Hard Truth

by Jay Gill

  “Her daughter. I’m guessing you’re Melvyn.”

  “Has someone been talking about me?” Melvyn tapped his name badge, which read Melvyn Barclay. “That’s me, in the flesh. All of it – one too many pizzas.” He chuckled heartily at his own joke.

  Kelly’s mother was awake now, and Kelly watched as her eyes followed Melvyn around the room. Her mother recoiled slightly as Melvyn put down the dinner tray and pushed it in front of her.

  “Here you go, Mrs Allerton. You’ve got fish and vegetables tonight.” His eyes flicked towards Kelly. “It’s your favourite, isn’t it?”

  Mother didn’t say anything. She watched Melvyn.

  “Alright, well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be back in a little while to collect the tray and bring you a nice hot cup of tea. We’ve got apple pie for dessert as well. You’ll like that. I’ll put a little scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side for you. See you in a bit.”

  Kelly got her mother comfortable and helped her begin to eat her dinner. “I will have to go very soon, Mother,” she said as she sliced up the piece of fish. “There is someone I need to go and see.”

  “Where’s your husband? I haven’t seen him in ages. Where are your children? My grandchildren – where are my grandchildren?”

  “I’m not married, Mother. You know that.”

  Her mother’s brow creased with sudden anger. “Who would have you? Who would have a useless bitch like you?”

  Kelly felt herself tense as she heard those words she’d heard her father use about her mother. The screaming filled her head. The sound of the punches, the sound of a chair screeching across the kitchen floor as Mother tried to get away.

  “I love you, Mother. I’ve really got to go. But I’m going to come back again very soon.” Kelly leaned over and gave her mother a kiss.

  On her way out, Kelly took a look around. There was someone she wanted to have a word with before leaving, and it didn’t take long before she spotted Melvyn and a skinny young woman smoking outside a set of glass doors in the recreation area.

  On seeing Kelly, Melvyn leaned in towards the young woman and said something, a half-smile on his face. The young woman sniggered and nodded. They watched as Lyle came closer, both feigning disinterest and wearing smug smiles, as though they had some sort of upper hand.

  Lyle pushed open the glass door that led to the recreation area. She marched up to Melvyn and got her face up close to his. Melvyn’s back was up against the wall. Lyle took another step and pressed her chest against his. Now toe to toe, he could feel her hot breath on his neck. As his bravado evaporated, he found himself forced to look away.

  After an uncomfortably long silence, Lyle turned her head and looked at the skinny girl. “Samantha Dickson.”

  The skinny girl touched her name badge and nodded. “Yes?”

  “You and I will have words another time – that, I promise you. Right now, though, you can go.” Lyle turned and looked at Melvyn again, then addressed Samantha once more. “I need a serious conversation with your friend, Melvyn.”

  Samantha looked at Melvyn and then at Lyle. She dropped her cigarette, crushed it out with her foot and scuttled off as quickly she could.

  Kelly pressed herself even closer to Melvyn and said, “You so much as lay a finger on my mother again and I will cut you up into chunks. I will cut you into pieces and put you through a meat grinder. Then, I’ll bag you up and send you to Battersea-fucking-Dogs’ Home, where those sorry-looking dogs will eat you up and shit you out. Do you understand? Nod your head for me if you understand.”

  Melvyn nodded.

  Lyle pressed a finger into Melvyn’s fleshy cheek until his lips puckered and said, “Good. And if I hear your girlfriend, Samantha, or anyone else has laid a finger on my mother or even says anything I think might upset her, I will go after them, and then I’ll come after you too. Do you understand? Nod for me if you understand.”

  Melvyn nodded again. He could feel himself sweating uncontrollably.

  “Good boy. From now on you’re going to be my mother’s guardian angel.”

