Silent Fear (28 page)

Ella’s phone beeped with a text from Murray.
You okay? Meeting’s almost over.

‘One more thing,’ she said. ‘Were you aware of any disputes he was having? Anyone who might want to see him hurt?’

Ray shook his head, but Barbara set her jaw. ‘Only her.’

*

Detectives were filing out of the meeting room as Ella stepped out of the lift.

‘Well, well,’ John Gerard said. ‘Marconi’s so great she doesn’t need to come to meetings any more.’

‘I’m looking for Dennis.’ She pushed past him.

‘You’re probably so great you have psychic powers, so you just
know
what we talked about in there, am I right?’ He followed her down the corridor. ‘But that begs the question of why you don’t simply use those powers to solve the case.’

‘Why? Is investigation work too hard for you?’

‘Ha ha,’ he said. ‘More like it’s too hard for you. Skiving off –’

She spotted Dennis coming out of the room. ‘A word in your office?’

Dennis nodded and she followed him in, then shut the door firmly in John Gerard’s face. ‘That guy, I swear.’

‘Ignore him,’ Dennis said. ‘What’s up?’

She told him what Ray and Barbara Fowler had said. ‘Trina gave me this big sob story about how cruelly he left her, while the friends were kinda vague, saying Paul didn’t explain it, but his parents said he wouldn’t have told anyone the details because he was so private and proud.’

‘Hm.’

‘I know,’ she said. ‘You still have the three of them here?’

‘Just Sutton,’ he said. ‘Give me a moment then we’ll go and chat.’

He went down the corridor to the bathroom and Ella took the opportunity to nip to her desk, while watching out for Gerard, and call the photographic unit about the CCTV images they’d sent in of the female bystander’s car.

‘Sorry,’ the male voice said. ‘Not done yet.’

‘Can you call me as soon as they are, please? Day or night, use my mobile number. Or email. I gave all that to you, right?’

‘We don’t work at night,’ he said.

Dennis tapped on the door.

‘When you can then,’ she said into the phone, irked by the officer’s tone but keeping calm. ‘Thanks.’

She followed Dennis down the corridor. He opened the door to the second interview room and Sutton looked up.

‘You said you needed to check a couple of things then you’d be back, and that was forty minutes ago,’ he said. ‘I know I said I’d help in whatever way I could, but I need to get to work.’

‘We appreciate your patience,’ Dennis said as they sat down.

‘How are you doing, Carl?’ Ella said.

‘I mean,’ Sutton went on as if she hadn’t spoken, ‘you said I’m not under arrest, that I can go any time, and I said I’d stay because it’s really important to me that we find who did these things. But I have clients, you know? So we need to wrap this up now, and I need to get going.’

‘We haven’t quite finished checking those things,’ Dennis said. ‘Your clients would understand, wouldn’t they? Two friends murdered in three days – I’m sure they’d sympathise with you needing to take some time off.’

‘Economic times like these, I can’t really take the risk,’ Sutton said.

Sure
, Ella thought. She put her clasped hands on the table. ‘Speaking of economic matters, was Paul coming to work for you when he left the carpet store?’

‘We’d talked about it,’ he said.

‘Odd,’ she said. ‘Seth Garland told us Paul hated computers.’

‘Not hate, exactly,’ Sutton said. ‘But that was definitely part of the problem. He claimed he could handle sales anyway, but this business is as cut-throat as it gets and if you don’t care and know all the latest about the technology the clients lose faith and go elsewhere.’

‘Did you tell him that?’

Sutton looked at the table. ‘He needed a job. He said he’d try to learn. I left things like that, not having given him an outright no, but pretending I hadn’t decided yet. Computers are either in your blood or they’re not, and I knew eventually he’d find something else.’

‘And had he?’

‘Not that I’d heard.’ He ran his tongue over his lower lip.

‘Would you have expected to hear?’ Ella said. ‘I mean, you and Trina are close, aren’t you? She would’ve known for his maintenance and so on. Or would Paul have told you himself, being in the same circle of friends?’

‘Paul’s a private kind of guy,’ he said.

‘So I’m hearing.’

He looked at her. ‘My point being that he might not have told anyone.’

‘Seth would’ve known, wouldn’t he?’

‘I guess.’

‘And he didn’t ever mention Paul finding a new job?’

‘No,’ Sutton said. ‘Look, how is this helping? I said I’d try to help find who killed them. I don’t know about Paul’s job or prospects or whatever, and it feels like sitting here talking on and on about it is just wasting both our time. Yours especially.’

‘Good point,’ Ella said. ‘One last question then: how did the break-up happen?’

Sutton frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Who left who? Was it acrimonious? Were they headed for a custody battle?’

