Easton pulled the car over to the side of the road outside Dani’s house.
‘I guess I’ll see you around then,’ he said.
‘Merry Christmas,’ Dani replied.
‘And a Happy New Year.’
‘Let’s hope so.’ Dani opened her door and stepped out, but then leaned back in before she shut the door again. ‘And make sure you—’
‘You’ll know everything. Don’t worry.’
‘Thanks.’
Dani closed the door then waited a couple of seconds as Easton headed away. She looked to her house; the lights in the Christmas tree in the bay window twinkled away. She took a deep breath, then headed up the driveway.
She opened the front door, then the porch, and did a double-take when she saw Jason standing there in the hall, his coat, hat and gloves on, crutch in one hand, his other helping to prop him up against the wall.
‘Finally,’ he said. ‘Longest coffee ever. Come on, we don’t have much time.’
He hobbled across to the wheelchair and plonked himself down. It then took a few goes and plenty of scrapes against the wall to get the chair out of the house. Dani had previously suggested it would be easier to take the chair out first, but proud Jason didn’t like the idea of the neighbours seeing him hobble about ungracefully.
‘Not too much longer and we won’t have to bother with this rigmarole at all,’ he said as Dani closed the door and locked up.
‘I’ll keep you to that.’
Over the last few days they’d already started looking at houses in the area to buy, at first only considering ones that were step-free and wheelchair accessible. Jason had pulled his face at every single one. As he’d put it himself, ‘Why take such a defeatist attitude? I’m not going to be in this wheelchair forever.’
Of course whether that was true or not was still up for debate, and to a large extent out of their hands, though Dani could understand his need to stay positive and focused, even if it turned out to be false hope.
‘So, go on then, fill me in,’ Jason said as Dani wheeled him onto the pavement, heading off down the road towards the church. It was a chilly evening, though the atmosphere on the road was purely festive with sparkling Christmas lights all over.
‘They’re not going to charge Easton over the fight. So that’s done and dusted. He can move on.’
‘What about for you?’
She sighed. ‘We won’t hear now until after the new year, but from what Easton’s gleaned, the top brass aren’t showing much inclination to pursue anything more than a reprimand. Perhaps helped by the press around the Dunne case.’
For which Dani’s name, and comments on her bravery and outstanding commitment, had been plastered all over the news – both local and national – even if she had taken a back seat over the last few days. Not of her volition. At least not initially.
‘So what about the case?’ Jason said.
‘You mean you haven’t taken enough from the internet and the six o’clock news?’
‘Ha, no fake news for me, please. I want it straight from the horse’s mouth.’
‘Wow, you have such a way with flattery. So I’m a horse?’
‘Horses are beautiful. Graceful.’
‘OK, Casanova. The good news is that yesterday Victor Nistor was charged with Clara Dunne’s murder. With Ana’s attempted murder, too, among a whole host of other things, from people trafficking to sexual assault.’
‘And he won’t get away with it,’ Jason said.
‘Not if I’ve got anything to do with it.’
‘Which I’m sure you will.’
‘Eventually.’
And as much as she now realised that this brief period of mental and physical recuperation was probably a good thing for her, she remained hugely disappointed, and more than a little aggrieved, that she hadn’t been there the day they’d caught up with Nistor at Dover, and hauled him into a cell. She’d have loved to see his face.
‘Grigore has also been charged with Clara’s murder,’ Dani said. ‘And good for us, he’s not keeping as tight-lipped as Nistor. It sounds like his lawyer thinks Grigore can get some favours by going against the boss, and with his intel we’ve already managed to break into the trafficking operation.’ We’ve. Like Dani had been a part of it. ‘We’ve found more than two dozen young women Nistor and Stelea were controlling.’
‘Bloody hell. And Liam Dunne?’
Dani shook her head and sighed. ‘Too early still. They have identified remains which they believe to be his, but Easton reckons it’s going to take months more, at least, to piece together his crimes. Forensics believe there are the remains of at least twelve people at the mine, and judging by the state of the remains the majority of those were there since before Dunne disappeared.’ Dani gulped.
She didn’t add what Easton had told her about the clear evidence that the bodies had all been hacked apart – whether pre- or post-death, they weren’t yet sure.
