perhaps there’s another reason?’
‘Don’t be so disgusting,’ Tom said. ‘Charley is my friend.’
‘You have a funny way of treating your friends,’ Dad spat, and squared up to him.
I wedged myself between them, pushing them apart.
‘Please, Dad,’ I cried. ‘I want to help Tom. I want to help him find the man who killed Kerry.’
‘But it’s not your job!’
‘I can help,’ I insisted. ‘Every time I see those flashes, I see a little more about that man. I know it won’t be long until I know who it is and where to find him.’
‘And that’s what frightens me, Charley,’ he said. ‘This man, whoever he is, is dangerous. I don’t want you to end up on those tracks like your mo …’
The silence was broken by Harker.
‘Come on, Tom. I think we should leave,’ he said, heading back down the hall towards the front door.
‘But …’ Tom started.
‘Just get out.’ Dad glared at him.
Tom reached forward and kissed me on the cheek. ‘I’ll call you,’ he whispered.
‘You’ll leave my daughter alone,’ Dad told him, following Tom and Harker to the door. ‘If I ever see you around here again or find out you have contacted my daughter, I will report the both of you to your superiors. I’ll tell them what you did here tonight. Now get out!’
CHAPTER 28
Tom – Wednesday 21:55 Hrs.
‘ T hat went well,’ I said, climbing into the car.
‘I guess he has a point,’ Harker said, starting the engine and pulling away from the kerb.
‘Looks like I won’t be seeing Charley again,’ I said.
‘That should be the last of your worries,’ Harker said.
‘But I do worry,’ I told him. ‘I like Charley a lot. I was hoping to spend some time with her over Christmas. You know, take her out some place nice. Now I’ve gone and messed everything up.’
‘You’ll get over it,’ Harker said, concentrating on driving. The roads were fast becoming slippery with snow.
‘I don’t want to get over it,’ I told him. ‘Anyway, I don’t even know what I’m doing discussing this with you, it’s my personal life.’
‘You started it,’ he said, shooting me a glance.
‘I never.’
‘Yeah, you did,’ he said dryly. ‘You involved your personal life the moment you took Charley up to that old house.’
‘Whatever,’ I shrugged, turning to look out of the window at the falling snow. It annoyed me that he was right.
‘So what do you reckon?’ Harker asked me, after a few moments of silence.
‘About what?’ I asked.
‘Do you think we have a killer in our midst?’ he said. ‘Do you really think this man is one of us – a copper – not just someone using fake ID?’
‘Charley hasn’t been wrong yet,’ I said, watching the snow swirl through the night sky.
‘That’s what scares me,’ Harker muttered. ‘Got any ideas?’
It was the question I hoped he wasn’t going to ask me. Slowly, I turned to look at him in the gloom of the car.
‘Well?’ he pushed.
‘Jackson,’ I said.
‘You’ve got to be joking?’ Harker said, almost steering us into the kerb.
‘I’m not joking,’ I told him. ‘He’s the one who couldn’t wait to brush Kerry’s death under the carpet as an accident. And when the evidence started to show otherwise, he leapt on Jason Lane. He was the one who quashed the other two cases that came CID’s way.’
‘But when would he have had the opportunity?’ Harker asked. ‘He was at work the night Kerry died.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ I asked. ‘You were out of the office with Lois, and I made my way down to the tracks on my own. Jackson was already there when I arrived. And that’s another thing, Charley said Kerry scratched this guy’s car, which was white. We have a whole yard of white police cars parked at the back of the nick. Jackson could’ve taken one of them.’
‘I don’t know,’ Harker sighed. ‘I don’t like pointing the finger at one of our own – one of my own – one of the team.’
‘Is Jackson
‘Don’t be so disgusting,’ Tom said. ‘Charley is my friend.’
‘You have a funny way of treating your friends,’ Dad spat, and squared up to him.
I wedged myself between them, pushing them apart.
‘Please, Dad,’ I cried. ‘I want to help Tom. I want to help him find the man who killed Kerry.’
‘But it’s not your job!’
‘I can help,’ I insisted. ‘Every time I see those flashes, I see a little more about that man. I know it won’t be long until I know who it is and where to find him.’
‘And that’s what frightens me, Charley,’ he said. ‘This man, whoever he is, is dangerous. I don’t want you to end up on those tracks like your mo …’
The silence was broken by Harker.
‘Come on, Tom. I think we should leave,’ he said, heading back down the hall towards the front door.
‘But …’ Tom started.
‘Just get out.’ Dad glared at him.
Tom reached forward and kissed me on the cheek. ‘I’ll call you,’ he whispered.
‘You’ll leave my daughter alone,’ Dad told him, following Tom and Harker to the door. ‘If I ever see you around here again or find out you have contacted my daughter, I will report the both of you to your superiors. I’ll tell them what you did here tonight. Now get out!’
CHAPTER 28
Tom – Wednesday 21:55 Hrs.
‘ T hat went well,’ I said, climbing into the car.
‘I guess he has a point,’ Harker said, starting the engine and pulling away from the kerb.
‘Looks like I won’t be seeing Charley again,’ I said.
‘That should be the last of your worries,’ Harker said.
‘But I do worry,’ I told him. ‘I like Charley a lot. I was hoping to spend some time with her over Christmas. You know, take her out some place nice. Now I’ve gone and messed everything up.’
‘You’ll get over it,’ Harker said, concentrating on driving. The roads were fast becoming slippery with snow.
‘I don’t want to get over it,’ I told him. ‘Anyway, I don’t even know what I’m doing discussing this with you, it’s my personal life.’
‘You started it,’ he said, shooting me a glance.
‘I never.’
‘Yeah, you did,’ he said dryly. ‘You involved your personal life the moment you took Charley up to that old house.’
‘Whatever,’ I shrugged, turning to look out of the window at the falling snow. It annoyed me that he was right.
‘So what do you reckon?’ Harker asked me, after a few moments of silence.
‘About what?’ I asked.
‘Do you think we have a killer in our midst?’ he said. ‘Do you really think this man is one of us – a copper – not just someone using fake ID?’
‘Charley hasn’t been wrong yet,’ I said, watching the snow swirl through the night sky.
‘That’s what scares me,’ Harker muttered. ‘Got any ideas?’
It was the question I hoped he wasn’t going to ask me. Slowly, I turned to look at him in the gloom of the car.
‘Well?’ he pushed.
‘Jackson,’ I said.
‘You’ve got to be joking?’ Harker said, almost steering us into the kerb.
‘I’m not joking,’ I told him. ‘He’s the one who couldn’t wait to brush Kerry’s death under the carpet as an accident. And when the evidence started to show otherwise, he leapt on Jason Lane. He was the one who quashed the other two cases that came CID’s way.’
‘But when would he have had the opportunity?’ Harker asked. ‘He was at work the night Kerry died.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ I asked. ‘You were out of the office with Lois, and I made my way down to the tracks on my own. Jackson was already there when I arrived. And that’s another thing, Charley said Kerry scratched this guy’s car, which was white. We have a whole yard of white police cars parked at the back of the nick. Jackson could’ve taken one of them.’
‘I don’t know,’ Harker sighed. ‘I don’t like pointing the finger at one of our own – one of my own – one of the team.’
‘Is Jackson
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