by Martina Cole
Years before Dan could conquer Kate all over again with a few sweet words, a few practised caresses. He realised now, with stunning clarity, that he had played tonight’s scenario all wrong.
Kate had finally and unequivocally grown up. Up and away from him. Bluster and bombast would not work now because she wasn’t frightened of what he thought any more. The worst thing of all was the fact that she had never looked more beautiful or desirable to him, with her cheeks flaming and her long silky hair strewn around her shoulders.
He wanted to throw himself on top of her, felt an urge to take her there and then on the settee as he had in the past. Kate had never resisted when he’d touched her then. She would yield and abandon herself to him then everything would be fine, everything would be roses - until he felt the wanderlust again. The need for new pastures, for new faces, for a different life.
Kate heard a tap on the window and looked at him. Who could that be?
He walked across the room and peeked out of the curtain. He turned back to face her and she saw the fear in his eyes.
‘Who is it? It’s not someone from the hospital?’ Her voice was filled with fear for Lizzy. It was nearly ten thirty, who would be tapping on her window now?
‘It’s your boyfriend, come for a late night legover by the look of things.’
It took a few seconds for the words to sink in. Patrick? Here? She pulled herself from the settee and went out to the hallway. Dan pulled her back.
‘Don’t open the door, Kate, please. I’ll do anything you want - we can get married again, anything - but please don’t answer the door to him. If you do it will always be between us.’
Kate searched his blue eyes with her own dark ones. She saw the wanting in him, knew that this time she had the upper hand, what she had craved all her life with him - and it meant nothing. Patrick Kelly was nearby and he was what she wanted, for however long it might last.
Kate had never loved lightly, she had always loved one hundred per cent, and now Dan knew, looking into her eyes, that her allegiance to him had gone for good. He wasn’t really surprised when she pulled her arm free and, straightening her dressing gown, walked to the front door. With those few steps she finally severed any remaining ties between them.
Patrick stood on the doorstep perplexed. He had seen the light from the front room and wondered what was keeping Kate. He was sorry now that he had come round so late, but he had felt an overwhelming urge to see her. He had been sitting in his house alone, and Mandy had invaded his thoughts as she always did when he had nothing else to occupy him, and suddenly the urge to see Kate was so strong it was almost tangible. Taking his BMW he had driven himself to her house. Now it did not seem like a very good idea.
He saw her slim form walking down the hall and felt a surge of pleasure. As she opened the door he smiled at her crookedly.
‘I know it’s late but I saw your lights on . . .’ His voice trailed off.
Kate had never been so glad to see anyone in her life.
‘Come in, it’s freezing.’ He followed her down the hall and into the lounge. Kate was not surprised to find it was empty. She had heard the back door close as she opened the door to Patrick. Dan was a lot of things but brave was not one of them.
‘How about a drink? Tea, coffee, a brandy?’ She saw Dan’s glass where he had left it on the coffee table. It was still half full.
‘Coffee will be fine, I’m driving myself tonight. Where’s your mother?’
‘She’s in bed. I gave her a sleeping pill. All this with Lizzy has really hit her hard.’ Kate was amazed at how normal she sounded.
‘How’s Lizzy?’
‘Better. She seems to be thriving on being somewhere different. I know that sounds crazy but from what her doctor said, hospital can often be a stress-free environment. It gives people time to gather their thoughts, make decisions without any outside pressure. I only hope it works for Lizzy.’
She walked out to the kitchen and put the kettle on. The only light out there was from the tube lighting under the worktops. She left the overhead lights off. Patrick followed her out and slipped off his coat. He could see her body through the thin dressing gown and felt a stirring within him. Going to her, he slipped his arms around her waist.
Turning, Kate put her arms around his neck and pulled his face down to hers. Suddenly, she wanted him desperately. He was dangerous to her, she knew that. He lived his life taking what he wanted. He was a rogue, a villain, but he was also the most exciting man she had ever come across. She could ruin her career with this association, but at this moment she did not care.
