A Tapping at My Door: A Gripping Serial Killer Thriller (The DS Nathan Cody Series) (9 page)

‘Sure,’ says Garnett, and the way he delivers it makes it sound almost like ‘whatever’. He could say it’s not a problem, or that it’s the least he can do, but instead he chooses to express his disgruntlement.

Cody exchanges glances with Webley. Her slight rolling of her eyes tells him he’s not the only one to have picked up on the attitude problem.

They take their own seats at the table, opposite Garnett. And while their posture is upright and respectful, Garnett is practically slouching. He looks about ready to put his feet up on the table and crack open a beer.

Earlier, Blunt had offered to conduct the interview, suggesting that the presence of somebody more senior might help to head off any antagonism. Cody assured her there would be no antagonism on his part. Now he’s not so certain. Garnett hasn’t opened his mouth yet, and already Cody wants to close it permanently.

‘This must have come as quite a shock,’ he says.

This causes Garnett to sit up a little, as though he needed a gentle reminder of what this is all about, and how he might be expected to react.

‘Of course it did. She used to be my partner. We got close, as partners do. When they go suddenly and unexpectedly like that, it hurts.’

‘Did you see much of Terri before her death?’

‘No. Hardly ever since we were reassigned. And maybe if we hadn’t been reassigned, I wouldn’t be here now.’

‘How do you figure that one out?’

‘It sent the wrong signals. We did nothing to be ashamed of. And it’s not just me saying it; the inquest said it too. They didn’t have to split us up, but they did it anyway. That made it look like we were guilty of something. And that’s why you’ve dragged me in here before Terri’s body is even cold.’

‘Is that what you think we’re doing here? You think we’re accusing you of something?’

‘Not in so many words, but I know what’s going through your minds. I haven’t worked with Terri for ages, but strangely enough I’m still the first one you pull in for questioning. Tell me, how many of her current team have you spoken to?’

‘Webley and I aren’t the only ones on this case. We’re talking to everyone we can think of, and that includes her most recent colleagues.’

‘Yeah, right.’

Cody wants to snap at Garnett, but he knows it won’t help the situation. He bites his tongue. Waits for a few seconds before opening his mouth again. But Webley beats him to it.

‘Listen, Paul,’ she says. Cody notices her use of Garnett’s first name. An attempt to tell him that they are all in this together. ‘You’re right. The Vernon case is on our minds, and there’s no point in denying it. But there’s no point making it the elephant in the room either. It needs discussing. We’re not supposed to reveal details of how Terri was found, but I know how these things work. My guess is that you’ve already heard some of it. Am I right?’

Garnett looks at her again, but this time the burning has gone from his eyes. Webley has pulled the thorn from the bear’s paw.

‘I’ve heard rumours. If they’re true, someone did quite a job on her.’

Webley nods slowly. ‘They did. It wasn’t pretty. I didn’t know Terri half as well as you did, but it got to me. God knows what it’s doing to you. What I’m trying to say is that I understand how upset you are, and why you might feel we’re having a go at you. But we’re not, Paul. I swear. The Vernon case is over and done with. We’re not accusing you of anything here. All we’re trying to do is find out who killed Terri. And if there’s anything you can tell us, any direction you can point us in, then we’d really appreciate it.’

Nice, thinks Cody. Certainly a lot more diplomatic than I was about to be.

The approach seems to reach Garnett. He sits up properly now, losing his slouch.

‘Terri Latham was one of the best police officers on the force,’ he says. ‘She stood up for me when others turned the other way. She stuck to the truth when others were trying to put words in her mouth. She did the right thing. She always did the right thing. I’ve made mistakes in my career, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Sometimes I could get a bit heavy-handed or a bit mouthy. But Terri knew me for what I am, and she treated me right. I did not do anything wrong on the night Kevin Vernon died. Terri knew that, because she was there and she saw what happened, and she told it like it was. Of course, there are some who think she lied through her teeth. Do I think someone would murder her because of that? No.’

Says Cody, ‘Do you still get flak about the Vernon case?’

‘Not from those who know me.’

‘What about those who don’t? Any threats we should know about?’

‘Not so much now. At the start, yes. It got so bad I had to move house. Terri did too. Some people always want to believe the worst, especially of coppers.’

