Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright for Waking the dead or its characters – all rights belong to the BBC
Content: Heartache, angst.
Rating T – angst.
Hey everyone. I seem to be doing this all back to front having written ending and last few chapters of this story I am finally getting back to the current thread. Can I just say that this chapter may be a bit disturbing and I am sorry if factually it is not correct – I tried to keep it as open and accurate as possible, but I am not an expert and would never claim to be. Please take it as what it is - a work of fiction - I intend no disrespect or upset to anyone. Thank you again to all who have continued reading and review this. Your comments are very much appreciated.
Beyond Grace
Chapter Five
The coldness of the water pouring from the shower hitting his body drew a sharp intake of breath from Boyd. He felt awful, the pain making his head feel as if it were about to explode. He rubbed his hands across his face, trying to ease the ache. He had known that it was a bad idea to drink as much whiskey as he had the previous night, but he was sure that sleep would escape him and he wanted just somehow numb the pain.
The drive into the office seemed much longer than usual, Boyd impatient to get there. He had left late the previous evening and now the morning rush hour traffic was playing hell with his desire to get in and do something constructive. "MOVE!" he screamed at the driver in front of him, before aggressively undertaking him giving him a flash of his middle finger on the way. All the pain he had felt the day before had been replaced by anger, sheer dark, destructive rage that he could feel pressing down on him like some sort of oppressive weight.
"SPENCE" he was already calling for his DI before he got into the main office. "SPENCE."
"Yes Sir" Spence walked to meet his boss as he entered the door.
"What have you got for me?" Boyd continued. Spence could smell the stale whiskey on his breath but decided not to mention it. Firstly because he could fully understand why Boyd had hit the bottle, hell he had a drink himself last night, but the main reason he didn't confront him was that he could tell already that the mood the man was in he would take his head off without even drawing breath.
"Nothing concrete yet. I've still a few more files to go through." Spence knew that was not the reply Boyd wanted to hear.
"Aww come on Spence, get a move on. Go on ….." Boyd motioned with his head in the direction of Spence's desk. "….. get back to it. You sit there until you have something useful to tell me, understand?"
"Boyd I ….."
"UNDERSTAND?" Boyd left him in no uncertain terms as to what he expected his reply to be.
"Yes… Sir."
"And get me some coffee." Boyd yelled.
Spence turned, swearing inwardly all the while. What did he think he had been doing all day and late into the night? He didn't have the monopoly in hurting over Grace and wanting to find her.
Boyd had continued to his office, slamming the door firmly closed behind. He knew Spence was right; they didn't have anything concrete to go on. Grace had been murdered and they had nothing. That knowledge of helplessness only fed his anger and frustration. He switched on his computer, hanging his jacket over the back of his chair waiting for it to power up. Running his hands threw his hair he expelled air loudly and sat heavily into his leather executive chair before opening his emails and scanning them before hitting the delete key on almost everyone one. Delete, delete, delete. People have way too much time on their hands to email this crap daily. As he continued down the list he suddenly sat forward in his chair, eyes widening as he read the subject line ….. 'You'll want to watch this, a message from a lost friend you were too late to save.' Boyd felt his heart race as he opened the message. There was no further text only a Meg4 file. He hovered his mouse over the top of it for a few long minutes, his mind and heart fearing its contents. Finally he clicked down to play it.
He felt his stomach lurch and his heart stop as before him sat Grace, badly beaten, and looking scared. Her form appeared frail, she looked tired and frightened. He closed his eyes, everything within him wanting to reach out to her. He should have been able to protect her.
"Peter, I know that you will be blaming yourself for this, guilt is a strong emotion obviously" (muffled) She turned her gaze away from the camera as if she was speaking to whoever was behind it and softly said "Sorry, okay, yes I'm sorry I'll read it." She continued to camera "I have been told that this will be a final message to you, and that when you receive it you will already know that I am dead." She inhaled heavily closing her eyes for the briefest secondto compose herself. "I warn you that this is just the start, I am the first but I won't be the last. The game is on; you have to find my capturer before they find you. Cat and mouse Boyd ….. DON'T PLA…." With that a hand appeared and hit her firmly across the cheek knocking her head backward.
