Taunting the Dead (DS Allie Shenton)

by Sherratt, Mel

  For the second time, Terry ignored Carole, not even turning to look at her. But Allie was glad that she’d come over when she did. She could feel herself colouring again. Christ, how must this look to her? She smiled her thanks and reached over for a cup. Terry leaned over too.

  ‘I’ll get it for you.’ He passed it to her.

  Allie refused to meet his eye. Instead, she shuffled to the front of the settee. Most of the time she dressed smart-casual for work, but today she wore a pencil skirt, and a fresh lilac blouse underneath a grey pinstriped suit. Black knee-length boots with a high heel, despite it being slippery underfoot. She crossed her legs at the ankle and rested the cup and saucer on her lap. Carole, still standing in front of them, wore black trousers and a white shirt. The neck was undone far too low for Allie’s liking.

  When she eventually looked up, Allie couldn’t believe Carole’s reaction. Her skin had drained of colour and her hand shook as she reached for a cup. Something then made her pull it back and she stood there awkwardly. Allie looked at Terry and swallowed. No wonder the woman had been spooked. Flashes of evil tunnelled from his eyes. Yet in an instant, Terry turned back to Allie with a smile.

  What the hell was going on? Had she walked into a lovers’ tiff? Or worse, was Terry trying to include her in some kind of love triangle? Either way, she wasn’t joining in with his games.

  ‘Actually, I don’t have time for coffee.’ She put the cup and saucer down on the tray, smoothing down her skirt as she stood up. ‘I’ll be in touch soon, I’m sure.’

  ‘I do hope so,’ Terry replied.

  When she hit the cold air outside, Allie gulped it in as if she were drowning. Had she really been a part of that? Oh, God, what a creep. Half an hour ago, she’d seen his eyes fill with tears when he’d caressed his dead wife’s watch. Now she realised that that might have been for her benefit. Maybe she’d been given a true taste of how powerful Terry Ryder really was.

  She got in the car and once again looked back at the house as she put her car into reverse. This time it was Terry Ryder who watched from a window.

  As Terry stood watching Allie leave, Carole wiped away a tear that had fallen, hoping he wouldn’t turn round and notice. Humiliated yet unable to voice her feelings, she wondered how he’d explain away his actions. He’d made a pass at that bitch. She was sure of it. And after all she’d done for him… It was a good job she’d walked in when she did.

  She blinked away more tears threatening to fall and tried to smile for when he turned round. Terry didn’t like his women weak. She quickly gathered herself together and held her head high. But he continued to stare out of the window. What was he thinking about? More to the point, who was he thinking about? Her, Steph or Sergeant Shenton? She hadn’t anticipated any competition.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she asked moments later when she began to think he’d forgotten she was there.

  ‘Clear that stuff away,’ he said.

  At his harsh tone, she did as she was told. Once she’d loaded the dishwasher, she joined him. By now he was seated again on the settee. He looked deep in thought.

  ‘Penny for them,’ she giggled and sat down next to him.

  He looked at her with such disgust that she thought she was going to cry again.

  ‘I was thinking about you,’ he said.

  She smiled. That was better.

  ‘A glorified waitress, that’s what you are.’ Terry nodded. ‘That’s what you’ll always be. Ready to clean up after someone else.’

  ‘Don’t be so nasty.’ Carole tried to laugh the remark off. ‘I do have other uses.’ She placed a hand on his thigh but he smacked it so hard that she drew it away. ‘What’s wrong with you? You’re never usually this hostile.’

  ‘I’m rather amazed that you think you can be a substitute for Steph.’

  ‘No. I –’ Carole flinched at his accusation. ‘What a horrible thing to say.’

  ‘Okay, then. I’ll say this instead. I think it’s best if we cool things.’

  ‘Of course. I understand.’ She touched his forearm gently, praying he wouldn’t slap her hand again. When he didn’t, she continued. ‘There’s too much heat at the moment and, as much as I long to be with you, I can wait.’

  Terry said nothing. Carole mistook his silence for emotion and smiled encouragingly.

