by Ann Bloxwich
Everyone stood still for a moment, then Ray snatched up his clothes in silence and stalked off outside, still naked and not caring.
A few minutes later they heard his Porsche zoom off with a squeal of tyres.
‘Wow!’ said Des, clapping Si on the back. ‘That was a hell of a speech, dude. I thought he was gonna burst a blood vessel for a minute. Brave though, nobody’s ever stood up to him before.’
Chad shook Si’s hand and pulled him in for a hug. Kitty stood at the edge of the room. She’d heard the whole exchange and had tears of pride in her eyes, for Si finally having the guts to do what she should have done years ago, but also of fear for Michelle. She hoped the little love was safe, she knew herself what Ray was capable of, and voiced her concerns. Si came over and hugged her, his trademark smile plastered firmly back in place.
‘Don’t worry about Shelley,’ Si said. ‘I’ll ring her and warn her. That is, if he doesn’t crash his car on the way. We can pop in and check on her later as well.’
‘Thanks love. Well then Ricky, it seems there is a vacancy after all. Why don’t you go and grab your gear, and you can show us how it’s done down south?’ Kitty said with a smile. ‘I’ll go and warm them up for you.’
53
Alex, Gary and Craig sat on a bench outside the club, waiting patiently to take the revellers home. Alex had suggested they take the added precaution of covering their car seats with towels in case of accidents. They had been waiting for over an hour, but none were brave enough to risk going inside to see if the women were ready to leave. They’d seen Ray depart earlier and had wondered whether the fact that he’d stormed out stark naked and driven off was anything to do with the hen party.
A local fast-food van had parked up nearby and Alex had treated them all to a burger while they waited. The doors of the club opened, and people started to stream out in groups, some heading towards the burger van and some getting into the various taxis that had formed a queue at the side of the club.
‘Oh heck,’ Gary said in a worried voice, pointing towards the door as a group of rowdy women emerged, all singing loudly. ‘Look at the state of them.’
Craig was glad he’d not had the car cleaned yet that week. Deb was hanging onto Mo and Jayne, all three of them swaying dangerously. Jo and Isobel stumbled out behind them, closely followed by Dawn, who appeared to be wearing a pirate’s hat and dreadlocks. She was swigging from a wine bottle and doing her best impression of Jack Sparrow. They spotted the waiting men, cheered loudly and made a beeline for them. Martha came around the rear, draped in a feather boa and wearing a G-string on her head. She seemed to have lost her crown.
‘Hooray, the calvary, no, the clevery, erm, what’s the fucking word I need?’ Jayne slurred.
‘I think you mean cavalry dear,’ Alex said, trying to hold his wife up but being pulled over by the other two. ‘Craig, sort your wife out, will you?’
‘Excuse me!’ Deb shouted in a fake haughty voice, ‘I’ll have you know that I don’t need sorting out – but he will when I get him home. Come here, lover boy,’ she whooped, grabbing Craig around the neck and licking his face. Craig pretended to be horrified.
‘Help, boss! Give me a cell to sleep in for my own safety!’ He tried to pry Deb off, but she clung on tight, attempting to stick her tongue in his ear and half-strangling him in the process. He wiped slobber off his face with a grimace.
‘In your dreams, mate, most men would kill to be jumped on by Deb,’ Mo laughed, ‘And a fair few women wouldn’t kick her out of bed either.’
She winked at Deb, who blew her a kiss.
‘Jeez, look at the state of you all,’ Alex exclaimed, trying hard to keep a straight face, ‘You’re a disgrace to the Force! Come on, let’s get you all home.’
All the women made whooping sounds. ‘We’re having a gang bang!’ someone sang.
‘I’ve been molested by an Indian chieftain,’ Jo stuttered. ‘And very nice it was, too.’ She pulled her dress up. ‘I think I’ve got feathers in my knickers.’
Martha laughed until she snorted. ‘He certainly tickled her fancy, bonny lad. You should have seen the size of his tomahawk.’
