Lasser took a pull on the cigarette, smoking it down to the filter, relishing the nicotine rush. 'And she wants you to go with her?'
'We've talked about it.'
'What does Kelly have to say about the idea?'
'Nothing, so far we haven't mentioned it to her.'
'Oh well, she's going to be over the moon when she finds out you've been planning things behind her back.'
Bannister threw him a vicious look. 'I said we've spoken about it but nothings decided.'
'Yeah, well if you want my opinion…'
'I don't.'
Lasser stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray, before closing his eyes. Thirty seconds later, he was asleep.
68
'I'm telling you it was him.' Sarah sat at the kitchen table, drenched, her face stamped with a kind of twisted euphoria.
'But there's no one there now, Sarah,' Cathy sat opposite and shifted in her seat, she could feel the damp seeping into her underwear from where she'd fallen onto the wet lawn. Rawlins dunked yet another digestive into his coffee before popping the biscuit into his mouth, he grinned at Cathy. She threw him a look of disgust.
'But I should be out there looking for him.'
'Why, Sarah, what good would it do?'
She looked at Erin standing in the doorway and tried to smile but Erin's face was closed down, unreadable.
'But he must have been looking for us, don't you see…'
Cathy shook her head. 'You don't know that. In fact, Erin says she wasn't even sure it was the same man.'
Sarah glared across the table at Cathy. 'I'm sure, besides Erin didn't really see what he looked like, but I did.'
Erin watched her friend with mounting anger, every time she opened her mouth it was all about what she wanted, what she needed.
'Tell them Erin; the night I was attacked you never really saw his face did you?'
Erin took a step into the room. 'These people are here to protect us,' she threw a pointed look towards Rawlins who blushed and closed the lid of the biscuit tin. 'What's the point in them being here if you're going to do something so stupid…'
'Stupid?' Sarah's face curdled. 'It might be stupid to you but that man saved my life, no, he saved our lives,' she leaned forward across the table. 'If he hadn't acted the way he did then chances are we'd both be dead by now.'
'And if you hadn't acted the way you did then neither of us would have been in that position in the first place,' Erin snapped.
Cathy sighed when she saw the hurt on Sarah's face. 'Look everyone's tired and now isn't the time to be…'
'So you're blaming me?' Sarah looked bemused as if she couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.
Erin took two long strides that brought her to the table. 'You can't deny it, Sarah, Graham's dead because of what we did.'
'Well, maybe you think it would've been better if you'd turned left instead of right, then you could still be at home playing happy families with a man you hated.'
When Erin lunged, Cathy tried to get between them, by the time she made it around the table Erin had a handful of Sarah's hair locked tight in her fist. 'You selfish bitch, how can you say something like that!'
Rawlins grabbed Erin around the waist and yanked her back. Sarah gasped in pain as a chunk of hair ripped from her head. The overweight Rawlins staggered back into the breakfast bar, trying to keep hold of the woman who was thrashing in his arms.
Sarah held a hand up to her scalp and then spun away to check her reflection in the mirror. 'Look what you've done!'
Erin tossed the hair in the air watching as it streamed to the floor. 'You're a selfish bitch, Sarah, Graham was right, the only thing you care about is yourself.'
Sarah turned slowly. 'You don't mean that?'
'Oh I do. What happened to you was awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but you lunge from one disaster to another and you don't care about the people who love you…'
'Love me? Well that's rich coming from you, you talk about me being selfish but you used what happened to leave your husband, so what does that make you?'
'Come on this is helping no one,' Cathy tried to sound authoritative but they both ignored her, locked in some internal battle that had probably been stewing for years.
'So, look at yourself before you point the finger at me…'
'You…'
Sarah swiped a hand through the air. 'I never claimed to be whiter than white, not like you with your so-called perfect marriage that turned out to be nothing but lies and shit.'