‘I thought you said one question?’ He smiled with more than a hint of nervousness.

She smiled back, broadly, and waited. Next to her Dennis rested his folded arms on the table.

‘I don’t know what happened,’ Sutton finally said. ‘Yes, I know them both, so you’d think I’d hear both sides of the story, but some people don’t talk about things like that. Don’t want to share private details.’

‘Even Trina?’

‘It’s her business,’ he said. ‘I don’t ask questions.’

It clashed with how freely Trina had told Ella all about it. ‘Are you and Trina seeing each other?’

‘You’re kidding, aren’t you?’

She and Dennis waited again.

‘It’s ridiculous. Any time two people of the opposite sex spend time together people assume they must be having an affair. How come we can’t just be friends?’

‘And which are you?’

‘Friends, of course,’ he said. ‘We were friends before all this happened and we’ve been friends through it too. I will admit that she leans on me a bit now. I help her out. None of this is easy for her.’

‘Nobody ever said it was,’ Ella said. Mentioning that they knew he’d stayed at Trina’s place last night would let him know he was being watched. ‘Okay then, let us check a couple of things that are definitely related to who killed your friends, then we’ll come back and see you again.’

Sutton made a big show of looking at his watch. ‘I’d really like to, but I can’t stay any longer. I’ve already had to put back appointments once this morning.’

Ella and Dennis looked at him in silence.

‘I’m sorry.’ He stood up. ‘Maybe I can come back this afternoon once you’ve finished all your checking.’

Dennis said nothing, and Ella knew he wasn’t going to arrest him, even for the sake of holding him while they built more of a case. She felt a tingle of excitement, because that meant he had a plan.

TWENTY-FIVE

W
hen the lift doors closed behind Sutton, Ella turned to Dennis. ‘So what’s happening now?’

‘We’re on his mobile and landline, and Trina’s too.’ He smiled. ‘What’s the bet he’ll call her to talk about it?’

‘Fantastic,’ she said. ‘The surveillance is still in place?’

He nodded. ‘Louise Brooks and Marion Pilsiger are at Trina’s. She hasn’t gone out yet today. Bennett and Hayes are waiting near Sutton’s car and will follow him from there.’

‘I’ll hold off going near Trina for a while then,’ she said. ‘Let them talk it all over in great detail.’ She glanced down the empty corridor. ‘Where’s Murray?’

‘I sent him to the carpet store,’ Dennis said. ‘John Gerard saw the accountant earlier. He said everything seems to be in order and the accountant told him Henreid would be at work this morning. Murray only left a short time ago so you won’t be far behind him. Be warned though: his dad had a bit of a relapse and he’s not in a good mood.’

Ella nodded. ‘But how come you sent Murray there, and not John?’

He smiled. ‘Somebody has to sit in the little room waiting for phone calls.’

*

Ella pushed open the door to the carpet store and immediately heard Murray’s voice.

‘You’re not listening to me.’ His tone was hard. ‘I understand what you’re saying, but you’re not understanding what I’m saying in return.’

Ella made her way between the stacked rolls towards the office at the rear. She saw Airlie Robbins and Steven Parkes looking shaken beside a rug display across the shop and raised her hand. They didn’t wave back but lowered their heads and touched the display as if wanting to look busy.

Ella tapped on the half-open door to the office and walked in. Henreid sat red-faced behind his desk, his hands curled in loose fists either side of the keyboard. Murray stood before him with his hands on his hips; he didn’t glance around.

‘Detective. Mr Henreid.’ She read annoyance and exasperation in the set of Murray’s shoulders and went around him to sit in the empty chair. ‘How’s it all going?’

‘I was not avoiding you people, nor was I ignoring your calls,’ Henreid said.

‘We’re detectives, not people,’ Murray said.

Henreid raised his hands and looked at Ella. ‘I only just heard about my house. I don’t know what’s going on. I keep saying that but he doesn’t listen. He seems to think I know something about Paul’s death and is badgering me. I don’t want to be grilled like that any more.’

Ella crossed her legs and straightened the crease in her trousers. ‘More people have died. You can understand our need for answers.’

‘I do,’ he said. ‘I just –’

‘What?’ she said.

He shook his head. ‘Go on.’

‘We couldn’t find you after we spoke to you yesterday morning,’ she said. ‘Where were you?’

He adjusted the position of the keyboard, touched the mouse. ‘I don’t see how it could be relevant.’

‘Didn’t I just tell you that deciding relevance is our job?’ Murray said.

‘And as I just told you, I don’t know who killed Paul.’

‘You were heard on Saturday night having an argument with someone in your house,’ Ella said. ‘Who was that person?’

Henreid frowned at his hands.

