by Emily Selby
Journals, Jealousy and Jilted Sweethearts
Emily Selby
Copyright © 2018 by Emily Selby
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This book and the entire series is set in England and written using British English spelling, punctuation and some vocabulary.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Thank You for Reading
Be The First to Know
Also by Emily Selby
1
Katie Redford zipped up her winter jacket and yanked her handbag over her shoulder. She checked the road, just in case, before crossing to the other side. It was, obviously, empty. This part of Sunny Meadows, a new housing estate in Sunnyvale, was still being built, and very few cars accessed the area.
The newly completed pavements were usually free of pedestrians, which was the reason two figures caught her eye. Wrapped up warm - one tall and of average build, the other short and stocky, they walked along the row of houses towards the still-under-construction commercial section. The shorter one was wobbling from foot to foot, walking slowly, with obvious effort, the taller one looked familiar. Katie strained her eyes.
Wasn't it Linda McKay, her friend from the Paper Crafts Club?
But what was she doing here, away from home, on a Monday morning, walking towards a building site?
'Hello, Linda!' Katie called.
The woman's shoulders jerked, and she ducked her head. But she kept walking.
'Linda?' Katie repeated, confused.
The taller silhouette put her arm around the shorter one as if hurrying her companion up. The other woman increased the pace but stopped after a few steps as if to catch her breath.
The taller person turned towards the shorter one and lowered her head, probably saying something.
The long, pointy chin became clear - it was Linda!
Katie opened her mouth to call out again, but there must have been a reason why Linda chose not to hear Katie's voice.
Katie shrugged and stepped onto the road. She didn't have time to solve that mystery right now. She was in a hurry.
She crossed over from her car to the corner plot at the intersection of Stream Drive and Poppy Crescent - the only inhabited house in this part of the estate. It belonged to Jane and Keith Starr - her cleaning clients. Jane had rung earlier to ask Katie to pick up her online shopping from the supermarket in town. If she wanted to complete her cleaning job before her regular work at the police station, she had to hurry.
Katie rang the doorbell and waited. The tower clock on the St George's church chimed twice. Half past seven.
Jane opened the door. Her long, normally pale face was flushed and her deep-set eyes sparkled.
'Thank you for coming, Katie,' Jane said, a little short of breath. 'I appreciate it. With no delivery slot available this morning and Keith going to work, I don't know how I would have got the shopping done without your help today.'
'No problem. I know you need gluten-free products but I also need the cleaning supplies which I hope you put on the list.'
Jane smiled. 'Yes I have. Please come in. I'm trying to get my customer card for you, but the wallet is very fiddly and the slots are so tight.' Jane sighed.
'Let me help you,' Katie said and followed Jane to the kitchen.
Jane passed her the wallet with her deformed hands, and Katie pulled out the colourful plastic rectangle with the logo of a supermarket chain.
'Do I need anything else?' Katie asked.
'You'd better take the cooler bag. I've ordered some meat and frozen vegetables. Even when it's cold outside, I prefer to keep it safe. It's in the hallway on the top shelf.'
Katie trotted back to the hallway to fetch the bags. Jane followed her slowly.
'I'm sorry about the short notice,' Jane carried on, 'but Keith had to leave earlier this morning. Monday traffic’s bad.'
'That's fine,' Katie replied. 'I've put my daughter in the breakfast club. I start work at 10 am, which should give me enough time to clean the house. Speaking of traffic,' Katie added, 'I’d better hurry to get those groceries before the school run.'
Katie rushed out of the door. Stream Drive looked as peaceful and quiet as a few minutes earlier. Linda and the other woman must have turned into the next street as the pavement ahead was empty.
She jogged across the road and jumped into her Nissan Micro. A few seconds later, she was on her way to the supermarket.
When Katie returned with the shopping, Jane was waiting on the doorstep. She waved at her and put a finger to her lips. Katie took the hint and closed the door to her car quietly. She unpacked the shopping from the boot and carried the bags up the steps.
'Keith had to come back,' Jane said quietly once Katie was within the earshot. 'He's asleep in the living room. He has a bit of a headache and needed to have a lie down.'
'Do you still want me to do the cleaning?' Katie asked.
'Yes, please. Just try to be quiet,' Jane replied and moved aside to let Katie in. They walked to the kitchen in silence.
'I thought you were going to work.' Katie unzipped the cooler bag and took out the frozen foodstuffs.
'Oh, I've tried, but it's frustrating,' Jane replied, slowly lowering herself onto the bench by the window. 'I’m still training the software with my voice, and sometimes I get so angry, I shout at the computer. Trouble is, I don't want to wake up Keith. I'll just lie down and read the manual for a little while. I'll try again later when he feels better and you're done with the cleaning.'
