Alice’s voice again, as if she was standing right next to me. ‘You said I could trust you,’ she’d said.
Then I remembered seeing the man holding something out, showing it to Alice as she walked along the street next to his car. It was bright and shiny. Realising I had seen something similar before, I turned to Tom. ‘Get your warrant card out.’
‘What?’ Tom said.
‘Just give it to me,’ I said.
Tom took his warrant card from his pocket and opened it, revealing the silver police badge. With my skin turning cold and my heart racing, I turned to Harker. ‘This is how he gets the girls into his car. He shows them one of these. Your killer is a police officer.’
The silence that followed was deafening. It seemed to go on forever. I handed Tom his warrant card. He sat numbly, looking at it.
‘That is a serious accusation,’ Harker eventually said.
‘I know,’ I said and took another sip of water.
‘Are you sure about what you saw?’ Harker pressed me, again making me feel like I was the suspect.
‘I’m as sure as I can be,’ I said. ‘But it would make sense, don’t you think? I mean, why else would girls like Kerry and Alice get into a complete stranger’s car late at night?’
‘Charley’s right, Guv,’ Tom whispered, like it was a secret that he didn’t want to be overheard. ‘It was raining the night Kerry was taken. She wouldn’t have thought it strange if a copper pulled up beside her and offered her a lift home. That’s what a good copper would do. Kerry wouldn’t have been suspicious, she would have been grateful; especially after the row she’d had in the pub with her ex-boyfriend. A friendly copper would have been a welcome sight.’
‘I don’t know,’ Harker said, shaking his head. ‘A police officer? Who?’
‘You’re the detectives,’ I said.
Harker shot me a quick glance. ‘This isn’t something to be taken lightly. Anyway, we only have your word for it. This is only something that you claim to have seen in your …’
‘So that isn’t Alice Cotton’s purse then?’ I hissed, pushing it back across the table towards him. ‘Alice Cotton wasn’t killed by a train? She didn’t have light brown hair and hazel eyes. Her father isn’t a wealthy businessman? Do I need to go on?’
‘No,’ Harker said, shaking his head. It was the first time since meeting him I’d managed to break his stare. He looked down at the purse and put it in his pocket.
‘So where do we go from here, Guv?’ Tom asked, sounding out of breath.
But before Harker had had a chance to answer, my dad appeared in the kitchen doorway. ‘What the bloody hell is going on here?’
We all looked at him.
‘Who are you?’ he barked at Harker.
‘I’m Detective Insp—’
‘And what are you doing in my house?’ he shouted, looking at my flushed face and the wet towel strewn across the kitchen table.
‘Charley has been helping us—’ Tom started, getting up from his seat.
‘What you mean is that you’ve been using my daughter again,’ Dad snapped at him. ‘Jesus, can’t you see what happens to her every time she has those flashes?’
‘Listen Mr Shep—’ Harker said.
‘No, you listen!’ Dad barked. ‘This is my daughter you’re messing with. She’s not some kind of freak show you can use to help solve your crimes. You’re the bloody police – you solve ’em!’
‘That’s what we’re trying to do,’ Tom insisted.
‘What, by getting my daughter to make herself ill? You really are a selfish bastard.’
‘Please, Dad,’ I said, tugging at his arm. ‘Let me explain.’
Dad gripped me by the shoulders. ‘Charley, you can’t see it, but he’s just using you. He is using your so-called ability to see things to help him climb the promotional ladder. And when he gets to the top he will drop you faster than a sack of shit.’
‘That’s not true,’ Tom shouted.
‘Why else would you be hanging around with a seventeen-year-old girl?’ Dad hissed. ‘Or
Then I remembered seeing the man holding something out, showing it to Alice as she walked along the street next to his car. It was bright and shiny. Realising I had seen something similar before, I turned to Tom. ‘Get your warrant card out.’
‘What?’ Tom said.
‘Just give it to me,’ I said.
Tom took his warrant card from his pocket and opened it, revealing the silver police badge. With my skin turning cold and my heart racing, I turned to Harker. ‘This is how he gets the girls into his car. He shows them one of these. Your killer is a police officer.’
The silence that followed was deafening. It seemed to go on forever. I handed Tom his warrant card. He sat numbly, looking at it.
‘That is a serious accusation,’ Harker eventually said.
‘I know,’ I said and took another sip of water.
‘Are you sure about what you saw?’ Harker pressed me, again making me feel like I was the suspect.
‘I’m as sure as I can be,’ I said. ‘But it would make sense, don’t you think? I mean, why else would girls like Kerry and Alice get into a complete stranger’s car late at night?’
‘Charley’s right, Guv,’ Tom whispered, like it was a secret that he didn’t want to be overheard. ‘It was raining the night Kerry was taken. She wouldn’t have thought it strange if a copper pulled up beside her and offered her a lift home. That’s what a good copper would do. Kerry wouldn’t have been suspicious, she would have been grateful; especially after the row she’d had in the pub with her ex-boyfriend. A friendly copper would have been a welcome sight.’
‘I don’t know,’ Harker said, shaking his head. ‘A police officer? Who?’
‘You’re the detectives,’ I said.
Harker shot me a quick glance. ‘This isn’t something to be taken lightly. Anyway, we only have your word for it. This is only something that you claim to have seen in your …’
‘So that isn’t Alice Cotton’s purse then?’ I hissed, pushing it back across the table towards him. ‘Alice Cotton wasn’t killed by a train? She didn’t have light brown hair and hazel eyes. Her father isn’t a wealthy businessman? Do I need to go on?’
‘No,’ Harker said, shaking his head. It was the first time since meeting him I’d managed to break his stare. He looked down at the purse and put it in his pocket.
‘So where do we go from here, Guv?’ Tom asked, sounding out of breath.
But before Harker had had a chance to answer, my dad appeared in the kitchen doorway. ‘What the bloody hell is going on here?’
We all looked at him.
‘Who are you?’ he barked at Harker.
‘I’m Detective Insp—’
‘And what are you doing in my house?’ he shouted, looking at my flushed face and the wet towel strewn across the kitchen table.
‘Charley has been helping us—’ Tom started, getting up from his seat.
‘What you mean is that you’ve been using my daughter again,’ Dad snapped at him. ‘Jesus, can’t you see what happens to her every time she has those flashes?’
‘Listen Mr Shep—’ Harker said.
‘No, you listen!’ Dad barked. ‘This is my daughter you’re messing with. She’s not some kind of freak show you can use to help solve your crimes. You’re the bloody police – you solve ’em!’
‘That’s what we’re trying to do,’ Tom insisted.
‘What, by getting my daughter to make herself ill? You really are a selfish bastard.’
‘Please, Dad,’ I said, tugging at his arm. ‘Let me explain.’
Dad gripped me by the shoulders. ‘Charley, you can’t see it, but he’s just using you. He is using your so-called ability to see things to help him climb the promotional ladder. And when he gets to the top he will drop you faster than a sack of shit.’
‘That’s not true,’ Tom shouted.
‘Why else would you be hanging around with a seventeen-year-old girl?’ Dad hissed. ‘Or
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