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I try not to think of my own little girl as I step back out on the landing, and turn to face the final door at the end of the hall. The floorboards seem to get louder with every step that I take towards it, as though trying to warn me to stay away. Although I’m glad we don’t all carry guns in this country, an iron poker doesn’t seem like adequate defence right now. I hesitate when I reach the door, then kick it fully open, not wanting any unexpected surprises. I get one anyway. The cameraman is dead on the floor, lying in a pool of his own blood with his head bashed in.
I stare down at him, it’s impossible not to, then check the rest of the room until I am certain nobody is lurking in the shadows.
‘I need you to drop the weapon, sir.’
I spin around and see Priya standing in the doorway.
Despite the combination of noisy floorboards and perfect silence, I still didn’t hear her coming. At first, I feel relief. But then I notice her gun – the one she said she carries for self-protection – pointing in my direction.
‘Priya? What are you doing?’ She looks down at the dead cameraman, then at the iron poker I’m still holding in my hand. ‘Now, hang on a minute—’
‘I said drop the weapon, and put these on.’
Without taking her eyes off me, she reaches inside her pocket with her free hand and produces a set of handcuffs.
‘Priya, I don’t know what you think—’
‘Last chance,’ she interrupts. ‘I’m not going to ask you again.’
Her
Thursday 01:40
It’s as though Mum can no longer hear me, so I ask her again.
‘When did the policewoman come to the house, and what did she want?’
‘Lots of times. Asking questions.’
‘About what?’
She squeezes my hand and stares up at me.
‘You.’
‘Me?’
Tell a person they’re wrong and they’ll cover their ears. Tell a person they’re right and they’ll listen to you all day long.
‘It’s OK, Mum. I believe you, but we have to get home now.’
She nods and we carry on walking, navigating a path through the woods. I drag her along as fast as I dare over a forest floor full of obstacles. Giant roots and fallen trees can be dangerous in the dark, but then so can Cat Jones. And I fear she’s still out here somewhere, hunting us down.
Every few steps I check my phone for a signal, hoping I can call Jack. But then I remember that Priya Patel is with him.
It’s impossible to know who to trust.
Him
Thursday 01:40
‘Priya, it can be very difficult to know who to trust in these situations—’
‘I mean it, sir. Put the weapon down.’
She stares again at the lifeless body of Richard Jones on the floor and then the iron poker in my hand. I see things the way she must be seeing them right now, and it makes me want to run.
‘I didn’t do this!’
‘Put the weapon down.’
‘Priya, I—’
‘It’s over, sir. When I asked the tech team to triangulate Anna’s phone, they told me that someone had cancelled the same instruction I had placed on Rachel Hopkins’ mobile yesterday. They just confirmed it was you. Boots that match the prints left by her body were found in your bin, you have links to all the victims, and witnesses have described seeing a car that sounds a lot like yours, parked outside the school the night Helen Wang was murdered.’
‘I know how this looks, but—’
‘There’s no such thing as coincidence. You taught me that on my first day.’
‘Someone is trying to set me up—’
‘Who?’
‘I don’t know!’
She takes out her phone.
‘Backup are on the way, and the tech team are now trying to trace both mobiles. Rachel’s has been turned on again. Shall I call it?’
She presses a button, and seconds later a phone starts to ring inside my pocket. I try to talk over the sound of it ringing.
‘Yes, I have her phone because someone planted it in my car. They’ve been sending me cryptic messages ever since. Think, Priya. Catherine Kelly was the fifth girl in the photo. Turns out she is now Cat Jones, a presenter who works with Anna, is married to the dead man on the floor, and owns this creepy fucking house. You’re right, there is no such thing as coincidence, so where is Cat Jones now?’
She hesitates, but then her face twists out of shape again.
‘Please drop the weapon, sir.’
If this situation wasn’t so deadly serious, I would laugh at the fact she is still calling me ‘sir’. I know the killer is still out there, and I know Anna is in danger, but I can’t see a way through this. Then something catches my eye. Something light in the dark, and I’m sure I see someone move in the distance outside the window. I try to get closer and Priya snaps.
‘Jack Harper, I am arresting you on suspicion of murder. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence—’
‘There is someone outside. I can see them through the trees.’
‘It’s probably backup—’
‘We both know they wouldn’t have got here that quickly. I’m aware how this looks, but I’m telling you the killer is still out there. Anna is in danger and I’m going to try and save her. You can shoot me if you want to, or you can help me catch whoever did this.’
She shakes her head and looks so sad.
‘I want to believe you, but I don’t think I can anymore. I don’t think you know what you’ve done, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t do it,’ she says.
‘You do know me, Priya, and deep down I think you know I’m telling the truth.’
She doesn’t lower the gun, but I can see her eyes filling with tears. I take a step towards the door, unable to tell which way this is going to go. All I can think about is Anna. I let her down before and I can’t do it again.
Priya flinches just as I am about to pass her. I’ve been trained for situations where a gun is being pointed in my face, and I know what to do. I just didn’t want to have to do it. I grab Priya’s wrist so fast she doesn’t have time to react. She pulls the trigger though, making a hole in the wall before I slam her into it. I step back as she slides down onto the floor. Her eyes are closed and I can see she has hit her head, but she’ll live. Backup will be here soon and they’ll take care of her. There isn’t time to wait.
‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper, before leaving the house, and heading into the woods.
I love the woods at this time of year.
The sounds, the smells, the screams.
Especially in the dark.
Everyone has a place they run to when the world gets too loud; this is mine.
There is nothing more satisfying than crunching over dead leaves, breathing in cool country air, and knowing that you are on a journey from one moment in your life to the next. Sometimes I think where you are going is far less important than the fact that you are going somewhere. You have to learn to enjoy the ride, not just the destination.
