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

  I turned my head to see Chloe standing in the doorway.

  Ryan glared at me, panting, as he caught his breath. ‘Now look what you’ve done!’ he seethed. ‘If she says anything about what’s happened, you’re dead, do you hear me?’ He grabbed my chin and squeezed hard.

  I gasped as the pain shot through my face. Trying to breathe, I put a hand to my nose to stop the flow of blood.

  It was then that Chloe ran across the room and threw herself on to Ryan’s back.

  ‘Leave Mummy alone,’ she screamed, pounding his back with her tiny fists. ‘I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.’

  Ryan tried to reach for her but she hung on like a leech and dug her nails into his cheek. He howled.

  ‘You little bitch,’ he cried, lashing out with his hand. ‘You’re just like your mother.’

  The force threw Chloe across the room, her head connecting with the corner of the coffee table. She gave a short gasp and then her eyes closed.

  ‘Chloe!’ Finding strength I didn’t know I possessed, I pushed Ryan off me and raced across the room to her side. Despite my nose bleeding, I took her in my arms.

  ‘Chloe? Chloe, darling. It’s Mummy. Chloe, can you hear me?’

  I pressed my hand to her cheek but her eyes stayed closed. I slapped her face to rouse her but still nothing. Then her eyes opened before rolling back inside her head, and she began to spasm.

  ‘What have I done?’ Ryan was standing beside me, whispering over and over. ‘What have I done?’

  ‘Ring for an ambulance,’ I told him.

  ‘But they’ll say it’s my fault and I’ll go to prison.’

  ‘I don’t care! She’s going to die if you don’t!’ I screamed.

  It was enough to make him react and he picked up the phone.

  ‘Chloe.’ I patted her cheek again. ‘Chloe-bear, please wake up. Mummy’s here. I want you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me? Chloe?’

  I sat with her, soothing her while Ryan spoke to the operator. ‘Mummy’s here,’ I said, over and over again.

  ‘The ambulance is on its way,’ Ryan said, coming to sit next to me again. ‘The operator wants to talk to you. Is she going to be okay?’

  I pushed the phone away, cutting off the operator. I couldn’t talk to anyone. Then I spoke to him, finding courage from somewhere.

  ‘I swear to God, Ryan, if you have harmed our child, I will kill you,’ I said.

  Ryan grabbed me by the hair again. ‘Don’t threaten me, you stupid bitch, or I will put all the blame at your feet and tell everyone it was you.’

  ‘You’d lie about your own daughter?’

  ‘You came home drunk, you carried on drinking and then you hit out at her because she wouldn’t go to bed.’

  ‘You’re the alcoholic! I haven’t had a drop. People will know!’

  Ryan’s grip lessened as he realised what I was saying.

  ‘She tripped and fell, right?’ His voice wasn’t convincing. ‘We had nothing to do with it. She was excited about school in the morning and was telling us about a project, and she tripped and fell.’

  ‘Did I fall with her?’ I laughed snidely. ‘What about my bruises? They’re not self-inflicted.’

  ‘She pulled you down the stairs with her.’ He pushed her away. ‘You’ll do as you’re told or it’ll be you next!’

  Despite my earlier bravery, I began to cower at his raised voice. Would I ever get enough courage to walk away from this man?

  The ambulance arrived, and he went through his planned speech. I didn’t say anything. When the paramedic said I was in delayed shock, I went with that. I was shocked that my husband had killed my child. I had seen Chloe’s eyes. If she wasn’t dead now, she soon would be. There must be some damage to her brain from hitting the corner of the coffee table.

  We went in the ambulance to the hospital. I was tended to as well, Ryan never leaving my side. Chloe was being taken straight to theatre with a brain bleed. I sat like a zombie as they attended to my face. The police arrived, and I knew they’d taken one look at me and realised that Ryan was lying.

  ‘Did your husband hit her?’ the female detective asked.

  I paused for a moment before shaking my head. ‘It was an accident.’

  I couldn’t say anything else because Ryan was coming up behind her. And it was best to keep the peace – then figure out what to do next.

