Helen Phifer - The Secrets Of The Shadows

‘Thanks Jake but you don’t have a sister so how do you know? Look, I will deal with Will, just leave it.’

‘Why do you have to be such a goody two shoes? Okay, I promise to try not to do anything stupid. That’s the best I can do.’

As they were walking back to the police van, a call came in for a domestic on Marsh Street. They ran and jumped into the van and Annie held onto the side of the van door as Jake blue lighted it through to the other side of town. She loved working with him but he was a crap driver, it was like watching her life flash before her eyes whenever he drove them to an emergency call. As they turned into the street one of their regular customers was kicking his ex-girlfriend’s front door. Jake screeched the van to a halt and they both jumped out.

‘Now then Peter what have we got here? From where I’m standing it looks like you’re causing a shit load of criminal damage.’

‘Fuck off, she’s a total bitch. Won’t let me see the kids and she has another bloke in there.’

Peter turned and began kicking the door again; Jake took three steps and grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the door.

‘Peter Low I’m arresting you on suspicion of criminal damage, section 4, and for being a prick. You do not have to say anything but, it may harm your defence if you do not mention now something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand Peter?’

‘Fuck off.’

Annie turned away to hide the grin on her face and opened the van doors as Jake snapped his cuffs over Peter’s wrists.

‘Is that any way to talk in front of a lady? Get in the cage, I’m taking you to the town’s worst bed and breakfast so you can sleep off your six bottles of cider and until you understand the error of your ways.’

Peter tried to resist being put in the van and began to scuffle with Jake who was almost twice his size. Jake grabbed him and threw him in.

‘Don’t be a dick all your life; I can add police assault and resisting arrest to that nice little list of charges.’

Jake slammed the cage door shut and then the van doors. Annie started laughing, ‘Sorry.’ She walked towards the house and knocked on the door, which was opened by a woman in her early twenties and clearly pregnant, with a two year old clinging to her legs.

‘Are you okay Julie? We’ve arrested him so he’ll be in until at least tomorrow because we can’t interview him until he’s sober.’

‘Thank you, why can’t he just leave me alone? He’s a pain in the arse.’

‘Typical man if you ask me Julie. Look I’ll let you get sorted out and then I’ll come back in an hour for a statement is that okay?’

The woman nodded her head. ‘Thanks Annie, I’ll have the kettle on.’

Annie grinned at her. ‘You’re on.’ She got back inside the van; Peter was now hammering on the cage and shouting about police brutality.

Jake looked at her, ‘Is she okay? For Christ’s sake Peter pack it in or I’ll come around there and show you the meaning of police brutality.’

‘Fuck off.’

Annie smothered her laughter with her hand. Peter stopped banging and shouting, having realised that he didn’t really want to go face to face with a pissed off copper the size of Jake.

They drove to the station and parked in the rear yard, there was already a shop lifter in the traps waiting to be processed so it would be at least fifteen minutes before they could take Peter in. After five minutes an unmarked CID car drove into the yard, with Will at the steering wheel and Laura in the front passenger seat. Annie felt her heart break a little more at the sight of them together. Before she could say anything Jake was out of the van and marching towards the car. Oh shit . Jake began to shout at Will, which roused the now sleepy Peter from his drunken snooze. Annie could only watch in horror as Jake wagged his finger in Will’s face; Laura put her head down and darted across the yard and into the station. Jake shoved Will and he stumbled backwards against the bonnet of the car, he caught his balance then shoved Jake back just as hard. A loud cheer came from the cage followed by a lot of whooping. Annie jumped out of the van, running over to separate them, but before she reached them they began to grapple with each other. She could hear the drunk in the van hammering on the cage and shouting. Kav came running out of the back door. He was the same size and build as Jake if not slightly bigger and he grabbed him, pulling him away.

‘Get in the station now and calm down you bloody idiot, it’s a good job there’s nobody important on duty or you two would both be out on your arses.’

Will regained his composure and walked away, his face red and blotchy. He didn’t even look across at Annie. Kav had Jake pinned to the wall, ‘Calm down you stupid moron, do you want to lose your job? Honestly sometimes I wonder where your brain is because it’s not in your bloody head. My office now and don’t move out of there until I come and see you.’

Jake muttered, ‘Sorry boss.’ He walked across the yard and into the station. Kav turned to Annie. ‘I can hazard a guess at what this is about Annie, are you okay sorting out your prisoner? Is there anything I should know before my officers start killing each other again?’

‘I’m fine Sarge, I told Jake to keep out of it but you know what he’s like. He thinks with his fists not his head and yes I’ll sort the prisoner out.’

She walked back to the van and got inside, slamming the door. She looked in the rear-view mirror at Peter who was grinning. ‘Those two wankers better get locked up for section 4, bloody brilliant you couldn’t make it up. There’s more action here than outside the pub last night.’

‘Shut up and go back to sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s your turn.’

She sat there with her face on fire and a pounding headache, wishing the last few days had never happened.

Chapter 7

Will threw the office door open and it slammed into the wall. Everyone looked up from their computers at him. He didn’t speak, just went and sat down at his desk and slouched behind the computer monitor so they couldn’t see his face. Laura was nowhere to be seen which suited him just fine; he didn’t care if he never set eyes on her again. Jake was well pissed off with him but he could cope with that, what he couldn’t cope with was seeing the look of betrayal on Annie’s face. He began reading his emails, anything to take his mind off the last twenty four hours. He wanted to make it up to her but he didn’t know if he could, she hadn’t returned any of his calls. He had an email from Grace Marshall who was a profiler from Manchester they had drafted in to help search for the last killer. She was telling him all about the wonders of geographical profiling and how she had just helped to solve a series of rapes in the Blackburn area because of it. She also told him she was off to Corfu for two weeks and planning on coming down to Barrow to pay him and Annie a visit.

He considered asking for her advice on the woman found in the church yesterday but she would probably cancel her holiday and he didn’t want to make her do that. They should be able to figure this one out without any outside help. He hoped to God no more turned up but if another body did appear then he wouldn’t wait around he would ask for her help. There was no way he would wait while bodies stacked up, one serial killer in this town was enough and they didn’t want another. The sound of movement made him glance up to see Stu and Laura whispering to each other. She must have sneaked back in because he hadn’t noticed her. He nodded at them; they were both holding clipboards.

‘Sarge is it okay if me and Laura revisit some of the houses near to the church? See if we can catch anyone who wasn’t in earlier.’