by Mel Sherratt
‘Seth has just tried to strangle me and then he hit me. I think he murdered the old woman across the way and he went mad at me and threatened to kill me too if I said anything.’ She knew it wouldn’t do any harm to exaggerate Seth’s threats as she had thought them real at the time.
‘What old woman?’ Eddie’s eyes flicked to meet hers.
‘One of the tenants has been found dead. I think it was Seth. He’s been acting strange and—’
‘What did you call me for?’
‘About this! He must have been bullying the woman, and he gave her some money in an envelope. She posted it back through our door with “I will not play your games” written on it. I kept it to give it to him later and then I found out the woman had died. When he realised I had the money, he went ballistic. He was worried it was still in her flat and the police would find his fingerprints on it.’
‘That wouldn’t be enough to prove he was involved. How did she die?’
‘The police aren’t saying yet, but I know he had something to do with it. I … I didn’t think he was that dangerous.’
‘He thinks he’s beyond the law.’
She latched on to his words. ‘Which means I’m in danger if I go back to him. That’s why I rung you. I had my suspicions before he assaulted me that it was him.’
‘You mean before you thieved the money.’
‘What?’ She shook her head. ‘No! I never. I just kept it for him.’
‘How much is there?’
‘Nearly three thousand pounds.’
There was a long silence. Shelley knew better than to break it. She waited for Eddie to speak, umpteen things running through her mind. Then he turned back to her.
‘Don’t ring me, don’t call me. This is your mess; you sort it out.’
‘But he’s dangerous!’ she moaned. ‘You know what he’s capable of.’
‘Where is the money?’
‘Seth has it. I was going to give it to you.’
‘No, you weren’t.’
‘I was. I just—’ Shelley stopped as he raised his hand in the air. She’d had one slap today; she didn’t want another. But Eddie wasn’t after hitting her; he was telling her to stop talking.
‘I suggest you go back to him,’ he said, ‘apologise and then find out everything you can about his involvement with this woman’s death.’
‘But—’
‘If you do that, it will be the last thing you’ll have to do. I have enough information on him now, not that you’ve given me much. But you’ll have served your purpose after you do this one thing. Unless you want to go back to the parties?’
Shelley shook her head vehemently. When she’d first been unable to pay back the money he had loaned, she’d been told to be an escort at a party for Leon. It had been full of older guys, businessmen who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. She’d heard rumours of things going on and was glad to get out of it when Eddie had said she had to be his mole.
Yet did she trust him not to go back on his word if she got the information he was after? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t really have a choice.
‘Okay,’ she said eventually.
‘Good girl.’
Shelley got out of the car and watched as he drove away. Once Eddie was out of sight, she crossed the road, ran down the side path and disappeared into the Bennett estate. She would stay with her friend Mandy tonight. She wasn’t going back to the flat until the morning, not until Seth had calmed down.
She needed time to change her plan.
Grace was sitting in her car ready to go back to the station when she spotted Shelley getting out of a black Land Rover. She watched as the young woman ran across the road, along the path into the bowels of the estate.
She paused for a moment before starting the engine. What would Shelley be doing getting out of Eddie Steele’s car?
2012
Ruby was in the kitchen when there was a knock on the front door. Finn had left the hospital over a week ago now and apart from that one phone call, she hadn’t heard anything else from him. She went to answer it, hoping it might be him, coming to take them to safety.
She opened the door. It was thrust towards her and she was slammed up against the wall. Her shoulder took the brunt of it but she didn’t groan or shout out. She didn’t dare.
‘Well, look who we have here.’ Dane squeezed her chin. ‘We meet again, oh pretty one. Have you seen him?’
When she said nothing, he squeezed her chin harder. ‘Answer me!’
‘I haven’t seen him since he left the hospital.’ The words came out in a squeak.
He relaxed his grip but laughed in her face. ‘Now he’s gone, you’ll have to pay instead.’
A tear fell down Ruby’s cheek. ‘I didn’t know he owed you any money.’
Dane sniggered. ‘His disloyalty is going to mean a lot of paying back. You can start by doing an old man a favour.’ He put his hands on her shoulders and forced her to her knees. Then he unzipped his jeans.
Ruby’s eyes widened at his actions. ‘No, please!’
‘You don’t have any say in the matter right now. Do it.’
‘No, stop.’
But he didn’t. He wasn’t the cleanest of people. But at least it was over and done with quickly. Afterwards, he zipped himself up again and pulled her up from her knees by her hair. She screwed up her face at the pain.
‘Okay, now listen here. This is how it’s going to work. You can do whatever you want before midday but I may call from any time after that until midnight on any day. I want you looking nice, fresh and clean during those hours so you’re ready for me. Do you understand?’
She nodded. She couldn’t leave for another month because she was expecting to hear from Finn, but she was going as soon as he got in touch.
‘I want you to stay here for the time being. Go and see the social. You’re a single mum now; they can pay the rent. Once the kid is older, you can come and work for me.’ He patted her on the head like a puppy.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, so tight they stung. This couldn’t be happening. It was like a dream. No, a nightmare. But when she opened them, he was still there.
