The Principle of Evil: A Fast-Paced Serial Killer Thriller (DCI Claire Winters, Book 2)

by T. M. E. Walsh

  It was 7:00 p.m. when Claire got home. She traipsed into the living room, seeing Sky News on the television. William Hatcher was the main headline on pretty much every station. Claire stared at his mug shot, her mind ticking over.

  It wasn’t until Iris saw her in the doorway that she grabbed the remote and flicked to Standby. The picture went to black, but Claire’s eyes remained glued to the screen.

  ‘We’ve got the monkey, now we need the organ-grinder.’

  Iris’s brow furrowed. ‘What?’

  Claire pointed to the dark screen. ‘Hatcher’s not working alone and now he’s clammed up.’

  Iris sighed. ‘I’ll be glad when this case is over and that man’s in jail for good, then maybe you’ll snap out of this.’ Her face turned serious. ‘Your night terrors are getting more frequent and your obsession with this case isn’t helping.’

  Claire rounded on her. ‘I’m the SIO! That means it’s my arse on the line if I don’t get results. I have to help bring justice to the victims, to their families. I can’t just shut it all out when things get too much. I can’t run and hide.’

  ‘You’ve got a confession! It’s all over the news.’

  ‘Hatcher is not working alone, and the man I’m after has vanished into thin air.’ She lowered her voice. ‘This is far from over.’

  ‘You need to let this one go. You’ve got a confession.’

  Claire’s eyes grew dark. ‘Another girl is missing.’

  Iris shrugged. She hadn’t seen that on the news. She didn’t know whether to believe it or not. ‘It may be unrelated.’

  ‘We’ve found a photograph of the missing girl amongst Hatcher’s stuff. The real man behind all of this isn’t finished yet. Hatcher’s just a pawn.’

  Iris lowered her eyes, staring at the floor. ‘Can’t DI Fletcher–’

  ‘Stefan’s working round the clock,’ Claire cut in. ‘We all are. I’m only here to catch up on some sleep.’ She paused. ‘And those dreams have stopped.’

  Iris sneered and shook her head.

  ‘They’ve stopped, Mum.’

  ‘Post-traumatic stress,’ Iris said. ‘You’ve not been yourself since last year.’

  Claire shook her head, pretending not to hear. The murdered priest case – won’t it ever go away?

  CHAPTER 70

  A little while later, Iris came to find Claire. She entered the kitchen and stared at her daughter. ‘I don’t have to go out with Elsa tonight. I can stay with you. You look dreadful.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘You know what I mean.’

  Iris had arranged to go to the theatre with Claire’s neighbour who lived across the street, and the taxi was due to pick her up from Elsa’s house in the next fifteen minutes.

  Claire avoided her mother’s stare. ‘It’s OK. Go out and enjoy yourself.’

  Today had sucked the energy from her. The fear of what might happen to Fallon Dockley if she got the next few hours very wrong picked away at her inside. It hacked at her soul and it took all her effort to climb up the stairs to the bathroom.

  She began running the water and went into her bedroom to change. She heard Iris shout up to her from the bottom of the stairs and she pulled her dressing gown around her. When Iris saw the flimsy material and that Claire only had her underwear underneath, she tutted.

  ‘You’ll catch your death, girl. Go on upstairs, I have a key. I’ll lock up after myself.’

  Claire smiled.

  Iris watched her disappear back up the stairs before letting herself out, locking up and trudging in the snow towards Elsa’s house.

  CHAPTER 71

  The roll-top bath was nearly full. Claire balanced on the edge, staring at her reflection in the water. Her eyes were like dark pits. She fought back the visions of the dead women, blinking her eyes tight shut, especially when her thoughts turned towards Hatcher.

  She leaned over and turned off the taps. She hung up her dressing gown and removed her underwear, tossing them to the floor, and lowered herself down into the water. She lay back, resting her head on the back of the bath.

  She closed her eyes.

  She lay there, still, feeling sleep beginning to take her almost instantly. She knew the dangers of falling asleep in the bath, but felt so drained of energy, she didn’t care.

