The detective inspector paced the office floor, his voice clipped and authoritative as he addressed the sergeant. ‘It’s been two weeks, for God’s sake! Are you telling me there are still no leads?’ Swinging round, he bent to press his face close to the other man. ‘Have we found the murder weapon yet?’
‘No, sir. We carried out a fingertip search of the area and left no stone unturned in a five-mile radius.’
‘Then extend the search area.’
‘Will do.’
‘Witnesses?’
‘None as far as we can tell. We’ve questioned everyone who uses that track to walk the dog, or anyone who might have been fishing there at that particular time. We’ve carried out door-to-door questioning, but there’s nothing. Some old biddy reported a couple of kids supposedly kissing and cuddling on the riverbank that night, but it didn’t pan out.’ Shrugging, he confessed, ‘I’m afraid we keep coming up against brick walls.’
‘What about the gypsy?’
‘It’s as if she’s vanished from the face of the earth.’
‘Don’t be so bloody stupid! She’s out there somewhere, her and the lad. I want them found. Do you hear me? I want them found!’
‘Yes, sir.’ Sergeant Madison wished the old sod wouldn’t yell like that. When he yelled, his eyeballs stood out like hatpins; worse than that, the long piece of hair that he combed over his bald patch became dislodged. If it wasn’t so repulsive, it might be comical.
All the same, he decided to risk his life. ‘To tell you the truth, sir, I don’t think they had anything to do with it.’
‘Oh? And how did you come to that conclusion?’
‘Think about it, sir.’ Growing confident, Madison sat up straight. ‘If they did kill him, why leave him hanging there? They must have known it wouldn’t be long before he was found, and once we discovered who he was, we’d be making a beeline for them.’ The harbourmaster had identified Eddie Johnson from the photograph they had circulated, which was just as well, thought Madison, or they’d be up against an even bigger brick wall and there was no telling what that would do to the inspector’s blood pressure.
‘Go on, Sergeant. Don’t stop now.’
‘Well, it doesn’t make sense, does it, sir? If they were both in on it, why didn’t they drag him off somewhere and bury him? Why didn’t they take him with them, out of the area? Better still, if they meant to kill him, why didn’t they do it in the van? I mean, Eddie Johnson was living with them. They must have had ample opportunity to do away with him quietly. So why wait until he’s climbing a gate, then bash him over the head. I mean, it’s a bit messy, don’t you think? A bit unnecessary?’
‘My, my. You really have given it some thought, haven’t you?’
Pleased as punch, Madison allowed himself a smug little smile – which was soon wiped off when an iron fist came down on the desk with such impact that the floor shook beneath him.
‘If that’s all you’ve got to offer, it’s no wonder we’re no nearer finding the culprit. As to your theories, let’s see.’ The inspector feigned a look of concentration. ‘For a start, they might not both be involved. As to why he was struck while climbing the gate, whoever did it could have killed him in a fit of anger, in the middle of a violent argument maybe. And if it was just one of them involved, that could also explain why the body was left hanging there. Johnson was a big man, don’t forget.’
‘I see what you’re getting at,’ said Madison. ‘You think one of them killed him but didn’t want the other to know.’
‘It’s possible. Anything’s possible when I’m surrounded by idiots.’ He stormed across the room and flung open the door. ‘Shift your arse before I do something I might regret. Get everybody together in the outer office. It’s time I shook the buggers up!’
Madison scurried off, softly muttering to himself, ‘Yell and scream all you like, but I still think we’re barking up the wrong tree.’ He had been giving it a great deal of thought and two things stood out in his mind. Where was Eddie Johnson going when he was brutally killed? And why was he carrying a vicious blade in his pocket? It was almost as though he was the one with murder in his heart.
He had mentioned this but his theory was dismissed by those in higher authority. ‘He was a traveller, wasn’t he? And they have a nasty habit of carrying knives, don’t they?’
