by Thom Collins
“I came home around a quarter to eight,” he explained, “which is when I saw them. I worked backward through the recording until I found this.”
The camera was focused on the front of the house, covering the road and the tree to the side. At eight minutes past six on the display clock, a figure dressed entirely in black—jeans, hoodie, balaclava—came into shot around the side wall. Moving with stealth, they approached the front gate and stared thought the iron bars. They spent the next six minutes looking at the house as though assessing it. Peering through the courtyard, gazing at the upstairs windows. There was something terrible about the balaclava-clad face, like a masked maniac in a horror film.
After several minutes, the figure moved over to the tree and, with what appeared to be minimal effort, climbed up into the branches.
“He sits there for almost an hour and a half,” Arnie said, speeding through the footage until the moment he came home.
As Arnie approached the gate, the figure leapt out of the tree with the agility of a cat and hurried down the side of the house and out of sight.
“If he hadn’t moved, I would never have known he was there,” Arnie said.
“Do you pick him up on any of the other cameras?” PSCO Shah asked.
“No. The ones on the back only cover the garden area and courtyard. They don’t extend over the wall.”
“Pity,” she said. “You think he went into the woods?”
“It’s the only place he could have gone. I wasn’t going to chase in after him to find out. There’s nowhere else to hide back there.”
“Are you aware of any attempt to gain entry to the house?”
“No. The alarm system is first rate. There are sensors all over the place. I checked the panel when I came in and none of the zones had been triggered.”
“Does the system have a panic alarm?”
“Yes.”
“Good. If you’re ever in the house and feel in danger, use it.”
She asked to watch the footage through again. Arnie took it back.
“Have you seen this person before last night?” she asked.
“Around the house, no, but seen them before, certainly. I’m sure it’s the person who attacked Sandy Costello.”
“What makes you so sure?”
As the stranger reappeared on the screen, Arnie paused the image. “The clothes for one. They’re identical. What are the chances of two people dressing head to toe in black with a balaclava in the middle of summer? In broad daylight. Slight at best, don’t you think? Not just that, though—the height and build are the same too. And it can’t be a coincidence that the week after I witnessed an assault, someone who fits the attacker’s description cases out my home.”
“Have you received any threats?”
“Not directly. I don’t know about social media, though. I have accounts but I don’t monitor them. But people write all sorts of crap online. It doesn’t mean they intend to go through with the things they say.”
The young officer scribbled in her notebook. “I’ll take a look at your accounts just the same. You’re right, I don’t think this person”—she pointed at the still image on screen—“is going to announce themselves, but we can’t rule it out. Can I get a copy of this footage?”
He handed her a flash drive. “I’ve already downloaded it for you.”
“Good. This will do for now, but I’d like your permission to download all the footage from the last week. That way we can check through it, just in case this wasn’t their first visit.”
“Sure. Anything you want. Take it all.”
She smiled reassuringly. “As you say, the house has a first-rate security system, but I’m going to arrange for a marker on this address. That means a rapid response. If you see anything that worries you, or you have any concerns, call 9-9-9, and a police unit will be here straight away. We’ll also increase the frequency of drive-by checks on this road. There’s just you and your son living here at the moment. Is that right?”
“Yes. But AJ doesn’t know about this.” He pointed at the monitor. “I don’t want to frighten him.”
“I understand. It might be a good idea if you could get someone to stay with you for a while. And take every precaution. Keep the doors locked, even when you’re home. Set the alarm when you go to bed.”
“I do all those things anyway,” he said. “I’m hyper vigilant. An over-enthusiastic fan once got onto a film set and I found her in my bed when I returned to my trailer. Ever since then, I’ve been super-conscious of security.”
“That’s good, but you need to be extra vigilant right now. Don’t take any chances. No risks. Drive, don’t walk, when you go into town. Don’t travel alone. Stay with a group of people if you can.”
Arnie looked at her sideways. “Is there something you’re not telling me? Do you know more about this than I do?”
“No,” she said, deadly serious. “This is something out of the ordinary for all of us. We just don’t get incidents like it in Nyemouth. We’ve had murders for sure, but they’re always domestics, or drug or alcohol related. And guys at the weekend who have too much to drink and beat the hell out of each other. But what happened last weekend was a first. And it pains me to say, we’re no further forward or close to making an arrest. You have a lovely son. I just want you to take care of him.”
“I always do.”
She nodded. “This will help too.” She held up the flash drive. “I’m sure the inspector will authorize a search of the woods once she’s seen it. I don’t believe for a minute they’re still out there, but they may have left something behind to help us identify them.”
As he listened to her speak, he wondered just how safe Nyemouth was for AJ. This nutcase had very likely found out where they were living, and the police were saying they couldn’t guarantee their protection.
Was it really worth seeing out the summer here after everything that had happened?
Maybe, he thought, it’s time to pack up and return to London.
Nyemouth no longer felt like home.
Chapter Eleven
Dominic didn’t hear from Arnie at all on Monday or Tuesday, despite sending him a couple of friendly text messages. He couldn’t understand the silent treatment. It had seemed to go so well on Sunday—they’d done everything but set a date and time for going out together. Then nothing. What had happened to switch Arnie from hot to cold?
