by Liz Mistry
‘I’m not very well, Gus.’
His heart faltered. He heard the words, but he wanted to thrust them away. Bundle them up and throw them into the garbage. Something about Katie’s calm expression told him it wasn’t just a sore throat she had. He tried to swallow, but somehow, a chunk of broken glass had got into his throat and he couldn’t. His heart sped up, and his breath came in pants. Still not looking at her, he forced himself to slow his breathing slooooooow, slooooow.
When he looked at Katie, she met his gaze, her dark eyes full of shadows and doubt and right then it clicked that this was serious… really serious and he had to step up to the mark. He opened his mouth to speak, realised his throat was too dry and took a quick gulp of his drink… he tried again. ‘What’s wrong?’
Katie smiled and raised her hand and whipping off her wig, she threw it on the kitchen table. ‘Big C. Ovarian.’
Gus stared at the wig, a riot of dark curls lying like a discarded poodle on his table, then lifted his eyes to Katie. ‘You’ve started treatment? You’ve started treatment and you didn’t tell me.’
Her voice was sharp. ‘This isn’t about you.’
That was true. It wasn’t about him, still, he was wounded that she hadn’t confided in him… asked for his support, shared her anguish with him. As if she read his mind, Katie continued, ‘I was so angry with you for not letting me in when Greg died, you know? So angry and frustrated and let down. I wanted to help you, but you shut me out and I couldn’t understand why. Now I do. It’s hard enough coping with it myself without sharing it with the world. All I want is to curl up with Gaby and let the rest of the world pass by outside without me having to interact with any of it.’
That was exactly how it had been for Gus. He nodded, understanding, yet hurt that he hadn’t been there to help her. ‘I would…’
She reached over the table and squeezed his hand. ‘I know you would. But I wasn’t ready.’
‘Mum and Dad know?’
‘Last week. I told them last week.’
Again, he was the last to know.
‘I wanted to… well, we wanted to ask you about the baby, before we told you. Didn’t want it to look like we were guilt tripping you… but, you said no.’
Yes, he had said no… not surprising really, was it? Yet now, looking at his sister, it all seemed different. The words stumbled out of his mouth, ‘What’s your prognosis?’
Grinning, Katie again lifted her cup, this time taking a minuscule sip. ‘Well, I’m not planning my funeral yet…’ She pursed her lips. ‘We don’t know. I’ve just completed my third lot of chemo… but we just don’t know.’ She fidgeted on her chair. ‘What you’re really asking is, why now, when I might not make it, do I want to start a family with Gaby?’
Gus shrugged. It was what he’d been thinking but couldn’t put into words.
‘She’s my soul mate, Gus. We want to have a baby… a family. I’m going to get through this, but Gaby will have to be the one to carry the baby. Just in case, I don’t make it long-term, I want the child to be linked to me. I always have. I’ve always wanted to carry a baby… more than one, if I’m honest, but Gaby’s doing it for me. She’s making that sacrifice.’
Was there a slight inflection on the word she? Gus couldn’t be certain, yet here she was, and he knew she was playing her last card. That was how Katie worked. He played his own trump card, yet it was accompanied by an inevitability he hated. Katie always won at cards. ‘DNA doesn’t make a family, Katie. Love does that. You don’t need me for that.’
‘No, you’re right, DNA doesn’t. But this way, it won’t be so bad when they whip out my womb. It’ll be almost as good as carrying my own baby. Please do it for me, Gus. Please.’
And there it was. The double trump!
CHAPTER 82
W ith Katie’s visit still foremost in his mind, Gus had gone into work. He’d not slept well the previous night, half expecting to be called out to a third murder. When none had come, he’d determined to make the day count. He’d gone back into Patti’s school, taking Sebastian Carlton with him in the hope that someone would have something for him. But they came up with nothing. He’d spent hours looking at CCTV in the streets around the park… again zilch. Compo had got a hit on one of the fingerprints from the drone, but it had been in a sealed record and Nancy had yet to get back to him with any information. He had hinted to Compo that he’d be happy to turn a blind eye if Compo could access the information in other ways. They needed a name. True, the fingerprint might belong to a factory worker, but it was another avenue that Gus wanted to eliminate.
