Run!: He's coming for you

by K Leitch

  For some reason that bugged the life out of him, as the weeks had gone by he had thought that he and Lucy had become quite close. They’d certainly spent enough time together and had developed a very easy way with each other, they shared a similar sense of humour and when they discussed anything of a more serious nature Dom had been impressed by Lucy’s common sense, and her innate sense of right and wrong.

  Let’s face it Dom was impressed full stop, he liked the way she looked, she was naturally pretty and didn’t need to shovel on loads of makeup to enhance her looks. She was quite tall for a woman which for Dom, who was 6ft 5, was always a bonus, but she wasn’t stick thin by any means. In fact she had just the sort of curvy hour glass figure that Dom preferred, something that was brought home to him quite forcibly right now, as she bent over to load the dishwasher just in front of where he was sitting.

  Dom cleared his throat, ‘Are you sure it isn’t something I can help you with Lucy?’ he asked dragging his eyes and his thoughts away from the lush, round, jean clad bottom being presented to him. ‘I mean obviously I don’t want to pry…but I would like to help if I can.’

  Lucy stood up, her face bright red (probably from exertion rather than embarrassment this time) and smiled at Dom who was regarding her with worry written all over his face. ‘Oh…that’s so kind of you,’ she began, coming back over and sitting in the chair opposite Dom, ‘but I will figure it out don’t worry. Anyway how did your meeting go,’ she added, determinedly changing the subject, ‘did they go for your ideas about the alfresco dining area? I had a peek at your drawings this morning, I hope you don’t mind, and I have to say I was seriously impressed…I mean seriously, Mr Goldblum would have to be mad not to go for it.’

  They chatted away for a while about Dom’s latest project at work, until Katy woke up and demanded attention and Jukie, hearing his dad’s voice, came roaring into the kitchen to tell Dom all his latest news. All thoughts of Lucy’s earlier tears were forgotten as the house got busier and busier, it wasn’t until much later when he was lying in bed that Dom remembered how desperately worried and sad she’d looked when he’d found her crying earlier. He had grown fond of Lucy…more than fond really, he liked her a lot and it had really bothered him to see her so upset. He promised himself that he would try and get to the bottom of it tomorrow, no matter how much she tried to deflect him from his purpose.

  In her little room above the garage Lucy lay in her own bed consumed with misery. She hadn’t lied when she’d said to Dom that she was the happiest she had ever been, she loved living here. Maggie was so kind and included her and Katy in all the family get togethers. She had never made her feel that she was just the nanny but instead had embraced her as a friend. Even when other members of the family like Jed and his wife and baby came over for a visit, she wasn’t expected to make herself scarce, she was accepted as a part of this big glorious family. Lucy had never experienced anything like it…and now it looked like she was going to have to give it up. Once again because of Trevor she would have to destroy any hope of happiness that she’d found. Lucy wondered how long she’d got before he tracked her down…she knew he would, it was only a matter of time. She couldn’t…wouldn’t let him bring his brand of evil into this wonderful home. She couldn’t risk Maggie being hurt…or Dom…oh God no, she couldn’t risk Trevor getting his hands on sweet gentle Dom. Lucy turned her head into her pillow and wept…she knew she was going to have to leave this wonderful place and this time it really was going to break her heart.

  CHAPTER 36

  ‘Yes?’ Flora asked abruptly staring up at the young uniformed police woman that was standing on her doorstep.

  ‘Mrs Flora Metcalf?’ The young woman asked.

  ‘Ms,’ Flora corrected, ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Um…we’re just knocking on all the doors in the area asking if anybody has seen either of these two children, we have reason to believe that they were heading in this direction before they went missing a couple of weeks ago,’ the young WPC explained holding out a couple of bleary photocopies of Lola and Lewis Twee.

  Flora snatched the photos from her and looked at the images. ‘I know these two,’ she said handing back the pictures, ‘nasty little thugs they are,’ she scowled at the young woman.

  ‘Have you seen them around here recently? Within the last month say?’ WPC Amber Graves asked taking out her pen and jotting down something on her notepad.

