I've Been Watching You: a stunning crime thriller from The North East Police Series

by K. A. Richardson

  She had tried to make a case for custody of Matthew, claiming John had been unstable throughout his marriage to Eve. Saying Eve had confided in her about on-going abuse. The courts had agreed with her to a point. She could provide a stable home environment for Matthew, but John was still awarded overall custody as the boy’s father. And John made sure he never had to speak to Carolyn. Matthew stayed with his aunt and cousins every weekend. She would arrive at the house and beep her horn, and Matthew would go out. Though the older his son got, the less he wanted to go, at least that’s how it seemed to John.

  He was confident it wouldn’t be much longer before Matthew made his own decisions about visiting his aunt. He grinned to himself again, acknowledging it might have a little to do with what he taught his son about women. Matthew had been taught from an early age that his aunt was a waste of space, yet John still found he asked to visit.

  John painted himself as the model husband and father. And he was very careful.

  Steeling himself once more at the entrance, he pressed the buzzer and asked for entry.

  It was a few minutes before Ann Caffrey, one of the members of staff hustled John and Matthew through the door.

  ‘Is everything OK, Ann? I saw the police car and ambulance outside?’

  Putting patient confidentiality aside, she whispered back conspiratorially, ‘Oh it’s all fine. Turns out Mrs Francis’s son, the one who just got out of prison, has stolen all her jewellery. The daughter is beside herself, ended up having a panic attack. Family dynamics these days, Mr Whitworth.’

  Pathetic.

  ‘How’re you doing, Matthew? We haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks,’

  ‘Busy with homework,’ muttered the boy, his attention focussed on what he was doing on the handheld computer.

  John placed his hand on his son’s back as they followed Ann to his wife’s room, and for once, he didn’t even notice Eve’s expression.

  Eve however, noticed his; she saw the thunder clouds hiding behind the sunshine of his smile to the staff, and she understood. This was going to hurt. She didn’t know how, but she knew he would hurt her. Like always, he’d send her precious son to the coke machine in the lounge, then he’d do something.

  Unable to help herself, Eve felt the warmth of her own urine soaking through her pants into the cushion on the chair. Fear was a terrible thing.

  As Ann turned to leave, she forced a loud grunt out, waiting as the nurse turned back around and knelt in front of her.

  Eve stared into the eyes of her favourite nurse, and diverted her eyes downwards, grunting again. Ann realised the problem straight away.

  ‘Mr Whitworth, if you and Matthew would care to just step outside for five minutes, you wife needs some personal care. I’ll call you back in when we are done.’

  John felt his anger start to simmer.

  Who the hell did she think she was? Ordering him out of the room like he was nothing more than a child, someone to do her bidding.

  He’d seen the wet stain spreading on the cushion, knew his wife had pissed herself yet again. He didn’t care that the doctors had told him it was a symptom of being seated constantly, that her bladder had been weakened by the lack of muscle use. He was convinced she did it on purpose.

  She should still be able to hold it in. She was taught to hold it in when she first moved in. Bathroom breaks were on my terms not hers. And now that damn nurse lets her go in the chair? In front of me?

  He felt his teeth gritting together as he stood in the corridor, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He needed to get a grip. It wouldn’t do to lose it here. He would make Ann pay for her insolence, but not here where people could see, where reports could be made. His breath made a hissing sound as he inhaled deeply, drawing in the breath through his jaw, locked in position with his anger. Trying to rein it back in, he glanced at Matthew who had slid to the floor, his eyes still on the game.

  Now he had time to think about what he could do to Ann – wipe her savings? Put her in trouble with the tax man? It was definitely something to look into.

  Nobody spoke to him like that and got away with it.

  4th June, 2335 hours – Thompson residence, Sunderland

  He’d waited for the darkness to finally fall before approaching the house.

  He hated the summer months. It was hard to work in the daylight with people showing nerve and being as nosy as they were. He much preferred the winter months in which to carry out his observations.

