Kill A Stranger: the twisting new thriller from the number one bestseller

by Kernick, Simon

  With the building now empty, I continued my ongoing attempt to escape. There was no way I could get rid of the chain, because it was still padlocked to my leg, but I was able to gather up a lot of the slack and push it into the pocket of the coat my kidnapper had given me. I’d make a noise when I moved, but at least I’d still be able to run.

  The problem was the bathroom door. It was a sturdy wooden block that had survived the fire with only the loss of its paintwork. I tried kicking it with my bare feet. That didn’t work. It just hurt, and on the fifth attempt – a flying kick from a distance, giving it everything I had – I ended up losing my footing and falling backwards onto the toilet seat, jarring my back.

  That was when exhaustion finally set in, coupled with a sense of despondency. The door was far stronger than I’d been expecting, and my captor had clearly put new locks on it. After all I’d achieved, I was still trapped, and would be until he opened the door again.

  He’d be coming to kill me then; I was sure of that. It was a terrifying prospect. But I’d faced it before. In fact, I’d almost certainly faced this man before. When he’d murdered the person I’d cared most for in the world.

  He hadn’t managed to kill me then.

  And things were different this time round. I might be cold, hungry and exhausted, but this time I had surprise on my side.

  52

  Matt

  ‘I’ve narrowed it down to three places,’ said Geeta, who’d taken over the search for locations where Kate might be being held while I drove her in my rental car towards the rendezvous. ‘A big country house in Buckinghamshire that was badly damaged by fire two years ago and looks like it still hasn’t been demolished. It’s fifteen miles by road from where we’re meeting him. Then there’s a warehouse on an industrial estate in High Wycombe that was gutted in an electrical fire last month. That’s about ten miles away, and as far as I can gather, it’s still standing. And finally there’s a hotel near Windsor that was closed down a year ago and then set alight in an arson attack. That one’s the nearest, just eight miles from where we’re going.’

  We were entering a rural area with woodland on one side and agricultural fields on the other. The traffic had thinned out to nothing, even though it was a Saturday night and still early in the evening. The road here wasn’t especially good, and the rain was once again pouring relentlessly down, adding to the huge puddles of water that had formed in the dips.

  From her position crouched in the back of the car, Geeta continued tapping away on her laptop. ‘Apparently the hotel had what the old website claimed was a large conference facility. I’m looking at an image of it now. The ground floor’s really badly damaged but the upstairs still looks relatively intact. And it’s well off the beaten track. If I was to choose the most likely location for Kate on the information I’ve currently got, that’s the one I’d go for.’

  I looked at my watch: 9.22 p.m. According to the sat nav, my ETA at Hedsor was 9.27. We were going to be early, but not early enough that I could risk a detour to the place that Geeta was talking about. Right then, I was simultaneously exhausted and terrified. I was running on empty and wasn’t at all sure that I had the strength or stomach to negotiate with the kidnapper. I just wanted Kate back.

  The narrow glow of car headlights appeared in my rear-view mirror some distance behind and I was immediately conscious of the kidnapper’s instruction to come alone. ‘You need to get right down in the seat, Geeta. If you’re seen, you’ll blow this whole thing.’

  Geeta slid down out of sight as the other car gained on me. My hands felt clammy on the wheel, and I could hear my heart thumping in my chest. It felt like I was having a panic attack. I tried to slow my breathing, remembered that I’d faced worse already today and had somehow come through it. I’d even been something of a hero, taking on a man with a gun. I’d never done anything like that before in my life. I’d fantasised about it plenty of times, taking on the bad guys and bringing them to justice. Especially after the mugging. It was my therapy, acting out scenes where I was mugged, threatened, attacked, time and time again, sometimes by the laughing boys who’d done it in real life, sometimes by others. But in my fantasies, I’d fought back. Beaten and disarmed them. Sometimes kicked and savaged them while they lay on the ground, all my rage coming to the fore. And afterwards, I’d stand there sweating from the intensity of it all, absorbing my small, important, but ultimately fictional victory.

