by Georgia Hill
‘Do you think, do you think it’s—’
‘Blood? God knows. It certainly dries like that. He’s done a number in the ensuite too.’
Dazed, Tash went into the shower room. Obscenities screamed at her, written in lipstick, from the mirror. Her blood ran cold. Adrian had lined up the ruined lipsticks in rigid height order. They stood, like a line of defeated soldiers, awaiting execution.
‘He’s gone bloody loopy. Emma touched Tash’s arm. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’
‘Wait.’ Tash took photos of the bathroom and of the bedding. Her hands shook so much she worried they would all be blurred beyond recognition.
Before they left, Tash bent to the ruined bedding. She lifted the duvet cover and sniffed cautiously.
‘Tash, what are doing?’ Emma recoiled.
‘I think it’s only ketchup or tomato soup.’ Tash replied, relieved. She straightened. ‘Not blood.’
‘Still major weirdness though.’ Emma took her arm. ‘Come on, kiddo. Let’s go.’
Kit, noting their ashen faces, said nothing as he helped them shove the bags into his Freelander. Emma filled him in on the drive back to the farm. Tash sat in silence, staring at the scenery flying past, trying not to look out for a red Porsche.
Chapter 36
It took several hours before Tash could stop shaking. Eventually, Kit ordered her to take a long hot bath. Afterwards she joined him in the garden of the farmhouse, where he sat, nursing a beer, the dogs lying at his feet.
She sat on the other side of the dilapidated table and poured herself a glass of wine, relieved to see her hands were almost steady. They sat in silence, letting the cool, evening air slide over them. House martins and swallows dived overhead and an early owl hooted softly from the trees. It made Tash remember the owl which had startled her when she’d had to pull up on the run. She and Kit had sat in silence then too. He was an easy man to be with. She glanced across and caught him watching her. She had so much to thank him for. Here was the only place she felt totally safe. She began to stutter out her thanks.
He cut her off. ‘No need. What Emma said, was it all true?’
Tash nodded.
He blew out a breath. ‘And there’s me thinking she was exaggerating. You should take this to the police, Tash.’
Tash nodded. ‘I didn’t think I had any evidence but it’s all adding up. And…’ She paused. ‘I didn’t tell Emma this but I found some pills too. Adrian wasn’t on any medication, to my knowledge. He hated taking tablets. Whatever those pills were, I don’t think he was taking them for headaches.’
‘It could be viewed as circumstantial.’
‘Maybe,’ Tash admitted. ‘But I’ll have to take that risk. I can’t let him get away with this, Kit.’ She laughed shortly. ‘It’s not the actions of a sane man and what he’s done to me, he could go on to do to other women. Maybe already has.’
‘There’s his wife too. And all the other women who had the misfortune to encounter him.’
Tash’s throat ached with unshed tears. ‘I know. Perhaps it’ll give her the courage to press charges as well.’ She rubbed a weary hand over her eyes. ‘Oh, I’m so tired from all this. I just want him to go away. I’m struggling to think about anyone else. I know it’s selfish.’
‘Not selfish. Trying to survive. And you know I’ll back you all the way. You won’t be alone in this, Tash.’
‘I’d forgotten you were used to dealing with waifs and strays, Kit.’
He shrugged. ‘Only they usually come with four legs.’
Tash managed a grin. ‘What about the chickens?’
‘Oh yes. The ex-batteries. Hardly any feathers. Poor things. I’ve been trying to teach them how to jump onto the roost at night. They’d only known a cage.’
‘I know how that feels,’ Tash said, with feeling. ‘Do you think my feathers will ever grow back?’
‘Of course,’ Kit answered, equably. ‘I think you’re well on the way already. Today was just a setback, give it time.’
Tash sipped her wine. ‘Don’t think I’ll ever be a one-egg-a-day layer.’ To her surprise, she found herself giggling.
Kit pursed his lips. ‘You’d better stick to selling houses then. And I repeat, you can stay here as long as you want to, you know. I quite like having you around, to be honest. Even if you are an estate agent.’
Tash watched as Benji snuggled closer to Merlin who blew out a dramatic breath in his sleep and put a long leg over him. It was comical how the wolfhound dwarfed the little Westie. ‘They make an odd pair,’ she said. ‘But they seem to get on.’
