6.0 - The Face Behind The Mask

by Helen Phifer

  ‘She’s fine, thanks; just a bit bored of being at home, I think – and doesn’t know what to do with herself.’

  ‘It must be difficult living where you live; I suppose she’s quite isolated from everything.’

  ‘Yeah, it does have its advantages, though. She can’t get into too much trouble in the middle of nowhere.’

  Adele smiled. ‘You’ve had a tough couple of years. It can’t be easy for either of you, trying to get over what’s happened.’

  ‘It’s been the best time and probably the worst time of my life. I never imagined I’d ever meet anyone who makes me feel the way I do about Annie. Yet we’ve had so much scariness to deal with at the same time that it’s unbelievable.’

  ‘Well, hopefully things have settled down now you both have Alfie and she isn’t working.’

  ‘It has; it’s been wonderful. But the time is going by so fast. He’s already eight months old and she’ll have to decide if she’s going back to work soon. I know she’s just as torn as me. She loves working and likes to be independent. I would never take that away from her. I just don’t want her working this job unless it’s in the offices, but that’s not Annie’s style. She’d hate it cooped up in one place.’

  ‘I can’t blame her. As much as I sometimes hate this job I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Could you afford it if she didn’t work?’

  Will laughed. ‘Yes, we could. She doesn’t need to work at all. I’m surprised no one has filled you in on all the gory details of my life yet.’

  ‘Ah, I’ve heard bits and pieces, but I prefer to hear them from the horse’s mouth and not gossip.’

  ‘Brad.’

  ‘I couldn’t possibly say.’

  ‘We’re not millionaires, if that’s what you’ve been told. Well, not yet anyway. My dad is quite well off, though, and I’m an only child, so I suppose, one day that I’d rather not think about, it could come to that. For now, let’s just say I can more than take care of everything.’

  ‘What about you? Do you really need to work?’

  He looked at her. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘If you’re fortunate enough to be able to support the both of you, why on earth are you doing this job, Will? It’s mentally draining, depressing and you looked as if you were worn out before.’

  ‘I don’t know; it’s not something I’ve ever really thought about. I used to love this job, but since Henry Smith and Heath Tyson it’s kind of lost its appeal. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I couldn’t come to work, though.’

  ‘Then maybe that’s how Annie’s feeling – that she’s scared to do anything else. If I was you I’d be thinking about setting up some kind of business where the two of you could work together and forget about this place. You’ve done your best for the people of Barrow. You caught killers and almost died doing this job. Maybe it’s time you started something new.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I don’t know; maybe you could set up a consultancy business, become private detectives. There must be something better than this. Don’t tell me you don’t worry every time you leave her on her own, because you must be terrified. I would be.’

  Adele stopped talking, clearly worried she might have overstepped the mark. She opened one eye and looked across to Will, who was trying to think of a way he and Annie could start again – something different. He looked at her and smiled.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For making me stop and think that there’s more to life than this. It’s a great idea and I’m going to try and think of something Annie will agree with.’

  ‘You’re welcome. Now take me for my tropical slush before I die of heat exhaustion.’

  Chapter Twenty

  Annie dropped Alfie at Lily and Tom’s house. She didn’t want to take him with her and get him involved in what she was doing in any way, shape or form. She knew it wasn’t dangerous; for all she knew there were six thousand Colin Listers in England and he wouldn’t have a clue what she was talking about. She kissed Alfie as she passed him over to Lily.

  ‘Thank you; I’ll be a couple of hours at the most.’

  ‘Sweetie, you can be a couple of days for all we care. We love having him, don’t we, Tom?’

  Tom grinned. ‘We certainly do. It keeps Lily’s mind off interior design.’

  Annie laughed. ‘Ah, I’m glad to be of some use then.’ She winked at Tom and ran back down the steps to the car to get the changing bag out. She handed it to Tom who was still waiting for her. Lily had disappeared into the huge house with Alfie.

  ‘Tell me to mind my own business, Annie, but you’re okay, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’d never tell you to do that, and yes I’m fine, thank you.’

  ‘What about that son of mine? Is he keeping all right?’

  ‘He’s fine. Did you hear about the murders?’

  Tom nodded. ‘Unfortunately. Can I just ask you – whatever you’re doing has nothing to do with them, does it? I worry about you both so much and now there’s that gorgeous baby as well.’

  ‘I promise I’m not getting involved. Will would kill me himself. I’m just helping out with a little bit of background research. I’m not going anywhere near Barrow.’

  He breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘Good. Anyway, have you been thinking any more about that business idea?’

  She smiled. ‘Yes, I have and it sounds better by the minute. I just need to discuss it with Will. He’s so busy at the moment we haven’t had the time.’

  ‘Well, tell him to make time. It’s very important for you both.’

  ‘I will, see you later.’ She waved and he waved back. She felt awful lying to Tom. In the space of an hour she’d told two lies when normally she never did. What was wrong with her? Technically they weren’t massive lies and she wasn’t getting involved in Will’s case. She was just trying to find out where the hell that clown costume had come from and who had bought it so Will could do the business and catch the killer before anyone else got hurt. That wasn’t a bad thing; it was good, and it wasn’t dangerous.

