by Cathy Glass
With her mouth dry and her stomach churning, she pulled into the residents’ parking area at the rear of the flats, saw it was full, and drove out again to park on the road. Jacob was definitely in; his car was in her bay. How she wished she could have taken up Eva’s offer and stayed the night with her and Syed, or even spent just a few hours talking to her friend, but it would incite Jacob’s anger if she was late back, and at some point all this had to be faced. Perhaps telling him wouldn’t be as bad as she anticipated.
She climbed heavily out of the car. Perhaps he’d be pleased she was finishing their relationship, maybe he wanted that too but hadn’t liked to say. Yet even as she had the thought she doubted it. He appeared to be very comfortable living at her flat and seemed to get off on humiliating and hurting her. Her eyes welled again and she blinked back the tears as she entered the building and went up the stairs.
It was important he didn’t see how scared she was, as he feasted off it. She must keep the anxiety from her face and her voice steady while she said what she had to. Shane. No! Jacob! Don’t make that mistake! Jacob, I need to talk to you … Her pulse raced as she tried out the words in her head. It’s nothing you’ve done. I’m sorry, but I’m just not ready for another serious relationship. No, she couldn’t say ‘another’ – it might spark his jealousy. I’m sorry, I’m not ready for a serious relationship, I should have thought about it before I invited you to stay. But of course she hadn’t invited him, he’d just arrived. But then again she could have said no at the time. It would have avoided all this but then he hadn’t been like this then— Stop! she told herself. Stop overthinking it, just go in and say what you have to.
With her hand trembling and nausea building in her stomach, she slid her key into the front-door lock. As she did the door suddenly opened from inside, making her jump. Jacob appeared. He never usually met her at the door; he was usually either lying on the bed or on the sofa when she came home from work. Perhaps he was going out?
‘Hello, love. How are you?’ he asked, smiling. ‘Have you had a good day?’
She looked at him carefully. What was his game? ‘It was OK,’ she said, going in and trying to raise a smile.
‘We’ve got visitors,’ he said buoyantly. So that was the reason. ‘The police are here. They want to talk to you, just to confirm something.’
‘About the robbery in the village?’
‘Yes, sort of. Did you know they were coming?’
‘No,’ she lied and followed him into the living room.
‘Good afternoon. I’m DC Charlie Evans,’ the male police officer said, standing.
‘Hello,’ Rosie said quietly.
‘And this is my colleague PC Linda Simpson.’ Rosie returned her smile with a vague feeling of having met her before.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ Jacob asked her attentively.
‘No thank you.’ It crossed Rosie’s mind, but only briefly, that if she told the officers now how he treated her and asked for help they could perhaps escort him from the flat. But the very thought made her legs tremble. He’d return as soon as they let him go and there was no telling what he’d do to her then.
‘Here, love, sit down,’ Jacob said.
She did as he said, placing her handbag on the floor beside her. DC Evans perched on the coffee table a little in front of her and Jacob took up position beside him, looming over them. As she glanced at him she saw the unmistakable warning signs in his gaze – be careful or else.
‘We won’t keep you long,’ Evans said. ‘I’m sure you want to relax after a day at work.’
Rosie nodded and wondered why exactly they wanted to speak to her. Elizabeth had said the police would need to speak to Jacob to eliminate him from their inquiries, but she couldn’t help; she hadn’t known Jacob at the time of the robbery and had never met the elderly lady whose house had been broken into.
‘Can I ask you how long you’ve worked at the bank?’ Evans asked. Jacob straightened beside him, drawing himself to his full height.
‘Five years,’ she said. ‘Since I left school.’
‘You obviously like your work and are good at it or you wouldn’t have stayed so long.’
‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Rosie said, wondering why this was relevant.
‘And you receive a reasonable salary for all your hard work?’
‘Yes. Although I’d like more.’
‘Wouldn’t we all,’ Evans said with a smile and the PC laughed.
‘Do you rent this flat or have a mortgage?’ he now asked.
‘I rent it,’ Rosie said, ‘although I’d like to buy my own one day.’
