The Mark

by Heather Burnside

  ‘I’m not going,’ said Amber. ‘I don’t want Gilly turning on me.’

  Ruby could see the fear in Amber’s eyes but she didn’t know whether that was fear of crossing her or fear of confronting Gilly. Angie just sat and said nothing. ‘Right, fuck the pair of you!’ said Ruby. ‘I’ll go on my fuckin’ own.’

  When Ruby got outside The Rose and Crown she looked around her but couldn’t spot either Gilly or Crystal on the main road. She turned down the side road but couldn’t see them there either. Ruby hoped that meant they’d sorted out their differences and that Crystal had gone on to work. She couldn’t fathom why Gilly hadn’t returned to the pub though. Still, she had to get to work herself so she carried on along the side road in the direction of Piccadilly.

  As she passed an alleyway she spotted the vague outline of a person slumped against an industrial-sized bin. Jesus! Manchester is getting worse, she thought. The fuckin’ alcys are everywhere. Although Ruby liked a drink and wasn’t averse to taking a bit of coke now and then, she didn’t have much time for those who abused drugs and alcohol. She’d seen enough of them shouting abuse to passers-by and trying to scare them into giving them cash.

  Ruby turned back to face the road ahead but as she turned she saw some spots of blood on the pavement. They snaked a trail that thinned out ahead of her. She looked back and saw that the blood spots grew thicker towards the back alley. Shit, she thought. Maybe this person is in real trouble. That thought had scarcely left her head when another thought occurred to her. What if it’s Crystal?

  Her glance into the alleyway had been so cursory that she hadn’t even noticed whether it was a man or woman lying slumped against the bin, or what they were wearing. She turned back and approached the alleyway cautiously until she got to the opening.

  Ruby could see the outline of a fake leather bomber jacket, short skirt and skinny white legs. The woman’s head was slumped forwards so most of it was hidden behind her body, but Ruby could just about pick out the top of her hair. There was no mistaking that colour.

  ‘Crystal!’ Ruby shouted as she ran towards her friend.

  Leaning over her, Ruby gently pulled her head back but Crystal didn’t move. ‘Jesus Christ!’ Ruby shrieked, noticing the mass of blood that covered her features. ‘Shittin’ hell.’

  She felt overcome with emotion as she bent further forward and took hold of her friend’s wrist. Panic seized her as she struggled to find a pulse. But her own heart was beating so erratically, and her hands were shaking so much, that it was hard to tell. ‘Oh, my God!’ she cried, thinking that her friend might be dead.

  Ruby took a few deep breaths and tried to concentrate. Yes, it was there! She could feel Crystal’s pulse, just about. But it was weak and Ruby felt a surge of despair accompanied by anger as she realised her friend was in a bad way.

  She took her mobile phone out and rang the emergency services, quickly giving them details. ‘Just get here as soon as you can. She’s in a fuckin’ bad way!’ she yelled, trying to bypass the barrage of questions from the operator.

  As Ruby took in her friend’s injuries while she waited for the ambulance to arrive, her anger intensified. Crystal’s face was covered in blood. The flesh surrounding each of her eyes was cut and swollen so much that her eyes were like little slits. Her nose was also swollen and looked as though it was broken.

  Ruby sat down beside her friend and rested Crystal’s head on her lap. She turned away, finding it difficult to look at Crystal in this state. Her injuries spoke of a level of brutality that shocked even someone as tough as Ruby. So, instead of looking at Crystal, she kept her eyes fixed on the top of the alleyway, willing the emergency services to get there fast.

  She knew who had done this. It was that bastard Gilly! Ruby had no doubt that he was capable of it. She also knew that Crystal would stay loyal to him and not tell anyone what he had done. She never told them anything he got up to. That was the kind of hold he had over her. But Ruby was determined to tell the police. There was no way she was letting him get away with this. Fuck the consequences!

  48

  Gilly’s pace was brisk as he ploughed his way through the streets of Manchester. Intense fury pumped through his body, priming his limbs and forcing all rational thoughts from his brain. Years of drug abuse and abject failure had finally caught up with him.

