Behind the Facade

by Rebecca Heap

  He was looking for some clue to explain why Charles Hughes had referred to Bespoke Cars. It was a long shot that there would be anything on his computer but where else could he start? The files all looked completely innocuous. He strained to find some connection but searches using the name “Bespoke Cars” and even “Harry Pearson” proved unproductive. After reading pages and pages of emails and spreadsheets the data started to blur. He sighed in frustration and turned away from the screen. Perhaps he’d make more headway interrogating the girl and it was fortunate, after all, that she was here. He returned to the bedroom.

  Katherine had fallen asleep with exhaustion. Her head and body had flopped to one side and her long chestnut hair had fallen across her face. Well, he thought resignedly, what did it matter? Maybe they could both do with some sleep. He closed the heavy brocaded curtains and then fell gratefully onto the adjacent bed. Once he had closed his eyes, mercifully, after all the exertions of the past few hours, it did not take long for sleep to claim him also.

  CHAPTER 3

  A bomb had gone off.

  In his head. That’s what it felt like, and the aftermath had left a cloud of confusion and pain. Even when Robert opened his eyes, nothing was clear. All he saw was a dim room full of shrouded objects. Struggling to focus his befuddled brain protested with the effort and stabbed him in rebuke. He just wanted to lay his head back on the floor and go to sleep but with the stab of pain came a flash of memory. Kate. He’d left her outside. The thought of her propelled him to his feet, much too quickly for his own good. He almost overbalanced but managed to grab onto a nearby desk just in time. Shaking and dizzy he swallowed down the urge to vomit. He crouched and closed his eyes to give himself time to recover. When the tilting sensation inside his head had finally subsided, he stood to his feet and reacquainted himself with his surroundings. Once he’d located the exit, he made his way there as quickly as he dared, without upsetting his hard-won equilibrium. Whilst he was alive to the fact that he should report the assault to the police, his main priority was making sure his fiancée was ok.

  When Robert failed to find Kate in the car he fought down his panic. He was reassured by the fact that it was locked and on glancing through the window he could see that her purse and mobile phone were still inside. She couldn’t have gone far. He assumed she must have entered the building to look for him. She had her own entry pass to the building since she often visited. He checked his watch. It was 10.00 pm. Worry crawled its way back down his spine. Why wasn’t she back? And if she had gone inside, why hadn’t she found him? As his head began throbbing again, an alarming thought struck him. What if she’d run into the person who’d attacked him?

  He raced back towards the offices but before he was even half-way there he fell to his knees in distress. He was in no shape to act quickly, despite his desire to do so. His vision flared in bright bursts of fresh agony, bringing him to his knees. Flopping to the floor, he dug out his phone. It was time to bring in the boys in blue. However, he was mistaken in thinking the relief he would receive from them would be fast and effective. Instead of sympathy and immediate support the reception he met was one of disinterest when he reported his location and situation. The incident at the Martin de Pores building had already been reported and handled, he was told. It didn’t help his cause that he was less than coherent after what he had experienced and the lack of concern on their part only served to agitate him and make him more so. He was told, in no uncertain terms, that his call would be terminated if he didn’t calm down.

  Despite the exacerbation in his symptoms all this had caused he finally regained his composure and managed to convey enough of his story to be taken seriously. It suddenly registered with the listener that he was in need of medical attention. However, when he tried to report his fiancée missing he was smugly informed that too little time had passed to report her as missing. He should check with friends and family first. She might even return to the car. According to their records she had last been seen with another man, calling himself Robert Spencer as well. She had not been under any obvious duress. They would send an ambulance but they were not prepared to get involved in what appeared to be some kind of lovers’ quarrel or duplicity.

  Robert could have screamed at the woman then in exasperation. This mystery man was very likely the person who’d attacked him. Kate wasn’t just missing. What she’d just told him made him certain of it. She was either dead or was still with this stranger. And that had to mean he’d used some means to force her to go with him. There was no other explanation. But the police wouldn’t listen to his protestations. He was to wait until morning, and if his fiancée still hadn’t shown up, they’d investigate further. For now he must wait where he was until medical assistance arrived. “What the hell do we pay these pricks for?” he raged.

  He flung his phone down in disgust as his call was terminated. Retrieving it he felt like flinging it down again when he noted that the touch screen was damaged, rendering the phone unusable. He got in to the car to check Kate’s phone. If the police wouldn’t listen to him he was certain her father would take him seriously. However, fate well and truly had it in for him; Kate’s phone battery was dead. He sighed in weary frustration and rested his throbbing head back on the seat. He could return to the offices but the adrenaline that had spurred him on had now evaporated from his system. He closed his eyes.

  The next time he awoke was to the hazy images of unfamiliar faces around him and the blaring sirens of the ambulance that was transporting him to hospital. He never did get to contact Kate’s father as the combination of his head injury and the drugs they pumped into him put him out of commission for the next 24 hours.

