Kim took a few minutes to update them on her conversation with Kane.
‘He seems to know his stuff,’ Stacey observed. ‘Everything I’ve learned over the last couple of days confirms what he’s saying. Penny Hicks seemed absolutely terrified to talk to me or go into detail about anything to do with the Farm, and when I tried to press her, she just disappeared. And then there’s that girl who just threw herself out the window.’
Kim was no longer as shocked by these things after what she’d learned from Kane. It was fair to say that none of them had had any understanding of the lasting effects of places like Unity Farm.
‘Permission to speak freely, boss?’ Stacey asked.
Kim raised one eyebrow. Stacey knew she had permission to say whatever she liked. This was the constable’s way of warning her that she probably wasn’t going to like it.
‘It’s Tiff. I mean, I’m just worried…’
‘I saw her today, Stace. She’s fine,’ Kim reassured. ‘I’ll text her later, though, just to make sure.’
‘Thanks, boss.’
‘So, tomorrow we have a concerted effort on identifying our man in the lake, digging on Kane Devlin and delving deeper into the previous cult. Penn, I still want to know where that money went, but for now we call it a night.’
‘Cheers, boss,’ Penn said, pushing back his chair.
Stacey did the same.
Kim waited for Penn to leave the room before she folded her arms.
‘So, wedding plans going well, Stace?’
‘Yeah, boss,’ she said, without enthusiasm as she put her phone into her satchel.
This was not a woman enjoying making preparations for the happiest day of her life.
‘So, how much weight you lost in the last month?’ she asked.
‘Two and a half pounds,’ Stacey answered, miserably.
‘Why?’
‘I dunno. I just can’t seem…’
‘No. Why are you even trying?’
‘I just want everything to be perfect.’
‘What was your weight when Devon asked you to marry her?’
‘Two and a half pounds heavier,’ Stacey said with a wry smile.
‘It’s not about your weight, Stace. Devon loves you as you are and you know it.’
She glanced at Penn’s desk. A space once occupied by DS Kevin Dawson.
‘You know, a very good friend of yours once told me that you’d never feel good enough for Devon, and he was right. I think he told you the same thing.’
The whites of Stacey’s eyes suddenly reddened.
‘Imagine he was here right now. What would he be saying?’
Stacey swallowed. ‘He’d be telling me that I was good enough and that Devon was the lucky one.’
Kim pulled her gaze away from the desk and back to her colleague.
‘And for once, Stacey, he would have been right.’
Eighty-Four
Bryant walked into a room full of excited chatter. The desks were littered with small plastic cups, half-filled and a bottle of cheap wine on the top table. Three pizza boxes lay open, scattered around the work stations.
Travis came forward, holding a mug of coffee, his other hand outstretched.
‘Come in, Bryant,’ he said, affably. ‘Join the celebration.’
Lynne raised her diet Coke at him in greeting.
‘What’s going on?’
‘He confessed,’ Travis said, loosening his tie. ‘Peter Drake told us everything.’
‘You’re kidding?’ Bryant said.
Twenty-five years ago the man had hidden behind a lawyer and hadn’t spoken a word until he’d stepped into court.
‘Nope. A bit of prodding and we got the lot. Lynne and I are going back in there to finish off once he’s had a break, but I can tell you that Peter Drake is headed right back where he belongs.’
‘Bloody hell,’ Bryant said, as the tension he’d been carrying for the last few days released its grip on his body.
‘Here, have one of these,’ he said, pouring the last of the wine into the cup.
Bryant declined. The bottle and cups were just for show and the people who weren’t driving. Bryant knew few police officers who touched a drop if they were getting behind the wheel.
‘Do you mind if I watch the tape?’ Bryant asked.
Travis’s face hardened. ‘Jeez, Bryant, you got what you wanted.’
A girl in her twenties had suffered a horrific, brutal murder. He’d hardly call that getting what he wanted.
‘Closure, Travis. I’ll watch the confession and then I can let it go.’
He saw the man’s frustration and didn’t care. If he’d learned anything from his boss it was that you saw something through to the bitter end.
‘Bob, get the confession up,’ he called to a stick thin officer reaching for a piece of pizza.
Bob looked from one to the other and put the pizza back down before rubbing his hands on his trousers. He sat, loaded the footage, stood and pointed for Bryant to take his seat.
Bryant thanked him and watched as he headed back to the pizza that had his name on it.
Bryant sat and picked up the headphones that were still attached to the machine.
‘Hey, Bryant,’ Lynne said, leaning against the desk.
‘You do the first interview?’ he asked.
She nodded. ‘I was arresting officer and there are few arrests that have given me more pleasure. I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that piece of shit is back behind bars.’
‘You and me both,’ he said, looking pointedly at the screen.
