Conflicted Innocence (8 page)

Lee snatched the lighter from his hand and shoved it in his pocket. “Nothing. I mean, I found it.” He nudged past Jimmy and headed back to the house.

Chapter 14

Lee told us that Lydia refused to go in their house, and I can’t say I blamed her. So when James invited them in for coffee, I panicked, wishing I’d left Grace to sleep for another half hour.

Not that I was bothered about Lydia hurting my daughter. I was more bothered about the effect the sight of my baby would have on Lydia. But I needn’t have bothered.

Grace and Lydia hit it off as soon as they set eyes on each other. I even struggled to keep Grace from leaping out of my arms and onto Lydia’s lap, the second snub I’d had from my delicious daughter recently.

Lee clearly couldn’t cope with seeing his wife playing with a baby and almost ran from the room. But I wasn’t about to hide Grace away in our own home. I probably would have kept a low profile for a few days if they hadn’t bowled in here right away asking for our help.

But Grace seemed to breathe life into the shell of a woman who had just walked in, and within minutes Lydia was singing songs and bouncing Grace on her knee as though they’d known each other forever. Grace chuckled hilariously.

After a short while, Lydia placed Grace back on the rug with her toys and turned to me.

“Thanks,” she said.

I shook my head, confused.

“For being normal. With me. For being normal with me.”

I smiled. “I was a bit worried about meeting you, to be honest, because I thought Grace might bring back memories for you. But it’s over with now, and I hope we can be friends.”

“I’d like that. I don’t think I have many of them anymore. My mum died last year, but I hadn’t heard from her for a couple of years before that. My own mum.” She sighed.

“That’s tough. Do you have any other family?”

“My mum’s brother, his wife, and my sister, but they haven’t been in touch either.”

“I’m sorry.”

She smiled. “It’s not your fault. Sorry to go all maudlin on you.”

“Well, it seems we’re in the same boat. My mum died last year too. I only moved here last week and don’t know a soul, so maybe we can be family to each other.”

“I’d like that.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Look at me.” She laughed, poking at her eyes.

When the boys came back in, we were chatting like old friends, and James winked and nodded at me, clearly pleased.

“I just suggested to Lee that you should both stay here tonight,” James said. “We could grab a takeaway and watch a movie or something.”

“That’s a great idea,” I said.

The worried expression returned to Lydia’s face. “But we wouldn’t want to put you out, would we, Lee?”

Lee shook his head.

“Nonsense. We have a spare room, and it’s been made up already,” James said. “Go and get your stuff. I insist.”

Lydia glanced at me for confirmation and I nodded.

Chapter 15

Lee glanced at his watch as he crept from the bedroom. It took Lydia hours to fall asleep, and now it was almost 2am, much later than he’d planned.

By the time he got to the car, sweat poured out of him. Being in someone else’s house, he’d needed to take extra care on the stairs and opening doors, trying to avoid all the squeaks and creaks.

The roads were deserted and he had a good run all the way to the cottage. He parked his car near the shops and, taking the torch from the boot, he pulled on his gloves and walked back to the cottage, keeping to the shadows.

The gate scraped open noisily. He kicked himself for not fixing it before now.

Turning on the torch, he slunk down the side of the cottage and around to the back door.

The wooden door had three glass panels across the top. He waited, glancing around for any signs of movement, before bashing the side window with the end of the torch. It took three attempts before the glass tinkled to the ground behind the door. The sound, although not loud, filled the silence and caused him to hold his breath.

A dog began barking a few houses down.

Lee’s heart thundered in his chest until the yapping stopped.

A couple of minutes later, he reached inside the window and unlatched the door. Once inside, he quickly shut the door behind him and waited for his heart to return to a near normal rhythm.

His plan was to make it look as though Susie had been staying there and had fallen down the cellar steps in a terrible accident. To do that, he would need to retrieve her coat and shoes, which he’d thrown down on top of her. But he dreaded seeing her again.

