Cover

Dedication

For Dan and Charlie

Prologue

In his dreams, he’s always back there, standing by the side of the road. His wet clothes stick to his skin; the cold seeps through to his core, rain running down his face, but he doesn’t notice.

The car is at an angle, two tyres off the tarmac, the passenger door open. And it’s on fire. He can smell the petrol, feel the heat of the flames on his skin, resilient, determined, arching up furiously to the darkened sky despite the downpour. There is no one else around. He knows he needs to leave, now, but he is rigid, frozen to the spot.

His body is shaking violently; the adrenaline is fading and the pain is creeping in – across his chest, down his left arm hanging useless at his side.

He takes a step backwards, his shoes sinking into the mud. Smoke stings his eyes. The figure in the driver’s seat moves, but he makes no effort to try and help them. He’s just watching.

Watching them burn.

Part 1

1

Friday

The house looks suburban. Dull even, Robin thinks, as he pulls up outside. Carefully tended hedges, a square of green lawn, a cheerful flower bed scattered with red and pink blooms. It looks so boringly normal that he wonders if he has the right place and checks the details again.

Fifty-six Wellington Crescent, he reads. Criminal damage, possible GBH. He looks at the house. Sure enough the front window is smashed, the glass broken into a tight spiderweb, a hole in the middle. A detective, let alone a detective sergeant, wouldn’t normally be called out to a deployment like this but it’s been a busy night, the PCs on Response and Patrol all out in town, breaking up early fights. He notes the cars parked outside: two in the driveway, another one blocking them in. An expensive Range Rover, an old Renault Clio with L plates and a Ford Fiesta. It’s anyone’s guess who – or what – he’s going to find inside.

He gets out of his own battered Volvo, then smooths down his clothes. Shirt crumpled from a long day at the station, and a trace of five o’clock shadow on his chin. He’s hungry, not had a chance to grab anything since lunch, and wonders how long this is going to take. Quick statement, a few photographs, then stop at the Indian on the way home? He’s already thinking of chicken karai and onion bhajis as he walks past the cars and rings the doorbell. As he does so he notices a pineapple sitting on the doorstep, and squints at it, confused, until the door is answered by an older woman in a turquoise Chinese-style silk robe and fluffy slippers. He holds up his warrant card.

‘Mrs Franklin? DS Robin Butler, I’m here about the window.’

She stares at him. ‘I was expecting a woman,’ she says at last. ‘They said they were sending a woman.’ She frowns and waits, as if expecting him to change gender in front of her eyes.

‘Sorry,’ Robin replies. ‘I could get them to send someone else—’ he starts, but she opens the door wide.

‘It’s fine. Let’s get this over and done with.’

The house is dim, lights on low, candles flickering in corners. It’s unnaturally hot and Robin takes his jacket off, draping it over his arm.

‘Most people have already left,’ Mrs Franklin says as she shows him into the living room. ‘Nobody wanted to stick around once we called the police. Emma’s through here.’

‘And you were hosting a…’ He pauses, not sure how to describe what this particular gathering might have been. He spots a bowl in the middle of a table, full of condoms in square foil wrappers, and can’t help but stare at the large blue vibrator in full view on the mantelpiece. It’s a stark contrast to the framed school photographs on the wall. ‘Party?’ he finishes.

‘Just a few friends having drinks,’ she says, but Robin can guess. She sees him looking. ‘It’s all legal, all consensual,’ she snaps.

He nods and turns his attention to the woman sitting on the sofa. She’s also wearing a dressing gown, but an old off-white towelling one, her legs and feet bare, head down, holding a tea towel against her forehead. It’s stained red.

He sits next to her, a respectful distance away.

‘Emma?’ She looks up. Her face is caked in dried blood where it’s poured from the cut on her forehead. ‘You were the one hit with the rock?’ he asks gently.

‘Yeah, I was…’ She points to another sofa next to the window. ‘Lying there,’ she says, looking away from him again.

‘Can I see?’

She takes the tea towel away from her head, and instantly the cut starts bleeding again. Robin frowns in sympathy.

‘The paramedics are on their way. You’re going to need that looked at. You feel okay to answer a few questions now?’

‘Sure.’

Mrs Franklin hovers close by. Her anger when Robin arrived has dissipated, and now she watches over them, her hand fluttering round her face.

‘Did you hear anything before the rock came through the window?’ Robin asks. ‘Footsteps, shouting?’

‘No, nothing,’ Emma replies. ‘Just smashing glass. The music was loud though, so I’m not sure I would have noticed.’

‘And did anyone else see?’

‘No. We were all… busy.’

‘And your… partner? Was he…’ Robin changes tack and opts for a gender-neutral term. ‘Were they okay?’

‘He was fine. He’s gone now.’

