Maggie: a gripping psychological thriller

by Netta Newbound

  “Very touchy, aren’t you, Mags? Do I need to watch myself around you? Maybe I’ll be your next victim.”

  “You’re such a dick.”

  He shoved me in the direction of the cell door. “Get a move on. I haven’t got all day.”

  In the interview room, a female detective introduced herself to me as Julie Johnson. Her smile was kind, and she reminded me of Claudia. “Are you sure you don’t want a solicitor present for the interview, Maggie?” she asked.

  “I don’t need a solicitor. I’ve done nothing wrong. Will you just get it over with, please?”

  “So, Mags…” Jake said.

  I glared at him.

  “Oops, sorry.” He wiggled his face in mine. “Maggie.” He sauntered around the table and straddled one of the chairs. “So, tell me. Where were you the day before yesterday?”

  I focused on the woman and directed my answers towards her. “I was at the hospital all day.”

  “What time did you leave?”

  “Five-ish, I guess.”

  “Did you go straight home?”

  “No. We picked up some burgers and took them home.”

  “Who’s we?”

  “Me and Matt, my solicitor.”

  “Does he usually spend time with you, eating dinner and such?” Jake asked.

  “No. I moved out of Manchester a few weeks ago. I was only back because Claudia had an accident.” I wanted to scream that I knew all about Matt being dead and also knew who the culprit was. But how could I? And my only hope right now was to get Julie on my side.

  “When did you last see him?”

  “He didn’t stay long. He was going to meet his girlfriend.”

  Jake pounced on this. “Were you jealous of her, his girlfriend?”

  “Don’t be so stupid. Why would I be?”

  Jake shrugged. “Attractive young man, maybe you’d set your sights on him.”

  “There was never anything like that between us.”

  “You sure?”

  “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

  “Because, Mags, Matthew Pierson and Penelope Judd were found dead yesterday.”

  I gasped. Hoping I was convincing enough. I didn’t want Doreen to get into any trouble for telling me already. “What? How?”

  “They were stabbed repeatedly.”

  Burying my head in my hands, I sobbed. “No! Who would…?”

  “Exactly what we want to know. Who would want to cut their promising young lives short?”

  “Why would you think it was me? I could never do anything like that.”

  “Really? You didn’t bat an eyelid when you repeatedly stabbed your own stepfather. How many times did you sink that knife in Kenny’s chest?”

  I shook my head and gazed at Julie imploringly.

  “No? I’ll tell you, shall I? Sixty-three separate puncture wounds. Sixty-three.”

  Julie gasped. Right then, I knew I’d lost any chance of her support.

  “That was different, and you know it.” Frustrated, I tore at my hair. When would this nightmare end?

  Clearly thrilled his words had the desired effect, Jake grinned. “But is it though? You got away with his murder, didn’t you? It’s a known fact that people like you get blasé.”

  “People like me? What the hell are you on about?”

  “You’re a killer, Mags. Let’s face it. Killers like you become addicted to the rush of adrenaline.”

  I buried my face in my hands and sobbed. A huge lump in my throat made it impossible to respond to him.

  “We’ve got the forensic team searching your home, so you may as well come clean. They’ll find the evidence, I promise you.”

  “That’s impossible. I didn’t do anything. If anyone needs to explain themselves, it’s you!” The words were out before I knew what I was saying.

  “Why on earth would I have to explain myself, Mags?”

  “Because you threatened Matt to me the other night. Funny that, less than two days later, here we are discussing his death.”

  Jake barked out a laugh. “I threatened him, did I?” He nodded at his colleague as if to say, watch this. “So, what did I actually say? For the record.”

  “That Matt had better watch his step, having anything to do with me.”

  “And you took that as me threatening him? Not warning him to stay away from you?”

  “I know what you said, but I also know what you meant, and you were taunting me, telling me he’ll be next.”

  “I don’t get you, Mags. What are you trying to say?”