He unlocked the cellar door and paused, leaning his head against the wooden surround, trying to psych himself up. “Okay, Lee. You can do this. You
can
do this.” He repeated to himself, over and over.

With a roar, he opened the door and charged down the stairs as fast as he could, refusing to put the beam of the torch anywhere near Susie’s lifeless body. He picked up the coat, and one of the shoes, but for the life of him, he couldn’t find the second shoe. In the end he had no choice but to put the light on.

The rogue shoe lay on its side next to Susie’s grotesque face. He made another roaring sound as he retrieved it and legged it back up the steps to safety. Panting wildly, he slammed the door behind him and leaned against it.

“This isn’t who I am—this
isn’t
who I am,” he yelled.

He made the cardboard bed up, throwing the coat over the top and placing the shoes beside it.

He did a final sweep with the torch, then, satisfied, he made his way to the back door.

Careful not to tread on the glass, he stepped out onto the path.

“Hello.” The male voice came from somewhere behind him.

“Who’s there?” Lee hissed.

“No need to panic. I’m your neighbour from across the way. I noticed the torch light and thought you were being burgled. I was getting ready to call the police.”

He still couldn’t see the man, but the mere mention of the police caused Lee to almost crap himself.

“No need for the police. I just popped back to pick something up and I think I disturbed a burglar. They’ve gone now, though.”

“You’re kidding.” The man stepped out of the shadows, and Lee was surprised to see he was younger than he expected—eighteen, twenty at the most.

“Yeah, look. This window’s been broken.” He shone the torch on the door.”

“You sure they’re not still inside?”

“Yeah. Pretty sure.”

“Can’t be too safe, man. Let’s go in together.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I had a look around.”

“Make me feel better though, mate. I’m sick of the scumbags around here.”

Lee had no option but to re-enter the cottage.

The young man switched the main light on and Lee flinched at the sudden brightness.

“Look! Someone’s been sleeping here.” He kicked the cardboard bed and Lee’s stomach dropped to his boots.

“Yeah, you’re right. Cheeky bastards.”

“We need to call the police, man. I’ll just take a quick look upstairs.”

Lee watched as the man ran up the stairs, and, once he’d gone from view, Lee quickly relocked the cellar door.

“No. You were right. No-one up there.”

“Like I said, I think I disturbed them. The lousy bastards will be long gone by now.”

“Where does that door lead?”

“The cellar. But it’s got a deadlock, and I didn’t bring the key with me.”

“Must be some expensive stuff down there if you deadlock it, but not the house.” He laughed.

“Not me. The last owner used it as a wine cellar. It’s empty now. Sorry I didn’t catch your name,” Lee said, suddenly suspicious of this young man who was mooching around in the dead of night and quizzing him to see if there was anything worth robbing.

“Oh, sorry. I’m Lucas. I live in the upstairs flat opposite. I couldn’t sleep tonight and saw your torch light. There’ve been a few places broken in around here and I thought I was going to be lucky enough to catch them in the act.”

“How do you know I wasn’t the burglar?”

“I know you. You’ve been coming for months, only on the weekends and always alone.”

“You’re observant.”

“Nosy, more like.” He laughed.

“Well, Lucas, I’d best be getting off. Thanks for your assistance, but I can’t see they’ll be back. Not tonight, anyway.”

He led Lucas towards the back door. “Bugger! I need to use the toilet. Nice meeting you, mate. And thanks for your concern.”

Inside, he went upstairs and turned the bathroom light on for a second, just in case the nosy bastard was still watching. Then, he crept downstairs and unlocked the cellar door again.

As he turned, he came face to face with Lucas.

“Suppose you tell me what’s going on before I call the police.”

“Nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I just saw you unlock the door after telling me you didn’t have the key.”

“I know. I just remembered I had a spare upstairs.”

“Now, why don’t I believe you?” He took packet of cigarettes from his pocket. “Mind if I smoke?”

Lee shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Can I get a light off your cooker?”

“I don’t have a cooker, but here, I have a lighter.” He handed the lighter to Lucas.

“Oh, I didn’t peg you as a smoker. Do you want one?”

