by Carla Kovach
Gina glanced up at the house as they stepped out of the car, heading up the drive, taking care not to brush against the newish Land Rover Discovery. The new build, three-storey, end of terrace semi was neatly finished with a Juliet balcony on both upper floors. The curtains at all of the windows matched the lead-grey colour of the front door. Window boxes finished the look off beautifully. The parked up caravan looked to be a little older than the car and house but it was large and clean.
Jacob pressed the doorbell and a woman answered.
‘Dawn Brown? DI Harte and DS Driscoll.’
She nodded and stepped aside. Gina inhaled the smell of new house as they entered the airy hallway that led to the bright kitchen. All other doors were closed. Dawn knew exactly what she wanted them to see. Calculated move or did she simply value her privacy?
‘I have all the names for you. Here you go.’ She slid a handwritten list of names across the island in the middle of the kitchen.
Jade and Noah Ashmore.
Aimee Prowse and Rhys Keegan.
Maggie and Richard Leason.
Myself (Dawn Brown) and Steven Smithson.
Gina gasped for breath as she took a step back. She needed air. Jacob’s gaze met hers as she opened the back door.
‘Can I get you something, Detective?’ the woman called.
Gina shook her head as she practised her breathing exercises that the counsellor had taught her to do. ‘I’m fine, thank you. I just swallowed the wrong way down. I’ll be okay in a moment.’ A small lie that would buy her a few seconds until she could expand her contracting airways. Breathing in through her nose, she held and then exhaled.
‘Excuse me a moment.’ Jacob left Dawn and followed Gina into the garden. ‘What’s going on, guv?’
She couldn’t hide the fact that she was shaking or that she was in a mild panic. Sweat glistened on the end of her nose. She felt her neck burning up and knew full well that she was reddening.
‘It’s nothing. I just recognise a name on the list, but I’m okay now.’
‘Which one?’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ She took a final deep breath and smiled. ‘Let’s go back in. That woman must think I’m barmy.’ She stepped back into the kitchen. ‘I’d love a glass of water, Ms Brown, thank you.’
As Dawn ran the tap and reached for a glass, Gina tried to match her with Steven. They weren’t a match in her head. Steven had always gone for much younger women, normally with a naivety about them. Dawn looked like a mature, independent woman and certainly didn’t come across as a pushover. Steven, her ex-brother-in-law, the man who knew what she was like back then, when Terry was alive. The man who knew her old self, the woman she’d tried so hard to escape and forget. The woman he’d enjoyed taunting and keeping in her place, watching on as Terry abused her, knowing and encouraging his brother to continue. She’d once been so fearful of them both.
Dawn placed the glass in front of Gina. Her ash blonde bob, bouncing as she walked. Her green eyes searching for some kind of reassurance that Gina wasn’t going to possibly throw up on her gleaming kitchen floor.
‘Thank you.’ She gulped down the water and smiled. ‘That’s better. One of our detectives spoke to you on the phone so you’re fully aware of why we’re here.’
She nodded as she fidgeted with her jeans, the ones that were at least a size too small. ‘It’s about what happened on the night of the party. I don’t really know what I can tell you. We had a party at mine, everyone left before midnight and that was it really.’
‘We know about the party,’ Gina said, hoping that Dawn would be prompted to say more. If Dawn thought she’d be able to fob them off with neighbourly wine and nibbles, she had another think coming. ‘You also know that one of your friend’s was brutally murdered on the night of your party.’
Her shoulders slumped. ‘It wasn’t my idea.’
‘Dawn, we’re not here to judge you at all. A woman was murdered. We’re here to find out what happened and who killed her.’
She slumped onto one of the bar stools on the other side of the island and picked her lips. ‘I don’t know how we ended up having the party, that’s Steven and me. I suppose it was something he wanted to try so I went along with things.’
‘Tell me a bit about the evening?’