  I was too far gone to hold back. “You planned on killing off Matt, the way you did with Donna and Yazz. You even tried to kill Claudia, but she tricked you, didn’t she? She’ll have you hauled off to the nick as soon as she wakes up – you’ll see.”

  Both detectives were laughing openly as they left the room.

  22

  It was two hours before they came back, and by then, I was pulling my hair out.

  “Right, Mags. Where were we?” Jake said.

  “I’ve told you – stop fucking calling me that!” I jumped to my feet, and my chair fell backwards, clattering to the floor.

  “Ooh!” Jake laughed. “Take a chill pill, sweetheart.”

  Julie rubbed my arm and lifted my chair upright again. “Have a seat, Maggie. We shouldn’t be too much longer.”

  I did as she said.

  Jake cleared his throat. “Right. You’ll be pleased to discover that forensics didn’t find anything of interest in your house.”

  “Surprise, surprise,” I snapped.

  “Needless to say, we may still need to talk to you again, so don’t go anywhere without our knowledge, do you hear.”

  “Of course I hear, I’m not deaf.”

  He got to his feet. “Pleased to hear it. Now, Julie will arrange to have your belongings brought to you, and I will be in touch, mark my words.”

  Relieved beyond belief, I scowled at him as he left the room.

  Julie was great. She finished her paperwork, and dropped me off at the hospital, seven hours later than first planned.

  I needn’t have bothered. Claudia was still in a coma and even when I blurted out everything that had happened – Matt and his girlfriend being murdered, Jake dragging me to the police station and accusing me of being the culprit – she still didn’t show any signs of being aware. The longer this went on, the more I was certain she was gone for good.

  Totally alone, I was able to release all the emotions from the past few days. Claudia was still alive, albeit barely, but I’d never see Matt’s kind and caring face ever again. The nurses kept their distance, leaving me to wail uninterrupted. While it allowing me to get it all out of my system – for now at least.

  After couple of hours, I figured I’d best get home to feed and walk Sandy – he’d been alone all day.

  On the bus, I phoned through and ordered a pizza. As I rounded the corner of our street, the delivery van pulled up, and I jogged the last few yards.

  “That was good timing,” I panted, handing the guy a screwed-up tenner.

  He lifted his foot onto the doorstep and balanced the insulated bag on his knee while he rummaged for the change.

  Sandy was yapping frantically from behind the door, and when the delivery driver had left, I opened the door. Sandy flew out, bounding about my feet excitedly.

  I couldn’t see any evidence of the house being searched, and I guessed Jake and his colleague had done it themselves, not a full on forensic team as he’d tried to make out.

  When Sandy had calmed down, I took him out the back door for the poor pooch to relieve himself. Then, we curled up on the sofa and shared the pizza. “Don’t you tell Mummy what you’ve been eating, okay?”

  Sandy licked his lips noisily in response, and I kissed his scruffy head. “You know what, boy? We’re lucky we have each other.”

  After dinner, I made a call to London.

  “Hello, Maggie, dear. How are you? Any improvement
with Claudia?”

  “I’m fine, thanks, Agnes. And no, no improvement at all.”

  She sighed. “What did the doctors say? Is this normal?”

  “I guess so. They don’t seem concerned. But, listen, Agnes, I need to tell you something. Is Fred around?”

  “Yes. He’s right here. What’s wrong?”

  I took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s Matt and his girlfriend. Agnes, they were found dead yesterday. Somebody killed them.”

  “I’m sorry, Maggie…”

  Muffled voices followed, and then, Fred came on the line. “Maggie, love. I’m going to have to call you back.”

  Hearing the devastation in their voices caused my own tears to flow. Up until then, I’d been numb, had been since the day my mother died. I sat back down with Sandy and sobbed. For Matt, for my mum, for Claudia – in fact for everyone, including myself.

  Although I detested Jake, the more I thought about it, I knew I must be way off the mark. He was shocked when I accused him earlier. And although he could have kept me locked up for a few days without pressing charges, he hadn’t actually kept me any longer than necessary. I still detested him, of course. But I was confused.

  I roared and tore at my hair.

