‘We now know that Phillip Brighton knew Holly Long even before the wedding. Could it be too much of a coincidence that he was there to see someone else?’
Wyre shrugged. ‘It would be a huge coincidence.’
‘We need to speak to him. Is he still here?’
‘No, he’s gone. Once we established that the pink tablet was nothing to do with Holly, we had to let him go.’
‘What conditions was he bailed on?’
‘He’s meant to report to the station at ten every morning until his case is heard at the Magistrates Court.’
‘This day just gets worse. We’re going to see him at his bedsit. I want to get to the bottom of this without delay and this can’t wait until ten in the morning. I want to know why he was visiting Holly’s block of flats three weeks ago.’
As Wyre left, Gina pulled a paper towel from the dispenser and wiped her pale face dry. Her eyes had darkened and a few lines creased around the edges. She removed the band from her hair and allowed it to fall over her shoulders before fluffing it up. What on earth did Briggs see in her? Before leaving, she felt the back of her neck once again and her heart fluttered as she touched it in only the way Terry used to touch her. He’d lure her into a false sense of security by tickling her neck and the first time, on that night, she’d felt nothing but tenderness. After that, it was merely a trigger for what was to come.Just leave me alone, Terry. Please, you’ve hurt me enough.
She threw the paper towel in the bin and left. Finding Phillip Brighton was now at the top of her list. She had to let Avery go, for now.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Fran threw her phone and orange coat onto the corner settee after ending the call with the police. Just as she’d expected, that slimeball Samuel Avery had denied what he’d done to her and he was roaming free to assault some other woman. She was right to tell. If he did it again, her statement was on record and that’s what counted.
‘Charlie,’ she called, but the only sound was the echoing of her own voice in the hall. ‘Charlie?’ The heating was on as were a couple of lights. She hurried to the kitchen. She had to tell him exactly what had happened before she lost her nerve. ‘Charlie.’ He was nowhere to be seen. She tried the handle of the back door. It was unlocked. She glanced across the lawn and over towards the shed. The padlock was still on. He wasn’t in there.
A piece of paper lay on the kitchen floor. She bent over to pick up the note and began to read.
Be home about nine. Popped to Mum’s to help her to put a curtain rail up and my sister’s back from her travels. Come over if you want. We can all get a takeaway. Love you. Charlie. XXX
She slammed the note on the table. Not only had he left the back door open at a time when there was a murderer walking the streets, he’d left half of the lights on too. She locked the back door. As she hurried through to the lounge, she grabbed her phone and tapped out her reply.
I’ll give it a miss if you don’t mind. Think I’ll have a bath and see you when you get home. Love you too. XXX
There was no way she could sit with his family all night, gushing over his little sister’s travel snaps while she had all this going on at the back of her mind. She needed to stay focused on telling him what had happened at the party and how she’d been to the police station to report it. She headed up the stairs, unbuttoning her blouse while she walked. The washing basket on the landing had overflowed. They hadn’t touched it since going to Crete. She pulled her tight trousers off and opened the bathroom door. A chill ran through her as the shower curtain fluttered in the breeze. She hurried across the tiled floor, pulling the window closed. A movement caught her peripheral vision. Remaining still, she grabbed the liquid soap dispenser and gripped it before turning around with it above her head. Reaching for the plastic curtain with her other hand, she swallowed before swiftly pulling it back to reveal nothing but an empty bathtub. Placing the dispenser back on the sink, she let out a little laugh and turned on the bath tap. Her mind was running away with her. It had been a long and trying day. She inhaled the lemon oil as she drizzled it into the bathwater, then removed her bra and pants.
The door to the spare room creaked as she reached down to feel the temperature of the water. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around her tiny curves and gazed across the dark landing, listening for anything. As the breeze let out a gentle howl, the door creaked again. ‘Charlie!’ She hurried across the landing. They’d be having words when he got home. It might be May but it wasn’t summer yet. It was still too chilly to leave all the windows open. Stomping across the landing, she pushed the door and as suspected, the top window was open. She slammed it closed. Maybe now, she could have that bath in peace.
Stepping in, she felt the initial burn of the hot water hugging her ankles before she cautiously sank into the water and lay back, immersing her head under the water while holding her breath. As she opened her eyes, she spotted something grey or blue shimmering through the water. The bathroom was white. There was no grey or blue. Bursting through the water, she rubbed the oil and water from her bleary eyes, gasping for breath.
‘What are you doing here?’ She grabbed a flannel and held it over her breasts. ‘Get out. Now.’
He grinned and took a step forward in his all-in-one boiler suit.
‘Charlie is on his way home.’
After dropping the note into the bath with his gloved hands, he kneeled beside the bath. They both knew Charlie wouldn’t be home for ages.
She went to grab the shampoo bottle to hit him but her trembling hands betrayed her, taking all the strength from her aim. As she tried to stand, the oil she’d poured into her bath made her slide back down. Knocking her head on the side of the bath, she slipped beneath the water. He grabbed her by the hair, dragging her to the surface as she coughed out flecks of water.
‘Isn’t it good, being on the brink of death, then coming back?’
She went to grab him but he forced her head under once again, leaving her there for longer.Don’t inhale. Hold your breath.It was too long. She inhaled a mouth full of water, then another. An intense spasm filled her throat. He pulled her to the surface again and she coughed and spewed the bath water out. ‘No, please,’ she gargled. A dark vignette formed around her vision, closing in as she almost lost consciousness. Breathing in short, sharp bursts, blood pumped around her body, each beat of her heart sounding in her ears, filling her head.
‘Tell me you don’t feel alive.’
She coughed and gasped as she went to grab him. She couldn’t go under again. He’d kill her. He intercepted her grip, bending her fingers back until she whimpered and withdrew. ‘Please don’t kill me. Why are you doing this to me?’ Tears ran down her face and dripped into the bathwater.
‘It’s simple. I saw the way you looked at me when you invited me in the other day. I can’t let you bring me down. You know, don’t you?’
‘I won’t. I don’t know anything. Just go home and we can both pretend this never happened.’ She burst into a coughing fit.
