by Jade Winters
Ashley stared straight ahead. “At this moment in time I couldn’t care less what he appreciates. This is the only lead I’ve got, Dale, and I am sure as hell not going to let it slip through my fingers, okay?”
“Okay. If this turns out to be right – you’re buying the coffee for our stakeout.”
Ashley grinned at him, she could always count on him to come around and back her. “Deal. Thanks for doing this, Tonto.”
Dale shook his head, and smiled at her. “You are one crazy lady, but I wouldn’t have any other one.”
Minutes later they pulled up outside a double fronted red brick house.
“Wish me luck,” Ashley said as she climbed out of the car and headed towards a white wooden gate. At the top of the path, she was relieved to see a hallway light on through the glass panel in the front door. Always better not to wake someone like this up. They were never happy about their precious sleep being disturbed and the last thing Ashley needed was it getting back to Colleen if it turned out to be for nothing. Although, with this one, she doubted he would want to make any trouble that led back to his not so clean doorstep.
She knocked on the front door several times. Within a minute, a figure appeared and the door opened. Colin’s eyes widened as he recognised her. He stepped out onto the doorstep and closed the door behind him.
“Hey, look,” he whispered in an urgent tone. “I haven’t got any more porn I promise.”
Ashley held up her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m not here about that.”
A look of relief covered his features. “Well, what do you want then? It’s almost midnight.”
“I need to ask you a question.”
“Couldn’t it have waited until my office hours?”
“No, it couldn’t.” Ashley gave him a look that booked no argument.
“Okay, ask your question, before my missus starts getting suspicious.”
“This is just a wild guess, but was Nathan in any way involved professionally with Justine Lockhart?”
“Who? Oh that poor woman that was murdered. Oh my God you don’t think Nathan murdered her as well do you?” He looked genuinely shocked at the thought.
“That would be a bit difficult seeing he was in prison at the time of her death.”
Colin nodded to himself. “Yes, yes, you’re right.” He nodded again, but said nothing.
“Well was he?” Ashley prompted.
He looked at her quizzically. “Now that you ask, yes he was. Why?”
Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. Thank you gut instinct!
When Ashley didn’t respond, he continued, “Ms. Lockhart had put a deposit down on a house she wanted to buy. Bit of an investment. She didn’t know–”
Ashley cut in impatiently “–Were there any problems with the purchase?”
“I don’t know. If there were, Nathan never said.”
“I need the seller’s address.”
Colin’s eyes widened. “What? Like now?” He glanced over his shoulder and up the empty hallway nervously.
Ashley nodded. “Yes, like now.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Do you think I’d be standing here at this time of night for a joke, Mr. Bond? You can come with us; we’ll drop you back in no time. Go and tell Mrs. Bond that you are going out to get milk from the corner shop.”
His eyes narrowed. “And if I refuse?”
Ashley’s eyes wandered towards the door behind him. She hoped she was making her intent clear. “You might be finding yourself looking for a new property yourself pretty sharpish. One without the missus. Wouldn’t you agree?” Her face was the picture of innocence.
Colin snorted. “This shouldn’t be allowed,” he said, but he turned and walked up the passage and Ashley could hear him talking to a woman briefly before he reappeared, picked his keys and coat up, and closed the door behind him. “If I do this, we are quits, Detective. You don’t turn up on my doorstep again. Okay?”
“Can’t promise that, but how about you do this and I will try and stay off your doorstep?” She grinned at the man walking next to her.
“I suppose I have no option but to accept that,” he said wearily as he climbed into the back of the car that Dale had already started up in anticipation.
“Let’s go,” she said as they drove down the quiet suburban street, hopefully towards some much needed answers.
“Thanks for agreeing to come with us, Colin,” Dale said over his shoulder as Colin sat sullenly in the back seat.
“This is bloody police harassment,” he mumbled.
“Yeah, yeah. Police harassment of a man who looks at degrading pictures of women,” Dale said sarcastically.
