Crucified

Chapter 5

Portobello Road, as always, was alive with a remarkably diverse range of people going about their lives amid the multicoloured buildings and stalls. But if Jack had been in this part of London at this very moment, he would have been stunned to see who was coming out of a framer’s shop carrying a stack of old guilt and wood frames, bold as brass.

It was Adam Border.

He had made no effort to disguise his appearance, with a baseball hat pulled quite low but not really hiding his face, his blond hair tied in a ponytail, and wearing a worn denim jacket. He walked casually down the road, turning towards a parked Mercedes jeep. He bleeped it open to stash the frames and drove off towards Westbourne Grove, pulling off his baseball cap and putting on a pair of sunglasses.

While Laura prepared a Chinese dinner, Josh sat at her small kitchen table with a bottle of beer.

‘So, tell me, how is Jack really?’ she asked.

Josh gave her an edited version of what Jack had told him. Laura put the sliced chicken breast in the pan and added sweet and sour sauce.

‘Yeah, that was the Middleton investigation. One of the most horrific cases I have ever been involved in.’ Laura removed the fried chicken breast and began to make the various side dishes. Josh watched as she chopped chillies, garlic, onions and peppers. She intermittently stopped and took deep breaths as tough memories caught up with her.

‘It was horrific, Josh. He had murdered so many young girls. Honestly, it was a horror show. He dismembered them, wrapped them up and stashed them in rubbish bins. As CSI opened the drains underneath the shower and bath, they found more and more evidence. Trying to identify the poor souls that had been murdered took months.’

Laura initially blamed her tears on the onions, but once she had started to cry, that was it. Josh got up and took her in his arms. She clung to him, first saying she was sorry and then, between sobs, telling him that she kept on reliving the horror over and over. When she was calmer, Laura explained she had been seeing a counsellor the police medical officer had recommended, because she couldn’t sleep.

‘The defence lawyer made Jack relive the whole thing, over and over. Sometimes it seemed like he was the one on trial. And to watch Middleton loving the attention, smiling and laughing, was hideous. Added to that, we were being inundated with families trying to find out if their missing daughters were Middleton’s victims.’

Laura toyed with the idea of not mentioning what was on her mind but eventually couldn’t help herself. ‘There was an incident, I’ve never told it to anyone, but... somehow Jack got permission, or not, I don’t know, but just before Middleton was being taken from the court, Jack went down to his cell. I think he was trying to ask him about the other victims. Again, I don’t know exactly what Jack was thinking, but...’

‘Go on.’

‘Jack went into the cell, with an officer outside. Then Middleton started screaming, claiming Jack had tried to kill him. Middleton was ignored, but I asked the officer what had happened and he just said not to ever mention it.’

Josh returned to the table as she carried on cooking. ‘Where is Middleton being held?’

‘He was originally sent to Frankland prison in Durham, but he demanded that he be sent to a prison nearer to his family.’ Laura laughed. ‘As it turned out, he made a big mistake, because he was transferred to Bellview, one of England’s toughest prisons. I know all about it because one of the nurses working there used to be at Holloway, which is now closed. I heard her talk at a conference about offender rehabilitation.’

‘What was her name?’

‘Janet Williamson... anyway, I asked her about Middleton. She told me that he had to be banged up alongside sex offenders and paedophiles for his own safety. Weird, isn’t it — the real scumbags want to kill him, but when he was on trial all these teenage girls hung around outside the court, like he was a rock star.’

Josh nodded. He recalled watching the trial of the Los Angeles serial killer and rapist Richard Ramirez on television, who had girls fighting to get seats in the courtroom, writing love letters and even trying to get him to marry them. He remembered Ramirez turning towards his fans, smiling and blowing kisses.

‘Some killers are just pure evil, the devil incarnate, I guess. If you spend any time dealing with them and their crimes, you can’t stay immune.’

‘What do you mean?’ Laura asked.

‘What I’m trying to say is that facing up to such inhumanity at close quarters is bound to affect you mentally and physically.’

‘Are you referring to yourself or what you think is happening to Jack?’

‘Both of us, I suppose. I can still see Ramirez’s face, but I knew after that trial I didn’t want to work as a homicide detective anymore, so I joined the drug squad. Now after what I have seen in Los Angeles and San Francisco with these zombie drugs being sold on the streets... I genuinely don’t know what’s worse.’

