Cole said it so abruptly that Tomek thought the man was propositioning him.
‘Sorry?’
‘Sex. It’s…’ He trailed off, closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them again, he met Tomek’s gaze for the first time. ‘It was just sex. Has been for the past four or five months or so. She… she DM’d me at the end of summer, when she got back from her season, October time, and we’ve been sleeping together ever since, friends with benefits type of thing.’
Tomek was familiar with the term, just as he was familiar with the term Netflix and Chill, which involved neither Netflix nor the act of chilling.
‘When was the last time you saw her? When your mum and dad went out, or more recently?’
Cole paused a beat. ‘That was the last time, yeah. We were supposed to meet up the other night, but she cancelled ’cause she said she was going to a party.’
‘Do you know which one and where?’
Cole shook his head, his pristine hair holding firm against the movement.
‘And what were you doing three nights ago?’
‘What night was that? Friday? I… I was out with this lot.’ He pointed to the team outside the window. ‘We were at the pub.’
‘Which one?’
‘Paul Pry. We went for a few after work. Bit of a tradition on a Friday. We usually stay till late, then regret it the next day.’
Tomek made a mental note.
‘Speaking of regrets,’ he said, ‘it’s also come to our attention that Angelica was pregnant. You didn’t by any chance happen to know anything about that, did you?’
Cole scratched the back of his neck. ‘She’d told me, yes. I knew. But… she didn’t know whose it was. She didn’t know if it was mine or someone else’s.’
‘Do you know who else it could have been?’
He shrugged. ‘She didn’t elaborate, and I was too stunned to ask. I just assumed it was mine. She would have got pregnant around Christmas, New Year time, and at that point she’d come over about four times. She was lonely. Got that seasonal depression thing, plus I think she’d just found out that they weren’t keeping her on for this summer.’
‘They weren’t keeping her on?’ Tomek repeated.
‘Yeah. She got really upset about it. Devastated, I think she was. She said she just needed someone to keep her company.’
‘Did you use protection?’
Cole nodded fervently, as though it was a given. ‘Every time. Never go anywhere without one. Always got one in my wallet, just in case.’
Just in case. Tomek scoffed internally. Then took a sip of water. ‘How did you take the news? What was your reaction?’
‘I… At first I panicked. I didn’t want her to keep it. I didn’t want anything to do with it. I wasn’t ready for that type of thing. But then, after a couple of days, I eventually came round and told her that I’d be there to support her. We didn’t have to stay together or anything, but I just wanted to be a part of the kid’s life. Now… now I guess I won’t be able to.’
Very admirable, Tomek thought. It reminded him of his situation, where Kasia had been thrust upon his doorstep after her mother had been arrested for drug dealing. He hadn’t had a choice, but Cole had, and he’d done the respectable thing by committing to the baby’s future, even if it wasn’t his. It was just a shame it had ended the way it had.
Tomek reached out a hand. Cole eyed it suspiciously, then shook it. They held each other’s gaze, saying nothing, both men understanding the silent expressions on their faces.
‘Thank you for your time,’ he said, as he made to leave.
Tomek’s hand was on the door handle when Cole told him to wait.
‘Have you spoken to Shawn?’
Tomek released his grip.
‘Shawn?’
‘Yeah. Shawn Wilkins. Some guy who’s been infatuated with Angelica since I can remember. Stalking her, commenting on her posts, sending her things. Sometimes took it too far. Think she had to get a restraining order against him at some point.’
‘Shawn Wilkins – is that his name?’
‘Yeah. Don’t know much more about him though. But if you’re looking for her killer, then he might be a good place to start.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Tomek would have liked to look into Shawn Wilkins, but on the drive back to the incident room, he’d received a phone call from Victoria, summoning him to her office. On the phone she had been blunt and to the point – no different to normal – but there had been a certain sense of urgency in her voice that he’d never heard before. And as soon as Tomek entered her small room on the second floor, he found out why. Waiting for him, standing by her side, was Nick Cleaves. The chief inspector was leaning against the wall, arms folded, head down, like he was in a 1950s gang or a character out of West Side Story ready to break into song and dance.
Neither looked excited to see him.
‘Take a seat please, Tomek,’ Victoria said, pointing to the chair as if he couldn’t see it in front of him.
As he lowered himself into the seat, he was transported thirty years into the past. Two months had gone since his brother’s death, and he’d been summoned to the head teacher’s office for skipping science, his least favourite subject of all. One of the teachers had found him wandering through the corridors, running his fingers along the wall, scuffing the floors with his shoes. He’d been sentenced to a week in isolation where, with the help of some of his colleagues in there who were brave enough to create a diversion, he’d later escaped – an act that put him at risk of getting further isolation, or even expelled. Tomek had been a naughty kid following Michał’s death. He’d struggled to stay focused and found he’d lost all interest in his education. But what had surprised him most was that he hadn’t left the grounds. If he wanted to truant, to skip classes and embrace the freedom of running around Leigh-on-Sea while everyone else was at school, he could have done. But instead, he’d stayed on the school grounds, running through the corridors. Hoping to get caught. Crying out for attention, screaming for help. And when he’d sat in that headmaster’s chair, he’d felt a sense of relief. It had worked. The punishment was all part of it. But now, as he sat there, holding Nick’s imposing stare, he felt the complete opposite, filled with worry, a deep knot forming in his stomach.
‘Welcome to your first meeting as SIO,’ Nick said as he pushed himself from the wall. ‘This is where the fun begins.’
Something told Tomek that wasn’t true. The knot tightened.
