Cold as Ice

by Lee Weeks

  ‘Yeah, I saw her all the time, at social events. Lovely girl. She was a bit mad and a lot of fun. But not my type.’ He blushed.

  Back at the flat Ebony skyped Robbo. Ebony thought how tired he looked.

  ‘Phone records are in,’ he said. ‘Christian Goddard seems to be the common denominator with our victims. On all of their Facebook pages.’

  ‘Has anyone posted anything new on Emily Styles’ page since the news broke about her death?’

  ‘Yes, there are over twenty messages. Just basic RIP ones.’

  ‘Did Christian post?’

  ‘No. Yan did, though. How did coffee go?’

  ‘It went okay. He seems to have a low opinion of Christian Goddard.’

  ‘That’s a male ploy to big himself up in your eyes. Men always slag one another off to women. We’re like builders. We always blame the last man on the job. I am getting your GPS signal by the way.’

  ‘My pendant?’

  ‘Yes. And the transmitter in your shoe.’

  ‘So you heard the conversation anyway. Why did you ask about it then?’

  ‘I didn’t want to appear rude.’ She smiled to herself and rolled her eyes. ‘You’re doing a damn good job, Ebb. Keep it up.’

  ‘I’d rather be back in Fletcher House in my comfort zone.’

  ‘You’re doing a great job and you’ve responded really well to everything. You are the one who has a real hope of finding Danielle in time.’

  ‘I understand, Robbo. I’m going to do everything I can. I met one of Christian’s conquests yesterday evening – Julie. I think she’d open up to me.’

  ‘Julie Lynton, friends with Selena Tibbs? I see they’re friends on Facebook. Yes, she confirmed your friend request.’

  ‘I’ll see if she’s on chat.’

  ‘Yes she is. IM her. Instant Messenger is definitely the safest way to ask sensitive questions. Any direct messages might be read if you’re hacked into. Facebook hang on to data, even deleted messages sometimes. They’ve had criticism for it in the past. You ready? I’ll chip in if I think it’s helpful.’

  ‘Okay.’ Ebony typed a message in the chat box:

  ‘Hi Julie, any hangover?’

  ‘Not too bad. What about you?

  ‘No. I had an early night.’

  ‘Are you coming out tomorrow night?’

  ‘To the Pear and Peach?’

  ‘ Yes.’

  ‘I think so – finding out about a babysitter.’

  ‘Who else is going, do you know?’

  ‘Not sure, sorry. Yan told me about it.’

  ‘Christian?’

  ‘Don’t know. Is there a thing between u 2?’

  ‘Sort of.’

  ‘Oh. Didn’t know, sorry.’

  ‘Don’t worry. Don’t think you’re his type.’

  Ebony smiled to herself. She knew Robbo would be hiding a smile behind a coffee mug.

  ‘What about Danielle Foster, people say they are seeing one another? Do you know her? I haven’t met her.’

  ‘I heard her name mentioned in connection with his. They def were not together. I haven’t seen her for a week or two. Who knows? Maybe she’s seeing someone else? She missed her classes.’

  ‘You care about Christian?’

  ‘Not care as in love. Just think we’re good together.’

  ‘A player isn’t he?’

  ‘Yeah – bad boy – always fall for them. LOL. He isn’t really that bad. He’s a really nice guy underneath.’

  ‘Have you spent some time with him? Been to his house?’

  ‘He came to mine.’

  ‘Why didn’t he take it further?’

  ‘He hasn’t yet.’

  Ebony could see Robbo on webcam giving her the ‘wind it up’ sign. He was telling her that Julie was going to take more time to loosen up. Christian had just come on as available to chat.

  ‘Got to go now, Julie, Archie’s crying. Glad we had a chat.’

  ‘And me’.

  Christian was waiting to talk to her.

  ‘You going out tonight?’

  ‘Yes. Joining Yan and a few others at the Pear and Peach on Holloway Road. Are you coming?’

  ‘Yeah. I’ll be there. How’s Archie? I heard he had chicken pox.’

  Yep, thought Ebony, that’s the power of social media – word gets around.

  ‘Who told you that?’

  ‘Yan. He also said to leave you alone. LOL he wants you for himself. Take a photo of Archie’s spots. I want to see if it’s as bad as when Elsie got it.’

  ‘Okay – will do.’

  Ebony was trying to work out if she could get Tina to paint some spots on Archie’s face when she babysat.

