Conflicted Innocence (21 page)

Chapter 38

I stood at the window and watched James and Lee stroll off together. Before they left, I warned James to be careful. He didn’t want to jeopardise their relationship because of a hunch.

Once out of sight, I went through to the kitchenette and filled the kettle, cringing when I saw the cheap and nasty coffee that awaited me. I needed to stock up on some decent stuff if I planned to be there every day.

I returned to the seat James had set up for me at the end of his desk. He said we could go out on the weekend and buy a new desk and laptop for me. For now, I would use my old clunky laptop, which I found okay although very slow.

The case he wanted me to research was another little known murder of a ten-year-old boy, Steven Onslow, in Middleton, Greater Manchester. The details of his gruesome murder were a bit too much for me to handle, so instead, I began browsing the internet while I waited for them to get back.

A sound from the main office made me look up and out through the large glass panel, but I couldn’t see anybody. I got up, thinking it must be the glazier Lee asked me to look out for.

“Hello-o.” I walked to the main door and glanced down the staircase. “You must be hearing things, Missus,” I muttered to myself.

“Maybe it was the knock on your head.” I heard her voice before I spotted her in the doorway of the kitchenette.

“You!” I touched my head and my mouth suddenly went dry. “What are you doing here Candice?”

***

James and Lee ordered their coffee and chose a small booth furthest from the counter.

Two young mothers on another table were giving them the eye, and James raised his eyebrows at Lee. “We’ve still got it, mate.” He sniggered.

“Not for much longer, once you tie the knot.”

“Who’s said anything about tying the knot?” James asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

“Oh, sorry. I thought that’s what you wanted to talk about. You know, hush-hush.”

“You thought I was going to ask you to marry me?”

“No. Idiot. I thought you were going to ask me to be your best man.”

“Oh, sorry to disappoint you, buddy and, for the record, if I did plan on getting married, you would definitely be my best man.”

“Glad to hear it. So what did you want to talk about?”

James rubbed his chin. “It’s a little sensitive. But I wanted to ask you about the girl you found in your cottage.”

Lee’s stomach dropped through the floor. His breath quickened, and a strange twitch began in his right eye.

“What about her?” he finally said, looking down at his cup.

“Well, going over what you told the police, I can’t help thinking you’re hiding something.”

He snorted. “Like what?”

“I won’t beat around the bush, Lee. I think you were seeing her.”

“Fuck off! Why would you think that?”

“There are just too many discrepancies. I honestly think it’s as clear as the nose on your face. It’s only a matter of time before the police are back.”

Lee didn’t say anything. He was too busy trying to keep his trembling to a minimum. “I don’t get you,” he eventually uttered.

“Okay. Let’s start with the lighter. Now, I know for a fact, you had the dead girl’s lighter. I picked it up off the street the day before you found her body, remember?”

“That wasn’t hers.”

“Okay then, where is it?”

“I dunno. Probably at home or in the car.”

“I saw it, Lee. The exact same one they had in an evidence bag at the station.” James pinched the spot between his eyes.

“This is stupid. Have you finished, I need to get going.”

“No. Not yet. What about the time frame? You told the police you left the cottage at 9am the morning she was killed. But Geri and I both know you didn’t get home until much later—well after dinnertime.”

Lee shook his head, trying to find some explanation, but his thoughts wouldn’t come together.

“Then you parked your car near the shops instead of outside the cottage, on the night you supposedly caught the intruder. Why, Lee?”

He couldn’t swallow the brick that suddenly appeared in his throat.

“And then they found her DNA in your bed. Why would she sleep there when her boyfriend had a flat across the road?”

Lee couldn’t bear much more. He leaned forward on the table and buried his head in his hands.

“Not to mention, the local man who saw the dead girl getting in your car.”

Lee’s head shot up. “How? Who told you that?”

“Lydia mentioned it to Geri. Even she thinks something’s wrong.”

His head fell back into his hands, and he couldn’t hold back the tears.

“There’s more Lee. Do you want me to go on?”

Lee shook his head, feeling deflated. He didn’t have an ounce of fight left in him.

“We’re not stupid, Lee. You’re no more a murderer than I am, but there is something you’re keeping from us. What is it?”

The words still wouldn’t form. Instead, long suppressed tears gushed from his eyes, and he finally felt relieved. It was out. He didn’t need to keep it to himself any longer. “I—I mean, the only reason I didn’t tell the truth was because of Lyddie. She’s been through so much, I didn’t want to add to her hurt.” The words came out in a series of gasps.

