by M K Farrar
“And he waited nine years before he decided to use it against you?”
She nodded. “Maybe he was savouring the anticipation of it all. He’d been stalking me and my parents, though of course we had no idea. Then he found out my dad was sick with a heart problem and decided the time was right to strike. He knew I was at my weakest point, and that he’d be able to do anything he wanted with me.”
Amy grimaced. “That sounds like Edward.”
“I found your book. He’d hidden it away, so I knew it must be something important. I recognised your story. Then I saw his scars and I knew it was him.”
The doctor shuddered. “God, those cuts on his thigh. I’d never seen anything more horrifying.”
“He’s killed again,” Natalie said, “I’m sure of it. My upstairs neighbours were murdered, and there was a boy who looked exactly like Anthony who went missing as well. I can’t prove anything, but I’m sure it was him.”
“We have to go to the police.”
“I can’t. He’ll tell them I murdered Anthony.”
Amy pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Natalie, but I don’t think you have any choice at this point. You need to take away his power.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to remove the one thing he’s holding over you. The truth.”
What was the doctor saying?
“You need to tell your parents what really happened that day. If you tell them, he won’t have anything to blackmail you with anymore.”
“But I can’t.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’ll destroy them. I’ll have to tell them what kind of person their beloved Anthony was and destroy their memory of him. And not only that, they’ll know they brought the person who killed their son into their home. They’ll blame themselves, for all of it. They’ll blame themselves for adopting me in the first place, and then for not seeing what Anthony was doing and putting a stop to it. My dad is sick. They’re not strong enough to handle this.”
“If you don’t take back control, he’ll never stop.” The doctor dug into the handbag on her shoulder and took out her phone. “We need to call the police right now and tell them everything you know.”
Natalie spied the make of the phone. “You have a Nokia?”
Lines of confusion appeared between the other woman’s eyebrows. “Yes?”
“Is there any chance you have a charger with you?”
“Yes, why?”
“We’ll phone the police soon, but please, just let me charge my phone and try to contact Kyle—Edward—and see if I can convince him not to tell my parents. It’ll be better coming from me.”
“I’ve got one in here,” Amy said, delving back into her handbag and pulling out a charger.
“Oh, thank God.”
Natalie located her own phone and plugged it in. She gave it a moment to gain some charge before switching it back on again.
A text came through.
She checked it. It was from her mother, and her stomach twisted as she read.
Kyle is here. He says you have something important to tell us. Phone me. I’m worried.
Natalie lifted her gaze to Amy’s, the doctor’s face blurring through unshed tears. “It’s too late. He’s already there.” She felt frantic, her hands shaking. “He’s going to tell them. Oh my God. He’s going to tell them.”
Amy’s eyes widened. “He’s already at your parents’ house?”
“Yes, my mum wants me to call her.”
“Do it from the car. I’ll drive.”
Natalie was unable to voice her gratitude. “You will?”
“Someone I worked with once said to me that us girls need to stick together, but then she let me down. I vowed I’d never do the same thing to another woman, okay?”
“Thank you.”
Natalie fumbled with the phone, trying to pull up her mother’s number. The small amount of charge she’d managed to give the phone would barely be enough for one phone call before the battery ran out again. She hit the ‘call’ button, and pressed the phone to her ear.
Amy hustled her towards the door, her hand against her shoulder. Her car was parked on the street, and they left the house and ran towards it.
The phone rang, and her mother picked up. “Hello, love. Are you on your way?”
Her mum sounded so normal, it completely threw her for a moment. She’d expected her mother to be in the same frame of mind she was—fearful and upset—but she didn’t sound any different to how she usually did.
“Mum? Are you okay?” Natalie was breathy as she hurried towards Amy’s car. “Is Kyle still there?”
“Yes, he’s just having a cup of tea, and I’ve done him a slice of cake. I made a Victoria sponge yesterday. He says you’ve both got something to tell us.” She lowered her voice, and Natalie pictured her mother standing in the kitchen with her hand cupping the mouthpiece of the phone in an attempt not to be heard. “I must say, I think it might be a little too soon for anything serious. As much as I’d love grandchildren one day, you’re only twenty-five and you haven’t been together long.”
Her head spun, and she barked out crazed laughter. “I’m not pregnant, Mum, I promise.”
Amy had unlocked her car door and was staring at Natalie across the roof, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Natalie didn’t blame her for the expression. This whole thing felt surreal. She had the sudden idea that she was wrong about everything, and that Kyle was actually a regular bloke who was just excited about them moving in together and wanted to share the news with her family.
“Okay. Well, we’ll look forward to seeing you. Kyle explained how he was already in the area because of work and thought he might as well pop in and then you could join us from Bristol. Such a thoughtful young man.”
She gritted her teeth. “Yes, so thoughtful.”
Kyle would assume this would give her something else to stress about. He knew she had no money or car—and she was now pretty certain he was the one who made sure her car didn’t start. He’d be amusing himself, imagining her panic as she tried to figure out how to get down to her parents, knowing he was already there.
