Читать книгу The Face Behind the Mask - Helen Phifer - Страница 14
ОглавлениеWhen Annie opened her eyes to see Alfie’s Moses basket empty her heart almost jumped from her chest. Then she realised that Will was no longer in the bed either. Reaching out for her phone she was surprised to see it was almost twenty to eight. How had that happened? She got up, pulling her dressing gown off the back of the chair and wrapping it around herself.
She went downstairs to the smell of grilling bacon. A small spark of anger flared inside her. Obviously Will had woken up hangover-free if he was making himself a bacon sandwich. By rights he should have a stinking hangover and be feeling as if he was dying. If it had been her who had consumed all that whisky on an empty stomach she probably would have died.
She walked into the kitchen to see Alfie strapped into his bouncer, which was balanced on top of the breakfast bar. Will was leaning down feeding him. Alfie was smiling and cooing at his dad and she felt her anger melt away. Damn, he did that to her every single time. She could never stay mad at him for long. He looked up and smiled at her. She was pleased to note it wasn’t his normal, ridiculously happy smile. Good, so he did have a conscience after all.
‘Morning, beautiful; I’m so sorry about yesterday. I’ve made us some bacon bagels and fresh coffee. I hope you’re not too mad at me.’
She inhaled then shook her head. ‘Well, I was until you mentioned the bagels. You know I’m a woman who likes her food.’
This time he did grin. ‘Alfie was hungry so I’ve given him his breakfast. Did you manage to get back to sleep?’
She considered telling him about her ridiculous fears that there was something wrong with Alfie’s bedroom and her dream about the white house, then stopped herself.
‘Yes, eventually. He wouldn’t settle in his own room. I think maybe we should move his cot in with us while he’s teething. It just makes it easier for me if he wakes up, and if you can’t sleep because of him you can always go into the spare room.’
She waited for him to give her a list of reasons why it was a bad idea, but he nodded.
‘I think you’re right. He’s so unsettled through the night; maybe it will be better for all of us. I’ll move his cot in when I get home. I have to go to work soon. Adele is picking me up on her way through to Barrow.’
Annie sat down on one of the high stools and bit into her bagel. Cream cheese squeezed out of the side and she wiped it with her finger then licked it.
‘Steady on, you’ll be getting me all excited.’
She laughed. ‘I wish. I mean how long is it since we’ve…’
A horn beeped outside the gate. Will turned to look out of the window and waved. ‘Well, maybe when I get home we might get a bit of time to ourselves.’
He walked over and kissed her forehead.
‘Who’s Adele?’
Annie tried to make the question sound casual, not like she was being a paranoid wife, but a small flutter of panic had formed in her chest when he’d first said her name.
‘Adele Dean – she’s transferring from Carlisle to Barrow. I suppose she’s Stu’s replacement although it hasn’t been officially said. I did my training with her; she’s lovely and very happily married with two grown-up kids. Does that answer your questions?’
Annie felt her cheeks begin to burn. ‘Sorry, it’s just I’m stuck at home all day and I kind of miss my old life a little bit. I’ve just never heard of her and wondered, that’s all.’
Will almost choked on the last bit of his bagel that he’d shoved into his mouth. ‘You miss your old life? You mean the one where demented killers were following you and kidnapping you every couple of weeks?’
‘Don’t be daft; you know what I mean. I miss the going out to work and stuff, keeping up with the gossip and general banter. Of course I don’t miss that other stuff.’
‘Phew, that’s a relief. Look, why don’t you come outside and say hello to her? Then you can meet her and know what she’s like instead of sitting here worrying over nothing.’
‘And look like some crazy, jealous wife? No, thank you. I’m not worried at all. Have a good day and I’ll see you later.’
Will smiled. ‘You know how much I love you both, right?’
She nodded.
‘Well, don’t be worrying yourself over nothing.’
Annie lifted her hand and waved. ‘Bye, Will.’
He blew her a kiss, grabbed his suit jacket off the back of the chair and took one last mouthful of coffee. He waved at her as he went out of the front door to the woman waiting in the car outside for him. Annie couldn’t help herself and walked across to the window to take a peek. The woman was talking to Will as he got inside her car, then, as if she knew she was being watched, she turned and smiled at Annie, giving her a wave.
Annie waved back and let the curtain drop, mortified she’d been caught. Bugger. Today she was going to move some things around in their bedroom to make enough room for Alfie’s cot, which was a bit of a monster. Then she would take him for a walk into the village for some fresh air. See, her life was about as exciting as watching paint dry. Then she remembered about phoning Father John. Scrap that; she might go and visit him and move the furniture around later.