  Sandy shot off the sofa and headed for the kitchen.

  I roared again and punched the cushion repeatedly as tears mixed with snot. I felt so tired of trying to keep my shit together. Was I lashing out at Jake, because I didn’t want to believe the alternative – that I was actually jinxed? Since Mum had died, things had gone from bad to worse. Most girls my age have never had anything to do with death, but not me. I felt so alone.

  After a while, my tears dried, and I went in search of Sandy. I found him trembling in his basket underneath the kitchen table. “Come on, boy. Let’s go out for a quick walk, and then, it’s bed time.”

  Sandy stared at me warily before venturing from his bed.

  As we stepped outside, I noticed the sky had turned a murky grey colour, and it was threatening to rain. I opened the gate and let Sandy go out alone while I ran back indoors to fetch my jacket. When I returned, Sandy had disappeared.

  I went up the cobbled alley. It wasn’t dusk yet, but the clouds were casting shadows in the doorways. “Sandy!” I called. “Come on, boy.”

  Several dogs began barking from behind closed gates as I passed. I expected to find Sandy behind one of the wheelie bins dotted along the alley, but as I reached the end with no sign of him, my heart sank.

  “Sandy!” I gave a long high-pitched whistle. “Come on, boy.”

  Nothing.

  A thought struck me. Sandy had probably followed me back inside when I went for my jacket. I exhaled noisily and shook my head. “Bloody idiot,” I grumbled as I set off at a jog.

  “Sandy? Come on lazy pooch,” I called as I reached the back door. “I wasn’t the one who needed exercising, thanks very much.” I stopped abruptly and stared at the empty basket.

  23

  After searching the house, I ran back out into the alley in a panic. Where the hell could he be? I’d only left him alone for a minute, if that. But although the light was fading by the minute, Sandy was nowhere.

  I ran back through the house and along the street to Doreen’s, and hammered my knuckles on her white uPVC door.

  Doreen immediately appeared behind the glass. She dramatically placed her hand on her chest when she saw it was just me making all the racket. “Maggie! Calm down. Whatever’s the matter?”

  “It’s Sandy. He’s gone.”

  She grabbed her beige jacket that hung over the banister. “What do you mean, gone?” Joining me outside on the doorstep, she turned and locked the door.

  “I took him out for a walk, and he ran off. One minute he was there, the next – he’d just vanished.”

  “He’s probably got the scent of a bitch in heat. He did that to Claudie once, and the dirty little rascal stayed out all night. He’ll be back, you’ll see.”

  We set off walking up and down all the surrounding streets and alleyways, but there was no sign of Sandy. I knew Doreen was probably right, but after my luck lately, a feeling of doom settled in the pit of my stomach.

  As we walked, I updated her on Claudia. I omitted to tell her I’d spent most of the day in a cell, and surprisingly, her informants hadn’t told her either.

  After an hour of trudging around, we arrived back at Doreen’s front door.

  “Thanks, Doreen. I’ll let you know if he shows up by morning.”

  Walking a few more steps up the street, I was horrified to realise I’d left both the front and back doors wide open. I walked inside, holding my breath. My heart thudded as I scanned each room. No Sandy.

  I ventured out to the dark alley again and called him once more. I hated being out there in the dark, and an odd sound made me run back inside. I slammed the door and double locked it behind me.

  “Silly dog. If you do decide to come home in the early hours, you’re locked out there until morning,” I muttered as I slid the two bolts into place.

  I couldn’t sleep, alternating between worrying about Sandy not coming back. How I would tell Claudia I’d lost her dog? And grieving for Matt. Lovely, gentle, and caring Matt. It was hard to believe I’d never see his crooked grin ever again.

  At two-thirty, I trudged downstairs and unlocked the door again, certain I’d see the little mongrel curled up on the doorstep, highly embarrassed by his behaviour. But no. He wasn’t there. If I had a car, I’d have drive the streets. A couple of nights earlier, I’d have been able to call Matt, certain he’d drop everything to assist. But now, besides Rachel, who also didn’t have a car, I had nobody to turn to.