Kit flicked her a glance. ‘Bit like us then.’
Chapter 37
Tash sucked in a long shuddering breath, her hand hovering over the door to Berecombe’s police station. Easing the kinks from her neck, she hardened her resolve and went in.
To her relief, it was Paul Cash behind the desk. He was older, fatherly. He might just understand.
‘Hi Tash. What can I do for you?’
‘Can I talk about…’ Tash struggled to find the words. ‘I need to report something. Domestic abuse. A possible drug spiking incident.’ She floundered. ‘I don’t know how to explain.’
Paul’s blue eyes widened. Then he assumed his professional veneer. ‘Let’s find a room, shall we? Somewhere quiet and you can tell me all about it.’
Chapter 38
The town was buzzing. The day of the fun run dawned, warm and sultry.
‘Just as well they’ve got loads of vollies giving out bottles of water,’ Emma said, as she hung onto Tash stretching out her quads. ‘Going to be hot.’ She nodded to a man behind them. ‘Can’t believe some are doing it in fancy dress!’ They were standing outside the Old Harbour Inn, waiting for the off. The sun, already high in an azure sky, was beating down relentlessly. It might be the beginning of autumn but no one had told the weather.
Tash had thought she was looking forward to the run. Usually, she loved Berecombe when everyone came out for events like this. The family run had already started and she could see a long trail of children straggling along the promenade. Race marshals were handing out water and encouragement, their collecting buckets already groaning with donations. Everything was set for another brilliant Berecombe community event. She knew most of the people taking part, as well as those doing their bit by cheering the runners on. It should have been the highlight of the summer. But, standing with Emma and the other runners, Tash had never felt more alone or vulnerable.
She’d been trying hard to get her life back on track, refusing to let what had happened with Adrian impact any more than it already had. She was concentrating on work and, once the early autumn rush was over, she’d begin to look around for somewhere to live. Living with Kit was all too comfortable. He was laidback, not that she saw all that much of him; he was always out looking after his growing menagerie. They spent their evenings poring over documentation about setting up an animal sanctuary. Tash found Kit easy to get on with and undemanding. That was as long as she damped down the nagging desire she had for him. In the few short days since she’d left Adrian, life had got back to normal. Well, nearly normal. It was almost an anti-climax that Adrian hadn’t followed up the threat implied by his message in the flowers and she couldn’t help glance around, her heart jolting every time she spied a red car. Underneath the shimmering heat bouncing off the water in the harbour, lurked the still, cold fear that he might be here. Watching.
She focused back on the race. She refused to dwell on Adrian today. The route would take them from the harbour, along the prom and then up the killer hill on the way out of town. The main race’s finishing line was at Berecombe’s football club, on the only flat stretch of town at the top of the hill.
‘Going to ace this,’ Emma said, confidently. She looked at Tash in concern. ‘Unless you want me to stick with you?’
‘Who says I’m not going to leave you for dead, girlfriend?’
‘Er, cos you hardly came to training?’
Tash hmphed. ‘If you’re going to split hairs.’ She nudged Emma so that she staggered off balance on the uneven cobbles of the harbour.
‘Foul play! Referee, this woman’s trying to nobble me.’
‘Wrong sport, Em.’ Ollie jogged up behind them. ‘And I’ll run with Tash if you’re insisting on going all Mo Farah.’
‘Do you two mind?’ Tash put her hands on her hips. ‘I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself. It’s been three days since I went back to the house and Adrian hasn’t done a thing. I’m hoping he’s gone back to Manchester for good.’
Emma pulled a face. ‘We’re all hoping that, if only so you can get together with Kit.’ She looked around. ‘Where is he anyway?’
‘He had a crisis with one of the donkeys. Had to call the vet out. Said he’d try and get here in time for the start.’ Tash glanced nervously as the runner in fancy dress took off his enormous rabbit head. She relaxed as she saw it was Percy from the butcher’s. She pulled herself together. The idea of Adrian dressing up in fancy dress just to tail her in the race was farcical. Even so, she wished Kit was here.
‘Kit had better hurry up,’ Emma said. ‘Arthur’s about to start the race.’
