by K Leitch
Helen and Tracy nodded, but Helen said, ‘I can’t help thinking that at some point she needs to face up to it though Maggie, she can’t keep hiding away from it by getting drunk…’ she broke off as they spotted Carla heading back to the table with a tray of drinks.
‘You are in big trouble Maggs,’ she said with a smile, ‘Duncan is spitting bullets back there, he said to tell you that he will be taking it out on your hide…which I thought sounded very interesting actually.’
Maggie pulled a face, ‘Oh he’ll get over it, I know how to handle Duncan.’
Carla smirked. ‘I just bet you do,’ she said with a leer, ‘I must say I wouldn’t mind handling him myself, he looks very buff this evening.’
Maggie laughed along with her friend but something about the rather hard way Carla was talking and the way she kept looking over at Duncan put Maggie on edge.
Carla was speeding towards disaster that much was obvious, she seemed to be a on a major self-destruct mission and there was no way Maggie was going to let Duncan be a part of that.
The evening pretty much followed its usual path, the girls talked about their week, moaned about their kids and their partners (apart from Carla of course) and laughed about the same. The only difference was that Carla drank twice as much as everybody else and as the evening drew to a close she had moved over to a table nearby at which a couple of men had been drinking and was now actively chatting up one of them.
The girls had tried to ignore Carla’s behaviour, she was a grown woman after all, but now Maggie needed to drive her home and she (Carla) was not ready to leave.
‘Just go home Maggie,’ Carla said, with a careless wave of her hand. ‘I’m sure Hal here…oh sorry Harvey here will be able to drop me home won’t you?’ she said running her hand up and down his arm.
Harvey gave Carla a leery smile and assured the girls that he would be happy to drop their friend home.
‘Don’t you worry yourself darling,’ he slurred drunkenly at Maggie, ‘I’ll make sure she gets ‘ome alright.’
‘Carla,’ Maggie said ignoring him completely, ‘Come on love…I really think you should come with me now!’ she tried to take Carla’s arm.
Carla batted Maggie’s hand away and glared at her, ‘For God’s sake Maggie, I said I’m fine…I’m a big girl I can look after myself you know.’
Maggie looked back at the other girls helplessly, ‘What should I do, I don’t want to leave her like this.’
‘There’s not much you can do love,’ Tracy said sadly, ‘other than dragging her out of here kicking and screaming…like she said she’s a big girl, we can’t stop her doing anything she’s put her mind to can we?’
‘Well I know one thing I can do,’ Maggie said rummaging through her enormous handbag. ‘I can take a picture of Harvey here can’t I?’, she said producing her phone and taking a couple of snaps, ‘so if any harm comes to my friend here,’ she said to the two men, pointing at Carla, ‘I’ll be able to give the police these pictures…’
‘For fuck’s sake Maggie,' Carla shouted getting really angry now, ‘you are not my fucking mother. I’m just having a bit of fun…so just butt out and leave me be will you?’
‘Come on Maggs,’ Tracy said, ‘let’s leave her to it shall we?’ She turned to Carla, ‘I don’t care what you’ve been through Carla that does not give you the right to treat Maggie this way,’ she said shaking her head, Maggie gave Carla one last look and then headed for the door with Tracy following her.
Helen was the last to leave, ‘One day soon Carla you’re going to regret the way you’re behaving and you’re going to need your friends… when that day comes, call me okay?’ she said before following her friends out of the pub.
Hot tears burned at the back of Carla’s eyes as she watched her friends walk away, she swallowed them down and replaced them with a hard smile. ‘Drink up you fucking lightweights,’ she said turning back to the two men, ‘the night is still young and I for one have not had nearly enough.’
