by D Attrill
J.M. GULLINS
The name began to show, slowly but clearly.
“We’ll have to find somewhere else for lunch, it appears, Becks. I can tell you of a superb veggie café I know, just next to the cathedral.”
“I don’t think eating's quite for me right now, Jo.”
“Well, I need to get out of this place, and onto Greg and the boys.”
“Why can’t you do it from here?”
“There's almost no signal, as far as I’ve been made aware.”
“I got through yesterday, remember?” debated Becky
“Yes, it took you enough tries.” Leyton remembered her disturbances yesterday afternoon.
“Why not try it from outside then?” Becky was persisting “It’s a clear enough day. It was just yesterday...”
“Aw...Christ's sake. If it's going to shut you up, I’ll give it a try.”
Leyton opened her jacket. She then tried in her pocket
“Oh no, Jo you haven't...no, say you haven't...”
“Where is it?”
“Guess.” she batted her eyes towards the upstairs windows.
“Shit, I think you might not be the only one.” Becky came over all guilty “I left it on the bed.”
“I wondered why you weren’t rushing to lend me yours.”
“I’ll go and grab them.” Becky seemed to have snapped back from her woes.
"Unless you're about to tell me that’s also against police procedure?”
“Well, with that thing growling next door to you, it might not look too good on my record.”
“You locked him in the bathroom… didn’t you?”
“I hope so, although if he hears you, working that weedy little bolt off won’t be a match for a dog his size.”
“Look, should I risk it or not?”
“Ok…just take extra, ex-tra, great care. If you hear any noise that sounds like he hasn’t still got a door in his way, out!”
As she went ahead, Leyton began placing back the wood. She left the last plank pinned a little aloft so it would be less awkward for the forensics to get to. With that sorted, she set about creating a makeshift cordon. The search for any tape was a struggle but eventually an old, greying roll appeared amidst the soil bags. The tape appeared to have been unused for some time. Pulling away at the bitty end, she finally produced enough to put a length across the shed doorway. It was useless though, without scissors. She edged round the shed, trying to reach to the tool drawer without touching the shallow grave below her. Only a rusting kitchen knife and a plastic something-or-other, that was nowhere near sharp enough, sat inside.
“Jo! Jo! JO!” Becky came running back up the grass. “She’s back!”
“What?” Leyton jumped out of the shed to hear it again. “Are you sure?”
“I saw her from the bedroom. Went past in a grey Renault. Another guy was driving. Got to get out of here” She handed Leyton her phone. “Come on.”
Not enough time. Footsteps could be heard running up the drive.
They both hid behind a large privet bush by the shed.
Deafening screams came moments later as Fiona was heard entering the house. There was barking. Unfortunately it did not sound like she’d become a dog’s supper.
“Connor! My baby! You alright?” came her cry. “Whit’s happened tae the door?”
They could see Fiona enter her lounge.
As they watched, she turned it upside down in a manner, more zoo creature than human. Following a few invisible minutes, she smashed out through the patio door.
She came running right up to the shed. Her nostrils could even be seen bubbling.
“Get down.”
Becky was pulling at Leyton.
It seemed she wasn’t wrong.
Fiona had short-circuited.
She could be heard tearing the shed apart.
Beckoning Becky to follow, Leyton broke her cover and crept round to the doorway.
Fiona was standing, obviously breathless, looking down at the body, which she’d just un-planked again.
“You know, you really shouldn’t leave your shed in such a state…Elaine.”
Fiona sprang round.
Her face turned to one of fright and guilt as Leyton and Becky gathered in on her at either side, arms folded.
She moved slightly to one side, and then turned round again, continuing to look on the shallow grave that she’d gifted June Gullins.
She was very still, not moving or responding at all now.
“What happened?” Leyton asked, very softly.
“The cow.” Fiona answered, after a thoughtful delay. “She wis gonna report me.”
“What for?”
“Found one of his toys wis left on the stairs. She told me off over it.”
“Well I would.”
“Did she also move a Squeezy Shape?” Becky asked, obviously onto a connection “Or maybe knock a bag of sugar out of the cupboard? Oh, there’s’ also the breastfeeding part.”
“They were trying to take my baby!” Fiona slowly began to weep. She remained ducked over the body of her deceased nanny, crouching down slowly. “It was after I fell out with her, that night; she went away home, like hardly nothing had happened. Talked to her on the phone, she apologised, sorted everything out, and then, for two weeks after, there wis no more bother. Her and I we still got on affy great. Then I got called on that morning; the same day I kelt her. It was a couple of socials, suddenly knocked.”
“Definitely them?” asked Leyton. "Not just a ‘bogus’ brigade, doing the rounds?”
“They showed me their cards,” Fiona sobbed “said I wis allowed to verify; also that they was in direct link to the police. Searched the tenement, making sure everything wis where it should live. They started pointing at everything, everything that they had said to me before was ok with a young kid living in the house.”
“I’m going to have to ask you to turn round, love.” Leyton said. She was also starting to feel a tickle of guilt at having gone in this hard. “Take your time…”
Fiona stood up to her full height and revolved slowly round.
As she did, she drew out both her hands, holding a steel mop.
