The Secrets of the Shadows (The Annie Graham series - Book 2) (8 page)

Chapter 8

Sean parked the Ford Focus in the car park opposite the police station just in time to have front row seats for the fight which had just kicked off. In reality he should have run over to break it up but he was enjoying the show far too much. He did feel sorry for Annie; the poor woman didn’t have much luck with her men. A bit like him and his women, he chuckled to himself. He placed his bet on Jake, he definitely wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him and he got scary when he was angry. Sean had worked with him enough times to see him in action. Just as he thought about getting out of the car Kav intervened, saving him the trouble. He knew that stuck up bitch Laura was the cause of all this because he’d heard a couple of officers gossiping before briefing this morning in the parade room. Sean had never liked her, well he had until the last Christmas night out when he had bought her a couple of drinks and thought he’d been doing all right until Will had walked in. She then spent the rest of the night hovering around Will and completely blanking him. He hated women like that and an idea began to form in his head. He stayed in the car until it had all calmed down across the road, then just as he was about to get out his radio crackled to life as the control room asked him to attend a job. He started the engine and reversed out of the parking space to go all the way to the other side of town because a group of ten year olds were playing football in the street.

***

It had been four days since Kav had told Annie about Windermere and yesterday he had taken her to one side and told her the job was hers if she wanted it. The only downside was that if she did she had to start there in two days’ time, they were so understaffed. She had gone home and dithered, was she doing the right thing? Should she not let her pride get the better of her? For a couple of hours she had gone over and over it. Then she’d taken a notebook and a pen, writing down a list of reasons she should go and reasons she shouldn’t. It took her ten minutes to realise the list for the move was much more impressive than the list not to. She’d phoned Kav and told him yes, thank you.

She spent the last hour of her shift boxing up her stuff and her various pieces of uniform and Jake who had hovered around her all day helped her carry them to her car. ‘I can’t believe this is it, that I’m never going to work with you again.’

Once more she asked herself if she was doing the right thing, but all that was keeping her here was Jake. She would miss the banter in the office and Sally and Claire the PCSOs but apart from them that was it, oh and Kav, she couldn’t forget him, he’d been more like a dad to her than her boss. She wouldn’t tell him that though. She had left a huge box of cream cakes in the fridge to help ease the pain a little; she had never really understood the tradition that if it was your birthday or you were leaving that you had to buy the cakes.

‘Don’t be soft; I’ll still see you out of work. It’s not as if I’m moving to London or somewhere far away.’

Jake pouted. ‘Well I feel as if you are. I want a phone call every day and plenty of emails and if there is any eye candy up there of the male kind then that’s super important because I might have to get a transfer up there myself.’

Annie laughed, ‘I promise I will.’ She loaded the last box into the back of her now full car and slammed the door shut. ‘Anyway it’s time to book off duty now, come on let’s go to the pub for a drink.’

Jake brightened up at the thought of alcohol. ‘Excellent idea, should I see if Sally and Claire are coming?’ He went back inside and again she wondered if she was doing the right thing but then a car pulled into the yard and she caught a glimpse of Laura with her bleached blonde hair and felt the familiar pain shoot through her chest. Yes she was doing the right thing, she had spoken to Will briefly yesterday as she had been leaving the station and he had begged her to come home with him so they could speak but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to go back to his house; it was easier to blot things out this way.

‘Please Annie; we need to talk about this. One minute we were fine then within the space of twenty four hours you had moved out and I know it’s my fault entirely. But I need to explain it to you.’

‘Just give me some space, every time I see you with her it’s like a bloody great knife gets twisted in my heart. I might be soft but I’m not an idiot Will, I won’t have anyone laughing at me behind my back.’

A van pulled into the yard and she walked away before the officers got out and took an interest in their conversation. She turned to look at him. ‘I think you should know I am transferring to Windermere. Kav told me they were even more understaffed than we are and need someone pretty quick.’

She had walked away before he even had time to digest what she’d just said. She got into her car and drove it home, parking it on the drive and hoping that no-one would break into it with all her stuff inside or else she’d be in trouble. Locking it and double checking the doors she pulled out her phone and began dialling the number for a taxi just as Jake pulled up in a police van. ‘I thought that you might need a lift back to the station.’

