Page 24 of The Serial Killer's Sister
‘I need to tell you something,’ I say, not shifting my gaze from his. ‘I’ll make us a coffee and bring you up to speed.’
‘Sounds ominous.’ His face is weary, dark circles like smudges under his eyes. The vertical line between his eyebrows deepens; evidence he’s worried. That’s one of his tells. Mostly, he’s very good at hiding his emotions, maintaining control at all times. Everyone has some kind of expression, or characteristically noticeable thing, though – something maybe only the closest person to them would recognise. I’m sure I have something too. And right now, I’m hoping Ross isn’t seeing it as I step away from him and leave the room to go and make the drinks.
‘I went back to Finley Hall this morning,’ I say as I walk back in with mugs in hand. My pulse pounds in my neck as I see Ross standing over the piece of paper containing the riddle, his face pale.
‘What’s the matter, Ross?’ I put the coffee down and twist the paper around so it’s facing us. ‘Do you know what this means?’
‘No, why would I know?’ he snaps. ‘I assume it’s aimed at you?’
‘I just thought … well, you looked like it might mean something to you.’
He shakes his head and sits on the sofa, taking a mug. His hands are shaking. ‘You drove all the way to the Midlands?’
‘Yes, I had to. And this new riddle was tucked inside a toy. Henry has started The Hunt again and wants me to play.’ Ross knows about the game Henry used to make me play, how it turned nasty; I told him that much earlyin our relationship. I’m not sure if the expression on Ross’s face is surprise, anger, or disappointment. It could well be all of those and more besides. He opens and closes his mouth, but no words are emitted.
I place the piece of paper on the table in front of us, the same way DI Walker had done with the first clue. I give Ross a brief overview of the morning’s events, culminating in how I found the Tamagotchi in the hollow of the old cedar tree which contained this new riddle. I push the paper closer to him.
‘So?’ I prod.
‘So … what?’ He gives me a perplexed look.
‘Does anything jump out at you; make sense at all?’
‘No, it doesn’t mean anything, I’m afraid. But I don’t like the sound of it.’ His breath judders and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach which informs me that, for the first time since we met, I don’t entirely believe my husband. Is the liar referred to in the riddle actually Ross, and not me? But then maybe all the colour drained from his face when he read the line about me losing my head. Although the ‘losing my head’ part could quite simply mean me going out of my mind and jumping to conclusions. And what would Ross even have to lie about?
Christ, what a perfect way to drive a wedge between me and my husband. Henry is truly one of the best manipulators – this could be exactly what he’s aiming for.
‘Right, well, I think I need some fresh air. Fresh perspective. Time’s running out and DI Walker is counting on me.’
Ross looks taken aback. ‘Really?’ His eyes narrow.
‘Yes, DI Walker feels sure I can help them figure it out. Stop Henry before he kills again.’
‘Oh, does he now?’ Ross gives a littlehumphand curls his lip. ‘Well, he better have your best interests at heart, Anna. If they’re using you as bait—’
‘They’re not,’ I say quickly. Although that’s crossed my mind on more than one occasion. ‘See you shortly.’
‘Will you be okay on your own? Maybe you should stay indoors.’ His words, edged with worry, cause a wave of guilt to swoop through me.
‘I’ll be fine. I’ve got this.’ I hold up the personal alarm I bought years ago when I first moved to the coast. I depress it quickly and it emits a short, high-pitched burst of squealing. ‘See?’
‘And you’ve got your mobile?’
‘Yeees,’ I say, patting my pocket as I pull on my coat. ‘Don’t start dinner; I don’t know how long I’ll be. I’ll grab fish and chips for us on the way back.’ I slam the front door harder than intended, stalk down the path out into the road, and head towards the Ness.
As soon as I’m alone with my thoughts, Henry swamps them. Why is he trying to spoil my carefully forged life? Is his so bad that he needs to ruin mine now? According to DI Walker, this is the third year that Henry’s been killing women, so maybe something significant happened to him that started this off. Or, maybe after I left Finley Hall – and him – behind, his behaviour worsened and he became increasingly sadistic. Just because he’s started The Hunt now, doesn’t mean he wasn’t killing people in the years prior to this latest string of murders. The police might not have linked him to any before. I pull my jacket around me tighter. It’s not cold, just a bit breezy, but a chill shudders through me.
I skirt around the edge of The Ness House. Therestaurant appears quiet but no doubt there are locals gathered to drink and chat at the bar end. The warm glow of light seeping through the windows, casting a yellow hue across the grass, is comforting. But I veer away from that and head to the coastal path. It’s more secluded; I’m less likely to bump into anyone who wants to give me a hard time over the CCTV footage.
The peace of the evening is calming, the lapping waves so relaxing I almost forget what a mess the past two days have been. But then, as a freak wave crashes against the rocks, the lines of the riddle crash against my skull:Tell-tale tit, your tongue shall be slit; all the dogs in town shall have a little bit.These last lines have to hold the clue to the next location because they’re different in tone to the rest. They’re part of a childhood rhyme. The last clue was linked to Finley Hall, but I’m not so sure this one is. I don’t think he would send me to the same place twice.
Frustration clouds my mind and I let out a strangled cry. Damn Henry. I’d give anything to ignore the little psychopath again. If I were to go about my business, carry on life as normal, it would be like giving him the middle finger – showing him he doesn’t have power over me. But that’s wishful thinking. He holds all the power, and he knows it.
He could ruin my life.
He couldtakemy life.
What’s certain is that someone will die, whether I play his game or not.
