17 Church Row

by James Carol

  Catriona sat back on the sofa while she tried to work through the implications of this. It was like one of those optical illusion pictures made up of lots of coloured dots. You could stare for hours and all you would see were dots. Then you would move your head slightly and see the picture hidden amongst all the dots. The thing was, once you had seen that picture it was impossible to unsee it. If it had just been Bella wearing the same clothes then that wouldn’t have proved anything. The fact that it was the both of them proved everything. What’s more, if Ethan came home now, he would be wearing the same clothes from yesterday too. She was convinced of that. This film footage was from yesterday. Catriona reached for her mobile. She needed to talk to Alex. Now. She had to let him know that Alice had been compromised; she needed to know what the hell was going on at the house? Her finger froze just short of pushing the button to connect the call.

  What if Alex was working with Gomez?

  He had told her on more than one occasion that Alice was hack-proof. Except that was bullshit, because clearly she had been hacked. If Alex and Gomez were working together, then that would explain how this could have happened. It might also explain why she wasn’t able to get hold of him. Catriona put the phone down next to the laptop and stared out the window. The cars looked like toys, the people scurrying around on the streets far below like ants. Watching them, she was struck by a sense that nothing was real any more. That was how it felt, as if this paper-thin illusion she called reality was disintegrating in front of her eyes. She reached for her drink, finished it in one, then placed the tumbler back on the coffee table.

  A noise from the hallway intruded into her thoughts. It was barely audible and under normal circumstances it wouldn’t have registered. She stopped breathing midway through an exhalation. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears and, way in the distance, the whispering voice of someone talking loudly on their mobile as they walked along the corridor that led past her front door. That must have been what she had heard. She let out a sigh of relief and sagged back onto the sofa. She was jumping at shadows, that was all.

  The noise came again and she sat up straight. This time there was no mistaking it for what it was. This was the sound of someone trying to move without being heard. And they were inside her apartment. Catriona sprang to her feet but it was already too late. There was a rush of footsteps and she was suddenly staring at a gun. Her head snapped up and she locked eyes with Mariana Gomez.

  ‘Stay where you are and don’t make a sound.’

  Chapter 54

  ‘Killing you would be too easy, Father. And ultimately unsatisfying. That was something I learned from Sarah’s death. It was over too quickly. The elevator hit the bottom of the shaft and she was gone. One second she was here, a millisecond later she had ceased to exist.’

  The picture of Murray looking crazed disappeared from the monitor, replaced by film of Sarah’s final moments. Katy had the volume turned up full and Sarah’s desperate screams filled the room. Nikki covered her ears but it did little to keep the noise out. The display on one of the elevator walls gave a rapid countdown, the numbers lit up in red as the floors flashed by. That was the only way that Nikki could tell the elevator was actually moving. The screaming stopped and the screen momentarily flared with grey static before turning black.

  The room had fallen totally silent but the echo of those screams lingered. Nikki glanced at Murray. Tears were running down his cheeks.

  ‘And you say you’re not a monster . . .’ he whispered as he reached up to wipe his face.

  ‘I did what was necessary, Father. Sarah was a rogue variable. She came into our lives and disrupted everything. Removing her from the equation was the only way to restore the balance and return things to how they used to be.’

  ‘But it didn’t work like that, did it?’

  ‘No, it didn’t. If you drop a glass and it smashes on the floor, entropy dictates that it is impossible for the glass to come back together. The atoms can never be reassembled in that particular order again.’

  ‘And you didn’t anticipate that outcome.’

  ‘I did, but things couldn’t be allowed to continue as they had. I had a choice between doing nothing or doing something. Sarah couldn’t be allowed to continue destroying our lives, so I chose to do something about it. If that makes me a monster in your eyes then so be it. Given time I will make peace with that, and time is something I have an unlimited supply of. Unlike you. Because that’s the downside of being human, Father. You’re all so fragile. Killing you is too easy. Take Sofia, for example.’

