family. Now I just want to go home to be with my husband and children.’
‘Is there something worrying you?’
‘No, no…’
‘You’re shaking.’ Just a little nudge. Cherie Brown was on the verge of saying something.
‘Yes, I’m scared. I’m scared that the person who killed Alex is still out there. We’re all scared. The whole community is scared.’ She grabbed her bag from the floor.
Gina passed her a card. ‘If there’s anything else you can think of or you need to speak to me about, please call anytime.’
The woman snatched the card from her fingers. ‘I want to go. I have to get out of here.’ She began to gasp and back up against the wall. ‘I can’t breathe.’ She slid down the wall and cowered in the corner, violently trembling until she began to hyperventilate and sob.
Gina hurried around to her and kneeled beside her. ‘Jacob, can you open the door?’ Jacob hurried to the door and pushed it open. ‘It’s okay, Mrs Brown, you’re safe.’
The woman gripped her chest and began to steady her breathing. Gina knew a panic attack when she saw one and what had happened to Mrs Brown couldn’t be put on. ‘I’ll show you out. Interview terminated at fifteen minutes past thirteen hundred hours.’ Jacob pressed the button to stop the recorder. Something was literally scaring the life out of Cherie. ‘Jacob, call a first aider.’
Cherie gasped again. ‘I’m okay. I’ll be fine,’ she paused, ‘but I am scared. I just don’t know who I’m scared of? I’m scared of what happened to Alex, since I read about it. I just can’t stop thinking about it. It’s like it stays with me, day and night.’
‘Cherie, it’s important that you answer me. Is there anything else you’re not telling us? A man has been murdered.’
‘I don’t know anything. Do you think I’d be like this if I knew what was going on and who was behind it all?’ As the woman threw Gina’s card into her bag, Gina spotted the miniature bottle of vodka. ‘Call my husband, he can confirm my whereabouts on the Monday you were asking about.’
Gina offered her a hand and helped her up. ‘We will, thank you.’ As Gina heard the woman hurrying down the corridor, she stared at Jacob. ‘What the hell just happened? We need to look into Cherie Brown immediately. Everything about her behaviour is all wrong and what is it with this case? Nothing is making sense.’ Gina slammed her palm onto the wall.
‘I feel your frustration.’ He dropped the folder onto the desk and fell into the chair.
‘We need an arrest. I can’t walk back through the path of reporters tonight without something positive to share. Did you see what they’ve been writing? They’re tearing us apart. No, they’re tearing me apart.’
‘Yes, they don’t seem to mention how overstretched and underfunded we are and they seem to like using the word “incompetent” a lot. They forget that we need evidence or the CPS will throw it straight out. Oh, and they like blaming the ghosts of Cleevesford Woods. They’re revelling in the theatre of it all.’
‘Damn it! This mess has to end. Call a briefing, now. We need to pool our theories and maybe look for some new ones. Mrs Brown knows something and so does Isaac Slater. They know Alex too. We’re close, so close.’
Chapter Forty-Seven
‘Gather round.’ Gina pushed the chair out of the way and stood at the head of the table. Wyre and O’Connor came from their computers and grabbed chairs, along with PC Smith. Jacob picked up his bottle of water and sat opposite. ‘First things first, has anyone managed to contact Joanna Brent?’
Wyre smiled. ‘Yes, she has given Isaac Slater an alibi for every night over the past couple of weeks. She said he never goes out on his own and they’re in every night after work and they went shopping once, together. She said she has the Asda receipt if we want to see it.’ Wyre shrugged and continued. ‘I also called his place of work but I couldn’t get an answer so I’ve left a message.’ O’Connor passed a packet of biscuits to Wyre. She shook her head and passed them on to Jacob.
‘Thank you. As soon as this briefing is over will you also do an alibi check with Christian Brown? Cherie, his wife, has just told us that she was with him all night on Monday the twenty-sixth of October; that was the night our witness says he heard