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As he bit into the hot, juicy muffin his stomach groaned in appreciation. He couldn’t help but wonder who the clown stuff in the box he’d found at the last house had actually belonged to. He didn’t have any internet or a decent mobile phone to try and search for some information. What he could do was go to the library at the weekend and do some digging there, maybe ask at the records office or use a computer there if he had a spare couple of quid to pay for it. It would be interesting to know more about the person it had belonged to. There was something so mesmerising about it.
When he’d pulled the costume out of the trunk there had been a wig and a big, black thing that went around your neck. He’d found a couple of black and white photographs in the bottom of the trunk, tucked into a faded yellow envelope. One was of a man sitting in a cage with three huge lions on his own; the other had been a small picture of three clowns – all different shapes and sizes.
He’d recognised the suit that he’d pulled out of the box. The clown wearing it had the strangest hair – just three tufts – and a huge red mouth. It was the kind of clown that would give anyone a phobia of clowns, not to mention nightmares. He didn’t imagine the kids who visited the circus would want much to do with him unless he was really funny and kind. Then again, if he’d been kind, why had he felt such overwhelming feelings when he’d tried the costume on? And then that rage towards the woman had been nothing like he’d ever known. It wasn’t as if he knew her and she’d upset him. It was as if someone else had taken over his body. Was that possible? He wondered if the clown suit was haunted. It might even be possessed.
Then he shook his head. He knew that the suit probably had nothing to do with it. The problem was him; it always had been. Dean started the engine, waking him from his daydream.
‘Right, that’s enough of me being nice to you to last for the rest of the week. Don’t you dare tell anyone. I don’t want them thinking I’m going soft in my old age. We’ve got a shithole of a house to empty today and Jacko wants it done by one ’cause he needs the van back, so you better be ready to work your arse off.’
He nodded; at least it would keep him busy for the next few hours. Take his mind off the guilt that was seeping into the cracks that were opening all over his already delicate mind.
Chapter Four (#ulink_df22aaa6-4a8f-5ce6-a0dd-0bfe95a76913)
When Annie opened her eyes to see Alfie’s Moses basket empty her heart almost jumped from her chest. Then she realised that Will was no longer in the bed either. Reaching out for her phone she was surprised to see it was almost twenty to eight. How had that happened? She got up, pulling her dressing gown off the back of the chair and wrapping it around herself.
She went downstairs to the smell of grilling bacon. A small spark of anger flared inside her. Obviously Will had woken up hangover-free if he was making himself a bacon sandwich. By rights he should have a stinking hangover and be feeling as if he was dying. If it had been her who had consumed all that whisky on an empty stomach she probably would have died.
She walked into the kitchen to see Alfie strapped into his bouncer, which was balanced on top of the breakfast bar. Will was leaning down feeding him. Alfie was smiling and cooing at his dad and she felt her anger melt away. Damn, he did that to her every single time. She could never stay mad at him for long. He looked up and smiled at her. She was pleased to note it wasn’t his normal, ridiculously happy smile. Good, so he did have a conscience after all.
‘Morning, beautiful; I’m so sorry about yesterday. I’ve made us some bacon bagels and fresh coffee. I hope you’re not too mad at me.’
She inhaled then shook her head. ‘Well, I was until you mentioned the bagels. You know I’m a woman who likes her food.’
This time he did grin. ‘Alfie was hungry so I’ve given him his breakfast. Did you manage to get back to sleep?’
She considered telling him about her ridiculous fears that there was something wrong with Alfie’s bedroom and her dream about the white house, then stopped herself.
‘Yes, eventually. He wouldn’t settle in his own room. I think maybe we should move his cot in with us while he’s teething. It just makes it easier for me if he wakes up, and if you can’t sleep because of him you can always go into the spare room.’
She waited for him to give her a list of reasons why it was a bad idea, but he nodded.
‘I think you’re right. He’s so unsettled through the night; maybe it will be better for all of us. I’ll move his cot in when I get home. I have to go to work soon. Adele is picking me up on her way through to Barrow.’