Gina wondered if Steven had chipped away at her self-esteem, threatening to leave her, telling her what to wear and calling her names. Had he followed this with the deepest of love messages until she’d become dependent on him, relying on the love-bombing cycle that he’d carefully honed, his tried and tested method?
Gina knew that Dawn was an estate agent, a successful one at that. She didn’t need Steven for anything, but life can be lonely when you’ve been divorced. Maybe she didn’t have a huge social circle. Gina had checked her out that morning. On paper, Dawn didn’t look the type. Gina also knew there was no type and that Terry and Steven were very alike. The woman tugged her oversize top down. Gina could see her vulnerability. She didn’t want anyone to see her stomach falling over the stupidly tight jeans. She walked around her own home in little heels, unbalanced and clearly feeling the pinch in her toes. She was in a constant state of waiting for Steven, living in fear of him leaving her for someone younger and fitter. Gina knew him too well.
‘I was so nervous, I think I drank a whole bottle of wine throughout the early evening. Partner swapping was Steven’s idea. He’d never tried it and said he’d always wanted to.’ Gina knew that was a lie. ‘I went along with it. He’d found some local people who were up for some fun, as he put it, and he arranged it all. He did it to get closer to her but he won’t admit it.’ Dawn’s index finger pointed at one name on the list. Aimee Prowse. ‘He’d seen her around the estate and when he discovered she was on the forum, I just knew it. You know when you can tell. I tried to change his mind about the evening but he kept going on about how I promised him that I’d be more adventurous. I thought he’d maybe dump me if I didn’t at least give it a go. I didn’t know what to do. Two marriages have ended on me. I thought maybe it was me and he was right.’ A tear slid down the woman’s blotchy face. She slammed her hand on the worktop, walked over to the fridge and pulled out an opened bottle of rosé wine and poured a glass. ‘Want one?’
Jacob and Gina shook their heads.
‘I need something. I can’t cope with all this.’
‘You mentioned a forum. Is this on the internet?’
She nodded and topped up her wine glass. ‘It’s a website called Swap Fun. Check it out. I can’t believe I actually allowed him to upload our profiles for all members to see. I love him and I know I’m a fool—’ The woman burst into tears. ‘I don’t want to screw up again. I’m forty-seven. I’ve had enough of going it alone. I’ve had enough of failing. I just want to be happy and be with someone who loves me. Is that too much to ask for?’
‘Of course it’s not, Dawn. Is it okay if I call you Dawn?’ Gina asked.
The woman nodded and slammed the wine glass down. ‘Anyway, the last thing I remember of that night is leaving with Richard.’
‘Where did you go?’
Crimson blotches spread across Dawn’s face, giving away her distress and embarrassment. ‘The caravan. We were in there from about eleven thirty, maybe later or earlier. I’m not sure. I don’t want to talk about it either. All I know is he was with me about that time and we’d both had a few.’
‘Tell me a bit about Steven and Aimee. You mentioned that he already knew her.’
She shook her head and brandished a false smile across her face. ‘Oh he fancied her something rotten. She’d jog around the estate in Lycra, bending and stretching. She’s the estate’s most famous personal trainer. I think all the men around here get an eyeful. It’s also common knowledge that she likes older men and I think stupid Steven thought he was in with a chance. He threw it in my face a lot, telling me that I should book some sessions with her, get fitter, get my hair done better and wear better clothes.’ She sipped the last of
the wine. ‘I ashamedly prejudged her until that night. I could see she was nervous and I could see that she was so relieved she hadn’t picked Richard or Steven. When she nodded at Noah, I was happy for her but Noah’s wife Jade looked mortified that she’d ended up with Aimee’s Rhys. Anyway, off they all went. I went with Richard, Steven tootled off with Maggie. I was so happy he’d been disappointed, but that’s another story. After it was over, I came back in my house and had a shower. That’s all I can tell you.’
‘What time was that?’
She shrugged and sipped her wine. ‘I have no idea.’
‘Where’s Steven now? Does he live with you?’