He was there, he wanted her, and, oh God, how she wanted him. After the set-to with Dan, she wanted to be held, to be loved, to feel wanted and desirable.
He undid the belt of her dressing gown and rubbed her breasts gently. Kate moaned in his ear. After tasting the delights of Patrick Kelly, you found yourself willing to run risks.
She abandoned herself to him, unaware that Dan was watching them through the kitchen window. As he saw his wife, as he still thought of Kate, put her long legs around Patrick Kelly’s waist, he felt pure hatred.
And now he had something to use against her. He would go and see the Chief Constable. See what he thought about the situation. He crept away from the window.
But he was already learning one thing: the prospect of revenge was not sweet at all. It left a bitter aftertaste.
Elaine and Hector Henderson had enjoyed themselves thoroughly and she tiptoed into the house at twelve thirty. As she heaved her substantial bulk up the stairs, George spoke to her from the darkness and she screamed at the top of her considerable voice.
‘Oh, George! You bloody fool! You nearly gave me a sodding heart attack!’
He clicked on the hallway light and saw a red and flustered Elaine sitting on the bottom stair, her hands over her heart. The wild red hair that she had backcombed earlier looked as if it had been set on end by an electric shock.
‘Sorry, my love. You’re very late.’
‘What were you doing sitting in the dark, waiting for me to come in? Are you checking up on me, George Markham?’
Elaine’s voice was dangerously low. Like most guilty partners, she found attack the best form of defence.
George looked at her long and hard. Surely she didn’t think he was jealous? By God, who would touch her, for Christ’s sake?
‘Of course I’m not checking up on you. I had one of my headaches, that’s all.’
Elaine squinted at him suspiciously, her old cantankerous self battling it out with the newer, more self-confident and laidback Elaine. As she stared at her husband it suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t even hate him any more. She didn’t feel anything at all, and wasn’t sure that wasn’t worse. At least while you were hating you were feeling something.
‘Shall I make you a nice hot drink, dear, and bring it up to you?’
‘OK, George.’ Elaine mounted the stairs. She was tired. George always made her feel tired and depressed. Thank God she had Hector.
When George brought her up a cup of Ovaltine a little while later, Elaine was sitting at the dressing table in her corset, taking off a pair of stockings. George placed the Ovaltine on the bedside table and watched her, surprised at just how much weight she had lost. Her legs were getting quite shapely! As she peeled off the stockings and waggled her toes George noticed some tiny red marks on her neck. His mouth set in a grim line. Elaine lifted her arms and unclasped her gold locket, the action causing her enormous breasts to rise up in the heavily underwired bra she wore. She moved naturally, as if after years of having her husband take no notice of her she was invisible to him. She glanced at him and jolted as she saw him watching her.
‘What’s the matter now, George?’ Her voice was clipped and demanded no reply.
He just carried on staring. She opened the jewellery box that held her few treasures and dropped the necklace into it.
‘Oh, by the way, George, here’s your tiepin. I nearly ho
overed it up.’ She picked up a ring box from inside her underwear drawer and threw it to him. ‘I don’t know what possessed me to put it in my drawer. I meant to give it to you yesterday but I forgot.’
George caught the box and opened it. There was his tiepin. He grinned his widest grin. Going to Elaine, he put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
‘Here, steady on, George.’ She pushed him off in disgust but he was too happy to notice.
He had the tiepin.
It was not lost.
There were no clues.
He was free as a bird.
Kate awoke to a feeling of lazy euphoria that seemed to have started somewhere in her legs and had, during the course of the night, washed through her entire body. She could smell Patrick Kelly on her and pulled the covers back over her head and breathed in the scent of him deeply.
Emerging once more, she noticed that it was light. Her bedroom curtains were open about two inches and she saw the weak dawn and felt it was invading her privacy. She glanced at the alarm clock. Six fifteen. She could lie for a while in total silence and think about the night before. Not about Dan, he was gone from her now as surely as if he was dead, but about Patrick. Patrick Kelly . . . even his name gave her a thrill.
