Secrets and lies, p.10
Secrets and Lies, page 10
Alex sat there, not knowing what Jacob was talking about. He moved the image of the magazine closer and stared at it. 'I've never seen this magazine before,' he declared.
'You've never seen it before?' Barnes mocked him. 'It was found inside your apartment. How could you have never seen it before?' Barnes continued in his loud and aggressive tone.
'I don't know. I could have picked that up from anywhere. If you hadn't noticed, I'm not always one hundred percent sober.' Alex studied the other pictures. 'What do the notes mean?' he asked. He couldn't quite understand what they meant and neither could the detectives.
'We were hoping you could tell us?' said Barnes as he sat back in his chair with his arms folded.
'I don't know. I didn't make them!' he shouted at Barnes.
'Is this all you have on my client?' Simon asked both detectives.
'It's one of two things we have on your client, Mr Ballard,' Barnes replied to his question. 'When we searched your clients home, we located what we believe to be the murder weapon. We have sent it to be analysed and are awaiting the results,' he explained.
'So we need you to start talking, Alex,' Jacob insisted. 'If say you didn't commit the murders then you must know who did. The magazine linked to the notes doesn't just appear within your apartment.'
A drop of sweat began to slip its way down Alex's forehead. He knew this didn't look good for him but he had no idea where the magazine or the murder weapon had come from.
'I don't know anything,' he repeated.
Jacob removed another photo from the file and placed it right down in front of Alex. 'This is what we believe to be the murder weapon which we found inside your kitchen cupboard,' Jacob explained. 'If you're not willing to co-operate Mr Baker, you're going to have a hard time trying to explain your innocence. Do you know of anyone who would want to set you up? Did you anger anyone in some way? Does anyone else have access to your apartment?'
Alex stared down at the table. His eyes wobbling from side to side while he tried to think who would want to see him suffer. Not one single person sprung to mind.
'I can't think of anyone,' he said while knowing that would have been the only thing that could have helped him.
'I have nothing more to add,' Jacob announced to them and the tape. 'DCI Barnes have you got anything else to add?'
'I do not,' he replied.
'Interview terminated at 9.52 pm,' he added for the tape.
DCI Barnes stood up and left, while Jacob remained in the room. Simon began to arise from his seat but paused as he noticed Jacob remained seated.
'Alex. Do you know anything about a group called the Sisterhood?' Jacob asked him.
'Simon. Can you give us a minute?' Alex asked his lawyer. Simon exited the room. It was just Jacob and Alex. No witnesses. No tapes. 'I've never heard of them. Why do you ask? Does this have anything to do with Sophie and Ella?'
'The night Sophie was...' he paused. '...The night she was killed, we reviewed the CCTV images and caught an image of a cloaked figure. On the hood was the initials S.H. I researched the initials and found an organisation called the Sisterhood.'
'How come I don't know any of this? Is it because I am your number one suspect?' Alex asked.
'We are not allowed to discuss the on-going case with anyone. Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Sophie or Ella and possibly frame you? Now would be the time to speak. It's off the record. I really want to help you, Alex, I do, but you need to help me.'
'I don't know anything. Why do you want to help me?'
'Honestly, I think you are innocent,' Jacob announced.
* * *
"Police have arrested one suspect in connection with the murders of Sophie Mackenzie and Ella Morgan."
The television was beaming out its bright light across the dark apartment. Lily lay on the sofa watching the news, patiently waiting for Jacob to return home. She looked at her watch. 10.41 pm. Where is he? Lily knew what Jacob's job involved but she didn't think it would mean she spent most of her evenings all alone. She heard a noise by the front door as the handle started to jolt as it opened. She noticed a hand reach for the light switch and flicked on the light. Lily covered her eyes as the bright light blinded her. She slowly opened her eyes and moved her hands away, squinting and seeing Jacob.
'Sorry,' he apologised. 'I didn't think you were still up.'
'I was waiting for you,' she replied. 'I see you have arrested someone.'
'Alex Baker,' he announced to her. 'I shouldn't really be telling you any of this.'
