by Karla Forbes
“What the hell are you doing in there?” she muttered under her breath. She shivered involuntarily, and for the first time experienced a sense of deep unease. Nick’s warning sounded again in her head. Stay inside and keep out of sight, he had told her. She considered turning back, but in the next moment had dismissed the idea. What could happen to her in an innocent holiday park in broad daylight? If the worst came to the worse she would smile sweetly and talk herself out of trouble.
She shook off her misgivings and roused herself for action. Taking a deep breath, she ran over to the van.
Crouching low on the ground, she examined the lock. It was heavier than she had expected. Her spirits sank as she turned it backwards and forwards in her hand. Her inadequate collection of kitchen implements seemed unequal to the task. She hunkered down, torn with indecision: carry on, or accept defeat before she had started. She made a decision. Grabbing the meat skewer she pushed the end into the padlock, twisting and turning and listening for the sound of the lock disengaging.
Instead she heard something else. A soft groan. Just the one, but unmistakable. It was a woman’s voice – and it was coming from inside the van.
Annelies dropped the padlock in shock and listened. All around her was silence. Even the birds in the branches above her seemed to be holding their breath. A dog barked in the distance, breaking the spell and she pressed the side of her head to the van, straining to hear. It came again: a moan of such futility and distress that it chilled her blood.
At that moment another noise caught her attention. She dragged her eyes away from the van and looked in dismay towards the lodge. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the front door opening.
***
Nick hung back, watching, his frustration growing by the minute. He couldn’t edge nearer without the risk of being seen, but from his vantage point in the bushes he could hear only snatches of the conversation. Wilson and Fox were talking to another (older) man who was pointing towards a distant building. His dismissive manner suggested that whatever his two visitors were talking to him about was no concern of his.
“It’s not me you need to see…” the man was saying before turning his head away and becoming inaudible. Nick strained to hear, but caught just a few words of Wilson’s reply.
“I don’t care about that, sir. You have the key and I have the authority…” The rest of the words were muffled.
“We’ve never had a visit from you lot before…”
“Health and safety regulations…” Fox began to explain before his words also were lost to the wind. Nick swore irritably and edged several inches nearer.
“Load of rubbish…” the old man was saying. “In my day…”
As he rambled on, obviously complaining, Wilson held up a hand for silence.
“The quicker we get on with it, the quicker we can leave you in peace…”
Whatever else Wilson said must have been convincing, because seconds later, although still grumbling, the old man pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket.
All three men wandered away, their voices fading into the distance. Nick waited until they were no longer in sight and then broke cover to follow. This time the distance between him and his quarry was even greater than before, and none of their conversation filtered his way. Kicking his heels with frustration, all he could do was watch. Fox and the old man hung around talking whilst Wilson disappeared inside the building. He was gone no more than five minutes before reappearing, scribbling into a notebook. He dropped the notebook into his briefcase and extended a hand towards the old man. Judging by the satisfied smile on his face, whatever he had set out to do had been achieved.
Nick had no doubt that he had witnessed something important. The only problem was that he had no idea what it could be.
***
Annelies dived to the blind side of the van and sat there shaking with fear as the man strode over to the very spot where, half a second earlier, she had been crouching. He was standing so close to her that she could see his cigarette smoke curling around the side of the van. Moments later, he tossed the butt casually away and it landed on the ground, still smouldering, just inches from where she huddled. She suppressed a yelp of panic. If he took one sideways step to extinguish it with his heel, he would see her. She held her breath as she waited, but the glow of the cigarette died and the next moment she heard the grating sound of a key turning in the padlock. There was a noise of a door swinging open and the man stepping inside, then the door clanged closed.
Adrenaline was flooding through her, heightening her senses. Even in her terrified state, she realised that he had not locked the door again behind him.
She crouched there with her back pressed hard against the van. A voice in her head shouted at her to start running, to get the hell out of there while she could. She forced herself to her feet on legs that had turned to rubber, but it was at that moment that she heard the woman again. Her voice was weak, almost incoherent; she seemed to be asking a question. She sounded confused and frightened, and then she began to cry out in panic. The man’s angry response cut through her sobs.
“I’m warning you,” he rasped, “shut the fuck up.”
“Please…keep away from me,” the woman wailed pitifully. “Where’s the other man?”
“He’s not here,” the man said, less roughly. Annelies sensed that he was trying to calm her. “I won’t hurt you,” he said. “Look, I’ve brought you some soup.”
The woman began to whimper. “Please…I don’t want it. It makes me sick.”
“Of course it doesn’t!” he told her sharply. “It’s good for you. When you’re fit again you can go home. You want that, don’t you?”
“Yes…yes…I want to go home. Please let me go.”
“Drink the soup and then you can.”
Annelies listened, transfixed. She knew she should be running. Instead she couldn’t move. There was a short silence and then the sound of choking. The man’s voice rang out with fury. “You stupid bitch, look what you’ve fucking done!”
The woman’s voice rose to new levels of terror. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to.”
