Kai sat forward and moved his drink to the side. He rested his elbows on the table, linked his fingers and rested his chin on his hands.
‘You probably don’t know this, Ellie, but Roxanne is not only a friend to me, she is an employee, and a very good one at that.’
Ellie felt her mouth begin to dry. This was not general conversation. The words he spoke were measured and meant solely for her. She looked towards him but could not meet his eyes. There was something scary that lived there. Ellie instantly wondered if she’d done something to get Roxanne into trouble. Perhaps she had taken too much of her time and her work had suffered. Perhaps this man was here to tell her she had to leave. She didn’t even know what Roxanne did to earn a living.
‘I’m sorry if I—’
‘Don’t be sorry, although it is good to hear that you understand my predicament.’
Ellie looked from him to Roxanne but her friend had still not turned. Her apology had been a polite response to his inference. Her stomach began to turn at the feeling she had done something wrong.
He slid a small red book towards her.
‘That is a record of what you owe me. Please take a look.’
She felt a nervous heat rush to her face as she looked to her friend. There was a tension growing in the room that she didn’t understand. ‘Roxanne, what is going—?’
‘Look at the book, Ellie,’ Roxanne said, without turning. It was a cool, hard voice that she didn’t recognise.
‘R-Roxanne…’ she tried again. Damn her stutter for giving away her fear.
There was no response from her friend.
Real fear began to course through her veins. She reached for the book. The inside cover held her name and Sunday’s date. Ellie leafed through the pages which listed every meal she’d eaten, every drink she’d consumed. There was an entry for petrol, for clothes and even for utilities consumed over a two-day period. The final entry was for Roxanne’s time valued at £500 alone. The grand total was just under a thousand pounds.
Ellie shook her head. ‘But I d-don’t. I mean… I c-can’t… Roxanne is my f-friend.’
‘Do you dispute any expense listed?’
Ellie shook her head numbly. No, it was definitely all there. Every single penny.
This had to be some kind of a joke. Any second now Roxanne would turn around and laugh at her expense, at how she’d been taken in and they would all laugh together. And Ellie would not reveal how frightened she had been.
She looked up from the book. Nobody was laughing.
‘Roxanne… w-what’s going on. I th-thought the clothes were a g-gift,’ she said to Roxanne’s back.
There was no reply.
The man continued. ‘If you are able to access that money right now and reimburse me in full I will drop you off at the end of your road with your new clothes and this will have been a pleasant little holiday and nothing more. If not, we have ourselves a little problem.’
‘I don’t h-h-have that kind of money,’ Ellie spluttered. Her meagre savings account held less than two hundred pounds.
‘Oh, that’s a shame. We appear to have a predicament. This is not money I can afford to lose. What do you propose to do about it?’
Ellie heard the control in his tone. This conversation was following an agenda. She felt she was reading from a script that had already been written.
‘Perhaps my m-mother could…’
‘I suspect your mother does not have access to that kind of money but as a last resort, perhaps. Although, it’s hardly fair to burden your mother with a debt incurred by you, is it?’
Ellie had the sudden urge to run away. The man’s low, controlled voice was more frightening than if he’d been screaming at her. She realised she was nearest to the kitchen door. She wondered how quickly she could turn and get out of the house.
Kai Lord smiled at her as he placed a key onto the table. ‘Not an option. You see, Ellie, I can’t possibly allow you to leave until we have reached some kind of agreement.’
Ellie swallowed, realising now that her only objective was to leave the house. She had to get out. However angry her mother was at her she would know what to do.
‘I can g-get a job. I can make p-payments. I’ll sign anything you w-want.’
He tipped his head to the side and smiled at her indulgently.
‘I like your thinking, Ellie, but you’re sixteen years of age with no qualifications. Minimum wage won’t even cover the weekly interest payment, which incidentally starts now.’
Ellie wondered what exactly she needed to say to get out of this house. There was still a small part of her that hoped this was some kind of joke, but that hope was dying every second Roxanne didn’t turn around. She shook her head, bewildered. ‘I’m sorry, b-but I really don’t know what to o-offer.’
His smile was slow but full. It chilled her blood. ‘Then it’s a pretty good job I do.’
FORTY-SIX
‘You wanna lead?’ Kim asked, as Bryant pulled up outside a mid-terrace just outside Lye.
‘Of course,’ he answered.
She had asked Bryant to lead because she wanted ample opportunity to observe the man who was potentially the last person to see both Kelly Rowe and Donna Hill alive.
‘Well, there’s the Toyota so at least we know he’s home,’ Bryant offered, knocking the door.
It opened to reveal a man whose head was level with the door frame. His width left very little wiggle room either.
Their witness description from the Toyota seller of average everything was not even close to accurate. A few inches in both directions put this man distinctly outside the range of average. She had to wonder who old Mr Bingham was spending time with.
‘Roger Barton?’ Bryant asked.
His face was instantly creased into concern.
‘Yes, but who…’
His words trailed away as he inspected the warrant card, proffered by Bryant.
He stepped aside. ‘Please, come in.’
Kim almost balked as she looked inside. A very narrow walkway led all the way to the back of the house. On either side were magazines, books and newspapers piled precariously high.
