‘The usual, really. Plenty of fluids, plenty of rest, no alcohol. No great secret to healing a fractured rib.’ Dr Hadley placed her hand on Imogen’s shoulder and looked at her earnestly. ‘Some things just take time.’
‘Well, thanks, Doctor.’
Imogen shifted backwards, unsure as to why she was so uncomfortable, but something about the way the doctor had just looked at her made her uneasy.
‘Don’t worry; I won’t mention this to Adrian if I speak to him,’ Dr Hadley said.
That was also a strange thing to say, just to offer like that. What did the doctor know that she didn’t?
‘Thank you, Doctor,’ Imogen said as Dr Hadley stepped back through the triage doors and into the hospital.
Imogen was sure now that there was no secret romantic relationship going on there, but why else would they be talking? It was true that Adrian didn’t have an abundance of friends outside the police service – hell, he didn’t even have that many inside the police service. He had a tendency to rub the men up the wrong way and the women kept their distance because of his reputation, unless they had already slept with him, in which case they avoided him like the plague.
Maybe it was purely about his injury, but this impromptu meeting with the doctor had done little to quash the voice in Imogen’s head that was telling her something was wrong. Adrian certainly had no intention of telling her if he hadn’t done so already, she knew that much about him. She also knew she couldn’t take much more of this.
She left the hospital and got in the car alone. She felt alone a lot these days, even when she wasn’t.
Chapter Seventy-Three
Adrian got back to the station to find Imogen coming out of DCI Kapoor’s office. It was getting late and he wanted to go home and shower. Seeing Jimmy like that made Adrian think about what had happened to him and whether he himself would have preferred to be pinned to a wall, conscious and knowing full well that he was going to die. Would he have preferred to go through that than what happened to him in the back of that white van? He didn’t know. Surely being alive was better than being dead. Surely.
Reece Corrigan was evil – that much was true. Maybe even the worst that Adrian had ever seen, and he had seen some really fucked-up things.
‘The DCI wants to see you,’ Imogen said as she passed him.
The warmth between them was disappearing. He carried on walking directly to the DCI’s office.
Being with Imogen both at work and at home made it harder for him to pretend to be all right all the time. There was no respite and she was noticing the holes in his demeanour.
Adrian knocked on the DCI’s door and she called for him to enter.
‘Ma’am?’ Adrian said.
‘I just wanted you to know that I’ve had confirmation that you’ve passed your medical and are therefore released from desk duty.’
‘Oh. Great,’ Adrian lied.
‘Also, DS Hasan called from Oswestry and confirmed that a body has been discovered but is as yet unidentified. We’ve almost got him. Let’s press Angela one more time, now that we have some tangible evidence.’
DCI Kapoor looked back down at the paperwork on her desk and carried on working. Adrian pulled the door closed and walked back to his desk. Life goes on whether you’re ready or not.
He went to the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out the printed list – the names of staff from Corrigan’s construction company who had spent time in prison. He folded the sheet of paper and put it in his pocket before Imogen came back.
One of these men most likely hurt him. He had spent enough time with Gary Tunney to know how to use the internet to his advantage. He already had plenty of information to start with: names, addresses and offences. What he really wanted was to see their faces and then eventually hear their voices. But that was also the part he was dreading the most, hearing that voice again.
He needed time to get over what had happened, but he would find the two men from that night and he would make them pay for what happened to him, one way or another. If they wanted to operate outside the law then that was fine, as long as they knew there wouldn’t be any phone calls to lawyers when Adrian eventually found out who they were.
He realised this was all a bit of a pipe dream. He was still too scared even to open the door. But he wasn’t going to give up. They had already taken so much from him; they weren’t getting everything.
He was greeted with that face of Imogen’s again. She knew something was wrong; he really wished he knew how to be the person who could confide in her and tell her everything. Keeping a secret like this was taking its toll on their relationship. He needed to fix this somehow. He knew he couldn’t tell her, though. Maybe one day he would be strong enough.
‘Let’s go see Angela Corrigan and tell her about Jimmy and the body; see if that changes her position,’ Imogen said as she walked past, barely looking at Adrian.
He followed behind her, the dismissive look on her face making him feel like a disobedient dog.
Chapter Seventy-Four
Angela Corrigan answered the door. The side of her face was red; the remnants of an open slap clung to her cheek. She took a deep breath when she saw them, no doubt preparing to find new ways of avoiding their questions. Walking into the house, Adrian could smell the gin on her before he even saw the half-empty bottle on the kitchen worktop.
‘You just missed him. He’s gone to the site.’
‘I thought Friday was poker night?’ Adrian said, looking at the clock.
It was gone seven. Not that he wasn’t grateful that Reece wasn’t here.
‘We need to speak to you about Oswestry.’
Angela poured herself another gin and emptied a small can of tonic water into the glass, grimacing slightly as she took another gulp. Adrian and Imogen watched her and waited for her to respond.
‘Don’t worry, this is only my second one.’
She smiled before polishing off the last of the drink and tipping even more gin into the glass.