“I told him that he shouldn’t be working at the weekends, though. It’s important to have that work-life balance.”
“I’ll be there as quick as I can, Mum. Okay?”
She wanted to say something as a warning, to tell her to be careful of Kyle and that he wasn’t who he made himself out to be, but she was terrified that the slightest wrong word would trigger something in Kyle, and he’d go one step further than telling her parents the truth about the two people they’d raised—he would do something to hurt them physically.
“Don’t drive too fast. See you soon.”
“Bye, Mum.”
Amy jumped behind the wheel, and Natalie climbed into the passenger seat.
“We need to call the police,” Amy said as she quickly did a three-point turn at the end of the close. “My husband is a detective. I’m sure he’ll have contacts where your parents live.”
“If the police get involved, it’s all going to come out.”
“It has to. I’m sorry, Natalie, but they’re going to learn the truth. Edward—Kyle—is a killer. You know what he’s capable of.”
She nodded, wringing her hands in her lap, her jaw tight. “I know, but if the police show up outside their door and I’m not there, he might decide to take everything out on my parents instead of me. It’s me he wants to hurt really, not them. They’re just a tool to him.”
“I still think it’s a mistake not to call the police, Natalie. I’m serious.”
“I know, so am I. As soon as we get there, though, you can call them, okay? Just let me get inside the house first.”
Amy took her eyes off the road to throw Natalie an aghast look. “You can’t go in there alone!”
“You’ll be right outside, and the police will be on their way.”
“It’ll still be enough time for him to kill you.”
She shook her head. “He won’t kill me. There will be too much fun to be had in ripping all our lives apart.”
Chapter Thirty
That drive down to Devon was the longest journey of her life.
Natalie leaned forward in her seat, as though her position might somehow make the car go faster. She glanced at the speedometer. Amy was already doing eighty-five miles an hour, and she couldn’t ask her to go any faster. Desperation twisted her up inside, and she wished there was a way she could blink and just be there. She prayed she was making the right decision about waiting to call the police.
Finally, they came off the motorway and took the winding, narrow roads towards her parents’ village. She gave instructions to Amy at each turning, and doing so reminded her of when she’d made this trip with Kyle the first time, and how he’d known exactly where they needed to go. He’d said that he’d looked it up before they’d left, but she hadn’t remembered giving him the address. Of course, she hadn’t needed to tell him where they lived—he’d been here many times before when he was busy stalking them.
“This is their road,” she announced as they approached.
Amy turned in. Sure enough, Kyle’s Audi was parked outside her parents’ house.
“Okay, Natalie.” Amy reached for her phone. “I’m calling my husband now. He’ll send someone around right away.”
“Thank you.”
No matter what else happened, all this would be over soon.
Natalie threw herself from the car before it had even stopped moving and ran to her parents’ front door. It was unlocked, and she barrelled inside.
“Mum?” she called. “Dad?”
“In here, Natalie.” It was Kyle who’d replied.
She swallowed a ball of fear and followed the voice into the living room.
The scene was horrifyingly normal. They sat in their regular spots, a teapot and cups on the coffee table. Her mother’s cake stand contained a half-eaten Victoria sponge and a knife, and beside that were a couple of empty plates they must have eaten their cake off.
Worry instantly flitted across her mother’s face. “My gosh, Natalie. You’re pale as a sheet. What on earth is the matter?”
She didn’t respond but instead faced Kyle, who was sitting back in the chair, one leg folded over the other, a smirk in place.
“Get out,” she spat. “Get the fuck out of this house.”
A gasp came from her mother. Natalie never normally swore in front of her parents.
Kyle stayed exactly where he was. “I don’t think so, Natalie. We were going to have an important talk with your parents, remember?”
She glanced towards her father, who was looking even thinner and paler than the last time she’d seen him. His expression was equally concerned.
“What’s this all about, Natalie?” Glenn asked.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. How could she tell them the truth? She was going to blow their world apart.
“Maybe you should be going,” Glenn said to Kyle. “Natalie is obviously upset about something, and any man who upsets my daughter isn’t welcome here.”
But Kyle made no attempt to get up. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Glenn. Of course, Natalie is more than capable of taking care of her own problems, as I’m sure she’ll tell you.”
“Kyle, please, don’t,” she begged.
Cynthia frowned. “Don’t what? Really, you’re both starting to scare me.”
“Kyle isn’t who he says he is, Mum,” she blurted. “He used to be called Edward Swain, and he did time for killing someone.”
Anger flashed across Kyle’s face. “I suggest you shut your mouth, Natalie.”
She turned her attention to him. “The police are on their way, Kyle.”
He snorted. “And what are they going to arrest me for? Sitting here and having tea and cake?”
“You killed people! You killed my neighbours.”
Her parents watched the exchange with wide-eyed disbelief and horror.
“Prove it,” he spat.
“I can prove these.” She spun around and lifted her shirt to reveal the dark bruises on her back where he’d punched her. Then she pulled her hair away from her face to show the bruises under her chin and held out her hand with the punctured nail.
Her mother gasped again. “Oh my God.”