‘Your house was vandalised the next morning, I’m assuming after you left for work,’ Ella went on. ‘Somebody doesn’t like you very much, do they?’

A flush bloomed in his cheeks.

‘Who is it?’ she said.

‘That has nothing to do with this.’ He curled his hands tighter.

‘This is a murder investigation,’ she said. ‘We don’t stop till we get the truth. You understand that?’

‘Yes, but this situation has no bearing on your case.’ There were flecks of spittle in the corners of his mouth. ‘I guarantee it.’

‘You guarantee it?’ Murray said.

‘Okay,’ Ella said, her tone even. ‘Is it a legal issue? Do you feel you’re going to get yourself or someone else in trouble if you tell us who you argued with and where you were?’

He swallowed. ‘Not exactly.’

‘So it’s personal,’ she said. ‘You’re embarrassed by something. Ashamed.’

The flush deepened.

Ella said, ‘We’ve heard everything you could possibly imagine and then some. Haven’t we?’

Murray put his hands in his pockets and said nothing.

She looked back at Henreid. ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of.’

He stared fixedly at the desk. ‘My son hates me.’

‘You have a son?’ Ella looked at Murray. John Gerard had declared in yesterday’s afternoon meeting that Henreid had no family except his elderly mother.

‘Illegitimate.’ Henreid flushed to the roots of his hair. Ella wanted to say that these days it didn’t matter, but he went on. ‘He turned up in the shop a year ago. I hardly remember his mother so I made him take a test to confirm it. He’s eighteen and a drug addict and a loser.’ He looked up. ‘But he’s mine, and at the start I thought this was somebody who . . .’ He grasped the sides of the keyboard. ‘Family, you know?’

Ella nodded. Murray shifted his weight and said nothing.

‘I tried,’ Henreid said. ‘I offered for him to move in, so long as he stuck to the rules, but he didn’t want to. He’d come around sometimes, ask to use the shower, I’d cook both of us a meal, but he always ended up stealing something and running out.’

‘Call the police?’ Murray asked.

‘What? No. Of course not. He’s my son.’

‘Your son who’s breaking the law,’ Murray said.

Henreid shook his head. ‘You don’t understand anything, do you?’

‘So,’ Ella said, ‘what happened on Saturday night?’

‘He came back,’ Henreid said. ‘I hadn’t seen him for a couple of months. He had a car and said he was off the drugs, that he had a good job and was sharing a place with a friend. I was pleased to see him. Then he asked for money.’

‘Addicts always do,’ Murray said.

‘He had an elaborate story about his car being damaged and having to pay for that, then ending up short on the rent, and it would just be this one time. I tried to see his arms. He had a Band-aid on one and said it was from a blood test. I told him I didn’t believe him and that the car, which I could see from the window was a newish Mini, was no doubt stolen. He got all haughty about how I couldn’t see beyond his past, how he could never earn my trust if I wasn’t willing to give it to him, how much he looked up to me as his father and how I was hurting him.’ He tightened his lips over his teeth. ‘I said something like our relationship’s always been only about money to him. He said what relationship, and stormed out.’

‘What’s your son’s name?’ Ella asked.

‘Daniel.’

Ella thought of what Steven Parkes said he’d overheard in the argument between Henreid and Paul Fowler. ‘Did he and Paul ever meet?’

‘He came to the store a couple of times. Once I wasn’t there and Paul mentioned it to me later. I got the impression they got along well.’ He moved his head as if his collar was tight. ‘I’ll admit I felt a little jealous of that.’

‘That came up when you and Paul argued at the start of his last week, didn’t it?’

Henreid rested his elbows on the desk and put his forehead in his hands. ‘Yes.’

‘Look up, please,’ Murray said.

Henreid sat back and folded his arms and stared at the wall between them.

‘What was the argument about?’ Ella asked.

‘He told me I wasn’t running my business well.’ Henreid tightened his arms against his chest. ‘He said I wasn’t good at interacting with customers or staff and that frankly it’d be best if I stayed here in the office and did paperwork and never spoke to anyone. You can imagine how I felt: an employer being spoken to by their employee like that. I pointed out that I’d run the business for a number of years now. He said that we were going downhill and it wasn’t just because of the GFC.’ He shook his head.

Ella said, ‘What triggered it?’

‘He mentioned that he might be leaving,’ Henreid said. ‘I stressed how important he was, both to the shop and to me personally. He asked me not to use that tone.’ He looked at the desk. ‘Things got heated and finally he said he’d made up his mind, right there on the spot, he was definitely leaving, and that Daniel was right, I am just a hard and angry man who can’t cope if people don’t fit in around me.’

Murray said, ‘Eyes up, please.’

Henreid clenched his jaw.

