by Carla Kovach
‘Did he speak to you?’
She nodded. ‘It was more of a murmur or a whisper. I didn’t recognise his voice but then again, I wouldn’t if he was speaking like that.’
‘Is there anyone I can call to be with you?’
‘No, I have Alice here and my friend Tyrone will be around when they let me go later. I just want to feel better so that I can leave.’ Madison nervously scratched her arm. ‘I live close to where Amber lived. Is there someone stalking our area? We both go to the same uni.’
Gina flicked back a couple of pages in her notes and glanced at Jacob. She knew they were both thinking the same thing. ‘You mentioned someone called Tyrone?’
‘Yes. Tyrone Heard. He lives in the same block that Amber lived in but he was waiting for someone to move out of ours so that he could be with us. We’ve been close friends over the past year, Tyrone, Alice and I.’ She paused. ‘It wasn’t Ty before you ask. He’s the gentlest guy anyone could meet.’
Gina begged to differ. How people often presented themselves to the world didn’t always tie up with the real them behind closed doors. She only had to think of her ex-husband Terry. No one would have believed he could have raped and beaten her for years. She held back on questioning Madison any further on Tyrone but made a note to look further into his whereabouts on both occasions. ‘Is there anything else you can think of that might help us to find your attacker?’
There was a knock at the door. Alice held up a takeaway cup and a chocolate bar. Madison put her hand up and nodded. Alice disappeared from the window. ‘On Monday this week, I thought someone might be following me but they probably weren’t. I think my imagination just got the best of me.’ She wiped her eyes.
‘Tell me anyway.’ Gina felt the life coming back into her feet from being in the cold too long. She undid a couple of coat buttons as she waited for Madison to start – the hospital was stuffy. Jacob leaned against the back wall, standing with his notepad cupped in one hand and his pen in the other.
‘When I left Nanna’s I saw someone on the lane, the one that leads to the side of the Angel Arms, well just a little back from the pub. That person was loitering by the trees but they might have been waiting for a dog. There’s something else… When I got to the pub, I went to the loo. I was in a cubicle and someone came in and stood outside the door. They were wearing black boots. I know that because I crouched down and looked underneath. A moment later, whoever it was turned the lights off and left. I ran out of there as quick as I could but I couldn’t see anyone around. I heard rustling out the back of the pub, by the bushes. Thinking about it, I do know if you carry on through them they lead back to the lane. Do you think he could have been stalking me? I thought it was Tyrone and Alice playing a joke but they swear they weren’t.’
Jacob noted down what she was saying.
‘We’ll secure the CCTV from the pub, see if we can see anyone loitering around on that night.’ Gina loosened her shirt. ‘Can you tell us what time this was?’
‘About eightish, I think. And there was something else.’
‘What was that?’
‘When I left to go to the hospital to see Nanna, there was a man looking for a hedgehog under a car. He said it was a baby but I know that it couldn’t have been. It’s not the right time of the year. Again it was dark and I barely got a glimpse of him but I think it was the same man. Alice came out to speak to me. When I turned around, he’d gone and she didn’t see him. That was weird. My head’s hurting. I think my painkillers are wearing off.’
‘Is there anything more you can remember about that moment? His height, features, anything?’
‘No. I didn’t look at what he was wearing. I was looking under the car for the hedgehog most of the time.’
‘We’ll get that area checked out too. Thank you for all your help. We have your address. Can I take your number? When you get home, can you call the station? Given what’s happened, we’ll also send someone over to make sure your apartment is secure.’
Madison grabbed the pen that sat next to the hospital menu. ‘I’m going to stay with Alice for a few days now that I know Nanna has been settled in back home. I know Alice is only next door but I don’t want to be alone and I’m not in a fit state to care for Nanna at the moment either so I’ll have to call her carers. Alice lives at number one, I’m number two.’
Gina nodded. ‘That’s good. We’ll do the check anyway ready for when you do go back to your apartment. One last thing, are you familiar with a site called AppyDater?’
