Bad Sister(70)

Connie got herself into a sitting position and leant back against the bed. ‘I think I might have to agree. I really thought I was done for then.’ Her chest heaved with the effort of crawling out from under the bed, and from the fright Lindsay had given her.

‘So, who were you expecting it to be?’

‘Brett. I thought he might come here looking for the same thing I am.’

‘Which is?’

‘Evidence, Lindsay. Something that incriminates him, something that’ll prove to you that I’m right in thinking Steph did not commit suicide.’

Lindsay sighed. ‘I thought as much after our conversation at yours last night. I knew you were still holding on to that, and nothing I said was going to change your mind. Was it?’

‘You know what it’s like, when you’ve got a gut feeling about something. I have taken on board the things you said, and I know everything points to Steph killing herself. And Dylan. But it all seems too easy. Neat. I’m convinced that there’s more to it.’

‘So you thought you’d come here, break and enter and get yourself in a whole heap of trouble?’

‘I wasn’t expecting to get caught. How did you know I was here – were you following me?’

‘I had my suspicions. I wouldn’t say I was following you, more like looking out for you.’

‘Right, well, what are you going to do with me now? You already think I’m cavorting with criminals, and now I suppose I’m going to be charged with this.’ Connie got to her feet, picking up her rucksack and torch ready to get out of the house.

‘I’m going to pretend I didn’t find you here. I’ll put the broken glass in the back door down to teenagers, tell the landlord he needs to secure the property. Come on. Let’s get out before we attract any unwanted attention.’

Lindsay led the way out of Dylan’s room, back through the house and outside. Connie followed close behind. Wary of being seen, she kept looking behind, the feeling of being watched giving her the creeps.

‘I’ll drive you back to your house,’ Lindsay said as she approached her car.

Connie climbed in, feeling like a naughty child caught up to no good. They drove for a few minutes in complete silence, the darkness pressing against the window as Connie rested her head against it.

‘Thanks. For not reporting me,’ Connie said.

‘Hmm. I won’t put my neck on the line for you again, though. Do you understand? So no more meddling, Connie. Promise me?’

Connie faced her and nodded.

‘Right. That’s good. I don’t want to be worried about you, I’ve enough to think about.’

‘Yeah, like what?’ Connie straightened in the seat. Had there been a development?

‘For starters, I came away from a conversation with Miles Prescott with a feeling that he wasn’t sharing everything with me, that he was purposely being vague. His story sounded rehearsed. Off. I can’t put my finger on it but I’m going to dig further into the team at the protected persons scheme, and Miles in particular. The fact that so much about Steph … Jenna’s background, her family, was ignored and pushed aside, just so they could get a conviction on the boyfriend, seems wrong. Careless.’

‘Why hide the fact they weren’t thorough?’

‘I don’t know. Miles is coming up for retirement. I can’t imagine an enquiry at this point would be welcomed. Or perhaps he felt guilty?’

‘Huh. I can relate to that – you’ve no idea how much guilt I’ve experienced over the past year and a half.’

‘I think you’ll find I do, actually. It hangs over me like a veil – guilt for a mother’s death, her family left behind, guilt for my failed marriage, because my focus was always elsewhere, guilt for bringing you in on this case …’

‘Ah, well, you can cross that one off your list. It wasn’t you who wrote my name on a dead man’s hand, was it?’

Lindsay smiled. ‘No, that wasn’t me.’

‘Maybe we should both stop giving ourselves a hard time.’

‘Yeah, maybe,’ Lindsay said.

‘Anyway, back to Miles.’ Connie needed to change the subject; the car felt heavy with responsibility. ‘I still wonder if he’s covering his back. I think he knows more than we do, anyway. How are you going to get him to confess?’

‘I’m not saying he’s deliberately messed up,’ Lindsay faltered. ‘I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it.’

‘But you’re clearly thinking he’s hiding something, and you’re going to investigate further?’

‘Yes, like I said, I’ll dig deeper, see what I can uncover. Oh, and by the way, I’m afraid Mack did some digging himself.’

Connie sighed. ‘Great, now what?’

‘Niall Frazer.’

Connie’s pulse throbbed in her neck. Was she about to find out that Niall was involved in Hargreaves’ murder?

‘Go on, don’t keep me in suspense.’

‘I’d asked Mack to go back through statements, interviews and the like—’

‘Get to the point, Lindsay.’

‘All right, all right, patience. He has an alibi.’

‘Yes, you said that before, you knew he had.’