The Secrets of the Shadows (The Annie Graham series - Book 2)

by Helen Phifer

  Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. She had wanted to spend the rest of her life with Will but she wouldn’t let him treat her like a fool. She stripped the single bed, shook all the covers and pillow cases and then put them back on. They had never been used before so there was no point washing them, she was just checking for spiders and dust. Annie turned to peer out of the window and caught a glimpse of a little girl standing on her front door step. She was wearing a long, white cotton dress and had platinum blonde hair which had been parted down the middle and braided into two plaits. She didn’t recognise the girl as one of the neighbour’s kids; the poor thing must be frozen because there was a bitter wind today. And then she noticed that the litter on the street was whipping around on the tarmac pavements in a frenzy, but the girls hair and dress weren’t moving at all. Annie looked up and down the street to see if there were other people around, the only one was the elderly man across the road and he was hanging onto his battered old trilby to stop it from blowing away. Her heart began to race and the palms of her hands were damp. The girl didn’t move, she carried on staring up at her. Annie pressed her face to the glass and opened her mouth to speak but the girl lifted a finger to her lips to shush her. Then she turned and walked down the first two steps … by the time she should have touched the third one she had disappeared. Annie ran down her stairs and opened the door; there was no sign of the girl. She stepped out of the house and down the steps to check the front street, as she trod on the bottom step something crunched underneath her shoe. She stopped and bent down, picking up a broken toy figure, it was a head and body with no legs or arms. It was a pretty creepy toy because whoever he was he looked far too old to be an action figure, his hair was grey. She looked up and down the deserted street then turned and went back inside her house. She went into the kitchen and opened one of the empty drawers, throwing the figure into it. She didn’t like it but for some reason she knew it was important to someone, maybe the girl had played with it when she had been alive. As much as she didn’t want to admit it she knew that the girl was dead, normal kids don’t disappear into thin air. If only Jake had been here, he would have had a shit fit.

  ***

  A car horn beeped outside and Will pulled himself up from the bed. He went downstairs, picking up the overturned picture. He kissed his finger and pressed it to Annie’s lips – sorry babe. The hall still stunk of stale vomit and his stomach lurched once more, he opened the front door and inhaled the fresh air, lifting his hand to wave at the officer waiting for him in the patrol car. Slamming his door shut he went down the steps and opened the car door. ‘How’s it going Sean?’

  ‘Oh you know how it is Will, same shit different day and all that.’

  Will nodded; he knew exactly what he meant. ‘So what’s happened?’

  ‘I haven’t been to the scene; I heard the shout come over the radio that an old dear had found a dead woman in the church grounds. They’ve been in a flap ever since.’

  ‘Christ. As if we need any more murders, I take it that it doesn’t look like natural causes?’

  ‘Not from what I’ve heard on the radio. They were shouting about getting a tent there from CSI to cover her up. I spoke to Smithy who’s on scene guard, he said she was totally naked.’

  ‘Not good Sean, not good at all.’

  The church steeple loomed in the distance and Will thought he would give anything to be anywhere other than there. But he would push his problems to the back of his mind and do his best for whoever it was that needed his help, they hadn’t asked for what had happened to them – unlike him.

  June 27th 1984

  Father John wanted to speak to Sophie without Beth present but it was impossible, Beth knew that something was going on but she didn’t want to admit it. He’d woken in the night after a terrible dream where he was playing tug of war. He was on one side and the shadow man on the other – Sophie had been the rope. When he had opened his eyes his hair was plastered to his head with sweat. The room smelled terrible, like rotting vegetables. He’d sat up and reached out to turn on the bedside lamp, smelledthen jumped out of bed and turned the main light on because the lamp cast too many shadows. It had been years since he’d encountered that particular smell and he felt unsettled; the shadow man had been here – in his room. John knew that whatever it was wouldn’t be able to touch him in a house that belonged to God but it scared him that it still believed it could go wherever it wanted. The sooner Father Robert came back from Manchester the better because at this very moment in time John felt violated in God’s house. He knelt down at the side of his bed and began to recite a prayer that he hadn’t really used since he was a child. He paused, sure that he heard a deep voice repeating each word, and every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He whipped his head around, looking for a shadow lurking in a corner, but he was alone. He finished his prayer then stood up. ‘I’m not afraid of you anymore. I don’t know why you are here but I think that it’s time you moved on, because if you don’t I will send you back to whatever hellhole it is you have come from and you will never see the light of day again.’

