The Vine Cross (The Vine Series Book 1)

by S P Dawes

  “No change there then! Why?” Jesse had never taken to Caitlyn, but Rob never spoke out of turn about her, so something wasn’t right.

  “She thinks me and Hayley are…”

  Jesse shook his head and rubbed the back of it. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All his planning was going down the pan because his brother couldn’t keep it in his pants, and now here he was babysitting his bit on the side.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Jesse asked, trying not to raise his voice.

  “No! No! I swear nothing’s happened.” Rob was sick of his relationship with Hayley being made out to be something sordid. He wouldn’t mind if it was true, but it infuriated him that so many people had such a low opinion of him.

  “So why does Caity think you are?” Jesse asked urgently, not knowing why he was getting himself involved in this. He normally couldn’t care less about his brother’s love life, but he’d had a job to do tonight and so far, it had been a complete disaster.

  “Cus, she’s fucking psycho!”

  Hayley watched Jesse pacing outside. He didn’t look very comfortable about what he was hearing and the way he kept looking at her, it almost felt like he was angry at her.

  “Jess, I swear I’ve not touched her. It’s just Caity’s got this thing in her head. And then when she found out there had been trouble at Hayley’s old workplace with a lad, she stirred it,”

  “Was that the same lad, who was there tonight?” asked Jesse, trying to piece it all together.

  “Yeah, I think so, I’m not sure,” Rob sighed again. He had bigger concerns right now.

  “How’s this going to work for you?”

  Jesse inhaled a lungful of air, at least it didn’t sound like his brother had caused this, maybe it was still salvageable. “I don’t know, set up another meet, I suppose. But if he’s bringing other guys, I don’t want you involved any more. It’s too dangerous. He didn’t see me, so he’ll not be able to link us at the minute.” Jesse didn’t know how he was going to explain what happened today. “This girl’s shit scared of one of them,” he added as an afterthought, watching her through the glass, holding her head in her hands.

  “I know, that’s why I took her upstairs. Not so I could jump her bones.” Rob replied, hearing the accusation in his voice.

  Jesse sighed, he wasn’t sure whether to just leave her, take her home or put her in a cab. He couldn’t be a 100% sure the lad didn’t know the real reason behind him being thrown out. If he did, he’d more than likely want revenge on Hayley. Tonight, had been potentially a big deal, someone would need to pay.

  “I might pop round later, if it’s not too late. That’s if you’re not in your pinny and marigolds?” Jesse said after an awkward moment of silence. He heard Rob chuckle, “you big girl!” The tension broke between them and he smiled. He had no right being angry with his younger brother, he’d put him in this situation after all. He’d have to take responsibility if it all blew up.

  Hayley looked up to see Jesse take his place back at the table. “Everything OK?”

  Jesse took a sip of beer before answering, “he’s gone into town, so I’ll take you home.”

  Hayley didn’t know if she wanted him to take her home. What if he expected some kind of reward for helping her? What if he thought she’d be an easier target on her own? There wouldn’t be a crowd, and her neighbours, when she saw them, didn’t give a damn about her. Would they let her scream without intervention?

  As if reading her mind, he said, “I’ll just walk you home, check the place over and leave, OK?”

  Smiling, she felt herself take in air again. The way he looked at her somehow made her regret panicking. “OK, you ready?”

  Hayley downed the rest of her drink, following suit. Then they both made their way out of the pub. Soon they were walking alongside the entrance to the local park.

  “Me and Rob used to play there all the time; it’s changed over the years though,”

  “Yeah, they removed the old train thing from over there...” she pointed to the wooden sculptures that had replaced the climbing frame years before. “… and if I remember right, there was a set of swings up there and a slide to the right.”

  “Yeah, and another set of swings, near the hill, we used to wind them up as far as they could go,” admitted Jesse.