He nodded. ‘And you run a car?’
‘Yes. It’s not new though. I bought it second-hand.’
‘With a bank loan?’
‘No, I saved up for it. It’s only small.’
‘And buying your car presumably took all your savings?’ he asked, the flow of his questions continuing lightly.
She was about to say most of them, but saw Jacob gave a small shake of his head.
‘Er, no, not all my savings,’ she said.
‘Can I ask how much you had left?’ Evans asked.
Jacob was staring at her, clearly wanting her to say something, but she’d no idea what.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, flustered. ‘I don’t remember. But why do you want to know all this? You surely don’t think I broke into that old lady’s house and stole her money?’
‘No, of course not,’ Evans said. ‘I’m just trying to make a few things clearer in my own mind. Could you tell me approximately how much savings you had left after you bought your car?’ He saw her glance at Jacob who was standing behind him, out of his line of vision. Linda wouldn’t be able to see his face either.
‘I’m not sure,’ Rosie said.
‘Roughly,’ Evans said. ‘Did you have five hundred pounds left, five thousand, fifty thousand or more?’
‘Oh no, not as much as that,’ she said incredulously.
‘It was twenty thousand,’ Jacob put in.
‘Thank you. I was asking Miss Jones,’ Evans said tightly over his shoulder. Then to her: ‘Is that correct?’
She nodded without meeting his gaze.
‘That’s a lot of money,’ Evans said. ‘Where is it now?’
‘I’ve told you, she lent it to me,’ Jacob said.
‘Did you?’ Evans asked Rosie, leaning slightly towards her with a quizzical look.
‘Yes,’ she said quietly, keeping her eyes down.
‘Why did you lend Jacob all that money?’
She didn’t need to look at Jacob to know the answer. ‘It was for a new car,’ she said. Her lie hung in the air. When she dared to look up she saw him smile and nod.
‘That was very magnanimous of you,’ Evans said. ‘You bought a second-hand car for yourself and gave Jacob all the rest of your savings so he could buy himself a new car!’
She felt her cheeks flush and nodded dumbly.
‘She’s good like that,’ Jacob put in smugly.
‘Obviously,’ Evans said. ‘Just one more thing and then we’ll leave you in peace.’ Rosie forced her gaze to meet his. ‘How did you give Jacob the money? Bank transfer?’
She knew the answer as Jacob had been asked a number of questions when he made the deposit to check it wasn’t laundered money. ‘Cash,’ she said.
‘Really?’ Evans asked, astounded and clearly doubting her. ‘I’d have thought someone who works in a bank would have had their savings invested, and use a direct debit to transfer money.’ He looked at her. Hot and uncomfortable, she didn’t know what to say. ‘Where did you keep all that money? Surely not in this flat?’
She knew it was ludicrous and he wouldn’t believe her but Jacob nodded. ‘Yes, I’m sorry, that’s what I did,’ she said. Why didn’t she just blurt out the truth and tell them everything? She knew why, and Jacob’s threatening, narrowed eyes confirmed it.
Evans stood and drawing a deep breath through his nose, said, ‘Thank you
for your time, Miss Jones. There’s my card.’ He placed it on the coffee table. ‘If you think of anything you’d like to tell me please phone, and just a reminder that perjury carries a prison sentence.’
She didn’t move or say anything.
‘Will that be all?’ Jacob asked cockily.
‘For now,’ Evans said.
‘I’ll see you out then?’
‘Goodbye, Rosie,’ Linda said. As she passed, she lightly touched her shoulder. ‘You know where we are if you need us.’
‘Thank you,’ Rosie said, and at that point she suddenly remembered when she’d seen her before.
Chapter Forty-Seven
DC Evans and PC Linda Simpson began their descent of the stairs. ‘It’s the same girl,’ Linda said. ‘And I’d put money on her being in another abusive relationship.’
Evans gave a curt nod, annoyed with himself for not having handled the interview better. ‘She’s lying to protect him. But why? A nice girl like that.’
