What She Saw Page 3

  As he turned with a quirky smile on his lips and a travel mug full of steaming coffee in his hand, her heart gave a little stumble. This man was the first ever to look after her. She’d always been the strong one. Her strength often the downfall of her relationships as the men had either crumbled or leaned on her too hard.

  Her smile came quick and natural. ‘Thanks.’ It felt good. ‘I thought you’d gone.’

  ‘Not yet.’

  She stroked her fingers across his as she accepted the mug from him, little ripples of pleasure making her wish she could stay.

  The tremble of thunder had her gripping the mug in her right hand and whipping around so she could face the threat head on.

  Domino hurtled into the kitchen. His cat-like paws skidded as he punched the kitchen door wider with his head and leapt from the hallway carpet onto the smooth, pale grey tiles, his claws tip-tapping as he fought to stay upright in his haste to get to her.

  The full weight of a thirty-two kilogram Dalmatian smacked into the front of her knees, jarring her all the way through her body until her teeth cracked.

  ‘Bloody hell, Domino. Get down.’ One-handed was never the way to tackle an exuberant Dalmatian.

  Unrepentant, the spotted dog twirled around in tight circles, stomping on Jenna’s feet. His frantic tail whipped time after time against her legs.

  ‘For the love of Jesus, Domino. Stop.’

  As she reared her head back up to stop the dog cracking his skull into hers, her detective constable and sister’s current boyfriend, Mason Ellis, sauntered into the kitchen, clearly comfortable, a weary smile on his sleep-puffed face.

  The little jolt of surprise couldn’t be helped. She had no idea her sister was sleeping with Mason yet. Not Fliss’s fault. Jenna had made it clear to both Mason and Fliss that she wanted to know nothing about their relationship. Her initial thoughts being that she never wanted to have to take sides between her sister and her work partner.

  She now realised, she did need to know. She needed to know who was walking around her house at night, who let Domino run wild when he should have been fast asleep on Fliss’s bed and who the hell swiped her thick as treacle, black coffee from her hand without a twitch of remorse.

  ‘That’s mine.’ She reached out to snatch it back.

  ‘Not any more.’ He took a deliberate swig and shot her a wicked grin. ‘You want it back?’

  She returned his grin with a cool stare. ‘You’re a child.’ What was it they said about familiarity breeding contempt?

  As he hunkered down and yanked the huge Dalmatian into a good strong one-armed cuddle, she knew she could always forgive him, for the care he’d shown for Domino when he’d been injured and the obvious love he had for Fliss. Not that love had been mentioned at this stage, but it was love. She knew. She could see it, even if they couldn’t yet.

  It could have been awkward, but Mason had feelings for her sister long before Fliss was aware. He’d never have made a move if Jenna had disapproved. The heartache he’d suffered when Fliss had disappeared had served to convince Jenna that he deserved a shot at happiness for both their sakes. Fliss deserved to be adored, and Mason adored her.

  Of course, if he ever hurt Fliss, Jenna would rip his heart out and leave it bleeding on the ground. She’d made that quite clear.

  The same surprise she’d felt at his presence flashed through Mason’s eyes as they centred on Adrian who leaned, arms crossed over his chest with quiet casualness against the kitchen counter. ‘Hey. Umm.’ Mason took another slurp of the coffee and raised the cup in a salute. ‘Do you want some?’

  Adrian’s lips quirked. ‘A little late for me. Thanks.’

  ‘Late? We’re only just getting started.’

  ‘Good luck with that. I’m just off home to a good night’s sleep.’

  ‘Nine-to-fivers,’ Mason acknowledged. ‘Bloody lucky.’

  Still half asleep, Adrian raised his chin before turning his back to stick another pod in the Tassimo.

  To distract Mason from his obvious attempt to wind Adrian up, Jenna nudged at him. ‘I didn’t know you were here.’

  Mason ducked his head, his backside hit the floor as Domino swiped a long tongue over his ear and stomped on him. The dog’s attention didn’t even put a hitch in Mason’s voice as he continued to rough him up. ‘Fliss and I just got back from the cinema.’

