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

by Carla Kovach

  ‘Fancy meeting you here, Gina.’

  ‘Rex.’

  ‘Anyone might think you are following me,’ he said with a laugh.

  ‘That’s good coming from you. The man who turns up at my house uninvited when I’ve told you to leave me alone. The flowers, the chocolates, the texts, they have to stop.’

  He removed his hat and shook the rainwater from it. ‘You’re a flipping loony. I haven’t been sending you anything. Maybe it’s Tinder date number whatever over here.’ He pointed at Briggs.

  Her cheeks burned and pricked. Now Briggs knew everything. She was sure her cover had been blown.

  ‘What would a copper be doing here? Are you watching me? Maybe you’re harassing me.’

  She had no idea what she’d ever seen in Rex. Her instincts about him had been right. She was nothing more than a conquest seeing as he turned up to sex parties. Briggs gripped her hand, tightly.

  ‘I think you should leave her alone,’ Briggs said in a controlled tone.

  ‘Do you. Good luck with that one!’ He put his hat back on and walked away, back to the house.

  ‘I am so sorry, I had no idea it was him,’ Gina said, feeling choked up.

  ‘You had no reason to know. We have to abandon this mission though. Too many people have seen us and he may well go back to the party and discuss seeing you outside.’

  ‘He knows my real name. If he talks and Steven knows I was here, he’ll put two and two together—’

  ‘Shh, let’s go now. He may not say anything but if we stand out here much longer, it’s only a matter of time before people really get suspicious.’ His hand unravelled from hers and she followed him back to the car. ‘We’ll talk about this when we get back to the station.’

  As they fumbled for their seat belts, Gina switched the radio back on and spoke to Jacob. ‘Abandon. Smith’s now at the window, give him the wave.’

  ‘On it, guv,’ Jacob replied as they drove away, leaving the party behind. Gina glanced back and saw Steven standing outside. Maybe he had just heard what had happened and was about to leave too.

  ‘Am I in trouble, Chris?’

  He didn’t answer.

  Forty-Two

  Gina followed Briggs through the station. Jacob, Wyre and O’Connor headed straight to the kitchen to grab some coffee, ready for debriefing. Gina followed Briggs until they reached his office. The door creaked as he pushed it open and flicked the light switch, illuminating the messy paperwork that was strewn over his desk. ‘Take a seat,’ he said as he pulled the window too, blocking out the traffic noise from the road outside. He fell into his chair.

  ‘Are you angry with me?’

  ‘I don’t know is the answer.’

  What didn’t he know? ‘I had no idea Rex was going to be there, none whatsoever. If you want to penalise me for going on a couple of dates with a friggin’ idiot then go ahead.’

  He stood, removing his damp coat and hanging it on a peg as he passed her. ‘You are all over this case and it worries me. You know one of the suspects, Steven, you told me that – actually it goes further than that; you used to be related to him. Then it turns out you know one of the other people at the party and, not only that, you’ve been dating him.’

  ‘But, sir—’

  ‘Wait. Don’t interrupt me.’

  She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she closed her mouth and waited for him to continue. This wasn’t the right time to argue back with him.

  ‘Then, only then, it comes out that this man seems to be almost harassing you. He turns up at your place, sends messages when you’ve told him to stop. You said there wasn’t a problem, that all was fine in your life. This doesn’t sound fine.’

  ‘Is this about him or us?’ Gina knew he’d been ruffled by Rex. Rex wasn’t bad looking, scrubbed up well in his smart coat and, strangely, the hat had suited him.

  He slammed his open hand into the side of the filing cabinet. ‘This is about me caring about you and you not being able to see when you need a friend. How long was he going to keep messaging you and harassing you until you spoke to someone, maybe me?’

  ‘I was dealing with it fine on my own.’

  ‘You were until tonight. Your professional life has now well and truly crossed your personal life and I don’t know how much longer I can keep it to myself.’

  Gina paced towards his desk then back towards the door. ‘You know I need my work. You know how much it means to me.’ Another tear slid down her face as she looked up at him.