  The problem is, a fantasy is so very, very different from the reality. I was driving to an isolated place where I would face a man who’d already killed at least once before, and who would no doubt kill me if he thought it expedient. And that was why I was glad I had Geeta with me.

  I told her as much, keeping my eyes fixed on the rear-view mirror. ‘But I don’t know how we’re going to play it. I can’t risk you being seen.’

  ‘I know,’ she said, shutting the laptop. ‘I’ve been thinking about that. Let’s wait to hear what his instructions are, but it should be a straight swap. The drive for her. And it’ll be somewhere isolated where you’re not going to be disturbed. The thing is, from how you’ve described this, there’s more than one of them, so I can’t shadow you. The best we can do is have a phone line open between us. If I hear you’re in trouble in any way, I’ll start the car, sound the horn and come riding to the rescue. Hopefully that’ll scare them off.’

  I sat up a little straighter so I could see her in the mirror, crouched down but looking back at me. ‘You’d do that for me?’

  ‘I want to know what’s going on,’ she said, her face hard. ‘I’ve been used here too. And like you said earlier, one day it might make a good book.’

  ‘I’m hoping none of this ever comes out,’ I told her.

  ‘Matt, be serious. When you’ve got Kate back, you’re going to have to go to the police. If what you told me is true and MacDonald’s death was an accident, then there’ll be scope for leniency.’

  I knew deep down that what she was telling me was right, but it was hard to take on board. ‘Do you think I’ll serve time?’

  Geeta sighed. ‘You can’t rule it out. You got rid of a body as well. But I’ll stand up for you, and if Kate’s story supports yours, then that’ll count in your favour.’

  I had that niggling feeling again. That there were things happening that I had no idea about, and that nothing was quite as clear-cut as Geeta would have me believe. But I had to push such thoughts aside, because right now I had bigger fish to fry.

  The car was coming up fast behind me, and I wondered if it was him – the kidnapper – and whether he meant to take the flash drive from me by force. My hands tightened on the steering wheel. It was woodland on both sides of us now, an easy spot for an ambush. I slowed down as I came to a sharp bend, conscious that the car was right up my tail. I glanced at the dashboard clock: 9.28 p.m. The sat nav was saying that our destination was one minute away, and as I rounded the bend, I saw the lights of houses up ahead.

  A car was coming the other way, and I sped up a little, seeing the sign for the village, with a lay-by just in front of it. This was where the kidnapper had told me to stop. I slowed again, indicating. The car behind didn’t. ‘We’re here,’ I said. ‘Stay down.’

  I pulled in and the car accelerated past, leaving the road empty. I kept the engine running, staring into space, as the clock clicked to 9.30.

  And then, right on cue, the phone rang.

  53

  Matt

  I debated putting the phone on loudspeaker, but decided against it in case it made the kidnapper suspicious.

  ‘Are you there yet?’ he asked as soon as I answered.

  I sat back in the seat and ran my fingers through my hair, conscious of Geeta lying across the back seats, knowing she was perfectly visible to any passer-by if they came close enough. ‘Yeah, I’m here,’ I said. ‘Facing the Welcome to Hedsor sign.’

  ‘There’s a turning just up on your left. Can you see it?’

  I leaned forward and peered
out of the window. There it was. A track running off with no signposts attached. ‘I see it.’

  ‘Follow it for approximately two hundred metres. You’ll come to a dead end. There’s a stream ahead of you partially hidden by trees, and a footbridge going across it. Park the car, then proceed to the middle of the footbridge and wait for my next call. And make sure you’re alone.’

  ‘I’m not going to do anything stupid. I just want Kate back. Is she with you?’

  ‘She’s not far away. Now go.’ He abruptly ended the call.

  I pulled out of the lay-by. ‘Did you hear any of that?’ I whispered to Geeta.

  ‘Enough,’ she whispered back. ‘I’m going to call your phone now. Answer it, then put it back in your coat pocket. Also, there’s a retractable baton under the driver’s seat. Put that inside your jacket, just in case someone comes for you. And drop the car keys into the cup holder.’

