Killing Mind: An addictive and nail-biting crime thriller (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Book 12)

by Angela Marsons

  Tiff found herself next to Sheila in the queue.

  ‘Hey, Tiff,’ she said, reaching for a drink.

  ‘Hi,’ Tiff replied, doing the same. ‘Wow, that was hard to listen to,’ she continued, to get the woman’s attention.

  Sheila moved to the side. ‘It can be hard to hear but that’s why we have these meetings, so people can be honest and open about the way they feel.’

  ‘Do you miss anyone?’ Tiff asked, taking a sip.

  A shadow of sadness crossed her face as she shrugged.

  ‘Sometimes I miss people from my old life but right now I know I’m exactly where I was meant to be. Does that make sense?’

  Tiff nodded, not sure that was any kind of answer that would satisfy her daughter.

  ‘How about you, family problems bring you here?’

  Tiff thought about the boss’s earlier text message. It had been brief and immediate.

  Find Sophie.

  So far, despite searching the faces of everyone who passed her by she had not yet seen Samantha’s sister.

  Tiff nodded. ‘And I thought my friend might be here. You might know her. Her name is Sophie. Sophie Brown.’

  Sheila’s face hardened as she glanced around the room.

  ‘You must be mistaken. There’s no one here named Sophie.’

  Tiff felt a tremble in her hand. Total denial of someone’s existence.

  From what she understood, that only happened if the person was gone or dead.

  Eighty-Seven

  ‘Okay, husband, what’s wrong?’ Jenny asked, peering at him over his glasses.

  ‘Nothing,’ Bryant replied. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘No, you’re not. You’ve barely spoken since you came home and the big guys in black just scored a goal and you never even…’

  ‘It’s a try,’ he responded automatically. As she well knew.

  Her mouth twitched. ‘Well, you wanna try being honest with your wife about why you’ve been staring at Laura’s photo for the last twenty minutes instead of watching the game I recorded…’

  ‘Match,’ he corrected.

  ‘Whatever,’ she said, putting her craft tray to the side. She’d recently discovered something called diamond painting, which involved a sticky canvas and hundreds of tiny little glittery stones. Some of the buggers managed to escape and constantly winked at him from the carpet.

  ‘Cuppa?’ she said.

  ‘Yes, please,’ he answered.

  ‘No, I meant do you want to make one?’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll go…’

  ‘Oh, jeez, it must be serious,’ she said, removing her glasses completely. ‘You never make a drink after ten.’

  ‘Jenny, are you trying to…’

  ‘I’m trying to get you to see how distracted you are. Now I know it’s not your current case because anything bothering you on that score you would have taken over to chew on with Kim. So, it has to be this Peter Drake business.’

  She was right, it was, but what he couldn’t fathom was why it was still on his mind.

  When he worked a case with the guv there was a nervous tension that burrowed its way into his stomach. It seesawed between trepidation, excitement, anxiety and hope. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It just was. There was little consistency except for one thing. Once they made an arrest the feeling went away. His stomach settled until the next major crime scene. But with Peter Drake it hadn’t yet gone away.

  ‘Okay, I have three theories,’ Jenny said, tucking her legs beneath her.

  ‘Only three?’ he joked.

  ‘My first is that it’s all happened so quickly you’re waiting for your emotions to catch up with you. Ooh, actually I have four theories.’

  Bryant laughed out loud.

  ‘My new second theory is that you’re still coming to terms with being right about something.’

  ‘Jen.’

  ‘Okay, scrap that one. My next theory, which you’re probably not going to like, is that you’re hanging onto this case because you don’t know how to let it go.’

  It wasn’t the first time he’d been told that today.

  ‘And the last theory?’

  ‘Is that you’re holding on to it for a legitimate reason. That your gut is trying to communicate something to your brain.’

  ‘And, if you were a betting woman?’

  ‘My money would be on the last. I don’t know the case but I do know you. So, take out your laptop, go over everything you know and I’ll make the cuppa.’

