by Mel Sherratt
‘Bail hostel. He was reported as going AWOL this Sunday.’
‘Which would mean if it is him, he went out of his way to harm Tyler Douglas to prove, what, some kind of point?’ Allie wiped biscuit crumbs from her trousers. ‘Perhaps this man went to see Ruby but somehow Tyler became a bargaining tool.’
‘Surely not.’ Grace pulled a face. Why was Ruby Brassington still lying to them?
There was a knock on the open door.
‘There’s been a call-out,’ Frankie addressed them both, urgency in his voice. ‘Disturbance at Harrison House.’
Grace shot to her feet.
‘Go,’ Allie waved them off. ‘Keep me informed of any further developments.’
‘Get Tyler in and strap him up as quickly as possible,’ Ruby told Luke.
‘I know what to do, Rube,’ he scolded.
‘Sorry, just playing Mum.’ She placed a hand on his forearm and gave him a smile. They were both understandably antsy.
She made her way round to the back of the car. It was quiet outside, the lone figure of a man walking his dog on the green in the distance. She opened the boot and hurled the case inside, along with the two bags she was carrying. Her worldly possessions down to so little yet again.
Pushing down the tailgate, she spotted a shadow out of the corner of her eye. Before she could react, she saw Seth.
‘Going somewhere?’ he said, his hands clenching into fists. ‘I hope you have my money before you do. Because if you haven’t, then you must be more stupid than you appear.’
‘Quick, Ruby,’ Luke demanded, shouting to her over the roof of the car.
She scrambled round to the passenger side. Just as Luke was about to get into the driver’s seat, Seth swung a punch that hit the side of his head knocking him to the floor.
Ruby was unsure what to do first. Should she help her children or go to Luke’s aid?
FIFTY
Ruby froze as Seth laid into Luke. He hit him in the face, then the stomach and pulled him up as he sank to the floor. As punches rained down on him, Lily began to cry and Tyler started to scream.
Ruby suddenly came to her senses and ran around to help Luke.
‘Stop,’ she cried.
But Seth wasn’t listening. She heard a sickly crunch of bones as he stamped on Luke’s hand. Luke had stopped groaning and was trying to protect himself by curling up into a ball. Seth reached for the collar of his coat and pulled him up, punching him again and again.
Ruby opened the rear door of the car on the opposite side to the fight. Reaching over the seat, she quickly undid Lily’s seatbelt.
‘Run as fast as you can and hide where I showed you. Remember?’ She pressed the button on his car seat to release Tyler, who scrambled across to his sister. ‘Quickly. Run.’
Lily helped her brother out of the car. Then she ran across the car park with him in her arms.
When Ruby could see them running to safety, she raced around to the other side of the car. Lights were going on in some of the flats as a result of the noise now, but no one had come out yet. Ruby hadn’t heard Luke make a murmur in a while. A horrible sense of déjà vu engulfed her, the same thing happening to Luke as it had to Finn.
‘Help,’ she screamed. ‘Someone help us!’ She charged at Seth and tried to push him out of the way. ‘Leave him alone.’
Seth stood his ground and sliced his hand across her face. Ruby staggered backwards with the impact. It gave him vital seconds to go at Luke again. Realising she wasn’t strong enough to make a difference, she said what he wanted to hear.
‘Wait. I can get you some money!’ She pulled at Seth’s arm. ‘I don’t have it all but we will pay it back, I promise. Just leave him alone.’
Seth turned to her. His eyes were wild, as if he was possessed by something. He didn’t seem to care if Luke was alive or dead. But she did.
She really did.
Seth grabbed her by the arm, pinching her skin. She glanced down at his hand, his knuckles covered in Luke’s blood.
‘How much do you have?’
‘A few hundred. And I can get you more from the cash machine.’
‘He owes me five grand.’ Seth raised his eyebrows. ‘That’s not enough.’ He raised his fist to strike her again.
‘But you’ll end up in prison if you carry on beating him. If you let us leave, I’ll get the rest to you later. Please.’