He’d found the time to go to the hospital where the Patels were visiting with Kiran, who looked like he’d make a full recovery. It seemed so unfair that one family could have so much to contend with all at once. It looked to Gus as if Mr Patel was withering away before his eyes and his wife seemed older, quieter. Her face bore wrinkles that Gus was sure hadn’t been there when he’d first met her. When he’d arrived, Mita had been talking to another girl in the smokers’ shelter. The girl looked a little older than Mita, and Gus recognised her from Patti’s school. She was one of those spotty, nervous girls who couldn’t quite meet your eye. He’d smiled at her and been pleased to see her habitual scowl. At least Mita hadn’t lost all of her personality. Kiran, predictably, had refused to implicate anyone in his attack and claimed he couldn’t remember how he got to the estate. The attack had all the hall marks of a drug gang warning and Gus only hoped Kiran had learned his lesson – for his parents’ sakes if nothing else.
The incident room had been unnaturally quiet for the rest of the day with Alice, Taffy, and Compo focussed on their tasks. The atmosphere was heavy, like a thunderstorm in the making, and Gus, constrained by his lack of leads, wanted to scream. Instead, he sent Alice off for supplies and he’d just about decided to go for a jog to help him think things through, when Compo slammed his hand down on his desk.
‘This doesn’t make sense, Gus.’ Compo had pushed his headphones back, so they were dangling round his neck. ‘I’ve managed to trace the server that uploaded the images… the ones of Pratab and Betsy as well as the ones of you and Patti, but…’ His frown was tight across his forehead and combined with the little flick of fringe that flopped there, he looked like a confused four-year-old. ‘I’ve checked it three times now and I’m coming up with the same result every time.’
‘I trust you, Compo. If you’ve found something, I’d bet anything that it’s correct. So, what is it?’ Gus, reluctant to leave the faint breeze generated by his desk fan, got to his feet, and sidled over.
A map showing row upon row of domestic residences was on Compo’s screen and a flashing light indicated that he’d found the one where the computer was that had uploaded the images of Pratab Patel and Betsy Reavley’s dead bodies. He smiled. ‘You located the computer?’
Compo blew upwards, sending his fringe wafting. ‘It’s proper weird. I just don’t get it.’
‘Okaaay.’ Gus wasn’t sure what to say. Compo’s shoulders were hunched, and he was frantically tapping more keys, and staring at the screen after each flurry of keyboard activity. Whatever the lad had found it had thrown him and Gus hoped it had nothing to do with Zarqa. Not when they’d only just sent her home.
Exhaling again. Compo propelled himself backwards on his chair to make room for Gus. ‘It’s the address. I’ve checked it, but it stays the same.’
Compo was glaring at the screen as if he expected it to alter independently.
‘Look, Comps, I’ve no idea what you’re going on about… you need to make it clear for me.’
‘It’s Fieldgate Road!’ He looked up at Gus, his face stricken as if Gus would hold him personally responsible. ‘Number eighteen.’
For a second Gus couldn’t work out what Compo was telling him. This information was truly bizarre. He opened his mouth to ask Compo if he was sure and then closed it again without uttering the words. He’d seen how distraught the lad was and had witnessed h
im trying again and again. ‘You mean…?’
‘Yep. Whoever uploaded those images and the ones of you and Patti, did it from her house… that house.’ Compo jabbed the screen with his finger. ‘Our killer has access to a PC in that house.’
Gus slapped his hand on the table, making Compo jump. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!’ Then, he was spinning on his heel and heading for the door, just as Alice came in carrying an aromatic bag of burgers. ‘You’re with me, now!’
Alice thrust the bag onto the nearest table, and he turned to Compo. ‘Get a team there, pronto. Taffy get a pool car and a couple of officers and Carlton. Bring him too.’
CHAPTER 83
Zodiac
I t’s only a matter of time now. I always knew it would come to this. Now they’ve got the drone, they’ll get my prints and all that stuff in Birmingham will come out. That sidekick of Gus’ will unseal my juvie record and they’ll know. She won’t be able to cover it up this time. No calling in favours from her colleagues. No burying her head in the sand. No more pretending last time was a mistake. She’ll always wonder if she was to blame… if she could’ve done something different and that’s good. Let her wonder! Let her suffer! She deserves it for not appreciating me… not seeing my specialness as something to be proud of, something unique She covered it up for the sake of her glorious career, what now though? I thought Gus would have been a worthy opponent, but even he has been slow to figure it out… even he can’t stop me, no one can! They can keep their kids in all they like, no one is going to stop me until I’m good and ready. And then, I’ll still prove how clever I am.