Pleased she had something slightly more exciting planned for the morning, she picked up Alfie, who was wearing more of his breakfast than he had consumed. She took him upstairs with her so she could get them both ready.
***
Will clicked his seat belt in.
‘I could get used to this being chauffeur-driven to work.’
‘Well, don’t bother. I’m not travelling every day; I can’t be bothered. It’s far too long and will cost a fortune in diesel. Steve’s agreed we can move back to Barrow. His mum still lives in Holbeck so we’re going to move in with her until we find a place of our own. Was that the famous Annie Graham I just saw looking out of the window?’
Will looked at her to see if she was taking the piss, but she seemed genuinely interested.
‘Yes, it was. Well, she’s Annie Ashworth now. I think she’s still a bit annoyed with me.’
‘Because of yesterday? I should bloody well think so. I heard you were pissed as a fart and had to be escorted into the back of a van because you were that drunk. How did you manage that in less than two hours? I’m impressed.’
She winked at him and he laughed.
‘How the hell did you know that?’
‘News travels fast in this job, my old friend; you should know that. Actually it was Kav. He rang Steve about something last night and happened to mention it. In fact it was Kav who suggested I offer to pick you up this morning. That bloke was as hard as nails back in the day when he was our sergeant. Now he’s retired he’s turned into a right old softie.’
‘I guess seeing the stuff he’s seen over the years has made him appreciate family and friends a lot more. And I think when you’re not dealing with the shit day in, day out it makes you turn back into a relatively normal human being. It’s certainly made me more grateful for every single day.’
Will’s phone began to ring and he tugged it out of his trouser pocket.
‘I’m on my way; well, we both are. Adele picked me up. Yes, I know. I saw it on the news last night.’
Will listened as the male voice on the other end related something to him.
‘Be there soon, traffic permitting.’ He ended the call and glanced at her. ‘Did you see that murder on the news yesterday?’
She shook her head.
‘There’s a full briefing and they’re waiting on us before they begin. Bollocks, my head’s pounding and I’m not even at work yet. This is going to be a long day.’
‘Aren’t they all?’
The morning traffic wasn’t as bad as Will had anticipated and before long they arrived at the brand-new, shiny police station that had replaced the old one, which had been deemed unfit for purpose. The only problem was that the shiny new one was crap compared to the old one. It was all open-plan and the sound carried. There were no private areas that you could go to have a good old slanging match with someone or to discuss just how much someone was pissing you off. Will would have moved back to the old station in the blink of an eye.
Adele whistled. ‘I bet this cost them a pretty penny.’
He nodded. ‘Yep, wait until you see our office. It’s awful. Don’t get me wrong, the canteen’s handy and the chairs are comfy, but there’s nowhere to hide from any of them now.’
‘There’s nowhere for anyone to be having a quick shag either by the looks of it. This building should do wonders for marriage survival. Divorces rates will be going down.’
He chuckled. ‘I doubt that. Are you nervous?’
‘Yes and no. I don’t particularly like change, but I hated it at Carlisle. I wanted to come back, so it’s on my terms, sort of. I think I’m looking forward to it and, besides, there are much uglier bosses than you.’
‘I take it that’s a compliment?’
‘You can take it how you want. I won’t be calling you boss unless there’s anyone around. I hate all that.’
‘Good, I don’t expect you to. I’m plain old Will. I only get Sarge when they want something anyway.’
‘Excellent. Shall we?’
She’d parked her car outside the front of the building, instead of going into the secure car park around the back. Will got out, wondering if he was going to be able to stomach the crime scene photos. He felt like crap, although he’d not admitted that to Annie because he didn’t want her to gloat too much. Hopefully, because he was off work yesterday, Mikey – who had been the duty DS – had already taken over the case.
They walked through the front doors of the huge building and Adele whispered, ‘At least it smells new and not of sweaty boots and cannabis.’
Will nodded. She had a point. He swiped them in through the double doors that led into the atrium – as it was called – leading Adele to the spiral staircase in the middle of the floor. She followed him upstairs to the first floor and the major incident room where there was an assortment of bosses, detectives and OSU officers, all sitting around waiting for them. She went and stood at the back of the room, leaving Will to take the last seat at the front. The Chief Super began to talk. Will took his notebook out and wrote things down. He didn’t realise his name was being called until the room went silent and he looked up to see that everyone was staring at him.
‘Nice of you to join us, William; I was just explaining how you would be taking over the running of this. Mikey is going on holiday tomorrow and then he’s on a week-long course at headquarters on his return, so you might as well take over as OIC.’