‘Okay,’ is all he can think to say in response. ‘Do you mind if I take a few photos?’ he asks Mrs Franklin. ‘To record the scene?’

She nods, somewhat reluctantly, then leaves as the doorbell rings again. Robin slowly goes round taking photos on his phone. Half-full drinks, abandoned on the table, lipstick marks on the rims. An array of what Robin can only describe as sex aids – tubes of lube, interestingly shaped cones, plastic beads. Robin can’t help but wonder about hygiene – are they shared or individual? – then pushes the thought out of his mind. The paramedic arrives in his recognisable green, and immediately attends to Emma, bag by his side. Like Robin, he doesn’t bat an eyelid. He must have seen it all.

Robin puts plastic gloves on, collected in preparedness from the stash in the boot of his car, then picks a condom out of the bowl on the table. They seem custom-made, Select Events written on the front in gold lettering.

‘You can keep it if you like,’ Mrs Franklin says, appearing behind him. He quickly drops it back in the bowl.

‘And the rock?’ he asks her.

‘More like a brick,’ she says, pointing to a large lump of red concrete sitting on the mantelpiece next to something large, metallic and rocket ship-shaped that makes Robin clench internally. ‘Sorry,’ she finishes. ‘I realise now we shouldn’t have picked it up.’

‘It’s fine. Where was it?’

She points to a corner of the room and Robin goes across, bending down. A scattering of brick dust marks where it fell, plus, just poking out from behind a table leg, a piece of folded-up paper and a broken elastic band.

Robin picks the note up with two gloved fingers, opening it out.

It’s a sheet of lined A4, two holes down the left-hand side, as if taken from a notepad. SLUT, it says in blue pen, large capitals across the middle. Robin snaps a few photos then takes a plastic evidence bag out of his pocket and puts the note inside. He records the information on the label in biro, then does the same with the rock.

‘Any idea who might have written this?’ Robin says, turning and showing the message to Mrs Franklin. Her hand immediately flies to her mouth. Her face goes pale.

She shakes her head quickly. ‘How— how dare he,’ she stutters.

‘Mrs Franklin,’ Robin says slowly. ‘What do you know?’

She looks at him for a moment, her eyes wide, then gestures towards the door. Robin follows her out and down a hallway. As they walk, Robin notices more photographs on the wall. Family shots: Mrs Franklin, an older man and a small boy, growing taller as the photographs progress through time.

They reach a kitchen. It’s brightly lit, with uneaten food lying on platters. Glasses are laid out, bottles of spirits and wine next to them.

‘Mrs Franklin?’ Robin tries again. ‘What exactly do you do here?’

She pulls out a chair, and slumps into it. ‘I’m sure you can guess,’ she sighs, reaching for the closest bottle of wine and pouring herself a large serving.

Robin sits down slowly. ‘You’re a swingers’ club?’

‘Yes. Although I’m not sure we will be again, after tonight. A rock through the window puts people off.’

‘I’m sure.’ Robin waits as she takes a long swig from her glass. ‘Who wrote the note, Mrs Franklin?’

She looks at him, eyes pleading. ‘Can you just forget you came here tonight?’

‘I’m not sure—’

‘Please?’

Robin taps his fingers on the table, thinking. ‘How old’s your son?’

She looks up quickly, then back to stare at her wine glass. ‘Fifteen,’ she says quietly, turning it round slowly in her hand. ‘I didn’t think he knew.’

‘Where is he tonight?’

‘Supposed to be with his grandparents. Obviously, we don’t have him around when we run the parties.’

‘Obviously,’ Robin repeats, trying hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. ‘Listen, I’m in no hurry to arrest a fifteen-year-old for criminal damage or GBH—’

‘GBH?’ she squeaks.

‘He hit a woman with a brick. He could have caused serious harm.’

She looks down again miserably.

‘So how about I take the note, get it processed, and then conveniently forget to follow up on the results?’

Mrs Franklin stares at him. ‘You can do that?’

‘Between you and I, yes. But if he does anything dodgy again, if we find anything, his fingerprints and DNA will pop up and he’ll be done for all of it. Perhaps you could tell him that.’

She nods, miserably. ‘I will.’

‘And maybe put the parties on hold for the time being, eh?’ Robin adds. ‘At least until your son’s at university. And we’ll need you and Emma to come down to the station and give a full statement when you have time. But as I said, if you forget, then maybe my caseload will be too high for me to have time to chase you up.’

Mrs Franklin breathes a long sigh. ‘Emma will appreciate that, too. Her husband… Well, let’s just say he’s not into the scene.’

Robin stands, taking the evidence with him. As he passes, he glances back into the living room where the paramedic is finishing up. He opens the front door, turning to Mrs Franklin.

