Keep Me Close : An utterly gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist

by Jane Holland

  Ruby smiles. ‘Good girl, Kate. I always knew you would.’

  Then the doorbell chimes.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Ruby tries to ignore it at first. But whoever it is keeps leaning on the bell. ‘For God’s sake,’ she says, looking exasperated. ‘Who’s that at the door now? At this time of day?’ She blinks. ‘It can’t be Irina… I got rid of her, good and proper.’

  ‘What?’ I’m horrified, thinking she means Irina is another of her victims.

  ‘You think Irina left of her own accord? That bloody spy was always looking over my shoulder, watching me with your mother instead of cleaning. I didn’t like her, and I made sure she never wanted to come back.’ Ruby shakes her head, adamant. ‘No, it can’t possibly be Irina. So who the hell is it?’

  ‘The police,’ I lie, relieved to know Irina is still alive, and see her face change.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  It’s a bluff, and a bold one. But I need to do something. I can’t just sit around and wait to be killed, like a sacrificial lamb.

  ‘I called the police earlier. While I was out on the lawn. You saw me on the phone yourself. I had to tell someone about my mum’s bruises, didn’t I?’

  She stares at me, and I can tell she’s starting to panic. The confident smile has gone, and she’s turning pale.

  ‘You’re lying.’

  ‘I’m honestly not. The constable I spoke to said she’d probably call round tonight, or maybe in the morning. It… It just slipped my mind.’ I indicate my bound hands. ‘Funny, that.’

  The doorbell chimes again.

  ‘If you’ve left the lights on in the hall or living room, and our cars are both outside, it’s unlikely the police will give up. Not when it’s possible someone in here could be abusing a vulnerable adult.’ I pause, and then add speculatively, ‘They’re more likely to break the door down, actually.’

  She jumps up and goes to the door, glancing back suspiciously at my mother. But Mum’s still got her eyes closed.

  ‘Not a sound,’ Ruby warns me in a hiss, ‘or I’ll make her pay. Understand?’

  ‘Of course.’

  She goes out, closing the door behind her.

  Immediately, I start trying to free my hands from the radiator. The wire is so strong though, I can’t get enough traction to snap it. And the knot is too tight to undo with my teeth, though I try.

  ‘Mum?’ I can’t speak too loudly. ‘Mum, please wake up!’ My mother opens a weary eye and stares at me. ‘Help me get these off,’ I whisper, showing her my bound hands. ‘Quickly.’

  Slowly, she clambers off the bed and sways towards me, her feet dragging.

  ‘That’s it,’ I say encouragingly, and keep tugging on the wire, hoping to snap it. ‘Where… Where are your scissors? Did Ruby take them away?’ I see the answer in her face and swear under my breath. ‘Never mind. Do you have any other scissors? Anything sharp?’

  A moment later, I hear raised voices from the hall and almost faint with relief. It sounds like Mr Adeyemi.

  Suddenly, the door opens again, and Ruby comes in. She stares suspiciously at my mother, and then closes the door.

  ‘Right,’ she tells me, ‘it’s that bloody solicitor back here again. He’s demanding to see you, and I can’t get rid of him. So you’re going to have to go out there and tell him everything’s fine.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘If you tell him what’s going on, I’ll stab your mother in the heart,’ she says. ‘Simple as that. No warnings.’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  I hold up my hands, and she takes a pair of scissors out of her loose trouser pocket and snips straight through the wire.

  As soon as I’m free, I surge up and knock her to the ground with as much power as I can manage. Ruby falls awkwardly between the bed and the wardrobe, and I kick her in the head for good measure.

  I grab my mother and drag her out of the room. ‘Come on,’ I say urgently when she resists, ‘just another few steps.’

  To my surprise, the hall is in semi-darkness, but there’s a faint light in the living room. ‘Mr Adeyemi,’ I shout, heading for the light, ‘call the police. It’s Mum’s carer. She’s trying to kill us.’

  I stumble over something large in the darkness, and fall heavily to my knees, throwing my hands out to save myself.

  Mum stops behind me, and gives a great wail.

  The light on the hall snaps on.

  I turn my head, momentarily too winded to move.

  Behind us, framed in the bedroom doorway, is Ruby, panting and with her face dark red where I kicked her.