  ‘Christian, can I ask you something?’

  ‘Ask away.’

  ‘Are you seeing anyone at the moment?’

  ‘Nope. I’m young free and definitely single.’

  ‘Yan mentioned you were seeing someone on the course named Danielle?’

  ‘Danielle who?’

  ‘Very funny – the Danielle who’s with you in several photos.’

  ‘You’ve been checking up on me? ;-)’

  ‘Not checking, just making sure I know what I’m dealing with. Julie has already staked her claim on you. I don’t want to be in a queue.’

  ‘No queue. Julie is a bit of a bunny boiler.’

  ‘She knew about Danielle.’

  ‘Yeah. I know who you mean but Danielle wasn’t my type.’

  Ebony looked across at Robbo on the webcam. ‘I noticed he said “wasn’t?”’ she said to him.

  ‘Yes interesting,’ he replied. ‘Let me take over the typing for a minute.’

  ‘So you haven’t seen her?’ Robbo typed.

  ‘No. I told you. She’s dropped out of the course. I think she’s left. She’s a nice girl but not my type.’

  ‘Do you have a type?’

  ‘I like dusky maidens with deadpan expressions who look like they trust no one.’

  ‘Can’t be many of those around.

  ‘LOL, tell you what. I’ll be happy to give my medical opinion about Archie. I make home visits. What’s your mobile number?’

  Robbo signalled to Ebony to take over again. She typed in her number and then finished the conversation with Christian.

  ‘What do you think?’ she asked, looking back at Robbo on the webcam.

  ‘Yeah, he described you quite well. He is bright. Astute. He’s definitely keen. You have to keep it on the simmer, Ebb. There must be no sign of entrapment. Not that I think you’d allow it to go too far anyway.’

  ‘Absolutely no chance of that. He makes me feel slightly queasy when he comes near me.’

  ‘Does he make you feel scared?’

  ‘Not so much. But he’s good at this part – the chase.’

  ‘Yes. I guess if he is Hawk, he probably has this part of the game off to a tee.’ Ebony’s other phone rang from her bag across the room. ‘You answer that. I’ll take over for you,’ Robbo said, as Ebony got up to answer the call.

  It was from the institution where her mother was being held. Ebony listened to the member of staff telling her that she needed to visit more often and that her mother had started self-harming.

  Whilst Ebony was on the phone Yan came on to IM and wrote Ebony a note.

  ‘Still coming tomorrow night? How’s Archie?’

  Robbo answered for her.

  ‘Archie’s not as bad as he could be – a bit miz, but I’ll make it tomorrow – you had a good day? You been talking to Christian about me?

  ‘Just general chitchat. He’s interested if you are!!! You and Christian? I said he had no chance; he seems to think otherwise. Which is it?’

  ‘Maybe,’ replied Robbo.

  There was a longish gap with no reply.

  ‘Who’d have thought it?

  Ebony finished her phonecall and came back over to her laptop as Yan replied: ‘Shame.’ And signed off.

  Ebony looked at the screen and what Robbo
had written.

  Bugger, she thought. She knew Yan would wonder why she said that. Maybe he’d question whether he’d understood her at all. She was just as shallow as all the others then.

  Robbo watched her reaction: he saw her face drop as she stared at the screen and what he’d written.

  ‘You understand what’s at stake here, Ebb? I’ve sent Christian and anyone else who’s interested, a clear message that you’re a maybe. If he’s the killer he’ll need it. He has to think you’re ready. He might like a bit of superficial competition but he also likes a conquest.’

  ‘Do you think Christian could be our man?’

  ‘Yeah, I do. He’s working a familiar pattern through picking up a certain type of woman attending the classes.’

  ‘Do you have an address for him?’

  ‘Yes. We can’t risk getting too close to it. I think he’ll spot surveillance if we’re not very careful.’

  ‘Do you think he’d risk keeping the women at his house?’

  ‘Not there. He could have a lock-up somewhere. We are having him followed. We have a surveillance team on him. The injuries on the women suggest that they didn’t get fed, looked after regularly: they were starved and dehydrated. Someone could be visiting them less than three times a week.’

  ‘What do you want me to do?’

