Page 42 of Now Comes the Dark

He inhaled and forced his lids apart.

Phil was naked on the bed with the covers twisted around his legs. One arm was splayed from his body, the other was twisted inwards, laying partly across his chest. There was blood on the sheets, between his thighs. His skin was a ghastly greyish-blue shade. Roman forced himself to look at his face, searching for any hint of life. Phil’s slack jaw and open eyes, his swollen lips and tongue destroyed any hope Roman had of saving him.

He backed out of the room. On the landing he leaned against the wall for support. Kat was still on her knees. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out. Her grief-stricken face was colourless.

Roman fumbled in his pocket. When he pulled out his phone, his fingers could barely operate it. He had to call the police, but his mind and his body seemed unable to function.

Phil is dead.Oh my God, he’s dead.

As he finally managed to dial the emergency number, Roman knew with absolute certainly that his friend had become the latest victim of the Blyham Strangler.

Chapter Sixteen

Another Victim

“There’s nothing we can do,” Roman said, crouching beside Kat. “We should wait downstairs. Come on.”

When she didn’t react, he put his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. It seemed to bring her back to the present.

He helped her to stand.

“Is he…?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She let out another short shriek. Roman put his arm around her waist and guided her to the stairs. Staying strong for Kat kept him from crumbling himself. His mind kept returning to the sight of Phil on the bed, that ghastly expression on his face and the colour of his skin. He must have been dead for several hours.

“When did you see him last?” he asked, helping her down a step at a time.

“After two. We…closed the bar at one, cleared the mess up then stayed back for a couple of drinks. It’s what we do every Saturday.”

“Was he alone when you left?”

She sniffed and nodded. “He waited at the door until my Uber arrived then locked up behind me… Oh God.” Her legs weakened. Roman held her tighter.

“Come on. Not far now.” They reached the bottom of the stairs. He walked her through the bar, and they sat together on a sofa in the far corner.

“Any sign of a break-in?” Kat asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t looked. The police said not to touch anything else until they arrive. We’ll be okay to wait for them here, I’m sure.”

“My bag,” Kat said, flustered. “I need my bag.” She made a move to stand and wobbled.

“I’ll get it,” he assured her, telling her to stay where she was until he returned. She had left it in the stock room and seemed fleetingly relieved when he gave it to her. She rummaged inside and pulled out a packet of tissues, offering one to Roman. He took it and realised for the first time that he was also crying. His hand shook as he wiped his eyes and cheeks.

“Do you think…it’s him?” Kat gasped. “The Blyham Strangler.” She whispered the words.

“It’s hard not to.” He didn’t know how much she had seen when she’d entered the room, but when Roman had turned on the light, it had left him in no doubt that Phil had been strangled. The expression on his face, his bulging tongue, his eyes… Choked in his bed, just like those other men. And there had been blood on the sheets, between his legs. He’d heard rumours, nothing but unsubstantiated gossip, that the strangler mutilated and degraded his victims after their deaths. Is that what he had done to Phil? A swell of sickness deepened in his stomach. Roman shuddered and said nothing. If Kat hadn’t seen those awful details for herself, she didn’t need to know about them now.

“Oh my God, Phil.” She bawled openly, great sobs wracking her chest. “He’s the nicest man I know. He would do anything to help anyone. Nothing was ever too much trouble. Who the fuck would want to hurt him?”

Roman held her as she cried. He didn’t have the answers. Everything she said was true. Phil Logan was a great man and a good friend. Roman hadn’t even known him for long, but in a short time, he had become a powerful ally.

And now he lay above them, cold in his bed.

The world had become an evil place.

Roman lost all sense of time. He had no idea how long had passed when they heard hammering at the pub door.

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