‘Yes, but he comes and goes as he pleases and he still has the tenancy on his flat. He goes there when we argue. If I ever dare ask him where he’s going he just accuses me of being controlling. I can pass a message onto him when he answers my calls or comes here.’
Gina picked up the list and passed it to Jacob. ‘Did he come home after the party?’
‘I didn’t see him. I think he must have gone back to his flat.’
Jacob folded the list, placed it in his notebook and smiled. ‘Thank you, Dawn. You’ve been really helpful. We’ll need to know the address of his flat too.’
Gina wrote down the number of the station on a piece of paper and tore it from her notebook. She’d normally leave her card, but not this time. ‘Please tell Steven to get in touch with us if in the meantime he comes back here. Is he at work?’
‘No, just out. He doesn’t work at the moment. He got sacked from his last temp job.’
Nothing had changed. The Steven she knew then was still the same Steven. Gina knew he latched onto women, used them for as long as he could get away with and then moved onto the next.
As they left the house and headed towards the car, Gina spotted another text.
I’m a prize idiot. I’m sorry about the message earlier. I get it – totally. You don’t want to see me again. Sorry. Rex. X.
‘Come on, guv. We best get this list back to the station. So which name on the list did you recognise?’
‘Steven,’ she replied.
‘Do you know him well?’
She released the handbrake and reversed off the drive. ‘He’s my dead husband’s brother.’ She let that information swim around her head for a while. The dead husband was dead because she’d pushed him down the stairs. She’d killed him and, since then, she’d been trying to forgive herself. She’d never forgive him for the pain he’d put her through though – ever. ‘Give base a call and get someone over to his flat, if not, get them to keep checking back. We need to get his version of events.’
‘Guv!’ Jacob yelled out as Gina kept reversing, narrowly missing a van that had turned into the road. The driver slammed on his horn as Gina slammed on the brakes, gripping the steering wheel. ‘Didn’t you see it coming?’
‘I just missed it, sorry. Are you okay?’
‘Yes, all good. He was whizzing around too fast anyway. Back to the station or do we grab lunch?’
‘Lunch is for wimps. Let’s get back and we can eat vending machine food like real detectives.’ She plastered on a fake smile as she drove, hiding her worry that Briggs may remove her from the case. Why did Steven have to be on the list? She silently swore under her breath as they headed back.
Twenty
Her finger hovered over the delete button as she contemplated what to do about the text she’d received. She’d been harsh with Rex. Maybe just another meetup as friends would be fun, no funny business, just a drink. The thought of going back to her house alone that night sent a shudder through her body. She was stronger than she’d ever been. She’d dated other men recently and she’d had an okay-ish time with Rex. She needed to make an effort or she’d end up as needy as Dawn or worse; as needy as she once was all those years ago with Terry.
Briggs walked into her office without knocking. She placed the phone, face down on her desk. Her previous lover standing in front of her while she was thinking about her most recent one-night stand. He filled her office with the smell of his aftershave, a smell she’d enjoyed on her pillows in a past life. Sadness was etched around his eyes. She knew he’d been dating. Since his brief fling with Annie in Corporate Communications, there had been a couple of others. He’d been seen at the cinema with a woman and out at a restaurant with another. Was he hopping around like her, trying to find a connection with another person, never finding success? In another life, they’d have been the perfect couple but in this life, they were both in a serious committed relationship with the job, one in a superior position to the other. Soon realising that they couldn’t have both, they’d settled for awkward friendship.
‘You know one of the witnesses then?’
She nodded and sat back, her gaze catching his. ‘Yes, Steven. He’s my ex-brother-in-law.’
‘As it stands, I want you on the case. You’re a brilliant detective and I know you need to immerse yourself into it from the core. I don’t want you to interview him though, everyone else, yes, him, no. Let the others do it. You can watch from behind the mirror but that’s it. Are we clear on that?’
‘Yes, sir. Thank you.’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘What for?’
‘For keeping me on the case. You could have taken me off.’
