TO SHIELD WITH LIES

DI ELLIS YORKSHIRE CRIME THRILLERS

BOOK 13

OLIVER DAVIES

Copyright © 2024 by Oliver Davies

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

PROLOGUE

Itapped my legs impatiently as I watched Lylah slowly pack up my small number of items. Since I’d been brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, I only brought what was on my person at the time that I was attacked. I’d been hit in the back of the head at the Wolf and Lamb Pub. I was searching for evidence to help me finally identify the elusive killer of Lydia Henton, Angela Lowell, Nadia Manir, and most likely, Marika Dabrowska too. Marika had been classed as a missing person before, but the more I delved into the cold case, the more certain I was that the two cases were connected.

The owner of the Wolf and Lamb, Larry Arnold, had given me the keys to his pub while he was being placed under arrest by Detective Superintendent Nadia Begum, my good friend and ex-colleague. He begged me to use the keys to find something that could help him, and so I kicked everyone out of the pub and looked around for any signs of evidence. Initially, my search came up with nothing, but I then found a promising folder in one of Larry’s back rooms. I was certain it would contain something to aid the case. However, no sooner was the folder in my grasp than I was smacked on the back of the head. When I woke up, the folder was gone, leaving my hopes in tatters.

It was hard not to feel disheartened. I needed to get out of this hospital and continue the investigation. The thought of another twenty years of uncertainty and injustice was too much to bear.

I slowly went to push myself out of my bed, but the bedsprings barely started to strain before Lylah was standing over me. She looked at me as though she were a goalkeeper and I was a football that she was desperate to avoid letting past her.

“I told you to keep in bed,” she hissed with a matronly expression.

I sighed. “How long can it take you to pack, love? I didn’t exactly have much on me when I got here.”

Lylah made an annoyed humming noise in the back of her throat. “I know you’re keen to get out of here, Sean, but you need to actually be okay first. Faye isn’t back with the nurse yet, and until I hear them say it’s fine for us to leave, you’re staying right where you are.”

I huffed and went to continue getting out of bed, but Lylah moved with a speed I rarely saw from her and pushed me back down. I groaned. “You literally just said you were on my team, Lyles!”

Initially, Lylah and Faye both told me I had to stay here and focus on myself, but once I’d asked Lylah to promise she was on my side, she stated she would support me.

And yet here she was, standing in my way of clearing Larry’s name.

Again.

Lylah’s hard look softened slightly as she sat down on the side of the bed and faced me. “I am on your side, darling,” she whispered as she grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers. “But you, more than anyone, know how it can negatively impact a case if you aren’t in the right place to give it the focus it deserves.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped when the door opened. Faye entered the room, followed by a doctor. He looked young and inexperienced, but some of my doubts quickly evaporated when he walked into the room. I always thought you could tell a lot about a man based on his walk, and this doctor walked with confidence. It was respectable and made him seem like he wasn’t completely useless. He grabbed my medical file from the bottom of the bed, gazed at it for a second, then gave me a smile.

“Good evening, Mr. Ellis,” the doctor said, his voice as smooth as butter.

I felt like his tone melted many of his female patients, likely some of the male ones too, but I was a man who didn’t get impressed by a cool tone, so I merely grunted in response.

He wrapped his arms around my file and pulled it to his chest, giving me a knowing look. “I bet you’re eager to get out of here.”

“Boy, you said it, doc,” I replied as I shuffled in my bed. “So, for both of our sakes, let’s hope you’re here to tell me I can go.”

The young doctor chuckled humorlessly. He wiggled one of his fingers in the air, which instantly deflated me. “I don’t think you need to worry about being here too much longer, Mr. Ellis. I just have to attach a monitor to you for an hour before I can⁠—”

“An hour!” I interjected. “I don’t have a goddamn hour! I need to be out of here now!” I started shaking my head repeatedly, but when I tried to push myself out of my bed again, Lylah stopped me. This time, she was joined by Faye.

“Dad, just listen to the doctor, please,” Faye said with concern.

The worried look she gave me melted some of my hard exterior, so I begrudgingly looked away from her and back at the doctor. “What kind of monitor?” I asked with folded my arms.

Faye gave me a sympathetic smile as she gently tapped my shoulder and stepped away, but Lylah kept close to my side.

“It’s a simple heart monitor, Mr. Ellis,” the doctor replied. “It allows us to check your pulse, heart rate, and blood pressure.”

“Why do you think he needs this, Doctor?” Lylah asked softly.

“Head injuries can cause dizzy spells, and getting a fuller picture of your husband’s results from the monitor will help us see if he’s at risk of prolonged effects from the attack,” the doctor answered. “We take dizziness extremely seriously here, especially when you factor in your husband’s age and the fact he was assaulted.”

I gritted my teeth, feeling the veins popping out of my neck in my aggravation. “I’m only sixty-five, you know. I’m not exactly ancient!”

To my surprise, the doctor laughed. “I know you aren’t, Mr. Ellis! I simply meant that our body naturally takes longer to heal and deals with injuries differently the more we age.”

I grumbled unhappily, but didn’t argue with him.

“So, do I have your permission to get you hooked up to one of our monitors, Mr. Ellis?” the doctor asked hopefully as he placed his hand on the railing at the bottom of my bed. “The sooner you let me do it, the sooner I can let you leave.”

“Aye, get on with it then,” I retorted.

The doctor thanked me, then walked out of the room. Once the door was shut behind him, Lylah turned to me with crossed arms and a frown. “You don’t need to be so rude to him, you know. He’s only trying to help.”

“Excuse me for not enjoying being called old,” I said bitterly as I clicked my tongue. “I’m in my sixties, but he was acting like I was in my eighties.”

“He is only trying to state the facts, Sean, just like you always did during any case you worked,” Lylah replied, smiling reminiscently.

I grabbed her hand and kissed it, my expression still far from happy. “Easy for you to say. You aren’t even sixty yet.”

Lylah laughed lightly. “Well, you just count your lucky stars that you found yourself a young wife who puts up with your rubbish.”

I smirked at her slightly, then pulled my gaze back to the door as it opened again. The doctor had returned, this time with the same nurse who looked after me when I first arrived here. She helped the doctor get the monitor setup next to me. As the two worked on getting the surprisingly small contraption plugged in, I gripped my knee impatiently. Eventually, the machine was ready, the doctor thanked the nurse, and she exited the room.

The doctor turned to me, gesturing toward the monitor. “Mind if we get started?”

“Aye, let’s get this over with,” I said mumbled.

As the doctor respectfully pulled open some of my hospital gown to gain access to my torso, he spoke to me as he worked. “I apologise for your wait, by the way,” he said as he started to stick parts of the monitor to various parts of my chest. “I can’t say too much, but we have a slightly high profile patient here at the moment. I was called to see them before I could get back.”

I snorted and rolled my eyes slightly. “Some celebrity thinks they’re better than the average joe, I take it?”

“I mean, celebrity is rather a strong word, but they are known by a fair few, I suppose,” the doctor answered coolly.

I quirked my eyebrow. The doctor looked up at me and smiled coyly at my expression. “I can’t tell you who, okay?” he said quietly, though his tone was filled with amusement. “But considering what your profession was, I trust you know about discretion.”

“Aye, of course I do,” I snorted.

The doctor nodded gently, likely in approval of his work, since he slowly moved away from my body and examined the monitor on the side. Once he seemed happy that everything was okay, he attached some bands to my wrists and checked the monitor again before taking a seat next to me. “All I can tell you is that she's a rather well-known politician.”

No sooner had he said the word ‘politician’ did I feel my lip instantly curl unpleasantly. Lylah’s arm tensed on my own.

The doctor, noticing my icy reception, gave me a small smirk. “I take it you aren’t a fan?”

I snorted again. “That’s one way of putting it.”

The doctor nodded understandingly as he crossed one leg over the other. “Not everyone is into politics.”

“It isn’t that,” I said quickly, turning slightly in my bed to face him. I moved slowly so that I didn’t accidentally remove anything attached to my chest. “Well, it isn’t just that.” I barked a laugh. “During my career, I’ve dealt with my fair share of politicians, and some were a lot worse than others.”

“Oh, really?” the doctor replied curiously, sitting back comfortably in his chair. “Care to tell me about the most interesting politician you’ve ever dealt with?”

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. “I dunno.”

I glanced at Lylah, and she gave me a noncommittal shrug. It was her way of saying the choice was up to me. Faye, however, moved closer to my bed.

“Come on, Dad!” she said keenly. “I love hearing you talk about your old cases.”

I laughed. “You’ve heard about this one enough, love.”

The doctor waved his hands in the air. “You’ve got an hour to kill, Mr. Ellis. What better way to make the time go quicker?”

I grumbled, knowing the doctor was right. “Alright, I’ll only have time for one story, so I’ll tell you about my worst experience with a politician. They were a right piece of work. I couldn’t have been any keener for a case to end than I was for this one!”

The doctor nodded eagerly, so I took a deep breath and started to tell him about William Anderson.

1

“SEAN!”

I charged out of the kitchen and into the living room, my hands clutching a large tea. “I’m coming, my love!”

I approached Lylah, who was sprawled on the sofa, and put the tea down on the table next to her.

“I’ve been waiting ages for that!” she snapped as she struggled to sit up. “What took you so long?”

I glanced down at Lylah’s large, pregnant belly and knew I had to bite my tongue. Her hormones had been all over the place ever since she’d fallen pregnant just over eight months ago, so I knew I had to be understanding.

“Sorry, beautiful,” I replied affectionately, pausing to kiss her forehead before sitting down near her feet. “I made it as quickly as I could.”

Lylah growled slightly as she continued to slowly move into a sitting position, but her look of rage vanished as soon as she looked into my eyes. In the space of less than five seconds, she went from angry to unable to stop crying. She held her hands out toward me, so I gently lifted her legs and shuffled closer to her.

“I’m s-so sorry, Seany,” Lylah struggled to stammer out through her tears. “Y-you’ve been s-so good with me and I’m p-pushing you away!”

“Not at all, Lyles!” I said reassuringly as I kissed her hands. “You’re carrying my future son. I could never be annoyed at you.”

“Stop saying things like that!” she exclaimed, her tone both annoyed and amused. “We don’t know the sex of the baby yet! It’s supposed to be a surprise!”

“I know we don’t officially know, but I just know we are having a boy,” I said, rubbing her feet. “I can just feel it!”

Lylah snorted as she pulled her mug toward her. “You and that famous gut of yours. Just remember our deal, Sean. If it is a boy, then I will be the one naming him.” She hesitated nervously. “Let’s just hope you won’t be disappointed if we do end up having a girl.”

“I’ll be happy with whatever we have, Lyles,” I replied as I turned on the television. “It’s a mixture of the two of us, and that’s all I could ever want.”

Lylah sighed contentedly and stretched her legs out over my own. For a while we sat there in silence, but eventually I stifled a yawn.

Lylah looked at me with concern. “Please tell me you aren’t going to keep going in to work ridiculously early? The Gail Ruskin case ended months ago! You shouldn’t still be running about like this.”

I sighed glumly. The last big case was about Gail Ruskin, a serial killer nurse who’d killed dozens of people in various hospitals. I always knew when that information reached the press they’d do all they could to make me and my team seem incompetent, and they didn’t hold back.

I’d been doing damage control since then and things had only recently started to get better for us. I’d always worked crazy hours, but the past few months had been horrible. Being the detective chief inspector meant I had to keep showing my face and proving to the press and the public that we were capable of our jobs.

“I won’t be going in early tomorrow, love, I promise you,” I reassured her. “I told Rebecca I’d be with you for a bit in the morning, and she said she’s happy to take charge until I get in.”

“Good, hopefully that’s a sign that things are getting better,” Lylah said before downing the rest of her tea.

“I really hope so, Lyles. I can’t continue dealing with the stress we’ve all been under,” I said honestly as I took the empty mug from her hands and placed it on the table.

Lylah grimaced as she stroked my hand. “I wish I could be at work with you.”

“I’m glad you aren’t!” I exclaimed. “I’d be even more stressed if I had to watch my pregnant wife under all of that unnecessary pressure!” I hesitated uncomfortably. “It was bad enough watching you dealing with it before you started maternity leave.”

Lylah gestured with her finger for me to get closer, so I kissed her on the lips, then repositioned myself on the sofa so that I was behind her. She laid her back against my chest. By the time we finished getting comfortable, it was ten. The nightly news was about to come on.

Lylah groaned loudly as it began. “Eurgh, can’t we watch something else? There’s never anything but doom and gloom on there.”

I kissed the back of her head. “I know, love, but with our jobs, it’s important to know what’s going on in the world, isn’t it?”

Lylah simply groaned again. “I suppose so.”

I stroked the back of her hair as I pulled my gaze toward the television. The newsreader, an attractive woman named Michelle Wen, turned to the camera and started speaking. I often only paid attention to the first part of the news—if there were any big stories, they were usually told first.

“The city of London was left in shock this evening when it was announced that William Anderson, one of London’s longest running conservative MPs, announced his decision to continue his political campaign further to the north,” Michelle said in her clear, well-spoken voice as she continued to stare down at the camera. “William Anderson, until today, was known as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras, but he was better known as being the Secretary of State for Transport until stepping down five years ago. Tonight, William Anderson declared that he felt he and his family were no longer safe in London after he received a rather negative backlash to some of his more recent political opinions. Due to this reaction, William Anderson has made the choice to move to Yorkshire, where he is hopeful he can still continue to help the Prime Minister. Right now we know that⁠—”

I grumbled boredly. “Clearly there isn’t much going on in the world if this is how Michelle is starting the news.”

“But we have to listen to the news, darling,” Lylah replied playfully. “In our profession it’s really important that we know everything about current affairs.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” I said sarcastically. “I meant about important things. Not pointless rubbish about what some uppity MP is doing.”

Lylah pursed her lips teasingly. “Oh, yes. I forgot about your dislike of politicians!”

I slowly moved and stretched out my back a bit. “I just think they’re overpaid, incompetent idiots who promise to get things done but never do. That’s all.”

“Well, let’s hope our future child doesn’t decide to go down that route then,” Lylah snorted.

I gently pushed Lylah forward and started to climb off the sofa. “They’ll have a mixture of our genes, Lyles, so they won’t make an idiotic choice like that.”

Lylah smirked as she held her hands out toward me so I could help her get off the sofa. “I wonder if he really left because of political backlash,” she pondered.

I held Lylah firmly as she rose from the sofa. “Probably not. Everyone knows most politicians are up to their necks in dodgy business, which just gets brushed under the carpet.” I scoffed. “He probably stepped down from his former position because he was caught doing something he shouldn’t.”

I turned off the television, then held out my arm to help Lylah get upstairs.

“I wish I was at work so I could look into him!” she said eagerly as we walked. “I bet he ran away from something really bad!”

I chuckled slightly as I lead Lylah up the stairs. “Christ, Lyles, a few weeks off of work and it’s turned you rather sinister! Either that or my cynicism has completely rubbed off on you now.”

“Don’t worry, dear, I’ll never be quite as cynical as you are,” she replied slyly. “I’m suspicious over the man’s quick move, not simply hating him for his profession.”

I felt my neck redden slightly as we reached the top of the stairs. “I never said I hate the man. I just hate⁠—”

“Everything about him and what he stands for?” Lylah interrupted.

I smirked as I pushed open our bedroom door. “Exactly.”

Lylah laughed, and then we were quiet as I helped her get ready for bed. After several visits to the bathroom, Lylah moaned tiredly as she finally got under the sheets. I pulled the duvet over her, kissed her head, then climbed into bed beside her. As I got settled, I couldn’t help but think about what was said on the news. MPs were nightmares, but ones from London always seemed worse, so the thought of one moving to Yorkshire was an unpleasant one. As I puffed my pillow and tried to let sleep take me, I just hoped that wherever that man ended up in Yorkshire was nowhere near me.

2

Iyawned and stretched after another night of limited sleep thanks to Lylah’s constant need to go to the bathroom, but like every other night, I took it in stride and did what I could to support her.

Lylah was still snoring blissfully beside me, so I gently rolled out of bed and decided to get her breakfast. She often craved a McDonalds’ breakfast muffin, so I quietly grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and got changed. Once my clothes were on, I made my way downstairs, found the keys for my motorcycle, then grabbed my leather jacket and helmet from near the front door. I sighed contentedly as I put them on. As much as I loved living with Lylah, I didn’t get the chance to go out on my motorcycle as much as I used to, so I relished the excuse to ride my bike.

I walked outside once my jacket and helmet were on, then climbed on my motorcycle. I then set off, knowing the noise wouldn’t wake Lylah in her deep sleep, and drove to the closest McDonalds. It was less than a ten-minute drive away, so I got there in good time. I’d planned on using the drive through, but as I drove through the carpark, I realised with a smile that I recognised one of the cars parked there. I decided to park up and wander inside.

I pushed open the door and saw the two people I was pleasantly surprised to catch: AJ and his wife, Luna. When AJ saw me, his grin grew wide as he waved at me energetically.

“I feel like I’m looking at a ghost, Luna!” AJ chuckled as I approached them. “It must be anyway. We haven’t seen Sean Ellis out in the wild for quite some time.”

I rubbed my neck guiltily at AJ’s words. There was a time we saw one another regularly—mostly at Black Rock, the climbing place I used to frequent—but ever since I’d been with Lylah, particularly since our engagement, I hadn’t had the time to go there much.

“Shush, AJ!” Luna scolded, turning to me with a smile. “Sean is going to be a father, so it’s understandable he’s busy.”

AJ quickly nodded. “Sean knows I’m only messing. Don’t you, mate?”

I shook his firm hand and laughed. “Aye, of course I do. I have missed you both, though.”

“We’ve missed you too, mate, but married life has kept us busy too!” he said as he smiled warmly at his wife.

AJ and Luna got married before Lylah and I did, and I was glad to see that the two still seemed as happy and in love as ever.

I gestured around the fast-food restaurant. “Aye, clearly married life is suiting you,” I said impishly.

AJ hit my arm playfully. “Hey! Luna and I mostly have an incredibly strict diet, I’ll have you know.” He wheeled his chair slightly and flexed his arms so I could see them. “You don’t keep as buff as this if you eat at McDonald’s every day.”

I looked at Luna, who rolled her eyes playfully at her husband. “I think what my lovely, not at all arrogant husband is trying to say is that we allow ourselves one day a week to have a cheat meal. I fancied a greasy breakfast when I got up this morning.”

I nodded with understanding. “I can’t say I blame you. You can’t eat healthily every day of the week. It would drive anyone mad.”

“What brings you here anyway, mate?” AJ asked as he grabbed his coffee and pulled it toward him. He glanced around me and looked disappointed. “As you’re on your own, I take it you aren’t stopping for long.”

I grimaced as I shook my head. “Sorry, mate. I’ve come to get Lylah breakfast as a surprise.”

Luna put her hands close to her chest. “Oh, what a lovely idea! That’s so sweet of you.”

“I take it she’s been getting the pregnancy cravings bad, has she?” AJ asked with a slight wink.

I barked a laugh. “You have no idea. I think if Lyles had her way, I’d get her a breakfast muffin every day of the week.”

“It’s always best to satisfy pregnancy cravings, that’s for sure,” Luna said as she grabbed her own drink. “The baby wants it for a reason.”

I nodded, then looked toward the till point. “Aye, I’ll just quickly put my order in, then come back.”

I quickly walked to one of the machines and put in our order. I then grabbed the order ticket once the machine eventually decided to spit it out, then went back over to AJ and Luna.

“Have you two been up to much recently?” I asked politely.

AJ and Luna looked at one another for a moment, their expressions unreadable, before they turned back to me.

“Not really, mate,” AJ said almost glumly as he traced his fingers over the top of his coffee cup. “I still go to Black Rock most weeks, but it isn’t really the same when you aren’t there.”

I felt my face redden with guilt, so I rubbed my cheek to try to hide it. I wanted to apologise to AJ and reassure him I’d make more of an effort in the future, but with a baby on the way, I knew that was a promise I couldn’t make.

I missed Black Rock, and more importantly, AJ’s company, but once my baby was born, that would be my priority. Quality moments with AJ would have to wait a while.

“I do miss it there,” I said as I sighed reminiscently. “I genuinely can’t remember the last time I went.”

“Last time I saw you there was around four months ago when you told me about the horrid press you were dealing with,” AJ responded.

I sighed. “Aye, luckily, most of that unpleasantness is behind us now.”

“You shouldn’t have had to deal with negativity in the first place!” Luna exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. “You stop a serial killer and get dragged through the mud for not doing it quicker?” She clicked her tongue. “Disgraceful!”

AJ looked at Luna warmly before looking back at me. “As you can see, mate, we always have your back.”

“Order 66!” a young man behind the till suddenly shouted.

I glanced down at my ticket and sighed when I saw it was mine.

“I best get that back to Lylah then,” I said guiltily as I scratched my head. “We will have to sort something soon though.”

AJ didn’t look convinced, but he gave me a weak smile and nodded. “Yeah, mate, I’d love that.”

“He really would, Sean,” Luna said as she stroked my arm kindly. “Though we understand you have a lot right now.”

I smiled at them both, then walked away. I met the man at the till, grabbed my order, then walked toward the front door. Before I pushed it open, I quickly turned back to AJ and Luna and waved. They both waved back, then I pushed open the door and walked toward my motorcycle. As I got settled on it, I looked back toward the McDonald’s front door and couldn’t help but feel guilty over how deflated AJ looked. It was clear he missed my company, and it hurt to know that I wouldn’t be able to make him a priority in my life anytime soon.

I sighed glumly, put my helmet back on, and hoped that when I presented Lylah with her surprise breakfast that her happiness would help put me in a better mood.

3

My mood remained melancholy as I rode my motorcycle back to my flat. I should have been happy after seeing AJ and Luna. Instead, I was hit with the stark reality that I’d soon be a father with a baby again… and everything that came with that.

My life would literally be work and the baby. It wasn’t that I thought that was a bad thing. It had just been a long time since I’d juggled work with raising an infant. I was no more than a kid myself when I had Faye, but now that I was doing this all over again in my mid-thirties, with a hell of a lot more responsibilities, it felt a lot more daunting.

As I parked up outside of the flat, I took a deep breath, took off my helmet, then shook my head to rid myself of the negativity. Lylah was struggling with the pregnancy as it was. She didn’t need me coming in and telling her how lousy I felt over not being able to see one of my friends for a while.

I pushed open the front door, then hurried into the kitchen to put down the bag of food before taking off my gear. I then put our breakfast on plates before taking them upstairs, where I smiled at the sight of Lylah still fast asleep in our bed.

I sat gently on the side of the bed and spoke to her. “Lyles?”

Lylah groaned tiredly and turned to face me. She half opened one of her eyes. When she saw what I was holding, her eyes opened wide with excitement.

“Babe! You didn’t!” she exclaimed. “You truly are the best husband, Sean Ellis.”

I laughed as I climbed in next to her. I picked up her plate and passed it to her. “Anything for you, Mrs. Ellis.”

For a moment, we sat in silence as we ate our breakfast. Once I was done, I glanced at my watch and groaned slightly when I saw that it was getting close to nine.

Lylah’s face dropped slightly. “Let me guess, you’ll be going soon?”

“Aye, love,” I sighed.

Lylah looked upset, but she nodded understandingly. “I can’t wait until your paternity leave starts.”

I kissed her forehead. “I know, love. Won’t be much longer now.”

Lylah smiled, then took another bite of her food. “Good, because we need to seriously start working on getting that spare room organised into the baby’s room. God only knows how long that could take!”

The same panic I felt from before quickly hit me, so I cleared my throat and climbed out of bed.

Luckily, Lylah was so consumed by her food that she didn’t notice the way I awkwardly traipsed about, taking off my casual clothes and grabbing some smarter ones to change into. Part of me felt frustrated with myself for panicking about having a baby, and I knew I needed to snap out of it quickly. I was excited to be a “new” dad again, and I knew I couldn’t let those small worries get on top of me.

Once I was showered and dressed for work, I checked back in on Lylah. She had finished her food and looked as though she were ready to fall asleep again. “Love,” I said in a soft but firm voice as I approached her. “I’m going to leave in a minute. Before I go, do you want me to help you get dressed?”

“I just want to sleep in bed for a bit longer,” Lylah huffed. “You just get going. I’m sure I’ll be okay to get myself ready later.”

“Alright, love, just be careful please,” I replied as I grabbed her plate, trying to keep the anxiety from my tone.

Lylah grunted in response from under the duvet. I chuckled lightly, then went downstairs where I put my leather jacket back on, grabbed my motorcycle helmet, then exited the flat.

It was barely half nine when I got to work. I climbed off of my motorcycle, took off my helmet and shook out my hair, then walked inside. I pushed open the front door, politely greeted Karen, then made my way up the stairs and into our department.

As I was there later than usual, I wasn’t at all surprised to see that the entire team was in. Mae was leaning coolly against the counter in the kitchen, holding a mug lightly in her right hand as she chatted animatedly to Elijah. Elijah was leaning against the counter equally effortlessly. I turned to the left of the room to see Rebecca sitting at her desk with Nadia standing next to her. They were also chatting, only their features looked more serious.

I placed my helmet on a small table near the coat rack and cleared my throat as I unzipped my jacket. “Good mornin’, team.”

The team all turned to me quickly. Elijah walked away from the kitchen and moved closer to Nadia and Rebecca. “Morning?” Elijah asked sarcastically as he playfully elbowed Nadia. “I think you mean afternoon, don’t you, sir?”

Once my jacket was on a hook, I turned to Elijah and looked at him with crossed arms and furrowed brows. “Watch the cheek, Smith. I’m still here earlier than you are most days.”

Elijah’s cheeks reddened as Nadia giggled beside him. She squeezed his shoulder jovially. “He’s got a point.”

Elijah rubbed his neck sheepishly and laughed. “True, sir!”

I grunted as I glanced toward Rebecca. I went to ask what was wrong, but Mae walked over and spoke first.

“How is Lylah, sir?” she asked.

“Aye, she’s doing as well as she can when walking around with a small human inside of her,” I replied.

Mae half smiled at me. “Glad to hear she’s okay.”

Wanting no more interruptions, I looked toward Rebecca and Nadia. “What’s going on? You two looked as serious as sin when I got in.”

Rebecca pushed her chair back and slowly stood. “You missed a call from Banner this morning,” she said with distaste. “He asked if you could call him as soon as you got in.”

I grumbled unpleasantly as I rubbed my face. Paul Banner was the head of the board. Ever since the story of Gail Ruskin hit the press, he’d been calling me almost constantly. Although he hadn’t blamed any of us for the backlash—if anything he was one of the few who praised us—he was calling often to check on how things were and to give us new, and in Paul’s eyes, exciting jobs to show the public just how capable we were.

Luckily, over the last month he’d let up a bit, but the fact he wanted to speak to me today filled me with dread. I didn’t know if I could deal with any more pathetic jobs designed only to pander to the public and the press.

“I suppose I best call him then,” I muttered. As I moved toward my office, I looked at Rebecca. “I don’t suppose he gave any indication as to why he was calling?”

Rebecca pursed her lips, gently shaking her head as she sat down. “No, none at all. Once he heard that you weren’t here, he didn’t exactly hang around on the phone.”

I snorted, knowing that sounded like something he would do. I turned away and slowly made my way to my office and sat behind the desk. I was in no hurry to talk to Paul, but equally I knew the sooner I got it over with, the better.

I picked up my phone from my desk, sighed miserably, then hit the button for a direct line to Paul. The phone rang for just under a minute, which made me hopeful he wasn’t in, but he picked up at the last second.

“This Paul Banner speaking,” Paul said gruffly.

“Mornin’, sir,” I responded. “It’s DCI Ellis.”

“Ah, Ellis!” Paul exclaimed with relief. “I was concerned when I spoke to your DI earlier and she said you weren’t in yet.”

The one morning I decide to take some time for Lylah is the morning he decides he wants to speak to me, I thought bitterly.

“Sorry about that, sir,” I apologized. “As you know, my wife is quite far along in her pregnancy. I was spending some extra time with her.”

“Good man,” Paul said approvingly, much to my surprise. “Family is important, isn’t it? We have busy careers, but we mustn’t ever forget that.”

“Aye, that’s very true, sir.”

Paul cleared his throat, his tone suddenly all business. “Let’s get straight to the point, Ellis. Did you watch the news last night?”

I went stiff in my chair. I’d been so annoyed by the mention of that MP that I hadn’t bothered to watch the rest of it. Had something bad happened?

“I can’t say I did, sir,” I said. “I take it I missed something?”

“That you did, Ellis,” Paul responded. “We have an MP moving here from London. One who used to hold a rather prominent position in the cabinet.”

William Anderson, I thought to myself coldly. Why is everyone so concerned with what that pissing MP is doing?

“Right,” I sighed.

“I’ll cut straight to it, Ellis,” Paul said sternly. “William Anderson is moving into a manor house not too far from the outskirts of the city, and he has requested a strong police presence to protect him while he gets settled there.”

I kept silent in my seat, my body unmoving. Surely Paul wasn’t calling to ask a man in my position to babysit an MP.

As I didn’t respond, Paul awkwardly cleared his throat again, then continued. “He is currently on the move with a police squad from London, but once he arrives here, he and his family are going to need reliable people to watch over him and ensure he and his family are safe,” Paul said. “At least until he asks for you to go, anyway.”

Paul kept quiet, so I bit my lip before speaking. “So you’re calling to ask if someone from my team can watch over this MP?” I pressed.

“Not just anyone from your team, Ellis,” Paul corrected. “He requested the best of the best, so I told him I’d be sending you. Though naturally you’ll need to take two members of your team as an extra precaution, of course.”

With difficulty, I held back a moan of aggravation. I clenched my fist, ignoring the pain I felt in my palm as my knuckles whitened. “With all due respect, sir, wouldn’t a job like this be more suitable for a few PCs or even a couple of DCs?” I asked. “We might receive important calls while I’m out babysitting, er, watching over this MP.”

“I understand your reservations, Ellis,” Paul sighed, his tone void of any genuine sympathy. “But Anderson is a rather influential man. I’m certain he will only want protection for a few days at the most. Maybe a week.”

A week!? I thought with outrage. You’ve just gone on about how important family is, and now you’re asking me to leave my pregnant wife so I can babysit some pompous MP and his brats.

I didn’t like what Paul was asking of me, but I knew I couldn’t say no to a direct request from the board, either.

“Very well,” I said begrudgingly. “I will speak to my team and we will make our way to his address soon.”

“Thank you, Ellis,” Paul said. “I’ll email you his details now.” There was an odd silence for a second before he continued. “I know you feel like this job will be a waste of your talents, but with how the press has been attacking us recently, I’m hopeful this can benefit us.”

Or turn them even more against us when they try to paint us as conservative sympathisers, I thought bitterly.

“Aye, I guess we will see,” I said impassively as I rose from my chair. “I will keep an eye out for your email, sir.”

“Good man, Ellis,” Paul responded. “He and his family should be arriving at their new home in just under an hour, so make sure you get there soon.”

“Will do, sir,” I replied.

Paul hung up the phone, and I dropped down my own receiver harshly.

When I’d watched the news and heard about William Anderson, I’d hoped that man was going to be nowhere near me. Now it seemed like I was going to be confined to his company for a long time.

I couldn’t think of anything worse.

4

With one last grumble, I stepped away from my desk and walked toward my office’s door. I hesitated near it, unhappy with what I was about to do, but slowly forced myself to open the door and rejoin the others. Rebecca turned at my approach, and after one look at my face, her thick eyebrows raised dangerously high in concern.

“God, what has he asked us to do now?” she queried as she rose out of her chair. “Not another outlandish publicity stunt?”

“Worse,” I said as I folded my arms. “He’s sending us babysitting.”

“What does that mean?” Rebecca pressed.

I turned to my side and saw Nadia, Elijah, and Mae approach us. They all looked nervous and intrigued. I sighed as I rubbed my neck. “To cut a long story short, he asked us to protect some MP called William Anderson.”

Nadia stepped forward, her brow quirked in curiosity. “The one who just stepped down from his position in London?”

Elijah glanced at her in shock. “Christ, Nads! Since when were you into politics?”

Nadia’s cheeks flushed. “I’m not, but he was mentioned on the news last night. Did none of you watch it?”

Rebecca stepped forward and nodded slightly, her lips pursed. “I did, unfortunately. That news presenter spoke about him for almost half an hour, but she didn’t exactly say much in that time either.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll be honest, I started watching it, but when they started talking about him, I quickly turned it off.”

Rebecca snorted. “I can’t say I blame you. I wish I had.”

Nadia glanced at Elijah and Mae. “I take it you two know nothing about him, then?”

Elijah shrugged nonchalantly as Mae slowly shook her head.

“Let’s face it,” I said. “None of us really know anything about him. I suggest we do a quick search to see what we find before we have to go.”

“Who is ‘we,’ exactly?” Rebecca inquired.

“Banner told me I have to bring two members of the team, and I was thinking it made sense to go with the DCs so you and Nadia can stay here for any actual cases that come in,” I said bitterly before turning to Elijah and Mae. “Sorry, you two. It just makes the most sense.”

“Understood, sir!” Elijah exclaimed. “I’m more than happy to do some fieldwork, even if it is standing around some posh dude’s large house.”

I snorted and looked at Mae, who simply shrugged and kept her face void of expression. “All experience is good experience, sir.”

“I don’t know what we will find,” I said, addressing the entire room as everyone trailed to their desks. “But any information on Anderson or a member of his family will help us get a better idea of the man we’re dealing with. The man moved his family into a brand new area fast. I want to know exactly why he felt the need to do so.”

“Yes, sir!” Elijah replied.

“What are you expecting us to find on this guy, anyway?” Rebecca asked.

I shrugged as I walked to her computer. “Honestly? I dunno, but innocent people don’t flee their homes in the middle of the night, do they?”

Rebecca made a grumbling noise in the back of her throat. “Not often, no, though there could be an innocent explanation behind it.”

“Do you think so?” I pressed.

“No,” Rebecca said honestly as she scratched above her lip. “Though maybe that’s just your suspicious nature rubbing off on me. You are standing ridiculously close.”

I smirked as I returned my focus to her screen. “Come on, let’s see what we can find.”

The two of us were silent as we focused on our research. As we looked, I kept a close eye on my watch, knowing I had to allow myself enough time to get to William Anderson’s address. After twenty minutes of searching, I cleared my throat loudly to get everyone’s attention.

“Right, I’ll be leaving soon, so let’s stop for now. What has everyone found? Smith, you start.”

Elijah swivelled his chair around. “Well, sir, I found out that Anderson has been married for twenty years to his wife, Linda, and together they have two children. A nineteen year old daughter called Charlotte, and a twenty year old son called Gregory.”

I nodded. “Right, and did anything interesting come up about any of his family members?”

“Yes, sir!” he exclaimed. “I only had time for a quick search, and nothing came up about Linda, but there was a recent story published about the daughter. She has apparent issues with alcohol and drugs.” He hesitated. “No idea how true it is, but it could explain their quick move if Anderson wants to get help for his daughter.”

“Hmm,” I considered. “It’s a possibility, aye. What about the son? Anything on him?”

Elijah chewed his lip in contemplation before speaking. “He seems to be perceived as a bit of a bully, but that’s all I got on him.”

“What about Anderson himself?” I asked, crossing my arms. “Has anyone found anything on him to explain the quick move?”

“I couldn’t find much, Sean,” Nadia responded disappointedly. “But what I found suggests he moved based on backlash about his political beliefs.”

I groaned. “Aye, that was what Michelle Wen said on the news, but surely that wouldn’t have caused the move, would it?”

Nadia shrugged. “It could have. From what I’ve seen, the man was receiving a lot of death threats and abuse after he openly said one of his political goals is to bring back the death penalty. He feels the treatment of prisoners is far too lenient these days.”

I gritted my teeth irritably. While I could agree with his point to an extent, I could also see why people would have reacted strongly to his desire to bring back the death penalty. Criminals deserved to be punished, no one deserved death.

Now that I knew more about his political beliefs, I could understand why he may have wanted to get away from London and desired to have protection around him, but a part of the story still felt incomplete.

“So the family is horrible then,” Rebecca snorted.

I groaned slightly as I cracked my knuckles. I’d already been dreading watching the family, but now that I knew a bit more about them, I was looking forward to it even less.

It was clear the Anderson family had used their privilege to get away with an assortment of unacceptable behaviour, and I was ready to meet them and figure out just how much they’d been trying to get away with.

5

Iput my jacket on and turned toward Elijah and Mae. Mae had a blank face as she put on her jacket, but Elijah, with his usual optimism, was smiling as he put his stylish denim jacket on. I wished I could bring out even an eighth of his positivity.

The man had been through so much, particularly just over a year ago when he’d been kidnapped and tortured by the serial killer, Thomas Moore, and yet nothing ever seemed to bring him down. He was like a real-life version of Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout, jumping around on his two legs as though his bottom half was made from a spring, bringing happiness to those around him as much as he brought it to himself.

I readied myself to leave, but turned as Rebecca approached me.

“Is there anything you want Nadia and I to do when you’re out?” she asked.

“Not right now,” I said as I zipped up my jacket. “We’ll likely get more of a feel for the Anderson family by actually watching them than by an online search. If I were you, I’d just make sure all the paperwork is done and listen out for any cases that are more exciting than this one.” I hesitated as I rubbed my chin. “But get a couple of panda cars to follow us to Anderson’s, will you? The more security we have there, the better.”

“Joy,” Rebecca responded sarcastically. “I’ll get some PCs to follow you, then I’ll make me and Nadia a coffee. We won’t have much else to do today.”

I hit her shoulder sympathetically as I jerked my head toward the door. “If you like, we can swap?”

“Oh no, you’re fine!” Rebecca quipped. “Suddenly a tower of paperwork sounds positively riveting.”

I laughed. “Aye, that’s what I thought.” I turned to Elijah and Mae. “Are you both ready?”

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

We left the building quickly. Once we were outside, Mae offered to drive, since I had my motorcycle. Elijah offered me the front seat, and I pulled up the email with Anderson’s address on it as we got settled. I punched it in the satnav and was relieved to see that it was a short drive, around thirty minutes.

