by Mel Sherratt
He said nothing as she continued to try and free herself. She knew he was thinking she would give up eventually. Behind his hand she opened her mouth as wide as she could, causing his fingers to come nearer to her teeth. Then she bit down hard. In that split second, she kicked behind at his shin.
He cried out again, this time releasing his grip slightly. And she was away, stepping towards the door and into the garage.
‘Help! Help me!’ She banged on the garage door. ‘Can anyone hear me?’
He grabbed her round the waist and pulled her off her feet, his hand across her mouth again.
‘If you don’t be quiet, I will shut you up. Do you hear?’
Jess’s body went limp and she began to cry. It was useless. She was so near to freedom yet so far. He pulled her through, back to the kitchen, pushing her to the floor.
His face was inches away from hers. He reached for the duct tape, ripped some off and pressed it over her mouth. She tried to resist, but he stood firm. Then he turned her round and did the same to her hands, wrapping the tape round and round so that she knew she wouldn’t be able to bite through it again. He hurled her to her feet, seized a kitchen chair and pushed her through into the living room. He placed the chair in the middle of the room and shoved her down into it, making sure her hands were behind its back.
‘If you can’t behave yourself, I’ll have to keep you where I can see you.’ He wrapped the tape around each of her ankles and firmly to each chair leg so she couldn’t kick out.
Her eyes flitted around the room. It was sparse, just the minimum of the kind of old furniture that she would never have if she owned a house. A dusky pink Dralon three-piece suite, a rectangular pine coffee table and a small flat-screen television on a stand. Over on the back wall she could see a photo of a small girl, about three years old. There were more photos above the fireplace and some standing up in frames on the shelf.
He left her in the living room with the kitchen door ajar, and she watched him pace up and down the small kitchen. He wasn’t a repulsive man, but he looked rough because of his appearance. She reckoned he hadn’t shaved in a week; his clothes were a bit whiffy when he was close up and his eyes were bloodshot.
He turned to her. She knew he would see the fear in her eyes, but she tried to hide it. He wiped at his shirt where her urine had splashed. Most of it had missed him and gone over the carpet as she had run.
Then he opened a bottle of lager and came back into the living room. With every step he took, Jess tried to press her body further into the chair.
‘You’ll have to stay there now,’ he told her as she moved her head to one side, as far away from him as possible. ‘Somewhere I can keep my eye on you.’
Tears dripped down her face. She was trapped in this room now.
She was never going to get away.
Chapter Forty-Three
Laura sat down on the settee. All around her was activity, yet she didn’t feel like doing anything. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball until someone brought Jess home safe and sound.
It was the not knowing that was the worst thing. What might be happening to her? She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the graphic images from appearing and piling up one after the other.
Maxine had arrived fifteen minutes after Laura had called her and explained that Jess was missing. After comforting Laura and hearing all the details, she asked what she needed to do.
‘You take everyone in this address book, and I’ll ring everyone I know at the same time,’ said Laura. ‘Some of the mothers from SWAPs are on their way too.’
‘Would you like me to handle them? We can arrange a search party. Get some of the local kids looking for her. If anyone has her, they might get scared if they know the police are on to them.’
Laura nodded vehemently. ‘Thank you so much.’
‘She could be anywhere, but she might be close too. You remember the case of Shannon Matthews when the family hid her in a flat nearby?’
Laura covered her hand with her mouth as tears slipped down her face. She would hang those Barker brothers if she found out they had anything to do with this.
‘We might be better going to the park, trying the kids there first.’ Maxine broke into her thoughts. ‘What do you think?’
‘Yes, good idea. Anything to start people looking for her.’
Sarah came downstairs with her coat on. Before zipping it up, she gave Laura a hug. ‘We’ll find her, Mum. She hasn’t been gone long.’
‘It’s ten a.m. She’s been missing since last night.’
‘We’ll bring her home.’ Sarah drew away. ‘Anything from Eden yet?’
‘She’s on her way back now.’
‘I hope she has some news.’
There was a knock on the door.
‘I’ll go,’ said Maxine. She came back with two women. Carol Drayton lived across the way at number seventeen. She had her daughter, Judith, with her. Carol was in her mid-sixties with the look of a young grandmother. Her hair was in a short, sharp bob, her Burberry jacket the latest style of classic. Judith wore her hair long, hidden mostly under a woollen hat, and had a multi coloured scarf wrapped around her neck. Both had concern on their faces.
Part of the Neighbourhood Watch group, Carol had been badgering Laura to get involved, but she hadn’t been too keen. Even though she seemed the type of woman who wouldn’t hold that against her, she was still grateful when she offered to help find Jess.
‘We’ve just heard on the radio,’ said Carol. She placed a gloved hand on Laura’s arm and gave it a squeeze. ‘She’ll turn up soon. I’m sure.’
‘It was on the hourly news,’ Judith clarified when Laura frowned. ‘Is there anything we can do?’
‘I was going across to the park,’ said Sarah. ‘I thought I could start asking some of the kids if they saw anything.’