  Flora shook her head, ‘No, thank goodness. This is a quiet neighbourhood, mainly older retired people you know…we don’t see many kids round here.’ She paused and looked closer at the young WPC. ‘Don’t I know you?’ she asked staring hard at the young woman.

  ‘I’m Amber, Ms Metcalf…Amber Graves, you taught me history…at Riddlestone.’

  ‘Ha!’ Flora exclaimed triumphantly, ‘I knew I knew you, I never forget a face…so you’re in the police force now Amber?’ she added.

  Amber nodded with enthusiastic pride, ‘I’ve just finished my training; this is my first week on my own so…’

  Flora shook her head. ‘You were quite a bright girl if I remember rightly…not brilliant of course, but surely you could have done better than the police my dear, I mean really...’ she left the sentence hanging.

  Deflated, Amber stuttered, ‘Oh no it’s really good Ms Metcalf, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.’

  ‘What walking door to door shoving photographs into people’s faces, surely not,’ Flora said spitefully, enjoying her discomfiture.

  Amber pulled herself up to her full height, ‘Well anyway, have you seen these two or not Ms Metcalf?’ she asked again brusquely, she’d really forgotten how nasty old Metcalf could be. She’d assumed the old dragon had mellowed with age…ha! Some hope.

  ‘No, sorry,’ Flora said and went to close the door.

  ‘Didn’t you report that some kids were making a nuisance of themselves a few weeks back?’ Amber persisted.

  Flora paused, ‘I did, you’re right, much good it did me. The little buggers could have killed me in my bed for all you lot would have cared,’ she said pointing an aggressive finger at Amber.

  ‘Is it still going on Ms Metcalf? The harassment I mean.’

  Flora heaved a loud sigh, ‘No, thank goodness. I assume they got bored with me and moved onto some other poor bugger, now if there’s nothing else I’ve got things to do….’ she said as she went to close the door again.

  ‘So when did it stop, can you remember?’ Amber persisted.

  Flora tutted impatiently, ‘Oh I don’t know girl,’ she said shaking her head, ‘how can I be expected to remember something like that, it just stopped…surely that’s good enough isn’t it?’

  ‘Hmm,’ Amber mused as she looked through her note book, ‘I think you told DI Right that you were keeping a diary of the events Ms Metcalf, do you still have that?’

  Flora stared hard at the young WPC, who stared back at her with wide-eyed innocence, eventually Flora heaved a sigh. ‘Oh I suppose you’re not going to be satisfied until I give it to you are you?’ she grumbled, ‘wait here, I’ll fetch it for you…but I want a receipt do you hear?’

  The front door was closed again, Amber rolled her eyes and waited. A minute later she spotted Billy Hobbs coming round from the back garden pushing a wheel barrow filled with weeds.

  ‘Hi Billy,’ she called out to him, Billy did her mum’s garden for her and she’d always liked him despite what her brother Richie had to say about him. He may have been a bit on the slow side but he was harmless and he kept Mum’s garden neat as a new pin.

  Billy gave her one of his wide smiles, ‘Hi Amber…what you doing here?’ he asked.

  Amber did him a twirl in her uniform, ‘Just doing my job,’ she said proudly. ‘Finished my training last week so I’m going solo for the first time. You didn’t happen to see Lola and Lewis Twee around here anytime did you? I’ve been doing a door to door asking, they’ve gone missing see?’

  Billy’s smile faded and his face took on
a guarded look, he picked up the handles of his wheelbarrow and went to walk on, ‘No, I ain't seen ‘em and even if I had I wouldn’t talk to them…I hate them…they’re just rotten and cruel…’

  ‘Hurry up with those weeds Billy will you,’ Ms Metcalf interrupted sharply as she opened the front door again, ‘it’ll be raining again in a minute and you’ve still got the lawn to do,’ she added crossly, shooing Billy off round to the back garden again.

  Billy jumped at her sharp tone, ‘Yes miss…sorry miss,’ he said as he hurried away with the wheelbarrow.

  Amber rolled her eyes, really there was no need for the woman to be so snappy, the poor man was only talking to her for crying out loud.

  ‘I want that back, young woman,’ Flora Metcalf said sternly from the doorway, holding out the diary in a claw like hand.

