Concrete Evidence (17 page)

                                             CHAPTER 19

Annie looked around the MIT office. Half the desks were occupied with detectives that were prepped and ready to receive calls from the public when the Crimewatch appeal went live. The other half were empty as her detectives were out following leads and interviewing witnesses from both scenes. When Jim Stirling stepped out of the lift holding up a manila file, she knew that he had found something.

“There’s a man with something to say,” Alec interrupted her thoughts.

“I was thinking the same myself,” Annie agreed. “It’s not often you see him smiling. He’s usually dark and moody.” She joked.

Alec grinned, “When you’re built like a house, you can be as dark and moody as you like.”

“What has got you so excited?” Annie asked as he approached.

“I think we should go into your office,” Stirling said red faced. Alec led the way and they went into Annie’s office. Stirling shrugged off his leather jacket and hung it on the back of a chair and placed the file on the seat. Alec stood by the window and watched as the streetlights below began to twinkle into life. Dusk was turning to night and thousands of yellow bulbs joined forces to stop darkness from swallowing the city. “You’re going to love this,” Stirling tapped the file.

Alec and Annie exchanged amused glances and waited expectantly. “Who did you meet with?” Alec asked. The lines on his forehead furrowed.

“A DI by the name of Haig,” he said sitting down opposite Annie. “Although one of the sergeants calls him DI ‘vague’.”

“I hope you haven’t been upsetting the natives,” Annie commented.

“No more than usual,” Stirling grunted. “The DI was very helpful to be fair. He gave me her paperwork and he has emailed her digital files to you, Guv,” he nodded at Annie.

Annie frowned and immediately grabbed her computer mouse. She clicked it a few times and nodded. “Yes, he has.”

“I asked him why Jayne Windsor’s sergeant had been so abrupt when I enquired about her absence. He explained about what happened with the Barton case a few years back. You remember that don’t you?”

Alec grimaced and looked at Annie. “We nearly had to pick that up at one point.” Alec rubbed his hands together as he spoke.

“Why didn’t we get it?” Annie frowned.

“We were up to our necks in sand on Crosby Beach,” Alec shrugged, “it happened during our investigation into The Butcher. The Chief didn’t want us taking on anything else at the time.” Annie seemed to hold her breath for a moment. Alec watched her, conscious that she would be thinking about the horrific moment in the investigation when everything changed for her. A second of complacency and she lost her eye. He carried on. “The case was floundering and they never recovered a body. The Crown Prosecution Service were very reluctant to proceed until they found DNA in the suspect, Peter Barton’s car.”

“That’s the one,” Stirling agreed cautiously. He sensed Annie’s discomfort too. “Did you know that he was an ex-copper?”

“No,” Alec frowned.

“DI Haig said that he was.” Stirling shrugged. “The case fell to bits at the appeal hearing and Peter Barton took a walk.”

Alec nodded thoughtfully. There had been so many cases over the years. Some took him longer to recall but he never forgot the details, especially when children were involved. “It was only a partial DNA sample, right?”

“Correct but that wasn’t the main issue,” Stirling held up a finger. “At the appeal hearing, the defence came up with an alibi.”

“As they do,” Annie said sarcastically. She seemed to have settled her nerves. “Where did they pull that from?”

“Barton claimed that he was at Sefton Park music festival and that he had had a conversation with one of the stallholders and a Special Constable at the time of the abduction.”

“How did they miss that the first time around?” Annie asked incredulously. “An alibi from a Special would be gold dust for the defence. Was it overlooked?”

“No, I don’t think so. I think it might have been buried.” Stirling lowered his voice, “And this is where it gets interesting,” he paused, “Jayne Windsor couldn’t confirm or deny his story. She couldn’t remember talking to him but she couldn’t definitively say that she hadn’t either. She was in uniform on the day and the crowds were drinking. Hundreds of people stopped to talk to our officers, taking pictures on their phones or just engaging in general drunken banter but the stallholder testified under oath that Jayne had been there when Barton was there.”

“Bloody hell,” Annie mumbled. “So she couldn’t deny seeing him and gave the judge a ‘reasonable doubt’ issue?”

“Exactly,” Stirling nodded. “Windsor bought some items from the stall with her debit card at the time the stallholder claimed that Barton was at the stall.”

“You can see why the judge threw it out,” Alec said. “I can see where the resentment towards her came from but it’s not enough for a motive unless one of the Barton family wanted revenge for Barton walking.”

“Not the way she was killed,” Annie shook her head, “our killer is not an angry relative, he’s a monster.”

“I was at the same point as you are until I was leaving the station,” Stirling grinned. “The desk sergeant was waiting for me outside.” Alec and Annie exchanged confused glances. “He asked me for a lift home and then started ranting about how crap the brass are. He has been following the case in the news because Jayne Winsor was a victim. When he got out of the car, he told me to take a look at who gave the alibi.”

“The stallholder?” Alec frowned.

“Who was it?” Annie asked.

“The stallholder was booked on to the festival selling ‘cruelty free’ makeup and ‘fair trade’ cosmetics, moisturisers and massage oils to promote her beautician business. Her name was Jackie Webb,” Stirling closed the file and put it onto Annie’s desk with a thump.

                              CHAPTER 20

                “Who is working on the financials?” Alec asked.