Laura served the sweet and sour chicken with fried rice, but it took two glasses of wine each before their mood lifted. First, she apologised for breaking down in tears, and he said he was sorry for bringing up the sadistic killer Ramirez. Changing the subject to something lighter, Josh asked if Laura was seeing anyone. Her cheeks flushed and she made Josh laugh as she described how many dating apps she had been on, with farcical results.

‘So, you are seeing someone,’ he said with a cheeky grin.

‘I’ve met a nice guy who works in advertising. Nothing to do with the police service. I went to an art gallery and spilt my wine over him. So far, we’ve had three dates. I really like him.’

‘Have you consummated your new love?’

Laura went even redder. ‘Mind your own business! And you, what about you? You were married last time we were together.’

‘Divorced, almost remarried, two children from her previous relationship.’

Laura smiled. ‘Sticky toffee pudding with ice cream or cheese and biscuits with coffee?’

‘Just coffee sounds good. I just need to go to the bathroom.’

After using the lavatory, Josh slipped into the box room. He sat on the bed and opened his medical box. He injected himself and took two painkillers, then waited for the excruciating pain to ease before he was able to rejoin Laura in the kitchen.

As they sat at the table drinking coffee, Josh could not stop yawning.

‘Sorry, I was up most of last night talking to Jack.’

‘Did he say when he would return to the station? Everyone is asking.’

‘I don’t know. He was a bit evasive, but I’m sure it won’t be long.’

‘Did Maggie tell you anything?’

‘Not really. But I think she’ll be going back to work soon.’

‘More coffee?’

‘I think I need to crash out, if you don’t mind. I have an early start tomorrow.’

‘Oh, of course. By the way, I got out a file I kept on the Rodney Middleton case, mostly newspaper clippings and things. I found them useful when I went to sessions with the therapist.’

Josh picked it up from the sideboard. ‘Can I take this and have a read before I crash?’

‘Of course. What time do you need to leave in the morning? I’m on a late shift, so I can make you breakfast.’

‘Quite early, but if you’re not awake, I’ll just let myself out.’

She kissed him on the cheek, a tad disappointed he didn’t seem to want anything more, but then she was unsure how she would have reacted if he had done. It was almost eleven by the time she’d cleared the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher and headed upstairs. Going to her bedroom, Laura noticed the light was still on in the box room. She almost knocked... then told herself not to be silly and went to bed.

Adam Border parked his Mercedes jeep opposite the double garage doors and walked around the gravel drive to the front of the elegant property. Before he could use his key, the door was opened by a woman with waist-length blond hair, wrapped in a satin pink kimono. He lifted her off her feet and into his arms as he kicked the door shut behind him.

‘I’ve missed you,’ she said.

Josh was propped up in bed, reading through the file, thinking that it was no wonder Jack was traumatised. The horrors of the Richard Ramirez case had haunted him, and he knew Jack was now in the same terrible place. He thought about Penny, Maggie and the children and knew if Jack didn’t get help, and soon, he could lose everything — not just his mind. Josh sighed through his drugged state. He just hoped he could make a difference before it was too late.

The following morning, Laura found Josh’s thank you note on top of the Middleton file on the kitchen table. She was disappointed he’d left without a hug or a goodbye. When she put the file back on the shelf, she didn’t notice that there were sections missing.

On Saturday morning, Maggie persuaded Jack to accompany her to the Portobello Road market while Penny stayed at home with Hannah and Charlie. As Jack drove she went over the list of items they would need from the second-hand shops and stalls. He remarked that there wouldn’t be enough room in the car if they purchased all the items in one go, but Maggie already had it all planned out.

‘Marius is back home, and he has a van. We could call him and ask if he or one of his workmates could come and collect the larger items we buy this morning.’

‘We pay him by the hour, you do know that?’ Jack objected.

‘He’s a friend now!’ Maggie retorted. ‘He’ll not charge us for picking up a few things. He has done an incredible job, and at half the price we would have paid anyone else. Money is tight, Jack, I know... have you decided when to return to the station?’

‘I’m still thinking about it.’

‘Well, I’ve decided to return full-time as we need my wages. And when I do, Penny will need some extra help...’

‘Bloody hell, Mags, we’ve already had this discussion.’

‘Not properly. I’ve not mentioned anything to Penny yet because I wanted to go over it all with you first. Just listen, then you can bite my head off if you must. I’ve checked out some nursery places for Charlie and they’re so expensive. I think our only option is for him to be at home with Penny. But she will also have to take Hannah to her new school and collect her; that would mean she would have to take Charlie in the pram if we’re both on early shifts. With the new deep freezer, I’ve been able to stock up on food, and I can start doing online food shops but Penny will still want to do local shopping for fresh stuff.’ Maggie turned to him as he was leaning forward over the steering wheel. ‘Are you listening to me?’

