Axe to Grind

by A L Fraine

  Seconds later, he heard scuffles and shouts, followed by a thud. Then the sound of a chain being dragged over concrete, followed by a clang at the door. Abban watched closely, wondering what was happening. An engine revved, and a beat later, the van lurched before the rear door was yanked off its hinges.

  The door clattered to the tarmac ten metres away on the end of a chain that had been attached to the tow bar at the back of a white van a short distance away.

  Abban smiled and looked down at the officer on the floor.

  “Night night,” he said, and kicked him in the face several times, getting a great sense of enjoyment out of it.

  The officer stopped moving, and Abban paused to catch his breath before looking up at the figure that stood outside, waiting for him.

  24

  A loud, incessant noise rang through the room and right into the deepest recesses of Jon’s mind. The irritating buzz startled him and brought him to instant wakefulness. Looking up, he gazed across the unfamiliar room and blinked.

  “What the hell?” he muttered, and then noticed the glow from a phone on the desk halfway across the room.

  Beside him, a warm body shifted, her hand reaching across his bare chest as she grumbled. “Ignore it, it’ll go away.”

  He looked down to see Kate snuggled up beside him, her eyes closed and her auburn hair loose instead of in her usual ponytail.

  Shit. Remembering the night before, he couldn’t quite believe where he was or what had happened, and yet, here she was, in bed, and pressed up against him.

  The buzzing phone continued to sound through the room, loud and insistent.

  “Ugh,” Kate groaned. “Really?”

  “You could just ignore it,” Jon offered.

  BUUUUZZZZZ!

  “No, no, I’d better get it,” she replied jumping out of bed. Jon watched her move as the filtered light from a streetlamp outside caught her pale skin. He couldn’t help but stare in wonderment at her and the frankly bizarre situation he found himself in.

  He felt like an eighteen-year-old again after his first time being with a girl and waking up in her bed.

  Wrapping her arms around her bare chest, she looked back at him as she stumbled over the discarded clothes on the floor and flushed. She waved her hand at him. “Stop looking.”

  “I like looking,” he replied with a smile.

  She rolled her eyes, picked up her phone, and answered.

  “Hello?”

  “DC O’Connell?” In the silence of the room, he could hear the male voice on the other end of the line easily.

  “Yeah… I mean, yes?”

  “Ma’am, it’s Officer Davis from Mount Browne. Apologies for the early wake-up call, but we need you to come in.” He’d not been to the Surrey Police Headquarters known as Mount Browne in Guildford, but he’d heard of it.

  “Oh?” she replied frowning back at Jon.

  “Sorry, I know it’s early,” Officer Davis continued. “But there’s been a development in the Devlin case, and we need you to come in right away. It’s urgent. How fast can you get to us?”

  “Um,” Kate looked over at him and pulled a face. “Pretty quick, I guess. What’s happened?”

  “I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say, we just need you to come in, ASAP.”

  “Alright, yeah, sure. I’ll be on the road in five.”

  “Excellent, I’ll meet you in reception.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Kate clicked off the call. “Well, that sucks.”

  “Duty calls?”

  “Yeah, something about the Devlin case. No idea what. I’d better get going though.” Flipping on a light, Kate hopped over to the nearby chest of drawers and rummaged through it. Jon watched her rush about her studio flat naked, picking up clothes and cursing up a storm. He just sat back, enjoying the view.

  “Damn it… Where is that… Ah, got it. Right,” she said. Clutching the bundle of clothing to her chest, she walked over to him and perched on the side of the bed. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, that’s the life of a police officer. Do you want me to—?” He pointed towards the front door, indicating that she might want him to leave.

  “No,” she cut in. “You stay there. Get up when you’re ready, there’s no rush. If you can find some breakfast in the kitchen, you’re welcome to it. I’ll see you at the station later, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “This isn’t how I planned this morning to go.”

  “It’s okay, and thank you for last night.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “No. Not that. Although, that was fun too. No, I mean for listening to me, I really appreciate it. I needed that.”

