Everybody Mixed Up Together

by Queenbie78

A group of friends from Manchester, a pathologist from London and a young engaged couple from York arrive on the island of Sainte-Marie at the onset of a severe tropical storm that results in a mass evacuation. When the young man is murdered the Manchester group end up as suspects and the pathologist assists the local police. Also contains characters from Silent Witness.

14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – The Man Hunt

After their own unsatisfying lunch of field rations, the whole police team, plus Nikki, had reconvened in the staff room for a briefing to collate all the information that had been gathered that morning. J P and Ruby were filling their superiors in on the information they had gathered through making enquiries in the hall and canteen.

'The first piece of good news is that we managed to locate Brian and Tania Ormsby' began J P. 'And they have confirmed that Pete Gifford was in front of them in the hall queue the entire time between when they all arrived here and when the spaces were allocated, and that they were then talking until around eleven forty-five when Pete left to look for his friends. They also confirmed that Adam Williams was with Pete until the spaces had been allocated'

'OK so it looks like Pete Gifford has a solid alibi and Adam Williams had very little opportunity after all' said Jack.

'We also spoke to the duty nurse in the medical room' said Ruby. 'She said she remembered a man fitting David Marsden's description, who was not eligible to sleep there, coming in to ask for accommodation and being refused, although she couldn't remember for certain if it was David when we showed her the photo on your phone. We did ask one or two of the patients and their families, though, and a few of them remembered the man's visit as well and think it probably was our suspect'

'I guess it is hard to remember when there are so many people going around, but it sounds as if David Marsden was probably telling the truth, about visiting the medical room, anyway' Jack sympathised. 'Anything else?'

'We spoke to Catherine and some of her staff and showed her the photos of Karen Marsden and Jenny Gifford but none of them could remember for sure if they had served them on the night we arrived' said J P. 'A couple we spoke to in the hall did say they remembered seeing them arriving back at the hall area holding cups of tea before splitting up to attend to Adam and Tiffany, though'

'So that would suggest they probably waited in the queue, then, in which case they would not have had time to kill Gavin?' said Florence.

'Quite possibly, unless someone else got the drinks for them' Jack looked at all options.

'Another lady in the hall said she definitely saw Tiffany Smith in the ladies' room just before the murder' said Ruby. 'And you'll never believe this – the same person knew who Edward Phillips was from the hotel the suspects were all staying at and said she could swear she saw him in the art corridor just before Gavin's body was dropped!'

'Well, well, so it's starting to look like he may be our prime suspect, considering he didn't show up to speak to us this morning in addition to this new revelation. Tiffany does not appear to have had the opportunity if this witness can be trusted'

'She seemed genuine' confirmed J P.

'And did you find anything suspicious in the bins?'

'No gloves, towels or handkerchiefs or anything similar' said Ruby. 'Although they could have used a towel from the kitchen and put it back in place, could they not?'

'True. But there would surely have been some blood spatter on it. When you get a chance could you please check among the used dish towels'

At that point the door opened, and the Commissioner walked in.

'Good afternoon team' he said, walking confidently across the room in his brown uniform, which he had been wearing constantly for the last two days.

'Good afternoon Commissioner' the team stood up straight'

'Hello Uncle Selly' smiled Ruby.

'Inspector, how is the murder investigation going?' the Commissioner demanded.

'Well, all but one of the suspects have now been interviewed and we are making good progress with confirming alibis and narrowing them down' Jack assured him.

'I am glad to hear it' said the Commissioner. 'But the public out in the school have become aware that more people are now being questioned in relation to the murder and are also aware that the original key suspect is no longer under lock and key. In a situation like this one that is not a good situation for us to be in'

'No , I understand' Jack tried not to sound intimidated.

'There is a good possibility the storm will pass overnight, and we will get out of here tomorrow. It would be desirable for the killer to be identified and arrested while he or she is still detained in here and does not have the opportunity to escape the island. I hope you will therefore expediate your investigation'

'I'll do my best, Sir' Jack agreed.

'Good day team' the Commissioner left, and they all relaxed somewhat.

'No pressure then' smiled Nikki.

'No pressure at all!' Jack relaxed a little more 'OK, our priority now is to locate Edward Phillips and bring him in for questioning. I would suggest we break into search teams and each search an area of the school since he is not responding to calls over the tannoy. Now, who is certain they would recognise him?'

