Taunting the Dead (DS Allie Shenton)

by Sherratt, Mel

  ‘If what you’re saying is true, that puts him right at the place where the murder happened, and at exactly the same time,’ said Allie.

  ‘It’s true!’

  ‘Well then, you must agree that it puts you right at the place where the murder happened also – and at exactly the same time.’

  Carole paused for a moment. ‘I didn’t have anything to do with it!’

  ‘But I have a witness that puts Terry Ryder in Derby at the time you say he was with you. If that’s the case, then you could have had time to commit the murder, go back in to look for Mrs Ryder so that people saw you afterwards, and then get a taxi home to make it look more authentic.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Did you have sex with Mr Ryder and then see Mrs Ryder in the car park as she came to find you?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Did she see you getting out of Mr Ryder’s car? Was there some sort of altercation on the car park and you hit her and left her for dead?’

  ‘No.’ Carole began to cry. ‘How could you say that? Steph was my friend.’

  ‘Friends don’t screw their best friends’ husbands, Mrs Morrison.’

  ‘I – I know but I – I loved him.’

  ‘Right, you loved him.’

  ‘Just because I want to be with him doesn’t mean I would KILL her!’

  ‘So you stand by your previous statement that you were with Mr Ryder at midnight on Friday November thirtieth?’

  ‘Yes.’ Carole nodded through her tears.

  ‘And you’ll stand up in court and say that, will you?’

  ‘Yes!’ Carole pointed to her face. ‘Look what he did to me!’

  ‘Sarge,’ Sam tried to intervene.

  Allie held up a hand to quieten her. ‘You told me that you couldn’t see your attacker. Then you changed your statement to say that it was Mr Ryder. How do I know you’re not going to change your mind again?’

  ‘Because I’m telling you the truth!’ Carole looked for some sort of sign that they believed her. ‘The bastard that did this to me was Terry Ryder!’

  ‘Terry Ryder?’

  All three women turned to see Shaun standing in the doorway with a puzzled look on his face.

  ‘Terry Ryder did that to you? I thought you said you didn’t see your attacker,’ he spoke to Carole. ‘What’s going on?’

  As soon as the police left, Shaun charged up the stairs and back into the living room. Carole sat with tears pouring down her face.

  ‘It was Terry Ryder that hit you?’ Shaun looked stunned. ‘But why?’

  Carole caught his eye for a moment. ‘I’m sorry. We… we were…’ was all she managed to say before bowing her head.

  But in that split second, Shaun filled in the gap.

  ‘You and Terry?’ ‘You – AND TERRY?’

  ‘I’m sorry!’

  Shaun took two steps away and then turned back. ‘Did you chase him after Steph died or were you already fucking him?’

  ‘No – we –’

  Shaun didn’t wait for her to find the words. He raced over and pulled her up to her feet. ‘If you weren’t in such a state, I would give you a good slapping. How long has this been going on? Tell me!’ he demanded.

  ‘Not long, I –’

  ‘HOW LONG?’

  ‘A few weeks!’ Carole blurted out as the anger in his voice invaded the room.

  Shaun dropped her arms as if they were too hot to handle.

  ‘But it’s over now,’ she added.

  ‘Because he hit you?’ Shaun snorted. ‘Oh, that’s okay, then. The fact that he beat you half to death and the fact that his wife was murdered doesn’t come into things?’

  Carole said nothing. Despite her initial thoughts around telling the truth, she deserved what she got.

  ‘I don’t believe this,’ Shaun said quietly. Tears glistened in his eyes as he looked at Carole. Then he frowned. ‘Why did he hit you?’

  ‘Because I was with him when Steph was killed.’ Not wanting to keep anything from him now, she explained what had happened.

  ‘You’re covering up for him!’

  ‘No! Why won’t anyone believe me?’

  ‘So what happened? Did Steph interrupt you while you were screwing? Did she see you and did she have a go?’ Shaun’s face drained of any colour. He pointed at her. ‘Ohmigod. Did you kill her?’

  ‘No, I didn’t! Surely you know me better than to think I’m capable of that?’

  ‘I didn’t think you were capable of fucking someone else,’ he said with so much venom in his voice that Carole flinched.

