“Can I get you a drink?” he asked. It felt to Dotty like she had been asked what she wanted for her last meal before her execution.

  “No, I’m fine, thank you.”

  “Very well. Someone will be with you soon.” He smiled and left. Dotty undid her coat as the room was too warm to the point of feeling stuffy. She wondered if it was a tactic to leave her to stew. She sat there for so long, she thought they had forgotten about her. Her painted fingernails drummed on the table. She was about to get up to check when DS Collins entered with another plain-clothes officer.

  “Hi, I’m Detective Constable John Newton.” He looked very young and fresh-faced with ginger hair and cheeks that had reddened to behind his ears. He was probably just out of training school, Dotty thought. She wondered what had happened to Wayne. Maybe he had been reprimanded for his informality. She would have preferred him to have been there. Right now, her body ached, and she felt lousy.

  DS Collins opened the file in front of her. She skimmed through the pages, then sat back.

  “We’ve had forensics back from the scene of the crime.” Dotty anticipated that this was the point where they got the handcuffs out and locked her up. She screwed her eyes shut. She knew her lipstick was still on the wine glass she left on the table at Ash’s flat. If Ash were a typical bloke, he wouldn’t have washed it before his killer arrived. Dotty jumped in and plead her innocence before DS Collins said any more.

  “I know my lipstick would have been on the glass that was left on the coffee table but I can assure you…” Dotty waved her hands about as she spoke.

  “Hold your horses, Miss Drinkwater,” DS Collins said, putting up the palm of her hand towards Dotty. “You’ve been eliminated from our inquiries.”

  “Eliminated?” Dotty repeated. Her eyes had opened wide.

  “Yes, you understand what that means?” Ds Collins’ raised her eyebrows.

  “Yes, no. I mean, I know what eliminated means, but I don’t understand how.” Dotty frowned.

  “We didn’t find any of your fingerprints or DNA at Ash’s property.”

  “Really?” Dotty leaned in, trying to process what she had just heard. “I’m in the clear?”

  “There’s something else you should know.”

  “Oh?”

  “Ashley Jones or Jankowski’s real name was Alojzy Jankowski, and he was wanted back in Poland on a series of drugs charges. Did you know anything about his drug dealing?”

  “No,” Dotty replied too quickly and as she spoke, she felt her cheeks glow.

  “You’re sure about that?” Dotty had never been good at lying but she told herself that she didn’t know that fact when he was alive, so she was half telling the truth.

  “I hadn’t known him long.” Dotty wriggled in her seat. She sat on her hands then pulled them back up and rubbed them together.

  “So, you keep telling us.” Dotty felt the eyes of both police officers boring into her. She wished Wayne were here. She wouldn’t feel as uncomfortable in his presence.

  “So are Ray and Greg also in the clear?” Dotty was doing her best to remove herself from the spotlight.

  “We are not at liberty to divulge that information.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “There are two local drug dealers we are interested in talking to. We wondered if you may know them.”

  “I don’t know any…” As Dotty spoke, she was shown a picture of the two drug dealers parked outside her house and a picture of their mugshots. It was the two guys the girls had grappled with Burper over. Dotty gulped.

  “Do you know these two men?”

  “I…”

  “Take your time.”

  “No, I don’t believe I do.” Dotty closed her eyes and prayed for forgiveness for telling a lie.

  Chapter 30

  When Dotty closed her eyes, she imagined herself locked up in a rat-infested jail with only gruel and water to live on. By the time she came to her senses, she was being shown the door. She couldn’t believe her luck. They hadn’t arrested her. This called for a celebration and a stiff drink. She phoned Rachel and Kylie to see what they were doing that night. Rachel was busy and Kylie was working. If she couldn’t find anyone else to hang out with, she decided to go down to the Six Bells and sit at the bar. At least she could talk to Kylie then.