The gypsy woman and her son were the prime suspects but Madison felt in his bones that there was more to Eddie Johnson’s murder than any of them realised.
Rounding up the crew, he ignored their sighs and groans.
There was something else he couldn’t get out of his mind, and that was the look on Johnson’s face when he was found; the way he was hanging there, like a rag doll, his head caved in, eyes wide open. He had seen his murderer; it was there in those awful, stricken eyes.
If only he could speak!
Part 2
1983
Nightmares Are Real
5
‘No! Leave me alone!’ The boy was hell bent on causing chaos.
‘For God’s sake, Jack, what’s the matter with you?’ Kerry was close to breaking point. ‘Eat your breakfast, now!’
While he sulkily toyed with his food, Kerry was taken aside by her mother, Julie. ‘Why don’t you relax?’ Knowing what a monster Jack could be, she was sympathetic. ‘You’re like a bear with a sore head.’
‘Don’t interfere.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing I can’t handle.’
‘You would tell me if I wasn’t needed here, wouldn’t you?’ Julie said. ‘I wouldn’t want to stay where I’m not wanted.’
‘Of course you’re needed.’ Her mother had been here almost a week, ever since they had heard that Mike was being considered for release. ‘I’ve come to help,’ she said, and, much as Kerry loved her, there were times when she could happily murder her! She had stayed for months after Mike entered the psychiatric unit.
‘I could take the children home with me for a few days if it would help?’ Julie offered. She was no fool. She knew that her daughter was seeing another man but she had wisely made no mention of it. Besides, she was secretly thrilled. If Kerry decided to leave Mike and take the children with her, she would be only too delighted.
For a long moment it seemed as if Kerry was actually considering her offer but then she smiled and touched her mother’s hand with a hint of fondness. ‘It’s kind of you to offer but it’s best they stay here.’ Julie lived some fifty miles away, too far to be convenient.
Julie understood. ‘You’ll cope. You always do.’
‘It’s been three years, Mum. I’ve made a new life… built a business.’ Her voice faltered. ‘It will never be the same again, will it?’
Julie never minced words. ‘Whatever happens between you and Mike, I know you’ll do what’s best for you and the children.’
‘You’re hoping I’ll desert him, aren’t you?’
‘Why do you say that?’ She could sound offended even when guilty.
‘I know you don’t like him. You’ve never liked him.’
Julie was silent.
Kerry crossed to the window where she stood, arms folded, her sorry gaze reaching out to the garden beyond. They had been so happy here, but it seemed so long ago it was hard to remember the way it was.
These days, she was angry all the time. Angry because Mike was away; angry because he was most likely coming home. Her business was bound to be a source of irritation to him, especially since his own business had folded. He had not said as much but he probably blamed her for not saving it. God knows, she had tried her best, but hiring out trucks and cars was not something she had taken to. On top of that, she had had to contend with Jack withdrawing into himself and giving her cause for concern. Then there was her mother, helping and hindering, and her own nightmares, about Mike, and the business, and the way forward.
The work and worry had left her tormented. She was slow to forgive and quick to anger. Most of all, she was angry with he
rself, for being weak and taking a lover. But that was Mike’s fault, not hers!
These past few days had been too much. After the doctor had spoken to her, she had been constantly on edge, her emotions in turmoil. But today of all days she needed to stay calm and collected because Mike might be coming home. It was bound to change their lives and she had a great deal to think about.
Her mother wasn’t helping. In fact, if anything she was making matters worse, criticising Mike at every opportunity. But then those two had never got on; right from the first she had taken against him and no matter how hard he had tried, she had put him down at every turn. Life was difficult when two people you loved were at each other’s throat.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, once he was home, her mother grew to accept him? A wry smile touched her mouth. Somehow she doubted things would change so easily.
The very fact that she was entertaining these disloyal thoughts only added to Kerry’s burden of guilt.
