---

Mitz had been adamant about accompanying Anna to hospital in the ambulance. The paramedics had checked her over and said she was fine, but Robyn had insisted Anna be taken to the hospital for a complete check-up and observation. Mitz held Anna’s hand as she lay on the gurney. Robyn stood on the ambulance step like a proud mother hen.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Anna again.

‘If you apologise again, I’ll have you fired,’ said Robyn. ‘You were only doing what I’d have done, and stupid as it was, I can’t blame you for your actions. However, you are not, under any circumstance, to ever put us through this again. I’m going to chain you to the desk and your computer for all future investigations.’ She smiled.

Robyn moved off the ambulance tailgate. It was time for Anna to leave. She raised a hand.

‘No high jinks, you two. Especially you, Anna.’

‘Promise,’ said Anna, wearily.

‘I’ll make sure she behaves,’ Mitz said. Robyn caught the look that passed between them and nodded goodbye.

The ambulance moved away. Robyn watched until it disappeared from view then continued standing, hands thrust deep into her pockets. The church clock struck three before falling silent. She let the silence wash over her, allowing the calm of the night to seep into her tired bones, before she slid back into her car. The night wasn’t over for her yet. Roger Jenkinson and Ella Fox still had some explaining to do.

---

Roger Jenkinson was a blubbering, miserable wreck of a human, full of remorse for his actions that had been driven by fear and greed.

Robyn and Matt sat side by side in the interview room, waiting while he dabbed at tears.

‘I’ve not known what to do since Tessa was murdered,’ he said. ‘It knocked me for six. I’d only spoken to her on Monday and she sounded so happy. She said she had something important to tell me. Something really special.’

Robyn said, ‘Miss Hall was expecting a child. We have confirmed you were the father. I imagine that was the news she was going to give you.’

Roger made a guttural noise in his throat and choked back a sob. ‘Deep down, I guessed it would be that. We’d talked about running off together, pooling our winnings and starting a family. I was waiting for the right time to let Naomi down gently.’ He shook his head, unable to continue.

‘I’d like to know what happened earlier today, sir. Before and after you abducted PC Shamash.’

‘It wasn’t intentional. Ever since Tessa, I’ve been anxious. When I heard Anthony had died too, I figured there was something amiss – two of our quizzing side dead in the space of two days – it seemed too much of a coincidence. I thought I’d take matters into my own hands and lay low. Naomi didn’t know about the money. I didn’t want her to find out. It’s been hard enough to try and split up with her. If she knew about the money as well, I’d never have managed it. She was pissed off with me for going to the Peak District without telling her and has been pestering me ever since to meet up. I told her you suspected me of murdering Tessa and asked if I could hide out at her house for a while until it was all resolved. Of course, she agreed. I thought I’d be out of harm’s way there. I took my guns for protection and moved into her house, but then your officer turned up and parked right outside.’

He shut his eyes to remember exactly what had happened…

---

Naomi pulls into the street, gets out of her car and slams the door shut. She marches into the house and calls for him.

‘You’re right. The police do think you killed Tessa,’ she says. ‘They asked me if I knew where you were.’

‘You didn’t tell them though, did you?’

She smiles at him. ‘Roger, of course not. We’re a team. I look out for you and you look out for me.’

Naomi drops her coat on the back of the kitchen chair. ‘You eaten?’

‘I wasn’t hungry,’ says Roger, taking up his usual position in the siting room, where he has full view of the comings and goings outside. He’s sure the bastard who killed Tessa will be after him too. It’s probably the same person who rang him to tell him to give the lottery money back. Well, he can get stuffed. Roger isn’t frightened of him. His gun is in the armchair. If anyone wants to try and take on Roger Jenkinson, they’ll be in for a surprise. Suddenly, a silver Vauxhall pulls into view and draws up outside the house. He recognises the police officer. He’s seen her at the station.

‘Fuck. The cops are here.’

Naomi rushes into the room. ‘It’s that female PC. The bitch has followed me home. Bet she’s hoping to catch you here.’

This messes things up. Roger bites his thumbnail and considers his options.

‘Got it,’ says Naomi, snapping her fingers. ‘We’ll pretend you’ve taken me hostage. Get her to climb out of her car and then we’ll steal it. She won’t be able to chase us on foot, will she? She seems to be alone so we shouldn’t get followed. We’ll head over to Bramshall Leisure. The cottages there are all empty. We can hide out until they find out who really killed Tessa. Have some “us” time. It’ll be like the old days when we both used to shoot together.’ She offers him a smile and kisses his forehead.

That’s one good thing about Naomi, she always stays cool in a difficult situation. He agrees.

