6.0 - The Face Behind The Mask

by Helen Phifer

They’d asked him what his favourite meal was yesterday and he’d drawn them a picture as best he could and even that wasn’t brilliant. When the guards had opened the door earlier and brought a tray in with a roast chicken dinner on he’d scoffed the lot, dribbling gravy down his chin. They’d even brought him ice cream for pudding so he wasn’t complaining. As he’d spooned the last mouthful of the cold pudding into his mouth he’d looked up to see a priest standing there.

  The man asked him if he could come in and pray with him, but he’d given him a silent laugh and shaken his head. He hated church – always had and if they thought that, by buttering him up with a nice dinner, he’d listen to the priest, they could think again. As he lay on his bunk with his hands crossed behind his head he thought about that day in the ring when everything had been perfect until those coppers had turned up. He heard the heavy key the prison warden used to open the metal gate turn in its lock. He sat up to see what was going on and was surprised to see four guards and the priest.

  ‘Come on, lad, it’s time.’

  He wondered exactly what it was time for? Maybe they were going to let him go back to the circus. He stood up and two of the guards stepped forward, shackling his arms. He let them, not wanting to fight and put them in a bad mood. They hated it when he fought with them. They took hold of an arm each and began to walk him out of the cell. In a few steps they were behind a wall and he was standing on what looked like an uneven wooden gate.

  A brown hessian sack was pulled over his head and he began to panic. Why were they doing this? It wasn’t fair when he couldn’t even speak to ask them. He couldn’t breathe as he felt something heavy placed over his head, around his neck, and tightened. Straining to get the sack off his head he felt his feet go from under him as he fell down through the hole in the trapdoors. He felt the rope go taut and then nothing as his neck snapped and he was left dangling like a life-sized marionette.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Annie couldn’t stand feeling so helpless and scared. She had to find out more about the clown suit and what it meant. She wouldn’t go to Barrow. She’d steer well clear of the town, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t do some internet searches. She sat down at the computer. At least it would keep her mind busy. Rocking Alfie in his bouncer with her foot, she was trying to eat a mug of soup with one hand and type into Google with the other.

  The loud crunch of tyres on the drive made her pause. She turned her head, managing to spill bright red tomato soup all down her T-shirt. There was a police car outside. Shit – Jake. Standing up she tried to wipe the splodge of soup, making the stain spread even more. She walked to the front door, opening it before he hammered on it with his huge fist and woke the baby up.

  ‘What’s up, Miss Graham? You rang?’

  She felt her cheeks begin to burn as she tried to think of a convincing reason for asking Jake to call and couldn’t.

  ‘Nothing really. Are you hungry?’

  ‘What do you think my answer to that will be?’

  She laughed. ‘Yes, because you’re always hungry.’

  ‘Correct. Did you really only want me to come here so you could fat-feed me?’

  She opened her mouth, not quite believing what she was hearing. ‘Fine, go and get something to eat somewhere else. I do not fat-feed you.’

  He grinned. ‘If I blame you, Alex can’t shout.’

  He looked down at the stain on her chest. ‘If all you have to offer is a tin of tomato soup I’ll pass. I’m thinking more of a bacon and egg sandwich with a sausage thrown into the mix and some mushrooms. All washed down with a huge mug of tea.’

  ‘Christ, if I’d known you wanted an all-you-can-eat breakfast I wouldn’t have bothered.’ He pulled a face and she shook her head. ‘Emotional blackmail.’

  ‘Payback for making me drive over to see you on a boiling hot day when there are hundreds of tourists driving like twats on these windy, scenic roads. You know I still haven’t forgiven you for making me transfer up to the Lakes when you went and got yourself up the duff.’

  She walked into the kitchen and began to pull everything out of the fridge that he’d asked for. He was lucky she had stocked up for Will.

  ‘If you were in Barrow you’d probably be on crappy scene guard at the park. Driving slow behind tourists is probably the better of the two options.’