  ‘It’ll be okay,’ she said. ‘Things will get better once that nosy bitch has completed her investigations. We’ll be able to be together again then. I’ll be more of a wife to you than Steph ever was.’

  Terry pushed her back onto the settee. He held both her arms up beside her head, squeezing her wrists until she cried out in pain.

  ‘Whore!’ he shouted, his face so close she could see the hate in his eyes. ‘A fucking whore. You’ll never be any more than that. I only ever fucked you when I wanted to and how I wanted to. Do you understand?’

  ‘My wrists!’ Carole cried out, her heart pumping out a drum beat. ‘You’re hurting me.’

  ‘You need teaching a lesson on respect, Mrs Morrison.’ Terry pulled her onto the floor.

  ‘Ow!’ Carole caught her back on the corner of the coffee table.

  ‘Take off your clothes.’

  ‘No!’ Immediately Carole’s arm moved to cover her chest.

  ‘But you want me to fuck you, right?’ Terry pulled her nearer. ‘Either you take off your clothes or I will rip them off. Then how will you explain that to your precious husband?’

  Crying openly, Carole flipped off her shoes, pulled off her trousers and her shirt. Terry watched her every move. She was down to her underwear.

  ‘Take off the rest,’ he said.

  Carole unclipped her bra and then pulled down her pants. She stood in the middle of the room trying to muster as much dignity as she could.

  ‘Now lie down on the sofa – here, this one – on your back.’

  Carole frowned. Terry grabbed her arm and pushed her down. ‘Hurry up!’

  When she looked round he was gone. But in a moment he was back, with a digital camera.

  ‘No!’ She grabbed for her blouse.

  ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’ Terry covered her hand with his foot and pressed down hard.

  ‘Smile.’

  When she didn’t, he yelled.

  ‘I said fucking SMILE!’

  In that split second, Carole realised she had no choice but to go along with him. She tried to look happy but how could she when inside she was dying. He took three photos and reviewed them before undoing his trousers.

  ‘Now you can do your stuff.’

  Carole kneeled in front of him and took him in her mouth. If panic weren’t shooting through her veins she would have bitten the end of his cock off but she knew she wasn’t a hard bitch. That was Steph’s way, not hers. Steph had often told her how rough their sessions had been, often shown her bruises and welts. It hadn’t seemed exciting to her then and it wasn’t exciting to her now. She quickened her pace. The sooner she got this over and done with, the faster she could get out of the house.

  Wiping her mouth afterwards, she looked up to see a look of satisfaction on Terry’s face. Of course she had known that it would always be one-sided. She knew he’d never love her. She knew he’d never leave Steph for her. But right now she’d give anything to be inside The Orange Grove, waiting on tables, with Shaun out the back cooking Spaghetti Bolognese. What a fool she’d been to ever think she was what Terry wanted. She dressed quickly so that she could be on her way.

  ‘I fantasised you were her,’ he said as she tucked in her shirt.

  Carole’s teeth started to chatter. Oh, how could he say that to her now? After what she’d just done. After everything they’d done.

  ‘Not Steph,’ Terry continued. ‘Detective Sergeant Allie Shenton.’

  Carole gagged but tried to keep it hidden.

  ‘I could see her when you made me come.’ He grinned. ‘Fuck, it’s making me horny thinking about it.’

  ‘If you start anything with her,’
Carole snapped without thinking, ‘I’ll show the police the text messages you sent to me.’

  Terry grabbed the collar of her blouse and pulled her within inches of his face. ‘Then I’ll show everyone those photos, including that spineless bastard of a husband of yours.’

  ‘Please, Terry.’ Carole felt the ability to stand being taken away from her.

  ‘I took one while you had my cock in your mouth,’ Terry continued, eyes glazed with rage. Then he pushed her away.

  Looking back, Carole was never quite sure why she antagonised him when she was so scared, but she said the only thing she thought she had to stop him in his tracks.

  ‘Then I’ll tell everyone about Phil and Steph.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘They were having an affair. If the police knew about that, they’d know you had a motive to kill her. I know you didn’t murder her, but what would they think?’

  Terry lost it. He punched her in the face.