She swung it straight into Leyton’s face sending her flat over backwards. The Scotsgirl then leapt onto her, pinning the handle against her throat.
As Leyton fought the weapon away, an arm finally appeared round Fiona’s neck, grabbing her off.
Fiona let go and turned to confront Becky.
“You know, lovey? I thought I’d told you your services were no longer required.”
She pushed Becky violently backwards across the hedge into next door’s.
Spitting once more on Leyton she ran down the lawn and away out of the gate.
Leyton helped herself up.
She was clutching herself in pain, but still at least glad Fiona hadn’t gone the distance.
She couldn’t see Becky anywhere at first.
On looking through the leaves, she could her friend’s legs lying there.
Leyton climbed through and found her crawling along the grass, crumpled and bruised.
“Becky... Becky!” she tried lifting her friend up. “Please…”
“I’m ok, Jo.”
Her friend looked up, winking
“Jo….”
“Yes? Yes? Becky, what is it?”
“Get that bitch!”
Chapter 12
(i)
Leyton heard the engine starting as she helped Becky to her legs. She swirled away, across Fiona’s lawn to the gate. Finding it was blocked by a couple of wheelie bins, she climbed over the sidewall and out via No26’s side instead.
Just in time. She saw her foe retreating down the road towards a small grey vehicle.
Leyton gave chase as she saw one of the Clio’s doors opening.
“Gimme the bairn!” Fiona screamed.
She was taking Izzy from the back in his bundle of towels and passing him through the drivers windo
w, followed by the baby seat. “I jist need to hide in the back till we’re awa... ah shit!”
Turning to confront Leyton, she climbed round to the pavement side. As she did, her driver - a somewhat panic-stricken Tom Payden - also jumped out.
Neither had chance to speak though. Sirens suddenly came screaming up the street behind them. Several cars, led by a Vectra and a Focus, slowed in around them. Armitage's car, followed by Thompson's, stopped up against the kerb, before a second unit arrived to shut the Clio in.
Garstone leapt out of his side and across, followed by Armitage and Thompson, plus PCs Hussein and Andrews.
“All that hassle and we find you’re ok.” he greeted Leyton.
“I’m amazed you actually found us.” She congratulated him, as the officers surrounded Tom and Fiona.
“Got a call from your number. Couldn’t hear much, though, only a dog in the background.”
“Yes, while we’re on it… Tom, you never mentioned anything about also owning a Rottweiler.”
“It’s me brother’s.” Tom Payden’s face went white, indicating lies.
“You never said anything about his love of old railways either.” Garstone added.
“Say what, Greg?” Leyton was lost by this one, made straight out of the blue.
“We found the kid studying a trackbed at Tankersley Park this morning. Completely nose down. Not a lot of communication from him, though.”
Payden suddenly stood silenced. His face had turned a stone-like white - it was as if he knew what Garstone was saying.
Glowering at Fiona, he moved slowly round the other side of the Clio.
“You said it were that lass under the shed you were getting rid of.” Tom stuttered, as if unable to find his words.
“I think I ought to congratulate you mate.” Garstone didn’t seem to be listening. He was eyeing up the Clio instead. “That's a nice new car you've got.”
“I was just about to say the same thing Greg, it’s so handy having a girlfriend that drives, isn’t it, Mr Payden?” She watched Tom's increasingly fearful face. “Such a shame, that there still isn’t room for TWO in the boot. I'd just assume that's why June Gullins is still waiting her turn, in the shed.
“Eh?" Garstone caught it this time. Pointing towards the house, shakily, his own jaw was dropping open.
“Hmm...hmm." Leyton affirmed “Also, there’s the issue that such a small boot might have been struggling to shut properly with a body like Paula Radcombe’s inside. In fact, with the rest of clutter she was carting round, it probably even compromised the lock mechanism. Per-r-rhaps that’s why, Tom, when either you or maybe Elaine there dragged her out onto the Blackburn Road dirt, one of your defunct hubcaps accidentally followed suit.”
The cornered couple looked like they had nothing to say, either to each other or Leyton. Both Fiona and Tom just continued to stare, indignant and frozen.
“And now … and now-w-w, we know why we couldn't place the Corsa at the scene of Miss Radcombe's murder. It was never there... but a little piece of it went with her.”
“While he kept that lovely, big Bayswater Bowie, for burying next to his Gary.” Garstone had his own side to supply. “A shame that old railway ballast was a bit hard to dig though, aye?”
“Oohh, you've been doing some extra studies in my absence.”
“Sorry to interrupt you both.” Fiona suddenly interrupted “except I think you might have missed out a couple of pages.”
All of a sudden, she’d started fishing about underneath Izzy's towel.
She drew her hand out holding an automatic pistol.
Everyone, including Tom pulled back in horror. Leyton stood there for a second, finding it hard to swallow what she was witnessing.
A woman was standing there, carrying an eight-month old child in one hand, a live firearm in the other…even the movies seldom dreamt that one up.
“What was this in aid of?” Tom appeared to have taken it in hard “Top kid, our Gaz. Never hurt you...any of us.”