Ashley heard Colin gulp and clear his throat to say something. She turned the radio on. There was nothing he had to say on the subject that Ashley wanted to hear.
The journey to Colin’s office was a short one. Ashley and Dale waited in the car whilst Colin, still grumbling to himself under his breath, walked into his work building. “No point all of us getting wet is there?” Dale said with a grin when Colin asked if they were going in with him. “You run along.”
Colin was in and out of his work building within ten minutes. He held a piece of paper in his hand, the seller’s address written on it.
“This is legal, isn’t it? I mean, giving you his address. I don’t want any comebacks because I’ve violated data protection.”
“Of course it is.” Dale chipped in, flashing a wide grin at Colin. “We’re police officers. If you can’t trust us who can you trust?”
Colin handed the address to Ashley. “This is going to be the last time I see either of you two, isn’t it?”
“That all depends,” Ashley said.
“On what!?” he asked, with a sudden outburst of rage so frenzied that Ashley thought, for a second, he was going to burst a blood vessel.
She turned around to look at him. His crimson face was screwed up as if he were sucking on a bitter lemon.
“On how clean you keep your nose. No violent porn, no visits from the nice police officers, it is as easy as that,” she replied with a cheerful note and bright smile.
***
Dale chuckled to himself. “You know that poor man’s never going to be able to look at porn again? He’s going to have constant visions of you looking over his shoulder, shaking your head and saying ‘uh-uh Colin don’t do it or I’ll be back’,” he said mimicking the heavily accented voice of The Terminator.
Ashley laughed. “I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not.” She waved at Colin standing on the pavement still looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “I’m starting to wonder if I should have said anything. He could make things difficult when Nathan returns to work.”
She had astonished herself. She had said the words without thinking, certain in her mind that Nathan would be returning to work. It was good to know her subconscious believed in Nathan’s innocence as well.
“Nah. I wouldn’t worry. I don’t think he’d want to get on the wrong side of the law again. You have officially scared the you-know-what out of him. I bet he’s going to be a model citizen from now on.”
Dale rubbed the misty window with his arm and stared at the lessening rain as it rolled down the pane. “Shall we get a coffee from KFC or Mac D’s?”
Ashley’s stomach rumbled. “Mac D’s.” She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten something solid. It had to be a good sign her appetite had suddenly reappeared. “I suddenly fancy an apple pie and Ripple McFlurry.”
“Your wish is my command, my lady.” Dale grinned and swung the car around, heading for McDonald’s on the high Street to satisfy the demands of Ashley’s sweet tooth.
Twenty minutes later they were sat outside the home of Devlin Warwick, the owner of the property Justine had wanted to buy.
“Why don’t we just go in and question him now?”
“Because if Colleen finds out about this she’ll have both our heads on the chopping blo
ck, that’s why. We have to make our visit look like it’s a normal line of enquiry.” She stressed the word “normal” and rolled her eyes at Dale. “Something innocuous. I don’t want to spook him. We’ll knock on the guy’s door first thing in the morning. For now, I want to sit here and make sure he doesn’t go on another killing spree.”
“As long as there’s a supply of coffee, I’m easy.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls.” She playfully nudged him.
Dale looked back at her with a lopsided grin. It felt good to behave normally for even a few minutes. Ashley looked out into the quiet night. The recent rain had washed the trees and streets clean, the air had that fresh after-rain smell that she so loved and the only sound was heavy droplets of rain falling on the car roof. It was peaceful, and Ashley was feeling hopeful for the first time in a very long time. Perhaps tomorrow would open a new door on the case, and perhaps, just perhaps, this man who was asleep in his bed, not knowing that two police officers were sat outside his home, would be the key that unlocked that door. After that she would see about getting time off so she could go to Australia and make up with Tasha. Only then would her life be back to normal.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Warren flipped off the light switch. Instantly, the room went black and darkness closed in around him. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled. Something didn’t feel right. Ever since his visit from The Fixer he had been on edge. He knew he’d been too brazen, too full of himself. The Fixer wouldn’t let him get away with it, that he was sure of.
