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.

15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Fresh Evidence and Puzzles

The team had to strive hard to stay alert to interview Edward now that he had been caught.

'Open you mouth, please' Nikki instructed him, holding up a cotton bud.

'I aint havin' you playin' around in my mouth!' Edward protested.

'Are you going to co-operate with Dr Alexander or am I going to have to assume you are guilty and lock you in the Head Teacher's Office for the rest of your time here, then transfer you to a cell at the station?' Jack sternly gave him the choice and he reluctantly yielded. Nikki bottled the cotton bud, then took Edward's fingerprints. This time he co-operated despite the fact he did not like having his fingers covered in ink. He was given a baby wipe to clean them. J P and Ruby were given the samples to take back to the lab to begin processing while Jack, Florence and Nikki remained in the staff room to interview Edward.

'Now, Mr Phillips' Jack began the interview. 'You are obviously aware that a murder has been committed and that the victim is the young man who stood up to you on the night you arrived at your hotel, when you were giving the waitress a hard time. Needless to say that gives you a motive to murder him since from your point of view you were humiliated by him in front of the whole restaurant'

'I told you, I don't know anything about the murder! Just because I had a few words with 'im doesn't mean I'd kill 'im'

'Well, if that's the case then why did you run from us?' asked Florence. 'And why did you not come to the staff room this morning when we called for you over the tannoy?'

'I didn't hear no tannoy, took me hearin' aid out last night so I could sleep without hearin' all the noise from all them people around me'

'So why did you run then?' Nikki repeated the other part of Florence's question.

'Cos you'd decided I was guilty. Didn't see the point in tryin' to defend meself'

'Why did you think that? Every suspect is innocent until proven guilty' Jack insisted.

'That's not what I 'eard!'

'What did you hear? Asked Florence.

'That the whole hall thought I was the murderer. That I was goin' down. That they was all lookin' for me'

'Who told you that?' asked Jack.

'That waitress from the 'otel. Said she was gonna go to you lot and tell you where I was. The janitor man said I could 'ide in 'is office an' I was there for hours. But he got a signal from the waitress that you lot was comin' an' the next thing I knew you was chasin me! They was workin' for you!'

'Well I can't say I'm surprised considering you were rude to the waitress!' Nikki pointed out.

'Hmph!'

'Anyway' Jack got back to the point. 'A witness told us they saw you in the art corridor on the night of the murder. Is that correct?'

'I dunno, maybe. I don' know this school or what corridor's what!'

'Were you, or were you not, in the corridor where the murder took place, on the night it happened?!' Jack made it clear what corridor he was talking about.

'Yeah, I think I was come to think of it. I'd got lost tryin' to find the hall again. I think the sign was wrong an' I ended up in that corridor just before the screamin' began an' I saw the young lad's body fallin' into that Irish guy's hands'

'So what time did you arrive at the school that night' asked Florence.

'I dunno, didn't keep track of time, really'.

Jack sighed. 'Were you on the first or the second bus from your hotel. You're staying at the Honore Palace, aren't you?'

'I was on the last one. Not in any 'urry to come 'ere, was I'

'So, can you please talk us through what you did between the time you arrived and the moment you saw Gavin Harper's body fall into Adam Williams' hands'

'Came in an' saw the long queue for a place in the hall. It was too long, so I decided to come back later. Went to the canteen to get food instead. Bloody awful soup they was servin!'

'Yes, I remember talking to you in the canteen when you were being extremely rude to Mayor Bordey' confirmed Jack. 'I can vouch for you myself up until that point as you obviously had to wait in the queue to get served. But can you tell me where you went after you left the canteen?'

'Um…needed a pee. Went to find the mens room an' had to queue again for fifteen minutes or so. When I came out of there, I followed the wrong sign to get back to the 'all an' ended up in that corridor where the man was murdered. I'd just got there when it 'appened'

At that point there was a knock at the door.

'Come in' shouted Jack, and Ruby half opened the door.