  With that John left the bedroom and went straight downstairs and out of the front door to check on Beth and her children. Beth’s house was in darkness which was a good sign, they must all be sleeping. Unsettled, he went back to the presbytery and took the key for the church from the large pewter dish on the sideboard in the hall. He needed to be close to God, so he made his way over to the church, which was shrouded in darkness. The spotlights which illuminated it every evening had turned off. They ran on a timer so as to save money but he wasn’t scared, this place was his life and he believed in God and the power of good. This also meant that he believed in evil as well and somehow in the hours of darkness it was far easier to believe that evil was lurking in the shadows. As he strode across the damp grass he sensed someone walking behind him but he brushed it off as his imagination. It wasn’t until he reached the small cemetery where the grass ended and the gravel began that he heard definite footsteps behind him. He didn’t turn to look but continued in the direction of the church. When he reached the huge oak door he inserted the key in the lock and opened it. His heart was hammering inside his chest but he would not show his fear because he knew that it would be a sign of his weakness. Stepping inside he felt along the wall to the left of him for the light switch. When his fingers located it and pressed it down the relief which washed over him was overwhelming as the entrance was bathed in glorious light. He stood there leaning against the closed door until his breathing slowed and was back to normal; the door felt as if it was vibrating the tiniest bit. He had never noticed that before, but then he had never had cause to come in here in the middle of the night after a bad dream and being followed by a man who wasn’t from this world. The inner sanctum of the church was still in darkness and for the first time in his life as a priest he felt scared of that darkness and what could be waiting in there – Get a grip John; you are in the Lord’s house. There is no way that God is going to let such evil enter his house; this is a place of safety and love. He marched across to the glass door and threw it open, if that repugnant smell had entered his nostrils he would have screamed but it didn’t. The church smelled like it always did, a little bit damp with the lingering aroma of candlewax and the smell of the fresh flowers that the mother’s union brought in and arranged each week. This week it was lavender, roses and lilies and they smelled fabulous. He crossed himself; Thank you God, I’m glad you kept to your side of the bargain, I need all the help I can get. I’m still a beginner at all this stuff you know. Please don’t leave me to deal with it on my own because I don’t know whether I can. He turned on the lights and the shadows were banished, John felt his nerves begin to steady and his heart start slowing to a more regular pace. He busied himself lighting candles and arranging hymn books into neat piles. When he’d done this he walked to the altar and knelt down to pray harder than he’d ever prayed in his life.

  Chapter 6
/>   Annie loved Sunday morning shifts; usually there wasn’t too much happening. Sometimes there was the odd drunken prisoner to deal with from last night’s shenanigans on Cornwallis Street, which was famed for the number of drunken brawls at the weekend. It always amused her seeing their faces as they were released from custody to do the ‘walk of shame’ home. Nine times out of ten a look of bewilderment was etched across their faces as they had no recollection of what arseholes they’d been to get locked up in the first place. Kav her Sergeant, had looked at her when she had come into the parade room at the start of her shift and nodded. Annie guessed that he knew or had heard something; he seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her. When Mike had attacked her, Kav had been the one to find her unconscious and he had dealt with it himself after she had confided the whole sordid story to him. He had stopped it from becoming public knowledge and she was eternally grateful to him. At the briefing he had put her double crewed in the van with Jake and it was over a greasy breakfast in the hospital canteen that she had blurted to him about finding Will with Laura yesterday morning. She hadn’t meant to but Jake had asked if they wanted to come round for supper tonight and she didn’t have the energy to make up a plausible excuse, besides he would hear it soon enough so it was better he heard it from her. His face had turned redder than the sea of tinned tomatoes that were swimming around on his plate; he’d dropped his knife and fork and clenched his huge fists so hard his knuckles were white.

  ‘Please tell me that this is some kind of joke because I will kill him. I warned him, if he didn’t keep his dick in his pants I would rip his head off.’

  ‘Calm down Jake, please. It’s okay, I sort of expected it to happen, in fact I’m surprised he lasted this long given his reputation.’

  ‘What planet are you on? It is not bloody okay. I don’t give a flying fuck, he promised me he wouldn’t mess you around. That’s it; I’m going to kill him.’

  ‘No you are not, keep out of it. This is between me and Will. I’ve moved out and gone back home now anyway. He left a voicemail yesterday trying to apologise and said he had to work the murder at the church that came in so I went and packed up most of my stuff after tea. He isn’t worth you getting in trouble and losing your job over and I can’t be bothered anymore, I’ve cried it out of my system and from now on I’m staying single. No more men. now promise me you won’t do anything stupid?’

  ‘I can’t Annie, you can’t expect me to let him do this to you and not say anything, it’s not right. He’s my friend but you’re like my sister and I wouldn’t let anyone treat my sister like that.’

  ‘Thanks Jake but you don’t have a sister so how do you know? Look, I will deal with Will, just leave it.’

  ‘Why do you have to be such a goody two shoes? Okay, I promise to try not to do anything stupid. That’s the best I can do.’

