The Liar's House: An absolutely gripping thriller with a fantastic twist (Detective Gina Harte Book 4)

by Carla Kovach

  Gina stared at him.

  ‘Annoying, guv?’

  ‘Just a bit.’ He slid the chair under the main table for the last time and waited for her to begin.

  ‘Jacob, can you give us a brief overview of what Richard Leason said when you spoke to him?’

  He rubbed his eyes and read his notes. ‘Yes, after finding out he was paired with Dawn, they went out to the caravan on Dawn’s drive. He didn’t go into great detail about what they got up to but he did say he felt there was someone watching them. He suspected that Dawn wasn’t too into him and he openly admitted he was unhappy to have been paired with Dawn. They had a brief but awkward encounter and then he left. He said he went straight home and got into bed with Maggie. He also mentioned that he and Dawn had a few words, and that Dawn was drunk and got quite aggressive. With the thought that someone might be watching them and Dawn’s odd behaviour, he felt like he just needed to get home. He didn’t clock the time and said that he’d had a fair bit to drink himself.’

  Gina glanced at the map on the wall. ‘Every one of these people live close by to each other and to where the incident took place. Our witness remembers hearing a car leaving the scene. From what I’ve read and heard, no one took a car with them to Dawn Brown’s house. That doesn’t mean that the murderer didn’t take the short journey back home to get their car, before or after attacking Jade. They all lived really close to each other. I’m keeping an open mind on that one.’ Gina’s thoughts wandered back to Steven. Could he have finished up and then hurried back to the house to see what was going on? She knew he drove. Could he have got in his car and gone looking for Jade? After all, he’d know all the locations that went into the glass as he and Dawn had prepared them. Had they all spoken about the locations in conversation that night? ‘Moving onto our visit with the Leasons yesterday, that’s Richard and Maggie. Just to clarify, we can now confirm that all parties attended this partner-swapping party which took place at Dawn Brown’s house.’ She pointed at the board. ‘We have Jade and Rhys who went off to Jade’s summerhouse, Aimee and Noah went to the woods, Dawn and Richard went to Dawn’s caravan and, lastly, Maggie and Steven went to Dawn’s brother’s house. Can you write all that on the board?’

  Wyre took the pen from her and began noting that information in a list so that everyone could see it presented in some sort of logical order.

  ‘It’s like a game of Cluedo. Partner A went off with partner B in the wherever, then our unknown murderer killed Jade Ashmore with the mallet. That’s one piece of information we are now certain of. After speaking with Bernard again this morning, it is absolutely confirmed. A small fleck of wood was also found embedded in Jade’s skull. Jade was hit repeatedly over one side of her face with the mallet. We can’t rule out other suspects. Jade was wandering around the estate and we think she was heading back to the party to look for her husband, Noah. We can’t rule out that Rhys followed her back, he is still our main suspect and he is still missing. We can’t rule out Colin Wray, Jade’s neighbour, the one Tiffany the babysitter described as creepy. Did he see her leave and follow her? The perp could have murdered Jade and still have had time to come back for their car. I can’t emphasise enough how closely they all live to each other and the crime scene.’ She gazed up at the map. The pins pointing out the crime scene and where everyone claims to have been at the time, were almost upon each other.

  ‘And the link to Samantha Felton?’ Wyre said as she turned her engagement ring around her finger.

  ‘That too. We need to investigate further. There is a clear link between them. We have the photo of Jade attending the same party as Samantha several years ago. Someone broke into Diane’s house and planted it for us to find. Who took the photo and how do these women know each other? Is the person who planted the photo the murderer? We can’t ask Jade now.’

  The landline rang. Wyre walked over and picked up the phone. ‘It’s Bernard, guv. He has the results back on the hair sample. And that’s not all, a cigarette packet found at the back of Diane’s house has come up trumps.’

  Twenty-Nine

  Next door’s Alsatian had been pounding against the back fence for at least half an hour. Aimee wished he’d just take the dog in. The old man called out. ‘Barney, shut it, you little shit.’