Mae pulled out of the car park, and it wasn’t long before I noticed two cars following us. I knew them well enough by now to know they were unmarked police cars, and I nodded approvingly at Rebecca’s quick thinking. It would have looked suspicious if we drove with two panda cars behind us, but no one would look twice at three normal cars driving along.

“I take it you’re not excited about our job, sir?” Elijah eventually said from the backseat.

“That’s a polite way of wording it,” I grumbled. I rubbed my face, then tried to turn my tone more positive. “Sometimes we get jobs we aren’t happy with, but we just have to get on with them. I’ve worked several cases where I had to protect someone, and while they’re never my favourite jobs to do, I always put my all into them. I expect you two to do the same.”

“Like when you had to watch over Amanda Kitson, sir?” Elijah chuckled.

I moaned unpleasantly at the thought. “Aye, like that.”

“Amanda Kitson?” Mae pried curiously. “Wasn’t she some form of reality star?”

I choked on a laugh. “I’d say ‘star’ is a bit generous, but she was on some form of reality show, aye. She was getting stalked by an obsessed fan, so I was tasked with protecting her for a bit.”

“How exciting,” Mae snorted.

I smiled at her weakly. “See, I knew you’d get it.”

“But not many people can say they got to spend quality time with a celebrity, sir!” Elijah exclaimed.

“I suppose not,” I said. “That’s why I like you, Smith. You’re always seeing the positive in things.”

I looked up into the wing mirror and saw Elijah beaming behind me. “It’s how I’ve always been, sir!”

I chuckled lightly, turned to the satnav, then held back a groan when I saw we were only ten minutes away. I noticed we were now out of York’s centre and approaching the outskirts of town. It made sense that William Anderson and his family would have gotten a home as close to the middle of nowhere as you could get, which wasn’t easy if you lived in York. Yorkshire had some lovely, rural areas that offered a lot of privacy, but if you wanted to be close to York’s city centre, you lost that. York was beautiful and rich with history, but didn’t offer space and freedom.

I watched with intrigue as Mae pulled the car up a winding country road that seemed to lead to nowhere. She drove for several minutes, and I was surprised that we never saw another vehicle or any signs of nature. There were no large pheasants leering out from the side of the road, looking like they were about to go on a suicide mission by attempting to pass us, nor were there any deers or muntjacs attempting to zoom across the road. All we saw was a continuous road, barely wide enough for us, that looked as though it hadn’t received attention in decades. It was flanked by various trees that stood tall and strong alongside the road as if they were also out to protect William and his family.

Mae suddenly exhaled loudly, and one look out the window told me why. We were now approaching the end of the road, and it led directly to the biggest manor house I’d ever seen in my life.

I’d dealt with big houses before—such as Amanda Kitson’s and Holly Jameson’s—but compared to William Anderson’s new house, those two might as well have lived in small, decrepit bungalows. It looked like the sort of place you’d seen in an episode of Downton Abbey. It appeared to be a three-story building made of pale brick the color of clay. Up the left side of the house was a large patch of luscious green ivy that grew directly from the bottom and finished right at the top. The effect of it against the light bricks was rather attractive. The large bay windows were covered in thick white frames that complemented the pale walls.

The building was stunning, but similar to the road, it looked as though it needed a bit of refurbishment. It likely hadn’t been lived in for years. Still, many people would have died to live in a place as grand and beautiful as this.

As we drove further, Elijah leaned forward between the front seats. He and Mae were both staring, clearly impressed. As beautiful as the place was, I couldn’t look at it the same way they did. Instead, all I could think about was how it looked like it could house at least ten people, and yet a politician had swooped in and got it for himself and three others.

If anything, it only increased my annoyance.

There was a housing crisis and thousands of people were unable to afford their own home, yet large manor houses were easily affordable to lone politicians who made a ridiculous wage. A look at the house was enough to tell me I likely didn’t even make a fifth of William Anderson’s wage, and my job was a hell of a lot more important. It was enough to make me feel sick.

We soon reached a large archway that led us to the front of the house, and standing there were several PCs looking as though they were on red alert.

“What should I do, sir?” Mae asked nervously.

“Just keep going forward, Hodge,” I commanded. “We will park up once we are in front of them. I’m sure the PCs behind us will have the sense to copy us.”

Mae nodded and continued to drive forward, only she slowed her speed down considerably. Once she reached the tall brick archway, she stopped the car, and I watched as one of the PCs stepped toward us. Out of the PCs that were there, she seemed the oldest and, I assumed, the most experienced. She had long, brunette hair tied back in a loose bun that was flecked with grey. Her eyes were large—either naturally or because she was on high alert—and were a clear blue. Her black trousers looked tight on her, and I noticed over her white shirt she and the other PCs were wearing thick bulletproof vests. This surprised me. Apparently, the PCs had been told to wear their protective uniforms for this job.

Christ, I thought. Just how much danger does Anderson think he’s in?

I put my hand up respectfully, so the PC approached my window instead of Mae’s. Mae quickly opened it for me.

“Good mornin’,” I said as I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket and pulled out my badge. “I’m DCI Sean Ellis with DC Mae Hodge and DC Elijah Smith. The two other cars contain some PCs who are here to help us. We’ve all been told to come here today.” I casually put my badge back in my pocket after she’d inspected it.

“Ah, yes, DCI Ellis,” she said in an overly drawn out drawl. “I was concerned when I saw the number of vehicles, but that makes sense.” She paused and clicked her tongue. “We’d expected you earlier, to be honest.”

I jutted out my chin but held back the profanities I longed to throw at her. “Well, we’re here now. Are Anderson and his family here?”

The woman put her hands on her hips and stood up tall. She dramatically surveyed around us before looking back at me. “Yes, they made it here about half an hour ago. We were told we had to stay here until York’s team came to take over.”

I nodded. “I take it you aren’t in charge of security here right now, then?”

The woman shook her head. “No, we came here with DI Jacinto,” she said, her eyes lighting up slightly at the mention of his name. “I can call him to come meet us here? He did say he wished to be informed when you and your team arrived.”

I nodded and watched as the PC stepped away and pulled out her radio. She spoke into it for less than a minute before clipping it back to her vest and approaching us. “DI Jacinto is on his way out of the house. He said to let you and your team park closer to the building.”

I grunted in response, then turned to Mae. “You heard the woman, let’s keep moving.”

Mae nodded. She then waited for the female PC to join her team. The PC ushered the others to the side, then gestured wildly with her hands for us to come in their direction. Mae instantly put her car back into gear and drove forward. We slowly went under the archway, and I looked around in disbelief at the large area in front of the house’s main door. It was covered in small stones that matched the colour of the brickwork, and I imagined we could have parked at least twenty cars there. Mae parked up close to the house’s front door and the two cars that followed parked on either side of us.

I turned to Mae and Elijah. “You two have a quick look outside while I’m talking with DI Jacinto.” I then jerked my thumbs at the cars beside us. “Get the PCs in those cars to help you.”

Mae nodded. “Sure thing, sir.”

“Right away, sir!” Elijah exclaimed.

We all climbed out of Mae’s car, and I got a look at the PCs as they came out of their cars. I was impressed to see that each car held four PCs—both containing one female and three males—who stepped toward me with serious expressions.

I jerked my head toward Mae and Elijah. “Speak to DC Smith and DC Hodge,” I ordered. “I’m going to have a quick debrief with the London DI that brought Anderson and his family here.”

I walked back towards the front door, hesitating a bit as a man stepped out. He was handsome, with Asian features and perfectly styled hair. I could see why the female PC lit up when she mentioned him. He had the sort of conventional male beauty that I assumed most women found desirable.

As he walked toward me, his face kept stoic and professional, yet he walked with his hands in his pockets as though he wanted to seem casual. Once he was in front of me, he held out his hand and I shook it. I was impressed with how firm his grip was.

“DCI Ellis, I presume?” he asked.

“Aye, and I take it you’re DI Jacinto?” I responded.

DI Jacinto gave me a small smile. “Yes, but feel free to call me Emmanuel.”

“Then call me Sean.”

Emmanuel nodded. “I was told a lot about you before I got here.”

I quirked a brow in surprise, causing Emmanuel to chuckle.

“Before we left London, I had a phone call from DCI Brian Devlin,” Emmanuel continued. “We don’t work in the same circles, but he said it was likely you’d be the contact up here. He wanted to let me know about you.”

I smiled at the thought of my old superior. “How is he?”

“Good,” Emmanuel replied. “He said you’re one of the best men he’s ever worked with, so let’s hope he’s right.”

I laughed awkwardly. “Devlin is very kind to say so. How was your journey here?”

“Long and uneventful, Sean,” he shrugged. “I don’t personally think all of this extra security is necessary, so hopefully this won’t be too long of a job for you.”

I was surprised by his blunt honesty, but equally admired it. “Good, I’m glad it was uneventful.”

I’m even gladder that I likely won’t be here long, I thought to myself hopefully.

“I take it you have security inside?” I continued.

“Of course,” Emmanuel responded. He looked toward the house. “I currently have six PCs inside, all of them guarding different entrances to the property.” He turned away from the large house and looked at me again. “I’ve been informed by my superiors that I need to leave some of my team here until the morning, but that I’m to leave when you get here.”

“Back to London right away?” I inquired.

“I wish,” Emmanuel said with a wistful sigh. “My superiors insisted I get a hotel and stay in York until morning, just to make sure I’m close by if anything happens tonight. I’ll be available if you have any questions or need any form of backup.”

I gave him a half smile. “Aye, I’ll take your contact information in case I need anything, though if it’s been as quiet as you say it has, I probably won’t need to use it.”

I took out my phone, and Emmanuel gestured for me to pass it to him. He quickly used it to ring his phone, cut off the call, then passed me back my phone. “There, now we have one another’s contact information.”

“Ta,” I said gratefully as I put my phone away. I glanced at the house again and rubbed my stubble. “From what I’ve heard, Anderson and his family moved here due to some threats he received in London based on his political views?”

Emmanuel nodded. “Yes, that seems to be the case.”

“And you believe that to be true?” I pressed.

Emmanuel tilted his head cautiously as he looked at me. “Sure. I know myself and other departments in London have dealt with many calls about risks to his safety. Especially after his recent press release. He didn’t exactly mince his words.” Emmanuel pursed his lips slightly, then sighed. “I don’t know if you have the same, but in London, we often deal with threats to political candidates. I’m not surprised Anderson decided to put the welfare of himself and his family first by moving away.”

“I can’t say I’ve had many dealings with politicians,” I said earnestly. “Though London is a big place.”

“I best get going then, give you the chance to meet the family and get a good look at the place,” Emmanuel responded. “Call me if you need anything, yeah?”

I nodded, and we shook hands again. I watched him walk away before turning back to William Anderson’s home. With a deep sigh, I slowly started moving toward the door. I wasn’t looking forward to meeting the man, but the sooner I got it over with, the better.

6

Imoved to go inside the house, but hesitated when I heard a quick movement behind me. I turned around and was surprised to see Elijah and Mae charging at me.

“Is everything alright?” I questioned urgently.

“Yes, sir,” Elijah said quickly as he grabbed at a stitch at his side. “We stationed half of our PCs at the archway, and the other half are looking around the grounds to see if they can spot any areas where someone could sneak in.”

“Excellent work,” I said, then quirked my eyebrow in surprise. “Why did you run here so urgently, though? I thought something had happened!”

Elijah stood up tall and slowly got his breath back, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment. “We wanted to inspect the inside of the house with you. We saw the DI leaving, so knew you’d be going in.” He hesitated as he shot Mae a look. “I didn’t realise Mae was so quick. It was hard to keep up!”

Mae winked at him, looking as though she’d barely exerted herself.

“So, I take it there’s nothing to report?” I pried.

“No, sir,” Mae said, quickly getting into step beside me. “There’s no one here except us and the Andersons.”

“Good, good,” I repeated, quieting my tone as we drew closer to the front door. “DI Jacinto suggested the same, though he gave me his number in case we need to contact him to come here again.”

“I hope we do. He was hot,” Elijah said cheekily.

“True,” Mae said approvingly. “He was rather handsome.”

I sighed and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “You’re a married man, Smith. And Hodge, you should be focused on the task at hand, not on how attractive you find our colleagues.”

Mae kept her face impassive and didn’t say anything.

Elijah, however, laughed. “Everyone knows that once you’re married, it’s still absolutely fine to look and appreciate as long as you don’t do anything about it, sir. You can’t tell me you haven’t looked at another woman since you married Lylah.”

“Of course I haven’t!” I hissed.

“Liar,” Mae muttered playfully, causing Elijah to choke on his laughter.

I shot them both a glare before turning my focus forward. The front door was large, and as the three of us stood in front of it, I realised we perfectly matched its width. I debated on knocking, but stood up tall and decided to see if I could just let myself in. I pushed the front door and frowned slightly when it opened easily at my touch.

That’s one mark down for security, I thought shrewdly.

Once we were all inside, Mae gasped in shock. It really was splendid. The front hall was the same size as all the rooms in my flat combined. Directly in front of us was a grand staircase that would take dozens of steps to reach and likely hundreds more to climb, and both sides of the hallway contained several mahogany doors that went into various rooms.

“Christ, sir,” Elijah muttered. “It’s like a bloody maze in here!”

I furrowed my brows as I stepped further into the hallway. Emmanuel had told me he’d left several of his PCs inside, and yet there was no one to be seen. Where the hell were they?

I went to voice my concern to the others, but stopped at the sound of footsteps. A man stepped out of a doorway to the right and was looking at us. The moment I saw him, I knew who he was. I’d already gotten a glimpse of him on the news.

It was William Anderson.

The man looked to be in his mid-sixties, with balding hair and large ears that stood out drastically against his mostly absent hair and sullen face. He had small, watery brown eyes that made me think of a rat, and his lips were about as existent as his hair was. The lines of age showed clearly on his face, and his cheeks looked oddly drawn out. He wore a smart, button-up shirt that was tight and showed off his larger than average stomach, and dark grey trousers that were tailored to perfection. Around his wrist shone a bright gold Rolex, and around his neck was a thick matching gold chain. I assumed he thought it made him look rich and distinguished, but to me he more closely resembled Derrick Trotter from Only Fools and Horses. He was a man who always wanted to dress to impress, but failed more times than he succeeded. Tacky or not, one glance at his attire told me what he was wearing likely cost more than everything I had in my wardrobe combined.

It was sickening.

He looked me up and down, his face full of disapproval. “I take it you’re DCI Ellis?”

“Aye, that’s me,” I responded.

William sighed and crossed his arms. “You’re late. I hope this isn’t how you usually run things.” He scoffed and shook his head. “York’s finest indeed.”

I felt both Elijah and Mae stiffen next to me nervously. I chewed on my cheek to stop myself from snapping at the man. Who did he think he was?

“Apologies, but I was having a debrief with DI Jacinto before he left,” I said coolly as I crossed my arms. “As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s important to have a crossover discussion. It keeps me up to date.”

Willian scratched his face as he shrugged. “Well, you’re here now, I suppose.” His eyes trailed over Elijah and Mae, but I couldn’t help but notice they mostly kept glued to Mae. I bit my lip unhappily at the thought of him objectifying her, but my annoyance only increased when William screwed up his nose with distaste as he looked at her. The man was clearly as racist as they came.

“These two are your best, are they?” he snorted, his eyes still looking Mae up and down.

I felt Mae growing agitated beside me. I risked a glance at Elijah and noticed his hands were balled up into fists, and he was glaring at William in outrage. Elijah had an ego, but I knew right now his anger was in defence of Mae, not himself.

“Aye, the best of the best.” I stepped forward and fixed William with a stern look. “Got a problem with that?”

William slowly looked me up and down, then finally shook his head. “No, I’m sure you’re more than good enough for the job.”

“Good,” I said, staring down at him. I was considerably taller than him, so I hoped the effect was somewhat intimidating. “Now, how about I start asking the questions?”

William grunted in response, but from the way he screwed up his mouth, I could tell he wasn’t happy about it.

“Why did you leave London, Mr. Anderson?” I probed.

William scoffed. “It wasn’t much of a debrief you had with that DI if you don’t know basic things like that!”

Christ, this is going to feel like a long case, I thought with annoyance. I just pray I won’t have to deal with this awful man for more than a day or two.

“I’m asking you these questions to get answers from your point of view, Mr. Anderson,” I replied as I gripped my elbows tightly. “It will help me ascertain what led to your move here. Now… please just answer the question.”

“Very well.” William rubbed his sweaty forehead and grumbled unhappily. “A few weeks back I attended a conference where myself and several other MPs from a variety of constituencies were asked questions about our stance on particular topics. I was brutally honest, and some people didn’t like that.”

“Care to be more specific, Mr. Anderson?” I pressed.

William shrugged before responding. “Just… some more controversial topics.”

I fought back the urge to snort.

Typical politician, I thought coldly. They’ll say or do anything to avoid giving a direct answer to a question.

“Which were?” I sighed.

“It’s hard to know which ones in particular people had an issue with, but if I had to hazard a guess, it would be based on my views that we should bring back the death penalty. Or that we have to stop going on about bridging the wage gap between men and women. It will never change! Oh, and about making abortion illegal again,” William said as he picked under his fingernails. “Oh, and we need much, much stricter laws on immigrants coming into our country. They either steal our jobs, or they commit crimes that they always get away with by pleading some form of mental health rubbish.”

The man filled me with disgust and horror, but I kept my face blank as I nodded along to his words. “I see, so it was nothing at all to do with your previous position?”

William looked puzzled. “I stepped down from that years ago. Why would that have any relevance?”

“I’m merely asking, Mr. Anderson,” I replied.

“Well, it doesn’t,” he snapped. “I stepped down because the responsibility was too much. That’s all.”

I wasn’t entirely sure if I believed him, but I knew I had to move on.

“What about your daughter?” I pressed. “Did the move have anything to do with her?”

A look of what seemed to be fear flashed across William’s face. “What do you mean?”

“We noticed she’s been having some apparent issues with drugs and alcoholism, so we were wondering if that had inspired your recent change in location,” I continued, leaning against the staircase.

William’s face went from concerned to unreadable. “Oh, that. She’s played up a bit recently… I won’t lie, but she is a teenager, Ellis. It isn’t exactly rare for teenagers to act out, now is it?”

“No, Mr. Anderson, but in a profession such as yours I can imagine her behaviour could reflect negatively on you,” I said pointedly.

William shrugged again. “I can’t say stories like that hitting the press are ideal for my campaign, but it isn’t like I’m trying to be the next prime minister. I’m happy just being an MP.” He sneered slightly. “I make great money doing what I do and have much less responsibility. Why would I want to change?”

“I guess not,” I grumbled. I gritted my teeth slightly then turned to Elijah and Mae. “I think we’ve used up enough of Mr. Anderson’s time for now. Let’s split up and have a careful look around the house. I know there are PCs here, but I’d rather us ensure the place is safe ourselves.”

“Good,” William barked. “You wouldn’t be much of a DCI if you trusted the work of those in positions lower than you. I know I never blindly trust my inferiors.”

I was glad I had my back turned to him, since I was unable to hold back my snarl. I ushered the others forward. Once we were out of earshot of William, Elijah and Mae looked at me in disbelief.

“What an unpleasant man,” Mae scoffed.

“I was going to be a bit more colorful with my choice of words, but agreed,” Elijah said harshly. “It took a lot of restraint to not throttle the guy!”

“I know it’s not easy, but we have to remember we’re here to protect the man, not do him any harm.” I looked over my shoulder, sighed happily when I saw William had gone, then turned back to Elijah and Mae. “There are three floors here, so I suggest we examine a floor each.”

“Good idea, sir,” Mae said.

Elijah nodded. “Sounds like a plan, sir.”

I rubbed my stubble as I glanced toward the staircase. “Smith, you stick to this floor. I’ll look on the first floor, and Hodge can look on the second.”

We all agreed, so Elijah walked toward the front door while Mae and I walked back toward the staircase. As we did, I turned to her with concern.

“Are you alright, Hodge?” I asked.

“I’m fine, sir,” Mae said emotionlessly. “I know why you’re asking, but it’s not like this isn’t a new experience for me.”

Her words cut me to my core, causing my dislike for William to intensify. Mae was shrugging off his overt racism since it was something she had grown used to, but to me, that only left me feeling worse. Men like William were nothing but scum in my eyes, and I hated the thought of Mae having to be around a man like that.

I cleared my throat awkwardly as we walked. “You know, Hodge, there’s no shame if you’d rather go back to the station? If you don’t want to work around that man and his family, I’d understand completely.”

To my surprise, Mae turned to me with wide, bright eyes that shone with fire. “And what, sir? Let men like him win by thinking they can behave in such a manner and scare me off?” She made a sharp noise at the back of her throat. “No, if that man is uncomfortable around me based on the color of my skin, then let him continue to be uncomfortable. I’m not going anywhere purely to make him feel better.”

I grinned as I slapped her on the back. “Glad to hear it, Hodge.”

We reached the first floor, so I waved goodbye to Mae as I started to do my search. I noticed, unsurprisingly, that there were over a dozen rooms on this floor alone.

Christ, I thought with disbelief. Why would a family of four need a place this size? It’s wild.

I shook my negative thoughts away, then walked back to the staircase, ready to focus on each individual room at a time. The majority of the rooms seemed to be bedrooms. Based on the boxes I found in the first room, it was Charlotte’s, though she was nowhere to be found. There was a locked room next to it I thought might be Gregory’s. I then found William and Linda’s bedroom, and was surprised at how separated it seemed. William had a wide array of boxes on one side of the room, and Linda’s were as far away as possible on the other side. Was this a sign of unhappiness in their marriage, or did the couple simply like their own space when it came to their personal possessions?

The other bedrooms were all large, empty, and felt like a big waste of space to me. Except for the three rooms claimed by the family, there were four other bedrooms. The other rooms were two bathrooms, a room with empty bookshelves that was likely a study, and a supply closet that looked larger than mine and Lylah’s bedroom. Apart from Gregory’s room, I carefully examined each room and made sure the windows were locked and that there were no obvious weaknesses a potential attacker could take advantage of.

I sighed tiredly as I wiped sweat off of my brow with the back of my right hand. Since the floor was so big, it took me over an hour and a half to examine each room properly. My next move was to go downstairs and help Elijah. Everyone knew that if someone was going to break into a house, they’d statistically target the bottom floor.

I made my way to the staircase and hesitated when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I looked in that direction and saw Mae walking down, her expression as unreadable as ever.

“Anything interesting up there?” I asked.

“Not unless you find old antiques and a horrible feeling of emptiness interesting,” she replied.

“Aye, I found nothing interesting either.” I gestured toward the stairs. “Let’s go find Elijah and look around together.”

Mae agreed, and we went down the stairs. As we looked around for him, we inspected one large living room—which had a dodgy bay window that would need to be looked at—a kitchen that was at least six times the size of my own, and two dining rooms before we stumbled upon Elijah. He caught our eye and walked over, muttering under his breath.

“Everything alright, Smith?” I asked with concern.

“I just received a grilling from William Anderson, sir,” Elijah responded with a pout. “It’s not an experience I want to repeat.”

“Let’s just hope we won’t have to put up with this family for long.” I grumbled.

Elijah nodded. “His wife is in there with him and she doesn’t seem too bad.”

I rubbed my stubble thoughtfully. “Perhaps we should have a word with her once we finish looking around.”

Elijah nodded. “I’ve finished now, sir. I noticed one of the living rooms has a slightly dodgy window and two doors that go outside weren’t locked, but everything else seems okay.”

“Excellent work, Smith,” I responded. “Hodge and I did a bit of looking down here, but I trust your assessment, so let’s get cracking!”

Mae and Elijah looked at one another without enthusiasm, but they both followed me toward the room Elijah had just exited. As we walked, I thought about Linda Anderson and wondered if she was going to be anywhere near as vile as her husband.

If she was, I was going to be even more desperate to get out of this hellhole.

7

The man watched with bated breath as he saw several cars driving away from the Anderson household. He’d been waiting well over an hour for them to get going, and he held back a squeal of delight at the sight of them moving away.

Come on! the man thought impatiently. You lot need to hurry up and go so I can get in there!

One by one, the police cars drove away from the house and down the long, horrible road away from it. He watched them leave, his exhilaration reaching an all-time high. Soon, he was going to be able to teach that family a lesson they’d never forget, and he couldn’t wait. However, that positive feeling soon came crashing down when he realized the new police team was staying there. He waited for a while, but after an hour, it was clear the new team wasn’t going anywhere.

The man swore from his hidden position. He was up in the branches of a tall tree along the side of the road.

He had worked so hard to subtly follow the Anderson family all the way from London, a job made excruciatingly difficult thanks to the large police escort. The man had to work constantly to keep the balance between not losing sight of the family and not being close enough to alert the police to his presence. It was a huge strain on him, and yet he’d been able to make it work.

All just so he could be let down when he finally got to their new address.

He rubbed his face and resisted the urge to cry.

Focus, man! he scolded himself harshly. Remember why you’re here and who you’re here for.

He thought about his daughter and felt an instant stab in his heart. It was like he’d just been shot in the chest.

Audre. His beautiful, perfect girl.

He couldn’t have asked for a more perfect daughter. It had been horrible when his wife died when Audre was only a baby, and yet Audre made everything easy for him. She rarely cried, and she learned things quickly. More importantly, she always had the biggest smile on her face, which lifted his spirits on a daily basis. The man was grieving his childhood sweetheart, yet Audre had given him a reason to continue living.

Even as she grew older, she was still always happy. She had setbacks in life—everyone did—but no matter what was thrown at her, she maintained her positive attitude and showed him just how strong she truly was. It always inspired him.

He’d had her in his life for twenty years, and they’d truly been the best years of his life. Her positive attitude was infectious, and he’d spent those years happier than he ever thought he could be, especially after losing the woman he loved so prematurely.

But then she met that evil man who completely destroyed her in the space of a single evening.

He glared at the Anderson household and clenched his fists. That man had used his position to abuse his only child several months ago, and since then, she’d become nothing more than a shell of her former self. She wouldn’t eat and she could barely sleep because of the nightmares. The man had lost count of the number of evenings he’d charged into Audre’s room to reassure her she was safe. He didn’t think he’d ever forget those wide eyes filled with fear, the way sweat poured from her face, or the way her body thrashed in the sheets.

He'd hoped with time she’d start to get better, but if anything, time had only made things worse. She’d dropped out of university because she didn’t dare leave the house anymore. She did nothing but stay in her bedroom and shut out the world, including himself.

That evil man had taken away his happy, smiling girl and he wasn’t going to rest until he’d gotten his revenge. Anderson thought he was untouchable, but the man was going to show him just how vulnerable and weak he really was. He had to hurt Anderson, make him feel the pain he’d inflicted on the man’s daughter and himself.

He stared at the Andersons’ expensive house and felt his stomach twist in revulsion. That family had everything handed to them on a silver platter, and yet it still wasn’t enough for them. All they wanted to do was take, take, and take some more until everyone else was left with nothing. They were spoiled, selfish, and felt like they could get away with anything.

But soon they’d be getting what they deserved.

8

Iwalked with uncertainty toward the room, Elijah and Mae trailing cautiously behind me. I was in no hurry to see William again, but I knew we needed to have conversations with the rest of his family in order to get a better understanding of them. They’d moved here quickly for a reason, and my suspicious mind wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d spoken to every family member and gotten a read of their body language.

I entered the doorway Elijah had just come through and into a large living room. Most of the walls were surrounded by tall bookshelves that were so far completely empty. The only empty wall featured a large television that was incredibly oversized. Something told me this family wasn’t the type to sit around together and watch films, meaning it would likely be used only once in a blue moon.

What a waste, I thought with pity.

In the middle of the room was a large rug that covered the majority of the floor. In the centre of that were several large leather sofas. One of the sofas had both William and Linda on it, though they were sitting on opposite ends. I noticed William appeared to be reading a newspaper while Linda painted her nails. I didn’t know what I expected Linda to look like, but in my eyes, she was clearly out of William’s league.

She was a beautiful, slender woman with a slight curvature to her hips and bust. Her hair was long, blond, and fell to her elbows. Her eyebrows were shaped to perfection, and her large blue eyes were surrounded by long, thick eyelashes. If it wasn’t for the fact that I knew she had two children in their late teens, I’d have said she couldn’t have been any older than thirty.

On one of the smaller chairs, furthest away from William and Linda, sat Charlotte. She was a miniature version of her mother. The two women shared the same hair and eye color, and she was just as slender, if not even more so, than her mother. The only obvious difference between them was that I noticed Charlotte had a large freckle just above the left side of her chin, and her face looked a bit paler than her mother's. At a glance, it was hard to tell if this was her natural complexion, or if she’d lost color from her face thanks to her apparent drug and alcohol habits.

The moment Charlotte saw us entering the room, she tutted impatiently and slowly rose from her chair. She then exited the room without even acknowledging us. Part of me wanted to follow her out, but I was distracted by the sound of William’s disgruntled voice.

“I know you’re here to watch me, but that doesn’t mean you have to stand over me twenty-four seven, you know,” he said coldly, not moving his eyes away from the paper. “The PCs just stand near the doors every now and again. Feel free to do what they’re doing.”

I quickly noticed how he referred to himself and not his family. I couldn’t tell if it was because he was incredibly self-absorbed.

I bit back a moan of displeasure. “Actually, we were hoping to have a quick chat with Linda.”

William groaned as he slowly stretched and stood up from the couch. “Very well. If it’s all the same with you, I’ll be in a different room while you chat.”

Arrogant arse, I thought with displeasure. He likes to seem like the big man, making all the decisions, but he knew damn well I was about to ask him to leave.

He walked past us, barely acknowledging us like Charlotte did. Once he was gone, I gestured with my hand for Elijah and Mae to sit on the large sofa that directly faced Linda. I looked at her in shock when she didn’t look up at us. Instead, she continued doing her nails as though we weren’t even there.

I glanced at Mae and Elijah, saw they also looked peeved at the family’s overly rude behaviour, and loudly cleared my throat.

This caught Linda’s attention, and she slowly looked up at us. “Need a cough sweet, Detective?” she asked sweetly as she batted her long eyelashes.

Although her tone was kind, her features didn’t move, which made her seem cold and uninviting.

“I’m not sure if you heard, Mrs. Anderson, but we just informed your husband that we were here to have a word with you,” I said.

“If you’d like to speak to me, then please refer to me by my name, Detective,” Linda chided. “I am my own person, you know.”

My cheeks flushed slightly, and I rubbed the back of my neck uncomfortably before continuing. “Very well, Linda. How’re you finding your new home?”

Linda pursed her lips as she finished painting one of her nails, her eyes glued to her fingers. “It’s smaller than our old one, but it will do for now.”

I didn’t know if I was shocked by the fact their previous house had somehow been larger, or curious because she was convinced the move here was only temporary.

“So you don’t plan on being here long then, I take it?” I pried.

Linda placed her nail varnish down delicately, clearly trying to avoid smudging her painted nails, then turned to me. “That will depend on his lordship, I suppose.”

I didn’t need to ask her who she meant by that.

“So all of this was his idea?” I pressed as I leant forward.

Linda laughed. The sound took me by surprise. It resembled the cackling of a witch. “Of course, Detective. What my husband says goes.”

“So you had no say in the matter?” Mae queried.

Linda looked at Mae curiously before responding. “No, none of us did,” she said as she wiggled her fingers in the air to dry her nails. “We just did as we were told… like always.”

“Well, it was good of you to support your husband’s decision, anyway,” I said candidly. “Even if it wasn’t what you wanted.”

Linda placed her hands gingerly on her knees. “We’ve been married for nearly twenty-two years, Detective,” she replied, her tone sounding anything but gleeful over the fact. “It’s come with its perks.” She lifted one of her hands and slowly gestured around the house before lowering it. “But it’s come with its cons too.”

“Forgive my impudence, Linda, but you don’t speak about your husband with much love,” I said.

“I can assure you, Detective, if you spoke to him about me, he’d respond with a similar level of indifference,” Linda said dryly.

I looked at Linda and didn’t know whether or not to feel sorry for her. It was clear she wasn’t happy, but she only had herself to blame for staying. Evidently, the luxuries that came with being married to a politician were worth the misery that came with it.

“So, the move was based on just your husband, right?” I questioned.

“Yes, of course. He was the one who had to open his big mouth and spout a lot of rubbish to a wide audience.” She shook her head in frustration. “If that man had a brain or a filter, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“And you’re sure that’s the only reason why you moved?” I pressed.

“Why else would we have moved?” she snapped. She then glanced at both Mae and Elijah. “How do you two put up with this man?”

Elijah sat up straight. “DCI Ellis is the best of the best, that’s how.”

Mae nodded.

Linda pursed her lips, clearly not impressed with their response.

“I’m only asking questions, Linda,” I said with a shrug. “Your defensive attitude isn’t helping my suspicions that you all moved here for a reason other than what you’ve already said.”

Linda stood up quickly from her chair and glared at us. “I’ve never felt so insulted in my entire life! You’re supposed to be here to protect us, not accuse us of wrongdoing. We are the victims here!”

I stood up slowly and faced Linda. “I’m here to protect you, aye, but in order to do my job effectively, I need to know the truth. I’m convinced I haven’t heard it all yet.”

“I honestly can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Linda replied, her top lip turning in revulsion. “If this is how you’re going to treat us, then I suggest you call that foreign man back! At least people from his culture know how to respect people.”

I frowned at her ignorant racism and continued. “DI Jacinto is clearly good at his job, aye, but you have us here now. If you want to get the full benefit of us, then we need to know what exactly we are protecting you all from.”

Linda scoffed. “Until you learn to speak to me with more respect, we are done here! Your mere presence alone has already scared off my husband and daughter. If you continue to make us feel rotten in our own home, you’re out of here!”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Linda stormed out of the room angrily. Once I could no longer hear the noise of her heels clicking loudly along the floor, I turned to Elijah and Mae.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Mae sighed.

“I wasn’t trying to upset the woman, but there’s clearly a reason she’s racing out of here like that,” I said as I gazed toward the doorway. “She knows something. I can feel it.”

“Agreed,” Mae replied.

“Absolutely,” Elijah responded enthusiastically.

I rubbed my stubble as I continued to stare at the door. I knew Linda knew more than she was letting on. I just had to hope that her children would be more forthcoming than she and her husband were. The truth was out there, and I wasn’t going to stop until I got it.

9

Igestured with my hand for Elijah and Mae to follow me out of the room, unwilling to wait a moment longer to speak to William’s children. The sooner someone was honest, the sooner I could get the hell out of there.

“Come on, let’s continue this,” I said sullenly as I slunk out of the living room.

Elijah and Mae quickly got into place just behind me.

“Who are we talking to next, sir?” Elijah inquired.

“I’m not sure where Charlotte snuck off to, but she’s likely in her room,” I said. “If she isn’t, we’ll talk to Gregory first then see where she is.”

“Sounds like a plan, sir,” Mae responded.

We climbed up the stairs, then walked along the hallway. I instantly noticed Charlotte’s door was still wide open and empty. Gregory’s door was still closed, but maybe it was time to disturb the younger Mr. Anderson. I smirked slightly then shoved the door open.

Gregory was laying on his bed, his hands casually placed behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. I looked around and turned up my lip when I saw Gregory had simply emptied the contents of his boxes and threw them across the floor. I could barely take a step without standing on some item of clothing or a random object.

As soon as I pushed the door open, Gregory sat up speedily from his bed and snarled at me in aggravation. “What the hell, man? I’m busy!”

I stepped closer to Gregory and took him in. Lucky for him, he’d inherited his mother’s good looks, but his father’s dark features. He had wavy brunette hair—although his father was now grey, I assumed William was a brunette in his youth—and brown eyes that were bigger than his father’s but still showed a clear resemblance. His physique was muscular, like he regularly worked out, and the features on his face were well defined.

“You’ll show more respect when you’re speaking to officers of the law, boy,” I said sharply as I gestured for Elijah to close the door behind us.

Gregory folded his arms and pouted his lips, staring at me as though he were an infant about to have a tantrum. “Then don’t call me boy! I’ll show respect when you start to show some!”

“Alright, Mr. Anderson.” I sighed tiredly and slowly approached him. “My colleagues and I are here to ask you a few questions.”

Gregory looked between us all, and like his father, his gaze lingered on Mae the most. He slowly licked his lips then pointed toward the door, his eyes still glued to Mae. “Fine, but I want an iced coffee first. It shouldn’t take you long to make it.”

I followed Gregory’s eyes and quickly noticed he was pointing his request at Mae. I put my hand subtly behind my back and clenched it, feeling nothing but shock and fury at the behaviour of this man and his family.

Mae’s cheeks went pink, but she stood firm and folded her arms, looking at Gregory with a stony expression. “I will do no such thing. I’m not here to run errands for you.”

I stepped closer to Gregory until I was at the side of his bed, towering over him with an intimidating presence. Gregory sat up straighter and looked at me nervously.

“Please tell me I heard you wrong there, Mr. Anderson,” I said menacingly. “You did not just ask one of Yorkshire’s most respected detective constables to make you a drink, did you?”

Gregory rubbed his brow. Although his behaviour seemed agitated, his face was once again impassive. “My mistake, sir. I thought maybe my father had requested some help around the house while the police were doing their jobs. I didn’t realise she was with you.”

I chewed my cheek to stop myself from scolding Gregory. It was clear the man did not differ from his father. He also wasn’t ashamed to show his overt racism.

“If you know what’s good for you, then you’ll show some respect,” I said sharply. “I’m now going to ask my questions now, and it would be in your best interest to behave while I do so.” I leant closer to him. “Is that clear?”

He huffed impatiently. “Yeah, fine. Whatever.”

I leant back slightly and grunted. “Why did you and your family move to York?”

“Father wanted us to move after he received a few threats from people who didn’t like the fact he was telling the truth,” he snorted, looking me deep in the eyes as though challenging me to disagree with him.

“And what truth is that, Mr. Anderson?” Mae probed icily.

Gregory turned to her, his top lip twitching. “That certain people are given more rights than they deserve.”

“Your father mentioned his views on prisoners and immigration,” I said, causing Gregory to snap his eyes back in my direction. “I’m assuming that’s what you’re referring to?”

