Kate watched Imelda carefully. ‘What did you tell Neil about Petr?’
She stared off into the distance. ‘I told him that Petr worked for some bad men and had come to the house to hurt us, but had died suddenly. I said we couldn’t go to the police because they would arrest me, and then he would be on his own. I felt so bad lying to him. But he hugged me and said he would do whatever was necessary to keep me safe. I told him he needed to get rid of the body. I never realised he would chop up their bodies, but then he does read a lot of crime and detective stories, so something in one of them must have inspired him. He said he’d taken care of it, and I was desperate to believe him and move on.’
‘What about Maria Alexandrou?’
Imelda’s voice cracked under the strain. ‘Ah, that poor girl. She had such high hopes for the future. She messaged me, saying she had a fever and couldn’t keep food down, as Petr had said. I knew I only had a small timeframe to get her treated, so I reached out to my partners again, and I begged them for help; I didn’t want Maria to die too. But again they told me just to deal with it. The threat from before still hung over me, and I had no doubt they would follow through.’ She paused and blew her nose. ‘So, I told Maria to come to my home and that I would try to help her. I researched symptoms and suspected she had contracted septicaemia. And then I saw what a botch job they’d done with her stitches, and suddenly I realised exactly the sort of people I’d been dealing with. She had no memory of where they’d taken her or who had operated, only that she’d been met by a van, and had woken up in a hostel.’
‘Did she tell you where the hostel was? Maybe there is CCTV nearby.’
But Imelda shook her head sorrowfully. ‘I insisted she stay with me until she felt better, and she seemed to be improving, but then last Thursday morning I couldn’t wake her and I realised I’d failed again. I swore from that moment I would have nothing more to do with them, but I still needed to deal with Maria… Neil had done a good job with Petr’s body – or so I thought – and I asked him to help me again. He was on his way to work at the school when he called round. I never imagined he would take her in with him, or what would unfold thereafter. I-I-I never should have left it to him.’
‘What about when we sealed the place off? Did you never suspect what he’d done?’
‘Why would I? He told me it was taken care of and I believed him. As far as I knew, you’d found Daisy’s foot. It’s not like you or your team have been particularly forthcoming with information. Until you came to my house and started asking about Abbotts Way and Chris Jackson, I hadn’t connected the dots.’
Kate paused. ‘After I visited you yesterday, did you confront Neil about what had happened?’
Imelda’s head dropped and she wiped at her eyes with the tissue. ‘He’d just come in and I sat him down, and asked how he had disposed of Petr and Maria. Until the moment he spoke I was desperately hoping he would say he’d buried them, or he’d hired someone to deal with it, but he told me… about… oh God, my poor boy. What did I put him through?’
Although she knew it would be an eternity until Imelda forgave herself, Kate couldn’t help but empathise with the position she’d found herself in. ‘What more can you tell me about these partners of yours?’
Imelda’s face shot up, gripped with panic. ‘You have to find them. They won’t hesitate to come for me when they hear about my arrest. They’d rather I die than give them up. You have to promise to protect me. I’ll tell you everything I know, but you have to take into account the huge risk I’ll be taking.’
A knock at the door interrupted proceedings. Pausing the recording, Kate exited the room and found Laura in the corridor.
‘Ben just called,’ Laura advised. ‘They’ve just discovered two compost bags stuffed with Petr and Maria’s bodies buried beneath the sand where Watkins jumped.’
‘What about Daisy?’
Laura shook her head. ‘No sign. They’ve checked the caves in the area, but she’s not there.’
* * *
Imelda practically leaped out of her skin as Kate burst back into the interview rom. ‘Where is Daisy? Where would he take her?’
Imelda raised her arms defensively. ‘I-I-I don’t know. I swear to you. Do you really think I want to see another innocent person come to harm?’
Kate’s cheeks burned with the frustration of being so close to an answer, yet no nearer to actually discovering where Daisy was being held. ‘You must be able to think of somewhere he would have taken her? Do you own any other properties?’
‘Apart from Abbotts Way, no.’
‘What about where Neil grew up? Did he always live in Southampton?’
‘We bought the bungalow in North Baddesley when Graham left the service. Neil didn’t know any other home. The only places I can think of are his place in Shirley or the school.’
‘We have covered every inch of the maisonette, and there’s no sign that Daisy was ever there. And she’s not at the school. Come on, Mrs Watkins, you need to think long and hard. Where would he take her? A favourite place? He buried Petr and Maria at Old Harry Rocks, but Daisy isn’t there. Did he have any other favourite spots?’
‘I-I-I don’t know…’
‘You told me he loved going to the seaside, but couldn’t swim. Did he have any one particular place he would go to? Somewhere he wouldn’t be disturbed? Somewhere he could hide a vulnerable child for nearly two weeks without being caught?’
‘No, no, no!’ Imelda screamed, her face awash with tears. ‘I just don’t know. I never used to ask him about where he went. So long as he came home and had had a good time, I didn’t worry about it.’
‘But there has to be somewhere. Somewhere he felt safe; somewhere he thought she would be safe,’ Kate paused, her voice rising. ‘He never told you about Daisy interrupting him at Abbotts Way because he was terrified you’d tell him to kill her too. That’s why he took Daisy, Mrs Watkins. He wanted to keep her safe from you and your partners.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘We don’t have time for apologies. Help me find her.’ A fragment of memory flashed behind Kate’s eyes. ‘In your conservatory, there was an image, a photograph of you and your late husband by some beach huts.’
‘And?’
‘Where was that picture taken?’
‘Um…’
‘Come on, Mrs Watkins. Neil would have looked at that picture every day of his life. A picture of the two people he cared for the most, in a place where they looked so happy. Where was it taken?’
‘Mudeford… Mudeford Spit… but—’
‘Would Neil know where the hut was?’
‘Well, yes, he would, but—’
Kate picked up her phone and dialled Laura. ‘I want units to check every beach hut at Mudeford Spit.’
‘Wait, detective, you don’t understand,’ Imelda persisted. ‘We only rented that beach hut, and it was nearly forty years ago. I doubt the original hut is still there. He wouldn’t…’
‘Mudeford’s only a forty-minute drive from here; seems close enough for him to visit and check on Daisy every day. You said yourself, nobody really goes to the beach at this time of the year, so he wouldn’t have been disturbed.’ Kate nodded at Patel. ‘Get her back to the cells and meet me in the car park.’
60
‘The hut in the picture was right on the sand,’ Kate told the three units gathered with Laura and Patel. ‘Mrs Watkins was right, the original hut will be long gone by now, but that doesn’t mean Neil wouldn’t have looked for something similar. Again, the hut in the image was painted blue, but we need to check every hut. Initially, I want you to knock on every door and listen for movement inside. People aren’t allowed to live in beach huts, so if you hear anything I want you to call it in immediately. There are over a hundred to check. Start at the opposite end of the beach and work back towards the car park. Laura, Patel and I will start this end and work towards you. Let’s find our girl.’