‘Of course you can. Do you think you can find it?’
The phone stopped ringing.
‘Yeah, I should manage.’
Slowly, Tomek shuffled out. As he made his way towards the bathroom, the room, the walls, the floor had all become black, merging into one. His head felt dizzy, light. His pulse pounded in his ears, and for a moment he thought Rose had put the music back on. He felt like he’d been yanked from his body, his limbs moving freely and independently of one another, like he wasn’t at the helm.
Eventually, after what had felt like the longest walk in the world, Tomek entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. She was right. The bathroom was finished. The white tiles on the floor, the porcelain toilet and sink sitting next to one another, the window above it, the bath wedged into the corner, the wicker storage unit in the other corner. It was like stepping into another world. A world that confused and disoriented Tomek further.
Then his phone rang again, pulling him from his thoughts.
He pulled it out and answered.
‘It was Rose,’ Chey shouted in his ear. ‘Rose was the one posting on Angelica’s blog from the library. You have to get out of there now. Uniform is on the way.’
Just as Tomek was about to respond, he heard the sound of a door closing.
The front door.
She was escaping!
Tomek chucked his phone into his pocket and threw open the bathroom door.
The light bouncing off the metal hammerhead caught his eye first, and he reacted instinctively, ducking beneath the swing, avoiding the fatal blow to the skull. Rose, wearing her welder’s mask, roared as she raised the hammer to bring it down on him again. But he was too quick for her. He reached up for it, grabbed her, and then launched it away from them. The metal tool cascaded through the air and crashed into the wall on the opposite side of the bathroom, creating a large hole. Beneath his grip, Rose used her other hand to punch and claw at his ribs and face. She was surprisingly strong, and her nails tore through the skin on his cheek and neck. Reluctantly, Tomek released his grip on her arm, and as he let go, she wrapped both arms around him and pushed him backwards, nails digging into his flesh. Before he knew it, he was in the bathtub, bashing the back of his head against the wall. Then Rose turned on the water. The stream of water disoriented him, choking him. She held his head under for a few seconds before turning and sprinting away. Using his hands, blinded by the water in his eyes, Tomek found a grip on the side of the tub and pulled himself out. Rose was trying to make a run for it, but Tomek had other plans. He reached out a hand, grabbed her coveralls, wrapped his arms around her waist, encasing her in a bear hug, and lifted her feet off the ground. Rose’s arms and legs flailed in the air. Then they caught a purchase on the toilet, and using all the strength in her legs, she pushed him backwards. Together, looking like they were in a scene from Titanic, they stumbled backwards, Tomek’s upper back crashing into the drywall, carving a large hole. As he fell to the floor, winded and stunned, they were showered in drywall and paint chippings, Rose clambered off him and started towards the exit.
Coming to, his hands running across the floor’s surface, he found the hammer. Wrapping his fingers around its hilt, he raised it, took aim, and launched it. The hammer somersaulted through the air until it came into contact with the back of Rose’s head and sent her flying into the sink, which crashed under her weight. As her body fell to the floor, the water burst from within the sink and began spraying into the air, quickly covering the floor and walls. Within a few seconds, Tomek caught his breath and staggered towards her on all fours. First, he grabbed the hammer and chucked it into the living room, then he rolled her body over and felt for a pulse.
She was alive. Breathing, but unconscious.
Tomek collapsed to the floor, resting against the side of the bath, as the water from the broken sink pipe continued to douse him. He sat there for a few moments, catching his breath, panting. He turned to look at the destruction their altercation had caused. The broken porcelain on the floor. The puddle of blood from the wound to the back of Rose’s head mixing and swirling with the rising water level. The hammer, covered in debris from the drywall behind him. And then he saw it, glistening beneath the light.
Slowly, he clambered to his feet and stepped towards it, holding his ribs and massaging the side of his face.
In the assault, Tomek had gouged a massive hole into the drywall beside the bathtub, and buried inside it was a large plastic Ziplock bag. He pulled it out and observed the contents. Inside were the dress and underwear Angelica had been wearing on the night she’d died. Her mobile phone. A twelve-inch dildo that had been used to rape her. A white angel costume and a pair of wings. A paintbrush still covered in blood. A long, thin plastic tube, and a large tin of paint, covered in dried blood.
Evidence of the murder that had taken place here.
Evidence that Rose had killed Angelica, presumably in this very room, drained her body of blood, raped her, cleansed her, then applied a layer of make-up to her face.
As he continued to look at the bag, the front door to the flat burst open and, shortly after, several officers spilled in. Chey was first to arrive in the bathroom. He came to a sudden stop in the doorframe and observed the scene.
‘Is she dead?’ he asked bluntly.
‘No,’ Tomek answered, ‘but Angelica is because of her.’
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
After two days of intense interviewing and questioning, Rose had finally conceded and told them everything. Ever since she had first laid eyes on her sister-in-law, she had become infatuated with her, obsessed by her beauty and the kindness of her soul. Over the years, that desire and lust had grown, and as she’d felt herself growing apart from Johnny, her feelings had only intensified. But it wasn’t until Angelica had told her about The Nights of Eden parties that Rose had found an excuse to take their relationship to the next level. She had stolen an invitation from Angelica’s coat one afternoon and used it to gain access to the party. From there, under the guise of looking like a welder, she had approached Angelica, and together the two of them had shared a bed for the night. It had come as a surprise for Angelica to see her sister-in-law there, but it had not bothered her in the slightest. And as a result, their relationship had developed in secret, meeting each month for sex, some time together, and the comfort of one another’s company. Angelica had harboured the same intense feeling, Rose had explained, but as soon as she’d found out about the baby, Rose had decided that their relationship couldn’t continue. Angelica had lied to her, betrayed her. The baby would change everything, ruin everything, and Rose couldn’t tolerate it. If she couldn’t have her, nobody could. And so, on the night of Angelica’s death, Rose had messaged her on WhatsApp, when she knew she would be intoxicated, picked her up, taken her to the flat, and then killed her. Fortunately, at least in her opinion, she had been given a helping hand by Adam Egglington, who had been successful in slipping Angelica the date rape drug when she hadn’t been looking, the effects of which had already started to take hold of her within minutes of their arrival at the flat. The rest of the evening had followed with delicacy and the affection Angelica deserved, Rose had told them.
Tomek was able to piece together the rest, and so stopped watching the live feed in the incident room. He left the room and made his way to his desk, guilt ravaging his body and mind. He was at his desk for a few moments before Victoria called his name from the other side of the office.
‘You got a moment?’ she asked.
Tomek confirmed he had, then slowly made his way over.
‘Take a seat,’ Victoria said as he shut the door behind him.
Tomek did as he was told.
‘How are you feeling?’
He noticed the softness and sensitivity in her tone.
‘I’ve felt better,’ he answered.
‘What’s troubling you?’
‘I almost sent an innocent man to prison.’
Victoria chewed on her bottom lip. ‘These things happen,’ she said. ‘You just need to be grateful that you caught the right person at the right time.’
Tomek saw little consolation in that.
‘Do you need any time off?’ Victoria asked.
He paused to reflect on that. Time off? To let the thoughts and guilt fester? No, thanks.
‘I’ll be fine.’