  “My pleasure.” She smiled. “Be back in a moment,” she said, getting up to run towards her bathroom before turning back and leaning in to give him a quick kiss. Seconds later, she disappeared into the bathroom.

  Jon laid back, putting his hands behind his head, and took a deep breath as he thought back over the previous evening, and smiled.

  This didn’t feel like some meaningless encounter, it felt better than that. It felt deeper and stronger. It felt right, somehow.

  Moments later, Kate reappeared, buttoning her shirt, wearing her usual trouser suit.

  “It’s a nice place you have here,” Jon remarked, looking around.

  “Thanks. It’s alright, I suppose. It could do with some work though.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. A new lick of paint would be good, plus some other bits. Which reminds me, I need to talk to Francine downstairs.”

  “Does some DIY on the side, does she?” Jon asked.

  Kate snorted. “No, she’s an old woman. She’s had a handyman in recently doing some jobs for her. I see their van out front all the time but I keep forgetting to ask her for their number.” She dashed into the kitchen and grabbed a cereal bar which she tore into with gusto before hunting for her shoes.

  “Well, if you do, and they’re good, keep hold of it in case I need them once I get my own place.”

  “Will do,” she mumbled around a mouthful of cereal bar.

  Finding her shoes after a brief hunt, Kate sat on the edge of the bed and pulled them on.

  “Will you be okay?” she asked.

  “I’m fine. Go on, don’t want to upset the top brass.”

  “The door is on the latch, so just close it when you leave.”

  “Will do,” he replied.

  Kate winked and smiled. “See you later,” she said, and within seconds she was out of the flat, her footsteps fading down the corridor and then down the stairs to the ground floor. He heard the building’s front door go, and then moments later a car start up and pulled away.

  Jon sat up in Kate’s bed, leaning against the headboard as he looked around the modest living space. The main room incorporated her bed, living room, and kitchen, with only her bathroom behind another door. Despite its size, it was clean and tidy, and actually really nice. Only Jon’s discarded clothing on the floor marred its appearance.

  Feeling wide awake, he figured he might as well get up rather than try to sleep anymore. He could even head back to his hotel room for a change of clothes before heading in. If he got a move on, he might even miss the traffic.

  Jumping out of bed, Jon quickly got dressed and used the bathroom. While he was in there, he squidged some of Kate’s toothpaste onto his finger and rubbed it on his teeth, before heading to the kitchen and getting himself a glass of water.

  After a brief hunt, he found some bread and slipped a slice into the toaster before looking for the margarine. Two minutes later he was munching through a warm slice of buttery toast and admiring the photos on Kate’s shelves. As he looked over the images of Kate and her family, full of life and smiles, something about them began to nag at the corner of his thoughts, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

  As he looked from one photo to another, his phone rang.

  “Hello?”

&nbs
p; “Pilgrim, it’s Nathan.”

  “Jesus, you’re in early.”

  “Haven’t you heard? I practically live here.”

  “No one told me they provided bed and breakfast. Is the rent cheap? I’m looking for a place.”

  “Oh, it’s cheap, just bloody uncomfortable. Look, where are you?”

  Jon hesitated as he looked around the room and decided to lie. “At my place, why?”

  “We’ve had another walk-in, can you get into the station quickly?”

  “Yeah, sure. Who is it?” Jon’s eyebrows rose as Nathan told him. “I’ll be right in.”

  25

  As Jon walked into the office, darkness blanketed the Surrey countryside outside the station's windows, and the SIU remained quiet, with only a few lights on. Nearby, Nathan sat before a single illuminated desk. Further back, members of the night shift were finishing off their work.

  Walking into his private office, Jon threw his things into it before walking over to Nathan.

  “Morning, Fox.”

  “Pilgrim,” Nathan replied. “Sorry to call you in so early, but I didn’t think this could wait.”

  “No, you did right. So, what happened?”

