by Mel Sherratt
Leon reached across the coffee table for his phone. He swiped a few times and then held the screen so she could see it.
Grace took the number down and stood up. ‘I’ll get this checked out and be back to you if necessary.’
Once they were on the driveway again, she breathed a sigh of relief, although she wasn’t sure which was better. To be in the house, or outside now with Perry. Shit, he was bound to ask her what Trudy Steele had been referring to.
‘I can’t believe I said that to his wife,’ she told him, to stop a silence dropping between them. ‘I’m not usually that judgemental but she annoyed me.’
‘She’s a stuck-up cow who’s never got her hands dirty, so don’t worry about that.’ Perry stopped abruptly. Behind them, there was shouting coming from the house.
‘You’d better be telling the truth! If I find out you were with her again, I’ll …’
Grace stopped too, but Trudy’s voice was lost. They must have moved into another room or closed a door.
They carried on back to her car.
She got out her keys. ‘Who is Graham Frost?’
‘He’s a ruse.’ Perry opened the door after she switched off the alarm. ‘He’s used whenever anyone wants an alibi. Frost always says he is with whoever you want him to be with, for a price.’
‘How convenient. What an idiot.’ They got inside the car. ‘Do you know who Leon is knocking off?’
‘He’s had lots of women on the side. I’m not sure who his latest one is.’
‘Well, at least it explains his wife’s bitterness over where Leon had been the night before.’
‘Either way, the signing-in book shows Leon left at nine like he said, and if he does have an alibi, it will rule him out of the attack on Dale Chapman.’
Grace started the engine quickly to fill the silence. She could tell Perry was being short with her.
‘So are you going to tell me or do I have to find out for myself?’ he said eventually.
Grace wanted to tell him but the words wouldn’t come. From the fury flashing across his face, it was clear he would never trust her once he found out anyway. She wished she could have been truthful from the start.
‘I’m sorry, I can’t.’ Grace blew out the breath she’d been holding. ‘I’m sworn to secrecy.’
‘Like that, is it?’ Perry scoffed. ‘Well, don’t blame me if I make my own assumptions.’
TWENTY-EIGHT
Perry didn’t say another word on their way back to the station. He went straight into Nick’s office on their return, closing the door behind him.
Grace flopped down at her desk and waited for the fallout. He’d obviously worked out who she was. It wouldn’t have been hard, she admitted, but she wasn’t heartened by the thought.
Nick’s door opened and he shouted across the office.
‘Grace, Sam, Alex. A word.’
Grace saw looks flick between her two DCs. Alex raised his eyebrows at her but she didn’t speak. They followed her into the DI’s office. Nick had put four chairs in a line. Her heart dropped as she spotted Perry’s expression. But equally, Nick was just as fired up.
‘Sit down, all of you.’ He perched on his desk and folded his arms. ‘What I say goes no further than this room.’
Grace kept her eyes fixed on a dot on the wall behind his head while Nick told them who she was. She heard Sam gasp and felt stung by it.
‘You’re a grass?’ Alex sat forward in his chair. ‘Really? You’ve been here over a month.’
‘I am not a grass!’ Grace protested.
‘So what would you call yourself, then?’ He shook his head in disgust.
‘It was a management decision not to tell you all,’ Nick informed them. ‘Grace wanted to be honest from the start—’
‘Yeah, right,’ Perry interrupted.
‘But we thought it was best for her not to say anything,’ Nick continued.
‘That’s very gallant of her,’ Alex joined in.
‘I didn’t want to come and work here under false pretences,’ Grace explained. ‘But I wanted the job.’
‘I wanted the job!’ Perry prodded his chest. ‘And I’m far more entitled to it than you.’
‘Why, because I’m a Steele?’
No one answered her. Grace noted that Sam hadn’t said a word.
‘Is that what’s really bugging you?’ Grace remarked. ‘All of you?’
