Only the Brave (10 page)

12.15 P.M.

‘Where were you last night?’ Sandra asked Tommy as he sat glued to the television. She’d made them both a sandwich for lunch and had eaten most of hers but he still hadn’t stopped playing the video game he was engrossed in.

‘I was out with Jacob,’ he said, eyes not leaving the screen as he shot another round of bullets. He held up his hand. ‘You made me lose my concentration. I’d only just got to level four!’

‘You’ll lose more than that if you’re lying to cover up for your brother again.’ Sandra had his attention then. ‘I know you stayed over at Kayleigh’s house last night so why did you say you were out with him?’

‘Because we’re always the first to get the blame for anything around here. He’d do the same for me.’

Sandra scoffed. ‘You sure about that?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Is that why he’s let you do time for him?’

Tommy scowled at his mother. Just because she was right didn’t mean that he wanted to hear it again. It was like a broken record, brought up every time someone came after them. Jacob often landed himself in trouble and because they were identical twins, there were many occasions when he hadn’t taken the rap, saying he’d been mistaken for Tommy. It had been his word against his brother’s and no matter how close they were, there had always been an underlying threat that Jacob would hurt him if he didn’t do as he was told.

On several occasions, he’d pulled out a knife if Tommy had threatened not to lie for him.

Because he hadn’t been able to handle a beating, Tommy had also admitted to things he hadn’t done. Only eight months ago, he’
d serve
d six weeks as half of a three-month sentence for theft, yet he hadn’t done anything wrong. Jacob had denied everything. DNA – it was the same for identical twins. They had unique
fingerprints
but blood, saliva, sperm, anything that could be tested, Tommy would match to Jacob. It worked to Jacob’s advantage, not to his, and he wasn’t about to go through it all again, not now he had a girlfriend.

Jacob was the braver twin, the one who would take all the risks. He was better with his fists and used to talking his way out of things. That’s why Tommy had always pleaded guilty despite never being involved in anything.

But was Jacob involved with this? Surely he hadn’t had anything to do with a murder? What the hell would he be covering for this time – or worse, trying to get out of ?

‘That’s what family do,’ he said to his mother.

‘That’s only loyal when it’s done both ways.’ Sandra sat
forward
, placed a hand tentatively on Tommy’s forearm. ‘Look, son, our Jacob is a bad one, but it doesn’t mean that you have to do his dirty work for him. If he’s involved in any way, don’t take the blame. He needs to be responsible for his own actions.’

‘What do you mean?’ Tommy turned sharply towards her. ‘Do you think he had something to do with that lot outside?’

Sandra shrugged her shoulders. ‘I just have a feeling, that’
s all.’

Tommy went cold.

At Harrison House, Allie located Perry on the ground floor and pointed upwards. ‘Uniform knocked on both flats where the women live but no one answered at either. We need to go to Flynn’s for one p.m. but shall we try them again first?’

The woman who answered the door to flat 210 certainly fitted the description of the woman who might have been seen earlier that morning. She was of slim build and had long dark hair. Her eyes and face were swollen and blotchy. Allie noticed a tissue in her hand.

‘Hello. DS Shenton and DC Wright, Staffordshire Police. We’re going door-to-door at the moment about the incident that happened last night. Mind if we ask you a few questions?’

Sophie nodded but didn’t move aside. ‘I’m not sure I’ll be able to help.’

‘Let me be the judge of that. May we come in for a moment, please?’ Allie smiled at her.

They were shown in to another living room, this one more orderly, homely and fragranced better than some they had visited over the past few hours. Perry drew out his notebook again.

‘Are you okay?’ Allie asked, noticing how ill she looked close up. ‘You don’t look very well.’

‘I’ve got a rotten cold at the moment.’ Sophie held up a hand. ‘I wouldn’t get too close to me, if I were you.’

‘Just got rid of one myself,’ said Perry with a smile. ‘Nasty
bugger
too. Man-flu, probably.’

Sophie gave a faint smile in return as Allie rolled her eyes in jest.

‘Do you live alone, Miss . . . ?’

‘Adams . . . Rebecca Adams. And, yes, there’s only me here.’

‘Thanks. Can you tell me where you were last night, particularly between the hours of one and four a.m., please?’ she asked.

‘I was in bed.’

‘Were you in all evening, too?’

‘Yes. With the Night Nurse.’

Allie grimaced. ‘Nasty medicine but it does the job. No
husband
or boyfriend looking after you? No friends?’