Will felt his heart sink; he didn’t want to be the bloody officer in charge. It always fell on him whenever there was a murder or unexplained death. He’d had more than his fair share of murder cases the last three years. Why the hell couldn’t they let someone else run with it?
‘Don’t look so happy about it. With your track record this should be a breeze. I’m hoping you’ll have the case closed in the next twenty-four hours. Especially if we keep your lovely wife away from it.’
The Super began to laugh at his own joke and Will felt his hands curl into tight fists as the blood rushed to his face. He’d never liked the pompous man standing in front of him. He wanted to stand up and punch him. The urge was so strong that he had to shake his head to get the image out of his mind. Instead he stood up, marched across the room to the Smart Board and stared at the Super, eye to eye. The man was no longer grinning.
The room was silent as everyone watched the exchange between the two men. One of the response officers standing next to Adele whispered, ‘A fiver on Will taking him out with one punch.’
Adele smiled, clearly hoping Will would. She could tell what an arsehole that man was and she’d only just seen him. Instead, Will looked back at everyone and smiled. He could tell by their faces this was the most exciting briefing they’d ever attended because they wanted to see the Super knocked on his arse. As much as he wanted to hit him, he wouldn’t give him the pleasure.
‘Well then, you might as well leave now, Chief. You normally do once the actual police work starts.’
The whole room exploded into laughter. It was the Super’s turn to bunch his fingers into fists and his cheeks flared red. He glared at them all, then turned to Will, who by now had realised, with some regret, that he’d just started the biggest pissing match of his career. But he didn’t care. He was tired of the bullshit. What happened to coming to work and looking for the latest burglar who was doing the rounds? Why had this relatively quiet town decided to become the murder capital of England? And why was he always the officer in bloody charge?
‘Seeing as how I was at my friend and colleague’s funeral yesterday, I’ve missed out on what actually happened. So for now I want OSU searching…’ He looked across at the grainy, faded photo of the woman who had been brutally murdered. Her name was there in bold black print underneath it. ‘I want them searching Pauline Cook’s house and garden, until I’ve caught up. I take it CSI have finished? Unless the search turns up anything that might have missed?’
The OSU sergeant nodded.
‘I want the whole street sealed off until we’ve determined how our killer arrived at the scene. Do we know if he was on foot or in a car?’
Everyone shook their heads.
‘Tell the PCSOs to take over scene guard – they know the drill – and someone make sure that you rotate them. I don’t want to find out they’ve been left there for hours without any breaks.’
The community sergeant nodded.
‘Once the search has been done I want the house-to-house started. I’ll draw up a map of the area I want checking. Then I want all the shops in the area visited to see if they have working CCTV, and I want the footage downloaded straight away, not in a week’s time. If they can’t do it immediately then seize the hard drives and bring them back for Barry to go through in the video imaging unit. That’s it for now. We’ll meet back here in a couple of hours and take it from there.’
Will was pleased to see everyone scribbling notes. Adele was standing at the back, her arms crossed. She nodded at him and he felt a little bit better.
‘Before you go, I’d like you to meet DC Adele Dean. She’s transferred from Carlisle and, although she hasn’t replaced Stu – nobody could do that – she will be working from his desk. So if you need anything and can’t get hold of me, speak to her.’
He walked out of the room before he had to look back at the Super, who was still glowering at him. Will could feel the man’s eyes burning through the back of his head. Let the games begin. He felt someone rushing up to him and turned to see Adele smiling at him.
‘You know you would make an excellent Chief Super? What an idiot he is. How come he’s still got a job? I bet he pisses people off on a daily basis.’
Will laughed; he looked down at his watch.
‘Not bad, it took you less than five minutes in the station to come to the same conclusion as the rest of us. I have no idea how he still has a job, but I’d bet a hundred quid it’s because he’s part of the Masonic Lodge. If I give you the CCTV inquiries is that okay? I could give it to some uniform, but they’re already short-staffed. Normally I’d use the PCSOs because they’re really good at all this stuff, but I’m going to get them to do the house-to-house once the area’s been searched because they’re also very good at that.’
‘You like your PCSOs then?’
‘Like them? I bloody love them. They make my job so much easier because when you ask them to do a job they get off their arses and do it.’
‘Ours were all right, but I wouldn’t say they were amazing.’
‘Well, mine are and I won’t have a bad word said about them.’
‘No, I wouldn’t say a thing.’
Will led her across the landing to the large, open-plan office that he hated. There was no privacy whatsoever and it was right next to the canteen, which was a nightmare: having to smell sizzling bacon every morning when you were trying to still fit into your trousers.
