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Alice could feel the vomit rising in her throat again as she pictured Ben on a chair while a beautiful young woman danced provocatively for him. ‘Where did you find her?’
Dave whipped out his phone and presented the Internet search history. ‘I typed: “private dancers, Bournemouth”, and I called one of the first numbers that came up. She rocked up twenty minutes later, with her own music and speaker. Ben emerged from the toilets and we quickly grabbed him and tied his wrists behind the chair with some rope Abdul found behind the bar. She did a dance using some squirty cream and made him lick it off her, and that was it.’ Dave swigged from the lager. ‘Then she cleaned herself up, I handed over the money and she left. We stayed at the lock-up for another ten or so minutes and then we tied Ben to a pole outside and pulled down his trousers. We left him there while we headed out to buy more booze.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You left him tied up in the street? He could have got mugged or killed, or God knows what!’
‘It’s what you do on a stag do. We were just messing with his mind; we never had any intention of leaving him there all night, we just wanted to see how scared he got. We eventually went back and let him go, drank for a further hour or so before we all passed out. We woke up and headed home, stopping for breakfast on the way.’
‘Did you tell the police all this?’
‘I tried, but they weren’t willing to listen. They told me to come back in the morning and someone would take my statement then.’
‘What about Ben?’
‘They said because he’s been drinking today, they’re not allowed to interview him until the morning, but they’ve said they’ll do so first thing. All being well, the solicitor reckons he’ll be out by lunchtime.’
The gentle vibrations in the carpet suggested the loud music from the party was still going. If Ben was back by lunch, at least they wouldn’t have to cancel the honeymoon, but right now she would happily give up the trip to Barbados to have him here with her.
By ten o’clock, even the happiest of revellers had left the dance floor, and as Alice looked around the room, the only people who remained were those who were staying the night at the hotel. Through the fire exit window, Alice could see what looked like a heated argument between Faye and Johnny. Faye had been furious to learn that Johnny had abandoned their daughter for a night out with his mates, and it didn’t look like he was too pleased to be challenged on it.
Alice’s stepbrother Scott was chatting to Abdul and a second man that Alice vaguely recognized. She knew he was someone that worked with Ben, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember his name. The three of them were sitting at a table on the other side of the hall, so it was impossible to know what they were talking about, though she suspected Ben’s arrest wasn’t far from any of their minds. Dave had promised to round up the group from Bournemouth and have them go with him to make statements at the police station in the morning.
Alice’s mum had headed up to bed shortly after Alice had returned to the party, and Tara looked as though she might fall asleep at the table at any minute.
‘You should go up to bed,’ Alice suggested.
Tara suddenly gave a jolt as she realized she was being addressed. Reaching for her glass of wine, she knocked it back. ‘I’m not going anywhere without you.’
Alice was touched by her friend’s loyalty, but it wasn’t fair to be keeping her up unnecessarily. ‘I’m probably going to head up too. The sooner this day ends the better.’
Tara pulled a sympathetic pout. ‘Do you want me to stay in the room with you? I’ll be lousy company, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone tonight.’
Alice choked back the emotion building in her throat. ‘You don’t need to do that. I’ll probably be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.’
Tara crossed her arms. ‘I’m not taking no for an answer.’
Alice leaned across and hugged her. ‘Thank you.’
The two women stood and Alice took a final cursory glance around the room to check she hadn’t missed anyone she should thank for attending. Faye and Johnny had disappeared from the window, presumably to return to their room, and Alice waved goodnight to Scott and the other two before peeling out of the room and heading up to the honeymoon suite. Tara said she would collect her things from her room and return.
Once inside, Alice changed into her negligee and dived under the covers. Next door it sounded like Johnny and Faye’s argument had resulted in the noisiest make-up sex Alice had ever heard. Tara knocked on the door moments later and climbed into bed too.
‘Do you want me to stay awake until you’re asleep?’ Tara yawned, the alcohol in her system making her drowsy.
‘No, I just want to sleep,’ Alice replied, switching off the bedside lamp.
