“How did you do that?” she hissed.
“You’ve had your secrets, and I’ve got mine. You’re blind from hatred and vengeance, Kate. A smart man once said, ‘The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.’ Think about it. Shouldn’t be too hard for a teacher.”
Two police cars and an ambulance arrived. He quickly instructed the duty officer to place a guard around the clock at her hospital bed until she was well enough to be questioned and arrested.
Then he dashed home.
The front end of the epee was lying on the kitchen table, and Thomas quickly locked it in his office safe. It would be an important piece of evidence in the upcoming trial.
Barney was resting in front of the fireplace, paws outstretched, but Sky was nowhere to be seen.
“Sky, it’s me!” he shouted up the stairs.
Her bedroom door opened an inch, and a pair of eyes looked carefully down at him.
“Everything’s all right. You can come down,” Thomas encouraged.
“What happened?” she asked, blankly taking one step at a time.
“We had to arrest your teacher. Ms Adams killed the old man from the cabin.”
Sky’s eyes widened. “Wow! She’s a murderer? She didn’t look like one. I can’t wait to tell daddy!”
Yeah, he’ll go nuts with joy, Thomas thought sarcastically.
“But why did she do that?”
“When the hermit was a lot younger he was a doctor. But instead of helping people, he made them even sicker. And one of his patients was your teacher.”
“Is that why she collapsed at the bake sale and was unwell sometimes?”
“Yes, exactly. And she blamed it on him and took revenge after all these years. However, we do not solve problems by hurting others, do we?”
Sky shook her head, the excitement slowly leaving her face. “But why did she point a gun at us?”
She sat down next to him on the couch, and he put his arm around her. Thomas had hoped this topic could have been avoided, but obviously that was wishful thinking. He knew Sky was too young to fully understand the background of the entire story, and yet he had to find the right balance between explaining what had happened and, at the same time, not scaring her for life.
“Ms Adams thought she could get away with what she had done, but even though you liked her as a teacher, we had to arrest her, and she has to go to court. However, I think there is even a good side in all this turmoil… there won’t be any school on Monday… at least, no regular lessons until a substitute teacher is found.”
Sky beamed at him, apparently satisfied with his explanation.
Outside, a car came to a stop, and through the curtains, Thomas saw Collins’s red Mini perched next to a wall of snow in the only parking space available in their little alleyway.
There were three hesitant knocks on the door, and Thomas opened it.
“Hi, erm, I didn’t want to disturb you, I was just wondering—”
“Don’t be ridiculous, come in.”
Collins and Sky hugged each other, and even Barney left his favourite spot to get his tummy scratched.
“Sky, Sergeant Collins and I still have to discuss some facts about the case. You can watch some TV if you want to.”
Sky nodded and, together with the spaniel, made herself comfortable on the couch while Thomas made some coffee and sandwiches in the kitchen and then led Collins to his office. They ate in silence, individually reliving the happenings of the last two hours again.
After a while, Thomas looked at his colleague. “What took you so long to fire?” he finally asked with a soft smile.
“The wind was blowing most of your conversation up to me, and don’t think I haven’t seen you kiss her before. The hedge isn’t as high as you might think. So, I was hoping for a little war of roses á la ‘you have used me’ and ‘didn’t that kiss mean anything to you?’ But when no further details about intimate togetherness emerged, I got bored and decided to switch the programme off,” she replied, looking provocatively at her superior.
“Sorry to disappoint you here, but nothing intimate happened, okay? She asked me to come to her house because of Sky’s performance in school. Otherwise, I would not have seen the photographs of her dressed as a musketeer wielding an epee and desperately pretending to be sporty and athletic. But what I actually wanted to say was… thanks. I could not have done it without you.”
“Don’t get sentimental. The case isn’t over yet,” she replied curtly.
“I know. When you left here, did you notice the dog following you?”
“No, but then again, I didn’t pay any attention. Why? Maybe he just walked to his second home.”
Rubbing his scar, Thomas slowly replied, “Maybe… but what made him pass David’s house?”
“Through the curtains, I saw Kate Adams clear the snow out front. The dog must’ve seen her too and went there straight away.”
He nodded. “Sky said the same. Kate must have gone back inside the moment Sky arrived. And the dog must’ve seen her hide the front part of the epee in the flowerpot and thought it was a treat for him. Otherwise, why would he have dug there? The first time he’s been useful for something.”
“Well, he already found the drugs in the cabin, remember? He should apply as a sniffer dog.”
Thomas laughed. “And you should apply for neighbourhood watch, prying on other people from behind the curtains.”
“Did you love her?” Collins asked out of the blue.
Thomas looked her in the eyes. “I seriously thought about getting to know her better, yes.”
“You could say now that kissing her was just part of the job… of observing her.”
“Indeed, I could, but it wouldn’t fool you.”
For the first time, Thomas saw Collins relax her bony shoulders and smile… not a snobbish or flippant smile, but a warm and gentle one.
“Do you believe her? That she didn’t put Lawson on the pyramid, I mean?”
