Chapter 20
TWENTY
‘I relayed that information to the team while we were back there,’ Jacob said as he drove.
‘How would the victim have Briggs’s name? And Kain’s too?’
‘That’s what we need to work out.’ Jacob continued along Cleevesford High Street. ‘Kain was in policing years ago, wasn’t he?’
‘He did six months and left. I checked.’
‘And DCI Briggs is off the case.’
Gina nodded, knowing she couldn’t mention that Briggs had called her. ‘I wonder if the DCI and Kain worked together back then.’ She paused. ‘And what about the other victim? It looks like he’d written both of their names down.’
‘Male, fifties. The age fits.’ Jacob shrugged.
Fraser had told them to stay on schedule and visit Sheena May.
All Gina wanted was to head back to the station and see what he had to say about Briggs.
Her fingers itched to message her ex-lover and tell him about the names on the note.
She pulled her personal phone out, not being able to resist the urge any longer.
She had to risk messaging the phone he usually used, just as a concerned friend.
Hey, are you okay? Do you need anything? Maybe I could pop by, see how you are?
Jacob pulled up on the high street, right outside Sheena’s house. It had been slotted in between a solicitor’s office and a funeral home. Gina’s phone beeped. It was a message from Briggs.
We can’t message.
She understood and placed her phone away again. The best thing she could do was to get on with her job. Her phone beeped again. It was a message from Brodie.
Do you still like Mexican food? I remember that one time, we went to that restaurant and you had the enchiladas with extra spice because I dared you. Your eyes were streaming and you demanded an emergency glass of milk.
She smiled at the memory. The thought of going out and having a good time while Briggs was about to be dragged into something hideous felt wrong.
Even though she felt like they were over, she wasn’t sure she could go on a date right yet.
Brodie hadn’t called it a date but she wasn’t stupid.
She could see what he was trying to do and it was working.
The thought of him and how they’d enjoyed each other’s company back then sent a pleasant shiver through her and she hated that she was thinking about Brodie when Briggs was in such big trouble.
‘She’s in, guv. I saw her walk past the window.’
‘Great. Let’s see if she can shed any light onto what’s going on.’
Jacob led the way this time while Gina took a deep breath and caught up. He knocked and a woman with short cropped blue hair opened the door. ‘Hello.’ She frowned and placed a hand on her stomach.
Gina guessed she was about six months pregnant. Her black dress with white lace trim at the neck showed her tiny bump off. ‘Are you Sheena May?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m DI Harte and this is DS Driscoll. May we come in?’
Sheena opened the door, letting them into a cosy cottage-style lounge painted in emerald green. ‘It’s about Kain, isn’t it? Lindy called me.’
‘It is.’
‘Take a seat.’
Gina sat next to Jacob on the tiny couch that faced the fireplace. After initial introductions, Gina started questioning her. ‘Can you tell me a little about what your relationship with Kain was like?’
‘Turbulent. He came up with one mad moneymaking scheme after another. His moods – ups and downs – were exhausting. If I wasn’t on board with these silly schemes, I’d be public enemy number one.
He could be mean when he didn’t get his own way, which I didn’t like.
He wanted me to be named as a director when he set his company up but, at the back of my mind, I didn’t trust him with money.
He ran up credit cards and I always bailed him out.
When I refused, he said that I hated him, that I wanted him to fail and that any good wife would support her husband.
Anyway, I had enough of his bullshit so I told him we were over. ’
‘When was this?’
‘A couple of years ago now. Twenty-five-year-old me put up with all that but not thirty-seven-year-old me. I realised time was slipping through my fingers, and…’ She took a deep breath.
‘I met someone through work and we clicked. I did the right thing and ended it with Kain before starting anything. My feelings for this other person made me finally realise my marriage was over.’
Gina knew she needed to bring the interview up to the present day. ‘Was there an incident between you and Kain about a month ago?’
Sheena leaned back in her chair and placed her hands on her bump. ‘I posted a photo on Instagram, showing my bump and telling all my friends how happy we were to be having a baby. It was the first time I’d broken the news online because of Kain.’
‘And what happened after that?’
‘He turned up at my house drunk, banging on my door, shouting about how I’d denied him a kid then got knocked up as soon as I’d left him.
I didn’t want kids with Kain because he acted like a kid, but I didn’t say that.
Anyway, I was getting upset by all Kain’s shouting on the high street so we just shut the door.
Eventually Kain staggered away.’ Sheena bit the inside of her cheek before continuing.
‘I heard about Maura’s death shortly after.
Lindy called me but I didn’t go to the funeral because Kain would have been there.
I liked Maura, a lot. He was so lucky when it came to family. ’
‘Can you tell me where you were between one and ten p.m. on the fourteenth of November?’
She nervously smiled and pulled out her phone.
‘That’s an easy one. I was buying a car seat for the baby, then me and Mum had an evening meal there and I went back to hers for a while.
’ She leaned over and showed Gina the receipt.
The shop was in Birmingham. ‘This is me in the shop, with my mum.’ Sheena showed Gina a Facebook photo of them in a baby shop, smiling.
She clocked the upload time and it was fifteen minutes after the time on the receipt, one thirty that afternoon.
‘The restaurant sent me an e-receipt. Here it is. We ate at five thirty.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I don’t know if this is relevant but Kain used to meet up with someone once a year at a bar in Kidderminster, just for drinks.
Same time, same place, every year. This man was an old friend, apparently.
I thought it odd that Kain never introduced us and he always seemed tense whenever they were due to meet.
I never met this friend at all and he’d go off at me if I asked any questions about him. ’
‘Do you know his name?’
‘No, I don’t know what it’s short for but Kain called him Zed.’
‘When did they meet?’
‘I can’t remember. Around this time. November, early December.’ She shrugged.
Gina glanced at Jacob. Kain and victim two met up regularly. They had their link. ‘I know this might sound odd, but did Kain have a small blue teddy bear?’
She frowned. ‘No, definitely not.’
Gina’s phone buzzed and O’Connor’s name flashed up. She pressed on the message.
Search is underway and there is no sign of Craig Crawford’s blue hoodie at his house. We have however found something else. We’ve put a warrant out for Craig’s arrest.