Thank you, to my favourite reviewer, Jess! So, after lots of chapters of promising, you'll finally meet the intriguing Kirsty! And as for the people Kit has following Andrea...or does he...?
Phil Hunter watched Sam put the phone down carefully, then blink at the device as if it was speaking to her.
"So?" he said.
She looked at him and chewed her lip before continuing. "That was one Sergio Gibbons. Officer in Venezuela."
"You are tenacious," he said, half exasperated, half admiring. Nobody had expected her to have any luck chasing after a criminal record in South America. "So?"
"Christopher Maynard, aka Kit," she said, getting up and sitting on the end of his desk. "Was indeed jailed there."
"But not for dealing drugs?"
"Andrea said she and Kirsty caught him attacking someone, remember?"
"Yeah," he said.
"Well, it seems someone turned him in," said Sam. "The police arrested him for the attack and for the dealing. He was in for seven years, like he said."
"So, who turned him in? Do you know?"
"According to Mr Gibbons, it was one Catrina Stewart." Sam saw Phil's brow furrow and got back up. "According to Andrea, Kirsty's middle name is Catrina."
"She turned him in?" Phil said.
"Yes," she said. "All this time, we – and I think Andrea too – thought that this was personal, against her, for what happened at the falls, for having an abortion. But Smithy's right; it's not like she could do anything to give that to him. But, turning someone in, having them jailed…"
"This is about Kirsty?"
"Andrea said she and Kit Maynard hated each other; and remember, this is the same woman who had an affair with her best friend's fiancé."
"You don't think…her and Maynard?"
"Well there's only one way to find out," said Sam, then turned back to her desk as her phone rang. "Nixon…oh, you're joking. When?"
Phil watched her close her eyes in irritation, and sigh quietly.
"No, no, thanks for letting me know…you're right, she was probably just spooked, leave it with me. Stay at the hotel, keep a lookout…thanks, bye."
She replaced the receiver and turned back to Phil.
"That was DC Knox," she said. "They lost her. Andrea."
"What? How? I thought she was supposed to stay at the hotel?"
"Well, to be fair, we never said she had to. She went out, got on the underground, but they think she realised they were following her. She got off at a station, and jumped back on at the last minute. DC Knox thinks they scared her."
"Maybe I would be too if I were her," said Phil. "They had no idea where she was heading?"
"Somewhere on the central line westbound train," she said. "They did try to look at some CCTV in the control room, but it was too grainy. She could have been going anywhere, especially if she changed lines along the way. But they are sure that Maynard was nowhere to be seen."
"So, what, wait and see if she comes back?"
"Maybe we'll give it some time," Sam said. "Even if she was undercover, she did work as a police officer for a year, I'm sure she's familiar with personal safety, even more so now. In the meantime, we've got some more bad news to break."
Phil didn't give a common smart remark. They'd found the details for Bill Carter's daughter, Lydia, his address book. She lived in Alderney, a small island of the Channel Islands.
"Any word from uniform?" he asked. "Any witnesses? There was no forced entry."
"No, and I think Andrea's also right, I know I only met the man once but I can't see him letting a stranger into his house. One of the neighbours thought she saw someone who could have been Maynard hanging around, but it was dark, and the photo we have is Andrea's from ten years ago. Gina says the man doesn't look different, just uglier and fatter."
Phil laughed, choking into his coffee.
"I don't want to be him when Gold gets her dragon claws on him. When did the witness see him?"
"About three days ago, about when the CSE thinks Mr Carter was killed."
"Well, he used a woman to lure Smithy somewhere, could he have done that? Got someone to knock at his door, pretend to be lost or something?"
"Maybe, we can see what the post mortem brings, by all evidence, he put up quite a fight for an old man. Maybe we'll get DNA from his fingernails. Anyway, come on, let's find somewhere quiet. I hate this part of the job."
"Yeah," Phil said. "I do too. Let's get it over with."
The house was like all the others. Andrea wasn't sure why she expected it to be anything grand. Her mother had told her that Kirsty had broken up with Marc, and though she hadn't said why, Andrea thought she could guess. Grateful for the oversized hoodie, she watched through the kitchen window for a moment. She could see the outline of a figure, so she was home. Well, it was now or it would be left to Kit, who she wasn't entirely sure wasn't tailing her somehow. Andrea walked to the front door, looking nervously about her. She stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before ringing the bell. She heard an indistinct voice and running footsteps before the door was flung open. Surprise made her step back. She knew Kirsty and Marc had a child together, her mother had told her so, but she hadn't asked any questions. The boy stood in front of her was the image of Marc.
