by Mel Sherratt
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Take Amy with you, too.’ Sean turned back to Eden then. ‘Let me know what’s happening as soon as you find out anything.’
Eden checked her phone as she went outside to the car park. Laura had sent a text message saying she was just checking in with her to see if she was okay. Lisa had left a voicemail.
‘Shit.’ Eden ran her hands through her hair as she listened to it. ‘I missed a call from Lisa. She’s worried about Carla. She’s been out all afternoon for a meeting, and it wasn’t until she was back that she noticed she hasn’t turned up for work today.’
‘Do you think Ryan Gregory has got to her?’ Jordan asked as he drove the car towards Granger Street.
‘I don’t know what he’s capable of because I took my eye off the ball looking for Daniels.’ Her fingers splayed out and she brought her hand down on the dashboard.
‘You’re not to blame, Sarge,’ Amy said from the back seat.
‘If he’s hurt her, I’ll never forgive myself. I used to work on the Domestic Violence Team and—’
‘You helped to stop Daniels from attacking anyone else. You can’t be in two places at once. Even you’re not that good.’
Eden knew Amy was trying to appease her, but she was so frustrated with herself. She pushed back tears of anger as they drove along. She had let herself down. She had let Carla and Tanya down, and she had let down everyone at the refuge.
In Granger Street, they parked outside Carla’s home. There were no lights on.
‘Watch your back. He’s a dangerous character,’ Eden warned as they got out of the car. ‘No heroics.’
‘That’s very polite of you, Sarge.’ Jordan flicked out his baton. ‘But it just might slip my mind that the asp is a last resort.’
‘Police!’ Eden knocked on the front door as Jordan peered through the window.
‘There’s no one in there, but something’s been going on. I can see a bucket.’
Eden’s blood ran cold. Surely they weren’t too late – had someone been cleaning up? She bent down and lifted the letterbox. There was a woman on the floor.
‘Jordan, use the Enforcer to break in,’ she ordered. ‘She’s on the floor!’
Jordan brought back his arm and aimed the key at the wood around the lock. A sickening thud went through the air, and again and again until the frame gave way and they were in.
Eden kept her eyes and ears on alert. Keeping her back to the wall so that she could see anyone coming through the door from the hallway, she dropped to her knees. She gasped as she turned the woman to face them.
‘It’s not Carla. It’s Tanya White.’
‘I’ll check upstairs, Sarge,’ said Jordan, already halfway up.
‘I’ll check downstairs.’ Amy had her handle on the kitchen door.
‘Tanya?’ Eden said, getting out a pair of latex gloves. ‘It’s Eden. Tanya, can you hear me?’
‘Vic White is in the kitchen, Sarge,’ Amy shouted through.
Eden reached for her radio. ‘Is he alive?’
‘I can’t find a pulse.’
‘I have one for Tanya,’ she said, calling it in.
Suddenly Tanya’s eyes flicked open. She coughed, her arms flailing around as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Eden grabbed for them.
‘You’re safe, Tanya. There’s no one here that will harm you now.’
‘Carla,’ she whispered.
‘Have you seen her?’
‘Carla.’ A little louder this time.
‘Where is she? Has she been here?’
‘Carla!’ Tanya said again.
‘Who did this to you, Tanya?’ Eden came closer to her. ‘Was it Vic?’
Tanya spluttered again. Eden held on to her hand.
‘Control to D429, receiving.’
‘Go ahead control,’ said Eden.
‘Ambulance en route. ETA three minutes.’
‘He took her,’ said Tanya. There was blood crusted at the corner of her mouth.
‘Who did, Tanya?’ said Eden. ‘Who took Carla?’
Tanya’s head went from side to side as she tried to sit up. Eden pushed her down gently.
‘Ryan,’ she said. ‘Ryan took her.’
‘Ryan!’ Eden stood up as Jordan came down the stairs, wary of what she said in case Tanya overheard. ‘We have an incident in the kitchen too. Sit with her until help arrives,’ she told Jordan. ‘I need to speak to Sean.’
‘I think I know where they might be, sir,’ she said to him over the phone. ‘Carla told me once if he ever found her, he would take her to the nearest quarry. Do you know how far we are from Stanley Quarry?’
‘Hang on.’ The line went quiet. ‘According to Google Maps it’s fifteen miles from you. I’ll send you through the location and scramble a chopper while I do the necessary here.’
Eden could hear sirens getting louder. She raced through the front door and down the path. At the sight of an ambulance, she waved an arm in the air to direct them.
‘Leave Amy in Granger Street and take Jordan with you to the quarry,’ Sean commanded. ‘I’ll get a team together to meet you there.’
Chapter Sixty-Five
As Ryan stopped the car, Carla turned to him. Her face was a picture of fear mixed with emotion. Somewhere among everything that had gone wrong, she used to love this man. She needed to remember what it was like to have him worship her before he began to lose control and take it out on her. Before they were married and she didn’t have an inkling of what he was capable of.
Before he killed their daughter.
Because she needed to keep her strength up, maybe try to talk to him about happier times. See if she could stall him, calm his anger. She knew he would more than likely kill her, but she had to give it a shot.
