by Mel Sherratt
She scrambled across the garden to the pond as quickly as she could, the pain from her ankle screaming at her. But all she could think of was getting to the heap that she could see on the lawn.
Goosebumps broke out over her skin as the cold air hit it, even more so when she could focus.
‘Tom?’
He was lying on his back, his legs hanging out of the pond, his torso submerged. His outstretched arms were floating by his side. All around his head, the water was a darker colour, blood beginning to seep around his hair like a halo.
‘Tom!’ Lorna dropped to her knees and lifted his face, wiping water from his cheeks, his nose, his mouth. His eyes were closed, his limbs floppy.
‘Speak to me.’ She slapped at his cheek. ‘Tom, wake up, wake up!’
THIRTY-SEVEN
Grace pulled into the car park of the supermarket. She was hoping she hadn’t left it too late for flowers, but if so, she’d buy a larger box of chocolates. She popped a bottle each of red and white wine into her basket and a colourful toy that Alfie could play with.
By the time she’d got to the till, there were cupcakes alongside flowers in there too. Lisa could take them all; she was sure Perry would finish them.
Back in her car, her nerves started to show about where she was going next. She took a few deep breaths, hoping to calm herself. This was the first night off the team had had since the two murders had come in. Perry’s wife, Lisa, had insisted that she cook for her, and she hadn’t wanted to say no. Besides, she was curious to meet Lisa. Grace had questioned Sam discreetly and been informed that the couple had tried for a baby for several years. Sadly, Lisa had had three miscarriages before eventually giving birth to Alfie.
It would be a bittersweet moment for Grace. Although anxious about making a good impression with Lisa, their son Alfie would be a reminder of what she hadn’t been able to achieve with Matt. It pained her to see couples with children happy and content, but she put on the brave face that was so often talked about. Tucked away her emotions, hid her pain. The British way of dealing with things.
She drove towards Baddeley Green. Perry’s home was on a small estate built on the site that formerly housed one of Royal Doulton’s plants, famed for its tableware and now collectable figurines the world over, which had closed in 2002. Deep down, she wanted Alfie to be asleep in his cot in his bedroom so that she wouldn’t have to see him. Because she wouldn’t be able to resist pressing his head against her chest, holding him to her, feeling him snuffling. And that would be upsetting.
But as soon as she walked up the path of the three-storey property, she could hear his screams. A harassed-looking Perry came to the door with the little boy in his arms.
‘Sorry, he won’t stop complaining,’ he explained. ‘We’ve been trying to get him down for the past hour.’
‘Well, don’t look at me,’ she sympathised. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have the Midas baby touch. I do have wine though.’
‘In that case, you’d better come in.’
They stepped into the hallway. A woman stood in the kitchen doorway wiping her hands on a towel. Lisa was in good shape considering she had given birth only a few months previously. There wasn’t an ounce of baby fat on her tall, lithe figure. Her blonde hair was cut into a short, choppy style, her jeans and long-sleeved white T-shirt casual yet stylish. Her skin had caught a glow from the recent sunny spell. She looked very comfortable in her skin, if a little tired.
‘Grace! How lovely to meet you at last.’ Lisa gave her a wide smile, big blue eyes twinkling. ‘I’ve heard so much about you.’
Grace laughed inwardly as Perry threw Lisa a glare.
‘Nice to meet you too.’ She lifted up her hand. ‘I come with gifts.’
‘Come on through,’ she ushered. ‘You can leave Grumpy Chops with his dad for a moment while we talk.’
Saved by screaming Alfie, Grace gave a half-smile to Perry and she went into the kitchen. It was minimalist, the way she liked it, and yet it felt inviting too. The modern white units looked fresh and new, with handleless doors and hidden nooks and crannies. She plonked her bag on the table, handed the flowers to Lisa and took out the wine.
‘I don’t know which to thank you for the most,’ Lisa beamed. She handed Grace a wine glass. ‘Are you driving?’
‘Yes, just a spot for me, please.’
