The Good Neighbor

by R. J. Parker

  Fitch nodded at his tablet.

  Byrne asked Leah about her collision with the deer again and her movements preceding it. Leah gave her as many details as possible.

  Byrne looked straight ahead the whole time she interviewed Leah. ‘So you walked along this main road because you knew the house was here?’

  ‘Not really. I mean, I drive by the house all the time, but it was only when I saw the outside light on that I remembered it was there.’

  ‘It’s an electric gate. Did you ring the buzzer outside?’

  ‘No. The gate was open. There were two cars parked at the front.’

  ‘Two cars?’

  ‘One dark blue and one silver.’

  ‘You didn’t notice the number or the make of the silver car?’ But Byrne’s tone said she already knew the answer.

  ‘No. The silver car was smaller than the blue car though. I crossed the courtyard and knocked on the front door.’

  Byrne waited a moment while Fitch tapped his screen.

  ‘And a man answered the door?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Describe him.

  Leah did, as well as she could. Then she explained how he’d let her wash her hands before he phoned the police.

  ‘Did you hear that conversation?’

  ‘I was in the washroom at the time. Caught the end of it as I came out. He was just giving them the address.’

  ‘So he could have been talking to anyone … or nobody?’

  Leah nodded at Byrne. Had it been a performance?

  ‘There was no call to us about this address, a deer or anything else last night.’

  ‘But he called the breakdown service and they turned up. Why would he do that?’

  ‘Indeed. Which breakdown service?’

  ‘Mine. The AA. He used his membership to call but the pickup driver then took my details.’

  ‘We’ll check into that. Fitch, make a note.’

  Fitch’s rain jacket hissed as he nodded his head.

  ‘He let me call my husband. He was out so I had to leave a message on his mobile. Then he invited me in to wait but I didn’t feel comfortable.’

  ‘Why not?’

  It was a good question. She recalled feeling uneasy being in the house when nobody knew she was there. ‘Then his … her dog came down the stairs and I petted it.’

  ‘And that made you feel more comfortable?’

  Leah thought about it and nodded.

  ‘You’re a dog person?’

  ‘Yes. Don’t own one though. My husband is allergic. At least, that’s what he tells me.’

  ‘Where is your husband now? Does he know you’re here?’

  Leah wondered how to answer.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘He’s out on a run.’ It was the truth but not a response to the second part of the question.

  DI Byrne still didn’t turn to look at her but remined focused on the Saturday traffic. ‘So why did you come back here?’

  Leah reluctantly glanced at the bottle of wine on the dash. ‘I came to check the deer had been moved but it’s still there.’

  Byrne waited for her to elaborate.

  ‘Then I saw the police cars outside, so I turned around and came back.’

  ‘OK. So the dog made you feel more comfortable. What happened then?’

  ‘He led me into the kitchen but I was starting to feel faint at that point. I have low blood pressure and I think I was still in shock.’

  ‘Why would he take you there?’

  ‘It was the nearest room, I suppose. And he was in the middle of eating.’

  Byrne swivelled to her, eyebrow raised. ‘He ate while you waited?’

  ‘No. But I saw the meal on the breakfast bar.’ Leah wondered if he’d cooked for himself after he’d killed Alice Booth. Or had that been her meal? And her glass of wine? She’d brought a bottle of red as a gift because she’d thought it had been his.

  ‘Was he acting strangely? On edge?’

  ‘No. He seemed very relaxed. Very much at home.’ Leah could hear Fitch tapping away at his tablet.

  ‘What did you talk about while you waited in the kitchen?’

  ‘There was no conversation because at that point I passed out.’

  Byrne raised her other eyebrow. ‘You collapsed?’

  ‘I assume so. When I woke up, I was sitting in an armchair in the lounge.’

  ‘He carried you there?’

  A cold current passed across Leah’s shoulders as she imagined him doing so. What else could he have done while she’d been unconscious?

  ‘How long were you out?’

  ‘Only a few minutes.’