‘Yeah, I’ll leave you to it. Just wanted to ask, how’s Penn? I hear his mother is quite close to…’
‘Penn’s Penn,’ he said, honestly. He didn’t bring his problems to work.
Bryant noted the way she looked down at her feet when she mentioned his name.
‘You know, you should probably ask him yourself. I’m sure he’d appreciate—’
‘Hey, Lynne, we’re up,’ Travis called from the other side of the room.
The man’s tie was now tightly fixed against his shirt collar and his jacket had been retrieved from the back of the chair.
‘Yeah, maybe…’ she said, grabbing a folder from her desk, and following her boss from the office.
He pressed play and watched the screen spring into life.
Travis and Lynne entered the room and Travis offered the detail to the camera.
Travis: Mr Drake, at this time you have waived your right to counsel?
Drake: Nodded.
Travis: Please answer.
Drake: Don’t want no lawyer. Just a smoke.
Travis: You understand you’ve been arrested for the rape and murder of Alice Lennox?
Drake: Yep.
Travis: What would you like to say?
Drake: I done it.
Travis: Wh… what?
Drake: I done it. I killed her. You got me.
Ten seconds of silence.
Travis: Mr Drake, are you confessing to the murder of Alice Lennox?
Drake: Sure am. That’s what you want to hear, right?
Lynne: Yes if it’s the truth.
Drake: Course it’s the truth, yer dumb bitch. I killed…
Travis: Mind your mouth, Mr Drake. Now do you want to expand on the admission?
Travis knew his stuff. He wanted the detail that would hold up in court when Peter Drake changed his mind and pled Not Guilty.
Drake: Look, she was a prostitute. She ain’t no loss. I approached her when she left the others. She followed me happily to make a few quid.
Travis: She followed you voluntarily?
Drake: Offered her seventy quid for a blow job. Course she followed me. I took her to Spinners Corner and smacked her one to get her down.
Travis: And you raped her?
Drake: Not with my cock. She’s a prossie. Could have had anything. Nah, I shoved a beer bottle up—
Travis: And then what?
Drake: I took ou
t my knife and started cutting her. Small ones at first, just enough to see the top layer of skin separate and then harder, deeper. The more she cried out the harder I cut. Slicing and dicing like I was cooking a fucking Sunday dinner. She was a bleeder all right. She started losing consciousness, going in and out so I proper opened her up.
Travis: Can you describe…
Drake: You know. You’ve seen her. You know what I like to do. I took the blade and sliced her right open from the inside of her thigh right down to her ankle, on both sides.
Travis: And then what?
Drake: I watched her die. My second favourite part.
Travis: And then?
Drake: I walked away and left her like the piece of shit that she was.
Another ten seconds of silence before Travis turned to the camera and suspended the interview.
Bryant unclenched his fists and removed the headphones, fully aware that the horror of the scene described by Drake would play over in his head for weeks to come.
Travis was right, the sick bastard had confessed and Bryant had what he wanted, but after listening to what he’d done to that girl the victory didn’t feel like a victory at all.
Eighty-Five
Kim stepped out of the station and headed towards the Ninja parked at the end of the row of squad cars.
Her heart jumped as a figure stepped from the darkness to block her path.
‘Bloody hell,’ she exclaimed, looking into the red-rimmed eyes of Kate Brown. Tendrils of blonde hair peeked out from beneath the woollen hat she was wearing and curled onto the lapel of her heavy long coat. It was a chilly night but temperatures hadn’t plummeted far enough to warrant this mid-winter precaution.
‘I’m sorry, Inspector. I j… just needed a word alone. I’ve been here for a while,’ she said, looking towards the station doors.
‘Do you want to come inside?’ Kim asked, confused.
She shook her head and looked around. ‘No, no, it’ll just take a minute.’
The woman appeared terrified despite being in the car park of a police station. There were few safer places she could be.
The penny dropped. ‘Does Myles know you’re here?’
She hesitated. ‘No, he’s a stubborn man and still feels we should leave Sophie’s safety in the hands of Kane.’
‘And you don’t?’ Kim asked, moving her to the side as two constables headed out of the station doors. It appeared that the heavy, long coat and hat were an attempt at some kind of disguise.
She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. ‘Every hour that passes makes me more nervous. I can’t help feeling that something is going to go wrong.’
‘Has Kane confirmed he has her?’ Kim asked.
‘No, he won’t give us a straight answer and it’s getting harder to get in touch with him. Every minute without her is driving me insane. I keep getting the feeling that I’m running out of time. That I’m never going to see Sophie again.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘Please help me, Inspector, I cannot lose another child.’
Up until now she had been unable to spend time proactively looking for Sophie Brown. With no missing person’s report and no instruction from the parents she’d had no remit to interfere in the case of a grown adult not wishing to come home.
‘Mrs Brown, are you formally asking me to search for your missing daughter?’
Kate didn’t hesitate. ‘Inspector, please bring my daughter home.’