  He turned right into Piccadilly then carried on to Market Street through the swathes of late-night shoppers and shop workers. A multitude of bodies, all shapes, sizes and ages. Teenagers in groups parading the latest fashions and sharing a joke with friends. Families charging through the crowds with their reinforced buggies. And doddery OAPS shuffling along at their own pace.

  He passed the homeless with their sad-eyed expressions, forced into begging on the streets. Then the buskers who enticed the crowds, eagerly gathered for a few minutes’ diversion from their shopping and their fuckin’ perfect lives!

  He walked haphazardly, and as he walked he cursed, spat and swore. ‘Fuckin’ bitch! Whore! Bastard!’ On hearing his angry words, passers-by looked at him curiously then recoiled as they spotted the blood spatter on his clothing and fists, and the intense glare of his wild eyes pierced through them.

  ‘What you fuckin’ staring at?’ he demanded of a man who held his gaze for too long. ‘Twats!’ he cursed, kicking at an empty can and launching it up the street.

  He was demented with rage, desolate and in despair. His life was in ruins. Crystal had spoilt it all. ‘BITCH!’ Why couldn’t she have kept out of it instead of fuckin’ interfering? Now it had all gone to shit and he knew Maddy would never want him if she found out who he really was and the things he had done.

  Then thoughts of his absent parents flooded his irrational brain. ‘Bastards!’ It was all their fault. If they hadn’t disowned him things would have been so different. He’d have had the life that was due to him instead of having to settle for a cheap slapper like Crystal. He’d have a respectable job and live in a nice house instead of earning a living by taking care of a bunch of tarts and living in a rundown bedsit above a kebab shop.

  His mind skipped randomly from thought to thought until finally settling on Maddy. She had been so right, so perfect. He thought back to the first time he had seen her. He’d been drawn to her straight away. She was so attractive with her porcelain skin, gorgeous wavy hair and sexy figure. And so different from the women he had become used to dealing with. She made him think of the life that he’d once had; a life that was probably lost to him now.

  He had known straight away that Maddy was special. He loved everything about her: the way she spoke, the way she flicked her hair, the way she was so uninhibited in the bedroom, even the way she was with her daughter. The perfect mother. The perfect woman. Maddy Chambers; perfect in every way.

  Memories of his relationship with Maddy now filled his brain. The first time he’d seen her lovely home he’d had a sense of belonging. On their first date she’d looked so sexy in her tight jeans, ankle boots and black silky top. He’d noticed how she had drawn everyone’s attention when she’d walked into the bar, and he had been captivated listening to her talking about her life.

  Each date after that had been better than the one before. And even after he’d left her he often couldn’t resist sitting outside her home, just to catch another glimpse of her. But also to make sure that she hadn’t gone rushing off to meet another man or even her stuck-up prick of an ex-husband. He’d spent hours sitting outside in his car, wearing his cap and a hoody so she wouldn’t recognise him. He’d been so careful, and now Crystal’s petty jealousy could ruin it all. The stupid bitch!

  Maddy had soon become an obsession. He had known that he wanted her under his control and he’d used drugs to help him achieve this, but he’d never wanted to destroy her. He just wanted her to give herself wholly to him, to fulfil his vision of them living together as a happy couple in her lovely home. Drugs were a part of his life so it was only right that they became a part of her life too.
/>   And he couldn’t bear the possibility of maybe never seeing her again. Even as the thought entered his mind, he shook his head violently, willing it away. It was too painful to contemplate.

  As well as being angry, he was jittery. Gilly needed a fix. He also needed to release some of the turmoil that was bubbling away inside him. He picked up a half-brick that was lying in the road and launched it at a shop front. It bounced off the glass leaving a huge crack but he walked on, indifferent.

  When he had been walking for more than half an hour his temper began to subside. Thoughts of Maddy were replaced by worry at the situation he now found himself in. He’d acted rashly, leaving Crystal like that. He hadn’t meant to hurt her so badly; he’d just lost it. And now, he didn’t even know if she was still alive.

  What if he had killed her? What if she was alive? What if she reported him? He should at least have tried to cover his tracks. But other people would know it was him. They’d all seen him leave the pub with Crystal.