  ‘You’ll pay for that, bitch,’ she spits at me.

  I struggle to my feet, and only then see what I tripped over.

  It’s Mr Adeyemi.

  ‘Oh my God,’ I whisper, and put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. ‘Mr Adeyemi? Are you hurt?’

  The solicitor groans, stirring slightly, but doesn’t move.

  I look down. There’s blood on my hand.

  Ruby is heading for us, her face intent, scissors in hand. ‘I thought you might try something, love,’ she says, sneering. ‘So I decided to test you. And now I see that I can’t trust you.’

  ‘I take it the deal’s off, then?’

  ‘You can joke all you want. But I’m going to kill you both.’ Her gaze flicks cruelly between me and Mum. ‘The only question is, which one first? Though I suppose it’s only right you should watch your mum die. For that kick you gave me.’ Briefly, she dabs a hand to her nose, which is bleeding now. ‘That hurt.’

  ‘Mum, I want you to go next door. Go on,’ I say, almost shoving her towards the front door. ‘Find whatever-her-name-is next door and tell her to call the police. Or hide in the bushes. Whatever, just get out of the house.’

  Ruby simply laughs.

  My mother, distressed but struggling to follow my instructions, tugs on the front door handle, and then looks round at me helplessly.

  ‘I locked it,’ Ruby says shortly, not even looking that way. ‘You must think I’m stupid.’

  She charges me, and I back away, reaching for the nearest thing to hand, which is a small Greek-style statuette on the hall table. It’s heavy and made of marble, and Ruby flinches when I take a swing, catching her on the shoulder. But it only slows her down for a moment, and suddenly she’s in my face, grappling with me and lunging with the scissors.

  I feel a sharp pain in my left side, and gasp, taken aback.

  She steps back, and now there’s blood on the scissors. We both stare at it. Then she smiles and lunges again.

  I swing the statuette wildly, and she falls back, swearing. I think I made contact. But the air is burning in my lungs and I feel curiously lightheaded.

  Mum is staring. ‘Oh, darling…’

  There’s a high-pitched ringing in my ears.

  Is it real or am I imagining it?

  The world tilts sideways, and I stagger. I sink to my knees, and the statuette drops from my grasp. I clasp my stomach and feel something wet. Blood.

  Ruby is there, a shadowy figure just ahead.

  ‘Darling,’ my mother says again, but I can’t hear her properly.

  I pitch forward onto my face.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  I don’t know how long I’ve been lying there in the hall, but when I come to, Mr Adeyemi has moved. He’s dragged himself to a sitting position and is on his mobile. That’s what wakes me. His deep voice, explaining a little shakily to someone – presumably the emergency services – that he’s been stabbed and needs an ambulance. ‘Perhaps two ambulances,’ he adds, glancing my way, and exclaims, ‘Oh, she’s conscious.’

  ‘Where… Where’s Ruby?’ I ask him.

  ‘Gone.’ He returns his attention to the call, giving them details of our address. ‘Yes, if you could hurry, please. The young woman has a stomach wound.’

  He rings off and closes his eyes.

  ‘Where’s my mother?’

  ‘Gone too. That maniac took he
r.’

  I take a deep breath and push to my feet, holding onto the wall as I stagger to the landline. ‘I have to stop her.’

  ‘You’re badly hurt, Miss Kinley.’

  ‘I just need… to be patched up. How about you?’

  There’s still fresh blood on my hand; I’m smearing a red streak across the pale green and gold wallpaper. My mother would be horrified.

  ‘She stabbed me in the back, and hit me over the head, but I don’t think the wound’s particularly deep.’

  ‘I’m glad. And I’m sorry… I probably should have said that before. For involving you in this, I mean. I had no idea how dangerous she was.’

  ‘What’s wrong with her?’

  ‘It’s a long story.’ I snatch the handset off the cradle and hit Logan’s number. He answers within two rings. ‘Logan? Where are you?’ My voice shakes. ‘I need you.’

  ‘What’s happened now?’ He sounds weary, and I can’t blame him.

  ‘I tried sacking Ruby, and she stabbed me.’

