The Girls in the Woods (29 page)

Will didn’t understand what he was looking at. How on earth could Heath have gained access to these people who were recently deceased to take their photographs, without family members complaining or telling him to fuck off? It didn’t make any sense whatsoever. He flicked the page – another woman, this one middle-aged but with a plastic bag over her head. How had he got access to these most private, final moments? None of these had been taken in his studio. Unless he’d killed them as well, but how would he manage that without arousing suspicion from their families. They needed to find out who these people were. It was as if he was trying to recreate the vintage Victorian photographs from earlier in the album. Next there were the girls from the stills that had been hanging on the studio wall. There were a lot more of these photos; he must have enlarged his favourite shots of them because he had taken so many. He lifted the album closer to his face; these photos had definitely been taken in this studio, but there was someone else there when it happened. He stared at the blurred image in the background to the far right of just one of the photos. It wasn’t Heath because it didn’t match the position he would have had to have been in to get the shot. Turning the pages, he flicked backwards and forwards until he realised what he was seeing. On the next page there was no one except the dead girl in this picture, but there was something on the floor that he did recognise. A black, leather doctor’s bag like the one from the earlier photo of the elderly woman; a bag that looked exactly like the one Paul Miller had been carrying the day they found Annie. When it had all gone horribly wrong, Will had been shirtless because he’d taken it off and had been pressing it against Jo’s neck to try and stem the bleeding. He had been so relieved to see the doctor come running in he couldn’t help but notice that he had his black bag with him. It had puzzled him then because how had he known that they would need medical help? But in the chaos that had ensued he’d forgotten all about it. A cold feeling spread down Will’s spine as it all came crashing together and he could see the full picture of what had happened. He stood up and began to give out orders to the officers who were standing around.

‘We need to find Doctor Paul Miller – like
now
. I think he’s the killer – Tyson was just his puppet and his official photographer. Where is he? Someone go get me a search warrant. We need to search his surgery and house. We need to find him now. I want armed task force officers to the hospital right now because Jo Tyson could be in grave danger.’

He took out his phone and dialled Annie; it went straight to voicemail.

Annie chattered with Paul about anything and everything on the drive back to the village, but he seemed quite distant. She put it down to the week they’d all had; they were all still in shock about it, not to mention tired. It was so sweet how Jo had found her knight in shining armour, just like she had found Will. Halfway along the road to Hawkshead he asked her to turn off onto a narrow lane.

‘Would you mind? It’s a bit rundown and bumpy, but I keep my motorbike in my dad’s barn. I don’t have any room for it at my house. Parking is bad enough at the best of times and I’d hate it to get damaged. It’s my pride and joy.’

‘No, of course not, although I have no idea where we’re going so you’ll have to direct me.’

He smiled at her. He’d known all along that he couldn’t have her in his life – she was far too big a risk. If Jo was to be a part of his life then that meant her new-found best friend would want to be, and it wouldn’t work. No, it wouldn’t work at all because she was a copper, her husband was a copper and every fucking person she knew worked for the police – and he hated the police. It would only be a matter of time before she realised that he wasn’t the nice man they all thought he was. Oh, he wasn’t a wife beater like his loser of a brother, Heath. No, he had some morals inside his twisted head – but he did like the power of being able to dictate whether someone should live or die. He knew without a doubt she would see straight through him. At some point he would let his guard slip – it was inevitable because he wasn’t invincible; he was only a man at the end of the day. He directed her to the rundown house that had once belonged to his and Heath’s father, but which was now empty and had been for the last fifteen years. Well, it was empty if you didn’t count their father’s corpse that was buried out in the barn. He’d had a grand old time killing him whilst Heath had waited in the house with his camera, desperate to take photos of him once he was dead, but not of the killing. Heath was a thug and a bully but not a killer – no, he’d left that part of it to Paul, which was a good job. He didn’t mind it. His medical training had taught him early on that life was a fragile thing. Sometimes you lived and sometimes you didn’t; there was nothing more to it.

