Stalker

Chapter Thirteen

‘There he is,’ Mr Khumalo said, pointing to the monitor on the wall in their hall. ‘So much for the additional security cameras!’

DC Beth Mayes and her colleague Matt Davis watched as the figure in black moved effortlessly down the garden, across the patio, then up the drainpipe and in through the back bedroom window. ‘No hesitation or looking around,’ Matt said. ‘He seems to know the layout very well.’ They fell silent as a minute later the figure re-emerged from the window and fled.

‘And you’ve no idea who it could be from his build?’ Beth asked Mr Khumalo. ‘He’s caught in the floodlight for a few seconds.’

‘None at all,’ he replied.

‘And you’re sure he didn’t take anything?’ Matt asked. ‘Not that he was in the house very long.’

‘We’re sure. We’ve had a good look around. It seems he placed the voodoo doll on my son’s bed and left.’ The macabre doll had been bagged by forensics. It was about eight inches tall and crudely made out of rough fabric, with buttons for its eyes and a large hatpin stuck through its chest.

‘We’ll need a copy of the footage from the cameras,’ Beth said. ‘The security firm can advise you how to download it if you’re not sure.’

‘I’ll see to it later,’ Mr Khumalo said with a slightly dismissive nod. He returned the monitor to real time and led the way into the living room where he waved for them to sit down.

‘Given the intruder appears to be very familiar with the layout of your property,’ Beth said, ‘I’d also like a list of all the trades people who have worked here over the last six months. Including window cleaners, electricians, gardeners and so on. Anyone who has had access to the property.’

‘Yes of course, I’ll ask my wife to make a list when she returns from taking the children to school. She will have a better idea of who has been here during the day as she takes care of the running of the house.’

‘Thank you,’ Beth said. She and Matt had spoken to Mrs Khumalo and the children before they’d left for school, but none of them had seen or heard anything beyond what had already been reported: that their six-year-old son had woken in the morning to find the sinister voodoo doll on his bed.

‘What about business associates?’ Matt asked. ‘You said you feel this was aimed at you rather than your son, so who could have a grudge against you strong enough to do this?’

‘I’ve no idea.’ He shrugged. ‘Most of my business is in Africa but the type of people I deal with wouldn’t engage in a silly prank like this. If they were upset with me they’d tell me to my face or if they were very upset I would just disappear.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘I doubt they’d go to the trouble of playing with dolls.’

‘You’re taking this very well,’ Beth said. ‘It was a grizzly discovery for a child to make. It spooked me when I saw the doll, and the fact someone had been in his room while he slept.’

‘My wife was more upset than my son,’ he said. ‘She can be a bit superstitious but we’re Christians and we’re educated people. The power of the voodoo doll cannot touch us here. Such nonsense belongs to ancient tribal Africa, although there are still plenty in the villages who believe in its power today. I am more concerned that someone managed to infiltrate my home so easily. I want that person caught and punished – whatever his motive.’

‘As do we,’ Matt said.

‘The phone message you were sent alerting you to the break-in,’ Beth asked. ‘Could we listen to it, please?’

‘Certainly.’ Through the massive sliding patio doors of the living room, forensics in their white disposable Tyvek suits could be seen working beside the conservatory, having finished upstairs. Mr Khumalo retrieved his phone from the coffee table and put the phone on speaker. A digital voice came through: ‘This is a security alert from your surveillance company. Check your monitor, windows and doors immediately. There may be an intruder on the premises. If you see anything suspicious call the police. Do not ignore this message.’

‘And you didn’t listen to the message until this morning?’ Beth confirmed.

‘That’s correct. I always put my phone on silent at night. I was just checking it this morning when my son ran into our bedroom carrying the doll. I rushed into his room and saw the open bedroom window. I checked my other children were all right and dialled 999. I am just pleased that my family is safe. We could have been murdered in our beds. I’m very angry that the security firm did not properly protect us. I shall be speaking to them later in no uncertain terms.’