'I'm sure I would' said Ruby. 'I remember looking at his face and wondering how he knew what toilet water tasted like, remember?'

'I have a vague recollection of what he looked like but with so many people I could easily get it wrong, like when I thought I saw him in the canteen this morning' admitted J P.

'I remember him well from the plane' said Nikki.

'I've never seen him, I'm afraid' said Florence.

'In that case I suggest you two work together as usual' Jack indicated J P and Ruby. Could you please search the gym, the corridors on that side of the school and the canteen, and check those dirty towels while you're there'. The two officers nodded.

'Florence, Nikki, you will come to the hall with me. You two can search the back end nearest the stage and I will check the front half. After that we can have a walk along the corridors. OK team, let's get to it!'

J P and Ruby made their way through the man made 'corridors' between rows of mats in the gym, J P scanning the faces of the people on their left and Ruby on their right.

'There are only children here and adults, probably their parents, nowhere near old enough to be Edward Phillips' stated J P.

'There is a group of older people over this side' said Ruby. 'Probably a gathering of grandparents but I will have a look anyway' she walked away, and J P looked at the remaining people more closely.

'Can we help you?' a French gentleman of around sixty-five asked Ruby as she walked past their group.

'I am looking for a man, a little younger than you, British, slim, average height, mousy brown hair, thick moustache and rather a grumpy temperament. You haven't seen anyone fitting that description, have you?'

'No, sorry. Everyone we've met in here is friendly and there are very few people our age' the man assured her. 'We would definitely remember encountering someone like that, I'm sure!'

'OK, but please let us know if you see him. Merci Monsieur'

Having had no luck in the gym at all, the two officers then scanned the corridor outside.

'That's not him is it?' said Ruby, spotting a mousy haired older gentleman turn into the corridor.

'I am sure he was slimmer than that' said J P.

'Perhaps you're right, but I'll just make sure. Excuse me, Sir' she approached the man and he obligingly waited for her. Ruby was hopeful but as she got closer to him, she realised he was definitely not her man. 'Um…my apologies, I thought you were someone I am looking for, but you are not, sorry' and the man continued on his way.

'Ha ha, so you can get it wrong too!' teased J P, who had himself been teased by Ruby when he had spotted the wrong man in the canteen earlier.

Just then there was a slight tremor and J P grabbed Ruby's shoulder.

'Ouch! At least I can do my job in all weathers!' Ruby retaliated.

'Hey, I can too, as you can see!' and the pair bantered as they made their way down to the canteen.

Over in the hall, Jack was making much slower progress between more densely packed rows of mats. Several people wondered who he was and what he was doing so he asked a few people if they had seen anyone matching Edward Phillips description, but nobody could be certain they had seen him. Nikki and Florence were scanning the rear of the hall, but progress was slow as every time Florence spotted a man who roughly fitted Edward's description, she had to ask Nikki if it could be him. After half an hour a local woman told them 'Yes, I know the man you mean, never happy with anything. He has been sleeping on the bench over there, but he has not been here all day'. They asked a few other people in the area if they had seen him that day, but they gave the same answer. The two women finished scanning the rest of their area before summoning Jack to give him the information they had obtained.

'Well, that's useful information at least' Jack acknowledged. 'If J P and Ruby have not been successful in finding him this afternoon, we can try coming back in the evening to see if he returns to his bench'

'Here's J P' said Florence, noticing him entering the hall and approaching them.

'I hope this means they've caught our elusive Mr Phillips' said Jack hopefully.

'He does look as if he has news to break' added Nikki.

'J P. How did you get on?' Jack greeted him on approach.

'We didn't find our suspect I'm afraid' he sighed. Jack, Nikki and Florence were noticeably disappointed. 'But there's something in the kitchen you need to see, Sir'

The four of them set off, three of them wondering what breakthrough had been made in the kitchen.

In a well-hidden area at the back of the canteen kitchen there was what appeared to be a bare wall with a basket of towels in front of it. Ruby was just putting a pile of damp towels back into it.

