‘Sure, go ahead, Marie.’
‘We ran the swabs you sent through the database this morning. There appears to be some kind of anomaly. The sample you sent matches that of a John Whitworth. His file lists him as recently deceased.’
‘What? You’re kidding. Whitworth died last week while in police custody. How can his saliva be on the cheek of our victim?’
‘I’d say it’s highly likely that the samples have been mixed up. We tested both swabs just to be certain. Sorry, Detective. I’ve sent you the detailed report. If you have any questions, give me a ring.’
He heard the receiver click down in his ear. What the hell? The shit’s gonna hit the fan here. How the hell could the samples have been mixed up?
Putting the receiver back in its cradle, he got to his feet. It was time to speak to Kevin and find out how the hell this could have happened.
CSI Department, Sunderland City Centre Depot
‘I’m telling you, Ali, there is no way those samples could have been mixed up, and frankly, I resent the implication that my staff would make a mistake like that.’ Kevin’s voice was calm as he reacted to the news.
‘There isn’t another explanation, Kev. Obviously, Whitworth didn’t kill Clarice – he was already dead at the time of the murder. The samples are stored in the same freezer downstairs in the hold. The only explanation is that they were mixed up.’ Ali glared at Kev, obviously frustrated.
‘Ali, my staff aren’t stupid. They deal with this stuff all the time. If you truly believe the samples were mixed up, then let me take you downstairs and show you the swabs taken from Whitworth when he was booked through custody. If this isn’t another bloody obvious reason why cops should store their own samples, I don’t know what is.’ Kevin walked out of his office and strode purposefully down the stairs.
He’d been campaigning for years to have the freezers in the hold solely for the use of the CSIs and not the cops. The CSIs monitored it and booked the samples in and out, but it created extra work and took time. He’d gone right up the chain to the chief who now had it under advisement. The sooner the better as far as he was concerned.
They reached the hold and Kevin unlocked the door with the keys only the CSIs had. Keeping the keys in-house helped prevent issues arising with people not knowing the procedure. Inside the hold were numerous freezers, all labelled with a month. The samples were held either until needed or for the period of one year when they were moved to the central store at HQ. He pulled out the file and checked the entry log.
Going to the freezer for this year, he pulled open the door, opened the drawer labelled June, and pulled a large box from shelf two. It took him a minute to go through the samples, but he found what he was looking for. With a triumphant smile, he waved the sample at Ali.
‘This is the sample taken by custody when Whitworth was arrested. All swabs are present and correct and labelled appropriately. The sample sent to the lab was definitely taken from Clarice’s cheek.’
Silence reigned as he placed the swabs back in the box and put the box back on the shelf. Closing the door, he turned to face Ali, his head cocked to one side thoughtfully.
‘Did the lab tech give you any other ideas how it could be the same ident?’
Ali shook his head slowly. ‘No, of course she didn’t. Just said to ring her if I had any questions on her report. She sounded stressed to death to be honest.’
‘Yeah, I think we can all relate to that. Have you checked Whitworth’s family history?’
‘He grew up in foster care from the age of four. He was pushed from pillar to post. Married his wife Eve in his early twenties, and they had their son Matthew a few years later. Why?’
‘Is it possible he could have an identical twin? Identical twins have the same DNA sequence. It’s the only other explanation I can think of to explain how the same DNA could have been found.’
‘A twin? I suppose that could be possible, though, surely both kids would have ended up in foster care. I need to go have this looked into properly. I’ll speak to you later, Kev. Oh, and I’m sorry for sounding so bull-headed. It bugs me when stuff like this happens, but I shouldn’t have been throwing it around accusing your staff. Thanks for helping clear it up.’
Ali left the hold and headed back up the stairs to the MIT office. He had research to do.
Tunstall, Sunderland City Centre
Stan watched as Ben filled the screen in front of him. She’d just got out of the shower and was drying herself with an oversized peach towel. Her daughter was sitting on the bed chatting as she played with a teddy. The child’s hair was damp, and she was dressed in her pyjamas. He assumed she’d just got out of the bath before Ben had jumped in.
