She smiled as he walked towards her. 'Hi, are you…'
Lasser grabbed her in his arms and pulled her close, the relief flooding through his body as he held her tight.
67
Spenner closed the door of the Leon, smiling as he set the alarm and the lights flashed. Turning he looked around the car park of the old mill that had long ago been turned into a swanky apartment block. Spotting Odette's car, his eyes searched the shadows checking to make sure there was no would-be car thief lurking in the bushes that bordered the building. Satisfied, he took a final look at the gleaming car, his smile growing wider. He had always wanted a Leon, there was something about the design of the vehicle that appealed to him, the sleek lines, the shark-like headlights, the leather seats and dashboard that lit up like the controls of a jet fighter.
He had picked the car up a couple of days earlier, it had been a snap decision when he realised that he couldn't really take Tess out on the back of the scooter, especially not in this weather.
Pulling the collar of his jacket up, he headed towards the entrance of the apartment block. Opening the door, he tapped the snow from the bottom of his boots before stepping inside and crossing to the lift. Pressing the button, he stood and waited, blowing into his cupped hands to get them warm.
The red arrow above the lift clicked down and then the metal door slid open and he stepped inside, hitting the button that would take him to the ninth floor.
As the lift started to climb he pulled out his phone and tapped in the words ''I love you'' before firing the text off to Tess. After he had checked on DI Noble he would head across town to Tess's house, she was cooking Italian tonight. Then his starving stomach lurched slightly as the lift came to a halt and the door opened. His phone pinged as he stepped out and turned right, his eyes glued to the screen, it was Tess asking him to pick up a bottle of wine on his way over, ending the message with three capital Xs.
Grinning, he sent a reply, and looked up to find a man sliding the key into the door of Odette's apartment.
'Excuse me,' Spenner said, dropping the phone into his pocket.
The man turned as Spenner approached, the smile still in place.
'Can I help you?' Lanark inquired, taking in the uniform just visible underneath the thick padded jacket.
'You must be Craig?' Spenner asked as he came to a halt.
'That's right and you must work with Odette?'
'Yeah, she's one of my bosses, I've been asked to call round to see how she is.'
Spenner glanced at the key in the lock, the smile still evident on his face.
'Well, I know Odette sent a text to someone called Lasser telling him she was ill.'
'Oh right, well I don't know anything about that, but DCI Bannister asked me to check to see how she was.'
'Still bad I'm afraid.'
'Rotten time of year to get ill,' Spenner said sympathetically.
'Well, she's started sleeping at last so that's a good thing.'
Spenner nodded in understanding. 'Listen, I know this will sound a bit mad but is there any chance I could just see her for a moment.'
'See her?'
'It's just that my boss can be a bit volatile, and when I ring him I know he'll ask if I actually saw her, and if I say no then he'll explode at me and…'
'But like I said, she's more than likely asleep and do you really want to come inside and risking catching the same virus?'
Spenner paused for a moment weighing up his options, he could either risk going inside and catching the sick bug, or he could skulk away and risk the wrath of Bannister in full flow.
'Just a peep, and I promise if she's asleep, I won't disturb her.'
Lanark felt his hands start to close into fists as he forced a smile onto his face. 'OK, but if you come down with it don't say I didn't warn you.'
Spenner held up his hands and nodded. 'Believe me, Montezuma's revenge is nothing compared to getting a bollocking from my boss.'
Lanark turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open, stepping back to let Spenner in. He had taken a single stride into the room when he saw Odette tied on the floor, her face turned towards him, her eyes wide with warning, the gaffer tape stretched across her mouth. Spenner felt the shock hit him, followed a millisecond later by the warning voice that screamed inside his skull, just as he started to turn, Craig brought the hard rubber cosh down on the back of his head.
Spenner's eyes fluttered as he fell forwards, slamming into the floor with a sickening crunch.
Lights out.
