are so many of them, Gem, so many! – and persuaded him to meet me, or my female persona I should say, there and then. But just after I’d hit him, this bloke comes into the alleyway. My own fault, it was far too risky, meeting up at that time in a place like that … so I ran, but the hammer I’d used slipped out of my hand, and I thought they’d probably twig that was what had been used to attack him, and maybe that they’d be able to link it to me. I’d worn gloves, but I was hot, sweating, and some of it might have dripped, I don’t know, maybe not … but also, I didn’t have time to delete the app from his phone, you know, the EHU app, so maybe …’
He was talking quickly again, a crazed look in his eyes, and I shrank back against the worktop, the wood digging into my back. He was sick, really, really sick, I realized now. Mentally ill, deranged. How could I have lived with a mentally ill man for so long and not known it? How? My head was buzzing, words rushing through it on repeat.
My husband is a serial killer, my husband is a serial killer …
‘Quinn did well, when he met you. Put on a good show, by the sound of it. He’s been so good to me, Quinn. He was shocked, of course he was, when I first told him about the men I’d hurt … killed. Was still killing. I mean, who wouldn’t be shocked? He nearly lost his shit, told me he loved me and he’d always had my back but this, this was way beyond what he could help me with. But when I explained why, he got it, eventually, you know? Quinn’s a funny one, really. Got some real morals when it comes to adultery, to infidelity. He would have gone bloody mental if he knew I was shagging around. I didn’t tell anyone, none of my friends knew about that. The shame again, I suppose. And Quinn would have gone ballistic at me. But this … even though this was a million times worse, a billion times worse, he knew what had happened to me as a kid, what had happened to my ma, and he got it. It took time, but he finally agreed to help. Help me get away.’
Quinn’s reaction when I mentioned Bridget, I thought. That makes sense now too. He knew about everything, he knew why she hated Danny so much.
Danny was still talking.
‘He made me promise that when I did go, that I wouldn’t hurt anyone else, obviously. When I slipped up, when the Bristol ones happened, he went mad again, nearly pulled out. Two was bad enough, but four … but he was committed by then, and he was already helping a killer, I told him. Did it really make that much difference, whether it was two bodies or four? So he stayed with me. He was struggling with it by then, really struggling, but he stayed with me. But things had obviously got pretty serious at that point, and after the cock-up in the alley that was when Quinn started sending you messages. I didn’t want to scare you, Gemma, I didn’t. But we knew I’d screwed up, and we hoped you’d show them to the police … he just thought if the cops thought that somebody else thought you were the killer, and was threatening you, that might keep their attention on you and give me more time to get away. Except then Quinn fucked up, didn’t he? The stress got to him. Used his own phone for that last message instead of the cheap throwaway one he was meant to use. And that brought the cops round to our door, and, well, here I am. Clearly they haven’t linked me to that bloke in the alley, not yet anyway. But I might not have much time, Gemma. I need to get out of here.’
He took another step towards me, and reached out a hand, running a finger gently down my cheek, his eyes fixed on mine. I glanced at Albert, and he growled softly, his hackles raised. He took a few steps towards us and I swallowed hard as Danny continued to stroke my cheek, trying not to flinch. I needed him to go, I needed to get to my phone, I thought frantically. I needed help, fast.