Shauna’s phone was active until it ran out of battery on Saturday afternoon. It was turned back on about 10.30 pm, by which time it was in Ecclesall Woods and stayed there overnight. The police really wanted it, but it had not been found within the vicinity of the body, so either Shauna had lost it while on the move towards the spot where she died, or her killer had thrown it away. Cell site analysis hadn’t been able to precisely pinpoint its last-known location; the target area was a circle some eighty metres across, and that was a lot of woods in which to lose such a small item.

  As well as the phone, Liz’s team was busy looking for more witnesses, more CCTV, more biological evidence, and they were eagerly awaiting the results of a post mortem, which had unfortunately been prioritised behind a double gangland murder in Doncaster last night. There was a lot to do to clear Kevin Campbell and a vast amount more if they wanted to charge Jared Lawton and India Jackson with murder. But Liz put all of the above out of her mind. No matter how damning the case against the teenagers, it meant nothing if the pair weren’t in custody.

  So her sole focus: arrest them.

  *

  Firbank College was just two miles northeast of the crime scene, in Nether Edge, across the road from the Marzhin Theatre. The theatre had a front car park, perfect for officers to sit in unmarked police vehicles and watch the main entrance of the college across the road. More police were watching a second entrance on another street. Liz and Boeson were in his car.

  India’s car was a blue Kia Venga, and it arrived fifteen minutes before her class was to start. There was no parking area for the college and police correctly surmised that India might leave her vehicle in the theatre car park. This was a perfect spot for the arrest because it was surrounded by a low wall and had just a single entrance/exit; after India’s vehicle entered, a van belonging to the police left its space and blocked this sole escape route.

  The plan had been for police vehicles to box in the car and use another to block the walled car park’s sole entrance/exit. India’s class was two hours and it was likely that Jared wouldn’t want to sit in a car park for that length of time; he might drive away and return for India afterwards. But when the Kia surprisingly pulled up alongside Boeson’s car, Liz delayed that order. She spoke into her radio while keeping it out of sight.

  ‘Problem?’ Boeson said.

  ‘Let’s just watch a second.’

  India sat just three feet away and Liz made no effort to hide a blatant stare, although India didn’t notice the scrutiny. The young woman was very pale and had black hair and black lipstick and wore a lacy black bodice. As Liz watched, the teenager used a wet wipe to erase the lipstick and black eye shadow. Clearly she liked to hide her vampiric appearance from her college friends and tutors.

  And in the front passenger seat was their main target, Jared. Black curly hair in a short ponytail, stark white skin, also black lipstick. He wore a red shirt under a Victorian-style dark blue waistcoat. He carried an ornate wooden cane. On any other day, the pair’s appearance might elicit a giggle. But Liz saw only dangerous possible murderers.

  Jared looked at India, but caught sight of Liz’s staring eyes just beyond her. He made a point of glaring right back. Liz held her ground. It was then that Jared gave a big grin to show off fake vampire teeth. He clearly expected to shock the middle-aged woman who found his appearance for bizarre. He was wrong. Liz just stared.

  Jared tapped India on the arm and pointed. Now aware of Liz, India put her window down. Liz mirrored the manoeuvre.

  ‘You got a problem, love, or do you want one?’ India said.

  ‘I do indeed have a problem,’ Liz replied. ‘But you two are about to help me solve it. Take them.’

  ‘Take what, you old bag?’ Jared said. He was unaware that Liz’s final two words had not been directed at him; she had pushed the talk button on her radio a moment before uttering them.

  *

  When her shift finished at 9pm, Liz drove by DCI Bates’ house to have a chat. His wife was entertaining friends in the living room and he was happy with the distraction. They talked in the back yard, where he was working on a wooden sculpture. She hoped he didn’t ask what she thought his creation was meant to depict, because she had no clue. A skyscraper? A rocket?

