THE LALLYBROCH MURDERS

CHAPTER 16

They arrived back at the station to hear that Clair had been speaking to her lawyer. Given that she had been detained at the scene by hospital security and had verbally admitted killing the doctor when they were all in sat in the back of the squad car, the lawyer had been surprisingly upbeat. Only adding to the nerves Liam and Hank were feeling. Things were not going well and they still hadn’t uncovered any solid evidence tying her to any of the victims in the park. Even the glove fragment discovered by the side of Landon Jamille had failed to provide what they were looking for.

Forensics had managed to obtain a partial print from it but it still wasn’t enough to try and submit.

They had sent Barry down to the college to speak with the Dean again.

This time he was trying to build a dossier on Clair Buchan. Who was she? Who did she room with? Who were her friends and classmates? The more information they could obtain the better at this point.

The first name that caught Barry’s eye was that of former classmate Charles Morrison, the very same Junior Doctor that had been slain on the hospital corridor. His first phone call, though, was to Harmony Granville, Clair’s roommate during her time at college. Although Harmony had since graduated and moved back to her home town.

After a few rings, she picked up, happy to talk to the Jnr Detective.

‘Oh, yes I remember Clair,’ she told him. ‘We always got on really well, never did understand the problems she was having.’ That made him pause in his step to his car.

‘Problems?’ Barry asked.

‘Yeah. There was a group of students there,’ she paused as if trying to recall and then started again, ‘who for whatever reason, never liked her. And to be honest, they were quite mean and nasty to her.’

‘But they had no problem with you?’

‘No, they were fine with me. As far as I know they were ok with pretty much everyone really. Was just Clair they didn’t get along with?’ His brow crinkled in confusion, most times, a group of people didn’t along with many others, not just one person. Why was Clair singled out?

‘Do you remember any names at all?’ he asked.

‘A couple. There was one guy called Charles who was in a few of Clair’s classes; I never really liked him much.’ That name again Barry thought to himself. Not that there was much he could do about it he was currently lying on a cold slab in the morgue.

‘You never liked him?’ Barry pressed.

‘No, well I was friends with Clair and I didn’t like the way he treated her but there was just something about him that I didn’t like.’

‘Yeah, I know what you mean,’ Barry reassured her. ‘So anymore?’ He asked and heard her tapping something against the counter as she tried to recall.

‘I’m trying to remember her name, like it’s right on the tip of my tongue,’ Harmony continued.

‘There was one girl there who had known Clair for years. I believe they were friends at primary school but something had happened and they never got along after that.’

‘Primary school? A local girl then? But no idea what happened?’

‘No, I can’t recall. And yes, that’s right. Clair had moved to the dormitories on the campus but the other girl had stayed at home with her parents and commuted in each day.’

The conversation continued for another 20 minutes and Harmony had eventually remembered the name ‘Jen or Jenny’ but apart from that, nothing else of use had been mentioned.

Barry continued working his way through the list of names he had been given by either the college Dean or by Clair’s former professors and lecturers, all of who he had also spoken to. Finally around three or four phone calls later and he had managed to piece together the local girl’s name; Jennifer Saunders. So with a quick background check and he was on his way around to see her.

35 minutes later, her pulled up to the house and he couldn’t help but admire the perfectly kept front garden as Barry made his way up the driveway towards Jennifer’s home. She must have seen him coming because by the time he had reached the four steps leading to the main entrance the door already beginning to open. Barry showed her his badge and introduced himself.

The young woman appeared to be shocked and maybe even slightly shaken as to why there was a police detective knocking on her front door. She swallowed hard but offered a very tentative smile as she invited him in and led him to the living room. He glanced around, noticing it was every bit as impressive as the front garden; both were impeccably clean and decorated to a very high standard.

‘Clair Buchan?’ she repeated, after Barry had briefly explained the reason for his visit. ‘Well, I Haven’t spoken to her in years. I do hope she’s not in any trouble?’

‘I’m afraid I can’t go into any specific details regarding the case,’ Barry explained, ‘Only that we need to collect some information regarding Clair and her personal life.’

‘I understand. Of course I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.’ Jennifer reaffirmed. Barry sat back in the rather luscious sofa making himself comfortable before beginning the Interview.

‘When did you first meet Clair?’

‘Umm, my family moved here when I was about eleven, so sometime in primary school. The teachers put us together and she was told to show me around the place and help me fit in. We soon became friends after that.’ Barry gave her a smile an encouraged her to continue.

‘And you remained friends throughout all of that time?’

‘Yes, and into High school but we kinda drifted apart then.’

‘Oh that’s a shame, what happened?’

‘Well, she was just brilliant at pretty much everything, real smart. There was this one assignment we had in primary school. The whole class struggled with it; no one understood it at all. Of course, Clair aced it as usual, she even said herself she found it quite easy. There were a few of us chatting afterwards and laughing and joking about how easy she found things and how she was continuously getting A’s, seemingly quite easily in fact. Someone, and I can’t remember who but it certainly wasn’t me, up the two together and nicknamed her ‘Easy Clair’ as in easily?’ Barry nodded showing that he had understood the reference and Jenny continued her story.

‘Catchy,’ was his only response.

‘And well it just kinda stuck. To be fair even she laughed at first and it was never meant to be nasty or anything. Unfortunately, as we got older and progressed through high school we realized there was another interpretation of such a name and she then hated it of course. I felt really bad for her but it was too late, it had stuck and everyone knew as ‘Easy’.

‘During the later years a few guys had gotten the wrong idea and tried to get it on with her and then got quite hurt and upset when she turned them down. I think some of them reacted badly to it and picked on her a bit as a result. I always felt that she blamed me for it and we kinda drifted apart after that.’

‘I see, and the nickname followed her through until…,’ Barry trailed off hoping Jenny would carry on and finish that sentence for him.

‘Right through until college,’ she added.

‘There were about five or six of us that graduated high school and continued to the college here. Mostly different classes, although there was one guy who even took the same classes as her so yes the nickname followed and carried on into college as well.’

‘You don’t remember his name by any chance, do you? The guy with the same classes I mean.’

Jenny closed her eyes and thought for a moment.

‘Charles, I think, it was although everyone knew his as Chas.’