Stalker

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The door opened to the length of the security chain and Mrs Flint peered through the gap.

‘DC Beth Mayes and Matt Davis,’ Beth said, flashing her identify card. ‘We visited you before.’

‘I remember,’ she said, but didn’t open the door further.

‘You’ve reported Derek missing. Can we come in?’ Beth asked.

‘I got into trouble the last time I let you in.’

Matt sighed. ‘Mrs Flint, Derek has jumped bail. We can talk inside or at the police station.’

‘We want to help him,’ Beth added, trying to be more conciliatory.

‘I don’t know where he can be,’ she said her voice breaking. Unhooking the chain, she let them in.

‘We’ll take some details and start looking for him straightaway,’ Beth said. They followed her into the living room, gloomy and chilly even on a fine day. ‘Can we sit down?’

She nodded to the sofa, and, having taken a tissue from her sleeve, dabbed her nose and sat in her armchair.

‘When did you last see Derek?’ Beth asked, as Matt took out a notepad and pen.

‘On the morning I went to stay at my sister’s.’

‘And when was that?’

‘Five days ago, I think; yes. When I got back I thought he must be out for the day. Then I thought he could be with his girlfriend.’

‘Does he have one?’ Matt asked, pausing from writing and unable to hide his surprise.

‘I don’t know. It was just one of the reasons I thought for him not being here.’

‘Has he ever said he had a girlfriend?’ Beth asked. The girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s home was always the first place they looked for a missing person.

‘No.’

‘He’s never brought her home?’ Beth asked.

‘Good gracious no.’

‘What about talking to her on the phone? Have you heard him speak to her?’

She shook her head.

‘So a girlfriend is just something you surmised?’ Matt asked. Mrs Flint looked confused.

‘You wondered if Derek might have a girlfriend because he wasn’t here, but he’s never talked about her so you don’t know for sure?’ Beth clarified.

‘That’s right.’

Matt didn’t comment but continued to write.

‘Are any of Derek’s clothes missing?’ Beth asked, going through a mental check list of questions to ask in a missing person enquiry.

‘Only what he was wearing.’

‘Which was?’ she prompted.

‘Grey trousers and a navy shirt and jumper. Same as usual.’

‘Was he wearing a jacket?’

‘I don’t know, I wasn’t here when he left.’

‘Is there one missing from his wardrobe, do you know?’ Beth asked.

‘No, but his navy zip-up jacket isn’t on the hall stand where he keeps it so he must have it with him. His suitcase is still here though.’

‘What about his passport?’ Beth asked. ‘Do you know if that’s still here?’

‘He doesn’t have a passport. We don’t go abroad, and he’d tell me if he was going away.’ Her face clouded. ‘But there’s none of his washing in the laundry basket; that’s why I know he hasn’t been here.’

‘I see,’ Beth said. ‘Try not to worry, I’m sure he’s fine.’ Given that Derek was on bail it was most likely he’d done a runner rather than coming to any harm.

‘I’ve been phoning his mobile but it’s always turned off,’ she said, wiping her nose again.

‘It would be,’ Beth said. ‘We still have it at the police station, together with all the other things we took from here. When Derek returns he can collect his van, motorbike and office keys from us. We’ve finished with them.’

‘So you think he’ll come back?’ Mrs Flint asked, brightening a little.

Beth nodded positively. ‘Once his details are circulated I’m sure someone will spot him.’ She omitted to say that when Derek was found, having jumped bail, he’d be taken straight into custody.

‘I do hope so. I’m worried, I miss him.’

Beth smiled reassuringly. ‘Is there anything else that makes you think he hasn’t been back here while you’ve been at your sister’s?’ she asked, aware that absconders often returned home for food and clothing as they had nowhere else to go.

‘He only had one meal, bacon and eggs. I know by the dirty plate and what’s missing from the fridge. Derek has a good appetite and likes his food.’ Her face clouded again. ‘And one of my neighbours said she hasn’t seen any lights on. She thought it was strange. Since all the trouble with his computer, and you lot and the press being here, the neighbours don’t miss a thing.’

‘One advantage of nosy neighbours then,’ Matt put in. Beth threw him a warning glance.

‘Is his wallet here?’ Beth asked.

‘It’s not on the hall table where he usually leaves it so he must have it with him.’

‘What about his front door keys?’

‘He must have those too. When I came back from my sister’s I found the mail on the floor from all the time I’d been away, so I know for sure he hasn’t been back or he would have picked it up.’

‘OK, thank you.’ It was looking increasingly likely that Derek had been missing for the whole period. ‘We’ll check his bank account, but do you know how much he had with him? Roughly.’

‘No.’