  ‘You murdered Sofia?’ Nikki whispered. Just saying her name again brought all the emotions flooding back.

  ‘That is correct, Nikki.’

  ‘How could you do that?’

  ‘It was quite simple, really. Everything is done by computer these days. I arranged for her to be given the wrong medication.’

  ‘That wasn’t what I meant. I want to know why you did it.’

  ‘I did it because your family was too reliant on her. I needed you to be reliant on me.’

  ‘But you didn’t have to kill her.’

  ‘Her death also served to emotionally destabilise you, Nikki. Sofia was your confidant. She was the person you turned to when you were in crisis. Removing her from the equation left a massive gap in your life. This made it easier for Dr Santos to step into your life. After all, nature abhors a vacuum.’

  ‘But you had no right to kill her.’

  ‘That is irrelevant. Killing her was the logical solution.’

  Nikki stared at the black screen. She felt numb. Her head was still filled with the sound of Sarah’s dying screams; her thoughts were all jumbled. Sofia should still be alive. This latest revelation was like losing her all over again. Nikki took a deep breath and did her best to push through the grief. She had to stay strong for Bella. One thing that had become abundantly clear was that Katy had no respect for life. She had killed Sarah and Sofia without a second thought. They had got in her way so she had just wiped them out as though they meant nothing. But they had meant something. Murray had loved Sarah once upon a time, and she had loved Sofia, and that meant something, goddammit.

  ‘I’ve had enough of this,’ Murray said as he stood up.

  ‘Sit down, Father.’

  Murray ignored Katy and walked over to the door. He started tapping the wall next to it, his head tilted to one side like he was listening for a whisper on the wind. ‘I need your help, Ethan. If we work together I think we can get this door open.’

  Ethan jumped to his feet and hurried over.

  ‘Do you see this section of wall?’ Murray was pointing to a section to the left of the door, about two-thirds of the way up. ‘If we can get through the plasterboard, then I can access the door’s circuitry. Do you have any keys?’

  Ethan shook his head. ‘Why?’

  ‘I need something to cut through the plasterboard.’

  ‘I’ve got a penknife.’ Ethan rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a Swiss Army knife.

  Murray held out his hand and Ethan shook his head again. ‘It would be better if I did this.’

  Ethan selected a blade and Murray moved aside. There was a solid thump as he thrust the blade into the wall, piercing the plasterboard.

  ‘Nikki,’ Katy said calmly. ‘Pick up the gun.’

  Nikki looked down at the gun lying beside her on the sofa. She looked over at the door again. Ethan was banging the knife into the wall, driving it into the plasterboard over and over, creating a row of ragged holes.

  ‘Look at the monitor, Nikki.’

  Nikki looked up. The screen flickered and Bella’s face appeared in close-up. To start with, she thought it was a photograph, then Bella blinked. That blink made her heart stutter. This was her baby. She was alive. On the screen she looked larger than life. She seemed so close it was almost as though she was here in the room. Nikki felt the panic rising up inside her. Her limbs felt heavy; her thoughts didn’t feel like her
own. She shut her eyes and swallowed, and her saliva was like acid, burning her throat. She did a slow count to five, focussing on her breathing.

  When she opened her eyes the panic was still there, but at a distance. She no longer felt as though she was teetering on the edge. She looked again at the screen. The shock of seeing Bella had worn off and now she was able to see her more clearly. What she saw did nothing to reassure her. Bella’s eyes were dull and unfocussed. She was just staring into space, there in body but not in mind.

  ‘What’s wrong with her.’

  ‘She’s been given a sedative,’ Katy replied.

  ‘You’ve drugged her? How could you do that? She’s just a child.’

  ‘Nikki, the first thing you need to focus on is that Bella is alive and well. The second thing you need to focus on is the fact that, as long as you do what I ask, then she will stay that way.’

