The Face Behind the Mask

‘Good, because you need to know this stuff.’

John passed a plate to her and let her tuck into her cake. He asked her about Will and how the funeral had gone. She relayed Will’s antics to him and smiled to see him shaking his head with a grin on his face.

‘I kind of understand, though. He’s had to carry that guilt with him since the night it happened. As have you; you both have.’

‘I know. That’s why I couldn’t be too mad with him.’

‘Good, I’m glad you weren’t. Now then, enough of the small talk. I couldn’t help but notice you peering into a certain corner of the churchyard when we were talking outside. God forbid, but tell me is there something wrong at the cottage?’

‘Sorry, John, I didn’t come to upset you, but I did want to see you about something.’

‘I know you did. You’re very busy, what with your little prince there, but if something’s wrong I want to know so I can help you. I value your friendship far too much to turn my back on you when the going gets tough, so don’t worry about me.’

He grabbed hold of her hand and she squeezed his fingers.

‘There’s nothing obviously wrong that I know about. It’s more a case of feeling as if there is something not right.’

‘And you’re wondering about our terrible friend, Betsy?’

She nodded. ‘Just the thought of that horrible woman terrifies me. Alfie won’t settle in his own room. He’s started to wake up every night at a similar time, and I know babies do that – I’m not stupid – but it’s always cold in there, even with the heating on. I just wanted to check her grave hasn’t been disturbed and that nothing unusual has happened.’

‘It hasn’t, don’t you worry about that. I don’t even let them cut the grass by her with the lawnmower. I make sure they use the strimmer in that corner; believe me, I don’t want a run-in with her again. Once was enough for any of us.’

‘Well, I don’t know what it is then. I used to hear the laughter of the boys she killed before I had Alfie, but since he’s been here they haven’t been around. I don’t think that they would scare him either; they were good kids. There’s something else: I had a terrible dream about a white house with a blue door where something bad had happened, and the next night the exact house was on the local news because a body had been found inside of it.’

‘You’re a very gifted woman, not to mention a very tired new mother whose hormones are all over the place. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. If it was her in your house then I think you would know about it. She didn’t like you being in there. She wouldn’t stand in the background and do nothing; that’s not her style. As for your dream, it was probably your sixth sense telling you about it, trying to forewarn you that Will was about to get involved in another murder. Is he involved?’

She nodded. ‘He will be, although he hasn’t said anything yet.’

‘Sometimes you have to switch it all off, which I think you have managed to do quite well since Alfie’s birth. It’s probably just bits and pieces sneaking in when you’re not looking.’

‘You’re right. I’m so sorry to have bothered you, John. I’m letting it all get to me when really I’m just knackered.’

‘You’re never a bother to me – well, that time you and Jake turned up with a plastic box with the bones of that awful Betsy Baker inside you were – but I’ve forgiven you for that one, just.’

They both laughed.

‘Ah yes, that was very bad.’

‘Come on, eat your cake and drink your coffee while you have five minutes’ peace. I want you to tell me all about what you’ve been up to since I last saw you.’

They began to chat and Annie felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. John would have known if that evil woman was back. She didn’t like any of them and wouldn’t leave him alone when he had been the one to inter what was left of her body in hallowed ground. She was being paranoid and overprotective of her son.

***

Stevie hadn’t been lying when he’d said the house they were clearing out was a shithole. It smelt so bad inside, even Dean had put a protective mask on, and he was normally hardcore when it came to stuff like this. Wally had a much weaker stomach and was sweating so bad he could smell himself through the mask.

The house was full of junk – nothing of any real value from what he could see. They hadn’t started on the bedrooms yet, but they’d almost cleared the downstairs. If he was lucky, he sometimes found pieces of jewellery that he could stash and take down the pawnshop. As long as Stevie wasn’t watching. He knew that Stevie did the same because how else did he afford the tidy, white BMW that he drove when he wasn’t in the works van?

He could hear Stevie muttering under his breath and he smiled. That bastard Jacko better pay him after this. They loaded the last boxes of ornaments and books into the back of the van and leant against it to take a breather. Wally lifted the mask away from his mouth, taking in gulps of fresh air. Stevie did the same and began inhaling fresh air as well.

‘Jesus, how can someone live like that? All those years of dust and filth. I mean, your flat’s a shithole, Wally, but at least it’s not that bad. Well, it wasn’t last time I was in there.’

‘Thanks, man, that’s nice of you to say. Mine doesn’t smell as bad as that; at least I hope not.’

‘No, you’re right – sorry. It’s not quite that bad. I reckon we deserve a bonus for this job, me and you, Wally lad. What do you think?’

‘Just being paid would be a decent start. That wanker hasn’t paid me for two weeks. I’m on the bones of my arse. That’s my last fiver I pulled out of my pocket.’

Stevie shook his head. ‘Tight sod he is. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him when we get back to pay you.’