  Carole staggered and then dropped to the floor. Blood gushed from her nose. The pain was like nothing she’d ever experienced.

  ‘If you say anything to anyone,’ Terry came at her again, grabbing her hair and pulling her to her knees. ‘If you say… if …’

  Carole grimaced as he held onto her. She could feel the blood pouring down her face, onto her shirt. Oh, God, he was going to kill her!

  ‘Don’t you ever think that you can threaten me or there’ll be plenty of what you’ve just had,’ he went on. ‘Treat that as a warning. If you open your mouth again, I’ll cut out your tongue. Do you understand?’

  Ye – yes.’

  ‘I said do you UNDERSTAND?’

  ‘Yes!’ she cried.

  Terry let go of her then and she fell back onto the floor. He grabbed her bag, searched through it and found her phone. With a press of a few buttons, she knew the text messages had been deleted. He threw everything to the floor and walked away, only turning at the door to say one last thing.

  ‘Get yourself cleaned up, fuck off out of my home and don’t ever come back.’

  It took all the strength Carole had not to crawl into a ball and sit in a corner crying. Had that really happened or would she wake up in a minute? Find out it was all a bad dream, that she hadn’t been punched head-on by a man.

  But fear of Terry returning and hitting her again propelled her unsteadily to her feet. Throwing back her head, she pinched the bridge of her nose to stem the bleeding. Then she retrieved her clothes, dressed as quickly as she could and ran out of the house. In her panic to get away, she struggled to get her keys into the door and to start the engine. Crying openly, she finally managed and sped off, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible.

  As soon as his fist connected with her face, Terry regretted what he’d done to Carole. Not for the pain he’d caused her but for the stupidity of his actions. He sat down in his study and seethed. Why the fuck hadn’t he hit her somewhere that it wouldn’t be noticeable? He could have thumped her in the stomach and it would have had the same effect. He only needed to get rid of her. Then again, he shouldn’t have hit her at all, really. Shit, he was losing it. Last week he’d lashed out at Phil with the wrench in the cellar and now Carole. But how dare she think she could blackmail him with those text messages? Did she really think she could get one over on him, the stupid bitch?

  His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms. He unclenched them suddenly and glanced at his hands. Damn, he didn’t need any cuts or bruising on them. Not now.

  Calm down, Terry, he chastised himself, or it’s all going to go tits up. He opened a desk drawer and dialled Carole’s number on the pay-as-you-go phone. Surprisingly, she answered.

  ‘One word of who did that to you and there will be more of it, lots more of it.’ His voice was calm but menacing. ‘Do you understand?’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  After taking the phone call from Terry, brute strength must have got Carole home to The Orange Grove. She parked the car around the back of the building as best she could but, braking too late, she clipped the front bumper on the wall. Gasping for breath, she didn’t even register it. Now that she was safe, relief engulfed her and she started to cry again. Tears poured down her face. She dared to look in the rear-view mirror. Already her right eye was beginning to close, bruising appearing almost as she looked. What the hell had she done to deserve that?

  She’d thought Terry was ringing to apologise but all he’d been interested in was saving his own skin. Now all she could think about was saving her own. What the hell was she going to tell Shaun? How could she explain what had happened and why? She’d have to make something up. There was no way she could tell him the truth. She sat there until she thought what to do.

  Seeing that the back door was unlocked, despite their good intentions, she went in that way. One look and Shaun flew across the kitchen towards her. ‘Ohmigod, what’s happened?’

  ‘I – I –’ Even though she’d worked out something to say, she still couldn’t lie to him straightaway.

  His concern and shock made Carole cry even more. Not for herself, but for deceiving him. Shaun was her saviour. In the twenty years they had been married, she knew he’d never strayed. Lord knows she’d pushed him away often enough to give him the chance. And what had she done? Screwed someone they both knew. Which made her a selfish, thoughtless, heartless bitch and she had no one to blame but herself.

  She clung to Shaun as he helped her upstairs, fearing that if she let him go, he would leave her. Guilt overrode her usual ability to feel safe in his arms. She knew if he found out what had really happened it would break his heart. Not only would their business be ruined but also their marriage.

