Axe to Grind

by A L Fraine

  “So, she was just getting drinks and snacks then, nothing else?” Jon asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Rupa replied. She didn’t seem to know where to look, as her eyes darted around the room.

  “You’re sure?”

  “As far as I know,” Rupa replied.

  Jon wasn’t convinced, but couldn’t be sure she was lying. Maybe she was just nervous about being questioned. They threw a bunch more questions at her, jumping between her relationship with Mollie and the events of last night, and anything else they could think of, but her story never wavered.

  In the end, they let her go and brought in Mollie’s other close friend, Bradley, and asked many of the same questions again.

  “So, what about your relationship with Mollie?” Kate asked. “What can you tell us?”

  “She’s a friend. A really great friend… or was, I guess.” He looked crestfallen and broken.

  “And that’s all it was?” Jon asked. “You were just friends?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Bradley replied. He was a skinny guy, and like Rupa, seemed deflated by his friend’s death. “I mean, she’s nice and all, but I didn’t fancy her or anything. We just hung out. We were friends.”

  “And as a friend, you let her go out on her own to buy… whatever, for your meet-up last night?”

  “She wanted to do it. She’s done it before and been fine.”

  “But she wasn’t yesterday, was she?”

  “How was I supposed to know what would happen?” he protested, a sudden fire behind his words. “I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I’d do anything to change things, to bring her back.”

  “That’s okay,” Kate cut in. “We know you would, but we need to know everything that happened.”

  “I wish I could help you, I really do. But I was working when she went to the shops.”

  “To get supplies?”

  “That’s right.”

  “So, drinks and snacks?”

  “I think so,” Bradley replied. He was sitting very still and was making a point of looking Jon in the eyes as he spoke.

  “So, nothing else. Nothing a little harder, maybe?”

  “You mean drugs.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Jon replied.

  “You didn’t need to.”

  “Well, did she?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You’re sure,” Jon pressed.

  Bradley nodded, a little too vigorously.

  “What do you know about the money she was carrying?”

  “We gave Mollie some cash,” he replied without missing a beat.

  They were all the same answers as Rupa gave. Answers that could be true, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. It all felt a little fishy to Jon, like they were holding something back, despite their protestations.

  The interview dragged on, followed by others with Mollie’s less close friends until they had little choice but to end it for the day. They’d need someone to come back tomorrow and work through the people who were left on the list, but for now, they were done, and Jon was feeling more than a little frustrated by the complete lack of leads.

  Why Mollie? Why kill her? What was the link between her and Harper? Did the killer know them or pick them at random? Because right now, there seemed little rhyme or reason to the killer’s choices.

  “Did you believe them?” Jon asked.

  “Her friends?” Kate asked. “I don’t know. I take it you didn’t, though.”

  “Something didn’t feel right. I think they were lying about why Mollie went out.”

  “So, why do you think she went out? To buy drugs?”

  “Is that so strange?”

  Kate sighed. “No. I guess not. I think most people experiment a little bit during their teenage years and early twenties, don’t you?”

  Jon nodded, remembering his own teenage rebellion. He remembered hating that his dad was a police officer for a short time while at school. Some cruel classmates seemed to think that was a bad thing and Jon had hated that. So he rebelled. He drank while underage, smoked weed, he’d even given a couple of the more serious drugs a try, but luckily never got hooked on anything.

  He’d been a stupid kid, not that he’d thought that at the time, but looking back, it was so clear to him.

  “Yeah,” Kate replied. “I tried a few things back then too. They probably think they’re going to get into trouble.”

  “Yeah, probably. Aaah well, we’ll talk to them again tomorrow, and see what we can get out of them.”

  “Good plan,” Kate stood and stretched. “Right, what are you doing now then?”

  Jon shrugged. Gonna go home, get some kip, and come back in tomorrow so I can do it all over again.”

  “Home?” Kate asked.

  “Heh. Well, back to my room at the hotel. What about you?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I could collapse in front of the TV with a ready meal. And yes, I do live an exciting life.”

  “Aww, don’t. You’re making me jealous.”

  Kate laughed. “Oh, I know. I’m living the high life right here.”

  “So, where do you live then? Where’s home for you?”

  “Just a dingy little flat in Leatherhead. It’s nothing special.”

  “That’s a really strange name for a town, don’t you think? Leatherhead?”

  “A bit, I suppose. I’ve not really thought about it before.”

  “Sounds like some kind of serial killer name.”

  “You’re thinking of Leatherface, from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

  “Hah, yeah, I suppose. So there’s no garden-tool-wielding psychos in town, then?”

  Kate laughed. “Heh, no. Well, not that I’ve seen so far, anyway.”

  They’d left the room and were walking back to the car as they spoke. Jon stepped up to the passenger-side door and waited for Kate to unlock it. She paused on the other side, pulled a face, and then looked up at him.

  “Do you want to get a drink?”