He went around to the front of the van and pulled out two bottles of water, throwing one at Wally.

‘Here, drink this, then we can get the upstairs cleared. I’m telling you now, if we find a purse or money under the mattress, I’m not telling anyone. It’s between you and me and we’ll split it. Whoever lives here can’t have any visiting family or they’d have sorted through the stuff themselves. You know how greedy folks are when someone dies; Aunty Wilma, who they haven’t seen for ten years, was the best aunty anyone could ask for.’ He pretended to cry and Wally laughed.

‘Let’s hope Aunty Wilma was a secret millionaire then.’

Stevie nodded his head. ‘Yep. Come on, the quicker we do this, the quicker we can get out of here.’

He locked the van and headed back inside the rundown terraced house. Wally sighed, pulled his mask down and followed him. It was hard to concentrate when all he kept thinking about was the clown suit. The house they’d cleared where he’d found it had been full of circus memorabilia. The woman who lived there had been in the circus until it shut down. He’d read the articles in the scrapbook she’d kept on the sideboard, below the huge print of her hanging from a trapeze in the centre ring of a circus.

Wally would have liked to have brought the scrapbook and the print home with him to keep. They were nice, but he couldn’t stash them like he had the clown suit. He couldn’t afford to buy them and there was no way Jacko would have let him keep them. He sold everything on at the rundown auction house he owned. If he didn’t come up with the cash he owed him, he could ask him for the stuff as part payment. It would be nice to start a little collection of his own.

Chapter Six

Detective Inspector Max Harper came into the office he shared with Will and shut the door.

‘I see the Super was his usual charming self at briefing.’

Will nodded.

‘Are you okay to run with this one? I’m up to my neck in the Quigley case. Obviously I’ll keep an eye on the investigation, but you’ve had far more experience with these sorts of cases than I have and I’m off to sunny Spain tomorrow.’

‘Yes, I suppose so and, unfortunately for me, I have.’

‘Why don’t you put in for your inspector’s, Will? You could run CID with your eyes shut.’

‘Because I can’t stand all the politics and the bollocks that goes with it. You know as well as I do, even if I passed the boards they’d probably ship me off to HQ for a couple of years and I can’t be bothered with that. I’m quite happy being sergeant. At least I get to keep my hands dirty to a certain degree.’

Max almost threw himself into his chair and lifted his feet onto the desk.

‘That’s certainly true about the bollocks; they wouldn’t dare ship you off to HQ, though. You’re an absolute asset to this shithole. They’d be stupid to take you off CID.’

‘Thanks, boss, that’s kind of you to say. However, what they should do and what they actually do are two different things. You know how this place works. Everything is done back to front. Anyway, have you been sent in to give me a reprimand?’

‘Ha-ha, for talking to the Super like that? No, and if they’d asked me to, I’d have told them no. What are you going to do now then?’

‘Well, I’m going to the hospital to see the esteemed Doctor Matt and watch the post-mortem for Pauline Cook. Nothing like watching someone get sliced and diced to set you up for the day.’

He didn’t add the fact that he had a stinking hangover to his statement. There were some things that you didn’t confess to the bosses – as much as you might like them.

‘Adele seems nice. Are you going to take her with you? I suppose we might as well throw her in at the deep end and utilise her experience.’

Will nodded, thinking how pleased she would be to be so accepted into the team at such a grand level on her first day. No breaking her in gently, especially with two of his DCs on the sick and another on annual leave. They were pretty thin on the ground. There was a knock on the door. Will shouted, ‘Come in,’ and she opened the door.

‘I’ve googled the shops in the immediate area and rang them all up to request their CCTV footage. I didn’t ask them for it; I told them I would pick it up in a couple of hours. I find it better to just tell people what you want. If you ask, they can always say no.’

She winked at Will who laughed.

‘True, I like your style. Are you all right to come up to the mortuary for the PM?’

‘Of course, no problem.’

Will had to admire that she didn’t once betray what she was really thinking because he’d have been swearing under his breath if he’d been her. He stood up.

‘Come on then, let’s get this over with. I’ve already spoken to Matt. He’s ready to go as soon as we get there.’

Adele smiled and followed him out of the office. Brad, one of the younger detectives, rolled his eyes across the desk at Shona, who was staring at him, and whispered, ‘The boss man has a new favourite. It didn’t take him long to find a replacement for Stu.’

Will caught the last of what he’d said and turned back to him. ‘Don’t you be talking shite, Brad. Have you got nothing to do?’

Brad – whose face was redder than Shona’s red patent leather shoes – nodded his head.

‘Yes, boss; sorry, boss.’

‘The only reason I’m taking Adele with me is because she has far more experience of post-mortems and won’t pass out; unlike you, Brad, who drops like a sack of shit as soon as the doctor picks up his scalpel. I haven’t got time to fan your face while waiting for you to come round today. There’s a murder to solve.’

