Birthdays for the dead

Chapter 7

Douglas Kelly peered around the door. His cheekbones stuck out more than they used to, so did his forehead, nose, and chin, as if he were slowly disappearing from the inside out. His freckled scalp stood out through a crown of thin grey hair. Wasn t even forty yet, and he already looked the other side of sixty.

It was a nice house, about a third of the way down a small Georgian terrace one of four that enclosed a little private park. But where the one behind McDermid Avenue was sprawling and overgrown, this one was trimmed and tidy, closed off from the road by a set of four-foot-high railings. Nice neighbourhood too: mullioned windows, no litter, every car an Audi, a Porsche, or a Range Rover.

Couldn t have been further from my crappy little Kingsmeath council house if it was in Australia.

Douglas Kelly blinked at me.

I stood on the top step, hands behind my back. Douglas, can we come in, please?

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, as if he was tasting the air, then turned and stalked back into the house. Not so much as a word.

We followed him into the lounge.

Douglas slumped into the leather couch and reached for a china mug. He peered up at the carriage clock ticking away on the mantelpiece, the noise jarring in the cluttered room. Cardboard

boxes made a cubist city on the polished floorboards, each one printed with a red squirrel in dungarees, carrying a huge acorn: SAMMY S MIDNIGHT FLIT YOU D BE NUTS TO TRUST ANYONE ELSE!!!

A standard lamp cast a yellow glow in the gloomy room.

I licked my lips. Took a deep breath. Douglas, you ll have seen My phone rang. Fuck I dragged the thing from my pocket, dropped it, grabbed it before it hit the deck. A name sat in the middle of the screen: Kerrigan, Mrs. No thanks. I switched the phone off, then stuck it back in my pocket again. Sorry.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

A car drove by on the street outside.

Try again: Douglas, it s

I m sorry about the mess. We should really get round to unpacking, but He blinked, biting his bottom lip, deep breaths hissing in through his nose. His pale blue eyes shimmered. He scrubbed a hand across them. Stared down into his tea.

I m sorry. It s been

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Douglas, we ve found

All these years you ve come out and sat with us: every sixteenth of September, even when Angela had her breakdown You didn t have to do that.

Douglas, I m so sorry, we

Don t say it. Please. The china mug trembled in his hands. Please

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Dr McDonald picked her way between the boxes, squatted down in front of Douglas Kelly and put a hand on his knee. Just like she d done with Helen McMillan s parents. It s OK. You can let go.

It s Douglas screwed his eyes closed, biting his lips.

It happened a long, long time ago. She s not suffering any more, he can t hurt her. It s over.

Who A tear ran down the side of his nose.

Who When he opened his eyes they were pink and swollen. Lips quivering.

It s OK, Douglas, it s OK. It s over. She s

Douglas Kelly slammed the mug into Dr McDonald s face. It shattered, shards of delicate white bursting open in slow motion like a flower blooming, tea spraying out. She grunted, toppled backwards, glasses clattering into the fireplace. He let go of the remaining bits of mug and clenched his hand into a fist launched himself off the couch, swinging for her.

I dipped my knees and lunged. And then everything snapped back to normal speed.

Slam: I barrelled into his side, pinning him against the couch as he struggled and kicked and screamed.

WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?

I grabbed his arm twisted it around behind his back.

Calm down!

IT S NOT OK! IT LL NEVER BE OK!

His leg jerked out, and Dr McDonald grunted again.

DOUGLAS: CALM DOWN! I twisted harder, shoving his face into the leather upholstery and keeping it there. Come on, stop it

He bucked, and writhed, and swore, and after what seemed like hours, finally went slack. Shoulders quivering, sobbing.

Dr McDonald huddled by the fireplace, staring at the palm of her left hand. Scarlet trickled down her pale face from a gash in her eyebrow. I m bleeding

I let go of Douglas and backed away from the couch. He didn t even move, just lay there crying, so I helped Dr McDonald to her feet.

She wobbled in her bright-red Converse Hi-tops. I m bleeding She frowned. Where s my glasses?

I picked them out of the fireplace and handed them to her. One leg was bent and twisted.

On the couch, Douglas drew his knees up to his chest, curling into a ball, arms wrapped around his head. Hannah He rocked back and forth. Oh, thank God, it s over

Ow Dr McDonald held onto the wall outside with one hand, the other clutching a wad of bloodstained kitchen paper against her eyebrow.

The rain was on again. Getting darker too. The Dickensian streetlights flickered on as the gloom tripped their automatic sensors.

He s not normally like that. I looked back towards the house, where Douglas Kelly was finally getting to mourn his daughter. He was wrong though it wasn t over. Because next year, on the sixteenth of September, another homemade birthday card would slither through his mailbox and bring it all back again. And the year after that, and the one after that too Sure you don t want some painkillers?

Can we just get to the hospital, please?

High overhead, a plane roared across the dark-grey sky, navigation lights blinking red and green. Lucky bastards getting away from Shite.

On the other side of the road a woman leaned against the park railings, the smoke from her cigarette curling around beneath the dome of her black umbrella: long camel-hair coat and black suit, auburn hair tied back in a ponytail. Thin rectangular glasses. Jennifer.

Shite and buggery.

I dug out the car keys and slipped them into Dr McDonald s hand. Why don t you go wait for me in the car. I ll only be a minute.

