Don't Push Me

by Ewan McGregor

  ‘See you soon, Mr Thomson,’ Prentice said.

  ‘I’ll look forward to it.’

  50

  Kat hadn’t meant to tell anyone about the bullying and the abuse she had been subjected to. She had just blurted it out after her mother referred to Rachel as a ‘poor wee lassie’. She couldn’t help herself. Hearing Rachel referred to like that had pressed all of the wrong buttons. Couple that with constantly having to see the ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ photo of her that every newspaper and online site was forcing down their throats. Kat’s outburst served as a timely warning that she could easily blow the whole thing. Her mother had promised Kat that she wouldn’t tell a living soul and Kat had believed her. That wasn’t the point though, was it? She still shouldn’t have said it. What would happen if the police asked some questions she didn’t like? She needed to get a grip of herself.

  Kat had decided the next step to take. She had thought it through and determined it needed her full concentration, so she had thought about nothing else for the entirety of her shift. Every single person caught up in this sorry mess should be told exactly what had been going on. The part about Kat being involved would conveniently be omitted. Kat couldn’t just sit back and leave everything to chance. She had to try to make sure the finger of blame would never point her way. Kat had reasoned that if everyone was suspecting Stephen or Kirsty (or even Tony and Jason) for the disappearance and subsequent murder of Rachel then they wouldn’t be considering Kat.

  She had bought a cheap pay-as-you-go phone from another busy newsagent in the city centre on the way home from work on Friday. She knew the police would have great trouble trying to trace any messages sent from it and she would be ditching the phone as soon as it had served its purpose. In the unlikely event that the texts could somehow be traced – and Kat was sure that they couldn’t be – she had decided to send them from a busy location. She wasn’t going to send them from her flat in any case. So she took a seat on Saturday morning at one of the benches on George Square, facing away from the cameras looking down from above. There were people all around and she was sure no one would notice her sending the messages and reading the numbers from her notepad.

  Kat had a list of all the numbers she would need, a list that she would be tearing to shreds as soon as the messages were sent. She was going to gather everyone together for what was sure to be an explosive meeting.

  Kat had thought long and hard about her plan, and her mind was made up. The one thing she was sure of was that she wanted to be there when it all happened. She wanted to see it. Obviously, she couldn’t be physically at the meeting but she wanted it to happen in a place where she could have a good vantage point. A place of her choosing. She had plumped for somewhere which was clearly visible from her mum’s flat, which she still hadn’t put up for sale yet. It overlooked the far end of Kelvingrove Park and had great views. This meant that if she scheduled the meet for the south entrance to the park then she would be able to clearly see what happened.

  Kat had bought the phone to help speed things along. She composed her first text, which was to Jason. She sent details of the meet along with some interesting information. He would definitely be in attendance, Kat was sure of it.

  Stepdad Ste has been having an affair with Rachel. He knows where she is. Meet at the south entrance to Kelvingrove Park on Lydon St at 3 p.m. today. More will be revealed.

  Kat tried to spell it out as clearly as she could to Jason, as judging by his texts and voicemails he wasn’t going to be a contestant on Mastermind anytime soon. The text would set the cat amongst the pigeons, she was sure of that. Jason would struggle to hold his temper. Kat had set the meeting for that afternoon to avoid everyone meeting up beforehand – she was sure there was no way Jason wouldn’t have gone looking for Stephen.

  Right away, the phone started ringing and it was Jason’s number. Kat stared at the handset; there was no way she was going to answer.

  A text came through less than a minute later.

  Who the fuck’s this?

  What a charmer he was. Kat wasn’t going to reply to the text. She composed her next message. It was to Tony.

  Finally ready to meet. Sorry for messing you about. Trouble with Jason and my stepdad. Was a bit scary for a bit. All will be explained. Meet me at…

  Kirsty was next.

  Sorry for disappearing. Everything got a bit much for me plus Tony has been hassling me. He wants us to be more than friends. Meet me at…

  The phone was ringing again. This time it was Kirsty. Again, Kat wasn’t going to answer. She waited for the call to end and sent the next message. To Rachel’s mum, Laura.

  For more information about your daughter’s disappearance meet at…

  Kat couldn’t bring herself to pretend the message was from Rachel – she didn’t want to give her even more false hope that her daughter was still alive and well. She wasn’t that callous or heartless. The star of this particular show would receive the next text. Stephen. Kat felt a great deal of power having his number in her possession and his life in her hands. She had to make sure he turned up to the meeting.

  Rachel and her manager Tony have been having an affair. He knows where she is. Meet at…

  The final text was the most vital if her plan was going to work. Kat had wondered how she could get the police to attend the meeting without actually calling them. She really didn’t want that to happen as they would have a recording of the call and it would be investigated thoroughly. She had found an anonymous text line for Crimestoppers online. She hoped the message would be taken seriously.

  All suspects in the disappearance of Rachel Strang will be at…

  Then she took out the sim card, tried her best to snap it and dropped it to the ground. She scraped it with her foot into a drain. She would dispose of the phone when she went out later.

  Kat smiled. She left her seat and walked in the direction of the subway station at Buchanan Street. She would go to her mother’s flat soon and prepare to watch the meeting.

