Stuart had cooked a meal for the whole family and left Sian a plate for her to warm up in the microwave. She couldn’t face a heavy meal, and went straight to bed.
After almost twenty-five years of marriage, Stuart recognised the signs of distress in his wife and gave her the space she needed. When he went into the bedroom half an hour later with a mug of tea each and a packet of chocolate biscuits for them to share, she was under the duvet and the lights were off.
He knew she wasn’t asleep and turned on the light. There was movement beneath the duvet.
‘If you want me to fit into that suit for the anniversary party, you’re going to have to help me eat these biscuits,’ he said.
Slowly, the duvet was peeled back, and Sian sat up.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
Sian’s face was red from crying and her hair was all over the place.
‘We found Keeley. She’d been strangled.’
Stuart sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his wife into his arms. Stuart had the solid build of a rugby player. His huge arms wrapped around Sian’s thin frame and her head rested perfectly in his centre of his pillowy chest.
‘Do you know who did it?’ he asked.
‘No. Not yet.’
‘You don’t usually let things get to you like this.’
‘I know. It’s just … it’s never easy when it involves kids. Matilda’s not coping too well. It’s bringing back memories of Carl Meagan going missing and that reminds her of James dying. I’m trying to be supportive, but …’
‘You need support too,’ he finished her thought.
‘Well, yes.’
‘And I’ve not been much support with this party, have I?’
‘I didn’t mean that.’
‘I know you didn’t, but I could help out more. I’m sorry. Would you like me to make you something to eat? I could do you a sandwich if you don’t want your tea.’ He went to get up off the bed, but Sian refused to let go.
‘Stuart, will you stay here with me?’
‘Of course I will.’
She snuggled into his body and felt safe and protected while his arms were around her. It didn’t matter what went on out in the real world – children being murdered, prostitutes going missing, car crime and knife attacks – Sian was being comforted in the strong arms of the man she loved. She never wanted this feeling to end.
***
For the second time in three days, Linda Armitage had to be sedated. She had cried so hard she’d vomited in the kitchen sink.
With Linda in a deep and unnatural sleep, Craig was left to deal with the fallout. Ellen looked after Riley in his bedroom, playing with his toys and keeping him occupied while Craig had some quality alone time with his only surviving daughter. Ellen strained to listen, but their voices were deliberately low. It was more than half an hour before she heard movement and Craig came in to Riley’s room to get him ready for bed.
‘Would you like me to make you something to eat?’ Ellen asked when Craig entered the kitchen.
He slumped down at the table. ‘No. Thank you. I don’t think I could eat anything.’
‘You need to keep your strength up. Linda and the kids will need you to be strong.’
He looked up at her. Tears were heavy in his eyes. ‘I haven’t cried yet. I’m being strong for Linda and Jodie, but who’s strong for me?’
Ellen sat in the seat opposite it. She reached across the table and took his hands in hers. ‘Me. That’s what I’m here for.’
The tears began to fall. ‘She was my little girl, my little princess,’ he sobbed. ‘Why? Why would someone do something so …?’
‘I don’t know,’ she interrupted. ‘There are some people in this world who are just evil for the sake of it.’
‘Do you know what happened to her?’
‘Not everything, no. There will need to be a post-mortem.’
‘Do you know if she was … you know?’ He gripped her hands tighter.
‘It doesn’t look like it, no.’
He gave her a weak smile. ‘Thank you. What happens now?’
‘Our work is just beginning really. We will do everything in our power to find whoever did this. DCI Darke will not rest until she’s arrested the killer. I can promise you that.’
Their eyes remained locked on each other. Ellen turned away first and let go of his hands.
‘I should probably go up and check on Linda.’
In the doorway, he turned back and went over to Ellen. He wrapped his arms tightly around her. ‘Thank you for what you said.’
‘It’s my pleasure.’
He released her then left the kitchen, leaving Ellen watching him go, a look of bewilderment on her face as to what had just happened between them. She heard voices from upstairs: Craig talking to Jodie.
Ellen sat down at the kitchen table and sent a text to her boyfriend. They didn’t live together and as they both worked unsociable hours, they rarely saw each other. Ellen decided that was something that was going to have to change, and soon. When she saw Jodie heading for the kitchen, she quickly squirrelled the phone away and went back to washing the dishes.
‘Is there anything I can get you?’ Ellen asked.
‘No. I just want a drink of water.’
The sound of Homer Simpson saying ‘D’oh!’ came from Ellen’s pocket. She’d forgotten to put her phone on silent and quickly grabbed it to silence the embarrassing text tone.
‘What was that?’ Jodie asked. There was a hint of a smile on her lips.
‘Just a text. Sorry.’
‘Was that Homer Simpson?’ The smile grew.
‘Yes.’
‘That’s so cool. Can you Bluetooth it to my phone?’ Jodie pulled her own mobile out of her back pocket. Riley started screaming from his bedroom. ‘We’ll do it later. His nibs has woken up.’
She went into the bedroom while Ellen turned back to the sink. She plunged her hands into the hot water and quickly pulled them out as a finger ran along the side of a sharp knife, slicing it open. Blood dripped from the shallow cut into the soapy water. She grabbed for the kitchen roll and wrapped a couple of sheets around it to stem the flow.
There was muffled talking coming from Riley’s room. Ellen edged closer to the slightly open doorway.
Jodie was holding her brother in her arms and standing in front of the mirror. Riley was reaching out to his reflection and giggling.
‘You’ll never know about what happened to Keeley,’ Jodie said. ‘All this fuss, everything that’s going on around you, and you haven’t a clue, have you?’ He was resting on her hip and she was jiggling him up and down. ‘You don’t need to worry about anything, little man,’ she kissed him on the head. ‘I’ll look after you. I’ll always be here to take care of you. I’m not going anywhere.’
Chapter 28
Amanda Raine was stood by the bedroom window looking through the small gap in the curtains she’d created. She’d been standing there for a while, watching the Armitage house next door. Ever since she’d heard a blood-curdling scream a few hours ago and seen the police leave it had been deathly quiet. It could only mean one thing: Keeley had been found dead. She hoped to God that wasn’t true.