“We’re very discreet,” said Battler.
“I hope you are because I could get into a lot of trouble for this.” Gerard picked up his phone and gave instructions to his secretary before hanging up. “Gentlemen, your list will be waiting for you downstairs at reception. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a meeting in ten minutes.”
All three of them rose.
“Thank you for your time Mr Kerrell,” said Ryan.
“Please, call me Gerard. Us big business people have to stick together. I’m curious, why didn’t you hire my firm to do the work on your house?”
“I did get a quote from you but it was ridiculously high. Goodbye Gerard,” smiled Ryan, pleased with his parting shot as they filed out of the office.
“What do you think?” said Ryan as they descended back to the ground floor in the lift.
“Sweaty, shifty creep,” said Battler. “But I think he was being honest with us.”
“Me too,” said Ryan. “Plus I can’t see him killing anyone and dragging their body across farmland. A man that unfit would drop dead of a heart attack.”
They both turned to Bruiser when he released an amused chuckle.
“What do you think about what he said about the Marshes?” Battler asked Ryan.
“I don’t know. They’re a nice family and they’ve been good to us, but you never know, do you? I might pay them a little visit, see if I can gauge them.”
“I’ll do some digging too,” said Battler. “You seem to be enjoying this, you should come in on the business with us.”
“I must admit I am finding the chase interesting,” replied Ryan. “And it would be very satisfying to get to the bottom of these disappearances before the police.”
“They’ll always be the enemy to you, won’t they?”
“A leopard can’t change his spots,” said Ryan.
The bespectacled receptionist had the list ready and waiting for them, which she handed over along with another playful smile and her phone number to Battler.
Ryan left him to chat her up, Bruiser standing off to one side looking bored, and returned home. He was disappointed to find Rachel had gone out. She’d left him a note saying she had an appointment at the hairdressers. He didn’t know why she was constantly fine tuning herself when she was absolute perfection. He had hoped to get some quality time with her upstairs while the kids were at school.
Instead he wandered into the kitchen and filled the kettle, turning over in his mind what he’d learnt from Gerard Kerrell. Knowing he wouldn’t get any rest until he’d spoken to Chris he replaced the kettle and went back outside to his Range Rover, already figuring out what he was going to say.
Fortunately he had the perfect excuse to visit. The Marsh’s farm was a vast estate, the main house a beautiful Georgian building painted bright white, making it stand out against the surrounding fields.
As he climbed out of his car Ryan could see his own home across the expanse of fields, just waiting for them to move in. Police were still searching for more bodies and had brought in a range of fancy equipment to check underground. He sighed regretfully and turned to walk up to the house, the door of which opened before he got there.
“Hello Ryan, to what do I owe this pleasure?” smiled Chris, a tall, gangly man with short dark blond hair. His manner was pleasant and relaxed, Ryan found him an easy man to get along with. “Come to check on your animals?”
“I wanted to make sure they’re not making a nuisance of themselves,” he replied.
“I’ll take you round to the stables so you can visit them.”
Ryan had no wish to go around petting animals, even if they did belong to him. He’d never been one for furry, fuzzy things, he didn’t like the mess they made or the way they smelled. It was Rachel and the kids who were into all that, especially Leah. Her pony was happily grazing in a lush paddock with the Marsh’s three horses.
Chris made a clicking noise at the back of this throat. “Sophia, someone’s come to visit you.”
The glossy pony briefly looked up. Ryan prayed she wouldn’t approach because he did not like horses. Fortunately she found him to be of as little interest as he found her and returned to her grazing.
Chris led him to the goats and chickens. Ryan marvelled at how he was able to tell which were theirs and which belonged to the Marsh farm. They all looked the same to him. Maybe he couldn’t and he was just pretending.
“I can’t tell you how much this means to us, you taking them all in,” said Ryan as they walked back to the house.
“That’s what neighbours are for.”
“I’m afraid we may need to trespass on your hospitality for a bit longer.”
“So I heard and it’s no problem. Do you want to come in for a coffee? Angela would love to see you.”
“Yes thank you.” Ryan was pleased, his plan was working.
“Angela, visitor,” Chris called through to the kitchen as he removed his wellies, Ryan likewise removing his shoes and leaving them at the front door.
Whereas Chris was tall, slender and blond, Angela was short, chubby and dark. They couldn’t have been more opposite but Ryan had always thought they seemed happy together. They were several years older than himself and Rachel, their children were teenagers, two of whom had moved out. Only one of their three sons remained at home.
The Marsh house looked like a working farmhouse, it wasn’t all sleek and contemporary like their own. The kitchen units were wood with a butler’s sink, copper pans hung from the ceiling and fresh flowers sat in a jug on the windowsill. The smell of baking bread wafted from the oven. It was like something from Emmerdale. Ryan knew because it was one of Rachel’s favourite programmes. When she watched it he pretended to show disdain and hid his face behind a book when in fact he was listening in, following the storylines. That was a secret he would keep even from his wife.
“No Rachel?” said Angela.
“Hairdresser’s appointment,” Ryan replied with a wry smile.
