The Secrets of the Shadows (The Annie Graham series - Book 2) (7 page)

‘Calm down Jake, please. It’s okay, I sort of expected it to happen, in fact I’m surprised he lasted this long given his reputation.’

‘What planet are you on? It is not bloody okay. I don’t give a flying fuck, he promised me he wouldn’t mess you around. That’s it; I’m going to kill him.’

‘No you are not, keep out of it. This is between me and Will. I’ve moved out and gone back home now anyway. He left a voicemail yesterday trying to apologise and said he had to work the murder at the church that came in so I went and packed up most of my stuff after tea. He isn’t worth you getting in trouble and losing your job over and I can’t be bothered anymore, I’ve cried it out of my system and from now on I’m staying single. No more men. now promise me you won’t do anything stupid?’

‘I can’t Annie, you can’t expect me to let him do this to you and not say anything, it’s not right. He’s my friend but you’re like my sister and I wouldn’t let anyone treat my sister like that.’

‘Thanks Jake but you don’t have a sister so how do you know? Look, I will deal with Will, just leave it.’

‘Why do you have to be such a goody two shoes? Okay, I promise to try not to do anything stupid. That’s the best I can do.’

As they were walking back to the police van, a call came in for a domestic on Marsh Street. They ran and jumped into the van and Annie held onto the side of the van door as Jake blue lighted it through to the other side of town. She loved working with him but he was a crap driver, it was like watching her life flash before her eyes whenever he drove them to an emergency call. As they turned into the street one of their regular customers was kicking his ex-girlfriend’s front door. Jake screeched the van to a halt and they both jumped out.

‘Now then Peter what have we got here? From where I’m standing it looks like you’re causing a shit load of criminal damage.’

‘Fuck off, she’s a total bitch. Won’t let me see the kids and she has another bloke in there.’

Peter turned and began kicking the door again; Jake took three steps and grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the door.

‘Peter Low I’m arresting you on suspicion of criminal damage, section 4, and for being a prick. You do not have to say anything but, it may harm your defence if you do not mention now something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand Peter?’

‘Fuck off.’

Annie turned away to hide the grin on her face and opened the van doors as Jake snapped his cuffs over Peter’s wrists.

‘Is that any way to talk in front of a lady? Get in the cage, I’m taking you to the town’s worst bed and breakfast so you can sleep off your six bottles of cider and until you understand the error of your ways.’

Peter tried to resist being put in the van and began to scuffle with Jake who was almost twice his size. Jake grabbed him and threw him in.

‘Don’t be a dick all your life; I can add police assault and resisting arrest to that nice little list of charges.’

Jake slammed the cage door shut and then the van doors. Annie started laughing, ‘Sorry.’ She walked towards the house and knocked on the door, which was opened by a woman in her early twenties and clearly pregnant, with a two year old clinging to her legs.

‘Are you okay Julie? We’ve arrested him so he’ll be in until at least tomorrow because we can’t interview him until he’s sober.’

‘Thank you, why can’t he just leave me alone? He’s a pain in the arse.’

‘Typical man if you ask me Julie. Look I’ll let you get sorted out and then I’ll come back in an hour for a statement is that okay?’

The woman nodded her head. ‘Thanks Annie, I’ll have the kettle on.’

Annie grinned at her. ‘You’re on.’ She got back inside the van; Peter was now hammering on the cage and shouting about police brutality.

Jake looked at her, ‘Is she okay? For Christ’s sake Peter pack it in or I’ll come around there and show you the meaning of police brutality.’

‘Fuck off.’

Annie smothered her laughter with her hand. Peter stopped banging and shouting, having realised that he didn’t really want to go face to face with a pissed off copper the size of Jake.