  ‘Jesus Christ.’ His voice sharpens, abruptly alert. ‘Are you okay? Have you called an ambulance?’

  ‘Yes, and yes. Or rather, Mr Adeyemi called one.’

  ‘Mr Adeyemi?’

  ‘Yes, he’s been stabbed too. I thought he was dead at first. But she’d just knocked him out.’

  ‘Sorry?’ He sounds disorientated. ‘You’d better slow down; I’m not sure I’m following. Where’s Ruby now?’

  ‘I don’t know. But she’s taken Mum with her.’

  ‘What?’

  Briefly, I explain about Ruby’s obsession with David and her sick ambition to re-enact his suicide. ‘She wanted to make me jump too. But I think she’s settled for my mother as a second best.’ I close my eyes. ‘Logan, I need you to take me to… to where David died. You know the place.’

  ‘I know the place,’ he agrees sombrely.

  ‘I’m sure that’s where she’ll be headed. But I can’t drive myself. And if she sees the police…’

  ‘Hold on. You’re hurt, you said.’

  ‘I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks. I hope not anyway.’ I put a hand to the wound in my side, and grit my teeth. ‘But Mum won’t survive this if we don’t get there quickly. Logan, you didn’t see Ruby’s face. She’s crazy.’

  He’s silent for a moment. Then he says, ‘I’m only a few minutes away, as it happens. I was on my way round to see you; I only pulled over to answer your call. Be there in five.’

  I end the call and drop the phone on the floor, too exhausted to bother replacing it on the cradle.

  While Mr Adeyemi watches in disbelief, I drag one of Mum’s long woollen scarves off the hall stand and wrap it tightly three times about my waist, covering the bloody mess. With a jacket buttoned up over the bulky scarf, I’m good to go. Or as good as I’ll be without a paramedic on hand.

  ‘Miss Kinley, I strongly suggest you wait for the ambulance to arrive. Let the police take care of that woman.’

  ‘Thanks for the advice.’

  I push my feet into trainers and stagger outside to see headlights sweeping down the drive. A moment later, I’m collapsed in the front seat of Logan’s car, and he’s helping me put my seatbelt on, because my hands don’t seem to be working properly.

  ‘I’m taking you to the hospital,’ he says curtly.

  ‘Car park.’

  ‘I’ve already called the police and told them to deal with it. You don’t need to be there too.’

  ‘I absolutely need to be there.’ I’m furious with him. ‘Ruby’s off her rocker. She’s got my mum with her and she might do anything if she’s cornered. We need to talk her down from whatever she’s planning, calmly and quietly, not send in the troops.’

  ‘Be sensible for once in your life. You’ll bleed out before we get there.’

  ‘Car park,’ I insist thickly.

  He swears under his breath, but turns out of the drive towards the town centre. ‘You are the most annoying, stubborn, bloody-minded woman I’ve ever met.’

  I close my eyes. ‘Thank you.’

  I can’t say much, but between his guesswork and my monosyllabic answers, Logan manages to piece together the whole story by the time we pull up at the entrance to the car park. It’s open twenty-four hours, so he takes a ticket and drives in.

  It’s all very quiet and empty in the car park. The overhead lights flash across our faces as Logan follows the one-way system at what would feel like insane speed under normal circumstances, tyres squealing, the car climbing ever higher towards the top level.

  ‘You think she’s on the roof?’

  ‘Yes, exactly where David jumped from.’ I glance at him, feeling sick at those words; his face too is taut, all hard lines and shadows. He was one of David’s closest friends. He, more than anyone else, must understand what this feels like. ‘Go carefully though. I don’t want to spook her.’

  To my relief, there’s no sign of the police on site. Maybe they went to the wrong car park. Or maybe they’re just slower than us in arriving. Though I imagine they probably have more to do than just wrap a scarf around a wound and lurch into a passenger seat. It’s early evening now. They could be dealing with drunks or assaults or stab wounds…

  ‘Kate?’ Logan’s urgent voice recalls me to the moment. ‘This is the top level. You were drifting off there for a minute.’

  ‘Sorry, yes.’ I sit up, wincing. Then I point. ‘Look, over there.’

  It’s all coming back to me now.

