by Nic Roberts
"Was there anything you noticed?” Dean asked. “Anything in your torch light?” He had his arms crossed, and Olivia could tell he was scrutinising Shaw’s every expression.
“Honestly, I was just focused on finding Liv,” Andrew answered, his shoulders slightly raised at the question. “By the time I got to her, Joel had already disappeared.”
"Why are you so convinced that it was only Joel?" Olivia enquired as she looked at him.
PC Shaw shrugged in response.
“Again, I’m not as familiar with the case,” he reiterated. “All I know is that I saw the look on Joel's face when he was taken back to the station, and he was at the very least guilty
of something."
“Wait. You were at Newquay Police station that night?” Olivia demanded, glancing to Dean.
Shaw nodded, looking between the two detectives.
“You and DI Lawrence were at the house, so Det. Supt Collins asked that I go back and... uh, just touch base.” He mirrored Lawrence’s crossed arms with his own and leaned against the hallway wall, sizing up the two detectives.
Olivia’s limbs went ice cold at his admission. That placed him at the station with Joel hours before the man hanged himself.
“What is this really about, Olivia?” His eyes pierced her as he asked the question, studying her intently.
She raised her eyebrows at him.
“I don’t know what you mean, Andrew,” she replied, almost as cocky as he’d been when he first answered the door. It was time to turn the tables on him.
“I think there’s something we need to talk about,” Shaw admitted slowly, purposefully, keeping his eyes on Olivia.
“Is that so?” she asked, doing her best to maintain a serious expression on her face despite the intensity with which her heart had begun to beat once again. Andrew glanced to Lawrence one more time before settling his gaze on Olivia.
Every instinct in her told her that now was the time for fight or flight. It wasn’t even as though he was in a particularly threatening position, but something about the way that he was handling the situation made her want to knee him where it hurt or bolt down the hallway.
“It was Clara, wasn’t it?” he asked. His jaw tensed and she squared his shoulders. “On the phone earlier. It was her.” Is he just going to give up like that? Something felt very wrong, and Olivia wasn’t sure how to situate herself within it. Alarm bells continued to go off in her already concussed head, dizzying her with nerves.
“What are you getting at, Shaw?” Dean stepped in, slightly positioning himself in front of Olivia, though Shaw kept staring her down.
“I can explain.”
Olivia had heard that phrase come from perps so many times before; hearing it come from Andrew made something inside of her break.
“What the fuck did you do, you bastard?” she demanded. Had Lawrence not put himself between the two of them, she would have launched herself on to the smug constable and probably would be halfway through gouging his eyes out. As it was, her partner was able to hold her back from doing any serious damage to the man.
“Liv, it’s not like that,” he assured her. “I’m sure you’re confused right now.”
His assurance only made her want to punch him that much more.
“Don’t infantilise me, asshole,” Olivia cursed, pulling herself from Dean’s grasp to retreat a bit. “And stop calling me Liv!”
He nodded slowly.
“We need to have a talk,” came his response, and before either detective could press further as to what he meant by that phrase, he turned back to his door and with one hand raised up in defence, he used the other to push it open.
It wasn’t a woman in his flat, Olivia immediately realised. No, it was someone far less expected and far more confusing.
Detective Superintendent Collins stood just inside the doorway.
“Inspectors,” he sighed, looking exhausted. “Please. Come in.”
23
“What the hell is going on?” Olivia’s head hurt too much to be doing the mental gymnastics of understanding why her boss was sitting inside a constable’s flat, seemingly for some work-related reasons.
She had made an easy peace about the fact that Andrew had already moved on to another woman, so the fact that his visitor was, in fact, their boss, made her feel as if she had suffered intense whiplash.
“Let’s sit down,” Shaw offered, leading the two shocked detectives into his abode. Olivia remembered rushing out of his place after Susan’s party, desperate to hide the fact that she had spent the night with him.
She had been on the phone with Collins that morning, fully expecting that he would never see the inside of Shaw’s flat. It was surprising to say the least to now see him perched on the constable’s couch.
“Detective Superintendent.” Dean did a better job of hiding his clear surprise than Olivia did, though no one was fooled at his calm tone.
“Inspector Lawrence. Inspector Austin. Apologies for the strange circumstances. I’m sure you both have many questions,” Collins began, and only then did Olivia realise that she was still standing up. She glanced around one more time before allowing herself a delicate perch at the end of a sofa.
“What do you know that we don’t?” Lawrence cut straight to the chase. “And why do you have a burner phone connected to a dead murderer, Shaw?”
“You really never mince words with me, do you Lawrence?” Shaw’s eyes almost glittered as he settled across the room from the detectives. “Well, then.” He looked over to Collins. “Where do I start?”
“With all due respect, Detective Superintendent Collins,” Lawrence interjected, eyeing the constable. “I trust you more than I trust PC Shaw.”
The room heaved under the pressure of awkwardness.
“Well, I give Constable Shaw my best endorsement,” Collins replied a bit tersely. “And I think he’ll probably end up explaining it best. Listen to what he has to say.”
Olivia and Dean shared a look, quickly giving each other a nod.