  ‘I didn’t do it.’ She reached towards him. ‘You have to believe me. I didn’t kill Steph.’

  Shaun pushed her away and walked towards the door. ‘This is all too convenient. One of you must know something.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ she shouted after him.

  ‘To see Ryder.’

  ‘You can’t!’ Carole ran to him, grabbing hold of his arm. ‘Please! I don’t want you to go.’

  Shaun pushed her away. ‘You should have thought about that before you… before you… How could you?’

  Carole looked up to see the pain she had caused. He was right. How could she have done this to him?

  ‘It’s over,’ was all she could think to say.

  ‘And that’s supposed to make me feel better? Punching his lights out will do that instead.’ Shaun left the room.

  Carole followed him onto the landing. ‘Please don’t go,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m sorry. I’ll do anything to make it up to you.’

  ‘Do you really think I’d want anything to do with you now?’ He glared at her. ‘You disgust me.’

  Carole threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her head in his chest but he pushed her away again.

  ‘If you go after Terry, I’ll tell the police everything. I know something is going on with the Kennedys.’

  They stood facing each other like two animals ready to pounce. All that could be heard was Shaun’s shallow breathing as he fought with his emotions and Carole’s sobs as she let hers go.

  ‘I know something dodgy is going on,’ Carole said through her tears. ‘When Phil came to see you before Steph died, I told you that he wouldn’t just wipe out your debt. Then his lowlife of a son came round threatening you.’

  ‘He didn’t threaten me.’ Shaun tried to deny it.

  ‘I heard him. And maybe I can’t figure out what’s going on, but I bet the police will.’

  Shaun pointed his finger into her face. ‘You think by setting me up you can get yourself off the hook, is that it?’

  ‘No, but you know something, don’t you?’

  ‘NO!’

  ‘So why all the secrecy? WHAT DID YOU DO?’

  Shaun pushed her to the floor and ran down the stairs.

  ‘Shaun!’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  At The Gables, Shaun screeched his car to a halt by the side of Terry’s Range Rover. He ran to the front door and banged on it. ‘Ryder! I want a word with you.’

  When Terry opened the front door, Shaun landed a punch on his chin.

  ‘You bastard!’ he shouted.

  Terry stepped back from the force of the hit. Hand to his mouth, he wiggled his jaw about. ‘What the fuck was that for?’

  ‘Funny you should mention the word fuck. I can’t believe you of all people would screw my wife.’

  ‘What?’ Terry looked agog. ‘I’ve never screwed Carole!’

  ‘LIAR!’

  ‘I haven’t!’

  Shaun eyed Terry suspiciously. He certainly looked shocked by his accusations. If he was telling the truth, then Carole could be putting Terry at the scene of the crime to cover up for something she had done. He shook his head. He didn’t know whom to believe.

  Terry placed a hand on Shaun’s shoulder. Shaun shrugged it off.

  ‘Come through to the kitchen and we’ll sort this mess out,’ he said. ‘I need to know what’s going on.’

  ‘I d
on’t know what to say,’ Terry said when they’d sat down and Shaun had explained everything. ‘I’ve never slept with Carole and I’ve certainly never laid a finger on her. I mean, surely you know I’d never cross that line?’

  ‘But if you weren’t there,’ Shaun paused for a moment, ‘then Carole was the last one to see Steph alive and I – oh, fuck. I don’t know what to think.’

  ‘There were a lot of people in The Potter’s Wheel that night. It could easily have been someone who had it in for me. Strange Stevie, Monty, Dave Shuff, Phil Kennedy, Pete –’

  ‘Phil Kennedy was there?’

  ‘Yeah, why?’

  ‘Oh, nothing.’ Shaun thought back to his lie to Carole about Phil being there. It seemed it had actually been true. ‘And you were in Derby, you say?’

  Terry nodded. ‘I was with someone but it wasn’t Carole. Her name is Cathryn. I stayed with her that night, which is what I told the police. I have no idea why Carole would make up such serious allegations. It goes beyond belief after we’ve known each other for so long. Have you any idea why?’

  Shaun suddenly felt embarrassed. Shit, what was wrong with him? Why hadn’t he come to Terry when Phil told him to do away with Steph? If he’d come clean, then maybe Terry would have sorted things out so that he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder forever. He wondered if it would be too late to tell the truth now.

