Valentine Read online

  “There’s one thing I don’t understand,” said Kate. “Surely Kiki knew that there might not be a chance of a conviction. And she’d have to go through a full criminal trial, get dragged over the coals by his defence…”

  “Oh, I imagine that she’d probably withdraw the charges, after a while,” said Anderton, cheerfully. “In fact, I’d put money on it. By then, the damage is done. Joel Hunter’s life, his marriage, his reputation is utterly ruined, and he’s under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of his life.”

  “God.” Olbeck was shaking his head.

  “Come on,” said Kate. “Let’s get the evidence.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kate parked the car a few doors down from the large Victorian house. Kiki had returned home to the house she shared with her girlfriends, as Kate’s phone call to Kiki’s mother had ascertained. Kate sat for a moment, drumming her fingertips on the wheel. She was just opening the door when her phone rang. It was Olbeck.

  “Joel Hunter’s caved,” he said with satisfaction. “Admitted he had a very brief affair with her – a two night stand. Then he came to his senses and told her he couldn’t carry on because he was married. Usual rubbish. Why the stupid bugger just didn’t come out and tell us all this before, I don’t know.”

  “Great.” Kate clenched a fist in triumph. “So how did Kiki react to being dumped?”

  “Bombarded him with texts and calls. Threatened to tell his wife. Apparently the last text she sent him told him ‘he’d be sorry’.”

  “I see,” said Kate, with feeling. “So what happened on the night of the so-called rape?”

  “Kiki called him and told him she urgently needed to see him. She must have sounded quite convincing, because he went haring off to the Decadence club after work and met her round the back.”

  “She is convincing,” said Kate. “That’s the problem.”

  “So anyway, she told him that she couldn’t think of any other way of getting his attention and one thing led to another and bang – literally – they’ve had a quick knee-trembler up against the back wall of the club and she’s got him right where she wants him. She’s lucky you didn’t come across her twenty minutes earlier or her whole plan would have fallen apart.”

  “Right.” Kate looked over at the house, thinking. “I’ll have a look at her phone in a minute, but I guess we can always pull the records from the phone company.”

  “Exactly. She’s going to have a hard time explaining away why she was texting and calling the guy she says she’s only met once before. Anyway, I’ll let you get on with it.”

  “Thanks, Mark. See you later.”

  Kate walked up to the front door, rang the doorbell and stood back, smoothing her hair. The door was opened by one of Kiki’s housemate’s, a short, plump girl with long blonde hair. She indicated the living room door with a bob of her golden head.

  “She’s in there,” the girl whispered, in a tone that suggested they were all treating Kiki as some sort of invalid.

  Kate thanked her and opened the door to the living room quietly. When she entered the room, she saw that Kiki was curled up on the sofa nearest the bay window, a woolly throw over her lap, her head turned away. Kate saw that she was gazing out of the window, her face pensive and sad. Seeing her, Kate realised something. It was a shock but it shouldn’t have been, knowing what they knew about the girl. In some part of herself, Kiki Dee was enjoying herself immensely.

  It must have been a challenge, thought Kate. A real challenge to her acting ability. And she was so good, wasn’t she? It’s easy to enjoy something that you’re good at.

  “Hello, Kiki,” she said, out loud.

  Kiki turned her head slowly, as if she’d been unaware before that Kate had entered the room. “Oh, hello, DS Redman,” she said. Then she smiled sadly. “I’m glad you’ve come.”

  “Oh, yes?” said Kate, seating herself in a chair opposite.

  Kiki looked serious. Her face contracted into a half wince, half smile. “Yes. I – well, I’ve been thinking. I want to drop the charges.”

  Bingo. Just as Anderton had said. Kate kept her face neutral but she allowed the faintest hint of surprise to enter her tone. “Really? Why’s that?”

  Kiki looked down at her lap. “I – I can’t face the trial,” she said, mournfully. “You hear it all the time, what the court is like for a rape victim. It’s like being attacked all over again. I just can’t face it. I can’t!”

  Kate took a deep breath. “We’d be there to support you every step of the way, Kiki. We’d be able to get you the help you need.” She let a nuance of something infuse that last sentence and saw the flicker on the girl’s face. She’s wondering now, Kate thought. She wants to know if I know.

  Kiki’s voice hardened. “Well, I’ve made up my mind.”

  Although she knew she had no hope of changing her mind, Kate couldn’t resist one last shot. “There’s the matter of public safety, too, Kiki. You going to trial might help keep a dangerous man off the streets.”

  Kiki shook her head, the sharp edges of her bob swaying against her cheeks. The scratches were healing now. “No, I’m sure that’s not the case. He’s not exactly a danger to the public. He was obsessed with me.”

  Kate realised something then. Kiki Dee was never going to confess. She’d created the reality that she thought she had deserved, and nothing and nobody was going to persuade her to say otherwise. Had she got so caught up in the fantasy she’d made that she truly had lost hold of reality?

  Kate made up her mind. “May I see your phone, Kiki?” she asked pleasantly.

  Kiki looked at her warily. “My phone? Why?”

