by Mel Sherratt
Charlotte nodded. ‘It was stolen, from The Partridge, about a week ago. I went to the bathroom, came back to my chair and it had gone. I reported it to the staff, but there was nothing they could do. It’s rife in there, I should have taken more notice of it.’
‘You were alone?’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘I was with two friends – Abbie and Harriet – but they didn’t see anything. The Partridge is always full. Even at lunchtime, you have to push your way to the bar. Someone must have walked past and stolen it.’
‘Do you have a T-shirt like this one?’ Grace showed her another photo.
‘Yes. It was in my bag. It was new. I’d only just bought it.’
‘And is this yours?’
Charlotte sobbed when she saw the photo of the teddy bear carrying a red heart.
‘Tom Davenport was murdered in his back garden and this bag was found eight houses down, hidden in the hedge.’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘That doesn’t make sense.’
Grace slid her notebook across to her and gave her a pen. ‘Write something down. A couple of sentences will do.’
‘Like what?’
‘Anything. What’s your favourite song at the moment? Write down a few words from a line of it.’
Charlotte wrote out a sentence and passed the notebook back to Grace. Grace compared the writing with the minimal letters on the note. She was no expert, but it didn’t look similar. She took a deep breath. She didn’t want to upset someone who was so young and vulnerable, but she had to question Charlotte further.
‘Did Tom ever mention a party to you?’
Charlotte paused. ‘He said he had a birthday coming up and that he was having a do at a friend’s house.’
Grace nodded. ‘Do you know anyone by the name of Lucy Fisher?’
‘No.’
‘This card could imply he was having an affair with someone else as well as you, that he’d told that person it was over and she, or he, wouldn’t take no for an answer.’
‘He?’ Charlotte shook her head. ‘He’s definitely straight.’
Grace said nothing.
‘I should know.’ Charlotte sat forward.
‘It could have been before he was seeing you.’ Grace gave her a moment before carrying on. ‘We found the card in the kitchen. Do you have a key to Tom’s house?’
‘No.’
‘Have you ever visited his home?’
‘No, never!’ Charlotte cried. ‘I had nothing to do with his death! I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Tom!’
‘So you don’t have any idea why your bag would be found so close to his home after he was murdered?’
‘No, I don’t.’ Charlotte began to sob uncontrollably then, putting her head down on the table.
Grace reached across to her. ‘Is there anyone I can call for you?’
‘I want my mum, but I can’t tell her what I’ve done. She’ll go mad when she finds out how old he is – was.’
‘If she does, it will only be because she cares about you. Let me ring her and explain.’
Grace left the young woman with one of the PCs, her mind full of unanswered questions as she went back to her desk. Who the hell had written that note?
‘Josh Parker had a key to seventeen Washington Place in his locker, along with a bag of sex toys,’ Grace said to no one in particular as she sat down around her team. ‘We have Dale Chapman, who is a member of the gym – indeed, it was the last place he was seen alive. Regan Peters is claiming she was raped by Chapman at a party where she was paid to entertain, but unfortunately we have no evidence.’
‘Chapman also ordered multiple sex toys and accessories from Dennings Toys,’ added Perry.
‘We now have Tom Davenport, who was suspended from his job the day before he was murdered,’ Grace went on. ‘There was nothing in his locker at the gym, but he has been linked to the same house by Lucy Fisher, who gave us the address in Washington Place.’
‘So he was grooming Charlotte Maidley too,’ Alex noted. ‘He seemed to have frequented the parties, as well as recruited young women to take part in them.’
‘At least we can take comfort in knowing that, even though their hearts will be breaking, Charlotte and Lucy both had a lucky escape,’ Sam said, hoping to appease everyone.
Grace nodded. ‘If drugs were readily available at the parties, either girl could have got hooked and involved more from then on too. At least we are on top of there being any more parties, for now.’
‘Our killer could be one of the guests who attended the parties,’ Perry suggested.