              “Becky,” Annie replied. She stood up and walked to the door, opened it and called across the office. “Becky, can you come in here for a moment please and bring whatever you have on the financials.” All eyes turned to her in anticipation. It was obvious that something was breaking. Becky Sebastian unplugged her laptop and grabbed a pile of papers. She was six months into her new position and still a little nervous in front of senior officers. She blushed as she rushed across the office. Some of the male detectives swapped appreciative glances as she passed them. Her long black hair almost reached the waistband of her faded jeans. “Come in and take a seat,” Annie said smiling.

              Stirling stood up to make room at the desk and Alec nodded hello. “What have you found on our victims so far,” he asked smiling. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened. His smile had a disarming quality, which endeared his officers to him. “Anything interesting?”

              Becky nodded enthusiastically and opened her laptop. She sifted through her papers and picked out the three sheets that she needed. “I was about to come and ask your opinion on something that I’ve found.”

              “What is it?” Annie asked, taking her seat opposite.

              “I went back two years and found nothing out of the ordinary. Both women have mortgages, and the usual direct debits for utility bills and the like going from their current accounts monthly, gas, electric, water, council tax and mobile phones. Everything is paid like clockwork.” She looked up and smiled nervously. “They both have a number of credit cards which are well within their limits.” She shrugged and picked up a sheet of paper. “That is where the similarities end. Jayne Windsor has her salary paid in monthly and everything that goes through her account is done electronically. However all Jackie Webb’s income is paid in by cash deposits with no pattern to it. There are sporadic amounts paid in randomly throughout the month.”

              “We would expect to see that from a self employed ‘beautician’,” Stirling commented.

              “Everything looks normal on the face of it,” Becky agreed.

              “Except what?” Alec prompted.

              “Well, they do okay financially and there’s no excessive spending but their mortgage payments looked too low to me.” She looked around at her superiors and smiled nervously. “I know how much I pay each month for my flat,” she shrugged and blushed again. “They both have relatively new properties but their mortgage payments are below five hundred pounds a month.”

              Alec frowned and looked at Annie. “That would be unusual if it applied to one of them. The fact that both are in that fortunate position is not a coincidence.”

              “If it is, I need to know who they bank with,” Annie agreed. “Can you see why their repayments are so low, Becky?”

              Becky nodded and reached for another sheet of paper. “They purchased their properties eight months apart and both paid substantial deposits against the loans.”

              “That could be a coincidence,” Stirling said. “They’re both from reasonably wealthy backgrounds.”

              “Ah, but neither deposits were paid from their bank accounts.” Becky countered. “I can’t see where the money came from without getting a warrant for the mortgage providers’ records.”

              “So, if the families financed them, it could be nothing?” Annie said deflated.

              Becky bit her bottom lip and shrugged. “I thought about that,” she said sheepishly, “so I spoke to both of the mothers to clarify the situation.” Alec smiled at Annie impressed by the young detective’s initiative. “Neither of them contributed to their daughter’s mortgage down payments.”

              “Excellent work, Becky. When did they purchase their properties?” Alec asked.

              “Three years ago,” Becky said blushing. “That’s why I didn’t see it straight away. I should have gone further back initially.”                

              “You’ve done well,” Annie said. “Let’s get that warrant sorted.”

              “Yes, Guv!” Becky said excitedly. She stood up and gathered her paperwork.

              “While you’re on the telephone to the court,” Alec added, “get a warrant for the financials of Peter Barton too. I have a feeling they’ll be connected.”

              “Peter Barton?” Becky looked confused.

              “I’ll explain who he is and bring the team up to speed,” Stirling nodded to Alec.

“I want everything they have on the Barton case,” Alec added. “I want to know exactly what they had on him and I want to know where he was a copper and why they kept it under wraps.”

“Yes, Guv. Do you want me to bring him in?”

              “Let’s not rush this. If he once served, he’ll be anticipating us making the connection.” Annie shook her head and looked at Alec. She pushed her hair behind her ear and frowned. “He could have escalated from killing Simon Barton and turned his attention to the women who gave him an alibi, I suppose?”

              “Tying up loose ends?”

              “The man who took them from the nightclub is not Peter Barton,” Alec aired his thoughts, “but that doesn’t mean that he’s not involved.”

“There is the Eastern European connection to the script carved into Jackie Webb,” Stirling interrupted. “Google said that it’s where it was used the most.”

“I don’t remember any emphasis being put on him being an immigrant at the time,” Alec said. “If I remember rightly, his surname came from his real father and he was brought up by a stepfather.” 

              “Do we wait to see what the Crimewatch pitch gives us or do we bring him anyway?” Annie mused. She put her finger to the corner of her damaged eye. The scar tissue felt raised to the touch. “If he sees it, he might run.”

              “If he hasn’t already,” Stirling added. He checked his watch and looked at Alec. “Haig said that he was always one step ahead of the investigation. How long till it goes out, Guv?”

              Alec looked at his own watch instinctively. “Less than an hour. Do we know where he is?” The detectives looked at each other blankly.

“He wasn’t even on our radar until Jim uncovered this connection,” Annie shrugged.

“Okay,” Alec said running his fingers through his sandy hair. “It will be a stretch but let’s get everything we can on Barton first. If we can pinpoint his whereabouts, lift him. Let’s see if he has an alibi. In the meantime, Becky, get onto the courts and sort out the warrants that we need.”