Seth wouldn’t fall for her silly plan but it was the only thing she could think of. Her family were split; she had to get to Lily and Tyler. She looked behind him to see with relief that her children were nowhere in sight. Then she glanced at Luke who was crawling towards the grass, his face a mash of red. She wanted to drop to her knees and see if he was all right.
‘Please,’ she repeated.
‘I’ll drive.’ He nodded his head towards the car. ‘Give me the keys. I don’t trust you.’
She tentatively stepped forwards and handed them to him. Seth pushed her towards the car. It was clear he wasn’t thinking straight as someone would find Luke and alert the police if they left.
Ruby did as he said and climbed into the passenger seat. Seth fumbled with the keys, but managed to start the engine. He reversed the car out of the space and a sob caught in her throat as she looked at Luke lying on the grass. He wasn’t moving at all now.
She wasn’t going to leave him. And there was no way she was being separated from her children.
She could tell from Seth’s eyes that he was on some kind of drug, so she hoped his senses wouldn’t be on full alert. They didn’t seem to be as he was putting himself in danger by leaving with her for the small amount of money she could get from a cash machine. But her silly plan seemed to be working.
As they drove towards the exit, Ruby reached across him, grabbed the steering wheel hard with both hands and yanked it down.
‘What are—’
The car lurched to the right and drove straight into the wall surrounding Harrison House. There was an almighty bang, metal crunching as the driver’s door wrapped itself around a brick column. Ruby shot forward but was saved from harm by her seatbelt.
Seth slammed into the side window, hitting his head on the glass before ricocheting back again. Dazed, he put a hand to his ear and it came away bloody. He groaned.
Ruby opened the passenger door, and was about to get out when he grabbed her arm. She punched out at his hand, screaming with rage, but he wouldn’t let go. Instead he gripped her with both hands and forced her to face him. Leaning over her, he pushed her back into the seat as his hands went to her neck.
2014
August
Ruby sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was half past two and something had woken her. She stayed quiet in the dark listening. Then the door to the bedroom opened. Dane was standing in the doorway blocking out the light.
Through the two years she had known him, she had got used to his temperaments. She knew when she could get away with answering back; when he was on edge and wouldn’t lash out if she did. This wasn’t one of these times so she feigned sleep.
He disappeared and she sat up when she heard him rooting around. She crept to the door and peeped around the frame. Dane was on his knees, the doors to the sink unit open. She couldn’t see what he was doing. Was he looking for something? If so, she had no idea what it could be.
He stood up and she rushed to her bed so that he wouldn’t catch her snooping. But he didn’t come back to her room. Within seconds he had gone.
She sat up again, not daring to turn on the light in case he saw it when he left the building. Whatever he’d been doing, she’d have to wait until the morning to find out. If he didn’t come back before Lily woke her up, then she would look. It would be better for her not to get caught snooping around.
At six a.m., Ruby made breakfast for Lily and popped her into her high chair. Then she stooped down and opened the doors to the sink unit.
It didn’t take her long to find out that Dane had left something in there.
Pushed into the gap behind the u-bend was a parcel wrapped in a black towel. Inside that was a carrier bag. She pulled the sleeves of her pyjama top down over her hands for fear of contaminating whatever it was with her fingerprints, and looked inside.
She was staring at a hand gun.
What the hell?
What was he doing bringing it to her flat? Wrapped up and put where it was, it must have been used in a crime.
Coming to her senses, she quickly put it back where she had found it. She wasn’t sure what it was doing there, nor why Dane was hiding it. And she didn’t want any part in it.
Until she heard the news.
A man’s body had been found not far from them overnight. The police report said he was shot in the head at point blank range.
Ruby sat down with a thud. Had Dane killed someone? She’d heard from Finn that he was capable of it. Or was he keeping the gun for someone? She shook her head. He wouldn’t do that for anyone else.
Then again she had underestimated him before, several times too many. That was why she was still living in this flat, in constant fear for her and her daughter’s life.