‘Do you have a notebook we can use?’ asked Maxine. ‘So we can jot down anything important and pass it on.’
‘I’m sure there’ll be one somewhere,’ said Sarah, disappearing into the kitchen.
‘Are you coming, Laura?’ asked Carol. ‘Or are you staying here?’
‘I don’t want to leave just yet. I’m going to wait for my sister, Eden. She’s a detective sergeant. She told me that one of the other girls reversed the charges at a phone box and her parents went to fetch her. Jess might do that too.’
‘I bet it was Eden who contacted the radio station,’ said Sarah, coming back with a small lined notepad. ‘I bet she’ll contact the Stockleigh News too.’
Laura ran a hand through her hair, unsure what to do with herself. ‘And you’ve done what you need to on Facebook and Twitter? And that Snapchat thing?’
Sarah nodded. ‘The message has been shared a lot already. People will know about her soon.’
Laura gave her daughter a hug, a special one for two people. She wanted Jess home so much.
‘We’ll be back in an hour or so,’ said Maxine. She waggled her mobile phone in the air. ‘Sarah can ring you if we find out anything.’
Chapter Forty-Four
He left the girl in the living room, with the kitchen door ajar so he could see what she was up to.
Stupid bitch. She had taken him completely by surprise. He hadn’t expected her to get free. How the hell had she got that tape off? More to the point, he was angry with himself for not checking the room first to see if it was clear of everything. He thought he’d got it all – he’d removed the clutter from the dressing table.
He looked at her sitting in the chair, staring back at him. He could see fear in her eyes, but she seemed defiant. Maybe that was the adrenaline kicking in because she had been so scared. Or maybe she was afraid and trying not to show it.
He wiped at his shirt where her urine had splashed. Despite his doubts, he couldn’t back down now. He was doing this for his daughter – it was justice for her. No one could take away his pain, so someone had to pay.
He reached for another bottle of lager and knocked back a
mouthful. But he kept it in his mouth; he wouldn’t swallow it. He turned and spat it out into the sink. He had to stay sober or else this could go very wrong. He had to teach her a lesson before the weekend was out.
He walked through into the living room, watching her press her body into the back of the chair.
‘You’ll have to stay there now,’ he said as she moved her head to one side, as far away from him as possible.
He wasn’t a repulsive man, but he knew he looked rough. And he couldn’t blame her for not trusting him. He didn’t trust himself right now.
The drink called out to him again. But he stayed put for a moment. If he kept looking at her, he would be reminded of his daughter, and why he was doing this. For her.
In frustration, he went back into the kitchen, reached for the bottle and gulped down the last inch. Standing hands wide, leaning on the worktop, he looked out over the mess of a garden. It was a tip, just like the rest of the house. With his job gone now, the bailiffs would be at the door next month to get him out of the house. Every which way he turned he was screwed. Life didn’t seem worth living. Which was fine by him.
He picked the bottle up and threw it against the wall.
Chapter Forty-Five
Jess jumped when she heard the bottle exploding. He was getting more volatile, but she wanted to stay calm. She was uncomfortable on the chair, sitting in the middle of the room like she was at a child’s birthday party and the last one left in a game of musical chairs. Except there was no prize, no birthday tea.
Even though her plan to escape had completely backfired she still had to believe that she would get out of here alive. If she had bad thoughts, she wouldn’t be able to think straight. Instead she tried to think happy thoughts.
Jess was a popular girl at school, with lots of friends. Katie had come to her school when she was nine. Jess had loved hanging around with her. Despite a lot of people thinking Katie was boring and quiet, she wasn’t. She had the most wicked sense of humour, and they’d often get into trouble at school because she’d come up with some one-liner in class that had made Jess get a bout of the giggles.
Thick as thieves, they were always together. When Katie had been sent to the secure unit until the trial, Jess’s life had changed too. She’d had no one to confide in. Some said she’d lost her shadow, but to Jess it was more than that. It was as if she had lost her second skin.
Katie would be as nervous as hell about next week. Jess thought back to her last visit. It was about a month ago, and Katie hadn’t looked so good. Jess had been surprised at some of the things that Katie had told her happened at the home, recalling the conversation they’d had.
‘You have to ask for your toiletries?’ She’d baulked when Katie had told her.
Katie had nodded. ‘Anything that can be used as a weapon. A canister, toothbrush. Hairbrush. You can put shampoo in coffee, you know, and make someone sick. So everything has to be monitored.’
‘Jeez, it does sound bad.’
‘It’s not like that in prison. My key worker says you get more trust. It’s because we’re younger, they have a duty of care or something.’
‘But you’re not going to prison, are you?’ Jess shook her head.
‘I shouldn’t even be here!’ Katie whined. ‘I didn’t have anything to do with what happened to Deanna. You do believe me, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do!’
‘And you haven’t said anything about,’ Katie took a quick glance around to see if anyone was in hearing range before continuing, ‘you know.’
‘About the photos?’ Jess shook her head. ‘I can’t tell anyone. It’ll get me into trouble too.’
‘Not that – I meant about working for Damien Barker.’
