The Next Girl: A gripping thriller with a heart-stopping twist

by Carla Kovach

  Cathy looked at her watch. ‘No, I’ll have to leave in a couple of minutes. I’ll have it when I get back.’

  ‘Daddy, Heidi won’t let me in the bathroom to brush my teeth!’ Max yelled from the top of the stairs.

  Luke took a sip of the hot coffee. ‘Every morning, same story,’ he said with a smile as he walked into the hall. ‘Heidi? Out of the bathroom now and get downstairs.’

  ‘But Dad,’ was the muffled reply.

  ‘Don’t “but Dad” me. Downstairs now.’

  There was a knock at the door and he opened it to see Brooke, looking at him nervously. She tucked her hair behind her ears. He noticed the bags under her eyes and the lack of make-up.

  Joe ran into the house and up the stairs, shouting for Max.

  ‘I’m so sorry I haven’t called. Do you mind if Cathy walks Joe to school with Max and Heidi this morning? I need to talk to you.’ She shook her head and stepped into the hall.

  ‘Morning, dear,’ Cathy called.

  ‘Morning, Cathy,’ she called back. Brooke hesitated in the hallway. He could tell she didn’t know where to stand or what to do. She began to bite her nails.

  ‘Do you want to sit for a few minutes?’

  She nodded and went into the lounge.

  The phone rang, and Cathy answered it in the kitchen. ‘Hello?’ She paused. ‘What?’ She paused again. ‘Maybe so, but this is just ridiculous.’ She looked down the hallway at Luke. ‘I’ll tell him.’ She placed the handset down.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘The police. They want you to give them a DNA sample this morning. Asked if you could pop in as soon as possible.’

  ‘What the hell for?’

  ‘It’s just for elimination purposes, they said.’ She passed him his coffee from the worktop.

  ‘I bet they think I’ve done something to Debbie. Maybe they think I have her in the shed or something. Maybe they think I’m making all this up.’

  He heard a thunderous stampede coming down the stairs. ‘We’re ready!’ shouted Max. The three children stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

  ‘What’s wrong, Dad?’ Heidi asked.

  ‘Nothing, sweetheart. I’ll see you after school.’

  ‘Come on then, you lot. Let’s get going,’ Cathy shouted. They ran to the door, laughing and shouting as they left the house. ‘See you in a bit,’ said Cathy, following them out.

  Luke leaned against the countertop. They wanted him to go to the station and do a DNA test. It was just to eliminate him, he knew that, but he couldn’t help but feel like a suspect. He’d been questioned previously about the night Debbie disappeared, but he had an alibi. He’d been walking a client around a house several miles from where Debbie had vanished. So why were they putting him through this? Perhaps they thought he was in on her disappearance with someone else. His hands began to tremble the more he thought about all that was happening.

  ‘Luke? I don’t know what’s going on, but—’ Brooke crept through the door, startling him. He dropped the cup, spilling coffee all over the floor. ‘Oh God. What is it? Is it me?’

  He shook his head. ‘No.’

  ‘The other day, I thought the time was right, but I’ve been thinking. Maybe you’re not ready to—’

  ‘It’s not just that,’ he said, as he began to shake and then burst into tears. She hurried over and hugged him.

  ‘What is it? I’m sure it can’t be that bad.’

  ‘I don’t know whether it’s bad or good, Brooke, I really don’t,’ he wailed as he stepped back onto the broken cup, cutting his heel. ‘Bloody hell. Can things get any more complicated?’ he said as he grabbed a tea towel. He stumbled back onto a kitchen chair and began to wipe the blood from his foot. ‘I can’t dress up what’s happened.’

  ‘Then don’t,’ she replied as she sat beside him.

  ‘You know the abandoned baby that they found? Did you read about it or hear anything?’

  She nodded. ‘The one at the library?’

  ‘Yes. It’s Debbie’s. The police have confirmed it. She’s alive and she’s just given birth. I don’t know where that leaves us. I don’t know where that leaves me, and just to top it all off, the police investigating have called me in for a DNA test this morning.’

  He watched as she looked away. Her lip quivered as she wiped a tear from her cheek. There was nothing he could do to quell her pain. He’d felt something with Brooke, a genuine connection.