Still, I’ll get off lightly… just like last time. After all, I didn’t kill anyone and sending a few letters, uploading a few pics to the Internet, is nothing. Well… I was coerced, wasn’t I? That’s the beauty of it… I’ll be able to convince them that Pisces and Leo led little old me astray. Anyway, it’s time for the endgame. Time to draw things to their natural conclusion.
It has to be today… tonight… NOW!
Me: Lister Park! You bring the stuff!
Leo: On it. Will slip away. Laters
Now to see if everyone’s on side.
Me: Tonight, bring the girl. Last one… then it’ll all be over!
Pisces: Can’t! No more. Just can’t!
Me: Yes, you can. You know you can. You’ve done it before and this one was your choice. Remember? You chose her.
Pisces: Changed my mind. Let’s not do this anymore!
Me: You know the rules. Just do it.
If anyone was going to mess it all up, it was Pisces. I wait for the reply. It takes a while and then I punch the air when I see it.
Pisces: Okay. Last one… no more.
I laugh and punch the air. Course there’s going to be no more. That’s the plan. No more after tonight. Shame Pisces and Leo don’t know what I’ve got in mind. I grab my rucksack, pop my cap on, and leave the house.
Tonight’s gonna be a good night!
CHAPTER 84
A s Alice drove, Gus phoned Nancy to bring her up to speed. ‘We think we’ve identified the killer, Nance. I really need you on this one. It’s sensitive.’
He could hear clothes rustling, followed by the flush of a toilet. Please don’t have just answered the phone when you’re sitting on the loo! Then he immediately dismissed the thought and continued, ‘Thing is, we think the killer or one of them, if Carlton’s profile is right, is Mehmoona Bashir… the boss’ daughter.’
He braced himself, expecting some sort of argument, instead Nancy came through for him. ‘Okay, I’m on my way. You need to secure the girl. Who knows what’s going on in her head or what she’s got planned. We need to keep the boss safe.’
He flicked a grin at Alice and hung up, but immediately his phone started to ring. Compo!
‘You’re on speaker, Comps, what you got?’
‘She’s on the move, Gus. Soon as you left, I started to track her phone and the DCS’ too. The boss is still at home, but Mehmoona is on the move. Looks like she’s heading in this direction.’
Alice pulled into the Co-op carpark, did a U-turn, and parked up illegally on the side of the road, engine still running.
‘We’re on Duckworth Lane, facing towards the roundabout. Can you tell how she’s travelling?’
‘At the minute, she looks to be on foot, nearing the BRI now.’
‘Right, I need to keep my phone open. Phone back on the radio and patch Taffy, Carlton, and the back-up team into this. We need you to co-ordinate all of this. We can’t afford to lose her… not now. I need to speak with Nancy. She’s heading up to Bashir’s house as we speak, and I think that’s the best place for her. She can prepare Bashir for the worst.’
Gus hung up and almost immediately it stared to ring again. Mo! Shit! Not now! Much as he wanted to build bridges, now wasn’t the time. He pressed decline, hoping that his friend would understand when he explained later. But it started to ring again almost immediately.
Meanwhile, Compo was on the radio, tracking Mehmoona’s movements.
‘She’s cut up towards Smith Lane.’ Alice did a quick U-turn and headed back towards the BRI and narrowly skirting through an amber light, drove up Little Lane. ‘If she continues this way, we’ll be able to nab her on Toller Lane.’
Alice’s phone started to ring on the hand’s free. Naila! And Gus’ phone vibrated in his hand. Mo again! Shit! Mo and Naila both trying to contact them. This couldn’t be good.
‘Yep, Mo. What’s up?’
‘Zarqa’s gone. She took a phone call a while back and then left. Snuck out the back door. Thing is, her phone’s switched off and I can’t track her.’
Aw no! Zarqa what are you playing at?
‘I’m busy right now, Mo, but as soon as I can, I’ll call back in. In the meantime, I’ll see if Compo can find out where Jo Jo is. He gave him one of his old phones to be going on with. Zarqa will probably be with him.’
