‘Is this true?’ Rory said, looking up.
‘I’m afraid so.’
‘I can’t believe it. I always thought he and Katrina were so happy.’
‘Let me give you some advice about men, Rory, that perhaps your mum didn’t tell you when you were growing up. They have two brains. One inside their head, and the other in their pants. The one in their pants often talks louder than the one in their head. Unfortunately, listening to that one gets them into a whole lot of trouble.’ She patted him on the back as she headed for her office.
‘Is he off the team?’ Rory called after her.
She stopped and looked back. Others were looking at her for the answer. She nodded. ‘Look, Aaron is a great guy and a brilliant detective. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t continue in his career. I hope this so-called news story blows over quickly. I also hope Aaron and Katrina are able to sort out their differences. In the meantime, Aaron is still our colleague. If I hear any jokes, snide remarks, or see any evidence of you ostracising Aaron, you’ll have me to answer to. Is that clear?’ she said, addressing the whole room. There were slight nods of ascent. ‘Good. Now, we all have work to do and we’re a few members down. So, put those in the bin where they belong and do what you’re paid to do. Christian, a word.’
Christian closed his newspaper and slipped it into his drawer. He’d take it home for Jennifer to read later. She’d met Aaron and Katrina a few times and liked them. She’d be devastated.
‘I’d ask if you had a good weekend, but we didn’t really have one, did we?’ Christian said, entering her office and closing the door behind him.
‘Not really.’
‘So much for cutting back on overtime.’
‘I know. Valerie’s going to kill me when she comes back.’
‘Any news on when that will be?’
‘No. I’ll give her a call later. Now, late last night, I had a call from forensics. They’ve been through the three phones and the one found under Jodie’s bedroom floorboards. I want you to interview her with me.’
‘Oh. Why?’
‘Because she’s a manipulator and I don’t want her getting her claws into an inexperienced DC. When she knows she’s up against a DCI and a DI, hopefully she’ll crumble.’
‘I wouldn’t have thought she was the type to crumble.’
‘She will be when she finds out what I know.’
***
In interview room one, with Finn and Rory in the observation room, Jodie was sitting at the table with her solicitor next to her and an appropriate adult to one side, keeping an eye on proceedings and making sure Jodie wasn’t too distressed by the questioning.
Jodie was wearing a navy tracksuit. Her hair was neatly tied back. She looked like she’d lost weight overnight, despite the duty sergeant telling Matilda she’d wolfed down her breakfast. Her eyes were sunken and surrounded by black circles. Had she suffered a sleepless night in a cell due to the remorse she was feeling for her actions, or was she one of the greatest actors never to grace the London stage? She hadn’t been told about her father’s death, yet. Matilda wanted to break that news herself.
Christian turned on the recording equipment and stated who was present while Matilda made herself comfortable and put the plastic box containing the evidence she was going to show Jodie on the floor beneath the table.
‘Jodie, before we begin, is there anything you would like to tell us about the deaths of your brother, sister, and mother?’ It pained Matilda to speak in a sympathetic tone. However, she wanted to surprise Jodie when the time was right.
‘No,’ Jodie said without looking up. Her head was down, her chin on her chest, acting the perfect victim.
‘Jodie, there is no easy way for me to say this: I’m afraid your father was found dead yesterday morning in Hillsborough Park. He hanged himself.’
Jodie didn’t move. Her face was hidden. All eyes were on her as she sniffled a few times. The appropriate adult stepped forward and offered her a tissue which she took. She wiped her eyes, but the tissue came away dry.
‘Are you all right? Would you like to have a break for five minutes?’ Matilda asked. She was pretending to play into her hands.
Jodie blew her nose loudly and looked up. She cleared her throat. ‘No. I’m fine.’
‘Ok. Any time you want to have a break, let me know,’ she smiled and gave the same mock-sympathetic smile to the solicitor whose face remained stoic.
‘Jodie, in searching your house yesterday, we found three mobile phones. All iPhone 4s which belonged to your father. Do you know why your dad had three mobiles?’
‘No,’ she replied with a catch in her throat.
‘For the benefit of the recording, I am showing Jodie the three phones.’ Matilda lifted all three phones from the box at her feet. They were in plastic evidence bags. She lined them up in front of the fourteen-year-old. ‘On one of them we found the numbers of your mum and other family members, and your father’s friends. The texts are as you’d expect, as are the photographs and internet history. The second phone is one he used for work-related purposes. This third one, however, only has one contact in the phone book and he seemed to use WhatsApp more than anything else. There’s one conversation that has been going on for a number of years in which your father appears to be having a very intimate relationship with someone who isn’t your mum. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the number assigned to anyone, so we don’t know who that person is. Can you shed any light on who it might be?’
‘No,’ she replied quickly.
Matilda pulled a cardboard file from the box. ‘We’ve printed off the conversation. It’s incredibly detailed and sexually explicit. Your father describes sexual activities he and this other person have done together, what he’d like to do in the future, and he’s even sent photographs of parts of his body.’
‘I don’t think my client would like to hear what her father has been getting up to, DCI Darke,’ the solicitor interrupted.
Matilda ignored her. ‘The receiver of these messages replied in a similar vein. At times, she’s even more explicit, and the photographs she sent of herself are, quite frankly, highly disturbing. There’s even a four-minute video of this person, though we can’t see her face.’
Jodie bit her bottom lip hard. Her eyes darted around the room. She was unable to look at Matilda.
‘Is any of this relevant?’ the solicitor asked.
‘Jodie, are you the person your father is messaging?’
‘No,’ she replied quietly.
Matilda brought out another phone from the box beneath the table. ‘I’m showing Jodie Armitage an iPhone 4S that was found in her bedroom under the floorboards by her bed. The carpet was loose there as if it had been pulled back many times. Do you recognise this phone?’
‘No.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. It looks like any other iPhone 4. It’s not mine. I’ve got an iPhone 8.’
‘How can you account for this phone being in your room, underneath your bed?’
‘Well, I can’t,’ she shrugged. ‘I’ve never seen it before.’
‘We’ve analysed this phone. There are no contacts saved but in WhatsApp is the other half of the conversation with your father that we found on this phone which was hidden under the floor in the living room.’