Laura fixed him with a frustrated stare. ‘Did you believe her?’
Quinlan nodded, staring at Kate. ‘I did, yes. She says they’ve been dating for two months, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. She said he came to the school late on Friday to collect her before they drove to her house in Chandlers Ford and then on to her parents’ place in Poole. She swears blind he never left her sight at the school.’
‘But we know that the body could have been disposed of when he was there on Thursday,’ Laura challenged. ‘It still doesn’t explain his presence in Portswood when Daisy disappeared.’
‘She was able to confirm he was there to pick her up,’ Quinlan countered. ‘Apparently, she was at a friend’s birthday at The Mitre pub, near the big Sainsbury’s. He arrived shortly after ten, collected her, before they returned to her place, where he spent the night.’
‘Vehicle recognition has him in Portswood an hour before that,’ ma’am,’ Laura said. ‘What was he doing there for an hour before he met his alibi?’
‘Phone the pub now,’ Kate demanded. ‘If he was in there, they should have him on their security footage. Also, chase SSD. We need to know whether the DNA sample we took from Jackson matches the mystery profile from the two scenes. Finding this connection is our only way to find Daisy.’
53
‘Tell me again,’ Kate said, staring at the notes Laura had been scribbling on the board, hoping it would make more sense second time around.
Laura, nodded, replacing the lid on the marker pen, so she could use it as a pointer. ‘It’s all connected, ma’am, rather, they’re all connected. Vardan and Jackson both work at St Bartholomew’s, and both had access to the sports hall.’
‘But how? The caretaker Mr Linus had the only key to the hall.’
‘That’s why they changed the padlock. Or maybe they somehow managed to make a copy of Linus’s keys. Probably wouldn’t have been too difficult. Anyway, we also have this exchange of messages between Vardan and Jackson, discussing their urges and whatever else, so we know they have a relationship of some sort. Right?’
Kate nodded for Laura to continue.
‘We know that Phillips also had access to the sports hall, because he’s got the contract to knock it down and build the pool this summer. He was at the school on Thursday, but we only have his word that he didn’t go inside. We also have Vardan and Phillips graduating from Southampton University in the same year. Okay, we don’t have anything concrete to suggest they were friendly back there, but we’ll explore those avenues when the offices are open again in the morning.’
Kate pulled an apologetic face. ‘It still feels pretty thin.’
‘Not so, ma’am,’ Laura continued. ‘We have the photograph that shows Nowakowski knew Phillips and they’d been in touch recently because Nowakowski had asked for a job and money. How do we know Phillips didn’t agree to provide the money Nowakowski wanted in exchange for—’
‘And that’s where the theory falls over, Laura. We don’t know what any of them could have promised Nowakowski and Maria, and whether the intention was always to kill them. Plus, how does any of this tie back to Daisy?’
‘Phillips lures Nowakowski with the offer of a payment to do whatever. Jackson does something similar to entice Maria, offering her ten grand for some kind of kinky bondage fantasy he wants to play out. And that leaves Vardan and Daisy. Jackson’s emails suggest Vardan knew Daisy had developed some kind of school-girl crush on him, so maybe he brought her into whatever was planned. It’s like that Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train. The story concerns two strangers who meet on a train: a young tennis player and a charming psychopath. The psychopath suggests that because they each want to get rid of someone, they should exchange murders, and that way neither will get caught. It allows them both to have strong alibis in place when the acts are committed.
‘Jackson knew the Abbotts Way address was vacant, and chose that as the first murder scene, and he carries that one out, killing Nowakowski for Phillips. Vardan is then unaccounted for, for three hours on Thursday because he’s busy dismembering Maria for Jackson. And that leaves Phillips taking care of Daisy.’
‘You’re making a lot of assumptions, Laura. We don’t have any evidence suggesting Jackson wanted Maria dead, or that Phillips wanted Nowakowski gone. And why the hell did Vardan want Daisy killed?’
‘Could be blackmail, ma’am?’ Patel offered, having been observing the exchange.
Kate raised her eyebrows at him.
Patel sat forward. ‘Let’s say Jackson previously hired Maria to participate in a sordid fantasy, but she threatens to expose his little secret if he doesn’t pay her the money she needs to get free of her pimp. He initially pays, but then fearing she will blackmail him again, he ties up the loose end, or maybe she came back and demanded more. Similarly, maybe Nowakowski had some dirt on Phillips from their previously
working together. Maybe Nowakowski – in his desperation to make enough money for the deposit for the flat he wanted to get with his sister – blackmails Phillips. And finally, we know what Vardan has been accused of before. Maybe he tried something on with Daisy and she threatened to blow the whistle on him. Three strong motives for murder, if you ask me.’
Laura was nodding enthusiastically. ‘Let’s get Vardan and Phillips into custody, but let slip to each of them that the others are talking and the first to spill could get a lesser sentence than the others. Then we’ll see how loyal they remain to each other.’
Kate narrowed her eyes. ‘If you’re right, if the whole purpose of this pact was to keep it a big secret, why throw an enormous spotlight on their activities by sending me the hearts?’
Laura opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again as no answer would come.
‘Maybe it was guilt?’ Patel suggested. ‘We know that Jackson and Vardan went through with their murders, but there’s been no sign of Daisy’s heart or a bloodbath with her DNA, so maybe Phillips bottled his end of the bargain. So in order to ensure he follows through, one of the others sends the hearts to get us sniffing around: put the frighteners on Phillips, so he knows his only way forward is to follow through and off Daisy.’
Kate shook her head. ‘I don’t buy that: it’s too risky for Vardan or Jackson to do that. Isn’t it?’
‘Whatever the reason,’ Patel continued, ‘it’s worth exploring. You’re the one who doesn’t believe in circumstance, ma’am.’
Kate glanced back at the photo of Chloe on her desk. ‘If Daisy is still alive, where the hell is he keeping her?’
‘He’s a surveyor and property developer,’ Laura suddenly shouted. ‘His company must have a string of developments yet to complete. I’d bet money he’s stashing her in one of those.’
Kate pointed at the computer. ‘Find me that address.’
* * *
Humberidge looked exhausted as he stumbled into the incident room, his cheeks flushed, and the bags enormous beneath his eyes. ‘Vardan wasn’t at home, ma’am,’ he sighed.
Kate looked at the large clock hanging above the door. ‘It’s just gone eight, where is he?’
‘With your authorisation, I’ll ask the phone company to run a trace.’
Kate nodded and Humberidge reached for the nearest desk phone.
Laura returned from the printer, presenting a page to Kate. ‘Here’s a list of TUTD developments I managed to find on their website. They have a residential housing project of a hundred new homes out near Winchester, which isn’t due for completion until 2019. It doesn’t say how far along they are with building the estate. Then there’s a redevelopment of an old factory works down by the docks. It’s going to be developed into a new luxury hotel.’
‘Because that’s what Southampton needs: another hotel,’ Kate said, rolling her eyes.
‘The hotel is due to open in 2019 as well.’