"I've told you not to answer the door, Olly, it could be any…"
Kirsty's scolding voice trailed off as she came to the door and met Andrea's shocked eyes. She put her hands on the little boy's shoulder and swallowed hard.
"Andrea."
Andrea stared at Olly who looked back at her, his expression politely confused. She took another step back, the damn tears she'd been crying on and off for the past few weeks threatening to overwhelm her again.
"Olly," Kirsty said, her tone light. "Go and start getting ready for bed, please. I'll come and tuck you in soon."
"Who's that lady?"
"This is an old friend mummy hasn't seen in a long time," Kirsty said, putting her hands on his shoulders. "This is Andrea. Say hi."
"Hi!" Olly sang.
"Hi honey," Andrea said, managing to smile back.
"Go on, go upstairs," Kirsty said, giving him a gentle push towards the stairs. "I'll be with you soon."
Olly went upstairs and Kirsty turned back to Andrea, her expression uncertain. Then she stood back, gesturing for her to come in. Andrea did so, grateful to the warmth. Kirsty pointed towards the sitting room.
"I need to sort Olly out, sit down for a minute. Do you want a coffee or something?"
Andrea shook her head and Kirsty went upstairs. Andrea went into the sitting room, her arms wrapped around herself. She took in her surroundings. Kirsty had been in the area about eighteen months or so, from what she could remember. The room held worn, but good quality furniture, a corner sofa, television and dining table crammed into the room. There were a great many photographs on the wall and she went to look. Mostly there were of Olly, some with him and Marc in them, but none of Marc and Kirsty. One caught her eye and she stepped forwards to get a closer look. It was very familiar, and it should be; she had a copy of it herself. Her and Kirsty at Angel Falls in Venezuela. Kit had taken it. It was a lovely picture, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to look at it for years, and had even considered getting rid of it but hadn't been able to. Footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned to face Kirsty, who was wringing her hands.
"Sorry," Kirsty said, and Andrea wasn't sure for what. "You caught me off guard."
"Yeah. Sorry."
"It's good to see you Andrea, it really is," Kirsty said. "I'm sorry, about everything. So sorry." She looked away from her, and continued, a hint of bitterness in her tone; "he left me too, if you're wondering where he is."
"Oh."
"Yeah, oh," Kirsty said. "And I've already heard all the 'if he did it with you, he'll do it to you' I can take, so….don't. Being abandoned with a kid who asks every day when daddy is coming home wears you down enough."
"That's not why I'm here, Kirsty."
"So why are you here, then? I haven't changed my number, AJ."
The old moniker made her twitch.
"Because I have something to tell you, and I didn't think doing it over the phone would be fair."
"Well, go on."
"Kit."
Kirsty turned away, shaking her head.
"No. No, no, no. I don't want to talk about this."
"Tough," Andrea snarled. "He's alive, Kirsty."
Kirsty whirled around, her mouth slack with what Andrea could see was real shock and her pupils dilated.
"What. Did. You say?"
"He's alive. Kit's alive. I've seen him."
"But…the rock…I hit him, then he fell from a waterfall! He can't be alive!"
"Yeah well, either I'm seeing a particularly malevolent ghost or he's back from the dead, just as malevolent. And I'm telling you that either way, he wants what's his."
Then, she saw it; the giveaway flicker in the eyes she knew so well. Shame. Guilt. Fear. Andrea closed her own eyes. Smithy had been right.
"What did you do, Kirsty?"
Kirsty rushed from the room. Andrea followed and found her in the kitchen, filling a glass with brandy. She turned, saw Andrea behind her and got a second glass, pouring her a drink with a shaking hand; more sloshed on the kitchen counter than in the glass.
"I don't want the damn drink, Kirsty, I need you to tell me now. What did you do?"
"I don't know what you mean," Kirsty said. "We left him in the water and you got rid of his baby. I don't know what else he could want."
She could hear the fear in Kirsty's voice and stepped closer to her, staring her straight in the eye.
"I don't believe you. He's been stalking me for weeks, and it's beyond him trying to give me a scare for what happened back then. A friend of mine, a good man, was beaten nearly to death for trying to protect me from him. My neighbour, a kind old man who wouldn't have hurt a fly, strangled to death in his own home just so Kit could get my house keys from him. He wants what he's owed and he will stop at nothing." She raised her eyes to the ceiling above and Kirsty's face grew even paler. "Believe me. Nothing. I can't guarantee you he hasn't followed me here, because on the train, somebody was. So tell me now. What. Did. You. Do?"
