Deadly Encounter

by M A Comley

  “Who cares? All I care about is finally being with Anne. I’m coming, Anne. You will love me, and together, we’ll be eternally happy.”

  Before Sally could grab his overalls or his arm, Steve toppled off the edge of the building. Sally screamed and ran forward. Jack pulled her back, twisted her in his arms, and smoothed a hand over her hair. “You did your best, Sal. He was determined. Nothing you could have said or done would have changed his mind.”

  “I failed him, Jack. Just like dozens before who had failed him. May God accept his troubled spirit.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Sally and Jack composed themselves then rushed back down the stairs and out the front entrance. Sally glanced sideways, relieved to see that the paramedics had covered Steve’s body. She gulped when she noticed Mr. Hammond marching towards them, his face the colour of a ripe tomato.

  “This is the thanks I get for letting you question my staff? How bloody dare you! I’m going back to my office now to report you to Stockard. You’re not fit to be an inspector if you allow this sort of thing to happen.”

  “I’m sorry. I tried my very best to talk him around.”

  His hand swept behind him. “Ha! Sorry? You think a simple apology like that is going to help these people forget what they’ve just seen?”

  Jack took two steps forward. “Hey, this isn’t the inspector’s fault. You should have kept the staff inside, stopped them from gawping at Endecott. You knew he was on medication and likely to jump—don’t put the onus on the inspector. Maybe if you guys had treated him better over the years, this could’ve been avoided. I’ve never seen someone so determined to end their life as he was. Even in the canteen, before he got up on the roof, he seemed withdrawn and isolated by the other members of staff. So I suggest you take a good look at yourselves before slinging any blame our way.”

  “Thanks, Jack.” Sally placed her arm on his to calm him then said to Hammond, “He’s right. I feel bad enough as it is that I was unable to prevent him from jumping but then, we’ve only known him ten minutes. Where were you guys when he needed help over the years?”

  A fireman shouted, “Come on, guys, the show is over. I suggest you get back to work now.”

  The staff began shuffling past the covered body and into the building, giving Sally and Jack mixed looks as they passed. Some were downright disgusted, while others appeared to reflect their own guilt at the situation.

  Before Hammond followed the last member of staff through the front door, he stopped and pointed at Jack. “For your information, Sergeant, there was little I could do to prevent the staff from observing what Endecott did. The fire alarm was going off, in case you’d forgotten. Our assembly point is right here. Maybe that was at the back of Endecott’s mind when he carried out his plan. You haven’t heard the last of this, either of you. You’re not welcome here ever again—do you hear me?”

  Sally and Jack just stared at him and nodded. The man was out of order, and Sally felt that the recriminations were going to be felt for months, if not years, to come, adding to her guilt. They were just about to leave when Meryl snuck out the front door to talk to them.

  “He finally done it then?”

  “Who, Steve?” Sally asked.

  “Yes. That’s why he used to contact Anne. She told me in confidence that he threatened to commit suicide half a dozen times or more. In the end, Craig told her to tell him to get lost, more for her sake than his. She felt guilty for turning her back on him, but I think it was the right thing to do. You can’t help someone who isn’t prepared to help themselves. To my knowledge, he’d tried to end his life twice before. Please don’t feel guilty. He got what he wanted in the end.”

  “Thanks for sharing that, Meryl. He told us that he wanted to be with her, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I still feel really bad, but your words have lessened the guilt a little.”

  “No need to feel guilty over someone like that, love. His type spend their entire lives blaming others. He was wired differently to us. Dozens of doctors have had him under their care in the past and failed him, so there’s no need for you to carry all that weight on your shoulders. I better get back now.” She rubbed Sally’s upper arm a few times then disappeared through the front door again.

  Sally walked over to the paramedics. “Take care of him, won’t you?”

  “We will. Sorry you had to witness it first-hand. There are some people we’re unable to help in this world, and he was one of them. Most people just threaten it. They say it’s the coward’s way out, but it takes guts to throw yourself off a building like that.”

