night, he could cover.”
“Don’t stress it,” Beth replied, hitting a switch on the side of the coffee machine. “Lucy loves playing with her cousins. They’re watching a film.” She grabbed two cups and set them on the counter. “I heard there was another murder.”
“Hayley Maitland.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“I think we’ve got prints this time,” Jane replied. She paused for a moment. “Can I tell you something in confidence?”
Beth nodded.
“I think we’re going to get him this time,” she continued. “There are processes to follow, but I think he slipped up. We found fingerprints.”
“Seriously?”
“A full set. It’s almost too good to be true.”
“So what, did he just get sloppy?”
“We just need to run the prints,” Jane continued, “hopefully get a match, and then we’ll know who did it. After all these years, I think -”
Stopping suddenly, she saw that Caitlin was standing next to Beth.
“I mean,” Jane added, trying not to appear flustered, “I’m confident. We had some…”
Her voice trailed off as she watched Caitlin reach down and slowly push one of the coffee cups toward the sink. The dead girl was staring at her, fixing her with a dark, determined gaze, as if something was wrong.
“Are you okay?” Beth asked, smiling at Jane. “You seem distracted.”
“No,” Jane replied, “I just…”
She paused again as she watched Caitlin pushing the cup a little further, until finally it came to rest at the very edge of the sink, on the verge of toppling over.
“You must be under so much pressure,” Beth continued, turning and grabbing a pot of coffee. After filling the two cups, she turned back to her. “I can watch Stu and Olly any time, you know that. I’m only doing a few shifts a week at the hospital, just to get back into the swing of things before the new year, so it’s really not a problem. You just look…” She paused for a moment. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Jane, but you look pretty exhausted. Tired, pale… You need to look after yourself. Fancy a spa day some time?”
“Yeah, Jane,” Caitlin said darkly, “you need to look after yourself. Don’t want to end up losing your mind, do you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Jane replied. “But a spa day sounds good. Next month, maybe, when all of this has been put to bed.”
“You might make a mistake,” Caitlin continued. “Maybe that husband of yours will finally find out what you used to do when you were a Border girl.”
“No.”
“No what?” Beth asked.
“No… coffee,” Jane replied, turning to her. “Sorry, I think I should get the boys home and to bed. You’re right, it’s been an insane day, and tomorrow’s going to be even crazier.”
“I just hope you find this monster soon,” Beth said, as the coffee machine beeped. “We can’t keep living in fear like this. It’s as if there’s some kind of darkness lurking under the surface, and we never know when or where it’s going to burst up next and take someone.”
“It’s not going to take anyone else,” Jane told her. “I promise. One way or another, we’re going to stop him. We’ve got prints now. He touched her and he messed up.”
***
Red lights pulsated all around her as Katie leaned back, giving them a better view of her naked body. Their hands rubbed against her flesh, pulling her closer, and she let them.
***
“Brother, oh brother,” Ben said with a smile as he looked up from the booth in the corner of the bar, “I was starting to think that maybe you’d stood me up.”
“I’m not that late,” Jack replied, glancing at his watch. “It’s only quarter past.”
“A man can become paranoid about these things,” Ben replied, holding his pint out and tapping it against Jack’s glass. “I’m sure it took a lot of un-clenching and effort for you to come here today and -” He stopped suddenly. “No, wait, that’s precisely the kind of borderline offensive statement I swore I wouldn’t
“Don’t stress it,” Beth replied, hitting a switch on the side of the coffee machine. “Lucy loves playing with her cousins. They’re watching a film.” She grabbed two cups and set them on the counter. “I heard there was another murder.”
“Hayley Maitland.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“I think we’ve got prints this time,” Jane replied. She paused for a moment. “Can I tell you something in confidence?”
Beth nodded.
“I think we’re going to get him this time,” she continued. “There are processes to follow, but I think he slipped up. We found fingerprints.”
“Seriously?”
“A full set. It’s almost too good to be true.”
“So what, did he just get sloppy?”
“We just need to run the prints,” Jane continued, “hopefully get a match, and then we’ll know who did it. After all these years, I think -”
Stopping suddenly, she saw that Caitlin was standing next to Beth.
“I mean,” Jane added, trying not to appear flustered, “I’m confident. We had some…”
Her voice trailed off as she watched Caitlin reach down and slowly push one of the coffee cups toward the sink. The dead girl was staring at her, fixing her with a dark, determined gaze, as if something was wrong.
“Are you okay?” Beth asked, smiling at Jane. “You seem distracted.”
“No,” Jane replied, “I just…”
She paused again as she watched Caitlin pushing the cup a little further, until finally it came to rest at the very edge of the sink, on the verge of toppling over.
“You must be under so much pressure,” Beth continued, turning and grabbing a pot of coffee. After filling the two cups, she turned back to her. “I can watch Stu and Olly any time, you know that. I’m only doing a few shifts a week at the hospital, just to get back into the swing of things before the new year, so it’s really not a problem. You just look…” She paused for a moment. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Jane, but you look pretty exhausted. Tired, pale… You need to look after yourself. Fancy a spa day some time?”
“Yeah, Jane,” Caitlin said darkly, “you need to look after yourself. Don’t want to end up losing your mind, do you?”
“I’ll be fine,” Jane replied. “But a spa day sounds good. Next month, maybe, when all of this has been put to bed.”
“You might make a mistake,” Caitlin continued. “Maybe that husband of yours will finally find out what you used to do when you were a Border girl.”
“No.”
“No what?” Beth asked.
“No… coffee,” Jane replied, turning to her. “Sorry, I think I should get the boys home and to bed. You’re right, it’s been an insane day, and tomorrow’s going to be even crazier.”
“I just hope you find this monster soon,” Beth said, as the coffee machine beeped. “We can’t keep living in fear like this. It’s as if there’s some kind of darkness lurking under the surface, and we never know when or where it’s going to burst up next and take someone.”
“It’s not going to take anyone else,” Jane told her. “I promise. One way or another, we’re going to stop him. We’ve got prints now. He touched her and he messed up.”
***
Red lights pulsated all around her as Katie leaned back, giving them a better view of her naked body. Their hands rubbed against her flesh, pulling her closer, and she let them.
***
“Brother, oh brother,” Ben said with a smile as he looked up from the booth in the corner of the bar, “I was starting to think that maybe you’d stood me up.”
“I’m not that late,” Jack replied, glancing at his watch. “It’s only quarter past.”
“A man can become paranoid about these things,” Ben replied, holding his pint out and tapping it against Jack’s glass. “I’m sure it took a lot of un-clenching and effort for you to come here today and -” He stopped suddenly. “No, wait, that’s precisely the kind of borderline offensive statement I swore I wouldn’t
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