Steve reverse parked the Falcon into the curb outside the Firth residence. On stepping out of the car he noted the Royal Blue BMW with the number plates JF 001 parked alongside him. Sarah nodded in recognition.
They walk up the stairs to the front door and ring the bell.
‘Detectives come on in’ Jane Firth says opening the door to them. They follow her once again into the rather impressive lounge. ‘How is the case coming along?’
‘Well that is why we are here Mrs Firth’ Steve answered her.
‘Yes?’
‘Mrs Firth you are under arrest for the murder of your husband James Firth’ Steve informed her.
‘I’m what? This is ridiculous you have no proof of this?’ she cried out in anger.
‘Mrs Firth we have a witness that states you were seen following your husband up Gold Street moments before he was murdered’ Steve explained to her.
‘Oh my god! How could this be happening to me’ she fell back on to the lounge suite and started sobbing. Steve and Sarah took a seat opposite her.
‘Forensics tell us that the person who committed the crime was left handed based on the prints left on the murder weapon. Of all the suspects you are the only one who is left handed as demonstrated when you handed me the travel brochures earlier.’ Steve explained.
‘Of my’ Mrs Firth sighed to herself, the seriousness of the situation starting to dawn on her.
‘And we believe you had a motive not wanting Anna to find out that your husband was paying her boyfriend for sex with drugs’ Steve added.
‘Well it’s true I did not want the poor girl finding out what her hideous father was really like!’
‘So you followed him on Saturday night, watched him get more drugs and when he started towards Marco Dennis’s house you followed him in your car up Gold Street to a dark section by the park. Anna’s gardening tools just happened to be on the back seat of your car.’
‘Yes quite right’ Mrs Firth agreed looking towards the floor. ‘Can I ever be forgiven?’
Anna Firth hearing the commotion walked into the lounge room.
‘Mother what on earth is going on?’ Anna demanded to know.
‘Anna please forgive me, I’m so sorry my dear girl’ Mrs Firth said shaking her head from side to side. Tears welling up in her eyes.
‘What are you talking about?’ Anna asked.
‘I killed your father. I’m so sorry.’ Mrs Firth cried out.
‘Mrs Firth, we need to remind you that anything you say can and will be used in court against you.’ Sarah said.
‘Yes yes I know, but its too late for all of that now isn’t it?’ Mrs Firth cut her short. ‘I confess I did it. I killed the bastard. I couldn’t stand it any more. The drugs, the male prostitutes. And the money!’
‘What about the money?’ Steve asked thinking now was as good a time as any to get all the information he could.
‘He stole the money!’ she informed them. ‘He tried to make out it was Alex. He knew Alex and I were planning on running away together. So he stole the money from the company and tried to blame it on Alex’ Mrs Firth said sobbing.
‘Mother I can’t believe this is happening’ Anna interjected still maintaining the plum tone in her voice that you only get from a private school education.
‘Oh Anna, you poor silly girl’ Mrs Firth said. Her mood had switched from sobbing and regret to nasty. ‘I killed your bastard of a father. I followed him to Gold Street. I watched him buy drugs like he always did and he was heading to his fagot lovers place’
‘Wait, that’s where Marco lives?’ Anna said as the pieces of realization started to fall into place.
‘Yes he was heading to his lover Marco’s place with his little goody bag of drugs. But he saw my car and turned up Gold Street instead, trying to make out he was just having a stroll. I grabbed your gardening tools from the back seat where you had left them and hit him from behind.’
‘What do you mean Marco was his lover?’ Anna asked in disbelief.
‘Wake up you silly girl. Why do you think your father wouldn’t give you the money for the overseas trip? He always gave you money whenever you wanted it in the past!’
With the sudden realization that her father was her boyfriends lover Anna leapt to her feet and ran out of the lounge crying. A few moments later the back door of the house slammed shut.
‘Mrs Firth, what did Mr Firth do with the missing money?’ Steve asked.
‘I have no idea. However if you want to find out I would suggest you ask Melissa Johnstone. That ugly creature will know where it is and is probably hiding it for him’
‘Right will do’ Steve said recalling that Melissa Johnstone was about to board a plane for a European trip.
‘Mrs Firth we will need you to accompany us down to the station’ Sarah said standing up.
‘Yes of course dear’ Mrs Firth said regaining her composure. She stood up and straightened her clothes. They walked to the front door and down to the car in silence. Once seated inside the car Mrs Firth said ‘I feel such a sense of relief now that it’s all out in the open’
Steve pulled the car away from the curb and headed down to Collingwood Police Headquarters to formally charge Mrs Firth with the murder of Mr Firth.