Everything to Lose

by Jade Winters

  “So what questions can I answer for you? I thought you lot had the boyfriend in custody.” His brows lowered in concentration as he unzipped his jacket and shrugged it off, laying it down carefully over the arm of the sofa.

  She ignored his indirect question. “Where were you on…?” The words stuck in Ashley’s throat. An icy emptiness entered her heart and filled her veins when she eyed the right side of Devlin’s body. She hadn’t noticed before. His right arm was missing.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  The pent up tension whooshed out of Ashley as she banged the car dashboard with an open palm. Shit, shit, shit! The thought of “what might have been” tormented her.

  “I can’t believe it! I really thought we had him. That this was our guy.” She clamped her lips shut to imprison the sobs that threatened to burst free. Yet another door had been slammed in her face.

  Dale inhaled deeply and gave her a sideward glance. “It was a good theory, Ash; you couldn’t have known he only had one arm. You don’t think…?”

  She shook her head, preceding the question she knew was coming. “No, the nature of the wounds indicates they were made by a right-handed person. I asked the pathologist. Besides, you’re forgetting he has a rock solid alibi. He was in Ireland.”

  “We should still double check.”

  Ashley gave a disdainful snort. “Yes, but I just don’t see him involved. Also, the sale of the property was going through okay, so what would his motive have been?”

  Dale shrugged, having no answer for her question. “So what’s next?”

  She hated the weakness that washed over her. It made her feel like a failure. “I don’t know. I just don’t know. I was sure about him, it all added up so tidily. Now I just don’t know any more.”

  She cradled her head in the palms of her hands feeling at a loss what to do. She’d been convinced that Devlin was the link to tie all this sorry mess together. But she’d been wrong. Which meant Nathan would be spending yet another day locked away.

  “I think it’s best you take the day off, Ash. Regroup. I’ll cover for you.”

  Ashley shrank back in her seat and turned to the window, absentmindedly drawing circles on the wet condensation. “I’m too close to all of this to see clearly. It’s obviously clouding my judgement. You were right, I’m clutching at straws.”

  Dale gave her a sad, wry little smile. “Come on, Ash. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You had a good lead. Okay, so it didn’t take us anywhere conclusive, but at least you’ve proven there are holes in this case. Areas that haven’t been looked at. That’s good detective work.”

  Every minute she wasted going down dead ends meant more suffering for Nathan. It was her fault that he was still stuck in that stinking cell. What’s the point of good leads if they don’t go anywhere?

  Ashley remained silent for the rest of the drive home. There was nothing more to say. Dale’s eyes were sorrowful as they parted ways. She opened the door to her house and entered into the quiet hallway. She missed Muffin, Tasha and her brother. They all helped make her life worth living. Well they’re not here. She chided herself for wallowing in self-pity, then moved slowly down the hallway. Although she really wanted a cup of coffee she bypassed the kitchen. It was a painful, mocking reminder of the hope she had held in her heart only hours earlier. She sat on the bottom step, pulled out her mobile and tapped in some numbers. After a few seconds the call was answered.

  “Hello.”

  “Alexis, it’s me,” Ashley said.

  She could hear the smile in Alexis’ voice. “I was wondering when I was going to hear from you.”

  “What’s happening? Why’s everything gone quiet?” Ashley leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

  “Where are you?”

  “At home at the moment. I’m going to collect my dog. I’m taking him for a walk in Epping Forest.”

  Alexis lowered her voice. “Can I meet you in the usual spot? I don’t want to talk over the phone.”

  “Of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she said before disconnecting the call.

  Ashley pushed herself to her feet and carried on up the stairs to her bedroom, then made her way into the adjoining bathroom. She felt grimy, tired and disillusioned. Perhaps a shower would help her feel more alive.

  She stood under the near scalding water, scrubbing her hair with great intensity in the hope of washing away the morning’s disappointment.

  ***

  Dressed casually in jeans, a thick jumper and flat boots, Ashley drove the short distance to Charlotte’s house. As soon as the front door opened Muffin bounded towards her, nearly knocking her down.

  “Hey, Muffin.” Ashley sunk her face into his soft fur once he’d settled down. “How have you been, little guy? I’ve miss you so much.”

  Muffin lowered his eyes and whimpered.

  “He misses you too.” Charlotte stepped out onto the doorstep and leaned against the wall.

  Ashley ruffled Muffin’s head. “Is he behaving himself?”

  The warmth of her smile touched Ashley. At least Muffin being with Charlotte meant there was one less thing for her to worry about.

  “Very much so. I love having him here. He’s great company. Especially now that Tash…” she stopped short, looking at the ground.

  Ashley straightened up. “Have you heard from Tasha? Her phone is always on voicemail when I call and she isn’t answering any of my text messages or emails.”

  Charlottes smile vanished. “I heard from her a few days ago. She’s gone on a retreat. Her aunt Beryl flew over to take her. It’s all a bit new age for me but if it helps her…that’s the main thing isn’t it?”

  Ashley nodded. Her throat ached with unshed tears. “I’m going to take Muffin for a walk if you haven’t got anything planned.”