‘Yes, everyone has it. I didn’t until Monday night but I ditched it last night, just before my attack.’
‘I know this is personal but can I please have your login so that we can see who messaged you?’
‘Do you think my attacker used the app?’
‘We’re investigating various lines of enquiry at the moment.’
Grabbing the pen again, Madison wrote down her login and password for the app and passed it to Gina. ‘I didn’t meet anyone or send any messages. Alice set it up for a laugh and I didn’t want it so I deleted it. I only deleted the app though. I didn’t delete my account. That’s something I was going to do later, so you should still be able to log in.’
‘Thank you. If we have any developments I’ll let you know, otherwise someone will be in touch soon. Here’s my card. If you remember anything else, please call me straight away, anytime.’
Jacob opened the door and Alice peered in. ‘Am I okay to come in now?’
Madison nodded. ‘Just in time, I need to get dressed and I think I need a hand.’ Madison seemed unsteady as she threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood. ‘I feel like I have the hangover from hell. I just need to get out of here.’
Gina smiled and left them both to it. As they reached the exit and hit the wall of cold air, Gina couldn’t wait to check her phone again. She had a message from Wyre.
I’m feeling a lot better now, guv. I’m heading to the station. Sorry I was a bit vague, I slipped in the shower and was trying to get the feeling back in my leg when I texted. I’m okay now, be there in half an hour.
Gina smiled. ‘Wyre’s okay. Looks like she fell over in the shower but she’s okay now.’
Jacob pressed the central locking on his car and got in. ‘Poor, Wyre. She’s going to be sore for a while.’
‘In more ways than one. Will you call the Angel Arms and get hold of the footage for Monday night? That’ll be more to add to O’Connor’s pile. I’ll meet you back at the station for a quick break, then we’ll head over to the Fish and Anchor. See what our underwear thief has to say.’
As she headed to her car she glanced ahead at the overflow car park and saw that the area was still cordoned off. PC Smith was talking with another PC. She jogged up the mound. ‘Have forensics finished with this scene?’
‘For now.’ PC Smith began chewing on a bacon bap that the other PC handed to him.
‘Are you here for the day?’
‘I wasn’t meant to be. Kapoor should have been here but she didn’t come in for her shift? So here I am and it’s bloody well cold.’ He bit into his sandwich again. ‘It’s okay though. Got my trusty thermals on.’
‘I’ve never known Kapoor to take a sick day. Must be bad.’
PC Smith shrugged. ‘I just hope it’s not contagious. I don’t fancy the flu or norovirus. January’s gloomy enough.’
‘I’ll leave you to it then.’ She waved as she carried on back down the mound, waving at Jacob as he pulled out of the car park.
Her phone went. ‘O’Connor? What you got?’
‘Kapoor’s mother has just called. She says she’s been to see her consultant about her test results and she was meant to call Kapoor as soon as she received them. She said her daughter hasn’t answered and she’s worried, which is why she called us to see if she was okay as Mrs Kapoor knew her daughter was working today. She said they’re a close family and her daughter wouldn’t ignore her, let alone when it came to something so important.’
‘I didn’t realise Kapoor had that on her mind.’
‘Me neither. Kapoor’s father also has a spare key and is on his way over to Kapoor’s apartment.’
‘Keep me posted.’ Gina glanced back at Smith who rolled his tissue up into a ball and popped it into his pocket. Kapoor never had a day off sick. Her stomach began to churn just a little. No, Kapoor wasn’t a student… but she is on AppyDater… and she did look a little like Madison. A sick feeling passed through Gina’s body. What if Kapoor was the next victim?
36
Jhanvi Kapoor’s eyes begin to flicker as she tries to prise them open. The crackling melody surrounds her in the darkness. A calming voice sings about a beautiful dreamer while she drifts in and out of consciousness. In her half-dreamy state, she pictures herself lying on an old-fashioned four-poster bed, surrounded by drapes. As she tries to sit up and reach beyond the netting, the drapery swirls around her wrists and pulls her back.