‘These desks are supposed to be anybody’s, but we kind of tend to stick with the same ones.’
He pointed to an empty one.
‘That one would have been Stu’s had he moved here, but he never recovered from his accident. So you might as well have that one because it hasn’t got anyone else’s crap on it.’
‘Are you sure? It must be difficult for you all. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.’
‘No, you’re not. Stu’s gone and, as hard as it is to believe or accept, we need to move on. No one will mind.’
Will walked into his office and shut his door. His head was banging. He was still fuming about the Super’s snide remarks, but he had a job to do and he would do it. He wanted to read the log as it had come in, read the reports they had up to now, go through the crime scene photos and decide how he was going to catch the murderous fucker who had broken into Pauline Cook’s house and killed her in such a sick, violent frenzy.
Summer 1950
The huge red and white striped tent had been erected on the field. Almost every person had helped to pull the guide ropes to lift it up and get it into place. It was something that needed as many of the labourers and performers as possible. Fresh sawdust had been scattered on top of the grass inside the tent, giving it a softer floor. Gordy loved this part: when the centre ring was empty and the circus hadn’t been tainted by thousands of men, women and children, all eagerly waiting to pay their money and file through the gap in the tent to take their seats.
Tomorrow, when it opened, the smell of popcorn and candyfloss would fill the air, mingling with the fresh sawdust and toffee apples. There was no better scent. The loud humming of the generators in the background was like music to his ears, blocking out the memories that were trying to fill his mind. It kept wandering back to his miserable childhood. The times he’d listened as his parents had argued, his mother’s shrill voice carrying up the stairs until a loud thud would silence her.
More often than not his father – who liked to drink – would then come up and start on him, beating him for no reason. Gordy would go to school and make up the most intricate lies about the bruises. He hated his parents, but he hadn’t wanted to go into a children’s home. He became so good at telling lies that he almost believed them himself.
Then there were the incidents with Andrew and Mrs Goldsmith. Gordy didn’t feel remorse for what he’d done to them. They had laughed at him and deserved what they got. It was life. Nobody had cared that his own father had punched and kicked him until he was black and blue, had they? He liked the feeling of being in control, of being able to inflict pain on others. This was what his father had taught him.
The circus was here for four nights and Gordy had an idea. Yesterday, as they’d arrived, there had been a group of kids waiting and watching their every move. They were almost as fascinated with the circus as Gordy himself was. One of the boys had looked a little bit slower than the rest of them; he’d stared at the lions, monkeys and elephants with a look of wonder etched onto his face. His jaw slack, his lips slightly parted as a line of spittle ran from them. One of the younger boys had elbowed him in the side and he’d closed his mouth, lifting a grubby sleeve to wipe his lips. Gordy had purposely gone over to talk to them, asking them if they liked the circus. All four of them had nodded in unison.
‘Well, how would you like free tickets to come see it every night?’
‘Really, mister? That would be ace. How would we get free tickets?’
‘It’s a big job setting this lot up; there’s lots of work to be done. We could do with a hand setting up the chairs and putting fresh sawdust down each morning in the big top. I could square it with the ringmaster and see if he’s willing to let you pitch in and help in return for some tickets.’
All four of them had shouted, ‘Yes, please!’ at the same time.
‘I’m Gordy – well, that’s my real name. When I’m working I’m Tufty the clown. You see that poster over there? The clown in the black and white? That’s me.’
‘Really, you’re a proper clown? That’s brilliant.’
Gordy smiled. ‘I think so too. Wait there and I’ll go speak to my boss, see if we can’t give you lads some work to do. Of course you’ll have to square it with your parents. They might not want you here every day.’
The boy who looked a little slower and older than the others laughed. ‘My ma won’t care. She’s always telling me I should be in a freak show.’
The other boys laughed too. One of them said, ‘Yes, she is. You could be a clown as well. We could call you Coco instead of Colin.’
The boy who’d elbowed him began to laugh so hard that tears rolled down his cheeks. ‘Coco is a much better name than Colin. Shit on a stick is a better name than Colin.’
Colin scowled at them and his bottom lip began to tremble.
Gordy patted his arm. ‘Well, I think Colin is a grand name, so why don’t you go and see if you can all come back this afternoon and help out? Just come find me. I won’t be far.’