  I came up here a few months after his death. Parked up on this level, and walked to the spot where he jumped, near the corner of the building, where a few snapped and flapping ‘Police Do Not Cross’ tapes still marked out the spot for the investigators. I may have said a little prayer for him, I don’t remember now. But I certainly left a plastic-wrapped bouquet of flowers behind on the ground, with a note attached.

  For David, RIP. I’m so sorry. All my love, Kate xxx

  Next time I came up here, a few weeks later, the flowers had gone. The place looked ordinary, cars coming and going, business as usual. I never returned after that.

  Tonight, there are only two cars on the roof.

  Ours and Ruby’s.

  I see Ruby immediately. She’s wrapped in her long black coat and standing perfectly still, looking down over the guard rail to where David fell to his death on the street below.

  Reliving the awful moment, perhaps, though she was never there.

  I wonder if she’s praying too.

  At the sound of an engine in the quiet car park, Ruby turns and glares, no doubt recognising Logan’s car. Then she hurries back to her white Fiat, parked a few feet away, and throws open the front passenger door, where presumably my mother is waiting.

  ‘Okay, she’s seen us.’ On my orders, Logan has pulled up about five car lengths away. He looks round at me in the dark interior. ‘What should I do?’

  ‘Stay here and make sure the police are on their way.’

  ‘Kate, stop and look at yourself. You can barely stand, let alone walk over there and start negotiating with a mad woman.’ He takes my hand, his face intense. ‘Let me go instead.’

  ‘What good would that do?’ I ask bluntly. ‘She doesn’t care about you.’

  ‘I could try to persuade her—’

  Ruby leans forward and is speaking to my mother inside the car. Her voice is raised, almost shouting, but I can’t hear the exact words.

  I don’t have any more time to waste.

  ‘She won’t listen. Not to you, Logan.’ I open the car door. ‘But she’ll listen to me. Because it’s me she really wants, not Mum.’

  ‘Kate, please—’

  ‘Hush.’ I climb out of the car with difficulty, grimacing with pain as I do so. ‘Look, I need you to explain the situation to the police as best you can. There’s no point them coming in here mobhanded. Oh yeah, and remind them she’s probably still got those scissors.’

  I shut off his protests by slamming the door shut behind m
e.

  It’s just me and Ruby now.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Ruby is struggling to drag my bewildered mother from the front seat of her car. My mother, bless her, is strenuously resisting this effort, one frail hand gripping the door frame and the other batting Ruby away.

  It’s a pathetic sight. The evening is cold, and my breath is steaming on the wintry air. Mum, barefoot and still in her nightie, must be freezing. Her silvery hair lifts on a gust of wind, and for a moment she looks more like a ghost than a flesh-and-blood woman. And if I don’t intervene, she soon will be.

  Mum’s hand slips on the icy metal, and she falls back with a cry. Ruby seizes hold of her and begins hauling her toward the guard rail.

  ‘Ruby!’ I shout, staggering across the car park, holding the tightly wound scarf in place over my wound. ‘Stop it, and let her go!’

  In the distance is the scream of police sirens, growing steadily closer. The sound terrifies me, as I’m sure seeing a host of police cars converging on her will only panic Ruby into doing something more dreadful and unexpected.

  ‘I’m here now, see?’ I say more persuasively. ‘You don’t need my mum.’

  ‘You can both go together.’ Ruby has not relinquished her grip on my mother, but she stopped at my shout and is looking back at me, her face suspicious. ‘Her first, then you.’

  ‘That’s not going to happen.’

  ‘I stuck you in the guts, love. You’re bleeding out.’ Ruby laughs at my confusion as I glance over my shoulder, belatedly realising she’s right; as I walk, I’m leaving a trail of bright red blood spots behind me on the concrete, like gruesome breadcrumbs. ‘You can’t stop me. You’re not strong enough.’

  I come to a halt. ‘Okay then, fine. Throw my mother over. But you won’t get me if you do. And it’s me you want, isn’t it?’ I pause, meeting her arrested gaze. ‘For David,’ I add softly. ‘For this to be justice.’

  Ruby hesitates.

  Behind me, I hear Logan get out of his car.

  Her gaze flashes bitterly that way. ‘Don’t interfere,’ she yells at him, ‘you hear me? Or both of them die.’