She smiled. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you!’ She flung her arms around his neck then quickly released him. He straightened his collar up and smiled back.
‘Just tell me, Harte, is there anything else you’re not telling me?’
She thought back to Steven’s threats to expose her with his lies. ‘Only that he’ll say or do anything to discredit me. It won’t be true but he hated me when I was with Terry. He stood by, enjoying it when he was cruel to me. I don’t know what I ever did to him and I’ll never know why he is the way he is. I wish he’d just leave me alone.’
‘What’s he likely to say?’
‘I can’t predict that one, sir.’ She could, but she wasn’t going to tell him.
‘You know I’d do anything for you, Gina. If you ever need my help, just say.’ His look almost pierced her thoughts. She could never let Briggs risk himself for her. She’d never take advantage of his feelings like that. No, she’d find her own way out of this one.
Fifty-Six
Gina watched from the other end of the street. It was no good, Dawn Brown’s caravan was blocking her view of the search. Briggs stepped in front of the car and was talking to Wyre. A couple of officers came out of the house, carrying evidence bags. She sat bolt upright, rocking the car. They’d found something. Grabbing her phone, she texted Briggs. She needed to know what was in those bags. They’d been rooting through the house for over an hour and only now they were bringing things out. Another officer had his head buried in the boot of Dawn’s car and was feeling around the crevices. Neighbours peered through their windows. Gina wondered if Dawn knew any of them, or if indeed any of them were her friends. She suspected that Steven chose her friends for her.
She checked her phone, no answer. Tapping on the door handle, it crossed her mind to get out of the car and storm over, demanding to know what they’d found. She was still a part of the investigation team and Briggs telling her to keep back was making things worse. She let go of the handle, she wasn’t risking suspension for Steven.
Steven wasn’t even there. Briggs had suspected that Steven would have mentioned something to Dawn about being Gina’s ex-brother-in-law. If he had told Dawn, she hadn’t let on during her interview at the station. She had come across as defeated, as needing to end the relationship and the police’s interest in her. She suspected their relationship would be well and truly over when Steven found out that she voluntarily let the police search her house.
Wyre came out with another evidence bag and filed it in the van.
A car passed her. Heart in mouth, she turned away. It was Steven. She didn’t catch his expression but she knew immediately that he’d seen what was happening and, at this moment, he’d be seething. Briggs’s fringe blew up as a gust of wind caught it. He looked over as Steven pulled up behind the caravan, parking across the pavement blocking the evidence van in. Leaving his car door open, he stormed over to Briggs. Gina opened the window a touch, trying to listen to what he was saying, but it was no use. She was too far back. The sound of traffic whizzing around the ring road that backed the new estate filled her head.
Exhaling, she flopped back in the seat. Being there was a total waste of time. She wasn’t involved. Briggs still hadn’t replied and she was clueless as to where the investigation was going. She pulled a pear drop from the centre console and popped it in her mouth.
Something wasn’t right. Briggs had led Steven back towards his car and was whispering in his ear. It looked like they were having hushed but stern words. He passed something to Steven with gloved hands. Steven’s face reddened and he clenched his fists as Briggs snatched the tiny object back. Her foot tapped in the footwell as Steven stood speechless before storming into the house. Briggs began walking over.
She opened the door and stood on the pavement, willing him to walk faster. He had something to tell her, she knew it. ‘What was all that about, sir? I saw you pass something to him.’
‘Nothing. That was a private chat between Stevie Boy and me.’
He was holding something back from her. How dare he do that after all she’d been through. More than anything, she needed to know what was happening with Steven. ‘What have you found?’
‘That I will answer. We found a large stash of weed in the spare room, along with a few wraps of what appear to be cocaine. It was stored in a locked cabinet and apportioned into little bags. At the very least, we are pulling him in for dealing. Of course, he might deny it and try to say it belonged to Dawn but we had to bust the cabinet open as she didn’t have a key. And why would she give us full permission to go through her house if she knew that the drugs were there? She didn’t even ask for a solicitor.’
Gina’s mind flashed back to what Diane had said about Samantha. After seeing her mystery lover, she turned up at Diane’s smelling of marijuana. ‘But—’
‘Yes, great minds think alike. His prints will be all over the packets, not hers. They’re off to the lab.’ Briggs stepped into the driver’s side of the car, Gina followed.
‘That’s not all you found, is it?’
He shook his head. ‘We have seized magazines, some of them pornographic. We know Diane was sent a card and it contained a message spelled out in pieces of magazine. There’s a lot of material to go through in the search for a few missing letters. We also found some receipts in the upstairs waste bin next to the drug cabinet. There were two from Blossom’s Bouquets for the flowers and chocolates. We have now confirmed that he’s been sending you the unwanted gifts. What we don’t know is why.’
Gina knew why. He was playing with her mind, hoping she’d crack. He’d seen her at breaking point when Terry had played mind games with her. Terry used to send her flowers and chocolates after he’d given her a beating, as if that would ever make up for all he’d done to her. At first, she’d lapped up his apologies, blaming herself for being a bad wife. She had soon realised there was no pleasing him.
After he’d forced Gina and the prostitute to perform at knifepoint with tears sliding down their faces, he’d sent her those very gifts the following morning. The poor prostitute had left in shock, holding her forty pounds in cash.
‘Harte, are you okay?’
‘Sorry, yes, sir. You know about Terry and me, what went on. After he’d been violent, the next day he’d always send me flowers and chocolates. I know it’s a familiar story but yes, that was me, a walking cliché. He’s trying to mentally stuff me up because he feels threatened. It’s not going to work, I can tell you that much. I’m not that Gina any more.’
‘Good, glad to hear it. That Gina belongs in the past and new Gina is who we all know and love.’ He paused.
‘What else?’
‘We also found a pair of black gloves in his locked up cabinet. He’s also a smoker, just like our perp.’
‘Yes, the cigarette packet we found by Diane’s had Jade Ashmore’s fingerprints on it. He’s been playing with us. I don’t want him to win.’ Gina felt her body tensing. She knew full well that the evidence was nowhere near complete to have him on a murder charge or link him to Samantha. Everything was circumstantial and there was no sign of the murder weapon. Close, but not quite. Forensic evidence would seal the case though. However, the drug possession and possible dealing were tangible and he’d be brought in. He had to crack. She felt a shiver reach her neck and she shrugged her shoulders a few times to eradicate the feeling. If he felt penned in, would he start attacking her character like he’d promised? He was dangerous.