  Dotty got ready as though she was going on a hot date. After a long soak in the bath, she put her hair up in curlers and took time to apply her makeup. She’d give her old lilac dress a runout tonight. She loved the white lace trim, and it had long sleeves to hide her bingo wings. She should have worn a hat to keep her head warm, but it would have ruined her hairstyle and her looks came first. Wrapping her green cashmere scarf around her neck, she opened the front door when she heard the beep outside. She had splashed out for a taxi. It was only a fifteen-minute walk, but it was icy cold tonight and she’d made a bit of money this week selling her pans, so she felt like Rockefeller.

  After perching herself at the end of the bar, she spent most of the night chatting to Farmer Gilliam. Kylie was too busy to speak so Dotty learned all about the farmer’s proud boast of owning Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs. By the end of the evening, she knew that it was a hardy breed, able to cope with most conditions. The pigs were excellent foragers with a gentle nature and an excellent maternal instinct.

  “Did you know that until recently, the breed survived on a low population. Now, it’s all the rage because the meat tastes so good.” The farmer said as he downed his pint. Dotty could see why he had rugged red cheeks.

  “Yes, I’ve tried the sausages,” Dotty yawned. She wished Kylie would have a break or someone would come in she knew to take her away from all things porcine. She now knew the farmer’s history, about how he started up with just three pigs and built his smallholding up to over fifty. When he wasn’t talking about anything pork related, his conversation touched on the weather which was even less riveting.

  Finally, Kylie was allowed a ten-minute break. Dotty moved over and perched on a stool at the end of the bar. Talk turned smuttier. Kylie had designs on a bloke who was a regular, the trouble was he was married.

  “He must be having problems with his wife because he spends all his time talking to me.” Kylie beamed. “He’s a plumber. If I play my cards right, I might get to see his plunger.”

  “You be careful, lady. You don’t want to be the cause of a divorce.” As Dotty spoke, Kylie nudged her. Dotty thought it was because some hunk had walked in, but it was two women.

  “Psst, is that her?” Dotty frowned until it dawned on her the reason Kylie looked excited. It was the woman she had seen Ash talking to outside the pub that time. Her pulse increased.

  “What shall we do?” she asked Kylie.

  “I’ve got to go back to work so you keep an eye on her. Try to listen in on her conversation.”

  That was exactly what Dotty did for the next hour. She went to play on the slot machine so she could be in earshot of the mystery blonde woman. She got close enough to hear her talking, but it didn’t help. The woman she stood chatting to spoke with her in a foreign language. She presumed it was Polish.

  By the time Dotty had poured almost twenty pounds into the machine, the two women looked ready to leave. Dotty tried to catch Kylie’s attention to let her know she intended following them, but Kylie was too busy to notice. Dotty rushed out behind the two women.

  She followed them as they turned onto the High Street. She wondered if they were walking to the station. Her scarf was loose around her neck. She wrapped it around again to keep out the cold. It had turned frosty underfoot, so she had one eye on the pavement as she marched ahead. The path was precarious, and she slid along wishing she’d put more sensible footwear on.

  A cloud of white air blew out from Dotty’s lungs as she watched the two women enter the King’s Arms. Before she got inside, she could hear a group playing. The music was loud. Dotty walked in and the warmth and ambience hit her straightaway. The two women chatted to two men. Dotty went to the bar and ordered a coke. She didn’t want too much to drink if she was doing surveillance work. She needed her wits about her.

  “Driving tonight, love?” the barman asked as he dropped Dotty’s change into her palm. She smiled at him and nodded, wishing she had brought her car now. It was too crowded to find a seat, so she stood and enjoyed the rock band whilst keeping a close watch on the blonde woman. They hadn’t been in long when the lead singer said it was their last number. Dotty finished her drink just as the barman called last orders. She was already feeling bloated from the gassy liquid so didn’t want anymore. She desperately needed to spend a penny, so was glad when the blonde woman had the same idea. Dotty walked a few steps behind her.