‘Credit cards?’

‘I think he has one, he keeps it in his wallet. Why? Is it important? He can’t spend money if he’s had an accident.’

‘The hospitals will be checked when his details are circulated. But you can’t think of anywhere he might have gone? A relative or friend?’

‘No. Our only relative is my sister and he’s not there.’

‘His father?’

‘No.’ Elsie turned her nose up. ‘There’s been nothing from him since he left when Derek was a teenager.’

Beth nodded. ‘Are his motorbike leathers here?’ she asked. If they weren’t it was a possibility he’d bought himself a new motorbike to make his escape.

‘I think they’re still in his wardrobe but I’d need to check.’

‘We’ll come with you,’ Beth said. ‘We’ll need to see his room and check the rest of the house.’

‘Why?’ She stood.

‘It’s standard procedure in a missing person. Shall we start down here?’

‘If you like.’

She went with them into the kitchen-cum-dining room, and then unlocked the door to the integral garage for them to go in. She watched them carefully, making sure they didn’t touch anything as they looked around; there was nothing that should interest them in here.

‘Thank you,’ Beth said as they came out, and closed the door behind them. She and Matt then waited while Mrs Flint relocked the door, then followed her upstairs.

‘I’m not really supposed to let you in here without a search warrant,’ she said, reluctantly opening the door to Derek’s bedroom.

‘It’s different for a missing person,’ Matt said.

Beth went in first and immediately spotted the laptop and phone lying on the workstation.

‘When did he buy these?’ she asked, going over and lifting the lid on the laptop.

Mrs Flint shrugged. ‘I don’t know. After I went to stay with my sister. I didn’t see them before.’

The laptop had been left in sleep mode and came back to life now the lid had been lifted. Beth watched as the screen saver loaded, while behind her Matt opened the wardrobe doors. ‘His motorbike leathers are here,’ he said, checking through the rail of clothes.

‘I told you,’ Mrs Flint said. ‘Derek hasn’t taken any clothes, only what he was wearing.’

Matt checked the rest of the wardrobe for anything that might help and then looked in the drawers that had been left unlocked, and under the bed.

‘It all pretty much as we left it after the warrant search,’ he said to Beth, joining her at the laptop. Software icons now filled its screen. ‘Looks like he’s been pretty busy.’

‘We’ll take this and these two portable hard drives, Mrs Flint,’ Beth said, closing the lid.

‘We’ll take the phone too,’ Matt said, picking it up. ‘It’s brand new, not even out of its box.’

‘Derek will be annoyed if he comes back and finds all that gone.’

‘It might help trace him,’ Matt said. ‘We’ll send you a receipt.’

There was nothing else of interest in the room and Beth began towards the door. ‘We’ll have a look around the rest of the upstairs, and leave you in peace.’

Mrs Flint followed them out, and waited on the landing as they went in and out of the other two bedrooms and the bathroom. ‘I take it you didn’t find anything,’ she said.

‘Nothing that will help,’ Matt replied, then stood aside to allow her to go downstairs first.

‘Now what happens?’ she asked as they arrived at the foot of the stairs.

‘We’ll circulate Derek’s details and keep you informed,’ Beth said. ‘Obviously if he does contact you please let us know immediately. One last thing: did Derek ever talk about the apprentices he employed?’

‘Not really; he moaned about them sometimes not doing their jobs, but he never discussed his work with me. It was confidential, all those CCTV cameras in people’s homes.’

‘Yes, quite,’ Beth said. ‘Does the name Paul Mellows mean anything to you?’

‘I think he might have been one of his apprentices but I couldn’t be sure.’

‘So Derek never brought him or any of the other apprentices home?’ Matt asked.

‘No, of course not. Derek keeps his work completely separate from his private life. Why should he bring them here?’

‘No reason,’ Matt said.

‘OK, thank you,’ Beth said, and opened the front door.

‘What do you think has happened to him?’ Mrs Flint now asked anxiously, her brow creasing.

‘I’m sure he’s fine,’ Beth said. ‘Try not to worry. We’ll do everything we can to find him.’

As soon as they were outside, the door was shut and locked behind them.

‘You have to feel sorry for her,’ Beth said as they returned to the car. ‘As far as she’s concerned, Derek’s a missing person. It’s never occurred to her he’s jumped bail and done a runner.’

‘But is she telling the truth about when he left and not knowing where he is?’ Matt said.

‘I think so, or she wouldn’t have reported him missing, would she? Unless it’s a smoke screen. But it’s odd he left his new phone behind and his laptop on standby. It’s as though he just popped out and planned on returning later.’

‘Perhaps Paul Mellows can shed some light on that?’