  “I’d just like to have a quick look at it.”

  Kiki smiled a little tightly. “I’m sorry but it’s upstairs somewhere. I don’t know exactly where it is.”

  “Oh, come now,” said Kate, smiling back. “I know you youngsters. You’re surgically attached to your phones. It can’t be far. Shall I help you look?”

  She could almost see Kiki’s mind ticking over the possibilities. Kate waited, patiently. If she knew Kiki, then she’d have thought so far ahead but not further – or perhaps she didn’t realise that the police could access anyone’s phone records or had thought that things wouldn’t ever get that far. She was good, Kate gave her credit for that, but she was only twenty.

  Kiki dug around underneath the rug and came up with an iPhone in a leopard-skin print case. “Oh, here you are. It was underneath my legs after all,” she said with a light laugh.

  Kate took it from her. “I’ll need the passcode, please, Kiki.” Kiki gave it to her and Kate tapped it in.

  “Well, that’s unusual,” Kate said a minute later. “You don’t keep many of your messages, do you?”

  “I don’t like clutter. Digital or otherwise.” Kiki’s voice was possibly harder than she’d intended.

  Kate handed the phone back to her. She continued to regard the girl steadily. Very occasionally, this was sometimes enough. The weight of Kate’s knowing stare got too much and the other party collapsed and confessed…

  Kate knew it wouldn’t happen now. All that Kiki did was stare back in an increasingly hostile manner.

  “What?” Kiki said, eventually.

  Kate kept her eyes on the girl’s face. “Why did you do it, Kiki?”

  Again, the tremor in the girl’s face. She’s not quite tough enough, thought Kate. Not yet. Give her ten years or so. A thought came to her that almost made her shudder. If Kiki had done this to a man whom she barely knew, someone who’d merely dumped her after a brief fling, what would Kiki do in the future to someone who had really wronged her? What would she do to a husband? A child? At least now, there was a chance of preventing that.

  She stood up and began to speak the words of the arrest. Kiki said nothing but her pale face became whiter and whiter. She seemed to shrink a little, becoming even smaller under the woolly folds of the rug.

  “Come with me, please,” said Kate. Kiki made no pr
otest but she stumbled, just once, on the way to the door. Kate took her arm and escorted her out. The last thing she saw, as she closed the living room door behind her, was the red illuminated mouth over on the far wall, smiling as if in gentle mockery.

  THE END

  Enjoyed this book? An honest review left at Amazon and Goodreads is always welcome and really important for indie authors. The more reviews an independently published book has, the easier it is to market it and find new readers.

  You can leave a review at Amazon UK here or Amazon US here.

  Want some more of Celina Grace’s work for free? Subscribers to her mailing list get a free digital copy of Requiem (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 2), a free digital copy of A Prescription for Death (The Asharton Manor Mysteries Book 2) and a free PDF copy of her short story collection A Blessing From The Obeah Man.

  Requiem (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 2)

  When the body of troubled teenager Elodie Duncan is pulled from the river in Abbeyford, the case is at first assumed to be a straightforward suicide. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is shocked to discover that she’d met the victim the night before her death, introduced by Kate’s younger brother Jay. As the case develops, it becomes clear that Elodie was murdered. A talented young musician, Elodie had been keeping some strange company and was hiding her own dark secrets.

  As the list of suspects begin to grow, so do the questions. What is the significance of the painting Elodie modelled for? Who is the man who was seen with her on the night of her death? Is there any connection with another student’s death at the exclusive musical college that Elodie attended?

  As Kate and her partner Detective Sergeant Mark Olbeck attempt to unravel the mystery, the dark undercurrents of the case threaten those whom Kate holds most dear…

  A Prescription for Death (The Asharton Manor Mysteries: Book 2) – a novella

  “I had a surge of kinship the first time I saw the manor, perhaps because we’d both seen better days.”

  It is 1947. Asharton Manor, once one of the most beautiful stately homes in the West Country, is now a convalescent home for former soldiers. Escaping the devastation of post-war London is Vivian Holt, who moves to the nearby village and begins to volunteer as a nurse’s aide at the manor. Mourning the death of her soldier husband, Vivian finds solace in her new friendship with one of the older patients, Norman Winter, someone who has served his country in both world wars. Slowly, Vivian’s heart begins to heal, only to be torn apart when she arrives for work one day to be told that Norman is dead.

