by Liz Mistry
Compo was working to pinpoint the john who’d lured Jo Jo in, but he reckoned that the most they’d be able to do, would be some ‘under the radar’ fishing to hit the bastard where it hurt… his wallet. Gus was happy to turn a blind eye to that if Compo and his online friends were able to make this pervert’s bank accounts inaccessible. It wasn’t a solution though… just a temporary band-aid… but it would have to do… for now.
Alongside all of that, the violation of his own and Patti’s privacy was making him a little paranoid. He’d seen how quickly the images of himself and Patti had gone viral and it made him wonder how they could ever stop the flow of unseen evil now that the world had become so small. He’d got Compo to reinforce his home PC security, had deleted all his own social media accounts, not that he actively used any except WhatsApp. However, it was Patti who was suffering the most in the aftermath of the posts of their sex life going viral. The media was on her case the whole time. Jez Hopkins had had the audacity to ask for an exclusive interview for his rag. Little creep! Her position at the school was becoming more and more untenable. Initially they’d thought the story would all die down, but when news of the arrests had hit the press, it had been resurrected. She was blanking him, and Gus could understand it. As ever, he, the male, was getting off lightly and she was on the receiving end.
Only a few days ago he’d been thinking of the ‘L’ word, now he thought their relationship could be better described by the phrase ‘it’s over, don’t contact me.’ He wasn’t even sure how he felt about that. Too many other things to think about and therein lay one of the problems; as much as he cared about Patti, maybe even loved her… it just wasn’t enough to make him prioritise their relationship.
Overwhelmed by everything the room symbolised, Gus walked out into the heat, stepped out of his overalls and yelled, ‘See you back at The Fort, Al.’
Then he was off, jogging as fast as he could, hoping that he’d be able to exorcise some of the demons chasing him, but knowing that no matter how many runs he did, the demons would catch-up with him at night.
Epilogue
Six weeks later
G us looked at the screen and smiled. Carlton hadn’t bothered to dress up for the occasion. His specs were held together by masking tape and his yellow T-shirt vied with the BBC News studio lighting for dominance.
…and today we have Professor Sebastian Carlton from the Forensic Psychology Department at Leeds Trinity University. Professor Carlton has worked with the FBI’s behavioural analysis department and more recently was a consultant on Bradford’s The Snapchat Killers case.
Professor Carlton, isn’t it unheard of for three girls to work together to perpetrate the acts of murder we witnessed earlier in the month? Could you give us some insight into these unnamed girls’ psyches?
… what interests me most about this case is the dynamic between the three girls. The alpha teen is a fascinating study. She exerted an unparalleled influence over the other two. However, what I found particularly interesting is that the Beta teen absorbed some of the Alpha’s qualities… her desire to dominate… to lead… to be in control. This is…
Gus switched the TV off and grabbed Bingo’s lead. ‘Come on, boy. Let’s go see Zarqa and Jo Jo.’
Bum wriggling in excitement, Bingo’s tongue lolled from his mouth and he emitted a round of overexcited yelps. Gus ruffled his head. ‘You love playing with Mo’s kids don’t you, Bingo? And your mate will be there too. Karim’s bringing Trixie-Belle, someone for you to play with.’
Gus called the trio The Survivors Gang. They’d been through a lot, Jo Jo and Zarqa more than Karim. Jo Jo was still grieving, but Naila had worked wonders and got him and Jessie a foster home together. Jo Jo was a regular visitor with Zarqa at Gus’ house, and he had a good feeling about Jo Jo’s future. Taffy had been there for him during his mum’s death and since then he’d spent long hours discussing all things techie with Compo. All of it did the officers as much good as it did Jo Jo.
It was Karim who lifted them out of the darkness when they thought too much about everything that had gone down. Karim, whose humour and sensitivity forced them to engage with life. Even Mo was all right with the lad dating Zarqa… how could he not be? Karim had done exactly what Mo himself had done at around the same age; put his own life at risk to save the girl he loved.