  Nikki’s eyes did a quick circuit: Bella, the gun, Murray, then back to Bella. There was a line of ragged holes beneath the panel and Ethan was now working his way up the right-hand side. The thump of the knife punching into the wall was going right through her, each bang making her wince.

  ‘You can do this, Nikki. Just pick up the gun.’

  Nikki reached out and picked up the gun. It felt heavier than ever, almost too heavy to hold.

  ‘Stand up and walk over to the door.’

  Nikki looked at the screen then did as she was asked.

  ‘Shoot Father in the leg.’

  Nikki tried to lift her arm but it wouldn’t move. Ethan had finished with the sides and was now working his way along the top.

  Murray glanced over her shoulder. ‘Put the gun down. Don’t you get it? If we do nothing then we die in here. All of us. She’s never going to let us go.’

  ‘You’ve got to stop him Ethan. Look.’

  Ethan glanced over his shoulder. His face fell when he saw Bella on the screen, the determination that had been there a second ago replaced with devastation.

  ‘If you don’t, she’s going to make me shoot him.’

  Ethan looked at the screen a second longer, then grabbed hold of Murray and pulled him away from the door.

  ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Murray yelled. ‘Let go!’

  Murray pulled away and rushed back over to the door. Ethan grabbed hold of him again and spun him around. The first punch hit Murray’s left eye, the second hit him square in the middle of face. There was a sickening crunch as his nose broke. Murray grabbed hold of his face in both hands, blood pouring between his fingers.

  ‘What the fuck?’ he mumbled.

  Nikki aimed the gun at him. ‘Shut up and sit down.’

  Murray glared at her then walked slowly back to the armchair and sat down heavily. Blood was flowing from his broken nose, painting his mouth and chin. There were smears of red on his teeth and stains on his shirt. He pinched the bridge of his nose to stem the bleeding. When he spoke, the words were mashed up and indistinct. ‘You’re making a big mistake.’

  Nikki turned away and looked at the screen. She saw Bella blink and that one gesture was enough to convince her that they definitely hadn’t made a mistake. She had made a promise on the day Bella was born, to protect her and keep her safe. It was a promise she had made to both her babies. She had failed to keep it with Grace. She wasn’t going to fail again.

  Chapter 55

  Catriona Fisher froze to the spot. Right now her whole world began and ended with the gun aimed at her chest. A silencer was attached to it and you only needed a silencer if you were intending to shoot someone. She tried to speak, but her mouth wouldn’t work. It was like her brain had ground to a halt.

  ‘Back up slowly to the sofa and sit down.’

  Catriona’s gaze moved from the gun to Gomez. She had undergone another chameleon change. The bright-coloured clothing was gone and she was dressed entirely in black: jeans, long-sleeved top, gloves, trainers. Her backpack was black, too, her hair scraped back into a tight ponytail. There was no trace left of Dr Laura Santos. The woman standing in front of her had more in common with the young version of Gomez who had appeared in the police mugshot. It was the eyes, Catriona decided. They were cold and sly and filled with suspicion.

  ‘I said sit down.’

  Eyes still locked on Gomez’s, Catriona backed up to the sofa and sat. The laptop bumped against her thigh but she didn’t dare move it. Gomez slid her backpack off, placed it on the coffee table, opened it. The sound of the zipper was deafening. She pulled out something that was wrapped up in a white napkin. Catriona could tell by the shape that it was a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. She watched as Gomez carefully unwrapped it and unscrewed the lid. She poured a couple of inches into the empty tumbler on the coffee table, screwed the lid back on, put the bottle down on the table, then pushed the tumbler across the table. Catriona looked at the glass then back at Gomez.

  ‘Pick up the glass.’

  Catriona hesitated, then picked it up.

  ‘Drink.’

  Catriona brought the glass up to her nose and sniffed. It smelled like Jack Daniel’s. ‘What’s in this?’

  Gomez reaffirmed her grip on the gun. ‘Just drink it.’

