Chapter 6: Chapter 6

SEVEN

Gina checked her messages as she walked back towards the incident room, mulling over the information Bernard had sent over.

Hannah hadn’t tried to contact her at all during the day, she doubted she would after the words they’d had. The morning seemed like a lifetime ago but the disappointment etched on Hannah and Gracie’s faces stayed with her. When she had handed the toddler over, the little girl’s bottom lip had quivered.

She placed her phone in her pocket; there was no use stalling and delaying the inevitable. The morning’s events couldn’t be dwelled upon any longer. She felt a sense of relief that the case had ended any thoughts of leaving early to go to the pub to celebrate Paula Wyre’s birthday. She hadn’t really wanted to go and sit alongside Briggs in a social setting. He’d known things about her that the others didn’t. She could have almost kicked herself for telling him what Terry had subjected her too, but he had been a good listener.

Over the past few weeks, the counselling she’d been attending had dragged so much up, muddying her thoughts. She was relieved the sessions had ended, that she had said all the right things at the end, convincing the counsellor she was

fine. Her relationships and her fears over the attacks were all they’d concentrated on. She closed her eyes and thought back to one of the sessions.

She swallowed and began to tremble as the last case, in which she’d nearly been killed, played out in her mind. Her daughter was right. A man had tried to throttle her in her own home and she’d stared death in the face. Every time she sat working in that damn kitchen, she was transported back to that night. Then there was Terry, her abusive ex-husband. She’d revealed the depth of his violence towards her to Briggs, the counsellor and her daughter, but the deepest darkest secret remained within the confines of her mind. It didn’t matter how violent he’d been. The only thing that truly mattered was that she’d delivered the death shove from the top of those stairs. That she hadn’t called the ambulance until he had no pulse. There was a lot she had to be guilty about, but not now. She needed to find the van driver and act as though all was okay in her life.

She wished she had someone to confide in, someone to tell all her deepest secrets to, but people didn’t keep secrets. Secrets never remained secrets forever. A shiver ran up her spine even though the corridor was stuffy.

As she entered the incident room, she straightened up her top and smiled. ‘Happy birthday, Paula. I know this isn’t the night you had planned—’

‘Don’t mention it, guv. This is what I signed up for.’

‘Guv.’ Jacob nodded. Briggs seemed to be laughing about something with O’Connor at the opposite side of the room. She remembered when they laughed in that way but they hadn’t gone out much, always trying to hide their relationship. She remembered when he bought the suit he was wearing.

He’d taken it out of the suit bag, stripped down to his underpants in his kitchen and tried it on, parading back and forth, asking what she thought. They’d laughed so much back then. But the past was the past.

Awkwardly, she stood in front of the incident board and cleared her throat. Briggs sat in the seat closest to her. A slight breeze travelled through the window, catching his hair, gently ruffling it. The smell of his aftershave entered her nostrils as she turned. Enjoying the moment, she inhaled further. She wondered if thoughts of her were going through his mind. If they were, he wasn’t giving anything away. Then again, neither was she. Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe the memories she’d had of Briggs were nothing more than a leftover feeling she was simply meant to enjoy.

‘Oh, happy twenty-first all over again,’ O’Connor said to Wyre.

‘Hey.’ Wyre tapped O’Connor on the shoulder. ‘I’m only a very young thirty-two. It’s still spring in my world.’ She stopped speaking for a moment and looked away. ‘Down to business, I suppose?’

Gina nodded, poured a glass of water from the jug on the main table and took a sip. ‘Right, we have the gorgeous little road that is Laurel Lane, lined with beautiful hedges and foxgloves.’ She pointed to the location on the wall map. ‘On an equally gorgeous day, a girl falls from the back of a van and she’s almost dead. What’s even odder is that Bernard has confirmed all her fingerprints have been burned off. Someone doesn’t want us to identify her, but who?’ Gina pondered over that thought. ‘That’s going to haunt me tonight. Or just maybe, she doesn’t want to be identified.’

‘Chris,’ called a piercing voice from across the room.

Gina turned to see Annie waving at Briggs, her blonde locks shining like she’d just stepped out of a shampoo advert. Annie of Corporate Communications seemed quite fond of him lately and she wondered if Briggs thought as fondly of her.

‘I thought Annie should be here. The press may want some information at some point and it’s important we come up with a plan. Annie and I will be working through that one,’ Briggs said as he pulled out a chair for Annie to sit next to him. He glanced up and smiled at Gina. Was he playing with her? Their break up was still recent and he seemed a little close to Annie.

