Dorsey…” The image of his body flashed up in Kate’s mind’s eye and her voice faltered for a moment. “That was savage. That was anger .”
Chapter Seven
Kate had had a clear picture of the cleaner in her head, especially after she learned her name was Mary Smith. Middle-aged, working class, overweight and homely – Kate chastised herself for the stereotype, but somehow, the mental picture persisted. It was something of a shock to find that Mary Smith was in her very early twenties, blonde, slim and with an impeccable accent. She was dressed casually, in a pink T-shirt and tight blue jeans, with her long hair pulled back into a low pony tail. Her good looks were apparent at a second glance, but at first sight were subsumed beneath the utter shock and terror distorting her face. Mary’s pink T-shirt had a jarring pattern of red dots and jagged stripes, which Kate realised, after a moment, were blood stains.
The officers sat down. The WPC, Mandy – Kate knew her very vaguely – kept a comforting hand on Mary’s trembling shoulder and handed her another mug of tea. Enough sugar in it to make the spoon stand up straight, Kate had no doubt. She had a sudden vivid flash of her grandmother saying exactly that, as an eight-year-old Kate handed her an afternoon cuppa. What was Nana’s other tea-related phrase? Strong enough to trot a mouse on. Kate blinked and dismissed the memory, bringing herself back to the present and the interview at hand.
“Now, Miss Smith,” began Anderton. “I’d like to thank you for talking to us. I appreciate what a dreadful shock this must all have been.”
Mary Smith said nothing but her shuddering increased. A little tea splashed over the edge of the mug clamped in her hands. Mandy bent over and gently removed it, keeping her hand on Mary’s shoulder.
“I’d just like to hear what happened when you arrived at the house,” said Anderton. “Can you take us through what happened?”
Mary Smith had been holding herself rigid. At Anderton’s gentle request, she gave a small nod and winced, as if that tiny movement hurt her. “It all looked totally normal from the outside,” she said after a moment, in a tone so low she was almost whispering.
“You have a key?” Anderton asked, after it became clear that she wasn’t going to say any more.
Mary swallowed and made a visible effort to pull herself together. “Yes, I’ve got keys to the front door and the alarm codes. I got here – I think it was about ten thirty, normal time. It all looked so normal.”
“And then what happened?” Anderton prompted.
Mary swallowed again. “I unlocked the front door—”
“Wait,” Olbeck interrupted. “The front door was locked?”
Mary nodded. “That’s why I didn’t realise – I didn’t think anything was wrong… it would normally be locked.”
“Right. Sorry – go on.”
Mary pinched either side of her nose, shutting her eyes momentarily. “I unlocked the door and went into the hallway and I saw – I saw Darryl—”
She drew in her breath in a great sobbing gasp. For a moment, Kate was sure she would collapse again , but after a moment she went on, her voice shaking.
“The lights were off and it was dark – it’s always quite dark in there , as there aren’t any outside windows, so I put on the light and – Darryl was there, dead , in all that blood… I thought – I thought I was dreaming for a moment. It was like… like something from a nightmare. I stepped in the blood, I didn’t even realise I had – I was frozen for a moment—”
Her voice failed and she drew in another whooping breath. Mandy patted her arm encouragingly.
“Go on, Miss Smith,” said Anderton.
“I ran towards him, I – I could see he was dead, logically I could see he was dead , but I couldn’t help it – I was going to feel his pulse but then I saw the cut in his neck and I couldn’t touch him—” She looked pleadingly at the officers, as if they would take her to task
Chapter Seven
Kate had had a clear picture of the cleaner in her head, especially after she learned her name was Mary Smith. Middle-aged, working class, overweight and homely – Kate chastised herself for the stereotype, but somehow, the mental picture persisted. It was something of a shock to find that Mary Smith was in her very early twenties, blonde, slim and with an impeccable accent. She was dressed casually, in a pink T-shirt and tight blue jeans, with her long hair pulled back into a low pony tail. Her good looks were apparent at a second glance, but at first sight were subsumed beneath the utter shock and terror distorting her face. Mary’s pink T-shirt had a jarring pattern of red dots and jagged stripes, which Kate realised, after a moment, were blood stains.
The officers sat down. The WPC, Mandy – Kate knew her very vaguely – kept a comforting hand on Mary’s trembling shoulder and handed her another mug of tea. Enough sugar in it to make the spoon stand up straight, Kate had no doubt. She had a sudden vivid flash of her grandmother saying exactly that, as an eight-year-old Kate handed her an afternoon cuppa. What was Nana’s other tea-related phrase? Strong enough to trot a mouse on. Kate blinked and dismissed the memory, bringing herself back to the present and the interview at hand.
“Now, Miss Smith,” began Anderton. “I’d like to thank you for talking to us. I appreciate what a dreadful shock this must all have been.”
Mary Smith said nothing but her shuddering increased. A little tea splashed over the edge of the mug clamped in her hands. Mandy bent over and gently removed it, keeping her hand on Mary’s shoulder.
“I’d just like to hear what happened when you arrived at the house,” said Anderton. “Can you take us through what happened?”
Mary Smith had been holding herself rigid. At Anderton’s gentle request, she gave a small nod and winced, as if that tiny movement hurt her. “It all looked totally normal from the outside,” she said after a moment, in a tone so low she was almost whispering.
“You have a key?” Anderton asked, after it became clear that she wasn’t going to say any more.
Mary swallowed and made a visible effort to pull herself together. “Yes, I’ve got keys to the front door and the alarm codes. I got here – I think it was about ten thirty, normal time. It all looked so normal.”
“And then what happened?” Anderton prompted.
Mary swallowed again. “I unlocked the front door—”
“Wait,” Olbeck interrupted. “The front door was locked?”
Mary nodded. “That’s why I didn’t realise – I didn’t think anything was wrong… it would normally be locked.”
“Right. Sorry – go on.”
Mary pinched either side of her nose, shutting her eyes momentarily. “I unlocked the door and went into the hallway and I saw – I saw Darryl—”
She drew in her breath in a great sobbing gasp. For a moment, Kate was sure she would collapse again , but after a moment she went on, her voice shaking.
“The lights were off and it was dark – it’s always quite dark in there , as there aren’t any outside windows, so I put on the light and – Darryl was there, dead , in all that blood… I thought – I thought I was dreaming for a moment. It was like… like something from a nightmare. I stepped in the blood, I didn’t even realise I had – I was frozen for a moment—”
Her voice failed and she drew in another whooping breath. Mandy patted her arm encouragingly.
“Go on, Miss Smith,” said Anderton.
“I ran towards him, I – I could see he was dead, logically I could see he was dead , but I couldn’t help it – I was going to feel his pulse but then I saw the cut in his neck and I couldn’t touch him—” She looked pleadingly at the officers, as if they would take her to task
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