Upon reaching the bridge, the glances stopped. The traffic was bottle-necking over the bridge, and there were cyclists flashing past both sides of the car. Tourists were also crossing in front of and behind them, taking advantage of the slow-moving traffic.
Emma decided it was her only chance. The next time Peter Myers had to move forward, following the car in front, she moved. In two swift actions, she unclipped her seatbelt and lunged across him, scrabbling for the button.
‘What are you doing?’ he yelled, struggling to maintain his control of the van whilst also trying to get a grip on her top to stop her moving for the passenger-side door handle. He got hold of her shirt and wrenched her back, her head slamming against the side of the driver’s seat, the van swerving a sharp right then left as Myers tried to correct himself.
It was then, halfway across the bridge, that he noticed the police car waiting at the other side. With a loud curse, he slammed on the brakes, causing a taxi to crash into the back of the vehicle. They were both thrown forward, Emma hitting the front console and only narrowly escaping injury by throwing out her hands to cushion the impact.
She recovered quickly, however, lashing out with an elbow and catching Peter Myers on the cheekbone, and threw open her door. The seatbelt caught around her ankle, sending her toppling to the ground but she fought free of it, sprang up and vaulted over the pedestrian barrier.
Only to be caught from behind by Peter Myers.
‘Don’t leave me,’ he rasped into her ear, as he gripped her tightly.
She broke away using one of her standard karate release moves, but he ran at her again. She twisted out of his path and used his speed and weight to throw him against the low barrier that ran along the side of the bridge.
His momentum sent him toppling over the side, where only a desperate grab at the railings stopped him from plummeting into the river below.
‘Help me!’ He flailed about like a landed fish with his other hand, struggling to grab on to the railings.
Without thinking, Emma moved to the side of the bridge and threw out her hand, grabbing his jacket collar, holding on to him as he dangled over the edge. She reached down with her other hand and tried to haul him in, but he was heavy, and she felt herself lifting off the pavement.
‘Don’t leave me,’ he said, straining upwards to look in her face, the Thames flowing beneath him. ‘I’m the one you love, not him.’
A cold, water-soaked wind whipped up from the river, blasting against Emma’s face. She screwed her eyes shut as she tried to hold him, but her grip was failing. Wedging a foot underneath the bottom of the railing, Emma tried to gain more leverage, but it was no use. ‘Help!’ she shouted. ‘Somebody help!’
She heard someone approaching, but it was too late.
Peter Myers knew it too. ‘Emma!’
He slipped from her grasp, arcing backwards as he headed for the river below. But he didn’t hit the water.
A container vessel passed under the bridge just as he fell, and Myers slammed onto its flat deck.
Emma watched, breathless and in shock, as Peter Myers’ lifeless body was carried away downriver.
Chapter 48
Emma waited in the back seat of the police car, clutching the coffee that one of the officers had fetched her from a nearby café. She looked across at the bridge, which was now a sea of flashing lights from the various emergency vehicles that had descended on the area. The bridge was closed, with traffic diverted at both ends.
She processed the piece of news that Gasnier had relayed to her just a few minutes before – they’d found a girl tied up and gagged in the back of his van. She was in shock, but okay. According to the girl, she had been snatched off the street by Peter Myers the day before. Gasnier had sworn under his breath when he’d been told about the missing person report – and who that missing person resembled. Croydon was a long way from Marylebone, so no one had thought to bring it to his particular attention.
That must have been the girl he spoke about. Thank God she’s okay.
Lost in thought, Emma was caught by surprise – Dan appeared at the window, smiling gently. He opened the door and they hugged tightly. ‘Thank God you’re okay,’ he said. Emma closed her eyes tightly as she wallowed in the warmth of her husband’s embrace. She pulled back and, over his shoulder, saw Lizzy and Will, looking on.
‘I’ve never been so pleased to see someone in my whole life,’ Lizzy said.
‘Seconded,’ Will added.