  ‘You’re sure?’

  Leah wasn’t. She frowned hard. Remembered how he’d been sat opposite her when she’d opened her eyes. ‘It must have been.’ She tried to recall the next time she’d checked her watch. Had it been when she’d got home? ‘He gave me a brandy to revive me.’

  ‘Brandy?’

  ‘I didn’t want it. I don’t usually drink spirits.’

  ‘But you took it?’ Byrne guessed.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Make a note,’ she told Fitch. ‘So you were feeling a lot more comfortable by then?’

  ‘No, but he put it in my hand right after he called the AA.’

  ‘So it would have been rude to refuse?’

  Fitch’s tapping halted, as if he were waiting for her answer as well.

  ‘It did steady my nerves.’

  ‘And you felt OK afterwards, no feelings of drowsiness?’

  Looked like Byrne was already entertaining similar thoughts to her. ‘No. I was a little dizzy. He offered to call me an ambulance. I was fine after that though.’ But Leah was dreading being pressed further.

  ‘But, as far as you were concerned, he was the homeowner?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Byrne turned her attention front again, but her gaze was on the bottle. ‘So what’s this for?’

  Leah frowned but Byrne’s attention was on the wine. ‘It’s the weekend.’

  ‘Have you just bought it then?’

  She obviously hadn’t. Not during this trip. ‘No. It’s my husband’s.’ She sounded too defensive.

  ‘That’s right. It’s his car.’

  Leah waited to be asked why he would have a full bottle of wine in his car first thing in the morning, but Byrne’s eyes darted as she turned something over in her head.

  ‘What did you talk about while you waited for the pickup to arrive?’

  ‘It arrived quickly after.’

  ‘But you must have had some conversation during that time.’

  ‘He went out into the kitchen to get the brandy and to make the call.’

  ‘So you had no other discussions?’

  ‘Not really.’ But now was the time to tell them what really happened. ‘At that point, I told him I wanted to wait for the pickup outside.’ He’d kissed her, hadn’t he?

  Fitch’s fingers drummed on the tablet.

  ‘Why did you want to wait outside?’

  ‘I still felt a bit dizzy but I put that down to my low blood pressure. I still wasn’t feeling comfortable waiting there though, so I got up to leave.’ But Leah wasn’t giving them the real reason.

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘He tried to get me to stay but I said I wanted to go. He told me it was raining and that I could borrow an umbrella.’

  ‘And you did?’

  ‘Yes. The one on the doorstep.’

  But Byrne still didn’t seem interested in it. ‘So you went out of a warm and dry house into the rain?’

  ‘I felt I’d overstayed my welcome.’

  ‘Did he give you that impression?’

  ‘Not at all. It was … my decision.’

  ‘And that was that?’

  ‘Yes. I thanked him and then walked to the gate. It was tipping down but then the pickup arrived.’

  ‘That was double quick time then.’ Byrne turned to her again. ‘How long was the time
between him calling and the pickup arriving?’

  ‘Five, ten minutes. I expect you can check that.’

  ‘Yes.’ Byrne cast her eyes briefly to Fitch. ‘We can.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  Leah tried not to swallow as DI Byrne considered her story.

  ‘So that was the last you saw of him?’

  ‘Yes,’ Leah answered without hesitation, glad to have passed the part of the account she didn’t want to relay. She’d been attracted to a complete stranger, a man who had very probably murdered Alice Booth. Did that need to go on record? If she admitted to it, might Elliot find out? But another horrible thought overrode it. ‘I did tell him where I live.’

  Byrne registered alarm. ‘Why would you do that?’

  ‘For the police. Because I thought he was a neighbour. I believed he lived in that house,’ she replied, exasperated.

  ‘At what point was this?’

  ‘I gave him my door number as I left.’

  Byrne puffed her cheeks.

  ‘To give to the police when they arrived. I thought they’d want to speak to me about the deer.’

