The Torment of Others (26 page)

Tony was shocked. ‘What do you mean?’

Brandon shrugged off his question. ‘Nothing I’m prepared to discuss with you. But just how good do you think it would be for her self-esteem if I put another officer in charge of it? This is her case, Tony, and she’s desperate to prove she can still cut the mustard. She’s the SIO on these murders. If I give the undercover to someone else, she’ll think I don’t trust her to do her job. And what’s worse, her team will think the same. If we try this avenue of approach, Carol has to be in the driving seat. I’m not happy with that, but I don’t see any alternative.’

Tony slammed his palms down on the desk. ‘So hold off on it. Give them the chance to see if they can get anywhere with conventional methods. Let me try and get some more out of Derek Tyler. He’s close to giving me something, I know he is.’

Brandon shook his head. ‘Tyler’s been silent for two years. Why should he suddenly start to talk now?’

‘He spoke to me this morning,’ Tony said.

Brandon’s head jerked back. ‘He what?’

‘He spoke to me.’

‘What did he say?’

Tony felt cornered. He knew Brandon would dismiss the prospect of getting information out of Tyler if he told the truth. But a lie would only cause more problems in the long run. ‘He said he couldn’t talk to me until the voice said he could,’ he sighed.

‘Well then,’ Brandon said triumphantly. ‘It’s hardly progress, is it?’

‘Of course it’s progress,’ Tony said, knowing from Brandon’s expression and body language that he’d already lost. ‘It’ll take time, though.’

‘We don’t have that luxury. Time means more women dying. You more than anyone should know that,’ Brandon said. ‘So, what bait do I have to lay in the media?’

Tony rubbed his hands over his face, as if trying to erase his anger and fear and replace it with professional competence. He stared down at the floor. When he spoke, his voice was cold and distant. ‘He’s a Power Assertive rapist. He prides himself on his control of the scenario. He thinks he’s covered all the bases. So you have to tell the press that this second murder has provided some valuable lines of inquiry. That the killer is not as careful as he thinks he is. That you believe you will be able to apprehend him before he can claim another victim. That way you prick his vanity, challenge him to prove you wrong. And then your decoy scenario might just work in the short term.’ He straightened up and looked Brandon in the eye. ‘And that’s what you want, isn’t it, John? A nice, quick, clean result.’

Brandon turned away and reached for his intercom button. ‘Have DCI Jordan come up, would you?’ With his back to Tony, he said, ‘Yes, Tony. That’s what I want. A nice, quick, clean result. And I think Carol can deliver that with an undercover operation.’ ‘For her sake, I hope you’re right.’

Merrick walked into the squadroom, balancing a sandwich on top of his polystyrene cup of tea. Late afternoon and nothing much doing. Apart from Stacey, the room was empty. He called out a greeting, earned a grunt in reply and crossed to his desk. He was glad of the peace; he’d stuck his head round the door of the murder incident room, seen it was crowded and decided to write up his interview notes at his own desk. He sipped his tea, rubbed his eyes. He wasn’t sleeping well. Nothing to do with Paula’s spare bed and everything to do with the core of misery eating away at his heart. He missed his sons like a physical ache. Even though he’d often gone a few days without seeing much of them, knowing he wasn’t allowed to be with them was a completely different experience.

He missed nothing about Lindy, and that was almost as disturbing. How could he not have noticed how the love between them had shrivelled and shrunk? It wasn’t as if there was anyone else. He hadn’t even been tempted to read between the lines of Paula’s offer of somewhere to stay. Besides, there had been nothing in her behaviour to indicate that she was interested in him as anything other than a friend, even if he had been ready to consider the possibilities of solace. For now, recognizing the death of love between him and his wife had left him feeling curiously desolate.

Merrick sighed and roused his computer from its snooze mode. He’d just started typing in the mostly fruitless results of his interviews when Paula walked in. ‘Hi, Stacey. Hi, Don,’ she said brightly, walking over to his desk and perching on the corner of it. ‘How’s it going?’ she asked.

He pulled a face. ‘Pretty crap, really. I spent a bit of time out on the streets this morning after I’d sent the teams out. But I might as well have stayed here and read the paper for all the progress I’ve made. I’m just writing up what I’ve got, then I’m going to plough through the rest of the reports in the incident room.’ He flipped through his notebook. ‘Oh, I did get one laugh, though. I was talking to this young lad. Rent, you know? And he goes, “I hear the girls are refusing to play bondage games with their customers. You think maybe I should do the same?” I could hardly keep my face straight. “I don’t think you’re his type, son,” I said.’

‘At least you got a laugh,’ Paula said. ‘I’ve just spent the last hour going through the mug shots with a kid who calls herself Honey. She used to turn twosomes with Jackie sometimes. I thought she might be able to pick out some of their punters, but no joy. It’s such a hidden world, Don, that’s the trouble. These are lives that feed on secrecy. Jan says they’re so used to turning a blind eye that in the end they just stop noticing.’

‘She should know, the queen of the Vice,’ Don said slightly sourly.

‘You don’t like her, do you?’ Paula said.

‘She’s a smart-arse,’ he said. ‘And you know what they say?’

‘Nobody loves a smart-arse,’ they chorused.

Paula stood up. ‘Better crack on,’ she said. But before she could make a move towards her own desk, the door opened and Carol walked in with Tony. When she saw Paula, she turned to share a quick look with Tony.

‘Paula,’ Carol said. ‘Can you come through to the office? I’d like a word.’

