He would never use his own car for reconnaissance work; it had potential to be traced back to him. His mother’s reliable, boring Clio however, recently fitted with false plates to avoid detection, blended well into the background like so many other vehicles.
Driving steadily, well within the speed limit, he made his way to the Asda store in Leechmere. He wouldn’t normally push his luck this far, but he had a hankering to overhear whatever rumours might be circulating the place where she’d worked. And sure enough, as soon as he walked in the door, he was confronted with a picture of Susan smiling out from a board near the customer service desk. Flowers adorned the desk, and without trying he could smell their sickly-sweet scent.
His eyes flashed slightly.
He hated flowers, didn’t see the point in pulling them from the ground at all let alone presenting them in bunches.
For a moment he remembered his mother forcing him to cut thorns off roses as she prepared floral arrangements for the church. She had sneered as he cut himself, telling him to grow up and be a man, and then proceeded to soak the cuts in TCP, watching for the wince as the liquid burnt and stung.
Yes, he hated flowers.
Realising his anger for what it was, he knew he had to calm himself. Breathing deep, slow breaths for a moment, he felt his blood pressure sink back down.
The sudden sneeze took him by surprise, causing the woman behind the counter to say, ‘Bless you.’ He nodded at her in thanks, deciding she’d be the one he would talk to.
Holding back his excitement, he feigned interest as she told him that Susan Mackintosh was dead, that she’d been a valued and much loved member of staff and he found himself phasing out slightly as she waffled on. He was almost impressed with the visible prick of tears in her eyes as she went on to tell him about the ‘two wee babies’ poor Susan had left behind.
His eyes grew dark, however, as the woman explained that Susan had been brutally raped and then murdered.
Raped? I’m no rapist.
The sudden onslaught of anger threatened his composure. Quickly, feigning trauma, he walked back out of the store.
Once settled in his car, he punched his fist hard on the dashboard, barely registering the pulse of pain in his knuckles. Raped? That was the rumour? That he was the lowest of the low scumbag who would rape a woman before killing her? Not that he hadn’t considered it on occasion of course, there was definitely something about controlling the person you were having relations with, but rape? The papers hadn’t mentioned rape. He was certain the post-mortem would show no evidence of such a crime. But just being associated with the word made him see red. He had some class, after all.
He’d already made a decision on who his next victim would be and was more certain than ever that he’d made the right choice. The next one wouldn’t be on the same scale. There was no chance that rape would be on the rumour mill headlines.
He knew he had to wait before he acted. And despite his breath hissing out from between pursed lips, he was prepared to do just that. It was all planned to happen in three weeks. The pitiful town of Ryhope would never see it coming.
First though, he had to get his anger out, before he did something stupid and made a mistake. That’s what all the good self-help books had proclaimed after all. It was anger that made a person reckless.
And being reckless was something he would not entertain.
He drove over to the factory units and unlocked the central door using his key. Entering the unit, he locked the door behind him. He took in a deep breath, smelling the sawdust and machine oil, and he smiled as the scent instantly calmed his raging anger.
Turning on the large circular saw, he felt more of his anger dissipate and carefully, he began crafting his latest piece. The heavy oak was warm in his hands, and he felt the vibrations judder through him, helping him relax a little more as he became engrossed in his task. It would be hours before he moved now. The wood had to be manipulated well and handled carefully in order to be formed into the perfection he knew it could achieve.
On the wall to his rear, the large black cross looked down, waiting to be mounted onto his work when he was finished. Soon it wouldn’t be able to judge him any more and a new cross would take its honoured place.
Ryhope Police Station
Cass groaned as she stretched; the bland office chairs not the comfiest thing to sit on for lengthy stretches of time. Rubbing her blurry eyes, she glared at the computer screen for a moment.