  Byrne’s face was stern. ‘Do you have any children?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Just your husband at home then? When he finishes his run?’

  ‘Yes.’ Leah’s temple started pounding. ‘Do you think we’re in danger?’

  Byrne pursed her lips but said nothing.

  It wasn’t the reaction Leah wanted.

  ‘Can you contact your husband?’

  ‘He should have his phone with him.’ Leah took out hers. ‘I can call him now.’

  ‘You’d better.’

  She speed-dialled his number but got his answering service. He rarely picked up the phone to her nowadays. Leah imagined him taking out his phone, looking at her number and then pocketing it again. ‘Elliot. It’s me. I’m with the police. Something’s happened. Please, please call me as soon as you get this message.’

  ‘Tell him not to go home.’ Byrne prompted.

  ‘Don’t go back to the house. Go to the café. Wait for me there. Just do this and call me straight away.’ She hesitated, looked at Byrne for further advice but the detective just nodded. She hung up. ‘I’ve got to get back.’

  ‘Fitch will go with you. OK?’ She shot a glance at the officer and he nodded once. ‘Just for safety. Did the man at the house extract this information from you?’

  ‘No.’ That was correct. She’d volunteered her address. Could she feel any more foolish?

  ‘There’s nothing else you’ve neglected to mention?’

  But Leah was desperate to leave. ‘No.’

  Byrne didn’t seem convinced. ‘I appreciate you’re distressed but I’d like you to have a long think about every detail of your visit here.’

  ‘Yes. I will. I’d like to go now though.’ Or was she also eager to finish the conversation?

  ‘Fitch, take your car.’

  ‘That’s fine. We’ll go in this one.’

  ‘It’s parked just behind us.’ Fitch reassured her. ‘I can get us there faster.’

  ‘OK.’ Leah wondered why but didn’t want to waste time arguing about it. She got out of the car.

  The two officers quickly followed.

  ‘Take a good look around.’ Byrne told Fitch then met Leah’s eye. ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s far away from here by now.’

  But Leah caught the worry in the DI’s glance to her fellow officer.

  ‘This one.’ Fitch gestured at an unmarked car parked in front of the patrol vehicles. It was a tan Audi.

  The locks shot and Leah opened the door. What time would Elliot get back from his run? She jumped into the passenger seat and Fitch’s door slammed the same time as hers.

  He started the engine. ‘Forley?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘My sister lives here.’ Fitch pulled out into the traffic and both lanes halted and honked as he u-turned and accelerated to the lights.

  ‘Seat belt.’ He nodded at Leah, even though he wasn’t wearing his.

  She pulled it across her and willed the lights to stay on green as they reached them.

  They did and Fitch shot through. ‘Left at the roundabout, yeah?’

  Leah nodded. She tried calling Elliot again but still got his answering service.

  ‘Where’s this café you told him to wait at?’

  ‘Top of Minster Street. Langtry’s.’

  ‘I’ll drop you there.’

  ‘No. I’m coming with you.’

  ‘But your husband might have stopped off there.’

  ‘No he won’t have. He doesn’t do anything I ask him to.’

  Fitch nodded once, turned at the roundabout and sped towards the crossroads that would take them to the high street.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nine hours earlier

  Tate waited for the breakdown truck to pass Alice Booth’s house with Leah Talbot’s little green Fiat hitched to the back before opening the gates, pulling out of the driveway and following a few moments later in his silver Nissan. He’d chosen the vehicle because it was nondescript but even though it was dark, he had to be careful about which road he used to enter Forley. There were plenty of lights and cameras in the high street.

  He let them turn left but went straight on at the roundabout and followed the long one-way system until he was passing the carefully manicured bowling green before turning left himself and driving down Minster Street. He slowed, not wanting to meet them coming the other way.

  He took in the driveway of each house, looking for the breakdown vehicle, but as he rounded the slight bend, saw it on his right. It was parked up at the front with its headlights on. Leah Talbot was still sitting in the passenger seat. He kept his eyes front as he passed and then pulled his Nissan into a space on the left about thirty yards further on.