“Drink the soup before I force it down your throat!” the man raged.
Annelies, still crouching outside the van, ground the back of her hand into her mouth to stifle the cry of horror that threatened to betray her presence. There was another short silence, and then she heard retching followed by the sound of vomiting. The man’s reaction was terrifying to hear.
“You bitch!” he ranted, “you stupid fucking bitch! It’s all over me…it’s in my mouth!” The door flew open and he stumbled out, almost falling onto his face as he tumbled to the ground. Annelies pressed herself flat against the van, shocked beyond belief as she tried to picture the scene that had taken place inside. It sounded as though the woman had vomited into the man’s face, but, although not pleasant, it was difficult to understand his extreme reaction. Annelies crouched immobile, listening to his footsteps receding as he hurried back inside the house.
She sprang to her feet, wanting to get away from there as fast as possible. It was then that she saw it: the van door standing ajar where he had thrown it closed with such force that it had bounced open again.
Only two steps separated her from seeing what was in the van.
Just two steps!
She wanted to turn and run, but the open door beckoned her forward.
She found herself walking on legs that refused to obey the warning voice in her head. She closed her ears to it. She had to know what was in the van. All she would do was look and then run for her life and summon help. She peered round the door but saw nothing for several seconds as her eyes adjusted to the dark. The stench was overpowering: a rancid mixture of vomit and faeces and unwashed body. Annelies gagged and threw a hand over her mouth, and then her eyes began to make out the person inside.
She was diminutive in size and had probably once been pretty, but now she was haggard and filthy, and her face wore the look of s
omeone whose spirit had already died and was waiting only for the body to follow. Annelies stood staring in mute horror as the woman slowly raised her head and fixed her with a look of immeasurable sadness. The woman opened her mouth to speak, but the words came out as a feeble croak. She tried again and this time they were unmistakable.
“Help me…please,” she moaned.
The desperate plea galvanised Annelies into action. She turned to flee. But a voice, bellowing at her from the direction of the lodge, caused her to slow her step and throw a look of panic over her shoulder. The man was running towards her, his face contorted with rage.
She screamed and turned, but he was upon her in a second and before she had opened her mouth to scream again, he had caught up with her and grabbed her tightly from behind in a bear hug that knocked the breath from her body.
Chapter Nine
Nick’s spirits were sinking faster than his petrol gauge. He had been following Wilson and Fox around for several hours, and all he had to show for it were too many unanswered questions and a headache that was growing worse by the minute.
The same game that he had witnessed at Streatham had also been played out at Clapham Common, before they had headed north to Roundwood Park and then circled back south again. None of it made sense, and now he was regretting the earlier chivalry that had caused him to refuse Annelies’s offer of help. At the very least he could have dropped her off to ask one of the men in the various parks what Wilson and Fox had wanted to speak to them about. As it was, Nick was reduced to following as best he could, and at a pace over which he had no control. When they drove, he drove; when they stopped he stopped. At Clapham he hadn’t been able to get near enough to hear a single word, and at Roundwood he had been forced to park so far away that he had been in danger of losing them entirely. Instead he had driven around the block and double-parked, risking the wrath of passing traffic wardens, until, twenty minutes later, they had returned to their car and driven off once again.
As they headed south, Nick tried to make sense of what was happening. Each time they stopped they pulled on their coats, clearly masquerading as officials of some sort. They were concentrating their efforts in the suburbs. Were they deliberately avoiding central London? If so, Nick could only guess that it was to reduce the risk of being picked up on the capital’s CCTV cameras. There had to be a reason for their actions; they clearly weren’t visiting Greater London’s open spaces to appreciate the greenery, but Nick had no idea what they were up to. No one was being killed. Nothing was being stolen. These were two hardened criminals working to a plan, and yet they gave the appearance of being ordinary – even congenial – members of society going about their lawful business.
But Nick knew differently. He had seen them kill a man in cold blood, and he had no doubt that the secret they had been so keen to protect had everything to do with their actions today. He cursed with the bitter knowledge that, for all his efforts, he was still no nearer to discovering the truth.
By the time they approached Wimbledon, he already knew what to expect. The only question was whether it was going to be the Common or the Park.
It was the Park. He looked with a sinking heart to where they squeezed into a small gap, forcing him to keep driving. He saw them from his rear view mirror beginning their familiar routine of donning their coats. He circled around until he found a parking space that was too far away to be any use. He pulled in anyway.
By the time he hurried back, it was already too late. The men were nowhere to be seen. He dragged his hand through his hair with frustration. If he went off in search of them on foot, he could miss them when they returned to their car and risk losing them entirely.
His pounding headache was slowing down his wits. Of course, the answer was simple. With a rare rush of satisfaction in an otherwise disappointing day, he hunkered down by the side of their car and fished a Swiss army knife from his pocket.
Seconds later he was grinning with malicious approval as he admired his handiwork. He flicked the knife closed and sprinted off towards the park. He could search for them at his leisure knowing that, with a tyre to change, they weren’t going anywhere in a hurry.
