back does it stretch? Sixty feet?’
‘Something like that,’ Alice sighed.
‘Is this your own work or do you have a gardener?’ Hazelton continued, pointing at the raised flowerbed that ran the length of the lawn on the left side.
‘A gardener tends to it once a week. I’m not green-fingered.’
‘Nor me,’ Hazelton smiled. ‘I live in a third-storey flat, and whenever my mum brings over a houseplant, it never lasts more than a month. Sometimes I don’t know why she bothers.’
‘Are you from Southampton?’
‘No, I’m based in Bournemouth, but the inquiry is being led by the Major Crimes Team here in Southampton, so a small group of us are here supporting.’ She paused. ‘It isn’t my place to say, but I’m sorry that the arrest was so public. Ordinarily, someone would have had a quiet word and been more discreet; I don’t know why DI Vernon made such a big fuss.’
Ben appeared in the kitchen, McTeal following behind, holding a large sealed bag and wearing blue protective gloves.
‘Did you get it?’ Hazelton asked him.
McTeal lifted the bag and nodded.
‘You won’t find anything on the clothes as they’ve been cleaned,’ Ben warned. ‘If I’d known I would need to prove my innocence, I would have left them unwashed.’
Hazelton approached him, meeting his stare. ‘That’s all right, Mr Goodman, you’d be surprised at how difficult it is to remove the telltale signs of blood. We’ll have our forensic specialists review the clothing and let you know the results. Of course, these could be key to ruling you out of our investigation. Let’s hope so, hey?’
‘They will,’ Ben replied curtly, before following them back to the front door and showing them out.
A long soak in the bathtub was exactly what Alice needed. Something DC Hazelton had said had stuck with her: what if it was her best friend who’d been brutally murdered? Wouldn’t she give anything to see the killer caught and punished? Would she really care how many innocent people were arrested along the way?
Ben had said he would phone the holiday and travel insurance companies and explain the situation, to see if anything could be done to reclaim any of the payment they’d made, but he hadn’t sounded hopeful as he’d reached for the phone.
As the temperature of the water cooled, Alice climbed out of the tub and returned to the bedroom, drying herself with a towel before dressing. Their bedroom faced out to the garden, but she’d closed the curtains when the bath had been filling. Heading to their shared wardrobe, she pulled out a fresh summer dress to wear, thinking they would just order takeaway from the local Chinese restaurant for dinner. They should have been at the airport getting ready to check-in now, and she wasn’t sure what food was in the house. Spotting Ben outside on the decking with a bottle of beer in his hand, she saw Dave nursing a bottle in a chair to his right.
‘Dave’s just come from the police station,’ Ben explained, as Alice joined them outside in the warmth. ‘Tell her what you told me.’
Dave put the bottle to his lips and took a long swig, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘The solicitor reckons they’re clutching at straws. They pulled Ben in on account of the DNA, but had it not been there they’d be clueless. They’ve put some hotshot detective inspector in charge; he’s the one who made the arrest. I overheard one of them say he’s made some promise to his boss that he’ll nail the killer within forty-eight hours, but they’re nowhere near.’
Alice still wasn’t happy that Ben’s DNA had been so readily available to the detective in charge, and she still didn’t really know what he’d been charged with the first time around. It wasn’t fair to put Dave in the awkward position of hearing her ask Ben now, but she would demand the truth as soon as Dave was gone.
‘I told them where the bar was, and how Abdul had arranged for us to be there,’ Dave continued. ‘Gave them the names of all those who were there and a detailed timeline of what we did and when. They’re planning to scour the area for signs of blood or a struggle or something. They’re hoping the incident might have been captured on CCTV, but I told them I don’t remember seeing much in the way of cameras where we were.’
‘I don’t understand why they can’t return Ben’s passport,’ Alice said.
‘I guess they have to rule him out completely before they can give it back. I only stopped by to see if there’s anything the two of you need,’ Dave said. ‘You know I’m there for you – both of you – and if there’s anything you want or need, please just let me know.’
‘Cheers, man,’ Ben said, shaking his hand. ‘Appreciate it. Can you send me over the copies of the pictures from that weekend? You know, the ones you shared with the police? I’ll forward them onto the solicitor.’
Dave pulled out his phone and began to tap at the screen.
‘Pictures?’ Alice asked. ‘Can I have a look?’
Dave fired a nervous glance at Ben.
‘It’s all right,’ Ben confirmed. ‘I’ve told Alice exactly what happened. She knows everything.’
Shrugging, Dave handed over the phone, opened on the photos app. Alice stared at the screen, an image of Ben and Dave looking worse for wear in the back of a taxi. The next three images were of the group of men laughing and messing about, empty shot glasses in the background. Then a picture of a woman in a miniskirt and black leather jacket appeared on the screen, and Alice nearly dropped the phone.
‘Is this her? Is this Kerry Valentine?’ Alice asked.
Dave nodded grimly. ‘It’s hard to imagine that only hours after this picture was taken, she was dead.’
Alice studied the photograph. Kerry Valentine was exactly as Ben had described: a petite blonde who looked like she should still be in college, though her face also bore the strain of someone who had suffered more than her fair share of knocks over the years. Alice was certain she hadn’t seen the face among those she’d searched for online last night, but the image on Dave’s phone was grainy.
Alice frowned as a thought stirred. ‘How do you know she died only hours after the photograph?’
Dave’s eyes narrowed. ‘That’s what one of the detectives said. Reckoned they knew for certain that she’d been dead for several days, though they didn’t confirm if she died on Saturday night or Sunday. The victim was still wearing the clothes she had on in that picture apparently.’
Alice continued to scroll through the photos of Kerry in various stages of undress; and the ones of Ben licking the cream from her body made Alice want to gag as the images seared on her memory. The next picture had been captured outside; Ben’s trousers were down around his ankles and his shirt was unfastened, his arms draped around a lamppost. This was followed by a shot of the rest of the group, laughing at Ben’s predicament. Then there was a second shot of Ben at the lamppost, but this time he was sitting on the floor, his head bent low, like he was sleeping.
‘That’s
