Dont come looking, p.25
Don't Come Looking, page 25
‘Who’s been a busy girl?’ he says, enjoying the drama.
It isn’t long until we are on the M4, heading out to Heathrow. As we drive through the car park to the hotel entrance, I notice the same car that swerved in front of me earlier on. ‘I think Luke may have been followed here.’ I point to the Mini Metro. ‘That same car pulled in behind his taxi earlier. It nearly caused an accident.’
‘It looks like it belongs in the knacker’s yard,’ he says.
‘That’s why I remember it.’
We enter the hotel lobby and charge up to the front desk where two police officers are waiting for us. We produce our warrant cards. One of the officers addresses us. ‘We’ve taken the liberty of getting a key card for you.’
‘Great work,’ I say and take it from them. I give a cursory nod to the hotel manager, who points in the direction of the lift, and we set off with the two officers in tow.
My senses are racing, as they always are when I’m involved in an arrest. This should be easy. Luke is hardly a threat. Rob knocks on the door. ‘Luke Walker. It’s Detective Robert Sharpe here. Can you open the door, please?’ There is silence. ‘Luke. Please, open up.’
I wave the key card, suggesting its use. Rob nods. A beep and a click as I enter the electronic key in the slot. I gently push the door open. Luke is not much more than a boy, so it doesn’t seem appropriate to go in all guns blazing. I ease into the room. Rob follows me.
The mess confronting us shocks me to the core. Curled up on the floor in the foetal position, Luke lays in a pool of blood, the deep burgundy staining the cream carpet. I gasp in horror, my insides twisting at seeing Annie’s son in such a desperate state.
‘We need medics here. NOW!’ I shout.
In the corner of the room, a figure sits in an armchair in the semi-darkness, rocking back and forth, murmuring, ‘I told him. I told him he’d pay.’
‘Who do we have here?’ I ask.
‘I can tell you that,’ Rob says. ‘Mr Timothy Robbins.’
Thirty-Nine
Five months later
Gill pushes a bottle of ginger ale across the table. We are at the Italian restaurant up on the High Street, where the chef is preparing a batch of pesto. The smell of basil is overwhelming. It’s doing nothing for the incessant queasiness tormenting me as much as a drawn-out hangover. Except I haven’t had a drink for over three months now, not that I’m counting. I take a few sips of the ginger ale. It’s the only thing that seems to be working this time. With Joe and Isabella, Fanta had hit the spot.
‘It’s good to have a proper catch-up, finally,’ Gill says.
‘You will go away on all these trips,’ I say, my tone teasing. She knows I’m her number one supporter of the travelling lifestyle she has adopted since retiring. Having dedicated her life to raising foster kids because she couldn’t have children of her own, she deserves it more than most. She has just returned from a three-month Caribbean cruise with Derek, although she remains steadfast that their relationship is purely platonic. Her face radiates a healthy glow.
‘So, tell me. I’ve never had the opportunity to ask. What changed your mind in the end?’ Gill asks, nodding at my belly.
‘Jim desperately wanted a third as much as Joe and Isabella wanted another brother or sister. I guess I realised they’re growing up way too fast, and I don’t want to live with any regrets.’ I exhale a deep breath. ‘It’s going to be a challenge.’
‘You’ll find a way to cope.’
‘Don’t fancy moving in for a few months, do you? Like you did when Joe and Isabella were born.’
She smiles with the love only a mother can give their daughter. ‘I’m sure we can sort something out.
‘You’d be closer to Derek,’ I tease.
‘And the kids are all OK?’
‘Doing well. Joe is ticking over. And Isabella has a new bff – Aida, the daughter of that woman over there.’ I nod towards Siena serving behind the counter. ‘She’s a cute kid. They have a lovely friendship.’
‘I bet Jim was over the moon when you told him you were pregnant.’
‘Ecstatic.’
She raises an eyebrow. ‘Tell me you’re going to take a decent amount of maternity leave.’