They drove to the station and parked in the rear yard, there was already a shop lifter in the traps waiting to be processed so it would be at least fifteen minutes before they could take Peter in. After five minutes an unmarked CID car drove into the yard, with Will at the steering wheel and Laura in the front passenger seat. Annie felt her heart break a little more at the sight of them together. Before she could say anything Jake was out of the van and marching towards the car.
Oh shit
. Jake began to shout at Will, which roused the now sleepy Peter from his drunken snooze. Annie could only watch in horror as Jake wagged his finger in Will’s face; Laura put her head down and darted across the yard and into the station. Jake shoved Will and he stumbled backwards against the bonnet of the car, he caught his balance then shoved Jake back just as hard. A loud cheer came from the cage followed by a lot of whooping. Annie jumped out of the van, running over to separate them, but before she reached them they began to grapple with each other. She could hear the drunk in the van hammering on the cage and shouting. Kav came running out of the back door. He was the same size and build as Jake if not slightly bigger and he grabbed him, pulling him away.

‘Get in the station now and calm down you bloody idiot, it’s a good job there’s nobody important on duty or you two would both be out on your arses.’

Will regained his composure and walked away, his face red and blotchy. He didn’t even look across at Annie. Kav had Jake pinned to the wall, ‘Calm down you stupid moron, do you want to lose your job? Honestly sometimes I wonder where your brain is because it’s not in your bloody head. My office now and don’t move out of there until I come and see you.’

Jake muttered, ‘Sorry boss.’ He walked across the yard and into the station. Kav turned to Annie. ‘I can hazard a guess at what this is about Annie, are you okay sorting out your prisoner? Is there anything I should know before my officers start killing each other again?’

‘I’m fine Sarge, I told Jake to keep out of it but you know what he’s like. He thinks with his fists not his head and yes I’ll sort the prisoner out.’

She walked back to the van and got inside, slamming the door. She looked in the rear-view mirror at Peter who was grinning. ‘Those two wankers better get locked up for section 4, bloody brilliant you couldn’t make it up. There’s more action here than outside the pub last night.’

‘Shut up and go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn.’

She sat there with her face on fire and a pounding headache, wishing the last few days had never happened.

Chapter 7

Will threw the office door open and it slammed into the wall. Everyone looked up from their computers at him. He didn’t speak, just went and sat down at his desk and slouched behind the computer monitor so they couldn’t see his face. Laura was nowhere to be seen which suited him just fine; he didn’t care if he never set eyes on her again. Jake was well pissed off with him but he could cope with that, what he couldn’t cope with was seeing the look of betrayal on Annie’s face. He began reading his emails, anything to take his mind off the last twenty four hours. He wanted to make it up to her but he didn’t know if he could, she hadn’t returned any of his calls. He had an email from Grace Marshall who was a profiler from Manchester they had drafted in to help search for the last killer. She was telling him all about the wonders of geographical profiling and how she had just helped to solve a series of rapes in the Blackburn area because of it. She also told him she was off to Corfu for two weeks and planning on coming down to Barrow to pay him and Annie a visit.

He considered asking for her advice on the woman found in the church yesterday but she would probably cancel her holiday and he didn’t want to make her do that. They should be able to figure this one out without any outside help. He hoped to God no more turned up but if another body did appear then he wouldn’t wait around he would ask for her help. There was no way he would wait while bodies stacked up, one serial killer in this town was enough and they didn’t want another. The sound of movement made him glance up to see Stu and Laura whispering to each other. She must have sneaked back in because he hadn’t noticed her. He nodded at them; they were both holding clipboards.

‘Sarge is it okay if me and Laura revisit some of the houses near to the church? See if we can catch anyone who wasn’t in earlier.’

Will nodded once more; he couldn’t bring himself to speak. As far as he was concerned they could drive to bloody Blackpool for some candy floss and a stroll on the beach – as long as he didn’t have to look at them. He leant back, putting his feet up on the desk, then he put his hands behind his head and shut his eyes.

***

Annie finally got to book her prisoner in twenty minutes after the fiasco. He was now snoring loudly in the back of the van and she had to shake him to wake him up. He fluttered his eyelids at her, ‘What, where am I?’

‘You’re about to be booked into the cells Peter, again.’ She emphasised the again bit seeing as how she had arrested him twice this month already.

‘What for?’

‘What do you mean what for? What did you get arrested for the last two times I met you?’

‘Oh yep, I forgot about that.’

She shook her head in disgust. ‘You can’t just forget about making someone’s life a misery.’

