Don't Look Behind You: A dark, twisting crime thriller that will grip you to the last page (Detective Eden Berrisford crime thriller series Book 2)

by Mel Sherratt

  She drew level with him, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.

  He stood up, pulling out a chair for her. ‘Hi.’

  He went to kiss her on the cheek but she moved away.

  His smile was goofy and nervous. The silence between them was filled by the noise in the room: a man tapping on his laptop on the next table, two mums and their children in pushchairs chattering away behind them and a couple sharing breakfast on the table in front. The steamer burst into life again.

  ‘Can I get you a drink?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll have a cappuccino,’ she said.

  ‘Anything to eat?’

  She shook her head and watched him walk away, knowing he was stalling for time. He hadn’t changed really. Granted his hair was a little shorter, a little thinner in places, but he was the same old Danny. She wondered what she had been expecting. That he had fallen apart after being without her for two years? Who was she kidding? Danny had always been able to look after himself.

  ‘How’s Casey?’ he asked once he was seated again.

  ‘Growing up into a woman with the will of her mum. Teenage years – she’s turning into me.’

  Danny grinned. ‘God help us all.’

  Eden knew he was hoping to lighten the tension. But it lit anger inside her instead.

  ‘Where have you been?’ she blurted out.

  ‘Staying with friends mostly.’

  ‘Oh please! You’ve been sofa surfing for two years? I don’t think so.’

  She waited for him to explain further but he stayed quiet.

  ‘Why did you do it?’ she asked, taking a sip of her drink so that she could hide her pained expression behind the cup.

  ‘It was too much to walk away from.’

  ‘But not only did you ruin everything we’d worked so hard to do, you were willing for me to lose the thing I loved. My job. And then you walked away from us. Me I could understand, but Casey?’ Tears brimmed in her eyes as she recalled the stunned look on her daughter’s face when she’d told her that her father had walked out. ‘I had to shoulder the burden of her pain, the hurt from rejection, her despair. How could you do that to her?’

  ‘I had to go,’ Danny insisted. ‘It’s better she doesn’t know why. Unless you told her?’

  Eden shook her head. ‘I never said anything. Though it was to protect her, not you.’

  ‘And to protect yourself?’

  ‘How dare you say that, you bastard!’ She whispered the last two words loudly through gritted teeth, thankful for the chatter of people and the clattering of cups on saucers around them.

  ‘Sorry.’ He had the sense to look sheepish, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. ‘Does she know you’re meeting me?’

  Eden shook her head.

  He nodded in gratitude. ‘Will you tell her?’

  ‘That depends.’

  He cocked his head in readiness for an answer.

  ‘On whether or not this is a one-off. I won’t build her hopes up that you’ll be around to see her again. It isn’t fair.’

  ‘I guess not.’ He hung his head for a moment, staring intently into his coffee. ‘I haven’t exactly been a role-model father.’

  ‘You haven’t been a father at all for the past two years.’

  ‘Ouch. I guess I deserved that too.’

  ‘I guess you did.’ She put down her cup. ‘What do you really want, Danny? There must be some reason you needed to see me. You said you wanted to talk.’

  He wouldn’t meet her eye at first but eventually he looked up at her. ‘It’s about Jed Jackson.’

  Every vein in Eden’s body turned ice cold. Jed Jackson was a loan shark from the Mitchell Estate. Recently out of prison, he was already causing trouble on his manor. Eden had helped put him in prison twice during her career but nothing stuck longer than a six-month stretch. Last year, he’d beaten up a lad who owed him money. It turned out Kyle Merchant owed him £1,000, but with interest over three months it had escalated to over £10,000. The lad hadn’t seen him coming.

  Jackson had left Merchant paralysed below the waist after pushing him down a fire escape. Although CCTV cameras had caught it all, Jackson had laid the blame on one of his cronies. Someone could clearly be seen kicking Merchant before he fell, but Jackson wouldn’t admit to anything. He was sentenced to six months for a drug bust a few weeks later.

