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Briggs opened the door and entered the room, breaking Gardener’s train of thought. He threw a folder down on the table and immediately launched into the meeting. “Right. Let’s recap on what we already know. I’ll go first. I’ve had a lengthy meeting with Janine Harper’s mother, and the Commissioner. Neither one is pleased about what’s happened, but we have discovered that Jack Harper was her father. The same Jack Harper that served on the watch committee with Leonard White and Harry Fletcher.”
Briggs paused. “Which leaves us with one link. Your father, Stewart. So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to have a word with him. While you might know him better than I do, I’m concerned about your involvement becoming personal.”
“It isn’t personal,” replied Gardener.
“Maybe not,” said Briggs. “But I warn you, Stewart, if the killer finds Harry Fletcher before we do, then you know as well as I do where this is going. What we need to know is why. Perhaps the only people who can tell us are your father, or Harry Fletcher.”
Gardener took over, glancing at Dave Rawson. “You spoke to Val White, Dave. Did she give you a list of her late husband’s films? Does she have an alibi for the night Janine was murdered?”
“Yes on both accounts. The list of White’s films is pretty long, and I’ve used a couple of the support officers to try and track them down, or at least people who knew White, to see if we can find any further connection.”
“Okay, and what about Val White?”
“She’d been to his funeral that day, and was at a bereavement held in his honour on the night time.”
“So, that rules her out. What about Janine’s boyfriend?” Gardener asked. “Did anyone speak to him about his movements?”
Thornton raised his hand. “I did, sir – with Anderson. Apparently, they’d had a row and he hadn’t seen or heard from her.”
“What was the row about?”
“He said it was personal,” replied Anderson.
“How personal?”
Anderson shifted about uncomfortably. “It was something to do with sex. I don’t particularly want to go any further.”
“I don’t want you to, either,” replied Gardener. “Okay, so they had a row. When was that, exactly?”
“About a week before,” said Thornton.
“And they never saw each other after?”
“No. He wanted to give her some time to cool off. That and the fact that he wasn’t sure whether or not he actually wanted to see her again.”
“Anyt
hing strike you about his nature that may lead you to think he had homicidal tendencies?” asked Gardener.
“No,” replied Anderson. “If he has, his sexual tendencies are outweighing them at the moment.”
“He was out shagging another bird that night,” said Thornton.
“And she’s confirmed, I suppose,” said Gardener.
“Oh, definitely. Three times, apparently.”
“Which rules him out and leaves us where?” asked Briggs. “I’ll tell you where, back to square one. Two murders, no witnesses, no killer, no clues.”
“Steve?” said Gardener. “Any luck with forensics? Any prints from anywhere?”
“Not yet.”
“Any results from the ESLA?”
“We haven’t done everyone, but so far we have no foot or shoe prints on there that we can’t identify.”
“In that case, check this out.” Gardener produced a polythene bag containing the paper with the quotations, which only he and Corndell had handled.