Well, that’s what he hoped, anyway. Last thing he needed was Zarqa getting in the middle of this thing with Mehmoona.
‘Shit boss!’ Compo’s frustration sizzled over the line. ‘Mehmoona’s switched off her phone. Last position was on Smith Lane. She could have gone in any direction from there. There’re loads of sideroads.’
‘Never mind, Comp’s, you’ve done your best. Put out a BOLO for her and direct the back-up to scour the streets in the vicinity. Alice and I will drive round… we might be lucky and spot her.’ Gus slammed his fist on the dashboard. ‘Shit, where do you think she’s heading?’
But Alice was already turning off onto Scotchman Road. ‘Carlton thought she was threatening Jerry and Dave, yeah? We know she hangs about the park and we know they do too. What do you reckon? Lister Park, worth a try?’
‘Definitely. Go for it.’
As they drove down Scotchman Road, past two primary schools and the Manningham Sports Centre, Gus kept a keen lookout. Trouble was, it was dark now and, in this area, there was a fair share of teens, not all of them instantly recognisable by gender. What if they were wrong? What if she wasn’t heading to Lister Park? What if she had her eye on a victim elsewhere? No way could there be another teen killing on his watch.
On North Park Road, Alice parked up and they got out of the car. Gus radioed in his position to Compo and asked for back-up to be directed to both the Oak Lane and the Emm Lane park entrances. Fastening her stab vests, Alice grinned. ‘Lot of good these’ll do us… this one aims for the throat.’
But Gus had noticed her fingers fumbling with the Velcro and registered the telltale tremor in her voice. Alice was as nervous as he was. Mehmoona’s unpredictability, plus the dark and the possibility of at least one accomplice was worrying. A surge of adrenalin pistoned through his body, increasing his heartbeat and he knew he was as prepared as he could be.
At night, Lister Park had a different, more malevolent feel to it. Gone were the family groups and in their place were looming shadows and hidden unlit areas. Gus and Alice climbed the knee
-high wall and entered the park, keeping to the shadows themselves.
‘Can you see anyone?’ Alice’s voice was a whisper breaking through the evening heat.
‘No. We’ll split up. You go towards the Botanical Gardens and I’ll head towards Cartwright Hall.’
As they moved off, Gus hesitated and then turned back. ‘Hey, Al.’
She glanced towards him.
‘Be safe… yeah.’
CHAPTER 85
Zodiac
C ouldn’t have planned it better if I tried. They’re all there. I take a moment to watch them in the band stand. They’re in high spirits… none of them has any idea what’s going to happen tonight. As I climb the steps, I see that they’ve done as I asked. All their phones are piled in a little heap in the middle of the circle and Leo has lit a candle, just like I asked.
Most of them think we’re here to think about Pratab and Betsy… but I have other plans and even Leo and Pisces don’t know them yet. Talking of Pisces – there she is, all miserable and wan, like someone stole her favourite toy. She’s edged closer to Jo Jo, but he’s not interested. He looks distracted, like he’s got something else on his mind. Dozy cow can’t even tell he’s gay! Story of her life. But, hey, at least she did as she was told and brought Zarqa with her. Leo’s come up trumps… she always does. Two bottles of voddie and some weed. Just enough to get the party started. I start to climb the steps, when someone bumps into me from behind.
My heart starts to hammer for a second, I think I’ve been caught. I know it won’t be long. But it’s just that tosser Karim, with his stupid bloody dog. Who invited him? He barrels past me laughing and joking, the dog whimpering, and he settles down next to Zarqa.
It’s nearly time. I plonk my rucksack down and sit next to it. Leo’s passing round the voddie and Jo Jo’s rolling a joint. The bitter smell of bud fills the air as he lights it, inhales, and then blows out a smoke ring. Leo’s getting giddy quickly. Bet she started drinking before she even left home. Not surprising really. When this goes down, she’s going to pay for what she did. I sort of admire her – in a way – it takes guts to kill your own brother. Right until the last minute I thought little Mita Patel would back down, but it seemed she’d been on the receiving end of her brother’s cruel taunts and tricks too many times. I mean, what sort of brother sets up a recorder in his sister’s bathroom and then uploads the clips to Facebook? Bet the Patels didn’t tell Gus what a prick their son really was. It didn’t take too much encouragement on my part to push her in that direction. Hell, even she thinks it was her idea.