‘Jim’s insisting I take a year, but we’ll have to see how his third book goes.’
‘A year minimum, I should think.’ She picks up the menu. ‘You ready to choose?’
I scan the offerings and opt for a turkey sandwich, but when the waitress appears, I ask her to hold the cranberry and grilled brie, and the butter too.
She smiles her understanding. ‘A dry turkey sandwich it is.’
‘I wish this damn morning sickness would leave me alone.’
Gill orders then pops to the toilet. I pick up my phone and respond to an email to confirm my presence in court next week and check my messages. A text from Sasha asks how long we’ll be. I reply:
Having an early lunch with Gill. I’ll pick up Jim and head over. Should be with you within the hour.
‘I told Sasha we’ll be in there in about an hour,’ I say, when Gill returns.
‘How are Sasha and Marc? Brief me before we see them. I don’t want to put my foot in it. They’re off to Devon, you said?’
I nod. ‘Sasha’s moving her business down there.’
‘It all happened very quickly in the end, then.’
‘With two other houses for sale in the close, they had to accept an offer below the asking price, but they’re so keen to move.’ The waitress brings our order.
‘And how is Marc after all the drama?’
I exhale a deep breath. ‘Getting there. He’s in therapy. They found a great clinic, and he’s doing well, Sasha tells me. He’s working on his marker pen project. I told you about that, didn’t I?’
She nods. ‘Getting the right therapy is so important when you’re in such a dark place that despair overrides hope. Where was he all that time?’
‘He went to Cambridge for a night then came back to London.’
‘Why Cambridge?’
‘He says he doesn’t know. It’s all a blur. He can’t even remember the train journey. Or seeing me at the station before he left. He was born and spent his youth in Cambridge. Perhaps he thought he’d find some comfort there. Who knows? He returned to London and slept rough for a few nights before a homeless charity picked him up and helped him get his act together.’
‘Gosh, poor man.’
I take a bite of the turkey sandwich. It makes me gag. ‘You don’t have to come over to theirs this afternoon. It’s just they are off in two days, and I promised I’d help.’
‘I’m happy to come along and help too. Devon, lovely part of the world to move to. You’ll miss her.’
‘All of them.’
‘And what about their dodgy neighbours?’
‘Annie and Art are out on bail awaiting trial. They’re trying to sell their house to pay for their legal fees.’
‘Will they go to prison?’
‘There’s so much evidence; I can’t see even the best defence getting them acquitted.’ It transpired that Art had been a low-profile dealer for a number of years – supplying users like Marc – but his insatiable need for more got the better of him and he started messing with the big boys. And you mess with the big boys, you have to know precisely what you are doing. The good to come out of it all was that we managed to nail Shane Baker and JJ Harper. ‘Luke’s in a young offender institution, awaiting trial, as well.’
‘How’s his recovery going?’
‘Surprisingly well considering the injury he sustained. He was a lucky boy. The knife missed his vital organs. Such a disturbed individual. Incredibly intelligent but so deluded. Delusional disorder, a case of psychosis. Unable to see what’s real and what’s not. Dangerous when you marry it with his level of intelligence. In his sick mind, he was punishing everyone who had done wrong. He believed they all deserved it.’ I shake my head, puffing my cheeks out. ‘It can’t have helped that he found out about his adoption in the way he did or discovering his parents were drug dealers.’
‘You’ve got to feel sorry for the lad in some ways. He’s had a lot to contend with. What a waste, all those brains. Think about the good use he could have put them to.’
My dear friend, you always see the best in people.
‘There’s still time. He’s young. He’ll be there for a while, though.’
‘How long?’
‘It’s hard to say. A good few years given the number of victims, planning and malicious intent involved. It wasn’t a spur of the moment crime. It was long in the planning and execution.’
‘What about Robbins?’