Barely two minutes had passed before Tara began snoring. It was the cue Alice had been waiting for. Reaching over to the bedside table, she switched on her phone and opened an Internet search window, typing in the name ‘Kerry Valentine’. It had been a long and stressful day, but Alice’s mind wouldn’t allow her to rest until she knew as much as she could about this mystery woman.
NINE
Sunlight was already streaming through the open balcony door, and the cool morning breeze was enough to raise goosebumps on Alice’s arms as she stirred. Rising from the bed, she moved across to the door and gently closed it, pulling the curtain back across, casting the room in a dim shadow.
When sleep had come, it had been interspersed with memories of the cuffs being snapped around Ben’s wrists and the sound of the van door being slammed. So vivid were the visions in her dreams that she’d woken believing the whole experience had just been a nightmare brought on by the stress of planning the wedding. Then she had turned to look at the other side of the bed and, seeing Tara’s face where Ben’s should have been, she’d realized how true the visions were.
Unlike Alice, Ben was a positive soul; rather than looking for worst-case scenarios, he always sought to find the green grass in every situation. If he were here now, he wouldn’t be worrying about the arrest or what others would say. Instead, he’d be telling her what a great anecdote it would make.
‘Remember that time I was arrested on our wedding day?’ he would laugh.
He would probably be back in her arms by lunchtime, and hopefully the whole sordid mess could be put behind them, yet her old self-doubt continued to niggle away: they wouldn’t have arrested him if they weren’t sure he was guilty; you always thought he was too good to be true; mud sticks.
Alice headed into the en suite bathroom, closed the door and switched on the shower, cranking up the heat before stepping in and feeling the hot and forgiving waters wash away the pain of yesterday. Emerging from the bathroom through a thick cloud of steam, she felt like a contestant on Stars in their Eyes.
Tara was still fast asleep, bless her. Her face looked like a child had come in and tried to fix her make-up: black smears running down both cheeks, her lipstick spread up at awkward angles.
Hours spent searching for details about Kerry Valentine online had proved fruitless. News of her death had yet to be picked up by any news agencies, and Alice had learned there were six Kerry Valentines listed in the Bournemouth and Poole areas alone, and there was no guarantee any of them was the victim.
Alice had even searched for her on Facebook, but with no idea what Kerry looked like, it had been impossible to work out which profile – if any – belonged to the victim. The profile images ranged wildly, from a woman in her early twenties with jet black hair, to an octogenarian with a purple rinse. For all Alice knew, Kerry Valentine may not have been active on social media or from Dorset. Alice had eventually given up her search shortly before three.
Her phone beeped on the duvet cover to indicate she’d received a message. Opening it, she saw it was from Dave. A simple:
How are you feeling? Can I do anything for you?
The only thing she wanted was for the clock to be reset so that she could relive yesterday without the interruption of the police, but nobody could provide her with that.
Tara pushed herself off the pillow and, bleary-eyed, stared at Alice. ‘Morning,’ she croaked.
Alice smiled warmly. ‘How did you sleep?’
Tara blinked several times and yawned. ‘Fine, I guess. What time is it?’
‘Just gone seven,’ Alice said, a small towel now wrapped around her head to dry her hair. ‘We should probably think about breakfast.’
Tara gasped at the time. ‘What are you doing up so early, you evil woman?’
Tara wasn’t a morning person, and Alice could forgive her reluctance to be awake so early on a Sunday morning.
‘I couldn’t sleep,’ Alice said apologetically. ‘You can go back to sleep if you want?’
Tara’s expression changed as the reality of last night filtered through the hangover fog in her head. ‘What kind of friend would that make me?’ She slid her legs off the edge of the bed, heading into the bathroom and closing the door. A scream a moment later meant Tara had seen her reflection in the mirror. The door to the en suite flew open and Tara’s face appeared around it.
‘I should probably shower and dress before breakfast. Can you give me twenty minutes to freshen up?’
Alice nodded and moved across to put on the room’s kettle, dropping teabags into two mugs before dressing in the summer dress she’d brought for the trip to the airport later. Their bags were all packed at home, waiting for collection, but if the police didn’t release Ben until this afternoon, it would be a rush to get to the airport for check-in.
