A gust of wind blew in the car with Conway, bringing with it a spray of rain. He looked quizzically at the phone.
‘That was my boss, he knows I’m holding out on him,’ she explained.
Conway wiped a hand down his face. ‘What do you want to do?’
Before Marnie could answer, the phone started to ring again. ‘I need to speak to him.’
‘No, you don’t, we need to get to Rae and sort this.’
Marnie shook her head. ‘You’re wrong,’ she replied, tapping at the icon on the screen.
Suddenly, Reese’s voice filled the car, angry and frustrated.
‘Marnie, where the hell are you?’
‘I—’
‘Bev Harvey contacted me to say you’d had a letter delivered and did a runner straight after. So, I want to know exactly where you are and what the fuck you think you are doing?’
‘I can’t do that,’ she replied.
Conway watched Marnie close her eyes, her face blighted with distress. She started to talk, explaining about the letter and its contents, when she reached the part where she had gone to meet Conway, Reese exploded.
‘You went to see a known killer and …’
‘He’s here with me now,’ Marnie admitted in a small voice.
Silence filled the car, broken only by Marnie’s breathing as she tried to control her emotions.
When Reese did speak, his voice had dropped an octave, each word packed with fury. ‘Tell me where you are. Right now.’
‘I’m sorry but I can’t,’ she replied, her voice cracked with pain and regret.
‘Can’t or won’t?’ he fired back.
‘I’ve told you what was in the letter, whoever wrote it knows all about me, they know about what happened to Abby, they named you and Bev.’
Reese blasted out a sigh of frustration. ‘Jesus Christ, do you really expect me talk about any of this when you have the man who stamped all over Hamer’s head with you?’
Marnie glanced sideways, Conway looked at her and raised a questioning eyebrow.
‘We can trust him,’ she replied automatically.
‘Trust him?’ Reese repeated in disbelief. ‘OK, Sergeant Hammond, listen to me very carefully, I know what you went through over Boland, I know what you are still going through over you sister but deep down you know this is wrong. Wrong on so many levels I don’t even know where to start.’
‘I couldn’t tell you about any of this, the writer of the letter knows things and they said Rowan Hall would die if I tried to ask for your help.’
‘And how would they have known, Marnie, answer me that?’
‘Someone must be passing on information, someone in the team…’
‘The facts are you believed what was in the letter because it suited your need to try and put things right, but you never stopped to think it through, you never did your bloody job!’ his voice started to rise again and Marnie knew her boss would be gripping the phone tight, his face florid with colour.
‘I won’t risk another girl’s life,’ she shot back, her own anger rising through the turmoil.
‘So, rather than trust those you work with you thought you’d conspire with a killer, is that what you’re telling me?’
Marnie could hear the anger but there was disappointment, bitter disappointment that she had chosen not to tell him about the letter.
‘I thought you trusted me, Marnie, I mean, what did you think I would do? Did you think I would just steamroller your feelings into the ground?’
Marnie closed her eyes again as his words hit home, Reese was right, she should have gone to him, after all, he was one of the few people in her life that she did trust and yet she hadn’t stopped to think, hadn’t truly considered her actions.
‘You are there with Conway, so what do you expect me to do, Marnie, come on, tell me, I’m bloody dying to hear what excuse you come up with next?’
‘I…’
‘The truth is you can’t because in reality, what happened to your sister will always cloud your judgment when it comes to cases like this.’
Marnie winced at the words.
‘You are a good copper but I know you only ever took the job because you thought it would help you get to the truth, the rest of it is just a by-product to you, isn’t it?’
Marnie tried to think of a denial but in a way, she knew that DCI Reese was speaking the truth.
Conway eased back in the seat, his bunched hands resting on his knees, the urge to find Rae building with every second that passed.
‘Listen to me, Marnie, we all have our reasons for doing this job and normally it can be traced back to some injustice that we saw as kids. I get that, I understand it, so I am going to cut you some slack.’
Marnie opened her eyes in surprise.
‘If you think that the person responsible has Rowan Hall or knows where she is, then I accept that.’
‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘Are you there, Mr Conway?’ Reese asked.
‘I’m here.’
‘I dare say Marnie has told you about the death of your friend and part of me understands what you are trying to accomplish, but you killed Hamer and tortured Chelsea Whitlow.’
‘That’s correct,’ Conway answered in a heartbeat.
Reese sighed again as if he couldn’t even believe he was holding the conversation.
‘If you do the right thing, if you let me know where you are and promise not to get involved then I swear we will do everything we can to get Rowan back.’
‘And how would you do that?’
‘By doing our jobs, we—’
‘John Hall lay dead in his garage for five weeks and so far, you have found fuck-all,’ Conway replied, his jaw tightening in anger.
‘That doesn’t make what you did right, you killed a man—’
‘He deserved it.’
Marnie looked at Conway, searching his profile for any hint of remorse but found none.
‘I’ll find Rowan and anyone who gets in my way or holds out on me is fair game,’ Conway finished.
‘Does that include the woman who is trying to help you?’ Reese demanded.
