Dead to Me: A serial killer thriller (Detective Kate Matthews Crime Thriller Series Book 1)

by Stephen Edger

  She felt her cheeks flushing. ‘Keep going through the timeline. What time did she say she left?’

  ‘Uh, around twenty past ten. She said she was urgently called back to the restaurant.’

  ‘Can you have that followed up? Get a warrant for her phone records too: she said something about messaging him to check he was okay and receiving a reply. The last thing we need is for some flash defence barrister to find a loose end. So, she leaves and happens to see Fenton’s car parked nearby. Have we checked the traffic cameras for proof that all or any of the vehicles made the journey?’

  He rifled around on his desk. ‘Laura was checking the traffic cameras, but I don’t have her write-up here.’

  ‘Never mind, here she comes now. Laura, we were just reviewing the case against Fenton. I’d value your input too.’

  Laura looked nervously between Kate and Patel. ‘Didn’t they tell you?’

  Kate’s brow furrowed. ‘Didn’t who tell me what?’ She already sensed what answer was about to follow.

  ‘I’ve been switched to the other murder; Underhill said it had been cleared with you. I’ve just come from a briefing.’

  Kate tried to remain calm. ‘We’ll see about that. They can’t take everyone from my case. They either want Fenton banged up or they don’t. I’ll speak to the supe. In the meantime, tell me what you found on the traffic cameras. Was Fenton at the docks?’

  ‘Sorry, ma’am, I hadn’t got that far. I have images printed of Watson’s taxi and Nicola’s car both heading towards the docks, but no sign of Fenton’s car yet.’

  ‘That’s a bit odd, don’t you think?’

  ‘If Nicola Vyner is telling the truth it is.’

  ‘You think she was lying?’

  ‘I can’t think why she would have.’

  ‘So, what are you saying?’

  ‘That maybe she misremembered seeing Fenton’s car. Maybe she made a mistake, and he was in a different car.’

  She glanced at Patel. ‘We’ll need to follow up on that.’ She turned back to Laura. ‘What about Nicola’s car leaving the docks?’

  ‘I was about to start reviewing the later footage when I was told to stop.’

  ‘What’s Underhill got you doing?’

  She looked sad. ‘Watching CCTV footage from Saturday night to see if I can spot vehicles that likely dumped the body of the drowned Chinese woman.’

  ‘What a waste of time.’

  ‘I know, right? Listen, I need to go, ma’am. I only came up here to grab my car keys. I’m supposed to be meeting Underhill downstairs.’ She nodded at Patel as she departed.

  Kate’s blood boiled as she watched Laura head out of the door. She turned back to Patel. ‘So, we have a victim, a suspect, and a timeframe. What’s the motive? Why did Fenton kill Watson?’

  ‘Revenge? Honour? Contract kill? Could be any number of reasons. We need to speak to Hendrix and her team. They might shed more light on it.’

  The thought of going cap in hand to Hendrix after their blow-up earlier filled Kate with dread. ‘Would you do that for me? Don’t speak to Hendrix directly, but have a chat with one of her team. Now, what’s the time?’

  ‘Just past six, ma’am.’

  Kate’s eyes widened. ‘You’re kidding? Shit, Chloe!’

  She grabbed her keys and raced for the door without bothering to say goodbye.

  17

  The Audi crept along the street, as Kate looked for Rob’s house number. She’d tried phoning him from the car, to try and convince him again that looking after Chloe was a bad idea, but he hadn’t answered the call.

  She spotted the house and pulled onto the vacant driveway. It had been a few months since she’d last come to visit Chloe, and despite regular phone calls Kate felt as nervous as she always did. On the rare occasion she allowed herself to think about what had happened, she clung to the certainty that Serena was the mother Chloe needed, and she could never be.

  Kate looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. ‘It’s just a few days.’

  She got out and crossed the driveway to the neighbouring house, where the door flew open before she’d had a chance to knock.

  ‘What the bloody hell time do you call this? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago.’