  There were two cubicles, so Dotty emptied her bladder knowing the mystery woman was next door. Unfortunately, Dotty’s bladder was so full, she heard the woman finish and leave while Dotty was still mid-flow. She flushed the toilet. As she went to open her cubicle door, disaster struck — the handle wouldn’t budge. She shook it and tried again. The lock turned round and round. Something had jammed. She frowned and told herself not to panic. She would try again in a minute. If that didn’t work, then someone would come along soon who could help. There were no sounds from outside. She bent down close to look at the lock. The more she tried to move it, the more worked up she got.

  “Hello,” she called out. “Is anybody there?” There was no one about. Dotty grabbed hold of the handle and yanked it to no avail. She yelled some more. Panic set in. She tried to calm herself.

  “Breathe deep, Dotty. You can sort this,” she said out loud and checked in her handbag to see if she had something suitable to pick the lock undone. She laid out the contents on the ground — keys, nail varnish, lipstick, purse, hairbrush, hairspray, mirror, chewing gum and a load of discarded receipts. There was nothing remotely suitable. She checked her coat pocket and wrapped her sweaty hands around her phone. She sighed with relief. Why didn’t she think of that earlier? Now she could call for help. She managed a smile. Her friends would surely laugh at this episode.

  As she moved her thumb to press the home screen, she looked down in horror as it remained blank. Surely the battery hadn’t died so quickly. The charge was low when she left home, but it should still have some juice. She pressed and shook the phone, but it didn’t come to life. She could kick herself now for not charging it earlier. Her heart raced as it sunk in that she wouldn’t be phoning anyone for help.

  There was a small gap underneath the door, but it wasn’t tiny enough for her body to fit through. What was she to do? She cried out again but couldn’t hear anyone about. Convinced that someone would come soon to check the toilets before the pub shut, she settled down, head in hands, to wait. No one came. Time passed. She got hold of the loo brush and started smashing it against the lock in a desperate attempt for freedom. If this were what being in prison felt like, she would behave herself from now on. She prayed and vowed to God to be a good girl in future if he would take into consideration that she was now sorry for past misdemeanours. Was this God’s work, punishing her for not telling the truth? Why didn’t she stay at the Six Bells? Why did she have to come snooping? It was getting colder. The heating must have switched off.

  She sat on the toilet reading the notice on the door. It mentioned about where to go for help if you had a problem with drugs. Dotty’s problem with drugs was living with her conscience after what happened. She justified not telling anyone by convincing herself that most of the white powder would have been washed away in the scuffle. Had those two guys killed Ash because he had double-crossed them, and he had hung on to their stash? That was Dotty’s theory and seemed the most probable. To get some peace of mind, Dotty decided she would speak to Ash’s neighbours to see if they heard anything on that Sunday after Dotty left his flat. Rachel had done her bit and spoke to most of them but there were still three people outstanding. For a moment, she forgot where she was. She came to her senses and had another go at calling for help. No sounds could be heard.

  She squeezed herself between the toilet pan and the edge of the cubicle, leaning against the wall to get more comfortable. Her head lay on the seat. More time past. All the natural light had disappeared. The place was in darkness. At some point, she dozed off.

  She was wakened by the cleaner entering the washroom at seven the following morning. Dotty felt disorientated and didn’t know where she was at first. Eventually, the cleaner got help and together with the manager armed with a screwdriver, they unscrewed the door. Dotty put her hands around the older lady like she was a long-lost relative.

  “Freedom, thank you. You’re my saviour. I was about to die from frostbite.” That was an exaggeration especially as the heating had been piped through since five-thirty that morning. The woman looked embarrassed. Still, it couldn’t have been a pleasant experience for poor Dotty locked in the loo all night. The episode had put her off surveillance work. She wasn’t going to be following anyone again in the near future — or so she thought.

  Chapter 31

  Dotty’s family, Rachel and Kylie were all sympathetic about her mishap even if they did have a laugh to themselves under their breath.

  “That will teach you to go snooping,” her dad said. “Keep out of police business. The boys in blue are more than capable of solving crime. It’s what they’re paid to do.”