He nodded slowly. “Why would she lie? She admitted to killing him, and for her charge, it wouldn’t make much difference whether she moved the body or not. And I really think she’d not have had the strength to drag Lawson halfway across the village. And she didn’t say anything about an accomplice. The question is, who found out about the killing, and why did that person move the body? Think about it… there was a heavy snowstorm that night. Who was out in the forest at midnight, found him and did not call the police? And did that person know who killed Lawson?”
“If Kate had known that someone had seen her, she’d have killed that person, too. No witnesses. Remember, she had already killed two people before Lawson. She really didn’t know who had unwittingly ruined her nearly perfect plan. But it kind of brings us back to our first suspects: Kelly, who lives alone on the other side of the forest and hated Lawson; Dobson, who’s been a regular at the cabin; your neighbour, who has lost his son; and half the population of the village who did not like him — like the mayor or bewildered parents.”
“So back to square one.” Thomas sighed. “But not today. I believe we’ve done our deed to society. Let’s get some rest. It’s been a long day.”
He stretched his arms above his head. Collins nodded approvingly and yawned. On the couch, Sky had already fallen asleep exhausted from an exciting day.
They went to the door quietly, and Thomas helped his colleague put on her jacket, holding it a moment longer than necessary. “May I ask you a favour?”
Collins looked at him hesitantly. “Depends.”
“It’s Sky’s birthday tomorrow. If you’re not overly busy, you’re more than welcome to come around. Her dad is still in Sydney, and it’s been quite a rough week for her.”
Collins looked at the rolled-up bundle on the couch. “I’ll think about it.” And with that, she walked out without looking back.
“Goodnight,” Thomas said, doubting she had heard him.
The wind was still howling, and a small drift of snow had for
med on the stairs leading up to his front door. Tiny snowflakes danced restlessly in the dim light of the streetlamp, unsure whether to settle on the fence or the top of the mailbox or to simply keep dancing along the small alleyway.
Thomas shivered and quickly closed the door.
Barney had fallen asleep in front of the fireplace, and he would leave him there for the night. Bending down, Thomas gently patted the dog’s back. “Well done, my furry friend,” he whispered.
He got up and carefully picked up the sleeping child, carrying her upstairs to her bed. He then checked his phone for any messages from David, but his friend had vanished.
Utterly exhausted, Thomas fell in his own bed and pulled the blanket up to his chin, hoping to fall asleep quickly. But for the next two hours, he lay there motionlessly, staring at the dark ceiling. As soon as he closed his eyes, the events of the evening took over. But it was not just that. They mixed with that fateful night in the park a year earlier, and formed a crescendo of emotions that left Thomas paralysed.
The previous year, however, it had been a woman unbeknown to him who had needed his help.
But today, it was Sky.
She had called his name, shouted for his help. And he had nearly let her down — stood there frozen to the ground.
Some hours earlier, in Kate’s backyard, his mind was so blocked from those long-gone events that he had almost missed his second chance to amend everything and make it better this time round.
The previous year, it had been his body weight hindering him from saving a life. That night it nearly was his head. But he assured himself that he had reacted in time. Sky lay safely in her bed next door. He had not let her down.
Finally, Thomas drifted off into a light, dreamless sleep.
34
WHEN Thomas awoke, a pale, ghostly light came in through the blinds of his bedroom, and he heard the bare branches of his alder wood tree outside knocking together like the fingers of a skeleton in the still-violently raging storm.
The house itself was quiet. He got up and walked over to Sky’s room. Through the ajar door, he saw her sitting cross-legged on her bed, hugging her dog and pillow, and staring down at her tablet.
Thomas poked his head inside, and with a broad smile, he whispered, “Happy Birthday, sweetheart.”
Sky looked up, her eyes red and puffy. “This is the worst birthday of my entire life!” she sobbed, pushing her tablet away and rolling over to the other side.
He sat down next to her and wrestled Barney free from her grip. “Let go of the dog. His face is turning blue already.” Barney shook himself but lay down quietly at the bottom of the bed again.
“Daddy’s not answering?” Thomas asked, gently pushing some strands of hair out of her face.
“He’s not even online! And he hasn’t left a single message. Nothing. And he didn’t talk to me yesterday. It’s like he has vanished into thin air!”
“Maybe he’s already left Sydney,” Thomas replied encouragingly.
Sky shook her head. “No, he’d have said something.”
“No offence, but how many times couldn’t he reach us before? Either because there was no signal, or the battery was down, or he couldn’t find his charger, or it was broken, or he had lost his phone altogether?”
A cheeky grin returned to her face, and Thomas smiled down at her.
“Remember when we stayed at the airport for a day and a night waiting for him because he got falsely arrested and didn’t make his flight, and then he used his only phone call for his lawyer instead of us?” She beamed at him.
“Yes, I vividly remember. I think I still have the imprint of that bench on my back…” He gave her a big hug. “He’ll be here soon, okay?”
Sky nodded, rubbing away the last tear.
“Would you like a little birthday present in the meantime?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Yes,” she said shyly.
“Then let’s go downstairs.”
Thomas was glad he had organised her present way in advance, and put it on the kitchen table the previous night. There was one long box wrapped in green and yellow paper and another cube-shaped box wrapped in red and blue paper.