“We heard about what happened up at your house,” said Angela as she brewed them all fresh coffee. “Do they know who it is yet?”
“Angela, please,” said Chris. “Have a little tact.”
“It’s alright,” said Ryan. “I’d rather you asked me about it directly rather than listen to the rumour mill. No, they don’t know yet.”
“It’s horrible knowing it was up there all that time,” said Angela, gazing out of the window across the fields to Rachel and Ryan’s house. She placed a sympathetic hand on his arm. “You and Rachel must be so upset, I know how much you were looking forward to moving in.”
“Leah’s the one who’s been hit the hardest,” he said.
“Poor girl. What have you told her?”
“Unfortunately her friends at school got there first so she knows everything.”
“Why don’t you bring her here after school? She can ride and groom Sophia. It’ll take her mind off it for a while,” suggested Angela.
“That would be wonderful, thank you.”
She nodded and handed him a hot mug of coffee.
“So, do you have a theory as to who that body is?” said Ryan, taking special notice of Chris’s reaction. “Everyone else seems to have one.”
“I think it’s one of those missing men. I mean, who else could it be?” said Angela.
“Makes sense I suppose,” said Chris, taking a sip of coffee.
“It’s only a matter of time before the police find out who the body is and who killed them,” said Ryan. Even though it pained him to give the police any sort of praise it was a necessary evil to try and get a reaction from Chris.
“You never know. Whoever did it has got away with it for this long and any evidence might have been destroyed by now,” said Angela.
Ryan wondered if she was trying to convince herself because someone close to her was responsible but she appeared perfectly relaxed, just indulging in a bit of gossip.
“Who knows?” said Ryan. An idea leapt into his head that
suggested a way he could test Gerard’s theory about Chris’s sexuality. When Angela bent down to the oven to retrieve her baking bread Chris held the door open for her, so Ryan took the opportunity to tip his coffee down the front of his t-shirt, grateful that Angela had put a lot of milk in it.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry,” he said, hastily putting down the mug on the scrubbed pine table and pulling off the t-shirt before he got burned. Despite his swift response he was still left with a patch of reddened skin on his chest.
“Are you okay?” said Angela, dumping the baking tray holding the fresh bread on top of the hob and hurrying over to him. “Oh my,” she said, staring at his body.
He looked to Chris, who was also gaping in astonishment - and interest.
“Here, this will stop you burning,” said Angela, pulling a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer and pressing it against his chest, causing him to release a gasp of surprise. She remained where she was, pressing the bag harder to his chest. “You must spend a lot of time at the gym.”
“I confess I do,” he smiled down at her, causing her to blush.
“Alright Angela, give the man some room,” said Chris, taking his wife by the shoulders and steering her away, Ryan just managing to catch the bag of peas before it fell.
Chris stood right before him, his stare intense. “Are you alright Ryan?”
“Fine, no harm done.”
“Do you want me to put your t-shirt through the wash?” offered Angela.
“No need to go out of your way.”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll give it a wash and you can borrow one of Chris’s t-shirts to go home in then I’ll send yours home with Leah.”
“Thank you, that is most kind,” said Ryan.
“Absolutely no problem,” she said, blushing again when his eyes connected with hers.
Chris was still standing before him, staring. Ryan had noticed that Chris’s gaze could sometimes be a little intense but only now did it make him uncomfortable. There was no doubt Gerard had been right, Chris did like men, but that didn’t mean he had anything to do with Daniel Tebbs’s disappearance. He thought it quite sad because he and Angela were made for each other. Maybe Chris swung both ways?
Feeling he’d learnt quite a lot today he got the spare t-shirt from Angela and decided it was time to return home. Chris followed him outside.
“So, will you bring Leah up later?”
“I don’t know if it’ll be myself or Rachel,” replied Ryan, opening the door of his Range Rover.
“Bring her yourself, we can have a beer together. I’ve renovated the basement, it’s a real boys’ room now.”
Chris’s eyes lingered on his chest as he spoke and Ryan tried to act as though he hadn’t noticed. “Alright, you’re on.”
Chris beamed. “Great, see you then.”
Ryan could see Chris watching him as he drove down the bumpy track that would take him back to the main road. On the way he called Battler and let him know about his strange visit to the Marsh residence. Battler told him to be careful when going back there before hanging up.
Ryan wasn’t worried. He’d taken on much bigger and badder than Chris Marsh.
CHAPTER 9
Rachel was home by the time Ryan returned to the house.
“You look divine, as ever,” he said, kissing her. What Rachel refused to let anyone know except Ryan and her hairdresser was that she’d started to go grey. She was only five years off forty herself and had been horrified to discover her first grey hair two months ago. Ryan had reasoned that after what she’d been through it was a miracle she didn’t have a mane of silver hair. Her hair had been dyed very dark brown, verging on black, cut into layers then straightened sleekly.
“What have you been up to? That’s not your t-shirt,” she frowned.
He wondered how she knew until he looked down and saw the seemingly innocuous red t-shirt he’d borrowed from Chris did in fact have a beaver on the front, its big cartoon buck teeth biting through a tree. Ryan’s nose wrinkled in disgust.