  ‘Okay,’ I whispered. ‘I’m not going to speak any more in case anyone’s watching.’

  The track was dark and narrow. I passed two houses on my left. Both had their lights on and cars outside. It felt strange to be so close to people living their normal lives while mine was being steadily ripped apart. The houses gave way to thick woods on either side. I drove slowly. The track was muddy, and under water in parts, and the car bumped and jarred across it. I could hear my phone vibrating in my jeans pocket and I pulled it out with one hand, pressing answer before dropping it in my coat pocket as per Geeta’s instructions. I kept the other hand firmly on the wheel as I rounded a long, shallow bend and found myself in a small parking area surrounded by thick trees.

  There were no other cars there and I turned mine round so I was facing back the way I’d come, reversing it onto a footpath running parallel to the unseen river so that it was out of view. I cut the engine and the lights, and sat there for a few moments in near darkness, watching the rain pound persistently on the windscreen, wondering if there was someone hidden in the trees watching me. It was a foul night and I imagined Kate out in it somewhere nearby, cold and wet, while she and the kidnapper waited for me.

  ‘Don’t forget the baton and to leave the keys,’ whispered Geeta from the back.

  I hadn’t forgotten, but I was suddenly reluctant to leave the keys behind. Could I entirely trust Geeta? She might even be setting me up right now. My paranoia was suddenly running riot. But I had to trust someone and I’d spent four years of my life with her. I was certain she wouldn’t be involved in kidnapping and murder.

  Or was I?

  I pulled the keys from the ignition, dropping them into the cup holder before leaning forward casually and reaching underneath my seat for the baton.

  ‘Remember,’ she hissed. ‘Don’t give it to them until you’ve seen her.’

  I didn’t dare say anything in response, and without even glancing at her, I slipped the baton into the inside pocket of my coat, checked that the flash drive was still there, and stepped out of the car and into the rain.

  A strong wind was blowing, but it was surprisingly mild thanks to the thick cloud cover, which also made it very dark. The lights of the village and the houses we’d passed on the way up here were all now completely obscured by the trees.

  I took a long look round. A new metal signpost a few feet away told me this place was called Trowbridge Woods, and showed a number of circular walks, but there was nothing and no one moving out here tonight. I should have been feeling hopeful. It was a relief to know that Kate was alive and that in my pocket I had the means of getting her back. But instead I felt a heavy sense of dread as I walked over to the footbridge, keeping my head down to stop the driving rain getting in my eyes.

  The footbridge stretched for about twenty yards across a fast-flowing stream that the rain had turned into a raging torrent on the verge of bursting its banks. On the other side, a well-kept path cut through the thick wall of trees and undergrowth, with a picnic area a little further on to the right.

  I mounted the bridge, almost losing my footing on the sodden wood, and started walking slowly towards the middle, using the strip of felt running down its centre to keep a steady grip. I looked round as I walked. There was no sign of anyone, and only the steady patter of the rain broke the silence. But I could sense that I was being watched, and I had to resist feeling for the baton.

  I stopped in the middle, as instructed, and waited in the blackness, my hand gripping the kidnapper’s phone, eyes scanning the dark under cover of my hood.

  I waited. One minute passed. Then two. I shivered against the cold. The longer I stood there, the more nervous I became, and I was thankful I had Geeta listening in. I’d been thinking about her a lot these past few hours. She didn’t have to do any of this. Not many people had gone out on a limb on my account over the years, and it made me wish then that I’d been a better boyfriend when we’d been together. Now, of course, it was way too late.

  The phone vibrated in my hand. It was him.

  ‘I’m here,’ I said, wiping the rain from my eyes. ‘Where you said.’ I looked round but still couldn’t see anyone.

  ‘Keep walking,’ said the voice. ‘When you get to the far end of the bridge, place the drive on the handrail and then keep going. Do not look back.’

  ‘Where is she?’ I demanded, loudly enough for Geeta to hear on the open phone line, using all my old acting skills to make myself sound confident. ‘I want to see her before I give you anything.’