Gabriel? He appeared an obvious answer, and hardly a surprise if it turned Arnie off. Few guys would be pleased to learn they were getting an old friend’s sloppy seconds. Without being callous, it was no easy thing convincing Arnie that Gabriel meant nothing to him. He wondered if they’d spoken to each other, if Gabriel had warned Arnie to back off.
Funny how Gabriel had only mentioned Arnie once, the last time they’d slept together. Nothing he’d said convinced Dominic they were lifelong friends. Quite the opposite. Gabriel was dismissive of Arnie, bitchy even.
But he’d certainly been pissed off when they had spoken on Sunday. Angry enough to stick the knife in? He hoped not, but the idea, once in his mind, wouldn’t quit. How well did he know Gabriel, anyway? He could be capable of anything. He was an occasional bedfellow. Dominic’s knowledge of him went no deeper than that. Maybe Gabriel wouldn’t think twice about sabotaging things between him and Arnie.
Only there isn’t anything to sabotage. Yet.
His fears were proved unfounded on Wednesday when Jacob brought Brandy back from his early morning walk into town.
“Have you heard about Arnie?” Jacob asked, standing by the kitchen door.
“No,” he said, failing hide his concern.
“It seems the clifftop attacker paid him a visit.”
“What?” The alarm was completely genuine. “Is he all right? When did this happen?”
“Sunday night. After the fair. He’s okay, I think. A bit spooked. Who wouldn’t be? Apparently, they’ve got footage of this man on CCTV.”
“Do they know who it is?
Have they picked him up?”
“No. He was in disguise. Kept his face covered.”
“Shit.” No wonder Arnie had been indifferent to his text messages. He had much bigger problems than romance. “Is Arnie all right? Have they have threatened him?”
“No. By the sound of things, this person may have been casing the house. He ran up to the woods when Arnie returned and startled him. As you can imagine, it gave him a fright, especially when he’s got the boy at home. From what I hear, he’s thinking about cutting their holiday short and heading back to London. Can’t say I’d blame him if they did.”
“No,” Dominic said. “Neither would I.”
Safety had to be the priority, especially with a young son, but the idea of Arnie leaving town, of not seeing him again, gripped Dominic somewhere deep inside, twisting his guts and squeezing hard. His breathing became shallow as panic set in.
When Jacob left, he tried to work. It was no good. He couldn’t concentrate on his characters or plot or the world he was trying to create. All he could think about was Arnie. His emotions were a confusion of fear, loss, anger and desperation. The attacker—the potential killer—had tracked him down, had found out where he was living. What kind of sick fucker would do that?
The kind that attacks random strangers.
What the hell was their intention now?
Who knows what goes on in a mind like that?
Dominic could take no more. He picked up the phone.
Arnie answered straight away. “Hi.”
Hearing his voice was a relief. Until that moment, Dominic hadn’t known how much he wanted to hear it. “Are you okay? I heard what happened.”
“Yes. Sorry I didn’t call you. It’s been intense.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m just happy to know you’re all right.”
There was a second of hesitation until Arnie said, “I’m glad you called. I’d love to see you.”
“Anytime.”
Another pause. “Can you come over? Now?”
He didn’t have to think about his answer. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
* * * *
Dominic had passed Cliff House countless times in the last five years, by foot and car. He’d never given it much thought. It was one of those places that had always been there. The kind of place local people paid no attention to, while tourists paused to admire its historic beauty.
When he pressed the intercom, the electric gate swung softly open and he pulled through into the private car park. The gate closed behind him. He couldn’t think of a safer, more secure place in the whole town, and yet the thought of Arnie and AJ alone up here, so far from their closest neighbor, was an uneasy one.
Arnie appeared from around the back of the house, dressed in a nautical-looking blue-and-white-striped T-shirt with pale blue shorts that showed off his tanned, muscular limbs.
As Dominic approached him to say hello, Arnie flung his arms around him and pulled him into a firm embrace. Dominic accepted the contact willingly, wrapping his own arms around Arnie’s back and shoulders. They stayed like that, not moving, the sides of their heads touching.
“Thanks for coming,” Arnie murmured. “It’s so good to see you.”
“I would have come sooner. As soon as I heard the news, I called.”
“You’re here now—that’s what matters most. This place has been crazy. The police, my parents, my sister. This morning is the first time I’ve had to myself all week.”
“Where is everyone now?”
“My folks have taken AJ and his cousins out for the day. They’ve driven up to Berwick. They want me to go with them, but I just needed a few hours to myself. At least I thought I did until you called.”
They stood for a few moments longer. Holding Arnie felt so good. Not in a sexual way, though the attraction Dominic felt for him was undeniable. It was more than that, better. There was nothing uncomfortable about the embrace. The opposite was true. Even though Arnie was a few inches taller than him and Dominic had to stretch to make contact, it was perfect.
“Let’s go inside,” Arnie said at last.