  It seems a straightforward death, but is it? Why did a particular photograph disappear from Norman’s possessions after his death? Who is the sinister figure who keeps following Vivian? Suspicion and doubts begin to grow and when another death occurs, Vivian begins to realise that the war may be over but the real battle is just beginning…

  A Blessing From The Obeah Man

  Dare you read on? Horrifying, scary, sad and thought-provoking, this short story collection will take you on a macabre journey. In the titular story, a honeymooning couple take a wrong turn on their trip around Barbados. The Mourning After brings you a shivery story from a suicidal teenager. In Freedom Fighter, an unhappy middle-aged man chooses the wrong day to make a bid for freedom, whereas Little Drops of Happiness and Wave Goodbye are tales of darkness from sunny Down Under. Strapping Lass and The Club are for those who prefer, shall we say, a little meat to the story…

  Just go to Celina’s website to sign up. It’s quick, easy and free. Be the first to be informed of promotions, giveaways, new releases and subscriber-only benefits by subscribing to her (occasional) newsletter.

  http://www.celinagrace.com

  Twitter: @celina__grace

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorcelinagrace

  More books by Celina Grace…

  Hushabye (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 1)

  On the first day of her new job in the West Country, Detective Sergeant Kate Redman finds herself investigating the kidnapping of Charlie Fullman, the newborn son of a wealthy entrepreneur and his trophy wife. It seems a straightforward case... but as Kate and her fellow officer Mark Olbeck delve deeper, they uncover murky secrets and multiple motives for the crime.

  Kate finds the case bringing up painful memories of her own past secrets. As she confronts the truth about herself, her increasing emotional instability threatens both her hard-won career success and the possibility that they will ever find Charlie Fullman alive...

  Hushabye is the book that introduces Detective Sergeant Kate Redman. Available as a FREE download from Amazon Kindle.

  Imago (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 3)

  “They don’t fear me, quite the opposite. It makes it twice as fun… I know the next time will be soon, I’ve learnt to recognise the signs. I think I even know who it will be. She’s oblivious of course, just as she should be. All the time, I watch and wait and she has no idea, none at all. And why would she? I’m disguised as myself, the very best disguise there is.”

  A known prostitute is found stabbed to death in a shabby corner of Abbeyford. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman and her partner Detective Sergeant Olbeck take on the case, expecting to have it wrapped up in a matter of days. Kate finds herself distracted by her growing attraction to her boss, Detective Chief Inspector Anderton – until another woman’s body is found, with the same knife wounds. And then another one after that, in a matter of days.

  Forced to confront the horrifying realisation that a serial killer may be preying on the vulnerable women of Abbeyford, Kate, Olbeck and the team find themselves in a race against time to unmask a terrifying murderer, who just might be hiding in plain sight…

  Buy Imago on Amazon, available now.

  Snarl (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 4)

  A research laboratory opens on the outskirts of Abbeyford, bringing with it new people, jobs, prosperity and publicity to the area – as well as a mob of protesters and animal rights activists. The team at Abbeyford police station take this new level of civil disorder in their stride – until a fatal car bombing of one of the laboratory’s head scientists means more drastic measures must be taken…

  Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is struggling to come to terms with being back at work after long period of absence on sick leave; not to mention the fact that her erstwhile partner Olbeck has now been promoted above her. The stakes get even higher as a multiple murder scene is uncovered and a violent activist is implicated in the crime. Kate and the team must put their lives on the line to expose the murderer and untangle the snarl of accusations, suspicions and motives.

  Available now from Amazon.

  Chimera (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 5)

  The West Country town of Abbeyford is celebrating its annual pagan festival, when the festivities are interrupted by the discovery of a very decomposed body. Soon, several other bodies are discovered but is it a question of foul play or are these deaths from natural causes?

  It’s a puzzle that Detective Sergeant Kate Redman and the team could do without, caught up as they are in investigating an unusual series of robberies. Newly single again, Kate also has to cope with her upcoming Inspector exams and a startling announcement from her friend and colleague DI Mark Olbeck…

  When a robbery goes horribly wrong, Kate begins to realise that the two cases might be linked. She must use all her experience and intelligence to solve a serious of truly baffling crimes which bring her up against an old adversary from her past…

  Buy Chimera (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 5) from Amazon, available now.

  Echo (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 6)

  The West Country town of Abbeyford is suffering its worst floods in living memory when a landslide reveals the skeletal remains of a young woman. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman is assigned to the case but finds herself up against a baffling lack of evidence, missing files and the suspicion that someone on high is blocking her investigation...

  Matters are complicated by her estranged mother making cont
act after years of silence. As age-old secrets are uncovered and powerful people are implicated, Kate and the team are determined to see justice done. But at what price?

  Now available from Amazon.

  Creed (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 7)

  Joshua Widcombe and Kaya Trent were the golden couple of Abbeyford’s School of Art and Drama; good-looking, popular and from loving, stable families. So why did they kill themselves on the grassy stage of the college’s outdoor theatre?

  Detective Chief Inspector Anderton thinks there might be something more to the case than a straightforward teenage suicide pact. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman agrees with him, but nothing is certain until another teenager at the college kills herself, quickly followed by yet another death. Why are the privileged teens of this exclusive college killing themselves? Is this a suicide cluster?

  As Kate and the team delve deeper into the case, secrets and lies rear their ugly heads and Abbeyford CID are about to find out that sometimes, the most vulnerable people can be the most deadly…

  Available now from Amazon.

  Sanctuary (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 8)

  Dawn breaks at Muddiford Beach and the body of a young African man is discovered lying on the sand. Was he a desperate asylum seeker, drowned in his attempt to reach the safe shores of Britain? Or is there a more sinister explanation for his death?