CHAPTER ELEVEN

TIME

Ellie marched into the interview room with purpose this time. She would get what she needed out of Susan Wright. "Four cigarettes matching the brand you smoke got excavated close to the spot where Danny's body was found. There are traces from the skateboard in your cupboard. Your prints are on it, as are Danny's. You lied to us about Mark Latimer getting the keys to the hut. What were you doing on the beach near..."

"Where's my dog?" the woman interrupted the DS. "Where's Vince?"

"I understand from your record..." Ellie tried to get back on track.

"You don't understand anything... love," Susan snarled lowly with attitude.

Ellie had reached her wits end. "Susan, I've been on this case a long time now. I have lost so much patience. If you don't tell me how you came by the board, I will have you charged. You will be in custody. When I find your dog, I will have him put down. Now, tell me what happened."

Susan's face finally changed from its blank smug mask at Ellie's threats. "I was just going out, up from my caravan. Up the hill onto the cliff top. When we got up there... I saw it."

"Saw what?"

"The boy... lying there," she said.

"Anything else?"

She shrugged, "We walked back down the hill onto the beach."

"And what time was this?" Ellie asked, taking note.

"Three, maybe four."

"That's when you walk your dog?" Ellie questioned her.

"It's lovely during the night round here."

"So, you walked down onto the beach..." Ellie lead her.

"He was all... splayed out. The skateboard was next to him. He was beautiful."

Ellie found her sentiment about Danny disturbing. "You've got children?"

"Yeah."

"If you've got kids, I don't understand how you could stand over Danny's body, smoke and then carry on walking your dog," Ellie berated her.

"I knew he'd be found," Susan insisted. "I didn't want to get involved. You people destroyed my family."

"How?"

"It don't matter," she said.

"It does, because it affected how you were when you saw Danny's body," Ellie pushed her.

A flash of pain crossed over Susan's face for the first time. "We had two girls. My husband was an electrician. He used to have sex with the oldest, but I didn't know." She insisted on that last part. "Then he tried it on with the young one. Her sister was having none of it. She wanted to protect her little baby sister. So, she got herself killed. He told me she'd gone traveling." She scoffed at that part of the story. "She'd never said nothing to me. After a while, people started asking questions. Then you lot came, took the young one into care. Arrested him." She paused again. She almost seemed angry, under her simmering words. "He told them that I knew... that I was part of it, but... I didn't know. I never knew." She quieted, reluctant to go on. "I was pregnant. Social Services came. They took the baby. They said I wasn't a fit mother. Everything I told the police got twisted, thrown back at me. He was convicted. Got life. Hung himself in his cell ten months later."

There was a pregnant pause. She whispered, "Death. Once it's got its claws into you... it never lets go. When I was standing on that beach, looking at that boy's body, I just kept wondering if... if my girl looked that peaceful after he killed her." She sniffed, holding back tears, "I don't think she did."

Pacing the walk outside the station by the water didn't give him the fresh air feeling he felt he needed. He's checked his phone, just to see if he missed a text from Bonnie. But no such luck. He felt that he was wading out to sea, lost and adrift. And he was running out of time. By tomorrow, he'd be off the case. And he needed to close it. He couldn't leave otherwise.

He brought his phone up, dialing her again, he had to hear her voice.

"Alec, I can't talk to you right now," she answered. At least she answered. "I am furious with you."

"I know," he spoke quickly before she could hang up. "I know and I'm sorry. But I am desperate here, Bonnie. The Chief Super wants me off the case tomorrow after I see the medical officer."

"That's probably best," she cut in. "You nearly died last night, Alec."

"I have to finish this, and I'm running out of time," he said. "Have you spoken to Danny? Or can you? Get me anything to work with. I'll take anything."

He heard her sigh, "He can't speak anymore, Alec. He's been gone too long. He was able to tell me once that he knows he'd seen them a lot. They were close. Very close. He had more large gaps in his memory that just the night he was killed. Like his mind is protecting him from the trauma of what happened and who did it. So, I doubt it's going to end up being someone like Susan Wright that no one speaks to. Just, finish what you need to finish. That's all I know."