He was here, or at least she felt that he was, and at this moment that was enough for her.
She had lived in a vacuum. Now, at forty, she was finally finding out what life was all about. The love side of it anyway.
If she could just get Lizzy back to her old self life would be nearly perfect. She didn’t dare think completely perfect, because she knew that was too tall an order for anyone. But nearly perfect suited her right down to the ground.
The phone beside her bed rang.
‘Hello?’
‘Kate, this is Amanda. Louise Butler’s body has turned up.’
She took a deep breath. ‘Where?’
‘In the old quarry. Look, I don’t want to say too much over the phone. You can’t miss the place, it’s full of Panda cars. I’ll see you soon.’
Kate put down the receiver and leapt from her bed. As she showered her mind was cleared of everything but the task ahead. As always when on a case, once she had something to work on it took priority over everything. Her mind was blank now of Patrick, Lizzy, Dan. She thought only of Louise Butler. As she walked downstairs ready for work her mother was standing at the bottom with a cup of coffee for her and a lighted cigarette.
‘Five minutes won’t kill you, Katie. What’s up?’
She took the coffee gratefully and took a deep puff on the cigarette. Coughing hard, she gulped some more coffee down.
‘Louise Butler’s body has been found.’
‘Heaven help the poor child! Are you fit for all this?’
‘As fit as I’ll ever be.’
Kate gave her back the cup and pulled on her coat, the cigarette between her teeth, the smoke curling up into her eyes making her squint. She kissed her mother and went towards the door.
‘Tell Lizzy I’ll get in this evening, will you? I can’t promise I’ll be there this afternoon, but I’ll try.’
‘All right, love. You get off, and drive carefully.’
Kate kissed her again and went from the house. It was a chilly morning and she pulled the collar of her coat up around her neck.
She drove to the site of the discovery with a feeling of trepidation mixed with excitement. Please God let there be some kind of clue! To Kate’s mind it wasn’t a lot to ask.
She arrived at the quarry before Caitlin and slithered down the loose-stoned rise that led to the murder scene. When she got there she wished she’d stayed in bed.
The girl’s body was covered. When they pulled the canvas away Kate felt a sickening lurch in her guts.
DS Spencer watched her and rolled his eyes.
‘He must have come back and dug her up!’
Spencer looked at his superior with raised eyebrows.
‘Dug her up, ma’am?’ His voice was sceptical. ‘Looks more like an animal had her to me.’
‘I can see you’d think that at first, but look at the way the dirt’s been smoothed around her, the way her hair has been arranged. No, our man came back and disinterred her for some reason. Cover her up, Spencer. Where’s the pathologist?’
‘In the jam sandwich over there, ma’am.’
Kate walked to the large police car and climbed into the back seat. ‘So what’s the gen so far? Am I right in thinking that our man’s been back and dug her up?’
‘Well, well, you are on top form this morning, Kate! I would say that she has been recently disinterred, yes. The facial injuries were inflicted after death, I’d lay money on that one.’
Kate was stunned.
‘You mean he came back, dug her up and then attacked her again?’
‘Spot on. Quite a nice chap you’re looking for, I don’t envy you. Ah, here’s Caitlin, looking a bit the worse for wear. Never was at his best first thing in the morning, was our Kenny.’
Kate watched as Caitlin slid heavily down the stony incline to Louise Butler’s body.
‘One other thing, Katie, the girl was stripped naked last night. He usually leaves the clothes on them, cutting off the underwear. I couldn’t find any evidence of recent sexual activity, but by the marks on the skin of her buttocks I would hazard a guess they were pulled apart recently, and quite savagely at that. Obviously, I’ll know more after the PM. I’ll have the report ready as soon as I can.
‘I hate the stinkers, Kate, especially when they’re young girls. She’s higher than a damn pheasant at the moment. I’ll be tasting formaldehyde with my dinner for days.’
Kate looked at the man beside her and bit her tongue. Nodding, she got out of the car and made her way carefully to where Caitlin was looking at the body. Higher than a damn pheasant! That was a fifteen-year-old girl he was talking about. She hoped against hope that she never became that cavalier about her job.
