“I’m sorry.” His tone was feeble, bordering on pathetic.
“What has got into you?” She saw her words cut him deeply. He looked ready to cry again.
“She’s dead, Jane. Holly’s dead.”
“And what makes her any more special than all of those who came before? Nothing!” When he was struggling like this, she would usually choose her words carefully but now, after the events of the past few weeks, she couldn’t muster the energy to spare his feelings any further. His head dropped and tears welled. Turning on her heel, she stalked back towards the house “Get a grip and sort yourself out, Ken. You can’t leave it all to me this time!”
Chapter Fifteen
Janssen acknowledged Tamara as she came out of the house. Catching sight of Jane Francis standing at the window, he read her expression. Whatever the nature of their exchange, Tamara certainly made an impression. Hopefully, Jane was more forthcoming than her husband. Ken was withholding. That much was obvious to him but where it would lead, he didn’t know. The look on the DCI’s face indicated he’d missed something between them and he was keen to know what. His phone rang and he answered it. It was James Collins, the pathologist in Norwich. He was a man approaching retirement and his voice carried like a narrator in the old black and white news reels.
“I have something for you.” No real greeting. He was always direct. “I’m sorry to call you with partial information, Tom, but I thought you would want to know. The cause of death was certainly a result of manual strangulation. Another thing, the primary reason I’m calling, really, your victim was pregnant. Latter stages of the first trimester, if I’m correct although, it’s challenging to be accurate. Perhaps eight to ten weeks.”
“Are you sure?” Janssen turned and made his way back to the car. Unlocking it, Tamara got into the passenger seat. She glanced at him, interested. He closed the door and put the call onto speaker, indicating to her that it was important. “I’m not doubting you, James, obviously. I couldn’t tell, though.”
“Well, she’s a slight little thing to be fair.”
“Would she have known?” His knowledge of pregnancy was limited. If she knew, that could certainly motivate a change in her behaviour. Tamara’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, without a doubt. She will have been susceptible to morning sickness and wouldn’t have been ovulating. I would be amazed if a girl of her age was unaware. Anyway, I’ll let you get on. I’ll be in touch with my full report tomorrow. Perhaps then, you can let me know how you’re getting on with your new DCI. Rumour has it she’s a bit of a ball-breaker!”
“We’re getting on just fine!” Tamara spoke up, loud and clear. Silence followed. Janssen looked across. Her face was set and he found it hard to judge whether she was offended and if so, how deeply it ran. Internally, he was grinning.
“Splendid… splendid. I’ll speak with you… both, tomorrow.”
The call ended. Janssen thought best to ignore the comment and was relieved when she didn’t raise it either. Starting the car, he looked around them to make sure they were clear and set off. The call from the pathologist was something of a bombshell. The added dimension of a pregnancy brought all manner of different motivations for the murder into play. Looking across at Tamara once again while he drove, she appeared preoccupied. Most likely working through her own thoughts on the case. Usually, it was him who suffered from being overtly introspective. A habit that often irritated his colleagues. She must be similar. Either that or she was able to switch off from a case and drift away with thoughts to better things. He doubted that was the case. She wasn’t an acting DCI for nothing.
“So, who’s the father?” Her question followed the prolonged period of silence, confirming his thoughts. In truth, he hadn’t stopped churning over the possibilities in his mind since the moment they left the Francis residence.
“Mark’s the obvious candidate.” Even he found the suggestion unconvincing. Tamara nodded. He saw it in the corner of his eye, at the same time recognising her lack of belief in the theory.
“He came across as…” She seemed to struggle to find the right word. “Young?” Janssen could agree. Mark McCall appeared excited at the mere prospect of Holly spending time with him. Was that because they had sexual relations? It was possible.
“Their relationship strikes me as complicated,” he said, negotiating a T-junction and pulling out behind a passing van. “But, as to whether that’s complicated by a physical relationship, I’m not so sure.”
“They wouldn’t be the first kids to get themselves into trouble.” Her tone was regretful, sympathetic. Janssen found himself wondering if she was referring to personal experience or that of the job but he didn’t ask. “Her father’s a GP, isn’t he?”
“The mother is too. They are the senior partners in a local practice,” he confirmed. “You’d think one of them may have spotted the signs.”
“Unless she was adept at hiding stuff from her parents. Teenage girls are good at that!” On this occasion, he was certain she spoke from experience. They would need to speak to Colin and Marie Bettany, as well as revisit Mark and Holly’s friends. The pregnancy may well turn out to be unrelated to her murder but at the same time, if it was a secret, then it could equally be a contributory factor. In the absence of any other major event in her life, if she confided in anyone about the baby, her chosen course of action could be enough to lead them to her killer
