by M A Comley
“That is very sad. Maybe I could ring your children for you and ask them to come round now, while I’m here. Would that be possible?”
“I’d appreciate that. Sandra will be at home with the little ones, and my son, Matt, will be at work. He’s a local delivery driver, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to drop by. I’ll get you their numbers.”
“I’ll make the drink and then ring them. Is it all right if I make one for myself while I’m at it?”
“Of course.” He reached for his mobile in the centre of the kitchen table and flipped through the phone. He jotted down the numbers on a nearby notebook and handed the sheet of paper to Kayli when she placed the mugs of tea on the table.
Swallowing, she dialled the first number. “Hello, is this Sandra?”
“Yes,” a woman replied hesitantly.
“Hello, Sandra, you don’t know me, but I’m at your father’s house at the moment. Is there any chance you can drop by and see him?”
“You’re not making sense. Is Dad all right? Who are you?”
“Sorry, I’m DI Bright of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary. I’d rather not say more over the phone.”
“Oh my God. You can’t leave me up in the air like that. What’s going on?”
“Please, I’d rather tell you in person. It’s nothing to worry about,” she added, sensing the fear in the woman’s voice.
“The police turn up at my father’s house, and you tell me it’s nothing to worry about! Are you crazy?”
“I’m sorry. Please, if you could come over as soon as possible, I’d appreciate it.”
“I’m on my way. Let me gather the children together. I should be with you in fifteen minutes, max.”
“Thank you. We’ll see you soon.” Kayli hung up and smiled at Mr. Godfrey. “I can understand why you found it difficult now. I hope your son will be less inquisitive.”
“I doubt it. Good luck, Inspector.”
Kayli took a sip of tea and then placed the second call. “Hello, is this, Matt?”
“It is. Who is this? I’m driving at present. Can I call you back?”
“I’m DI Kayli Bright, sir. Is it possible for you to call at your father’s address? I’m with him now.”
“The police? Has Dad been arrested?”
“No, it’s nothing to worry about. He’d like you and your sister to be here with him. That’s all.”
“Why? Oh God, has something happened to Mum? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“How soon can you be here? Sandra is on her way,” Kayli replied, sidestepping his question.
“I’m just dropping off a parcel locally. I should be free within a few minutes. I could be there in around twenty minutes.”
“Thank you. We’ll see you then.” She hung up before he could ask any more awkward questions.
Mr. Godfrey reached across the table and patted her hand. “Thank you, dear.”
“You’re welcome. I sense that was the easy part. I’ll be right back. I need to let my partner know what’s going on.” She rushed through the house and out to the car. Dave had his head back with his eyes closed. Kayli thumped on the window, and he almost hit the roof of the car.
“What the fuck ... you nearly gave me a heart attack. Everything all right?”
“His son and daughter are coming over. I wanted to let you know we could be here a while. Do you want to stay here or come inside?”
“I’ll stay out here and catch up on some sleep, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Fine. I could be here for some time.”
“Good luck. Don’t envy you that task.”
Kayli rolled her eyes and returned to the house, where she found Mr. Godfrey staring at the picture of his wife in the kitchen. “Would it be possible to get a picture of your wife, Mr. Godfrey? It’ll help with our enquiries.”
“Do you want this one?”
“It’s up to you. Any will do.”
His hands shaking, he removed the photo from the frame and slid it across the table to her. Kayli slipped it into her pocket as the back door opened and a young woman with two children entered.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
An hour later, feeling emotionally wrecked, Kayli left the house. The Godfreys’ children had pleaded with her to find the person responsible for their mother’s murder, and she’d promised them it would be her top priority.
The drive back to the station was subdued. Kayli and Dave walked up the stairs to the incident room on heavy, weary legs. Donna and Graeme seemed equally weary when she and Dave entered the room. “Everything all right, guys?”
“Frustrated, boss. Not sure where to turn next,” Graeme replied.
“Okay, why don’t we try and trace the CCTV footage for around the river where the bike was found, Graeme? The culprit must have got away somehow. Was that on foot, or did they have a second vehicle waiting for them?”
Graeme sat forward in his chair. “Gotcha. I’ll look into it now.”
“Apart from that, our hands are tied until Forensics give us the results from the bike. They said that would likely come in at the end of the day. I’ll chase it up at five if I haven’t heard anything by then. Donna, please can you do a background check on a Brenda Godfrey? Not sure what it will likely turn up, if anything, but whatever you find will be a bonus. Can you also scan this photo of the victim for me?”
Donna took the photo and placed it in the copier beside her. “Where do you want me to send the file?”
“To my phone, if you would.”
Within seconds, Kayli’s phone registered that the image had come through. She rang Lincoln’s number.
“Hello, Lincoln James.”
“Hi, Lincoln. It’s DI Bright. I’m just going to send you a photo of Brenda Godfrey. Can you take a look, see if you recognise her or not?”
“Will do. I’ll ring you straight back.”
Kayli hung up, downloaded the photo, then sent it in a message. Her phone rang a few seconds later.