  With a grateful smile, Jenna took the second coffee Adrian handed to her and grabbed a swift sip. ‘I just got called in.’

  ‘Major fire.’ Mason pushed himself up from the floor, held one hand up in a stop motion at the overexcited Domino. ‘Wait.’

  The command had Domino slapping his backside on the floor. He stretched his long elegant neck full length, chin up and sent an adoring gaze at Mason without even a twitch. Jenna wasn’t sure which one of them she should kick. Not that she’d dream of kicking the dog. Mason, possibly… but the dog was never that obedient for her.

  Instead, she ground her teeth and turned to Mason, hoping her expression wasn’t as intent as Domino’s. ‘You’ve been called too?’

  ‘Yep.’ He took a long gulp of her coffee. ‘I’ll meet you at the station. I’ll grab the keys for the vehicle when I get there.’ He paused and narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Who’s driving?’

  Jenna swiped her bag from the back of one of the kitchen chairs and swung it over her shoulder. ‘Me. Always me, Mason.’

  Mason scrubbed the top of Domino’s head. ‘Go back to your mum, lad.’

  Jenna’s jaw dropped as the spotted dog turned tail, trotted out of the door and thundered up the stairs back to Fliss. Used to Jenna’s on-call schedule, she’d not rouse herself from a comfortable, warm bed. There was no reason. And she’d be having a bloody sleep-in the following morning.

  ‘How the hell do you get him to do that?’

  Mason gulped the rest of her coffee and slipped the empty travel mug into the sink. ‘Personality, boss. Personality.’ He raised a hand. ‘Good to see you, Adrian.’ As he swung on his heel and headed for the door, Jenna couldn’t resist a quick glance at the offending travel mug he’d stuck in the sink. Her pet hate. No one should ever leave crockery in a sink. There would be a little re-alignment of his attitude next time he stepped foot in her house.

  She chewed her bottom lip, torn between washing it up and putting it away, or slipping out of the door and leaving it for Fliss to deal with. She caught Adrian’s gaze.

  ‘I see your demon in there. I’ve got it.’ He moved to the sink and swiped up the mug, bringing a fast grin to her face. The man was a minor miracle.

  She stepped into his space and grabbed a quick kiss. ‘Thank you. I’ll see you later.’

  ‘Possibly not. I need to be back in London on Monday morning for a few days, it depends what you end up working.’

  ‘Oh.’ Disappointment curdled her stomach, but until he’d finished with the major drugs case he was working, life would continue in this vein. That just had to be accepted.

  As she turned to go, he snaked an arm around her waist and whipped her back around to face him. ‘If you can dovetail something in later, let me know. I’ll let myself out.’ He grabbed another kiss and then released her, but not before he trailed his knuckles down her cheek and softened her heart.

  ‘There’s no need, you can stay.’ Her voice came out in a breathless rush.

  ‘No, it’s okay. I’ll get off now. Somehow it won’t be the same without you in that bed.’

  The warmth in her stomach spread to her chest as she backed out of the kitchen, a vague confusion rolling through her system. He made it simple.

  Before she turned to go, she had to check. ‘Make sure you lock the door behind you. It’s important to Fliss.’

  His small nod accompanied an understanding smile. ‘Important to you too. I’ll see you soon. I’ll be back full-time once the courts call me for Fliss’s case.’

  ‘It could be weeks.’

  His gaze held hers.

  ‘It won’t be weeks befor
e I return. I’ll call you later.’

  Flustered, she ducked her head. ‘Bye.’

  She slipped out of the door and down the pathway with confusion uppermost. Her chest reeling between warm excitement and anxious anticipation. No one had ever treated her the way he did. There was respect and care. It was the care that all her previous relationships had lacked. Her boyfriends may have respected her, but she’d always been the stronger one, the one to reassure, to nurture, to care. Now it was mutual.

  It left her strangely shaken.

  She slipped into the car and glanced back at her house. It may take some getting used to, but it felt good to have him there.

