by Gwyn GB
‘Do you recognise this man?’
Tanya gave a small gasp, and Harrison saw her body tense.
‘Yes. His girlfriend was murdered. I don’t think anyone was ever charged. I remember him because he gave me the creeps. When we were at her house, he would turn up outside watching, like some crow out of that Hitchcock Birds movie. My colleague Dave said it was just because he was so upset about her murder.’
‘When was this?’ Harrison asked.
‘About a year ago now. The last time I saw him was at the inquest when the body was released. There was no other family. I think he claimed her.’
There was silence for a moment. A huge screaming siren of a silence while they both thought about what she’d just said.
‘Do you think he’s just trying to replace her and because I was there has latched on to me?’ she asked Harrison. ‘Or maybe he blames us, me, for not getting a conviction? Or…’ Tanya didn’t finish her sentence.
He nodded slowly.
‘I think we have to consider the possibility he might have been watching you all investigate his own handiwork. We need to get in touch with the SIO on that case, and you need to find yourself somewhere else to live for a while. You can’t stay here on your own. I don’t think he clocked me, but if he did he might speed up his game plan.’
14
Harrison had every intention of returning to his apartment alone, but the friend Tanya wanted to go and stay with was out at her boyfriend’s parents’ house for dinner. There was no way he was going to let her stay at home alone and so they’d agreed that she’d come back to his for the night while the man wasn’t there to see her take things out, and then he’d help her move to the friend’s tomorrow.
While having Tanya in the flat seemed like a pleasant idea, it was also an extremely uncomfortable prospect. He’d not lived with anyone for over a decade, and this was his refuge. A place he could totally relax. He’d had no one over to visit before, apart from Joe when he’d come to the UK and stayed with him for a week. That had been totally different. Joe was family. He may have only been his stepfather, but he’d been the best influence in his young life. Not only did he teach him tracking, but he’d stabilised his mother. Those had been their happiest years, staying with the Tohono O’odham people in Arizona. Later, after his mother’s murder, Joe had saved his life. He was always a welcome guest.
The reason Harrison told himself that he didn’t want Tanya staying was because he would be more use to her if he could go back tomorrow and see if the Scottish sociopath had returned. Tanya would be safe at her friend’s house on the other side of town. He also knew there were other reasons, but those he chose to ignore.
As it was, he helped her pack and set up some automated lights to make it look like she was still inside. For now, she would be OK. Tomorrow, or the next day, the man would work out that she’d moved elsewhere. He knew where she worked. It was just going to be a question of time before he followed her to the friend’s house. They had to act quickly.
The van had come in useful for transporting her and the few bags she had to safety. Harrison made absolutely sure that they weren’t followed or watched.
Sitting in the confines of the van, so close together, Harrison could almost smell her fear.
‘What makes you think he’s dangerous?’ she’d asked him. They’d stopped at a traffic light and neither of them had spoken for a while. Her voice, quiet and fragile, shattered the air in the van. He wanted to be honest with her, but he also didn’t want to frighten her unnecessarily.
‘I’m a grown woman who works in crime. I’ve seen more death and violence than 95 percent of the population. You can tell me,’ she said as though she could read his thought process.
‘He didn’t run,’ Harrison said to her, his eyes quickly glancing her way before returning to the road ahead as the lights turned green.
‘Didn’t run?’
‘I ran after him, and he didn’t run. He just turned round to face me calmly. People don’t usually do that. If they’re guilty, they’ll run too, if they’re not then they’re going to be scared by a big stranger running straight at them. He was neither.’
‘What does that mean?’ she asked him. ‘Maybe he just didn’t think he had anything to worry about.’ He could feel her eyes on his face, watching for any signs that he wasn’t being honest.
‘It means he doesn’t consider his own safety, he has no feelings of guilt, and he thinks he’s clever enough to be able to get himself out of any situation.’
‘A sociopath.’ Tanya finished Harrison’s diagnosis for him.
‘I think so,’ he said.
‘It doesn’t mean he killed his girlfriend, though,’ she replied. ‘Not all sociopaths are killers.’
‘No, you’re right. There are some very successful businesspeople and politicians who are sociopaths. The ruthless trait can be quite useful. So why is he watching your flat and sending you gifts? He’s playing with you. What we don’t know is what his end game is.’
That had the effect of killing the conversation.
He tried not to look at her while he was driving, but he could tell she was biting her lip to keep back the tears. Harrison felt awful for upsetting her, but at the same time he needed Tanya to realise how serious the situation could be. He’d looked in the man’s eyes. They were cold and dark, like a shark’s. Whatever he was up to, it wasn’t good. People like that scared him far more than any folklore or Satanic stories. There was something wrong with the souls of people like him. An empty, cold grey shadow filled his insides, not the warm rainbow kaleidoscope of normal human beings.
Despite the circumstances, Tanya was looking forward to seeing the inner sanctum of Dr Harrison Lane. He was such an enigma that she couldn’t imagine what kind of home he’d made for himself. Ever since meeting him, she’d conjured up a range of possibilities, from a warm country cottage feel to a sterile steel and pale oak bachelor pad. Was he tidy, or would it be cluttered with all manner of oddities, like his office? She hadn’t even known for sure if he lived alone, but if all the gossip was true, then he did.