She travelled slowly through the paper valley into a room that she couldn’t name but had one usable armchair. The place was bursting with plastic bags, bin liners, bicycle parts and old pet cages. It was like someone had taken a trip to the rubbish dump and brought it all here.
‘Sorry for the mess,’ Roger Barton said, arriving at the only available patch of carpet space.
His apology was out of place and was more suited to a house that hadn’t been vacuumed or polished before the arrival of an unexpected visitor, or a house littered with kids’ toys. It was an apology that hinted that the occupant had been caught off guard not that they were a seasoned hoarder.
Kim tried to ignore the aroma of stale food that met her nostrils. God only knew what was growing mould beneath the layers of newspapers but it was more than a few escaped crumbs.
The area immediately surrounding the single armchair was organised and clear. If the man owned a television she had yet to spot it.
‘Bloody hell,’ Bryant said, tripping over something behind her.
Kim had no idea about the state of the other rooms and she had no wish to find out.
‘Sir, we need to establish your activities for Saturday night,’ Bryant said, finally arriving alongside her.
The three of them now stood in a small space in the middle of the room.
His face was instantly alarmed. ‘May I ask why?’
Close up Kim was surprised to find that the man was clean-shaven and smelled reasonably fresh.
‘If you could just tell us where you were we’ll be on our way.’ Bryant’s voice was firm but pleasant.
‘Officer, I insist that you tell me what exactly is going on.’
Although not invited to do so, Kim took a seat in the armchair and instantly regretted it. At the lower level the piles of stuff towered above her. How did he
live like this?
She stood back up.
‘Mr Barton, it is in connection with a murder we’re investigating.’
Any trace of colour left his face.
His nails were short and clean and, Kim noted, slightly effeminate for a man of his size.
‘But who? What…’
‘Mr Barton, your car was identified as being in the general area of the incident and we would like to exclude you from our enquiries. So, if you could just tell us where you were Saturday night, we’ll be on our way.’
‘Of course. I spent the morning grocery shopping. Had a spot of lunch, took a drive up to Clent and then stopped at a scrapyard in Halesowen.’
Bryant had taken out his notebook.
Kim noted that Roger Barton had blinked four times. ‘And then I came home and read a book.’
The man was overcompensating. He had offered the entire day’s activities when they’d asked for much less. And pretty much none of it could be corroborated.
Kim couldn’t keep track of the blinks that had given away the dishonesty of that last sentence.
‘Mr Barton, shall we try that answer again?’ she asked.
‘It’s the truth.’
‘Sir, can you confirm you are the local Scout leader for Lye and Stourbridge?’ Bryant asked.
‘I am,’ he answered, somewhat proudly.
‘And does that include taking care of the finances for the weekly sessions?’
He nodded but didn’t speak.
‘And how does that work?’ Bryant asked.
‘I take the money from the parents and then raise a cheque and pay it into the account.’
‘So you keep the £5 admission charge from the parents?’ Bryant clarified.
‘Yes, but there’s nothing—’
‘Of course, Mr Barton, I was implying no such thing. The cash is yours to spend as you please.’
‘Yes, yes, exactly,’ he said, frowning.
‘And does that include paying prostitutes for sex?’
His face suffused with colour.
‘I don’t… I’m not sure…’
‘Please don’t take us for fools, Mr Barton. We took down your registration number on Sunday night, driving along Tavistock Road. You are known to many of the girls that work from that patch,’ Bryant said.
‘I w-went for a drive… just…’
‘Mr Barton, did you meet with Kelly Rowe on Saturday night?’ Kim asked.
He shook his head vehemently.
‘Did you meet with a young prostitute named Donna Hill last night?’ she continued.
‘You must have heard of their deaths,’ Bryant interjected. ‘Why did you not come forward?’
He rubbed at his head. ‘I wasn’t there those nights. I have nothing—’
‘Do you seek out any girls in particular?’ Bryant asked.
He looked her way and shook his head. ‘They’re all very nice…’
‘So, you could have had dealings with both of them?’ Bryant asked.
The man was shaking his head from side to side. ‘I told you, I wasn’t there those—’
‘The £5 notes in their handbags would tend to disagree,’ Bryant pushed.
Realisation began to dawn in his eyes. The questions about the Scouts and his financial arrangements.
His head stopped shaking as the final traces of colour left his face. ‘Officer, I think I’d like to speak to my lawyer.’
Yes, Kim thought. That was beginning to look like a very good idea.
FORTY-SEVEN
Ellie tried to swallow down her fear. She had the feeling they were getting close to the place they’d been travelling towards all along, that nothing she could have said would have changed whatever was to come next.
‘It is lucky for you that I have a way for you to pay me back. You’re not the first, you see. You craved your independence, sought a way to speed your journey to adulthood and you have succeeded. This is your debt and your responsibility. You got exactly what you wanted.’
Ellie could not deny that there was some truth in his words.
‘You have been successful in escaping the clutches of your mother. She is no longer in charge of your decisions and this next one you will make yourself.’
Ellie held her breath. There was a mesmerising quality to his voice that, although it filled her with fear, she felt compelled to listen to.
