Линда Ла Плант - Unholy Murder

Boon went to the kitchen and got Lee a glass of water.

‘We need to keep you here while we search the house. Are you willing to answer some questions without a solicitor?’

‘OK. Can I have a tissue, please. There’s some in a box over there.’

Boon handed him the box and Jane said it was OK to undo the handcuffs as she wanted him to be more at ease. She doubted he’d try and escape as he’d be no match for Boon. Lee blew his nose and wiped the tears from his eyes.

‘I’d like you to tell me what happened to Becky and who else was involved in her death,’ Jane said.

‘It was only me. Tom had nothing to do with it.’

‘I take it Tom is Thomas Durham?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Were you at Tom’s house on Tuesday afternoon?’

‘Yes. I was fixing the wall in his wine cellar.’

‘Where was Tom?’

‘He got fed up with the banging as I knocked some of the bricks out. He said he was going to Nick’s house for some peace and quiet and took Bella with him.’

‘Is that the truth or are you just trying to protect Tom?’

‘I swear it’s the truth.’

‘Tell me about Becky Rogers.’

‘I was in the kitchen making a coffee when I heard a knock at the door. I opened it and this young girl was there. I said, “Can I help you?” and she just walked in. I didn’t have clue who she was. At first, I thought she might be the daughter of one of the residents and wanted to speak with Tom. I asked her who she was. She said she was a reporter, her name was Becky and she’d like to speak to me about the sale of the convent and the coffin that was found on the building site.’

‘Did you know she was the reporter who wrote the article in the News Shopper about the discovery of the coffin?’

‘No. Tom told me about it, but I never read it. I told her I wasn’t Mr Durham, and he was out for the afternoon, but she didn’t believe me. She wagged her finger at me, then said, “Good try, Mr Durham, but I don’t give in that easily.” I told her again I wasn’t him, just a friend of his.’

‘What happened next?’ she asked.

‘She said she’d like to see the crypt because she thought that might be how the coffin was moved to the building site. I asked her to leave, or I’d call the police. She looked around the room and saw the stairwell, then just started towards it. I got annoyed and shouted at her to leave. She just ignored me. I shouted at her again, but she just wouldn’t listen. She was a couple of steps down when, when I... Oh God, please forgive me...’ Lee started to tremble, his breathing became erratic and he put his face in his hands.

Boon looked at Jane, worried that Lee was about to go the same way as Thomas Durham.

‘I know it’s hard for you, Lee, but I need you to tell us what happened,’ she said.

He blew his nose and looked at Jane. ‘I grabbed her coat... I was only going to escort her out of the house. She spun round and knocked my hand away... then she lost her balance. She started to fall backwards... it was like everything was in slow motion... there was a look of panic in her eyes... she was waving her arms around to try and stay up. I tried to grab her coat to stop her falling but I didn’t get a proper hold. She slipped away from me... the next thing I knew she was rolling over and over down the stairs. I froze in panic, then heard the thud as she landed at the bottom. I went down. She was just lying there... then I saw the blood trickling across the floor by her head. I knelt down and spoke to her, but she didn’t move or say anything. I knew then she was dead.’

Jane got him another glass of water and gave him time to compose himself before continuing. Lee’s account of what had happened was plausible but he could just as easily have lost his temper and pushed Becky down the stairs.

‘You said a minute ago you knew Becky was dead. How did you know that?’ Jane asked.

‘She wasn’t moving.’

‘Did you check if she had a pulse?’

‘No. I couldn’t bring myself to touch her at that point.’

‘What did you do when you thought Becky was dead?’ Jane asked.

‘I panicked. I thought I’d be blamed for what had happened. I was worried about Tom coming home and his heart condition if he saw a dead body in his house.’

‘What did you do with Becky’s body?’

‘Tom uses part of the crypt as a storeroom. I got an old suitcase from there and put her in it, then I put the suitcase in the boot of her car.’

‘How did you know which car was hers?’ Jane asked.

‘I took the key out of her coat pocket; it was on a key ring with a miniature 2CV on it.’

‘What did you do with her body and the car?’

‘I waited until it was dark and drove it down to the lake by the woods. I took the handbrake off and pushed the car down the slope into the water.’

‘I thought you were worried about Tom coming home.’

‘I was, but I phoned him at Nick’s. I said I’d nearly finished the wall and asked what time he’d be home. He said he was going to have some supper with Nick so he wouldn’t be back until late.’

‘We found a bleach bottle in one of the outside bins. Did you use it to clean up?’

‘I used a towel first to clean up the blood on the floor, then put it in the case and took it out to the car. When I came back, I used the bleach and some toilet roll to make sure there was no blood left. I flushed it down the toilet and put the bleach bottle in the outside bin.’

‘OK, I need to ask you a few questions about your relationship with Tom.’

Lee nodded.

‘When we first met, I asked you who the man with the dog was. You said you didn’t know him, and then Thomas Durham never mentioned he owned the convent and land. Was there something you were hiding from us?’

‘Tom was mad at me about the discovery of the coffin.’

‘Why was that?’

‘When Tom first bought the property, the chapel and the land it had been deconsecrated so he was OK to start the renovation work. He was exploring the crypt and found the coffin hidden under a tarpaulin with some other old rubbish right at the back. I helped him drag it out to the stairwell area. We suspected there was a body in it but we didn’t open it. Tom said his wife would be upset if she knew there was a dead body in the house and told me to bury it well away from the convent.’

‘Did Tom know he should have informed the diocese?’

‘We both did. Tom was worried the renovation work would have to stop and he’d need to get solicitors involved to apply for some petition thing... all of which would cost him more money.’

‘Why on earth did you bury the coffin on land you knew you were going to dig up?’ Boon asked.

‘I told a couple of labourers we’d been given permission by the bishop to bury the coffin down by the lake. I paid them to move it. The lazy beggars must have thought it was too far to carry and buried it near the burnt-out buildings.’

‘What were their names?’

‘I can’t remember now. I think one was called Jordan.’

‘Why didn’t you rebury it when you dug it up last week?’ Jane asked.

‘Because Dermot phoned the police while I went to tell Tom about it.’

‘Why the big pretence you didn’t know each other?’

‘Because we didn’t want anyone to find out what we’d done with the coffin. We were also worried it might affect the current building work and we’d lose thousands.’

‘You’re a pair of idiots. If you’d just told us the truth about the coffin none of this would have happened,’ Jane said.

Lee sighed. ‘I know.’

Jane decided it was time to ask Lee some crucial questions about Becky’s death.

‘You said earlier you were angry with Becky because she wouldn’t leave when asked.’