  It was touch and go that Chloe would survive. If she died, I would make him pay. I would make him suffer. I just didn’t know how.

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  When Ryan didn’t make a noise, Carla stood watching. His face was still in the water. She hoped he would drown before help arrived. She could always feign shock, like she had when he had hurt Chloe.

  She’d known all along she’d been playing a dangerous game, but she’d needed to let him come closer. It was the only way – to let him think he was winning. If he killed her, then so be it, but she needed a shot at getting rid of the fear.

  She’d been terrified over the past few weeks – the man in the garden and then at her door, the brick through the window at the refuge, the man loose in Stockleigh assaulting women – but she’d had to push it all aside and go about her life as normally as possible. If she didn’t seem threatened, he would come to her. Just like he had. She hadn’t intended anyone else to get hurt and for that she was truly sorry. But she needed closure, one way or another. She had spent ten lonely years without her daughter.

  She looked down at him. Time stood still. It could have been thirty seconds or several minutes but she prayed it was enough. She wanted to be free. Then maybe she would be able to rest in her bed each night.

  ‘Carla!’

  Recognising Eden’s voice, Carla looked up to see the silhouette of two figures making their way slowly down the side of the quarry.

  With one last look at Ryan, she threw the brick as far as she could into the water.

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  At the bottom of the quarry at last, Eden came rushing past Carla, splashing into the water.

  ‘Get him out, Jordan,’ she shouted as she grabbed one of Ryan’s arms.

  Jordan reached for the other. A dead weight, they battled to drag him out and on to the embankment. It was hard to see where they were going in the dark.

  Eden’s foot slipped in the mud and she stumbled, holding a hand out to stop herself from falling. Jordan pulled Ryan up and the force launched her upright too.

  Back on solid ground again, they laid him down. He was unconscious. She checked for a pulse but couldn’t find one.

  ‘Is he breathing?’ asked Jordan, as she opened his mouth.

  Eden shook her head. She began to pump on his chest, hoping to get some of the water out. Together they tried to resuscitate Ryan, blowing air into his mouth too, but after ten minutes, she stopped. She sat back on her haunches, putting a hand on Jordan’s arm to make him ease off.

  ‘He’s gone,’ she said, pointing upwards where people were congregating. The shadows of two people were almost upon them on their level. ‘The paramedics are here now, though.’

  She turned back to see Carla still standing in the water, shivering. She stood up, caught her breath for a moment and then went into the water to her.

  ‘He’s dead, isn’t he?’ whispered Carla, shaking uncontrollably.

  ‘Yes, he’s dead. Come on, let’s get you out of there.’ Eden wrapped an arm gently around her shoulder and guided her back to the embankment. ‘It’s over.’

  Epilogue

  One Week Later

  Eden sat at the desk in her office. Jordan and Amy were laughing about something on Jordan’s mobile phone, and Phil was making coffee – wonders would never cease. He’d really pulled through and worked hard to ensure that Daniels could be charged. Yes, he’d made an error, but he’d more than made up for it since. It had been refreshing to watch him change over the past fortnight as he’d gelled more and more with the team.

  All around them officers were goi
ng about their duties. Sean was in his office, and everything was calm. It was 8.15 a.m. Things could change within an hour depending on what the residents of Stockleigh woke up to.

  Phil brought a tray of drinks over to them then produced several packets of biscuits and put them in the middle of their desks. He handed a box of Jaffa cakes to Amy.

  ‘Thought you might like a treat before I leave you,’ he said, smiling sheepishly. ‘I’m sure you can’t wait to see the back of me.’

  Amy grinned. ‘Anyone who gives me a box of Jaffa Cakes is a friend for life.’

  ‘Don’t eat too many or you won’t get in that wedding dress.’

  ‘Mate!’ Jordan cried. ‘You said the “W” word.’

  ‘I haven’t mentioned anything to do with weddings in about three days, Jordan,’ Amy retorted, trying to put on a stern face.