  Kate couldn’t remember ever meeting the man who stood in front of her. ‘Sorry, traffic was bad. I’m Kate Matthews. I’m Chloe’s… I’m here for Chloe. Is she ready?’

  ‘She’s in the lounge watching cartoons. You’d better come in.’

  He stepped aside and allowed her to enter, as her nose was assaulted by the smell of artificial air freshener. She followed the sound of the television, heading through the first door on the right. Two girls were huddled together in the middle of the corner sofa, heads bowed in concentration, neither looking up from their board game as she greeted them.

  From where she stood in the doorway she could see only the tops of their heads: the girl on the left had light-brown hair, combed straight and hanging just above her shoulders; the other girl’s was the same colour, but pulled back in a ponytail.

  The neighbour came into the room carrying a rucksack. ‘Such awful news about Serena. Have you heard any more?’

  ‘Uh, no.’

  ‘She’s in our prayers. I’ve given Chloe her dinner already, so you don’t need to worry about that.’

  Kate turned to acknowledge the man. ‘Oh, that’s great, thank you.’

  ‘There’s a suitcase by the door that Rob packed and left with her. And this satchel has some books and games in.’ He passed her the rucksack. ‘Right, I guess that’s just about everything.’

  Kate said: ‘Come on then, Chloe. We’d better make a move. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.’

  The girls kept playing as if she hadn’t spoken.

  The neighbour cleared his throat. ‘Why don’t I help you get the case in the car while they finish their game?’

  With relief, Kate followed him back out to the hallway. ‘I’m parked on Rob’s drive.’

  He picked up the suitcase and headed out of the door, while she was unlocking the boot remotely so he could place it inside.

  He peered over at her through the rear window. ‘You do have a child’s seat, don’t you?’

  Kate frowned. ‘Um… no…’

  ‘Well, the law states a child under twelve must be secured in a car seat.’

  ‘Rob didn’t mention it. Great! Where the hell am I going to get a car seat at this time of night?’ she said, flushing with shame at her own ignorance. This was a terrible idea. She didn’t know the first thing about how to look after Chloe, about how to protect her and keep her safe. That’s what had got her into this situation in the first place.

  He considered her for a moment, before gesturing to her to follow him to his garage. ‘You’re lucky we have a spare booster seat you can borrow. Just bring it with you when you are bringing Chloe home.’ He carried the seat back to the car and showed her how to fit it. ‘There you go. I’ll fetch Chloe.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Kate rested her palms against the rim of the car to steady herself as her heart raced with nervous energy. She breathed deeply.

  The two girls appeared at the doorway and briefly hugged. Kate let out an inaudible sigh as she recognised the heart-shaped face of her daughter, and the sweet, rounded nose she’d inherited from Rob. Her heart flooded with a dangerous and unbearable amount of love, usually packed away where no one could see it and she couldn’t fear it. She offered a warm smile. ‘Hi, Chloe. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown—’

  Chloe didn’t look at her as she climbed into the car. Kate shut the door and waved over to the neighbour before joining her daughter inside the car.

  As she started the engine she said: ‘I thought maybe we could stop at a services on the way home and get a pudding or some sweets. What do you think?’

  Chloe stared out of the window. ‘Okay.’

  Kate reversed onto the main road and pulled away. ‘It seems like an age si
nce I last saw you. You’ll have to tell me what you’ve been up to. How’s school going?’

  ‘It’s fine.’

  ‘Do you like it there?’

  ‘It’s okay.’

  ‘What’s your favourite subject?’

  Her eyes remained fixed on the view outside. ‘I like English.’

  Kate’s expression lifted. ‘English? I was good at English when I was at school too. I loved making up stories. Do you like reading too?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What are your favourite types of books?’

  Chloe shrugged. ‘I like all books.’

  Kate tried to ignore the sullen response, keeping her pitch high – too high. ‘I used to love reading mysteries, although that was probably when I was a bit older. I guess they don’t teach you detective stories on the syllabus, do they? Not to worry. What about sports? Do you like any sports?’