  CHAPTER 4

  Kate woke abruptly. It took her a few moments to adjust to where she was. She felt stiff and sore and panic clutched at her heart as she failed to recognise her shadowy surroundings. With a sickening jolt the memories of what had happened to her came flooding back. She bent her head to her chest and emitted a small mew of misery. Black wings of despair threatened to engulf her and it took all her strength of will not to just collapse back down on the bed. She realised that her right arm was completely numb. She rubbed at it briskly trying to get some feeling back into it, using the activity to mentally try and revive her spirit at the same time.

  A low cry reached her from the other side of the room and she froze. This was followed by more muffled utterances and wild thrashings, like those of a captured animal. Abruptly, the activity ceased. There was a moment of tense silence.

  Then, clear and distinct, a name was shouted in a voice torn with agony and grief: “Brenna!”

  Only harsh, laboured breathing ensued.

  Kate was so unnerved by this that she had almost cried out herself. She surmised that the noises had come from her kidnapper and that he was lying in the next bed, experiencing some kind of nightmare. Despite the fact that she was still trembling from shock, she smiled malevolently to herself; men like him deserved to be tormented by bad dreams. She heard him swear softly but vehemently and remained very quiet, not wishing to alert him to the fact that he had woken her.

  Her body stiffened as she heard the springs of his bed creak. Her eyes followed him warily as he moved, swaying slightly, towards the window. His form was outlined in the pearly light of the morning as he reached out to open the curtains and lift up the frame. She watched, bizarrely fascinated by the muscles rippling in his back, as he forced the window up and then leant out gulping in the cool winter air as if it were water long withheld.

  Sean passed a shaky hand over his face, wet with sweat and tears and his body shuddered as he tried to dispel the disturbing images from his mind. He felt the cool fingers of the breeze caress his feverish face and chest. He closed his eyes and strived to fix his thoughts on something else other than the memories that tormented him. Katherine’s tense, pale face slipped again to the forefront of his mind. Christ, he suddenly thought, was he mad? He’d taken her against her will and having done so h
e was probably guilty of the very same crime perpetrated against his sister. What was he thinking? Nothing he might learn excused this. Nothing he might risk. He had to let her go. He had to let her go now.

  A slight noise from her vicinity roused him. Had he woken her? He brought his upper body into the warmth of the room and closed the window.

  “You awake?” he asked.

  She did not answer.

  Kate watched as he moved towards her. She wondered whether to try and move away from him or just pretend to be asleep. Her heart beat rapidly, like a caged bird in her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut, opting to feign sleep.

  Sean sat on the edge of the bed and peered towards her. Her eyes were closed. Perhaps she had made the noise in her sleep. He stared at her. Her face was like that of a child - so smooth and perfect. Would this experience mark her? Would it etch lines in her face, like his experiences had carved in his? The urge to touch that alabaster skin was suddenly overwhelming. It was as though she sensed this as her eyes suddenly flicked open. The orbs were dark, gleaming and afraid.

  When she felt his touch on her hand she jerked violently away, crying out.

  “Don’t be so bloody stupid!” he said, grabbing her right arm. “I’m just releasing you.”

  Kate was confused. Could he actually be letting her go? Or was he merely unshackling her in order to further torment her?

  Before he could unlock the handcuffs there was a loud thud, followed by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Sean turned towards the bedroom door in dismay. The noise was unlikely to be the sound of an intruder as the doors were locked to the outside. The mistress of the house must have returned home. This was an unexpected development as Angela led a busy lifestyle and spent most of her time out of the country. He hastily dropped Kate’s arm, leaving her cuffed to the bed.

  Before Angela could discover Kate, Sean stepped quickly out onto the landing. The tall elegant woman, just reaching the top of the stairs, turned and saw him. She let out a gasp of astonishment, stepped back in surprise but then rushed forwards, her crimson mouth breaking into a stunning smile.

  “Seanie, baby!” she exclaimed, holding her arms out wide. “What an unexpected but wonderful surprise! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?“

  She reached him and pulled him into her embrace, pressing herself against him. He was enveloped in her fragrant, exotic perfume and reminded of her all too womanly attributes, which was no doubt intentional.

  When she finally released him, she held him at arm’s length, eyeing him up and down appreciatively and commented, “You’re as sexy as ever, you devil!”

  “Same goes, Angela,” he said, “apart from the devil part!”

  He laughed as he looked at her and noticed that she had not lost any of her sparkle and was a truly spectacular sight. She was all tanned legs and blonde hair, dressed to kill in a sheer, low-cut dress of dazzling white that clung alluringly to each curve. She was the kind of woman men fell over themselves to please and other women resented with a burning envy.

  She took his arm and asked, “What kept you away so long? I knew you‘d kept your key, you naughty boy.” She ended with a coquettish laugh and then slowly slid her exquisitely manicured finger teasingly down his face, ending suggestively on his lips.

  A clunking noise from the vicinity of the guest bedroom interrupted this re-acquaintance. Angela dropped her hand, frowning and looking in that direction.

  She looked back at him and asked, “Do you know what that noise was? Did you bring someone with you?”