‘Or one of the guests could be our killer’s next victim.’ Grace nodded. ‘Our suspect could very well be one of the girls at the parties too.’ She blew out the air in her mouth. ‘How the hell do we find out who attended them without a list?’
FORTY-EIGHT
Jade stood in the shadows of the car park. She had been watching the door to the gym, waiting for Alex to come out. She wondered if his colleagues knew that he often called in to see Eddie or Leon. Alex clearly had no idea that she told her brothers everything she thought was relevant.
He came outside ten minutes later and she shouted his name, jogging over to catch up with him.
‘Hi,’ she beamed, leaning forward to kiss him.
He took a step back, glancing around. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Can’t a girl kiss her fella?’
‘Not here. Someone might see us.’
She grinned. She loved teasing him. ‘What are you doing here?’ she queried.
‘I just called in to enquire about some sparring.’ He started to walk towards his car.
‘Really?’ Jade grabbed him by the hand and pulled him behind the corner of the building out of sight. Pushing him up against the wall, her lips found his and she kissed him long and hard.
‘It’s early for a bit of fun, don’t you think?’ he said afterwards.
He couldn’t speak any more, as her mouth bore down on his again. She teased him with her tongue, feeling his arousal against her. Somehow the threatening undertone of their kisses gathered momentum, his lips bearing down just as much.
Finally, she let him go.
‘Alex,’ she whispered, her eyes dark with lust. ‘You’re mine, you know that, don’t you?’
He didn’t speak.
‘Alex?’
‘What?’ He was looking across the car park, watching someone get out of a 4×4, ducking out of the way.
‘Are you embarrassed of me?’ she pouted.
‘No, but I’m a cop. I don’t want to be seen hanging around here.’
‘You could have just come to take down some particulars.’ She laughed.
He clamped his hand over her mouth. ‘Be quiet!’
She stayed still until he let her go. Then her head tilted up again, her mouth finding his lips with the flutter of gentle kisses. She stopped, looked up to see whether she had his attention. But his eyes were back on the car park, still afraid of getting seen.
She groaned.
‘Aren’t you bothered about these murders?’ Alex asked her. ‘You knew that guy, Tom Davenport, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, he was my friend’s husband,’ Jade said. ‘Lorna is in pieces.’
‘I just wondered if you’d heard anything about him, you know? Obviously someone was out to get him.’
‘Or us.’ Jade tutted. ‘That’s what you really mean, isn’t it? Someone is trying to set up my family, and do I know who it might be.’
‘No.’ He glanced at her. ‘Do Eddie and Leon think someone is after them, then?’
Jade glared at him.
‘Sorry, the job gets in the way at times. Force of habit, I can’t help it,’ he said.
‘I’m not a snitch.’
‘I’m not asking you to be one. I’m just curious, that’s all.’ He checked his watch. ‘I really have to go. I’m due in work.’ He kissed her on the nose and turned to go.
Jade watched as he got into his car and left
. She was certain Alex didn’t know she knew that he was getting information for her brothers, but still, she didn’t like him questioning her.
She’d let him think everything was okay, but it wasn’t. He’d got nothing from her, but she hadn’t been able to get anything out of him either. She’d wanted to ask more about Grace, but all he was after was stuff about Eddie and Leon.
He’d better not be using her to do just that.
Alex pulled out into the traffic and cursed under his breath. He didn’t want anyone to see him with Jade, but neither did he want her brothers finding out he was hooking up with her every now and then. Eddie had been paying him money since George Steele had been murdered and Alex had been working on the case. He’d been after a way in with them for a while, desperate to earn more cash, and it had turned into a lucrative arrangement for him. When Allendale came back to Stoke, he thought the brothers had a right to know and the information had been appreciated. But if they found out he was seeing Jade as well, they might not be so welcoming. So he always checked to see if her car was there before going in. Jade must have come in after him. And either she didn’t know anything, or she wasn’t telling him everything.
