The Border: The Complete Series (10 page)

“I think everyone feels like this about the place where they live,” Jack told him. “There's nothing special about Bowley.”

“You really don't think so?”

“I've been running the paper for the past five years,” he replied, “and my family's lived here since before I was born. I'm pretty sure I'd know if there was anything to worry about. This is just a normal, clean-living town with maybe one or two slightly odd things, but nothing worth mentioning.” He took a sip of beer. “I honestly can't think of a single person who'd either want to kill Mel, or who'd be
capable
of doing it.”

“So you don't buy into the serial killer angle?”

“I don't think serial killers leave the best part of a decade between each victim.”

“Are there any similarities between the way Mel was killed and the way the other girls died?”

“Jane won't say,” Jack replied. “I've got a strange feeling about it, though.”

“The way she was just dumped in the trash,” Greg continued, “was like... I mean, how can you disrespect another human being so much that you toss her away like that? Mel was a good person, you know? Everyone who came in here said she livened the place up. She was always smiling, but not in that annoying, fake kind of way. She just always seemed optimistic and happy. She made
me
feel optimistic and happy.”

“Do you know of any problems she'd been having lately?”

Greg shook his head.

“What about a boyfriend? Girlfriend? Anything at all?”

“She was very private,” he continued. “She'd only been in town for about two years, remember? I always got the impression she'd specifically sought out a small, quiet place to live, and that she was totally happy here. She wasn't one of those girls who wanted to rule the world, you know? She was more like... Well, I guess like Jane, or like your sister Beth. Happy to stick around here and live a quieter life. Good girls.”

“To good girls,” Jack replied, raising his glass and clinking it against Greg's. “God knows, there seem to be less of them about these days. Most of them want to head to the big city and become reality TV stars or models, crap like that. They're not happy in a wholesome, family-friendly place like Bowley.”

“Man,” Greg continued, “I'm glad you showed up tonight. No-one's been in, I guess 'cause of what happened to Mel. I was sitting here going out of my mind. Hell, I was thinking about closing early, but then I figured that'd be, like, letting the killer win.” He frowned. “If that makes sense.”

“I'm just sorry I've got to go,” Jack said, finishing his beer and getting to his feet. “Deadlines loom.”

“You won't stay for one more? On the house?”

“Can't. Thanks for the chat, though. I appreciate it.” Patting Greg on the back, he turned and made his way to the door, finally stepping out into the cold night air and taking a long, deep breath. He felt bad for lying to Greg about a deadline, but he didn't much fancy sitting around drinking any longer, listening to the man prattle on, and he wanted to get home and make sure Jane had simmered down a little.

Heading along the street, he turned the corner and finally reached his car, only to put his hands in his pocket and realize his keys were gone. After a moment, he sighed as he realized he'd left them in the bar.

***

“You serving?” the stranger asked as he pushed the door open and made his way over to the bar.

“Sure are,” Greg replied, grabbing a clean pint glass from the pile. “What's your poison?”

“I'll just take whatever's closest,” the stranger muttered, setting himself down on a stool before tapping one of the beer pumps. “This'll do.” He watched for a moment as Greg poured, and then he looked around at the empty booths for a moment before craning his neck and trying to see through to the back room. Finally, he turned back to Greg and paused for a few seconds. “I've got a question, buddy. Mind if I ask it?”

“Uh. Sure.”

“It's just... Where's the woman who was working here last night? I got the impression she was working most of the time, and...” He paused, before letting his smile grow a little. “Truth be told, I liked her. I thought maybe she liked me too. I'm probably embarrassing myself like a complete idiot, but I didn't see a ring on her finger and I figure I'd...” He laughed. “Jesus, I don't know what I figured. She must be at least ten years younger than me. I'm a complete letch.”

“Well -” Pausing for a moment, Greg clearly wasn't quite sure how to respond. “Um, no, she's not here tonight. There was a bit of a... Something happened.”

“Something bad?”

Setting the glass down in front of the stranger, Greg paused. “You're not from around here, are you?”

“Well, yes and no. I arrived yesterday morning.”

“What's your business in Bowley?”

“Complicated,” the stranger replied. “You're starting to worry me, though. What happened to the woman from last night? Mel's her name, isn't it? Is she okay?”

“Well, to be honest, she -”

Before he could finish, Greg heard the door opening, and he looked over to see that Jack had returned. Reaching under the bar, he grabbed the keys he'd found a moment ago and held them out for him.

“Cheers, man,” Jack said, taking the keys and then heading to the door, only to stop suddenly. He paused for a moment, feeling a faint cold shiver dancing across his skin, before slowly turning back to look at the stranger, who was sipping from a pint glass.