Gary was mortified. ‘Jo, stop it.’ He tried in vain to pull Jo’s dress down again, but Jo wrapped one leg around him and shoved his head in her cleavage. Alex nearly choked because he was laughing so much.
Gary went very red and eventually managed to get Martha and Jo into his car. Deb, Mo and Isobel climbed into Craig’s, leaving Alex to take Jayne and Dawn. He bundled Jayne into the back seat and turned to Dawn, who was striding around the car park, brandishing her feather duster like a sword.
‘Nice hat. Pulled yourself a pirate, have you?’
Dawn took her hat off with a flourish and bowed low, then fell forwards onto her face with a crunch. She made a snorting noise and stood up again slowly, refusing his offer of help. Her nose was bleeding and she had gravel stuck to her face. She jammed her hat back on and grinned at him. ‘Aar Captain!’ she beamed.
54
There was more than just sore heads to complain about the next morning. Mo couldn’t explain the huge bruises on her knees and elbows, and Dawn sported two stunning black eyes and a very swollen nose, which she swore was broken. As a result, she talked as if she had cotton wool shoved up both nostrils, which amused Gary greatly.
‘I don’t know, I’d have thought you lot could handle your drink,’ he chuckled. Dawn stuck two fingers up at him and he roared some more.
Craig hobbled in, looking grim. He lowered himself into his chair with relief. ‘That’s better,’ he sighed. He pointed an accusing finger at Mo and Dawn. ‘You two have a lot to answer for, getting Debs so drunk. I nearly crashed the car on the way home because she was trying to climb onto my lap. I can’t remember the last time we had that much sex. It’s alright for her, she booked the day off work, so she’s still snoring her head off. I can hardly stand up straight.’
He looked genuinely aggrieved, but he got no sympathy at all from anyone.
‘Lucky you! If I were single, I’d be more than happy to go all night with your missus,’ Mo called, winking at him. ‘I bet she’s got hidden talents.’
Craig grinned back at her. ‘I’m saying nothing. But I seriously think I need a chiropractor to sort my back out.’
All amusement ceased when Alex came in. The look on his face told them he was not in a joking mood.
‘We’ve just had a shout from Traffic Division. A homeless man was killed and two of his friends have been injured in what looks like a hit and run late last night. Gary, you and Mo get down there and talk to the officers on the scene. Witnesses are saying the car involved was a red Porsche. Craig, you and Les go and pick up our friend Mr Diamond and bring him in for a little chat. I have a feeling he may be able to shed some light on the situation.’
The phone rang in Alex’s office, making him swear. He strode across and snatched it up, making short work of the conversation, then came back out and called for everyone to wait.
‘We have another misper report just come in,’ he announced to the team. ‘Elizabeth Callendar hasn’t been seen since before Christmas. Her parents are downstairs.’
He looked around the room to find someone who didn’t look like they’d been in a fight to go with him to interview the parents. ‘Dawn, you go with Gary, Mo can come with me.’
The desk sergeant had put the parents in an interview room, and Alex quickly put them at ease.
‘How long exactly has your daughter been missing?’ Alex began.
Mr Callendar fidgeted in his seat. He was a small thin man, with close-cropped grey hair and blue eyes. His grey trousers and pullover looked too big for him, as if he’d shrivelled up inside them. His wife was of a similar build, her reddish-grey hair was pulled back in a loose bun and her brown eyes looked sad. She wore a blue skirt and blouse, with a jacket that was a slightly different shade, as if it was from another suit.
‘We’
re not entirely sure,’ Mr Callendar said. ‘We thought she’d gone on holiday with her boyfriend, but he rang us yesterday looking for her. It seems they had a huge bust-up, so she told him she was going alone.’
‘I see. Did he say what they argued about?’
‘No, but they argue a lot. To be honest, I’m surprised they’ve stayed together this long.’
‘I’ll need to speak to her boyfriend to get more details about the timeline, but if you could provide us with a photograph of Elizabeth, we can get it circulated.’
