I Will Make You Pay (ARC)

by Teresa Driscoll

  put lots of cushions along the bottom so that the spider

  couldn’t get out of his bedroom. When his gran got home,

  she said, What the hell has been going on here?

  He stays in bed and curls up and tries to go to sleep

  but it gets quieter and quieter. He doesn’t like this bit –

  when it gets so very quiet. And he doesn’t like the dark.

  He never turns off the little lamp and he keeps his torch

  with him in case there is a power cut.

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  Often he cries, especially if anyone in school has been

  telling scary stories. He always runs off to play if someone

  starts all that. Ghosts and stuff.

  His gran says there are no such things as ghosts but

  he’s not so sure. He tries to stop thinking about it. He

  needs a wee but he doesn’t want to go across the sitting

  room now that he has turned the light off.

  He waits and waits and tries really hard but it’s no

  good. He remembers what happened last week after Stan

  found him in the laundry cupboard.

  He turns on his torch. He gets out of bed and he creeps

  across the room, shining his torch out into the sitting room.

  It is as he is crossing the room that the knocking on the

  front door starts up again. Just like a couple of weeks back.

  ‘Hello? I know you’re in there.’ The voice isn’t very

  loud – just enough volume to be heard through the door.

  He keeps very still. This has happened only once be-

  fore. He kept quiet that time and the knocking and the

  voice eventually went away.

  He should have told his gran but he was worried she

  would be cross that he was out of bed.

  There is knocking again. One, two, three. It is not very loud knocking. Again, it’s just loud enough to be sure that

  it can be heard. Knock, knock, knock. One, two, three…

  ‘I can see the light under the door. I know you’re in

  there. Let me in or I’m going to phone the police.’

  He keeps ever so still. The police? He thinks of his gran and how super-cross she will be if the police turn up.

  He tries to hold his breath but his heart is beating really,

  really loud. He thinks he should perhaps turn the torch

  off but he is too afraid of the dark.

  And then someone is lifting up the letterbox in their

  door and he can just see a nose and someone trying to

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  see right in. ‘I saw your gran go. I know you’re on your

  own. And if you don’t answer the door right this minute,

  I’m phoning the police.’

  And now he recognises the voice. It’s Brian.

  It’s fat Brian from next door.

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  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Matthew

  ‘What’s up? What is it you haven’t told me?’

  Matthew doesn’t answer his wife immediately. Instead

  he stares at her and then stares at his plate. Steak and

  chips. She has cooked the steak perfectly, resting it well

  so that it is juicy and delicious. But for some reason he’s

  put off from cutting into the meat and so the steak is

  going cold.

  ‘Why is it I can never get anything past you, Sally?’

  He looks again at the meat, wondering where his appetite

  has gone; he normally loves steak. But then he sees the

  red at the centre of the first slice of steak and realises…

  It is perfectly medium rare but the flash of rawness is

  making him think of something else. He is not normally

  squeamish but his mind keeps going back to that cruel

  fake attack. Flesh. Acid. The terrible moments when he

  was waiting for Alice’s flesh to change colour.

  ‘Witchcraft. On the quiet I’m a fully fledged white

  witch. Now, why not eat your steak while I check on our

  Pippy Pocket princess, and then you can tell me every-

  thing. Deal?’

  He nods. He and Sally have been married a few years

  now. He loves her very much but wonders if he will ever

  truly understand how the female mind works. Sometimes

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  he sits at breakfast and imagines Amelie all grown-up. The

  two of them speaking in an entirely different language.

  About who said what and when. About fashion and gossip.

  And cushions.

  He smiles at Sally and feels guilty that he does not

  always listen when she’s talking. He met her on a case – a

  difficult and quite emotional case involving two of her

  childhood friends. Sometimes he goes cold, thinking – what

  if Sal’s friend Beth had picked another private investigator

  to help them? What would his life be?

  Fewer cushions, he thinks mischievously – picturing the puzzle of their bed, which has a mountain of silk obstacles.

  ‘Why are you grinning suddenly?’

  ‘Doesn’t matter. I love you, Sally.’

  ‘You too. Eat your steak.’

  Sally leaves the kitchen-cum-dining room and heads

  upstairs. He can just hear their daughter’s voice protesting

  that she is not tired. Matthew smiles again. When does a

  child ever admit otherwise? There is some singing – Sally

  and Amelie together – and then a warning to go to sleep.

  Finally Sally returns and he makes an effort with the

  steak.

  ‘Good. You need the iron, Matt; you’re looking a bit

  peaky. I was reading in a magazine the other day that

  iron deficiency is way more common than people realise.

  So – fire away. I’m listening.’ She reaches for the wine

  bottle but he puts his hand over his glass and shakes his

  head. He’s thinking once more of Alice and so is still

  unsettled. He may go out again; he hasn’t quite decided.

