His final words were lost on Kay as she pushed her chair back, slipped through the door into the corridor, and walked out of the building.
Fifty-Five
Kay turned the key in the ignition and released her seatbelt as the car engine died.
She leaned forward, resting her chin against her hands on the steering wheel while her eyes traced the line of gravestones beyond the car park.
An emptiness clawed at her gut, a familiar sensation that she knew would never leave her, not completely.
She leaned over, grabbed her handbag from the foot well and eased herself from the car, waving the key fob over her shoulder until she heard the thunk of the internal locking mechanism.
Picking up her pace, she meandered between the headstones, breathing in the fresh summer air.
A bumblebee hovered close to her face before sweeping away towards a patch of dandelions in the grass to her right while a wood pigeon cooed in the trees that lined the site to her left.
She blinked, and glanced up as the breeze carried the sound of a distant siren towards her, before pulling her mobile phone from her handbag and switching it off.
Someone else could be dragged from their late afternoon sabbatical.
She tossed it back into her bag and slowed as she reached the next row of stones. Turning right, away from the grassy aisle she’d been following, she made her way halfway along the row, then stopped and placed her hand on top of the cool grey granite headstone, her eyes tracing the simple inscription.
Elizabeth Hunter-Turner. Beloved daughter, taken too soon.
‘Hello, Elizabeth.’
She dropped her bag to the floor and began to tug at the long grass that had already begun to encroach around the base of the stone despite Adam’s attendance to it only a couple of weeks ago.
The light summer rains and bright days had caused the whole countryside to burst with life, and here among the monuments to the dead, it was no different.
Lost in her work, she didn’t hear anyone approaching, and jumped at the sound of a man clearing his throat.
She spun round on her toes and shielded her eyes from the sun at the figure towering above her.
‘Thought I’d give you a few moments to yourself before joining you.’
Sharp shoved his hands in his trouser pockets and turned to survey the cemetery. He squinted in the afternoon light as his eyes roamed the landscape. ‘It’s a peaceful spot up here.’
‘Yeah.’ Kay straightened, threw the weeds to one side and brushed her hands together to lose the remaining leaves.
‘Do you visit often?’
‘We try to get here a couple of times a month. Adam will be here in a bit – he wanted to pick up some fresh flowers first.’
‘I won’t hang around. I’ve got something for you that I didn’t want to give to you at the station.’ He reached into his pocket and handed her the spare key to her front door. ‘I had someone go to your house while you were both out. He took a look at the equipment you found. Whoever put the cameras and microphones in there, they’re professionals. Especially given the limited timeframe they had to do it in.’
‘More than one of them, then?’
He nodded. ‘Probably. Two to trash your house, and maybe two or three to fit all the equipment. My contact removed all the cameras and microphones so you won’t have anything to worry about in that respect now. They won’t be able to see or hear anything.’
‘Won’t they suspect something?’
‘My contact ran white noise for a bit and then increased the frequency – that killed the equipment. They’ll probably assume that mice, rodents, equipment giving out or a power surge wrecked the microphones. Happens all the time.’
‘Okay.’
He passed her a set of four miniature cameras and microphones that had been sealed within a plastic evidence bag. ‘There were no fingerprints – we checked.’
Kay let out a shaking breath and turned the bag between her fingers. ‘Thanks, guv.’ Kay’s hand trembled as she held up the bag to the light and inspected its contents. As she remembered what the equipment had been used for, it seemed to exude a malevolent quality and it was all she could do not to throw it to the floor and grind it under her heel. Instead she raised her eyes at Sharp’s voice.
‘Are you going to tell me who you suspect is behind all this?’
She blinked, and rubbed at her right eye. ‘It wouldn’t be very professional of me, would it? Spreading rumours?’ She dropped her hand. ‘No – I need more evidence, or a breakthrough or something.’
‘You’ll hang on to the cameras and microphones for evidence though?’
‘Yeah. I went back to the Whittakers’ bank and opened a safe deposit box of my own.’ She clutched the evidence bag in one hand and pulled out a small key from her trouser pocket. ‘I want you to have the spare. In case anything happens to me.’
His eyes met hers as he plucked the key from her fingers. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I don’t know who else to trust, guv. And I’m trying not to get Adam involved. Can I trust you?’
He tested the weight of the key in his hand. ‘Yes. And I’m not going to open that box, all right?’
‘You might have to. If anything happens to me.’
He sighed. ‘Adam doesn’t know you’re still hunting for whoever did this to you, does he?’
She bit her lip. ‘He knows.’
‘Be careful, Kay. I’d hate for anything to happen to you two. He’s a nice bloke.’ Sharp checked his watch. ‘I would imagine he’ll be here any minute. I’d best be going.’
He patted her arm as he passed, and she watched as he stalked back to his car, his head bowed.
As he climbed in and powered the vehicle away, she turned her attention back to her
