by Carla Kovach
Aimee ran her hands through her greasy hair. Nicole was right. Without pausing for breath, she reeled off the details of the party that Rhys had taken her too.
‘Jeez. It’s complicated then.’
‘They think it’s Rhys as he’s absconded but there were others at that party. It was off, the whole night was off. I can’t put my finger on it but everyone turned up to this stupid party and looked fed up when they were paired off, as if none of them really wanted to be there. I can’t believe I did it. It’s going to ruin all that I’ve worked for. I’m going to need to move and start again.’
Nicole placed the tea on the table and offered her friend a hand up. ‘No you’re not. You’ve done nothing wrong. The police will catch whoever did this. They will get Rhys eventually. With no money, he can’t run for long. He can’t just vanish.’
‘You were right too. I’m so sorry.’
‘I could see it all along. I just hoped I wouldn’t lose you as a friend. Drink your tea. When I’m gone, have a shower and get to that park. The run starts soon, doesn’t it?’
Aimee nodded and smiled. ‘You’re always right. Bestie friends, just like when we were kids?’ Aimee held her hands out and they did their little clap routine, the same one that they used to do in the playground at school. They laughed as Aimee sipped the tea.
‘Right, I’ll grab my phone, then I really have to get to work. Looks like my lunch break has gone for today. She ran upstairs, leaving Aimee with her tea. The shed door still flapped. She placed the cup down, opened the kitchen door and began to walk down the garden. She’d wedge it shut somehow and later she’d peel the bit of roof off that was making the rest of the noise, but not in her slipper socks. She slammed the door closed and placed the small stone mushroom in front of the door. That’s better. She almost jumped back three feet as Barney ran out of the back door and started scratching and barking at the corner of her fence. She glanced across and her heart pounded as her gaze met the eye that was staring through the small hole in her fence.
She listened as her watcher ran along the path. Was it Rhys? She couldn’t be sure. She darted to the back fence and opened it, only to see the bottom of a foot turn a corner. ‘Nicole, get here now.’
‘What is it?’ Nicole said as she left the house.
‘There was someone here. I saw an eye through that gap.’ She pointed at the fence. ‘That’s what Barney has been barking at. There was someone watching me.’
‘Someone or him? He’s not going to go that easily. We should call the police.’ She went to call.
‘No, I don’t need them prying. They’ll catch him eventually. If he wants to be so sad as to watch me through a gap in the fence—’ She regained her breath. ‘No. I just want all this to go away. I don’t want my clients upset by this. Jade’s murder has already hit the news and I want to keep my name out of everything. I’m going to have a shower and I’m going to work.’
‘I think you’re wrong about the police.’
‘Well, it’s my call.’
‘He still has a hold on you, doesn’t he?’ As Aimee went to reply, Nicole stormed off, leaving the gate once again flapping back and forth in the wind.
Aimee kicked it shut, flinching as her toe hit the wood. Nicole was right. She went to call the police but stopped. ‘I hate you Rhys Keegan.’ She placed the phone back in her pocket and swore under her breath as she headed back inside, the dog yelping at her from the other side of the fence.
Forty
It wasn’t right. Gina flung off her loose black trousers which landed on the rest of her dirty laundry. As soon as she had a moment, she’d catch up on all the washing she needed to do. She had no idea when that would be. She grabbed her black jeans, they were much better for surveillance. They were comfortable and she could stretch and bend in them. They also made her look slimmer and firmer than she really was. She shook her head as she pulled them on. There was no point in trying to impress him if they couldn’t be together but for some reason, she couldn’t help herself. She had an hour to spruce up.
Her hair suited her when she wore it up. It was just long enough to fit into a small ponytail. She sprayed the sides. Her phone buzzed on top of the washing basket. She saw Briggs’s name flash up on a text message. Her heart fluttered in the way it had in the past. She was going to be working with Briggs that evening. Just him and her in the car together as they watched what was happening at the party. Jacob, O’Connor and Wyre would be close by too but the car would contain just them.
