Dark of Mind

by Robin Roughley

  'Are you in charge?' he demanded.

  'That's debatable, but perhaps if you could calm down and explain to me what the problem is then we can help you?'

  'I'm trying to report to this moron that my daughter is missing,' he spat, stabbing another finger at Meadows's reddening face.

  Bannister looked at Meadows with eyebrow raised.

  'I was just taking down the details, sir, but the thing is Mr Hinton actually spoke to his daughter on the phone last night and…'

  '''Hinton''?' Bannister asked in surprise.

  'I might have spoken to my daughter, but she refused to tell me where she is, she refused to listen to me.'

  'But your daughter is nineteen, Mr Hinton,' Meadows explained. 'So, by rights she's not legally obliged to tell you where she is.'

  'Come with me, Mr Hinton,' Bannister said as he raised the counter flap.

  Meadows looked at his boss in surprise as Hinton puffed out his chest and followed Bannister through the double doors and along the corridor.

  Reaching his office, Bannister opened the door and stood back to let the man through.

  'I realise my daughter is nineteen and I don't need that idiot out there to point it out to me, but I will not be ignored…'

  'I'm DCI Bannister and I know where your daughter is,' he said, closing the door and heading towards his desk.

  By the time he turned and sat down, Hinton was open-mouthed with shock. 'What are you talking about?' he demanded.

  'Faith attends Edge Hill University as does my own daughter,' Bannister said, placing the plastic cup on the desk.

  'What the hell are you talking about?'

  'Two days ago, my daughter found Faith crying in the corridor, so she took her outside and Faith told her all about the pregnancy.'

  Hinton's hands opened and closed, his face blasted with anger and confusion. 'So, you know where she is?'

  Bannister nodded. 'I do.'

  'Then bloody well tell me!'

  'Calm down and I will, but if you continue to rant then you can forget it,' Bannister warned.

  'How dare you!' Hinton fumed.

  'Your daughter was terrified of how you would react over the pregnancy and…'

  'I've spoken to her and she knows what must be done.'

  'Well, you might have spoken to her, but the truth is you didn't give her the chance to explain, did you?' Bannister asked, easing back into the chair, his hardening gaze fixed on Hinton's furious face.

  'What are you talking about?'

  'My daughter brought Faith back home so she could have a chance to think things through.'

  'Are you trying to tell me that she is staying at your house?' Hinton asked in astonishment.

  'That's correct.'

  'And where is she sleeping?'

  Bannister felt his semblance of calm start to crack. 'Faith has been spending time with my girls and sleeping in the spare bedroom.'

  'Are you the father of this child?' Hinton demanded, his eyes blazing with fury.

  Bannister folded his arms. 'I'll pretend I didn't hear that moronic question, Mr Hinton.'

  'You don't have to ''pretend'' anything, I asked you a question and I demand an answer!'

  'I met your daughter two days ago and then it was only briefly, but both my daughter and my wife have told me exactly what has been going on and how your nineteen-year-old daughter is terrified of you.'

  'Nonsense.'

  'They were there when you rang her and called her a ''whore'' and a ''slut'', every time she tried to explain you cut her dead, you refused to listen, you demanded she had a termination and all you ranted on about was how much you had done for her.'

  'How dare you!' Hinton bellowed. 'This is none of your concern, she's my daughter and as long as she lives under my roof then she abides by my rules!'

  'And you are making a mistake by not giving her a voice,' Bannister replied, his mouth pinched with anger.

  'I want your address and I want it right now.'

  'Well, we don't always get what we want in life, do we, Mr Hinton?'

  Hinton took a step towards the desk, his face pulsating with fury. 'I can find out where you live easily enough, and I will go over there and drag her from the house if necessary.'

  Bannister remained seated, his face growing harder as Hinton ranted. 'If you do that, I will arrest you, and you will be banged up. Sergeant Meadows was right, your daughter is an adult and you cannot demand or dictate what she does.'