  He passed her and fell into his chair once again. ‘Don’t disappoint me again. Your chances are running out, Harte; do you hear me?’

  She sniffed and gave him a little smile.

  ‘And talk to me. What’s on your mind? I heard what that Rex said. Talk to me. That is one of the conditions. I need to know that you’re not losing it.’

  She could understand. She wanted him to trust her but how much was she about to give him? More than she had to or just enough to keep him happy?

  ‘You know I received chocolates at work, sir?’

  His brow arched as he waited for her to continue. ‘I sensed you weren’t happy about them.’

  ‘I messaged him. Telling him not to send me anything again. You heard what he said tonight. He didn’t know anything about the chocolates or the flowers.’

  ‘Okay, Gina.’ A warmth flooded through her body as he said her name. ‘Someone else sent you chocolates and flowers, but who?’

  ‘I thinks it’s him still. He turns up at my house, he messages when I’ve asked him not to.’

  ‘You’re a detective. Keep it in your own time but find out if it’s bothering you. It clearly is bothering you.’

  He was right. She needed to sort Rex out once and for all. Now he was embroiled in her case, things had just become even more complicated.

  ‘And Harte?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Try to stay safe and keep me in the loop with everything. Despite what you think, I really want to keep you on this investigation, you’re my best detective. Some of us care you know?’

  Did that mean the team or him? She hoped it was him. Her mind flashed back to their kiss, it had conjured all sorts of feelings within her and she knew that he could see that.

  Forty-Three

  Saturday, 11 May 2019

  Sophie folded the silly masquerade mask up and placed it in her tiny handbag. That particular purchase from Ann Summers had been her husband’s idea. Let’s dress up a bit, make the most of it, he’d said. All it had done was make people think they were weird.

  It had been a long evening and it was way past midnight. She sensed that something had gone down at the party, something neither the host nor the others really wanted to talk about. The single man in the trilby had looked put out for the rest of the evening. It hadn’t prevented him from propositioning her though. Any other night she may have accepted his offer, but he wasn’t really her type. Between him and the slimy sexist pig going by the name of Steven, she had written this one off. If this was all Swap Fun had to offer, she was probably going to delete her profile tomorrow. The others had left her alone, mostly showering all their attention on the sexy young woman in the blonde wig.

  She walked alongside the river, leaving the distant lights of Bidford-on-Avon behind. She messaged her husband again.

  I need you to come back and pick me up. You said you’d only be an hour and I’m on my own now. Just walking by the river. Call me as soon as you read this message. Did I say hurry?

  He’d managed to get off with one of the other party attendees. They’d left in his car way over an hour ago and had probably pulled up in a lay-by. She should have felt something at that thought, but she didn’t. They weren’t jealous types. This was something they’d done many a time before moving to this area. She needed more, he needed more, but deep down they wanted to be together. This arrangement suited them well. Their only rule was, they were never to fall in love or have a continued affair. It was alway
s merely physical and while it remained fun, it would always remain a part of their lives.

  She checked her phone. He’d seen her WhatsApp message, there were a couple of blue tick marks at the bottom, so why wasn’t he answering? It was one forty-five in the morning. Her head was a little fuzzy from the champagne and she was feeling a little frustrated at not managing to meet a suitable partner. She gasped and turned as a branch cracked a few meters behind her. It had to be one of the losers she’d turned down. She stood tall and square, letting them know there was no way she’d be intimidated by them. With only the light of the moon, she caught an outline approaching. ‘Who’s there?’

  He wasn’t wearing a hat, so maybe it wasn’t Mr Trilby. Or maybe he’d left his hat at the house. She’d walked a fair way. The house was now in semi-darkness with only a couple of bedroom lamps lighting the upstairs up. The beautiful outdoor lighting had now been turned off. Most people had gone home. The outline stopped, making no attempt to speak. ‘Look, don’t be a dick and just come out.’ She really wasn’t in the mood to play games.

