Page 129 of The Girl in the Woods

She shook her head emphatically. ‘No, no,’ she shouted. ‘She wouldn’t have killed him.’

‘Stand down, DI Harper, and wait in the car. May I remind you that you’ll be disobeying a higher-ranking officer’s orders if you don’t.’

She glared at him before storming out to the police car.

Tom leaned down to Ana and took her hand. ‘The ambulance is here. You’re going to be fine. I need you to answer one question, Ana. Can you do that?’

Ana nodded.

‘Who shot Ray Grace, and why?’

Ana began to sob uncontrollably for the first time since she’d arrived at the old building.

‘Sandy Grace with the shotgun. Everything you need to know is on his phone.’ She handed it over with her bloodied hand. ‘Including me.’

Beth was in a state of shock. She was having trouble breathing. She saw a paramedic sitting with Sandy in the rear-view mirror. Oh, please, God, don’t let her be badly hurt. The car door opened and she jumped.

‘Sandy’s not injured. It’s most likely Ray’s blood on her top. Beth, I need you to stay calm,’ Tom said, climbing beside her. ‘Ana has confirmed that Sandy shot Ray using a shotgun–’

Beth went to protest, but he put his hand up to stop her.

‘Ray killed Laine Lees…’

‘No, no.’ She shook her head in denial. ‘What the fuck are you talking about? Sandy wouldn’t know how to get a shotgun, and Ray had no reason to kill Elaine Lees. Who’s telling you all this bollocks?’

‘She was blackmailing him. He sexually abused her while she was sedated with Rohypnol. He’s abused others, Beth, using Rohypnol while he was supposed to be treating them. He had videos on his phone.’

He hesitated. ‘One of them was Ana. He raped her seven years ago.’

‘No, no, no,’ Beth screamed, covering her ears.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. ‘Oh, Beth, I’m so sorry. Know that I love you and will support you through all this.’

Beth clung to him like a life raft.

‘I’m arresting Sandy; you must trust me with this.’

Beth dropped her head into her hands and began sobbing. ‘No, no, it’s not possible. Sandy wouldn’t hurt a fly. How could Ray do such terrible things? What about Zoe?’ she said tearfully.

‘She’s with a sitter. Do you want to be with her? Or we can send someone there if you want to stay with Sandy.’

He took both her hands in his. ‘You have to trust me with this, Beth. I promise I’ll keep you updated.’

Beth swallowed. Her throat felt like parched earth. ‘I want to be with Sandy.’

He nodded. ‘I’ll get someone to drive you to the hospital.’

Beth barely heard him. All she kept thinking was Ray had abused Ana seven years ago. So, that had been Ana’s agenda all along. Beth had known there was something.

Jassy was praying hard that Tim wouldn’t be home. Her heart sank when she saw the lights on in the living room. ‘We really should call the police,’ she said.

‘I wish you’d shut the fuck up,’ Needles snarled. ‘It’s taken them all this time, and they still haven’t found that vigilante bastard. Well, we’ve got him. Now he’ll know what it’s like when others take the law into their own hands.’

At that moment, Jassy saw Tim waiting by the wall. Of course, it was fish and chip van night. Beside him was Will. Neither Tim nor Will seemed to have noticed them standing outside Tim’s house. Will was too busy moaning about the police.

‘You would think they’d be out looking for real criminals rather than someone just wanting to earn a few bob on the side. I ask you. Who can afford to get their cars done after failed MOTs these days?’

Tim hoped the van would come soon. He didn’t agree with Will at all. ‘Hopefully, they’ll catch this vigilante soon,’ he said. ‘You know what. This van is later than usual. I think I’ll give it a miss.’

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