‘Oh. No, I haven’t said anything about that either.’
‘Are you still doing it?’
Jess nodded. ‘Me and Cayden are getting quite good at it now. We’re a team.’
‘We used to be a team.’ Katie’s tone was sullen.
‘We still will be, once you get out.’
Katie huffed. ‘I’m going to be stuck in here and then go to prison for years because of Nathan. I hate him – and what he did. He’s an animal.’
‘The judge will be lenient with you, though, for a first-time offence.’
‘For murder?’
‘Well, that’s what my mum says.’
‘Like your mum knows anything,’ Katie said, her tone spiteful.
Jess turned to her sharply. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Katie lowered her eyes and ran her toes in a line in front of her. ‘I didn’t mean anything,’ she replied. ‘Just that my key worker keeps telling me I need to think of both decisions. What will happen if I’m found guilty?’
‘You won’t be,’ insisted Jess.
‘And also what will happen if I’m acquitted. She says it will be hard for me to reintegrate into a community that blames me anyway. I’m scared of what Deanna’s brothers will do to me, and everyone knows that Travis Barker is a nutter. He threw Caleb Morrison down the stairs, didn’t he, when he looked at his girlfriend the wrong way?’
‘I doubt it,’ said Jess. ‘Most of what we hear is rumour. Don’t get too wound up about it.’
Katie had thrown her a filthy look. ‘You don’t know what it’s like to be locked up.’
Jess could empathise with her words right now. How heartless she had been at the time. She made a promise to herself that she was going to be at court to see her friend next week. If she kept Katie in her mind, along with Cayden and her mum, she’d survive.
He came into the room. Just the sight of him was enough to set her into a panic. He could do anything to her, and no one would know. Where was everyone? She needed them here right now.
She sat as quiet as she could, hoping not to antagonise the man any further. Her plan had backfired, but she wouldn’t show him how scared she was now. She could see the cut on his eye, the swelling of his cheekbone after she had whacked him with the saucepan, but she knew he had her exactly where he wanted her, and she could do nothing about it. Her hands were tied so tight that she was sure her circulation would be cut off. She could feel the bruising already, every time she moved.
The man walked towards the fireplace. He picked up one of the photos in a frame, of the girl about her age.
‘This is my daughter,’ he told her, but he didn’t show her the image. ‘It was taken last year at school. She was fifteen then – she didn’t make it to her sixteenth birthday.’
Jess frowned. What did he mean she didn’t make it? Where was she? And then a horrible thought dawned on her. It was her room she was in, wasn’t it? She’d been sleeping in the room of a dead girl. Had he killed her? Had he brought her here to kill her too? If he could kill his daughter, he would have no problem killing her.
He huffed as he caught the look on her face.
‘Don’t worry – I didn’t kill her. I know who did though.’
Katie – June 2015
Dear Mum,
I hate being here. I wish I could stay in my room until it’s all over. There are nine teenagers at the moment, four boys and five girls including me. I’m having trouble with a new girl who’s just arrived. She doesn’t like me. I haven’t told anyone, but she’s been trying to turn the other kids against me. They’re all scared of her so they do what she says.
I don’t know why she doesn’t like me. I guess she wants to be top dog around here. I’ve never been interested in that, have I? So really there shouldn’t have been a problem with Charlie – that’s her name. But she’s a bully. She wants people who she can control, so she can make their life hell and get away with things because others are too scared to speak out.
The staff have tried hard to make things better. Things change for a few days, but then Charlie is soon back to her ways. There doesn’t seem anything anyone can do about it.
Charlie has to serve three months. She’s been here twice before, so if she does leave, she’ll p
robably come back again. Mary-Anne says she’s a serial offender, beaten down by the system, so she’s kicking back.
I tried to square up to her once, but she didn’t like it. Charlie has a spirit that won’t be broken. She’s had a tough life. But I know if I don’t stand up for myself now, my life will be over. I can cope with being away from you and Dad and Matty if I’m left alone. But Charlie can change all this in a few minutes.
This is what I need to tell you before your next visit. She’d been ripping into me, punching me when I’m walking past. I took it for a while, but then I snapped. I was the one who ended up in trouble. I don’t want you to see me in the state I’m in. My eye is bruised where Charlie punched me, and I have four scratch marks down my cheek where she dug in her nails. They’re really sore and they look awful too. The other kids keep calling me scar face. That hurts more than the scratches.
And now no one is allowed to talk to me when Charlie is around. She’s extra nice to me in front of the key workers and the rest of the staff, but whenever they’re out of ear range, she starts again. I hoped it would die down, but it’s just got worse over the past few weeks. Charlie might get fed up after a while, and maybe she’ll settle down. But by that time, there could be someone new and the whole thing could start again.
Anyway, I wonder what you’re doing now, Mum. Tell Dad he needs to keep your spirits up. He can make you laugh. You need to laugh, as four months is a long time before I’ll be home again.
How’s Matty? Tell him I’m missing him. I miss you too, Mum, and Dad. So, so much.
Love Katie x
Chapter Forty-Six