He recognised the man, but it took a few seconds to place him. The pub. He’d seen the cellar keeper on only one occasion, all those years ago, when he’d made his own enquiries into his wife’s disappearance.
‘She’s mine. I’ve come for her,’ the man said as he took a step closer to the back door. As he turned, Luke spotted the knife pointing directly into Isobel’s stomach. Luke took a step forward, and the intruder stepped back, squelching as he did. A trail of wet footsteps led from the back door to the baby basket.
‘You work at the Angel, don’t you?’ Luke said as he stared at the man. ‘I know you don’t want to hurt her. Please, just pass her to me.’
‘Hurt her! She’s going to a better place. She belongs with her mother and father.’ Isobel stirred in his arms but didn’t wake. Luke trembled as he watched Debbie’s baby in the grip of this madman.
‘Where’s Debbie? Where’s my wife, you prick?’ he yelled as he took another step forward.
‘I’ll take her now if you come one step further,’ the man shouted. Luke stepped back and exhaled as the man moved the knife away.
‘Why have you done this to us? Where’s my wife?’ he said, his voice cracking with emotion. He’d become attached to little Isobel over the past few days. He stared at her innocent face. All he wanted to do was walk over to her, take her away from him and protect her.
The man headed towards the door, smiling his revolting smile. ‘I loved her more than anything, more than you did. I treated her like she was a princess, but she was an ungrateful bitch.’
‘Loved,’ Luke said. ‘What have you done to her?’ He stood helplessly in front of the kitchen door, his gaze on the knife.
‘Luke?’ Brooke reached for his arm and began to sob.
The man began pacing by the door. ‘I’ve done nothing but the right thing. I loved her and you didn’t. She knew about your other woman. Your whore. I once knew a whore, you know. She was the first girl. She got what was coming to her.’ Jeff stared at Brooke and grinned. ‘Debbie knew everything before she died, I made sure of it. I’m the only person to have ever loved her wholly and truly.’
Luke ran his shaking hands through his hair and wiped a tear from his eyes. He placed his hand on the worktop to try and regain his balance. Deborah was gone. His wife’s killer was standing in front of him, threatening the life of his wife’s baby. He had to do something, but what? The man was pointing the knife towards Isobel’s heart, muttering to himself as he stared out of the window.
‘The time has come. Try to stop me and little Florence will die here without her mother. Let me go and they will be together forever. Get back.’ Luke took a small step back into the doorway. ‘Out of the room!’ the man shouted. ‘Now. Both of you.’ Luke took another step back into the hallway and Brooke ran behind him.
Luke knew he’d have to leave by the garden gate. Maybe he could stop him out the front. He heard the kitchen door open, then he heard the sound of sirens fast approaching. The back door slammed shut. Luke peered into the kitchen. The man was still there. Isobel began to scream as he paced up and down, holding the knife to her little chest. The phone in the living room rang.
‘Answer it,’ the man yelled, sweat dripping down his face.
He dashed to the phone and held it to his ear. As he waited for someone to speak, he watched as several police cars pulled up and a police van arrived. An ambulance followed. ‘Listen to me, Luke. Is he there?’
Luke nodded at Detective Harte, who was standing in his front garden with her mobile to her ear. Isobel’s screams filled the house.
‘Tell them to leave or I will kill her, I swear,’ the man said from the kitchen. ‘Shut up!’ he yelled at the baby.
‘He said you need to leave. He has a knife held against Isobel’s chest and Devina is lying unconscious on the kitchen floor. He will kill Isobel if you don’t all leave.’
Gina placed her hand on her forehead as she paced in the garden. ‘Can you put him on the phone?’
‘The detective wants to speak to you. Can I bring the phone to you, in the kitchen?’ Luke called.
‘Tell them to leave, now!’
Luke shook his head at Gina. ‘He won’t talk. He said leave now. I’m scared he’ll hurt her. Please leave.’
Gina held up her arm to the others and Luke watched and listened as she instructed them to leave. One by one, the cars left until the road was clear. ‘They’ve moved to the next road. I’m going to end the call. Tell him we’ve all gone.’ He watched Gina’s trembling hands as she ended the call and headed to the side gate.
‘They’ve gone,’ he called as he went back to the kitchen and waited by the door, with Brooke sobbing behind him. Devina had stirred and was trying to sit up.
‘I didn’t want it to be like this. I know they’re close by. We were all meant to go together, but it looks like Florence and I will be going here.’ He placed the screaming baby back in the basket. As he lifted the knife above her, he closed his eyes. ‘Goodbye, Florence. Daddy will be joining you soon.’
Brooke screamed as she covered her eyes.
Luke dashed across the room and jumped against the man, catching his hand on the blade. The baby basket tipped over, flinging Isobel under the kitchen table. ‘You bastard. This is for my wife,’ he yelled as he brought his fist onto Wall’s nose over and over again.
As he brought another punch down, he felt his arms being restrained. ‘Get all units here now,’ Gina yelled into her phone. Within seconds the place was stormed by several officers. A young paramedic walked over and attended to Devina, who was crying and holding her head. Baby Isobel was lifted off the floor by an officer and Wall was restrained and read his rights by DS Driscoll. Luke lay on the floor, bleeding and exhausted. He cried for the wife he knew to be dead as her killer was dragged from the scene.
‘I loved her,’ the man shouted as they dragged him out of the door and along the slabs, his nose showering blood all over the garden.
Devina was being helped out the door. ‘The baby, Isobel. Is she okay?’
‘We’re just going to check her over now,’ said the paramedic, as she took the wailing baby from the officer. ‘She looks very lively and responsive though. Let’s get you checked over. That looks like a nasty bang to the head.’
‘You saved the little one,’ Gina said, as she slid down the wall and sat next to Luke on the kitchen floor.
‘My Debbie’s dead. He told me. He killed Debbie.’ Luke was sobbing so hard he couldn’t breathe, his injured hand wrapped in a blood-soaked dishtowel.
‘No, Luke – we’ve found her. She’s been taken to Cleevesford Hospital. She’s alive and she wants to see you,’ Gina replied.
Luke dragged himself to a sitting position, and his tears turned to sobbing laughs. He saw a tear slide down the detective’s cheek. He grabbed her and hugged her with his good arm. ‘Thank you,’ he said as he sobbed into her hair.
Brooke walked over and kneeled in front of him. DI Harte looked away. Luke opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
‘You don’t have to say anything. I know.’ Tears filled her eyes and she began to sob.
‘I really am sorry.’
She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. She now understood it was the end.
* * *
‘You alright, guv?’ Jacob asked as he came back into the kitchen.
‘No one is seriously hurt, thanks to Mr Jenkins,’ she replied. Officers and detectives bustled around the scene, but Gina remained on the floor. The case was solved and Wall was going down. She picked up her phone and called Briggs. ‘We have Wall and Deborah is safe.’
‘Yes!’ he shouted. She knew he’d be punching the air.