‘She’s scared of him. I could see it in her face. You left your card so perhaps she’ll get in touch when she’s had a chance to think about it and he’s not around.’
‘Perhaps,’ Evans said doubtfully. ‘But if she sticks to her story there’s not much we can do. His parents and ex-girlfriend are providing an alibi for the night of the robbery and if that doesn’t change we’re buggered. With unlimited police resources I’m sure I could nail him, but there’s only so much time I can put into this – a relatively small robbery with assault. So unless more evidence comes to light this is going to have to go on the back burner for now, much as it grieves me.’
Linda nodded thoughtfully.
Inside the flat Rosie heard the front door close and a few seconds later Jacob was in the living room. Fist raised and eyes blazing he came towards her. She cowered on the sofa and covered her head with her hands, impotently trying to protect herself from his blows.
‘You silly cow!’ he shouted. ‘If you hadn’t given my mother this address they wouldn’t have known I was here.’
‘Don’t keep hitting me,’ she cried. ‘I want you to go, now!’
‘I bet you do!’
She fended off another blow and then breaking free made a run for the door. But as fast as she was off the sofa Jacob was faster. Grabbing her hair he pulled her back.
‘Get off me,’ she screamed, trying to kick him.
‘Shut up, bitch.’ He slapped her face and raised his hand again. ‘Stay still if you don’t want another one.’
She glared at him. ‘You stole that old lady’s money. I know you did. It wasn’t an inheritance.’
‘But you’re not going to tell anyone, are you?’ he snarled, bringing his face right up close to hers. ‘Not if you know what’s good for you.’ His eyes were staring and deranged as he spat the words in her face. ‘You’re a cold-hearted bitch, just like my mother! It was her fault my father left. She drove him away.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Rose cried. ‘Your father didn’t leave your mother. He’s at home.’
‘Don’t lie to me!’ He hit her again. She felt a tooth slice into her bottom lip and immediately tasted blood. ‘Stay there and don’t move while I think what to do. Move an inch and you’ll regret it.’
He straightened and began pacing the room, his eyes darting around, manic and preoccupied, as if considering various deluded options. She stayed still on the sofa, trying not to draw attention to herself and fearing him more than ever. Gone was any semblance of the Jacob she’d known who’d walked into the bank. In his place stood a monster
She saw her handbag on the floor by her feet, open with her phone tucked just inside. If he turned his back for long enough or left the room briefly she’d quickly grab the phone and conceal it in her clothes. Then if she couldn’t get out of the flat to phone for help she could pretend she needed the bathroom, lock herself in and phone for help from there.
‘I can’t trust you at all,’ he said, pausing from pacing to look at her. ‘That’s a big problem for me. I know how my dad felt now. But I can’t walk away from you like he did with my mum. You know too much.’
She was about to correct him and say something realistic about his father, but she saw his gaze go to her bag and her heart sank. She didn’t try to stop him, there was no point. In an instant he’d reached into her bag and grabbed the phone. ‘What’s the PIN?’ he demanded.
She hesitated, only for a second. But it was long enough to incite his anger further, and his fist crashed into the side of her head, making her cry out in pain. ‘It’s the seventh of July, my birthday,’ she said, her hand going to her head. ‘Zero seven zero seven.’
He laughed cruelly. ‘Pity you won’t be celebrating it this year.’
Fear overwhelmed her as she watched him sit on the coffee table in front of her where Evans had sat. He entered the PIN and began scrolling through her text messages. ‘Why’s my mother texting you and asking if you’re all right?’ he demanded.
‘I don’t know,’ she said honestly.
‘Yes you do!’ Before she had a chance to protect her face he’d slapped her hard, making her cry out. ‘Tell me, bitch!’
‘I don’t know! I really don’t. She texts each day to ask if I’m all right and I reply yes.’ Which was true. ‘I honestly don’t know why your mother keeps texting.’ Her last message had been that afternoon and normally Rosie would have texted back – I’m fine, thanks. How are you? But today she’d been so anxious and preoccupied by what she had to say to Jacob she hadn’t responded.
