by Jay Gill
In a soothing tone, Lyle was shushing him and asking him to hush.
The picture moved again, and as it panned back it became apparent Dave was hanging upside down, his arms tied behind his back.
“Please, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone. It’s not too late to let me go. You seem like a nice lady. What’s your name? Let’s talk. My name’s David Howes. Let’s work this out. If I upset you in any way, I’m sorry. It’s not too late – just let me go. I can pay you. Do you want money? How much do you want?”
Not wanting to see, yet unable to stop himself, Dave’s eyes followed Lyle as she moved about the room. Full of fear, he didn’t stop watching her for a second.
Then his expression changed. Momentarily, his mouth and eyes widened before he squeezed them shut. Whatever was about to happen, he no longer wanted to see.
He started screaming, “Dear God, no. Oh, dear God, no.”
Lyle’s voice was angry. “Open your eyes, Dave. Open your eyes now, or I’ll cut off your eyelids.”
As best he could, Dave obeyed.
Lyle walked around him as she spoke. “I know you like games. You think you’re a big man…”
“No, I don’t. You have the wrong person,” he spluttered.
“Interrupt again, Dave, and I’ll cut your head off, right here, right now. You think you can trample over women? That you can play games with women? I’m a woman. Shall we see how much you like my games?”
Dave began screaming, an inhuman scream. Spots of blood and streaks of blood appeared on his face as his body buckled and rocked from the pain.
The screaming changed to a deep, pitiful murmur.
The camera zoomed out again and showed where Dave’s lower body had been cut and slashed.
Lyle appeared in front of the camera again. She crouched in front of him and said, “Open your mouth, Dave.”
He screamed and whined. His body moved like a fish out of water as Lyle worked on him.
The screaming stopped, and there was silence. Dave had passed out, his body and mind unable to take any more.
Lyle’s blood-covered hand appeared briefly in front of the camera, and then the bloody horror of Dave’s butchered and bloodied face was revealed.
The sound of Lyle’s footsteps. The clink of metal as the instrument used to cut him was put down. The sound of a lid closing.
The camera was picked up then and approached Dave’s body. Lyle filmed him from all sides then angled the camera down at the pool of blood gathering below his swaying body.
We watched as Lyle washed and dried her hands in the workshop’s sink then walked back towards Dave’s limp body. As she walked, she turned the camera on herself and began to speak.
Chapter Fifty-Four
“I hope, given time, you’ll appreciate what I’ve done for you, Emma. But right now, we’re running out of time. So much still to come and so little time. There’s another big surprise coming up very soon. I need everyone’s attention on this. That means you too, Hardy. Are you there, James? Of course you are; I know you can’t stay away from something like this. You and I are similar in so many ways.
“I still have very fond memories of the very first time we met. Do you remember? We sat beneath the stars, and you reassured me. Are you comforting Emma the way you comforted me? I bet you are. He’s such a gentleman, isn’t he, Emma?
“Back to Dave. I’ve nearly finished with him. I’m going to remove his hands and head now. Then he’ll be ready for you.
“Before I go, I want you to know everything is in place for the next part of the game. James, I’ll see you then.”
The phone moved around again. Lyle set it down and angled it so that she could film herself. We watched a few more seconds as she brought Dave around from unconsciousness. Then, as the screaming started again, Emma switched off the phone. I gave her some space as she walked around for a while, getting herself together.
Lyle’s words about there being another surprise worried me. The fact she was announcing it suggested she had something even more terrifying planned. Until we could figure out what that might be, I wanted to keep Emma close.
When she finally walked back over to me, I said quietly, “You’ve been through a hell of a lot tonight, and I would consider it a personal favour if you would come and stay at my house. I don’t want you alone right now, so unless you have someone you can go and stay with, I want you to stay close to me. We have room.”
“I don’t need a bloody babysitter.”
“I’m not suggesting that. I think the smart thing is that we play safe. That means we look out for each other. I want to know you’ve got my back, and you to know that right now I’ve got yours.”
I could see she didn’t want to look weak, so I made it easier for her.
“We need to get ahead of this, which means we need to put in more hours. Why waste time going back and forth to the office when we can work from my study? I have a guest room, freshly decorated and never used. We can work smarter and try and find a way to stop Lyle once and for all.”
Reluctantly, she agreed. “I need to go back to my place and get a few things.”
“I’ll come with you. For the time being, we stick together as much as possible.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Having found her way to the kitchen for breakfast, I think it would be fair to say Emma must have been a little surprised at how noisy and busy the house was.
Sandy immediately started barking with excitement at seeing her – a new face in the house.
Mum had popped in for before visiting Dad, who was still in the hospital and would soon undergo a further heart operation. She and Monica were deep in conversation as they prepared a healthy breakfast for everyone. Since Dad’s heart scare, mealtimes consisted of a lot more fruit and vegetables. I was going along with it for the time being. I suspected the new regime wouldn’t last long.
Alice had an exam coming up and was in the next room practising the violin.