‘You’ve all worked with Grace for a few weeks now,’ Nick began, ‘and—’
‘We wouldn’t have, had we known who she was,’ Alex interrupted.
‘Enough!’ Nick’s tone said nothing else was negotiable. ‘What matters now is that we nail the person who has killed two men in the space of a week. We need to stick together as a team, and put our differences aside.’
Perry sneered at Nick.
‘I said enough!’ Nick reiterated. ‘I don’t think I have to tell you how childish you’re behaving. This has nothing to do with Grace. And if I find out any of you have told anyone else who she is, then you’ll not only be off this case, but you’ll be out of my team. Do you understand?’
Three heads nodded.
‘Good. Get back to work.’
Grace waited behind as they trooped out of the office. She groaned. ‘I wanted to fit in here so much.’
‘And you will. You’ll just have to work at it.’
Nick sat behind his desk again. Realising she had been dismissed, Grace left the room. As she walked back to her seat, her skin burning with humiliation, she prayed she hadn’t ruined her chances to be part of the team. She wasn’t sure about Nick yet, felt uncomfortable about his work ethics, and all three of her DCs now had their heads down, clearly not wanting to make eye contact with her.
One thing was certain, her job had just got a whole lot harder.
That evening, Jade poured herself a large gin and tonic, slipped off her shoes and lay back on the sofa. All she’d heard for the last few days was Josh Parker this and Josh Parker that. Lots of people saying they would miss him and that he was a nice person. But it didn’t wash with her. She’d known what Josh was really like, having grown up with him since she was a small child. He might be all smiley on his YouTube channel but he’d been a bully in real life.
Most people in the gym were scared to put a finger wrong in case he’d lash out at them. Any one of them could have reason to kill Josh. Indeed, a lot of the boys there didn’t like to get on the wrong side of him. He could be quite cruel; his dark side had been ruthless at times. Jade couldn’t even blame it on the steroids he pumped into his body. She’d known him way before he’d become addicted to them.
Eddie had been going ballistic for the past few days, with the police presence and then the Stoke News wanting interviews, as well as the TV van turning up. And now it was going to be all about Dale Chapman too. She’d hung around the gym today to see what people were talking about, mostly in reception, wanting to be close to the action.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and switched on the TV. The news would be on soon.
‘Has it come on yet?’ Kathleen asked as she came into the room.
‘No. It won’t be long, though.’
Kathleen handed her a plate and put a mug down on the coffee table. Jade hadn’t wanted a meal but her mum had insisted on making her a sandwich. She hadn’t felt hungry all day; didn’t now either, but she took a bite anyway.
Jade lived in a small house she’d rented from the council when she and Megan had come back to Stoke a year ago. It was in a pleasant enough area on a nice estate but, now that Megan was getting more independent, Jade had started to spend more time at her mum’s. It felt as if the house became lighter too, the threat of her father coming home drunk and disruptive no longer there.
Jade had also tried to cut down on her alcohol. Over the years, people who knew her had fallen by the wayside as they’d had to bail her out one too many times. She had a friend, Lorna, who had stuck by her through everything, but she couldn’t stay with
her. Jade and Lorna’s husband, Tom, had never seen eye to eye, despite their daughters being so close.
Kathleen sat down beside her, crossing her legs elegantly. Jade couldn’t remember a time she had seen her mother dressed down. Dad had insisted that she be presentable at all times. She’d heard him punish her on numerous occasions through the years, claiming she was dressed scruffily when she had been nothing of the sort, or not to his satisfaction, and she supposed it must be a force of habit. You’d think she’d want to slob out every now and then, like Jade did. Although, Jade noticed, Kathleen looked weary underneath her make-up. Bags under her eyes seemed more prominent than usual, shoulders drooping, body slumped forward as if she was worried about something.
‘Are you okay?’ Jade asked.
‘Hmm? Oh, yes. I’m fine,’ Kathleen replied. ‘Although I could ask you the same. You look awfully pale.’
