But the sound had invaded his anger.
She had done something.
Viciously he pulled her from the wall, seeing the glowing phone screen on the floor, realising the implications.
‘Bitch,’ he screeched loudly, then he leant down towards the screen and softly said, ‘You’re out of time, McKay. Say goodbye.’ He raised his boot and smashed it down on the screen of her phone, terminating the signal forever.
Alex felt the blood drain from his face – Reynolds was going to kill her.
He looked up, helpless. Everyone in the room had fallen silent, all their faces frozen, showing every emotion from concern to anger.
Eckley slammed his fist on the table, making everyone jump.
‘We’ve still got time, people. Get back to it,’ he barked.
Alex felt his shoulders slump, Ollie’s head resting on his knee.
Absentmindedly he ran his hand gently over Ollie’s head and ears. Men were supposed to be strong, the police even stronger. But all he felt was emptiness, swallowing him whole.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Ryhope Police Station – 7 November
Cass was confused.
She had thought Frank would flip when he saw the mobile phone, had braced herself for the physical onslaught she figured would come. But he didn’t. He slapped her, hard, and then strode silently to the computer.
It’s the calm before the storm.
She glanced around, desperation fuelling her thoughts. She needed to find a way to get out of these cable ties. Trussed up like a Christmas turkey, she had no hope of fighting back.
She knew that the track and trace would be useless now the phone was off, unless they ’d already done it. It was time to stop relying on other people to get her out of this mess.
She edged along the wall a little, desperately feeling for something, anything, that she could use against the plastic restraints. Then a nail ripped into the sensitive skin on her forearm. Ignoring the stinging pain, she set to work, rubbing the ties back and forth over the sharp point.
Frank sat in front of the computer screen, staring at the flickering wallpaper as his thoughts jumbled together.
There was no way out.
He felt a sense of calm as he considered his options. He would go to prison for a long time, possibly his whole life. They would practically throw away the key.
Not because of the murders, but because of her.
Everything always came back to her.
He’d felt great satisfaction as he’d slammed his fist into her nose, grinning as the red river had freed itself, running down her chin and onto her clothes. She would be finding it harder to breathe now, the blood clotting inside her nose and sinuses, her cheeks swelling and her mouth restricted by the tightness of the silver duct tape.
He really wished he’d taken her somewhere else. Hindsight was always 20:20. It would have been somewhere he could have taken his time and enjoyed every iota of pain he inflicted on her.
So far, she was proving to be resilient. She hadn’t cried, barely yelling out as he had split her ribs in two and bruised her diaphragm. Cass hadn’t once complained despite the pain she must be feeling with every inhalation of breath.
His mouth set in a grim line, he wanted to break her. He’d expected tears at the very least. Now he wouldn’t have that luxury. It was almost time now for it to be over, almost time to finish it.
But he was struggling with his final decision.
Should he stay, or should he go?
The phone on the DCI’s desk rang shrilly.
‘Eckley. Uh huh, uh huh. That can’t be right. You ran it twice? OK.’
His broken sentence made little sense until he put the phone down and glanced around the room.
‘The GPS trace is showing Cass’s location as this address. She is somewhere in this police station, people – I want every member of staff in the nick pulling into this room right now. We work in groups, moving room to room. Let’s go.’
Within seconds the room was packed. Eckley repeated the orders, quickly assigning everyone a floor.
He paused when he came to Alex.
‘Don’t you dare, Eckley. I’m working this. I’m gonna take Ollie – hopefully he ‘ll sniff Cass out. I’m not staying in this damn office.’
Eckley gave him a curt nod, ‘Charlie and you two, you’re with Alex,’ he said, pointing at Deena and Ben.
Alex knelt in front of Ollie, his grey eyes connecting with Ollie’s soulful brown ones. Gently he stroked the dog’s ears.
‘Find Cass, Ollie, where’s Cass?’