It pleased Gus to see Mo and Zarqa interacting again. Mo was beginning to lose that haunted look and although they still had some sticky moments, the future for Mo’s family looked a lot better. Naila and Gus had smoothed over their differences too, although she’d made him promise to talk about his ‘trust’ issues with his psychiatrist and, over the weeks she’d held him to his promise to do just that. To the point as ever, Naila had told him, ‘You can’t keep erecting these barriers or you’ll end up a lonely old man.’
That was a direct reference to the demise of his relationship with Patti. Unable to take the ongoing media circus and the endless snide comments from students, not to mention some less than supportive emails sent by parents who questioned her authority now their Jane, Jaffer, or Jasdeep had seen her boobs, Patti had resigned from her post at the school and decided to travel to Jamaica to reconnect with her mother’s side of the family. Their parting had been amicable, yet neither of them felt able to consider the possibility of a future together. In his less depressed moments, Gus was able to accept that if they couldn’t withstand the first real crisis they faced as a couple, then they probably wouldn’t have been able to hack it long-term.
In the dead of night though, when neither he nor Alice could sleep, he admitted that he questioned his ability to connect with people, to commit himself fully. In many ways that was exactly the point Naila and Compo had made; he was damaged. He knew it all stemmed from killing Greg. That was when the blanket of despondency had first descended and the time he stopped trusting or believing in himself. He’d thought Patti would be the one to help him exorcise that once and for all, but he’d been mistaken.
The single bonus from all of this was that he and Alice had grown even closer. They’d both learned the hard way that evil wasn’t always right there in your face, that it was a shapeshifter with no set form; malignant and remorseless. Alice living with him was his salvation and, he suspected, it was hers too. She’d put her house in Saltaire on the market saying it held too much negative energy and Gus was in no hurry to evict her, for despite their pain, Alice brought life to the house.
With Bingo dancing at his feet, Gus yelled up the stairs to his lodger. ‘Come on, Al, or we’ll be late.’
As he waited for Alice to appear, his phone rang. Katie!
Why couldn’t she just leave him be for a while? Typical Katie, wanted everything her own way, right there and then. He dismissed the call, which was almost immediately followed up by a text:
Katie: You’re not being fair keeping us hanging on like this, Gus. You need to let us know your decision!
Fair? Fair? Nothing that had happened in the last month was fair.
Filled with the desire to run out of the house and throw the phone into the boating lake so he never had to hear from his sister again, Gus’ chest tightened. Then, inhaling slowly, he counted to ten, before walking through to the kitchen where, with controlled deliberation, he placed his phone on the kitchen table. For a while he wasn’t going to engage with anyone other than his friends. He’d make his decision when he was good and ready, and Katie and Gaby could like it or lump it. He was fed up with being expected to do what everyone else wanted. For once, he was going to be sure that whatever he decided, it was right for him.
Seconds later, Alice bounced down the stairs, thrust her arm through Gus’ and together they walked to the park, Alice’s good-natured chatter a contrast to the tears he’d heard from her room the previous night. Two broken souls together, that’s what we are.
Halfway round the boating lake, a frantic, ‘Gus, Alice’ boomed from their right. Glancing round, Gus saw Mo and three of his daughters in one of th
e pedaloes with Naila, Jo Jo, Zarqa, and Sabah in another. They appeared to be having some sort of race with Karim who was running along the edge of the lake with Trixie-Belle beside him. Bingo began straining at his lead when he saw his friend.
‘DI McGuire, DI McGuire.’ Karim skidded to a halt in front of them. ‘Got some news for you. Mrs Brown’s moving into sheltered housing and they don’t allow pets, so I’m getting to keep Trixie-Belle. That’s great innit?’
The lad’s beaming face made Gus smile. Maybe they could bottle Karim and prescribe him on the NHS. The lad was a real tonic. He reminded Gus of Mo. ‘Great news, Karim, but remember you can call me Gus, you know.’
