Cold as Ice

by Lee Weeks

  ‘I learnt to take it,’ she said to Christian.

  ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you so sad. I can see how much it still affects you.’ He put his hand on hers. She looked at it. Was it a hand that strangled? They were strong hands and they felt rough. Not poker player’s soft hands. He saw her hesitate. ‘Sorry – rough hands. Been making Elsie a dolls house for Christmas.’

  ‘Ahhh.’ Ebony said responding as required. She turned his hand over and saw the ring of a blister. ‘Is that a burn?’

  ‘Yes.’ He withdrew his hand. ‘The things you do for love, huh? That was welding the tiny iron railing for the front of the house. Did you decide enough was enough with your ex? Thought you could do better?’ He tilted his head back as if studying her. She nodded and he sat back and continued staring at her, his arms folded across his chest. ‘You’re a strange one, if I’m honest. You’re not what I expected. Maybe it’s because you have spent your adult years living abroad, you just don’t seem to fit here, that’s all. You are a hard person to get close to, but a nut worth cracking, I think.’ He smiled. ‘If you’ll let me?’

  Ebony smiled. He leant across the table and kissed her softly on the lips. Ebony resisted the urge to shudder. Something about Christian made her worry about what she was going to catch, even when he touched her hand. She pretended to look away bashfully as she took a drink of wine to wash it away.

  At the end of the evening Ebony left Christian with another kiss at the Underground and made sure she wasn’t followed as she got off the Tube at the next stop and onto a bus. She walked the few minutes to her estate. Already she was beginning to feel more at home in the vertical village. The bangs and shouts of people on the landings and stairs echoed as she climbed the flights to her floor. She passed the groups of kids on the way up on the stairwell. Back inside the flat she rang Carter.

  ‘How did your cover hold up?’

  ‘Not bad. Christian senses I don’t quite fit but thinks it’s because of my life in Jamaica. He’s watching me. I’m the new girl to conquer.’

  ‘You’re finding it easy to keep in character?’

  ‘It’s not perfect but it’s getting easier. The accent is not a problem, doesn’t have to be that broad, but I worry that I’m not hitting the nail on the head with some aspects of parenting.’

  ‘Remember, keep talking about your baby.’

  ‘Yeah, but these women are in college to get some identity back. They don’t spend all night talking about their babies; they want a life beyond motherhood.’

  ‘You’ve got to know some of them?’

  ‘Yeah – a couple. It’s all a bit of a cliquey inner group in the college.

  ‘Alarm bells ringing?’

  ‘Plenty. He’s not someone I’d choose to spend time with.’

  ‘Did you get to talk to any of his conquests? We need to know what he’s capable of when he lets his guard down.’

  ‘Lots of them fancy Christian. It’s cut-throat between them. I’m definitely considered a target both by him and by the women he’s had flings with.’

  ‘What kind of man is he?’

  ‘Ruthless. Selfish. He sees himself as a saviour to single parents, giving them a bit of excitement in their lives – that’s what he says. Doesn’t for one minute feel remorse for the trail of broken hearts he’s left. He just shouts NEXT. And someone always steps up to take the bait. Women do seem to like him. He’s a charmer, easily bored. He’s devoted to his little girl, or so he says. Could be just another ploy to pick up women.’

  ‘Any mention of having tried a bit of weird sex stuff like asphyxiation on any of them?’

  ‘Give me chance, it’s not the kind of question that rolls off the tongue. I’m trying to meet up with a couple of the women on their own, get them really talking. There’s a coffee tomorrow morning with Selena, the one helping me catch up on my course. What’s the plan about interviewing college friends regarding Emily Styles’ death and Danielle’s disappearance? If Christian is Hawk he will be expecting it. He’ll know we’ve made the connection to the college. It won’t seem right if no one comes to interview.’

  ‘Yes, but not too soon. I can’t risk scaring him off. I’ll contact the college tomorrow and ask for names and addresses of their friends on the list. Who’s the one to talk to there?’

  ‘Yan Stevenson. He’s the one they all seem to connect with.’

