by Mel Sherratt
Humiliation gripped her insides. That must have been why Simon was trying to contact her earlier. Shit, why didn’t she take his call instead of thinking it was about last night! At least she could have forewarned everyone.
But then another thought crossed her mind.
Someone must be out to get her.
Nick marched across the room and threw a copy of the newspaper down in the middle of their desks.
‘I’ve just had this handed to me. How the hell did they get this information?’ He looked around the room.
‘I have no idea,’ Grace said, flustered. ‘I’ll check with the press office.’
Alex stretched across for the paper, scanned the words and then scowled at her. ‘This is your journo friend, Simon’s, doing, isn’t it?’
‘You can’t put the blame on someone without proof,’ she snapped.
‘I bet he’s being paid by the Steeles too.’
Grace held back her anger, staring at Alex until he caught her eye again. ‘You think I’m a mole?’
‘I always knew that you’re working for them. It’s way too much of a coincidence you coming back to Stoke once George Steele was murdered. Which one of them is paying you?’ he replied.
‘Which one of them is paying you?’ she hit back.
‘You two, my office, now!’ Nick shouted. The room dropped into silence as everyone stopped what they were doing to rubberneck.
Nick slammed the door behind them as they stood in front of his desk. ‘What is your problem?’ he cried. ‘We’re in the middle of a murder investigation and you’re at each other’s throats when you should be working together.’
Alex folded his arms and glared at Grace. ‘I think she’s leaking information.’
‘On what grounds?’
‘Call it a professional hunch,’ he said.
‘This is actually quite childish of you,’ Grace reacted.
‘No, no, I’m really keen on hearing him out.’ Nick leaned back on his desk. ‘Go ahead, Alex.’
Alex shook his head.
‘You must have something, surely?’
‘She’s a mole,’ Alex insisted. ‘I know it, even if you don’t.’
‘Enough of this crap. Get back to your desk. We have work to do,’ Nick barked.
They stood up and made for the door.
‘Hang on a minute, Grace.’
Grace turned back to Nick, wondering what else she had done wrong.
‘Just keep your temper in check,’ he told her. ‘I know he’s an idiot but don’t let him bring out the child in you.’
‘Sir?’
‘Take a break. Calm down and then we’ll have a recap. I’m not sure I can salvage this mess, though. Do you know who told the press?’
‘No.’
‘You didn’t slip up?’ His voice was kind rather than accusatory.
‘I’m sure I didn’t.’
It was unusually quiet outside Nick’s office when Grace stepped out, only the sound of a phone ringing and the murmur of a lower-than-normal conversation.
‘You need to figure out where your loyalties lie,’ Alex said, his tone hushed as she got to her desk.
Grace walked away, but she turned back again just before he sat down.
‘Do you know something?’ Her voice was quiet too. ‘When I first started working here, people warned me that you were a smart-arse, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. I like to form my own opinions. But now I realise that you are a dick through and through.’
Alex grabbed her arm as she moved off. ‘Don’t speak to me like that.’
‘Someone in this office is ratting us out,’ Grace stared at him pointedly, ‘and I’m going to find out who it is.’ She pulled her arm away from him and marched away.
SIXTY-ONE
Grace left the incident room and took refuge in the only place she knew she could get a bit of peace. The ladies’ bathroom was empty. She went into a cubicle and sat down on the toilet. Who the hell did Alex think he was? She had never grassed up another cop, she had never taken a bribe and she never would. He should know her better than that by now.
More to the point, who had given that stuff to the Stoke News? And why hadn’t Simon tried harder to warn her? She would at least have been prepared. She could have had time to think exactly who would be feeding that kind of thing to the press.
Hearing the door outside go, she stood up, flushed the toilet and went out to wash her hands. Sam was waiting for her.
‘Don’t let him get to you,’ she said. ‘I know it’s hard because he’s an idiot.’
‘I never believed people when they said he was so nasty.’
‘You’re right. He’s just a dick, but he’ll calm down soon.’
‘I’ve been here for over a month!’
‘I’m not saying how he acts is okay.’ Sam leaned on the wall as Grace dried her hands.
‘Have you any idea how hard it is for me?’ Grace broke. ‘I’m trying to settle into a new job, something that I’ve never done before, and I’m clearly not doing it as well as I should be. I’ve moved back to a place where bad memories come flashing at me with everything I do. I’ve come face-to-face with an estranged family who are known in Stoke for criminal activities; with the unsolved murder of my father hanging over me. Alex makes me feel really crap with his put-downs and I’m trying so hard to fit in. Now, I’ll be off the case for sure.’
Sam placed a hand gently on Grace’s forearm after the outburst.
Grace gathered herself together again and gave out a loud sigh. ‘Sorry. You shouldn’t have to hear all that.’
‘Never heard a thing.’ Sam grinned, then her smile dropped. ‘You have been hard to get to know.’ She paused. ‘You’re very guarded. I get that, because of the family thing, but you need to trust us. We’re on your side.’
Grace felt tears prick at her eyes and blinked profusely. Sam was right. She shouldn’t let her suspicions affect her judgement.