  She was going to an old people’s home not a prison or psychiatric hospital. She drove away. It would only take her thirty minutes, if that, to get to Grange as long as the traffic wasn’t too bad. It helped that she knew which retirement home it was. She’d passed it many times going to the quaint seaside town, which once had the best open-air swimming pool she’d ever been to when she’d been a kid.

  As she turned into the drive of the once-grand house that had been converted into a retirement home, she wondered if she was getting too involved. Could this be dangerous? A minibus full of elderly people, all with white hair and smiley faces, drove past her and she waved. They all waved back and she told herself no, it wasn’t dangerous and she was being far too cautious.

  She parked her car, applied a thin coat of nude lipstick and spritzed herself in Chanel. She didn’t want to look or smell like the normally flustered mother she was. There were cameras around the building’s perimeter and she wondered if they were there to keep an eye on the old people or the people coming into the home. Grange was quite an affluent area and there would more than likely be quite a few wealthy pensioners living here.

  The reception area was huge and grand. There was a crystal chandelier that she would have loved in her own house. It was far more modern than she’d anticipated, though she wasn’t quite sure what she’d been expecting. The desk was unattended and she took a seat on the leather sofa opposite it. She didn’t want to appear too eager or rude.

  After a few minutes a smartly dressed woman came striding towards her. ‘Sorry, there was a bit of an emergency. Can I help you?’

  Annie recognised her voice from the phone call earlier. ‘Yes, I rang up about an hour ago, to see if I could speak with Colin Lister.’

  The woman held out her hand. ‘So you did. Annie Graham, is it?’

  Annie took it and shook it. ‘Yes, that’s me.’

  ‘I’ve told C
olin you were calling. He was a bit surprised to be honest. He didn’t think he had any family left that were still alive, but he’s looking forward to meeting you.’

  If ever Annie had felt guilty, now was the time: not only had she lied about being related, the poor bloke might have got his hopes up that he wasn’t all alone. Oh God, what was she going to do about it?

  ‘Come on, I’ll take you down to his room.’

  For a fleeting moment she almost turned around and ran back to her car. This was awful. But she couldn’t do it to him. The least she could do was to go and see him and come clean about her reason for wanting to visit. She followed the receptionist down a long corridor, her stomach churning. The woman stopped and knocked on a white door with the number thirteen on it. Annie was quite surprised they had a number thirteen – most older people were superstitious. The door opened and the man whose picture she’d seen in the paper stood smiling at her.

  ‘You must be Annie. Come in. It’s lovely to meet you.’

  The receptionist smiled at Colin. ‘Should I arrange to get some tea brought down, Colin?’

  He nodded. ‘That would be lovely, Kate; thank you.’

  Annie smiled. He held out his hand to shake hers and she took hold of it. She had not expected his grip to be so firm or him to be so young-looking for his age. He stepped back and she followed him in, admiring the room, which was light and airy. He had some black and white prints on the wall – all scenes from circus life – and she felt a tiny spark of hope.

  ‘I like those. Do you like the circus, Colin?’

  He nodded. ‘I loved the circus. It was my favourite place in the whole world once upon a time. Please sit down. Kate won’t be long with the tea and then you can tell me more about yourself. I was surprised. I didn’t think I had any family left.’

  Annie sat down in the chair he was pointing to. The door opened and a girl who only looked about seventeen came in balancing a tray of tea on one arm while trying to hold the door. Annie jumped up and took the tray from her before she gave herself third-degree burns.

  ‘Thank you, Lindsey.’

  She smiled. ‘You’re welcome.’ Then she disappeared, letting the door slam behind her.

  Annie watched as he poured out two cups of tea, adding the milk.

  ‘Sugar?’

  ‘No, thank you.’

  He passed her a cup and she took it from him, not realising that her hands were trembling until it began to rattle and she had to put it down on the table that was between them.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Colin; I have to tell you I’m not really a relative and I feel terrible for lying. It’s just they put me on the spot when I phoned and I didn’t think they would let me come and see you if I told them we didn’t know each other.’

  Colin absorbed the information as if he was thinking really hard about it, then he smiled at her.

  ‘I already knew that, dear. I have no family. I was an only child, but I’m intrigued, so would you like to tell me why you’re here?’

  ‘This is a bit complicated and a bit of a tenuous link, but I’m a police officer and there have been some serious incidents in Barrow. I believe the offender has been wearing a clown suit.’

  ‘How can I help you with that? What sort of incidents? If you want me to be frank with you, dear, then you’ll have to tell me exactly what kind of incidents you’re talking about.’

  She had no idea if she was doing the right thing, but the murders had been all over the news. The only thing that hadn’t was the clown suit.

  ‘This is between you and me, Colin.’

  He nodded.

  ‘There have been two murders. I did some research into vintage clown costumes and one came up that looked very similar to the one we think the suspect wore. Did you ever work at a circus, Colin?’

  ‘I did, a very long time ago, and not for very long – much to my dismay.’