Above them, the fairy lights blinked on and off.

“Hello, brother,” the stranger finally, not turning around as a smile slowly spread across his face. He waited, grinning as he stared into his glass. “Fancy bumping into you in a place like this.”

Jack stared at him, before taking a step forward. “Ben?”

“Cheers,” Ben replied, raising his glass before taking another sip. “Will you join me for a swift one?”

“What -” Jack paused again. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Didn't Mum tell you I was coming to town?”

“On Monday,” Jack replied, his mind racing as he tried to work out what was happening. “She told me you were coming on Monday. Not today, not this week. Monday.”

“Does it matter?”

Jack stared.

“I mean,” Ben continued, still smiling as he stared into his glass, “does it really,
really
matter what particular day I arrived in town?”

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out.

“Ah, well...” Ben chuckled at some silent thought. “I guess I... Don't take this the wrong way, but the truth is, I wanted to get here a few days early and just keep my head down for a while. You know what it's gonna be like once I'm officially back, everyone'll want a piece of me, it'll be chat after chat, most of 'em going over all the same stuff, and it's not that I don't appreciate the attention, I just... Anyway, I thought I'd check into a motel for a day or two and just chill a little before making my grand return. You can understand that, can't you?”

Jack stepped over to him, still shocked to see his brother again after nine long years.

“You've been here for several days already?” he asked finally.

Ben nodded, still not looking at him.

“Just... Hanging around?”

“Just hanging around.”

“Without telling any of us?”

“I guess.”

Jack paused. “Huh.”

“Yep,” Ben muttered, still smiling. “Huh.”

Again, Jack opened his mouth to ask something, but again he stayed silent.

“What's the big deal?” Ben asked finally, nudging his brother's arm. “Come on, lighten up. The family stuff can be kinda suffocating, can't it? Don't
you
ever wanna take some time alone? Then again, maybe you're better at putting on a brave face and suppressing your need to get away from it all.” He paused again. “Well, Jesus, I thought you'd be a little more pleased to see me after nine years, Jack. Even if I
did
roll into town sooner than you expected.” Finally, he turned to his brother. “I'm only a few days early. No big deal, right?”

“Yeah,” Jack replied, “I'm glad to see you, but...” He stared for a moment longer. “So you were here last night?”

Ben nodded. “Actually, I was in this very bar for a couple of hours, on this very stool. I figured it was safe, 'cause you wouldn't be here, being a happily married family man who doesn't frequent such places, and I knew Beth wouldn't be here either, so I wasn't really worried about bumping into either of you. But now you're here, I guess my cover's blown and we might as well catch up.” Reaching over, he patted the next stool along. “Plant yourself, bro. After nine years, I'm sure we've got a lot to talk about, especially since... Well, I'm willing to take my share of the blame for how things were left last time.” He pointed to the top of his head. “See? Natural color again. No more bad dye jobs.”

“Huh,” Jack replied. “I don't... Sorry, I'm just surprised. I really,
really
thought you weren't in town last night. Beth and I both did.”

“Does it really matter?” Ben asked.

“It...” Jack's voice trailed off for a moment.

“What's going on?” Ben continued. “Jesus, bro, you're looking kinda shocked. Is something wrong?” He paused, still smiling, as he saw Jack's extreme discomfort. “Does it really matter if I was here last night or not? I'm here now, and I guess the family stuff can start a day or two early, huh?” He patted the stool again. “Sit down! Get a beer! Let's talk!”

“I... I have to get home,” Jack replied. “Jane's helping the kids with their homework.”

“Jane? Oh, man, how's Jane doing? Still smart, hot and fun? How'd you end up with a girl like her, anyway? And how are my little nephews?”

“They're good,” Jack said, taking a step back. “They're great.”

“I can't wait to see them again! And to meet my new niece. What's her name? Lucy?”

“Sure, that... That sounds good.”

“I'll pop over tomorrow,” Ben added. “I mean, now you know I'm here, there's no point slinking about, is there? Might as well dive right back into the family.” He sighed, before taking a swig of beer. “I'm sure it'll be fun.”

“I guess.” Jack paused, clearly feeling even more uncomfortable, before looking down at his keys. “Well, I really should get home.” Turning, he headed to the door, before glancing back at Ben. “It's, uh, good to see you again.”

“Right back at you,” Ben replied with a smile, giving him a thumbs-up. He waited, watching as Jack headed outside, before looking back down at his drink.

“That's your brother?” Greg asked after a moment, clearly surprised. “Sorry, dude, I had no idea.”

