‘Agnieszka, get up here! Call an ambulance!
Charlotte rushed over to Piper and began to claw desperately at the plastic bag. Whoever had done this had tied her hands with a length of cable torn from her bedside lamp. Was this a client visit gone terribly wrong, or something more sinister?
She looked around the room for signs that a man had been there recently. No, it wasn’t a client; somebody had forced their way into the room. This was an attack, and Piper was the target.
She tore a hole in the bag and ripped the plastic away from Piper’s mouth. In her frantic struggle to breathe, Piper had sucked in the plastic, forming a seal against her mouth. Her hair and face were sodden with sweat and her skin was white.
Agnieszka came into the room, followed by a man in boxer shorts and a T-shirt.
‘I know how to do CPR,’ he said, taking one look at her. ‘But please, don’t say that I helped her. It’ll be the end of my marriage if my wife finds out I’m here.’
Charlotte’s instinct was to judge and despise him; but if he could save Piper before the ambulance arrived, it wouldn’t matter.
‘I don’t care about you or your wife,’ Charlotte said, ‘Just help Piper.’
She had managed to tear the plastic bag from Piper’s face and head, but the grey tape holding it fast around her neck was too tough to remove. She needed scissors.
As the man positioned Piper’s limp body so he could administer CPR, Charlotte fumbled to undo the tightly knotted cable around her wrists. Agnieszka’s client began the process of chest compressions and breathing into Piper’s lungs. Charlotte checked that Agnieszka had called the ambulance.
As she finally managed to loosen the cable well enough to undo the knot, she realised that once again, she mustn’t be around when the ambulance and police officers arrived. She was making a habit of this, but she simply could not afford to get caught up in the inevitable aftermath and questions.
When they’d apprehended Jenna and Pat, and released Lucia at Sandy Beaches Holiday Camp, it had taken forever to plod through the process of securing the site, gathering evidence, questioning everybody involved, administering first aid, and all the other tasks which allowed the emergency services to perform their jobs so thoroughly. And she’d been relieved to do that, especially with her daughter safe and secure, and being confident that Isla was in safe hands after the assault in the kitchen.
But now? And with Edward Callow possibly dead? Olli could be dead in a ditch before the police even got to the point where they could comprehend the gravity of the situation. She couldn’t hang around, but she had to be certain that Piper was safe, despite what she might have done.
Then Charlotte took a second pause; had she been wrong about Piper? This looked like somebody was tidying up loose ends, dealing with Piper, Edward Callow—even Rex Emery. Maybe Rex was responsible. She simply didn’t know. It was too much to figure out.
Piper took a sudden gasp of breath, her body reactivating like a toy with new batteries. She breathed fast, gasping for air, her fingers finding the grey tape around her neck and pulling at it to loosen the tension. As she realised that her breathing was no longer restricted, she began to focus on the people around her. As suddenly as she’d begun breathing, she started to scream and thump at the man who’d administered CPR.
‘Get off me, leave me alone!’ she cried, tears rolling down her face.
The man moved away from her, shocked at the reaction he’d got.
‘I suggest you leave now,’ Agnieszka said to him. ‘The ambulance will be here soon. Thank you. I will make it up to you next time you come to see me.’
The man made his exit, reassuring Agnieszka that he’d close her door before he left the building.
Charlotte moved in to comfort Piper. Sirens could be heard in the distance. Damn, they were fast.
‘Piper, it’s all right, you’re safe now…’
A look of terror washed across Piper’s face like she’d just remembered something horrific.
‘Charlotte, they have your son, Olli. They took him. That’s why they did this to me.’
Charlotte felt the colour drain from her face as fear gripped her body.
‘Who’s got him? Who took my son? Where is he?’
It was happening all over again. First Lucia, now Olli. She couldn’t take it any more. The pressure was becoming unbearable. If she could just find Olli, they’d have to tell the truth. If she lost her son, she’d never forgive herself.