CHAPTER 32
Trevor Hibbard was out of control; incandescent with fury at the desertion of his stupid bitch of a wife. He had been putting the pressure on anyone he could think of that might have been in cahoots with her. He’d spoken to all the women that waited outside the nursery with her each day. Telling them tales of her increasing depression and his worry that she might do some harm either to herself or, heaven forbid, his daughter. They were all suitably shocked and sympathetic, but couldn’t help him. Lucinda had kept herself to herself and most of them claimed to hardly know her. His frustration growing, he tried the women at the gym that Lucy frequented twice a week, only to be met with more blank faces and sympathetic looks. By the time he got round to his mother-in-law he was steaming with suppressed rage. Lucinda’s mother Marsha, had tried time and time again to persuade Lucinda to leave him, so she had always been his prime suspect, but he’d had to pick his moment…make sure she was on her own before he’d tackled her. It had all gone horribly wrong though, she had screamed the minute he’d walked through the door stupid cow, so he’d had to shut her up. Not that he’d hurt her, no he wasn’t that stupid… he’d just scared the shit out of her with his knife against her neck, made out he was going to shove it in her eye if she didn’t tell him where Lucy was. Ha! She was terrified, even pissed her pants the disgusting old hag. But it was obvious after a while of her screaming and pleading that she didn’t know anything so he left her alone. Stupid cunt called the police on him though, they dragged him down to the nick. Not that they could charge him with anything, it was her word against Trevor’s and Howard had sworn blind that Trevor was with him at his club in Torquay at that time so they had to let him go. She’d get hers though, fucking Marsha, once he’d dealt with Lucinda…she’d get what was coming to her.
So the last person on Trevor’s list was Lucinda’s friend Emma, and the more Trevor thought about it the more convinced he became that it was probably her that had put the whole idea into Lucy’s head. The woman had never liked him and she made her feelings quite clear. Looking down her nose at him whenever he’d met her, interfering in things that had fuck all to do with her, acting like she was so much better than him, yeah right, she was a fucking nursery school teacher for Christ’s sake. Just because she’d gone to some posh school and talked in that posh voice. Stupid fucking bitch he thought as he worked himself up into another frenzy. He needed to be clever though, he needed to get her somewhere on her own so that he could get the truth out of her.
CHAPTER 33
Emma Greenwood suppressed a groan as she hefted the last of the tiny chairs up onto the tiny tables, leaving the floor clear for the cleaners to mop later on.
At last it was the weekend and she couldn’t wait to get home and soak in a hot bath, try and ease her aching muscles. Much as she loved her work as a nursery leader, it was taking a toll on her body. All the constant bending and lifting, not to mention the mental strain of constantly having to entertain fifteen little tot’s, ranging from 18 month old babies to three year old toddlers. The rewards were great though, maybe not financially but when a child started to trust and respond to you…well that was a great feeling.
After one last check round, Emma heaved another sigh and began to gather together all her belongings. If she was lucky she might get home before Mathew and the kids and enjoy a bit of quiet time before the demands of her two teenage children took over. Maybe she’d stop at the chippie on the way home. The thought of having to rustle up a meal when she got in was not appealing and now that she thought about it there had only been a bag of old carrots and a jar of pickled eggs in her fridge when she’d looked in there this morning…yes fish and chips sounded good…mmm she could almost taste them. Emma headed for the door with a smile on her face, she was just about to lock the inner door to the nursery when the outside doorbell rang loudly making her jump. She frowned to herself, it was too early for the cleaners they always came after six and anyway they had a key, maybe Claire had forgotten som
ething again, she thought rolling her eyes. Her nursery assistant was a darling, beloved by the kids and staff alike, but even she’d be the first to admit that she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box. Emma made her way along the corridor to the big wooden double doors that led out to the street.
‘What have you forgotten this time?’ she was saying as she pressed the buzzer to unlock the door.
Emma got no further, she was thrown back into the hallway as the door came crashing inwards and a horribly familiar man grabbed her by the neck and pushed her hard up against the wall.
‘Hello Emma,’ Trevor Hibbard hissed at her, his face inches from hers, ‘we need to have a little chat.’ And with that he covered her head with a bag of some sort pulling it tight around her neck before pushing her roughly out through the door.
Once she’d recovered from the shock Emma fought back, kicking and flailing around with arms and legs but he was much too strong for her and all too soon she found herself being thrown into the back of a car. Despite the tight bag over her head, Emma was screaming and shouting, ‘Get off me…help…help someone…HEELLP! NO…NO…leave me alone you sick bastard...what the hell do you think you’re doing Trevor,’ she shrieked, ‘what do you want with me?’
