Stood there leaning against the wall with his arms folded was Keith with red tear stained eyes. Placing her hands up to her face to hide the various emotions now consuming her, Rachel burst out crying at the realisation of what situation she now found herself in. With her face all creased as she tried to fight back the tears, she exposed her face but whatever she wanted to say refused to come out. Either that or there was nothing for her to say and if there was there was no need. No words could explain to Keith what he had just seen and why it had happened. Again Rachel tried but this time Keith leapt from where he was and grabbed her around the throat forcing her to the ground.
“Please Rachel don’t make me do something I will regret. What can you possibly say that can explain this?”
Rachel’s eyes were filled with fear as Keith strengthened his grip on her. She tried pushing his arm from her but he was too strong, his body filled with tension and anger.
“At least say something for fucks sake” shouted Keith as the anger started to erupt.
“I…I.. don’t know….. what to say” snivelled Rachel making Keith even more mad.
He put more pressure around her neck until he could see she was struggling for air. Reaching for the remote control he turned the volume right up so the noise of adulterated sex filled the room then raised the remote above her head as though to hit her with it. For a moment both of them were still as statues as the room resounded with the noise of moaning, screaming and the frantic breathing of sexual intercourse nearing its climax.
“You know what. I’m not like you. I would never do anything to hurt you. You’re different to me in fact I’m sure you don’t give a shit”
At that Keith threw the remote at the television with such force it caused the screen to explode, covering the lounge in glass.
“Fuck it” Keith said calmly as he stood up and disappeared upstairs.
Banging and crashing could be heard in the bedroom as Rachel picked herself up off the floor and sat on the edge of the sofa holding her neck as well as bawling into her hands. After a few minutes Keith re-appeared with a holdall type bag rammed full of clothes.
“Are you leaving me?” cried Rachel looking at the bag.
Keith shook his head in disbelief.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me. You’re leaving, here is your stuff”
“You can’t be serious where am I going to go”
“I don’t give a shit and to be honest I haven’t asked you one question about who he is and why you did it so give me the decency to leave quietly and don’t push your luck………go back to Mr pornstar or daddy”
Keith opened the front door and threw the bag out onto the driveway and held the door open and waited for Rachel to walk through it. She could hardly control herself as she walked towards her bag and looked at it, daring not to pick it up.
“My dad is going to go……..”
Before she could finish the door had slammed in her face and both worlds she had played with in such a cunning way had been swept form under her feet. There was nothing left but for Rachel to contact her dad which is something she could barely do anyway let alone when she really needed his help. Whilst she walked to the end of the street she rung for a taxi to take her to her fathers, Malcolm Stewart. She had decided it would be better to just turn up than to let him know she was coming. As soon as that call ended she called Sarah’s house number then her mobile number but there was no answer.
The empty feeling of her mind sucking the energy out of her had her walking in a daze towards where the taxi was picking her up. She found it impossible to figure out how she should be feeling right now. The fact she had done something wrong and hurt someone she perhaps still loved battled
with the feeling of knowing that at this moment in time she had nothing. The worst thing was it had not been took from her but had been thrown away.
The taxi pulled up and Rachel climbed inside.
“Where do you want to go love?” asked the driver.
Rachel paused for a second then her eyes filled with enthusiasm.
“You know the doctors surgery in town, the one on the Ross road could you drop me there please?”
As the taxi pulled away Rachel went through the contacts on her phone and found Dr Pete Carr’s number. Without hesitation she pressed the call button and prepared herself with what to say. It was silent until a voice spoke prompting Rachel to respond.
“Hello Pete”
“WE ARE SORRY THIS NUMBER IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE”
“Shit!” was her only response.
It had crossed her mind to not go to the surgery but then she realised it was the only place she could see him or leave a message for him. As she paid the driver she nervously glanced towards where Pete Carr’s surgery window was, hoping perhaps to see signs of him being in there. Maybe there could be one last chance for them both to start again. Maybe last night had been a mistake and just a misunderstanding. These thoughts made Rachel more confident and ready to deal with the situation, forcing her to nod as her self-esteem started to grow once more. She was sure if her and Pete gave it another shot they could make it work.
“Yes, oh hello Rachel how can I help?” asked the receptionist as Rachel approached.
“I would like to see Dr Carr please Maggie”
“He is not here I’m afraid”
“When will he be back?”
“No I mean he is no longer here. His last surgery was yesterday”
“What! I don’t understand what do you mean he left?”