“I get that, mate. Really, I do. But whatever happened is bound to come out. Isn’t it best she hears it from you first?”

Lee noticed the women that had been eyeing them up earlier, suddenly got to their feet and, giving them concerned glances, hurried from the café.

“I’m making a show of myself.” Lee grabbed the napkin from under his coffee cup and began mopping up the tears.

“Are you gonna tell me the truth?”

“It’s a long story.”

James shrugged.

“It’s true. I met Susie that night it rained. Remember?”

“Yeah—torrential.”

“She knocked on my car window begging for money outside the chippy. I told her to get in—she looked like a drowned rat. When she told me she had nowhere to stay, I felt so sorry for her. So I let her stay at the cottage,” he sobbed.

“I would’ve done the same, mate.”

“Would you? Because I’m not so sure. She took me for a ride, Jim. Trussed me up like a fucking chicken.”

“Go on.”

“She helped me paint the cottage. We worked together for two days and got on so well. I even offered her a job. She told me she was eighteen. Then, the second night, after drinking wine, she came to my bed.”

James nodded, his eyebrows knitted together.

“I didn’t want to. I knew I’d regret it, but it had been so long. Six years without a woman in my life. I’m weak. I know that.”

“Not weak. Human. Six years is a long time. Most men wouldn’t be able to do six months.”

“But I was so close to getting Lyddie back. Why couldn’t I just resist?”

“Who knows? We men are filthy beasts. We think with our old man and not our brains most of the time.”

“It’s no excuse. But anyway, I did it—slept with her.” The tears had stopped and the most important thing to do now was explain. Tell the whole truth. His voice sounded flat and cold even to his ears.

“Then?”

“The next morning I felt so terrible. I got her some money out, contacted a hostel and arranged for her to go there. But when I told her, she went berserk.”

“The cash they found on her? Did you pay for the hostel too?” James asked.

Lee nodded. “On my credit card.”

“Two more loose ends, mate.”

“I know.”

“So what happened?”

“She threatened me. Said she was going to report me to the police because she was underage. I almost died when she told me she was only fifteen.”

“Fuck!”

“I know. She began screaming rape. There was a scuffle and the next minute she was unconscious.”

“Dead?”

“No. Not then. I panicked and shoved her through the cellar door. She must have fallen badly, because the next time I looked, she was dead.” His voice was now high-pitched. Several people glanced over to them.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” James got to his feet and headed for the door.

Lee wiped his eyes and followed soon after. He found James leaning against the side brick wall.

“Do you wish I hadn’t spilled my guts now?” Lee asked.

“Don’t be stupid.” They began walking in the direction of the office. “But you’re going to have to confess. There are too many discrepancies in your story. It’ll be much better for you in the long run if you’re honest.”

“I haven’t told you the rest.”

“Go on.”

“The night I went back there, I wasn’t in my right mind. At first, I thought I could get Susie’s body out of the cottage and dump her. But I knew that was too chancy. So, when I got there, I tried to make it look as though an intruder had broken in and fallen down the stairs. It would have been perfect, if that fucking Lucas hadn’t turned up looking for Susie.

“Shit!”

“He told me they had been working together to blackmail money out of me.”

“The nasty...”

“I know. How fucking stupid am I? When he found her body that night, I knew it had to be him or me. I had no choice.”

“What a fucking mess.”

“I know. How do you think I feel? This is terrible. Two people are dead because of me. You know, I justified it to myself saying they deserved everything they got.
They
were trying to rob
me
after all. But when I said it out loud just then, for the first time I realised how bad it sounds.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Tell Lydia. Then I’ll go to the police. Would you keep quiet until I’ve told her?”

“So long as you do it right away. Don’t prolong it, Lee.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

They hugged. A long, heartfelt hug that any onlooker might think was a romantic embrace.

“We’ll stick by you, mate. But this is the best way,” James said into Lee’s hair.

Lee felt as though his innards had been stretched out for the pigeons to dine on. But he knew James was right. If he offered the truth to the police, then surely it would go in his favour. “I know. I’ve always known what I need to do.”

James ended the hug with a loud backslap. “Good man, come on. You can do this.”

They crossed the road and headed up the stairs to the office.

Chapter 39

“What are you doing here?” I asked Candice again. “You do know the police are searching for you, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. Couldn’t keep your stupid, big mouth shut, could you? This is all your fault.”