  Kelly reached into Melvyn’s trouser pocket and pulled out his packet of cigarettes and cigarette lighter. Still keeping her face next to his she put the cigarette in her mouth and lit it. Melvyn squirmed and tried to turn his face further away. He could feel the flame of the lighter and pictured the hot tip of the cigarette next to his face. Kelly inhaled deeply, then blew the cigarette smoke directly into his face. “Not a finger, Melvyn.”

  Melvyn nodded once more, “I understand.”

  Kelly took a few steps back and watched as Melvyn stood up straight. Pathetic.

  “From now on, Melvyn, you’re to be the poster child for every member of staff. If they step out of line, I’m coming after you. I want you to start taking a regular bath as well. You stink.”

  Melvyn nodded again and whispered, “Whatever you say.”

  “Open your mouth for me, Melvyn.”

  Melvyn looked at Lyle and, with only a moment’s hesitation, obediently did as he was told.

  Lyle took the cigarette from her mouth and turned it before placing it in Melvyn’s mouth.

  “Good boy. Now finish your cigarette and enjoy the rest of your break.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Dave Howes was feeling pleased with himself. He hated confrontation and felt pleased with the way he’d stood up to Emma.

  Getting her back in the sack had been a bit of luck. His only concern now was whether Rebecca would find out. He thought it very unlikely that the two women would ever speak, so he quickly put it to the back of his mind.

  With little traffic on the A31 New Forest dual carriageway, Dave kept his foot pressed down on the accelerator. It would be at least an hour’s drive to Rebecca’s house in Southampton, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible. He thought he should let Rebecca know he was on his way. Recalling his night with Emma had put him in a playful mood, and he wanted to remind her how much he loved her.

  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. Balancing the phone on his thigh he found Rebecca’s number and hit Call. He then picked up the phone and put it to his ear.

  Rebecca didn’t answer, so he left a message. “Hi Becks, it’s me. I’m on my way. Sorry it’s all taken so long. You know how Emma can be. She made things really difficult. It got so late that, rather than drive back at night and disturb you, I ended up sleeping on a mate’s sofa. Anyway, Emma and I straightened things out. I’m all sorted. I got all the stuff I wanted, and I’m on my way over. I never need to see her again. Love you. Did you miss me? I’ve been thinking about you. A lot.”

  A silver Volvo came up close behind Dave’s car. Dave didn’t notice the car until it pulled around him and came up alongside with its blue lights now flashing.

  Dave dropped his mobile phone onto the passenger seat. He was well over the speed limit and immediately took his foot off the accelerator.

  “Damn it. Shit.”

  Shock and fear surged through his body. The police car remained level, and Dave turned to look at the officer at the wheel. She waved a hand to indicate he should pull over.

  Dave pulled over onto the hard shoulder and slowed to a stop. The unmarked car pulled in behind him, its blue lights still flashing.

  Reaching across to the passenger seat, Dave switched off his mobile phone. He opened the glovebox and tossed it inside.

  In his mirrors, he watched the police officer making notes. Then he watched as the officer got out of the Volvo and walked up to the passenger side of his car. Dave opened the window.

  The traffic officer leaned over and looked in. “Good evening, sir,” she said.

  Dave replied casually, “Good evening, Officer. Did I do something wrong? Is everything okay?”

  “You were recorded driving in excess of the national speed limit. You were also driving while using your mobile phone. Licence and insurance, please.”

  Dave passed the officer his driver’s licence and ex
plained that his insurance was at home.

  “Come with me,” she instructed him. “I need to run some checks. We need to fill out some paperwork. Step this way.”

  Dave followed the officer to her car. She motioned him into the passenger seat.

  “This shouldn’t take long,” she said. “I just need to run through some paperwork and then you can be on your way. You will, of course, receive a fine and six penalty points on your licence. If it were up to me, it would be an instant disqualification, but there you are. It’s not up to me.”

  Dave sighed resignedly. He knew that police cars have cameras and that he had very likely been filmed using his phone. The situation would only be made worse if he tried to contest the truth of the matter.

  The officer examined his licence and said, “Please confirm your name.”