“Damn right!” Gregory exclaimed. “My father spoke facts, and some people are too scared to accept it.” He smiled at me smugly. “Did you know my father is already making enormous progress in bringing back fox hunting? I’ve always wanted to do it. I can’t wait for him to make it legal again!”

I grimaced. “So that’s the only reason you moved away from London, was it? Because your father felt you were no longer safe there?”

Gregory furrowed his thick brows. “Why else would we have moved?”

“We’re just trying to know the full facts, Mr. Anderson,” I said coolly as I kicked away a random t-shirt that was touching my shoe. “It’s hard to keep you all safe if we aren’t aware of everything.”

“We’ve told you everything,” Gregory snapped. “All you need to worry about is stopping any maniacs from getting to my father so we can get back to London.”

I quirked a brow. “Not a fan of Yorkshire?”

Gregory pouted as he slowly pushed his hair out of his face. “I haven’t seen much of it, but I know for a fact it won’t compare to London!”

“Aye, I’m sure it’s fantastic there,” I snorted.

“Oh, it is!” Gregory said, clearly not sensing my tone. “I knew the best people, got to go to the best places.” He sighed reminiscently. “It was amazing. I got to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted."

What a spoilt, self-absorbed brat, I thought with displeasure.

“I bet you got up to a lot there, am I right?” I asked, feigning interest.

“You have no idea,” he said with a smug pout.

“I can imagine,” I responded with a harsh laugh. “But did you get up to anything that caused your family to move away, Mr. Anderson?”

Gregory’s mouth fell open with shock. “Of course not! I’ve already told you why we moved out of London, so if you’re going to just keep repeating questions, then I’m bored of answering them.”

“We noticed some articles that suggested you’re a bit of a bully, Mr. Anderson,” I said boldly. “Is there any truth to that?”

“Get out of my room before I call my father and get him to remove you himself!” Gregory snarled. “I’m done with this rubbish!”

“Very well, Mr. Anderson,” I said firmly as I stepped away from him. “But remember what I said. If you want our help, we need to know everything.”

I glanced at Gregory, and saw he was still pointedly staring at the wall like a petulant child. I gestured to the others that it was time to go. I slowly walked past Gregory’s mountains of rubbish and out of the door. I closed the door behind us and shook my head in dismay. We walked away from his door, and when I was comfortable we couldn’t be heard, I swore out loud.

“Christ,” I said in exhaustion as I rubbed my face. “I keep thinking this family can’t get any worse, but that kid was a total monster.”

Mae folded her arms and shook her head. “I can’t believe he’s allowed to get away with such behaviour.”

“I’ve never met a bigger brat in my life!” Elijah spat. “I didn’t get a good vibe from him at all.”

I slowly nodded. “Aye, me neither, and he’s definitely hiding something.” I turned to Mae. “I’ve got a job for you, Hodge.”

“Sir?” Mae asked curiously.

I looked around to check if anyone was approaching us before turning back to her. “I hoped we’d get more from seeing them, but it’s clear this family wouldn’t know truth and honesty if it bit them on the arse,” I whispered. “I want you to discreetly get a hold of Rebecca or Nadia and ask them to do some serious digging into this family. Not the quick search from before, but one that can really shed some light on them.”

“Sounds good to me, sir,” Mae responded. “The more we can find out, the better.”

I nodded. “If you can⁠—”

“AHHHHH!”

I closed my mouth and looked downstairs. Someone, a woman from the sound of it, had just screamed in fright.

“Let’s go!” I exclaimed, gesturing wildly with my hand as I started to charge down the stairs.

I ran with the others close at my heels. We made it downstairs, where I found Linda leaning against a wall, her hand held to her heart. She was shaking like a leaf.

“What’s wrong, Linda?” I asked hastily. “Is someone in the house?”

Linda shook her head. “N-no, Detective! It’s Charlotte. She’s gone!”

10

For a moment, all I could do was look at Linda as she frantically twisted strands of her blond hair around her fingers with wide, frightened eyes. The cold, unbothered woman from earlier had vanished before my very eyes. Before, I hadn’t thought much of her, but after seeing the raw emotion she showed about her daughter, she seemed like a new person to me. As a father myself, I could sympathise with Linda’s terror.

I rubbed my stubble harshly and quickly turned toward Elijah and Mae. As I glanced at both of their faces, I could tell they felt as confused over the situation as I did. Mae’s face always looked devoid of emotion, but her brows were furrowed, and her lips were pursed in concern. Elijah’s face had paled, and his green eyes were wide with worry.

How had something been able to happen to Charlotte when the house and grounds were covered with PCs watching the family’s every move? It made no sense that something could have happened to her right under our noses.

I stepped toward Linda and rubbed her upper back reassuringly. “Don’t worry, we will find your daughter.”

Linda didn’t respond, so I looked toward Elijah and Mae again.

“You two split up and search every inch of this house!” I commanded. “Any PC you find, quickly tell them what you’re doing and get their help. Also, see if they can radio any of their colleagues that are here for their assistance. The more people we have searching for her, the better.”

Mae nodded and charged toward the stairs. Elijah hesitated for a moment, looking at me with slight trepidation. “What will you be doing, sir?”

“I’m going to search the grounds,” I responded. “If someone got close enough to take her, I won’t let them get far!”

I ran toward the front door and didn’t look back. I had no idea where William was, or what he was doing, but at that moment, I didn’t care about him or anyone else in the family. All I cared about was finding Charlotte and ensuring her safety.

As I reached the door and pushed it open, I thought about Charlotte and wondered about the significance of her disappearance. Had someone taken her because she’d done something? Or had she run away herself because she feared we’d be questioning her? Maybe she had secrets she didn’t want exposed.

I glanced around the front of the Anderson household and snarled impatiently when I didn’t immediately see a PC standing nearby.

Where are the PCs we brought? I thought irritably. And where are the London PCs that escorted the family here in the first place?

I shook my head in frustration. Knowing I didn’t have the luxury of time, I decided to charge toward the grounds. I Just hoped I’d see a PC who could either give me some assistance or information.

The front of the Anderson house was massive, and it felt like it took over ten minutes to run over the small stones that covered the front area and reach the left side of the home. Once there, I ran toward the large gardens behind the property. I bit back a sigh of relief when I saw a young female PC running at me. I didn’t recognise her, so I knew she must have been one of the London PCs. At first, I thought she was using her initiative and approaching after seeing the clear urgency in my movements, but barely a second in her company told me that wasn’t why she’d come so rapidly.

“Sir!” she exclaimed, clutching her side as she tried to catch her breath. “Thank God you’re here! I need a senior officer to help me.”

“What is it?” I questioned. “Have you found Charlotte?”

“Yes, sir!” she exclaimed. “But she isn’t in a good way.”

My blood ran cold at her words.

Christ, no, I thought with horror. Don’t tell me the girl’s been hurt!

“Take me to her right now,” I commanded. “We don’t have a moment to waste!”

The woman moved quickly back into a standing position and nodded. “Follow me, sir!”

We started moving in the direction she’d just come from. I kept in place behind her, my mind and heart feeling heavier with each step we took. There was no denying that I feared the worst, so I started firing questions at the PC as I followed, hoping to gain some knowledge.

“What do you mean when you say she isn’t in a good way?” I probed. “Has she been hurt?”

The PC replied, but she kept her face forward. “I wouldn’t want to say with certainty, sir. I don’t think so, but she can barely speak or move.”

“What do you mean?” I shouted as I wiped sweat off my forehead.

“I’m not sure, sir,” the PC repeated breathlessly. “But I think she may be drunk.”

I thought about the article that claimed the girl struggled with alcohol and drug issues, and now I wondered if there was any truth in it. I’d been in my career long enough to know that the media twisted things and rarely told the full truth, but if the girl was that intoxicated, it did suggest she had a problem.

Part of me felt peeved at this information. Linda was beyond worried, and my team and I were running about frantically to ensure Charlotte’s safety. Yet it now seemed like we’d all been chasing around after a girl who had just gone off to get intoxicated.

“It came through on my radio that the girl was missing, and I knew I’d seen her come into the gardens only a few minutes previously,” the PC continued. “I hurried to where I last saw her, and when I arrived I saw her with PC Simpson, who was bending over her. She was on the ground, and it was apparent no one had tried to take her.”

“She’d just wandered into the garden to drink alone?” I scoffed.

“Yes, sir,” she responded before pointing to her right. “There’s she is with my colleague now.”

I glanced in the direction she pointed and saw an overweight male PC standing next to a large oak tree in the middle of the grounds. As the man was so large, it wasn’t until the PC and I drew closer that I could see Charlotte on the ground in front of him. Once I stood next to the large, sweaty PC, I took in the scene.

Charlotte was slumped over, her back pressed up against the tree trunk. Her eyes were small, red, and she kept opening them every few seconds as though she were fighting sleep. The pale face from before was somehow even paler. Her blond hair was messy and in her face, and an empty bottle of wine was on the ground beside her. She had a large handbag next to her, which I assumed she had used to hide the alcohol when she’d come outside.

“Christ,” I muttered.

As I looked at her in her drunken stupor, part of me couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

I sighed and turned to both PCs. “Well done for finding her, you two,” I sighed, my eyes still fixed on Charlotte. “Give us both a bit of space while I talk to her, but radio your team and get a message to the family that Charlotte is alright.”

“Yes, sir,” the female PC replied. “Thank you, sir.”

I bent down next to Charlotte, put my hand on her shoulder, and gently shook her. “Are you alright, Miss Anderson?”

Charlotte blinked with uncertainty as she slowly lifted her head and looked at me. “Oh, it’s y-you,” she responded, lowering her head again. “Leave m-me alone.”

I groaned as I slowly sat down next to her, ignoring the ache in my legs. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Miss Anderson. My team and I are here to look after your family, so I won’t leave you when you need help.”

Charlotte gripped my hand surprisingly tightly and hiccupped. “You seem like a n-nice man. You s-shouldn’t be here.”

“Why is that, Miss Anderson?” I probed as I pressed my back up against the tree beside her.

Charlotte took a sharp intake of breath. “P-please stop calling me t-that. I d-don’t like it.”

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. “Sorry. Is there a reason you don’t like to be referred to by your family name?”

Charlotte lifted her head again, and I noticed she’d been silently crying. She looked into my face, and although her eyes had a drunken glaze, I could tell she was trying hard to penetrate me with a firm look. “Y-you have to get out of h-here.”

“I can’t do that, Charlotte,” I stated. “Not until I know you and your family are safe.”

Charlotte laughed harshly as she rubbed her cheek with her free hand. “I w-will never be s-safe. N-not while I’m living under the s-same roof as t-them.”

I raised my eyebrows in intrigue. “Who do you mean by them, Charlotte?”

Charlotte’s eyes started to grow heavy again, and I could tell she was close to falling asleep. I gently shook her to keep her awake, then moved so that I was directly in front of her. “Answer me, Charlotte. Please.”

“T-this family is n-nothing but bad news, D-detective,” Charlotte stammered. “You s-should g-get out of here now while you still c-can.”

“Why is your family bad news, Charlotte?” I pressed. Her head dropped again, and I swore to myself as I supported her arms so she didn’t fall over. “Keep with me, Charlotte! What is wrong with your family?”

Charlotte raised her head with difficulty. I felt her pulling at her right arm, so I let it go. She raised her shaking hand and gently touched my face. She half smiled as she allowed her hand to fall, and I quickly grabbed it again so I could support her. “Y-yes, you are a g-good man. I d-don’t want you involved in this m-mess.”

I moved slightly closer to her and struggled to support her body as her back slid off the tree trunk. “Let me help you.”

Charlotte’s eyes closed. No matter how many times I called her name, she kept them shut. I was about to swear in frustration, but stopped at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Sir!”

I recognised Elijah’s tone and knew he was coming toward us, but I kept my eyes on Charlotte’s now limp form.

Charlotte had sounded almost scared of her family, and although I was desperate to speak to her more, I knew right now the priority was her wellbeing. We had to get her inside and allow her to get some rest.

I had no idea what she wanted to tell me, but it was apparent Charlotte had secrets. I had to get to the bottom of those secrets. I had to figure out the dark truth that this family was so desperate to keep away from the world.

11

“Christ, sir!” Elijah exclaimed. “Is she okay?”

I looked over my shoulder, my hands still holding Charlotte’s wrists, and gestured with my head for Elijah to help me. “You take one side, and I’ll take the other. We need to lift her up and get her inside.”

Elijah moved quickly and bent down to the ground. He softly grabbed Charlotte under the armpit and waited for me to get into position. As we slowly lifted her, Elijah spoke again.

“Bloody Hell!” Elijah grimaced. “She reeks of alcohol!”

I sighed as we pulled Charlotte up. “Aye, she decided to consume an entire bottle of wine when we were talking to her family.”

“I heard she’d been drinking, but I never expected her to be this bad,” Elijah responded.

“I know,” I said gruffly. “Something isn’t right here.”

As we lifted her, I glanced over my shoulder at her abandoned bag and empty wine bottle. I made a mental note to get someone out here as soon as possible to clear everything up and check her bag for any other alcohol or drugs.

We carried Charlotte gently and silently toward the front door. Something in my gut was screaming at me that this girl was suffering because of something someone in her family had done. Charlotte may have been a young woman, but her drinking was excessive. Plus, from the way she spoke to me, I was certain she’d experienced some kind of trauma that she was trying to repress through inebriation. Either that or she’d done something truly awful herself, something she was struggling to live with.

I knew the latter option was less likely, especially since she was insistent on me getting away from her family for my own protection. As much as I cared for Charlotte’s health and wanted her to be okay, I couldn’t deny I was annoyed that I couldn’t get any answers from her. I’d have to wait until she sobered up.

“Where should we take her, sir?” Elijah queried as we walked through the front door. “To her room?”

I nodded. “Aye, the best thing for the girl is bed, I think. Let’s get her up the stairs and into her room.”

We’d barely walked a few steps into the house when I heard Linda’s heels clacking across the floor toward us. When she saw Charlotte slumped between us, she placed her hands over her mouth and looked horrified.

“Charlotte?” she asked. “Oh, God. Please tell me she’s okay!”

“She appears uninjured, Linda,” I responded, jerking my head toward the stairs in a gesture for us all to continue moving. “It seems like she went into the gardens with a concealed bottle of wine.”

Linda’s bottom lip quivered, and she lowered her head shamefully. “It seems over the last few months all she wants to do is drink.” She sighed. “I just don’t get it. She started going to a few parties, but now it’s like she’s addicted.”

“It’s important we get your daughter to bed, Linda,” I replied. “Once she’s comfortable, I will come down and speak with you.”

Linda rubbed her face nervously. “How much did she drink, Detective? Does she need to see a doctor?”

“I don’t think that will be necessary, but I’ll answer your questions once we have seen to Charlotte,” I responded more firmly, moving my focus to the stairs.

Luckily, Linda didn’t argue with me and moved away to allow us plenty of space.

Eventually, we made it up the stairs and slowly edged our way toward Charlotte’s bedroom. We carried her to the bed, gently placed her on the mattress, then placed the thin white duvet over her. I watched as she rolled onto her side and cuddled into her pillow for a few moments. Once I was confident she wasn’t going to choke, I gestured to Elijah for us to leave.

“Do you think she will be okay, sir?” Elijah asked.

“I hope so, Smith.” I sighed tiredly.

Together, we walked downstairs. Since Linda was no longer in the hallway, I gambled that she would be in the living area where we interviewed her before. We moved in that direction, and I was happy to see she was sitting on the sofa with Mae sitting opposite of her. I caught Mae’s eye, and she nodded at me before looking back at Linda. Linda’s face was red and blotchy, which suggested she’d cried a lot since I last saw her.

“Is she okay?” she asked, moving her freshly painted nails close to her mouth. It was like she longed to chew on them, but fought the temptation.

“She seems alright. For now,” I replied. “It’s lucky we found her when we did, or it could have been a lot worse.”

“I understand,” she said appreciatively. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing her back. I didn’t know what to think when I couldn’t find her.”

I was ready to ask Linda what she thought had happened to her daughter, but I stopped at the sound of someone loudly scoffing in the doorway. I looked away from Linda and wasn’t surprised to see William standing there. His face was red, and he was gritting his teeth. He moved quickly into the room and stood behind his wife.

“Don’t thank them,” he snapped as he leant over the sofa and gripped her shoulders. “We should be telling them off for losing her in the first place!”

I crossed my arms and stood up to my tallest height, holding William’s unforgiving gaze as I did so. “We didn’t lose your daughter, Mr. Anderson. She went into the gardens, where there was even a police presence.”

William snarled. “Clearly not doing a great job!”

Linda pulled out of her husband’s grasp and turned to face him. “It was my mistake, William. I couldn’t see Charlotte in the house, and I got myself worked up, but⁠—”

“Well, it’s a good thing you did, darling, otherwise God only knows how long our daughter would have been left outside in a state!” he snapped. “Explain to me, Detective, how my daughter was able to get outside with alcohol in the first place?”

I glared as I stepped toward him. “Your daughter went out in her own garden with a bag that she used to conceal the alcohol, Mr. Anderson.”

William rubbed his balding head and tutted. “My daughter’s had issues with alcohol, which you mentioned earlier. You knew this. You should have been keeping a closer eye on her.”

“If memory serves, Mr. Anderson, when I brought this issue up with you, all you had to say was that she was playing it up and that it was what teenagers did.” I stepped even closer toward him, my eyes narrowed in aggravation. “If you knew my concerns over her drinking were warranted, then you shouldn’t have played it down.”

William’s face went beetroot red. He clenched his fists over the sofa, and I stood my ground, ready for him to lose his temper. Although William looked as though he wanted nothing more than to smack me in the jaw, he kept still behind his wife. He allowed himself a few seconds to compose himself before replying.

“I don’t appreciate your tone, Ellis,” William snarled. “You’re here to do a job. Not to get annoyed at me for not doing it for you.”

“If you had been honest with me from the beginning, Mr. Anderson, then my team and I would have known to keep Charlotte in our sights at all times,” I responded.

William huffed and shook his head unhappily. “I must say you’ve far from impressed me so far, Ellis. I was assured you were the best Yorkshire had to offer, and yet you allowed my daughter to escape undetected.” He sucked on his teeth. “It’s not offering me and my family the reassurance we need.”

Elijah stood up from his chair. “DCI Ellis is the best!” he exclaimed. “This is a large house and a big family. You can hardly expect my superior to have eyes everywhere twenty-four seven!”

William turned to Elijah and jutted out his chin. “I can when he’s meant to watch my family!” He stepped closer to me. “I think your presence will no longer be required here, Ellis.” He gestured behind me toward Elijah and Mae. “Your two colleagues can stay here for the evening to ensure we’re all safe, but I think it would be best if you came back in the morning. Hopefully, you’ll be better at your job after a good night’s sleep.”

I sensed Elijah moving closer, but I quickly raised my hand to stop him. I knew he was about to stand up for me again, but the last thing we needed was for William to remove him, too.

“I’m here to look after you and your family, Mr. Anderson,” I replied coolly. “I think you’d be making a mistake to remove me this evening.”

William shrugged. “It’s my house, Ellis, and my rules.” He hesitated. “I won’t ask you to leave again.”

I sighed. “Very well, Mr. Anderson, but I’ll be back first thing tomorrow.”

“Fine,” William grunted like an angry pig. “Let’s hope when you return, I’ll actually see why you were recommended.”

Before I had the chance to reply, he turned his back on me and started to exit the room. He reached the doorway, then turned back and looked at Elijah and Mae.

“You both better keep us all safe tonight,” he said doubtfully. “Though I’m sure you can’t be any worse than your superior.”

He turned and exited the room before they had the chance to reply. Linda slowly rose to her feet and bit her lip apologetically. “Sorry about my husband, Detective. I do appreciate your help with Charlotte.”

I nodded to her and watched as she exited the room. No sooner had she gone did Mae jump up from the sofa and stand at Elijah’s side, both of their faces filled with annoyance.

“This isn’t right, sir!” Elijah exclaimed.

“I agree,” Mae snapped. “That man is completely out of order.”

I grumbled unpleasantly. “I know, but this is his home. You’ll both just have to be on extra high alert without me here to help you.”

“Is there anything in particular you think we should be alert about, sir?” Mae asked.

I folded my arms and stepped closer toward them. “Keep an eye on the entire family, but keep a closer eye on William. Something about him is suspicious.”

Mae’s lip curled. “I agree, but it’s hard to tell if he’s hiding something, or if he’s used his privileged life to turn into a nasty, selfish man.”

“Exactly, hence why he needs to be watched,” I replied, subtly glancing over my shoulder to ensure we were still alone. “He mentioned us protecting him several times, which makes me wonder what exactly he’s scared of. He needs to realise that the more we know, the more we can keep him and his family safe.”

“This is going to be a long night,” Mae grumbled.

I patted both of them on the shoulder sympathetically. “I know this isn’t an ideal job, but let’s hope you can both use your detective skills tonight to find some info so we can all get the hell out of here.”

“Here’s hoping,” Elijah sighed.

“Watch over Charlotte too, see if later on she’s able to talk some more,” I continued. “There was clearly something she wanted to say to me outside.”

Mae furrowed her brows. “What do you think it could have been?”

I went to answer her, but stopped at the sound of footsteps. I turned around to see William standing in the doorway, his expression sour.

“Still here?” he asked as he tapped his fingers on his elbows. “Am I going to have to contact your superiors and tell them you don’t know how to obey a direct order, Ellis?”

I fought the urge to grit my teeth or snap at him. Instead, I walked with resolve toward the door. I stopped when I was standing in the doorway beside William, then looked down at him with an expressionless face.

“I will see you first thing tomorrow, Mr. Anderson,” I said coldly.

William slowly looked me up and down and grunted. “So it would appear.”

I walked away from him and toward the front door, keeping my eyes focused dead ahead. I didn’t relish the idea of leaving this place, especially when I was certain that there were secrets to uncover, but I knew I had to play it smart and keep on William’s good side. The last thing I wanted was to rock the boat and push him until I was unable to come back at all.

12

The man’s heart beat quickly in his chest as he watched the detective walk down the road. He was terrified the detective could hear the hammering of his pulse. The detective moved with authority, and his eyes swept his surroundings as he walked.

Knowing such an awful family was offered such capable protection filled him with rage. The Anderson men were horrendous, and yet they were getting high-profile security as if they were the victims.

It made him sick.

The police should have been arresting Anderson and ruining his life the way he had ruined his daughter’s, not protecting him. That evil man was responsible for unspeakable crimes. It crushed his soul to know he was walking around free.

If it wasn’t for the police around, he’d have already attacked that awful man for the harm he’d caused him and his only child.

He tried to compose himself, knowing anger and violence weren’t going to get him what he wanted, then watched as the detective continued to scan his surroundings. He just hoped the hiding place he’d found for himself was as secure as he hoped it was.

As the detective drew closer, the man was able to get a better look at him. Although it was hard to tell from his current vantage point, particularly since the branches obscured his vision, the man looked to be in his thirties and seemed conventionally good looking. His hair looked as though it was in desperate need of a cut—though he likely found the shaggy, untamed look appealing to have kept it—and he repeatedly rubbed his hand over his chin, which looked as though it was covered in thick stubble.

That man needs a good barber, he thought to himself.

He kept still and silent while the detective looked around, praying that he wouldn’t be found. He held back a sigh of relief when the detective didn’t come near his hiding place, but his relief soon turned to irritation when the detective walked out of sight. He didn’t know why the hell the detective wasn’t getting into a car and driving away. The man needed him to leave. He needed to get inside.

He sighed bitterly. It was clear the police protection surrounding Anderson wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. He was going to have to be patient. It was easier said than done. His eyes were fighting sleep, he was in desperate need of the toilet, and his stomach was growling, but he had to push back all of those needs until he was able to get into the house.

The last thing he wanted to do was leave his hiding space and risk getting caught, or even worse, the family leaving during the time he was gone. He had worked far too hard to get here to risk losing them.

He moved slightly in the tree and placed his hand on his belt, where he gently stroked a knife attached to it. As angry as he was, his intention wasn’t to use the knife to harm anyone in the house. He simply wanted to threaten Anderson, force him to confess to what he’d done.

Being stuck in the tree for as long as he’d been had given him plenty of time to come up with a plan. While he knew it was going to be far from easy, especially as he didn’t know the layout of the house, he was going to wait until he was certain all of the police were gone. Once the family were alone, he was going to break in and take them hostage. He had a small backpack which contained rope to tie each family member up. Then, once they were restrained, he was going to use his phone to film the confession and ensure it was used to arrest Anderson and stop him from ever abusing another innocent woman like his daughter.

It was far from foolproof and the man, ever the realist, was aware there were many ways it could all go wrong. But all he had to do was picture his daughter, and he knew the risks were worth it. He was willing to do anything to help her, even if it meant his own life could be ruined.

The thought of Audre caused his eyes to water again, so he took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears from falling. She was all he had left now, and he knew there wasn’t anything he wasn’t willing to do to bring her the justice she deserved. He may not have brought the knife with him with the intent to cause harm, but if Anderson refused to talk, then he knew he would stop at nothing to get the man to reveal everything to him.

He would show the world who that man really was.

13

After leaving the Anderson home, I called Rebecca for a ride. I’d walked a third of the distance of the long, winding drive when I saw her car moving quickly around a sharp corner. Once Rebecca saw me, she hastily slowed down and gestured wildly for me to hurry up and get in.

I didn’t need telling twice.

Once I was in, I glanced at Rebecca and noticed the sharp look in her eyes. “Go on then. Tell me what’s been going on,” she ordered.

“Where to begin.” I sighed. “I asked Hodge to call you earlier, but we ended up getting rather distracted, so she didn’t get the chance to.”

Rebecca kept quiet as I gathered my thoughts.

“First of all, William was a right piece of work,” I said. “Worse than I expected him to be. He spoke down to all of us the moment he saw us, and he clearly had an issue with Hodge based on her skin colour.”

I heard Rebecca grunt angrily in the back of her throat, but she didn’t say anything.

“Then his wife screamed that Charlotte was missing, but in reality she had just snuck out with a bottle of wine and gotten drunk,” I continued.

“I guess the press didn’t exaggerate her alcohol issues then,” Rebecca said candidly as she pulled out of the road at a junction. “No drugs though, so it sounds like they may have been mistaken about her drug habit.”

“I think there’s more to it. When I spoke to her, she kept telling me to get away, that her family is bad news, but unfortunately she was too drunk to get much sense out of her,” I responded.

“So right now it’s hard to say if we can take her words seriously,” Rebecca answered bitterly, clicking her tongue.

“I dunno. She may have been drunk, but her emotions seemed genuine.” I grumbled. “I’ll definitely need to talk to her again once she’s no longer inebriated.”

“So why didn’t you stay behind with the others?” Rebecca pressed.

I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth in frustration. “Because William kicked off after his daughter got drunk and told me that he didn’t feel I was adequate enough at my job to protect his family this evening.”

“Ouch,” Rebecca winced as she gently touched my shoulder. “That can’t have been good for your ego.”

“I’m more concerned with finding out their secrets than my ego. Something is wrong in that house, and with me being kicked to the sideline for several hours, I’m no good to anyone.” I clenched my fists in my lap. “That man has the opportunity to hide things while I’m away, and I don’t like it.”

Rebecca grimaced understandingly. “Let’s just hope Smith and Hodge will be up to the task without you.”

“I know they will,” I said unhappily. “I just wish I was there with them.”

There was silence for a moment before Rebecca spoke again.

“Why was Hodge going to call me, anyway?” Rebecca asked. “To give me an update?”

“No, it was to give you and Nadia a job,” I responded. “When we get back to the station, I want you two to do some serious digging into that family. We barely scratched the surface before, but this time we need an in-depth analysis of each of them.”

Rebecca looked at me with a quirked brow. “Won’t you be helping us?”

“I will when I get back, but there’s something I want to do first,” I said. “I’m going to call DI Emmanuel Jacinto, the London detective who came down with the family, and see if he will meet with me. He spent several hours confined in a car with those four. He might be able to provide us with some information on them.”

Rebecca nodded approvingly as I fished my phone out of my pocket. I went onto my recent calls and found Emmanuel’s number still at the top. I called it and was surprised when he answered instantly.

“Sean?” he asked, sounding concerned. “Is everything okay? One of my colleagues called me a little while ago and said Charlotte was unwell?”

“She’s fine, Emmanuel,” I answered. “She took a bottle of wine outside and consumed the entire thing. She’s going to have a pretty severe hangover when she wakes up, but no lasting damage done.”

“Bloody hell,” Emmanuel said in shock. “Att least she’s okay.” He hesitated a moment, then spoke. “What can I help you with, Sean?”

“I was actually wondering if I could meet you and discuss the Anderson family?” I inquired. “I’m on the way to my station to get my vehicle now, but after that, I can meet you anywhere you want.”

Emmanuel was quiet, and for a moment I wondered if he was going to deny my request, but eventually he spoke. “Sure, Sean. I’m staying at a Premier Inn. I can send you the address and you can meet me at the Costa inside?”

“No need for the address, mate,” I said gruffly. “I know which one you mean. I’m more than happy to meet you there.”

After a brief farewell, I hung up and pocketed my phone. We travelled the rest of the way in silence. As soon as we arrived at the station, Rebecca parked up and I ran inside to grab my helmet and keys. Once I was on my motorcycle, hastily made my way toward the Premier Inn. York’s centre was always heavy with traffic, but luckily, my motorcycle allowed me the ability to veer around the numerous vehicles. Around fifteen minutes later, I located the Premier Inn and drove into its car park.

After I parked up, I took off my helmet, then grabbed my phone. I shot Emmanuel a quick text saying I’d arrived, then slowly went inside. The coffee shop was surprisingly empty, and as I debated on whether or not to wait for Emmanuel before ordering my drink, my thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. I turned and quickly made eye contact with Emmanuel, who waved as he approached.

“Nice to see you again, Sean,” Emmanuel said as he held out his hand.

“And you,” I said respectfully as I shook his hand. “I appreciate you agreeing to see me.”

Emmanuel scoffed. “I was cooped up in my room, so I appreciate the distraction.”

I walked toward the counter and looked over my shoulder to address him. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll just have a chai latte, thanks,” Emmanuel answered. “But I’m more than happy to get them.”

“The least I can do is get you a drink for agreeing to see me,” I chided.

Emmanuel chuckled as he ran his fingers through his wavy hair. “Thank you. I’ll grab us a table, shall I?”

I nodded, then gave the barista our drink order. After I paid and grabbed the drinks, I headed over to Emmanuel. I smiled with approval when I saw he’d chosen a table tucked away in a far corner.

It's nice to see someone else who is always in detective mode, I thought. I always go for the table that offers the most privacy.

“What would you like my help with then, Sean?” Emmanuel asked as I sat. “I know you mentioned the Anderson family, but I’m not sure what I can tell you. I haven’t had a huge amount to do with them.”

I quirked a brow. “But you travelled here with them, right? And you said you’d dealt with a lot of calls about risks to William’s safety.”

“You’ve got a good memory, Sean, I’ll give you that,” he said with a small smirk as he dragged his latte toward him. “I received a few calls about him, yes. A couple when he stepped down as Secretary of State of Transport, but back then I was just a DC, so my superiors dealt with that. Most calls I’ve received about his protection were after he brazenly discussed his more controversial views.” Emmanuel took a sip of his latte, wiped some residue off his lips, then continued. “As you can imagine, he received a lot of complaints, so we had to raise the security for a while, but there are many teams in London. For security purposes, we rotated, so with the teams constantly changing I think I only saw him once or twice.”

I nodded as I pulled my cappuccino toward me. “Why did he step down to just an MP a few years back?”

“I can’t say I know with certainty, but there was no big scandal if that’s what you’re hinting at.” He hesitated and gave me a knowing look. “From what I heard, he stepped down because of complaints about his wage. It was higher than other members of the Cabinet. Rumours started to circulate that he somehow had the prime minister in his pocket, or held something over him to be making so much money, but my superiors found nothing to suggest the rumours were true. If anything, it appeared like he wanted less responsibility and stress.”

I kept quiet as I took a thoughtful sip of my coffee. From what I’d seen of William, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if he’d been blackmailing the prime minister in order to get a higher wage, but if the other London officers were as competent as Emmanuel, I knew I could trust their work.

“That sounds like a big scandal to me,” I said pointedly.

“Rumours and conjecture, yes, but not an actual scandal,” Emmanuel replied.

“True,” I answered begrudgingly as I tapped my fingers against my mug. “So, it doesn’t seem like their move has any connection to his previous role in government.”

“I seriously doubt it, Sean,” he said. “Besides, he stepped down five years ago. If there was anything connected to that, why would it come out now?” He hesitated. “I’m pretty confident the move is because of his recent controversial comments. In my experience, politics can be a dangerous game. If you say things people don’t agree with, then you can bet your arse they’ll be quick to make their views known.”

I took another sip of my cappuccino and used it as an opportunity to take Emmanuel in. His words and body language suggested he truly believed there was nothing overly suspicious behind the move.

Emmanuel regarded me for a moment. “You think they’re hiding something, don’t you?” I nodded, and he continued. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re as dysfunctional a family as you’ll ever meet, but I didn’t find them suspicious.”

I took a long sip of my coffee. “Okay, what about them seemed dysfunctional?”

To my surprise, Emmanuel laughed. “First of all, Charlotte was very keen to sit up front with me. Most young women wouldn’t want to sit up front with a detective for hours in a car, likely as they’d feel nervous or uncomfortable, and yet she seemed keener to be with me than her own family.”

I rubbed my stubble. “Why do you think that would be?”

“I have no idea,” he said earnestly as he grabbed his latte again. “I just got the sense that she didn’t want to be near them, you know?”

I downed the rest of my coffee and pushed the mug away before looking back at Emmanuel. “Anything else?”

“To be honest, it was clear none of them really relished in being in one another’s company,” he responded. “They either made no effort to communicate, or they bickered over the most pointless of topics. I can’t say it was the most comfortable car journey. I certainly wouldn’t want to repeat the experience.”

I nodded understandingly. “I guess William was the worst of the lot when it came to bickering, right?”

Emmanuel crossed his arms and nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I’m not surprised,” I said bitterly. “That man showed me nothing but rudeness and disrespect when I was in his house.”

“I know what you mean.” Emmanuel sighed. “He repeatedly kept getting my race wrong, asked me if all of my superiors were foreign like me, and told me he didn’t agree with immigrants getting high-powered positions.”

I whistled. “Wow. That man really is a tool.”

Emmanuel slowly rose from his seat and grabbed his jacket. “Look, I know how it feels when you have a hunch,” he said as he threw his jacket casually over his shoulder. “But I stand by what I said. I think you’ll be away from that family sooner rather than later… and they’ll be left continuing to pretend to like one another.”

I smirked. “We shall see.”

Emmanuel held out his hand. “Good luck with everything, Sean. I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.”

I shook his hand and nodded. “Ta, mate. It was good of you to meet me.”

As we left the coffee shop and I walked toward my motorcycle, part of me wondered if maybe Emmanuel was right. Maybe I’d let my dislike of politicians cloud my judgement.

Suddenly, I saw William Anderson in my mind. I saw his stern expression and the rudeness that seemed to ooze from every pore on his body. No, I wasn’t mistaken.

William Anderson was trouble, and there was only so long he could hide the truth from me.

It always came out in the end.

Always.

14

When I left the hotel, I looked at the night’s sky and swore when I realised I’d been sitting with Emmanuel for longer than I’d expected. The day had really gotten away from me.

I quickly grabbed my phone and rang Rebecca. In classic Rebecca fashion, she answered quickly. “Hey, Sean. I take it you’re finished with the London DI?”

“Aye, I have,” I replied. “Any progress?”

Rebecca sighed. “Unfortunately not. Want Nadia and me to stay behind until we get things done?”

While I was keen to know everything about the Andersons, I had no solid reason to make the two women stay behind and work extra hours. Especially when the job I’d given them could potentially lead to nothing.

“Nah, it’s alright,” I said. “We’ll start first thing tomorrow with fresh eyes.”

“Sounds good to me,” Rebecca responded, trying and failing to hide the relief from her tone. “Will you be coming here before you go home?”

I thought of Lylah home alone and knew I was eager to get back to her and make sure she was okay. “I think I’ll head straight back, if you don’t mind?”

“Sure thing, Sean,” Rebecca said understandingly. “You get back and make sure your pregnant wife is okay!”

“Ta, Rebecca,” I replied gratefully. “Speak tomorrow.”

I hung up the phone, pocketed it, then made my way back home. To my surprise, the rest of the evening went by remarkably fast. Lylah was tired and hungry when I got back, so I quickly rustled us up a late dinner. As we ate, it was clear Lylah was struggling with the pregnancy and had been for most of the day.

“My ankles feel so swollen,” Lylah groaned as she tried to stretch out her legs.

I turned away from my plate and reassuringly rubbed her shoulder. “I promise once I’ve finished eating I’ll give them a massage, alright?”

Lylah looked at me. Her hazel eyes were wide and watery. “Thank you, my love,” she sobbed. “I hate feeling so achy and disgusting.”

“One thing you can never be is disgusting,” I chuckled.

Lylah rested her head on my shoulder and sighed contentedly. “I need you here with me all day, every day, Sean. You only ever have to say a few words, and I instantly feel better about everything.”

Guilt tugged at my heart. While I knew part of her meant it in jest, I also knew her well enough to know she was mostly being serious. I hated the fact that work was preventing me from giving her the constant support that she craved. I needed to finish the case in record time so I could be there for her.

“I love you, Lyles,” I replied affectionately. “You and our baby are the most important things to me, don’t ever forget that. I know this case is keeping me away from you right now, but I promise I’ll do everything I can to finish it quickly.”

Lylah’s eyes lit up. “I know you will, my love.”

Lylah kissed me, and it wasn’t long after that we made our way upstairs. As Lylah was in pain, it took me a while to get her into bed. Once she was comfortable, I massaged her ankles before we eventually went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up early and guiltily looked at Lylah, who was deep asleep. I hated leaving her when she was like this, but I knew I was too invested in the case to give up on it now. I quickly messaged my mother and asked her to come and visit Lylah today. I smiled thankfully when she replied and said she’d be happy to. At least Lyles would have some company to cheer her.