  ‘True. Did you hear about that?’

  She didn’t know whether she wanted to or not. Before she could answer Jake continued filling her in on every last gory detail. She was glad her back was to him so he couldn’t see the look on her face as she set about grilling the bacon and sausages.

  ‘Will might not be home for hours. Why don’t you drive through and go see Alex? I worry about you and Alfie stuck in this house in the middle of nowhere for days on end.’

  ‘I’m not supposed to go to Barrow.’

  She could have kicked herself, but it was too late now.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because.’

  ‘Because what?’

  ‘Because I’ve been having some weird dreams about whoever is killing people and Derek told me to steer well clear.’

  She finished making his sandwich and turned around, placing the plate in front of him. She looked at his face to see if he was going to make fun of her.

  ‘Derek, the weird medium guy from the Ghost House?’

  She nodded.

  ‘How is he? It’s been a couple of years since you almost got him killed.’

  She crossed her arms and glared at him.

  ‘I didn’t mean that. It wasn’t your fault really. It’s just you haven’t mentioned him for ages.’

  ‘Well, I didn’t want to involve him, but he rang me because he said he had a feeling he should. I don’t know what to do, Jake. I’m scared because in these dreams I feel as if I’m there when the killer is.’

  ‘Is what?’

  ‘You know.’

  ‘No, I don’t know.’

  ‘When he’s killing his victims. I dreamt I followed him; only he knew I was watching him and told me he did.’

  Jake chewed the huge mouthful of the sandwich he’d just taken and seemed to contemplate what she was saying.

  ‘The real-life killer figured out you were following him in a dream and now you’re scared shitless?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Annie, this is a whole new level of freakiness even for you. Does he know who you are?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Hallelujah for that one. What are you going to do?’

  ‘Keep out of Barrow and hope Will finds the killer pretty quick.’

  ‘Have you told the golden boy all this?’

  ‘Yes, and he freaked out.’

  ‘And that’s why you rang me last night. I’m sorry, Annie. Are you and Will okay now?’

  ‘Yes, I think so. He’s not very happy about it, though.’

  Jake laughed. ‘I’m not being funny or taking his side, but do you blame him? It’s not as if you haven’t got a crap track record at this weird attracting serial killer stuff, is it?’

  She sat down on the chair opposite him and sighed. ‘No.’

  ‘Look, if you want my advice, keep the doors locked, your phone charged, and yes, you better keep out of Barrow. I can’t see there’s any way this sicko can find out about you. Can you not take a sleeping tablet so you don’t dream?’

  ‘What if I dream even more and he follows me in my dream and I can’t wake up to warn everyone because I’m zonked out? I’d rather keep my wits about me and not sleep much.’

  Jake’s phone began to ring. He answered it and even Annie could hear Cathy their inspector’s voice in the background barking orders at him. He held the phone away from his ear so she didn’t deafen him. When she’d finished her mini rant he simply replied, ‘Yes, boss.’ He put his phone back into his pocket.

  ‘All’s not well back at the station. I’m supposed to be at a meeting with the local councillors and I forgot.’

  Annie laughed. ‘How cou
ld you forget something so important?’

  ‘Because I got that mysterious text from you and decided I better come and see you were all right. I worry about you more than I’ve ever worried about anyone in my entire life, even though you’re a pain in the arse.’

  He stood up, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and took his plate to the sink. Then he crossed to where she was sitting on the bar stool and wrapped his huge arms around her, squeezing tight.

  ‘Ring me if you need me. I love you.’

  She squeezed him back. ‘I will and I love you more.’

  He kissed her cheek then walked to the front door. As he went outside he turned to her. ‘I think you’ll be all right this time, kid. It’s just a dream and unless you’re like that girl from A Nightmare on Elm Street you’ll be just fine.’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘Thank you, Jake; I’m so glad you reminded me all about that film. That’s such a relief.’