Instantly Ollie jumped to his feet and ran to the door, whining loudly. Alex kept hold of his leash but let it extend to the max. Without a pause the dog ran to the stairs, quickly followed by Alex and the girls.
Frustrated, Cass grunted against the tape. The stupid nail seemed to be cutting her arm more than the cable ties. She felt wet blood adding to the friction of her movements, but she kept going.
She needed to get free.
She was concentrating so hard she barely noticed as Frank appeared in front of her once more.
‘Stop,’ he said, his face inches from hers.
‘It’s time. You need to know something though. This is your fault. Everything that’s happened is down to you. You’ve walked around the station for years, pushing people about, bossing them and forcing them to run to do your bidding. Well no more. It just had to be you on the hill that night, had to be you attending Susan’s death. Anyone else wouldn’t have seen the slice to her neck, but not you, Cass. Little Miss CSI.’ His voice had lowered to a menacing growl, and he paused a moment, grabbing her face in his hands.
Cass was afraid; Frank’s eyes were cold, calculating. She knew there would be no changing his mind. He intended to see her dead.
‘And to score you for Albert. Precious Albert, all alone in his cave. He didn’t stand a chance. You scurried around, making the officers carry your gear, calling scientists in. The little redhead was hot. I should’ve looked in on her, let her examine her own blood patterns.’
Cass suddenly clicked. All the times she’d thought she was being watched, the times the hairs stood up on her neck, it had been him. He had been watching.
‘It was just luck when Scott came along when he did. The jumped-up little prick called himself Andy. As if I couldn’t find out who he was. I can find out anything. I found out who he was, the bully you used to shag. I found out who he was, and I took care of him. He wasn’t getting his mitts on you. You’re here for me. You should have heard Scott scream, Cass, he had tape like you. But he at least tried to scream and beg. And he cried like a baby. Are you going to cry, Cass? Will you cry as I kill you? Will those tears fall as I watch the light go out of your eyes?’
Cass shook her head, there was no way on earth she ‘d show him how scared she was. She had learnt with Carl how to detach herself from what was happening, send her mind to another place so she didn’t have to face what was going on. But she’d be damned if she’d go down now without a fight.
She worked the ties again, hard against the nail, ignoring the pain as it scored her wrists. And she stared at Frank, making sure her eyes showed defiance.
Even as he retrieved the knife from rusted red toolbox, she stared at him.
Cass flinched as the knife cut through her joggers as if they were nothing more than soft butter. She felt the sting as it cut into the flesh at the top of her thigh, but still she stared into his eyes, willing him to let her go but knowing it was futile.
He pushed the blade in deeper and twisted it. Slowly he withdrew the knife, and she felt her leg quickly grew warm as blood poured from her wound through her trousers and onto the floor. She knew that he had sliced into her artery. Her leg burning, she watched as he sat down in front of her.
Her eyes widened as he drew the knife diagonally across both his forearms, his blood rapidly pooling beneath his fingers.
‘I’m not going to jail. We will die together, Cass.
We’ll be bound for eternity by this very act. The final act. The curtains will soon be drawn. I’ll see you on the other side.’
Cass watched as he seemed to fade in front of her, and she leant forward, trying to stem the flow of blood from her leg by using her upper body. Slowly she closed her eyes, letting him think she’d passed out, and for the first time in a very long time, she prayed.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Ryhope Police Station – 7 November
Ollie dragged Alex to the door in the yard. He knew his mistress was behind that door. He’d known earlier but now Alex seemed to be listening. Sitting on his haunches, he opened his mouth and howled.
The sound was mournful, primal.
Alex couldn’t help but stop, lost in it for a moment, then he pulled himself together and turned back to the girls.
‘Deena, go get Eckley. Ben, do you know where the keys are for this door?’
Both girls nodded and ran back to the station.
Alex left Ollie howling and banged on the door.
