Her Last Mistake - Detective Gina Harte Series 06 (2020) Read online

  ‘Mr Reed…’ A blood bubble escaped the side of her mouth.

  ‘Shh, try to remain still.’

  ‘Airport.’ As the word escaped her mouth, she let out a pained scream and her head flopped back.

  Gina listened as the paramedics thundered down the steps and pushed her aside.

  ‘You’re going to be alright. You’re safe now,’ Gina called over the commotion in the hope that Cassandra had heard her. She stepped back and pulled out her phone, getting immediately connected to Briggs. ‘It’s the Reeds, Trevor and Alison Reed. We’ve just found Cassandra Wilson in their basement left for dead. She managed to say airport. They’re leaving the country. Get word to all the airports and, for good measure, the ports and the Eurotunnel too.’

  ‘Good work, Harte.’ He ended the call.

  She wiped her bloodied hands on her jacket. The younger paramedic spoke softly in Cassandra’s ear and she responded with a pained smile.

  ‘Guv,’ O’Connor called. ‘I’ve just found an almost blank piece of paper in the study. It has today’s date and Birmingham Airport printed on the top right on an almost blank page. It’s page three of three. The other two have gone.’

  She grabbed her phone again and got straight through to Briggs. ‘I’m heading to Birmingham Airport.’ She ran up the stairs and into the lounge. On the grand piano sat a large silver framed photo of Mr and Mrs Reed. She snapped it with her phone. ‘I’m sending you a photo of the Reeds. Send it to the force control room to get a log set up and to radio airport police and tell the duty inspector to meet me there. Tell them to look at the log urgently. If needs be, text them the photo. Just hurry. The Reeds can’t be allowed to leave the country.’

  ‘Okay. Doing it now.’

  She hung up and pressed send.

  ‘Jacob. We’ve got to go.’

  He ran across the kitchen. ‘The airport it is.’

  ‘We better not have missed them.’

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  He couldn’t have timed it any better. They hurried through check in and he knew that a cold glass of champagne had his name on it. He’d earned it. The house he’d purchased under the new company name in Dubai awaited their arrival. The staff had made up the rooms and were prepped to pick them up at the airport when they landed. He thought of the desperate girl, lying dead in the cellar. No one would find her for ages and he knew they would both treasure that last memory forever – this time it was a shared memory.

  He admired the beautiful woman walking next to him as they entered the executive lounge. He’d never loved anyone so much and Holly had threatened everything. That woman hadn’t been a patch on his wife. They had an understanding, a shared darkness. Other people would never understand. They reached highs that only being on the brink of death produced.

  ‘Let’s make a toast.’ He topped up her glass.

  She took the bubbly and followed him to the vacant seats by the window. ‘I don’t want to make a toast.’

  ‘Just drink it, will you?’ He gently gripped her neck and felt her warm breath on his cheek.

  ‘I killed someone and the baby wasn’t even yours! I can’t get over this, I can’t—’

  He couldn’t allow her to lose it. They were so close to their new life, besides, there was no going back. ‘Come on. Why did you play along then if you were so fed up with me?’

  She shrugged. ‘I wasn’t prepared to lose everything. I’ve turned into something I hate. I’ve turned into you.’

  ‘I wasn’t a killer until you started that ball rolling, you can’t blame me for that one.’

  ‘What have I done? When I thought the baby was yours—’ Her eyes watered a little. ‘I wanted her dead and when I told you what I’d done, I thought you’d be horrified but you weren’t. Why weren’t you disgusted? Why didn’t you tell the police? It should have ended that night.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘I knew then we’d started something and…’ She paused and stared into his eyes. ‘I wanted it. I looked into her eyes as she gagged for breath and I understood you. I enjoyed it and I wanted it and I wanted to share it with you.’

  He let that sink in. His loving wife had done what came naturally to them, asphyxiation had been a part of their life for so long. He also loved that she played his victim in the cellar and he was happy to play hers sometime soon. He stroked his neck under his shirt – she certainly liked role-play. Trevor leaned over and kissed her. Was she enough? She had to be. For now, she was all he needed. Her gaze met his and he knew he could never upset her again, he could never be sure if she would end him. She could never be sure if he would end her either. Trust was so easily given and so easily lost.