  'But…'

  'You might not like it, but that's the law, now I suggest you calm down and give her some time to think things through, and if you do ring her then give her the opportunity to explain things properly, the bottom line is she needs your support, not Draconian threats.'

  'My God, you say you've met my daughter briefly yet now you claim to be an expert on what she wants and needs.'

  'I never said that, but eventually you'll need to listen to her point of view.'

  'Let me tell you how it will be, Bannister; if my daughter gets rid of the bastard then – perhaps – I will allow her back home. If she decides not to do that then she will never set foot in the house again. That's it, simple and straightforward and non-negotiable.'

  Bannister's face twitched as the anger roared through his brain, yet still he remained seated. 'Whether you like it or not Faith is pregnant, and the decision is hers and hers alone to make, but the fact that you're prepared to wash your hands of her unless she does what you say makes me see what a bad role model you are.'

  'Do you think I care about what you think?' Hinton asked as if genuinely interested.

  'That's the problem, you don't care about anyone or anything, apart from yourself, you selfish bastard.'

  Hinton took a surprised step backward as Bannister's face suddenly changed; the mask of calm reserve vanished leaving a look of loathing in its place.

  'At first, I thought you were just angry – I could have understood that – but this is all about control, about you getting your own way. I would imagine Faith has always tried to please you, doing her best at everything because she wanted her father to be proud of her and yet none of it was ever enough, was it, you pompous arsehole?'

  Bannister rose slowly from the chair and Hinton took another step back, his eyes now flickering with uncertainty. 'Like I said, this is none of your business,' he mumbled, his voice now sounding weak with panic and insecurity.

  'Look at the state of you, you bloody bully boy, you came in here demanding this and that and now you know life doesn't work that way you threaten to kick her out of the house. I mean, what sort of father would even contemplate doing something like that?' he demanded.

  'But she's pregnant,' Hinton gasped making it sound like the worst thing in the world.

  'Yes, she is and the only reason you're so pissed off is that she did something that you had no control over, I can tell you now it wasn't planned, she made a mistake but she hasn't committed a crime and you need to be a proper father for a change or you will lose your daughter for good.'

  Hinton licked his lips and for a couple of seconds Bannister was convinced that he had got through to the man and then the anger flooded back onto Hinton's face.

  'If she defies me over this then she is no daughter of mine!' he virtually screamed as he stormed towards the door.

  'That's it, run away little man!' Bannister shouted after him. When the door slammed, he sighed. 'Bloody great,' he groaned, slumping back down into his seat.

  75

  'Remember us, Mr Robbins?' Odette asked.

  'I'm sorry, I remember the faces but not the names,' Robbins replied with a thin smile as he stood at the open door of the house, the sound of classical music drifting out into the early morning light.

  Lasser knew he was lying, he could see it in his eyes, the same look of insolence he had sported in the unit over in Leigh when he had been questioned about Pamela Fitzsimmons about sixteen months earlier.

  Pulling out her warrant card, Odette held it out an
d Robbins glanced at it.

  'Ah yes, DI Noble,' Robbins clicked his fingers in pseudo recognition before glancing at Lasser. 'I'm sorry but I can't recall who…'

  'This is DS Lasser,' Odette interrupted.

  Robbins shrugged as if suddenly uninterested.

  'I wonder if we could come in and have a word?' Odette asked.

  'Forgive me, but if you just want ''a word'' then I assume it will be brief, so perhaps it's better if we stay as we are.'

  'Why, do you have something to hide?' Lasser asked straight-faced.

  Robbins smiled and shook his head. 'Of course not, Sergeant, but I have a busy day ahead of me.'

  'Doing what?'

  'Accountancy.'

  'So, you still do that?' Odette enquired.

  'It keeps the wolves from the door, and besides I'm good with numbers.'

  'Can you tell us where you were last night, Mr Robbins?'

  'What sort of time are we talking?' he asked shifting from one foot to the other, his hand still resting on the door as if ready to slam it in their faces should the need arise.

  'Seven till eleven?' Lasser demanded.