  ‘Where does that leave us?’ she asked. ‘I mean, I know you weren’t ready, but I thought we had something.’

  He sobbed and rubbed his foot. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just so confused.’

  She leaned down and picked up the pieces of cup that were strewn on the floor. She grabbed the kitchen roll and began mopping up. ‘We’ve been friends for a long time now, haven’t we?’ He nodded. ‘I’m here for you. I’ll help you with the kids. If they want to come to mine to stay or for tea, like always, they’re still welcome. If you want to talk, that’s also fine.’ Brooke looked to one side and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. ‘What I’m trying to say, damn it, is that I don’t want to lose your friendship. Nothing really happened and I… I really like you.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ He stood and hugged her. He had no idea what the future held, or if Debbie was going to be found, but he did know he needed time to digest all that was happening. ‘I have to go and get ready for this DNA test now,’ he said as he hobbled across the floor, hoping that she’d leave him to think. He’d get the DNA test done, the quicker the better, then they could start looking for real suspects – like the intruder in the hoodie, the man who’d been watching him.

  ‘Shall I come with you?’

  ‘No. I want to be alone.’

  Brooke’s cheeks were soaked with tears. ‘Well, you know where I am.’ She snatched her bag off the table and left. He smacked the door with the flat of his hand and continued to hobble towards the stairs, wondering where his life was going.

  Twenty-Seven

  Gina crossed the car park and thought about the night before. Briggs was good company when he wanted to be. They’d laughed, chatted about the case, then they’d enjoyed each other’s bodies until they were spent. She inhaled the fresh smell of coconut conditioner coming from her hair. She certainly felt more human after popping home for a shower and a piece of toast. As she grabbed the door, Jacob stepped out, almost knocking her over.

  ‘In a hurry?’ she asked.

  ‘Thank you so much for my lovely cold,’ he said, sneezing a load of mucus into his hand. ‘Feeling well? You look well. In fact, you look better that you have done in days.’

  ‘I’m on top of the world,’ she replied with a smile. Jacob stuck his tongue out. ‘Bleugh, thanks for infecting me.’

  Gina passed him a tissue and laughed at his sullen face, contorted intentionally into a grimace. ‘You know, Driscoll, you could win a gurning competition with that face.’

  Briggs, who had just pulled into the car park, stepped out of his car. ‘Morning, sir,’ Jacob croaked as he wiped his red nose.

  ‘Sir,’ Gina muttered as she looked away.

  He grabbed his briefcase from the passenger seat and stomped towards the pair. He glared at Jacob’s runny nose. ‘Not you too.’

  ‘Afraid so, sir.’

  Briggs took three large steps back from Jacob. ‘See this distance. I want you to stay at least this far away from me all day. Do you hear?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Jacob replied.

  Gina almost wanted to laugh. He hadn’t kept her at a distance, even though she was nursing the same cold.

  ‘He can be a tosser sometimes,’ Jacob said.

  ‘What? Because he doesn’t want your cold?’

  ‘I didn’t want your cold either, but shit happens.’ A couple of raindrops landed on Jacob’s face. ‘I’ll see you in there. I’m just going to grab some painkillers from my glovebox.’ Driscoll ran towards his car.

  ‘Morning,’ the desk sergeant, Nick, called as she entered the off
ice. She smiled and checked her watch. It was almost nine. Luke would arrive at the station for the swab she’d ordered in about half an hour. She had just enough time to catch up. First, though, she needed approval to take the swab from Luke. Briggs was monitoring every cost that passed through the station. She raced to her office and booted her computer up. As soon as it came on, she printed out the paperwork pertaining to the sample. She passed the incident room, and saw that Jacob had updated the board with details of the attempted break-in from the notes that she’d uploaded. She knocked on Briggs’s door.

  ‘Come in,’ he called.

  ‘Are you okay? You look a little tired, if you don’t mind me saying.’

  ‘I got woken up abruptly in the night.’ She smiled at him, and he looked at his computer. ‘Right, why are you here? Have you solved the case? Got me some good news to report to the powers above?’