  “Oh, that was you, was it?” She smiled, remembering the softer sides of her childhood, running around on the grass playing tag. She remembered a time when they had a picnic blanket, and her mum had made loads of sandwiches and sliced up homemade cake. Squash in a bottle already diluted, accompanied by paper plates and plastic cups. That had been a nice day, but remembering it now, only brought sadness.

  “So, you’re from round here then?” Jesse asked, watching her face fall once again.

  “No, not really, we just used to come here sometimes,” she answered vaguely.

  “Where do you live now? I guess we’re going in the right direction?” Asked Jesse as they reached a roundabout.

  “Yep, just up here. Turn right, follow the road round and then turn right again, but it’s far.” She wasn’t sure if he intended to walk the entire length, but thought best to pre-warn him, if he still wanted to. She hoped he did. After tonight, she didn’t want to be out on her own. Her abuser had been too close for comfort.

  “How long?”

  “About twenty minutes,” she answered, creasing her face up like a child, knowing it was asking a lot.

  “Oh, not that bad then.” Hayley wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not, but he carried on walking.

  Reaching Hayley’s flat, she let them in after unlocking the door with her keys. As soon as the door opened, the stairs greeted them as they entered her flat. Walking into the living room, Hayley continued to the back of the room where another door opened to the kitchen.

  “Do you want a drink?” She called out.

  “After that hike, sure!” Jesse was already checking window locks in the living room. “You got keys for these?”

  Hayley walked back in, holding a metal teaspoon. Seeing Jesse checking for her safety made her heart skip a beat. Confirming she did, and that they were on her key ring along with the door key, she walked back into the kitchen while Jesse continued to look around.

  Two minutes later Hayley walked through holding two mugs of coffee. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you took sugar or not,” she said apologetically.

  “Not,” They smiled uncomfortably, and she handed him a steaming blue mug. “Locks all seem solid, but just make sure you’ve always got your keys on you, and you pull the chain on the door once I’ve left. Phone line’s OK, but you’ve got a mobile anyway, right?”

  Hayley nodded. “Do you work in security then?”

  Jesse smirked. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  Hayley sat down on the arm of the sofa as Jesse sat in the seat furthest away from her. He was cradling his mug, and she realised the atmosphere was a little weird between them. They had spoken none stop on the way back. But now in her apartment, on their own with nothing to pique their interests or distract them, they were finding it difficult to engage.

  “Me and Rob, we’re just friends.”

  Jesse watched her, realising she’d been worrying about what he thought.

  “He said.” Jesse answered, cringing at how harsh that sounded. Looking away, he noticed the original prints on the walls, and the architecture around town; some were close ups, black and white or sepia.

  “These of Newark?” He asked walking over to them to inspect them better. Nodding, she told him about how she enjoyed going out with her camera sometimes to see if she could get some nice shots. The ones on the wall were the ones she thought told a story the most.

  Jesse listened to her talking and realised she didn’t look nervous or unhappy any more but content. He could see that the photos and her camera meant a lot to her. It was nice to see her enthused about something; she had a genuine passion and an eye for detail. The pictures were amazing, and
they had caught the light at exactly the right moment to make them shine and feel haunting.

  After a while Jess checked his watch. “Sorry, I best go,” he said, handing her his empty mug.

  “Thanks, for checking the place over.”

  Jesse smiled, but he could see sadness in her eyes of untold horrors. “If you need anything, just give me a bell. I can have a car round here, in a shot.” Nodding, she quickly realised she didn’t have his number.

  Looking around for a piece of paper, Jesse saw a TV magazine. Grabbing it, he asked her for a pen. Pulling one from the sideboard, she handed it to him, before he wrote his mobile number down on the top of the page. Handing her the pen and the magazine back, she showed him out.

  “Don’t forget the chain,” he warned.

  On closing her bedroom door, she leant against it, slumping to the floor. All the emotions she had been trying to bottle up since she’d seen him, all came spilling out in great wrenching sobs. She’d worn herself out just pushing everything down while Jesse had been with her. If he could see her now, he’d think she was a maniac. He wouldn’t understand the fear that man brought her.