  'Ah well, I was playing a round of golf from half-six until the light went, then I headed over to the clubhouse and had a drink, I left around nine o'clock.'

  'Which golf course?' Lasser asked, his dark eyes never leaving Robbins's thin weasel-like face.

  'Hindley Hall, I've been a member for over twelve months and play as often as I can. In fact, my handicap is coming down nicely.'

  'Not interested, now where did you go after you left the Hall?'

  Robbins sniffed and tilted his chin slightly. 'I came home, I arrived about twenty to ten,' he paused, 'look I don't mean to be rude, but would you mind telling me what all this is about?'

  'Did anyone see you playing your ''round of golf''?'

  'Absolutely, I saw at least half a dozen other members on the greens, and of course the barman served me my drink.'

  Lasser managed to keep the disappointment from his face but only just. 'Have you ever been back to visit Pamela Fitzsimmons?'

  For the briefest of moment, Robbins looked surprised at the question and then his features were once more baffled. 'Actually, no I haven't.'

  'Why not?' Lasser demanded.

  Robbins turned back to Odette and raised an eyebrow. 'Is he serious?'

  'Deadly serious,' she replied. 'Now answer the question.'

  Robbins looked perplexed for a moment. 'Forgive me, but Pamela Fitzsimons was responsible for the death of my brother and the attempted murder of my ex-wife and her son.'

  'Yes, but you hated them both, didn't you?' Lasser snapped.

  'Hate is a strong word, Sergeant, but I had reason enough not to trust either of them.'

  'True enough, but you still haven't explained why you haven't been to see Pamela?' Odette said.

  'Why on earth would I do that, you already know that we talked quite a lot when in the unit, but that was before she turned into a murderer?'

  'Yes, but why would she target the two people you hated above all others?' Lasser growled.

  'If I remember rightly this was all investigated at the time by your good selves, I never denied telling Pamela about my life, we shared a lot of painful memories, that's what happens when you've lived a life where no one is prepared to listen to what you have to say. Pamela had spent years being ignored and drugged to keep her pliable, when we found one another it was a fruitful experience, we shared everything, and I know it was cathartic for us both.'

  'Yet she is the one still locked up whilst you walked free.'

  'I walked free because those in charge knew I had been cured and was innocent of any wrongdoing, unfortunately Pamela chose a different path in life.'

  Lasser ignored the words as he took a short step towards Robbins. 'It must have been difficult for you growing up in a house with a shithead brother and parents who didn't give a toss about either of you.'

  Robbins shrugged again. 'That's all in the past, I mean, look at this house, look how I live, like they say it's not where you start out in life but where you end up that really counts.'

  'I wonder where you will eventually ''end up''?' Lasser asked, his eyes hard and unflinching.

  When Robbins smiled, Lasser felt like planting a fist in his smug face.

  'Well, I would like to think it's all plain sailing from here, Sergeant, then again who knows what lies in store for us all?'

  Before Lasser could reply, Odette moved to his shoulder. 'Does the name Foster mean anything to you?' she asked in a no-nonsense voice.

  'Not that I'm aware of,' Robbins replied as he folded his arms and leaned against the door frame.

  'Are you sure?' she asked.

  'Like I said, I am not very good with names, perhaps you have a picture you could show me?'

  Lasser saw the flicker of a smirk on Robbins's face and then he felt Odette tap his sleeve.

  'Right, well thank you for your help, Mr Robbins,' she said as she made to turn away.

  'Is that it?' Robbins asked with a hint of mock disappointment.

  'Unless there's anything else you'd like to tell us?' she asked.

  'Well, your questions have been somewhat vague to be honest, but I am always happy to help the police in any way I can,' the smile was back, his eyes shining with dark amusement.

  'Suicide sites,' Odette suddenly said.

  Robbins frowned for a moment. 'I'm sorry you've lost me?'

  'Do you ever use them?'

  This time Robbins actually laughed lightly. 'I'm sorry, I know I have led a difficult life at times, but I have never considered taking my own life.'

