A Bad, Bad Thing

by Elena Forbes

  ‘My God. What happened?’

  She bit her lip, wishing she didn’t have to explain. But she had to go on. ‘I was living with my mother and my two little half-brothers. There were two men. They used to come to our house to see my mother’s boyfriend, Daz, whenever he was around. He was mixed up in a whole load of bad stuff, I discovered later. On the night when it happened, they brought a third man, Ray McAllen, with them. He was a really bad man. I found out later he was their boss.’

  ‘Where was your father?’

  ‘No idea. He left long before I was born. My mother wouldn’t talk about him and I’ve never known who he was. She had one hopeless relationship after another when I was growing up, so I assume he was another bad lot. We moved around a great deal. I’ve never really felt at home anywhere.’

  ‘Tell me about the men.’

  ‘One was a paedophile. I don’t know his name, but the other man called him Doc and he had a tattoo on his arm of a skeleton. I called him Dr Death. The other man was called Clive Ripley. It was McAllen who killed Daz and I saw it happen. Then they murdered my mother and my brothers. I was shot as I ran away. That’s why I have those scars. When they’d finished, they set our house on fire. Everything was destroyed. Everything.’

  From nowhere, she heard the screams, the gunfire, then the explosion, followed by the roar of the flames. She could smell the smoke. She pressed her hands tightly over her ears but she could hear their voices. She shivered and shook her head vigorously, trying to get rid of the images, and looked up at Gavin. She needed him to understand.

  ‘I was the only witness. I was taken to a safe house until after the trials. McAllen was a very dangerous man, a member of a well-known crime family. I’m sure he did absolutely everything he could to find me and he would have killed me if he had. But he failed. Once the trials were over, I left immediately to start my new life with Robin and Clem. Even though it was all done and dusted, as far as the police and CPS were concerned, it wasn’t for me. It will never be over. It’s why I had that meltdown when you asked me to marry you, why I had to leave. It was just too much and I couldn’t handle it. I realized I – we – had been living a lie.’

  He exhaled loudly and looked down at his feet for a moment, then back up at her. His face was red and there were tears in his eyes. ‘What happened to the men who killed your family?’

  ‘Both Ripley and McAllen were caught and sent to prison. I identified them and my testimony helped put them both away. McAllen died of a heart attack a few years ago, but Ripley’s still in jail on a full life term, although he still claims he wasn’t there, that he was innocent. The other man, the so-called doctor, got away. He’s German, I found out later, a doctor of philosophy, not a medical doctor. I used to think he’d come after me, that he’d want to finish the job. He’s long gone now, probably on the other side of the world if he’s not dead. I keep telling myself, there’s no logical reason for him to come and look for me after all this time. Anyway, why would he make the connection to the person I am now? I look completely different, with a new identity. But the nightmares don’t stop. What happened still haunts me. When I close my eyes, I see … I hear … I still feel the fear.’

  ‘You’re safe here with me.’

  She shook her head. ‘The fear’s in my bones, in my blood, in every beat of my heart. I will never feel safe until I know he’s dead.’

  ‘Do you have any idea what happened to him?’

  ‘No. I’ve done everything I can over the years to trace him, but so far nothing. One day, though, I’ll find him, wherever he is, if he’s still alive. And I’ll kill him.’

  He sighed. ‘You mean that, don’t you?’

  She nodded.

  The ringing of her phone broke the silence. As she took her phone out of her pocket, she saw Dan’s name on the screen and answered.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I’ve found out how the police ID’d the body of the woman in the woods,’ Dan said. His voice sounded very loud in the quiet of the cabin. ‘They used fingerprints and DNA taken from personal items belonging to Jane. The solicitor gave me a list of the things they used, but if Jane’s not dead, how’s that possible?’