  5

  Saturday 18 April 2355 hours

  He pulled off the road and bumped his Jeep Wrangler through deep ruts into the treeline before he cut the engine.

  All the best laid plans could take a turn for the worse. He needed to know this one hadn’t. The only way he could make sure was to check for himself.

  He made his way through the thick forest of trees and kept the beam from the flashlight trained on the ground, aware anyone could see it. If they were looking. There was no reason for anyone to look.

  Yet.

  Satisfaction warmed his stomach as the glow of light flickered to reach gnarled fingers through the gaps in the trees.

  He slowed his footsteps, aware of the precipice not far in front. The steep drop into the valley below.

  Way above the fifteenth-century stone building, he stared down, satisfied the plan was initiated.

  A rolling stone. There was no stopping it now.

  He turned his head to the right to scan the long driveway. As yet, devoid of any traffic. It wouldn’t be for long.

  Movement caught his attention and he narrowed his eyes. Twin lights of a vehicle approached from the direction of Much Wenlock. Not following the road as he would have imagined, but surprising him by crashing across the fields in a direct line towards the old house.

  As it tore through the sparse treeline and made for the middle of the long driveway, a number of upstairs windows blew out from the house in an explosion of ferocious golden flames and black smoke in amongst what he could only imagine a profusion of tiny shards of glass.

  Hypnotised, his gaze lingered on the flames licking their way up the outside of the house, consuming the place as though it was a living, breathing being sent to scorch and destroy.

  Destroy is what it needed to do.

  Sirens sounded in the dead of the clear night. Stars, normally clearly visible without the light pollution towns and cities had, petered out, overpowered by the strength of the flames dancing to their own tune.

  The car slewed to a halt and he squinted to get a better view as the two front doors were flung open. Black silhouettes, intermittently illuminated stumbled towards the house, hands held up in defence.

  Interested, he took a step back, aware that he could be visible should someone choose to look up. He angled his head, the pulse in the base of his throat throbbing. Anticipation, excitement. Dicing with possibilities.

  Blue lights flashed on their approach. Fire. Ambulance. Police.

  He retreated. Curious, interested in the process. Aware of the possibilities of being noticed. He took one more step back. Hunkered down, his back against a tree to watch the light show.

  6

  Sunday 19 April 0035 hours

  Once they’d parked their cars at Malinsgate Police Station, Jenna took the keys Mason had grabbed from the duty desk and slid into the driver’s seat of the police-issue vehicle. One of the older cars in the fleet, the interior held the vague reminiscence of sweat and pee, as though the vehicle had transported one too many drug addicts and drunks.

  ‘Did it have to be this one?’ She tried not to breathe in through her nose.

  Mason shrugged and she suspected he hadn’t even noticed the stench, or perhaps wasn’t bothered by it.

  Jenna slotted her travel mug into the plastic holder in the centre console as Mason made the car bounce when he flopped into the passenger seat. ‘That’s mine!’ She stabbed her finger at the mug. ‘Don’t touch it, or you’re dead meat.’ With a deliberate hard glance at Mason to make sure he got the message, she turned again for a closer look at him. ‘What the hell are you grinning at?’

  He shrugged and reached for his seat belt, the long creases bracketing his mouth cut deep as he continued to grin.

  Jenna pushed the button to fire the engine up but took it out of gear as she turned in her seat to stare at him. ‘What?’

  ‘I think you’ve gone soft on him, all for a dopey smile and a hot mug of coffee.’

  Speechless for a moment, she narrowed her eyes at him. ‘I’ve not gone soft, and you were the one who got the coffee.’

  ‘Only because I took it from you. If we’d been at work, you’d have knocked my block off for that.’

  ‘It was precisely because we weren’t at work that I didn’t.’

  ‘You didn’t want to frighten him off with a display of unprecedented violence.’

  ‘It wouldn’t have been unprecedented. It would have been justified. So would your burial in the shallow grave in my back garden. You stole my coffee.’

  ‘That’s a stiff accusation.’