  “Um,” Jon replied, thinking about it for a moment, and then shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”

  15

  After dropping off their notes at the station, Jon closed his office door and looked over at Kate where she stood before her PC, leaning over to turn it off, and felt a moment of guilt run through his mind.

  Was this the right thing to do? Should he really be doing this?

  He wondered what Charlotte would think of him going for a drink with his female partner. He couldn’t help but feel guilty, as though he was cheating on her somehow, even though she’d been gone for five years now.

  But then, this wasn’t his first dalliance with a woman since his wife had passed. He’d had a few dates and encounters over the last few years. Nothing that lasted very long though.

  Usually, he ended things because he felt like he was cheating on Charlotte, or they left him because they didn’t like the photos of Charlotte at his home. That, or they just couldn’t cope with his dedication to the job and the long hours that inevitably came with it.

  He wasn’t sure this was even a date though, not really. He didn’t want to assume anything and thought it best to think of it as nothing more than a quick drink with a work friend. Like he’d done with Damon last night.

  He couldn’t help how his eyes were drawn to her, however, as he watched her finish up at her computer and then walk over, smiling at him as she pulled on her magenta coat.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he replied, and followed her out of the station. “Do you think anything will come from these chats with Mollie’s friends?”

  Kate smiled. “I have no idea,” she said. “Who knows. Maybe.”

  “Yeah, maybe…”

  “Tell you what, no work talk tonight,” she said.

  Jon met her gaze and then nodded. “Yeah, okay. That’ll be a challenge.”

  “How come?”

  “That’s about all I’ve done for the last five years. Eat, sl
eep, and work.”

  “I’m sure there’s more to you than that, Pilgrim.”

  “If there is, I don’t know what it could be. I’m a fairly one-dimensional kind of man.”

  “Aren’t all men that shallow?”

  “Oh, wow. We’re going there are we, Barry?”

  “If you’re going to insist on calling me Barry, then yeah, we’re going there,” she replied as they walked out of the station.

  “Alright, point taken.”

  “So, what do you think of her then?”

  “Who?”

  “The station.” Kate pointed back at the brutalist grey building.

  “Well, I guess she’s alright. Certainly better appointed than my previous station.”

  “Yeah, she does us proud.”

  Jon nodded as they spotted a gap in the traffic and crossed the road.

  “Oh, look, they knew you were coming,” he said and pointed to the stocks that were on a patch of grass in front of the establishment.

  “I think they’d suit you better. I could do with some target practice. Why don’t you pop your head in there, and I’ll find some tomatoes to chuck at you.”

  “You just want to have your wicked way with me, don’t you, Miss O’Connell?”

  “How did you guess? Shit, I’m going to have to watch what I say from now on,” she quipped, as they walked into the pub, and over to the bar.

  “I’ll buy,” Jon said.

  “Fair enough. I’ll get the next round.”

  “You’re planning on talking to me for that long?”

  “Depends on if you send me to sleep or not, Pilgrim.”

  “Moi? Send you to sleep? No way. I’ll give you a pinch every now and then to make sure you’re still awake.”

  “Promises, promises.”

  “What are you having?”

  Kate thought for a moment before answering. “Just a glass of red, I think. You?”

  “Well, I’ve gotta drive back so, a shandy will do me for now.”

  Kate nodded, and he ordered their drinks before they wandered through the pub and found a table and some comfortable chairs towards the back.

  “So, what do you do with yourself when you’re not arresting people?” she asked.

  “Not a lot,” he replied. “You know what it’s like. It’s not as if we have that much free time, and I’ve pretty much thrown myself into my work these days. But, you said no work talk I guess so…”

  “Okay, let’s clarify. No talk about this current case. I’d like to get away from that for a few hours.”

  Jon nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “So, you don’t do anything else?”

  Jon smiled and chuckled to himself. “Well, no. I enjoy watching films. I’ve got quite the collection in storage.”

  “Alright,” she replied. “There you go, you see, you do have some interests outside of work. So, what do you tend to watch?”

  “I tend to like science-fiction and stuff. I don’t tend to watch thrillers or crime dramas.”

  “Too close to home?”

  Jon nodded. “I want my films to be escapism. I don’t want to end up analysing a film and criticising it for being inaccurate or anything, you know? If I’m watching a film, I want to be taken on a journey, and get away from the horrors of this job and the world.”

  “I know the feeling. I’ll watch most things, but I tend to steer away from police stuff usually.”

  “What about you? What do you do to get away from it all?” Jon asked. “Do you have any hobbies?”

  “Me?” Kate smiled. “Well, I enjoy a bit of photography.”

  “Photography? Really? Wow, that’s great. I didn’t expect that.”

  “I’m full of surprises,” she replied with a coy smile.

  “So, what kind of photography?”

  “Just landscapes, mainly. I used to go to a local photography club, but I just couldn’t get there most weeks because of work, so I gave that up. These days I usually like to go on long walks with my camera, and if I see something good, then I’ll snap a photo.”

