He Knows Your Secrets

by Charlie Gallagher

  Maddie knocked on the door to Flat 59 then stepped back and stared up at the rather obvious camera angled down from the corner. A middle-aged man answered the door. Her first impression was dominated by thick glasses and a painfully thin build. She took a moment to take in the rest of him: a checked shirt tucked into once-smart trousers that had a protruding zip at the crotch, the shirt unbuttoned far enough to show a bony chest with wisps of grey hair.

  ‘Help you?’ he wheezed.

  ‘Are you Mick?’

  ‘Who’s asking?’

  Maddie lifted her warrant card. The man’s eyes flickered to it momentarily. There was no reaction, certainly no surprise. A police visit did not appear to be out of the ordinary.

  ‘I’m DS Ives from up the road in Canterbury. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about some of the places you have here. Is that okay?’

  ‘Ask all you want. I don’t know much. I don’t ask no questions, myself. I just do my bit.’

  ‘I’m sure you do.’ Maddie reached into her bag and took out the photo of Holly Maguire from her last visit to police custody. It was a few years old and she looked a little worse for wear but it would be good enough for someone who knew her. ‘Do you know this girl?’

  ‘I don’t know many people, really.’

  ‘Now that doesn’t answer my question, does it Mick?’ She grinned. ‘Do you know this person?’

  ‘I don’t want to get involved and I don’t take no notice anyway.’

  ‘You do recognise her, then? She visits the building?’

  ‘I don’t think I’ve seen her. I don’t take much notice.’

  ‘What do you do here, Mick?’

  ‘Caretaker.’

  Maddie bit down, trying to suppress her frustration. ‘And what does that mean? Assume I’ve no idea. What’s your day to day?’

  ‘I look after the building. The grounds. Communal bits get a mopping three times a week. Any breakdowns from the boilers, water or gas coming in — that sort of thing.’

  ‘So you go in every flat?’

  ‘Some. I got a few landlords in here. Some of them just let me get on with it. They’re glad I’m here so they don’t get bothered. But others, they tell me not to get involved, they say they want to do it themselves. Makes no odds to me. They still pay towards my wages whether I go in there or not.’

  ‘Who lives in Flats 12 and 14 on the second floor? Or 22 on the third floor?’

  ‘I couldn’t tell you.’

  ‘Does anyone live in them?’

  The man shrugged. ‘Have you tried knocking?’

  ‘I was hoping I could avoid doing that. You must know who owns those flats at least?’

  ‘I don’t get involved in that. There’s a company what owns the building and they tell me what jobs I need to do and when. Some flats I don’t get jobs for.’

  ‘You don’t get involved in much at all around here, do you?’

  He shrugged again. ‘It’s that kind of place, lady. I get a job list and I work my way through it. I keep my head down apart from that. A few of the people in here don’t appreciate me or anyone getting into their business. I get a flat and a bit of money coming in so I got a good thing going here.’

  Maddie briefly peered past him to where the ill-fitting carpet seemed to continue. Behind him was a cluttered hallway. She made out a bike frame with an oily chain still attached and dragging along the floor. Just beyond that was a green jerry can, which was probably the source of the fuel smell that had been strong from the moment the door had opened.

  ‘I can see that, Mick. Sorry to bother you, okay? I tell you what though, let me leave you my card. Just in case you think of anything or you hear anything that might be useful to me. Is that okay?’

  The man’s shrug this time was the most apathetic yet and Maddie tried to match it with the sarcasm in her thank you as she left.

  * * *

  Kelly didn’t like this at all. Nothing felt normal. Benny was hanging back for the walk to the flat, when normally he would be right up with her, muttering into her ear and leering at her chest. He knew she didn’t like being here and he liked to play on that, enjoying her discomfort. Libby’s fear and suffering was more obvious than hers had ever been — he should be absolutely revelling in it.

  When she checked over her shoulder again, Benny was looking back, too, as if he wanted to be sure that no one had followed them up. He had also dropped even further back. Kelly kept moving forward; she had no choice. She counted down the numbers, slowing as she passed No. 10 like she always did. She stopped on the threshold of No. 12, too. Just like she always did.

