SWNOVELS Every Little Breath: Now – Chapter 9
If there was ever a woman who knew how to cry wolf, it was Saffron Pollard, and she was becoming the bane of Detective Constable Finn Murphy’s life.
Over the last three years, Saffron had made two allegations of sexual assault against separate boyfriends (both withdrawn after they had kissed and made up) and had the police involved when she had ‘lost’ her five-year-old son (having conveniently forgotten he had gone away for the weekend with her ex-husband). She had also been arrested for shoplifting, possession of drugs, had a running spat with her elderly neighbours, calling uniforms out on a frequent basis because of disputes over blocked driveways and overgrown trees, actually getting involved in a fist fight with the wife on one occasion after accusing her husband of exposing himself to her, then, just weeks later, alleging that another neighbour had broken into her house and stolen food from her fridge.
Now her latest claim was that she was being stalked by an unknown assailant, who had broken into her house and stolen her underwear, and she was fearful for her life.
Finn very much doubted it was true, given her history, but he was duty-bound to jump through the hoops, which is how he found himself in Saffron’s living room on Tuesday night, along with DC Vicky Cameron, half an hour after their shift should have finished.
It was the last job of a crappy day and he wasn’t in the mood for Saffron’s bullshit.
‘You said he was wearing a mask.’ Cameron went through the show of making notes as they spoke. Her and Finn both knew the more seriously they appeared to take the woman, the quicker they would be out of there. ‘Can you describe it to us?’
‘Have you seen that film, It? The one with the clown?’
‘He was wearing a clown’s mask?’ Finn questioned, trying his best to keep his tone even. Sarcasm wasn’t going to help him here.
Saffron’s eyes were bug wide as she nodded. ‘It was just like that. All this red hair and he looked evil.’
‘And you’ve seen him three times?’ Cameron asked.
‘That’s right. The first time he was standing by Alfie’s playhouse in the garden, just staring at me. Then a couple of days later I saw him looking through the window. Then today he was in the house. I caught him coming out of my bedroom and he had my knickers in his hand. That’s when I ran out of the house screaming. He looked just like him in It.’
Did he have a red balloon? Finn wanted to ask, but refrained. Instead, he discreetly scanned the shelf of movies behind Saffron, eyes landing on the It DVD.
She was messing them around again, of that he was certain.
Saffron sipped at the mug of tea she had made herself. Finn and Cameron knew better than to accept a drink from her, having learnt a long while ago that hygiene wasn’t high on her list of priorities. As she placed the mug down on the coffee table, her hand shook. ‘He really scared me, Detective Murphy. What if he comes back?’
It was another forty minutes before they managed to get out of there, Finn loosening his tie as they headed down the driveway. He clicked his keys at the car, muttering to himself about how they should charge Saffron Pollard with wasting police time.
‘Windows are open,’ Cameron warned, glancing warily back at the house.
She climbed in the passenger seat of the Ford, waited until both doors were closed, then looked at Finn, and they both burst out laughing.
‘She’s getting worse, I swear she is. A clown is stalking her?’ Cameron wiped tears from her eyes. ‘I don’t know how I kept a straight face.’
‘She’s a pain in the arse. What is that, three times this month?’
‘I think she has a crush on you.’ Cameron batted her eyelashes at Finn. ‘Maybe you should have stayed the night to protect her, Detective Murphy.’
Her impression, in a simpering broad Norwich accent, was accurate enough to make him shudder. ‘Thanks for that, I won’t sleep tonight now.’
‘My money’s on alien abduction next.’
‘Or Freddy Krueger’s in her bed.’
Finn’s comment brought a fresh bout of laughter. As he turned the key in the ignition, Cameron raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Talking of beds. Want some company in yours tonight?’
‘What’s happened to Tarquin?’
‘Tristan,’ Cameron corrected. ‘It didn’t work out. So, what do you say?’
Although she shrugged as if it was no big deal, Finn knew she was peed off. She had convinced herself that this guy was the one. He didn’t push to find out why things hadn’t worked out. That was for Cameron to discuss with her mates and, honestly, he didn’t really care. It seemed they were back to the arrangement that had suited them both for the past few years, being each other’s fuck buddy between relationships.
Neither of them wanted more from each other, so it was an arrangement that had suited both of them well.
He considered the offer, figured after the day they had both had, he could blow off some steam. His eyes lingered over the tight blouse Cameron was wearing, her breasts straining against the material and he nodded.
‘Okay then.’