Gavin Isbitt lived in a four-bedroom detached property in Valley Park, a suburb in Southampton’s north-western outskirts. Kate noted the presence of another BMW on the large driveway. They’d called ahead to ensure Isbitt would be home, and he’d kicked up a fuss, but agreed to meet them there. Although the discovery of Helen Jackson’s body in the boot of a car had been reported on the news, they’d managed to keep the make and model of the vehicle out of the headlines.

With her ID raised, Laura knocked on the door, and offered a warm smile to the woman who answered it, carrying a young boy.

‘Yes?’ the woman said abruptly, her expression softening as she realised who they were.

Introducing herself after Laura, Kate asked, ‘Mrs Isbitt? Is your husband in, please?’

The woman slowly nodded and opened the door wider for them to enter. The child in her arms jiggled excitedly. She lowered him to the floor and he toddled off, disappearing into a room on the left. Mrs Isbitt closed the door, and indicated for them to head through to the second room on the left.

‘I’ll go and get him,’ she offered. ‘Can I make either of you a cup of tea or coffee?’

‘We’re fine.’ Kate smiled reassuringly, as she stepped into the dining room, and took a seat at the far end of the long table.

They heard the woman call for her husband, who appeared a moment later, looking harried. ‘Is this going to take long? I’m supposed to be in Newcastle by six tonight and traffic is always slow on the M1.’

He had to be in his forties, but he looked good for it. Dressed in an expensive-looking suit and shirt, with hardly an ounce of fat on him. His aftershave wafted into the room, and wasn’t unpleasant.

‘Take a seat, please, Mr Isbitt.’ Kate said, passing him a business card, as she had yet to collect her warrant card from the supe. ‘We’re here about your stolen car.’

‘Have you found it?’

‘As a matter of fact, we have.’

He frowned. ‘Is it still in one piece?’

She wasn’t ready to tell him that every nook and cranny of the vehicle was currently being closely inspected by SSD, so she nodded.

‘That should make things easier with the car company then. Do I need to come down and collect it, or can I send someone from the agency?’

‘Agency?’

He checked his watch. ‘Yeah… it was a leased vehicle for business. As soon as I gave them the theft reference number they sent a replacement.’

That explained the new BMW on the driveway. ‘Can you talk me through the theft?’

He frowned. ‘I don’t know what you want me to say. I went to bed and it was there, and when I woke up it was gone. What more do you need to know?’

‘We’re trying to narrow down the window of where your vehicle was taken to before it was discovered. What time did you go to bed on Tuesday night?’

‘I explained all this to the chap who was here two days ago.’

She kept her voice even. ‘And now I’d like you to explain it to me.’

He looked at his watch again. ‘I had been at a conference over the weekend, and must have got home around eight o’clock. I had a glass of wine and headed up around ten, as I was knackered from driving.’

‘Where was the conference?’

‘Penzance, in Cornwall.’

‘How long was the drive? Five hours?’

‘Closer to seven with traffic. I was exhausted.’

‘What is it you do for a living, Mr Isbitt?’

He removed a business card from his wallet and passed it to Kate. In the top left corner, the company’s logo – a bald eagle carrying a mobile phone and laptop – was emblazoned in gold. ‘I’m the Commercial Director of a business I own with my brother.’

She feigned an impressed look. ‘And what does a Commercial Director do?’

‘I visit prospective clients and discuss our suite of products with them and make introductions to our sales team.’

‘Ah, so you’re a sales rep then?’

He glared at her. ‘No, I’m a Commercial Director. My company made three million net last year.’

‘What do you sell?’

‘Network solutions for small- to mid-sized companies. We also rebuild personal computers when they go wrong. If you ever need anything fixing, give us a call. We’re very competitive and service computers nationally.’

She frowned. ‘You live in Southampton. Why would I call you if I was based somewhere up north?’

‘We outsource work to areas where we don’t have a presence.’

‘And the conference you attended in Cornwall was…’

‘A technology expo. There were clients there from all over the world.’

‘So you got back here around eight, but when was the last time you saw the car? Did you check on it before you went to bed?’