‘Wow,’ was her reaction when Harrison opened the large internal front door to his flat, and she momentarily forgot about why she was there. A huge light-filled room was in front of her, with large windows all down one side, looking out over the Thames. A modern, open galley-style kitchen was at the far end, with a comfortable sitting area in front of it. The floors were all wooden, and the brick and white walls carried large photographs and a few artefacts of Native American people. Other than some simple furniture, the flat was sparsely decorated.
‘You’re not one for clutter, are you?’ She smiled at Harrison.
‘I don’t need much.’ He shrugged. ‘Things end up owning you if you’re not careful.’
‘I should have gone into psychology,’ Tanya continued, still looking around her. ‘This place is amazing.’
‘I inherited it,’ Harrison said. He might not know how much it was worth, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to afford to buy it now on his wages. ‘You can have this room. It has an en suite.’ He’d crossed the big open living expanse and opened a door at the start of a short corridor that obviously led to the bedrooms.
Tanya walked into a room which was as big as her sitting-room and kitchen combined, let alone her bedroom.
‘I’ll get some sheets,’ Harrison said to her as her eyes flitted to the double bed. It looked new. The duvet was rolled up into a large fat sausage and there were four pristine pillows waiting for their case coverings.
‘Thank you so much for doing this,’ she said, turning to look at him. This was the first time the pair of them had stopped and properly looked at each other since the night they’d met in the wine bar. The stillness of the flat was like a vise pushing them together. Tanya felt the overwhelming urge to reach out and touch him. To let her hands run over his muscular arms, to feel the slightly rough stubble of his cheek on hers as she pushed her body against his solid chest. S
he needed comfort and safety, and he offered both. The flat smelt of him, the musky scent of the androstenone that made her pheromones race and her heart start to beat faster. His eyes didn’t leave hers, she felt him drinking her in. For the first time, she was sure he wanted her too.
‘I’ll go ring for pizza. You must be hungry,’ he said, turning quickly and leaving the room.
15
Harrison woke up early and had the desperate urge to go for a run. It was 5 a.m. and Tanya was still asleep. She was safe. The Scottish sociopath couldn’t get her here. He’d written a note for her just in case she’d woken up, and then quietly let himself out of the flat.
He knew why he needed to run. Last night he’d very nearly given in to the need he had inside to touch her, hold her, make love to her. It had taken all his resolve to walk away and then spend the rest of the evening in her company. Quite apart from the fact he didn’t want to get involved with anyone, it would have been taking advantage of the situation. She was vulnerable, scared, and if he’d opened his arms, he knew she would have sought their protection.
Running along the Thames at this time of the morning was a joy. A low mist had settled over the river and although the traffic hum was still there, it wasn’t as loud and obtrusive as usual. Harrison ran, focusing on the sound of the air being pushed in and out of his lungs. The rhythmic thump of his feet on the pavement. For a few blissful moments, his mind was totally taken up with the exertion of exercise. Then the face of Tanya’s stalker reappeared inside his head. He turned and ran back to the apartment, keen to get in and showered before she awoke. There was a lot of work to be done today.
A gentle knocking sound woke Tanya. For a moment she wasn’t sure where she was, and then it had all come flooding back to her.
‘Come in,’ she’d said after quickly raking her fingers through her hair.
Harrison pushed the door open with his foot, carrying a tray in his hands. He smiled warmly at her. There it was again, that look he gave her, the one which made her think he did like her. She’d seen it last night. She was convinced he had wanted her in that moment as much as she had him. As the evening went on, there was no further evidence of that attraction, and she’d come to doubt herself. He almost seemed to resent her for being there.
‘I made breakfast. I hope you like scrambled eggs and bacon,’ he said to her.
‘Oh my goodness, you didn’t have to. Thank you.’
He put the tray down on the bedside table and helped her to plump up the pillows behind her so she could sit up. Then he handed it to her. This was a gentle, caring side she’d never seen before.
‘Are you not having any?’ she asked.
‘I’ve eaten. I went for a run earlier,’ he replied. ‘We need to talk about what you’re going to do about the stalker today, and if you need my help.’
Tanya cut a slice of toast and scrambled egg and watched as Harrison sat on the armchair next to the bed. She could see the colour in his cheeks from the run, and his hair was still slightly damp from the shower, his skin freshly shaved.
‘I’ll get in touch with the SIO from the girlfriend’s murder case first thing,’ she said to him.
‘Do you get on with him? Trust him?’ he asked her.
‘He’s OK. I trust him yeah, but we’re not best buddies.’
‘Maybe we should report this to one of the MITs you know well. Someone who will understand that this is serious, and you wouldn’t make a fuss if it wasn’t.’
‘But who?’ Tanya asked, taking a bite of her breakfast. She couldn’t quite believe she was sitting in bed eating a breakfast cooked by the very eligible Dr Harrison Lane, and that thought was distracting her.
For a moment, they were both silent. Harrison had bent forward, elbows on his knees, thinking.
She took a sip of the orange juice he’d placed on the tray for her.