‘Call me if you change your mind, though?’ Robin says. ‘Sometimes teenagers need the shit scaring out of them.’

‘He’s a good kid, DS Butler.’

‘I’m sure.’

‘And if you ever fancy a night out,’ she adds, ‘we’re always looking for extra men, especially attractive ones like yourself.’

Robin feels his face go red. ‘Thanks,’ he murmurs, after a pause. ‘But I’m not sure the job allows for it.’

He walks away, back to his car. The first responder vehicle is parked behind, blocking him in, and he waits outside for the paramedic.

He looks back at the house. The door is still open, and but for the broken window he’d never have guessed what was happening there on an innocent Friday night. He watches as the paramedic appears, closing the door behind him and joining him in the road.

‘Orgies, huh?’ he says as he stands next to Robin. He throws his bag in the back of the ambulance car. ‘Didn’t fancy asking for a freebie?’ he laughs.

‘Maybe another night, diary’s full for now,’ Robin replies drily. ‘That woman okay?’

‘Superficial head lac. They bleed like buggery though, make one hell of a mess. Told her to make sure someone watches her tonight in case of concussion.’ The paramedic gets into the front seat. ‘Think she was glad to get rid of me. Pity. I wouldn’t have minded giving her a try.’

‘Mate…’ Robin starts, about to chastise the guy, but the door slams and the paramedic pulls out into the night. He wonders about the son, growing up in a house where sex parties are the norm. Would it make you more accepting of sex, or more of a prude? The latter, it seems.

Robin gets back into his car, wondering if he’s done the right thing by letting the kid get away with it. But he knows that a criminal record on someone so young never does any good, and he’s always open for second chances. He’s had so many himself, after all.

He sighs, then picks up his phone and calls the direct dial into the control room.

‘You got anything else for me?’ he asks them.

The woman on the other end laughs. ‘Anyone would think you’ve not got a home to go to, Butler,’ she comments. ‘You’re off the clock. Go and have some fun.’

Robin thinks about his quiet house. Nothing but a television remote waiting for him, and the promised Indian takeaway.

Fun isn’t how he’d describe it. But he starts the engine, and heads home.

2

She’s never sure whether she feels seedy, guilty or excited when she makes her excuses and bunks off work early, driving home pre-rush hour and putting her key in the door with a burst of anticipation.

She kicks her shoes off in the hallway, then sends a text: I’m home x. She goes into the bathroom, has a shower, messy ponytail bundled up out of the way on the top of her head. After, she checks her hair in the steamed-up mirror, smoothing stray strands into place. She applies a quick brush of make-up and puts on jeans and a T-shirt over her best bra and knickers. Underwear she’s bought especially for him.

A quick spritz of perfume, a frantic tidy of the house, and she settles on the sofa to wait.

She hopes he won’t be long. Their relationship is made up of stolen fragments, a few hours here and there, pieced in between work and home life. His home life, not hers. She puts the TV on. An episode of Tipping Point plays out. Such a ridiculous concept, but she watches it anyway. Anything to distract her from scrolling absent-mindedly on her phone.

It’s never certain when he’ll arrive. Sometimes he gets caught up at work. Sometimes it’s because of her. But today the knock is only a little late, and she switches off the television, walking quickly to the hallway, her stomach a jumble of nerves as she opens the door.

He looks contrite, mumbles an apology. But she can’t help a smile; she’ll forgive him anything, he knows that. He holds out a small parcel, neatly wrapped in silver paper with a sparkly ribbon.

‘For me?’ she jokes as he presents it with a small bow. She knows what it is, and unwraps it as he takes his shoes off, hanging his coat up next to hers.

Three tiny bottles: shampoo, conditioner and a moisturiser. Hotel freebies, from his visit away this week. He always saves them – remembering a comment from their first sneaked dirty weekend in a hotel – and she likes knowing he’s thinking of her. He makes the effort to wrap them lavishly, like they’re a proper present.

‘Molton Brown,’ she says approvingly, taking the lid off one and sampling the fragrance. ‘Posh hotel?’

‘It was.’ He smiles. ‘Wish you could have come up and stayed.’

She would have liked that too, but work had been frantic, trying to wrap things up before starting with a new sergeant next week. But she doesn’t reply, just takes his hand and leads him up the stairs.

In her bedroom, she pulls him towards her then kisses him hard. He kicks the door shut with his foot and they stagger together into the room, his jacket, then tie, and her T-shirt, falling at their feet.

With him being away, it’s been over a week since she saw him. She wants him, inhales him, as they fall together on the bed, his weight on top of her. He kisses her neck, her chest, her breasts, him awkwardly fumbling to remove her bra with one hand.

It’s over quickly. The first one never takes long; too keen to have each other. After, they lie on the bed, her head resting on his chest, and he tells her about his week. It’s not that interesting, if truth be told, but she likes the mundane nature of it, as if this is their normal lives.