“My fault?” I shook my head. “How do you figure that?”

As she walked towards me, I noticed the large kitchen knife in her hand.

“You didn’t need to ruin my life. For the first time in ages things were going well. With Lydia home and Lee offering me a job, my life was finally on the right track.” She bounced the knife off her jean clad leg.

“But you let your sister believe she’d killed her own son. How could you expect me to stay quiet about that?”

“I was a little girl.” Her voice broke to almost a squeak.

“Exactly. Nobody could blame you. It was an accident.”

“I know that now, but back then I was terrified. When Lydia came from her room saying she’d done it, I just let her take the blame. I couldn’t tell her it was me. It nearly killed me though. My life has been shit ever since.”

“So what now? What do you intend to do with that knife?”

She shrugged. “You’ve ruined everything with your busybody ways.” She was suddenly angry again and, I realised, also very unstable.

Tears streamed down my face. “I want to help you, Candy. It’ll be alright.”

“You can’t help me. The police already know everything. They’ll lock me up, for Joey—for what I did to you.” She motioned with the knife, and I almost jumped out of my skin.

“Where have you been? Your sister has been worried sick about you.” I tried to play the family card, hoping James and Lee wouldn’t be too much longer.

“Here. I got in here on Thursday night. I figured the alarm would be the same as the house.”

“Are you hungry?”

She looked at me uncertainly, and her stomach growled in answer to my question.

“I’ve got a packet of biscuits in my bag. Shall I?” I pointed at my bag on the hook in the kitchenette.

She gestured with the knife that I get the biscuits. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

“Put the knife down, Candice. I’m not going to do anything, stupid or otherwise. Are you forgetting it was me that got the bejesus knocked out of me the other day?”

“Just shut your mouth and get the biscuits.”

I fumbled in my bag and pulled out a packet of Chocolate Hobnobs I’d pinched from the pile of goodies Simon and Kevin had brought.

She snatched them off me, sliced the packaging open with the knife and started stuffing her face. “Sit down,” she said, between bites.

“Is this what you really want? It doesn’t have to be like this, love.”

She closed her eyes and stopped chewing for a second, as though considering my words.

“I’m willing to help you, and I’m sure Lydia will understand. She wasn’t totally innocent in the death of Joey, was she? She had been drinking as you’ve already pointed out. And she should have been fully compos mentis in order to care for both you and her baby.”

I felt guilty for speaking about Lydia this way, but it was true. She may not have left her baby to drown, but her innocence was conflicted in my eyes. Had she been sober and wide-awake on that day, then Joey would most definitely not have drowned.

“But everyone will blame me. They’ll accuse me of being heartless for letting Lydia take the rap.”

“But you were just a little girl—barely even old enough to bathe yourself, never mind care for a little baby. All you were doing was trying to help your sister, weren’t you?”

She nodded.

“The fact you allowed her to go to prison was a decision you made with a child’s brain, not the adult you are today. How can anybody judge you for that? By the time you were old enough to understand the enormity of your actions, it was too late.”

She toyed with the knife. Her grip on it now much lighter, and I could see she was slowly coming around to my way of thinking.

“Put the knife down, Candy. Come on, you know you can trust me.” I held my hand out and began approaching her slowly.

She didn’t move. It was as though she had frozen on the spot and only her eyeballs moved.

I gripped the blade with my fingertips and tried to pull it from her hand. She resisted, but I was sure she wanted to hand the knife over.

Suddenly, the outer office door flew open and in a flash, Candice yanked the knife away—the blade glancing across my palm.

I screamed, automatically pulling my hand to my chest.

Candice twirled me around and before I knew it, I stood in front of her with the knife pressed firmly against my throat.

“What the fuck?” Lee yelled, holding his arms out to the side to stop James coming any closer.

Candice’s rasping breath hit the side of my ear.

I eyeballed Lee and James, trying to convey my thoughts in that one pleading look. “It’s okay, guys,” I said, my voice sounding much calmer than I felt. “Candice is just frightened, aren’t you Candice?”

“Shut up!” she screamed, almost deafening me. “Move! Walk!” She shoved me from behind, the blade cutting into the soft skin on my neck.

I shuffled forwards—terrified any sudden movement would have my head lobbed off and rolling along the floor.

“Get down! Get on the floor now, both of you,” she yelled.

“Don’t so anything stupid, Candice,” James said, lowering himself to the floor.

