‘I’m intrigued … I’ll catch you later. There are a couple of compositions I need to correct. Here, take this.’
She gave him a folded leaf out of a notebook. The note contained her personal phone number and a message: ‘Feel free to call me. No rush. Whenever you’re ready.’
***
Jay’s sleep was shot through with the same vivid, senseless dream. He dashes across busy roads in pursuit of his students’ written projects, flying above rooftops, skimming across muddy pavements.
A cry of anguish leapt from his mouth. He woke abruptly, the rasp of a dying cry ringing in his ears. Using the sleeve of his pyjama jacket he wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat up. A sense of trepidation came with a haunting realisation of unfinished business.
With no chance of falling asleep again he went downstairs.
A handwritten note, delivered the previous evening, lay on his desk. He had read it a dozen times, and a dozen times its contents struck him with the power of a thunderbolt. His name was written in capital letters. The note was unsigned, the lettering rounded, plain and in a female hand. The time and place had been set for a rendezvous.
He dreaded the moment when the curtain would be raised for the final scene. He remained seated till daybreak, disquietude smouldering inside him.
Who wanted to speak to him – and why?
***
The stage was set. The moment had arrived.
Jay waited at the foot of the steps near the field where Kim had spoken to a mysterious blonde hiding behind imposing sunglasses. People walked their dogs. Couples strolled by, arm in arm. Their presence created a feeling of security, yet the occasion induced an unusual, erratic motion in his heart that was impossible to ignore. The sky gradually grew overcast, creating a dismal atmosphere. The shadows lost their definition. Voices faded. Pathways emptied.
Jay was alone for ten minutes, and ready to leave.
‘Jay Yeldon?’
He turned around. A woman approached. Short, black hair. Eyes powder-blue. Her stare was intense and hostile.
‘I am the man you want to speak to.’
‘You’re brave coming here alone,’ she said.
‘I could say the same about you.’
‘I have nothing to lose, nothing to live for … This is where I first saw your beloved Kim.’
He eyed her curiously. ‘Who are you?’
‘I am Sarah McEnery’s mother. I was the one they left heartbroken and grieving after they’d kidnapped, drugged, raped and murdered my precious girl. And to make matters worse the judge handed Seddon a puny sentence.’
‘I know. What do you want from me?’
‘I haven’t finished. The jury believed her story. It was a damn lie. She was every bit as guilty as him. Forensics proved she had been inside the old cottage where Sarah died.’
‘I am truly sorry for your loss. I can’t believe Kim would want to harm a defenceless little girl. She told me the circumstances leading up to the discovery of your daughter’s body. She was going to inform the police.’
‘Rubbish. You befriended her, treated her with kindness. You were taken in by her. You should be ashamed.’
Jay hung onto his composure, didn’t want a slanging match to ensue. ‘Let’s go where we can sit and talk.’
‘Sit with the likes of you? I don’t think so.’
He scanned the area, didn’t see anyone hanging about who might pose a threat. ‘If she was judged to have been innocent of any crime, you still would have hated her and gone out of your way to harm her.’
‘I would have hunted her down, stuck a knife straight in her chest and not given a shit what happened to me. You would do the same if you had a child that was murdered. You were manipulated by lies and deceit. I was satisfied when I learned she’d committed suicide.’
‘How do you know she’s dead? There was no reporting of her death as far as I know.’
‘I received a letter from the Home Office. Even if I hadn’t, people talk. Even the police let things slip. I found out Sarah had been drugged. Imagine the confusion she suffered. The thought of my daughter being sexually abused and terrified drove me out of my mind. When we found out where Seddon was living, me and my sister came here.’
‘Gillian Ward?’
She nodded.
‘Just the two of you?’
‘And Craig Garrett.’ Her eyes narrowed, lips tightened. ‘I want to know who killed my sister. Police came to my house and questioned me. They said she’d taken an overdose of a dangerous drug. I knew she hadn’t.’
‘And you had no option but to accept what they revealed to you. You couldn’t tell them what the plan was. Too much of a risk.’
‘Yeah, you’re right … I’m not here to cause trouble. Tell me what happened to my sister and you will never see me again.’
‘I will tell you what occurred on the night she died. I have questions for you to answer first.’
She jerked her gaze from left to right, checking for any suspicious bystanders. ‘Go ahead.’
‘How did you know she was here on the day you spoke to her?’
‘We didn’t. Me and my sister and Garrett spent two days searching for her. Seddon had a particular manner of walking, and we knew she was fond of dogs. I caught sight of a woman I thought might be her, going towards the field behind you. I phoned Gill and told her to come here straight away and keep out of sight. I made a fuss of the dog. I had the opportunity to look at her close up and listen to her voice. I knew it was Janet Seddon. Her appearance didn’t fool me. You can’t change the shape of your eyes or the sound of your voice.’
