The Fake Date Read online

  Rick immediately switched off the range. ‘Give me a minute, I’ll come with you.’ He began heading towards the hall, but Michelle shook her head.

  ‘Rick, no. You’ve never met my mum and it’s hardly the right time to introduce you, is it?’ She walked towards the door. ‘I’ll call you later. Let you know what’s happened.’

  He held out his arms and pulled her into a hug. ‘Okay. But if you need me, just call.’

  Michelle climbed into the car and picked up her phone to send a text.

  Mum, I’m on my way. Just leaving Rick’s. Will be home in twenty minutes. x.

  Michelle turned the engine on and began driving at speed. It was still summer, the nights were light, but even though she knew most of the roads in this area well, she kept an eye on her mirrors as she took the car swiftly through the lanes that led from Rick’s to the main roads.

  She glanced down at her phone to see if her mother had replied and wondered if she should phone her instead. ‘Shit, no signal.’ She held the phone up and over her head, wound down the window and held it outside; still nothing.

  A car sped up behind her and she slowed down to allow it to pass. But then, without warning, she felt her whole car jolt. She lost control of the steering and she automatically hit her brakes as hard as she could. There was a squealing of brakes, followed by a loud thud as her car skidded off the road, went over the grass verge and headed towards the fields at speed, stopping just short of a deep and water-filled ditch. She felt her stomach turn as she leaned backwards, afraid that the car would tip into the water and, for a moment, she just sat. She closed her eyes, swallowed hard and took in short, sharp breaths as she tried desperately to slow her heart rate that pounded with the intensity of a bass drum. Her eyes were fixed on the ditch and she realised just how close she’d come to plunging into the depths of the water. She felt bile rise in her throat at the thought.

  She looked over her shoulder. The other car had now turned in the road. ‘At least you stopped, you moron.’ She pushed at the door that didn’t want to open and ended up kicking at it with force. She then stepped painfully out of the car and into the mud that covered the embankment. Every inch of her hurt; her shoes sank into the mud and she closed her eyes as the tears began to fall. This was the last thing she needed tonight. First her dad and now her. She thought of how her poor mum would feel when she got yet another call telling her that her daughter had now been involved in an accident. Her neck hurt, her shoulder had been pulled back by the seat belt and the strap of the shoe cut into her toes. An involuntary sob left her lips. She looked up to the sky as raindrops began to drop, one quickly followed by another. She looked down at the dress she’d bought specially for tonight, paid for on her credit card, along with everything else that she couldn’t afford and now, even before it was paid for, it would be ruined by the mud and the rain. She looked at the mud-covered straps on her shoes and bent down to pull at the leather, before slowly beginning to walk towards the other car. But then she stopped walking. The other car hadn’t moved. The driver hadn’t emerged and she stared at the dark blue Golf, and at the driver, as its engine revved and it drove directly at her.

  I’m sitting looking at your prone body as you lie in the dirt. You’re on the grass verge, to the side of the road. But your shoe has travelled. It flew through the air and it’s now lying on the white line in the centre of the road. I feel the need to put it back on your foot, but I can’t. I’m shaking with the adrenaline that pumps through my body, I feel frozen in time and I have to wait for the moment to pass. Eventually, my hands hit the steering wheel so hard that the horn blasts out and I look around to ensure that the road is still empty. Then, I smile. The road is quiet, and I sit back for a moment and stare. I’m so angry with you but there’s no time to think about that now, and I start the car in the knowledge that I took back the control. And now, now you’ve paid the price.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Will turned over in bed, woken by the shrill sound of his phone ringing. He opened his eyes and for the second night in a row, it was still dark, cold and far too early to be woken up.

  ‘What?’ He balanced the phone between one hand and the pillow and tried to move into a position where he could see the clock. He covered his eyes with his arm, shielding them from the glare of the luminous numbers.

  ‘Will, you need to get down here. We’ve got a body on the top road. Woman, it’s a hit-and-run. I can’t get close enough to get a shot.’ Josh sounded disturbed and excitable all at once. ‘Will, bring the big camera, we need the zoom to get a picture of the police activity, they’re everywhere.’