“Get down!” The hysteria in her voice showed she was too far gone to negotiate.

James got to his knees, dragging Lee down too.

“Lie down. On your stomachs—both of you!” She screamed the last words, and both men dropped, face first, to the ground.

Taking tentative steps, we reached the top of the stairs.

“Open the door.” She shoved me forwards, turned slightly, her eyes on Lee and James.

I fumbled with the door handle and blood poured from my hand.

“Don’t add kidnapping to your list of crimes, Candice!” James growled.

Candice roared and shoved me towards the men before racing down the stairs at breakneck speed.

I dropped to my knees, trembling uncontrollably, as hot tears poured from my eyes.

James was beside me in an instant, and I fell into his arms, the reality of the situation coming over me in waves.

Lee didn’t waste any time. He got to his feet and chased after Candice.

“I wish you’d stop doing this to me,” James whispered into my hair.

“It’s not
my
fault!”

“You must attract nutcases, or something.”

“I attracted you, didn’t I?”

We both chuckled.

***

Lee took the stairs three at a time, determined to catch his crazed sister-in-law.

Out on the street, a group of passers-by had stopped, and all faced the side street.

“She’s gone that way, mate,” a well-dressed Indian man said, pointing.

As he rounded the corner, he could see Candice running erratically in the middle of the road. It took all of his strength to catch up with her.

Although she matched his pace, step for step, his longer legs had the advantage. He caught up with her. Pushing himself forward a little harder, he gripped her shoulder and spun her round to face him.

Because of the sudden change of direction, Candice fell backwards, causing Lee to topple and land heavily on top of her with a grunt.

She screamed and struggled to escape his grasp, but he held on, hoping the police had been called.

A woman’s voice yelled from behind them, “Who’s bleeding? Which one’s bleeding?”

Candice stopped struggling and glanced in-between them, then lifted her blood covered hand up.

Confused by the sight of blood, and the sudden lightheadedness that followed, Lee loosened his grip on Candice.

She shoved him onto his back. “Nooo!” she roared. Then, getting to her feet, she took several faltering backward steps before dropping the bloody knife to the road. “I’m sorry,” she screamed at him. Then she turned to the crowd of spectators. “I’m sorry,” she screamed again.

Lee was confused as Candice ran through the crowd and off up the street. Why couldn’t he move? Why were his eyes so heavy? Where was Lydia?

***

“Ouch,” I said, examining my hand.

“Come on. Let’s get this cleaned up.”

We moved to the kitchenette, and I noticed the storeroom door was open. “She must’ve been hiding in there.”

“Why the fuck didn’t Lee search the place when he knew there’d been a break in?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t a clue. Do you think he’ll catch her?”

“I hope so. She needs locking up—the crazy bitch.”

He found the first-aid kit under the sink and set about cleaning my hand with a medicated wipe.

“Ouch!”

“Be quiet. I hardly touched you.”

I shoved him in the chest with my other hand.

He chuckled.

“I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, you know. She was petrified.”

“She’s a fucking loony. Not only did she almost bash your brains out, but she sliced your hand and almost your throat and you feel
sorry
for her!” He shook his head in obvious amazement.

“Quick! Help! Somebody!” A female voice screamed from the bottom of the stairs.

Almost falling down the stairs in our haste, we followed. A woman beckoned us from the corner. “Quick,” she said.

As we turned into the side street, my blood turned to ice. A crowd of people stood in the middle of the road, and my knees almost buckled underneath me.

I don’t know how, but I managed to reach them first. The crowd parted showing Lee, lying on his back in the middle of the road. Both his hands were pressed in the centre of his heavily bloodstained stomach. He had a sickening pallor to his face.

“Lee!” I screamed, racing to his side.

“Call an ambulance!” James shouted at a group of passers-by. “Quick! Somebody call an ambulance.”

He also dropped to his friend’s side. “It’s okay, Lee. Hang in there. An ambulance will be with us shortly.”

Lee lifted his eyes to look at James. “Don’t—tell—Lydia,” he said, between gasps.

“We have to. Candice is a danger to everyone now!” I said.

“It’s okay, Geri. I know what he’s talking about.” He took hold of one of Lee’s bloodsoaked hands. “I promised I wouldn’t. You’ve got to tell her yourself.”

Their eyes locked and terror gripped my core.

“Tell her I love her.” Suddenly, Lee’s hand dropped back to his lap, and the light from his eyes slowly faded.

James’ wail tore the heart right out of me.