Erin took a backward step, her face flush with fury and acute embarrassment. 'At least I don't shag anything that moves,' as soon as she said it, Erin wished she could pull the words back. She saw the hurt in Sarah's eyes, saw it lodge there and bloom. It felt as if Graham were inside her head working her vocal cords, having the last laugh from beyond the grave.
Sarah turned, grabbed her coat and flew to the kitchen door, a second later, she was dashing across the garden.
'Don't just stand there, Rawlins, get after her!' Cathy shouted.
Rawlins looked out of the window as if put off by the weather.
'Go, go,' she flapped her hands at him; the big man sighed and headed out into the garden.
'Mrs Palmer, hang on will you!'
Cathy listened in disbelief and watched as Sarah flung the gate open and once again disappeared into the field.
Rawlins stood on the patio and looked up at the sky, like someone out for a stroll who wished they'd brought their brolly.
'Get after her!' Cathy bawled.
'Me?' he pointed at his chest as if the idea were ludicrous.
'Right I'll call Bannister, let's see what he has to say about your reluctance to get your hair wet.'
Rawlins glared before sprinting away across the garden. When Cathy turned, she could see Erin through the kitchen window, sitting at the table her head buried in her hands.
69
Collier Dawes was as far removed from Doctor Rowbottom as it was possible to get.
He sat behind his desk, a monolith of professionalism, dark hair swept back over a commanding forehead, his eyes brittle blue. Dressed in a sober, dark-grey suit, he looked like some high-powered executive ready to wreak havoc in the boardroom.
'Like the majority of patients at the hospital, Robert Flynn suffers from a number of ailments, Inspector.'
Bannister checked his phone before sliding it back into his pocket, 'Can you be more specific?'
Dawes shifted his bulk and flipped open a file on his desk. 'Well, he shows psychotic tendencies and suffers episodes of severe paranoia and depression.'
'Why isn't he locked up then?'
Dawes smiled and eased back into the huge swivel chair; outside the relentless rain patterned the windowpane. 'I said he has episodes, but with the right medication he's quite benign.'
Lasser glanced at Bannister and was surprised to see his boss looking calm and collected. Normally by now, he would be going through the various stages of anger, his face approaching the colour of an overcooked beetroot. Bannister nodded and crossed his legs before picking a piece of imaginary fluff from his trousers.
'He takes medication for his condition?'
'Well, it's prescribed. Whether he actually takes it is another matter.'
'So, he's expected to self-medicate, is that what you're telling me?'
Lasser risked another glance and was relieved to see the first blush of colour creeping up from Bannister's collar.
'Robert Flynn has no criminal record, Inspector, which considering the things he's been through is a minor miracle.'
'No criminal record, that's impressive.'
Dawes tilted his head. 'I get the impression you're holding all the cards here, Chief Inspector, though I'd much prefer it if you didn't take the meandering route and just say what's on your mind.'
Lasser looked at the man in surprise, it was like watching someone mutate in front of you, the face seemed to harden, and Dawes suddenly looked like som
e white-collar gangster rather that a medical consultant.
Bannister smiled thinly. 'How often did you see Flynn?'
'Every two months, it used to be every two weeks but he was going through a period of stability and we try to give these people independence…'
'So they can lead a normal life, is that what you were going to say?'
Dawes flipped the folder closed and placed his hands flat on the desk. 'That's correct.'
'Yes, well, to our reckoning Mr Flynn has raped two women and killed four people in the last few weeks. So I'd say his period of stability has ended wouldn't you?'
Dawes didn't flinch, it was as if the news was of no great surprise. 'And you want to know if I can help in some way?'
Bannister's face twitched, the colour rising. 'That's all you have to say?'
'What do you want me to say? You're sitting there telling me Robert has committed some heinous crime…'
'Crimes!' Bannister snapped.
Dawes raised an eyebrow at the outburst. 'Robert Flynn has been nothing but a model patient. I already stipulated he has no criminal record and as much as you'd like me too I can't keep people locked up indefinitely for no reason.'