68
The man had spent the day in the cottage, stalking from one room to the next like a caged beast, the voice inside howling through his brain, goading him, stoking the fury that consumed all rational thought.
Occasionally, he would come to a halt, his lips moving feverishly as he glanced through the window, willing the light to fade so he could get out there and take care of business.
His mind swirled with images of his cheating wife and her lover, joined together, rutting, as they laughed about the way they had played him.
The dog watched as he paced, before yawning and settling back down in front of the fire.
Hours later, he stopped and wiped the beads of sweat from his brow; heart slamming he went into the kitchen to have a glass of cold water, splashing some onto his fevered face.
Looking at his haggard reflection in the kitchen window, he grimaced before crossing the room to the metal cabinet screwed to the wall. Lifting the keys from his pocket he unlocked it and took out the shotgun. It had belonged to his father, the oak stock polished to a sheen, the oiled barrels gleaming black. Lifting out the box of cartridges, he took a handful and thrust them into his coat pocket then headed outside. The snow crunched beneath his heavy boots as he strode towards the van and opened the door, sliding the gun across to the passenger seat before climbing behind the wheel.
It took ten minutes for the warm air from the heater to shift the ice from the windscreen, ten minutes in which he fed the fury inside until it reached molten lava heat.
Satisfied, he set off, the van swaying slightly as the wheels rode the rutted troughs of frozen snow, his mind filled with mayhem and revenge, the pain starting to shimmer through his brain.
69
'Why didn't you tell me you'd seen the guy before?' Lasser asked.
They were sitting on the sofa together, hot drinks in hands, Tasha opposite in a plush armchair, the central heating on high keeping the cold at bay.
Jackie gave a small shrug. 'The truth is I'm not even sure if it was the same man. The first time it was snowing, and he was just a figure standing on the bridge. I mean, I've lived on the canal for over eight years and you occasionally get joggers out for a run or dog walkers even in the dark, but this guy just stood there looking at me.'
'And the second time you saw him he was standing on the same bridge but then he came down to the towpath?' Lasser tried to keep the detective tone from his voice.
Jackie paused for a moment to take a sip from the cup. 'I suppose when you live alone you get used to listening to your instincts and there was just something about the guy that made me uneasy.'
'I can understand that,' Tasha offered.
Lasser glanced at his twin and nodded. 'When he saw you he just stopped running and walked away?' he asked.
'Yeah, he didn't glance over his shoulder or anything like that, he just hurried away, head down,' she replied.
Poppet wandered in from the kitchen and sat down by the side of Tasha's chair, reaching down she smiled, patting the dog's head.
'Perhaps it would be a good idea to move down to the marina for a bit,' Lasser turned back to Jackie.
'Well, I would but the canal's frozen, so the boat can't be moved until it melts.'
'Why don't you stay here for a few days?' Tasha asked.
Lasser felt relieved seeing Jackie give it some thought.
'But I don't want to be a problem and…'
'It's no problem, I'm off w
ork for the next three weeks and I've nothing planned apart from eating and drinking,' Tasha said with a smile.
Lasser held his breath and then Jackie nodded. 'As long as you're sure, then as soon as the ice melts I can head back down to the marina.'
'Sorted,' Lasser said as he grabbed Jackie's hand and gave it a squeeze.
'I take it you'll be staying as well?' Tasha asked, looking at her brother with a raised eyebrow.
'Would that be OK?'
'Normally, I'd say no, but these are exceptional circumstances, so I guess I'll have to let you,' Tasha said straight-faced.
Jackie felt the sudden tension in the room, and then Tasha burst out laughing and the strain evaporated.
Lasser shook his head as he looked at his sister. 'Daft bugger,' he said with a smile.
Tasha clapped her hands together. 'Right, I don't know about you two, but I am starving, all I've had today is a Jammie Dodger, so I fancy a curry.'
Lasser eased back into the cushions and stifled a yawn. 'You order it, Tash, I'll pay.'