  Will knew that the story must be big for Josh to have phoned in the middle of the night. Normally he’d have attended the scene, taken the photos, written up the report and had it on his desk by the time Will got to the office next morning.

  ‘Josh, for God’s sake. I’m knackered. Can’t you handle it?’ He sat up and knuckle rubbed his eyes.

  ‘Normally I would, Will, but …’ Josh sounded as though he were running. Again, it was unlike him. The last time Josh had done anything that would have broken a sweat it had involved Sarah and the cockle shed.

  ‘Okay, Josh, I’ll come out. Try and get the exclusive. Do we know who the woman is?’ Will fumbled for the light, turned it on and stepped across the room, realising that after he’d finished laying the turf the night before, he’d only had two hours’ sleep.

  ‘Course I do. You remember Sarah, don’t you, the one you kicked out of our office?’

  Will butted in. ‘Oh my God. She can’t be dead, Josh, she’s Ella’s friend.’

  ‘Catch up, Will, Sarah isn’t dead. But she did phone me. Like you said, she’s a copper, was first on the scene and she called me while waiting for the emergency services to arrive. Which means I get the exclusive. The woman’s called Michelle Everett and as I said it looks like a hit-and-run. Bastard killed her outright.’ The words made Will stop in his tracks. He stood for a moment before opening the wardrobe door and looking along the line of identical crisp white shirts. He pulled one out and began to get dressed.

  ‘I’ve heard that name before.’ He couldn’t think where from, but was sure it had been mentioned recently. Will searched his mind. ‘What does she look like?’

  Josh paused. ‘Well, I’d like to say she’s beautiful, tall and blonde, but right now I’d say that her beauty may have been a bit of a previous feature.’

  Will cringed at the thought. He rushed down the stairs, out of the back door. The door slammed as he ran down the drive to where his car was parked by the kerb at the front of the house. He automatically looked up at Ella’s front bedroom window. A light glowed and he noticed her peep from behind the curtain.

  Sorry, did I wake you? he texted while waving.

  Not at all. I was reading. Heard your door, worried you might be about to break in again. Lol.! she responded.

  Go back to bed. I’ll pop and help with Millie in the morning. Hope your leg’s a bit better? he texted back, unable to think of what else to say. He’d have liked to keep the conversation going, but knew that time was of the essence and if he wanted the story, he really had to go.

  Thank you, the leg’s ok ish xx came her reply, just as Will saw the light go out and Ella’s house was left, like his own, in darkness.

  Will pulled his car up on the top road. He grabbed his notebook, camera bag and jacket from the back seat and abandoned the car. He could see the blue flashing lights in the distance and knew that he was as close to the scene as he would get without being stopped by the police. Besides, he knew that he’d get closer on foot. He had to find Josh and, if he guessed correctly, Josh would be as close to the police and body as he could possibly get.

  He jogged towards the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles.

  ‘Now then, what do you know?’ Will asked as he caught his breath and dropped the camera bag at Josh’s feet.

  ‘Not much. I’ve been digging around on the internet. You know
you said you’d heard the name before? Well, can you remember where from?’

  ‘I did say that, but no I can’t think where from.’ The truth was that Will had thought of nothing but Ella during the drive over. He’d thought of the night they’d sat together in the hospital waiting room, how they’d chatted for hours before going back to Ella’s cottage. He’d been shattered, but had spent the whole of the next day running in and out of the house in an attempt to teach Millie that peeing outside was good. There had been an accident or two, but at least he’d had the opportunity to stay close to Ella. She hadn’t seemed to mind him taking up residence on the settee in her cottage, nor had she seemed to mind feeding him breakfast, dinner and tea which had saved him a trip to the supermarket. Then he had begun thinking about food and of how he’d repay the debt.

  He rubbed his eyes; two hours’ sleep was never enough, but after doing this job for the past five years, he’d learnt to cope. He knew that at some point during the day complete exhaustion would take over and then he’d collapse in a heap, normally in the back of his or one of the other reporters’ cars.