Faith was on the family iPad laughing and talking to friends. She was explaining to them that she’d had a woman detective inspector staying at her house overnight. I had no doubt that as soon as she got the chance, Faith would be interrogating Emma.
Handing a cup of coffee to Emma, I said, “Good morning. Sorry about the noise. How are you feeling? How did you sleep?”
“I’m okay, thank you. I slept surprisingly well.”
She looked around at what I could only imagine she considered pandemonium.
Tongue in cheek, I said, “It can get a little chaotic in the Hardy household. You should see it on a busy morning.”
She laughed, and I introduced her to everyone while we all sat down for breakfast.
Mum gave Emma a discreet hug and a kiss and said how sorry she was. I’d explained the situation to Mum and Monica. Naturally, Alice and Faith had no idea about the terrifying events of the previous night.
While my eldest, Alice, was playing the perfect hostess by helping Monica serve breakfast, Faith made sure she was sat next to Emma so she could observe her while taking mental notes. It didn’t take long before she began her interrogation.
“Do you come from a big family? Emma, are you married? You’re not wearing a wedding ring. How long have you been a detective inspector? Do you have any brothers or sisters? What’s your middle name?”
I looked at Emma apologetically. “Please don’t quiz our guest, Faith.”
“You always ask such personal questions,” added Alice.
“Daddy says there’s no point beating about the bush. If you’ve got a question, ask it outright. Isn’t that right, Daddy?”
Had he been there, I could imagine my dad finding this conversation hilarious. It was a bit of advice he’d given me when I was a child.
Mum jumped in and tried to help. “Asking direct questions is fine if you grow up to become a detective, Faith. Until then, such direct questions to someone you barely know can seem a little impolite. It’s lovely you’re so inquisitive, but m
aybe try asking a question that’s a little less direct.”
“It’s fine,” said Emma. “Honestly, I don’t mind.” She gave Faith a warm smile.
Faith thought about her questions and tried again. “Are you divorced? Is that why you’re not wearing a wedding ring?”
Emma started laughing.
Monica gave Faith a wide-eyed look of disbelief. “Faith, what are we going to do with you?”
Still laughing, Emma said, “No, I’m not married. I was engaged for a while, but that didn’t work out.” She looked at me in a way that said she was okay.
There was a bit of awkward silence between the adults for a split second before Faith continued. “Is it because you haven’t met Prince Charming yet? Monica says men are beasts; you just need to find the least beastly one. Isn’t that right, Monica?”
Now it was my turn in the firing line. “Is that right?” I said, looking between Monica and Faith and Alice. “So that’s what you’re all saying behind my back, is it?”
“Absolutely,” laughed Monica. She winked at the girls. “I think it’s important these two young women understand that beastly boys grow up to become beastly men.”
“Hear, hear,” said Mum. “And they eventually become beastly grandads.”
“Well, that’s just charming,” I said. “And all this time there was me thinking I was your dream come true.”
Mum said, “You are, dear. You are her dream come true.” She added in a whisper from behind her hand, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Bless him.”
Breakfast went on this way for a good hour or so. Lots of good-natured fun and heartfelt laughter. It was great therapy. Every one of us around the table was hurting in their own way.
Emma looked relaxed and in good spirits. There was no doubt she was feeling pain, and she would need time to grieve. But right then she was putting that to one side and getting on with dealing with the here and now.
After we’d all helped with the clearing up and the packing away of breakfast, Emma and I went to my office to spend some time going over the case. It was time to decide our next move.
Chapter Fifty-Six
I’d lost track of time while going over the case files with Emma, and visiting hours at the hospital were over. I pressed the buzzer and peered through the window of the ward’s secure doors.
To my surprise, I was welcomed with a big smile from the ward sister. She’d been told who I was and that I was working the murder investigation they’d all heard about on the news. I was allowed in under strict instructions that I shouldn’t stay more than half an hour and to be “as quiet as a church mouse.”
“Your dad talks about you a lot. He’s so proud,” said Nurse Gillespie. “He’s a lovely man. He makes us all laugh. Tells us stories about his granddaughters.”
“Thank you for looking after him. It sounds like he’s in good form.”
“Yes, he is. His operation got pushed back because an emergency came in, but we’re monitoring him, and the doctor will reschedule at the earliest opportunity.”
I found Dad sitting up in bed reading the Daily Echo. On seeing me, he folded the newspaper and put it to one side. His face still looked pale and the rims of his eyes were red, but he was smiling and appeared stable.
“Stop your gawping and sit yourself down,” he ordered. “You’re looking tired, James. Have you been sleeping?”
“I’m okay,” I fibbed. The last thing he needed to hear was how the Lyle case had escalated.
“How are my granddaughters? I’m looking forward to seeing them and Monica. She promised to smuggle in some of that carrot cake of hers.” Suddenly his eyes filled with tears.
“What is it, Dad?”
“Ah, nothing. Just being a dope.”
“Come on,” I insisted. “Talk to me.”