‘Two men. He came to the house in a panic. He’d lost his phone, but he said he was being followed. He thought I was Agnieszka, but I saw him at the door, and I took him in because he said your name. He’s in terrible danger, Charlotte. These men don’t care about the police and they have no sense of right and wrong. I don’t know where they’ve taken him, but you have to find him, Charlotte—he’s in terrible danger.’
‘Piper, you have to tell me the truth. Was Rex Emery here? Have you seen Rex Emery?’
‘Rex is not behind this,’ Piper yelled. ‘He’s innocent, I told you that before. But yes, I’ve been helping Rex. I know he was at your guest house, and I’ve seen him this afternoon. We had something important to do, in case Rex gets caught.’
‘What were you doing? When did he leave the guest house? He was gone when I looked for him this afternoon.’
‘Rex said they came for him and he thinks they hurt your husband. Oh Charlotte, is your husband okay? Rex managed to climb down a drainpipe and make his escape from the guest house. The men wanted a video that he has, did he tell you about that?’
‘What video? I don’t know anything about a video.’
‘He has evidence about what happened to me. It was an old video. We got copies made this afternoon. That’s why they want us all dead. And now they have your son…’
There was a loud knock at the main door downstairs, making them all jump.
‘Ambulance!’ came a voice that carried all the way up the staircase. They’d shouted through the letterbox to get attention.
‘Agnieszka, is there a back door? I can’t be seen here. I’ll talk to the police when I know Olli is safe, but I have to find him now. Okay?’
Agnieszka nodded. Charlotte assumed that as escorts, she and Piper would have a healthy disrespect for the letter of the law. She was in safe hands for a hasty escape.
‘Come,’ Agnieszka told her. ‘Turn left at the bottom of the stairs and open the black-painted door next to the storeroom. It’s not locked, it’s on a security catch. The gate to the yard is locked, though; if you can climb up on a bin, you will be able to get over the wall.’
Charlotte winced as she began to move; a sharp pain ran through her foot where she’d cut herself on the glass.
The ambulance staff knocked heavily at the door once again. They sounded like they were about to knock it down.
‘We have to go,’ Agnieszka said. ‘Here, take my plimsolls. I have small feet, but they look about your size.’
‘Piper, Agnieszka… thank you, thank you so much. I’ll be back, I promise. We can make this right.’
She followed Agnieszka down the stairs, and they split off. The last thing Charlotte heard was the sound of the medics rushing in.
The door was exactly as Agnieszka had described. Charlotte closed the latch behind her and surveyed the yard. There were several wheelie bins, each with a badly painted flat number on the side. She chose one with a lid that was closed flat, wheeled it to the far wall and pulled herself up on it, feeling the cut in her foot stretch as she raised herself up. Agnieszka’s footwear was tighter than she would have liked, but at least her feet were protected now. Who knew what hazards were lurking in that back alley?
As Charlotte dropped to the ground on the other side, she realised she was no further forward with helping Olli. In fact, things were worse. She knew he was in deadly peril. She saw what they’d done to Piper. And yet she didn’t know where he was or what they planned to do with him. She was about to drop to her knees and screa
m with frustration when she heard a whispered call from the shadows.
‘Charlotte, it’s me. Don’t make a noise. I’m not going to hurt you.’
She recognised the voice immediately: Rex Emery.
Chapter Forty
Charlotte ran at Rex, ready to punch him, so full of anger and helplessness that she could barely contain herself.
‘What the hell were you thinking of? Did you hit Will? You’ve brought the devil to my door…’
‘Charlotte, stop, you need to stop,’ Rex urged, pulling up his arms to defend himself.
‘My son is out there in danger, and you brought this on us, you… you…’
Charlotte could barely speak, like a toddler having a tantrum, so out of control that she couldn’t reign herself back in. She knew that she’d implode if she didn’t get a grip.