‘I trust you not to compromise this investigation. You’re my best detective and I know you won’t let me down. Was he around when—’ He shook his head. ‘I shouldn’t have asked.’
Gina felt a familiar pressure building up in her forehead. ‘It’s okay. You want to make sure I’m up to it, I understand. He was around and he knows all about me, about my past, about my relationship with his brother. He stood by and watched while he beat me, even encouraged it. He is a sadist, a complete piece of shit but as you said, it won’t be me who interviews him.’
‘I’m here you know, if you need to talk.’
She forced a smile as her heart pounded. Now was not the time for a chat about all the bad things that had happened in her past, and she definitely wouldn’t discuss the memories that damn party had conjured up. Please leave, she thought, but he was still standing there, fixed to the floor, waiting for her reply.
‘I think, given the circumstances, I will be Senior Investigating Officer on this case. I’m happy for you to do all that you normally do but run things by me, especially when it comes to Steven. You can run with forensics though. Whatever you need, I approve.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ She knew being SIO would be out of the question now that Steven was involved. ‘Anyway, how’s things with you?’
‘Okay, you know. And you?’
‘Okay too.’ They both knew the other had been dating but neither person was going to ask. An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Images of him making love to her on her living room floor flashed through her mind and her stomach flipped. For a moment, she was sure he could see what she was thinking. She looked away. ‘I’m trying to get out a bit more.’
He nodded and smiled as he left. That was it. That was all he was leaving her with. A nod and a smile.
She grabbed the phone and dialled the extension for the incident room. ‘Wyre, can you investigate a website called Swap Fun, maybe set up a fake profile and look into it a little. Check out the list of witnesses and get a flavour of what they’re about.’
‘Will do, guv.’
‘Has anyone found Steven Smithson yet?’
‘No, guv, uniform dropped by his flat and left a card. Nothing so far.’
Briggs’s words ran through her mind. I’m here if you need to talk. Maybe he meant well or maybe he just wanted her to make the same mistakes again and fall back into his arms, picking up where their secret relationship had left off. He wanted her to get bored with unfulfilling dates, to live a lonely life working at her kitchen table with only her cat, Ebony, for company. That wasn’t going to happen even though she often fantasised about being with him again, if only for the odd night. Fantasies were for teena
gers and she wouldn’t be seduced into ruining her career, all to fulfil her silly fantasies. She didn’t need to talk. She needed to get out and forget him. She pressed send on the message to Rex that she’d typed out just before Briggs had knocked. She had to get him out of her head.
Twenty-One
‘Another tequila?’ Rex called as he ordered at the bar. He pulled his casual checked shirt down over his belly as he waited for her answer.
Gina giggled as she shook her head. ‘I have work early in the morning and I can’t afford to turn up with a hangover.’
He burst into laughter. ‘I think the hangover is already a given.’
‘I’ll have a coffee.’ He nodded and continued speaking to the young barman.
The pub in Stratford-upon-Avon had been a good call. It was warm and inviting, busy but not crowded and the garden had a lovely view of the river. She glanced out of the window, taking in the lights that reflected in the shimmering water. She turned her head and smiled. The warmth of the wall lights coursed through Gina’s veins, or was it the tequila? As midnight drew ever closer, people left and the place really was thinning out. A bell rang, calling last orders.
‘Right, your turn. Ideal night of passion.’ He placed a wedge of lime in his mouth and pulled a funny face.
‘We’re not still playing this game, are we?’ Gina stared at him before bursting into fits of laughter. She daren’t tell him it involved someone else, Briggs. He knew exactly how to turn her on. ‘I don’t have any set ideas.’
He pulled the lime from his teeth and slammed the shot down his gullet. She began sipping the hot coffee in the hope of sobering a little. ‘Cop out! You never thought of threesomes or booty calls?’
She almost spat her coffee out. ‘Aren’t you a booty call?’
He moved his eyebrows up and down and grinned. ‘I hope so. Which phone box shall we head to? I’ve never done it in a phone box.’