Chapter 11
Eleven
The rage of Gemma Ross was still with her when Bryant parked at their next location. How destructive it must be to live with that level of hatred, that bitterness eating you alive from the inside. There was no question that Gemma was now right at the top of her list.
She’d instructed Stacey to start looking at the woman more closely and to see if there was any way of checking with Uber Eats. Being jilted for another woman wasn’t the strongest motive for murder, unless you were still so angry about it after so many years.
With nothing more to be done about Gemma, she turned her focus to the next lead they’d uncovered.
She was no stranger to the building that housed children’s services in St James Road, Dudley. She’d visited in connection with many cases over the years.
Bryant approached reception and introduced them before asking to speak to Ashley’s boss. They remained in the lobby while Ashley’s line manager was sent for.
‘I think Gemma and anything we find here are far more likely leads than the netball players,’ Bryant said while they waited.
Kim nodded. ‘Absolutely. Because every murder victim we’ve known has died due to a highly emotional killer with an intense and justifiable motive.’
‘Okay, why do I feel that your initial agreement was to lull me and now I’m going to get schooled?’ Bryant asked.
‘Not schooled but a memory refresh. Remember not so long ago when we were chasing a man around the Black County?’
‘I remember,’ he groaned.
‘And his motive?’ Kim asked.
‘To be noticed,’ he answered, as though the words were being prised from his mouth.
‘Never assume someone’s reasons for—’
‘Inspector?’ said a voice from behind.
They both held up their identification to a man in his mid-forties. Slim and smartly dressed, he looked as though he spent most of his morning grooming regime trying to hide his receding hairline.
It wasn’t time well spent, she thought as he held out his hand. She busied herself putting away her ID while Bryant introduced them by name.
‘Ron Pike, Ashley’s line manager,’ he said.
Before she could ask a question, he ushered them into a small room off the lobby that contained a table, four chairs and a projector.
‘Hope you don’t mind talking in here. The staff are upset enough.’
She heard a catch in his voice and knew that sentiment included him as well.
‘She was popular?’ Kim asked, taking a seat.
‘Oh yes. Most of my team are in tears upstairs. Just disbelief really. I can’t imagine that we’ll never see her sitting at that desk again,’ he said, blinking rapidly.
‘It’s a lot to take in, we understand that, but we have to find who did this. Which means we have to ask questions now, okay?’
He nodded and swallowed deeply.
‘You just said Ashley was popular, but is there any member of staff she didn’t get along with?’
He thought long and hard, as though working his way through her colleagues.
‘I’m afraid there really is no one. She was pleasant, had a good sense of humour and on many occasions helped people out.’
‘How about current cases, Mr Pike? We hear there’d been some issues.’
He reddened. ‘Nothing that would blemish her exemplary record.’
‘I understand that, but sometimes changes have to be made, don’t they?’
He relaxed once he realised he didn’t have to sully the record of a dead woman. Kim took a moment to appreciate his integrity. She’d met worse bosses in her time.
‘Ashley was asked to relinquish a case to another colleague.’
‘May I ask why?’
‘There was a complaint, and while her actions were commendable…’
‘Can we trouble you for the details?’
‘A boy named Robbie Steele. She had been his case worker for almost eight years. The boy lost both parents to drugs when he was nine years old. Ashley managed to keep him out of the system by placing him with his paternal grandmother. He wasn’t an easy child, and the grandmother wasn’t in the best of health, so Ashley continued to keep watch on them.
About six months ago, she began to suspect that Robbie was getting physical with his grandmother as well as stealing her pension.
The woman was losing weight and having a few too many accidents.
‘Ashley tried to get her to admit it, but she wouldn’t.
Ashley tried to pass it to adult care, who weren’t that interested, and neither were the police when the grandmother refused to talk to them.
Ashley knew it was because she was terrified of the boy, and he then got his grandmother to make a complaint. I had no choice but to…’
‘Of course,’ Kim said. ‘If I could have Robbie Steele’s address, I’d appreciate it.’
Out there was one angry kid who had almost had his meal ticket taken away from him by Ashley. That definitely deserved a closer look.
‘We understand that Ashley was also dealing with a problem family recently.’
‘She was. I mean, you have to understand that most families we deal with have some type of problem or we wouldn’t be involved.’
‘But this family is different?’
‘Yes because it resulted in a decision that none of us were happy with.’
‘Go on,’ Kim urged.
‘Ashley was tasked with assisting the Butler family four years ago. Dad Joe, mum Abby and their twin boys, aged three at the time. Abby suffered severe depression and had attempted to take her own life while Joe was on a business trip. With Ashley’s help, they set up a system of support that meant the boys remained in their care.
A year later, Abby tried again. It was the final straw for Joe, who took the boys and left.
‘Two years on, Joe had divorced Abby, gained full custody of the boys and was married to a woman who adored his sons. Abby decided she was well enough to get the boys back, and with some financial help from her sister, she took Joe to court. She won.’
‘With Ashley’s approval?’ she asked, wondering what the woman had done wrong.
The man shook his head. ‘No, quite the opposite. After meeting with Abby, her report stated that the boys were best left with their father.’
‘But?’
‘Sometimes no matter what we say, the judge will base their decision on the performance given in court, and Abby performed very well. Unfortunately, Joe chose to put all the blame on Ashley, saying that the decision was made because her report wasn’t strong enough.
He made quite the scene when he came here to complain. ’
‘He came here?’ Kim asked, getting a measure of the man’s dissatisfaction.
‘Demanded a new case worker. Someone who would help him get his boys back. Called Ashley some terrible names.’
‘Did he threaten her at all?’
‘Just kind of wished bad things on her and her family. He left once we called the police.’
‘Did Ashley report it?’
‘No – she knew it wouldn’t look good for him at the next custody hearing. Despite his outburst, she still felt that the boys were better off with him.’
‘And what’s the timeline of all this?’ Kim asked.
‘The court date was three weeks ago.’
So, the anonymous Facebook user could definitely have been Joe Butler.
‘Is there anything else you know that might help?’ Kim asked.
He shook his head. ‘I’m really not lying when I say what a lovely person she was.’
‘Okay, thanks for your time,’ she said before standing.
‘How’s Dan doing?’ Ron asked as they headed for the door.
‘Grief-stricken as you can imagine,’ she said. ‘Do you know him well?’
‘Only through work functions, but they were utterly besotted with each other. She called him her knight in shining armour, and he doted on her and Ava. He’s one of the good ones.’
Kim thanked him again and headed towards the exit.
‘What was that last bit about?’ Bryant asked once they were outside.
‘Not sure,’ Kim said.
It was strange that Ashley’s boss had felt the need to specifically mention that Daniel was a good guy. What had he done to warrant such praise?
She took out her phone to call Stacey with the names of Robbie Steele and Joe Butler, but it lit up before she had the chance.
‘Stone,’ she answered, even though she was pretty sure her boss knew whom he’d contacted.
‘I need you back at the station. Now.’
The call ended, and she groaned as she got in the car.
Requests like that normally came for one of two reasons.
Because of something she’d done or something she was going to have to do.
And right now she had no idea which one it was.