'Inspector Mooney, could I talk to you for a minute please?'

'Sure. Excuse me for a minute' He got up and walked outside, closing the door behind him. 'What is it Ruby?'

'The results of the fingerprint analysis. I thought you'd like to see this while you still have Edward Phillips in' she showed him a list she and J P had compiled of their comparisons to the prints found on each item of evidence.

'Thank you Ruby, that's possibly a big breakthrough' he dismissed her and returned to the staff room.

'Mr Phillips' Jack remained standing and looked Edward hard in the face. 'Can you please explain why your fingerprints have been found on a fork that was used to lure Gavin Harper into the food lift at the back of the kitchen?!'

'What?!' gasped Edward, incredulously. 'I don't know what you're talkin' about! I wasn't in no kitchen! An' I haven't used no fork since I got here! I used a plastic spoon for me soup!'

'Well according to the forensic evidence you handled the fork that was used as bait by our killer. That doesn't look good for you' Nikki pointed out.

'So, I'm asking you again' shouted Jack. 'Where were you between the time you arrived at the school and the time you insulted Mayor Bordey at the canteen counter, and between then and the time of the murder?'

'I told you, I was in the queue for food, then the gents!'

'And can anyone confirm that?' asked Florence.

'I was on me own. There's only that old man, the one that was talkin' about how they were lucky to get food during evacuations in his day or somethin'. He might remember I was in front of 'im'

'OK we will try to find this man and speak to him' agreed Jack. 'But for the time being I have to hold you in custody on suspicion of murder. You will spend tonight in the Head Teacher's office'

'Well at least I'll get peace!' Edward seemed to care more about this than the implications of the situation he was in. They all stood up and Jack handcuffed Edward. He and Florence escorted him to the Head Teacher's office.

After their lunch, the Manchester group had remained in the Head Teacher's office for the rest of the day. The stress of the morning had caught up with Jenny and she was having a lie down on Karen's mat following their supper, which consisted of rations similar to their lunch, that Karen and Pete had fetched from the canteen. The others had found a new game to play.

'I went on a Caribbean holiday' began Adam, and I took with me…a pair of sunglasses' He smiled at Karen who was sitting beside him.

'I went on a Caribbean holiday and I took with me…' Karen thought for a few seconds 'A pair of sunglasses and sun lotion'

David went next. 'I went on a Caribbean holiday and I took with me a pair of sunglasses, sun lotion and my passport'

Pete was ready to make it more unique to their situation. 'I went on a Caribbean holiday and I took with me a pair of sunglasses, sun lotion, passport and an orthopaedic bed in case there's a storm and I have to sleep in a bloody school hall!' he ranted out.

'Good luck with getting that in your case!' laughed Adam. 'But anyway…I went on a Caribbean holiday and I took with me a pair of sunglasses, sun lotion, my passport, an orthopaedic bed in case there's a storm and I have to sleep in a bloody school hall, and a list of names of people staying in my hotel in case I'm accused of murder need an alibi confirmed!'

'Really Adam?' Karen punched him playfully.

'Well, it would have been more useful than sun lotion on this holiday!'

'I suppose so' she thought. 'Well, I went on a Caribbean holiday and I took with me a pair of sunglasses, sun lotion, my passport, an orthopaedic bed in case there's a storm and I have to sleep in a bloody school hall, a list of names of people staying in my hotel in case I'm accused of murder and need an alibi confirmed…and glasses for the eyes on the back of my head so that I can see if someone is spying on me during conversations with my friends!'

'Nice one!' said Pete. 'What have you got for us David?'

'Goodness, how can I better that?' David thought for a moment. 'I know. I went on a Caribbean holiday and I took with me a pair of sun glasses, sun lotion, my passport, an orthopaedic bed, blah blah blah, a list of people staying in my hotel, blah blah blah, glasses for eyes on the back of my head…and a certified copy of my now clean criminal record in case it is called into question!'

'That's the stuff David' giggled Adam.