Maybe he wouldn’t kill the child. He could take her with him, raise her and train her to be the subservient woman he knew he deserved. She was young yet, but she could learn.
He felt his tongue dip out and moisten his lips with a quick swipe as Ben undid the towel and moved it side to side across her back. When the towel fell to the floor, it was like a bolt of lightning shot through him. He was instantly hard, painfully so in fact. Ben stood with her back facing the camera. He knew if she’d been facing him, showing him his marks on her breasts, then he would’ve lost all control.
She leant across the bed and grabbed her pyjamas off the pillow. Within seconds her ivory skin was hidden behind the folds of the thin cotton night clothes. He sighed to himself. Next time. Next time, he would get to see his handiwork again. From the bug he’d planted in the living room, he heard the older woman call the two down, listened as she said she’d made cocoa with marshmallows. His mother had never made him cocoa with marshmallows. He didn’t even remember ever having drunk it.
Suddenly a male voice sounded through the speaker, pulling his attention back to the present.
‘Sorry if I’m intruding, I just wanted to check on Ben.’
‘That’s fine, Jacob. I’ve just made cocoa. I’ll go pour you a cup. Ben and Grace will be down soon.’
He felt anger burn deep inside his stomach. Who the fuck is that? There was no man living there! I checked, damn it! He sat up straighter and pulled his chair closer to the speaker system. He wouldn’t miss a word of this conversation.
O’Byrne Residence, Sunderland
‘Come on, pumpkin. Head into the living room to see Aunty Aoife. I heard her say she might have made cocoa.’ Ben’s voice was playful out in the hall as she pushed open the living room door. Not expecting to see Jacob, she jumped when she noticed him.
‘Jacob, erm…hi.’ She tugged at the vest top she had on self-consciously. Damn I knew I should’ve put a dressing gown on. He must think I’m some kind of freak. In my PJs before 7 p.m.
He hid a grin, blatantly watching as she tugged at her top. ‘Just wanted to check you were OK. Jason said you were back to work today.’ At Ben’s puzzled look, he added, ‘I was at Clarice’s house with him, dismantling the computer. He mentioned it. It’s a shame, I knew the kid from college. Briefly anyway. She seemed nice.’
Ben nodded silently, remembering Clarice herself as the bustling girl rushing down to Jacob and going gooey eyed at the podium. She sat down in the armchair in the corner, curled her legs up underneath her, and reached for the cushion, hugging it to her chest. Grace on the other hand, was not quite so reserved. She clambered up on the couch beside Jacob, and happily threw her arms around his neck, pulling herself into him.
‘Have you come to read me a story?’
Jacob grinned and tapped her on the nose with his finger. ‘That depends on whether Mammy says it’s OK. If you’ve been a good girl, maybe Mammy will also let me give you the pressie I have in my pocket.’
‘You got me a present? Mammy, I’ve been a good girl, haven’t I? Can I please have my present?’ Grace clambered off the couch and stood in front of Jacob, looking at Ben with hope.
She couldn’t have said no if she’d tried and nodded. ‘You’ve been very good. Tell Jacob about the award you got at s
chool today, and then he can give you the present.’
‘I got an ’ward for reading. I stood up in class and read a whole story all by myself. Aunty Aoife and mammy helped me learn the big words.’
‘Wow, that’s fantastic. Well done, sweetpea. I suppose I’ll have to give you your present then. Here you go.’
Jacob reached behind his back and pulled out an elephant soft toy. ‘Elephants never forget anything. You can tell your elephant anything and he’ll always remember what you said.’
Grace took hold of the toy gently, smiling at Jacob widely. ‘Thank you. Do you want to pick a name for him?’
Jacob didn’t have time to consider the vice-like feeling round his heart. The feeling that any walls he’d built up were coming tumbling down with a few sentences from the innocent mouth of a child. He swallowed the lump in his throat and answered, ‘How about Ernest?’
A flash of pain passed through his eyes, but Grace didn’t notice. She nodded happily. ‘I’m gonna go show Aunty Aoife my new el’phant.’ She whirled away from Jacob and out into the hall, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Ben had noticed the pain though, the same as she picked up on his contemplative silence. ‘Who was Ernest?’