Trevor seemed oblivious to Emma’s screams as he fought with her avoiding her kicks and scratches, concentrating on the job at hand which was tying her legs and arms against her body so that she was trussed up like a turkey. ‘Shut the fuck up bitch,’ was all he said eventually, before punching her hard in the face a couple of times. The car door slammed, the engine started and the car began to move.
Emma’s mouth began to fill with blood and her ears were ringing, she was finding it hard to suck in air through the thick material of the bag that was covering her head. Terrified she tried to control her fears so that she could try and work out where she was being taken to, by what she could hear and feel. She heard the sounds of traffic and she knew that they had stopped at several traffic lights. There was the sound of a bell ringing out the time… that must be the town hall clock. Soon though, it got quieter as if they were heading away from the town out into the countryside.
After what seemed like an age the car slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road. Emma began to shake, she could hear Trevor getting out of the car, he went into the boot and took something out before once more opening her door. The fight began again, Emma kicked out and wriggled flinging her head about, anything to try and hurt her attacker. Nothing seemed to phase Trevor, he was in the zone…robot like in his concentration. He punched her again nearly sending her over the edge and then hefted her over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes and started walking away from the car.
Once he’d got far enough away from the road, Trevor threw Emma onto the ground and took off the bag covering her head. She blinked a few times and looked around her, recognising the bleak, dark landscape of Dartmoor before looking up at Trevor through terrified swollen eyes, he was breathing hard and looking down at her with fevered madness in his eyes.
‘You’re fucking crazy! Wwy hhave you brought mme here…Wwaatt…what do yyyou want?’ Emma stuttered trying to control her shaking as he pulled out a wicked looking knife and came towards her, ‘Don’t you touch me, you mad freak…just tell me what you want for God’s sake!’ she screamed as the knife came nearer.
‘You know what I want Emma,’ Trevor said with a cruel twist to his lip, he began waving the knife about in front of her face. ‘I want to know where my wife is…’
‘Why would you think I’d know?’ Emma asked ‘NO…NO I don’t know…you have to believe me…AARRRGGH!’ she finished on a scream as Trevor let the knife slide down her face cutting her cheek open.
‘Don’t play the innocent with me, cunt,’ Trevor said dragging the knife down the other cheek.
Emma’s face was dripping blood, it was running onto her mouth and nose making her gag.
Trevor seemed to have all the time in the world, he watched her choking for a moment before using the knife to cut the bands round her feet and hauling her up so that she was standing in front of him.
‘Please Trevor…you have to believe me, I have no idea where Lucinda has gone…please.’ Emma was sobbing now.
‘Yeh well that’s a shame because I don’t fucking believe you,’ Trevor spat back at her, ‘I know you’ve always slagged me off any chance you could get, filling Lucy’s head with a load of rubbish, making her think she’d be better off without me. So I reckon you’d be just the person she’d come to when she decided to take off…what did you do eh…lend her some money did you? Find her a little flat somewhere?’ He ranted warming to his theme, getting ever more dangerously angry.
‘I DON’T KNOW WHERE SHE IS!’ Emma screamed at him, blinking hard to keep the blood out of her eyes, she looked at Trevor with disgust. ‘But I’ll tell you one thing you sick fuck! I’m so glad she’s finally managed to get away from you,’ she refused to be cowed by his cruelty. ‘I hope she finds herself a proper man, not some jumped up little control freak who gets his kicks from hurting women….Arghh, no please,’ she gasped as Trevor came at her with the knife again, hatred in his eyes.
‘What’s it with you eh?’ he said pushing the knife in gently so that Emma felt a trickle of blood roll down her neck. ‘You some sort of muff muncher? You want her for yourself is that it… lesbo cunt?’ Trevor hissed, his face had taken on an evil look that sent a wave of terror through Emma. ‘You will fucking tell me where she is… I know you helped her, it’s written all over your snotty little face. You understand this bitch, either you tell me where she is or I’m going to start cutting bits off you...what shall we start with, oh I know.’ He tugged at one of her ears holding the knife behind it.