'OK What now?' thought Pete. 'Alright. I went on a Caribbean holiday and I took with me a pair of sunglasses, sun lotion, passport, an orthopaedic bed, a list of people staying at my hotel…oh gosh what was it again?'

'Glasses for the back of your head' whispered Jenny from the mat behind him.

'Oh, that's right…glasses for the eyes on the back of my head…'

'Hey, that's cheating! She told you!' complained Adam.

'Sustained' agreed David.

'OK I declare David the winner' announced Karen and they all clapped. At that moment the door opened, and they all felt on edge again. Jenny slowly sat up. Jack appeared and announced to the group;

'Alright, ladies and gentlemen. There has been a breakthrough in our murder investigation, and although you are all still suspects for the time being, none of you are our prime suspect. Could you all please return to the main hall now as we need this room to hold another suspect'

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Pete and Karen helped Jenny to her feet while David gathered up Karen's mat and blanket. The four of them quickly left the room, but Adam held back.

'I'm not sure I'm ready to leave' he told Jack. 'Everyone was convinced I was the killer and until you actually convict somebody, I am sure they will still think I am guilty and treat me accordingly!'

'Fine' said Jack. 'You can stay here, but you will have to share your space with this man' he stepped back out of the room and helped Florence to escort Edward in. Adam took one look at who was being brought in and quickly picked up his mat.

'Actually, on second thoughts I think I'll be fine' he stated and hurried out to catch up with his friends.

Back in the staff room, the easel had been brought out again and Florence was writing in notes from their interviews with the suspects. J P and Ruby had returned from the science classroom and were handwriting final reports as to whose fingerprints were found on each item of evidence. Jack was pacing the room, acting out how he thought the murder had been committed, trying to figure out how Edward could have enticed Gavin to enter the kitchen and how they could have got into the back of it without anyone seeing them. Anyone who had come forward to date, that was. After some time, Nikki joined them.

'Nothing else significant found in my analysis of Edward Phillips' DNA' she informed them regretfully. 'There is a trace on the fork, as would be expected, but nothing on any other item. Nothing on the victim's body either'

'OK no worries, thank you for your hard work, Nikki' Jack acknowledged.

The team stood and looked at the board together, hoping that five heads was better than one.

'So, Tiffany Smith could have killed Gavin to get out of marrying someone without lots of money. But she was seen in the ladies' bathroom just before the time of the murder and none of her DNA found on anything' J P started at the beginning.

'Correct' confirmed Florence. 'Pete Gifford was in the queue and then the hall with his new acquaintances Brian and Tania Ormsby from the time he arrived, so he is fully accounted for. No DNA finds to question that'

'Indeed. I think we can cross him out' agreed Jack and Ruby put a large 'X' through his details.

'Adam Williams was seen holding the victim's body' began Nikki. 'His DNA was found on the body, which is what we would expect, but not on anything else, even the murder weapon that was found in his rucksack. He also has the same alibi as Pete Gifford up until a few minutes before the murder'

'Again, probably too small an opportunity for him to have lured the victim into the food cage, stabbed him and then got him up onto the mannequin display, if we have worked it all out correctly' said Jack.

'Karen Marsden and Jenny Gifford claim to have been in the canteen queue together at the time of the murder' read Florence. 'We have not been able to get this confirmed for sure, but they were seen carrying cups containing hot drinks from that direction'

'Again, no DNA finds' said Nikki.

'And Jenny has been receiving treatment for cancer so couldn't possibly have had the energy to move a body, even with help. I doubt Karen could have done it on her own either' Jack concluded. 'So, who does that leave?'

'David Marsden' said Ruby. 'He disappeared by himself on a walk around the school shortly after arriving so is the one with the biggest margin of opportunity so far'

'True' said Jack. 'And his alibi confirmation from the nurse and patients in the medical room is not conclusive. But again, no DNA findings'

'Which just leaves Edward Phillips' said J P.