  Sally nodded. “I’m inclined to agree. There was no reasoning with him. What’s done is done. Will he be taken to the mortuary now?”

  “Yes, we’ll take him straight there. Did he have any relatives?”

  “I’ll check back at the station. I don’t think so, though. He was a lonely soul in need of love.”

  “Sad,” the paramedic agreed.

  Jack nudged Sally’s elbow. “Come on, you need a drink. We should get back to the station.”

  “Can you drive?” Her hand shook as she handed him her car keys, then they walked back to the car in silence.

  At the station, Sally went straight to her desk, took out a half bottle of brandy she kept in the bottom drawer—for medicinal purposes during the winter months—and poured a small tot into her cup. She could hear Jack filling the team in on what had occurred. She closed her eyes, and all she could see was Steve Endecott preparing to jump. She knew that devastating image would haunt her for months to come.

  Needing to hear a friendly voice, she rang Simon.

  He answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, love, it’s me.”

  “Hello, stranger. Everything all right?”

  “Not really. I just needed to hear your voice. You should have a new arrival coming in anytime soon.”

  “Sounds ominous. What’s wrong, Sally? It’s not Craig Gillan, is it?”

  “No. Not Craig, but you’re right—it is a suicide. I tried to talk him out of it, but he refused to listen and jumped…” She found it impossible to suppress the tears any longer.

  “I’m sorry, darling. Please, you shouldn’t blame yourself. If someone is determined enough, there is very little anyone else can do to stop them ending it all.”

  Between sobs, she replied, “I know… I tried… he was just a few inches beyond my grasp. It doesn’t stop me feeling like shit. Nothing will.”

  “I wish I were there with you, to hold you. Do you want me to come over?”

  Sally smiled as if he were there in the room with her. “I’ll be fine. I just needed to tell you how much you mean to me. I love you, Simon Bracknall, through the good times and the bad that lie ahead of us. Please, always remember how deep our love is.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Want me to pick up a takeaway on the way home this evening, save us cooking?”

  “Why not? Sod the diet for a change. Thank you for being you.”

  “See you later. I love you, Sally Parker.”

  “I know, and I love you, too. See you in a few hours.”

  Feeling a little better, Sally downed the rest of her brandy. She wiped away any traces of mascara from her eyes with a tissue then left the office to face her team. “I’m okay. Save your sympathy for the victim. Where are we on things, Joanna?”

  “I’ve been concentrating on trying to track down Craig’s brother, Kenny, and I think I’ve finally managed to locate him. He’s about twenty miles away in Suffolk.” She handed Sally the address.

  “No excuse for him not to attend Anne’s funeral the other day, not unless he felt he wouldn’t be welcome. Jack, you and I will venture out there to see him in the morning.”

  “Is there anything specific you’re hoping he can answer?”

  “I want to know why he didn’t show up at the funeral, and maybe he can also give us an insight into Craig and Anne’s marriage that the others can’t.”
r />   “Never thought of that.”

  Sally winked at him. “That’s why I’m the inspector around here.”

  He groaned. “Should have known you’d fling that one at me.”

  “Okay, I’ve had enough drama for the day. I’m sure you all have, too. I think we should wrap things up and start afresh in the morning. Jordan, perhaps you and Stuart can bring me up-to-date on how the other case is developing in the morning, before Jack and I set off.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  Sally spent the next half an hour sifting through paperwork until her mind had finally had enough and forced her to quit for the day. Jack walked her to her car.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to give you a lift? I could even go out of my way and pick you up in the morning, if you like.”

  “That’s sweet of you, partner. Honestly, I’ll be fine. Enjoy your evening with Donna and the kids, oh, and your grandchild.”

  “Do you have to remind me that I’m a bloody grandfather every five minutes?” he replied grumpily.

  “No, but it’s fun.” Sally jumped into her car before he could release a barrage of abusive words.

