Dead Memories: An addictive and gripping crime thriller

by Angela Marsons

  ‘To this extent and over a prolonged period of time?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘So basically, you’re saying that…’

  ‘I can’t give you the answer you want. I can’t say for certain whether Duggar is or is not your man, but with each new piece of evidence or information it becomes easier to suppose one way or the other.’

  Kim felt as though an awful lot of words had been used to tell her nothing at all.

  ‘Okay, Alison, thanks for your time…’

  ‘But you’ve been no help at all,’ she finished, raising herself to a standing position.

  Kim returned her smile. ‘I appreciate the insight you’ve given me.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll take that,’ she said, heading towards the hall. ‘And on that note, I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  Kim shouted good night as she disappeared out of the house.

  ‘Yeah, sorry, boy, it’s just you and me again,’ she said to Barney who was still staring at the front door. It appeared he liked Alison more than she liked him, and despite her chat with Alison she still didn’t know how she felt about John Duggar. The revelation from Stacey about his sister being the victim of the Sutton Road house fire had been a complete shock to her. She could still remember the guilt both she and her old partner Travis had felt upon learning that the children’s mother had perished in the fire, despite the fact it had not been possible for either of them to re-enter the property.

  But John Duggar had been open, friendly and apparently helpful when they’d spoken to him and he’d known this all along. It made no sense to her.

  And then she thought about what Alison had said earlier in the week about the end game: that it was the only thing left for him to do. Was he watching her right now? Was his disappearance linked to his preparation for her death?

  ‘Jesus,’ she cried as her phone rang, startling her.

  ‘Evening, sir,’ she said to her boss.

  ‘Bryant’s just updated me. You really think it’s this John Duggar?’

  ‘Everything is pointing that way,’ she admitted.

  ‘Well, you’ll be pleased to know that the insect problem in the office has been resolved and the team is free to return to the squad room in the morning.’

  ‘The team, sir?’ she asked.

  ‘The whole team, Stone. Seems it was a whole lot of fuss about nothing, but I trust your day away from the case has given you time to cool down and reassess your actions.’

  Kim felt relief that she was being let out of the naughty corner.

  ‘Of course, sir.’

  ‘One more thing. Alison’s daily report focusses on the end game, as she calls it, where she feels the threat of violence will inevitably turn away from replicating events and will turn towards you directly.’

  ‘It’s a guess, sir,’ she said, wondering why she hadn’t known there was a daily report.

  ‘I would prefer to be safe, so given the level of threat against you, you will ensure that you remain with a colleague at all times.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ she said.

  Poor Bryant, she thought.

  ‘And there will be a car outside your house all night. It’ll be there in fifteen minutes.’

  She opened her mouth to argue and then closed it again.

  ‘Thank you, sir.’

  ‘Fifteen minutes, Stone,’ he said, ending the call.

  She appreciated the gesture of protection from her boss.

  But she needed to leave her home and she didn’t have fifteen minutes to wait.

  One Hundred Five

  Alison paused and took a breath outside Elite, aware she was doing this without the support of West Mercia Police.

  Not that she hadn’t tried. Her first three calls to Merton had been cut off and the fourth had been answered curtly.

  She’d only got as far as saying that Curtis was innocent before being interrupted with the statement that he was now lodging an official complaint against her. And then he’d ended the call. She hadn’t tried again.

  She had made one other call and had known there was only one person who could help her now.

  The car park was half full and the majority of those customers appeared to have brought their drinks outside to the canopied entrance to enjoy the air as it cooled back to the low twenties.

  She entered the club and saw Jamie Hart sitting in the corner. She waved as she glanced at the bar and swallowed. Tom looked her way, a smile forming on his lips. He glanced in the direction she was headed. The smile disappeared and he returned to what he was doing.

  Good, she didn’t want his attention on her. Not yet.

  ‘Th… thanks for coming,’ she said, slipping into the seat opposite.