  ‘Okay. Good work, Ebb. Glad you’re back in the flat. How’s pretend Archie?’

  Ebony rolled her eyes. ‘You’re such a slushy bloke, Guv. Archie Two is not as cute as the real one but he smells a lot better.’

  Carter laughed.

  Chapter 37

  The Heath was still dark at seven a.m. the next morning. There was a dampness in the air and the snow was patchy on the grass. Janet was out jogging. She hadn’t been to the Heath since the morning she’d found the body. She kept to the paths. She would never get over the sight of the dead woman in the copse but she had to try and get her life back. She passed another jogger, didn’t recognize him. His woolly hat was pulled down over his ears. Good body thought Janet. She couldn’t see the face properly. His eyes met hers and she smiled. He looked about to speak but then jogged on. She began thinking about a route where she might bump into him again.

  Hawk ran around the corner and up over the brow of the hill, then he veered left along a side path that he knew would take him down to the pond. He knew every inch of the Heath. He ran on the spot and waited until he heard the jogger’s feet on the path, coming his way, then he ran into her path and, just before he reached her, he tripped and landed on his hands and knees. He laughed, embarrassed.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  He heard the feminine voice and felt warm breath on his face as she bent over him. He felt her body next to his and her hand on his back. He got onto one knee, shaking his head and smiling. Halfway up, level with her, he grabbed her and smothered her mouth with his hand as he dragged her back into the bushes. He took out the flask from his pocket and poured petrol over her head and shoulders.

  Janet heard the screams. She looked up towards the brow of the hill and she saw a raging flame light up the sky.

  Tracy was giving Jackson his breakfast when the phone rang.

  Back in his office Robbo was waiting for her to answer it. He, too, was surprised at the early morning call.

  ‘Morning, Tracy.’ Hawk’s familiar deep voice rolled out.

  Tracy didn’t answer him.

  ‘Morning, police team listening in.’

  Robbo held up his hand for Pam to stop typing so that he could listen better.

  ‘Bowie, Carter, Vincent? Who else? The press conference was interesting. I know you’re full of tricks. But you’ll have to get up early to catch me out. Some of us have already been out jogging this morning. I’m getting bored with always being one step ahead of you imbeciles. But, I intend to take another victim. This last one I take will be my pièce de résistance. Every drop of pain will be extracted. This one will be written in the history books and you’ll remember it personally, Mr Robinson.

  ‘You have the power – you said to me, Tracy. Yes I have. I can choose who lives and dies. You have disappointed me Tracy. You’ve caused me to become a little hasty. I will not be rushed. This is my game and my rules. But you have entered my game from the sidelines. You have become part of the play. I now control you just as I do your daughter. I have your life in my hands. I can kill you when I choose.’

  Tracy dropped the phone.

  Robbo didn’t move. The office was silent.

  Ebony fired up the laptop and made herself breakfast of a Pot Noodle. Robbo was waiting for her. She sat on her sleeping bag and opened her laptop.

  ‘How’s it going, Ebb?’ Robbo’s face was in the corner of her screen.

  ‘Good, thanks,’ she said between mouthfuls.

  ‘I see you’re keeping up your healthy eating regime?’

  ‘Yep.’ She lifted up the pot towards the webcam at the top of her
screen and tipped the last of it into her mouth.

  He watched her flip open the top on a can of Coke; she crossed her legs and frowned at the screen as she read her messages.

  ‘You looking at your Facebook?’ asked Robbo. He pushed down the plunger in his cafetière.

  ‘Yeah. I can’t believe how some people’s whole life is on Facebook.’

  ‘If you really were a single parent living in that high-rise hell, you’d thank the heavens for Facebook,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah, you’re absolutely right. I couldn’t have made this many contacts on the courses this quickly without it.’

  ‘Right. Today I’ve sent your friend requests out to thirty more people who are connected with the course. I’ve seen a lot of photos of Christian on other people’s pages. He seems to be the male student everyone has a photo with.’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Ebony. ‘Although on his own pages most of his pictures are with his daughter.’