  The door was wide open. Looking in, she could see the room was almost completely empty. No bed, no lighting rig, no laptop with a glowing screen or lines of text arriving with a chiming sound. Just two chairs tugged out into the middle of the room, their backs towards where she was standing.

  And Freddie Rickman.

  He was at the opposite end, filling the doorway that led through to a tiny bedroom. When he saw her he pushed off to swagger slowly across the room as if he had all the time in the world. Kelly stayed on the threshold. He continued past the door to crouch against the wall on the right side, down in the corner. She watched as he ran something dark through his hands. It looked like a cloth. There was another on the floor next to him.

  ‘Come in and close the door.’ His voice was deep, made deeper by the lack of soft furnishings in the room that might have otherwise absorbed his gravelly tones and she was sure that the floorboards themselves rumbled with his words.

  ‘Okay, we can talk,’ she said. ‘But while we do that, I need to send Libby up to get a shower. She—’

  ‘BOTH of you!’ It was the loudest she had ever heard him. It made her jump. Her chest fluttered and her heart thumped. She glanced back to where Libby stood behind her. Benny was closer now, too. She fixed a look on him but he seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

  Freddie had moved back out into the room to stand in front of the chairs. Whatever had been in his hands was back on the floor. He stared over at her, his gaze level with her mouth. She edged into the room, pulled in by his intensity.

  ‘I got two seats,’ he grumbled, ‘and I got some questions for you.’

  ‘Listen Freddie, I don’t know—’

  ‘SIT in them!’ The power was back in his voice. The first word was delivered like a sucker punch that she could feel in her chest as well as through the floorboards. She did as she was told. She turned to a whimper from Libby who was now standing in the doorway.

  ‘It’s okay, Libby. We just need to talk to Freddie for a bit, that’s all. We’ve got nothing to worry about. He’s got a few questions.’

  Libby was shaking her head, her unblinking eyes roamed round the room, settling on the black cloth Freddie had been toying with just a few moments earlier. She actually took a step back, her head shaking, slowly at first but quickly gaining in speed and intensity. She was starting to murmur too, Kelly knew she was close to trying something stupid.

  ‘Libby!’ Kelly called out — but it was too late. Libby turned away to where Benny was waiting. He grabbed her tightly by the arms, spinning her back around to face into the room.

  ‘You need to understand something right from the off . . .’ Freddie said, softly, his voice laden with menace. ‘If you do not do as I ask, the punishment will be delivered to the other. Do you understand what that means?’ He was looking beyond where Kelly had risen to a half-stand. Kelly glanced from Freddie to where Libby was being held so tightly that she grimaced in pain.

  ‘SIT!’ Kelly spun to the instruction. Freddie was a step closer and she did as she was told. The moment she touched the solid wood of the chair she felt the blow to the right side of her face. She saw a flash of white, heard her jaw slam shut and then she was aware she was on the floor, one of the chairs came with her, tipped on its side and lying on top of her. The pain came a moment later; it flashed across the side of her face and into her jaw. She stayed still,
confused as to where she was, her hair had fallen over her eyes and she felt it move with her gasped breath.

  ‘The next time you try and run, I break Kell’s legs here, so she can’t run after you.’ The rumbling voice was somewhere above Kelly and projected at the door. ‘And if Kell here gets up and runs, it’s your legs that get broken. You understand what I am saying?’

  Kelly managed to throw her eyes upwards to where Libby was a blurred figure. She tried to speak, to tell her to stay calm, to stay where she was, to do what she was told. Her jaw shot with pain and no words came out.

  ‘Let her go, Benny,’ Freddie said. Kelly’s vision cleared a little, enough for her to see that Benny’s leering smile was back. He was deliberate in opening his hands to release his grip on Libby. He stepped to the side too, leaving a gap out into the corridor, back the way they had come. ‘You can run. This is your chance. But then I’ll have to take out my frustration on Kelly, here.’