Emma screamed at the top of her voice and tried to pull away. ‘Please, I don’t know anything…’ she pleaded, scared beyond reason now, ‘she wouldn’t tell anyone, she didn’t want to involve anyone else…you’ve got to believe me…NO…NO ARRGH.’ Her screams grew high pitched as his knife sliced through and her ear flopped down to hang on the side of her neck.
‘NOOOO…oh my God noooo,’ she sobbed looking at him in petrified disbelief. Trevor’s eyes were gleaming… he was enjoying her terror, he was loving it. Emma freaked out, in a moment of blind panic she kicked out as hard as she could catching Trevor squarely in the groin, he doubled over hissing with the pain of it…Emma didn’t hesitate…she ran!
She wasn’t sure where she was going, she was pretty certain if she carried on in this direction she would eventually come to the road…she wasn’t sure…she didn’t care she just had to get away from that mad man.
Trevor allowed the pain to subside, he watched Emma running wildly about, stumbling over the rocky terrain. He wasn’t worried…this was Dartmoor, they were in the middle of nowhere. He started to follow her.
Emma’s heart was pounding and her lungs were bursting. Her running was being hampered by the fact that her hands were still tied and she could feel her energy levels running low. The pain from her face was making her dizzy and she couldn’t stop sobbing.
‘THAT’S RIGHT…RUN BITCH,’ she heard Trevor taunting her, ‘YOU CAN RUN ALL YOU LIKE…I’LL STILL FIND YOU…YOU CAN’T ESCAPE, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP AND TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW.’ That sounded nearer, he was gaining on her. Emma, terrified by that thought, dug deep into her reserves and found another spurt of energy pushing her onward.
Trevor tutted angrily, frustration building in his chest again, somehow the stupid bitch had managed to head in the right direction from where he was he could see that she was almost at the road. He swore furiously and set off after her at speed, he had to stop her before she got there.
Emma was running on pure adrenaline gasping and coughing she kept up her pace, she could see the road ahead if she could just get there, maybe she could flag down a passing car or…
‘HUUMPH…NOOOO…IIIEEEE,’ she let out a dreadful scream as she was grabbed by the legs from behind and pulled to the g
round.
‘Now you beg bitch!’ Trevor had his hands round her neck, he looked down at her his face suffused with pure rage, eyes bulging, lips snarling he was beyond any reasonable thought. Emma fought him every step of the way, wriggling and kicking until at last she felt her strength draining away…she couldn’t do it…she couldn’t fight any longer. Trevor continued to squeeze the life out of her…she’d always known Lucinda’s husband was a nasty bastard but she’d never realised that he was actually crazy…a complete psycho….too late she realised it, too late…his red angry face, his hot vile breath and the sweat dripping from his brow…these were the last things she would ever see.
Trevor came to his senses as soon as he saw the life drain out of Emma Greenwood’s face. ‘Oh shit,’ he said getting up and running his hands through his hair. ‘FUCK!....You stupid fucking wanker,’ he muttered as he dragged Emma’s bloody lifeless body further and further onto the scrublands of the moors, ‘what is fucking wrong with you…you stupid, brainless fucker.’ He carried on berating himself like this until he came upon a patch of tightly packed gorse bushes. Trevor pushed Emma’s body right into the thick of it, covering himself with cuts and scratches from the wicked thorns as he did so. Then after examining the hiding place from all angles to make sure it was secure, he started the long trudge back to the car. What a fucking waste of a day…all that effort and he was still no wiser as to where his bloody slag of a wife was hiding.
CHAPTER 34
‘Midge is on it sir, he’s been watching the alleyway for the last three days. If Twee is still involved we should be able to catch him with the stolen goods…mind you now that his kids have gone missing he might not be…’
‘Yes well you all know what I think about that,’ Frank interrupted DC Mandy Hopkins with a sneer, ‘and it doesn’t seem to have affected the family business does it?’