‘I thought you might want one, so I printed this off for you.’ Mrs Callendar took a picture out of her handbag. ‘Betty’s a social media fanatic, so thought this one would be the most up-to date one. It must have been taken on a night out because she’s had her hair done.’
‘We always call her Betty because she loved Betty Boop when she was little,’ Mr Callendar explained.
Alex took the photo and looked at it before passing it to Mo. The young woman in the selfie smiling back at him was the spitting image of Vicky Wilson.
‘What’s the name of Betty’s boyfriend?’ Alex asked.
Mr Callendar looked at him. ‘Sorry, I thought I mentioned it. His name is Arjan Bakshi.’
55
Michelle looked at the devastation around her. After walking out of the show last night, she’d gone for a long drive and had got home very late and had overslept. She cursed herself as she rushed around the supermarket, wishing she’d remembered to pick up her shopping list. She parked near the kitchen door but noticed the front door was wide open as she passed it. There was no sign of Ray’s car, so she assumed he must have got a lift back from the show the night before.
‘Ray, you left the front door open again!’ she called as she staggered in, weighed down with shopping bags. When Ray didn’t answer, she left the bags on the kitchen floor and went into the lounge, but there was no sign of him. She headed upstairs, listening for any signs of life. Ray’s bedroom door was open, so she held her breath and walked in, bracing herself for a torrent of abuse for daring to enter his domain.
There was no sign of Ray, but his room looked as if a hurricane had torn through it. The dark red drapes on his bed hung in tattered shreds and his wardrobe doors stood open, the contents destroyed and scattered everywhere. Instinct made Michelle pull her phone out of her bag and call the police, but halfway through the conversation she heard someone running down the stairs. She hung up and gave chase, knowing it was a stupid thing to do, but determined to see who it was.
As she got to the bottom of the stairs, she saw someone run out through the front door. Michelle gave chase, regretting her decision as a sharp pain in her side brought her up short. The figure disappeared around the side of the house, but Michelle was in no fit state to follow them. She was still bent over clutching her side when a car pulled up and PC Penny Griffiths and PC Phil Marshall got out.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked, but Michelle pointed in the direction that the assailant had gone. PC Marshall took off around the corner while PC Griffiths stayed with Michelle. He was back a few minutes later, talking on his radio.
‘No sign of anyone there now,’ he told Penny.
‘I checked downstairs, but they must have been hiding in the downstairs toilet,’ Michelle said. ‘I looked in all of the other rooms.’
‘You should have stayed outside and called us instead,’ Penny scolded. ‘They could have attacked you.’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t think,’ Michelle replied. ‘I just thought that Ray hadn’t closed the door properly.’
Michelle sat in her car while the two officers surveyed the damage, then went to the station with them to give a statement. By the time she was done it was getting late. There was still no sign of Ray when she went back to the house, so rather than spend the night there alone, she packed a bag and checked into a budget hotel near Wolverhampton train station.
***
The following morning, she went home and made a start on clearing up the mess. Ray still hadn’t surfaced, she figured he must have gone on a bender somewhere. He was unravelling fast, and Michelle guessed that the new stripper showing up two nights ago had probably pushed him over the edge.
Armed with bin bags and rubber gloves, Michelle began by bagging up all of Ray’s clothes and shoes and stood them outside the bedroom door. She took the bed drapes down and added them to the pile before turning her attention to the shoe boxes on the floor of the wardrobe. Most of them had spilled their contents on the floor of her wardrobe, but some remained intact. Most of them contained photographs of women, probably conquests, Michelle thought. She sat on the floor and carefully sorted through the various photographs and bits of paper, dividing them into separate stacks for Ray to check when he got back from wherever he’d gone.
One photograph caught her eye and she smoothed it out carefully to take a better look at it. It was quite old and faded and showed three young men posing in a crowded bar on New Years’ Eve. Behind the men was a group of women, oblivious that they were in the shot. Someone had drawn a circle around one of the women, who seemed to be leaning in towards her friend as if to hear what she was saying. Michelle threw it back on the pile and picked up an envelope marked Forbidden Fantasy. Peering inside, she pulled out a bundle of photographs and flicked through them, her horror increasing with each picture. Her phone rang, making her jump. She listened for a moment, then hung up. She put the photographs back into the envelope, stuffed it into her pocket and left the house.