‘We looked for Clive Osborne. I spoke to his mother,’ Adrian said. ‘She said he sends her money every month.’
‘Did you find Clive? Has she seen him?’ Angela said.
‘She hadn’t actually seen him for a long time, no,’ Adrian said.
‘He’s dead. You know that, don’t you? First him and now Simon. I thought he abandoned me, but no, he’s dead. I kind of had a suspicion, but I gave Reece the benefit of the doubt, because who does that? But after Simon, I realise that I was naive. He’s capable of so much more than even you know.’
‘The police up there are conducting a search of the property and grounds where you used to live,’ Imogen said.
‘I hated that house.’
‘Well, they think they found something,’ Imogen said.
‘A body? Clive’s body?’ Angela said.
‘We haven’t identified it yet, but it’s possible. We should have a rough ID very soon,’ Imogen said.
‘Then what happens?’ Angela drank some more.
‘We build a case against your husband. There is enough circumstantial evidence to charge him,’ Imogen said, knowing full well they would need more than what they had. They would need Angela’s testimony.
‘He’ll get away with it. That’s what he does. He does whatever he wants and no one can stop him. I certainly can’t.’
‘Maybe once they get under the greenhouse there will be more evidence there, as well,’ Imogen said.
‘It doesn’t matter what you do. He won’t be held accountable. He never is,’ Angela said softly.
‘I promise you, we will get him. He isn’t going to get away with anything he’s done,’ Imogen said.
‘There’s something else, as well,’ Adrian said.
‘What now?’ Angela asked.
‘We just came from Jimmy Chilton’s place. Have you spoken to him at all recently?’
‘I don’t really know him very well. I have stayed away from the site as much as possible since Simon left a few months
ago. I have no friends there. Reece likes his lackeys and spies.’
‘Well, he agreed to help us with our investigation,’ Imogen said.
‘That’s surprising. I thought Chilton would take a bullet for Reece.’
‘The walls are coming down around your husband and he knows it. With your help, we can make sure it happens a lot faster. We are going to get him. He’s not going to get away with it,’ Adrian said, avoiding telling Angela that Chilton was dead.
She smiled and nodded knowingly, reading between the lines, resigning herself further into her role as captive wife.
Adrian caught her eye. He wanted her to know that he was serious, that he meant what he was saying. Part of him wanted her to know that he understood what she was feeling, the powerlessness and the loss of hope. The circumstances were different, but the root of their pain was the same.
‘Wait a minute,’ Angela said suddenly. ‘Did you say the body in Oswestry was under the greenhouse?’
‘Yes, why?’
‘Well, that can’t be Clive. He was one of the men who put the greenhouse up. It went up a few weeks before he disappeared.’ Angela’s face became clouded in confusion, as if she was trying to remember.
‘Are you absolutely sure?’ Imogen asked.
‘I am. I remember because he bought me an orchid to look after. He gave it me as a birthday gift to put in the greenhouse after it was finished.’
Just like that, the bewildered look on her face disappeared and she plastered on her phoney dutiful-wife face.
‘Who else could it be if not him?’ Imogen asked.
Angela shrugged then changed the subject.
‘Can I get you a drink?’
‘No, we’re fine, thank you,’ Imogen answered.
Adrian could see Angela’s brow furrowing as though trying to remember something.
‘We’re going to get him, Angela, but it would be so much easier with your testimony,’ Imogen said.
Angela seemed to be considering what she was saying.
‘Fine, I’ll talk to you. But first I need to go to the bathroom.’
‘Thank you,’ Imogen said, trying and failing to keep the surprise out of her voice.
‘Take a seat. I will be right back.’
Angela walked into the hallway and then seconds later, they heard the front door slam followed by the thrum of an engine and tyres on the gravel path outside.
‘Shit!’ Imogen said.
They rushed to the window to see her driving away. She was gone.
Chapter Seventy-Five
I squirm as he kisses me. He runs his fingers through my hair. He tells me he loves me and I smile, hating myself as I do so. Always well behaved, always doing what I am told. We are in the kitchen and the kettle has just boiled. I imagine picking it up and pouring it over his head, his puffy red skin peeling away from the face that I have grown to hate. In my mind, his scream is a high-pitched wail as his flesh blisters and burns.
I’ve had this fantasy before, but I never pick up the kettle, just like I never pick up the knife or any of the other things I think about killing him with. I am not brave, or maybe R is right, maybe trying that wouldn’t be bravery at all, it would be stupidity.
He slides his hand under the hem of my skirt and between my thighs. I really don’t want to and so I place my hand on his, stopping it from moving any further upwards. I know he won’t be happy; he doesn’t like to be denied anything. I remind him that he said he had to go to the new building site in the park because he left his phone there earlier today. I don’t really care that he has lost his phone, but I don’t want to have sex with him right now.
He looks down at my hand and I see the anger just seconds before he slaps me. He storms out of the house and I am alone. I call that a win.
I grab a bottle of gin; I am running out and so I make a mental note to get some more. I have already decided to finish this bottle before he gets home. I know he won’t let me refuse him sex a second time in one day and if it’s all the same, I would rather be drunk when it happens.
