Sleep Tight

by Caroline Mitchell

  He had known April for some time now. Granted, she recoiled beneath his touch, but he worked hard to demonstrate a gentle and grateful side to his nature, much unlike the brutish behaviour of some of her younger clients. And when that failed the promise of more money always won them over in the end. He slid himself upwards, freeing the rats as they squeaked and swooped for cover. Shaking his leg as he stood, he loosened one from within the thin material of his trouser leg. Its long yellow teeth embedded in the stitching as it attempted to nip him on the way down. Like a footballer, the doctor kicked out, releasing it across the room. Skittering on its back, it hit the skirting board with a thud.

  Shaking the stiffness from his limbs, the doctor walked across the room and ran his hand over the rusted surgeon’s chair. It was time to prepare. Today was the day, and he had something very special lined up for April. His eyes crept over to his scalpel, which glinted in the dim light. It was good to be reacquainted with his old friend. Killing the girl in the park had been unplanned but he had enjoyed submerging himself in violence again. It had given him the confidence to move on to greater things. He had something even greater in store for his next masterpiece. His thin lips stretched into a smile. It would be the talk of the East End, and there wouldn’t be a newspaper in the land that would not want to cover it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  April

  April popped a chewing gum bubble as she checked the website for bookings. Her inbox was empty apart from the usual lurid crap she had come to expect.

  BigPenis52: I want 2 do U up the arse. U will beg 4 more.

  Unlikely. She rolled her eyes as she pressed delete and moved on to the next one.

  RogerUSensless: U so fine babes, msg me so U can suck my cock.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ April said, pressing delete. She clicked on the third, a small groan escaping her lips.

  ServantOfGod69: You have sinned, but I can help you see the light. Let me save your soul.

  ‘Really?’ she said, binning the email until there was nothing left. Three lousy emails: two from people who were illiterate, and one from a self-proclaimed servant of God who used a sexually suggestive username. She rested her chin on her hand, still chewing mechanically as she clicked through her website pictures. That photo of her sitting naked in the bucket chair was as hot as hell, so why had all her bookings dropped off? It would have been nice to raise some extra cash given it was her last day but it was slim pickings as the market was flooded with women offering themselves up for little or nothing. At least her profile pictures were real, unlike the fresh-faced nymphs on her competitors’ sites. It was a far cry from the emaciated, grey-skinned reality. Back in the day, when she aspired to better things, hers were taken by a proper modelling agency in London.

  There used to be a time when she could command £300 a client, but now she couldn’t even keep a roof over her head. Sex trafficking was big business in the city, and the women brought in to service the punters were in no position to complain.

  April shut down the laptop, vowing to count her blessings. At least she was free. Tomorrow she would start her new life. But she could not help but feel sad for what could have been. At just seventeen, she had travelled from Essex to London with a head full of dreams. Too short for modelling, she was told that being a high-class escort was the next best thing. She had a nice body and certainly wasn’t shy when it came to showing it off. Sex was something she enjoyed, and she never had to get up for work in the morning and squeeze herself into the tube for a daily commute. Working for the Crosbys had been the perfect arrangement. She had met Lenny at a party in London, and he offered her a job, after requesting a ‘test drive’ that night. She had heard all about the Crosby family, and Lenny’s lavish lifestyle was something she wanted for herself one day. Crosby girls had the opportunity of meeting footballers and politicians, he told her, and bagging herself a sugar daddy was something she had always dreamed of. He wooed her with the promise of upmarket clients and offered some much-needed protection.

  And now, less than two years later, he refused to answer her calls. Losing her job was the beginning of her downfall. She had become too accustomed to the champagne lifestyle; when the bubbles flowed freely, so did the coke. And who could blame a girl if she wanted a little pre-sex booster? If the clients took it, it seemed only natural that she would too. She still missed it, still got the itch for the euphoria only a cocaine high could bring.

  She had tried his number only this morning because she was too upset to face the facts. It was time to leave London, give up her dreams and go home. Besides, there was more than just her to take into consideration. When her friend, Lorna, called and offered a lifeline it seemed like it was meant to be. The hotel her friend was working in was taking on staff. She had a spare room, and April could begin paying rent as soon as she was earning. So she had said yes. Today was her last day in the big city. The train tickets were booked, and tomorrow she would begin her new life in Essex. Near home.

  It went somewhere towards building back up a relationship with social services, who had placed her little girl in foster care. Not that she could blame them. She had committed a cardinal sin by choosing to party over her child. They knew what she did and said it was too dangerous for a small baby to be embroiled in such a hedonistic lifestyle. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried but it had been so hard. The incessant crying had drilled into her brain along with the torturous lack of sleep. It’s why she wheeled little Charley into the same hospital where she was born and just left her there. It hadn’t taken them long to catch up with her and get the social involved.

  April shook away the thoughts. It was all in the past now. She was going to be a good mum; she would learn how. She clutched a packet of cigarettes as she left her flat. God! It was pissing down outside. That was all she needed. She certainly wasn’t going to miss this. Another pang of regret. Gone were the cocktail dresses and yacht parties. Her standards had hit rock bottom in the last six months. She sighed as she pulled up the hood of her jacket, wishing she hadn’t lost her umbrella. It had been a nice one too. Burberry.