The shower thundered to life, the sound reverberating off the connecting wall. The thought of seeing the guests who’d stayed at the hotel filled her with dread. Without Ben at her side, she felt so vulnerable.
A knock at the bedroom door startled her.
Dave’s hulking figure was leaning against the woodwork. ‘Morning,’ he offered.
‘Hi,’ she replied, surprised to see him looking as fresh as he did.
‘I sent you a message,’ he explained, ‘and then I thought that was pretty callous when you’re just down the hall. Did you manage to get any sleep?’
‘Some,’ she said. ‘You?’
‘I never sleep well in a different bed. So what I did do was jot down details of the stag night in as much detail as I could remember. That way, when I go to the police station, I can make it clear that Ben couldn’t have had anything to do with what happened to that poor girl, because he was with us all night.’
‘Thank you.’
He shuffled from one foot to the other. ‘Listen, Alice, there’s …’ he paused as if trying to find the right words. ‘I … what I mean to say is … I’m sorry about all of this. It was my idea to drag Ben to Bournemouth, and it was my idea for none of us to mention where we’d been or why, and I was the one who hired the girl to strip, and …’
She was surprised to see his eyes welling, and felt obliged to put her hand on his arm reassuringly. ‘It’s okay, Dave, you couldn’t have known any of this would happen.’
She had met Dave at the first school she worked after graduating as a teacher. He was the son of one of the older members of staff, and he’d pestered her for months to go on a date with him. At the time she had been trying to focus on settling into her new career, but eventually she had reluctantly agreed. Rather than going for a drink or some food, he’d taken her to a party – a birthday party – for one of his friends. Suddenly thrust into a crowd of strangers who all seemed to know each other, she’d never felt so awkward, and had been trying to think of excuses to take off when Ben had walked into the room.
They talk about thunderbolts, and there was no other way to describe the instant attraction she’d felt to the handsome man in the Hawaiian-style shirt, his brown hair styled to within an inch of its life, his physique firm but not overly toned. She was sure her mouth had hit the floor. As he had approached, her hands had become clammy, her heart rate had increased rapidly, and by the time he was greeting Dave she was putty in his hands.
He’d respected the boundary, waited for Dave to introduce them, and had then asked questions of her. She could still feel the burn in her cheeks as her mind had gone blank, and she’d barely managed to string together two words. Despite her own awkwardness, Ben had discreetly slipped her his number before he’d been dragged away by one of the other partygoers.
She’d texted him her number as soon as Dave had dropped her home, and although Dave had leaned in for a kiss, she hadn’t reciprocated. Dave just wasn’t her type, with a shaved head and thick dark beard, his outer image was that of a bouncer at a nightclub. She preferred men in softer focus, more naturally handsome. Ben had ticked all of the boxes, and even some she hadn’t realized she wanted ticking.
She’d felt guilty when they’d started texting each other. It turned out Ben was quite the charmer and hugely flirtatious. Alice had insisted he speak to Dave before they went on their first official date, and he was happy to do so. It wasn’t like she and Dave had been an item, so her developing relationship with Ben wasn’t wrong. Within four weeks, she’d totally forgotten about Dave’s interest in her.
For the first six months of their relationship Ben had called and spoken to her every day. Sometimes the calls would last no more than two minutes, on other occasions they spoke for nearly an hour. Whenever he picked her up for a date, he was a gentleman from the first minute to the last. The sex, when she did finally succumb, had been everything she had imagined it would be. When he’d proposed two years ago, she’d known she was marrying her best friend and soulmate.
When Dave had first taken her to that party, she never would have guessed that this was how things would end up.
‘I will get him back to you,’ Dave said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, clearly ashamed at having allowed his mask to slip. ‘I’ll speak to the other boys in a bit and we’ll all go and make statements. We were with him all night, and I’m sure all of this will blow over when we give him an alibi.’
Alice thanked him and watched him walk back along the corridor before closing the door behind her. Something Dave had said was itching at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t place what or why.
The bathroom door opened a moment later and Tara stumbled out, a towel around her middle and one around her short auburn hair. ‘Who was at the door?’
‘Just Dave,’ Alice replied.
