by R. S. Higham
“I’ll do everything I can, James but I have no idea where to start.”
“Look him up on the internet, maybe he has an address in the city contrary to what he told me, there can’t be many male Stacey’s in the city after all.”
She hung up the phone and started towards the library to get it all down before she forgot, and she could use the computers to research. It wasn’t the first time she’d visited the library, although with all the renovation work it certainly felt like it. It wasn’t computerised back then and the bricks were original and over 100 years old. Now the whole entrance had been torn down and revamped with pale orange bricks and huge tinted windows. The doors were automatic and after letting a few people out first she headed in.
The women at the desk looked bored. They had computers but they weren’t looking at them, they had phones too but they weren’t ringing. She made her way over to them.
“Hi.” Kate said.
“Hello, can I help you?” A friendly face smiled back.
“I’d like to use a computer, please. I don’t have a library card though.”
“Its three dollars for an hour, but if you’ll be three or more hours then it’s only five dollars.”
“Oh, I didn’t expect to pay, I think I have some money on me.” Kate said, searching her pockets.
The woman smiled at her. Kate threw some coins on the table, said thank you, and went over to a computer, pinching some paper and a pen from nearby.
“First I‘d better write down everything he told me, so that’s 200 and something pounds, medium height… what did he say? Five foot seven-ish? Biker, leather, beard… OK. Like any of that helps…”
She started by typing his name ‘Stacey’ into a search engine. Nothing. A last name was definitely needed for any address search.
“How about ‘Stacey biker murder down south’?” No results.
“It was a bit of a long shot… How about ‘Biker under suspicion of murder’?”
Before hitting ‘GO’ she turned the location on. A hit. She scrolled down the page.
“‘A man named Kelvin Thomas suspected of killing two men in Kendall Brook raves about ‘a biker named Tracey’ who he claims to be the murderer and not him. Since police could not trace the alleged biker they arrested Mr Thomas and he was later sentenced to life in prison. Kelvin Thomas still denies his part in the murders claiming a man named ‘Tracey’ killed them and not him. Tracey – the biker– was determined to be an alter-ego of Mr Thomas’s by mental health professionals.’
“What if this is happening to James? What if this guy is the same guy? Tracey. Stacey. It’s so similar; he couldn’t really be the same guy, could he?”
“That’s for you to find out.” She thought. “Kendall Brook, it’s not too far from here. Fifty minutes, if that.”
Kate collected her printing and stuffed them into her duffel bag keeping the address of Kendal Brook prison clutched in her hand. She used the ATM next to the library to draw out what little cash she had, three hundred dollars, she could get a taxi but fifty minutes was a stretch and even if he was willing to drive her there it would be a hefty fee. She knew the bus route pretty well but once she got into Hunter’s Green it got a little complicated. A taxi was pulled up on the opposite side of the street, she crossed over and tapped on his window.
“Hi, would you take me as far as Kendall Brook and how much would it be?”
“Kendall Brook? Not going to visit a boyfriend in jail are you?”
“Not quite. It’s a long story.”
“I can take you...”
“Thanks!”
“But it’ll cost ya… Eighty bucks.”
Kate’s eyes bulged, at that moment a bus pulled up at the stop over the other side of the road, her eyes darted to it for a split second, enough time for the cab driver to clock it.
“I’ll put the metre on and if it goes over eighty we’ll forget it and call it eighty, OK?”
She made her decision and jumped in. Thanking the taxi driver one too many times absentmindedly as she pulled out her notes to look through them on the journey, there wasn’t a great description of the killer to go with but Kelvin might have more information, that’s if he wasn’t a kook. A vibrating came from her back pocket. She pulled out her cell phone, it was her twin sister Malory calling.
“Hey sis.” She answered.
“Guess what!?” Said an excited voice at the other end.
“What? What’s happened?”
“I got the job!”
“What job?”
“What job? That job! The job! I told you about it, remember?”
“No, you definitely didn’t.”
“I didn’t? Well, I meant to, I got a job at Horse Lane Hospital, isn’t that great?”
“That’s really great, sis, I’m proud of you.”
“I’ll be renting an apartment near the hospital, you can come and stay as much as you like.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it, hey sis?”
“Yes?”
“Can I vent to you for a minute? There’s a heavy weight on my mind.”
“What are sisters for?”
“It’s, well, my friend James met this guy who-” She sighed. “He’s killed people, and this is going to sound stupid but I’m on my way to go and see a man in jail who was framed for one of his murders.”
The girl on the other line was silent.
“Mallory?”
“I, er, I’m sorry, what?”
“I know it’s a little crazy, but he’s framed James too, I need to help him.”
“And what exactly do you want me to say?”
Kate winced at her cold response. “I hoped you’d say you supported me.”
“He’s not another Manny is he? Hon, why can’t you find a nice guy without a criminal record?”
“He’s innocent.”
“I don’t want to see you get hurt.” She said. Kate paused, her sister had an idea life, a wealthy husband, multiple properties, all she and Kate shared was a phone call once a week. That bland statement cemented that distance.