  But it was when he went to prison that things started to get worse. He’d set up a group of people to look after his business. The police were still investigating who did what and to whom, but recently there had been some pretty horrific attacks on anyone who hadn’t paid in time. It seemed Jackson hadn’t learned his lesson. And neither had Danny.

  ‘What about him?’ she asked. ‘I know he’s recently got out of prison.’

  ‘He’s making threats, Eden, to you and. . . to Casey.’

  ‘If. . .?’

  ‘If I don’t get him the money I owe.’

  ‘And how much is that?’

  Danny looked down into his coffee cup. ‘Just short of twenty grand.’

  ‘For fuck’s sake, Dan,’ she whispered.

  ‘I was thinking you could sell the Lambretta. I know it’s not worth that much but it would get him off my back for now and—’

  Eden gasped. ‘You came back for my money?’ She stood up quickly, scraping the chair across the floor.

  ‘No!’ He placed his hand over hers.

  Shocked as old feelings rushed through her, she lowered her eyes. How could she still be in love with him after what he’d done?

  ‘Sit down again. Please,’ he said. ‘I have to tell you what I know.’

  Ten minutes later, Eden’s head was reeling. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She couldn’t believe she was hearing it from Danny either.

  ‘If you give in to him this time, he’ll come after you again. Blackmailers always do.’

  ‘If I don’t get that money, I’m sure he’ll kill me.’

  ‘That’s a bit dramatic,’ Eden scoffed.

  ‘Well at the very least, I’m in for some rough treatment, and I— I’m scared, Eden.’

  Eden shuddered, trying not to cry at his words. Because he could very well be right, and she shouldn’t care, but she did. Jed Jackson was a dangerous man when crossed.

  ‘Please, Ede, can you help me out?’ He threw her a nervous smile. ‘For old times’ sake?’

  Her stomach overturned again when he called her the name that only he had ever used. But it was a mere moment.

  ‘Old times’ sake doesn’t mean anything.’ She pointed at him. ‘You walked out. You ignored me and Casey. I was under the impression when you contacted me, you. . .’ Eden couldn’t tell him she’d thought that he wanted to see her.

  But he filled the gap anyway. Danny reached for her hand. ‘I’ve missed you, more than you’ll ever know, but I kept away because it was dangerous for me to be with you.’

  ‘But it’s okay for you to have my money?’ she hissed. ‘Which, incidentally, you took every penny of when you left. Why do you think I’d be willing to give you any more?’

  ‘Because I’m desperate.’

  Eden rolled her eyes and started to walk off. Then she turned back to him. Getting a five-pound note out of her pocket, she slammed it on the table. ‘I always pay my own way,’ she muttered before walking away again.

  She left him in the café. Blackmail wouldn’t work with her – especially the emotional kind.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Eden had a monthly Safer Streets Partnership meeting at 10 a.m. She tried to concentrate but after seeing Danny it was impossible. His confession was shocking, his cheek unbelievable. She wondered if she was thinking straight to even care about him. The man was a prick for doing what he did. But he was also the father of her child, and the man she had been married to – was still married to.

  The meeting finished just before midday and, by then, she’d had enough of trying to figure things out alone. She needed to speak to s
omeone who wasn’t involved.

  ‘Fancy grabbing a bite to eat with me,’ she asked Amy. ‘My treat?’

  Amy looked up from her computer screen and beamed. Ten minutes later, they headed into town, updating each other on anything they had found out during their morning’s work.

  ‘Josie Mellor rang,’ said Eden, as they waited to cross the road. ‘Aiden Daniels isn’t known to anyone in Housing.’

  ‘Nor Scott Daniels?’

  ‘No. I contacted him, though, and he isn’t too happy about his brother using his references.’

  ‘I can’t say I blame him, but we have bigger fish to fry right now.’

  Once they reached the sandwich shop, Eden studied the menu in silence.

  Amy nudged her. ‘What do you want?’

  Eden looked at her in confusion and then back to the woman behind the counter, who was ready to take her order. ‘Oh, cheese salad on brown please.’ She paid for their sandwiches and they took a seat while they waited for them to be made.

