by Jay Gill
After showering, she put on her dressing gown and stood by the oven waiting for the croissants to warm. Watson padded over. He rubbed himself against her leg.
“Hello, boy. Do you want some breakfast? Here you go.” Emma put some foul-smelling canned fish down for him. “Yum.”
Watson seemed to like it.
“It’s just you and me now. We’ll be okay, won’t we? How are you doing with the ladies? Any romance you want to tell me about? I bet you love ’em and leave ’em, don’t you?”
Her phone beeped and so did the oven. She pulled the croissants out and checked the phone message at the same time.
“We’re going to have to pick this conversation up again later, Watson. I’ve got to go.” She continued in a Sherlock Holmes voice. “Seems there’s been a murder. Prepare the carriage. We leave at once.”
Watson ignored her and licked his paw.
“Christ, I’m already trying to joke with the cat. I need to get out more.”
Thirty minutes later, Emma stood beside the police cordon and could see the victim’s car. It was parked a few hundred yards away, and the driver’s door was open.
She looked up and down the closed road. High up on her left, hotels loomed, their windows looking blankly onto the scene below. To her right was a fenced-off clifftop, the fence punctuated by entrances to steep, winding steps leading to the promenade and beach below. A footpath ran behind the fence, parallel to the cliff’s edge. A wooden bench sat high above the ocean, where an early-morning mist hung over the water. The mist would burn away as the sun rose higher in the sky.
“How long until we can get the area completely sealed off? I can see the body from here.”
The fresh-faced officer looked nervous. “They’ll be here any second, ma’am. I’ve kept everyone as far back as I can. It’s not ideal, I know.”
“Okay, okay. Well done.”
Emma recognised the quiet clifftop as somewhere youngsters came for some privacy. At night the road wasn’t busy. If they’d been drinking and having a good time in Bournemouth town, it was just a short drive. She started walking towards the scene.
“It’s really bad,” the officer called after her.
She put a hand up to indicate she’d heard him.
An hour later she pulled out her mobile phone and hit speed dial. Hardy answered, his voice croaky and tired-sounding. She’d woken him up.
“We have another one,” she told him. “I’ve just arrived. It’s fresh. It’s really nasty.” Emma glanced inside the car at the objects arranged on the dashboard. “There’s an envelope with your name on it. Literally, your name is written on the front. You want to take a look?”
She waited for Hardy to say something. He didn’t.
“You’ve been temporarily reinstated. The paperwork just needs your signature. I can give it to you when you get here.”
There was silence for a moment, then whispering. She guessed he was talking to Monica.
“Where are you?”
He didn’t sound happy. So what? This was as much his case as hers.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Excuse me. I need to get through.” I pushed past onlookers, their excited whispers at odds with the grisly scene only a few hundred metres away.
The road was cordoned off, and the area was buzzing when I arrived. I turned my back on the media. A cameraman I recognised spotted me and nudged a colleague who was on the phone.
Crap.
I introduced myself to a young constable. He knew who I was and that I was expected. I made the long walk to the victim’s car.
Cotton was crouching down next to the victim when I arrived.
“Sorry to call you,” she said.
“No, you’re not.” I crouched down beside her.
Cotton said warmly, “You’re right. I’m not.” Then more seriously, “This is Lee Nunn. Killed less than seven hours ago. As you can see, it’s a mess. There’s blood everywhere. Inside the car is just as bad. Looks like he dragged himself out of the car for some reason.”
“You think Lyle did this?”
Cotton tied her hair back into a ponytail. “Yes. At the moment I’m thinking she ticks all the boxes.”
I glanced inside the car and could see the driver’s seat was soaked in blood and there was arterial spray over the dashboard and windscreen. The pavement where he lay was worse still.
Looking at the bloody, lifeless body of Nunn I was shocked by the savagery. Why had she mutilated him in that way? I’d not known her to do that before.
I shook my head and said, “This is what you see when the perp is angry or has a bloodlust.”
“She will have got blood all over her in this confined space,” said Cotton. “It’s like she didn’t care.”
“This is more brutal than the others.”
“I agree. It was also riskier. There could easily have been a passerby, either in a car or on foot – like a late-night dog-walker. There was any number of ways this could have gone wrong.”
“Lyle is brutal, yes. She’s also usually clinical in her execution.”
It seemed an odd thing to think, but I could see no finesse. There also appeared to be a lack of forethought.
“This road,” I said to Cotton. “Just the one way in and one way out?”
She nodded.
“Any security camera on those hotels?”
“We’re looking into it.”
I walked around the car. All the doors except his were closed. His foot was trapped in the hinge of the door.
“The attack happened inside the car. It looks like Nunn tried to crawl away. That would indicate either he met someone here and they got into the car, or he brought them here. Has anyone spoken to his family? He might have told them who he was meeting. Check his phone. Check his computer. Speak to his family. Speak to work colleagues. There is a possibility he told someone who he was meeting. I want to know all his movements.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I was feeling like I’d never been away. I was back. Cotton was smiling.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
I guessed she was pleased with herself for bringing me out of retirement. I didn’t care. I was where I belonged. I was going to stop the monster that had done this.
