Three Little Maids(66)

Knocks on doors, house to house enquiries with the girls’ photographs had so far produced little. Everyone wanting to be helpful. Some householders recalled seeing posters of Jodie around town. But had not seen her at the Firework display.

‘Yes, I know that boy Raymond Perkins. He lives just down the road from me. Of course that’s why you’re making enquiries. He works at Carey’s Funeral Parlour, doesn’t he? And he was one of the official mourners at my Aunt Amelia’s funeral the other week. He looks so sad and dramatic in his black mourning suit, and that lock of hair flopping over his forehead.’ A young woman enthused when she was questioned. ‘I think I’ve seen him around town with that last girl though. Yes - he was on the pier with her.’ She pointed out Maureen.

‘And with the other one I think too.’ She studied Jodie carefully. ‘Yes I remember seeing her now. I saw those posters. But you don’t connect with them in the flesh, do you? Not at first. She was walking with him on the pier. I work on the candy floss machine weekends. And I noticed him because he looks different in jeans and sweat shirt.

‘Now that girl, that’s the other one. She’s the French student right? Well - she went into Esmeralda’s Tarot booth and came out again in an uppity mood. Looked upset. Afterwards she had an almighty spat with her boyfriend on the sea front. He looked like he could belt her one. I hope I’ve been able to help some, officer.’

‘You have, thank you.’

‘So Yvette had stormy rows with her boyfriend, Cliff Jones. Interesting. He’s quite a barnstorming character. But I don’t think he’s the type to fit up the other two girls. He was set on making his fortune with fixing the black on Tom Berkley.’

‘So team, it looks like it settles down on Raymond Perkins. We’ve got to bring him in for questioning. And phone Forensics. Find out what’s happening about the van.’





49




‘Raymond Perkins, we’re taking you down to the police station for questioning. You do not need to say anything in case it is used in evidence against you in court...’

This statement produced a cry of alarm from his grandmother and bewilderment and anger from the young man in question.

‘I’ve not done anything. I didn’t kill those girls.’

‘Mr. Meadows to see Raymond Perkins.’

Raymond looked up in surprise to see the young solicitor entering his cell. ‘Good afternoon, Mr. Perkins. I’m Martin Meadows, your solicitor. And I’ve been retained by your grandmother, Mrs Perkins to see that you get the best defence possible.’

‘I’m not guilty. I didn’t murder those girls.’

‘Then it’s up to you to help me prove it. They are charging you with the three deaths. You say you are innocent, Mr. Perkins.’

‘That’s right, I am. Look - I loved Maureen. I was crazy about her, Mr. Meadows. I don’t know who killed her or why. It wasn’t me,’ he declared hotly.

‘According to her friend Susan Flitch you quarrelled with Maureen. She told you she was meeting someone else that evening. And you were angry. Very angry. You threatened to kill her if she dated someone else.’

‘That’s not true. Susan doesn’t like me. She’s jealous. She’d say anything. She didn’t like Maureen going out with me. She would do anything to cause trouble between us. She made Maureen fall out with me.’

‘And you didn’t say at any time that you would kill her?’

‘No! Well I might have said something like that. I was angry. She liked hyping me up. Liked to see me get good and mad, Maureen did. I think I said I’d swing for her, yeah. But that doesn’t mean anything these days, does it?’

The solicitor studied his young client and said; ‘You get life if you’re found guilty. It would be three life sentences for three killings. You’ve got a temper according to a neighbour of yours, Mrs Flitch. You used to give your grandmother a bad time when you were younger. You had an alternation with Yvette in the Nag’s Head on the night she died. You could have heard Yvette give the cab driver direction to take her to the chapel.’

Raymond shifted on the cell bed. ‘So what! I can’t help that. I wasn’t to know that she going to be killed?’

‘No. But then there was Jodie. A homeless girl, you befriended for a couple of days. Did you think you were on to a good thing with her? But she didn’t want anything more than friendship. She was only fifteen. She got scared. And she ran out on you. Or tried to till you caught up with her again. You were good and mad. You weren’t about to be shit on again. So you followed Jodie in the van. Offered a lift to the hostel but instead you took her to the chapel where you took the other two girls.’