  Frowning to himself, he acknowledged the time between each had slowly been decreasing. There was a time when he had left a year between each, taking time to watch and research. This time though, it had only been a few months.

  He knew he’d been careless last time too. He had left the cable ties at the scene instead of removing them. Granted, he had worn gloves through the assault, but he was still concerned his DNA might have been located. He remembered the article he had read a month back in one of the forensic journals, about how the labs now only needed a few loci to help identify someone, even when there were mixed DNA profiles.

  He sighed to himself, his DNA might well be on file, he couldn’t afford any more slip-ups. Melding into the shadows at the back of the house, he watched Clarice through her bedroom window. She was sitting at her desk, intently reading something with her head resting on one hand.

  His only intent had been making sure she was at home.

  And she was.

  It was time to start implementing stage two of his plan.

  As silently as he had arrived, he left the shrubs and returned to his own home.

  It took seconds for the screen to load with the camera image from her room. Obtaining her IP address had been easy, hacking in using his tablet when he was hidden in the bushes.

  Now it was time to start talking, let her get to know him a little. Falsifying a Facebook account was a piece of cake. Reaching out with a friend request equally so. Minor details about what course he was studying applied to the relevant section, he hit send and sat back to wait for a reply.

  He knew when she realised what a nice guy he was, she would want to meet up. And he could be very nice, when he wanted to be.

  5th June, 0500 hours – Frederick Street, Sunderland

  John sat in the driver’s seat of the old car, picked up for parts from the local scrap yard, the front bumper facing the way he figured Ann Caffrey would go to work. The car was so ancient it barely even worked. He’d had to tow it to the garage he leased a couple of streets from his home address and tinker with it just to get the engine to fire. But, being from a scrap yard, it was virtually untraceable. He’d paid cash, stating it was for parts.

  Being an IT consultant by trade meant it had been child’s play hacking into the records held by the nursing home. He’d already been in several times over the years making sure there was nothing on Eve’s records to indicate any problems. Finding the staff details was just as easy and a quick search on Google maps had shown him the street she lived on in all its glory thanks to the street view function. Living only a couple of blocks from the home meant she was likely to walk to work.

  A quick check on the rota showed she was due to start at 5.30 a.m.

  John had ensured he would be there in plenty of time. He’d left Matthew tucked under his duvet sound asleep. He felt a moment of pride. His son was a good sleeper. He’d be in bed now until 8 a.m. when John would wake him for school. Matthew was a good student too, studied hard, listened to his dad. He would go far, that boy. John would do everything in his power to provide him with all the opportunities. He was already into computers like his old man, and at nearly eleven years old, he was already writing gaming codes and learning how the background stuff worked. John had no doubts his son would one day surpass his dad’s own talents.

  John had been stewing over Ann Caffrey’s attitude all night, his anger increasing from a steady simmer to boiling point. Too pissed off to sleep, he’d focussed his attention on painting the small Warcraft figurines t
hat formed part of his collection. It took concentration, each separate piece requiring intricate and detailed work to get it to look exactly the same as the original character. He liked the control it gave him, and he was good at it.

  Eve had always hated his hobby. In the beginning she’d said it was childish for a grown man to paint figures. John had soon proved to her he was no child. That beating had been one of the first. She had never mentioned the figures again.

  A movement to his right caught his eye, and he watched as Ann locked her front door, and stepped out from the porch into the dull light of the morning. For a supposed summer month, it had been insanely wet, and a chill hung in the air. If he didn’t know better he’d have thought it was autumn. He smirked as she slipped a little on one of the wet steps, catching herself on the banister.

  Turning the key, John started the car, letting the engine idle for a moment as he gauged which route she was going to take. He ignored the rattle from the engine and the second she angled her walking to head towards the road, he pulled out from the parking spot.

  Dozy cow hasn’t even noticed me behind her.

  As Ann stepped into the road, John revved the engine and his foot pushed hard on the accelerator.

