‘Okay, that’s a start.’
She leaned across and stabbed at the letter with her index finger. ‘I watch. I wait. I am coming. Terry used those exact words when he locked me in the shed once – and during other times in our marriage. He’d taunt me with them. I don’t know how anyone on earth could possibly know this. It’s like he’s back.’ A tingle ran across her neck as she felt his invisible hands squeezing her windpipe. She winced as she remembered her ribs cracking. A swirl of nausea washed through her throat as the image of her nail peeling from her finger flashed through her mind. The dark days and nights and the boarded-up windows.
‘Tell me, Gina. I need to know. For now, it will stay between us.’
‘For now? That’s helpful.’ She closed her eyes, knowing that she had no choice in the matter. Her hands began to tremble. ‘Terry locked me in a shed once, for a whole weekend. He kept coming and going between drinking binges, then he’d unlock the door to tease me, knowing I was too scared to fight my way out. He’d stand there, laughing and taunting, telling me that Hannah and he didn’t need me. I’d hear her crying all the time from the house.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘He’d tell me he was watching me or watching the shed, that if I banged and made a fuss, he’d kill me. At times, I’d think he wasn’t there, then he’d surprise me by whistling, reminding me that he was waiting for me to step out of line. He just couldn’t wait for me step out of line so he could beat the hell out of me.’ She let out a sad laugh. ‘His last words filled me with panic. He told me he was coming and that I should brace myself. His words were, “I watch. I wait. I am coming”.’
‘I’m sorry to put you through all that again.’ He hurried over and kneeled in front of her.
‘And I did brace myself. All I could think of was that Hannah would grow up and not remember me if something happened. I thought he’d hurt Hannah but he hadn’t. After my ordeal was over, he dragged me back into the house and acted as though nothing had happened while I tended to my nail-less finger. He then told me why he’d done it. It was because I’d phoned one of my old friends from college. He’d redialled the number when he came home and her boyfriend had answered. I tried to tell him but—’ She looked away.
He placed his hand on her arm. ‘Thank you for sharing that with me. Listen.’ He placed his other hand under her chin. ‘You are DI Gina Harte. You are a brilliant detective and this is another puzzle and unfortunately, you are part of that puzzle. We are all going to solve this. Terry is dead, gone. He can’t hurt you again.’
Gina looked away. Even in death, all Terry had ever done was hurt her. Just when she thought she was able to move on, he was back. ‘Can you think of anyone who might know so much?’
She shrugged. ‘There’s his brother Stephen. He might be out for some sort of revenge after you threatened him in our previous case and there’s his mother, Hetty – I don’t think Hetty would know these things. He always gave off this false smiley persona when she was around. She didn’t even know what Terry was like when it came to me. She had no idea how he punched, strangled and kicked me.’
‘We have a murder where someone has been buried alive and this letter instantly takes you back to a time where Terry had locked you in a shed. They want you back there, in the moment. Question is, why? I hope I’m wrong, but it looks like our killer has chosen you for a reason. Let’s consider Stephen. Obviously, I’ve met the prick and I can’t say I like him. What are your thoughts?’ He stood and sat on his desk beside Gina.
She shrugged and sniffed. ‘I can’t see it. Maybe we’re looking for a link between Stephen and our victim. Stephen is ultimately a coward. Terry was the more aggressive brother. I could see Terry burying someone alive and enjoying it, but Stephen, however much I hate him, I’m sure it’s not him.’
‘Could he have got someone else to do it for him?’
‘Murder an innocent man just to get to me?’
‘No. It looks like our victim was taking drugs, maybe he got them from Stephen. He has got a past when it comes to drugs.’
The office fell silent. Gina knew that rattling Stephen’s cage would further fuel the anger that Hetty and he harboured against her. ‘It has to be someone else, someone Terry knew? It’s not Stephen or Hetty; besides Stephen has been working up in Scotland for the past few months. Before you ask, yes I check out his whereabouts on Facebook. He’s shacked up with some poor woman.’
‘Then we’re back to square one when it comes to finding the link. I’m sure this letter won’t be the last, not now the press have made so much of it.’ He pursed his lips together before speaking again. ‘You shouldn’t be alone at home.’
‘I’m fine with the drive-bys. I have my CCTV, my alarm system, my deadlocks, double locks, gate locks.’ She exhaled slowly as her cheeks cooled down. ‘I’ll be okay. The shock got to me but I’m not going to let this beat me. As far as this murderous freak is concerned, we’re game on.’
‘That’s what I like to hear. If you sense any danger, you just have to call and I’ll be there.’
She forced a smile. ‘Is there anything else that will help with the investigation?’
‘There is a postmark on the envelope. It was posted in Cleevesford.’
‘As local as that. They didn’t even try to hide how close they are – or did they come here just to post the letter? They know the woods, they know the area and I suspect they live locally. Why now? Any thoughts?’
He shook his head. ‘Maybe talking to our victim’s mother might give us something to work with.’
‘There’s something else. I received a letter yesterday. It was marked private and confidential. It’s from the killer. I didn’t link the two until I saw this one today.’ She stood and pulled down at her shirt over her black trousers.
‘What? You should have said something anyway. What does it say?’
‘It’s like they’re trying to get me to remember my past and it mentions that they know everything.’ She almost choked as she continued to speak. ‘Whoever wrote it says we are the same. They want me to see that. I’m scared, Chris.’ She gasped a sob and held her arm out as he moved a little close. ‘I’m okay. I’ll get you the letter. This is as personal as it gets.’
‘Anything else, call me straight away. Don’t sit on it. I won’t mention this outside of us two at the moment. As the press don’t know the content of this letter, it may help us catch the killer. I don’t want any chance of it leaking in any way or form.’
She wiped a tear away. ‘I might have confronted Lyndsey Saunders about it. I thought it was her and I was so angry. She has no idea what was written in it.’
‘Damn it! Just keep a lid on the detail. Say nothing to anyone else. We don’t know who’s pulling the strings and, more often than not, it can be someone closer than we think. Also, we are assuming that this person might be a threat to you until something tells us otherwise. They are a threat to you. I need you to stay safe.’
Her gaze lingered on his for a few seconds longer. ‘I’ll call you later.’
As his door closed after her, her shoulders slumped. In her mind, she was screaming. She shook that thought away. What she needed right now was for everyone to see her as a capable leader of the investigation, not someone who was about to fall apart. Why had the killer chosen her?
