Hush Hush

by Mel Sherratt

  Allie blew out a breath. ‘It’s hard to talk about really, but I guess you would know exactly how I feel. For now, I’m trying to move on with my life.’

  ‘And how’s that going?’

  ‘Saying goodbye to my sister, and being the one who ended her life, was the worst but the best day. It ended years of suffering for her and waiting in agony for me and my husband. Karen was never going to get better. It’s hard, with her not being around, but it’s okay. I always used to think that I never spent enough time with her, what with working long hours and having the kind of job that required overtime at the drop of a hat, but when I thought about it, I did spend what I could with her.’

  ‘I guess I’m still not used to being alone,’ Grace sighed.

  Allie nodded. ‘You’ll be fine, once you’ve settled in here and found your feet. You seem warm, Grace. I’m sure you’ll fit in easily.’

  Grace smiled too.

  ‘I’m glad we’re friends.’ Allie pointed to the two of them.

  ‘It’s been good to talk to someone,’ Grace admitted.

  ‘So how about you and I go out for a drink one night, once this is over? Have a good old belly laugh, get lashed and then go on for a curry. What do you say?’

  Grace nodded. ‘Yes, I’d like that. Thanks.’

  THIRTY-FIVE

  If there was one thing Perry didn’t like admitting to anyone, it was when his wife was right. But he had reflected on what Lisa had said about Grace. Perry wasn’t sure he liked what his colleague had done regarding being economical with the truth, but he was pretty sure he would have done the same thing if it meant he had got the job.

  He’d had such a great relationship with Allie Shenton that he had let it cloud his judgement of his new boss. The stuff with Grace’s family didn’t help, but underneath it all he could see someone who he could come to respect. He saw a fighter, a lone wolf who wanted to belong. She was making a mess of some things, but he’d done that even when he’d had a team around him and could go home and let off steam to Lisa.

  Grace had no one, and she was embroiled in keeping secret something that she didn’t want to, just because of her job. She shouldn’t be on the case, but he could understand why Nick wanted her on it. And he’d rather have her than Alex any day of the week. Maybe he should cut her some slack.

  He laughed inwardly. He must be going soft in his old age. Was it because he was a father now; had it mellowed him? Or was it because there was something he found vulnerable about Grace? Maybe first appearances could be deceptive.

  ‘I’d be very careful of her, if I were you.’ Alex nodded his head in the direction of the door where Grace had just come in.

  ‘What makes you say that?’ Perry glanced up from his computer.

  ‘I’ve had word that she’s bent.’

  ‘You mean you’ve been talking to one of the boys at the gym again?’

  ‘They’re good informants.’

  ‘They’ll tell you anything!’

  Alex shook his head. ‘You’ll be sorry you didn’t heed my word once all this comes out.’

  ‘Once all what comes out?’

  ‘Her! We know she’s been brought into our office to keep an eye on the Steeles, but she’s also keeping an eye on us for them. She’s working for both sides.’

  Perry rolled his eyes. ‘You really are an arse at times. Not everyone is out for what they can get, like you.’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Let’s just say I’ve heard rumours too.’

  In truth, Perry hadn’t heard anything, but he wanted Alex to bite, see how guilty he was. There was clearly something bugging him about Grace that he didn’t want to come out and say.

  Alex’s face dropped. ‘You don’t have a clue what’s happening right under your nose.’

  ‘Do you?’

  ‘Yeah, I know stuff.’

  ‘That you should be sharing?’

  ‘Everything comes with a price.’

  Perry straightened up. ‘You’re not being paid for—’

  ‘Not me – her!’ Alex raised his hands in mock surrender.

  ‘I think I need a change of scenery,’ Perry huffed. ‘The air has gone quite stale in here.’

  ‘Mark my words, she’s trouble.’

  Perry kept his opinion to himself. Even with the revelation about who Grace was related to, he knew there was less trouble in her than there was in Alex. He had never trusted him, and he wasn’t about to start.