'Then don't,' she replied. 'I don't want you getting into trouble.'
'It's nothing you won't find out soon anyway.'
Lily noticed Jacob's face had become full of sorrow. 'What's wrong?' she asked.
'I don't know. I have this feeling deep down.'
'What about?' she asked.
'I don't think he did it,' he explained to her. 'Something keeps telling me we have the wrong guy, but the evidence says different. I don't know what to believe,' he shrugged.
'What makes you believe him to be guilty?'
'We found the murder weapon inside his home.'
Jacob knew he could lose his job if anyone found out what he had just told Lily, but he trusted her. After all, they were making a huge commitment together.
'Follow your heart,' she replied. 'If you believe this man to be innocent, then prove it. You couldn't live with the guilt if you were right and he gets sentenced for the murders.'
'I know, but I don't want to fight Barnes on this. He is adamant Baker is guilty.'
'But even with his years of experience, he could be wrong,' she consoled him.
He knew she was right, but he didn't want to segregate himself from the team just because what he believed had to be right.
Lily pulled herself up from the sofa and placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder. 'Just do what your heart tells you is the right thing to do,' she said.
Jacob smiled at her. She walked over to the bedroom and shut the door behind her, leaving Jacob sat on the sofa, continuing to watch the news. Lily grabbed her phone from her pocket and looked to see if she had any messages. She had one message from an unknown number and deleted the message as quick as she could, making sure that no one would see it.
She felt a sense of guilt. She loved Jacob but her past had too many secrets she needed to keep buried until the time was right. She always had a feeling deep down that when he found out about her, he would leave her. Lily couldn't live with the thought of that.
She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She turned the shower on. It didn't take much time before the bathroom became steamed up, and became noisy from the sound of the water pouring out from the shower. She began to sob. Her life had gotten more complicated than she had wanted. She'd come from nothing but now had so much to lose.
'Is everything alright in there?' Jacob asked from outside the bathroom.
'Everything's fine,' she quivered.
Jacob removed his shirt and trousers and slipped himself into bed. He was exhausted. He'd had another busy day. He couldn't stop thinking about Alex Baker, spending the night in a cell. Alex can't be the killer, he thought as he lay awake. Removing certain body parts and organs requires training and knowledge. Alex has been intoxicated every time we interviewed him. Even witnesses have told us the same.
Lily walked back into the bedroom and placed herself on the bed. She turned her head over towards Jacob. She could see he was thinking about something and always knew when he was deep in thought. His eyes would be flickering all around the room and his lips would be moving without a word releasing.
'What are you thinking about?' she asked him, breaking his chain of thought.
'Just the case,' he admitted. 'Something is really bothering me. The victims had body parts removed. That needs medical training and a steady hand. Every time we've interviewed Alex, he's been drunk. We've got witnesses agreeing to have seen him intoxicated. He couldn't have been the killer.'
Lily slipped herself between the sheets and lay facing Jacob. 'You are a great detective. I'm sure you will find the killer, but you need rest to do so,' she responded.
She was right. They both leaned in for a kiss goodnight, then Lily reached her hand out towards the side table, turned the lamp off and the room became covered in darkness. Jacob recently became scared of the dark since the odd things he'd seen since the beginning of the case, but he didn't want to explain that to Lily. The darkness now terrified him. Not because it's pitch black, but because he didn't know who was in it.
The room was as dark as a nights sky. It was silent. Lily laid asleep, as quiet as could be. No noise could be heard except a slight breath in and out. Jacob lay awake, still pondering about the case. His phone lit up the room and a buzzing noise echoed against all four walls. Grabbing the phone, he gently sprung out of bed, being careful not to wake his fiancee. He tip-toed out of the bedroom and answered the phone.
'DS Wright,' he informed them.
'Jacob. We have the results on the murder weapon. It has traces of Sophie Mackenzie's and Ella Morgan's DNA,' Barnes informed him. 'He's our guy Jacob. Alex is the killer.'