Sophie drew her cardigan around her middle. ‘No, I live alone.’

‘I assume you’ve heard about the incident last night?’

‘A little on the radio – and from what my neighbour told me. Do you know who it is?’

‘We’re still making enquiries. But you didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary? Anything – anything at all?’

‘No.’ Sophie shook her head. ‘Sorry, I was out like a light.’

‘Only the victim was found by one of your neighbours. She was out walking her dog and she said she saw someone with long dark hair going into the flats around three thirty a.m. this morning. It wasn’t you, was it?’ Allie’s hand went up before she could reply. ‘Don’t worry; we only need to rule people out at this stage.’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t go out on my own around here at night, even when I’m feeling okay.’

‘And you didn’t hear anything unusual, any noise?’

‘No, sorry.’

Allie nodded. ‘Thank you for your time, Miss Adams.’

Perry wrote in his notebook before looking up. ‘We’ll be in touch if we need to speak to you again.’

‘Thoughts, Perry?’ Allie asked once they were out on the walkway again.

‘Hmm, not sure she has a cold. She wasn’t nasal. When I have a cold –’

‘You’re ten times worse than that?’ she teased. ‘You’re right, though. It was her eyes that were puffed. She looked like she’d been crying to me.’

They walked along to where Leah Matthews lived at flat 203. Allie held up her warrant card as she opened the door. No need for introductions: Leah was known to them both.

‘Yes.’ Leah cleared her throat. ‘Yes,’ she repeated in a
lowe
r tone.

‘We’re investigating a suspicious death that happened in the early hours of this morning. Can we come in for a moment?’

‘I suppose.’

‘I bet it came as quite a shock, something so close to where you live,’ said Allie, as they went through to the living room.

‘Yes,’ said Leah, sitting down.

‘We’re going round checking people’s whereabouts last night, to see if anyone saw or heard anything unusual. Can you tell me where you were between one a.m. and four a.m. this morning?’

‘I was here.’

‘Do you live alone?’

‘Yes.’

‘And were you alone last night?’

‘Yes. Why?’

‘A woman matching your description was seen coming into the flats last night around three thirty a.m. and we wanted to talk to her, to eliminate her from our enquiries.’

‘Oh,’ Leah shrugged. ‘Well, it wasn’t me. I fell asleep on the sofa.’

‘Can you remember about what time?’

Leah’s eyes darted everywhere. ‘It must have been about half nine, I think.’

‘And you went to bed at . . .’

‘I didn’t. I woke on the sofa.’ She rubbed at her neck. ‘Still aching from it.’

Allie paused for a moment. As the silence became loaded, she saw Leah sit on her hands. She looked at her pointedly.

‘You been keeping out of trouble lately, Leah?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’ Leah swallowed.

‘No thieving and shoplifting. Nothing like that?’

‘No!’

‘That’s good to hear.’ Perry eyed her warily.

‘So you’re sure you didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary?’ Allie asked one more time.

‘Sorry.’ Leah bit down on the inside of her lip. ‘I wish I could help more but I can’t.’

Back on the walkway after nothing else was forthcoming, Allie shook her head. ‘I don’t know if she’s hiding something or is just too drunk to remember. The place smelt like a brewery.’

‘Exactly,’ said Perry. ‘She’d obviously had a skinful last night.’

‘She was a bit shifty though, wasn’t she?’

‘Yes. I know she seemed to have a hangover but her eyes wouldn’t rest for one minute.’

‘Hmm. And a woman with dark hair is our priority now to rule out.’ Allie paused. ‘I think I’ll get uniform to take statements from them both. See if the details match. Something just doesn’t sit right with me.’

12.30 P.M.

Leah dropped the card on the coffee table and paced up and down. She’d been thinking of handing herself in until the police had brought up all that nonsense about her past. Maybe she still could? She thought about running after them, but neither officer would have believed that she had just found the money. They’d assume she had something to do with Jordan’s death.

Ten thousand pounds. She had never seen so much money in her life. She had certainly never had any more than a few hundred pounds in her savings account.

But she had stolen it.

She was in too deep: once whoever was after the money found out it was her, she would be dead too. Knowing her luck, the money had to be dodgy; she could be pissing off someone far worse than Kenny Webb.

She had to get out of the flat. If she could get out of Stoke, she could start afresh somewhere else. She could leave all her debts behind, maybe change her name and reinvent herself.