“It’s Chris’s. I went up there to check on the animals and spilt coffee all over myself. Angela’s washing my t-shirt, she said I could take Leah up there after school to see Sophia and she’d give it me back, freshly laundered,” he said, running a hand over his face, feeling the stubble had turned into downy hair. The beard was well on its way. His facial hair had always grown very quickly, he had to shave every day. It was why he wanted to grow the beard now, to give his skin a rest from the blade.
Rachel studied him with her hands on her hips. “Since when do you care about checking on the animals? What have you been up to?”
“Alright, you’ve got me. I went to visit Gerard Kerrell today with Battler and Bruiser.”
“Gerard Kerrell as in The Kerrell Group?”
“Yes. We were asking him about the body under the annex, his company built it.”
“What’s that got to do with Chris and Angela?”
“Nothing to do with Angela but apparently Chris was the last person to see Daniel Tebbs before he disappeared, he used to help out on the Marsh’s farm. He was also the second man to vanish. Gerard hinted not so subtlety that Chris is attracted to men.”
“Bollocks.”
“Very concisely put but I’m not so sure it is. I spilt coffee on myself on purpose to give me an excuse to take my top off and he definitely seemed interested in what I had on display.”
“Maybe he was just shocked that you started stripping off in his house?”
“No, it was definitely more than that. Forgive me if I sound arrogant but I am able to recognise when someone’s attracted to me. He invited me back later to look at the man den he’s made in his cellar while Leah rides Sophia.”
“Have you heard yourself? This is mental. Someone you don’t even know says something nasty about a friend of yours, a friend who’s been very good to you, and you believe it.”
“Because I confirmed it for myself. He’s attracted to me.”
“No way. He’s happily married to Angela, they’re crazy about each other.”
“I’m not disputing that he loves her, I’m just saying he might have other urges that she can’t satisfy. Battler confirmed that he was the last person to see Daniel Tebbs alive and his property backs onto ours. It would have been simple for him to dump a body in the foundations of the annex.”
“I don’t believe it. You’re really barking up the wrong tree.”
“I most certainly am not.”
“Are you actually going up there this evening?”
“Yes.”
Rachel’s eyes turned jet black with wrath and Ryan experienced a tingling down below.
“This is a complete waste of time. Chris is a good man and if he does fancy men, so what? It’s nothing to do with us.”
“You’re right it’s not, but wouldn’t you like to be one hundred percent certain that we don’t have a serial killer for a neighbour?”
“I…oh bloody hell Ryan, I do now.”
“Fine. Then I shall go up there and confirm it for you, to give you piece of mind.”
“I still think it’s a waste of time. Chris wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“He grew up on a farm, death is a huge part of his life. He sees it up close and personal every day.”
“Dead pigs and sheep are a lot different to dead people.”
“Are they? The majority of serial killers started out torturing animals in their youth.”
“You can quote every FBI statistic they’ve ever come up with but I still won’t believe it. I’ll come with you. I can keep Angela company.”
“No Rachel, you mustn’t do that.”
“You’re shutting me out,” she said angrily.
“No but it might inhibit Chris if he knows you’re upstairs. I want him to feel completely at ease.”
“You actually want him to hit on you?”
“Yes, purely for research purposes.” He grabbed her by the waist and pressed her back on the kitchen table. �
�In case you hadn’t forgotten, I’m all man.”
“I wonder what Jez would say about your little plan if I told him? And Mikey?”
“You’re not telling that pair,” he retorted.
“I might,” she smirked.
“Then I will be most displeased,” he said, slowly sliding her skirt up her thighs. “And I might just have to punish you.”
“You’re already punishing me with that beard.”
“Bad girl,” he said before flipping her onto her front and delivering three sharp slaps to her backside.
“Ow,” she cried. “Do it again.”
He obliged and she released another squeal of delight. Ryan turned her back over and kissed her hard, Rachel moaning loudly as he pulled down her panties and pressed his fingers against her. She was so hot and wet he growled into her mouth. His plan to discover more about Chris Marsh had engendered in him the desperate need to prove his masculinity. He threw her legs over his shoulders then entered her hard, delighting in the way her entire body reacted, the way her cheeks burned red and her eyes rolled over black.
She pulled the ugly t-shirt off over his head and let it drop to the floor without Ryan missing a single stroke.
When Rachel cried out his name and came hard he felt his masculinity had been very firmly reasserted.
“The beard can’t be that bad,” he said, tenderly kissing her mouth, noting how red the surrounding skin had gone from the friction from his facial hair.
“You could have a full Grizzly Adams beard and you’d still make me come,” she smiled up at him.
“I’ll remember you said that.” All the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he got the feeling they were being watched. His head snapped round to the window, but their big back garden was empty.
“What is it?” she said.
“Nothing. I just got the feeling someone was watching us,” he replied, pushing himself upright and fastening his jeans.
Rachel adjusted her clothing and got up to peer out of the window. “I can’t see anyone. It’s this body under the annex thing getting to you.”
“Perhaps,” he said doubtfully, frowning out of the window.
Hunted Page 7