  “No that’s fine.” Charlotte walked back into her house and seconds later returned with Muffin’s lead. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “Thanks, but maybe next time. I need some time to think. It’s been a tough week.”

  “No worries. Enjoy yourselves.” Charlotte ruffled Muffin’s fur and stepped back into the house, closing the door behind her.

  “Come on, Muffin; let’s go and get ourselves some fresh air.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Ashley stood in the deep stillness of the sombre forest. A blade of winter sunlight shone brightly between the leaves, highlighting the bark of the trees. It was so peaceful after all the chaos of the last week. Muffin circled her feet, less interested in the scenic view, more eager for Ashley to throw him a stick. She looked around and picked up one of the many twigs that the unseasonal winds had broken off the unsuspecting trees. She threw it as far as possible. Muffin took after it like he was on wheels, yapping excitedly. Ashley laughed at the dog, and a pair of birds that had been sitting on a branch above her flew off with a noisy flap of their wings. Ashley followed their flight path as they made their way above the trees, wishing she too could just fly away and forget that her brother was sitting in a cell, barely even able to see the sky.

  “Ashley.” The voice came from behind her. Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. The murderer is not going to call you by name, silly. She laughed at herself, feeling foolish for allowing the investigation to make her so paranoid. She turned to find Alexis Cross coming across the carpet of thick leaves towards her.

  With her dark curls framing her smooth caramel coloured skin and hazel eyes that shone with an inner warmth, Alexis would not have been misplaced as a model in a fashion magazine.

  Alexis cast a curious look at Ashley face. “Ouch! What happened to you?”

  Ashley subconsciously reached for her nose, feeling it’s still swollen shape under her fingers. The pain had long subsided but the swelling was still evident. She smiled ruefully. “One of the hazards of the job.”

  “I hope the other person looks ten times worse.”

  “I think I need to take up martial arts, he didn’t have a scratch o
n him.” She gave the reporter a lopsided grin. “Men don’t often see me as a woman, I’m just another police officer trying to arrest them, so they don’t pull their punches.”

  “It looks really painful,” Alexis said as she trod her way carefully to where Ashley was standing. Her eyes scanned the area. “No one knows you’re here, right?”

  “Nope.”

  Alexis turned to look at her and raised her brows. “Not even Dale?”

  “No. But he knows I’ve spoken to you.”

  “Do you think that’s wise? I thought this was going to be kept just between the two of us. It’s not really safe to be talking about this when we don’t know who the ones responsible are.”

  “I trust Dale with my life.”

  “If you say so, and because you trust him, I have to trust him, so I hope you’re right.”

  Ashley knew that it must be a worry for Alexis to think that some other officer knew about her, but she was not just paying lip service to Alexis – she really did trust Dale with her life. She moved the conversation forward and away from Dale. “I thought there was going to be more stories in the paper about the abuse cover up.”

  Alexis glanced down at her feet before answering. “To be honest my investigation is at a bit of a stand still. My other informant is getting cold feet. He doesn’t seem to want to play ball any more.”

  Ashley rubbed her hands together, then stuffed them deeply into her jacket pockets. Playing fetch with Muffin had left her fingers cold and stiff. She looked intently at the reporter. “Do you know why?”

  “It could be paranoia, who can tell? I have a bigger problem though. Ever since my story ran, my editor has been breathing down my neck. He’s not happy with me. Either I come up with the goods or he’s going to pull me off the story. I am this close,” she held two leather gloved fingers a miniscule amount apart, “from not having a job, let alone a story.”

  “Do you want me to talk to your source? Give him a bit of reassurance.”

  For the first time Alexis laughed, and her curls bounced on her shoulders. “I don’t think that will work. He was so easy with the information, and then, suddenly, nothing. I need another lead to follow in case he doesn’t open up again.” She lowered her voice into a dramatic whisper. “Are you sure there isn’t any more information you can give me?”

  Both women watched as Muffin returned panting, his long pink tongue drooping out the side of his mouth. Alexis threw him a stick as far as she could into the undergrowth. He gave her a grateful glance then shot off after it.

  Ashley looked up towards the grey clouds, watching them as they moved to cover up the last specks of blue sky. She let out a deep breath. “No, I’m sorry Alexis, I wish I did. I’ve told you all I know. I have my suspicions but nothing concrete and no way of proving it.”

  Alexis rubbed the back of her neck. “Well unless someone else comes forward, I’m stuffed.” She sighed and then said, “By the way, I read about your brother, how’s he holding up? As importantly, how are you holding up too?”

  Ashley smiled, but there was little humour in it. “As well as can be expected, on both counts.”

  “Has he got a good solicitor? If not I can put you in touch with someone. ”

  At the sound of Muffin’s bark, Ashley glanced towards him. “I’m hoping it’s not going to come to that. I’m trying to prove his innocence,” she said distractedly, as she spotted a man dressed in a runners outfit jogging in the opposite direction, his back retreating through the green. These days she watched everyone, she really was becoming paranoid.

  She turned back to Alexis and found the reporter giving her a long levelled look. “I have to say that, apart from Dale, you’re the only person that hasn’t looked at me like I’ve gone mad when I tell them that I believe Nathan is innocent and I’m going to prove it.”