Kirsty stifled a sob with her hand,
"It was stupid. A moment of madness. It's been ten years, Andrea, I didn't think it mattered anymore!"
"Well it's been a ten year grudge for him and he's just got angrier and angrier. Just tell me, Kirsty."
She swallowed hard.
"That night. After we got back to the hostel. You fell asleep, remember?"
"Vaguely," Andrea said shortly. "You gave me one of those travel sickness things. Knocked me right out. You went to the police to make a report."
Kirsty avoided her eyes.
"You didn't do it. Did you?"
"No. I was watching you sleep, and I was drinking and driving myself crazy, thinking we were going to be arrested at any minute. I thought, that if some of his things were gone from his room, people might just think he went off. His key, it fell out of his pocket when we were struggling."
Andrea closed her eyes. "Go on."
"I went to his room. I just meant to take stuff that would make people think he'd gone, you know, passport, stuff like that. I went to pack that nasty brown rucksack he always carried around. And then I found it."
"Drugs?"
"No," Kirsty said, almost mumbling. "Money."
"No. Oh, no. Tell me you didn't."
Kirsty's voice shook as she carried on. "I thought he was dead, I thought I'd killed him! I thought it wouldn't matter, he wouldn't be needing it, and by the time any associates came looking for him, we'd be long gone.
"How much? How much Kirsty?"
"Fifty thousand."
Andrea turned away, dragging her hands down her face. This wasn't happening. How did she not know that her friend was travelling with that much money? How did she not even see Kit's rucksack?
"I hid it," Kirsty said in a small voice, answering the unasked question. "In my suitcase. You slept for hours that night. I had it all packed up by the time you woke up."
"How could you be so stupid?" Andrea hissed, fighting to keep her voice down. "What were you thinking, Kirsty?"
"What were you thinking, seeing a drug dealer?"
"Don't you dare! Don't you dare turn this back on me! I didn't know! And when I found out, I finished with him! You stole fifty thousand pounds, knowing he was a drug dealer."
Silently, Kirsty handed her the second glass of brandy she'd poured. Andrea glared at her, taking her glass and having a sip. Maybe she did need the drink after all.
"You don't understand."
"Explain then."
"I never had anything. Everyone else always had it so easy. You, you sailed through life. The pretty one, the clever one, the one everyone liked."
"So, I'm to blame for you stealing money?"
"No! Andrea, please. I'm trying to explain. Your parents only had you. Nobody to fight with for their attention. They gave you everything. I'm not saying mine didn't love me, but you don't know how hard it is, watching everyone get everything and having nothing. Even for our travelling, I had to scrimp and save before I could afford it. And…when I saw that money, I thought; this is my chance to finally have what everyone else always did. It was greed. Okay?"
"So, what did you do with it? I'm guessing you haven't left it sitting in that nasty brown rucksack for ten years."
"I bought stuff. Nice stuff. Stuff I couldn't have even dreamt of having without it. Designer clothes, jewellery, bags." She sneaked a guilty glance at Andrea. "A Baltic cruise."
Andrea felt the chill run down her spine. The Baltic cruise Kirsty had treated her to that winter had been a welcome surprise. A treat, Kirsty had said, as she was still haunted by the events of the summer and the aftermath. An escape. And something else to think about other than the abortion, though neither of them had said that.
"It's gone, Andrea, all of it. I spent it all. And you know what? I enjoyed every last minute of it."
"Except now, it's come back to bite you," Andrea snarled. They both jumped as her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket, glanced at the unknown caller display, and cancelled it. "You need to tell the police, Kirsty."
"I can't. What if they arrest me?"
"What jurisdiction do you think they have on something that didn't even happen in this country? You have to tell them. Because if you don't, I will."
Her phone rang again, and as with the last time, unknown caller. If this was him, if he'd somehow gotten this number…
"What?" she snapped
There was a pause, then Gina Gold's voice said; "bad time?"
"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry. It was coming up with a private number."
"Yeah," said the Inspector. "No offence, I don't always feel like sharing my number."
She was nothing if not honest. "None taken. Is there something wrong?"
"No. I just wanted to take some more details. About last night. And about what you told Smithy."
"Oh. I'm not at the hotel at the minute."
"I know," said the Inspector. "I'm standing in your room."