She helped him get out of the cage and led him to the door, which clicked open. The internal door to the custody suite buzzed and they walked into the small room, where they went through the process of getting him booked in until court tomorrow. Once this was done and he was tucked up safely in his cell Annie went to find Jake. She stuck her head through the community office door; it was empty. So was the parade room. Surely Kav wasn’t still bollocking him. Not really wanting to go and face Kav but not knowing what else to do she walked into his office where he was sitting on his own reading the paper.

‘Erm Sarge where’s Jake, is everything okay?’ She could feel the cooked breakfast she’d eaten earlier rolling around in her guts.

‘He’s gone to get me a McDonalds to make up for his bad behaviour.’

She let out a sigh of relief and he pointed to the empty chair opposite his desk. ‘Take a seat and don’t look so worried, what did you think I was going to do send him to the Inspector? I have the feeling that whatever it is Jake had a pretty good reason for it but do not tell him I said that.’

‘Thanks, I suppose he did and he is very good at protecting my honour but sometimes I’d rather live without all the drama. It’s knackering.’

Kav nodded. ‘I should imagine it is. Anyway enough of that, how are you?’

‘I’ve been a lot worse.’ Images of her lying in casualty last year filled her mind. ‘I just wish I could lead a simple life away from all the hassle. Maybe I should take up flower arranging.’

‘I actually think that’s a good idea, how much trouble could you get in making pretty bouquets?’

She laughed, ‘Knowing me probably a lot. I think I need a change of scenery or a lottery win, either one would be nice.’

‘Then this might just interest you, there is a vacancy about to come up in Windermere which is top secret because you know how many people would like to escape and work up in the heart of the glorious English Lake District, dealing with lots of tourists and sheep.’

‘Really, do you think I would be able to apply for it?’

‘Well I can’t make any promises but if I have a quiet word with the Inspector up there and tell her you need to get out of here for the sake of your sanity but more for the sake of mine, it might just be possible. Plus she owes me for not arresting her teenage daughter a couple of weeks ago for being drunk and disorderly and trying to fight every copper outside that new nightclub where you can drink yourself into oblivion for a quid.’

‘That would be amazing, I need to put everything behind me and have a fresh start.’

‘Yes Annie, I think you do. Although I will be gutted to lose you from my team because nobody provides me with the excitement or entertainment that you do but it might mean I can hang on to what’s left of my hair. Leave it with me and if you go and really hate dealing with all those Japanese tourists who have lost their cameras then you know I’ll have you back tomorrow.’

She stood up to leave. ‘Thank you, I really appreciate it Kav.’ She walked out of the door and back to the office to wait for Jake to turn up so he could give her a lift back down to Marsh Street for that statement. It wasn’t long before Jake walked in carrying a greasy brown paper bag and slurping on a giant size drink. ‘I have no idea where you put the amount of food you eat or why you’re not fifty stone. What did Kav say to you then?’

‘Just told me I was a prick and basically I need to wind my neck in, but he also said that Will was an even bigger prick and I told him I didn’t know about that because I’d never had the pleasure. Soon stopped him in his tracks, he didn’t know where to look so he sent me out for food.’

‘Well at least you’re not in any real trouble, I appreciate you sticking up for me but like I told you before I can handle it.’

She felt her eyes fill with tears and Jake began rooting around in his bag. He pulled out a cheeseburger and held it out. Annie shook her head.

‘You know you could always try batting for the other side, you might have a bit more luck with a bird. We could go to Manchester to the Gay Pride parade as a foursome.’

He dodged the desk stapler that came flying across the room. ‘Just a thought.’

‘Hurry up, I need to get out of here and go get that statement.’

Jake shoved the last of his burger into his mouth. He was still slurping from the paper cup. ‘Do you want some? It’s chocolate milkshake, your favourite.’

‘No thank you.’

‘Suit yourself but I bet it would make you feel better.’

She walked out of the office with Jake behind her; head bent and straight down the corridor just in case anyone was looking. She couldn’t be bothered with polite conversation. There was no way she’d be coming back in here until it was finishing time.