“Yes, I know the face. I’m trying to place her now.”
“Would it help if I told you where she worked?”
“It might do.”
“Churchwoods doctor’s surgery.”
“That’s it. Yes, that’s my doctor. Crikey, that’s a pretty loose connection to me, if that’s where this is leading.”
“It’s a connection. That’s all we need at this point. Thanks for that. I’ll be in touch soon.”
She hung up and crossed the room to the whiteboard. After picking up the marker pen, she added Brenda’s name then wrote down the connection between all three victims. Dave joined her.
“That’s bizarre, if that’s the reason behind her death.”
Kayli folded her arms and stared at the board. “You’re not wrong. Nothing about this case should surprise us, though.”
“It’s still all pointing back to Lincoln. The question is: what are we going to do about that?”
“There’s nothing we can do yet, Dave. Not without the identification of that bike. However, there is one thing in our favour.”
“What’s that?”
“The offender no longer has the vehicle to terrorise people with.”
“Hmm ... he might not have that particular vehicle, but the odds are he’ll have the use of another vehicle to hand. That alone could infuriate us even more. He could switch vehicles all the time from now on. That’ll leave us up the creek and pulling our hair out if he explores that option.”
“You’re not wrong, partner.”
A few hours later, at five on the dot, Kayli picked up the phone in her office and rang the forensic lab to chase up the results.
A technician answered the call right away and delivered some very discouraging news. “The machine we use to decipher objects that have been vandalised has broken down. We were halfway through the test when it malfunctioned.”
“Damn, shit, and blast. Where do we go from here? I need those results ASAP.”
“I’m aware of th
at, Inspector. I can only offer my succinct apologies. I’ve been onto the manufacturers, and they’re going to do their best to either send an engineer out or, failing that, deliver a temporary machine over the weekend.”
Kayli sighed heavily. So frigging near and yet so far! “What about using another machine in a different area? This can’t be the only machine in circulation, surely?”
“It’s costly equipment. What with the cutbacks everyone is suffering at present, I’m not sure how many labs are likely to have one of these babies.”
“Can you try and ring them for me? It’s vital we get those results soon.”
“I can ring around. I’m not holding out much hope, though. I want you to be aware of that.”
“All I can ask is that you do your best.” She reeled off her mobile number. “Can you keep me informed over the weekend?”
“I’ll get one of my colleagues to ring you. I’m going away for the weekend, sorry.”
“Lucky you. All I’m trying to do is keep the streets of Bristol safe. I can’t do that without the results of those tests.”
“I understand. This will be treated as an urgent matter, I assure you.”
“Thanks. Ring me the minute you know something.” Kayli hung up and let out an exasperated scream.
Dave appeared in the doorway to see what the commotion was about. “Are you okay?”
“No. I need to get out of here. This place, or should I say this investigation, is driving me effing nuts.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled.
“They’re not going to be able to give us the results on the bike until well after the weekend. The damn machine has broken down.”
“Jesus! That’s a bummer. Is there nothing else they can try?”
“Apparently not. I asked them to try a different district for help, but there aren’t many of these machines in circulation because of the cost implications. We’re screwed, Dave.”
“Hey, this isn’t like you, Kayli, to be so defeatist. Go home. You’ve been here since four. There’s nothing we can do until after the weekend anyway.”
“You’re right. Christ, Mark is due home, and I haven’t done a thing around the house. I’ve not been home for a couple of days, and there is no food in the fridge, either.”
“Hey, I doubt that’s going to matter to him. He’ll be dying to see you. Why don’t you shoot off?”
“Thanks. I need to ensure uniform keep vigilant on their patrols over the weekend first.”
“No, you don’t. I can do that. Just go.”
“I hate running out on you like this.”
Dave laughed. “Your logic baffles me at times. You’re not running out on me. Got that?”
She smiled, gathered her handbag, and rushed out of the office, planting a sneaky peck on his cheek as she passed. “You’re a star. Have a good weekend. Let’s hope Monday brings us a positive start to the week.”
“Have a good one. Say hi to Mark for me.”
She smiled at her partner. Hearing Mark’s name made her stomach jittery. Why was she feeling nervous about seeing him again? It had only been two weeks since he left. She drove home on autopilot, then suddenly realising she’d pulled up outside her front door, she swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat.
Kayli hesitated before she exited her vehicle, glancing up at the bedroom window to see if Mark was looking out for her. He wasn’t, but then she was earlier than usual anyway. Inhaling a deep breath, she locked her car and strode up the path as if everything were normal, despite the way her insides were coiling into a nervous knot.
Walking into the lounge, she found Mark sitting on the sofa with a can of beer in his hand. He had his head leaning back against the couch, and his eyes were closed. The room was silent. No music or TV on. That was most unusual for him, as he hated silence in the house. She tiptoed towards him and tried to remove the can from his hand. His eyes flew open. His gaze burned into hers until he realised who she was, then the familiar sparkle appeared. He grabbed her hand, yanked her onto his lap, and kissed her, long and hard, almost too hard. She slipped her arms around his neck, happy to set aside her fears for a few blistering moments of passion.
