by Jane Isaac
Yates was unmoved, his eyes still on her. Tapping the claw hammer gently against his thigh. ‘How’s the investigation going?’
Beth didn’t answer. He must have seen the news footage, know about the charge.
He drew a long breath, spoke through his exhalation. ‘I’ve been watching you play happy families with your detective boyfriend. Waiting for another case to grab your attention. And what a case!’ His eyes shone like diamonds. ‘So inspiring. In fact, it gave me an idea.’ He tipped his head back, jutted his jaw. ‘What’s it like to be on the receiving end? Of finding someone precious taken from you?’
A quick glance at Lily. So small, tucked up in the corner. Vulnerable. ‘Don’t do this, Dale.’
‘Dale,’ he said, the decibels in his voice rising as he repeated the word. ‘So, we’re on first-name terms now, are we?’
She edged back as he took a step closer. The hammer was still at his side, tapping harder now. ‘I must say, you have a very interesting job there, as a liaison officer.’ His lip curled.
‘I support victims’ families.’
‘Even if they include the guilty party, I see. Rather a crooked sense of justice, don’t you think?’
A murmur from the corner. Beth looked anxiously at Lily. ‘I’m doing my job.’
‘Oh, I don’t think it’s only that, is it? Not really. You go above and beyond.’ Another step closer. ‘Where are your morals? Your ethics?’
‘I’m employed to administer the law.’ Beth inched back further. Eyes frantically searching for something, anything, to throw at him. But the surfaces were clear. She wasn’t close enough to the bookcase and the pictures were fastened to the wall, top and bottom.
‘What about true justice? Where does that fit in?’
Beth could smell his rancid breath now. Her phone, still in her pocket, pressed against her thigh. If she could get to it, she could press send on the text to Nick. Give him some idea of their location.
‘I didn’t get a liaison officer when my girlfriend died.’ He snorted. ‘You have no idea what it’s like for people like us. No family. Raised by the system. My girlfriend was raped, abused, yet nobody did anything. I served eighteen years in prison and left, forced to seek my own justice.’
‘You almost killed a man, then attacked another in prison.’
‘And why do you think that was? Jess killed herself because no one listened. And when I tried to raise the issue, I was shut down, ignored. Because no one listens to people like us. No one cares.’
So that was it. In his deluded mind he was blaming her for a social system that had let him down.
‘I’ve never had children,’ he continued. ‘Never had anyone who bothered about where I was, whether I was healthy, happy. When I was in trouble and needed help, nobody listened.’ A line of spittle flew out of his mouth. ‘But instead of putting things in place, people like you comfort and care for these people.’
Beth looked over her shoulder. And inched to the side, turning her left pocket away. She needed to keep him talking, distract him. ‘I support the families of victims. They’re not at fault.’
‘The families are where they come from! They’re the people that produce these vermin.’
‘Not everyone you killed was guilty.’
A flippant shrug. ‘What can I say? Collateral damage.’
Beth moved a hand back. A quick movement. She could feel the outline of her phone now.
‘This here is about showing the world what injustice does to people. How it ruins them.’
Another murmur. Was Lily coming around? ‘What have you given her?’ Beth said, eyeing her niece.
‘Nothing much. It’s quite harmless. When used properly.’
Those last words ripped through her insides. Yet again, he was playing games. And she didn’t like how this one was going. ‘Let her go, please. If you let Lily go, we can talk. Together.’
Yates’ face loosened. For a second, he seemed pensive, as if he was considering her request. She watched him turn his head, twist it to the side at an odd angle. Flinched as the cartilage cracked. ‘Oh, come on, Beth. You know me better than that.’
Another swallow. Long, dry. ‘What do you hope to gain from this?’
‘Well, that’s easy,’ he said, widening those menacing eyes. ‘You see, when people don’t listen, you have to make them.’
The pithy undertone in his voice was like being plunged into icy cold water. She needed to keep him talking. The longer they were there, the more chance she had of diverting him, or catching the attention of someone. Anyone. Spike had said a dog walker had reported his presence. Sooner or later someone had to pass by, or maybe a boat.