  FORTY-FIVE

  Eve hung up and stared at the dead screen for a moment, trying to think through the implications of what Dan had just said. Whilst the sensitivity of DNA extraction and analysis had moved on leaps and bounds in the past ten years, the processes used for identifying a body remained the same. The coroner required primary identifiers, such as DNA and fingerprints to confirm an identification. Odontology would also be used where the body showed signs of unique dental work, which could be compared to records. But there had been no mention of this in Jane McNeil’s post-mortem report. Tattoos, scars, old fractures, breast implants and other signs of medical intervention were only secondary identifiers and, where possible, X-rays and serial numbers would be needed. Again, there had been no mention of any of these in the autopsy report. The first basic step would have been to compare the body’s DNA and fingerprints with the national databases. If there was no match, the police would go to a possible victim or missing person’s home, or office, and take away personal items for ante-mortem matching. A hairbrush, a comb, a razor, a toothbrush, a book, a mobile phone, all might hold a person’s DNA and, or, fingerprints. These would then be compared with the DNA and prints taken from the body. Dan had just said that this was what had been done. But somewhere along the line, a mistake had been made.

  She texted Dan. Where did the items come from? Does it say in the list? If not, can you find out? I need to know exactly. ASAP!

  Wondering how it could possibly have happened, she gazed out through the window across the slick of brown water towards the muddy bank opposite, where another flock of noisy gulls had just descended.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Gavin asked, behind her.

  She had forgotten he was there. She tucked away her phone and turned to face him. Taking a deep breath, she explained about Jane McNeil being alive. He sat down on the bench and rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, staring at her. It was a lot for anybody to take in in such a short space of time.

  ‘So whose body was it?’ he asked after a moment.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘How can the police have made the wrong identification?’

  ‘I don’t know the facts. Everything’s always easier with the benefit of hindsight. Jane was missing. A body of a woman of similar age and build turns up only a couple of miles away. She’s in no state to be identified visually, but the DNA and fingerprints recovered from Jane’s things, if that’s what the police used, matched the samples taken from the body …’ She shrugged. She didn’t need to make excuses for what was usually a straightforward process. It just didn’t make sense. She felt suddenly hot in the cramped, airless space.

  ‘Do you mind if we go outside for a bit? I need some fresh air and I’d like to stretch my legs.’

  ‘Of course. Whatever you want.’

  Gavin fetched her coat from the cupboard, put on a waterproof jacket and boots, then locked up the boat. They walked back together in silence along the series of pontoons to the boatyard where a man was sweeping the front porch of the harbour master’s office, whistling. The radio was still playing cheerily from one of the boats and it was as though nothing at all was wrong with the world.

  She heard the ping of a text and took out her phone. All items were taken from the cottage according to Sean’s solicitor.

  Attached was an image of the typed list. She studied it for a moment, then put her phone away again. None of the items used to identify the body had come from the office. She remembered Harry saying that people often shared desks, so the police would have looked elsewhere. As far as Jane’s family home was concerned, Jane hadn’t lived there for a while and she imagined that Jane’s parents would have come up with all sorts of excuses and stories so as not to give the police any of Jane’s personal items, if they still had any. The cottage, whe
re Jane had lived for six months, had been the obvious source.

  They followed the path along the edge of the river to the woods. Her muscles ached from the previous night and her throat was dry and scratchy, but it felt good to be outside. The wind had dropped and a fine mist tinged the air, softening the browns and muddy greens of the landscape and gathering in thicker drifts by the water. Once under the canopy of tall pine trees, it was much darker and several degrees colder, the atmosphere heavy with damp. Three girls living at the cottage: Grace, Jane and Holly. Grace had left the previous month and Eve had also spoken to her. Jane had said she had taken all her things, so the items that the police recovered from the cottage for DNA and fingerprint matching could only have belonged to Holly. She had been sacked on the spot a few days before the party and told to clear out. She wouldn’t have had time to pack up everything, which was why she had texted Jane, asking to come and collect her stuff. That had been on the Friday before the party. But Harry had told Eve that Holly had been employed by two other racing yards after leaving Westerby and that he had been asked by both for a reference. This had also been confirmed independently by Annie, although perhaps she was only repeating what Harry had said. Eve thought back to the peculiar conversation with him and Melissa over dinner on her first night at Westerby. They had definitely been hiding something. Had Harry been having some sort of relationship with Holly and had he killed her? It seemed very likely. Why Holly had never been reported as missing was another matter, but maybe she had fallen out with her family; maybe she had no family. Or maybe they, too, had been told that she had been sacked and had moved on.

