Till Death Do Us Part

by Stephen Edger

  ‘Babe?’ Ben said, remaining low in the seat. ‘I’ve never been so relieved to see anyone in my life. You’re a lifesaver, you truly are.’

  Alice allowed herself to breathe again as the slip road and police officer disappeared from view. ‘What the bloody hell is going on, Ben? Don’t give me any of your usual bullsh—’ but she stopped herself from swearing just in time. ‘Don’t lie to me. I know you were with Dave and I saw his car back at those services. You’d better give me a bloody good explanation, or I’m turning around and driving you back there myself!’

  Checking the services were now out of sight, Ben pulled out his mobile phone and a set of headphones and passed them back to Isabella. ‘You like Disney films?’

  The little girl nodded nervously.

  Ben smiled to put her at ease. ‘Me too! My favourite is The Jungle Book, and I’ve got a copy on my phone. You want to watch it?’

  Isabella’s eyes widened with excitement and she pushed the buds into her ears as Ben started the video. He waited until bright colours filled the screen before facing Alice. ‘I had no idea the police would be there. Did you see Dave? Do you know if he managed to get away?’

  She glared harder. ‘Away from what?’

  Ben lifted his hands in surrender. ‘Okay, okay, I’ll tell you everything, but just bear in mind, I didn’t know about any of this until Dave rocked up at the house this afternoon. If I’d known, I’d have done something to stop it. I swear on my life I had no idea what Dave and Scott had been up to.’

  She shuddered at the mention of her stepbrother’s name. ‘What exactly have Scott and Dave been up to?’

  ‘Obviously, you know why Scott was arrested at the airport,’ he said, studying a bloody gash in his hand, presumably from when he’d been climbing through the trees to reach the slip road. ‘It has something to do with a bit of business he and Dave were conducting behind our backs.’

  ‘My brother isn’t a druggie,’ she fired back dismissively. ‘Whatever your best mate has got him mixed up in is not his fault.’

  ‘That’s precisely where you’re wrong, babe – it’s all Scott’s fault.’ He paused, clearly searching for a way to soften the blow. ‘Scott has been taking performance-enhancing drugs since his last accident. I knew nothing about it, but apparently he’s become quite the addict – according to Dave anyway. With this big race coming up, Scott approached Dave and asked him to help find a new supplier. Apparently the regular guy he’d dealt with was arrested last month, and Scott couldn’t handle going cold turkey with such a vital race on the horizon.

  ‘Dave is the sort of person who knows people, and after some discussion, Dave agreed to set up a meeting between Scott and someone based near Ringwood. Scott was planning to meet with him the night of the stag do. According to Dave, Scott leaving the party had little to do with him wanting to get home and rest. I never realized it at the time, but looking back on it, he was quite jumpy, and knocking back energy drinks like they were going out of fashion.’

  Alice watched Ben’s eyes, allowing him to speak without interruption, all the time searching his face for any sign of deceit, but there was nothing. He was staring at her eyes, and didn’t once look away or make any unnatural movements. He couldn’t be telling the truth, but she had no doubt that he meant every word he said.

  ‘So apparently, Dave had set up the meeting, and Scott left in order to meet the guy and hand over the cash for whatever it was he was after. Because the new supplier didn’t know Scott’s face, he got a bit jumpy, questioning whether Scott was an undercover narc. Turns out, Scott was pretty jumpy too, and pulled out a gun. Now God only knows where he laid his hands on the weapon – Dave swears it was nothing to do with him – but a melee broke out between Scott and this dealer and ended with the gun going off. The bullet grazed the dealer and in blind panic, Scott raced away from the scene and phoned Dave to help him. While the others chained me to that lamppost, Dave snuck away to meet with Scott and told him to go home and let him sort out the mess.’

  Alice glanced at Isabella’s reflection, relieved that her attention was focused on the talking animals on screen.