“But I’m scared for James, I’m his only hope.”
“As long as you are safe that’s all that matters.”
“But what about James?”
“I don’t know James, you’ve never even mentioned him before.”
“He’s a friend” “About the only friend I have.”
“Be safe, love you.” Mallory made a kissing noise into the receiver.
“You too.” Kate pressed END and shoved it back into her pocket, James was the only person who saw her as more than a low-life skivvy, she wouldn’t let him down whether her sister approved or not.
18
As she predicted the heavens opened and the first drops of rain exploded on the taxi windows. In the distance the towering grey walls of Kendall Brook penitentiary housed the man whom Kate was about to meet, if he wanted to meet her, she was certain he would. The meter in the taxi ticked over seventy five dollars and 40 cents and she played with the cash in her hand, turning it over in her palm and running it through her fingers. The dirt track they were driving on was turning to quicksand fast and the wheels of the cab struggled every couple of yards. The driver was less than happy at the mud splattering up the body, a few drops reached the windows but he eventually drove them out of the water. Kate went to apologise but thought it best to keep quiet. They pulled into the visitor car park. It was packed full of cars, most likely relatives visiting for the holidays, “you can forget Christmas and New Year but maybe the week after we’ll come visit.” Kate wondered if anyone would be or had been visiting Kelvin Thomas. The taxi stopped right outside the entrance and Kate grabbed her bag and hopped out. She paid him in full despite hoping he’d maybe knock a twenty off.
The entrance was surrounded by a concrete wall with huge metal gates that let the cars in; these were propped open to allow easy traffic flow. There were a few steps up to the two glass doors where two guards were greeting people as th
ey came in and directing them to the front desk. Kate nodded at them and one of them pushed the door open for her which she thanked him for. The desk was just to the left of the entrance; on it was the usual phone, computer, picture frames etcetera but this month a stuffed Santa toy, tinsel and a baby Christmas tree had been added to the mix. She wondered if the cells were decorated as the inmates wouldn’t make it this far to see them but it was pretty unlikely. After all, the holiday spirit is reserved for members of society.
“Can I help you with anything?” The woman on reception asked.
“Hi, my name is Kate Silver I’m hoping to visit Mr Kelvin Thomas.”
“Are you a relative?”
Kate paused. “Yes, I’m his niece.”
“I haven’t seen you here before, Mr Thomas gets a lot of visitors and none have ever mentioned a young niece.”
“I’m not exactly on speaking terms with the rest of the family, I’ve been out of town for some years now but after learning about what happened… I just had to come back.” “Quick thinking.”
“Well, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you. One of the guards will take you to the visiting room in a moment, you can wait over there.” She pointed over to the cluster of blue chairs opposite and Kate went and sat down. She wasn’t expecting it to be so easy; probably the hectic holiday period had seen many distant relatives turning up unexpected. She picked up a magazine titled ‘Home décor’ and flicked through it but since she didn’t own a home there wasn’t much inspiration to draw from it. Finally someone came for her, an African-American man with a taper/fade haircut who spoke awkwardly to her as though he was nervous, Kate thought he must be new here, and that he was kind of cute. He led her down a narrow corridor; her shoes echoed on the concrete floor and after a minute or so started to annoy her. They only passed one other guard coming down the opposite way who crossed in front of them to pat the man leading Kate on the shoulder to which he acted coyly. Kate had to hide a smile and felt like making conversation but she didn’t want to get off track, James was in trouble and this was important, she had to stay focused. Someone must have told Kelvin he had a visitor as he was sat in a pale blue jumpsuit twiddling his thumbs at a table in the centre of the room. Kate looked back to the guard she was with but he’d vanished, there were a few other inmates and visitors in the room but not many. She made her way over to his table but half way there another guard came running over and stopped her short.
“Sorry! I need to check you! Who brought you here? Was it the new guy?”
“I think so.”
“Between you and me he’s not so good, would you guess he’s been here for two weeks now?”
“Seems like his first day.”
“Exactly. Can I search you? We can’t have you smuggling drugs to our friend Kelvin over there.” He laughed and they both glanced over at Kelvin Thomas who was staring back at them. After the search –it only took a minute or so, Kate sat down opposite Kelvin and started by introducing herself.
“I know this will sound strange but hear me out. My name is Kate Silver; I live in New Hatton which isn’t far from here. I have a friend named James who has a friend named Stacey, this man has a big black beard is overweight and rides a motorbike. Sound familiar?”
“How do you know about me?”
“Stacey murdered someone and James has been arrested for it. I believe Stacey is Tracey, the man who framed you. I did some research and found your name, I saw the similarities and thought, no – knew it must be him.”
“I need a second to think. I don’t know who you are, I’ve never met you before in my life, and you’re here to tell me you have information that could set me free?”
“Why would I be lying?”
“You can understand if I have lost all hope of leaving here. I’m an innocent man, and you and my family are about the only people who believe me.”
“If you can help me help my friend then you’ll both be free men.”
“I’ll tell you everything I can. Please find him, I fear even my family are starting to give up on me.”
