The Secrets of the Shadows (The Annie Graham series - Book 2)

by Helen Phifer

  Will found himself instinctively looking down at the man’s boots and then snapped his head back up. ‘Not so good. What size feet are you? I’ve got some boots at home that I’ve only worn a couple of times, you can have them if they’ll fit.’

  ‘I don’t think my feet will fit in your boots Will, I’m a 13.’

  ‘No these are 11s but they are massive so would probably fit someone who’s a size 12. Do you know anyone who they might fit? I’m having a clear out and it would be a shame to let them sit there.’

  Kav shrugged. ‘Jake probably, one of the bigger men. Do you want me to ask around?’

  ‘No it’s okay, I’ll stick a notice on the board, cheers Kav.’

  Will walked out of the station relieved it wasn’t Kav, that would have tipped him over the edge. He hadn’t thought about that, it would be one of the bigger guys so that was another thing they could use to cross-reference when they had their list. He couldn’t wait to get home and work through what they had and hopefully find the murdering bastard and bring him in before Laura’s funeral.

  Chapter 30

  Annie knocked at the presbytery door quite a bit louder than she had meant to but it was a big house and she wanted to make sure if Father John was in there he would hear her. She waited and was rewarded by hearing footsteps on the other side. She hoped it would be John and then smiled to see him standing on the other side of the now open door. ‘Hi, how are you?’

  He stepped to one side to let her in. ‘I’ve been better. My sister arrived late last night so one of your kind officers drove me back to meet her. She’s been in a bit of a state so I had to phone the doctor; he’s not long been and gave her some sleeping tablets, they knocked her right out. I wish there was something that I could take to block this whole nightmare out.’

  ‘I’m so sorry John, I really am. I hate to bother you but I was wondering if there is any way to find out who the parish priest was in 1984. Would you know where they keep the records, it’s really important.’

  ‘I don’t know about the records but I can answer that question because I do know exactly who it was. It was me, a lot younger and ever so keen. Why did you want to know that?’

  Annie was shocked and took a minute to consider her reply, what if the man standing in front of her was the killer? But then her relatively new sixth sense told her that he was a good guy and it wasn’t him. She hoped that she was right and wasn’t walking straight into the arms of another madman. ‘Well this is really hard to explain but I believe it to be true, do you believe in ghosts?’

  It was John’s turn to pause for a second and Annie felt a bit awkward, wondering if she had just asked him the ultimate no-no in questions that you should never ask a priest. He studied her face and then slowly nodded his head. Taking her by the elbow he gently led her through to the kitchen and shut the door behind them.

  ‘What I am about to tell you is between you and me, is that okay. I can’t bring the church into any disrepute and I don’t want it to become public knowledge do you understand?’

  Annie, lost for words, nodded.

  He took a deep breath. ‘I do believe in ghosts and when I was a lot younger, and by that I mean thirteen, I kept seeing one which scared the living daylights out of me. It was the main reason I turned to God. I believed that if something like that existed then so must the Almighty. But why do you ask and what has it got to do with 1984?’

  She wasn’t sure just how much she should disclose to him about herself but then decided that honesty was the best policy, lying was too complicated. ‘I had an accident last year where I sustained a serious head injury and ever since then I have occasionally been able to see ghosts. At first I thought I was having hallucinations, but then some really strange things began happening to me and I met a medium who told me that I had developed a sixth sense. Apparently some people do after such injuries.’ She waited for John to laugh but he didn’t, he just nodded his head for her to continue. ‘I have been seeing a little girl but at the same time I have also seen a man, well he is more of a shadow of a man but he smells really bad.’

  The colour drained from John’s face and he looked as if he was going to be sick all over the table. He dropped down onto one of the pine chairs. ‘Do you know what this little girl is called? Is it Sophie?’

  ‘Yes, she told me that her name was Sophie Woods, she also told me that she doesn’t want her brother to keep on killing. But the shadow man does and he won’t let Sophie go to the light, he keeps her with him in the dark.’