  Everything had been set in motion. Her work here was done.

  51

  Prentice and his team had spent hours at the bank and hadn’t gained much insight into Rachel Strang’s character or her current whereabouts. Many of the team, including his partner Donaldson, were of the opinion that it had been a complete waste of time, but Prentice knew that any information gleaned about Rachel Strang would be beneficial to the enquiry and they couldn’t afford not to interview her workmates. Donaldson was also still fuming at being dragged to meet Archie Thomson. He had told Prentice that no good would come from it but Prentice had insisted.

  Prentice wasn’t one to cut corners. He knew many of his colleagues made fun of him and his methods behind his back, but he didn’t care. He didn’t do the job to make friends. He was never going to win over many of his fellow detectives because he wasn’t ‘one of them’. He hadn’t worked his way through uniform for years and toiled like the majority of them. He had been fast-tracked through a graduate programme from university and many used it as a stick to beat him with. It didn’t matter to them that, more often than not, he got results. Maybe it irked them that he got better results than they did. Whatever it was, there was nothing Prentice could do to change their opinion of him so he had stopped even trying.

  Prentice and the team had been at the Strang house again as well today. Forensics had been with them and they would search the whole place from top to bottom. If something had happened to Rachel in that house or its surrounding gardens then it would be uncovered. They had already taken away the family car for a forensic examination, and they were currently going over the house and garden with a fine-tooth comb. It was vital that nothing was missed. Prentice couldn’t afford any cock-ups. Not with the top brass and the press watching their every move.

  Word had come through to Prentice and Donaldson that there had been an interesting development in the case. A piece of information had come via Crimestoppers and it was being taken very seriously. If
what was being claimed was true then it could go a long way to solving the case.

  The tip-off had come through by text mid-morning Saturday. Donaldson wasn’t even sure how that was possible, but they were both pleased that it had.

  The text talked about a meeting between all parties involved in the disappearance of Rachel. Prentice and Donaldson didn’t know what to expect, but they weren’t going to ignore the information. The police hadn’t had long to set up an operation but set up one they had – both Prentice and Donaldson sat in an unmarked car across from the entrance to Kelvingrove Park eager to see what would happen. There were officers sprinkled everywhere around the park, both plain clothes and uniform. The helicopter would also come into play if it all went pear-shaped. Prentice loved this bit of the job. The adrenaline flowing in his veins. The anticipation that something was about to happen. Something that could have a huge bearing on whether they found Rachel Strang dead or alive.

  52

  Kat was all set up in her mother’s flat. She had moved one of the dining-room chairs over to the window which would give her a near perfect view of what was going to unfold. She had sent the texts only a few hours previously, but she was sure that every recipient would show at the park.

  Kat didn’t like to admit it to herself but she was excited. Today was the day. She couldn’t wait until the whole thing blew up. If truth be told, she would be glad when the whole thing was at an end and she could resume living her life again without fear of being caught. It really was stressing her out no end. If Kat could make it look like Stephen (and hopefully Kirsty) had something to do with Rachel’s disappearance then the police would never even look into her.

  Kat was perfectly positioned to watch the upcoming event. She knew she shouldn’t be within one hundred miles of the park, but she couldn’t help it – she needed to see what happened. This must be what Mrs Paterson felt like. Kat had reasoned that there was no way the police would be looking for her, especially with all that was going to happen. She could see police officers stationed at different parts of the park, and she was sure some of the cars parked around the place were filled with officers out of uniform. She hoped that was the case. It looked like they were taking her text seriously.

  Kat had made sure the blinds were drawn, but she had left enough of a gap to see everything that happened across the road at the park’s entrance. Kat was certain that no one would be looking up at the window, but she was still cautious. Kat could see everything. The unobstructed view was spectacular. Although, annoyingly, she wouldn’t be able to hear what would be said. There was nothing that could be done about that, but she reasoned she could probably guess the dialogue anyway. Everything was set. Let the games begin…

  After what seemed like an eternity, the main players started to arrive. Stephen was the first on the scene and he looked shifty as hell. He hopped from one leg to the next and fidgeted. He hadn’t heard from Rachel – as far as he knew his sordid little secret was still safe. All he knew was that he had received a text saying to be there as it regarded Rachel’s whereabouts. The text had said her manager in work knew more about it and he was having an affair with her. After what they had been up to, Stephen wasn’t too surprised. He was hoping beyond hope that Rachel would show up, alive and well. He had never been so worried about someone before. He hadn’t even been sleeping.

  Tony arrived next. The two men looked each other over. They had never met before, but it seemed clear that they were both waiting on someone.

  ‘Are you Tony?’ Stephen asked. He had taken a leap of faith by confronting the man standing beside him in the park. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but somehow he knew the man was here because of Rachel.

  ‘Yeah, how’d you know that? Where’s Rachel? Is she here? Who are you?’ Tony said. He was clearly agitated.

  ‘I got told you knew where she was. I got a message saying you’ve been having an affair with Rachel! What have you done with her? Where is she?’ Stephen said, trying to restrain himself from grabbing Tony by the neck.

