Читать книгу Tick Tock: The gripping new crime thriller from the million copy bestseller - Mel Sherratt - Страница 12

After talking to Perry about what to say to the Piggott sisters, Grace rejoined Nick and they left the school. She then spent an uncomfortable few minutes speaking to Lauren Ansell’s father on the phone.

‘That wasn’t nice,’ she said after disconnecting the call. ‘The local police had already informed him. I could hear him crying, taking deep breaths to calm himself.’

‘What did he say?’

‘He passed the phone to a police sergeant. A Mick Attwood – he told me Mr Ansell was in a meeting at the time of the attack and for most of the morning, too. So we can rule him out; although living so far away, he’d hardly be a suspect anyway. What a way to learn your only child’s been murdered.’

‘I’m glad Nathan Stiller’s phone call to our victim’s mother went through to her voicemail,’ Grace added as they travelled along the D road towards Newcastle. ‘I hate the thought of an accident happening as relatives rush to wherever they need to be in a state of disbelief. I’ve seen it too many times, and I get that they’re questioning what they’ve been told because they want it to be untrue, but even so.’

‘I’ll need to get ready for the press conference,’ Nick said. ‘I’ll be giving a statement at four p.m. to camera. I’m not sure whether to do it outside the school gates or up in the quiet of the lane.’

‘I think you know the answer to that one.’ Grace knew that press wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the lane, even if the field was a good five-minute walk from the general public. ‘Although for the viewing figures, they’ll want the cameras accessing as much as they can. Funny how they say that’s so the general public might be of more use, spot more, give us a lead. It’s always for their advantage, really.’

‘I hope some of them don’t try to go in to the field via the other entrance.’

‘All covered,’ Grace told him. ‘The search team are there, too. No one will get through. It does seem a bit audacious, though.’

‘Go on.’ Nick kept his eyes on the road.

‘Well, most murders are associated with dark alleys late at night. There’s something sinister about how out in the open this one is. It was bold, daring, and it had to be quick with so many chances of being caught.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Meaning we may not have a lot to go on unless anyone saw it happen. Which is both likely given the crime took place in broad daylight, but unlikely given how big the space is.’

Nick nodded his reply.

Twenty minutes later, he drew into the tiny car park at the front of a row of new-build offices. Mintons Solicitors was in the second shop from the right, alongside a hairdresser’s, a sandwich bar and several vacant spaces.

‘I hope she hasn’t had time to answer her calls yet,’ Grace said as they walked into an airy reception room and across to a desk with two women behind it. ‘Even though I dislike doing this, it’s much better for the family.’

The receptionist made a phone call and less than a minute later, a woman came out of a side door. Grace and Nick glanced at each other surreptitiously. She had the same looks and build as their victim.

It was clear from the laughter following her that she didn’t know what had happened. The smile dropped from her face as Nick held up his warrant card. Grace followed suit.

‘Mrs Emma Gillespie? I’m DI Carter and this is DS Allendale. May we speak to you for a moment, somewhere in private?’

‘Something’s happened, hasn’t it?’ Emma’s hand clutched her chest at the same time as she moved aside for them to pass. ‘Is it Alan? Lauren? Are they okay?’

She opened the door to a vacant side office and they all went inside. Grace steered her towards a chair, pointedly looking at it until Emma sat down.

‘Is this your daughter, Lauren?’ Nick showed Mrs Gillespie a photo that had been printed off from the school computer.

‘Yes.’ Worried blue eyes flicked from one to the other.

Grace pulled a chair over and took Mrs Gillespie’s hands in her own as Nick began to speak.

‘I’m afraid we have some very bad news,’ he started. ‘This morning, the body of a young girl was found on a field near to Dunwood Academy. We have reason to believe that person is Lauren. I’m so sorry to tell you that she’s been killed.’

‘Lauren?’ Emma shook her head. ‘No, she’s at school. I dropped her there myself this morning.’ She looked at Nick for confirmation. ‘There must be a mistake. It can’t be her.’

‘I know there’s a lot to take in, Mrs Gillespie. We’ll ask you to make a formal identification of the body, later this evening or tomorrow, if you’re able.’

‘No, this can’t be right.’ Emma shook her head in denial. ‘What happened to her?’

‘We’re treating Lauren’s death as suspicious,’ Nick said. ‘We believe the injuries she’d sustained were caused by someone else.’

‘What do you mean?’

Grace watched as the first few tears began to trickle down Mrs Gillespie’s face, the news finally beginning to sink in. When she turned towards Grace, willing her to say that Nick had got it all wrong, it almost broke Grace’s heart.

Emma crumpled and began wailing loudly. ‘Where is she?’ she managed between gasps.

‘She’s still at the crime scene. We have officers—’

‘The field!’ Emma’s voice grew hard. ‘You’ve left my daughter lying dead in a field!’

Grace could see she needed someone to blame, but Nick explained what he could of the situation amid her gasps of disbelief.

‘I dropped her off at school! She should have been safe.’ Emma stood up. ‘I want to see her.’

‘You can.’ Nick nodded. ‘Once she’s away from the crime scene.’

‘No, I want to see her now.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Nick’s tone was insistent.

Emma gasped. ‘Please tell me she wasn’t raped.’

‘We don’t think so.’ As she began to cry again, Nick continued, ‘Is there anyone we can call for you? You mentioned Alan.’

‘He’s my husband. Lauren’s father Richard needs to know, too. We’re divorced.’ She looked at Grace.

‘We informed him on our way to see you,’ she said. ‘We’re here to do as much as we can. Later, there will be a family liaison officer to help.’

Emma gave another loud sob. ‘Please. It can’t be her,’ she cried. ‘Not my Lauren.’

As Grace left the room to inform Mrs Gillespie’s colleagues that she’d be leaving with them, she wondered how she would have coped if it were her daughter. Lauren was an only child. It meant their family had been wiped out in one hit. It was beyond cruel. But then when had a murderer ever been bothered with that?

As she explained what had happened to the receptionist, watching her go to pieces too, Grace realised that keeping this under wraps was going to be hard. There were already so many people who knew what had happened. But even if there had been no official identification, everyone knew they had the right person.

Lauren Ansell had been strangled and Grace was going to find out who had done it.