  Warming a mug of milk in the microwave, I headed back up to bed. I finally managed to get a couple of hours’ sleep, but the dreams kept coming. I dreamed of a coffin with the lid partially lifted. Barely breathing, I approached it, the sound of my heartbeat thundering in my ears. I reached out, my fingertips touching the cool wood.

  I paused.

  Braced myself.

  Pushed the lid away from me.

  A cry caught in my throat as the wasted, cancer-ravaged face of my mum appeared. I wanted to run as far away as possible, but something forced me to stay. I pushed the lid further needing to see her, all of her, one last time. I’d missed her so much. The lid wouldn’t move anymore. It had snagged on something, and I couldn’t quite get to her.

  “Mum! I need you, Mummy. I can’t bear my life without you. Please.” I pushed with all my might. The lid wouldn’t budge, not one inch. I was aware I was dreaming, but it was the first time I’d dreamed of her since she’d died, and I wanted to see her one last time. I was petrified of forgetting what she looked like.

  I noticed a long piece of wood, the length of a baseball bat only slimmer, lying on the carpeted floor beside the table. I grabbed it, shoving it into the opening, and used my weight to prise the lid off.

  It suddenly shifted and clattered to the floor on the other side of the coffin. Surprised I’d actually shifted it, I almost followed it.

  Righting myself, I turned, desperate to see my lovely mother for one last time. But the image before me had changed.

  Kenny sat up in the coffin and grinned at me, but it was the limp and bloody dog he held towards me that almost killed me.

  I screamed and screamed. Suddenly back in my room, I tried to calm my thundering heart. “What the fuck?”

  Launching myself from the bed, I raced downstairs and out the back door, desperate to see the little pooch. But the yard was still empty.

  I couldn’t shake the image of Kenny grinning, but I kept repeating to myself it was just a dream. It didn’t take a psychologist to explain the reason behind it – Kenny was to blame for everything, including the missing dog. Maybe not directly, but if he hadn’t raped me, then how many of the following events would have happened? I guessed none of them.

  I checked the wall clock and sighed. It was only five am, yet there was no poin
t going back to bed. I did a load of washing and ran the vacuum around the place instead, in the hope Claudia would be home soon.

  After showering, I headed out to walk around the streets and alleyways again, although I knew in my heart it was pointless. Whatever had happened to Sandy, I had no doubt in my mind he was gone for good.

  “Still no joy?” Doreen’s voice interrupted my gloomy daydream as I turned back onto our street.

  “Oh, sorry, Doreen. I was miles away. But no, he hasn’t come back yet.”

  She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Are you off to the hospital?”

  “I was going to, but, how can I? What if he turns up?”

  “Don’t worry. I can keep an eye out for him, and I’ll let him back in.”

  “Would you? Okay, then. If you don’t mind, I will go to visit Claudia.”

  “Give her a big kiss from me. Tell her to hurry up and get better – I miss her.”

  “Will do, thanks, Doreen.”

  24

  I spent the day at Claudia’s bedside, urging her to wake up. But nothing. Not a flicker.

  As I came back from the toilet mid-afternoon, I caught the tail end of a conversation between Claudia’s doctor and his colleague.

  The doctor smiled and made for the door.

  “Hang on,” I said. “What’s happening?”

  The doctor glanced back around as though I was a pile of rubbish. “Are you a relative of Mrs Green?”

  “I’m kind of her daughter. We live together, and she cares for me.”

  He nodded. “We have just examined Mrs Green and are happy with her progress.”

  “What progress? She hasn’t made any.”

  “I know it may seem like that to you, but I can assure you, after the extensive trauma she received, I’m confident we should see some results in the next week or two.”

  I sat down. “Week or two? Are you sure this is normal?”

  “Perfectly normal, miss. I’ll be back around tomorrow, if you have any further questions.”

  I sat in silence for another hour or so. I’d run out of things to say, there was only so much one-sided waffle one person was capable of. I jumped when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I walked out to the corridor.