Marnie saw a flicker of emotion pass over Conway’s face. ‘I just want her
found—’
‘That’s what we all want, but this isn’t the way to do it.’
‘Yeah, well, I don’t have the luxury of time, I need answers and—’
‘So where will you get these answers.’
Conway smiled. ‘Nice try.’
Marnie’s hand tightened around the phone as silence descended and then the wind blew a scattering of rain on the roof sounding almost like a spray of bullets.
‘We’re parked on the street where Rae lives,’ she said. Conway snapped his head around, the anger blazing in his eyes. Marnie didn’t flinch, didn’t look away as he continued to glare at her.
‘You’re there because his name was linked with Boland in the diary?’ the DCI asked.
‘It’s the only lead we have,’ Marnie offered.
Silence drifted out of the phone. ‘I’m setting off now, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, then we—’
‘You can’t,’ Marnie pleaded.
‘I’ll be coming alone,’ Reese explained.
Marnie felt the surprise widen her eyes.
‘Listen to me, Marnie, I want to find the girl as much as you do and I agree that the contents of the letter points to the person knowing more than they should about you and the rest of the team. All I ask is that you wait for me before you go storming in?’
‘You seriously expect me to wait here while you come mob-handed to take me down?’ Conway snarled.
‘If he says he’ll come alone then he will,’ Marnie bit back.
Tom Conway wiped the back of his hand across his brow, the fissures in his mind widening as the pressure piled on. The clock was ticking and every second wasted left Rowan in danger. An image of John came into his mind, they had been serving together in Iraq – th
eir third tour of duty – and things had been bad, though the group of men who served in the unit had functioned as one, watching one another’s backs at all times and they had all made it home relatively unscathed and in part that had been down to John Hall. He had always been cautious, making sure that they covered all the angles before they acted.
In his mind, he heard his late friend whisper the single word. ‘Wait.’
Tom turned to Marnie and gave a sharp nod. ‘Fifteen minutes and if he isn’t here, then I’m going in.’
Marnie opened her mouth but Reese’s voice filled the gap.
‘I’ll be there,’ the DCI said.
The phone beeped and died. Marnie closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.
78
‘Find her,’ the woman demanded, her face stark with fury, her eyes sparkling with ice-cold hatred. They were standing outside the open bedroom door, watching Phelps writhe on the floor, both hands held to his bloodied face.
Williams sighed. ‘How am I meant to find her, she could have been gone for hours, she—’
‘The front door was open and the hallway was dry; it’s been raining all day so if she had escaped hours ago the hallway would have been flooded.’
Williams felt a flicker of admiration for her reasoning but then the wind howled outside and he shivered at the prospect of heading out into the filthy night.
‘Do you really need her?’ he asked.
‘Of course I need her,’ she hissed as she walked into the room, leaving Williams in the doorway. Reaching the slumped form of Phelps, she looked down. ‘Contact Acton and tell him to get here, there’s only one road onto this property so sooner or later, she will have to use it.’
Williams pulled out his phone as the woman lifted the heavy blade from the inside of the wax coat. Tapping in the number, he placed the phone to his ear, listening to it ring. She turned and looked at him, her eyes seemed to shine in the darkness as she reached down and grabbed hold of Phelps’s comb-over. The solicitor cried out in pain and the woman hauled him around until he was leaning back against her legs, like a lamb to the slaughter. Just as Acton answered the phone the woman started cutting, swiping the blade high across Phelps forehead and pulling back on the strands of paltry hair.
Arnie Phelps screamed, the blood poured down his face and into his eyes, his legs thrashed back and forth.
‘Jesus Christ, what’s that?’ Acton gasped down the phone.
Williams moved out onto the landing as the blade took another slice of flesh, parting the scalp from the skull.
‘I need you out at the old house, the fucking girl’s escaped so keep your eyes out for her, is that understood?’
‘Look, I did my side of the job, I told you about Rae and…’
‘Fuck Rae, he’s nothing,’ Williams barked.
‘But…’
‘You know the score; the woman is paying you to be her beck and call boy. And the screaming you can hear is the mad bitch scalping the bent solicitor.’
‘Arnie!?’ Acton panted in shock.
‘Yes, fucking Arnie, so unless you want to end up the same way then you get here, park at the end of the lane keep and your eyes peeled. If you find the girl then no doubt the woman will pin a smiley badge on your chest.’
‘I…’
‘If you decide to run she will find you – make no mistake about that – but before she does she will pay your family a visit and let you have a front-row seat while she cuts them to pieces, so do the right thing and get your arse over here, NOW!’
‘OK, OK. I’m on my way.’
‘You’d better be,’ Williams warned and then grimaced as Arnie’s scream reached a new high.
‘Fuck me,’ Acton said, and ended the call.
Williams watched the woman work, she finished with a flourish, the flap of skin came free and she held it up for a moment studying the grisly memento. Before tossing it onto the bed, she looked across the room at Williams. ‘What are you still doing here?’
‘Acton’s on his way.’
‘Of course he is, now go and bring me the girl.’
Williams nodded, turning away and striding along the landing. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs Phelps was screaming again. A woman’s work is never done, he thought, a cruel smile twisting his mouth.