***
Annelies reacted immediately. Without pausing to think, she grabbed hold of her attacker’s little finger and yanked it painfully backwards with all the force she could muster. There was a sharp sound of cracking joint and he yelped in shock and loosened his grip. In the same instant she jerked her body sharply to the left, and kicked her right foot backwards and upwards driving it into his groin.
The effect was dramatic. With a bellow of pain, he let go and staggered back, and in that moment she ran. She ran as she had never run before, without thought or plan. Behind her was the main building, other people and safety, but if she turned now she would be heading straight for him. Instead, she flew wildly towards the trees and then plunged into the undergrowth and kept on going.
She could hear the sound of her own breath coming in short painful bursts as adrenaline fuelled her flight. The overhanging branches snagged her clothes and snared her hair, but she kept on, pushing her way through without stopping or thinking where she was ultimately going to come out. The wood closed in on her, and with a surge of panic she realised that the track was petering out. Ahead was thick impenetrable undergrowth with no obvious way through.
With a shriek of alarm she turned around and began retracing her steps, and it was in that moment that she heard it: the sound of someone crashing through the trees towards her. Her hand flew to her mouth in horror and she looked wildly around her searching desperately for somewhere to hide. She saw a clump of bushes growing low to the ground, and with a terrified glance over her shoulder she stumbled towards it and began to crawl forward on her belly
It was too late. A shout, just yards behind her signalled his arrival and, choking and sobbing with fear, she hurriedly pulled herself back out again. He was on her in seconds. As she was hauling herself to her feet, he lunged at her, throwing her onto her back. Her head hit the ground with a crack, and for a moment the earth and sky swapped places. He straddled her and grabbed her throat with both hands and the fight was knocked out of her. She lay staring up at him, bemused and disoriented and as he slowly began to squeeze, his expression of rage became ice-cold and focused.
“Who are you?” he growled. “What the hell were you doing back there?”
She tried to speak but the words choked in her throat and she fumbled ineffectually at the fingers clasped tightly around her neck. He loosened his grip and she took the opportunity to snatch a quick breath.
“I wasn’t doing anything,” she croaked. “Let me go!”
His eyes became narrow slits. “I asked you who you are. Answer me!”
“I’m on holiday here. I was looking for my dog. He ran off and—”
He reasserted the pressure, cutting off her words off in an instant.
“You’re lying! I’ll ask you one more time. Who are you and why were you sniffing round the van?”
Annelies couldn’t answer. A pain was building behind her eyes, and her vision began to fade. She knew that she might be measuring life in seconds.
The knowledge energised her and gave her fresh strength. Reaching up to him with rigid arms, she boxed him hard around his ears. His sneer faltered and his eyes flew open in shock. As his grip around her throat lessened she grabbed his right hand with her left, bent her knee and, using his own weight against him, twisted him off her and sent him sprawling in the dirt. Fighting back the hysteria that threatened to overwhelm her, she wriggled from under him, dragged herself to her feet and once again began running.
***
Hubner was shocked at the ferocity of her defence. As he picked himself up and chased after her, he began wondering about it.
His attack had not come as a complete surprise!
If she had been an innocent passer-by, stumbling by chance on the unlocked van, she wouldn’t have reacted the way she did. The moment he had shouted a
t her, she had taken to her heels. She had known him for what he was: a killer.
The knowledge gave him fresh impetus. With a howl of fury, he pounded after her, swiping away the overhanging branches as he ran. He could see her, just ahead of him, throwing a look or horror over her shoulder but then, suddenly, she broke free of the trees and came to a jarring halt in a small clearing that was illuminated by a single beam of dusty sunlight. She hesitated searching desperately around her for a path, and in that moment, he closed in for the kill.
“Bitch!” he yelled. “Come back here!”
He crossed the clearing in three bounds and when, at the last moment, she fell to her knees and tucked her head into her chest, he was taken completely by surprise. He tripped over her and flew in a graceful arc over her back.
He lay on the ground, stunned, and was barely aware of her rising to her feet and taking off again like a sprinter from the starting block. As the fog cleared from his mind, he acknowledged, grimly, that her timing had been perfect. A second earlier and he would have stopped in time; a second later and he would have smashed into her and injured them both.
He angrily dragged himself to his feet and followed after her, limping badly on a painful ankle. He heard the sound some way ahead of her crashing through the undergrowth, and once again he began closing in on her. He caught a glimpse of her coat – a hint of colour among the darkness of the trees – and intensified his efforts. He sprinted towards her, reaching for her with outstretched arms, but she dodged away from him and changed direction, like a hare fleeing the greyhounds.
***
Ahead the trees began to thin and the sunlight grew in strength, illuminating the ground with dappled patterns. Annelies plunged on, following an overgrown path and suddenly, without warning, found herself clear of the trees and slithering and sliding down a slippery bank. She yelped in dismay and clutched wildly at a branch for support, but it broke off in her hand and her feet came up from under her. She plunged down the slope and tumbled onto the road.
