“What was she stressing over? Candice?” James asked.
“Partly.”
“What else then?”
“She said, when they went to the cottage, one of the locals said he saw the dead girl getting into Lee’s car.”
James cocked his head to one side. “I’m telling you, Geri. Something bloody dodgy has gone on there. Lee’s a fool if he thinks he can get away with it—he needs to be honest.”
“Well, I hope you’re wrong. Poor Lydia’s had enough to contend with.”
“This is all double Dutch to me. Spill,” Simon said, climbing onto the sofa beside me and snuggling under the blanket.
I filled Simon in, only keeping back the new information about the cash and the backpackers that Lydia had confided.
James also added his two pennies’ worth.
Simon listened without saying very much.
The food arrived and James went to the door.
“So what do you think?” I asked Simon.
“I think James is right. There are too many discrepancies. The lighter is a biggie. Then the times he said he left the cottage is another.”
“Yeah, but I think he might be lying about where he went. Maybe he was having an affair, and he really did leave the cottage at the time he said.”
“Possible, but I’m thinking not.”
James came back carrying several brown paper bags full of food.
“Jeez, you’ve enough there to feed an entire football team!” I said.
“I always order too much when I’m hungry.” James laughed.
“I’ll go and shout Kev,” Simon said, getting out from under the blanket and heading for the door.
“There’s another thing that’s been bugging me,” James said.
Simon paused in the doorway.
“What?” I asked.
“When I went to the cottage after the murders, I ended up taking him to the station for questioning.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, afterwards, I dropped him off at his car. The street was chocca with police vehicles as they were still examining the cottage, and Lee’s car had been parked a few hundred yards up the street.”
He waited for his words to sink in.
I shook my head. “I don’t get it.”
“Why?” He pressed.
“Why what?”
“Why would he park so far away?”
“Because the police cars were filling the road. You’ve just said as much.”
“Not in the middle of the night, when he arrived. Why would he decide to park his car five minutes walk up the road instead of right outside?”
“You’re definitely onto something, mate,” Simon said, before heading out the door.
“I’ll just get Grace’s bottle, and then we can feed our faces.” James followed Simon.
I puzzled over everything we’d just been talking about, praying with all my heart that we were barking up the wrong tree. But, I reckoned, if we had questions, it was only a matter of time before the police would come knocking again.
*
On Saturday morning I felt much better. My head still throbbed somewhat, but nothing like it had. I got up bright and early, just in time to catch Simon and Kevin who’d decided to take Grace out for the day. They’d packed a picnic, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard a peep out of them.
“Aw, mummy! We were letting you sleep in. Weren’t we, Gracie?” Simon said.
“That’s okay. I think I’ll enjoy another duvet day on the sofa. I love Saturday morning telly.”
“Well, you take it easy, and enjoy your peace and quiet.”
He leaned forward for me to kiss my daughter, and then he kissed the top of my head. “See you later, Mummy.” He waved Grace’s hand and she chuckled adorably.
I rarely got time to myself, and when I did, I usually sabotaged it like I did the other day. However, I wasn’t completely alone. James rarely slept in and would probably appear in less than an hour, so I snuggled up on the sofa and waited for him to surface.
The sudden slamming of car doors, followed by shouts and heavy footfalls coming from Mad Thomas’ direction, made me sit bolt upright. My heart hammered in my chest.
Racing to my feet, as fast as my throbbing head would allow, I peered through the window to see the two burly officers, from yesterday, carrying Thomas bodily from the house and down the path.
I opened the front door, just in time to see Lee running towards them, with Lydia following close behind. I slowly joined them all on the pavement, still dressed in my Betty Boop nightie, fluffy pink dressing gown and slippers.
Lee’s gentle demeanour managed to calm Thomas, and the police eventually explained how they had a few questions for Thomas, but he told them where to go and threw a chewed-up apple at one of the officers.
“Is he in trouble?” Lee asked.
“He wasn’t, but now it depends.”
“On what?” Lee said.
“On whether or not he cooperates.”
“Can I suggest that I bring him to the station? He trusts me, and I think I can keep him calm.” Lee said.
The officers looked at each other, both shrugging their consent.
“Okay, we’ll try it your way, but any funny business and I’ll be slinging him in a cell to cool off.”
“No problem. You have my word.”
James appeared in the doorway, clearly woken by the disturbance. I walked to his side and he put his arm around my shoulders.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“They want to interview Thomas, but he had different ideas. But it’s okay. Lee’s going with him now.”
James waved at Lee and Lydia, and urged me back indoors. “You should be taking it easy.”
“Oh, stop moaning. I’m fine.”
He frowned and tutted at me. “I didn’t even hear you get out of bed. Where’s everyone else?”
“They’ve taken Grace out for the day. We’ve got the place to ourselves.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
“No, you don’t, you saucy mare. You’re recovering, and the doctor said you are not to over exert yourself.”
“Bloody spoilsport,” I grizzled.
“It’s not me! Take it up with the doctor.” He laughed.