  Then she heard a noise.

  She opened her eyes.

  Iris had already left, she was alone.

  Am I?

  She pushed herself upright in the water and stared at the door.

  ‘Mum, is that you?’

  She felt a shiver dance its way up along her spine, cooling her skin. She called out twice more, but heard nothing. Sensing something wasn’t right, she got out of the bath, wrapped a towel around herself and stood as still as possible.

  The stairs creaked.

  The third stair from the bottom, to be precise. Creaking under someone’s weight. Her heart skipped a beat. Instinct took over and she looked around for a weapon.

  Someone’s in the house.

  She pulled on her underwear, covering herself with the dressing gown.

  Claire always kept a knife in her bedroom, and she needed to get to it. She peered from behind the bathroom door, out on to the landing.

  It was dark.

  The lights had been turned out in the hall downstairs and in her bedroom.

  She remained still but found it impossible to control her breathing. The sound seemed to reverberate around in her head, her ears, and her heartbeat quickened as she stepped out onto the landing. She slipped into her bedroom, found the knife in her drawer and gripped the handle tight. She glanced at the digital clock on her side table, the green digits glowing brightly in the darkness.

  19:40 p.m.

  Iris had only been gone ten minutes. Claire heard faint movement from the hall. She crept downstairs. Her body was crouched, keeping herself small, eyes dead ahead, waiting for the slightest movement.

  She skipped the third stair from the bottom and when she hit the last one, she saw the shadow move in the living room from her vantage point across the hall.

  She darted across the hardwood floor, feet smacking across the surface. The shadow was heading towards the other door to the kitchen and she doubled back towards the kitchen’s other entrance.

  As she came crashing through the kitchen door, she saw the shadow, frozen to the spot, at the other side of the room.

  ‘Stay where you are!’

  She couldn’t see much in the darkness, despite the light coming from the moon through the windows to her right. It was enough, though, to see that the figure ahead of her was male.

  The shadow cocked its head to one side, watching her.

  She couldn’t speak. Her voice lodged itself in her throat. She didn’t know who he was or what he wanted. She heard his breathing though, coming in short sharp bursts, just as rampant as hers.

  The adrenaline was running through her body.

  She reached out and turned on the kitchen light.

  As the overhead spotlights sprang to life, her eyes flickered, adjusting to the sudden brightness.

  She raised the knife up and stared ahead at the man in front of her. She saw the wide grin spreading across his face when he saw she was shocked.

  It took her mere seconds to place his face. She loosened the tension in the hand holding the knife.

  ‘What the hell are you doing in my house?’

  CHAPTER 72

  Claire’s eyes narrowed, staring back at him. Before, he’d had an otherworldly charm about him. He was not the type of person anyone would feel uncomfortable with, but now, as his eyes stared back into hers, there was nothing there but darkness, and it frightened her.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  He smiled, almost melting away her fears for a brief moment. ‘You remember me, Chief Inspector?’ He nodded to himself. ‘I like that. It means a lot to me.’

  The knife in Claire’s hand rose a little. She was shaking. ‘What are you doing in my
house?’ She paused. ‘How’d you get in?’

  He took a step forward. ‘So many questions.’

  ‘Answer me!’

  He looked at her, shocked by the bitterness in her voice.

  ‘Your mother let me in.’

  ‘My mother?’

  ‘Inadvertently, of course.’

  He rounded the island cupboards in the middle of the kitchen. ‘It’s dangerous leaving the front door wide open, unattended.’ He toyed with the stem of an empty wine glass on the counter. ‘Iris went to investigate a noise this afternoon.’

  He winked.

  ‘Poor cow left the front door ajar. Anyone could’ve got in. You can’t be too careful these days. There’s a killer on the loose, isn’t there?’ He stopped when Claire raised the knife. He tutted and shook his head.

  ‘There’s really no need for that, Claire.’ She flinched when he spoke her name. ‘I can call you Claire, can’t I? I don’t think it’s too personal, since I feel like I know you quite well.’