  ‘You okay?’ he said, pushing a glass towards her. ‘Dry and white and it looks like you need it. What’s wrong?’

  She followed his instruction and took a sip. Just one.

  ‘I tried to talk to Merton but he wouldn’t listen. He’s reporting me instead. Says I’ve obstructed the investigation.’

  Jamie took a sip of his drink to hide his smile. ‘From his point of view, you have been a bit of a nuisance.’

  ‘Yeah, I suppose so,’ she said, looking over his head. ‘But I didn’t know who else to call and you hinted the other night that there’re cracks in the investigation, so I knew I could trust—’

  ‘I didn’t so much say cracks but—’

  ‘He didn’t do it, Jamie,’ she blurted out. ‘Curtis has an alibi. He was with Tilly from behind the bar.’

  He frowned and looked behind her disbelievingly. ‘So, why wouldn’t he say?’

  ‘He probably doesn’t remember, but she does. Don’t you recall that Tom and Tilly effectively provided alibis for each other?’

  He nodded. ‘In the office or something?’

  ‘Said Tom, but Tilly said something else just a bit different. Enough to get her to admit that she lied to protect her marriage.’

  ‘Bloody hell, are you sure?’ he asked, rubbing at his chin.

  ‘Oh yeah, she’s got a lot to lose in coming clean.’

  ‘But hang on,’ he said, catching up with her. ‘That means Tom Drury no longer has an alibi for Beverly’s attack.’

  ‘Exactly,’ she said. ‘Now can you see why I called you?’

  ‘Ali, you’ve got to speak to Merton; however you do it, you’ve got to make him listen to your suspicions about Drury.’

  Alison shook her head. ‘He won’t believe me, but he might believe you.’

  Jamie considered her words while looking over her shoulder towards the bar.

  ‘So, you were right all along. Your profile was spot on. He’s young, good-looking, successful, organised, probably academic…’

  ‘Business degree,’ she confirmed.

  ‘Lives local and—’

  ‘And you know he didn’t do it, don’t you, Jamie?’ she asked, turning back to face him. ‘Because you did.’

  His face registered shock before being covered by a grin. ‘Have you lost your mind?’

  Alison forced down the nerves inside and forged ahead. ‘You blocked me every step of the investigation, argued my profile, made cases for people who couldn’t possibly have done it all because my profile fitted you too. You murdered Jennifer and then got yourself involved in the case. You pushed the investigation towards Curtis, but the team were listening to me. You couldn’t help yourself. You had to do it again. Had the thrill of Jennifer’s earring worn off? You could no longer imagine her begging for her life. And you chose someone who had some contact with Curtis knowing the police would have to consider him more seriously after that. And Curtis played right into your hands when he couldn’t remember a damn thing.’

  ‘This is fabulous, please continue,’ he said, with amusement.

  ‘You see, Tom is a good fit for my profile but he’s not perfect,’ she said sloshing her drink, deliberately.

  Immediately his hand rose from his lap to wipe away the drips.

  ‘I also said
fastidiously tidy,’ she observed.

  ‘That means nothing. I just don’t like messy tables,’ he said, frowning.

  ‘Admirable quality,’ she said, sarcastically.

  ‘And Jennifer’s mother sends her best regards, you bastard,’ she spat. ‘Says you were very helpful in helping them come to terms with their loss. You were feeding off their fucking misery, reliving the event, prolonging the ecstasy, power tripping over your own knowledge of—’

  ‘Is that the best you’ve got, Ali?’ he asked with a sneer, and suddenly she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was right.

  ‘Absolutely not,’ she said, gaining strength from his derision. ‘I have the earring that you came here to plant the other night.’

  A small amount of colour left his face but he said nothing.

  ‘You knew that the case against Curtis was falling apart, so you planned to use my profile to focus attention towards Tom Drury. You thought that earring would be found quickly, but it wasn’t because the cleaner has been off sick, so it got kicked around by patrons and ended up on the car park, where I found it, bagged it and began the chain of evidence.’

