Remember Me

by D. E. White

  ‘Okay, so that weekend in Cardiff, it was me, Paul, Huw and Rhodri. Jesse was away on some delivery job. Like I said, we went out to some clubs, did the usual nights out. But something happened whilst we were there, not just what I said before. I read in the paper that there was a girl on campus who was raped. I’m not saying there’s a connection, I’m just saying, we were there. Me and Paul were together, but the others all went off with different girls, and we know something happened to Ellen before she died…’

  Shit. ‘Thanks, Pen, that’s really helpful.’ Ava ended the call and started searching the internet. Sure enough, a few of the local papers seemed to have got hold of the story. The girl was an English student, and she reported the rape after a night out with friends. The stories got shorter as Ava tracked the follow-up articles, but the gist seemed to be that the girl dropped the charges, and the stories suggested quite strongly that she had been drunk, possibly even lied about what had happened. But they had been there, almost the whole gang. Ava reached for her phone again.

  Chapter 23

  The board is open in front of me, as the long hours of darkness stretch ahead. The police interviewed me today, and we talked about Alex Jennington’s sad demise. So amusing. DI Sophie Miles is clearly an intelligent woman, although her looks let her down. I’ve never liked women with short hair. None of my customers would consider her special enough.

  Who would have thought that Ava would react so well to the supposed truth about Ellen’s death? I fed her bits and pieces, and she scurried along the trail. I can see why she is good at her job. When she asks questions her voice is clear and soft, and her turquoise eyes hold yours. Her dark hair is still long, but the fringe frames her face now, making her seem gentler, more vulnerable than she actually is. Experience has shaped her, moulded her, just as it did me, and now we are both older, the games are even better.

  Ava spilling her guts has produced a few challenges, I admit, but nothing I can’t handle. The trouble today is that I haven’t been able to visit the girl. I don’t want her to die yet, not after all the trouble I went to getting hold of her. Ava must have incentive to carry on with the game, and this is the only sure way to get her to play. Her instinct is always to save people, and in adult life seemingly to lock up the bad boys and girls. I’m sure she now knows that there is no definite line between good and bad. It is not her place to judge the outer shell of others.

  Everyone in the village is gossiping about the murder. The older generation love it, and I was careful to bump into Mrs B at the store and give her my version of events. After what Ava has said, it won’t take the police long to work out Jesse wasn’t the one who murdered Ellen. This isn’t a total disaster, and naturally much police time and effort seems to be going on trying to find Bethan and Cerys. There is another DI working on that case, and I hoped he might be less perceptive than his colleague. Unfortunately, he is just as shrewd. They can’t find her yet. The key to my success is going to be keeping them all busy, using switch and bait, so they are distracted by the promise of finding a living victim, as opposed to just seeking out the killer of a corpse. It won’t be long before they find a sweet little reward along the trail. That will make them think they are so terribly clever.

  She’s a lovely girl really, now she’s adjusted to being with me. Not that we didn’t know each other before. It’s just that she has never seen this side of me. It takes a bit of getting used to, I suppose.

  There is a white tent up over Ellen’s grave site, and lots of white-suited people staggering around East Wood. Big cordons and blue-and-white police tape are keeping out the local press. It won’t be long before the nationals figure out that this is a great story. It doesn’t bother me, because the more of them that know, the better really. I do want a big audience for my finale. I want to go out in a hellslide of trumpets, thunder and lightning and applause. The applause will come afterwards, but I hope I will just catch the faintest whisper of it, and of the gratitude.

  The dice clatter and roll for each separate player, and I move them methodically around the board. It’s peaceful, and exciting at the same time. Tomorrow I will send Ava another clue, and if she gets it, she’ll be ahead of all the other pieces on the board. My fingers hesitate on a spare player. This one is green wood, like her green eyes. Inspector Miles joins the game. I hope she won’t feature much, but she’ll add to the thrill of the chase.