  ‘Anyway,’ Ben continued, ‘Dave returned with the others and a fresh supply of booze, and they eventually untied me. I was fast asleep by this point, absolutely wasted, and I had no idea what had gone on between Scott and Dave. The following morning Dave went and met with the dealer to try and smooth things over. Scott was really struggling at this point, barely able to walk straight apparently, and Dave tried to do what he could to sort out a supply for him. The dealer was angry about what had happened and the only way he would help out Scott was if he did something in return to prove he wasn’t police. Which is how the block of coke wound up in Scott’s bag. The trade-off was for Scott to take the package to one of the dealer’s contacts in Zurich. When that all went tits up this morning, Dave came over in a panic, convinced Scott would break his silence and tell the Swiss police everything. If he did that, it would then implicate Dave and the rest of the stag party who never told the local cops that Dave’s whereabouts were unknown for the best part of an hour that night.’

  Alice knew how badly Scott had taken his last injury layoff, and had been so proud to see how well he’d managed to recover, but now she felt sick to know that he’d cheated his way back into contention. Why hadn’t he reached out to her?

  ‘Why did Dave drag you to Ringwood, and why were you running from the police?’

  ‘As far as that dealer was concerned – the one Scott grazed – he’d now lost his bag of coke and wouldn’t get his money, which meant he would seek any means of getting the money back, including threatening your life. Dave was heading to meet him to settle the payment, and everything seemed fine. We initially drove way past the services, looking for any sign of police, and then we headed back, pulling in and parking up. We must have been there for five minutes when the dealer arrived. Dave got out of the car to meet him, while I stayed put. I saw them head away from the restaurant towards the petrol station, but as Dave handed over the bag of money, the whole place erupted with cops. Blue lights raced in from all directions, and officers armed with weapons swarmed the car park. I panicked, and after what happened the other day, I jumped out of the car and ran anywhere I could to get away from them. Given my recent run-in with the law I knew they’d hold me and accuse me of collaborating and I couldn’t stand the thought of phoning you to say I’d been arrested again. Especially when it had nothing to do with me. I was hidden in those trees for what felt like a lifetime, half‑expecting one of them to find me. Then when I spotted your car I thought I was hallucinating or something. I mean, if you hadn’t come along I’d probably be in the back of one of their vans now.’

  He broke off, and thick lines penetrated his brow. ‘Speaking of which, you still haven’t told me what the two of you were doing at Burley services. When I left, you were both in the pool.’

  She wasn’t prepared to give him the satisfaction of the truth. ‘Just be grateful that I was passing.’

  He knew better than to challenge her when she was in this kind of mood, and she was glad of the silence as they continued the journey home. Was that what Scott had wanted to tell her over the phone? Nearing the exit, she couldn’t ignore the growing list of questions.

  ‘How did the police know Dave would be at Burley services?’

  Ben shrugged. ‘I can only assume they were following the dealer. I think we were unfortunate to get caught in the crossfire.’

  ‘Did anyone see you in Dave’s car before you made it to the trees?’

  ‘I don’t think so, but I guess time will tell. Hopefully not.’

  ‘If Dave is arrested, will he drop you in it?’

  ‘Dave’s not a grass. He has my back, I have no doubt.’

  Alice could only hope Ben’s faith in his best friend wasn’t misplaced. As the next services loomed, Alice pulled off the road, heading for the drive-thru.

  FIFTY-FOUR

  With bellies fu
ll, faces wiped with paper napkins, and Isabella holding the remains of her milkshake in the back of the car, Alice’s mood had softened. Still annoyed that Ben had managed to entangle himself in another criminal activity, she couldn’t help but feel that the sooner he was separated from Dave the better. After all, it was Dave’s idea to sneak Ben off to Bournemouth, it was Dave who had booked Kerry Valentine for the night, and it was Dave who was now responsible for this latest debacle.

  She hated herself for secretly hoping the police had arrested Dave and would keep him locked up for a few years. If she and Ben wanted to start a family, she didn’t need Dave’s bad influence leading Ben astray when he had children to protect.

  Starting the engine, they headed for home, and after ten minutes of silence the gates of the property came into view, as did the safety of their home. They were surprised to see a car parked near the garage, the figure of DC Hazelton behind the wheel. The feeling of dread swiftly returned to Alice’s stomach.