It took Perry another twenty minutes before he settled Alfie down, but after that the baby didn’t make a peep. Inwardly, Grace sighed with relief. It meant she didn’t get the chance to hold him and risk the maternal feelings she’d buried raising their head again.
‘How can something so tiny make so much noise and mess?’ Lisa sighed. ‘I’m exhausted with it all.’
Grace could tell, but she also noticed contentment too. Envy tore through her and she pushed it down again.
They chatted a while over their meal and, for the first time since she had met him, Grace saw a different side to Perry. He might come across all hard man at work, but he was totally besotted by his wife and child. It was so good to see, even if it did bring a lump to her throat and emphasise her loneliness.
‘How is the team treating you, Grace?’ asked Lisa as she collected the dirty dishes before they moved on to dessert. ‘I hope they’re not being too hard on you?’
‘Lisa!’ Perry gave her a stern look.
‘It’s okay.’ Grace smiled. ‘I’m not sure anyone will ever trust me, but I’ll give it my best shot.’
‘Has Perry told you how much he misses Allie? I’m sure he had a crush on her.’
‘You have no idea how far off the mark she is!’ Perry shook his head. ‘Allie was like a sister to me.’
Lisa laughed loudly, then glanced at the open door with a guilty expression. But Alfie never made a murmur. ‘I’m joking, you big eejit.’
‘It’s a good job.’
‘I like her too,’ Grace joined in. ‘She seems quite sincere whenever I’ve spoken to her.’
‘Well, she can be quite hot-headed at times. Did she—’
Grace’s phone went off. ‘Nick. I’d better take this. Hello?’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘Right, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Yes, I’m with him now.’ She disconnected the call and looked at Perry. ‘There’s been another murder.’
‘Address?’ he asked.
‘Endon. Leek New Road.’
‘That will take us about five minutes to get to.’ Perry stood up, shoving a piece of garlic bread in his mouth.
Lisa groaned. ‘Well, I suppose that means more dessert for me.’
‘Sorry, Lisa.’ Grace wiped her mouth with her napkin. ‘It was a lovely meal and it was great to meet you. And Alfie, if somewhat briefly!’
‘Next time you can take him with you in a doggie bag.’ Lisa laughed, then grimaced as she heard him stir. ‘Go on, off with you. But be quiet.’
THIRTY-EIGHT
Grace could see emergency lights flashing in front as they pulled up as close as they could get to the large sprawling house. Set back from the main road in Endon, it boasted three floors, lights on at most of the windows, curtains open. At the side of the house was a driveway, leading to a double garage at the end of the garden, which could be accessed by a side rear door.
As they hurried up the drive, a woman in her mid-sixties, who had been standing on the step at the house next door, raced up to the dividing wall, followed by a man Grace assumed to be her husband.
‘Is it true what Freya said?’ she asked. ‘That Tom is dead? That can’t be right. I only saw him this morning.’
Grace stopped for a moment, knowing that the fact she couldn’t comment on it would say much more than if she admitted it. ‘Have the Davenports lived here long, Mrs …?’
‘Proctor – Anne Proctor.’ The woman had been joined by the man now. ‘Yes, about fifteen years. That’s about right, isn’t it, Ray?’
Ray nodded. ‘We’ve been here for nearing on twenty. They came just after Freya was born. They were so excited when they first moved
in, even though the house was in terrible disrepair. But they put their mark on it over the years.’
‘Did you get on well with them?’
‘Yes,’ Anne said. ‘We didn’t “neighbour” as such – we weren’t in and out of each other’s houses – but we always looked out for one another whenever we went on holiday. We could always borrow anything if necessary, and they were marvellous when Stanley died,’ Anne added.
‘Stanley?’ Grace had one eye on the forensic team going in and out of the house.
‘Our dog.’
‘Right.’ Grace nodded. ‘So there has been no arguing lately, nothing untoward?’ She raised her hand as looks of outrage shot across their faces. ‘Sorry, I know it sounds intrusive but I have to ask. The sooner I can get a feel for them as a couple, the better.’