‘Nah,’ Ollie said. ‘He’ll make a speech first. He always does. But, even if Kit’s late starting, he’ll catch up.’
‘It’s those long legs of his,’ Emma sighed.
Tash grinned. She had to agree. Kit’s legs were a wonder to behold but she wondered how Ollie felt when his girlfriend said things like that. She didn’t have time to think any further as Arthur gave his speech and then fired the starting pistol. They were off!
Emma and Ollie sped off ahead. For a while, Millie and Jed kept pace with her along the terrace in front of the bookshop and onto the promenade but then Millie pulled up, bent double with stitch. She waved Jed on and retraced her steps to her café. At the bottom of the hill Jed went on ahead, his easy loping stride eating up the difficult incline.
Tash got to the oak tree where she’d had to stop during the training run, and had to stop again this time. Her lungs were bursting, and her thighs burned. She made her way through the kissing gate and collapsed onto the bench, sipping from her water bottle. It was too hot a day for a run like this. She wiped sweat off and sat back, concentrating on getting her breath back. Drifting up on a slight sea breeze, she could hear the cheers from the crowds on the front. The town really came together for things like this and she hoped the RNLI would make loads. She let her eyes close, enjoying the sun on her face, listening to the cheering and the odd gasp as a runner struggled up the lane behind her.
‘Let yourself go, haven’t you Natasha.’
Tash leapt up, heart pounding. Adrian leaned on the gate, a dangerous smirk on his face.
Chapter 39
‘You know I always suspected those training sessions weren’t what they seemed. I’ve been watching you. You’ve been really struggling to keep up, haven’t you? I’m not sure you ever went to training. Too busy doing something, or should I say, someone else.’
‘What do you want, Adrian?’
He stroked the gate with a forefinger, looking down. ‘Do I have to want anything to talk to my fiancée?’ He was icily calm.
‘I’m not your fiancée anymore.’
‘Would have been the polite thing to tell me that.’
‘I would have thought my actions were clear.’
Adrian lifted himself away from the gate and took a step nearer. Tash tried not to flinch. She felt horribly vulnerable in her skimpy vest and running shorts.
‘You came to my house.’
‘I went to get my things. My things, Adrian. I didn’t take anything that belonged to you or that we had bought together. I only took what was mine.’
He took another step, close enough that she could now feel his breath on her face. Running a finger down her cheek, he said, ‘And I hear there’s been someone taking what’s mine. Running sessions, book club.’ He spat. ‘Oh, how could you be so transparent, Natasha? I expected, if you were going to cheat on me, that you would have a little more finesse.’
‘I haven’t done anything.’ Tash made a concerted effort to straighten her shoulders and was gratified to see that, even in her running shoes, she was still taller than Adrian. ‘And it wasn’t me who kicked the dog.’
Adrian sneered. ‘That sodding fleabag. You cared more about that little fucker than you did about me.’
‘I did. I do.’ Tash nodded, anger beginning to bite. ‘At least Benji didn’t try to control me.’
Adrian huffed out a breath. ‘I gave you everything. You were just too selfish to appreciate it. You wanted to go and sell your stupid houses? I was the one who bought you the time to do it. Spoiled little daddy’s girl. Think you’re a big thing, don’t you? In this scrappy sewer of a goldfish bowl.’
‘You know what, Adrian,’ Tash said, squaring up to him, too furious to care. She jabbed his chest. ‘I am a big thing in this town. I do a good job and I can hold up my head with pride. What have you got? A boring house and a shiny Porsche on HP. Where are your friends, Adrian? Where’s your family? Not much to show for someone your age.’ She raised her eyebrows, enjoying the moment, despite everything. ‘And now you can add a failed relationship.’
He moved so swiftly Tash had no time to react. He grabbed her wrist in a grip so tight it squeezed the blood from her hand. With his other hand, he pushed her backwards. Tash knew if she tripped, if she fell onto the ground, she’d be defenceless. Acting on instinct and with all the strength she could muster, she raised her knee and thrust it hard into his groin. When he fell off her, bent double in agony, she cast frantically about and found a stick. Holding it above his head, in both hands, she yelled, ‘That’s for all the women you’ve bullied, abused and made their lives a fucking misery. You’re a sicko, Adrian Williams, and I never, ever want to set eyes on you again.’