She’d spoken to Kevin when he returned from the post-mortem and had frowned at the news of the metal shard. If Nigel believed it hadn’t been left behind by a knife, that was good enough for her. A close study of the object had yielded no clues to its origins. One edge showed tool mark striations, but without a tool to compare it to, the marks were useless.
The exhibits had all now been handed to the dedicated exhibits officer, who had removed them into the Major Incident Store for the time being anyway. But the metal shard was bugging Cass and she couldn’t seem to put it out of her mind. What was it and why was it there?
She looked up as she heard female voices in the corridor outside her office. Deena and Faith stopped at her open door and glanced in.
‘Sorry, Ben, go ahead,’ said Deena, her hand motioning towards the side.
Ben Cassidy entered, carrying a large box.
‘First of three, Cass. If you’re busy I’ve got cover in the front office. I can take them straight down to the lab and unpack them if you like?’
Ben worked the front desk at the station. She kept herself to herself and Cass had often wondered what her story was, how she’d come to work for the police. ‘That would be great, Ben, if you don’t mind. Are they heavy? I can get Frank to give you a hand if you like?’
‘Handyman’s on his rounds. It’s fine, Cass, they’re not heavy. I’ll take care of it.’
Cass watched thoughtfully as Ben’s slender frame walked off. She thought she detected a slight limp in her gait but filed the thought away before turning her attention back to Deena and Faith. ‘How’d it go with the car?’
Deena shook her head and frowned, ‘We’ll update Socard in a sec, but there’s nothing there except her blood and watermarks.’
Cass nodded. ‘Good job anyway.’
Moments later, Deena returned and placed a steaming cup of coffee on the desk in front of Cass. ‘The photos have been uploaded onto the central database. Figured you’d need them asap for the murder box.’
Cass shook her head at the dramatic name of her current task.
The term ‘murder box’ made the item sound much more interesting than it actually was. In reality, it was just a box, filled with information on the murder, but it was a job Cass loved doing. As hideous and stressful as any murder could be, compiling the information into a usable format allowed her mild OCD to be relieved slightly. Ensuring the box contained everything pertinent to the forensic side of the murder was her guilty pleasure, and she carefully looked over all the photos, not just from the scene, but also from the post-mortem and the vehicle examination, mulling momentarily over which ones were needed and which were essentially fluff. She took her time putting the photo booklet together; thumbnail sized images had been printed on photo paper and bound into a booklet, and these would later be used as a reference source when it came to pulling the case together. She also placed copies of the disks within the box, so that if Alex wanted to he could see all the photos and not just what she’d selected. Cass had already printed out a copy of the scene exam notes entered by her, Johnny, and Carla and she filed them with the corresponding statements. Having the box ready meant the Forensic Strategy Meetings would run much smoother as all the information would be to hand.
Engrossed in her work, Cass didn’t notice the time passing. She took long sip of her coffee and grimaced as the cold liquid settled on her tongue. A thin film of skin from the top of the drink coated her lips and she gagged. ‘Yuck,’ she muttered and wiped her hand across her mouth in disgust.
>
She glanced at the clock above the doorway and jumped as Alex suddenly appeared.
‘Hey, Cass, I’m gonna head off. I’m definitely in need of a shower and my bed. How about you?’ he asked.
Cass looked at him, the implications of his accidental offer sinking in. She felt her cheeks flush and nodded, grabbing her warrant card from the slot in the computer and her handbag from its spot under the desk. Religiously, she locked her office door, and checked that the door to the CSI office was also secure. It was a habit instilled in her since she’d first started working for the force. While she’d been in her probation period, someone had managed to slip through the entrance door from front office and entered the CSI office, stealing various belongings before making off. It had been the station joke for weeks, the forensic department having to fingerprint their own office but the thought that one of the CSIs could have been present in the office had sent chills down their spines. They’d all taken to making sure the offices were locked up when no one was in.
Cass followed Alex down the stairs and realised she’d unconsciously parked next to him. She flashed him a quick smile as she jumped into her car. Twisting the key in the ignition, she felt her heart sink as the engine sputtered but refused to turn over. She tried again but it made a pitiful sound and died.