  When she parked the car, Sally noticed something sitting on the doorstep outside Simon’s home—she still had problems sometimes thinking of it as her home as well. The medium-sized package was addressed to her. There was no postmark on the brown paper. She took the parcel inside and opened it while the kettle was boiling.

  Inside the brown paper was a plain cardboard box, no wording on the outside. Puzzled, Sally opened the box to find a small porcelain doll. She pulled it out and studied it. The similarity to herself was amazing. She approached the nearest mirror and held the doll up beside her. If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn the doll had been modelled on her.

  “That’s ridiculous,” she said, sweeping a hand over the doll’s blonde hair, which was even styled like hers.

  She was still studying the doll when Simon arrived home about an hour later. The smell of the Indian takeaway caused her stomach to rumble. He kissed her on the cheek. “That’s pretty. Wow, the resemblance is remarkable.”

  Sally’s brow furrowed. “You said that as if this is the first time you’ve laid eyes on it.”

  He walked into the kitchen, collected the plates from the cupboard, and started to serve up the food. “What do you mean? It is the first time I’ve seen it. I didn’t even know you possessed such a beautiful doll.”

  “I didn’t… I don’t. This was sitting on the doorstep when I came home. I presumed it was a gift from you.”

  He spooned the boiled rice onto two plates then looked up at her. “Me? It’s not the sort of thing I would dream of sending you, love. Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “If not you, then who?” Sally gasped then tore into the lounge. She picked up the box and shook it. A slip of paper drifted to the carpeted floor. She grabbed it and read it aloud. “You’ll always be my princess doll.” Fear rippled through her veins.

  Simon appeared in the doorway with two plates in his hands. “Sal, what the hell? What’s wrong?” He rushed forward, placed the plates on the table, and gathered her in his arms. “Talk to me.”

  “If you didn’t send it, then there’s only one other person it could have been.”

  “What? Darryl? But how? How does he know where you live?”

  Sally rested her head against his shoulder. “I don’t know. He’s dangerous, Simon. Even more so now that he’s locked up in that place. It can’t be a coincidence that this turns up just a few days after we came face-to-face in prison a few days ago. Why can’t he just leave me alone to get on with my life?” I even had my suspicions that he was behind the attack on Dad, but Jack persuaded me it couldn’t have been him as he wouldn’t have known that Dad would be at the property at that specific time. Am I losing my mind? What if he has someone tailing Dad? Or you, come to that? Why? Why does he refuse to let me go?”

  Simon sighed heavily and pulled her close to his chest again. “I don’t have the answers, love, but I’ll think of the solution, given time. Do you want this?” He reached down and grabbed the doll off the arm of the chair.

  “What do you think? I want to tear its limbs out of its sockets, but how do I know it isn’t some kind of voodoo doll? I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s sick. It’s as if he has put an imaginary noose around my neck with the intention of yanking it, to tighten it now and again to keep me in line. I can’t bear it, Simon.”

  “Look, as long as I’m around, there’s no need for you to worry. We’ll get in touch with the governor of the prison, make him aware of what Darryl is up to. He won’t be allowed to harass you like this for much longer. Oh, and I’m inclined to agree with Jack. I doubt Darryl would have had anything to do with the incident with your father.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t believe in coincidences, especially when my loved ones are at risk. He’s punishing me for being happy. How the hell can we stop him from wrecking our lives? He clearly has help. That’s not even his handwriting on the package. If it had been, I wouldn’t have opened it.”

  “We’ll do it. I promise you, love. He won’t be allowed to get away with this. The doll should be set aside as evidence. I can take it in to see what fingerprints show up if you like. It might help arrest Darryl’s co-conspirator on the outside.”

  “Thank you. But if we put away the man who sent the package, it won’t end there. Darryl will just employ others to do his dirty work. For all we know, he might have a posse of men willing to carry out his dirty deeds for him. He was always the most underhanded person I knew.”