I climbed on my motorcycle and headed straight to the Anderson home to see how Elijah and Mae had got on after their long night alone with the family. I kicked my motorcycle to start and soon was zooming away from my flat and through York’s centre. As I rode, I couldn’t help but think of Charlotte and the foreboding words she’d said to me in her drunken stupor. Something about her own family caused her concern—and even Emmanuel had stated that she opted to sit up front with him—which made me wonder if she knew her family was trying to hide something.

Something sinister.

My journey to the house went by quickly and smoothly, and it wasn’t long until I reached the long country road that led directly to it. I kept my eyes peeled for any changes since I’d last been there. While I didn’t think much of the family, particularly William, it was still my job to ensure their safety. Luckily, everything appeared to be in order.

After parking up and nodding at the two PCs on guard, I walked toward the front door. As soon as I pushed it open, I almost jumped in surprise. A tall, male PC, who I didn’t recognise, blocked me from entering. He looked to be at least six foot five, with short black hair that was barely visible under his custodian helmet. His green eyes fixed me with a stern, alert gaze. The man was built like a brick house and looked as though he was made from nothing but pure muscle. Since I didn’t recognise him, I knew he must have been one of the PCs from London. The moment he saw me his square face went red, and he moved out of my way.

“Apologies, sir,” the PC said hastily. “I was just making sure no unwanted visitors were trying to barge their way in.”

I looked him up and down, then nodded approvingly. “Don’t apologise for good work, lad. You were simply doing your job.”

The PC visibly relaxed at my words. “Thank you, sir.”

“I must admit I was surprised when I arrived yesterday and found no one manning this door,” I said as I edged past him. “I’m glad to see someone here now.”

“DI Jacinto has called us regularly to ensure we’re in position, sir.” The PC’s neck went as red as his face. “He wasn’t pleased when he found out that none of us were at the front entrance when you arrived.” He gulped. “DI Jacinto was concerned it made our team look inadequate to you, sir.”

The way this large PC seemed terrified at the thought of angering Emmanuel surprised me, particularly as the man had been nothing but kind to me. Emmanuel clearly demanded respect from his team. I admired that.

“No harm was done, and lessons were learnt.” I glanced at my watch then looked at him. “What time are you and the other London PCs leaving?”

“DI Jacinto said to wait until you instructed us to leave, sir,” the PC replied. “He didn’t want to risk us leaving without there being enough officers here.”

I nodded approvingly. “I will get one of my DCs to call back up right away so you and your team can make your way back to London as soon as possible.”

I didn’t wait for him to reply and simply turned to face the main hallway. I smiled when I saw that Elijah had come out to meet me.

“Smith,” I said as I approached him.

“I thought I heard your voice, sir,” Elijah said with a smile.

“Where’s Hodge?” I asked.

Elijah pursed his lips slightly. “She is with William, sir.”

I was about to ask where he was, but I didn’t need to since the man decided right then to exit the kitchen and approach me.

“Ah, here is Yorkshire’s finest detective,” William said smugly as he stopped in front of me.

I looked over his shoulder to see Mae lingering in the doorway of the kitchen. I gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement before looking back at William.

“I’m sure my DCs work was to your liking, Mr. Anderson?” I asked, struggling to keep civility to my tone.

William sniffed. “Well, my family is safe.” He hesitated. “For now, at least, so they could have done a worse job.”

I gritted my teeth, but kept my expression neutral.

William continued with a shrug. “No one else got out of the house or nearly drank themselves to death, so I suppose that’s a win.”

I nodded, unwilling to give the man the satisfaction of arguing with him. “Where is the rest of your family?”

William scoffed and started to walk away. “I think those are the sort of questions you should ask your colleagues, don't you?"

I held back an angry snarl as he turned away from me. I waited until he disappeared into the main living room, then turned to Elijah. “Smith, before we do anything else, I want you to call the station and get a team of our PCs sent here right away. The London lot will go as soon as we have our own people here.”

Elijah grabbed his phone, then hastily walked away.

I turned to Mae. “Where is everyone?”

Mae’s stoic face remained as expressionless as ever as she leant against the wall. “Charlotte and Gregory are in their rooms. They both have PCs guarding them, and I asked them to contact us if there are any issues.”

“Good,” I replied approvingly. “And Linda?”

Mae jerked her head toward the kitchen. “Still in there having a coffee, sir.”

I nodded, happy that the whereabouts of each family member were accounted for.

“How did things go last night?” I inquired.

“Fine,” she answered. “There are no issues to report, and we had no one attempt to approach the property or the family.”

I glanced toward the living room and frowned. “William seems as pleasant as usual.”

Mae grimaced. “Yes, he certainly has a way with people.”

“How was he when I left?” I asked cautiously.

“As delightful as ever,” Mae responded. “Smith and I took turns watching him, usually with a PC present too, and he made his feelings on his lack of privacy known. Repeatedly.”

I snorted. “Aye, I bet he did.”

Elijah came trotting back over, clearly done with his phone call.

“Anything to add about last night?” I asked.

Elijah hesitated, pursing his lips thoughtfully for a few minutes before responding. “Well… I know every family dynamic is different, but let’s just say they’re on a different level.” He shared a look with Mae.

I quirked a brow and waited for one of them to elaborate. Eventually Mae did. “They never seemed to want to be together. The children mostly kept in their rooms, but when Gregory did come down, he seemed like he wanted to avoid any room Linda was in. He seemed fine in a room with William, but the two never communicated when they were together either.” She paused thoughtfully. “It was like a group of strangers being forced under the same roof. It was weird.”

I thought about the comments Emmanuel had made the day before. He too had commented on the odd dynamic between each family member, and I couldn’t help but wonder why they all seemed to dislike one another as much as they did. Were they all harboring secrets and the pile of ever-rising deceit was causing a rift between them? Or was this simply a family who were connected by blood but nothing else?

“How was Charlotte?” I asked. “Were you able to speak to her?”

Elijah and Mae gave one another a sheepish look.

“What is it?” I asked quickly.

“Well,” Mae began. “To be honest, she spent most of the night sleeping. We only saw her once, and that was around two in the morning with the female PC who was guarding her room,” Mae continued. “The PC told me they were getting a glass of water, so I kept a bit of distance but follow them both toward the kitchen. However, I was surprised by how she reacted at the sudden appearance of her brother.”

I relaxed my arms and pursed my lips. “How did she react?”

“Gregory stormed past me to see Charlotte in the kitchen, and the moment she saw him she really freaked out,” Mae answered. “She screamed at him to get away and the PC with her acted quickly to get him out of the room.” She hesitated and frowned. “He wasn’t happy about it and tried to belittle the PC, so I stepped in and told him to leave. Luckily, the PC who’d been guarding his door arrived shortly after and helped us out.”

“Did he leave when confronted?” I pressed.

“Eventually, yes,” Mae replied as she pushed some of her intricate braids out of her face. “But he clearly didn’t like being told what to do.”

“What happened with Charlotte after that?” I asked.

“I helped the PC get her back to bed,” she responded, glancing around her as though she feared being overheard. “It was clear at that point she still wasn’t completely sober. I just don’t know why she reacted like that.”

“I thought maybe she got confused in her drunken state and thought her brother was someone else, sir,” Elijah interjected.

Suddenly, our conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. I turned, hopeful I’d see Charlotte, but that bubble burst the moment I saw the sulky face of Gregory. Walking just behind him was the PC who must have been standing guard over his room. Gregory stared at us as though we were nothing more than mud on his shoes, then approached the kitchen. He glanced in the kitchen, groaned, then left to go toward the living room, the PC keeping close to his tail. Once they were both gone, I turned to the others and saw the flat looks on their faces.

“See,” Mae said pointedly as she gestured toward the living room. “He won’t go in there when Linda’s there.”

I looked toward the door and thought about Gregory. He had seemed like a bit of a jerk when I first spoke to him, but after seeing his avoidant behaviour and the way he seemed to instill fear in his own sister, I wondered if there was more to him than met the eye. There was something not right about him, and I was keen to know what exactly that was. From the start, I was convinced that William was the problem, but now I was left with another burning question.

Was Gregory the real problem here?

15

After making sure Mae and Elijah were rested enough from the long night before, I went upstairs and checked in with the female PC outside of Charlotte’s door. After a brief exchange, she waved me inside.

“Good mornin’, Charlotte,” I said as I walked in, then shut the door behind me for privacy.

Charlotte sat in front of her vanity, looking pale and exhausted. She turned her head towards me. “I thought you detectives were always formal when you addressed people?”

I gave her a weak smile. “Aye, but when we spoke yesterday you said you felt uncomfortable with me addressing you by your surname.” I paused. “Do you remember that?”

Charlotte’s cheeks flushed. “No.”

“Can you remember anything you said to me yesterday?” I probed.

Charlotte shifted her body slightly, so it was facing away from me. “No.”

“Would you like me to refresh your memory?” I asked.

“No,” Charlotte repeated, sounding similar to a parrot.

I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair. “I can’t help you unless you let me, Charlotte.”

“I don’t need help,” Charlotte retorted, her eyes narrowing at the ceiling. “From you or anyone else.”

I could tell Charlotte was getting defensive, so I decided to change the topic.

“How did you feel about leaving London?” I inquired.

“Why do you care?” she snorted.

I shrugged. “It’s always a big deal moving cities. I wanted to see how you were feeling about such a big change.”

Charlotte scoffed, wrapping her arms around herself as though she were cold. “I didn’t care. I never liked London much, anyway.”

“Aye, I can’t say I’m a fan myself,” I responded. “Far too much hustle and bustle there for my liking.”

“Yes, I never liked constantly being around people.” She hesitated awkwardly before giving me a half glance. “And I mean people. I’m not referring to any particular race. I’m not racist like my father.”

I edged closer to Charlotte, but stopped when I saw her flinch uncomfortably. I relaxed my position and waited for Charlotte to calm down before I spoke again. Her vehement reaction made me instantly wonder if one of the men in the family was hurting her.

Likely her brother due to her reaction last night.

I knew she wouldn’t be ready to open up to me about something so serious, so I continued gently easing her in.

“I can tell,” I said respectfully. “It doesn’t take a genius to know you aren’t anything like him.”

Charlotte smiled weakly. “Thanks.”

There was silence for a few moments before I broke it. “Would you mind if I asked you something?”

Charlotte looked suspicious as she slowly rose from her seat. “I guess.”

“Do you often drink?” I asked cautiously, avoiding her eye contact in order to not make her feel intimidated. “It’s just… I saw how you were last night, and I also read an article that implied a few things.”

“Yes, that’s me,” she said bitterly. “The problem child of the family.”

I sighed kindly. “That isn’t what I’m saying, Charlotte.”

“No, but it is what everyone thinks,” she sniffed, her light eyes brimming with tears. “They see me as the black sheep, the one who causes issues while the rest of the family is perfect.” She scoffed as she gently shook her head. “What a joke.”

I felt my heart rate increase. Was she about to reveal the dark truth about someone else in the family? I knew I had to keep calm if I had any chance of finding out.

“I don’t think you’re a problem, Charlotte. Nor do I think the rest of your family is perfect.” I hesitated as I clicked my tongue. “In fact, I think they’re far from that.”

Charlotte snorted. “You really have no idea.”

For a moment I couldn’t help but stare at her—the way she struggled to maintain eye contact with me throughout our conversation, the way she clung to herself as though her life depended on it. I didn’t know what had happened to this girl, but my heart ached at the realisation that something had broken her emotionally. It was like the shell of Charlotte was there, but everything else had gone.

“Then tell me,” I breathed.

Charlotte’s absent blue eyes continued to look at the floor. “I can’t. I’ve already told you… no one can help me.”

“Not if you don’t let them,” I said pointedly. “Yesterday you told me to get away from your family. You said I seemed like a good man and that I should get away.”

“Clearly you didn’t listen,” Charlotte replied sadly. “And I… I can’t talk to you. My father has eyes and ears everywhere. As far as I know, you could be in his pocket too.”

I sat up straight and looked at her firmly. “I promise you I’m not, Charlotte. All I want to do is help you. I’m not going anywhere until I’ve helped you.”

“Then you’ll be waiting forever, Detective,” she whispered. “My father made me swear to keep my silence, and it’s more than my life is worth to let him down.”

I felt my blood run cold as she spoke. What had William done to this girl that made her so terrified of him? Had he been abusing her? Was she too scared to challenge him?

“William can’t hurt you anymore if you let me protect you,” I said passionately. “Please, Charlotte. Don’t let his reign of terror continue.”

Charlotte was quiet for a few moments before she replied. “It already has,” she said sorrowfully. “I’ve said all I have to say, Detective, now please go.”

“I only want to help you, Charlotte,” I said earnestly.

Charlotte kept quiet. I said her name gently a couple more times, but her silence continued. After a few minutes, I knew I had no choice but to leave. While it went against everything I felt to leave her when she was clearly distraught, equally I knew she had shut down. I wasn’t going to get anything else out of her.

I strolled towards the door, then looked at her back with a heavy heart. I kept still for a few seconds, feeling a small amount of hope that she might speak, but when she didn’t, I resigned myself to the fact I had to give her some space. Before I approached the door, I put my hand into my pocket and pulled out one of my cards. I placed it gently on her bed, then turned away.

16

My phone rang, and I snatched it out of my pocket and answered it hastily. The name on the screen flooded me with adrenaline.

“Rebecca, talk to me,” I said, not bothering with pleasantries.

Rebecca chortled slightly. “Christ, someone is keen this morning!”

“Have you called to give me information or make pointless observations?” I snapped.

“Cool your jets, I’m getting there,” Rebecca retorted. “What’s got your knickers in a twist, anyway?”

“Just tired of hitting wall after wall,” I replied with a guilty sigh. “Sorry, Rebecca. I shouldn’t be taking my frustrations out on you.”

“It’s fine, Sean. I’m used to being your punching bag when you get stressed out.”

Another wave of guilt washed over me. I was well aware of the fact I was a massive grump more often than not, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed hearing that my best friend and colleague felt that way.

“Sorry, Rebecca,” I repeated sincerely. “I’ll work on not being such an arse.”

To my surprise, Rebecca laughed again. “I wouldn’t have you any other way. You may be grumpy, but you have a heart of gold and more kindness in your little finger than most men have in their entire bodies. I can deal with the odd attitude issue every now and again. I know you’re a good man.”

I blushed in embarrassment as I awkwardly cleared my throat. “Let’s get back to why you rang, shall we?”

“Sure thing,” Rebecca agreed. “Before I start, how have things been on your end? Did Smith and Hodge have much to share?”

“Unfortunately not,” I answered.

“Nothing at all?” Rebecca asked in surprise.

“They told me Charlotte is uncomfortable around her brother, but that was about it,” I replied.

“Oh?” Rebecca enquired with intrigue.

“To cut a long story short, Hodge saw Charlotte entering the kitchen and was soon pursued by Gregory,” I answered quickly. “Once he got there, Charlotte got visibly distressed and wouldn’t calm down until her brother was forced to leave.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Rebecca snorted. “From what I’ve seen it seems very in character for him. Do you remember Smith saying Gregory was a bit of a bully?”

“Aye,” I replied.

“Let’s just say that was a bit of an understatement,” Rebecca said with distaste. “There have been many complaints made about him from various people. Particularly parents who have claimed Gregory has been cruel to their children.”

“How bad has it been?” I pressed.

“Not bad enough to have ever been reported to the police, but bad enough that people have taken to social media to complain,” Rebecca said.

I groaned. “Anyone can say anything on social media though. That doesn’t class as solid evidence.”

“I get that, but there have been many people who’ve all said similar things,” Rebecca continued pointedly. “For example, more than one woman has said her son was badly bullied by Gregory at school. He used to shove their kids’ heads down the toilet and everything.”

I scowled. “Aye, I can’t say I find that hard to believe.”

“I can’t state this as fact, but a few comments have implied that the only reason these situations weren’t taken any further was because William paid them off,” Rebecca added.

“That wouldn’t surprise me at all,” I said harshly. “He seems like the sort of bloke who feels like he can sort out any problem by whipping out his wallet.”

“Ah to be one of the privileged few, eh?” Rebecca asked sarcastically.

“I can think of many things I’d enjoy more,” I snorted.

There was silence for a few seconds before Rebecca cleared her throat and continued. “Anyway, I’m not saying Gregory’s nasty past is connected to Charlotte’s strong reaction to his presence, but if Gregory has been known to terrorise others, it’s not that hard to believe he could be terrorising his own sister too.”

I stroked my stubble and debated the likelihood of her idea. I hadn’t seen how Charlotte reacted myself, but if Gregory did abuse his own sister, it could explain her discomfort. She’d also avoided sitting near him on their journey to York, and maybe that was because she felt being close to a detective would keep her safe from her brother. It was all conjecture, but plausible nonetheless.

“Well it’s as good of a theory as any,” I said. “But did you find anything on him that could link to the family’s recent move?”

“Not really,” Rebecca answered, and I could tell she was annoyed. “The boy seems like an arsehole, but he’s not had any run-ins with the police, and most of the complaints about him seem to focus on when he was in school.” She hesitated. “I’m not saying he hasn’t done anything since then, but if he has, he’s done a good job of keeping it private.”

I kicked the ground irritably. I’d been so convinced that Rebecca was going to tell me something incriminating about Gregory, but the guy either knew how to not completely cross the line, or he was skilled at not getting caught.

“You must have found something on William then?” I pressed.

“There’s no denying the man is unliked, even more so than his son,” Rebecca answered. “He’s had many connections to the police recently, but from what Nadia and I could find, that’s been from the perspective of a victim. Not a perpetrator.”

“My heart bleeds for him,” I mumbled.

“The police were called out to his old address many times over the last few weeks since the public was frequently trying to harass him,” Rebecca continued. “I’ve seen complaints of broken windows, graffiti near his property, abuse hurled at his family.” She hesitated. “Pretty serious stuff. It got to a point where he had protective security twenty-four seven, then decided to move to get away from it all.”

“I guess that’s the end of that then,” I said with a disappointed sigh as I readied myself to meet the others. “It seems like they really did move because of the recent backlash. Damn, I was hoping for something more.”

“Well, maybe there is,” Rebecca said shrewdly.

Her words stopped me in my tracks. “Go on.”

“We looked into the entire family, and we grew very curious when we delved deeper into Linda,” Rebecca said slyly.

My mouth dropped open in silent surprise. Out of all the members of the family, Linda had been the one I’d considered the least suspicious.

“What did you find on her?” I asked with trepidation.

“Actually, we had a bit of help on this one,” Rebecca said eagerly. “After not finding much ourselves, I decided to call Devlin to see if he could shed any light on the family, what with living in London now.”

I nodded approvingly at Rebecca’s initiative. “Excellent thinking!” I exclaimed. “And what did he have to say?”

“It would appear that Linda may have an addiction to gambling,” Rebecca said.

I quirked my brows in shock. “Really?”

“Yes, and a pretty severe one at that,” Rebecca continued. “She’s lost thousands to her habit and ended up in a lot of credit card debt. This didn’t come up on any of my searches, but Devlin stated that one of his colleagues dealt with the situation himself.”

“Curious,” I muttered.

There weren’t many things that didn’t come up on our databases, particularly when the police were involved, so I couldn’t deny that I was intrigued to hear more about it.

“Apparently a member of the press caught wind of it and threatened to go public, but William paid the guy handsomely to keep him quiet,” Rebecca said. “This was only a week ago.”

“Money talks, I suppose,” I said callously. “But I still don’t get how this didn’t come up on your search?”

“One of Devlin’s colleagues is friends with William,” Rebecca snorted. “And that colleague told Devlin that William came to him and asked him if he’d ‘support’ him if he needed a policeman to approach the guy from the press. Of course, he wanted it off the books, so to speak.”

The cogs in my brain worked overtime as I tried to digest the information she’d divulged. The more I heard about William, the more I disliked him. The man clearly had no qualms with paying his way out of any problem that could negatively impact him or his career. Furthermore, this colleague of Devlin's sounded far from honourable, especially if he was willing to help William without going through the correct channels.

“The entire situation sounds dodgy as hell,” I said with distaste.

“I know,” Rebecca agreed. “I looked into William’s bank records, but that was a surprisingly difficult job. The guy has more cards than a kid on their birthday,” she said grumpily. “I spent most of my morning going through his bank records and numerous credit cards, but he’s made the trail incredibly difficult to follow. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had other accounts I wasn’t able to access. Linda’s accounts seem wrapped up in her husband’s.”

I looked at my watch, saw time was quickly ticking away, then returned my focus to the phone. “Ta for this, Rebecca. This has been a great help.”

“Anytime,” Rebecca chirped. “Just call us if you need anything else, yeah?”

“Will do,” I said before hanging up the phone.

I pocketed my phone, took a deep breath, then started to make my way downstairs. For too long my eyes had been pulled toward William, but it was time to speak to Linda again.

This time, I wouldn’t let her get away without giving me the truth.

17

Ireached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward the living room door. I cautiously walked toward it and was slightly surprised to see Elijah, Mae, William, and Linda all in the same room. William and Linda, like before, were sitting on the same large sofa but as far away from one another as humanly possible. Elijah and Mae stood at the other end of the room, casually chatting to one another while watching the family. There was also a PC with cropped brunette hair standing on the other end of the room. She was gazing around with a rather bored expression.

I walked further into the room and Elijah stood more alert at my presence. Mae simply nodded at me before shifting her gaze back to the couple. I walked toward Elijah and Mae, but as I passed the sofa Linda looked at me and smiled slightly. She seemed much warmer now since I’d helped Charlotte yesterday. William, on the other hand, still looked at me with nothing less than deep disdain.

I held his gaze until I passed him, then looked back at my colleagues. Once I stood near them, I gestured for them to move closer.

“We need to have another word with Linda,” I whispered. “I don’t have time to update you, but Rebecca found out some things that I’m keen to ask about.”

Mae furrowed her brow curiously while Elijah’s green eyes widened eagerly.

I turned away from them, placed my hands into my pockets, then stepped toward the couple. “Would you mind if I asked you a few more questions, Linda?”

Before Linda had the chance to react, William scowled at me unpleasantly.

“Linda?” he asked in disgust. “Who said you could address my wife so informally, Ellis? I could have your badge for such familiarity!”

Linda looked at William with disdain. “Hush, you! I told the detective to address me by my first name.”

I expected William to argue back, but to my surprise he huffed and turned away from us both. Linda glared at him, then looked back at me with a more pleasant expression. “Ask away, Detective.”

As I moved to sit on the sofa facing her, William abruptly stood up and grabbed a mug of coffee from the table in front of him.

“I will leave you to it then,” he snapped.

“You’re more than welcome to stay,” I said as I gestured with my hand for him to sit back down.

“I’d rather not,” he replied. “I’ll be in the kitchen avoiding all of these monotonous questions.”

As he went toward the door, Elijah quickly moved to my side. “Should I follow him out, sir?” he asked. “I know you said to not leave him alone.”

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully then glanced at the PC standing close by. She caught my eye, and when I gestured with my head toward the door, she nodded in understanding then followed him out. Once they were both gone, I got comfortable in my seat.

“I can only apologise for him, Detective,” Linda said curtly. “Try not to take it too personally. He has a grumpy attitude with everyone.”

I smiled understandingly, glancing toward the door William just exited. Linda’s words made me think about my conversation with Rebecca earlier when she insinuated that she saw me as a cantankerous man, but accepted it. The thought of being anything like William caused me to withhold a shudder, and I made a mental note to make more of an effort to control my mood and impatience from now on.

“How’re you feeling today, Linda?” I asked.

“Not the best, if you want honesty,” Linda said tiredly. “It’s not nice being cooped up in this house.”

I subtly looked her up and down, noticing the way she moved her foot as though agitated. Her fingers couldn’t keep still either, and kept flexing every few minutes. Her eyes darted around as well. I’d seen these signs before and knew this was a woman suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

“I can imagine,” I said sympathetically as I edged forward in my seat. “It can’t be easy uprooting your life to a completely new area.”

“I wouldn’t mind the move if I’d been able to see more than just this house and its gardens,” Linda replied solemnly.

I furrowed my brows in surprise. “You do know we aren’t forcing you to stay here, don’t you? We are here at your husband’s request to keep you all safe, but you’re at perfect liberty to do as you please.”

Linda’s face darkened. “It isn’t you forcing me to stay here, Detective.”

I grimaced sympathetically, perfectly aware of what she meant.

“Is there any reason why your husband has requested you don’t leave?” I probed.

Linda crossed her arms. “He’s worried that either some of his crazed haters from London will have followed us here, or that the public in Yorkshire might have gotten wind of his severe comments.” She shook her head irritably. “All ludicrous, of course, but I have to respect what he says.”

I rubbed my stubble in contemplation. “And you’re sure that’s the only reason, Linda?”

Linda’s eyebrows furrowed. “Not this again, Detective. I told you yesterday why we moved here. That’s not changed.”

“So it has nothing to do with your issues in London?” I pressed.

Linda’s eyes widened in perplexity. “I just told you we moved here because of the problems William caused us there, Detective, so I don’t understand why⁠—”

“No,” I interrupted, fixing her with a firm look. “Not your husband’s problems, Linda. I am asking you about yours.”

Linda’s bottom lip quivered nervously, but she quickly recovered and giggled girlishly. “You’ve lost me, Detective.”

“I’ll cut to the chase then, shall I?” I asked boldly as I sat more seriously in my seat. “We are aware of your gambling problems, Linda, and I think it’s because of them that your husband wants you to stay here. It would be in your best interest to just⁠—”

Linda jumped up from her chair. Her face went pale, and she threw her hands to her mouth in horror. “Who told you about that!”

“It just so happens that my old superior now works in London. He was able to pass this information on,” I said as I quirked a brow. “He was made aware about it from your husband’s PC buddy. I must admit, Linda, I’m rather impressed with the effort you and your husband have gone to conceal this. If it wasn’t for our London connection, we likely never would have found out about it.”

Linda sat down slowly, her body shaking slightly. She placed her face in her hands and shook her head. “I warned William that he was a fool to trust that copper. I knew he was incapable of keeping his mouth shut!”

“I’m not here to make you feel bad about it, Linda,” I responded. “Just trying to ascertain its relevance to your current situation.”

Linda slowly raised her face from her hands to look at me. “You think we moved out of London because of me?”

“Is that why you moved?” I probed.

Linda shook her head more vigorously, causing her blond waves to repeatedly crash against her cheeks. “No! I’ll admit William insists I stay inside because he fears me relapsing. That, and if it all came out, it would reflect badly on the family, but William took precautions to assure that never happens. We’ll be fine as long as I avoid temptation.”

“Precautions being bribery,” I said coldly as I pursed my lips.

I expected Linda to look sheepish or remorseful, but instead she sat up tall and looked me in the eye. “Yes, Detective. Bribery,” she said firmly. “William did what he had to in order to protect me and the family.”

“How’re we to know this person from the press isn’t still an issue?” Mae pressed, having drawn closer during the conversation. “Your husband may have paid for his silence, but that doesn’t mean he won’t keep coming back.”

I was left surprised again when Linda giggled. “The man was given enough money to keep him satisfied for a long, long time. Trust me, he has no reason to bother us further.”

I scratched my chin as I looked at Linda. In my experience, if a person was confident they could get money from someone, they would press them for everything they could get. Particularly if they were blackmailing an influential figure. However, from Linda’s body language I was confident she wasn’t lying. The guy from the press had backed off once he was paid.

Either that, or William had been lying to her about it and was continuously sorting things behind her back.

“How lovely of your husband to jump to your aid when you needed it,” I said sarcastically as I shifted in my seat. “You must feel lucky to have such a wealthy man by your side who could pay off your debts in the blink of an eye. Not many people have such a luxury.”

Linda’s face dropped, and she quickly moved her eyes away from my own. “As I said to you yesterday, Detective, I’ve been with the man for over two decades.” She hesitated. “I didn’t lie when I told you it comes with its perks.”

“But you also said it came with cons, didn’t you?” I pried. “Why is it that I feel William’s paying off of your problems was more for his benefit than your own?”

Linda laughed coldly as she sunk into her seat. “Because you’ve been able to get a good read on the man from the moment you laid eyes on him, that’s why.” Her eyes watered and she quickly rubbed one of them. “As my darling husband repeatedly tells me, I’m so lucky to have him, and I now owe him one for the rest of my life.” She sighed glumly. “As long as I keep inside and never have a life again, all will be fine.”

I hesitated, a sudden cold feeling hitting my chest. Was Linda implying that her own husband was blackmailing her? Did he have dark secrets that Linda was protecting because she feared he would use her own issues against her? The poor woman was being forced to stay inside as though she were an animal, and that didn’t sit right with me.

“How do you owe him one, Linda?” I asked worriedly.

Linda glanced nervously toward the door. She stared at it for a while before looking back at me. She lowered her voice to barely more than a whisper. “He is an influential, powerful man, Detective. I know he could make things difficult for me if I don’t continue to obey him.”

I furrowed my brow worriedly as I took in the frantic woman in front of me. “You sound scared of him?”

Linda shook her head, glancing back at the door as though she feared William would barge in at any moment. “It’s just better for me to do as he says, that’s all…”

“We can help you if you let us,” Mae interjected quietly.

Linda rubbed her face worriedly, her eyes repeatedly darting from me to the door.

I sensed her fear, so I gently grabbed her hand and held it. “My DC is right, Linda. We can help you, alright? I don’t know what you’re protecting him from, but it’s not worth your own happiness and sanity.”

Linda pulled her hand away. “William may not be the nicest man in the world, Detective, but I do owe him for paying off my debts. I can’t go against a man who has done that.”

“You can,” I said firmly as I stood up. “What do you know, Linda?”

Linda sobbed. “I don’t know anything, I swear!”

I opened my mouth to reply, but stopped at the sound of footsteps rushing toward us. William charged through the door, his face angrier than an enraged bull. His fists were clenched, and as he came toward me, he raised one of his hands and shook it wildly.

I stood rigid and prepared myself, knowing the man was readying to attack.

18

Istiffened my arms defensively at my sides, ready to fight William off when it came to it. However, the moment William was directly in front of me, all he did was shake his fist wildly in the air.

“I’ve had just about enough of this, Ellis!” William hollered, veins protruding from his neck unattractively as spit flew out of his mouth.

“Mr. Anderson,” I stated as I relaxed my arms. “I need you to calm down so we can speak about this like two reasonable⁠—”

“I’m feeling anything but reasonable right now, Ellis!” William retorted. “How can you expect any man to be reasonable when someone’s reduced his wife to tears?”

“William, it’s fine, really,” Linda said timidly as she wiped under her eyes. “It’s not the detective’s fault that⁠—”

William moved toward his wife, shoving a finger barely an inch away from her face. The act caused Linda to cease talking immediately, reduced to a cowering wreck under her husband’s angry gaze.

He turned away from Linda, then took a few slow, purposeful steps towards me. The red was slowly fading from his face, but his eyes had an almost frenzied look to them, which caused me to keep quiet and pay close attention to his movements. I still wasn’t ready to rule out that he might take a swing at me.

He fixed me with a stern glare. “Why is it, Ellis, that any time you’re here you cause great distress to the people I love?”

“The last thing I want to do is upset you or anyone in your family, Mr. Anderson,” I answered, standing up tall and looking down at the man. “But ever since we came here, you’ve all been far from cooperative. I need to take necessary measures to gain the truth.”

William scoffed. “You truly are an arrogant, self-centered man, Ellis.”

I furrowed my brows and gritted my teeth, struggling to stop myself from turning unprofessional. Before I had the chance to respond, William continued.

“You have been brought here to protect me and my family,” William said in a slow, menacing voice. “We have gone through a lot of trauma to get here. We have had to suffer the actions of the ignorant few who continuously harassed us in our own home. We have moved far away from a city we have known and loved our entire lives.” He stepped closer to me. “Who or what gave you the right to challenge and question us all? We have been to hell and back, and yet you continue to treat us like we are suspects! For the past two days, I’ve been unable to do anything in my own home. I wanted security, but I never expected to be hounded! It’s been unacceptable, Ellis, and I won’t stand for it for a second longer.”

I held his gaze, trying and failing to figure out the words to reply with. As much as I didn’t like it, part of me knew he was right. I had been asked to come to the Anderson household to provide security, and yet the mysterious circumstances of their move made my gut react suspiciously. No one had asked me to look into the family, or to watch them as severely as I had, but I had taken that initiative because I knew there was more to their story. William was quick to play the hated politician card, but I was certain there was more to it than that.

“For us to be able to do our jobs we need to know the full picture, Mr. Anderson,” I said calmly. “You called us here to protect you, but fail to be forthcoming with exactly what we are protecting you from.”

William growled. “Are you deaf or simply ignorant, Ellis?”

I sensed Elijah stepping forward protectively, but I made a subtle gesture with my hand to keep him in check. Luckily, he saw it and kept still.

“I can assure you I’m neither of those things,” I answered coldly.

William shook his head in frustration. “And yet you continue to repeat the same questions and ignore our answers. How many ways do I have to tell you we moved here because we were getting harassed in London?”

“I respect that and I’m sorry for what you went through,” I responded. “But I don’t believe you moved here purely because people in London reacted strongly to your controversial views.”

“Because you’re arrogant, Ellis,” William repeated coldly. He stepped away from me and stood beside his wife. “I know you’ve solved some incredible cases in the past, which is admirable, but you see suspects in every corner.” He hesitated and smirked. “Do you expect one of us to be a serial killer like that nurse? Or do you think my views against immigrants makes me another prejudiced killer, like that man who targeted gay men?” He laughed harshly. “You’re losing your touch, Ellis.”

“Impossible!” Mae exclaimed.

“Oh, is it?” William asked shrewdly. He kept his eyes on me, even when he addressed Mae. There was a sly look in them that instantly put me on edge. “I take it your colleague here doesn’t know about your past, does she? You were accused of bribery and mishandling evidence among other things, weren’t you? The accusations were dropped eventually, sure, but it does make me wonder… are you still making up for your past mistakes?”

Before I had the chance to reply, Mae spoke again. “Actually, I’m fully aware of all of that, Mr. Anderson. I can assure you that there is no detective I’d rather have as my superior than DCI Ellis! The man has a wit quicker than anyone, and if he feels as though there is something amiss, then you can bet your arse he is going to find out exactly what that is.”

I was pleased to see William’s smug face falter at her words. I turned to face Mae and saw the fire in her eyes. I nodded to her gratefully, then turned back to William. I couldn’t deny the fact that I was surprised William had clearly done a great deal of research into me, but I wasn’t going to allow him to belittle me. Not when I’d worked damn hard to rebuild myself after those accusations almost ruined me.

“Someone has clearly done their homework,” I snorted.

William shrugged. “When I am told the best of the best will be protecting me and my family, I have to make sure I’m being told the truth.”

“And clearly you’ve had an issue with me from the moment I stepped foot into your home,” I quipped. “Anytime I try to ask you questions, you put a stop to it at every turn. First, you kick me out at the first opportunity you get, and then you decide to barge in on my conversation with your wife.” I stepped closer to him. “You’re hiding something from us, Mr. Anderson, and it’s time you told us everything.”

“Your repetition bores me, Ellis,” William snapped. “You want the full truth? Then here it is.”

He hesitated dramatically, causing my breathing to shallow. Was he truly about to tell us everything? I found it hard to believe.

“We moved here based on two reasons,” William said emotionlessly, fixing me once more with his icy glare. “The main reason was the backlash, which you fail to believe, but I also moved to protect my wife from something else.”

I quirked a brow in intrigue. I glanced toward Linda and noticed her puzzled expression.

“I’m not sure what she’s told you, Ellis, but she ended up getting into a bit of trouble over her gambling,” William disclosed. “I was able to go through great strains to help her, but the stress and upset only furthered my resolve that it was best for us all to have a clean start elsewhere.”

“We are aware of Linda’s debt and addiction, Mr. Anderson,” I said calmly. “However, I don’t⁠—”

“No wonder my wife was in tears! You were questioning her about something very traumatic for her!” William snapped. “I hope you’re happy, Ellis. You’ve come into our home and belittled my wife in the worst possible way!”

“Mr. Anderson,” I protested. “I didn’t⁠—"

“Well, I guess that’s that,” William declared loudly, his eyes shining wide with victory. “You wanted the truth and now you have it. Now, you’ve embarrassed my wife by forcing her to relive her issues, so I think it’s best you and your entire team leave.” He smirked. “Your services are no longer required.”

“Mr. Anderson, let’s not be hasty here,” I said as I stepped toward him. “You wanted protection, and I think it would be foolish to⁠—”

“The police have been here for almost two days now,” William interrupted. “If anyone followed us, I think they would have revealed themselves by now, don’t you?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but William stepped forward and continued hastily. “I’d like to say we appreciate all you have done, Ellis, but I can assure you… I will be speaking to your superiors about your atrocious handling of the situation. While I’m pleased you’ve kept my family safe, I don’t approve of your methods. I hope your superiors will reprimand you accordingly after everything I have to say to them.”

“Mr. Anderson,” I warned. “Please, can we just⁠—”

“I want you and every PC in this place to get out of my house this instant!” he shouted. “I refuse to allow you or anyone else to offend my family for even a second longer!”

I hesitated where I stood, thinking about both Linda and Charlotte. The two women had strongly indicated something wasn’t right with William, and the thought of leaving them alone with that man was more than I could stomach.

“Two days is nothing, Mr. Anderson,” I beseeched. “If you truly care about your family’s welfare, then I think it would be unwise to send away your entire security team.”

William tutted. “You have a minute to leave, or I will call your superior to drag you out of here!”

I glanced at Linda and noticed the pleading look in her eyes. I knew I had no choice but to submit to William’s demands. My only option was to listen to him and try to find another way to get back into the house. Either by a warrant or express permission from one of my superiors.

I sighed and turned to Mae. “Hodge, use your radio to alert the PCs that it’s time for us all to go.”

Mae’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but she assented. She grabbed the radio from her belt and left the room with it. I caught William’s smug expression, grimaced to myself in displeasure, then turned to Elijah. “Have the London PCs all gone?”

Elijah nodded. “Yes, sir.”

I stiffly nodded back, then gestured for us to go. As I approached the door, I hesitated near William. “This won’t be the last time you see me.”