‘I don’t understand.’
The hammer hung limp at his side. He surveyed her a second. But he was enjoying himself too much to stop. There was nothing Dale Yates enjoyed more than preaching about his twisted sense of justice.
‘My girlfriend died because the services failed her. I waited eighteen years to make those responsible pay for what they did. And even then, what happened to her, my motivation, was never given due consideration. Instead of acknowledging the mistakes made, they send out people like you to support and care for the families of those evil bastards.’
‘This won’t help.’
‘Won’t it? Oh, I don’t think you understand. I’m going to make you suffer.’ His pupils dilated. ‘So you can see what it’s like.’
He was so close she could feel his breath on her. Hot. Sticky. Pungent. Beth shrunk back.
‘Your sister is going to find out what it’s like to have no one. No daughter. No sister. And you’ll die knowing it was all your fault that she lives a life of suffering, because of you.’
A click sliced through the air. The sound of a lock turning. From the other end of the boat.
Yates turned his head. Giving her half a second.
Beth slipped past him and scrabbled up the steps. She was almost at the top when Yates roared. She glanced back to watch him swing the hammer. And ducked.
The hammer came crashing down against the folding table. The boat smashed against the bank, the movement sending Yates off balance. He slid to the right. Grabbed the corner of her jacket, tugging her with him.
Pain rumbled through Beth as she fell to the floor with a thud. Yates was on top of her now. She felt his hands at her throat. Grabbed at them. Tugging, pulling as they tightened their grip.
Struggling for breath.
The boat rocked from side to side. Blurred around her. Voices inside her head. Getting louder. Her tongue filling her mouth.
Then she was wrenched upwards. It was a while before the mist cleared and she realised he’d been pulled off her. And she was coughing, gasping for air.
‘Take it easy.’
A familiar voice. Beth blinked several times, her vision slowly clearing to find Nick in front of her. The boat filled with an army of officers in uniform, wrestling handcuffs onto Yates.
‘Looks like we arrived just in time,’ Nick said.
61
Beth wandered through the children’s ward, checking the faces of each of the youngsters sitting up in their beds as she passed. A clock on the far wall read 3.10 p.m.
She could still smell Yates’ grubby hands, taste his rancid breath, feel the intensity of his icy glare. She needed to go home, shower, scrub the smell of him from her. But first she needed to check on Lily.
Four hours had passed since they’d left the canal boat. Four hours in which Yates had been taken into custody, Spike and Lily to hospital. Beth had to wait to be checked over by the paramedics and go through the motions of giving her statement to officers at the scene, and debrief Freeman, when all she wanted was to see her niece. They’d told her Lily was responding to treatment. As soon as she’d finished, Beth raced to the hospital, jumping out of the car at the entrance, leaving Nick to find a parking space during peak visiting hours while she rushed up to the ward.
Spike was in the High Dependency Unit on the other
side of the hospital. He’d come around in the ambulance. Lost a lot of blood, broken several ribs and suffered concussion but doctors were stitching him up and were confident he’d make a reasonable recovery. And, shocked at the treatment of one of their own, the intelligence sources were talking. Yates had been transporting drugs under the name of Dave Salmons, a former drugs supplier from Manchester. Enquiries revealed Salmons and Yates shared a cell in Gartree Prison and were released around the same time. Salmons had gone to Bulgaria to look up an old flame, allowing Yates to adopt his persona after his recent escape from police custody. Far from going for a run in the mornings, Yates was distributing cocaine from a holding location, setting up the street gangs with their day’s supply. And he was working for the crew attached to Kyle.
He’d learned about Kyle’s relationship with Eden, infiltrated the network, assumed Dave Salmons’ identity to gain their trust. A phone found on the boat confirmed he’d sent the text to Kyle’s boss himself to lure Beth in. The manipulative nature of Yates sent a fresh shiver skittering down her spine. It was ironic that Kyle, the man she’d fought to put away, the bad influence on her sister, was the one who alerted Nick and gave away their location. The thought of what would have happened if Nick hadn’t reached them in time filled her with dread.