  Alexis’ mouth thinned and her eyes lost some of their warmth. “Ashley, the stuff I’ve seen in my job, nothing surprises me. I know you and can’t see anyone related to you being able to commit something so heinous. I hope you find the guy who is responsible. It must be awful for you. Have you got any working leads?”

  “No, just theories that keep turning into dead ends.”

  “I hear you. Not unlike our Coleman case. Funnily enough though, I was talking to a colleague of mine who is following the Hill’s case. He was saying it sounded a lot like a murder he was working on a few years ago. Seemed to be the same MO: frenzied stabbing, lots of blood loss, personal...you know. Like the killer had a grudge. There were a couple of killings, then they just stopped. They didn’t catch the guy.”

  Ashley was only half listening. She was watching Muffin chasing something in the undergrowth. Each time it moved, he pounced anew on it. He looked more like a rabbit than a dog. She turned her attention back to Alexis. “Were there any suspects?”

  “A few, I think. When I get back to work, I’ll gather the information together for you. It might be worth a look at. Even if it leads nowhere, maybe it will give you an insight into the guy you’re looking for. Do you want to meet up for a drink tomorrow and I’ll bring it with me?”

  “Okay, thanks that would be great. And look, I promise I’ll keep my ear to the ground. If I hear anything that I think will be useful to you, I’ll be in touch.”

  Alexis reached out and rested her hand on Ashley’s shoulder. “For your sake almost as much as your brother’s, I hope you find the real killer.”

  At that moment Muffin came running back, panting and looking most pleased with himself after his stalking adventures.

  Alexis ruffled Muffin’s head. “See you tomorrow then.” She retreated back through the forest to the car park.

  Ashley found an old tree stump and sat down on it. Alexis’ words ran through her head. She couldn’t think clearly and rubbed her throbbing temple. Same MO? There wasn’t any harm in looking into it she supposed. It wasn’t as if she was bursting at the seams with leads of her own.

  Chapter Forty

  It was late afternoon before Ashley returned home. Despite the chilly weather, spending time in the stillness of nature had done her the world of good. It was just what she’d needed to clear her mind from the disappointing turn out with Devlin Warwick. To have thought she was within reaching distance of solving Emily Hill’s murder; only to find out that she was very wrong, had knocked her for six.

  Ashley had found herself wishing Tasha had been with her and Muffin on their walk. She missed her so much her heart actually ached every morning that she woke yet again to an empty space beside her.

  She slipped out of her jacket and made herself a hot drink, rubbing her hands together to get the blood flowing through them again. Soon it would be full blown winter and she was glad. It suited her mood.

  Ashley stood in the kitchen, looking at the pile of notes that still lay on the table. Devlin Warwick’s impeccably tidy lounge came to mind, but she pushed it aside. He wasn’t trying to find a murderer, she was. So she deserved a bit of mess. As the coffee warmed her body she found that even with the disappointment of not finding the killer this morning, she still remained convinced a clue was at the crime scene. Nobody was that clever that they didn’t leave any traces of evidence behind, no matter how small or inconsequential. They were there somewhere, just waiting to be found. And she had more reason than anyone else to find them.

  Ashley placed her notes in front of her, picking up from where she’d left off the previous evening. She drew a red line through the home buying theory and moved onto a fresh page. Justine Lockhart’s crime scene. She studied the words carefully, trying to recreate the images.

  She spoke aloud as she read through her notes. “Matching beige leather women’s boots in the hallway, a bag unopened on table. Drawers in the bedroom dresser closed. Bedroom curtains drawn. A blue skirt and white shirt crumpled on the floor a few feet away from the bed. A gold necklace and gold ring on dressing table. A photo frame containing an image of the victim smooching with Jimmy. Perfume bottles with their lids
still on…”

  She stopped. Her eyes quickly moved back a line. That was odd. Next to “photos in frames” she had put a question mark. She tried to remember the significance of it. She racked her brain as to what it was that had raised a flag in her head about the frame. Then it hit her. The photo frame had space for three photographs, but only had two photos in it!

  Whilst that wasn’t strange in itself there was a familiar ring to it. She grabbed the sheets of paper detailing Emily Hill’s crime scene. With a trembling finger she moved along the lines of writing until she reached the bedroom. There, staring back at her was the clue she had been looking for. She went back to her notes about Justine’s crime scene. No, she hadn’t imagined it. What was the likelihood of both victims having photo frames with an empty space?

  She was convinced now that there was a double murderer on the loose and, by the looks of it, his MO included taking the victims’ photos. For memorabilia of his kills? She sat back and stared at the papers. Okay, okay, don’t get all fired up, it may be nothing. But then again, it may be something. Ashley tucked her mobile phone close to her ear, using her shoulder to hold it in place as she gathered her notes together.

  “Yep?” The familiarly warm voice answered on the third ring.

  “Dale, are you still at work?”

  “Hi Ash. Yes, I am. No rest for the wicked and all that. Why? What’s up?”

  “I think I may have found something. Can you get me the crime scene photos for both Emily Hill and Justine Lockhart? I’ll be there within half an hour.”