By
Jan
Chapter 6
“What
have you done?” Helen repeated softly.
Nikki
rose to her feet as if in a trance and looked at her, a stunned expression on
her lovely face. “Helen…I didn’t do anything. I was in the cellar and I heard
raised voices. I came up to investigate and Sean was just lying here. You’ve
got to believe me, I didn’t kill him.”
“He’s
dead then?” Helen whispered harshly and tears sprang into her eyes.
“Yes,
I’m so sorry.”
Helen
knelt beside Sean and felt for the pulse in his neck but even as she did it she
knew it was useless. The broken bottle sticking out of his neck had pierced his
jugular vein and there was a pool of blood on the floor, like a red halo around
his head.
“I’ll
call the police,” Nikki said quietly.
“I
am the police and so was he!”
Nikki
turned and looked at her in surprise, unwilling to believe the statement she
had just heard. “You’re police! I don’t understand.”
Helen
rose to her feet and her voice was as lifeless as Sean’s body when she spoke.
“I’m going to have to take you in, you know that don’t you?”
“You
don’t think I did it?” Nikki asked incredulously.
“What
am I supposed to think when I find you leaning over his body? It doesn’t look
very good for you does it?”
“But
I didn’t do it!” They heard the wail of a siren in the distance and Nikki ran
her hands through her hair. “This can’t be happening. For Christ’s sake, I
didn’t do it! Please, you’ve got to believe me!”
Helen
looked anxiously at the distraught woman. She was either giving an
Oscar-winning performance or she was telling the truth. Dear God, how she
wanted to believe her! She pushed her car keys into Nikki’s hand. “Go, then.
Take my car, they’ll be looking for yours.”
“I
can’t run away, Helen,” Nikki protested. “I’m innocent.”
Helen
looked around her wildly as if seeking an answer. “Alright. Get in the back
seat and stay down. Don’t move until I come for you.” She watched as Nikki ran
out of the club then turned her attention back to Sean. This was the man she
had once loved. The man she had planned to marry and she was helping his
murderer escape. “I’m sorry, Sean,” she said softly. The full horror of what
had happened finally struck her and tears slid down her cheek as she knelt down
and stroked his hair gently.
She
heard pounding feet and stood up as two uniformed constables came into the
club.
“What
happened, love?” one of the constables demanded whilst the other one examined
Sean’s body.
“I’m
Detective Inspector Stewart!” she replied more sharply than she had intended.
“Sorry,
ma’am,” he muttered.
“I
found him like that when I came in. There doesn’t appear to be anyone else on the
premises.”
“He’s
dead,” the other constable announced as he handed Sean’s warrant card to his
colleague. “What’s been going on here?” he asked Helen suspiciously.
“I’ll
take over now!”
She
had never been more grateful to hear Stubberfield’s voice than she was at that
minute. At least she wouldn’t have to go into too many explanations.
“What
happened to your face?” he demanded.
“Sean
hit me. He accused me of being with Nikki then came looking for her.”
“Looks
as if he found her, poor bastard!”
“She
didn’t do it…”
Stubberfield
looked at her keenly. “What makes you say that? Did you see her?”
“No,
the place was empty when I got here except for…” she glanced at Sean’s body.
“Yes,
of course,” Stubberfield cleared his throat uneasily. “Would you like someone
to take you home?”
“No,
I prefer to stay here.”
“Alright,
but if it gets too much for you…”
She
lowered her eyes. “Thank you, sir.”
“Sir,
the car is registered to Nicola Wade.”
Helen’s
head jerked up as a young man she recognised as DC McAllister joined them.
“Was
there another car in the car park when you arrived, Helen?” Stubberfield looked
at her quizzically.
“Yes,
Nikki’s car was still there,” she replied, grateful she hadn’t pulled up along
side it. If the car was being examined they couldn’t fail to see Nikki hiding
in hers.
“So
you didn’t see what happened?”
“I
didn’t see a thing, sir,” she replied honestly. “I think I will go home after
all. I don’t feel very good.” She swayed slightly to give credence to her words
and McAllister put his arm around her and steadied her.
“Are
you sure you don’t want someone to take you?” Stubberfield demanded.
“No,
honestly, I’ll be fine on my own. Will you keep me informed of your findings?”
“Of
course but I would like to see you in my office tomorrow and get your version
of events.”
She
nodded and smiled her thanks at McAllister before walking unhurriedly from the
club. As she climbed into her car, she knew she was being observed by one of
the constables and didn’t want to arouse suspicion by being in a hurry to get
away…Sean was her fiancé after all. She switched on the engine and drove slowly
until she was out of sight of the club then spoke over her shoulder. “Nikki,
it’s alright. You can come out now.”
