Secrets of the Dead Read online

  SECRETS OF THE DEAD

  A DCI PILGRIM CRIME THRILLER

  BOOK 3

  By

  A L Fraine

  The book is Copyright © to Andrew Dobell, Creative Edge Studios Ltd, 2019.

  No part of this book may be reproduced without prior permission of the copyright holder.

  All locations, events, and characters within this book are either fictitious, or have been fictionalised for the purposes of this book.

  Book List

  www.alfraineauthor.co.uk/books

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my wife Louise for her tireless support, my kids for being amazing, and my family for believing in me.

  Thank you to my amazing editor Hanna Elizabeth for her critical eye and suggestions, they’re always on point.

  Thank you to my fellow authors for their continued inspiration.

  And finally, thank you to you, the readers, for reading my crazy stories.

  Table of Contents

  Book List

  Acknowledgements

  Table of Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  Author Note

  Book List

  1

  Turning the car into the deserted parking area, Lizzy switched off the engine and slammed her fists on the steering wheel.

  “Fuck,” she cursed, as tears fell and her vision swam. They streaked down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling their warmth on her face as she gripped the wheel, her knuckles white.

  “Why did you do this?” she whispered under her breath into the night. “Why did you put this on me?” But she knew the answer to that, and honestly, she didn’t blame him.

  Lizzy sat back in her seat and sniffed as she wrestled her emotions into submission and got herself under control. Still gripping the wheel, she sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs and holding it before letting it go slowly. For the next few moments, she repeated the process, doing her best to empty her mind of the events of the day and forget the excruciating time she’d spent with her family. She’d known it wasn’t going to go well, but she’d owed him. A promise was a promise, and she’d said she’d be there.

  She couldn’t let him down in his twilight years. He’d come to her because he’d trusted her, knew she could do what he needed, and deliver him some peace of mind.

  Little did he know just how right he was about them.

  Despite him asking about it, she’d saved him from that torment for today. She couldn’t ruin this day for him. She needed to let him enjoy this time, let him think well of these people for just one more day before she destroyed his world, because that’s what it would do.

  She wasn’t under any illusion about the consequences the truth would unleash. It would change everything, and the family would never be the same again. She couldn’t do that to him today.

  Tomorrow would be here soon enough, she’d tell him then.

  Taking another long, cleansing breath, Lizzy climbed out of the car and stepped into the mild spring night. She smiled at the deserted car park. She was the only one here, just as she’d hoped.

  Locking her car, she walked past the sign pointing the way to Silent Pool, and up the dirt path into the undergrowth, surrounded by trees and bushes.

  This late at night, the pathway was dark, lit only by the dim light of the mostly full moon, but she’d been here often enough and knew her way along the winding track, past the first pool on her right, up towards the second body of water.

  Bearing right, she took the pathway between the two ponds and stepped out from under the trees. Walking beneath the clear dark sky, the smattering of stars that made up the Milky Way were just barely visible, arcing overhead in the velvet darkness.

  She loved this place. It was so tranquil and calm and had become a personal retreat of sorts. The place she would come when she wanted to escape the chaos and judgement of her family.

  That was less often now that she didn’t live with them anymore, but back when she did, she’d come here all the time to walk and lose herself, forgetting her troubles and the self-absorbed idiots she was supposedly related to.

  She hated most of them, and she felt sure the feeling was mutual in most cases. She’d not lived her life as her family had expected her to. Instead, she’d done her own thing, taking an interest in viewpoints that opposed what her family preferred.

  But she didn’t care what they thought about her. She didn’t care about their outdated views or what they stood for. She had her own life to lead, and she’d lead it in the way that she wanted to.

  But maybe things might change tomorrow once Harold knew the truth of who his children, grandchildren, and their partners were. Nothing would be the same after that. How could it? And she would be the catalyst, the spark that would light the dynamite’s fuse.

  She was a ticking time bomb, ready to blow this family apart at the seams.

  Part of her didn’t want to go back to that house and see everyone. The thought of staying one more night in that nightmarish place was almost too much to bear. She wanted to get in her car and drive back to London.

  She could email Harold, after all. There was no need to do this face to face, but she felt like she owed him. She needed to see this through to the bitter end, no matter the arguments and hurt it caused, because this was what the family needed.

  It needed a fresh start, it needed to escape this quagmire that it was stuck in, and for that, she needed to lance the boil.

  It would be some short-lived pain that would lead to a better future for all of them.

  At least, that’s what she told herself. Whether that was true or not was still to be seen.

  Walking to the nearby bench, Lizzy sat and put her head in her hands as the first signs of a headache started to claw at her mind. She felt exhausted but really didn’t want to go to bed. Looking up, she gazed out over the eerily still water, dark and mysterious in the night. There were stories about this place, ghost stories about a spectral woman who could sometimes be seen on the water, but she’d never experienced anything like that, and she’d been here at night many times before.