The boys turned and ran off, leaving Colin lumbering behind. Gordy felt a spark of excitement; he had big plans for Colin. Since he’d killed his parents there was this feeling inside him that he wanted to do it again. No, not wanted – that wasn’t strong enough. He knew he had to do it again. Only he didn’t want to go after an adult. It would be easier to kill a kid. They were always wandering off and getting lost. He could make it look like an accident. Only he would know the truth. Colin was a lot bigger than he’d anticipated, but it looked as if no one really cared about the lad so he would do nicely as a starter. Then if it all went to plan, he could carry on and no one would be any the wiser.
Gordy wandered off to help wherever he was needed. Betty and the two other trapeze artists were practising their twists and turns on a makeshift rope swing. He stopped to watch. She had done exactly what she said she would for the next show. Carried on as if she hadn’t almost broken her neck. He had been fascinated; the strength she showed was admirable. In fact, the more he got to know the other performers, the more he liked them.
He was still wary of the lions. Marcus the lion tamer seemed to have them wrapped around his little finger. A loud roar made Gordy jump and he turned to see Marcus on the floor with Leo, the huge lion, standing above him. Gordy’s heart began to race and he thought he was about to watch Marcus get eaten alive. What happened next made him laugh so much a tear rolled down his cheek. The huge lion flopped down onto the floor of the cage next to Marcus and lay his head on his chest. He nudged Marcus until he gave in and began to rub his belly. Betty, who had paused mid somersault, giggled. She shouted, ‘Marcus, that cat is more in charge of you than your wife. I bet you don’t rub her belly like that.’
‘Sweetheart, if I had a wife I most certainly would. Why don’t you come over here and I’ll rub yours?’
There was a loud eruption of laughter, which echoed around the field, and Gordy once more found himself glad that he’d finally had the courage to walk away from his old life so he could enjoy his new one.
Betty tutted and turned back to her rope swing. She looked at him. ‘So, Tufty, how are you liking the circus?’
He fell forwards and tumbled to the ground, doing a forwards roll. As he stood up he pulled a bunch of flowers from his sleeve, handing them to her.
She giggled. ‘That much, eh? Good, I’m glad you like it. I couldn’t imagine living any other way. I’ve been part of circus life since I could crawl and I’ve been doing aerial stunts since I was five.’
He took a bow and nodded. ‘I can’t imagine anything else either – and that’s amazing. You were born with circus blood in your veins. I feel as if I’ve finally found a place I belong, a place to call home.’
A loud voice shouted, ‘Tufty, can you give us a hand?’ He turned to see a group of men all unloading the wooden benches to go into the tent. He walked in their direction. For the next couple of hours he wouldn’t have time to think about anything as they set up the seating for the audience.
Sweating and tired, he lifted the last bench into place, then straightened his back. It was lunchtime and he was going to take a well-earned break to eat a corned beef sandwich and drink a bottle of ginger ale. No sooner had he reached the shady spot he’d had his eye on all morning and sat down than he heard someone calling him. He stood up from the shade of the huge oak tree he’d taken shelter under from the burning sun and smiled to himself to see Colin walking towards him. Gordy waved at him and the big lad smiled. He was on his own.
‘Hello, Colin, where’s your friends?’
‘Still talking to their mas. They don’t seem to be having any of it and won’t let them come to help you.’
‘I see, I suppose I can understand that. What are you doing back? What about your ma?’
‘She ain’t bothered; said if I could get myself a job for four days it would be a bloody miracle. Glad to get me out of her hair.’
‘Well, I’m sure I can find you a job.’
Gordy patted the grass beside him. ‘Are you hungry?’
Colin nodded his head. ‘Always hungry.’
He passed him half of his sandwich. ‘Go on, take it. Big lad like you must have a big appetite.’
He took it from him, eating it in two bites.
Gordy laughed. ‘I like you, Colin; I really do.’
They sat in silence for the next thirty minutes while Gordy rested his eyes. He wasn’t asleep but he wasn’t fully awake either. When he decided it was time to get back to work he took Colin with him to the trailer where he kept all his stuff. He pointed to his clown suit.
‘What do you think about my costume, Colin? Do you like it? I made it myself.’
The seventeen-year-old boy reached out a hand, letting his fingers brush the soft, silky material. ‘Nice. It’s soft and smooth. I like it, Gordy.’
As he said his name, Gordy smiled at the image of Colin that had filled his mind – a very different picture to the one standing in front of him. He wondered if the boy would cry when he stuck his sharp knife into him and decided that, yes, he probably would, a lot. Then there was the fact that Colin didn’t look like a normal, spotty, weedy teenager. He was tall and stocky; he was probably strong as well. He would have to be quick when he did it because if Colin decided to put up a fight, Gordy didn’t know if he would be the one to come out of it alive.