  I had a long chat with Mr B yesterday. It is so important to take time to lay the foundations of lies. He has always been a fan, and he understands what I am going through. He never really liked Ellen though… Ellen was a bad judge of character. She adored Coach Thomas because he was good-looking and let her on the football team, yet she disliked Mr Birtley because he was short, balding and stuttered a bit when he got excited. So superficial, and fickle to judge everyone like that. If someone tells you that you are special, they always have an agenda. I didn’t realise this to begin with, but I soon got wise to the facts of life.

  Anyway, Mr B was on tea duty, so I carried the tray for him, all the way down to the graveyard. Mrs Birtley’s parents have been dead for several years. I believe they died within months of each other. She is so devoted to their memory, so agitated if anyone questions that devotion, that I sometimes wonder if, like me, she is hiding something. Anyway, every day she makes up a polished silver tea tray with cups, teapot and slice of cake on flower-patterned plates. Apparently, the china tea set was a wedding present, all those decades ago. It is pretty, so very, very pretty, that I was tempted to drop a brittle china cup to see how it sounded shattering on the road. But I didn’t. I chatted away to Mr B, and set the tray gently down by the grave. I helped him clear away the fading flowers and arrange some new ones, and then, I left him sitting forlornly on the cold bench. He’ll have to wait there until she gets back from her WI meeting.

  The headstones make me shiver. What will mine look like, and will anyone come to lay flowers by my decaying bones? Most importantly, will I be able to watch from my position in the heavens? Will I be able to look down, or will there be nothing? The thought of nothing terrifies me, but I comfort myself and imagine it might be peaceful. It might even be like flying, that safe position above everyone. No touching, no shouting, no pain, just a soaring feeling of light and love deep in my chest.

  I had my next errand of mercy to carry out, and I slipped a knife into my bag. After that I will have to head back down to the film set. That’s where the action is going to be.

  ‘Cwrdd a fi wrth y tân, Ava Cole.’

  ‘Meet me by the fire, Ava Cole.’

  Chapter 24

  Ava woke to her phone buzzing, and she fumbled, bleary-eyed for the device, knocking her glass of water onto the floor as she did so.

  ‘Ava! I’ve been trying to get hold of you for ages.’

  ‘Leo, it’s only just gone five. I don’t normally go running until six. What do you want?’

  ‘Good news and bad news. Cerys has been found!’

  ‘Thank fuck for that. Is she okay?’ Ava’s heart was pounding so hard it seemed to shake her whole body, thumping out a drumbeat in her head. She could barely breathe. Please let Bethan be alive too…

  ‘She was with the group that went missing. When they split, she and Bethan heard Helen fall, but she swears they had nothing to do with it. It did unnerve her though. She wanted to go on to the next camp, but Bethan told her they should wait a bit longer. Anyway, they argued and the stupid girl went off into the wood on her own. But the interesting thing is someone followed her. Cerys says she was assaulted, her hands and feet bound, she was gagged, and then she was dumped in the crevice in the woods, where she was eventually found. She swears this was some of the other contestants, but she doesn’t know all their names. The woods are dense in that area, and there are some rocky crevices in the middle.’

  ‘And she thinks it was someone from Tough Love?’

  ‘She is convinced that one of the other girls must have got their boyfriend to do it. She rec
kons there were at least two of them tying her up – one male and one female.’

  ‘What do you think? The search teams must have covered the whole area. Why didn’t they find her before this?’

  ‘Come on, Ava, you know yourself what the countryside is like around here, and the weather has been shit,’ Leo said. ‘If we are able to go ahead she should get lots of votes. My team are with her now, trying to find out exactly who was involved, and I’m sure the police will be keen to talk to all the contestants again.’

  But Ava had heard enough about Cerys. It seemed unlikely, given the events of the past week, that the girl had been attacked by her competitors, but certainly possible. Sophie and her team could deal with that. It was enough that she was safe. After the first wave of relief, Ava was bracing herself for the bad news. ‘And Bethan?’

  His voice was sober now. ‘The police have found Bethan’s boots. One of the search teams found them under a bush next to Big Water. Apparently, they were laid together neatly, laced up, with her socks stuffed inside. Next to them were Alex Jennington’s socks and shoes, again laid out very neatly. The other search team is over at East Wood digging up Ellen’s body. Ava?’

