Saved By The Firefighter
Chapter 129

Twinkle's Point of View.

Everything around me feels unreal, like I am a spectator of my own life. Numbness and shock have replaced my initial anger.

'I am sorry Wayne.' I made my internal apologies to the young lad who did not deserve to die. His life cut short by that evil, sadistic, money-grabbing, b***h that is...or WAS my Mrs.

Hatred bubbles up inside me, macabre thoughts of revenge I never knew I was capable of even thinking flood my mind, as a sneer forms on my lips.

The voices around me are none descript, as I envisage placing my hands around that woman's throat, and watching the life leave her body, sending her to the depths of hell where she belongs. "Twinkle." I hear Joanne's voice, as I blink myself out of my thoughts of revenge and back to reality.

"Here, get this down your neck." She offers me a soft smile, handing me a cup of strong tea.

"Thanks." I mumbled to her; she is a good woman, one of the best, probably why my former Mrs hated her guts. Clearly, they were like oil and water. One, good, kind, fun to be around.... the other a self-centred, evil, murderous b***h.

Poor Wayne. It should have been me, not the lad with everything to look forward to, his life ahead of him. Hell, I would gladly swap places with him if I could.

Davey and Kathline walk through the door to the boss's house, taking a seat. Everyone greats them, but I just cannot do anything but stare into space, the world around me feels false. Maybe this is a nightmare, my mind playing tricks on me, mixing up my grief for Wayne, and stress about my wife and the affair I believe she is having. I blink, wanting to wake up...willing myself to shoot out of bed drenched in sweat, but then replace myself on the sofa, in my house, and it was all just a dream.

Only the dream continues, no matter what I do, I do not wake up from this nightmare.

I vaguely hear a door open, there is lots of commotion around me, but still I sit, stiff as a board, unable, or unwilling, not sure which, to move, my eyes fixed straight ahead, as I stare into nothingness. "Twinkle, I am so sorry." I heard Josie's familiar voice.

I don't know why hearing her brings me out of my trance, but I know this is no dream, it is a living nightmare, and hot tears of grief for my friend, loss of my life, and anger at the woman who did this, killing so many people begin to flood down my cheeks. "It is okay, Twinkle." I hear, as Josie wraps her arms around me, holding me to her, as if I am a child who has lost my favourite toy.

"Let him cry it out guys." I heard the deep voice of the boss say from across the room.

Loud sobs begin to form, my body convulses and shakes, loud cries of pure pain escape my lips, as Josie tightens her arms around me, in a vain hope it brings me comfort. I applauded her effort, but nothing will ever bring me comfort again, because I will be forever the firefighter who's wife killed his young colleague. Who was an i***t, allowing her to do what she wanted and when the mood struck. The weak man who had no back bone, that was me, letting her get away with anything and everything. I feel something change in my heart, as it hardens, almost like someone has poured quick drying concrete into it. Nobody will treat me like a fool again....NOBODY!

I don't know how long I have been like this, but I do know as the tears begin to dry, I am a changed man.

"I am okay Josie." My gruff voice tells her.

Josie nods her head, then sits on Anders' knee. The son of the man who helped my wife try to kill me. I shake my head, for all I know it is not Anders' fault, I cannot bring myself to look at him right now.

I took another sip of the tea, which has now turned cold, when a knock at the door disturbs us. The knock is loud, full of authority, and I know before Ben gets up and answers it, it is the plods.

I snap my head up, looking at PC Jason Dale. walks into the room, a civilian jacket over his uniform, his shirt undone at the collar.

"Take a seat Jason." The boss says to him. I glance over to see that Joanne has lovingly placed cushions behind him, obviously concerned about him after his heart attack.

"I shouldn't be here but thought I would give you all an unofficial update." Jason sighs, as Lucy gets up and walks into the kitchen, before returning with two fresh cups of tea, one for me, one for Jason.

"You will get a call soon Twinkle. The Detective Inspector has taken over the case. They are currently in the court getting a search warrant for your house." Jason tells me.

I nod, it is not like I wasn't expecting that.

"You don't need a warrant. I will happily let you in to search." I told him.

"We appreciate that, but it is best we dot all the i's and cross all the t's." Jason tells me.

I don't do anything other than nod my head. Yes, they are obviously wanting to build a cast iron case against the b***h. Good, I hope she rots in a cell for the rest of her life. For the first time in my life, I replace myself regretting we no longer have the death penalty in this country. Something I have always been proud of is that I come from a country that advocates rehabilitation. But not now, not after this. I would happily watch that woman swing from the neck until Dead. Dead. Dead.

I feel the concrete in my heart set a little harder, as my mind conjures up the image of her in a hangman's noose.

"Josie, you were really lucky today. That CCTV file was corrupt, then after your friends arrived the whole thing disappeared without trace from the server. You have friends in high places, girl." Jason said to Josie.