79
Conway checked the clock on the dashboard. ‘Fourteen minutes,’ he said in a deadpan voice.
‘He’ll be here.’
‘Well, he has sixty seconds and then I’m out of here, I’ll find Rae and…’
‘You don’t know which house he lives at.’
He turned to look at her. ‘You’ll tell me.’
‘You really think so, do you?’
‘I know so.’
Marnie felt the anger shift inside as she glared at Conway. ‘So far, all you have done is kill a man and torture a woman …’
‘I found the diary that led us here,’ he replied with a scowl.
Lifting her hands, Marnie placed them on the wheel, her grip tightening. ‘I …’
Lights flared, a car rounded the corner and Marnie watched through the mirror as Reese pulled up behind Conway’s car.
‘Remember what I said, I won’t let anyone stop me from finding Rowan,’ the ex-soldier said.
Ignoring him Marnie pushed the door open and stepped out into the darkness.
By the time the DCI emerged through the downpour, Conway had climbed out and was standing by the side of the car.
Reese glanced at him then looked at Marnie. ‘Are you OK?’ he asked.
‘I’m sorry, I should have contacted you, I should have stopped and thought things through.’
Reese slipped his hands into his pockets. ‘The main thing is you came clean in the end but for Christ’s sake, don’t make a habit of going it alone.’
Marnie nodded, grateful for his understanding.
‘Right, let’s go and have a word with Rae, see what the tosser has to say for himself,’ Reese said.
Conway walked onto the pavement and Reese treated him to a hard stare and then they were striding along, past the first two houses on the right. Reaching Rae’s drive, they could see the house was in darkness, the black Range Rover parked in front, at some stage the front window had been replaced.
Marnie broke into a run and then Conway and Reese followed, keeping low as they sprinted towards the house. Marnie angled right, ignoring the front door she headed towards the side of the house and along a path crammed with bushes, the wind battering them, spray flying from the leaves.
Reaching the end, she stopped and looked out into a garden smothered in shadow, she could hear the two men at her back breathing rapidly as she edged out onto the patio and turned left.
At the French doors, she peered into the darkened kitchen, when she saw the shape slumped at the kitchen table she stepped back into the shadows then Conway was by her side, grabbing the handle he twisted it open.
‘Stay where you are,’ Reese hissed.
Ignoring the order, Conway pushed the door, as soon as the lock clicked Marnie saw Rae lift his head, his eyes blinking in confusion and then he bolted from the chair sending it crashing to the floor as Conway flung the door open.
When Marnie saw Rae reach down, her eyes widened.
‘Gun!’ she bellowed as Rae snatched it up and aimed it at them.
Reaching forwards, Reese grabbed the collar of Conway’s jacket and yanked him back as Marnie lunged to the right.
She caught a swift blinding flash of light and then the glass in the door exploded outwards.
Glancing left, she saw the two men flattened to the wall as the lead screamed out into the darkness.
‘Bastard!’ Conway snarled, he risked a quick glance around the corner before pulling back to safety.
A second explosion erupted from inside the house, blowing away a chunk of the doorframe and then Conway was moving in a crouch as he dashed into the room.
Marnie and Reese hesitated and then they gave ch
ase in time to see Conway hurl himself over the kitchen table and slam into Rae, who was trying to reload the shotgun.
The gun fell from his hands and clattered to tiles, the two men vanished from view, landing on the floor in a melee of thrashing limbs.
‘Hit the light,’ Reese shouted running towards them.
Marnie dashed across the room and slapped the palm of her hand against the switch, the kitchen was blasted with stark white light and she squinted against the sudden onslaught.
She turned in time to see Conway slam his fist into Rae’s face, then Reese grabbed him and hauled Conway to one side.
Pushing himself into a sitting position, Rae’s eyes darted left, as soon as he saw the gun he tried to scuttle towards it but Marnie got there first, slamming her boot down on his hand as his grasping fingers reached for the stock.
Jimmy Rae bellowed in fury watching Marnie pick up the weapon.
Reese still had hold of Conway though it seemed as if the ex-soldier was offering no resistance to being kept back.
‘What the fuck are you two doing here?’ Rae snarled then looked at Conway. ‘And who the fuck are you?’ he demanded, flexing his fingers, checking for broken bones.
Marnie held the shotgun in her right hand, the sawn-off barrel pointing at the floor. ‘Have you heard from your solicitor lately?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he spat.
‘Arnie Phelps has gone missing and he has a girl with him,’ Marnie took a step closer.
The big man unexpectedly looked puzzled and Marnie felt her stomach sink in disappointment.
‘Like I said, I don’t have a clue what you’re waffling on about,’ Rae slowly pushed himself to his feet.
‘Don’t fucking lie!’ Conway snarled. ‘Chelsea Whitlow told me all about you and Phelps, about how he takes care of the money you make and ferrets it away. Money made through drugs and prostitution, money made through murder!’ His voice rose as he moved forward.
Rae turned to the look at the man, his eyes narrowing, Marnie took her chance, bending down she quickly picked up two of the spilled cartridges from the floor, stepped back and cracked the barrel open.
Cut The Threads Page 25