  ‘Phil Kennedy asked me to kill Steph,’ he blurted out in the end.

  Terry’s chest rose up.

  ‘I didn’t do it.’ Shaun held up his hands. ‘I owed him money and he said if I killed Steph he would wipe out my debt.’

  ‘But that’s mad. Why would he do that?’

  ‘I don’t know. But if he was in The Potter’s Wheel that night –’

  ‘Phil said if you kill her, he’d wipe your debt out?’ Terry sat forward.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Why the fuck do you owe Phil money?’

  Shaun lowered his eyes for a moment. ‘We got into a mess with the business. Phil bailed us out.’

  ‘Why didn’t you ask me? I would have helped you.’

  ‘How could I when I’m such a failure at everything I do?’

  ‘And did he wipe out your debt?’

  Shaun nodded. ‘Not sure I believe him, though.’

  ‘Not sure I would either.’ Terry paused. ‘Look, I need you to go home to Carole. Don’t let on that you’ve seen me. Don’t let on that you know she’s lying. And don’t say anything to Phil either. Something isn’t right but I don’t know what yet. I need to think through what’s best to do next.’

  ‘You do believe it wasn’t me who killed Steph, right?’ Shaun needed to know before he left.

  ‘‘Course.’ Terry patted him on the shoulder before showing him to the door. ‘Now remember, keep quiet about this, yeah, until I’ve asked a few questions and done a bit of digging? I need to get to the bottom of this mess.’

  Once Shaun had gone, Terry went back to the table and sat down. He banged his fists onto its surface. Why the hell had he involved Carole Morrison in this? He should have known that stupid bitch wouldn’t keep her mouth shut. Sure it was easy to fool Shaun into thinking he hadn’t known anything of what was going on. But Allie Shenton? He should have given her more credit. She must have wangled all that stuff out of Carole. And Cathryn had rung him to say she’d been over to Derby to question her. Luckily for Cathryn, she’d backed him up.

  Hearing what Shaun had to say about Phil only confirmed what he’d been thinking too. The money Shaun had borrowed was his money, not Phil’s. He’d been making enquiries, checking the books over the past couple of days. There was money being siphoned off every week from each car wash. Little amounts some weeks, larger amounts other. Different amounts from each car wash, but a considerable amount over time. When he’d finished with Phil, well, he wouldn’t be able to talk again, that was for sure.

  He frowned. Mostly he blamed himself for the mess, for wanting to stand in the shadows and watch Steph die. Make sure the bitch was really out of his life. Payback time for all the shit she’d put him through and all the mess he’d had to clear up for her. He couldn’t have her blabbing her mouth off about things, bringing him down. He certainly wasn’t going to put up with any bastard child either.

  Terry punched in a number on his phone. First things first. Phil Kennedy could wait. He needed to make sure that Cathryn would keep her mouth shut, even if it meant shutting it for her.

  ‘Cathryn,’ he spoke when she answered. ‘We need to talk. I’m heading over.’

  Shaun parked his car at the back of The Orange Grove. By this time it was seven thirty and he knew he should have been back for the evening session. But tough. Let the staff sort it out for once. Or Carole would have to look after things, despite the way she looked.

  He heard a noise behind him as he locked his car. Phil Kennedy came out of the shadows. Great, just what he needed.

  ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Your debt’s not clear,’ Phil took a step closer and then another. ‘You didn’t kill Steph. The deal’s off. I want my money by tomorrow. All of it.’

  Shaun shook his head. ‘I haven’t got that kind of money. Your lad is after me too but he’s not going to get any either.’

  Phil smirked. ‘I know what Lee did but it doesn’t change things.’

  For a moment, Shaun was thrown. Had Lee told Phil what he’d done? Or had Phil worked it out like he had?

  ‘Your dickhead of a son says he wants five grand off me or else he’s letting on to you that I didn’t kill Steph. So if it wasn’t me, then it must have been him. Unless,’ he smiled cockily. ‘Unless it was you.’

  ‘You don’t know anything.’ Phil came closer.

  ‘I know that I didn’t kill her.’ Shaun threw his trump card. ‘And what’s more, Terry knows that I didn’t kill her.’ Sure enough, he had Phil’s attention now. ‘Yeah, I told him everything.’