  ‘Tell me again, what was it like, you know, when you—’

  ‘When I gripped her skinny neck in my hands?’

  He nodded.

  ‘I felt it, her pulse, running through my fingertips and all through it, I thought of you, of us and I couldn’t stop. You felt it too, with Fran, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes.’ A warm feeling rushed through his body as he thought of Cass, their shared kill. ‘We get to start again.’ They both had blood on their hands. He didn’t know if he could stop or if he’d want to. The final call was announced over the tannoy. Their flight was boarding. ‘We best go. No going back.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about Kerry.’ Trevor knew their daughter would know everything before the day was out and that bothered him. Maybe he wasn’t as cold as he thought he was.

  ‘Don’t.’ She placed her finger against his lips. ‘We have to start again. We’re no longer Trevor and Alison. We’ve left her enough. If she blows it all, she’s on her own.’

  ‘We were never that close as a family were we?’ He held her tight and stroked her long fine hair, inhaling her flowery shampoo.

  She shook her head. ‘Let’s go.’

  As they waited in the passport queue, he smiled at the man checking their passports. Peter and Eleanor Hemming were about to board a plane. The new names would take some getting used to but he liked Peter and he thought Eleanor suited his wife. She could go with Ellie, Elle or simply Eleanor. ‘Goodbye, Trevor,’ he whispered as he passed and joined another queue of people. Their new life in Dubai was only a few hours away. ‘Come on, Eleanor.’ He kissed her on the cheek and grabbed her trembling hand.

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Gina ran through the airport, flashing her identification at every checkpoint. A police officer wearing a cap and uniform hurried over and guided them through the barriers.

  ‘Duty Inspector Buckley? I’m DI Harte, this is DS Driscoll,’ Gina said as she tried to get her breath back.

  ‘Hurry, one of the constables has just this second radioed. He’s spotted a couple that might be them getting ready to board a plane to Dubai. I’ve asked him to hold back until backup arrives. Follow me. We’ll head through the staff gate.’ He pushed through a crowd that had huddled with trolleys and bags. Jacob and Gina remained close.

  ‘Tell me the plane doesn’t have permission to take off.’ She wanted to make the arrest on British soil, right now.

  As they hurried along a corridor, the whiff of several different Duty Free perfumes caused Gina to sneeze. The police officer wasn’t slowing for anyone or anything, in fact, he’d sped up. They continued in a sprint, nearly crashing into a pair of airline staff. She kept his cap in sight, fighting through the stitch in her side that was aching like mad.

  ‘Straight down. Just keep going,’ the young male police officer called as they exited into departures and followed them.

  ‘Has the plane,’ she gasped for breath and continued as she reached the officer’s side, ‘been grounded?’

  ‘That’s them. They’re just heading onto the plane now.’ The young officer pointed. Gina spotted Mrs Reed as she disappeared through the door.

  ‘No.’ Inspector Buckley stood in front of the desk and the young man in a waistcoat stepped from behind it as he went to close it off. ‘This is DI Harte and—’
His face was a deep berry colour as he caught his breath.

  ‘DS Driscoll.’ Jacob caught up and stood beside Gina.

  ‘Who were the last people to join the queue?’ Gina tried to peer down the corridor but could no longer see anyone.

  The waistcoated man held the list of names up.

  ‘Let’s get them.’ Gina smiled. This was for Holly, Francesca and now Cassandra. From the scene she encountered at the Reeds’ house, she wondered how much involvement Mrs Reed had. Cassandra had named Mr Reed before she’d passed out. How could Alison Reed have missed it all? She was arresting them both. At the very least, Alison Reed was trying to leave the county using a fake identification.

  Gina hurried behind Inspector Buckley straight onto the plane. Jacob and several more airport police had joined them. The air steward let them board and stood aside. The man on row twelve turned to check what was going on and Gina recognised him immediately. ‘Mr and Mrs Reed, you are required to come with me immediately.’