  Bryant watched her go. He really was the luckiest man alive and he always knew when to do what his wife said.

  Eighty-Eight

  Tiff lay in bed and felt her eyelids drooping to the rhythm of Britney’s deep breathing, despite the quiet unease in her stomach.

  She couldn’t believe that it had only been that morning that she and Britney had visited Hilda in her home. The day had been packed full and it had been one thing after another.

  The meeting in the dining hall had resumed and had been a totally different story. The air had been charged with positivity as Lorna had updated them on progress for the building work and the schedule for the new indoor swimming pool, hot tub and steam room. She’d talked of success with booking sessions with a well-known yoga teacher and a reiki master. Also, there were plans to introduce their own selection of livestock. Volunteers had been requested to take responsibility for various tasks and hands had shot into the air.

  Last had been the highlight section where everyone was asked to choose their most positive moment of the week. A short clap had followed every one. Tiff had been surprised when they’d asked her to offer one too.

  ‘Meeting Britney,’ she had blurted out. She’d been moved to see the colour flood the girl’s cheeks as she’d touched her lightly on the arm.

  The meeting had broken up amidst excited chatter, laughter and high spirits, the earlier sadness totally forgotten as people’s attention was re-focussed on the future. Was it choreographed that way? Were the meetings a monitoring session to see who was at risk of leaving?

  It was only now, here in bed, alone with her own thoughts that she had the clarity of mind to ask herself these questions when all she really wanted to do was go to sleep.

  When she was amongst the other ladies, taking part in activities, listening to their stories, she kind of understood the attraction of life at the Farm. There was a loyalty amongst these women that she had never witnessed anywhere else.

  She could feel herself being drawn in. She felt a part of daily life. Occasionally, it slipped her mind why she was here. At times, she felt as though she was stepping outside herself, shedding something, leaving something behind. It was both exciting and unnerving at the same time.

  The thought of Ryan in her room no longer filled her with the same level of rage. The problem now seemed so small and so far away.

  And that’s the problem, she realised, as her eyes opened wide. This was how it worked. There was no big thing that changed her outlook. It was a gradual wearing away of the person you were. It didn’t hurt, it wasn’t painful. It was soft, gentle, seductive and above all dangerous.

  Tiff turned over, facing away from Britney. She knew she would get no sleep tonight.

  She’d done what she’d been asked to do. The boss had texted her earlier to check on her and to ask about Sophie. She’d assured the boss she was fine and reported that Sophie Brown wasn’t here.

  She was no longer sure she’d answered the first question truthfully.

  Tomorrow, once she and Brit reached the college she would make her excuses and leave.

  She had to.

  Eighty-Nine

  ‘Okay, guys, what have we got?’ Kim asked, entering the squad room. Her team had started working while she’d briefed Woody. He’d agreed with her assessment of the case and the direction. With instruction from Kate Brown, and after confirmation from Tiff that Sophie was no longer at Unity Farm, the emphasis was on finding her. Quickly.

  ‘Got him,’
Stacey said, reaching for a chocolate chip cookie from Penn’s treat box.

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘His full name is Kane Drummond and lives in West Hagley.’

  ‘Stace, how did…’

  ‘Taxi companies. Katrina, at the seventh one I tried, took the booking and they dropped him off at a car park in Stourbridge which doesn’t have cameras. No surprise. But the petrol station on the ring road does and I guess he was low on fuel. Got his reg number and full address.’

  ‘Well done, Stace, but keep digging. Now we know his real name we can…’

  ‘And here’s his actual phone number,’ Stacey added pushing a piece of paper towards her. ‘Katrina always logs them, you know.’

  ‘Even better,’ Kim said. She was sick and tired of using Myles Brown as the middle man.

  ‘Nothing on the money yet, boss,’ Penn said.

