He cut the engine and used the slight incline to coast the car into position, pulling up quietly so that the girls in the barn wouldn’t hear him coming. Carefully, he slid open the barn door and tiptoed inside. He could hear the girls whispering to each other.
“He’s bound to come here soon.”
“I hope not.” Diane responded. “I haven’t heard from Sandy all day. Do you think she’s okay?”
“He probably upped her sedative to keep her quiet. I hope so anyway. I’d hate for something to happen to the baby she’s carrying,” Tina whispered back.
Deliberately, he kicked the straw, loving the way the sudden noise seemed to strike fear into the girls. He stood at the entrance to Diane’s stable, surveying her luscious curves. The sack he’d thrown over her for warmth had been cast aside, probably during her fretful sleep. His erection began to grow, stiffening with every step he took towards her. She gulped and twisted her neck as her ear strained to make out where he was. Dropping to his knees, he placed his mouth close to her upraised ear.
His heavy breathing soon gave him away, and she shrank back as far as her restraints would allow. “Don’t hurt me. Please, not again. If you let me go, I swear I won’t say anything to anyone.”
“You won’t get the opportunity. You’ll never leave this place. You’re mine now. You’re my wife, you and the others.” His voice was soft and taunting, low enough for the others not to hear what he had to say.
Suddenly, Diane screamed. Finding strength from an unknown source, she twisted and kicked at him. She connected with his knee and sent him reeling backwards. He hit his elbow against the wooden stable wall and cried out in pain. The barn fell silent with an ominous air. Everyone was perfectly still, waiting for the shit to kick off like it usually did when someone had the courage to strike back.
He rubbed his sore elbow, scowling at the person who had caused him pain. She needed a lesson in manners. He left the stable and returned with a tatty broom he passed every day without usually giving it a second glance. The girl’s face twisted in fear as Fallon stepped back into the stable. He stopped a foot or so in front of her. Anger fuelled his movements as he struck the girl’s upper torso with the broom handle until red, swollen marks surfaced on her flesh. “That’ll teach you to behave in future. You won’t do anything like that again, will you?”
Diane whimpered after the beating had finished and chose not to answer him, which only made him angrier. He brought the broom handle high over his head and screamed in ecstasy when he angled the broom and brought it crashing down over Diane’s head.
He was delirious with rage and was determined to make the woman suffer. Whether that meant ending her life or not, he was past caring. She didn’t move even an inch. He didn’t care if her life was left in the balance or not—he had a desire that need fulfilling. He unzipped his jeans and released his stiff manhood, then stroked it with his clammy palm before he got down on his knees and took her. With each thrust, he snarled and grunted like a wild animal punishing its prey. Spent, he pushed her away from him, not caring about the river of blood flowing from the wound in her head.
His exertions had taken a toll on his body, so he decided to leave the other girls alone for the night. One unnecessary battle is more than any human could handle.
He wanted to go home to rest and think about how he was going to deal with the Brazil woman. I can return tomorrow to make it up to the other girls for neglecting them this evening.
Leaving the barn, he heard the girls sobbing, and it revived his view that he’d been right to punish those who objected to his affection.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
After Jim dropped her back at the office, she spent the whole afternoon ringing the contact relatives she had on file for the missing girls. In most instances, the news that Sandy Cox had been released was met with a mixture of overjoyed tears and relief. But each call ended on a note of sadness that the news wasn’t about their loved one instead.
All the family mush she’d dealt with during the day filled her with guilt, so she decided dropping by to visit her mum would be a good idea. A few of the regulars were parked in the car park when she got to the pub. Ellen walked through the lounge bar to the public bar, where Colin was in his usual position, propping up the bar. Her mum’s eyes lit up for a brief moment when she first saw Ellen, but then she glanced in Colin’s direction, and Ellen recognised the same fear in her mother’s eyes that she’d had when he’d held a knife to her throat.
Ellen was caught in two minds whether to stay or go. She fixed her gaze firmly on her mother’s face, watching every change imaginable. However, she could feel Colin’s glare boring into her like a drill bit.
“Hello, love. It’s so good to see you.”
Ellen leaned forward and pecked her mother on the cheek. “Everything all right, Mum?”
“Why shouldn’t it be?” Colin asked brusquely, not giving her mother the chance to reply.
Ellen kept her smile firmly in position for both her mother’s benefit and the punters’. Ignoring Colin, she asked, “Any chance I can have five minutes out the back with you, Mum?”
One of the regular’s, Old Albert, spoke next. “Go on, Irene. Have a word with her. We’re all topped up here. I’m sure Colin can man the fort for a minute or two. Can’t you, old chap?”
Ellen fought hard to suppress the giggle threatening to surface as she watched Colin’s cheeks redden with anger.
Irene looked at her husband and smiled. “Is that all right, love?”
Put in an invidious position, Colin could say nothing other than yes. Ellen lifted up the end of the bar and followed her mother out the back.
“Oh, Ellen, I’m so pleased you’ve come to see me. I was going to give you a ring later.”
“Sure you were. How have you been? More to the point, how has the tyrant been lately?”