  Ava tried not to retch, and the hot surge of guilt that had made her check her phone practically all night mixed with bile. The Smiths had never called back, and the police would now have told them before she had a chance to confess.

  She tried to process the information Leo was giving out, even as another incoming call made her phone vibrate. It was Sophie Miles. She would ring her back. Presumably she was only ringing with the same stuff that Leo was currently imparting, and she still needed to grill Leo.

  ‘Ava? Did you hear what I said?’ Leo’s voice was agitated now, and so far away from his usual lazy, amused tones. ‘She might have gone into Big Water and drowned, or, been drowned by whoever killed that PI. They say they’re going to send divers into the lake later today. My insurance guy is going ballistic, and the press are in a frenzy of excitement. It’s even trending on Twitter.’

  Was there a note of pride underlying his words, even though he was undoubtedly stressed? Ava stored the thought away. He didn’t seem bothered by the fact Ellen’s body was being removed from its woodland grave, or that her parents would now get another hit of betrayal when they found out who was involved in her death. ‘Yeah, I’m still here. Look, I’ve got things to ask, so can we meet?’

  ‘Yes, can you come up here?’

  ‘Come to your house? I’m not sure that’s a great idea. Aren’t the press staking you out already?’

  ‘They are mostly down at the production offices, and here I have electric gates to keep them out. Just drive at them, and they mostly hop out of the way. Wear a hat or something if you don’t want to be in the papers tomorrow. Do you want me to come and get you?’

  ‘No, I’ll take Mr Birtley’s truck again. He said I could borrow it any time.’

  She dragged on her coat and gloves, listening to Sophie’s message as she trudged down to the shed where the truck was kept. It was an update on Bethan, the same news Leo had just told her, with the additional plea to let her know the instant any other cryptic messages arrived on her phone.

  * * *

  Leo’s house was set just above Aberdyth. It was a new-build, all glass, chrome and right angles. There were a few photographers camped out by Leo’s gate, but she pulled her baseball cap right down over her eyes, and drove straight past, blanking them. She yanked the truck to a halt inside Leo’s compound. The stone walls were high enough for privacy, and she caught a glimpse of a snow-covered infinity pool, and perfectly edged flower beds with tall frosted plants, before she approached the front door.

  A housekeeper showed her in, frowning slightly at Ava’s snowy, muddy boots. Leo was waiting in his living room, hair still wet from the shower, barefoot, in jeans and a white T-shirt. It was a large house, giving the appearance of an industrial loft, but instead of being cold, it was warm and smelled slightly of wood and polish. The view across the hills and valley was breathtaking, and Ava stood for a second, in her socks, soaking up the underfloor heating, admiring the beauty and the wildness.

  ‘Told you electric gates are the answer.’ Leo moved across to the sofas, and dumped a tray of coffee and pastries on the table next to her. ‘Sit down. So what do you think of the house?’

  Ava looked around at the immaculate white walls, the spotlights, huge TV and black leather sofas. There was a smart kitchen at one end, with glossy white and chrome fittings, and the floor was dark, Welsh slate. Framed photographs of Leo at various stages of his career covered one wall, and black-and-white pictures of the valleys covered another. The only sign of any personal touches was the stack of books on the kitchen counter, next to a bowl of shiny green apples, and a monopoly set on a shelf.

  ‘I think it suits you perfectly. You always were the cleanest, tidiest teenager I knew.’

  Leo grinned. ‘It didn’t take long to get permission to demolish my nana’s old place and build this. My dream house. I designed most of it. Of course, I’ve got a flat in Cardiff, and a place in Shoreditch for when I’m working properly, but this is my bolthole.’

  Ava sipped her hot coffee and snagged a pastry. ‘Don’t tell me you made these?’

  ‘No. My housekeeper likes cooking, so she quite often leaves me stuff.’

  ‘Great. Leo, have you spoken to Huw today? He must be in bits by now. This does suggest Bethan is not just fooling around for the cameras. Do you normally have this much trouble with your cast?’