She grabbed the little bottle of perfume and squirted the smallest amount on her wrist before reading Briggs’s last message.
I’m heading back to the station. See you there. We’ll go in my car.
As she went downstairs, the phone rang. ‘Wyre, everything okay?’
‘Yes, we’re at the station. All set for later and just going over the schedule for tonight. It’s all very precise, thanks, guv.’
Gina knew she’d worked out the logistics of everything with precision. There was no room for error. She pulled the tight jumper over her head. This was not a date. She removed it and replaced it with her loose jumper, the older one that was slightly bobbly. ‘Great. I’m on my way in so we’ll run through everything one more time before we set off. I want to know that everyone is clear on what’s going to happen. Are Smith and Kapoor there?’
‘Check. They seem rather excited about this little mission. The wig actually looks good on Kapoor. They both scrub up, guv. I don’t think you’ll recognise them.’
Gina smiled. Just the type of people Swap Fun would love to have at one of their parties. Smith – run-of-the-mill, like most of the other men that took part. Kapoor, she was younger and was definitely a match for Aimee, she would definitely draw some of the attendees her way. She also knew Kapoor had a good eye for faces and she’d been studying their witnesses and suspects all afternoon. Both she and Briggs would be watching everything. Hopefully this would be an exercise in learning more about the group. She also needed to put names to Swap Fun profiles and see if any of the attendees at the last party would be at this party.
‘Just one other thing. I have managed to get an address for Derek Alton. There has been no one in all day, but I’ve instructed uniform to keep going back until we’ve reached him. And Colin Wray – we have him booked in tomorrow morning.’
‘Nice work. Catch you soon.’ As she ended the call another message from Briggs pinged up.
Gina, if you’d rather go with one of the others in your car, I can take someone else.
It would make life easier if she wasn’t with Briggs. She stroked her cat as she closed it in the kitchen, entered the alarm code into the keypad and locked up. It wasn’t much but that small amount of human contact with someone she had once been so intimate with almost made her feel alive again. Nothing would happen and she needed to show him that she wasn’t letting things get to her. She wasn’t unhinged or affected by her past. The case would not affect how she did her job and she could accept him being senior to her even though she’d seen him naked. She had a lot to prove. Maybe he did too.
Forty-One
Rain drizzled down the windscreen. It was seven thirty. Gina and Briggs were at their post. As per her planning, they were located down a winding road, beside a row of trees that separated the house in the distance and the river that trickled behind them. The road they parked on ran alongside SwapFunSarah’s drive but would not be obstructed by their guests. There was ample room for at least eight cars outside the house.
She shivered as she thought of another victim that they had found in the very same river a couple of miles downstream at Marcliffe. That of Nicoleta Iliescu, murdered by Jeff Wall. That case had been the start of her flashbacks, her nightmares and her anxiety – a trigger, reminding her of her past and the treatment she’d endured at the hands of Terry. She shook her head slightly. That case was in the past now.
She looked into her lap as she thought of Jade Ashmore, the reason they were sitting unde
r the dark grey skies, in a car, waiting for a party to start. She had to let go of all the things she couldn’t control. The counsellor had told her that, but she hadn’t told the counsellor half of it.
‘Look, people are arriving,’ Briggs said, breaking their half hour long silence as he stared through a gap in the tall trees.
The house was quite grand and a boat was moored up on the river at the end of their garden. The reddish stone house was lit up by designer lighting that looked like a fading strip at each side of the huge front door. The couple knocked. As the door opened, James Brown’s, ‘Get up Sex Machine’, escaped from the door. So apt, she thought. The couple went in, led by the woman of the house, SwapFunSarah.
The party appeared classy from the outside. She imagined the guests would be greeted with a glass of champagne. Fizzy bubbles escaping from a raspberry that sat at the bottom of the flute. The pristine host would serve hors d’oeuvres, maybe devils on horseback. That’s when the classiness would end and their agenda would be addressed. Was it just a night where new members would meet up or was there going to be some action?