"You're…what?"
"Your room. At the hotel. I had housekeeping let us in."
Andrea rubbed the back of her neck, aware of Kirsty watching her nervously. "I'm sorry. I should have said I was going out. It's just something Smithy said yesterday. About Kirsty. That's where I am. I'm at Kirsty's."
"I see," said Gina. "How bad is it?"
"It's worse," Andrea said. "If you can get here, I think you should. You're going to want to hear this from the horse's mouth."
She gave the address and rang off, locking eyes with Kirsty, who was shaking her head.
"I can't. I can't tell them."
"You have to. He's coming for us, Kirsty, and if I were you, I'd want to be ready rather than not."
Gina Gold's car pulled up outside the house a half hour later, by which time, Kirsty had drunk two further glasses of brandy. Andrea, still nursing her first, got up when she saw the figures walking up the driveway, not wanting the bell to wake Olly.
"You okay?" Gina asked stepping over the threshold. Andrea nodded.
"Andrea," Sam said, giving her a glance, half hostility, half pity.
"She's in there," Andrea said, nodding towards the sitting room. "I'm afraid she's had a few."
She led them in, where Kirsty sat, holding her glass, looking twenty years older than she had when Andrea arrived.
"Kirsty," she said. "Inspector Gold and DS Nixon."
"Hi Kirsty," Sam said, sitting down on the sofa, Gina beside her. Andrea sat on one of the dining chairs. "We understand there's a bit more of a history with Mr Maynard."
"Low life druggie," Kirsty said. "Scum, that's what he is. I wish I had killed him. Would have done the world a favour. He makes Bill Sikes look like a saint."
"Okay," said Gina. "Kirsty, I think Andrea has filled you on what's been happening, and I think you already knew that Mr Maynard is very dangerous. We need you to tell us everything you know."
"I didn't mean to do it. Kill him, I mean. When I thought I had. Just…" Kirsty glanced at Andrea. "He was shouting at you, screaming abuse, then when you tried to get away and he pulled you back by your hair…" Her hand shook as he put the glass on the table, as if realising that drinking and talking to the police at the same time wasn't a good combination. "Then when he started attacking her, all I could think about was stopping him. That's why I picked up the rock. I had to stop him from hurting her."
"Andrea's told us as much."
"Yes. Of course. It was one hit, but he was just…lying there. Eyes wide open, blood pouring from his head. She couldn't find a pulse, we thought he was dead...until he came for us again. He said he'd do away with me if I tried to stop him. I didn't mean to push him so hard, but then...he wasn't there anymore. We just heard the splash of him hitting the water. We both were freaking out, we had to get out of there. I took Andrea back to the hotel. She was shaking, so I gave her one of my travel sickness pills. She slept for hours. Kit dropped his room key when we were struggling, so I took it. I thought if some of his things were missing, people would think he'd just moved on or one of his druggie mates had caught up with him."
Sam stopped note taking and looked up. "Andrea's told us you went to the police whilst she was sleeping."
"I…I lied," Kirsty said tearfully. "I was so terrified of getting into trouble and you hear all these stories about how corrupt some forces could be. I told her I'd gone to the police and filed a report, but I hadn't. I went to his room to move some of his stuff. And I found the money in his rucksack."
"How much?"
"Fifty thousand. More than I could have ever hoped to see. And no. I spent it. All of it. There's nothing left."
"So, when he said to Andrea he wanted what he's owed…"
"He wants his money." Kirsty said. "And I have no way of giving it to him."
"And you," Sam said, turning her eyes to Andrea. "You knew nothing about this?"
"No," Kirsty said firmly as Andrea shook her head. "I didn't tell her. Just like I lied when I said I'd been to the police. If I just had, we would have known he was still alive."
"Did you keep anything else of his?"
"No. I figured it would be risky taking his passport, and the rest of it was just, stuff, you know, clothes and that. I burned them when we got back to Scotland. I stood there, watching his stuff burn and I thought it was all over. Except, it's not." She ran her hands through her hair. "I've been so stupid. Andrea, I'm so sorry. Your neighbour, and your friend, you said he was attacked…"
"He's okay," Gina said. "But he very nearly wasn't. And all he did was defend Andrea. Another man is currently in hospital. We suspect Kit Maynard, but so far we have no proof."
"It never did take much to make him lose his temper," Kirsty said. "I guess she's told you about the time he practically threw a man across the room at a club, just for asking her name?"