We spent the day snuggled on the sofa, eating chocolate and watching classic movies.
“You know, I could get used to being a couch potato. I never saw the appeal before today,” James said.
“I’ve always been a budding couch potato, but my mum wouldn’t allow it.”
“She was a bit of a sergeant major,” he laughed.
“You wouldn’t have been brave enough to say that to her face,” I said.
“Damn right I wouldn’t. She terrified me.”
I sighed. Talk of my mum made me feel nostalgic and provoked a mixture of emotions, happy and sad. But that was a development. Before now, I’d not been able to mention her name without filling up.
“She’d be really proud of you, you know.” James touched the tip of my nose.
I smiled, gazing into his eyes. “I know.”
“Especially with you being such a top-notch detective. I think I may have hit the jackpot with you.”
“Maybe it was just beginner’s luck?”
“It better not be. I’ve offered you a job now.”
I dug him in the ribs. “Idiot. Anyway, I think this detective lark makes you suspect everything anybody tells you. Which is probably why we think there’s more to Lee’s story than meets the eye.”
“No. He’s definitely lying about something.”
“Wouldn’t the police have more to pin on him by now if he is?”
He frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t know. But, I’ll have to confront him. It’s getting in the way of our friendship.”
“But he’s a good man—you saw the way he treated Thomas this morning.”
“I know. He is a good man. That’s not in dispute. But he’s not being honest about this. I know
it.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’ll take him to one side on Monday and ask him outright.”
“Be careful. He’s your best mate. You don’t want to upset him.”
The rest of the weekend flew by. Simon and Kev cooked a Sunday roast before they headed off, promising to return in two weeks’ time.
“Thank God for that,” I said, sliding back down on the sofa.
“I thought you enjoyed having them stay.”
“I do. I adore Simon, and Kevin is no trouble at all, but sometimes the constant banter gets me down.”
“You normally give as good as you get.”
“Maybe it’s the knock on my head, and besides, I love having the place to ourselves.”
“What time is your check-up in the morning?” he asked.
“Nine. But I probably don’t need to bother—I feel fine.”
“You’re going, and then I’ll drop you home here afterwards.”
I shook my head. “No way! I’m going to work with you.”
“I don’t think you’re up to it. But if the doc says you’re fit to work then fine. Deal?”
“Deal,” I said, grumpily.
Chapter 37
Lee didn’t want to leave Lydia alone after the terrible weekend they’d had. She was up and down, crying one minute, fine the next, and she’d barely slept a wink, although the pills from the doctor helped.
“Go,” she said. “I promise I’ll be fine. All I intend to do is type up my CV.”
“Why do you want a CV?”
“Why do you think?” She snorted. “To get a job, of course.”
“Okay. I’ll go in for a couple of hours, and then we can do something nice this afternoon if you like?”
“Sounds lovely. But don’t feel as though you have to. I’m a big girl and able to entertain myself for a few hours.”
“I’ve still got the agency in place, so it’s just the bare minimum I need to do.”
“Isn’t it time you cancelled the agency? Try to get back to some normality.”
“I intended to. That’s why I wanted Geri and then Candice to work for me.”
“I could work for you?”
He shrugged. “You could. At least it would be a start, get you back in the swing of things.”
“Shall I come today, then?” She looked down at her nightie, her eyes wide in panic.
He laughed. “No. Tomorrow will do.”
Her smile reached her eyes for the first time in days.
“And make sure you’re ready. I’ll be back around one, at the latest.
Out on the street, he bumped into James fastening Grace into her car seat.
“Oh, that reminds me, Jimmy. I’ve got a car seat that belongs to the nursery. Can you drop it off for me?”
“Yeah, course. I’m taking Geri to the doctor’s and then I’ll be in.”
Lee grabbed the car seat and walked it over to James. “How is she?” he asked.
“Geri? She’s fine. A pain in the arse as an invalid, but feeling much better than she was. Any news about Candice?”
“Not a thing. It should be on the news tonight, so hopefully there will have been a few sightings of her. She can’t have gone far.”
“How did you get on with Thomas and the police?”
Lee rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Man, that was hard going. I wasn’t allowed to stay in the interview with him—conflict of interest I suppose. But he calmed down enough for them to get the gist of what he saw. Not that his statement would stand up in court. He was all over the place.”
“Poor Thomas.”
Geri appeared wearing a beanie, although it was still warm. She waved at them both before locking the door behind her.
“You feeling better?” Lee asked as she approached them.
“Yeah—got a tough nut, me.” She smiled.
“You must have! That bloody doorstop is cast iron. I picked it up last night and, quite frankly, I’m surprised you’re still walking about.”
“No thanks to your crazy sister-in-law. She almost brained me. Are you going in to the office?”
“I am. Will I see you there later?”
“If it’s up to me, yes.”
“I made her promise to do exactly what the doctor orders.” James smiled, seeming amused by it all.
“Very sensible.” Lee said, heading for his car. “Good luck, Geri.”