“It's cool. I haven't been around for a while.”

“I think Jack's mentioned you once or twice.”

“He has? Well, that's very nice of him. It's good to know I wasn't completely forgotten while I was...” He paused, struggling to find the right words. “While I was out there, traveling the world.”

“So what were Jack and Beth like as kids?” Greg asked with a grin. “I bet you've got some stories, huh?”

Ben nodded.

“Then again,” Greg continued, “families are pretty screwy, aren't they? You never really know what's going on, not from the outside.” Turning, he picked up a tray of glasses and carried them through to the back room.

“Man,” Ben muttered, unable to keep from smiling, “you have no idea.” He took another swig of beer. “You have
no
idea,” he said again, more quietly this time.

With that, he took another sip of beer and then sat, quietly, staring into space as the fairy lights ran through their rotation above him. Slowly, over the course of several minutes, his smile began to fade, millimeter by millimeter, until all that was left was a dark, pained look in his eyes.

Part Two

Nine years ago

They stood in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. With the morning sun having barely yet broken the horizon, Caitlin Somers' dead body was still mostly in darkness, with just hints of light on some of the curves and edges. She'd begun to cool as the day had begun to heat up.

Her face.

Her bloodied neck.

Her chest, with a glistening red hole right above the heart, where her ribs had been punched away.

“I, uh...” Alex began to say, before falling quiet.

Jane tried to think of something appropriate, but nothing came. She just stared at the dead girl's hand, which was hanging down its fingers slightly curled, as she'd been about to make a fist. Or open one. Either way, there were pockets of dew on Caitlin's dead palm.

As if he'd suddenly remembered that he should, Alex removed his cap.

Finally, Jane knew she'd have to be the one to speak. “Boss, we -”

Before she could finish, Alex turned and put a hand over her eyes. “I don't think you should see this,” he said roughly.

With his hand pressed against her face, she frowned. “Sir?”

“It's too... despicable. Too horrible.”

She waited, figuring he was making some weird, badly-timed joke, but no. No, he meant it.

“Sir,” she said finally. “I think I'll be okay.”

“Jesus Christ, this is a small town.”

“Um... Sir?”

“It's your first week on the job,” he continued. “You're not ready. Something like this could traumatize you for life.”

“Well...” She paused, not certain whether she was allowed to move his hand away. “I think... I really think I'll be okay, Sir.”

“I want you to go home.”

“Sir?”

“I want you to turn around, get in the car, and drive back to town. Don't look back, don't even look in the wing mirrors. This is too horrific for you to witness.”

She paused again. “With all due respect,” she said finally, “I'd like to stay, Sir. I think I can handle it.” She waited for him to reply. “Please, Sir. I'm not a... delicate little... sunflower.”

“Trust me,” he said firmly.

“Um... I...”

“Turn around,” he continued, using his other hand to grab her shoulder and gently turn her. “You can stay, but you can't look. Keep your back to the horror.” He sighed, and then muttered something about this being the reason young women shouldn't be allowed to join the police.

Finally, he moved his hand from in front of her eyes.

“I'm going to go take a closer look,” he told her.

“Um. Okay.”

She stared back toward town, listening as Alex crunched his way across the frosty grass.

“Jesus,” she heard him say after a moment. “Lord, why...”

“What -” she began, before pausing. “I mean... What's it like up close, Sir?”

No reply.

Figuring she should wait, she began to count the seconds, but finally she realized she couldn't hear anything. She wanted to turn and look, but she was worried about disobeying her boss. After all, she felt she had to obey every order he gave her, even the ones that seemed a little... irrational.

“Sir?” she said finally.

No reply.

She waited again, before slowly, cautiously turning. She was ready, in case he barked at her to stop, to look away again, but finally she saw that the dead girl was still in the tree's nook, and that Alex had his back turned to the corpse and was leaning against one of the branches, with a hand over his eyes.

“Sir?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

Turning to her, he paused for a moment, before nodding.

“Can I come over?” she asked.

Another pause, and then another nod.

Making her way quickly across the grass, she passed Alex and made straight for the girl.

“She looks almost peaceful,” she said after a moment. “Almost... arranged.”

“Arranged?”

“Like a doll.” Staring wide-eyed at the dead girl, Jane felt a faint heaving sensation in the pit of her belly. “That's probably not right, though. That's probably just me reading too much into it.”

“She's been stabbed,” Alex replied, still not turning to look.

“Multiple times,” Caitlin muttered, leaning closer to the body. “Someone's made an unholy mess of her, Sir. I'm counting a dozen wounds, maybe more, and...”