Andrea raised her head from her hand as the two officers turned to her, questioning in their eyes.
"Yeah," she said. "I hadn't thought about that in a long time. It seemed small compared to anything else. Funny, how being young can mean you mistake possessiveness for protectiveness."
Kirsty jumped to her feet and rushed to the window, looking out, then drew the curtains, turning to them in terror.
"What if he's followed any of you here? Andrea said someone was on the train, He would have known it was me who took his money I'm on my own here with Olly."
"Who's Olly?"
"My son. It's just me and him."
"Well is there anywhere else you can stay?"
"Not without explaining this whole sorry mess, and anyway, the last thing I'd want is to put any of them in the firing line."
"Well, Andrea's in a hotel, could you do that?"
"With what? I work part time in a pub. I can barely make ends meet as it is!"
Angry though she was, angelic little boy, who so closely resembled her first love swam before her eyes. She'd bet Kit wouldn't hesitate to use him if he had to.
"I'll cover it."
"What?"
"I'll get you a room in my hotel," she said, sliding her phone from her pocket. "You and Olly."
"Andrea, I…"
"Don't thank me, Kirsty," Andrea said icily. "But the secrets stop. Now. Understand?"
Kirsty nodded, the gratitude dying on her lips.
"You'd better go and pack some stuff."
"Do that," said Gina. "And as for the people following Andrea, don't worry about them. They were ours."
Andrea's head came up off her arms, the panic she'd felt, even since shaking the couple off giving way to anger.
"What?"
"They were from MIT," Sam said apologetically. "We had them watching the hotel, in case Maynard decided to show his face. We probably should have said so. Sorry."
Andrea put a trembling hand to her chest, letting a shaky breath out. "I thought…Kit…"
"Yeah, we thought that's what you would have assumed," said Sam. "DC Knox and his wife are usually quite discreet, they're wondering what on earth gave it away."
"His wife?" Andrea said. "That was what gave it away. I thought it all just looked a bit…forced. I guess they were focusing more on their job."
"So…not Kit then?" Kirsty said nervously.
"No," Andrea said, rubbing her temple. "Not Kit. Go and pack."
Kirsty left the room and the two women watched as she called the hotel to make the booking. She rung off and stared at the phone in her hand.
"I'm really sorry Andrea," Gina said, her voice unusually quiet. "We probably should have realised that you'd notice someone following you."
"Its fine," she said. "Thanks for the extra security."
"Andrea," Sam said tentatively. "What you told Smithy last night. When you went to the hospital…"
"I had an abortion," she said shortly. "He knew I was pregnant, but didn't know I hadn't had the baby. Not until a few weeks ago. I was eighteen. I was in no fit state to have a child. Not after what happened in Venezuela."
"I'm not judging you," she said. "But why didn't you tell us this the first time?"
"I should have. But it was painful. I didn't even tell my parents. I spent the last ten years trying to forget it ever happened. Somehow, talking about what happened with Kit was easier than talking about that. I thought it was his whole motive. Until today."
Kirsty came back into the room, with a yawning and bleary-eyed Olly.
"What do I tell work?" she said. "I don't have exactly the most forgiving of bosses."
"We'll send an officer down to talk to them," said Gina. "Explain that there's been a bit of an emergency."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"We'll run you both to the hotel. Andrea's got our numbers if you need us and the hotel security are aware to be on the lookout. But I don't expect him to try and give you any trouble in a hotel full of people."
Kirsty's mouth twisted. "You really don't know Kit Maynard. He could start trouble in an empty room."
Andrea exited the lift in silence. She held Kirsty's suitcase as Kirsty held a sleeping Olly on one shoulder. She unlocked the room and stood back to let her go in.
"I'm down the corridor," she said shortly. "308. If you need me."
"Andrea…"
"What?" she said wearily.
"I know you said not to thank you…"
"So don't."
"Please, can we talk sometime? Maybe tomorrow. When we've both had time to rest. We're in this together. Whether you like it or not."
"You'd better get Olly to bed."
"Andrea, please?"
"Fine," she said. "After breakfast. I don't think I could face it on an empty stomach."
She turned and walked away, feeling Kirsty's eyes on her until she went into her own room where she collapsed on the bed, drained. Funny how the past had its way of catching up with you when you least expected – or wanted – it to. Getting up, made herself wash and change into nightwear before bed. Kit may have managed to scare her into leaving her home, albeit temporarily, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her look a state. She had to look after herself and be ready when he came to call.