  He smiled. The engine roared to life as the car lurched forward.

  Ann barely even managed to turn as the car bumper hit her legs with a satisfying crunch, sending her head crashing into his windscreen which instantly shattered. He heard the thud as she hit the floor, the double thud as both sets of wheels flashed over her body and John glanced in the rear view mirror as he sped off smiling with satisfaction as he realised the street was still deserted.

  The adrenaline rush took him by surprise, and he felt a bubble of laughter rise from his stomach and escape.

  That was fun.

  Dumping the car a few streets over, he climbed back into his own car which he’d parked there the night before, and he made his way home.

  Now he would be able to sleep. He was sure of it.

  5th June, 0710 hours - CSI Department, Sunderland City Centre Depot

  Ben stretched and rubbed her eyes. She had only been at work for ten minutes and already she wished it was home time.

  Grace had woken in the night, crying and running a fever. In a matter of minutes she had thrown up in both her own bed and Bens. So Ben had bathed her daughter, given her a little calpol, and remade the beds, before putting Grace back down and softly rubbing a finger along her hairline until she had fallen asleep. She’d seemed a little perkier when Ben had left for work but she had to be kept off school anyway. They always recommended a day or two off after a bout of sickness in case it was contagious.

  Ben had left Grace and Aoife planning what they would watch through their unscheduled ‘sofa-day’.

  Sighing, she got to her feet and clicked the kettle on. Another coffee was definitely required. She heard a burst of static from her radio and turned the volume up as she stirred the hot brew.

  ‘7916 Cassidy, come in, over.’

  She pressed her finger on the speech button and replied, ‘Yeah go ahead, LV.’

  ‘Ben, we’ve had a report of a fatal hit and run. The offending vehicle was recovered a few streets away and has just been uplifted to SL Motorbods for exam but DI McKay is asking if you would be free to attend the scene? It’s log 201 of today if you want to have a quick read?’

  ‘No probs, LV, I should be there in about fifteen minutes.’

  Ben took a gulp of her coffee, burning her mouth and swallowing hard. The heat brought tears to her eyes as it travelled down her throat.

  ‘Shit,’ she muttered to herself, feeling the roof of her mouth start to blister a little.

  ‘You OK, Ben?’ came Kev’s voice from behind her.

  ‘Yeah I’m OK, just burnt my mouth on my coffee. Am just about to head out to a fatal RTC. I saw on the rota we’re thin on the ground today? Do you want me to leave the vehicle `til tomorrow? LV said it’s been uplifted to SL Motorbods. They’ll have it in the forensic bay so it can wait if need be.’

  ‘I heard. I’ll pitch in and go do the scene if you don’t mind heading to SLs for the vehicle? I have a meeting in a couple of hours, don’t want to get too caught up before then,’ said Kev.

  Ben nodded. ‘OK no probs. I’ll head over there in a minute.’

  ‘Finish your coffee first, you look tired today.’ Kev winked and then left the office.

  5th June, 0740 hours – SL Motorbods, Sunderland

  Pulling the handbrake up on the van, Ben yawned and rubbed her eyes. She felt like she needed a dunk in a cold shower. The tiredness was making her a little groggy. Some idiot had seen fit to pull out on her on route to the garage too, causing her to slam the brakes on. She’d heard anything not bolted down lurch in the back of the van, and she wasn’t looking forward to opening the side door.

  She pulled her mobile out of her pocket and checked the screen. She was always a little worried when Grace was off school, but the screen saver smiled up at her with no messages showing.

  Ben turned to open the door, and jumped as she saw Eddie Conlan’s face grinning at her through the window.

  ‘Hey, Eddie,’ she said. ‘How’s you this miserable morning?’

  ‘Morning, Ben. Saw that nutter on the roundabout. You OK?’

  ‘You saw that? Complete arsehole. Nearly smacked into the side of him when he undertook like that.’