But I don t

Two minutes tops. I put a hand in the small of her back and steered her down the stairs, onto the pavement, then gave her a nudge in the direction of my decrepit Renault. She stumbled a bit, but kept on going.

Jennifer dropped the cigarette, ground it out with a black high-heeled boot, then crossed the road, hands in her pockets. Smiled like the sun coming out. Ash: long time, no see. You re looking A pause as she frowned up at my face, and then the smile was back. Good. Lying cow. How ve you been?

I nodded. Jennifer.

She stepped closer so the umbrella covered us both. Rain pattered on the black fabric. Up close, she smelled musky and peppery with a hint of lemon probably something French and expensive.

It s been too long. She wrinkled her upturned little nose. Crow s feet spread out from the corners of her eyes. They were new. I ve been thinking about you.

Forget it.

Oh, come on: lunch, my treat. Well, technically it s on Uncle Rupert, but what s the point of having an expense account if you can t treat an old flame now and then? She nodded towards Dr McDonald staring out at us through the Renault s windscreen. You can bring Katie, if you like? She s gotten big, hasn t she? Jennifer slipped her arm through mine. Actually might be better if you gave her a couple of quid to go to the pictures, then it d be just you and me. Like old times.

I stopped, pulled my arm away from her. How did you find him?

Jennifer s eyes flicked towards a scarlet Alfa Romeo parked opposite Douglas Kelly s house. The driver s window was down, a telephoto lens poked out into the cold morning. Staring straight at me.

She brushed something off my shoulder. You used to love that little bistro on Castle Hill, remember?

How did you find him?

She shrugged, pursed those perfect lips of hers. All that digging in Cameron Park You found Hannah s body, didn t you? That s why you re here.

He s ex-directory, the house isn t even in his name What did you do, follow me?

A pout. Ash, I m hurt. But it s OK: if you don t want to speak to me, I can go ring the bell and ask him. How does it feel to finally get your daughter back? The public love that kind of thing.

I leaned in close. Pin back your pretty little lugs, Jennifer. If you so much as breathe in Douglas Kelly s direction

What? You ll put me over your knee and give me a good spanking? She ran her hand down my chest. Have you still got those handcuffs?

I stepped back. Glowering. Leave him alone.

I ll do that thing you like? She closed the gap, pressing her breasts against me, looking up into my eyes. And after if I ve been a very good girl you can give me a wee exclusive on the Birthday Boy, off the record. You know you want to

Want to? I pushed her away. There s not enough Dettol in the world.

Streetlight glinted off the camera lens. Click, click, click. Photos for the late edition.

Oh, come on, Ash. You knew what you were getting into. We re both adults.

Click, click, click.

She licked her lips. It is her, isn t it? Hannah Kelly. And you ve got other bodies too.

Click, click, click.

Go away, Jennifer.

You ve found the Birthday Boy s body dump. Who is he? You ve got DNA or something, don t you? If you know who he is, you have to tell me.

Click, click, click.

We re pursuing several lines of investigation. I stepped off the kerb and marched towards the Alfa Romeo. Rain soaked into my hair.

The sound of high-heeled boots clattered along behind me. Who else have you found? I want an exclusive, Ash. You owe me!

Owe you? I kept going. For what, Jennifer? What do I fucking owe you?

Click, click The photographer looked up from his viewfinder. Too slow. I smacked the flat of my hand against the end of the lens, driving the whole camera into the hairy little shit s face. Crack his head jerked back, a bead of scarlet glistening in one nostril. Weak chin, pointy nose, hairy hands, hairy head. Like someone had cross-bred a rat with a chimp and given it a top-of-the-range Canon digital camera.

Frank!

Gagh Frank blinked, hairy paws smearing red across his face.

I grabbed the lens and pulled; the camera strap yanked his head forwards, clunking it into the window frame. I twisted the Canon through ninety degrees turning the strap into a noose. Pulled harder. Knuckles like burning gravel, fingers aching.

Ash! Don t be a dick, let him go!

Frank gurgled.

Another twist and there it was a small hatch marked

SD Card, set into the camera body. I flipped it open, pushed on the plastic edge, and the SD card popped up. About the same size as the end of my thumb, but rectangular, with one corner cut off. I gritted my teeth and pulled it out. Stuck it in my pocket. Let go.

Gaahhhhh Frank scrabbled away, clambering over the gearstick and the handbrake, camera clunking against the steering wheel.

Jennifer grabbed my sleeve. What s wrong with you?

I jerked my arm away, leaned on the window ledge and glared inside. The car smelled of stale digestive biscuits, cigar-ettes, and cold coffee. Listen up, you little fuck: I see you anywhere near here again, I see you at all, I m going to turn that telephoto lens of yours into an endoscope. Understand?

Frank just coughed and spluttered.

Ash! She grabbed me again.

I spun around and shoved. Jennifer staggered back against a Porsche the car alarm blared, the lights flashing on and off.

Get this into your thick little skull: it s over. I don t owe you a damn thing.

Her eyes were two cold slits, wrinkles creasing either side of her narrowed lips. Teeth bared. Who the hell do you think you are? She spat at me: a gobbet of frothy white that spattered against my chest.

I turned and walked away.

This isn t over, Ash, you hear me? This isn t over!