‘I won’t keep you long.’ Gina grabbed her phone and scrolled on Facebook. ‘Just to update you all, the press have published a short article online and on their social media, releasing information about the van that we are looking for. A local community group called “What’s Up Cleevesford” shared their post for all the Cleevesford community to see. People have been tagged in the post – people with white vans. Those who tagged made smutty comments about their friends, jokingly accusing them of all sorts. I’ve noted the names of the people that had been tagged so far. O’Connor, can you follow up on them?’

‘Yes, guv.’

‘You all have leads to follow up on. Are we all clear on what we’re doing next?’

Everyone replied before beginning to discuss the missing fingerprints on the girl. Everyone pooling thoughts and ideas. Gina began to update the boards then glanced back, watching as Briggs and Annie spoke. They looked so cosy together.

Gina felt a flush of heat travelling through her body and a wash of nausea followed. She didn’t want to be there, she

wanted to go home. Her hands trembled as she gripped the pen and a palpitation ripped through her chest. Find a reason to leave. Gracie is sick and Hannah needs to go to work. I forgot to feed the cat. I left my door unlocked. The excuses sounded pathetic but she had to choose one and make it quick. She needed to get out before she embarrassed herself. ‘I have to go. I think I left my door unlocked. I just wanted to go through what we have. Wyre, when you’re finished up here, go forth and enjoy your birthday celebrations. I’m going to work from home. If you need me, just call.’ She grabbed her bag, forced a smile and left.

‘See you tomorrow, guv,’ Jacob called.

She waved back as she walked away. At least her swift exit had got her out of going to the pub with everyone. She couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to be sociable, sitting in some pub watching Annie and Briggs flirt all evening. She wanted to go home, sit with her cat and watch reactions to the press release and that’s exactly what she was going to do.

EIGHT

SUNDAY, 15 JULY 2018

The bed felt soft and Miley enjoyed the sinking feeling as she lay on her side, falling further and further into the mattress, and into the next phase of the most lucid dream she’d ever had. Was she at Stacey’s house? She hoped so. Stacey’s bed was lovely and she could never resist lying on it whenever they sat in her bedroom. Any minute now, she expected Stacey’s dog, Jitterbug, to come and lick her face.

She giggled as she chose the next dream scenario. She and Stacey had skipped history, as it was so boring and they both hated Mondays. Mr Simpkin never failed to send them all to sleep with his droning voice and his talks of old stuff that would never be relevant to her life. She vaguely remembered something about some battle of roses. Something to do with Lancashire. He’d shown the class pictures of stuffy old kings dressed in silly clothes, similar to the clothes they’d used in their last pantomime at school. But instead of being there, being bored to tears, she was hiding out with Stacey in Stacey’s bedroom, while her parents were at work.

Later that afternoon they had a careers talk to get through at school. Jobs and future career expectations, those subjects always started a row at home. Her mother had quizzed her about jobs and the future. The main thing she knew was, after the last exam, she was never going back to school. She didn’t

know what she wanted to do but she liked looking after animals. Her mum was no help though, wouldn’t even let her have a cat. That was it, her dream had been realised. She wanted to care for animals. Biology was her subject and she was set to get a B. She’d try and scrape a C in maths and English too. That might just help her get an apprenticeship with a local veterinary surgery or pet shop.

She struggled with the sheet as she turned onto her side, dragging the material with her. The pillow was so soft and she badly wanted to enter a deep sleep phase, but her mind was racing. Giggling, she ran her fingers over the material, untangling the soft blankets. ‘Stacey,’ she called. They had to get back to class before English. If the school rang home, her mum would freak. Even worse than that, her mum’s boyfriend would go on and on until she stormed out. The arguments only got uglier. Insults would be hurled back and forth, but she’d give as good as she got. Who was he to dictate anything? He was not her father and he’d moved into her mother’s house – her house – coming between them and then always going on at her. Nothing she ever did was good enough for him and he made her know that. Her house felt like a strange place in which she did not belong. ‘Can I stay at yours tonight, Stacey? Stacey, don’t ignore me.’ She laughed again. No doubt Stacey was standing above her pulling a ridiculous face. As soon as she opened her eyes, she’d see.

‘Don’t you stare at me, Stacey. I can feel your presence.

I’m opening my eyes after three. One, two, three.’