He tried to keep his voice calm. He didn’t want Annie to suspect the frenzy he was silently working himself into. It was a shame Heath wasn’t around to photograph this one; he’d never done a pregnant woman before. Although, to be honest, Heath would probably have chickened out with his twisted set of morals. But after he’d killed her he could have photographed her and her dead baby; they certainly would make stunning pictures.

‘You have to take a sharp right turn which will lead you to the drive up to the farmhouse; it’s only a few more minutes and then you can get on your way. I’m sure you have lots to be doing, but I really appreciate the lift. It’s so kind of you and it means I can get back to see Jo much quicker.’

Annie opened her mouth to speak but a small gasp came out as the pain came again, this time far more severe than the last one. He looked across at her.

‘Is everything okay?’

She nodded her head.

‘Yes, at least I think so. I’ve had a couple of twinges since I arrived at the hospital.’

‘How far on are you again?’

‘Seven months.’

‘You’ll be fine, I wouldn’t worry too much – they’ll be Braxton Hicks contractions and they’re quite common at your stage of pregnancy. It’s just your womb having a practice run. When you’ve dropped me off, go home and run yourself a warm bath, take a couple of paracetamol and try to get some rest. You’ve had a hell of a week and your body needs a break – doctor’s orders.’

Annie laughed. ‘Yes, doctor, I will. That sounds like a great idea.’

She pulled into the overgrown drive and wondered why it was such a mess; his dad must be a bit of a recluse if he lived like this. She stared into the rear-view mirror and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The girl with the long blonde hair was staring back at her; Annie watched as a trickle of bright red blood dripped from the gaping wound at the side of her head down her cheek. Her blue-tinged lips were moving but Annie couldn’t hear her or read her lips because she was trying to keep calm and not run the car off the narrow, overgrown drive and into a tree. Her heart was pounding; she didn’t understand why the girl was there. Annie had made the connection, once she’d seen the photos on Heath’s studio wall, that the girl who had visited her was the same one who was lying dead in the picture, and who had been buried in the unmarked grave that Will had been called to. They had found her killer; surely she should be able to move into the light now? She shouldn’t still be stuck here, following Annie around.

Annie shivered. The temperature had dropped in the car and she saw tiny particles of ice begin to form in the condensation on the bottom of the windscreen. The farmhouse came into view and she was shocked to see just how decayed the building was; no one could possibly live inside of it because the roof had all but collapsed and there was ivy growing out of every window and door frame. Annie looked in the mirror, hoping the girl had gone – but she was still there, staring at her, trying to tell her something that she couldn’t hear, so she began to talk about the first thing that entered her mind.

‘What a shame such a beautiful building has been left to go to ruin. It would make a beautiful family home. Maybe one day you and Jo could renovate it and move here.’

‘I know. My father died almost fifteen years ago. It was in a right old state before then and I’ve been too busy with the practice to do anything about it. My brother could have made an effort, but he never did. He doesn’t come here now. Not since my father’s death.’

‘Oh, that’s a real shame. I didn’t realise you had a brother, although I don’t know why I would, to be honest. It’s not any of my business. I guess I just imagined you as an only child.’

He wondered what the best thing to do was – to kill her now in the car, or to get her out of the car. Yes, that would be best. He didn’t want her blood and his DNA all over the car – it would make it far too easy for the coppers who would eventually find it. He directed her to a large, half-collapsed barn around the side of the house.

‘My bike is just in here. Thank you so much for the lift, Annie. Would you mind just hanging on for five minutes in case I can’t get the bike started? Otherwise I’ll be stranded here.’

She wondered why he would even leave an expensive motorbike in a decrepit barn that belonged to a ruined farm in the middle of nowhere. Rural theft was rife; she would be amazed if the bike was even in there. It had probably been stolen long ago.

‘No, of course not. I don’t mind at all.’

She gasped as the pain came again, taking her breath away.

‘Why don’t you get out of the car and have a walk around? It might be cramp? Stretching your legs will help ease the discomfort and pain.’