“Are they both from you?” Sky asked, looking up at him.
“They go hand in hand.”
“Which box should I start with?”
He pointed to the green and yellow one. Savouring every moment, Sky unwrapped her first present. When she saw the contents, she jumped up and down overwhelmed with joy, and thanked him. Deeply satisfied with his decision to further enhance her athletic skills with a snowboard and boots, Thomas smiled at her excitement.
After breakfast, Sky’s twin friends Cami and Connor came over, and together with Barney, they chased through the backyard. Thomas knew the relentlessly cold wind and heavy snowfall would drive them in soon enough, so he used the time to make some phone calls.
First, he called Ayodele, Lawson’s girlfriend in Nigeria. After all, they had promised to keep her informed about the developments of the case. She was relieved to hear that the killer had been caught so quickly, and she thanked him endlessly. However, when Thomas told her the reason for his death and the crimes he had committed, Ayodele grew quiet. She would need some time to digest what he had just told her, but at least she finally understood Lawson’s motives and behaviour.
Up next was Sexton, Thomas’s superior. He reached him just as the man was leaving church. The ringing of the bells in the background made it impossible for Thomas to understand a word of the man’s breathy voice, so he decided to fall into a monologue until the ringing faded away. He narrated the events of the evening like he was being recorded for an audiobook, making sure on the one hand to give enough praise to Collins and, on the other hand, to leave out unnecessary details about his ‘relationship’ with Kate. Sexton congratulated him but made it clear that the case was not over yet. He wanted whoever moved the body, and for that, he had already spoken to Collins, ordering her to stay there until the accomplice was behind bars. Thomas promised to keep him updated and hung up. He feared Sexton’s overambitious success rate of closing cases could make Collins a permanent resident in Turtleville.
Then he tried to get in touch with David, but only reached his voicemail. Thomas stared down at his best friend’s phone number, willing him to call back, send a text, or just get in touch somehow.
He looked out of the window, unsure of how long he could still feed Sky with hopes of her dad being home soon. In the backyard, the kids had built an igloo and were now illuminating it with candles. Thomas assumed they would soon sit inside it, with Sky telling a bloated version of the previous night’s events, and the flickering light of the candles and the howling wind creating a perfectly spooky atmosphere. But at least that would keep them busy for a while.
Last on his to-call list was Laura. He was not sure whether she would laugh at his request, but he had mulled it over the entire morning and just needed to know.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve found another body… I barely have time to catch up with the paperwork,” she greeted him.
“Hi, Laura, it’s always a pleasure talking to you. And no, I had my fill yesterday.”
“So, the rumours are true then. You’ve caught our fencing champ?”
“Yes, Collins and I did. But I still need your help. The person who killed Lawson was not the same person who put him on the pyramid. Someone else must have moved the body. Please don’t laugh now when you hear this, but… do rabbits have DNA?”
Laura snorted with laughter, and Thomas imagined her turning away from the phone and wiping tears from her eyes.
After a moment, she replied, “Why do you ask? Did Mr and Mrs Bunny have enough of the nocturnal turmoil and drag Lawson by the ears down to the market square? And now you’re worried they might deny it?”
“Ha ha. No, all I’d like to know is whether you can tell bunnies apart by their blood?”
Sensing the nature of his request, Laura turned serious again. “To
begin with, all life has DNA. So, yes, one can tell rabbits apart by testing their blood. It’s just…”
“What?” Thomas asked anxiously.
“Nobody would normally do that.”
“Then see this as an extension of your job description. Do you still have samples of the bloody snow I gave you? We found it outside Lawson’s cabin at the chopping block. The day he was killed, he hunted rabbits, and finally, he lay in that bloody patch of snow himself. Can you please check whether that blood is from the same bunny that was in my neighbour’s car or from a different one?”
“Let me guess, this is rather urgent?”
“Hmm, yes. It would be proof enough to arrest my neighbour,” Thomas said, looking out onto the deserted alley. Through the snowstorm, Richard’s house was barely visible, and yet Thomas knew that nobody had been at home the previous night. The light arches had not been switched on, a foot of snow had blocked the entryway, all the windows had been gloomy, and no smoke had left the chimney. He asked himself whether Richard had told Allison about his love child.
“I understand,” Laura said carefully. “I’ll call you back.”
Thomas thanked her and hung up. He wondered about the results Laura would get and in what way they would change his friendship with his neighbour. Even if the bunny in Richard’s boot was different from the one slaughtered at the cabin, Thomas feared their friendship now had a crack that was beyond repair.
The sound of the doorbell brought him back to the present, and he was more than happy to find Collins outside. The thick fake fur of her jacket hood was pulled down low over her face, and she clutched a white plastic bag close to her chest, as if fearing the wind might rip it away.
“What a lovely surprise. Sky will be delighted to see you,” he said, hanging her jacket over the back of a chair to dry.
“And what about you?” she said, looking at him expectantly.
“Me?” he asked surprised, considering her question for a moment. “I’m delighted too, especially to have someone help me make pizza.”
He led her to the kitchen and handed her a mixing bowl.
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