Beth approached the desk.
A blonde nurse with a phone pressed to her ear was tapping a pen against the desk. She appeared to be on hold. ‘Can I help?’ she said, her eyes drawn to the bruises like rainclouds on Beth’s neck.
Beth lifted her hand to shield her neck. ‘Yes. I’m looking for Lily Carter.’
‘Oh, she’s in room three down the corridor.’ The nurse pointed to the end of the ward.
Beth thanked her and followed her direction. It was dark and dingy out of the ward. She passed a room with relatives huddled around a bed, another with a young child sleeping. The door to room three was closed. Beth peered through the small window. Lily was laid as still as stone, her eyes shut.
‘Beth?’
Beth turned to find Chris beside her, a plastic cup of coffee in his hand. ‘How is she?’ she asked, risking another fleeting glance at her niece.
‘Headachey, dehydrated and a bit grouchy. The doctors are pretty convinced the drug is out of her system thankfully.’
‘What was it?’
‘I don’t think they’re completely sure yet. Tests haven’t shown any liver or kidney damage, which is a blessing.’
‘Does she remember anything?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve spoken with her. The last thing she remembers was walking to school.’
Relief flooded her veins. An experience like that could play tricks on the mind, blight a life, especially for someone so young. ‘I’m sorry, Chris.’ The words felt inadequate.
‘The main thing is she’s going to be okay.’
They both looked through the window. ‘Is she up to visitors?’ Beth asked.
‘No.’ The voice was firm, resolute and came from behind.
Beth turned to face her sister. ‘Eden, I can explain—’
As soon as Nick had arrived at their location, he’d ordered paramedic attendance, expecting the worst. The aftermath passed by in a whirl of ambulances, interviews and discussions. Chris notified Eden and took her to the hospital. This was the first time Beth had seen her sister, her first opportunity to speak with her. And Eden couldn’t have been frostier.
‘I don’t want your explanations,’ Eden said, her face pinched. ‘I don’t want you anywhere near her, or me.’
‘That’s unfair,’ Chris said. ‘We wouldn’t have her back if it wasn’t for Beth.’
Eden cussed. Her eyes as black as coal. ‘It wasn’t Beth. It was Kyle. He told her where Lily was. If it wasn’t for him, we might never have found her.’
‘He was supposed to meet me—’
Eden rounded on Beth. ‘And what did you do? Have him arrested.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘Isn’t it?’ She levelled Beth’s gaze, goading her for more information.
Beth was torn. Eden didn’t know it was Dale Yates, the serial killer who’d escaped from their last case, who had taken Lily in a deranged attempt to get back at her. She only knew what Kyle had told her, that it was an opportunist named Dave Salmons. Sooner or later Yates’ name would come out along with his connection to Beth and his motive, which would only add salt to her sister’s wound. ‘Kyle was arrested for money laundering,’ Beth said.
‘Convenient timing.’
Chris opened the door and stepped inside the room. Placing a placating hand on his wife’s forearm, he passed Beth a loaded glance. While Eden might not know who Lily’s abductor was, he knew. He was a cop, he had the inside track and was aware of the whole scenario.
Eden shrugged him off. ‘Stay away from us,’ she said to Beth, then followed him into the room and closed the door firmly behind them.
A warm hand on her shoulder. Beth turned to find Nick beside her, his eyes soft. ‘She’s still raw,’ he said. ‘Give her time.’
Epilogue
The gold handles on the tiny white coffin glistened in the morning sunlight as it was lowered into the ground.
‘Earth to earth.’
Finally, little Alicia Owen was re-joining her twin. And, after fifteen years, her mother would be safe in the knowledge that she knew where her daughter was, could visit her, tend her grave, leave her flowers.
‘Ashes to ashes.’
Beth looked up to see Marie Russell dab her eyes with a tissue. Vic was beside her, his arm tucked comfortingly around her shoulder.