“You mentioned a note. What about a Scrabble piece? Anything else that indicates Lyle did this?”
Cotton took out her phone and said, “Forensics have it all. They didn’t want it getting contaminated. Here – I took photos. Lyle left another piece. The letter R this time.”
I read the note a couple of times and then looked at the seemingly ordinary Scrabble piece. “Okay. I don’t need to see any more.”
Cotton held up her hand and waved her fingers, and the team came over to start the process of moving the body.
My mind was racing with questions. I didn’t like the way this killing had escalated. There was no subtlety to it. It didn’t feel like Lyle had done it, although I had no doubt she had. I was lost in my thoughts and didn’t hear Cotton calling me.
“Hey, hey, Hardy. You saw that she cut his dick off, right? They thought it might have been under his body. They just lifted him, and it’s not there. Would she have taken it as a trophy? I know you mentioned she took trophies before.”
“Souvenirs. They were more like souvenirs. It was thought she took them as reminders rather than trophies. They were always things like necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, books sometimes. That sort of thing. Not body parts or body fluids. She never took anything like that before, as far as I am aware.”
Cotton said, “Why would she change?”
“Perhaps it was just a matter of time.”
Cotton started throwing question after question at me. “So why the frenzied attack? Why in such a public place? Why the body part? Aren’t serial killers creatures of habit? Perhaps Lyle’s gone so far off the rails that she’s finally lost it. What do you think?”
“It wasn’t frenzied. It might look that way because
of the volume of blood, but she was in control the whole time. Never forget she is in control.”
Cotton looked at me and then back at all the blood.
I pointed to the crime scene, my throat and my eye as I said, “We’re here because Lyle wanted us here. The stabs to the throat hit main arteries. The scissors left in the eye socket was part of the message. The note said, ‘Hardy and Cotton, SEE what you made me do? I have a VISION of our future together, and you’re both invited to the party. When we’re finished there won’t be a dry EYE in the house. KL xxx.’ Lyle doesn’t lose control. Look around.”
Cotton’s eyes moved over the circus around us. The police and tech teams. The onlookers and media.
I put my hand on her shoulder. I was trying not to sound like I was schooling her and spoke my next words more quietly. “This was a way to get you here, get me here and create all this.”
Frustration was apparent in my voice. I knew I wasn’t in control of my own decisions; I was back looking at another dead body because Lyle had put me here. She had upped the ante.
If the death of Etheridge hadn’t already made it clear, then for her own safety and the benefit of the investigation I needed Cotton to understand she was in the big league now.
“Right now, Lyle is deciding what I do, where I go and who I see. She’s taking me away from my family. You might not see it yet. With all due respect, you need to wake up. You’re still being naive. If we don’t get out in front of this, I don’t want to think where we might end up.”
I was suddenly feeling conflicted. What was I getting into? The feelings from past cases and the memories of how they had taken over my life flooded my mind. Did I really want this?
Cotton was confused, and so was I. I could see I’d overstepped the mark. She was a very capable detective, and I knew I’d said too much. She wasn’t having any of it.
She said, “Let’s get one thing straight. No one is asking you to do anything you don’t want to do. I don’t need you holding my hand. That’s not why I asked you here. I know you usually work alone – well, tough; you want to work the case, we’re working it together. You want to walk away? Fine, walk away. I’ve had just about enough of your crap. And I certainly don’t need you treating me like a kid. I’ve seen enough and done enough to know how this world works.”
I sank my hands in my pockets. I’d just had my butt handed to me.
Cotton kicked a small stone and stared at the ground. “I don’t know everything that happened to you in the past. I’m sorry you got hurt. I was told you were one of the best detectives at Scotland Yard. The best serial-murder investigator. I want to catch Lyle. I know you do too. The fact you’re here shows me you want her stopped. So let’s get her. Together.”
She pushed her hands deep into her pockets.
We walked over to the cliff’s edge and looked out to sea.
I spoke softly. “If I do this, I want to know you’re in it too. For the long haul, I mean. You need to understand that this game of hers is leading somewhere, and I don’t know where. That scares me. It should scare you.”
She could see I had concerns she didn’t fully understand.
She said, “Yes, I’m in. I’ve always been ready to do whatever it takes.”
I’d cleared the air and laid my cards on the table. I said, “I’ll see you in the morning.” Cotton was growing on me. Her straight talk, tough love and grit were infectious.
A part of me felt like it had been rekindled. And seeing Lee Nunn’s blood-soaked and mutilated body and knowing that Lyle might come after my family were the impetus I needed to put early retirement behind me – at least for a while. I was ready to take on The Mentor, Kelly Lyle. I hoped Detective Emma Cotton was ready.
Neither of us was truly prepared for what was coming.
I should have been.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Monica and Alice finished lighting candles on the cake while I stood back with my phone set to video. Mum and Dad were keeping Faith occupied. I discreetly gave them the thumbs-up when we were ready to parade in with the birthday cake.