  As Grace sat down at her desk, he studied her. She looked exhausted, and he wondered if she was having sleepless nights too. Even without Alfie to wake him, Perry was thinking of the case. But did it go deeper than that for Grace? She was trying to toe the line in so many ways.

  She caught him looking at her. ‘Everything okay, boss?’ he asked.

  She nodded. ‘Yes, thanks. Just had a harrowing meeting with Allie.’

  ‘Was it relevant?’

  ‘Yes, I think so.’

  Perry grabbed his mug. ‘I’ll make a brew and you can tell me all about it.’

  As he collected everyone else’s cups, he noticed Grace was holding in tears. He’d watched Allie do the same on several occasions, and didn’t see it as a sign of weakness. Mostly it was compassion, or frustration. It couldn’t be easy working through what she had this past week. He had to admire her for that alone.

  Leon was in Clara’s flat, taking a shower. He had been seeing her on the side for over a year now. Even though Trudy suspected he was having an affair, she hadn’t found out anything concrete yet. After fifteen years of marriage, there was no doubt she was still a looker, if a little too plastic for his liking. Their relationship was okay, because she was a good wife in so many senses. She looked after him, his son and their home. They even had sex occasionally. But they both knew they’d been too young, too naive, and if she hadn’t been pregnant at seventeen and kept the baby, they wouldn’t be together now.

  Jack was now fifteen; he’d leave school next year and join the family business, alongside Eddie’s son, Charlie. Leon could already see the rivalry between the cousins building up. Trudy wasn’t too pleased at the prospect of Jack joining them, but she couldn’t complain. She hadn’t worked a day in her life. No matter how the Steeles got their money, it had always been good enough for her to spend.

  Leon had just been to the Windmill to gather with everyone else, paying his respects to Dale Chapman this time. Surprised not to see his brother there, he’d stayed a while to be social, but after half an hour, when Eddie still hadn’t shown up, he’d left. There were so many people he knew that he didn’t really want to see. Not wanting to go home so soon either, he’d rung Clara.

  They hadn’t spoken much, but he wondered how his brother would be feeling about Josh’s death, especially now that Chapman was a goner too. Chapman wouldn’t be missed, apart from the outstanding debt they stood to lose.

  On the surface, Eddie seemed to be unaffected by it all, but Leon knew his brother was good at hiding his emotions. They all were, having learned to do that over the years. It was the same with loyalty in their family. They’d stuck together through childhood, the three of them, his brother and sister scared and relieved in equal parts when George’s anger hadn’t been directed at them. They all knew the game. They all knew the rules. They wanted to survive. In the morning they would examine wounds, cover up bruises, tend to cuts. Not bad for three children. But they had been used to it.

  Leon hadn’t wanted to grow up in that world, but he soon realised he didn’t have a choice. Men used to have a go at him because of his father’s reputation, so it was often better to get in there first. He’d always been in trouble at school over hitting other kids, and he never had a best friend like the one Eddie had found in Josh. His friends were few and far between.

  Leon washed away the bad memories under the shower. He hadn’t missed his father at all since his murder. In fact, it couldn’t have come at a better time for him.

  When he cam
e out of the bathroom, a towel covering his modesty while he dried his hair with another, he noticed a clip about the murders on the news. Quickly, he searched out the TV remote and raised the sound, catching the last minute of the bulletin.

  ‘If you have any further details, please contact the police on the number below.’

  He sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the barrage of questions being fielded by the police. It was Nick Carter who had taken the conference. His father had had a few run-ins with the DI over the years. They’d grown up together on either side of the law. Carter had always wanted to nail George for something big, but George had been lucky not to get caught.

  A muscle flickered in his cheek as he heard Josh’s name mentioned again. He pressed his hand to it. He’d hated that bastard, for always taking over where he should have been. He’d even had to stop him from trying to muscle in on the parties. But at least his death had left him an empty place to jump into. Eddie wasn’t going to be pleased, but Leon wasn’t that kid he could push around any longer. It was his chance to step up, and he was going to take it.