'No towels with blood on them' Ruby informed the others 'but look at this!' she moved the basket away to reveal a small door with buttons beside it. J P pushed the green button in the middle and the door opened, revealing a tall cage and a similar door at the back. The cage could be used either to leave food, or even larger items for someone to collect from the back door, or to transport them up to the floor above. Jack looked into the cage and sniffed.

'There is a strong smell of detergent here' he confirmed.

'And it looks like someone has been scrubbing it hard' said Florence, noticing that the metal was scratched unevenly.

'It's a pity we don't have a UV torch. We would have been able to tell if there had been blood here' sighed Nikki. She looked carefully at the edge of the cage and spotted a tissue that had gotten lodged between the cage and its wall. She asked for an evidence bag for this. She then looked up at the top of the cage and spotted something metallic wedged between the top of the cage and the wall.

'Can someone get me something long and narrow?' she asked. Ruby went over to a kitchen drawer and looked through its contents.

'Will this do?' she asked, handing over a long-handled serving spoon.

'I think so' Nikki put the long handle into the gap and prized out what turned out to be a greasy fork.

'I wonder how that got there?' wondered Florence.

'Let's see what we can find out' Nikki encouraged. 'Can I have another evidence bag please?'

'Tell me, what is directly above us here – where would something sent up in this lift come out?' asked Jack.

'The wall opposite the staff room' said J P. 'The teachers get to place orders from the canteen, and they are sent up to them'

'And what is at the other side of this back door?' Jack continued.

'The art corridor!' gasped Ruby.

The team quickly made their way to the crime scene, which the new duty soldier admitted them to.

'Do we have a picture on one of our phones that shows the mannequin stand in the position it is currently in?' Jack checked before proceeding with moving it.

'Yes, several' J P confirmed.

'OK let's move these mannequins' Jack ordered. He and J P lifted the heaviest one down while Nikki helped Ruby with a lighter one. Florence lifted off the information signs around them. Sure enough, sitting just above the small dais the mannequins had been displayed on, was the back door of the food lift. Florence opened the door.

'I think we have probably discovered how the body appeared on the mannequin stand' declared Jack. 'Right, I want the towels and anything else in the kitchen that could have been used checked again for traces of the detergent smell and anything that has it analysed for DNA and fingerprints. Also the mannequins as they must have been moved by the killer to get the body out of the cage'

J P and Ruby went back to the kitchen to carry out the new instructions. Nikki walked to the display table, and after testing it for stability, stood up on it in the position she had determined the body must have been dropped from.

'So it looks like our killer would have been standing around here' she demonstrated. She looked down at the entrance to the lift. 'And the cuts and grazes on the victim's knees could have been caused by the killer dragging him over this metal edge'. She took a swab and wiped the entire length of the metal edge. Sure enough, she found what could be a piece of fabric belonging to the victim's jeans, and a small trace of skin.

At the same time Jack and Florence studied the mannequins. 'There is no smell on either of these ones' Florence informed Jack, making her way over to join him at the other side of the display table.

'There is nothing on this big one either' said Jack. 'But I think there's a hint of something on this one on the floor. What do you think, Florence?'

'I think I smell a bit of detergent' she agreed after sniffing for a few minutes, 'but it is not as strong as in the lift cage'

'Right, let's bag these clothes the mannequin is wearing. Sorry to do this to you, girl' he looked up into the blank doll's face before removing her skirt. 'Nikki, could you analyse this for us too, please?'

'Sure' Nikki scanned the back cage door for any further clues before moving on to the science classroom to analyse what had been found so far. 'If there's anything else to scan please have it brought up' she said, and Jack nodded.

The police team had joined Nikki in the science classroom, having finished their examinations of the mannequins and kitchen items. They all helped with the fingerprint search and also watched, fascinated, as Nikki examined the tissue she had found earlier and discovered a DNA strand on this.

'I can reasonably conclude that this tissue belonged to Gavin Harper' she announced.

'So, it would appear that our victim was in that cage as we suspected' stated Jack.

'I think I've found some prints on this towel' said J P. 'I'll just check the patterns we have…hmm it looks like the prints just belong to kitchen staff after all' he was disappointed.

'Never mind, keep looking' encouraged Jack. They all worked quietly for almost half an hour before the next discovery was made.

'There is a print on this skirt we took from the middle mannequin' said Florence. 'And it does not belong to anyone we have prints for'

'Well, there are bound to be prints from the school staff and pupils who set up the display' said Jack. 'But hold onto it for now anyway'.