  Dotty was highly embarrassed, especially as news of the event reached social media channels. She was stopped in the street as she took Winnie for a walk.

  “Hey, Dotty. What fruit should you have used to open the locked toilet door?” the postman asked.

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

  “You should. It’s a key-wee, ha, ha.” Dotty screwed up her nose and marched off.

  The jokes wore thin. Dotty told Kylie as much when they spoke on the phone later that evening.

  “I’m sick of being the butt of everyone’s jokes.”

  “You’ve got to admit it was funny, Dotty.”

  “You wouldn’t have thought so if you were there. I hardly got any sleep. To think nobody cared enough to send a search party looking for me.”

  “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and listen to this. I’ve found out Anna’s address.”

  “Oh, okay. I could check it out after my Slimming World class tomorrow night.”

  “What happened to using psychology to lose weight?”

  “It didn’t work, and I need to take more drastic measures if I’m to get into my little black dress for New Year’s Eve.”

  “Serves you right for buying a figure-hugging dress. I warned you.”

  “Oh, but it’s velvet, and it’s gorgeous. If that dress doesn’t net me a man, nothing will. Can you come with me tomorrow? I won’t follow Anna this time. A change of approach is called for. I’ll go and see her and have it out, woman to woman. I want to find out if it was her that phoned me and warned me about Ash.”

  “I’m working tomorrow night. See if Rachel is free.”

  Sadly, Rachel wasn’t available either, so Dotty decided she would visit Anna on her own. She was itching to know more about Ash’s life before Dotty met him.

  In the meantime, Dotty was busy. She had a pan party booked in tonight. It was her last one before Christmas. She knew it was her only chance to make any money for a while. She planned to make a quiche in the frying pan to wow the crowd. By doing that, she could show potential customers just how versatile the pans could be. With their hermetically sealed lids, they doubled as ovens, so cooked pastry. She called on the High Street to pick up the ingredients and was just coming out of the supermarket when she spotted Wayne talking to green-fingered Greg of all people.

  Greg took one look at Dotty and marched off in the opposite direction, snubbing her. Dotty stood catching flies with her mouth agog. Wayne felt it necessary to say something, even though he probably shouldn’t have.

  “You weren’t the only one who’s DNA wasn’t found at the scene,” he whispered.

  “So, Greg’s in the clear over the murder too?”

  “It would appear that way, yes.”

  “What about Ray? Were his fingerprints found at the scene?”

  “No, there was nothing to link him to Ash’s death either, but don’t tell anyone I told you.”

  “Does that mean you have no suspects?”

  “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but we think Ash, as you knew him, was involved with a couple of unsavoury characters from the drug scene. Police intelligence thinks they were linked to the deaths of the two ice cream fellas who sold drugs. They may be the two characters who tried to abduct you, but you didn’t get to see their faces, you say.”

  “That’s correct.” Wayne nodded.

  “I trust you will keep schtum about this.”

  “Of course.”

  “It’s just that if you did encounter Roller Riggs or Buster Brown, as they are known, I wouldn’t want you to come to any harm. I believe you were shown a picture of them recently when you were at the police station.”

  “So, they are dangerous criminals then?”

  “Yes, capable of murder, we believe. So, please take care, Dotty.”

  “I will.”

  “Oh, and Dotty?”

  “Yes?”

  “Will you be going to the New Year’s Eve dance at the village hall?”

  “Are you going?”

  “I’ve bought my ticket, yes. They are selling fast.”

  “My friends and I haven’t decided what we’re doing yet but I can certainly suggest it to them.”

  “It would be nice to see you there.” Dotty smiled.

  “I’ll see if I can persuade them to go.”

  “Okay, you look after yourself.”

  Dotty walked off stunned at Wayne’s revelations. Butterflies jumped up and down inside her stomach. Wayne hadn’t quite asked her out, but almost, and he trusted her enough to reveal where the police were up to with their investigation. It felt like they were virtually a married couple. She felt privileged to be part of his inner circle.

 

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