  She waved at him and shut the door, locking it. She wondered if she should have told him because now she’d inadvertently made three people aware that she could follow this killer in her dreams and it could be dangerous for any of them.

  She sat back down at the computer and began to read the pages that her search had brought up. The killer clown Tufty was a man called Gordy Marshall who had been arrested after a child’s body had been found in some scrubland near the circus. She shivered. How awful – the poor kid must have been terrified. Clowns were scary when they were nice, never mind one that was evil.

  She read several similar articles and then she found another that talked about the trainee clown who had been running away from the police the day Tufty got arrested. There had been an accident and both Tufty and the kid had been involved. She had to read back over the article to see if she could find his name: Colin Lister. Both of them were hit by a falling circus pole, which seriously hurt Tufty and injured Colin.

  She sat back feeling glad that the clown had got a little bit of comeuppance for what he’d done to the poor kid. It was like something from a film script; in fact she was surprised no one had ever made a film about it. She typed Colin’s name into the search engine and was surprised to see an article from a couple of years ago with a photo of an elderly man, smiling and holding a bunch of flowers for one of his carers at the residential home he lived in.

  Annie didn’t know if this was the same Colin, but he would be around the right age. He looked quite fit and agile for his age. He didn’t have a yellow skin tone or sallow cheeks. Maybe he was still alive. She googled the name of the nursing home to find that it was situated on the outskirts of Grange-Over-Sands, which wasn’t too far away.

  She sat up. Was this too good to be true? Probably, but Grange was nowhere near Barrow so that was a good sign. She could go and visit him, try to find out if this was the same Colin from the circus and then find out what happened to Tufty’s clown suit. Of course it could all just be a coincidence and she could find out that he had never been to a circus in his life. But it wouldn’t hurt just to go and speak to him, would it? This way she was helping Will without him knowing she was helping him, and it would give her something to do. She picked up her phone and dialled the number of the home.

  ‘Good afternoon, Meadow Field.’

  ‘Oh hello, I was wondering if you could help me? I’m looking for a distant relative called Colin Lister and the last I knew he was a resident there.’

  ‘Can I ask your name?’

  Annie was flustered. ‘Annie Graham.’ She didn’t want to give her married name in case they checked up on her.

  ‘Well, I’m not supposed to give out residents’ information over the phone, but I can confirm we do have a resident of that name living here.’

  ‘You do? Oh, that’s marvellous. Would I be able to come and see him? He won’t know me, but I’d like to say hello while I’m in the area and introduce myself to him.’

  ‘Of course you can. We don’t have visiting times; it’s open hours. Would you like me to tell him you’ll be calling?’

  ‘Erm, yes, if you like. That would be great, thanks. It will be in the next couple of hours.’

  ‘I’m sure Colin will be thrilled. He doesn’t get any visitors. It will be a nice change for him. Goodbye.’

  She hung up and Annie wondered what she’d just let herself in for. Her cheeks were burning. She didn’t do lying and she felt bad, but if she could just find out a bit more about that awful costume it might help Will to catch the killer before he killed again.

  __________________________

  Will sent Brad home to get changed, because he stank and the smell coming from him was worse than the blood around the victim, which was now being dried up by the sun and attracting every insect within a three-mile radius. Debs had almost finished taking all her samples and the body was ready to be moved up to the hospital mortuary.

  The swan – much to everyone’s relief – had kept away and let them get on with what needed to be done. The entire park had been sealed off while the search team was assembled and they figured out the killer’s way in and out. Will had a fleeting thought: what was it Annie had said? She had followed the killer into the park in her dream. She would know which entrance he’d come through and save them hours of searching.

  He was torn. If he asked her it would make their life so much easier. But they would want to know how she knew, and then she would be dragged into this whole investigation. It also occurred to him that she might even be able to identify the killer. Bollocks, why didn’t she have the ability to produce amazing poems or bake cakes to die for? Why did she need to have a sixth sense that seemed to bring her in contact with dangerous killers and their ghosts?

