Page 21 of Her Hidden Shadow

The detective ignored her question. ‘You and Lauren had an argument last night, on the phone. Can you tell me what was said?’

Her banging heart was starting up again, and her fingers itched for another tablet. Why was the diazepam failing? They were meant to relax her muscles and calm her down. She was ill, seriously ill. ‘It was nothing.’ Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably, so she thrust them under her bottom and sat on them. ‘She wanted me to go out with her to celebrate her engagement, but I didn’t feel well. People don’t understand, I get ill a lot and have to pull out of things last minute.’

‘Sorry to hear that.’ DI Harte pressed her lips together waiting for more.

‘I’m hoping the doctors will run more tests. I get these piercing headaches; a really bad stomach and I either can’t sleep all night or I sleep too much. Sorry, I don’t want to bore you with my health worries. Last night, I felt really nauseous and lethargic, so I called her. She felt I’d let her down and accused me of making up an excuse not to go. That was it, really. Lauren isn’t like that, though.’

‘What do you mean?’

Tiffany didn’t know how much she should say but someone had been murdered and she had to believe it wasn’t her who had a part in it. Kieron stared at her, waiting for what she was about to say. ‘It’s the other two. They can be mean. I’ve heard them telling other people that I make it all up, about being ill, but I don’t.’ She couldn’t hold back the tears that were bursting out. ‘I feel terrible, every day, and no one cares. They laugh at me. Lauren is the only one at Hoopers who is nice to me, and I hate that I upset her by letting her down last night.’

The detective waited for her colleague to finish writing. ‘Do you know her partner, Robbie Shields?’

Tiffany had seen the man on occasion. ‘He drops her off at Hoopers sometimes, normally if it’s raining or he starts work a little later. I can’t say that I liked him.’

‘What made you feel like that?’

Tiffany scratched her curls. ‘He seemed a bit smarmy, called the women names like beautiful, and chick. He was a bit touchy-feely. When he spoke to Maxine or Dee, he’d touch their arms or wink. He’d try to catch people’s eyes and maintain eye contact. I don’t know, maybe it’s me. Maybe he was just being friendly but men like that give me the creeps.’ Her mind flashed back to the night of her attack, the scarf around her neck, tightening as she watched her life flash before her. She let out a gasp and held her neck.

‘Tiff, are you okay?’ DI Harte looked concerned.

Kieron stood and hurried over to her. ‘I think my wife’s had enough. As you can see, she’s struggling. She didn’t really know the victim and she was in with me all night.’

DI Harte swallowed. ‘We’re not accusing Tiff.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Tiffany felt the need to explain her behaviour, if not she’d look suspicious. ‘Kieron is just trying to help. Knowing that someone was murdered so close by is terrifying the life out of me. I was attacked about four years ago. We didn’t live in Cleevesford at the time. We lived in Webheath in Redditch. While Kieron was away on a stag do, someone broke into our house and tried to strangle me with my own scarf.’ Tiffany paused and tried to fight back the tears.

The detective furrowed her brows. ‘A scarf?’ Right then, Tiffany knew there was a connection by the way the detectives were both looking at her. She nodded. ‘I nearly died and my attacker has never been caught. Whenever I hear of anything like this, it floors me. I automatically think it’s him and that he’s coming back to finish the job.’ Tears slipped down her cheeks. ‘Is it him?’

‘We are currently investigating several avenues. Who dealt with your attack?’

‘Redditch police.’

The detective looked more alert than at any moment since her arrival. Despite the detectives not answering her question, she knew there were similarities to her attack. It was pasted all over DI Harte’s face. She walked out the room and sobbed in the kitchen wishing she could curl up into a ball and never go out again.

He was back and he was coming to kill her.

Fourteen

Jacob closed the passenger door and Gina turned the car lights on, clocking that night was now fast approaching and they were nowhere near finding Robbie Shields. She checked her phone and no further messages had come in. ‘Jacob, can you please call the incident room. Tell them to check the system and pull up everything they can on the Tiffany Crawford attack. Two women, two strangulations, one survived, one was murdered. It may be just a coincidence, but I want her name up on the incident board. Also, can you find out if Sienna Moorcroft’s parents have arrived yet. We need to speak to them?’

He nodded and pulled his phone out. She opened up her messages and emails, having a quick glance at the crime scene photos Bernard’s team had emailed through. She then clicked onto Lauren’s Instagram account. The last photo uploaded on her feed was of Lauren at the nightclub with Maxine and Dee. Three women, all made up and pouting for the camera while having a lovely night out. She scrolled to the photo underneath of Lauren and Robbie. Hundreds of people had offered their congratulations on hearing their engagement news which had been announced two weeks ago, but then the vitriol followed. Comments galore made by people speculating that it was Robbie who killed Sienna, accusing him, calling him names. Some people saying that he deserved to die. She went onto the Warwickshire Herald website and Robbie Shields’s face filled the landing page. She hoped that someone would spot him and report him. Wherever he was, he couldn’t hide from them forever.

Jacob finished on the phone. ‘Mr and Mrs Moorcroft are staying at Cleevesford Manor.’

‘Any news on Sienna’s ex-boyfriend Gerard?’

‘Not yet, guv. The team phoned Sienna’s workplace, but with it being a Sunday, they’ve only managed to leave a message. The emergency number for the company takes the caller to a call centre, not directly to the company. They’ll all be back in work again tomorrow, so we’ll be able to speak to them then.’

After a short drive out of town, Gina pulled onto the treelined road that led to the huge manor house. She shivered as she remembered a particularly disturbing murder that had happened in this very building a few short years ago, but that was in the past now. They entered the beautifully lit up reception and headed over to the suited woman behind the counter. ‘Hello, are you checking in?’

Gina cleared her throat. ‘We’re here to see two of your guests. Mr and Mrs Moorcroft.’

‘I’ll call them for you.’ The woman relayed that the Moorcrofts had visitors. ‘They’ll be down in a few minutes. Please take a seat in the bar area.’

While they waited, Gina bought a couple of coffees, handing one to Jacob. It seemed like ages since they’d had a drink and her stomach was rumbling. She ate the mini cookie that had been placed on the saucer. Several minutes later, a puffy-eyed blonde woman in her fifties stepped out of the lift, followed by a tall white-haired man. Gina stood and respectfully nodded. ‘Mr and Mrs Moorcroft?’

‘You must be the police.’ Mrs Moorcroft twisted the round pendant on her necklace.

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