  Maybe they wouldn’t tell on him. Nobody liked a grass. But, then again, Crystal was well thought of in The Rose and Crown. What if he was arrested? How would he see Maddy then? Somehow he had to find a way to get to her. Maybe he could stay in a different hotel under an alias.

  His panicked thoughts swirled round in his brain but he was finding it difficult to come up with answers to his own questions. He needed a fix to calm him down and cursed himself for not getting something from his dealer, Nick, when he had seen him in the pub earlier. Maybe he’d call by his place and get himself sorted out. Or perhaps he could see if Nick was still in the pub. That way would be quicker, but he’d have to see what had happened with Crystal first.

  In the end he decided to double back to the alleyway where he had left Crystal. He needed to check she was still alive and, if she was, then he’d make sure she didn’t tell anyone that he was responsible for her injuries. Some would guess, but he’d just deny it and invent a cover story about her getting mugged or attacked by a client.

  He made his way back to Piccadilly and then through the dingy back streets that led to the rear of The Rose and Crown. He was walking along the side road to the pub when he spotted a heavy police presence further up, near to the alleyway where he had left Crystal.

  There were several police cars and an ambulance as well as swarms of police officers. A small crowd had begun to gather and, in the distance, he could just about make out the tall frame of Ruby. Shit, he thought. It’s too late now.

  He quickly doubled back in the direction of Piccadilly, hoping no one had seen him. He couldn’t risk collecting his car, which he had parked close to the pub, and going to the Midland hotel for his hire car would take too long. So he jumped in a taxi in Piccadilly, hoping to make it back to his bedsit before the police came calling.

  *

  Ruby stared at her friend, Crystal, who lay propped up in the hospital bed. Her facial injuries looked even worse than last time Ruby had seen her.

  The flesh round both of Crystal’s eyes was black and blue and her eyelids were angry red and swollen. Her nostrils were packed with gauze and there was a large dressing over her nose. Despite this Ruby could still see bruising on Crystal’s cheeks. Her lips were also swollen with a large crack on one side of her bottom lip.

  ‘Fuckin’ hell, girl, you gave me a right fright. I thought we’d lost you,’ said Ruby, leaning over and giving her friend a hug.

  ‘The doctor said it was my head banging against the brick wall that knocked me unconscious,’ said Crystal.

  Ruby cringed, both because of Crystal’s words and because of the way she struggled to speak through her injuries, her voice sounding distorted.

  ‘Has the bastard broken your nose?’ asked Ruby.

  Crystal nodded and Ruby noticed the way her brow puckered and her lips thinned with the pain. ‘My eye socket as well,’ she murmured. ‘And two of my ribs are broken.’

  ‘Shit, Crystal! What brought it on?’ asked Ruby, outraged. ‘I mean, I knew he was a nasty bastard, but I never thought he’d go this far.’

  ‘He found out I’d been following him,’ said Crystal, her words slow and muffled. ‘He’s been seeing someone else. I knew he’d go mad if I faced him with it, so I went for her instead.’

  ‘What? You mean, you attacked her?’

  ‘No. I didn’t want her to know it was me. So, I wrote “bitch” on her front door and smashed her car mirror.’

  ‘I don’t fuckin’ blame you, girl,’ said Ruby. ‘But why didn’t you just call him out on it? That’s what I would have done.’

  ‘Because I already knew what he’s capable of,’ said Crystal, but she didn’t elaborate and Ruby didn’t ask, thinking that Crystal was referring to the other occasions when he’d slapped her around. She had no idea that Gilly was already a killer.

  ‘Who was she?’

  ‘Remember that journalist?’ Crystal said.

  ‘What? The one that interviewed us in the pub?’

  Crystal nodded again; this time the movement was slighter.

  ‘What the fuck was she doing with him?’ demanded Ruby, so loudly that she drew the attention of neighbouring patients, and Crystal flashed her a warning look.

  ‘That’s why he started dressing up,’ said Crystal. ‘At first I saw him watching her outside her house. I wondered if he was planning to rob her or something. But then he turned up all smart and I found out he was taking her out. It turns out he was living a lie.’

  She then rested back on her pillows, taking deep breaths through her mouth, her swollen face contorted with pain.