‘I’m looking for a parking space.’

‘We are miles away from the market. Go to the Ladbroke Grove end and find a space near there. I think we’ll get more bargains from that end of the market.’

Jack sighed. Maggie had not stopped talking from the moment they set off. Jack crept slowly along Westbourne Grove and eventually found a parking space. Maggie said they would need about three hours. He used his credit card to pay for the parking.

‘Bloody rip off. They only allow two hours max,’ he moaned, putting the parking ticket on the windscreen.

Maggie didn’t comment. The last thing she wanted was for him to get into one of his moods. They’d become so frequent of late that it was like treading on eggshells all the time. They made their way to the second-hand shops and she quickly earmarked two small bookcases, a chest of drawers and a single old-fashioned bed with a carved headrest. She skilfully bargained the owners down and then got more money off by paying cash. The market was filling up as they neared the popular midway stalls and Maggie stopped to buy a coffee and bagel, while Jack said he would look at the nearby stall selling Indian fabrics, throw rugs, cushions and curtains.

It took nearly five minutes for Maggie to get served, then carrying the two coffees and bagel wrapped in a napkin, she looked around for Jack but couldn’t see him by the fabric stall or anywhere nearby. She killed some time going into a small boutique selling pottery. Then, after a minute or two, she came out, having seen some lovely big ceramic pots for the conservatory which she wanted to show Jack, but still he was nowhere to be seen.

While at the fabric stall, Jack had seen the side profile of a suntanned man wearing dark glasses as he passed by. He had tiedback blond hair and wore a baseball cap, denim jacket and jeans. He looked familiar, but Jack didn’t instantly recognise him. At first he thought nothing of it, but curiosity got the better of him, so he walked back down the market to find the man. Eventually he spotted him talking to the owner of a stall selling damaged oil paintings and old wooden picture frames. Jack kept his distance and watched.

As Jack eased forward to try and see his face, the man followed the stall-holder through the door of a small, tatty-looking shop with a cracked front window. Jack moved round to a stall selling antiques so he could see into the interior of the shop, picking up a china-faced Victorian doll as if he was interested in it. The framer’s shop was dark inside, but Jack could see the stall-holder showing the man in the cap some old picture frames, though he still couldn’t see his face. The man picked up a frame and held it up to the light, revealing a gold bangle on his wrist.

‘Jesus Christ!’ Jack muttered to himself, nearly dropping the doll. ‘It can’t be!’

The stall-holder, a large woman with heavy gold earrings and too much makeup, clearly thought Jack was remarking on the price of the doll.

‘It’s a good price for a handmade Victorian doll of that quality,’ she said. ‘She still has her original hair and shoes, too.’

‘I’m looking for a doll for my daughter,’ Jack said, keeping half an eye on the interior of the framer’s shop.

‘She’ll love her, I’m sure,’ said the woman. ‘She is a collector’s item, too, so she’ll only increase in value... be a good investment.’

Jack smiled, pretending to think about it. Then he saw the two men exiting the framer’s shop, the owner pocketing a wedge of bank notes while the man in the cap put on his sunglasses.

‘I’ll come back at seven,’ he said.

Jack knew that voice. It was Adam Border.

‘Glass eyes still in perfect condition, which is rare when they’re this old. They often roll back into the head, but you can see, if you rock her, her eyes still close and open.’

Jack turned away to hide his face as Border walked past. He waited a few seconds, still clutching the doll, and was about to follow Border when Maggie appeared.

‘I’ve been looking all over for you. Here’s your cold coffee.’

‘You interested in buying the doll for your daughter or not?’ the woman said, finally losing patience.

As Jack sheepishly handed the doll back, Maggie shook her head — what would Hannah want with such a scary old doll! Jack quickly looked around, but Adam Border had disappeared into a crowd of shoppers.

‘Tell you what, I can let you have it for a hundred and twenty, and that’s a real bargain,’ the woman said.

‘I’m sure it is. Thank you very much, but our daughter’s got enough dolls,’ Maggie said firmly as she pulled Jack away.

As they moved off, the woman pursed her lips. ‘Fucking timewasters,’ she muttered under her breath. As she put the doll back on the stand, one plastic eye was wide open, the other remained closed.