"Who turned up?" Josie asked, clearly not understanding.

"Haley and Stan," Ben said to her.

"What, our self-defence teachers?" Josie shook her head.

"Yes, I rang Haley to cancel the sessions we had booked for this week. She asked why, and I told her, then she just said" Don't worry, I will sort it out. I had no clue she was going to turn up at the station. Just who is she Ben?" Joanne asked. "God knows, but obviously she has some serious connections." Ben shrugged, not looking like he cared who the woman he met on the TV show was.

"Twinkle, your wife has admitted her part in everything. She did not set the fires but owns that she knew what Clive Maxwell was doing. She let him know when you were on shift. I do think he coerced her though. She was not part of the School fire though." Jason told me.

I rolled my lips together, shaking my head. Why? Why be complicit in killing all those innocent people?

"How the f**k did she know that man?" Anders' voice boomed out, as Josie stroked his face in a bid to calm him.

"It seems they met online. Your wife admitted to joining a website for bored housewives who want to hook up with men. She met him on that. We believe when he found out she was the wife of a firefighter, he chased her down, and started an affair rather than a one-night with no strings-attached s****l encounter. She met him after the school fire." Jason continued.

I shook my head in disbelief, the f*****g woman wanted s*x...she never wanted s*x. I had not had even a sniff of her rancid fanny for three years, but she had been trolling the internet for hook-ups. I cannot deny it hurts my male pride, was I that much of a disappointment to her?

"So was the school fire by a different arsonist?" Kathline asked, as Davey placed his arm around her shoulders.

"We think it was Maxwell. We have some investigation to do, but from what I overheard in the canteen from the DI, there is some information that leads them to believe the fires were in fact aimed to scare or kill people who loaned money from his loan shark operation. Or, those who had not paid their drug debts to him. The cook at the school looked like he owed them a pretty penny in gambling depts, which he could not pay. Although we know this is what happened, we still need the full evidence to prove that was the case." Jason sighs.

"Liv's Ex, he was camping out in the factory, he owed them big time." Davey growls out.

"Yes, we have already been looking into that, as you know. It seems he had made friends with one of the security team, who let him use that store cupboard to sleep in and hide from Maxwell and his goons. However, that guard, was on the Maxwell pay role and had tipped them off," Jason said.

"Again, this is what we know. Not all of the evidence has been gathered. So... you must all remain quiet please. I could get into serious s**t by telling you anything. CID are investigating and replaceing the evidence that is enough for the CPS to use in court." He continued.

"What about the nightclub?" Josie asked.

"We are not sure if they were both involved in that or not. However, that is when the fire exits were chained up, so my guess it is the first attempt to get rid of Twinkle. The club had refused to pay him protection money, from what we can gather." Jason sighed. "But why?" Is the only question I can ask, my mind still on the woman I had shared my life with.

"She said she needed your life insurance, and wanted the house. That Maxwell needed the money so they could sail off into the sunset." Jason told him.

"Bull shit." Anders growled.

"He saw an opportunity to seduce that b***h, use her for information, then if he killed Twinkle, he would have got his hands on the money somehow, then cast her aside." Anders continued. "Well, it would have served the b***h right if that had happened." Joanne hissed; her face contorted with anger.

"Look Twinkle, I know it is going to be difficult, but they are probably going to want to question you, just to help with the enquiries. However, lawyer up, just in case." Jason sighed, then stood up. "No doubt they will be back from the court about now. Maybe you should head home, ready for when they turn up with the warrant." Jason offered me a smile.

"Yeah, okay." I said, placing the fresh cup of tea that Lucy made, and had also turned cold, down, and standing up.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Josie asked.

I shake my head.

"No, I will be fine. I have her sister staying at the house. I cannot wait to see her face when they turn up. Also, I am going to take great delight in kicking her out on her a*s." Twinkle shrugged.

"Oh, and Kathline, do you think you could recommend a good solicitor please? Also, I need a divorce lawyer." I asked her.

"Yeah, I will ask Pete to come to your house. He is the best. Hey, the divorce you can do yourself online. costs a lot less. I will walk you through the process. You only pay for the financial order." Kathline nods her head.

I shrug my shoulders, I really do not care about the cost, I just want to be free from that God-forsaken woman.

"Twinkle, f**k, it is the man who spawned Me's fault. I don't care how much it costs, but I will pay for all your solicitor's bills, it is the least I can do." Anders growls.

I look over at him for the first time. Yeah, it is not his fault, anymore than what that b***h I was married to did is my fault. I can see in his face just how hurt and angry he is, and I simply nodded at him. Then I picked up my phone, and called a taxi, walking out the door, ready to go face what was about to come, secure in the knowledge that I would have my work family who would always be there for me, no matter what.