'You'd better pay, Mr Rockefeller,' she replied before heading out of the room to hunt down a takeaway menu from the kitchen drawer.
Jackie looked at Lasser, his eyes fluttered and closed, she eased down by his side and rested her head against his chest listening to the steady thud of his heart as he drifted off to sleep, his right arm wrapped around her shoulder, keeping her close.
A couple of minutes later, Tasha came back into the room, menu in one hand phone in the other. When she saw them curled on the sofa she smiled before backtracking to place the order.
70
Bannister sat in the conservatory, glass of brandy in his hand, his gaze fixed on the garden. The snow had started to fall again, smoothing off any hard edges, making the bushes bow down even further under the pressure. He smiled wryly, knowing how that felt.
When he saw the shadow stretch out onto the tiled floor he turned to find Kelly standing in the doorway.
'I thought you would have been feeding the cake,' she said with a nervous smile.
Bannister almost sighed but thought better of it, he patted the cushion next to him, watching as she walked into the room and sat down by his side.
'You OK?' he asked.
'I'm fine.'
'Listen, Kelly, I want to apologise for the way I behaved…'
'It's fine, I know you have a high-pressure job and…'
'That's no excuse, and I promise it won't happen again.'
'But what about the dreams?'
Bannister found himself smiling. 'No secrets in this house then.'
Kelly leaned against him and he slipped an arm around her shoulder. 'I sort of badgered Mum into telling us.'
'That's not like you,' he quipped.
She glanced up at him her eyes still unsure. 'I just want you to be happy, I don't want you having nightmares every night.'
'Hardly every night, Kell.'
'But it's Christmas, a time for new starts and getting things sorted.'
Taking another sip from the glass, his eyes remained locked on the garden. 'I know the weather can make it hard to get around, but it does look beautiful, doesn't it?'
'Is that you changing the subject?'
Easing himself upright, he leaned forwards and placed the glass on the table before rising to his feet, a sheepish grin on his face.
'What are you doing?' she asked as he slipped into his shoes and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up before yanking off his black tie.
Walking over to the door, he stopped and turned. 'Before you knew I was your father, I used to do a lot of daydreaming, you know thinking of all the things I had missed out on. The first time you walked, your first tooth, taking you to the baths, all the normal things that fathers do with their kids.'
She looked at him and smiled sadly as he unlocked the French doors, cold air filtered into the room as he stepped out onto the patio.
When he walked out into the garden, Kelly rose from the chair, a look of curiosity on her face as she made her way to the door.
Her father trudged into the centre of the lawn, the snow drifting down around him.
'You coming?' he asked as he turned to face her.
'Dad, what are you doing?'
Stretching his arms wide, Bannister grinned and fell backwards, landing in the snow with a soft thump. Then he started to flap his arms up and down at his sides, his legs opening and closing.
When he looked up, Kelly was grinning at him, the snow landing in her raven-black hair. Then she stepped to his side and fell back, mimicking his actions, seconds later, they were both laughing, the sound drifting up into the darkened snowy heavens.
From the bedroom window Suzanne watched, tears shining in her eyes as she smiled in relief.
71
'Are you ready?' Carmen asked from the doorway of the study.
Ashley looked up from the desktop screen and nodded before hitting the send key. 'Yeah, I've told everyone who needs to know that we're going away, and pointed out what needs doing in case we're not back for a couple of weeks.'
'I'm sure they'll manage, Ash, they'll just get on with the work whether we're there or not.'
Powering down the computer, he nodded before standing up and rubbing at his eyes. 'I know, but the signal can be dire in the Lakes, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew the score.'
'Right, well, I've packed two suitcases, they're in the hallway, so let's get going.'
He followed his wife out of the room, clicking off the lights as he went. Once in the hallway she handed him his thick jacket and he slipped it on, fastening the zip as she opened the front door.
'Times like this I wish we'd bought a four by four,' she said as he picked up the cases and walked past her, shivering at the freezing air, the snow falling again adding to the bleak mid-winter aura.