The excitement on Faith’s face was magical. We sang “Happy Birthday,” and she prepared herself to blow out the candles and make her wish. “I want Alice to help me blow out the candles,” she insisted.
“Are you sure?” said Monica. “That’s really kind. Don’t forget to make a wish.”
Alice and Faith blew out the candles while we cheered and clapped, then Faith made her wish.
Alice handed out plates then gave Monica her secret sign. Monica and Faith cut the cake.
Monica passed everyone a piece and then announced, “There is somebody I need to introduce, someone with incredible powers, who has been practising her illusions for almost a week and a half.”
Faith’s eyes widened, and a smile spread across her face. She could barely contain her excitement as she waited for her big sister, who had vanished from the room, to prepare herself.
“I wonder what this is all about?” asked Dad.
“It’s a magic trick, Grandad. Alice has been practising and practising. She wouldn’t let me see what she was doing. She said it was a surprise.”
“What a wonderful idea,” said Mum. “How exciting.”
“I’ll just go and check to see if she’s okay,” said Monica as she disappeared upstairs. The wait added to the anticipation.
A few moments later Monica reappeared halfway down the stairs. “The Astonishing Alice is now ready, so if the ladies and gentlemen of the audience would please take their seats. Our magician would also appreciate complete silence while she performs the disappearing coin trick.”
We giggled and whispered to each other before falling silent.
Alice appeared in a long cape, a black t-shirt, black leggings and her black school shoes. She narrowed her eyes, which were made up with dark eye shadow to make her look more mysterious. Stepping purposefully down the stairs, she entered the room with a sweeping arm gesture quickly followed by a low bow. By this point, Faith was on the edge of her seat, and I put my arm around her and hugged her.
Alice pulled a wand from her sleeve then held up a coin and showed it to everyone. She tapped the coin on the table to prove that it was real and then, without speaking, gestured for Monica to once again check that it was real. Monica agreed it was. Alice took Monica’s hand and placed the coin flat on her palm. She placed her own hand on top and Monica placed her other hand on top of Alice’s.
Now Alice spoke for the first time. “Would the birthday girl, Miss Faith Hardy, please say the magic words?”
Faith looked at Grandad, who nodded encouragingly. Faith said, “Abracadabra.”
Alice waved her free hand over the top of the three flat hands then tapped them three times with her wand.
Monica took her top hand away. Alice removed her hand. Monica showed everyone that her hand, which had only moments ago held the coin, was now empty. The coin had vanished.
The whole room erupted with excited gasps and applause.
Monica pointed to Alice and said, “The Astonishing Alice!”
Alice walked over to Faith and, with a flourish, pulled the coin from behind Faith’s ear. She executed a confident bow, waved her cape again and left the room to rapturous applause.
“Again, again!” cried Faith. “That was amazing! I want to see it again.”
Alice reappeared a few moments later without her cape and agreed to do the magic trick again very soon but not straight away, as there was a little bit of preparation to be done before the trick could be performed again.
We all spent the next while happily playing board games, which was Faith’s favourite thing to do on her birthday. Finally, I gathered the dirty plates and took them to the kitchen, where I interrupted Mum and Monica having a quiet conversation.
“Whatever you two are plotting, it won’t work,” I joked.
The two women looked at each other. Mum grabbed my cheek and gave it a loving pinch. She winked at Monica and l
eft the room, leaving the two of us alone.
I put my arms around Monica and gave her a kiss. “Mum’s excited about something. What was that all about?” I asked her. “I swear she was skipping as she left the room. The last time I saw her like that she was tipsy on New Year’s Eve.”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning—” started Monica.
Music from the other room was getting louder and louder as Alice and Faith found some karaoke on the TV.
Monica took my hand. “I’ve been waiting for the right time.”
The TV suddenly got much louder. I stepped into the other room and gestured to the girls to lower the volume. “I think that’s a little too loud, girls. Can you please turn it down?”
I stepped back into the kitchen. “I’m sorry. You were saying?” My phone began to ring on the worktop. I ignored it. “You were about to say something,” I said.
“It’s okay. It can wait. We’ll do this another time. You’d better get your phone. It could be important.”
I kissed Monica and grabbed my phone. “It’s probably Cotton. She said she’d call if Forensics got a hit.”
We both thought Forensics finding anything was a long shot, but Cotton had said she’d call either way. I stepped outside for some quiet and had a long talk with her.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I spent a couple of hours in my study before bed. I flicked through notes I’d made on the case reports while I’d been on the phone with Cotton. We could have gone on all night, but I was aware we both had a busy day coming up.
Trying to shake off the stresses of the investigation and allow my mind to change gear for a while, I took Sandy for a late-night walk.
The air was cold and refreshing. There was a beautiful, clear night sky. I looked up at the stars and searched for the one I always thought of as Helena’s. I blew her a kiss. The tranquillity and feeling of solitude felt almost spiritual.
Back home, I gently closed the front door and slipped off my shoes. I checked the rooms downstairs and then crept upstairs, trying not to disturb anyone. Sneaking into the bedroom, I could see Monica was fast asleep. I shrugged off my fleece jacket and placed it on the back of a chair.