56
‘I want Arjan Bakshi found – now. Ray Diamond too. He’s mixed up in this mess somewhere, I just know he is.’
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He knew the team were working flat out but his patience was wearing thin. He and Jayne had argued last night when he’d got home to find her with more bruises. The situation with Joel was getting out of hand, but she refused to let him call in social services. They had ended up having a full-blown row and it had been nearly 1 a.m. by the time they went to bed.
‘Boss, take a deep breath and calm down before you burst a blood vessel,’ Craig said, handing Alex a mug of coffee. ‘You’ll give yourself a heart attack in a minute.’
Alex slumped into the chair next to Craig’s desk. ‘I’m just pissed off that we’re no further forward than we were before Christmas.’
‘Yes we are,’ Craig argued. ‘We’ve had a positive ID on the woman from the club and we know that Vicky Wilson is alive. I agree that Ray Diamond seems to be mixed up in all of it, but if he is we’ll get him in the end.’
Alex drank half of his coffee in one go. ‘You can bet your life we will. You and Mo go and speak to Vicky’s friends and see what else you can find. Don’t let on that she’s alive though. Get Gary and Dawn to go and check out Arjan Bakshi’s place of work, and then go and see his mother. Find out if he belongs to a gym or some other form of club. Forensics should have finished processing Elizabeth Callendar’s house by now, so get Les to get onto them and see what they’ve come up with.’
‘Righto,’ Craig said. ‘Oh, I meant to tell you, they caught the guy responsible for the hit and run incident. It was an accountant on his way home from a Christmas party.’
‘Finally, something Ray Diamond didn’t do,’ Alex muttered.
57
Neil Stone finished outlining his lips in a rich magenta shade before patting his face with a fixing powder. He carefully put on his long black wig and became Kitty once more. The end of year lunch at the LGBT headquarters was a huge affair, with all ticket proceeds going to various local charities. As one of the founders it was important to Kitty that she looked her best. She had chosen a long, red, Chinese-style dress with a Mandarin collar, which buttoned up to the neck, and plain black satin pumps instead of high heels. Kitty looked out of the bedroom window, hoping that the rain had stopped, but it was still teeming down. She went downstairs, grabbed her coat and umbrella from the cupboard in the hall and opened
the front door. Ray’s daughter Hope was standing there, soaked to the skin and visibly shaken. Her fair hair was plastered to her pale face and her clothes clung to her slim frame.
‘Good Lord, child, come in before you catch your death of cold!’ Kitty hurried her through to the lounge and switched the gas fire on. ‘Take those wet clothes off and sit down, I’ll get you a hot drink.’
She threw her coat and umbrella back in the hall cupboard, removed her wig, then put a pan of milk on the stove to heat through before calling her friend Tony to explain that she wouldn’t be able to make the lunch.
Hope moved over to the fire and crouched down in front of the artificial flames. She was still staring into them when Neil came back in with a mug of hot chocolate. He gently eased her to her feet, helped her undress and sat her down into an oversized armchair. He pressed the mug into her hands, pulled the throw on the back of the chair around her and sat opposite, watching her face carefully. The woman was in shock, that much was obvious, but Neil sat patiently, knowing she would speak when she was ready. As she sipped at her drink, Hope’s colour started to come back but she was still miles away.
‘I’ll just go and take my slap off,’ Neil said, indicating his face. ‘But I’ll only be a few minutes. There’s more milk in the pan if you want a top-up, love.’
He sped upstairs, hastily removed his make-up and changed into a pair of black trousers and a white shirt. Hope had fallen asleep in the huge armchair, which made her look even smaller than she was. Neil carefully took the empty mug from her hand and crept out of the room. He sent a text to Michelle, sat at the kitchen table and waited.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ Michelle said when Neil opened the door an hour later. ‘I had to run an errand first, and it took longer than I expected. What’s wrong?’