  Aimee grabbed her phone. There were still no messages or calls from Rhys. Her lodger Nicole had tried to call five times from Tenerife and had eventually left a message. She swallowed, hoping that the calls would just stop and that Rhys would come home. Prime suspect in a murder investigation – that was how Detective Inspector Harte had described him. She twiddled the contact card between her fingers, wondering where their investigation was going.

  Over the past year her business had been doing really well. She’d gained a local soap opera star and a high-profile music producer on her books. If they found out what she’d been up to, would they still hire her to keep them in shape? All the work she’d put in could be ruined overnight. She’d have to take a job working at a gym again, that’s if they’d even have her. Along with the large sum her granny had left in her will, her high profile clients were the ones who had almost helped her pay the final chunk off her mortgage this year and that financial security could all be replaced by another minimum wage job. She imagined the headlines. Local personal trainer to the celebs in wife-swapping murder scandal. She yelled out as she screwed up Gina Harte’s card and threw it at the windowsill.

  ‘I hate you!’ she called as she kicked the door. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that he was capable of murder. He was rough, he was dominant and he did always seem to get his own way. It was his way or no way in their relationship, that’s what Nicole had said.

  The dog barked and barked. She flung the door open and yelled. ‘Shut up.’ It made no difference.

  She grabbed her phone as soon as it buzzed. ‘Rhys?’

  ‘Aimee.’

  ‘Oh, Nicole.’

  Her lodger and best friend remained silent for a second. Aimee knew Nicole could tell that she was holding something back. ‘I’ve been trying to call you. I saw on Facebook about that woman being killed. It’s just a few roads away. I was a bit worried and when you weren’t answering, I thought something had happened. Are you okay?’

  She stared out of the kitchen window, through the smeary glass panes. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘You can’t fool me, Aimee. How long have we known each other?’

  Her friend was right. As she began to speak, the whole story spilled out and tears soon followed.

  ‘Look, just calm down. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’re too good for that loser. Promise me you’ll keep away from him if he comes sniffing around. He could be dangerous.’

  She wiped her teary face. ‘I know, but murder. I’m not sure. I just don’t know any more. Urgh, I’m so confused. I want it all to go away. When are you back?’

  ‘Just hold tight. I’m back tonight and we’ll get through this together, I promise.’

  A smile escaped from Aimee’s mouth. Nicole was right, they’d sort it out together when she got home. She was also right about Rhys. He’d been toxic for her and her best friend had noticed the change in her since they’d been together.

  Rhys suddenly burst through the door, knocking Aimee’s slight frame flying against the far wall. The phone flew from her hand and slid across the kitchen floor. ‘Dammit. I didn’t know you were behind the door. Are you okay?’

  He went to stroke the arm she was rubbing. ‘Get off me.’ She pushed him away from her as she struggled to stand.

  ‘If that’s the way you feel. You know I didn’t do anything?’ She felt her heart slamming in her chest.

  ‘Help me out here. I need some money. I didn’t eat yesterday.’ He ran his shaky fingers through his greasy, tangled shoulder-length hair. Eyes red and puffy. A couple of days’ worth of stubble.

  ‘Aimee, Aimee. Tell me you’re okay.’ Nicole’s voice filled the room.

  ‘I’m okay, Ni
cole. I’ll call you back in a bit,’ she shouted.

  ‘Don’t hang up—’ Rhys picked up the phone and ended the call.

  ‘Shit,’ he said as he began to pace back and forth. He stopped and began rummaging through the kitchen cupboard, snatching a loaf of bread, peanut butter and a few biscuits. ‘Money!’ The cupboard door he slammed began to lean on its hinges, threatening to fall off.

  She sobbed as she rubbed her arm. Pain throbbing from her elbow to her shoulder.

  He began opening the kitchen draws, throwing out the sticky tape, a pack of tea-light candles, some leftover fly strips. ‘Where is it?’

  He was referring to her money tin where she kept the cash that some of her clients paid. Eventually he reached the correct draw and smiled as he pulled it out. He snatched the lid off and pulled a roll of ten pound notes out. She really wished she’d been a little more on the ball when it came to banking now. ‘Please, Rhys, I need that money.’