  He walked back to the car, wondering what he should do. After taking off his suit jacket and tie, he undid the top few buttons on his now-damp shirt. He got in, started the engine and turned the air conditioning on full blast to cool himself down. His head was thudding with the heat and he leant back, pressing it into the cool leather headrest. He closed his eyes.

  He had two victims, no known connections, different sexes; the only similar thing was they were around the same age. As far as he knew they didn’t know each other. The killer hadn’t left any visible clues although the DNA and scrapings from underneath Pauline Cook’s fingernails were being fast-tracked so they might come through today with a match.

  God, he hoped so. He just wanted whoever had done this in custody so they couldn’t hurt anyone else. They could deal with the why and what for once they’d caught him. A loud knock on his window made him jump. He saw Adele standing there looking just as hot and flustered as he’d been. He pressed the button to let the window slide down.

  ‘Everything okay, Will?’

  He nodded.

  ‘The undertakers are here. They’re ready to move the body.’

  ‘Good, that’s good. What about the clean-up team? Has anyone requested one? We can’t leave all that congealed blood there. It’s a health hazard.’

  ‘Yep, I believe that was done a couple of hours ago. They’re on standby once the scene has been cleared.’

  ‘Thanks, Adele, I appreciate your help.’

  ‘No problem, that’s what I’m here for. Task force are ready to go. Apparently Hobbs said they always come in and out of the Abbey Road entrance so they’re going to start from there and make their way back to the scene.’

  ‘Sounds like a plan.’

  He got out of the car, still wondering if he should have just simplified everyone’s life by calling Annie. They walked the short distance from the leisure centre car park across to the bridge and down the steps. The familiar sight of the undertakers’ silver ‘Private Ambulance’ met him. It was parked on the grass verge as near to the bridge as possible. The two undertakers were leaning against it waiting for the go-ahead.

  Will made his way towards them, giving the area one last look around. He stuck his thumb up and nodded for them to get on with it. He wanted to be out of the sun and in his office wit
h the fan blasting cold air onto his face. At least the hospital mortuary was always cool – another bonus of always being the detective in charge of the latest murders. He felt tired in a way he never had before, as if his entire body and bones were weary. And they were, because he was weary of dealing with so much death and violence.

  As the undertakers left the scene with a police car following behind, Will decided he needed a cold shower and an ice-cold drink. He turned to Adele.

  ‘Come on, we’ve done our bit. The uniforms and PCSOs can keep the scene guard on until the searches have been done.’

  The look of joy on her face made him smile. They walked back to his car in silence, both of them too hot and knackered to make small talk. As he started the engine and the air con came on full blast, Adele closed her eyes and sighed.

  ‘Thank God. I don’t know what’s worse, working a murder scene in summer or winter. What do you think?’

  ‘I think I’d rather not work one at all to be fair, but if I had to choose it would be winter. I can’t stand being this hot and the smell is always a hundred times worse in summer.’

  Adele nodded in agreement. She still didn’t open her eyes. ‘What I would give for an ice-cold glass of anything alcoholic to numb the pain and take away the stress.’

  Will chuckled. ‘I wouldn’t say no either; however, the best I can do is one of those slushy type drinks from Costa. Would you settle for one of those?’

  ‘Oh God, yes, please; the tropical one tastes just like Malibu and pineapple.’

  ‘Right, two of those it is then. I wonder if Annie knows about them. She’s partial to a Malibu and pineapple now and again.’

  ‘Well, if she doesn’t you should take her one home with you or take her for one. They make a nice change from coffee in this heat. How is she anyway? You’ve been a bit quiet today. Is everything okay?’

  Will debated about telling her what had happened last night then changed his mind. He knew Adele wouldn’t gossip but he didn’t want to upset Annie in case it did find its way back to her. Jake had so many ways of finding out information. He wouldn’t hesitate to tell her if he thought Will was talking about their marital life more than usual.