machine along with a couple of bars of chocolate and a flapjack. Stopping off to grab a notebook from the stationery cupboard, she went back to settle in to watch the hours of footage.
There was no recording from the external camera the day Olivia Potter’s body had been found; it was all fuzzy. She made a note to get someone to check the outside camera and see if it had been tampered with. Dan was on shift tomorrow; she would email him and ask him to check for her. There was footage of the day before, though, and Morgan sat through it, her eyes brimming with tears as she watched the beautiful, seemingly happy family go about their business.
The girls had gone out to the car in the morning with backpacks on, Beatrix in her uniform, Bronte in jeans and a hoodie. The camera was very clear, and Morgan found herself leaning forward on her elbows, engrossed. Saul came rushing out of the house and got into the front seat of the car, and Olivia waved her family off from the front door. He forgot something, got back out of the car and walked back towards his wife, who he pulled close and kissed on the lips. There was no sound, but the girls were leaning out of the car windows pulling faces and shouting at their parents. Morgan’s heart felt as if it was about to tear in half. How sad. This was obviously a very happy family who loved each other deeply and now they were all lying dead. Except for Bronte, but she might very well wish she was if she ever woke up. Who knows what kind of brain damage she was going to have after such a violent, vicious assault?
As the car made its way along the drive it stopped at the bottom. A figure came into view, but it was difficult to make out who it could be until they began to walk along the drive. Morgan let out a small gasp as her hand lifted to her mouth. Surely not, why would he be there? It took forever, but the slightly hunched, shuffling figure finally became clear on the monitor in front of her. Morgan felt the blood begin to rush into her head as her heart started pounding and her hands began to shake. It was Stan, her father; there was no mistaking him.
Pushing her chair back, she stood up and rushed to the nearest toilet, dry heaving into the toilet bowl. When she was done, she went to the sink and splashed cold water against her cheeks and ran her wrists under the tap You’re completely overreacting; so what if he was there. It doesn’t mean he killed them. Does it?
When she felt composed enough to face Ben, she stood up and went straight to his office. It was empty. There was no one in CID either, and she realised they must be talking to Harrison Wright. The best thing to do, she decided, was to go home and speak to Stan, ask him what connection he had with the Potter family. For the first time ever, she hoped he hadn’t done what she’d asked and had stayed in her flat. Once she’d spoken to him, she’d approach Ben and tell him: that was the best thing to do. It made sense; there was no point dragging Stan into it unless she’d found out why he was there.
Morgan wasn’t sure what to do: did she book off with the control room or did she just go home when she was tired and exhausted? Going back into Ben’s office, she scribbled a note on a yellow Post-it.
Gone home. If you need me ring and I’ll come straight back. No CCTV of the day Olivia was found hanging. Camera malfunctioned. Morgan.
She peeled it from the pad and stuck it to the top-left-hand corner of his computer monitor.
Twenty-Two
By the time she arrived home her stomach was a mass of knots and she had a dry lump in the back of her throat. She’d been through every scenario possible and had managed to convince herself that Stan was involved in the whole sorry mess. She’d lose her job if this was true; the shame and embarrassment would be too much to bear. Dan would love it if she was thrown out after one day working in CID. When she’d seen him earlier, he’d stared right through her, ignoring her as if she was the one