William leered. “Oh, I think it will.”

I growled and walked out of the door.

Enjoy your moment, I thought coldly. You have no idea what’s coming.

19

The man watched cautiously as wave after wave of people left the Anderson household. He watched in disbelief as various cars drove by him, each filled with various members of the security team. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but it felt like the police presence surrounding the family were all leaving.

Finally.

He kept his breathing level, struggling to keep still in the tree. He’d been up there for nearly two days, and his body had been slowly breaking down throughout it all. The man had felt hunger pains like he’d never experienced. His ribs felt sore and weak from the lack of nourishment, which made holding his body up in the tree more difficult with each passing hour. He’d held in basic bodily functions to the extent that his stomach was in complete agony from not emptying his bowels and bladder. The pain was constant, a persistent stabbing that was impossible to ignore, and yet he had. He had to for the sake of his daughter and his own freedom. His eyes also felt heavy, and it was hard to keep them open. There was no denying he felt awful, worse than he’d ever felt in his entire life, but now that he could see the police leaving, it felt like all of the pain and misery he’d put himself through was worth it.

Still, he knew he had to be cautious. Although it looked like the entire police presence was slowly leaving the Andersons’ house, the last thing he wanted to do was rush out of his hiding place and reveal himself. Some last-minute straggler could immediately arrest him for his proximity to the family.

No, patience was key. He’d already waited this long. What was another half an hour? He had to wait. He had to wait for Audre’s sake. The thought of his daughter made his heart hammer. This was all for her.

He looked toward the Andersons’ large house, struggling to get a clear look through the tree’s branches. The home was enormous, and knowing the family were living a life of luxury was too much for him. How could a man as horrible as Anderson have everything in life, yet people like his daughter were made to suffer? It wasn’t fair, and he couldn’t wait to teach Anderson a lesson he would never forget.

There was no other word for what Anderson was. Anderson was a rapist, and what he had put his daughter through was something she would have to live with for the rest of her life. And yet, Anderson was still living like a king.

He couldn’t wait to put a stop to all of that once and for all.

The man had been so proud of his brave daughter for opening up to him about the trauma that Anderson had put her through, but when he told her they had to go to the police, she panicked and begged him not to. While he couldn’t understand it himself, he knew Audre hated the thought of filing a report and reliving it all again. He hadn’t tried to push her, but equally he knew he couldn’t sit back and do nothing either.

As soon as he had heard about the rape, he’d contacted Anderson instantly. Naively, he’d hoped Anderson would confess, then maybe he could use their exchange to get him arrested. Unfortunately, Anderson was too clever for that and played dumb, leaving the man furious. Shortly after that, his daughter received an anonymous message stating she would receive a large quantity of money each month.

Hush money. That’s all it was.

That evil man thought he could pay Audre for her silence.

That had been the final straw for him.

After that, he tried hard to get close to the family, to force Anderson to confess in the hopes it would help his daughter improve, but just when he finally figured out a way to get to them, they announced the move to York. Anderson was running away like the pathetic coward he was, but he had no idea that he’d messed with the wrong family. The man would not let this go without a fight.

The man narrowed his eyes and stared at the road. It had been a long time since any cars had driven past. The man took a long, steady breath as he gently caressed the hilt of his knife with his thumb.

It was time.

Time to make Anderson tell the entire world exactly who he was.

20

Idrove speedily on my motorcycle, leaving the Anderson household in my dust. I was furious at William for kicking us all out, and his hasty reaction had only made me even more suspicious of him.

That man was hiding something. He just had to be.

I grumbled as I drove to the station, my noises of unhappiness impossible to hear over the zooming of my Ducati Multistrada and the sound of the wind roaring past me. I was certain I’d been close to getting either Charlotte or Linda to open up to me, but it felt like anytime they might speak, the topic of William was a looming shadow that instantly hushed them both. Both women seemed terrified of William, and I was desperate to know why.

It had to be something bad, and I had to go over his head and gain access to his house again. I didn’t care what it took. I’d go to Paul Banner, the police in London, anyone who had the authority to get me back into that house.

As I drew closer to the station, I felt bad for zooming away and not waiting for Elijah and Mae. I’d been so angry with William for his behaviour and continuous lies that I had to get away. I was useless standing outside his house moping, and I knew the best course of action was for me to get to the station and get back to work.

I’d contact Paul for his help, and while I waited for his response, I’d have the entire team dig as deeply into the family as possible. I knew we’d looked into most things, but I was certain there was something we still hadn’t found.

I eventually arrived at the station and barely waited to park the motorcycle before climbing off and making my way inside. After a few hurried steps up the stairs, I shoved the door to our department open.

As I entered the room, I saw both Rebecca and Nadia standing and talking near Rebecca’s computer. The moment the door opened, however, they turned to me in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Nadia gasped.

“Christ, don’t tell me that man kicked you out again!” Rebecca exclaimed.

I grunted. “Aye, he did.”

Rebecca shook her head irritably while Nadia’s mouth fell open in shock.

“What was his excuse this time?” Rebecca inquired.

I folded my arms and frowned. “He barged into my conversation with Linda and told me we had to leave. Apparently we’d mistreated his family.”

Rebecca scoffed. “Wait, so he kicked everyone out? Not just you?”

“Aye, he said he felt like he didn’t need protection anymore. We were free to leave,” I responded bitterly.

Nadia walked over and smacked my arm sympathetically. “I’ll make you a coffee. That should help.”

I thanked her, and as she walked away, I turned to Rebecca. “Please tell me you kept looking? Please tell me you found something?”

Rebecca grimaced as she shook her head. I swore as I plopped into her chair. I put my face in my hands with a groan. After a couple of seconds, I felt Rebecca approach me.

“I know this must be frustrating, Sean, but there isn’t much we can do,” Rebecca said as she gently placed a hand on my upper back.

I looked up at her with a serious expression. “There is always something we can do.”

Rebecca moved back and folded her arms. “Like what?”

I rose from my chair and jerked my head toward my office. “First things first, I’m going to email Banner and discuss all of this,” I responded. “William Anderson may have kicked the entire police force out, but he can’t keep us out if I have official documentation dictating I can be there.”

Rebecca smirked. “That’s a good idea. Think Banner will agree?”

I sighed. “That would depend on whether or not he has already heard from William Anderson. When he kicked us out, he said he’d be contacting my superiors to complain about my behaviour. I know for a fact the man is going to paint me in the worst possible light. Banner might lose it with me completely.”

“Probably,” Rebecca responded. “Even if Banner hasn’t heard from Anderson, do you think he’ll grant you something like that?”

I exhaled deeply. “Possibly not. I don’t really have a huge amount to go on right now, but I saw how those women behaved about William. I have to help them.”

Rebecca nodded understandingly. “You best go send that email now then. The sooner you send it, the sooner you can hopefully get what you need to go back there.”

I nodded. I made my way toward my office, gratefully grabbing my mug of coffee from Nadia on the way, and quickly let myself in. Once I was comfortable at my desk, I quickly typed an informative email to Paul. I explained what happened, why I wanted to go back, and my concerns about the family. I then grabbed my coffee and made my way to join the others. I just had to hope Paul wouldn’t keep us all waiting too long.

Back in the department, I wasn’t surprised to see that Elijah and Mae had now returned, both looking as peeved as I did when I’d first got back. They were both holding steaming mugs and nursing them slowly. I caught both of their eyes, and we all nodded at one another respectfully.

“We should all get motorcycles, sir,” Elijah smirked. “That way we’d all get around much faster.”

I chuckled dryly as I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sorry for shooting off, you two. I had to get away.”

Elijah smiled. “No worries, sir! We both stayed behind and waited until all of the PCs were gone before coming back ourselves.”

“Like us they were surprised about being asked to leave, but unlike us they seemed happy about it,” Mae responded.

“I’ve just emailed Banner,” I declared before taking a sip of my coffee. “Let’s just hope he gets back to us soon and gives us permission to overrule William.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Elijah inquired with a pinched look.

“Then we’ll contact the London police and whoever else we have to!” I exclaimed. “I’m not leaving those women under the tyranny of that awful man.”

Mae nodded proudly while Elijah beamed at me. I took another sip of my coffee before clearing my throat loudly to get everyone’s focus. “Right, while we wait to hear back from Banner let’s not get comfortable and sit idly by! We need to look into each member of that family, particularly William.”

Nadia scratched her head warily. “But Sean, that’s what Rebecca and I have been doing.” She hesitated. “We found nothing.”

“I know and you’ve both done a great job so far, but there must be something you haven’t looked into, right?” I probed.

Nadia glanced at Rebecca thoughtfully before returning her gaze to me. “Well, we didn’t do the biggest sweep of Charlotte’s social media, so that could be⁠—”

I turned to Elijah and Mae. “You two get on that right away.”

I looked back at Nadia. “What else?”

Nadia hesitated slightly, likely feeling startled after being interrupted during her trail of thought. Eventually, she cleared her throat and continued. “Well, we didn’t look much into Gregory’s either. He’s rather private with everything.”

“Not much we can do about that,” Rebecca replied bluntly.

“But I guess we could look into his bank records,” Nadia offered.

I nodded keenly. “Aye, and look into William’s again too.” I hesitated at the unhappy look on Nadia’s face. “I know you both looked before, but that man is hiding something. There’s only so long he can stay hidden behind his shield of lies.”

Nadia looked as though she was tempted to argue, but instead she sighed in resignation and turned to her screen. I looked away from her guiltily and returned to Rebecca, who was now sitting near her desk. At my approach, she gazed at me tiredly.

“What are we looking into then?” she asked.

“Anything and everything connected to William,” I responded.

Rebecca grumbled. “You really have a vendetta against the man, don’t you?”

I blanched in shocked indignation, but Rebecca continued speaking before I had the chance to. “What did you think Nadia and I were doing when you were out, Sean? Braiding one another’s hair?”

I felt my cheeks burn pink, so I subtly looked away. I could understand her sarcasm and attitude—particularly if she felt I was questioning her or Nadia’s work ethic—but I just knew there was something that man was desperately trying to keep away from me.

“There has to be something on him, Rebecca,” I pleaded. “There just has to be.”

Rebecca sighed sympathetically. “I know you want there to be, but I can assure you that Nadia and I focused more on him than anyone else. We couldn’t find anything incriminating.” She hesitated with a frown and started to pull up things she’d looked at before. “See? It’s negative opinions, but no crime.”

After fifteen minutes of looking through Rebecca’s findings, I was discouraged but far from ready to give up. Paul Banner still hadn’t replied, but I could at least check on the others. I looked at Nadia, noticing her puzzled expression as she gazed at her computer screen. I cautiously stepped toward her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She jumped in her seat.

“Christ!” she exclaimed, her hand moving swiftly toward her chest. “Sorry, Sean. I didn’t hear you coming.”

I grimaced apologetically. “Is everything alright? I noticed how focused you looked on your screen.”

Nadia sighed. “I can’t be certain, but I think I found something in the bank statements.”

I fought the urge to bump my fist wildly in the air. “I knew it! What have you found on William?”

Nadia narrowed her eyes at me. “It wasn’t William’s accounts I found anything suspicious on.”

“I don’t understand?” I pressed. “William’s as dodgy as they come!”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Sean,” Nadia responded, rubbing her face tiredly. “I’ve gone through his accounts many times, but there’s nothing there. At least… nothing obvious. Look, would you like to hear what I’ve found?”

“Aye, sorry,” I responded with a bit of guilt. “Let’s hear it.”

“I found an unusual transaction from Gregory’s account,” Nadia continued. “It’s only happened over the last two months, but it stands out like a sore thumb.”

I sat in the chair next to her and edged closer. “Go on.”

“He started sending a woman named Audre Wells a grand each month,” Nadia stated.

“Audre Wells,” I muttered, rubbing my chin. “Who is Audre Wells?”

Nadia shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to look into her yet, but I’ll get right on it.”

“Well, I suggest you do so now then!” I exclaimed urgently, waving my hand hastily toward her computer.

As she started typing, I stood up from the chair and walked toward the middle of the room. “Right, everyone! Nadia may be onto something. Gregory has recently started depositing a large quantity of money into an account for a woman named Audre Wells. I suggest we all focus on looking into her and finding out what we can!”

Turning back towards Nadia, I saw that she was now on Audre’s Facebook page. She was a young, attractive Black girl with bright eyes and one of the warmest smiles I’d ever seen. According to her Facebook bio, the woman had recently turned twenty and was studying Computer Science at Goldsmiths University in London. However, as Nadia scrolled down, it was clear the girl hadn’t been active on her page in several months. Before then, she was posting regularly, but she seemed to abruptly stop.

“How strange,” I muttered. “She’s less active on her social media lately.”

“Yes, around the same time Gregory started sending her money,” Nadia responded.

I stood up straighter and crossed my arms. Nadia was right, the timing was too much to be a coincidence, but what was the connection? Was Gregory paying for her silence? I wouldn’t be surprised.

For several minutes, we looked into her London connections since it was a bit late to call the university. The girl must have met the family when they lived there, and my gut was telling me that the money she was receiving was somehow connected to the Andersons’ recent move. We had to find out more about her. As inconvenient as it was, it seemed like a trip to London was in our future.

I was about to speak, but my words were interrupted by the ringing of my mobile. I sighed impatiently and pulled it out of my pocket, hesitating in surprise when I saw an unknown number.

Rebecca, who’d moved close enough to see my phone screen, quirked a brow. “Who do you think that could be? A cold caller?”

I grumbled. “Aye, more than likely. I was hoping it was Banner, but he wouldn’t call from an unknown number.” I hesitated. “I best answer it to be safe.” I accepted the call and moved the phone toward my ear. “Hello?”

“DCI Ellis?”

I froze for a moment, putting all of my focus onto the line. The speaker on the other end was clearly female, but they spoke in barely more than a whisper.

“Aye, this is he,” I intoned. “Who is this?”

“It’s Charlotte, Detective,” Charlotte whispered. “Charlotte Anderson. You left your card here.”

My heart beat quickly, and I shot Rebecca an intense look to make her aware that the call was important. I hastily put my phone on speaker so she could hear it before speaking again.

“Charlotte, it’s good to hear from you,” I replied. “Are you alright?”

Charlotte sobbed quietly. “No, Detective, no I’m not!”

“What is it, Charlotte?” I asked urgently. “Talk to me.”

There was silence, and for a moment I thought she was going to hang up, but luckily she spoke again. “I-I think there is someone in the house.”

“Where are you now, Charlotte?” I pressed, locking eyes with Rebecca.

“I-I’m in my room,” she gasped. “I c-can hear some commotion downstairs, so I wanted to speak to you.”

Still looking at Rebecca, I gestured toward the coatrack. She immediately sprang into action and went to grab our coats.

“You did the right thing, Charlotte,” I said calmly. “I’ll make my way there now, alright? Until I get there, I need you to⁠—”

“I can hear shouting!” she hissed. “There’s definitely something going on down there.”

“I know it’s hard, but I need you to relax, alright?” I asked as I grabbed my jacket from Rebecca. “You need to look after yourself, so the best thing you can do is lock your door and keep⁠—”

“Someone is coming up the stairs, Detective!” Charlotte panicked. “I can hear footsteps.”

“Charlotte,” I responded urgently. “Get to your door and lock it right⁠—”

“They’re outside the door!” she sobbed. “I can see their shadow.”

I caught Rebecca’s eye and saw that her worried look mirrored my own. “Lock your door, Charlotte!” I demanded. “Right now⁠—”

I stopped speaking at the sound of Charlotte’s bedroom door squeaking open. For a moment there was silence, a silence I didn’t dare break in case she’d hidden herself somewhere, but then I suddenly heard Charlotte screaming.

“Charlotte!” I roared. “Charlotte!”

The next sound I heard was a loud thud and the sound of dragging. I continued to shout at the phone, but after a few moments all I could hear was silence.

21

Iswore repeatedly as I started to put on my jacket, my mind consumed by Charlotte’s welfare.

Let her be alright, I thought repeatedly. Please, God, let her be alright!

“What should we do?” Nadia asked urgently as she and the rest of the team rushed towards me.

“I knew we shouldn’t have left!” Elijah said, followed by a few choice swears. “How could something have happened so fast?”

Elijah’s words struck me. Had someone been watching us? Were they waiting for the perfect time to strike?

I glanced at everyone and made some quick decisions. “Nadia, you’re coming with us to the house.”

“Wait, shouldn’t Mae or I be the one to join you and Rebecca, sir?” he asked. “We’re familiar with the house and grounds.”

While I knew there was logic to his argument, I didn’t know what we were about to walk in on, and I wanted the two highest detectives at my side.

“I see your point, lad, but right now I need you and Hodge to call for backup, then meet us at the house,” I commanded. “We don’t know what we’re walking in on.”

Elijah’s face was impassive—a sign he was far from happy with his assignment—but he kept his thoughts to himself and quickly agreed. I turned away from Elijah and Mae and was glad to see Rebecca and Nadia waiting by the door, both ready and keen to go.

“Rebecca, you’re driving,” I commanded.

Rebecca grinned. “With pleasure!”

Together the three of us charged out of the department, down the stairs, and out of the station quicker than we’d moved in a long time. In no time at all we were all in Rebecca’s car and she was pulling hastily out of the station. Normally, the thirty-minute drive would have enraged me, but with Rebecca driving we’d be there in half the time.

“If anything’s happened to that girl, I’ll never forgive William,” I growled.

Rebecca glanced at me cautiously, her foot heavy on the gas. “We don’t know if this has anything to do with him just yet. There’s a house full of people who could have brought danger to their door, not just William.”

I turned to her, ready to argue, but then thought about Gregory. There was always a chance the attack on the family had something to do with him. He’d been paying someone off for a reason, and we still didn’t know why. Still, I couldn’t pretend I had any love for the Anderson men, but that didn’t mean I’d stand back and allow someone to hurt them either.

Rebecca drove faster than Lewis Hamilton toward the Andersons' house. I clung to the car door, hating the feeling of hopelessness growing inside of me. I just had to hope we weren’t too late when we got there.

“Let’s hope backup arrives when we do. We can’t afford to wait for them,” I said. My eyes kept flicking to the wing mirror to see if any panda cars were catching up to us.

Rebecca quirked a brow. “But we don’t know what we’re dealing with, Sean. There could be a whole group in there for all we know!”

“If there is, we’ll have to deal with it,” I snapped.

Rebecca shook her head in disbelief. “I know you’re concerned about the women, Sean, but you’re being reckless.”

“Rebecca’s right, Sean,” Nadia interjected. “We can’t charge in unprepared. It would be dangerous.”

I huffed, unwilling to argue with them. Instead, I pulled out my phone and called Elijah. Luckily he picked up instantaneously.

“Sir, backup is on its way,” Elijah blurted out quickly.

“Do you know how far behind us they are?” I asked.

“No more than a few minutes at the most, sir,” Elijah responded. “I called them immediately and told them how urgent it was. I requested four cars, just to be safe. I also gathered PCs who’d been at the house already. I figured their familiarity would help.”

After a hasty farewell, I hung up the phone. My fingers tapped my knees with frantic energy. In serious scenarios such like this, the difference of a few minutes was crucial. While Nadia and Rebecca were right to urge caution, I didn’t like the thought of leaving the family in a potentially life-threatening situation for any longer than necessary.

I sat up straighter when Rebecca finally turned down the long country road which led to the house. “Everyone keep your eyes peeled!” I commanded. “We might see some vehicles, something that can give us any indication about what we’re dealing with.”

As Rebecca drove quickly down the road, I kept my eyes peeled. My anxiety increased when I saw no clear signs of movement or vehicles. That could be a good thing, meaning there weren’t many people to deal with, or it could mean they were professionals who knew how to cover their tracks.

As Rebecca drew closer to the house, I held out my arm to stop her. “Don’t get too close!” I warned. “The last thing we want to do is alert whoever is in the house to our presence.”

Rebecca nodded as she slowed down the car. “Good thinking.”

“Keep in the middle of the road too,” I pressed. “If they have a getaway vehicle, we don’t want to make it easy for them to get past.”

Rebecca frowned at the thought of leaving her car in harm's way, but she stopped it anyway. The three of us got out and sneaked toward the house, keeping as close to the ground as we could. I touched my belt and felt my weapon there. While I never liked getting my gun out, I knew it was a possibility. My life could easily depend on it.

As we drew closer to the house, I heard approaching vehicles behind us. I was immediately relieved at the thought of backup being close at hand. Rebecca, Nadia, and I continued moving cautiously toward the house, peering around for any signs of movement or anything suspicious. I felt apprehensive over how quiet everything seemed, and when we reached the front of the house, I still heard no sounds and saw no vehicles. My apprehension only continued to grow.

I was about to mutter something to the others, but froze as a male voice yelled inside the house. I gestured for the others to move closer to me.

“We still don’t know what we’re about to deal with, but I suggest we split up and enter different access points,” I whispered.

Both Rebecca and Nadia looked uncertain with that idea.

“We don’t know the place like you do,” Rebecca responded.

I looked over their shoulders and saw some PCs moving toward us. I jerked my head in their direction.

“I’ll head for the front door. You two get with the PCs and they can show you where to go,” I replied.

Rebecca chewed her lip apprehensively. “You can’t go in on your own. Especially through the front door! That’ll be the first place someone is acting as a lookout!”

I looked at the PCs again. “Send some of them after me. I won’t be on my own for long.”

Rebecca and Nadia continued to look unhappy, but I moved toward the front door before they had the chance to argue. As I continued my approach, I glanced at the windows and noticed the house seemed quiet.

Too quiet.

I reached the front door and was surprised when I saw that it had been left wide open. I took a deep breath, grabbed my weapon, then cautiously glanced around the door. A quick look showed me no one was there, so I moved hesitantly into the hallway.

Since my movements had slowed down, a group of four PCs had now caught up with me. In my eagerness to look forward again, I didn’t get a good look at any of them. I gestured with my hand for them to keep a slight distance as I continued edging through the house, but I froze again as the same voice from before yelled once more.

“Just tell the truth, goddamn it!”

“There’s nothing to tell you, you bloody lunatic!” William’s unmistakable voice roared in response. “How many times do I have to tell you!?”

The noise was coming from one of the dining rooms—the first one on the left. I gestured for the PCs to get to the wall on the left side of the hallway closest to the room. I moved as close to the wall as I could before slowly making my way toward the door. I peeked around and was finally able to see what was happening.

Four wooden chairs had been moved near the centre of the room, and a member of the family was tied to each one. Each member of the family had their ankles tied to the legs of the chair and their arms tied around the back. Linda was on the far left, Charlotte was next to her, then William, and Gregory was on the far right. I looked back toward Charlotte and saw her wide, frightened eyes, but no visible injuries. I held back a sigh of relief at the realisation she was still alive. After what I’d heard on the phone, a small part of me feared she was dead. I was glad to see that those fears had been unwarranted.

At least for now.

I moved my gaze away from Charlotte and slowly took in the scene in front of me. In front of the restrained family stood a tall, slender man who was dressed from head to toe in brown. I could only see his back, but from what I could see he held a mobile phone in one hand and a large knife in the other.

The sight of the knife caused me to inhale sharply. He seemed like the only person in the room, but that didn’t mean that he was working alone. I turned to the PCs and gestured for them to keep outside of the room and keep alert for the presence of others. I slowly edged around the doorway, my gun in my hand, and raised it slowly at the man’s back.

“Let’s not do anything foolish here,” I said boldly.

The man slowly turned around, allowing me a good look at him. He was a Black man with large, bloodshot eyes. His gaunt face was peppered with stubble, and his body was almost too slender. As I edged closer, my nose wrinkled as a stench hit my nostrils. The man stunk of body odour, as though he hadn’t washed in days. I didn’t know what it was about him, but something looked familiar to me.

To my surprise, the man eyed my gun nervously but kept the knife still pointed toward the Andersons.

“I’m not going anywhere until that man tells the truth!” the man exclaimed.

I took a hesitant step forward, but stopped when the man moved quickly toward the family, the knife still outstretched.

“Shoot him, Ellis!” William roared.

I shot a glare at William. “That isn’t helping.”

The man looked surprised by the fact I hadn’t followed William’s orders. He glanced at the family and took a slow step away from them. He kept the knife outstretched, only now he pointed it toward me.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone, okay?” the man said anxiously.

“Then I suggest you lower your weapon, sir,” I responded.

I still held my gun out, but I lowered it slightly to show the man I didn’t want to hurt him either.

The man shook his head. “I can’t do that, sir, not until I get the truth!”

I edged slowly toward the man. “What truth is that?”

The man looked at me, his frantic eyes now painted with hurt and sorrow. “The truth about what he did to my daughter!”

22

Ifurrowed my brow. “What happened to your daughter?”

William scoffed. “Are you insane, Ellis!? Shoot the man and help us!”

Although the man still held the knife, one look into his sorrow-filled eyes told me that he had no intention of using it. He reeked of desperation, and it was clear he brought the knife purely to get the family to speak to him. All he wanted was the truth.

And so did I.

I had no affection or sympathy for the man who was holding the family hostage, but for the past two days I was convinced the Andersons had been lying to me. Now it seemed I was finally about to figure out exactly what they’d been lying to me about.

I glared at William again. “Mr. Anderson, it is unwise to provoke a man who is brandishing a weapon near you. For the sake of you and your family, I’d suggest you shut up until I tell you to speak.”

William growled, but had the sense to keep quiet.

I stepped toward the man. His face grew even more frantic, so I dramatically showed him that my gun was pointing to the ground. Thankfully, it relaxed him.

“I’m lowering my weapon, see?” I said. “How about you do the same so we can talk?”

The man started to lower the knife, but he then shot a worried look at the Andersons.

“They’re all restrained. They can’t go anywhere, alright?” I stated calmly. “Now, if you want my help, lower your weapon.”

“This is ridiculous!” Linda exclaimed. “You can’t seriously be helping our captor, Detective.”

The man continued to look worried, so I kept my eyes on him even when I spoke to the others. “I am here to protect you, Linda, but for me to do so, we need to let this man explain why he’s doing this.”

Linda made a huffing noise as though she wanted to complain, but I gently held my hand out toward her in a gesture for her to be quiet. Luckily she decided to keep her mouth closed.

“What is your name?” I asked the man.

“Sidney, sir,” the man responded. “Sidney Wells.”

My eyes scanned the man up and down and the reality of why he looked so familiar quickly hit me.

He was the spitting image of Audre Wells.

Sidney said earlier that someone, a he, had done something to his daughter. I knew Gregory had been paying her, so I glanced at him curiously, wondering if maybe William was actually innocent in this case.

“Alright, Sidney,” I said gently. Usually I would refer to people by their surname, but due to the precarious situation, I decided to refer to him by his first name to establish some form of trust. “My name is DCI Sean Ellis.”

Sidney kept quiet, but he began to tremble even harder.

“You want the truth, right?” I probed. “Well, so do I.”

Sidney shook his head in disbelief. “No. No one cares about her except for me! She’s my daughter… It’s my job to protect her.”

I nodded. “I get that, Sidney. I have a daughter myself. It’s my duty to keep her safe.”

Sidney’s lip trembled. “I bet you haven’t failed your daughter, like I have.”

I took a tentative step forward. “I’m sure you haven’t, Sidney.”

Sidney opened his mouth to speak, but stopped at the sound of movement near the door. He hastily raised the knife again and pointed it toward the family. I glanced over my shoulder to see both Rebecca and Nadia standing there, holding their weapons out toward Sidney.

I hastily held my hands out to them. “Put your weapons away!”

Rebecca stepped into the room and quirked a brow in confusion, her eyes and gun laser-focused on Sidney. “Sean, the man is holding a weapon.”

“He lowered it before you got here, Rebecca,” I said, nearly pleading. “Put your weapons away and I know Sidney will do the same.” I turned back to him. “Won’t you, Sidney?”

Sidney nodded, the knife shaking wildly in his trembling hand.

Both Rebecca and Nadia looked tentative, but they both slowly holstered their guns which caused Sidney to lower the knife.

“Good,” I said calmly. “Now I need you to put it on the floor, alright?”

The man wiped his forehead. “If I do that you’ll arrest me, and I’ll never get the truth from these people!”

I raised my hands in surrender. “I give you my word. I won’t arrest you until we have the answers you seek.”

The man looked suspicious, his eyes moving quickly from me to the Andersons. After a few seconds, he gently placed the knife on the ground and kicked it away from him.

“Now’s your chance!” William exclaimed eagerly. “Take him down, Ellis!”

Sidney started to move toward the knife, but I took a step away from him and spoke quickly. “Leave the knife, Sidney, otherwise I will take you down.”

Sidney’s eyes widened, but he nodded and obeyed.

“This is ludicrous!” William scoffed. “What sort of a detective works with a criminal?”

“Perhaps you’re worried about the truth coming out, Mr. Anderson?” I asked.

William laughed dryly, but didn’t say anything else.

I turned to Sidney. “Please explain to us what is going on, Sidney.”

He kept quiet for a moment as he cautiously watched Rebecca and Nadia approach me, but once he saw they weren’t going to attack him, he relaxed.

“I-I’m here to get justice for my daughter, sir,” Sidney responded.

“You mean Audre, right?” I pressed.

Sidney’s mouth gaped open in surprise. “How do you know that?”

I glared at Gregory before looking back to Sidney. “Ever since I’ve been tasked with protecting this family, I could tell they were hiding something from me. My colleague here–” I gestured toward Nadia. “Found out that Gregory had recently started transferring a large quantity of money to your daughter. We were going to speak to your daughter and Gregory tomorrow, but I received a frightened call from Charlotte about an intruder in the house.”

Sidney wiped tears from his eyes as he looked guiltily at Charlotte. “I’m s-so sorry for scaring you. I was never going to hurt you, I swear.”

To my surprise, Charlotte nodded at him understandingly.

“We knew the money was for something, but we didn’t know what,” I continued.

“You fool!” William snapped at Gregory. “Why would you do something so bloody stupid?”

Gregory kept quiet, his eyes glued to the ground.

“Nothing to say for yourself?” I asked Gregory coldly.

Gregory continued to avoid my eye contact, so I tutted and looked at William. “Why was he sending Audre money, Mr. Anderson?”

William curled his lip at me. “No comment.”

I tutted impatiently then looked at Sidney. “Why do you need justice for Audre?”

“Gregory needs to confess to what he has done, sir,” Sidney responded, his fists clenched by his sides.

“What has he done?” I pressed.

Sidney licked his lips, his eyes growing wet again. “I-I don’t know if I can say it out loud,” he said emotionally. “It’s too horrid to speak of.”

Sidney paced for a few seconds. I waited patiently—keeping a cautious eye on him in case he tried to attack someone or run—and eventually he stopped moving and continued speaking. Although he still looked emotional, he stood up tall and his eyes shone with fiery determination. “Two months ago my daughter went to a party with some of her university friends. She said it was a big party and many people were there.”

Sidney took a deep breath, received a reassuring nod from me, then continued. “Anyway, she told me it got busy there, too busy, so she wanted to leave. She lost her friends. She tried to find one of them to tell them she was going, but then she bumped into him!”

Sidney looked toward Gregory and snarled at him. I was slightly surprised to see that Gregory was still looking at the floor, avoiding everyone’s eye contact. From what I’d seen of Gregory, he was arrogant and didn’t care what anyone else thought. It was a shock to see him suddenly so subdued.

“You’re doing great, Mr. Wells,” Nadia said calmly, drawing Sidney’s focus from Gregory to her. “Why don’t you keep going, yeah?”

Sidney nodded as he rubbed his face. “Yes. Okay,” he sighed. “Audre said he tried to be flirtatious, but she wasn’t interested. She politely tried to get away from him. She said that made him angry. S tried to get away, but he was with his friends. They were… egging one another on.”

He hesitated again, only this time it was for longer. He started to tremble more, and I could tell he found it difficult to get everything out.

“In your own time,” I quietly urged.

Sidney took another shaky breath, then continued. “She tried to get away, sir. She tried with everything she had in her, but he wouldn’t let her!”

“Then what happened?” I asked, my body filled with dread.

I already knew what Sidney was going to say, but I had to get him to say it out loud.

“Audre said he grabbed her and pulled her into a bedroom.” He spoke slowly, a weight hanging on each word that escaped his lips. “She tried to fight him off, but several of his friends were there too. She couldn’t get out. He asked his friends to stay and watch, and they all jumped at the opportunity.” He took another deep breath. “They blocked the door while he... while he...”

Sidney trailed off and burst into tears, and I knew he couldn’t continue.

I looked at Gregory with horror and disgust, unable to comprehend what I’d just heard. I knew Sidney was going to say that Gregory had raped his daughter, but to know Gregory had insisted his friends watch made me sick to my stomach.

“Anything to say, Gregory?” I seethed.

Gregory moved slightly in his chair, but before he had the chance to speak William beat him to it.

“Say nothing, son!” William commanded. “This is nothing more than her word against yours.”

Gregory raised his head. To my horror, he was now smirking. “Dad’s right. I don’t have to say a thing to you.”

“There’s nothing to say,” William interjected. “Is there, son?”

Gregory shook his head smugly. “Nope.”

“Are you saying this isn’t true?” Rebecca probed.

“Of course it isn’t!” William snapped.

“You filthy liar!” Sidney roared. He went to move toward William, but I hastily stepped in front of him and raised my hands.

“Think it through, Sidney,” I warned. “If you lay a finger on any of them, I have no choice but to cuff you.”

“He should already be cuffed for what he’s done!” William growled. “We are tied up like animals and you’ve done nothing about it, Ellis! I will have your badge for this, mark my words!”

I turned to William with a scowl. “If what Mr. Wells is saying is false, Mr. Anderson, then can you explain to me why your son has been sending Audre money?”

William shrugged his shoulders with difficulty. “I have no idea, Ellis. Perhaps he and this Audre woman were dating. Maybe he gave her the money as a gift?”

Sidney hissed angrily, but thankfully didn’t move. “I can tell you exactly why he’s been giving her money, sir! It’s hush money.”

William scoffed again. “Oh please! If any of this is true, then why didn’t your daughter go to the police?”

Sidney sighed, rubbing his face before continuing. “I told Audre we should go to the police, but she begged me not to. She said Gregory had power. She didn’t believe anyone would believe a Black woman over a white, privileged man.” He sighed. “I wanted to go to the police, really I did, but I saw her point. People would believe his word over hers.”

“Ridiculous!” William exclaimed.

Sidney shot a glare at William. “It’s true! The system is corrupt, and I couldn’t stand the thought of putting my daughter through all of that trauma just for a jury to find Gregory not guilty because of insufficient evidence.”

“It’s hardly my son’s fault if your daughter decided she wasn’t happy after they had sex,” William spat.

I grabbed Sidney and pulled him back just as he went to take a swing at William. I cuffed his hands behind his back, then pushed him away.

“I warned you to behave,” I scolded.

Sidney spat at William. “Can you blame me for lashing out after what he said about my daughter? He’s calling her a liar!”

“Because she is,” William said smugly. “Now that you’ve finally seen sense, Ellis, I suggest you arrest this man and let us go!”

“No!” Sidney begged. “I know I’ll be arrested, but lease don’t take me away before I get my confession.”

Sidney and William began to speak loudly over one another. I whistled loudly to get them to stop, then began yelling myself. Suddenly, Charlotte burst into tears, silencing us all.

“Charlotte, are you alright?” I inquired.

Charlotte opened her mouth to reply, but William spoke over her.

“Don’t say a word,” William warned.

Charlotte lowered her head, but I bent down and looked into her eyes. “If you know something you have to tell us,” I whispered.

“Please,” Sidney said softly. “My daughter’s sanity is at stake here.”

Charlotte sighed as she looked toward Gregory. “Just tell them.”

Gregory scowled at her. “Shut your mouth!”

I gave her a reassuring nod, encouraging her to continue. Her face darkened and her eyes began to water. “I know it’s true, Detective. I know because I was at that party.”

23

My mouth gaped open in shock. I glanced at the family and saw Linda’s eyes wide with surprise, whereas both William and Gregory were glaring at Charlotte.

“Shut your mouth, girl!” William scolded.

“Don’t be a stupid bitch,” Gregory snarled. “Say another word and I’ll end you!”

I towered over William and Gregory, my face and neck reddening with fury. “I suggest you both shut up before I make you!” I threatened. “If I hear either of you say another foul word to her, I’ll see you both in cuffs.”

William looked ready to argue, but soon cowered under my ferocious expression. Gregory’s face remained impassive, but he didn’t utter another word.

I turned back to Charlotte, my expression now much softer. “Tell us what you know, please.”

Charlotte nodded timidly, her eyes looking anywhere except toward her father and brother. She was quiet for a few moments, and I knew she was trying to find the right words. Her silence allowed me time to think about her behaviour over the past two days. It suddenly all made sense. The drinking, the blank expression, the fear of her family. Especially the fear of her own brother. If she knew about Audre, it was understandable why she was so terrified of him. Her brother was a rapist, and she was struggling with having to keep his dirty little secret for him.

“I-it’s difficult to talk about,” Charlotte sniffed.

I tapped her shoulder gently. “I get that, but I know you’re a good person. You want to see justice prevail for Audre, don’t you?”

Charlotte nodded.

William turned to face her with a furious expression. “We are your family, Charlotte! Would you really turn on your own brother over some girl you don’t even know?”

I looked at Charlotte and saw guilt and fear clouding her expression. I was ready to scold William again, but Rebecca beat me to it.

“I suggest you hold your tongue, Mr. Anderson, otherwise I will happily remove you from this room while we give Charlotte the opportunity to speak,” Rebecca snapped. “It is her turn to talk, not yours. I won’t have you attempting to influence her.”

William looked at Rebecca angrily, but Rebecca held his gaze firmly. Eventually, he huffed and looked away from her. During this exchange, I decided it was unfair to keep Linda and Charlotte restrained since it was clear they’d done nothing wrong. I also thought it might help Charlotte feel safer if she was free while the men remained restrained. I looked at Nadia and gestured with my head for her to help Linda. As I untied Charlotte’s bonds, Nadia untied Linda’s. Both women looked grateful once they were free, and Linda cautiously rose from her chair. I thought she might flee for a moment, but instead she stood behind her daughter and wrapped her arms around her supportively.