  He wasn’t smiling any more.

  ‘If you even touched that piece of jewellery with your bare hands there’ll be DNA all over it, and if they have something to match it to with a suspect you are in some shit.’

  ‘Easily refutable,’ he said, trying to gain composure. ‘Of course I was here and my DNA could have got on it a hundred different ways.’

  An admission that his DNA could be on the trophy he’d taken.

  ‘And that’s not even the best bit,’ she said, taking another sip of her drink and then a deep breath. ‘You chose Beverly as a single unaccompanied female leaving the club. You followed her along Lissett Road past the fastener company on the left-hand side of the street.’

  ‘How could you know that? There’s no—’

  Realising what he’d said, he stopped speaking.

  ‘In your haste, you forgot to take off the cycle clip clasped around your right trouser leg. You followed five paces behind. I’m betting a decent forensic CCTV tech will be able to identify both the trousers and the bike clip and find the exact same ones in your home.’

  His expression turned from rage to tentative amusement.

  ‘Well done, Ali, you’re better at this than I gave you credit for. But I see that you have no police support, no backup. You’re completely on your own and no one is going to believe—’

  ‘I believe her,’ said Stacey, standing up behind him. ‘I’m Detective Constable Wood and I just heard every word.’

  One Hundred Six

  Kim stopped off at the hospital shop before heading up to the ward. She had been saddened when Penn had explained about Billie’s grandfather, but she also understood that male relatives sometimes reacted this way to sexual assault, often finding themselves unable to face their wife, daughter, grandchild.

  Kim smiled at the ward sister she’d seen the previous night.

  Concern shaped her features.

  ‘Don’t tire her, she’s very fragile.’

  Kim nodded her understanding unsure why she was receiving a warning. She stepped into the room and got it. There was someone already sitting beside the bed.

  ‘Hey…’ she said, unable to use the only name she knew for him.

  The officer she had almost punched got to his feet.

  ‘Marm…’

  His face filled with colour and he looked to the ground.

  ‘How is she?’ Kim asked, moving to the other side of the bed.

  ‘In and out. Not saying a lot. Has a little cry and then fades away again.’

  ‘Have you tried to ask her…’

  ‘No, Marm, I’m not on shift,’ he said, quietly, as he sat back down. ‘I just came to apologise for what I…’ He shook his head. ‘You were right to…’

  ‘No, I wasn’t,’ Kim admitted. ‘I shouldn’t have grabbed you and I am sorry but… hang on, what’s your name?’

  ‘Twonk.’

  ‘Not your nickname.’

  Whatever he’d done wrong she wouldn’t call him Twonk.

  ‘Calvin, Marm,’ he said.

  ‘If I can give you one piece of advice to take through your police career, it’s to never forget the individual behind the victim. It’s always someone’s sister, brother, mother and they deserve your respect.’

  ‘Got it, Marm, but I don’t think I’m cut out for this career.’

  ‘Why’d you say that?’

  He shrugged. ‘Just not working out how I thought. I’m not suited…’

  ‘I’d disagree,’ Kim said, shrugging.

  ‘But you don’t know—’

  ‘You’re here,’ she said. ‘In your own time to apologise to someone who didn’t even hear what you said. That tells me enough,’ she said as Annie entered the room carrying a large coffee.

  ‘Sorry I wasn’t…’

  Kim waved away her apology. The officer was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt and Kim could only wonder when she’d found the time to go home and change.

  Calvin stood. ‘I’ll be getting off now,’ he said taking one last look at Billie. He nodded at them both before leaving the room.

  Kim watched him leave and turned to Annie.

  ‘Do me a favour, eh? Put it around that he came.’

  Annie smiled. ‘Will do.’

  The guys who were calling him Twonk deserved to know there was a decent guy in there somewhere.

  ‘J… John…’ said a small voice from the bed.

  Annie placed her coffee on the side, sat down and took the girl’s hand.

  ‘Hey, Billie, it’s me, Annie,’ she said, quietly.

