Imelda frowned. ‘He doesn’t go into the water; he can’t swim. He likes to sit nearby, just listening.’
Kate could imagine how calming that would be. ‘I am sorry for what happened. Was there any note attached to the brick?’
‘They’d left their message out here in paint.’
‘Do you still have the brick? If I could take it with me, I could see if—’
‘I threw it in the skip down the road,’ Imelda replied. ‘I assume that’s where the perpetrator got it from.’
Kate looked up to where Imelda was pointing, seeing the battered metal skip on the driveway of a neighbouring property, where it looked like extension work was ongoing.
‘I didn’t think you could get fingerprints from stones anyway?’ Imelda continued.
‘There’s been some success with it in recent years,’ Kate confirmed, excusing herself and walking over to the skip, but on looking inside, she knew her search would be a waste of valuable time. Dozens of rough and broken bricks lay entwined with garden waste and other rubble.
‘I doubt you’ll ever catch the idiot who caused this damage,’ Imelda said, when Kate returned to the maisonette. ‘I just worry about the emotional damage it will have caused my little boy…’ Her words trailed off as she began to cry.
Kate offered her a tissue, and could only apologise, knowing her words were worthless. She was grateful when her phone began to ring and she excused herself to take it.
‘Is Sofia… can you meet me? Is about Maria. I need to see you.’
* * *
‘Thanks for coming,’ Sofia said, as Kate perched on the stool by the window.
‘I was surprised to get your call. Are you not worried that someone might spot you?’
‘In this neighbourhood? I doubt it.’
Kate stared out at the sea beyond the road below them. ‘I have to admit, meeting an informant in the restaurant of IKEA is a new one for me.’
‘The people I know, they don’t buy flat pack furniture, if you get me?’
Kate could believe it. ‘What did you want to speak to me about?’
‘After our chat yesterday, I decided to go and ask my pimp about Maria’s payment.’
Kate’s shoulders tensed. ‘I don’t want you to do anything that will put your life at risk.’
‘Is okay. I tell him one of Maria’s regulars was asking after her, and whether she would be back. He tell me that she clear her debt and is gone. I act surprised, but he show me picture on his phone. It was selfie of him and Maria from the Monday night. They are both smiling, and she not look worried or scared. I ask him about the money and he say she pay ten grand and left. He tell me he think she be back working for him again when she realise how hard real work is.’
‘So he didn’t know she was dead?’
‘No. The way he speak about her, is like she alive. He ask me if I have spoken to her, and I say no, and he ask me to call her and see if she ready to come back yet. I don’t think he kill her.’
The admission didn’t surprise Kate, particularly in light of what Laura was investigating. Kate fished into her pocket and pulled out her phone, loading Jackson’s website, and locating the image Laura had printed off. Kate passed Sofia the phone. ‘Do you recognise this man?’
Sofia studied the image, before handing the phone back. ‘I don’t think so, who is he?’
‘You don’t remember seeing him with Maria? Maybe one of her customers?’
Sofia took the phone again for a second look. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know his face.’
Kate locked the screen, before a new thought hit her. ‘You girls make a note of who each other goes off with, right? Do you remember seeing Maria getting into either of these vehicles?’ Kate opened the email Laura had sent with the images of Jackson’s two registered vehicles.
Sofia studied the two vehicles. ‘I think maybe this first one – the car, not the van – I maybe see it before, but I no remember registration number.’
‘You saw Maria in the car?’
‘I no remember. I think maybe car has been around, but who with, I’m not sure. Sorry.’
Kate offered her an appreciative smile. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for. I appreciate you letting me know what you found out.’
‘Oh, other thing I remember. I ask him if Maria work any of those group parties. You remember I say yesterday? He say no. He not know where she get money from either.’
Kate thanked Sofia and waited for her to leave the restaurant, before heading back into the car park to collect her car. The question of how Maria had managed to raise ten thousand pounds in such a short period of time still rankled with Kate. Could Jackson have given it to her? If so, for what reason? And why then kill her after she’d given the money to her pimp? Surely if he planned to kill her he could have done so without handing over the money? And where did Petr Nowakowski fit in to all this?
Despite the certainty in her gut that they were finally making progress with both investigations, she couldn’t shake the doubt that there was still so much more they didn’t know.
Kate had just started the engine when her phone rang. ‘Hi Patel, go ahead.’
‘I thought you should know, ma’am, uniform were just called to Alfie Caplan’s house after neighbours phoned to report a fight.’
‘Between who?’
‘Apparently, Daisy’s brother just assaulted him. Should I tell uniform to bring them in?’
Kate closed her eyes in frustration. The last thing Barry and Val needed was for Richard to be arrested too. ‘No, tell uniform to try and calm the situation and that I’m on my way over.’
37
The screeching of Kate’s brakes as she skidded to a stop caught everyone’s attention. Richard Emerson took one look at her before continuing to hurl insults at the house where Alfie Caplan resided with his mum and younger sister.
‘You too chicken to face me?’ Richard shouted, oblivious to the neighbouring residents sending disapproving looks from the safety of their porches and front windows. ‘Get out here, you fucking cheat!’
The front door flew open and Alfie charged at Richard, sending the two of them to the ground as they tussled and fought to get the upper hand. Kate leaped from her car and charged towards the gate, taking it in a single bound, landing on the grass and springing forward to get between the two young men. She took a blow to the ribs from one of them, rolling away and feeling the damp mud soaking into the elbows of her suit jacket. She went for them again, trying to drag Richard off Alfie, but he was too strong and remained where he was, sending punch after punch into Alfie’s sides.
Kate nodded for the two waiting constables to intercept them, and when Alfie and Richard had been separated, she told the officers to escort Richard to the car and wait for her return.
‘He assaulted me,’ Alfie shouted, as Richard was led away. ‘I want him charged. A dozen witnesses saw him punch me in McDonald’s car park.’
‘You deserved far worse,’ Richard fired back over his shoulder.
‘Enough!’ Kate shouted, pushing Alfie towards the house. ‘You can tell me about it inside.’
The front door was still open from when he’d emerged, so he pushed it with his foot, stomping to the kitchen and filling a glass with water. He put it to his lips, the water spilling at the edges as he chugged it down.
Kate pulled out a chair at the small kitchen table and sat. ‘You ought to put some ice on that,’ she said, pointing at the red lump forming on his cheek.
Refilling his glass, he plonked down on the chair across from her. ‘I’ll live.’
But Kate wasn’t prepared just to sit there and let him sulk. Pushing herself up, she moved to the combined fridge-freezer unit, and searched the lower half until she found a bag of peas. Pulling it out, she reached for a tea towel from the radiator, folded it in half over the packet and wound the ends tightly before pressing it to his cheek. ‘Hold this in place. It’ll help the swelling go down and bring the bruise out sooner.’
He reluctantly pressed the pack where she’d put it.
‘I’m still waiting for you to tell me why your girlfriend’s brother just assaulted you.’
‘Ask him!’