  Annie didn’t think she had ever seen a person who was still alive look the colour that John was right now, his face was ashen.

  ‘I haven’t thought about little Sophie Wood for a long, long time. Do you think it’s her brother that is killing these women, who killed Ryan? Oh dear Lord, he thinks it’s my fault, he’s blaming me for what happened back in June in 1984. I swear to God it wasn’t my fault, I only wanted to help. I almost gave up my priesthood for Sophie’s mum Beth and those children but it all went terribly wrong and now Sean has come back for his revenge.’ John crossed himself and began relating the tale of what happened all those years ago. When he finished he began reciting a prayer.

  Annie took out her phone and rang Will. ‘Don’t ask the details but I have a name for the killer, at least I’m ninety nine percent sure he’s the killer.’

  ‘What’s his name Annie? I’m at home with Grace, she has come up with a profile and it’s not good news. It all points to the killer being a copper.’

  Annie made a sound in the back of her throat that sounded like a squeal. ‘The name I have is Sean Wood; his sister was called Sophie Wood and she died back in 1984 when Father John Trelmain tried to help the family and I think because of this he has one massive grudge against John. Will there’s a response officer called Sean but I’m sure his second name is Black.’

  ‘Thanks Annie, I’ll look into that now and get some background checks done. For the time being we need to keep John safe, Grace said that he was the link and once Sean realises that we’re onto him he might want to go out in a blaze of glory. Is there anywhere you can take him and keep the both of you out of the way until we find him? I don’t want to involve you but I don’t have many people I can trust at this end.’

  ‘I can’t take him anywhere Will, Ryan’s mum is here and she’s out for the count, the doctor had to sedate her. Will it’s not Jake, whoever this Sean is was orphaned at an early age and according to John put into foster care in Manchester or somewhere near to there.’

  ‘Thank you and tell John thanks, we should be able to narrow it down within the hour and not days. I’ll ask Jake to come up and stay with you both. I’m really sorry Annie I’ve managed to drag you into something dangerous all over again. Secure the building and you know the drill, don’t let anyone and I mean absolutely no-one in except for Jake.’

  Annie felt sick from her stomach to the bottom of her feet. ‘I won’t. Will please be careful.’

  Chapter 31

  Sean was on his rest days, no work for three days, and he’d taken up his usual position outside the hairdressers to watch her. He liked her more than he’d liked the other two. From the salon’s Facebook page he knew that she was called Sophie, which was quite fitting. He watched her come out to get her lunch, this time he stayed where he was. When she came back he was going to go in and ask for an appointment with her. He knew that there was no CCTV cameras in the shop because there had been an attempted break-in a month ago and he had dealt with it. As she came back around the corner he got out of the car and headed towards the salon, not giving her a second glance but walking so he got to the front door of the shop at the same time that she did. He knocked her slightly and looked up, ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t notice you there.’

  She smiled, ‘It’s okay.’

  He opened the door and walked in, holding it open for her, and she gave him a smile which almost melted his heart. He grinned back and headed for the small counter where another girl was on
the telephone. Sophie disappeared into the small staff room at the back but came out almost immediately. ‘Can I help you?’

  ‘Sorry to be a complete pain, I’m just after a bit of a tidy up. Is there any chance someone could run the clippers over my head. I can’t do it myself; I always manage to cut myself.’

  ‘I can do it now for you, if you want?’

  ‘I don’t want to ruin your lunch break, I can wait until you finish.’

  ‘No it’s fine, it’s only a chicken salad baguette, very boring and I’m not that desperate.’ She led him over to her workstation in the window and he sat down. As she tied the gown around his neck he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. She smiled at him in the mirror, ‘Did someone just walk over your grave?’

  He laughed, ‘I hope not.’

  ‘Number two all over?’