  Bates knew Jared had just had his first interview and had replied ‘no comment’ to all questions. The only thing he’d said, right at the outset and before the interview started, was to ask if Liz or her colleague had heard of a man called Layton Faddes. No one had, and Jared had clammed up afterwards, refusing even to elaborate upon who this Layton Faddes was.

  Bates had called Liz to his home for an update on her investigation. Liz explained that they had phones from the Mariner boys and India, which were at the digital lab, but hadn’t found Jared’s device yet. India had had her first interview and confirmed what the twins had said: Jared had killed Shauna Campbell in the woods and had video of his meeting with her, although India had not viewed this footage. She also admitted that the quartet drank from a bowl containing her blood.

  India had also been asked about a brand spotted upon her shoulder when police took her clothing. Jared and the Mariner twins had similar. The mark was two inches in length and looked like a T with a circle atop.

  ‘The ankh symbol?’ Bates said. ‘Same as on the victim? So hers was a brand, too?’

  ‘The pathologist originally said the mark looked carved into Shauna’s flesh, but decomposition threw him off. We’re still waiting on the post-mortem to confirm if the symbol was branded onto her flesh.’

  When India had been asked if she believed Jared was an ancient vampire called Arcadia, she’d laughed. ‘I’m not even sure Jared himself believes that shit.’

  ‘But what about the Golden Circle?’ the interviewing detective had asked. ‘Isn’t he the leader of that?’

  That had gotten another laugh from India. The Golden Circle, she’d explained, consisted of just herself and Jared and a pair of acolytes. There was no group of vampires spread across the country, and there had been no meetings held, or blood sacrifices.

  ‘Jared’s only ever been out of the city on a few family holidays years ago. It’s all bullshit so he can impress Roger and Laurie Mariner. Those boys are just big brutes with small brains. Brain damage or something. They believe anything he says, and they’re in awe of him because they think he’s a real vampire in charge of hundreds of others. If the twins told you about a recent murder in London, well, that was bullshit, too. I mean, the murder happened, but Jared had nothing to do with it. He read about it in the papers.’

  ‘You claim Jared is somewhat playing the role of a vampire. But what about you? Do you think you’re a vampire?’

  ‘Get real,’ India had snapped. ‘I’m a Black Swan.’

  She’d explained that a Black Swan was a vampire lover. But to her it was a performance, that was all. She loved Jared for his quirks and enjoyed his portrayal of a vampire, and she was a fan of the occult and the costumes. But it was all a fad. One day she’d go to university and grow out of it and end their relationship. Until then she’d continue to be Jared’s Black Swan and a part of the Golden Circle because it beat being just another brick in the wall. But if she ever thought Jared’s delusion was getting out of hand, she’d cut him loose.

  ‘Out of hand?’ the interviewer had said. ‘Jared killed a woman. And you call this a fad? It’s not chasing boy bands. You drank a murdered woman’s blood.’

  India had shrugged at this. ‘Just part of the act, the game, the life. But the blood tasted foul, you know. I’m a method actor, not a monster.’

  *

  Jared had been upset that his vampire outfit had been taken away by police for analysis – nothing to do with fearing evidence would be found, only that he felt naked without it. He’d also had to give up the retainer that he’d transformed into vampire fangs. The white face, black hair, black lipstick and pink contact lenses remained.

  Before his second interview, the next morning, Liz poked her head into his cell. She’d seen him slouching through the hatch, but by the time the door was open, Jared had sat up ruler-straight, crossed his legs and laid his hands upon his knees, as if meditating.

  ‘Layton Faddes,’ Liz said. ‘I had to look him up. Found his name low down on page three of Google. Some guy who killed a kid in Washington, USA, fifteen years ago. That the guy you meant?’

  That got Jared’s attention. ‘That’s all it said. Do you know what he is?’

  ‘There wasn’t much on him.’

  ‘But it mentioned what he was? He was big news.’

  ‘Maybe once. I just got the impression he was some criminal spending the rest of his life in some prison.’