  The only person who really seemed to care about the mystery of what had happened was Duran and she would tell him as soon as she could. She had more than fulfilled her side of the bargain and hopefully it would be enough for him to agree to give Dan the money. As far as Holly’s family were concerned, Jane had said that the body had been cremated. However, the items taken to identify the body, which must hold Holly’s DNA, if following the theory that the body was in fact Holly, would still be in the Wiltshire Police exhibit store somewhere, along with the rest of the crime scene exhibits. She would call the police later and explain what she had learnt. At least, stuck in his hospital bed, with a tangle of tubes attached to him, Harry wasn’t going anywhere. They could also trace Holly’s next of kin and confirm the ID.

  Gavin’s phone was ringing. He took it out of his pocket, checked the screen, then switched it off and quickly put it away again.

  ‘Was that Melissa?’ Eve asked.

  He nodded.

  ‘Shouldn’t you speak to her?’

  He sighed. ‘At some point, yes. I’ve told her I’m leaving her.’

  ‘What’s happened between you?’

  ‘It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been falling apart for years.’

  ‘Why?’

  He stared at her. ‘How can you ask that? It was never right from the start. She wanted me. She pursued me. If I’m honest, I was flattered and eventually I just fell in with it. It seemed the best, the easiest thing to do. We’ve been through a lot together and Melissa was determined to make it work, whatever happened. But seeing you again … Well, it’s reminded me of what’s been wrong all along. I just can’t go on.’

  ‘What about your little boys?’ Her heart felt suddenly heavy at the thought of them and of so much unhappiness.

  He exhaled loudly, his breath pluming out on the air. ‘Sadly, they’re not my boys, which I’m sure she’ll make a huge deal of now. Although, obviously, they mean just as much to me as if they were mine.’

  She glanced over at him. ‘They’re adopted? They look just like you.’

  ‘They’re Melissa’s. I can’t have children.’

  She stopped and turned to face him, grabbing hold of his sleeve. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I have a condition. A medical condition. I can’t father children. We used a sperm donor.’

  Her heart missed a beat. She felt the darkness roll towards her again like a huge, unstoppable wave. There was no air. She put her hands to her mouth and stared at him. All she could hear was the blood humming in her ears. Could it be? Was it possible? The man she thought she knew so well dissolved before her and she was looking at a stranger. Everything she had ever thought about him, everything that had happened between them took on a new light. I’d stand gazing up at your window, just wishing I’d catch a glimpse of you or that you’d open the curtains and look out at me. I just wanted to see you, to feel close to you, to be with you. How the hell had she missed it? It had been staring her right in the face. With all her strength, she swung her arm and punched him.

  He stumbled backwards, rubbing his chin. ‘Christ. What’s that for?’

  ‘You raped me,’ she shouted. ‘It was you, all along.’

  He caught her hands as she swung at him again. ‘Wait, Eve. It wasn’t like that.’

  She shoved him away. ‘Wasn’t like what? I was drugged. Out cold. Unable to give any form of consent. What the fuck do you call it?’

  ‘I didn’t drug you.’

  ‘That’s irrelevant. You took advantage of me. You of all people. How could you?’

  ‘I—’

  ‘Shut up. Let me get this straight. You put me to bed … Melissa was there. You had someone waiting for you, to give you a lift … So you must have come back later?’

  ‘Yes. I wanted to make sure you were OK, that’s all. But I didn’t rape you! I wasn’t violent. I love you, Eve. I told you, I always have. I always will. It was a moment of madness. Forgive me.’

