Читать книгу The Principle of Evil: A Fast-Paced Serial Killer Thriller - T.M.E. Walsh - Страница 16

CHAPTER 2

5^th November

There was a huge whizz followed by a violent crack in the night sky as the firework exploded high above their heads.

Claire jumped, instinctively closing the gap between herself and Detective Inspector Stefan Fletcher. He glanced down at her, his tall thin frame buried in an oversized padded coat against the cold. He saw her tense, and ease herself a step or two away from his personal space.

He smiled inwardly.

Aloof and sometimes proud, with walls built so high that they could rarely be penetrated. These were Claire’s bad points, but she wore the traits with pride, giving off the impression that nothing could faze her.

Stefan knew different though.

After a high-profile case the previous year, Claire had put Haverbridge back on the map. Not always for the right reasons, but in Claire’s case, any publicity had turned out to be fairly good publicity. She’d become one of Haverbridge CID’s best, and had ridden out the storm, forging some close allies amongst her team, and Stefan was one of those people.

Despite Claire’s misgivings about herself, she was extremely good at her job, and respected. No one would’ve been justified in calling her incompetent, or an easy target.

But Stefan had seen the signs, seen the cracks appear since that investigation. It had exhausted her, changed her forever in some ways.

The murdered priest case – how could anyone come back from that completely unscathed?

More fireworks whizzed skywards, drawing appreciation from the assembled mass around them. Stefan watched Claire from the corner of his eye. Whilst she looked to the heavens with everyone else, he saw the glassy look of her eyes. She was there in body but the mind was elsewhere.

‘The kids would’ve loved this,’ he said, his blue eyes scrutinising every twitch in her face when she heard him speak.

She glanced at him, gave a weak smile.

Stefan would normally take his kids to Haverbridge Lake’s annual firework display, but his ex had changed her plans and he was expected to fall in line. He felt sad at not seeing his children but, surprisingly, he was very glad to have Claire’s company.

In the past, Claire had had a few detective sergeants as her subordinates. Most hadn’t lived up to her expectations but Stefan had been different. Having watched him come into his own, and making DI in recent years, she’d relished the chance to work alongside him permanently, where possible, as an equal, despite the difference in rank.

‘They wouldn’t have liked the cold, Fletch’ she said, at length. ‘The kids I mean.’

Stefan shook his head. ‘Kids are tougher than they look.’

He saw her bite her lip. Claire didn’t have children, or was ever likely to. Sometimes he felt like he was walking on eggshells in the last year. He didn’t know what might upset her, so topics of conversation sometimes felt stilted.

Claire had her vulnerabilities as much as the next person. She had closed the gap between them earlier, something she’d never admit to if he called her out on it.

He’d noticed her weight loss, although he’d never say so. Her face had become more chiseled, cheek bones sharp.

Those ice-blue eyes looked permanently sad.

Stefan pushed his hands deeper into his pockets, trying to draw the life back into them. The night air was bone-chilling and the breath of the eager crowd hung in the air like thick white smoke.

He breathed in deeply; the air was heavy with the smell of bonfire smoke and fast food. He followed the line of people surrounding the huge lake and caught sight of the fast food stands. His stomach growled.

‘Do you want anything to eat?’

Claire was rubbing her gloved hands together for warmth and her breath cast out in clouds around her face. She shook her head.

‘Mind if I?’

Claire either didn’t hear him or was too cold to answer. He shrugged and pushed his way through the crowd.

When he returned, hotdog in hand, Claire saw he looked troubled.

‘What’s wrong?’

Stefan gave half a shrug as he bit into his hotdog. ‘I wanted to talk about DS Crest.’

Claire waved her hand, dismissing the very mention of his name. ‘Not while I’m enjoying myself.’

‘He speaks highly of you too.’

‘Look, I really don’t need this right now.’ Her voice turned hard. ‘I couldn’t care less what that Armani-wearing-metrosexual-walking-cliché thinks of me.’ She turned to face him.