“To be honest it was a bit of a shock to us all. He gave no notice just packed a box and left. He’s starting his own practice in Scotland somewhere. Are you ok Rachel you look pale?”
Rachel couldn’t answer because she knew as soon as she opened her mouth to speak it would not be words but moans of anguish. A forced smile was all the receptionist received from her as she turned and left as quick as possible. Reaching the sanctuary of the car park she could keep it in no longer and bawled out loud, collapsing behind the wheelie bins in a hysterical mess. Clasping her mouth with her hand did nothing to stifle the cries of anguish as the realisation of how her life had changed beyond recognition within twenty four hours. The lives of the people who she had taken for granted were no longer there for her and the desperate figure looked forlorn, despondency her only friend.
Chapter 18
Connor sipped his coffee and started out of the window onto the road below. The few belongings he had here were packed away as this would be his last day in this town. He would be able to move on and perhaps start the life he wished for. As he picked up the house keys off the table the buzzer rang to tell him that someone was downstairs and ringing his flat number.
“Hello!”
“Hi Connor its Isobel, can I come up?”
Connor paused for a second as he glanced around the empty looking house”
“Hi Isobel yes come on up”
Connor unlocked the door then left it ajar as he placed his passport back in his jacket pocket that was hung on the back of the door, out of sight.
“Hello!”
“Yes come in Isobel”
Connor could see straight away that she had not had much sleep which was understandable. Even then she still looked nice in jeans and a casual sweater, her hair neat but slightly dishevelled as she glanced around the room at the various boxes.
“Would you like a coffee or a cup of tea?” asked Connor as he watched Isobel nervously walk around the room with her arms folded looking like she was desperate to tell Connor something.
“Oh erm coffee please Connor. Listen have you heard about Hugh and Sarah. The police are at their house, they found Paul this morning”
Connor showed no reaction or emotion and just carried on making the coffee.
“I won’t say anything Connor you know that don’t you”
Connor brought the 2 mugs of coffee to the table and sat down smiling at Isobel then set out to put her mind at ease.
/> “Listen Isobel, you witnessed what happened last night and you have every right to go to the police and tell them everything. I won’t stop you”
“Oh no Connor I won’t say anything because at the end of the day I was there with you so I suppose I would also be subject to whatever punishment they gave out”
Connor smiled, held up his hand and stopped Isobel before she went any further.
“Right well if it makes you feel any better I know they won’t come knocking at this door because by now they should already have a suspect and believe me there is too much evidence against that
person for the police to even consider anyone else for the crime. So please Isobel don’t worry. Let’s say for arguments sake your conscience got the better of you and you went and told them I did it, I doubt they would still believe you. Don’t ask why, just trust me”
Isobel nodded, sipped her coffee and watched Connor intently as he sipped his and stared out of the window.
“I have a favour to ask of you though Isobel”
“What is it?”
“I have to leave for London in a while so could you collect something for me from the hospital”
“Yes I can that’s no problem, what is it? Is it anything personal because if it is they won’t give it me will they?”
“Yes normally that would true but this time it will be ok. I have told them you are coming”
Isobel smiled and nodded because it meant she would at least see Connor again very soon and maybe she could tell him what she didn’t have chance to tell him last night. Last night’s events had not put her off in the slightest, if anything it had made her more determined. The only thing she had to deal with was that Connor was a murderer, even if in her eyes it was to protect her. This thought though couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The police station was pretty quiet as Mr Philip Newton stood waiting for someone to appear at the desk with his family’s lawyer. The anger could be seen building in his face as one of the officers appeared and told him someone would be with him in a moment. This wasn’t good enough for a man who waited for no one and he let rip on the officer to the point of having to be restrained by his lawyer. The officer reminded him in no uncertain terms that if he carried on this behaviour he would be removed and possibly be arrested.
“Bastards!” growled Newton as he waited a further ten minutes before anyone came.
When the ten minutes were up a guy dressed in a suit appeared and apologised for the delay then ushered both Newton and his lawyer into an interview room much to the disgust of the old man.
“Do we really have to talk in here?” Newton sighed.
“Do I have to remind you that we are not here for questioning?” said Newton’s lawyer.
“Yes we are here to make sure my son doesn’t get accused of something he did not do” said Newton confidently.
