Page 50 of The Girls in the Lake
‘I’m doing much better. I have a bad knee which gives me more pain than my bloody illness, but everything seems to be going the right way, albeit slowly.’
‘Good, I’m glad to hear it.’
‘Do you want me to find out what he’s playing at next time I see him?’
‘No, thank you. That’s for me to sort out. I do appreciate the offer though.’ She smiled at her and stood up. ‘I have to go, I’m on call.’
‘I don’t know how you do it, cutting up all those dead bodies. I don’t know how Josh does it either, working all those long hours to find people responsible for the terrible stuff you both have to deal with.’
‘I wouldn’t do anything else.’
At the front door, Jodie called after her as she walked down the path.
‘You and Josh, you make a good team. A good couple as well, you’re both suited to each other. Give him a chance. I made a mess of things, but he’s a good man and I know he loves you. More than he ever loved me.’
She closed the door, and Beth felt her eyes prickle with tears. How strange to get relationship advice from the ex-wife of the man you were in love with. She was right though; they did make a good team and she loved him more than anything. She hoped he still felt the same way about her. When this case was over, she was going to make an effort to sort everything out. She didn’t want to imagine her life without him in it. She felt better now she knew what was going on; she could focus all her energy and attention on helping to catch a killer.
Fifty-Six
Everyone who needed to be present for the briefing was present: Sykes, Paton, Sam, Bell and the DCI. Josh sipped from his mug of cold coffee and stood in front of the whiteboard.
‘This started off as what we assumed was the accidental drowning of Leah Burton, found on Thursday morning by Ethan Scales, who was on the boat owned by James Marshall.’
The DCI asked: ‘Marshall of Marshall estate agents?’
Josh nodded. ‘The body of Julia Bach washed up the same day. The pathologist, who was the one to originally raise questions about the circumstances of both deaths, believes that Julia died first, due to the decomposition and bloating. She must have sunk to the bottom of the lake and got caught up on something. Once decomp was in full swing it caused the body to fill and bloat with gas from putrefaction and then to rise to the surface. We have trace evidence which although not confirmed yet suggests they both came in contact with the same boat – one that isn’tThe Tequila Sunrise– at some time before death. Finally, last night, Tamara Smythson told me she was pushed off the same boat Burton was on,The Tequila Sunrise; she fell into the water. I pulled her out along with one of the lake wardens. Tragically, she died not long after I dropped her off at home, and yes I did offer to take her to the hospital. Dr Adams believes she died from secondary drowning, but can’t say for sure until the PM has been completed.’
There was a cacophony of gasps and sighs from around the room. Sykes spoke.
‘What’s secondary drowning? How do you drown when you’re not in the water?’
‘I’d never heard of it either until Beth mentioned it, and I asked Google. Apparently, it can happen up to twenty-four hours after someone has swallowed even the smallest amount of water. It goes into the lungs, making breathing difficult, and then it kills you.’
Paton sat up straight. ‘Shit, that’s terrible.’
Josh nodded. ‘When I spoke to Tamara, she said she had felt someone shove her from behind, and she lost her balance in the high-heeled shoes she was wearing and fell into the lake. Response took everyone’s details before they left the boat last night. However, none of the guests at the party had ever been on board before last night. But there are two, possibly three, people who have been on or around the boat at each drowning event: James Marshall; Ethan Scales, a school friend who sometimes helps him out; and Marcus Johnson, who was caught by Ethan sexually assaulting Tamara below deck. All three have been brought in and are currently waiting to be interviewed.’
Paul nodded. ‘Excellent work. Have they been arrested?’
‘Only Marcus Johnson. The other two have been brought in to give witness statements. I want to hear what they all have to say and take it from there. Personally, the person I’m most interested in is Johnson. He has the motive and the previous for sexual harassment according to one of his employees. Julia Bach worked for Johnson and had complained previously about his behaviour to colleagues. Again, that gives him motive and a connection to two of the victims. At this moment in time I can’t say whether he knew Leah Burton, so we’ll work on the evidence that we have. Sam and I will interview Marshall. Sykes and Paton, you can interview Johnson; Bell, I want you to take Scales. The other two will lawyer up straight away; they can afford to. Is everyone okay with that?’
They all nodded. Josh grabbed the black leather portfolio he used for interviews. Technically James and Ethan weren’t under arrest and were helping with their enquiries, so they were free to leave whenever they wanted. He just hoped they didn’t realise that too soon. He was hoping that by interviewing all three of them at the same time none of them could change their stories or come up with some watertight alibi. If they thought that each of them was singing like a canary, they were more liable to give away any pertinent information. He didn’t want to rush this, he wanted to make sure that he had the facts straight and the right person in custody when the time came. He wanted revenge for the death of feisty, pretty Tamara Smythson. He’d taken a liking to her and her death weighed heavily on him. Until he found out who had killed her, he would live with the guilt as if he’d pushed her into the water himself.
Fifty-Seven
As Beth walked into the mortuary she was glad to see Abe standing there holding out a mug of strong builder’s tea in one hand and a chocolate biscuit in the other. He smiled at her.
‘It’s been all of almost thirty-six hours since I last saw you; how the hell are you, Beth?’
She grinned, took the mug and gave him a thumbs up. ‘Truthfully, I’ve been a whole lot better but I’m alive, which is more than can be said for the poor girl who should be arriving anytime soon.’
‘It’s a bad one?’
She nodded. ‘Very bad, tragic really as it could have been avoided. She went into the water from that stupid bloody boatThe Tequila Sunrise.’
‘Did she drown then?’
‘Not straight away. It’s a long story, but Josh was on a boat with a lake warden. They saw her go in and pulled her out. She refused hospital treatment, was taken home and collapsed and died not long after.’