‘And the message was sent because?’ Beth asked, continuing her train of thought.

‘Because we were broken into,’ Mr Khumalo said a little disparagingly.

‘I mean what triggered it?’ she said. ‘It’s an automated message from the sound of it so what alerted the system that something was wrong here?’

Mr Khumalo paused to consider this. ‘I’ve no idea. You’d have to ask the firm how it works.’

‘And they are?’ Beth asked.

‘Home Security. A man called Derek Flint runs the outfit.’

‘So you don’t have any pressure-activated pads under the windows that could have alerted the system?’ Matt asked.

‘No,’ Mr Khumalo replied. ‘It wasn’t mentioned when I discussed with the firm what was needed, and to be honest I doubt I would have thought it necessary upstairs anyway. We have the cameras running the whole time downstairs, and the intruder alarm is on throughout the house when we’re all out, but on just downstairs at night. Otherwise every time one of us used the bathroom the alarm would go off.’

Matt nodded. ‘I understand.’

Mr Khumalo glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. ‘I’m sorry, but I have a telephone conference call booked in ten minutes.’

‘We’ve finished,’ Beth said. ‘But forensics will be here for a while yet.’

‘That’s not a problem. My wife will be back soon.’

‘Here’s my business card,’ Beth said, handing it to him. ‘We’ll be in touch, but if you think of anything in the meantime then please phone us. I know you said you’re certain it’s not someone you know but please give it some more thought. It’s the most likely outcome. Be assured we will do everything we can to catch the person, and I would recommend reviewing your security.’

‘I intend doing so,’ he said bluntly. ‘But it won’t be with the same firm. Not after this.’

‘No, quite,’ Matt agreed. They stood and Mr Khumalo saw them out.

‘Of course it’s someone he knows,’ Matt said as they returned to their unmarked police car. ‘How many criminals do you know who specialize in breaking and entering to leave a voodoo doll on a child’s bed and the jewellery untouched? It’s ridiculous.’

Beth nodded. ‘Do you think he already knows who it could be?’

‘I’m sure he’s got his suspicions. And I wouldn’t mind betting he gets to them before we do. I just hope it’s not on our shift.’

They were in the car now; Beth was in the driver’s seat but she’d made no attempt to start the engine. ‘Perhaps forensics will come up with something. The doll was obviously handmade so hopefully it will contain the offender’s DNA, which, with a bit of luck, will match someone on our database.’

‘And the tooth fairy and Santa Claus are real,’ Matt said cynically, fastening his seatbelt.

Beth laughed. She liked working with Matt, liked his sense of humour and ready wit. He could be serious when he wanted to be, and they made a good team, bouncing ideas off each other, although he’d be the first to admit that she was better at PR. It’s because you’re a woman, he joked. It’s because you open your mouth before your brain is engaged, she’d retaliated. Matt had a tendency to say the first thing that came into his head, which often made him sound tactless and uncaring, which he wasn’t.

Beth still hadn’t started the engine but was gazing past him to the Khumalos’ splendid house and the alarm box mounted high on the front wall, just below the eaves.

‘Matt, you remember that newsagents I went to that had been broken into a second time?’

‘Yes, you mean the one you spent hours looking at the CCTV footage to see if you could add it to your string theory, then had to admit there wasn’t a link at all?’

‘I was trying to establish if it was the same intruder,’ she corrected, aware he was joking. ‘Probably just coincidence but the newsagents and the Khumalos use the same security firm – Home Security. I know it’s a long shot but I wonder if it might be worth seeing if it was the same engineer who fitted the cameras on both premises?’

‘Long shot! More like a flight of fantasy!’ Matt laughed. ‘What about the more obvious explanation that the security firm is crap. Mr Khumalo didn’t seem too impressed. But I’m game if you want to go. It’ll be a bit of light relief before I go back to my desk and follow up some real leads.’

She smiled and started the engine. ‘So make yourself useful and find out where Home Security is based, and we’ll pay them a surprise visit.’