  ‘Although he does have pictures on his page of him with Emily Styles and Danielle Foster – he’s there in photos even if there are no obvious couple shots. Do you know much about the way he lives? Does he go to the gym?’

  ‘Yeah – he runs. I know because he told me. He also told me he makes a good living from playing online poker.’

  ‘Entrepreneurial,’ said Robbo, drinking his coffee. ‘I’ve checked him out. He travelled a lot at one time. He ran a bar in Thailand; he’s been a roadie for a rock band. Before he came to North London five years ago, he was the manager of an online exotic pets store based in Brighton.’

  Robbo sat back in his chair and looked at her.

  ‘Do you think you’re getting anywhere with him, Ebb?’

  Ebony took a drink of Coke and thought before she answered.

  ‘Yes. I think he goes for the new girl every time. I just happen to be that. I don’t think it’s hard to get somewhere with Christian. I talked to one of the girls that knows him well but I need to talk to one of his exes to find out what he’s really about.’

  ‘Keep vigilant Ebb. Keep your wits about you. Never relax. Never presume it’s safe.’

  ‘Of course.’

  Robbo came off the phone and opened a new pack of Haribo’s. He pulled out the jelly rings and lined them up on the top of his keyboard. He thought about what was best for Ebony now and the job she had to do. From now on he wouldn’t share all the information with her.

  Carter came into Robbo’s office.

  ‘Did you hear the phone call?’

  Robbo nodded. ‘Did you listen to it?’

  ‘Yeah, and earlier this morning a woman was attacked, petrol thrown in her face and she was set alight – it happened fifty metres from the spot where we found Pauline Murphy. It’s got to be Hawk, he spelt it out for us,’ said Carter. ‘He said he’s been jogging.’

  ‘Did anyone see him? Did we get a description?’ Robbo asked.

  ‘Not from the woman who was attacked. She never saw his face. No one else has come forward. What’s he doing, Robbo?’

  ‘He’s showing us he’s all-powerful.’

  Carter hung his coat on the hanger by Pam’s desk and loosened his tie. ‘It’s almost like he’s a bit bored and wants to see how much trouble he can cause. And, Robbo? He mentioned us by name in the call.’

  ‘Yes . . . he saw you at the press conference. He could have found me as the crime analyst assigned to MIT 17.’

  ‘He could have and he did. He randomly sets fire to two people and he promises a pièce de résistance. He’s escalating till even he can’t control it,’ Carter said.

  ‘We need to concentrate and stay calm and focused with this. Our panic will feed his ego. I’ve decided it’s better we don’t tell Ebony any more than necessary.’ Carter was nodding in agreement. ‘We need her in there more than ever but we don’t need her to be scared witless.’

  ‘I agree. But I wish I’d never said yes to her going undercover.’

  ‘We have to bring this to an end fast. This is the only way now. Ebony has to make it work. Everything we can do to help her is vital.’

  Carter looked up as Jeanie came in the office. She had heard the news.

  ‘You all right, Jeanie?’

  ‘Yep – let’s get on with it and catch this bastard.’

  ‘Christian Goddard.’ Robbo turned the screen to show what he was looking at to Jeanie.

  ‘Alias Mr “I have a passion in my pants and I’m not afraid to show it”. He must consider it his best feature; he’s obviously keen on showing it off. He sent this picture to Ebony. We just got hold of his phone records. He had some recent conversations with Danielle Foster. It looks like she phoned him on the day she went missing.’

  ‘Who else did she phone?’

  ‘A number that isn’t registered and it’s out of service now.’

  He turned the screen so Carter could see the photo.

  ‘That puny thing?’

  Carter winked at Pam, who hid a smile as she turned and busied herself at her desk.

  ‘Must be,’ answered Robbo. ‘Because he sends this and another twenty or so pictures just like it to all the women he knows. He texts pure filth to just about anyone. Goes way beyond sexting.’

  ‘Interesting,’ said Carter. ‘Does he get it back?’