  ‘Not really.’

  She sagged. ‘Oh, well, not to worry… uh… who’s your best friend at school?’

  ‘Amber.’

  ‘Is that the girl you were just with?’

  ‘No, that was Hannah. She doesn’t go to my school.’

  ‘Oh, I see; so, where does Amber live?’

  Another shrug. ‘I don’t know.’

  Kate wiped one clammy hand on her trousers, and then the other. ‘Did your dad explain that you were going to come and stay with me for a few days?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘And is there anything you’d like to do while you’re in Southampton?’

  ‘Do you have a television?’

  ‘Yes, I have a television.’

  ‘And do you have a DVD player?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Daddy packed me some DVDs I can watch.’

  Kate desperately tried to think of any child-friendly attractions in the city, but for once her mind was blank. Surely there was something out there that could bridge the gap between them. ‘Okay, is there anything else you’d like to do, or anywhere you’d like to go, perhaps?’

  ‘Not really.’

  Kate huffed in defeat and focused on the road as they joined the A34, relieved when Chloe dropped off to sleep. She glanced over at this mini miracle who seemed so perfectly well-adjusted, despite all the trouble she’d been born into.

  Kate had been ten days past her due date when she’d felt the first contraction. Eighteen hours later, the midwife had finally told them to head to the maternity hospital. Rob had managed to nap in the room, but Kate had been awake for nearly thirty hours when the doctor had told her they would need to perform an emergency caesarean section to deliver the baby. Kate had been so terrified that the epidural needle would slip, or that something would go wrong during the surgery, that she’d been too overwhelmed to even tell the nurse their chosen name when, finally, she’d been handed the little bundle of pink.

  The first night in hospital had been horrible. Chloe wouldn’t take to Kate’s breast, and after half a dozen tries Kate had given in and the nurse had offered the baby a bottle of formula milk; she’d felt like a failure, but anything to stop the relentless crying in the quiet ward. The nurses had offered words of encouragement, told her it would take time, but she’d never felt so alone.

  She was like a zombie for weeks after the birth, trying desperately to balance maternity leave with her secret longing to go back to the office, to the order and discipline of her life. After all the horrors she’d seen in her years in the Met, she became consumed by the idea that she wasn’t strong enough to keep Chloe safe; it haunted her day and night. She was so small and so fragile. Kate was too afraid to touch her in case this tiny, precious thing was tainted by all the evil she’d encountered.

  In utter despair, she’d taken all her frustrations out on Rob; so, it wasn’t really a surprise at all when he’d admitted to the affair, even though, at the time, it had felt like the ultimate betrayal. She’d cried, screamed, and even hit him, but refused to kick him out of the house, unable to accept the idea of being left to cope alone. But he’d left anyway.

  She’d cried every night as she’d struggled to adapt to her new role as a single mother. All she’d wanted to do was love and protect Chloe, but something had stopped her. Perhaps it was because she’d never really bonded with her own mother, whose early dementia symptoms had put a cold, hard wall up between them. There was no rhyme or reason to it; she was diagnosed with severe Postnatal Depression and it was decided that she simply could not cope.

  When Rob and Serena had offered to take care of Chloe full-time, the rush of relief she experienced had been as immense as the feelings of guilt and failure, but she could live with that as long as she knew Chloe was safe. For six years she had thrown herself into work; anything, to keep the guilt at bay. And it had worked, for the most part. As Kate glanced down at the gently snoring girl, she knew that giving her up to Rob and Serena was the best thing she could have done for Chloe.

  They reached the flat just before nine, and Chloe woke the moment the engine stopped.

  ‘Is this where you live?’

  ‘That’s right. My flat is on the first floor.’

  ‘Is there a garden?’

  ‘Yes, there’s a communal garden at the back.’

  Chloe yawned. ‘Is there a trampoline in the garden?’

  ‘Uh, no. There’s just grass, flowers, and a bench. There’s a park not far from here though. We could go there tomorrow, so you can play on the swings and things.’

