Departures (part 3 of 7)

Part 3 - Tuesday

Vanessa Palmer woke late the morning after her world had turned upside down to a strangely quiet flat. At first she lay, eyes shut, wondering what it was that felt so different and then realised that Mike wasn't snoring beside her. Had he woke early? She stretched out, rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. Then she remembered the events of the day before and sighed.

She had been woken on Monday by a loud knocking on the flat door and either Sam or Gemma had answered. She heard them talking to whoever it was and then Sam was knocking on the bedroom door, calling. Sam had stuck her head around the slightly open door. "Ness, you better come, it's the police." she whispered. Mike hadn't stirred as Ness had pulled on a pair of jog pants and a T shirt and gone into the living room.

The two policemen stood in front of Gemma were an intimidating sight, one very tall and solid and made even larger by the stab vest and fully equiped utility belt; the other, though smaller, looked wiry and had a piercing stare. "Is there anyone else living here?" Dave asked Ness as she walked in. "Er, no. Well Mike's here..." she faltered, gesturing with a graceful hand towards the bedroom she had just left. Dave turned to Sam and asked her to wake him, then turned his attention back to Ness."Who is the registered tenant here; these ladies say they are staying with you?" He studied her closely as she dithered, beginning to reply and then thinking better of it. By this time Mike had staggered, grumbling, into the room. His red hair was spiked haphazardly and he could barely keep his eyes open. "Heavy night Sir?" Nidge asked politely. Mike managed a grunted reply. Dave was secretly amused at the silent comedy being enacted, especially when Gemma sat down and lit a cigarette from a packet on the coffee table and tapped nervously with her fingertips right next to a joint that had been overlooked the night before. He deliberately looked at a vase on the mantlepiece and then quietly suggested that she put the other 'cigarette' away. "While you're at it, open a window will you? It's a bit stuffy in here." Gemma moved swiftly to obey, her heart sinking. 

Vanessa got out of bed and made some strong coffee; she sat sipping it in the tiny kitchen area, remembering the previous day in vivid detail. Their collective horror at the news of the murder swamped them and made it impossible to resist answering the police questions in any way but honestly. Ness admitted to being in the flat illegally, albeit with the knowledge and consent of the legitimate tenant, Catherine Cooper. They were all in the theatre and needed a place to stay, so Cath offered Ness the use of her flat whilst she was away on tour. Ness invited Sam, who was in the chorus, to stay too and later Gemma joined them. The dancer couldn't cover her rent and was in debt so grasped the opportunity to slip away from her landlord. Ness had met Mike, a lighting technician, during rehearsals. It had taken hours to go through the questioning; where had they all been, how had they spent the night and early morning, had they seen or heard anything? If Ness had been alone, she would have sworn that they were all too wasted on alcohol and weed to have been conscious of anything and was surprised to discover that all of them, except herself, had been wandering about. 

Gemma said she had gone downstairs and outside for some fresh air around 3.30am while Ness and Mike had been in bed and Gemma asleep on the sofa.

Sam confessed that she had taken a phone call out on the landing at 5am from a distraught friend who'd been dumped by her boyfriend.

Mike had 'slipped out' at some point 'for a walk'. He couldn't explain where, or at what time but they all agreed on one fact. They were all asleep from 7am until being woken at 10am.

By this time the two policemen had hardened their attitude and as Mike couldn't or wouldn't explain what her had been doing, he was put under caution and the flat searched. It soon became apparent that Mike had a second source of income as they discovered his stash; a large amount of cannabis hidden under the bed in his backpack. He was swiftly arrested and the girls were taken too for further questioning.

Ness had finished her coffee and stared dully out of the window. She and the others had spent the rest of yesterday helping the police with their enquiries before being released without charge. Mike, however, had been charged with intent to supply and bailed. Now she was alone. Sam and Gemma had gone to stay with another friend and Mike had been sacked and was on his way back home to Yorkshire. She sighed again as she turned and prepared to go to work.