‘I hope it is just a meeting of new people,’ Gina said. ‘I don’t know how Smith and Kapoor will handle things if their names are placed into a glass.’
‘It would certainly give us all something to laugh about back at the station.’ Briggs sniggered as he kept his attention on the house.
Gina checked her watch, there was still ten minutes until the party officially started and their two undercover officers would arrive. She inhaled. ‘New aftershave.’
He smiled. ‘You noticed.’
She shook her head and laughed. ‘I just noticed it was different, that was all.’
‘You approve?’
She nodded. ‘It smells good.’ He smelled good. He looked good in his casual jacket and grey shirt, too good to be this close to. She really hoped more people would be turning up soon. Her stomach flipped. Steven and Dawn pulled up on the drive. Dawn teetered uncomfortably on the uneven block paving in the stiletto boots tugging down her short ill-fitting dress that clung to all the wrong places. Why do you let him do this to you? She knew the answer to that question without even having to ask. She knew that Steven got what Steven wanted, just like Terry. If Steven wanted her to wear those clothes, even though they were the wrong size and she looked unhappy, she would wear them. Just like Terry – it was his way or no way.
‘Are you okay with this? He can’t see you, understand?’ The moment of light-heartedness they’d shared a moment ago had been replaced by an air of seriousness. She couldn’t compromise the case in any way.
‘I understand, sir.’
‘Okay, Harte, they’re going in. Where are we right now with Steven as a suspect?’
‘Not enough to make an arrest but he could have done it. Problem is, so could some of the others. All we have is circumstantial.’ She let out a slight huff.
‘You want it to be him, don’t you?’
She ignored his question.
‘Don’t go there, it’s dangerous and it will kill your career. Investigate thoroughly and the culprit will be found and it will be watertight for the CPS. We can’t compromise the case due to personal feelings about suspects because of our pasts. If at any point you don’t think you can handle being a part of this investigation, then you can back down on this case.’
She turned and rolled her eyes. ‘No way. I’m as committed to finding out who killed Jade Ashmore as you are, and I am a professional.’ She just hoped her actions could convince him of that fact. He was right, he could see straight through her protective veil. He knew how much she despised Steven. She made a note of their attendance and briefly described the first couple. She knew Jacob, Wyre and O’Connor would also be observing from the other side of the house.
The rain subsided and, from afar, they could see that several people had turned up, dead on time. Cars pulled in and were manoeuvred around until suitably parked. Amongst them, she saw Smith pull in. ‘Here goes, sir.’
‘Indeed.’ It looked like Smith and Kapoor were exchanging pleasantries with the other guests.
‘They have scrubbed up well.’ Smith wore smart jeans and a casual, untucked shirt. Kapoor wore the blonde wig, along with a black shift dress and little heels. Smart but sexy. Understated but high impact. It was a look Gina could only ever hope to carry off. The blonde wig was a disguise but the people attending were all about not being themselves for a night. Another couple laughed as they held ball masks to their eyes. As the man lowered his, Gina half expected to see Richard Leason but she didn’t recognise the man at all. In fact, she hadn’t recognised anyone apart from Steven and Dawn. ‘I don’t recognise anyone else so far.’
‘No, maybe the rest are staying away after what happened at the last party. What do we know about the host?’
Gina turned a page in her notebook. Unable to read it in the dark, she thought back to what she’d read about SwapFunSarah. ‘Sarah Norton, forty-two, and no record; family-owned business involving plant hire of which she is now the managing director. It takes all sorts. Not married but very outgoing if you look at her Facebook profile. Loves her parties.’
Gina and Briggs watched as a man in a trilby hat was dropped off at the end of the road in a taxi, his head dipped as he tried not to get his face wet. His overcoat came to his knees and she could see he was dressed smartly underneath. ‘Look up, whoever you are,’ she said as she waited to see his face.