  She swallowed hard.

  ‘I’ve been watching you. I didn’t think about it much when we first met, but then you were on the news, with Flick’s parents and that snivelling brother of hers. That’s when it hit me. That’s when you really got me thinking… You really are quite breathtaking.’

  He edged closer.

  ‘Stay where you are.’ Her voice was controlled but her face flushed red.

  He raised his eyebrows. ‘And wait while you dial the three nines?’ He held up her BlackBerry and shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. You’ve no doubt begun to work it all out. What my part is in all this, the brains behind it all.’

  She remained defiant, standing her ground. ‘I won’t warn you again.’

  He stopped, thinking back in his mind. ‘I bet you’re kicking yourself that you didn’t see it before.’ He grinned. ‘Which surprises me actually.’

  He was teasing her and enjoying every second.

  ‘It was quite easy when you think about it. After all, I did have access to all the information I wanted. I met each chosen one at least once. With Flick, I was in direct contact. I was careful, of course, not to let her family notice me in The Fox… and I spoke with Fallon most weeks. The others I watched from afar. I kept my distance.’

  Claire took a step back.

  ‘You, however… you were something else. I saw through your façade, Claire. I saw your weakness.’ His hands rose towards her. ‘You mustn’t worry, I can help you if you’ll only let me. Like the others. They would’ve thanked me, if they’d only applied themselves.’

  Claire sneered as she spoke. ‘Do you think those girls would ever give you a second thought? Do you think I thought of you? I’d forgotten you in a second.’

  She saw his eyes narrow. She half laughed. ‘My God, you actually thought they would care about you, your friendship.’ He avoided her eyes. ‘Where’s Fallon? Is she dead too?’

  ‘It shouldn’t be Fallon you’re concerned about.’ He gazed at her. ‘You’re the special one in here,’ he said, placing his palm against his chest, over his heart.

  ‘Where’s Fallon Dockley?’

  She tried to keep her voice steady, despite the fear inside. In her head she was trying to find a way to subdue him, but despite the knife in her hand, she was vulnerable.

  He was smiling at her now. ‘If I gave myself up, would I still go to jail for a long time?’ His voice was calm, but unnerving, a stark contrast from the first time they’d spoken.

  ‘After what you’ve done, you’ll go down for a long time. I’ll make sure of it.’

  He smiled at her. He cocked his head sideways, taking in every inch of her. ‘I never killed anyone. That was William’s job. Dispatch and disposal… something he’s good at.’

  ‘Was good at.’

  ‘Ah yes, I heard he was in custody,’ he said. ‘I bet he didn’t tell you anything though.’

  ‘He told us more than you think. He’s still being questioned. If William’s not already admitted your part in it, he will do very soon, and then people will come looking for me.’

  ‘Oh, Claire, come on, drop the charade. We both know that’s not true.’ He paused, lowering his eyes to her middle. Her dressing gown was barely hanging together around her body. ‘You’re shivering. Is it with cold… or fear?’ He took a step closer, and she stepped back, raising the six-inch blade.

  ‘I’ll use this if I have to.’

  ‘There’s no need to fear me. I’m not here to hurt you.’ He edged closer again and it was then that she seized her chance.

  She bolted back down the hall.

  She was inches from the front door when she felt his hand snare her hair, yanking her head back. She whipped her arm around, slicing into his thigh with the blade, before it clattered to the floor with the force. He groaned, falling sideways into the door.

  Her exit blocked, she rushed into the living room, but he was on her again. He grabbed her around the waist, hauling her down on the sofa with one arm, his other hand clamping down on top of her mouth, muffling her screams.

  ‘I’ll only hurt you if you force me to,’ he gasped, pinning down her arms with his knees. ‘You’re my project now, Claire, don’t fight it.’

  She bit down on his hand. He pulled it back, wincing with the pain, bringing down the other hand with a sideways swoop, smacking her hard across the cheek. It dazed her, pain tearing through her face.