“He wis a liability, right off from the start.” Fiona said. She was seething between her scarcely white teeth.
“I kinda felt like that, on Friday morning.” Garstone began “Gary actually shared a hell of a lot; talked mostly about stuff like...how much his big brother trusted him. Maybe that's why he'd got uncomfortable over letting us near that Corsa. Aye, that's it. He'd pictured what he thought was coming to him, like; except it wasn't Tom it was gonna be coming from...” He had turned to face Fiona “was it, pet?”
“I kelt June cause she was a wee tattler.” Fiona shortly answered. “She wis gonna grass me to the social services, just because I let Izzy fall over, his cot a couple o’ timnes. I didnae run all the way to Sheffield , so I could have some little bastard like him, nosying my every move. The second I net Tommy, he wis ontae US. Didn't trust me a second.”
“Took after his big brother in one way, at least.”
“Tommy trusted me, aye, he did right tae the end...didn't you?” She now swung the gun at her partner instead. “DIDN'T YOU?!”
“Yeah, I did.” Payden eventually murmured, petrified more than distraught. “I also trusted our Gary.”
“Over the woman you love? Huh? That wee fuckin' shit, he was gonnae leak us. Why else wid he have drove the Corsa up the cop shop? I knew, soon as I saw him outside the station, without it.”
“Excuse me a second,” said Garstone, “but was that before Tom rang to say ‘some posh-arsed police tart’ was keeping you there another bit?” He turned to Layton, looking guilty “Sorry, ma’am.”
A piercing scream emanated from the side of No30. It dissolved into a distressed sob as Becky came galloping up the road.
“Jo!” she was wailing
“Oh look, crying her eyes out again,” Fiona re-angled her gun to greet the new arrival. “Can’t stand that she’s been left alone, while her policewoman bestie-matey’s out playing.”
“Mr Roundtree! Mr Roundtree’s dead!” she was screaming deliriously, seeming not to notice the gun. “Him and his wife - they’re lying in the kitchen - she’s had her throat cut open!”
“Oh my god…that’s why his call was cut last night.” Leyton remembered. As she did, tears of guilt tried to escape her eyes. She looked at Fiona again “So that makes it five?”
“That’s clever, Miss Leyton…”
Fiona trained the weapon back on her.
“Just that I’m a sucker for even numbers.”
She suddenly swung straight to her right again, firing.
Tom then collapsed to the floor, clutching his groin.
“Jesus!” Garstone yelped.
Everyone ducked down clear, behind the car.
Fiona held her position with the pistol whilst Becky and Thompson knelt down to help Tom, taking him clear of the chaos. Izzy was beginning to cry with the noise.
A second round made Leyton and the rest keep their distance. Fiona was dancing dementedly away behind the cry, screeching, hollering inhumanely, sending off shot after shot. Leyton, Garstone, Armitage and Andrews all took a car each to crawl behind, ducking beneath the window line.
Leyton listened carefully.
Crying from Izzy grew fainter but not from Fiona herself. His mother probably still waiting on seeing if anyone would be stupid enough to show their face above the window line.
Garstone had to be the one to try. Ignoring Leyton’s mouthed signal to stay put, he’d rose to a half squat and started shuffling carefully round the end. At least he was keeping the noise down anyway, Leyton praised him for that.
Another sudden, devastating crack from Fiona’s cannon had everyone drop flat against the floor.
Leyton felt ready to cover her face, fearing the worst.
She saw Garstone was still OK, whilst further along, Armitage was taking a shower of glass from above.
He crawled away on all fours, signalling Hussein into his place.
“Someone get a sodding ambulance!” Leyton saw Tom laid out on the pavement,
being tended to by Becky.
“Aren’t armed response more important right at this stage?” went Garstone.
“She’s got a baby, for God’s sake. I’ll get the helicopter gang over.”
“Allow me ma’am!” Garstone tried to use his radio without going above whispering. Gunshots returned, truncating his effort.
Dropping the handpiece, he and Leyton both got down behind the nearest unit.
“I take it she’s closer to your end Dan.” he was calling across to Andrews.
“Sorry mate, lost her.” the young PC shook his head.
“She must have gone down the hill then.”
Leyton got her face low enough to look through beneath the chassis. She studied the green beyond the pavement. Chimney-topped terraces in the distance served up plenty of likely diving holes, should Fiona have tried.
Don’t be stupid Leyton, she thought about it again - no one could have cleared that field unseen, in only that time.
“That old church.” PC Hussein was pointing from where he sat. “You think she might have got round there?”
Leyton remembered that abandoned chapel at the end of the street, opposite. It was about thirty yards away from them now.
She got behind Hussein and Garstone, allowing her DC to lead.
They frog stomped discreetly along, until they came closer to the old building.
It was five, fearsome minutes before the near end of the chapel became near enough to break cover.
A sound of distant crying could be deciphered against the still Sheffield air; as also could Greg Garstone's enthusiasm for going in a little deeper.
“Greg we can’t do this...”
Leyton hardly got time to order her DC off the idea: Thompson had already tiptoed back to his car and now returned, dishing out bulletproof armour.
“I take it I don’t get a say in this then?”