‘Oh yeah?’ Tara smirked.
‘What?’ Alice frowned.
‘Oh come on, you must know he’s carried a torch for you for years?’
Alice’s frown deepened. ‘No, don’t be silly. He’s Ben’s best friend, and he’s just as worried as I am.’
‘If you say so.’
Alice didn’t like the implication. ‘It isn’t like that, Tara. Dave might have his flaws, but I don’t think he’d try and do the dirty on Ben.’
‘No, of course not,’ Tara said matter-of-factly, as she dried herself and dressed. ‘I’m sure you’re right. Forget I said anything.’
Alice didn’t need the stress of worrying about Dave’s feelings, and pushed it from her mind. It was time to face the music, and thank those who’d made the effort to come and celebrate with them. She just had to hope she’d stay composed enough not to cry.
TEN
The sun was now shining brightly through the glass of the honeymoon suite, and although they’d opened the window for fresh air, only warm air was blowing in as they packed the wedding dress away in its protective liner. Breakfast had thankfully passed without incident. They’d been too early for most of the guests who’d stayed. Alice’s mum had joined their table just as they were leaving and had asked for any updates, but Alice hadn’t been able to tell her anything new.
‘Where d’you want me to put the shoes?’ Tara asked, lifting the ivory-coloured heels.
‘There’s a box for them somewhere,’ Alice replied, without looking up. She’d been staring at the stack of prettily wrapped gifts for at least ten minutes, still trying to work out the quickest way to get them downstairs without Ben’s help.
Tara suddenly appeared behind her and wrapped an arm around Alice’s waist. ‘It’ll be okay. You’ll see.’
Alice allowed her head to tip back and rest on Tara’s shoulder. ‘Try telling my mother that. When we left her at breakfast, she was practically in tears.’
‘Do you want me to have a word?’
Alice patted Tara’s hand on her waist, but shook her head. ‘I appreciate the offer, but I think she just needs space. You know what she’s like: this whole catastrophe casts a shadow over the family, and in her eyes the rest of her social circle will never allow her to forget it. She doesn’t seem to realize that given their age, most of her friends will have forgotten anything by this time next year.’
Tara snorted and released her arm, returning to the open drawer in the dresser. ‘How much underwear did you bring?’ she enquired, looking into the drawer.
Alice shrugged. ‘Better to be safe than sorry. Just drop them in the case with the rest and I’ll sort it all out when I get home.’
They both jumped at a heavy knock at the door. Tara looked over to Alice before moving across to the door and opening it. Alice had to crane her neck to see, but her heart still skipped a beat when she saw Ben’s tall figure framed in the doorway. His tie was gone, his shirt untucked and his hair in need of a wash and comb.
‘I’ll make myself scarce,’ Tara offered, reaching for her handbag and ducking beneath Ben’s arm as he came into the room.
‘Are you a sight for sore eyes,’ he said, with no trace of a smile. ‘I wasn’t sure you’d still be here.’
It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and suddenly she was free to run. Rushing across to him, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard.
‘I am so sorry,’ he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers, his eyes shining with the sun’s reflection.
The skin beneath her eyes moistened. ‘Just tell me it’s all over, that they know they had the wrong man.’
Ben pulled away but held onto her hands. ‘They released me on bail; not enough evidence to charge or something, the solicitor said. I’ve told them everything I know, and as far as I’m aware, Dave and the others are doing the same now. It’s just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
‘On bail? What does that mean? Have they cleared you or not?’
‘They will once the others have confirmed my story. The solicitor feels pretty confident that they’ll move on soon enough.’
It wasn’t quite as positive as she’d hoped, and he must have noticed the disappointment in her face, as he quickly raised her chin to look into her eyes.
‘I am so sorry I didn’t tell you about that stupid trip to Bournemouth. I swear I didn’t know what Dave had planned, but it all went without incident, and I thought it would only upset you if I told you where we’d been and what they’d arranged. You had enough stress on your plate with the wedding.’
She could understand that; she’d tried not to let him see the strain the preparations had been having in the final weeks, but she’d clearly failed to keep it secret.