Taking a breath, Jacob replied, ‘Ernest was actually a lad in my old regiment. His real name was Stephen Watson. He got the nickname from constantly having his head in a book. His favourite was A Farewell to Arms.’
‘By Ernest Hemingway,’ interrupted Ben with a grin.
‘Yeah. He loved the classics, Hemingway, Verne, and all the rest. He must’ve spent half his wages every month on buying books. Ernest just kinda stuck.’
‘What happened?’
‘He was with my team when the IED went off. He didn’t make it.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Ben simply. When the silence stretched, she added, ‘Thanks for getting Grace the elephant. She loves cuddly toys.’
‘I guessed. When I came up the other night, I noticed them all around her room. I saw the elephant today and thought she would like it.’
The door pushed open and Grace leaned against it, keeping it open while Aoife entered with a tray of steaming mugs of chocolate with pink and white marshmallows melting on the top.
Tunstall, Sunderland City Centre
‘Jacob.’ Stan spat the word from his mouth. Who the hell did he think he was, coming in and staking a claim on his woman? Sitting there in the living room, flirting and chatting as if Stan didn’t even exist.
Plainly the lessons he’d taught Bree hadn’t worked. She was definitely in need of further tutoring.
But first, though, he would find out more about this Jacob, and take care of business. A man took care of his own problems. Another snippet of truth from his pain-in-the-arse father.
He wished he’d placed a camera in the living room now, wanted to be able to see them sitting closely next to each other on the couch, canoodling as they chatted. He wanted to see them so he could then swipe them both from the face of the earth. He’d kill Jacob first, making Bree watch. Then he’d kill her slowly, telling her over and over that her daughter would be his next student.
Bree would die knowing he had Grace, and that he was raising her to be a proper young lady.
The anger was so strong; it felt like the worst case of acid indigestion ever, burning his insides and creating a red hue around his field of vision. Damn it, I need to see them together. Who the hell does he think he is? She’s mine!
Grabbing his coat, he headed for the door.
O’Byrne Residence, Sunderland
Jacob didn’t want to leave. But it was late, and he’d been watching Ben struggle not to fall asleep for the last twenty minutes, her eyes closing slowly then opening as she fought to stay awake. She’d moved over to the couch when Aoife had taken Grace up to bed, not wanting Jacob to feel like he was sitting ten miles from her. It had been uncomfortable at first, for both of them. Neither was used to having someone else in proximity. As the movie progressed though, the tension had eased, and now Ben’s head rested on his shoulder as the film came to a close. Jacob’s arm curled around her waist, his fingers resting lightly on the curve of her hip.
He heard her sigh softly against his shoulder and snuggle in a millimetre more. Breathing in he smelled the scent of her shampoo, apples with a hint of mint. It smelled clean, fresh, and he inhaled again, aware that if she was awake, she might think he was some kind of freak. He really didn’t want to move.
Would it be so bad to stay?
He argued with himself, torn between leaving, which would wake her up, and staying still, which is what his heart wanted to do.
Ben’s hand dropped from his arm to the top of his leg, and he was lost. Gently, he manoeuvred them both so that he could lift his feet on to the footstool at the edge of the sofa, pulled the tattered blanket off the back of the couch and placed it around Ben’s shoulders, and rested his head on the pillow. Tomorrow, he could argue with his head, tonight his heart had won.
He would stay.
Within seconds, his eyes closed of their own accord and he fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Twenty-seven
O’Byrne Residence, Sunderland – 18 June
Stan stood outside the window looking in. They hadn’t even had the decency to close the curtains, laying there together for the world to see. Well, OK, not exactly the world. It was a detached house after all with large fencing surrounding it. But it was the principle. She was his, and Jacob had no right trying to stake a claim.
He stood watching them sleep for some time, so long that his feet actually went a little numb from standing. The weather had been fair when he’d arrived, but as time passed clouds rolled in covering the faint light from the stars, and he felt the first droplets start to fall.
It was time to leave.