Chapter 15
Jacob hadn't slept all night. He was feeling drowsy as he drove his car to the station. Jacob drove into the car park and swung his car into an empty space. Barnes arrived at the same time as Jacob and they both got out of their cars and greeted one another.
'Good morning,' Barnes yelled as he caught a glimpse of Jacob.
'Morning,' he yelled out a reply.
'Are you okay? You don't look so well,' Barnes observed.
'I'll be fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night.'
'Is there something bothering you?'
'No,' he lied.
'Okay then. Let's get to work.'
Barnes began to walk into the station with Jacob behind him. As they walked into the CID, they both noticed the place was empty. No sign of Taylor or Edwards. Even Ethan Robinson wasn't perched at his desk.
'Where is everyone?' Barnes questioned.
'I have no idea.'
Barnes strolled to his office, leaving Jacob to walk to his desk. He sat down, but before he could log on to his computer, Barnes returned from his office.
'We have to go,' he told Jacob.
'Why? What's going on?' Jacob asked.
'Iain Thompson has been found dead at his home.'
'Is there signs of foul play?'
'We'll find out when we get there,' said Barnes.
Barnes flicked his coat over his shoulders and placed his arms through while leaving the station. Jacob grabbed his coat and started to jog to catch up to Barnes as he headed to his car. They got inside and began to drive to Iain Thompson's home. Barnes put his emergency police lights on and began to speed down the street. Jacob held on tight to the handle above his head. His hands were sweating. He panicked as Barnes drove faster and faster, terrified Barnes would crash at any moment.
* * *
Iain Thompson's house was surrounded by police cars when they arrived. Police tape had covered the perimeter of Iain's home. Jacob and Barnes noticed their colleagues were already waiting for them as they exited the vehicle and approached the others.
'How bad is it?' Barnes asked DS Taylor.
'Suicide,' she informed him. 'They believe there's no foul play.'
They began to stroll over to the front door of the house. An officer stood guarding the entrance to the property, while the forensic officer, dressed in white, stood in the doorway. He was holding disposable overshoe covers for them to place on their shoes.
'Please don't touch anything,' the forensic officer said. 'Follow me please.'
Jacob followed Barnes who was being led by the forensic officer. They entered the living room, the last place both Jacob and Barnes had seen Iain alive.
'Jacob,' Barnes whispered. 'Do you see what he's wearing?'
Jacob noticed Iain was wearing the exact same clothes he wore the day they had last seen him. 'Do you think he killed himself that day?' Jacob asked.
'Do we have a time of death yet?' Barnes asked the forensic.
'We put it between two and three days.'
Jacob looked around Iain's body. He was sat in the exact same chair. His left wrist had been cut, and blood had poured out everywhere.
'Who found him?' Jacob asked.
'He was found by his friend Ava,' the forensic officer informed them. 'She's outside with your colleagues.'
Jacob left the room in a hurry. His stomach still turned at the sight of death while Barnes strutted out behind him.
'I think we need to ask Ava a few questions,' said Barnes.
They both left the house and walked over to where DS Taylor and DC Edwards were talking to Ava.
'Hello, Ava,' greeted Barnes. 'Sorry for your loss. Can you tell me when was the last time you heard from Iain?'
'I hadn't heard from him in a few days. He tends to call me almost every day, so I decided to call him to make sure he was okay after the news about Sophie but he never answered. That's when I decided to come and see if he was okay. When he never answered the door, I peered through the blinds in his window, which is when...' Her eyes began to tear up as she described what she saw. '...I saw him sat in the chair. There was blood all around him.'
Ava began to cry while Barnes consoled her with a hug. As she returned the hug, her sleeve slightly lifted, revealing to Barnes' eyes, the bottom of a tattoo. A tattoo he and Jacob had seen before. Barnes felt sorry for her. She must have felt completely lost, losing another friend.
'Do you know of any reason Iain would harm himself?'
'He was in love with Sophie. We all knew it and he was never the same since she passed. I just wish all of this would end.'