William growled loudly. “Hold on a second! Are you seriously leaving me and my son like this? Release us this instant!”

“Aye, I am leaving you both like that, Mr. Anderson,” I snarled. “Right now you and your son look incredibly suspicious. I have no intention of releasing you until I have reason to.”

William shot a dirty look at Gregory before keeping quiet. I looked at Charlotte with a smile, encouraging her to speak. Charlotte bit her lip nervously, then looked up at her mother. Linda grimaced sympathetically and offered her a small smile, which seemed to bolster her daughter.

“My brother has a knack for trouble, Detective,” Charlotte started, her tone melancholy. “He’s a well-known bully. I knew he had his issues, but he is still my brother. For a long time, it felt like we only had one another, you know?” She hesitated, her eyes looking watery. I could tell it was difficult for her to go against Gregory like this, but the more she spoke, the more I could tell a massive weight was lifting from her shoulders.

“He told me about some undergraduate party close by that he was keen to go to. I tried to talk him out of it, knowing our father wouldn’t approve, but Gregory shrugged it off. He was going to do what he wanted.” Her expression darkened. “He always did.”

I glanced at Gregory and noticed the unbothered expression on his face. His lack of any genuine emotion was deeply concerning.

“I decided I best go too,” Charlotte continued, her tone increasing in confidence. “I knew he would get himself into trouble. I-I wanted to protect him from himself. I kept my distance at the party, and then I saw the friends he was meeting up with.” Her lip curled unpleasantly. “Out of all of Gregory’s friends, they were the worst.”

Gregory scoffed, causing me to shoot him a harsh look. Gregory snarled at me but didn’t speak. I turned back to Charlotte.

“Keep going,” I said supportively.

Charlotte faltered slightly, but eventually found her voice again after a reassuring squeeze from Linda. “Anyway, the house was enormous and clearly belonged to some rich idiot, and it was packed with people. I lost him right away.” She hesitated and gripped her elbow nervously. “For nearly half an hour, I forced my way through crowds, trying and failing to find him. Then… I heard him.”

“What did you hear, Charlotte?” I pressed.

“Laughter,” Charlotte responded bitterly. “The unmistakable sound of his laughter. I charged towards the sound, and I knew he was acting up.”

She stopped speaking and her face went pale. I waited a few moments for her to continue, but when she didn’t, I decided to help her.

“What was he doing when you saw him?” I probed.

“A-at first I didn’t know,” Charlotte replied, her earlier confidence now a thing of the past. “All I could see was him, a large group of his friends, and some people I didn’t know, but when I got closer, I suddenly saw a girl with them.”

“My Audre?” Sidney interjected hastily.

Charlotte nodded but didn’t look in his direction. “I-I think so, yes.”

Gregory made a noise of triumph. “Ha! See? She doesn’t even know!”

I stepped toward Gregory and loomed over him with a snarl. “How many times do I have to tell you to shut your damn mouth, boy?”

Gregory’s look of superiority faltered slightly under my gaze, but his eyes still shone with victory.

You arrogant little prick, I thought coldly. You really think you’re going to get away with this all, don’t you?

“Ignore him, Charlotte,” Rebecca said sharply, gesturing with her hand for Nadia to step in place beside her so Charlotte’s view of William and Gregory was completely blocked.

“If I were to show you photos of the girl, would you be able to identify her?” I asked calmly.

Charlotte chewed her lip thoughtfully, causing me to feel nervous, but eventually she nodded.

I smiled at her. “Good, Charlotte. That’s really good.”

Charlotte didn’t smile back. If anything, she seemed to have become even more withdrawn and trembled in her seat.

“Are you able to continue, Charlotte?” Nadia questioned politely, clearly noticing the same change in her that I did.

Charlotte nodded shakily. “I-I’ll try.”

“That’s all we can ask of you, Charlotte,” I responded. “You’re doing great, and you can take all of the time you need, alright?”

Charlotte kept still and did some breathing exercises before eventually continuing. “I-I’d seen Gregory bullying men before, but never women,” she continued anxiously. “I watched as the woman tried to get away from them, and that’s when things took a dark turn. S-She screamed when he grabbed her, and then they were pulling her into a room… I just knew what was about to happen.”

“You bastard! I knew you did it!” Sidney roared.

Sidney went to lunge at Gregory, but I moved speedily and shoved him away. For a few moments, I kept restraining him until he eventually stopped.

“That isn’t helping things,” I scolded. “You’re getting your truth and should be damn grateful I’ve even given you the opportunity.”

Sidney lowered his head shamefully and apologised before turning to Charlotte. His face filled with sorrow. “You said you knew what he was going to do, and you just let it happen?”

I shot Sidney an annoyed look, and when I returned my gaze to Charlotte, I saw she was doing the same. “Of course I didn’t!” she snapped.

I quirked my brows in surprise. “You mean you tried to stop it?”

Charlotte started to silently sob. She wiped her tears, then nodded.

“Did either Gregory or his friends stop you?” I queried, but Charlotte didn’t respond. “Charlotte? Is that what happened?”

My shock increased when she shook her head and started to mutter under her breath. “I-I wish that’s what happened.”

I chewed my lip unhappily. There was more to the story than what Charlotte seemed willing to divulge. Did Gregory perhaps attack her, which was why she was now so nervous around him? Or did his friends pull her away and restrain her so she couldn’t help?

“Be honest with us, Charlotte,” I urged. “I know it’s hard, but we’re here to help you, alright?”

Charlotte jumped out of her chair and turned to Linda. Linda stepped around the chair and allowed Charlotte to embrace her.

“D-don’t make me do it, Mother!” Charlotte sobbed. “I-I can’t say it. I just can’t.”

Linda shot me a sad look as she caressed Charlotte’s back. “Can’t we stop this now, Detective? She’s right, she’s told you what you wanted.”

I sighed sadly. “I wish we could leave this, Linda, but it’s clear to me that Charlotte is withholding an important part of the story.”

Charlotte continued to sob. “I-I can’t say it, Mother!”

Linda frowned at me. “Is this necessary, Detective? You can see she’s clearly distressed!”

I folded my arms as I grimaced sympathetically. “I get that, Linda, but Charlotte will never be able to help herself unless she opens up about everything.”

Linda sighed then kissed the top of Charlotte’s head. “The detective is right, sweetie,” she sighed. “We can’t help you until you tell us what happened.”

Charlotte slowly moved away from Linda, but continued to cry. “I d-don’t think I can say it.”

I stepped toward her and gripped her shoulder gently. “Just try your best, alright?”

“Charl, don’t!” Gregory begged.

I snarled at him, then looked back at Charlotte. “Go on. Ignore him, Charlotte, and continue being brave.”

Charlotte took a slow, deep breath as she stepped back from me. She wrapped her arms around herself and kept her gaze on the ground. “I saw Gregory pull her into that room. His friends were all cackling like a pack of wild animals.” She shuddered. “I knew what he was going to do and k-knew if he went through with it… it would be something he could never r-recover from. I-it wasn’t the same as bullying someone. I couldn’t let him put that poor girl through it.”

I heard Sidney sob quietly, but Charlotte pressed on.

“I-I pushed forward and kept saying his name, telling him to n-not be such an idiot,” Charlotte sobbed. “He told me to go away. He c-continued to drag her into that room, and when I t-tried to stop him, he pushed me a-away. He told some of his friends to stop me while some stayed with him and w-watched what he did to that girl.”

“That was all I said to them, Charl!” Gregory interjected. “I told them to stop you. That was it.”

To my surprise, Charlotte looked in his direction with rage in her eyes. “I kept calling out for you! I pleaded with you to come and help me, but you didn’t!”

Gregory looked ashamed. “I had no idea they were going to do that, Charl, I swear!”

“But you didn’t stop them either, did you?” she pressed glumly.

Gregory lowered his head but didn’t speak.

Charlotte broke down in tears and was pulled into another hug by Linda. I knew she couldn’t continue, but she didn’t need to. The shocking back and forth between Charlotte and Gregory told me everything I needed to know. She and Audre had suffered a similar, devastating fate.

“How could you?” I muttered in horror. “How could you let them abuse your own sister?”

Gregory shrugged. “I didn’t do anything myself, did I? I didn’t tell them to do that to her. I’m not anyone’s keeper.”

You heartless prick, I thought with disgust. You really don’t have a shred of decency in your entire body.

Linda shot her hands to her mouth as understanding quickly hit her. She grabbed Charlotte and stroked her face. “Oh, my poor baby!” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea.”

The two women hugged and sobbed, and I quickly looked away from them. All I’d wanted was to pry the truth out of Charlotte. I just never knew the truth was going to be more horrific than anything I could have ever imagined.

24

The sound of Linda and Charlotte’s sobs pained my heart. The women cried with such raw, real emotion that I could practically taste it. Linda’s passionate devastation about what had happened to her daughter was so palpable, it was hard not to shed a tear myself.

Linda’s undeniable maternal love meant she was now carrying the pain of what Charlotte went through as much as if she’d experienced it herself. There was no denying that Linda was completely in the dark before about all of this. She may have been hiding secrets about the family from me, but this clearly hadn’t been one of them.

That poor woman, I thought sadly. Her whole life has just been turned upside down. She just learned she has an abuser for a son and a victim for a daughter.

I looked toward William and Gregory and was shocked to see their impassive faces. How could they see their loved ones so broken and feel no reaction at all? It was crazy to me.

“I knew you were sick, but this is on another level,” Sidney whispered in horror as he stared at Gregory. “Not only did you destroy my daughter, but you let it happen to your own sister too!”

Gregory glared at him. “Shut up! It wasn’t my fault, okay? They have their own minds!”

I shot Sidney another warning look, which luckily made him keep to himself. As much as I could understand Sidney’s outrage and disgust, I couldn’t allow him to hurt anyone either. Although it was taking all of my own self-control not to take a swing at Gregory myself.

I directed my rage toward William. “You knew about all of this, didn’t you?”

William kept his face void of expression. “What makes you think that, Ellis?”

I snarled. “Your own daughter, Mr. Anderson! How could you be alright with this?”

William frowned at me. “Obviously I’m not!”

“And yet you were more concerned with protecting the reputation of your son than protecting your daughter,” I snapped.

“I can assure you, the parents of the boys involved have been spoken to,” William replied. “They’ve all been punished accordingly and I’ll personally make sure they get nowhere in life.”

I grimaced with revulsion and saw Nadia and Rebecca doing the same.

“You’ll ‘make sure’ they get nowhere in life?” I repeated in shock. “Mr. Anderson, those men should be named, shamed, and placed under arrest! Why didn’t you report this to the police? Too afraid of shaming your own boy?”

William shrugged. “No comment.”

I went to speak, but Linda beat me to it.

“You make me sick,” Linda retorted, her body and voice shaking. She shot a glare at William and Gregory. “Both of you!”

“Stop playing the martyr, darling, it really doesn’t suit you,” William responded sarcastically.

Linda shook her head in anger. “I can admit to my faults, William, and I have a hell of a lot of them! But I would never be able to hear about what our daughter went through and do nothing!”

“Nothing!?” William shouted. “Haven’t you listened to a word I’ve said, woman? I made sure they were punished!”

“The detective is right!” Linda quipped. “Those men should be in prison, not out and about living normal lives just because you don’t want people to know that our son is⁠—”

Linda trailed off awkwardly as she looked at Gregory. The moment she caught his eye she burst into tears and looked away from him. “My own son!” she sobbed. “I can’t believe it.”

“She’s wrong!” Gregory exclaimed. “I never touched that girl!”

Linda continued to sob into her hands. “How can you continue to lie?”

Gregory opened his mouth to speak, but I scowled down at him with crossed arms. “It’s too late, lad. We’ve heard enough today to place you under arrest.”

Gregory, for the first time, looked genuinely worried. He turned to William with a frantic expression. “Father! Please! You said you could protect me.”

“Shut your mouth, boy!” William snapped at him. “Have some sense for once in your life and hold your tongue!”

Gregory cowed at William’s words.

William looked at me smugly. “We both know you don’t have enough to arrest my son. The ravings of an angry father who attempted to force a confession is hardly damning evidence, is it?”

“Something tells me the testimony of the abuser’s own sister will be damning evidence indeed, Mr. Anderson,” I snapped.

William laughed coldly. “And yet you have no actual evidence, do you?”

I turned to Sidney, who was looking anxious. “Have the clothes your daughter wore that night been washed?”

Sidney’s anxious expression turned triumphant. “No, they haven’t.”

I smiled at William. “Well, once we are done here I’ll contact DI Jacinto right away. His London team can look into this.”

“Father, do something!” Gregory exclaimed.

“Shut it, boy!” William snapped.

As the men sniped at each other, I gestured for Nadia and Rebecca to help me untie both men. Once that was done, I placed Gregory in handcuffs and read him his rights. The whole time I spoke to him, he begged his father for help, but William remained silent. Only when I was finished did he quietly sidle closer to me.

“How can we make this go away, Detective?” William muttered.

“Excuse me?” I responded, my tone much louder.

William tutted impatiently before moving even closer to me. “You aren’t a stupid man, Ellis,” he continued to whisper. “You know I have money. A lot of it. I’m sure if you were to find a way to make this all go away it would be… mutually beneficial.”

“You wouldn’t be trying to bribe a senior detective, now would you, Mr. Anderson?” I sneered. “You aren’t an intelligent man, but I think even you wouldn’t be that stupid.”

Gregory pulled against Rebecca’s hold nervously. “Father, you said you wouldn’t let this happen to me! Please, Father, please!”

William shot a look of revulsion at his son. “You only have yourself to blame, boy! How many times have I warned you about your behaviour?”

To my surprise, Gregory started to cry. I turned to Rebecca. “Speak to one of the PCs outside and get him into a panda car. The sooner he is out of my sight the better.”

Rebecca nodded. “Understood.”

I watched Rebecca take Gregory away, and as he passed Charlotte, he looked at her. I expected him to beg for her forgiveness, to apologise, but instead he screamed at her.

“You stupid bitch!” he spat. “How could you do this to me? Just you wait! They won’t hold me for long! Your life will be barely worth living once I’m back out!”

As Rebecca dragged him away, I shouted at his back. “Let’s add threatening behaviour to your long rap sheet while we are at it!”

I shook my head in anger, then glanced at Sidney. Sidney nodded at me resignedly, knowing what fate now befell him. I asked Nadia to grab some PCs for me, then read him his rights. Once I’d finished, I cuffed him and handed him to the PCs. As he was being led away, he stopped in front of me.

“Thank you, Detective,” Sidney said sincerely.

I quirked a brow. “You’ve been placed under arrest, Mr. Wells. Why are you thanking me?”

Sidney sighed. “I always knew this course of action would lead to my arrest, Detective, but it was worth it to get my daughter the justice she deserves.” He hesitated, fixing me with a serious expression. “Just make sure the London police find those clothes, yeah?”

I nodded. “I won’t rest until she receives justice, Mr. Wells.”

Sidney thanked me then walked out happily with the PCs. With that done, I grabbed some cuffs from my belt. I went to cuff William, but he raised his eyebrows in shock and quickly backed away.

“Now hold on now!” he roared. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Arresting you, Mr. Anderson,” I responded, waving the cuffs in the air. “I thought that was obvious?”

William stood up tall and snarled. “On what grounds?”

I shrugged. “Let’s see, aiding and abetting a criminal, perverting the course of justice, lying to a senior officer… Oh, and attempting to bribe an officer.”

William laughed coldly. “We both know your arrest won’t stick. I’ll be back on the streets in less than a day.” He smiled. “Mark my words, Ellis.”

I snarled at him as I shoved him forward. “Not if I have anything to say about it.” I turned to Nadia. “Take this scum away, please, DS Begum.”

Nadia glared at William. “It would be my pleasure, DCI Ellis.”

The awful man continued to chuckle darkly as Nadia dragged him out. As soon as I could no longer hear his voice, I turned to Linda and Charlotte. I approached them both, placing my hands in my pockets and looking at them sympathetically.

“I can’t apologise enough for what you’ve both been through,” I said.

Linda gave me a small nod. “I don’t know if thanking you would be right, considering our family is torn apart, but you’ve helped my daughter open up to me. Now I can do everything in my power to help her.”

“There is other support out there if you need it,” I responded. “We have an excellent team, and there are some incredible psychiatrists who can help.” I hesitated as I glanced at Charlotte, my heart aching at her emotionless face. “Just say the word and they’ll be at your disposal.”

“Thank you, Detective,” Linda replied gratefully.

I nodded, then glanced at Charlotte again. “I know what you did tonight wasn’t easy, but you showed bravery that is unheard of for most people. You should be proud of yourself.”

Charlotte looked at me, her expression still impassive. “I wish it felt that way.”

I sighed. “So do I, Charlotte. I hope that will be the case in time.” I glanced around the room awkwardly before looking back at Linda. Well, I know this has been a long, emotionally draining night. You could both do with a good night’s rest.”

Linda sighed, her shoulders sinking. “Definitely, Detective.”

“I’ll leave some PCs with you, just so you both feel safe, but I’m certain with those three arrested that you have nothing to be fearful of tonight,” I responded confidently.

“Thank you,” Linda replied appreciatively, though Charlotte still didn’t look convinced.

“D-Did he mean it when he said he’d be getting out tomorrow, Detective?” she pried anxiously.

I knew she meant her father, and from the fear in her tone I knew she was scared of him returning home.

I turned to her with a serious expression. “He will try to get out, I know he will, but I can assure you… I will do everything humanly possible to stop that from happening.”

Charlotte nodded slowly, but once again she looked far from convinced. I left the living room and saw a few PCs still standing outside. I asked two of them to stay behind then proceeded to exit the home. Outside, I saw everyone had left but Rebecca. She jerked her head towards her car, and we started walking there together.

“I’d call that a success, wouldn’t you?” Rebecca asked.

I grumbled slightly before replying. “Aye, I guess.”

Rebecca threw her hands up and scoffed. “Oh, come on! Ever since this all started you wanted something on William! You were right!”

I sighed. “Something still feels unfinished, but I don’t know why.”

Rebecca chortled. “I don’t either! You wanted to find out the family’s big secret, and now you have it. Let’s just take the wins when we can get them, yeah?”

I nodded, unable to give a verbal response when my mind felt so conflicted. I’d assured Charlotte that William would be locked away for a long time, but I’d seen the power and influence the man had. He wasn’t going to accept his arrest without a fight. The man was convinced he’d be home by tomorrow night. I had to put everything I had into making sure his version of reality didn’t come true.

25

We travelled to the station in silence. I glanced at Rebecca, taking in the victorious expression on her face, and felt partially bitter over the fact that I couldn’t share her enthusiasm. I couldn’t control the negative thoughts consuming me.

First there was Sidney, a man was facing prison just for seeking retribution for his daughter. There was no denying that he’d dealt with it the wrong way, but I couldn’t help but wonder how I would have acted if I’d been in Sidney’s position. I loved Faye more than anything, and if I knew someone had done to her what Gregory had done to Audre, then I knew in my heart I’d have behaved a hell of a lot worse than Sidney had.

Then there was Charlotte, a nice girl who I’d made to relive the trauma of her abuse in order to help me get an arrest. I just hoped getting the truth out helped her in some way. I’d never be able to forgive myself if I’d made things worse for her. I made a silent promise to check in on her and make sure she took my suggestion about psychiatric help.

Worst of all, a large part of me was concerned about William Anderson. As much as I hated to admit it, he would probably roam around Yorkshire once more. I hadn’t been able to say that to a distraught Charlotte since I knew she needed my support, but William was the sort of bloke who was used to getting his way. I might have despised the man, but he was resourceful, influential, and likely had many powerful people wrapped around his finger.

“Don’t let that family get under your skin, Sean,” Rebecca tsked, as if reading my mind.

I looked at her uncomfortably. “I wish I could, but something about William and his son has got to me more than I thought it would.”

Rebecca grimaced sympathetically. “Cut yourself some slack, Sean. We’ve all been through a lot recently, but you more so than any of us.”

I pursed my lips curiously. “What do you mean?”

“First, we had to deal with the rubbish the press repeatedly hurled at us after Gail Ruskin,” Rebecca responded.

I gritted my teeth. “Aye, and we’re still dealing with it now.”

Rebecca nodded. “Exactly! We’ve had months of press drama, and you have a pregnant wife to deal with on top of all that. It’s no wonder you’re so tense right now. That family probably weighs even heavier on you because it’s piled on top of all the other stuff you’ve had to deal with.”

I nodded and continued to stare out of the window. I couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed over her words. I knew she meant well, but I was a detective who’d shown time and time again that I could handle the worst cases. For Rebecca to insinuate I was allowing William to get to me because I had a lot on my plate felt offensive. I was DCI Sean Ellis. I didn’t allow things to get on top of me.

We eventually made it back to the station, and as Rebecca parked, she looked at me with a furrowed brow. “Before we go in, I can tell you’re pissed at me. Can I just apologise, you accept it, and then we make our way inside like nothing happened?”

I turned to face her, and one look into her serious face had me smirking.

Rebecca laughed. “It’s not funny, you know! I’m trying to fix your face before we see the others.”

I pushed my hair back with a light sigh. “You don’t need to apologise, Rebecca, really. If anything, I’m the one who should apologise to you.” I hesitated awkwardly. “One thing I’ve realised recently… since being around William… is that I’m growing more cold and sullen as I age. The last thing I want to do is end up like him.”

To my surprise, Rebecca reached over and squeezed my hand. “That will never happen, Sean.” She smiled. “Now, grumpy arse, let’s get inside and ensure your new best friend gets locked away for a long, long time.”

I smirked. “Sounds perfect.”

We climbed out of Rebecca’s car and leisurely made our way toward the station’s front door, my heart feeling less heavy than before. No sooner did we enter our department did Elijah and Mae run toward us, both of their expressions eager for knowledge.

“What happened?” Elijah inquired.

“Yes, tell us everything!” Mae exclaimed.

We both stepped into the room, and I was surprised that the two were still in the dark. Surely Nadia was back by now with the prisoners?

“Where is Nadia?” I queried.

Elijah furrowed his brow in confusion. “Was she not with you?”

“Yeah, we haven’t seen her since you all left,” Mae responded.

I glanced at Rebecca and saw she looked perplexed too. Was it possible something had happened to them all on their way back from the Andersons?

“This isn’t right,” I muttered. “They should be here by now!”

“Who is ‘they?’” Mae probed.

I ignored Mae as I grabbed my phone and tried to call Nadia. My concern only intensified when, after a minute of ringing, the phone simply cut off.

I swore. “She isn’t answering!”

“What’s going on?” Elijah asked worriedly.

“We just made a few arrests, but Nadia went ahead of us with the prisoners so they should have beaten us here,” Rebecca said, her face pinched.

Elijah’s face paled. “You don’t think they’ve been in an accident, do you?”

Mae gasped. I looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes. Mae and Nadia were good friends, so I knew she was worried about her wellbeing.

I quickly shook my head, hoping it would relax Mae. “No, not unless they went another way. We would have passed them.”

The four of us expressed ideas and spoke over one another for a few minutes, but we were soon silenced by the sound of the door opening. I turned toward it hastily and bit back a sigh of satisfaction when I saw Nadia entering the room, shoving Gregory along as she walked. My feeling of contentment soon vanished at the dark look on Nadia’s face. I glared at Gregory as they passed us, knowing the man was a vile racist like his father and had probably given Nadia a hard time during the journey.

“You best have not played up for my DS, boy,” I snarled.

Gregory scoffed. “Yeah. Whatever.”

I quirked a brow at his sullen behaviour. The arrogant man I’d first met was now gone, replaced with a bitter boy who was throwing his toys out of the pram because he hadn’t expected to deal with the repercussions of his vile actions. Gregory had been getting away with abhorrent behaviour his entire life, and I was personally thrilled to finally see justice prevail.

Nadia held him still just after she passed us, then turned toward the door. I followed her gaze and watched as the door opened, revealing four PCs and Sidney. The PCs walked toward Nadia, ushering Sidney along as they moved. Sidney, like before, didn’t resist, but his resigned look from before was now replaced with one of anger.

Sidney caught my eye and growled. “You best sort this, Detective.”

“Sort what?” I asked as he was pushed away from me.

Nadia continued moving with the group, but stopped when they were close to my office. She spoke to the PCs for a few seconds before handing Gregory off to them. As they continued talking, I was unable to contain my confusion. What had made everyone so angry? And where the hell was William?

Something wasn’t right here.

The PCs walked off with the two prisoners, and Nadia approached me. Her cheeks were flushed a dark red and her lips were pressed into a thin line. I’d worked with Nadia for a long time, but I didn’t think I’d ever seen her as angry as she was at that moment.

“What’s wrong?” I inquired.

Nadia folded her arms and grumbled. “We ended up having to make a detour on our way here. Hence why it took us so long.”

“A detour where?” I pressed.

“To see the board,” she responded, her tone barely more than a whisper in her fury.

“The board?” I asked in shock. “Why were you seeing them?”

The board resided in their own, private building not too far from the station, but I’d never known them to have a last-minute meeting like this, especially at this hour.

Nadia sighed frustratedly. “Well, it wasn’t the whole board. Just Bannner.”

“Hold on,” Rebecca interjected. “Who sanctioned this detour, anyway?”

I rubbed my temple in confusion. “Aye, maybe start from the beginning?”

I directed Nadia toward a chair, and she sat down. She allowed herself a few moments of composure before speaking. “Right, so I followed the PCs and the prisoners to their vehicles. There were a few there, so we separated the prisoners. I rode in the panda car with Gregory, but then one of the other cars indicated for us all to pull over.”

“That’s unusual, isn’t it?” Mae interjected.

I nodded unhappily. “Aye, it is.”

“I thought the same,” Nadia continued coldly. “I instructed the PC driving to follow the lead car. Once we parked up, I quickly approached the car and tried to ascertain what on earth was going on. No sooner had I got out of my car did one of the PCs get out of theirs.” She hesitated as she frowned. “The PC looked sheepish, so I assumed he’d done something stupid, but what he said to me was much worse.”

Nadia hesitated, and I gestured for her to continue.

“He told me William had been insistent that he be allowed a phone call, and one of the PCs ended up caving to his demands,” Nadia fumed. She hesitated again and looked me in the eyes. “You can guess who he called.”

“Banner,” I muttered.

Nadia nodded. “Yes. Obviously I wasn’t in the car, but according to the PC, Anderson went on a tirade about the Yorkshire police. Particularly you.” She paused, giving me an apologetic look before continuing. “Whatever Anderson said was enough for Banner to ask us to see us right away.”

“So Banner sanctioned this himself?” Rebecca probed in shock.

Nadia sighed. “Yes, and obviously I couldn’t refuse a direct request from him, could I?”

“You did the right thing,” I responded. I could tell Nadia felt a bit guilty. “It would have been more than your job is worth to refuse him.”

“So what happened when you went to see Banner?” Mae pressed.

Nadia folded her arms. “I wouldn’t know. Banner and Anderson spoke privately, but a spokesman for Banner came down and told me that we were to leave Anderson with him. We can expect to hear from Banner later.”

My anger soon matched Nadia’s. I’d contacted Paul myself over this case, and he still hadn’t responded to my email. Yet, William called and Paul was happy to drop everything to see him. Was I missing something here? Did William somehow have Paul in his pocket like so many others?

“What do we do now then, sir?” Elijah inquired nervously.

I chewed the inside of my cheek thoughtfully. “It’s clear Banner is going to get a hold of me at some point, but considering how late it is, I suggest we go home. We can get here bright and early tomorrow to finish arresting Gregory, Sidney, and hopefully William.”

Rebecca’s shoulders sank as she spoke. “You don’t sound convinced that William will be arrested.”

I shot her a sharp look. “Are you convinced we still can after this? That man called Banner once and he was allowed access to him right away!”

Rebecca sighed. “I know. Something feels very wrong here.”

I hated seeing Rebecca’s enthusiasm about our previous victory diminishing, but I was equally glad she was starting to see things from my point of view. William was sly, clever, and knew how to play the game.

I just hoped I knew how to play it better.

26

As I made my way home to Lylah, I felt on red alert. Every little vibration made me jump, any sound made me anxious, and every second felt like an hour.

Paul was apparently going to call me tonight, and I just hoped he was going to do it soon. I had no idea what he was going to say, and the pressure of the unknown was getting to me. I wanted him to be on my side, like he often was, but something told me I’d be receiving a tongue lashing.

Paul must have believed William since he stopped Nadia from bringing him to the station, but the question was how far had he dragged my name through the mud in order to clear himself? I had to be prepared to defend myself when Paul eventually called.

With my luck Paul would call me when I was indisposed, so I was keen to get home as quickly as possible so I could be comfortable when we spoke to one another. Was he going to demote me, maybe even fire me? Was he simply going to tell me to back off from William and his family? Or was he going to find some other way to punish me?

I gritted my teeth at the thought. The only thing I’d been guilty of was doing my job, so if Paul did try to berate me I’d have a few things to say about it. I didn’t care who William was or who he knew.

To me, a criminal was a criminal. I treated all of them the same.

My flat came into my line of sight and I exhaled with relief, ready to get inside. I knew I’d have to be quiet since Lylah would be asleep, but that was fine. I parked the motorcycle up outside, hoping the noise didn’t wake Lylah, then approached the flat. Once I reached the door, I quietly pushed it open and gingerly put my helmet down, then removed my jacket. After hanging it up, I took my phone out of the pocket and huffed irritably when I saw no missed call.

Come on, Banner! I thought frantically. Just hurry up, will you?

I went to tiptoe toward the living room, but stopped at the sound of a voice.

“Sean?” Lylah called from upstairs. “Is that you?”

I hastily made my way up the stairs and into our bedroom. Lylah was groggily sitting up in bed, and I moved to help her.

“I was getting worried! Your mum left hours ago,” Lylah muttered as she allowed me to lay her back down. “Is everything okay? What time is it?”

I made a mental note to thank my mother for staying with Lylah all day. I was glad she hadn’t been alone, even if the thought of being away from her consumed me with guilt.

“Sorry, Lyles, it ended up being a rather long night. It isn’t over quite yet,” I sighed.

Lylah’s sleepy expression vanished and was instantaneously replaced with a worried one. “What’s happened?”

“We ended up making three arrests tonight, though I’m not certain all of them will stick,” I replied.

Lylah clasped my hand. “What do you mean?”

I sighed, then took Lylah through the night’s events. I told her about the call from Charlotte, about me walking in on Sidney as he held the family hostage, and about how the truth about Gregory had been revealed. The more I spoke, the wider Lylah’s mouth opened.

“Jesus,” Lylah muttered. “I knew you thought that family had something to hide, but this?” She gently shook her head. “That poor girl.”

I gently patted Lylah’s hand. “Aye, and it gets worse.”

Lylah’s eyes widened in intrigue. I continued telling her about the horrific ordeal Charlotte had been put through, as well as the fact that William knew about it. Not only that, but that he’d gone out of his way to bury it.

Lylah clutched her stomach protectively. “How could any father do that to his own daughter?”

I stroked Lylah’s belly and nodded with gritted teeth. “I know. It made me sick to my stomach when I realised he was too busy protecting his vile son to be there for his daughter.”

Lylah nodded solemnly for a few seconds before looking at me in confusion. “What did you mean when you said it isn’t over yet?”

I chewed my cheek thoughtfully before responding. “I’m hopeful both Gregory and Sidney will be arrested, but William went over my head and contacted Banner.” I sighed. “I’m waiting for Banner to call.”

Lylah furrowed her brows. “Surely Banner wouldn’t be calling you at this hour?”

I barked a laugh. “Clearly you don’t know the man. He won’t care what time it is. Not when he has things he wants to say.”

Lylah rubbed her forehead. “I don’t understand. What could he have to say that won’t wait until tomorrow?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but stopped when my phone started to ring. Lylah and I looked at one another for a second before I looked at my phone. I wasn’t at all surprised to see Paul’s name flashing onscreen.

I took a deep breath and squeezed Lylah’s hand. “Here goes nothing.”

Lylah clasped my hand in return. “Good luck.”

I nodded before accepting the call and walking out of our bedroom.

“Banner,” I started.

“Ellis,” Paul responded. “Apologies for the late hour, but this can’t wait.” I kept silent, so Paul continued. “I received a rather unsettling call from William Anderson, which I’m hoping you’ll be able to explain.”

It took all of my self-restraint not to blanch. William had broken the law, in more ways than one, and yet somehow he was twisting it to make me look bad. While I knew this was his plan all along, it didn’t make it any less of a shock to hear.

“You best tell me what he said to you first,” I retorted.

“He told me that you caused distress to his family, that you left them restrained and allowed their assailant to roam freely around their house, that you shot numerous untrue accusations against him, that you attempted to arrest him on false charges, and that you have harassed him from the moment you stepped foot into his home.” Paul sighed tiredly. “Do I need to go on?”

I rubbed my face. “No, but do you really need to ask me this?”

“I’ve been put in a difficult position here, Ellis,” Paul responded cautiously. “When a senior politician is calling me to say they’ve been unlawfully placed under arrest… I have to question things.”

I scoffed. “Unlawfully placed under arrest? Banner, I had every reason to arrest that man! He knew his son raped a girl and did nothing but cover it up.” I hesitated as I clenched my fist. “Not only that, but he was aware his own daughter had been sexually abused by his son’s friends and he openly admitted that he refused to take the names of the assailants to the police in order to protect his son. Then, once I tried to arrest them both, the man had the gall to attempt to bribe me! That is multiple accounts of illegal action.”

Paul breathed heavily. “Unfortunately Anderson tells a very different story, Ellis.”

I leant against my wall and chewed on my cheek. “What do you mean?”

“Anderson said he had no idea what his son did and was as shocked about it as you were,” Paul replied. “He also suggests that he was only made aware of what happened to his daughter the same time you were.”

I shook my head in dismay. “Speak to the families of the men involved, Banner. They’ll be able to tell you everything.”

“Why do you think it took me so long to get back to you, Ellis?” Banner queried. “Anderson gave me the names of the boys, so I contacted their families. Not a single one of them suggested they’d had any contact with Anderson.” He hesitated. “I’ve contacted a friend of mine from the London police, and they’ve assured me they will arrest these men right away for what they did to Charlotte Anderson.”

I fought the urge to swear out loud in frustration.

You clever prick, William, I thought to myself coldly. You have everything covered, don’t you?

“They should have been placed under arrest two months ago!” I exclaimed. “I don’t care what Anderson has said to you, sir. I was with him tonight and I have witnesses to back everything up.”

Paul was quiet for a moment before replying. “Witness statements will be good, Ellis, but do you have any actual evidence of these crimes you’re accusing William Anderson of?”

“I’d have thought the word of a detective of my status would have been sufficient evidence enough, sir,” I responded bitterly.

Paul sighed sadly. “I don’t want you thinking that I don’t believe you, Ellis, because I can assure you I do.”

“And yet there is a but coming,” I interrupted harshly.

“Yes, there is,” Paul conceded. “I am holding Anderson and will be reviewing everything, but without physical evidence I’m going to have a difficult time holding him for long.”

I pulled at my hair in frustration. “You know it’s going to be hard to find evidence.”

“I suggest you try, Ellis, otherwise my hands are tied,” Paul stated sharply.

There was an awkward silence before Paul spoke again. “Look, it’s late, so I suggest you get some rest, see to your pregnant wife, and start things fresh tomorrow.”

I hung up the phone without another word, resisting the urge to hurl it down the hallway in my frustration. I knew Paul had to do things by the book, but that didn’t mean I was at all happy about what he had to say. The man had known me a long time, and yet part of him seemed to be siding with William.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

My team and I had worked so hard to ensure justice was served, and yet now it looked like William was going to be released soon. That smarmy politician was going to get away with his wrongdoings.

Again.

27

Idid my best to follow Banner’s advice and soak up the rest of the late evening with Lylah. Being with my pregnant wife reminded me once more that I wanted to be the best father I could be. William Anderson’s fate only made that passion burn brighter. I would do everything in my power to never be a father like him.

In the morning, I rushed to the station, eager to start my search for evidence. I ran up the stairs and threw the department’s door open, ready to get the day started. However, as I glanced around at the team, I felt like I was in Antarctica thanks to the frosty reception. They were all unusually silent, keeping to themselves with perturbed expressions. Usually they’d be sitting together, chatting animatedly over a cup of coffee as they prepared themselves for the workday to begin. To see them all looking so separate and subdued was concerning.

“What’s happened?” I asked, my back instantly going up.

Rebecca rose from her chair and gestured toward her seat. “You might want to sit down for this.”

I crossed my arms protectively as I shook my head. “I think I’ll remain standing.”

Rebecca sighed as she tucked her short hair over her ears. “I’ll just cut right to the chase then, Sean. A few minutes ago, we received an email from Banner. He’s releasing William.”

I gaped at her in shock. While I knew I was going to have limited time, I never expected Paul to act so quickly.

“This makes no sense,” I grumbled, pulling my phone out of my pocket so I could look at my emails. “I spoke to the man last night. He told me he’d have to release William if I didn’t have any evidence, but I expected him to at least give me time to bloody find some!”

I rubbed my face tiredly as I scrolled through my phone, feeling consumed by bewilderment. I’d woke up that morning feeling determined, yet before I’d even stepped through the office door, the slimy politician had somehow found a way of weaselling out of trouble.

What had Paul expected of me? If he hadn’t told me to get some rest, I’d have thought he’d expected me to race around all night looking for evidence, but he’d told me to start fresh today. How could I start fresh when the person I was desperate to see behind bars was already out?

I quickly started to read the email and saw Rebecca was right. I only read the first part of it, feeling too aggravated to continue, so I shoved my phone back into my pocket.

Rebecca patted my upper back supportively. “We were all shocked. Luckily, it seems as though our arrests of Sidney and Gregory will stick⁠—”

I swore frustratedly as I kicked at the ground, interrupting her.

“What did Banner say to you last night?” Nadia probed timidly.

“Not a lot,” I responded. “He told me William made every complaint against me under the sun, told me he’d contacted someone from the London police to arrest the men responsible for the sexual assault of Charlotte, and⁠—”

“Well, that’s good at least!” Rebecca interrupted, shooting me an apologetic look afterwards. “At least the men will be made accountable for what they’ve done.”