  Phil head-butted him in the face. ‘I want my money back. All of it or I’ll fucking kill you, do you hear me? You’re lucky I don’t do it now, you useless piece of shit.’ He turned to walk away but as an afterthought, rammed his fist in Shaun’s stomach.

  Shaun doubled over and dropped to his knees.

  After catching his breath, Shaun got into his car and drove over to Georgia Road. Now that he knew Terry had his back, there was no way either of the Kennedys would get the better of him. How dare Phil threaten him too! Time to sort out this fuck-up once and for all.

  He banged on the door of number twelve. A heavily pregnant girl answered. She looked him up and down and then squinted at him.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Lee Kennedy. Which house?’

  ‘You the pigs?’

  ‘Do I look like a pig? Which house?’

  ‘Number eighteen.’ The door slammed shut before he turned away.

  Shaun banged on Lee’s door next.

  ‘I hope you’ve got it all,’ Lee said once he answered.

  Shaun pushed past him into the house. He walked down the narrow passageway and into the kitchen, not impressed with what he saw. The place was a dump. A loaf of bread left open, one fallen slice already drying up. A butter tub, its lid tossed to one side, sat with a knife stuck in it. There were beer cans and dirty dishes on every surface. The stench of something rotting assaulted his nostrils.

  He turned to Lee who was hanging back in the doorway. ‘This place is a shit hole. How do you live like this?’

  ‘Quite easily,’ Lee replied. ‘What’s with the nose?’

  Shaun put a hand to it. It stung but it came back dry. ‘Nothing you need to worry about.’ He pointed a finger at Lee. ‘You need to concentrate on what I’m going to tell you now. The same thing I’ve just told your father. I’ve been to see Terry and I’ve told him everything.’

  Lee’s cocky attitude disappeared.

  ‘I told him how your dad set himself up as a loan shark, too. I bet Terry’s worked out how he could get so much money. He’s
obviously been taking from somewhere he shouldn’t.’

  ‘Fuck! What did you say about me?’

  ‘He knows, Lee.’ Shaun folded his arms and smiled triumphantly. ‘He knows that it was you who killed Steph.’

  ‘No.’ Lee shook his head. ‘My old man says that I didn’t hit her hard enough. That I –’

  Shaun paused. ‘So you admit to being there?’

  ‘He says –’

  ‘Don’t hide behind your old man! Act like a grown-up for once.’ Shaun couldn’t keep the disgust from entering his voice. ‘People like you make me sick. You swan around as if you own the place, never bothering how many lives you wreck in the process. Fuck, you even live off your family’s reputation. You’re a loser.’

  ‘You’d better be winding me up or else I’ll –’

  ‘Or else you’ll what?’

  Lee lunged for Shaun, catching him on his chin. But it wasn’t enough to have an impact. Shaun punched him on the side of his face. Lee staggered back into the kitchen. Glancing at the knife in the butter, he pulled a drawer open, grabbed a larger one and turned, slicing it through the air.

  ‘Don’t come near me, you bastard!’

  ‘Watch out, you idiot!’ Shaun dodged the blade. It came at him again. ‘Watch out!’

  ‘This is all your fault.’ Lee moved round the floor after him. ‘If you’d had the bottle to kill her, then I wouldn’t be in this shit.’

  ‘I was never going to kill her.’ Shaun held up his hands in surrender. He stepped backwards towards the door. ‘Christ, put the knife down!’

  Lee charged at him again. Shaun dodged to the right but Lee anticipated it. He thrust his arm forward and the knife went into Shaun’s stomach.

  ‘I said you’re not telling anyone anything!’ he cried, the knife going in again and again.

  ‘Stop.’ As blood rushed from him, Shaun tried to push Lee away but the knife seared his flesh again.

  Lee’s eyes glazed over. ‘You’re not taking me down, you bastard.’

  ‘Stop.’ Shaun tried again but it only came out as a whisper.

  ‘Bastard!’ Lee shouted with every thrust. ‘Bastard! Bastard!’

  Shaun clung onto Lee’s arms as his legs gave way. He slid down his body, pawing at his hands, his thighs, his knees. He grunted in pain as he sank to the floor.