He looked up at her, his face suffused with crimson, a vein standing on his forehead. ‘I’ll have you for assault,’ he gasped. ‘You crazy fucking woman.’
Tash laughed. ‘Really? You’re going to the police? Good! They’ll be fascinated to hear all about your Rohypnol-fuelled exploits in the bars of Manchester. Oh, and how you planned to commit bigamy. As far as I know that’s still a criminal offence in this country.’
Adrian blanched. The mention of Rohypnol had hit home. He straightened with difficulty, stumbling over a tree branch. ‘You women are all the same.’ He pointed a wavering finger. ‘You want the cars, the clothes, the swanky meals in expensive restaurants. But you won’t give a man a fuck in return.’ He sneered. ‘All the money I spent on you and you ended up being as frigid as the rest of them.’ He swaggered a little, pushing out his chest. ‘So what if I slip a little something into their drinks? Most of them are so drunk they don’t notice. And drunk on the champagne I buy them! You’re no different. You lapped up all the things I bought you. Even with all your airs and graces, you’re just a whore like the rest of them. And I’ll get you with the last breath I draw.’
Tash gasped. She stumbled back and came up against the bench for support. So it was true. Adrian had done all those awful things and had done the same to her. Her head throbbed but she knew she needed to keep in control or goodness only knew what he might do. ‘You sad little man,’ she began slowly. ‘You’re evil. Taking what you want and when you can’t get it, forcing people to do it all the same.’
Adrian flinched and Tash sensed her advantage. ‘You’re a bully. Just like all those kids who bullied me at school because I was fat. Once someone stands up to them, they crumble away. I’m not scared of you,’ she added, realising the truth with a glorious sense of freedom. ‘I’m not afraid of you anymore.’ She brandished the stick at him. ‘And if you dare come near me, I’ll go straight to the police for a restraining order.’ She grinned. ‘They’re already looking into what I’ve reported. I’m sure they’ll be extremely interested in this new information. This confession of yours.�
�
‘You fucking bitch,’ Adrian began. Then he laughed. ‘You’ve got no evidence.’
‘I’d ask you to not address my friend that way.’
Neither had seen Kit come through the gate. He was breathing heavily as if he’d run at pace up the hill.
‘Oh, the knight in shining armour, come to the rescue. And all the time shagging my fiancée.’ Adrian smirked but with wavering conviction.
‘Actually, from what I can see, Tash is doing a pretty good job of rescuing herself,’ Kit said casually. He leaned against the gate and folded his arms. ‘I’ve just come to watch the show.’
For a second Tash wondered if Adrian was going to risk having a go at Kit. She saw his brain work as he weighed up the options, taking in Kit’s height and muscles. She looked at Kit. Apparently calm, but she knew him well enough by now to know anger simmered not far below the surface.
‘You, you—’ He pointed first at Tash and then at Kit. ‘You deserve one another.’
Kit took one long stride and was towering over Adrian in a second. ‘Then do us a favour and get out of our lives. And, as for evidence…’ He waggled his mobile, previously concealed in his hand. ‘Your interesting little exchange with Tash has all been recorded on here. You’re going away, my friend. Locked up for a very long time.’
Adrian began to stutter something out, then thought better of it. Stumbling towards the gate, he disappeared.
Kit opened his arms and Tash ran into their comforting embrace.
Chapter 40
‘He didn’t!’ Emma said, indignation evident in every pore.
‘He did.’ Kit grimaced and reached for his glass.
They had regrouped at Millie Vanilla’s and were sitting on the terrace in front of the bookshop. Millie and Jed sat at one side of the table along with Ollie, and Emma perched on the edge of the bench opposite with Kit and Tash.
Tash had spent the last twenty minutes explaining what had happened with Adrian. After a scalding hot shower back at the farmhouse, a pot of tea and a chunk of Marianne’s fruit cake, she was feeling a lot less shaky. ‘And Paul Cash rang me. He’s got a cousin in Salford CID. There are two women up there wanting to press charges against Adrian. With Kit’s evidence on his phone and my photos, there should be enough of a case.’ Tash blew out a breath. ‘He said they were sending the boys round to his house to do a search tonight.’
