“What? For what reason?”
“He said that he didn’t want the doctors to think it was his fault that he and his new wife couldn’t have a baby. They were in the process of testing his sperm count. He shoved the pot, actually two sample pots, at me and ordered me to fill them.”
“And you did it? Why?”
“He said I owed him for stealing his girlfriend. You didn’t see the look in his eye. It was menacing, threatened all sorts without having to say the words.” Dorling shrugged. “It made no difference to me. If he wanted to look at a sprog made from my sperm every day of his miserable life, then why should I be bothered?”
“What man in his right mind would seek out such a transaction from a man he hated?” she queried, trying to work out the logistics in her head. “Maybe he seized the opportunity for payback as well as using your sperm for procreation.”
“Sounds a right nutter to me, boss,” Jack offered.
“A nutter who must have truly worked out his audacious plan years ago, to exact revenge on the man who stole the love of his life from him.”
“That sounds crazy,” the warden chipped in.
“You’d be surprised what tales we hear of people working through their desperation,” she explained to Warden Mountford before turning her attention to the man in the bed. “Tell me, Dorling, have you had any contact with him since that day?”
“No, nothing.” He pointed at the sketch lying on the bed in his lap. “That’s the first I’ve seen of him in years. Are you going to pick him up?”
“I don’t suppose you have an address for him? Never mind, we should be able to track that down easily enough.”
“Yeah, if he’s still using the same name.”
Sally inclined her head. “Hmm… well, there’s every reason why he shouldn’t. Is there anything else you think we should know about the events back then?”
“Nope. Can’t think of anything.”
“Thank you for your time, Dorling. I will post a request for you to be exonerated of the crimes you were arrested for in the light of the information you have just shared with us.”
Dorling rubbed his hands together in glee. “Great. Does that mean I can get out of this shithole soon? No offence, warden.”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure that happens sooner rather than later.”
Sally and Jack rushed out of the prison gate and hopped in the car. “Well, that was unexpected,” Sally said.
“Yeah, but it hasn’t really got us anywhere. The odds are the guy has probably changed his name. How are we going to find him?”
“That’s where the general public come in, hopefully. Let’s not give up on him still using his own name just yet. Back to the station pronto, I think.” She thought about the tasks she’d set her team and realised she’d forgotten to send someone to Amanda’s place of work. “Change of plan. We’re close to the supermarket. I think we’ll drop in there first.”
“For what? We ain’t got time to do your personal shopping, boss. We have a murderer on the loose.” Jack laughed.
Sally shook her head, took one hand off the steering wheel, and bashed her partner in the thigh. “Idiot, the supermarket where Amanda works. We should interview the manager and the staff. See if anyone saw this man hanging around or if they know him, right?”
“Agreed.”
After parking the car, Sally and Jack walked in the entrance of the supermarket. They approached the young girl in the kiosk, flashed their IDs, and asked to speak to the manager. The girl put a call out on the Tannoy, and a few moments later, a rotund, short-legged man appeared beside them.
“Mr. Davis, the police are here to see you,” the girl behind the kiosk informed him.
Again, Sally and Jack produced their IDs. The man raised his glasses and studied their identification. He turned. “Walk this way to my office, if you will.”
Once in the office, he invited them to take a seat. “How can I help?”
Sally frowned. “You mean you have no idea why we’re here?”
“No, none whatsoever. Please enlighten me.”
Sally exhaled a large breath. “It’s about a member of your staff, Amanda Collins. She was attacked on Sunday night and is in hospital.”
“Ah, yes, sorry to be so vague. A member of staff mentioned they saw an ambulance in the area. I’m up to my eyes in stocktaking at present. I have my area manager breathing down my neck. He’s due here any moment, and…”
Sally raised her hand to stop the man’s chuntering. “Yes, we all have our problems, Mr. Davis. Some are far greater than others. I wondered if it would be possible to question your staff and you, of course, regarding Miss Collins’s last shift. She was attacked directly after she left work, which leads us to believe that her assailant might have targeted her.”
“Oh, my! How dreadful. Of course, we’ll do anything to help with your enquiries. So this man is still on the loose, I take it?”
“He is at present, yes. Although we do have an ID for the man now, thanks to Amanda’s keen eye. He’s a Mr. Jed Liddell.”
She showed him the sketch, and the man’s eyes almost popped out of his head and landed on his paperwork. “What? Are you kidding me?” He fell back in his chair, and his mouth dropped open.
Sally swiftly exchanged glances with Jack. “Are you saying you know him?”
“I should do. He’s my bloody area manager.”
“What? Do you have his address?” She swallowed her mounting excitement. Wow, this could be the break we’ve been waiting for!
“You’d have to get in touch with head office for that. I have his phone number, if that will help.”
“Fantastic. Hang on—you said you were in panic mode because the area manager is due.”
“That’s right. He could show up at any second. There’s no telling with him. Often he says he’s visiting but then changes his mind at the last minute. Actually, between you and me, he’s the worst one I’ve had. At least with the others, you knew where you stood with them.”
“Interesting. Is he local?”
“I believe so. Tends to keep himself to himself. Very offhand if you try and start a personal conversation with him. I don’t bother much now.”
Sally nodded. “Where is he now? Do you happen to know if he’s visiting another store in the area before he comes here?”
“We’re not privy to their itinerary. Their reasoning behind their elusive behaviour is to always try and keep the managers on their toes.”
“Okay, it was worth a try. If you could get me his phone number, mobile and landline, if you have them, that will help us a lot,” Sally told the manager. While Mr. Davis searched through the notebook on his desk, Sally said to Jack quietly, “Get on to Joanna, tell her to search for a home address for Liddell.”
Jack left the room to place the call.
“Ah, finally. I knew it was tucked away in here somewhere.” Mr. Davis jotted down the number and passed it across the desk to Sally.
“Both of them, great stuff. I’ll try his mobile first.” She dialled the number, and the call went to voicemail. She hung up and dialled the home number.
Mr. Davis was about to say something.
She held a finger up to her lips, indicating the manager should remain quiet during the call.
A frantic woman answered the phone. “Where the hell are you? I’m going to the hospital. Be there!” She hung up before Sally had the chance to talk to her.
Jack re-entered the room. She looked up at him and frowned. “Well, that was weird. I presume the woman was Mrs. Liddell. She must have thought I was her husband ringing, tore me off a strip, and said that she was on her way to the hospital.”
“For what?” Mr. Davis asked.
“I have no idea. It certainly sounded like an emergency to me. We should get over there, Jack, but which hospital?” She dialled the number again, but the answerphone kicked in.
“Very strange. Okay, I have an address for the Liddells. Perhaps we can figure out what hospital is local to them from that.”