  The day hadn’t been all bad, and she’d enjoyed talking to Roza and Portia. It was good to catch up with them, as well as Harold. But the others…? Well, she usually just did her best to avoid them, including her parents. Spencer had been off with her all day, he was even more hostile than usual. Did he know something? Did he suspect what she’d been up to recently?

  But as she thought about it, she realised she just didn’t care that much.

  Instead, she found herself looking at the view over the pond and realising how much she missed this place. It had been ages since she’d last been here, and it was so good to be able to come back.

  That was one good thing to come out of this, she guessed.

  Reaching into her pocket, she felt her phone and the little book that was tucked in there. She held it briefly, its well-worn leather reassuring. With a sigh, she realised she wanted to capture this moment. She wanted a photo of the lake to remember it by.

  Pulling her phone out, she opened the camera app, switched it to night-mode, and lined up a photo of the lake.

  She took a couple and then stood up and started to move around, circling back where she’d walked in
to get a better shot. It was lovely to see the place so deserted. Backing up towards the trees and bushes, she lined up the next photo, only to hear movement behind her.

  An intense stabbing pain exploded in her back, right between her shoulder blades. Surging forwards, she wailed, gasping as she reached behind her, trying to grab whatever it was. It was still there, lodged in her back. As she struggled, her breath grew short and wet. She couldn’t breathe, no matter what she did. The edge of the water was suddenly right before her, looming large and dark.

  On wobbly legs, she turned to see a figure following her, staring at her, their eyes boring into her. As feeling faded, the world tipped, and she was suddenly, briefly weightless. Then the cool waters of Silent Pool took her, pulling her down into its unfeeling oblivion, as the figure stood above her, watching as her life ebbed away.

  2

  Rising from the depths of his slumber, Jon awoke in the unfamiliar bed and stared up at the plain ceiling as the early morning light spilled in from around the thin curtains.

  He’d not slept terribly well in the new bed, but hopefully, it would only be for a few weeks or so, all being well. Sitting up, Jon surveyed the room as he wiped the gunk from his eyes, yawned, and stretched. Several suitcases stood to one side, with one laid on the floor before him. The clothes he’d worn yesterday lay on top where they’d fallen and would no doubt be creased to high heaven by now.

  Jon yawned again and checked his phone, but there wasn’t much of interest on it.

  As he slowly woke up, he could hear movement in another room and wondered if that had been what had woken him up.

  Moments later, footsteps sounded outside in the hallway.

  “Morning Pilgrim. Can I get you a tea?” she asked through the door.

  It was Rachel, no doubt up with the larks. She gave him the impression that she was very much a morning person, with her perky attitude and voice. He’d never really trusted morning people. There was something intrinsically wrong with people like that, he thought with a smirk.

  “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”

  “I’ll get it ready. The shower’s free if you want to freshen up,” she added before retreating over the landing and heading downstairs.

  Taking in the spare room that Rachel had kindly offered to him, he sighed at his predicament. This really was the height of indignity, being forced to take a spare room in a work colleague’s house.

  Well, forced was a bit of a strong word, to be fair.

  This was very much his choice, but part of him wondered if it was the right one.

  Living at the hotel had been fine for a while, but it was eating through his money like crazy, so an alternative had to be found. He’d been looking for somewhere to rent for a few weeks while his house move completed, but the team had soon got wind of it, and Rachel offered him a bed in her spare room.

  He’d hesitated at first, but honestly, the money-saving he’d make doing this was all the reason he’d needed to accept.

  Last night had been his first night, and apart from the unfamiliarity of the place, it wasn’t that bad. He’d be sure to complain and give Rachel shit over it because, why not? But in truth, he was grateful and more than happy to live here for a few weeks.

  Jon gathered his clothes for the day and stepped out, making for the bathroom, where he found Rachel’s husband Eric, brushing his teeth.

  Eric spotted him in the mirror, and made a grunting noise before spitting and taking a mouthful of water to wash his mouth out.

  “Sorry, mate, I’ll get out of your way,” he said.

  “That’s alright,” Jon replied, feeling a little uncomfortable standing in only his boxers and carrying his clothes.

  “She told you the bathroom was free, right?”

  “Aye,” Jon replied, raising an eyebrow.

  “Her way of getting me to get a move on,” Eric explained.

  “They all have their ways of getting us to do what they want,” he replied.

  “Don’t they just,” Eric agreed before stepping out. “There you go.”

  Jon nodded his thanks and stepped inside, closing the door behind him, smiling at the situation. It was more amusing than anything else.

  After a much needed hot shower, he dressed and headed downstairs where Rachel handed him his hot cup of tea as he walked into the room.

  “There you go.”

  “Aaah, lovely. You’ve got a keeper there, Eric.”

  “Oh, I know,” he replied.

  Jon took a sip, enjoying the hot beverage. “Thank you. Just what I needed.”

  “My pleasure,” she replied.