Her affair with Steve Palmer was a source of joy to her, but now she didn’t know what to do. If Mike did come home, she knew she ought to finish with Steve and devote herself to Mike, for the children’s sake, if not her own. But the thought of giving up Steve filled her with dismay. She hadn’t said anything to him yet. What was the point until she knew definitely that Mike was coming home?
The children sensed her turmoil, especially Jack who had loved his father with all his being and now would not even talk about him. Jack had always denied seeing anything untoward that night and when Mike had urged him to corroborate his story, Jack had seemed terrified.
For one brief, insane moment, when Mike was so convinced he had seen that young couple disappear into the sky, Kerry had wondered if it was really true; after all, Mike was the most normal, practical man she had ever known. What if it had happened? Just as he described?
She had dismissed the thought. It was impossible. How could such a thing have happened? Mike was sick, that was what they said and she had to believe it, but it was hard. Before that night he was a normal, sensible bloke, running a successful business, providing for his family, juggling deals and working long, back-breaking hours. Maybe she and the children had expected too much from him. The stress must have been taking its toll and she had not even realised.
Their love had always been their strength. But now she wondered whether it would be enough to carry them through the difficult times ahead. If she couldn’t cope without flying off the handle just thinking about Mike’s return home, how would she cope when he was here? In this house? In her bed… touching her, in that intimate way she had loved?
Right now, she didn’t even want to think about it. She had more than enough to occupy her mind; mundane, aggravating things such as Jack’s bad temper, not to mention her mother who turned up when you least wanted her and stayed until you could pull out every hair on your head. It had been hard enough to get her to go home when Mike was first taken into the psychiatric unit. Maybe this time, with Mike coming home, she would withdraw gracefully.
Kerry deliberately turned her mind to more immediate things. She went into the hallway where she got together the children’s coats. Her mother followed.
‘You look so tired, Kerry,’ she said. ‘I’m worried about you.’
‘I am tired,’ Kerry admitted. ‘If I wasn’t saddled with so many responsibilities, I’d pack my bags and bugger off for good.’ Julie looked at her in such a way that Kerry felt obliged to reassure her. ‘I would never leave Mike and the kids, you know that.’
‘He doesn’t deserve you. Any other woman would have been long gone by now.’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘What about your boyfriend?’
Astonished, Kerry stared at her. ‘What boyfriend?’
‘I might be naïve but I’m not stupid. I’ve known for some time that you’ve been seeing someone, and don’t think I disapprove because actually I’m delighted.’ Leaning forward, she asked, ‘Someone from work, is it?’
Kerry shook her head. ‘I swear, you’re an old witch!’
Julie laughed. ‘Not so much of the “old”! I pride myself on looking younger than my years.’ At fifty-five, she was smart and attractive with vivid green eyes and a mop of fair hair.
‘Whether I have a boyfriend or not is none of your business.’
‘I’m worried about you, that’s all.’
‘It’s not me you’re worried about. It’s Mike, isn’t it?’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
Lowering her voice so the children wouldn’t hear, Kerry said, ‘You don’t want to see me and Mike back together. You’re frightened he might murder us all in our beds, isn’t that right?’
‘Don’t be silly.’ But Kerry was right, she was frightened. She thought Mike was capable of anything. Even murder.
Movement behind her made Kerry turn. Jack was standing in the kitchen doorway. How long had he been listening? He smiled knowingly at her and Kerry felt oddly unnerved. It was as if he was trying to tell her something – or keep it from her.
While Kerry saw to the children, Julie began clearing the breakfast dishes. ‘By the time you get back from the school, I’ll have the house shining like a new pin,’ she promised.
While she worked, she thought about Jack. He troubled her. There were things here, bad things, which she suspected would touch them all.
At eight years old, Jack was small for his age. He had the same serious brown eyes and dark hair as his mother. He hardly ever smiled, at least not since Mike had been shut away. Once a happy, loving child, he was now sullen and difficult, with a cunning ability to twist any situation to his own ends. Susie, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by all that had happened. Slight of build, with baby blue eyes and long fair hair, she had always been her daddy’s little angel.