  They stood. Alison Reed tried to grab her case and the bag next to it from hand luggage. Shaking so much, she dropped her case on the head of the passenger in row eleven.

  ‘I’ll get that.’ Gina took the cabin case and the bag next to it and passed one to Inspector Buckley and the other to Jacob before leading the two of them off the plane. ‘Stand.’ Mrs Reed stood. ‘Turn around.’ Gina gestured for Inspector Buckley to cuff her. Gina moved her along and then took another pair of cuffs from the young constable. He was hers. The cuffs clinked into place.

  Passengers glanced over, babies cried and children fidgeted. She saw the line of sweat running down Trevor’s face. She could see something in him, something Holly would have been attracted to. Not only was he in good shape, he looked younger than his years and exuded wealth from the way his hair had been trimmed to the smell of his aftershave. As soon as they reached the main building Jacob took Alison Reed to one side and Gina took Trevor Reed to another.

  He went to speak but stopped and stared at Gina. ‘I want my solicitor.’

  ‘And that is your right. Trevor Reed, I’m arresting you on suspicion of the murders of Holly Long and Francesca Carter, and of the attempted murder of Cassandra Wilson. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’

  All he could offer her was a forced grin. Trevor Reed was clearly used to getting his own way in life but nothing was going to get him out of trouble now. As Gina cuffed him all she could hear was Mrs Reed’s loud sobbing. She stumbled on her pink wedge shoes as they were led away, brushing her hair from her sodden face. They had a lot of explaining to do and Gina was looking forward to hearing all about it once they had been transported back to the station. Her phone beeped and two messages flashed up. One from Hannah and another from Briggs. She had a stop to make on the way and it couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Seventy

  ‘Her injuries aren’t as bad as they look but she is suffering with concussion, so go gently,’ the nurse said as Gina followed her through to a corner booth. The curtain was drawn. ‘Cassandra, the detectives are here. How do you feel about talking to them?’

  The young woman’s face had reddened more with the bruising. Blood had congealed in her hair but the wound to her face and her one ear had been dressed. Gina walked around and sat beside her, smiling warmly. ‘You look better than when I found you. How are you feeling?’

  Cassandra forced a smile but the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes gave her sadness away. ‘Sore,’ she croaked.

  ‘We’ve arrested Mr and Mrs Reed at the airport, thanks to you.’

  Cassandra scrunched up her nose and let out a small cry. She brought her shaky hand towards her face and traced her bloodstained fingers down the dressing. ‘You caught them.’ Her grimace turned into a smile.

  ‘What happened in the cellar, Cassandra? Are you able to tell us?’

  She gave a slight nod. ‘I… I got a message on my phone.’ She closed her eyes and swallowed. ‘I thought Kerry wanted me to go over. When I got there, I got a message from Kerry telling me she was in the cellar. Then I heard the kitchen door close behind me and I panicked and ran to the cellar. That’s when I saw Mrs Reed bound to a chair and he hit me.’ She flinched.

  ‘Mrs Reed was bound to a chair?’

  ‘Mr Reed had her tied up in the cellar. It’s all a sick game. They were getting off on it.’ Her bottom lip began to quiver and she buried the side of her face in the pillow.

  ‘It’s okay, Cassandra, you’re safe now.’

  She wiped her eyes on the crisp white sheet, bloodying it with the streaks of tear-mingled blood from her cheek. ‘When I came around, they were both there, all turned on, hands all over each other. I had to pretend not to be looking. I thought they were going to kill me. That’s when I heard them talking about the airport.’ Her voice had almost gone.

  Gina poured her a glass of water and held it under the woman’s cracked lip and tilted it. Cassandra brought her trembling hand from under the sheet and sipped the water, almost spilling it down her chin.

  ‘He strangled me and I remained still, hoping that he’d think I was dead. The chair tipped and my face hurt. I can’t remember much after that. I remember you being there, only for a few seconds and then I remember being in the ambulance.’

  Gina pulled the chair a little closer as Jacob remained standing by the curtain. ‘You’ve been really helpful. Is there anyone I can call to be with you?’