  ‘W… was… th… that John?’

  ‘No, sweetheart, it was a police officer come to check on you.’

  Billie’s eyes fluttered open. She looked around the room as though seeking proof for herself. Her eyes rested on Kim. She frowned before looking back to Annie whose presence seemed to reassure her.

  ‘This lady is a detective, Billie. She’s going to find out who did this to you.’

  Her eyes closed again and a single tear fell from her eye.

  ‘Is John your boyfriend, Billie?’ Annie asked.

  She shook her head and then nodded and swallowed.

  ‘Used to…’

  Kim guessed she was retreating again. She stepped forward and touched Billie’s arm.

  ‘Billie, did John do this to you?’ she asked, gently.

  Billie shook her head, then nodded as another tear forced itself from beneath her eyelid.

  ‘M… met him… b… but…’

  ‘You met him at the park?’

  She nodded.

  ‘B… but… he’s not v… violent,’ she said, and then sighed with the effort.

  Kim exchanged a confused glance with Annie. ‘I can’t get a straight answer either. The doctors are reducing the drugs tomorrow, so I’m hoping she’ll be a bit more…’

  Annie’s words trailed away as a figure appeared in the doorway. It was an elderly man who only had eyes for the figure in the bed.

  ‘Billie,’ he whispered, as he moved forward.

  Kim was surprised to see Penn right behind him.

  She sidled over as Annie stood to let the man sit down beside his granddaughter.

  ‘You brought him?’ she asked her colleague.

  He nodded. ‘Had to give him another try, boss. Poor girl needs her family.’

  The man touched Billie’s arm, the tears streaming down his face. ‘Billie, it’s me. It’s granddad.’

  Her eyes fluttered open. She stared for just a second until her own tears matched his.

  ‘Granddad,’ she said, as the man gathered her into his arms.

  ‘I’m here, love, I’m here,’ he said, holding her tight.

  Kim swallowed the emotion in her throat.

  ‘Good job, Penn, bloody good job.’

  ‘Thanks, boss.’

  Kim made eye
contact with Annie and indicated she was leaving.

  ‘I’ll walk you down, boss. I’ll grab a bite and then take him home.’

  Now she understood why he’d been paying close attention to his watch. At this rate he wouldn’t be home before ten.

  ‘She say anything?’ Penn asked, once they stepped out of the lift.

  ‘Said she met Duggar but that he wasn’t violent…’

  ‘Which makes no sense,’ he said, ‘seeing as we have five dead people and we can link him to most of them.’

  She nodded her agreement.

  ‘So, you going straight home, boss?’

  Normally she would have offered a suitably terse response but she understood why he was asking.

  ‘Yes, Penn, I’m going straight home,’ she said, rolling her eyes.

  She left him at the café and headed out the door, with one thing troubling her above all else.

  Everyone they spoke to claimed John Duggar was not violent. So, either he wasn’t responsible for these murders or he was saving it all up for her.

  One Hundred Seven

  ‘Morning, guys,’ Kim said, as her team assembled at 7 a.m. for the briefing. ‘Firstly, I’d like to thank Stacey for popping round last night to brief me on a situation with Alison and her previous case and that someone I’ve never heard of has been arrested for double murder. Not sure it needed to take almost two hours, but thanks for that, Stace. And then as if by magic Bryant appeared the second she left to pack away and remove all the computer equipment, very very slowly, and then once I threw him out I received ten or more text messages from you, Penn. Not like you planned this, eh, folks, to make sure I was safe?’

  ‘Coincidence,’ they all said together.

  ‘Well, I’m sure you’re all relieved to know that I had a squad car escort into work this morning but I’d like to assure you all that I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.’

  Amused glances passed between the three of them.

  She rolled her eyes. ‘Right, someone get the board.’

  ‘Shouldn’t we wait for Alison, boss?’ Stacey asked, standing. Having taken the desk of Kevin Dawson after his death, she was now the closest.