He moved forward, putting his hands in front of him as he neared the window to avoid walking into the wall. He moved carefully, slowly and stealthily. I feel like a cat stalking its prey. Well that’s what I’m best at – stalking prey. He grinned to himself in the darkness. The floorboards creaked beneath his weight. There was just room enough to stand in comfort between the window and the wall.
Opening the Venetian blind barely an inch, he peered through it. Perfect. He had a clear view of the street. From the light shed by the jaundiced street lamp he could see a car and just about make out the silhouettes of the occupants. He wasn’t going mad after all and he wasn’t imagining things. He remained rooted to the spot, not daring to move, fearing to even draw breath lest it alert the occupants of the car.
Warren had known something was amiss the minute he’d heard the car pull up outside and nobody had got out. The Fixer must think I’m a fool. His eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area. Not a sign of life anywhere. He strained his ears; he could hear nothing except the soft patter of rain against the window pane. He hadn’t even realised it had started raining again, so intent was he on trying to make out who was in the car parked just far enough away from his home so as not to look like it was watching him; watching and waiting for him. The hunter had just become the prey.
His hands trembled and his heart knocked hard and fast against his chest. So this was The Fixer’s response to his disobedience. To have him removed in the middle of the night. Less chance of anyone getting wind of The Fixer’s plan.
The tension slowly made its way up from his shoulders along his neck and into the base of his skull. Despite the chill in the air, he felt beads of sweat break out on his forehead and run down into his eyes. He wiped them away, careful not to make any sudden movement that could be detected by the people in the dark car outside.
In a strange, disassociated sort of way he didn’t care if his time was up. He’d had a good run. By rights he should have been in prison years ago. If it wasn’t for The Fixer’s intervention he would have been too. Twice he’d avoided the slammer thanks to The Fixer. Then his temper had got the better of him, and now he was sure his luck was up. Third time unlucky! So he didn’t really have anything to complain about. He knew the rules and he had broken them. He had gone against The Fixer’s instructions so he had no one to blame but himself.
That was the one problem he could never overcome. Even as a child when his dad told him not to do something, he couldn’t help but do it. His dad thought his misbehaviour was an act of defiance. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Breaking rules was inherent in him. He hated being told what to do. Hated it. It burnt like white hot coal in his stomach. That coal started a fire in his brain that made him do exactly what he’d been told not to. No one gave him orders. No one. He always had been, and always would be his own master. That’s why he’d surprised himself by managing to hold down a job for so long.
Half an hour later the figures in the car were hidden behind a film of condensation that had misted the inside of the window. Satisfied that they weren’t coming for him anytime soon, he moved away and slumped into an armchair. He gripped the edges, trying to still his clammy hands. Nothing normally scared him. Not even the thought of being imprisoned. At least in prison he’d be his own man. He took shit from no one. If he landed in prison, he would make a stand right at the offset that would make any stay an easy one.
He closed his eyes and thought of his life. He was sick of the mundane, soul draining, 9-5 job he found himself in. Stuck in the same room day after day, repeating the same procedure over and over again like a pre-programmed robot. He hid his dissatisfaction well though – after all he was a master of lies and deceit.
Resting his head back against the chair he chuckled to himself. The past week had been great fun. Literally getting away with murder made the sacrifice of working well worth it. Anyone who asked his boss what he was like would get a verbal picture painted of a hard-working guy who always went that extra mile. Damn he was good.
His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could just about make out a sea of white smiles that looked back at him from the opposite wall.
The Fixer might be able to imprison his body but they couldn’t do the same with his mind. No one could. His memories of his murdering rampage were his and his alone. A sudden thought hit him like a thunderbolt – but dead men can’t think. He thought of Aaron. They weren’t going to send him off to prison and hope he kept his mouth shut. He was too dangerous alive. Fear crept up his spine with the premonition of danger. If they could finish Aaron off without batting an eyelid, what chance did he have against them?