“Aye, but this should have been done a long time ago,” I scoffed. “William is making it seem like he only found the names out last night. He’s pretending to be a good, shocked father.” I shook my head irritably. “He’s playing everyone like a fiddle.”

“I know,” Rebecca responded. “It isn’t right.”

I clenched my fists as I looked around at the team. “William may be out, but I won’t let things stay that way for long! I suggest we get started on–”

One look at the team’s glum, sheepish faces stopped my speech.

“What is it?” I sighed.

Rebecca winced. “I guess you didn’t read the entire email, did you?”

I shook my head, so she continued.

“You know we’re as keen as you are to look deeper into William, but Banner’s email made it clear that we needed to spend today focusing on Gregory and Sidney.” She hesitated awkwardly. “We still need to speak to both of them formally in one of our interview rooms, and get the paperwork done and dusted.” She sighed. “You know how it is.”

I swore again, knowing Rebecca was right. While I was desperate to bring down William, we had two criminals in separate holding cells. We needed to finish their arrests.

I rubbed my stubble thoughtfully, looking around at the team as I did so. Paul was right to say we had to sort out Gregory and Sidney, but there was a capable team of four in the room. They could easily handle that without my supervision.

“Oh no,” Rebecca said cautiously. “You have that wild glint in your eye that I know too well.” She smirked. “You’re going after William, right?”

I grinned. “Of course I am.” I turned suddenly to Nadia. “You and Hodge sort out Sidney.”

Nadia quickly edged over to Mae, and the two women smiled at one another.

I looked at Rebecca. “Which leaves you and Smith to deal with⁠—”

“Prince Charming,” Rebecca interrupted.

I snorted. “Aye, him.”

Rebecca grimaced but nodded. “Very well, I’m sure we can find some pleasure in making him squirm.” She turned to Elijah. “Right, Smith?”

Elijah smirked. “Oh, absolutely.”

“Great, I’ll leave this all in your very capable hands then,” I grinned.

Rebecca tilted her head to the side. “So, what is your plan?”

“I’m going back to that house,” I said firmly. “I just have to hope William isn’t home yet.”

“I doubt it,” Rebecca responded. “These things take time, so if William is being released it won’t exactly be a five-minute job.”

I nodded eagerly. “Meaning if I go now I’ll likely beat him.”

Rebecca agreed, so I said my goodbyes to the team then hastily made my way out of the station and toward my motorcycle. I put my helmet back on, then kicked my motorcycle into gear, hoping and praying I’d still have plenty of time to speak to Linda and Charlotte before William made it back home.

After a surprisingly quick journey, I made it to the winding road and travelled up it speedily. In no time at all the Andersons’s large manor house was in my line of sight. I parked, climbed off my bike, removed my helmet, then approached the front door hesitantly. I took a deep breath, then knocked. There was nothing but silence, so I decided to ring the doorbell, assuming that no one in the large house would hear my knocking if they weren’t close by.

After an awkward couple of minutes, I finally heard approaching footsteps. I waited patiently until I could see someone’s shadow behind the door. The door opened cautiously, and I was surprised to see a nervous-looking Linda peering around it. The moment she saw it was me, she visibly relaxed and opened the door wider.

“Ah, Detective,” Linda smiled softly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”

“Good morning, Linda,” I responded. “May I come in?”

Linda edged away from the door and flourished her hand. “Yes, please do.”

I thanked her, then stepped inside. As soon as I entered the hallway, I was pleased to see a male PC standing by protectively. They gave me a kind nod before walking away to give us some space.

“Can I offer you a beverage, Detective?” Linda inquired.

As much as I enjoyed the image of William returning home to see my feet up on his sofa, enjoying a hot drink with his wife, I knew time was of the essence.

“That won’t be necessary, ta,” I responded politely. “Perhaps we can take a seat somewhere and talk?”

Linda’s brows furrowed apprehensively, but she slowly nodded and gestured for me to follow her. To my surprise, she led me to the kitchen. Although the house was massive, most of my discussions with the family had been in their largest living room, so it felt strange to be speaking to her somewhere else for once.

As we approached the kitchen, I cleared my throat. “Where is Charlotte? I’d like it if she joined us too.”

Linda looked over her shoulder to face me, her expression sombre. “Charlotte isn’t here at the moment, Detective. We had a long talk after you left us and we both agreed it would be best for her to see someone.” She looked forward but continued talking. “We spoke at length to one of your PCs, who was an absolute godsend, to tell you the truth. She recommended some great local therapists and even helped us call one to get Charlotte an urgent appointment. The PC took Charlotte there earlier, about half an hour ago.”

While I was pleased that Charlotte was looking after herself and getting the help she needed, I couldn’t deny that part of me was frustrated to know she wasn’t around. I pictured her coming home later to see William back home, and the thought made my blood run cold. I knew there was no way I could let that happen. Once I’d spoken to Linda, I decided I’d make a beeline to her therapist and speak to Charlotte to ensure she wasn’t caught unawares.

“That’s good,” I replied. “Do you have contact information for her therapist?”

We entered the kitchen, and Linda gestured toward a piece of paper on the table. I glanced at it and saw that all of the information I needed was written on the paper.

“Do you know if that woman is any good, Detective?” Linda asked worriedly as she started to grab herself a mug.

I chewed my cheek thoughtfully as I glanced at the paper again. The therapist was called Louise Hart and, although I’d heard of her, I couldn’t say I was familiar with her work.

“If one of our PCs recommended her, then she will be more than good, Linda,” I said reassuringly as I took a seat by the table.

Linda put the kettle on, then put her hand to her chest. “Good, that makes me feel better about it all.”

I stretched my arms out across the table. “How was Charlotte after I left?”

Linda hesitated as she started to put a tea bag in the mug. “Subdued, Detective. Very subdued. When she’d been playing up recently I knew something must have been wrong, but I never expected something so⁠—”

Linda trailed off emotionally. She cleared her throat, and I waited impatiently for her to finish making her drink. I might as well have said yes to one if she was going to use up valuable minutes making one for herself, anyway. Eventually she sat down, and I knew I had to speak to her quickly.

“I have some unfortunate news for you, Linda,” I began. “I received word this morning that your husband is in the process of being released. He will probably be home relatively soon.”

I expected Linda to react in either outrage or devastation, but instead her face remained impassive as she pulled her mug toward her. “I can’t say I’m surprised, Detective.”

I quirked a brow. “Do you feel your husband should be out?”

Linda laughed coldly. “No, Detective, especially not if he knew what happened to our little girl.” Her nostrils flared angrily. “But from the moment you took him last night, I just knew it wouldn’t be long till he got home.”

“Perhaps you can help me ensure he’s gone for good?” I probed.

Linda took a long, exaggerated sip of her tea. “I don’t see how I can, Detective.”

I edged my body closer to hers along the table. “I could tell when we spoke before that you feared your husband, Linda, but if you help me put him away, you won’t have to live in fear anymore.”

Linda shook her head lightly. “What you’ve just told me is evidence to the contrary. You arrested him hours ago, and yet he’s already out.”

“If I had my way, that wouldn’t be the case,” I responded. “Unfortunately, my superior informed me that we couldn’t contain William without evidence. I’m doing everything in my power to procure some.”

Linda tapped her perfectly painted nails against her mug. “Believe me, Detective, if I had anything to help you, I’d tell you. I can’t tell you anything for certain.” She took a sip of her tea. “He’s seemed sullen, more so than usual, for months, which made me suspicious that he had something to hide, but now that everything is out about Gregory… it makes sense.”

“So you don’t think there’s any more to it than that?” I pressed.

Linda shrugged. “With that man it’s impossible to tell. He’s always been clever, Detective, but I’m afraid I can’t help you send him down.”

I furrowed my brows. “Can’t or won’t?”

Linda scratched her face. “I’m dealing with a very upset daughter right now, Detective. As much as I want William as far away from this family as possible, I can’t give you what it is you want.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“All I want to do is protect you and your family, Linda,” I urged.

Linda’s eyes watered. “I know, and I really would help you if I could, but I swear I don’t know anything.”

I looked intensely into Linda’s wide blue eyes for a moment. It soon became clear to me that Linda was telling me the truth. She really didn’t know how to help me.

I pushed out my chair and nodded. “Ta for seeing me.”

Linda grimaced. “I’m just sorry I’ve been no help to you, Detective.”

I started to walk away, and Linda got up and followed me toward the front door. “I promise you… I will do what I can to keep you and your daughter safe.”

Linda looked at me impassively, clearly doubting my words. “I know you’ll… try.”

I nodded at her again, then made my way out. As I walked toward my motorcycle, I felt gutted that my time with Linda had revealed nothing fruitful. I just had to hope I’d have more luck once I got to Charlotte.

28

In less than forty-five minutes I’d left the Andersons’ house and was parked up at Louise Hart’s office, which was in a tall building. I purposely made sure I parked at a safe enough distance that I could clearly see everything going on, but that anyone coming out wouldn’t see me unless I wanted them to. I stood by my motorcycle with my arms crossed and my eyes focused on the building’s entrance, ensuring Charlotte didn’t leave without my knowledge.

Although I was keen to speak to Charlotte, the last thing I wanted to do was charge into the building or lurk right outside the entrance. Charlotte had been through a lot, and I didn’t want to risk spooking her. I also knew that therapy was a rather sacred, private thing, so I wanted to allow Charlotte the time to leave her session and let her feelings sink in before I started to question her.

When Faye had been struggling with her relationship with food, therapy had been perfect for her. It allowed her a safe outlet to discuss her thoughts and feelings. After seeing the positive change in my daughter, I was a big advocate for therapy, so I was proud of Charlotte for seeking aid. I equally didn’t want to tarnish the experience by putting her on edge. In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have to intrude on her at all, but I couldn’t let her be shocked by William’s release.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, I finally saw Charlotte’s blond head leave the entrance accompanied by a tall, slender female PC. The moment I saw them moving, I casually walked away from my motorcycle and went over to meet them. The two women were only a few steps away from the PC’s car when the PC noticed my approach. She protectively stepped in front of Charlotte, but when she saw my face she relaxed.

“Good mornin’, you two,” I began.

Charlotte glanced worriedly at the PC, but didn’t respond.

“To what do we owe this unexpected arrival?” the PC asked politely, though I could tell she was concerned.

“Apologies for turning up here, but I need to speak to Charlotte,” I replied.

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows. “Right now?”

“Aye,” I nodded.

The PC glanced at Charlotte thoughtfully before looking back at me. “I’m just unsure of the timing, sir. Charlotte’s just had her first therapy session… it might be prudent to speak to her later.”

I sighed. “I understand that. However, it’s important I speak to her before she returns home. There’s a small café just over there. I can buy you a drink while we talk ?”

Charlotte fiddled with her fingers for a moment before nodding nervously. Together, the three of us walked toward the café, and although it was barely a minute walk, it felt much longer because of the awkward tension in the air between us. I could tell Charlotte was worrying over what I had to say whereas I was trying to ignore the wave of guilt washing over me at the thought of questioning the woman so quickly after her therapy appointment. It didn’t feel right, but I didn’t have a choice.

We made it to the café—a small, independently run place called The Brown Hare’s Tea Room—and I held the door open for Charlotte, gesturing for her to go in first. The PC politely declined when I held open the door as well and gestured that she’d stand outside to give us some space. I respected her choice.

“Why don’t you grab us that table in the far left corner, and I can get us a drink,” I said to Charlotte once we were properly inside. “What would you like?”

“A vanilla latte, please,” she said, barely finishing her sentence before scurrying towards a table.

I turned and approached the till. The barista looked to be a middle-aged woman with gray hair and a few wrinkles, but overall she looked surprisingly youthful. As I walked up, her enthusiasm suddenly skyrocketed, and she smiled at me in a way that put me on edge.

“Good morning, sir!” the woman exclaimed. “Welcome to The Brown Hare’s Tea Room. Is this your first visit?”

“Erm, aye, it is,” I responded gruffly.

The woman put her hands together joyfully. “Wonderful! We always welcome new visitors. What can I get for you today?”

I awkwardly cleared my throat. “I’ll have a latte and a vanilla latte, ta.”

The woman nodded. “Certainly! Take a seat, sir, and I will bring those right over.”

I thanked the woman, then shuffled my way toward Charlotte. I took off my jacket, gently placed it on the back of my chair, then took a seat opposite her. Charlotte simply stared out of the window.

Poor girl, I thought guiltily. She’s been through so much and now she’s got to deal with me questioning her again.

“How’re you feeling today, Charlotte?” I inquired.

Charlotte shrugged, her eyes still focused on the window. “I don’t know.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments until the barista turned up with our drinks.

“Is the vanilla one for you, sweetie?” the woman questioned Charlotte gently.

Charlotte offered her a weak smile. “Yes, please.”

“Enjoy your drinks,” the woman said warmly as she set them down. “Whenever you’re ready to go, just come pay at the till point.”

I thanked the woman, then after she was back behind the till and out of earshot, I looked at Charlotte.

“How was your session this morning?” I asked.

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably. “I’d rather not go into it.”

I pulled my mug toward me as I nodded. “Aye, I get that. My daughter went through therapy. I respected when she wanted that stuff to remain just with her.”

For the first time since I’d sat down, Charlotte turned to look at me. Her eyes were filled with curiosity. “Your daughter went through therapy, did she?”

I took a slow sip of my coffee, then nodded. “Aye, she did.”

“How long was she seeing a therapist for?” Charlotte pried as she pulled her own mug toward her.

“A year I think,” I responded thoughtfully as I rubbed at the scar on my lip.

Charlotte lowered her head and tapped her fingers near her mug. After a few seconds of this, she eventually spoke. “Did she find it helpful?”

I gave Charlotte a weak smile. “Aye, she really did. She’d had a few issues with eating and accepting her sexuality, but with time it helped her get through it all.” I hesitated as I grabbed my mug. “I can’t say she’s completely over it all, mind, but she’s a lot better than she was. Therapy isn’t just a quick fix, you know?”

Charlotte sighed and sank slightly in her chair. “I actually feel worse about everything after my session.”

I sighed understandingly. “As I said, it isn’t a quick fix. You’ll have your bad days where you question why you’re going, but it will ultimately lead to something good. You just have to persevere with it and figure out if Louise is the right fit for you. If she isn't, you can always try again with someone else.”

Charlotte took a slow sip of her drink. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” I responded. “I’m just here to be honest.”

“Really?” Charlotte asked sceptically. “Because something tells me you didn’t come all the way out here just to advise me about my therapy session.”

I chuckled lightly at Charlotte’s intuitiveness. “There isn’t much that gets past you, is there?”

Charlotte smirked. “Nope.”

The smile slowly slipped off my face as I attempted to figure out how to start things. “I’m afraid I’m here to be the bearer of bad news.”

Charlotte’s features shifted quickly. “W-why? What’s happened now?”

I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. “I dunno how to tell you this, so I’ll just say it. I received word that my superiors are releasing your father.”

Charlotte’s face paled, but her expression remained the same. “But I thought you said you’d stop that from happening?”

Her question felt like a stab to my gut. She was right, I had told her that and I’d meant it. I just never expected Paul to act as hastily as he did.

“You’re right, I did say that,” I sighed. “He may have been let out, but I can assure you I have no intention of letting him stay out.”

Charlotte furrowed her brows. “I can’t see how you can stop it.”

“Why do you say that?” I pried.

Charlotte chewed her cheek for a few seconds before responding. “He wasn’t even locked up for a day. Why would it be any different in the future?”

I sighed as I pushed my hair out of my face. “I’ll be honest with you, Charlotte. My superior informed me they had to let William go because there was no evidence to keep him in. I need to find some evidence to ensure the arrest will stick. Is… Is there any way you can help me?”

Charlotte instantly shook her head. “No, I can’t.”

Her quick response took me by surprise, so it took me a second to recover. “I know this isn’t easy, Charlotte,” I replied. “William may be your father, but he isn’t a good man. He lied to protect the unspeakable actions of your brother, and he didn’t help you when you really needed it.”

“I didn’t exactly hand him in either, did I?” Charlotte snapped.

I grimaced. “I don’t blame you for not going to the police, Charlotte. You had a lot to deal with, so don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Charlotte started to tear up. “Before you got to us last night, Sidney told us a lot about his daughter. He said she dropped out of uni, that she barely gets out of bed.” She hesitated as she wiped her eyes. “I went through what she did, and⁠—”

I shook my head. “No. Don’t do that to yourself, Charlotte. You are not to blame for the actions of your brother.”

Charlotte sighed emotionally. “I should have gone to the police! I did nothing to help her.”

I edged closer toward her, my eyes wide. “But you still can, Charlotte. If you have any solid evidence that can confirm your father was protecting your brother, or that he⁠—”

“I’ve already told you I can’t!” Charlotte exclaimed irritably as she jumped up from her seat. “What part of that can’t you understand?”

I sensed the barista staring at us with concern, so I gestured for Charlotte to take a seat. “Sorry, alright? I’m not trying to upset you.”

Charlotte glared at me for a few seconds, but eventually she sat down again. She took another sip of her drink. “I’m sorry too.” She sighed, relaxing a bit. “But I really can’t help you.”

“Don’t you want to see William locked away as much as I do?” I asked.

Charlotte laughed dryly. “How can I answer that without sounding like the world’s worst daughter?”

“Very easily when you have the world’s worst father,” I replied.

Charlotte laughed again, but the laughter soon left her eyes. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but for the sake of your own sanity, walk away from this.”

I clenched my hands. “That is something I can’t do.”

“Then you’ll suffer for it,” Charlotte warned.

“I don’t know if there is something truly bad about your father that makes you too scared to speak, but I want to help you, Charlotte,” I pleaded. “I want to make it so that you never have to deal with him ever again.”

Charlotte clicked her tongue sadly. “My father isn’t the sort of man you want to mess with, Detective.”

“Why do you say that?” I pried quickly.

“He knew about what happened to me.” She paused, taking a deep breath to compose herself. “He knew, and all he cared about was keeping me quiet.”

“To protect your brother?” I probed with a frown.

To my surprise, Charlotte laughed again. “And here was me thinking you got a good read on my father.” She shook her head sadly. “He doesn’t give two shits about my brother, Detective. All he cares about is protecting his own image. He didn’t want anyone knowing about Gregory’s actions because it would reflect badly on him. I-I wish you luck, Detective. You’re going to need it.”

Charlotte finished her coffee, put the mug down, then went to stand. As she did, I stood up quickly and looked at her. “You have my card, so please call me if you think of anything that can help me.”

Charlotte laid a gentle hand on my arm. “I just hope you give this up soon, Detective. My father isn’t a nice man. If you make things difficult for him, he will do the same for you.”

I watched as Charlotte walked away, frustrated that like her mother, Charlotte had been unable—unwilling—to give me anything concrete against William.

29

Since no one in the family had been willing to help me, I was left with only one last option. I was going to have to watch William Anderson for a while and see if he led me to anything suspicious.

I had to find a way to track William down. While I knew he’d logically make his way back home, I didn’t want to just turn up at his house without knowing where he was. There was one man I knew who would be able to help me locate him.

Jude Aisling.

Rebecca’s boyfriend may have wound me up on many occasions, but there was no denying that the man was a wizard with technology. The only issue would be that Jude would ask questions about it. I knew I didn’t have permission to track William’s whereabouts, but there was no way I was going to let that stop me. I always tried to play things by the rules, but if William wasn’t going to, why should I?

Luckily, Jude was completely besotted with Rebecca and therefore always trying to get in my good books. Now was his perfect opportunity to do so.

After getting back to the station, I quickly headed up to the third floor, where tech was situated now. They needed a bigger space for the ever-expanding department. The new space meant it wasn’t as bloody hot from all the machines, though the air was still a bit suffocating. There were various computers and machines in the room—much more of them than the actual tech team—and I had to walk down a few rows to find Jude.

I’d barely taken a few steps into the department before I heard the loud, annoying crunch of crisps and knew it had to be Jude. I was quickly proven right when I walked down one of the rows and turned to see the man sitting at the far end of the room, chewing his food so loudly it was as though he were right next to me.

How is that guy so skinny? I thought irritably. He must have one hell of a metabolism. All he does is bloody eat!

I noticed the rest of the tech team cowering away from me as I walked, but as soon as Jude saw me he sat up straight in his chair and pushed his large packet of monster munch to the side.

“Good to see you, sir!” Jude exclaimed.

I quirked a brow as he wiped crisp residue on his faded jeans. “I’m not interrupting your lunch break, am I?”

Jude’s cheeks flushed. “N-no, sir! I’m as free as a bird.”

“Glad to hear it. I have an important task for you,” I responded.

Jude sat up even straighter, fixing me with a look that was half curious and half excited. “I’m happy to do anything to help!”

I nodded approvingly. “Has DI Tumber informed you about what we’ve been dealing with this week?”

Jude hesitated for a moment, his expression nervous, like he feared I was testing him. I cleared my throat impatiently, which made him jump slightly in his seat before he quickly responded. “She told me you were dealing with that politician who just moved here.”

“Aye, that’s the one,” I replied. “Can you tell me much about William Anderson?”

Jude shook his head. “Not really, sir. I’ve never been interested in politics.”

I smiled at him. “Neither have I.”

Jude smiled back, only his smile still showed clear signs of nerves. “So, you want me to look into him?”

I shook my head. “No, the team already has. The task I have for you is more suited to your… talents. Are you able to track someone’s whereabouts by using just their number?”

Jude furrowed his eyebrows. “Theoretically? Yes.”

“So you’d be able to get a tracker on William Anderson’s phone without having the physical phone here?” I pressed, crossing my arms and looking down at him.

“Again, theoretically I could do that,” Jude responded hesitantly.

“Why do I sense a but coming?” I asked impatiently.

Jude rubbed his forehead. “Not necessarily a but coming, sir, but the software I’d need to do something like that isn’t something I would often use.”

“Why?” I queried.

Jude flushed. “Because I’m not often asked to track someone’s phone without having the actual phone, sir.”

“But you can do it, right?” I huffed.

Jude fiddled with the bottom of his shirt. “Why are you asking me this, sir? Is he up to something?”

“No, Jude. I just fancied knowing what he liked to do on a weekday afternoon,” I replied sarcastically.

Jude flushed again. “So… what is he doing exactly?”

Stop asking all of these pissing questions and just do what I’ve asked! I thought.

“What’s with the twenty questions, Aisling?” I asked, clearly annoyed.

Jude lowered his head awkwardly. “Sorry, sir, it’s just… with a request like this I’d be given some kind of paperwork, but I can see you don’t have any.”

I sighed and grabbed a seat next to Jude. “I’ll be straight with you, lad. We arrested Anderson last night, but he was able to worm his way out of the arrest within hours. I don’t have any solid proof yet, but I know something isn’t right. Since no one is giving me the answers, I need to find them myself.” I subtly looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping before I continued. “I don’t want to ask you to do something you’re uncomfortable with, but Anderson is sly.”

Jude leaned closer to me. As he moved, all I could smell was a strong whiff of pickled onion crisps that made me crinkle my nose involuntarily.

“So you’re certain the guy is up to something dodgy, and you need to follow him to figure out what it is?” he whispered.

I nodded. “Aye, exactly that.”

Jude hesitated thoughtfully before pulling his chair away from me and swivelling it toward his screen. “Say no more, sir! If this is important to you, then I’ve got your back.”

I was oddly warmed by his support. I patted him roughly on the shoulder and thanked him.

“No worries, sir,” Jude responded. “It might take me a bit of time to set the tracker up remotely, but it’s doable.”

I thanked him again, then we were quiet for a minute or two as he worked. Eventually he broke the silence.

“How is Lylah doing, sir?” he inquired.

I felt another pang of guilt hit me. Lylah was heavily pregnant, and here I was attempting to gain access to William’s phone so I could follow him around. I should have been with my pregnant wife, not chasing this low-life around Yorkshire.

I nodded. “Aye, she’s doing well.”

“The baby must be due soon, right?” Jude asked with a wide grin.

I shifted uncomfortably. “She’s due in three weeks’ time.”

Jude whistled. “That really is soon! Becks said it was soon, but I didn’t realise she literally meant weeks!”

I sighed. “Tell me about it.”

Jude continued typing loudly on his computer. “This is all old hat to you though, right? I mean this isn’t exactly your first rodeo.”

I shifted once more uncomfortably and crossed my arms. “Aye, I suppose.”

Jude, likely sensing my less than amused tone, was quiet for a few minutes and kept his focus on his computer. After another ten minutes, Jude turned to me with a grin. “There! All done. I just need your phone.”

I quirked a brow. “Why?”

“So I can put a direct link to the tracker on it, sir,” Jude responded.

I smiled shrewdly as I passed him my phone. “Excellent.”

Jude was on my phone for a few more minutes before handing it back to me. He then spent several minutes explaining how everything worked before we finally said our goodbyes and I left. As I walked out of his department, I immediately looked at the app Jude had placed on my phone. It was clear that William was now back at home. I smiled to myself then put my phone away, deciding I’d quickly visit the team and check on their progress before leaving to see how Lylah was doing.

Now that I had access to William’s whereabouts, I felt more confident about hunting him down and finding the evidence I needed. I just had to hope it wasn’t going to take long.

30

Four days. Four days of tracking his location either in person or via my phone, and it all led to nothing. There was no pattern in his movements, and no place he visited suspiciously often. He mostly just stayed in his house.

Was it at all possible I’d gotten this wrong? Maybe William was simply an awful, despicable man who would do anything to save his own neck. That didn’t mean he’d done anything truly illegal. He certainly should have been arrested for perverting the course of justice, but since I was unable to get any evidence of that, I had to get something new.

I woke up on the fifth day knowing it was the day I’d either catch William or end my crusade for good. Lylah’s due date was approaching. I couldn’t keep this up forever.

I got dressed, had a quick cup of coffee, then looked at my phone. William was still at his address, like he was every morning, so I grumbled as I made my way toward my motorcycle. Although I knew it was pointless, I drove to the road close to his house and parked up alongside it. I was there for over an hour when my phone rang. A quick glance at my phone told me it was Rebecca, so I answered it.

“Mornin’, Rebecca,” I sighed.

“Morning yourself, Sean,” Rebecca responded. “Will we actually be seeing you at any point today?”

“Aye, I’ll be in at some point later,” I replied.

Rebecca was silent for a few seconds before replying. “I’d like to think you’re at home with your pregnant wife, but something tells me that’s not the case.”

I groaned. I’d had every intention of telling Rebecca about tracking William, but Jude had beat me to it. She hadn’t exactly been pleased with me the last few days.

“This is the last day, I swear,” I responded defensively.

“It better be,” Rebecca snapped. “You know I’ve always got your back, but I’m worried about you. You need to move on from this completely. We made two arrests in this case and that’s great, so try remembering that when you think about William.”

“I am, but that man’s gotten away with everything. It isn’t right.” I hesitated as I sighed. “I’ll be in soon, alright?”

Rebecca was silent, but I could feel her concern seeping through the phone like water through my fingers. “Okay, Sean. See you soon.”

She hung up abruptly. Her displeasure seemed to hang in the air around me, so I only stayed for a few more minutes before joining the others at work. The rest of the day went annoyingly slow. I spent most of my time at the station with the team, feeling restless and wishing there was more I could be doing than simply staring at my phone. The best part of my day was receiving a phone call from Paul. He informed me that the two men responsible for Charlotte’s rape had now been arrested. To make the news even better, he’d also spoken to Emmanuel, who said they’d done tests on Audre’s clothes. The tests revealed Gregory’s DNA, meaning the final nail had now been placed in Gregory’s coffin.

I knew a jury always trusted physical evidence like DNA and it was often crucial to ensure a sexual predator was seen as guilty, so knowing Emmanuel had found some was music to my ears. While I knew it wouldn’t help Audre accept everything that had happened—the assault as well as the arrest of her father—I hoped sending Gregory away for a long time would at least offer her some comfort. Her father had risked everything to get the truth, although she’d be without him for a while, I had to hope his sacrifice was worth it.

The working day drew to a close, so I went home and spent the evening with Lylah. Lylah didn’t say anything when I kept checking my phone, though I knew she was displeased about my obsession with the tracking app. When it reached ten at night and William still hadn’t left his home, she touched my arm softly.

“I’m sorry, my love,” Lylah muttered. “I know you really wanted to get him.”

I threw my phone down beside me frustratedly and turned to her. “I really did, Lyles. I was so sure I was going to get him.”

Lylah nodded. “I know it’s awful that he got away with lying to protect his son, but there’s nothing you can do without evidence.” She squeezed my hand sympathetically. “You know what Banner said.”

I grumbled as I sank into the sofa. “I was convinced there was more he was lying about. The family seems so scared of him...” I shook my head before turning to Lylah with a half-smile. “I know I have to accept it though, I have to be done.”

Lylah leant over and kissed me. “I’m proud of you, darling. I know letting things go is far from easy for you.”

I chortled slightly as I pulled Lylah up from the sofa. “Come on, let’s get you into bed.”

It took almost half an hour to get Lylah up from the sofa, up the stairs, and into bed. I was about to get ready to join her, but stopped when I saw that William was on the move. It was now eleven at night, and usually William was home for good no later than nine. A strong feeling stabbed me in the gut, so I hastily went downstairs and grabbed my jacket and helmet. I climbed onto my motorcycle, noticing William had stopped at a petrol station in York’s city centre, and smiled to myself as I prepared to leave. That petrol station was only fifteen minutes away from me, so I knew if I was quick I’d be able to get there before he left. I was about to leave, but hesitated as my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at it, pursing my lips curiously at the text on my phone.

He has just left.

31

For a moment, all I could do was look at the message on my screen.

It was from Charlotte.

I sighed deeply, knowing it would have taken a lot for her to text me. The woman was clearly scared of her old man, so for her to have gone out of her way to help me meant that she knew he was about to do something incriminating. With Charlotte’s assistance, my resolve was stronger than ever, and I knew I had to follow him. I kicked my motorcycle into gear and made my way to the petrol station quickly. I made it there and casually parked close by, but not too close in order to avoid detection. Once I’d parked up, I checked my phone and sighed with relief when I saw that William was still there.

I subtly scanned the vehicles parked at the station, clocking a black Aston Martin waiting near one of the petrol pumps. I remembered seeing the same car parked at the Anderson home. It had to be his.

I kept in the shadows and waited patiently. After a couple of minutes, I saw William walking casually out of the building and toward his car. He then climbed into his vehicle and started to drive away. I got on my motorcycle, then gave it a minute before I started to slowly follow him. I kept a safe distance away, knowing the rumble from my bike was less than discreet.

The more he drove, the more my curiosity grew. Eventually he took a turn toward the A1, which meant he was driving away from Yorkshire and likely back toward London. Damn, the drive to London was well over four hours. I was going to be stuck following him for a long, long time. I just hoped my intuition was right and the trip was going to be worth it.

For over two hours, I followed William. In that time, he’d turned off the A1 and joined the A14. We had barely got onto the A14 before William suddenly decided to pull over at the Cambridge services. I sighed in relief, knowing it would provide me the opportunity to make a quick phone call.

I saw William park up, so I drove my motorcycle into a bay where I could clearly see his vehicle, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to see me. As I got my phone out to call Rebecca, keeping an eye on William the whole time. Slowly, I followed him inside, keeping my helmet on so he couldn’t identify me. I watched him order a coffee, receive it, then sit down. Since it seemed like he was going to savor the drink for a minute, I grabbed my phone and hit Rebecca’s contact information. With difficulty, I bent my ear down and slid the phone up the side of the helmet so I could hear her. I waited for her to answer, keeping my eyes fixed on William.

“Is everything okay?” Rebecca answered hurriedly. “Is something wrong with the baby?”

I was silent for a moment, my brain taking a second to realise what she was on about.

Of course she expects you to be at home with your pregnant wife, you selfish sod, I thought guiltily. Not stalking William down the A14 in the early hours of the morning.

“That’s not why I’m calling,” I responded in a hushed tone.

Rebecca hesitated. “What’s going on, Sean?” she inquired suspiciously. “It’s two in the morning and you’re using your indoor voice.”

“I know it’s late, but I need your help,” I replied hurriedly, my eyes remaining glued on William. “Charlotte texted me at eleven, telling me her dad was going out. I’ve been following him.”

“Jesus, Sean,” Rebecca hissed.

“He took a turn down the A1, and we’re now at the Cambridge services,” I continued hastily. “I think he’s going to London. He only seems to have stopped for a drink.”

“Okay,” Rebecca stated cautiously.

“I need you to call DI Jacinto for me,” I continued. “I don’t know what William’s up to, but I’d rather have backup close by in case I need it.”

“Okay,” Rebecca repeated. “But you don’t know where you’re going, right? So how can I tell him where to send his people?”

I smirked. “I take it you’re with Jude, right?”

I suddenly heard Jude muttering in the background, but Rebecca harshly silenced him before answering. “Yes, he’s here.”

“He helped me sort out the tracker on William. Does he still have access to it?” I pressed.

I heard the two muttering to one another for a few seconds before Rebecca replied. “Yes, he said he should be able to get it up on his phone.”

“Then use that,” I replied. “Though maybe tell Emmanuel the tracker is on my phone, not William’s. Save a few unnecessary questions.”

“Anything else I can do?” she sighed.

“Aye, there is. Do you think you could call Smith and see if he can go to my place as soon as possible, please? I don’t like the thought of Lylah being on her own.” I hesitated sheepishly. “I had no idea William would be going this far.”

Suddenly, I saw William rise from his chair and start moving. “He’s moving! I’ve got to go.”

I hung up the phone before Rebecca had the chance to reply and casually started to follow William back outside to our vehicles. Back on the road, I followed him for over an hour and a half, my mind brimming with anticipation. Soon after leaving the services, he came off the A14 and continued most of the remaining journey down the M11. As we drew closer to London, William went onto the A13 and drove toward the outskirts of London, not the city proper as I’d assumed.

What the hell are you up to, William? I thought with intrigue.

With less traffic on the road, I pulled back a bit to remain unseen. With the tracker, I had the advantage of giving Wiliam a bit of a headstart. A few minutes later, I followed his location to a massive shipping dock. There were various containers going back as far as the eye could see—which was difficult as it was dark—and several abandoned cranes and vehicles. It didn’t look like this place had been used in a while, which seemed a waste given the size of it.

I soon spotted William’s vehicle ahead, so I turned off my bike and parked it between two containers to hide it. There was no sign of William, so he must have gone ahead on foot. For a second I hesitated, debating on whether I should wait for the London police, but my curiosity got the better of me. I didn’t want to risk William getting away before I’d had the chance to figure out what he was up to. I grabbed my gun from my belt, attached a small flashlight to the top of the barrel, and turned it on. I kept my phone in my other hand, keeping a close eye on the tracker. By the looks of it, William stopped at a container not too far from me. I put my phone on silent, crouched down, and hastened in that direction.

Eventually, I saw William ahead of me, standing with a tall, muscular man with a shaved head. Both of them were holding flashlights, which were pointed toward a closed containment unit. I turned off my own flashlight, hoping the light of the moon was enough to guide me as I drew closer. I pushed my body up against the side of a container and slid my back along it. I reached the end, then peered at William and the mystery man. The two were talking loudly—likely feeling it was safe to do so—and it was clear the man was unhappy with William.

“If I’d known you planned on buggering off for as long as you did, I wouldn’t have agreed to this, Anderson,” the man snarled in a strong London accent.

William raised his hands calmly. “Relax. I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are, but you threw a right spanner in the works!” the man exclaimed. “You said you’d pay me to help you, but you never told me I’d be dealing with them on my own for a while.”

William sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you to relax? Unfortunately, I had some problems with the public and the press. I had to leave the city for a bit, but I can assure you I’ll be here a lot more from now on.” He hesitated as he looked. I quickly pushed my body up against the container tighter. “I had a police presence watching me to ensure the public backed off quickly, but they’re gone now. I can do as I please once more.”

“The press?” the man inquired nervously. “That brings too much heat.”

William waved his hand casually. “They aren’t on my tail anymore, it’s fine.”

“Let’s hope so, Anderson, because I didn’t sign up for this shit,” the man growled. “I want more money. I’ve done a hell of a lot more than you told me I would!”

“Of course, my friend,” William said in a slimy, shudder-inducing voice. “You will be well paid, I can assure you. Now, can you open the container? I want to see how they’re doing.”

I found the phrasing odd, so I slowly peered around the container to watch them. The large man slowly unlocked a padlock attached to the container, and after watching him pull various chains out of the way, he pulled the container door open.

What I saw shocked me to my core.

I knew William was up to something, but I never dreamt it was as bad as this.

32

There were people in the container!

I edged closer and slowly raised my gun. I knew they were too distracted by the contents of the container to look behind them, so I took my chance and started to move. As I approached the container, my revulsion only increased when I got a better look of what was inside. At first I thought they were adults, but now that I was closer it was clear they weren’t adults at all.

They were children.

You sick bastard, Anderson! I thought with fury. You’ve been trafficking kids!

My heart hurt at the sight of the children crammed into the container. There were at least twenty of them—a mixture of boys and girls—and from their skin tone they appeared to be Middle Eastern. They ranged between the ages of six to thirteen. The children all looked frail, like they hadn’t been fed in days, and my heart stopped at the sight of one of them lying on the floor. It had taken me a moment to notice them since the container was so full.

Christ, please don’t tell me someone has died! I thought.

The man flourished his arms toward the children. “I’ve tried my best to look after them, but considering you ended up pissing off for a week, it wasn’t easy.” He hesitated uncomfortably. “It wasn’t like I could just come here often without being noticed.”

William glanced at the child on the floor, and to my disgust, kicked them in the ribs. “Are you alive, boy?”

Although I was disgusted by his behaviour, I could have cried in relief when the child groaned and started to move.

“Hungry,” the boy muttered.

“What you need is to learn English, boy!” William snarled. He then turned to his companion. “Are all of them as uneducated as this one? How are we supposed to make a profit if they can’t speak English?”

The man rubbed the back of his bald head as he spoke. “Most of them can speak English, but as long as they can work it won’t matter.” He hesitated. “Besides, if they don’t speak English, it’s harder for them to argue.”

William chuckled approvingly, making my blood boil.

I sensed movement behind me, so I slowly turned to see Emmanuel approaching with a team of six PCs behind him. They were all wearing bulletproof vests and holding their guns out in preparation of what they were about to find.