  Sean knew he wouldn’t be able to keep Kate’s presence a secret. “Yes,” he admitted. “I’m sorry Angela. I didn’t expect you to be here…”

  Angela immediately drew the obvious conclusion from this. “You’ve brought some other woman here, haven’t you?! To my house? Without my permission?” Her voice rose an octave at the end of each question and, without even giving him the chance to answer her, she ranted on with, “Oh, I know what’s happened here, now. You wanted a cosy romantic hideaway. You’ve brought some girl here and thought I’d be helpfully out of the way! Well, I’m sorry to have ruined your plans! You’re not welcome here, Get out, get out now!” she ended furiously.

  Sean couldn’t believe this had got out of hand so quickly. “Angela, m'Aingeal,” he soothed “you’ve got it all wrong. She’s my sister.”

  His words certainly had the desired effect. Angela was momentarily struck speechless. When she regained her composure she admonished, “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

  He was about to remind her she hadn’t given him the opportunity to but she walked past him, towards the guest bedroom. “Well, is she in here then? Aren’t you going to introduce us?” she asked, putting her hand on the door knob.

  “Stop!” Sean cautioned quickly, making Angela start in surprise. “I can’t let you meet her just yet. She may not react well to you… Please come away and let me explain,” he asked, taking her by the arm and manoeuvring her away from the door.

  Before he could lead her out of Kate’s earshot, Kate shouted from the bedroom “Hello? Who’s there? Please help me!” Desperate thumping and rattling noises ensued.

  Angela’s eyes widened at this and she resisted being drawn away saying, “Why is she asking for help?“ She moved towards the door again and Sean had to think extremely quickly.

  “Katie!” he called “It‘s only me. Don‘t get upset. I’m going to get you something that’ll help.”

  He turned back to Angela, pulling a wry face as the noises and shouts from the bedroom continued. “She’s extremely troubled,” Sean explained.

  “Look,” he said, taking hold of her arm again and continuing to steer her towards the stairs, “it’s a long story. Let’s go down so I can make her a cup of tea and tell you all about it.” Sean was so calm that Angela’s instinctive concerns were allayed and she allowed him to escort her downstairs.

  As Angela put the kettle on to boil, Sean sat down at the kitchen table and admitted. “I’ll be honest Angela, I did come here hoping you wouldn’t be home. She’s in trouble and there was nowhere else I could bring her, where she wouldn’t be found.”

  “Wouldn’t be found?” queried Angela. “Why? Who’s after her?”

  “Look,” he said “let’s just say she reacted extremely badly to the news her fiancé was cheatin’ on her. He had to get a restraining order out against her. She recently ignored it, big-time, by gate-crashing a party her fella was holding and attackin’ him and some of his guests. To cut a long story short, the police are looking for her. She’s...,” he paused as if struggling to find the right words, “become mentally unhinged by it all and is extremely fragile. I’ll give you fair warning, she absolutely detests men, even me to an extent. She refuses to talk to me because I’m holding her against her will. I can’t let her go because she’s still desperate for revenge on her fiancé and I’m worried she’ll end up in prison or even sectioned.” He pulled an appropriately pained expression, hoping to elicit her sympathy.

  Angela placed the cup of tea she had made on the table and sat in front of Sean, leaning towards him to ensure that he couldn’t miss noticing her amazingly buoyant cleavage in the low cut dress. She pursed her crimson lips and said, “I cannot say I am happy about the situation Sean. You bring some madwoman to my house without as much as a by your leave and now expect me to just go along with it?”

  “I know it was very rude of me,” Sean accepted, “but she isn’t a madwoman…She just needs some time to come to her senses. I’m really sorry Angela. I didn’t think you’d mind me using the house temporarily. I didn’t check with you first because I didn’t want to have to involve you in this whole sorry mess.”

  Sean placed his hand on hers and looked her in the eyes, trying to appeal to her vanity, saying, “I’m glad you’re here now though. I’d forgotten just how bloody gorgeous you are.”

  Angela stared hard at him for a moment and then shrugged and smiled. “OK then,” she conceded, “bu
t I don’t want her under my roof for long.” She then kissed him lightly but lingeringly on the lips, murmuring, “I want you all to myself as soon as possible. I’m sure you’ll do your utmost to repay me, won’t you?”

  Sean quickly stood up now wondering if he had been wise to encourage Angela’s obvious desire to rekindle their relationship. It was really not the time to complicate his life even further by getting entangled with this woman again. “I’d better take this tea to Katie and try and get her settled,” he said.

  Kate fell silent as Sean entered the room with the tea and strode over to her. A little liquid slopped over the side of the cup as he placed it angrily down on the bedside table, unable to disguise the exasperation he felt. She cowered and he swore, backing away and clawing through his hair. “Why did you have to make such a fuckin’ racket?!” he berated her. Now he couldn’t be rid of her, nor could he risk her alerting Angela to the reality of her predicament.

  He blew out a harsh breath and squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to calm himself. Opening them again, he moved slowly and sat down next to her. She still flinched away from him. “Listen to me,” he demanded. Her eyes felt like burning, condemning brands on his skin. “The owner of this house is here. As far as she is concerned, you are my lunatic sister. Do not speak to her. She will not help you. Even if you say anything, you will not be believed.”