  ‘Gain his trust. Go so far. Keep a GPS signal transmitting and for God’s sake keep your wits about you. He loves to play games. He loves to hurt. He may say he does, but he doesn’t have a “physical type”, only an emotional one. All the women had in common was their circumstances in life. All of them deserved better than life dealt them and they were realizing it, they were striving for a better life and going it solo. They let their guard down with him. I don’t know why. Maybe his good looks, charm, some flattery that they never got. I expect most of them had trust issues like you. Most of them would have been wary. But as tough as these women had had it, they still craved acceptance, adoration from a guy like him. That’s the kind of women he goes for – ones where he understands their weak point.’

  Chapter 39

  Tracy opened the door for Jeanie. Jackson went to sit at the table. Jackson picked up his crayons and began drawing. Jeanie called Tracy into the kitchen to talk. Tracy spoke first before Jeanie had chance to:

  ‘Can I go out? I need to go and see Steve. I’ll be about an hour and I’ll be back by the time Jackson’s ready for bed.’

  ‘Okay, Tracy, if it’s important to you then you must go, but take the phone and try not to stay out too long. It’s much better if Hawk thinks you are here when he calls. If he does call, try and quickly find somewhere quiet to speak.’

  ‘What should I say?’

  ‘Try and make him feel like you could be a friend – a mother figure. Try and think of him as a victim, Tracy. As hard as it is I need you to be kind to him. I need you to be motherly.’

  Tracy nodded. She looked down to see Jackson, who had come into the kitchen and was mirroring her own worried expression.

  ‘Jackson needs some fresh air, I think. We’ll go for a little walk, maybe to the library to read some books,’ said Jeanie.

  Jackson nodded his head but his eyes stayed on Tracy, worried.

  Tracy watched Jeanie get Jackson into his suit. Even Tracy missed Scruffy. She was even thinking of trying to entice the neighbour’s cat in for Jackson to play with but she wasn’t sure if it had fleas. She went over to him and knelt down and hugged him.

  ‘Have a nice time with Jeanie. Nanny will see you when you get back.’ Jackson nodded, put his arms around her neck and gave her a hug.

  Tracy waited until they had closed the door behind them and then she put some clean shirts and underpants in a bag for Steve and locked up. She picked up the phone with a sense of loathing. It felt like she was a prisoner on death row, waiting but never knowing when the call would come. She closed the front door behind her and got into her car, drove out of the driveway and headed towards Steve’s work. She thought about calling him but it was getting near to the end of the working day now. She thought he wouldn’t mind if she just turned up.

  She pulled into the company car park and looked at the vans parked up there. There was a main reception area in front of the warehouse. Tracy walked up to Betty who had worked on the reception desk for as long as Tracy could remember.

  ‘Hi Betty; is it all right if I say hi to Steve?’

  Betty’s smile was fading fast; she looked nervously towards the main office, where Tracy could see people moving behind the glass window.

  ‘He’s not here, Tracy. I’m sorry.’ She shook her head and looked embarrassed. Tracy laughed nervously.

  ‘Oh. I thought he was working today?’ She frowned. Once again Betty looked towards the office. A man who Tracy didn’t recognize was watching them.

  ‘New staff member?’

  Tracy smiled at the man watching her. He smiled back.

  ‘Uh, yes.’

  ‘Okay, well, I guess I’ll talk to him later then?’ Betty nodded. Tracy was almost out of the door when Betty called to her and came around the desk to speak to her.

  ‘Tracy, the thing is, he doesn’t work here any more.’ Tracy looked at her as if she were making a joke. Betty reached out to put her hand on Tracy’s arm, Tracy stared at it and then back up at Betty’s face.

  ‘The thing is, Tracy, he was suspended.’ Tracy didn’t answer. Her eyes flitted over Betty’s face and then towards the office where the man had turned away.

  ‘That . . .’ She looked towards the office door and the back of the man’s head. ‘That’s his replacement. Steve didn’t deserve it, despite the allegations.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Betty took a deep breath. ‘Look, Tracy, I know you’re not going to like me for being the one to tell you but the thing is, I would want to know – so woman to woman, I’m telling you what I know. He was said to have got over-friendly with a couple of the clients we have – big customers. He made a bit of a nuisance of himself.’

  ‘In what way? I don’t understand.’

  ‘One of our clients is a college – you know what men are like – like boys in a sweet shop – he was seen hanging about a bit too often there, staying a bit too long. Some of the female students complained.’ Tracy started shaking her head. ‘It wasn’t just that, Tracy . . . he was also accused of trying it on with the boss’s wife; made a play for her, whatever you call it. They didn’t want to sack him and risk him taking it to a tribunal; my guess is they wouldn’t be able to prove it.’