‘Reynolds, I know you’re in there. I’m coming in as soon as I get a key. I swear to God if you’ve hurt her, I will kill you myself. Reynolds!’
He was verging on hysteria as he banged his fists on metal door, hoping Ben could find the key. This was one door that wouldn’t be forced using an enforcer – the metal structure and frame probably ten times stronger than the UPVC doors the tool was normally used on.
Footsteps sounded behind him as the yard filled with his colleagues, Eckley at the forefront.
‘Someone get me a damn key for this door,’ said Eckley. ‘I need floor plans for this station – there must be another entrance to the boiler room.’
‘The keys are missing. They were in the handy man’s office. But there is another entrance, sir,’ said Ben. ‘There’s an access door from the old cells. It’s never used but it’s there.’
‘Eckley, stay here and bang on the door, let him think we are coming from here. I’ll head to the other entrance and try to get in that way. My team, you’re with me.’
Without waiting for Eckley to respond, Alex sped off back into the station.
Cass half-opened her eyes, trying to fight the feeling of darkness dragging her down.
Frank was in front of her, his eyes vacantly staring into the darkness, and she knew he was dead. It wasn’t fair – he’d got off too easily. It wasn’t fair to his victims.
A hysterical giggle burst from her lips.
Victims? I think I count as one of his victims now. Where are you, Alex?
She could hear banging, somewhere in the recess of her mind, and for a moment she begged it to shut up. Her leg was burning, it felt almost as if it were on fire.
That’s a good sign, right? That I can feel pain?
Cass felt tears well in her eyes, this was it. There was no way to let Alex know where she was, no way he was going to get to her in time.
‘I’m so sorry, Alex,’ she whispered as the curtains finally closed, and she felt herself drift into oblivion.
Unnoticed by Eckley, Ben had left with Alex and his team. As they entered the cell block, she pushed her way to the front.
‘Here, it’s over here,’ she said, pointing to a door.
Alex placed his ear to the door. The only sound from the other side was the drone of machines.
‘Ben, stay well back, we don’t know what weapons he has but you can be sure he has some. On second thoughts, head back out to Eckley and tell him we are here. Do you know if it’s locked?’
‘I don’t know. Sorry, Alex,’ said Ben.
‘It’s fine. You did great, Ben, thank you.’
Alex tried the handle quietly. The internal latch clicked off and the door loosened from the grip of its frame. He could hear Eckley banging on the exterior door and prayed that would be enough to mask any sound.
‘Charlie, stay here in case he comes out, Bill and Pete head left. Darren, Mal, you’re both with me. Batons out guys, we don’t know what he has on him, and I’ll be damned if we’re waiting for armed response.’
Silently they entered the boiler room, their eyes taking a minute to adjust to the darkness.
Alex paused at the electronic set up – Eckley was full view on the screen, banging hard on the door. He felt his heart go cold as he saw the notepad application open, the words as dark as Reynolds himself.
‘You wanted her. You found her. Too late.’
Slowing his breathing, Alex stepped around the whirring machines and felt his heart leap into his throat at the horror that stood before him.
Tears filled his eyes; he was too late. He’d never seen so much blood. It glistened in the dull light, and the metallic stench assaulted his senses. He knew he had to be the one who checked Cass.
He heard the external door click open, heard the rush of footsteps and the lights clicking on just as the room flooded with light. He heard a scream as Deena saw Cass. Someone herded her outside, and he felt the hush fall over his colleagues.
Reynolds was inert, backed against a machine, his eyes glassy and open.
Alex ignored him, making a beeline for Cass.
She was hunched over, almost in two, blood pooled beneath her. Her hands were stretched behind her back, and he bit his cheek as he saw the cable ties cutting into her pale skin.
Forcing himself to breathe, he gently placed two fingers against the side of her neck.
His eyes widened as he picked up the faint beat of her pulse.
‘Ambulance. Someone get an ambulance. She’s alive,’ his voice was raspy, emotion clogging his throat. ‘And get me a knife, something to cut these ties with,’
Eckley appeared from behind.