‘You don’t think Lorna had anything to do with this?’ Anne shook her head vehemently.
‘I haven’t even been into the house yet, Mrs Proctor,’ Grace said. ‘But I do have to look at every angle. It’s not always nice, but it enables me to do my job. You say you saw Tom this morning; when was the last time you saw Mrs Davenport?’
‘I saw Lorna this afternoon as she went off to work.’
‘Can you remember the time?’
‘Half past one. She works at Morrisons in Leek. And, like I said, I saw Tom leaving this morning in his car, around eight thirty. He works – worked – at Staffordshire College, in Shelton. He was a lecturer there.’
‘So nothing out of the ordinary? Just a usual day for them?’
Anne nodded.
‘Does Freya go off to school with Tom?’
‘No, she leaves on her own. She walks. It’s not far to Endon High School from here.’
‘I can’t believe he’s dead.’ Ray shook his head. ‘He was such a nice man.’
Grace said nothing. What could she say? Not everything is what it seems. You never know what goes on behind closed doors. Everyone has secrets. She’d heard and used every cliché during her years in service.
Knowing she wasn’t going to get anything else from them, she suited up before going into the house and through to the garden. Grace learned that the victim’s wife had been attacked and as a result had been taken to hospital. Tom Davenport’s body was still in situ, a white tent erected around it to hide it from prying eyes. Floodlights gave extra visibility to the scene.
As she stepped inside the tent, she caught sight of Dave Barnett. Nick was there too. He’d informed Grace that Dave had been in the middle of a family dinner when he’d been called away.
‘It’s another nasty one, isn’t it?’ Grace reached his side. ‘Sorry to drag you away from the fun.’
‘On the contrary.’ Dave looked up at her and grinned. ‘It’s my Aunt Mabel’s eightieth. Believe me, I would rather be at work. All those blue rinses, sherry and lavender smells.’
‘Was the cause of death drowning?’ Grace wanted to know.
‘Not possible to say yet. But my guess is you’re looking for the same killer of Josh Parker and Dale Chapman. I think Davenport was hit with the same or similar blunt instrument as Chapman. He then fell into the pond, where I believe he was held underwater to make sure he was dead.’ He paused. ‘And then he was stabbed in the heart.’
‘Another one.’ Grace shuddered.
After surveying the crime scene, she left the CSIs to it, cameras clicking away and evidence being marked up. She went into the house, where there were more officers in the kitchen, searching through the units and drawers.
‘It’s pretty busy around here, being on a main road,’ Grace noted. ‘Passing traffic would be a worry for an attacker, surely, even this late at night?’
‘I suppose,’ Nick glanced up at her, ‘but it’s dark enough for someone to slip away unnoticed. We’ll set up an appeal to go out on the radio first thing in the morning. I’m going to need to take some advice on this. The press will have a field day if we get it wrong.’ He sighed heavily. ‘This is going to create pandemonium in the city regardless, but we need to be finding the connection and be thinking who the next victim might be. Three murders so close together is not good. We need to nail the bastard before the next one.’
‘You say his wife found him?’ Grace asked.
‘Yes. She disturbed someone in the garden. She was pushed to one side and then punched in the face. Her ankle might be broken too. She’s gone to A&E in an ambulance.’
She nodded. ‘I’ll take a quick look around.’
Grace always felt like a voyeur, looking through other people’s belongings, part of their private lives, yet often it yielded a clue, a blueprint of the victim and how they lived. But here she found nothing except a family home. The living room was orderly; floral wallpaper on a feature wall and a settee made from squashy lilac cushions.
On a shelf by her side, she caught a glimpse of a family photo. Next to it another one, taken a few years apart if the young girl in it was anything to go by. A smiling Tom Davenport stared back at her from both. He hadn’t changed much between the two images, still had that boyish charm about him. He seemed relaxed in both photos; Lorna Davenport was smiling too, as was their daughter.
On the surface, they appeared to be a happy family. How things can change so suddenly.
It was the same upstairs. Yet, even though she would keep an open mind, Grace believed they were looking for a killer from outside the family unit.