He often wondered if she would do the dirty on him. Feed him dud information coming from Eddie or Leon, to catch him out, to see how loyal he was. If his intel was wrong, his colleagues would blame him. They would also start questioning where it had come from.
Christ, he didn’t know who to trust. Paranoia. He didn’t like it. He needed to get out of this situation. Being paid by her brothers in return for information was one thing, but having to sleep with Jade wasn’t a great part of his plan. Originally, he had been attracted to her, but now there seemed no way to disentangle himself from the situation.
One thing was certain, he would have to watch his back.
FORTY-NINE
It never failed to amaze Grace how many green fields and how much tranquil scenery could be found a few miles in any direction of Hanley. She couldn’t wait to have more time to start exploring some of it on foot, especially when the snow fell. Despite being told that the city’s roads mostly came to a standstill if a centimetre of the white stuff dropped, she loved the cold weather.
The village of Bagnall was situated on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent, close to the neighbouring Staffordshire Moorlands. Grace was sitting in the car park of the Stafford Arms, an independently owned establishment that dated back to the sixteenth century. It was where Jade had chosen for them to meet. The website promised a picture-postcard pub with open fires and home-made cuisine.
Grace was glad it wasn’t near to the police station. Even though she was on her own time, she still hoped no one saw her. Speaking of which, she cleared any important emails and then switched her phone on to silent. She would keep it in sight so that she could be alerted to anything that came in.
She got out of the car, the beeps of the alarm breaking into the silence. The pub was on one side of a narrow lane, which framed a village green, with a further car park and a play area in its middle. For such a tiny place, it packed a lot into it.
Grace sniffed something delicious in the air as she stepped inside the doorway, greeted by a quintessential layout and a jovial atmosphere. People were milling around inside, lots of regulars amongst others coming to sample the local wares, she supposed. Her eyes scanned the room until they fell on Jade. She was sitting at the back, nursing a drink, and waved when she saw her.
The bar was busy as it was Saturday evening. Grace waited her turn to be served and then went to sit with Jade. As she drew level, she was shocked once again by their resemblance when they both had their hair down. She wondered if she would ever get used to eyes so similar to her own looking back at her.
‘Have you been here long?’ she asked as she slid into the seat.
Jade shook her head. ‘Only a few minutes. You look tired. Another long day?’
‘Yes.’ Grace hoped she hadn’t been brought here to be quizzed about work and the case.
But Jade picked up her orange juice and raised it in the air. ‘To us,’ she smiled.
Grace paused, then picked her drink up and did the same. ‘To us.’ The glasses clinked together.
They sat in silence for a few seconds and then both spoke at the same time.
‘How’s Lorna?’ Grace asked after they had shared a false laugh.
‘Broken, as you can imagine. I guess it’s hard not to be able to arrange a funeral. Any news yet?’
Grace shook her head and took a sip from her drink. ‘I must admit that I was surprised she rang you when she found him. Doesn’t she have any family nearby?’
‘She did have parents and a sister, but they don’t live local now.’ Jade shrugged.
‘How is Megan?’
‘She’s been upset too, but a real support for Freya. She sounds as if she’s sixteen going on thirty.’ They both smiled.
‘She must make you very proud,’ Grace added. ‘She is beautiful.’
‘And mouthy, as you know.’ Jade sniggered. ‘I’m still embarrassed that I thought you meeting her like that was a good idea. Maybe one day you’ll be able to do it properly and enjoy it rather than have it forced upon you. That is, if you’d like to get to know her.’
‘Maybe,’ Grace volunteered. They sat in silence, watching as a group of people came into the bar and greeted others in a friendly but boisterous manner. It gave Grace time to wonder if she had done the right thing at all by coming to meet Jade. She couldn’t think how to drop the toys into conversation without rousing suspicion and Jade not saying anything about them made her think that Eddie hadn’t mentioned her visit to see him. Why would that be?