She opened the car door and hauled herself out. Why would she have any reason not to listen to him? He was a doctor and knew what he was doing, or at least she hoped he did because she didn’t fancy giving birth here in the middle of a ramshackle barn with no Will to hold her hand and wipe the sweat from her brow. He walked across to the huge barn door and pushed it open, stepping into the blackness inside. Annie tried to straighten up; this one was taking its time to go. When the pain eased off she took out her phone to ring Will and tell him where she was, just in case she needed him. She dialled and heard the beeps that told her there was no signal.
Bloody story of my life.
The best thing she could do was get in the car and get home, ring him from the house phone. She waited to hear the sound of a motorbike engine revving but there was none; in fact there were no sounds coming from the barn at all. She walked towards the slightly open door and the darkness that waited beyond.

Will was pacing up and down outside on the drive. He couldn’t breathe inside the cottage; it was too stuffy. His mobile rang; he answered it to a breathless Jake.

‘You’re not going to believe this. I’m at the hospital and Jo is fine. Paul was here but he left with Annie. He told her his car had broken down and he needed a lift.’

Will had to undo his top button and loosen his tie; he couldn’t breathe and he felt his head begin to swim as his face went white. He’d been here before, only it had been a dark night and him who had been kidnapped.
Not again, please God not again
. And then he collapsed to the floor.

‘Will, answer me. Will?’

‘Jake, it’s Claire, he’s collapsed – oh my God, what did you say to him? He just went white and fell to the floor.’

‘Fucking hell, Claire, who’s there with you? Is he breathing? Is he fucking alive?’

‘Stop shouting at me! Yes, he’s breathing but he’s a funny colour – he might have had a heart attack.’

‘Slap him a few times on the face. I need him awake now; he hasn’t got time to fanny around.’

Tina came over with a plastic bottle of water and knelt down; lifting his head she tried to pour some into his mouth and missed, pouring it down his front instead. He opened his eyes and looked at them in confusion.

‘What happened?’

They both shrugged.

‘You tell us.’

He pushed himself up and Jake’s last words to him rushed into his mind. Annie was with Paul, Dr Miller, the man who had murdered those girls and God knows how many of his patients. Claire passed the phone back to him.

‘Will, are you with me because right now we have a huge problem. He has Annie and she has no idea that he’s the killer and in danger.’

‘I know – I think they might be brothers, him and Heath. I’m just waiting for confirmation. I can’t do this, Jake. I can’t take it. I don’t know what to do – my head is a complete mess, I can’t think straight.’

‘Look, Will, we got it wrong, but how were we to know there were two of them? He told Jo he needed a lift to his father’s to collect his motorbike. She said she doesn’t know the exact address, but has given me a location on a map. Task force are on it but you’re the nearest officer because Jo said it’s somewhere near to Hawkshead village. There are officers blue lighting it to the area, but it might not be good enough. I’m sorry, mate, but I can’t sugarcoat it. He’s going to kill her, and yes you can handle it because that’s the love of your life and your unborn baby we’re talking about – so snap out of it and stop feeling sorry for yourself.’

He nodded. Both Tina and Claire pulled him to his feet. He took the half-empty bottle of water from Tina and drank it.

‘Get me an address for his dad, Jake – now!’

‘Comms are trying to find it on the computer as we speak; they’re doing intel and address checks. Who’s there to help you? Are there any officers with you?’

‘No, I sent them for lunch. There’s just the CSI, Tina and Claire.’

‘Well, they’ll have to do… hang on, I’ve got an address. Get one of them to drive you to High Fell Barn. It’s two miles before you get to the village; there’s a sharp turn on the right which will lead you to a lane. Tell them they can wait at the road to flag down task force, or all three of you will be in a whole world of shit with the Chief.’

Tina looked at Will.

‘Fuck that – we can help. We never heard any of the last part of that conversation, did we, Claire?’

Will smiled at them. They were all going to be screwed if anything went wrong, but he was grateful that they weren’t going to leave him on his own. All three of them ran out to the front street; there was Will’s BMW or the shit heap that was the PCSO van. Will headed for his car but Claire grabbed his arm.