‘Come on, you two.’ Kerry ushered the children across the kitchen. ‘A kiss for Granny, then we’d best be off.’
‘I can take the children to school if you like.’ Having got on Kerry’s wrong side, Julie was keen to make amends.
‘You don’t drive, remember?’
‘Lucy Roper told me the bus goes right to the school door.’
‘Thanks all the same, but we’ve got time enough.’ Giving Susie a gentle shove she told her, ‘Hurry, sweetheart. Granny’s waiting for a kiss.’
Wrapping two tiny arms round Julie’s neck, the girl hugged and kissed her, ‘’Bye, ’bye.’ Her bright smile was like a summer’s day.
‘’Bye, ’bye, Susie. You be a good girl now.’
While Kerry helped Susie on with her jacket, Jack moved forward to kiss his grandmother.
As always, he was reluctant, and Julie gave him a way out. ‘It’s all right if you think you’re too grown-up to kiss your gran.’
‘I don’t mind. Besides, Mummy said I have to.’
Julie laughed. ‘We’d best do as she says then, hadn’t we?’
Reaching up, he wound his arms round her neck and drew her down, pressing his thin lips to hers. Then, in a move that took her by surprise, he opened his mouth and sank his teeth deep into her lower lip.
Recoiling in pain, she covered her face, staring down through her fingers with wide, shocked eyes.
‘Jack! Get a move on!’ Kerry called.
At the kitchen door he turned, his avaricious eyes following the trickle of blood as it ran through her fingers. ‘I’m sorry, Gran.’ His smile was cruel, his voice marbled with joy. ‘Now I don’t suppose you’ll ever want to kiss me again.’
After the door was softly closed on her, Julie stood for a moment, trying to come to terms with what he had done to her. All kinds of things ran through her mind, but only one came back time and again.
There was evil in him.
6
His screams of terror brought the nurse running.
‘Ssh! It’s all right.’ Wrapping her arms round his trembling frame, she raised him to the pillow. ‘It was just a dream.’ Her voice soothed his shattered senses. ‘A
bad dream, that’s all.’
More vivid than the horrors that stalked his sleep were the fears that haunted his waking hours. ‘You won’t tell them, will you?’ he pleaded. ‘Not today. Please!’
Regarding him fondly, she reminded him, ‘I’m obliged to report everything.’
‘There’s no need to tell them.’ Inside, he was panicking, his every nerve-ending crawling. The sweat ran down his face and body but he knew if he lost control now, he would lose his chance of getting out of here. ‘You said yourself, it was just a dream.’ His voice was remarkably calm.
She wanted to believe him. ‘Tell me about the dream, Mike. Was it the same as before?’
He shook his head. ‘No,’ he lied. ‘Not the same.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘That was all over, a long time ago.’ The truth was, it had never ended, and never would. In his dream he saw them disappear as clearly as if it was happening all over again.
‘Tell me about it.’
He paused to think. He had to be careful, stay one step ahead of them. ‘It was… vague… kind of mixed up.’
‘Why were you screaming?’
Casually shrugging his shoulders, he answered confidently, ‘I’m not sure, but I know it had nothing to do with that night.’
‘What then?’ She was insistent.
‘A game.’ With his liberty at stake, the lies came easily. ‘Me and the kids were playing this game… the ball was heading straight for Susie. I was afraid she might be hurt, and that’s all I can remember.’
‘I see.’
‘Like you said, just a crazy dream.’ Using a corner of the sheet, he wiped away the sweat.
For a while, she continued to observe him. ‘It’s only natural you should be concerned about your family,’ she conceded. ‘There’s nothing sinister about that. Besides, I expect you’ve been worrying about today, what they might ask you.’ She laughed softly, dry, warm breath escaping through her nose to bathe his face. ‘It’s not easy facing that lot but they’re only trying to help. You know that, don’t you, Mike?’
Hiding Game, The Page 5
