and only senior by the ten-minute head start she had on her twin, and yet her only instinct with Mikey had been to protect him, to love him.
Lena’s acts against innocent people had been more brutal, more aggressive than those of her brother. There had been a part of her that had enjoyed causing harm and taking life. She didn’t sense that lack of humanity from Chris.
There was no doubt that he had matched Lena crime for crime. He’d admitted every one and handed over the phone to which Lena had sent her inciting messages, but she detected no joy or achievement in his acts. He had reached out for help and had listened when she’d asked him to spare the boy.
When asked, Chris had admitted that he’d never intended to take Archie after killing his mother. In his mind, it was some kind of victory, something that Lena hadn’t done; in some twisted way he hadn’t wanted to leave the boy alone.
Once back at Chris’s spacious home in Malvern, Archie had been taken care of. Chris had fed him, washed and dried his clothes and entertained him with toys and gadgets. He admitted that at one point he had not known what to do with the child and had considered killing him, but Kim’s plea to spare the boy had reached him. When Lena killed Nicola Southall, he’d formed a plan to get her, using Archie as a distraction.
Through gentle questioning, Archie had confirmed Chris’s story, and other than missing his family and being confused, he had not suffered while in the man’s care.
‘You had to do a bit of work to bring Ella Nock round, didn’t you?’ Alison asked as Kim pulled up at a red light.
‘Definitely not my number one fan,’ Kim admitted.
She’d had a fair bit of explaining to do to the woman: both about her front door and her suspicions. Ella had been somewhat appeased when Kim had offered to pay for the damage out of her own pocket. In fairness, the woman’s main concern had been for Archie. After spending an hour with Andrew, Mia and Ella, Kim could see how close the family was. Yes, she was bossy and forthright with a hint of dominance, but it was clear that she felt nothing but love for her niece and her younger brother.
Ella had been more gracious than Kim would have been if the roles had been reversed.
‘What’s happening with Sean Fellows?’ Alison asked. ‘Given that there’s no confession from Lena yet about the sexual assault on Gemma.’
‘Both Brierley Hill and the CPS are happy to move forward with the process, taking into account the lack of evidence against Sean Fellows and based on the assurance that Chris will testify against his sister.’
Stacey had been on the phone to Brierley Hill the second that Chris had admitted to the sexual assault of Lesley Skipton, in order to set the wheels in motion to get Sean Fellows released from prison.
Stacey had been right: the man currently inside Featherstone had neither attacked Lesley nor Gemma.
Unfortunately, the paperwork and process did not facilitate an immediate release for Sean, but they were talking days not weeks.
‘Next left,’ Alison said as Kim turned right towards Lutley Mill.
‘Just pull in there,’ she said, pointing to a parking area in front of a small factory that had been converted into apartments.
‘So no more killers to profile, no more bollockings, no more walking around the police station and no more families to visit. Does that mean we’re done?’ Alison asked with a lopsided smile.
Kim genuinely hoped that the woman would give serious thought to returning to active duty, especially after what she’d witnessed today, but it was a decision she would have to make for herself.
‘Yes, Alison, we’re finally done,’ she said as Alison got out of the car.
‘Until the next time,’ Kim shouted out the window before driving away.
One Hundred Seven
Stacey collected herself before she picked up the phone in the Bowl. Her boss had offered her the privacy of her office to make a call that had been especially set up. She had been content for the news to be communicated via the normal channels, but the boss had insisted she make the call herself.
She keyed in the mobile phone number she’d been given. It was answered on the second ring.
‘Hello,’ said a deep voice that did not fit with the person she knew was holding the phone.
‘Nathan?’ she asked, checking that she was speaking with the young prison officer