  ‘It’s an accurate observation. And you were in my house. I was being congenial towards you. It was nothing to do with Adrian.’ And yet it was everything. He was integrating into her world, being accepted by Mason.

  ‘Interesting.’ He fell silent and stared straight ahead as he waited for her to respond.

  With emotions a little too tender and new for her to examine, Jenna turned and pulled her seat belt around her, put the car in gear and pulled away from the parking space to head for the exit.

  She put her foot a little too hard on the accelerator and the car leapt to life, shooting into the mainstream of traffic as she took the ring road around Telford Town Centre. That in-between time of couples heading home after a date night of restaurant and cinema, but too early yet for the turning out of the clubs, the mid-flow of traffic hadn’t reached its peak.

  She sailed through green traffic lights at Hollinswood Interchange and took the fifth exit onto the A442 Queensway towards Ironbridge.

  Jenna guided her vehicle between the other cars, negotiating the pimple roundabouts which were a recent addition to the area. The whole of Telford had been affected, slowed down, clogged up. At one time she remembered, she could get from her house to the retail park in under ten minutes. Now, with all the additional traffic lights and roundabouts and narrowing of lanes, and feeder lanes, she was lucky if she made it in twenty.

  Progress. This is what they called progress.

  Gone were the days, and not so long ago, when Telford was renowned for its roundabouts, traffic flowed freely, and one-way systems worked. It hadn’t taken so very long from the advent of the first set of traffic lights on those roundabouts to manage to snarl up the traffic.

  Unable to stop the yawn, Jenna reached out to turn the heating down and keep some fresh air flowing, then she pushed back in her seat. She glanced right and swooped the car around the roundabout at the top of Jiggers Bank, the steep, undulating road that dived down into Ironbridge. The narrow road, opened in 1818, had serviced the Industrial Revolution but had crumbled into the deep valley below until the last few years when they’d shored it all up with gabion baskets filled with stone.

  She opted to take the more direct route along the bypass, lifting her foot off the accelerator as the car swooped down the steep embankment. Instead of following the steady curve in the road that would take her onwards to Shrewsbury, Jenna touched her foot to the brake, changed down gear, indicated left and opted for the narrower road over the Buildwas bridge and headed towards Much Wenlock.

  ‘Oh, dear God.’

  Brilliant amber and gold scythed across the glass-clear night sky, dulling out the bright stars. Like a sunset, multicoloured hues dashed across the horizon, but unlike a sunset, the colours wavered li
ke great flags, never still, interlacing with huge plumes of smoke, which could have been mistaken for clouds but for the vicious spiralling upwards into the ether.

  ‘That’s one hell of a fire,’ Mason observed.

  Jenna blew out a breath. ‘We’re still miles away. It must be enormous.’

  ‘It’ll take some putting out. Let’s hope the fire service have enough resources on hand to deal with this. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it.’

  Sparks licked into the night sky, pushing the illumination higher, and Jenna pressed her right foot a little heavier to the accelerator.

  ‘They’ll have to pull in everything they’ve got.’ Not her problem, Jenna nevertheless considered the logistics of adequate cover from a county whose fire stations mainly had one tender in each location.

  She followed the smooth flow of the road, hugging the bends as it took her past the sparse smattering of houses, meandering down past the old renovated pub on her left and then climbing back up again on its approach to Much Wenlock.

  Hands soft on the steering wheel, Jenna peered up into the sky at the encroaching vast swathe of red, purpling at the edges as it dispersed into the night.

  Distracted by the sight, her heart leapt in her chest as a dark shadow burst from the treeline in the hills above her to spring onto the road. Survival instinct had Jenna slamming her brakes on. Lit up in the swathe of white headlights from the police car, the fallow deer continued its dash in front of their bonnet almost skimming the paintwork and then dodged at the last minute. Its white spots glowed against the pale golden tan of its hide.

  As Mason was almost thrown through the front windscreen, but for the immediate action of his seat belt, the inertia flung Jenna back in her own seat. Her head slammed against the headrest as her breath jammed in her chest. ‘Shit.’