‘On Dunne’s phone the pictures and details of four women were found. We’ve traced two of them to Missing Persons. One of Romanian origin, one Hungarian. But we think there are more. Easton has searched Missing Persons cases going back years, but it’s going to be near impossible to put all the pieces together. Dunne chose these women – young, vulnerable, possibly illegal immigrants – for a reason. Questions weren’t asked when they went missing. That mine could be just the start. We’re still working with the other forces to look at the other places Dunne lived.’
‘But nothing so far?’
‘Nothing.’
They took a left turn and the looming Victorian church came into view a hundred yards ahead. Crowds were milling outside as people filtered in for the Christmas Eve carol service.
‘Just be happy that this time Ben really didn’t have anything to do with it all,’ Jason said.
Dani was glad that it was dark out, and that Jason was in front of her and couldn’t see her face, otherwise he’d have realised she was blushing with embarrassment at the thought that, a couple of weeks ago, she’d been getting set to bring Ben right into the heart of her investigation. Just like she’d been accused of doing, unjustifiably, with the Curtis investigation. This time around she’d been saved by Ana’s intervention. If she hadn’t escaped, and hadn’t tracked down Dani, then maybe right now Dani would have still been full throttle trying to pin the crimes on Ben.
What did that say about her? That no matter where her life and her work took her, all roads still led to Ben?
She cringed at the thought.
‘The appeal was lodged yesterday,’ Dani said.
‘Best not to think about it.’
‘How can I not?’
‘Ben was always going to appeal, one way or another. Daley wouldn’t have it any other way. The whole thing with Curtis and Collins only gives them more focused ammunition.’
‘Ammunition? For God’s sake! Ben could get his murder conviction overturned if they convince a jury that Collins’s testimony at his original trial was tainted, and if they get another expert to convince them that Ben is insane.’
Jason didn’t say anything to that, saved by them arriving at the church. Dani was left feeling seriously disgruntled that they’d ended the conversation on a downer. Talk of Ben still had that effect on her. Dani had a brief reminder of her strange conversations with Brigitta Popescu about Strigoi. The old lady had claimed she could sense death and darkness in Dani. Perhaps Ben was like a Strigoi to her, sapping her of all energy and hope, ever since he’d attacked her.
But her apprehension – her fear about the idea of Ben one day being a free man – wasn’t irrational. The threat of him getting out of jail on a technicality was real, and Dani felt powerless as to how to help the situation.
There must still be a way to prove Ben’s involvement in Curtis’s killing spree. But how?
Dani was still focused on that even as she wheeled Jason through the waiting crowd, the churchgoers kind enough to make way for the wheelchair user.
They got the perfect position inside, right in front of the altar and the attendant choir. Candles burned brightly everywhere. A twelve-foot-tall tree dazzled. Dani tried her best to enjoy it all, to soak in the atmosphere. The church was bustling and soon filled.
The vicar took the pulpit and opened with a well-rehearsed speech, though Dani struggled to listen initially. Unfortunately, despite the festive setting, her mind was still too busy thinking about Ben. Plus, even though they were here in church now, it was hardly as if either of them was deeply religious. Tonight was more about them enjoying some sense of normality: reminiscing about good times, family times, getting into the Christmas spirit. After all, only a few weeks ago they hadn’t even been sure if Jason would be out of hospital by now. Yet, as the vicar carried on, Dani’s attention slowly focused more and more on his words.
‘…Christmas is also a time to be thankful,’ the vicar said. ‘Thankful for what we have, and always mindful of those who are less fortunate than we are. We all face challenges in life, and we all know what it is like to suffer, or to see loved ones suffering…’
Jason reached out and put his hand onto Dani’s.
‘And as we come to the end of this year, we should look back at all of the good, and the bad, the struggles and the triumphs alike, of the year that’s now coming to an end.’
Jason squeezed Dani’s hand. She didn’t react. She was too busy trying to keep her welling tears from escaping.
‘At times we all suffer with regret. Could we have been kinder? Could we have done more? Should we have felt happier? But regret is not a barrier. Regret is an opportunity. An opportunity to do things differently next time, to learn from our mistakes. And as we look forward to welcoming in the new year, we should all strive, with all the energy and enthusiasm we can muster, to take hold of that opportunity, and to make it our reality.’
And Dani couldn’t agree more with those words.
Next year. Next year would surely be her year. The year where she’d finally lay all her demons to rest, once and for all. Her’s and Jason’s both.