Alice noticed the envelope first.
As they approached the front gate, Ben’s view was obstructed by the overhanging hedge, but she knew he’d seen it as soon as the car slowed.
‘You’ve got to me fricking kidding me,’ he growled as he slowed to a stop, applied the handbrake and leapt from the car, tearing the white envelope from the gate’s locking mechanism.
He stared at it for several moments, as if trying to read the contents without opening it. Slowly his eyes rose, first looking left, and then right, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person who had deposited it there. The road was empty, save for two cars going in opposite directions.
‘Take this,’ Ben scowled, throwing the envelope onto her lap as he returned to the car.
He pressed the remote and the gates slowly slid open – Alice noticed remains of the tape strands clinging to the gate’s iron bars as they drove onwards.
Ben parked up outside the garage and snatched the envelope from her lap as he pushed open his door and headed for the house, leaving Alice scanning the property’s perimeter for the pair of eyes she instinctively felt watching her.
Whoever it was, they were hidden from view and wouldn’t emerge until long after she’d gone inside. She wanted to yell and scream, to tell him to leave them alone. They’d done nothing wrong, they didn’t deserve this kind of harassment.
‘You coming in?’ Ben asked.
Overhead, thick grey clouds were blocking out the sun’s rays, but they were doing nothing to fight the thick humidity as the high pressure once again threatened a storm. Alice couldn’t help but think that a downpour was exactly what was needed right now: fresh rain to rejuvenate the brown, dry lawns; lower pressure to cool everyone’s temperatures.
Ben was already tearing at the envelope as she reached the kitchen. He probably should have left it for the police to search for prints and DNA, and his impatience was causing one of the pages’ corners to tear slightly. She watched as he read the note, his face darkening with every word, and when he looked up to meet her gaze his eyes were shining.
‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘What does it say?’
He was speechless as the page fell from his fingers and floated silently to the floor. Screwing up the sticky envelope, he slammed it into the bin and stomped from the room.
Fearing the worst, Alice scooped up the page, holding it carefully by the edges, and read the typed words.
Dear Alice,
Why do you love Ben?
He’s killed before,
And he’ll kill again.
She shuddered at the message, now seeing why Ben had been so angry. It had to have come from Liam O’Neill. It was no coincidence that he’d turned up at the pub yesterday when she was there alone, nor was it an accident that he had happened to appear at the door of the French restaurant when they’d been there. It would have been easy for him to leave them there with their meals, knowing he had plenty of time to get back here and leave the note before they’d even finished their food.
Was this intimidation really the result of childhood bullying? What did he hope to achieve? To drive a wedge between them? If anything, these notes were only forcing Ben and Alice together more.
Ben marched back into the kitchen, holding the laptop with the security camera feeds. ‘I’ll find out who you are, you bastard,’ he muttered under his breath as he began to fiddle with the cursor.
‘I’ll make us some tea,’ Alice suggested, reaching for the kettle and carrying it to the stainless steel sink. If her mother had taught her anything, it was that a strong cup of tea could put even the most troublesome of issues into perspective. She filled the kettle before carrying it back to its stand and turning it on.
She studied the note again, recognizing the same font and size as the first. Again, there was no name left on the note, making it all the more sinister.
He’s killed before, and he’ll kill again.
As angry as Ben was to read the words, he had yet to deny them, and her mind couldn’t help wandering back to those images of the older woman he’d been engaged to.
Find out what you can about Mary, but watch your back.
Was O’Neill suggesting that Ben had killed this Mary woman and got away with it?
‘Son of a bitch!’ Ben yelled from behind the laptop. ‘The bastard smashed one of the cameras. Have a look.’
He swivelled the laptop’s screen as she approached and replayed the clip. It was from the camera on the wall above the gate. At first there was nobody in sight, and then just as suddenly a large figure in a wide-brimmed hat came into view in the bottom right corner of the screen. He only appeared for a moment, though, as in the next shot he swung up the end of a cane and the screen smashed, before the camera’s signal was lost to grey fuzz.
‘The son of a bitch smashed the camera!’ Ben exclaimed. ‘Not only is he invading our privacy, he’s now done criminal damage. When I find out who’s behind this, I’ll … I’ll …’ He allowed the threat to hang in the air, either unwilling or unable to complete the sentence.
‘We should phone the police again,’ Alice said as the kettle reached boiling point. ‘Maybe they can still recover a DNA trace from the envelope or the tape, or maybe the cane left a trace on the camera. Either way, we should report it.’
‘You report it!’ he said, pushing the laptop away from him. It teetered on the edge of the counter, but thankfully gravity didn’t take it over. ‘I’m done with the police, they’ve brought us nothing but trouble so far. It’s time we take care of things ourselves.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
He was silent for a moment before fixing her with an understanding look. ‘Your safety is my paramount concern, and the only way either of us will be safe is with our own private army patrolling the grounds. I dare this prick to come within ten yards of this place when I have a crew tooled up inside the boundary.’
‘Don’t do anything illegal, Ben. The last thing we need is to give the police any more reason to hound you down.’
‘Who said anything about acting illegally? I intend to hire a private security firm to bring guard dogs and patrol the outer edge of the property 24/7. Whoever’s behind this won’t stand a chance if he comes back. Once he’s caught, and I’ve had my time to interrogate him, we’ll turn him over to your friends in blue.’
He came over to her and delicately placed his hands either side of her waist. ‘I just want you to be safe, which is why I think it’s even more important we get away from here for a few days. Okay? Give me a couple of hours to get some security sorted and then we’ll go online and pick a last-minute deal. Money is no object. Okay?’
She allowed him to kiss her, though did little to reciprocate the gesture, and watched as he moved away, grabbed the phone from the side, and put it to his ear.
‘Dave? I need a favour.’
Alice remained in the kitchen filling two cups with water from the kettle and swishing the teabags around. Ben might not have any faith left in the police, but she still did, and something deep inside told her it would be for the best to report the latest threatening letter. At the very least, she wanted someone to realize the pressure they were being put under by Liam O’Neill, or whomever else was behind the letters. It was the latter prospect that sent a shiver down her spine: what if someone else was behind the threats?
Reaching for her mobile, she dialled Hazelton’s number.