  ‘You two had better go inside,’ Ben said calmly. ‘I’ll handle her.’

  ‘What if she’s been sent to bring you in following what happened at Burley services? What if Dave did give you up or someone saw you?’

  ‘Watch from the window, and if you see her put me in the back of the car, call my solicitor. I’ve done nothing wrong; I was an unwitting passenger.’

  ‘What if she arrests me for aiding your escape?’

  He considered her. ‘Babe, I’ll just tell her you didn’t know why you were picking me up. I’ll say I phoned you, but didn’t explain why I was there. I wouldn’t drop you in it.’

  A wave of nausea swept through her as she opened the car door before heading around to open Isabella’s door. She’d barely got the four-year-old out of the car when she realized Hazelton was behind her.

  ‘I see you managed to catch up with him then?’ Hazelton said warmly, nodding in Ben’s direction as he struggled to get out of the small space from the back seat.

  ‘Yeah, I was going to get him to call you when we got back. Sorry.’

  ‘It’s no bother, I’m here now anyway.’

  Alice eyed her suspiciously. Hazelton was far too calm for someone who’d been commanded to apprehend a fleeing suspect. Either she had no idea about the operation at the services or she was playing her cards very close to her chest.

  ‘You must be Isabella,’ Hazelton said, smiling at the youngster. ‘You look just like your mother. I’m Vanessa,’ she added, extending her hand, but Isabella pushed herself back and behind the safety of Alice’s legs.

  ‘Sorry, she’s a little shy around strangers,’ Alice said.

  Hazelton was looking curiously at Alice’s outfit. ‘You been to the beach?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ Alice said, quickly turning so Hazelton wouldn’t see her reddening cheeks. ‘I’d better get this one inside before she catches a cold.’

  ‘Before you do that,’ Hazelton said, leaning round Alice to look at Isabella again, ‘I have a surprise for Isabella in the back of my car. Would you like to see it?’

  Isabella looked from Hazelton to Alice and back again.

  Hazelton held out her hand, gesturing for Isabella to take it and go with her. ‘It’s okay, I won’t bite, I promise.’

  Alice nodded that it would be okay, gently manoeuvred the child towards Hazelton and watched as the two of them made their way to the back of the detective’s car. Isabella squealed with excitement as they drew closer. The rear door of the car opened, and a swollen face emerged. Tears streamed down Faye’s face as her little girl rushed over to her.

  Alice’s eyes instantly filled as she watched Faye tentatively drop to her knees so she could look at her daughter and tell her how much she loved her.

  ‘She’s been released for now,’ Hazelton said quietly, returning.to Alice’s side. ‘Her account of what happened matches the conclusions drawn by the forensic team. Unless anything is found to contradict the story then it will be ruled as an accidental death. I hope it was okay to bring Faye here? I didn’t think she would want to go home yet.’

  Alice wiped her eyes with her fingers. ‘It’s absolutely fine. Thank you. Thank you for getting her back to us.’

  Hazelton fixed her with a look. ‘I told you before, Mrs Goodman, my job is about finding the truth, not just about locking people up. An innocent person deserves the same level of respect as a hardened criminal. It’s about truth and justice.’

  Ben had made his way to the front door and opened it, when Hazelton noticed him disappearing inside.

  ‘Mr Goodman? I wonder if I can have a word with you before I go. I know it’s getting late but I just have a few questions. We can do it at the station if you prefer, but it would be less hassle for us both just to go through it now.’

  Ben looked nervously at Alice before nodding and going inside. Alice showed Faye and Isabella up to the guest room and told Faye they could stay with them for as long as was needed.

  Hazelton and Ben were deep in conversation when Alice rejoined them in the living room.

  ‘He was arrested earlier this evening,’ Hazelton was explaining. ‘DNA recovered from a scratch on the victim’s neck was a match to the sample we took from him on Sunday morning.’

  Ben was perched on the sofa, his face buried in his hands. Hazelton was on her feet in front of the television.