For the next twenty five minutes of visiting time Kelvin Thomas told Kate everything he knew about Stacey which was a lot more than James, apparently they’d been friends for over a year. He’d found out his real name –which was Tracey, where he lived and his past offenses. Kelvin told Kate the names of three men that Tracey had killed and who he let take the blame for them and also the names of the two men that he was in jail for killing. The other man was in a Jail across the country, too far for Kate to go but once she told the police everything they could easily follow it up. The guards let her have a felt tipped pen to jot everything down and once she had as much as she thought necessary to catch Stacey – “Tracey” she told herself – she left.
There was a bus stop outside of the prison. Kate wasn’t too familiar with the bus times outside of the city but she went over and checked the timetable. In fifteen minutes the number 38A would be making its way into New Hatton which if she remembered correctly wouldn’t take much longer than by taxi since there were only four or five stops before hers. The majority of the drive was through open country on dirt tracks. Besides getting another taxi would wipe her out and she still needed a place to stay that night.
19
The bus ride was bumpy and Kate banged her head on the window more than once. Still she attempted to rest against it despite the minor headache, she was tired. She checked her phone, it was only 7PM but it was already pitch black, she should have been used to it though, it had been going dark at four since November. The bus pulled into the last stop before hers. A few of the passengers got off here but she suspected most would get off further into town. Now the road started evening out she managed to drift into a light sleep, she could still feel the movements of the bus, and was only half conscious and when someone rang the bell behind her. The lights of the city flooded into her eyes and she quickly scanned outside the window to get her bearings, she was at her stop. She let the others pass her before making her way to the front and thanked the driver before stepping out into the icy night.
After a moment or two thinking, she decided to go to see James now, the police station would be open all night and they probably didn’t have set visiting hours. Also she still had nowhere to stay. She looked at her fingers, the tips were pale blue. She rubbed them and shoved her hands under her armpits. The sky was flecked in white stars that were barely visible behind the garish city lights, it was hard to believe it could be this dark at only shortly past seven but that was how it would be for at least another month. Kate took a deep breath, the air felt like cold water going down her throat, she psyched herself up for the walk (it was less than a mile but in this weather it could be a killer) and, pulling the hood of her flimsy jacket over her face, set off towards the station.
For a big-ish town there weren’t many places lit up. The odd 24/7 convenience store or a few bars and banks but all the shops shut around five this time of year. Even the street lights were scarce; Kate counted 60 seconds in-between each one which left a decent sized patch of darkness between them. She thought back to the prostitutes of the 19th century and how they must have felt with Jack the Ripper on the loose; of course, she wouldn’t identify herself as a prostitute, not anymore. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched though. “Shut up!” She shouted at herself. “You’re only making yourself scared.” Her senses went on high alert; every sound, every shadow sent her heart beat escalating. She closed her eyes. When she opened them the world was calmer again, she sighed and carried on.
As she walked over the bridge she looked down at the slow-moving river below, it looked still and Kate thought it was for a moment until she saw a ripple, then another, moving toward her and under the bridge. She kept moving but glanced after each step at the eerie water below her, it was so dark down there, if you didn’t know it was a river you’d think it was tarmac, she didn’t want to think about who could be lurking down there, but she did anyway. And along cam
e another wave of panic, but this time she readied herself and managed to control it.
“You’re being pathetic.” She told herself. “You need to be brave, for James, and yourself mainly. You had Manny keeping you on a leash; you’ve forgotten how to take care of yourself, well today marks a new you, a stronger, independent Kate.” She looked around to make sure no one heard. “Frickin’ cheesy.” She smirked, then broke out into a giggling fit. After questioning her sanity and how late it was getting (walking always takes longer when your legs are like blocks of ice) she carried on over the bridge. Now that there was a gap in the light pollution she looked up again at the night sky. It was still hazy but that only made the black look more blue coloured which she liked. She was less than a hundred yards away from where she worked at Red’s. As she got closer she saw a few drunkards being swept out of the door by Red and his broom and then the lights flicker off. She jogged over to him.
“Closing already?” She looked at her watch. “It’s not even nine.”
“Oh and you know our opening times, do ya? Cause you haven’t been in work all day.”
“I worked the nightshift last night! I think I have human rights, you know.”
“Well if you must know, which I suppose you do since you work here, a woman I’ve been pursuing wants to see me tonight and I’d be mad to say no, even though I’ll be losing money being a Friday night and all… Ah! Who am I kidding? No one comes to this dump. Anyway, I expect to see you here tomorrow morning sharp since you left me with no staff today.” He turned to step back inside but stopped and jolted back as a figure emerged from the dark bar. Red said something to him about telling everyone he was closing ages ago but Kate couldn’t hear him, not properly anyway. It was all drowned out and muffled and there was a buzzing in her ears. She stood, frozen as the man came into the light and cracked his knuckles in the glow of the neon sign. His black beard and sunken eyes glowed as red as the fires of Hell.
“Tracey?…” She whispered. He heard her. For a moment he stared, he didn’t recognise her in the dim light. Then he smiled.