  He cast his mind back to one of his earlier memories of sibling rivalry. George had just arrived home. Leon had been woken by the sound of the front door slamming. Across the room, Eddie was sitting up.

  A few minutes later, a commotion had started when he heard his father lording it up with his mum. Eddie crept to stand behind the bedroom door, but Leon had stayed in his bed, not brave enough to leave the room. But every time he heard his mother cry out, he saved it deep in his memory, for when he was older. For when he could take George on. Eventually, he knew there would come a time when that would happen.

  George was a bully. An evil, vile, despicable man.

  A door opened and he wondered whose turn it would be tonight. Which door George would stop at. Would it be their room or Jade’s?

  George always went to the bathroom first. Once the chain flushed, the nightmare would begin. That night, the footfall stopped outside their door. Leon hid under the covers, hoping to feign sleep. Maybe George would move on. He didn’t care who else he hurt instead.

  The door opened and George stood in the doorway. Leon sat up, rubbing at his eyes as if he’d just woken up. George had a toy in his hand. It was an Action Man figure.

  ‘Which of you jokers is playing with a doll?’ George roared.

  ‘It’s not mine,’ Eddie squeaked.

  George took two strides across the room and grabbed Leon by the hair, pulling him to his feet and then throwing him onto the floor.

  ‘Oi, arsehole, is this yours?’ George asked him then.

  Leon shook his head vehemently.

  ‘Well, one of you is lying.’ George was pointing at Eddie now. ‘So I guess, as I’m tired tonight, it will be a punch for a punch. And you’d better make them good. If you don’t do it right the first time, you’ll get one from me. Is that clear?’

  Silence.

  ‘So, who’s going to go first?’

  ‘Me.’ As Eddie had stood up and drew back his fist, the fear in his brother’s eyes reflected in his own.

  ‘Are you coming to bed or have I got dressed up like a whore for nothing?’ A voice spoke behind him, jolting him back to the present. A hand grasped the bottom of his towel and pulled.

  ‘I’m not in the mood, babe.’ He kept a grip on the towel.

  ‘But you asked to see me!’

  Leon groaned. He’d called Clara up, thinking he might get rid of some of his tension. Usually, just the sight of her in a black basque and lace-topped stockings was enough to arouse him, but today it wasn’t doing anything.

  ‘It was a mistake to call you,’ he said.

  ‘I wish you wouldn’t mess me around,’ she muttered as she pushed past him.

  He squeezed her roughly by the arm. ‘Just remember who you’re talking to.’

  She glared at him in defiance and he felt himself harden at her response. He pushed her to the wall and pressed his lips to hers. She resisted at first, but then began to kiss him back and they moved to the bed. Leon moaned. He really shouldn’t take his temper out on her. She was the one constant in his life that gave him pleasure, even though he knew he would discard her in an instant when the time was right.

  Afterwards, they lay together.

  ‘It’s playing on your mind, isn’t it, about the murders?’ Clara said as she nestled into the crook of his arm.

  ‘Wouldn’t it play on yours?’

  ‘I guess, but your secrets are safe with me.’ She ran her fingers up and down his chest. ‘It does leave things pretty neat for you, doesn’t it?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, I know how you’ve always wanted to be an equal to Eddie. Now’s your chance.’

  ‘What is wrong with you?’ Leon sat up in bed, trying not to push her to the floor. How dare she suggest he wasn’t as good as Eddie.

  ‘Nothing’s wrong, babe,’ Clara soothed. ‘I just know how much you should have been top dog. Not Eddie, nor Josh – you. I just see a golden opportunity for you. One that you should take with both hands.’

  He sat for a while before nodding, his temper calmed now. Clara was right, he was only trying to put up a smokescreen. The door was wide open for him now and he was going to step right in and take what was his, no matter what the consequences.