‘I’m going to grab a cup of watery tea from the canteen.’ Sam checked her watch. ‘Do you want to join me?’
Grace smiled but shook her head. ‘Thanks for the offer, but there’s someone I need to see first.’
Jade sat across from Bethesda Police Station on level three of the multi-storey car park, as near to her usual spot as possible. She knew Alex would be mad with her, but what the hell.
The door opened and he strode across, fists shoved in his jeans, his jacket flapping in his haste.
She snorted. He didn’t look happy. Good, let him have a taste of his own medicine. She got out of the vehicle, the floor empty of people at the moment.
‘I’ve been waiting for ages,’ she whined as she leaned on the side of the car, arms folded.
‘If you hadn’t threatened that you’d come over and ask for me, I wouldn’t be here. What do you want?’
‘To see you.’
‘I don’t have time for this,’ he told her.
‘Has something happened? You look pissed off.’
‘It’s that – that stupid woman.’
‘Grace?’ Jade frowned. ‘Has she found out about us?’
‘Never mind that. Have you seen the Stoke News?’
‘What does it say?’
‘That she’s your bloody sister.’
‘No!’ Jade had to stop herself from laughing out loud.
‘Someone is leaking information to the press.’ He glared at her. ‘Is it you?’
‘No, it isn’t!’
‘Well, it must be Eddie or Leon, then. It’s got to be one of you. Because they think it’s me and it isn’t.’ Alex ran a hand through his hair and paced in front of her. ‘People are getting suspicious.’
Jade frowned. ‘Of me and you?’
‘Of everything!’ he said. ‘It has to stop.’
‘We’ve kept it quiet so far.’
‘If your family find out, I’ll be in for it. I can’t afford to lose their cut.’
‘So it’s okay for you to lose me?’ Jade huffed. �
��You’re not dumping me. I won’t allow it.’
‘We have no choice. We have to cool it for a while. Besides, I’ve done what you asked.’
‘No!’ She leaned forward and put her arms around his neck. ‘I need you.’
He took hold of her hands and pulled them down to her side before pushing her away gently.
‘It’s too risky. Grace is a shrewd bitch. She has her suspicions.’
Jade’s hackles went up. ‘She’s not giving you the come-on, is she?’
‘Of course not!’ Alex shook his head in dismay. ‘She’s just getting too close to the truth.’
‘Then stop her.’
‘I can’t. She’s on to me. This could be my job on the line.’ Alex paced in front of her. ‘You have to leave me alone.’
‘No!’ she shouted.
The lift doors opened and a woman with a pushchair came out on to their floor. Alex took the opportunity to walk away from Jade.
‘Where are you going?’ she demanded.
‘Back to work, while I still have a job.’
‘You can’t.’
‘Stop hassling me!’
Jade reached for his arm, but he shrugged her hand away. ‘Alex, please!’
He pointed at them both. ‘This, you and me, is no longer part of the bargain.’
Tears welled in Jade’s eyes, but she wasn’t upset. They were tears of anger. He wasn’t walking away from her. She ran across the floor and blocked the door to the stairwell.
‘Move out of my way!’ he told her.
‘I’m not going anywhere!’ Jade’s voice echoed across the floor. The woman with the pushchair stopped what she was doing and looked over.
Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her to one side. ‘You stay away from me! Do you hear?’
Jade followed him, screaming at him as he jogged down the steps.
‘You’ll regret this!’
‘You don’t own me.’ Alex scowled but continued on his way.
‘Just remember how much I know about you!’ Jade shouted after him.
SIXTY-TWO
Then
She spent so much time on her own locked in the garage, but she never got used to it. She had a lot of thinking time, sitting in the dark with her knees brought up to her chest. Back against the wall so that she could see who came in through the door.
She never knew how long she would be in there. Sometimes the hours dragged, sometimes it seemed like minutes if she managed to get some sleep.
Things were going around and around in her head. Why did he lock her up all the time? It wasn’t as if she was ever naughty. She always did as she was told, her childhood gone because she’d been so scared to enjoy it.
At twelve, she was turning into a woman. Her father had noticed. She’d heard him and a man talking about her outside the room.
The door opened and she sat up quickly.
‘Hi,’ a man smiled as he walked towards her.
She swallowed. It was the man who had come before. He looked the same age as her father.
He held out a bag to her. ‘Here, take it. It’s for you.’
Inside there was a bottle of cola, a packet of crisps and a tube of sweets. She glanced up at him.
He reached inside, opened the bottle and gave it to her. ‘Go on, enjoy.’
She took the drink from him. He opened the crisps for her and handed them to her after taking one for himself.
‘Go on now. I don’t bite.’
He sat with her while she had her treat. He didn’t speak, just stroked her hair every now and then. She inched away from him until, suddenly, she couldn’t move. It wasn’t long before she began to feel unable to respond at all.
His advances became more obvious.
‘Your father owes me money. He suggested that he could pay off his debt in other ways.’ He rested his hand on her thigh, moving it higher.
She couldn’t flinch at his touch, yet she wanted to scream out. But she managed to whimper as she smelt that cheap aftershave again.
‘Hush, hush,’ he whispered, putting a finger to her lips before parting them.