  ‘How are things with the wedding?’ Eden asked.

  Amy raised her eyebrows. ‘I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my latest disaster.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘The best man’s wife wants to be a bridesmaid. She’s forty-two!’

  ‘And?’

  ‘Well if she looked like you, I wouldn’t mind so much.’ Amy grinned. ‘Really, my wedding isn’t what you need to talk about, is it? What’s wrong, Eden?’

  Eden smiled. Amy had a caring attitude that wasn’t pushy but gave you the impression that she was always there for you.

  Sensing eyes on her, she felt the urge to look out of the shop window. The pavement was pedestrianised, most tables full of clientele during the lunch-hour rush in the summer but now practically deserted except for a few hardy smokers.

  But something had caught her eye. Was someone watching her? She looked around but couldn’t see anyone she recognised within the people walking by. Even so, she shuddered. Clearly the meeting with Danny had panicked her.

  ‘Do you need an independent ear?’ Amy urged, not realising the true reason for Eden’s silence.

  Eden looked back at her. ‘I met with my ex, Danny, this morning,’ she blurted out. ‘Or rather, he would be my ex if we were divorced.’

  Amy’s eyes widened. ‘I want to ask a million questions like how, when, why and what for but I guess that’s what lunch is all about. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Weird,’ Eden admitted. ‘The last time I saw him, I had no inclination he was leaving, and for two years I’ve heard nothing. But he sent me a text message asking if we could talk. So I met with him this morning.’

  ‘The meeting didn’t go as you’d hoped?’ Amy gave a faint smile. ‘I’ve never seen you like this before.’

  ‘I keep this part of me well hidden,’ Eden admitted.

  ‘Meaning there’s more to it than him just walking out?’

  Eden nodded.

  ‘Was it another woman?’

  ‘No.’

  A pause.

  ‘Was it a man?’

  Eden couldn’t help but laugh but it was short. ‘Nothing like that. Danny wasn’t unfaithful to me, but he did make me look a fool.’

  Amy frowned as she waited for Eden to explain herself. Trouble was, she didn’t really know if she could. Had she made a mistake coming here, telling someone what Danny had done – something no one but she knew?

  But she had to talk it through with someone. A tear dripped down her face and she wiped it away.

  ‘What is it, Eden?’ asked Amy gently.

  ‘Danny left me because he was in a lot of debt. His work had dried up and he’d started betting on the horses. I didn’t know anything about it until after he’d gone. He’d cleared out our bank account, and what little savings we had – a few grand.’

  ‘Didn’t you know about the debt?’

  ‘I had no idea. Call myself a copper – I didn’t even have an inkling. He wasn’t acting suspicious or anything. Well maybe for a few days before he left, but it was too quick for me to pick up on.’

  ‘Is it a lot of money?’

  Eden cleared her throat. It was still hard for her to say. ‘Twenty thousand pounds.’

  Amy’s eyes widened again. ‘Jeez.’

  ‘That’s not the worst of it. He borrowed money.’

  ‘And put your name against it?’ Amy shook her head. ‘Please tell me that’s not the case. He hasn’t left you to carry the can. Those bloody bailiffs can be brutal when it comes to getting money back.’

  Eden didn’t interrupt her. She couldn’t, because then she would have to tell her what she hadn’t told anyone yet.

  But Amy cottoned on. ‘Who did he get the money from?’

  ‘Jed Jackson.’

  ‘Oh, Eden.’

  ‘That’s still not the worst of it.’

  ‘If there’s more, I don’t know how you’ve slept at night.’

  ‘He found details about a raid we were doing on Jackson’s lock-up, plus we’d been looking into him in connection with a few cash machines being done over, and people being robbed as they were getting cash from the machine – cash and grabs. We also knew he was about to do a robbery at Cardman’s Cash and Carry. I’d brought home the files with the details. They were in my car. I don’t even know why Danny was snooping around. I didn’t even know he knew Jed Jackson, but he stole information and gave it to him. The operation went tits up.’

  Amy sat forward in her seat. ‘Does anyone at work know this?’