At the office, he didn’t bat an eyelid when he found the door to the street unlocked. He sometimes forgot to lock it himself. But at the top of the stairs he heard glass crunching under his feet. Hackles formed on the back of his neck as he found the main door slightly ajar.
He paused, debating whether to go inside, or run for his life while he had the chance.
“Hello-o?” he called out, kicking the door open further and holding his briefcase in front of him as some kind of shield. It soon became clear that whoever had broken the window was long gone. The only thing tampered with seemed to be the petty cash tin. It lay empty in the middle of the floor, the lock annihilated.
“All that damage for a poxy twenty-quid.” He kicked the tin across the laminate, and it skittered and crashed into the wall.
He knew James had rushed from the office the other day, but he was a little pissed off he hadn’t set the alarm.
After clearing away the glass, he called a glazier, deciding not to waste his time calling the police.
Just as he was getting down to some work, James and Geri arrived.
“Oh, they allowed you to come then?” Lee said, with a smile.
“What’s happened to the door?” They spoke in unison.
“Ah, some druggie probably. They nicked the petty cash.” Lee nodded to the mangled tin now placed by the wastepaper basket.
“Bloody mongrels,” Geri growled.
“Oh, shit. It’s my fault. I didn’t set the alarm.” James plonked his briefcase on the desk, shaking his head in annoyance.
“It’s fine. Just a piece of glass and twenty-quid max.”
“I’ll pay for it—being my mistake and all.”
Lee exhaled noisily. “Don’t be daft. It’s not worth stressing about. The glass guy will be here before we close.”
“Are you busy?” James asked quietly.
“Got a few calls to make and bills to pay, then I’m planning on shooting off. I’m taking Lydia out for lunch. She’s really down as you can imagine.”
“Yeah. She’s had it tough recently.”
“I’ve offered her a job here, now Candice is out of the picture.”
“That’s a great idea. We can all work together—like one happy family.” James smiled.
“Why were you asking, anyway?” Lee said.
“Because I fancied a catch up. Think you can spare me half-an-hour before you shoot off? We can go to that new coffee shop in the high street—my treat.”
“Hmm, dubious. I think I know what it’s all about.”
“You do? How?”
“I guessed.” Lee tapped the side of his nose. “Gimme half an hour and you’re on.”
True to his word, Lee finished what he was doing, and tapped on James’ door. “Ready when you are, Jimmy.”
“Oh go on. You go for a nice, posh coffee,” Geri said. “Don’t worry about me—I’ll make do with the instant kind.”
“I can bring you one back?” James offered.
“I’m only kidding. And besides, I love the instant kind,” she laughed.
Chapter 38
I stood at the window and watched James and Lee stroll off together. Before they left, I warned James to be careful. He didn’t want to jeopardise their relationship because of a hunch.
Once out of sight, I went through to the kitchenette and filled the kettle, cringing when I saw the cheap and nasty coffee that awaited me. I needed to stock up on some decent stuff if I planned to be there every day.
I returned to the seat James had set up for me at the end of his desk. He said we could go
out on the weekend and buy a new desk and laptop for me. For now, I would use my old clunky laptop, which I found okay although very slow.
The case he wanted me to research was another little known murder of a ten-year-old boy, Steven Onslow, in Middleton, Greater Manchester. The details of his gruesome murder were a bit too much for me to handle, so instead, I began browsing the internet while I waited for them to get back.
A sound from the main office made me look up and out through the large glass panel, but I couldn’t see anybody. I got up, thinking it must be the glazier Lee asked me to look out for.
“Hello-o.” I walked to the main door and glanced down the staircase. “You must be hearing things, Missus,” I muttered to myself.
“Maybe it was the knock on your head.” I heard her voice before I spotted her in the doorway of the kitchenette.
“You!” I touched my head and my mouth suddenly went dry. “What are you doing here Candice?”
***
James and Lee ordered their coffee and chose a small booth furthest from the counter.
Two young mothers on another table were giving them the eye, and James raised his eyebrows at Lee. “We’ve still got it, mate.” He sniggered.
“Not for much longer, once you tie the knot.”
“Who’s said anything about tying the knot?” James asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Oh, sorry. I thought that’s what you wanted to talk about. You know, hush-hush.”
“You thought I was going to ask you to marry me?”
“No. Idiot. I thought you were going to ask me to be your best man.”
“Oh, sorry to disappoint you, buddy and, for the record, if I did plan on getting married, you would definitely be my best man.”
“Glad to hear it. So what did you want to talk about?”
James rubbed his chin. “It’s a little sensitive. But I wanted to ask you about the girl you found in your cottage.”
Lee’s stomach dropped through the floor. His breath quickened, and a strange twitch began in his right eye.
“What about her?” he finally said, looking down at his cup.
“Well, going over what you told the police, I can’t help thinking you’re hiding something.”
He snorted. “Like what?”
“I won’t beat around the bush, Lee. I think you were seeing her.”
Conflicted Innocence Page 21