  The woman shook her head, her curls sticking to her face, her stare fixed on the glass of water she’d placed on the metal table.

  ‘Hello.’ Robin Dawkins peered around the curtain. ‘Cass, oh my God!’ He hurried over to her side and took her hand. Gina stepped back, allowing him to sit. She felt a pang of sadness. Cassandra had no one apart from Robin and he had let her down. He had a record he’d failed to mention to her and he’d been bailed that day for dealing drugs.

  He went to place his hand over hers. She pulled away and looked down. ‘You lied to me.’

  He ran his fingers through his hair and hunched over. ‘Cass, I understand if you never want to see me again. I did something stupid when I was at school and I know it was wrong and I hurt someone. I’ve changed and not a day goes by when I don’t think about the hurt I caused. I’ve been so, so, stupid.’ He placed his head in his hands.

  ‘I don’t know if I can ever forgive you. You made me feel horrible about myself and look at me. Look at the wreck I’ve become. You hurt me. You always make me feel like I’m not good enough.’

  Gina stepped outside the curtain and listened as Robin Dawkins continued to plead how sorry he was.

  ‘Just post your key through my letterbox when you’ve packed your things.’

  He stormed out of the bay without glancing back at Gina and Jacob. Gina hurried back as Cass began to sob.

  ‘I don’t want all this any more. I can do this on my own and I don’t need him. It’s funny, for the first time in my life, I feel free.’ A smile spread across her face.

  ‘I’ll come back to speak to you later when you’ve had a bit more time to recover. Are you sure there’s no one I can call?’

  She shook her head and paused. ‘I have something to tell you, something I should have said when I came to the station.’ Gina sat back in the plastic chair.

  Chapter Seventy-One

  Gina sat opposite Alison Reed. Several minutes had passed and she’d refused to speak, just like her husband had. The cracks were beginning to show. It was as if the longer they all sat there, the more she was itching to say something. Her solicitor whispered a few words to her. She pushed him away. ‘I know what I’m doing.’ The solicitor rolled his eyes and leaned back on the creaky chair, throwing his pad and pen to the table.

  ‘Mr Reed had a lot to tell us.’ That was a bluff but one she was willing to go with. Despite all the messages on Holly’s tablet and ph
one that they found in his hand luggage, he still wouldn’t say a word. They didn’t need him to talk. The search of his house had produced the size nine work shoes. The pink tablet and the phone that Holly had used, both of which had been paid for by one of their companies, had been found in his hand luggage along with all the messages between Trevor and Holly. Gina had read them all through and the passionate messages had turned dismissive at the mention of a baby. Trevor hadn’t wanted a child. Gina almost wanted to let out a small disbelieving laugh. After all that, the baby’s father was Trevor’s very own cheating son-in-law.

  With faded make-up Alison Reed’s complexion took on a grey tone. Her honey-streaked hair stuck to the side of her face and her lipstick had been smudged away with only the faintest of lines remaining around the Cupid’s bow.

  ‘I’ll ask you again, did you go anywhere near Holly Long’s room on the night of her murder?’ Gina could feel the weight of her own stare bearing down on Alison Reed. Her knees were shaking a little. Come on, Alison, you know you want to tell.

  ‘I didn’t want to hurt her. I just wanted to tell her to keep the hell away from my husband. I read the messages on his phone. She was pregnant and I couldn’t have it, he didn’t want a baby either. I couldn’t let her ruin what we had. I had to help him.’

  ‘So you killed her?’

  She nodded and a tear streamed down her face. ‘It was just like the games we play. I wanted to feel the power he had.’ She undid the top button of her shirt and revealed her bruised neck. ‘I wanted her to pay for everything. The rage, everything, I couldn’t control it.’

  ‘We know about your games. Cassandra Wilson is going to make a full recovery. She told us what happened in the cellar. We also saw the messages you sent from your daughter’s phone, telling Cassandra to come over. You both planned for her to come and find you in the cellar when you found Kerry’s phone, the one she accidentally left at your house. It was a part of your little game, then the tables turned. You thought she’d die and you’d be living in Dubai before any of this came out.’