It was then that Vicky remembered she should breathe, and she took a deep inhale of the cold, dirty air.
Erika watched the moment where Vicky and Charles crossed paths. It was blink and you’ll miss it, and Charles had his back to her, but the look on Vicky’s face told it all. She was terrified of him. Terrified of Charles.
It was the oddest moment. Erika realised afterwards that she should have said something, but she hadn’t expected to see Charles with Julian Wakefield at Lewisham Row the same moment Vicky arrived.
Vicky seemed ill-dressed for the late autumn weather in London, let alone the north of Scotland. She was wearing tennis shoes, a short tartan skirt, thick black tights, and a blue woollen roll neck jumper. Her dark hair was long and slightly messy and she carried a small hiking backpack. In the light spilling out from the station reception, her face was ashen, and Erika could see she was shaking as she watched Charles and Julian Wakefield get into a large black Range Rover. Erika could see the resemblance between her and Sophia. The shape of the face and the long hair.
‘Hello, I’m DCI McGroarty,’ said the plain-clothes officer coming around the car. She looked slightly older than Vicky. ‘Can I leave her with you?’
There was something about the way she said it that implied she’d been dog sitting, rather than escorting a vulnerable young witness back to London.
‘Hi, Vicky. I’m Erika and this is Kate,’ said Erika, putting out her hand. Vicky took the hand warily. Her own hand was freezing cold, and she was shaking. ‘We’re investigating the murder of Sophia Ivanova. And I just want to say that you are not in trouble in any way, and you can leave at any point… We’ll have a car take you home. But we really need to talk to you about what happened. Is that alright?’
Vicky nodded. She looked like she was going into shock.
‘Let’s go inside into the warm, and have a hot drink,’ said Moss.
‘Does my sister know I’m okay?’ said Vicky, talking for the first time.
‘Yes, she does,’ said Erika. ‘We’re going to have a car take you home to her very soon.’
‘And she’s not angry with me?’
‘No.’
Vicky nodded and followed them up the steps into the station.
28
‘Let’s go to the canteen,’ said Erika to Vicky as they walked down the long empty corridor running through the centre of the police station. They came to a door and Erika pushed it open, flicking on the lights. She motioned to a small sofa with easy chairs in the corner.
‘You want to talk to me here?’ said Vicky, looking around at the vast empty canteen as the strip lights flickered on.
‘Would you prefer somewhere else?’
‘No. I thought we’d be going to an interview room.’
‘As I said, Vicky, this is just an informal chat. You’re not under arrest. And you’re free to go at any time, but we need your help with this,’ said Erika. She indicated the sofa, and Vicky sat down cautiously. Moss came into the canteen with a tray of steaming mugs and some biscuits on a plate. She handed them a mug each. Vicky cradled hers in her hands.
‘Okay. Let’s start at the beginning,’ said Erika. ‘Did you find Sophia Ivanova’s body in your flat?’
Vicky gulped and put her hand to her mouth.
‘Yes,’ she said. A tear formed in the corner of her left eye and ran down her cheek.
‘What time did you find her?’
‘Just before four o’clock, on Monday afternoon. I let myself in the door… and I didn’t know what it was at first. The sofa bed was rolled up, half-closed, but it looked like something…’ She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
‘Take your time.’
‘It looked like something was… stuffed, inside the rolled up bed, and then I saw all the blood, soaked through the mattress in patches… I opened the bed, and she was lying there, like a broken doll.’
‘Did you touch Sophia’s body?’
‘No.’
‘You were due to work at your sister’s restaurant that afternoon. Why didn’t you go?’ asked Moss.
Vicky hunched down in her chair and closed her eyes.
‘In the morning I went into the West End… To sell a microphone. Pawn a microphone.’
‘What time?’
‘I left around ten thirty.’
Erika looked at Moss.
‘Why would you sell your microphone? You have a podcast,’ said Erika.
Vicky hesitated, keeping her eyes on the floor.