“Jennifer changed her name to Maddy Mills as soon as she reached Chippenham,” said Luke. “Maddy told the truth when she said she kept her whereabouts from her family. They did not know where she was living. Mary Forsyth took no part in the murder. She was happy to give evidence against her husband. Dave had made her life hell for years.”
“Mary Forsyth told them everything she knew to save herself from prison,” said Neil. “She didn’t know Jennifer lured Ellison to his death on her father’s orders. However, she realised what must have happened when Jennifer left home, Darren moved out, and Dave and Darren referred to the burial site in a drunken conversation during a family night in a pub.”
“Mary Forsyth was an accessory after the fact,” said Gus. “A person who knows something that might help secure an arrest for a serious offence must disclose that information.”
“Clemence and his detectives, together with the forensic people, worked on the evidence from the burial site on Thursday and Friday morning,” said Luke. “The coroner’s report showed that the body was that of a male, aged between eighteen and twenty-four. The cause of death was because of a single blow to the back of the skull.”
“The police had searched for DNA, dental records, any item known to have belonged to Kyle without luck,” said Neil. “So, proving that the body was Ellison would be impossible without fresh evidence or a confession.”
“Darren was the first to crack,” said Luke. “The social media accounts he set up in Kyle Ellison’s name sunk him in the end. They have their version of the Hub at Trafalgar House, and the computer whiz kids soon unearthed the dummy email accounts, usernames, and passwords Darren had set up on his laptop. He changed passwords regularly, as the experts suggest you should, but he kept a note of every single item in a cardboard box. As Blessing discovered, Darren posted bits and pieces to fool people into thinking the accounts were active.”
“It worked, too,” said Blessing.
“Did he confess to the murder?” asked Gus.
“Not at first,” said Neil. “When we arrived at our B&B on Thursday night, Luke and I thought things were slipping away from us, but on Friday morning, something from the Digley Reservoir site turned up trumps.”
“Darren must have got splashed with Kyle’s blood when he struck him with the tyre lever,” said Luke. “The forensic team found a bandana lying under the remains. There was nothing to prove that the bloodstains on it were Kyle Ellison’s, but they found traces of a second person’s DNA.”
“Darren Forsyth’s?” asked Gus. “Did he wipe the blood from his clothes and face?”
“Yes, guv,” said Luke.
“As soon as he saw the evidence bag with the bandana inside, Darren sang like a canary, guv,” said Neil.
“Blaming everything on his father, no doubt,” said Gus.
“He made me do it. His very words, guv,” said Luke.
“What a mess, guv,” said Blessing.
“A tragic mess, Blessing,” said Gus. “Suzie accompanied Geoff Mercer to Redwing Avenue in Chippenham last Thursday evening to arrest Madeleine Telfer. Suzie told me the confusion on young Oliver's and Emily's faces as their mother left the house in handcuffs will live with her forever. Chris Telfer did not know what secrets his wife had kept buried for so long. He looked broken.”
“Can you ask the ACC for something less gruelling later, guv,” said Lydia.
“The Duncan case was a puzzle wrapped in an enigma,” said Gus. “Churchill said that about Russia, didn’t he? Perhaps it’s no surprise that the man who led us to uncover Alan and Maddy’s deepest secrets was Russian.”
“When did you two get back from Yorkshire?” asked Alex.
“We stayed until DI Clemence spoke with Dave Forsyth,” said Neil. “Jennifer’s father’s supply of no comments ran out. There was a fair bit of swearing, but he realised the game was up. Clemence informed Forsyth as he left the interview room that his daughter was on her way to Bradford from Chippenham. All three would get charged in due course.”
“I got home to Warminster at around eight o’clock,” said Luke. “Nicky was livid.”
“Squash court booked?” asked Lydia.
“No, souffle ruined,” said Luke.
“Ouch,” said Lydia. “Not a brilliant start to the weekend.”
Gus was itching to leave for London Road.
“Has everyone updated their files?” he asked.
Each team member replied in the affirmative.
Gus flicked through the folder on his desk.
“Right, I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Try not to miss me.”
With that, Gus was in the lift and heading for the car park.
“Right, Luke,” said Lydia, “spill the beans.”
“We had a row,” said Luke. “Not our first by any stretch of the imagination, but our latest cases have meant me working overtime and at weekends. Nicky works too, of course, but sticks to what he calls normal hours. I had promised we’d have a full uninterrupted weekend for a change. The way the Duncan case played out in different parts of the country altered that. I could do nothing, but Nicky thought it was symptomatic of my attitude to our relationship. I asked him to marry me six weeks ago, and we bought rings. We debated whether to honeymoon in the Caribbean or the Maldives. What had we done since?”
“You decorated part of the house when Gus gave you time off for good behaviour,” said Alex.
“I don’t think Nicky considered that as a step towards us tying the knot,” said Luke. “We were in a DIY store when I proposed. The refurbishments we planned were the catalyst. I suddenly realised that if we were shopping in B&Q, we were getting like our parents, conforming to type. Therefore, we should
