It was becoming all too common an occurrence for DS Knight and DCI Culverhouse to be visiting 101 Heathcote Road. The home of Danielle Levy had never quite had the same warm, welcoming feel as most houses, especially since her disappearance and subsequent death. The pair were grateful for the opportunity, however, to speak to Miriam Levy alone in the absence of her partner.
‘Mrs Levy, we appreciate how hard this must be for you, but we believe we may have some clues which may lead us to Danielle's killer. We just need to ask you a few questions, is that all right?’
Wendy was respected throughout the force for her ability to speak calmly and with respect to bereaved families. It was never easy, but she had always been a natural at it. ‘Do you know of a man called Gary McCann?’
‘Umm… no, I don't think so,’ Miriam replied, her voice almost a whisper.
‘Do you know if your daughter might have known him?’
‘I don't know. Danielle was very open with us, but she didn't tell us about everyone she knew.’
It struck Wendy that Miriam Levy was a woman of few words, a woman whose natural beauty and youthful looks had given her more than words ever could.
‘Do you know if she had an address book or anywhere she might have kept a list of people she knew? Contacts, I mean.’
‘Maybe her mobile phone. That's all I can think of.’
‘Ah. Well we've not been able to retrieve that yet. Is there anywhere else? Did she back up her phone anywhere?’
‘I don’t know. I don't think so. I wouldn’t know how.’
The closing of the front door startled the three of them at once as Darren Parker entered the living room.
‘Hello again. Can I help?’
‘Ah, Mr Parker,’ Culverhouse said, standing to shake Darren’s hand. ‘We were just speaking to your wife about a possible lead we have in finding Danielle's killer. Tell me, do you know a Gary McCann at all?’
‘Gary McCann? Well, yes, of course,’ Darren said.
Wendy and Culverhouse glanced at each other, then back at Darren Parker.
‘How?’ Wendy asked.
‘Well, he owns the Spitfire pub. The building, anyway. Someone else is the licensee. He's got a few in the town as well.’
‘And what relevance does this have to Danielle?’
Darren Parker looked at Miriam before continuing.
‘Well, she had a part-time job there. Glass collecting, mainly, and a bit of bar work as well. I mean, she wasn't far off eighteen and it doesn't really matter too much out of the town centre, does it?’
‘When was this, Mr Parker?’ Wendy asked.
‘Few weeks ago now. There was a disagreement and Danielle stopped working there.’
‘What kind of disagreement?’
‘Well, it's all a bit complicated, really.’ Darren Parker sat down in the armchair by the large bay window. ‘There'd been some money going missing from the till. Danielle and a couple of the other girls were on cash-in-hand, you know, and used to get a few tips and things from some of the old men but Gary McCann was sure someone was nicking from him. Reckons stuff was going missing from the safe at one point, too. For some reason he thought it was Danielle and that was that.’
‘He sacked her?’
‘Yeah, pretty much. Said he didn't want her in there again.’
‘And how did Danielle react to that?’
‘Well, she was livid. She wouldn't do anything like that in a million years.’
‘Did she say that she was going to take any action?’
‘Well, no. Not in so many words.’
‘Not in so many words? Why? What did she say, Mr Parker?’
‘Nothing. Not really. Just one of those heat of the moment things, you know. Silly, really.’
‘What did she say?’ Culverhouse repeated, this time more forcefully than Wendy had.
Darren Parker sighed.
‘She said she was going to make sure he regretted it.’