  Phil smiled and looked over at Eden. ‘Thanks for making me so welcome after I was such a knob.’

  Eden laughed ‘The more the merrier in this team. I shall be sad to see you go now.’ She meant it too. You didn’t get to pick your work colleagues and there were bound to be clashes of personalities once in a while.

  ‘I just felt my age when I came back, and a little resentful for being placed in your team. But I really started to enjoy myself. You do such a great job. And, now I feel on form again, it’s a shame I can’t stay with you.’

  ‘Not to worry,’ Jordan joined in with the banter. ‘At least you don’t have to work for Twiggy anymore.’

  ‘Oi!’ Eden screwed up a piece of notepaper and threw it at him. ‘Talking of work, Amy?’ She waited for her to finish eating. ‘How do you fancy running the drop-in session at The Willows? I think it would be great for you to build up a rapport with some of the key workers there.’

  Amy smiled enthusiastically. ‘That would be great, thanks. When shall I start?’

  ‘Come with me to the next session. I’ll introduce you to everyone and you can settle in. It’s only an hour every fortnight.’

  Amy beamed. ‘Thanks!’

  They settled back to work. Eden answered a few emails and read a few new ones. The results for the soil analysis on Daniels’ boots had come back to a match with the crime scene for Ramona Wilson. After she skimmed through another email, she went to see Sean.

  ‘The results are in from the post-mortem on Ryan Gregory,’ she said, moving a file off a chair opposite him to sit down on the seat. ‘Cause of death was drowning, due to being unconscious because of a knock to his head.’

  ‘What kind of a knock?’

  ‘He couldn’t say for certain whether it would have happened as he fell down the quarry bank, or if he was hit while he was in the water. But the blow was enough to stun him and then he drowned.’

  ‘So there’s no funny business, you reckon?’

  ‘I’m not sure we’ll ever know that for certain,’ she replied. ‘But there’s no evidence to suggest anything happened other than what Carla told us.’

  ‘And Tanya White? How is she?’

  ‘She’s doing okay too. She’s back at home now. I can’t help but feel for her, as she loved Vic so much. In their own way, they were a couple, I guess, at least when he wasn’t in prison. Tanya may have to go to court, but I’m hoping, in view of the circumstances, that the judge might be lenient.’

  ‘It has to be done,’ said Sean, pushing his glasses up his nose. ‘She did commit a crime – aiding and abetting.’

  Eden ran a hand through her hair. ‘True, but under the threat of her life.’

  ‘After seeing the state that Ryan left her in, I can well believe it.’ Sean paused. ‘Keep an eye on her for now. You never know if that mad bastard has paid someone else to finish things if he couldn’t. Carla too, but I’m sure you don’t need to be told that.’

  She nodded.

  ‘Maybe a visit is in order in light of those results?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Eden stood up and went back to her team. Yet again, she had failed to tell Sean what she needed to about Jed Jackson. Jackson’s warning last week had shocked her, and she knew she would lose her job if anything came out about what Danny had done. But, to a certain point, she would protect her family, especially Casey. Just like Carla and Tanya had protected themselves, she needed to protect herself too. People would talk if what Danny had done came out, and she couldn’t have that. It would hurt Casey too much, and she was Eden’s main priority. She knew what she had to do now. She had to stop this before it went any further.

  She needed to speak to Danny but, first, she had somewhere else to go.

  Carla walked through the cemetery, head held high. The weather was overcast but at least it was a little warmer than of late. She’d picked up a bunch of pink carnations from the stall at the entrance. Chloe would have loved the colour choice, she was sure.

  She had never felt so light as she turned towards her daughter’s grave. The sense of being watched was gone, and she felt free to lift her head and embrace the world.

  After a moment standing in silence, she placed the flowers on the grave.

  ‘I’m not sorry for what I did, Chloe. It was only because of what he did to you. He should never have taken you away – and so young. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think about you, how you were, what happened. But just lately, I’ve been imagining how you would be if you were alive, and it’s such a comfort. Going through school and college, boys, friends. What you’d look like now.’