  ‘More than me? Look at me.’ He placed the wad of cash into his back pockets and kneeled before her, wiping her tears with his fingertips.

  He leaned in to gently kiss her. She turned away. More than anything, she needed her life back along with her old self. She needed to go out with Nicole and feel free again. ‘Don’t come back. I want you to go. Someone saw you pushing Jade around and I know you.’

  ‘You know nothing, you stupid bitch.’ He gripped the bottom of her chin in a vice-like grip. Her fear-filled gaze met his until his sinister grin sent a shiver through her body. He began to laugh, releasing her as he straightened her top. For a moment, her vision began to cloud and she was sure she might faint as she held her breath.

  Her phone began to buzz along the kitchen floor and a message flashed up.

  I’m calling the police.

  Nicole had saved her. Rhys stepped backwards across the floor, maintaining eye contact with her until he ran outside. She heard the gate slam closed and the dog barking. Sobbing, she grabbed her phone and called Nicole straight back. ‘Don’t call the police. I’m okay. I’ll see you when you get home.’ She ended the call and flinched as she made her way to the kitchen sink and ran the tap, splashing cold water over her sweaty face. She patted her face with a tea towel and sobbed as she felt her face, sure that there would be imprints of Rhys’s fingers embedded into her skin.

  She stared out of the window at the banging gate, then caught sight of a couple of footprints that had dried in the mud. Rhys had been there watching her, of that she was sure. When she was in bed, in the shower, there had been someone else there. She felt it.

  Thirty

  ‘Good morning. I know you all have the forensics report in front of you.’ Gina pulled out a copy of the bound report and held it up. O’Connor flicked through the pages loudly and Wyre cast her gaze over the main page. Jacob grabbed a copy and began flicking through the pages. Keith in forensics quickly nibbled the rest of his apple. He flung the core into the bin and scratched his head.

  ‘I wasn’t expecting this at all, guv,’ Jacob replied as he popped a stick of gum in his mouth.

  She turned to face the board, pointing to the additional information. ‘As you can see, the hair that was left at Diane’s house is the same colour as Samantha’s when she went missing. There were no follicles in which to obtain a DNA sample. This was a neatly trimmed lock that had been carefully preserved.’

  Keith half-raised his hand and smiled. ‘We can confirm that it is real hair. What really has sealed the link when it comes to the disappearance of Samantha Felton and the murder of Jade Ashmore is the cigarette packet we found at the back of Diane’s house.’

  Wyre’s face was slightly screwed up as she contemplated the evidence in front of her. ‘The person who broke into Diane’s is the one who killed Jade?’

  Keith picked a bit of apple skin from his teeth. ‘Got ya!’ He smiled. ‘Yes, it’s looking that way. For those who haven’t read that far. The cigarette packet found outside Diane’s was covered in Jade Ashmore’s prints.’

  Gina interjected. ‘All the cigarettes were gone suggesting that the perpetrator finished off or removed any remaining cigarettes in the packet before discarding it.’ She nodded at Keith, gesturing for him to continue.

  ‘There were several other partial prints on the packet, but these could have been added during the process of packing, distributing and selling them. All prints have been lifted, logged and checked, but the only prints we can actually identify are Jade’s. One of the others could well be our murderer’s, we just have nothing on the database that is a match.’

  Gina glanced at the board. ‘Have we matched the prints against any that were found in Diane’s house?’

  ‘No matches, I’m afraid. The entrance through the bathroom window was dusted, as were many other parts of the house. None of the prints found in her house match those on the cigarette packet. As always, we have them on file and we couldn’t identify anyone from those prints either. They were not on our database.’

  Gina sat at the head of the table. ‘From the CCTV, it looked like our perp was wearing gloves anyway. Thanks for coming, Keith.’

  ‘Glad to be of help.’

  Wyre’s screen flashed with a message. She left the table and headed to her computer as they continued to speak.

  ‘Anything else? You’ve all read the witness statements, I assume?’

  Everyone nodded.

  ‘And you all know what you’re doing next?’