Damn car, not again. Please work.
As it sputtered once more, Cass berated herself again for choosing this car. It had suffered one problem after another, and her bank balance had certainly suffered too after paying for all the repairs.
She turned as the passenger door opened. ‘You OK?’ asked Alex.
‘Stupid car won’t start. It’s all right, I’ll call the RAC. Get yourself home, you need the rest,’ said Cass, trying to disguise the frustration in her tone.
Shaking his head with a frown, Alex said, ‘I’ll give you a lift. You’d be here hours waiting for recovery. The handyman can look at it tomorrow.’
‘It’s fine, Alex honest, I don’t wanna put you out. I don’t live in Sunderland. It’s out of your way.’
‘It’s no problem. I’ll take you home and grab you in the morning.’ Alex was adamant but Cass felt torn, she really didn’t want to put him to any trouble. He was tired, and to her it was a big deal for a colleague to know where she lived. She’d grown accustomed to keeping her private life separate from work and none of the CSIs had been to her home, let alone a police officer. On the other hand, she also didn’t want to sit around waiting for hours for a mechanic to tell her he couldn’t do anything and then have to make her own way home later regardless.
‘OK,’ she agreed finally.
‘Check you out with your posh car,’ she said as she settled into the plush leather interior of the new model Audi.
He grinned at her. ‘It was the only one they had in the showroom. You think it says poser?’
‘Well it definitely doesn’t scream deadbeat like mine does,’ she said with a grim smile
They fell into a comfortable silence, the radio playing quietly in the background and Alex followed her directions almost on autopilot. As they finally pulled onto a dirt track, darkened by trees growing on either side, his grumpiness became apparent. ‘For Christ’s sake, Cass, where on earth do you live? Timbuktu?’
‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘We’re almost there.’
Her breath caught a little in her throat as it always did when her cottage came into view. The moon was bright and full, casting a blue hue that gave the cottage an almost mystical glow.
‘It reminds me of the little cottage in the woods of every fairy story I’ve ever read.’ Alex said it quietly, but she overheard and grinned at him, a little shy now he was at her home.
‘I love it. I’ve had it for about six years. It still needs work doing but I’m getting it there slowly’ she paused and then grabbed the bull by the horns, for once making a spontaneous offer. ‘Would you like to come in for a quick cuppa before you head home?’
Alex nodded and followed her to the door and inside. He closed the front door and turned, his eyes widening as he caught the movement of something big and hairy that launched itself at him with a deep woof. Completely unprepared, he felt the weight of the thing hit him square in the chest and he flew backwards, landing hard on his backside. His eyes focused on the monster that was Ollie, just as the dog opened his mouth and started covering him with sloppy kisses.
‘Oh God!’ He heard Cass exclaim, ‘Ollie, get off him.’
Reluctantly the dog pulled himself away from his new friend, gave him one last wet kiss and sloped off to the kitchen. Cass held out a hand, her eyes sparkling with silent laughter, and apologised as she helped pull Alex to his feet.
He smiled at her, ‘You could have warned me you had a monster waiting to ambush me. Any other surprises?’ he asked, jokingly checking underneath the cabinet in the hall.
A small giggle escaped as Cass led the way into the lounge and motioned for Alex to take a seat. ‘Coffee?’ she asked, her humour finally wearing down.
‘Tea please, if that’s OK? Coffee will keep me awake.’
Cass nodded and headed off to the kitchen.
Alex glanced around the room with interest. It was very homely, with wolf ornaments placed decoratively on the mantelpiece, a couple of Native American pieces of artwork on the walls, and the biggest bookshelf he thought he had ever seen jam-packed with books of all types. He sat down on the ample sofa, and without thinking, he kicked off his shoes and groaned as its plush cushions held him close in a tight hug.