  Switching off the engine he kept an eye on the truck in the side mirror. She was probably signing a digital screen for her car. Seconds later, she emerged from her door and he heard her thank the driver before she walked up the driveway to her house. The driver took a minute or so tapping some details into his handset and then consulting his GPS before he took off with the damaged car.

  Tate waited for the rear headlights to fade and then got out of the car, locked it and crossed the road. He passed the low hedge at the front of the house and could see light shining through the leaves. He paused briefly at the driveway. There was a white square illuminating the edges of the garage door and a weak light in the hallway window.

  He could see a tall wooden door at the side and assumed he could get to the back that way, but it might be locked. His eyes shifted to the neighbouring houses. The one on the left was in darkness but there were lights on in the top windows of the one on the right. Maybe there was a way in at the rear that would allow him to operate in the dark.

  He walked back the way he’d come. He hadn’t seen any roads off Minster Street as he’d driven in so he would check in the opposite direction. He counted the front doors he passed and, sixty paces later, came to a side street on his right and headed down it, looking for CCTV cameras but seeing none.

  To his right was an overgrown alleyway. That had to run behind the houses on Minster Street. There were no lights down there. Even better. He resisted the temptation to use the torch on his phone and traversed the brambles and counted the back gates until he came to the one he wanted. Then he reached in his pocket, pulled out a fresh pair of surgical gloves and slipped them on.

  He put his hand on the metal ring and tried to twist it. Locked? No, it was just stiff. With a little more force it rotated, and he used his shoulder to nudge it open. He didn’t push it all the way but waited, in case anyone had heard and was looking out of their back windows.

  A duck quacked behind him and he turned. Beyond the overgrown reeds there was a stream and a group of the birds were curled up on the bank asleep, heads tucked under their wings. Only one of them seemed agitated by his presence.

&nb
sp; He counted to twenty and then pushed the gate half open. It was enough space for him to slip through, but he scanned the overgrown lawn ahead first. It was dimly lit by a light on in the kitchen. There was nobody in the room. Didn’t she say her husband, Elliot, hadn’t been home? That had been when she’d first arrived at Alice Booth’s though. Maybe he was back now. But he couldn’t see any sign of him. His eyes tilted up to the window above. Another light was on there and one next door to the left too.

  He could cross the lawn area in darkness if he stuck to the right edge of it. He entered the garden, trod lightly along the flower bed and stood halfway across the long, wet grass behind some buddleia branches. The window above was frosted. Had to be the bathroom. He could make out a shelf containing bottles and a dark cabinet at the back. His eyes darted quickly left to the lit window next door. Orange curtains were drawn there. Nobody investigating his opening of the gate.

  When he was sure the kitchen was empty, he strode to the window to look through into the house. It would mean he would momentarily be standing in the light, but he needed to see the space where she lived. Just quickly. But when he got to the pane, he saw his reflection there.

  Tate didn’t have a mirror at home. Didn’t like to catch himself looking back. It was because, since he’d been in his mid-twenties, he’d no longer seen himself as a person. He just saw components: a pair of eyes connected to a brain that was connected to a stem that was connected to a body. Individual pieces slotted together into a whole that he was no longer fooled into seeing.

  He didn’t know why it had happened. There had been no trigger event that he could pinpoint. He’d lost all the friends he had then because he saw them in the same way. And he’d felt the same about the girls he’d once been so intrigued by. Realised that they were built differently but only slightly differently, crudely customised with curves and eyelashes and breasts to distract him from so effortlessly deconstructing them.

  But Leah had sparked something else. Something nostalgic. When he’d first laid eyes on her he’d not just seen a physical assembly. He’d seen her as a whole.

  He returned his attention to the bathroom. Was Leah Talbot up there alone, brushing her teeth before bed? He recalled how her lips had tasted when he’d kissed her as she sat unconscious in the chair and then later when they’d briefly responded.