  Satisfied, Chloe slipped on her rucksack, while Kate lugged the case into the block and then into the spare room. There were still boxes piled high that she’d yet to unpack since the move from London. She carried some of them through to her own room, and unfolded the sofa bed for Chloe, whose sullen expression remained fixed. Kate watched Chloe brush her teeth and helped her change into a thin cotton nightie she’d found in the case. Not having a spare chest of drawers, she’d suggested Chloe live out of the case until it was time to return home. Chloe nodded silently, before rolling onto her side.

  Kate hesitated by the door, unsure whether to kiss Chloe goodnight. ‘Do you usually have a bedtime story before you sleep?’

  Chloe didn’t move. ‘I just want to sleep tonight.’

  With a pang, Kate switched off the bedroom light and pulled the door closed.

  Returning to her own room, Kate yawned as she removed her clothes, throwing them into a pile in the corner of the room and slipping on her own nightie. She caught a glimpse of the caesarean scar in the mirror, and gently traced her finger along it remembering the swell, and then the emptiness.

  She tied her dressing gown tight and headed to the kitchen to look for something to eat, but was drawn away from the freezer by a strange noise coming from her bedroom.

  18

  The laptop on the bed beeped again as Kate sat and lifted it onto her lap to examine the screen. She hadn’t turned it on when she’d got home, but now she found herself logged back into the dating site Trish had been using the night before.

  Had Chloe turned it on and Kate hadn’t noticed? She moved the cursor to close the window as a new message window popped open. It was from the contact named John, apologising for his behaviour, and wanting her to know it was all just fantasy and that he’d never do anything to hurt his boss. Kate quickly replied that she understood and signed off, closing the message window and logging out of the site. She was about to shut down the laptop when another message came through from him, which she closed without replying, quickly opening up the dating site again to make sure she’d logged out properly. Another message appeared.

  John: I need to know you accept my apology, Kate.

  Kate: I told you, it’s fine. Now, it’s late and I just want to go to bed.

  John: Why won’t you go out with me?

  Kate: I’m just not interested. I’m going.

  She closed the window and logged out for a third time. Another message, and then another arrived. Growing frustrated, she closed it again and jammed her finger
on to the shutdown button. The screen remained active, and a further window opened:

  John: Are you still there? Having trouble with your computer?

  Kate: What have you done to my laptop? I should warn you, you don’t know who you’re messing with.

  John: Is that supposed to frighten me?

  Kate: It should.

  John: Let me guess: you’re going to tell me you’ve got some brute of a brother who you’ll send round to ‘do me in’? We both know that’s a lie.

  Kate: I have three brothers, actually. And they are all big and strong.

  John: I don’t like it when people lie to me.

  Kate: Read my lips: FUCK OFF!

  John: I can read your lips. You look tired.

  She instinctively looked over to the window then chided herself for being paranoid. She closed the lid and took the laptop through to the living room, chucking it on the sofa. He’d soon grow bored of her not replying.

  It beeped again.

  She ignored it and turned on the television. The weatherman was concluding his report.

  Another beep.

  She glanced at the machine and then turned up the television’s volume.

  Another beep. Then another. Then another.

  Despite herself, she lifted the lid.

  John: Are you still there?

  John: Kate?

  John: Please don’t ignore me.

  John: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.

  John: I promise I’ll leave you alone if you answer one question.

  She began typing.

  Kate: No more questions, and no more games. You should know I’m a police officer, and if this harassment doesn’t stop, you’re going to leave me no choice but to find you and arrest you.

  John: I don’t believe you.

  Kate: I don’t care whether you believe me or not. I’ve given you a warning. Do the right thing, and leave me alone. Whatever you’ve done to my computer, undo it now, or I will come for you. That’s not a threat; it’s a promise.

  John: I never said I did anything to your computer. If you’re having troubles, maybe it contracted a virus.

  She reached for her mobile and dialled. ‘Patel, I need a favour.’

  ‘Ma’am? I was just going to bed. Do you need me to come out?’