Suddenly she noticed beads of morning dew on the girl's eyes. She stared for a moment, meeting Caitlin's still gaze, before looking down at the hole that seemed to have been punched into her chest.

“This wound on her chest,” she said finally. “This one isn't a stab wound. Whoever did this, it looks like they opened her up. Come and see, Sir.”

“Doctor Tomlin'll take a look and work out exactly what's happened.”

Taking a flashlight from her pocket, Jane leaned across the body and shone a beam of light directly into the largest wound. “I think...” She squinted, trying to get a better look. “Jesus, I think the cavity's empty. I think he...” She turned to Alex. “I think he took her heart out.”

“No, I doubt that.”

She frowned. “You doubt it?”

“Very much.”

She paused. “With all due respect, Sir...
Why
do you doubt it?”

“Well, why would he take her heart?”

“I don't know,” she replied, “but I think he did.”

“Seems like a weird thing to do.”

“Just... Come and take a look, Sir. There's basically a gap in here, where her heart should be.”

With his back to her still, he shook his head.

“There is, Sir. If you just -”

“If he'd taken her heart,” he continued, “the wound'd be more to the side, not in the center.”

“Actually, Sir, the heart's more or less
in
the center of the chest, it's just a tad to one side.” She turned back and looked into the wound. “I'm telling you, her heart's missing.”

“Well, we'll see what Doctor Tomlin says when he gets here.”

“He's going to tell you her heart's been taken,” she continued, looking at the thin red slits across the dead girl's body, where the knife had been driven in again and again. “Do you think there's a pattern?” she asked after a moment. “The way the wounds are spaced out, it doesn't seem very random.” Turning, she watched as Alex made his way to the car and opened the trunk. “Sir, I think it might be worth considering the possibility that this was a ritualistic killing. I don't think it was a frenzied attack.”

“We'll see,” he replied, pulling some tarpaulin out of the trunk and carrying it over. “Outta the way there.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I'm gonna cover her up.”

“Shouldn't you...” She paused. “I mean, wouldn't that maybe disturb the scene? It might make it harder for us to get some forensic results.”

“Can't leave her in the open like this,” he replied, “it's undignified.”

“But -”

“Step back, Jane. I understand that you're eager, and that's good, but trust me, this is the way we do things around here. I knew Caitlin Somers from the day she was born, she was a decent girl, and it's not right for her to be out in the open like this.” He looked down at Caitlin's face for a moment. “I remember her coming into the station sometimes with her father and just smiling at me. I used to give her candy, and her eyes'd light up like it was the greatest gift anyone could get. She was such a sweet little kid.”

“She was terrified,” Jane replied. “Look at her face. Whatever she saw as she died, she -”

Before she could finish, Alex pulled the tarpaulin over the body, covering it completely. In the cold morning air, the cloth seemed to crinkle more loudly than usual.

“Have you heard from the hospital?” she asked. “How's Joe doing?”

“Touch and go. He's in surgery right now, but they think he has a fair chance of making it.”

“And his injuries -”

“He was all diced up in the belly,” Alex replied. “Real frantic.”

“So that's different,” she pointed out. “I mean, it's like the killer really took his time with Caitlin and arranged her out here, but with Joe he just wanted to get him out of the way as fast as possible.” She reached out to pull the tarpaulin away. “Maybe if -”

“Not now,” Alex said, grabbing her hand and pulling it away. “Later. Let's give the girl some peace.”

“I just want to check whether -”

“Not now,” he said again, before sighing. “I'm sure Doctor Tomlin will do everything that needs doing, and we'll wait for his report. Let's just... Let's just take a moment to contemplate what happened here. A young girl lost her life and there's a killer out there, and we have to find that man and bring him to justice.” He paused, as a tear rolled down his cheek. “And we will, Jane. Mark my words, as God is my witness, we will find the bastard who did this and we will make him pay for committing an act of such barbarity.”

They stood in silence for a moment, as a light rain began to fall, tapping against the tarpaulin.

“You like anyone for this so far?” she asked finally.

“I've got a few ideas,” he replied. “Yeah, one or two. But right now, Jane, let's focus on what has been lost. A young, vibrant, bright girl with her future ahead of her, and now it's been cruelly snatched away. We need to think about how to help the community deal with this pain. They're all gonna find out what happened as the morning progresses, and we have to shepherd them and show them the light.”

“Sure,” she said, “but... I mean, we're cops, right? Not priests.”

“Jane, we're -”

She waited for him to reply, but he seemed lost in thought for a moment, as a light rain began to fall all around them.