He removed his seat belt and turned to her, a dark glint in his eyes. ‘I’m getting out of the car, and I’m going to come round to the passenger side and get you. Don’t even think of trying to escape or I will find you again, and I will do more to you then. Just think of this as a walk for old times’ sake.’
Carla nodded, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. She could almost feel her head shaking but she kept his eye for as long as necessary and then looked away.
Ryan got out of the car, leaving the door open. ‘Can’t have you putting down the central locking, can I?’ His smile was manic and didn’t reach his eyes.
As he walked round the car to the passenger door, Carla tried to face her fear head on so she wouldn’t panic. Was she capable of doing what she needed to do?
But he was opening the door before she could steel herself any more, pulling her out by the arm and forcing her to walk with him.
‘Please,’ Carla said. ‘Think of what you’re about to do. If you do anything to me, you’ll end up back in prison, and you said you hated it in there.’
‘It will be worth every second if I know you’re not around any more.’ He tugged on her arm so hard that she ended up on his chest, almost causing them both to stumble. ‘I want the pleasure of doing what I set out to do. You need to be taught a lesson.’
‘For what?’ Carla cried. ‘I haven’t done anything wrong.’
‘You told the court a pack of lies and everyone thought that I had killed Chloe. That it was my fault she died. That she fell because I hit her. That gave me an extra couple of years.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘My brief said I’d get about three years tops for GBH but you,’ he held a finger close to her face, ‘you lied to them about Chloe.’
‘I couldn’t lie under oath.’
‘I did!’ he screamed. ‘I fucking lied to everyone. I covered it up well. But you, you stupid bitch, spoiled it all. Why did everyone believe you over me? Why? WHY?’
Carla didn’t want to say it was because Ryan had lost his temper under questioning and had shown everyone in the courtroom his true colours. She didn’t want to antagonise him.
They were at a gate now, next to a lodge. Carla
wondered how he would get in but he pressed a keypad four times and swiped a card. She frowned.
‘Did you pay someone to give you that too?’ she asked. ‘Or did you beat it out of them?’
Ryan laughed. ‘Funny – not. I got friendly with someone who works here, and I stole his pass. And surely you didn’t think for a minute that I would pay that lowlife scumbag a penny?’
‘What?’
‘You know I don’t have that kind of money. Vic was so gullible. His woman was too.’
Carla lost a little hope then. Ryan had planned this far better than she had imagined. Not only had he come out of prison having befriended Vic White to help him get to her, but he had also managed to get inside the one place where he said he would take her to kill her. It would be too late by the time anyone found him. And no one knew where she was.
She had last been seen leaving The Willows after her shift had ended the day before. No one knew that Tanya had followed her home and got into the house. No one knew that Vic had been murdered. No one knew that Ryan had been waiting there. No one would know that he had taken her against her will. Tanya might die if she didn’t get medical help. It was up to her now to go through with her plan.
Inside the yard it was pitch black except for the odd night light. Ryan pushed her towards the back, leaving the noise of the traffic behind them. A smell like damp mud was all around her as they marched across the tarmac. In the distance she could see lights on in houses. People would be getting ready to eat, returning home to a loving family. Everything around her was normal while her life was in turmoil, in the hands of a killer. She wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to do what she had set out to do.
When they came to another set of gates, while Ryan was swiping the card, she pulled her arm away from his and ran.
Chapter Sixty-Six
‘Why do people feel the need to beat the shit out of their partners, Sarge?’ Jordan asked as he negotiated the traffic. Despite the rush hour, the emergency lights were helping and vehicles were moving out of the way.
‘It’s all about control,’ Eden replied. ‘I have no idea what goes through people’s heads.’
Finally the sign came up for Stanley Quarry and they pulled into the car park.
Eden’s phone rang as she got out of the car. It was Sean.
‘It’s taken us twenty minutes to get here, sir. I’m wondering if they’re already here. There’s a car sitting on the road in front.’ She gave him the registration number automatically. ‘I’m going to take a look inside with Jordan.’
‘We’re ten minutes behind you at the most. I’ll ring to get you access to the quarry.’
Eden and Jordan ran to the gate but it was locked. Eden pressed on the buzzer.
‘Police!’ She got out her warrant card and placed it over the camera.
‘I’ll come down to you,’ a voice said.
‘I don’t have time. Just open the gate.’
‘I need to check your ID first. I can’t just let—’
‘This isn’t a game. Open the gate and give me access or someone is going to die.’
Jordan flashed his card up to the camera too. ‘Open the gates!’ he shouted.
There was a pause long enough for Eden to hold her breath and then the buzzer went as the gates slid open.
‘Someone’s just gone through. I’ll make sure the second set are open by the time you get there.’
Sean’s instructions must have reached the man in charge of the gates. Eden acknowledged him with a raised arm and darted through the first one. They ran to the next one. As they drew close, it opened and they raced through.
‘That’ll have given us a few minutes on Ryan,’ said Eden, catching a breath.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Carla ran as fast as she could.
‘Come back, you mad bitch!’ she heard him shouting behind her, and it propelled her forward. She rounded the corner of a building. Knowing he was catching up on her, she squeezed herself in-between two metal bins. She watched him race past and then came out and ran back in the direction they’d come from. Maybe she could alert someone at the gates.