  ‘Really, come on, try and think where you’ve heard the name before. You’ll kick yourself when I tell you.’ Josh perched on his car bonnet, tapped his pen on his notebook and waited for Will to reply.

  Will shook his head. ‘I have no idea.’

  ‘Oh come on, Will. Play the game. Are you sure?’ Josh pulled a face, raised his eyebrows and jumped down from the bonnet.

  ‘Josh, do you know what time it is?’ He looked at his watch. ‘It’s one in the morning and if you hadn’t already guessed, I’m too tired for games. Just tell me who the hell she is.’

  ‘Michelle Everett.’ Josh paused. ‘The gym, Will. She works at … no … she worked at Rick Greaves’ gym.’

  Will stared at Josh, his eyes wide like saucers. ‘Get away.’ The words slipped from him mouth. They had no meaning but it had been all he’d felt capable of saying as he looked to where the blue flashing lights continued to light up the moors and he could see men erecting a small white forensics tent. He’d watched this scene so many times before and still couldn’t get used to it. He looked up at the sky and then down at the ground, which was wet. He knew that the rain must have already fallen and it threatened again. The team only had a short period of time to erect the tent, preserve the scene and collect any samples or evidence from along the road. If the rain came down heavily, any evidence that they might have retrieved could be washed away and the identity of the hit-and-run driver lost forever.

  ‘Has the coroner arrived yet?’ He set off running towards the blue and white police tape that now stretched across the road. ‘Josh, give Sarah a call. If we’re going to get the best story we need to get to the other side of that tape and we need to speak to that coroner.’

  The roads of Ugathwaite were quiet. Sleepy even, with street lights dimmed and most of the houses still in darkness. But daylight was just about to break and the birds had already begun their morning chorus.

  Will pulled his car over to the side of the road, turned off the engine and closed his eyes. He listened for just a moment. The noise was beautiful, pure and natural and he could have sat for hours just listening to the birds, but knew that if he did, he’d be asleep within minutes. There was still a lot of work to do and he needed to get moving in order to stay awake.

  ‘Come on, sleeping beauty, shake a leg, we’re here.’ He nudged Josh, who in return grunted from the passenger seat and turned over like a petulant child. ‘Josh, come on, work to do.’

  ‘Where are we?’ A miserable sounding whisper came from somewhere beneath the anorak, as one arm at a time began to move in an outward stretch.

  ‘We’re at Greaves’ house. Come on, we need to bang on his door and get the interview before either the police or the rest of the press get here.’ Will thought long and hard about what Ella had said, that journalists really were vultures, and he had to agree. He even included himself in that statement. He watched the house. All was in darkness and he felt sure that Greaves was inside, sleeping. Just like Josh, who once again had begun to snore in the seat beside him.

  Will nudged Josh. ‘Come on, I’ve had no sleep either. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we go home.’

  ‘But you never want to go home,’ the voice murmured. ‘What’s changed?’

  Will thought of Ella. How he wished that right now he was curled up on her settee chatting to her, Millie sitting between them, playing and fussing till she fell asleep in an exhausted heap. He sighed. That’s where he’d like to be, but he was tired, so very tired and felt as though if he stopped, he’d sleep for a week.

  ‘JOSH,’ he shouted and Josh jumped up from his prone position and sat upright in the front of the car.

  ‘Jesus Christ, Will. You didn’t have to scare me half to death, what’s that all about?’ Josh pulled the coat on that he’d been using as a blanket and zipped it up.

  ‘Go and interview Greaves. See what he has to say and get a picture. I’d go myself, but he’d recognise me from the gym. Can’t blow my cover, not now they think I’m a landscape gardener. And I still want to be able to go into the gym and see what’s happening.’

  Josh turned and reached into the back seat for his camera. ‘Okay, five questions max. Then you take me home, right?’

  Josh opened the car door, jumped out, stretched and walked over to the detached house. Trees and bushes surrounded the property, giving him ample time to look around. There were no cars on the drive, no sign of life, meaning that the house was either empty or Rick Greaves was tucked up, fast asleep in bed.

