‘Is that all?’ Bryant asked, rubbing his chin.
‘Not quite. When you mentioned the name of that book, I knew I’d either heard it or seen it somewhere.’
Kim didn’t mention the reading glasses, or the fact that during the visit for the domestic incident Whiley had been quick to remove Dunn to the kitchen and that he’d taken the liberty of sending the girls to bed. No wonder Wendy Dunn had never clocked it. He was a bloody police officer.
She turned back to Jenks. ‘Whiley caught me up in the corridor after the assault, just to reinforce what you’d done. He also hinted to me that you knew where the property was. I knew it was someone the girls had already met, and once I realised that you didn’t hit him, there was only one person’s actions left to question. Whiley has never been violent in his career and Dunn is not the first abuser he’s met, so there had to be more to it than that.’
‘Jeez, Guv, talk about a leap of …’
‘I’ll leave you to get all the details. You get to interview him.’
‘It will be my absolute pleasure.’
Kim pushed herself to a standing position. ‘But can you do me a huge favour first?’
‘Course.’
‘Grab your car and just take me home.’
SEVENTY-FIVE
Kim stood before Mikey’s grave, seeking answers to the questions still rattling around in her head.
Woody had insisted she take a week off. And for once she’d offered no argument.
The first couple of days had been spent sleeping and walking the dog. Eventually Barney had stopped responding to the jangle of the lead and had steadfastly refused to move from the sofa.
Initially, she had been unable to focus on the bike and had spent many hours staring at the manuals and diagrams, unable to decipher even the simplest instruction. Three days ago she had managed to fish the broken nut from the exhaust manifold.
The encounter on the canal side had left her with too many questions. Everything in her past was separated, boxed and labelled in her mind. It was a corner of her brain she did not visit, yet Alex had stormed in there and decimated the packaging, leaving memories and emotions strewn around.
For a moment there Kim had been tempted. Part of her had wanted to follow Alex into the darkness. To let it all go, to give up the fight. To dissolve into the memories of Mikey and the first six years of her life. But she hadn’t because then Alex would have got away.
It had taken a while to fold everything away and reapply the tape. In the days since, Kim had wondered how tenuous her grip on sanity really was. She guessed that the time was coming to make a decision. Either open the compartments of her mind completely and examine the contents, or close them even tighter. She knew the consequences of both actions. To let it all out would consume her. There might be no way back to life as she knew it.
If she nailed the boxes shut she would be safe from the darkness; she would maintain her sanity and be protected, but condemned to a life of loneliness and mistrust.
Her feelings towards Alex were no less complicated. She hated the doctor for her ruthlessness in playing with people’s lives and emotions and yet was fascinated by the woman’s ability to do it. She hated the doctor for exposing all of her darkest fears, yet admired the woman’s skill in almost destroying her.
Kim took a deep breath and folded herself slowly beside the cold stone. Her right hand traced the name of her dead twin. Emotion gathered in her throat as she sent him a silent message.
‘Sweetheart, I’m sorry but I’m not ready for you yet. I miss you every single day and when I’m strong enough I promise I’ll remember every minute we had together.
A movement to her left caught her eye. A familiar figure walked up the hill towards her.
Her voice was no more than a whisper. ‘But for now, I’d like to introduce you to my friend.’
Bryant reached her and held out a takeaway coffee.
Kim nodded towards the headstone. ‘This is my twin brother. He died.’
Bryant turned his head to the grave.
One of Bryant’s best assets was knowing when to ask questions and when to keep quiet.
She stepped away from the grave and sat on the bench.
Bryant sat beside her. ‘Kim …’
‘Tell me where we are,’ she said, taking a sip of her drink.
‘Okay, Whiley has confessed to being in the basement with Dunn. He claimed it was his only time and the recordings supported his words. With his testimony on top of the rest of the evidence Dunn is not going to walk, despite the smack in the face.’
‘Did you go and see Ruth?’
Bryant nodded. ‘By the time I’d told her everything she practically begged for the opportunity to testify against the doctor. A plea is being worked out in Ruth’s favour. She’ll serve time but will still have a whole chunk of life left to live.’
About Ruth, Alex had been correct. She would never have committed the crime without intervention.
Kim already knew that Jessica had been re-diagnosed with puerperal psychosis and had been removed from her family and placed into residential care. As a favour to Kim, Ted had agreed to treat her and Kim felt confident she would get the best possible help.
She’d called Sarah Lewis herself. The ‘For Sale’ sign had been removed from the front of the house. The small family could finally put down roots.
‘Barry Grant is off life support but still in intensive care. The prognosis is mixed. His memory was impaired and the irony that he’ll never walk again is not lost on anyone.’
She’d spoken to David, who had visited Shane in prison. Shane had been uncommunicative and had revealed nothing of the events that had sent him back to prison. He had instructed David not to visit him again.
During her conversations with David he had dropped not so subtle hints about his wish to see her restoration project. Although Kim hadn’t invited him around yet, the possibility hadn’t been completely discounted.
So, most of Alex’s victims were doing well, but with regard to herself, Kim wasn’t quite so sure. Externally, her façade was back. She was ready to work cases; she was sleeping badly and drinking more caffeine than was good for her.
‘Okay, thanks for the update, now get lost and go back to your family.’
‘You do know this isn’t your property and you can’t really tell me when to leave.’
‘Yeah, but what if I say please?’
‘I’d put you into the recovery position and call for a paramedic.’
‘Almost funny,’ she groaned.
He stood. ‘But seeing as you asked like a normal person. I’ll leave you in peace.’
He took two steps and turned. ‘Kim, thank you.’
‘Yeah, whatever, now piss off.’
He laughed as he turned and walked away.
She stood and surveyed the view over the heart of the Black Country. It was not a beautiful vista. It was a basin that had more than its fair share of poverty and crime.
A smile tugged at her lips as she remembered that somewhere down there was a baby boy whose heart still beat strongly within his dinosaur pyjamas. Like Kim herself, baby Jamie had fought back from the brink and won.
LETTER FROM ANGELA
First of all, I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Evil Games. I hope you enjoyed the second instalment of Kim's journey and hope you feel the same way I do. Whilst not always perfect she is someone you would want fighting your corner.
If you did enjoy it, I would be forever grateful if you’d write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it can also help other readers discover one of my books for the first time. Or maybe you can recommend it to your friends and family…
A story begins as a seed of an idea that grows from watching and listening to everyone around you. Each individual is unique and we all have a story. I want to capture as many of those tales as I can and I hope you will join both Kim Stone and myself on our travels; wherever they may lead.