  He stepped towards her, but she held up her hand. ‘Don’t come anywhere near me. You disgust me.’ She took a deep breath, almost unable to speak. ‘Why did you do it? What made you? I need to understand.’

  He shook his head slowly, as though he didn’t know where to start.

  ‘Come on. Tell me. I have to know.’

  ‘I saw you the night before, with Harry. You went out to dinner together. I watched you come back. You both went into the cottage. He was there for a long while. I imagined the two of you together … I know what he’s like. I thought I’d lost you again. Please forgive me.’

  ‘So it was your footprints I saw on the grass, you were the person I heard in the woods?’

  ‘I didn’t mean to scare you.’

  She stared at him, still struggling to take it all in. Whatever the reason, whatever pathetic thing he said, it made no difference. Then something else clicked into place. In the heat of the moment she had forgotten all about it. It felt as though everything had turned upside down all over again.

  ‘You were screwing Holly Crowther too, weren’t you?’

  He looked surprised. ‘Yes, now you ask. I don’t deny it. But what’s that got to do with anything?’

  She took a deep breath, trying to think through what must have happened. ‘Melissa found out, didn’t she? That’s why she sacked Holly and Harry paid her off, to get rid of her. He knew about this, didn’t he?’

  He nodded. ‘Melissa tells him everything. She didn’t want Tim to find out. I didn’t blame her. I was stupid and it was all my fault. My only excuse, for what it’s worth, is that Holly looked very much like you.’

  ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘It’s true. Melissa noticed it when she met you. It gave her quite a shock. I guess it’s what attracted me to Holly in the first place. Sometimes, I’d pretend to myself that she was you. But she was a poor substitute. She meant nothing to me, I swear.’

  ‘So what happened? Was Holly blackmailing you?’

  ‘No. There was nothing like that.’

  ‘When was the last time you saw her?’

  ‘The night she left Westerby. I agreed to meet her, in a car park …’

  ‘In the woods?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You had sex with her?’

  ‘We had sex. Then we had another row. It had become a pattern. She had some crazy fantasy that I was going to set her up in a fl
at and carry on seeing her, and that maybe I’d run off with her eventually. It was ludicrous. Why do you want to hear all of this? She meant nothing to me.’

  He was talking normally, as though describing something trivial. She stared at him for a moment, wondering how it was that he didn’t understand. ‘Because it was Holly Crowther’s body in the woods,’ she shouted.

  He took a step back as though she had hit him again and stared at her dumbstruck. Even in the dim light, she could read his expression clearly. He was either an incredibly good liar, or he really didn’t know.

  ‘My God. Holly? Are you absolutely sure?’

  ‘A hundred per cent. So you had sex with her, had a row and then you killed her, because she wouldn’t leave you alone? Was that it?’

  He looked at her aghast. ‘What? No! When I left her, she was very much alive.’

  ‘You killed Holly Crowther,’ she shouted, wanting to get more of a reaction. ‘Why don’t you just tell the—’

  A shot rang out, then another, hitting a branch just above Gavin’s head and whining off at an angle. She looked up the hill into the woods, but saw nothing. It was impossible to tell where the shots had come from.

  ‘Get down,’ she screamed.

  ‘What do you—’

  ‘They’re shooting at us. Get down.’ As she spoke, there was another shot. Gavin cried out and fell to the ground. She dropped down on hands and knees, fumbling for her phone in her jacket pocket. One of the bullets had hit him in the arm and he was bleeding.

  ‘Jesus,’ he said. ‘What the fuck’s going on?’

  He struggled to his feet and started to examine the wound.

  ‘Get down,’ she shouted again, as another shot rang out. It hit him and he spun around, falling back again into the bracken. She crawled over to where he lay, propped up on one elbow, his hand clasped to his stomach where he had been hit. Blood was seeping through his fingers. Shielding him with her body, she pushed him down into a large mass of dead ferns, then lay down beside him on her stomach and dialled 999. The dispatcher answered quickly and, in a low, urgent voice, she explained where she was and what had happened.