  ‘I sort of messed up today. Alice wouldn’t travel in

  my car. I should have insisted but I didn’t. There was a

  fake acid attack and it was horrible.’

  ‘What the hell is a fake acid attack?’

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  He explains about the motorcyclist and the iced water

  in the bottle. How they assumed the worst.

  ‘I guess it’s a sign of the times. The biker knew we’d

  think it was acid. A truly horrible thing to do to her.’

  ‘How absolutely dreadful. And strange too … to go

  to all that trouble for a fake attack? I mean – he could

  have been caught. Surely there will be CCTV?’

  ‘Not so far. And I think this was a warning. Sort of,

  see what I can do to you if I choose. It’s control-freakery.

  Classic stalker behaviour. This is about terrorising Alice.’

  Sally looks shaken, and he tells her the rest of the news

  about Alice’s double identity.

  ‘So you’re off the case? Well – good, I say, if she can’t

  even tell you the truth about herself. It’s getting way, way

  too complicated.’

  Matthew smiles at his wife’s loyalty. She wants to pro-

  tect him and he likes that she’s angry on his behalf, but

  the truth is he is over the anger now. He’s read more about

  the Alex Sunningham case and feels sorry for Alice – or

  Jennifer, or whatever she wants to be
called.

  ‘You are off the case?’ Sally leans in, trying to read his expression.

  ‘Well, her boyfriend sacked me so – yes.’

  ‘Good. We should do some more advertising. Try to

  get you some better work. It’s good that the money’s just

  come in from that corporate training you did. We’re fine

  for a few months. And I don’t like you taking on stuff

  outside your comfort zone. I always knew this was a bad

  idea. Borderline bodyguard work. That’s not you. And

  in any case, if the police can’t keep her safe, how are you

  expected to? On your own?’ She has stood up now and is

  clattering about with plates and other dishes as Matthew’s

  phone buzzes with a text. It’s from Melanie.

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  Can you make our café in an hour?

  He puts the phone in his pocket and stares at his wife’s

  back as she loads the dishwasher. She will worry if he

  tells her he’s meeting Melanie. DI Sanders still wants him

  back in the force, but Sally’s not at all sure this would be

  healthy for him. She worries it will stir up old ghosts.

  Matthew left the force because he blamed himself over

  a child’s death. He still sometimes has dreams about it.

  Sally will get very twitchy if he mentions Melanie.

  ‘Just need to pop out. Nothing to worry about. Might

  be a new case. I won’t be long.’

  She turns. ‘So long as it isn’t the man who thinks little

  people are trying to kidnap him?’

  ‘Might be.’ He winks and then moves across to kiss

  her, parking the thought that – come to mention it – he

  might actually call in on Ian and his little people. If not

  tonight then some time very soon.

  * * *

  At their regular café, there’s just an hour until closing.

  In the evening they serve burger and chips to boost tak-

  ings, and Matthew is shocked to find he’s almost tempted,

  despite the steak. He is lucky to have a skinny gene and

  a good metabolism but he needs to be careful as he gets

  older.

  No. Very bad idea.

  Melanie is just a few minutes behind him and looks

  even larger than the last time he saw her.

  ‘Are you sure you have the energy for all this, Mel?

  Wouldn’t it just be easier to go on mat leave early? Those

  triplets could be born any moment.’

  She tilts her head and pokes out her tongue.

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  The waitress arrives to take their order – just coffee

  for him, though Melanie plumps for carrot cake again

  with her Earl Grey tea.

  ‘So – a pickle. Alice turning out to be Jennifer.’ He

  lifts a sugar sachet out of the little bowl on the table but

  checks himself and puts it back. No time for fidgeting.

  ‘Understatement.’ She pauses and then leans in. ‘My

  boss is going ballistic. So. Usual rules here. We are not

  meeting and we are not talking.’

  He raises his hands in surrender. ‘Absolutely under-

  stood, and you know I won’t breathe a word.’

  ‘OK. So I’ve read Alice the riot act but, truth be told,

  I feel a bit sorry for her. Now I know the whole story.

  And given what happened this morning.’

  He’s relieved to hear this. Melanie is not someone to

  fall out with. Nerves of steel beneath the soft and very

  pregnant exterior. He bets she gave Alice a tough time.

  ‘I have yet to tell Alice the whole story, Matt. She’s

  determined we should keep calling her Alice, by the

  way. It’s her second name and she claims her sister and

  mother have got used to using it. Anyway. I’m tipping

  you off because it’s going to be all over the papers within

  twenty-four hours and I want to know what you think.

  Alex Sunningham has disappeared.’

  ‘You’re not serious?’