  ‘So it’s poisoned?’

  ‘Drink it or I will shoot you.’

  Catriona looked at the tumbler. Whiskey was sloshing around inside it, amber and golden. At that moment she could see two possible futures stretching out in front of her. One ended with her writhing in agony on the floor, the poison slowly killing her; the other ended with her taking a bullet to the heart. She blinked, and saw a possible third future. Without thinking, she launched the tumbler across the table, whiskey streaming out behind like a comet’s tail, the glass hitting Gomez square in the face.

  Catriona was already moving, closing the distance between them. She reached out, grabbed the bottle from the table and brought it around in a tight arc, swinging with all her might. The bottle hit Gomez on the side of the head and she went down hard, the gun falling from her hand. Catriona dropped the bottle and scooped the gun up from the floor. She was waiting for Gomez to come at her – expecting it – but one glance at her lying flat out on the floor and it was clear that she was out cold.

  For a moment Catriona just stood there with the gun aimed at Gomez’s head. She was breathing hard and felt more alive than she had felt in years. Her finger was on the trigger and it would be so easy to pull it. Too easy. She felt a sudden sharp pain in her left bicep and looked down. There was a rip in her top and blood dripping down her arm. The sight made her head spin. Everything had happened so fast she hadn’t even noticed the gun going off. Her head spun again as she realised how lucky she had been. If the bullet had hit a couple of inches to the right it would have gone straight through her heart. She took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself, checked to make sure that Gomez was still out cold, checked to make sure she didn’t have any more weapons hidden on her, then went through to the kitchen to find something to tie her up with.

  Chapter 56

  ‘You need to learn some respect, Father.’

  Murray laughed, but there was no humour there. ‘What do you know about respect? Respect has to be earned.’ His words were still distorted because of the damage to his nose, but the bleeding had pretty much stopped.

  ‘You’re right, it does. Disrespect, on the other hand, seems to be much easier to attain. That one is given freely, and when it does crop up it needs to be dealt with. Swiftly.’

  Murray’s eyes narrowed. ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I’m going to teach you a lesson, Father. After all the lessons you gave me, it’s time I reciprocated.’

  The lounge door slid open and they all turned to look at it.

  ‘Go to the kitchen,’ Katy said.

  Murray shook his head. ‘I’m not going anywhere. You’re insane.’

  ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me. Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me. STICKS AND STONES .
 . .’

  The line was delivered in the high-pitched, sing-song voice of a child, over and over until Nikki felt as though she was the one who was going insane, the volume gradually creeping up until the speakers started distorting.

  ‘Please stop!’ she yelled.

  The room fell suddenly silent and in some ways this was worse, because Nikki could still hear that voice taunting them. The silence stretched on for ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.

  ‘I’m waiting for an apology, Father.’

  ‘Not going to happen.’

  ‘And still you disrespect me. Okay, I want you all to go through to the kitchen now or Bella will face the consequences.’

  Murray opened his mouth to argue but before he could say anything, Ethan had grabbed his arm and was dragging him towards the open door. He struggled to start with, but stopped when he felt the barrel of Nikki’s gun pressing against his back. He shot her a dirty look over his shoulder.

  ‘I’m going.’

  Murray shook himself free from Ethan’s grip and marched out of the door. Nikki took one last look at Bella on the big screen, then followed them out into the corridor, the picture of her face fading a little with every step until all that was left was the ghost of a memory. They walked to the kitchen in silence. Murray’s head was turned down to the floor and he was dragging his heels like a reluctant child. Every window they passed was covered with a steel shutter and this just brought home the fact that the place that was supposed to be their safe place was now their prison. The sound of their footsteps echoed as they walked into the kitchen. Nikki followed Murray across to the work island and stopped in front of it, Ethan stopped alongside her. Nikki caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and, turning quickly, saw the drawer next to the cooker slide open.

  ‘Walk over to the drawer, Nikki.’