Detective Sergeant Elias Crest was a new addition to her team.

The last man Detective Superintendent Clifton Donahue had placed under Claire’s watchful eye had lasted barely six months. Claire had hoped DS Crest would be different, but they hadn’t exactly hit it off.

Elias had transferred from Merseyside after spending five years in Liverpool South’s CID team. There were official reasons given for the transfer, but the real reason wasn’t quite so clear cut.

Claire knew that more than anyone.

A steeliness had returned to her voice. ‘I take it by you mentioning him, he’s been kicking off?’

‘He’s found a few things out about you from your reputation alone. He thinks you hate him.’

‘He’s close… Hate is such a terrible word. He knows where the door is and it’s open any time, day or night, if he wants to walk…’

Stefan nodded to himself, taking in her words. Then his eyes met hers. He saw the seriousness in her face.

‘I’m sure it’s nothing,’ he said. ‘Just wanted you to know he’s not happy.’

‘Boo-fucking-hoo.’ Stefan rolled his eyes and she leaned in closer to him. ‘I’m not going to apologise for who I am, Fletch. I have to be hard and when arrogant screw-ups like him are sent my way, they need to learn to toe the line.’

Stefan narrowed his eyes. ‘Screw-ups?’

She fell silent.

‘Is it something to do with why he was transferred? ’Cos you do realise not everybody is buying into the close-to-family excuse.’

She kept her face neutral.

Stefan shrugged. ‘People talk, that’s all I’m saying.’

‘It’s nothing, Fletch, forget I said anything.’ She felt the weight of his stare but avoided his eyes. ‘So,’ she said, trying to deflect attention away from Crest, ‘what happened to that girl you were dating? Doesn’t she like fireworks?’

Stefan grimaced. ‘Leigh couldn’t make it. I think she’s about to chuck me anyway.’

‘Really?’

Stefan gave a mock laugh. ‘Don’t pretend to care.’

‘You’re questioning my sincerity?’

‘Personally, I always thought that divorce of yours left you dead inside.’

She gave half a smile. ‘Touché, Stefan.’

‘Oh, first name for once. I’m flattered. Did I touch a nerve?’

‘Simon didn’t cut it enough as a husband to even come close to touching a nerve, Fletcher.’

Stefan glanced at her. ‘I heard DCI Forester is dating again.’

Claire raised an eyebrow and sniffed with indifference. ‘You shouldn’t listen to gossip.’ She knew he was talking in jest and on the surface she grinned, but inside she felt a little sad.

Claire had been married to DCI Simon Forester for three years. He served at Welwyn Garden City police station, some eight miles from Haverbridge. They’d met at a charity ball, and after a brief engagement, they’d married too quickly without really knowing anything about each other.

The relationship had turned sour after the first year and the pressure of their jobs helped drive a wedge between them, and they became more friends than lovers.

When Claire had risked an affair with another man, they became even less than that and it was Claire who filed for divorce, and immediately reverted back to her maiden name.

Surprisingly, despite feeling little for Simon, she felt the twinge of jealousy. It wasn’t as if her love life was flourishing. Her dedication to her job didn’t allow much time for a personal life, but she hated the thought there could be anyone else in her ex’s life. Certainly not someone who could compare to her anyway.

As more fireworks erupted overhead, Claire pushed Stefan towards the edge of the lake, until they stood just feet from the edge of the frozen water.

He shoved the rest of his hotdog into his mouth and grinned. ‘You’re aware you’re supposed to be playing the part of the submissive Leigh, aren’t you?’

‘Submissive? You’re well shot of her, Fletch, by the sounds of it.’

‘When I spend my working days with you, I need dominant like a hole in the head.’

‘It’s less crowded here, stop moaning,’ Claire said. Then she saw Stefan’s eye was trained on something else off to their left.

‘You see that?’ he said.