‘No running away now.’ He jabbed a finger at her face. ‘And you tell a soul about our little arrangement and I swear I will rip you into little pieces. Do you hear?’
She started to sob.
‘Shut up.’ He clamped a hand over her mouth. ‘You don’t want anyone snooping around here if they think something is wrong, do you?’
His eyes were dark and menacing, and there was nothing but disgust in them.
‘It’s going to be just you and me from now on. If that loser comes back you tell him to keep away from you and to come and see me if he knows what’s best for him. The more trouble he causes the more I will hurt you.’
Once he’d gone, Ruby rushed into the bathroom and threw up. She scrambled into the corner and wrapped her arms around her knees. Then she cried. Lily cried too, but she couldn’t even go to her aid. She was so frightened.
She was trapped here, for up to four weeks until she could go to Finn. If she left, Dane would find her. He’d probably beat her up and drag her back. And what would happen if he went too far and killed her? He was a beast of a man, a powerhouse. What would happen to Lily?
Eventually she pulled herself up from the floor to get her phone and rang Finn’s number. But there was no reply. It was switched on, yet no one picked up – just like all the other times she’d tried to call him. She left him a voicemail.
‘Finn, I need to come to you now,’ she sobbed. ‘I’ve just had a visit from Dane and he – he made me do things. He says you owe him because you left. Please call me back. I need you. Please, Finn. Don’t leave me to deal with him on my own. I can’t do this.’
FORTY-TWO
It was half past four by the time Grace got back to the station. She caught up with Sam who’d found out some new information.
‘We’ve had a call from a member of
the public, Daniel Strong, who works as a security guard. He monitors several properties in Century Street and has reported seeing an abandoned Ford Focus in the rear car park of the empty Bathrooms Warehouse building. Says it’s been there a few days. Uniform went to check it out. The car was reported stolen in Stoke on Monday evening and it looks as if someone has been sleeping rough in it. We’ve cordoned it off and forensics are checking for prints. I’m also trawling through cameras and CCTV close by to see who’s been using it.’
Grace high-fived her colleague. ‘Did you find anything on Seth Forrester’s BMW? We still need evidence to link him to the hit and run with Caleb Campbell.’
‘I can’t find anything on Hanley Road but I’m looking on Leek New Road. Hopefully I can find an image with a registration plate that puts him in the area. Do you realise how many black BMWs are on the road, though?’
Grace grimaced and went back to her desk, updating Frankie with what she’d learned. Adrenaline rushed through her as she realised there were a few things that might finally be coming together.
Fetching Tyler home from hospital was a bittersweet moment. They’d had to wait hours for the consultant to do a final visit but Tyler had been discharged. Then they’d collected Lily from school and treated both children to a burger and chips. So it was nearing five o’clock when they arrived home. Already the cars were frosting over, the grass gleaming white as the sky was almost dark.
Ruby bustled them into the flat. At least they were all together now, and plans could be made.
‘Be careful,’ she said to Tyler as he squealed when he saw his toy box. ‘I don’t want you getting too excited. And watch out for that cast on your ankle or else you’ll give someone an injury. Go on, sit down and spend some time with your dad.’
‘Yep, Tiger.’ Luke crouched down next to him. ‘I’ve missed playing games with you.’
Ruby gave a weak smile. She knew she’d feel like wrapping Tyler up in cotton wool for a while but it was to be expected. She was glad to be home, her family in one place again.
Luke picked Tyler up and placed him on the settee. Ruby could sense her son was nervous. She hoped his subdued mood wasn’t because he was home and reliving the nightmare. They’d been very lucky to come away with him unscathed except for his ankle. She was praying that in time he might forget what had happened on Monday evening.
Above the sound of the TV, she heard the letterbox go. It was late: she frowned. It was probably a circular at this time of the day. She started to prepare their tea and thought nothing more of it until a few minutes later when Lily joined her. She held out a pink envelope.
‘This was on the door mat,’ she said. ‘It has your name on it.’
‘It’s probably from one of the neighbours.’ She’d had several get-well cards for Tyler from them and had found it quite comforting.
She opened the envelope. The picture had a mother bear looking after her cub, ‘Get Well Soon’ emblazoned across the top in lime green. She opened it, and then held on to the wall for support.
I am this close to you. Don’t ever forget that. I can get to you or your family any time.
Meet me this evening at 5.30. I’ll be behind the bushes after the third lamppost along the path. If you don’t show, I will come to you again.
‘What’s the matter, Mum?’ Lily asked.
‘Oh, nothing.’ Ruby added a fake smile to her face. ‘Would you like a drink of hot chocolate?’
Lily nodded and they went into the kitchen. Ruby hid the card inside the drawer but not before reading the words again. She held in her tears, her fear. He wasn’t giving her any choice but to go to him.
Yet she couldn’t.
She hadn’t seen him for so many years although he had lived in her head all that time.