The screen went black.
Boyd swore loudly rising quickly to his feet up wanting to kill someone, or something. "SPENCE, SPENCE" he continued shouting violently swinging open the door to his office. Spence hurried towards his boss.
"What's happened? …Boyd? …..Boyd what is it?"
"Come here, look at this." Spence could see that he was shaken up and swiftly moved behind his desk to were Boyd had motioned and pressed play on the file.
The screen went black.
Spence could feel the anger rage within him. No man should ever lift his hand to a women, but this was Grace, their Grace. Grace who he respected and loved as a mother. "If I had 5 minutes alone in a room I swear I'd…"
"I'm first, and believe me there'd be nothing left of him." "AWW DAMN IT SPENCE!" Boyd punched his desk in frustration "Who's doing this?"
"I was just coming to see you – I might have found something."
"Might have or you actually have?" Boyd looked up questioningly, his tone short and irritated.
"Well, yea, I have found something." Spence continued "… it's definitely a firm starting point."
"Okay, let's hear it then. Stop standing around, go and get Eve – team meeting now."
As Spence left the office Boyd replayed the video. He saw the image of her, not the one that was displayed on screen but the image that was now living in his memory and refused to give him rest. Her helpless body lying lifeless on the ground. Boyd reached out and touched her face on the screen before rising from his seat to join the others at the board.
"Right lets nail this scum – tell me you've got him Spence." Boyd was doing little to hide his hatred.
"Okay so I've been looking over Grace's files and this guy is screaming out to me. His name is Stephen Harbinson; he was jailed in June 2000 for abducting and attacked three women. Spence moved forward and stuck a photograph on the board. He began to write Harbinson's name underneath as he continued. "His defence pleaded diminished responsibility, that he was mentally unstable, and didn't have any control over his actions. The prosecution however called in ….."
"Grace." Boyd interjected almost inaudibly physically sinking back in his chair.
Spence nodded. "Yea Grace and she proved without doubt that Harbinson knew exactly what he was doing and rather than going to the cushy wee secure hospital he was sent down for eleven years"
Boyd swallowed hard. "So this Harbinson, …. Where is he now?" He tried to keep his tone even while fighting against the nauseous feeling that was overwhelming him. His mind beginning to build a sickening picture of Grace's last moments. Before now he hadn't allowed himself to probe the darkness fully as to what her last moments may have been like, and now he was having to fight everything within to stop him imagining the most horrible thoughts.
"That's just it; he was released four months ago." Spence answered looking satisfied that he had given his boss enough to stop him from kicking off.
"Would Harbinson have changed his MO and turn into a killer though?" Eve enquired. "I mean he abducted these women and physically attacked them, but he let them go, he didn't kill them."
The same thought had crossed Spence's mind. "Yeah but by all accounts he hated Grace, it's recorded in the file that there was an altercation in court when he was sent down, and he was adamant it was Grace's testimony that got him banged up, so I guess if you harbour that hatred for eleven years then it might be enough to send you over the edge." Spence reasoned.
"Okay … "Boyd biting the nail on his thumb nodded his head and stared into nothingness. "Okay …. Does anyone know how we might get hold of Mr Harbinson?" His name was sticking in Boyd's throat.
"I've contacted his parole officer and he has given us an address for him, it's ….erm… 43 Westbury Heights."
Boyd got up and moved to the board staring at the photograph placed there. "Right I think we need to pay a visit – let's go Spence." Boyd grabbed his jacket calling back. "Eve I want you to look at that video that I've been sent, find out the IP address, there has to be something there that will link Harbinson to this."
"Yes boss."
"SPENCE COME ON GET A MOVE ON"
As they left Eve knew that if they found Stephen Harbinson, he would be wishing that he'd stayed in prison.