“Firstly you are not here for questioning sir it is just that there is not another room available so I apologise for that. Secondly even though your son Hugh Newton has been brought here to assist us in our enquiries in the company of his personal lawyer he has not been charged with any crime and I am sure as the evidence is gathered we will all get a clearer picture of what happened last night”
“Well you better make sure you catch the bastard who did this and set up my son because if you
don’t I will”
The plain clothed officer stared at Newton and studied him.
“Well let’s hope it doesn’t come to that” said the officer as he stood up and told them he would be back in ten minutes.
As his lawyer tried to advise him on what he should and shouldn’t say Newton’s phone rang. It was Sarah, Hugh’s husband desperate to know what was happening and whether her husband had been arrested.
“Look Sarah I am doing everything in my power. If it does not work out with these idiots I will go straight to the top. I am friends with one of the commissioners so it may take some time but I will sort this out. Listen to me, pull yourself together and don’t let Ava see you cry, I have to go now”
The plain clothed officer walked back into the room with a piece of paper in his hand and sat back opposite them both again. Newton sat back in his chair with the demeanour of a man who was about to be told his son had no involvement in the murder and whose smile was almost disguising his cocky arrogance.
“Firstly Mr Newton I would like it to be known to you that I know you are friends with the commissioner so we will do everything we can to keep you informed of the progress being made in this case”
“Well at least we are getting somewhere” mumbled Newton.
“At the moment sir your son is under caution………”
“This is preposterous” Newton shouted.
“Sir you are not helping your son by remonstrating like this” said the officer calmly.
“Ok so why is he being cautioned when he had nothing to do with this”
“So far the evidence suggests otherwise sir so until we can discount him from our enquiries he will remain a suspect”
“Can I see my son?”
“Yes but not right now, he is still in questioning. Maybe in about an hour sir” said the officer checking his watch.
“Ridiculous absolutely ridiculous” Newton shouted at his lawyer as he stood up, left the room then headed for his Bentley that was parked in the car park at the rear. Disappearing inside it, he could be seen with his phone to his ear ranting and raving. The second call had him changing his demeanour to a more friendly approach, sometimes he even looked like he was pleading. After about two hours he emerged looking more determined than the last time and entered the station with the same arrogance. Someone new had taken over on the desk and was just about to be a victim of Newton’s anger when the same guy in the suit who had dealt with him earlier appeared and guided Newton
through to the same room as before. There in front of him was his son sat next to his lawyer, both of them looking defeated.
“So what’s happening, when are they going to release you?” said Newton still standing.
He could tell by the look in his sons’ eyes that things were not looking so good. It took a while for Hugh to say something and when he did he could hardly speak, his throat sounded tight and at breaking point.
“They think I killed Paul. They have explained the evidence to me and……and it does look like I did it”
“So have they charged you?” said his father, not even interested if he actually did it or not.
“No not yet. They have a few more pieces of evidence to check as well as the post mortem to do. What the fuck am I going to do?”
“Do you have any enemies Hugh?” asked detective Mills.
“Look young man we’re the Newton family. Money attracts unwanted attention so if you’re asking do we have any enemies. Yes of course we do and I pay my tax so you can do your job and catch them”
After Newton had finished detective Mills pulled a piece of paper out of a file and remained silent as though he was reading what was printed on the page.
“How is the business doing these days anyway Mr Newton?”
“What type of bloody question is that and how is it going to catch the killer. May I remind you young man I am not under questioning so mind your own bloody business and find the bastard who is trying to set up my son”
Mills stood up and spoke to the other officer on the door. He then turned to the Newton’s.
“We will give you some space” Said Mills as they both left and shut the door behind them.
“We should be careful what we say because they are probably listening” said Hugh looking around the room.
“Jesus Hugh I think you have been watching too much TV” said his lawyer as his father looked on with disdain.
“So tell me Hugh how the hell has this happened? Why do they think you killed Paul?” asked his father.
“Well when I eventually woke up this morning, about ten I think it was, I went downstairs to make coffe
e. Sarah and Ava were still in bed thank god so the plan was to pull the Aston Martin onto the drive and clean her. Whilst the coffee machine was doing its thing I went into the garage to open the door and get her out…………..that’s when I saw him lying there. The thing is from about 11 o’clock onwards everything is a drunken haze because the house was full of people partying and mingling”
“Oh I know Hugh. I turned up around ten thirty and when no one answered the door bell and I heard the racket inside I turned around and left”
“You came around last night?” asked Hugh sounding shocked.
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