When she went back into the kitchen, Nick and Perry were standing in the middle of the room.
‘You might want to see this. Uniform have just found it.’ Nick held up a white greetings card that had been placed inside an evidence bag. On its front was a heart, broken in two, with three words printed underneath it.
I Miss You.
‘They found that quickly.’ Grace took the bag from him.
‘He pulled out some papers and it fell to the ground,’ Perry explained.
‘The card is blank inside, but this was Sellotaped to it.’ Nick handed her another evidence bag, with a piece of paper inside. It was a typed note.
Tom, please don’t end things like this. I can’t live without you. You are my life. I don’t care if we have to hurt other people to be together. I just want to be with you. Please don’t throw what we have away. We can work things out. I love you so much. X
Grace frowned. ‘Where was it?’
‘In the kitchen drawer. Second one down, shoved inside a gardening magazine.’
‘Strange place to put something so personal,’ Grace commented. ‘Do you think our victim was having an affair?’
‘If it weren’t for the fact that we now have three male victims with stab wounds to the chest, it would give Lorna Davenport motive,’ Perry said.
‘But don’t you find that a bit weird?’ Grace questioned. ‘If someone gave you a card like this, would you bring it into your home, where it could so easily be found?’
Perry shook his head. ‘Nothing strikes me as odd nowadays.’
‘There is a date on the magazine. It’s pretty recent.’
Grace went outside. There was someone standing talking to Mr and Mrs Proctor. She waved when she recognised Simon and then removed her forensic clothing. As she walked towards him, his smile was welcoming.
‘My favourite DS,’ he said as she drew level with him. ‘Got anything for me?’
‘Now, you know I can’t tell you anything yet.’
‘It’s worth a shot.’
Grace liked that he didn’t push the issue. In his profession, there weren’t many willing not to do so.
‘How are you coping with it all?’ he asked.
Now that question worried her. Was he asking for her thoughts on the case in an indirect manner, or was he genuinely concerned about her welfare? It was hard to call. Something she hoped she’d get used to in time. She wanted their professional relationship to stay just that, even if they might move on to be more than just friends outside of work. And it was something to look forward to, after all the recent dark
ness.
‘Me? I’m fine.’ She swept her hair behind her ear. ‘We all have a job to do, I guess.’
‘You’ll contact me when you have something?’ he questioned.
‘Of course.’
Again his smile brightened up the night, but only briefly. For Grace, things in the case were escalating too quickly. Evidence wasn’t back from Dale Chapman’s murder yet, lots of pieces were missing from Josh Parker’s, and now here they were again. Ten days – three murders. Three stab wounds in the chest. The heart.
Was someone working quickly for a reason? Or was their killer’s rage escalating?
THIRTY-NINE
FRIDAY – DAY 11
The morning briefing was a hive of activity as every available body who could be assigned to their team piled in to listen. DCI Jenny Brindley sat at the back of the room.
Nick updated everyone about what had happened the night before, then turned to address the room on the plans. ‘House-to-house started last night and we’ll resume it this morning. We’re also seeking any security camera footage nearby, or any witnesses that might have seen someone leaving the property.’
‘Could our killer have legged it over the hedge and into next door’s, maybe coming out a few houses down?’ Perry questioned.
‘It’s possible,’ Nick replied, ‘and if so, it means our suspect is definitely agile.’
‘And we’re certain it’s a he?’ Grace asked. ‘We don’t have the evidence to back that up yet, do we?’
‘No, but the punch to the face that Lorna Davenport suffered was one hell of a hit.’
‘Not as hard as the hits the victims have taken,’ Sam remarked.
‘But like a trained boxer?’ Grace suggested.
‘Another possibility,’ Nick concurred.
‘Someone clearly knew that Tom Davenport was due to go out at that time of night,’ Grace added.
‘Or, like Dale Chapman’s murderer, someone could have been lying in wait,’ Alex remarked.
‘Is there a link to Steele’s Gym?’ Grace asked. ‘Is he a member?’
