Page 108 of The Girl in the Woods

‘I don’t want you to make that mistake again, Ana,’ Tom said firmly.

She lowered her head. ‘No, sir.’

Tom leaned his arms on the table and looked closely at Ana. She was a good cop, he knew that, but he also sensed she was holding something back. ‘It was very fortunate The Vigilante came when he did, wasn’t it?’

Ana lifted her eyes and kept them focused on his. ‘I’ve been thinking the same thing. The only thing I can come up with is that he came to the same conclusion about Luke as I did. Or Lisa revealed something one night when pissed. It could have just so happened that the night Luke came to me was the night The Vigilante planned to get him.’

‘Convenient,’ Tom murmured. ‘And there was nothing familiar about him.’

‘Nothing,’ Ana lied.

‘You didn’t recognise his voice?’

‘No,’ she lied again. Don’t lose eye contact, she told herself. ‘In all honesty, I’m grateful to him. I think Luke was quite capable of killing me.’

‘I’m not excusing him, but he’s changed over the years. His financial situation is a mess,' explained Tom. ‘I think he got desperate.’

‘No one is above the law,’ Ana said sharply, taking Tom by surprise.

Tom realised then that Ana Rawlins was razor-sharp, which came from a place in her past. He recognised the hardness and the couldn’t give a damn attitude. It came from an injustice. She was a copper to watch. One for her own safety and two for whatever was driving her.

‘I agree. Can you give us some idea of The Vigilante’s age? Clearly, he was fit.’

Ana chewed her lip thoughtfully. ‘He had a youngish sounding voice, so maybe late thirties.’ At least that’s not a lie, thought Ana.

‘Thanks, Ana. Take some time off. Give that jaw time to heal.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ she said and left his office.

Beth phoned Will and asked if he would mind coming in to help clear up some of their enquiries. ‘Just an informal discussion.’ Beth sensed his hesitation. ‘Just a few loose ends to tie up. Sorry if it’s inconvenient.’

‘Well, I suppose I could,’ he’d said finally.

He arrived looking nervous.

‘It’s just a friendly chat,’ said Beth Harper. ‘You know DC Wilkins?’

Will didn’t even look at Matt. ‘I don’t know what this is all about. I told you everything I knew about that trail bike and–’

‘Did you go straight home after the fair?’ asked Matt.

Will shot him a dirty look. ‘Why don’t you ask my wife?’

‘We did,’ said Beth. ‘But I don’t believe she told us the truth.’

Beth saw the confusion cross Will’s face. He knew that if his wife had covered for him, then he wouldn’t be at the station being questioned. So, what else was going on? Beth gave him a few minutes to answer, and she continued when it became clear he wasn’t going to.

‘Were you on the coach returning from the Chelsea match when some skinhead lads attacked a Pakistani boy?’

Will looked puzzled. ‘I don’t use the coach. I get the train.’

He could be lying, thought Beth. ‘I know you didn’t go straight home when you left the fair. I had someone follow you just to be sure you’d be okay, and he claimed that after ten minutes of walking home, you didn’t seem drunk and didn’t aim for Longfields but went into a house in Stonesend.’

Will gave her a dirty look. He’d like to smack me in the face, thought Beth.

‘I only did that so he’d stop following me.’

‘If you didn’t go home, then where did you go?’

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