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The sounds of traffic, birds twittering and footsteps splashing hurriedly through fresh puddles, roused Ashley from her deep sleep. She’d been dreaming of her and Nathan as kids, building the world’s biggest sand castle. Opening her eyes, a harsh glare of sunlight momentarily blinded her. She rotated her neck in an anti-clockwise motion before finally coming to her senses, feeling her dream become smoke that was dispersed by the winds of reality.
Ashley looked at her watch. “Dale, wake up.” When she got no response, she repeated his name more loudly and shook him by the shoulder, roughly.
He jerked his head to the side, whacking it hard against the window. He let out a yelp of pain. “Jesus Christ, Ash! You’re worse than my alarm clock, at least it doesn’t assault me!” he said rubbing his head. He looked at her with dazed eyes. “Shit. What time is it?”
She arched her back to relieve the pain in her spine, feeling the knots in her shoulders rub together as she did. She grimaced. “Seven o’clock.”
He gave his face a quick rub with both hands. “So much for coffee keeping us awake,” he said with a sleepy grin.
Ashley laughed whilst giving her hair a quick finger comb. They couldn’t have slept for more than a couple of hours. She only hoped that Mr Warwick hadn’t managed to slip out without them knowing. Bad move to fall asleep, but this last week had taken a toll on both of them. “Come on let’s get this over and done with,” she said.
They got out of the car simultaneously. Hands over head, Dale stretched as he walked to her side. “My body is going to pay for being cramped in that seat all night.”
A blissful sigh of satisfaction escaped her lips. “If this goes well, I’ll treat you to a night in a five star hotel tonight.”
He patted her sho
ulder. “Nice one, Ash. I’m going to hold you to it, and a five star dinner as well,” he said, with a wide grin on his face.
Dale followed Ashley’s lead. The property was close to the main road. They walked the short distance until they were standing outside a red front door. Ashley rang the bell. They waited several minutes before the sound of footsteps could be heard coming closer.
The door flung open and a dark haired man, dressed in black trousers and a beige sheepskin jacket, appeared. His large frame filled the doorway. Ashley quickly scanned him with a sharp eye. He towered over them both. He was a big, solid man, and did not look happy to find them on his doorstep. Ashley hoped – no prayed, they wouldn’t have to take him on. His dark blue glacial stare centred on her.
“Yes,” he asked brusquely. “Can I help you?”
“Devlin Warwick?”
“Yes.” He sighed with exaggerated impatience.
The stony expression revealed nothing of his thoughts. “I’m DS McCoy this is my colleague DC Taylor. Do you mind if we come in and ask you a few questions?”
Although he was the right height, he wasn’t as muscular as Shelly had said. But everything else seemed to fit – the staring eyes, a dark, cold intensity he had about him.
“If you tell me what it’s about first. I’m about to leave for work and I don’t like to be late.”
“It’s in regards to Justine Lockhart. I believe she was in the process of buying this property when she was murdered.”
Ashley noticed a shadow of uncertainty cross his features as she took a step towards him. She stopped and braced herself. She was ready for him if he tried to take off. Jimmy had caught her unawares last time; she was damned if she was going to let it happen again. She glanced at Dale and could see he was in the same frame of mind.
Devlin took a step back and pushed the door against the wall. “Tragic news. Of course, please come in.”
Ashley stepped over the threshold and Dale followed. Devlin led them to a meticulously tidy living room. Ashley’s own living room flashed through her mind with all its papers everywhere and last night’s beer bottle still sitting on the table. This man had not one thing out of place. Closed blinds stopped the sunlight from entering the room. He stood in front of the sofa but did not sit down. He did not invite the detectives to sit down either so Ashley and Dale remained near the door. They weren’t going to take any chances this time. If he was their man there was no way on earth they were going to let him escape. Nathan and Jimmy’s freedom depended on it.