DCI Jack Harris Series Box Set by John Dean

Author:John Dean [Dean, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: THE BOOK FOLKS best-selling traditional crime fiction publishers
Published: 2020-03-07T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter thirteen

‘Thank you for coming forward,’ said Harris, staring across the interview room desk at Jenny Meynell then glancing at Gillian Roberts, who was sitting next to him. ‘The detective inspector tells me that you may have some important information relating to the death of Hannah Matthews.’

‘I am here only reluctantly, Chief Inspector.’

‘That makes a change. Normally you can’t wait to bend my ear.’

The comment earned him a glare.

‘I am only here,’ she said tartly, ‘because you would find out eventually. No point in keeping it from you, is there?’

‘Never a good policy, Miss Meynell. Mind, I do find it rather remarkable that you know the young woman whose body turns up so close to your home in the middle of nowhere. How come?’

‘Because I taught her.’

‘So the detective inspector tells me. Where exactly was this?’

‘Laurel Primary School in Redbridge. I assumed that you made the connection after my slip when we talked in this room a couple of days ago.’

Harris remembered her nervous reaction when she mentioned Redbridge during the conversation.

‘A slip indeed,’ said Harris without knowing why except that he felt the sudden need to appear in command of a situation that he sensed was spiralling out of his control. There was clearly much he did not know. Jack Harris had never liked secrets and Jenny Meynell had the air of a woman with plenty of them.

‘Hannah was a nice girl,’ said Jenny sadly. ‘Good parents. They weren’t all like that. Some parents were extremely unpleasant to deal with.’

She hesitated, her features darkening and the officers gave her time to elaborate on the comment but she did not.

‘Something you want to tell us?’ asked Harris.

‘No.’ The barrier had gone up again.

‘Hannah was in your class then?’ said the inspector.

‘Yes. She was very chatty. Always stayed back to help me tidy up. She was in the Brownie pack that I ran as well. Down at the local church hall.’ Jenny shook her head. ‘Such a waste, such a terrible waste.’

‘And were you aware that she had moved up to Manchester?’

‘Oh, yes.’

‘How?’ Harris fixed her with one of his looks. Although he still did not understand what was happening, pieces were starting to fall into place and his suspicions were hardening. ‘How did you know that she had come up to the Manchester area?’

‘Facebook.’

‘And why would you follow her on Facebook? You must have had hundreds of pupils in your time. Why her?’

‘I follow quite a few of my former pupils, Chief Inspector. A lot of teachers do it. We like to know how they have got on in life. One of my old pupils is an Oxford University professor, another works in Milan in the fashion industry and–’

‘And Hannah Matthews ended up lying in a muddy ditch with her head stoved in,’ said the inspector. There was an edge to his voice now. ‘And, of all the places in the world, she turns up close to your cottage. That’s one hell of a coincidence, is it not?’

‘What are you suggesting?’ she asked, eyes flashing defiance.

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