‘Hello there, Katie darling.’ Caitlin’s Irish brogue drifted over to her on the cold wind. ‘The fucker dug her up, the dirty bastard!’
Kate was gratified at the distress in his voice. If even hard-nosed coppers like Caitlin could still be moved, there was hope for her yet.
‘Well, sir, he saved us a job, didn’t he?’ Spencer’s nasal twang caused Kate, Caitlin and the uniforms to stare at him.
‘Oh, yes, son, he did that all right.’ Caitlin’s voice was sarcastic. ‘Shame all the perverts don’t bury their victims and then dig them up later on. Save a fortune on inquiry charges that would. You stupid eejit . . . Get away out of me sight, before I give you a dig!’
Kate flicked her head at Spencer and he walked back to his police car, shamefaced. Kate felt sorry for him in a sense; she knew what he meant: at least the body had turned up, even if it was in this grisly fashion. Poor Mr and Mrs Butler.
‘The pathologist thinks he attacked her again last night. Whether or not it was sexual he doesn’t yet know. He thinks the face was beaten recently, but he could find no evidence of a sexual assault.’
‘Probably wanked over her. That wouldn’t leave anything.’
‘I’m not so sure. Look at the way her hair has been arranged, the way the dirt’s been smoothed around her. I think he was searching her. We know he’s a nutter, and we know he’s a sexual deviant.’
Kate knelt by the girl’s body, repressing a shudder at the rancid smell. ‘Suppose he thought he’d left some evidence on the body? What, I don’t know. He could have come back, dug her up, searched her. Then when he didn’t find what he wanted, or maybe even when he did, he attacked her. It’s got a kind of twisted logic to it.’
Caitlin nodded. ‘Sure you always was a clever girl, Katie. I think you’re probably right. But this man has finally made his biggest mistake . . . He’s wound me up, Kate. He’s pushed me too far this time. When we find him - and we will - I’m going to beat his fucking brains in!’
Caitlin looked towards the uniforms and shouted: ‘Wh
ere’s the bloody undertakers? Get this child covered up and into a body bag.’
Kate stood up. In the grey light of day Caitlin looked terrible. His haggard face with its grey stubble seemed to have sagged overnight. For all his faults, and they were legion, at that moment Kate almost loved him.
‘Come on, come back to the station with me and let forensic finish their work here.’
She took his arm and pulled him away gently. ‘We’ll go and get some hot coffee inside us.’
Both noticed she didn’t mention breakfast.
Ronald Butler walked into the mortuary at Grantley Hospital, Kate beside him. The mortuary assistant pulled the white sheet from Louise’s body and Ronald Butler stared down at the remains of his daughter. Kate looked away. Out of the corner of the eye she saw the man’s hand go up to his mouth.
‘Is this your daughter, sir?’ Her voice was low. The formal identification had to be made.
He nodded and then bent double. The mortuary assistant quickly covered Louise up and both he and Kate rushed to Butler. He was now holding his chest tightly, and as he collapsed on to the floor Kate shouted: ‘Get the bloody Crash team now. He’s having a heart attack!’
When the assistant had run off she loosened the man’s shirt and tie.
Ronald Butler was grey and a thin film of sweat shone all over his face and neck. His lips were blue. Kate knelt over his body and felt his neck for a pulse. It was barely noticeable. Entwining the fingers of both hands she pushed down hard on his chest, just to the left of his heart.
Oh, please God, let them hurry!
As if her prayers had been answered, she heard the clanging of the Crash trolley bursting through the plastic doors.
Kate carried on the heart massage until the Crash team took over and a few minutes later was gratified to hear Ronald Butler breathing relatively normally. She waited until he had been put on a trolley to be taken to the CCU. As he was being taken out of the mortuary to Cardiac Care Unit, he grasped Kate’s hand.
‘Would you tell my wife . . . please, tell her not to worry . . .’