  ‘Okay, Stace, priority is identifying our third victim and then getting history on Kane Drummond and Jake Black. I want everything you can find. Penn, stick with the money. We might find something to haul Jake Black in for so we can add a little pressure.’

  ‘Got it, boss.’

  ‘And I’m gonna make a quick call to our superhero. Let him know he’s not in hiding any more.’

  Kim stepped into the Bowl and dialled the number.

  He answered with a single hello.

  ‘Mr Drummond,’ she said, using his full name. ‘DI Stone.’

  ‘How did you get…’

  ‘We’re the police. We’re good at this shit. I think we need another conversation. Sophie is no longer at Unity Farm. Now we could come and see you at your home for…’

  ‘No,’ he said, quickly. That was the response she’d hoped for. He was silent for a minute. ‘Meet me at the usual place. Ten o’clock.’

  ‘I’d rather…’

  ‘Ten o clock, Inspector, and you’ll see why,’ he said, as the line went dead.

  She looked at her watch. It was almost eight. Which gave her enough time for the other thing she’d been asked to do.

  What exactly had he meant about her seeing why? It felt like he was keeping that café in business.

  ‘Penn, change of plan. Get a team over to Kane’s address. Wait for him to leave and then break in. You have reason to fear for Sophie Brown’s safety.’

  ‘Got it, boss,’ he said, thoughtfully. ‘That’s not too far from Sheila’s daughter’s house,’ he said, glancing at his watch. He looked at her questioningly.

  She nodded. The woman deserved to know where her mother was.

  He grabbed his coat and left.

  Content that everyone knew exactly what they were doing, Kim turned to Bryant.

  ‘You ready?’

  He took a deep breath.

  ‘Ready as I’ll ever be.’

  Ninety

  Tiff fixed a smile to her face and followed Britney into the breakfast hall. She felt groggy from lack of sleep. Once she’d decided it was time to leave, the morning had not come quickly enough. She had even started to wonder if she’d done the right thing agreeing to do this in the first place.

  Mixed with her eagerness to leave was the feeling of having let the team down. She’d been trusted to come in and find Sophie. She hadn’t found Sophie and neither had she found out anything about the girl. If the Brown family ended up with another dead daughter it would all be down to her. And she didn’t really want to see the boss’s face right now, knowing she had failed miserably. She knew she’d never be asked to help this team again.

  ‘You okay?’ Brit asked, as they waited in line.

  ‘I’m fine, just missing home a bit.’

  ‘You want to leave?’ Britney asked, alarmed.

  ‘God no, I love it here,’ Tiff countered quickly. She didn’t want to upset her friend before she needed to. She didn’t really want to upset Brit at all. Despite her best efforts, she felt closer to the redhead than she had to anyone in quite a while.

  ‘Good, cos I’ve got a surprise for you after breakfast.’

  ‘Really?’ Tiff asked.

  ‘Yeah, but let’s eat first. I’m absolutely ravenous.’

  ‘Okay,’ Tiff said, following her to the nearest table. Tiff was surprised that Sheila wasn’t in the line-up today.

  ‘Where’s Sheila?’ she asked Brit as they buttered their toast. Tiff hadn’t felt hungry until the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon was on her tray, but her mouth now watered at the prospect.

  Enjoying breakfast wasn’t a sin. It was her last meal here anyway. As soon as they finished breakfast she’d text the boss and let her know she was on her way out. There might be a debrief, which would be very brief indeed seeing as she knew nothing.

  ‘Ah, it’s Friday,’ Brit explained. ‘Sheila and one of the others go and do the weekly food shop every Friday morning. Cream cakes for everyone later on,’ Brit said, cutting the fat from her bacon.

  Tiff tucked into her own breakfast and the two of them ate in silence.

  ‘Well, that’s me set up for the morning,’ Brit said, placing down her knife and fork. Tiffany was just one mouthful behind.

  ‘Come on, then, Tiff, we’ve got a busy day.’

  Tiff headed over to the table. She wouldn’t need the packed lunch, but it was important to keep up appearances until she was ready to tell Britney she was going home.