  ‘Don’t worry Ms Metcalf,’ she reassured her, ‘it probably won’t be needed, but you never know it might help our investigation. I’ll get it back to you as soon as we’ve made a copy.’

  ‘Right…well if there’s nothing else,’ Flora said once again before closing the front door.

  WPC Graves put the little diary into her car before she walked round to the house next door. Unlike Ms Metcalf’s house which was neat to the point of obsession, this one was showing signs of neglect. The garden was overgrown and there was a wheelie bin still outside the front, despite the rubbish being collected nearly a week ago. Letters were jammed into the letterbox, so many that some of them had fallen back out onto the front porch and after the recent rain were turning into a soggy mess. Amber rang on the bell and waited, it seemed no one was home, she rang again all the time trying to quell the feeling of uneasiness that had come over her. The curtains were drawn so she couldn’t see into the front room. Her anxiety increased as she went round to the back of the house and looked through the kitchen window. The kitchen table was set ready for a meal, and next to the cooker was a loaded plate of what once had been some sort of shepherd’s pie by the looks of it, although it was now covered in mould and flies. More flies were buzzing on the inside of the window, Amber didn’t wait any longer with shaking hands she called it in.

  Jim Pickles body was found at the foot of his stairs, he’d been dead for more than two weeks. According to the coroner, Dorothy Smiles, it looked like he’d suffered a massive heart attack which had probably killed him instantaneously. His only relative, a son Colin, was abroad visiting his wife’s family in Australia, he wasn’t due back for another three weeks but on hearing the news he booked the first flight home.

  Flora watched with interest the comings and goings of the police and forensics team. So the miserable old bugger was dead was he? she thought with a chuckle. Ha! Served him right, mean old bastard, maybe she’d send Billy round once all the furore died down, get him to cut back that bloody Russian vine once and for all. He he he, Jim Pickles would be turning in his grave!

  CHAPTER 37 - CARLA

  With a groan, Carla flung her arm over her eyes to block out the glare of the sun that was streaming in through the window next to the bed. She woke up slowly, her head was banging and her stomach heaving and she needed the loo urgently.

  She stumbled out of bed and headed for the door only to find it wasn’t where it should be. Carla stood stock still and looked around her. Through half closed eyes she took in the big messy bed that she’d just exited, there was a sort of chest thing to one side of the room under the window and a huge old fashioned wooden wardrobe on the other. Beyond the wardrobe was a door…a door that hopefully would lead to the bathroom. This wasn’t her room, this wasn’t any room that she had ever seen before. Carla’s stomach lurched again, she’d have to figure this out later, right now if she didn’t get to a loo within the next couple of minutes she was going to throw up where she stood.

  Once through the bedroom door there were several other doors to choose from but thankfully Carla could clearly make out a bathroom at the end of the landing. She staggered urgently over to it and only just made it to the filthy bowl before chucking up. Exhausted by her retching Carla sank down on the bathroom floor, her head was spinning and she was completely disorientated.

  ‘Where the hell am I?’ she thought, ‘What the fuck's happening, how did I get here?’ She could vaguely remember going to a bar…which bar though? She thought it might have been The Jugged Hare in Whitfield, or maybe The Fox, hard as she tried she couldn’t remember, the whole of the events of the night before had been wiped out.

  Carla began to shiver, she looked down at herself and realised that she was wearing an old T-shirt, a clinging wet T-shirt and from the noxious smell of ammonia that was emanating from it she could only assume that it was soaked in urine… she had wet herself again during the night. With burning cheeks, Carla gulped down the shame of that and slowly pulled herself up, very unsteadily she made her way back to the bedroom. She had no idea whose house this was and how she’d ended up in that bed but she needed to find her clothes and get out of here… where ever here was.

  Looking round the messy bedroom this time, Carla’s eyes took in the empty vodka bottles and condom packets on the bedside table. The crumpled tissues on the floor next to the bed and… oh bloody hell…on the floor as well, lay a vibrator covered in muck and lubricant. Carla began to feel sick again and looked desperately round for her clothes, which were in fact neatly folded on a small chair next to the wardrobe. She pulled the smelly wet T-shirt over her head and feverishly began to dress, only to freeze a moment later as she became aware of heavy footsteps on the stairs.