  He came closer and just as she was about to make out some of his features, he began taking photos. The flash blinded her. She stepped back, almost stumbling on the undergrowth. He snapped again and again, just giving the flash enough time to power up between takes.

  ‘Look, can you stop it? You’re blinding me.’

  Her mouth began to water as she felt her stomach turn slightly. He was relentless with the camera. In a panic, she looked towards the road and noticed headlights heading towards the house or maybe that light was just the remnants of the flash, burning into her retina. ‘My husband has come to pick me up. You should go,’ she gasped. Her senses weren’t deceiving her. She heard the engine too. It was definitely an approaching vehicle.

  She flinched as she heard a rustling sound. He was shortening the gap between them. All she could see were green blobs from the flash, clouding her vision. Which one of the party attendees could this be? ‘Steven? Is that you?’

  She blinked several times, trying to clear her eyes. He was almost upon her. Run, that’s what she had to do. She loved a kinky encounter but there was something about this set-up that didn’t feel right. There were no boundaries discussed, no safe words, nothing. This person was trying to scare her, to intimidate her. Fighting her way through the bushes she darted towards the road, dragging a dead stick along that had caught on her jacket. If she reached the road, she could run along it and back towards the house. She stumbled and half-ran, her head full with the sound of blood pumping hard and fast around her body. His footsteps were behind her. She slipped under a hanging branch and almost slid in a patch of mud. Get up, Sophie. ‘Ralph,’ she yelled. If it was her husband, he’d be at the house by now. She almost cried as she imagined what he’d be doing. He’d be sitting in the car, trying to call. Why hadn’t he called? She’d have heard her phone buzzing. She had to call the police. She pulled her phone out. As she went to press the buttons, she crashed into a tree. Slightly stunned, she turned to her pursuer. ‘Please don’t hurt me,’ she yelled as she pressed another button, unlocking the phone. The flash went again. She felt the weight of what felt like steel toecaps connecting with her hand. He wasn’t going to let her make a call.

  Laughing, he was laughing. One thing he hadn’t banked on was her ability to keep calm in such a tense situation. Don’t show him that you are terrified. Fight back. She slipped her shoe off as he leaned over her. Before he had a moment to react, she slammed the heavy wedge into the side of his head, or was it his neck? As hard as you can, first time – that’s what her father always said, and he was right. She had given all she had to that blow, no warning, just a swift whack.

  He groaned and shuffled beside her. Now they were even. She was stunned and so was he.

  Get up, get up now! She dropped the one shoe and ran, her bare foot being stabbed by sticks, nettles and stones. That didn’t matter. She’d tend to her feet when she was safe. She waved frantically from the roadside and the branch that had hitched a ride on her jumper dropped to the road. Her husband turned around and was coming back up the windy path. She continued flapping her arms. With one shoe missing and her clothes torn, she knew he’d be worried. As the car approached, she squinted. Her vision was returning. It wasn’t her husband. Had someone else come to help her attacker? Why hadn’t her husband called her back? She began to hobble up the road but the car was catching up with her. What if it was him? What if he had gone back for his car and was coming to finish her off. Her weak arms dropped as she hobbled ahead, but she was no match for a car.

  Forty-Four

  Gina lay in bed. It was almost three in the morning and she’d failed to sleep for more than twenty minutes in a row. Not knowing who sent the flowers and chocolates to the station was the worst. Had it been Rex and was he denying sending her the gifts now that he knew she was angry? Had it been someone else? If so, who? She turned again, dragging the ill-fitting sheet from the corners of the bed. Great – she wasn’t destined to get any sleep at all. Not only was she uncomfortable, her bed was a creased up mess and the bedroom was cold, much like her love life. She flung her pillow towards the wardrobe and sat on the edge of the bed rubbing her eyes.

  Her mind flashed back to a previous case where an attacker had broken into her house and almost strangled her to death. She rubbed her neck. The marks were long gone but the memories were still clear. She flinched as her cat scurried up the stairs and jumped on the bed beside her. ‘It’s not time for breakfast yet, Ebony.’