  ‘Yeah, he does. A lot of the time anyway. Danielle was pretty good at it actually. Before her, Emily could have knocked Fifty Shades of Grey right off the top off the bestseller list. She wrote whole scenarios. Very talented,’ said Robbo.

  ‘Any of the texts get into violent stuff?’

  ‘No. Some smacking, bondage, humiliation. But no violence.’

  ‘There’s some things don’t translate well into text speak,’ said Jeanie.

  ‘So – do we think he’s capable of more?’ asked Carter.

  ‘Narcissistic, sex addict. Anyone who thinks only of themselves is capable of seeing things very differently to the rest of us,’ answered Pam as she looked over her bifocals at Carter. Carter looked back in mock offence.

  ‘Huh . . .?’ said Jeanie, shaking her head as she caught the conversation. ‘Narcissistic sex addict – got you down to a T, Carter.’

  ‘Very funny. What do we know about Goddard’s background?’ he asked.

  Pam went back behind her desk and clicked onto her screen.

  ‘Christian Goddard: aged thirty-three.’

  ‘So he’s older than he looks?’ said Jeanie. ‘And he’s dating much younger women.’

  ‘Yeah, but they’re not teenagers,’ Carter chipped in. Jeanie gave him a semi-hostile look.

  ‘What? What is it with the women in this room and me?’ Carter lifted his left hand. ‘I am innocent till proven guilty.’

  Jeanie turned her attention to Pam and ignored Carter’s theatrics.

  ‘What have you found out?’

  ‘He dates all ages,’ said Pam. ‘According to his text messages he’s even had a few flings with the older members of staff in the college and two receptionists.’

  Robbo had been waiting to speak. He sat back and rocked in his chair as he lined up the Haribo jelly men in a row.

  ‘He may not like himself or others, especially women,’ he said. ‘But he is a man who sees through people. I think, somewhere along the way, he’s had his trust broken. Someone’s let him down badly so he puts on a front to the world, that’s why he can look behind other people’s masks. That’s the kind of partner he craves, someone who is as deep and complicated as himself. He wants them but, at the same time, he wants to destroy them.’

  ‘You get all that from looking at a photo of his cock?’ asked Carter, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

  ‘He preys on the most vulnerable: women who have a history. They’ve been hurt, messed about, often suffered physical abuse, and he understands that enough to entice them in. He knows what they’re looking for and he gives them just enough to con them into trusting him.’

  Carter and Jeanie left Robbo’s office together.

  ‘I have t
o go and see Tracy.’ Jeanie wanted to go. She had stood too close to Carter for too long. It was beginning to feel like they were a couple again. ‘See you later, Dan,’ she shouted back over her shoulder as she left him in the corridor outside Robbo’s office.

  ‘Wait. How’s it going apart from the phone calls?’

  ‘It’s getting fraught. She’s not Superwoman. I want her husband to come back home to support her now. Security-wise I think it makes sense. I don’t know what you think about that?’

  Carter was nodding. His eyes were soft as he stared at her. Jeanie realized he hadn’t added anything to the conversation.

  ‘Dan, are you listening to me?’

  He shook his head. ‘Sorry.’ Carter turned on his heels and walked away down the corridor. ‘Leaving the Dark Side for half an hour – I need air.’

  Chapter 38

  After Breakfast Ebony pushed pretend Archie to the shops on the edge of the estate as soon as the kids had gone to school and the estate had calmed. She made sure the doll’s face was hidden. If anyone asked she was going to say the baby had chicken pox. She spent an hour on Facebook when she got back. She confirmed Selena’s invitation for coffee – it was changed to one instead of eleven. As she was about to sign off Yan came on line.

  ‘How’s things? How’s it going with the form? Need any help?’

  ‘I do. Can you spare the time? It would be great just to chat through my options’.

  ‘Options are my speciality. What about coffee this afternoon at three in the café opposite the college?’

  ‘Sounds good. I appreciate it. Thanks.’

  Ebony signed off with a smiley face :-) She heard a message come through on her phone.

  Yan added: ‘I have texted you my number in case you change your mind.’