As she pulled away, her eyes were moist with tears. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“Not half as much as I’ve missed you. You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Long day. I started at four this morning.”
“What? They’re taking the piss.”
She smiled, not having the heart to tell him that she’d worked nineteen hours the day before. He would have gone ballistic if he knew that. “Part of the job, love. You know that. I have a serial killer on my patch and needs must at the moment. When did you get back?”
She studied his face. He was more tanned than when he’d left, not surprising considering the heat where he’d come from. “I got back about four. I was going to prepare dinner, but the fridge is empty.”
Her head dipped, ashamed. “Sorry, I’ve been super busy, and I’ve spent the last two nights round at Annabelle’s.”
His head tilted. “How come?”
“She was missing Giles, and she’s not been very well.”
His eyes drifted the length of her body. “You’ve lost a lot of weight yourself. Is everything okay?”
She kissed him on the lips. “I’m fine. Even better now my man is back home. What about if we have a takeaway tonight, and I’ll nip to the shops to replenish the cupboards and the fridge tomorrow?”
“Suits me. I might even be persuaded to come to the supermarket with you.”
She touched his forehead with the back of her hand. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Cheeky. I know it’s a rarity, but I want to spend all my time off with you. I have no intention of letting you out of my sight again, for the foreseeable future, anyway.”
“While that’s very sweet to hear, is there any reason for that?” It was a strange statement for him to announce. They had never had the type of relationship where they were in each other’s pockets before, and she was unsure how she felt about it. Usually, although they enjoyed each other’s company, they both had their own friends they liked to socialise with, not that she’d had much time to do that in the past couple of months due to the pressure of her workload.
“No reason, except that I’ve missed you and I intend showing you how much over the weekend. You have got the weekend off?”
“Yes, I’ve got the weekend off, unless a major crime happens and I get called in—you know what it’s like.”
“Let’s keep our fingers crossed. What do you fancy for dinner?” he asked, his eyes glinting.
Kayli got off his lap, took his hand, and led him upstairs. “I think we’ll have dessert first.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
In spite of their desperate need to top up the cupboards with food, Kayli and Mark spent most of Saturday in bed. At five o’clock, Kayli finally announced they needed to get to the shops. Reluctantly, Mark agreed. They showered and changed before setting off for Morrison’s a few miles away.
“Fancy a pizza for tonight? Or do you want me to cook a proper meal?” she asked, screwing her nose up at the thought. “Bearing in mind we’re going to Mum and Dad’s for a barbeque tomorrow. There will be enough salad and meat on offer to feed a small army if I know Mum.”
“Pizza and a good movie will be fine by me. I’ll get a few bottles of wine, and we’ll be good to go.” He kissed her on the cheek and marched towards the alcohol aisle.
Kayli swiftly made her way around the rest of the supermarket in record time without him constantly stopping to pop extra supplies in her trolley. She sought him out at the end of the beer aisle and shook her head. He was struggling to hold five bottles of wine and eight cans of beer in his arms. “Do you think you’ve got enough there? Actually, we can’t show up to the barbeque empty-handed. Why don’t you pick up a couple of boxes of wine, and we’ll take those to my folks’?”
He dumped the it
ems he was juggling into the trolley and walked back to the wine section to retrieve two boxes of wine, one red and one white.
“Okay, that’s all. This lot is going to cost a fortune.”
Mark grinned, stuck his hand in his back pocket, and pulled out his wallet. He handed it to her. “Take it out of there.”
Kayli’s eyes bulged when she saw the notes filed neatly within its folds. “Jesus, looks like a year’s salary for me in there.”
He shrugged. “I told you it was well paid.”
“You did. What you neglected to tell me was how much.” Her police brain kicked into action. No normal security job pays this kind of money. She was tempted to grill him about what his job entailed exactly but not in the middle of the supermarket—that was something she needed to do when they were in the privacy of their own home.
An hour later, with the groceries put away and the pizza cooking in the oven, that was what Kayli did. They were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee, when she broached the subject.
“I know we don’t usually discuss how much each of us earns, love, but seriously, you can’t flash about a stuffed wallet like that and expect me to keep quiet.”
His gaze dropped to the table, and he paused a long time before he responded. “It’s well paid. That’s all you need to know for now, love.”
“How well paid? And what is it they expect you to do for the money?”
He turned his mug on the table, avoiding eye contact with her, raising her suspicions.
“Mark, you’re beginning to worry me now. What’s going on?” She reached for his hand, and he flinched beneath her touch. “Mark, speak to me.”
He exhaled loudly. “Why all the questions? I’m not one of your suspects. You don’t need to cross-examine me all the time, Kayli.”
“I’m doing nothing of the sort. I’m merely asking what your job involves, love.”
“Security. That’s all you need to know. Some jobs demand higher recompense than others. It’s just the way it works out there,” he said, still avoiding her gaze.