  She glanced at her phone. There were no messages and no missed calls. All the personal calls she had expected would only have caused her more trouble anyway. Trouble, however, was better than the intense aloneness of her house right now. Ebony jumped to the floor and began prancing around, tail in the air as she meowed. Gina stood and the cat ran ahead, darting down the stairs and into the kitchen. A loud crash filled the silence. Gina’s heart began to pound. There was someone in her house.

  She took her phone from her dressing gown pocket and pressed Briggs’s number.

  ‘Gina. Is everything okay?’ he answered almost immediately. Had he been lying there awake, just like she had?

  ‘I think there’s someone in my house,’ she whispered.

  ‘Go back upstairs and shut yourself in the bedroom. I’ll call for backup.’

  ‘No, I’m nearly there.’ She took the last step and listened to the rustling just a few feet away. Creeping through her lounge in the dark, she grabbed a vase from the fireplace and continued stealthily towards the kitchen. With shaking hands she kept the line open so that Briggs could hear anything that happened.

  ‘Talk to me, Harte.’

  ‘Shh.’ She flicked on the light. With a pounding heart she held the vase up with the other hand and almost cried with relief when she saw Ebony licking a pile of cheesy puffs that were strewn over the kitchen floor. The cat had edged them over, along with a box of cereal, and the contents had crashed and spilled over the floor. ‘Don’t call for backup,’ Gina said. ‘It’s just my cat playing up.’

  ‘Are you okay now?’

  ‘All good, sir. I can’t believe I disturbed you for this.’

  ‘Well a lot has happened and I told you to call me if anything was worrying you, and I meant it. Even though we’re not a couple, I well… err, I didn’t stop caring, you know. Have you checked your alarm and locks?’

  ‘They were fine last night.’

  He sighed. ‘Just indulge me and check them while I’m on the phone. At least I’ll be able to sleep then.’

  Will you? she thought. She hurried to the front door not wanting to keep him from his slumber any longer than she had to. It was deadlocked and the alarm was still set, just as she’d left it before going to bed. The back door was all locked up too. She checked her security app on her phone, scrolling through the footage, and no one had been near her house. ‘It really was just the cat. I can’t believe I called. I feel like a prize idiot now.’


  ‘Like I said, I’m always here. I want you to call me if you’re worried about something, Gina. Okay?’

  ‘Clear as a bell. Thanks, Chris. Look, I’ll let you get back to sleep. There are cornflakes and crisps everywhere and my cat is gnawing on things she shouldn’t be eating.’ She ended the call and fed the cat.

  Opening the kitchen blind, she stared out. The moon lit the garden up. She hurried to the back window and looked out. Again, there was nothing. Her mind flashed to the previous case where she was being dragged under the kitchen table by a crazed attacker. That was never happening again.

  She flinched as her phone rang. It was Briggs again. Her finger hovered over the receive button. They’d just ended their call, what more could he have to say. Had he felt something while they were out watching the party house? They didn’t have to kiss but they had. She hadn’t stopped it. It was a good disguise and it had initially protected their cover. That was all it was. She answered. ‘I’m okay, honest!’

  ‘It’s not that. There’s been an incident at the house we were watching last night. Damn it! If only we hadn’t packed up so soon. I need you to meet me at Cleevesford Hospital ASAP.’

  Forty-Five

  As Gina entered the hospital, she passed several women in hen party sashes, plastered in make-up, pushing the bride in a wheelchair. Her swollen stitched up leg was evidence of a rowdy night out. The crowd jeered and laughed as they took selfies with the patient. She followed the signs to ward twelve. A strip light flickered as she took the stairs to the first floor.

  She turned and saw Briggs pacing with his phone in his hand. ‘Yes, keep me updated on what’s happening over there. We’re just at the hospital now.’ He placed his phone in his pocket and smiled, running a hand through his messy hair. She could tell he’d been up and out of bed within minutes, as had she. No longer looking and smelling like they were on a date, they both flashed an exhausted smile.