  THIRTY-SIX

  THURSDAY – DAY 10

  Tom Davenport sat at the table in the kitchen. His wife Lorna had taken a call on her mobile and left the room to continue the conversation. Which was fine by him as he had enough to think about without her wittering on about something and nothing. Like having to tell her how he was about to lose his job.

  It had taken him by surprise when he had been hauled into the office that morning. Although, in the back of his mind, Tom had realised what he was doing had consequences, that it might be only a matter of time before he was found out.

  Despite that, he would have to go out that evening. Money might become tight, so he was going to see if he could find a way to bring in more.

  ‘Who was that on the phone?’ he asked Lorna as she came back through to the kitchen. ‘Jade, by any chance?’

  Lorna sighed. ‘I can’t help it if she needs someone to talk to.’ She picked up plates from the dining table and took them over to the worktop. ‘These murders are freaking her out. It’s only natural she’s worried.’

  ‘Does she know anything else about them?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘Did she say if they were linked?’

  ‘No. She thinks the police don’t seem to have any clue who they are looking for.’

  ‘Typical Jade.’ Tom leaned back in his chair as she loaded the dishwasher. ‘She thinks she knows better than anyone else.’

  ‘She’s harmless,’ Lorna defended her friend, closing the door of the machine with a bang. ‘And let’s face it, she has got a point. Someone should have been caught, or questioned, by now.’

  ‘Someone could have been. The police might not be letting us know until they are sure. Jade doesn’t know everything.’

  Lorna set the machine to start. ‘You’re tetchy this evening, aren’t you?’

  ‘Am I?’ Tom feigned surprise. Then he glanced at the clock. ‘Freya should be back soon, it’s nearing nine thirty.’

  ‘She’ll be home on time. I warned her before she went out.’

  Tom stood up and stretched his arms in the air. ‘I’d best be off myself or I’m going to be late.’

  He searched out his car keys and phone and walked through the hall to the side door. Outside, the night was quiet as he got to his car. Then he heard his name being called. He listened, wondering if it had been his imagination.

  There it was again, a voice he didn’t recognise. It seemed to be coming from the back of the house. He walked around his car and into the open grassed area. It lit up as the security light picked him up.

  There was someone in the garden.

  Lorna Davenport sat in the living room,
thankful she’d be able to relax in a few more minutes. Tom went to the golf club every Thursday evening for a drink with his friends. It was a time she always looked forward to, especially if Freya was in. It was quality time they had to themselves.

  She picked up her mobile phone.

  Where are you?

  Freya’s reply came back almost immediately.

  I’m on my way. Will be there soon. Sorry. Is Dad in? x

  No, he’s gone out so we have a bit of peace and quiet:)

  Yay! I’m running! x

  How on earth was she going to keep Tom from finding out that Freya had defied her father and was still hanging around with her new boyfriend, Kyle? Her husband would go ballistic if he realised that Freya had gone against him. Lorna felt guilty for checking out her daughter’s mobile phone before she’d gone out that afternoon, but at the age of sixteen she realised that Freya was capable of getting in a mess if she wasn’t careful. Especially when her best friend was Megan Steele.

  Settling down with her iPad, it was a few minutes before she realised that she hadn’t heard the car start up, hadn’t seen the headlights as Tom had reversed out of the drive. She stood up and went to the window. The gates were shut; usually he left them open until his return. Had he come back into the house without her knowing? She reached for the remote control and muted the TV.

  She couldn’t hear anything.

  She got up from the chair, shouting his name as she opened the door to the kitchen. The room was empty, but the outside light was on, giving her a clear view of the driveway, garage and the garden. Was that someone bending over the ornamental pond?

  Then she froze.

  She wasn’t sure that was her husband she could see.

  ‘Tom?’ She opened the back door and walked towards the pond. ‘Tom, are you okay?’

  A figure dressed in dark clothes and rolling down a balaclava lurched forward at her. She was pushed to one side, falling into the hedgerow that separated their drive from the next-door neighbour’s, turning her ankle sharply.

  Lorna tried to get up, but a fist cracked into her chin. By the time she had turned back, she was alone again.