  “Seth just turned up in reception a couple of hours ago,” Nathan replied. “Said he wanted to talk to you and set things right. He’s been with his solicitor since then, but I think they’re ready for you now.”

  “Okay, great. This is unexpected, but I’ll take it,” Jon replied.

  “So, I’ve been calling Kate, but…”

  “Oh, yeah. She was called into Mount Browne early, something to do with the Devlin extradition.”

  “Oh,” Nathan replied with a frown and then shrugged. “Fair enough.”

  “So, where is he?”

  “Interview room three,” Nathan replied. “Do you need a second in there with you?”

  “No, you’re good. I’ll go on my own.”

  “Alright, see you in a bit,” Nathan replied, and returned to his work as Jon walked back to his office and picked up his files. In less than five minutes, he was walking into the interview room where Seth and his lawyer waited.

  Thin and tall, Seth had a wiry strength to him and a gaunt look to this face. He didn’t look healthy.

  “Good morning, Mr Bailey,” Jon said.

  “Y’alright?” Seth replied.

  Jon nodded as he dropped his files on to the table and nodded to the solicitor sat beside him. “I’m DCI Jon Pilgrim.”

  “Ana Allen, of Marshall and Edwards Solicitors, Guildford,” she replied with a brief, professional smile.

  “Nice to meet you, Ana,” he said. She was all business with her scraped back hair and prim suit.

  “And you. Shall we start?”

  Jon nodded and started the PIR before running through the usual introductions for the benefit of the recording.

  “So, Seth. You came to us, so would you like to tell me why you’re here? What led you to come in today?”

  He nodded and sat forward. “I just needed to set things straight. It wasn’t right that I was out there, hiding when I knew Harper was dead. I just… I couldn’t do it any longer. I needed to come and set the record straight. Especially after that whole Iris thing yesterday.” He did seem exhausted.

  “You mean the attack?”

  “I didn’t attack her!”

  “I didn’t say that,” Jon replied, keeping his voice calm and even.

  “Oh, well, yeah. But she did. She said it right to my face. She’s crazy!”

  Jon pulled a face. “She’s a grieving mother who just lost her only daughter in a violent murder. So, I think it’s fair to say that her judgement might be a little impaired. I think we can cut her a little slack.”

  “She thinks I did it, though.”

  “Are you saying you didn’t?”

  “No. I’d never do that,” Seth protested. “I couldn’t.”

  “So, why don’t you tell me what did happen? That is why you’re here, right?”

  Seth sighed and nodded. “It is.”

  “In your own time,” Jon said after a moment of silence. He didn’t want to be sat here for too long.

  “Harper and I, we argue sometimes. We’ve always been a bit like that, but this was different. I messed up, and I wish I could take it back, but I can’t. I fucked up, and now she’s dead.”

  “How did you mess up?” Jon asked as he made notes.

  Seth sighed again, and there seemed to be some kind of internal struggle going on, like he wanted to talk, but part of him was resisting too. But after a moment, his honest side won out. “I cheated on her. I had a one-night stand and… and she found out.”

  “Ah. So, that was the argument you had?”

  “Yeah. Well, kinda.”

  “Kinda?”

  “She found out like, a week before that, and a few days later, she did the same thing back. She cheated on me for revenge. Can you believe that? I mean, what kind of b…” He bit his tongue, stopping himself from saying something he might regret. “It’s just, that’s messed up.”

  “I see,” Jon replied.

  “But that’s not all. She slept with Carson Miller! Fucking Miller! I can’t believe she’d do that to me, and I think she told him too. I mean, talk about psycho.”

  “So that’s what you were fighting over?”

  “Yeah! She did it on purpose. She knows the Millers hate me.”

  “And why do they hate you, Seth?” Jon asked.

  Ana leant in. “You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to,” she warned him.

  “I know. I know what I’m doing,” he replied with a sigh. “They don’t like me because of some of my friends. They… I know some people in the Kings Gang, that’s all.”

  “You know some people?”