She opened her eyes and there was no one around. It had felt like she was at Stacey’s house. Her muscles tingled, so relaxed she couldn’t move. It was almost as if she was ascending from the bed, so high and floaty, like she was going to fly out of the window and reach for the skies. The room was

tinged with a fuzziness, almost making it look pretty as the morning light shone through the window. Golden rays blending with coppery shades caught her eye and bathed the back wall with their colour. She must have overslept. Stacey was nowhere to be seen. She must be at home. Maybe they hadn’t bunked off history.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to shift the cloudiness. ‘Mum.’ Why hadn’t her mum woken her up? She normally did. Maybe she was late for school, or was it Saturday? Who cares? She laughed as she turned on her pillow and laid her cheek on what felt like a wet patch. She’d been dribbling in bed again. That dream of skiving off school and hanging out with Stacey was just that, a dream.

Slowly, the power of small movement returned to her body, starting with a tingle in her wrists, reaching her arms and legs. Then the knowledge of where she was dawned on her. She had duties to fulfil. She rolled off the bed and fell to the floor. ‘Take it slowly, Miley.’ It would take a while for her muscles to work and her memory to defog. That dream had been the best ever and she wanted more. She missed Stacey but life goes on. One day she would go home, savings in hand, ready to rent a place of her own.

As she sat up, her head sunk and it felt like the room was gently rotating. Maybe she wouldn’t get much work done yet. Flopping back down on the creaky bedframe, she stared at the brown patch on the ceiling and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. The beauty in the coppery tones she saw only a few minutes ago was long gone. There was no use crying. She was now a grown-up in a grown-up world and she wouldn’t go home until she’d proven herself.

She remembered back to the last time she saw her mother. The expression on her face had been furious when Miley had told her she was being a cow for not letting her go to Stacey’s party. With her mother’s boyfriend beside her drunken mother

– the united front they called it – they blocked her entry to the door, trapping her at the bottom of the stairs. She didn’t like him but everything she’d done to try and make him leave had backfired. He’d had words with her, words he had no right to have. It was her house and he’d pushed her out. It wasn’t like when she had her mum all to herself. With her mum, she’d always got what she wanted and that had ended when he came on the scene. That was the moment she promised herself, they were never taking her freedom. A tear slipped down her cheek as she yearned for the mother she once had and a relationship she grieved over. Her mother had stresses, maybe Miley should’ve been a bit more understanding. Her stomach began to turn as she rolled off the bed. Work beckoned.

Her heartbeat sped as she heard the boss enter the next room. She placed her ear against the wall and listened to his murmurings. She normally heard him coming up the stairs but this time, he must have crept up. ‘I can’t believe she’s left you like this. I am so sorry. Will you ever forgive me? Please hold me, like this, like you used to hold me.’ The room went silent and a few seconds passed. The man let out a pained scream as he slammed the door and roared. As he passed Miley’s bedroom, he banged loudly. She crawled along the floor and placed her back against the wall in the corner of the room, hoping she’d sink into it and wake up in Stacey’s bedroom finding that this was all a dream. ‘I hate you, I hate you so much!’ He slammed into her door. She held her breath and placed her hands over her ears, hoping that he’d leave her alone.

‘Please don’t hurt me,’ she whispered as tears began to slide down her face. ‘I’m doing my best, it’s just… it’s not easy. I’ll try harder.’ Soon she’d be out. Just a little while longer. Get the money and leave. Save enough to put a deposit on a room, that’s all she needed.

NINE

Gina arrived at the station as the sun was breaking. Silence echoed through the corridor leading to the incident room. After waking every hour during the night and lying awake, overthinking everything that had occurred with Hannah and then with Briggs, she needed work and it needed her.

‘Morning, guv,’ Smith said as he walked through, heading in the direction of the main desk.

‘Morning.’ Gina began to pin one of the photos that Bernard had emailed through on the board. She gazed at the girl’s face still remembering her shocking state. She stuck the photo of her burned off fingerprints underneath and continued sticking the others around it, showing the marks on her body, the wound on her side.

‘You dashed off quickly last night,’ Wyre said as she placed her bag on a desk.

‘As I said, I forgot to feed my cat.’

‘I thought you said you forgot to lock your door.’ Wyre pulled a few longer strands of her fringe aside and tucked them behind her ears. She leaned forward, almost holding her hand in Gina’s direction.

‘Ooh, did I say that?’ Gina turned back to the board.

Wyre nodded. ‘It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself.’

‘I feel rotten now. I’m really sorry, with it being your birthday and all. I’d had a bit of an argument with my daughter.’ Last time Gina had really let her hair down with the team she’d ended up drinking too much and sleeping with Briggs. That wasn’t going to happen again, ever. Not that it would have happened last night with Annie sniffing around him.