  Flecks of rain spiked her face, and she swore as she walked the rain-splashed path. Just one more job, she told herself. The doctor had surprised her this morning by requesting her company. She had hoped for something better, so she could cancel their appointment. He wasn’t the most pleasant of clients but a good earner nonetheless. A man of little words, he requested just minutes of her time, promising to pay her double the hourly rate. She was about to say no when she thought of the money, and it would be OK, over in a flash. She had to work hard to suppress the feeling of her flesh crawling when she was with such an unattractive client. She would keep her eyes tightly shut and imagine she was screwing one of those Hollywood stars instead. It had taken a good stretch of the imagination in Doctor Tanner’s case. It was more than his disfigurement that made her shudder, he smelt as if he had crawled from the belly of the sewers. A dab of Vicks under her nose helped block out the pong.

  That was a trick taught to her by a copper when he told her stories of jobs he had been to and things he had done. A regular client, he was a good man. A little bit sad, in need of female company.

  She crossed the road, her fingers gripping the hood of her jacket. Rain slashed against her bare legs, and she felt her internal alarm flash a warning. What are you doing? There’s a murderer on the loose. She paused, biting her lip as she tried to recall the directions. Trying to ignore the slice of cold fear. Should she go there on her own? People had asked her to do it in the strangest of places but in a derelict building? Was it safe? She had known Ellie Mason, and now she was dead. Poor cow. Unable to get off the gear, her life had spiralled since she stopped working for the Crosbys. It was reading about Ellie’s death that had helped convince April to throw in the towel. The police had advised all working girls to keep themselves safe yet she was going to a derelict building, without telling anyone that she was there. She pushed away the warnings; she was being parano
id. Doctor Tanner was a regular. All the girls knew him and, if she didn’t hurry up, she’d be late. Besides, he must have been a respectable man once. She had seen the certificates on the wall of his flat. Get a grip, she told herself. Ten or fifteen minutes, max, and you’ll have enough money to keep yourself going for a week. Her teeth chattered as the cold air brushed against her legs. Marching on, she lowered her head against the rain.

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘Ruby, come in,’ Frances Crosby said, giving her arm a squeeze. ‘Isn’t this a dreadful business? Still, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until you can sort it out.’

  Ruby nodded, unwilling to commit to an answer. ‘How’s Cathy?’ she asked, glancing up the stairs.

  ‘Out with her friends. I don’t expect her back until late. It’s been good for her, having some stability in her life, someone who can give her what she needs.’

  Ruby knew the barbed comment was aimed at her. Frances would never forgive her for giving Cathy up for adoption, but she was in no position to offer her a stable home.

  ‘Oh, it’s just that I was hoping to see her,’ Ruby said, unable to let the subject go.

  ‘Well then you need to be patient, my dear. She’s a Crosby through and through. And Crosbys find it hard to forgive.’

  Ruby set her jaw. She and Nathan had been loved-up teenagers, living rough on the streets. Life had been different then, and they had given Cathy up because they had no choice. Now she had returned, Frances would waste no time in pouring poison in her granddaughter’s ear.

  ‘I’ve just got to make a phone call.’ Frances imparted another sharp smile. ‘You head into the drawing room, and I’ll be with you in a minute.’

  To an outsider looking in, it would appear that the diminutive woman had offered Ruby the warmest of welcomes. She looked almost cute, with her blonde bobbed hair and pink designer trouser suit. But beneath the smile Ruby envisioned the sharpest of teeth, capable of ripping a person in two. The nicer Frances appeared, the more guarded Ruby became. Her footsteps echoed down the vast corridor, the hairs on the back of Ruby’s neck prickling as she walked.

  Fresh from briefing, she had journeyed to the luxurious Crosby residence in Chigwell in the guise of making some urgent enquiries. Not that she had to hide now that Downes had given her free rein. It felt strange for her visit to the family of gangsters to be above board for once. She should have come double crewed, but there were a few reasons why she had chosen to attend alone. For one thing, she did not want anyone else knowing about her relationship with Nathan Crosby. For another, Frances would not speak quite so candidly with another officer in the room, and it could compromise her position as sergeant when their close acquaintance became apparent. How she had managed to keep it under her hat this long, she did not know, but there was no way she was going to jeopardise her job now. As always, when she thought of how much she valued her role, the scales tipped the other way. Her emotions were a continuous see-saw. Since joining the police, she had never known it any other way. She’d think about her job, the driving force in her life, then she’d imagine Nathan, the type of man she would usually put behind bars. Growing up next to the Crosbys had given her an insight not afforded to many and brought with it added complications when it came to her job.

  She wondered what he was doing and if he was OK. Unlike his brother, Nathan had done well to avoid prison all these years. The only time he came close to being discovered by the police was when his movements were orchestrated by his brother, Lenny. The brothers had both grown up the same way, both victims of their father’s heavy hand, yet they couldn’t be more unalike. The only thing that kept them together was the sense of family loyalty their mother had embedded since an early age.