She opened the kitchen drawer, and stared at the knives. Then she slammed it shut. She wasn’t that kind of person. Then again, maybe she needed to be stronger. She opened the drawer again and slid one into her handbag. At least she had it there.
She thought back to the first time he had caught up with her. She had only been gone about six months and was living on her own with Lily. He’d taunted her for weeks. He’d stolen post, he’d taken Lily’s push-along bike, there had been a dead bird on the doorstep. The usual nuisance stuff.
At first she’d put it down to kids mucking around – opportunist thieves with the bike that had never been found – until she’d got back from work one afternoon to find her flat had been broken into. The place had been ransacked, nothing taken but it was someone looking for something. On the wallpaper in the living room, written in one of her pink lipsticks, were the words ‘I want what’s mine.’
She’d upped and left soon after. When he found her for a second time, she’d started to realise that it was a game to him and he liked the chase.
What she had of his was important but wasn’t the end result. She knew even if she handed it in to the police, she still wouldn’t be safe. He would send someone else for revenge. She didn’t know why she’d kept it for so long in the first instance but somehow she’d felt compelled to.
Now she felt like she was back to square one. Had he got straight out of prison and come for her, waiting until he could come and get her himself? Why did he have to search her out again? Hadn’t she lived enough of a punishment for the past eight years?
There was only one thing she could do. She had to talk to him, ensure that it wasn’t his intention to harm her before she gave him what he was after.
And then she would talk to Luke, explain everything to him and hope that the two of them could get through this. He upset her at times with his gambling, but she loved him. Apart from that, he was strong, dependable, stable and good for the kids. Maybe they could get away and start again, with no secrets this time.
But whether or not he came with her, Ruby wasn’t waiting around any longer. She would have preferred to go straight away, yet knew they’d have to be careful with Tyler just coming out of hospital. Once he was rested overnight, they could leave first thing in the morning. Maybe even this evening. He’d miss his outpatients appointment and he’d need to have his cast removed in six weeks but they could go to the nearest hospital for that. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.
As the clock started to tick down to half past five, realisation flooded through her. If she told the police, he would harm her and her family, and she would be on the run for ever more. No one could stop him; he didn’t care who he hurt. He was mad. She’d seen first-hand what he was capable of.
She had to stop this.
She had to face her fears and go to see him.
FORTY-THREE
In the kitchen, Ruby poured milk down the sink and washed it away. Then she left the empty container on the worktop and went in to Luke.
‘We’ve run out of milk,’ she said, reaching for her bag. ‘I’m just popping to the shop. Do you want anything?’
‘Don’t think so.’ He shook his head and turned back to the TV. He and Tyler had been playing a game since he’d returned. Lily was sitting next to them, feet curled up at her side, her nose in a book.
Ruby’s heart almost burst with pride, with love. That was her family, right there. She had to protect them, whatever the cost. She had to keep them safe.
But maybe he would kill her. She’d known what he was after and yet she’d been unable to tell anyone about it, even when Tyler was hurt. He wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted.
It seemed like a long time to get from her flat and onto the path but in reality it was only a minute or two. She said hello to the lady from flat 110 as she passed her on the walkway, and then put her head down. She didn’t have time to chat. In the car park, people were coming home for the day.
Downstairs there were a few police officers, working on finding out who had murdered Mary Stanton, she suspected. She hadn’t heard yet if they had anyone in custody. She supposed it might have taken attention away from them looking for him, which could only be a g
ood thing as she didn’t want further repercussions. Still, it was understandable, as Mary had been murdered, but Ruby was in danger too.
The communal staircase was still sealed off from the public so she used the fire escape. Ruby could see her breath billowing out in front of her like smoke. How she longed to be in the warmth, sitting next to Lily on the settee.
Protect my family, she repeated to herself over and over. I have to protect my family.
She couldn’t let him ruin her life any more.
She saw him in front of her and willed her feet to walk towards him; her heart to keep beating.
Had he been watching the area for a while to see how everything worked? Knowing him, he’d picked a spot where he could do anything to her if he wanted to. He would stop at nothing.
‘It’s about time I caught up with you, don’t you think?’ Dane came out of the shadows as she drew level.
Every atom in her body willed her to turn away. Every hair stood on end. Her breath began to rasp in her panic at the sound of his voice. If she had to scream, she hoped the police might hear her. It could antagonise him but she would do it if she had to.
Yet she couldn’t let him know how much he scared her. How she wanted to turn around and run as far away as possible. How she wondered if she had the nerve to stand her ground.
‘I never wanted to see you again,’ she said quietly.
‘You might have had your way if I hadn’t got out of prison early.’ Dane sniggered. ‘Good behaviour. Kept my head down, served my time. And there wasn’t a day that went by without me thinking what I would do to you when I saw you again.’
‘Why won’t you leave me alone? You know I won’t go to the police.’
‘I want what’s mine.’
Those chilling words again.
‘I don’t have it with me,’ she replied.
He snorted. ‘You expect me to believe that?’ He took a step closer to her. ‘If you do, you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were.’
‘I’m made of strong stuff to have stayed with you as long as I did.’