Setting the alarm, she closed the front door, Ashley had the boot open and was hauling the suitcases inside, so she walked to the passenger door and climbed in, closing it with a clunk.
Seconds later, her husband was behind the wheel. 'At this rate we'll be lucky to make it to Ambleside,' he commented as he started the engine and clicked his seat belt into place.
'I don't care where we end up as long as we get way from here until all this is over,' she replied.
Taking his time, Ashley turned the car around and drove to the end of the drive, through the wrought iron gates and turned left onto the lane, the headlights on full beam, the wipers on to shift the snow.
Carmen leaned forwards and turned the heater on full, scowling when it continued to blow out freezing air.
'At forty thousand plus you would have thought it would have had a better heater,' she complained.
'Give it time, Car, it's showing minus two on the dash.'
The narrow lane weaved its way through the fields of white, the moon high in a void of black.
'I wonder if the police have been to question any of the team?' Carmen pondered, rubbing her hands together, trying to generate some heat against the ice-box interior of the car.
'Christ knows, but whoever's in charge needs to get their act together and catch the maniac.'
'But what if they never catch him, how can we ever come back here and live a normal life?'
Ashley glanced at her, seeing the fear in her normally calm eyes. 'Think about it, Car, this freak has killed three people, so the police will be all out to get the bastard and he will be caught and locked up for the rest of his life.'
The car slid slightly left and Ashley eased off the gas, crawling along at little more than walking pace as he turned back to concentrate on the driving, his hands moist on the wheel.
'I know what you're saying, but…'
Suddenly, there was a deafening roar, the side passenger window exploded inwards, and Ashley gasped as he felt the small chunks of glass pepper the side of his face, his hands automatically jerked on the wheel and the Jaguar rolled nose first into one of the hawthorn bushes that bordered the lane. Snow
, knocked from the branches, fell with a thump onto the bonnet as his feet slipped from the pedals and the engine stalled.
Ashley Dean sat dazed in the driver's seat, his head lolling forwards, his ears still ringing from the terrifying blast. Then he coughed, tasting blood in his mouth, his hands still braced on the wheel. When he turned his head, the scream tore from his mouth, Carmen was held in place by the seat belt, blood rained down from the side of her head, splattering into her lap, her shoulders jerking back and forth, her hands clawing at the roof of the car. Two of her false nails broke free as her hands suddenly dropped into her lap, her head slumped forwards onto her chest and a horrible wet gasp escaped her open mouth, spraying blood onto the dashboard.
Ashley couldn't move, couldn't drag his eyes away from his wife as she died. Even through the horror he was vaguely aware of a presence walking around the car, a shadow against the world of white, yet still he was unable to turn away from the woman he loved.
'Carmen,' he whispered his wife's name, his mind still trying to understand what he was seeing.
Even when the driver's door opened, he didn't turn to see who was standing by the side of the car.
'Get out.'
The voice sounded muffled, the tone local, yet Ashley still couldn't move, his eyes remained locked on his wife's slumped form.
Reaching out, the man flashed the knife across the top of the seat belt and Ashley slumped forwards, his chest hit the steering wheel, suddenly the air was split by the sound of the car horn blaring out over the fields.
Then he was being hauled from the vehicle and dragged away, his feet slithering on the packed snow, his body coated with sweat and fear.
Ashley Dean managed to look over his shoulder, watching as the image of his wife diminished behind a veil of falling snow.
He was vaguely aware of the white van parked down a turning on the left, the engine rumbling as he was led to the open back doors.
Suddenly, the inner voice screamed and the reality of what was happening crashed through his mind, any thought of his murdered wife was momentarily obliterated as the survival instinct kicked in. He managed to twist around, his hands raised curling into fists but then the stock of the gun was slammed into his face and he clattered back into the van, his eyes closing as he took the image of Carmen into the abyss, her face soaked with blood, her false nails snapping free as she died.
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