  She shook her head and held out the paperwork. ‘I wish. As you know, we need to eliminate Luke Jenkins. We’ve asked him to come in for a DNA swab. He’s due in a few minutes.’

  ‘And you want me to sign off?’

  ‘Yes.’

  He took the paperwork and scanned over it before signing the bottom of the page. ‘I don’t think for one minute this will come up with anything, but I suppose we have to be seen to be doing things right. I’ve read the notes on the attempted break-in last night. We need to get to the bottom of this as soon as.’

  ‘Mr Jenkins also mentioned that he’d seen someone watching him, sitting on the wall at the entrance to the close. Too much of a coincidence?’

  ‘Definitely.’ Briggs began to chew the end of his pen.

  ‘Timings of Deborah’s baby being found and all this happening?’

  ‘Definitely too much of a coincidence.’ He threw his pen on his desk. ‘I enjoyed last night.’

  She smiled, grabbed the form and closed the door. As she headed towards the interview room, she grabbed a swab pack and a pair of blue medical gloves. She got on well with Briggs, but a relationship in the conventional sense wasn’t going to happen. Though she didn’t even know if that’s what he wanted.

  Her thoughts leaped back to Terry and the night he had been pronounced dead in their home. The night she had been liberated, finally able to live the life she wanted. People still extended their sympathy when they’d heard that she was a widow, but she’d never wanted it, never asked for it and was certain that she didn’t deserve even an ounce of it. She took a deep breath and tried to shove Terry from her mind. Free from abuse, but never free from his memory.

  She approached the interview room. Wyre was standing outside. Her black suit was beautifully tailored and her posture was perfect. Gina barely had time to shower and eat properly. The woman mustn’t sleep, Gina thought. ‘Here to assist?’

  Wyre nodded and held up a swab pack, smiling when she saw that Gina held one too. ‘Great minds and all that, ma’am.’

  The desk sergeant called her over. ‘Mr Jenkins has arrived.’

  ‘Thanks, Nick,’ she replied, as she waved Luke over. ‘Thanks for coming. Sorry to spring this on you.’ The tired-looking man hobbled beside her. ‘Are you okay? I don’t suppose you got much sleep after last night.’ She noticed that his suit looked a little creased and he hadn’t shaven.

  He rubbed his eyes. ‘I trod on a broken cup.’

  ‘Sounds painful.’

  ‘Look. Why am I here? It’s obvious that the baby isn’t mine.’ He sighed as they reached the entrance to the interview room.

  Wyre held the door open. ‘Please take a seat, Mr Jenkins. As you know, we have procedures to follow and this will be totally painless.’

  He scraped the chair across the floor, sat and folded his arms. ‘I’m meant to be at work. What am I meant to tell my employer?’

  ‘Shall I contact them for you?’ Wyre asked. ‘I can tell them that your house was broken into last night and you’re here giving a statement.’

  ‘Thanks, but I’ll be fine. This just seems ridiculous, a bit over the top, that’s all.’

  ‘Mr Jenkins, we have to do this as a process of elimination. May I just remind you that you are not under arrest and you are here voluntarily? What you are doing is helping with your wife’s case, so thank you so much for coming. This will only take a moment and won’t cause you any discomfort at all.’

  He unfolded his arms and sat up straight. ‘I know. I guess I’m just feeling a bit uptight. It’s not every day that a man whose wife has been missing for years ends up being the mother of an abandoned baby. It’s not every day some weirdo stares through your window and it’s not every day you come face to face with an intruder in the middle of the night. I’m sorry, but nothing in life has ever served to prepare me for this. I just want you to do your job and find my wife.’

  ‘I understand,’ said Gina. ‘I can’t imagine being where you are, Mr Jenkins. Really, I can’t. But we’re doing this for Mrs Jenkins, for Deborah.’

  ‘I know. I’m sorry.’

  ‘You have nothing to apologise for. Right, let’s get this done.’

  Wyre slipped the blue gloves on and ripped the packet open. ‘Can you open your mouth, please, Mr Jenkins?’ He leaned back and did as she requested. She rubbed the swab against the inside of Luke’s cheek before removing it and dropping the head from the stick into the sealed tube. She did the same with a second swab then placed them into an evidence bag. She sealed the envelope, removed her gloves and completed the details on the front of the bag as well as those on the form.