‘But nothing recent?’

‘No.’

‘Okay. Because what I’m thinking is that if somebody did kill Terri because of what happened to Kevin Vernon, then they might want to go after you too.’

Garnett shakes his head. ‘I don’t buy it.’

‘You don’t?’

‘No. It was a long time ago. People have had time to calm down. It’s not an issue anymore, even though you seem determined to make it one.’

‘It would be wrong of us to overlook the possibility, Paul. You could be in danger.’

Garnett’s laugh is mocking. ‘Now you’re getting ridiculous. What are you planning to do, give me my own personal bodyguard? Besides, you’re wrong. Be honest, was there anything about Terri’s death that suggested a link with the Vernon case?’

‘We can’t reveal—’

‘There isn’t, is there? You’re jumping to conclusions because you’ve nothing else to go on. Whoever killed Terri has probably never even heard of the Vernons. We weren’t Siamese twins, you know. Terri had her own personal life, and presumably her own skeletons in her closet. There was more to her than the Vernon story. More to me, too, but you don’t seem very interested to hear that.’

He’s right, thinks Cody. We’ve zoomed in on one particular aspect of Terri Latham’s life, because it’s the one that’s most public. Could be, though, that the reason for her murder is totally unrelated.

‘Okay,’ he says. ‘But if there were specific threats that you remember – no matter how long ago you received them – it would be useful for us to know about them. Would you mind making a list for us?’

Garnett leans back in his chair. ‘I can do that. Are we finished here?’

Cody thinks they probably are. He looks to Webley, expecting her to nod in confirmation. It surprises him when he finds her still staring intently at Garnett.

‘Paul,’ she says. ‘One other thing, if you don’t mind. Just to get everything clear while we’ve got the chance.’

Garnett locks eyes with her. ‘Go on.’

‘You mentioned earlier that you hardly saw Terri after you were reassigned.’

‘Yep. That’s what I said.’

‘Do you remember what the last occasion was?’

Garnett runs his tongue over his teeth before replying, as if pre-sifting his answer for potential pitfalls.

‘It was a retirement party, at a house.’

‘When was this?’

‘A while ago. About six weeks or so, I think.’

‘You went with her?’

‘No, no. I just bumped into her there. I didn’t even know she was going.’

‘Did you speak to her?’

‘Not really. A little.’

‘What about?’

‘Is it important?’

‘I don’t know, Paul. Might be.’

‘I don’t remember. It was just chat. Hello, how are you – that type of thing. Trivial stuff.’

‘Uh-huh. How come?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, this is a woman you once worked with quite closely. This is the woman who backed you up all the way on the Vernon thing. How come all you could find to talk about was the weather? What’s wrong with a proper catch-up after all that time apart?’

His gaze becomes a stony glare now, as if to let her know he regards her question as beneath contempt.

‘Nothing was
wrong
with it. It just wasn’t that kind of night. She was with her mates, I was with mine. We just didn’t get to spend much time together.’

‘Are you sure about that?’

Cody glances at Webley. She keeps her eyes glued on Garnett, and Cody realises that she knows something.

‘What do you mean, am I sure about it?’

Classic deflection technique, thinks Cody. If he was sure, he would have said so without hesitation.

Says Webley, ‘There were many other people at that party, Paul. One of them says she saw you and Terri in the garden. Looked to her like the two of you were having a heated argument.’

Garnett gives Cody a look that says,
Can you believe the nerve of this woman?
Getting no support from Cody, he turns back to Webley.

‘Don’t tell me – you’ve been talking to Diane Curtis, haven’t you?’

‘As I’m sure you’ll understand, Paul, we’re not at liberty to divulge—’

‘Yeah, yeah, spare me the small print. For your information, anything that PC Curtis says about me is about as reliable as a paper umbrella. She’s had it in for me for years, ever since I turned her down when she came on to me at a Christmas do. She say anything else about this so-called argument?’

‘As a matter of fact, she did. She said she heard the name of Kevin Vernon being used.’

Garnett throws his arms up in apparent despair. ‘Oh, here we go. Back to that again, are we? Funny how this is all coming out now, isn’t it? I mean, now that Terri Latham is dead. It’s a wonder Diane didn’t say she heard me threaten to kill Terri. You could just lock me up and close the case then.’ He yanks up his sleeves and displays his wrists to Webley. ‘In fact, why don’t you just put the cuffs on me now? Go ’ead. Put them on.’