Those were the words Kim had been waiting to hear.
Eighty-Six
Tiff followed Britney into the dining room. The long tables and chairs had been rearranged to form a large square like a medieval banquet so that everyone sitting could see everyone else. A selection of soft drinks and snacks were laid out where the hot food normally sat.
‘Only women?’ Tiff asked, looking around.
‘Yes, Thursday is ladies’ night.’
‘Why the separation?’
Brit guided her to two seats together.
‘Because men’s problems are different to women’s and people need to be able to speak openly.’
Tiff spotted Sheila about to take a seat opposite and smiled. Sheila gave her a little wave.
‘Okay, ladies, are we ready?’ called out a woman who was closing the dining room door.
‘That’s Lorna, been here nine years. She’s the one who brought me here. She’s awesome.’
Tiff took a good look at the woman dressed in pale jeans and a tie-dyed tee shirt. Her long brown hair was pulled back in an untidy ponytail revealing pearl studs in her ears. Her face was relaxed and pleasant. Tiff took a moment to take a good look around the women. Sophie Brown was not one of them.
Lorna offered a smile that stretched around the room.
‘Let me start by welcoming Tiffany to the group. I understand she likes to be called Tiff.’
The smile was turned her way as everyone waved or called out a greeting.
Never had she been in a room full of so many women and felt so welcome and accepted.
‘Okay, anybody want to start, or shall I choose? Don’t forget. You can say anything you like here and it goes no further. You can be as honest as you want to be. We’re all here to offer support and help.’
A hand was tentatively raised from a woman on the table opposite, three seats away from Sheila.
Tiff guessed the girl to be mid-twenties; she had short blonde hair and a fringe that almost covered her eyes.
‘Go ahead, Maria,’ Lorna said.
‘I’ve struggled this week,’ she admitted, looking around the group. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to be here, it’s just…’
‘Go on, Maria. Anything you say is safe here,’ Lorna encouraged.
‘It’s just that I love my work in the garden and I love being part of the family, but it’s my mum’s birthday this week and…’
‘Maria, don’t feel bad for missing your mum. There’s no judgement here. Everyone understands and we all miss things from the outside now and again.’
Tiff noticed Sheila glance down at her nails.
‘Everyone here sacrificed things on the outside once they decided to focus on themselves. You’ve been a valued member of this family for seven months now. You know you’re where you belong and everyone here loves you.’
Lorna paused to give the room time to murmur whispers of agreement.
‘Sometimes, after a while, it’s easy to forget the things that brought us here in the first place, the toxic hurtful forces that made us feel helpless and less than the people we are. Even brief contact with those forces can undo all the work we’ve done to make ourselves whole.’
Maria was listening wholeheartedly to everything that Lorna said.
‘I think you’re stronger now, Maria, but I don’t think you’re strong enough to withstand the reminder of what she put you through.’
Tiff could see Maria’s indecision.
‘Everyone here will support your decision, and if you want to give your mother a call to wish her happy birthday no one will judge you, but I‘ll ask you this: did she care about happy birthdays when she was falling over drunk when you were ten years old?’
Tiff realised she was the only person in the room shocked at Lorna’s words. It was clear that everyone knew everyone else’s story,
‘And did she care about your birthday when you were eighteen and visiting her in prison? Did she care about birthdays when she was taking all your wages from the petrol station to buy alcohol?’
The words, although harsh, were wrapped in a gentle layer of empathy and understanding.
Maria had been shaking her head the whole time.
Lorna stood and went to the girl. She placed her hand on her shoulder.
‘Sweetie, if you feel you’re ready to let that toxic relationship back into your life, we’ll support you. We only want you to be happy.’
Tears began to slide down Maria’s cheeks. Lorna turned her and hugged her close, stroking her hair.
‘It’s okay, s
weetheart, let it out. You know we all love you.’
Other women began to leave their seats and gather around Maria. A hand here, a touch there.
Lorna extricated herself from what had become a group hug and returned to her seat.
The hugging eventually stopped and Maria raised her head.
Lorna caught her eye. ‘Do you want me to arrange the call?’
Maria shook her head decisively and vigorously as nods of agreement travelled around the room.
‘Isn’t she awesome?’ Britney asked beside her.
Tiff nodded, although she would have used the word persuasive.
Tiff continued to listen as women voiced concerns about missing aspects of their former life, and each one was expertly and subtly steered away by using their own histories against them.
After a girl in her late teens had been dissuaded from visiting her pregnant sister, Lorna checked her watch.
‘Okay, ladies, let’s pause for some drinks and snacks and then I want to tell you about some exciting events we’ve got planned for next month.’
Everyone stood and headed for the table.
‘Be back in a sec,’ Britney said, heading towards Lorna, still seated.
Killing Mind: An addictive and nail-biting crime thriller (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Book 12) Page 22