“Right,” Andrew declared. “Well, I guess I’ll just get into it then. Last year, I was nearly positive that Joel was stealing drugs from storage.”
Olivia felt a single eyebrow quirk, but she didn’t let up more surprise than that.
“What does this have to do with your burner phone?” Lawrence questioned, receiving another nod from Shaw. Was he relishing in this? She wondered. He must have been. His attitude was too bright, too ‘I had you both fooled.’
“When I realised I was probably right, I decided to do a little digging on my own. Admittedly,” Shaw interjected, raising his hands up in fake surrender, “I should have let our superintendent into the fold sooner. But I wanted actual evidence to go off first. That was hard to do and stay completely free of any guilt by association.”
Olivia did her best not to roll her eyes. He was too cocky about the whole situation.
“When did that happen?” Olivia asked, studying his face. Oddly enough, it almost seemed like he softened at her question.
“I first had a suspicion several months ago when I was working alongside him. I bought the burner a couple of weeks later and started asking him to go out for drinks every once in a while, trying to get closer to him. He was a brick wall.” Andrew actually laughed, causing Olivia to stare him down. Nothing was funny about the situation. “But I slowly started to gain his trust. Told him I knew what he was doing and that I wanted a cut. Showed him the burner phone to prove I was real. He was sceptical at first, but I was able to assure him that my motivations were purely financial and that he had no reason to doubt me.”
Olivia nodded gently, almost starting to believe the constable sat before her.
“What happened from there?”
Shaw shot Lawrence a quick glare at the question, but he stifled whatever retort it looked like he was about to let loose.
“Once Joel agreed to let me into his little operation, I set up a meeting with the boss.” All three officers let
their gaze shift to the Detective Superintendent, who simply nodded.
“I cleared an undercover investigation after a bit of convincing,” Collins chimed in. “I wanted Joel charged, but I also wanted to know where the cocaine was going. If we arrested him straight away, we would have no solid evidence regarding a chain of command.”
Andrew nodded his agreement.
“We’d just recently started to get somewhere,” he continued. “Joel had really begun to trust me.” He shook his head, almost morosely.
Olivia wanted to shake some sense into him; he was talking about a murderer, not a buddy from uni.
He pushed himself back in the chair and took a deep breath before continuing.
“I realised that he wasn’t really the mastermind behind the whole operation, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his wits about him,” Shaw pressed. “I had convinced him to let me meet his partner, but before that could happen, I got pulled for the murder investigations.”
Lawrence ran a hand through his hair.
“That still doesn’t explain why Joel’s last call was to your burner phone,” he responded, eyes narrowed.
“Surely, I would think an Inspector of your calibre could see the true motivations there, no?” Andrew asked, his eyes full of mischief once more. “Joel must have known he was backed into a corner and thought he could pull in a favour and see how much I knew on the case.”
The logic was beginning to click for Olivia; still, she couldn’t understand why Shaw and Collins had conveniently left out the fact that their suspect was also involved in a drug theft issue.
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” she demanded, turning her focus to her boss. He was the one with the true power in the room. “Why the whole cat and mouse game, acting as though you had no say in the future of the case?”
Detective Superintendent Collins let out a long exhale.
“Chain of command with undercover operations is a fickle thing, Detective Austin.” His reply was cordial, perhaps even tinged with regret. “I was working on the paperwork to inform you the right way; that’s why I told you to keep investigating even though we had to start formally bringing the case to a close.”
Olivia shook her head, her vision spinning once again.
“You kept us in the dark about a serial murder investigation because of protocol?” The rage that she had initially felt for Shaw and the fact that he had crossed work boundaries with her began to shift to her boss.
“I apologise.” He shook his head whilst rubbing his hands together. “I really do. Now that you know, however, I figure it’s best to just continue on with the case.”
Olivia instinctually wanted to argue, push back against Collins’ lack of concern about the trust he had broken. But what good would that do in actually solving things once and for all?
“Andrew,” she redirected, looking to the constable. “Can you give us any insight as to who Joel’s boyfriend was? I think it’s a good chance they're also his partner with the drugs and the murders.”
Shaw raised an eyebrow and glanced at Det. Supt Collins.
“Joel was gay?” For the first time since they had visited that day, he looked truly surprised.
“Guess that answers that question,” Lawrence grumbled, mostly to himself.
“Deeply closeted from what we could tell,” Olivia replied. “But there’s an odd erotic nature to this case. Add that to the fact that the second we implied that Joel could be dating a man, his father got unreasonably aggressive. I think it’s entirely possible that his killing partner was also his romantic one.”
A funny look crossed Shaw’s face.
“You know, we did have a momentary bond over the hatred we have for our fathers.” He looked almost pained as he recalled their past conversations. “I wouldn’t be surprised based on that fact alone if Joel had his issues because his dad hated him being gay.”
The four of them pondered the thought for a moment. Could all of this have been an act of rebellion? A final ‘fuck you’ to his father? A stand to show that he could be and do whatever the hell he wanted?
Lawrence shifted his stance from where he stood near the door, still opting to stand rather than sit and make himself comfortable in Shaw’s abode.