  “So, do you add the milk first, or after?” he asked, curious.

  “After,” Rachel replied, giving him an incredulous look. “I’m not some crazy person.”

  “Good,” Jon replied with a nod and a smile. “So, it’s not a southern thing, then.”

  “Southern thing… Oh, right. No, it’s not. It’s a Kate thing, I think. Give her her due, she makes a lovely tea, but no, I wouldn’t ever start with the milk.”

  “I do,” Eric cut in. “Sometimes.”

  “Yeah, but you just don’t care.” Rachel turned to me. “Some people just want to watch the world burn.”

  I laughed.

  “It’s true, I don’t care,” Eric replied, glancing at the ceiling as he seemed to contemplate his wife's words. “Comes from my job. I get all kinds of teas, so I’ve learnt not to be fussy. I’d rather have a drink than offend a client and get fussy over it.”

  “What do you do?” Jon asked.

  “I’m an electrician,” he replied with a smile.

  “Aaah, yes. I think Rachel mentioned it.”

  “I’m sure I did,” she replied. “When you get your new place, let me know if you need any wiring doing.”

  “Yeah,” Eric added. “I’d be happy to help out.”

  “I will, thanks,” Jon replied.

  “How’s the move coming along?” Rachel asked.

  “Alright. Feels like it’s taking forever, though. They say I’ll have a completion date soon, so fingers crossed that all goes through okay.”

  “Yeah, we know several people who’ve had people drop out of their chain at the last moment. It’s a bloody nightmare.”

  “Tell me about it,” Jon replied. “I hate moving with a passion. Just hate it. I’ll be glad when it’s all over. Thanks for putting up with me though, I really appreciate the offer of a room. You’ve saved me some money, that’s for sure.”

  “Pleasure,” Rachel replied.

  “I’ll try not to come in at all hours.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Eric said. “I’m used to it with Rachel. We’ll get you a key so you can let yourself in.”

  “I’m surprised Nathan didn’t offer to have you,” Rachel said. “He lives alone, I think.”

  Jon shrugged. “I’m sure he has his reasons. I’m picking him up today, so I’ll see his place. Maybe I’ll find out.”

  “You think he has a secret fancy woman in there we don’t know about?” Rachel suggested.

  “Old Foxy?” Jon replied. “Doubt it.”

  “Stranger things have happened.”

  “Not much stranger.”

  “Speaking of which, how’re things with Kate? You’re dating, right?”

  “Early days,” Jon replied with a smile. “But yeah, I suppose we are. Taking it slow, though.”

  Rachel grinned like a Cheshire Cat. “I’m so pleased. I was hoping she’d find someone, and I knew Nathan wasn’t going to be the one. But that’s great, I’m happy for you both.”

  “Thanks,” Jon replied, feeling a little embarrassed by the attention.

  As they talked, Rachel made him some toast, which he slathered with marmalade, before making for the door.

  “I wanna get going,” he said, munching on the toast. “I need to pick Fox up, so I’ll see you at the station. Okay?”

  “Of course. See you soon, guv,” she replied before he saw himself out and jumped
in his car. The chat had been friendly, but he wasn’t sure if it might have been a little too familiar, given he was supposed to be her boss. But, this wasn’t work, they were off duty, and it was important to relax and to connect to his team. They’d work better together as a cohesive unit who knew and trusted one another, and he saw this as a way of getting to know Rachel better, and vice-versa.

  The drive over to Nathan’s didn’t take long, and they’d be at the station in plenty of time. He’d left early, feeling like he wanted to give Rachel and Eric some time alone.

  He didn’t like feeling like a gooseberry, but there was nothing for it really, the situation was what it was, and they had offered their place. He’d do his best to be the perfect housemate, though, and had already resolved to make sure he didn’t get in their way too much.

  Nathan’s place was not what Jon had expected at all, he thought as he pulled to a stop outside. The house was a new build, and a very modern one, with clean lines and a smart white façade with slate grey window frames and a pea gravel driveway that crunched underfoot.

  Reaching the door, Jon pressed the bell and waited, admiring the place and the curious dichotomy of Nathan versus his home.

  The door opened moments later.

  “Guv,” he said in greeting. “Come in, I won’t be long.”

  “Morning. Thanks,” Jon replied and stepped inside into a sparse hallway. Nathan walked through into a kitchen at the back, and Jon followed, peering into the side rooms as he passed them. There was almost no furniture at all. No plants, no pictures on the walls. There were no sofas or seats apart from a single office chair beside a work station in the front room.

  In the kitchen, there was only one stool at the breakfast bar and no table. The TV on the countertop had the news playing, and Jon watched as Nathan retook his seat and finished eating his All-Bran cereal.

  “Sorry. You’re earlier than I thought you would be. I would have been ready had I known.”

  “It’s okay,” Jon remarked. “I wanted to get out of Rachel’s house, give her and her husband time without me around.”