  He nodded and marvelled at how light fingered she was and so gentle. It was all over too fast and as she began to brush the hairs off he couldn’t resist. ‘I know this is a bit cheeky but I was wondering if you fancied a drink when you finish work. It’s my day off and I’m fed up of spending it on my own.’

  Sophie blushed and let out a small laugh, ‘I’m not sure, I mean I want to but I’m supposed to be working late tonight. It’s my turn to clean the salon so I won’t be finished until seven’

  ‘Seven is great by me, do you want me to pick you up or I could meet you at The Railway.’

  ‘If you don’t mind I’ll meet you there, thank you.’

  Sean offered her his hand, ‘I’m Sean; you don’t remember me out of my uniform do you?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘I’m the police officer who came a few weeks ago when someone tried to break in.’

  He saw her visibly relax, all the stress of accepting a date with a total stranger had been taken off her shoulders. Everyone knows the police are the good guys.

  ‘I thought you looked familiar but I couldn’t place you. If it starts to rain will you pick me up from here? Now it’s my turn to be cheeky but I’d hate my hair to get wet.’ She winked at him and they both laughed, he pulled out his wallet and she pushed him away. ‘On the house, that was the quickest haircut and to be honest the best chat up I’ve ever had. I’ll see you at seven.’

  Sean said goodbye and walked out of the door and across the road towards his truck, the excitement building inside his chest. He wanted to shout at the top of his voice how bloody wonderful he was but he didn’t. He got into his car and drove straight home, he needed to decide where this sleeping angel was going to be laid to rest. He was thinking about taking her to Father John’s doorstep, how fitting that the priest was back at the church where it all began and how kind of the local press to tell him. It had been a long time since he’d paid a visit to his mother and Sophie’s grave, as he drove home he decided that this was exactly what he was going to do and he liked it, he liked it a lot. He had taken a few risks today but it was all going to be worth it, he wanted to see the priest’s face when they were reunited and he had decided that as long as the priest suffered then he would be done with all this, his mission would be finished.

  ***

  Annie stood up and stretched. ‘I need you to show me where every window and door are, we need to make this place as safe as we can until they capture him. They are on the verge of narrowing it down but we can’t take any chances. Once Sean realises they are onto him he may just come looking for you and I promise I won’t let him hurt you. Then I want you to start at the beginning and tell me exactly what happened in 1984.’

  John led her around the house from room to room where they secured the windows and locked all the doors. In the lounge were two huge patio doors and Annie knew they were the weak point. If Sean did come here it would be through them that he would try to gain access. She double-checked they were locked and then began dragging the heavy chesterfield sofa over to put in front of them, as well as anything else she could find. By the time they had finished they were both sweating and breathing hard. ‘If he does come in this way at least it makes it awkward and we should hear him.’ She turned and checked the internal door to the room to see if it had a lock but it didn’t; only the bedrooms did. When they went back into the hall Annie dragged a chair over from the small writing desk in the corner and propped it underneath the handle. She had no idea how big or strong Sean was, if it was the Sean she sometimes worked with then yes he was tall and fit. He wasn’t married but she had no idea if he was in a relationship or not, she’d always got on with him and would find it hard to believe if it did turn out to be him; what a mess this whole thing was. One thing she did believe though was the man was on a mission and he would do anything to finish what he’d started. She didn’t say any of this to John, he was distressed enough. They finished checking every room, except the one his sister was asleep in.

  ‘I don’t want to disturb her, would you go in and check that her window is shut?’

  Annie nodded; she opened the door slowly so it didn’t squeak then tiptoed across the wooden floorboards to the open window to close it. The woman on the bed let out a small murmur but didn’t open her eyes. Annie left as quietly as she’d entered and shut the door behind her.

  ‘My friend Jake who is also a policeman is on his way from Barrow so everything will be just fine.’

  John nodded and began to walking towards the stairs. Annie felt a cold hand touch her arm and she turned to see Sophie standing behind her. The little girl lifted her finger to her lips and this time Annie understood, the girl walked into the bathroom and she followed her in.