The two dogs fussed and sniffed each other, and Karim tugged on Trixie-Belle’s lead. ‘Aw shi… I mean, yeah. Forgot like. Gus it is.’
‘Talking of names. What you gonna do about her name?’ Gus inclined his head towards the Rottweiler with the unlikely name.
Karim grinned. ‘Got that sorted. Gonna call her TB, you get it?’ He raised his hand for a fist bump and Gus obliged.
‘Great choice.’ He turned and yelled to the kids on the boats. ‘Ice cream?’
Judging by the excited yells, that would be a yes.
This was one of those times he needed to savour. So, Gus allowed the happiness to wash over him like a balm and tried to enjoy the moment. After all, he knew only too well how short-lived it could be.
Did you enjoy Unseen Evil? Why not read Last Request, the first heart-stopping crime thriller in a brand-new series by Liz Mistry.
If you are in the US click here
If you are in the UK click here
Here’s the Blurb
A body is found. A lifetime of secrets revealed.
Will they ever uncover the truth?
When a body is discovered under Bradford’s derelict Odeon car park, DS Nikita Parekh and her team are immediately called to the scene.
Distracted by hunting down the drug cartel running rampant on her estate, Nikki is relieved when the investigation is transferred to the Cold Case Unit.
However, the forensic team are quick to identify a link between Nikki and the dead man … one that will have a huge impact on her both professionally and personally.
With no real suspects, all fingers point to Nikki. But as the body count begins to rise, time is running out.
Can she clear her name and find the real killer before he strikes again?
Also Available in her DI Gus McGuire series are:
Unquiet Souls
Uncoiled Lies
Untainted Blood
Uncommon Cruelty
Unspoken Truths
Acknowledgements
Unseen Evil is the novel I’ve written as part of my PhD in Creative Writing at Leeds Trinity University and, as such, has had many incarnations. Leeds Trinity University has given me the confidence and space to realise my dream: that of being a writer. In particular the support, encouragement and critical engagement of my PhD tutors Oz Hardwick and Martyn Bedford has been invaluable, so a huge shout out to them. Alongside that, my PhD colleagues are a constant source of knowledge, advice, laughter, and support. Thanks guys!
I have been lucky to have benefitted from the tireless advice that Toria Forsyth-Moser brings to my first draft. She challenges me to better my writing and I think she knows my characters nearly as well as I do. Huge thanks to my editor, Emma Mitchell, from Creating Perfection. She has been professional and efficient, and I am so glad she gets my Bradford setting and characters.
Betsy Reavley won the MIND charity raffle She requested a particularly brutal demise – don’t know if I managed that, but a huge thanks for both your donation and lending me your name. The cover design is down to CherieFox.com – many thanks.
As ever any mistakes are my own and some artistic license has been used also.
I dedicated this book to my family because they are the best. They catch me when I’m down and support me when I’m up. I probably don’t say this enough, but I wouldn’t be able to do this without their support, particularly Nilesh who knows how hard I struggle with the ‘events’ side of things and so accompanies me to many of them.
Thanks, also to my ARC group, who are so supportive they often have me in tears –sometimes of joy, sometimes of laughter, but always of happiness. You are brilliant.
Last of all, but definitely not least, a heartfelt thanks to all you readers and bloggers who have got behind Gus and the gang and who have so generously left reviews, tweeted, shared and liked posts about Gus and Co. You are amazing… truly amazing!
I have a new series featuring a new detective, DS Nikki Parekh, coming later this year and would love to hear what you think of her. The first in the series is called Last Request and is available in Kindle from October and Paperback and audio from December 2019.
If you liked Unseen Evil, I’d love it if you could leave a review. Reviews are an author’s lifeblood and I read every one (even the bad ones).
Here’s till next time
Best Wishes
Liz Mistry
If you want to connect with Liz, you can do so on:
Twitter: @LizMistryAuthor
Facebook: LizMistryBooks
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2xhdOgG