He turned to face the other direction as he knocked. Gina radioed Jacob and the others. ‘Did you see who that was?’
The radio hissed. ‘Don’t recognise him, guv. Could only see his mouth under the rim of the hat, so not much to go on. Hopefully, we’ll get a look later. Maybe it’s SwapFunSarah’s latest.’
‘Thanks. Keep watching.’ She ended the communication and scrawled a note in the dark. Man in trilby, who are you?
‘I should get a trilby. I think I have the right shaped head for a hat.’
Gina laughed and playfully patted Briggs on the arm. The door opened and the sounds of ‘At Last’ by Etta James now filled the air. The bay window at the front of the house oozed a warm light that extended halfway across the drive. People in party clothes walked past with champagne flutes. Gina was sure there was fruit in the bottom of the glass. She had them all worked out. Smith and Kapoor walked over to the window.
Gina leaned forward. Smith was being pulled away from Kapoor by the host. She watched as he smiled, impressed by how well Smith was playing the part. Kapoor looked out of the window. ‘Hold your nerve, Kapoor,’ Gina said as she watched. The young woman flinched as a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned and the rest of the man came into view – Steven the slimeball.
Kapoor’s frown adjusted into a huge smile as she turned to face Steven. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. Steven winked, then vanished from view.
‘We need to get out of this car and take a closer look,’ Gina said as she grabbed her trench coat off the back seat. She exited the car and pulled her hood over her head. ‘We need to find out who Trilby is.’
Briggs nodded and grabbed his coat off the back seat then radioed Jacob to tell them they were leaving the car.
The back door of the house opened and four people came out and lit up cigarettes. As Gina and Briggs followed the trees, they could smell weed in the air. Trilby came out through the French doors and stared out at the river as he sucked on a spliff and sipped from a champagne flute, oblivious to the spitting rain.
‘Gina, not too close,’ Briggs whispered as he parted a cluster of branches and crept forward, grabbing her arm.
As he pulled her back, one of the party was alerted to their presence. ‘What did you do that for?’ she whispered back, knowing that he’d caused her to make a sound as he tugged her arm.
Her heart began to pound as she saw Steven walk over. He dragged on his smoke one last time, threw it to the ground and stepped on it as he wandered towards them.
‘Abandon,�
�� Briggs whispered in her ear as he held her close.
‘Not now, we can’t.’
Steven pulled the branches away. As he did, Briggs grabbed Gina. Their eyes met for no more than a second and she nodded. They kissed hard under their respective hoods. His firm lips pressed against hers and drew her in further.
‘Oops, sorry,’ Steven said. ‘Didn’t know you were already getting some action but, hey, have a good time.’ He dropped the branches and hurried back to the French doors, before heading back inside.
‘That was close,’ Briggs said as his hand dropped from the back of her neck, leaving a faint tingle behind. ‘Sorry about that, I didn’t know what to do and—’
‘Shh, it’s okay. We got away with it. All is back on track.’ The subsequent silence that followed made the tiny gap between them feel slightly awkward.
An hour had passed and nothing much was happening at the party. People still drank, they occasionally came outside for a smoke and the music still played. Various jazzy numbers boomed out. Steven and Dawn were still the only people they recognised. The tingle on the back of her neck, where Briggs had held her as they kissed, still tingled. Not once had Rex or any of her other lovers made her tingle.
‘Trilby is walking towards us,’ Briggs said as he turned the radio off. ‘He’s seen the car. Play it cool.’
They both got out and he held her hand, leading her to the river’s edge. Trilby would walk over, see that they were just a couple out for a walk and he’d head back inside with the other partygoers. Briggs pointed at the moon’s reflection in the rippling water below. She needed to see who he was. Gently, she turned as Briggs played his part so well. As soon as her eyes met his, she felt her heart blocking her throat as it boomed away. With blood pounding through her head, she wanted to faint, to throw up, to shout or scream at him.