  Ruby slowly opened the heavy drawing-room door. It was just as she thought: Lenny was waiting for her, and Frances’s phone call had been a ploy to give the two of them some time alone. Her stomach tightened at the sight of him. She gathered up her reserves of strength as she confidently pushed her way through. Lenny would be keen to impose some of his more persuasive tactics to get what he wanted, and Frances had no problem in turning a blind eye.

  Dressed smartly in trousers and shirt, he sat next to the blazing open fire, his crossed leg bobbing as nervous energy overrode his senses. Lenny was jittery, Ruby thought. Probably on a comedown from the last lot of coke he had shoved up his nose. He stood as she entered, his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets. His hair slicked back, he wore a tight expression, offering Ruby a glare which suggested she had been the bane of his life. That was the trouble with Lenny. He could never take responsibility for his actions.

  ‘Well? Have you sorted it out yet?’ he asked, wrinkling his nose at Ruby’s presence as if she had just walked in dog shit and come swanning in.

  Ruby held back from rolling her eyes as she walked towards him. Her childish reaction came from a lifetime of deflecting his annoying traits. It may have worked when she was eight, but they were adults now. Lenny was unpredictable, and the fact he both fancied and disliked her in equal measures left her uneasy.

  ‘That’s what I’m here for,’ she said, ‘in an official capacity. I don’t think Nathan is responsible for this any more than you do, but we need to work together. Someone has had access to his home. I’ll need a list of suspects, people you’ve angered over the years. Then I’ll need. . .’

  ‘No, no, no, that’s not how this works,’ Lenny said, his finger moving from left to right in a tick-tock fashion. ‘I tell you what to do.’ Seizing her by the shoulder, his fingers bit into her flesh.

  ‘Get the fuck off me,’ Ruby said, shrugging her shoulder free.

  He licked his lips, his hand falling to her forearm. Smiling, he tilted his head to one side and stared deep into her eyes. She could smell the stale tobacco lingering on his breath, hear the click in his throat as he swallowed, but his eyes were icy-cold. She fought the urge to turn on her heel and leave. She hated being in such close proximity to Lenny. Every time they were together he had to lay hands on her, making no secret of the fact that he wanted to get her into bed. Had it not been for Nathan, he could have forced the issue, and Ruby could tell that there were plenty of times when he had been tempted. The sexual undercurrent was entirely one-sided, and Ruby despised him more now than ever.

  She broke his grip, taking a step back. ‘Touch me again, and I’m out of here. Then you can explain to your mum why I’m not investigating the case.’ She placed her hands on her hips, the heat of her anger growing. She was a detective sergeant, and this visit was on job time. ‘I’m the best person to clear Nathan’s name because nobody else will be interested in his innocence. If you don’t start treating me with a bit of respect, I’m off.’

  ‘And you better listen to me,’ Lenny said, jabbing his finger in Ruby’s chest. ‘Because if you don’t get Nathan off, I’m gonna slit that pearly white throat of yours, and your daughter will be left without a mother for the second time. Do I make myself clear?’

  His voice was like grease on her skin. Ruby found her temper rising. She glowered. ‘You know what? I don’t need this. I came here to help, and all you can do is threaten me. I’ll take my investigation back to the station.’ She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but she knew where to draw the line.

  She strode towards the double doors, pushing them open. Just as she guessed, Frances had been waiting outside all along. But while Lenny had been upfront about his feelings for Ruby, Frances worked with a smile. It was almost like good cop–bad cop, except they were both on the wrong side of the law. They were working a routine on her. Ruby had done it herself enough times to know when she was being played.

  ‘Sweetheart, where are you going? I’ve just sent down to the kitchen for tea.’ Taking her gently by the forearm, Frances ushered Ruby back inside.

  It was as if she held power over her. As much as she mistrusted Frances, Ruby respected her as a mother figure in her life. Frances and her mother, Joy, had been best friends since their teen
s, and she had grown up to the background of their kitchen table conversations. Both women’s lives had changed beyond recognition but, in Ruby’s mind, a part of them was still there, gossiping over a strong cuppa tea about ‘’er next door’, and blowing smoke rings at the kitchen table.

  It was the changing of the guards: as Frances entered the room, Lenny left. Taking a seat, Ruby reminded herself that she was the one holding all the power. Frances may have had servants to make her tea, but what she wanted more than anything was the safe return of her son. Checking her watch, Ruby reminded Frances that her time was limited. As the two women worked on a list of suspects, the tension began to drain away. Lenny had been there to issue a warning, and Frances could work now the game rules had been made clear. But threatening to leave Cathy motherless, was that really part of the plan? Surely Frances would not allow such a thing to happen. But Frances had taken over as a mother figure to Cathy, determined to take Ruby’s place. Was she setting up Lenny to finish her off so she could bring up Cathy her way? With Nathan in prison, she would be free to do what she wanted. Ruby dismissed the thought. Frances would never want Nathan imprisoned, and Lenny would be too much of a loose cannon without him.