The gun was still there a week later. The news had died down and there had been no police calling to see her.
There had been no arrests made in connection with the murder. The victim was in his early twenties. He was a security guard who had seen a van pull into the car park of the premises he was patrolling. When he’d gone over to question the occupants, he’d been shot dead.
Dane hadn’t called for a few days. The more Ruby thought about the gun, the more she thought that he had something to do with the murder. And the more she thought that, the more she realised that if she could get away with the gun, she would have a hold on him and he wouldn’t be able to hurt her again.
She could put it somewhere safe, somewhere he wouldn’t find it, and then take off with Lily. It was her way out of things. Finn wasn’t coming back, she knew that now.
FIFTY-ONE
Grace drove through the streets of Stoke towards Harrison House, Frankie in the passenger seat. Turning right onto Smallthorne Bank, she couldn’t stop thinking about Ruby. Growing up in an abusive household herself, she could understand completely why the young woman wouldn’t trust anyone with her past. But she seemed to have put her faith in Luke after taking so much abuse from Dane and being abandoned by Finn. Then again, Grace wasn’t the one who was scared to talk, who had lied consistently to protect herself and her family.
‘Did the caller say what was happening, other than a fracas?’ she asked Frankie.
‘Said he’d heard shouting and a woman screaming. He looked over the railing and saw Forrester laying into Douglas. The woman was trying to pull him off.’ Frankie held on to the strap above the door as the car flew around a bend. ‘Why do you think Ruby keeps lying to us? Do you think it’s because she’s so scared that she’s trying to put us off Walker’s scent?’
‘Possibly. Or maybe she knows that something has happened to Finn Ridley and she’s worried the same will follow for her too. Either way she has some explaining to do.’
Grace slowed to squeeze through traffic as it moved aside at a set of traffic lights. Next left was Rose Avenue, leading on to Harrison House.
At the entrance, she could see a vehicle embedded in the wall.
‘That’s Luke Douglas’s car!’ Grace screeched to a halt. They both got out, abandoning their vehicle, and raced to help. Residents from the flats were coming out too.
‘Stay back, please,’ Grace shouted to them. She called for backup as she ran.
When they reached the car, Seth had his hands around Ruby’s neck. Blood was coming from a cut on his forehead but it didn’t seem to be calming his temper down.
Ruby’s face was red, but she was fighting too, punching out at Seth as she struggled in her seat. The driver’s door was all mangled and there was no way he could escape through it.
Grace reached inside for Seth’s hands and pulled at them to release his grip.
Frankie jerked open the rear door and climbed inside. ‘Let go,’ he demanded.
She was about to get out her baton and strike at his arm when, with Frankie’s help, they forced Seth to loosen his grip.
Grace pulled Ruby out of the car while Frankie tried to do the same to Seth. But Seth was still fighting. Grace went back to assist and the two of them finally managed to pull him out of the car, get him down to the ground and cuff him. All through, she read him his rights, arresting him for the assault on Ruby.
‘He hurt Luke,’ Ruby sobbed.
‘Where is he?’ Grace asked.
Ruby pointed to the car park. ‘He’s over there, on the grass behind the cars. Please help him.’
‘And your children?’
‘They’re safe.’ Ruby ran to Luke, dropping to her knees by his side. ‘Luke! Luke, can you hear me?’ She cradled his head in her hands, tears pouring down her face. ‘Help him!’
Grace was sat astride Seth’s back. She looked at Frankie. ‘Are you okay with him while I go and see how Luke is? I can still hear you. Shout if you need me to come back.’
‘I’m good, boss.’
‘You sure?’
Frankie nodded.
Grace ran across and sat down beside Ruby. ‘Is he breathing?’
‘I don’t know.’
She pulled a pair of latex gloves from out of her pocket and flicked them on. She checked his pulse, to find it there but weak. There was blood in his mouth but his airway seemed clear. With memories of what she had done to Tyler earlier in the week, she took off her coat and covered Luke’s torso to keep him warm, thankful to hear sirens coming closer.