Her father’s cheeks turned ruddy with anger. “Did this man do that to you, Natalie?”
“Yes, he did. But I’m dealing with it, Dad.”
Kyle didn’t seem in the slightest bit flustered. “She’s good at dealing with things. Ask her how she dealt with Anthony.”
“I don’t want to hear another word coming out of your mouth, young man,” Glenn snapped.
But Kyle ignored him. “Go on. Tell them how you dealt with their beloved son. Tell them what really happened on the bridge that day.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“You don’t have to tell us anything, Nat,” her mother said firmly, “and certainly not just because this man says so.”
“Your mum’s right,” her father agreed. “You don’t have to tell us a single thing. We love you, no matter what.”
Kyle arched both eyebrows. “Even if the girl you so lovingly brought into your home murdered your only son?”
A sound like she’d never heard before erupted from her father’s throat, and the next thing she knew, he’d launched from his chair and was charging across the room towards Kyle.
“Dad, no!”
But Glenn was beyond hearing. He grabbed Kyle by the shirt, dragged him off the sofa, and wrestled him up against the wall.
Cynthia screamed.
But Natalie’s dad was old and sick, and Kyle easily pushed him off. He drew back his fist and let it fly, connecting with Glenn’s jaw, sending him staggering backwards.
“Dad!” she cried.
Where the fuck are the police?
Cynthia dropped to her knees beside her husband.
Kyle reached out and snatched up the sharp, silver knife sitting on the coffee table. From the crumbs and cream smearing the blade, she assumed it had been used to cut up the cake.
“Come here, Natalie,” Kyle demanded.
She stood her ground. “No.”
“If you don’t come here, I will cut your mother’s throat. Do you understand?”
She gulped back a sob and took a step.
“No,” Cynthia cried.
“It’s okay, Mum. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, for everything.”
Kyle grabbed Natalie’s arm and yanked her into him, so her spine was pressed to his chest. The cool metal of the knife licked her throat, and she let out a whimper.
He dragged her out of the room and through the house to the back door. He used the hand not holding the knife to open it, and then they were out in the garden. The gate at the end led onto the narrow walkway dividing the plots.
She wanted to struggle, to kick out and fight him, but the blade was sharp against her skin, and all she could think was that at least he was no longer in her parents’ home. They might know the truth, and her dad was hurt, but they were safe.
If Kyle got away, though, other people wouldn’t be.
He half dragged, half shoved her down the narrow alleyway.
She couldn’t let him escape.
She’d made a choice, almost nine years ago, not to let someone get away with hurting other people, and now she needed to make the same choice again, even if it meant getting herself hurt.
With a shriek, she lifted her foot and stomped down onto his instep. At the same time, she grabbed for the knife at her throat. If she could wrestle it from him, she’d stab him, no hesitation.
But even though she’d taken him by surprise and had wrapped both her hands around his wrist, he was still too strong for her. She strained, pulling the knife from her skin, but he applied force in the opposite direction.
Her grip on him slipped.
The blade sank into her throat, a wicked slash, o
pening her up. Blood poured down her front.
A cry of fury came from behind them.
Natalie was barely aware of Doctor Amy Penrose swinging a piece of four-by-two she must have picked up as a weapon from one of their neighbour’s back fences. It struck Kyle—Edward—across the back of his head. He went down heavily on his knees.
Natalie clutched at her throat. She could still breathe, so he hadn’t cut deep enough to sever her airways, but the amount of blood was terrifying. Bright red, hot and wet, it flooded over her hands, soaking into her shirt. Her heart was beating far too fast, and the world spun around her.
Amy stood over the man she’d known as a boy called Edward.
“Hello, Doctor.” Kyle lifted his head to address her, though he winced, the movement clearly causing him pain from the blow she’d struck, and his voice was weaker than normal. “I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“I never wanted to see you again, Edward. I hope this is the last time.”
Why didn’t he run? Why didn’t he lift his arms to protect himself?
Amy swung the piece of wood again. It cracked against the side of his head, and this time Kyle went limp. He slumped to one side, his eyes closed.
The doctor turned her attention to Natalie. Natalie reached out for her, desperate for help. She felt cold all over, her skin clammy. She was going to die, she was sure of it. No one could lose this much blood and survive. Though he hadn’t cut her throat completely open, he must have caught an artery.
“Hang in there, Natalie,” Amy said, yanking off her shirt so she was only in her bra. “You’re going to be fine.”
She tore a large strip from the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound. “You’re going to be all right. The blood flow is stopping already. You’re going to be okay.”
Natalie didn’t know if the other woman was lying to make her feel better, but she appreciated her trying.
In the distance came the wail of sirens.
“The police are coming.” Amy lifted her head at the sound. “An ambulance, too. They’re going to take care of you.”
My dad...? How’s my dad? Natalie wanted to ask, but she couldn’t get her mouth to comply with her thoughts. In fact, she couldn’t get any of her body to move. She was still able to see, however. She’d seen when Amy had hit Kyle for a second time, and seen how he’d slumped to the floor. She’d lain there, staring at his body as Amy had rushed over to help.
