‘Not just him,’ says Somer quietly. ‘He wasn’t the only one she wanted to silence.’
‘I’ll call Challow,’ says Baxter grimly. ‘Get him to run some tests on the samples from the boy. If that’s what she was doing, they’ll be able to prove it.’
Somer shakes her head. ‘Even a small dose would be incredibly dangerous for a child that young. She could have killed him.’
Everett shrugs. ‘From what I’ve seen, I don’t think she’d have cared. There is absolutely no bond between those two. You see enough dysfunctional relationships in this job, but this is the first time I’ve come across a mother and child with no relationship at all.’
‘But that’s the real question, isn’t it?’ says Somer quietly. ‘The child. Not the relationship between them. The fact that he even exists –’
Baxter turns to her, realization dawning. ‘Because if it wasn’t imprisonment it can’t have been rape, either, can it? And the one thing we do know for a fact is that Harper is the father of that kid. So if he didn’t rape her, then what? She actually wanted to have sex with him? That’s just gross – I mean, why the hell would she?’
This time it’s not Occam’s razor I think of. It’s Gislingham. Gislingham, who’s still not bloody here, incidentally. Gislingham who always says that if it’s not love, it’s money.
I turn to the pinboard. And there it is: the answer. It’s been right there in front of us from day one: 33 Frampton Road. Worth, even at a conservative estimate, somewhere north of £3 million.
‘She’s going to sue Harper,’ I say. ‘Accuse him of rape and false imprisonment, and then claim compensation. That child will give her a stake in everything William Harper owns. He’s not a “child” at all; he’s a money-making scam.’
I look around the room. Oddly enough, the women seem to be buying it more than the men. Though at the back, Somer is frowning.
‘But could a girl like her actually do that?’ asks one of the DCs, turning to Everett. ‘I mean, would you?’
Everett shrugs. ‘It’s a lot of money. She might well have thought a couple of quick shags would be worth it for that sort of cash. Shut your eyes and think of England, and all that.’
Baxter gives a low whistle. ‘Jesus,’ he says. ‘That poor old bastard –’
‘OK,’ says Somer, interrupting him. ‘Let’s get this straight. Somehow or other Vicky found out that Harper lives alone and sees pretty much no one from one week to the next. She moves in and starts living on the top floor – all without him noticing. She manages to get herself pregnant, also – if you believe Harper – without him noticing –’
‘My money’s on the turkey baster,’ quips one of the DCs, to slightly embarrassed laughter.
‘– and then she frames him for kidnap and rape by faking a journal of her captivity and locking herself in the cellar.’
Everyone’s staring at her now.
‘Only, she didn’t, did she? Lock herself in, I mean. That door was bolted from the outside.’ She looks around at the room. ‘So who are we saying did that?’
I nod to Baxter. ‘Did we get any prints off that bolt?’
He turns back to his screen, clicks on the forensics report and scrolls down. ‘Nope. Just Quinn’s. From when they rescued her.’
So someone could have wiped it. Must have wiped it.
‘If you ask me,’ says Baxter, ‘it had to be Harper. He said, didn’t he, that he was frightened because he could hear noises down there. He must have crept down one day, realized there was someone in that inner room and slipped the bolt. Vicky got trapped by her own scam – which would be pretty bloody ironic, when you think about it.’
Somer nods slowly. ‘I guess that’s possible, even though he doesn’t seem to remember doing it –’
‘He doesn’t remember much at all,’ snaps Everett. Which is really not like her. I see the same thought on Somer’s face, and then Everett flushes a little when she catches my eye.
‘Whether he remembers it or not, it’s a plausible theory,’ I say. ‘So let’s see if we can confirm it, shall we? And for now, send Vicky back to Vine Lodge. We need to get our facts straight before I talk to her again.’
***
Sent: Weds 10/05/2017, 11.50 Importance: High
From: AlanChallowCSI@ThamesValley.police.uk
To: DIAdamFawley@ThamesValley.police.uk, CID@ThamesValley.police.uk
Subject: Urgent – Frampton Road
This is to confirm that the blood, hair and particles of brain matter found on the car cover are definitely from Hannah Gardiner. The killer clearly used it to prevent the leakage of body fluids on to the floor, which is why we haven’t been able to determine a precise murder scene elsewhere in the house. The victim was probably rendered unconscious then dragged on to the plastic before the second and fatal blow. There are scrape marks on it that would tally with that. The only fingerprints are those of William Harper, which, of course, is only to be expected, given it was on his car. If someone else handled it, they must have worn gloves.
***
Interview with Pippa Walker, conducted at St Aldate’s Police Station, Oxford
10 May 2017, 12.10 p.m.
In attendance, DS G. Quinn, DC C. Gislingham
GQ: For the benefit of the tape, this interview is being conducted under caution. Miss Walker has been informed of her rights, including the right to have a lawyer present. She has confirmed that she doesn’t want one.
PW: I don’t need anyone. Rob’s the one who’s guilty, not me. I haven’t done anything.
GQ: But that’s not true, is it? You’ve lied. A very serious lie. And we can prove it.
PW: I don’t know what you mean.
GQ: You gave us a statement three days ago, claiming that Hannah Gardiner caught you and Rob in bed, and there was a terrible row.
PW: So?
GQ: Our forensic scientists have done a thorough examination of the flat at Crescent Square. There’s nothing to suggest Hannah Gardiner died there. Nothing at all. Why did you lie?
PW: I didn’t lie. It’s two years ago. He’s had it redecorated twice since then.
GQ: That wouldn’t make any difference. There would still be something. You’d need a special type of bleach and even then –
PW: Yeah, well, he’s a scientist, isn’t he. He’d know what to do.
GQ: The point is, Miss Walker, that we now have reason to believe Hannah died at 33 Frampton Road, where her body was found. We have forensic evidence linking her death to that house.
PW: [silence]
CG: What have you got to say to that?
PW: What’s it got to do with me? I’ve never even been there.
[getting up]
Look, can I go now?
GQ: No. Sit down, please, Miss Walker. You still haven’t answered the question. Why did you lie about what happened at the flat?
PW: I didn’t lie.
GQ: A witness has come forward who saw you on the night of June 23rd. You were with two young lads at a bus stop on the Banbury Road. At the same time as Hannah and Rob Gardiner were enjoying a peaceful and entirely row-free evening in their home.
PW: [silence]
I was scared of him – he hit me –
CG: So you’re admitting it – nothing happened at the flat?
PW: [silence]
CG: For the tape, Miss Walker, was there, or was there not, a violent argument at 81 Crescent Square such as you describe in your statement dated 7th May 2017?