‘Dust to dust.’
Five weeks had passed since Daniel Owen’s tragic suicide and Cara’s admission. Christmas had come and gone. Marie had graciously delayed organising Alicia’s funeral until after Daniel was laid to rest. ‘He deserves to have his own service, his own burial, and not to be overshadowed by that of the child he believed was his daughter,’ she’d said. Her generosity of spirit was laudable.
Most detectives wouldn’t attend a funeral, especially not a cold case, unless they were personally attached to the victim or particularly wanted to pay their respects. Beth’s decision to come along today was more about support. She’d spent several difficult weeks working closely with the family and she wanted to be there for them, to the end.
The coffin jolted to a stop. Marie dropped a pink carnation onto it. Vic dropped a yellow one. A beat of silence filled the air. The twins were finally reunited.
The group around the grave was small. Marie and Vic and Marie’s mother, who’d flown in especially for the occasion, along with a few close friends. They’d requested privacy for the service. Everyone involved in the arrangements was sworn to secrecy and for once in the Russells’ lives, their wish had been granted. There were no reporters hovering, no cameramen with zoom lenses lingering on the edge of the cemetery grounds. No onlookers or rubberneckers holding out phones to catch a snapshot. For once, even Pip Edwards, the reporter who had trailed them throughout the investigation, hadn’t received the lowdown.
Her phone had pinged with several messages from Edwards since Cara was taken into custody, asking to meet. He was persistent. She’d ignored his calls but couldn’t quite find it in herself to block him from her phone. He was the witness who’d alerted them to Yates’ presence. Without him, they wouldn’t have known that Yates had resurfaced until she found the photos on Lily’s phone.
Beth looked back at the Russells. She’d spent many an hour in their company over the past few weeks, advising on the release of Alicia’s body and returning her belongings, and she’d been touched by how they’d pulled together. Even little Zac, who was missing today, seemed stronger, brighter. They’d taken the decision to save their little boy from the burial. In years to come they’d talk him through what had happened to Alicia. For now, it was enough that he knew she was back with them.
The Owens were gone. It was time to lay Alicia to rest and move forward with their lives.
Beth watched the vicar walk over to the pair and address them solemnly. Marie had refused to press charges against Bishop Bryan. Not surprisingly, she’d faced enough adversity in her life and didn’t wish to rake up the past. She also didn’t want it publicly released that he was Alicia’s father. Without her support, they couldn’t pursue the rape. But they were obliged to continue their own investigation into the bishop’s conduct to ensure others weren’t at risk. A small team had been established to work through his postings and speak with people who’d been exposed to him. It was a mammoth task. Bishop Bryan had moved around a lot during his career and there was a wealth of people to work through.
The DNA results proved his paternity. Whether or not he committed rape, he’d broken his vows with the church and lied to the police. They’d alerted his cardinal who’d relieved him from his duties, pending the ongoing police enquiry, and the church put out a press release, saying he was ‘taking a sabbatical for personal reasons’. Would the sub team uncover any more allegations? Time would tell.
Beth bade her farewells to the family and moved a few graves along, to her godmother’s resting place. She crouched down and surveyed the gold writing on the headstone. Her sister had ignored her calls and messages, and turned her away when she called at the house, still smarting over Kyle’s charge and remand in custody. Eden was hot-headed, they’d fallen out before. Though never for this long. Beth stood, fastened the top button of her coat and wandered out of the cemetery.
*
Beth peered around the edge of the shop wall and watched the child skip along, hand held tightly by her mother. They moved quickly down the street. Only yesterday, at Alicia Owen’s funeral, she’d witnessed a family unite in the face of adversity. Today, she watched as hers continued to operate worlds apart. Catching brief glimpses of Lily on the way to school wasn’t enough. Missing out on spending quality time with her niece was crippling. Eden would come around eventually like she always did but the waiting was purgatory.
They were in the distance now, Lily’s pig tails jogging in the wind. Beth turned back and made for her car.