‘Don’t fight me.’ He turns her phone off, removes the SIM and places the phone on the floor.
That voice. It’s real, not the sounds of a dream. A buzzing sound comes from below as her legs elevate, then the record skips a beat before continuing. She tries to open her eyes again and this time she succeeds, but they need a moment to adjust to the candlelight. It’s him, the man who attacked her in the car park outside her apartment and she sees his whole face – every mark, every line.
Her breaths quicken and she feels her heart hammering until her sight prickles. Hyperventilation, her training told her as much. She needs to calm down. Breathe in, hold that breath, and breathe out, but the gag is making that difficult – like breathing through a blocked straw. She knows she is staring at him with a stark expression. She can feel the tension in the muscles around her weepy eyes.
‘I’m going to reach over and remove the scarf from around your mouth. If you scream, I am going to knock you out again. Are we clear?’
She’s not in a position to do anything else but nod in agreement. A tear drizzles down her cheek.
He holds up a bottle of water and a small blister pack of tablets. She squints but can’t quite focus well enough to read what it says on the packet that sits in his lap.
He places them down and leans forward. The smell of something oily and savoury lingers on his clothes and in the air. She sniffs a couple of times and now she knows that smell is grilled cheese. The place smells like a pizza takeaway.
‘I made your favourite. Cheese on toast. That’s what you normally ask for.’
I’ve never asked you for anything. Jhanvi thinks it but doesn’t speak. She leans back a little, wondering if she should say something or if that will anger him. Whichever drug he has beside him, she doesn’t want any more of it in her body. Things are fuzzy, it’s hard to remember. She doesn’t want to be forced into a sleep and to have to wake up again still not knowing where she is or why she’s here. A flashback to another moment enters her mind. She’s woken up in this chair before, maybe more than once. The buzzing noise comes from the leg-stand. It rises as the back reclines so that she can lie down in the mechanical chair. It’s built for comfort and is similar to the one her dad uses since his bad back worsened.
‘Right, you keep comfortable and I’ll be back in a second.’
He leaves through the wooden door and a light flashes on in the hallway. She tries to struggle but the rough binds hold her in place and she can feel them gnawing away at the top layer of her skin with every movement. He’s drilled holes through the chair to thread the ropes through that bind her wrists; it’s the same around her waist and feet and, worst of all, there is a thinner rope tightened around her neck so she can’t sit up. Her hair has been plaited and each plait falls over an arm.
The candle flickers as a slight breeze wafts through the room. There’s a draft coming from somewhere. Maybe he has opened a window to get rid of the smell.
There has to be a way out.
An old-fashioned portable television with a deep back sits in the corner on a tiny stand. The windows are boarded up with planks of wood and there is another smell; it’s musty, like the place has never been cleaned. An old looking hi-fi system in a dark wood cabinet sits next to the television.
He barges through the door and starts that song playing once again as he forces a corner of toast into her mouth. ‘Eat.’
Saliva fills her mouth. Everything is surreal but for some reason, she’s hungry. It’s as if she’s been starved for hours. She nibbles on the toast as he waits patiently for her to finish the first quarter. Questions run through her mind. Does he ever go out? Why her? She glances at him again as she chews. She definitely recognises him. She’s seen his photo in the case files but she can’t match a name to the face. Remembering might be the key to getting out of this situation intact.
A surge of panic travels from her stomach to her fingers. She can’t eat any more. If she does, she knows she’ll be sick. Hunger and nausea – the feelings are similar. ‘I’ve… I’ve had enough. I can’t… manage any more.’
The plate bounces on the wooden floor and he looks disappointed.
‘Please untie me. People will miss me. I’m a police officer and they’ll wonder where I am.’
He smirks. ‘Oh, Hailey, you haven’t even made the news yet. No one is missing you.’
