got to get home.’

Swiftly, Carole Williams got to her feet, blocking his way to the door. ‘She’s right, Andrew, really she is. You’re in no fit state. I can drive if you like but it might be wiser to go with this police woman. Kathryn doesn’t need any more distress now, does she, love?’

Andrew Walters gazed at her like a thirsty man at a mirage, shaking his head slightly as though he couldn’t quite grasp what was happening. ‘No ... I mean, yes, okay, you’re right, of course you are.’ She put her arms around him and he returned the embrace, hugging her tightly.

‘I’ll be in touch.’

Tracy stepped outside while they made their farewells.

‘Knife? What the hell are you talking about, knife?’

‘This knife.’ Terry took the knife in its evidence bag from his pocket and put it on the table. ‘I found it on the floor of your bathroom this afternoon. Do you recognize it?’ He watched keenly for David’s reaction.

‘It ... I dunno, I might do, maybe.’

‘It’s your kitchen knife, isn’t it? The one you were using to cut up the vegetables?’

‘It could be, yeah. It looks like it.’

‘It’s also probably the knife that was used to cut Shelley’s wrists, since it was found on the floor beside the bath. Does that seem likely to you, David?’

‘Well, if that’s where it was found, yeah.’

‘But earlier, you were using it in your kitchen.’

‘So?’

‘So that’s why I ask you where the knife was when you spoke to Shelley before going out, David, do you see? We need to know how it got from the kitchen into the bathroom.’

‘Well, I don’t know, do I? How should I know?’

‘It wasn’t in your hand when you spoke to her?’

‘No. No, it was in the kitchen, of course.’

‘And you didn’t take it into the bathroom? You didn’t leave it there, by accident?’

‘No, of course not. I didn’t go in the bathroom. I told you.’

Their eyes met, and Terry waited. This was a moment, Terry judged, when an innocent man might challenge him to say what he thought. David met his eyes and said nothing.

‘Okay, David, that’s clear. So then you went out, to this corner shop, to buy flowers and olive oil. Did you speak to anyone there?’

‘Yeah, this Indian guy, the one who owns the shop.’

‘He’s seen you before, has he? Does he know you?’

‘Yes, sure, I go in there most days.’

‘Did you talk to him about anything. Something he might remember?’

‘Yeah, football, I think, he’s keen on that. You know, Leeds beating Arsenal yesterday. He has a season ticket for Elland Road.’

‘Did you talk about anything else?’

‘Yeah, well, I think he asked about the flowers. You know, why did I want them. Shit ...’ He rubbed his wrist across his eyes again. ‘I’m sorry, man, I ... I told him they were for a celebration, you know. Shelley coming back to me and all. Not a bloody funeral, Christ.’

‘So he’s likely to remember that?’

‘Yeah, yeah, he liked Shelley, had a thing about her. Said I was lucky, he wished he could find a bird like her. Not now he can’t.’

‘How long did this conversation take?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t wear a bloody stopwatch, do I? Couple of minutes, maybe.’

‘Did you meet anyone else on the way back?’

‘No. Just came straight back.’

‘So you were away for how long, would you say? I know it’s hard, son. I just want a rough idea.’

‘Ten minutes. Quarter of an hour maybe.’

‘And when you came back to the flat, what did you do then? Take me through it step by step.’

David took a deep breath, as though to steel himself for what was to come. ‘I unlocked the door, came in, put the olive oil in the kitchen I think. Then I put the flowers in a vase on the table in the living room. Then - you know there was a terrible noise in the flat because of those bells ...’

‘What bells?’

‘In the Minster, you know, they were ringing for some service, it’s hellish, you can’t hear yourself think. Anyhow I called out to Shelley that I was back, but she probably didn’t hear me because of the bells, so I opened the bathroom door, and there she was ...’

He paused and rubbed his eyes, and again Terry wondered, is this genuine or staged? But he, too, had to show sympathy, in case this tape was played back later in court.

‘Mr Kidd, I know it’s hard, but can you tell me exactly how Shelley looked when you found her?’

‘Well, she looked dead, didn’t she? Covered in blood. So I rang 999. And then, when I was talking to this woman, she moved, so I knew she wasn’t dead, and I ...’

‘She moved?’ Terry hadn’t known this. It shocked him.

‘Yeah. That’s how I knew she was still alive. I think ... I think she saw me.’

‘What did you do then?’