  As they were walking back to the police van, a call came in for a domestic on Marsh Street. They ran and jumped into the van and Annie held onto the side of the van door as Jake blue lighted it through to the other side of town. She loved working with him but he was a crap driver, it was like watching her life flash before her eyes whenever he drove them to an emergency call. As they turned into the street one of their regular customers was kicking his ex-girlfriend’s front door. Jake screeched the van to a halt and they both jumped out.

  ‘Now then Peter what have we got here? From where I’m standing it looks like you’re causing a shit load of criminal damage.’

  ‘Fuck off, she’s a total bitch. Won’t let me see the kids and she has another bloke in there.’

  Peter turned and began kicking the door again; Jake took three steps and grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the door.

  ‘Peter Low I’m arresting you on suspicion of criminal damage, section 4, and for being a prick. You do not have to say anything but, it may harm your defence if you do not mention now something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand Peter?’

  ‘Fuck off.’

  Annie turned away to hide the grin on her face and opened the van doors as Jake snapped his cuffs over Peter’s wrists.

  ‘Is that any way to talk in front of a lady? Get in the cage, I’m taking you to the town’s worst bed and breakfast so you can sleep off your six bottles of cider and until you understand the error of your ways.’

  Peter tried to resist being put in the van and began to scuffle with Jake who was almost twice his size. Jake grabbed him and threw him in.

  ‘Don’t be a dick all your life; I can add police assault and resisting arrest to that nice little list of charges.’

  Jake slammed the cage door shut and then the van doors. Annie started laughing, ‘Sorry.’ She walked towards the house and knocked on the door, which was opened by a woman in her early twenties and clearly pregnant, with a two year old clinging to her legs.

  ‘Are you okay Julie? We’ve arrested him so he’ll be in until at least tomorrow because we can’t interview him until he’s sober.’

  ‘Thank you, why can’t he just leave me alone? He’s a pain in the arse.’

  ‘Typical man if you ask me Julie. Look I’ll let you get sorted out and then I’ll come back in an hour for a statement is that okay?’

  The woman nodded her head. ‘Thanks Annie, I’ll have the kettle on.’

  Annie grinned at her. ‘You’re on.’ She got back inside the van; Peter was now hammering on the cage and shouting about police brutality.

  Jake looked at her, ‘Is she okay? For Christ’s sake Peter pack it in or I’ll come around there and show you the meaning of police brutality.’

  ‘Fuck off.’

  Annie smothered her laughter with her hand. Peter stopped banging and shouting, having realised that he didn’t really want to go face to face with a pissed off copper the size of Jake.

  They drove to the station and parked in the rear yard, there was already a shop lifter in the traps waiting to be processed so it would be at least fifteen minutes before they could take Peter in. After five minutes an unmarked CID car drove into the yard, with Will at the steering wheel and Laura in the front passenger seat. Annie felt her heart break a little more at the sight of them together. Before she could say anything Jake was out of the van and marching towards the car. Oh shit. Jake began to shout at Will, which roused the now sleepy Peter from his drunken snooze. Annie could only watch in horror as Jake wagged his finger in Will’s face; Laura put her head down and darted across the yard and into the station. Jake shoved Will and he stumbled backwards against the bonnet of the car, he caught his balance then shoved Jake back just as hard. A loud cheer came from the cage followed by a lot of whooping. Annie jumped out of the van, running over to separate them, but before she reached them they began to grapple with each other. She could hear the drunk in the van hammering on the cage and shouting. Kav came running out of the back door. He was the same size and build as Jake if not slightly bigger and he grabbed him, pulling him away.

  ‘Get in the station now and calm down you bloody idiot, it’s a good job there’s nobody important on duty or you two would both be out on your arses.’

  Will regained his composure and walked away, his face red and blotchy. He didn’t even look across at Annie. Kav had Jake pinned to the wall, ‘Calm down you stupid moron, do you want to lose your job? Honestly sometimes I wonder where your brain is because it’s not in your bloody head. My office now and don’t move out of there until I come and see you.’

  Jake muttered, ‘Sorry boss.’ He walked across the yard and into the station. Kav turned to Annie. ‘I can hazard a guess at what this is about Annie, are you okay sorting out your prisoner? Is there anything I should know before my officers start killing each other again?’

  ‘I’m fine Sarge, I told Jake to keep out of it but you know what he’s like. He thinks with his fists not his head and yes I’ll sort the prisoner out.’

  She walked back to the van and got inside, slamming the door. She look
ed in the rear-view mirror at Peter who was grinning. ‘Those two wankers better get locked up for section 4, bloody brilliant you couldn’t make it up. There’s more action here than outside the pub last night.’

  ‘Shut up and go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn.’

  She sat there with her face on fire and a pounding headache, wishing the last few days had never happened.

  Chapter 7