“How
did it go back there?” Nikki demanded as she clambered between the seats and
sank down beside Helen.
“Crap,”
she muttered softly.
“Your
face, did he do it?” she asked suddenly.
“Yes.
He thought you and I had been…” her voice tailed off.
“Bastard!”
Nikki murmured viciously. “Look, why don’t you just pull over and let me out?”
“Because,
whether you like it or not, we have to talk.”
“Yeah,
and I’m not the only one with some explaining to do,” she said pointedly.
Helen
allowed herself a brief sideways glance and met Nikki’s accusing eyes. She
flushed and turned back to look at the road.
“Where
are we going anyway?”
“We’re
going to see a friend of mine,” Helen informed her smugly. “He used to be in
the job, now he’s a private investigator.”
“What
do I need a PI for?” Nikki demanded, then added sarcastically. “According to
you, it’s a lawyer I need.”
“You’ll
be safe at Jim’s until I find out what’s going on.” She turned into a side
street and drew up outside a dilapidated building that had once – according to
the weather-beaten sign above the blacked-out window – been a sweet shop. The
shop door bore a brass plaque which on closer inspection read:
James Fenner
Private
Investigator
Helen
pressed an intercom beside the door and after a long pause a muffled male voice
exclaimed, “Do you know what bleedin’ time it is?”
“Nice
chap,” Nikki muttered.
“Yes,
he is,” Helen replied then spoke into the intercom. “Jim, it’s Helen Stewart.”
“You’re
joking! Come on up. I’ll let you in.”
They
heard a click and Helen smiled at Nikki as she pushed the door open. “Come on,
trouble!”
At
the top of a flight of bare, wooden stairs a man wearing just boxers and a
T-shirt was waiting for them.
“Jim
Fenner, you look like shit!” Helen exclaimed.
“For
someone who gets more beautiful every time I see her, that’s a vicious mouth
you’ve got, love!”
They
hugged and Nikki felt a stab of jealously as she looked on. The only arms she
wanted to see around Helen Stewart were hers.
Two
pairs of eyes turned to her. “Jim, this is Nikki Wade. Nikki, this is Jim
Fenner an old friend of mine.”
“Alright,
love.” Jim gave her a friendly nod.
“Alright,”
Nikki replied sullenly. Just how old a friend was Fenner and how close?
Helen
gave her a curious look before turning back to Jim. “Sorry to get you out of
bed, Jim, but Nikki has had a wee bit of bother, so I’d like you to look after
her for me for a couple of days. I also need a place for the two of us,” she
indicated herself and Nikki, “to have a quiet chat. We would have gone back to
my place but I didn’t think it was safe.”
“Sure.
You can talk in there.” He indicated one of the doors. “I’ll make some coffee.”
He walked off towards the kitchen and Helen took Nikki’s arm and propelled her
into the room he had indicated.
“Are
you going to tell me what the bloody hell is going on?” Nikki exploded as she
shook Helen’s arm off.
“I
can’t tell you anything, Nikki. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Trust
you! I thought you were some financial whizz-kid and now you tell me you’re a
bloody copper! I don’t think so.”
“I’m
a bloody copper who’s just saved your neck!” Helen retorted. “I put my whole
career on the line when I let you walk out of there.”
“I
didn’t ask you to!” Nikki retaliated. “I was prepared to face the music. I’m
innocent.”
“That’s
not how they would have seen it…”
“’They?’”
Nikki interrupted scornfully. “You’re part of ‘they’, aren’t you?”
“Yes,
I am but I’m also…was…Sean’s fiancée. We argued over you and he came after you.
Who’s to say you didn’t argue with him too?”
“Because
I bloody told you I didn’t! He was dead when I found him!”
She
heard an embarrassed cough and looked up to find Fenner standing in the doorway
now fully dressed. He jerked his head backwards at Helen and she followed him
from the room.
“What’s
happened, Helen?” he asked in an undertone.
“Sean
Parr was murdered tonight,” she told him softly.
“I’m
sorry, love,” he replied sympathetically. “Did she do it?” He indicated Nikki.
“She
said she didn’t and I’m inclined to believe her, that’s why I’ve brought her
here. I want you to make sure she doesn’t leave, Jim, because if she did do it,
I want to be the one who puts the cuffs on her!” she said passionately.
“So
now I know where I stand with you! Why the hell don’t you just turn me in?”
As
the stricken voice reached her ears she turned round guiltily and found herself
staring into Nikki’s hate-filled eyes.