‘You changed your appearance too. Was it because she might recognise you?’
‘Yeah. My picture was in the papers and I made an appeal on television, asking the public to help find Sarah.’
‘What happened next, after you had spoken to her?’
‘I phoned Gill. She kept her distance and followed her home. Afterwards, the three of us watched her movements, found out where she worked, what places in town she went to. At first the plan was to frighten the bitch as much as possible. Sarah would have been terrified. We wanted Seddon to be terrified.’
‘And then use the drug on her?’
‘Yes. If we could somehow feed it to her, the hope was she would commit suicide. We took a big risk. It was worth all the trouble in the end.’
‘And here we stand, trading one murder for another.’
‘Two murders for another.’
‘I don’t see it that way.’
‘Doesn’t surprise me.’
‘How did you know which drug to use?’
‘We didn’t. Gill contacted Garrett. He was in London at the time. He hates paedophiles and anyone associated with them. Gill asked him if he knew of a drug that could wreak havoc with the human mind and cause death by suicide. He knew of one – a deadly designer drug from China. It had already caused deaths in the big cities in this country. He said it would be ideal, could be mixed with food, even sweets like the ones Seddon bought from the market. It has no taste or smell, looks like sugar, dissolves in drinks and can even be smoked when mixed with tobacco. Garrett couldn’t locate a supplier straight off. He persevered and eventually located a dealer willing to sell it.’
‘Why did he come to Eaton Cross?’
‘He offered to drive us here, help find the bitch. Once we knew we had the right person and had her address, Garrett decided to stay and put the pressure on.’
‘Did you have to pay him?’
‘We gave him what little we could afford. He seemed happy enough. Me and Gill watched her house from the field at the end of the road. There were plenty of bushes to hide behind.’
‘Was it you who drove at her on Parson Lane?’
‘Do you have to know everything?’
‘I’m curious. I was the one who rescued her.’
She sneered, shook her head slowly. ‘Gill and Garrett followed her one evening to track her movements. She had the dog with h
er and walked him along a path near the old castle. The path took her to a country lane. Gill decided to call it a day. There didn’t seem much point in trailing her any further. She phoned me, told me where she was heading. I knew where Parson Lane was. I took Garrett’s car and drove as fast as I could. There she was, enjoying an evening stroll. I wanted to kill her there and then. She was a sitting target. I drove at her to put the frighteners on. If I’d killed her the police would have checked the town’s CCTV and come after us.’
‘Lucky for her, I came along at the right time. How did you intend to gain her trust and friendship?’
‘We looked for openings. She worked in a hotel. The chance was there for Gill to book a room. She didn’t have to. The café opposite had a vacancy. Gill got the job and befriended her. The rest was easy.’
Jay pulled his collar up against the advancing drizzle. Tracy stepped back at the sudden movement, half-expecting him to lash out.
‘Was it Garrett who peered over the fence and followed her in the castle grounds one evening?’
‘Yeah. We made a mistake. Scaring her so early in the plan might have driven her away from this town. I think she stayed here because of you – her knight in shining armour. You did us a favour. Now tell me what I want to know.’
‘Why the hell should I? What’s done is done. I’m going home and you can’t stop me.’
The shadows surrounding them had melted in the encroaching gloom. A bitter wind moaned and snapped at the foliage and half-naked trees. Tracy stuffed her hands into her pockets and shivered. Jay pushed her out of the way, climbed the steps and stopped halfway up. Two burly, leather-jacketed men stared down at him, unmoving and threatening. A surge of panic persuaded him to descend the steps and confront Tracy. ‘What’s going on? I thought you were alone.’
‘You can’t trust anyone these days. They’re here for my protection … Shitting yourself, are you?’
‘I can handle myself,’ Jay replied, successfully disguising his apprehension. ‘If I’m hurt, or killed, the police will discover who’s responsible. I have friends who possess details of your daughter’s murder and your revenge mission.’
‘Like I said, I have nothing to live for, nothing to lose. Gill’s death … I know who killed her. I want to hear it from you.’
Alternative answers swirled in his head. Did she know Kayla had committed the murder? Should he say Kim turned the syringe on Gillian during a struggle? He glanced at the men at the top of the steps, ominous black shapes, vultures preparing to attack if needs be.
‘I killed her. What she did to Kim was unforgivable.’
‘You shouldn’t have interfered,’ she said bitterly. ‘No other man would have looked after her the way you did. She told you her true identity and you stood by her.’
‘I learned who she was from a friend of hers, the same person who stupidly revealed her whereabouts. This friend had a visit from a man who said he was connected to the family and wanted to return jewellery and personal stuff.’