"Will I see you tonight?" Please say yes.

"You're staying at mine, aren't you?" she said instead. "You checked out of the Trader's."

"I really am – sorry, Bon," he said.

"I know you are, Alec," she said. "Just take care of yourself." And she hung up.

"DI Hardy?"

He glared when he saw Olly approaching, "No."

"But you don't know what I want," he said, befuddled.

"I know the answer's no," Hardy retorted, going to leave.

"How are you feeling?"

That made him freeze. It was wrong to hear that question from someone other than Bonnie. "What did you say?"

"You were at the hospital."

Hardy scowled, "I don't know what the hell you're playing at."

But Olly was tenacious and beseeching, "You were rushed to hospital, heart problems. You discharged yourself. I don't want to stitch you up, genuinely."

Hardy was so tired. "So, what do you want?"

Eagerly, he requested, "An exclusive."

After hanging up with Hardy, Bonnie felt somehow heavier. She thought she'd feel better hearing from him and hearing that he was well and on his feet. But it didn't feel that way. She just felt like something huge was about to happen – and it wouldn't be good.

Her thoughts were intruded upon when Maggie wandered in, "Hullo Petal."

She smiled as much as she could, "What can I do for you, Maggie? Need a good book?"

Maggie's smile now seemed some kind of mixture of awkward and mischievous, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sensing a shift in Maggie's tone, Bonnie went on guard, "Oh? What about? Sounds serious."

"A friend of mine informed me that DI Hardy was brought into hospital last night for heart problems," Maggie revealed. "And now, against medical advice, he's checked himself out and marched right back into the station."

Bonnie crossed her arms, "And why does that bring you to me?"

Maggie gave her a look, almost condescending, "Come on, Petal. We both know that you and Hardy have become quite close over the course of the investigation. And my friend said you were there, by his side, all night. I just want to get your side."

Bonnie said nothing, staring at her, and waiting for her to leave. She wouldn't stitch up Alec over his health, even if she was upset with him.

Maggie sighed, "I'm not here to make trouble. I'm just here for the truth, Bonnie. Come on, we're friends."

"You were Jack Marshall's friend too," Bonnie couldn't help but point out.

Maggie's face went hard, "That was Karen White and her lot. They hounded him."

"Don't tell me it wasn't Olly that went on Jack in the first place, Maggie," Bonnie argued. "Don't tell me it wasn't your paper 'that does things properly' that started that whole mess."

"I couldn't have known that was going to happen," Maggie said. "Olly was approaching him to get his side."

"You may not have fired the gun but you sure as hell loaded it," Bonnie hissed. "And now you're here, to what? To drag Alec down for the sake of front-page news? Let's not insult our intelligence. And let's not let you sink down to this level."

Maggie stared at her, "Has he told you about Sandbrook?"

Bonnie arched her brow challengingly. She wasn't going to be intimidated by her friend. And she wasn't going to let them get their claws into Alec. "I think you should leave, Maggie. I have half a mind to let the police know that you're getting confidential medical information from one of the Dorset Hospital staff – because we both know it didn't come from a civilian. That's a HIPPA violation and not only grossly immoral, but illegal." She took a deep breath, not wanting to raise her voice so someone could hear. "I refuse to talk to the press. And until you're done extorting our friendship for the sake of a gossip page, I refuse to talk to you. Now leave."

Startled at the fire in the usually happy person, Maggie silently left. Bonnie stared after her, disgusted.

Paul was surprised to see Beth and Mark at his Church's door. But he ushered them inside and gave them a seat in his small office.

"Everybody wants us to see counselors, but I don't want to share what I feel with a stranger," Beth told him.

"Don't rule it out," he advised them. "There are some really great people locally. I know it doesn't seem like it but... talking will help."

Mark shuffled, "We thought that... Well, Beth suggested, and I agreed, that err... maybe you could counsel us. That's why we came."

Beth quickly added, "You know us, you know what it's been like. And you're kind. We just thought you could help, you know?"

"But not from a religious point of view," Mark interceded.

"You can mention God if you want," Beth allowed.

"We don't want banging over the head with it," Mark muttered.