  “Just some friends. That’s not illegal, is it?”

  “No,” Jon replied, a little surprised with his honesty. Although he felt sure that Seth’s association with the Kings was perhaps a little stronger than that. “Do you deal drugs for them?”

  Seth clamped his mouth shut and stared at Jon.

  “We know you’ve dealt drugs in the past,” Jon continued. “Also, given that the Millers came looking for you, I think there’s more to it than you just knowing some people in a rival gang.”

  Seth seemed nervous, and looked around, apparently searching for the right answer on the walls or floor somewhere.

  Jon needed more from Seth. “You want to do the right thing for Harper, right? You want to clear your name and help us find the man who killed her?”

  “Yeah,” Seth replied, looking tired.

  “Then you need to tell me what the hell’s going on.”

  “Alright, yeah, I did some deals with them a while back. Moved some of their drugs, that kind of thing… and I might have moved on some of the Miller’s territory. I don’t do as much now, but they hate me, Carson and the Millers.”

  “So, as far as Carson sees it, you’re a member of a rival gang?”

  Seth nodded. “I’m not, but yeah, that’s right. I knew I had to leg it when she told me what she’d done. I knew they’d come looking for me. That Carson, he’d take it as a personal insult. I didn’t know Harper was dead until a day or so ago. I had no idea. I knew she went to her mum’s, but I didn’t know…” Seth buried his head in his hands and grunted. “He did it, didn’t he? Carson did it. He killed her.”

  “I can’t comment on that, Mr Bailey. But, seems you were right about Carson taking things personally, because he went to your flat and assaulted your flatmate, Tom Poole.”

  “Shit. Is he alright?”

  “The last I heard, he’s in the hospital. They did some serious damage to him.”

  “Fuck. I told him to leave, the bloody idiot. Why didn’t he listen?”

  “I don’t think he believed you. He’ll survive, no thanks to you.”

  Seth grumbled.

  “Right, so let’s get this straight,” Jon said looking at his notes. �
�You cheated on Harper and she found out, so she then cheated on you with a Miller, knowing it would cause you problems when they found out who she was and who she’d been dating, which they clearly did.”

  “Yeah, that’s about it.”

  “How did they find out? You said you think she told Carson.”

  “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know.”

  “Right. So, I take it you were angry at Harper, right?”

  “Yeah,” Seth replied, just as Ana went to advise him. She then pulled a face and rolled her eyes. “I was pissed, but I wouldn’t kill her.”

  “How do I know that, Mr Bailey? How do I know you wouldn’t get so angry that you might take things a step too far?”

  “Piss off. I’d never do that. I couldn’t”

  “How do we know?”

  Seth blinked for a moment.

  “Because of where you told me you were that night,” Ana reminded him.

  “Oh, yeah. I have an alibi,” Seth replied. “I went to Tiana’s place.”

  “Who’s Tiana?” Jon asked, feeling exasperated.

  “The, uh… The girl… The one I… you know, went with.”

  “You went back to the girl you slept with?”

  Seth flushed. “Yeah. I know how that sounds.”

  “You’re not kidding. So, she’ll back you up on this, under oath if need be?”

  “I think so.”

  “Right, well we’re going to need to speak with her.”

  “I know,” Seth replied. “I’m not proud of what I did, but Harper did just as bad. I didn’t want her to die, though. This is all so messed up. I couldn’t hide forever, and I want you guys to find the pissant that did this, that’s why I came in.”

  “That’s admirable,” Jon replied. “Providing your story checks out.”

  Seth nodded, only for the door behind Jon to burst open. He turned to see Nathan stood there, flustered, a look of terror on his face. He waved vigorously at Jon. “You need to come with me right now.”

  Jon frowned. “Uh, okay. Right, thank you, Seth. Stay here, we’ll need to ask you some more questions I think. Bear with me.”

  Leaving the room, Jon walked up the corridor to Nathan, who stood shifting from foot to foot.

  “What is it?” Jon asked.