She grinned at him and climbed in. ‘So who’s coming to the pub?’

‘Kav, me, Sally, Claire and of course you.’

‘Perfect, my favourite people.’

He drove them back to the station where he parked the van and then handed her the keys. ‘Go stick them on the whiteboard while I nip and get changed.’

She took them from him and did as she was told. A wave of sadness washed over her as she walked into the sergeant’s office for the last time. The whole station was a complete shit hole but she loved it and would miss it. Kav walked in behind her. ‘I believe the first drinks are on you. Miss Graham.’

She nodded, ‘They are, after everything you’ve done for me this last year I owe you far more than a drink.’

‘Steady on Annie, it’s only five o’clock. You’ll make me blush.’ But he winked at her and she laughed. ‘Sergeant, you know exactly what I meant.’

He pulled his jacket off the back of the chair and put it on, then opening the door for her he waved her through and whispered in her ear, ‘You’re doing the right thing Annie, trust me. Everything will work out just fine.’

They walked down the street to the Railway, which played no music but the beer was cheap and it was always busy. True to her word Annie bought the first round and they all squeezed around a corner table in the window, where they could watch the world go by and get drunk. At the table opposite them was a group of men, one of them an old friend of Mike’s who waved at Annie and shouted hello. She waved back. Mike’s so-called friends had no idea that he was a wife beating thug. Or if they did they never let on. She hadn’t liked any of them because he always went for the loud, cocky ones who would laugh and joke at everyone’s expense.

After half an hour she went to the bar for another bottle of wine. It was packed and she had to squeeze in. She felt a hand squeeze her behind and turned around about to give whoever it was a mouthful and was shocked to see Mike’s friend grinning at her.

‘Alright darling, fancy seeing you in here, you know word has it you were already sleeping with one of the coppers before Mike’s coffin hit the ground. You didn’t do much mourning for him then?’

She wanted to tell him to fuck off but was too polite. ‘No I didn’t, not after he almost killed me. His death didn’t have quite the same effect.’

She paid for the bottle of wine and turned around. There were people pushing in all over the place and he took advantage and pushed himself as close to her body as he could. She shoved him away with one hand, a bit too hard, and he stumbled back into a tall man who was behind him making him spill his pint. ‘Watch it mate.’

Annie muttered an apology and squeezed through the throng of people to get back to her friends; she put the wine on the table and turned her back to the group of men, who were laughing.

After five glasses of wine she knew that she’d had enough. Claire and Sally had left a while ago and Jake and Kav were discussing the football. She wanted to go home, put her pyjamas on and then crawl into bed; if she told them she was leaving they would make a fuss, instead she told them she was going to the Ladies. Neither of them looked up as she made her way through the crowds to the door and some fresh air. It was dark outside and slightly drizzling. She thought about phoning a taxi but she rarely used them, she would rather walk around to the bus stop outside the police station and get a bus for a quid. She didn’t notice Mike’s friend follow her outside. Putting her head down she began to walk briskly around to the back of the pub to take the shortcut across the car park, which was in a quiet back street. Most of the streetlights weren’t working and it was dark but she wasn’t bothered, there was no-one around. She had walked these streets at four in the morning on her own when she was working. The alcohol making her brain foggy she forgot that she wasn’t at work and didn’t have the benefit of CS gas or handcuffs should she need them. She crossed the road and was almost at the other side when she fell forward as someone shoved her hard from behind. Unsteady on her feet because of the wine, she fell to her knees and cried out. Before she could do anything a weight pressed on her and she felt herself being dragged across to the open rear yard of an empty shop. She opened her mouth to scream and a fist hit her in the face, missing her nose but hitting her square in the eye. Annie lost it then and began to fight with everything she had but her attacker was strong, she could smell the beer on his breath and knew it was Mike’s friend from the pub whose name she didn’t even remember. She was managing okay but as she lunged forward she tripped and fell, landing on her back. He straddled her and memories from last year filled her mind. She opened her mouth to scream but he clamped his hand over her mouth so she bit him as hard as she could. Another punch hit her on the side of the head this time and then his weight lifted off her chest and she watched in slow motion as he flew through the air like a balloon. Kav bent down and helped her up and Jake had the prick shoved against the bonnet of a car in an arm lock. The guy was struggling so Kav walked over and sucker punched him in the guts, knocking the wind out of him. The blackness was illuminated by flashing blue lights and Annie groaned as she looked across at Kav, ‘Really.’