But her heels on the ground gave her away, and Ryan turned back. He ran towards her as she made for the gate but before she could reach it, he’d caught up with her, taking hold of her arm again.
‘You never listened to me,’ he raged. ‘You were a useless wife. You were a useless mother. That’s why I had to take control. Even though I was working and you stayed at home all day, you wouldn’t even look after everything for me. I brought in the money and you just sat on your lazy arse all day, watching TV and stuffing your face.’
Carla let him ramble, but as he dragged her towards the edge of the quarry, she screamed.
‘Please, no!’
But he wasn’t listening. She could just about make out a wall in front of them, no higher than three feet. When they got to it, he tried to shove her over the side.
‘No!’ She resisted, pulling away from him, but he kept a firm grip on her. Pushing her forward again, she lost her footing and toppled over.
She was falling, falling but not in mid-air. The quarry was built of old marl tiles, rubbish accumulated, so she rolled down and down. Her body bumped against things as she went, and she tried to stop the momentum with her arms acting as a windmill. It didn’t do anything but, eventually, she landed with a thump and it all stopped. Pain crashed through in so many places that it took her a moment to get her bearings.
She lifted her head and could see a large pool of water ahead. Rocks everywhere. She was at the bottom of the quarry.
The sound of footsteps made her turn the other way. Her neck ached and she cried out in pain. Ryan was jogging down to her.
‘Thought that might slow you down a little,’ he said. He took a handful of her hair and hauled her to her knees then leaned down so he could thrust his face in hers. ‘Don’t want you alerting anyone to the fact that we’re here, now, do we? This is our little party.’
He pulled her upright, her body screaming out in pain. She groaned, trying not to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d broken her. But he wasn’t listening. Keeping a tight hold on her hair, he dragged her to the water’s edge.
‘Let’s go for a swim.’ He pointed up to the moon. ‘It’s a beautiful evening for it.’
Carla’s legs were hurting and she could feel blood trickling down her right arm. She almost walked on her hands as he pulled her deeper into the water. Then he pushed her head under.
Even though she didn’t have much strength left, she thought of Chloe as he held her there for a few seconds. Her arms flailed as she battled to gain control, but he was too strong.
Then, all of a sudden he let her up for air, standing by her side as she spluttered.
It was shallow enough that she could prop herself back up on her elbows. She managed to sit up, the water seeping into her clothes making her seem lethargic. She looked up at him with hatred in her eyes.
‘Okay, get it over and done with,’ she said as she gasped for air again. ‘You want to kill me then do it. But. . . I want you to know that. . . I’m not frightened of you any more.’ She took a big breath in. ‘You might have scared me once. . . but you don’t now. You overpower me. . . because you’re bigger than me, but you won’t get the better of me ever again. I—’
His hand lashed out at her face and she fell back in the water with the force. She scrambled to sitting again, knowing that if she stayed on her back too long, he could sit astride her. In his state of mind, he would probably drown her. She had to stand up.
‘You’re nothing,’ he said, pointing into her face. ‘With me you were useless. Without me you are powerless.’
‘We could start again.’ She’d said the first thing that came into her head.
His laughter was cruel. ‘Don’t give me none of that bullshit that you teach in your self-assertiveness classes. All that psychobabble is pathetic. You of all people teaching it is a laugh. You should know that
it’s useless. If I want to get to you, I will, and nothing you say to me will help or hinder. I might become angrier so it’s over quicker but, then again, I’m going to relish this so much that I think I might want to take my time.’
‘You won’t have a lot of it,’ she said, looking up. ‘I can see lights.’
Ryan turned as he saw a torch being shone down on them. As he did, Carla saw her chance. She stood up quickly, and as he turned back to face her, she threw a punch. She’d learned the move in a self-defence class. Hit someone in the right place between the eyes and it momentarily blocks out all their senses. It disables an assailant, giving a victim enough time to get away.
Ryan went down into the water.
She gasped for breath while his face stayed covered with the murky liquid and watched for signs of movement. He went deathly still for a few seconds. Had she done enough?
But then Ryan began to move. Knowing that someone would be with her soon, she realised this was her last chance at freedom. She picked up a rock and held it high in the air.
‘This is for Chloe, you heartless, cruel bastard,’ she said. Then she brought it down on the side of his head.
Ten Years Ago
‘If I ever catch you outside this house again, I will kill you, do you hear?’
I hadn’t a clue what I’d done wrong this time. Next door’s cat had gone missing. Charlotte, our neighbour, had come round to ask if I’d seen it.
But I’d left the house without his permission, and this was my punishment: being dragged down the stairs so that my back bumped on every step; being forced to stand as he yanked on my hair before he shoved me on to the living room floor. In an instant, he’d overpowered me and thumped me full in the face.
My nose burst, blood spurted out and I gagged as it ran into my mouth. For some reason, this time, I fought back, and I landed a punch to the side of his head. Enraged, he pummelled my hands and arms as I held them up to protect myself.
A scream came from behind us. ‘Mummy!’