'He behaved suspiciously by not coming when we called him this morning and by running away when we caught up with him' said Florence.

'And his DNA has been found on the fork we believe was in the lift shaft to bait our victim' added Nikki. 'But again, nothing on the body or any other item of evidence that can prove his guilt beyond doubt'

'And on top of that, I saw him in the canteen myself a short time before the murder, so his opportunity was quite limited' continued Jack.

'What do we do now?' asked Ruby.

'I suppose there is very little we can do until we can get back to the station and do the proper background checks' sighed Jack. 'The Commissioner will not be very happy, but I don't see what else we can do here without access to our systems. There could be a completely different motive that we don't know about. We really need to establish the victim's background'

'Could it also be possible that all our suspects, or a group of them, were working together?' suggested Nikki. 'I was thinking that could explain, for example, why Adam Williams had the weapon despite having a strong alibi while we have not found any evidence against David Marsden, who had a relatively wide margin of opportunity'

'Yes, that's a possibility' agreed Jack. 'The group of five friends would be our most likely team if that was the case. It would be harder to establish whether or not Tiffany or even Edward was involved'

'Just suppose they were all involved' said Florence. 'It would have taken someone to lure the victim to the cage door, get him inside and stab him. Only David, Karen, Jenny or Edward would have had time to do that after their arrival at the school'

'Hmm…just say David went to find a suitable place to carry out the murder while he was roaming the corridors, one of the ladies waited in the queue for drinks while the other took advantage of the volunteers not knowing who was who, and getting into the kitchen to procure the knife' Ruby surmised.

'Smart theory there, Ruby!' Jack complimented her.

'David and the knife holder could then have met up and either one of them or possibly even Edward could have lured the victim to the cage to retrieve the fork before stabbing him. Then someone would have had to get him onto the mannequin stand without anyone seeing and wait for Adam…who could have arranged to be there to catch the body and take the knife, knowing we would not find his prints on it!' Ruby continued.

'Wow, you could just have figured the whole thing out!' gasped J P.

'Down to the fine detail!' added Florence.

'Fine detail!' gasped Jack.

'What is it?' asked Nikki.

'Fine detail. That's a great theory Ruby but there are a few fine details we have not looked at which... Of course!'

'You've worked it out, Sir?' asked J P.

'Well, part of it anyway. Sorry, I know it's very late, but we need to revisit the analysis of the evidence. Can everyone manage another hour or two?'

'Why not? We're not going to get any more sleep in the gym that we have the last two nights!' agreed Ruby, and J P nodded his agreement.

'Same with my hall spot' said Nikki.

'I can handle long hours' said Florence.

'Here's to the beginning of the end of our ordeal!' Pete raised his watered-down cup of hot chocolate to toast the release of the whole group from the Head Teacher's office and the announcement that they were no longer prime suspects. They all sat round a table in the canteen with the Ormsbys.

'Thank you again for keeping our spaces in the hall' Karen addressed Brian and Tania. 'It would have been a nightmare to try and find another space now!'

'It was nothing and we knew you'd be back!' said Brian. 'I can read people's characters well and I don't get why they would think any of you could have been involved in a murder!'

'Well, they seemed determined because of our acquaintance with the victim and the bits of our conversations that were overheard' David informed him.

'That all sounds fishy to me' said Tania.

'That's what we all think' said Adam.

'We knew it was going to turn out to be that nasty piece of work. Thankfully they have him now' said Jenny.

'Yes, he must have been sitting in the bar where we couldn't see him, taking notes to use against us, the creep!' cringed Pete.

'Everyone in the hall has been talking about that man running out of the school and getting caught and brought back in by the police' said Brian. 'They all believe it was him now. The idea it was you, Adam, is history'

'Thank God for that. I was dreading coming down' Adam began to relax.

'Well, here's to this hopefully being our last night in here!' Karen raised her cup again and they all drank to that. Even Daisy, who had been bored sitting with the grown-ups, smiled and raised her cup at that thought.