‘Craig Garrett was the man. Him and his mate are watching you right now.’
Garrett and his crony kept their positions, menacing as gangsters with guns poised to kill.
‘Was Seddon with you when you killed her?’
‘She was in hospital due to the effects of the drug. I had possession of Kim’s phone and used it to lure Ward to a quiet place. I was unsure if she’d turn up. According to her landlord, she was leaving town. Why?’
‘There’d been no contact between Gill and Seddon. Gill thought she might have killed herself. She decided to return to Grenthorpe.’
‘I see. And was she responsible for stealing Smarty?’
‘Clever man. I may as well tell you everything. Gill and Garrett saw her at the market. She had the dog with her. Gill walked back to the café with Kim and phoned Garrett to say the dog was tied to a post outside. It would have been too obvious if Gill found the dog after it had gone missing. The idea was for Garrett to keep it and release it whilst Gill was with someone else. Garrett was careless. He let it off the lead near the caravan we hired. It was attacked by another dog.’
‘And it worked in your favour. She pays the vet’s fee, returns the dog to Kim. The bond between them strengthens.’
‘It ran smooth as clockwork … Garrett and I returned to Grenthorpe and left Gill to carry out the plan. There was no point in all three of us staying here.’ She focused on her unsavoury companions and returned her gaze to him. ‘You can go now. Go before my friends lose patience.’
Jay glowered at her and climbed the slippery steps. He took a deep breath, removed his hands from his pockets in case a fight erupted. Two steps to go. Jay clenched his fists. He levelled with them and paused. They made a gap for him to pass through. He glanced at Garrett, sensed the threat and anger of a man capable and willing to destroy human life if he had to.
He drove along empty rain-swept roads back to the tranquillity of his home. He changed into dry clothes, made a hot drink and rested by the fire.
The sadness, hatred and revenge of a woman who had lost her daughter jolted his conscience. Had Kim told him the entire truth? Mixed emotions plagued him for the remainder of the evening. He drifted in and out of shallow sleep marred by hectic dreams. At four o’ clock he groaned out of his chair, walked over to his desk and picked up the framed photo of Kim wearing the dress he’d bought her.
He had put a smile on her face, given her the chance of a new beginning. She looked back at him, saying, ‘Thanks, Jay. I’m so happy. I’m alive again …’
The photo fell from his hand and into the waste bin.
He flopped into the chair and revisited tainted memories until the cold grey morning light.
Epilogue
A dense fog hangs over the desolate moor. Janet follows her instinct, plods across mushy fields and tells herself she will find no body, nothing to suggest the little girl is being held prisoner.
A row of buildings looms out of the fog – a place where memories were born. She passes a solitary ash tree, steps over large stones, flattened earth and animal bones. The tumbledown cottages are sad and lonely, their walls peppered with hardy lichen. Thick moss covers wreckage inside windowless rooms filled with the smell of decay.
She sees no reason to enter the first two cottages. She looks inside the third one. A plastic bottle grabs her attention. She sees a two-foot wide hole in the ceiling and a staircase with no bannister, hanging off the wall. She goes inside, climbs the stairs slowly, testing each step with her foot. The rickety structure creaks and groans. Her stomach churns. She leans against the wall to keep her balance. She makes it to the top, blows a long breath of relief.
Empty drinks bottles and food wrappers are scattered over the dusty, wooden floor. They shouldn’t be there – nor should the purple-and-white rucksack. She focuses on the PE kit, trainers, school books and a cracked CD case. She examines it, recognises the artist and the title of the song, ‘Faces in a Mirror.’ Dread swamps her stomach. In a dark corner of the room a vague outline is discernible. She moves closer to investigate. Her suspicions are confirmed. A gasp escapes from her mouth.
Sarah’s eyes are half closed. Pink froth has dried on her chin. Bluish lips. Tongue protruding. Dry blood flecks have settled inside and under her nose.
Janet pulls the dirty blanket away from her neck, sees the bruises. The monster has squeezed the life out of her with his bare hands.
She makes her way to the exit and freezes.
The stairs are alive.
Groaning.
Creaking.
Breathing.
Her heart throbs like mad, her face twists with shock.
He is swamped in rage and desperation. He reaches out to grab her. Janet screams, drives her foot into his chest. Arms flailing, he reels backwards, lands on his back. A section of the staircase collapses. He falls to the ground. His head smashes into the unyielding rubble with a sickening crunch. His body shakes uncontrollably.
Janet looks down at his
twisted body.
He pushes out his final breath.
Dead.
(All Your Fears cover design by Ray Gritt)
Other books by Peter Hodgson
Jack the Ripper – Through the Mists of Time
Critical Murder
Rippercide
All Your Fears Page 25