  She paused for a moment, lifting her face to the sky. ‘I can come and visit you any time I like now, Chloe-bear. I’m so sorry I had to stay away.’

  She stood like that for a while, embracing the day. No one to scare her, to maim her, to hurt her. She was free to love again if she chose to. She was free to do anything she wanted.

  Her freedom had come at a price, and what happened to Vic and Tanya White would be forever on her conscience. She should have been stronger and left Ryan before he had lashed out at Chloe, and she would never forgive herself for that. But at least now she could move on with her life, safe in the knowledge that he would never get her again.

  Later that afternoon, Eden knocked on Carla’s door.

  ‘I have the results of the post-mortem,’ she said, once they were in the kitchen. ‘Ryan drowned, but he took a blow to the head as well. That wasn’t the cause of his death. He drowned because he fell unconscious into the water.’

  Carla nodded slightly to show she had understood. A tear dripped down her face.

  Eden paused for a moment. When Carla had been able to be interviewed after she had been seen in hospital and treated for shock, and her cuts and bruises tended to, she had spoken to Eden at great length about what had happened. She had told her that Ryan had dragged her to the edge of the quarry, and when he had pushed her over, she had clung on to him, and he had gone over with her – and must have knocked his head.

  She had got up, and he’d come after her, and she’d had nowhere to run to but into the water. She said he must have tripped as the next thing she knew he was face down in the water and the police were running down the quarry side to help.

  Eden looked at Carla, hoping that it was the truth, but deep down inside, she knew she was lying. If she had been in Carla’s position, maybe she would have done the same thing, acting in self-defence. It didn’t make it right but there was no proof and no witnesses to insinuate anything else.

  ‘At least I can settle here now.’ Carla smiled. ‘I’m so pleased that I can finally have some roots again. I might even get in touch with my family.’

  Eden frowned. ‘You have family? I’ve never heard you talking about them.’

  ‘My parents. I didn’t dare go and visit them, as I didn’t want them to know where I was. If Ryan had gone after them, he would have hurt them to get information on me. I couldn’t have that on my conscience as well as him hurting my daughter.’

  ‘How did you get through that?’ asked Eden. ‘I couldn’t begin to imagine life without Casey.’

  ‘I
don’t think I ever did get through it,’ Carla said truthfully. ‘A part of me will always be missing as I think about her, how she would have been now. She wanted to be a doctor when she grew up – live in a large house, get married, be happy. One day she hoped to have her own children. I’ll miss out on all of that because of him.’

  ‘Well it’s not too late to start again,’ said Eden, patting Carla’s hand.

  ‘It is for me.’ Carla shook her head. ‘I can’t have any more children after Ryan left his mark on me.’

  Eden reached forward and gave Carla a hug. Nothing else needed to be said.

  Before going to see Melody Dixon, Eden called at the newsagent to get some comic books and some sweets. She knocked on the door.

  Melody answered it.

  ‘I’d said I’d come and see you when I caught the attacker. I’m sorry it’s a bit later than planned, but I was working on two cases and, well, anyway. . .’

  ‘Come in,’ said Melody.

  ‘How are you?’ Eden asked as she sat down opposite her in the living room.

  ‘I’m getting there,’ said Melody. ‘The bruising and the physical pain have gone, but I still have my mental issues. I’ll deal with them over time though.’

  Eden smiled. ‘I hope so.’

  ‘I want to thank you for getting him. I was told that he attacked you as well. Are you okay now?’

  Eden pointed to her feet. ‘He chose the wrong person. Anyone who messes with me gets the possibility of a Doc Marten in their groin.’

  Melody smiled. It lit up her face, and Eden knew that even though she had gone through a traumatic experience that would floor some people, the young woman who sat before her was going to be okay.

  The door opened and a small boy with a mop of blond curls popped his face around the door frame.

  ‘Hiya, lady,’ he said, his face lighting up with a smile as wide as his mum’s.

  ‘Hello! You must be Reece,’ said Eden.