Ella said, ‘Was that the last time you saw Paul?’

Henreid didn’t answer for a moment, then said, ‘He worked two more days. We didn’t talk about it. I knew he had a family and bills, and thought he wouldn’t actually go. But then he didn’t come in, and that was that.’

‘When we talked about this the other day you said you tried to call him.’

‘I did. I was more angry than I admitted to you though. He called at about ten and said he was finished here. I told him his final pay would be waiting here for him in a cheque. He didn’t come to get it, and I never saw him or spoke to him again.’

Ella said, ‘We called your mobile repeatedly yesterday and it always went to voicemail, but you never called us back.’

He started to look down, then stopped himself and looked over Murray’s head instead. ‘I went to a friend’s place. I turned my phone off because Daniel tends to call persistently after I’ve refused to give in to him.’

‘You didn’t call us even this morning,’ Murray said.

‘I still haven’t turned it on. I didn’t want to see how many times he’d called to tell me he hates me.’

‘Does Daniel have a key to your house?’ Ella asked.

‘No, but he told me once he can pick locks.’

‘More law-breaking,’ Murray said.

‘Has he ever vandalised anything of yours before?’ Ella said.

‘He once sprayed-painted the words “I have no father” on my car. I have no doubt it was him who poured the paint everywhere.’

‘We can arrest him,’ Murray said.

‘No,’ Henreid said. ‘Never on my account.’

Murray rose up on his toes and Ella cut in before he could say anything more. ‘What’s your friend’s name?’

Henreid shook his head. ‘I’ve told you everything else and you can see for yourself it’s not relevant. Neither is this.’

‘We need to check your story.’

‘It’s not a story,’ he said.

‘We need to check it,’ Murray said.

Henreid pushed his chair back from the desk, his hands propped stiffly on the armrests. ‘I feel like I’m being stripped naked here.’

‘Hardly,’ Murray said.

‘I feel like I’m being made to tell you everything, that nothing’s private.’

‘It’s a murder investigation,’ Ella said. ‘The victims have no privacy and they’re dead. The truth is all that matters now.’

Henreid pressed his finger and thumb to his eyebrows.

‘You want to come to the station and think about it for the rest of the day?’ Murray said.

‘You people,’ Henreid said into his palm.

Ella was starting to get annoyed. He’d fessed up about his son, more or less admitted he had an anger problem; how bad could the rest of it be? ‘Just tell us,’ she said.

His face was dark with resentment. ‘Her name’s Kim Terry. She’s my girlfriend, though she might dispute that.’

‘In what way?’ Ella said.

‘She’s fifty-one and she lives on Merrylands Road in Merrylands with her mother. I went straight there from here yesterday morning and came straight here from there this morning.’

‘In what way does she think she’s not your girlfriend?’

‘Ask her,’ he said. ‘I’ve had about enough of talking.’

‘Not quite,’ Ella said. ‘Why didn’t you tell us the truth about Paul yesterday?’

‘I’m not stupid,’ he said. ‘I tell you I’m furious at him for quitting, that we had a big argument in which he said I was no good as a boss or businessman, and you’d be thinking I have motive to want to kill him.’

‘It didn’t occur to you that lying about it would make us think that too?’

‘It was a chance I was willing to take.’ He stood up. ‘I’ve said all I want to say. Either arrest me or leave me alone.’

Murray glared into Henreid’s red face, then turned and stalked out of the office. Ella wanted to say something more about dead victims but kept it to herself and followed Murray into the store.

Airlie Robbins and Steven Parkes were way up the front by the window in a nervous huddle. She nodded but again they turned away.

Murray stormed through the door and, once outside, faced Ella. ‘Next time you want to come in when I’m talking to someone, don’t.’

‘Like you would’ve got all that with the way you were going,’ she said. ‘Listen, I heard about your dad. I’m sure he’ll be okay.’

‘This has nothing to do with that,’ he said. ‘You’re too soft.’

‘We know more than we knew before. Isn’t that the point?’

‘All he did in there was get out in front,’ Murray said. ‘Tell us all that stuff to make himself look decent, say that about himself looking like he has motive as if to say, hey, it can’t be me cos then why would I be suggesting that it was?’

Ella unlocked her car and got in. ‘Why else do you think I’m going to see Kim Terry?’

‘Who said
you
were going?’

Ella’s phone rang. ‘Hi, Dennis,’ she said, her eyes on Murray’s face. ‘I was just about to call you. We got some good information from Henreid but I want to check –’

‘I need you both to come in,’ he said. ‘Remember the blue rental car that sped away from the golf course soon after the shooting?’

‘Of course.’

‘It’s been tracked down. It’s got a scrape on the fender and the man who hired it once shot someone.’