‘I’m not to blame,’ Rex insisted. ‘I promise you, I didn’t harm your son, and I had nothing to do with those terrible men, except that they took advantage of me and used my guest house. Do you know who’s staying in your home? Do you know what your guests are up to? Barry McMillan hanged himself in your guest house; are you responsible for everything that happens there?’
Charlotte took some deep breaths. Then her phone vibrated from her canvas bag, still slung over her shoulder. She began to fumble for it in the darkness. Rex moved closer, seeing that she was now much calmer.
‘Why are you lurking out here in this alley?’ she asked, still not sure of him.
‘I was planning on seeing Piper again this evening, but I saw you going into the flats, so I thought I’d better wait for you to come out first. Believe me, I didn’t expect to see you here either. When I heard the sirens, I thought I’d been spotted by somebody, so I hid in this alley.’
Charlotte looked at him, unsure what to think.
‘They came for me at the guest house earlier on. They were quiet, I didn’t even know they were in the building until I heard them whispering outside my room. I had to escape. I’m sorry if they hurt your husband. Is he okay?’
‘He was dazed and bruised, but he’ll be all right,’ Charlotte replied. She’d grabbed Olli’s phone in error and was now fumbling for her own while Rex continued his tale.
‘I climbed down the drainpipe that runs at the back of the guest house. It’s a solid, iron thing; they don’t make them like that any more. If they’d found me, they’d have killed me.’
‘Why did they hurt Piper?’ she asked.
‘They hurt Piper?’ Rex said, a look of panic washing over his face. ‘Is she okay? What did they do to her? I saw the ambulance arriving, but I didn’t realise it was Piper’s flat they were going to.’
‘She’s fine. We managed to save her in time. But they’ve got my son, Olli. He’s only eighteen. He was waiting at Piper’s flat.’
‘Oh my God, when will this end?’ Rex gasped, panic now turning to despair.
‘Look, Rex, if you know anything, you have to start talking now. Who are these men? What are they protecting?’
‘They’re Edward Callow’s hoodlums…’
‘That can’t be true,’ she interrupted, ‘I just left Edward Callow slumped in his car. I don’t know if he’s dead, but he looked to be in a bad way.’
‘He can’t be,’ Rex said. ‘I’m telling you, Edward Callow is behind all this. That bastard used the other four members of the consortium to fuel his business, and now he’s too rich to need them, he’s finishing them all off.’
‘Did you know that Mason Jones is dead?’ Charlotte asked.
Rex shook his head in despair. ‘Jesus Christ, will that man stop at nothing? That’s all four of them gone now, right? He’s mopping up his messes, I’m telling you. Whatever you say happened to Edward Callow this evening, I swear, this is his work.’
Charlotte’s phone vibrated once again.
‘I need to check this,’ she said, activating the screen on her phone. Two text messages, both from an unknown number.
We have your son. We need something from you. You help us, you get your son back.
She wanted to scream with relief; at last, some sense was coming of all this. They’d got Olli, but there was a way out. She could get him out alive now.
Rex Emery knows what we want. We know you’ve been protecting him. Find Rex Emery before 22:32 and reply to this number when you have the package.
Charlotte looked up at Rex.
‘What’s this package?’ she said, her voice cold and emotionless. There was only one thing standing between her and her son’s safety, and that was Rex Emery. If she had to tear his eyes out to get to it, she would. She’d do anything to protect her son.
‘It’s a video…’ he began.
‘Is this what Piper was talking about?’
‘Yes, probably. Piper must have told them about it if they were threatening her. Poor Piper, she’s been through enough. Anyway, that’s what Piper and I were doing this afternoon. When I escaped from your guest house, I knew I had to get copies made of the video. It’s the only way we can prove what happened back then. I had to make sure they didn’t get the only copy. If they found that, I’d go back to prison—maybe even get finished off like everybody else—and Callow would get away with it.’
‘You keep blaming Edward Callow, but didn’t you hear what I just said? He can’t be involved in this. He’s on his way to hospital, possibly dead.’
‘I can’t explain it,’ Rex said.