  Carla held her breath as the footsteps drew closer, until the door was pushed open and a half naked stranger walked in holding a mug of tea in each hand.

  ‘Oh you’re awake,’ he said rolling his eyes, ‘I had thought I could wake you up slowly like,’ he winked at her, but his expression changed when he noticed she was getting dressed. ‘You going somewhere?’ he asked as he put the steaming mugs onto the bedside table before turning back towards her.

  Carla looked at the man properly for the first time, desperately trying to find something about him she could recognise.

  Quite short with greasy shoulder length hair, early fifties Carla thought, although he might have been older. He was quite skinny with a mass of very black hair covering his chest and over his shoulders and back. He wasn’t ugly exactly but Carla thought that he probably would have had trouble finding girlfriends, and the distinctly grubby Y fronts he was wearing certainly wouldn’t have helped his cause.

  ‘I need to get home,’ Carla said pulling on her jeans, ‘um…thank you for…I’m sorry if…,’ she stuttered.

  ‘But I thought you said we’d spend the day together,’ the man said coming towards her, Carla backed off, he stopped. ‘What is it love?’ he said looking upset, ‘I thought we were getting along fine…you certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself last night…’

  ‘Look I’m sorry,’ Carla interrupted holding up a hand, ‘I don’t remember last night…I don’t even know who you are…or where I am. I must have had a bit too much to drink…sorry okay but I have to get home.’

  The man laughed sardonically and shook his head. ‘My name's Archie,’ he said somewhat bitterly, ‘Oh and you’d definitely had plenty to drink,’ he added nodding but then a thought occurred to him. ‘Don’t you be thinking I made you do anything you didn’t want to do though,’ he came towards her shaking a finger. ‘You was up for all of it…more than up for it actually,’ he mused thinking about it, ‘you loved it, so don’t you get it into your head that I forced you or something okay?’

  Carla retreated a step nodding wordlessly. Flashes of memories were coming back to her, this man over her, under her, his breath on her face…his head between her legs…oh God…oh God she felt sick…she had to get out of here.

  Carla grabbed her bag and ran out of the room and down the stairs. Once at the front door she turned and looked back at Archie who had followed her and was standing at the top of the stairs. He was watching her g
o with a look of resignation on his face.

  ‘I don’t usually behave like this,’ she said almost in a whisper, ‘I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.’ She fled out of the door slamming it shut behind her.

  Carla stumbled along an unfamiliar road, tears streaming down her face. What was happening to her? This wasn’t her, she was a mother…a Detective Inspector no less. She knew better than most that she had had a lucky escape this morning. Archie had just been a lonely man who had taken advantage of her drunkenness, for a night of sex. He could have just as easily been a rapist or a sadist or, heaven forbid, a murderer.

  Well, she was still alive and she knew that if she didn’t want to end up dead in a ditch somewhere she needed to get some help. She hadn’t seen Rosie and Harry for more than two weeks, and that last visit had been a disaster. James had smelt the alcohol on her the minute he’d walked into the house and he’d refused to leave the kids alone with her…like she’d hurt them or something! It had caused an awful row and the kids had got upset so James had taken them away again. She missed her children so much… it was a physical pain in her heart, sometimes it was just too much to bear and the only thing that had seemed to make it better was to drown it with alcohol.

  ‘No more,’ she said aloud, causing an old man who was walking his dog in front of her, to look round at her as if she was mad. ‘NO MORE! NO MORE!’ she shouted at him, he gave her another look and crossed the road.

  Carla spotted a sign for Carshalton Beeches station, she headed in that direction. She needed to get home, she needed to get her kids back, she needed to listen to what James had to say, she needed a bath urgently and then she needed to ring Helen.

  CHAPTER 38

  ‘So you have no idea why anyone would do this? Does your mother have any enemies that you know of?’ DC Mandy Hopkins asked Kimberly Clegg, who was visiting her mother in hospital.

  Kimberly shook her head. ‘Nah, she gets on wiv everyone, everyone loves her I don’t know who would do somat like this…she’d never do no one no ‘arm,’ her face crumpled and she buried it in a large handkerchief.