I caught Emmanuel’s eye, then stepped to the side so he could get a look at what I was seeing. He and his team moved closer, and when Emmanuel’s face scrunched up in anger, I knew he’d seen everything. I turned back toward William and the other man I didn’t know, gesturing for Emmanuel and the others to follow my lead.

I raised my gun higher, took a few steps forward, then raised my voice. “Don’t move! It’s the police.”

William turned around, his eyes widening in horror. The other man faced me, and I got my first proper look at him. He had large green eyes, a bulbous nose, and a few tattoos along the side of his face. Although his appearance was intimidating, he trembled and looked a lot more nervous than William did.

“You assured me this was a safe area, Anderson!” the man exclaimed as he raised his hands in the air defensively.

“Quiet, you moron!” William snapped. “Don’t say another word.”

I moved forward, sensing Emmanuel and the PCs mimicking my movements. The man shifted his knees as though he was about to make a run for it. I aimed my gun at him.

“Don’t even think about it,” I snarled. “We have you completely surrounded.”

The man’s eyes darted around like a frightened rat. He shuffled one of his feet nervously, then turned to face me. I could tell he was trying to put up a brave facade, but I could tell he was terrified.

“You don’t have the guts!” the man spat. “You or anyone else on your team.”

“Try me,” I seethed. “Take a single step. See how quickly I’ll react.”

The man looked thoughtful, clearly hedging his bets. Suddenly, William moved toward the man and stood behind him.

“You can’t shoot me without shooting him, Ellis,” William said victoriously. “And we both know you’re a good man. You don’t want to use that weapon.”

I edged closer. “You’re right, Anderson. I don’t want to use my weapon, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.”

The man tried to move away from William, but William quickly wrapped his arms around the man’s waist as though giving him a bizarre hug from behind.

“What the hell are you doing!?” the man roared. “Get the hell off me!”

“Sorry, but there’s no way I’m letting that man get anywhere near me,” William responded, his tone anything but apologetic.

“You’re only making things worse for yourself, Anderson,” I yelled.

William scoffed. “I’m no fool, Ellis! You’ve had it out for me since day one. I know damn well how this is going to end.”

“It’s over, Anderson,” Emmanuel stated as he stepped forward. “Let the man go and we can end this.”

“Never!” William spat.

I suddenly raised my gun and fired. The loud noise caused William to falter, which allowed the man the opportunity to pull out of his arms. The man ran, but thankfully the PCs sprang into action immediately and charged forward. Three of them surrounded William before he had the time to think about moving. The other three began to follow me as we chased the other criminal down.

I ran as quickly as I could, keeping my eyes laser focused on the man. Luckily, his big bulk slowed him down, though I also knew it gave him the upper hand if it came to a fight. He veered through the maze of containers, turning corners sharply and with no clear plan.

I increased my pace and moved around a corner, nearly skidding in my tracks when I realized the man had stopped to ambush me. He raised his fist and went to punch me, but I quickly veered out of the way. I raised my gun and pointed it at his chest, causing him to quickly raise his hands. The three PCs then caught up to us, and I quickly ordered them to cuff him.

The PCs worked as a team and cuffed the man’s hands behind his back. Once we were back with the others, I saw that Emmanuel had cuffed William. I shoved the unknown man in the back, moving him until he and William were next to one another. The two didn’t look at one another, but fury was coming off of them both like steam from a train.

I turned to the PCs. “Watch these two while I check the container out.”

With the PCs dealing with William and the man, I charged toward the container to get a good look at the children. I sensed movement behind me, and knew Emmanuel had followed me.

“Man alive,” Emmanuel muttered. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

I slowly nodded, my eyes fixed on the children. “Neither have I.”

One child, a girl who couldn’t have been any older than six, fell at my feet and wrapped her arms around my ankles.

“Thank you,” she said, repeating the two words over and over as tears started to fall onto my shoes.

I felt my eyes well up, so cleared my throat to stop the emotion from showing. I gazed around at the children. “You’re all safe now, you hear me? No harm will come to you now.”

The children cuddled one another protectively. Some looked relieved, some looked untrusting, and some didn’t change their expressions at all. I couldn’t say I blamed them for being uncertain. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what they’d been through. To most of them, I was probably just another white man speaking a language they barely understood.

I turned to Emmanuel, who was rubbing his forehead, his face still filled with shock. “I’ll call in some reinforcements and some medical. We’re going to need a lot of help to sort this out.”

I nodded before turning my icy gaze back toward William. He was looking at me unhappily, pointlessly pulling against the cuffs restraining him.

“You followed me down here then?” he sneered.

I stepped toward him until my face was inches away from his own. “I told you I’d get you, Anderson.”

He was so close I could feel his breath hitting my face. “We shall see, shan’t we?”

I stepped back and tutted before looking at the PCs. “Get these two pieces of filth back to your station!”

The PCs nodded, and three of the six started to drag both men away. I watched them for a bit before I turned to Emmanuel. “Which station do you work at?”

“Holborn,” Emmanuel replied slowly, his eyes still focused on the children. “It’s only twenty minutes away.”

I nodded. For a moment I just looked at the children, my heart feeling heavier than lead. With difficulty, I dragged my eyes away from them.

“With your permission, I’d like to go to your station and question William,” I said.

Emmanuel seemed unable to pull his gaze away from the children, but he nodded. “Of course, Sean. When you get to the station ask for DC Firman, tell her I sent you.” He hesitated, his voice breaking slightly. “I-I will stay here with the children until reinforcements arrive.”

“Want me to wait with you?” I inquired.

Emmanuel shook his head. “I have two PCs here to help. Right now, the best thing you can do is get to the station and make those arseholes pay for what they’ve done.” He rubbed his face before continuing. “If you want to deal with Anderson, my DC can handle the other bloke. She’s very capable.”

I put a gentle hand on Emmanuel’s shoulders before turning away from him, the PCs, and the children. I’d barely taken a few steps before Emmanuel called my name.

I turned to face him. “Aye?”

Emmanuel stepped forward and held his hand out to me. “Great work, Detective,” he said with a slight smile. “None of this would have happened without your impeccable judgement.”

I smiled back as I shook his hand. “And none of this would have happened without your support, Emmanuel. I appreciate the backup.”

Emmanuel nodded, his eyes shining passionately. “If you ever need me again, you know where to find me.”

I thanked him, then turned away. As I walked to my motorcycle, I took a deep breath and felt a wave of cold wash over me. From the moment I’d met William, I was convinced there was something dodgy about him, but I’d never expected it to be on this scale.

I climbed on my motorcycle and fought the urge to scream out in victory. I’d followed my gut when everyone else was trying to convince me to back off. Because of my determination, dozens of children had been saved from a terrible fate.

If that wasn’t something worth screaming about, then I didn’t know what was.

33

Ieventually made it to Holborn station and was surprised as it came into view. My station in Yorkshire was huge, but Holborn’s only looked to be a third of the size of mine. I assumed this was because London had a lot more police stations around the city than York did, but it was still a shock. I parked my motorcycle at the front of the station, then made my way inside. Upon entering, it was clear the layout of the station was similar to my own. Behind the reception stood a tall, slender man with long hair that flowed freely down his shoulders. His appearance and build was similar to Elijah’s, which only made me miss my Yorkshire team.

The man turned to me at my approach, his eyes scanning me curiously. “Can I help you?”

I nodded and showed him my badge. “My name is DCI Sean Ellis from the Yorkshire police. I just helped some colleagues of yours arrest William Anderson and another man.”

The man nodded, his eyes now shining with a newfound respect. “Excellent work, sir!”

I smiled faintly. “I have been given permission by DI Emmanuel Jacinto to interview William. Can you tell me where the prisoners were taken, please?”

The man walked away from the desk, revealing designer clothing that would have made Elijah either frown with jealousy or smile in admiration, and pointed down a hallway to the right of the stairs. “Walk that way and take the second door on the right.”

I thanked him, then walked in that direction. I pushed open the door and found myself in a surprisingly small room. The room consisted of four desks with computers, a tiny area with a kettle, and a large whiteboard attached to a wall which I assumed the team used when discussing cases. In the room were only four people, two male PCS, who I recognised as being on the scene with me earlier, and two women who, from their attire, made me assume they were either DCs or higher.

I glanced between the two women. “Is one of you DC Firman?”

The slightly larger of the two women stepped forward. “That would be me.”

I nodded at her in greeting. “I just assisted your team with William Anderson and an accomplice. Your DI gave me permission to question Anderson.”

DC Firman quirked a brow. “Has he now?”

I stood up tall and crossed my arms. “Aye, he has.”

DC Firman stared at me intently for a moment, but suddenly seemed to relax. “Well, if you’re good in DI Jacinto’s books then you’re good in mine! I’ve just put both men in separate holding cells and was catching up with the PCs before you arrived. Perhaps you can tell me and DC Cooke what the men have been arrested for exactly?”

I looked at DC Cooke—a woman slightly taller than DC Firman with short black hair—and nodded. I told them everything and wasn’t surprised at the strong way both women reacted. DC Cooke looked close to tears, whereas DC Firman clenched her fist and looked close to punching it through the wall.

“Those poor children,” DC Cooke said sadly. “How could they do that?”

“Money,” DC Firman snarled. “It’s all about money with men like that.”

I nodded in agreement. “Have you been able to identify the man with Anderson?”

“Yes, Frank Rush,” DC Firman answered. “He has a bit of a rap sheet and priors for things like smuggling.” She hesitated as she pursed her lips. “But this is the first time he’s ever done anything on this scale.”

“DI Jacinto said I was to speak to Anderson, and you were to speak to Rush,” I stated, a sense of urgency to my tone.

“Then it will be done,” DC Firman responded. She turned to DC Cooke. “Can you take DCI Ellis to an interview room, please? And ensure the room has the proper recording equipment.”

DC Cooke agreed.

I thanked DC Firman, then followed DC Cooke. She took me out of the department and we continued down the hallway. We walked past a flight of stairs, which DC Cooke gestured to.

“That leads to our holding cells,” she said matter-of-factly. “Once I get you into your room, I’ll radio some PCs to fetch Anderson for you.”

She then took me further along until we reached a hallway where the main light flickered repeatedly, desperately in need of being changed. She opened a door on the left and turned the light on. Luckily the light in this room worked well, and it looked bigger than either of the interview rooms in my station. I looked toward the large table in the centre of the room and took a seat behind it. DC Cooke ensured there was a fresh tape in the recorder on the table.

“Here you go, sir,” she said. “Anderson will join you shortly.”

I smiled at her, then watched her leave. I got myself comfortable in my chair, gazing around curiously, then sat up straighter once the door opened. Two tall PCs entered the room with William standing between them. His hands were now cuffed in front of him, and he had a face like a slapped arse as he was ushered into his seat.

One of the PCs looked at me as the other one got William settled in his seat. “We’ll both be outside, sir. Just in case you need us.”

I nodded at the young lad curtly, then turned my gaze to William. No sooner had the two PCs closed the door behind them did I start the tape. Once the tape had started, I clasped my hands together, placed them on the table, and looked at William with a sly smile.

“Good to see you again, Anderson.”

“No comment,” William answered, purposely fixing his gaze on the wall to his right.

I sighed irritably. “Are you really going to play the silent game, Anderson?”

William leered at me. “No. Comment.”

He purposely elongated each word for effect. I simply shook my head. “You are a clever man. Aren’t you?”

William pulled a face. “Obviously I’m clever, Ellis. I did study at Oxford.”

I clicked my tongue. “I don’t mean book smart, Anderson. You have intelligence, aye, I’ll give you that, but I was referring more to your slyness.” I leaned closer to him. “You’re good at getting what you want, aren’t you?”

William shrugged, but didn’t speak.

“Well, you won’t be getting your way this time,” I continued. “You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done.”

William remained silent, causing me to grit my teeth in annoyance. I gave myself a second to calm down before I pushed my hair back with a sigh and spoke. “One thing I don’t understand is why, Anderson? You’re a politician, and you get paid well enough for it, so why take the risk of getting into something as dangerous as human trafficking?”

“No comment,” William retorted.

“Your accomplice is being questioned as we speak,” I pressed. “Something tells me that man will sing like a canary after the stupid stunt you tried to pull with him.”

A flicker of fear flashed over William’s face, but he kept silent.

I frowned. “For the benefit of the tape, William Anderson is remaining silent and is sulking like a child.”

William bared his teeth at me. “I’m not sulking like a child! I just refuse to speak to you until my lawyer is present.”

“The jig is up, Anderson,” I responded. “We caught you at the scene red-handed. You were seen by two senior officers and several policemen, and I would bet anything your accomplice is making a deal to send you down in order to protect himself.” I smiled at him. “No lawyer can help you now, Anderson.”

“That man is a liar and a coward!” William grunted. “Nothing he says will stick in a court of law. He’s a criminal!”

“I’m going to give you one chance to help yourself here, Anderson,” I said calmly. “You’re looking at a long time in prison, but if you cooperate, I’m sure we can look at a reduced sentence.”

William sneered. “A reduced sentence?” He shook his head. “I can assure you, Ellis, I won’t be going anywhere.”

“How can you still be under the delusion that you’re going to get away with this?” I inquired in disbelief.

William continued to look smug. “You tried to arrest me before, remember? Look how long that held up for.”

“Aye, that’s true,” I replied. “I had a witness statement from myself and two other senior officers stating and yet you still somehow managed to weasel your way out. You should have received a prison sentence for trying to protect your rapist son.” I hesitated as I moved slightly closer to him. “A son you haven’t once asked about since I arrested him, Anderson.”

William tutted and looked away from me. “As I said to your superior, Ellis. I don’t know what gave you and your colleagues the impression I was aware of what my son did. I heard about it the same time you did.”

You lying snake, I thought angrily. You know this is being recorded, so you’re going to stick to your pathetic lies, but you can’t hide behind that shield forever.

“I haven’t asked about him because, like you, I am appalled by what he did. I hope the justice system will give him the punishment he deserves for his foul behaviour,” William continued.

I knew he was baiting me, doing all he could to get a negative reaction, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of retorting. The man was used to getting his way, but he wasn’t going to use me like he used everyone else in his life.

“Oh, and he will be punished, Mr. Anderson,” I responded. “My colleagues in London already found his DNA all over Audre’s clothes.”

I expected William to show some form of sorrow or remorse over his son’s impending imprisonment, and yet his face remained as immobile as if I’d spoken to him about the weather. Charlotte was right. The man really only cared about himself.

“Are you going to ask me about your daughter’s case?” I continued.

“I already know about it, Ellis,” he responded coolly. “Charlotte gave me the names of the men involved, so I gave them to the police. I hope by now they've all been arrested.”

“Aye, they have,” I answered.

William shrugged. “Then what more is there to say on the topic?”

I chewed my lip for a few seconds before speaking. “Aye, let’s focus on those innocent children locked away in a containment unit for days on end with limited air, food, and water, shall we?”

William shuffled uncomfortably in his seat but didn’t speak.

“Why did you bring them into the country, William?” I pried. “I believe when I first met you, you said we had too many immigrants, and yet you’re bringing foreign children here?” I hesitated, enjoying watching him squirm in his seat. “Odd that, isn’t it?”

William jumped up from his seat, causing me to move hastily from mine.

“I’m not saying another word to you without the presence of a lawyer!” William snarled. “I believe that’s my legal right, isn’t it?”

“As I told you before, a lawyer can’t help you, Anderson,” I responded coldly. “No one can.”

“No lawyer, no discussion,” William replied, his eyes shining.

I gritted my teeth before begrudgingly turning off the interview tape. I knew William was right. I couldn’t continue the interrogation now that he’d demanded a lawyer. As much as it was going to kill me, I knew I had to call it for now.

I called through the door, and the two PCs returned. “Mr. Anderson has requested his lawyer be present,” I sighed. “Let him make a phone call, then take him back to his cell. Given the hour, a lawyer won’t be here for a few hours, so let the man sit uncomfortably while we wait for his legal representative to arrive.”

“Yes, sir,” both PCs responded in unison before dragging William away.

Although I was annoyed at William, I knew he was only delaying the inevitable. William had no intention of telling the truth, but that didn’t matter. With the evidence we had, I knew there was no way he was going to get away with it this time.

34

Ipushed open the door to the department and was happy to see Emmanuel there chatting to DC Cooke. Although it was clear from his face that the man was exhausted, he still looked effortlessly handsome. I couldn’t deny a part of me was jealous. I knew I looked less than my best after such a long night. When I walked deeper into the department, he turned in my direction, smiling when he saw me.

“Sean!” Emmanuel exclaimed. “I must confess I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”

“Aye, well unfortunately Anderson refuses to speak without a lawyer present,” I grumbled.

Emmanuel swore as he ran his fingers through his hair. “They can never make our jobs easy, can they?”

I snorted. “Never.” I glanced around the room and saw that DC Firman wasn’t there. “I take it DC Firman is still speaking to Frank Rush?”

“She is, yes,” Emmanuel responded. “It’s hard to say how long it’ll take, but I know Layla. She won’t leave until she cracks that man like an egg.”

“I knew I liked that woman,” I responded with a smile.

“So what’s your plan now?” Emmanuel asked.

“Anderson won’t be able to get his lawyer here for at least a few hours, so I was planning on booking a hotel and getting a few hours’ kip before coming back,” I replied, suppressing a yawn as I spoke.

“There are a few hotels in London, but there’s a Travelodge less than a five-minute walk away,” Emmanuel continued.

I nodded as I started pulling my phone out of my pocket. “Aye, sounds good to me! I’ll call them now and see if they’ve got a room.”

“Mention you’re with the police and they’ll definitely have a room,” Emmanuel replied with a wink.

I smirked back at him, then looked at my phone. At first I was happy that I had no new notifications, but then I remembered I’d put my phone on Do Not Disturb when I reached the docks. I quickly turned that off, then jumped in surprise as numerous notifications flooded my phone with loud pings and beeps.

“Christ, someone is popular!” Emmanuel guffawed.

The notifications were all from various members of my team. I had over a dozen missed calls from Rebecca, double that from Elijah, and several from both Nadia and Mae. I tensed as I stared at them all, knowing something wasn’t right if they were all so persistent to contact me.

“Every member of my team has been trying to call me,” I said worriedly. “Something must be wrong.”

I went to call Rebecca, but stopped when my phone started to ring again. I saw it was Elijah, so I answered the phone instantly.

“Smith, sorry⁠—”

“Thank Christ it actually rang this time!” Elijah interrupted. “I’ve been trying to call you for almost three hours now!”

“Sorry, Smith!” I repeated. “I was in the middle of a⁠—”

“Sorry to interrupt you, sir, but there’s no time!” Elijah exclaimed desperately. “I need you to get back here right away!”

I furrowed my brows, worried about why Elijah was so desperate for me to get back. It took less than a second before I realised what it had to be.

Lylah.

“What’s happened?” I blurted. “Is Lylah alright?”

“I’m in the hospital with her now, sir, but we need you to⁠—”

“The hospital!?” I bellowed. “Is something wrong with Lylah or the baby?”

Both Emmanuel and DC Cooke gaped their mouths open in horror.

“No, sir, but you have to get back as soon as possible!” Elijah answered hurriedly. “She started having contractions almost four hours ago, sir! The baby is coming, sir! Now!”

My jaw dropped so low I was surprised gravity didn’t carry it to the floor. Lylah wasn’t due for at least another three weeks!

Of course my baby would want to make an arrival when I’m all the way in pissin’ London! I thought. There’s no way I’ll make it back in time.

As I had an internal battle with myself, I heard Rebecca shout in the background. “Tell Sean to stop stressing and start moving!”

“Are you all there?” I inquired.

“Yes, sir!” Elijah responded. “The entire team is here. I’m outside with Rebecca, but Nadia and Mae are in the room looking after Lyles.” He hesitated. “You have to get here, sir! She’s freaking out without you!”

“Alright, alright!” I repeated. “I’m leaving now, but it’s going to take me almost five hours to get there.”

“Then move!” Rebecca shouted in the background.

I hung up the phone, then turned toward Emmanuel. “My wife is having contractions. I’ve got to go.”

“Not without a coffee you aren’t!” Emmanuel exclaimed worriedly. “You look exhausted, mate, and there’s no way I’m letting you drive without a dose of caffeine in your system.”

DC Cooke moved speedily into the kitchen and poured me a mug of instant coffee. She brought it over, and I thanked her before I started chugging it, ignoring the burning feeling on my tongue. I hesitated, looking at Emmanuel in worry. “But the case! Anderson!”

Emmanuel hit my shoulder roughly, his eyes ablaze with passion. “This is your wife we’re talking about, Sean! You can’t miss this.”

“I know that, but what about the case?” I pressed. “I have to go, but that means leaving you all in the lurch.”

“Leave me to finish it off,” Emmanuel responded. “I was with you for the arrest. I can finish it first thing tomorrow and keep you up to date.”

I downed the coffee and DC Cooke instantly took it from my hands. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Now you get going!” Emmanuel exclaimed with a grin. “Congratulations, Dad.”

I shook my head in dismay. “I can’t believe I’m going to miss the birth.”

“Not necessarily,” DC Cooke answered kindly. “When I was pregnant with my Lola, I didn’t give birth for almost fourteen hours after my contractions started.”

I turned to her hopefully. “Really?”

DC Cooke nodded. “Yes, the average labour time is around twelve hours, so it’s very likely you’ll make it to Yorkshire before the baby arrives!”

I sighed in relief. “Great, ta!”

“Do you want me to provide you with a police escort?” Emmanuel offered. “That would speed things up for you.”

While a huge part of me was very tempted by the offer, I knew my motorcycle would get me there quickly without using up police resources. I thought about DC Cooke’s words and remembered that Lizzie and I had been in the hospital for almost fourteen hours before Faye decided to make an appearance. If history was to repeat itself, then it made no sense for me to ask London officers to drive almost ten hours just to get me back to Yorkshire.

“If I leave now I should be alright, but I appreciate the offer,” I replied gratefully.

I said a hurried goodbye, then ran out of the station. Although I still felt tired, the strong coffee had kicked in right away, giving me a much needed boost of energy.

I climbed onto my motorcycle, kicked it to life, and sped my way out of the station and toward the A13. As I drove along the main road, my thoughts were all over the place. I was going to have another child, and while the thought filled me with worry, it also filled me with joy. Lylah and I had wanted this for a long time, and the fact that our dreams were finally about to become a reality was a lot to digest. It was several weeks earlier than we’d anticipated, meaning I was going to need to rush baby-proofing the flat, but I knew I’d be able to handle it.

My eyes started to hurt after three hours of driving, and while I longed to keep going, the sensible detective in me knew I had to stop at a service station and have another coffee before I potentially fell asleep. I was desperate to see my wife, but I wasn’t going to risk my life or the life of others. My eyes were screaming at me for some respite.

I made it to some services in Grantham and quickly got myself a coffee from Costa. I sat down with my drink, took a deep breath, then quickly called Rebecca.

Rebecca answered immediately. “Where are you?”

“I had to stop at Grantham services quickly,” I responded. Rebecca tutted, so I continued impatiently. “I didn’t want to stop, but my eyes kept drooping, and I wasn’t going to risk killing someone!”

“Okay, okay, I see your point!” Rebecca replied hastily. “Sorry, Sean. I just don’t want you to miss this.”

I sighed. “I’ll drink a coffee quickly. Lylah didn't have the baby, then?”

“No, not yet, but a nurse came by earlier and said she’s dilated quite a few centimetres.” She hesitated awkwardly. “I don’t think it will be long before she’s ready, Sean.”

Bollocks.

“Jesus. Lizzie was in the hospital with Faye for a hell of a lot longer than that!” I exclaimed.

“What can I say, Sean?” Rebecca asked. “The baby is clearly eager to enter the world. How long will you be, do you think?”

“Another two hours,” I groaned.

“I’ll let Lylah know,” Rebecca replied. “Your safety has to come first, Sean, but please hurry.”

I downed the rest of my coffee, then stood up. “I will, don’t worry! Call me if she starts having the baby.”

I hung up the phone, then charged back to my motorcycle. The stop and the coffee had invigorated me, and it wasn’t long before half an hour went by. Then another. Then another. Finally, I was then ten minutes away when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

No! I thought desperately. I can’t miss this!

Lylah would never forgive me—and I’d never forgive myself—if I missed the birth of our child. I had to do everything within my power to get there in time.

Luckily, the early morning meant the roads were hauntingly silent, so I was able to zoom toward the hospital with limited traffic delays. I screamed out in relief when the hospital suddenly came into my line of sight. I smacked my hands against the handlebars triumphantly as I drove toward it, flooded with relief. When I got to the hospital, I didn’t even bother finding a parking space. Instead, I drove close to the hospital’s entrance and parked up beside it. To my surprise, Rebecca was already standing outside. She had her arms around herself and looked as though she was struggling with the cold morning, even with her coat on. At the sound of my hasty footsteps, she turned in my direction and ran to meet me.

“Thank God you’re here!” she exclaimed. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to make it. Follow me!”

We jogged inside and Rebecca led me down various hallways until we reached a door. Nadia and Mae were both standing outside of it. Elijah wasn’t there, but I assumed he was in the room with Lylah.

As soon as we arrived, Nadia moved away from the wall and opened her mouth to speak, but I hastily put my hand up to stop her. “Sorry, Nadia. I’ll speak to you once I’ve seen my wife.”

“But—”

Nadia’s words fizzled away as I zoomed past her and into the room. I glanced around and saw six beds. There were three beds on each side of the room, and all of them were occupied except for one. I eagerly looked around—ignoring the nervous looks of the expectant mothers who saw me run through the door like a maniac—and quickly furrowed my brow when I realised none of the women were Lylah.

I turned to the doorway where Rebecca, Nadia, and Mae were now standing. “I don’t understand. Where is Lylah?”

Nadia stepped forward. “It’s what I was trying to tell you, Sean! She was taken to the delivery room!”

“What!?” I roared as I shoved past them all to get back into the hallway. “Which delivery room is she in?”

Nadia huffed as she ran past me. “Just stop talking and follow me!”

I didn’t argue as I charged after her, Rebecca and Mae at my tail. How long ago had Lylah been taken? If she was fully dilated, did it mean she already had the baby? The thoughts were worrying, and I hoped I hadn’t rushed here all for nothing.

Eventually, Nadia stopped outside of a room. She looked through the window, smiled, then turned back to me. “This is it, Sean.”

I breathed heavily as I reached the door. My hand hesitated on the doorknob as I turned to look at the three women. “I can’t thank you all enough for⁠—”

“Just go!” Rebecca, Nadia, and Mae all exclaimed in unison.

I grinned sheepishly, then turned my focus back to the door.

I didn’t know what I was about to find in that room, but at that moment all I cared about was finally seeing Lylah and making sure she and our baby were okay.

35

Igently pushed open the door, but I was quickly stopped by a middle-aged nurse. She was wearing a hospital gown over her nurses’ uniform. Her expression looked as though she smelled something horrid.

“Hold on!” she exclaimed. “You can’t just barge in here!”

“Sean?” a faint voice asked.

I sidestepped the nurse and saw Lylah lying in the bed. Her face looked red, hot, and sweaty, and her blond hair was both glued to her face and sticking up everywhere. Her feet were up in stirrups and a doctor was bent down in front of them. Next to Lylah stood Elijah, who was gripping her hand tightly. Elijah, like the nurse in front of me, was wearing a hospital gown tied at the back. Once he caught my eye, he grinned.

The nurse stepped in front of me again to stop me from moving any further. “I take it you must be the father, then?”

I nodded, trying desperately to look around the nurse. “Aye, that’s me.”

“Stand right where you are, you can’t go near the patient until you’re wearing a protective gown,” the nurse stated.

As quick as a flash, Elijah let go of Lylah’s hands and stepped toward us. “He can have mine.”

I nodded to him gratefully as the nurse untied his gown and helped him to take it off.

Once the gown was off of him, he clapped his hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. “Good luck, sir.”

I thanked him, then turned to the nurse, who was holding the gown out for me. She helped me to get it on, then gestured to say I was now able to further enter the room. I hastily thanked her before charging over to Lylah. I got to her side, clasped her hand, and kissed all over her forehead.

“What took you so long?” Lylah hissed as I kissed her.

I stroked her hair out of her face and smiled. “I’m sorry, my love. I’m here now.”

“Good!” the doctor said, smiling at me. “Your little one is very eager to join the world!”

Lylah grunted as a contraction hit. “Let’s hope your late night trip to London was worth it.”

I kissed Lylah’s face again. “We got the bastard,” I whispered in her ear.

Lylah looked as though she wanted to be annoyed with me, but a small smile escaped her. I took advantage of it by grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Let’s have a baby!” I exclaimed.

“Your arrival couldn’t be any more perfect, Mister Ellis,” the doctor said warmly, his gaze focused on Lylah. “It’s time.”

I grabbed Lylah’s hand and felt her instantly squeeze it.

“I can do this,” she whispered, both to us and to reassure herself.

“Right, Lylah, I need you to push when I tell you to, okay?” the doctor asked calmly.

Lylah exhaled loudly as she nodded.

“Okay, Lylah. Push!” the doctor exclaimed.

Lylah gritted her teeth and moaned. Her face filled with anguish, and the same feeling of helplessness that I felt when Lizzie was delivering Faye came rushing back to me. It felt awful watching Lylah go through so much strain and agony when all I could do was hold her hand and support her. I wanted to help. To do something. Anything. Yet all I could do was stand there as Lylah did all of the hard work.

The nurse moved and stood by the doctor’s side. She kept flitting her eyes between the doctor, the baby, and Lylah to ensure everything was okay.

“Come on, love! You’ve got this!” I exclaimed supportively.

“Easy for you to say, Sean! You aren’t trying to push a bloody melon out of you, are you?” Lylah snapped through gritted teeth.

“I can see the baby’s head!” the doctor cried excitedly. “Keep pushing now, Lylah! You’re doing great!”

Lylah gripped my hand even tighter and, from the way her face was screwed up, I could tell she was in intense pain.

“You hear that, my love?” I whispered. “Our baby’s head!”

Lylah didn’t reply, instead she grimaced intensely as she continued to push. Sweat cascaded down her face and the redness from her cheeks had expanded, covering her entire face and neck. With her free hand, she wiped her forehead as she sobbed.

“You’re doing great, Lylah!” the doctor said reassuringly. “Just one more push now!”

She breathed deeply, gritted her teeth once more, then started to groan in agony as she pushed again. She leaned forward, focusing every bit of her strength on what needed to be done.

“That’s it, my love!” I exclaimed.

“That’s it, Lylah!” the doctor stated happily. “You’re all done!”

I grinned at Lylah as she plopped back down, looking more exhausted than I’d ever seen her. A sharp wail rang out, and the nurse rushed to assist the doctor. I desperately tried to see my baby, but there were too many arms and hands in the way.

Finally, the doctor passed the baby to Lylah, and I felt my eyes grow warm at the sight of them. They were perfect.

I turned to the doctor. “Is it a boy or is it a girl?”

The doctor smiled at me. “It’s a boy. Congratulations to you both!” He hesitated. “We’ll give you both a few minutes, okay? Then we’ll be back to take the baby away.”

Lylah pulled our son toward her chest protectively. “What do you mean take them away?”

“It’s standard procedure, love,” I said reassuringly. “They just run a few tests.”

Lylah relaxed slightly and agreed. I thanked the doctor and the nurse before turning back to look at my son. Tears started to freely fall down my cheeks, but I wasn’t ashamed to cry.

“He looks just like you, doesn’t he?” Lylah asked warmly as she cuddled our son closely to her chest.

I chuckled lightly. “Aye, he does, but let’s hope he ends up with his mother’s good looks.”

Lylah’s eyes watered as she smiled at me. “I love you so much.”

I smiled back at her. “I love you too, Lyles.”

For a minute or two there was silence as I wrapped my arm around Lylah’s shoulders and the two of us stared at our son.

Lylah eventually turned to me, a playful smirk crawling up her lips. “I guess I’ll be naming our child then?”

I shook my head with a smile. “You aren’t really going to hold me to that, are you?”

Lylah laughed. “Please! We both know if it was a girl, you’d be keeping to the bargain and naming her. I will be naming our son.”

I laughed back. “Very true. Go on, love, what are we going to call him?”

Lylah smiled at me warmly. “Craig.”

My eyebrows climbed up my forehead as I turned to look at our son. “A-are you sure?”

Lylah stroked my face and nodded. “I can’t think of a better way to honour your brother than naming our son after him. Can you?”

I couldn’t control the wave of tears that fell down my face as I looked at Craig. Lylah gently lifted him towards me.

“Would you like to hold your son?” Lylah asked.

I didn’t verbalise a response. Instead, I shakily took Craig out of Lylah’s arms and pulled him close to me. As I held him, his large eyes kept glued to my own, and I couldn’t help but smile. This baby might have my brother’s name, but I would protect him better than I protected my brother. He would live a long, healthy life. I would make sure of it.

“Hello, Craig,” I said tearfully.

EPILOGUE

To my surprise, the doctor wiped a single tear from his eye as I finished speaking.

“Now that you’re retired, you should take up writing, Mr. Ellis,” the doctor said approvingly. “You’re one hell of a storyteller.”

“One thing this man will never properly do is retire, Doctor,” Lylah answered almost bitterly. “He’ll be solving cases into his nineties.”

I cleared my throat awkwardly. “So, are we done here or what?”

“Patience, Mr. Ellis!” The doctor chuckled. “It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

Faye moved toward the door, then turned to face me. “I’ll give Nadia a call.”

I nodded gratefully. “Good idea, love. If she picks up, tell her we’ll be there soon.”

Faye nodded before exiting the room. There was silence for a moment except for the sound of the doctor writing notes, but the doctor soon started talking again.

“So what happened with that politician bloke?” he inquired. “Don’t tell me he got away with what he did?”

“Nope.” I smirked. “My London colleagues did an excellent job.”

“Did he ever give you the answers you were looking for?” the doctor queried. “Did he ever say why he did what he did?”

“Unfortunately, no.” I sighed in frustration. “It was clear what he was doing, but to this day I don’t know why. It must have been for financial gain, but it was stupid and risky for a man who was already wealthy.”

The doctor pursed his lips. “Money and greed go hand in hand. I often find that people who have the most desire more than people who have nothing at all.”

“That, and that man was as racist as they come,” Lylah responded coldly. “I still think he just liked the feeling of control that trafficking gave him.” She bit her lip. “The man’s rapist son ended up admitting that what he did to Audre was purely because he wanted to assert his white dominance. Something tells me the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

The doctor grimaced. “Unfortunately, I’m not surprised. What about the wife and daughter? Did they know what he was up to?”

“Actually, they didn’t know a thing about it,” I answered. “They saw him leaving at strange hours and were convinced he was up to something dangerous, but they had no idea how bad it was.” I frowned. “They feared him, aye, but they feared the unknown more than anything else.”

“Ah, so they didn’t lie when they said they couldn’t give you evidence against him,” the doctor said, clicking his tongue.

I nodded slowly, then waited for the doctor to speak about my tests. After a few minutes of silence I couldn’t take it anymore. “So what’s the verdict then, Doc? Am I free to go?”

The doctor slowly raised his index finger at me, his eyes glued to his notes as he continued to write. After a few moments, the doctor put the pen in his coat pocket and looked at me. “While I’m not one hundred percent happy with the idea of you being discharged, I see no sign of any permanent damage or anything that makes you an immediate risk.”

“So I can go?” I pressed.

The doctor laughed lightly. “Yes, Mr. Ellis, you can go.”

I started to push out of my bed, but the doctor hastily stood up and stopped me.

“On one condition,” he continued.

I sighed impatiently. “What condition is that?”

“That if you feel any headaches, dizziness, or pain you will either rest immediately or give us a call.” The doctor crossed his arms and looked at me sternly. “Head injuries are serious things, Mr. Ellis. If you experience any of these symptoms, then you must listen to your body and rest.”

I nodded. “Aye, that sounds fair.”

The doctor smiled at me before looking at Lylah. “Take care of your husband. Something tells me he’s going to need it.”

Lylah snorted. “You have no idea, Doctor.”

The doctor laughed in return before turning to me and shaking my hand. “Good luck with your case, Mr. Ellis, but a word of advice before I leave?”

I quirked a curious brow as I nodded.

“You’re sixty-five now,” the doctor began. “I know how it feels to commit yourself to a career, but people in our careers know how short life can be.” He hesitated as his eyes flicked to Lylah. “Do what you can with this case, but once it’s done, enjoy the time you have with your family. Don’t allow yourself to follow any more ghosts.”

I was surprised by his words. I simply nodded in response, unsure of what to say. The doctor smiled thinly before leaving us. The moment he was gone, I gestured toward my clothes.

“Pass them here, love,” I said calmly. “I’ll get changed, then we can get to the station right away.”

Lylah grumbled unhappily as she went to get my clothes. “You never learn, do you?” She thrust the clothes at me then stared at me with folded arms. “Did you even listen to a word the doctor just said?”

I sighed as I started to get dressed. “You know how important this case is to me, love.”

“I know,” Lylah responded. “But so is every case you’ve ever worked. I’ve always admired your work ethic, but the Doctor’s right, Sean. None of us are getting any younger. I want us to start using time for us, you know?”

I snorted. “Easy for you to say! You’re still working.”

Lylah squeezed the bridge of her nose. “I work part time on reception now, Sean. I don’t exactly charge into danger anymore!”

Now fully dressed, I approached Lylah and grabbed both of her hands. “I promise you, Lylah, once this case is done, I’m done.”

Lylah chewed her cheek thoughtfully, but before she had the chance to reply the door opened, revealing Faye.

“I’ve tried multiple times to call Nadia, but she isn’t answering,” Faye grumbled.

I swore under my breath, then grabbed my bag. “Come on, let’s get going then.”

Faye nodded and exited the room. I gave Lylah one last guilty look before following Faye out. Seconds later, I heard Lylah trailing close behind me, sighing as she did. I thought about what my wife had said. I knew she was only looking out for me, but she knew I wasn’t the sort of bloke who ran away from a fight.

The killer was still out there while an innocent man was being interrogated. There was no way I could sit idly by and let that happen.

A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR

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