“And really no one comes to mind when we mention a boyfriend?” he asked, studying the constable.
Andrew rubbed at his jaw, returning Dean’s stare.
“He never explicitly stated it, but he was always talking about his ‘best friend,’” he answered. “Make of that what you will.”
The detectives exchanged glances.
“A name?” Lawrence asked, ready to note it down.
Andrew winced.
“Ah, about that... I didn’t ever quite get it.” He looked at Collins briefly, who pursed his lips, unamused. Clearly, it had already been a sore point. “Look, it was something like Matt or Martin... I know it starts with an M. I was close to finding out and then...” Shaw trailed off with a shrug.
“We need to talk to Clara,” Olivia declared, rising to her feet.
PC Shaw seemed shocked at the suggestion that the detectives would move on so quickly.
“Oh? Huh?” He looked at his boss for confirmation. “Surely, it can wait, Inspector?”
“Unfortunately, since we’ve been purposefully kept in the dark so much, it really can’t.” Olivia let acidity pour into her voice as she stood, not caring much how either Andrew or Det. Supt. Collins reacted to it.
Both men jumped to their feet when she rose.
“Let us know if you think of anything else,” Dean urged, quickly falling into step next to his partner.
Before either man could protest more, the duo had ushered themselves out of the door and down toward the car park.
24
“The absolute nerve!” Olivia declared. “I can’t believe neither of them told us!” The pair of detectives were cruising along the A3075, headed for the Royal Cornwall hospital where Clara waited patiently at Diana’s bedside.
“Surprisingly enough, I can,” Lawrence muttered, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. “I wish they hadn’t, but Collins is a sucker for protocol, and Shaw doesn’t like sharing.” Dean’s words came out more barbed than usual.
Olivia knew that he and Andrew had a rough time getting along, but it had never occurred to her that perhaps there was something more than just a clash of personalities going on.
“What are the chances that the second killer is already working on his next target?” she questioned, the pained thought forcing her eyes to shut.
“It’s hard to tell,” Lawrence answered with a subtle shake of his head. “He may think he’s got away from it, in which case, he might try and lay low. The guy was clearly used to operating with a partner. But killings like this… I can’t imagine the guy ever stopping cold turkey.”
“Especially if he’s eating them,” Olivia winced.
* * *
Diana’s hospital room looked surprisingly bright for the circumstances, though Olivia knew Clara well enough to realise it shouldn’t have come as a shock. Bright flowers and balloons decorated every available inch, and Clara herself wore a bright yellow jumpsuit. She quickly rose to her feet upon the detectives’ arrival, though it was clear she was groggy from a lack of sleep.
“I’m buying you an all-expenses paid vacation or something when this is all over,” Olivia murmured into her friend’s ear upon sweeping her up into an embrace. It just earned her a chuckle.
“Not really in the mood to travel right now,” Clara assured her. “But you best believe I’ll be taking some time off.” She gave her another squeeze before pulling back to survey the scene.
Diana was awake and surprisingly alert. She had a fair number of scratches, plus the gouge in her shoulder, but she seemed already much better than when Olivia and Dean had found her in the underground cavern.
“How are you doing?” Liv asked, approaching the bed.
“Better than expected,” PC Hershel ad
mitted, letting the hint of a smile spread across her lips.
“She had a little op on her shoulder first thing this morning,” Clara chimed in. “All being well, she’d looking at being discharged tomorrow afternoon.”
Olivia hadn’t got many opportunities to see Clara and PC Hershel together outside of the station, but her heart couldn’t help but swell at the sight of the obvious attraction and chemistry the pair had.
Diana was lucky in the fact that she had her sidekick to aide her recovery. Back when she’d lost Rhys, she’d woken up to a life that she had to somehow navigate without him. Yes, she had Mills and her parents, but at the same time, she’d missed that magic. That sense of peace that only he managed to bring.
At her silence, Dean went over and closed the door before turning back toward the bed.
“Diana,” he started gently. “Do you think you’d be up for a few questions?”
The young officer glanced over to him.
“Of course,” she replied, though dread clearly found its way into her at the thought. “Though I don’t know how much help I’ll be. My memory is still quite foggy and patchy.”
Separated from her momentary pity, Olivia took over.
“We actually have some questions about Joel Turner from before this whole debacle,” she explained. That earned her a bit of an eye raise, along with a quick sigh of relief.
“Okay,” PC Hershel agreed. “Ask away.”
“Were you and Joel close at all?” Olivia asked, studying the younger woman’s face.
Diana took a slow sip of water before replying.
“At times, yes,” she answered. “I mean, all of us who joined the PCDA that year were. We’d grab drinks and share about our lives and how we were finding the course. But there was always something I felt like Joel held back. I’d always assumed he was a bit of a loner, but I think part of it was probably that he was just hiding part of himself.”
Olivia once again was amazed with the acuity with which Diana read situations.
“We have reason to believe that he may have been in a relationship with another man recently.” She lowered her voice when she spoke, aware that despite the closed doors, it wasn’t as private as it could have been. “Do you know anything about that?”