Lasser leaned forward in his chair. 'So he never showed any violent tendency, is that what you're saying?'
'None whatsoever. Every time he came for assessment he was free of other drugs and the man had no interest in alcohol, he was coherent and passed the battery of tests that we're required to put him through. Now, I realise you probably don't believe me but I can provide written evidence by at least six health-care professionals who can vouch for the man's mental condition.'
'Yeah well you would say that, wouldn't you?' Bannister looked disconcerted as if disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to frog march Dawes from the building in handcuffs.
Dawes folded his arms across his barrel chest. 'Whatever happened to Robert Flynn was beyond our control, we follow guidelines to the letter, and we do not take shortcuts. If Flynn had failed to turn up for any of his appointments then we'd have been duty-bound to contact you, but he was always here, always on time and always clean.'
Bannister slumped back in his chair, he felt at a loss, he'd come here looking for answers, looking to give someone a roasting and yet he could tell that Dawes wasn't trying to bullshit his way out of any sense of responsibility, he looked too competent to make stupid mistakes. 'Well is there anything you can tell us about the man, because at the moment we know sod all?'
Dawes peered at Bannister and then nodded. 'He's twenty-eight years old; when he was a child his mother became a prostitute and this led to Robert having a distorted view of women and relationships.'
'Well there's a surprise.' Bannister spat.
Dawes ignored him and carried on. 'Aged thirteen he was gang-raped by four men who'd come to the house to have sex with the mother. Apparently, they caught him on the landing and… well I'm sure you can picture the scene.'
'What about the mother, didn't she do anything to try and stop it?' Lasser asked.
Dawes raised an eyebrow. 'You're a police officer, can you really see a woman who was probably drugged up to the eyeballs stepping in and fighting off four men? Besides, according to Robert she was passed out on the bed, she had little or no interest in her son's well-being.'
Bannister crossed his legs. 'And he told you all this did he?'
'After twelve months of therapy, he started to gain some trust in the people here. You have to understand that for someone like Robert, trust is not something they give lightly; you have to earn it.'
'So he had a crappy upbringing, I can take you around Wigan and show you dozens of kids who've had a shitty start in life but it doesn't turn them into a bloody animal…'
'Not everyone's the same, Inspector, you know that. Robert's mother had problems of her own, over the years she'd been treated for depression and drug abuse. Two years after her son was attacked, she was murdered by one of her boyfriends.'
'Murdered?'
Dawes nodded soberly. 'Robert was the one who found her, though he didn't inform the police about it.'
Lasser rubbed at the stubble on his chin. 'Are you saying, he kept his mouth shut and carried on living as if nothing had happened?'
'That's precisely what happened, Sergeant. Robert told me that for the first time in years he felt as if he had his mother all to himself.'
'Jesus.'
'It was six months before Social Services found her and when they took her away, something inside Robert fractured. After that he was assessed by a number of doctors, went into a care home for a couple of years. As soon as he turned sixteen he was pretty much left to fend for himself.'
'Was he ever questioned about the murder?' Bannister asked.
Dawes whipped out a pair of glasses and slipped them on. 'Not that I'm aware of.'
'But…'
'Look, Inspector, I've already explained that Robert never showed an ounce of aggression. His mother lived a high-risk existence, a constant stream of unstable men passing through the house; it was only a matter of time before something tragic occurred.'
'So when did you get involved?' Lasser asked.
'About four years ago, he'd been living rough and got picked up and sent to us.'
Bannister folded his legs, trying to keep hold of the anger; though listening to Dawes was making it difficult. 'What about family?'
'He did have a half-sister, in fact, the last I heard he was living with her, somewhere in Platt Bridge I believe.'
Bannister and Lasser looked at one another as the penny dropped. 'Do you happen to know her name?'
A frown concertinaed the doctor's forehead. 'Collins, I think.'