Dominic walked at his side, around the back of the house, to a patio where French doors led to an open-plan kitchen and living area. He lingered for a moment on the terrace, checking out the garden and the height of the wall that surrounded it. Though it would not be easy to climb, a seasoned criminal would have no trouble getting over. Once they did, there were a lot of potential hiding places in the well-established shrubbery and foliage of the garden.
Cliff House was not as safe as his first impression had suggested.
The interior was a surprise. Dominic expected it to have been completely modernized, in the way of most redeveloped old properties. Whoever had been responsible for the overhaul of the house had done so with complete sympathy for the age and style of the original, with lots of natural wood and traditional features. Dominic had done most of the work on his own house himself, besides a couple of electrical jobs he’d had to contract out. It was clear to his experienced eye that they had done the refurbishment of this place to the highest standards.
And although it was only a rental, the house seemed perfectly suited to Arnie. It was handsome, smart, old-fashioned and current all at once.
He liked it a lot.
Dominic closed and locked the French windows behind them.
“That’s okay,” Arnie said. “You can leave them open.”
Dominic shook his head in admonishment. “Security, remember. Take nothing for granted.”
Arnie nodded grimly. “You’d think the message would have sunk in by now, huh?”
“Don’t ever be too careful. Your circumstances right now, they demand utmost caution.”
“Duly noted.” He laughed softly and smacked his own wrist. “How about a drink? I’ve got juice, lemonade. Beer and wine if you want something stronger.”
“A Diet Coke would be nice, if you have it. Otherwise water is fine.”
Arnie took two large glasses from one of the cupboards and drew ice from the refrigerator. Dominic perched on a chair at the end of the breakfast bar and watched him as he opened a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke and poured. He loved looking at him and watching the way he moved. Arnie had kicked off his sandals at the door and walked around the kitchen in bare feet, reminding Dominic of a sexy deckhand in his shorts and T-shirt combo. His skin was darker than when they’d first met, its golden tones evidence of the outstanding weather they’d enjoyed this last week. Even the pale blond hairs on his legs seemed to have caught the sun.
It was Arnie’s eyes that betrayed the strain he was under. There was a slight puffiness in the skin beneath them, and dark shadows evidenced a clear lack of sleep.
He approached the counter with their drinks and sat on the end, at an angle to Dominic.
“Thanks,” Dominic said, taking a sip, watching all the while.
“Thanks again for coming,” Arnie said. “You have no idea how much it means to me, seeing you today.” He sighed. “On Monday morning, I was all set to pack our things and head back to London. I’d had enough. It seems this fucker wants to play games. Dangerous games.”
“No one would blame you if you left,” Dominic said. “Most folk would be gone by now. Especially with a child in the house.”
“That’s it. Even now that I’ve decided to stay a little longer, I’ll suddenly catch myself and wonder what the hell I’m playing at. I can’t take chances with my son. The safest thing to do is get out. But then I get angry. Nyemouth is also my home. More so than anywhere else, and I won’t be driven away by some random nutcase. I want AJ to know his grandparents, his aunt and his cousins. He’s got lots of friends in London, but it’s not the same as family. Tara’s side don’t bother with him, so it’s doubly important that he has a connection here. If we leave now, it might damage that forever.”
As he spoke, Dominic saw a vulnerability to Arnie that was all new. He was a conflicted man, struggling to give his son th
e love and family he deserved while weighing up their safety. Dominic had no attachment to his own family. His mother was still alive. His brothers lived abroad. He had a minor interest in their lives and occasionally caught up on what they were doing via social media, but there was no real love there. Not like the love Arnie had for his son and his parents. Dominic’s indifference to his family only made him appreciate what Arnie was trying to do even more.
“What have the police done?” he asked.
“Someone came the other day and downloaded the CCTV footage for the whole of last week. They want to check for any earlier visits from the stalker. That’s what I’ve started calling him—the stalker.”
“It fits. That’s what he is. Though ‘sick bastard’ works too.”
“For sure. Anyway, I haven’t heard whether they’ve found anything. There are meant to be frequent police patrols going past the house. If there are, I haven’t spotted them, but then again, I haven’t been glued to the window watching for them either. I’m trying to keep things as normal as possible for AJ’s sake. That’s the main reason I didn’t want to go with them today. I needed some time away from him, just to drop the mask of normality for a couple of hours.”
Dominic put his hand on Arnie’s forearm. “What can I do?”
For a moment Arnie looked overwhelmed by the question and his eyes glistened with moisture. “Just this,” he said at last. “Your being here is a massive help.”
“I want to do more,” he said. “If the police won’t look after your security, let me. I can be a night watchman. I’ll be awake while the two of you sleep. Check the perimeter, watch the cameras. If that crazy bastard is dumb enough to drop by again, he’ll be sorry to find me home.”
“I’m sure he would. But you can’t do that.”
“I mean it. It’s not right, the police leaving you here without protection.”
“They advised me not to be alone.”
“See. Then let me stay. You’ll never find a better bodyguard. Or more qualified,” he added with a cheeky grin to lighten the mood.