  ‘Thank you, Mr Jenkins. All done,’ Wyre said as Gina leaned over and countersigned the envelope. ‘I’ll just go and drop this off. Do you need me for anything else?’

  Gina shook her head and smiled as Wyre left.

  Luke began biting the skin on his lip. ‘What happens now?’

  ‘You can go to work and we’ll be in touch. Obviously, if you see, remember or hear anything, you have my number. We’ve set up an incident room for the case. We’re working flat out as hard as we can on finding your wife.’

  ‘Thank you, and I do appreciate what you’re all doing.’ Luke flinched as he stood. ‘Bloody foot. Literally, bloody foot.’ He let out a short burst of laughter then bit his lip again. ‘I suppose I’ll be off then.’ As he reached the door, he paused. ‘Please do everything you can. I mean everything. My children would love nothing more than to have their mother back. I would love nothing more than to have my wife back.’

  ‘I promise you I’ll do everything I can,’ she replied as she followed him out. Nick was putting up some new posters aiming to deter people from being tempted to drink and drive over the festive period. ‘Bye, Mr Jenkins. I’ll keep you updated.’ He didn’t turn around. He hobbled towards the car park and vanished out of view.

  Gina walked to the window and watched as he stepped into his car and drove off. It was only morning, but she’d have sworn that it was about four in the afternoon. It was as if daylight had barely broken for days. She watched as a few heavy raindrops plopped into the large puddle gathered in the pothole in their car park.

  ‘Mince pie?’ Nick asked.

  ‘Working here is making me fat,’ she replied as she took one.

  ‘Nonsense. They’re good for you. They’ve got fruit in them – one of your five a day.’ He put another poster up, highlighting the number to call for reports of female genital mutilation. Gina took a bite of the pie and left him to it.

  She wandered through reception and back to her office. She picked up the file of the investigation four years ago. A photo of the woman found in the river dropped onto her desk. She stared at the waxy face with the crooked nose then looked away. She and Driscoll would start by re-interviewing the staff at the Angel Arms in Cleevesford. Maybe, just maybe, someone might be able to add to her notes. She read over the dog-eared pages and spotted some names she recognised. She had originally interviewed the four members of staff that were there at the time. She remembered smarmy Samuel Avery and the other members of staff: Jeff
Wall, Ally Perrins and Charlene Lynch.

  She picked up the phone and pressed Wyre’s extension. ‘Can you and O’Connor track down Deborah Jenkins’ friends who played pool with her at the pub? Also, give Lynne Hastings at Avant Conservatories Limited a heads-up. Let them know we’ll be coming in tomorrow to discuss Deborah Jenkins and we’re likely to be there a while. Ask if we can use their boardroom.’ Wyre acknowledged her request and ended the call.

  She finished off the rest of the mince pie and flung the case in the bin. It tasted of Christmas. All the decorations were up in the town but she didn’t feel very Christmassy yet. Mince pies were a start, but so were the drink drivers and antisocial behaviour offenders, and the general traffic through the station. Welcome to the festive season.

  She placed all the case notes back in the file and grabbed her coat. The ticking of the clock in her office pierced her thoughts. They’d get down to the pub at twelve, bang on opening time. If Deborah’s abductor was someone they’d already spoken to, she was determined they wouldn’t fool them this time.

  Twenty-Eight

  They pulled up outside the drab village pub. The paintwork was crumbling and smashed glass had been swept against the wall. Gina stepped out and headed towards the main door, stepping over a pile of vomit as she entered. ‘Nice way to great the customers,’ she said.

  Jacob dry-heaved and covered his mouth. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes. ‘I feel like total tripe,’ he said as he followed her, avoiding looking down. He began to cough and pulled a tissue from his pocket.

  ‘You’ll be fine in a couple of days. Mint?’ she asked as she held out a packet of Polos, hoping that sucking on a sweet would lubricate his throat and ease his nausea.

  He reached over and took one. ‘Thanks.’

  A woman Gina recognised was wiping the bar down. ‘Charlene. You remember me?’