As he talks, he runs his hand through her hair, wrapping a strand of it round his finger. She’s proud of her hair. Unlike other women her age – unlike her – she still wears it very long, and doesn’t have the need for expensive dyes to eliminate the grey. And she knows they look good together, his sandy-blond hair matching her own.

She’s noticed over this past year that age is starting to catch up with him. Lines have become more pronounced at the corners of his eyes, wrinkles on his forehead. But it suits him. It gives him an air of authority where his boyish good looks previously couldn’t.

‘You’ve lost weight again,’ she says, running her hand down his chest where she can feel his ribs. ‘Are you looking after yourself?’

‘I had a bit of food poisoning,’ he mumbles. ‘Dodgy stomach.’

Her fingers stop at a green-yellow smudge on his side. ‘And what’s this?’ she asks.

‘Hit by a squash ball,’ he replies. ‘And besides,’ he continues, back to her original comment, ‘wouldn’t you rather this, than the beer gut that so many of my friends have?’

‘I wouldn’t care,’ she says, looking up at him, conscious of the soppy grin on her face. ‘Whatever you look like.’

He leans down and kisses her, smiling. ‘You would. When I got man boobs and a double chin.’

‘Never,’ she laughs.

His phone beeps from his jacket on the floor, interrupting the moment. He ignores it, but she can sense him wanting to check.

‘When do you need to get back?’ she asks quietly.

He sighs, closing his eyes for a moment. ‘Soon,’ he says. ‘We have plans for tonight.’

We. She wants to ask, but she won’t.

‘That’s fine,’ she says, feigning nonchalance. ‘I’m off out tonight, too.’

‘Really?’ He seems surprised, and that annoys her. Yes, I have a life, she thinks. ‘Where to?’

‘Oh, just out with friends.’

‘Who?’

She lists a few names, mainly men. That gets his attention, as she knows it will, even though she feels pathetic for playing these silly games.

‘Any of them single?’ he asks.

‘Yes,’ she says, but doesn’t add any more.

It has the desired effect. He shuffles down in the bed until they’re face to face, their noses touching. He kisses her, slower and softer than before.

‘We still have time,’ he says, his mouth pressed against hers, his voice husky and deep. ‘For a bit more.’

After, he showers quickly and gets dressed in the same clothes. She wonders if his wife ever suspects when he returns home smelling sweet and fresh, even after a long day in the office. But she doesn’t care. It won’t matter soon.

She watches as he bundles up his tie and puts it in his pocket. She’s lying on the bed, still naked under the duvet, and he comes and sits next to her, finishing dressing and doing up his belt.

‘I’ll call you,’ he says. ‘Once it’s done.’

She nods. ‘When are you going to tell her?’

‘Saturday or Sunday. I don’t know.’ He looks away, out of the window to the grey sky beyond. She wonders if he’s reconsidering. ‘I need to pick a good moment.’

‘Are you worried about how she’ll take it? Come at you with a meat cleaver? Put cyanide in your Weetabix?’ Freya’s trying to lighten the mood, but it falls flat: he only looks back at her, a dark, thoughtful expression flashing across his features. Then he smiles quickly, seemingly pulling himself together.

‘I’ll see you soon,’ he says. He leans forward and kisses her, one last peck to the lips.

He walks to the door, then turns back. ‘I love you,’ he adds as he opens it, as if it’s a casual afterthought.

‘I love you too,’ she says, but the door is already closing.

She hears her front door open and shut, then falls back on the pillow with a groan. She doesn’t allow herself to get her hopes up. They’ve been here before: the declarations of love, the promise he’ll leave his wife. He will this time, he always says, he will.

But then something comes up. It’s usually because of her. Because she’s unwell, or emotional. Freya was joking before, but her comment must have been too close to home. She remembers the look on his face; he’s scared of what she might do.

She used to wonder about this faceless woman and google her, learning all she could through Facebook and LinkedIn and Twitter. This wife: too delicate to be alone, but yet could go out with friends, hold down a busy job, go on holidays, post photos after 5k runs and sponsored walks for charity.

And after a while, she stopped asking. For these few short hours, these stolen moments, he is hers, and that keeps her going. Until the next time she can see him. She knows it’s pitiful. She knows she should think more of herself, and find a man who will commit wholeheartedly, not just profess love, then screw her in her lonely bedroom before going back to his wife.

But this time, something’s different. He seems more serious, more distracted. She believes him. To her detriment, she knows.

Next to her, her phone beeps. One of her friends, confirming time and a place. It’s a shitty club, one she hates, but it’s better than sitting at home.

He will do it this time, she tells herself. He will.

She just needs to wait for his call.

3

‘Try the navy.’

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