  Jared didn’t respond to that and Liz left him looking unhappy. A few minutes later, he asked to see the duty solicitor. Liz arranged it. Jared then wanted to use the bathroom, and she arranged that, too.

  He emerged with untreated skin and loose hair parted in the middle, and blue eyes. He now looked like a normal teenager, and far from a killer. Was that his intention, or in such a place did he feel embarrassed by his vampire look? She hoped he had also chosen to waive his right to silence.

  Overnight more evidence had been obtained and Liz, eager to be the one to hit Jared with it, had requested to head up the second interview. They had full statements from India and the Mariner twins. There was CCTV that showed Jared leaving his home on Whirlowdale Road around 10.17pm the day Shauna vanished, carrying his ornate cane - that cane’s rubber end had blood on it that matched Shauna’s. There were footprints near the body that matched his long black boots. In The Haven, forensic examiners had found Shauna’s rounded-toe high heels in a box, with Jared’s fingerprints on them.

  But, best of all, they’d found a small piece of iron upon a stick. An ankh symbol, used for branding. It had remnants of skin upon it, which Liz suspected DNA would link to Shauna.

  Liz had been up for most of the night studying this evidence as it came in and preparing an interview strategy. But the plan fell away the moment the interview began. Jared’s solicitor announced that he had something for the detectives. Liz expected a prepared statement that would attempt to admit this and that but absolve Jared of blame for murder.

  But that wasn’t what the solicitor handed over. He had a mobile phone in a bag. Jared’s, which he’d hidden in his back garden because of what it contained.

  Video footage of Shauna.

  *

  Ten hours later, Liz called Kevin Campbell. She told him she had news. She had a suspect. She had a confession. She had an answer to his complaint. She wanted to see him in person. She would send a car to bring him to the station.

  When Kevin arrived, he was escorted to one of the interview rooms and left alone. Liz and another officer arrived ten minutes later.

  ‘I apologise for doing this here. The family rooms are all occupied.’

  ‘No problem. So what’s happened? What have you got?’

  She and the other officer sat and she fiddled with the recording device. ‘You mind if I tape this interview?’

  ‘No. Look don’t keep me on edge. What have you got?’

  ‘First, I can tell you exactly why the officer sent to see you didn’t file a missing person’s report. I have to admit he did indeed fob you off, as you claimed. He admitted it. In short, he has a daughter about Shauna’s age. She often leaves the house, ignores her phone, doesn’t return for days. It drives him mad. When he heard about Shauna and her habit of similar behaviour, he figured you were worrying about nothing.’

  ‘I seem to remember him mentioning a daughter. So what? Does every young woman who goes missing turn up fine? Zero percent of them across history turned up dead? Was Shauna the only one ever to get murdered?’

  ‘No, of course not. And I don’t excuse the officer’s flippant attitude. He’ll be reprimanded. I’m just conveying his reason. He said to you something to the effect of “We’ll do a missing persons report if you want to”. And when you didn’t confirm this action, he saw fit to take this as a no. He admits that was a little sly, a trick almost. He said he was blinded by his own daughter’s habits and believed Shauna would turn up fine. He’s very sorry. And so am I.’

  Kevin wasn’t impressed. ‘Sorry? Does that help? Shauna’s dead.’

  ‘Shauna was already dead by the time that officer met you.’

  Kevin shook his head, the anger clear on his face. ‘As long as the guy loses his job for this. So let’s move on. You said you’ve got a suspect. A confession.’

  He hadn’t been told of Jared’s arrest yesterday, so she gave an overview of the wannabe vampire.

  ‘And this is the guy who killed her and had her phone?’

  ‘He told us where the device was dumped and we now have it. Jared said he was standing over Shauna’s body when that phone rang, and so he picked it up.’

  Kevin almost spat. ‘That bastard. So you’ve charged him with murder?’

  ‘It is correct that he is facing charges.’