The officer is on her mobile when they approach her car. Roger holds the Smith & Wesson to Naomi’s head and she looks suitably terrified. The woman catches sight of them in her mirror. Roger motions for her to climb out. As she does so, her mobile tumbles to the ground but she doesn’t notice it. She’s looking at Roger and asking him to put down the gun.

He’s hoping to entice her into the house, tie her up and then escape with Naomi, but he hasn’t banked on the officer, who suddenly launches at him with considerable strength and attempts to wrestle his gun away from him. He panics and shoves her hard. She falls backwards and strikes her head on the pavement.

‘Oh fuck… fuck… fuck.’

Naomi shushes him. ‘Quick, help me get her into the car before anyone sees us.’

Luckily it’s a quiet road. There aren’t many houses, and those that are there are well shielded by trees and bushes. Nobody is likely to have witnessed the events outside Naomi’s house; besides, most people are at work.

‘We’ll take her to the health clinic in Uttoxeter. Leave her outside. Somebody will find her and help her.’

They drive at speed and dump the officer, then race off towards Bramshall Leisure. Naomi is looking very pleased about the whole situation. He isn’t. He’s even more nervous. He forgot to retrieve the female officer’s mobile phone from by the car and it’s too late now to go back.

‘We’re good together,’ she says, putting a hand on his knee. ‘Really good.’

Roger’s sense of paranoia has increased. Not only does he believe a killer is after him, but now so is half of the Staffordshire police force. He’s tetchy and anxious, and all the time Naomi’s treating it as if they’re out for a Sunday drive. The silky, soft tone she’s adopted is irritating him, as is the stream of questions she’s begun asking. He keeps silent and gradually he senses iciness. He isn’t feeling up to dealing with one of her moods. He just wants to hide – away from police, murderers and an over-inquisitive girlfriend.

‘You sure you don’t want to tell me something, Roger?’ she asks as they pull into Bramshall Leisure and turn off down a track towards one of the cottages.

He shakes his head. Naomi throws him a look but he ignores it. Hopefully she’ll shut up. They draw to a halt and walk the short distance to the first cottage. Naomi knows the code to the small box by the front door that houses the door key, and extracts it. Together they slip unnoticed into the house.

No sooner has he set down his gun than Naomi starts again. ‘You’ve been keeping something from me, Roger,’ she says, her hands on her hips.

‘I don’t know what you’re on about.’

‘Oh, you do. The police detective told me.’

Roger sighs. He really doesn’t need this.

‘When were you going to let me in on it? You were going to, weren’t you? Or were you hoping to hide it from me, and drop me for that slag, Tessa? What was it you really liked about her, Roger? The fact she was such an easy lay, or that she also had a share in the lottery jackpot?’

The argument escalates. Naomi won’t shut up. She’s furious with him for keeping the lottery win secret, even when he tries to explain they all kept quiet about it because the ticket was stolen. He attempts to convince her he kept silent for her safety, and tells her he thinks that whoever killed Tessa probably killed Anthony, and is after him too. She loses it big time then. Says he’s a lying, cheating bastard who deserves to be shot.

‘I thought you were keeping out of the way of the cops. If I’d known I could get killed too, on account of your greed, I’d never have helped you. You utter prick. I’ve stuck by you even though you two-timed me, kept me in the dark about the lottery win and treated me like shit some days. I loved you and I stuck by you but I’m not hanging around to be shot. You can handle this fucking mess on your own. I’m going home. I’m taking the car.’

‘Don’t do that. What if there’s more than one of them after me? I’ll never be able to get away if I don’t have a car.’

‘Fuck you,’ she screams and marches towards the door. He grabs her and drags her kicking and screeching back into the room. It’s all getting out of hand. His life is in danger and his girlfriend is trying to leave him in the shit. He’s beginning to lose his grip on reality. He can’t stay in the middle of nowhere without some form of transport. He yells something at her that angers her even more and she lands a kick in his groin that floors him, and strides towards the door.

‘I hope he blows your fucking brains out,’ she sobs.

He makes it to the door and spots her making her getaway. The stupid bitch is headed towards the car. He races back, reaches for his gun. He’ll aim to miss. It’ll frighten her enough to make her return to the house. She’ll see sense then. He fires. Naomi drops to the ground. He hears voices. There’s somebody else out there…

---

Roger had nothing further to say to the detective. He’d told her everything as it happened. ‘Is the officer okay?’ he asked. ‘I never intended to harm her.’

‘She’s okay,’ Robyn replied. ‘I’m afraid I have more bad news. Juliet Fallows was killed earlier today. Is there anything else you can tell us that might help us unearth this killer?’

Roger Jenkinson paled further and shook his head. ‘If I’d found out who was behind Tessa’s death, I’d have shot him,’ he said.