They all seemed to turn as one to look down towards the opposite side of the river, where the vessel carrying Peter Myers’ body was now moored.
‘He’s really gone,’ Lizzy said. ‘Just like Guy Roberts.’ She turned to Emma. ‘Have they told you any more about what happened to Guy?’
‘No specifics. Just that they found a body.’
Dan sensed her unease, and brought an arm around her. ‘It’s okay, you know, to be happy.’
Emma shook her head. ‘Two people have died. I will be happy, but now’s not the right time.’
The friends nodded their understanding.
‘There’re so many things I wanted to ask them,’ Emma added. ‘Those two men, they’ve made our lives an utter nightmare. They’ve put us through so much. I feel like I haven’t got all the answers. And now I never will.’
‘Sometimes you don’t get all the answers,’ Lizzy replied, gently. ‘Life doesn’t always provide a neat ending.’
‘We’ll find out more,’ Dan said. Emma suddenly realised someone was missing. ‘Where’s Dad?’
‘Over there,’ Will said, gesturing to the crowd behind the police cordon. ‘I think he’s a bit worried about how you’ll react.’
Emma looked over and could see her father near DI Gasnier, looking out towards the river as if in a dream. ‘What, after he lied about telling you where I was?’ Gasnier had also thought to pass this tidbit on. She thought for a moment. ‘Will, can you ask him to come over?’
Edward looked crestfallen. ‘I’m so sorry, Emma. I put you in danger. I didn’t trust your friends, or even Will.’
‘It’s okay, Dad,’ she said, hugging him. ‘It’s what they wanted to happen. But they didn’t win.’
‘I do love you,’ he said.
‘Me too.’
‘This time it really is over.’
Emma looked over to Dan and they exchanged a smile. ‘I know.’
Chapter 49
Two weeks later
‘This was a great idea, Lizzy,’ Emma said. ‘Cheers!’ They clinked glasses. ‘Just what I needed.’ She looked across the room.
The Irish-themed pub was filling up, but it was still relatively early in the evening.
Just a few months before, the nightmare had started there, with Will’s phone call. But they were there now to extinguish those unhappy memories and reclaim the territory for happier times.
‘Will and I planned to do this when you and Dan got back from honeymoon – a combined and long-overdue stag and hen party. Though things didn’t quite go to plan,’ Lizzy explained. ‘But having heard about the demise of Firework Films, I thought now was the perfect time to celebrate.’
Two days before, they’d heard via DI Gasnier that the production company had shut down operations, pending the outcome of a police investigation. The two remaining directors had denied any knowledge of Guy Roberts’ behaviour, and said that they would co-operate fully. And, most importantly, the docudrama had been cancelled.
‘I heard from Adrian Spencer this afternoon,’ Lizzy added. ‘He called me with the news too. He was very happy.’
‘I bet.’
Lizzy looked over her shoulder, towards the door. ‘I wonder where the others have got to?’
Emma checked the time. ‘Dan said he’d be a little bit late, but they should be here by now.’
Lizzy knew what her friend was thinking. She smiled. ‘It’s over, remember?’
Emma nodded. ‘I know, I know. I just wish the police had been able to trace the man in the baseball cap.’
‘It’s still over,’ Lizzy reassured her. ‘At least we know who it was and why – the phone message proves that Guy was paying him to do it.’ The message from the mysterious ‘Ginger John’, asking when he was going to get paid for his work, was found by the police on Guy Roberts’ home phone answer machine. Firework Films had denied any knowledge of such an employee, and the police couldn’t find any employment records to refute this.
Just then David Sherborn walked in and spotted them. Coming over, he said, ‘Emma, Lizzy, can I get you two a drink?’
‘Why not?’ Lizzy replied. ‘We’ll have another of these.’
‘Just an orange juice for me,’ Emma said, earning a surprised look from her friend. ‘I want to take it easy.’
‘Cool.’ David smiled. ‘Thanks for the invite, by the way. It means a lot.’ He made his way over to the bar.