  'What about taking someone else's?' she asked.

  Lasser slipped his hands into his pockets, knowing that Robbins was enjoying every minute of this.

  'Well, I wasn't expecting that and to be honest that sounds like an accusation to me?'

  'We know you like to control people, after all you manipulated Pamela Fitzsimmons, we know you did and…'

  'Prove it,' Robbins suddenly hissed and then the smile was back. 'If you would like to take a look at my computer records then you can do so but only once you have a warrant, though I assure you there will be nothing to find.'

  'What about your phone?' Lasser asked through gritted teeth.

  'Again, with the correct paperwork you can look at the phone or search the house I dare say you could even dig up the patio, but you won't find zero.'

  'Zero?' Lasser asked.

  Stepping back, Bradley Robbins slowly closed the front door, the smile still evident on his spiteful face.

  76

  The man sprinted through the woods, arms and legs pumping, his running shoes moving easily over the cinder path, his breathing rapid and even. Reaching the wooden bridge, he slowed until he came to a stop and looked down into the shallow water beneath, sunlight sparkled off the surface, high above in the trees he could hear the trill of songbirds as he wiped the perspiration from his brow, before swinging the backpack from his shoulder. Dropping it at his feet, he lifted out the bottle of water and took a long refreshing drink then poured some onto his face in an effort to cool down.

  The water mingled with the sweat, and he wiped a hand down his face before flicking the droplets away with a sigh.

  Placing the bottle in the bag he swung it back over his shoulders and turned, when he saw the woman running towards the bridge he moved to one side and then looked on in surprise as she came to a halt, her ponytail hanging down her back as she placed her hands on the rail.

  'Lovely morning,' she said with a smile.

  Adjusting the backpack, he nodded in agreement. 'Looks like another warm day.'

  'On days like this it almost makes running a pleasure,' she said, the smile still hovering around her lips.

  'Beats the usual wind and rain that's for sure.'

  'You run a lot in these woods, don't you?'

  The man looked at her in surprise. 'I guess so.'

 
; 'Don't worry, I'm not stalking you.'

  'Oh right.'

  'Besides, even if I wanted to, you run too fast,' she joked as she tilted her head to the sky and took a deep breath.

  The man found himself smiling at the quip. 'I'm one of those people who are always looking to beat their personal best, stupid I know but I've always been the same.'

  'Ah, so, you're a driven guy then?' she asked before blowing a loose strand of hair from her eyes.

  He studied her face, she looked to be in her early thirties, brown hair matching her dark chocolate-brown eyes, her arms tanned, her smile bright.

  'Well, I don't know about ''driven'', I just enjoy running.'

  'My name's Sally by the way,' she said as she thrust out a hand

  He hesitated for a moment before taking her hand and giving it a brief shake. 'I'm David,' he replied.

  Sally continued to smile as she looked down into the water, somewhere in the distance a dog started to bark, the sound echoing through the trees.

  'I've seen you here quite a lot,' he admitted as he followed her example and looked down into the water, the pebbles below the surface seemed to bend and warp out of shape as the water flowed over them.

  'Well, I don't live too far away so it's handy to try and get a run in before work,' she paused, 'in fact, I used to come here almost every day with a friend.'

  'So, he gave up running then?' he asked.

  Sally looked sideways at him and for once the smile had vanished replaced by a look of sadness. 'It was a she and she didn't give up, she died.'

  'Oh right, I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry.'

  'You weren't prying, I was the one who told you.'

  David pursed his lips and nodded. 'How long ago did it happen?'

  'Over four years now, we worked together, but I still miss her, miss running with her, though the truth is we did more talking than running,' she smiled again, though he could still see the melancholy in her eyes.

  'You said you worked together?'

  'That's right.'

  'Do you mind if I ask what you do for a living?' he tested.

  'I don't mind at all, I'm a police officer.'

  'Well, I don't envy you that job,' he replied as the water continued to babble over the rocks below, the dog's bark now sounding closer.