‘Leave it with me,’ he said at last, and got up from the chair to head out the room. ‘I’m afraid I only have herbal teas, no coffee. Would you like one?’
Tanya smiled and shook her head, her mouth full of breakfast.
‘When you’re ready, I’ll give you a ride into work. We can come back later and pick up the van and your things.’
Then he was gone again, and she was left alone to finish her plate of breakfast.
Harrison had just made himself a tea and heard the shower turn on in the spare room when his mobile phone rang. He put the mug on the counter and looked to see who it was. There was no name.
‘Harrison Lane,’ he answered.
‘Dr Lane. I’m so sorry to call you this early. It’s DCI Robert Whittaker. Do you have a moment to talk?’
‘Sure.’ Harrison picked up his tea and took it over to his sofa, where he could sit, staring out the windows as he talked.
The man on the other end of the phone sighed.
‘We don’t have anyone in custody yet, but we do have several strong leads, which we’re working on today. Trouble is, I’m struggling with manpower here. We simply don’t have the expertise to deal with this case right now. Our usual team has been decimated by illness, maternity leave, and case workload. As you know, DS James was due to lead the investigation but now can’t and DS O’Neil is, well he’s not got much experience.’
There was silence. DCI Whittaker waited for a reaction from Harrison. There was nothing.
‘Dr Lane?’
‘Yes, I’m listening.’
‘OK, right, so I was calling to see if there is any possibility that you could head back up to give us the benefit of your expertise, just for this week. It will help tremendously with interviewing our suspects. You know what you’re looking for. We also need a good DS or DI to come in and assist with the interviews. We were going to go through the usual channels to request some additional resources, but I wondered if there was someone you might prefer to work with?’
Harrison’s heart had plunged at the DCI’s words. They weren’t altogether unexpected, but right now was not the ideal time for him to be leaving London. Tanya needed him.
‘I have something I need to take care of here,’ he started.
‘I appreciate you must be really busy, but I wouldn’t ask unless I thought you could make a big difference.’ The DCI was pleading now.
‘I’ll have to get back to you,’ Harrison replied, and the DCI let out a big breath of relief at his words.
Harrison had already decided exactly who he was going to speak to about Tanya’s problem, and now the DCI had asked this, he realised he was going to be seeing DCI Sandra Barker, with two requests.
16
DCI Sandra Barker’s face lit up when the bulk of Harrison Lane filled her office doorway.
‘Harrison!’ she exclaimed. ‘Two days in a row, we are honoured.’
Harrison closed the door behind him and turned back to see the DCI’s face looking altogether more serious. Everyone knew that her door only got shut if you had something private and sensitive to discuss.
‘Everything all right?’ she asked, reaching into the top drawer of her desk for a chocolate. It was a natural distraction technique for when situations became tense. She knew she didn’t need to bother offering Harrison one. He didn’t eat chocolate. Much to her horror.
‘Yes and no,’ he replied.
DCI Barker waited.
‘First, I wanted to talk to you about Dr Tanya Jones, she was the forensic lead on the Darren Phillips case.’
‘Yes, of course. I’ve worked with her on several investigations. Lovely woman and very good at her job. Is there an issue?’
‘She has a stalker. A man who is watching her and sending her gifts, and who I believe is capable of much worse. In fact, it’s possible he might already have killed.’
DCI Barker’s face registered her shock. It was subtle. Three decades in the police force made your reactions pretty muted to most things, but Harrison had surprised her.
‘This man, he needs to be handled carefully,’ Harrison said to her.
‘
You have a name?’ DCI Barker asked.
‘Tanya knows him. He was the boyfriend in a murder case she worked last year.’
‘Was he a suspect?’
‘I’m not sure. She doesn’t think the case has been solved.’
‘So why haven’t you gone to the SIO?’
‘‘I have to leave town. I need someone to keep an eye on her and find out as much as they can about this man. She’s going to stay with a friend for a bit, but he knows where she works. He’ll find her again.’
‘OK. I’ll speak to Tanya, make sure she’s safe, and get the SIO’s name. You said the first thing you wanted to ask me?’
‘Yes, as I said, I need to go out of town, to Cambridgeshire. I helped on a case at the weekend, and they want me to assist with the interviews.’
‘You don’t need my permission for that.’
‘No, but I want to take Jack with me. The DCI there needs an extra pair of experienced hands.’
‘Do you know how busy we are here?’ DCI Barker shook her head. ‘I can’t go loaning my good officers out to other constabularies just because they’re short staffed.’
‘There’s an ulterior motive as well, it’s also to help Jack out,’ Harrison continued. He wasn’t in the least surprised by her reaction, and he didn’t blame her. ‘You know how much he’s struggled with Marie’s postnatal depression. She won’t ask for help or allow anyone to come and stay to give her a break, but her parents live just outside of Cambridge. This is the ideal opportunity for him to persuade her to go and visit her parents while he’s working up there for the week. They haven’t been able to see Daniel yet, it’s a win-win, and you said he needed a holiday.’
‘Does he think that will work?’
‘Well, I haven’t actually told him yet. I thought I should run it by you first because I didn’t want him to get his hopes up.’