‘On remand, awaiting trial. He’ll go down for a fair while. What a waste of a life. All for a fling. When he went to the police to confess, he realised the enormity of what he’d done. The affair with the pupil had been going on for over a year. His career was over, all his savings were gone. His wife left him. He snapped. Turned out he was going round to Napier Close to have it out with Luke, but saw him getting into a cab and followed him.’
‘And is Sasha OK?’ she asks.
‘I think it’ll take her a while to fully accept everything. She feels guilty that Marc was depressed and taking drugs right under her nose, and she never even noticed. She put his mood swings down to the redundancy and not being able to find another job. I feel a bit guilty myself. I had a sneak in his wardrobe, just after he left, and found a small pouch of coke. Perhaps I should have said something.’
‘You were only doing what you thought was best at the time.’
I force another bite of sandwich, but then I have to surrender. Chucking it down, I push the plate away. ‘Apparently, he’d been saying for over a year he hated his job and wished he could concentrate on his magic pen project, but Sasha didn’t listen. She was too scared of the financial impact of him being out of work for any length of time. They won’t have the financial burden after the move. Sasha’s found the twins places at a state sixth form, so they’ll be rid of school fees and be mortgage-free. It’ll release the funds for Marc to further develop his magic pen.’
‘A good place to be.’
‘You sound like Jim. That’s what he keeps saying. If we sell the house and move to Devon, we could buy our next home outright.’
‘Tempted?’
‘Not at all,’ I say, steepling my fingers. ‘I love my job and my home and would miss London too much.’
After we pick up Jim, heavy traffic delays us getting to Sasha’s, stop and go, stop and go, but I’m OK with that. Since an eight-week emergency scan, due to some blood loss, I’ve found a coping strategy for the inevitable delays of London’s congestion. Usually, I’ve got an audiobook on the go. I don’t get the time to read like I used to, so it’s a great way to keep up with my love of literature. Ruth Rendall proves a great distraction. Today Gill and I chat while Jim types away on his phone.
When I park up in Napier Close, and get out, I see Pen, dressed in an autumn jacket, the hood covering her head. She is hurrying into Pen’s Parlour with her dog. Pete is re-erecting a FOR SALE board which seems to have been displaced from the ground. I hear Pen call out to him. ‘I’m having a salad for lunch. You make your own.’ He kicks the board when it falls again.
We climb out of the car to a chilled wind flickering the waxy leaves of the eucalyptus trees; autumn taking a firm hold. I lock the car, thinking of the leaves blanketing our garden, and I make a mental note to remind the kids that this is a job for them from now on.
Sasha greets us, holding open the door ‘Watch out, it’s chaos in here.’
We step inside, weaving our way through half-packed boxes, metres of bubble wrap and rolls of packing tape. Jim doesn’t use his wheelchair as much these days. Only when he is really tired or having a bad day. I found him an exercise specialist in West Norwood from whom he sees great results along with his continued sessions with Sasha. Pain still haunts him on bad days, but such days, I’m relieved to say, are now few and far between.
We follow Sasha into the kitchen. ‘Drink?’ she asks.
I shake my head and hand her a brown paper bag. ‘Here, I’ve brought you all your favourites from the deli.’
‘You angel. I’m starving, and the fridge is bare. I was going to ring for pizza.’ She steps out of the room and calls out, ‘Kids, lunch.’
‘We can only stay until pickup time. What do you want us to do?’ I ask.
‘I’ve saved this cupboard of glasses for you to pack. They’re light.’
‘Where’s Marc?’ I ask, cutting a piece of bubble wrap and handing it to Gill to parcel a glass.
‘He’s with Alisha, finalising the intellectual property side of things for his Magic Marker.’ She glances at her watch. ‘He should be back soon.’ She slaps her forehead and laughs. ‘And there was me thinking those two were having an affair when Annie saw them together in the café that day.’
I laugh too. ‘And Pen!’
Sasha glances over at me, still laughing. ‘What was I thinking?’ She’s getting back to her old self, her long hair shining in the afternoon light and her soft dimples prominent in her pretty face.