‘Oh, I’ve just been feeling a bit sick lately. Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.’
‘You should get some vitamins down you,’ Kathleen soothed. ‘What time is Megan due back?’
‘She’s on her way. I’ve just had a text message from her. Lorna is dropping her off.’
‘Are you both staying over tonight?’
‘Yes, if that’s okay with you?’
‘Of course. You know I enjoy your company.’
Jade smiled at her and then pointed at the screen. ‘Here we go; here’s our clip.’
Jade had first met Detective Inspector Nick Carter when her dad had been murdered. Now, there were about a dozen photographers in front of him, a few people holding phones close, recording the words as he spoke about Dale Chapman’s brutal murder.
Grace stood behind him in the background, her expression sombre, hands grasped together in front. Her shoulders were high as if she was pulling herself up purposely. Was she pretending to be assertive? Was she tired but wanting to give the impression that she was coping? How Jade wished she could get to know her, see what made her tick. Maybe in time that would come.
‘Is she still wearing a wedding ring?’ Kathleen turned to her.
‘Yes. I wonder if they had children before her husband died.’
Throughout the years, Eddie had kept an eye on Grace, keeping them up to date with whatever he thought relevant. They all knew she had been married and her husband had died of cancer two years ago.
‘Well, whatever, we need to keep her sweet,’ Kathleen said.
‘I suppose.’
When the camera panned round, it gave Jade a better look at Grace. Close to, the resemblance was uncanny. She and Grace had the same eyes, the same shape faces and chins, their builds were lean and willowy. Except that Grace had a determined streak about her that Jade would never have. She could bet no one had treated her badly over the years since she’d left.
‘Would you like to get to know her?’ Kathleen said, startling her from her daze.
‘I’m not sure,’ she replied, not wanting to give away that she did.
‘I think you should.’
‘Eddie won’t like that,’ Jade replied.
‘Eddie isn’t the boss of this family.’
Jade sniggered. Who was her mother trying to fool? But her thoughts turned back to Grace. Should she get to know her? Would it be fun? If she went to see Grace, it would be going against Eddie, but this could be her opportunity to get close. She liked the sound of that.
Without another thought, Jade reached in her bag for the contact card Grace had given her and sent a text message.
In the kitchen, Kathleen loaded the dishwasher and tried not to make too much noise. As usual, she kept all her emotions hidden. Her children thought she was cold, but it was a coping mechanism she’d perfected through the years. It hadn’t been easy living with George. They might have suffered every now and then, but she had been hurt every day, every night, every minute he had been alive.
She’d always prayed that youth would conquer George’s anger, and her boys would lash out at him. They had in the end, but it had made her children insecure, nasty and uncontrollable. Eddie had a streak of his father about him, but Leon was much worse. Eddie fought against his dark side; Leon was content to let it show and use it to his advantage.
Jade had turned to alcohol, resulting in bad choices of men to hook up with. Kathleen’s granddaughter, Megan, was the only thing Jade had ever produced of value. Megan was a light in a very dark world. Sixteen and beautiful, she had her whole life to look forward to. Kathleen only hoped she wouldn’t go the same way as her mother. No one was getting their hands on her.
It was one of the reasons why she was keeping an eye on Jade. Now that George was no longer in control, she knew it wouldn’t take much persuasion on her part to get them both to move in permanently. Jade could barely look after herself on a good day and Megan needed stability.
And now she’d got the chance to change things, she wasn’t going to mess it up. She had been weak, but she could be strong now. To live her life how she wanted. To keep an eye on her family and what her boys were up to at the gym.
It had become second nature in the end to please George, to keep everything as he liked it, not to antagonise him. But she’d always known a day would come when she would be free of him, just as she had hoped for, wished for, planned for.
So she would bite her tongue and say nothing when Eddie thought he was the head of the family, telling Jade what to do. She had always been good at that.