  ‘An affair? What you talking about? I’ve no idea where Rach—’ Tony began talking but was quickly interrupted.

  It was when Jason arrived that the real fun and games began. Kat thought this might happen after reading all about Jason’s anger issues.

  Jason was an ‘actions speak louder than words’ type of guy – he ran quickly and directly for Stephen. He threw a punch at Stephen’s face and it connected. His fist burst Stephen’s nose, sending blood spurting everywhere. Kat shuddered from the window – even she could feel the impact of the punch. It rocketed Stephen’s head backwards, but somehow he managed to keep his feet.

  ‘What you doing? Get off me!’ Stephen shouted whilst trying to hold his nose together. Tony tried to hold Jason back. It was turning into The Jeremy Kyle Show already. Tony was elbowed in the side of the head in the struggle.

  ‘You’re her stepdad for fuck’s sake!’ Jason shouted whilst still trying to land punches.

  ‘What’s he talking about?’ The very special guest had arrived, just in the nick of time – Rachel’s mum, Laura. Why should she miss out on all the fun? Jason stepped back.

  ‘Your lovely husband here has been shagging your daughter. My fiancée! Has been for months!’ Jason said, clenching his fists, ready for another chance to inflict pain on Stephen.

  Stephen, nose bloodied, looked as if he was about to run away or burst into tears. He wanted the ground to swallow him up. He hadn’t known what to expect after getting the text message, but he wasn’t expecting or prepared for an ambush like this.

  ‘I’ve not touched Rachel – honestly, Laura!’ Stephen didn’t sound convincing. He had tears welling up in his eyes, and blood was pouring from his nose as he spluttered out his feeble defence.

  Laura didn’t look like a woman to be trifled with. After only a moment’s hesitation, she had made up her mind.

  ‘I knew something was going on with you. I knew it, but I never imagined this.’ Laura shook her head, thinking it over. ‘You and Rachel! I’ll rip your fuckin balls off!’ she screamed.

  She stormed towards Stephen, swinging and connecting with punches and kicks.

  ‘I’ve not done anything!’ Stephen said as he tried to protect his head from the blows.

  Tony had taken a few punches himself but again he had managed to split it all up. He didn’t think when he’d been invited to the park it was to be a bouncer.

  ‘Who the hell are you?’ Laura shouted as Tony dragged her off. ‘Get your hands off me.’

  ‘He’s Tony, Rachel’s manager at work,’ Stephen spluttered through all the blood, snot and tears. ‘He’s the one who’s been having an affair with Rachel – not me!’

  All eyes turned to Tony. Jason looked especially keen to hear what his reply would be.

  ‘What? He’s trying to save his own skin! I’m just her manager. He’s the one been having the affair!’ Tony said, pointing at the mess that was Stephen. This seemed enough explanation for Jason and Laura – they both lunged for Stephen again.

  Kirsty arrived to a scene of absolute carnage.

  ‘Dad! What the hell’s going on here?’ she screamed. A sizeable crowd was now gathering to watch. Many of them had their mobile phones out, recording the melee.

  Jason and Laura temporarily halted their assault.

  ‘Your dad, my beloved husband here, has been having an affair with Rachel! My own flesh and blood!’ Laura Strang shouted.

  ‘What? No way. No chance. Dad?’ Kirsty asked.

  ‘It’s nonsense, love; I’d never touch Rachel. Not like that…’

  ‘Where is she?’ Kirsty said.

  ‘I don’t know. Honestly, love, I’ve not done anything. I got a message saying Tony here knows where she is – message said they’d been having an affair at work,’ Stephen said.

  Everyone stopped and turned their attention to Tony again.

  ‘Is this right?’ Kirsty said. ‘I knew you two had been acting funny at work.’

/>   This was more than enough for Jason; he lunged at Tony this time. Tony had seen what had happened to Stephen – he wasn’t hanging around for the same treatment. He started to run; Jason followed. It looked like an episode of The Benny Hill Show with the two of them running around in circles. Some of the crowd laughed as they filmed the ridiculous scene on their phones.

  ‘Does anyone know where my daughter is?’ Laura screamed at the top of her voice and everyone stopped.

  They all stood for a moment, looking around at each other. This was the real reason they had been called together. Someone here knew more than they were letting on.

  ‘Somebody better start talking because I’ve had just about enough of this!’ Laura said.

  The police had also had enough. They had watched and listened to the mayhem unfold and now appeared from every direction. There were loads of them.

  Kat couldn’t take her eyes from the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. The messages had worked even better than she had anticipated. This was all happening because of her. She was the orchestrator now.

  The police tried unsuccessfully to calm the situation down. Jason was bundled to the ground by four or five officers – they put handcuffs on him as he struggled on the ground. The police would definitely call it resisting arrest. Laura stood screaming at everyone and anyone who would listen, whilst Kirsty tried to tend to Stephen and his injuries. Tony stood still – he looked shocked at the whole situation. The sizeable crowd continued filming with their mobile phones. The whole carry-on would be posted on social media imminently no doubt. Kat kept watching from the window. It was absolute carnage. She found to her surprise that she was smiling.