  ‘Did you ever work alongside a clown called Tufty? He wore a black and white stripy clown suit with a big ruffle around the neck and had three tufts of hair on his head.’

  She pulled a piece of paper out of her handbag with a small picture of the newspaper article showing a picture of Tufty that she’d printed out before she left. She handed it to him.

  He paused then nodded.

  ‘I did and he was such an amazing clown. He was so funny and taught me everything that he knew in such a short space of time. He completely changed my life.’

  She felt her breath exhale, not realising she’d been holding it in.

  ‘Boy, that was a long time ago. I was seventeen when I met Gordy Marshall, who was better known as Tufty. I can’t tell you anything at all; when I was younger I didn’t manage very well with social situations. My mother was a drunken slop, who didn’t ever help me with my schoolwork or in fact any part of life. I don’t really know what happened back then; it’s all so long ago.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I don’t want to stir up memories for you and upset you. It’s just I’m trying to trace what happened to that clown suit. So, you know?’

  He shook his head. ‘I don’t know if I do. My memory isn’t what it used to be. I think it might have been left at the circus. One of the other clowns might have kept hold of it or maybe whoever got Gordy’s caravan. I’m sorry I can’t be of much help to you.’

  Annie smiled. ‘Don’t be sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you. I just wondered if you knew; to be honest, it was a bit of a long shot.’

  They both sipped their tea. Annie put her cup down and stood up. ‘Thank you for seeing me. I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any upset.’

  He looked at her as if he was searching for something in her face; maybe she reminded him of someone from a long time ago, but she felt a little bit uncomfortable.

  ‘I’ll see myself out.’

  ‘Thank you for calling, Annie; it was nice to see you. I don’t have any visitors. If you ever find out what happened to the suit, would you come back and let me know? I’d forgotten all about those hot, sweaty, long days. They were amazing: the smell of the greasepaint and the animals. You know, the lion tamer could actually put his head in the lion’s mouth. The crowds used to love it. I used to love it.’

  She picked up the piece of paper she’d handed to him and scribbled her phone number on it.

  ‘If you do remember something, please could you give me a ring? I don’t live that far away. I can be here in thirty minutes – and thank you for your time, Colin.’

  She walked out of his room, leaving him staring at the newspaper article about the arrest of Tufty the clown. Luckily for her, she could see the receptionist at the opposite end of the corridor helping an elderly lady along. Annie walked even faster to get out of the doors before the woman stopped to question her super-short visit.

  Once she was outside and back in her car, she reversed and drove away as fast as she could, unaware that Colin was watching her from his bedroom window and smiling. She’d brought back all sorts of memories for him that he’d managed to push to one side and forget about. He hadn’t thought he would survive outside of the circus, but he had.

  He’d found a way and a place in life where he’d got along just fine. He’d helped out on the fruit and veg cart owned by Maggie Wilkes for a few months until the undertaker opposite had asked him to help out one day because he needed someone strong – and he had. Never looking back, he still missed the circus, but he’d learnt that there were other ways to live your life, even if they hadn’t been anywhere near as much fun.

  __________________________

  Wally went back to bed and slept for hours. This time, when he woke up, he felt almost human again. His stomach groaned. He was starving and needed proper food. He would order a pizza to be delivered with what little money he had left and while he was waiting he would go to the Co-op and buy an evening paper to see if there was any mention of a body being found. If he was really lucky they wouldn’t find one and it would be a huge relief; although the coppers were pretty crap so they might not find it
for days.

  He tried to push it from his mind because if he thought about it too much the sickness came back, taking away his appetite, and he really wanted pizza. He didn’t walk past the park or he’d have seen the PCSO still standing at the entrance in front of the blue and white striped police tape that was stretched across to stop anyone from entering the crime scene.

  There was a large crowd of teenagers outside with their skateboards and younger kids waving their mobile phones around, wanting to go in, searching for Pokémon to catch. Instead he went in the opposite direction, towards the nearest shop for his paper and a breath of fresh air. He actually felt different, as if he’d spent the last few days in a haze and had woken up. It must have been that suit; maybe it was haunted by whoever wore it last, and whoever it belonged to must have been an evil, sick fuck.

  He picked up the paper and a large bottle of cola, not even looking at the headlines in case it made him break out into a cold sweat and have a panic attack in full, public view. He managed to make it all the way back home and was through the gate when he heard a car screech to a stop outside. He turned back to see the pizza delivery guy rooting through the red insulated bags on the back seat of his car.

  Wally hurried inside the entrance and began opening his door, ready to take charge of his hot, greasy, cheesy feast. The communal front door banged behind him and he smelt the food, which in turn made his stomach gurgle loudly. The guy with the pizzas followed him.

  ‘These yours, mate?’

  Wally nodded.

  ‘Fifteen pounds ninety-eight, please.’

  He added the please as an afterthought and Wally bit his tongue. Stepping inside his flat he placed the paper on the corner of the sofa then turned around, handing the money over and taking the warm assortment of boxes from him. He kicked his front door shut with one foot and turned around as he walked into the living room. He knocked the paper off the chair and it fell to the floor.