  ‘The boss’s wife?’ Tracy shook her head, still not able to fully take in the news. ‘Why would they accuse him of that?’

  ‘Because . . . because . . . the truth is, Tracy, that he did have a bit of a wandering eye. None of the younger girls wanted to work with him.’ Tracy looked at her, horrorstruck.

  ‘Look. I’ve told you all I know. Six months ago he walked out of that door and I haven’t seen hide or hair of him since. Although I know he still comes here to a lock-up.’

  Tracy frowned, shook her head. ‘Six months? That can’t be right. He’s been going to work every day just like he always does.’

  Betty rubbed her hand on Tracy’s arm.

  ‘He’s been lying to you, Tracy. If you see him, tell him he has to return the keys to the warehouse; he has to bring the van back. Things will get very nasty otherwise.’

  Tracy walked back out into the car park in a daze. Just then Hawk’s phone rang in her bag. She pressed the ‘accept call’ button and held it to her ear.

  ‘Hello, Traceeeeee.’

  ‘Hello.’ His voice made her shiver as she stood in the quiet of the dark yard. She heard the classical music again; this time it was louder.

  ‘Why do you think I call you, Tracy?’

  ‘I don’t know. I think you need help. It’s not too late. You should hand yourself in. Let my daughter go.’

  He rolled out a deep laugh. ‘I call you because you need to learn a lesson, Tracy. Ju
st like your daughter. She should be grateful to me; I have indoctrinated her in a new family. She no longer needs a mother, a child; all she needs is me, her God.’

  ‘Let me talk to Danielle, please. How do I know she’s still alive?’

  Tracy heard him walking, breathing. She heard the sound of someone else.

  ‘Tracy?’ It was Danielle’s voice – distant, fading, broken, as if her throat was raw.

  ‘Danielle? Oh thank God you’re still alive. Keep hope, Danielle. Be strong.’

  ‘Jackson?’

  ‘Yes. Yes, don’t worry. Don’t worry about Jackson. He misses you but he’s okay.’

  ‘Kiss my baby for me.’

  Tracy heard a noise in the yard behind her. Betty had come out to close the shutters and have a cigarette. She was looking at Tracy with a smile that said, I’m sorry for you but you need to go away now. Tracy felt a surge of anger so strong she nearly threw the phone through a window.

  Tracy heard him laugh as he mimicked: ‘Kiss my baby for me. Now here’s the price she had to pay to talk to you.’ Tracy heard a deep gravelly scream, primeval pain as if Danielle had thrown back her head in agony. The sound vibrated down the phone in a piercing scream. Then she heard Danielle pleading for him to stop as she gasped for breath.

  Tracy shouted down the phone: ‘Stop it! Stop it! You sick bastard. Leave her alone. That’s my daughter you have there. She’s worth a billion of you. Danielle is her name, Danielle Foster. Got it? I gave birth to her and I went through agony and I love her. You’ll never know love. You are a vile creature. You don’t deserve to be loved. Stop all this now. Stop it. It won’t be long now before the police find you.’ Tracy heard Danielle scream again and then the phone went dead.

  Tracy closed her eyes and clutched the phone to her.

  Oh God. What have I done? He’ll never let her go now. I’ve ruined everything. It’s all my fault. Now he’ll come for Jackson.

  Tracy had a need to get home as fast as she could. She wanted to see Jackson, make sure he was safe. She felt too exposed out in the open. Her head and heart pounded as she drove. The place was empty when she got home. It was too quiet. She stayed at the lounge window, looking for Jeanie pushing Jackson home to her.

  Jeanie was walking back home from the park. She was still a few streets away from the house. The streetlights shone down. The pavements were wet from the thawing ice and snow clung to the sides of the road. She turned down a side street. Her mind was on getting home to Pete. She hoped Tracy would be home soon so that she could go. She had to go via the office and catch up with the latest developments from Carter first. Jeanie stepped off the kerb and waited in front of the parked cars to cross when the road was clear. Carter had been on her mind a lot recently. It didn’t do either of them any good to have to work so closely with one another. It was years since they were together but it had taken a lot to move on. They had drifted in and out of a relationship for a year before they both decided it was best to split. But there were many times Jeanie wondered, if they had just made that extra commitment to one another, if they had taken the plunge, would it have worked? Did she meet Pete on the rebound?