Wyre removed her jacket and placed it over the back of the chair. ‘Don’t worry about it. I know how these things can play on the mind. One row with my dad and I’m fit for sod all for the rest of the day. We left soon after and popped to the Nag’s Head for one. Briggs and Annie stayed on. I think she has a bit of a thing for him, it’s quite sweet really.’ Gina scratched her brow, hoping to hide her expression. ‘Jacob had to meet Amber, so I called it a night. It wasn’t going to be a long one anyway as I had to get home. George had a surprise waiting for me.’ Wyre placed her hand on the table face down as Gina turned again, continuing to make brief notes on the board. Wyre sighed. ‘For a senior detective, you do miss a lot.’

Gina turned, gave Wyre a puzzled look and then stared back at the board. ‘Can you see something I can’t?’

Wyre held her left hand up and Gina smiled. How had she missed the shiny diamond that fit her slim finger so perfectly? ‘You and George?’

‘No, me and the dog.’ ‘You’ve got a dog?’

‘No, I was just… It doesn’t matter. George asked me to marry him and I said yes! I know it hasn’t been too long but

we’re having a really long engagement. I really love him and that’s not something I thought I’d ever say about anyone.’

‘I’m so happy for you both.’ Gina smiled as her phone buzzed. It was a message from Briggs.

Can you pop through to my office?

‘If anyone wants me, I’m in Briggs’s office. You can tell me all about it in a bit.’

Wyre took the rest of the photos and continued where Gina had left off.

She hurried along the corridor until she reached Briggs’s office. The door was closed. After gently tapping, she stepped back and waited.

‘Come in.’ As she opened the door, he finished typing. ‘Right, that’s that done. Any updates on the new appeal?’ he asked.

‘Not as yet. There has been a high volume of calls, mostly everyone and anyone who knows someone with a large white van.’ She felt the familiar prickling climbing across her chest. It wouldn’t be long before Briggs would catch her reddening.

‘The call team have emailed me the first list. Just printing it now.’ She heard his printer chugging into action. ‘It’s a shame you didn’t come for that drink last night. Annie and I headed off to Stratford to get some food. How are you holding up, with things?’

‘Good… really, everything’s fine. I just had to get back. I thought I’d left my back door unlocked.’ That lie again. Was he going to catch her out this time?

‘I thought you had that all dancing and singing security system installed since the last incident?’

He was correct. She could have just looked on her phone to see the camera images of her house at any time that evening, but she had chosen to leave. Then again, it was a lie.

‘I’m worried about you, Harte. You seem a bit distant.’ ‘I’m fine, sir. Really.’

‘It’s not what happened with us, I mean, it’s all in the past. I get that, totally. We’re friends, have been for years and I’m moving on. You’d tell me if something was bothering you? We’re still friends.’

Nothing was bothering her. She had a past like everyone else. Why could everyone see a version of her that she could not herself see? She was fine. It had been a bad few months. She’d had counselling. She’d opened up about her fears and her past. ‘I’m sorry if I gave you that impression, I really am fine, and I wish you’d stop asking.’

‘Sorry. I’m always here, remember that,’ he said as he stood and walked over to her. She took a step back, placing some distance between them. She knew his game, getting close to Annie, flaunting it, all to make her jealous.

‘I can look after myself.’

He reached over, grabbed the reports and passed them to her. ‘Here you go. I hope you find the answer in there.’ He returned to his chair and scrolled on his computer mouse. ‘Any news back from the lab yet?’

‘No, sir. Nothing. As it stands, this is all we have. This and any potential CCTV. O’Connor is following up on all the van leads and Wyre will continue looking for any CCTV showing a white van in the area.’

He began typing again. ‘I best let you get on with it then.’

She closed his door as she left, thinking about what Briggs had just said. She’d gripped the reports so hard they were screwed up in her hands. She flinched. O’Connor’s voice bellowed through the corridor as she entered the incident room. ‘Wow, congratulations,’ he said to Wyre.

Gina flattened out the reports as well as she could and passed him the huge list of white vans to follow up on. She then pulled her own list from her bag. She’d written down as many details as she could of anyone commenting on the Facebook post about the van. Dropping them on a desk, she looked up and smiled. ‘Sorry. I know this isn’t exciting but you’re so good at it. Wyre, keep looking for CCTV within the area. Someone must have something. Maybe some of the residents along Laurel Lane have CCTV.’ Wyre nodded. Gina pulled out her phone and called Bernard. She needed to buck up and get on with all her tasks. ‘Any news?’