Annie sat down on one of the high stools and bit into her bagel. Cream cheese squeezed out of the side and she wiped it with her finger then licked it.
‘Steady on, you’ll be getting me all excited.’
She laughed. ‘I wish. I mean how long is it since we’ve…’
A horn beeped outside the gate. Will turned to look out of the window and waved. ‘Well, maybe when I get home we might get a bit of time to ourselves.’
He walked over and kissed her forehead.
‘Who’s Adele?’
Annie tried to make the question sound casual, not like she was being a paranoid wife, but a small flutter of panic had formed in her chest when he’d first said her name.
‘Adele Dean – she’s transferring from Carlisle to Barrow. I suppose she’s Stu’s replacement although it hasn’t been officially said. I did my training with her; she’s lovely and very happily married with two grown-up kids. Does that answer your questions?’
Annie felt her cheeks begin to burn. ‘Sorry, it’s just I’m stuck at home all day and I kind of miss my old life a little bit. I’ve just never heard of her and wondered, that’s all.’
Will almost choked on the last bit of his bagel that he’d shoved into his mouth. ‘You miss your old life? You mean the one where demented killers were following you and kidnapping you every couple of weeks?’
‘Don’t be daft; you know what I mean. I miss the going out to work and stuff, keeping up with the gossip and general banter. Of course I don’t miss that other stuff.’
‘Phew, that’s a relief. Look, why don’t you come outside and say hello to her? Then you can meet her and know what she’s like instead of sitting here worrying over nothing.’
‘And look like some crazy, jealous wife? No, thank you. I’m not worried at all. Have a good day and I’ll see you later.’
Will smiled. ‘You know how much I love you both, right?’
She nodded.
‘Well, don’t be worrying yourself over nothing.’
Annie lifted her hand and waved. ‘Bye, Will.’
He blew her a kiss, grabbed his suit jacket off the back of the chair and took one last mouthful of coffee. He waved at her as he went out of the front door to the woman waiting in the car outside for him. Annie couldn’t help herself and walked across to the window to take a peek. The woman was talking to Will as he got inside her car, then, as if she knew she was being watched, she turned and smiled at Annie, giving her a wave.
Annie waved back and let the curtain drop, mortified she’d been caught. Bugger. Today she was going to move some things around in their bedroom to make enough room for Alfie’s cot, which was a bit of a monster. Then she would take him for a walk into the village for some fresh air. See, her life was about as exciting as watching paint dry. Then she remembered about phoning Father John. Scrap that; she might go and visit him and move the furniture around later.
Pleased she had something slightly more exciting planned for the morning, she picked up Alfie, who was wearing more of his breakfast than he had consumed. She took him upstairs with her so she could get them both ready.
***
Will clicked his seat belt in.
‘I could get used to this being chauffeur-driven to work.’
‘Well, don’t bother. I’m not travelling every day; I can’t be bothered. It’s far too long and will cost a fortune in diesel. Steve’s agreed we can move back to Barrow. His mum still lives in Holbeck so we’re going to move in with her until we find a place of our own. Was that the famous Annie Graham I just saw looking out of the window?’
Will looked at her to see if she was taking the piss, but she seemed genuinely interested.
‘Yes, it was. Well, she’s Annie Ashworth now. I think she’s still a bit annoyed with me.’
‘Because of yesterday? I should bloody well think so. I heard you were pissed as a fart and had to be escorted into the back of a van because you were that drunk. How did you manage that in less than two hours? I’m impressed.’
She winked at him and he laughed.
‘How the hell did you know that?’
‘News travels fast in this job, my old friend; you should know that. Actually it was Kav. He rang Steve about something last night and happened to mention it. In fact it was Kav who suggested I offer to pick you up this morning. That bloke was as hard as nails back in the day when he was our sergeant. Now he’s retired he’s turned into a right old softie.’
‘I guess seeing the stuff he’s seen over the years has made him appreciate family and friends a lot more. And I think when you’re not dealing with the shit day in, day out it makes you turn back into a relatively normal human being. It’s certainly made me more grateful for every single day.’
