Chapter 1 – Looking Back
"RACHEL!" Janet yelled. She seemed to think I was in a trance or something, like I couldn't hear her rant on at me. I could, I just didn't want to believe it. Why? I don't know, she was being sensible and I was stuck in this dream world, the manipulative twat was pissin' all over me and I was falling for it. Sometimes I wonder how I got the nickname Sherlock, well, deservedly anyway.
I just stared at her. I didn't want to argue, I didn't want to fall out. Janet's my best mate; we've never fallen out, not for longer than ten minutes.
"Rachel, please, can't you see he's using you?"
"I-I" I couldn't speak, my eyes welled up, I tried to look as if I didn't care but I knew I wasn't fooling anyone, let alone Janet.
"I've got work to do" Janet left the bathroom, the door slamming behind her and I couldn't hold it in any longer. I collapsed against the wall and cried. Looking back on it now, it still hurts, even though things have changed between us.
I texted Janet but she didn't reply, so I went back to the office and asked to talk to her on our next break, she seemed reluctant, but she agreed.
…..
"Did you get my text?"
"Yes"
"And?"
"Yes…I'm not gonna fall out with you over some petty argument, you didn't really think I'd-"
"No….no, of course not" I cut in, smiling. I did think that, I just hoped she couldn't tell.
"Rach" Janet turned to me
"What?"
"Open your eyes" and with that she walked back inside. I stubbed out my cigarette, sighed and followed her. I'd only just sat down when Gill told us we had to go knock on some guys door.
"Jamie Greene", she said, "is the guy we're looking for, we found traces of his blood on Sarah's – Sarah had been raped and murdered 3 weeks ago at her home in Chadderton - clothes and under her nails...its him"
Janet knocked on the door and for the first time ever I felt as if I shouldn't be there, shouldn't be in the job, I wasn't helping – I scuppered the Stelikos case, that wasn't helping, that was lying in court to save my own skin.
The door opened and Jamie was stood right in front of me, in boxer shorts and a dirty white t shirt.
"Jamie Greene?" Janet questioned
"Yeah" Jamie sounded and looked, I thought, incredibly bored and this, as I had learned, was usually a tell tale sign that something was up.
"I'm Detective Constable Scott, this is Detective Constable Bailey, can we come in please?
We sat down on the sofa and questioned Jamie; did he know a Sarah Halliday? Where was he on the night of the 2nd March 2012? You know, that kind of thing.
Jamie sat slouched; you'd have thought we'd just asked him what he had for breakfast not if he'd killed someone.
"I was here, watching telly all night" This is where cracks began to appear, he started stuttering and fidgeting in the chair, funny how a suspects body language can change at the mention of a name and they think we won't notice.
Kevin appeared from behind Jamie, he was holding a bag containing blood stained trousers and a small strand of hair.
"Jamie Greene, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the rape and murder of Sarah Halliday, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence"
...
The interrogation was relatively simple, in the grand scheme of things; he changed his story several times before settling on;
"Sarah was a mate from school, she rang me after she fell out with her boyfriend, she wanted to come over, I said no...that's the last I heard from her."
This was total bollocks of course, one of the first things we found out from her mother was that she wasn't in a relationship and she was a lesbian anyway, so that ruled out a boyfriend.
...
"We've got him, blood on his trousers... Sarah's, the hair...Sarah's, seems like the only thing he did to cover up was wash his hands" Gill smirked. She was obviously used to this, I wasn't.
...
I got home and sat in front of the TV with a glass of wine. Didn't pay much attention to what was on, X Factor or summat, I dunno. I just sat there, thinkin'. Can't remember what just remember sitting there, drinkin' for ages and then the phone ringin'.
"Look Janet, I'm sorry I-I...look I know he's a tw-"Janet cut me off mid-sentence;
"No Rach, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that I just" Janet sighed before continuing "It's just me an Ade, we argued again, I don't know what to do"
"You can come stay at mine if ya like?" I said. By this time I wasn't exactly sober so I don't know how coherent I sounded but, whatever I said, she seemed to understand.