Lee nodded and took the offered tailor-made cancer stick.

Lucas lit Lee’s cigarette and then his own.

“So. Are you going to tell me what’s really happening here?”

“I don’t know what you’re on about. There’s nothing happening.” Lee shrugged.

“I’d be happier if we called the police then, to be on the safe side.”

“No. No police.”

“Then spill.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you. I’m short of cash and was going to make it look as though someone had broken in before setting the place on fire.”

“Why would you do that?”

Lee shrugged. “As you said, I’ve been coming here for months, and I’m still no further on than when I first started. I’ve run out of energy and money and I want out. I figured I could claim on the insurance. Let’s face it, the insurance companies add extra money on for this kind of thing.”

“Is that right? I was under the impression you used to be an insurance man?”

Lee gulped. “Who told you that?”

“My girlfriend.”

“She must be mistaken. I haven’t spoken to anyone from around here except for Chinese Eric.”

“No. You’ve definitely spoken to my girlfriend. In fact she spent two nights here last week, and now she’s missing.”

Chapter 16

“I—I don’t know what you’re on about,” Lee said, as a sudden coldness gripped the pit of his stomach. The cigarette in his hand trembled so much he looked like an alky with the DTs.

“Oh, sure you do. You even have her lighter.” Lucas, smiling now, held the distinctive lighter up in front of his face and lit it.

Lee couldn’t find any words as a sudden explosion went off in his head.

“You see, we planned it all. The intention was to rob you at first. See how much we could get out of you. But when she came back to me the next afternoon with a poxy twenty quid, she told me you were a soft touch and worth a mint.”

“No.” Lee shook his head in rapid movements.

“I’m afraid so, Leepy, me old mate.”

He couldn’t believe it—the bitch had been out to fleece him all along. Slumping against the breakfast bar, the tears rolled down his cheeks. It was over. There was no point lying anymore.

“So what did you do to her?”

Lee flipped his thumb towards the cellar.

“You locked her down there? You disgusting prick. What did you intend to do? Keep coming back to molest her over and over again?”

Lucas ran to the cellar door and fumbled with the handle.

“Suse—are you there, Suse?”

He finally managed to open the door, and then he disappeared through it.

Lucas yelled something garbled and clambered down the steps to his disgusting partner in crime.

A white hot anger suddenly gripped Lee. They had brought it all on themselves and ruined his life for a few measly quid.

“What have you done to her, you bastard?”

The sound of footsteps running back up the steps warned Lee he was about to get the kicking of his life and he didn’t intend waiting around for it. He got to his feet and ran to meet it head on.

Lucas was almost at the top of the stairs when Lee came towards him like a rocket.

Lee’s head connected with the younger man’s chest and they both hurtled down, landing almost on top of Susie.

Lee didn’t know where he got his strength from, but he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. Straddling Lucas, he punched and punched and punched him in the face.

Lucas tried to push him away, but Lee was too far gone. Until he felt hands snaking around his throat and squeezing—tightly. Unable to breath, Lee pinched and scratched the other man’s face, then suddenly felt his target give under his fingers.

Lucas screamed hysterically, releasing his grip, as Lee dug at his eyeballs.

Finally able to move, Lee scrambled away towards the back of the cellar. But Lucas recovered quickly and yanked him back by his hair, just as Lee’s fingers touched and wrapped around something cool and hard. He lashed backwards at his attacker, not even knowing what he had grabbed.

The sickening squelch that followed puzzled him, and then Lucas suddenly relaxed his grip on Lee’s hair before thudding to the stone floor.

Lee quickly got to his feet and turned, ready for the next round. But Lucas was lying face down on the stone, unmoving. A crimson puddle oozed from beneath him, growing larger by the second.

And then he noticed why.

An old broken wine bottle protruded from Lucas’ throat and the blood gushed out at an alarming rate. A strange gurgling sound came from him, but his eyes were still and unseeing. Then, before Lee had time to move, the gurgling stopped.

He realised Lucas was dead too.