  “I’d love to see some of your work.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. I’m not very good. I just do it for myself, really.”

  “I’ll bet you’re better than you think you are.”

  She blushed and brushed him off “No, seriously, I just do it for myself. I’m not amazing or anything.”

  “So you never wanted to be a forensic photographer?”

  “Ugh, no. That’s not my thing at all.”

  “You’d get to work with some very compliant models though. They’d never complain.”

  “Yeah, that’s because the models are dead,” Kate laughed.

  Jon laughed with her, having completely forgotten about his feelings of guilt. Instead, he just enjoyed Kate’s company.

  16

  Finally, Emily thought, stepping out of the back of the shop and letting the door slam home none-too-carefully. She didn’t care, she just wanted to get home. She’d worked so much later than she’d hoped, and had her doubts she’d make it home in time.

  But, there was a silver lining in there. The extra hours were always useful.

  Just think of the money, she thought. That’s why she was doing this. It would all be worth it in the end.

  As she strode along the back road and out to a main high street in Redhill, she rifled through her bag until she felt the smooth, hard surface of her phone and pulled it out. Waking it up, she saw a slew of messages from Morgan and cursed silently. She’d missed his calls.

  Choosing not to read them, she went straight to calling him instead. He picked up after a few rings.

  “Hiya.”

  “Hey,” she replied as she walked.

  “There you are. I was beginning to wonder if they’d ever let you go.”

  “Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. They needed me to put in a few more hours, and I just didn’t have the time to call you. I hope you don’t mind?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course,” he answered, his voice calm and reassuring. “It’s all money in the wedding fund at the end of the day, yeah?”

  “I know, I know. I just feel bad for not getting home in time to see you before you leave. Have you set off yet?”

  “Just about to.”

  “Shit, sorry. I just wanted to catch you before you left.”

  “I know. It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I’ll see you when I’m back, okay?”

  “Yeah, I know. I don’t like it when you go away.” She hated it, in fact. The lonely house, the empty bed. She always felt so much more vulnerable. Just walking back to the car tonight, knowing she’d be returning to an empty house gave her the creeps.

  “Think of the money. Just focus on that.”

  “I know, I will. It’ll be worth it.”

  “Of course it will,” he replied. “You’re going to try on your wedding dress again at the weekend, right?”

  “Yeah. I can’t wait.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing you in it.”

  “I bet.”

  “…and taking you out of it again,” he added, saucily.

  “I think you’ll find that’s not as easy as you think.”

  “Then I won’t take it off, you can leave it on while we...”

  “Morgan! Jeez, what’s got into you?” She rolled her eyes.

  “I just miss you, babe. We seem to be like ships passing in the night, right now. I hardly see you.”

  “I know,” she lamented, with a drawn-out sigh. “I hate it too. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

  “That would be good. I know a way you can make it up to me, by the way.”

  She raised an eyebrow, having a fairly good idea of what was coming. “Go on then,” she replied.

  “You could wear that lingerie I bought you, maybe?”

  “You really do have a one-track mind, don’t you?” She didn’t mind, not really, and kind of enjoyed him taki
ng such an interest in her.

  “Absence makes the heart grow fonder…”

  “And the dick harder?”

  Morgan laughed. “Don’t, I might never go on this trip if you keep talking to me like that.”

  “Oh really? Is that so? Maybe I should start talking dirty to you more often then? Or send some photos of me wearing that frankly scandalous underwear you gave me.”

  “Emily, shit. Now I want to stay home and wait for you to get back here.”

  She laughed. “Don’t be stupid. Go on, get going. You don’t want to lose your job over your overactive libido.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll see you tomorrow night then, okay?”

  “You will. Call me, yeah?”

  “I will. Drive safely. Love you.”

  “Love you too. Bye.” She hung up, smiling, but already missing him. It was for the best, and the bonus he got from making this trip, plus how good it looked to the company was totally worth it.

  It would all pay off in the end, and then they could hopefully spend a little more time together.

  Emily continued up the street, past the bus stop, and could see the car park on her right, over the road. She looked behind her to check for a gap in traffic, but there wasn’t one right at that moment. So she kept going, and as she glanced back again a few moments later, she spotted a man who was walking up behind her. She couldn’t get a good look at his face, but for a moment she thought he was heading right for her. A frown creased her forehead, but she shook it off. It’s just my imagination, she thought.

  As she walked, she suddenly spotted a break in the traffic up ahead. Checking behind her again, she saw the man striding after her. Or was he just walking on the same side of the road? The road was quiet the other way too, so she veered right and crossed at a jog.

  Her car was not far ahead. She’d soon be there and safe.

  Now on the other side of the road, she glanced back and suddenly spotted the man making the same crossing. That felt suspicious. Why would he do that?

  Emily pushed on, picking up speed, and deciding to not look behind her in case she drew his attention too much.

  Or, maybe that was what she should do? Maybe if she showed him that she was onto him, he’d rethink what he was doing and leave her alone.