Charlotte could see he seemed genuinely confused.
‘Look, I need these videos. I have to save Olli. Where are they?’
Rex Emery shifted uneasily in the darkness. He reached to his coat pocket and pulled something out.
‘This is what they want,’ he said.
‘Is that your only copy?’
‘No, we left one copy, and the guy in the shop is making us several more. It’s VHS. It takes forever. We stuck around long enough to make sure we got one of the copies, but the master video is still at the shop.’
‘You know I have to take that video, don’t you?’
‘I do,’ said Rex.
He handed it to her. It was wrapped in a tatty plastic bag, but she grabbed it from him like it was the cure to a deadly illness.
I have to text them back, let them know I’ve got it. She glanced at the time on her phone; it was a little after nine o’clock, plenty of time.
I have the package. Give me my son.
Rex Emery watched as she keyed in the letters.
Her phone vibrated almost immediately, as if the people who were holding Olli were waiting for her.
Leave it under the slide at the play area near West End Gardens. Come alone. We’ll be watching. Call the police, and your son dies. Text us when you’re at the play area.
Charlotte held up the phone so that Rex Emery could read the message.
‘I can’t go with you,’ he said. ‘They’ll kill me if they see me. You have to go alone.’
‘Where will you hide?’ Charlotte asked. ‘What will you do?’
‘I’ll sleep rough for a few days, then first thing on Monday morning I’m going to that video store to pick up the copies. There’s a boarded-up shop around the corner by the old church, on the sea front. It’s not far from where you’re heading now. I can hide in there. I promise you I’ll walk into Morecambe Police station myself and hand those videos over. You do what you have to do to save your son.’
Charlotte took one last look at him, trying to work out if she trusted him. She had no choice.
‘One last thing,’ Rex said, before walking away. ‘That time they gave you, 22:32. That’s a tide time. You don’t spend as many years as I did printing out the timetables and hanging them up in the lounge of a guest house and forget that stuff. The time they gave you is high tide, I’ll put money on it. They probably have him somewhere near the sea. Take care, Charlotte. Those men are ruthless.’
Charlotte began to run the full length of the alleyway, keen to emerge well away from the ambulance and inevit
able police crew. The Battery was not so far. They’d chosen a secluded place, with a play area set in a dip away from the promenade. She’d leave the video where they asked and get Olli back. Then—and only then—would she speak to the police.
Ten minutes later, she was at the play area. She’d have made it faster if her foot wasn’t so sore. The tight plimsolls were pinching her toes, and she could feel her skin rubbing raw.
It was quiet and alone there. She placed the bag underneath the play equipment, aware that she was being monitored. She looked around, but could see nobody. It made her shiver to think that the same men who’d taken her son and tried to kill Piper, were probably watching her at that very moment.
Having placed the bag in the exact location, she looked around, not knowing what to do. Her phone vibrated in her hand.
Walk away. Walk towards the Midland Hotel. When we verify the package, you’ll get your son.
‘You bastards, tell me where my son is!’ she shouted into the chill night air.
She began to walk out of the park, up to the promenade, and along the same strip that she’d run with Daisy twelve hours earlier. Exhaustion was setting in; she couldn’t take much more of this.
As she neared the Midland Hotel, she could see that there were still police officers on the scene close to where she’d left Edward Callow. She ducked to the side, keen to stay clear of the area. For all she knew, she was a fugitive. Her phone vibrated again.
We have the package. You’ll find your son at the end of the stone jetty. Be quick. The tide is rising.
Chapter Forty-One
To Charlotte, the tides were just something that came and went. Like the sun and the moon, they punctuated her days, but she took little notice of the details. Now those very tides held the key to her son’s life.
She rushed to the fence which ran the entire length of the promenade and stared out into the bay. The light had long gone, but the reflections of the street lamps along the stone jetty showed her all she needed to know. The high tide might be in one hour’s time, but the water was already coming in and rising fast.
Circle of Lies Page 21