  ‘So, Mr Goodman, what I want to know from you is whether you wish to change your statement about what happened during your stag do in Bournemouth?’

  Alice quietly sat down, waiting to see whether Ben would turn in Dave, or whether he would obstinately support his best friend.

  It couldn’t be easy for him, knowing that he was all that stood between his friend and a life behind bars, but he had to understand that a young mother had been needlessly killed and that the person responsible for that deserved to be punished.

  ‘My statement stands,’ Ben said after a moment, his face still buried. ‘After the dance the boys said we needed to get more booze and supplies, and as we went outside they jumped me and cuffed me to the lamppost. I remember watching them go, thinking they would come back and free me, but after a few minutes I realized this was part of their plan all along. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remember is them splashing water on my face and untying me. We headed back inside and drank until about three before we all passed out. He was with the group the whole time.’

  ‘Then how do you explain the scratch on Kerry’s neck? Did you see them interact inside the venue? According to your and everyone else’s statements, you were the only one she danced for, and the rest just watched. So either that’s a lie, or your account of your friend’s actions after you left the venue is a lie.’

  Alice couldn’t take the deceit any longer. ‘Just tell her, Ben. Tell her the truth. Please? That poor girl is dead and her young son will never experience her love and kisses again. I know he’s your friend, but you need to do the right thing. Dave doesn’t deserve your loyalty.’

  Both Hazelton and Ben looked over at her.

  ‘Mrs Goodman, the man we arrested tonight was Abdul Farrar. His DNA was recovered from the body. He’s in a cell in Bournemouth as we speak.’

  FIFTY-FIVE

  Ben didn’t react to the mention of Abdul’s name. Either he was already over the shock of hearing it first from Hazelton, or he’d been expecting this news for some time. Whichever it was, he was now giving Alice a confused look.

  ‘You thought Dave killed her?’ Ben said incredulously. ‘He’s been our greatest ally for so many years; how could you …?’

  She wanted to list a dozen reasons why she didn’t trust Dave, particularly given this evening’s events, but she bit her tongue with Hazelton in the room.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she lied, before making eye contact with Hazelton. ‘How come it’s taken so long to connect the murder to Abdul?’

  Hazelton rolled her eyes. ‘Unfortunately it’s the nature of these things. Real police work isn’t quite as slick as they make
it seem in TV dramas and books. The pathologist discovered the scratch and extracted a possible DNA profile, but it didn’t match anyone in the system. Then on Sunday we took samples of everyone’s DNA from the stag party, but with other competing priorities, it took until today for Mr Farrar’s sample to be processed and compared. As soon as we saw it was a match, we put word out to local uniform, and he was brought in for questioning less than an hour ago.’

  ‘Has he admitted to anything yet?’ Alice asked, eager to see closure for Kerry and her son Finn.

  Hazelton shrugged. ‘I don’t have any more information at this time.’

  The room was stifling. What should have sounded like good news was making Alice feel claustrophobic again. Even though she barely knew Abdul, it still angered her that the real culprit had been there because of Ben and his friends. It would have been slightly more palatable had an unrelated stranger been responsible.

  Hazelton moved closer to Ben. ‘So I ask you again, Mr Goodman, is there anything you can recall from that night that would lead you to suspect Mr Farrar of wrongdoing?’

  He looked up at her and shook his head. ‘Nothing.’

  Alice had seen him twitch. It was barely noticeable to the naked eye, but it was something he did when he was trying his hardest to convince someone he wasn’t lying. If Hazelton had spotted it, she certainly wasn’t letting on.

  ‘I should warn you, Mr Goodman, if we find evidence that you have misled this inquiry, there will be repercussions.’

  Ben stood suddenly, towering several inches above Hazelton, trying to project a dominant force. ‘I understand that.’

  Hazelton took an instinctive step backwards, not retreating but regaining her control of the situation. She reached into her inside jacket pocket before removing her hand and offering it out to Ben. ‘I thought I should drop this by too. I meant to bring it over last night, but with what happened with Faye and her husband, it slipped my mind. I know you were keen to book a trip away.’