  ‘Guv?’ Wyre headed back to the table.

  Gina arched her brows as she waited for Wyre to speak.

  ‘I’ve just checked two messages. Firstly, we have Steven Smithson coming in for a voluntary interview this morning. Dawn made the call and said he’d be happy to help.’ Gina felt a familiar shiver flash across the back of her neck as the colour drained from her face. Briggs had said she wouldn’t be able to interview him.

  ‘Make sure you use interview room one.’ At the very least, she’d be able to watch him through the mirrored glass. ‘And the second message?’

  ‘We’ve had a call from Diane today. She left a message saying that she remembered something else about the time Samantha Felton went missing. Samantha’s mystery lover was a weed smoker. She said she just remembered that Samantha smelt of weed back then. I suppose it was a long time ago and she’s not in the best of health.’ As Wyre relayed the latest piece of information, the room tilted as Gina almost lost her balance.

  ‘Here. Sit down, guv.’

  Jacob pushed a chair behind her and she sat. ‘I’m okay. I just need some breakfast.’ She smiled at him and he seemed to take that as an excuse for the minor level of shock she was feeling. Steven could well be their murderer and she’d never be the one to make the arrest. Gina’s gaze slowly left the table until she met Wyre’s. ‘And Steven and Maggie were smoking weed when they were together!’

  Thirty-One

  ‘You okay?’ Briggs asked, the plastic chair creaking as he leaned back.

  ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’ Gina instantly regretted giving such a short, sharp response.

  ‘You forget how well I know you and I know how hard you’re finding this.’ Briggs didn’t even know a smidgen of what she was hiding. He gave her a sympathetic look as he stared through the glass at her ex-brother-in-law. Steven stared back as if he knew she was watching. ‘He doesn’t know you’re here.’

  She felt her fists clenching. Not only was he encouraging of the abuse that Terry had inflicted upon her when he was alive, he was now in the middle of her investigation and had taken her senior investigating officer title away from her. She now had to run everything through Briggs. All of it – his fault. And now he was a suspect, up there with Rhys Keegan. Her mind reeled, could Steven be the brains behind it all and could Rhys be a part of it? So far, she’d failed to link them until the night of the party. There had to be more to it all and she was going to unearth the sorry lot.

  ‘Look, being this uptight won’t help.’ Briggs smiled.

  ‘I’m
not uptight.’ They may well have been lovers in the past, but he didn’t know everything about her. The small room they were sitting in suddenly felt even more confined. Her elbow bumped into his as she adjusted her seating position.

  ‘Harte, your knuckles are white.’

  She returned his comment with a wide false smile and loosened her grip. ‘And you know exactly why. I just want to be in there, doing my job.’

  ‘And you are. Your job is to gather enough evidence to convict a murderer. Your job isn’t to hinder the case with the fact that you’ve had some involvement on a personal level with this witness.’

  Witness? That was a joke. He was guilty of a lot and Gina knew he had a hidden dark side. ‘You’re right, sir.’ She took a sip of cold water as she stared through the glass.

  ‘Here we go,’ Briggs said as he folded his arms and stared through the glass.

  Wyre and Jacob entered, sitting opposite Steven. He instantly grinned at Wyre as he unzipped his leather jacket, eyeing her up and down. Gina knew he would put his all into making her feel uncomfortable and she also knew Wyre was too good to fall for his nonsense. He linked his two hands behind his neck and leaned back in the chair as Wyre prepared. His T-shirt rode up exposing his hairy belly and a belt. Gina’s heart began to pound as she spotted the buckle, the thick, solid square-covered mechanisms that fixed onto brown leather. It was exactly the same as what Terry used to wear, the same style that had been imprinted on her thighs for days after he’d attacked her.

  She placed her fingers in her cup of water and flicked a little on her face as Briggs watched what was going on through the screen. He couldn’t see her having any kind of meltdown. He’d been watching her too closely and she couldn’t let him pull her off the case on health grounds. It had taken all she had over the past few months to conceal the depths of her anxiety but she had so far succeeded. High-functioning she knew everyone called it. She would continue to function highly and do her work.