"No, I understand. No… banging," Paul agreed. "Well... listen, I'd be honored but... why now?"

"The baby," Beth answered. "We're due for the scan. But I don't know if I want to see it. I want to want it, but I don't."

"Don't say that," Mark interjected.

But Paul tried to reassure them, "It's all right, Mark."

"My heart is still full of Danny," Beth said emotionally. "There isn't room for another baby."

"There will be," Mark insisted.

She glared at him, "Stop telling me how I'm going to feel! Because you have no idea and no ability to understand. Shutting this out is not an option for me. I can't do that boxing thing off that you do." she averted her eyes from him, "I have to carry another life in me. For six more months. Feeding off me, breathing from me, sharing my blood."

"While you're still grieving," Paul guessed.

"Yes! And I can't let Danny go," she whimpered.

"Nobody's telling you..." Mark started saying but stopped himself. He had to stop telling her what to do and how to feel. Because he didn't know what to do either. "Sorry. It's difficult, isn't it? Sorry. You should talk."

She took a shuddering breath, "All I want... is to swap places with Danny. Let me be taken instead of him. In the night, I lie there, and I think, 'What would I go through to have him back?' I'd be raped, I'd be tortured, I'd have a gang of men on me, I'd be left for dead, if it meant he was safe."

Paul looked to her husband, watching him flinch at her sentiments, "Are you all right, Mark?"

He didn't look all right. "Yeah... We just need some answers, don't we? Some help. You have a line to the big man. Why don't you ask him? We're drowning down here." He looked utterly weighed down and lost. "We just want it done, don't we?" He stopped and gazed at his wife, "I mean... When we met, she was 15, Beth. She was... just beautiful. She was so sunny all the time. And now this life with me, it's just destroyed her, hasn't it? That girl's gone. So, I just keeping thinking how your life would be if you'd never met me."

"This isn't on you," she told him, the first sign of comfort she had offered him.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Paul cautiously requested. When they nodded, he went on to speak his best advice, "New life is... a gift. And maybe you can take in this gift, even if you don't want it yet. Go for the scan, see how you feel. Because God has sent you this life. You may not agree, but... perhaps he's... sent you not what you want... but what you need."

Ellie still had Susan in her cross-hairs in the interview room, "What I'm struggling with is, I know those cliffs. If you're walking your dog, you can't see straight down. You'd have to be right on the edge to see Danny's body lying on the beach. The angle's wrong. So, what you're saying doesn't ring true."

Susan didn't seem bothered by her accusations, "If you don't believe me, that's your problem."

Ellie glared at her, "I think you saw more than you're telling us. So, have a good think. Or I will charge you for obstructing a murder inquiry."

"I didn't see anything," Susan insisted.

"Like you didn't see what your husband was up to?" Ellie asked. "You were out walking when Danny's body was laid on the beach. What did you see?"

Susan frowned, "A boat. I wasn't on the cliffs. I was on the beach. I saw a boat come in."

"What sort of boat?"

"Little... like a rowing boat. But it had a motor on the back. I saw it come into shore," she confessed.

"How many people on board?"

"One."

"Are you sure?"

"Certain," she insisted. "I saw him get off."

"Him?" Ellie questioned. "Are you sure it was a man?"

"Yeah."

"And what did that person do?" she asked.

"He carried the body off the boat... and laid it on the beach. Then he got back on the boat and went off," Susan said.

"Which direction?"

"West."

"And did you recognize the person that laid Danny's body on the beach?" When Ellie noticed the change in Susan's face, she knew the answer. "Susan?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did."

Bonnie was still steaming from Maggie's visit when Beth showed up, all smiles. This surprised her, but instantly lifted her spirits enough to smile back, "Hello Beth."

Beth didn't say anything at first, pulling an envelope out of her pocket and handing it to her. "Mark and I went for our first scan. Got a picture for you. If you want it."

Bonnie opened the envelope to gaze at the ultrasound, "Of course, Beth, it's so lovely. Does this mean you're feeling a bit better about it?"

Beth shrugged, "I didn't want to see it at first. I don't want it to replace Danny."