  Josh’s fist banged on the door with a thunderous knock and then he stood back and waited before banging again.

  A light went on upstairs and the silhouette of a man came into view as he stumbled down the stairs. ‘What the hell, who is it?’ The voice bellowed and a second light went on in the hallway. Rick Greaves ran his hands through his hair as he peered through the glass in the front door.

  ‘Rick Greaves, I’m Josh Bates, Scarborough Star. Could you tell me what you know about the murder of Michelle Everett?’ Josh watched for Greaves’ reaction. He held his camera at the ready and waited for the full impact of the question to sink in.

  Rick stopped in his tracks. He looked down at the floor and then reached forward, turned the key in the lock and pulled the door open to the flashing lights of the camera.

  ‘Stop that flashing, for God’s sake.’ Rick held his arm up to cover his eyes. ‘Now, tell me again, what the hell did you just say?’

  Josh smirked. ‘You heard me, Mr Greaves. Michelle Everett is dead. I’d like to know what you know about her murder?’

  Rick appeared to grab hold of the door frame. He swallowed hard, and then looked behind him and into the house. His legs looked as though they were about to buckle as he swayed back and forth. ‘Dead … what the hell are you talking about, she … she was just here?’

  Once again Josh began taking photographs. But Rick’s hand swung out, narrowly missing his face. ‘I’ve told you to stop flashing that bloody thing.’

  Josh managed to bounce out of the way as Rick made repeated attempts to grab at the camera. Josh once again sidestepped. He felt like a gazelle dodging a lion and smirked as he jumped out of the way. ‘No you don’t,’ he said, ‘this camera was expensive.’

  ‘Then stop shoving the bloody thing in my face, you asshole!’ Rick screamed. ‘You said murder, but that can’t be. She was here, she left just after ten. As far as I’m aware, she went to collect her mother, something about her father having been in an accident.’

  ‘So, she was here, was she? Why was that, Mr Greaves?’ Josh clicked away on the camera.

  ‘I’ve told you, she left at around ten. Her mother called and said that her father had had an accident. I offered to go with her, but she refused. That’s the last I saw of her.’

  ‘Well, I’m afraid she didn’t get there. She was found on the top road, hit-and-run.’ Josh paused. ‘D
on’t you think it’s a horrible coincidence how everyone associated with you ends up dead or seriously injured?’ He paused and stood back. ‘Why do you think that happens, Mr Greaves?’

  Rick looked visibly shocked and Josh wondered how a man could continually manage to act hurt, each and every time one of his loved ones seemed to die. ‘Get out of my face and get off my drive. I’m saying no more until I’ve phoned my solicitor.’ Rick’s voice was getting louder and louder, and decidedly more aggressive.

  Josh looked back to where the car was parked. He knew that Will was waiting and he heard the engine rev up, which was probably Will indicating to him that he still had his foot on the accelerator, just in case they needed to make a fast retreat.

  ‘What happened, Mr Greaves? Didn’t she like your advances? Is that why she left?’ Josh pointed at the spent candles. ‘Because if you ask me, it looks like you were all set up for a romantic night.’

  Rick stepped back into his house, grabbed his mobile phone and began tapping a number into the pad.

  ‘Were you and Michelle a couple, Mr Greaves? Did you argue, is that why she left?’ Josh continued. The question was simple and was intended to gain a reaction. ‘Seriously, it seems quite amazing that most of your former wives or partners end up dead or dying, doesn’t it?’ Josh saw Rick’s hand fly out towards him and felt himself falling backwards. The camera flew towards the bushes and he landed heavily on his bottom, just as the click and flash of Will’s camera came from behind him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ella checked her reflection in the mirror and admired the new shape that her body had become. After the attack, she’d barely eaten for months and had become far too thin, but now the curves had returned in all the right places. She approved. The new jeans hugged her, along with a Bardot style T-shirt which seductively hung off from one shoulder and she nodded appreciatively. She sat down at the dressing table and pulled the straighteners through her hair, making sure each strand was perfectly flat. Sighing, she picked up the nude lip gloss and carefully applied a thin, but perfectly shaped layer.