Bannister sighed. 'We've just been to the flat and found her stuffed into the wardrobe; she'd been dead for some time.'
For the first time a flicker of emotion passed over the consultant's face. 'I'm sorry to hear that, she seemed like a nice woman and a stabilising influence on Robert.'
'Any idea why he would kill someone he was meant to be close to?' Bannister asked.
Dawes stapled his fingers beneath his chin, warming to the subject. 'Robert's relationship with the opposite sex was twofold. On the one hand, he loved his mother, even when she ceased to be a parent he still felt a huge sense of responsibility towards her. In the morning, he would be the one to clean her up, make sure she was all right, he was too young to put a stop to what was happening but nevertheless he did his best to protect her.'
'Very admirable,' Bannister spat and then turned away when he saw the look of disgust on Dawes's face.
'On the other hand, he had a hatred for the way she'd let herself be used. It was all very confusing for a young boy on the cusp of manhood.'
'So it isn't a shock to you that he ended up killing?' Lasser asked.
'Of course it's a shock, look, we have people in here that'll never see the light of day. I can take you to a room and show you a dozen individuals who would try and kill you in an instant, they're broken beyond repair,' he paused, 'one or two I would even class as truly evil but Robert Flynn would never have fallen into that category.'
'But he does now,' Bannister snapped.
'Well, if that's the case then something must have happened to trigger his behaviour.'
Bannister suddenly felt the whole thing had been a waste of time. Dawes would never admit he'd fucked up and the truth was that he probably hadn't. He'd followed all the procedures, stuck to the guidelines and yet his model patient was out there running amok.
'Right, well thank you for your help, Mr Dawes.' Bannister gave Lasser the nod and they both stood up and turned for the door.
'One more thing, Inspector, when you do catch him try and not be too heavy handed.'
Bannister looked over his shoulder, any burgeoning respect he felt for Dawes vanished.
'We always try and use minimum force, Mr Dawes, though of course ultimately it depends on the perpetrator.'
'Yes well, I can almost guarante
e that he'll give himself up peaceably, once he knows the situation's hopeless.'
'Well thanks for that nugget of wisdom, Doctor.'
Dawes frowned as they left the room.
70
It felt bizarre but he'd actually managed to fall asleep on the dry, earth floor. Robert rolled onto his back and stretched, his mouth sprang wide as he yawned. For the first time in years he awoke with a clear head, could it be the tablets or was it the fact that he was out of the stifling flat? Sitting up, he took a huge lung full of cool air, he felt immense, as if he'd fallen asleep and woken reborn, a new man. Striding to the corner of the room, he took out his member and started to piss against the crumbling wall. Robert sighed in relief as he felt his distended bladder empty; the scent of wet foliage filled his senses with dark energy. After the two women had been taken care of, he would return here, strip off his clothes and lie naked on the black earth. Perhaps there was magic in these four walls, a place of regeneration, where you could realise your full potential.
His stomach groaned again, the light had begun to fade and Robert smiled. Another hour and he'd be able to leave this place of sanctuary and start the night's work. Popping a tablet under his tongue, Robert listened as the internal voice explained what he must do. Every so often, he would nod in agreement, occasionally a frown would flutter across his face as he realised the dangers. Then the voice would soothe him, acting like a balm and the explanations would follow.
71
Lasser cringed as he listened to Cathy explain about the disappearance of Sarah Palmer. Bannister kept throwing sidelong glances his way, the car weaving alarmingly as he tried to listen in on the conversation.
'And you say she hasn't returned home?' Lasser looked out of the side window; the phone clamped to his ear, he could see a herd of cows lying in lush grass as if trying to escape the rain. 'Well what did Rawlins say?'
'Rawlins,' Bannister snarled, 'What about, Rawlins?'
'Right, Cathy, we're on our way.' Lasser slid the phone into his pocket.
'Come on, what about bloody Rawlins?'
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