‘Of course not, why would I?’

‘You told my colleague that the car was still on the driveway when you went to bed, but what you’re telling me is you can’t be sure it was still there. For all you know it could have been taken any time after eight, when you got home.’

He opened his mouth to speak. ‘Well… I… when you put it like that… but then I’m sure I would have heard the engine start if it had been taken while I was still downstairs.’

‘Are you sure? You didn’t hear the engine start after you’d gone to bed.’

‘Yeah, but I was in the lounge at the front of the house before I went to bed, whereas our bedroom is upstairs at the back of the house.’

‘I’m not trying to trip you up, Mr Isbitt, I just want to make sure I have a clear understanding of what happened. You also told my colleague that you believed someone may have used a coat hanger to snatch your keys through the letterbox.’

‘That’s right. We have a small table for the telephone near the front door, and I usually leave my keys and wallet there so I see them before I leave in the morning. A couple of weeks ago, a car was stolen in a similar fashion in one of the other roads in the area. I reckon it was probably the same lot who stole mine.’

‘What time did you notice the car was gone?’

‘I got up around six and did half an hour’s workout in our gym before jumping in the shower. I got dressed and ate breakfast, but then as I was about to leave for an appointment, I couldn’t find my keys. That’s when I looked outside and saw the car was gone.’

‘You didn’t lend the car to anyone? Or leave your keys somewhere?’

‘What do you take me for? The car and the keys were here on Tuesday night, and gone on Wednesday morning. I don’t think there’s anything else I can tell you.’

‘And you were home all night, Mr Isbitt? You didn’t go back out after eight?’

‘I was here all night.’

‘Can anyone corroborate that?’

‘My wife was here too.’

Kate nodded for Laura to go and speak with Mrs Isbitt. ‘And you don’t remember hearing any strange noises during the night? You didn’t wake up at any point?’

‘Slept like a baby; always do after a long drive.’

Kate watched him closely. ‘Do you know a woman by the name of Helen Jackson?’

He frowned before shaking his head. ‘Name doesn’t ring a bell. Why?’

Kate pulled out a copy of the picture she’d taken from Helen’s parents’ house that morning, and slid it across the table. ‘Do you recognise this woman’s face?’

He lifted the image. ‘No. Who is she?’

Kate returned the photograph to her pocket. ‘Her body was discovered in the boot of your car yesterday morning. She’d been beaten and choked to death.’

The blood drained from his face. ‘Jesus!’

‘That’s why I’m so keen to establish exactly when your car was taken as it may help us identify who carried out this terrible crime.’

A look of recognition crossed his eyes. ‘Wait, the body in the boot… it was on the news… You’re telling me it was my car she was found in? Christ!’ His eyes widened as he realised the implication. ‘I swear to you, I have no idea who she is, I mean was… I… I didn’t do it. I was here all night. Ask my wife.’

‘Calm down, Mr Isbitt, nobody is accusing you of anything. But given what you now know, can you think of anything else that might help our investigation? Any strange sounds or disturbances? Anything out of the ordinary at all?’

The earlier frustration was gone from his face. ‘No, nothing, I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could tell you.’

‘Are you prepared to give us a sample of your DNA so we can use it to identify foreign DNA within the vehicle? It is voluntary.’

The colour had yet to return to his cheeks. ‘Of course, that’s fine. Whatever you need.’

---

Back in the car, Kate watched Isbitt from her window as she reversed off the driveway. ‘He looks like his whole world just collapsed.’

Laura glanced out of the window. ‘Do you think he’s telling the truth?’

‘I think so. What did his wife say?’

‘She backed up his story. She said they went up to bed around ten and neither of them left the room until he got up at six. What are you thinking?’

She mused. ‘I’m not sure. It’s just a bit odd. Why take this particular car? Helen lived nowhere near here and the body wasn’t found in the vicinity. I still think our theory about Leonard is closest, but if the parole officer backs up his alibi, we have nothing. There’s more to this than we’re seeing, I’m certain of it. But we need to work out what, and fast; I don’t think this will be the last murder we’re called to this week.’