  Her stomach hurt, her head foggy and pounding. She didn’t have enough strength to pull herself back up to her feet, so she just sat, cradling her legs, tears running down her face in a cascade, until she just felt damp from sweat. She could feel her eyelids closing, they felt bigger, swollen and sore.

  Eventually she crawled across the carpeted floor of her room and clambered onto her bed, rolling herself in and pulling the covers high over her head. She willed sleep to take over, but her head just kept spinning, her past on a loop, coming back to haunt her. Her brain felt drunk and no one had told it the party was over.

  Jesse looked at his mobile for the time and decided he would have time to go back to Rob’s.

  At least he could find out exactly what happened and come up with a convincing explanation.

  The walk was brisk, but Hayley had been right: the walk at night was scenic. The air was fresh but warm, not something that happened too often after too many warm days. But so far, he was enjoying the summer, not that it was helping his case any. The heat wasn’t helping the bodies stay fresh enough to get any worthy DNA; they were decomposing quickly and not being found anywhere near quick enough.

  He and Martin had been out to Stapleford woods earlier in the day just to get more of a feel for the place than anything. He needed to know why the killer was picking places and how he was moving the bodies. Everything barred the hallmarks of a resting place, but there seemed to be so much mess around them. Unfortunately, the only things they’d walked away with were dirt smeared shoes and filthy hands.

  Jesse mused about what the other people walking on the street were thinking about. He bet they weren’t thinking of dead bodies, probably more about the loved ones in their lives, something he had learned didn’t last. Then his mind wandered to Hayley. She was a pretty girl, chestnut hair, long eyelashes, slender. He realised then he was describing the girls in the photographs. Maybe that was just the killer’s type, but why? One must have started the trend. If he worked the connection out, he could stop any more lives being snuffed out.

  Rob opened the door with a smile. Spinning round, he opened the fridge door, pulling out two cans and handing one to Jesse before closing the door with his shoulder. They walked in the living room and plopped down on the sofas that were now adjacent to one another. Cracking open the tins, they sat back. Jesse looked around, Rob had got his finger out, there were no remnants of a party. Everything was wiped down and all the rubbish cleared. If he hadn’t witnessed it himself, Jesse would never have believed there had ever been a party less than two hours prior.

  “So, she OK?” asked Rob finally after placing his crossed legs on the coffee table in front of him.

  “Yeah, she’s home.” Jesse offered, looking at the ceiling. He still had the dead girls on his mind, something was bugging him about that case, he just couldn’t work out what it was.

  “I didn’t know Caitlyn had said it was OK for him to bring his mates.” Jesse just shrugged nonchalantly. “She must have known he would bring him though.”

  “So, what’s the crack with the guy?” asked Jesse, taking a swig of beer.

  “I don’t really know, but Hayley looked like she’d seen a ghost when I mentioned his name the other day, I thought she might faint. Caitlyn says she accused a guy at her last job of assault, but he didn’t do it.”

  Jesse creased his face to suggest maybe that wasn’t the complete truth.

  “I know, it’s just fucking gossip, but Leon knows the guy. He thinks she falsely accused him and now Caity’s got a bee on her bonnet.” Rob took another sip of his drink. “She thinks I’m too close to her to see it.” Rob added.

  “And are you?” queried Jesse.

  Rob couldn’t help smirking. “Look, we get on, that’s it. I like her. She’s a laugh, but no, I’m not banging her or anything. So, you and Caity can just back off, OK?”

  Jesse looked at his brother feigning interest in his behaviour and then laughed to show he was teasing.

  “But you like her?” observed Rob.

  “I’ve just met her,” answered Jesse, taking another drink.

  “Yeah, but you didn’t have to walk her home,” teased Rob.

  “Protect and serve, protect and serve.” He said holding his arms out wide smiling. “Anyway, we still need to make this meeting happen since you fucked it up tonight.”

  Rob was about to argue until he saw the smile creep along his brother’s face. “I can get Caity to ask him to come round again, see what he says.”