  Dave picked at his fingernail and said, “David Alexander Howes.”

  “And your permanent address?”

  Dave gave Rebecca’s address. The last thing he wanted was the police contacting Emma.

  Dave watched the officer fill in the space for his address. He looked at her fingernails. They looked well-manicured. His eyes moved to her hands, her uniform, her face and her hair. He leaned forward to look at her shoes.

  New uniform and new shoes, thought Dave. Hair and fingernails like she’s come straight out of a salon.

  Dave looked around the car at the dashboard and the dash cam. Something seemed wrong. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something felt out of place.

  The police officer looked at him, and Dave looked away. Then Dave looked back and said, “I know this is going sound silly, but can I see some identification, please?”

  “I showed it to you.”

  “I’d like to see it again. Please.” Dave sat up a little straighter.

  The officer looked mildly amused and said, “Of course you can. You are entitled to see my identification. Better to be safe than sorry. One moment.”

  Dave felt pleased with himself. He heard the rip of Velcro as the officer opened a jacket pocket. His eyes followed her as she first looked ahead and then turned in her seat to look behind.

  Dave turned his head to see what she was looking for. The officer appeared to be looking to see whether any cars were approaching. Dave could see the road was empty.

  “Here we go,” said the officer.

  Dave put out his hand and took the warrant card. Studying the card, he didn’t notice the officer’s other hand as it suddenly pressed the Taser into his chest. The Taser’s 1200 volts seared through his body.

  Rigid from the shock, Dave was unable to prevent the hand holding a cloth covered in chloroform from covering his nose and mouth.

  Kelly Lyle pulled the seatbelt across Dave’s body and fastened it. She took off the police hat, wig and jacket and dropped them in the footwell behind Dave’s seat. She got out of the Volvo and walked back to Dave’s car, where she hunted around for his mobile phone and finally located it in the glovebox. She tucked it in her pocket and returned to the unmarked police car.

  Satisfied that Dave looked like a sleeping passenger, she pulled back onto the dual carriageway and made her way to the workshop.

  Chapter Fifty

  Emma was closing the front door behind her when the call came in. She dropped her shopping bag on the worktop and answered the phone. It was a woman’s voice, one she didn’t recognise.

  “Is he with you? If he is with you, tell him he can go screw himself.”

  Emma had a good idea who this was and who she was talking about. “Rebecca? If you’re talking about Dave, he’s not here. I did tell him to get out, and I assumed he went straight back to you.”

  Emma could hear Rebecca breathing on the other end of the phone. She started unpacking her shopping. She opened the fridge and tucked a carton of milk inside. She took the loaf of bread and dropped it on top of the bread bin, the bread bin being full of biscuits. Emma folded up the shopping bag and stuffed it into a drawer.

  “Dave was here,” said Emma eventually. “I threw him out. Between you and me, Dave isn’t the man I thought he was.”

  Rebecca listened and then said, “I’m sorry. By the time I found out about you, it was already too late. I was already in love with him.”

  Emma knew she was lying. Dave had mentioned Rebecca Wild, from his place of work, on many occasions. She’d been so busy with the Lyle investigation over the last few months that she hadn’t given it much thought.

  Looking back, she realised it had probably only started out as Dave mentioning Rebecca’s name as a way to gain her attention. Perhaps he’d thought she might feel a little jealous and give him some attention rather than focusing full-time on the investigations she was working on. Emma could only presume that, after not getting the response he’d hoped for, he’d taken it a step further. Then another step, until...

  “I tried calling his mobile,” said Rebecca. “At first it went to voicemail. Now when I call his number, I get a message that says, ‘This phone might be switched off.’”

  Well, that’s odd, Emma thought. She now wondered whether Dave might have more than one relationship on the go. It seemed unlikely, but then again, until recently, the thought of Dave with any other woman had seemed impossible to her. She now realised Dave was full of surprises. She wondered whether she could delicately ask Rebecca whether she thought Dave might be seeing someone else. She decided there was no easy way to ask.