Not caring if anyone saw now, he strode back round to the front of the house and paused as he saw the cars on the driveway. He didn’t know whose was whose, and frankly he didn’t care. He pulled the knife from his pocket and pressed the button, ejecting the sharpened blade, and methodically sliced into all four tyres on each car. See how you both like that. You’ll both learn.
Walking round the cars had shown him which was Ben’s: it was the one with the child’s seat in the back. Deciding to make his point even more obvious, he etched the words ‘I’ve been watching you’ into the bonnet. He needed to remind her of her lessons, show her that he was disappointed she hadn’t learned.
Appeased now, if only momentarily, he left the driveway, got back into his car, and drove off.
Chapter Twenty-eight
O’Byrne Residence, Sunderland
Ben didn’t want to wake up. She was warm, and comfortable and sleep was calling her back. Suddenly she heard the soft sound of breathing coming from beneath her and her eyes flung open. Her mouth dropped into a soft ‘o’ shape as she realised it was Jacob.
He looked so peaceful, his breathing deep and regulated, his face completely untroubled. She found herself drawn, and unable to stop herself, she gently traced his face with the tip of her finger.
Jacob was awake in an instant, his senses kicking into overdrive and making him sit up, disorientated. The movement jolted Ben off the couch and she landed on the carpet with a loud ‘Oomph!’
‘Shit, sorry. Are you OK?’ Jacob grabbed his leg and swung it over the edge so that he was sitting up and leant down. ‘Ben, are you OK? I’m sorry, I was startled.’
He watched as her shoulders started shaking. ‘Ben, please don’t cry, I said I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—’ Ben looked up, interrupting him, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
‘I’ve never seen anyone move so fast! I didn’t even notice you were awake ’til I ended up on my arse.’ A giggle escaped, and before she knew it, she couldn’t stop. Tears sprung into her eyes, and Jacob couldn’t help but smile back. Her laughter was infectious, and within seconds they were both giggling hysterically.
Eventually, the giggling eased to smiles
.
‘I’ll go make some coffee,’ said Ben, kneeling in front of him, intending to use the edge of the couch to pull herself up. But something made her pause. Jacob’s mirth had eased, and his eyes were full of something else. Something she hadn’t seen for a long time. It took her a moment to recognise it as desire.
She felt like a deer caught in the headlights again, half wanting to move but mesmerised. She didn’t register him moving closer, not until she felt his breath softly touching her lips. Shit, he’s gonna kiss me. What do I do? ‘Kiss him back,’ the voice in her head said. ‘You know you want to.’
His lips were soft as they touched hers, and she wasn’t prepared for the bolt of lightning that flew between them. He deepened the kiss a little, his hands gentle on the back of her head. Ben couldn’t have pulled back if she wanted to. Her arms snaked up his back, her fingers caressing him, and he groaned into her mouth. Pulling back, he stared at her, almost as if he needed confirmation that it was all right to kiss her. She leaned forward and kissed him, tentatively, her movements a little shy.
Suddenly the door opened, and they jerked apart, looking guilty.
Grace wandered inside, rubbing her eyes.
‘Mammy, is it time to get up now?’
Ben glanced at Jacob, a little pleased that he looked as flustered as she felt and got to her feet. Picking Grace up, she hugged her daughter tightly. ‘It’s a little early, pumpkin, but that’s no problem. Shall we go and see what we have in for breakfast? Maybe Jacob would like to join us in the kitchen, too?’
He nodded silently, watching as Grace laid her head on Ben’s shoulder in contentment. He pulled himself up from the couch and for the first time in years, his leg didn’t seize up. Stretching, he took hold of his cane and followed the pair through the doors.
The breakfast passed with ease, Grace not even thinking to question why Jacob was still there. When Aoife had entered the kitchen, she’d shown mild surprise, but it was disguised by a knowing smirk. The two were as awkward around each other as a wolf meeting a bear in the woods. But beneath the surface there was a comfort that they didn’t even realise was there. They’d survived their first night together. It was a huge step. Aoife was pleased. She patted Ben on the back as she took her coffee and sat down next to Jacob.
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