Dead Inside. Noelle Holten

       Another stupid bitch.

      It was no secret that Patrick loved his drink, so why did the women in his life always make an issue out of it? They knew what they were getting from the start. Beer was his drink of choice, but, if truth be told, he’d drink anything. It let him see things more clearly, made everything quieter, even if it did sometimes make him angry or sad. Fuck Lucy – what does she know?

      Today he felt a bit down and Lucy’s constant moaning didn’t help. Patrick was no fool. He had a rage inside, he’d had it from a very young age. He couldn’t help it. It was his parents’ fault. After all, witnessing his mother being beaten and getting a few hard slaps at the hands of his father would be hard for anyone. What did people expect? His father wasn’t selective though – he beat all his children equally. Fair is fair, he used to say.

      Patrick clenched his fists. He used to promise himself he’d never treat a woman the way his father treated his mother. Promises he found hard to keep. He didn’t care what anyone said – he wasn’t like his father.

       CHAPTER NINE

      Maggie and Kat arrived at Wendy Parker’s house after going to the hospital to check on Drew Talbot’s ex – Heather Parker. The nurses had confirmed that Heather had been in the hospital for the last three weeks and, with the recent infection she had from her injuries, there was no way she could have left the hospital in her condition and the only person who had visited her since she was admitted was her mother, Wendy.

      They knocked and waited for Mrs Parker to answer the door.

      ‘I’m coming,’ a frail-sounding voice called out.

      The door could use a bit of WD-40, thought Maggie, as it squeaked open. The haggard-looking woman inside had grey hair, tightly piled in a bun on the top of her head, and wore a pair of slacks with a neat blouse.

      ‘If you’re selling something, I’ll save you the time. I’m not interested.’

      Maggie smiled. ‘Are you Mrs Parker?’

      ‘I am.’

      ‘My name is DC Jamieson, and this is my colleague, PC Everett. Would it be OK if we came in and had a chat?’

      She noticeably relaxed at the sight of their ID. ‘Of course. Please, make yourselves at home. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?’

      ‘That would be lovely. I’ll have a coffee – milk, no sugar – and PC Everett will have a cup of tea if it is not too much trouble. Milk and one sugar.’ Kat looked almost surprised that Maggie had remembered how she liked her tea.

      ‘Is this about Drew? Was it him that was attacked? It’s been all over the news. I won’t be at all upset to hear that someone finally gave him what he deserved.’

      Kat piped up, ‘Yes, I’m afraid it was Drew. We just have a few questions for you.’

      ‘For me? What in the world would I know about this?’

      ‘Standard procedures, Mrs Parker.’ Maggie stood up to help the woman with the tray of tea. She looked like she might fall over.

      ‘Oh. Thank you. I can normally manage, but I’ve been having dizzy spells lately. Old age, I guess … and please, call me Wendy.’

      ‘OK, Wendy. Can you tell me where you were on Monday between the hours of midnight and four a.m.?’ Maggie watched her eyes.

      ‘Are you having a laugh? Look at me. I’m in bed before nine most nights. I can barely lift a tray of tea. How do you expect me to have inflicted all those injuries that the news reported? And the size of him! I’d need a ladder to hit his head … pffft.’

      ‘Please just answer the question, Wendy, so we can eliminate you from our enquiries. Did you ask anyone to hurt Mr Talbot? Or do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him?’ Maggie asked reluctantly.

      ‘Absolutely not! How dare you even insinuate such a thing. Do you know what HE did to my daughter? Do you?’

      Trying to calm the situation, Kat changed the subject. ‘We do know, and it was a horrible assault on your daughter. But as I’m sure you understand, we have to ask these questions. Mr Talbot’s family need answers too.’

      Wendy seemed to soften at the mention of other victims. ‘It was awful … just awful what that man did to my girl. I could see the imprint of his hands around her throat in the bruises.’

      Maggie handed her a tissue and patted her knee.

      ‘We’re so sorry, Wendy. At least he will never be able to hurt anyone again.’

      ‘It’s all my fault. My fault. I turned her away when she came here. I thought she just wanted money for drugs. Why did I do that?’

      Seeing the anguish in Wendy’s eyes, Maggie’s throat tightened. She could only imagine what Wendy was feeling. If someone had hurt her, both her parents would have the same view. ‘We’re sure you did what you thought best. How were you to know what was happening?’

      ‘My head knows that. My heart says: a mother should know.’

      ‘This is not your fault, OK?’ She smiled and patted the woman’s knee again. ‘But like my colleague has just said, you must understand how Mr Talbot’s family are feeling. We just need to help them get closure too?’

      ‘I understand. But I am still so angry with him. Walking about here when he was out on bail. No shame or remorse. And my daughter, lying battered and bruised in the hospital. It wasn’t fair and I wasn’t the only one who thought that either.’

      Maggie looked at Kat. ‘What do you mean you weren’t the only one? Could you have said something to someone and maybe they took matters in their own hands?’

      ‘Did you not hear me before? Don’t be daft. I don’t have many friends and the ones I do have wouldn’t hurt a fly. I’m tired now, so if you’re not going to arrest me, I’d like you to leave. As far as I’m concerned, the man who hurt my baby got everything he deserved.’

      Kat handed Mrs Parker a card. ‘Thanks for your time. If you think of anything else, our number is there. You can call at any time.’

      ‘We’ll be in touch.’

      Kat and Maggie returned to the pool car.

      ‘What did you make of that, Kat?’

      ‘She was angry, but I don’t think she had anything to do with Talbot’s murder. Way too frail. She’s just concerned about her daughter. Do you think she was involved?’

      ‘My gut instinct is no, she wasn’t. But can we rule her out completely? I mean, she sure has motive. You saw her daughter. What Talbot did to her was vicious. I don’t think we should cross her off the list just yet.’

       CHAPTER TEN

      Finishing work without any further major incidents, Lucy arrived home tired. When she opened the door, she was met by an excited Siobhan. Well, at least Patrick remembered to pick her up.

      ‘Hey, sweetie! Where’s your dad?’

      Patrick appeared in the doorway. His eyes were slightly glazed, and Lucy sighed.

      ‘What the fuck was that for?’

      ‘Patrick! Please don’t swear in front of Siobhan. I’m just tired, OK? That’s all. My parents are going to be here soon, and I’m not really in the mood. I guess I’d better start the dinner.’ Lucy turned and put the shopping bags on the counter. To avoid confrontation with Patrick, Lucy prepared the dinner.

      ‘Will