  ‘I won’t be a minute, just need the toilet.’ Annie’s heart was racing and the room was so cold that the mirror had fogged up.

  ‘Sean is going to kill again, he already has a victim and the shadow man is coming here. He wants you Annie, he said he will take Sean’s soul as soon as he’s killed Father John but he also wants your soul because he said you were very special. John tried his best to help me but he wasn’t strong enough to win. You need to tell him that he has to fight the shadow man and banish him for good this time because he is getting stronger and won’t stop. You must tell John if he can put an end to it I will be able to go into the light and be with my mum, it’s been so long since I saw her and I’m tired of being in the dark.’

  ‘How can he stop him Sophie, what does he need to do?’

  ‘John will know, he’s always known. He was just too afraid to do it but he must this time or you’ll both die and be stuck in the shadows forever.’

  Sophie handed her the broken toy figure which Annie had put in her kitchen drawer. ‘Sean used to love the A-Team; he gave me this the day I died. Give it back to him and tell him that I want him to stop all of this.’ A faint smell of rotten cabbage entered the room and Sophie’s face turned into a mask of horror, ‘He’s near, I have to go. Tell John that I said thank you but this time he must fight his very best if he’s to save us all.’

  Annie watched as Sophie’s image faded before her, one minute she had been talking to the ghost of a dead girl and the next she was shivering in a room which had turned into a walk-in freezer. Annie felt a heavy ball of dread lodge in the base of her throat, she didn’t want to die, the shadow man could get fucked. But she also didn’t know how to stop him. Her face as white as Sophie’s she ran down the stairs to the kitchen to find John.

  He looked at her face and shook his head. ‘No, please I don’t want to know. This has got to stop.’

  Annie sat down on the chair opposite him. ‘Sophie died while you were trying to help her didn’t she?’

  He nodded his head in slow motion.

  ‘She told me to tell you thank you, but that he’s back and you have to banish him for good this time because he’s on his way here and he wants me. He’s keeping Sophie prisoner. Please John tell me you know what she is talking about because I’m just about keeping it together, I have no idea how to fight a shadow man that wants my soul. Sophie told me that you know how but that you’ve always be
en afraid to do it.’

  John buried his head in his hands and sobbed, not for himself but for Beth and Sophie and little Sean who had blamed him all these years with so much hatred that it had turned him into a cold-hearted killer. He cried for his nephew and the two women who had been killed, all because his own faith hadn’t been as strong as it should have been in 1984. He had lost the only woman he had ever fallen in love with because of his relationship with God. Annie leant over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. She let him cry until the tears dried up and there was no more left inside him, then she handed him a tissue and waited for him to blow his nose.

  ‘Right I want you to start at the beginning and then I want to know what we can do about this shadow man. I’ll help you fight him because as far as I’m concerned no more people are dying because of him, especially not me.’

  Chapter 32

  Will and Grace sat at his kitchen table, heads bent over the sheets of A4 paper he had printed out, with a bright yellow highlighter each. He had narrowed it down to three men who were all, as far as he was concerned, excellent police officers. There was Sean Black who was the obvious choice because of his first name, Smithy aka Steve Smith but he wasn’t a big man and Will doubted he would have size 12 feet, he had also been in the job as long if not longer than Will and he definitely wasn’t the brightest man in the station. There was also Joe Parker who was tall and could well have the right size feet. Joe was the one with the least number of years service and the one they knew very little about. They both agreed that it was between Sean Black and Joe Parker as they were on the same shift, Smithy’s shifts crossed over. Will’s gut instinct told him it was Sean Black but he didn’t want to make assumptions and screw it up. Joe and Sean were on their days off which gave him a little time. He rang Annie again, ‘Can you ask Father John to describe what Sean looked like, ask if him there was any distinguishing features – scars, moles, birth marks, maybe 666 behind his ear. We’ve managed to narrow it down to Sean Black and Joe Parker.’