  Jesse nodded, that would have to do. As yet, he didn’t have another way in.

  “How is work?”

  “Same old shit, different day.” answered Jesse. “Anyway, you want hammering at FIFA or not?”

  Rob laughed and stood up, walking to the television unit to retrieve the controllers. He slung one at Jesse and sat back down. “Prepare to get whipped, boy!”

  Chapter 3

  Hayley woke to a loud banging, immediately feeling the warmth in her face as she gasped for air outside the covers. The coolness hitting her, helped to pry her swollen eyes open.

  It was early. Knowing she didn’t have to be at work till eleven-thirty, she snuggled back under the sheets, hoping a couple more hours would make her feel better.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake!” Hayley mumbled.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Realising she wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep, Hayley resigned herself to answering the door. Suddenly her stomach flipped, and her mind flickered. What if it was him?

  Swinging her legs out of bed, she noticed she still wore last night’s clothes. No wonder she felt so sticky. Gingerly walking over to the window looking down, she spotted a black Ford parked.

  Three more bangs on the wood, “Hales! Open the door!”

  Breathing out a sigh of relief, she crept to the top of the stairs.

  “Who is it?” Rolling her eyes, she didn’t understand why she asked that, she knew who it was, she recognised his voice.

  “Rob! Open up!”

  Running downstairs, she looked through the peephole, unable to see anyone but him. Pulling the chain off, she turned the lock, gently opening the door just enough for them to view each other.

  “What do you want?” She asked, slightly annoyed, and a lot bemused. Realising she must look a state.

  Holding a brown paper bag up, he answered. “I’ve bought you breakfast.”

  Hayley stared at him.

  “You going to let me in?”

  “Why?”

  Rob had never brought her breakfast before. Did he have grim news to break to her and thought it best served with food?

  “So, we can eat,” he said, jingling the bag, making the contents rattle to press the point.

  “No, I mean why are you here?”

  Rob dropped his purchase, lolling his
head to the left so he could see her eyes properly, as he was still mostly facing the brass number.

  “To check you’re OK,” he said, pouting like an upset child.

  Hayley allowed Rob entrance. Shutting the door behind him, she pointed upstairs.

  “Sit down,” she instructed, walking towards the kitchen. Stopping at the entrance, she turned, watching Rob take a seat on the sofa, exactly where Jesse had sat the night before. “Coffee?”

  “Please.”

  Hayley walked to the kettle.

  “Milk, two sugars,” called Rob after her.

  She’d have to get better at this hosting thing, she thought. Waiting for the water to boil, whilst willing her head to function, she tipped enough into two cups, adding milk from the fridge and some caster sugar from the cupboard. On entering the front room, Rob was splitting the bag open to reveal some croissants. She handed him a mug and then sat down on the arm of the sofa.

  “You didn’t have to,” she nodded towards the food. She really meant it; she would rather have had a few more hours’ sleep. Glancing at the clock to find it was only ten past six. “Why are you here so bloody early?”

  Rob smiled liking her frankness; it was something that made her so easy to talk to. Maybe that’s why Caitlyn had seen her as a threat? “Sorry, I thought I’d pop by before work, Caity’s still asleep.” Why did he feel guilty about bringing her up? Perhaps it was because she’d started the complete fiasco last night by inviting the one person, she knew would upset Hayley?

  Hayley rubbed her face with her left hand. It felt leathery, and she needed a shower.

  “You look like shit!”

  Hayley looked to Rob, shocked. “Cheers, any more profound statements at ten past six in the morning?”

  Smirking, Rob went back to his drink. “I’m sorry about last night, I didn’t know Caity’s cousin was bringing any friends.”

  Hayley took a sip of her scorching coffee. She didn’t have any words; didn’t feel like comforting him, because to be honest, if he hadn’t invited her, she would never have gone. Hayley supposed she blamed him a little, and she wasn’t ready to forgive just yet, croissants or no croissants. “I didn’t know she even knew Nick?”