‘I’ve just seen Pen and Pete. They didn’t look too happy.’
‘They’re getting a divorce. Pen told me yesterday.’
‘That’s hardly surprising.’
‘They’re waiting to sell the house to split the proceeds, and, get this,’ she raises her eyebrows, trying to stifle a giggle, ‘she’s moving in with Tom.’
I gasp. ‘I thought he’d gone to live in Newcastle with his parents after Alisha kicked him out.’
‘He did. But she told me yesterday they’re still seeing each other.’
A whirlwind of activity occurs as Marc arrives home, and the teenagers swing into the kitchen, ecstatic at the thought of food. Hannah unwraps the packages, arguing with Harry ‘I want this cheese one,’ she replies to his demand to hand over the Philadelphia and smoked salmon bagel. ‘I’ll be glad when you go back to uni,’ she says, as Harry swipes it out of her hand. Ralph is yapping around their feet, excited at the prospect of some titbits. At Sasha’s request, Harry searches for some kitchen roll to use as serviettes, tripping over a packed box of crockery in the middle of the floor. ‘Fill the kettle,’ Sasha instructs Hannah. Marc scolds George for biting into a brownie, clipping him playfully around the ear. Sasha tells them all to calm down. ‘It was quiet in here a minute ago.’ She rolls her eyes and smiles, relishing the chaos of her family life. ‘You’ve got all this to come, especially with double trouble,’ she says to Jim and me, giving us a knowing smile.
‘I can’t wait,’ says Jim, nuzzling my neck.
I watch the five of them, as I stroke my belly, already expanding with the two babies who have made a home inside me.
Please Leave A Review
As for all authors, reviews are the key to raising awareness of my work. If you have enjoyed this book, please do consider leaving a review on Amazon to help others find it too.
mybook.to/DontComeLooking
All of my books go through a rigorous editing process, but sometimes mistakes do happen. If you have spotted a typo, please contact me, so I can get it corrected straight away.
https://www.ajcampbellauthor.com/contact
Thank you.
AJ
A Note From AJ
According to the mental health charity MIND, mental health problems affect around one in four people in any given year. Someone you know is suffering. Do look out for them and show your support. Always be kind.
I hope you enjoyed reading my second published book Don’t Come Looking as much as I adored writing it. If you haven’t read my debut novel Leave Well Alone, check it out at your local Amazon store. Find out how Eva’s story began.
http://mybook.to/LeaveWellAlone
Love Thriller And Mystery Books?
For me, building a relationship with my readers is one of the joys of writing.
I set up the AJ Campbell Readers Club for me to keep in contact with you all.
Sign up today to be the first to hear about my new releases, including free and discounted books, plus the chance to win book-related prizes. You will also receive my free short story Choices, exclusive to club members.
http://www.ajcampbellauthor.com/download
Book Club Questions
Don’t Come Looking
‘I switch on the radio. A broadcast about depression and suicide catches my attention. Middle-aged men have the highest rate of suicide in the UK, and the rate for young females is now at its highest rate on record.’ Why do you think this age difference exists?
Which character did you relate to the most? Why?
Eva indulges in criminal activity to help her friend. What does this say about Eva as a person?
Eva struggles with the love of her work and of her family. ‘Work versus motherhood, a never-ending tug of war that neither side can effectively win.’ Do you agree with this statement?
Do you think Sasha was wrong to lie to her children about what had happened to Marc, or do you think her actions were justified in the circumstances?
Luke is a complex character. For a young man of his age, with the right treatment and therapy, do you think there is a chance he can go on to lead a normal life?
What did you make of Eva and Rob’s relationship?
Napier Close has some quirky characters. Did the story make you question how well you know your neighbours, or anyone else?
As the story progressed, where did you think Marc had gone and why?
What long-term impact do you think the events would have on the O’Sullivan children?