Emma watched him as he ordered. ‘Dad and Miranda came over with Jack this morning. It’s lovely to see Dad so happy and content.’
‘He decided against coming tonight?’ Lizzy said.
‘He said he would have liked to, but Jack’s got a bit of a cold, so he’s staying in.’
‘He
has
changed,’ Lizzy joked.
At last, the others arrived. ‘Sorry we’re late,’ Dan said. He had Will and Sally in tow; Emma noticed that Will and Sally were holding hands. ‘I was getting this.’ He brought out a small, red jewellery box, and opened the top.
Inside was a necklace. Emma recognised it. She looked up at Dan, puzzled. ‘Is that Mum’s?’
‘I had it mended and restored,’ he explained. ‘I know you said how much you liked it.’
Emma picked it up. The chain, which had been broken, was now complete, and the tarnished silver and diamond had been cleaned. It sparkled under the pub lights. ‘It looks like new,’ she said.
‘I also had my wedding ring resized. I won’t be taking it off any more.’
‘You’d better not!’ Emma joked. She undid the clasp of the necklace and placed it around her neck. ‘Thank you, Dan.’
‘It looks amazing,’ said Lizzy. The others agreed.
Will took a drinks order and went to join David at the bar. They were served quickly and, once they were back, Dan turned to Emma.
‘I’ve got a confession to make,’ he said, solemnly. ‘The necklace, it wasn’t the reason I was late.’
‘Oh?’
‘It was because of this man!’ He beckoned over to his brother, who had been standing out of Emma’s sight, behind her.
‘Richard!’
‘Sorry, Emma,’ he said, smiling. ‘Train from Edinburgh was delayed.’ They kissed a hello.
‘It’s amazing you’re here,’ she said. ‘Thanks so much for coming.’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
‘So,’ Lizzy said, having taken a sip of her drink. ‘Where do we go from here?’
‘Well, I thought later we could maybe go to that salsa club,’ Will suggested.
Lizzy laughed. ‘I didn’t mean tonight. I meant in general.’
‘Forward,’ Emma said. ‘We go forward. No more looking back. Speaking of which, Dan and I have got a very important announcement to make.’ She looked around all her friends, taking in their faces, and smiled.
Epilogue
Ten months later
Emma woke suddenly. She turned to look at the clock radio next to the bedside; it was two fifteen in the morning. In the blackness of the room, she thought she heard a noise. A slight movement. She listened carefully. There it was again. Turning to her right, she discovered that Dan wasn’t lying next to her. Then she noticed a chink of light coming from outside in the passageway. And there was the noise again.
She rubbed her eyes, then folded back the covers and turned up the dimmer switch on her bedside lamp, lighting the room a little more. Unsteady on her feet, still half asleep, she moved across to the Moses basket that was balanced across the wooden stand in the corner of the room.
‘Hello,’ she said, softly. ‘I thought I could hear you snuffling around.’ She smiled warmly as the baby with perfect blue eyes looked back at her. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘Nappy change,’ Dan said, as he re-entered the room, his hair standing up at all angles and his face tired. ‘I’ve just set up the stuff next door.’ He smiled. ‘You know, I thought I would hate having to get up in the middle of the night, but now Rose is here, I really don’t mind at all.’
‘Me neither,’ Emma said, as baby Rose toyed with one of her fingers. ‘We’re definitely under her spell.’
Dan put his arm around Emma. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.’
Emma leant into him. ‘I feel the same.’
They stayed like that for a few moments, watching their beautiful baby daughter.
‘C’mon,’ Dan said, finally. ‘Mademoiselle needs a clean nappy. Enough baby worshipping for the moment.’
‘Yes,’ Emma agreed, unable to take her eyes off Rose. ‘Just for the moment.’
About the Author
Paul Pilkington is from the North West of England, and has also lived and worked in London and the South West.
He was inspired to write his first suspense mystery novel through his love of the genre. He aims to create fast-paced, twisting and turning fiction that is impossible to put down.