by Rob Roughley
‘Yeah well, turns out she was lying; Kelly says that when she left for the prom he wasn’t at home at all. She thought he was with his, and I quote, ‘slut,’ but I think Ramsey found out that Jodie had told Sophie about what was going on between them and he went up there desperate to make sure Sophie didn’t tell Kelly.’
‘And killed her in the process?’
‘Yeah, but the damage had already been done, that’s why Kelly did a runner in the first place. She already knew what her so-called father had been up to with Jodie. Sophie had told her as soon as they arrived for the prom.’
Medea rested her head on his chest; she could hear the steady rhythm of his heart, ‘And what about, Christopher?’
‘Too much of a loose cannon, as soon as we started sniffing around Reynolds decided to take care of him permanently,’ he closed his eyes and slid an arm across her shoulders, pulling her close. Silence descended as they both thought over the events of the last few days. Then Lasser heard the sound of a jackhammer biting into concrete as the water board dug yet another hole at the end of the street. He smiled, for the first time ever the sound didn’t bother him. Five minutes later, they were both asleep.
114
As far as Lasser was concerned, Bannister still looked knackered though at least there was calmness in his eyes a sense of coming to terms with the aftermath of a catastrophe.
‘So, you’re saying no further action will be taken?’ Lasser looked across the desk in disbelief.
A flicker of a smile crossed the DCIs face. ‘Don’t forget Sinclair’s a solicitor, he knows when to push and when to ease off the gas.’
Lasser thought about what his boss was saying. ‘But...’
‘He admits that he had a relationship with his stepdaughter, though according to him, it was only ever about love, not abuse.’
‘What about Jansen?’
Bannister folded his arms. ‘He tried to escape arrest, cuts and bruises in the scuffle, besides he’s more concerned with his reputation.’
Lasser smiled and shook his head, ‘And Rachael Sinclair?’
Bannister sighed. ‘She won’t talk. Without Reynolds pulling the strings it’s as if she’s incapable of independent thought.’
‘She’s scared of saying anything in case she drops him further in the shit.’
‘It seems that way.’
‘Jesus, what a waste.’
‘However, Jodie Moss is being more helpful and according to forensics they found some DNA at Marshall Brooks’ house that ties Reynolds to the scene.’
‘So he’ll be going down?’
Bannister raised an eyebrow. ‘Let’s hope so, Sergeant.’
Lasser cleared his throat. ‘What about you, how are things going with Kelly and Suzanne?’
Bannister looked pained. ‘Slowly, at least they’ve started to talk to one another but she still refuses to see me.’
‘It’s bound to take time.’
Bannister flapped a hand. ‘I realise that,’ he looked out of the window, black clouds hung heavy against the pale grey sky, the atmosphere heavy and oppressive. ‘I never thanked you, did I?’
‘No need, I’m just glad we found her alive.’
Bannister nodded and smiled sadly. ‘So am I, Sergeant, so am I.’
Thunder rumbled in the distance as the first smatterings of rain hit the window.
THE END
Many thanks for taking the time to read ’Tethered’ I hope you enjoyed it.
Please feel free to get in touch at [email protected] or on twitter @robroughley.
Thanks are due to Val and Odette for their painstaking effort in getting Tethered on the straight and narrow. Both have been blessed with eagle eyes and the patience of saints and I thank them both for all their effort and belief.