Her mother sighed heavily. “I do wish you wouldn’t call him that. Why can’t you two just get along together? You make my life so stressful.”
Ellen pointed a finger at her own chest. “Me? Really, Mum? When are you going to wake up and see that it’s him, or his actions, which causes you all the stress? You’re conveniently forgetting that he put you in hospital last week.”
“Now you’re exaggerating. You and your brother forced me to go to hospital. It was nothing. A slight disagreement, that’s all.”
Ellen shook her head. What’s the point? She turned on her heel and headed back through the bar, disgusted by the way her mother continued to stick up for a wife beater. Her mother tried to call her back, but Ellen didn’t stop until she reached her car.
What is wrong with her? Well, sorry, mum. You’re going to have to come to me next time. That was your last chance.
Ellen drove home and thought it best not to mention to Jim that she’d called in to check on their mother. After dinner, Ellen called it a night. She was drained of all the euphoria she’d felt after letting the families know that they had a scrap of hope to hang on to at last. But she had to prepare for her excursion to the gym the following evening. She ran a hand over the slight swell to her usually flat stomach. She’d been carrying some extra pounds due to Jim’s excellent cooking. She would be glad to get rid of them.
________
The following day’s workload was lighter than usual. Ellen was twiddling her thumbs for most of the day, stuck in limbo until Sandy’s toxicology results came through.
“For God’s sake, do something,” Brian shouted at her halfway through the afternoon. “You’re driving me insane, woman.”
“Like what? I can’t do anything without those results, Bri.”
“I don’t know. There must be something you can be getting on with. Did you manage to contact all the families yesterday?”
“Yep.”
“Have you kept all the files up-to-date?”
“Yep.”
“Jesus, Ellie, get a grip. What’s really wrong with you? You’re never at a loss what to do next around here
.”
She pulled a face at him, bothered that he knew her so well. “To be honest, I’m not really looking forward to working out down at the gym tonight.”
He laughed. “Is that because you’re totally unfit nowadays?”
“Nope. Well, maybe a little,” she admitted reluctantly. “I just don’t know what to expect if Fallon is down there.”
Concerned, Brian turned in his chair to face her. “That’s not like you, Ellie.”
“Yeah, that’s what’s bothering me.”
He pointed at her. “Maybe the crap with Colin has affected you more than you’re willing to let on.”
“Why did God make your arse so smart? I had the same thought, actually. I dropped by the pub on my way home last night.”
“And? What kind of response did you get?”
“Let’s just say I wish I’d stayed away. As far as I’m concerned, Mum has made her bed. If he kicks her out of it now and again, then that’s her lookout. I can’t force her to leave him, can I?”
“Just be there for when she needs you. Try not to be too hard on her. She’s in a tough place right now.”
“It amazes me how you can be so damn thoughtful about other people’s emotions, especially after all the shit your ex has put you through.”
He shrugged. “What’s the point in being bitter? It only eats away at you come the end. I’m determined not to let that happen. I’ll have to teach you to learn how to do the same.”
“Oh great, Wise One. I’m lucky to have you to fall back on when all around me is spinning out of control. I appreciate that, Bri.”
Colour flashed in his cheeks, and he turned back to his computer screen.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of Ellen getting back on track by tidying up the office and updating the files to the cases they were working on.
Her pulse quickened around five thirty, when she picked up her gym bag and said goodbye to Brian for the day.
________
Daisy welcomed her with such enthusiasm that Ellen’s discomfort faded a little as the receptionist showed her to the changing rooms.
After changing into her leggings and T-shirt, Ellen made her way towards the lifting equipment, where she found her twenty-something instructor waiting for her.
His muscles weren’t as defined as Will’s. Nevertheless, his impressive pectoral muscles appeared to have stretched his T-shirt to its maximum. “I’m Troy, your instructor for this evening.”
They shook hands as Ellen introduced herself in return. “Where do we start?”
“Have you ever worked out with weights before?”
“Never.”
“Okay. In that case, we need to get you acquainted with the equipment.”
Ellen turned to face the bench press beside her.
The instructor laughed. “Not so quick, Ellen. We need to get your muscles warmed up first. Before any weights can be lifted, everyone is advised to do twenty minutes of stretching exercises. Then, after your lesson has finished, you’ll be required to do ten to fifteen minutes of cooling-down exercises before you leave.”
“Gosh, really? The warming up and cooling down sound to me like they’re workouts on their own, let alone what goes on in between.” Suddenly, she was regretting her bright idea.
The instructor clapped his hands. “Enough procrastination. Let’s get down to business.”
He showed her several exercises, and the required repetitions left her muscles aching slightly, but not badly enough that she wanted to throw in the towel at such an early stage. Once she was into the swing of things, she took the opportunity to glance around the gym, which had started to get busier. She didn’t see Will or Fallon anywhere, but she couldn’t shrug off the strange sensation that someone was watching her.