But then reality came crashing down. There was no way she could leave her mother to fend for herself, and ten thousand pounds wouldn’t be enough for them both to up and leave – even if she could persuade Mum to go away for a while.

She’d counted it again after Stella had gone. There was something compelling about seeing it all piled up. But she’d put it away sharpish when she’d heard a noise outside. Would this be what her life would be like if she didn’t give it back? Looking over her shoulder all the time? She couldn’t handle that.

She didn’t know what to do long-term but she knew she couldn’t keep the money here – it would have to go. Finally, she decided on moving it. She’d have to chance going tonight. The police wouldn’t be there forever – and although they were covering the front entrance to the building, they couldn’t keep an eye on everyone who might jump over the walkway, climb down and do a runner in the dark. And even if they did, surely they weren’t allowed to conduct random bag checks unless they had prime suspects?

Leah wondered how long it would be before the police found out that she was the mystery woman. It was her, she was sure, but she wasn’t going to admit it. She thought of all the tenants that she knew in the flats, going through them floor by floor, wondering if there was anyone else who looked similar to her living in the block.

Then she stopped. There was another woman she could think of who fitted the description too. Someone who looked like her and was more or less the same age. Someone who lived on the same floor.

Someone who could possibly be set up to look like it was her if need be.

Stella’s stuck-up friend, Sophie.

Jacob lit another cigarette as he stood watching the scene below. It was the first time he’d felt the advantage of being on the top floor. He could see everything that was going on. He watched the police working away, and he watched as Craig’s missus went back and forth to her friend Leah’s flat, with a very worried look on her face. He’d store that up to use later. Made a change to get something useful out of the flat. Usually he hated it here. The lift hardly ever worked and he’d have to haul himself and his push bike up the stairs, stinking of sweat as he reached the top.

He hated living at home with his mum and brother, too. It was too cramped sharing a bedroom with Tommy, and at eighteen they both needed their own space. As soon as his girlfriend Diane got a flat from the council, he was moving in with her. She reckoned she’d go to the top of the list now that she was pregnant. He’d only been going out with her for a few months – his mum would do her nut when she found out, especially as he already had a son with mad Malory Victor.

His mum couldn’t say much really. She’d had him and Tommy when she was eighteen. Their father had stuck around for three years until he’d pissed off with some slag from the council estate down the road. She never stopped going on about how she had been deserted by him, but everyone knew why. She used to look after herself but now she was more interested in her next drink.

Dragged up – that’s what everyone said about the Granger brothers. The police, social services, even the neighbours. It had pissed him off for years, hearing them all make out their mum was a waste of space. She wasn’t that bad. She’d been great before alcohol had become her only friend.

Having to rely on each other, fend for themselves from an early age, had made them both harden up, and with hardly any money coming in, they’d had to go out and find some from somewhere. Thieving had become their trade from an early age. If anyone wanted anything, they would ask the Granger twins to get it for them. Mum used to have a go at them about it but when she realised they could bring in enough for her to get drunk on, she’d relented. Not that she would have been able to do anything about it anyway. She’d lost control of them way before they hit puberty.

They weren’t all bad, however. Only last month, they’d been involved in a sponsored darts match down the pub to raise funds for some local kid who was dying of leukaemia. They’d raised over a grand and none of them had nicked a penny – now that was good in his eyes.

Even as young as he was, Jacob’s criminal record was a mile long – something he was more proud of than ashamed. He’d been sent to juvenile detention twice already for thieving and wasn’t afraid to do time again if it meant getting in with the bi
g boys.

He rested his chin on his hands on the wall and glanced around. Along the walkway, he spotted uniformed officers now on their floor. They were only a few doors away – they’d be
questioning
him and Tommy soon. Behind them, he could see Martha
Sterling
. Jacob made a mental note to go and speak to her later. She always had her head in the window gawping out or was sitting on the
walkway
, as she was doing now. She might have seen something he could report back to Elliott.

He could see Philip Derricott, too: he was a decent bloke but his wife was a bit of a nutcase. Next door to him, Tracy Weston was talking to her mum: now she was a bitch if ever he knew one. She was a right slag too, sleeping with anyone if she could use them to her advantage.

Tommy came out onto the walkway.

‘See anything?’ he asked Jacob.

‘Nothing interesting enough.’ Jacob jerked his head to the right. ‘You’ve come just in time though.’

Tommy swore under his breath when he saw DC Wright
walking
towards them.