  ‘She’s nearby. Probably only a couple of hundred metres from where you are now.’

  ‘Then let me speak to her.’

  ‘That’s not possible, I’m afraid. I’m not with her, but I can tell you that she’s bound to a tree with a gag preventing her from speaking and, I suspect, getting very cold and very wet while we’re wasting time here. Now, can you see the picnic area ahead? Walk towards it; do not look back at any time or the deal’s off. When you get to the first table, you wait. As soon as my associate has picked up the drive and authenticated it, I’ll tell you where to find Kate.’

  I wanted to argue with him, to hold my ground, but in the end, I’ll be honest, I didn’t have the balls. If she was hidden out there somewhere tied to a tree, there was no point in me wasting any more time. And if she wasn’t . . . that meant Geeta was right and I wasn’t going to get her back.

  Either way, it was time for this thing to end.

  ‘I’m coming,’ I said, starting towards the far end of the bridge. The line immediately went dead again.

  At the end of the bridge, I stopped, took a deep breath and removed the drive from my coat, placing it carefully on the handrail, acutely aware of how vulnerable I was out here. There could have been someone creeping up behind me right now. I listened hard but could hear nothing, and knew better than to turn round.

  Instead, I kept walking in the direction of the picnic area thirty yards away, quickening my pace, desperate to get this over with. There were four tables, with logs fashioned as stools, set in a rough circle round a mature oak tree. There were also two children’s swings in one corner. The place was probably very pretty in summer, but it looked lonely and sinister amongst the bare trees.

  I waited by the first table, my back to the bridge, scouring the trees for any sign that Kate was in there somewhere. But still nothing moved. It felt like I was the last person left in the world. I stared at the kidnapper’s phone, willing it to ring, but somehow deep down I knew that it wouldn’t.

  And it didn’t.

  I waited one minute. Then two. Then three, my frustration building, until finally I swung around and stared back at the bridge.

  There was no one there.

  I tried to think what to do. Then I heard it. The sound of a car starting and pulling away somewhere further off in the woods, in the opposite direction to where we’d parked. That was when I knew we’d been set up.

  Cursing, I turned and ran back the way I’d come, my feet crunching loudly on the gravel track.

  As I reached the bridge, I saw that the d
rive was gone. I kept running, careful to keep to the felt in the middle, shoving the kidnapper’s phone back in my pocket and pulling out my own, shoving it to my ear. ‘Geeta! Start the car!’ I yelled. ‘They’ve double-crossed me.’

  But there was no answer, and it took me a couple of seconds to realise that I was shouting into a dead phone. That she was no longer on the other end of it.

  I didn’t have time to think what that might mean. I just kept running, going flat out now, pulling out the retractable baton as I rounded the line of trees running parallel to the stream and came back into the car park.

  In the gloom, I could see that the rental car was still there. Intact and with no one visible inside. Panting from my exertions, I ran over and yanked open the driver’s door, opening the baton with a twist of my wrist like Geeta had once shown me.

  She wasn’t in the back, but her laptop was still there, propped upright in the footwell where she’d been hiding earlier, and the keys were still in the cup holder where I’d dropped them. I immediately grabbed them and shoved them in my pocket.

  As I pulled my head back out of the car, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I swung round fast, holding the baton, and saw a figure coming out of the trees towards me in the darkness.

  It took me a second to realise who it was.

  ‘Geeta? What are you doing? We need to go.’

  She didn’t say anything. She just kept coming towards me.

  That was when I saw that she was staggering, her eyes fixed straight ahead, not focused on me.

  And then she simply crumpled to the ground, falling gently onto her side on the asphalt, reaching one hand out in front of her as if to ward me off.

  To the day I die I will always remember the way her fingers clenched and unclenched, and how her arm dropped to the ground, and I knew, even from ten feet away, that she was dead. Even so, I ran over and crouched down beside her, which was when I saw the gaping wound in her throat, still pumping out blood onto her top and the ground beside her. Desperately I felt for a pulse, but even though her skin was still warm to the touch, I found nothing.