Paula raised her eyebrows at Merrick behind Carol’s retreating back then followed her and Tony into the office. Tony leaned against the wall, arms folded. Carol sat down and indicated that Paula should do the same. Paula could feel the tension in the room and wondered what was coming. She wasn’t nervous; she’d done nothing to be worried about, after all. The only secret thing in her life wasn’t something Carol Jordan would summon her to the office to discuss. Especially not in front of Tony Hill.

Carol fiddled with a pen, avoiding Paula’s eyes. ‘Paula, the Chief Constable has had an idea he wants me to put to you.’

Suddenly the tumblers clicked into place. Honey’s words. Carol’s unease. Tony’s presence. ‘You want me to go undercover on the streets. Be a decoy,’ Paula blurted out.

Carol’s head came up, her expression stunned. Out of the corner of her eye, Paula registered a look of faint amusement on Tony’s face.

‘How did you know that? Who told you?’ Carol demanded.

Paula shrugged. ‘Nobody told me. I worked it out for myself. One of the girls I was interviewing said I reminded her of Jackie, and I suddenly realized that, if I was on the game, I’d be his exact type. And we’re not getting anywhere with the usual routines, so when you said Mr Brandon had had an idea…it just seemed to make sense, that’s all.’

‘And how do you feel about the idea?’ Carol said. ‘It’s up to you, Paula. It’s a dangerous, risky operation. You don’t have to agree if you’re not comfortable with it.’

Paula couldn’t help herself. She was grinning broadly. ‘I think it’s brilliant, chief.’ Her chance to shine, to show what she could do. Not even the look of concern she caught on Tony Hill’s face was enough to dent her enthusiasm. ‘So when do we start?’

He’s watching the streets tonight. He’s had a hard day; it’s not easy to do what he does for a living when the place is crawling with coppers. But his customers need what he has to offer, so somehow it happens. He shifts the gear, relying on a sixth sense for avoiding trouble that’s always kept him clear so far
.

There’s something soothing about prowling his familiar pitch, now transformed by his own actions. He’d never have believed he could change the world around him, but he has. People are moving differently. He catches the nervous glances every pedestrian throws at those they pass. They don’t know if there’s a killer among them, and they’re scared
.

He almost wishes he could stand in the middle of the street and shout, ‘It’s me. I’m the one you’re all scared of.’ Just to see the looks of disbelief. Because he knows he’s not what they expect. He’s not a monster. He’s not even scary. He just looks ordinary
.

It’s what’s inside that counts. And they’ve got no idea what’s inside him. They’ve never heard the Voice. They’re the ones that are ordinary. But him, he’s become extraordinary. And this is only the beginning
.

The low rumble of the motorbike engine cut through the quiet of the suburban street. Jonathan kept the big machine steady even at low speed. As they drew level with Tony’s house, Carol unpeeled one arm from round his ribs and tapped him on the shoulder. The bike slowed to a halt and the engine died, leaving a shivering echo of itself inside her head. Carol dismounted, heart still racing, and took off the spare helmet Jonathan had given her outside the Italian restaurant where they’d eaten dinner.

Jonathan was next to her, placing his own helmet on the padded leather saddle. ‘Not too terrifying, I hope,’ he said.

‘It’s years since I’ve been on a bike,’ she said, handing over her helmet. I’d forgotten how exhilarating it feels.’

Jonathan opened the topbox on the rear of the bike and stowed the spare. There’s nothing like it,’ he said. He moved closer to her. Instinctively, she put a hand against his chest, feeling the rough tweed of his jacket under her fingers. It was as if all her senses were heightened, on full alert. She could smell the tang of winter in the air, the warm masculine scent that rose from Jonathan’s skin. He put his hands on her hips and she could feel a burn on her skin even through her clothes.

‘Thanks for a lovely evening,’ she said briskly. ‘I enjoyed it.’

‘Me too,’ he said, leaning down for the kiss.

Carol shifted her head to one side so his lips brushed her cheek. Her pulse was hammering in her throat, her tongue dry against the roof of her mouth. The images flashing in her head were not of Jonathan France, and no matter how hard she tried to tell herself this was not a threatening situation, she couldn’t free herself from her history. She knew she wasn’t being fair; their conversation had been flirtatious and fun, but that had been in the safe environment of a well-lit, busy restaurant. Here, now, she couldn’t maintain the charade that she was like any other woman.

He sensed her tension and drew away, a puzzled look in his eyes. ‘Was it something I said?’ he asked, his tone light and teasing.

Carol released the breath she hadn’t been conscious of holding. ‘It’s not you,’ she mumbled, fixing her eyes on the sleeve of his jacket. She’d been surprised that he hadn’t turned up in his leathers, but he’d explained that he always travelled with a change of clothes when he was working. The boy biker look had been replaced by a faintly fogeyish tweed jacket, faded jeans and a crew-neck cotton sweater.

‘What’s wrong, Carol?’ he asked, his voice mild, entirely lacking in accusation.

I’m sorry, I…’ She didn’t know what to say except the truth and she didn’t know how to say that. His hands were still on her body and it was taking all her strength not to wriggle away from what felt like an invasion.

As if sensing her discomfort, he let her go. Her hand was still on his chest, and he gently covered her fingers with his own. ‘It’s all right,’ he said. ‘I’ll go.’ He stepped back, still holding her hand.

Carol closed her eyes. ‘I was raped,’ she said. The words hung in the air between them. His grip didn’t alter. She opened her eyes, expecting to see shock, anger, pity, avidity.

But all she could read on his face was concern. Their eyes met in the silence. Then, tentatively, he said, ‘Then it was pretty brave of you to come out with me tonight. Thank you for trusting me.’

She was taken aback. His reaction was unlike anything else she’d experienced. ‘I don’t know about brave,’ she said. ‘But I don’t think it was very fair.’