  He brought his lips closer to hers, and she could feel his breath hot against her. One hand rose up, gripping her by the throat, squeezing tighter, the other stroking away the stray strands of hair from her face.

  ‘Don’t you understand? The others, they were all a distraction. I wish I could’ve changed them but, in their hearts, they weren’t interested in change. But you,’ he said, kissing her cheek tenderly, ‘you have so much more to offer. I’ve such high hopes for you. Don’t let me down.’

  She stared back into his eyes as his grip on her throat tightened further. ‘I don’t want to have to kill you, Claire, but I will if you make this difficult for me. With William in custody, I can’t promise you the luxury of a quick death, like the others.’

  He smiled as she spluttered for air.

  ‘Do you know what it felt like to see the light go out of their eyes? I was there when William did it. Every time. I watched the life drain away and it was almost poetic.’ Her eyes widened. ‘I long to see it again.’ She tried to scream again and his grip tightened.

  Then they both froze.

  The sound of a key in the front door was unmistakable.

  He rolled them both off the sofa, landing hard on the floor. He pulled her towards him so that they remained obscured from the living room door, and she felt the knife she’d dropped earlier dig in at her ribs.

  CHAPTER 73

  She heard her mother’s voice as the door swung open.

  Iris craned her neck, looking up the stairs, and saw the light coming from the bathroom. ‘Only me, Claire.’

  Silence.

  In the living room, Claire managed a muffled scream against his hand but he stuck the knife in a little, breaking the tender skin just under her ribs, and she froze.

  ‘Say a word and I’ll kill her… Do you understand me?’

  Claire breathed in hard through her nose and gave a sharp nod.

  Iris slipped off her shoes and wandered into the living room, continuing to call up to her daughter. ‘I left my purse here. Think it’s in the living room.’ They heard Iris’s footsteps come towards the coffee table and Claire felt him tense.

  Iris stood mere inches away from seeing them.

  She stooped towards the coffee table. ‘I’ve found it,’ she called out. ‘I’d forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on.’ As she walked back towards the hall, Claire whimpered against the man’s hand, hoping her mother would hear her, but he dug the knife in a little further.

  Claire froze.

  She felt a trickle of blood slide down her stomach. He seemed to have stopped b
reathing. He held on to her tight, his body pressed hard against hers, holding his breath.

  They heard Iris open the front door. ‘I’ll be off now. I’ll see you later.’

  Assuming her daughter couldn’t hear her from the bathroom, she locked the door after her, and got into the taxi that had just pulled up at Elsa’s house.

  Claire’s heart went into overdrive when the headlights from across the street shone into the living room.

  She looked into his eyes.

  ‘That was close, wasn’t it?’

  She felt him relax, easing the pressure on her own body, and seized her chance.

  Raising her elbow, she brought it crashing down into his chest, pushing him from her. She heard him groan but it didn’t stop him. He ran after her into the hall. As she fumbled with the lock at the front door, he closed in behind her.

  She saw his arm lurch forward with her knife gripped in his hand. She ducked as the blade landed inches from her head, embedding itself into the door. She shoved him back and bolted up the stairs. She ran into the bathroom, locking herself in. A few seconds later, he was kicking and punching at the barrier between them.

  ‘You’re trapped, Claire. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.’

  Inside the bathroom she backed up against the wall, hitting her head against the medicine cabinet. She pulled it open, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. She pulled at the contents, sending them cascading to the floor, but found nothing. She swung around, eyes frantically searching for anything around the room.

  She paused, her back now up against the bathroom door. She felt the force of a violent kick from the other side, and the door groaned.

  He was coming in, no matter how long it took to kick the door down.

  She looked at the mirror in the medicine cabinet.

  She grabbed her bath towel, wrapped it around her right hand, and hurled her fist into the mirror, the glass shattering on impact. She prised out a shard of glass, not caring as it sliced into her skin.

  Then a flurry of stabbing noises rained down from the other side of the door. He was ramming the knife into the wood, while his legs kicked in turn at the hinges, and the wood began to split.