  Ruby tapped the back of her hand. ‘It’s OK. You don’t need to say any more,’ she said, her voice now lower. ‘You try and rest.’

  ‘No!’ said Crystal, but then she paused for a few seconds and continued taking deep breaths. Ruby could tell she was preparing herself to say something important, and she waited while Crystal psyched herself up.

  ‘Please, don’t tell anyone,’ she said, her voice now barely a whisper. ‘He’ll kill me if he thinks I’ve dobbed him in. He’s completely lost it, Ruby.’

  ‘You’re too late,’ said Ruby, watching as her friend’s face contorted again with the pain. ‘I’ve already told the police. I knew you wouldn’t, so I’ve done it. There’s no fuckin’ way I’m letting him get away with this. Hopefully they won’t take too long to find him.’

  ‘But he’ll kill me,’ said Crystal.

  ‘No, he fuckin’ won’t!’ said Ruby. ‘Because I’ll let everyone know that it was me who grassed him up, and I’ll let them know what he did to you as well. Don’t worry, he doesn’t fuckin’ scare me. If he goes for me I’ll slit his fuckin’ throat.’

  Ruby’s voice had risen again and she meant what she said. She always carried a knife to protect her from troublesome clients and had even used it twice. The clients hadn’t reported her; they were too frightened of people finding out how they spent their free time. But a quick nick on the arm or the back of the hand had been enough to let them know that she wouldn’t tolerate them getting rough with her.

  From now on she’d be wary of Gilly and would make sure she was ready if he decided to attack her. And, if he did, he’d get more than a nick on the hand. She’d do whatever she needed to do in order to defend herself. She felt confident that no jury would find her guilty if it was self-defence.

  For a few moments neither of them spoke. Ruby could tell her friend was in a lot of pain so she decided to leave her to rest. ‘Listen, I’m gonna go now but I’ll be back in a couple of days when you might be in a bit less pain,’ she said.

  ‘No,’ said Crystal. ‘Not yet,’ and Ruby could tell there was something else Crystal was determined to say, despite her pain.

  ‘You need to warn the journalist,’ she said. ‘Gilly’s off his head, and she’s in danger.’

  ‘Why? You don’t owe her fuck all!’

  Crystal reached out and covered Ruby’s hand with her own, beseeching her. ‘It’s not her fault. She didn’t kn
ow. I think she still doesn’t know about him. He even stopped using his nickname, Gilly, and used his proper name, Aaron. He’s obsessed with her, Ruby. You should have heard how he went on about her. He used to sit outside her house for ages, even after he’d stayed with her. He’s fuckin’ lost it. He’ll be getting desperate now and I’m worried what he’ll do. I already feel bad. I’ve put her through enough, scaring her like that.’

  She took a breather again, grimacing with the pain. Then, after a few moments, she said, ‘Please.’

  ‘All right,’ said Ruby. ‘I’ll let the police know about her.’

  ‘No,’ mumbled Crystal. ‘They’ll take too long. You need to warn her as soon as possible.’

  Ruby looked at her injured friend. Knowing she couldn’t risk this happening to anyone else, she sighed resignedly. ‘Go on, then. Give me her address.’

  49

  When Gilly arrived back at his flat, he instructed the taxi driver to park round the corner. After paying the fare, he approached the bedsit stealthily, making sure there were no police around before he went inside. He dashed up the stairs, hoping none of the staff from the kebab shop would spot him.

  The smell hit him as soon as he walked through the door. When he’d lived here full-time, he’d become used to it and it hadn’t bothered him. But now, as he walked through the door, the combined stench of cannabis, kebab meat and cigarettes assailed his nostrils.

  Gilly walked through the lounge, his distaste evident from the pained expression on his face. It was such a contrast to where he’d spent most of his time recently. Maddy’s comfortable detached home; the place where he belonged.

  He made his way to the cupboards in the small kitchenette where he had secreted his stash of drugs, cash and some stolen credit cards. Gilly always kept these in case of any unforeseen eventualities. His choice of career was a risky one and he’d always anticipated that there might be a time when he would need them. Then he took a quick snort of the coke. He knew he couldn’t afford to waste any time, but this couldn’t wait.