  Libby’s chest was heaving as she looked down at where Kelly lay. They made eye contact. Kelly still couldn’t speak, her jaw cracked as she tried. It sounded loud in her ears and an agonising pain was gone as quickly as it had come as if like her jaw had been knocked out of alignment and was now back in place. She opened and closed her mouth to test it. Libby looked up at Freddie and took a step back. Benny did too, as if to demonstrate that Libby was free to go if she wanted. Kelly knew better. Libby would never make it out of the building and it would be so much worse for both of them if she even tried. She still didn’t speak. She didn’t want to beg her to stay, she wasn’t even sure she could manage the words. She closed her eyes instead.

  ‘That’s my girl!’ Freddie spoke again, the low rumble back to his voice. Kelly opened her eyes to where Libby had moved closer to the chairs, her eyes now running with tears.

  ‘Sit.’ Freddie said, his tone at once warmer. The upended chair was lifted off Kelly. She was grabbed by her armpits and hauled up into it. She lifted a hand to her jaw. It still cracked and popped in her ears but there was no pain.

  Behind her the door was pushed shut. For a few seconds no one said anything. For Kelly, it was enough time to catch her breath. Freddie was back, staring at her mouth. He broke away to run his right hand down the front of his smart jacket. The button popped open revealing more of the crisp white shirt he wore buttoned up to the top. He wore smart trousers, too, that finished at the perfect height to brush the tops of expensive- looking dress shoes — his trademark look.

  He lifted his gaze to beyond her and nodded. A lock snapped. He slipped his jacket off. Benny moved into sight and took it from him. Freddie popped the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off to reveal a plain white t-shirt that hugged the contours of his body. Libby emitted a whine while Freddie handed his shirt to Benny, who then scurried back behind them. He took his trousers down, too. His boxer shorts were pristine white and when his shoes came off he was barefoot. He stepped towards the girls. Libby started moving enough to make the chair creak. He leaned forward, his muscular arms reaching between them to lean on the chair backs. They both tilted backwards.

  ‘I need to ask some you some questions and you should know I’m only interested in the truth. The truth means I get to put my suit back on, no problem. Lies mean I have to go upstairs and take a shower first. Do you understand what I am saying?’

  Kelly nodded. She didn’t know if Libby did but she heard a whimper.

  ‘Libby. Do you understand? Because that noise means nothing to me, girl?’

  ‘She’s just a kid, Freddie, give her a bit of slack.’ Kelly spoke, her jaw flared a little. Freddie sighed. The blow to Libby’s face followed almost instantly, a stinging slap; his hand swept so close to Kelly she could feel the draught.

  ‘You SEE?’ Freddie bellowed. He straightened up, tugged his t-shirt down and took a slow, deep breath. ‘You see, Kell here spoke out of turn, so you get the slap. You see how this works? Are you both starting to understand what is going on here?’

  ‘Okay, Freddie,’ Kelly blurted, mostly on Libby’s behalf, ‘we understand. What do you want? Ask your questions, we’ll answer. No problem.’

  Freddie stepped forward. Both girls flinched. He then turned and stepped into the bedroom. He reappeared in a second, holding something concealed in his right hand as he moved back to stand in front of them. He let his hands fall to his sides. Kelly could make it out now: a cut-throat razor hanging from a loose grip. Libby whimpered again. Kelly swallowed. They needed to be clever now, calm and clever. She was keenly aware that this was not something Libby had been good at so far.

  Freddie stepped forward. Libby flinched so hard Kelly could feel it through her chair. But his focus was on her. The blade flashed up and Kelly did her best to stay still but could do nothing to stop her eyes slamming shut. She waited for the pain, resigned to it. It didn’t come. Instead she could feel something cold pushed against her bottom lip. She opened her eyes to see Freddie looming as close as he could, close enough for her to be able to see his nasal hair move in and out as he breathed. She could smell his aftershave too, sickly sweet, the same he always used.

  ‘What do I want?’ The cold metal blade moved. He dragged it, blunt edge down, up and across her top lip. He lingered there with it pushed over her whole mouth in a silencing gesture.