Jacob had a feeling there was something Ava wasn't telling them. He didn't like Ava very much, nor her friend Mia. It seemed to him that the pair of them were keeping secrets, and holding up their investigation.
'Thank you for your time, Ava,' Barnes thanked her. 'Everything will get better. Just give it time.'
She nodded, knowing he was right. Barnes' phone began to ring. He answered as his team headed back to the road where their cars were parked. Barnes caught up with them as he hung up the phone, and noticed they had all began to stand in a circle waiting for him to arrive.
'We have some visitors at the station,' he announced. 'Ella Morgan's parents have arrived. We need to catch this killer as quick as we can so they can put their daughter to rest, knowing the killer is behind bars.'
* * *
DCI Barnes and Jacob strutted into the CID. Barnes' eyes glued onto Ella Morgan's parents as they sat at DC Ethan Robinson's desk. He made his way over towards the parents.
'Hello. Mr and Mrs Morgan? I'm DCI Joseph Barnes,' he introduced. 'Has DC Robinson offered you a cup of tea or coffee?'
They both shuck their heads. Mr and Mrs Morgan couldn't hold back their tears. Barnes shot a furious glare at Ethan.
Ethan rose from his seat, 'Can I get you a tea or coffee?'
'Two coffee's please,' Mr Morgan spoke while sobbing.
DC Robinson ran off to make the coffee's as DCI Barnes showed the parents to his office where he could ask them some questions. Barnes waved over at Jacob for him to enter the office with them. Sarah Taylor noticed Barnes always insisted that Jacob helped him with the case. Her jealousy was getting the better of her, as her face started to blow up red with anger. Why has he been picking Jacob to help him all the time? she thought to herself.
'It isn't fair. Just because Barnes worked with his father doesn't mean he should be more involved in this case than any one of us,' Sarah decided to air her thoughts at Brian, who was sat at the desk next to hers.
Mr Morgan had light silver hair which had been swept to the side and had quite a muscular build from his daily gym visits. They had a fantastic lifestyle. Mr Morgan was a successful businessman, while Mrs Morgan seemed to be a typical trophy wife who liked her spa days. Her long blonde hair draped down to the middle of her back and her eyes looked similar to a panda's due to her watery eyes. They both sat inside Barnes' office continuing to cry their eyes out.
'I'm sorry to ask you this,' Barnes said, 'but do you know of anyone who would want to harm your daughter?'
Mr Morgan didn't hesitate to give them a name, 'It's that Alex Baker, isn't it?'
'What makes you say that?' Jacob asked.
'You must already know about him. His latest victim was murdered a few days before Ella. You must have already been told about his abusive behaviour in the past,' he informed them. 'He had been seeing Ella before Sophie. The reason she left Birmingham was because of him and the abusive behaviour. This was the first time she came back since and look where that got her.'
They both began to cry again. Jacob placed his hand upon Mr Morgan's shoulder. He placed it there like he remembered seeing Barnes doing the same with Mr Mackenzie. Ethan knocked on the door and entered holding two cups of coffee. He handed them to Mr and Mrs Morgan and left Barnes' office, shutting the door behind him.
'I believe you have brought us a photo of Ella to help with our investigation?' Barnes asked the parents.
Mrs Morgan removed a photo of their daughter from her handbag. She looked at it for a moment before handing it over to Barnes. She missed her little girl so much. She was so loving and caring, and now she had been taken. Her hand held the photo so tight, tears rolling down her cheeks. She held the photo out towards Jacob. He reached out his hand and took the photo from her. He stared at the photo for a while. Ella had an undeniable beauty, just like Sophie Mackenzie.
'We have a suspect in custody already,' Barnes informed them. 'I believe we have the right person due to the evidence.'
Mr and Mrs Morgan looked at each other. They didn't know what to say.
'You've caught our daughters killer already?' Mrs Morgan shouted.
'Is it him? Is it Alex Baker?' Mr Morgan also shouted.
'We can't give you any information at this time due to it still being an open investigation, but we will inform you of the details as soon as we can,' Barnes informed the Morgan's.