Cody says, ‘Look, Paul, there’s no need to get so worked up about this. We’re simply—’

The slap of Garnett’s hand on the table is like a gunshot in the echoing room.

‘No! There’s every need. Take a look at yourselves, will ya? We’re supposed to be on the same side. We’re supposed to trust each other. The Vernon thing was fully investigated, and I was cleared. My record is as clean as yours. So stop treating me like a suspect and start talking to some real criminals. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got better things to do.’

He launches himself from his chair and heads out of the room. Cody thinks about stopping him, if only to reprimand him for his attitude, but decides to leave it alone.

When Garnett has gone, Cody turns to Webley, who is gathering her paperwork together.

‘Where did that come from?’

She smiles. ‘What?’

‘That stuff about the argument between him and Latham.’

‘Just doing my job. I did some asking around. I like to be prepared.’

‘You’re full of surprises.’

‘Better believe it, mate. That was just the first of many. A few days with me, and you’ll be wondering what’s hit you.’

‘Now I’m worried.’ He pauses. ‘What do you think of Garnett?’

Webley loses the smile. ‘He’s a prick. Other than that, I’m not sure. If Terri covered up for him, then that makes him the murderer of Kevin Vernon. And if Diane Curtis is to be believed, Garnett had a heated argument with Terri Latham about that very subject just a few weeks ago. Could be that Terri was threatening to go to the bosses with the true story, in which case that would give Garnett a motive for killing her too.’

‘On the other hand,’ says Cody, ‘he could be telling the truth. Maybe he’s just unlucky in getting caught up in two deaths.’

Webley stands up, ready to leave. ‘Could be. Doesn’t stop me thinking he’s a prick.’

12

‘You ready for this?’ Cody asks.

They are parked up in a car outside a terraced house in Kensington, east of the Royal Hospital. This Kensington is nothing like its London namesake. It is its very antithesis. The divide between the country’s rich and poor could be portrayed no more acutely than in a comparison of the two neighbourhoods. Houses in the London district have exchanged hands for more than twenty million pounds. Not so long ago, Liverpool Council sold off a number of properties in its own Kensington for a pound each.

Cody knows this area well. A short walk from here is the library he used to visit as a kid. He still remembers the Francis Bacon quotation above its doors: ‘Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man.’

Webley shows him a nervous smile. ‘You saw how I dealt with Garnett. Five minutes with me and they’ll be offering me tea and cake.’

‘If you manage that, I’ll give you twenty quid.’

‘You’re on.’

They get out of the car and lock it up. Cody glances up at the grey sky, and then lowers his eyes to the house. Both look threatening.

There is no bell. Cody raps the tarnished brass door knocker a couple of times. From inside comes the sound of barking. He looks at Webley and states the obvious: ‘They’ve got a dog.’

She shrugs. ‘Love dogs, me.’

He thinks to ask her how she manages to stay so chipper, but then the door swings open.

The man before them is large, powerful-looking. His greying hair suggests he is in his fifties. He has sagging jowls and a paunch, but his huge arms look capable of crushing a person to death in their embrace. He examines his two visitors with suspicion and disdain.

Cody holds up his ID. ‘Mr Vernon? I’m Detective Sergeant Cody, and this is Detective Constable Webley. Do you mind if we come in for a few minutes?’

Vernon doesn’t budge. ‘What do you want?’

‘We’d just like a brief chat.’ Cody nods towards the hallway. ‘Can we talk inside? We won’t keep you long.’

‘The last time police were here it was to call my son a thug. A troublemaker. A no-mark. This was after he was dead, mind you. Only they didn’t seem interested in my feelings about losing a son. They just wanted to dirty his name. Right here, in my own house.’

Says Webley, ‘We have no intention of upsetting you or your family, Mr Vernon. We just want to talk.’

Vernon continues to fill the doorway, saying nothing.

‘Frank? Let them in.’

The voice comes from behind Vernon. Cody tilts his head to see the slight figure of Vernon’s wife, standing in the gloom of the hallway as she dries her hands on a tea towel.