Cass bustled around the kitchen, making a pot of tea. Her nerves were making her clumsy and she cursed as she spilt hot water from the kettle over the countertop. No one except her family had ever seen the cottage she called home. She’d had never been one for mixing business with pleasure and solidly maintained her personal side behind a facade of restrictions placed by being a ‘supervisor’ and ‘having responsibilities’. And here she was with a man she barely knew in her cottage, a fact made worse by the way her insides went slightly fluttery whenever he looked at her.
When Cass finally calmed herself down enough to return to the living room, she stared in horror as she found him asleep on the sofa.
He’s even took his shoes off, the cheeky sod.
Alex’s long legs were tucked under him and his head rested on his hand on the arm of the couch.
What the hell do I do now? Wake him?
Shaking her head, she decided to let him be. She grabbed the tattered blanket from the back of the armchair and covered him over, closed the curtains, and shut the door with a soft click.
Ollie had decided it was teatime and was crunching his biscuits loudly. Cass felt her tummy grumble in response to the thoughts of food. It was almost 8 p.m. and she hadn’t eaten since the sandwich earlier.
She quickly popped some pasta in a pan and whipped up a bacon and tomato sauce, making a little extra in case Alex woke up hungry later. She let her thoughts jumble together her tired mind as she ate a bowl of the steaming food, then, deciding Ollie could wait until morning for another walk, she let him out to do his business.
By now she was pretty much working on autopilot and she undressed and fell into bed. The final thought she registered was a flashback to Ollie’s over-enthusiastic greeting of Alex. A smile flittered across her lips as she fell into the world of dreams.
Chapter Five
Cass’s Cottage – 21 September
Alex groaned as he stretched his aching neck slightly. His hands made contact with the soft blanket that covered him and confused, he forced his eyes open. The impending dawn was just starting to send cracks of light around the room, and his eyes widened as he realised he was not at home. He rubbed his face and pulled himself into a sitting position.
‘Crap,’ he muttered under his breath as he realised, he had fallen asleep in Cass’s living room. The ticking clock on the mantelpiece read 6.40 a.m.
Pulling his legs round off the couch, he saw the note on the table in front of him and q
uickly realised it was too dark to read. He stood, moving toward the window and opened the curtains a crack. Glancing outside, he paused and stared. The whole area had that soft glow of light that only occurred just before the sun started to rise. It caught the shadows of the trees and magically transformed them from dull silhouettes to defined shapes. His car glinted like fairy dust when the light hit the beads of moisture.
A movement caught his eye, and he felt his heart pound as Cass came into view on the drive. Her chest was heaving as she breathed deeper with the exertion, the sports T-shirt under her open jacket only enhancing the view. Almost as an afterthought, he noticed the dog, lolloping beside her, and realisation dawned that she was an early riser and had taken Ollie out. Alex pulled back from the window, a soft frown on his face.
How did she manage to sneak out without me hearing? Normally a pin dropping wakes me up.
He wandered into the hall, intending to say hi and apologise for falling asleep, but as Cass walked through the door, she jumped back violently as she registered his presence.
Her brown eyes darkened and he took in the instant look of fear on her face before she could rein it in and hide it behind her normally steady composure. Her hand had flown to her chest and she’d dropped Ollie’s leash instinctively. The dog had been given a start, uttering a warning ‘woof’ until he realised who it was. He glanced at Alex through his huge puppy eyes and sloped off towards the kitchen.
‘Sorry, Cass, I didn’t mean to scare you,’ he said softly, purposely keeping his voice neutral as he held his hands out in front of him. A sudden stab of anger shot through him; someone had hurt her.
Cass could feel her heart beating fast underneath her fingertips. She knew she’d shown more fear than was necessary for the momentary shock, but she couldn’t seem to stop her heart pounding in her ears. ‘It’s OK, Alex. I was away with the fairies. I’m fine, you just startled me is all.’
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