He picked up his paper, unnecessarily folded it one more time and put it back down on his lap. “You know, for a moment there, when I was on the floor, staring up at the sky, I thought it was all over. I kept telling myself ‘I’m not ready to go,’ but there was nothing I could do about it. Now I’m feeling like I’m on borrowed time.
“Something like this makes you realise how our time here can be all over in the blink of an eye and how precious each second is. It also makes you reassess what’s truly important. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve always known what’s important. Yet, something like this really focuses the mind.”
Dad wiped away a tear. “I want to get out of here. I don’t want to waste another second in this hospital bed.” He looked anxious and scared in a way I’d never seen him before.
“You need the op, Dad. Wait and see the doctor in the morning. Get the operation over with, and you’ll feel like a new man. I guarantee it.”
“If anything happens to me…”
“Listen, nothing’s going happen. You’ve had a scare, that’s all. A message from your body. Fixing a condition like yours is routine stuff for doctors these days. You’ll be fine.”
He ignored me. “If anything happens to me, your mother will be okay financially. I need you to promise me you’ll look after her. I know you will, but I just need to hear you say it, for my own peace of mind. She puts on the air of a strong, independent woman. Inside, I still see the young woman I met all those years ago. She acts tough, and she is in many ways – she certainly knows her mind – but that big generous heart of hers is easily broken.”
“I promise, I will. But we shouldn’t be having this conversation. You’ve both got years ahead of you.”
Dad smiled weakly. I could see he didn’t believe me. I guessed he was still in shock and feeling tired and vulnerable.
Suddenly, he brightened up. He sat up straight, put his paper to one side and said, “I might have told you the story, many times, of how your mother and I met at a dance. She was there with her girlfriends, and as soon as I saw her, I knew. The way she looked, moved and laughed. She was the only girl in the room I wanted to talk to. For me, it was love at first sight.
“We danced a few times that evening. We talked and talked, and I told her I was a police officer with big plans for my future. I thought it would impress her.
“What I didn’t ever tell you was what your mother said to me that evening. She told me she’d had a nice time but that a second date wasn’t in the cards. She turned me down.”
Dad laughed to himself as he pictured the moment in his mind.
“I was full of myself back then. A hot-headed young man. What I didn’t see was that, to your mother, my confidence and my stories of wanting to be a detective came across as arrogance. She told me years later I had spent the whole dance talking about myself and had wanted to know very little about her. Being naive, and keen as mustard, I thought the way to win her was to do all I could to impress her with my achievements and ambition. I’d messed up.
“What it meant was I’d made it harder for myself to win her over. In time, she saw who I really was and realised that the way I behaved that first evening was just for show.”
Dad put his hand on mine.
“The truth is, I didn’t know how to behave around girls back then, and I was putting on an act. As you get older, son, you realise that being something you’re not is harder than being who you really are. And for your own peace of mind you must accept who you are. Those who care about you will accept that. Be true to yourself, son. We only get one shot at this life, so whatever happens, be true to who you are.”
He wrinkled his nose and brushed away a tear. It looked like storm clouds were gathering in his mind, and I wanted to keep him upbeat. I said, “Well, you won her over in the end. And the two of you have been together, ahem, many years.” I coughed jokingly to cover the number of years.
Dad laughed a little too loudly, and we looked at each other like naughty schoolboys as we noticed Nurse Gillespie giving us a stern look. We continued to chuckle quietly.
“You’d better get out of here before you get thrown out,” he said at last. “Thanks for coming, son. You’
ve cheered me up. Give Monica, Alice and Faith a kiss from me. I’d better get some sleep now. No doubt your mother will be here at the crack of dawn to fuss over me.”
“You love it, really. All this attention.”
“You bet I do. I’m making the most of this. Go on, get out of here. Go and see that beautiful family of yours.”
I thanked Nurse Gillespie on my way out and headed home.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Edward Richter sat back in his chair and folded his arms. He looked across the table at the woman opposite him, his eyes unblinking, as he tried to read her face.
“So you’re my new psychologist? What makes you think you’re smart enough to poke around inside my head and tell me why I do what I do? How long have you held a psychology degree? Nice wig, by the way. Though I prefer brunettes, if you know what I mean.”
“We both know why I’m here, Richter.”
“Isn’t it risky of you coming here? What’s to stop me calling the guards right now and turning you in?”
“That’s not your style.”
“Prison can change a man.”
“So I’ve heard.”
Richter scoffed. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t know it was you who slaughtered those women and framed me for it.”
He shifted uneasily in his seat. “This visit can’t be about your girlfriend. That was years ago. Don’t tell me you’re still whining about that? If you are, it’s just a pretence. I don’t believe you are capable of love. I’ve often wondered whether, hidden deep inside you, there might be a heart. I concluded that if there is, it’s ugly, twisted and cold. Let’s face it – try as you might, you’ll never find peace. So, come on, tell me, why are you really here?”
Lyle showed no emotion. She had been straightening her badge, which read “Criminal Psychologist,” as she waited for Richter to finish.
“I’m here because I want you to know that I’m the one who decides your future. And I wanted to take another look at you before I decide how that’s going to unfold.”
