‘The name’s Harris. Nigel Harris. I live in the cottage over there and this is my family estate.’ He shivered slightly and buttoned up his tweed jacket. ‘My staff have just called me away from my late game of bridge, saying that there’s all sorts going on. They tell me a woman has been murdered. I can’t have this malarkey happening on my property. My business has a reputation to keep so I suggest you take the body and hurry up off my premises.’
The man stood over six feet tall with a large round middle, his bulbous red nose reflecting the little bit of light coming from the manor house. His grey curly hair fell around the bald patch at the back of his head.
‘Mr Harris. We won’t be hurrying and the body will be taken when we are ready to take it. A woman has been murdered and the crime scene team are working their hardest to collect all the evidence. Your business is very important to you, I understand that, but the woman in there, the one lying dead in one of your rooms, she is important to someone. Imagine if she was someone you cared about, your daughter, your niece. You wouldn’t want us to hurry up and leave, would you? You’d want to make sure we collected enough evidence and statements to convict whoever committed this terrible crime.’ Gina felt a flutter in her chest.
The man let out a slight snort. ‘That person is not my daughter and she’s not my niece so just hurry about your business. I want you gone as soon as possible.’
‘Well I suggest you don’t tie us all up in meaningless conversation any longer.’
He stared at Gina for a moment before muttering under his breath as he walked back.
‘Don’t you just hate some people?’ Briggs asked.
‘Thanks.’
‘What for?’
‘You’re in charge.’
He shrugged. ‘I may be your DCI but you’re in charge of this investigation. I know you won’t let me down. Right, everyone is interviewing at the moment and hopefully all statements will be uploaded onto the system immediately upon returning to the station. No one is going home until that is done. It’s impossible to keep this many people in one place for long and I don’t want anyone missed.’
The two officers who had chased their suspect emerged from the hedge. Gina took a torch from one and pointed at the ground. There had to be something left behind, anything. A few cigarette butts were scattered around the muddy cut through. ‘We need those bagged up. It looks like the masses have trampled through here. Shoe imprints upon shoe imprints are ingrained in the mud.’
‘Why would so many people be coming this way?’
‘Gatecrashers, guv,’ PC Smith said.
Gina flinched as he broke her thoughts. ‘I didn’t hear you coming.’ It had been a while since he’d been injured at a crime scene and it made her happy to see him back where he belonged, in uniform, helping with their investigation.
‘You were all so engrossed in what was happening. We’ve been interviewing, as you know, and one of the bridesmaids, Lilly Hill, mentioned the gatecrashers. She said she’d like to speak to a detective in charge about Holly. Just look for the woman in the long green dress with blonde hair. She said it’s important.’
‘Thanks. While I’m catching up with the witnesses, I want you to find out if there were any photographers or videographers. I want all footage and photos of the night before anything can be lost or tampered with.’
‘On it, guv.’
Lilly Hill could wait. The person she most wanted to speak to was the one who had found Holly’s body.
Chapter Six
Gina headed back out to the ambulance. ‘We’re finished now,’ the paramedic called as he spotted her trying to catch his attention. He turned his attention back to the vehicle. ‘You sit there as long as you like, love, until you feel a little better.’
PC Kapoor smiled as she stepped out of the ambulance. ‘Guv?’ the police constable said in a pitch that sounded as though it could crack windows. ‘This is Francesca Carter.’
The paramedic walked around the ambulance and began speaking to a colleague.
‘Thank you.’ Gina stepped up and sat on the gurney beside Francesca. ‘Ms Carter. I know this is hard for you, but could I ask you a few questions?’ Gina asked in a gentle voice.
The woman looked up, revealing her mascara-streaked face. Gina cleared her throat as she caught the faint smell of vomit coming from down the front of the young woman’s sage green dress. Her long brown hair was matted around the sides where she’d wiped her nose with her arm from ear to ear. ‘I found her.’
‘May I call you Francesca?’
She nodded as she pulled a blanket tighter around her shoulders.
‘In your own words, can you tell me what happened?’
She wiped her forehead with her arm. ‘I’d had a lot to drink and wasn’t feeling well. I’d been sick and all I wanted to do was go to bed. Holly’s room was next to mine on the first floor. When I passed her door, it creaked slightly and I wondered why it wasn’t locked. That’s when…’
‘It’s okay. You’re really helping us. I know this is hard.’
A tear slid down her cheek. ‘I pushed the door open. There was blood smeared on the drawers next to the door and I thought she’d hurt herself. I saw she was in bed so I called her name. She didn’t answer. Then I thought she was asleep but I had to check that she was okay. I went over and shook her but still she didn’t answer.’ Francesca paused and swallowed. ‘I turned the lamp on and saw blood smeared all over her face, and her eyes, they were glassy and staring at me but she wasn’t moving. I ran out to the corridor and screamed for help. No one was around. I somehow managed to reach reception and told them what had happened. I felt really sick again but I passed out. I can’t remember much after that, until the ambulance got here.’
Francesca tried to stand but fell back onto her bottom. ‘Someone killed Holly. I don’t want to be here. I just want to go home.’ The woman folded her arms and bowed her head.
‘I know you don’t and I’m so sorry you’ve been through this tonight. Did you see anyone else in the corridor or around by the stairs?’
‘I don’t think so. It was just me.’
‘Did you touch anything else apart from the lamp?’
‘I can’t remember. I think I touched some of the furniture.’
Gina glanced at Francesca’s hands. Not a speck of blood on them, but her hands were a little make-up smeared. ‘Francesca? Would you mind if we took some swabs and fingerprints from you for elimination purposes? We also need your dress and shoes. I’m sorry to have to ask you for these but you went into Holly’s room. We need to catch whoever did this to her.’
She turned to face Gina.
For a second Gina thought she might object. She had to consider that at the moment they had no suspects and Francesca Carter was the first person to arrive at the scene. She hadn’t seen anyone else on the way there or back.
‘’Course.’
‘Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Holly?’
‘No, she was our friend and she never said she had any problems with anyone. She would have said something. We were all close.’