Page 38 of Her Hidden Shadow

‘It’s two in the morning.’ He tried to lead her back towards their flat.

She shrugged him off.

‘Tiff, come inside. It’s cold. You’ll get hypothermia.’

She shook her head, a few strands of her hair sticking to her cold damp cheek. ‘My brain, it’s trying to tell me something, but I can’t work out what. I don’t know what’s going on.’ Tears slid down her face.

‘It’s just a nightmare and you sleepwalked. That’s all. Tiff, I’m freezing, and you have nothing on your feet.’

She glanced around and stared at the chinks of broken glass on the pavement. Lifting one of her feet up, she checked for any cuts but all she could see was dirt. She nodded and reached out to hold his hand, allowing him to lead her back into the warmth. A small sob escaped her lips. ‘It was him. I saw him and he was trying to kill me. I thought you were him before I woke up. I’m losing my mind.’

Once in the flat, he helped her to a chair in the living room and kneeled in front of her. He took her bed socks from the couch and put them on her icy cold feet. ‘There. Let’s get you warmed up. Do you want a tea or hot chocolate?’

She nodded. ‘Hot chocolate.’ As soon as he left, she lifted her feet onto the chair and pulled them close to her body as she trembled away. She tried to think back over the evening, but as hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember getting to bed. That’s when she saw the empty wine glass on the coffee table and the blister pack of diazepam tablets. As she went to grab it, Kieron came back in and took it off her. ‘Please don’t. I am so worried about you at the moment, it hurts.’

‘I wasn’t.’ She paused. ‘When did you get home from work?’

He shrugged and placed the hot chocolate on the table. ‘The usual time, about six. When I got back, I saw those.’ He pointed to the wine and tablets.

‘I only had one.’

He raised his brows. ‘The pills are screwing you up because you’re taking too many and I’m scared one day I’ll come home and find you—’ He took a deep breath.

She knew he was making sense. It had been stupid to drink with them. That’s why she had no recollection of the evening. She’d been all woozy and sleepy, but she was sure she hadn’t drunk the whole bottle of wine. She only had a glass. ‘Did you say empty bottle?’

He nodded.

‘I only had a glass.’

Kieron sighed. ‘We’re going to get through this okay. We’re going to get you the help you need, I promise.’

‘I can’t just get through this,’ she snapped, tears falling down her cheeks. ‘Every time I close my eyes, I see him in our bedroom trying to strangle me to death. And now, we have this stupid panic button because even the police think he might come back. You don’t understand. You never have done, and you never will.’ In an instant, she regretted saying all that to Kieron. He had been her rock. He’d nursed her on days when the pain got too much, when her physical health had been at its worst. He’d been reassuring during her anxiety attacks. He tried to encourage her to eat wholesome healthy food and to make sure she took her vitamins. She had violently attacked him twice now, and still he stood by her, always believing that she could and would get better. ‘I’m sorry. That was a horrible thing to say.’

He sat on the arm of the chair and placed an arm around her. ‘I love you, Tiff. I know what you went through was horrendous, but wine won’t help, tablets won’t help and not looking after yourself won’t help. The police will catch him and when they do, everything will be better, and I’ll always be here for you. Promise me, no more abusing your body. This can’t happen again.’

‘I promise.’ She reached out, picked up the cup of hot chocolate and took a sip. It was lovely and milky. After gulping it all down, she popped the cup back on the table.

‘Shall we go to bed now, try to get a bit more sleep. I have work in the morning, and I don’t want to go in looking like a zombie.’

Work, she knew he had to go, and she hated him leaving her, but they couldn’t afford for him to stay at home. ‘Yes, and I’ll try not to escape out the door again or hurt you. Is your nose okay?’

He shrugged. ‘It was just a little knock. I pulled the chain across before coming to bed but somehow you managed to remove it, so I’ll put a chair against the bedroom door when we go back to bed. If you try to leave, I’ll hear you moving it.’

‘Can we get some more locks for the front door? I don’t want this to happen again, and we can’t go to bed every night with a chair against the door.’

He kissed her head as they reached the bedroom. ‘I’ll sort it this week if you think it’s for the best. Can’t have the love of my life stepping onto glass or getting mown down by a car, can we? I do worry.’

She knew the pressure she was putting on him was immense and she was grateful for all of his help. How he’d stuck by her, she’d never know. After washing the blood off her hands, they were tucked up in bed. She lay there listening to Kieron’s gentle snores. Her heart hammered away as she stared at the ceiling in the dark. The loss of control she was experiencing was scarier than her attack ever was. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember drinking all that wine, she couldn’t remember going to bed and she couldn’t remember how she got to the bins. Palpitations filled her chest, and her throat began to throb with the ferocity of them. Her muscles itched to be moved and her stomach began to churn. She could remember something; her weird dream had triggered a memory. She knew she had walked to Lauren and Robbie’s bungalow on the night of the murder. At first it only felt like a dream, but now, she was certain it was real. Images of her strangler began to further intrude on her thoughts. He’d made her the way she was but had he turned her into some sort of monster? What the hell had she done?

Twenty-Eight

Tuesday, 31 January

Gina yawned as she ate a cereal bar in her office, washed down with a cup of black coffee. Briggs had been true to his word. She’d returned home late, but he’d waited up and served her a dinner of cheese omelette and oven chips. He was no chef, but the food and company had been most welcome as had the cuddles with Jessie. She had wanted nothing more than to remain in her warm bed with him, but duty called. They had Hale’s mother to visit, and it had to be first thing.

‘Guv, I’m ready when you are.’ Wyre smiled in the doorway. ‘I’ll wait in the incident room.’

Gina flinched as she moved in her chair. The hard landing on the mud last night had left her with a bruised side, whereas Wyre looked bright and ready to go. She stood and stretched before throwing her wrapper in the wire bin. Ambling down the corridor, she heard a voice she recognised. It was Jacob acknowledging the desk sergeant. Their visit to see Ms Hale would have to wait a short while. She’d made a promise to Briggs that she’d speak with him. She glanced at her watch. It was only a little past seven in the morning. He’d arrived way earlier than expected.

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