  ‘I’d have liked to have seen his face if you had though. They all think they’re the bees’ knees `til they see the police badge.’

  Ben yawned again. ‘Sorry, Eddie. Long night.’

  Eddie waggled his eyebrows in response, his Bluetooth headset jiggling at the side of his head as he grinned. ‘Oo aye? Nudge nudge, wink wink. Say no more.’

  ‘Not like that,’ Ben said quickly. ‘Grace was up at daft o’clock being sick. Makes for a long one when you’ve got to change two sets of bedding through the night.’

  ‘Aw bless her little cottons. It’s awful when they’re poorly. Joey was up with something similar a couple of weeks ago. Elise and I were both zombies that day.’

  ‘How is Elise? Expecting again I hear? Congratulations, Eddie.’

  ‘Yeah. Took all these years to happen so it makes sense that having more is gonna be in quick succession. Doc says it’s twins this time. Dunno how we’re gonna manage with two babies and a toddler, but I’m sure we will.’ His grin was wide and infectious, and Ben couldn’t help but smile back.

  ‘You’re here for the one that hit the lady down on Frederick Street right? I’ve put it in the forensic bay for you. White with one sugar?’

  ‘Better make it white with two today: think I need the rush.’

  Eddie left her and headed to the small, but well-equipped staff kitchen to the rear of the main office.

  Ben made her way over to the forensic bay, and did a quick once around the exterior of the vehicle. It was an old car, and the paintwork was faded in places from too many years sat in the British sunshine. The front bumper was distorted from the impact, and the windscreen was shattered, a clump of hair and blood visible in the centre. It definitely looked like the vehicle had collided with someone.

  She looked up as Eddie entered, handing her a steaming mug of what smelled suspiciously like freshly brewed coffee. Ben groaned as she inhaled that wonderful scent that only the fresh stuff gives off.

  ‘It’s the good stuff. They opened a new Starbucks around the corner. Treated the lads to one of their machines as a thank you for their work over Christmas. Best darn thing I ever bought. That blend’s the new fair-trade one from Guatemala, has just a hint of cinnamon hiding in the background.’

  ‘You give me coffee like this and I’ll never leave,’ threatened Ben with a smile as she blew the surface of the coffee and took a small, cautious sip. ‘Mmm that’s fantastic. Thanks, Eddie.’

  ‘You know where the kitchen is if you want more. I’ve got a shout for a vehicle broken down on the A19 – might not be back before you
leave.’

  ‘No probs, love. Take care and drive safe.’

  She turned back round, took another sip of coffee, and placed it on the side next to her camera case. Giving her head a shake, she put herself in the zone, and started the external photographs.

  5th June, 2055 hours – Sunderland University Campus

  TJ cracked open the door to the lecture hall, and stepped inside silently. She huddled against the wall for a moment, contemplating. Dressed in a tailored trouser suit, she acknowledged to herself she would look pretty out of place if she sat down. One of the non-perks of reconnaissance after finishing work she supposed. The job in the estate agents wasn’t the best, but it was paying for her doctorate.

  Her grey eyes narrowed as she focussed in on the class. Jacob was at the front of the room, standing at the podium, and the students who were peppered throughout the different seating levels, had already started putting their things in their bags, obviously happy that he was wrapping up.

  She stood to one side, allowing them to egress as she waited for him to notice her. It gave her the perfect vantage point and she leaned forward as she watched a girl who was sitting near the front. Her red hair was loose, curls flowing down her back but clipped at the top with a silver slide. Without even needing to see any interaction, TJ knew instinctively that she was the one who had her brother all a fluster.

  Jacob packed up his papers and looked up, as TJ made her way down the stairs.

  He glanced over at Ben, smiling as she made eye contact despite the initial flash of panic. What’s TJ doing here?

  Ben’s cheeks flushed, as she stood and made her way down to the podium.

  He flashed a warning look towards TJ, who’d paused mid-way down the stairs, her face curving into a smile, obviously enjoying his discomfort.