“Will do, ma’am. Another ten feet?”
“If not more. Can’t stand all this attention, it’s not helping the fiancée much either.”
“Leave it with me.”
Charlie came towards her.
“Anything?” Katy asked.
“One man at the back said he saw four men travelling in the Aston Martin as it left the area. He’d been out walking the dog, was shocked to see the doctor lying on the ground.”
“Did he bother to ring the police?”
“Nope, he told me someone had beaten him to it.”
“Fair enough. Patti is almost done here. The fiancée is going back to her sister’s house. Get uniform to continue the house-to-house, and we’re out of here. I’ve just heard from Graham. He and Steve are on their way to the station with the two women. I’m keen to get them questioned.”
“Give me five minutes to do the necessary and I’ll be with you.” Charlie trotted away again, a young recruit on a mission.
It had been a whirlwind of a day so far. Katy had the start of a headache pounding at her temples. “I hate taking them but I’m going to have to shove a couple of paracetamols down my throat to get me through these two interviews.”
“Sorry to hear it. I have some on my desk if you want some.”
“I’m fine, I’ve got a supply in my drawer, next to a half bottle of brandy. I’m going to have to dig deep to resist the temptation to swill them down with it.”
Charlie chuckled. “What do you want me to do?”
“While I dose myself up, can you ensure both women are comfortable? Make sure they’ve got a drink to hand and are aware of their right to have a solicitor present.”
“Will do.”
Katy trudged upstairs, each step booming through her body, her head feeling like a herd of elephants were playing football inside her skull. Shit! Just what I need.
After downing a couple of tablets and checking in with the rest of the team while she sipped a glass of water, Katy returned downstairs to face the first interviewee. Thankfully, by the time she reached Interview Room One, the pain had decreased significantly to a dull throb.
She entered the room to find a young woman in a brightly coloured tracksuit. Her blonde hair had bright-red streaks and was tied back in a ponytail. She glared at Katy and blew a bubble on the gum she was chewing.
Great, the epitome of a chav. Oh, what joy I have ahead of me.
Charlie introduced the woman as Alison Temple and her solicitor sitting alongside her as Miss Warren.
“Delighted to meet you both,” Katy said, her tone light, hoping to get the interview off on the right note. The solicitor opened her mouth to speak but halted when Katy raised a finger, instructing her to wait. “DC Simpkins, will you do the honours for the recording? Thanks.”
Charlie reeled off who was present in the room, and then Katy motioned for the solicitor to go ahead with what she was about to say.
“I’d like to know the purpose of this interview with my client, Inspector?”
“It’s just a general enquiry, Miss Warren. Shall we press on?”
“If you insist.” Miss Warren removed her pen from the slot in her clipboard and prepared to take notes, ignoring the glare her client was giving her.
Katy resisted the urge to chuckle at the indignation she spotted in Temple’s expression.
“Miss Temple, perhaps we’ll start with you telling us how you know Ray Thatcham.”
Temple’s face screwed up, and the intensity of her chewing increased. “Who?”
“Ray Thatcham,” Katy repeated. “Come now, the name must mean something to you.”
“Nah, never ’eard of him.”
Katy frowned and scratched her chin. “How strange.” She opened the manila folder she’d brought along with her and removed a copy of the bank statement Karen had highlighted for her. “Tell me, are those your account details?”
“How the hell should I know?”
Katy’s blood boiled. “You don’t know?”
“No,” she bit back, the word laced with sarcasm.
“Odd. Do you mind checking for me?”
“How?”
“Is that your handbag beside you? Perhaps you have your cheque book inside.”
“Nope, guess again. What’s one of them anyway? I do all my banking online.” Her gaze dropped to the floor, as if she’d opened her mouth and regretted the words which had freely tumbled from it.
“In that case, do you mind getting out your phone and opening up your bank app?”
“Can she do this?” Alison was quick to ask her solicitor.
“Give her what she wants. The sooner you do that the quicker we can get out of here.”
She leaned down, swooped her medium-sized bag onto her lap and dug around inside the cavity to retrieve her mobile. “Do I have to?” she asked for clarification a second time.
Katy shrugged. “In all honesty, no, you don’t have to, however, if you don’t then I will have no alternative but to take a dim view of the situation and think you have something to hide.”
“I ain’t, I’m telling you.”
“Open up the app,” Miss Warren advised sternly.
Alison grunted and punched in her password. There was a brief delay while the information came through, and then she dropped her phone on the desk as if it had burned her fingers. “What the fuck? How did that get in there? Whoa…wait a minute, is someone setting me up? Who is this man you’re talking about? I swear, I’ve never heard the name before. Shit! What the hell…?”
“Okay, let’s take things slowly here. Are you telling me you had no idea those funds were in your account?”
“No, you have to believe me. It’s a shock to see that amount sitting there.”
“When was the last time you checked your account?” Katy asked.
“Last week sometime. Fuck, what does this mean? You haven’t answered my question, who is this man?”
“Ray Thatcham lost his life three days ago.”
“What? And you think I have something to do with it, is that it?” She pushed her chair back, tipping it over as she stood and slammed her clenched