TWENTY-NINE
Grace sat alone at her desk. It was eight p.m. and there was only her and Nick left working. It was what she preferred after all the glances and stares she’d received from her team that afternoon.
Her colleagues had been good in the scheme of things. They’d been working with other officers, and no one would have sensed an undercurrent. She wondered if they would ever have faith in her now. She wasn’t sure she would trust anyone if they had tricked her the same way. But surely they must realise it wasn’t her fault? She’d wanted to come to Stoke and that had been the only way she could do it.
Why had it been important to come home? Grace had thought about it a lot. It was perhaps to do with George Steele being murdered, meaning she would never have to face him again. Or could be because his murder remained unsolved and she’d wanted to look into why. Or maybe the truth, deep down, was that she was so lonely that she wanted to get to know some of her family. They couldn’t all be criminals.
Grace Allendale, you are made of stronger stuff than this. Pull up your big-girl pants and get on with it.
Grace smiled to herself. She often heard Matt’s voice in her head. Comforting her when she needed it. It was certainly good to hear it now, even if he was chastising her.
She was just finishing off going through some of the statements from the gym, seeing if she could spot any anomalies, when Nick appeared at the side of her desk, startling her.
‘You shouldn’t creep up on people like that.’ She put a hand to her chest.
‘I did shout across to you.’ Nick nodded his head towards the door. ‘Fancy a quick half?’
Grace couldn’t think of anything she wanted less, but nodded all the same. If she said no, Nick would go and she would likely sit here alone for another couple of hours because she didn’t want to go home to an empty house. Especially after the day she’d had.
They left the station and walked the two minutes to Chimneys, the local pub that everyone at the nick called their own. It was on the next street, situated behind their car park. A pottery kiln in the shape of a bottle had been opened up at its centre and a rectangular single-storey building had been attached to either side to form an L-shape. Its decor was old furniture and modern design intermingled to create a style of its own. Somehow it worked well.
They found a table and sat down. Grace looked behind her at a photo where a shire horse was being used to tow a cart full of earthenware through an open marketplace. Above her head was a shelf full of Wedgwood and Royal Doulton pottery, locked away behind glas
s panels.
‘How are you feeling now?’ Nick asked once they were settled.
‘I’ve had better days.’
‘I can imagine.’
They chatted about the cases and then sat in silence for a moment.
‘Do you know why Allie left the Major Crimes Team, Grace?’ Nick asked.
‘I thought it was for a promotion?’
‘It was and it wasn’t. She said she needed a new start.’
‘Yet she stayed in the city?’
‘Once Stoke is in your blood, you can never leave. Surely you understand that now?’
Grace smiled, unsure if Nick was mocking her or not. Because no, she didn’t understand.
‘So she fancied a new role?’
‘Not exactly. Allie had a sister who was raped and beaten, left for dead. She lived in a vegetative state for seventeen years.’
‘How terrible!’ Grace baulked.
‘Three years ago, in the middle of another investigation, the attacker raped someone else and then came after Allie. She fought him off as he tried to kill her sister in hospital.’
Grace raised her eyebrows in shock. ‘I had no idea. How is her sister now?’
‘She died,’ Nick said. ‘Not because of the attack. She was on a life support machine anyway. Allie had to make the decision to turn it off. Nevertheless, I think she needed a break from working closely with people who knew all this happened.’
‘Wow, that’s tough,’ Grace acknowledged. ‘You’ll still get to see her though, won’t you?’
‘Yeah, and she’s great in the community. She’ll do well in her new role. She’ll get us some excellent intel.’ He picked up his glass but put it down again. ‘What I’m trying to say is perhaps the team are finding it difficult to adjust. They were very close to Allie, plus they understood her personal life.’
Grace fell silent for a while, her thoughts returning to Matt. She wondered if Allie was finding it as hard to move on as she was, or whether it had taken her less time. She hoped it was the latter. It was no fun being in limbo.