‘You are here, alone, with no money, no family, no friends and no safety net yet you have the one thing that will set you free.’
Ellie frowned.
He raised one eyebrow and looked her up and down. ‘You have your body.’
For a few seconds, Ellie was confused. She thought about her hands, arms, legs, feet and as she thought about the bits in between her fear turned to abject horror. The bile rose in her throat and she fought to swallow it down.
‘You can’t m-mean… prostitution?’
‘Such an outdated word but, yes, that’s exactly what I mean.’
Ellie shook her head vehemently. ‘No, no, I can’t do that,’ she cried, backing away from him.
The thought of strange men touching her body made her throw up in her mouth.
‘Then offer me an alternative,’ he said, sipping the green liquid.
Ellie had the feeling they were playing some kind of cat-and-mouse game, and that he was enjoying the game immensely.
‘Roxanne…’ she whispered, looking to her friend.
Roxanne still didn’t turn but Ellie saw the tensing of her shoulders.
‘Roxanne…’ she called again, more urgently.
Ellie suddenly understood that Roxanne was just as trapped as she was.
‘So, little one, do we finally understand each other?’
Ellie shook her head. ‘I c-can’t… really I can’t,’ she said, weakly.
He sighed heavily and shook his head. ‘You seem like a very smart young lady. I had hoped we could settle this like adults. I ask you one last time to reconsider.’
Ellie shook her head slowly. She couldn’t do it. What was the worst he could do?
He reached for something beside the kitchen chair and stood.
Ellie’s eyes travelled down his arm to his right hand. Clutched between his fingers was some kind of wire contraption that looked like metal coat hangers entwined together.
He moved towards her and reached over to turn up the volume on the radio.
‘I didn’t want to resort to this but you have left me no choice.’
Ellie knew she could not move. Every bone in her body was trembling. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the weapon in his hand.
He advanced towards her, and Ellie tried to push back the chair but the bones in her feet had dissolved into her flesh. She watched as he drew closer and raised the weapon. The breath in her body stilled, her heart beat wildly in her chest, as the weapon whipped down.
Roxanne cried out in pain as the metal struck her lower back.
Ellie screamed as Kai raised the weapon and thrashed it against Roxanne’s thighs.
A second muted cry escaped from her lips as her legs buckled and she fell to the ground.
‘Stop,’ Ellie cried.
Kai ignored her and lifted Roxanne from the floor by her hair.
Ellie watched in horror as he thrashed the object at her knees. Again, her legs buckled but her body could not fall because of his grip on her hair.
‘Stop, p-please stop,’ Ellie begged.
‘There are always consequences for your actions, little one, and they may not always be for you.’
He dropped the metal contraption to the floor and used his free hand to punch Roxanne in the face. Her bottom lip exploded and blood spurted down her chin.
Ellie prayed to wake up from this nightmare but knew that the scene before her was very real.
‘Would you care to reconsider before I damage this pretty little face for ever?’
‘Leave her alone,’ Ellie cried, finally pushing herself to her feet.
Kai
still held Roxanne by the hair. He shook her head like a rag doll.
‘Stay back or she’s going to get it worse.’
Ellie could see that Roxanne was trying to get a hold of her own hair but the shaking meant she couldn’t get a grip.
Kai threw her to the ground and kicked her in the stomach. Roxanne began to cough and Ellie could see blood spatters all over the floor.
Ellie felt the tears stinging her eyes.
Kai continued to kick Roxanne in the stomach and then in the back.
Ellie sobbed uncontrollably as Roxanne groaned from the floor.
‘Stop, please, just stop it,’ Ellie cried, wiping away the tears from her cheeks.
‘You know how to make it stop for your new best friend, little one.’
Ellie turned away as he landed another blow to the back of the head. Roxanne’s cheek was covered in blood from the ground as she rolled around trying to escape.
She was moaning unintelligibly. Kai retrieved the metal weapon and stood above Roxanne, a leg either side of her inert body. He raised his arm in the air but Ellie could bear it no longer.
‘No, s-stop, don’t. I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you w-want but please just stop.’
Kai lowered his arm and placed the weapon on the table.
Ellie dropped to the ground and tried to cradle Roxanne’s head in her hands.
Suddenly Ellie felt herself being lifted back to her feet by her hair. Her scalp stung.
Kai stepped over Roxanne’s inert form on the floor and dragged her to the kitchen door. He opened the door to the cellar and pushed her inside. She stumbled down the steps and landed in a heap.
She looked up to see his figure standing in the doorway.
‘I thought you’d see it my way, eventually.’
The door closed and the world went dark.
FORTY-EIGHT
Kim tapped her foot impatiently as the landlord opened the door to Donna’s flat.
As he stepped aside she realised that the word flat was purely aspirational for the entire space that was no bigger than her garage and kitchen combined.
Bryant thanked the man who happily headed back down the stairs.
She guessed he was thinking that he would be able to re-let it straight away and make a few quid from the money Donna had already paid for the rest of the month, not to mention any security deposit.
Broken Bones: A gripping serial killer thriller (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 7) Page 16