  Shaun pushed the bedroom door open and helped her onto the bed.

  ‘I’ll get you something to wipe yourself with,’ he said and disappeared.

  As she waited for him to return, Carole wondered what had got into Terry to attack her in such a violent manner. Oh, for sure she knew about his ‘hard man’ reputation but she assumed that would be against other men. In all the years she’d known him, she’d never thought he was capable of this type of behaviour with a woman. How could she ever have slept with that – that beast? Worse, how could she ever have been so taken in by Terry Ryder the Smooth Guy?

  ‘What happened?’ Shaun asked again when he returned a minute later.

  ‘I’d called into the Spar shop on Granville Road and was getting out of the car when someone tapped me on the shoulder.’ Carole let him dab away at the blood gently. ‘I – I turned round and he – someone punched me in the face.’

  ‘Someone?’

  ‘I – I think it was a man.’

  ‘Did he take your bag?’

  ‘Yes,’ she lied, having hidden it in the boot of the car for now. She’d have to remember to shift it as soon as possible and hope Shaun would be too concerned about her to go looking through the car. ‘But my keys were in my coat pocket. He took my phone, my money and my credit cards. There was nothing I could do.’

  ‘Did you get a good look at him?’

  ‘No,’ Carole started to cry. ‘I know it was light but he – he –’

  ‘Shush, you’re okay now,’ Shaun soothed. ‘Did anyone else see him?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  ‘You mean you didn’t report it?’ Shaun frowned. ‘Why ever not?’

  ‘I was too shocked, I guess. I just got back in my car and drove. I wanted to get home.’

  ‘Well, I’ve rung the police. They’re sending someone over.’

  Oh God. ‘No!’

  Shaun cried out in exasperation. ‘Some bastard robs and assaults you and you want him to get away with it?’

  ‘No, but I – I don’t want to talk about it yet. If I talk to the police, I’ll have to relive it and I – I can’t.’

  ‘But you’ll have to do it at some point.’

  ‘But please, not now.’

  Shaun paused. Carole’s right eye was swelling by t
he second, already the bruising coming through; it looked so painful. Despite him wiping away dry blood from her face, there was more down the front of her blouse. And all the time that bastard Lee Kennedy would be laughing at him. That stupid fucking bastard! Not only was he insistent on blackmailing him, even after a kicking he was determined to get one over on him by hitting him where it hurt. Or more to the point, hitting the one that he cared about the most. Well, he wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

  As Carole’s heart sank, Shaun’s sank even further. He caught his reflection in the dressing table mirror. His face was grey, his hair a mess where he’d run anxious hands through it. Carole’s blood was all around the collar of his shirt too. His eyes filled with tears as he touched it. Fuck, what a mess.

  And all because of his lies.

  ‘You need to see them now,’ he insisted.

  Allie had called in at The Potter’s Wheel to see if any more witnesses had come forward. The landlord was taking a list of telephone numbers and the team had been working through them. So far it had proved fruitless, but she knew everything could change with one tiny detail coming to light. She sat in her car, trawling through the names.

  Surprised to hear the shout go out for The Orange Grove, she called in to say that she’d deal with it and headed off. She was there ten minutes later.

  Shaun stood waiting on the doorstep. ‘Carole has been mugged,’ he said, his face etched in angst.

  ‘When did this happen?’ Allie asked. It wasn’t an hour since she’d seen her at Terry’s house. She wondered if Shaun knew that.

  ‘About half an hour ago.’ Shaun ushered her in. ‘She’s really shook up, can’t remember much but I wanted someone to come as quickly as possible. I’m really worried but she won’t let me take her to the hospital.’

  Allie followed him upstairs to the bedroom. Shaun tapped on the door.

  ‘Carole?’ Shaun spoke gently. ‘DS Shenton’s here.’

  Carole started to cry. Taking her tears of self-pity for those of fear and shock, Shaun held her close and shushed her again.

  ‘I won’t keep you long.’ Allie sat down on the side of the bed. ‘But I really need to ask you a few questions while everything is still fresh in your mind.’