Her body is stiff and there’s a sore forming at the base of her spine. He must be mistaken about her identity but she tries to hold back from saying anything until she can process the situation. She looks down. She’s not wearing her black trousers and her duffle coat, she’s wearing a Minnie Mouse nightshirt and a pair of bed socks and as she shifts, she hears the rustling of plastic beneath her and a tear rolls down her cheeks. Has he cleaned her up and changed her while she was asleep?
She goes to yell but he clamps a hand across her mouth. ‘What did I say? If you make a noise you will be punished.’
She whimpers as she remembers the case they were investigating. Amber Slater’s lips had been glued together. Tears slide down her face as she thinks of her lovely mother and father and her two brothers. They will be looking for her. The police will be looking for her.
‘I want to go home, please untie me. My parents will be worried and my mum is sick. She needs me.’ She speaks in an almost whisper. Her poor mother might be thinking that she doesn’t care and that is the hardest thing to bear.
‘I’ve already told you, time and again. You are home. Your home is here, with me.’ He strokes her head.
She wriggles in her chair, trying to get a feel for any pain or any sign of being hurt but there isn’t anything apart from her throbbing head. A thought flashes across her mind. An AppyDater message she was about to delete. She didn’t want to date him and he’d sent her one word back: slag.
‘Are you going to kill me?’ Her face flushes, she can feel the heat creeping up her neck.
He pauses and shakes his head. ‘Do I look like I’m killing you?’ His grip on her thin arm burns. He pinches her tighter causing her eyes to water.
She knows she might be punished but the urge is too great. She screams at the top of her voice. ‘Help!’ If there is an open window someone will hear. They have to. A fleck of his saliva hits her arm as he seethes, then he releases his pinch on her arm and gags her again.
He grins as he turns the music up and begins to sway in the middle of the room making some odd contemporary dance moves as Roy Orbison’s voice fills her head with more of ‘Beautiful Dreamer’. Everything is surreal. She clenches her eyes shut and reopens them – he’s still there, being weird. When it finishes, he plays it again, and again, reaching out like he can feel the musical notes in the air. He leaves the room and it still plays until she can’t bear to hear it any longer but it keeps on coming, then he turns out the lights, leaving her gagged with that same record playing on repeat. She doesn’t know if it’s night or day, not with the way the windows have been covered in some sort of blackout material.
There have to be neighb
ours. Someone must be able to hear the music even if they missed her scream. She wriggles again but the ropes are beginning to burn through her tender skin.
Someone will come. They have to or he’ll either kill her or this song will drive her insane. Did he just come back in? A shuffling sound from the other end of the room gets her attention. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Then the music stops and a shiver runs down her spine. She’s not alone in the room, she can feel hot breath on her neck and she can’t stop trembling.
37
Gina could see Jacob pulling up his car behind her at the Fish and Anchor. Mist hovered above the rolling fields beyond and the wind chill was far from pleasant. The fine rain turned into small snowflakes. So far, the snow hadn’t settled too badly but extreme weather was something she didn’t want them to have to add to their list of battles.
Jacob grabbed his satchel from the back seat, taking out a pack of cup a soups, which he threw on the back seat, replacing them with his notepad. ‘I delivered the CCTV from the Angel Arms back to the station. Brr, it’s cold… The new licensee seems nice, very helpful, not like the last one.’ He shivered.
‘Any news from Kapoor’s father? I know he was going to check to see if she was okay in her flat.’
‘Nothing as yet. No one said anything. Are you worried about her?’
A melting snowflake dangled from a stray wisp of hair that kept blowing around her face. ‘It’s just this AppyDater thing. I’m finding it unsettling since this case came along.’
Jacob rubbed his hands together, not enjoying getting wet. At least his hair wasn’t getting frizzy, not like hers. ‘She texted in. I don’t think we need to worry about anything. I’m sure she’ll be fine.’
‘Heck, you’re probably right but…’ Gina wouldn’t settle until she’d heard from Mr Kapoor that their colleague was okay.