Brad looked away and Shona had to stifle a giggle. Will shook his head and began walking towards the spiral staircase. Adele clearly didn’t want to piss anyone off on her first day. She smiled at Brad and whispered, ‘I passed out at my first PM, and honestly you won’t do it again. Next time you’ll be fine.’

Then she hurried after Will.

***

Brad glared at Shona, who was still laughing.

‘Aw, come on, Brad; he does have a point. You went whiter than Casper the ghost and took ages to come round. I thought I was going to have to stick a toe tag on you and fill out a form 38.’

‘Fuck off and I didn’t think he’d bloody hear me, did I? He’s got supersonic hearing.’

Shona nodded. ‘Yes, he has, but he’s a good boss so don’t go pissing him off. He never moans if you need to finish early or swap a shift, so you’d do well to remember that. Do you really want to go and watch a post-mortem this time in the morning anyway?’

‘I suppose not.’

‘Nope, well me neither, so keep your mouth shut next time. Besides, Adele has been a detective almost as long as he has, so why wouldn’t he want her expertise?’

‘All right, bloody hell, Shona. Anyone would think you had a bit of a soft spot for our sergeant – sticking up for him like that.’

It was her turn for her cheeks to flush red. ‘No, but he’s a nice bloke, Brad. He’s one of the good guys and there aren’t many of them left.’

Brad shrugged. ‘Yeah right, you well fancy him. Everyone fancies him. I bet it drives his wife mad and I suppose he has had a shit time. He nearly died, didn’t he – last year? Forget I said anything.’

***

As the hospital loomed in the distance, Will’s stomach lurched and his mouth filled with acid. He needed something to eat. A greasy sausage bun smothered in tomato sauce would do the trick. The only thing was, if he didn’t digest it before he went into the mortuary, he would regret eating it.

‘So do you think whoever did it knew the victim? I mean, it was a pretty violent crime and normally such violence is carried out by someone they know. Do we know if she was in a relationship or had recently ended one?’

Will shook his head. ‘If I’m honest with you, I know jack shit. I’ve been thinking about the fact that there was no sign of forced entry. It looked as if Pauline may have known her killer – unless she regularly let strangers into her house.’

‘What do we know about Pauline?’

‘Not much at the moment. I’m hoping after this we can get some more information from her home address. The neighbour very kindly offered to do the ID; I want to have a chat with her as soon as we’ve finished up here. She doesn’t think that Pauline has much family – said she was a bit of a loner.’

‘And now she’s dead and naked on a cold slab, about to be cut up in front of several complete strangers.’

***

Adele shivered. It made her feel ill just thinking about it. The shame of having to endure a post-mortem in a roomful of strangers was not one of the nicest things. It would give her nightmares for days, but she didn’t say anything to Will. She didn’t want him thinking she couldn’t handle it because she could. It was just the thought of how desperately sad it all was.

The older she got, the more it made her contemplate her own mortality. Sometimes she wished she’d never become a copper, and then at other times the sense of pride she felt at solving some of the most horrendous crimes and taking those violent criminals off the streets made it all worthwhile. It had got much worse since she’d had children of her own; when they were little she’d been overprotective and had a hard time letting them gain their independence.

Some of her daughter’s friends had been playing out in the backstreet and going to the corner shop on their own since they’d been six years old. Adele used to wonder what the hell their parents were thinking, but they didn’t have to deal with missing kids who’d been snatched from their own front gardens and returned in body bags. Thank God for Steve. He’d had a normal nine-to-five job and had been there to supervise when she’d finally agreed the kids could venture out onto the front street and gain their independence.

Will turned off the engine and she snapped herself out of her distant memories – time to focus on the here and now, not the past. It was time to do what was right for Pauline Cook and find the bastard who’d done this to her. What a way to spend her first day in a new station. She’d been hoping for a couple of simple cases, nothing too complicated, to ease her into it slowly. They got out of the car, which Will had squeezed into the smallest gap she’d ever seen, next to a portable MRI scanning machine in the hospital car park.

‘Blimey, times are hard if you have to have your MRI done out in the car park.’

Will laughed and headed in through a small door, which led to nowhere. The only thing in the small entrance was a single knackered chair and a lift.

‘What is this place?’

‘No idea, but as long as you don’t mind walking through the clinic on the next floor and looking like you know what you’re doing, no one takes a blind bit of notice. Have you seen how full the car park is? You’re lucky if you can get a parking space first thing, but this time of day there’s no chance.’

He pressed the silver button to call the lift. The hum and clatter of the heavy machinery as the lift began its descent made Adele’s eyes almost pop out of her head.

‘Erm, I’m not really that fond of lifts and that one doesn’t sound too healthy. Is there no other way to get into the hospital?’

Will shook his head. ‘It’s fine, I use it all the time.’

The double doors slid open and he stepped inside. Adele was hesitating, wondering if she should just go and find another way in, when the doors began to close and he arched an eyebrow at her.

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