"It never could," Bonnie said softly.

"I know now," Beth said. "We went to the scan, we saw it, and it... it felt like the times we first saw Chloe, and Danny. It felt good for once. And I hope that part lasts."

There was a bit of a lull, and Bonnie felt that she had more to say.

"Um, I was wondering – hoping really, that your offer was still open?" she shifted on her feet. "To come in and help you out?"

"Of course, Beth," Bonnie instantly replied. "Anytime. I'll even put you on payroll if you like."

Beth chuckled. "Only I met up with Cate Gillespie a few weeks back," she said. "The mum of one of the girls from Sandbrook."

Bonnie frowned at the mention of Sandbrook. It was such a dark time for all involved, including Alec. "You wanted to talk to someone who'd been where you are. How did it go?"

Beth shrugged, "Not how I expected. I was hoping she had all the answers. But... but, you know, she's divorced. Spends the days passing the time with drinking and sleeping and watching telly and crying because her little girl is gone. I don't wanna be that. I don't wanna be like her."

"You don't have to be, Beth," Bonnie assured her friend, guiding her to a couch towards the back of the shop. "You know, the first thing I did after my dad died was try to run away from home. I wanted to be someone else, new person, new name, new life. Someone who wasn't completely devastated. But I was fifteen, not very smart. My mum found me at a friend's house within three hours and dragged me back home."

"But isn't that what you ended up doing anyway?" Beth asked her. "Changed your name, moved here? New life and all that."

"Yes, a few years later," Bonnie leaned back into the couch. "After I'd done some growing, some grieving. And by the time I actually went ahead and did it, it had nothing to do with my father and everything to do with what I wanted to do. I wanted a new name because, come on, what kind of name is Marjorie?" They shared a laugh at that. "You would change it too, yeah?"

Beth smiled and nodded, "Yeah, think so."

"And I moved because I didn't feel at home where I was," she went on. "And I wanted to do something constructive, something good and helpful. I wanted to educate and share knowledge. So, I did my schooling, opened up this place, started the tutoring program. It was all about being inspired by my grief rather than running away from it."

Beth was quiet and pensive. Bonnie reached over to take her hand, "It's impossible to do right away. I wasn't ready until much later to do what I needed to do. So, please, if I can give you some advice?"

Beth eagerly nodded, "Please. I mean, you're the only one whose known about the baby and Becca Fisher and everything and never once told me what I should or shouldn't do. I want to hear what you think."

"My advice is not to rush your own grief process," Bonnie told her. "Don't put yourself on a schedule based on where you think you should be. You're not going to wake up one day and suddenly feel fine, get back into a routine, and go about your day like nothing happened. That's not how it works. It's going to be a step by step process but they're your steps. And you have to find what's right for you. That doesn't mean you can't expose yourself to other peoples' processes and stories and how they've dealt with their own tragedies. But comparing yourself, telling yourself you have to be a certain point by a certain point in time – telling yourself that if only you get to a certain milestone in your life, things will be better – is just going to set you up for disappointment. It takes time. Take your time."

Beth quietly took in her words, nodding along and accepting the hug when Bonnie offered. When they pulled away, Beth brought up something else that had been weighing on her. "When I spoke to Cate, she told me DI Hardy handled Sandbrook all wrong, let the killer go. She said he'd do it now, here too, with Danny's case. I know – I know that you're with him-"

"It wasn't like that, Beth," Bonnie tried to assure her. "Yes, Alec and I are together, so I know my opinion is biased. But, it didn't go down the way the press made it look like it did. There was a major mistake made that lost them the case in trial, and Alec got blamed for it because he was the DI in charge of it. And, I don't know for sure, but I think he let everyone blame him."

"Why would he do that?" Beth asked helplessly. She wanted to believe in this man. She wanted to believe that he would find her son's killer.

"I think he blames himself too," Bonnie sighed. "I think he holds himself responsible for everyone on his team, for every little job and piece of evidence, that he was swallowed by guilt when things took the turn they did."

Beth nodded, "Do you think they'll get him?"

"Yes," Bonnie said, certainty infecting her voice.

Isn't Olly a little shite?

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