  Leo glanced away, brow creasing, quickly checking his phone. ‘They can be difficult, and yes we have had minor accidents, but never this much trouble. I tried Huw last night, and then when the search team told me about the boots. Apparently, he took the Land Rover out last night, and he’s not back yet. He told his missus he was going into town.’

  ‘Cadrington?’

  ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘Right. And what do you think? Is it possible Huw is involved in all of this, right down to harming his own daughter?’

  Leo’s eyes opened wide. ‘Fuck no! Huw loves Bethan. I mean, Christ, he idolises that kid. You saw how he was on the set. He keeps all her videos, photos, runs her modelling website. He’s obsessed. The other kids don’t get a look in.’

  ‘Do you not find that slightly weird?’

  ‘No. Well… that’s just how some parents are, isn’t it?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know. Did the police ask if you thought Ellen’s case was connected to this one?’

  ‘Yes.’ He sat next to her, still smiling, still charming, but with a hint of ice in his voice. ‘I told them the absolute truth about what happened the night Ellen died, and I also told them everything I know about Bethan’s disappearance.’

  She held his gaze. ‘And did you?’

  ‘Think whatever you want to think, Ava Cole. You seem to have forgotten I can take care of myself. I have made a living out of taking chances. Even this incident with Bethan and the murder can be turned around. I admit I feel slightly sick when I think of my team kicking back, being paid with nothing to do, but I can turn this media invasion to my advantage. Great PR for the next series.’

  Ava stared at him. ‘That is twisted. What about Bethan? What about Alex?’

  He waved her protest away. ‘No it isn’t, I’m just using things to my advantage. Remember when we used to play “True Lies” as kids and I was always winning? That’s because I know how to play the game.’

  ‘So who really killed Ellen?’ she snapped.

  Leo rolled his eyes in mock frustration. ‘I don’t know. If I had to guess before all this blew up again, I really would have said it was Jesse. Now, I suppose, and I do hate to say this, Huw has been the most stressed about you coming back. He hates the police, so you being one of them made him sure you were going to stir up trouble. And so you have! He wouldn’t hurt Bethan though, so don’t let that thought cross your mind.’

  ‘So are you saying Huw raped an
d killed Ellen?’

  ‘No. I’m saying that he might have done. Remember we don’t know she was raped. I said it looked like she had been sexually assaulted, because of the way her clothing was torn and missing, but we were prepared to believe the worst that night. I can’t be sure. Are you recording this, Ava?’ He was grinning at her again, and before she could speak, he slid a hand around her shoulders, moving round to her neck. ‘I don’t know how these things work for cops, but I assume you would be hiding things under your clothes. Maybe I should ask you to take your clothes off?’

  ‘Oh, fuck off, Leo. This is not a game. People are dying!’ Ava poured more coffee, gulping the hot restorative liquid, feeling warmth and energy flowing through her body. She couldn’t afford to be tired, or go off point. Someone was out to get her, and they were doing very well at outsmarting everyone so far. Not to mention Bethan’s life was on the line.

  ‘I’m aware of that, and I’m aware that there is nothing I can do to help them. Oh, and Ava, you’re wrong. Do you want a cigarette?’

  ‘No. What am I wrong about?’

  ‘About me, for a start. I am not involved in the murder of that nice Alex Jennington, and I am not involved in Bethan’s disappearance. From everything I know and that you have told me, this is a game, and whoever is playing against you… well, I’d say you need to be careful.’

  ‘Are you threatening me?’

  ‘No, I’m just giving you some friendly advice. I won’t let anyone hurt you, Ava.’ Leo blew smoke away from her, blue eyes fixed on her face.

  ‘Thanks, I feel totally reassured now.’ Ava’s phone buzzed. She stood up and moved away from Leo. ‘Hi Jack.’

  ‘Ava, I’ve just got some more background for you. Can you talk?’

  ‘Not right now, so just tell me. There’s been a development here too. One of the missing girls has been found. She is fine, but her hands and legs were bound, and she was gagged. She swears the other contestants must have done it, but it seems far too much of a coincidence. The other girl, Bethan, is still missing – they just found her boots by a reservoir.’