  Simon pushed her away again and rested his hands on her cheeks. “Whatever he throws at us, we will overcome, Sally. I promise you. Nothing—I repeat nothing—will prevent me from marrying you, if that’s his intention.” He kissed her.

  “Damn, I forgot about the wedding. Do you think that’s what is behind all of this?”

  “At the moment, we’re talking about a single doll. While it’s upsetting, I don’t think we should blow this out of proportion, love. You have my word that any foolish tricks he has up his sleeve leading up to the wedding will do nothing to sour my love for you. Now, let’s forget about Darryl and the ridiculous gift he sent and enjoy our food. I’m starving.”

  “You’re right. He’s not worth the trouble. I’ll have a word with my boss in the morning, see if he has any suggestions what to do about him.”

  “Apart from moving him to another area, I don’t see that there is anything they can do about him. Let’s put the thought aside for now and enjoy our evening. You’ve had a tough enough day as it is.” He retrieved the plates from the table and waited for Sally to sit down before he handed her one. “Enjoy.”

  The plate was piled high with several different curries, rice and a garlic naan. She tried to enjoy her meal, but the day’s events proved to be too traumatic for her, and she ended up leaving half her dinner. “I’m sorry. It was just too much in the end. Want a coffee?”

  “I’ll make it. You stay there and put your feet up. Why don’t you ring your parents?”

  Terror struck her. Why hadn’t she thought to do that? “My God, you’re right. I hope everything is all right.” She grabbed her mobile.

  Simon swooped to stop her dialling the number. “Hey, if you ring them in a state, they’ll know something is up. My advice would be not to tell them anything until Darryl has been dealt with.”

  She kissed him on the cheek. “How come you always know the right thing to say?”

  “I don’t most of the time, just on this occasion. Trust me, your mum and dad have been through enough over the past few days themselves without this incident adding to their stress load.”

  Sally smiled and dialled her parents’ number. She chatted to her Mum for the next ten minutes, asking after her father’s welfare and that of her dog before she hung up.

  “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  Simon sat on the sofa and pulled her into a c
uddle. They remained that way for the rest of the evening, both content to be in each other’s company. Although Sally’s mind raced, trying to come up with ways in which to exact her revenge on her ex. Maybe moving him to a different prison might disrupt his intentions. Knowing Darryl, however, she feared nothing could have been farther from the truth. Once he had his mind set on something, he usually saw it through to its conclusion, whether he was behind bars or not. Getting one of his lackeys to deliver the parcel was proof of that.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Before joining her team, Sally made a slight detour to visit DCI Green to make him aware of the parcel Darryl had sent.

  “But what proof do you have it was him?” Green asked, his brow furrowed as he sat behind his large desk.

  “I just know it, sir. You don’t think it’s a bit suspect that I should receive a parcel, hand-delivered with no note or return address on the package, within a few days of running into him at the prison?” Sally enquired in disbelief.

  “Call it a coincidence.”

  She folded her arms and tapped her foot slightly. “I’m sorry, but I can’t—and I won’t—accept that, sir. I thought I would have your backing on this, but obviously, I was mistaken. I’ll ring the governor myself, make him aware of the situation, see if he can put a stop to my ex-husband harassing me.”

  He wagged a finger at her. “There’s no need for that. I’ll place a call and pass on your concerns. I think you’ll find that the governor will see things from my point of view, Inspector. Without firm evidence, he’s unlikely to reprimand your ex.”

  “So, what? He gets away with it?” she screeched.

  “Calm down. Let me have a word and get back to you later today.”

  “Simon has taken the package away to test for fingerprints, but you know as well as I do what a conniving shit—excuse my French, sir—Darryl can be. He wouldn’t have gone near the doll before it landed up on my doorstep.”

  “Again, if that’s true, then there will be very little we can do about it, but we’ll do our best. Now, how is the case coming along? Do you think this Craig Gillan is guilty of murdering his wife?”