Will’s phone began to ring and he tugged it out of his trouser pocket.
‘I’m on my way; well, we both are. Adele picked me up. Yes, I know. I saw it on the news last night.’
Will listened as the male voice on the other end related something to him.
‘Be there soon, traffic permitting.’ He ended the call and glanced at her. ‘Did you see that murder on the news yesterday?’
She shook her head.
‘There’s a full briefing and they’re waiting on us before they begin. Bollocks, my head’s pounding and I’m not even at work yet. This is going to be a long day.’
‘Aren’t they all?’
The morning traffic wasn’t as bad as Will had anticipated and before long they arrived at the brand-new, shiny police station that had replaced the old one, which had been deemed unfit for purpose. The only problem was that the shiny new one was crap compared to the old one. It was all open-plan and the sound carried. There were no private areas that you could go to have a good old slanging match with someone or to discuss just how much someone was pissing you off. Will would have moved back to the old station in the blink of an eye.
Adele whistled. ‘I bet this cost them a pretty penny.’
He nodded. ‘Yep, wait until you see our office. It’s awful. Don’t get me wrong, the canteen’s handy and the chairs are comfy, but there’s nowhere to hide from any of them now.’
‘There’s nowhere for anyone to be having a quick shag either by the looks of it. This building should do wonders for marriage survival. Divorces rates will be going down.’
He chuckled. ‘I doubt that. Are you nervous?’
‘Yes and no. I don’t particularly like change, but I hated it at Carlisle. I wanted to come back, so it’s on my terms, sort of. I think I’m looking forward to it and, besides, there are much uglier bosses than you.’
‘I take it that’s a compliment?’
‘You can take it how you want. I won’t be calling you boss unless there’s anyone around. I hate all that.’
‘Good, I don’t expect you to. I’m plain old Will. I only get Sarge when they want something anyway.’
‘Excellent. Shall we?’
She’d parked her car outside the front of the building, instead of going into the secure car park around the back. Will got out, wondering if he was going to be able to stomach the crime scene photos. He felt like crap, although he’d not admitted that to Annie because he didn’t want her to gloat too much. Hopefully, because he was off work yesterday, Mikey – who had been the duty DS – had already taken over the case.
They walked through the front doors of the huge building and Adele whispered, ‘At least it smells new and not of sweaty boots and cannabis.’
Will nodded. She had a point. He swiped them in through the double doors that led into the atrium – as it was called – leading Adele to the spiral staircase in the middle of the floor. She followed him upstairs to the first floor and the major incident room where there was an assortment of bosses, detectives and OSU officers, all sitting around waiting for them. She went and stood at the back of the room, leaving Will to take the last seat at the front. The Chief Super began to talk. Will took his notebook out and wrote things down. He didn’t realise his name was being called until the room went silent and he looked up to see that everyone was staring at him.
‘Nice of you to join us, William; I was just explaining how you would be taking over the running of this. Mikey is going on holiday tomorrow and then he’s on a week-long course at headquarters on his return, so you might as well take over as OIC.’
Will felt his heart sink; he didn’t want to be the bloody officer in charge. It always fell on him whenever there was a murder or unexplained death. He’d had more than his fair share of murder cases the last three years. Why the hell couldn’t they let someone else run with it?
‘Don’t look so happy about it. With your track record this should be a breeze. I’m hoping you’ll have the case closed in the next twenty-four hours. Especially if we keep your lovely wife away from it.’
The Super began to laugh at his own joke and Will felt his hands curl into tight fists as the blood rushed to his face. He’d never liked the pompous man standing in front of him. He wanted to stand up and punch him. The urge was so strong that he had to shake his head to get the image out of his mind. Instead he stood up, marched across the room to the Smart Board and stared at the Super, eye to eye. The man was no longer grinning.
The room was silent as everyone watched the exchange between the two men. One of the response officers standing next to Adele whispered, ‘A fiver on Will taking him out with one punch.’