SIXTY-THREE
Downstairs at the back of the building, Grace pushed on the door with so much force it almost came back at her. She crossed Bethesda Street in the direction of the Stoke News building. Waiting in the reception area calmed her a little bit but, as soon as she saw Simon, her temper heated again.
They left through the front entrance and walked to the side of the building.
‘I tried to warn you earlier,’ he began as she marched in front of him. ‘I rang you and then I sent you a message.’
‘I didn’t have time to reply.’ She slowed, unwilling to admit her error of judgement. ‘Who was your source?’
Simon shook his head. ‘I can’t tell you.’
‘You can’t tell me, or you won’t?’
‘That’s rich, coming from you after the secret you’ve been keeping.’
‘Oh, come on,’ Grace cried. ‘That was the reason I stopped last night. I was afraid this would ruin things.’
‘Well, it didn’t help finding out from someone else.’
‘Thanks a million for your support,’ she said. ‘Did I bruise your ego that much?’
‘Wait a minute. You think this has anything to do with what happened between us?’ Simon sounded shocked. ‘You’ve got some nerve.’
‘No, I – sorry. I’m angry.’ Grace looked across the street for a moment, watching people walk on by oblivious to her life falling apart. ‘I can’t think straight when I have my whole team accusing me of being a liar.’
‘We had no choice,’ he replied. ‘We had sensitive information.’
‘And you didn’t think to go to Nick when you couldn’t get through to me? I don’t buy that, not from you.’
From the corner of her eye, Grace saw Alex coming out of the multi-storey car park. She frowned when she spotted Jade Steele running towards him, reaching her hands up to touch his face. There was an exchange of words before Alex pulled away and walked off.
Anger boiled in Grace, but she couldn’t let Simon see her reaction. Alex would have to wait. She turned her attention back to Simon as he began to talk again.
‘My boss is the news editor for crime,’ he said. ‘I tried to stop him running with it but he wouldn’t hear of it. And you should see the emails and comments arriving daily about the serial killer. People are outraged. They think you’re not doing enough, that there’s going to be another murder before anyone is caught. He thinks the public had a right to know you were on the case.’
‘Why? To make it look as if I’m in on it?’
Simon shrugged.
Grace could understand their logic, but it was still wrong. She stepped out of the way for a woman walking past before moving back to him.
‘This might set things back. And if that happens, it’ll be on your head.’
‘That’s a bit unfair.’ Simon pouted.
‘Unfair is when people turn against you because they think you’ve been put there as a mole for a criminal family. Because stuff has been leaked to the press! I’ve worked hard on this case and now your – your secret informant – has ruined it.’
‘If I knew who it was, I would tell you. Trust me!’
A car screeched out of the car park and they both turned to look. Jade Steele was behind the wheel.
Grace thought of the scene she’d just witnessed between Jade and Alex. ‘I really don’t know who to trust any more.’
Nick beckoned Grace into his office as soon as she hit her desk. She kept her scream deep within as she made her way across the floor.
‘I can’t keep you on this now, you know that, don’t you? You’re to have no more contact with the Steeles.’
‘That’s impossible.’ Grace shook her head. ‘Absolutely not, sir.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Nick gave her a warning glance.
‘I said no. You knew it was a conflict of interest and that I would struggle with my team to fi
t in, not to mention my stress levels going through the roof as I’ve been trying to keep everything together. You wanted me to stay on the Steeles’ case during this investigation so that I could infiltrate the family to find out information for you. Now it’s running deeper than Steele’s Gym, I think I’m entitled to stay on it.’
‘Why is it so important to you?’
‘Because I want to find this killer!’
‘Is that all?’
‘Should there be anything else?’ Grace scowled, although she realised what he meant. There was more to this but she wasn’t going to mention how she felt to him. ‘I want to be seen bringing them down if they are involved,’ she continued. ‘And I have to get people’s trust too.’
‘But the public know who you are,’ Nick replied.
‘They won’t care as long as we charge someone! It’s hardly front-page news, is it? So what if I’m related to them?’
‘It’s against protocol.’
Grace folded her arms. ‘I’m not leaving this investigation. You need me on it.’
Nick raised his eyebrows. ‘Don’t flatter yourself.’
‘I’m not.’ Grace had never been more serious. ‘I want to arrest this bastard as much as you do, as well as sort out what’s been going on in Washington Place. So, do what you do best, keep Jenny off my back and I’ll do the rest.’
Nick stood open-mouthed.
‘Please,’ Grace added, remembering her manners.
Nick shook his head, but there was a faint smile on his face. ‘I’m glad you’re on our side. I wouldn’t like to mess with you if not.’
‘I just want justice for everyone, sir – Nick. More importantly, for those girls. We don’t know how many of them are out there. If we ask for them to come forward, how many will? And how many will we never find out about because they are too scared to speak out?’
There was a pause. Grace wondered if she had gone too far. She had never been this outspoken before. She stared at her boss, willing him to agree.
‘One day, Grace.’ Nick nodded. ‘Jenny is out of the office tomorrow, so I can keep things away from her until then. But you had better clean up.’