Page 67 of Her Hidden Shadow

‘His type, there were two attacks, that’s hardly enough to prove a type.’

‘But Robbie came home and got in the way, which is why he too was murdered. Robbie wasn’t planned. Don’t dismiss it, you can’t dismiss it. It’s too big.’ Gina unbuttoned the top of her shirt, letting the heat escape that had been radiating from her chest.

‘Get out. Go and wait in my office.’ Sullivan pointed to the door. Briggs stood to follow her out as she stormed across the room. ‘Get back, DCI Briggs.’ He did exactly what he was told, leaving Gina to battle Sullivan’s unreasonableness alone.

Hurrying along the corridor towards Briggs’s office, she saw the spare room next door, adorned with Sullivan’s temporary nameplate on it. She passed it and hurried down the fire escape, taking two steps at a time. No way was she wasting another minute in that building while Lauren’s life might be at risk and her colleague was facing such accusations. She sent a quick message to Wyre, letting her know what she was doing but she doubted that Wyre would be out of that briefing anytime soon. As she crossed the car park, the crowds chanted words of vitriol against her team and all police. Too busy focusing on the entrance, they missed Gina as she slipped into her car and drove out of the car park, but then another crowd formed and stopped her in the middle of the road. More protestors with banners. She hit the steering wheel. Lauren, she had to warn her. She instructed her hands-free to call the woman. The call went straight to voicemail and cut her off before she could leave a message. She pulled over and began typing out a text.

Please go to your mum’s and wait for me. I have reason to believe you might be in danger and I’m coming straight over. DI Harte.

She hit send and started the car up again. Pipping her horn, she hoped the crowd would disperse but even after edging through them, a backlog of traffic had caused a jam. Her actions were going against all protocol, but she had to do all she could. If Lauren was the intended victim, he was coming for her.

Fifty-Two

Nancy

Head stabbing in agony after the blow, Nancy came around and tried to wriggle out of her binds but there was no escape; he’d made sure of that. She had no idea how many times he’d wrapped the twine around her wrists and ankles, then he’d tied both together behind her back. She tried to rock back and forth, but nothing was happening. If he hadn’t blindfolded her with a scarf or rammed a sock in her mouth before taping across the top, she’d at least have her sight and voice.

What if Lauren had returned and he’d hurt her too?

The material against her eyes began to dampen as her tears fell.

How?

Think.

She’d received the flowers and there was a note. Written on it were two words. Forever mine. He must have entered while she’d been outside looking up and down the road for a car.

Pain flashed from her shoulder to her wrist as she wiggled again. It felt as though she’d pulled a muscle. Her stiff neck wouldn’t budge, and the sock was damp with drool and all she could do was cry and fill her stuffy nose up even more.

A wet tongue drew a short line up her arm, then it happened again. The little dog barked and nudged her with its nose. Fifi was safe and all Nancy wanted to do was hug her. She felt a tremor in her knees as she thought of her daughter again. Was she also tied up in the same room? Maybe she was unconscious and unable to move.

Just before knocking her out, she’d felt his presence, the warmth of his breath on her neck as she fell to the floor. Then she caught sight of his reflection in the stainless-steel water bowl that Fifi drank from. She remembered his words as he dragged her up the stairs and trussed her up. He was coming back and both she and Lauren would pay for everything. His words rang through her head. You just couldn’t leave things alone, could you? You were everywhere, in my face all the time and you’re an angry little bitch. You thought I just went away but you were wrong. I’ve been waiting for this moment. For ages, he’d been watching her as she waved her placards and held up traffic. He’d been watching her house and he’d enjoyed scaring her the other night. But she’d started it and now she was paying the ultimate price. Nancy needed to find a way out of her binds so she could warn her daughter. He was going for her next. It was always about Lauren.

She heard the back door slamming and all her muscles froze. The dog yapped and ran down the stairs. Nancy rolled onto her side and her hip jutted into the threadbare carpet. Her legs, she couldn’t feel her legs.

She hyperventilated as she heard his heavy footsteps banging up the stairs, perspiration dripping down her face. He was finally coming to finish the job and there wasn’t a single thing she could do about it.

More tears spilled from her eyes and the blindfold was now sodden. If only she could talk to him, tell him that she was sorry, and reason with him. If she could go back in time, she wondered if there was anything she’d do differently. She’d never have encouraged Lauren to go to one of her wellness and meditation sessions. He was there for the same reason as she was, to find inner peace and Lauren had fallen for him. That was where it all started. Nancy was solely responsible for their introduction.

‘I see you’re still where I left you. That’s good,’ he whispered. ‘Don’t worry, you won’t be there for much longer because Lauren and I, we’re leaving. We love each other and there’s nothing at all you can do about it.’

She wanted to yell that Lauren didn’t love him, that she never had. Nancy saw through him all those years ago, that’s why she did that bad thing. He pretended to care, and he was a good actor but Nancy wasn’t fooled.

‘We’re going back to the beginning, starting again and reliving our love. You.’ She felt him prod her side. ‘You are just pond scum. We don’t need you anymore. Lauren hates you, but you know that already. We talk about you. She tells me everything.’ He paused. ‘The others, they were nothing but Lauren, she’s special. At first, I wanted her dead, but I’ve sat back and made a better plan. I wanted the others dead, but I want her, and I will have her. I always get what I want eventually, and she was never going to marry Robbie. I was going to make sure of that. She’s mine.’ He slapped his lips. ‘All I wanted back then was for you to like me, to accept me.’ He laughed. ‘We could have been friends too. I could have got on board with your activism, joined in, but you drove me away.’

Lauren turned her key in the front door. Nancy went to bang her head on the floor to warn her daughter, but he grabbed it. Then, she felt his rough hands feeding a length of material around her neck and she jerked.

‘I suggest you keep still. You wouldn’t want to strangle yourself now, would you? Don’t make me. I would love to strangle you.’

She remained still, knowing that Lauren wouldn’t hear her over the sound of Fifi’s barking. After slamming the front door, Lauren called out. ‘Mum, I’m back.’ The dog began to bark.

Please Fifi, don’t run upstairs. If the dog came up, her daughter would be led straight to her death.

The dog darted up the stairs and straight into the bedroom, licking Nancy’s face.

‘Mum?’ Lauren called again. ‘Are you upstairs?’

Nancy heard her daughter take the first creaky step. It was no good, either she made some noise to alert Lauren, hoping that she understood that something was wrong, or she did nothing, and Lauren would come up to her death.

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