away for a while.’
‘How do you guys know each other?’ Imogen asked.
‘We work together.’
‘Fiona Merton said you worked together at your last place of employment, too. Is that where you met?’
‘Yes,’ Leon said, shifting his gaze uncomfortably.
‘And where was that?’
‘Corrigan Construction. In Exeter,’ he said quietly, as though he didn’t want to say the words.
The name was familiar. Corrigan was one of the larger construction companies in the town and their vans were everywhere. They handled a lot of the redevelopments in the city and most of the roadworks. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the construction company was in Exeter. Is this a lead?
‘DS Grey,’ Adrian said.
Imogen looked at him. He was holding the contents of the Jiffy bag: two spanking new passports sealed in a vacuum-packed bag. Even without opening them, Imogen knew it was possible one of the passports was Simon’s and the other belonged to Jane Doe; perhaps they were running away together, and from something, judging by what happened to them.
‘Did Simon have any enemies?’
‘No. Not really. Not before working there, anyway.’
What does that mean?
Imogen could sense by Leon’s increasingly agitated manner that they were skating closer to the real issue.
‘How come you both moved from Corrigan Construction? Did you get fired?’ Imogen said.
‘I had to move out of my flat and back in with my parents. My mum’s not been well and I needed a job closer to home, that was all. I was trying to help my parents out a bit. They need some building work doing around the place and I thought it best if I moved in here and did it,’ he said, scrambling for words.
Imogen wondered if any of them were true.
‘And Simon?’
‘I just told him there was a space for him if he wanted to move and he decided to take me up on it.’
Imogen exchanged a look with Adrian. It was clear to both of them that Leon was uncomfortable with this line of questioning. He had become evasive and couldn’t meet their gaze.
Adrian pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed Leon a photo of the Jane Doe they had found near the spot where Simon was discovered.
‘Do you know this woman?’ Adrian asked.
Imogen studied his face for a reaction. It was momentary, but it was there. He recognised her.
‘Sorry, no. I don’t know who she is.’
‘We are trying to locate this woman as we are concerned for her safety. Any information you can give us would be greatly appreciated.’
‘I wish I could help you, but I can’t.’ He stood and walked over to his kitchenette in the corner, flipping the switch on the kettle. ‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked.
‘It’s clear to me that you aren’t telling us something,’ Imogen said. ‘I don’t know what that is, Leon, but it’s going to come out. You could save us all a lot of time and energy if you just tell us what you know.’
‘I can’t,’ Leon said. ‘You don’t understand. You should just drop it and walk away.’
‘Are you scared of someone? Is that what this is?’ Adrian said.
‘I’ve told you everything I can. I’m sorry. I can’t say any more.’
‘Leon, what happened at Corrigan Construction? Why did you leave?’ Adrian said.
‘We just wanted a change,’ he said, leaning against the counter for support, a hint of desperation in his voice.
‘Come on, Leon. Tell the truth. We can take you down to the station and ask you questions there on tape, if you want. Or you can tell us right now what the issue was. Why did you leave Corrigan Construction? Did you have a problem with someone there?’ Imogen asked.
Leon took a deep breath, then another. He was considering his options. Whatever he wasn’t telling them was weighing on him. He went to speak more than once then thought better of it each time. His eyes were glassy and bright.
What wasn’t he telling them?
‘It was a nightmare,’ Leon said, tears falling.
‘In what way?’ Imogen said softly.
He was on the brink of telling them – all he needed was a little push.
Leon turned away from them, his eyes streaming. He wasn’t just crying, he was distraught.
‘Tell my parents I’m sorry,’ he said, his hands flat on the worktop as he breathed heavily.
A panic attack, Imogen suspected. She was no stranger to them.
Imogen saw the knife in his hand too late. She rushed forwards as he raised it in the air, but she couldn’t reach him in time. He plunged it into the centre of his chest and collapsed to the ground.
What the hell was going on?
Imogen was on the ground with him seconds later then she heard Adrian on the phone requesting an ambulance as she frantically clutched at his chest and tried to stop the blood from pouring out. He spasmed and struggled for a few seconds but no more than that. She felt his heart labour then stop. He was gone. The pained look on his face was also gone and she could see the peace wash over him.
Imogen’s hands were covered in blood and she didn’t know what to do. She looked up at Adrian, who was on the phone but staring at the body on the floor. What was it that Leon hadn’t wanted them to know? What was he afraid of? Who was he afraid of? For all the questions Leon had answered, with this latest action he had opened up a whole load more. Too stunned to think, Imogen sat back on her heels and just watched the red stain on Leon’s shirt get bigger. Who would answer their questions now?
‘What the hell happened?’ DCI Kapoor snapped at Adrian and Imogen as they sat in her office.
Imogen could see the dark line of blood under her fingernails. Even though she had scrubbed her hands, she could see it and feel it. She clenched her hands into fists and tried to forget what had just happened.
‘We were just talking and he … he just stabbed himself,’ Imogen said.
‘That’s highly unusual behaviour, isn’t it?’ DCI Kapoor seemed just as baffled as them.
‘Well, yes,’ Adrian said, nodding.
‘And