‘Alex, move away. Move to one side and let me see to her.’
He placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder, guiding him to one side, and took up position beside Cass. Someone handed him a pen knife and he quickly snapped through the ties, her arms falling limply to her sides.
Gently he manoeuvred her onto her back, checking to make sure she was breathing. Her breaths were shallow, her pulse weak but definitely present. Working silently, he pulled the tie from his neck and fastened it tightly above the wound on her leg. The bleeding had started again as he moved her. Once again, he thought, Clever girl, knowing instinctively she’d leant over to stem the bleeding.
Alex sat beside her, his face ashen, watching as Eckley worked.
‘She’ll be OK, Alex,’ he said softly. He watched Alex weep and knew he hadn’t heard the words.
Within minutes the scream of a siren wailed as the ambulance made its way to the Sunderland Royal.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Sunderland Royal Hospital – 7 November
Alex was sitting in the waiting area of A&E, not seeing the multitude of people milling around him. He didn’t see the stares off the patients and other people waiting, didn’t acknowledge their silent questions asking what had happened, and why was he covered in blood.
All he could see was Cass, her face pale and her breathing shallow.
She had been rushed into surgery the second she’d arrived; a whirr of doctors and nurses pushing her along and shouting at her side.
And he had been left alone.
Through his fog he had managed to phone Rose, his voice almost breaking as he told her to come to the hospital. He didn’t hear her reply that Eckley had already rang, or that she was in the taxi on her way. He’d somehow managed to phone Ali too, telling him that Cass was alive.
Finally finished with the phone, he put it back in his pocket and stared at the plastic cup of water at his feet. One of the nurses had placed it there at some point, he figured. His hands shook as he picked it up and took a sip.
The first he knew of Rose’s arrival was when her arms wrapped round him and pulled him close, her tears dampening the shoulder of his shirt. He knew how she felt, didn’t try to fight as his tears fell and he gave in to the comfort of her arms. Rose just held him, letting her grief flow with his for a moment.
>
‘Thank you,’ she croaked, pulling back and cupping her hands to his face. ‘You found her, Alex, you found my baby.’
Alex couldn’t speak, didn’t trust the words to exit his throat. He shook his head, his eyes so full of pain that Rose had no choice but to pull him close again.
‘She’s strong, my daughter. A fighter. She’ll get through this, Alex,’ she whispered into his ear, then kissed him on the cheek.
Finally, Rose pulled back and sat down beside him. Neither had noticed Roger leave, but he suddenly appeared with paper cups of steaming coffee.
He sat beside Rose, placing one hand on her knee in comfort.
‘DCI McKay?’
The sudden voice invaded Alex’s thoughts as loud as a bell. He looked up, registering the blue scrubs worn by the man in front of him. His heart in the pit of his stomach, he nodded silently, feeling Rose grip his hand hard.
‘I’m sorry it took so long for me to come back to you. I know you’ve been here a while. During surgery, Cass’s heart stopped beating twice. We had to give her a large blood transfusion, but we got her back. She’s been moved up to ICU for the time being. She’s not out of the woods yet, still in serious condition. But she is stable. If you’d care to go with Diane here, she’ll show you to Cass’s room.’
Alex barely heard anything beyond the fact that Cass’s heart had stopped beating but they’d got her back. He shook the doctor’s hand, and turned to the nurse, Rose still holding his hand tightly.
The nurse smiled quietly. ‘She’s a strong one that one, there was no way she was ready to give up. As the doctor said, she’s still in serious condition. She has a couple of broken ribs, bruising, and some minor internal bleeding in her abdominal area, and her face is pretty bashed up but all in all she’s doing really well. She’ll look worse than I make it sound, though, just to prepare you. Her bruising has already started darkening. She may well need some reconstructive surgery to her nose further down the line.’
With Deadly Intent Page 26