  ‘No – and I can’t have them finding out either, or I’ll probably be fired.’

  ‘So what are you going to do?’

  ‘Other than to watch my back, what can I do? I can’t tell anyone about it.’ Eden was teary eyed again. ‘I can’t lose my job, Amy. I have Casey to think about too. Not only does she have a liar for a father, now I have to protect her from the fact that someone might come after us to punish him as well.’

  Amy shook her head in amazement. ‘Does Danny think. . .’ She stopped.

  Eden nodded. It was as if what Amy was thinking was impossible, but it had to be true for Danny to make contact again.

  ‘Danny thinks Jackson will hurt him and then come after me for the debt.’

  ‘But you don’t have that sort of money! Well you don’t, do you?’

  ‘No. Neither does Danny. He even suggested I sell my Lambretta!’

  ‘What?’ Amy shook her head in disapproval. ‘You’re not going to, are you?’

  ‘There’s no way I’d do that. But even so, that doesn’t help my situation at all. He can’t find the money, and I won’t give him any either. So now I’ll have to watch over my shoulder for Jed Jackson for the rest of my life. I am well and truly screwed.’

  ‘Is there anything anyone else can do to help?’

  Eden shook her head and gazed out of the window, feeling the dread that someone was watching her creep over her again. She turned back to Amy.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said, ‘and if there is, how can I ask them without landing myself in trouble?’

  With no easy answer, they sat in silence for a moment.

  Their order was ready. Amy checked her watch as she got up to fetch the food from the counter. ‘I think there’s just time to squeeze in a vanilla slice before we go back to work.’

  Eden gave a weak smile. ‘It will certainly help, that’s for sure.’

  Eden’s phone rang as she and Amy walked back to the station. It was Laura.

  ‘Go ahead and I’ll catch you up,’ she told Amy and then answered the call. ‘Hey, you.’

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ said Laura. ‘After two years, you go to see Danny and you don’t tell any of us?’

  She groaned inwardly. ‘How did you find out?’

  ‘Jess saw you in Starbucks this morning.’

  Eden hadn’t spotted her niece in the coffee shop. She’d thought that Jess would have been long gone to school by then. Maybe she had been walking past. The
n a thought struck her. She hoped it was only Jess who’d seen them and that Casey hadn’t been with her. She wanted to tell her face-to-face that evening. It was only fair.

  ‘Does Casey know?’

  ‘Jess hadn’t said anything to her so I told her not to. I think that’s your job anyway.’

  ‘It’s not what you think,’ Eden tried to explain. ‘He contacted me yesterday and I said I’d see him on my own first.’

  ‘And are you okay? You are, aren’t you?’

  ‘I think so. It was weird seeing him after so long.’

  ‘Did he say why he left?’

  ‘It wasn’t for anyone else.’

  ‘So what did he want? Did he tell you that much?’

  ‘Can I call you back? I need to digest what he told me first.’

  ‘You can’t confide in your own sister?’

  ‘No, wait, it’s not like that! I’m at work.’

  ‘Thanks a bunch.’

  The call was terminated. Eden groaned loudly, causing a man across the street to turn and look at her. She looked in the opposite direction, as if she was trying to see where the noise had come from too. Then she kept her eyes straight ahead.

  In the back of her mind, she’d hoped Danny had wanted to come back. If he had, then she would have sat down with her family: first with Casey to see how she felt about it and then with Laura. She had wondered if he’d want to take things slowly again, maybe see her a few times and then see Casey.

  But he hadn’t wanted to come back at all. And if Jess hadn’t seen them together, then she would never have told anyone that she had met him. Now her sister had got involved. Being protective of Eden, Laura would want to know everything about Danny’s time away. When he’d left, Laura had been convinced that he must have gone away with another woman and had been irate. The anger had died down a little over time, but the accusations still simmered in the background.

  Eden gave a sigh. What a day so far.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Standing in the doorway, he took a drag from his cigarette, folded his arms and crossed his legs at the ankles. To the casual observer, he blended into the crowd, as if he was waiting for someone. Which he was.