Michael Fowler - Cold Death

“Not what people call you? What’s your real name?”

“Tanya. I really called Tanya.”

“Didn’t I make myself clear?” said Grace pushing her face nearer. “This is not a good start. It looks like you and I are going back to the station to do a few checks. We’ll take your fingerprints and photograph and bring in immigration if you persist with this.”

She stood there momentarily, switch-backing her gaze between Grace and Hunter. Then she slammed her hands onto her hips. “Okay it’s not Tanya.”

And then the foreign accent had gone.

Hunter and Grace stared incredulously at one another.

“It’s Kerri — Kerri-Ann Bairstow,” she continued in a Yorkshire accent. She looked down at the ground. “I found I could make more money with a foreign name and fancy background.”

“Right now we’ve got that sorted, let’s stop mucking about because I’ve got some really important questions to ask, and I don’t want any more of your bullshit.” Grace placed a hand under Kerri-Ann’s chin. “Look at me now. I want to see your face when I ask you these questions”

She lifted her head and Grace drew back her hand. The girl looked sorrowful and lost.

“I believe you use this place quite a lot? Bring your punter’s here on a regular basis?”

Kerri-Ann nodded. She began fiddling with her fingers, picking skin at the side of her cuticles.

“How many times a week would you say?”

“A couple of times in mid-week, but quite a lot at the weekend, that’s when there’s not so many people walking about the place.”

“And how long have you been using this park for your sessions?”

“Six — seven months.”

“And do you always get the guys to park up where we found you?”

She nodded again. “It’s out of the way. Hidden from view if there are people walking round the lake.”

“Have you heard about the body which was recovered from here just over a week ago?”

She coloured up, started to twitch nervously, gulped and turned away.

Grace grabbed hold of Kerri-Ann’s chin again and fixed her gaze square on. “You have haven’t you?”

She shook herself free of Grace’s grip. “Course I frigging have. You can’t miss it. It’s all over the news and in the local papers.”

“Look Kerri-Ann this is very important. A young woman’s body was dumped in that lake just over a month ago, and where you park up with your punters is in clear view of the jetty over there.” Grace pointed out towards the wooden mooring dock approximately thirty metres away. “I need to know if you saw any activity on there during one of your visits here. Especially if you saw anyone carrying anything.”

Kerri-Ann tried to look away again.

Hunter knew she was hiding something. “This is very serious Kerri-Ann,” he interjected, “a young woman has been murdered and her body dumped over there. If you’ve seen anything we need to know.”

“I don’t want to get involved. I’m only talking to you now because I want you off my bleeding back. What if whoever did it comes looking for me?”

“You don’t even need to think about that. There is no way we are going to give out a witness’s name. Anyway what are you worrying about you’ve been using a false name for ages — just change it and do your trade somewhere else?” continued Grace.

“I don’t know. I feel scared about this.”

“Kerri-Ann, listen to me, so far you’re our only lead. You really might be able to help us catch this girl’s killer.”

“I didn’t see that much.”

Hunter knew from that comment that Grace had managed it. This could be the breakthrough. A tingle of excitement ran through him. He wanted to jump in but he knew this was Grace’s call.

Grace touched Kerri-Ann’s arm and looked into her sunken eyes. “That’s the hard part over. Now just tell us slowly what you saw.”

“Look if I tell you will you stop hassling me and let me earn some money? I’ve got a two year old at home and I didn’t see the dad for dust once I told him I was pregnant. I can’t manage on the benefits they give me.“ Her eyes darted between Grace and Hunter.

There was silence for a good thirty seconds.

Grace was about to prompt her again when she blurted out. “All right if it’ll keep you off my back and you promise I won’t go to court.” She began to pick at her fingers again. “It was either a Friday or Saturday evening. I know that much because those two nights are my busiest time and I was with my fourth punter. Probably be about half past ten.”

“Can you remember how long ago?”

“You’re joking. I know it was July time. As you said could have been four to five weeks ago. I don’t keep a diary.”

“Okay Keri-Ann carry on. You said it was about half past ten at night.”

“Yeah that’s roughly the time because we got back into town about eleven. Anyway we’d finished and I needed a piss so I got out of the car to go behind the bushes. I was just about to go when I heard muffled voices near that jetty thing and it made me jump. I sneaked a look through a gap and saw these two guys struggling with a bundle half way along the jetty. I thought they were just dumping rubbish and I never gave it a second thought. I had my piss and went back to the car. I haggled with the guy who had brought me here because he didn’t want to be seen dropping me off in town. Anyway after arguing with him and threatening to make a scene he agreed to drop me off in a pub car park. Then just after we set off we got cut up by this white van, which came from nowhere. It had no lights on and really freaked us both out. The guy I was with stopped the car for a couple of minutes, let it get a long way from us. He was really freaked out as if he knew who it was. He just kept saying he didn’t want to be caught by them. I thought it was a really weird thing to say. In fact he wanted to leave me there and then and piss off back home. I remember it clearly.”

Hunter exchanged looks with his partner. This interview had just thrown up something he hadn’t expected.

“Kerri-Ann this punter you were with — do you know him?”

“No it was a first time and I haven’t seen him since.”

“Can you remember what he looked like?”

“Vaguely. He was in his early twenties, quite good looking and he had brown curly hair which was about shoulder length if I remember rightly.”

“Where did he pick you up?”

“Down by the industrial estate where I normally hang out.”

“Can you remember the car he was driving?”

“Now cars I’m good at — have to be — you know in case something happens. I text it into my phone.” She unclasped her red handbag and fished out her mobile. It was a slim pink coloured model. She flicked it open and began playing around on the keys. Just over a minute later she looked back at them before glancing back at the screen. “A silver grey Volkswagon Golf. I’ve entered the first few letters and numbers but not all the car’s number.” She turned the screen to enable Grace to see the text written registration.

“YP0Two.” Grace read out loud.

“I’m sorry that’s all I had time to put in.”

“Don’t apologise Kerri-Ann that is brilliant. Did you manage to get his name?”

Kerri-Ann started to laugh. “You are kidding aren’t you.”

Grace blushed slightly. “Sorry, stupid question. Anything else you can remember about him — distinguishing marks, scars etc?”

She shook her head.

“Did your punter drop you back off?”

“Yeah eventually, I got him to drop me off near the bus station. He wouldn’t drop me near the pub. He was a nervous wreck.”

“Can you remember roughly what that time would be?”

“Elevenish, like I said earlier, or something like that.”