  ‘You of all people know what men want! When they pay their money, when they fire up their screens and log on. It’s all building up to the same thing. They all want their moment of release! Am I right?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘That’s what I want, too. But I’m not like those men. Those sad, pathetic men who have to get themselves off by thinking they have some sort of control over beautiful women a million miles away. That’s not how I get my release. For my moment, I have to be here. I have to be right with you and I have to use a sharp blade. Do you understand?’

  Kelly thought she did. She didn’t reply. Her mind raced, but there was nothing to say that wouldn’t put them in more danger. He was unpredictable at the best of times. The blade was still pressed over her mouth.

  ‘My release comes with running this blade through expendable people like you. Through cutting off the bits that I don’t need anymore, that’s how I get my release.’ She felt the blade turn so the soft skin of her lips folded around the sharp edge pushed into her skin. Suddenly he snatched back, taking the blade with him. She felt a sharp nick. Immediately she felt moisture and pressed a finger to it. It came back smeared red. Freddie paced in front of them, his attention now directed out of the window. He thrust his hands behind his back. He still clutched the razor. ‘Someone has been talking to the police,’ he said, quietly. What I want is to know who that person is and what has been said.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about—’ He turned on Kelly, the blade flashed again and ran straight across her eyes, millimetres from breaking her skin. She jerked back, her eyes snatching to the left where the blade now rested against Libby’s cheek.

  ‘You don’t speak! Not until I tell you. I want to hear from this bitch first. The police had their time harassing me, but for the last few years there’s been nothing at all. Now I hear things. I hear people telling me that someone out there is giving them little titbits, enough for them to be interested in me again. And that someone is talking to other people, trying to get in their ear, seeing if they’ll speak to the cops too. A person like that might choose a dumb little bitch like this to speak to. Maybe she’s ideal . . . a stupid little kid who thinks she’s playing a game here? So, Libby . . . did anyone talk to you about speaking to the police?’ He leaned in closer. The blade was still against her mouth, she turned away from it, towards Kelly. She only managed a whimper. Kelly stared right back, trying to suppress her own reaction. The next words out of her mouth could get them both killed. ‘Or did you speak to the police, Libby?’ The venom when he said her name was unmistakeable.

  ‘I . . . I didn’t say anything! There was no one there but I wasn’t going to an
yway!’ Libby managed.

  Freddie’s left hand shot out to grab Libby high on her neck, his thumb reached round to dig so deep into her cheek that it flushed a deep red.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I . . . I went there . . . I didn’t know what to do! But . . . I didn’t stay, I left!’

  Freddie shoved her head back. He stood straight to loom over her, his chest was tensed, his hands back at his sides. Kelly dared to look up at his face. All his attention was on Libby, his eyes glazed and unblinking. The grip on the blade was no longer loose; now both fists were gripped so tightly that his knuckles showed white.

  ‘Look at you! Pathetic! Girls like you don’t make decisions like that on their own Libby, do they? Someone has been talking to you about going to the police . . . who?’

  Libby didn’t answer.

  ‘Did Kelly here talk to you about it? Did she say it was a good idea?’

  Libby still didn’t answer. Finally she snatched her head from side to side, a jerked shake of the head.

  ‘Just you? Off your own bat?’

  This time she managed a nod. Freddie stepped back. He rolled his shoulders like he was loosening himself up, his nose twitched above dimpled cheeks to where his jaw was clamped shut. Kelly held her breath.

  ‘You would do well to watch this, Kell. You would do well to remember what happens to people that let me down, that think they can talk outside of this family and then lie to my face about it.’ His voice was low and monotone. Kelly knew she should speak, that she should do something, but she couldn’t; she was frozen in her seat. She couldn’t look away either. He looked over the top of them both and nodded. The movement behind them was instant. Kelly didn’t risk looking but she guessed that Benny had gone into the bedroom. Sure enough he appeared a few seconds later, sliding in the mattress that had once occupied the centre of the room. He pushed it up against the wall to her right.