Katie nodded.
'How is your new job going?' Katie asked, pushing the packets of green peas and beans into the freezer drawer.
'Very slowly. I need to get the speech-to-text software used to my voice and accent. It’s still producing a lot of errors, but I'm happy that Keith finally agreed for me to return to work and buy this thing. With the progress of my arthritis, it's the only way I can write.'
'Is it expensive?'
'It was a considerable investment, I must say. Why are you asking?'
'My boss has been changing my job description, expanding my responsibilities. He wants me to provide admin support for the entire team. Part of it is transcribing police reports and interviews. I don't enjoy doing it, I'm always scared I'll make too many mistakes. I was wondering if investing in dictation software would be a better idea.'
&nb
sp; 'How many people do you normally transcribe for? The software needs to learn the speech pattern of every person who uses it.'
'That sounds like a considerable time investment. I don't know if it would work,' Katie said.
To make matters worse, the person who most recently used her transcribing help, DI Jack Heaton, wasn't even part of Sunnyvale police force.
The conversation reminded her Jack hadn't texted her since his message from Tokyo airport the day before. He must have arrived back into the country by now. Katie hadn't seen him for nearly three weeks, and she’d missed him. Not that she’d tell him so. Well, maybe.
Katie loaded the last bag of frozen vegetables into the freezer and carefully closed the door. She strolled back to the hallway to pick up a second bag of groceries. Once she was out of Jane's sight, Katie dug her mobile from her handbag and checked it.
There was a message from Jack! She hadn't heard the ping. He must have texted her while she was driving.
'Landed in Newcastle. Happy to be home. Will give you a ring later today.'
A wave of warmth spread through her chest. They still hadn't been on the date he had invited her on after they'd solved Jeff Livermore's murder. Unfortunately, before they had time to arrange a date and location, Jack had to fly to Japan - his brother's baby arrived earlier than expected.
Katie sneaked back into the kitchen. Jane heaved herself to her feet from the bench.
'I'll help you unpack those groceries,' Jane said, wincing against the pain.
'Oh, don't worry,' Katie replied. 'You go and rest, and I'll put it all away.'
'Thank you, Katie. If you don't know where something goes, leave it on the worktop. Keith can put it away later. Please clean the kitchen first, then the bathroom, our bedroom and then the hallway. Leave the living room until last. I'll be resting in the office.'
'Do you need me to clean the office as well?'
'No, no need for that. Keith and I cleaned it on Saturday.'
'No problem. I'll be as quiet as I can. And I’ll leave the hoovering for last.'
Jamie shuffled out of the kitchen and Katie got on with her work. Smooth, quiet, working on autopilot, she was engrossed in her thoughts imagining all sorts of lovely romantic scenarios for her dinner date with Jack. She barely noticed when she finished cleaning the hallway. She pressed the handle on the door to the living room and froze hearing the dry crack.
'Oh,' she said softly. 'I forgot.'
Katie let go of the handle, listening for signs of Keith being awake. But the house was quiet. She tiptoed to the office. The door was open. Jane was sitting in her armchair reading a large book.
'Jane?' Katie asked quietly. 'It's 9.10, and if you want me to clean the living room, I’ll have to get on with it now.'
Jane's head jerked up.
'I'll wake up Keith. He's been asleep for over an hour now. Hopefully, he's feeling better. He should go to his parents' office: they’re expecting him.'
Jane climbed to her feet, steadied herself and shuffled across the room to the hallway. Katie followed her. Despite her frail gait, Jane's tall, slender silhouette wrapped in a long, floral dress looked quite graceful, almost as if she was floating above the floor.
The living room was quiet and smelled stale. Tiny particles of dust whirled in the rays of sunlight slanting through the window. It was going to be another sunny December day. A nice change after a rain-filled October and November.
'Keith, are you all right, baby?' Jane called out from the door, her voice clear. Her husband’s body was lying face down, without a cover. He must have been freezing!
There was no reply. Jane took a couple of steps towards the sofa.
'Keith, can you hear me?' Jane called a little louder.
Katie hesitated. 'Maybe he needs a little more sleep?' she asked quietly. 'Just let him be. I can finish cleaning after work.'
'Oh, no!' Jane said nervously. 'He should be awake now.' She took another step forward and wobbled. Katie jumped to catch her, but Jane stabilised herself.
'I'm fine,'' she said, pushing Katie's hands away. 'I wonder why Keith is...' Her voice trailed off.
Katie stared at the body on the sofa. She fixed her eyes on his back. Was it not moving, or was it just her imagination?