There is a knock at the door, and I know before I answer who will be standing there. DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles. I am relieved to see him at the house again. I thought R had done something to him and that’s why he’d stayed away. Maybe I have overestimated R’s reach.
There is no use fighting the police anymore. Even though they haven’t got R yet, they seem determined. It’s the first time R hasn’t been able to weasel his way out of trouble with the police and I don’t think he likes the loss of power. I have no doubt he will try anything to redress the balance.
DS Grey tells me she has been to visit the house in Oswestry. I have a mixture of emotions when I hear this. I have both good and bad memories of R in that house, before he turned into the monster he is now.
Although he was never quite right, when I think about our history I can’t understand how I hadn’t realised what he had done. Now, the police have found a body. It’s not a total shock, let’s put it that way. I should have known sooner, or at least suspected.
I wonder what the house looks like now. I have no doubt it will have changed significantly in the past ten years. I only hope the family who moved in managed to build some happier memories than the ones I have. It was the beginning of the end for me. Then we moved here, a fresh start, I had no idea that it meant isolating me from everyone I had ever known. My whole life revolved around R and I was completely dependent on him for everything. He knew what he was doing.
The detectives tell me that Jimmy Chilton was assisting them. I knew from the first moment I met him that he couldn’t be trusted. There was something intrinsically weak about him. Now, I feel like maybe I judged him harshly. I had no idea he was helping the police; I didn’t think he would have the courage to do something like that.
Something the detectives tell me about the house in Oswestry jumps into my mind. I try not to think about those days when everything changed – they are too upsetting for me. I can accept what came after, but to go from feeling loved by a person to them making you feel so ashamed and disgusted with yourself, it’s hard to come to terms with something like that. It’s hard to remember them the way they used to be.
You wonder what you did wrong to bring about this change in them. But the greenhouse … I used to love tending to the garden. It was one of my great escapes in life and R bought me a greenhouse. I remember Clive letting me watch him install it and so I know it wasn’t Clive’s body under the installation. It was then that Clive offered to help me get away. R must have found out. I wonder where Clive’s body is now. I have no doubt that he is dead, as well.
There is only one other person I can think of who would be under the greenhouse. I am sure R found it hilarious, watching me potter about in there, looking after the flowers, knowing who I was walking on. I see how everything is a game or a power play to him. He doesn’t care about me – maybe he never did. It’s all about him.
If I am right, then the police will definitely be able to arrest him. That body will be conclusive proof of what he has done. I need to get to him before the police do, though. I need to get to him because, if it is who I think it is, I don’t want him to go to prison. I want him to die.
Chapter Seventy-Six
It seemed obvious to Imogen where Angela was going. She was going to confront her husband about the body; she must have an idea who it was. Beside her in the car, she saw Adrian clenching his fists until they were white. She really didn’t think him being around Reece Corrigan was a good idea. He had attached too much of himself to this case and seemed to be forgetting that it wasn’t about his life or his history with his parents. It wasn’t about the domestic abuse his mother suffered at the hands of his father. In all honesty, it was more about murder than the domestic abuse, in any case. If Angela wouldn’t speak up, then there was very little they could do about her situation. Murder, however, it was harder to get away with.
Imogen’s phone rang. It was Detective Hasan again.
She put it on speakerphone.
‘Detective Hasan, do you have a positive ID for me?’
‘Not yet, but I can tell you it isn’t Clive Osborne.’
‘How can you be sure?’
‘Because it’s a woman.’
‘What? That doesn’t make any sense.’
‘It’s definitely the skeletal remains of a female. She’s been there around ten years.’
‘Thank you for letting me know so swiftly,’ Imogen said.
‘No problem. I’ll get back to you when I have more.’
‘Thanks.’ She pressed the red button and looked at Adrian.
Adrian looked as confused as Imogen. Whoever the female buried under the greenhouse was, she had never once been on their radar when it came to this case.
‘She’s gone to the site, to confront him,’ Adrian said.
‘Do you have any idea about what?’ Imogen asked. ‘Did she ever indicate who the woman at Oswestry could be?’
‘When, exactly? She told me less than she told you, Imogen. You were the one she told about Osborne, remember?’ Adrian said angrily.
‘So, where the hell is he?’
‘It was always a long shot when it came to Osborne’s body – the house, the number of contracts they oversaw in Shropshire. Osborne could be underneath any one of the buildings they worked on.’
‘I guess,’ Imogen said then added, ‘If Reece Corrigan is there, are you going to be able to keep your shit together?’
‘What do you mean?’ Adrian snapped.
‘I mean last time you decked him and he could have brought charges against you, not to mention the fact that he cracked your rib. With everything we have heard about this guy, it sounds like you got off lightly.’
‘I can keep my cool, don’t worry,’ Adrian said not entirely convincingly, his jaw straining as he clenched it.
‘I just don’t want you to get in any trouble. I don’t want to give DCI Kapoor another reason to put you with someone else, or me with Walsh.’
‘I know. I promise, I won’t hit him,’ Adrian said, his voice flat.
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