‘At 8pm on a Wednesday night?’
Melanie cocked her head and looked up at Erika with a frown. She flashed a disarming smile.
‘Yes. It was a large donation, so it came with a photo opportunity. Six thirty pm was the only time that the Assistant Commissioner could be present with Charles and the photographer,’ she said.
‘Charles Wakefield donated the money?’ asked Erika, thinking of his strange little flat and the paucity of his possessions inside.
‘No. He’s on the board of the Boulderstone Trust, a local charity who give generously to the police benevolent fund.’
‘Henrietta Boulderstone,’ said Erika, sighing. Charles Wakefield had some powerful people in his corner.
‘How big was the donation?’
‘Hundred K.’
Erika raised her eyebrows.
‘Melanie. The timing of this…’
‘Yes,’ she said, with a tone of warning in her voice.
‘Did Charles Wakefield, or his brother, know that Vicky Clarke was coming to this station tonight, to talk about the murder of Sophia Ivanova?’
‘No, Erika. And I didn’t know. I had to find out from one of your team.’
‘Yes, well, things have moved very fast today.’
‘Which is good. But, I’ll ask that you keep me updated.’
Erika could see that Melanie was angry, but she felt angry too, like she was being kept in the dark and her investigation was playing second fiddle to politics and faux diplomacy.
‘How long has this been planned, the whole charity presentation, if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘Yesterday, I was told yesterday.’
‘Does it seem strange to you? There is still a huge question mark over Charles Wakefield. He could be a suspect.’
‘I thought you have CCTV to support his alibi?’
‘We have CCTV of someone who we think is Charles Wakefield to support his alibi, but his hat is obscuring his face. And during this uncertainty, all of a sudden, a photo op with you here is being arranged, where he’s handing over a whopping great cheque to a Met charity. And Julian Wakefield tags along.’
‘Erika, the cheque, the charity and Charles’s presence on the board are all legitimate. Is the timing tricky? Yes. Am I telling you how to do your job? No.’
‘Vicky Clarke freaked out when she saw him,’ said Erika.
‘And that’s proof of what?’ said Melanie.
‘She discovered a brutal murder in her flat, and the flat next door to hers happens to belong to Charles. And she was so scared, for reasons I’m trying to discover, that she fled the scene. It’s very fishy.’
‘Well, Erika. I need you to find out more than just “fishy”。 You answer to me, but don’t forget we all answer to the Assistant Commissioner. Now, I’ll leave you to get back to your interview.’
Melanie started back up the corridor and Erika watched her for a moment. She was usually so calm and collected. Something had rattled her.
29
When Erika came back into the canteen, Moss had Vicky talking again.
‘I used to let Sophia use my flat to meet guys,’ she was saying in a small voice. Erika tiptoed back in and sat down. The fridge hummed in the background. They let the silence extend around Vicky, so she would feel compelled to elaborate. ‘Sophia wasn’t happy.’
‘Why wasn’t she happy?’ asked Moss.
‘Both her and Maria were pushed, to be the best at school, and to study hard. Their parents wanted them to be doctors, and to have medical training in English. Maria is more conservative. She wants to graduate and then her dream is to meet a nice doctor who she can marry, have his children, and be looked after. Sophia wanted to have fun. She wanted to break loose of the bonds that she’d been wrapped up in. I’m quoting her own words.’
‘How well did you know the sisters?’ asked Erika.
‘I knew Sophia a lot better. She was more open, as a person. I’m home a lot, so I took in parcels for them. I’d go over to the flat to have a glass of wine with her, when Maria was on her shift.’
‘I still don’t get how you made the leap to offering up your bed for her to use?’ asked Moss. Vicky hunched over her mug of tea and looked between Moss and Erika and then at the floor.
‘It wasn’t just boyfriends she had sex with,’ she said in a small voice.
‘Did you have a sexual relationship with Sophia?’
Vicky sighed and nodded.
‘It happened a few times, the first was on a quiet week night. She came to collect a parcel, stayed for coffee and then, wine. We got quite drunk. One thing led to another… I’d never, before, been with a girl…’