She felt sweaty and ached all over by the time her session had ended, and she hit the showers to soothe her muscles. As she soaped her body, she heard the door to the changing room open and close, then got spooked when she heard footsteps stop outside the cubicle. Above the noise of the running water, she heard someone whisper something that sounded like, “Your time will come.” Ellen quickly rinsed the soap suds and switched off the shower. She tied a towel around her torso and opened the cubicle door just in time to see the outer door closing behind whoever had tried to frighten her.
Ellen dried herself, dressed hurriedly, and ran back out into the gym. From the doorway, she surveyed the crowd, which had grown considerably in the last ten minutes or so. There, in his usual sectioned-off corner, was Will, lifting weights. He was alone and sweating profusely. Was it him in the shower moments ago? Will looked up, smiled, and motioned for her to join him. Ellen had an instinct that this was the first time he’d even noticed that she was at the gym, so it couldn’t have been him stalking her in the shower. As she walked over to join him, she fixed a firm smile in place and searched the gym for Fallon. The man was nowhere to be seen.
“How are you, Ellen?”
“Sore,” she replied jovially, in spite of her stomach churning and twisting itself into knots.
“That’ll pass. The more you exercise, the easier it’ll get. Before long, you’ll be as addicted to this game as I am.”
Ellen snorted. She dipped under the tape and sat on the bench next to Will. “Not sure I’d want to become addicted. You seem happier today.”
“I am. Your call yesterday about Sandy being released ensured that I slept well for the first time since Donna went missing.”
“That was my idea behind contacting all the families with the news. It must be near impossible to think positive all the time. Hearing something like that should rejuvenate the hope. Not everyone sees it that way, though.”
“You have a point. I went out searching for Donna for the first time last night, instead of just sitting at home, waiting for her to walk through the front door.” He touched his large abs, and with tears misting his eyes, he told her, “I can feel it here and in my heart that she’s out there, calling out somewhere for me to find her.”
Ellen rested a hand on his sweaty forearm. “I’m sure you’re right, Will. I should have some news within the next few days that’ll hopefully move the case in the right direction.” He raised an enquiring eyebrow. Ellen winked at him. “All in good time. I don’t see your friends here tonight. I thought they always came down to workout with you.”
“Most of the time. Not always. Well, I better get on. I’m going to try and lift the heaviest weights I’ve ever achieved tonight. A few more reps with these to get me started, I think.”
Ellen stood up. “Hey, don’t let me stop you. I’ll be in touch in a few days.”
“I hope with more good news.” Will leaned back on the bench and lifted the bar high above his chest.
“I hope so, too.” Ellen walked through the crowds of glistening bodies and stopped at reception to make another appointment with the instructor for the following Friday.
Daisy shook her head. “I think a week in between visits is too long. You’re liable to give up quickly.”
“Oh? What’s the minimum time I should leave it? Because the pains in my muscles are warning me not to attempt anything else for a few weeks.”
“That’s normal. It’s best to come every other day or, max, three days between visits. Go home, have a nice lavender bath, and you’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“And you can guarantee that, can you?” Ellen asked, not trusting a word the receptionist said. She couldn’t—her aching limbs wouldn’t let her.
Daisy nodded. “Guaranteed, or I’ll pay for your next session.”
“Can you book me in for Monday, then? I promise to rest up over the weekend and come back with renewed vigour.”
“Same time?”
“Suits me.”
They said their farewells, and Ellen stepped out into the fresh evening air, her leg muscles stiffer than a fence post as she strode across the car park, trying to get to the safety of her car in case the person who’d visited her in the showers pounced.
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Ellen arrived home without further incident, and after having a long soak in the bath, she went to her room and began making notes on her next plan of action. Her pen flew across the page, noting down phase two of her plan, since phase one hadn’t really been much use in her attempt to flush out Fallon.
“Ellen, are you having dinner with us?” Suzie asked from outside the bedroom door.
“I’m coming.” She threw on her polka-dot dressing gown and opened the door, to find her sister-in-law waiting for her.
“You look better than when you did when you came home.”
“Thanks. I feel better. I’ve been making notes about the case. Do you mind if Jim and I run through them later, after the boys have gone to bed?”
“I ate with the boys earlier. I’m going to give them a bath now. Feel free to discuss it with Jim when you go down.”
“Thanks. I really didn’t want to bore you with the details, anyway.”
Jim was placing two plates on the kitchen table and looked up when Ellen walked in. “Lentil curry tonight, hon, for a change.”
“Sounds wonderful. Can we discuss the case while we eat?”
“Sure.” Jim walked over the fridge and removed a bottle of wine, which he set on the table. Ellen fetched two glasses and poured the wine before she sat down.
“I take it the tox results aren’t back yet?”
“Hopefully tomorrow. The technician is a friend of mine and promised me if he couldn’t find time to do them today, that he’d go in tomorrow to push the tests through.”
“Okay. Well, I’ve been soaking in the bath, planning my next move.”
“Our next move, you mean?” Jim corrected her.
“No, I said it right. My next move. I’m going undercover to draw the bastard out.”
Jim’s eyes widened. “Ellie, we’ve talked about this and agreed not to go down that route. He’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t see what other options we have left open to us. When we get the tox results back, I intend going down to the hospital to challenge his mother about the findings. I think when I do that, Fallon will take flight.”
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