‘Yes Annie, really. Do you want to let that piece of scum go on his way after he just assaulted you and tried to do God knows what else?’

Annie shook her head, ‘No but I don’t want any more hassle either. Christ I just want an easy life, please Kav – I can’t do this.’

He put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Come on kid, it’s like a parting gift for your colleagues. You are going to leave them all bored shitless so at least they will get a little entertainment whilst you’re away.’

She shook her head and pulled away from him, Jake had passed the drunken bastard over to Sean who had him cuffed and was shoving him into the back of the van.

‘Are you going to come back to the station and do a quick statement so I don’t have to piss around trying to catch up with you Annie?’

Before she could answer, Jake spoke up. ‘Yes, Alex is on his way and will bring us round in a minute; she’ll type up your statement and be on her way home in less than thirty minutes.’

They watched the van drive away and Jake turned to face her.

‘Don’t even say it Jake, in fact don’t even speak. I really can’t be bothered.’

He looked at Kav who shrugged. ‘Women.’

Alex’s Mercedes turned into the street, he stopped the car in front of them and they climbed inside. ‘Where to my friends?’

Annie saw Alex look at Jake who shook his head and rolled his eyes at her. Her eye was smarting now and beginning to swell shut. Alex looked in the mirror again and gasped. ‘Annie are you okay, what happened?’

‘Another stupid prick, that’s what and this town, is full of them.’

No-one spoke as he drove them to the station. As he stopped outside, Jake turned to him. ‘Wait here, we won’t be too long. We just have to type up a quick statement each and then you can take us all home.’

Alex had parked in the bus lane, put his hazard lights on and just hoped this wasn’t going to turn into a two hour wait. They got out of the car and Annie began to laugh, Jake looked at her. ‘What exactly is so funny?’

‘And here was me thinking I’d seen the last of this place, I just can’t keep away.’ As all three of them stumbled through the side door laughing Will walked past, a sheaf of papers in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. He took one look at Annie and his eyes opened wide as the shock registered in his brain. Before he could speak Jake ushered her past and down to the community office, where he shut the door and all three of them sat down and logged onto their computers.

Chapter 9

Annie finally walked through her front door as the clock in her hall chimed ten; she had sobered up remarkably well. All she wanted now was a hot shower and her bed. She kicked off her shoes, locked the front door and ran upstairs to the bathroom. She stripped off and looked at her eye in the mirror. Jake had wanted her to go to the hospital but she’d soon put him right. It wasn’t the first black eye she’d had and it probably wouldn’t be the last. It was swollen and puffy; the dark blue bruising had begun to form a semicircle underneath her lower lashes. She poked it with her finger and winced. Turning on the shower she stepped underneath the hot spray and stayed there until her skin was red and she couldn’t stand the heat any longer. But she felt clean. She got out and towel-dried herself then rubbed Chanel No. 5 body lotion all over her arms and legs, missing out the graze on her right knee, which was stinging. She loved the smell of the lotion; Will had bought it for her birthday. Her heart felt heavy thinking about him, she hated how it was between them, and the look on his face earlier had been one of shock and concern. Annie had never been very good at holding grudges, she’d put up with Mike’s violent outbursts for long enough but she didn’t know what to say to Will. She slipped her fluffy bathrobe on, another present from him, and went into her temporary bedroom. She walked across to shut the curtains and paused, staring down into the street. There was a very familiar BMW parked outside her house and her breath caught in the back of her throat. She could make out Will’s solitary figure sitting in the dark, his head in his hands. Closing the curtains she didn’t know what else to do. She would give anything to turn back the clock and change it all but she also knew she was too stubborn to give in, so she slipped off the dressing gown and got into bed. Her exhaustion long gone, she lay there looking up at the ceiling.