  “Is there anywhere else you think Dave might go?” asked Emma.

  “No, I assumed he was with you. He told me his parents live in Cardiff. He left a message telling me he was on his way over to me. That he’d spent the night at a friend’s place, that night he came to see you. I called all the friends of his I know, and they’ve not seen him. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  Telling Rebecca that Dave had been in her bed and not on friend’s sofa would benefit no one, Emma decided. At least not at this particular moment.

  “He is really close to his parents. Though I doubt he’s gone to Cardiff without telling you. I shouldn’t worry too much. He’ll turn up. I can assure you he won’t be coming back here any time soon. I feel sure he’s been sidetracked in some way, the way blokes are. He’ll be knocking on your door before you know it.”

  Rebecca didn’t sound convinced, but Emma had had enough of playing nice. She ended the call as politely as she could, then threw her phone onto the armchair and watched it bounce.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Emma had been polite to Rebecca and told herself she no longer cared what Dave was doing, but it didn’t stop her feeling hurt and angry. Emotions clawed their way through her body. His betrayal had winded her; it was like a punch to the stomach.

  Emma fed Watson and then they sat together on the sofa while she ate a microwave curry and drank white wine.

  It was just after 11.30 p.m. when her mobile phone, which was still on the armchair, woke her.

  “Hello?” She knew she sounded sleepy. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Emma speaking.”

  “It’s lovely to speak with you finally. I’m a big fan of yours, Emma. Why wouldn’t I be? You’re a strong, independent, beautiful woman. This is really exciting.”

  It was a woman’s voice. Emma was confused. Was this a prank call?

  “Who is this? I didn’t catch your name.”

  “You’ll figure that out soon enough, darling. I’ve been watching you. You’re a fascinating little thing. Buzzing here, there and everywhere. You’re like a pretty little bumblebee buzzing around the garden in circles. Hopping from one flower to another; round and round you go. And then, after bumbling around for hours and hours, you go home to your pussycat. Meow. Emma, all alone with her cat. How’s that working out for you? What do you think Dave’s up to right now? Right this minute? I bet you one million pounds you can’t guess.”

  Emma could feel her breathing speeding up. She was awake now and on high alert.

  Instinctively Emma looke
d behind her. She then got to her feet, walked quickly and quietly to her front door and checked that the security chain was on. She went to the window and looked out. She looked up and down the street but could see very little; the only light came from streetlights.

  Emma found a scrap of paper and a pen to record exactly what the woman was saying. She sat down on the couch, set the paper on the coffee table, pulled up her sleeves and began to write. At the top of the page she marked the time, and in capital letters wrote: KELLY LYLE.

  “Why are you calling me?” she asked, keeping her voice level. “I’m pleased you are calling me – of course I am. I just wondered why now?”

  “I felt now was the right time.”

  “When can we meet?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea that we meet. You’ve seen what I do to people who disappoint me. For the time being, I think it’s better we don’t meet. For now, I find you more interesting alive than dead. Dave, on the other hand…”

  Emma’s eyes widened. She put a hand over her mouth to cover her gasp. What did Kelly Lyle know of Dave? Her brain started putting all sorts of connections together. She felt her heart pounding.

  Emma asked hesitantly, “What do you mean?” Emma thought she knew what Lyle meant, but she prayed she was wrong. Please be wrong. Please God – no, not David.

  “I have a little surprise for you. I suppose you’d call it a gift. I’ve been watching you, watching Hardy. I’ve also been watching Dave. I could see what he was doing. He isn’t good for you.”

  Emma noticed Lyle said ‘isn’t,’ not ‘wasn’t.’

  “I could see what Dave was doing long before you ever turned a blind eye to it. Love really is blind.” She chuckled at her own joke. “Dave won’t be breaking any more hearts. He’s a distraction, and I need you to focus. You’re a smart woman, Detective Inspector Emma Cotton, and you can do a lot better than David. You have a bright and shining future ahead of you.