  Kevin stood up. ‘That’s good to know, detective. But that’s all I want to know. I don’t want to hear anymore stupid vampire stuff. I just want to get on with arranging Shauna’s funeral.’

  ‘Of course. But I do need to clarify a few things with you, if you don’t mind. Take a seat?’

  Kevin paused for a moment before sitting again.

  Liz said, ‘A couple of things I don’t quite understand. You went to the party to see if Shauna was there. When you heard she wasn’t, that she’d changed the plan and lied to you, why didn’t you call her right then?’

  ‘Like I said before, I can be a bit paranoid about her wanting to cheat. I think she wanted to hide where she was going because she thought I’d be upset. I didn’t want her to worry about that and to just enjoy the night out, so I didn’t want to mention it. I thought I’d maybe bring it up the next morning. And then there’s her phone. It was low on battery and she’d left it turned off when she went out. Remember?’

  ‘I recall you said that. Why did you sit outside the party for almost an hour before going to the window?’

  ‘I didn’t want to come across as controlling. I was waiting to see if she came out, see if she was with any other men.’

  ‘That’s why you honked your horn when you arrived about 10pm?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You honked, they looked, and they knew you were outside at 10. Then you went to the window about 11pm.’

  ‘Yeah. I hadn’t seen Shauna come out for a cig with the others. I wanted to look inside. I told you this.’

  ‘And you were seen. So the witnesses at the party knew you were outside at 10, and outside at 11. He was there for an hour, they’d say. During which time Shauna’s phone turned on in Ecclesall Woods. But we found some CCTV from a shop at the end of that street. It shows your car leaving about 10.10pm, not long after you honked your horn. You left the street and returned to Abbeydale Road South, and returned to the same parking spot forty minutes later.’

  Kevin paused. ‘Yeah, I went for cigarettes. Didn’t I tell you that?’

  ‘No. No, you didn’t tell us that during the time Shauna’s phone was turned on in the woods, you weren’t where you’d claimed to be. But your phone didn’t leave the street. It stayed there for the full hour.’

  ‘Well, that will be some kind of cell tower error.’

  ‘Okay. But now let’s look at another piece of cell tower information. Or rather, Wi-fi. Your phone connected to Wi-Fi at The Wagons pub at 7.11pm on that Saturday.’

  ‘Yeah, it auto connects. That’s from when I drove into the car park. I dropped of the cellar key, remember?’

  ‘Yes. The landlord needed that key. The wi-fi disconnected at 7.54, so your phone was connected for forty-four minutes.’

  ‘While I was having sex with Shauna. I told you that. I told you all of this.’

  ‘You did,’ Liz said. ‘Sex in the car park. The thing is the landlord had been waiting for that cellar key. He had empty barrels to move. And he moved them to the compound round back beside the car park at about 7.30. The car park he swears he didn’t see your car in.’

  ‘I was there. He just didn’t see. Like you said, my phone was connected to the wi-fi until close to 8pm.’

  ‘Just as your phone was shown to be outside a house party, even though you admit leaving the area. I think you left your phone outside that party house because you knew it would look as if you’d stayed there. I think you drove away from that pub and left your phone in that pub car park to make it look as if you were still there.’

  ‘What?’ Kevin snapped. He stood, but the officer with Liz ordered him to sit again. Once more at eye-level with Liz, he said, ‘I don’t know what to say to that. It sounds like you’re accusing me of lying? Surely you people can’t think I killed Shauna. That I planned it.’

  Liz nodded. ‘I think you killed Shauna and you planned it.’

  *

  ‘According to what she told her workmates,’ Liz continued, ‘you almost never pick Shauna up and you never give her a lift anywhere. Yet you did on that Saturday she vanished. I think you offered to drop her off because you planned to kill her. I think you went early under the pretence of dropping off the key you’d intentionally taken home from work the night before. You wanted to be seen. You wanted to have your phone make it appear as if you’d spent almost three-quarters of an hour in the car park.

 

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