'Mr Starr,' Katie called, her voice trembling. An image seen only four weeks earlier in the storage room of the community centre flashed through her mind. The same eerie feel surrounded the scene. Katie's heart hammered.
'I have to check him, I'm sorry,' Katie croaked. She crossed over to the sofa and touched Keith’s shoulder.
'Mr Starr are you all right?' she called again squeezing his shoulder and pulling it toward her.
Keith's head flipped to the side, revealing a pale, waxy face, with purple lips and closed eyes. Lifeless.
Katie's face went numb. She squatted beside the sofa and grabbed the man's wrist, checking for a pulse.
She found none.
'Is he all right?' Jane cried, her voice brimming with anxiety.
Katie took a deep breath and gulped. She lifted her head and looked at Jane. She locked her gaze on Jane's doe-like watery-blue eyes.
'We need to call the emergency number,' she said slowly, climbing to her feet.
'He was perfectly fine when he left this morning,' Jane said softly.
How was she going to convey her discovery to this poor woman who looked as though she was going to collapse any second?
'Let's go to the office,' she said and grabbed Jane's elbow, pushing her gently towards the door. Away from the body.
Lord above.
She’d found another dead body.
2
Katie was torn. Unlike with the previous murder victims she’d discovered, there was nothing obvious indicating that Keith Starr had been murdered. No bullet wounds, no stabbing tools sticking out of his neck, no blood splatter. Moreover, according to Jane, he’d been alive about an hour earlier. Maybe he needed an ambulance, not a police van?
But then she had seen dead people before and she couldn't shake the impression that Keith was, even now, beyond medical help.
She would call and ask for both, an ambulance and the police. But how was she going to do that without alarming Jane? Or without leaving her on her own. After all Jane had been the last person to see Keith alive.
Jane's cold fingers clasped Katie's arm.
'I'm so weak. Can you call the ambulance for Keith? Please? I beg you...' Katie could feel the freeze of Jane’s fingers even through the sleeve of her cardigan.
'Don't worry. Sit in the armchair in the office, and I'll call the–the emergency number,' Katie stammered gently, guiding Jane towards the armchair in the office.
She sneaked out into the hallway, leaving the door slightly ajar and fished her phone from her pocket, darting her eyes between the screen and Jane.
'Hi, it's Katie Redford. I'm at Stream Drive number–' she paused as she couldn't recall the number. She glanced at Jane who was sitting with her eyes closed. Her body looked floppy. Jane’s long and lank curls stuck to her face, making her appear even more like a scared Madonna.
'What's your house number?' Katie asked.
Jane grimaced. She opened her eyes and looked at her blankly.
'I can't remember, but...' she pushed herself off the armchair with a visible effort. 'I have it written somewhere here.' She crossed to the filing cabinet in the opposite corner, just behind the door. And before Katie could do anything about it, Jane pushed the door closing it almost completely.
'I'm sure I've got a letter here,' Jane said, her voice trembling. Katie step forward and pushed the door with her arm, but it didn't move.
'Hang on,' Katie said to the operator. 'I'll get it shortly.'
'I'm behind the door, Katie. It's somewhere here.'
Katie stood, immobile, listening to some rustling and Jane's quick breath.
'It's number 78, Stream Drive.'
Katie repeated the address to the emergency operator. She pushed the
door open again as Jane shuffled back across the room with a letter in her hand. As soon as Jane slid back into the armchair, her body shuddering, Katie stepped backwards.
'It's the first house on the new estate, going from Meadowbank Road, pale orange colour, with a green Nissan Micra in front of it,' Katie said into her phone.
'Do you need an ambulance, madam?'
'I need an ambulance and the police. Quick.'
'Are you safe?'
'Yes, we are.'
She gave a few more details, automatically responding to the operator’s efficient questions. She felt lightheaded and spaced out. Even though it wasn't the first time she’d reported a suspicious death, it still didn't come easy.
She disconnected the call and glanced towards Jane, her throat dry as paper. 'They'll be here soon,' she croaked.
Jane's eyelids jerked open. Her face winced. She was almost as waxy and pale as Keith. Her lips were parted and trembling.
'Is he all right? Can you help him? Please, Katie!'
'I'm sorry, Jane; I can't. But I've called for help.'
'I'm feeling sick. Can you bring me a glass of water, please? I need to take my medicine.' She looked at Katie, her eyes even bigger and rounder now. Tears streamed down her face.
Katie's throat tightened. Should she leave Jane on her own to get a glass of water?
'Are you sure a glass of water will be enough? Do you want me to bring your medicine box?'
'I've got them all here. I'll get them in a second.'
She was being overly suspicious. Jane looked genuinely unwell.
'Back in two ticks,' Katie said and rushed into the kitchen.