‘And she phones you,’ Jacob said accusingly, checking her call log. ‘Why? What have you been telling her?’
‘Nothing. She just wants to know if we’re OK. And she said we should go to dinner again soon.’
He laughed caustically. ‘I don’t believe you.’
Fearing another blow or worse she jumped up from the sofa and made a dash for the door again. He was on her in a flash. Grabbing her collar he dragged her back and into the kitchen where he pulled a knife from the block.
‘Do what I say or else, understand, bitch?’ he hissed, pressing the tip of the knife to her throat.
Eyes wide in terror, she nodded.
Keeping the knife pressed to her neck he pushed her into the living room and onto the sofa. ‘Stay there.’ He sat on the table again, placing the knife beside him. ‘I think it’s time you replied to Mummy’s text.’
He pressed the keys of her phone and read the message aloud as he wrote, a smug, self-satisfied grimace on his face. ‘Hi Liz. We’re fine thanks.’ He sent the text. ‘Now let’s see who else you’ve been gossiping with.’
Rosie watched, sick with fear as he continued scrolling down, checking her messages. ‘Eva. Well no surprise there. You two were always gossiping at the bank.’ Rosie took some small comfort that she and Eva usually spoke on the phone so there should be no incriminating texts.
Apart from the last one. ‘What does this mean?’ he demanded. ‘“Text or phone once you’ve told him.” Told me what?’
Her stomach churned ‘She’s asked us to dinner,’ she lied, trying to keep her voice steady. ‘I said I’d text to let her know.’ Did he believe her? She held his gaze. Thankfully he did.
‘We’d better tell her then. ‘Sorry, Eva,’ he read out as he composed the message. ‘We won’t be able to make it. Jacob has made other plans for us. Thanks anyway.’ He looked at her. ‘Does that sound right? Is that the sort of thing you’d say?’
Rosie nodded, praying he wouldn’t see through her lie, and that Eva would realize there was something badly wrong and get help.
Head slightly bowed as he concentrated, he continued going through her messages, checking for any signs of her unfaithfulness or disloyalty. She looked at the knife beside him on the table. She’d found him going through her phone before which was why she’d locked it with a PIN. Not that there was much to discover. Since he’d moved in she hadn’t seen her friends, but he bent and misconstrued innocent words so h
e could accuse and punish her. She started as her phone vibrated with an incoming call.
‘Well, well, if it isn’t Eva,’ Jacob said smugly. ‘What a surprise!’
Rigid with fear, she held her breath as he answered the call on speaker. ‘Hi Eva, how are you?’ he said brightly.
Rosie heard her friend pause. ‘Is that Jacob?’ she asked tentatively.
‘Yes. Who else could it be?’
Another pause then, ‘Is Rosie there?’ She could hear the tension in Eva’s voice and hoped Jacob couldn’t hear it too.
‘She’s in the bath,’ he replied good-humouredly. ‘Can I give her a message?’
‘No, it’s OK. Just ask her to call me when she’s finished.’
‘Will do. And thanks for the invite. Sorry we can’t make it.’
Rosie froze, expecting Eva to ask, ‘What invite?’ But she didn’t. Would she suspect something was wrong? ‘Just ask her to call me please,’ she said, and the line went dead. Jacob was looking at her suspiciously.
‘You know, I think you’ve been lying to me.’ His eyes narrowed in accusation. ‘I think you’ve been telling me things that aren’t true. And you know what the best punishment is for lying? Cut out your tongue.’ He picked up the knife.
‘No!’ she screamed, and made another dash for the door.
He was after her, the knife clattering to the floor, then he was on her, grabbing her arms and forcing them behind her.
‘You’re hurting me,’ she cried.
‘Not as much as I’m going to.’
Dragging her up from the floor he frogmarched her down the hall and into the kitchen where he forced her onto one of the two kitchen chairs that stood either side of the small table. ‘Stay there or I really will cut your tongue out. Then your ears and eyes. “Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil.”’ He laughed. ‘That’s what women need to learn.’