They began to chat about mundane things. Grace asked what it was like to have grown up in the city. Jade asked jokingly if her job was similar to Line of Duty. They both discussed their love of Vicky McClure as an actress, especially the recent role she’d played as DC Kate Fleming, and some of the other programmes she had been in.
Soon they were laughing, and it felt good. When an hour had passed, Grace ordered them coffee and, as the conversation turned to relationships, she found herself letting slip she was a widow.
‘I’m so sorry for you.’ Tears brimmed in Jade’s eyes. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been in love. Not proper head-over-heels love, like you. And if I did love someone in a fashion, it was never reciprocated.’ She looked down at the table for a moment, as if to gather her thoughts. ‘I was a wreck through my early years, got hooked on drink and drugs. Didn’t care who I hurt as long as I was okay. I settled down a few times with different men, but they were all the same. They’d take their anger out on me.
‘When I became pregnant with Megan, things got better for a while. But I soon slipped back to my old ways. It was when I was threatened by social services that my daughter would be removed from me because I couldn’t look after her that I reached out to my mum. Megan was four then. I got a flat and was doing okay until I met Daniel. He treated me like shit, and the circle of violence started again.’
Grace had heard this tale before. So many people were emotionally and physically abused, made to feel they were worthless, until they didn’t dare think of a life beyond the pain. She wanted to reach across the table and squeeze Jade’s hand, but she resisted.
‘And then I got help,’ Jade explained, a proud smile forming. ‘When George was murdered, we came to stay with Mum for a while and I got to know her properly for the first time ever. Found she wasn’t as bad as I thought. She just wasn’t strong enough to get away, I guess.’
Grace could understand that. It wasn’t as easy as people who had never been in the situation thought. To be knocked down so low that you felt there was no alternative but to stay must be horrendous.
‘I cleaned myself up and moved back to Stoke with Megan permanently,’ Jade finished.
They talked a bit more in general, but the mood had turned melancholy as they both digested each other’s histories.
Back
in her car after they had said goodbye, Grace suddenly became teary. How her mother had stayed with George Steele for all those years was beyond her. Even though he had abused her, Martha had been brave. Strong enough to cope with it until they could get away. Once again, Grace realised how much she had to thank her for, and how much she still missed her. At least they had managed to escape his evil clutches for the best part of their lives. Because if they hadn’t, Grace might have become as mixed up as Jade.
She wasn’t sure now if she should see her half-sister again, as it brought up so much excess baggage for them both. But she also realised how damaging it could be for Jade if she didn’t. It would feel like Grace was rejecting her.
Even so, Grace had her own demons to deal with because of the way it had affected her as a child. George Steele had been a bastard. She was sure they would all be in agreement about that.
FIFTY
Elliott Woodman had been working overtime until ten p.m. at Deakin’s Factory and needed sustenance before he went home to his girlfriend, Annie. He was also hoping to sweeten her up with a kebab and chips because he was going to be out a lot that weekend.
Elliott had met Annie when he was seventeen. Almost immediately, he’d fallen in love and wanted to settle down. But shortly afterwards, he’d been in court and sent to prison for twelve months for theft of motor vehicles. It was his third time locked up and this time he hadn’t enjoyed it, didn’t want to go back.
Elliott served six months of his sentence and Annie had written him a long letter every week, ensuring he missed her just as much as she missed him. On his release, he went round to her flat and moved in with her the same day.
He’d promised her he would stay on the straight and narrow and she’d become pregnant almost immediately. He was now the proud father of a six-week-old son, Ethan.
Annie was a great mother. They were young and capable of looking after a baby, but they were struggling for money. Elliott had held down his job for five months now. The pay was decent but it wasn’t enough for all the added expense. There had been the top-of-the-range cot, pushchair, crib and all the clothes and accessories you could think of. His son wasn’t going to want for anything. Ethan Woodman was going to get the best.