‘I wish you had told me,’ she said sadly.
‘I knew you’d be angry at Dave, and I didn’t want your day to be spoiled because of that. He meant well – at least in his eyes he did – and I know how devastated he is about what happened yesterday. He blames himself for what happened.’
‘What was it like? At the police station I mean?’
Ben lowered his eyes. ‘It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. They were very talkative, and treated me well. After they’d taken my prints and things, they gave me some food and a cup of tea and then this morning they started the interview just after seven. I’d told them how keen I was to get back to you, and I think they were trying to be accommodating.’
‘Did they say why they arrested you?’
He nodded grimly. ‘Apparently Kerry – the victim – never returned home after she’d been at our party, and because her appointment had been booked in my name … it’s an easy enough conclusion for them to jump to.’
Alice was trying to keep her emotions in check but she couldn’t ignore the paranoia taking control. Pulling her hands away from him and widening the gap, she said, ‘Did you fancy her?’
Ben grimaced at the question. ‘I’m not saying she wasn’t pretty, but I just felt really awkward, especially having all my friends huddled round, watching. It was creepy more than anything else.’
‘What did she look like?’
‘Does it matter?’
She didn’t answer, but glared at him as her vision fogged with tears.
‘She had long blonde hair,’ he said, avoiding looking at Alice’s own platinum-blonde locks. ‘Probably in her early twenties, slim, pretty, as I said, but not the sort of girl I’d look at now. There’s only one woman for me, and you know that.’
‘Did you sleep with her?’ The words were out before Alice could stop herself.
He looked into her eyes and rested a hand on his heart. ‘No I did not. I know I let you down, and I will do whatever it takes to win your trust back, but I …’ His voice cracked under the strain. ‘I-I-I need you by my side through this. I don’t know why they want to try and pin this poor girl’s murder on me, but they have the wrong man. I didn’t do it.’
It hurt not to go over and embrace him, but Alice remained still. ‘Tell me it’s over and done with. Tell me they’re not going to come back for you again.’
He lowered his eyes. ‘They’ve asked me to surrender my passport while they continue their investigation.’
Alice gasped. ‘That means –’
‘I know,’ he interrupted. ‘It means we can’t go on our honeymoon tonight. I’m going to phone the travel company and see what they can do for us. I’m so sorry, Alice.’
Alice furrowed her brow as another question pushed to the forefront of her mind. ‘The police aren’t in the habit of arresting suspects without good reason. What aren’t you telling me?’
He glanced away for just the briefest of moments, but she spotted it.
‘Nothing.’
His denial set her blood boiling. ‘Don’t lie to me, Ben. Not again. Our marriage needs to be built on trust. I don’t buy that they would arrest you just because your name was the last one in her appointments book. There must be more to it than that.’
Ben clamped his eyes shut and bowed his head. ‘They said they found traces of my DNA on her clothing or something. That’s all. I explained to them how she’d been dancing and how it must have transferred over.’
Alice was struggling to believe anything he was saying, and then a new question leapt forward that sickened her to the stomach. ‘How did they know it was your DNA?’
He kept his eyes closed. ‘They took a swab inside my mouth. Standard practice apparently.’
Alice wasn’t buying it. ‘They wouldn’t arrest you on a hunch and then hope to prove it when they’d got you to the station. If they found traces of your DNA on her clothes, they must have known that before they came here yesterday. I swear to God, Ben, you’d better start telling me the truth or I’ll—’
‘Okay, okay,’ he sighed. ‘They already had my DNA on their database. There’s something I’ve never told you before that I’m hugely ashamed of.’ Staring straight into her eyes, he said, ‘Yesterday wasn’t the first time I’ve been arrested.’
ELEVEN
Alice took slow and steady breaths, as her wobbly legs threatened to spill her to the carpet of the honeymoon suite. Could this be real? Or was she still in the throes of a hideous nightmare?
‘It was a long time ago,’ Ben said, taking her silence as a cue to continue. ‘Before I knew you. It was a wrongful arrest back then, just as it is now. I never told you because … because that’s not who I am, and I’m deeply ashamed to have ever spent any time under suspicion of the police.’