Adele smiled, clearly hoping Will would. She could tell what an arsehole that man was and she’d only just seen him. Instead, Will looked back at everyone and smiled. He could tell by their faces this was the most exciting briefing they’d ever attended because they wanted to see the Super knocked on his arse. As much as he wanted to hit him, he wouldn’t give him the pleasure.
‘Well then, you might as well leave now, Chief. You normally do once the actual police work starts.’
The whole room exploded into laughter. It was the Super’s turn to bunch his fingers into fists and his cheeks flared red. He glared at them all, then turned to Will, who by now had realised, with some regret, that he’d just started the biggest pissing match of his career. But he didn’t care. He was tired of the bullshit. What happened to coming to work and looking for the latest burglar who was doing the rounds? Why had this relatively quiet town decided to become the murder capital of England? And why was he always the officer in bloody charge?
‘Seeing as how I was at my friend and colleague’s funeral yesterday, I’ve missed out on what actually happened. So for now I want OSU searching…’ He looked across at the grainy, faded photo of the woman who had been brutally murdered. Her name was there in bold black print underneath it. ‘I want them searching Pauline Cook’s house and garden, until I’ve caught up. I take it CSI have finished? Unless the search turns up anything that might have missed?’
The OSU sergeant nodded.
‘I want the whole street sealed off until we’ve determined how our killer arrived at the scene. Do we know if he was on foot or in a car?’
Everyone shook their heads.
‘Tell the PCSOs to take over scene guard – they know the drill – and someone make sure that you rotate them. I don’t want to find out they’ve been left there for hours without any breaks.’
The community sergeant nodded.
‘Once the search has been done I want the house-to-house started. I’ll draw up a map of the area I want checking. Then I want all the shops in the area visited to see if they have working CCTV, and I want the footage downloaded straight away, not in a week’s time. If they can’t do it immediately then seize the hard drives and bring them back for Barry to go through in the video imaging unit. That’s it for now. We’ll meet back here in a couple of hours and take it from there.’
Will was pleased to see everyone scribbling notes. Adele was standing at the back, her arms crossed. She nodded at him and he felt a little bit better.
‘Before you go, I’d like you to meet DC Adele Dean. She’s transferred from Carlisle and, although she hasn’t replaced Stu – nobody could do that – she will be working from his desk. So if you need anything and can’t get hold of me, speak to her.’
He walked out of the room before he had to look back at the Super, who was still glowering at him. Will could feel the man’s eyes burning through the back of his head. Let the games begin. He felt someone rushing up to him and turned to see Adele smiling at him.
‘You know you would make an excellent Chief Super? What an idiot he is. How come he’s still got a job? I bet he pisses people off on a daily basis.’
Will laughed; he looked down at his watch.
‘Not bad, it took you less than five minutes in the station to come to the same conclusion as the rest of us. I have no idea how he still has a job, but I’d bet a hundred quid it’s because he’s part of the Masonic Lodge. If I give you the CCTV inquiries is that okay? I could give it to some uniform, but they’re already short-staffed. Normally I’d use the PCSOs because they’re really good at all this stuff, but I’m going to get them to do the house-to-house once the area’s been searched because they’re also very good at that.’
‘You like your PCSOs then?’
‘Like them? I bloody love them. They make my job so much easier because when you ask them to do a job they get off their arses and do it.’
‘Ours were all right, but I wouldn’t say they were amazing.’
‘Well, mine are and I won’t have a bad word said about them.’
‘No, I wouldn’t say a thing.’
Will led her across the landing to the large, open-plan office that he hated. There was no privacy whatsoever and it was right next to the canteen, which was a nightmare: having to smell sizzling bacon every morning when you were trying to still fit into your trousers.
‘These desks are supposed to be anybody’s, but we kind of tend to stick with the same ones.’
He pointed to an empty one.
‘That one would have been Stu’s had he moved here, but he never recovered from his accident. So you might as well have that one because it hasn’t got anyone else’s crap on it.’
‘Are you sure? It must be difficult for you all. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.’
‘No, you’re not. Stu’s gone and, as hard as it is to believe or accept, we need to move on. No one will mind.’