  ‘Afraid so. Failed to report to his probation officer

  more than once. And now he’s disappeared from his

  hostel. We were going to keep all this low-key for a bit

  but it looks like it’s going to blow up very quickly. And

  not just because we want to question him about Alice.

  She needs to know – has a right to know, now that he’s

  our principal suspect. I was rather hoping we would have

  found him by now…’

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  Matthew raises his left eyebrow. Melanie sighs and

  they both lean back as the waitress delivers their order.

  Once she’s gone, Melanie sips her tea, then continues.

  ‘The minor – the fifteen-year-old that he ran off with

  – has just disappeared from home as well.’

  ‘You are kidding me.’

  ‘I wish.’

  ‘But I thought she spilled the beans to the nationals

  to warn others about grooming. I thought she now hated

  the guy. So what are you thinking? That he’s got to her?

  Revenge?’

  ‘At this stage, we don’t know what to think. She’s

  eighteen now. She’s been doing A levels and has a place

  at university. Back on track. Her parents are in bits. It’s

  completely out of character for her to disappear without

  contacting them. No one knows what to think. Whether

  this could be a coincidence. An aggressive move by Alex.

  Or something else…’

  Matthew lets out a long sigh and sips at his own

  drink. The stories about Alex Sunningham are swim-

  ming through his thoughts.

  ‘And you want to know what I think. Regarding the

  teenager and also Alice… Whether this is revenge?’

  ‘Yes, I do. Jeez – Matt. I so wish you were working

  on this officially with me. But as you’re sort of on the

  case anyway, I’m hoping you’ll help. I trust your instinct.

  You know that. So what are you thinking? What should

  I be thinking here? Obviously, the terms of Alex’s licence

  forbid him from having any contact with this girl. I’ll

  be liaising with the other team investigating this girl’s

  disappearance and Alex skipping parole. But do we as-

  sume he’s violent now? What do you think? My head’s

  all over the place, to be honest.’

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  ‘A few years inside could have turned this Alex into

  a different character. We both know he’s a creep but

  he could have turned violent too. Plenty of time to get

  very bitter. Distort things in his head. I guess he could

  be capable of the stalking. And targeting the teenager for

  revenge. We daren’t assume otherwise.’

  ‘I agree. We have to find him very, very quickly. The

  plans are for a press conference if the girl doesn’t turn up

  by the morning.’

  ‘Which means the Alex Sunningham case will be hot

  news all over again.’

  ‘Yes. And Alice – or Jennifer, rather – will need to

  decide how she’s going to handle that. I’m happy for you

  to break this to her, Matt, but I want to know how she

  reacts. Agreed?’

  Matthew finishes his drink and then gets out his

  phon
e. ‘OK. But she’s my client so it’s tricky.’ He pauses,

  remembering that this is in fact no longer the case; that

  he’s technically been sacked. But the truth? He looks up

  and stares at Mel. He’s not ready to let this case go. Not

  after the fake acid attack. And because he keeps seeing

  those dreadful pictures of the case from their training

  days too. Rachel Allen strangled in her shower. So young.

  Such a waste…

  He strongly suspects it’s why Mel is so agitated now.

  Frustrated, and worried about getting it wrong.

  ‘I’m not sure quite where I am with Alice so I’ll be

  straight with her that I’m liaising with you. Oh – and

  just one more thing, Melanie. Favour for favour.’ He

  turns back to his phone and scrolls through the pictures

  folder. ‘I’d like to know who owns this car. Black Golf.’

  He shows her a picture and she takes out her own phone

  to copy it as he zooms in on the number plate.

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  ‘Why?’

  ‘Might be nothing. But I saw it twice in the hours I

  was keeping an eye on Alice. Might have been following

  us. I couldn’t be absolutely sure. Got distracted when the

  bike showed up.’

  ‘OK. I’ll check it out and let you know. Meantime I

  want to let Alice sweat a bit overnight over misleading us.

  As a favour, I’ll text you first thing if the girl doesn’t show up so you can warn her just before the media get it. But

  the deal is I need to know how she reacts. I’ll be honest,

  I think you’ve got a better chance of reading her than I

  do over this right now. I badly need to know whether

  you feel we can trust her going forward. Yes? And then

  I’ll need to interview her again officially. She might have

  ideas where he’s run to. She needs to cooperate with us,

  Matt. No more silly games. We need her to help us find

  him … for her own sake.’

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  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Alice

  We slept in the same bed but in that awkward way as if after

  a row, leaning outwards and being careful not to touch.

  It’s Thursday. I am still in shock from the attack yes-

  terday. I am mortified they know about Alex now, and the

  police and Matthew and Tom are so angry with me. But

  I am also so relieved that I look the same in the mirror. I

  keep touching my face, sort of amazed still that I wasn’t

  hurt; relieved too that I have a little time to regroup before anything else happens. Before next Wednesday.