Luke gave out a groan and Ruby burst into tears. Grace breathed a sigh of relief.
A marked car pulled in beside Frankie. Grace turned to see two uniformed officers rushing to his aid. Another car pulled up and two more officers ran towards her.
‘Wait with our victim until the ambulance arrives,’ she told one. ‘Seal off the road and the entrance and only let emergency vehicles through,’ she gave orders to another.
There were more neighbours coming out now but she didn’t stop to answer any of their questions. Spotting an ambulance driving in, she raised her hands.
‘Over here.’ She waved to get the driver’s attention. ‘I need help.’
Grace let the paramedics do their job, sighing with relief as she caught her breath, knowing Luke was in safe hands. She looked to give Ruby reassurance but she couldn’t see her.
‘Where’s Ruby?’ she asked Frankie, who had joined her after putting Seth into a car.
They both scanned around but she was nowhere to be seen.
‘Where were her children?’ she asked next.
‘She didn’t say.’
‘Maybe she sent them back to the flat. Let’s check to see they’re okay.’ Grace ran across the car park, Frankie hot on her heels.
Now that Ruby knew Luke was getting treatment, she had gone to find Lily and Tyler. Dane was still out there and even though the police were on site, she wouldn’t rest until they were back with her. It would be up to her to get them to safety.
She raced around to the back of Harrison House, hoping her children had got to the hiding place she had shown Lily.
She ran to the metal rubbish bins. Pushing them aside, she saw her daughter first, her arms wrapped tightly around her brother. Both of them were crying.
‘Mum,’ Lily sobbed.
Ruby began to cry too. Her children were safe and in her arms, shaken but not hurt. The police were here and Luke was getting help. It was over.
But someone grabbed her hair from behind.
Forced to stand up, she had to let her children go. Even before twisting around to see who it was, she knew it would be him.
‘Quite an eventful morning you’re having, aren’t you, Ruby?’ Dane pushed her forwards.
She tried to stay on her feet but landed on all fours. She scrambled over the hard grass on her hands
and knees but he kicked her in the stomach. It winded her but he wasn’t done with her yet.
‘You think you’re going to get away with what you did?’ He turned her over onto her back and slapped her face.
‘Stay away from me,’ she cried.
‘Oh, no, no, no. You see it’s about time I told you some home truths. I want to tell you about your precious Finn. You think he’s still alive, don’t you?’ He shook his head. ‘I took him out, shortly after he left the hospital.’
‘What?’ Ruby shook her head in denial. She perched on her elbows as he stood over her. ‘No, no.’
‘Yes, yes!’ he taunted. ‘He should have died after that first attack. So I went to see him in hospital, got him on side. A few days later, I offered him a solution. I told him that if he moved away, I wouldn’t hurt you. I gave him a lift but it wasn’t to where he was expecting to go. And then … boom!’
‘You’re lying.’ She sat up now.
Dane laughed, pointing to the expression on her face. ‘He was a traitor. He deserved what he got.’ He held up his hands and fired an imaginary gun. ‘And guess what I killed him with? The gun that you stole when I was sent to prison.’
Ruby wanted to close her eyes, rid herself of the images that were crashing to her mind but she couldn’t. Finn with a bullet in his stomach, dropping to his knees. Finn with a bullet in his head, leaning back on a settee, eyes wide open. Finn, her first love. The father of her daughter had been murdered in cold blood. How could Dane have done that?
‘I’ve given it to the police,’ she told him.
‘I doubt that very much after keeping it for all these years.’
Ruby was out of her depth and knew she couldn’t get away. She had never known such a vile and evil man. If she could keep him talking, maybe help would arrive. But if she had to sacrifice herself to save her children from a life on the run, then that’s what she would do.
No matter what he said, Dane had come here for one reason. He wasn’t after the gun. He wanted to finish her off. She was the thorn in his side, the one that got away. She was the one mistake he’d made; the girl he’d thought was useless.