  ‘Where you going?’ Brit asked.

  ‘To get our lunch.’

  Britney smiled widely.

  ‘Ah, that’s my surprise. Today we’re staying in.’

  Ninety-One

  ‘You set?’ the guv asked him from the passenger seat. ‘Do you want…’

  ‘No, stay here. I’ll give the nod.’

  Bryant got out of the car and headed to the front door.

  He turned around and took one look around the street while he waited. This was not going to be an easy conversation. For either of them.

  He turned and knocked again. More forcefully this time. The car was parked on the drive.

  He tried once more before taking a look through the curtainless window. The lounge appeared tidy and clean.

  He looked back to the guv, who pointed to the side of the house.

  He stepped away from the front door and tried the gate at the side. It opened.

  He knocked the back door after checking. He could see nothing through the drawn-down blind. The back door was locked and a quick glance told him that no windows were open.

  He felt his heart start to beat faster. Something here wasn’t right.

  He headed back around the front. The guv was already out of the car and heading towards him.

  ‘Nothing open?’ she asked.

  He shook his head as he banged on the door again.

  No response.

  Bryant leaned down and poked his fingers through the letterbox. There were no brush or flaps to obscure his view.

  Just inside the door was a table holding a dead plant, car keys and a couple of unopened letters. On the tiled floor were two pairs of shoes and a pair of trainers. His gaze moved forward to the stairs. His eyes travelled upwards as far as they could go and that’s when he saw them.

  His stomach lurched into his throat.

  ‘Stand back,’ he said, urgently to the guv.

  ‘We going in?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh yeah.’

  ‘Okay, you top, me bottom.’

  ‘One, two, three,’ he called.

  On the count of three the guv threw all her weight against the bottom of the door and he focussed his strength on the top.

  The door burst open, slammed against the wall and headed back towards them. Bryant threw his arm in the way and pushed it back open.

  ‘Oh shit,’ the guv said, seeing what he’d glimpsed from the letterbox.

  The lifeless body of Richard Harrison hung from the upstairs light fitting. A pair of short stepladders had been kicked to the side.

  They both stared at the sight before them. There was no doubt that the man had taken his own life
.

  ‘Well, Bryant,’ the guv said. ‘You certainly can’t do what you came here to do.’

  That was a fact.

  He’d been here to arrest the man for murder.

  Ninety-Two

  Penn registered the quizzical smile on the face of Josie Finch as she opened the door.

  ‘You again?’

  He wasn’t offended. It was hardly a surprise. She’d had little to no interest from the police in eighteen months and now two visits in as many days.

  ‘May I come in?’ he asked, detecting the faint smell of burnt toast in the background.

  ‘Boyfriend changed the setting on the toaster again,’ she offered. ‘He likes his cremated and I like mine barely touched. Not sure how we’ve managed… I’m rambling, aren’t I?’

  He smiled but said nothing as she indicated for him to take a seat.

  ‘I ramble when I’m nervous. You can only be back because you’ve got something to tell me, and I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about anything you have to say.’

  ‘Mrs…’

  ‘Josie, please,’ she insisted.

  ‘You know more about me than most of your work colleagues. See, the problem is, any news you have for me is going to require an emotional response of some kind and I’m not sure what I’ve got left to give, and if you want the truth in all its brutal glory I don’t know what news I’m hoping for more.’

  Penn suspected that was the anger talking; resentment towards her mother for having left in the first place and rage at not being able to let it out. To be able to throw all the hurt at her mother. It was still bubbling away inside her. But she deserved the truth.

  ‘Your mum’s alive, Josie.’

  She stared at him but he saw her body deflate before him as though she was letting out a breath she’d been holding for a year and a half.

  ‘She’s at a place called Unity Farm.’

  ‘Is she okay. I mean, has she?…’

  ‘She’s fine, as far as we know, but we also know she’s not being held by force.’