'I've found a DNA trace on the swab I took of the cage entrance' Nikki advised, and after comparing it to the held patterns she confirmed 'Yes, it's Gavin's skin'

'So, he was definitely held in that cage then?' gasped Ruby. 'The killer must have crammed him in tightly!'

'It is rather a tall cage so he and the killer could almost have stood up in it!' J P reminded her.

'The fork!' Nikki took the fork she had found at the top of the cage and examined that next. Gavin's prints were found on the bottom of the handle as well as those of an unidentified individual.

'Well, this is getting interesting' said Jack. It would appear that Gavin must have reached up for that fork. Was it the handle that was sticking out when you found it, Nikki?'

'Yes, it was' she confirmed.

'So did Gavin reach for the fork and get stabbed in the process?' asked J P.

'The evidence we have found so far would be consistent with that' confirmed Nikki.

'So why on earth was he in the kitchen when he was a refugee, never mind in that cage!' Jack paced up and down the room contemplating the puzzle.

'Sir, it's nearly eight. Shall we go and see if Edward Phillips has returned to his spot in the hall?' Ruby asked Jack.

'Yes' he agreed. 'We should stop for a hot chocolate now, if they still have any, and possibly call it a night. You can check in the hall on the way to the canteen'

Just as the five of them arrived in the foyer and Ruby and J P were about to go into the hall, there was a cry from the Janitor's office;

'Police, there's Edward Phillips!' they turned around and saw a young woman who J P and Ruby immediately recognised as Polly Jackson. She pointed at the man they were looking for, who was running for the front door.

'Traitors!' he shouted back at Polly and the Janitor.

'Hey, come back' yelled the Janitor.

'I order you to stop!' Jack shouted at Edward as he used the key he had pinched from the Janitor's office to unlock the school door and open it. A very strong gust of wind blew into the hall and a few other people who were passing the area screamed and ran away. J P, Ruby and Florence began to redirect people who were approaching the area from the two corridors and the hall. Edward ran outside and, despite him being very fit for his age, he was immediately blown into the side of the police jeep that was parked outside. Not deterred, he held on to the side of the jeep and worked his way round to the other side, before setting off running again. Jack stood holding onto the school door and called once again.

'You'll not get very far in this weather, Edward Phillips. It's not safe out there. I suggest you surrender yourself and come back here now!'

'Never. I aint spendin' another night in this God-forsake place with all them people an' I sure as hell aint speakin' to you!' Edward turned around briefly.

'Why? What have you got to hide?'

'Nothin'! I aint done nothin'!' he screamed, straining his vocal cords to compete with the strong wind.

'Then why are you running? Come and give us your fingerprints and DNA and prove you are innocent!'

'Yeah right! You want me to be guilty so you'll twist things to make it look like I am! I aint fallin' for that, pig! I'm off to find my own space!' He began running again. Jack was about to give up and close the school door before further lives were put at risk through objects getting blow about inside the building, but before he could do so Nikki ran past him.

'Nikki! What are you doing?! Come back!' Jack shouted.

'Trust me!' she replied, continuing to run after Edward. She caught up with him barely ten metres from the jeep as another gust of wind almost blew him to his feet. 'Wait!' she called out to him, but he struggled to stand up and made to start running again.

'I told you, I aint speakin' to no pigs!'

'I'm not police, I'm a pathologist'

'Same difference, you work for 'em'

'That's true, but I work with facts, not for corrupt superiors who want arrests made just to make their force look good! And believe me, Inspector Mooney is not one of those corrupt superiors!'

'And why should I listen to you?'

'Well, you don't have to, but I think it's your best option. If you run away where will you go? The hotels are all closed, and you won't find any secure shelter from this storm! You won't survive the night!'

Edward groaned in frustration as he realised Nikki was right. The next gust of wind took him by surprise and knocked him over. Nikki took his arm and indicated to Jack to come and help her to get him back to his feet and escort him back into the school. The rest of the police team, Polly and the Janitor, and several other onlookers cheered as they brought him in. J P looked at Jack for an indication as to whether or not he should handcuff Edward, but Jack indicated not. He was now co-operating, so they took him up to the staff room without any further incident.